Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Green Days by the River

Satisfactory Essays
594 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Green Days by the River
Keisha Bean October 30, 2010
English Language
Green Days by the River

How would you feel if you were put in the position of having to choose between attending school and getting an education over working so that you can help your family circumstances? Shell, a fifteen year old boy had made a decision to work instead of attending school and obtain an education. Why do you think a boy that young will choose to work? Shell chose to work because he is helping out his mother as she is the only one in the family who is doing well other than himself. His father is ill as he was put to bed rest. Shell has made a commitment to work on a plantation with Mr.Gidaharee and also he has gotten a second job at a coco plantation to help out his family circumstances by being another member in the family who can support financially.
Do you think that was a good choice that Shell made? I believe that the role of a fifteen year old has a right to attend school and obtain an education but also I believe that a fifteen year old has a right to help out his or her family circumstances. You must be thinking which one I agree with the most. Well I agree with working to help your family circumstances. If Shell does not help out financially then where will that put his family?
In this case as I mentioned before Shell is a fifteen year old boy who has chosen to work over obtaining an education to help out his family, especially his mother financially. I agree with the statement fully as it is a family circumstance. With Shell being able to work, he is able to help out his family tremendously especially his mother who was the only one working. He is making it easier for his mother by bringing in money to support her, his sick father, and himself. Many people think that if a teenager drops out of school due to family circumstances that they will not be successful in life. I do not believe in that statement due to the fact Shell can always attempt to go back to school. He can work for about 5 years and help support his family to get them on a good financial level and once completing that task he can go back to school and get his education. Shell was not forced to work he has come upon himself and chosen to work to help out his family. This shows Shell to be very caring for his family and also shows the maturity that Shell has. With Shell working do you think his mother appreciates him working and not obtaining an education? I think that his mother appreciates and puts a smile on her face because it is less stressful for her. If Shell did not work she would have to work to bring money into the home and also take care of Shells’ father.
I believe that Shell has made a good decision in helping out his family even though he is only a fifteen year old boy. Who knows it may just work out for him and he may be able to get his education later on in life. I also believe that Shell would do anything in his power to help out his family. He will continue working with Mr.Gidahree at his plantation and also working at his second job at the coco plantation to help his family circumstances.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    3. The folks in coal wood not giving everything to the rocket boys actually help the boys in the long run, because it teaches them that they must work for something they want. Parents and Schools nowadays just try to find the fastest and easiest way to help kids such as giving them a check for a field trip instead of making them work for the money by fundraising. Yes, today’s kids are missing out by not working for everything they get, because they should learn to work for things they want instead of just giving them everything they want, because later on in the real world they won’t have anyone to rely on.…

    • 1045 Words
    • 1 Page
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mr. Braaksma, Andrew is intending to share his gratefulness of always having the plan to attend college. Retrieving a higher education has been in his best interest based on the experience he obtained at his summer job. The summer job in the factory is very mundane and difficult. He expressed how hard it was for him to have an early start and the difficulties of the effects that would cost him over time. While speaking with his coworkers Mr. Braakma was told they had advised him to stay in school and chose another career path. Due to Mr. Braakma’s dedication to his college education he never strayed from it, he has been lucky to be afforded the opportunity to enrich his life how he sees fit.…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Deborah Samson’s child and teenage years were rough because she lived in poverty. It didn’t make anything any better when her father left on a expedition at sea and never came back. She was taken from her mother and was in the care of her grandparents. When her grandparents passed away she moved in with a farmer living in Middleborough. She was only ten years old and was expected to work as an indentured…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Answer: first of all is the lack of his economy problem; he rather buys the jacket on the street than in the store, because he thought he never got the good deals in stores. He didn’t fully pay the man who had sold him the blue down jacket; he decided to pay him later when he had the money, then he bet with the guy Julio $20 who wants him to stand outside in the middle of the parking lot for 20 minutes while it was raining if he could make it. He’d also be the first person in all the generations of his family to graduate. Ms Johnson knew that every day he was tempted to drop out and find a job to help support his large family. She also knew that he wanted an education. He decided to make something…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Working was the only way that she could survive and at this point education was not an importance, but she looks back now and wouldn't change anything that she had done because at the moment it was crucial for her to work versus school. There was no assistance from the family or even her friends. She had good grades and tried to focus on her education, she held a 3.0 and above average. There were no issues in class and she will always finish projects and homework ahead of time.”The curriculum wasn't hard if it was something that I enjoyed such as business and accounting; if it was the other classes such as political science, history and the other subjects because it was hard to stay on track, but I knew I had to take these classes to get the credits that I needed,” she had…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bob Dylan had a different style to most of his songs. In his civil rights songs he obviously writes about civil rights issues affecting mainly America of that time. In this songs the thing he is mainly singing/ protesting about is civil rights. He said in an interview that he wanted to make an anthem of change for civil rights. Some different ideas presented in the poem would include: changing times, unity of people and asking for change.…

