Judgment and acceptance

Last Tuesday, 04/05/2011, I went to a conference titled Serving the Underserved. During this conference, I had the opportunity to explore social issues such as domestic violence, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, as well as mental health mostly regarding the urban population. I was extremely amazed by what the two speakers had to say about their former drug addiction. One of the speakers is Kim. In her introduction, she describes herself as a 42 years old woman with four kids and four grandchildren. Kim said that just like statistics have shown, one of her four children is becoming just like her, a drug addict. Her daughter is currently in treatment but has some series addictions to deal with. She was so addicted to marijuana that she did not stop smoke them even during her pregnancy. She smoked so much and so often, so much so that her son was born with traces of marijuana in his system. It was then that Kim decided to intervene. What I found most interesting about Kim’s speech is how she said that marijuana along with alcohol is a gateway drug. It leads to harder drugs. I never thought of alcohol as a drug. At the end of the speech, she thanked her social worker and her doctor. She thanked them for giving her a second chance, for changing her life, and for making her a better mom as well as a better grandmother.
That night, at my room and sitting in front of my computer, I typed this sentence, Tonight I realized that I am a different person from when I first came to Loyola. I am thankful for my Jesuit education; for exposing me to a variety of social issues and populations. I was certainly empowered by Kim’s speech. I desire to be the person who could give people like her a second chance. I feel comfortable saying that I am capable of changing someone’s life for the better. I think, in fact I know that I feel comfortable saying the above statement because I firmly believe in it! Just like Shane has walked into the Starretts’ lives, Kim has appeared in mine. She is not as “mysterious” or “dangerous” as Joe says of Shane. She was utterly honest, sincere, and most of all, courageous!
I want to expand on Kim’s view of alcohol as a gateway drug. People think that if money is given to a person experiencing homelessness, then they assume that money will be spent on alcohol and or drugs. After Kim’s speech, I begin to wonder about this assumption. College students drink on a regular basis and spend a lot of money on substances that includes both alcohol and or drugs. Addiction is defined as being “abnormally dependent on some habit”. If a person goes out every weekend, is that addiction? On some occasions, college students drink so much that they suffer from alcohol poisoning. Is that addiction? What then makes college students different from people suffering from homelessness? They both spend money on substances. Perhaps college students spend more. Just because they live on a college campus, it does not mean they cannot suffer from addiction. Then, who are we to judge? Who are we to point fingers? Who are we to even decide whether or not a person suffering from homelessness, deserves a second chance? For these reasons, I firmly believe that everyone deserves a second or even a third chance.
My conference experience illuminates this week’s reading, Shane by Jack Schaefer because it demonstrates that a stranger can not only shed new light in one’s life, but can even be integrated into the family. It is all about acceptance. The appearance of Shane was both mysterious and exciting, especially for Bob. He brought something to everyone in the family: something to look forward to to Bob, help with the farm to Joe, and fashion advices to Marian. Later, Joe says to Marian “I don’t think you ever had a safer man in your house” (10). This symbolizes the Starretts acceptance of Joe despite of his appearance. The time they spent together during the summer and the fact Shane is attempting to solve Joe’s personal problems is a testament to this integration.
Looking closely, a former drug addict or even a practicing drug addict is not that far away from our lives. We are conditioned by our society to think that people on the street are different from us. In reality, we are the same. And at times, such as this conference, these marginalized individuals can offer some of the greatest advices and inspirations.

