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For my capstone, I wanted to explore how music had an impact on the lives of people in Philadelphia. I knew that for this question, I wanted to somehow document the connections that residents of Philadelphia had to music or the industry. I conducted many interviews with aspiring musicians, songwriters, or people who wanted to be in the production part of music. At first, I thought I wanted it to be anecdotal and just small blurbs. But transcribing a full interview was much more insightful. In order to present these interviews, I made a website titled “Music of Philly” where people could sign up and read the articles. I also made an instagram page for the site to promote the articles more and I posted on snapchat every time there was an update. For me, working on my capstone has been an exuberant process and overall I’m proud of the work that I have put in. You can visit the website here.

Annotated Bibliography

1. Xu Bing: Square Word Calligraphy Classroom - The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University. Libraries. Digital Program Division, www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/isaacs/edit/MencherIntv1.html.

This source is from Columbia University. I will use to think of ways to prepare for my interview, such as writing my questions out beforehand and trying to get the person that I am interviewing to tell a story, while still staying on topic. However, if I know the person I should try to familiarize myself with their background as much as possible. I can do this by listening to their music before meeting them. This can also open up a conversational atmosphere. The source also talks about how you should try to read the person you are interviewing body language to try and see if they are open or more secretive, that way you know what questions to ask without being too evasive.

2. Employment, Small Business and Training. “Creating a Website.” Business Queensland, CorporateName=The State of Queensland; 2 Jan. 2019, www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/internet-start-ups/online-basics/creating-websites.

This source is reliable because it is from a government site. The source explains that before you finalize your site, you should organize your content in a way that is designed easily to navigate through but also stands out to people. I want people to be able to know what content I'm posting and how to find it quickly. It suggests that you should have a professional make your site, however, I'm going to be the professional in this case and structure the content myself. The source also talks about finances, explaining that most companies that let you make a website make you pay a monthly fee. I will try to find one that is free, however I don't mind paying a fee.

3. Green, Taylor K. “Interview with Sofian Zapf.” 8 Feb. 2019.

Although this interview hasn't happened yet it is planned for the future. Sofian Zapf has an extensive musical background and has been in a few different bands over the years. Not only does he create music, but he has experience with playing shows in front of a vast number of people and his music has accumulated a good following on Spotify and Bandcamp. He is currently trying to plan a small tour with his band. He will be one of the first interviews that I include on the website and this will give me experience on conducting interviews and what I can do differently in the future.

4. Green, Taylor K. “Interview with Isaiah Vargas.” 26 Jan. 2019.

Although this interview hasn’t happened, yet I will use it on my website in the future. Isaiah Vargas is a Senior who attends Benjamin Rush High School, which is a public magnet school that specializes in the arts. Vargas has been playing drums for over seven years and he wants to pursue a musical career when he is older. For school, he has to complete projects that correlate to his major (music). I will use this interview to write a column on Vargas and include how going to an art school helps him pursue what he wants to do in the future, which is become a music producer and the difficulties that come along with it sometimes.

5. “How Does Music Affect Your Brain?” Ashford University, 7 June 2017, www.ashford.edu/online-degrees/student-lifestyle/how-does-music-affect-your-brain.

This source was posted by Ashford University. It explains how music impacts humans, most importantly our brain. Whenever we listen to music, we become happy because our brains are releasing dopamine. The source also included information about how music is good for your health, saying that music is an effective treatment for many conditions ranging from premature birth to Parkinson's Disease. Music even plays a key role in the early development of the brain. Musicians have improvement in memory, learning, and auditory processing. The source also provides good ways to find new music or even instruments for people to buy. Maybe I can use this advice to find new music to review.

6. “How to Create a Website.” Free Website Builder, Wix Photography Blog, www.wix.com/how-to/make-a-website.

This is Wix. It is one of the sources that I can use in the future to create my website. It also includes tips and advice if this is your first time making a website like this. It got me thinking about what I could potentially use the website for. It also got me thinking much about the design. Since I'm writing about something that's art and entertainment I should try to use an eye-catching website template. In the "Get in Touch" section of the source, they talk about how you should include social media icons so that people can get in contact with you. I thought about doing this for the people that I interview and maybe even including a link to their work/music.

