Bibliographies

Henry Lockwood
Professor Young
ENGW 1101 Honors
17 November 2016

Macur, Juliet. "In Steubenville Rape Case, a Lesson for Adults." New York Times, 26 Nov. 2013. pp. 1-4. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.

This source is a periodical from New York Times. I selected this source because it is about a rape case in Steubenville about two teenage football players raping a teenage girl at a party, the exact circumstance that happened in Friendswood. Like the case in Friendswood, people in the town who knew about the event did not tell the authorities, as well as the super attendant of the school district all the students attended. I am going to incorporate this article into my essay because this is a non-fictional Friendswood situation and an example on how alcohol is a factor in many teenage rapes. 

Meyer, Anneke. "“Too Drunk To Say No”." Feminist Media Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2010, pp. 19-34, Academic Search Premier . Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.

My thesis statement is about how binge drinking has become an issue for the teenage culture, and it has an influence on teenage rape rates. This article has to do with the idea of consent and if someone is drunk, they can not give consent. The article includes examples of rape court cases, and scientific studies linking binge drinking to rape. 

Steinke, Rene. Friendswood. Riverhead Books, 2014.

Vinogradov, Sophia, et al. "Patterns of behavior in adolescent rape." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, vol. 58, no. 2, Apr. 1988, pp. 179-187, EBSCOhost. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.

This article includes many statistics that can support my thesis about the connection between drugs/alcohol and teenage rape. For example, the article states "48 of 67 rape episodes...the offender described himself as under the influence". They also stated that in their study of 67 California rape cases done by 63 teenagers, there was a noticeably pattern of drugs and alcohol involved with the rape. 

Research Discussion Questions and Thesis

Henry Lockwood
11/8/16
ENGW 1101
Research Questions

10 Questions:
1. Why are more teenagers beginning to drink alcohol at a younger age?
2. What cultural factors are promoting or encouraging them?
3. Why aren't parents or law enforcement punishing them?
4. How often is drug and alcohol a factor in teenage rape?
5. How is teenage drinking patterns in low economic areas related to those in high economic areas?
6. What causes teenagers to start drinking?
7. How does the amount of teenagers drinking differ to the amount 40-60 years ago?
8. How does the amount of teenagers drinking differ to the amount 100 years ago?
9. How often is drugs and alcohol a factor in any age rape?
10. Why do teenagers continue to drink knowing the extreme consequences it may have?

Thesis:
Because a new drinking culture has developed within today's society, a new problem regarding sexual crime has emerged; therefore, correlations between drinking culture and sexual crime has become evident.

This video is about a gang rape after a teenage party involving alcohol

Class Discussion Question #8

Henry Lockwood

Professor Young

Class Question #8

24 October 2016

Lee and Cully's Interaction

Question: Describe the interaction between Cully and Lee. What happened to Cully? In what way does Lee help Cully?

          When someone has tried so hard to achieve something, they may go to drastic measures to finally have his or her goal realized. In Friendswood, Lee Knowles is unable to get her voice to be heard about Banes Field. She is left to take matters into her own hands and feels it is necessary to construct a bomb to finally get her voice heard. 

 

          Cully and Lee’s interaction is a great example of the phrase “in the wrong spot at the wrong time”. Cully thought he was going on a routine look around after he heard a noise; however, what he found was  an explosion caused by a woman who feels she has no other choice. Cully gets caught in the cross fire and is flung backwards onto the ground, causing physical harm. After the explosion Lee realizes that her new actions are causing other people physical harm and that this time she has taken it too far. She helps him into the car and as they are driving to the emergency room, Cully says "God! I saw this coming. this is my f*cking punishment!" (Steinke 362). This experience is an enlightening moment for both characters. In this scene, Cully finally feels he receives what he ultimately deserves. Cully's guilt complex can be compared to that of a child. Typically, when a child hurts another, he or she allows the other to hit them back to resolve any regret or guilt the first child feels. In Cully's case, the pain from the explosion makes the guilt of causing pain to Willa subside. Physically, Lee helps Cully by bringing him to safety and getting him the medical attention he needs. Emotionally and mentally, Lee helps Cully reach a state of acceptance, leading him to write a note for Willa apologize for the situation he put her through.

