Police Technology Essays - Video Surveillance, Prevention

Police Technology Taylor R. Harrod Grantham University Author Note Please address all correspondence regarding this essay to [emailprotected] Abstract The use and development of technology is created with the purpose of making our lives easier. This is also true for police officers who are using new technology such as body cameras, Google Glass, and brain fingerprinting. These examples of technology are helping police departments across the country fight crime, solve cases, and keep our communities safe. Technology Police departments are starting to utilize developing technology such as body cameras, Google Glass, and brain fingerprinting in order to be more efficient and to solve crimes. Body cameras protect not only citizens, but also police officers by capturing footage of crime scenes, accidents, and altercations. Some people find that body cameras violate the fourth amendment to practice unlawful searches and seizures, however, they do not because police officers wearing body cameras is public knowledge, therefore any footage the body cameras capture is also public knowledge. This footage can also be used to solve cases, to capture moments that police officers or citizens may not have seen, and also to protect citizens and police officers alike. Body cameras protect police officers by keeping them honest and also to prove their innocence in times where the media distorts their image; they also protect civilians in similar ways. Google Glass is a technology that has been recently released and used by police officers to connect real life moments to the departments record system. Police officers can take real life footage of traffic and parking violations and it will record the time, date, location, and license plate number and send it directly to the departments database. This technology saves officers time and in turn, money. This is another example of police officers using technology to their advantage in order to serve and protect our communities. " Brainwave Science , has developed technology that helps police do just that. Brain fingerprinting uses brain scans to capture how a crime suspect's brain reacts when being questioned by police and determines whether a person being questioned remembers a particular item or situation. Police are then able to potentially identify or eliminate suspects based on these scan results." (University of Cincinnati, 2017). This is relatively new technology that is still in development and testing. Once completely implemented into police departments, this will help solve cases much faster, help determine innocence and help police departments more efficient. Body cameras, Google Glass, and brain fingerprinting are all examples of new developing technology that police departments are implementing in order to be more efficient and effective. These technologies will help police officers continue to serve and protect our communities and better our criminal justice system. References Online Master of Science in Criminal Justice. ( n.d. ). Retrieved December 12, 2017, from https://cjonline.uc.edu/resources/news/five-fascinating-police-technologies-that-really-exist/ Research on Body-Worn Cameras and Law Enforcement. ( n.d. ). Retrieved December 12, 2017, from https://www.nij.gov/topics/law-enforcement/technology/pages/body-worn-cameras.aspx

Free Essays on Satire In Gullivers Travels

SATIRE OF GULLIVER’S TRAVELS Jonathan Swift’s satirical prose, Gulliver’s Travels, is the subject of a wide variety of literary critique and social interpretation. Although many readers, at first glance, take this tale to be simply a fantastic narrative of a common man and his encounters with unusual locations and people through several journeys, further inspection reveals Swift’s true purpose of creativitysatire. Using the contemporary style of the Travel Narrative, Swift is able to insert his own personal criticisms of modern life into the experience of Gulliver. Swift focuses entirely on satirizing humanity in Book IV of Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver, representing a common man, encounters a wide variety of characters along his travels, each representing a subject Swift wishes to criticize. His satire ranges from relatively simple political criticism in his experiences in Book I and II to a socio-political criticism in Book III, to the social, philosophical criticism of man in Book IV. If Book IV is read literally, with no knowledge of satire, it appears to be another bizarre journey of Gulliver, no more unusual than his other travels. It is obvious, however, that Book IV criticizes the nature of man as a rational being. Of interest to the readers