7. Jacke, Christoph, et al. “Editorial Introduction Music Journalism.” IASPM @ Journal , Journal of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, 2014, www.iaspmjournal.net/index.php/IASPM_Journal/article/viewFile/737/pdf_5.

This research paper talks about how music-based journalism tends to be an "unexplored" part of the profession. It talks about the initial emerge of music journalism over 100 years ago and how it's almost become a separate form of writing and organization. Over time, magazines such as Rolling Stone has globalized music based journalism and has made it more of a norm. This source uses information from books such as "Inventing Pop Culture" and "Popular Music in Theory", and it talks about the impact of music on culture and culture's impact on music. These sources explain that the relationship that links together industry and audiences are based in consumerism. I will take this research paper into consideration when not only writing articles, but when it comes to interviewing people as well.

8. Negus, Keith. Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction. Polity Press, 2012.

This book was written by Keith Negus, someone who has a higher education and experience in the musical field, having played the guitar and keyboard in a variety of different bands over the past few years. Throughout the book, he is explaining the theoretical components that make popular music "popular". He talks about the history of music not only in the United States but the UK as well, and the emergence of "popular music" begins with the creation of rock and roll in the 1950s. This source is important to my research and the way I will conduct my interviews because it provides insight on what music people tend to enjoy more. This will affect who I interview and how I will go about interviewing them.

9. Spencer, Megan. “How to Interview an Artist || Learn: Storytelling.” ABC Open, ABC Online Services, 1 July 2015, open.abc.net.au/explore/95656.

Although this source is similar to a blog post, it is from a network organization, meaning that it is reliable. The creator of this source has a background in freelance writing, broadcasting and is a critic and media arts professional. She offers a lot of advice and interview techniques that I'll take into consideration, such as being polite and being yourself. You can be honest with the person that you are interviewing and if you're feeling nervous about the interview, you can tell them that. Sometimes people lose track of what they're talking about, so you might have to prompt them to speak on a certain topic more throughout the interview.

10. Varriale, Simone. “Music, Journalism, and the Study of Cultural Change.” Warwick.ac.uk, University of Warwick, 2012, warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/sociology/staff/syrkaf/publications/music_journalism_and_the_study_of_cultur.pdf.

This source is a paper from a student from the University of Warwick who is describing the impact of music journalism and criticism over the decades and how it affects culture. Criticism provides useful data to study cultural processes, such as the tie between arts and pop culture. This got me thinking about how the music that I'm going to be listening to and reviewing is going to have a cultural impact, and that I should take that into consideration as I am writing. The source also uses an example of one of Sam Rivers' works/performances and the political engagement that it has.

 For my capstone, I taught underclassmen a mini-course on animal sciences. I researched different teaching techniques before starting. I felt I was very unfamiliar with actually teach subjects to people rather than having conversations about subjects with them. In addition to this, I researched different lesson plans and activities or warm-ups that I found interesting that the class and I could have fun participating in. For example, for one class I made a connection to the anatomy of human muscles and features to certain animal muscles and features. We had a class discussion about what some similarities could be and why then we broke off and everyone chose one animal. I had them research their animal and imagine what kind of strength the animals would have if it were a human and why. Then I had them present to the class and we had a random animal story related discussion for the last while of class. Most of my ideas have been coming from random curiosities and theories that I’ve formed due to my fascination with animals. I wanted to share these feelings and interests with others and that's why I decided to teach this mini-course. I’ve had a lot of fun with my class and hope they enjoyed their time too.

Plumwood, Val. "Animals and Ecology." In The Eye of the Crocodile, 77-90. ANU Press, 2012. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt24hcd2.10?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.

This is a primary source that speaks on the inclusion of animals within the human world, it highlights what it was like when the human race and the animal kingdom were closer and what it's like now. I feel it is important for my students to learn how different species are able to coexist and what it may look like when forced inclusion can go wrong, and how proper inclusion can go as well. I hope that they get a good sense of how to treat animals as well since this topic can probably go into animal cruelty as well.

