Clare Ellis
ENGL 1164
2014 Sept 2,
The first article that caught my eye in The New York Times had an old black and white photo of a young boy in military uniform which caught my attention. The headline read: “Medal of Honor for a Hero 150 Years in the Grave.” My first reaction was wondering why an old photo from the past was on the front page of the newspaper. The article talked about a young man who was an artillery commander in the Civil War. The boy’s name was First Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing and according to the article he had stood against Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. The article said that because of Cushing’s act of bravery and the help of a ninety-four year old woman from Wisconsin, he will be awarded with the Medal of Honor by President Obama. The reason the award took so long was on account of changes within Washington and because some thought that in awarding this young man it would bring more requests as well as more tension than necessary towards the Civil War. Margaret Zerwekh is the woman’s name and according to the article the reason she lobbied for this young man was because “He saved the Union” she said. I found the article interesting because I like to read about history and to understand past events and issues to better understand today’s problems in our country and around the world. However, I was surprised that an act of heroism from over a hundred years is now finally being recognized. What was confusing to me was why Washington decided to finally recognize this man’s heroism. It’s not as if Cushing had any living relatives to accept the award because he dies childless according to the article. The article also made a point about President Obama giving the award, and its historical recognition of the first black president to give an award to someone from the Civil War. I felt like the recognition was to bring people to see how much today has changed, but also to push some political motives within Washington.
The second article I read in The New York Times had the headline: “From a Compound in the Brazilian Hills, Excellence in Math Emerges.” The article talks about an institute called the National Institute for Pure Applied Mathematics that offers programs for elite math students from around the world to come together and study in a facility located in the hills of Brazil. I had certainly never heard of this institution until reading about it and according to this article neither had most people. Not until Artur Avila won the Fields Medal this month did the institute become more known to the public. Before that it was recognized mainly within the mathematics community. I liked that the institute is up in the hills, tucked away amongst the trees. This allows the student to focus and concentrate on the math problems without the distractions of the real world. I also found it remarkable that the institute has somehow avoided being restricted by government rule as well as not charge tuition to students. Because of this the institute mainly receives its sources of income from donors. According to the article the school systems in Brazil are in sharp contrast to the institute; I like that the institute is making efforts in changing this problem through competitions and tests where students can compete and be offered a scholarship. Overall I enjoyed the article and its pursuit in mathematical knowledge. I like how it gives students the ability to freely structure their time and effort in pursuing this knowledge.
The third and last article I want to talk about in The New York Times is about a shooting that happened in Arizona. In the article “A 9-Year-Old, A Deadly Uzi And Outrage” it talks about a nine year old girl and how her family’s trip to Last Stop shooting range went wrong, when she lost control of the Uzi she was shooting and killed her instructor. According to the article, an Uzi is an automatic machine and belt fed gun which is known for having a high kickback, due to its being so light. Even though in Arizona there are no age limitations on handling guns and at the shooting range the age restriction for handling guns is eight years, I was shocked that such a young girl was handling such a heavy gun. The Last Stop shooting range is known for allowing shooters to test and shoot a large variety of heavy machine weaponry. My reaction toward the article was anger, shock and sadness. I don’t see the necessity for such a young person to handle such a powerful gun. I can understand for young people to learn how guns work and how to use them properly within reason. However, I do not think someone of such a young age should be handling any kind of machine gun even if it is in a shooting range. I think that age restrictions should be made nationwide for handling guns, especially machine guns. Overall I’m saddened that such a tragedy occurred.