Hope's Boy 4

Now Andy is going through first grade. It is just about Christmas as Andy waits anxiously for his first Christmas with his mother. However he is just a child and he is not able to realize everything that happens around him. He is maintaining what innocence is left. he is troubled by what he doesn't understand and this is shown when, "At night, when she thought I was sleeping, I listened to her whispering in tears, as she sparred with the darkness...I never got up to help her fight with the nothingness"(Bridge 80). When his mother is sleeping she has nightmares and her psychological help is somewhat deteriorating. He senses that she is having trouble but he doesn't fully understand what is happening so he stays in his comfort zone. His mom had to do a lot of things to survive as their life slowly disappeared. Hope did things like, "reached for a small plastic bag and shoved it down the top of her coat"(Bridge 83). She had to steal to give Andy a Christmas. Andy knows it's wrong but he doesn't know what to do so he just ignores it and trusts his mother. He has a blind trust in his mother and will anything to ensure that his image of her is not tarnished.
Their lives changed for the worse when Hope's psychological health degraded. She is unable to maintain a job and their quality of life begins to degrade. A lot of things happen like, "One evening, when my mother tried to slide the key into our front door, we discovered that the landlord had changed the lock"(Bridge 81). She is unable to pay the rent the landlord locked them out. Their lack of money has caused them to be homeless. She breaks into her old apartment so that her son has a place to sleep. They also had to rely on other things for survival like, "We began living on food stamps and government checks, and she spent less time with me"(Bridge 81). They are are on government assisted living because Hope is unable to earn a salary fit to support her and Andy. The pressure of a child was too much for her and she began to feel adverse effects.

On The Waterfront

In the movie "On the Waterfront" many characters are forced to make a decision based on their own ethical code. Terry doesn't want to rat on Johnny Friendly because he doesn't think it's the right thing to do. However as the story progresses and he sees Johnny kill the people that stand up to him he begins to want to testify. When Johnny kills Charlie he is finally willing to testify in court. The priest wants to bring Johnny down. He tries to get people to testify in court. He convinces Doogan but he is killed before his appearance in court. The priest is finally able to convinve Terry and his appearance in court was crucial to the downfall of Johnny.
I think you are speaking up when it is for the greater good. If your decision benefits a lot of people than it is speaking up. You don't do it for selfish reasons. You do it because you want to help other people besides yourself. I think you're being a "stool pigeon" when you do it for personal gain. If you hurt people just so you can get ahead then that makes you a traitor.

Hope's Boy 3

It appears Hope is not as good with as Andy as her mother is. Her lifestyle is not something that Andy is used to. After living with his mother he begins to realize that life is different now compared to when he was living with his grandmother. "lived with my mother for only nine months, but had already discerned that she was different from other mothers. Barely twenty-four, she was likely the youngest of any parent and certainly the least cooperative when it came to domestic chores"(Bridge 66). He is beginning to notice how Hope doesn't behave like his grandmother. She doesn't do things for Andy as readily because she is still adapting her life to his arrival. When he is told that he needs his mom to tailor a bunny suit for an upcoming school play he feels she won't do it. "The chances of my mother sitting in the evening and stitching together a four-foot-three-inch, blue felt bunny were about as flimsy as the tracing paper on which the patterns were drawn"(Bridge 66). He knows that it is unlike his mom to do something like this and doesn't think she will do it. He is beginning to know his mother and he thinks that this is something she won't do.
Andy's mother is trying to do her best for Andy but it is just not enough. She is not used to living with a child who she has to take care of. She used to look out for herself only but now she has to watch over her son. She forgets to make the bunny suit and as the play approaches she is reminded by Andy. "Perplexed, she stared at the instructions, then muttered, "Shit" She looked up at me and saw that my eyes had already begun to redden. "Oh, sweetheart, don't worry. Mom will take care of it, I promise"(Bridge 69). He reaction to the instructions obviously means she forgot. She is desperately trying to come up with a solution as she reassures Andy. She doesn't want him to feel bad. She eventually buys a suit so when Andy is on stage he stands out. The suit is too big so he is moving around randomly and not following the steps. "Silence persisted, hanging heavy among the parents. Then came the hoots and hollers of two audience members, girls more than women, who loved me"(Bridge 73). Despite his performance Hope and her friend cheer widly for Andy. He obviously did the steps wrong but his mom is trying her best to try and make him feel less embarrased. She is trying to comfort him. His mom is trying to treat him well but she just hasn't had the proper experiences in her life.

All My Sons

Joe Keller claims that he was forced to ship the cracked cylinder heads because he needed to protect his family. "You were afraid maybe!God in heaven, what kind of a man are you? Kids were hanging in the air by those heads. You knew that!
For you, a business for you"(Miller 70)! Joe insists that the reason he sent the defective parts out was to protect his family's way of living and to ensure that he would be able to pass on his company to his son. Joe is willing to risk the lives of the pilots to protect his family but some people don't share that mindset. Chris is in shock that his father could do something like that.
"How could I kill anybody?
Dad!Dad!
I didn't kill anybody!
Then explain it to me. What did you do? Explain it to me or I'll tear you to pieces"(Miller 69)! Joe refuses to admit that he had anything to do with the cylinder heads. However Chris realizes the truth and he is shocked that his father did something like that. joe claims it was for the family but Chris doesn't care. He is torn over the fact that his father had something to do with the death of twenty one pilots. Chris obviously doesn't care that he did it for the family. He is just in utter disbelief that his father could kill the people.
I think people should place their family ahead of the society to protect them from harm. If you have to sacrifice your family for the greater good I think a lot of people will choose to not lose their family. Even though more people will be affected it is not right to force somebody to choose between their family and other people. However I think if somebody was required to make this decision they will probably choose their family because family will do a lot of things to protect their family.