Social Awareness Project

Yousef Abou Areda Class 811

     Social Awareness Writing Project

Table of Contents/ Overview

1.This is an interview about my mom, a person who changes the world everyday. My interview is about her life as a mom, what it means to be a mom, the responsibility of being a mom, what having kids means, and the social issue about racism towards Muslims.

2.This second writing piece is a reading response on the article,”To Kill or Not to Kill”  by Patricia Smith. It speaks about the death penalty in the United States, and how it’s recently decreased. Overall, she gives multiple perspectives on why the death penalty should be banned. She talks about the social issues such as racism and false accusations.

3. My final piece is a short story that happened to me in the 4th grade. As I was walking home from school, a man named John cursed at my mom for being muslim. At gunpoint, I had to make an important decision: Run away or fight for what’s right.

My mom has went through a lot of challenges during her life. With four kids and a husband, she has a lot of work to do around the house. She received a degree from Cairo University (Agricultural Engineering). She has a fascinating story, and gives a full meaning to what it means to have children. She came to the US as an immigrant in 1988, and has visited Egypt about six times since then. (Note: she didn’t want her name in the piece). She has been discriminated for being Muslim, but she fought through it.

1.  What kind training was required for you to be a mother? Did you have any prior experience with children? If so, with who?

There are many steps a mother must take in order to care for her children. For any mother, it is required to know how to breastfeed her children and how to carry a baby. One hand goes under the baby’s head, and one hand goes under the baby’s legs. In addition, she has to learn how to take care of a sick baby, one that may have a fever or diarrhea. Moreover, if a baby’s crying, she has to know if the baby’s hungry, sick, or cranky. To answer your question, yes, I did have prior experience with children before becoming a mother. I took care of my brother’s four children because he was always at work, and my sister- in- law was suffering from obesity and type two diabetes. This is when I began to love children. I would change their diapers, play with them, and put them to sleep. The only thing I couldn’t do was breastfeed. Ever since then, I had always wanted  a child of my own.

2. What kind of work do you do as a mother?

I do a lot of work as a mother. I have to wake up everyday at 3:30 am to cook early, to clean the whole house, wash the dishes, and do laundry. Then, I step out of the house to do some shopping, whether it’s for eggs, milk, or whatever is needed for the house. I also love to watch the sunrise. After that, I have to cook breakfast for my husband, and wake him up for work. I set up his suit, start the shower, and then get back to cooking. After he’s gone to work, I wake up the kids. Each person has exactly 20 minutes in the bathroom, and it starts as soon as I wake them up. While each kid is taking a shower and brushing their teeth, I cook breakfast for all four of my kids. After everyone is out of the house, I like to read for a little way and take a nap. When my kids get home, I give them a light snack, and everyone has to start doing homework by 3:45. I then wait until my husband is home at around 8:00 pm and put supper. After I do the dishes, I kiss everyone goodnight, then go to sleep. I repeat this process everyday.

3. Why did you want to become a mother?

I love kids more than I love myself. In addition, I don’t have any family here. My whole family lives in Egypt, and I get lonely here. My kids are my family, and I love each of them with all of my heart. Kids are full of laughter, joy, and hope. I have a passion for taking care of kids, and every person has the right to do something they’re passionate about.

4. Do you enjoy being a mother? Why or why not?

Yes, I enjoy being a mother because it makes me comfortable. I love my kids so much. They are the sunshine in my life, and the reason why I wake up in the morning. It is very arduous being a mother. You have to give all of your kids an equal amount of attention and provide them with the love and care they deserve. However, I believe that’s the best part of being a mother. It’s comforting knowing you’ll be leaving something value after you’re gone.

5. What’s the best part of being a mother?                                                                        Seeing your children succeed. Over the years, you see the struggles your child goes through, whether it’s making friends or doing well in school. Seeing your child triumph despite the obstacles they must face makes you very happy on the inside. You continue to give support and motivation throughout your children’s life. You must never give up on them, and always, no matter what, believe in them. Seeing your children succeed feels like succeeding yourself.
6. What sacrifices do you have to make in order to become a mother?

Once you become a mother, there’s no going back. When you become a mother, you are making a commitment to your children. You have to know the responsibility because it’s the biggest responsibility of your life. No matter what, you always have to support your children. You must teach them tolerance and respect, and prepare them for the real world. Your children become a part of you, and it’s not fair to the kids if you don’t love them with every inch of your heart. More importantly, you should take pride in your children.

