I'm sure we're all familiar with Bruce Jenner, whether we know him as the 1976 Summer Olympics track and field gold medalist or the stepfather of the well known Kardashian family. Last Friday on a nationally televised interview, Jenner came out and told the world that he is planning to undergo surgery to transform into a woman. Bruce will be just one of the many people in the world who are transgender, or a person who may have undergone treatment to become a member of their opposite sex. Bruce's case specifically has risen to be highly controversial, either receiving support or criticism. However, in my opinion, Bruce as well as any transgender around the world should be supported and encouraged to be whoever they want to be and to not be ashamed about it.
After reading an article supporting transgender individuals everywhere, I learned that "A whopping 41 percent of people who are transgender or gender-nonconforming have attempted suicide sometime in their lives." Don't you think it's just downright wrong that a transgender person can't be happy and comfortable living as whatever gender they wish? The fact that this 41 percent of people felt so alone and unhappy with themselves because of being transgender is upsetting and should not be an issue. As the article states, "No one should ever contemplate taking their own life simply because they feel trapped in their own body and believe they were destined to be someone else." It takes real courage to come out and say that you want to become the opposite sex and even more courage and bravery to announce it on national television, as Bruce did. Can't these individuals earn the respect they deserve for being brave enough to announce their wishes to become who they really want to be? People are always urged to "be yourself" by their parents and friends, but how are they expected to do that if society is constantly shaming transgender people for not being "like the rest of us"? If anything, transgender people should be encouraged to speak of how they feel and they should have the right to undergo any medical treatment to change their gender without feeling embarrassed, ashamed or different in a negative way. This issue is becoming increasingly popular, especially because of Jenner, and "it's time for Americans to grow up and start treating people the way they wish to be treated."
The opposing side in the article has brought up a counterargument to my position. Religious figures believe that being transgender is a sin since "it disregards God-given gender distinctions and provides for and promotes homosexuality." However, is harshly criticizing transgender people about their personal decisions so far that they attempt suicide not a sin? All throughout our lives we are taught to not bully others and to treat others how we want to be treated. Everyone deserves to be happy and feel comfortable and confident as whoever they want to be, but this can't happen until our society learns to be more accepting towards those who aren't living as the gender they were born as. The article words it best: "How many people have to kill themselves before we finally realize we are all equal regardless of color, creed or sexual orientation?" I honestly do not understand why everyone can't simply accept each other and treat each other with respect. "When will the day come when we are all accepted for who we are?"
Whether it's Bruce Jenner or a random person you meet on the street, all transgender people deserve the same treatment as the rest of us. With an increasing suicide rate among transgender people, a change needs to occur to help them all realize they are not alone and they are loved just the way they are. With Jenner mustering up the courage to announce to the world what he plans to do to change his gender, the other transgender people of the world should also feel free and confident enough to pursue their dreams as well. While society may never accept these individuals for who they are, I will always fully support them no matter how they choose to live their lives, whether as a male or a female.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
The Next Picasso? (PB)
As you all know, a handful of art courses are offered here at Lakeview. That handful includes Art Appreciation, Drawing, Ceramics and Art Development. Another known fact is that every student here at Lakeview needs a fine arts credit in order to graduate. Unfortunately, I was not blessed with the talent of singing or playing a musical instrument, so I had no choice but to take art. Most of the kids in my class, as I had assumed, were just there to receive their art credit. I'm sure that my fellow classmates all thought the same thing as me, that an art class would be an easy A and a quick way to get an art credit. Boy was I wrong. You most definitely have to work hard to earn an A. Trust me I'd know. However, I've learned a lot of important things during my experience in art class this year.
