Some things can’t be healed and can’t be fixed. When Obama refers to race and says, “This issue is so sensitive, is so complicated, so bound up with a painful history,” he exposes the everlasting issue of racism. Racism is clear in America every day. It isn’t near what it once was with slavery, but it’s abolishment could never mean an end to racism. When I think of modern racism I think of the movement, Black Lives Matter, or those who have suffered from police brutality. Civic ignorance is the reason in itself of why so many issues exist, especially racism.

When I wanted to take a stand point on Obama’s statement for this writing piece, I realized that I hardly could. Of course I am not clueless to the racism that still exists in our country and that it is utterly horrible, but I also could never understand. I have never been held back or discriminated against for my skin color. I could never understand being one of the few black children in a white school, so I decided to review this issue from someone who could. A man, Brian Jones, wrote a simple column about the modern racism in America. He is a middle-class, light-skinned black man who attended primarily white schools his whole life. He recalls being told that he was “one of the good ones.” The offensive stereotype, that the majority of black people are bad, behind this backhanded compliment could never go unnoticed. It took him a long time to understand what good meant, but having lighter skin, dressing well for his middle-class profession, and showing some degree of assimilation through his speech made him better by the views of those completely ignorant. The most hard hitting piece of his article states, “No amount of assimilation can shield you from the racism in this country.”

The only way I could even come close to relating to this is changing myself to seek the approval of my father only to fall short. That being said, I could defend Obama’s argument and never disagree that the issue of racism in America still exists, but I will never understand. In my white privilege I have no sufferings because of my color. I will never have to assimilate to white culture in the way Brian Jones felt he had to. He altered his dialect, his speech, and so many other things just to fit in. To go through so much work just to try to do something simple to me: fit in. This is the problem that America faces and the ignorance of white Americans who can’t accept their white privilege will lead to no solution. Not only will a solution cease to exist, but the progression that could occur if we could coexist will, too.

 

 

Rube Goldberg machines show the epitome of cause and effect relationships. Each small action affects the whole contraption. Even a small tap from a rolling marble or a swinging rope causes some other contraption to start moving, too. It moves for the 4 minute and 44 seconds between many walls and figures.

The specific Rube Goldberg machine video I watched was the world’s largest according to the Guinness World Record book. The video reaches nearly five minutes of the simple causes that in the end result in the lighting of a Christmas tree. It all started with the press of a button that sent a ball running.  Almost five minutes later all the movement ends with a sled running into the button that lights up the Christmas tree.

This same concept of cause and effect can be applied to people as well. Like when the lady in front of you at Starbucks pays for your drink, so you pay for the the next persons and the cycle continues until someone breaks it. Even some of the smallest actions or words can affect the next person more than someone might think. The idea of cause and effect was introduced to most people at a very young age. Given that, it seems like most would be able to understand how their actions affect people, but if anything has disproved this, it’s high school. Kids act impulsively without much thought to how it may affect someone or even themselves in the future.

Many people maintain a negative cause that hurts others. High school kids don’t realize how their actions affect others. Obliviousness to their cause creates so many problems for people. Everything someone does will most likely affect someone else, so thinking before speaking is so important. Since people in high school are so young they lack the experiences that could help them empathize with someone else. For example, my best friends mom passed away this past summer. Although I didn’t understand, I always tried to be there because I knew how something so traumatic was ruining her. However, the rest of our volleyball team was aware of her situation, but had no idea how difficult it was and still is

The cause and effect shown in Rube Goldberg’s machine video is the perfect demonstration of how even small causes have big effects. Something that started with a small ball rolling evolved into a the lighting of a huge tree. This is also known as the snowball effect. Something small and seemingly insignificant can become so much greater and important. Because of this, consciousness of actions is so important to maintaining good relationships with others.

