"We need intelligent voices. We're going to make deep changes and you're on person who can help make them." (Rodriguez 147)
This week my book has taken a turn for the better. It has been evident that Luis wants to better himself and not just be a part of a gang, but he never understood how as he saw no opportunities. Well, lately he has received lots of support from various people. It started when his mom called his former principal to talk to him, and it was then that Luis shared he was writing a book on his experiences; Mr. Rothro advises him to go back to school as he shows potential to strive for success. This then leads to Luis' father signing him up in a high school close to where he works and away from where they live which is filled with gang violence. It is in this environment that Luis discovers the beauty in books, specifically the ones he can relate to as they speak of similar situations he has gone through himself. It was this that sparked his interest and I think leads to his passion of writing. Several other people offer help to him including Chente, who works at a Youth Center and offers him a job and another chance to go to school, his boxing coach, who has hope in him and gives him the confidence to work hard, and lastly a man who decides not to press charges after Luis tried to leave a restaurant without paying. All of these people did simple things that eventually led to him steering away from the gang life and trying to make something of his life. Soon after these events, Luis is re-enrolled in Garvey High School after they get a new principal who promises to make changes in the school for the Chicanos. He begins to participate in school events like clubs, plays, and even helping stage a protest for justice and equality (mostly the Chicanos as they are the ones being persecuted).
This weeks reading got me really happy, as I feel really proud of Luis for making these good decisions that can potentially lead him to a better life in which he no longer has to experience and witness violence, deaths, and poverty. It also warmed my heart to see all of these people helping him, along with others, to strive for success. I can connect to this because thinking about it, I am really lucky to have had people in my life believing in me and helping me move forward despite my ethnicity. I'm sure lots of you can relate too. Have you ever had a mentor or someone who helped you strive for better things like those who helped Luis? Was it a friend, schoolmate, teacher, parent? What did you learn from them? I realized that a lot has changed before and people like you and me didn't have it so easy before. Nowadays almost everyone has the same amount of opportunities, while back then people had to fight to make these available. This creates a new found appreciation within me for all my teachers and even society as they have made it possible for equal rights and opportunities. I hope that you found this insightful and have made the same realization I have and pass this message along so that everyone may understand how lucky we are and take advantages of the opportunities others have fought to make available to us.
This week was super crazy for me with a chemistry test and my AP world history exam but I was able to get through most of this weeks reading. (As you can tell I did this very last minute...) Luckily, with no tests coming up I will be able to finish my reading this weekend and try to start on next weeks. Anyways, I was very much interested in what I read and I'm excited to see what comes next for Luis. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog post and I'll see you guys next week!! :)
This week my book has taken a turn for the better. It has been evident that Luis wants to better himself and not just be a part of a gang, but he never understood how as he saw no opportunities. Well, lately he has received lots of support from various people. It started when his mom called his former principal to talk to him, and it was then that Luis shared he was writing a book on his experiences; Mr. Rothro advises him to go back to school as he shows potential to strive for success. This then leads to Luis' father signing him up in a high school close to where he works and away from where they live which is filled with gang violence. It is in this environment that Luis discovers the beauty in books, specifically the ones he can relate to as they speak of similar situations he has gone through himself. It was this that sparked his interest and I think leads to his passion of writing. Several other people offer help to him including Chente, who works at a Youth Center and offers him a job and another chance to go to school, his boxing coach, who has hope in him and gives him the confidence to work hard, and lastly a man who decides not to press charges after Luis tried to leave a restaurant without paying. All of these people did simple things that eventually led to him steering away from the gang life and trying to make something of his life. Soon after these events, Luis is re-enrolled in Garvey High School after they get a new principal who promises to make changes in the school for the Chicanos. He begins to participate in school events like clubs, plays, and even helping stage a protest for justice and equality (mostly the Chicanos as they are the ones being persecuted).
This weeks reading got me really happy, as I feel really proud of Luis for making these good decisions that can potentially lead him to a better life in which he no longer has to experience and witness violence, deaths, and poverty. It also warmed my heart to see all of these people helping him, along with others, to strive for success. I can connect to this because thinking about it, I am really lucky to have had people in my life believing in me and helping me move forward despite my ethnicity. I'm sure lots of you can relate too. Have you ever had a mentor or someone who helped you strive for better things like those who helped Luis? Was it a friend, schoolmate, teacher, parent? What did you learn from them? I realized that a lot has changed before and people like you and me didn't have it so easy before. Nowadays almost everyone has the same amount of opportunities, while back then people had to fight to make these available. This creates a new found appreciation within me for all my teachers and even society as they have made it possible for equal rights and opportunities. I hope that you found this insightful and have made the same realization I have and pass this message along so that everyone may understand how lucky we are and take advantages of the opportunities others have fought to make available to us.
This week was super crazy for me with a chemistry test and my AP world history exam but I was able to get through most of this weeks reading. (As you can tell I did this very last minute...) Luckily, with no tests coming up I will be able to finish my reading this weekend and try to start on next weeks. Anyways, I was very much interested in what I read and I'm excited to see what comes next for Luis. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog post and I'll see you guys next week!! :)