of today is Swift’s choice of creatures inhabiting this land; There is a barbaric, man-like creature dubbed the Yahoo and the civilized, good-natured horse-like creature, the Houyhnhnms. â€Å"Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my Travels so disagreeable an Animal, or one against which I naturally conceived so strong an Antipathy† (IV,193). His opinion of the Yahoos contrasts with his opinion of the Houyhnhnms. The Houyhnhnms think Gulliver is another Yahoo capable of outstanding intellect, but Gulliver is offended that they want to classify him as a Yahoo. â€Å"I expressed my Uneasiness at his giving me so often the Appellation of Y... Free Essays on Satire In Gulliver's Travels Free Essays on Satire In Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift’s standard satirical technique of irony is best exemplified with the use of vivid, nameless descriptions. In Gulliver’s Travels, Swift sets out describing something, neglecting to bestow a name on it, purposefully trying to create a vivid picture in your head. Once his description reaches its apex, and you truly believe you know what he is talking about, he names it something completely different. A perfect illustration of this is seen when the Yahoos are first being introduced in chapter 1. Swift writes, â€Å"Their heads and breasts were covered with a thick hair†¦ they had beards like goats, and a long ridge of hair down their backs, and the foreparts of their legs and feet†¦.† His vivid description continues on, further cementing a picture in your head of a wild, repugnant animal. In a pure ironic fashion, he waits until the middle of chapter 2 to let you know that this detestable animal most resembles a human being. Another depiction of this technique can be found in chapter 12, when he writes about inhabitants of a land being massacred by groups of men looking for their gold and jewels. You are led to believe he is talking about ruthless men, pirates for example, but you soon find out he is describing the divine act of colonialism. Swift’s use of irony is highly affective as a means to a satiric end, because of its shock effect. He takes mankind’s virtues, like the moral excellence we attach to our governmental practices, and turns them into vices. He causes you to stop, examine, and rethink all your old assumptions. For further debunking of man’s vices and follies, Swift turns to the fantastic Yahoos and Houyhnhnms. He use these two characters, each positioned completely on opposite ends of the rational spectrum, as a means for showing the fault of man when he is governed by either pure emotion or pure reason. The Yahoos, although human in form, are savage animals in character; they serve as a depictio... Free Essays on Satire In Gulliver's Travels SATIRE OF GULLIVER’S TRAVELS Jonathan Swift’s satirical prose, Gulliver’s Travels, is the subject of a wide variety of literary critique and social interpretation. Although many readers, at first glance, take this tale to be simply a fantastic narrative of a common man and his encounters with unusual locations and people through several journeys, further inspection reveals Swift’s true purpose of creativitysatire. Using the contemporary style of the Travel Narrative, Swift is able to insert his own personal criticisms of modern life into the experience of Gulliver. Swift focuses entirely on satirizing humanity in Book IV of Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver, representing a common man, encounters a wide variety of characters along his travels, each representing a subject Swift wishes to criticize. His satire ranges from relatively simple political criticism in his experiences in Book I and II to a socio-political criticism in Book III, to the social, philosophical criticism of man in Book IV. If Book IV is read literally, with no knowledge of satire, it appears to be another bizarre journey of Gulliver, no more unusual than his other travels. It is obvious, however, that Book IV criticizes the nature of man as a rational being. Of interest to the readers of today is Swift’s choice of creatures inhabiting this land; There is a barbaric, man-like creature dubbed the Yahoo and the civilized, good-natured horse-like creature, the Houyhnhnms. â€Å"Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my Travels so disagreeable an Animal, or one against which I naturally conceived so strong an Antipathy† (IV,193). His opinion of the Yahoos contrasts with his opinion of the Houyhnhnms. The Houyhnhnms think Gulliver is another Yahoo capable of outstanding intellect, but Gulliver is offended that they want to classify him as a Yahoo. â€Å"I expressed my Uneasiness at his giving me so often the Appellation of Y...