    • 280 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Singin In The Rain

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The musical Singin’ In The Rain is a Hollywood classic, starring Gene Kelly as Don and Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont. The film gives viewers the different aspects of expectation versus reality in big Hollywood production films. Singin’ In The Rain reinforces the theme of illusion vs. reality by using production to manipulate characters like Lina Lamont to be what the audience wants to see.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "the big river rolls past our town takes a slow look and rolls away". Good morning/Afternoon everyone By The River a novel written by Steven Herrick successfully conveys the significant ideas about human nature within his verse novel. Herricks is able to show this by exploring three key themes Grief, Relationships and Coming of age throughout his novel by using symbolism, metaphors and similes.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The narrator doesn’t want to work. He wants to go play with his friends and talk about girls. The workers want to work so their families are able to have food on the table.…

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sean Countryman Narrative

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sean always knew he wanted to go to college but what really drove his path towards college, was a “go to work with your parent day”. Sean’s dad, Jerry was a diesel mechanic for a bus company which is a blue collar job. As Sean watched his dad get covered in grease, oil, and dirt all day repairing buses, his desire to go to college was strengthened. He realized that he didn’t want a job full of hard labor.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Working Poor Analysis

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages

    When not supporting a family, there is more money to spend on luxury possessions, such as cable, computers and possibly the latest cell phones. Shipler expounds that there is not only an upside, but also a downside to the quality of life for the working poor. The upside of having a job with a stable salary is the opportunity to get a promotion, and the benefits. Nevertheless, if something transpired, such as the company had to downsize you can suddenly be out of a job. Shipler efficaciously constructs the argument that living while employed also has negative impacts. Tim Unsworth, author of Poverty in America mentions, "No one needs the government more than the poor. However, they get much less of it than the wealthy, largely because they simply don't know how to fight back" (Unsworth). Unsworth expresses how the poor cannot be the only ones putting forth an effort. The government needs to be able to provide more benefits for the working poor. Living with a job and being poor comes with a plethora of stress, stress that is agonizing to deal with. Every day people overcome the adversities of being in poverty while employed, these people face quandaries day in and day out struggling to…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Child Labor in the 1800's

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages

    First, it was common to see children working along side a parent or gaurdian in an agricultural setting. The young boy’s would help their fathers in farming the land and keeping livestock. They would also help in different kinds of workshops depending on what the family business consisted of. Young females would often help their mothers around the house with the cooking, cleaning, sewing and other “feminine” jobs. Often young girls would be sent to an upper class home to clean and cook for someone else to help support their families. “Parents sent out children as young as 6 to contribute to the family income” (“Child Labor in America”). Without children working to help maintain a regular income for their families, they would just fall deeper into poverty.…

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    That Home By Newsboys

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “That Home” by the Newsboys is about family and specifically appreciation for mothers. Our parents do a lot for us and we need to learn from them the best we can before they have to go “home.” This can be seen throughout the song like, “There was a home in town Where broken kids, the lost & found Would come from miles around Just to see, what love was all about 'Cause Momma had a way of makin' things okay”(Newsboys) She finds a way to not only help her kids she also helps others and shows love. “Momma always had the music on Sometimes loud, sometimes soft When I asked her 'bout her favorite song She opened the bible to the book of Psalms She always found a way to talk about grace”(Newsboys) She taught her kids about grace and how how to also…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Attending school is essential for Kelly so that hopefully she can get out of the estate and make a better life for herself, the same applies to all the children. But in the estate the social norm seems to be a very low value placed on education meaning there is possibly a high risk of drop-outs from school. I fear this will lead to Kelly falling victim to the “poverty trap” which is a mechanism which makes it very difficult for people to escape poverty. A poverty trap is created when an economic system requires a significant amount of various forms of capital in order to earn enough to escape poverty. When individuals lack this capital, they may also find it difficult to acquire it, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of poverty.http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/poverty-trap.asp “Lack of education is the cause of poverty but poverty is a cause of lack of…

    • 3383 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The children today are experiencing lots from these jobs at a young age. Children even get to learn how to take care of themselves and other people around them. These children may get to learn all these things but, they shouldn’t have to worry about the stressful things about working till they’re more mature and older enough to understand it all. In poor countries families aren’t able to provide for themselves, but if the children get to work at a young age they can help provide for their families and help feed themselves. Children helping out with their families is very good because they get to show their love for them, but children don’t need to pay for their food and homes the parents should be taking that responsibility to provide for their family. Having children helping out with their families and also getting a young education from this working experience is a good thing to have in your life. Children shouldn’t have to take the responsibility of working at such a young age. They should be living their childhood right and not be stuck doing work 24/7. You only get to live your childhood once, so live it to the…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays