In the year 2007 I was 12 years old and there were four
events that would have a large impact on my life over the coming years. The
events were the Iraq
war, the presidential race at the time and the 35W bridge collapse. Although I
might have not realized it at the time these event would have impacts on my day
to day life for a period of time.
The Iraq War had an effect on my life because of the money
it cost people. President Bush announced that it would cost the country an
estimated $1 trillion. This would mean an increase in taxes which for a middle
class family like mine had a big impact. At that time both of my parents were
working to send my older brother and eventually myself thought a private high
school which in itself meant that we had to cut back on some luxuries in life.
Photo By: Carolyn Cole
The second event that would impact me in the year 2007 was
the Presidential race that was starting up. In the race at that time were 2
people who, if they won, would be the first of their type to be our commander in
chief. The first was a woman and the second was an African American man.
Although I don’t consider myself as someone who is sexist or racist the fact
that our country had come to that point was something that I believe had an
effect on us all. It was no longer a time where your sex or the color of your
skin could hold you back like it once did. It also would have an effect on my
out look on politics. I only had memories of George Bush as president and I had
no real idea of what kind of changes would happen when his term in office
ended. It would evidentially bring increased taxes, the end to a war in Afghanistan
and stricter gun laws.
The third event that had an effect on my life at that time
was the 35W bridge collapse. When the bridge that went over the Mississippi
into Minneapolis collapsed, killing
13 people, I was at my home in St. Paul
just five miles away. When any catastrophic event like this takes place it has
an effect on you no matter where you live. But living just five miles away it
really hit home. Watching the footage of the people injured on the bridge and
knowing that I had friends who had been on the bridge that same day it really
bring you closer to the people around you. You wake up every morning feeling
like nothing like that will ever happen that close to you and yet it did. To
this day whenever I drive over that bridge I think of what it would have felt
like to be on the bridge when it fell and what would I have done if I was still
alive when the dust settled. It gave me appreciation for what I had, the people
around me that I loved, and a respect for the unknown in life.
When in the midst of events in our lives we don’t realize
until later the effect they will have on our lives. When I think back to the
kid in middle school, that I was at that time, I had no idea the impact these
events that didn’t involve me in anyway shape or form would have on my life in
the years to follow.
Good start. A bit more reflection/depth would add to your illustration. E.g., when you say "we had to cut back on some luxuries in life," what do you mean? What do you consider "luxuries" and how, if at all, has that changed your outlook re the economy, etc.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, you write: "...that I believe had an effect on us all. It was no longer a time where your sex or the color of your skin could hold you back like it once did. It also would have an effect on my out look on politics." Tell us more. What was the effect upon your outlook? You scratch the surface, but don't really explain much regarding impact.
But, you've got the idea re the concept, I think.
Aside from that - This: "I only had memories of George Bush as president and I had no real idea of what kind of changes would happen when his term in office ended. It would evidentially bring increased taxes, the end to a war in Afghanistan and stricter gun laws" is confusing. Are you saying that Bush ended the war in Afghanistan? Or are you referring to Obama as his successor? Either way, the war in Afghanistan is ongoing. And, the "official" end of the war in Iraq was December 2011.
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Hi Stephen,
ReplyDeleteThe pictures on your blog are nice touch. When you say there were two people running for the presidency. A man and a woman. I think you should put Sarah Palin's name just to be more clear. How did the Obama election affect your outlook on politics ? Was it only his race or were there other things that effected you?
I also think you had a lot of good examples. If you just explained them a little bit more. It would make your points a little clearer.
Stephen, I really like the use of pictures in this post. When you talk about the presidential election you don't go very in depth on the impact it had on your life. How did it change your thoughts and opinions? How did changes in taxes, gun control, and the end of the war impact you personally? I like how you explain how the 35W bridge collapse impacted your life. I think you did a really good job on this post. It was very interesting to read!
ReplyDeleteI believe all of your assignments were easy to understand the events that you thought important. The three images that you posted really helped me understand your thoughts. However I would want to point out 3 unclear areas. First, it is obvious that government charges more tax when a war breaks out. You said that as a middle class your family had to cut back on some luxuries. The "middle class" is somewhat a relative concept, and it would be clearer if you could provide some specific examples of products you had to give up buying. Next, in the phrase, "I only had memories of George Bush as president..." I couldn't get this clearly. It would be clearer if you said, for example, you remembered president Bush as the one of the most influential Republicans.
ReplyDeleteLastly, I believe that providing specific changes you experienced after the collapse and the appreciation for what you had it could be more appealing to other people who read your essay.
Overall the structure was clear, and you did a good job of showing your point of view into words.I hope you don't feel bad from my comment.