WRC Assemblages Booklet

Rio Hondo CollegeWriters’Resource Center Presents the 2016 Assemblages Conference Proceedings

Assemblages Conference ProceedingsVolume 1 Fall 2016 sponsored by theWriters’ Resource Center Rio Hondo College3600 Workman Mill RoadWhittier, California 90601

ForwardThe idea for Assemblages began in the Fall 2015 semester when Rio Hondoadjunct faculty members, Henry Leonor and Cyndi Donelan Martinez, werechatting about student conferences they had known in the past and participatedin themselves as students. Remembering how those experiences had encouragedthem to feel confident about their own academic careers and scholarlycompositions, they thought: Why not here at Rio Hondo? Since they both alsoworked in the Rio Hondo College Writers’ Resource Center, they shared theirvery nascent idea with WRC Coordinator, Michelle Bean, in the 2016 springsemester, who enthusiastically and generously offered the WRC as sponsor,suggesting that we make this project happen in the fall! So, here we are.True to its original intent, Assemblages promotes the academic work of RioHondo undergraduate scholars with the aim of strengthening participants’confidence as members of a community of scholars. Academic conferences areunusual at community colleges, but we are committed to helping undergraduatesenvision themselves as scholars and develop academic professionalism whilesustaining mentoring relationships between themselves and faculty.Given the conference intent to balance individual academic achievement andpersonal development with cohort and mentor influence and dialogue, the termassemblages was selected as the conference title. A collective assemblage isexplained by philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari as “[…] alwayslike the murmur from which I take my proper name, the constellation of voices,concordant or not, from which I draw my voice” (84) from A ThousandPlateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia.Faculty Editors: Cynthia Donelan-Martinez Henry Leonor Michelle Bean November 20162

AcknowledgmentsWe would like to thank everyone who contributed to Assemblages, not justthrough submission of papers, but with time, funding, and support.We especially thank the following supporters: President/Superintendent, Teresa Dreyfuss; Vice President of Academic Affairs, Joanna Schilling; Vice President of Student Services, Henry Gee; Grant Manager of Student Equity, Cecilia Rocha; Student Equity Committee; WRC Clerk, Christine Recendez; Dean of Communications and Languages, Dr. Alice Mecom;And Professors Ryan Carey, JoAnn Springer, Bruce Kermane, Theresa Freije, Jill Pfeiffer, Abbie Perry, Brian Brutlag, Steve Tomory, Cynthia Donelan- Martinez, and Henry Leonor for encouraging their students to participate in Assemblages. Printed by Sir Speedy, Whittier, California 3

WRC Assemblages: An Academic Writing Conference 2016 Table of ContentsForward 2Acknowledgements 3Margalí “Old Thinking in the New 7Barreras Frontier” LIT 112AH – Dr. JoAnn SpringerJulia “Native American Ethos: As it 10Cabrera Relates to The Last of the Mohicians” LIT 112AH - Dr. JoAnn SpringerReina Estrada- “Journey into Dia de los Muertos” 13Serna ANTH 125 - Professor Jill PfeifferLee “Discover Yourself” 22Esten AUTO 300 - Professor Steve TomoryAlejandro Robles “Perspectives on the Life of 24Gandarilla Fredrick Douglass” HIST 158 - Professor Abbie PerryStarr A. “Gender Socialization in America” 28Risper SOC 120 - Professor Brian BrutlagDamianos “Delmont Fire: Mistakes and Mishaps” 35Peeper WFT 101 - Professor Ryan Carey4

Cheyenne “Yarnell Hill Fire June 30th, 2013” 40Mashburn WFT 101 - Professor Ryan Carey 43 47Sarah “Escape from Reality” 50Esgro ENGL 201 - Professor Bruce Kermane 54Kamiko “The Hunger Games “Takenaka ENGL 101 – Professor Henry Leonor 57Anthony “The Hunger Games and Marxism: 61Chavez The Connection” 65 ENGL 101- Professor Henry Leonor 70Armando 75Rivas “Patriotism and Classism in 80 The Hunger Games”Reanna ENGL 101- Professor Henry Leonor 5Barboza “Commodification and Classism inDana The Hunger Games”Navarrete ENGL 101- Professor Henry LeonorDiana “Marxism in The Hunger Games”Lopez ENGL 101- Professor Henry LeonorEmiliano M. “Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly”Miranda ENGL 101- Professor Henry LeonorMargarito “Education Liberation”Castillo ENGL 201- Professor Theresa FreijeSandra “Performance Issues”Lopez ENGL 201- Dr. JoAnn Springer “Combat Rations” ENGL 201- Professor Cynthia Donelan-Martinez

Rafael “Class Differences” 83Vargas ENGL 101- 88 Professor Cynthia Donelan-Martinez 92Israel 94Sanchez “Miniscule Portions” 98 ENGL 101- 101Mercedes Professor Cynthia Donelan-MartinezVazquez “Environmental Injustice”Nora ENGL 101-Reyes Professor Cynthia Donelan-MartinezAaron “Social Injustice: The American Dream”Thomas ENGL 101- Professor Cynthia Donelan-MartinezDanielSanchez “Economic Inequality in America” ENGL 101- Professor Cynthia Donelan-Martinez “Is Jail the Answer?” ENGL 101- Professor Cynthia Donelan-Martinez6

Old Thinking in the New Frontier by Margalí Barreras In the depths of a moon-lit forest, Hawkeye turns away from Cora andsteadies his sight on the rifle. “Chingachgook. He warned me about people likeyou. He said, ‘Do not try to understand them.’ Yes, and ‘Don’t try to make themunderstand you. That is because they are a breed apart and make no sense.’”Hawkeye, a colonial raised by an adoptive Mohican father, cannot reconcile hisworld view with old European thinking. Michael Mann’s The Last of theMohicans, set one hundred and fifty years after the first colonial settlement andtwo decades before the Colonists declared independence from the British crown,illustrates the incompatibility of the European old way of thinking with thenewfound way of life the Colonists have adopted. Through depictions of socialand military gatherings, the film portrays European thinking at odds with thevalues of Colonials well-established in the “New World.” Cinematography and costuming serve as vehicles to illustrateEuropeans’ refusal to abandon old customs despite their incongruence with thenew surroundings. In the film, Europeans stand in high contrast with theenvironment. They cling to rigid procedures of class. Dante Spinotti, director ofphotography, illustrates this adherence to decorum in Cora Munro and MajorDuncan Heyward’s picnic. The scene opens with a wide shot of a grassy fieldanchored by a dense forest in the background. In the mid-ground, centered inthe frame, sits a round table draped with a white linen cloth. Atop the table, finechina is arranged to serve high tea. On opposite ends of the table sit Cora andDuncan, both dressed in strict adherence to the European style; she wears avoluminous corseted dress accented by a full hat and headdress, and he wears apressed military uniform topped off by a coifed powdered wig. The charactersare new to this place, and their costumes emphasize their incompatibility withthe setting. This new environment demands flexibility of body and mind, butCora and Duncan have not yet adapted. The restrictive costumes prevent thecharacters from navigating the land easily, both physically and mentally.Furthermore, the positioning of the characters within the frame illustrates thesense that these characters are out of place in the environment. Here, the naturalenvironment overwhelms the frame. Nature rules in the new frontier. In a placewhere people are in a constant battle to survive, this concern with propriety is 7

ill-suited. The conspicuous centering of the characters sets them apart from thesetting and suggests that the characters are out-of-touch with the demands of thecolonial frontier. In order to survive in the colonies, Europeans must leave behind oldideas and embrace their new circumstances. In his essay, “The Significance ofthe Frontier in American History, Frederick Jackson Turner argues that “... atthe frontier the environment is at first too strong for the man. He must accept theconditions which it furnishes, or perish … Little by little he transforms thewilderness, but the outcome is not the old Europe… The fact is that here is anew product that is American” (153). Turner’s assertion falls in line with thefate of the European characters in Mann’s film. Only Cora, who graduallyadapts to the colonial way, survives in the end. The picnic scene foreshadowsthis outcome by placing the characters at opposite ends of the table. Eventhough Cora and Duncan start out from the same place, Cora alone is able tostep out of her old way of thinking and meld with the new. The film’scinematography and costuming predict the pitfalls Europeans face when theirapproach to the colonies runs counter to that of the Colonists. Along with cinematography and costuming, characterization furtherasserts that European thinking conflicts with the values important to Colonials.In the film, European characters, who do not share the Colonials’ approach tolife, are portrayed in a negative light. They are characterized as unreasonableand unyielding even if they are wrong. After having saved Colonel Munro’sdaughters, Hawkeye asks to leave the fort in order to protect the colonialfamilies under attack from the French. Munro refuses to let him, and the othercolonials leave the fort, even though they had been guaranteed they would begiven permission to take leave of their duties if they felt their families to be indanger of attack. Munro’s only concern is to keep to the agenda that the king ofEngland has set forth for him. He has no concern for the people who inhabit theland his king wages war to possess. In response to Hawkeye’s request, Munropronounces, “These considerations are subordinate to the Crown. Best keepyour eye fixed on our duty - to defeat France.” Munro’s refusal to allow theColonists to protect their families seems unreasonable. Though he tellsHawkeye that he is indebted to him for saving his daughters, he refuses to repaythe favor as soon as the request falls outside the parameters of his loyalty to thecrown.8

