Who Should Speak & When is it permissible to dissent?

Who Should Speak? The Citizens of Friendswood? An Esteemed Institution? Why?

The people of Friendswood have been faced with a traumatic and massively destructive situation regarding the oil spill that occurred some time ago. The people of Friendswood are in the process of trying to regain control of their land and lives all while dealing with the emotional and physical effects that the spill has had on them and their families. 

However, what the citizens (all except for Lee) do not know is that the EPA, who allegedly is serving as the relief system and control center for repairing and rejuvenating the lost land, has been deceiving them and downplaying/ignoring the true effects and longevity of the toxic oil festering under the surface of their soil. The toxic and deadly oil that originally created such damage from the oil spill is still present underneath the land that construction companies are beginning to claim. Lee, who is first-handedly aware of the effects that the toxic oil can cause is determined to out the EPA and make sure that no one else risks their lives or that of their families by living on that land.

In this case, it is the EPA's responsibility to inform their citizens of the danger that exists under their potential new homes. Whether or not the EPA knows for a fact that the soil is still 100% toxic, they should either alert their citizens (who whole-heartedly trust them for information) or work harder than they are to take precautionary measures to ensure that the land is clean again. Until they do this, they cannot be considered the "Environmental Protection Agency" since they are not doing everything in their power to protect the environment.

When is it Permissible to Dissent?

For such a small town, Friendswood has undergone such extreme hardship and disaster these past few years regarding the oil spill and the potential rape of teenager Willa. While living in a small town may seem ideal and more familial to some people, it also attests to the fact that people are more likely to be easily swayed to push certain controversial matters under the rug at the risk of ruining or creating a rift in their small and tight knit community. This fear of speaking out has most definitely taken over Friendswood whether its citizens know it or not, and in order for their problems to end, people need to begin to speak out and against certain institutions, people, and movements. In this case, dissent is necessary for the survival of this hurting town and its citizens.

Dissent, while unnecessary usually, can actually lead to problems being resolved and a general feeling of unity among a group of people. However, in order for dissent to be a positive thing, it must be used at the right time. For example; it is permissible for Lee and the citizens of Friendswood to create dissent among their town with the EPA regarding the misconceptions of their so-called "clean" land which in all reality is filled with toxic soil. In this case dissent is permissible because it is being carried out in regards of the citizens' safety, not simply for the satisfaction of fighting authority. 

Another example of a time in which dissent would be permissible is regarding the Stanford rape case. In this case, a young woman who was allegedly raped by an "upstanding student"/future Olympic swimmer is being intensely interrogated in a way that insinuates that she is the attacker rather than the victim. Along with that, her rapist is being let out prison early on the account that he was "drinking therefore unaccountable for his actions" and because "20 minutes of action shouldn't ruin his life". In this case, dissent is most definitely permissible. While the young woman and her family may be afraid to dissent or speak out against this man's actions as a result of backlash from haters or the media, justice will never be truly reached. As stated in the article, "This is not a story of another drunk college hookup with poor decision making. Assault is not an accident." (p.9)

Finally, in a case similar to that of the citizens of Friendswood, a small town in East Chicago was recently forced to evacuate their homes and "scramble to find new ones" as a result of toxic soil. These people were constantly lied to and told that the soil and their land would be fine and that there was no need to move since the soil can be safely removed. However, the mayor abruptly informed all 1,100 citizens that they have only 1 month and a little sum of money to immediately move out and restart their lives elsewhere. Understandably, the citizens of this East Chicago town are horrified and annoyed and worried for the safety of themselves and their 670 children. This example also justifies the idea that dissent is indeed permissible when a specific institution, group of people, or single person threaten the safety or well being of an individual or group of people.

Works Cited: 

Baker, Katie. "Here  is The Powerful Letter The Stanford Victim Read Aloud to her Attacker." BuzzFeed.com BuzzFeed, 3 Jan. 2016. Web. 07 Sept. 2016.

Goodnough, Abby. "Their Soil Toxic, 1,100 Indiana Residents Scramble to Find New Homes." The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2016. Web. 07 Sept. 2016.

Friendswood Questions

Question #1: Who are the main characters thus far? What quotes from the text can you use to support your answer?

Rene Steinke, the author of Friendswood uses a specific technique that easily identifies the novel's main characters; she titles each chapter with either one of three character names, Lee, Hal, or Willa, and uses whichever character's name is the title to distinguish which person that specific chapter will focus on. For example; chapter one is titled "Lee" and is based off of her experiences, while chapter two is titled "Hal" and is based off of his experiences, and so on. 