Milner, Nicky, Chantal Conneller, and Barry Taylor. "Animals in a Wilder COntext." In Star Carr: Studies in Technology, Subsistence, and Environment, 335-44. White Rose University Press, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv9b2vq9.16?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.

This link discusses and shows examples of the scientific meaning and makeup of different species of animals. I feel my topic can get a bit confusing ur to the fact that there is a high demand to know every subcategory scientifically. Hopefully, if I use this right and implement it effectively into worksheets that I provide for my students, they can get it right. I feel like this might be a bit intense for some people since it's isn't really modified for younger viewers and it just throws you into descriptions but I believe that I can make it work.

Dawkins, and Marian Stamp. "Animal Minds and Animal Emotions 1." OUP Academic. August 01, 2015. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/40/6/883/187667.

This link spoke on the analyzation of animals emotions. It related their emotions and actions and dealt with how we as people should go about interpreting and respecting them. This is also a very important topic to me because in order to work with animals you have to understand them and one of the most difficult aspects of working with animals is figuring out their behaviors and what not. With this, I can more easily guide the students.

Kelly, Morgan. "Understanding Animal Coexistence with a Little Dung and a Lot of DNA." Princeton University. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.princeton.edu/news/2015/10/26/understanding-animal-coexistence-little-dung-and-lot-dna.

This topic mainly covers how we as humans can understand and learn why animals are able to coexist the way they do. I have always been interested in why and how we have so many different species and breeds of things some of which we have not even discovered yet. With this article, I was able to dive into the vast makeups of certain animals habitats and how they are able to smoothly blend into the habitats of others without causing too much commotion. I really believe my students will enjoy this because it covers a lot of questions that I myself have always had.

Nyhus, Philip J. "Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence." Annual Reviews. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-environ-110615-085634.

This site also talks about the coexistence of animals. I realize that this theme has become repetitive but the animal world is so vast that there is a lot to cover. This piece covers similar aspects and content but it's written a bit differently and goes in depth further than the others. I didn't mind having so many links on this topic because it's what interested in talking about with my students and I have a feeling that they will find it to be insightful.

Poblocki, Alicia. "Animals & Habitats." The Lifecycle of a Butterfly. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www3.canisius.edu/~grandem/animalshabitats/SOFTCHALKGOOD_print.html.

This is an education packet on how to go about teaching animals to kids, it gives examples and topics and what not. I understand that the group I will be working with will be a lot older than the group intended for this pack but I think it will be helpful for me. This can be a building block template for me so I can start very small when it comes to my courses complexity than go from there once I have more confidence in what I've taken away from this. So this is more of an introductory piece for me and less of guidance piece you could say.

"22 Fantastic Ways to Get Paid to Work With Animals." Trade-schools.net. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.trade-schools.net/ca/articles/jobs-with-animals.asp.

This link highlights different job options for people interested in some animal-related careers. Growing up when someone like animals and wanted to work with them the first thing they would go to or be told about was becoming a veterinarian. While this is an amazing option and I myself chose to pursue that option I still wish I was exposed to their option. This link will open more windows for my students.

http://hamiltonzoo.co.nz/assets/Education-resources/Animals-Classification-Teacher-Notes-Activites-and-Worksheets.pdf

This link also discusses and shows examples of the scientific meaning and makeup of different species of animals. I feel my topic can get a bit confusing ur to the fact that there is a high demand to know every subcategory scientifically. Hopefully, if I use this right and implement it effectively into worksheets that I provide for my students, they can get it right. I feel like this might be a bit intense for some people since it's isn't really modified for younger viewers and it just throws you into descriptions but I believe that I can make it work.

"Classifying Animals." Mensa for Kids. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://www.mensaforkids.org/teach/lesson-plans/classifying-animals/.

This link simply outlines a bunch of lesson plans that I can build off of and get inspiration from. I am not very good at coming up with certain things from scratch so this outline can help me a lot of navigation wise. I do not intend on using the exact examples within the sheet but I would like to incorporate some of the things they mentioned within it. This link is primarily for my activity portion of my mini-course so it isn't as crucial as the informative links.

The Rom 241 Team. "3 Innovative Methods of Teaching for High School Educators." Concordia University-Portland. April 06, 2018. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/3-innovative-methods-of-teaching-for-high-school-educators/.

