Street Lawyer 2

This is blog two of The Street Lawyer, we are around half ways down with the book. Two these point, several key events have happened so far. One, Michael left his firm to work with Mordecai. This is grossly important because this represents Mike changing his life styles and leaving everything behind to represent and help the homeless. This is a big shock to his bosses, co-workers, and his wife, as they think he is going through a mid-life crisis and has no idea what he is doing. However, Mike knows exactly what he is doing, and decides to leave he now boring job. Another key event is the breaking up between Clare and Michael. Even though they both knew the divorce was coming, but it hit fast and quick when Clare announced it shortly after Mike leaving his firm for good. This holds many dilemmas for Mike, for now he is jobless and homeless, and even comments that he himself is now homeless. He is tied up with work with Mordecai, helping around with shelters, attending the funeral for a homeless family he cared about, and dealing secretly of how Drake and Sweeney may of been involved with the deaths of the homeless family. Michael's life has been very haptic and busy, but he does it to help people in need because of his talents in the firm. With everything that has been going on with Mike, he is now working with Mordecai in their new street firm, and though it is a less-paying job then his old job, he does it for the common good for people in need.     

Street Lawyer

In the beginning chapters of The Street Lawyer,  a homeless man takes eight lawyers, including the protagonist Mike, hostage in a law firm. During the hostage situation, Mike concludes that the Homeless man, called Mister by the captives, has no intent on killing anyone. After several hours police manage to take out Mister and rescue the hostages. Mike returns home to his wife, who they do not have the strongest of marriages between them. After rethinking of the actions he was in and the condition of the homeless in D.C., Mike leaves his firm to help represent the homeless. He does this because he feels that the homeless are helpless and need someone to help them in cases and problems. Mike almost feels like he is doing this not because he feels guilty for the luxurious life he has lived, but almost like it his responsibility to help the homeless.


Mike had changed after the hostage situation will change his life and career. He leaves a successful, well paid job (which he had admitted that he was not really fond of) and enters the life of helping homeless in their time of needs.  He takes his experience and talents from his previous lawyer career and takes it to the street. With Mordecai Green, another social worker who represents homeless, they take care of people in shelters and soup kitchens. Mordecai has been helping the homeless longer then Mike has, but gladly helps Mike with the swing of things.

The Samaritan

A Samaritan is someone who helps another under any circumstance, and goes out of his way to help someone in need. Samaritans are rare today, but there still are people who care enough to assist others.  In the stories "And of Clay Are We Created" and "A State Championship Versus Runner's Conscience", the main character brings aid to someone who is in trouble. These stories inspire us to become more and more like Samaritans so that we may have a chance to help someone in need. In "And of Clay Are We Created", news reporter Rolf Carle covers a volcano eruption that takes place in Columbia. When arriving at one of the many villages impacted by the natural disaster, he come across a girl stuck waist deep in clay, named Azucena. He tries to pull her free but she is too far deep. He assists her by giving her food and comfort by not leaving her alone for days. However, she becomes weaker and weaker and eventually they have to let go of her. Though Azucena dies, Rolf Carle provided care and comfort to her in her last days. This is one of the strongest examples of someone who is a good Samaritan.

In the real world, examples of people being good Samaritan happens almost everyday without being noticed by others, especially in the military. Men and women alike in service risk their lives on a daily basis to help defend their nation and their fellow comrades. In 2007, U.S. forces occupy a small farming village in Afghanistan. Corporal Steven Miles was a marine sniper stationed there. When his squad came under fire, Miles became wounded as a round hit his left shoulder. Though injured, Miles saw a 13 year old Afghan child receive shrapnel to his chest. Under fire and risking his own live, he crawled 50 yards to the child and gave immediate medical attention. After the firefight, Miles had saved the child's live. Though he did not receive any medals or promotion, Corporal Miles was the good Samaritan for a child in need that day.  

Common Themes

The stories "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant" and "Catch the Moon" both shared common themes. In "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant", the 14 year old narrator takes 17 year old Sheila Mant on a canoe to go to a concert. While doing this, she tells him about herself, and tells him that she thinks fishing is dumb. The narrator is a diehard bass fisher, but does not tell Sheila this. However, he forgets to reel in his line and bait from the boat and the biggest bass in the river decides to get hooked. Stuck between his dream girl and the biggest fish he has ever caught, he ends up letting the fish go. After the concert, Sheila ends up going home with another boy and the narrator loses not only the fish, but his girl. In "Catch the Moon", a young Hispanic boy named Luis works with his father on a junk yard under court order. He is a leader of a small gang who creates trouble in his neighborhood. One day at work, Luis sees a very beautiful girl who is looking for a new tire cap for her car. At the end of the story, Luis goes to the junk yard at night to find the tire cap, and returns it to the girl.

Both themes can be described as a changing in character by letting go of something. In "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant", the narrator has to let the fish go because he can not reel it into the book with Sheila there. He gives up something he loves doing for someone he loves. In "Catch the Moon", Luis gives up his rebellious nature to find a purpose in helping others, such as his father at home and finding the tire cap for the girl. In both stories, the protagonists ends up changing their old ways to start a new beginning, even though Luis gets what he wants and the narrator from "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant" does not end up with the girl.

Poe's Theme

      
           If we think of Edgar Allan Poe' works, we think of dramatic short stories and horrors. Though Edgar wrote more than just that, we remember his most important works such as "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Fall of the House of Usher."   But what are the themes of his most favorite works?