PSAT Practice Testsâ€Updated for New 2015 PSAT

PSAT Practice Tests- Updated for New 2015 PSAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're looking for PSAT practice materials, you've come to the right place. This guide contains all free PSAT materials, which you can download- including 10 PSAT practice test PDFs. Unfortunately, since the PSAT's 2015 makeover, the College Board hasn't released a ton of practice tests. Luckily, though, you can still use old PSAT practice tests effectively to prepare. Before getting to the practice questions, we'll go over some of the changes made to thePSAT in 2015. If you care about your PSAT score, read carefully so you don't waste your time studying the wrong things! How Did the PSAT Change in 2015? Let's start by going over some of the main changes to the PSAT so you'll be able touse older PSAT practice tests with a critical eye. In 2015 the College Board changed the PSAT in an attempt to make it more relevant and useful to students. It's possible they were also trying to addresscriticisms of inequityand find a way to stay competitive with theincreasingly popular ACT. The content on both the PSAT and SATis meant to be evidence-based and grounded in real-world situations. Rather than testing obscure vocabulary and rarely used concepts, the PSAT now reflects the skills and abilities you'll need to succeed in both college and your career. Below, we'll take a closer look at the content and skills changes on each of the three PSAT sections: Reading Writing and Language Math If you're using old PSAT practice questions, it's important to be aware of these changes so that you can ultimately study the right material! PSAT Reading Changes Here is a brief overview of the major changes to the PSAT Reading section: The current PSAT does not have isolated Sentence Completion questions. Instead, it tests more commonly used vocabulary words within the context of passages. Reading passages often include charts, graphs, and/or pictures.You will be asked about the relationship between a passage and the data being represented. You are expected to practice evidence-based reading. You will have to find a specific line in a passage that demonstrates style, tone, point of view, theme, etc. You will also be asked to identify the one or two lines in a passage that helped you answer a previous question. The following official sample question shows how the PSAT will ask about your understanding of a relatively common vocabulary word in the context of a larger passage (passage not shown): PSAT Writing and Language Changes The PSAT Writing and Language section has changed in two key ways: The PSAT now asks youto edit the grammar of sentences within passages, rather than that of stand-alone sentences. Passages on PSAT Writing often includegraphs, pictures, and/or tables. Here's an example of a PSAT Writing questionthat deals with data (graph not shown): PSAT Math Changes Here are some of the main ways the PSAT Math section has changed: PSAT Math questions now relate far more to real-life situations in areas such as business, science, and the social sciences. Grid-in word problems have multiple parts. The Math section focuses far more on algebra and data analysis than it does on geometry. Here’s a sample PSAT Math question from the College Board: Now that you're aware of these major changes, you can adapt your approach as you prepare with practice materials from the last few years. Read on to see the PSAT practice tests,and learn how to use these tests to get a high PSAT score. Bonus: Aiming for a National Merit Scholarship? If you're not sure you can self-study your way to a qualifying PSAT score, you'll love our PSAT prep program, PrepScholar. We designed our program to learn your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics and customize your prep to be as effective as possible for you. When you start with PrepScholar, you’ll take a diagnostic that will determine your weaknesses in over forty PSAT skills. PrepScholar then creates a study program specifically customized for you. To improve each skill, you’ll take focused lessons dedicated to each skill, with over 20 practice questions per skill. This will train you for your specific area weaknesses, so your time is always spent most effectively to raise your score. We also force you to focus on understanding your mistakes and learning from them. If you make the same mistake over and over again, we'll call you out on it. There’s no other prep system out there that does it this way, which is why we get better score results than any other program on the market. Check it out today with a 5-day free trial: Official PSAT Practice Tests (2015-Present, Current Version) The College Board has released bothonline sample PSAT questionsandtwo PSAT practice tests with answer keys. You can download both tests as PDFs along with the scoring guides and answer explanations to use after you finish your practice testing: PSAT Practice Test 1 - Score Your Test- Answer Explanations PSAT Practice Test 2 - Score Your Test - Answer