"Farmworkers Daughter" Essay

Mexican American Social life Identity

    Rose is a Mexican woman, who was born and raised in Mexico, but as new goals were overwhelming her and as she was about to start a new life in the United States, she faces new challenges.  The pressures of her family members thinking she has became a U.S citizen, while she was away working and learning the English language, proves challenging to Rose. All the social interactions play a huge influence in her life to become whom she is now in her society. As I can relate to some as well, we as people tend to be influenced by our environment, social background, family and friend influences as well as our personal goals.
    The confidence and security that her mother Maria gave Rose was a major influence in her later days when she would get older to prove that she can accomplish many things in life with the right knowledge and self-esteem. Rose was six years old when she first came around to seeing life, holding on to her mother when asking for a doll from her invisible father who was hardly around to raise her. Just like my father had once told me to stand up and defend myself from a group of boys who kept on picking on me because I didn’t want to give them everything I had for lunch or even my football. When the day came to fight for my freedom, there was a group of kids that showed up to my house and one girl called me out saying that some kids wanted me. My heart had dropped when I noticed who the group of kids were, it was the same three kids that were bothering me through out my whole 5th grade. Finally I told myself that I had to stand for myself but at the same time my soul had left me behind. When I looked back towards my house I remembered my father telling me I cannot let someone take advantage of me and to defend myself as well as to defend my siblings because family is all we got. Just as I was thinking, my dad had drove up to the house from work and was wondering who are all these kids. And I had explained that I had to defend my self and he said go for it. So I did confront the kids even though I got a black eye out of it, but throughout the rest of the year the kids left me alone. It felt good to be proud and independent that I can handle my responsibility as a young man, which helped build a strong relationship with my father.
    The relationship between Rose’s mom and her aunt makes both Rose and her mother Maria stronger, independent persons that can work together. By doing so Rose’s aunt Rachael came to Mexico during the time Maria (Rose’s mother) found out that she was being cheated on, and her aunt convinced her to stop worrying about the man and stand up for herself and become an independent woman as Rachael successfully was and come to the United States. “You have every right not to put up with un hombre sinvierguenza.” Rachael gave Maria the courage to act on her own. That self-confidence later influenced Rose’s character to become a successful writer.
    There was a time in High school where I had to straighten out my bad behaviors by doing, so I joined the wrestling team thanks to an ad that was laying on the floor, “Wrestling try outs think you got what it takes.”  That ad caught my attention and I did try out and ended up liking the sport but the fundamentals and the state of mind you have to master can change your perspective on how you look at things and how you treat another individual by being respectful and training harder than what normal people do on there daily lives to accomplish new goals and be successful in life; in the end it’s the most prideful feeling you can encounter. Then realizing that the never-ending hill of obstacles of life can be accomplished if you train hard and be consistent, like my motto  “it’s only hard if you make it hard.”
    With her experience as a farm worker, Rose saw glimpses of her life to be, as a writer, and a caring person. Rose at one point in her life at the age of 11 years old worked the fields with her mother and father. Anything that happen would take place in the farms of California were the agriculture is great and the season for fruits and vegetables are to be harvest by the immigrant workers like Rose and her family. Rose and her mother decided that they wanted to take a trip to Mexicali to visit Maria’s aunt because she missed her. Working at 6 in the morning in the garlic fields was a lot of work for a woman and an 11-year-old child to fill certain amount of baskets to harvest the crops before they spoil in the fields. Her father says,  “you get paid for what you work.” This experience teaches Rose the benefits of overcoming impossible tasks. So with work ethic, she managed to become a successful writer and person; who is sympathetic.
    In the hot sunny days of Modesto fields, where cabbage, grapes, and many other fruits are grown and to be harvest, I worked in the fields on picking tomatoes and strawberries to try helping my mother put food on the table so that my two sisters and two little brothers could eat. I would try to fill as many baskets I could to bring home more money and some days I just couldn’t bring enough home to buy a decent dinner so my mom would try to do her part to bring money home as well. Until this day I remember the struggles we had because we couldn’t find a decent job. I was only 14 to 15 years old trying to be a bigger person, I know why I am in college to get a good job so that my family and me could live comfortable.