           We can look at the themes for this stories and poems as a view of life, especially Edgar Poe's life. Poe's life is filled with sudden death and tragedy. Many of his family, including his wife, died of illness. Reflecting off of this, Poe used this life experience to most (if not) all of his stories. The stories and poems he created follow a simple theme, the narrator or main character suffers from the death of a love one, such as "Annabelle Lee" and "The Raven". However, some of his other known works, such as "A Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado" are known as murder stories, where the narrator kills off another one. This follows a more sinister theme that Poe had created, but also follows the common theme of life. Though the murders in both stories are completely different, the theme of both can be the sense of guilt or being able to continue everyday life, even though you may have done am illegal activity such as murder.

           In "The Fall of the House of Usher", Poe creates a story in which a man visits his dying friend in his crumbling estate. Many critics have dissected this story into different meanings. Some view it politically as the old hierarchy (the Usher's and their house) is 'falling' and is a dying way of life. However, it can be viewed in a simpler theme. Everything comes to an end. Since the Ushers were an old family loom, it was destined to die off, such as the condition of the house. This also follows the common theme that Poe uses in his other stories and poems. Life eventually comes to an end, and there is no way to stop or shape it.

Dr. Seuss The Sneetches

          Many of Doctor Seuss's stories have meaning behind them then just children stories. Some argue that they even use propaganda, or swaying the public's opinion on a subject. I have read "The Sneetches", where yellow bird like animals called Sneetches. They are split up to two groups, the popular and wanted star bellied Sneetches, and the outcast non-starred Sneetches. The un-starred Sneetches want to join the starred Sneetches, but cannot because they are frowned and look down upon.
          While I was reading this story, I thought it was just a lesson on accepting someone for who they are, and not how they are. However, as I finished the story (and a little help from a teacher) the story can relate to the problem of racism. The two 'different' Sneetches do not get along with each other because they are different. Seuss used the star on their stomach instead of the color of their skin or ethnic background. He does this to teach children this dilemma yet still bring the issue of racism. Doctor Seuss also did this with many if not all of his stories, making it very popular to point out hidden messages and true meanings of the story.  However, the Sneetches does stand out the most because of the two types of Sneetches disliking the other type.

         

The Metamorphosis

          One bright morning, Josh awoke to the horrific sight. Overnight, he had mysteriously transformed into a giant mosquito. He was laying on his back with his legs folded up above him. His wings were out stretched on either side of his bed. It was truly a sight to behold.

           Still maintaining his original height of 6 feet, he felt lighter, for his weight had decreased dramatically. It had felt that gravity had not such an impact on him anymore. As he tried to get up, each wing buzzed horrendously, which help create some lift. Before he had time to comprehend what had happened, Josh buzzed and was hovering over his bed. The tips of his wings were brushing on the ceiling of his confined room. "What is all the ruckus about?" yelled his mom from downstairs. Josh wanted to say "nothing, everything is fine", but instead thanks to his new needle like snout, came out as a long dying whistle. That became his first problem, though he was plagued by several other impairments. He could not use hands, for he had none and can only land and stand in a current position. Josh also could not walk, so every time he wanted to change positions he had to hover with his wings.

          Josh had also notice that he had worked up quite an appetite while discovering his new transformation. He looked around the room, but there was not a single ounce of food or drop of water. He looked outside the window. A cow was grazing on the grasses just next door to his house, for his neighbor was a cattle man. Josh buzzed and slammed against the window. Acting like he didn't notice hitting the glass with tremendous force, he kept bouncing off the plain. It wasn't until the thirty-fifth time that he decided that an "invisible force" was keeping him from escaping outside, not remembering that in fact there was a solid window in front of him.

          Just then a knock on his door sent Josh buzzing to the ceiling in almost a panic. It had been his mother, for it was nearly one hour after he would usually wake up and head downstairs for breakfast. "Josh, are you awake? Its time to wake up!" she yelled outside the door. In almost slow motion, the door handle slowly turned, following by the creaking of the door as it opened.

          The scream echoed over the hills of Josh's community. It was so loud, that Josh's tiny ears burst. His mom collapsed cold on the floor from total shock. Josh buzzed suspended in air, not knowing how to react to the situation he was in. Then he noticed the door was open, so he flew to it and using his head pushed it open until he was able to squeeze through. Josh and his mom did not own the largest house, so flying through the halls and into different rooms was quite a challenge. He was constantly bouncing and bumping of the sides of the walls. Passing by the kitchen window, he saw a glance of the cow that had been grazing earlier before. He fly to the window and pressed his whole body against it. The weight of his body pressing against the window shattered it, and Josh burst into the air like a freed bird.

          Josh had his attention locked onto the cow that was standing right in an open field. He soared as fast as a jet, until he was right on top of the cow as he lightly touched down on it's backside. Then, he jousted he's 3 foot long needle into the cow's body. The cow didn't react, but let out a sigh as it continued feeding on grass. Josh sucked until he could taste the irony blood. He withdrew a large amount of blood in the five minutes he fed. As he plucked he's needle out, a visible difference can be seen of how much weight the cow lost. It looked as if it hadn't eaten for several weeks.

          As Josh began to buzz toward the sky again, he heard a click of metal behind him. He didn't have enough time to turn around to see where the noise had come from when several shots of a buck round ripped through his wing and back. Blood shot out in all directions, some of his and some of the blood of the cow. He spiraled to the ground, with a thud indicating that he had made contact to the dirt below. His face was looking at the sky and couldn't move any part of his body. As his eyes began to shut, and the world around him became darker and darker, a glimpse of his neighbor stood over him, his shotgun pointing right towards him. "What in God's name are you, son?" said the farmer, as he heard another click as he pumped another shot in the barrel. Before he pulled the trigger, Josh thought to himself that he'd be better off like this, instead of living as a hideous monster. Then it became blank.