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Introductory Writing Assignment

Tasti Abdulhafiz

August 20 ,2019

Engilish 104

The world is such a complex place, where people go through an array of dilemmas and situations constantly. People are born and die every single day- even every minute and it affects so many people. Despair can be described as a feeling it can represent how sad and hopeless someone is feeling while imagination is quite literally the opposite, meaning imagination is what someone has when they have nothing left to do but hope. Despair can go as far back to the times when people of color were enslaved. This was an all time low for America and when most people of color were trapped in situations that could lead to them dying everyday. They could do nothing but hope that they  live another day. Hope is the only thing that kept them going and as time passed people fought and pushed for everyone to have equal rights and it eventually worked and to this day we are still improving. Even though during this time people were held against their will and had no freedom they still fought and tried as hard as they could because all they could go  is up from there. And in doing so they have started to gain the respect they deserve and had they given up the world would be a terrible place. They did everything in their power to make sure the future generations got what they deserved and did not have to go through what they did and for that we are forever grateful.

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Author’s Statement

Tasti Abdulhafiz

November 23, 2019

English 104 Honors

Cyrus Hampton

The following pieces of writing show all the progress I have made with my writing since the beginning of the year. I can honestly say that I am not the best writer but I have tried my best to capture the audience by using alluring words. And the connections that I have made in my essays show how much I’ve grown. When someone reads my collection I just want them to see all the progress I’ve made because it honestly has taken a lot of time and energy for me to get to the place where I am with my writing.

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About the Author

Tasti Abdulhafiz

November 23,2019

English 104 Honors

Cyrus Hampton

I can say without question that English is not my strong suit and by reading my writing you will know that off the bat. It doesn't mean that I don't try because that's not even the case. I'm just not as fluently gifted with expressing my words in an informative way. This writing shows the effort I put into my everyday life, it's not perfect but its me.  

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Making Connections 3

Tasti Abdulhafiz

November 16, 2019

English 105 Honors

8:10-9:30 am

Professor Hampton

Making Connections

In class while watching the music videos presented to us, the music video that really caught my eye was “Your Best American Girl” by Mitski. The whole video itself made me really uncomfortable, sitting there watching two people make out with no filter. I didn’t understand what the point of the video was at first glance but when it was replayed I noticed that the reason that they were making out so vulgarly was because they wanted to gain the attention of the other girl. The girl herself was doing what they were doing but by herself. It showed me that you don't need a man for anything. And that anything a man can do you can do yourself. I think they could have depicted this image another way though because I wish I never saw them making out so passionately and I most definitely wish I didn’t see the girl making out by herself it was honestly unnecessary. Instead of kissing they could have used a real life scenario like a girl living on her own or something like that. I honestly just despised this whole video and I never want to watch it again.

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Essay 3

Tasti Abdulhafiz

October 31,2019

English 104 Honors

Cyrus Hampton

Police brutality is a problem facing the African American race as a whole; women, men, and children are all targeted and no one is safe. I personally have never experienced this but it has happened so often. There has been so much violence that it has made me realize that it could happen to me, or anyone I know, at any time. It is apparent that police target black people and use self defense as an excuse for killing them. In reality, if a white person did the same thing, a gun would never be pulled on them. This problem remains unsolved because there are so many white cops that believe that they are killing black people because they committed a crime, when in reality it is because of their skin color. Despite similarities in education, upbringing, and day to day life, I don't think they will ever understand the problem until they want to.

Across the world, people have marched, protested, had conferences, written, and done everything imaginable and still the issue has not been resolved (Moore,1). People in America are very aware of the issue at hand because of the amount of times it has been in the news, but it is apparent that the white community does not understand how serious it is. This is because this is something that black people experience everyday and they are forced to make sure that they are very careful in front of the police. White people are not forced to take this much care in what they do because they will never be seen as a threat, even if they have a gun pointed at a police officer’s head. If a black man has a brush in his hand a cop will shoot them because they are scared thinking that it is a gun because they are simply black.

