One article I’ll be using as the basis of my analytical research paper is “When Police Traffic in Racism,” by Philip V. McHarris. This article is about how the police are being prejudiced against black drivers. Philip V. McHarris, who is a black man, discusses his experiences with getting pulled over by the police. He also discusses how the police don’t always go about the right way of asking for consent to search black drivers’ cars. Many encounters between the police and black drivers leads to violence. This text is relevant because police officers being racist and police brutality are huge issues in today’s society. Police officers use their power to discriminate against black people and many times they use violence. Police officers often pull over black drivers and want to search their cars without probable cause and “All American” showed viewers this. “All American” showed viewers a serious issue that occurs often throughout the United States, which is racial profiling.

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Another article I’ll be using is “Racism in Medical Tests.” This article is about how there is racism occurring in hospitals. This article talks about how it is common for doctors to prioritize the health of their white patients over their black patients. This article is relevant because many black people are denied treatment or they’re being misdiagnosed. Many black people aren’t receiving the care they need when they’re in a hospital. Doctors and nurses’ main goal should always be to improve their patients’ health no matter the patient’s race. Doctors and nurses should never underestimate someone’s needs because of their race. “All American” showed viewers another serious issue that occurs throughout the United States, which is racism in hospitals. “All American” brings awareness to the racism that occurs against black patients and black hospital workers.

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The third and final article I’ll be using is “The Roots of Racism,” by Lasana Harris and Daniel Cossins. This article explains why people are prejudiced. This article mentioned that people learning certain associations is what causes them to become biased of others. This article also mentioned that people can learn how to ignore their biased views of others. This article is relevant because many people are making negative assumptions of others based on their race. People making negative assumptions of others can lead them to act negatively towards them. “All American” brings awareness to the issues of prejudice and bias.

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The text I will most likely be writing about in my analytical research paper is the show “All American.” Thesis Statement: Teenagers deal with many challenges, including addiction, racial profiling, and issues in thier families, that influence who they are and how they live thier life.

“All American” is about how two different worlds collided for a talented high school football player, named Spencer James. This show is actually inspired by the real life story of the NFL linebacker Spencer Paysinger. “All American” is one my favorite shows and that is why I’m inspired to do further research on the different topics it focuses on. I enjoyed watching every episode of “All American” on Netflix. This show is one of those shows that you can easily binge watch because it’s very intriguing. I came up with the thesis statement by being aware that everyone deals with different kinds of problems that can affect who they are as a person. I plan to explore the statement in my research by rewatching every episode of “All American” so I can fully remember all the important moments that occurred. I hope to address the many different issues that teenagers may be facing. “All American” has touched on many real life issues that many people can relate to. “All American” has touched on issues involving with family, addiction, racial profiling, privilege, gangs, and many more. I feel that it is important to be aware of the different issues that can occur in someone’s life. Teenagers and even adults can give others the illusion that they have the perfect life. Teenagers and adults can act like they’re completely fine and happy, when in reality they’re dealing with some kind of problem.

There is a negative connotation that the terms “undocumented immigrants” and “illegal aliens” have. A lot of people when they hear the words immigrants and aliens they automatically think of people who are living in the United States illegally.  “Undocumented immigrants” and “illegal aliens” refers to people from other countries that live in the United States, who don’t have the required forms. In “Outlaw: My Life in America as an Undocumented Immigrant,” it states,”I grew more aware of anti-immigrant sentiments and stereotypes… They’re not talking to me, I would tell myself. I have something to contribute.” This shows that there was many stereotypes about immigrants. Stereotypes and comments can be hurtful, discouraging, and can cause immigrants to feel like they’re not important. Vargas didn’t let any stereotype, negative comment affect him while he was trying to achieve his American Dream. In “Outlaw: My Life in America as an Undocumented Immigrant,” it also states, “I’ve created a good life. I’ve lived the American Dream. But I am still undocumented.” Even though Jose Antonio Vargas didn’t have the required forms to become a legal citizen of the United States, he still was able to live his life similarly to any other American and even achieved the American Dream. He had many great accomplishments. He “graduated from high school and college and built a career as a journalist.” He worked at subway and had other jobs, during high school. Later on, he ended up working at the Huffington Post and had other great opportunities. People shouldn’t refer to Vargas and others in his situation as an illegal, as an alien because those words can be hurtful or used in a hurtful way. The words illegal and alien can cause people to feel like they’re strange, when all they want is a better life for themselves and for their families in the United States. People in Vargas’ situation should be called undocumented immigrants or undocumented humans because those are respectful terms. People should always respect undocumented humans, undocumented immigrants because they have feelings, make sacrifices, work, and go to school just like any other person living in the United States.