Hawkeye is stunned by his response. He cannot understand why Munrois unwilling to see that loyalty to the Crown and its demands are not paramountin the current state of the colonies. Hawkeye’s stance is that the first priorityshould be to protect the people who inhabit the land and then worry aboutfulfilling the king’s wishes. This new colonial sentiment is echoed in AnnieLong Tom’s poem “A Dream Song.” The poem reads, “Do not listen to theother singing/ Do not be afraid to sing your own song” (112). The poem, justlike the Colonials, speaks of independence, an idea that the Europeans cannotyet embrace. Though they are an ocean away, they cannot cut the ties that bindthem to the old way of thinking. Individual rights and family rights are not onthe royal agenda. It is this incongruity, then, that impels these European clasheswith the Colonials’ perspective. The film’s cinematic devices serve not only to enhance its aesthetic andentertainment value, but more than that, they are used to communicate theproblematic difference that exists between European and Colonial thinking. Thecinematography and costumes show the viewer how out of place Europeans arein the colonies. The characterization proves how disjointed European attitudesare with that of the Colonials. It is only when Europeans surrender the old wayof thinking and embrace the new that they can hope for a happy ending. Works CitedThe Last of the Mohicans. Directed by Michael Mann, performed by Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Eric Schweig, and Steven Waddington, 20th Century Fox, 1992.Tom, Annie Long. “A Dream Song.” Heath Anthology of American Literature, edited by Paul Lauter, Wadsworth, 2009, 112.Turner, Frederick Jackson. “from The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” Heath Anthology of American Literature, edited by Paul Lauter, Wadsworth, 2009, 152-153. 9

Native American Ethos: As it Relates to The Last of the Mohicans by Julia Cabrera Man is dependent on the earth and all of its natural riches. It providessustainability and lends itself to permanence through adaptability. “As humanbeings, we have been given the responsibility to live in balance and harmonywith each other and with all creation,” (“Thanksgiving Address” 2-3). NativeAmerican ethos exemplifies a harmonic existence in nature, a perfect symbioticrelationship with all creation. Survival plays an important role as theydemonstrate a keen versatility in the use of natural resources as well as theskillful art of strategy. Spirituality and respect for all creation are also focalpoints of their ethos. It helps ground them in giving responsibility over creation.The film The Last of the Mohicans effectively portrays practicality for survivaland the spiritual connection to the natural world. It is these focal points ofNative American ethos which give evidence to the love that sparks andflourishes between Hawkeye and Cora as well as Uncas and Alice. As evident in the Aztec poem “Two Songs,” Native Americansunderstand existence is but for a moment in time and soon perishing. And likeflowers, “some blossom; they wither away” (9). Survival is imperative. If giventhe chance one can blossom like the flower. Despite the inevitable fate of theflower, the purpose is to reach full capacity of the bloom. In “Song of War,” theBlackfeet implore for a positive outcome to the battles of the day. In order tosurvive through successful hunting and protection against possible enemies,Native Americans wear garments that help them camouflage into their naturalsurroundings: mostly tan and brown earthly tones help to keep them hiddenamongst the backdrop of the environment. In the film, a very concrete visual ofits effectiveness was in the scene of the British in the woods, having beendefeated by their French counterparts. They are easily spotted in their bright redcoats. The Huron blend in and make an effective attack on them having goneunseen. Another calculative form of survival is in the capacity to strategize. Forexample, when being attacked by the Huron, Uncas and Hawkeye make theconscious decision to lose the horses so as to avoid being tracked. Another verypoignant example is when they come to the Cameron’s home and realize that awar party has gone through and killed the friends they had just dined with and10

visited. The weight of the tragedy is emphasized through slow motion and closeup shots of the wreckage and dead bodies. However, they decide to leaveeverything as is. Again, hoping to leave no tracks behind. Continuing insequence on the idea of survival is also effective in building up the clarity ofwhat sparks the love between Hawkeye and Cora. In the following scene, whilehiding in a burial ground attempting to avoid an attack, they have a heart toheart conversation. What draws them closer to one another is clearly their desireto fight to survive. Cora even pulls out a gun which she had taken off of adeceased body in a previous scene. They are the only two up, keeping watch forthe wellbeing of all. It is this thirst for life and desire to continue despiteadversity that draws them together. Although they both eventually lose theirfamilies they are determined to press on. Along with survival comes the inherent spirituality and respect forcreation in the Native American ethos. In “Thanksgiving Address,” theHaudenosaunee-Iroquois explain “Animals have many lessons to teach ushuman beings, and they offer themselves to us as sustenance” (8). The idea thatone could learn from animals shows the level of respect and spiritual connectionto be had with creation, and that which is vital to Native American people. Inthe film scene where Chingachgook addresses the deer after being hunted, hepraises it, even calling it “brother.” The deer is their equal. They are alsocaptivated by the importance of the elements. “We give thanks to the waters forquenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life, and we arethankful for its purity” (“Thanksgiving Address” 3). That they in effect praisethe water and call it pure shows the spiritual importance water represents in theculture. It is evident that Uncas has a very deep connection with spirituality andnature. The shot of him gesturing with his hand from his forehead towards thedeer they have killed captures the true feelings of gratitude and respect he hasfor creation. He is a sensitive soul. Again in the scene of the wreckage, herummages through the remains and exits and kneels with his head down. Heneeds that extra encouragement from his brother, when he nudges him lovinglyover the head, before he can stand. This shows the impact this tragedy hasweighed on his soul. The subjective camera choice on Unca’s view of Alicegazing into the waterfall shows the spiritual connection that starts betweenthem. The water resembles so much in the culture, and that he would notice hertotal loss of self- if even for a brief moment- is evidence that their love is a 11

spiritual one. It is as pure as the water. Two sensitive souls that are moved byand drawn to nature and creation. It is imperative to highlight their lack ofconversation. Throughout the movie, there is absolutely no dialogue betweenthem. This furthers the narrative that they are drawn by nature and by the heart.It is not dependent on verbiage but on the feelings and sensitivity they have tocreation. Undoubtedly, the love that sparks between Hawkeye and Cora, Uncasand Alice, is a direct result of the Native American ethos of survival andspirituality as it connects to all creation. When Hawkeye demands of Cora “stayalive!” it is a direct reminder for her to stay focused on what they both do andwho they are as individuals. They succeed in staying alive, and find each other.They are survivors. Uncas ultimately gives his life trying to defend Alice, and asubjective camera focuses on the look they give each other during those lastseconds of their lives. They speak to one another in a language all their own: aspiritual language of the heart. Having lost her only hope and the only one whotruly understands her, Alice gives into the elements and leaps off the cliff. It istrue that Native American ethos focuses on balance and harmony with allcreation: but there are many ways in which each flower blossoms. Works CitedAztec. “Two Songs.” Heath Anthology of American Literature, edited by Paul Lauter. Wadsworth Cengagr Learning, 2009, p.104.Blackfeet. “Song of War.” Heath Anthology of American Literature, edited by Paul Lauter. Wadsworth Cengagr Learning, 2009, p.114.Haudenosaunee-Iroquois. “Thanksgiving Address.” Heath Anthology of American Literature, edited by Paul Lauter. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009, p.117.The Last of the Mohicans. Directed by Michael Mann, performances by Daniel Day Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Eric Schweig, and Jodhi May. 20th Century Fox, 1992.12

Journey into Dia De Los Muertos by Reina Estrada-Serna The topic I chose was Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Thissubject is very special and yet important to me because my whole family and thegenerations before me have celebrated this holiday. I also chose this focus areabecause I know that there are many Mexican customs that are around us thatobserve this day differently. I wanted to see what unusual ways people honorthe day, and to learn more about the culture and the many reasons why certainfamily traditions do unique things. Dia De Los Muertos is not just a regularholiday. It is a 3-day celebration and in some Mexican traditions it is celebratedway before the actual date. Dia De Los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that iscelebrated throughout the world. This holiday originated from Mexico. ThisMexican tradition traces back to the indigenous people of the Aztecs. There aremany significant aspects of the holiday but from what I know and from what Ihave observed majority of the significance is to pray, sing, dance, andremembering friends and family members who have passed on before us. There were three methods that I used in this fieldwork. The first methodwas I interviewed someone that has been celebrating the holiday all her life, andher name is Carmen Mendoza De La Paz. When I had asked if I can interviewher she was excited and happy. But at the same time, she is private on certainfamily traditions. She made the exception for this one because she believes thateveryone should know and learn about the special ways Mexican peopleobserve this custom around the world. I decided to take this paper in a directionthat when someone reads this paper they can learn, read, see, participate, andrelate to this Mexican phenomenon. I also chose this topic for my benefit aswell because I wanted to know how she would celebrate the 3-day holiday, andcompare it to my family tradition. The second method I used was that I attendedthe Dia De Los Muertos festival in Uptown Whittier on October 9, 2016, andanother event on October 23, 2016, at Oakdale Cemetery. The last method Iused was observation and analyzing. This method was tricky to do because I hadto know enough information to observe and analyze why things are donedifferently, or why people dance and dress a certain way. For example, when Iattended the festival in Uptown Whittier I saw many distinctive altars and setups, and people had their face painted in a unique way which sparked the 13

questions of why? I could understand the different reasons behind the traditionsthat I had never seen in my Mexican background. My adventure and fieldwork began when I attended the Dia De LosMuertos festival in Uptown Whittier and one in Oakdale Cemetery. Both theseevents were interesting and different. There was a lot of color, all kinds offlowers, different kinds of Mexican food dishes, all kinds of music, and manyunique dances. In Uptown Whittier, there were altars, but not just altars of theloved family members that had passed on. There were altars of numerous kindsof celebrities and musicians. There were a lot of people dancing like the AztecIndians that dated back to the very first time they celebrated this holiday. WhenI asked why are they dancing this way a lady standing by nearby told me “thisdance is to honor the goddess of Mictecacihuatl,” also known as the La ClaveraCatrina (Lady of the Dead.) She is said to be the person that will watch over thebones of the dead. One thing that I did notice that was special was at thatfestival they would play the roles of their loved ones and dressed up as them aswell. At the Oakdale Cemetery that experience was something so beautiful Inever experienced anything like it. That place was so full of different flowers, alot of pastel colors, Mexican flags everywhere, the graves were all decorated,dancing, food, pictures everywhere, and most important, all the families andfriends were united for one day to celebrate a tradition that has been passed onrepeatedly. At night, the cemetery lights up in these colors because the familiesare praying and singing to their loved ones so they can invite them to come andcelebrate with them. There was a lady at the event that was 103 years old andwas serious about the holiday. This is because her role in the family is to use herwhole day to meditate and enter an altered state of consciousness to prepareherself for the night because she will sing and dance around the grave of herhusband, daughter, and granddaughter. That way she can wake them up andinvite them back to earth to celebrate with family and friends. By attending bothevents I could understand a little more about why things are done differently,and why certain Mexican cultures see it as a very special holiday.For one of my methods I interviewed Carmen Mendoza De La Paz. She is awoman that has been celebrating Dia De Los Muertos since she was five yearsold. This is the interview conducted verbatim: 1) What is the focus of Dia De Los Muertos?The focus for Dia De Los Muertos can be different depending on the culture andthe religion. For example, my family has their focus on the family coming14

