Chloe Mohamed, 9 (Wilton, CT) Tick-tock, tick-tock, the time seems to move like a snail as I wait for the world to move like a cheetah towards the Light Right now, It seems as if night rules the world And burns everyone’s Candle inside of them Everyday, I watch as the light of the sun rises And falls, And it can’t Get Up I try to lift up my heart for The sun But it’s like there is a spell On my heart Because Instead of it getting up, Everything falls, Including, Earth Deep down inside my bones and deep through my blood, I know that Soon, Light will shine For now, The world will have to wait For someone to heal its heartache
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
We’re the Resilient Generation, Not the COVID Generation
We’re the Resilient Generation, Not the COVID Generation Olivia Shekou, 12 What is resilience? “Resilience” is used in physics to describe the way materials revert back to their original shape after undergoing some kind of shock or impact. In medicine, “resilience” describes a patient’s ability to recover after a traumatic event, such as surgery or accidents. “Resilience” was used by my younger brother who came back from Kindergarten one day, now five years ago, saying that his teacher told him “resilience means to bounce back.” That sure struck a chord with him. During our current pandemic, I think we can agree that “resilience” describes our ability to cope with stress, loss, and anxiety in the face of a deadly virus that has swept across the globe. Generation Z (those born between 1995-2009), like myself, and Generation Alpha (those born between 2010-2024), like my younger brother, have quickly learned to wear masks, socially distance, frequently wash our hands, elbow bump rather than hug, and drill test swabs high up in our noses in an effort to do our part. We all waited forever for the vaccine and were quick to line up for it so we could see our grandparents again be social citizens. Our resilience comes from just this—our excitement to return to our schools and communities. It comes from our desire for normalcy, especially coming off the heels of a long depressing year of virtual learning and what felt like a “caged” interaction with our friends who we needed more than ever. Many of us had a serious case of cabin fever, and too many of us were grieving the loss of a family member or friend whose funerals we couldn’t even attend. We’ve been through the unimaginable, all the while watching our own parents figure out how to keep their jobs, care for their own aging and very much vulnerable parents, and guide us in times they’ve never experienced or imagined before. They had no manual or experience of their own to draw from. What we’ve been through has felt like cruel and unusual sci-fi torture. I’ve thought long and hard about the countless immigrant children who move to new unfamiliar countries with no manual of their own, and only their own desire for a better life that fuels their resilience. According to a 2016 UNICEF report, one in eight migrants worldwide are children and these numbers are especially high within refugee populations. Sadly, these immigrant children experience trauma from culture shock, language barriers, racism and, oftentimes, bullying, and yet a large percentage of them recover from the trauma, integrate and thrive. I believe their resilience resides in their motivation for a better life. One such example is a character in the novel Dragonwings, by Lawrence Yip, which I read while stuck at home for my sixth grade year during the pandemic. The character, Moon Shadow Lee, soon became my hero and someone I drew upon to help me through the many ups and downs of our pandemic. Moon Shadow Lee, the 8-year old immigrant narrator and protagonist in Dragonwings, moved from his native country, China, to a new world, the U.S., only to relocate yet again in the aftermath of a natural disaster, all the while confronting racism and violence. At age eight, he traveled alone from China to San Francisco during the 1903 Gold Rush and learned to assimilate in a new environment with many obstacles and unimaginable hurdles. On his first night in San Francisco, Moon Shadow reunites with his father and other family members who run the “Company,” a laundromat service in Chinatown. He receives a rude awakening when some evil Americans—”demons”— shatter their laundromat window with bricks. Soon after, Moon Shadow is unexpectedly beaten by his very own cousin, Black Dog, who turns out to be a corrupt and vile family member. In response to this incident and in search of a safer place to live, Moon Shadow and his father, Windrider, pick up again and relocate to live with the Whitlaw’s outside of Chinatown. Not long after this move, an earthquake devastates San Francisco, uprooting them yet again to a barn in Oakland, a move in which they are rudely awakened again by Black Dog who surreptitiously seeks them out and steals their savings. As a result, they have no way of paying rent on their farm, and through this struggle, Moon Shadow develops a deep level of resilience. Despite this unexpected setback, Moon Shadow and his father manage to pay their rent and go on to achieve their ultimate goal of flying their glider, Dragonwings, a symbol of their freedom and aspirations. Boy did he teach me a number on resilience. Let Moon Shadow’s story be an inspiration to us all. American students and children everywhere, we too are resilient in the face of adversity. We have proved that we are not the COVID Generation, but the Resilient Generation. We too have our kites and gliders to fly, our hopes and ambitions to achieve. Resilience is a shared but unique experience to each of us. What if resilience were a color? If we received exactly what we needed right now in the form of a drop of light in our hearts, what color would it be? Dragonwings by Laurence Yep. Harper Collins, 2001. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Asian Americans: a PBS Documentary Series, Reviewed by Ian, 12
