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.

TOW #24: Volcano Image

Reading Goals: Find a unique picture
Writing Goals: Smooth transitions

    Even after a horrid disaster, beauty has to come from somewhere. Or, the viewer needs to refocus its viewpoint, and look at the situation in a different way. On November 19th, 2012, a monstrous volcano erupted from Mount Sinabung in Sumatra, shooting a 26,247 foot plume into the atmosphere. This picture was taken after the eruption, focusing on a hibiscus flower that just bloomed around ash covered vegetation. The photographer used rule of thirds arrangement and juxtaposition to portray that light will always shine on dark situations.
   The rule of thirds arrangement is a photography term used when a picture is put on a grid, and the subject falls on one of the intersections of the grid line. In this case, with the hibiscus flower being the subject, it falls on the intersection of the upper left grid lines. This draws the viewer's eyes to the subject, while also being aesthetically pleasing. If the flower was placed randomly anywhere in the picture, the picture may not have caught the viewer's eye as well as this one does. While being drawn to the subject, it makes the viewer notice what is going on in the background and around the picture. The viewer will notice that the flower stands out, creating the whole purpose that because the pretty flower is growing out of the dark ash, it can be inferred that good things will come out of bad situations.
    To also draw the viewer's eye to the photograph, the photographer uses juxtaposition to contrast the two colors: the hot pink flower, and the dark, black ash. The use of the juxtaposition creates a contrast of colors and also draws the eye to the bright pink flower. Because the flower is so bright, this shows the bright, pink, pretty flower coming up from the dark ash. The eruption is a horrible natural disaster to have to happen to a country. This photo represents that even after natural disasters, the earth survives from it and continues to live on, even producing beautiful vegetation right after it. If the viewer were to look at the lower right side only, they would not see the subject portraying the goodness coming out of the situation. This can depict that a person can look at bad situations in different ways, but looking at it in a optimistic way can be the best way.
  I think this photograph achieves its purpose well using the rule of thirds and juxtaposition to contrast the colors in the photo. The purpose includes a good moral that everyone should learn. Goodness can come out of any situation, one just has to look for it.

TOW #23: Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream by Jennifer Ackerman (Part 2)

Writing goals: -smooth transitions
Reading goals: -interesting novel about science

     The human body is a marvelous, convoluted, intelligent organism, but does the human actually know how their own body works? Do you know what happens when you are coming down with a cold, or what happens when your adrenaline levels skyrocket? Did you know that you can tell time in your sleep, and that all of your body's activities are based on its circadian rhythm, a built-in biological clock for your body? Well, Jennifer Ackerman wrote Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream to take readers on a journey through their bodies on an average day, from wake-up in the morning all the way until they wake up again the next morning. Ackerman's intriguing and entertaining book makes the reader think of their body in an entirely new way.
   Ackerman appeals strongly to ethos, quoting many scientists and studies that she has found pertaining to the subject. This shows that she has done research in order to sound credible. But this is not just one or two hours of research. Ackerman backs up her claims with multiple studies from many credibly universities and research centers. The back of the book includes a 40-page bibliography citing all of the sources she used, as well as an index to look up anything she had talked about in the book. This creates a relationship with the reader because the reader will now trust the author, and believe most of what she is saying in her book. This helps support Ackerman's purpose of informing her readers about the functions of their body. She also includes personal anecdotes within most sections. These anecdotes bring back the information to a bodily level, including a normal human giving their own experience on the topic. The reader can relate with Ackerman, and really apply the information she is giving to their own life. This also supports Ackerman's purpose of informing her readers, because they can now take this information they have learned from her book and apply it to the real world. For example, she includes an anecdote about her friend who is an insane runner and can tackle almost any course if she is prepared for it. One day, she was not prepared for a hill at the end of her marathon, and could not finish the course. She had ran that many miles so many times before, but just because her mind was not prepared for that one hill, it failed on her. This can be prepared to many people living a healthy lifestyle. If they do not prepare themselves for the workout they want to endure, they will never reach their goals.
    Ackerman does a phenomenal job of keeping her book practical, informative, and entertaining. Every section in the book including various interesting tidbits about the human body that can be applicable to any age of living. She talks about the best time to drink a cocktail, to take a nap, to run a race, to take medication, along with many other things. I think Ackerman achieves her purpose well of using her book to inform her readers about their body. I have an entirely new look on my body, looking at life in a different way, and really striving for a healthy lifestyle.