together and celebrating a graduation of our loved ones, and we pray for thosethree days that the Dia De Los Muertos is celebrated on. I have a friend thatthey celebrate the days too but they throw a party for all three days and theyinvite the family, friends, neighbors who are interested, and they pray as well. Itis just all coming together to keep their memory alive and showing that justbecause they are gone they are not forgotten. 2) Why do people build private altars? What is the point?They are not just all private altars; some are altars that are combined becausesome families have their friends of friends and families. But for my family wehave three altars one for my friends and extended family, the second for thechildren under 21 years of age, and the third one is for the adults in myimmediate family. The purpose of the altar is basically to invite/ welcome thespirit. This altar is basically a dedication to the memory of the deceased.Usually the altar has the deceased’s favorite dish and valued items that theyonce treasured and all this is either at the foot or next to their picture, becausewe believe that once the soul returns they will enjoy it. 3) Why is Dia De Los Muertos celebrated on three days? What are the three days?The traditions I know for a fact are different because the culture is different andmany of the people that do celebrate Dia De Los Muertos are from all parts ofMexico. Since I was born and raised in Mexico Distrito Federal (D.F.), MexicoCity my family and the generations before celebrate on three days. Each daymeans something different. October 31, All Hallows Eve is basically for thechildren. The children all that are under the age of 21 will get together and makean altar specifically for children. Growing up this was my favorite ritual becausewe as children got to participate. November 1 is All Saints Day which is wherethe adults will all get together and build an altar for the adults and invite thespirits to come for a visit. The last day is November 2 known as All Souls Day.My family and friends will go to the cemetery and decorate the tombs/gravesand just celebrate as a family. 4) Why do you use marigold as the main flower on the altars?The reason why many Mexican cultures use the marigold is because it is theflower of the dead. This flower can also symbolize death. When I was growingup in Mexico my grandma would leave a trail of marigolds from our front doorto the grave of the deceased members, and when I asked why she simply said 15

“So our loved ones can find their way home.” Later I also learned that the scentof the flower helped them find their way back to earth. 5) Why does your family put a picture of the dead and their favorite food?Keep in mind that many traditions are different. Some people don’t put outpictures, but others do. In my family, we put out pictures, and the reason whywe do this is because you don’t want to lose that memory of your familymember, and it is a sign of respect to them because you are remembering themfor who they are. The ofrenda (offering) of the food is laid out because it isbelieved that the spirits can eat it once they arrive to earth, and when they leavethey have something to eat before they embark on their spiritual journey. Evenif they don’t have a special or favorite dish that is why we leave out pan demuerto (bread of the dead). 6) Why are you celebrating Dia De Los Muertos early this year?In my family, we usually celebrate it on the day of, but since this year has beena tragic one, we are going to celebrate it at the end of September. That is the lastbirthday of our recent deceased member. So since it was the last, we do a minialtar and a mini celebration in honor of all the loved ones we lost. We will alsopray for the month; in the morning, afternoon, and night to let the deceasedmember know that they are being invited. While we do that, we also sing anddance around the altar. 7) Does your family do anything once the altar is up?Yes, we normally pray for our loved ones. After the altar goes up, we all standin a circle and hold hands and thank God for bringing us together and of coursefor our loved ones and for bringing them back, sometimes one member fromeach family will walk up to the altar and take a piece of the pan de muerto.(Bread of the Dead) There will be occasions where the family member will do a“De Manda” and what that is they will crawl on their knees from the front doorto the altar and take a piece of bread. 8) Do you know of any other traditions that people do on Dia De Los Muertos?As far as traditions go everyone celebrates Dia De Los Muertos differently. Forexample, in my family we do everything the way the days should be celebrated.We even get mariachis to play sometimes. Some people don’t celebrate all threedays, some just celebrate November 1 and 2. And like my family we do it earlydepending on who passed recently, but other than that your traditions are thenormal. In Mexico Distrito Federal (D.F.), most people clean and decorate the16

grave sites of their loved ones, and then they will build their altar, pray, tellstories about their loved ones. I have seen at one festival that people carry signswith pictures of their loved ones and march chanting things. Then there was alittle girl and a lady carrying an urn. At first I thought it was ashes, but it wasn’t.It was for prayers and after the holiday has passed they will burn them. 9) When did you first learn about Dia De Los Muertos?I was born into the tradition because that is what my family has done forgenerations. As I grew older my family would dress me up as a “calaca”(skeleton) and they would paint my face. Then once I turned the age of fiveyears old then my family started letting me be involved because at that age theyfelt that it was appropriate for me to start learning. And that is exactly whathappened, I was learning as I was growing up. But it wasn’t until I hit myteenage years that I understood the background and the history of the ritual. So,it is safe to say that I have been doing this for about 40 plus years. 10) What is one tradition that you remember doing on Dia De Los Muertos?I remember one year my whole family flew to Michoacán where my familyoriginated before we all moved to Mexico Distrito Federal (D.F.) and Iremember my great-grandma and my grandma dressing up like the Catrina(Elegant Skull), and the calaca (skeleton) and they would just dance, but therewas a sweet sound to the way they moved their body and that was because theywould attach seashells to their ankles, wrists, and their head pieces. I had askedmy grandma why they did all this and she replied “Because mija this is to wakeup the dead.” 11) Why do you guys paint your face and dress up?The reason why is because back in the days there was a lady called the Catrina,this lady was very rich and greedy, after she died they started to paint her facejust like her to symbolize her. But not all families dress like this to represent theCatrina, some families will dress up like their loved ones and act like them. Andthe reason why we paint our face is because since the symbol of the Dia De LosMuertos is a skull we all like to represent the skull in a traditional manner. 12) Why do you fly all the way to Mexico to pick up all your decorations?To be honest I never understood why we would fly all the way to Mexico, but Iguess you can say I never questioned it because we would do this as a family, orall the women will go together. Anyway, the reason why I would say is becausesince it is coming from Mexico I guess it is purer and it’s from our hometownwhich has a lot of meaning to it. 17

13) Lastly, now that you are older do you see Dia De Los Muertos differently?Yes, absolutely it is more than just altars, music, singing, dancing, and food. Tome it is a lot more like art, and art that I am proud to be a part of. I feel that astime went on it has impacted me so much that I find myself researching andwanting to learn more so that when my kids have their kids they have enoughinformation to keep the tradition going and they can celebrate the days as afamily. Now I can say that Dia De Los Muertos has so much more meaning tome than it did before I even went into this fieldwork. I was able to learn somuch about the roots of the holiday, the Mexican values, the meanings behindeverything on the altar, and why certain families dance and sing around thegraves of the loved ones I even got the chance to be a part of the dancing andsinging and that alone brought so much closure and understanding about theholiday. I loved to see how the families all got together and celebrated manydifferent customs. There was only one negative thing that I do have against thetradition and that is that certain people like to drink tequila, vodka, and beerduring this holiday, a lot of them see it as a party and to me when I observedthem drinking and “having a good time” I saw it as disrespectful to the people atthe event and the people that have passed on. I will admit at first that is how Isaw the Mexican tradition as well because my family never taught me the roots,and the meanings behind the holiday. After doing this fieldwork there is somuch more to this 3-day festival than partying and drinking, now I understandwhy so many families, especially the older generation, take these days seriously.The interview and attending the events made a difference in my life, and now Ican celebrate the holiday the way it should be and when I get older and I havemy family I can show them the true meaning behind the holiday. I am now moreappreciative of my Mexican background and culture because this fieldworkshowed me so much beauty that there is to the littlest things in life, I am proudto be a part of history if I can. Dia De Los Muertos is a celebration where manypeople can find peace in their heart and soul for the loved ones that have passedon. Lastly, this fieldwork has showed me that praying, singing, chanting, anddancing is a healer for people in many special ways, and by attending this eventI can put myself in their shoes, and to be honest I loved it.18

A car altar to celebrate the lives of people that once owned the car. Indian dancers do a little ceremony to wake up the dead and invite them to the world. Hollywood Forever Cemetery at the Day of the Dead Festival. (altar for the Orlando Pulse Nightclub victims). 19

My family’s altar for Dia De LosMuertos. Me standing next to my families’ altar. Disneyland decorated for Day of the Dead Celebration.20

Disneyland decorated for Day of theDead Celebration.Hollywood Forever tribute to Johnny Ramone. 21