This link is an informative article that instructs people on the basis of teaching other efficiently. I was very worried in the beginning because I am not so used to teaching people fairly close to my own age. I need to figure out how to input my authority within this group without overstepping but also keeping their respect. This link is more for myself rather than my students I want to better prepare myself as much as possible and with this research, I will be able to achieve that.

For my capstone, I focused on self-care. I did this by creating a website that has different aspects of self care like meditation and gemstones. I made the website with research, talking to peers and teachers, and shadowing a dermatologist. At the beginning of my capstone I didn't have a clear idea for my capstone. I figured out my final idea by asking my mentor and other teachers. The capstone process overall was a little stressful because I had to research different careers in the field and the best way to help people. However, I had a good time doing it because self-care is something that I am passion about and wanted to learn more about. I felt that I was about to motiative some people to learn more about their self-care routines and improve my own.

SLA Mentor: Mr. Hernandez

Topic Summary:

Figuring out how to effectively create a club at SLA, with there being a focus on reducing students’ stress levels based on the activities.

Project Abstract:

I created a karaoke club that would consist of students being able to sing and dance along to their favorite songs in a judgment-free zone. I began with putting up posters around the school, asking a friend to design one for me that would catch the eye of those who were interested. As it was only possible for meetings to occur during one lunch band, it was difficult to reach a larger amount of students who were interested in attending. I held four meetings, with required surveys for students to complete before and after they experienced the club. In the surveys, there were questions regarding their level of stress, how they felt, what they do to help themselves, and what can be improved in the club for next time. Each meeting was different because the number of people who attended was not consistent and the energy was either very high or significantly low, all of which affected the way the group as a whole participated. It was difficult trying to contain everyone and the kinds of music and activities we ended up doing when it came to deciding on a song or video on Youtube, it spiraled a little out of my control. I attempted to make changes, which included a judging round but it didn’t work well since people didn’t enjoy it, or want to participate. Ultimately, I decided to keep the genre of music to pop for a more universal reach as a constant throughout each meeting.  

For my capstone, I wrote and directed my own play. I wanted to perform my own play because I wanted to demonstrate my own vision and ideas, rather than take another play and attempt to replicate someone else’s idea in my own style.

Over the winter break, I just let myself write. Before I knew it, what started as one scene about a boy getting dressed turned into a story about events that took place in my life with jokes brought in that highlighted this story of a boy wanting to tell his mother the truth.  After a hefty amount of edits from close friends and mentors, I was finally ready to get people to audition.

With just enough people coming to auditions and enough stage crew members, I had put together a team. Every Monday and Thursday after advisory, we would practice simple acting techniques and scenes from the play for about two hours. This would go on for two months. It was more challenging than I expected to get people to simply walk and talk on stage. It wasn’t until the final practice, the day before the play, that I had realized how far we had come as a group and how much work we had put in.

On March 22, we performed “A Year to Remember” during X-band lunch only expecting twenty audience members and actually had triple the expected amount. I left the drama studio with a handful of flowers and this warm feeling that took over my entire body. My capstone allowed me to display a story that I believe SLA will never forget and that I can be proud of.

Link to bibliography:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bDNL68hIhcunZMIIHU-z9vFFQIS7bk2Nczs73mrViUY/edit

Bibliography:

“About.” Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, phillypaws.org/about/.

This is the non-profit organization that I am going to be donating most of my profits to. They are a low cost animal clinic. They do mainly spay and neuters daily and give opportunities for vet-students to learn from the vets at PAWS.

“Flour Mixes & Substitutions.” Gluten Free & More, www.glutenfreeandmore.com/substitutions/.

This blog informs people of the different substitutes that can be used in order to make baked goods gluten free such as using xanthan gum or agar as a thickener or other kinds of flour such as oat or rice flour. It also gives you different ratios when using these substitutes compared to using normal ingredients, along with recipes for basic breads and doughs. With knowing this kind of information it makes me more informed about the recipes I am using and why the substitutes work, along with the fact I can take a recipe that is regular and make it gluten free using these substitutes.