 

          Lee helps Cully reach a state of positive accountability after the encounter. It is only after Cully feels his punishment that he feels it is his responsibility to accept his mistakes. Cully takes the beginning steps to formally apologize to Willa by attempting to put the issues to rest. In the note Cully wrote "I could have stopped it. You didn't even know you where there" (Steinke 379). Cully words show he takes the responsibility for his actions. He makes no excuses.  He takes the entire blame and doesn't hide that he did something wrong.

          Not only does Lee help Cully, but Cully also helps Lee. After seeing that she caused another individual physical harms, she finally feels that she is done spending all her time trying to expose the pollution in Banes Field. This leads her to begin trying to rebuild her relationship with Jack which was torn apart by the same actions long ago. Lee's last stitch efforts to expose Avery Taft appears to be a success as the corruption is unearthed and other citizens begin to come clean about their own experiences.  It was all over and she could finally relax. 

          Overall Friendswood was a very enjoyable novel. Typically, when I am forced to read a book for school I don't find myself being able to sit and read it for long periods of time. However, this novel was able to keep my attention. I felt that the conclusion to this novel was the best way Steinke could have ended it, and it gave the entire novel the justice it deserves.  

Work Cited

Steinke, Rene. Friendswood. New York: Riverhead Books, 2014. Print. 

Friendswood Reading Log for 9/26/16

Henry Lockwood

9/21/16

College Writing

Friendwood

Question: Dex begins to befriend Willa.  Is his friendship genuine?  Why does he befriend Willa?  Does he blame himself for what happens to her?

            Dex’s relationship with Willa does seem to be a genuine relationship; however, the relationship seems to have formed due to a malicious event to Willa. Dex appears to have used Willa not being in school to gain the ability to talk with her. Dex befriends Willa because after talking with Dani, he sees that Willa has no support and nobody to talk to, and he is hoping Willa will open up to him. Dex somewhat feels guilty about Willa’s rape. Dex sometimes gives pills to Cully and his friends, and there is a possibility that his pills were the ones used to sedate Willa. As we can see in the relationship between Dex and his mother, Dex has a very protective personality for those he loves. When Bishop, Trace, and Cully mocked Willa by calling her “trouble… crazy and a liar” (Steinke 215) Dex stood up for her and proceeded to fight the boys, knowing of a possible suspension. Dex has strong feelings for Willa both as a friend and romantic interest, and he will continue to support Willa and be there for her.

How does Hal use blame to protect Cully and himself?  What is Hal trying to protect himself from?

            Hal is stuck in the past, which prevents him from moving on through his life. He is always reminded about his alcoholic past and poor choices he made in his family life. Cully has been having a slump in football and Hal doesn’t want his son to give up. Cully is an important player on the team, so when he doesn’t do well, the team doesn’t do well. After a devastating loss, Hal tells his son, “you’ve got to get your defense to bulk up, not be so afraid to hit” (Steinke 205). Hal blames the other players on the team to protect his son from taking it out of himself. One of the implications of blame is to discharge pain and discomfort. Hal is blaming the other players so Cully doesn’t need to feel the guilt and pain of the loss. Hal also blames Willa for the rape, rather than accepting it was his son, to protect his feelings and memories about Cully. Hal told himself “there will always be girls like that” (Steinke 149). Hal does not want to see his son as a rapist so he blames Willa for tempting his son into having sex with her; though this appears to not be the case.

Choose an institution (marriage, government, academic, church, family, mass media) to discuss why “they” are speaking and why “they” are blaming. 

