March 28

Starlit Evening Response

What do you think about the essay topic in Starlit Evening?  Is there any specific passage that appealed to you more than others?  If so, what about it appealed to you and how?

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Posted March 28, 2012 by tashak38 in category Uncategorized

About the Author

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area--Big Up to the East Bay

44 thoughts on “Starlit Evening Response

  1. Mendelssohn V

    I think the essay topic, “Starlit Evening: Oakland Prostitution and California schools”, is very precise; it embraces all the ideas discussed in the essay; includes the topics of: prostitution, California schools and a short interview of a person who is engaged in prostitution. What most appealed to me is the fact that a single test can have a great impact on the life of young students. This made me think on the choices one has if fail to get a degree. In the case of Starlit, she dropped out of high school because she could not graduate due to the CAHSEE exam.

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  2. isela gonzalez & israel puentes

    I thought that this essay seemed very interesting until the last few paragraphs were the writer is only talking about the exams in school. It was somewhat shocking to know that the prostitue wasn’t able to pass the CAHSEE, I mean the CAHSEE seems to be one of the easiest tests ever! & how she also dropped out of high school just because she was six credits behind and wasn’t going to graduate. In my opinion I think that she shouldn’t somehow found a way to at least earn those six credits and earn her high school diploma instead of throwing her education away. In my opion prostitution is something that should be illegal but its’s sad to know that even some police men pull over to have “a good time” with them. Women doing prostitution have no type of respect for themselves.

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  3. Jaspreet

    ”Starlit Evening: Oakland Prostitution and California schools,” made me realize that what happens in school can affect your future. Everyday is an oppurtunity that you should not pass up. I feel that Starlit gave up too easily and should have put more effort. If your not being success then you are not trying hard enough, but at the same time, things like this story are inevitable.

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  4. Renz O.

    I very much agree that capitalistic America is the main problem that the people of the United States would be forced to extremities like… prostitution. The U.S. government would rather buy weapons of mass destruction, than to provide healthcare and improve education the people need. Now, the government even make cuts in the educational system, just to provide even more the already powerful and pretty much unneeded military. I believe that the U.S. government need to get their act together and try to make a difference in this vry poor economy.

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  5. Jesus

    I think it’s sad that america’s wealthy have most of the money, that makes the poor need to due what they can to get money. The recession makes the problem worse beacause of the lost of jobs. The contry needs to give money to schools insted of taking money from it so people can get an education and not end up in the street.

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  6. Gerardo (Jr)

    I also agree with the way they are operating schools and how the test affects the students and schools. There are many people that take these required tests to pass high school that aren’t even ready for it. They make anyone take these tests, even disabled stuedents? I think that’s plain ridiculous. Overall, I’m glad I read this article because it really opened my eyes and everything is so true about what’s going on in this world and in our schools.

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  7. Eduardo C

    The story about scarlet is impressive and it was a good read. It shows how women are willing to do anything to get money. It also shows how women are giving up go easily on their education. The Cahsee is a very easy test that just takes a little hard work to pass it. Insted of giving up and just going to the streets to sell your body, stay at home, open up a book, and do some work. It was a very good read and this story should open up people eyes.

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  8. Jocelyn

    I really enjoyed reading the essay. It was shocking how girls could give up school at the first try when they failed just because they couldn’t pass the CAHSEE. I am aware that just because they didn’t graduate, they think that they could just go to the streets and be prostitutes. Starlit didn’t have to be a prostitue, she just chose to be one. You should just work hard, and see what comes up in the future.

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  9. Adrianna O

    I think it’s crazy how girls get into prostitution. I feel that Starlit chose to be a prostitute because she still had a chance to go back to school and get a high school degree, but she just gave up because the state required students to pass the Cahsee exam in order to graduate. In a way I guess she’s doing it for a good cause because she has 2 kids. I think the point of this story is that you should always worry about your education and to do the best you can and that you make your own decisions in life, you basically chose where you’re gonna be in life.

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  10. Jeanette

    I really enjoyed reading this story. It was interesting and also very true. I think it’s really sad how girls at a young age give up on their education. I am convinced that it is important for teachers to know the situation of their students.

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  11. John P.

    In the essay Starlit Evening: Oakland Prostitution and California Schools, written my Ms. Keeble, she talks about Prostitution in Oakland and how it affects education. She starts the essay about the topic of prostitution and she talks to a prostitute named Starlit. Starlit says that she’s only doing it so she could support her kids at home. That shocked me very emotionally and there are so much more things that she could have don’t differently to support her kids. This essay affected me emotionally and my emotions were continuously changing while reading the essay.