TOW #22: What the Kitty Genovese Story Really Means

      Do you believe everything you hear in the media? If you just answered yes, you may want to rethink that answer. Familiar with the Kitty Genovese murder case in 1964? Let's revisit that. Even to this day, 50 years later, Kitty Genovese is still being talked about. She was 29 years old coming back from her job at a bar in the Bronx when she was fatally stabbed to death by an African-American known rapist, Winston Moseley. But out of the 636 murders in New York City that year, this one is the one remembered 50 years later. Kitty Genovese did not only go down in history in the history books, but also in the psychology books. Genovese prompted psychologists to start doing research on what is on called the bystander effect--the phenomena that if something tragic were to happen in public, most people would just watch and not take action. This is because of the so-called 37 witnesses who saw the murder and did nothing. Nicholas Lemann, a writer for The New Yorker, tells the real story behind the story of Kitty Genovese.
    Lemann uses chronological structure to tell the story of what happened after the murder of Kitty Genovese, and the story behind the reporters and writers at the time. This chronological structure makes the reader have an easy time to follow the complicated story of how a simple murder turned into an infamous one. Lemann also uses humor to depict the complete irony of the New York Times writer, A.M Rosenthal, who was responsible for all of this. Rosenthal had generalized there were 38 witnesses who did nothing, when really there was only one or two. Genovese was gay, as well as her neighbor who tried to call the police. Gays living in New York City had a lot to fear during this time. At that time, Rosenthal had recently written an article saying "Growth of Overt Homosexuality in City Provokes Wide Concern." It is ironic that he then wrote an article about the Genovese murder, and had not touched on that she was gay. This also includes historical context, giving the background of the time in the 1960's.
   The purpose that Lemann portrays is that not everything one reads is accurate, and sometimes, in the case of A.M Rosenthal, it is written just to make a job out of it. The effect of Kitty Genovese is not necessarily the bystander effect, but our susceptibility to fake narratives that hit in on our anxieties and fears. The story of Kitty Genovese by Rosenthal had done just that. I think that Lemann does a great job writing this article and supporting his purpose. I had heard of the Kitty Genovese murder many times before this article, but I had absolutely no idea how much of it wasn't true. It really makes you think about what you read and how much you rely on so-called "facts" from journalists. Not all journalists have that credibility, which Rosenthal had showed all of us.

TOW #21: 3-D printed hearts: The shape of medicine to come

     The face of medicine has constantly been reshaped and reformed to create unbelievable technologies to help the average human. 50 years ago, scientists were still curious to what a cell was and how it worked. Today, we are now looking at regenerating cells through a 3-D printer, possibly to create transplant organs instead of using donors. The 3-D printer is considerably new, but it is being applied to a variety of fields. In my own school robotics team, a 3-D printer is used to construct parts for the robot. But in the real world, this new technology is becoming a reality to build organs. Dr. Anthony Atala, the director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, talks about the benefits and difficulties of bioprinting to increase awareness about this new cutting-edge technology in medicine.
    Atala uses specific examples to present his ideas about the benefits and difficulties of bioprinting. There are obvious benefits like no more transplant waiting lists or donor matches, with bioprinting a new organ can be printed within a few days for a patient. The printer can do things that a human would not be able to do by hand, such as choosing a specific cell type to use and then placing the different cells exactly where they need to be. The field of bioprinting is extremely applicable and beneficial to the world of medicine. On the other hand, there are still many kinks needed to be smoothed out. Although they have come a far way with this new technology, scientists are still unable to figure out how to successfully keep oxygen in the printed organs when transplanting it into a body. Atala uses specific ideas to fix this problem such as printing small channels into the structures and filling the channels with blood vessels, or print oxygen-producing materials. Although bioprinting is a current developing technology, Dr. Atala does not believe the printing of complex organs will be a reality until another decade. The structure of Atala's article helps the reader stay organized with all of his presented ideas. He begins with the background of bioprinting and the recent breakthroughs, then goes on to talk about the difficulties, and closes with his predictions on the future.
    I believe Atala does a great job of creating awareness of bioprinting with his arrangement and specific examples. This new field of bioprinting really exemplifies the incredible shape of medicine to come.

TOW #20: Venezuela Image

   Reading Goals:
-Realistic photo
-Choose photo from a different place (not google)