                A major institution that plays a role in Friendswood is family. Family is always supposed to support you and your actions, and to care for you when you are in a time of need. However, Willa seems to not be getting the true support she needs. Instead of comforting Willa, her parents seem to be focusing mainly on how to cover up the incident to protect their family. Willa’s parents are angry with her, as seen when they come home from church. This may be because people are starting to talk about it and Willa’s parents are upset over the fact. Willa states, “[her parents] seemed to be angry with her – it was in the pinch of her mother’s smile, in her father’s averted eyes” (Steinke 220). Her family is blaming her for the situation they are now in and are taking it out on Willa through anger. Since it is a small, highly religious town, rumors can spread, putting shame on Willa’s family. Willa’s parents are also blaming other people to protect their parenthood. Parents have a duty to protect their children, so when something tragic happens, parents tend to blame themselves. By blaming others, they relieve themselves of the pain that is being caused to them. The town is also very religious, which can cause bitterness towards Willa from the members of society. In the Christian religion, it is sinful for a woman to lose her virginity before marriage. Willa is now no longer a virgin which may cause her to be shunned by the community. Willa’s parents are “speaking” by not speaking about the situation. They are hoping it all gets resolved and they are able to move on.

 Work Cited

Steinke, Rene, Friendswood. New York: Riverhead, 2014. Print.

Question: Class readings 5 & 6 introduces Lee taking on both the EPA and City Hall.  In class we have learned about these institutions. Discuss the perception of City Hall officials to Lee.  How do they treat her?  What quotes support this?  Are they fulfilling their responsibility to protect?  

     This section of the novel hasn't been Lee's first time at City Hall. She has been there plenty of times to report her findings, yet they never seem to give her the time of day to actually take her information into consideration. During her argument with the city counsel and the EPA representative, Lee states "how many times have I been here saying the same thing?  Twenty times? Thirty times? A hundred times? ...and I'll say it again...because nobody goddamn listens" (Steinke 90). City Hall ignores Lee, treats her as gnat, and disregards all the evidence she brings forth. Councilman Burns expressed his annoyance with Lee when he said "Alright, there.... we're very familiar with your work, Ms. Knowles" (Steinke 90). This shows that Lee has presented her findings many times to the council, yet they have not taken anything into consideration. Also, when they went out to look at the site, they did not see anything Lee saw when she went out earlier in the novel. The city does not seem to be holding up their duty to protect the people and seem too preoccupied with helping Avery Taft gain the ability to turn Rosemont into real-estate opportunities.

Question: Discuss the response of the EPA to Lee.  What is their response to her?  What quotes support this?  Are they fulfilling their responsibility to protect?

     The EPA representative had a similar response as the city council towards Lee. Ms. Dawson was very negative to Lee and didn't take Lee's findings into consideration. When Lee was discussing her findings with Ms. Dawson, Lee was told to send her research to the EPA; however, Lee demanded her findings be sent directly to Ms. Dawson, not the general EPA address. When Lee said this, Ms. Dawson "held her face very still, then calmly blinked her eyes" (Steinke 91). Ms. Dawson's response showed
she wasn't fazed by Lee's remarks and that she probably won't take Lee's findings into consideration. The EPA is fulfilling their responsibility to protect by conducting research in the Rosemont area; however, they are not doing this to their full potential in the fact that are ignoring the blatantly obvious evidence of human harm. Ms. Dawson tossed Lee's statistics of cancer rates and other figures due to the pollution in and around the Rosemont area.

Work Cited
Steinke, Rene. Friendswood. New York: Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA, 2014. Print.

When is it okay to dissent?

Question: When is it okay to dissent?

    
To dissent means to hold opinions which vary to those previously or commonly held. Typically in society people tend to go along with what the majority believes in. This way they are able to fit into a group and not stand out or be shunned in their own community. However, in certain circumstances people speak out, and sometimes those people change society or even the world. These are the people who we remember and go down in history; not those who join on the bandwagon and follow everyone else.

     One good reason to dissent from the majority is if the belief is hurting people. In Friendswood, the common belief of the town is that the soil surrounding the town is healthy according to the tests done by the EPA. However, one of the main characters, Lee Knowles, has taken it into her own hands to construct her own tests on the polluted soil, due to the death of her daughter because of the chemical pollution. In her own eyes Lee has become “the unofficial guardian” (Steinke 6) of Rosemont; however, her obsession seems in vain to other members of the society. Lee hopes her new research will “redeem her” (Steinke 11) as she is seen as crazy to her neighbors, such as Hal. Lee hopes her newly acquired information and evidence of the unsafe conditions will open up the public’s eyes in order to permanently deal with the situation. In East Chicago, a real-life example of the problems Friendswood is facing is occurring. Local residents of housing complexes, such as Stephanie King, are being evacuated from their homes due to unsafe and possibly lethal levels of lead in their soil, which is also being found in homes. Like in Friendswood, the EPA stated that the levels of contamination of the soil was “‘under the level [they were] concerned about’” (Goodnough 2). Like Lee, the residents of the buildings are trying to raise awareness about the horrible situation they find themselves in.

