Michael Zarrillo Community Problem Essay

Michael Zarrillo 

27 September 2014

Professor Young

English 1100

Community Issue Essay

Why Is There Nothing To Do?

The town of Caldwell where I live is a very nice town that has a lot of restaurants, supermarkets, Dunkin Donuts, and ice cream or dessert stores. The one thing that makes Caldwell very boring at times is that there is really nothing, activity wise, to do in Caldwell. A lot of other towns have bowling alleys, mini golf courses, sporting goods stores and other stores and clubs. Although some of these places like the mall, or mini golf are not very far away from Caldwell, it would make it a lot easier if we had these places in town so that they are easier to get to and we would be able to go there more often. Not having these places in town makes it harder on people because they have to drive to these places, although some places may only be 10-15 minutes away, others are 25-30 minutes away. It would be much better if there were a few less restaurants in town, and a few more places like bowling alleys, mini golf courses, driving ranges, etc. As a result of none of these places b

eing in Caldwell, going to these places uses more gas, takes longer to get to, and it causes you not to go to these places very often.

For a lot of people, especially teenagers, going bowling or to play mini golf, or the driving range and places like this are fun because you are actually doing something instead of sitting in the house all day. Teenagers especially when we want to hang out, a lot of times we like going out and doing activities like bowling, rather than just staying at home, watching TV, and playing video games. The stores, especially sporting goods stores are fun to go to as well because, even if you don't buy anything, you walk around a look at things that you may want to buy, or fool around with the footballs for a while. Although staying home and hanging out with friends there and watching TV isn't bad sometimes, most of the time we would rather go out and actually do something.

The first problem with these stores and recreational places not being in town is that we use more gas when going to these places. Since we don't have these places in Caldwell we use more gas to get to these places. Some places like the mall and mini golf or the driving range are not too far and are about 15 minutes away. However, other places like the bowling alley or Dick’s Sporting Goods (which is the best sporting goods store) are anywhere from 25-30 minutes away. This makes driving to these places annoying because they are kind of far and it wastes a lot of gas to get there. Especially in my friend group, almost all of us have Jeeps and SUV’s which are terrible on gas, so this is especially annoying for us. We use a lot more gas getting to these places because they are not in town. 

There is a solution to this problem though. The solution could either be to build a bowling alley or mini golf course or stores in town, or lower gas prices. As we all know, gas is not cheap, so going to these places that are not in town costs a lot, especially when you drive a Jeep. There are a bunch of spots in town that have stores or restaurants that have gone out of business where one of these places could be built. It would make it a lot easier on the people that live in Caldwell, and on our wallets. If a bowling alley, mini golf course, or sporting goods store were built in Caldwell, it would solve our problem of wasting a lot of gas to get there. 

The next problem about not having these places in town is that it makes in more difficult to get to these stores and recreational sites. Since we can’t just drive down Bloomfield Ave (the main street in Caldwell) to get to Sports Authority or the bowling alley, it makes it harder to get to and longer to get to. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the closest Sports Authority, the mall, or the driving range/mini golf course. This is not too far but, it makes it harder to get to these places because they are in other towns. It makes it harder on everyone, especially teenagers to get to these places since we don’t have them in town. 

The solution to making it harder to get to these places are to build them in town where there are a bunch of places they can be built. Caldwell has numerous places in town that is open land or old stores or restaurants that are no longer in business that a bowling alley or Sports Authority could be built. So instead of forcing us to drive 15 minutes, we can drive 5 minutes and save gas and the hassle. Bowling alley’s and mini golf courses especially, do not take up a ton of space when building them. So build a bowling alley, mini golf course, or anything like this in town to solve everyone’s problem of driving so long. 

The final problem with not having a bowling alley and other recreational sites in town is that it causes people not to go that often because the drive is too long. I know that my friends, my family and I all love to go bowling. But because the nearest bowling alley is at least 25 minutes away, we don't go often because nobody wants to drive all the way there to bowl a few games. My Dad grew up in Montclair and he had a bowling alley in town that was 5 or 10 minutes away at the most. He used to go bowling all the time because it was so close and it was fun. Since the bowling alley closest to Caldwell is a minimum of 25 minutes away, we don’t go bowling that much because it is too far.

The solution for not having a bowling alley or sporting goods store in town is to either make an easier way to get to these places that is quicker, or to build one in town or at least closer to Caldwell. When going to the bowling alley especially, you have to take multiple highways to get there and there are traffic lights the whole way. If there was at least an easier way to get there that is quicker, it makes it easier on everyone because we don't have to deal with all of the traffic. And if you don't build one in town, build one closer to Caldwell that does not take long to get to. Doing this would bring in more business because a lot of people in surrounding towns would go as well because they have the same problem as us. 