"code of the street" Essay

Influence in society

    “Code of the Streets.”  Through out the days of our normal lives many crimes are committed all across the United States as well as all over the world. Many people then become victims of a crime or just mentally influenced by some daily life pressures from the neighborhoods that surround them, including economical, family descendant traditions, judicial system failures and sometimes starting at early child hood; and the structure of the poor class it is known as “code of the streets” that influence many lives. Which at times can cause a drift in families to either become successful from a lower class category into a middle class expectation level or become a rebel to society with the lack of organization if failed to succeed, which evolves into crimes from individuals. One major prominent sociological theoretical explanation that Elijah Anderson gives about is economic explanation deprivation-best explains crime in inner city communities.
    Problems that erupt in cities that are common are muggings, burglaries, and car theft as well as drug involvements. All which come from poor background people with low incomes that fail to support themselves, which are constantly arrested. “ None is more pressing than that of interpersonal violence and aggression. It wreaks havoc daily lives of community residents and increasingly over spills over into downtown and residential middle class areas.” The violence increases among the poor ghetto groups, which lack of jobs do not help pay living expenses, stable foundation to raise children and the more eagerness to use drugs to help stimulate the immensely pressures of society.
    At times trying to prevent crimes and drug abuse from happening change the trust that the society has for people who are known as criminals or the ghetto and lose interest in getting to know an individual or even less trying to help random people become successful for previous awareness of violence, which evolves as time goes on into something more complex. “This environment means that even youngsters whose home lives reflect mainstream values-and the majority of homes in the community must be able to handle themselves in a street oriented environment.” A person that grows up in areas known as the ghetto follow a certain guideline  “Code of the street,” which is to set informal rules governing interpersonal public behaviors.  The code is largely created for a defensive purpose to operate the public low class communities. However, many families inherit these traits to their children, which becomes embedded so deep that it is hard to avoid.  Gangs and other organized crimes grow larger and put pressure in the community. By causing crime to be silenced or to keep their respect in their area they live in, to avoid severe consequences from others. 
    More and more poverty areas are happening as the economy keeps declining and less resources are available to people who are seeking opportunities to escape from there neighborhoods for the fears of sinking more into crime and their children not having a decent life. Calling for help decreases when violent crimes erupt and police fail to so up, cause a drift in society from the judicial system to protect their community from become victims from the criminals. Budgets are a big influence that the city and state fail to provide. So, low income families choose to keep there reputation in their area, so that they can be avoided from individuals who commit crimes and the respect keeps going and will not be bothered from their surroundings. “The code of the streets is actually a cultural adaption to a profound lack of faith in the police and the judicial system.”
    The hardship reality is passed down to the future generations and continues to grow as time goes on and the economy gets worse, people need to fulfill their needs to support them selves including committing crimes and illegal sales. A better solution that would better the economy would help people to have jobs and something to look forward on to supporting themselves and their loved ones.  As long as they follow the code of the streets they are a little safer than usual. Which parents are motivated to pass down to their children so that they can adapt with society, as I can relate to my early childhood.
    At a junior high school I once went to, had many low-income families, as well as many known thugs. When I first arrived it looked as if there were no people living in the apartment complex with nice grass two story builds, but little did I know a drive by had just occurred. The only reason we moved to that area was because my parents had separated and both lost their jobs and it was cheaper for my mother who couldn’t find work and barely enough to get by. Once I got to know other kids in the area they showed me around to get to know my surroundings who to stay away from and who to hang out with if I wanted to be safe. I was confused on way I had to do what they said but later I knew it was for a reason people that did not get welcomed from certain groups would suffer consequences for being it the wrong area and families who’s parents were okay never got their cars broken into and could leave there children’s bicycle outside all day and night and no one would steal it as to someone they didn’t car for they got every thing taken from them.

