Essay Questions

Kayla Bahr

ENGW 1101

Professor Young

14, April, 2017

Abortion 

1.) What exactly is abortion?

2.) Should there be a limit that abortion is allowed?

3.) What limits are responsible?

4.) What limits are realistic? 

5.) How to protect pregnant women?

6.) Should the government get involved? 

7.) Who decides if abortion should/should not be allowed?

8.)Should fathers have a say?

9.) How can abortion be prevented? 

10.) Should every state have their own say?

Kayla Bahr
ENGW 1101
Professor Young
10, April, 2017

In Elie Wiesel's speech, The Perils of Indifference, he questions if it is ever necessary to be indifferent. Wiesel defines indifference as "A strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil" (Wiesel 2). In Wiesel's case, there was a thin line between life and death, when he was in a concentration camp waiting for someone to save them. He explains how America new about what was going on in the many concentration camps but nothing was done for a while because America was indifferent towards what was going on because it was not directly effecting them. However, when America finally did step in, they freed Jews enslaved in the concentration camps and saved a countless number of lives. In this situation is was very necessary for people to be the exact opposite of indifferent in order to save millions of lives.

In Rene Steinke's novel, Friendswood, it was important for Lee to also be the opposite of indifferent towards the Banes Field chemical dumping for many reasons. One reason being that this subject meant a lot to her because her daughter, Jess, had died from contracting a blood disease from living on the contaminated land. Lee was passionate about finding justice for Jess's death. Also, she wanted to put a stop to Avery Taft and Taft Industries from building on the toxic land for the sole reason of making more money. She also wants to stop the rising rate of cancer in her town. Lee was not indifferent or blind to the issues going on at hand like most of the people in her community because it directly impacted her life negatively. Meanwhile, the other's are indifferent because it had not impacted their life in such an unfortunate way.

Also in Steinke's Friendswood, Willa is a teenager who was raped by her high school crush. She struggled with this internally before she had gotten support from her friends and Lee. She was the victim of the rape but was also seen as the cause. She was looked down upon by the members of the town. Her friend Dani stood up for her from the start without caring what others thought. However, Dex had a late start to standing up for her. Once he heard about the rape he was indifferent towards the situation and did not do much to help out the situation. He then makes a change and stands up for Willa when he hears people talking about her. He also goes to the authorities to take a stand for Willa and clear Willa's name from any responsibility for the rape. Lee also helps Willa through her healing process. Lee feels for Willa because her parents are not doing much to help her except for praying but that is not doing Willa much good. Willa finds it safe to talk to Lee unlike her relationship with her parents.

Reading Log Question #2

Kayla Bahr
Professor Young
ENGW 1101 38
6, February, 2017

In small towns such as Friendswood, Texas, conforming to the thoughts and opinions of the majority of the population might seem easier than straying away from them. We see the consequences of opposing a popular opinion in the life of Lee Knowles.
In Lee Knowles's case, she is fighting for justice for the lives that were taken, her daughters included, from the effects of chemical dumping in her town. Despite the EPA's clearance of the land being clean enough to start building new properties on, Knowles believe the town is being fed lies. She even goes as far as trespassing on the toxic to literally dig up the truth about what contaminants are residing on the debris-filled land. When she finds evidence of the plastic containers the chemicals were dumped in and buried fifty feet under had rose up and exposed the chemicals, she knew something had to be done.
Lee has gone to great, expensive lengths in order to find out the truth about the contaminated land in Rosemont before anyone else gets effected. In order to delay Taft Industries from building of the Rosemont land, she pays for the soil to be tested, from her own pocket (Steinke 49). By her holding the town back from making money and fighting for what she thinks is right contrary to popular belief, she is looked at as obsessive and crazy. Yet, if she was not willing to speak out on the behalf of the towns safety who would?

We would like to believe that the governments first priority would be the people. In the instance of the contamination of lead and arsenic in an East Chicago town's land, something had to be done (Lyons 1). The residents were alerted of the high levels of contaminants surrounding the town and were informed by their mayor to relocate (Lyons 1). This is an example of the correct way for a government official to react when faced with decisions of the citizens best interest. Signs like the one pictured to the right is another example of putting the citizens before profit.