Police brutality has been an issue that has faced the African American community since the great migration,1916-1970,  and even further back, (Moore,1). It all started during the race riots that occurred during urban America, like the Detroit Riot of 1967 and the Watts Riot of 1965 (Moore,1). Police officers have been there to enforce the peace and make sure riots don't occur, but it just ends up causing more issues. Black Americans have had to put up with abuse for centuries and even in the modern age we still have to endure bias due to the fact that people have skin that is a few shades darker. Skin color apparently dictates how violent of a person you are and whenever a police officer, a person whose main goal is to serve and protect their community, comes across someone who is black their immediate response is to pull a gun out.

In most cases there is always a white police officer and a black kid or adult and in every situation an officer holds more than one weapon but chooses to use a gun. On March 9, 2015 a white police officer shot and killed an air force vertan by the name of Anthony Hill who was an African American man. Don't get me wrong, Mr.Hill was troubled, the reason being-- he fought in Afghanistan and that change him he had to take medication for him to be balanced. One night he wandered out of his apartment with no clothes on and approached officer Robert Olsen in a parking lot. That is when the officer decided to take his gun out and shoot Mr.Hill. A police officer carries more than one weapon, if it was obvious no weapon was present the officer should not go straight to a deadly weapon and instead reach for a taser or baton that can immobilize the person. In the words of Rick Rojan, he makes it seem like the officer got the short end of the stick with this whole ordeal  (Rojan, 1). Talking about how withdrawn he was and how much of a good father he was when in all actuality this man did in fact racially profile this man and shoot him because he was black and seemed threatening. If a man is naked he, there a slim chances for him to be hiding a weapon, so no lethal force was necessary.

Police are meant to use their guns when their life, or someone else's, is in danger and only then. They are not supposed to use their guns if they are scared because being scared of someone or something doesn't mean that they are going to die. If the person in question has a weapon and is threatening the officer with it, it is then okay to shoot (Brehm,Gates, pg.2). If not, there are other weapons that can be used instead. These weapons are right next to the guns--like the taser or baton. Police officers have too much control, and don't ever take responsibility for the fact that they shoot when they are scared and not when they are in actual danger.

Citations

Moore, Leonard. “Police Brutality after World War II.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 27 July 2016, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Police-Brutality-in-the-United-States-2064580/Police-brutality-after-World-War-II.

Brehm, John, and Scott Gates. “Working, Shirking, and Sabotage: Bureaucratic Response to a Democratic Public.” Jstor, University of Michigan Press, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.15149.11?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=police&searchText=brutality&searchText=to&searchText=black&searchText=people&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch?Query=police+brutality+to+black+people&ab_segments=0/basic_SYC-4801/test2&refreqid=search:55da0594ab0d6c8ada4039648f11ff1d&seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents.

Rojas, Rick. “Former Georgia Officer Is Sentenced to 20 Years in Killing of Unarmed Black Man.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Nov. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/01/us/robert-olsen-police-shooting.html.

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Essay 2

Tasti Abdulhafiz

English 104

October 6, 2019

Essay 2

The first person I think of when I think of an icon is Beyoncé. She simply radiates leadership and inclusivity. In a world where African Americans don't get the praise and appreciation they deserve, Beyoncé made a platform where she not only appreciated the culture, but showcased it to millions of people and educated the people that needed it (Carter 1). While Beychella, Beyoncé being the header at the music festival known as Coachella, was such an amazing event to watch, it was even more amazing to see how much hard work and detail went into it (Kornhaber 1). Beyoncé had just given birth to twins, so being a mother to newborns while creating such a monumental performance for millions of people, created a lot of pressure for her. She had to learn choreography, pick dancers, pick a band, make sure everything was in the right place, and as a perfectionist, she had to make sure everything fit her vision for the world to see. She wanted the world to be able to take in all the black magic that she was presenting. Making this Netflix movie not only showed us the Beychella performance, it showed us the behind the scenes action and how much hard work it took to make what she made happen. She's not just a singer who showed up and took credit. She put forth so much effort and time to make sure that African Americans were not only represented but actually seen (Carter 1).

