Descriptive Essay

     During winter break I mostly slept and played video games. It was the best time of my life. The first day I slept and watched T.V. But, I also had drivers training that day. During drivers training I drove for two hours to practice for my driving test. I was so sleepy but I still had to drive, it felt like I was driving forever. I continued that routine every day all the way through Monday.

     On Christmas day I woke up at seven in the morning and tried to wake up my mom but she was too lazy to get up. I got sad and went back to sleep. I woke up at ten in the morning and I finally got my mom to get up too. I went to open my gifts and when I only saw a card under the tree I got sad but then I opened it and saw I got a debit card and some money. The next day I used some of my money to buy a new phone. The next day I went to go take my driving test. I was so nervous and I had butterflies in my stomach but in the end I did good. I only got six things wrong when the most you could get wrong was fifteen. I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling. That same day I drove all the way to Lancaster to my dad's house. It was really far but I made it even though I was really tired.

     When I got to my dad's house I slept even more and also I played even more video games. But, I also had to take care of all my little cousins. They would come every morning to wake me up at six in the morning. Then I would make them breakfast. After that they would just run around everywhere and annoy me. Then I would take nice long naps in the afternoon. On New Years Eve my stepmom cooked a lot of good food. She made macaroni and cheese, turkey, ham, dressing, and cornbread. For dessert we had chocolate cake and ice cream. I ate so good that night that I fell asleep at eight and woke up at four in the morning. I missed New Years because that food was so good. I wasn't even mad because I had such good sleep. I woke up to so many texts and everyone was mad at me because they thought i was ignoring them. After that I went home and did nothing for the rest of break. 

Civil Disobedience

     A very historical example of civil disobedience is the civil rights movement of the 1960's. In this movement people protested peacefully the segregation in the South. This was a very effective way to protest because millions of people joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his marches and listened to his speeches. This form of civil disobedience was more effective than others because they did not need to use violence. The civil rights movement was effective because segregation affected many peoples' lives which made them want to contribute to the movement. The civil rights movement also was effective because their boycotts and sit-in's started to gain more and more national attention as they got bigger. To gain even more national attention they would protest in more than one area. "To divert attention from the sit-in at Woolworth's, the picketing started at JCPenney's a good fifteen minutes before."(Moody, pg.208). 

     The civil rights movement was more effective than other movements because more than just African Americans helped the cause. Some of the whites in America also didn't like the idea of segregation. In an excerpt from the novel "Coming of Age in Mississippi", "A middle-aged white woman who had not yet been served rose from her seat and came over to us. I'd like to stay here with you,"she said(Moody, pg.209). This excerpt shows that more than just African Americans wanted to help the civil rights movement. Some whites had sympathy for the African Americans which is why they wanted to help. "When asked why she had said what she said to us,she replied, I am in sympathy with the negro movement."(Moody, pg.209). Even though most of the African Americans were being heckled for supporting the civil rights movement they still kept their composure and did not turn to violence as the answer. That is why the civil rights movement was effective. Moody says, "A couple of the boys took one end of the rope and made it into a hangman's noose. Several attempts were made to put it around our necks...... We kept our eyes straight forward and did not look at the crowd except for occasional glances to see what was going on."(Moody, pg.209).
     The Civil Rights movement is different from the tree-sitting because it was a national issue and it was much less effective. But, they are similar because both movements were peaceful. Although African Americans were getting attacked mentally, emotionally and physically they still managed to be peaceful protesters. The Civil Rights movements and the tree-sitting at UC Berkeley are also similar because they both used sit-in's as a form of protesting.
     An act of civil disobedience like the Civil Rights movement would not work in today's world. In today's world there would be a lot less support. Most people would not want to march because they don't feel like walking long distances or they might complain that its too hot to march. Also the police would be way more harsh. In the 1960's during the Civil Rights movement the police would use powerful fire truck hoses to control the many people protesting. If the same thing was to happen now the police would use much more powerful weapons like guns and rubber bullets. The use of those weapons by the police would make even more people not want to participate in the movement. The sit-in's also wouldn't work in today's world because the police would probably just forcefully move the people out of the store or restaurant. That is why marches and sit-in's would not work today.