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MAINE EAST HIGH SCHOOL
Park Ridge, Illinois (USA)
 
Freshman Academy (9th grade)
Instructors: M. Garvy, G. Lundberg, J. Muessle
 
 
ESSAY 2: Southern Illinois
 
Question:  What do you think life is like in a mining town in southern Illinois -  good and bad points?
What do you think the people are like who live there?
Which is a better place to live - Chicago or a mining town in southern Illinois?  Why?
(write at least two paragraphs)
[ to class 2 essays (below) ]
 
class one (morning)
N.B. The M and F after each essay refer to the student's gender.    Spelling and grammar have not been corrected, per the teachers' request except in cases where misunderstanding is likely.


1- Chicago [is a better place] because I've lived their all my life.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



2- I have no idea what a mining town is, and I've never been there.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



3- For the mining town I rather live in Chicago 100%.  Mining towns are probably so hard to work in and they are really boring.  Chicago jobs are 1/2 of what the people do when they mine.  Jobs in the big city are so simple and easy.  Yeah some jobs are hard but not as hard as working in a mining factory.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



4- Same thing as essay #1 (The good points are that its nice and quiet, its natural all around you; The bad points are you have to go to school very far away from where you live, it would be lonely there.  The people are probably nice but very quiet.  They are use to not talking.
 I would rather live in Chicago because its nicer.  I know its not quiet but its good to around lots of people and you're not lonely and the schools are close to where you live.)

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



5- I don't think life in a mining town is nice because you don't have that much freedom all you have to do is work.  I think the people that lived down there are not used to going out and their used to work.
 Chicago is better to live because it has more things it's bigger and I think the education is much better.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



6- The good point is that it would probably be fun for some people but not for me and the bad point is that it would be boring for some people.
 
 I think Chicago [would be a better place to live] because there is more better things to do and more jobs to work at.  Thets why I think chicago is a better place to live in.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



7- I think that the life mining town is very lonly and their are to many people and not to many places to go to.  I think life is real hard their. I like people are nice.  It is better to live in chicago there are so many places that you can visit.  Their are better school there.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



8- I think life in a mining town in Southern Illinois is bad.  I think life there would be bad because it would be small.  Also because there would be less people and less places to go and explore.  I think one good thing about it is that it would be less violence and it would be peaceful.  The people who live here would probley not that interesting, they would also be more quiet and old fashion.
 
 I think Chicago is a better place to stay than a mining town in Southern Illinois.  People in Chicago are very interesting.  Also they have style.  In Chicago there are many interesting places to see and explore.  Here, there are many people of different culture.  This is why Chicago is much better.

(who has never visited Southern Illinois)



9- Really don't know much about mining towns, but wish I did, they sound interesting.

(Fwho has never visited Southern Illinois)



10- There would be a crowded area.  People who don't get a good job would probebly go there.
 The people who lives there would be a hardworker and who is not educated well.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



11- I have never been to a mining town and have no clue whats life like there.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



12- (no response)


13- I have no Idea what so ever what a mining town is.  or even tell you how it is over there besides that they go mining so the town can survive.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



14- I don't know what a mining town is like.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



15- Good points are that you will know all your neighbors.  Bad points you will be depressed.  [The people are] Just like everybody else.  I still say Chicago because of all the stuff to do and better tv's.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



16- I think it might be a lot of hard work to live there. and it might be polluted because they probably burn coal there too.  The people there might be dirty or dark cause of the coal.  and strong because they worki  in coal mines.  I think Chicago [is better] because I live there.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



17- Well I don't know anything about mining towns so I'll just write a little bit, well it sounds hard working there and I don't working alot. and it sounds boring to and I don't like boring either.  well the [?] who live there probably helpful because there use to those things. I still say Chicago is better than mining town in southern Illinois because it's my life here.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



18- I think it would be Boring!  What your growing up seeing your dad go to work at a coal mining place for like 20 yrs. Then its your turn to go get a job. and guess where they want you to work.  A coal mine.  How boring does that get.  What if you wanna go to collage. Your mom says. Sorry son back to mining where ya belong.
 I think the people there would be even more boring.  Say your a happily married wife your hsband comes home from work And you ask him how was your day dear.  And what do they say.  The same old story they told you 5 weeks straight.
 I still think Chicago [is better]

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



19- (no response)


20- the good point of living in a mining town is that the jobs might be tough and make lot of money.  The bad point it probally really hot in mining area because you have to go in the hills.
 The people who live there are probally nice and friendly because I don't think lots of people would live in a mining town.
 Chicago of course again, it has casino, play area good school, nice jobs, friendly area, playing gym to play sports.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



21- (no response)