Beyoncé was put down in history as the first African American woman to ever headline at Coachella and she did not take on this  role lightly. Her performance was one of the most memorable Coachella performances in history. She incorporated HBCU legacy into her performance by gathering from different HBCUs to be part of her performance (Carter 1). Beyoncé never got a chance to experience college because she was developing her career, growing as an artist, and touring all around the world. While that sounds amazing she always wanted to go to college, an HBCU college specifically, which inspired her to make her performance an HBCU Homecoming theme. She had everything that a normal HBCU Homecoming would have which included a band, a step team, a dance team, and even singers. She mentioned in the documentary that her father was an HBCU graduate, which made a lot of people view her in a different light. It brought to light the fact that she grew up on the battle of the bands, which she incorporated into her performance. The thing that moves me the most is that even though Beyoncé didn't get to have the whole HBCU experience she made sure her daughter knew all about it (Carter 1). There was a scene in the documentary where she feeds her daughter the lines of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and her daughter sings it with such joy. It is obvious from that scene that she teaches her daughter all about their history and her daughter absorbs in all the information and looks up to her mother. In her documentary, Beyoncé says,  “If my country ass can do it.. they can too”, in hopes to inspire people.  

This documentary also shows how human Beyoncé really is. She went through so much during this process. Beyoncé had just given birth to twins and weighed 218 pounds and she knew she had to get in shape to be able to perform. So, she went to soul cycle and dance practice and worked all the weight off. The moment that really makes you see Beyoncé as a real person is when she tried on one of her old costumes and facetimes her husband, Jay-Z, and showed him what she had accomplished. She was gleaming because her hard work was starting to pay off. She showed how much of a perfectionist she really was and how much detail she put into the little things, because the little things matter.

Being a black woman in a white world is a hard thing to do and Beyoncé brings awareness to it. She stated that “As a black woman, I always felt like I had to stay in a little box”(Homecoming) . Many people can agree with this statement and her saying it makes people feel like they can relate to her and if she can accomplish all these things while feeling that she is trapped in a “little box” other people can accomplish the same, and even way more. Black women often feel underestimated and Beyoncé made sure she showcased how amazing black woman really are by having performers of different shapes and sizes on her stage, she wanted everyone to feel grateful for their curves, the color of their skin, their sass, their honesty and thankful for their freedom and to be able to create a safe space where none of them were marginalized.

The documentary was simply a piece of art (Patterson 1). She showcased not only a performance, but a side of her that no one had ever seen before. I think that Beyoncé made this documentary knowing that people would be watching it for generations and she wanted something to showcase our culture for years to come. Homecoming is not just an event for people to show up and show out for, but it is also an event where you have your people come out who you haven't seen for however long, with all the traditions, all the eyeballs waiting to see if it is going to be as good as the last homecoming. The whole film just makes you proud to be a part of it, it makes you proud to be Black.

Citations

KelleyLCarter. “Beyoncé's 'Homecoming' Is an Illuminating Two-Way Street.” The Undefeated, The Undefeated, 16 Apr. 2019, https://theundefeated.com/features/beyonces-homecoming-is-an-illuminating-two-way-street/.

Kornhaber, Spencer. “'Homecoming' Is One of Beyoncé's Masterpieces.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 18 Apr. 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/04/beyonces-coachella-homecoming-netflix-masterpiece/587371/.

Patterson, Troy. “Beyoncé's ‘Homecoming’ Is a Total Synthesis of the Pop Arts.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2019, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/beyonces-homecoming-is-a-total-synthesis-of-the-pop-arts.

Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé, director. Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé . Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé , 17 Apr. 2019.

