Andrew McTigue
Professor
Young
English Writing 1101
9/11/16
1) Discuss the perception of City Hall officials to Lee. How do they treat her? What quotes support this? Are they fulfilling their responsibility to protect?
2) Discuss the response of the EPA to Lee. What is their response to her? What quotes support this? Are they fulfilling their responsibility to protect?
The
local government of Friendswood, Texas label their choice of silencing the words
from the unofficial prophet with claims of providing stability. Lee Knowles simply
presents findings that “concentrations of benzene have actually declined five
percent since the chemicals were buried,” and cancer rates are “five times the
national average.” However, she knows there is no emotional connection to
persuade the high court, especially not Mrs. Dawson, the EPA representative
with “one of those overly animated faces,” (Steinke, 88). The devil always
appears to make the choice to not lose energy “trying to get” those who do fear
to view health defects in the mirror, as he knows they choose to ignore the “one
mistake after another rising up to laugh at” them (Steinke, 12, 13). He therefore
constructs the arrogance of those with success so such people can think an
outsider’s beliefs would “hurt” local businesses. Anybody who ever felt cursed
leaves the courthouse feeling their beliefs, that they had built tirelessly
through a lifetime of experience “can’t get any better than that” of written
evidence (Steinke, 91).
Nonetheless,
when the council responds to Lee’s claims that “there was no container on the
site the day after [she] supposedly took those photographs,” she finds her
weariness abruptly churns into a focused fury (Steinke, 90). The repetition of “so
much flatness, so much indifference” delivering excruciatingly obvious
dishonesty in her memory made her patience become completely dissolved
(Steinke, 90). She could practically feel her filter for her rage against unfeeling
implode on itself. She finds her mind to speak for herself as she praises her “common
sense,” seemingly acting uncaring of those who are about to claim, “You’re
good. You better watch yourself,” (Steinke, 91). Thus, the mental hierarchy of Friendswood,
Texas makes protection of basic living become practically a figure of Jess’s
imagination.
“I’d
be happy to take a look at your results,” (Steinke, 90). The shock from Mrs.
Dawson’s response ended Lee’s outflow. Any sense of optimism, however, once
again became ignited under instruction the subsequent night. As Lee read the Ecological Defense Manual, a book from a
colleague who works with the EPA, she felt as if every teaching she received
from Avery Taft became reflected back to her. The “misspellings, illustrations
like panels from a comic book [and] cheerful tone like a cruel teenager’s” gave
the appearance of the devil’s strawman, but there was a line in the longest
chapter (Steinke, 94). The agency attempted to defend their audacity of arrogance
through claims of purpose “to protect itself from the greedheads,” (Steinke,
94). Lee closed the novel being devastated to be unsurprised. The EPA stood as
an icon of governmental hierarchy disguised as protection. Just six years prior
to our protagonist’s tirade, the agency claimed the air in Lower Manhattan was “safe
to breathe.” Fifteen years later, the apology former EPA head Christine Todd
Whitman has become another sign of insincerity among first responders. "If
she was sincere she would have walked the halls of Congress with me. If she was
sincere, she could have gone to one of the 154 funerals with me. She was
reckless and careless because of her words, and believe it or not, words have
consequences. God's going to be her judge." If the Environmental Protection
Agency chose not to fulfill their promise to those who gave their lives to
rebuild America after its darkest day, how would they be selfless enough to
fulfill their promise to a forgettable location in Texas farmland?
"Security protocols are crucial. Above all, do not get caught," (Steinke, 94).
Works Cited
Ginger Adams Otis (2016). Ex-EPA boss
Whitman offers first-ever apology for bad info on post-9/11 air quality:
‘People have died because I made a mistake.” New York Daily News. Retrieved
from <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ex-epa-boss-whitman-apologizes-bad-info-9-11-air-quality-article-1.2786706>.
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