The first semester of this school year I took Art Appreciation. For those of you who don't know, this class is basically an art history course in which you work on several projects that relate to a specific artist or art period. For example, when Christianity and churches were evolving, we created replicas of stain glass windows which can be found on the walls of churches. As the name of the class implies, one thing I learned in Art Appreciation is simply respecting and appreciating art. After learning about many ancient civilizations and all the work and effort they put in to create their works, I realized that art is more than painting pictures of landscapes; it actually takes a sufficient amount of thought. For instance, I learned about the architecture of the Roman Empire. The Romans built religious buildings, palaces, tombs, you name it. However, one of their major focuses was satisfying the needs of their citizens. As if it was difficult enough to come up with ideas and draw blueprints for specific buildings, these structural forms took years, even decades to build. As that lesson hit me, I began to realize that art, whether it's painting, sculpting or building, takes patience and perseverance to pursue and commit to. Therefore, I began to respect artists more and appreciate their work as I looked more into it. Another thing Art Appreciation helped me with was embracing my more creative side. Throughout my years in school, I've always struggled with being imaginative and creative. Even earlier this year I had trouble with my narration for my Patterns of Development project in English class. However, in art, I remember specifically one of the projects that required the most imagination and creativity. We were learning about Greek mythology at the time, and our project was to create our own mythological character. After brainstorming for a while, I finally came up with the idea to create a mix of a bear and a tiger. Another project that required creativity was to make a mask to represent something. I ended up creating a Mardi Gras themed mask that I meticulously crafted to resemble the famous festival. Overall, Art Appreciation alone taught me many concepts.
The Mardi Gras mask I previously mentioned.
The painting I created for my final project.
As of right now, I'm in Ceramics class for the second semester. Even though I'm technically not finished with the class yet, I've still learned some of the most important lessons and concepts. First and foremost, being in Ceramics has taught me time management. I even remember specifically from my first day in the class, Mr. Piper told us that we'd have at least three projects for us to do at a time. I can honestly say this has been the hardest part of the class. Right now, we currently have five projects to work on. In March, we were introduced a project in which we had to build a pot from clay coils. The pot had to reach a height of twelve inches. I spent a good month and a half on this pot, which was foolish of me. I knew spending so much time on one project would come back to bite me, since I never started any of my other projects. In fact, I have a slab box assignment due tomorrow that I still haven't fired in the kiln yet. When I get minus ten percentage points for being late, I'll know better than to procrastinate next time. Aside from my humorous misfortunes, Ceramics actually has introduced me to the pressure and stress of being under a time constraint, which may help prepare me for those days at work in the future when I have ten tasks to complete in an hour. Finally, Ceramics has taught me to be patient. I know this contradicts my last point about having to work fast to get projects done in time, but patience really is key to succeeding in art class. I'm not sure if anyone has noticed in the past years, but in the Media Center towards the end of the year Mr. Piper displays many ceramic bulldogs with different designs in what we call our annual "Bulldog Parade." In order to create these bulldogs, we use a method called slip casting. Basically, you take a mold of a specific form (in this case, the bulldog) and you pour slip (liquid clay) into it, then let it sit for a day. Once you take it out, you sculpt your pieces together and you get your bulldog. Well, I can personally say this process is harder than it sounds. It took me three tries to make my bulldog. The first time, the foot of my bulldog broke off. The second time, my entire piece got crushed when I was attempting to take it out of the mold. Third time's a charm in this case for me. The moral of my story was that you need to be patient when creating a piece. Mistakes do happen, but it's a part of the class (mistakes happen daily for me). All in all, Ceramics class has taught me just as much as Art Appreciation has.
My piggy bank that I created in Ceramics class
After looking at my images of some of the projects I've created, I know what you're thinking: I'm aware that I'm no Van Gogh. However, it's not the artistic ability that matters, it's the lessons and concepts learned. As you all have read, I have learned plenty of skills during my experience this year in art class. I for one know that high school art courses aren't a "A for effort" class, but one in which you need to work just as hard as you would in Calculus. I'm confident that when I walk out the doors of Mr. Piper's classroom this year, I'll be armed with loads of new skills that I can proudly say I learned in art class.