            Another reason to dissent is if the situation has to do with legal matters. In January 2015, two Stanford University students found a girl being sexually assaulted behind a dumpster on campus. Many people may have moved along, not wanting to get themselves involved; however, they did the right thing and caught the assaulter. In the novel Friendswood it is hinted multiple times that a main character Willa may be sexually assaulted at some point during her story. It is clear that Willa has a crush for Cully. When Cully touches her lightly on the shoulder, Willa “feels the wind go out of her” (Steinke 60). During the story of Dex, who has a crush on Willa, it is hinted that he will be there for Willa during her time of need. He may also be her savior, just as the boys helped save the girl who was sexually assaulted on the Stanford campus. Sometimes if a girl is sexually assaulted, society makes it seem like it was her fault and she faces negative repercussion because of it. If this is the case, Dex may dissent from those beliefs and stand up for Willa because of moral values. If society goes against your moral judgement, it is a valid situation to break away from society and follow your values.

This is a reading of the victim's letter to the man who raped her.

Friendswood Pages 1-30

     Within the opening 30 pages on Friendswood, three main characters are introduced, each getting their own sections of the novel. The first of the three is Lee. Lee is a middle aged woman who cares and helps those in need in the community due to the recent hurricane. In the opening scene, Lee brings blankets to a local church for those affected by the hurricane. Lee often visits the area of her old neighborhood, which is now polluted by the oil company dumping chemicals in the area. As she travels around the area, she recalls memories of her daughter. Lee is highly invested taking care of the Rosemont grounds. She is now "the unofficial guardian" (pg. 6) of the Rosemont Estates, due to the fact all the men on guard left after the houses were torn down.
     The second main character is Hal. Hal is a realtor who is struggling in his field due to large internet sales and the declining real-estate in Friendswood due to the hurricane and the pollution from the oil company. Like Lee, Hal also has ghosts from his past haunt him from time to time. He had an affair with a woman for seven weeks which often caused heavy guilt whenever he would see his wife, which ultimately made him turn to alcohol to relieve his guilt. Now Hal has ended the affair and has moved on from his alcoholic past. Hal has also became more religious. He stops to quickly pray

This is an example of oil and chemicals seeping through the ground.

multiple times, such as before he opens the door to the last house he shows Mr. and Mrs. Coller. Hal prayed "that the key would work" (pg. 17), and he also prayed before the call with Avery, "He'd pray good, and he'd pray right. Avery might just offer him what he needed" (pg. 19). Hal is optimistic that this deal with Avery may revive his real-estate career.
     The third character introduced is Willa. Willa is a high school student who suffers from hallucinations and she isn't sure why. Willa seems very shy and hesitant to tell anyone about her issue, fort she hasn't told her best friend Dani about nor her highly religious father. She is also very scared to lose her friend Dani like her mother lost her friend who turns out to be Lee. Willa "couldn't imagine not being friends with Dani" (pg. 24), because without Dani, Willa would be all alone.
     The setting of the Novel takes place in Friendswood, Texas. Recently Friendswood has been experiencing issues with pollution from the local oil companies. Due to chemicals seeping out of the ground, families have been moving and houses have been torn down. Friendswood also seems like a very religious town, as seen by multiple characters making religious remarks. While at dinner with her family, Willa thinks about her church after her father scolds Willa's sister for wearing devil horns. Willa states that "there seemed to be a lot of reverence for Satan at their new church" (pg. 23). Religion typically plays a large part in books that take place in the south, like To Kill a Mockingbird for example. Religion may continue to play a large role in the novel since it is shown multiple times in the beginning.

This video shows an example of what can happen to a person who is exposed to oil for a period of time. The man in this video is permanently harmed from the fumes and chemicals he was exposed to.