Explanations In addition, the College Board created an online prep program in partnership with Khan Academy. While this program is geared specifically toward the SAT, it can help you prepare for the PSAT, too, since the two tests are so similar. Although free practice materials for the current version of the PSAT arerather limited, you can still find a large number of practice test PDFs for the old version of the PSAT. Find the tests below, and then read on for some tips on how to make the most of both new and old practice tests. Official PSAT Practice Tests (Pre-2015, Old Version) We’ve compiled eight old official PSAT practice test PDFs for you to practice with. Download them here (note that the answer keys are included in the last few pages of each PDF): PSAT Practice Test PDF 1 PSAT Practice Test PDF 2 PSAT Practice Test PDF 3 PSAT Practice Test PDF 4 PSAT Practice Test PDF 5 PSAT Practice Test PDF 6 PSAT Practice Test PDF 7 PSAT Practice Test PDF 8 You can also find decent-quality PSAT questions from Peterson’s, which offers a half-length PSAT test if you create a free account with them. As you know, these older PSAT materials don't reflect the format or content of the current version of the PSAT. However, most still test the same fundamental skills and knowledge. So how can you use these old PSAT questions to get ready for the PSAT? How toUse PSAT Practice Tests Effectively: 3 Key Tips Regardless of whether you're using current or old PSAT practice tests, it's important you know how to use them effectively.Our three tips below can help youmake the most of PSAT practice tests in your prep. #1: Take the Test in a Realistic Environment Part of getting the most out of PSAT practice tests is making them feel like the real deal. On test day, you'll take the PSAT in a quiet classroom with other test takers; therefore, you'll want to find a similar environment to take your practice tests in, such as a library. If you try to take a practice test at a park or at the same time your family's watching TV, you'll likely find it difficult to focus, thereby lowering your score. This score will not be an accurate snapshot of your strengths since you didn't take the test in a realistic environment. Additionally, it's best to take each test in one sittinginstead of spread up over several days. This way, you'll not only get a realistic testing experience but can also get used to the length of the test bybuilding up your test-taking endurance. #2: Abide by Official Time Limits While it's important to take each PSAT practice test in one sitting, it's also important to take the test in accordance with official PSAT time limits.What do I mean by this? Basically, never give yourself more time on any section, as doing so can dramatically raise your score and give you an inflated sense of how you're actually scoring on the PSAT. To help you out, here are the time limits on each section of the PSAT, along with the approximate time you'll have per question: PSAT Section Total Time # of Questions Time per Question Reading 60 minutes 47 77 seconds Writing and Language 35 minutes 44 48 seconds Math No Calculator 25 minutes 17 88 seconds Math Calculator 45 minutes 31 87 seconds The Reading section offers the most time and also has the most questions. Meanwhile, despite the differences in total time and number of questions in the two Math sections, you'll still have around 87-88 seconds per math question (No Calculator and Calculator). The Writing and Language section has the second-highest number of questions (44) but gives you the least amount of time per question (48 seconds), so be sure to work fairly quickly here. Note that it'll be more difficult to replicate these time frames on old PSAT tests since the sections and questions are so different. (We'll talk more about how to use old tests in the following section.) #3: Review Your Answers Once you finish taking a PSAT practice test, it's time to check your answers and score your test. But don't just look at your score and call it a day- take some time to go through all the mistakes you madeand figure out what your biggest weaknesses are. The best way toreview your mistakes is to record the types of questions you got wrong, as well as the specific mistakes you made, in a "mistakes" journal. For example, if you missed an algebra problem, you'd write "algebra" as the question type and the specific reason you think you got the question wrong, such as "forgot formula." Make sure to use your test's answer guide to help you figure outwhy you might've missed certain questions. After you've gone through your test, look at your mistakes journal to determine whether there are any patterns to your mistakes. For instance, do you typically struggle withevidence-based Reading questions? Math word problems? Writing questions dealing withfragments and run-on sentences? Once you know what your weaknesses are, you can then customize your PSAT prep to focus more on honing the skills that are most challenging for you. How to Make the Most Of Old PSAT Practice Tests Although many official