Across generations, language barriers, and cultures, there is one question that has stood the test of time: the intent of Does our actions really matter if our Our actions have the effect of furthering the marginalization or oppression of those around us? Jamie Utt addresses this question and the arguments surrounding it in his article “Intentions Don't Really Matter.” Utt expresses the idea that “the impact of our actions can be profound and far-reaching. And this is much more important than the question of our intentions." It makes readers reflect on how their intentions, good or bad, can lead to unwelcome and in many cases “oppressive” (Utt) results. Furthering his position, Utt mentions how even in everyday life we ​​hear people apologizing for the outcome of their intentions “over and over: 'I never meant any harm...' 'It was never mine intention…'” Juan Martinez, in his short story collection Best Worst American, explores a similar topic in “Roadblock,” “Big Wheel Boiling Hot” and “Northern.” Martinez explores how, even if characters have good intentions, their intentions can still cause harm and destruction. "Roadblock," the first story in Martinez's collection, tells the story of a nephew and an aunt, Molly, who live together because all the other family members were killed in four separate, unrelated plane crashes that left them both on the brink of the abyss. of emotional chaos. After living together for a while they begin to resent each other. It isn't long before the aunt starts plotting against her nephew and showing her anger. Unexpectedly, the couple takes in a neighbor boy whose family, they thought, was going on a trip. They later discover that the boy's family was killed in Colombia, before he arrived in America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay With good intentions in mind, the narrator and his aunt move in together in an attempt to be a mutual support and “consolation” structure” (1) after “the rest of [their] family dies in four separate plane crashes that occurred - improbably, impossible - within a few months of each other" (2). However, after ten years, "[they had] been living together [for a while] and the tension [was] starting to show up" (1). Due to the amount of time the two spent together both at work and at home, the narrator's aunt had begun to develop "feelings of anger and frustration" (1) towards him which led to the his inevitable destructive behavior. Initially, the narrator's aunt's destructive behavior is directed only towards her nephew. The first line of the story exposes the reader to her behavior when the narrator says that "lately [his] spinster aunt has been setting fire to [his] children. ] personal possessions" (1) Although Mollie's behavior is quite new, the narrator also tells readers that “before the pyrotechnics she wrote household advice with magic markers. He wrote on the walls [...]" (1) and that "today he drew a small comic on the façade of the bakery [where] a stick figure is led to the guillotine and beheaded" (2). While the idea of ​​the narrator and his aunt living together may have been good at first, the aunt resents the narrator living with her and destroys both his belongings and the feeling that he is welcome in her home . While this is the general example of good intentions leading to destruction in "Roadblock", there is also another example in the aunt and nephew's interactions with the Colombian boy. When the narrator andhis aunt first saw the little boy, he was wearing a polo shirt and jeans."(3) As time passed Molly noticed that the boy's shirt had begun to wear, so "Molly brought home another polo shirt which was returned to the store and since forgotten and gave it to [the boy's] father, who nodded, smiled, and said something that sounded like thank you (3)” I would say that the initial interaction with Molly and the narrator is what made him feel at home. comfortable the family he took care of the boy by asking a stranger to take care of the child, especially at such short notice. The narrator tells the reader that "the father asked [him] the day before [...] [then] brought the child on Saturday (4)." While taking in a boy who needs someone to care for him seems like a noble thing to do, it is later revealed that the boy's real family had been killed at a checkpoint before arriving in the United States. Therefore, their good deed of taking in a child had a devastating consequence: the child was abandoned and left with two adults who are incapable of getting along with each other let alone caring for a child together. In "Big Wheel Boiling Hot", an unnamed director at a newly opened theater attempts to find "additional investors" (149) to purchase more musicians, dancers, and costumes. While he does this Karen, the theater owner's girlfriend, is trying to put together the show "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". After the director manages to secure extra financing, he discovers that Karen is a raging alcoholic with the inability to manage money effectively. After she and Mark, the theater owner, broke up, he stopped paying rent on the theater. Eventually Karen escapes with the money intended to pay the artists' salaries and what remains of the donations made to the theater. Over the course of the plot, two good intentions arise, both ruined by one person. When Karen founded the theater, she wanted to bring the arts to Orlando. Something that would have a positive impact on the lives of many and broaden the cultural horizons of the community as a whole. Furthermore, when the director realized that the production needed a larger budget to afford “the five additional dancers, the live cello, the four-piece string ensemble, the percussionist, [and] improved costumes ” (149) “looked around for additional investors” (149) to ensure the success of the theater. He also “talked to [his] manager at Blockbuster” (page number) who “ultimately agreed that a community event like this would be good for our branch” (page number) and donated money. Both of these individuals had great importance in the successes and failures of the theater, so both acted with good intentions. However, what was initially Karen's good intention, turned her and the director's intentions into a disaster. After Karen became overwhelmed by the responsibility of the theater, she began drinking “large water bottles” (154) filled with “vodka” (155). The more Karen drank, the more her good intentions drifted away from her and the more she became "deeply rumpled, deeply worried, [and] deeply stressed" (155). She has reached the point where she can no longer manage the financial aspect of the theater and cannot keep up with the rent and the theater is in danger of being “closed down” (156). Once she realized how deep a hole she had dug for herself, Karen walked away with all the money. By this point he had not only turned his good intention into a bad outcome, but so had the directors. Starting with all the money, the investor found by the director will never get a. 2017