Abigail Sexton

Mr.Medina
Humanities K7
January 30, 2014

Struggle can be defined as being engaged with a problem or a task. Some may assert that
struggle is helpful. It may help some notice what they have and help appreciate more. Others
accredit that struggle is recusant. Much scrutiny has been governed on this topic. This essay will
argue that in defiance of what some affirm struggle is multidimensional and has implications that
can perturb us.
Struggles are multidimensional. We see this in Breaking Through. For example, one of
the struggles Panchito experiences is being undocumented.(see figure 1) The outcomes of
Panchitos struggles are fear and deportation. Some examples from text that provide
evidence of this situation are not being able to go to school anymore. The next one is
not having enough money from savings to live off of in Mexico. The last one is the
chance of not being able to receive the Visas for the family in order to go back to the
United States. These are only some of the multidimensions of being undocumented.
Along the lines of struggle being multidimensional we can also analyze its
implications. Once again using Breaking Through Panchitos education, living conditions,
health, and treatment. There are examples from the book that show the implications of
poverty. One example is Panchito having to miss weeks of school and sometimes even
months because of having to work in the fields. This example displays how poverty
effects an education because in the book it explains how Panchito often has a hard time
to read and stay with the class. Another example is living in a hotel in Mexico and
having to live off of savings and barely making ends meet. That example shows how
poverty can affect stable living conditions that make it hard to not get sick since they
arent as sanitary as stable living conditions and not being able to go to school because
of health related problems from their living conditions. The next outcome due to his
poverty is his father having major back problems due to the intense hardcore labor in
the fields and the stress put on his back. Poverty gives this outcome because he cannot
miss a day of pay in order to check out his back and get it cured. The last reason is
getting thought of as being dirty and less clean than others normally are. Poverty effects
this situation because people look down at him since it does not seem like he lives as
clean as others. Poverty has many effects and these are just some of them it is up to us
if we want to solve them or just cover it up temporarily rather than solve them
permanently .
In addition to Breaking Through, the implications of poverty are also found in
various internet sources. Poverty affects health, Another problem poverty gives is obesity,
especially in the United States now poverty effects health due to infectious diseases
that spread rapidly particular for those who live in a small and unsanitary conditions.
This explains how poverty contributes to these common obesity problems and common
sickness. Here is another example, For instance, low-income people dont usually live near
hospitals and primary care doctors. And many cant afford expensive treatments, often because
they work part-time jobs that dont offer health benefits and cant afford to buy private
insurance. . Once again this points out how poverty can
have many effects and outcomes that never have a solution. The other example found in
research is quoted from , Infectious and neglected tropical
diseases kill and weaken millions of the poorest and most vulnerable people each year.
This example explains and relates to all the owing examples previously explained are all
displaying how poverty effects and helps to take a toll on peoples health and with no
way out.
Education is another component that is disturbed by poverty. Research shows we
should, Invest in high quality, education for every child, but not their knowledge and
education. An example that shows continuation is, The poor have more untreated ear
infections and hearing loss issues greater exposure to lead and a higher incidence of
asthma than middle-class children. Each of these health-related factors can affect attention,
reasoning, learning, and memory . This explains that if we have health problems that we
cannot fix than if eventually gets our education and can take a down fall. The final
proof that is given, The complex web of social relationships students experience with
peers, adults in the school, and family members-exerts a much greater influence on their
behavior than researchers had previously assumed. Poverty comes into play here because
when you live in poverty they are not the best areas they are normally surrounded by
gang members and drugs along with bad influences. This shows how many influences
from previous generations can influence new generations the same goes with families in
poverty. Education can contribute to a solution and can solve many things that can be looked at
in different dimensions and I have only shown you some.
Stable living conditions are another component that is affected by poverty. Research
shows, 16 people living in a four bedroom house is considered lucky. Next door there are 23
people in a three bedroom house ( Rapid City Journal). This explains that stable living
conditions are hard to get because it is not cheap to live in a decent home so you are
left with only the choice of unstable, unsanitary, and jam-packed housing. My next
example to this issue , Financial aid is the main cause of living conditions this may also
be the reason why a certain group of people may not be able to live in a proper
house. This example displays that because of some financial situations it doesnt allow
them to have a stable household. These types of living conditions should not be allowed.
Research also shows 22 percent of households experienced one or more possible "hardships" in
fulfilling their basic needs in the previous 12 months. These hardships included difficulty
meeting essential expenses, not paying rent or mortgage, getting evicted, not paying utilities,
having utilities or phone service cut off, this shows how poverty effecting living conditions can
affect household issues too. Poverty is unfair and unexpected it can affect living conditions and
many other things can be affected in your future.
I can take many examples of racism from the book Breaking Through, but I am only
going to explain some of the examples that come from the book. The first example that comes
from the book is basically verbal bullying this is what goes down, I asked Mama not to make
me taquitos for my lunch, because a few guys made fun of me when they saw me eat them. They
called me chile stomper or tamale wrapper. (Jimenez, 103) This means when they started
calling Panchito different names at school he thought it wasnt okay to embrace his culture
because he would get made fun of doing it. The second example found in the book is about
dating and how racism could affect that situation too with Roberto, Panchitos older brother, the
text clearly reads, But, when I said I was Mexican there was a dead silence. After a while we
continued talking, but they seemed uncomfortable and less friendly. (Jimenez, 107) The
situation that Roberto has with his girlfriend was a product of racism just because Roberto was
Mexican they did not want their daughter Peggy to date him. That is a good example of racism.
The last example from the pool of many is about Panchito getting under-estimated by the High
School councilor he does not think Panchito isnt like the others, I see you graduated from El
Camino Junior High School. Have you thought about what you want to do after High School?