The first semester of this school year I took Art Appreciation. For those of you who don't know, this class is basically an art history course in which you work on several projects that relate to a specific artist or art period. For example, when Christianity and churches were evolving, we created replicas of stain glass windows which can be found on the walls of churches. As the name of the class implies, one thing I learned in Art Appreciation is simply respecting and appreciating art. After learning about many ancient civilizations and all the work and effort they put in to create their works, I realized that art is more than painting pictures of landscapes; it actually takes a sufficient amount of thought. For instance, I learned about the architecture of the Roman Empire. The Romans built religious buildings, palaces, tombs, you name it. However, one of their major focuses was satisfying the needs of their citizens. As if it was difficult enough to come up with ideas and draw blueprints for specific buildings, these structural forms took years, even decades to build. As that lesson hit me, I began to realize that art, whether it's painting, sculpting or building, takes patience and perseverance to pursue and commit to. Therefore, I began to respect artists more and appreciate their work as I looked more into it. Another thing Art Appreciation helped me with was embracing my more creative side. Throughout my years in school, I've always struggled with being imaginative and creative. Even earlier this year I had trouble with my narration for my Patterns of Development project in English class. However, in art, I remember specifically one of the projects that required the most imagination and creativity. We were learning about Greek mythology at the time, and our project was to create our own mythological character. After brainstorming for a while, I finally came up with the idea to create a mix of a bear and a tiger. Another project that required creativity was to make a mask to represent something. I ended up creating a Mardi Gras themed mask that I meticulously crafted to resemble the famous festival. Overall, Art Appreciation alone taught me many concepts.
As of right now, I'm in Ceramics class for the second semester. Even though I'm technically not finished with the class yet, I've still learned some of the most important lessons and concepts. First and foremost, being in Ceramics has taught me time management. I even remember specifically from my first day in the class, Mr. Piper told us that we'd have at least three projects for us to do at a time. I can honestly say this has been the hardest part of the class. Right now, we currently have five projects to work on. In March, we were introduced a project in which we had to build a pot from clay coils. The pot had to reach a height of twelve inches. I spent a good month and a half on this pot, which was foolish of me. I knew spending so much time on one project would come back to bite me, since I never started any of my other projects. In fact, I have a slab box assignment due tomorrow that I still haven't fired in the kiln yet. When I get minus ten percentage points for being late, I'll know better than to procrastinate next time. Aside from my humorous misfortunes, Ceramics actually has introduced me to the pressure and stress of being under a time constraint, which may help prepare me for those days at work in the future when I have ten tasks to complete in an hour. Finally, Ceramics has taught me to be patient. I know this contradicts my last point about having to work fast to get projects done in time, but patience really is key to succeeding in art class. I'm not sure if anyone has noticed in the past years, but in the Media Center towards the end of the year Mr. Piper displays many ceramic bulldogs with different designs in what we call our annual "Bulldog Parade." In order to create these bulldogs, we use a method called slip casting. Basically, you take a mold of a specific form (in this case, the bulldog) and you pour slip (liquid clay) into it, then let it sit for a day. Once you take it out, you sculpt your pieces together and you get your bulldog. Well, I can personally say this process is harder than it sounds. It took me three tries to make my bulldog. The first time, the foot of my bulldog broke off. The second time, my entire piece got crushed when I was attempting to take it out of the mold. Third time's a charm in this case for me. The moral of my story was that you need to be patient when creating a piece. Mistakes do happen, but it's a part of the class (mistakes happen daily for me). All in all, Ceramics class has taught me just as much as Art Appreciation has.
After looking at my images of some of the projects I've created, I know what you're thinking: I'm aware that I'm no Van Gogh. However, it's not the artistic ability that matters, it's the lessons and concepts learned. As you all have read, I have learned plenty of skills during my experience this year in art class. I for one know that high school art courses aren't a "A for effort" class, but one in which you need to work just as hard as you would in Calculus. I'm confident that when I walk out the doors of Mr. Piper's classroom this year, I'll be armed with loads of new skills that I can proudly say I learned in art class.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
The AP Exam: More Beneficial Than You Think (SSR)
The time is here. The AP exam has crept upon us quicker than expected. It seems like just yesterday when I was learning what an analytical essay was and what rhetorical devices had to do with anything. After rigorously preparing for this dreaded exam all school year in English class, the test date is officially less than a month away. Although the extensive work and effort we've all put in to perfect our analytical, synthesis and argumentative essays and to understand the tricky multiple choice questions has been tiresome, it will all soon pay off. We're all familiar with this struggle; however, this exam will benefit us in several ways.