PSAT tests are outdated, they're certainly notuseless. In fact, these old ones test many of the same reading comprehension, grammar, and math problem-solving skills you'll need for the current PSAT. To make the most of these older official practice tests, you just have to shift your focus toward the skills that are still relevant while ignoring questions that no longer matter. Here are our seven tips for doing this effectively: Focus on evidence-based Reading:The current PSAT is all about using evidence and context to find an answer.If a set of passage-based Reading questions asks you about tone, style, or argument, don’t just try to look for the right answer among the options you're given. Instead, find the specific line in the reading passage that provesyour answer is right. Ignore Sentence Completion questions:You'll no longer encounter these questions on the PSAT, so just skip them entirely. Shift gears with vocabulary: Practicedetermining meaning through context, and make sure you understand subtleties of connotation. Focus on structure and organization:The current PSAT tests your understanding of the structure and organization of whole passages rather than that of stand-alone sentences. Therefore, as you’re reading a passage, take notes on its organization and make sure you understand its main and supporting ideas. Pay attention to graphs, tables, and charts:Try to understand the data and information represented in graphs. If there's no accompanying passage, trywriting your own paragraph to describe the information. On the flip side, consider how the data presented in a passage could be represented visually. For practice, useproblems from your math/science classes, as well as data interpretation questionsfrom the ACT Science section. Choose your math problems: Focus onalgebra, data analysis, and word problems,and spend far less time on geometry. Since the current PSAT involves multi-step grid-in problems, be sure to write out all the steps you take to answer a question. Also, remember the age-old adage: show your work. Learn the grammar rules tested:Both the old and current PSAT testsimilar grammar rules. Be sure to learnthese, as you'll need to be able to recognize grammatical errors in context. How Else Can You Prepare for the PSAT? Since the PSAT is so similar to the SAT, materials for the SAT are good practice. The PSAT is also very similar to the ACT, so ACT prep can be helpfulas well. Another tip is to challenge yourself in your classes. Develop advanced reading and writing skills by reading a variety of genres and writing frequently. In your math and science classes, focus on data analysis and work on your ability to interpret or represent data in graphs, charts, tables, etc. All of this preparation will not only help you get a high PSAT score, but will also help youget ready for theSAT. Since both exams are meant to test and sharpen your real-world reasoning skills, this kind of preparation should behelpful forall kinds of problem-solving in your day-to-day life. What's Next? High scorers on the PSAT might qualify for National Merit.Learn what it takes to becomea National Merit SemifinalistandNational Merit Finalist, as well as how towin the scholarship. Are you wondering whether to take the PSAT before your junior year? Check out these guides to consider whether you should take the PSAT as a freshman or sophomore. Are you curious about how the PSAT compares with the SAT? Read this complete guide to the SAT and learn all about the test. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, 10 official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Legalizing marijuana can help economy and people with their illness Research Paper

Legalizing marijuana can help economy and people with their illness like cance ,hiv, multiple sclerosis or chronic pain - Research Paper Example And, since users do not fear prosecution and are not stigmatized, they are more likely to seek treatment, which is an added bonus. Plus, criminalizing marijuana causes many problems - a drain of resources and manpower used to fight the war on the drug; the drain of not realizing tax revenue from the drug; and the loss of revenue that can be used to do research on the medicinal properties of the drug. Because of these problems, coupled with the fact that Portugal shows that our country does not need to fear that legalizing drugs will result in a substantial increase in drug use, legalization is the best idea for marijuana. The body of this paper will describe the problems with prohibition, then show the Portugal example, show the benefits of legalization, then come to a conclusion. The Controlled Substances Act has classified marijuana as a Schedule I substance, which makes it subject to the highest level of governmental control (Duncan, 2009, p. 1703). One of the reasons for this restriction is that marijuana is commonly thought of as a â€Å"gateway drug† – in other words, users of marijuana often get involved with harder drugs (Duncan, 2009, p. 1705). Other reasons are that prohibition allegedly â€Å"reduces marijuana trafficking and use, thereby discouraging crime, improving productivity and increasing health† (Miron, 2003, p. 1). Current drug policy punishes users and distributors alike. The reason why users are punished are because they ostensibly inflict harm on others; inflict harm on himself; that marijuana makes users â€Å"unproductive members of society† and that marijuana use is immoral (Blumenson & Nilsen, 2009, p. 6). According to Duncan (2009), billions of federal budgetary dollars have been committed to combatting marijuana distribution and usage, with this budget growing every year. In 2009, the budget for combatting all drugs was $14.1