Event Blog 4/12/11

In the novel Shane, by Jack Schaefer, the main character Shane displays what it takes to be a true hero. Since the moment Shane rode up to the Starrett’s farm in Wyoming, he had captured the family with his striking appearance. He had a look about him that seemed tough and full of toleration. After Shane asked the family for a glass of water, Joe and Marian Starrett invited him to stay for the night so his horse could rest. At dinner later that night, the Starrett’s son Bob asked Shane question after question out of curiosity. After getting to know Shane, the family convinced him to stay a second night in hope of spending more time with him. After the second night, Shane began to live with the family and their relationship grew stronger the more that they lived and worked together.
Throughout the first few chapters, it becomes clear that the family looks up to Shane and Shane becomes protective over the family. Bob sees Shane as a hero the second he rides up to the farm on his big horse. He is fascinated in Shane and looks up to the strong, brave man that he portrays. Marian shows her interest in Shane when she searches for acceptance from both of the men after flaunting her new hat and baking an apple pie. It means the world to Joe that Shane is willing to help him around the farm. The first time that the reader is able to see them working as a team is when the two men work on the stump together; something that Joe has been trying to accomplish by himself for quite some time. Shane displays affection toward the family through the first half of the book in a nurturing manner. When the peddler sells a cultivator to Joe, Shane can tell that it is way over priced and manipulates him to lower the price. Shane see’s Bob playing with his toy gun and takes the time to give him a few pointers on how to hold the gun. He even looked out for the family without them even being aware of it. One evening, Shane started to sit in Joe’s seat at the dinner table because there was a perfect view of the front door. This way, he would be able to see anyone coming towards the house trying to start trouble.
Chapter 6 marks the major turning point in the novel. After the summer had passed, Fletcher continued to try to take their farm from the family. Bob witnessed a confrontation with Shane and one of Fletcher’s men Chris. He noticed that Shane let them insult and harass him, yet he didn’t do anything about it. Fletcher begins to taunt the Starrett family and the community begins to blame Fletchers actions on Joe and Shane. Shane doesn’t want this for Joe but keeps himself from enforcing any violence upon the men. It isn’t until Shane kindly offers Chris a soda and he smashes it across Shane’s head that Shane is forced to be violent. After giving Chris a good beating, he cleans him up and heads back to the farm. The fact that Shane keeps himself calm until he has no other choice proves whom the real hero is. He stands up for whom he truly cares about, the Starrett family, and does it with class. The family isn’t worried about what Fletcher will do, but how Shane feels know that he had to take actions he never wished to take.
Today, April 11 2011, I took part in the sexual assault awareness week by wearing a “1 in 4” t-shirt. Those who signed up were each given a t-shirt to wear throughout the day to spread awareness regarding sexual assault. One out of every four college women and one out of every eight college men are sexually assaulted. I was extremely taken back after learning about these statistics. The freshmen building that I live in is split up by groups of four girls, this could mean that one girl out of each dorm could be sexually assaulted. While walking around campus, it was great to see all of the students wearing the blue and pink shirts. Luckily it was a beautiful day out so sweatshirts or jackets didn’t cover them up and we were able to get the full effect.
Later this evening, there was a forum in Knott Hall where participants were able to share their experience. One thing that we discussed was how some participants chose to wear shirts for the opposite sex. Their reasoning for this was to express that sexual assault is a problem for not only women but also men. We don’t only care about the 1 in 4 women who are assaulted but the 1 in 8 men as well. One of my classmates brought up an interesting point that yes, we are spreading awareness by wearing these shirts, but what happens when the shirts come off? The fact of the matter is that we need to be comfortable enough to talk to others about this issue and be prepared to feel uncomfortable. Plus, if we relate this to someone that they know or love, it may make it a little more personal and easier to grasp. A man in the group made an interesting comment that some may say women put themselves in the situation by dressing a certain way almost as if they are “asking for it” but in most cases this isn’t true. He went on to make the point that people dress a certain way to make themselves feel a certain way. A girl may wear a short skirt or sexy dress out because she’s saying look, I’m comfortable in my own skin and I’m happy to be who I am. Overall I felt that today was enlightening to say the least and I hope to educate others about sexual awareness as well as be there for those who may need any kind of guidance. I certainly advise others to take part and hope to participate again next year.