Kearse , Chris, and Shilo Kendall. “Business at WILL.” 21 Nov. 2018.

In this interview Chris discussed with me how he prices his food and how he organizes his inventory. He creates spreadsheet with all the ingredients he uses for each recipe. He prices them out by oz. With this information he can figure out how much the dish would be by the amount of ounces per ingredient per dish. He then takes the cost and multiplies it by 5 since it is fine dining but he explained to me it is usually by 3. This is information I created my own spreadsheets for my recipes and was able to price out each individual item.

Kelly, Taylor. “Veganism Is at an All-Time High: Is It A Fleeting Fad or The New Norm?” SinglePlatform, SinglePlatform, 28 June 2018, www.singleplatform.com/blog/the-rise-of-veganism-a-fleeting-fad-or-the-new-norm.

Kelly explains in her article that from 2014 to 2017 people identifying as vegan has risen from 1% to 6%. With this increase Kelly talks about the reasons why people have become vegan, health, animal welfare, etc, along with the affects this rise in veganism has had on the restaurant industry. Since veganism has increased more restaurants have been popping up that are either entirely vegan or have many vegan options. Restaurants rely on public demand so if more people are becoming vegan they have to make an effort to comaidate for these dietary changes. With now knowing this kind of information I decided to make my bakery have vegan options due to the rise in veganism, along with having regular items in order to reach a wider range of people.

M.S., Marissa Donovan, and R.d. “Vegan Substitutes for Baking.” EatingWell, EatingWell, 6 Nov. 2017, www.eatingwell.com/article/289703/vegan-substitutes-for-baking/.  

Marissa Donovan goes into the different kinds of vegan substitutes you can use and the ratios required depending on what you are trying to substitute within a recipe such as dairy and eggs. For example she explains how to make dairy-free buttermilk by using any non-dairy milk such as almond milk and adding one tablespoon of lemon juice in order to curdle the milk. With this kind of information I can then understand my vegan recipes better and understand the choices the person made, along with being able to change regular recipes into vegan recipes by using these substitutes.

Nordqvist, Christian. “Celiac Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Diet, and Treatment.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 15 Dec. 2017, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/38085.php.

Nordqvist writes about what celiac is, symptoms, diagnosis, diet, and kinds of treatments. Celiac is a disorder where a person is allergic to gluten, this can lead to inflammation, malnutrition, and destruction of the lining of organs when gluten is consumed. Around 1 in every 141 Americans have celiac making it a more common disorder than many believe. It affects mainly caucasian females and can be treated with a gluten free diet. Nordqvist mentions what foods people with celiac should avoid, bread, some processed soups, granola, etc. With now knowing this kind of information I decided to make my bakery have gluten free options due to the fact that I want to make my bakery excel to people with celiac and people who are gluten free. I want to make sure that people who have dietary restrictions or allergies can find at least one this on my menu to have.

Page, Karen, et al. The Flavor Bible: the Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of Americas Most Imaginative Chefs. Little, Brown and Company, 2011.

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page is a book consisting of different flavor combinations. It lists commonly used ingredients such as honey, chocolate, etc and gives a list of items underneath that pair well with the given ingredient. I use this book a lot when trying to come up with desserts in order to make sure my flavor combinations make sense and with actually work together.

SANDYWIFEY31S, et al. “Vegan Brownies Recipe.” Allrecipes, 18 Dec. 2008, www.allrecipes.com/recipe/68436/vegan-brownies/.

This is one of the recipes I will be using for my bake sale. With the brownies being vegan the making of the brownies is different from how you would make normal brownies. In this recipe you mix all of the ingredients together in one bowl. While in a normal brownie recipe you have a lot of steps such as mixing the butter and sugar in a saucepan and mixing the eggs with the cocoa powder which is more complex than the vegan brownie recipe.

Scheuer, Chris. “Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits.” The Café Sucre Farine, 11 Dec. 2017, thecafesucrefarine.com/easy-cheddar-chive-biscuits/.