Discover Yourself by Lee Esten In 2008, I enrolled in Rio Hondo College’s Automotive Technologyprogram because cars had become my hobby and passion. Back then, my careerchoice was unclear but as an automotive enthusiast, I knew wanted to have abetter understanding of how cars worked and how to properly work on them.My goal was to obtain an Associates of Science degree, which requires not onlycompletion of automotive classes, but general education classes such as math,English, science, and history, as well. These non-automotive classes were themost challenging to me, so in these classes I started conversing with the peoplein the seats around me and organically new friendships were formed. We wouldhelp each other out, make mistakes together, and leverage each other’s strengthsto learn and ultimately succeed together. I can’t thank those students enough forassisting me through some of the most difficult academic assignments I’ve beentasked with. Years later, in the automotive program, I discovered that I love cars, butI really don’t enjoy working on them, when it comes to hours upon hours ofturning wrenches. Lab work for these classes was always done in teams. Whenworking in teams in the shop lab, I was nicknamed “The Foreman” because Iwould observe, guide, and contribute feedback, but would rarely do the hands-on dirty work required to fix the car. The other guys who liked doing thephysical work loved me because I did the work they weren’t interested in suchas measurements, calculations, filling out repair order forms, electronicdiagnostics, and checking tools in and out. Again, we used our strengths tosucceed together. Not only was I learning about automotive technology, I was learningabout myself and my strongest capabilities. I wanted to gain some workexperience and make a few bucks so I began to search online and let peopleknow that I was looking for a job. I started to get a reputation online forsuccessfully troubleshooting people’s cars on some online automotive forumswhere I made lots of new friends within the forum community. One of thepeople I had helped out happened to be a recruiter for a staffing agency whothought of me when a job posting came across his desk. He called me and askedif I would be interested in working for a car manufacturer as a TechnicalSpecialist for the Special Tools Group at Honda. He had my attention, so I22

asked him to tell me more about it. He said the job required someone who hasknowledge of both electronic and hand tools, and someone who couldtroubleshoot over the phone. Remember when I said that I was learning about myself and mystrongest capabilities? Well, this job had my name all over it. I wasknowledgeable in automotive trouble shooting from the curriculum learned; Ilearned how to identify issues by asking key questions on the online forums. Iwas familiar with hand tools from constantly checking them in and out, and Iknew electronic diagnostics well because I liked to do the work that didn’trequire getting grease and dirt under my fingernails. On top of my technicalskills, the general courses at Rio Hondo College prepared me with the soft skillsrequired to create an attractive resume and interview effectively. I applied,interviewed, got the job, and the rest is history. Within a year, I was hiredpermanently and since then I’ve moved on to new challenging job roles.Remember the other students I mentioned who helped me along the way? I’mproud to say that I’ve continued some of these relationships and helped somesuccessfully gain career employment as well through assisting with resumes andreferrals. I want to thank all the educators, fellow students, and volunteers whowork in the Learning Resource Center for all the assistance they have providedto help me succeed. This year, I returned to Rio Hondo College as a student in the new andexciting Automotive Technology Bachelor’s degree program. It is an honor tobe a part of this first group of students who continue to pursue higher educationin the automotive technology discipline by earning a Bachelor’s degree. I amespecially excited that Rio Hondo College has offered both a technical track aswell as a business-marketing program for students like myself who aspire to beMarketing Specialists and managers within the automotive industry. In closing,I want to encourage all of my fellow students to continue on their educationalpath, find your passion and follow it, learn about yourself, find your strengths,make friends in and out of the classroom, help others and let them help you tosucceed together. 23

Perspectives on the Life of Fredrick Douglass by Alejandro Robles Gandarilla “Why then should we stand starving here for the places of habitation…and in the meantime suffer a whole continent as fruitful and convenient for theuse of man to lie waste without any improvement.” This statement made amentality; after the exploitation and relinquishment of the Irish and NativeAmericans, the Europeans, and later Anglo-Americans, regrettably decided itwas the turn of the African-Americans, mostly African-Americans in the North,to suffer (Takaki chap. 2). Even though African-Americans have not been theonly group racially tyrannized throughout history, they were, if not amongst, themost badly persecuted. “A mere look, word, or motion, --a mistake, accident, orwant of power, --are all matters for which a slave may be whipped at any time.”Even if “...a slave look[s] dissatisfied...,” this means “…he has the devil in him,and it must be whipped out\" (Douglass 47). These were just some aspects of thelegally sanctioned mentality held by the Southern white slave holders within theyears 1776 (or 1619 for its actual commencement) to1865. Furthermore, evenafter slavery was outlawed in 1865, this mindset and oppression remained. Of this, a famous slave from this time period was Fredrick Douglass;after he educated himself to read, write, and escape, he also become an advocatefor the abolition of slavery. Since he knew how to write, he authored a personalnarrative on the major events of his slavery, everything mentioned being beforehis escape, but he did not even mention the proceedings of his actual escape. Hespeaks on notable experiences, as witnessing incidents of slave brutality, somefatal, fighting with one of his former masters for two hours, and his first failedescape attempt. The central reason for Douglass’s Narrative of the Life ofFredrick Douglass was to demonstrate his story and personal perspective of hislife’s experiences. Furthermore, he seeks to explain the reality of this atrocity ofslavery, as well as its inhumane cruelty. Douglass also composed this narrativeas a testimony to the white abolitionists in the North to demonstrate to themhow inhumane the circumstances were (Douglass 69). This, while implying thatthe slave holding whites could not fully oppress him. Frederick Douglass wrote this narrative as an attestation to slavery forthe Northern abolitionists. This even being emphasized with evidentiary contenton the back of the book where it reads, “Published by The Anti-Slavery Office,Boston, 1845.” Further affirmation of this concerns his “hoping that this little24

book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave systemand hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren inbonds…” (Douglass 76). Also within his writing, he goes into much detail andgraphic description as to bluntly show them what it was truly like, what hehimself, as well as his people, truly experienced. In his narrative he even gavenames, dates, and locations, as to make his story further come alive. Fromnaming the slaves which he witnessed undergo the brutality, such as Dembywho was victim to a fatal fire arm discharge for running into a river refusing awhipping, to the whipping of his own Aunt Hester for going out at night(Douglass 14). As he, again, describes in detail, “…soon the warm red bloodcame dripping to the floor” he continued “the louder she screamed, the harderhe whipped; and where the blood ran the fastest, there he whipped longest”(Douglass 4, 5). With such imagery Douglass thoroughly demonstrates thehorror. Brutality was even expressed in less violent terms, as psychological.Psychological brutality was delivered in ways as separating new born slavesfrom their mothers, to denying slaves the right to reverse their illiteracy. Whileslaves would serve whites, they would be constantly spoken foully about; theywould as well overhear many other things, as military plans during the CivilWar. In reality, the reason for this was that whites truly believed the slaves weretoo savage and animal like to fully understand and comprehend their speech. While mentioning this, Douglass also implied that he would not besubjugated nor would he give up. As he kept hope, for example like with a rootthat was given to him by freed slave Sandy Jenkins which was said to keep himsafe from beatings, and which Douglass agreed to hold on his right side asdirected (Douglass 41). Later, when challenged by his master, Mr. Covey, he’dhad enough, Douglass fought back, and won. Afterwards stating that the battlewith Mr. Covey was a turning-point in his career as a slave; and that “itrekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense ofmy own manhood” (Douglass 43). Another reason Douglass wrote this narrative of his was to share hispersonal perspective within his years of slavery. For example, he discussed thestory of the “Great House Farm” to simply pass on his experience. In hisinterpretation, the routinely made singing and chanting of the slaves as theywalked to the main home plantation, which the slaves called “Great HouseFarm,” depressed Douglass and filled him with sadness. This sorrow within himrose to the point where he would find himself in tears due to these melodies, 25

which would be composed on testimonies against slavery and prayers to Godfrom deliverance of it (Douglass 8). With the slaves chanting their prayers abouta similar god to that of the whites, it may be interpreted that they relied on thisfaith to get them through. However, in Douglass’s early years he felt conflictedand abandoned by the god of his faith. Although, Douglass later interpreted it inthe sense that the white slave holders would pick and choose from the religion,creating a different Christianity, which permitted them to follow through withsuch horrid acts. In the book, he shared his outlook that the religious slaveholders were the worst. He stated his most unhesitant assertion, “that thereligion of the South is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes- a justifier ofthe most appalling barbarity…” (Douglass 21) On the other side, continuing to share his success story, Douglassmentioned that he self-educated to write while at Durgin and Bailey’s ship-yard.He took advantage by watching the ship carpenters write on the timber, the partof the ship for which it was intended (Douglass 26). As for reading, he learnedby bribing, or paying off, poor little kids of the neighborhood with bread inexchange for lessons (Douglass 23). When nobody was home, he practiced allof this with the school books of Thomas Auld, the little boy he took care of forhis most lenient masters. All of his education, or better yet his desire to learn,commenced with Mrs. Auld, his master’s wife, who started teaching Douglassthe alphabet and “to spell words of three or four letters” (Douglass 20).However, when Mr. Auld found out, he forbade it while speaking negativelyabout Africans-Americans. From this point, Douglass saw that there were somekind and caring whites. Nevertheless, after her husband’s words, her kindnessand warmth disappeared, “Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of theseheavenly qualities. . . [Then after] Nothing seemed to make her more angry thanto see me with a newspaper” (Douglass 22). With this, Douglass also impliedthat slavery as well corrupted the whites who did not yet possess this hatred orsense of supremacy. After all of this, Douglass failed his first attempt at escape, wasimprisoned, and taken to an even worse plantation. Despite his tribulationsthough, Douglass did not forfeit his optimism and did end up escaping on hissecond attempt to New York, and then New Bedford, Massachusetts, where hebecame an abolitionist as a free man. As a free man, he did end up publishingthis little book of his, shining light onto the matter. Frederick Douglass’snarrative about the most important part of his life has assisted later generations26

to analyze what the times back then were like and how they truthfully were,from a first person account. Within this account his main points were simply toreport his perspectives as well as experiences. The main reason for this writingwas simply to narrate the inhumanity associated with slavery to others, as wellas to the white abolitionists of the North. With these Anglo-Americansdiscriminatorily deciding it was the Africans-Americans' turn at abuse andexploitation, they treated them as property and struck fear into their hearts. Works CitedDouglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Ed. Boston: Dover, 1995. Print.Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown, 1993. Print. 27