Juvenile crime Essay

Children Juvenile hall; Its Just Not Right

    “Time for lock down” is what many young teenagers hear from the juvenile halls after they have committed and have been sentenced of a crime.  Some of the times it allows the adolescence to get away from home due to an occurrence that may be going on at home and this was their only escape route without being homeless, so they end up in juvenile hall.  The other half of the time teenagers were either misguided or minimized for what they did, as well as many other reasons that are out there in the society. E.g. gangs, dysfunctional families, Drug related incidents and poverty.  However, in today’s society and judicial system should pause, and consider whether we should sentence juveniles as adults, as a solution to juvenile crime. Many kids commit crimes, but the only hope which seems logical is just to lock teenagers away, yet consider keeping the less minor cases in the juvenile system rather than cases where it was a planned out murder. Instead of being harsh with juveniles trying them as adults or under the 3 strikes law. We should consider their circumstances and judge their perceived wrong with mercy.
    Even though teenagers would at one time or another would hang around with the wrong crowd at the wrong time, we should give them mercy and a chance for rehabilitation to redeem themselves and become a productive member of society. There is a saying that goes “you are who you walk with.”  Teenagers lacking judge of character at times are victims of this and fail to create their own identity. There was a situation in the story “True Note-Books” written by Mark Salzman, where a young minor/teenager was tried as an adult, because he was next to the shooter although he did not shoot the victim was later arrested; then later in court he was sentenced as an adult, for 48 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.  At the time of the incident he was only a minor that was at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Instead of punishing the young boy as an adult who does not see the world from the perspective of an adult yet, the justice system should provide him a chance before the jails system corrupt his mind even more than what it already is by the mentality other young juveniles have and the future jails as well.
    Many young teenagers soon to be adults, if they make it out alive, face many emotional challenges just to get through the day of the pressure of knowing they may never see the streets again. We should have mercy for them because these juveniles are also humans, with the same emotional challenges as you or me, if not that even more. This sentiment is expressed when Francisco writes, “Dear stranger, this is my last statement on earth. I know people look at me like a criminal and a no good person. A gang member that’s a menace to society because I am incarcerated, but it’s not true. I am a person who is discovering who he really is.” (pg 64) It takes a toll on the kids to then realize the poor decisions they make in life that ended their civilian life. Therefore it is too late for them to make a difference in the world because they are incarcerated and ended up facing 52 years to life like Francisco Javier.   Javier understood and appreciated the concept of life and the help that was offered by Mark Salzman although later he had no chance to change in the outside world because he was later convicted and transferred to a state prison were he would spend majority of his life along with others that were tried as an adult at an early age.
    In my personal experience I have too, seen many of my friends get arrested for childish acts such as car thefts, store robberies and drug related events.  The cars was because they loved to drive other peoples cars that were not their own and they steal what they wanted and what they needed in order to trade in for money.  However, behind all their actions something deep down inside of them caused them pain and hurting feelings; the reason why I know now is because I reflected in my past and seen what really went on. Some of my friends had parents that were drug abusers, which never provided food for them or their younger siblings so they had to go out and get it on their own. Some even had so much anger from their personal life experiences that lead them to act violent and none of them would ever talk about how they really felt and they have been due to keeping your pride in the streets. Yet, talking to someone could of made a difference in his or her lives. That is why after having read True Notebooks, I truly understand their stories and tribulations and their struggles that could of cause them to end up in a place where you get three decent meals a day and Medicare and able to play sports with your friends at certain times, although to some teenagers it is better than home. But not every one is comfortable with being inside.
    Time was running out for Jimmy Wu and Francisco Javier which court was just around the corner trying to make a better turn in their lives to prove to the court that that can be successful in society and that they understand what they did wrong. Sadly to say when it was day for judgment jimmy and Francisco lost their cases and Jimmy Wu was sentenced 15 years in prison, which was not worse than Francisco who was sentence 52 years in state prison. “Why couldn’t you give me a chance? Why are you taking away fifteen years of my life for one mistake. Why couldn’t you look at me and see how I have Changed”. And all the judge could do is say “Good luck”, emotions that ran around the room like wild fire as jimmy and Francisco were sentenced, but in a way jimmy and Francisco were free again in a painstaking way that the worries are now over and time to adapt to the jail life for a long period of their lives. It was probably one of their hardest days in jail, because not only did they lose there freedom and loved ones, but they lost the opportunity to enjoy life outside they know now from a mature perspective and state of mind.
    The system has to find alternative routes to see the good in young juveniles rather than go by the rules because at times they can be wrong by seeing a just black and white vision, instead the system could go off on believing that these children have a chance to succeed in society. “ Young children fail in society because we fail as a community.” We want them to always make a difference when they are out but at times we fail to provide programs, recourses, and a friend to overlook the bad in them and bring out the good in them.