Zombies are mythical characters created to frighten children in movies and stories. Amy Wilentz describes zombies in her story, A Zombie is a Slave Forever, as characters “… in rags, eye-sockets blackened, pumping devices that make fake blood run down their faces.” She also states the idea of zombies arose from old African religious beliefs encompassing the pain of slavery. It’s reflective of their starvation during this time and the idea that they had to turn to cannibalism. Many people, including myself, don’t know the history that follows these characters from the horror category, but it is the reason that type of character was created. Despite any physical features differing between zombies in various films, they always follow the the theme of eating brains.

Robots are a whole different category from characters like zombies or mummies. Robots don’t illuminate that fear factor in most people and most likely because they are realistic. There are many robots that have been created and function in our world. Some even believe that they will take even more of a prevalence in our lives when scientists create robots that act even more human. Since they are more familiar to humans and have more similar characteristics, they aren’t scary to most people. They typically share common qualities like their metal frame, a certain voice, and human-like shape.

Androids are much less common characters than robots and zombies, particularly in cinema. By definition, they are robots with human characteristics. This means they exemplify a human with similar features and actions. They are pretty close to robots, but the difference is in their description. By this I mean that all androids are technically robots, but not all robots are androids. Other robots besides androids exist. For example, when a customer goes to Red Robin and wants the check at the end, rather than waving for their server they use the tablet. This is an example of a robot replacing human labor without the robot having actual human characteristics.

Automatons are basically the same thing as androids. They are “moving mechanical devices made in imitation of a human being,” according to my google search. The difference that comes to mind for me when I read that is that they seek to mimic human action, rather than just representing some human qualities like an android. When I think of automatons the first thing that comes to mind is the movie Wall-E, but this is a clear misconception because Wall-E hardly mimics human attributes and actually takes the shape of a box.

All these characters are different, but share a similarity in their presence in cinema. Whether they add a fear factor to a movie or show, or they are just characters in it, they bring a new element of characterization besides what humans bring. They show different qualities like computation in robots or eating brains in zombies that are unfamiliar to us. Despite their primarily physical differences, they are similar in their addition to cinema.

I don’t watch movies, I don’t like them, and this is why. You know that hero movie where the guy saves the day right in time? So many moments of misconnection, but right when his love needs a hero he prevails. That would literally never happen. There’s the hero the exact millisecond before she’s either killed, eaten, or whatever dumb mishap is about to occur. How did he even know she needed to be saved? Any guy I know would be hanging out at home playing Fortnite, but these movies have guys jumping off building at the exact right moment to save the day. I understand that half the time they have special powers, but they don’t have some sensor to know when their girl’s in danger.

Additionally, the strong male role depicted by every hero movie ever is ridiculous. The first movie to ever challenge this stereotype is Wonder Woman and that was released in 2017. Seems a little bit behind to me given that women have been running the world since Beyonce declared it in 2011.

Another example of dumb male heroes who are supposedly saving the day is Luke and the boys in Star Wars. They continuously try to save Princess Leia from trouble even though she resists so many times. They still take it upon themselves to save her. When they try to “save her” from a jail cell and then she grabs a gun and saves them, yet they still try to save her and end up in a garbage chute.

Girls should be assuming this role, but, instead, they’re displayed as dumb blondes who depend on men. In high school movies every girl is portrayed as little miss perfect. Not only do they show up to school in dresses and a full face of makeup, but the actors playing these roles are in their 20’s. All of this creates this ridiculous standard that girls in high school should actually be looking and acting this way. So many movies showcasing dumb women who can’t be independent is just about the worst example for young girls.

I find it interesting that movies with a hero always find a way to fit these same stereotypes. The most fascinating part is the way that everything works out perfectly in the end. As I was discussing unrealistic standards being set for younger audiences, this is the worst one. Things don’t work out perfectly and life doesn’t work out that ideally. I genuinely don’t have much to say about movie genres because I don’t like them, but I definitely wanted to speak to unrealistic exceptions they set with their characters and the plot they consistently follow.