English - elements of poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English - elements of poetry - Essay Example Sometimes, it works to look at the poem according to structure and note how one word or an entire line is associated to another within stanzas. In particular, I have observed that a poet’s choice of couplet, tercet, quatrain, cinquain, or sestet has something to do with the manner he would wish to convey the connotative essence of the piece. It is fascinating to know that poetry at present goes beyond a standard measure or is not confined to follow a limited structure and form for whether a poem is comprised of a lyrical, narrative, or descriptive features would necessarily depend on the main purpose of the author. Rhyme schemes make a good ingredient if the poet opts to express much delight in sound when writing in free verse which is not restricted by metrics. By personal experience, even if I prefer to go for an unrhymed blank verse, I discover significance in the proper application of sound and imagery for these elements effectively communicate the intensity of emotion or idea which the poet desires for the reader to comprehend besides symbolism. Explicating a poem is a way of providing it a literary analysis on the basis of its theme, figurative elements or devices employed during the writing process which may as well include consideration of the poet’s timeframe, historical setting, and other influences from which to draw further clues regarding the objectives and context by which a poem is written. I have specifically learned that one may not merely explicate a poem at random, stating what is conceived or felt without sufficient basis on the relevant lines of a work. Having read a poem more than once, I have managed to figure that analytical efforts to interpret a poem require profound examination of the techniques as the poet operates between mood and music. Normally, it is convenient to detect the tone at the initial stage for this says much about the subject and

Time pressure on ambulance drivers Essay Example for Free

Time pressure on ambulance drivers Essay Ambulance drivers are required to make decisions on which route to follow under time constraints because every second is counted to save a life. Timmons, 2007 indicated that â€Å"Decision makers are susceptible to cognitive biases when operating under stress, i. e. , high workload, time pressure, and information ambiguity†, pp4. A cognitive bias is defined by Haselton et al. (2005) as the tendency to search for information and alternatives that prove their preconceptions and to discount information that disproves their preconceptions. Kowalski-Trakofler et al. (2003) carried a study to discuss human judgement and decision making under stress. The authors selected recent literatures and carried out a field work to discuss the affect of stress on emergency responders. They examined coping with stress under time constrains on expert emergency teams. It was concluded from this research that â€Å"stress restricts cue sampling, decreases vigilance, reduces the capacity of working memory, causes premature closure in evaluating alternative options, and results in task shedding†, ( Kowalski-Trakofler et al. 2003, p282). They have mentioned a study that identifies emergency decision makers’ behaviours under stress. This study concluded that these people under stress â€Å"not only have the effects of their own stress response and its resulting consequences, the information they must base their judgments on is often unclear, faulty and incomplete†, p. 283. The over all conclusion of this study was that the stress under time pressure narrows the decision maker focus whether working individually or in groups Impact of traffic congestion on response time: 2. 