There were many similarities and differences between “The Gettysburg Address”, by Abraham Lincoln and the “Inaugural Address”, by John F. Kennedy. President Lincoln and President Kennedy, both gave their speeches during war time. President Lincoln gave a speech when the Battle of Gettysburg was over, which was a battle fought during the Civil War. The Civil War caused the United States to be divided because the North wanted to abolish slaves and the South wanted to keep slaves. In the “Gettysburg Address,” it states, “these dead shall not have died in vain- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom- and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” President Lincoln gave a speech to honor all the lives that were lost during that battle. President Lincoln wanted to address the problem in the United States by fighting for what was right, which was to free slaves. He wanted everyone in the United States to have freedom. The North ends up winning the Civil War and all the slaves were free. But, freed slaves were still oppress and didn’t have the same rights as everyone else. President Kennedy’s “Inaugural Address” was given during the Cold War. In the “Inaugural Address,” it states, “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” President Kennedy also wanted everyone in the United States to have freedom. He also wanted everyone to work together to maintain peace within the nation and with other nations. For the most part, throughout the years, the United States has been able to maintain peace within the nation and with other nations. The problems each believed that was occurring in the United States was that not everyone had freedom and not everyone had the same rights. As the leaders of the United States, they wanted to solve these problems to help make the nation better. President Lincoln and President Kennedy, both wanted the people in the United States to work together to achieve the same goal. They wanted everyone to have freedom and to be treated equally. Overtime, the United States has passed many laws to help everyone be treated equally. Sadly, there are still many people who oppress others. The United States hasn’t fully solved the problem of equality because not everyone is treated equally.

This narrative is suggesting that literature is connected with freedom. With literature, Malcolm X gained knowledge. When he gained knowledge, he felt a sense of freedom. Malcolm X felt free in prison because he was able to spend all his time learning. While he was in prison, he used his time to educate himself. He wanted to learn how to read and understand what he was reading. In prison, he gained a better understanding of the things that were occurring around him. Malcolm X states, “with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America.” This shows that reading books helped him become more aware of how the black race was being treated. Jealously is a reason why Malcolm X started teaching himself how to read and write. While Malcolm X was in Charlestown prison, he was jealous of a guy named Bimbi, who was full with knowledge. Malcolm X also wanted to be full of knowledge. Malcolm X states, “Immensely proud to realize that not only had I written so much at one time, but I’d written words that I never knew in the world.” This shows that Malcolm X enjoyed learning. He was very dedicated to teach himself how to read and write. Once he taught himself how to read, he was always reading. He only slept three to four hours every night because he would stay up reading. During his time in prison, he spent fifteen hours studying every day. Reading helped him distract his mind from the fact that he was in prison. Being in prison helped Malcolm X open his eyes to a new world, a world where he was able to educate himself and gain more knowledge.

Language played an important role in Amy Tan’s life. She grew up with a mom who first language isn’t English. Amy Tan grew up speaking a different kind of English. Amy Tan completely understands her mother’s English but some of her friends “say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese.” To her, her mother’s “English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural.” Amy Tan, states, “It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken,” this quote shows that she didn’t like to say her mom spoke “broken” English. She was embarrassed of the way her mom spoke English. Growing up, speaking “broken” English affected the results she received on certain exams. She didn’t do poorly on those exams but she knew English just wasn’t her best subject. She believed that her abilities in math and science were stronger due to achieving higher grades in those subjects. She started to become aware of her own language while she was giving a speech in front of her mom and a group of people. While she was speaking, she realized that she was speaking a different way, a way that her mom wasn’t familiar with. She speaks English one way to her mom and another way to other people.

I think many people who learn English as a second language or are raised in non- English households are constantly aware of the language that is used around them. People are always listening to the conversations of others. While they’re are listening, they notice the slang people use and the way people say certain sentences. Hearing others talk in their community can influence the way they speak. Everyone grows up different and grows up speaking a language a certain way. I am aware how English is used around me. I am an observant person. I often notice slang words people say.

Hello, my name is Lianie Vega (She/her). My intended major is Nursing.

After reviewing the syllabus, one thing I am excited about is reading “Let America be America Again,” by Langston Hughes. I am excited about that because I am familiar with the work of Langston Hughes. I learned about him back in high school. One thing I am a bit nervous about is writing the final drafts of my essays. There has been times when I felt like I could of changed something or included more to my essays after submitting them in.

Good writing should always make sense. Good writing shouldn’t include run-on sentences. A good writer must be observant so they are able to see and fix any mistake they have in their writing. It is important to be able to write well so you can express the ideas you have and get your points across. A lot of jobs require people to be able to write well. Writing well is a useful skill.

The hardest part about writing is starting an essay. Sometimes, I have no idea what the first sentence should be or what to include in my introduction. I don’t have a hard time writing the body paragraphs of an essay. I usually have a lot of ideas that I want to include in my body paragraphs. The easiest part about writing is rereading what I just finished writing. That is the easiest part because I have already expressed all my ideas and I’m just looking for any mistakes I made.

I will be expecting to write nonfiction. Everything that a nurse writes must be accurate. Nurses must be able to record their observations, fill out charts, and record any data. Nurses must be able to write well because they want what’s best for their patients and make sure they’re properly taken care of.