My childhood was what many would describe as a cake walk. All fun and games and with easy, lighthearted expectations. I really was spoiled rotten and received everything I ever needed and most of the things I ever wanted. Money was never a problem and my parents always had the luxury of spending. Growing up, despite my life as a spoiled child, my parents knew it was incredibly important to instill the value of hard work in my brother and me.

My parents intentions were in the right place, but hard work to them meant doing chores and some yard work. Cake walk, right? My parents’ life was similar to mine, though my dad had a more difficult upbringing, so they didn’t know the feeling of lack either. As parents I imagine it’s hard to hide abundance from curious children. I’ve never known differently and as easy as it is to love it, it’s blindsided me from reality for so many people. I will never grow seeing my parents struggle to provide or to make ends meet. I am grateful for the fortune I’ve been given, but I am knowingly foolish. In addition to the quality of life, I was blessed with two loving parents and an awesome brother. My family was, for the most part, functional and consistently happy.

In fifth grade, I met my best friend. She was like me in many ways, but she had this subtle timidness about her personality. This is something I never was and genuinely wasn’t accustomed to; my family is borderline obnoxious. We spent a great deal of time together and I learned more and more about her. This included her family of divorced parents, difficult step brothers, and month-to-month living. I was young, but I knew this was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Her mom and step dad were welcoming, but the tension of their stressful lives was still apparent. Although I was too young at the time to fully understand much of what occurred for my best friend, I’ve realized so many things about it now. The instability of her home life was creating a lack of confidence she should’ve had as such an intelligent and funny young girl. She was fun around me, but when we were together with her parents she wasn’t her same outgoing self.

Before I met my elementary school best friend, I was completely oblivious to how others lived. I had no way of knowing that other people didn’t live so lavish and how that ultimately affected their confidence. She does well now and lived under better circumstances, but her timid nature still prevails. Comparing my life to hers previously and reminding myself of it now reminds me how grateful I need to remain for my life. I truly live life like I’m walking a Cake Walk.

 

 

 

The poem Fishing on the Susquehanna in July, written by Billy Collins, is a poem about a man who lacks an experience he desires. Billy Collins begins by describing what he might be found doing instead of fishing like he wishes to be. He says that the closest thing he’s experienced is enjoying paintings similar to how he imagines it. He concludes the poem, saying that he will probably never go fishing on the Susquehanna in July. The duration of poem displays his self-sorrow that he has never, and probably will never, go fishing on the Susquehanna in July

Billy Collins describes the idea he wishes for, while explaining what he does alternatively. There is deeper meaning than what he says about his simple wish. The underlying theme appeals to many in a modern era and many people feel it virtually every day.  A large number of people have many wonderful things in their lives, but always seem to focus on the thing, or experience in this case, that they don’t have. My generation displays this universal attitude the most; never being satisfied with our innumerable luxuries.

The poem appealed to me because of its underlying theme about the feeling of a missing piece. I, personally, have experienced this feeling many times, especially in volleyball. I am incredibly lucky to play the sport I love almost every day and I have the fortune of training to become the skilled player I am today. Although I am, in perspective, a good volleyball player, I constantly feel like I am being beat out by one person. It always seems like theres just one athlete ahead of me and I never can truly prove myself in their shadow. Avoiding this attitude is incredibly difficult sometimes, but I’ve realized overtime it’s all about bigger picture. Asking myself the question, “Is it really that bad, Hannah?” makes it easier to remember to be grateful. In grand perspective, even with one person ahead of me, I will still be able to play at the next level. Reminding myself that it may not be perfect, but it’s pretty close to it always helps me.

Connecting this back to the poem, is it really about fishing on the Susquehanna in July? In the poem it may literally be that. Figuratively, I think Collins displays how a lack of appreciation for an inevitable situation is what creates this negative feeling. Blinded by his misfortune, he lacks an admiration for his circumstance. The repetition of his desire, “Fishing on the Susquehanna in July” is representative of how much emphasis we put on what we don’t in our lives rather than what we do. This ill feeling caused by our supposed deficiency suffocates our chance at happiness.