Gender Socialization in America by Starr A. Risper ABSTRACT The basis of this paper is to define and explain the gender binary system,gender socialization, gender bullying and the gender pay gap. Examples fromthe social institutions of society like family, education, the workforce, and themedia were used to help describe these terms, along with lecture notes andmagazine articles geared toward these topics. The discovery that a lack ofunderstanding of gender and the gender spectrum is an outlying motive behindthe inequality and discrimination that is displayed. There is a need for moreawareness and accountability amongst those in authority that could help tochange the circumstances of many, creating a better quality of life. The Gender Binary System “Every aspect of the social world distinguishes gender and promotes aparticular gender definition.” (Brutlag 2016) In the U.S., the gender binarysystem is the social definition of sex and gender categorizing them as masculineor feminine. Every person has a distinct master status, a characteristic thatdefines their social identity, and they usually identify with more than one.Whether it’s their occupation, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender ormarital status, (to name a few) everyone identifies with at least one or more.Yet, “Gender is so pervasive in our society that we assume that it is bred intoour genes.” (Lorber 1994:54)Gender is Taught In “Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender,” JudithLorber aptly states, “Social statuses are carefully constructed through prescribedprocesses of teaching, learning, emulation and enforcement.” (Lorber 1994:54)Everyone is born with a biological sex of male or female, based on theiranatomy at birth; but gender is taught, and the lessons begin upon the very firstbreath. From birth, parents dress their children according to the gender that theybelieve coincides with their child’s sex. If the child is a female, then she’sdressed in pinks and purples with frilly lace. Her ears are pierced and a bow isplaced on her sometimes nonexistent hair. All to be sure that anyone who looks28

at her “knows” that she is a girl. If the child is a boy, he is dressed in blue with abaseball cap and tennis shoes and cute little onesies with fake ties or mustaches.“A sex category becomes a gender status through naming, dress, and the use ofother gender markers.” (Lorber 1994:55) This gender indoctrination shapes andmolds the child accepting his or her gender assignment as their master status. As male children grow up, through subtle (and not so subtle messages)from his parents, he is taught that he is valued which places certain expectationsupon him that he is obligated to live up to. He is valued for his mind and hisaccomplishments. Opportunities are wide open for him to make his mark on theworld. However, his masculinity is fragile, and if there are any signs of“femininity,” he is mocked. He is to be a “man’s man” and one thing that menare not supposed to do is cry. He is free to exhibit anger, but must keep all otheremotions in check. A girl is taught that her value is in her body, whether as an object of sexor to bear children. She is able to use her body to get what she wants, like accessto power and money. This fact often is the cause of conflict between her andother women, because they view each other as competition for the male’sattention. (Brutlag 2016)Gender is a Part of Daily Life The explanation of gender roles in American society is a glimpse of thesocial ideology that is demonstrated. The gender binary system permeates theculture and imbeds itself in a way that it’s just a part of life. Lorber says it well: Gender is such a familiar part of daily life that it usually takes a deliberate disruption of our expectations of how women and men are supposed to act to pay attention to how it is produced. Gender signs and signals are so ubiquitous that we usually fail to note them-unless they are missing or ambiguous. Then we are uncomfortable until we have successfully placed the other person in a gender status; otherwise, we feel socially dislocated.... (1994:54) In essence, we have been taught gender markers that enable us tointeract with each other comfortably. Without them, we are at a loss. Gender Socialization Gender socialization begins in the family. Just as in the previous topic ofthe gender binary system, the family teaches socially acceptable gender norms 29

from birth. This leads to gender socialization, which is “the process by whichindividuals learn what gender and sexuality mean within a particular culturaland social context.” (Brutlag 2016) It is in essence a “form of social control,”with the motivation to coerce individuals to play along with social and culturalrules and norms. There are many players in the game of socialization, and they’re knownas Agents. One of these agents is the family. It’s the first agent that exposesindividuals to a particular social order, and produces a foundation forunderstanding gender. (Brutlag 2016) For instance, if a boy expresses his lovefor the color pink, he is instructed by his family that pink is for girls, setting apattern for what is accepted as masculine or feminine, and that he should alwayschoose the former.Gender Nonconformity However, there is a rising number of people who don’t follow traditionalgender norms. Gender non-conformity, or behavior that differs from what isconsidered to be normal (outside the binary) when it comes to gender, is on therise, and is further made aware by celebrities like Angelina Jolie, who allowsher daughter to dress like a boy and keep her hair cut like a boy because that’swhat she likes, or Jaden Smith who goes out in public wearing dresses withoutany apology to the gender rules that he breaks. Boys wearing skirts and girlswho dress like boys are an example of going against the grain and notconforming to what is expected of them and how they choose to do gender.Gender Socialization and the Media Another form of gender socialization is through media. In “Sex, Lies,and Advertising” by Gloria Steinem, she documents the struggle of securingsuitable advertisements for Ms. Magazine. In the past, when it came toadvertising men were the ones telling women what they wanted. When Ms.Steinem and her team came with facts, figures, and statistics evidencing whatwomen actually wanted, they were rejected. Even through advertisements,women were being groomed in gender. What Steinem was asking was to disruptthe gendered social order and not assume, for instance, that women knewnothing about technology and always deferred to her husband or a male familymember when it came to purchases. The truth was that men were just as much30

lacking in knowledge when it came to technology as women, and that womenwere the ones doing the buying. The different social institutions like family and the media’s main goal isto keep continuity in the gender binary system. But, as perceptions shift andchange, so do specific gender norms. Women wearing pants was at one timeconsidered to be shocking and even illegal in some areas, but as nonconformistspushed back against the constriction of those discriminatory laws, they weresoon liberated, and women wearing pants became the norm. It’s the same forgender identity. There are many that feel restricted from living out what theyfeel is their true gender, not wanting to trouble their families or upset the naturalorder of things. Yet, as time goes by and people make a choice to live out whatthey feel, just like the women who took a stand against wearing dresses, theywill be liberated, too. Bullying 101 The social interaction between children has always been one of concern.The saying that “kids can be cruel” is one that everyone has heard of, or evenperhaps, fell victim to. Only recently within the last few years, because oftragic deaths behind bullying, have those in authority begun to take notice.School Culture In school culture, there are a couple of different steps that kids take toavoid being singled out. One is to be invisible. Children then do everything thatthey can to avoid being the center of attention. They “keep their head down;float between groups; avoid becoming a target.” The other option is to jumpright in to the melee and become a part of the antagonistic environment, “eitherby having active participation or by being complicit.” (Brutlag 2016) Bullying isgendered. However, those who get the brunt of it are the ones who areconsidered “different.” They rank higher or lower on the gender spectrum, andinstead of finding acceptance, they encounter ridicule and bullying.Different Approaches to Bullying Girls and boys have different styles of bullying. Each group takes adifferent approach when it comes to making a classmate’s life a living hell.When it comes to girls and bullying, everything seems to originate fromcompetition. Since anger and aggression are not emotions that girls are free toexpress outwardly, they come out in a more passive aggressive way. “Girls use 31

relational aggression and indirect aggression.” (Brutlag 2016) Relationalaggression is a form of aggression used in personal relationships and resultsoutwardly through lying, gossiping, etc. Indirect aggression is “shifty,” andinvolves things like character assassination and causing trouble for someoneelse undeservedly. Banishing a girl from the group for some small grievance isone form of bullying. Spreading lies about someone, usually out of jealousy isanother. When boys bully each other they are more direct in their approach.Because they have the freedom to express anger, they exhibit more aggressionand get physical with one another. Respect from their peers is usually what theyare seeking, so they bully each other to feel included. As they verbally rip intosomeone outside of the group their position is solidified “through laughter and‘bonding’ through the other’s humiliation.” (Brutlag 2016) The school system has only within the last few years begun to takebullying seriously. Most have a zero tolerance rule against it, but often the beliefis held, even in the schools, that bullying is just a part of growing up. It’s kidsjust being kids, and because these behaviors are expected, they’re accepted. Bullying doesn’t stop once graduated from high school. It takes place incollege too. Many students that attend college look to fraternities and sororitiesto build relationships in a new place. The young men and women seeking tobecome a part of the frat or sorority are asked to do humiliating and sometimesdangerous things for admittance. For the girls in the sorority, this is a way to“weed out undesirables.” For the frat boys, hazing basically asks the questionwhat are you willing to do and how far will you go to be a part of our group? Alot of times kids go pretty far, even to death. A kid on the playground will bebullied by name calling, and possibly pushing or shoving. In college, a studentis bullied by being coerced into performing a sexual act or force fed alcoholuntil they pass out just to belong. Both of these scenarios are not what onewould want for any person, but many just revert to the saying that they’re just“kids being kids.” The Gender Pay Gap Women have been fighting for decades to bring to light thediscrepancies between a man’s paycheck in comparison to a woman’s. Therehave been facts upon facts given proving this difference in pay. Yet, there aremany people that still question if the gender pay gap is even real. When it comes32

to the workforce and equal pay, there has always been inequality when it comesto gender and race. The gender pay gap is just one of the many signs thatwomen and minorities are still not being treated, or paid, fairly. Many strides have been made on the side of women to bring equality tothe workforce. When the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, it was a greataccomplishment for women everywhere in America. However, that was only thebeginning of the fight. Anita Little (2014:13) documented in “It’s Not a Myth-It’s Math”: Comparing the median annual earnings for full-time, year-round women workers with those of men in the same situation, women make only 77 cents for every dollar men earn. For women of color, this gap widens into a chasm. One woman shares what she learned after her company went bankruptand its records were made public. She found out just how much more money themen that she supervised were earning compared to her and how that made herfeel. “I remember squinting, making sure I was looking at the right names anddoing the math correctly,” Kerri Sleeman said. (Little 2014:12) The pay gap is even greater for women of color. Where white womenmake around 78 cents to the dollar, black women make 66 cents to the dollar,Asian women 84 cents to the dollar, and Hispanic women 56 cents to the dollar.Many politicians say that the pay gap between men and women are because ofthe jobs that women seek, but how can these numbers be explained?Women are Blocked While Men Move Up When women and minorities work hard to move up in their positions,they are met with what is called a glass ceiling. Those in authority block themfrom getting higher positions, particularly in fields dominated by men. Yet, menare met with a glass escalator, with every advantage and opportunity given tothem when they enter into fields dominated by women, like nursing andteaching. Promotions are almost always handed to these men along with payraises as a benefit. While these men receive greater pay and benefits, there arewomen that will never reach that level because they are stuck in a poverty trapknown as the sticky floor. Lower level workers are kept at the bottom, withoutany room for advancement. Every little bit of extra income that they receiveonly further keeps them at a lower standard of living. As they earn more money, 33