Not having a bowling alley, sporting goods store, or mini golf course in town makes Caldwell very boring at times. If Caldwell decides to build one of these places here, it would make Caldwell more exciting and would bring in more revenue. There are problems with not having them in town and all the solutions basically are to build these places in town. The problems are wasting gas to get to these places, they are harder to get to, and it causes people not to go to these places as often. Since there are spots in Caldwell to build these places, I don't know why the town doesn't decide to built one of these recreational places or stores. But, Caldwell better do something because this town gets pretty boring at times, and we all take our money to other towns to do these things.

Michael Zarrillo Hip Hop Planet Response

Michael Zarrillo

20 Septmeber 2014

Professor Young

English 1100

Hip Hop Planet Response

In the reading “Hip Hop Planet” by James McBride, McBride writes and explains how he used to hate hip hop music and couldn't stand listening to it, but as he got older he grew to accept it and understand that it is a part of him. McBride was always a jazz person, he loved in and it was his favorite genre of music. He remembers hearing rap or hip hop music for the first time and thinking how ridiculous and pointless the lyrics and melody were. He never really understood the point of rap music and did not like the fact that DJ’s put records on turntables and used their hands to move them to make a “scratch” noise. And while the DJ’s spun the records, MC’s put lyrics into the rhythm and “spouted rhymes.” 

McBride was trying to accept the nightmare that his daughter was getting married to a rapper that wore a do-rag and had gold in his mouth and had huge muscles and “thug attitude”. McBride went to history and tried to find something that could change his mind and accept the fact that he was going to have a rapper sun in law. He looks back and realizes that rap music derived from African poetry. He looked more into it and saw that villages of Africans would sing rap music all the time. When McBride saw this, he realized that rap was a part of him. 

McBride’s family history traces back at some point to Africa, so being that rap is African poetry, he realized that rap music was in him. As much as McBride did not like rap and could not understand the point of it, he knew he had to accept it because it is in him and is a part of who he is.  McBride began to change his perception of rap music because it was part of his identity. Since rap traces back to African poetry, and McBride is African-American, he knows rap is inside him, so he knows it is part of his identity. McBride says later in the reading that “after 26 years, I have come to embrace this music I tried so hard to ignore.” McBride says this because he knows rap music is part of his identity and he has to embrace it, rather than ignore it. 

Michael Zarrillo My Favorite Place

Michael Zarrillo

20 September 2014

Professor Young

English 1100 

My Favorite Place

Out of every place I have been to, there is no better place then the James Caldwell High School baseball field. The JCHS field is my favorite place. Everytime I ever stepped onto that field, I always got a feeling of butterflies flying around in my stomach, but in a good way. No better feeling than putting that royal blue and white uniform on and running out onto the soft brown dirt and green grass. The feeling I got every time I ran out to left field every inning was like waking up on Christmas morning. Coach Garg, the assistant coach for the team would always tell us “yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.” And a gift is what it was to be able to walk out on that field everyday. Whether it was practice or a state championship game, the JCHS field is my favorite place. 

The feeling of playing a baseball game on the JCHS field is unimaginable. The feeling of sweat pouring down your face, or the dirt kicking up in your face is the best. Not only was it amazing to play on that field myself, but I had the best group of teammates anyone could ask for. We all loved each other like brothers, because that is what we are, brothers. Especially the Seniors from last year including me. We loved doing what we had the privilege to do. To sink our metal cleats into that dirt and grass and run onto the field. I love baseball and being able to walk onto the field with my brothers made the feeling 100 times better. The Chiefs played 30 games last season with a record of 21-9, the first time the Caldwell baseball team has won 20 games in 70 years. 

The JCHS field wasn't the perfect field, but to me and my teammates it was perfect. Our lineup for most games was; Doc pitching, Hunter catching, Kinney at first, Dylan on second, Cooper at short, Joe at third, Tommy in right, John in center, and me in left. The reason we won 21 games was because we all helped each other out. We knew being out on that baseball field everyday was a privilege not a right, so we never took it for granted. Not in the field, and not up at bat. When we were out our baseball field, it was always better having more fans cheering for you, and just knowing that this is our house. This is our dirt and our grass. 

The best feeling on the JCHS field of all is, running in on a fly ball, your legs moving like a car motor, and diving with your body vertical in mid air, and catching that little baseball in your glove. You feel the pound of the ball on your palm and then your body sliding through the grass like a penguin on an icy slope. The JCHS baseball field has more memories for me than I can count and every time I stepped out on that field, I got that same feeling of butterflies in my stomach and goosebumps on my arms. Just the same feeling as a little kid running downstairs on Christmas morning with a smile wrapping around their face. There isn't a better place than the James Caldwell High School baseball field. 