RENO – If you’re reading this, I would highly suggest going inside right now.  A new breed of dangerous is emerging too quickly for responders to keep up. Blankets have started taking their own form one by one, killing nearly three hundred people each day. This terrifying species, currently called that for lack of a better word, has shown itself in all fifty states. It even extends outside the US to other countries in Europe, South America, and Asia. Scientists have no explanation of how this is possible, but it’s a new reality we are facing. There is no known solution yet, but many Americans have been burning their blankets. This is leaving them freezing at night, however, so many have taken the chance of being murdered in their sleep.

Since there isn’t a clear plan in place of how to combat this, most responders are suggesting staying inside, burning or hiding your blankets, and, most importantly, staying calm. Our sources say that this could be the biggest panic to troll America since 9/11. The issue experts are seeing is how little we know about the attacks. There is no clear motive for the blankets’ anger and we are unsure of how the attacks start. If the blankets being demolished can end the crisis it may be the only option, but that may leave other inanimate objects to take form in the same way. Obliterating the blankets could leave the problem to spread to other items, potentially more dangerous ones, such as chairs, blenders, or even weapons.

How could a lifeless blanket become a physical threat to human life? I’m sure you wonder this and virtually the whole world is, too. Some tests have been done on blankets and scientists have questioned the static electricity in the blankets. Humans have to interact with the blanket for that to occur, so we may be our own worst enemies. They aren’t exactly sure of how the static could be playing into their movement, but it’s a start on the journey to a cure. The fact that no blanket that has taken action has been tested is the biggest contributor to the lack of information for mankind. If an attack could be monitored, experts could gather vital information like its shape, electric current, and power.

For our world, a blanket takeover is the newest scary reality we face. If you thought ISIS was scary, you’re in for a wild turn. All we can do is unite in the fight for a solution to the horror of the live blankets.

I do not like airplanes in the slightest. The idea of the thousands of people whose backsides have shared the same seat. The cramped cabin space that becomes the living area for the duration of the flight. Not to mention the fact that being up way to high in the sky is simply horrifying. I truly cannot wrap my mind around it. The worst part, though, is the when the plane reaches the terminal after landing and everyone surrounding me stands up. I guess you could say I’m a little claustrophobic. All these factors make flying an awful experience for me and all the people on the same flight. I’ve been sick on just about every flight I’ve been on and I could name several trips that included major panic attacks. If you thought the babies that won’t stop crying ruin the flight, just imagine how the people who get to fly with me feel. I am a much louder crying baby.

Clearly, not much puts me at ease in an airplane scenario but little things help. In fact, one specific little thing almost eliminates my fear entirely. I first began reading the book After by Anna Todd in my freshman year of high school. I never read much before this book; if I did it was for school. My friend convinced me that reading this book would change me and I thought to myself, “HA fat chance.” I was sorely mistaken. After was not like anything else to me and every I read page was a new experience. I went on an escape to adventure with the characters every time I opened the book. I left for college with Tessa, the main character, only to be faced with a disaster of a roommate. I fell in love with Harry through Tessa’s experiences with him, even the bad ones. I felt the painful disapproval from Tessa’s mother when she found out what her daughter had been up to in college. I felt all of it. I was completely entwined and attached to all the characters. The book left me completely unconscious to the world around me. That being said, I believed I found my coping mechanism for air travel. Since my first run-in with After, every plane ride I’ve taken has been a quick jaunt back into the world of college-freshman, Tessa Young. I get to fall in love with two people who were never meant to be together, but, with all odds stacked against them, found each other. Now being oblivious to the horror of the plane ride around me, I get to pretend like none of it’s happening.

