Diane Gheesling Observation

Nick realizes from his experiences that people in East Egg are very fake and absentminded. Tom and Daisy are perfect examples of this kind of lifestyle. They are very self-centered and express no sympathy

At an early age, Condoleezza Rice was taught to be disciplined in everything she did. She was taught the importance of not only an education, but best education you could possibly receive. Her parents did whatever they could to assure she was very well-rounded. Condoleezza’s values are apparent through her hard work and dedication, as well as her self-discipline and education. She is a “recognized expert in International Affairs, a distinguished teacher and academic leader, and a public servant with years of White House experience” (Strobel, 2005, p.1-2). Condoleezza’s personality can also be described by her hardworking attitude. She is well-known for always being prepared and very well versed on any topic. She is quoted by stating “with studying and teaching should come “passion, skill, and determination” (Hawkins, 2002, p.1-9). Those three words define her personality. With everything she does, she exemplifies a passion towards the topic striving to do her best. Whether it was learning the piano or working with Soviet leaders, Condoleezza Rice has illustrated a passion in everything. She wants to be skilled in everything that comes before her. Along with being skilled and talented, she also has determination. She has determination that cannot be taught. Overall,

In Wes Moore’s 2010 book “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates,” two men with the same name, born blocks apart who are raised in an identical poverty and drug plagued neighborhood are examined. What author Wes Moore discovers in his conversations with inmate Wes Moore, is that their lives were remarkably similar growing up. Given their current situations in life, their paths to get there take shape through a series of interchangeable decisions and life events. One Wes through mentorship in decision-making ends up a Rhodes Scholar and decorated war veteran, while the other Wes minus the mentoring ends up in prison serving a life sentence. The age-old cry, “It takes a village,” resonates in Moore’s examination of his mirrored upbringing.

Their fathers also affected their lives in the same way as their mothers. Wes’s father, Wes, was a strong, peaceful man who had a stable career. He passed away when Wes was three, leaving Joy with their three children (Moore 15). He still had a positive impact on Wes’s life, though. He was a positive role model for Wes even after his passing. The “other” Wes didn’t have it quite as well, however. His father, Bernard, was still alive and well, but left Wes with Mary, and didn’t care to have a relationship with his son. One of the few times Wes interacted with his father was when he went to his Mamie’s house. His Mamie was his father’s mother, and his father just happened to be drunk and passed out on the couch at

The amount of knowledge and powerful words that can actually get to one’s head is amazing. Michelle Obama was the First Lady for 8 years and stood by former President Barack Obamas side. She is a great example of what today’s kids should look up to. A woman with dedication to her word. A woman with dedication to what she believes. It is pretty easy to say that she has become an impressive public speaker who can deliver a powerful speech to her supporters. In her speech at the DNC in 2016, Michelle Obama did not fill her supporter’s heads with politics and facts, but a great use of personal experience, feelings and connections. Her love for this country and her love for her family is one thing that brought her audience together. In fact, if it wasn’t the great use of ethos, pathos and logos Michelle Obamas speech would have probably have been like any other.

Holly. My father, Earl W. Stafford Jr., the Child of Earl W. Stafford Sr. and Amanda Stafford, was born in Mt. Holly, New Jersey in 1971. My grandparents, Earl Sr. and Amanda Stafford met when Earl Sr. came home on leave from the military. Before Earl left for Southeast Asia, during the Vietnam War, He fell in love with Amanda. After a year and a half, on September 19, 1970, Earl and Amanda Stafford were married. From this marriage my father, Earl Jr., my uncle, Mark Sr., and my aunt, Jessica Stafford, were

They were immediately moved back to Florida to their new foster house which was not she pleasant. Their new foster home was packed to the brim full of foster kids. The conditions were terrible, and their foster parents screaming lunatics. Ashley and Luke were shortly moved out of that so called home and back to South Carolina to live with Adele. Ashley was sent back to Florida by herself this time. In Ashley’s life time she has been in 14 different foster homes. As well as talking to 44 caseworkers in only 9 years. Ashley at the age of 13, was finally adopted by this lovely

feel as though they have to stay strong for Tom and remain positive and protective, but all he really needs is to know how they truly feel about his terminal illness, and to be able to support each other like a family

Ashley Rhodes-Courter was only three years old when she was separated from her mother. She spent the next nine years bouncing from one foster family to another. Her mother, Lorraine, was only twenty years old, and she was also too young to take responsibilities for her two children. However, Ashley grew up earning straight “A’s” in her classes; she won a world-wide Harry Potter essay contest in New York, as well as many others. She was born in South Carolina, and later was taken to her first foster family in Florida. The closest family member she was kept with was her step-brother Luke, who didn’t share the same father. Later on, when Ashley was eleven years old, she got a new step-sister, who did not share the same father as she and Luke.

("Mary realized the letter effectively closed the door on her college aspirations. She had already completed sixteen hours of college credits and would get no closer toward graduation."pg.17) They both are loving and supporting to their kids and wanted the best by trying to get them to avoid the violence they had around their neighborhood. But without their Mothers guide they couldn’t follow the right path growing up. Joy gets married but has to end up leaving Bill due to his drug addiction and violent abuse. Soon after, she meets and marries Westly and has two children with him. Westly dies so Joy ends up moving back in to the Bronx with her family. Marys' husband dies when Moore was young. They were both similar because they lived in Baltimore and had to raise their boys without a father figures. Mary responds cruelly when she discovers that Wes is managing drugs, vindictively flushing a great many dollars of medications that Wes intended to sell down the can. Moore's dismissal of Riverdale and poor scholastic exhibitions puts a critical strain on his association with his mom,

Alice’s only son Tom is a minor character in the book. He is present during family gatherings and important moments e.g. when Alice discloses that she has Alzheimer’s disease (p. 103). He deals with his mom‘s diagnosis by being distant.

This book is a memoir so it is all about Ashley’s life in the foster care program. Each chapter talks about the hardships she went through at all the different foster homes. Ashley was taken into foster care when she was only three years old. She was in 14 different homes in a total of nine years. She had a brother, Luke that was also in the foster care program with her. They were separated multiple times, but always ended up at the same foster home together. It was not until Ashley was adopted that they were separated for good. Ashley’s mom was in prison multiple times, she was also a drug addict. She had visitation rights, but her visitations were always supervised. At these visitations she always promised Ashley that she was going to turn her life around, and get both her and Luke back. It never happened; as a result, Ashley had a lot of trust issues and a hard time believing people actually cared for her. Ashley was adopted and had a tough first couple of years adjusting to having a family. It wasn’t until about the end of the book where she finally got used to having a real family.

her nervous and shy personality and has a fear of Tom being like his father,

Ashley Rhodes-Courter was three years old when police came to arrest her birth mother and place Ashley and her brother Luke in foster care. Nearly nine years later, shortly before her 12th birthday, Ashley finally moved in with Gail and Phil Courter, who would become her adoptive parents. At age 21, a recent college graduate, she decided to tell her story in a memoir to ensure that the voices of children in foster care would be heard. The result, Three Little Words, is a remarkable tribute to the strength of the human spirit.

Having grown up Jewish I can tell you plenty about being stereotyped because I am almost everyday of my life. I get asked the same questions every day: What is that hat thing you guys wear? Do you go to Church? Do you celebrate Christmas? I go to a summer camp every year, that happens to be Jewish.