Michael Zarrillo Identity Essay

Michael Zarrillo

10 September 2014

Professor Young

English 1100

Identity Essay

The Importance of Having Your Own Identity

Every person no matter who they are should have an identity and something that defines who they are as a person. Having your own identity is emphasized in the reading, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua, because Anzaldua identifies who she is with her language. For Gloria her language means everything to her and she is proud of it, so this shows that she is proud of who she is. “We became aware of our reality and acquired a name and a language that reflected that reality.” This is Anzaldua’s thesis and this is where she realized her identity. I agree with this thesis because after searching for a while, Anzaldua finally found her identity and I think that her nothing could better identify Anzaldua than her language. In my case, my identity is my family. My family means everything to me and I would not be the same person that I am now without my family behind me. My family is my identity because they taught me, and made me the person I am today. It is important that everyone has their own identity because your identity makes and defines who you are as a person. 

There are many different ways to describe me, but the one true thing that identifies me is my family. I am, and always will be 100% devoted and grateful to my family. My family describes me because they are the ones that shaped me into the person that I am today. The importance of having your own identity is to show who you are to everyone around you whether you know them or not. Identity expresses your inner self, just like Anzaldua expresses her language by using it combined with English to speak a sort of Spanglish throughout her story and even in real life. Family to me is like language to Anzaldua. My family is who I am and this is the importance of identity because it shows other people who I am.

Without identity, you may not know who you really are. How can someone go through life not knowing who they really are? My family reflects me because they made me who I am. I know that my identity is my family so I know who I am, where people without an identity may not know who they are. For Anzaldua, at first she didn't know her identity because she loved her language, but was afraid to express it because it was discriminated against by so many people. Later on, Anzaldua began to take pride in her language and realized that was her identity. Everyone needs some form of identity no matter what it is, so that you know who you are.

A lot of people go through life, not knowing who they really are because they don't have a real identity. In the case of Anzaldua, when she was growing up she had no identity, and she was very shy and quiet because she was unsure of herself. She loved her language but also was not proud of it at the time because it was discriminated against by so many people. As Anzaldua got older she became proud of her language no matter how much people hated it, and she realized that her language is her identity. When I was younger, I never really thought of identity showing who I really am, but now that I know, there is nothing that shows me than my family. Everyone needs to have an identity to know who they are, when you are little, you don't need it as much because you don't really understand it, but as you get older, you need something that shows you. 

The importance of having your your own identity is to show yourself and everyone around you who you are. Everyone needs and identity to show everyone around them, their personality and their inner self. Without an identity, you yourself may not know who you real are because you don't have anything that defines you. Whether it is your language like Anzaldua, your family like me, your background, your religion, whatever it might be, there needs to be something that identifies who you are. Identity can be anything, but it cannot be everything. There is one thing in every person’s life that identifies them and shows who they are. If they don't know what it is, they just have to take the time to look for it. 

Michael Zarrillo Identity Essay

Michael Zarrillo

10 September 2014

Professor Young

English 1100

Identity Essay

The Importance of Having Your Own Identity

Every person no matter who they are should have an identity and something that defines who they are as a person. Having your own identity is important to know who you are. In the reading, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua, Anzaldua identifies who she is with her language. For Gloria her language is everything to her and it is her identity and it defines who she is as a person. In my case, my identity is my family. My family means everything to me and I would not be the same person that I am now without my family behind me. My family defines me as a person and identifies who I am because they taught me, and made me the person I am today. It is important that everyone has their own identity because your identity makes and defines who you are as a person. 

There are many different ways to describe me, but the one true thing that describes me is my family. I am, and always will be 100% devoted and grateful to my family. My family describes me because they are the ones that shaped me into the person that I am today. My family taught me right from wrong, good choices and bad choices, how to present myself, to have manners and respect people and be kind to people, and everything else that I know today. If it wasn't for my family, I would not be the same person. I love my family with all of my heart and could never thank them enough for all they have ever done for me. 

My family has defined me as a person. They have taught me many things on how to be a nice, proper, sophisticated, and caring man. Ever since I was little I was always taught how to respect everyone no matter who they are, I was taught manners and to be kind to people, how to act properly, and everything else you could think of. I owe it all to my family because they formed me into the man I am now. Whether it was my Dad, Mom, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, or anyone else, they have all contributed to me and lead me onto a good path.

My family are also the ones who got me through the tough times in my life. My Uncle, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother all passing away in a three year span. I would have never made through it without my family's support. They were all in tears as well as I was, and they assured me that they would always be there looking down on me no matter what. We made each other stronger from this and got through it together. They are the ones who got me through it.