Water from Flint Michigan

However, in Flint, Michigan, citizens are still fighting their battle for clean drinking water after two long years. The population of Flint's economic status is below the poverty line leaving Flints water fund nine billion dollars in the red (CNN Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts, 'Facts'). In an effort to save the town money, they decide to switch the source of their water from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Despite the Flint River's notorious image of filth and disgust, the government went on to make it the towns main source of water. The water always seemed to look dirty and when tested found high levels of lead and iron. Long term effects from lead poisoning include organ dysfunction, seizures, and in pregnant women effects on the child could include learning difficulties, behavioral problems and growth delays. The government knew of these effects and yet nothing has been done about it. The citizens are forced to live their life knowing they could be slowing exposing themselves to a long list of health defects. The citizens need their voices to be heard and deserve justice for the wrong done by them. The citizens need to know that the government is there for them in times of need to protect them and when they need to be heard they are there.


Works Cited
Lyons, Craig. "East Chicago Lead Contamination Galvanizes Residents." Post-Tribune. N.p., 30 Dec. 2016. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-east-chicago-awakening-st-0101-20161230-story.html>

Steinke, Rene. Friendswood. New York: Riverhead , a Member of Penguin Group (USA), 2014. Print.

CNN. Cable News Network, 02 Feb. 2017. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/us/flint-water-crisis-fast-facts/>.

Reading Log Questions #1

Kayla Bahr
Professor Young
ENGW1101
30, January, 2017

1.) Willa Lambert is a teenager in high school who seems to be more unusual than her peers. It is  explained that she has visions for example, "Willa saw a small, round, gray woman, reaching up her arms as if to be held or to praise... and when she looked up from her calculus she was gone" (Steinke 57). She has a passion for writing poetry which she believes might be the cause of her visions. She has a crush on Cully, the schools football star.

2.) Dex is seen as the man of the house since his father left for a job. He feels the need to take care of his mother because she has diabetes that she ignores. He sees her eating a cookie and says "Hey, Mom? You shouldn't be eating that" (Steinke 39). His mother also expects him to watch out for his little sister and keep the boys away from her in school. He is seen to have a blossoming crush on Willa after working on a group project with her. Dex seems to not have a strong enough voice of opinion when it comes to disagreeing with his friend Weeks. When Weeks complains about Willa's makeup "All that makeup like cat's eyes." Dex kept his positive opinion for Willa's makeup to himself (Steinke 42).

3.) Hal is a very religious man. He is a husband to Darlene and a father to Cully. He is a recovering alcoholic who is getting his life and finances back on track. He seems to be a relator for commercial properties. He works with people who are selling their property to help get it sold. Hal becomes distracted by Darlene's physical beauty when talking about prayer, it is said that "He needed more blessings like the Reese house sale, like the other night with Darlene, when her breasts had looked full and white in the lamplight" (Steinke 44-45). He does not seem like a very devoted father, when asked how he would feel if his son had died, he believes "There was a purpose there, somewhere" (Steinke 54).

4.) Lee is the woman who is desperately trying to set the truth of the contaminated land in Rosemont free. Her daughter, Jess, passed away from cancer after being exposed to the hazardous chemicals that were  buried beneath their town. She is still coping with the grief of loosing Jess so she channels it all to proving the land was contaminated when they were told it was clean. The community perceives her as the woman who is holding back the town from prospering and is seen to be holding onto the past, Hal states "Rosemont was years ago now" (Steinke 54). He believes she should use the grief of her daughter to help the town prosper by building new properties on the vacant land.

6.) In Friendswood there was a burial of hazardous chemicals in faulty plastic containers in the town of Rosemont. It was cleared by the EPA that the land was cleared of such chemicals. However, when Lee's daughter Jess died from a cancer that was more than likely caused by the contaminated land, she realized that the land was not actually safe and it was not getting taken care of. Similarly to the events in Rosemont, Flint Michigan is experiencing the same injustice. There water supply has been contaminated with large amounts of lead and other chemicals (Ganim and Tran What's in the water?). Three years ago the state decided to save money by changing where they get their water supply from. Originally their water came from Lake Huron but was changed to the Flint River that was known for its filth (Ganim and Tran CNN). Both horrific instances have been ignored by the government. The citizens are left to endure the negative effects it has on their health.

7.) There seems to be no protection for the citizens by the government or EPA. Lee has to fight just to get the land tested for toxins and prove that the land isn't as clean they are making it seem. The government agency is not fulfilling it's role because the people of the town weren't their largest concern, disposal of the waste was.  


Works Cited:
    Ganim, Sara, and Linh Tran. "How Flint, Michigan's Tap Water Became Toxic." CNN. Cable News                          Network, 13 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.

Steinke, Rene. Friendswood. New York: Riverhead , a Member of Penguin Group (USA), 2014. Print.