In the novel Shane, by Jack Shaefer, Shane is represented with heroic qualities from very early in the novel. Bob Starret has a fascination with nearly everything about Shane. Bob talks about Shane’s clothes, his “magnificence,” and how his face appears to show a difficult past. Even with Shane’s hardened appearance, he is portrayed as a very gentle and kind person. His clothing and facial features do not fit his attitude. While he seems to be a rough wild west cowboy, he fits very well into the Starret family.

The Starret family does not want Shane to leave, and they invite him to spend another night. Shane realizes that this is no longer about the weather, and that they would actually like him to stay. Shane decides to stay, and he begins to work on removing the large stump with Joe. Soon after removing the stump, Joe hires Shane to work on the farm. Shane says that he never imagined himself to be a farmer, however, he accepts Joe’s offer.

Now that Shane is essentially a member of the house, the Starret family begins to notice how constantly alert Shane is. He is always looking over his shoulder and watching doors as if he is afraid of something. They also notice that even though he has a gun, he does not carry it around. This is foreshadowing some dark ominous event later in the book. This tension constantly keeps the reader on edge.

Surprisingly, at the end of the summer, Shane is still working on the Starret’s farm. Shane is becoming a real part of the family. He shows this when he clears the field while Joe is going as an anniversary present. Shane shows his worth again when the steers get loose and he goes out to catch them. Shane is still a great hero in Bob’s eyes. One day, way Bob is playing with a toy gun, Shane goes up to him and teaches him a few tricks. This just furthers Bob’s admiration for Shane. Bob is amazed at how well Shane can wield a gun. This not only shows that Shane is becoming more of a hero to Bob, but it also shows the reader that Shane has a lot of history handling weapons. This is more foreshadowing for some event looming in this families future.

Fletcher begins to threaten the farms of local families soon after summer is over. People believe that Fletcher will most likely try to run Shane out of town. When Shane and Joe go into town, he has a confrontation with one of Fletcher’s men, Chris. The men do not fight, but Chris gets under Shane’s skin, and Shane becomes rigid and angry at the saloon. After the first confrontation, Fletcher’s men begin to harass the farmers because they are no longer worried about Shane. Joe’s reputation in the eyes of the other farmers is quickly declining. Shane feels responsible so he goes to the bar and, like in all good cowboy stories, starts a bar fight. Shane easily beats Chris in the fight.

The end of chapter seven confirms Shane as the typical cowboy hero. He has beaten the enemy physically, and shown all of the people in the town his worth. Bob looks up to Shane like he is a legend. He appears to idolize him the way that some kids look up to their big brothers. Bob wants to mimic him in nearly every way. This shows how Bob and Shane have begun to develop a deeper connection at this point in the novel, and how Shane will clearly remain Bob’s hero.

Toward the end of the Frankenstein symposium, I attended the keynote speaker’s lecture. To be completely honest, I had gone to so many Frankenstein events that they have all seemed to blend together. The week of the symposium I attended the original “Frankenstein” movie, “The Bride of Frankenstein,” “Young Frankenstein,” three different symposiums, and the keynote speaker. In addition to those events we had been spending a great deal of time in both this class and my Western Civ class discussing Frankenstein (we even talked about it in my Latin class!). I feel like after all of these events I could write a book on Frankenstein! Looking back on it, I truly appreciate the amount of time that we spent studying Frankenstein. I have never gone into such great detail in any subject. In addition to that, I have never heard so many people’s opinions on the same subject. It is amazing how many different ideas can stem from one peace of literature, and the keynote speaker helped me to realize that.