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  12. mike

    Miss Keeble uses different appeals to grab her audience’s attention. She uses facts, emotions, and statistics in her article. In my opinon schools are making it to hard for kids to succede, and move forward. Without a highschool diploma these girls have little options for incomes. The girl feels she has no options because she has no income, and she did not pass the CHASEE. This was intresting because without a proper education and no support she has no options. The school district basically ruined her life because she could not pass a stupid little test.

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  13. larry !

    This story is sad and unpleasant, but in reality most wouldnt be completly shocked by this. One reason is because most arent unaware of these things. But what wouldnt be shocking is, the fact that Starlit is out there prostituting due to the fact that she didnt want to take the CAHSEE, or six credits short from graduating.

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  14. tashak38 (Post author)

    I’m absolutely horrified by the story, ” Starlit Evening: Oakland Prostitution and California schools.” America has the highest amount of children living in poverty of any industrialized country. It is too bad that schools aren’t teaching us what we should learn, such as: Preparing a resume, a budget, balancing a checkbook, etc. Too many young people have had no guidance on their financial path and set themselves for failure by digging a big hole they can not get out of. If you ask a young adult about everything in the system, I’m sure that they won’t know.

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  15. lascenaria

    i think that alot of people go through alot and sometimes you have to make a choise that gets you to were you need to be faster so that you can take care of business, some people just want money fast and dont care how they get it but as fare as education wise everyone needs and deserve a education

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  16. Essie D.

    the article was pretty intresting I though the whole article was going to be about prostitution but it actually turned around . It is really weird that it takes one test to determine your future. Starlit was a girl who probily thought she had a promising future but education in California is affecting people in crazy ways. though she didn’t have to pick prostituting when people drop there education they believe thay have nothing else meaning they settle for less.

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  17. valerie

    This story is a very sad one but it is pretty accurate and realistic part of society we have to deal with.

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  18. Jaspreet

    In the essay, Starlit Evening: Oakland Prostitution and California Schools, Ms.Keeble asserts the problem of prostitution in Oakland and how schooling effected some. This essay was based on seeing many prostitutes and finally being able to see where one, Starlit comes from. Once Ms.Keeble conversed with Starlit she realized how school affected her life. One passage that stood out to me was when Ms.Keeble talked about how the prostitute dropped out of high school just because she was 6 credits short. I know a lot of people who are stressed about school and just want to take the easy way out and not work hard, which is what I feel Starlit did. It is really sad how only 6 credits made her give up and become who she is now.

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  19. Francisco M.

    In the story, Starlit Evening: Oakland Prostituion and California Schools, Ms. Keeble talks about the situatuion of prostitution and California schools. This girl Starlit was six credits short of graduating and since she had to take the Cahsee she never went back. She basically gave up on herself. Ms. Keeble mentions that Tennyson has the highest concentration of English learners in our district yet, in about a year they need to be tested on English. It is not fair that their test scores count with the test scores of students who know proficient english. How are we expected to have the same test scores and schools that are funded by parents organizations? Obiviously they are getting better education. Logos stood out to me the most because seeing how many students do not pass their Cahsee makes me feel pround that I passed mine but also how many students either don’t try or just don’t get enough education.

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  20. Jackie

    In the essay Starlit Evening: Oakland Prostitution and California Schools,I thought it is sad to see young girls have no other way out but to sell themselves. I Think Starlit is lazy, 6 more credits and passing the Cahsee is all she has to do. That is just stupid. I think that testing affects the students a lot. Its true what Mrs. Keeble said that students tend more to give up when they fail a test. And its also true how schools with more money succeed more than the poorer schools. I agree that how a child is raised and his/her environment affects the way a student learns. Students do not just have to give up just because they could not pass a test, or not have the same advantages of others. They should try harder if they really cared

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  21. Jane Cruz

    I really liked this essay. It explained how lucky and fortunate I really am for having friends and family that support me and help me to do my best. The whole essay was very interesting, but there was one part that I really enjoyed. I think that the conversation between the writer and Starlit explained to the audience that this young woman who has potential, is enduring this horrible nightmare of a “job” to make ends meet. Because of that one test she lost her faith in everything including herself.

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  22. Regina Lewis

    This essay was very good, but everything I read, I already knew with experience or other people’s experiences. The prostitution is very high in Oakland and around the world! Especially, on E.14th, because my old church is on that street, so I have seen everything already. Some of my old friends from elementary school and middle school are prostitutes. Therefore, they still are and have two or three babies like Starlit. PROSTITUTION IS THE MODERN SLAVERY!
    The school system is just corrupt with the rate of dropouts and students not passing the CASHEE. I blame the elementary schools, because the CAHEE is based on 6th grade math and maybe English. Why aren’t mass of high school students not passing?