they become exempt from programs like WIC and college grants, that help themin rising above their poverty level.Diversity Needed in Power Positions Without diversity in positions of power and authority, these unfairpractices will continue. As long as wealthy white men hold the opportunity foradvancement in any given field, the more they will only replace themselves withpeople who look like them. Since the Equal Pay Act of 1963, there have been several bills presentedto Congress regarding equality in pay. One being the Paycheck Fairness Act(PFA). This bill was presented in March of 2015 and signed by PresidentBarack Obama. One thing it would have done was require companies to providethe salaries of their employees by sex, race and ethnicity, as well as anexplanation “to prove that wage disparities are tied solely to job and business-related needs and not gender or other factors unrelated to job performance.”(Little 2014:13) This bill was blocked by Republicans and has yet to be passed.It’s unfortunate, because clearly more accountability is needed to put a stop tounequal pay. ReferencesBrutlag, Brian 2016. “Gendered Socialization.” Presented at Rio Hondo College, September 6, Whittier, CA.Brutlag, Brian 2016. “Gendered Society.” Presented at Rio Hondo College, August 25, Whittier, CA.Brutlag, Brian 2016. “Social Interaction Between Children.” Presented at Rio Hondo College, September 22, Whittier, CA.Little, Anita. 2014. “It’s Not a Myth-It’s Math.” Ms. Magazine, Summer 2014 pp. 12-13Lorber, Judith. 1994. “Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender” pp. 54-63 in Paradoxes of Gender: Yale University PressSteinem, Gloria. 2002. “Sex, Lies, and Advertising.” Ms. Magazine, Spring 2002 pp. 60-6434

Delmont Fire: Mistakes and Mishaps by Damianos Peeper Every potential student that wants to pursue wildland firefighting, isalways reminded of knowing vital information, not only for the firefighter’sown life, but also for coworkers’ lives. Not only do they have to work with oneanother, but firefighters also have equipment to maintain. There are multipleways of knowing and understanding certain rules to abide by, due to the highrisk factors that revolve around each situation. Granted, nobody wants to be inimminent danger battling for his or her life as a wildland firefighter; however,when operating in a job such as this, much danger is considered constant andawaiting. We, as students, are encouraged to learn certain guidelines, such asThe 10 Fire Fighting Orders, LCES (another lifesaving acronym), as well as the18 Watch Out Situations. Not only do the students get drilled with significantemphasis on their procedures, we also must learn from our history in order tobecome better than what has been done in the past. Everyone that hassacrificed his or her life in the incident under consideration is not forgotten, norare their efforts. The only way we can respect that sacrifice is to learn from thelives that have been taken, as well as from problematic incidences that led to theDelmont Fire. This particular fire originated by a property owner who seemedinnocent, but careless with burning brush, which then intensified to a 50-acrefire. The crew that was dispatched to deal with this event consisted ofapproximately nine personnel. One member, Robert Buhler, who was a 62-year-old volunteer, had no proper training to fight this fire. Even though he hadnine years of experience, he was not updated on proper personal protectiveequipment, as he acted with neglect when serving on the fire line. The otherssuch as the chief and the engine operators for three trucks, Firefighters 1, 2, 3, 4,and 5, as well as individuals driving their own personal operative vehicle onscene were on call for this matter to suppress this fire and have the home(s)around saved from any burns or other sorts of damage. The fire itself took placein an area that was surrounded by fences that were difficult to escape. Dealingwith the fire required many safety checks that had been overlooked, maybe on awhim, or maybe because the time to put out this dramatically inclining firecalled for hasty attention. 35

It is questionable for a fire department to rely on an older man likeRobert Buhler, a 62 year old to put out a fire. Not for the age itself, but for thephysical attributes associated with the duties of the job. Not only would itbecome hard for Buhler to maneuver through tackling fires, but if he were to getinjured, his body would be at risk of not being healed properly and “in time.”This gentleman ended up being injured and having second degree burns on 60 –80 percent of his body because he was wearing cotton attire, tennis shoes, and abaseball cap. He was surrounded by a fence, unable to get out if he needed.Buhler did, however, manage to escape but was already burned and was rushedto the hospital. He died of lack of nutrients and oxygen getting to all the areasinfected. This particular cause of death is labeled as sepsis, which elderly peopleare susceptible to getting when the body at this stage fights infections off, as aresult of severe burns in the body. Returning to the homeowner that was burning brush, it should be notedthat he was unaware that the circumstances, under which he was burning thebrush were perfect for a fire to ignite. The time was around 1300- 1400 hours,the hottest hour of the day. Relative humidity was well below 30 percent withwind speeds from 20-40 miles per hour, and with a ravine on a 15 percentdownslope nearby. The area was also filled with lots of light fuel from highgrass, so the outcome of this incident could have been much worse if it had beennot noticed and properly managed in due time. These situations were just the before and after effects, but let’s really getdown to brass tacks about the guidelines and rules everyone should follow as awildland firefighter. First off, Fire Order Number 1 – Keep informed on fireweather conditions and forecasts. The chief at the time did not in fact keep upwith fire weather conditions and forecasts. The chief should have known aboutthe sporadic changes not only in the weather, but the fire as well. Forsomething like a fire to change direction and to have the crew be unaware, theymust not have monitored much, and if they did, the chief was not regularlykeeping up with his weather reports. Another order he forgot to abide by isNumber 4 – Identify escape routes and safety zones and make them known. Ithas been concluded that men were left uninformed about finding a safety zoneor escape route in times of need. A simple briefing could have preventedFirefighter Buhler’s death. Not one briefing was done because of everyonearriving at different times and getting in the midst of things and quickly tryingto implement the proper operations. Number 5 – Post lookouts when there is36

possible danger. Over and over, the article talks about mishaps with no onelooking out to see where the fire may be going or actually was located. Grantedthis was on 50 acres burned, but a proper lookout should have been in line at thetime. Number 7 – Maintain proper communications with your forces, yoursupervisor, and adjoining forces. It seems that the chief/supervisor did notmaintain proper communications with his forces or subordinates at all. Notonce did it mention a radio involved or even close ground working crew tocommunicate back and forth; as a result, underestimated communication puthuman lives in danger. Number 9 – Maintain your forces at all times. Thisactually is related to Number 7 where the chief did not bother to check on hismen or care about them during the fire. It seems as if the chief just attended to aposition without proper thought and his subordinates made their own rules andway of handling their firefighting duties since the chief was so far away and notavailable. Lastly, for the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders, Number 10 – Fightfire aggressively, having provided safety first. Firefighter Buhler was notprovided with any safety clothing or equipment, but was allowed to wear hiscotton attire and tennis shoes. He also lacked proper training in times offighting wildland fires and did not know how to mitigate the dangers properly. In terms of the 18 Watch Out Situations that were not properly followedand overlooked, we would have to start with Number 1 – Fire not scouted andsized up. As said before, this fire had spread very fast and was not even lookedat seriously, being trapped in a fenced line ravine. A recon of some sort shouldhave been performed before going out carelessly to fight the fire. Number 5 –Uninformed on strategy, tactics, and hazards. This is placed in here mainlybecause Firefighter Buhler once again was not properly informed on specifictactics that he could have used wisely. Mr. Buhler and his immediate/closestteammate should have had a plan if the chief did not want to press for one.Number 10 – Attempting frontal assault on fire – From the informationprovided, Mr. Buhler was at the head of the fire with a nozzle man trying tocreate an extinguished hazard that would never be attacking it from the veryfront and the most sporadic part of the Delmont Fire. Number 15 – WindIncreases and/or changes direction. The fire line was on a ridge, with winds thatwere 40 miles an hour, with ultimate changes in the wind direction. Theunforgiving elements creating the fire were chasing down Firefighter Buhler andFirefighter 4; although burning them both, Firefighter 4 only received minorinjuries due to improper attire at the time. 37

Now that we have gone over the 10 Fire Fighting Standard procedures,and the 18 Lookout Situations, let’s move on to the acronym LCES. Thisacronym would have clearly protected them, but the firemen were affected bynot going by it. The first letter of the acronym of LCES is Lookouts. As statedbefore, there was nothing about any lookouts mentioned for this fire that couldhave saved Firefighter Buhler’s life. If someone had been a lookout, they couldhave communicated properly; Firefighter Buhler might still be alive knowingwhat was coming at him. C – Communication. Proper communication from thevery start could have been established for everyone on the team to know what isgoing on and what everyone could expect. Once again, there was nocommunication on the ground whatsoever. E – Escape Routes - If the fence linecould have been cut on the ridge for an escape route of a fire attack, fatalitieswould have been avoided. There was nothing considered or planned on wherethe crew could go for safety. Lastly is S – for Safety Zones – Safety Zones –again, if there was a better way to mitigate where to go if one couldn’t escape,Mr. Buhler could have resorted to that specific area instead of trying to outrun amassive fire burning. Granted, we are all not perfect but with time comes perfection and betterways to judge life threatening risks. Because of this fire and the extremities ofit, we learn that we are only super heroes if we get out all alive and safealtogether. When we as humans do fail, it is when we try to look past and notconsider hazards effectively and significantly. If we lose sight of our coworkersand bosses, we are losing sight of another lost life and begin to take on the stressfrom such mishaps. We all have something to learn regardless of our years ofexperience, such as volunteers like Mr. Buhler who had nine years firefightingexperience, to the very chief who was on call the whole time. We all must workand train cohesively. We must also train correctly and make perfect practices,so we never just guess what is going to happen. Better yet, think of what cannothappen and be prepared for it, too, because at a moment’s notice your buddy’slife might be a casualty due to carelessness and sloppiness within a departmentor team.38