Unity

Shane, is a novel with many themes. The title which references the primary character of the story gets caught up in staying with the Starretts, an average family during 89’. One of the main themes throughout the story is Shane and his ability to better unit the family. Shane has characteristics that are directly opposite from Bob’s father which infer that the Starrett household functions because of the members and the fact that each individual is unique in their own way. It is a combination between their different personalities and their strong efforts to accomplish their goals that the Starrett household was able to become so successful in such a newly started town. From the beginning of the novel, Bob has a strong interest in Shane riding towards his house which gives the impression right from the start that there is something special about this main character. This was best demonstrated when Bob states, “I was trying to frame a reply and choking on it, when I realized that he was not speaking to me but past me.”(pg.4) This timid moment for Bob gives the representation that Shane was very different from what he usually saw in his father and mother, Joe and Marian, and that there was obviously something unique that he wanted to experience for himself. It was Bob’s openness and curiosity that not only started Shane’s relationship with the family, but also pointed out the attributes needed for their farm’s success. Shane’s personality and attitude was the reason the Starretts were willing to take him despite the difference in culture and style. In Chapter 2 Shane is once again personified as an honest man when he stands up towards Ledyard and his unfair negotiations with Joe. In result to this, Joe was not only able to save money but Shane’s qualities were able to be seen on a deeper level. In result to this event, Shane took part in chopping down a tree, one that Joe himself could not take care of. It is through both of their efforts and hard work that they were able to knock down the tree. Knocking down of the tree demonstrated the theme of unity. Given a job opportunity and the ability to stay, Shane’s speed and intelligence proved to greatly impact the farm’s success. Joe, was depicted throughout the story as a very hard worker where because he could never sit down. From the beginning of the novel Joe’s dedication was represented continuously. This was demonstrated by how his house was nicely painted and maintained, a trait that was hard to come by in their area. Taking in Shane because of his honesty and good will, and making him a part of the family truly demonstrates his humility throughout the novel. In combination with his humility, Joe’s strength is a factor that gives the reader the perception of the difficulty associated with managing these two characteristics. He ultimately demonstrates both of these characteristics when he responds to Bob’s question if he could beat up Shane, in which he states, “Son, that’s a tough question. If I have to, I might do it. But, by Godfrey, I’d hate to try it.” (pg.43) By stating this Joes demonstrates to Bob that no one is able to be the best at something, and that even though he is strong there are many characteristics that he does not have. He ultimately showed that rather than “beating up” Shane he could work with him to improve his farm and family. Marian. Mother. Beauty and affection. Throughout the story she acts as a symbol of perfection. No matter what she is doing whether it is cooking or making clothes, she wants to do it to the best of her ability. An example of this is when she accidentally burned the pie. She refused to join the table to eat until it was fully prepared. Acting as the standard for the household, Marian made sure that anything out of place was corrected, which might remind the reader of his or her own motherly figure. Marian gives the reader the impression that every individual of a family has a large influence in their family’s success. I found relevance to the novel of Shane, in an event I attended about Sexual Diversity Awareness. In going to the lection “On Being Gay In Non-Gay Place” I was able to witness what some homosexual peers and faculty members go through on a day to day basis. Describing the awkwardness of certain situations as well as personal information about how they were able to come up with the amount of confidence to tell the ones they loved who they truly were, I could not see why people would discriminate towards them. Regardless of what their sexual orientation was they all represent and unify Loyola in their own ways. For an example I really enjoyed Tim Cherney’s speech because his use of comedy to describe some situations he experienced showed me that like in Shane, people should not be judged by their appearance or sexual orientation, but their hard work and dedication.

Shane blog

For this week, we were assigned to read the first part of the novel, Shane by Jack Shaefer. As this is the last event/service blog entry, I felt this part of the novel was fitting for reflecting on my overall experience at Care-A-Van this past year. During this part of the novel, the readers are introduced to they mysterious Shane and the kind family he stays with. Although there was not a lot of action, I anticipate a big event or situation arising. Shane is initially described as a man who is lean, wears mostly black and keeps to himself creating a mysterious character. He is friendly and courteous, complimenting Marian’s cooking and gets along with the whole family. After a couple of days the narrator and his family get to know Shane more and sees that he is an observant, cautious and the narrator can sometimes sense a hint of danger in Shane. When I meet people at Care-A-Van, I do not know their history and they many of them do not openly share their stories. Only after talking with them and getting to know them, do I understand their background.