7. What advice do you have for future mothers?

You should only have kid when you are ready. As a mother, your children always come first. You must always put their needs before your own. Their happiness becomes your happiness. You should always show your kids how much you love them, and motivate them in their times of need. You are making the biggest commitment of your life. You have to guide them down the right path, and teach them valuable lessons that they need in life. Always love your children with every inch of your heart.

8. Have you ever been discriminated for being a muslim? If so, by who? When?

Yes, I have been racially harassed several times in my life for being a muslim. Actually, it was very common after September 11, 2001. Americans were very angry, and they took out a lot of their anger on innocent muslims. Back when you were a baby, I had an appointment at the doctors. On our way back, a guy on the street pulled me by my hijaab and cursed me out. Luckily, there was a cop that handled the matter, The only thing that still upsets me is that many Americans believe that Muslims are terrible, and all muslims are to be at blame for September 11. However, this isn’t the case. It’s inequitable to blame all muslims. Just because some people messed up doesn’t mean everyone following that faith should be at blame. Racism won’t stop towards Muslims as long as they believe that all Muslims are at fault for September 11.

Yousef Abou Areda                                                                                             Class 811

                                                            Reading Response on Social Issue

The saying “An Eye For An Eye” is interpreted a little differently from person to person. For the most part, people think it means if someone takes something from you, you should take something of equal value from them. However when you start talking about the death penalty, a very controversial topic, things begin to change. To Kill or Not To Kill by Patricia Smith is a thought- provoking article about the death penalty, and whether it should be allowed in the United States. Recently, the death penalty in the US has greatly decreased, and the government is starting to wonder if the death penalty should be prohibited in all kinds of court cases. The death penalty is used only for the most heinous crimes, however, it’s a punishment that can’t be taken back. You can release someone from jail, but once you kill the criminal, there’s no going back. Given that some people indeed get blamed for crimes they didn’t commit, the death penalty may lead to unjustifiable deaths.  The author demonstrates the negative aftereffect of the death penalty, and why it shouldn’t be used as a form of punishment.

           To begin, the author shows how the death penalty is fallacious by providing a first hand account of a victim of the death penalty. She describes how the victim was tortured while he was dying. This leads readers to feel sympathetic, and to see how inadequate the death penalty is. In the article, it states, “ Everyone watching the execution of Clayton Lockett last April instantly knew something was wrong. Lockett was strapped to a gurney in the death chamber of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and had been given an injection when he started kicking, twitching, and then writhing and moaning in agony” (paragraph 1).  The author uses “loaded” words such as writhing, moaning, and agony leads readers to feeling sympathetic about the victim. This is one of the primary ways the author conveys her message. Most readers, like myself, felt bad for this man that had to be tortured in such a horrible way. The quote portrays the author’s bias that the death penalty is unjust, and is too ruthless of a punishment. The author goes on to explain how more victims such as Joseph R. Wood, which took nearly 640 gasps (2 hours) to die by the lethal injection, used to paralyze and stop the heart of victim (Paragraph 3). To sum up, the author uses first-hand accounts of victims who were tortured to convey that the death penalty is too gruesome of a punishment, and should be banned.

        In addition, the Patricia Smith depicts that the death penalty should be banned due to significant problems such as racial bias, and victims that turned out to be innocent after they have received the death penalty. She uses sources such as Barack Obama to get her point heard. In the article, it says, “ ‘We have seen significant problems- racial bias, uneven application of the death penalty… situations in which there were individuals on death row who were later discovered to have been innocent because of new evidence’ said President Barack Obama” (paragraph 13). Patricia Smith illustrates why capital punishment is defective. She shows that some of the people that receive the death penalty are innocent, and people can be killed just because of racial bias. She does this by quoting the most trustworthy leader in America, President Barack Obama. Obama is the leader of the country, and if he claims that capital punishment is wrong, then most people will go according to his judgment and concur with him. Another way the author shows that capital punishment is unjust is by explaining that the death penalty is truly irreversible. In recent years, DNA shows that since 1973, 144  death-row inmates have been exonerated (paragraph 21). These are significant issues because they all illustrate how people have gotten the death penalty, were innocent, and the punishment can’t be reversed.