Writing Goals:
-interesting introduction
-smooth transitions
                   

    Unless you are an avid world news watcher, the things that happen each and everyday in foreign countries usually go unnoticed, with little to no attention or awareness brought to the situation. Countries around the world are struggling with hardships that may not even win the media's attention over something like a celebrity breakdown. This photo, taken by New York Times photographer Meredith Kohut, is from San Cristobal, Venezuela. The family had prepared towels soaked in vinegar in case they were affected by tear gas, while the two adults looked out the window at riot police and protesters in the street. Earlier this month, protesting started on the streets against the government of President Nicolas Maduro. The family photographed are hiding in their home guarding the door to keep the little ones safe. Kohut captured a moment of the family filled with fear, and the adults doing the best they can to protect their young. This emotion can connect with any audience, which helps achieves Kohut's purpose of spreading awareness of hardships countries around the world have to cope with.
      The symbolism noted in this picture is very ironic to the situation happening in their country. The family has a cross and Jesus hanging on the wall, as well as a bird-like dove structure hanging in front of the window. The symbol of religion dignifies peace and answers to life's hardships. In this photograph, the violence is not keeping their town at peace, and there are no answers to the horrendous violence happening in the streets, as the police spray tear gas on their own people. The dove, also a symbol of peace, is looking out from the window witnessing the complete opposite of peace. The irony lies in the belief of peace in the house, and complete ferocity out on the streets, as the two women watch in fear. Not only does the photograph portray irony, but the visible juxtaposition of the lightness and darkness contributes to the strong emotion evoked. The light from the window is coming in to shine on the little girl's face, emphasizing the fear and confusion in her eyes while the rest of her body blends in with the darkness. The usage of this coloring shows the affect this situation has on the young, the ones who are innocent and still believe in goodness. The emphasis on one character tells the story for the whole family and the whole situation. It allows the audience to zero in on one subject in the photo, trying to read her emotion and understand the situation. This also allows the audience to connect with the photo, since everyone feels that same fear and confusion sometimes in their life, no matter where in the world they live, ultimately supporting Kohut's purpose in taking this photograph and sharing it with audiences around the world.
    No matter where in the world you are located, there are hardships being dealt with. No matter which ones will make the world news, they are all equally important. No matter what scale of disaster or violence, they are of the same significance, since they are strongly affecting someone somewhere in this world.
   

TOW #19: A Letter to Junior Year

     Witty, humorous, and clever, GILLIAN HORN writes a creative letter to her junior year. As a 16 year-old myself, it is easily relatable with the audience targeted specifically to other 16 year-olds, making current day allusions that only high school kids today would understand. She mentions Regina George from the famous movie Mean Girls that we all know and love, as well as the movie Project X, centered around one huge out of control high school party. She refers to the chemistry chapter of quantum mechanics, that only us juniors would understand the humor of "Sleep sounds a hell of a lot better than quantum mechanics." The comical aspect also plays a big role in her letter, keeping the reader entertained and craving for more words. Horn, sarcastically speaking to her junior year, says " And please, I beg you, do not worry about the five extra hours a week of SAT work. I didn't want to go to that party anyway." The topic encapsulates her feelings towards the overload of work junior year is giving her, and the sarcasm adds humor to the subject, enticing the reader to read more. Overall, Horn sarcastically writes about all the negative things her junior year has done, but concludes with a more positive note, thanking her junior year for making her realize she must work hard to get what she wants. I loved this letter because it was so easily relatable, it was everything I had felt this year formatted creatively and written extremely well, and also had me laughing out loud throughout. I couldn't have been happier that my talented best friend had written this, and maybe I'm a little biased, but this is one of the best articles I've ever done my TOW on. Horn should write weekly for the Huffington Post. 

TOW #18: Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream by Jennifer Ackerman (Part 1)

     Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream is not your ordinary boring, informative, convoluted science book. Instead, this book is a game changer in the realm of biological non-fiction. Jennifer Ackerman creatively takes the reader through a day in the life of their body. Often using second person, she organizes the book from starting at the moment you wake up, all through the body's daily activities, to the deep sleep and the mystery of dreams. Not only does she get down to the molecular level of why the body acts the way it does, she always brings it back to the big picture of the body's function to keep the reader on track of the day and not lost in the scientific language. As well as thoroughly explaining complicated science talk in a more basic way, she backs up all of her explanations with scientific evidence, experiments, and studies. Not only do these back up her explanations, but they also combat popular believing myths of the body, keeping the book entertaining and intriguing. For example, did you know that being in the cold and getting sick are not correlated? More people get sick in the winter time because of the close proximity to other humans from being inside more often. Also, the best time to work out is not in the morning like most people think, but in the evening when your muscle strength, flexibility, and body temperature is at its peak. Being educated about these myths are important to live in your one and only body the best way possible.
     Ackerman uses multiple anecdotes as well to appeal to pathos and ethos. These anecdotes help remind the reader once in a while that Ackerman is also a human, and just a writer, not a doctor or scientist. This reminder is helpful because she was just as curious as the reader to the functions our body carries out and why. The whole book entails interesting details and facts about the body that I would never have knew on my own. For example, the bugs and bacteria in our stomach help determine what weight we are, by fidgeting you can burn off as many calories as you consume, that the descend action of a workout is what actually builds your muscles, and many many many more.
   I am so excited to finish this book. Just like Ackerman felt, I am so fascinated by the human body, and how I constantly do things without one thought to the action. I am amazed at what goes on inside the body, without me even knowing. This is my one and only body that I will live with for 85+ (hopefully) years. I might as well get to know it a little bit.

TOW #17: Deport Justin Bieber?

