Tom Kearny & Eva Barnes

     Tom Kearny has spent twenty-three years out of his life working hard as a policeman. He has been stretched to all forms of security such as patrolman, detective, detective sergeant, and traffic division. Tom Kearny was born in Chicago and grew up as a Catholic Irish. He always thought being a policeman was a steady and well paid job. They were hit with the Great Depression and now policeman and firemen weren't even getting paid. He grew up listening to the motto "Don't do anything wrong, Respect for authority." (pg. 265)He is always respectful to people, even people not like himself. He liked the law and people following it but still allowed for people to speak their mind and fight for what they thought was right. He was always working hard at his jobs and never gave up or said 'NO'. He fought hard to do his job well including get beat up in a fight, coming home with bruises as scars of his effort and never made a fuss. He can be an idol to many other men trying hard at what he does. He always kept a chin up to the sky and allowed himself to have an open-mind to everyone. 
      

Osama, Ota, & Hutchinson

I think I should start out by saying that Osama bidladen's death does not mean we are safe, Alkidah will already has a new leader to step forth, and as we feel a little bit of closure and that nobody will be as cruel and heartless as Osama bidladen, but still they do have a leader and they will attack on our country.
A Japanese American citizen was harrassed and put into jail the same day as Pearl Harbor. This happened because the Japanese were rallyed up at a wedding, and instead of getting information they assume that because they are Japs, they are planning something. Not being able to live their normal lives. The whole family was put into a jail. I think our country was very hurtful and made disturbing decisions on others. They were crazy to the wrong people a lot of the time. 
(to be continued)

Hillbilly & Sledgehammer

We had men fighting for our country, to save the loved ones they had to leave behind, to become heroes and keep promises they made to their people. Aside from the men, the women were working too, making shells for bullets to send to the army. "I think of how little we knew of human rights, union rights" The way these women were being treated, was unfair, cruel, and nasty. They were around chemicals they didn't even know much about, chemicals that made them turn the color orange. And with their hair turning orange, all they could care about was if other women would judge them. These women had to deal with the hurt they felt inside when their husbands came back different men. The war didn't just change these men, it changed a lot of women too. It turned them agaisnt somethings they thought they would always believe and trust in. The government, who they thought they could trust... was feeding them false information about what was really happening during this war. It just very sad and gives me a better understanding of what World War II was like for women. And as for the men, the only thing keeping them going was the faith in their friends. Everyday they knew that this enemy was so strong and would do anything to make sure that the Americans were dead. "Kick him in the balls before he kicks you in yours." All I can say about this quote is how true it is. After trying to help one of the japs out, keeping him safe because he was already injured... he paid them back by trying to kill the men trying to save him. It was a much different story obviously from the previous passage, but both detailed and interesting to read.

Jane and Tom Yoder

Jane Yoder was just one of many people who suffered with their families to survive during the Great Depression. It was tremendously difficult to maintain a steady job, and be able to put food on the table and a roof over your head. Jane Yoder lived in Evanston Illinois, she was cold everyday and didn't have blankets to keep her warm. "Oh gee, you almost looked foward to the day you could throw up." (128) Jane is able to go into such great depth and detail of how hard she struggled through these hard times, that she almost is able to make you feel guilty of yourself that you live such a privelaged life. Jane Yoder was just so greatful to own the couple of outfits that she did. She and her siblings were always cognisant of her fathers income and always felt too bad to ask for anything and thought of doing the selfless thing which was to battle through hunger the best she could. She grew up in an extremely hard environment and society. Fortunately her son never had to deal with this struggle. She was and is always able to put a roof over her head and food on the table. Jane Yoder can be an idol to many. Never asking for anything and giving when she can. I really enjoyed this story.

Newspaperman & C.P. Ellis

I started my reading about a boy named Vernon Jerett, an African-American boy who grew up in a small town in Tennessee in the 1900's. All people did in this town was watch the people go back and forth on trains imagining what their lives were like and wondering if they would ever be somebody on those trains. Trains back then symbolized mobility. They had to accept the fact that they were stuck in this town and not everyone had the opportunity to get out. Vernon Jeratt was definately one of these people, he grew up striving the life of others, always wanting to be somebody. When he grew up he joined the navy, just to move to Chicago, to find himself and to prove himself. He finally lived in the city he always dreamed of seeing. He would take the whole city life seriously, sitting on the benches watching people and taking the el. The city really meant something to Vernon Jarett. School was also very important in his life, and he felt that he lost that when moving to Chicago. A school building was very fascinating to Vernon because his parents made education his top priority. Vernon Jarett was always close to his parents, especially his father. His father taught him many things one being which was to cry during funerals. He would cry during funerals when he didnt even know the deceased. As he was growing up people would say "I never really knew i was black,  until i looked in the mirror".(Jarett 54) It was hard to be an African- American back then...they didnt get off as easy as whites. With him now living in Chicago he realized that unless you made it big, there was no point. Was it Vernon Jarett that changed, or the society in Chicago? He says that Chicago was not the city of hope anymore, "every man for himself".(Jarett 62) Just because you might be white, doesn't give you the power anymore. 


It was very interesting for me to read a story about how an average white man who fought with the Ku Klux Klan was able to recover from such an awful life choice and soon make the right one. C.P. Ellis tells us such an extrordinary story of his life. Its not very often that we hear about stories of men supporting the KKK then going agaisnt them. How many people do you think were impacted by this man turning his life around? C.P. Ellis was one of two children with a mother and a father. Unfortunately his father just barely made enough money to support their family.He was very close with his father, but I think secretly he was always  ashamed and embarrassed. His father wasn't the best dressed and had a serious drinking problem. His father learning to give up when it wasn't good enough and drink his feelings away. C.P. Ellis  grew up a little bit like his father did. Struggling to make enough money for the care that his family needs. He grew up with anger in his heart, he was angry with himself, his father, and the world. "You gotta have somethin' to look at to hate". ( Ellis 65)With this in mind, he decided to aim his hatred on specifically  the blacks. This hate kept growing that soon enough it lead him to join the KKK and after that he became the president of this cult. He thought that there needed to be more balance between the whites and blacks. They didn't want to see black people become higher than them. He was uneducated about how blacks, jews, and catholics are people just like him, but his father told him otherwise. It hit him one day that this isn't right, why fight agaisnt people who are you equals? Finally he started fighting for the black not agaisnt them. C.P. Ellis was helping the black community. Makes me wonder if our country can be understanding and change their thoughts about discrimination today.