Scheuer’s recipe is extremely easy to follow and is the best recipe for cheddar chive biscuits I have found so far. I have tried it many times in the past and it has worked anytime. It gives you the recipe for a basic biscuit dough which I can then manipulate in order to create many different kinds of biscuits which is helpful when making a bakery since you need to change up your items to keep people interested in my products.

snap_admin. “How To Market Your Bakery (14 Crucial Tips & Resources).” Deneen Pottery, Deneen Pottery, 10 Jan. 2019, deneenpottery.com/marketing-bakery-2/.

Deneen Pottery created a section within their website showing people how to market their bakeries. They give tips on how to keep people coming in the door and to keep people interested in your product. They mention how you need to tempt your customers by playing into trends such as using charcoal within products to make them black or making gluten free and vegan options. Use social media or create a website in order to show people your product and explain the purpose behind your bakery in order to draw people in. This will help me when I am trying to market my bakery to SLA students and how to draw them in so that I can make a profit.

Eliana Alfaro-Allah

English 2

D - Band

In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, we see a rift and blur between the lines of civilized and savage. But when someone is pointed out as being the latter, what is it about man that becomes so violent? So upset and disgusted when a mirror is shined in their face? When humans are deemed savage by other humans, they go to extremes to convey their denia about being savage.No human likes to be looked down upon, we all would prefer to be looked at as civilized.  But to mask their true nature is commonplace for humans, and we don’t just see it within Lord Of the Flies, but in our own society.

In the book, on page 156, after the murder of Simon, Ralph takes it upon himself to confront Piggy and tell him what it really was- murder. Piggy is disturbed, and lashes out at Ralph, blaming Simon for his own death. “It was dark....There was the lightning and thunder and rain.  We was scared!...Anything might have happened. it wasn't --what you said…. "I was an accident…. He had no business crawling around in the dark...  He asked for it." Then he changes, "It was an accident.""By Piggy saying that Simon was ‘asking’ for his own death when Ralph tells him that it was murder, Piggy knows that Simon ca  nnot speak for himself, and they both know full well that Piggy didn’t do anything to stop the killing. Piggy still wants to distinguish himself as civilized and not savage, and is enraged that Ralph is now showing Piggy his true colors.

This  instance isn’t lone in the world of the book, in fact, it’s not just in the world of William Golding. When it comes to savage acts, humans are not the only ones to blame. In 2013, a documentary by the name of ‘Blackfish’ took storm, earning rave reviews and a whopping 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a somber story of a killer whale named Tillikum, that after a long psychosis of being trapped in Seaworld, it begins ruthlessly killing its trainers. On February 24th, 2010, Tillikum killed a female trainer by the name of Dawn Brancheau by causing blunt force trauma to the head, neck and torso before dragging her underwater and drowning her. Even though it tore through the nation, and media was quick to capitalize on the tragedy, Dawn Brancheau was blamed for her own death. When giving addresses, Seaworld stated that Dawn was at fault, due to her hair being tied in a long ponytail on the top of her head that Tillikum grabbed onto. This caused outraged among her friends and family, making them feel wronged that Dawn was being blamed for her own death, when she wasn’t even alive to defend herself. Seaworld was quick to defend themselves instead, and in turn by denying they had any involvement by abusing their whale, they blamed the woman who died for her own death.

It’s prevalent in society today for people, instead of owning up to their own guilt and moving on to be a better, more experienced person, they deflect blame childishly and opt to refuse to listen. This is seen in the book, on chapter 11, page 270. Golding writes, “The booing rose and died again as Piggy lifted the white, magic shell. “Which is better –to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?” A great clamor rose among the savages. Piggy shouted again. “Which is better –to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?” Again the clamor and again – “Zup!” Ralph shouted against the noise. “Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?” Now Jack was yelling too and Ralph could no longer make himself heard. Jack had backed right against the tribe and they were a solid mass of menace that bristled with spears.” This is insanely child-like, which while being simultaneously applicable to the boys’ level of innocence as children, but the extremes they go to in order to convey their denial. Jack is enabling the kids, and leading them to instead of listening to the rational concerns of Piggy and Ralph, but to heckle them and boo immaturely. It’s indicative of modern society, and very dismally, it’s not just applicable to children, but to grown people.