After reading an article that outlines the pros of taking an AP exam, I realized that the exam we've all been hoping would never come actually is beneficial and should be appreciated more. First and foremost, Advanced Placement tests provide students the chance to earn college credit. All exams are graded the same way: you can either earn a score of a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. A score of 3 or higher means you've passed the exam. As long as you score a 3, 4, or 5 you can earn up to 2 semesters worth of credits. In my opinion, this is a phenomenal opportunity. Earning thousands of dollars of college fees for only the $90 paid to take the exam is a steal. According to the author of this article, Barbara Toney, by taking AP exams, you could end up beginning college as a second semester Freshman or even a first semester Sophomore and "If attending a private school, starting as a 2nd semester Freshman can save over $20,000 in college costs. Starting as a 1st semester Sophomore saves over $40,000." Any chance to save money for college, I'm all for it. After all the work we've put into the AP Language and Composition class this year, I have faith that all of us will score at least a 3 on the exam. We've all worked extensively to prepare for the exam and I, at least, have learned more in this English course than in any other past English class. Receiving a score of 3 guarantees at least some money being saved for attending college. Twenty thousand dollars might not seem like that high of an amount to some people, but to me every penny counts when it comes to college fees. Saving money towards college is just one reason why this exam is beneficial.
As well as college credits and saved money towards college, AP exams also increase a student's chances of being admitted into college. First of all, being in an AP class simply helps any student prepare for the difficult and faster paced college courses. Generally, any AP class is taught at a faster pace than regular high school courses and teaches harder material. I especially agree with this idea. Last year in Honors English 10, the most difficult tasks we endured was writing a research paper on a chosen topic or discussing the meaning of "Animal Farm." This year has been a whole new challenge. Let's just say I now know how to analyze essays for rhetorical devices in my sleep. After adjusting to reading, discussing, and analyzing two essays a week, I feel as if I can take on any college course. Being exposed to the difficulties of AP English this year has not only helped me prepare for the tough college courses I will take in a couple years, but also will help me to score higher on my exam. This all ties back to my previous statement, that the AP exam will boost our chances of being accepted into college. Students who take AP exams are more likely to receive scholarships from colleges. Also, by taking these exams colleges can see that these students have been exposed to the more difficult classes in high school and have the "work ethic" that they are looking for. By taking the advanced classes and scoring well on exams, colleges can clearly see that a student is a hard worker, can do well in the tough classes, and is overall college material, which are great characteristics to possess when applying for colleges. Overall, taking AP exams can open the door to success, whether it's increasing college readiness, increasing chances of being accepted into college, or increasing the amount of saved college money.
When I first came into AP English, I thought the AP exam was only good for passing the class. As I just proved, I was definitely mistaken. Although there are probably many more benefits I didn't mention, AP exams definitely are worth all the time, hard work and dedication my fellow classmates and I have put into English this year. At the beginning of the school year, I will admit that I complained a lot about the loads of work I had to put into this class! However, now I fully understand and appreciate the preparation I've had to endure through this year. Once I receive my score of at least 3 on the exam, I'll know that AP Language and Composition as well as the actual AP exam itself, was all worth it in the end.
After reading an article that outlines the pros of taking an AP exam, I realized that the exam we've all been hoping would never come actually is beneficial and should be appreciated more. First and foremost, Advanced Placement tests provide students the chance to earn college credit. All exams are graded the same way: you can either earn a score of a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. A score of 3 or higher means you've passed the exam. As long as you score a 3, 4, or 5 you can earn up to 2 semesters worth of credits. In my opinion, this is a phenomenal opportunity. Earning thousands of dollars of college fees for only the $90 paid to take the exam is a steal. According to the author of this article, Barbara Toney, by taking AP exams, you could end up beginning college as a second semester Freshman or even a first semester Sophomore and "If attending a private school, starting as a 2nd semester Freshman can save over $20,000 in college costs. Starting as a 1st semester Sophomore saves over $40,000." Any chance to save money for college, I'm all for it. After all the work we've put into the AP Language and Composition class this year, I have faith that all of us will score at least a 3 on the exam. We've all worked extensively to prepare for the exam and I, at least, have learned more in this English course than in any other past English class. Receiving a score of 3 guarantees at least some money being saved for attending college. Twenty thousand dollars might not seem like that high of an amount to some people, but to me every penny counts when it comes to college fees. Saving money towards college is just one reason why this exam is beneficial.
