Allen Atienza Journal 3 Diary 18 The student who wrote diary 18 realizes a peanut is like world peace by picturing

human beings as the peanuts. It started when Ms. Gruwell compares a peanut to world peace. The student became furious because the student has no idea how a peanut could connect with world peace. That all changed when the student remembered a quote stating, Its not the messenger, but the message. After remembering the quote, the student goes into an even deeper meaning of the peanuts being like humans. He saw peanuts in different shapes, shades, and sizes. The student observed that some of the peanuts were tall, short, fat, skinny, black, white, and yellow people. The student writes that this is the deepest the student has ever thought and he makes different connections. The quote makes the student realize how much the student is exposed to discrimination, injustice, and labeling. The student says world peace is only a dream because people arent as accepting as other people are because of their physical appearances. People are not as accepting because many people decide not to match someones physical appearance with their beliefs and self-worth. Research There are many factors that could have caused the increased gang activity in LA in the 1990s. Some of those factors could be drugs, money, sex, family, territory, ignorance, race, etc. The main reason for the increased gang atctivity in LA was music. I think the reason why students of Wilson High are heavily involved in gangs is because their families were involved and they became involved or it could be that students joined gangs to protect themselves by being in a gang (ironic). Another reason could be so that the students could fit in and stick to the status quo. The students who are affiliated in these gangs could think that they are achieving respect because they will fight to be at the top. Compared to a different point of view, the students really arent achieving anything, but increased thought of violence and killing.