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  23. Jacob

    The essay “Starlit Evening” was very interesting to read. This essay appealed to me because it was based on a relevent topic and I was able to relate to viewing the same issue. The ethos of thiis essay is what stood out to me the most. The author includes, “Somehow because these girls live here, we seem to conclude they have clearly made this choice.” I completely agree with this satatement; when I hear about prostitution in other countries, I think of the situation as the females are being forced to prostitute at will, but when I see prostitution where I live, I assume that these girls choose to prostitute for their own reasons.

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  24. Shamsher Khan

    I found this article interesting and very emotional. It was very sad to hear about the girls that looked 11 being prostitutes. I felt like crying…. on the inside. I also found that you used alot of pathos which made things alot more interesting.(Good job!) Also, you did a good job transitioning from prostitution to school and testing.

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  25. Maria

    While reading “Starlit Evening: Oakland Prostitution and California Schools” I started to think about how prostitution and Standardized Tests link together. I was shocked, how can a girl have her life highly affected by a test. I was felt embaressed as I read the essay, although we (students) might come from a place where our background might not be as plesent or simply “how it should be” we should have the same standards as any other school in California. Those students who cannot pass the test, if they really cared, would go to programs offered by the school such as after-school tutoring. If one student can be better or the same as another proficient student is because they worked hard to get where they are, and anyone else can work hard to get where they want to be. Starlit did not have to be a prostitute, she chose to be one. The word is preseverence, work hard and you will see results.

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  26. Nina H.

    In Starlit Evening, written by Ms. Keeble, it conveys the story of how our school system works in America. It discusses reasons about how we force students to take the CAHSEE, although some, due to their environment and living arrangements cause them to test in a different way. (Most likely, lower than the “average” and “normal” student.) The term “No Child Left Behind” is questioned. Students who are incapable with testing at the required level fall short, and end up living their lives in ways unimaginable. What stood out to me the most would have to be the logos in the story, because the facts and description causes you to think about the life that these people have to live. They have no income, therefore, to receive money, they sell their bodies to desperate, disgusting men. It is a shame to see that these young girls are out there on the streets, with no one to help them. The quote, “And although I have a number of students off at Cal and other UC’s last week I saw one of my former students begging in front of the supermarket.” It’s heartbreaking to know that this student who once had goals and dreams to succeed in life, is left begging for “extra change”. I just hope one day the term “No Child Left Behind” would literally mean, “No Child [is] Left Behind”.

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  27. Sabrina

    The essay “Starlit Evening”, was an interesting one, although I thought the entire thing was going to be about prostitution. The way that it suddenly transitioned into complaining about the inhumanity of school tests caught me off guard. It was well written, but a bit conversational for it’s serious topic. The first half of the essay appealed to me the most, because it caught my attention, and it was effective in connecting school to a controversial topic that affects many people. I also found the part about the tests being inhumane interesting. This essay has convinced me that teachers need to be more aware of students’ situations at home before demanding that they pass a series of stressful exams.

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  28. Demi M.

    In “Starlit Evening”, Ms. Keeble conducts how prostitution among the lives of young kids in California is becoming more dominant among education. It’s a shame how young kids these days choose to sell themselves to make a living, rather than go to school. But not only that, it’s because they’d rather work to make income, than stay in school. Ms. Keeble states “Prostitution appears to have lost its power to demean.” I find this very true; prostitution degrades one’s self and can cause them to lose their respect and their dignity. Young kids these days would rather lose that than stay in school.. Mostly because they fail. In this case, Starlit was 6 credts away, but dropped out. She has two kids and no income. She’s 26 years old. Education is what failed her, and that CAHSEE especially. I think the main idea of this prompt was that we have to take education seriously, and have teachers willing to help us and find the time to do so. Because staying in school will eventually pay off in the end.

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  29. Eva

    In the essay, “Starlit Evening,” author Tasha Keeble investigates how our children are being tested as if we live in a socialist society. We want our children to be sucessful, we, however, leave our childrens’ fate in the hands of bubbling in circles. Pathos was used to inhibit the controversial side on the essay. It brought imagery that made us feel as if we were the children spoken about. Also, logos was used. The facts influenced the speaker’s point of view. Combining these two appeals, the speaker created a sense knowledge and personal experience.

