TOW #30: Dear Future AP Student

Dear Future APELC Student,

   First of all, congratulations on your entrance to this class. It takes determination and courage to enroll in this class, especially if its one of your first AP courses. There are a few things I learned taking this class that I would like to share with you. One: your writing sucks. You may be a star student in 10th grade honors English, but most of your writing just will not measure up to the expectations of an AP english student until about the middle of the year. So with that said, once you get your first 3 back on an essay, don't fret. This is completely normal. Build thick skin, you'll get over it. At the end of the day, your progression in the class is 100 times more important than the final grade. After writing your summer essay, keep it in a safe place. At the end of the year, take it out and compare it to one of your most recent works. I'm sure you will get a laugh out of it. Two: You might have been a straight A student your underclassmen years, but those few B's in the tough courses this year really will not matter. I know you've heard this before from all your teachers. Every time I heard it I would never believe it because colleges will never see any progression, they just see a letter. It doesn't matter. When those colleges read your application essays, they'll understand too. So when you get your first B in a tough class, dance around the room because you're getting a B in a college level class! That is two years above where you should be, and that is pretty cool. Three: Do not be scared of your teachers. They are there to help, they want to see you succeed. I know there are some teachers who are just there for the job and not for their students. But trust me when I tell you Mr. Yost and Ms. Pronko are here for you, they want to help you. So never be scared to ask for help, conference, or just have a chat. Four: Many times during the year you will probably hate yourself for enrolling in this course. You probably will not thank yourself until June when the exam is over and you are reflecting on your work. You just got to keep pushing through. Develop the perseverance because you will need that in college. I am so thankful I took this course. I can easily tell my writing is above my peers, and my work ethics have improved. Last thing: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. You will not survive your junior year. Save yourself stress, get things done before they are due. Your sleep schedule will drastically improve, your stress levels will decrease, you honestly will be overall happier. This course is not going to be easy. I was a straight A student before I got into junior year. After stressing many times, I soon realized getting a B in an AP level class is darn good. When your junioritis kicks in mid April, just remember it's not real and it's all in your head. Do not let junioritis take you over.
   You are in charge of your future path. You decide whether you want to slide by in the course, or get as much out of it as you can. Your grades will not define what you have learned, they also do not define what kind of student you are. Neither does your AP score, neither does your midterm or final grades. It is extremely easy to obsess over a grade, and it is okay to check Sapphire twice a day. But once you start thinking that your grades are changing the kind of student you are, that's when you need to take a step back and look at the big picture. You didn't take the course to boost your GPA, you took it to improve your writing. Always go back to the big picture. Because in five years from now it won't matter what grade you got in 11th grade AP English, what will matter is when you get an A on that college paper because of your wicked writing skills. If you ever need help or guidance at any time during the year, never hesitate to contact me! I would love to help you succeed on your APELC journey.

Former APELC Student,
Sami Neumann

TOW #29: Food, Inc.

   In the 1930s, the horrors of the meat packing industry were exposed to America's public through use of the media. The unsanitary practices used to package raw meat shocked America and caused meat boycotts across the nation. But since the country thrives on the production and consumption of meat, there had to be a solution. The government created an agency to monitor the practices of this industry, but also to oversee the entire food and drug industries. Still around today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is required to monitor food and drug processes for the safety of America. Although this is the perfect idea to overlook important industries that run our lives, there are problems that lie in the power. The problem in our food system today lies in our government dominated by the industries that it was meant to be regulated.
  In recent years, our seed industry has been radically changed and dominated by the company Monsanto. Farmers are forced to use the genetically modified seed made by Monsanto, or else the company will sue them. As a farmer, being sued by a multi-million dollar company has its obvious problems. So why is it legal for Monsanto to control these innocent farmers? How come the government regulatory systems have not stepped in? To the unaware Americans, it seems there have already been court cases for this problem. But if one digs deeper, we can see the problem is lying in the multiple positions government agents have. Take Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as an example. He wrote the majority opinion that these companies are allowed to prohibit farmers from saving their own seed. That is not a problem until we take into account that he has been an attorney for the Monsanto company. Robert Shapiro, a past CEO of Monsanto, had close ties to the Clinton administration. He was a member on President Clinton's Advisory Board. Margaret Miller, a current FDA Branch Chief, used to be a chemical lab supervisor at Monsanto. Linda Fisher, a former EPA Deputy Administrator,  was the Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at Monsanto. Michael Taylor is another government agent with two sides. In his job at Monsanto as King and Spaulding Lawyer and Vice President for Public Policy, he advised Monsanto to label their foods with genetically modified stickers. In his next job as a Deputy Commissioner for Policy for the FDA, he oversaw FDA's decision not to label genetically modified foods. The key decisions regulating Monsanto's huge control has a direct tie to the corporate and judicial positions of our government and positions in Monsanto's company. The people that are supposed to be regulating our food industry, have an alter ego in the companies they are supposed to be regulating.
   The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to be regulating our industries for the safety of America without bias or outside influence. But today, the FDA and other government regulatory agencies are not true to its purpose. Because its agents are also involved with food companies, there is extreme bias and outside opinions influencing key decisions that have radically changed our food industry. The power of these food companies are not being regulated like they should be, resulting in an unsafe eatery for America. The government that was made of the people, by the people, and for the people is not protecting its people like proposed.