As well as college credits and saved money towards college, AP exams also increase a student's chances of being admitted into college. First of all, being in an AP class simply helps any student prepare for the difficult and faster paced college courses. Generally, any AP class is taught at a faster pace than regular high school courses and teaches harder material. I especially agree with this idea. Last year in Honors English 10, the most difficult tasks we endured was writing a research paper on a chosen topic or discussing the meaning of "Animal Farm." This year has been a whole new challenge. Let's just say I now know how to analyze essays for rhetorical devices in my sleep. After adjusting to reading, discussing, and analyzing two essays a week, I feel as if I can take on any college course. Being exposed to the difficulties of AP English this year has not only helped me prepare for the tough college courses I will take in a couple years, but also will help me to score higher on my exam. This all ties back to my previous statement, that the AP exam will boost our chances of being accepted into college. Students who take AP exams are more likely to receive scholarships from colleges. Also, by taking these exams colleges can see that these students have been exposed to the more difficult classes in high school and have the "work ethic" that they are looking for. By taking the advanced classes and scoring well on exams, colleges can clearly see that a student is a hard worker, can do well in the tough classes, and is overall college material, which are great characteristics to possess when applying for colleges. Overall, taking AP exams can open the door to success, whether it's increasing college readiness, increasing chances of being accepted into college, or increasing the amount of saved college money.
When I first came into AP English, I thought the AP exam was only good for passing the class. As I just proved, I was definitely mistaken. Although there are probably many more benefits I didn't mention, AP exams definitely are worth all the time, hard work and dedication my fellow classmates and I have put into English this year. At the beginning of the school year, I will admit that I complained a lot about the loads of work I had to put into this class! However, now I fully understand and appreciate the preparation I've had to endure through this year. Once I receive my score of at least 3 on the exam, I'll know that AP Language and Composition as well as the actual AP exam itself, was all worth it in the end.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
This is My Freebie!
Since I unexpectedly got homework in almost every subject tonight, I won't be posting a blog. See you guys next week!
Thursday, April 2, 2015
The Rhetorical Strategies of Carson's "Silent Spring" (CRR)
This past week in class, we discussed Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring." Corresponding to this week's theme of the environment, Carson writes about the dramatic decline of our environment. She describes the use of pesticides and chemicals that she claims has drastically impacted our environment for the worse. Carson uses several rhetorical devices to convey her message that this contamination issue has gotten worse throughout the years and we need to work together to make a change and help put the environment back on track to becoming as beautiful as it once was. Through her use of logos, ethos and pathos working together, Carson effectively argues her point.
Carson uses logos, ethos and pathos together to effectively convey her message. She uses many facts and a great deal of quantitative data to get her message across. Carson talks about pesticides, in which "almost five hundred annually find their way into actual use in the United States alone. The figure is staggering and its implications are not easily grasped -- 500 new chemicals to which the bodies of men and animals are required somehow to adapt each year, chemicals totally outside the limits of biologic experience." By stating that such a large quantity of harmful chemicals are introduced each year, Carson uses a factual example to emphasize to her audience the astonishing amount of pesticides in use. By using this example, the audience begins to face the reality of the situation and realize that five hundred chemicals are being sprayed in our environment. This fact grabs the audience's attention and causes them to want to make a change, which is Carson's goal in her message. This example relates to the message because it outlines the cause of the decline of the environment and urges the audience to realize that they need to make a change. Carson also states "The United States Office of Plant Introduction alone has introduced almost 200,000 species and varieties of plants from all over the world. Nearly half of the 180 or so major insect enemies of plants in the United States are accidental imports from abroad, and most of them have come as hitchhikers on plants." This example of logos incorporates quantitative data into it to prove to the audience that there is a huge number of plant species in the world and a large amount of pesticides have come into contact with those plants and harmed, or even killed them. These facts raise awareness that the chemicals are doing more harm than good, which causes the audience to really think about the damage pollution has done. The audience now has a new perspective on the issue after hearing the exact numbers, and are now more likely to try and reduce the use of pesticides. This example is also pathos because it intends to make the audience feel bad that they've caused this much harm to the environment through the use of pesticides. The example is in other words, saying that the pesticides have not only killed the insects, but have accidentally killed plants as well. This makes the audience feel sympathetic toward the plant life that have unintentionally died off due to the excessive spraying of chemicals. Both examples I mentioned build up Carson's ethos as well. Her knowledge of facts and statistics proves that she knows what she is talking about and that she knows background information to help support her argument. Also, by citing her source (The United States Office of Plant Introduction) it proves that she's not making up the information and the audience can trust that she's a credible writer. By appearing trustworthy and credible, her argument appears stronger and more effective since the audience can believe her point. Logos, ethos and pathos all work together to convey Carson's message.
