Victoria Sheridan Friendswood Pages 63-94 Reading Log Questions

     It is in the midst of the most grueling situations that the most desperate cries for change become audible.  The tortured grief that plagues Lee’s heart took root in the wood-paneled room of City Hall and bloomed into a hot-blooded passion.  Complacent men who believed they had the authority to pass the final judgment couldn’t dampen the fire in Lee’s soul.  Because of Lee’s persistent tenacity to make her voice heard, it was no surprise that the smug officials perceived Lee to be an annoying gnat that caused a rift between them and their beloved plans.  Lee clearly stood as a threat, but to treat her as such would give her the momentum to surge forward with even greater vivacity than she did before.  Showing their intimidation would loosen the very foundations in which they built their authority on, so they try to write Lee off as an insane nutcase who has lost all the reason needed to be considered a valid source of information.  The officials attempted to create an impenetrable wall that would not let Lee’s ideas seep through the cracks.  Only by belittling Lee and ignoring her very daunting case could they hope to succeed.  Lee was lucky if she could scrape away the wall brick by brick, for “it was rare that she managed to get her concerns on the agenda anymore…she could usually say a few things about her research before adjournment, and maybe two or three out of thirty people would listen” (Steinke 87).  The officials absorbed a persona of nonchalance and acted as if the sweat didn’t drip down their brow.  The councilman with a “blunt face like a bull’s” stood “with that thin smile” (Steinke 87-88).  The officials created an illusion of being untouchable and treated Lee as if she held very little importance, as if she was a feeble human being who was incapable of any real contributions to society.   By doing such, they failed to fulfill their responsibility to protect.  They failed to protect the rights of the citizens to dissent, they failed to acknowledge the potential health hazards to the community, and they failed to safeguard the rights of the citizens handed down by the Constitution. 

     The EPA took a similar response to Lee by painting themselves as the epitome of reason and practicality and marking Lee as a bundle of irrational antics.  When Lee counters Ms. Dawson’s testament of viable land, Dawson retorted, “Cancer rates, as you know, can be deceptive.  There are many factors…other health stressors such as nutrition, smoking habits, an older population” (Steinke 89).  Dawson’s response exhibited how the EPA attempted to strip Lee’s carefully calculated argument into a jumble of nonsense, which invalidated the legitimacy of Lee’s claims.  To further make Lee’s argument vulnerable, Dawson was quick to ask “May I ask how you got those?” when Lee flashed the pictures she took at Banes Field (Steinke 89).  The EPA drew the audience’s attention towards Lee’s illegal trespassing to further reflect her as being mentally unstable and confused.  It was hard to concentrate on Lee’s very alarming evidence when the opposition worked to show Lee’s pitfalls, such as failing to act in accordance with the law.  In doing this, the EPA failed to fulfill their responsibility to protect.  They are fully aware of the danger that surrounds building on the chemical dump site.  They are gambling with the lives of many people.  They should take more intensive investigations to ensure guaranteed safety.  

Works Cited

Steinke, Rene. Friendswood. New York: Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group          (USA, 2014. Print.