TOW #28: Food, Inc.

   In America, food can be more of a risk than a need today. If one is not aware of the health concerns involving different types of food, that one food choice can quickly be mistaken for fatality instead of nourishment. In the documentary Food, Inc., the food industry behind closed doors was investigated and discussed. In our modern world today, there are thousands of different ways to create a product, most of which can be deemed unhealthy. Many do not know the creation and process of how their food is made, but it is consumed anyway. The documentary brings this issue to the surface and creates awareness for viewers in America. In order to increase awareness in an effective and entertaining way, the filmmakers use verisimilitude, animation, and personal testimony.
  Starting with a verisimilitude at the beginning of the film draws the viewer in and establishes an automatic speaker to audience relationship. The human truth that everyone can connect to allows the viewer to feel connected to the film because right off the bat they can easily relate to it. The narrator films through an average American supermarket, noting all of the products that say "farm fresh." Everyone is familiar with the products shown such as eggs, butter, poultry, and they can relate to buying them and trusting that they are fresh from the farm. Taking the viewer through an average American supermarket connects to their daily life, allowing the audience to relate and be drawn into the start of the film. The commencement of the film is crucial to the decision whether or not an audience will continue watching.
  While describing certain topics in the film, animation is used which betters the understanding of the topics being discussed so the audience can follow along easily. While discussing how chicken has been redefined in the past few years, the film includes an animation for the audience to follow along with. It illustrates the difference between a normal chicken and the chickens that the farmers are raising today, clearly depicting the image of an unhealthy chicken. It shows the sickening process modern day farmers are putting their chickens through, just to get more meat on them and satisfy the consumer in the quickest, most efficient way. Using the animation helps illustrate the major differences that food has gone through, while entertaining and informing the audience of the bad changes happening in the food industry today.
 To also help illustrate the enormous power big food companies have today, the film incorporated personal testimonies of farmers to share their view on the current food industry. Farmers that work for companies such as Purdue, Tyson, and Monsanto were interviewed, and showed the camera their farm and the conditions the companies made them keep. The chickens lived in their own manure with dead chickens around in a dark enclosed shack. One of the farmers who refused to put shutters on her barn was fired from Purdue. A farmer growing his own grains was sued by Monsanto because he was not using their genetically altered grain. Interviewing these farmers for their point of view on the current food industry kept the documentary informative and entertaining, with the sole purpose of informing the public about the activities of the industry behind closed doors. Using verisimilitude and animation also helped illustrate the evolution of food today, which has started to take a negative spiral. Showing this documentary can only make the American public more aware of the food they are buying and what is going into their body.

TOW #27: Reflection

   From my first TOWs written over the summer before the year started, my writing was all over the place. It was unorganized, lacking fluid, style, and deep analysis. My transitions were invisible, as well as argumentative topic sentences and the purpose of my writing. Basically, the components of a great writing piece was no where to be found. In the months around December, it is evident that my writing was being transformed. I started with more interesting introductions, connected my conclusion to my introduction, and started to write with purpose instead of just addressing what the TOW assignment told me I had to. My transitions and argumentative sentences were still a little rocky. By May, the gap between my writing in August and May was noticeably large. I am now writing with fluid, deep analysis, good topic sentences, and purpose, which were all of the things I lacked over the summer. There is always something to work on with my writing, but the improvement is evident.
   I think I mastered interesting introductions and connecting them to the conclusions. I also think I mastered integrating quotes or evidence to support my devices and deepen my analysis. Although my topic sentences are much better than August, I can definitely work on improving them so they are good representations of the point I am trying to prove. I could also work on the "so what?" in my conclusion. My transitions flow a lot better, but those could also use some more work. My writing is constantly evolving so there will always be things to tweak going forward.
  The only time I did not benefit from the TOW assignments when I would write them in a rush on Sunday night to either beat the time, or just because I wanted to go to sleep. When that happened, I did not concentrate on my writing and what I wanted to improve. When I did work on my TOWs, which was often, it was extremely beneficial. I got to practice a mini timed essay every week, and also keep myself up to date with latest news while I was searching for articles to use. It was cool to pick articles I was interested in and enjoy analyzing them. It is obvious from my writing in August to my writing in May that there is beneficial change in my writing.

