West Englewood

For many parents, the birth of a new child brings joy and glee. However for my father, I was a burden made by his late-night illegal activities. West Englewood is an area many people have not heard of - it’s tucked inside the southwest side of Chicago. During the day, the people of Englewood would wake up to the smell and sound of gunshots and burning tyres. Police officers would parade the streets in their well-ironed uniforms and the alleys would be covered with bright and colourful graffiti of sayings and images, which I didn’t understand at the time. When night came, Englewood was almost non-existent submerged in darkness with signs of light through the flickering street lamps. Many residents locked their doors and stayed at home, afraid of the evil the dark brought. Amongst this, I was born. I was born on 31st of December 1984 at exactly 11:59 pm, my mother died immediately after my birth. I was named after the notorious ‘ Baby Face Nelson’- Papa said, “even though Nelson was part of “the Crackers”, he had done enough crime to be considered part of us, the “Niggers”. After Mama died, there were only three of us left: me, Daniel and Papa. Papa was the wingman to the infamous “ Kevin “, whatever Kevin said Papa was known to do. Together they controlled the gang, “ Black P Stoners”. There were almost 40…

I am a 16 year old female growing up in Englewood, New Jersey. I enjoy programing, creative writing, and music. I spend a lot of time listening and playing music. I play the drums and I also enjoy singing. I have spent a lot of time doing community service and working around the school and the library. Starting at an early age I realized that I have a passion for learning, beginning in Kindergarten, at Englewood On the Palisades a Charter School. My teacher, asked me could I spell, write my…

over the border into the West. Using the border between the separate occupation zones to their favour, large numbers of GDR citizens averaging 180,000 per year until 1953 defected to the German Federal Republic. Prompted by the ever increasing oppressive nature of the Soviet Union and the paranoid measures taken by Joseph towards the occupied GDR, the emigration rate grew to a number of 335,000 in the year 1953 alone. Seeing this number as very damaging and unsustainable to the economy of the…

Living Legend? The first time I heard Kanye West rap was with his album 808’s and Heartbreaks. The first song I remember listening to was ‘Heartless’ by Kanye West. I was just a young boy, about 10 years old or so and I was relatively new to the to the music world and did not know much. I only really knew about the young pop stars that teenagers were all crazy about and the older music that my dad always listened to. But people at first told me not to listen to Kanye West because of his music…

The conflict began when Israel started implementing Jewish settlements in ex-Palestinian territory, which were the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. Critics of the settlements argue that “the continued growth and construction of Israeli settlements assert that under international law, all of Israel 's West Bank settlements are illegal” (“Israeli Settlements”.) Although, Israel claims it is not illegal because Palestine is not a legal state. These settlements created enormous resistance,…

Galileo Galilei once said, “Passion is the genesis of genius”. Passionate people can be found from across the globe; however, the passion of one young man who comes from the Southside of Chicago is unmatchable and unique from anyone else. Kanye Omari West grew up in the “Windy City” of Chicago. Kanye’s mother, Donda West, was an English Professor and the first African American Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University. Kanye’s father, Ray West, who was also a former black…

Berlin Wall: A World Divided 1961-1989 written in 2007, brings to the front an almost forgotten event in history. He writes an in depth novel of what precipitated the events before the wall was built, and after it was torn down. Taylor gives a thorough account of the happenings, and with the use of evidence, personal account, interviews, and opinion he gives a delightful and at time somewhat controversial account of the Berlin Wall. The author gives account of the role that the nation 's played…

Anna Funder’s literary journalist text Stasiland explores the lingering impact that the former German Democratic Republic had upon its citizens. Through investigating the struggles faced by individuals in rebuilding their lives within unified Germany, Funder acknowledges that the horrors of the GDR are still controlling those who once lived under its communist regime. Through the victims Funder interviews, she identifies that as East Germany is rebuilt, so too are its people, as they attempt to…

The Berlin Journal by Robert Darnton provides an account on the reunification of East and West Berlin. Throughout the journal, Darnton reveals how confronting the past is an important step in moving forward. Darnton also examines the different meanings the Berlin Wall symbolized for East and West Berliners. Finally, the effects of reunification on the economic system were a concern among East Berliners as they did not want to let go of socialism. The three major themes in Darnton’s Berlin…

Harmful Beliefs Being a part of a society can become very stressful nowadays because people have to fit in, satisfy everyone and be happy; in addition, considering what others expect from them is what makes people reconsider their behaviors. Society expectations represent how a society could be judgmental and affective toward individuals and reveal a lot of facades about the society with such expectations. “All Falls Down” is, a song by Kanye West from The College Dropout album in 2004, talks…