Sources1. http://www.wlfalwaysremember.org/incident-lists/442-robert-buhler.pdf2. NIOSH, September 5 2000, IN THE LINE OF DUTY, A Summary of Fire Fighter Fatality3. Investigation, Wildland Fire Claims the Life of One Volunteer Fire Fighter and Injures Another Fire Fighter – South Dakota4. Incident Pocket Response Pocket Guide, January 2014, PMS 461, NFES 001077, Published 2010, 2006, 2004, 2002, 1999, Printed and Copyrighted by NWCG.5. Pocket Card Standard Fire Fighting Orders/ Watch Out Situations, NFES 2389, NWCG S-130. December 2003 39

Yarnell Hill Fire June 30th, 2013 by Cheyenne Mashburn In the early 1990s, Paul Gleason developed our LCES (Lookouts,Communications, Escape Routes, and Safety Zones) system. Before fightingany fire, your LCES and Situational Awareness must be in place by setting uplookouts and choosing the best possible escape routes and safety zones. Throughthe fatalities of other firefighters, we have developed the 10 fire standards andthe 18 “Watch-Out!” situations to help future firefighters know what to do andwhat NOT to do while engaging a fire. During the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013, amajority of the 10s and 18s, as well as the LCES system were broken, resultingin the death of 19 hotshot crew members from the Granite Mountain IHC.Looking back at this tragic event, we can see the crew didn’t have many optionsas far as escaping due to communication issues, limited safety zones, andweather being in the fire’s favor causing resources to be low. Yarnell Hill Fire started June 30, 2013, by lightning from athunderstorm. At first, the fire seemed small and not too much of a threat. Overtime, weather influenced the fire to pick up intensity and grow in size. BecauseYarnell hadn’t experienced any wild fires for over 45 years, the fuel loading wasvery heavy, and due to the severe drought, relative humidity was very low andfuels were dry. Many of the structures within the area were consideredindefensible and the terrain itself was covered with thick chaparral and bouldersmaking access difficult. Several environmental and weather factors influencedthe fire. Ultimately, the crew did everything they were supposed to do as far asfollowing the 10s, 19s, and the LCES system. After some research, I canacknowledge there were some communication issues with tone guards, theweather took an unexpected turn, the crew left their first safety zone, and escaperoutes were compromised. During the briefing, the crew discussed tone guard issues and went overfixing the issue. Some radios weren’t programmed with the appropriate toneguards, making communication difficult throughout the incident. Also, to topoff the tone guard issues, radio traffic was heavy due to surrounding fires andair-to-ground communication and making it difficult to deliver or receive anynew weather updates or changes. As the fire grew in size, so did the radiocommunication and efforts to keep up with the fire’s rapid pace. There wereseveral communication gaps and misunderstandings of the crew’s true location40

and intentions breaking fire standards 1 and 7; furthermore, there was adisregard of “watch-out” number 7 and the communications link to the LCESsystem. Upon approaching the Yarnell Fire, crew members assumed it was asmall fire and not much of a threat. There were predictions of down drafts froma developing thunderstorm and several weather updates throughout the incident.Records show the crew confirmed the updates. Because of the down drafts fromthe oncoming storm the fire took a 180 degree turn, shifting fromsouth/southwest to north/northeast at about 22-26mph, with gusts up to 45mph.Everyone in the area previously had the wind to their backs for approximatelyseven hours before they suddenly had the head of the fire running directly atthem with a rapid rate of spread. That evening was 95 degrees, with a relativehumidity of 17%, and wind gusts up to 40mph; making rate of spread increaseto the point it would have been impossible for any firefighting resources toengage in fire suppression. Because the crew doubted the weather predictions,they broke fire order 3 and ignored watch-outs 15 and 17. According to the Wildfire Magazine article reviewing the Yarnell HillFire, the Arizona State Forestry failed to give clear instructions to the Type 2IMT and ensure that the IMT understood the objectives. Qualified personnelweren’t available to complete necessary assignment and tasks, assuming the ICshould have considered disengaging and reevaluating the situation, especiallyafter initial and extended attack efforts had already failed. The GraniteMountain IHC was working upslope from the fire, ignoring watch-out number9. Once the GM IHC realizes the wind shift, they retreat to the nearby blackzone, as planned in their previous briefing. From this point up to their deaths,there are several questions regarding the crew’s choices. The IMT commanderbelieved the crew stayed in the black and misunderstood communications fromGM IHC regarding their decision to move to another safety zone. Breaking firestandard number 9 and the GMHC breaking order 7. Upon leaving the blackzone, GMHC broke watch-out 11. During their escape, the crew tried to out runthe fire by dropping down a nearby saddle toward the ranch. Because the slopehad blocked their view of the fire, the crew lost sight, breaking fire order 1 andwatch-outs 12, 13, and 17. In the beginning of their escape, the GMHC became aware of how badtheir situation was, so communications were muffled and misunderstood. Due topoor reception, only fragments could be properly understood, breaking order 8 41

of our standards and watch-outs 6 and 7. Once the GMHC was overrun by thefire, research shows that even if the crew had successfully deployed theirshelters, the area surrounding them exceeded 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.According to popularmechanics.com, shelters have limits as to the heat they canwithstand before melting. If the heat directly outside the shelter reaches 500degrees Fahrenheit, the glue holding the materials together start to break downand the insulating air gap between them is compromised. With the loss of over 110 structures and the fatality of our 19 GraniteMountain IHC members, Yarnell Hill Fire will definitely be a lesson learned foryears to come. Breaking most of the fire orders and watch-out situations, suchas, fire orders 1,3,7,8, and 9, and watch-outs 6, 7, 9, 15, and 17, the onlyreasonable plan for this situation would have been to disengage, gather all teammembers, and reevaluate the situation until the fire intensity had reduced. Wewill never know why the GM IHC left the black area, but we can evaluate whathappened in this series of unfortunate events and NOT repeat their actions. Works CitedFrey, John Carlos, Joe Halderman. “America Burning: The Yarnell Hill Tragedy and the Nation’s Wildfire Crisis.” Youtube.com YouTube.com 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 01 Oct. 2016.Smith-Strickland, Kiona. “Fire Shelters: A Wildland Firefighter’s Last Line of Defense.” Popularmechanics.com Hearst Communications, 2016. Web. 01 Oct. 2016.“Yarnell Hill Briefing Video.” Youtube.com YouTube.com 28 Sept. 2013. Web. 01 Oct. 2016.“Yarnell Hill Fire: June 30, 2013.” Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation, N.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2016.42

Escape from Reality by Sarah Esgro Nowadays, it seems that television programs are bombarded with anoverabundance of legal dramas. Whether they are about lawyers, lawenforcement, or lawbreakers, there seems to be no respite from these criminaljustice-driven television programs. With such shows being so widespread, it isimportant to consider the potentially harmful messages the programs aresending to their millions of viewers. The idealization of criminal behavior insuch series can diminish the public’s perception of the seriousness of thesecrimes, and the legal inaccuracies that plague these programs can have severereal-life consequences for viewers who mistakenly believe the informationpresented is accurate. Nowhere on television is the glamorization of criminalbehavior and the misconstruing of legal matters more apparent than on USANetwork where three original series – each dealing with criminals, cops, or thecourtroom – aired simultaneously. One of the most apparent discrepancies between the legal world ontelevision and the actual legal world comes from White Collar, the popular USANetwork show created by Jeff Eastin. White Collar tells the story of convictedwhite-collar criminal, Neal Caffrey, and dedicated FBI agent, Peter Burke,striking a deal: Neal gets out of prison early in exchange for providing hisexpertise to the FBI white-collar crimes division under the supervision of Peter.Now, these types of deals actually do exist in real life, particularly fornonviolent offenders such as Neal Caffrey, so the premise of the show is notbased in fantasy. However, the show very much glamorizes the world of white-collar crime. Neal, despite the fact that he is a convicted felon, manages to leada very charmed life, one complete with a penthouse apartment in Manhattan, adesigner wardrobe, and a plethora of beautiful women who apparently could notcare less about the ankle monitor he is required to wear. Peter - a wholesome,good, law-abiding man - does not get to live the life of luxury that Neal - athieving, conning, felon - does. The show ends up flirting dangerously with theinsinuation that crime does, in fact, pay. Another USA Network favorite is the legal series, Suits, created byAaron Korsh. Suits portrays the life of a high-level attorney, Harvey Specter,and the attorney impersonator, Mike Ross, whom Harvey knowingly employs.Mike is practicing law without a license, and Harvey is fully aware of this. Mike 43