TOW #26: Image

    Places all over the world are constantly going through hardships, ones that some of us are oblivious to. Most people would never guess that starvation strikes countries all over the world, even smaller countries that do not make it into the news. The problem of starvation in this picture is taken place in Yemen. A poor 9-month old infant diagnosed with acute malnutrition, is laying helpless in its mother's arms in a al-Sabyeen hospital. The photographer uses rule of thirds and color contrast to portray the hardship of starvation.

  Rule of thirds is a photography term to describe a subject that lays on the gridline of a picture. If a grid lied on top of the photograph, it would be divided up into 9 boxes. The infant would line up with one of the lines. This draws the viewer's attention right to the baby, to assess its unhappy face and the situation going on. The effective use of rule of thirds allows the viewer to immediately direct its attention on the baby as the subject, and then realize what the baby is going through and how starvation is affecting it. The mother's hand also lies on one of the grid lines, showing the viewer that the mother is trying to do the best it can to comfort the baby, but it is quite obvious that the damage is already done.

  The mother's hand also acts to create a color contrast with the baby's skin. The infant's skin is so pale and evidently unhealthy, it draws attention to the situation at hand. The black background also contrasts with the baby's light skin, making the subject more dramatic. This picture is very drab, reflecting the gloom tone of the photo. The only pop of color seen is the baby's hat, which is probably the mother's attempt of doing what she can do console her baby. 

   The use of rule of thirds and color contrast not only grabs the reader's attention to the baby, but creates an appeal to pathos, by honing in on the infant and the depth of the situation. The situation of a starving baby is very serious and tragic, and the photographer portrays that to the audience by crafting her photograph the way she did.

TOW #25: Dear Parents, You Are Being Lied To

Reading goals: Interesting article, read for the article and not for devices
Writing goals: Interesting intro, smooth transitions

   Only 100 years ago, getting the influenza virus was an immediate death sentence. Merely even a sinus infection could leave someone bed-ridden for a week. Today, when someone comes down with a sinus infection, a few pills for the week and they are on their way. But for many people around the world, the mindset of western medicine is changing. Instead of a push for antibiotics, many are resisting them, opting for more "natural" approaches to cure diseases. Is the Western world pushing for antibiotics too much? Is the resistance beneficial for humans today? Jennifer Raff, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas with a Ph.D. in genetics and anthropology, delves deeper into this debate. Using anaphoras and imperative sentences, Raff takes a stance that antibiotics are necessary for a human's immune system and advises parents to take action to protect their children.
   Raff opens with a series of phrases "They say that..." and follows with arguments made by anti-vaccine activists. She responds with simple clauses such as "But it is," refuting the claims made by anti-vaccine activists. This introduces her stance that everything anti-vaccine activists have said is wrong, and it is disproven by scientific evidence. She quotes a recent saying by an astrophysicist, "The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it." Despite what the natural-medicaters believe, science is backed up by proven experiments and studies. Studies show the dangerous effects of not getting vaccinated, and the evidence the anti-vaccinaters are using is based merely on opinion and experience. Raff uses this to convince the parents to continue researching the truth to vaccines and their good potentials. She advises for parents to become informed and not listen to anyone except the proven facts.
  As well as anaphoras, Raff uses short, imperative sentences. This makes it easy for the reader to understand what Raff wants them to do. The sentences are clear and to the point of declaring what to do. The sentences are used to tell parents to act for their children, and educate themselves. She mentions specific scientists to listen to, specific studies to look in to, advises for parents to learn about the immune system, and stay up to date with new scientific studies. The use of the declarative sentences creates an easy claim of policy for readers to follow.
  Raff refutes claims made by anti-vaccine activists effectively by using anaphoras, and advises readers to take action by using imperative sentences. Raff supports her purpose that anti-biotics and vaccines are vital for humans to live in this day and age effectively.
 

Intro Post #4: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Sloot

 

Poor, African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks went to the doctor back in the 1950's for a simple sample of her cells to study more about her cervical cancer. That day, the doctor did not just take some cells, he took billions and billions of dollars as well. In 2014, we now know that Ms. Henrietta Lacks had a rare, abnormal cancer cell line. It is still around today known as the HeLa line, responsible in the advancement of the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping and more. Lacks's cells are still around, and can circle around the Earth three times. Although her cells are widely known, her name is not. Her remaining family cannot even afford health care while their mother's cells are circling around the Earth making doctors millionaires. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Sloot goes deep into the bioethical issues of our world today, as well as the story of Henrietta Lacks.

I hope to gain a better understanding of Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cell line, as well as the bioethical issues that our world is currently dealing with.