           Furthermore, Patricia Smith proves that capital punishment is immoral by arguing that by killing people, you’re contradicting your own argument because you’re punishing them by doing the same mistake they made. She conveys this by explaining protests that occurred outside the US Supreme Court in 2008. In the text, it says, “WHY DO WE KILL PEOPLE WHO KILL PEOPLE???? TO SHOW THAT KILLING PEOPLE IS WRONG” (Paragraph 14). The author wants the readers to know that capital punishment is wrong because we’re punishing people with the same crime they committed. There are different ways to punish, such as lifetime imprisonment. It gives a new viewpoint to others that think that the death penalty should be allowed depending on the crime. All in all, it opens up other reader’s minds that are still confused about which side to side for.

           In retrospect, this article has changed my viewpoint of capital punishment. I used to go by the quote “An Eye For An Eye”, which I interpreted as if someone takes something from you, you should take something of equal value from them. I was like most people, and thought that if a person committed a really bad crime, they deserved the death penalty. After reading this article, I have decided that under no circumstance should the death penalty be a form of punishment. I think a lot of people in the world still don’t realize that by killing people that kill, its teaching others that killing is okay. People that are innocent get the death penalty all the time. The biggest issue with the death penalty is that it’s irreversible. On top of that, most people are tortured to death in the process. Overall, capital punishment is a very controversial topic that is open to many viewpoints.

Short Dramatic Scene

It was your normal Friday afternoon. It was June 8th, and my mom and I were walking back from school.  I was nine years old and in the fourth grade. The hot sun made me feel as if my skin was burning away. Just when we were about home, I heard a voice roar,

“ Look at these God Damn Muslims”. Little did I know, those words would change my life.

“GO GET YOUR FATHER RIGHT NOW!” shouted my mother. I did what she asked without hesitation.  My heart was beating faster than the speed of light. I ran as fast as I could to get my father. I ran up the four flights of stairs in under twenty seconds.

“Dad, there’s a menacing man cursing out Mom. We need your help” I cried to my father. Without any time to waste, he got to his feet and ran down the stairs at lightning speed.

Once we were outside, the whole block was watching this man cursing out my mom.

“All you Muslims are good for is killing. I hope you and all of your disgusting people die a horrible death” chuckled the old man.

“YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH. WAIT UNTIL MY HUSBAND GETS HERE” screamed my mom. My father and I rushed into action.

“Get back home right now. I have some business to handle with this coward. Yousef, I want you to go with your mother. It’ll be safer for you the both of you” explained my father.

“There’s no way I’m gonna leave you” cried my mother.

“Do as I say without questions. GO HOME NOW!” ordered my father. Despite her protests, my mother went home. However, I’m far more stubborn than my mother. I stayed behind, despite my father’s orders. There was no way I was going to leave my father alone, no matter the cost.

“Look man, I don’t want to cause any trouble. If you apologize now, we can end it” stated my father.

“Hell no. I hate all of your kind. I’ll kill you myself”. stated the man.

“You’ve crossed the line old man. I gave you one chance to walk away, and you refused my offer” said my father with a deadly look in his eyes. I couldn’t focus on anything. What was going on? How did this whole mess start? I thought to myself.

The man went back into his house. My father and I thought the old man had finally had enough and called it a day. We were shocked when we saw him return. However, there was something different about him this time. He had this smug look on his face, and there was something in his hand. It was black, and he clutched it tightly in his hands. That’s when my mind put two and two together. It was a gun.

Oh my God. The man has a gun. He’s gonna shoot us I thought to myself. The man raised the gun. My father took a trash can and threw it him with mighty force, dropping the gun out of his hand. The man was eighty years old, so it wasn’t that hard to take it away from him. Something changed in me at that moment.

I don’t care if this man shoots me. I don’t care if I get shot. I don’t care if I die. All that matters is that my mother is avenged. Sirens. I hear sirens. Could it be the police? I wondered.

I turn around and I saw the police. They stopped their cars and emerged.

“What’s going on here” asked the officers. My dad and I explained the whole story to them. The people watching supported our story.

“You men never have to worry about him again” the cop explained.

“As for you, you must never bother these innocent citizens again. There is religious freedom in this country. If I get one more complaint about you, you’re going to jail” ordered the cop.

The police got back into their cars and drove away. That’s when my father turned to me.

“Why didn’t you go back home when I told you too” asked my father.

“There was no way I was going to leave you here dad, and I would rather die than have mom’s pride be crushed like that” I explained.

“You’re a true man son” said my father with great pride. That’s when I promised myself something. I would never give up on something I hope to achieve.