The Courage of My Convictions
Ninth Grade ProgramSample Essays
The following selection of essays were written by ninth-grade English Language Arts students at Jeremiah Burke High School in Dorchester, during the 2008-2009 school year as part of their final project for the "Courage of My Convictions" curriculum program.
Leslie's America
I might describe my America by saying, it’s not all very nice, it is violent and it is sometimes fun. There aren’t really a lot of respectful people out there, so I’m always careful as I walk around and who I bump heads with. Most importantly, I’m careful about who I associate with.
When people take care of their houses and yards, my America looks pretty decent. My America is sometimes quiet, but there are always the sounds of cars passing by and horns honking. You better believe that on most Saturdays and Sundays, there are fights and yelling from here and there, or there’s music blasting throughout the streets. I’ve gotten used to the noise and the racket, so it doesn’t really bother me as much as it used to.
My America doesn’t feel entirely safe, but sadly I’ve gotten used to that feeling. On Saturdays and Sundays, people take advantage of their fun. They have parties and out of nowhere, a fight begins. Shooting often follows and this weekend violence makes weekdays seem quiet.
There are a lot of different people who live in my America and they all have different types of personalities. Sometimes these people appear to have certain characteristics, but in reality they’re the total opposite. What I see on the outside is respect, kindness and surely a great sense of humor. Sometimes these people who look so nice end up being rude and hostile to the people around them.
Sometimes on my street, I feel like we need cops watching after us because of the amount of violence that takes place. I feel that most of the people who contribute to the violence are grown men and women. They all need to learn that they can’t live life as they are now, because they won’t get anywhere that way. Our next generation is just going to repeat that cycle. It’s one thing to see kids fighting and it’s another to see grown men and women fighting. I think they need to learn a more respectful and intelligent way to treat each other. When kids like me see adults doing what they are doing, some of us may start to think that it’s the right way to treat one another. Sadly, it’s not and we all need to try and solve our problems in a better way.
Cashman's America
My America looks unpleasant because when you walk down the street you always see litter on the ground, which makes the air smell bad. There is also bad air pollution because of people smoking and not caring about how it may affect others. Life in my America feels okay, but it's not the best. I try to make every effort to make it better. I do that by not littering and making sure that I keep where I live clean.
In addition, we have friends to protect us and be our guide when times get rough. However, there are people who will not like you nor respect you. The most important thing to the people in my America is their family and their reputation in society. Some people in my America believe in God and go to church on Sundays.
There are also those who believe in loyalty and will do anything to get it. Some people will kill to earn respect, but that is not the right way at all. Their lives depend on who they are and what they are doing. There are some people who try to make their lives better by enrolling in school and getting a proper education so they can be successful in life. There are those who affiliate themselves with gangs and do dreadful things to get themselves in trouble, including robbery, theft, murder and assaulting people. This is how everyone in my America is portrayed because of this negative behavior. this makes my society look awful and that's not fair.
My America is overwhelming and hard. It takes a lot of courage to live day by day, especially when you always have people disturbing you. For example, in my America, it is a constant struggle to fall asleep at night because my neighbors play loud music that keeps me awake. I hear mothers yelling at their children and I see youth all around. My America is not a safe place to live at all.
My America is a place of hope and change. I strive to be the best I can be in all that I do. I am capable of being successful by being a leader and by surpassing all the negativity that surrounds me everyday. I am convinced that anyone in my America can make a difference in my neighborhood if they are willing to do so. In my America, negativity exists, but there are those who try to be positive to make a difference. People should be aware that in my America, it's not worth it to do wrong things. Anyone can make an impact by having the mentality to know that success requires the vision to see, the ability to believe and the determination to succeed.