My family defines me as well because whenever I have a goal I want to achieve, they help me and support me to reach that goal. At sporting events, especially baseball games, my family was always there to cheer me on and through the slumps and bad moments when I was upset, they would help me and assure me that I will bounce back better than before. They helped me with schoolwork if I needed it, or with regular work my Uncle hired me at his restaurant when I needed to work.

No matter what it was, how difficult it was, or the cost, my family was there for me, supporting me all the way. They shaped me into who I am, and helped me with anything and everything they possibly could. That is why my family defines me. Because without them in my life, I would not be the man that I am today. 

I want the reader to know that my family means everything to me and they are the reason for me becoming the person I am today. They made me who I am and they supported me the whole time, whether it was my Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, whoever it was, they have all helped me at some point in becoming the man I am now. They have all contributed to supporting me in some way and at some point in my life. 

Anzaldua uses language to define her, this is because she loves her language, embraces it, and is proud of it. It is the same for me, I love my family, embrace my family, and am proud of my family. Anzaldua uses her language when she writes and how her language taught her many things. When I write, I write about things that my family has taught me and what I have learned from them. She also uses examples from her background. So when I use examples, I can use examples of things that my family has taught or done for me throughout my life. My family means everything to me, just like Anzaldua’s language means everything to her.

The importance of having your your own identity is to show yourself and everyone around you who you are. Everyone needs and identity to know who they are, because some people might not know who they are. Without an identity, there is no way for you, or anyone else to know who you are. Whether it is your language, your family, your background, your religion, whatever it might be, there needs to be something that identifies who you are. Identity can be anything, but it cannot be everything. There is one thing in everyone’s life that identifies them and shows who they are. They just have to take the time to look for it. 

Michael Zarrillo Black Power Responses

Michael Zarrillo

10 September 2014

Professor Young

English 1100

Black Power Responses

McBride goes into a lot of detail about black power and what it meant to James at the time. The main point he is making about black power is that it was feared by everybody. White people were scared of blacks, especially if they were a part of a group like the Black Panthers. Even black people were scared of other blacks because if they didn't feel the same way about whites as someone else did, they could be beaten or killed. He is making the point that everyone is scared of black power, as he says in the chapter, James doesn't even know what black power is but he is scared and nervous whenever he hears it. 

McBride is defined by his identity and who he is. Throughout the chapter, he asks his Mother constantly about his family, their background, and who they are. He wants to know who he is and where he came from and where his family came from. He defines himself by identity because he wants to know these things so badly and he wants to figure out who he is from his elders. I feel like this is what defines him because he was always wondering why his Mother was light-skinned and him and all of his siblings were mixed, and dark, and light, and brown. He noticed when his brother Richie jokingly told him that he was adopted, that nobody really looked like their Mother and were all different skin tones. He asked his Mother a ton of questions relating to his identity and who he is when she got home from work at 2 am. Identity defines him because he is so obsessed with knowing who he is and where he and the rest of his family came from.  

Michael Zarrillo
3 September 2014
Professor Young
English 1100
Who I Am Blog Post

There are many different ways to describe me, but the one true thing that describes me is my family. I am, and always will be 100% devoted and grateful to my family. My family describes me because they are the ones that shaped me into the person that I am today. My family taught me right from wrong, good choices and bad choices, how to present myself, to have manners and respect people and be kind to people, and everything else that I know today. If it wasn't for my family, I would not be the same person. I love my family with all of my heart and could never thank them enough for all they have ever done for me.

My family has defined me as a person. They have taught me many things on how to be a nice, proper, sophisticated, and caring man. Ever since I was little I was always taught how to respect everyone no matter who they are, I was taught manners and to be kind to people, how to act properly, and everything else you could think of. I owe it all to my family because they formed me into the man I am now. Whether it was my Dad, Mom, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, or anyone else, they have all contributed to me and lead me onto a good path.

My family are also the ones who got me through the tough times in my life. My Uncle, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother all passing away in a three year span. I would have never made through it without my family's support. They were all in tears as well as I was, and they assured me that they would always be there looking down on me no matter what. We made each other stronger from this and got through it together. They are the ones who got me through it.

My family defines me as well because whenever I have a goal I want to achieve, they help me and support me to reach that goal. At sporting events, especially baseball games, my family was always there to cheer me on and through the slumps and bad moments when I was upset, they would help me and assure me that I will bounce back better than before. They helped me with schoolwork if I needed it, or with regular work my Uncle hired me at his restaurant when I needed to work.

No matter what it was, how difficult it was, or the cost, my family was there for me, supporting me all the way. They shaped me into who I am, and helped me with anything and everything they possibly could. That is why my family defines me. Because without them in my life, I would not be the man that I am today.