The thing Shane did that had the most profound impact on me was on the second day of his stay at the Scarlett’s household. Shane asks about the tree stump and Joe replies that he has been working on removing the stumps and roots but they are tough to get rid of. Later on Shane picks up an axe and starts cutting away at the stump. Both the narrator and his father are surprised at the strength Shane has, as he has thinner build than Joe. The father joins in and the two of them work together for the day to loosen the stubborn roots and stump. Surprisingly, neither Shane nor the father says much when they work and seem to know what each person is thinking. At the end of the day, Shane and Joe triumphantly lift the stump out. With teamwork they were more efficient and accomplished much more than if Joe or Shane worked independently.

I think teamwork is very important in the world and I believe nothing can get done if everyone thinks and lives independently. Usually when someone does something, another person is affected and they do something, which creates a cycle. I remember the first time I went to downtown for Care-A-Van; it was a warm autumn evening and one of the people that came to receive food held the trash bag and asked others to put their trash in the bag and not on the streets. He stated that since we were serving them, the people should do their part and clean up their mess, otherwise we would have to clean up before we left. Not only was the man helping us, but he was also promoting the idea of keeping the environment clean. Care-A-Van is a combination effort of the sandwich makers, the downtown volunteers and the people who come to receive the food and drinks. Without the sandwich makers, the downtown volunteers cannot hand out food. Without the people who receive, information about Care-A-Van and other meal programs and assistance, in general, would not be as successful. I think more people should become involved with issues in the world, their country and their community, instead of worrying about themselves. By collaborating with others I believe we can solve any issues including the concerns of homelessness and poverty.

Its my life

Blog 9

Kelly Gajdzisz

This week at service, I noticed how racial discrimination still exists first hand in society today. I admit that I may have been naive to it all types of discrimination in my life because I lived in a bubble around my high school. Therefore it confused me to examine the events that happened this day because it was something new. Somehow these children, basically half my age noticed more about discrimination than I have ever noticed. It is not until you are immersed in a culture or surroundings that you will understand their way of life and their issues.

As a group they completed an activity of trivia. Who ever guessed the most correct choices of these 15 multiple-choice questions received a prize. I was given the sheet with the answer key and was surprised when I began reading the questions. They were all statistics about white, black, poor, and rich people. I immediately thought why are the leaders of Higher Achievement handing out information that was discriminating against themselves and these children? They all acted like it was no big deal and as if what they were reading was something typically normal. Some questions were as follows: “Compared with White women, how likely are African American women in the US to die during childbirth due to lack of access to prenatal care?” The answer was 4 times a likely. Another question: “Powder cocaine (largely used by wealthy white people) and crack cocaine (largely used by economically challenged disadvantaged blacks) contain roughly the same amount of the drug per gram. Under federal law, how much of these substances must an individual be convicted of possession to be sentenced to minimum of 5 years in prison?” The answer was 500 grams of powder or 5 grams of crack cocaine. In other words black people will get the same punishment as white people who are holding 100 times more cocaine.

When we were going over these questions and all of these students were getting these questions right, my mind was boggled. When I saw these answers I would have never guessed the right answers but somehow these middle school students knew. This showed me that these kids know a lot more about the discrimination against blacks people than I did because it is their background. I do not know this information because it does not pertain to me and my world at Loyola. I thought about this and it made me realize how selfish and sheltered I was. I have never given myself a chance to branch out and learn about different cultures that were not my own. If I see myself living in this little bubble there must be many other white college students at Loyola that find themselves immersed in the Baltimore world outside of their bubble as well. Discrimination is what not only a lot of blacks in Baltimore deal with but many other ethnicities experience as well all over the country. This was my chance to understand how the oppressed culture of African Americans deals with these statistics.