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Making Connections 1

Tasti Abdulhafiz

September 22, 2019

English 101

Since I can remember writing essays has always been a task for me. I could never write how I wanted to write and I could never just splurge on paper without having to go back and making it sound more “correct”. Every time I got a paperback it would always be “fix your grammar”, “use bigger words”, or “write your age”. And I have carried that with me for a long time. I could write a whole essay on how my family is falling apart and how I don't know if I want to live the next day and the teacher would disregard all that  just to point I used my comma wrong or that I used a run on sentence. In the article, “English Teacher, Why You Be Doing the Thangs You Don't Do?” by Geneva Smitherman, It really made me realize that I don't have to use the smartest words or even have most perfect grammar to have an essay that gets my point across perfectly. Me writing slightly different doesn't change the fact that my essay was still filled with information that was valid enough for you to read. I think people have to realize that America has many different cultures and people speak different all around the country, so why should we all have to speak the same in essays.

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Essay 1

Tasti Abdulhafiz

ENGW 104

Fall 2019

Instructor: Cyrus Hampton

Sometimes I just forget to breath. I simply forget to do the one thing I need to do to live, the one thing that you know how to do once you exit the womb. It feels like I’m taking it for granted-- breathing. It only takes five to ten minutes of not breathing for serious brain damage to occur, your only safe when your oxygen levels are above 90. The amount of things that can cause you not to breathe are endless but the one man made thing that affected me for my whole life was newport cigarettes. No I was not the one smoking it-- it was my dad. Since I can remember he has been smoking cigarettes, at least 5 times a day, every time he got a break or when he just wanted to relax he would just reach in his pocket until he felt the box that would eventually change his life forever. In mid summer 2018 my dad was diagnosed with COPD but he didnt take it seriously. He would only use the oxygen when he thought he needed it and that's what would eventually start a stage of his life that he would never come back from.

It all started as a normal day in my life, I woke up to go to school and instead of going straight home I went downtown to be with my friends, as soon as I entered my house, I could feel the shift in energy, my mom wasn't home and she always home when I got back. I asked my sister where everyone was and she said really nonchalant, which was very chilling to me, that they were in the hospital, not wanting to talk to her anymore I called my mom and she filled me in on everything that happened. My dad went to work-- when he had trouble breathing and he ended up collapsing and having a seizure. When I heard that my dad had a seizure I knew that life wouldn't be the same for a while and I was right. That summer I had called the ambulance at least five times to my house because the doctor kept letting my dad go. He kept having trouble breathing, so bad to where I couldn't help him with the medicine they gave me, he would literally beg me to help him and I just didn't know how to. My mom is not from America so she couldn't really help since she didn't understand what to do, and my sister didn't really help with the whole process either. Basically everything was on me to make sure that my dad stayed alive. I would consistently wake up in the middle of the night just to make sure my dad was still breathing and made sure he took his medicine every four hours.

During my senior year is when it hit him the worst. He had just come back from the hospital the day before and he was having trouble breathing the following morning but he eventually felt better so he said I should just got to school because I had a soccer game that same day. I ended up going because I thought he was okay but during the day I had just had this gut feeling to check up on him and when he picked up he was having trouble breathing and couldn't call 911 so I started breaking down because I wouldn't be able to get there in time, all I could   do was call 911 and eventually they got to him and he was okay.

Having all these obstacles going on during such a shaping age really made these experiences follow me everyday of my life. Having a parent become sick and near death isn't just scary but it is eye opening it makes you think heavily into the future. It made me think that if he had died I couldn't really do all the things I wanted in life because I would have to take care of my mom because I know she would never be the same. My mom tries to put on a facade that she is so strong but deep down I know that if anything ever happened to any of us she would never be the same. Gradually what I am trying to illuminate, while it was a very dark time when my dad was sick it matured me in a way in a way I can never come back from. It taught me it's okay to not always be 100% sure of where your path is going to take you and being comfortable isn't always a feeling you should fall back to. My dad being sick made sure I was always in an in between state between being grateful he was alive and being so unsettled with the fact that he was sick and couldn't sleep. All in all, I’m just glad that something good came out of the worst part of my life and I hope that my children never have to go through this but what I’ve come to realize is this is all apart of life and you can't control everything.