When it comes to writing, there are no formulas or perfect solutions. Of course there are tools for writers, but no perfect criteria exists. There are millions of ways to say virtually the same thing. The different ways of speaking or writing are often related to the situation. For example, writing a text to my best friend sounds very different from a text to my mom, even if I am speaking about the same thing. The reason they seem so different is the formality of the writing. Speaking formally is usually reserved for adults or superiors, but informal, or slang, language can be used with certain people. I will always speak or write formally to people such as my teachers, my boss, or my parents. However, speaking and writing to my friends requires MANY emojis. If I’m being honest, I’ve had complete conversations just using the funny symbol characters. It’s funny how much can be interpreted from a few symbols, letters, or numbers. My generation has a complete understating of what’s being said when someone says “LOL”, “ttyl”, “gtg”, or “brb.” Being so technologically advanced virtually creates a whole new form of English slang. Formal writing is the other type I use somewhat regularly. I use it to address teachers, my boss, or contacting college coaches for volleyball. Some components of my formal writing include complete sentences, better sentence structure, and a much more complex vocabulary. The funniest part of this style of writing is how it would appear if it was used in an informal setting. If I used that style to text my friends, they would think something’s wrong with me.

Writing takes all kinds of different forms, but my favorite is cuando tengo el opportunidad hablar en español. No hablo en español con frecuencia, pero a mi trabajo, tenemos muchos familias quien no pueden a hablar en inglés. Mi jefe le gusta mi capacidad a hablar con ellos y ayude con sus compras. También, me encanta que puedo a viajar a España en el futuro y si tengo el oportunidad, puedo a hablar con todos las personas in el país. Hablando en un otro lingua puede a ser muy útil in muchos situaciones y estoy muy feliz que tengo el capacidad. Using all these different methods to speak to each other makes our world incredibly interconnected, especially with technology. I could be in contact with someone from just about any country that has technology with the click of a few buttons. Such freedoms ensue the responsibility of making sure we don’t abuse the power. Communication is everything in fast-moving world, but it should be used to advance us. Using our connections to be kind and empathetic in any communication should be the end goal.

 

There is no teacher I recall like Mrs. Hill- also known as the Grinch of all the sixth grade teachers at Hunsberger Elementary School. All the students who had her, and even the ones who didn’t, knew how she was. I had her for fifth grade as well, so I had already experienced her wrath. Despite this, I was blindsided by an even harsher sixth grade year. Every day she had a rigorous plan for the class, and nobody dared to disobey it. However, as much as she enjoyed occasionally terrorizing the class, she truly forced everyone to grow as writers under her tutelage. Many lessons I learned in that class still stick with me today, but one will always prevail as the most important: writing is nothing without evidence. She firmly believed that any piece of writing was complete nonsense without sufficient proof that the claim made a fair argument.

This changed the way I wrote instantly and permanently. Any time I make a statement in an essay, I pressure myself to provide at least two or three reasons why I believe my claim to be true. Without facts to back up the assertion, the claim is just an ignorant and uninformed opinion. She also taught me as part of this that “No one cares what I think.” If I’m being honest I was always offended by that, but I understand much better now what she meant. Arguing a point isn’t about an opinion of what’s right; it’s about what truth the facts point to. If enough evidence is used, the truth almost reveals itself. This pushed me to immerse myself in every fact I could get my hands on before I even form an opinion. It became such an easy change to my writing style, especially with how much we practiced it.

Each week, Mrs. Hill assigned a reading section and what she called “free response papers.” In the response papers, we were required to create claims about controversial parts of the chapters. We received no credit if we didn’t provide evidence, even if the assignment was fully completed. Considering our age, the punishment was hardcore, but it made everyone in the class accountable for their best possible writing. There was no excuse in her class for not backing up an argument. With every free response paper, every student improved their ability to argue a point. At the time I really didn’t enjoy being taught by her, but now I feel incredibly lucky that I was. I’ve come to realize that I can’t even remember how I wrote before she taught me. The ideas are so heavily implemented in my mind that they’re all I can think about when I write. The methods she preached still solidify my writing six years later. I would even say that as well as changing my writing style, Mrs. Hill made my young self much more optimistic. Who knew the evil Grinch of Hunsberger Elementary would prove to be the best writing teacher I’ve ever learned from?