22- I really don't know what a mining town Is like but I'd probably like it better in Chicago, they are people who work a lot and have to wory about their safety and prevent any mines from colapsing, now I don't know If that's ever happened. I probably wouldn't mind Living in a mining town.  But I also like the ciy

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



23- I do not have any guess about what life would be like.  I know what they do there but I'm not sure of life there.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



24- Always working inside a mining cave may make you blind or sometimes there can be an explosion and people may die.  [the good point?] Get money to support there families.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)

class two (afternoon)
[ to class one (above)to main Maine East page ]

Question:  What do you think life is like in a mining town in southern Illinois -  good and bad points?
What do you think the people are like who live there?
Which is a better place to live - Chicago or a mining town in southern Illinois?  Why?  (write at least two paragraphs)
 
N.B. The M and F after each essay refer to the student's gender.    Spelling and grammar have not been corrected, per the teachers' request except in cases where misunderstanding is likely.



1a- (no response)


2a- I dont know about mining towns but I think It would be bad because the air would be fillthy because of all the dirt and stuff in the air.
 
 I really don't know how people would be like because I might be judgeing them.

 I still would pick Chicago to live at.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



3a- I dont know nothing about mining towns.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois))



4a- People who live in the south are really mean.  They don't care about anything.  I would chose Chicago no matter what.  I went there for two days, and it was so bad.  Honestly, I think they are hicks.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



5a- I think its both [good points and bad points?]
Mabey [the people are] the same as us or a little different.
I think Chicago because Chicago is more popular and I think its better

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



6a- I have never seen a mining town in my life before.  I also even never knew there were mining town in southern Illinois.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



7a- CHICAGO.  Because its better and its big. And maybe we have more things and shelter where to live, food and many other things

 Living in a small town could be crowded, and not have enough of what they need.  For example they won't maybe have, food, shelter and necessary things so they can survive because it's a small town.  And maybe they don't have all the food, people, may want or shelter that they need.

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



8a- I think living in a southern Illinois is bad because their are alot of gangs and other bad stuff.  Their are no good things to say.  The people who live there are stealers, criminals, and gangsters.  Chicago is better Place to live because, has alot of people of places.  I know Chicago is a bad placed to live because their gangers, drugs, and Alchol, but if you don't do those of you could ignore it.

(F - no other info)



9a- (no response)


10a- I think mining was a very bad thing from them to do because they were messing up their town and maybe it was good for some people to do they probalby thought it was a nice job.  But I wouldn't want to do that for a living.  The people were propluably like all nasty and very mess up from the people in the Chicago land.  Chicago again is a better place to live as I said in the first one you can have more people to talk to and you will be better in life towls [?].

(F who has never visited Southern Illinois)



11a- (no response)


12a-

Don't know!  The people are probably into mining alot.  Chicago!!! [is a better place to live]

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



13a- If I haven't went there how can I tell you the good and the bad points.  I don't know the people are there.  But I have a pretty good hunch they are almost the same as we are in chicago.  Chicago would be  better place to live because you are open here parks, theme park, musem and etc.  I wouldn't want to drive that long to come to chicago.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



14a- It's like I said less people but, less friends.  There very nice and kind. I think they will welcome us if we lived there.  Chicago is better because, more, more, friends.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



15a- Chicago [is a better place to live] because I want to go where I wanna and I can play pool table I dont know nothing about southern Illinois.  And Chicago I can drive outside If I want to.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



16a- Bad - alot of pollution, good - you could watch people dig into mountains and explode things.
 Chicago [is a better place to live] because there are so many cool things here that aren't there, like the sears tower and the chicago skyline.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



17a- I think that in a mine town life is like a piece of mine you are buried all day and you have no time to enjoy.  They are probebly hard working and helpful to each other.  I think Chicago [is a better place to live] because up hear you only worry about your job and down in mining town you have so much more work.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



18a- It is also very boring. except people work more.  The people there are hard workers and probably don't get paid much

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



19a-

[good and bad points] I don't know.
[people] I don't know.
CHICAGO is better.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



20a- I think I would like to live in a mining town in Southern Illinois because its cool there.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



21a- I think the mining town is the worst place to live Because most of the mines are closed.  So the majority of people in a mining town are poor.  Also that is another racial town.  So I think I rather live in the city

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



22a- The bad thing about living in a mining town is there are probably many different fumes that we can get sick from.  I think the people over there might be nicer because they have probably not meet the people who live in chicago.  I think chicago is a better place to live  because itës sort of exciting when things happen in chicago.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)



23a- I have never seen a mining town before so I don't know what to think of a mining town to my knowlage  may be by mining gold there rich.  there rich with big houses & many cars.  mining town [is a better place to live] because you can become rich.

(M who has never visited Southern Illinois)


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Last updated: April 5, 1998
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