Before I had a chance to answer, he added, We have excellent vocational programs in car
mechanics, electronics, and wood shop. We also have a program for future farmers. This
example can clearly show Mexicans are not given the credit we need, even though it may not be
visible sometimes it is still there somewhere and everybody has the chance either to show it or to
keep it concealed because education is the pathway to success.
Jackie Robinson was an incredible baseball player and stood for what was right, instead
of resorting to violence and had to endure things most humans cant today. Recently I had the
chance to view the movie 42 the Jackie Robinson story. While watching I took key points and
seen how different categories of racism all inter-connect. An example from the movie 42 to
prove racism is the category of segregation when for the opening game of the league season
Jackie got kicked off the field because in the state the team was in they had different law. The
law was Black people and White people were not able to play on the same field together or even
play baseball together. This could affect Jackie because he may just convince himself laws will
never change and he could just give up with history in the making. The next example found in
the movie 42 is the category of treatment and how Robinson was treated compared to the white
people. When Jackie and his wife go to the airport to catch their flight Jackies wife decides to
use the white womens restroom. Well later that evening the flight attendant who just so
happened to see Jackies wife go into the bathroom sold their tickets to another couple. Jackie
got very frustrated and his wife did too because they had to take the bus which gave them a two
hour delay. This affects Jackie because he has a set-back on timing and because his wife is mad.
When Jackies wife is mad he gets mad too. Robinson fought to be treated equally and be able to
play baseball without being cursed out or disrespected in any way.
Jackie had extreme determination to keep on striving on his goal to keep on striving to
become a well-respected African American pro baseball player. Basically all he wanted to do
was play the game. People didnt respect him like they did the other players. To give an idea of
what Robinson went through every game comes from his movie as well 42. When Jackie is up to
bat the pitcher takes several attempts to hit his face purposely. This is also known as physical
contact bullying because the pitcher was purposely trying to hit his face. This can affect Jackie
because if he would have gotten injured in the game then it would have affected the team the
Dodgers would have been down one player. The next example to display racism is another from
treatment because the rest of Jackies team, the Dodgers, has a private meeting in the middle of
the night to try and discuss ways to get rid of Jackie. They wanted him out because he was
putting the team on the spotlight and not giving them good publicity. Instead the rest of the team
feels he made the season into a drama. This can affect Robinson because it can put him down
and also not want to make him continue on. In conclusion, Jackie Robinson experienced different
degrees of racism, but still earned respect from most and still accomplished his dream
successfully.
Not only has J. Robinson experienced racism and its implications, but it has happened to
a Mexican Keynote Speaker Ruben E. Canedo. Rubens story starts when he was at an interview
for a full-ride scholarship to UC Berkley. While in the waiting room he looked around to notice
he was the only Mexican in the room he didnt mind it too much a couple minutes later he was
called for the interview. When Ruben stepped into the interviewing room there was a panel of
the interviewers. In the panel of interviewers lets say the main mans name is David. Well
David asked Ruben to take a seat and preceded with a question, How did you get here? Ruben
told him his background and how he pretty much came from nothing. David excused him, but
right as Ruben was about to leave David asked one more question, Ruben are you going to
waste my money? David added, Because your type has one of the highest percentage rates of
dropping out. Ruben answered, Do you think I would waste your money do you think quitting
is an option for me after I told you my story and how I pretty much came from the nothing. If
you think I am going to waste your money than I dont need it because SDSU just offered me a
scholarship the other day. About a week later Ruben received a Call from the scholarship people
to notify him that he was the one chosen for the scholarship. In the end now Ruben can go on
and tell his story and leave us with the message education is the key to success.
Kelly Mcgonial claims that stress is your friend. Now we are risen with the question,
How to make stress your friend? In the TED Talk a key point tooken is, due to someones
thought about stress that could affect the possibility of a persons death at an early age. Basically
saying it depends on whether you think stress affects your health or not and your opinion can
contribute to having an earlier death. Another thought to take on this is the way people have
responded to this has killed more people, if their response is stress hurts peoples health, than
HIV Aids and Cancer. Meaning depending on your own feedback it could be a live or die
situation. The next thought brought up during the TED Talk is stress makes you more social
because you release Oxytocin. Oxytocin makes you release whatever you feel inside and express
it. Explaining this in a simpler manner meaning if you have stress it could potentially help you
become more social and help you express your feelings more often with friends and family. A
last idea about stress from the talk is when you produce and then release Oxytocin it strengthens
your heart and can also heal stress. To simplify it this means Oxytocin is a toxin that your body
releases and produces that can make you more social and can make you express your feelings
more often and it also makes you happier. Two other key points are when Oxytocin is produced
it makes your blood flow better and when it is produced it also can help with blood flow.
In this essay I have strived and stressed that struggle, specifically poverty and racism, is
multidimensional and has implications that can perturb us. Poverty can take its toll on many
situations and affect them. One example is how poverty affects education in the book Breaking
Through when Panchito misses school to go and work to provide money for the family he can
miss lessons and things that are necessary to know. Another point that is also brought out in my
essay is how poverty affects health in the U.S. The constant problem we face is obesity. Since
the healthier food with more nutrition can be on the pricy side for most families in poverty so
they are only left with food that is cheap and has little to no nutritional value in it. Poverty and
racism can have many viewpoints, but at the end of the day it all comes down to the same corrupt
society we live in. The only way we will be able to see the change we want to see is do
something about these issues our world leaders dont take control and do what has to be done. As
Gandhi once said and I quote, Be the change you wish to see in the world.