Ian Chen, 12 (San Jose, CA) I just watched Asian Americans, a documentary series by PBS, a few days ago. It took me through the hardships of Chinese railroad workers 150 years ago to strikes led by Filipino grape farmers to the brutal murder of Vincent Chin and to one of the longest student strikes in U.S. history. Over the years, Asian Americans have not been able to get recognition for the deeds that they have done, justice for unfair working conditions, and even basic living conditions, all while working so hard to make America the country it is today. PBS’s documentary highlights some of the biggest trials that Asian Americans have faced as a people. I was startled to see some more obscure events such as the student strike, but not at all when I saw the part about the railroad workers. I had heard about the railroad workers before, and had even entered a drawing contest about the 150th anniversary of the completion of the railroad. However, one thing was universal, no matter if I had some background in the historical event: I had never known the full extent of the hardship, the prejudice, and the injustice involved. The railroad couldn’t have possibly been built without Chinese immigrants sacrificing their lives for every mile of the track laid down through the American wilderness. Still, they got paid less than the Irish workers and were omitted from the ceremony of the connection of the two sides of the railroad. The Chinese workers worked faster and harder than any other people, yet they did not receive the appreciation that they deserved. In those times, Asian Americans had never been accepted, and in some ways, we still aren’t. During World War II, Japanese American people were arrested and sent to internment camps simply because they were Japanese and Japan was one of the enemy countries. Families were split apart, children grew up feeling insecure in the camps, and they were deprived of the justices that made America renowned throughout the world. Many of them tried to prove their loyalty to America by joining the army. Many of them died. Except this wasn’t a question of loyalty: it was a question of race. Even though many Japanese Americans joined the army, their families were still detained in camps and had their freedoms taken away. Many of them joined the 442nd Infantry Regiment, a segregated regiment with only Japanese Americans. They eventually became one of the most decorated regiments, finally celebrated for their courage and heroism. I once thought that Roosevelt was flawless, a perfect representative of our country, but now I know that everybody has their own limitations when the documentary talked about him signing the Japanese concentration camp order. Everyone wants to know their own history. During the Cold War, many colleges did not teach minority history in their classes. The students started protesting, requesting Asian American courses. Mexican Americans joined in, and soon, most of the campus was alive with hope for a way to embrace and spread their own cultures. The police and the school did not agree. They responded with brutality, waving their batons while arresting strikers for no reason. The strikers still worked despite the fact that they could be put in jail, killed, or seriously injured. Finally, they succeeded after many months of carrying on the fight. Their legacy still lives on today. Because of them, people all over America now embrace their ethnicity and culture. Back then, Asians couldn’t do anything, whether it was buying houses, going to school with other races, or getting white collar jobs. Even acting in Hollywood was considered an impossibility, though a handful made it. At first, Asian actors could only act out the villains, making Americans even more biased. But in the flow of time, more and more people had the chance to act as the heroes of society. This inspired many people to stand up for what is right. For example, Bruce Lee was a very accomplished actor who made other Asians want to be movie stars. Now, the situation is becoming much better. Asian Americans are not being bullied so much, and some are even being celebrated for their successes. Asian Americans have stood up for themselves from the very beginning, when they first came to America. Now, the hard work of our ancestors has finally paid off after all these years. History has taught us many lessons. One of them is to never underestimate a race. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a lot of unjustified criticism because of the fact that it came from China, especially from the 45th president, Donald Trump. Trump liked calling it the Wuhan Virus and the Kung Flu, acting as if it were China’s fault. Because of this, many of us are being scapegoated. I think this documentary series is doing an excellent job of reinforcing the past in our minds, so that history may not repeat itself by having Asian Americans being looked down upon again.