is a fraud through and through, but because of the other things the show tells theaudience about Mike – that he is a genius, that he genuinely cares about hisclients, that he had a rough childhood - the audience ends up sympathizing withhim. The audience knows that Mike is committing a felony. The audienceknows that Mike commits a crime each and every time he misrepresents himselfas a lawyer or gives legal advice or presents a case in courtroom. Yet, theaudience cheers for Mike because of the masterful way the story paints him as a“good” man despite his continual breaking of the law that he is supposed torepresent. Graceland, yet another series on USA Network (and yet another seriescreated by Jeff Eastin), follows the lives of six undercover cops from variousagencies cohabitating under one beachside mansion’s roof. These agentsrepeatedly engage in unethical - and sometimes even flat-out illegal -activities,but they always are forgiven. Their actions are seemingly always justified; evenwhen these agents who are supposed to uphold the law do terrible things, it isokay because they are just trying to catch other people who do really terriblethings. The idealization of criminal behavior and the flagrant disregard for thelaw that runs rampant through these series can potentially lead to people nottaking these crimes as seriously as they should or, god forbid, possibly evenwanting to emulate such crimes themselves. White Collar often seems to sendthe message that so long as you are not a violent criminal, then your crimes areA-Okay. Suits seems to tell audiences that it is fine if you do not put in the hardwork required to get where you want to be and choose to take illegal shortcutsinstead, as long as your heart is the right place. Graceland promotes the notionthat law enforcement officers are somehow above the law themselves. Thefanciful images that these television shows present are extremely far from harshreality. Any one of the many acts committed in these shows would have graveconsequences in the real world. Not only do these shows diminish the gravity of the crimes theyfrivolously depict, but they are also rife with legal inaccuracies. For example,shows dealing with the law love to include the Miranda warning. Hell, I learnedmy Miranda rights by watching Law & Order. Now, the shows do not typicallyget the warning itself wrong, but they often do get the timing of it being issuedwrong. More often than not in these shows, someone gets a pair of handcuffsslapped on them, and they are instantly read their rights, but if the officer fails to44

do so, then the whole case goes right out the window. But this is not reallyaccurate. In reality, there are two conditions that must be met before an officeris required to Mirandize a person. One, the person must be placed in custody.Television shows almost always get that part right. But the second condition isthat the officer must be about to question that person about their involvement inthe particular crime that they are in custody for. Television shows rarely get thatpart right. This inaccuracy can have pretty severe real-life consequences forviewers. If a person, after viewing one or more of these shows, mistakenlycomes to believe that he can say anything if a cop has not read him his Mirandarights, then he is going to be in for a very rude awakening. Personally, I havetaken many criminal justice courses, and I am formally educated in this area, soI know how Miranda rights work. However, not all of the millions of viewerswho watch these series have that same background, and Miranda warnings areonly one of countless criminal justice issues that legal dramas oftenmisconstrue. So why do audiences accept these legal shows that do not accuratelyillustrate the legal world? Perhaps it is because these types of shows are sowidespread. The way Miranda rights are conducted on White Collar might bepretty far from reality, but it is remarkably similar to the way it is conducted onother legal dramas. This presents a major problem. In their article, “Your BrainLies to You,” Sam Wang and Sandra Aamodt claim that people are subject to aphenomenon called “source amnesia” where the fact learned is eventuallyseparated from its original context in our minds. This phenomenon “can alsolead people to forget whether a statement is true”, and people will continue tobelieve a statement is true even if it is “presented with a disclaimer” (Wang 79).So the more times a person encounters this misrepresentation of the Mirandarights, the more likely he is to continue to believe it is true even if he is latertold that it is wrong. Not only that, but according to Frank Luntz in his article,“Words we Remember,” we are much more likely to recall something if weheard it on television (Luntz 366). These shows are pervasive for a reason; audiences eat them up. What isit about our culture that leads us to be so entertained by shows that glamorizecriminal activity? Maybe shows like Graceland work for the same reasonwesterns were once so popular: we like the idea of vigilante justice. Maybeshows like Suits work because everybody really does love an underdog and a 45

comeback story, which Mike embodies. And maybe shows like White Collarwork because we have a deep-seated sense of curiosity, and we want to see ifthe crooks will get away with it. Maybe we just like the escape from our ownconventional, routine lives, so we seek out the adventure legal dramas providein abundance, and we watch from the safety of our comfortable couches as thecharacters explore the depths of the criminal lifestyle where most of us willnever dare venture. Works CitedEastin, Jeff, creator. Graceland. Jeff Eastin & Warrior George Productions and Fox Television Studios, 2009.---. White Collar. Jeff Eastin & Warrior George Productions and Fox Television Studios, 2013.Korsh, Aaron, creator. Suits. United Korsh Company and Hypnotic Films & Television, 2011.Luntz, Frank. “Words we Remember.” Read, Reason, Write. Ed. Dorothy U. Seyler. Ed. 11. New York: McGraw Hill, 2015. 366-377. Print.Wang, Sam, and Sandra Aamodt. “Your Brain Lies to you.” Read, Reason, Write. Ed. Dorothy U. Seyler. Ed. 11. New York: McGraw Hill, 2015. 79-80. Print.46

Marxism in The Hunger Games by Kamiko Takenaka Karl Marx once said, “Philosophers have only interpreted the world invarious ways. The point, however, is to change it” (Marx). Suzanne Collinswrote The Hunger Games in 2008 during an economic recession in an effort togive readers an insight into Marxism and how relevant it is in our world today.Illustrating the socio-economic struggle between the Districts and the Capitol,Collins clearly intended this book to be read through the ideology of Marxism,having the twelve Districts represent the poor and the Capitol symbolize therich. This demonstrates that the rich will always feel a superiority over the poor. Several passages within the book express the concepts of Marxistliterary theory. In the novel, all twelve districts represent the different classsystems in today’s world by having the lower and poorest districts farthest fromthe Capitol, and the higher and more valuable districts closer to them. SinceMarxism is the belief that classism is more significant than the division betweenrace, religion, ethnicity, and gender, the Capitol is shown as a form of thewealthy being portrayed in exaggeration but in reality it is not much of anexaggeration to the real world today. One instance where this is shown in thenovel is when Gale and Katniss have a conversation with Madge, the Mayor’sdaughter. Gale argues, “You won’t be going to the Capitol,’ says Gale coolly.His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns her dress. Real gold.Beautifully crafted. It could keep my family in bread for months. ‘What can youhave? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old.’ ‘That’s not herfault,’ I say. ‘No, it’s no one’s fault. Just the way it is,’ says Gale (Collins 14).This passage shows that even throughout the Districts, in which there alreadyexists a significant lower class than the Capitol, there is still the dividing ofclass between the rich and the poor. Since Madge is the Mayor’s daughter, sheonly has five entries put into the reaping because she has never needed to tradean entry for a tesserae. As for Gale and Katniss, they are both struggling tosurvive and support their entire families so they are entered into the reapingseveral more times than Madge. Although they both see the classism that takeseffect in their lives, they blame the Capitol for their struggle, but focus more onsurviving rather than trying to make a change and rebel. Having the responsibility to support herself and her family, Katniss haslearned to conceal her feelings and thoughts that don’t have anything to do with 47

surviving or putting food on the table, which are her priorities in life. At ayoung age she learned that the Capitol was in control, even to the extent oflistening to conversations. Katniss declares, “Eventually I understood this wouldonly lead us to more trouble. So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn myfeatures into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts”(Collins 7). This shows us how Katniss disciplines herself to know that itwouldn’t do her or her family any good to speak poorly of the Capitol. Clearlyshe shows that she is more determined to survive rather than trying to seek outjustice or reason within Panem. Katniss explains, “With both of us huntingdaily, there are still nights when game has to be swapped for lard or shoelaces orwool, still nights when we go to bed with our stomachs growling” (Collins 11).Katniss continues on to tell the reader that her days consist of hunting andtrading to be able to feed her family, which shows that she is focused and drivenby survival. She doesn’t have any time to be thinking of ways to rebel becauseher family would starve if it wasn’t for her. Although she is aware of the wrongdoing by the Capitol, unlike Gale, she decides it is not a priority and wouldn’thelp to be raging against them. Katniss is kept in a constant fear and fight for survival enforced by theleaders of Panem to keep their empowerment, just like most everyone else. Yousee this begin to change throughout the book during her time spent in the arenaof the Hunger Games. As she starts to open up and allow Rue to become an allyand create a personal bond, she is quickly reminded who controls them evenwhen she does not realize it. After Rue’s death she begins thinking about thewords Peeta had told her last. ‘It’s the Capitol I hate, for doing this to all of us. Gale’s voice is in my head. His ravings against the Capitol no longer pointless, no longer to be ignored. Rue’s death has forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice they inflict upon us. […] Then I remember Peeta’s words on the roof. ‘Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.’ And for the first time, I understand what he means’ (Collins 286). At this point in the passage, Katniss starts to reveal her anger, that’salways been suppressed and masked by a calm and collected face towards theCapitol because now she feels the need to do something about it since she is theface of District Twelve now. She determinedly says, “I want to do something,48

right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show theCapitol that whatever they do or force us to do there is a part of every tributethey can’t own. That Rue is more than a piece in their Games. And so am I”(Collins 286). This is when Katniss actively rebels against the Capitol, andbegins to realize the existence of classism and is willing to rise up against heroppressors. Following the memorial for Rue of laying flowers along her body,she then gives the sign of saying goodbye to a loved one with her three fingersraised to the sky. This creates a connection between Districts Eleven andTwelve, which the leaders of Panem try to avoid and strive to keep each socio-economical classes separate. By doing this Katniss not only makes herself seenas rebel but also those in District Eleven. This event in the book is the momentKatniss becomes a worry in the mind of the Gamemakers and President Snow.Much like in our real world, if the poor or the homeless started becomingpublicly rebellious against the President, or any authority figure for that matter,they would quickly be silenced or checked by higher authority. Unfortunately,many of the rich neglect to see the classism within our modern world today. Throughout the recession in 2008, Marxist literary theory was veryevident within our socio-economic struggle. Clearly, Suzanne Collins has madean impact on both the youth and adult readers as a whole to show Marxism inthe novel. Katniss’ character has given strength to women and young girls to beindependent and take action against things in life that are unjust. Spreading theideology of Marxism, The Hunger Games is a novel to help our society realizethe depth of the division between the rich and the poor. Although the book has afew exaggerations, our world unfortunately proves that Marxism is an actualproblem within our society. Works CitedCollins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic Inc, 2008.Marx, Karl. “Theses On Feuerbach.” Theses on Feuerbach. N.p.,N.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016 49