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  30. George C

    I agree with Mrs.Keeble’s position in “Starlit Evening.” I like how she introduced her position by using Starlit as a powerful appeal to pathos. I agree that standardised tests are ineffective in evaluating a student’s abilities. I believe students should be judged by their ability to learn, not the knowledge they possess. Knowledge can be gained at anytime. Google has the answer to almost anything. However, the ability to learn is priceless because possessing that trait can lead to limitless knowledge, limited only by the individuals desire to learn. On the other hand, I respect Starlit’s struggle and her method of coping with the system, however, I believe she could have handled her situation more effectively. For example, instead of being out on the street, trying to make money by pleasing callous men, she could be going to a public library, studying for the CAHSEE and retaking it to get her diploma. In “Starlit Evening”, Mrs.keeble recalls her conversation with Starlit when she states ,”I’m just six credits short of graduating…” I believe this statement is very contradictory because if she was only 6 credits short, then she should have just stuck through and graduated. To me, she is saying that she quit the race six inches from the finish line. Im certain that her current situation would be much better if she just finished highschool. However, like Mrs.Kebble points out, standardised tests are very socialists ideologies. That means, the standardised tests treat us as if we are all equal. However, due to capitalism, that isn’t the case. You cant compare a child living in poverty, with an enviroment filled with crime and drugs, to a priveleged child in a wealthy family.

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  31. Deyantae

    This was an embarrasing article I read, and ver interesting. Because im from Oakland and reading this makes me feel very bad for the people and the city because it doesnt look good. People should really do something about it because having these young girls in it at eleven and twleve is a heart-breaker. Its a good article as well and people should see this, this is because maybe people you know or knew can be experiencing it as well. Its kind of sad to know what’s happening but people choose their on life but of out all things prostitution shoulnd’nt be an option.

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  32. Jonathan

    I should say that this passage, this essay seemed a little bit controversial, about this young woman working for her childer’s future, trying to teach them right. Well, she as a mother has to know that there are many other ways to gain money. And not even going to school, what kind of education is she going to teach her childrens? I just can not imagine her in 8 more years, where is she going to be, what would her kids doo, I’m not confident that she will not be a good influence for hey cheldren!…

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  33. Ivan a

    Its sad to read this story because these 11 year old girls really dont have another option because they are forced to prostitute themselves.

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  34. francisco

    i think its sad how this girl gives up her education just cause she didnt pass that test , she gave up to easy and gave up into prostetution ,thats like the worst thing a woman can do. its really sad how they chose that over studing.

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  35. Edgar & Javier

    I think the essay topic in starlit evening was really touching. So many girls today are doing the wrong things for no apparent reason. The essay seems to get to the bottom of it when the speaker asks a young lady why she didn’t finish high school, to what she responded with, “the cahsee.” This surprised me a bit because the cahsee is just one mesely test and it is not even that hard. The girls see the world an entirely different as they think this is their way to survive and that is truly sad.

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  36. Charisma

    The most appealing topic to me was about California schools. I wonder why, they make students or immigrants who havent been in the United States for at least 1 to 10 years take the chasee. Even for the U.S citizens including metally disabled ones. Not saying that the test is hard, but how can one move forward when that is the only thing thats holding them back from graduating high schools. Schools in poor nieghborhood, I believe has the lowest graduating rate. Only because the don’t have good resources or classes to help them pass a test or graduate.

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  37. Aiga

    I really enjoyed this article. It was really interesting and true! It was true about young girls being in the streets with no one caring and the way they operate the schools in California. I’ve also learned some things by reading this article. I felt the sadness when I was reading about Starlit and how she just gave up because of a test she couldn’t pass. She could’ve passed if she set her mind to it and really tried. I also agree with the way they are operating schools and how the test affects the students and schools. There are many people that take these required tests to pass high school that aren’t even ready for it. They make anyone take these tests, even disabled stuedents? I think that’s plain ridiculous. Overall, I’m glad I read this article because it really opened my eyes and everything is so true about what’s going on in this world and in our schools.

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  38. jose e

    This artical is very shocking to most poeple because it talks about young girls doing prostitution in oakland and that city is not that far from us.

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  39. Araceli R

    My response to the reading i just read was a shocking. I couldnt believe that she didnt finish high school just because she didnt pass the CAHSEE , she choose to live the life she lives now because of her high school life. Its amazing on how these girls start to prostitute just something very small affected their lifes. On a quick blink of an eye people’s lifes change.

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  40. jose echeverria

    What i thought about this artical is that I found its very shocking that females are prostituting in oakland. I didn’t know that these things were going on, also this city of oakland is not that far from our hometown so it makes it more shocking because we live in this envirement.

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  41. jose e

    I think of this artical is that its very shocking that females are prostituting in oakland. I didn’t know that these things were going on, also this city of oakland is not that far from our hometown so it makes it more shocking because we live in this envirement.

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  42. humberto v

    its sad knowing how girls that are teenagers are prostitudes and that no one is doing nothing about it

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  43. Jan

    Prostitutioin is bad and such. Why did Ms keeble not help them is she a bad person. What was ms keeble thinking i wonder. Also whats up with Oakland. And if no one cares why should we. There making money anyways so no problem let them make there money…

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