Through my eyes I saw these stats as embarrassing because they were favoring my race. Through their eyes these stats are the ways of their life and what they have to deal with day in and day out. I then thought back to why I thought this information was discriminating against these students. It is not a discriminating trivia test because they are the facts. They are real statistics and they are the way of life for these students. I did not even know such things were true but these kids knew the facts like the back of their hand because it was their life. I developed a deeper insight for discrimination through observing the student’s knowledge of their race. It made me jealous because I wish I knew my race and its history like they did. I think they know it so well because of the situations blacks have been in the past. It is wrong to not learn more about my culture because it did not experiences such harsh oppression in the past. Whatever your culture may be it is important to know the ins and outs of it.

I can relate this experience to the poem we read, “Snapping Beans,” because the character was immersed in a culture that was unfamiliar to her and she began to accommodate herself to it. She enjoyed it and wanted to like the experience she was getting with it at college. I was immersed in an unfamiliar surroundings but I was glad because it made me realize that there was more out there than just my culture. It showed me that embracing your race and culture are important and everyone should learn more about their own and others. I was “snapped” into reality when I saw how much these students understood and realized about discrimination of their race. I can also relate this experience to Shane, because Shane stood up for what he believed for and went to Chris even though he did not want to result to violence. I have to stand up for learning more about my own culture and others cultures even if that means putting myself in unfamiliar situations.

Blog for April 12, 2011

Shane by Jack Schaefer revolves around a family who has settled down in the Western United States during the late 19^th century to live a life of farming. Content with their style of living, they are surprised when a stranger on a horse shows up at their house. Unlike any other visitor they have had before, one of the main characters, Bob, becomes fascinated with him. Shane, intending to only get some water and continue on his journey ends up staying for a couple of days so he is able to rest. Despite his father’s hesitations, Bob becomes obsessed with his new role model. Finding him mysterious and adventurous, the young boy finds any excuse to be around the visitor. As issues arise about land disputes, Shane decides to stay with the family to help out with the farming, and help protect their lands.

Personally, the connection between Bob and Shane is similar to what has happened with the kids I help tutor at Guilford Middle Elementary School. Some of the same kids have been coming each week to be tutored and by now, we have known to form friendships with these kids. Being an unexpected friendship, both in the book and in my experience tutoring, both parties are able to learn so much about the other. Some of the girls I have had the opportunity to work with come each week so they can have good grades. On several occasions, they have told me that next year they want to transfer to better schools. They know that by going to another school, they will be able to receive a better education and have the opportunity to attend college.

As the story of Shane unfolds, we discover that Fletcher, a powerful man in who lives in their area, wants to take over all of the farmer’s land so he is able to commercially raise cattle. At this point in the story, Shane decides to live with the family and be paid for his work on the farm. As the drama between Fletcher and the other farmers becomes more of an issue, this is where hints of Shane’s dark past are discovered. When one of Fletcher’s “lackeys” comes to try to get Shane to leave town, he “kept hold of [his] arm and wrenched it sideways and let the weight bear on it and you could hear the bone crack” (77). Although at this point Bob, as well as the readers, are unaware of this character’s dark past, we can assume that he has used tactics like this in the past. Unwilling to tell Bob about his reasons for treating Fletcher’s friend the way he did, Bob wonders about his past and if Shane will ever tell him about it.

This part of the novel really reminded me about my volunteer experience at Guilford. By helping out many of the same students each week, they have come to trust us as friends and tell us about their family lives. For example, some of the students, even though they have great grades, would rather stay after school to be tutored instead of going home. What fascinates me is that in a matter of weeks, I have developed such a bond with the students at Guilford that I was not expecting to happen when I decided to complete the service component of this class. This demonstrates that even the most unlikely of people can come together and forge a friendship that is beneficial to both parties. In the novel, both Shane and Bob benefit from being friends with the other—Shane gains a friend while Bob gains another role model in his life. In my volunteer experience, the students I have the opportunity of helping gain a role model to help them through school while I have the ability to not only help these kids, but myself in the process.