       Justin Bieber. Two words, one fragile image. The recent actions from Justin Bieber has just showed us what growing up in the limelight does to an individual. The Canadian native was arrested earlier this week for street racing in a Lamborghini, driving without a valid license, resisting arrest, and under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Now that doesn't sound like a nice role model image for all the young kids who look up to Bieber. Since Bieber is actually an immigrant, he is retained in American with an O-1 work Visa, used for foreigners with "extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics." While Bieber was spending his minutes in jail in South Florida, his team hired the number one celebrity defense attorney Roy Black. 
     The author of the article, Ruben Navarrette, introduces writes this article to argue the unfairness of treatment between rich celebrities and poor immigrants. Immigrants that get deported because they are caught for just one headlight out, or a rolling stop sign, don't have the connections to hire someone like Roy Black to defend them. They just get deported right back to where they started. But on the other hand, someone like Bieber who was caught for destructive driving under the influence without a license, just needs to higher a fancy attorney and he's good. Even with a green card or permit, one can stay in the country if working or studying, but one mishap with the law and back to the motherland they go. Navarrette is arguing that if Bieber is convicted of the alleged crimes in South Florida, he should be sent right back where he came from just like any other immigrant would. 
   

IRB Intro Post #3: Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body

   

  Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body by Jennifer Ackerman takes the reader through exactly what it sounds like: a day in the life of your body. Ackerman breaks up the book by the body waking up in the morning, all throughout the days activities, to ending the day in bed. Most people do not know, or take for granted, the importance and utter genius of the body's functions. Little things such as telling time in your sleep, that women have more nightmares than men, that the best time to run is late afternoon to evening, that half of the calories you consume can be burned off simply by fidgeting, are all told in this book.
   I am a student very interested in biology and neurology, so any kind of book like this interests me. I love to know what is going on with my body, why it is happening, and then connecting it to all different types of daily life. By reading this book, I hope to gain a better understanding and appreciation for my body.

TOW #16: The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales (Part 2)

      In 2009, seven audacious teenagers broke into multiple A-lister celebrity homes in California, on multiple accounts. Stealing almost $3 million in merchandise, victims of the burglaries include Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson, Audrina Patridge, and more. When word broke loose of these group of robbers known as the Bling Ring, everyone wanted to know how and why. Journalist Nancy Jo Sales took on the challenge to dig deep into the teenagers' juvenile, immature, crazy minds. She writes The Bling Ring  to publish the motives and tell the story of the robbery case that left Hollywood scratching their heads.
    Sales uses detailed imagery and anecdotes to reveal the real story, coming from the teenagers themselves through interviews. She also integrates psychological statistics to get behind the reasons of the crime. The teenagers lived in the affluent city of Calabasas, California outside of Los Angeles. What more would a teenager need growing up in a city like that? The answer: everything. Our society is so obsessed with getting closer and closer to owning everything they can, spending every cent if it makes them happier and presentable with more materials. For the Bling Ring, it was that, and more. Each stolen item brought them closer to living the Hollywood dream. It wasn't the money they wanted, it was the obsession with being famous. The purpose Sales portrays is to inform about the wild desire to be that much closer to being a Hollywood celebrity, and the consequences the teenagers' endured because of that. Sales achieved her purpose by explaining the story and digging deeper into the motives of the teenagers.

TOW #15: When Teachers Favor Attractive Kids

      As some people say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is opinionated depending on culture, experience, taste, and many different factors. So does attractiveness affect daily human interactions? Could it be possible that a more attractive human being will be treated more favorable? Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the University of Washington, agrees and claims that teachers favor more attractive students. 
      Schwartz introduces with studies proving her claim. A book by Wiley says, "the difference in GPA and college graduation rates between youth rated by others as attractive, versus average in looks, is similar to the differences in academic achievement between youth raised in two-parent versus single-parent families." That shocking claim of fact is introduced within the first few paragraphs of the article, catching the reader's attention. Using credible sources as evidence to back up her claim creates a strong logical structure for her argument that attractive students do better in school. But studies have also shown that this success goes well beyond high school. The key is that these students with lucky DNA start to build their self-confidence early, every time they hear a compliment or receive good grades. Confidence is a key trait in life, and those who gain it early, will go much further than those who are struggling with esteem issues. 
     With Schwartz claim backed by evidence, she then goes on to display a claim of policy. She proposes that teachers should think a minute before giving that grade to an attractive student unless they truly deserve it. In society today, we have put a lot more stress on the importance of stopping bullying because we have advertised the repercussions of it. We should also pay attention to how fairly we treat everyone, no matter how they look. Discussing this openly can help people in our world today realize the impact their words or actions have on young students. I think Schwartz crafts her argument well, backs it up with striking evidence, and then eases into her claim of policy to form a well-written article.