7 Shortest path algorithm Shortest paths’ calculations are unavoidable in road network analysis applications including emergency medical services such as ambulance navigation systems, (Liang, 2005). The shortest path (or minimum weight path) is defined as calculating the least total distance weight or least time weight paths between two locations (Derekenaris et al. , 2000). The quickness of calculating the shortest route for EMS is essential to reduce the respond time needed to route the ambulance vehicles from the dispatch location to the incident scenes (Liang, 2005). Liang pointed out that the problem arises when finding the shortest routes in big urban cities which contain huge road networks that are associated with massive amount of real world roads information(such as traffic information, name of roads, etc) and associated with the available capabilities of the hardware for example the amount of memory used to run this algorithm. Engineer (2001) considered two systems that controls and calculate the shortest routes in EMS. First, a centralised system which runs by ambulance control centre personnel, while the other system is called decentralised system in which the shortest path is calculated on board of the vehicles and this system is usually have limited memory and storage capabilities. He mentioned that an optimal algorithm to find the shortest path in less time is essential especially for decartelised system Zhan and Noon (1998) distinguished three types of shortest path algorithms which are single pair, single source and all pairs shortest paths algorithms. Single pair calculates the shortest path between two points in a network, while single source algorithm calculates the shortest path from a point to all other points in a network and finally the all pairs algorithm calculates the shortest path between every pair of points. Borri Cera (2005) explained single pair shortest path algorithm by assigning a first point and second one on a road network. It is possible to calculate the shortest distance between these points by minimising the value of distance linked with each point on the network (also known as impedance) taking into consideration that the a distance variable is associated with each point on the network. They also pointed out that the shortest path can be calculated according to different variable rather than distance one, such as â€Å"time or monetary cost†, pp 954. There are many algorithms for solving shortest paths which have been formulated over the years as a result of different research studies in different fields such as geography, computer sciences and transportations (Goldberg Radzik, 1993). However, there are three main used algorithms, which are Dijkstras algorithm, Restricted Search Algorithm and A* Search algorithm. ArcView Network Analyst extension uses a modified Dijkstar’s algorithm that does not only finds the shortest path from one point not another but also it was built to facilitate quick access to the topology of the network data (ESRI help, 1992). In addition, the modification includes a custom memory to manage and deal with very large networks.

Gary Sotos Like Mexicans: Personal Experiences :: essays research papers

Gary Soto's Like Mexicans: Personal Experiences My decision to write in response to Gary Soto's work, â€Å"Like Mexicans† was influenced for the most part because of the similarities between myself and Gary Soto, and our families included. Gary Soto is a Mexican American male, who grew up in the San Joaquin Valley in the industrial part of a town called Fresno. His grandparents came to this Great Valley in search of creating a better life for themselves and their families. I am also a Mexican American male who was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley in a small town called Porterville. My grandparents migrated with their children, my mother, father, and their brothers and sisters in hopes of creating a better life for themselves as well. At the time economic betterment meant working as a hired slave for minimal income and keeping your mouth shut. After all, you were nothing more than a wetback who came to America to reap her benefits.(This ludicrous ideology is still present today) Gary Soto's grandparents and my grandparents, although they ma y be a generation behind one another, I am sure were exposed to many of the same hardships and or social barriers. It was not uncommon back then as it is not uncommon today for Mexican families with minimal work skills to be forced into the fields to work with their children alongside in hopes of escaping poverty. For the most part such families remained poverty stricken due to unfair and illegal wages and work conditions. However irrelevant this all may sound, facing similar hardships or obstacles will often create a sense of unity among those who are affected by such conditions. In short, I feel that not only do Gary Soto and I share a common ethnic origin, but all that comes with our origin, be it pride, shame, or ideology. "Like Mexicans" is a short story in which Gary Soto is constantly being reminded that he should marry his own kind. His own kind being one of Mexican descent, and of poverty and refraining from others, especially â€Å"Okies† as his grandmother used to always say. Soto ends up marrying a Japanese woman, not a Mexican. But he still has to deal with his internal struggle and acceptance of this choice. One cannot be looked down upon for questioning oneself and the decisions one makes, especially when it comes to marrying after being raised in a household that reinforced the belief , â€Å"Marry Your Own†. My mother and my father never told me that I should marry one of my own.