The three rhetorical strategies of logos, ethos and pathos all contribute to Carson's message. These devices all work together to convey the message that we all must work together to reduce the amount of pollution in the environment. By using facts and quantitative data, Carson proves her knowledge on the issue and appeals to the audience's logic. By citing her sources and being able to connect research to the current issue, she proves she is credible. Finally, by appealing to the audience's emotions, her argument strengthens and people start to pay more attention to the pollution issue. Carson works three rhetorical devices into her parts of her essay to overall prove her message.
Carson uses logos, ethos and pathos together to effectively convey her message. She uses many facts and a great deal of quantitative data to get her message across. Carson talks about pesticides, in which "almost five hundred annually find their way into actual use in the United States alone. The figure is staggering and its implications are not easily grasped -- 500 new chemicals to which the bodies of men and animals are required somehow to adapt each year, chemicals totally outside the limits of biologic experience." By stating that such a large quantity of harmful chemicals are introduced each year, Carson uses a factual example to emphasize to her audience the astonishing amount of pesticides in use. By using this example, the audience begins to face the reality of the situation and realize that five hundred chemicals are being sprayed in our environment. This fact grabs the audience's attention and causes them to want to make a change, which is Carson's goal in her message. This example relates to the message because it outlines the cause of the decline of the environment and urges the audience to realize that they need to make a change. Carson also states "The United States Office of Plant Introduction alone has introduced almost 200,000 species and varieties of plants from all over the world. Nearly half of the 180 or so major insect enemies of plants in the United States are accidental imports from abroad, and most of them have come as hitchhikers on plants." This example of logos incorporates quantitative data into it to prove to the audience that there is a huge number of plant species in the world and a large amount of pesticides have come into contact with those plants and harmed, or even killed them. These facts raise awareness that the chemicals are doing more harm than good, which causes the audience to really think about the damage pollution has done. The audience now has a new perspective on the issue after hearing the exact numbers, and are now more likely to try and reduce the use of pesticides. This example is also pathos because it intends to make the audience feel bad that they've caused this much harm to the environment through the use of pesticides. The example is in other words, saying that the pesticides have not only killed the insects, but have accidentally killed plants as well. This makes the audience feel sympathetic toward the plant life that have unintentionally died off due to the excessive spraying of chemicals. Both examples I mentioned build up Carson's ethos as well. Her knowledge of facts and statistics proves that she knows what she is talking about and that she knows background information to help support her argument. Also, by citing her source (The United States Office of Plant Introduction) it proves that she's not making up the information and the audience can trust that she's a credible writer. By appearing trustworthy and credible, her argument appears stronger and more effective since the audience can believe her point. Logos, ethos and pathos all work together to convey Carson's message.
The three rhetorical strategies of logos, ethos and pathos all contribute to Carson's message. These devices all work together to convey the message that we all must work together to reduce the amount of pollution in the environment. By using facts and quantitative data, Carson proves her knowledge on the issue and appeals to the audience's logic. By citing her sources and being able to connect research to the current issue, she proves she is credible. Finally, by appealing to the audience's emotions, her argument strengthens and people start to pay more attention to the pollution issue. Carson works three rhetorical devices into her parts of her essay to overall prove her message.
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