Are You an Individual?

Marion Orr’s had a fascinating talk that really opened my eyes to what Baltimore public school systems are like. I assumed that there were trouble, but never to the capacity that Orr described. The children of Baltimore’s public schools are in much need, Orr’s talk attempted to evoke some social responsibility in his audience, and attempted to guide us to make Baltimore and the world a better place.
To begin, Orr mentioned the social and economic trends that have influenced Baltimore. In the year 1950, there were 724,000 white people living in Baltimore; today, there was 206,000 white people. In the 1970’s, there was something called the “white flight,” where 135,000 white people left the city of Baltimore due to what they called “neighborhood conditions.” Critics now say that whites “abandoned” the public schools of Baltimore. By the 1990’s, the schools became the major black employment base, many without a college degree.
Paralleling this, Baltimore used to be a manufacturing city. Low-skilled jobs were popular and no higher education was really needed. At one time, only 9% of the African Americans in Baltimore had received a college degree. The economic restructuring coming away from the manufacturing business gave no help to the African Americans. Most were not really qualified to do much else at this point. It is then that the poverty began to grow.
In 2005, 30% of family’s living with children in Balitmore were living under poverty conditions. In some public schools, 100% of the kids that attended are ALL lived in poverty. Some of this is still true to this day. This only creates additional problems for the school systems. Studies show that children that live in poverty and children that do not are both affected by having other poverty-stricken children around them during school. Also, many kids have special needs and Baltimore public schools do not have the resources or the budget to help them. 65% of the city school budget comes from the state. However, 50% of the votes in elections for governor or senator used to come form the city. Now, only 10% does, so in no way is the city voting for what is needs. To add to the problems, there is a huge gap in social status when comparing the staff and the parents. All of this just creates immense chaos in the public school systems.
Orr did have some hope for the Baltimore public schools. He said that one should treat these poor neighborhoods as an investment, rather than a charity. He also said that there is a responsibility we all must fulfill to help these vulnerable members of society. Baltimore needs leaders within communities all around the city. He said that one must address the barrier and change the environment of Baltimore. This breaking of the barrier correlates to “The Year of City” – the whole point being to reach out into the city and really change someone or something (maybe even yourself). However, I feel as though Loyola looks at the city as something that is charitable, rather than what Orr is looking for (an investment). This could be something Loyola could see through and really try to change.
In both “In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker there is a common theme of a discrepancy between culture and nature. “In a Station of the Metro” there are expressionless faces that show no individuality and are almost metaphorically dead; these faces are compared to petals, or nature, yet nature is quite alive and these faces seem basically dead. In “Everyday Use” there is controversy between culture and an ancestral heritage, or sometimes the natural world. There is also an issue around individuality – the character Wangero tries so hard to be an individual, but in the wrong ways. Both these stories’ issues of individuality (or lack there of) correlates to Marion Orr’s talk on education in Baltimore City – they are trying to become a different kind of school system; most inner city school systems are run down and have the same problems. Through many hardships, one of Orr’s goal is to pull the school system out of its downturn and make it become all it can be.
“In a Station of the Metro” is actually quite a dark poem. Pound must have written this poem while in a Metro station, looking around and seeing no expressions on anyone’s face. The “apparition” rather than appearance of the faces around her refers to the fact that they are expressionless, and metaphorically dead. Why the faces are so expressionless is what the reader asks. Looking further into this, the faces of these humans are compared to petals, or nature. The humans or culture of humanity is being compared to nature. Perhaps these faces are so expressionless because culture has seemingly made humans have no individuality, for Pound says the petals are on a “black bough”. Perhaps the blackness has skewed everyone to just blend in. Moreover, in nature all humans should be individuals or express individuality. Pound seems to think that people having no feeling in their faces or no uniqueness is what is dark about the world. Orr’s talk also expresses the want for individuality. He wants the public school systems to not only be different, but he wants the citizens of Baltimore to be different –he wants them to reach out to communities as an investment. I think a big part of Loyola’s vision is for its students to go out and be different, which is why it stresses community service and various activities so much.
Like “In a Station of the Metro,” “Everyday Use” expresses culture and the natural world, but also uniqueness (or lack there of). “Everyday Use” is a story of a young woman, Dee, who is actually ashamed of her heritage. Walker tries to emphasize here that culture has shaped Dee to think that her ancestral roots are “outdated” or not for liking. In effect, Dee leaves home to go and do her own thing. However, when she returns home from her journey, she changes her name and pleads for things that remind her of her ancestral roots. The point Walker is trying to make here is that connecting with the natural world or one’s roots is not something that can be forced, and that Dee is somewhat fake. Also, the mother and other daughter remember their ancestors as individuals, not just a race. Wangero (Dee) does not fully comprehend what her heritage is about, so can not connect with it. She wants to connect with her heritage for all the wrong reasons. She can not become this individual she hopes to be. Hopefully, Marion Orr will be able to become a unique school system to an inner city. Also, one would hope that Loyola students will not fail to become individuals in life, and will be able to reach out into Baltimore or into the world and make a difference.
Writing this blog has made me wonder about myself, and contemplate if I really am an individual. Hopefully in years to come I will be able to do the most I can with my life, and make a difference.