Lee: From only reading the first 30 pages of the novel, Lee is the character that seems to be the most prominent. Her character is portrayed as a preoccupied woman intent on proving to her fellow citizens that the land where the oil spill took place is still extremely toxic and unsanitary, therefore unable to safely sustain human life. Lee has sacrificed so much already to attempt to prove that the construction company should not be issued the building permit (such as run-ins with the law, illegal trespassing, etc.) that she feels she has nothing else to lose.  That being said, the multiple descriptions of her that have been stated so far portray her as a woman who has lost a sense of fear and rationality (or to put it in a 21st century term, she has taken a "yolo" approach to life).

"she stared at the dark glass in the windowpanes, not fearful because what could touch her now? but waiting, as the body of the world thrashed around her”. (page 5) ... "she had already trespassed a dozen times in broad daylight The last time she'd been chased off the property by a speeding white truck." (page 6)

Hal: Hal's character is an unhappy and ashamed real estate agent who has desperately been trying (and failing) at selling houses, and praying more and drinking less. Similarly to how Lee has been unsuccessfully attempting to prove to the construction company that the oil in the surrounding areas is still toxic, Hal continues to unsuccessfully sell houses. However, both Hal and Lee refuse to give up on the hope that one day their efforts will prove fruitful, and towards the end of each of their chapters a sense of that hope is closer than it ever has been. Lee comes across a container filled with toxic oil and eagerly snaps 22 pictures of it in the hopes that this will finally be what she needs to prove her hypothesis; likewise back at his office, Hal receives a message from a person of higher authority named Avery explaining that he would like to meet with him, and in the hopes of being offered to work with Avery, Hal is filled with the same feeling of eagerness as Lee had been. Lee and Hal's similar experiences thus far and the fact that both of them are part of ruined marriages and lost their children make them sort of foils of each other.

"he believed he needed to pray more. he needed to get rid of bad moods and doubts, especially when he was out on calls. That was the devil trying to get to him. And he'd said good riddance to the devil last year when he stopped drinking cold." (page 13)

Question #2: How is Friendswood described? What quotes from the text can you use to support your answer?

There are many ways in which Friendswood can be described at this point in the novel, however these descriptions vastly differ whether or not they are being made pre or post oil spill.

Pre Oil Spill:

Traditionally Farm-Like: 

Friendswood, before the destructive oil spill seemed to be considered a peaceful, quiet area filled with close knit families and neighbors who had long established roots in their small town. The prelude's description of Friendswood paints the exact image one would expect to see when driving through the country side and coming across a stereotypical small farm town.

"they turned the corner and the sunset spread before them, two sparrows perched on a fence, radio jangling out of someone’s window” (prelude)...“she took off her shoes to feel her feet in the grass, and she looked out at Banes field, scrub weeds and stooped trees. The old, defunct refinery still stood there, as if there might be some reward in the futility of it; the small plane flew low now above the flat warehouse and white cylinder oil tank.” (prelude)

Post Oil Spill:

A Place of Recovery: 

As shown through the church donation center and the progressive reconstruction of dilapidated buildings and houses, Friendswood after the oil spill is in a state of much needed recovery, and it seems as though while most of the emphasis is on the gloom and duress of it's residents, there still remains a glisten of hope (regardless of how dim the glisten) in Friendswood. 

“it was sunny again for the first time in days, and light mirrored off all the wet surfaces. Post-storm, people drove slowly, traffic was sparse. Here and there fallen branches and toppled signs lay on either side of the road, but things were getting back to normal.” (p.3) “the Welcome to Friendswood sign blown down, the roof vanisophed from the German bakery, gray water flooding the low-lying parking lot of the bank.” (pg. 4)

A Place that had Given up: 

While recovery is most definitely on the minds of all of the Friendswood residents, they seem to have taken a lackluster, lazy, and distanced approach to solving their problems. They are aware that Friendswood is in dire need of help, but they simply think about or hope that improvement will come rather than acting upon it. 

"Lee kept to this unwooded side of Tubb Gully, closer to where they’d buried the chemicals years ago in a number of truck-sized vinyl containers, no better than giant Tupperware, really.” (pg. 7) “there was a goddamn drought of common sense around here. Too many people just wanted to fail.” (pg. 18)