In 2018, an article came out about a college student named Heather Price, who was raped in her own dorm. After the incident, she stayed silent, as do a lot of rape victims, but eventually wanted to come out about her perpetrator. She soon found out that in her college, she wasn’t alone, and forged relationships and found solace in the other victims on campus. And while that sounds uplifting, there is a very harmful part of this story - which is, these women weren’t believed. When bringing up their accusations to higher authorities, not only were they not believed, but they were heckled by other students, saying that it was their fault for the crimes that were acted upon them, telling them that it was their fault for the clothes that they were wearing on the nights of their attacks. This goes to display the level of injustice, where innocent people are being blamed for crimes committed against them, and when they attempt to remind their attackers of their own guilt, they retaliate immaturely by blaming and heckling them. No better than a group of uncivilized schoolboys.

In Lord of the Flies, we see an abundance of varying cases involving the boys on the island being shown their true selves, and lashing out in their immaturity to display the denial of the acts that they are charged with. This specific happening is displayed not just in the world Wiliam Golding has created, though. Humans are capable of many incredible things, this we know. But humans, as products of our emotions, over time, have created ways to delude ourselves into an alibi while putting victims of actual crimes down. And while it’s been happening for a long time, this has become prevalent in our society as of late when heinous behaviour is more likely to be called out in the current political climate. And while it’s unfair that truly guilty people are able to walk free because of it, these unchecked acts of rage can come from a mask of denial to hide away guilt.

Iman Ahmed

English 2

March 25, 2019

Lord of the Flies & Presence of Civility

Since the elementary days in school, students have been encouraged to take so much pride in being American. Flags gracefully flapping back and forth, proudly chanting the Pledge of Allegiance. One of the things that Americans are proud of is being part of a very progressed and civilized society. During school, the topic of America’s great heros who founded this country is a recurring topic. Emphasizing how they fought for the freedom that is present today. The question that isn’t asked is if America truly is civilized? It is commonly thought that Americans are very just and civilized people. This might be true when it comes to interacting within the American society. Despite what we are taught, America has a tendency of not treating those who are different with the civility that we preach.

In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, we are introduced to “the fat boy with asthma”, later known as Piggy. As the book continues he becomes Ralph’s loyal companion that always considers other people’s opinions and feelings.Towards the end of the book, he oddly wasn’t the emotional one after Simon’s death: “Coming in the dark - he hadn’t no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty. He asked for it.”(157)  Even though Simon was part of the group, Piggy, who is presented as the sensitive smart boy in the beginning of the book, is shown to not showing much concern to killing Simon. When he was responding to Ralph’s claim that they killed Simon, he said that it wasn’t their fault because it was dark and they didn’t even know. Not only did Piggy take responsibility for his killing but he also blamed it on Simon for being “batty” and that he “asked for it”. He justified it because he was doing a foreign dance that he wasn’t familiar with. Brutality killing someone because of doing an unusual dance isn’t civilized. Part of being a moral and civilized person is not only taking responsibility of actions, but also not checking who was just murdered

In America, there are many cases shown of black people experiencing police brutality due to their race. This type of tragedy has a very long-lasting effect on people. They could have an emotional and mental effect. As New York Times said in their article, “Using mental health survey data and a database of police shootings, a team of health researchers concluded that when police officers in the United States kill unarmed black people, it damages the mental health of black Americans living in those states.” This type of negative mental impact is not just because black people have lost someone but it’s also because of the thought “What if I was in that position, what would happen to me? We have similar backgrounds so what would ensure me safety in this type of environment.”This ties in with the idea that Ralph is traumatized by the killing of Simon because he knew that it could have been him. The fear that he had affected how he reacted after he knew Simon died and Piggy also had fear but he expressed it in a different way. It shows that Fear can come from a common place but affect each individual differently.

In the 2nd and 3rd chapter of Lord of the Flies, the boys are having a crucial meeting about how to survive in this island. They were sitting around a fire, discussing set rules to follow while stranded in this island. Then Jack extended his hand for the conch and then said, “I agree with Ralph. After all, we’re not savages. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. We’re the English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things”(42) This statement is from Jack claiming that he is from an English civilization. When he said “the English are best at everything”, it made me think of how many English people think that their country is so civilized even though there are many known cases of the British treating people from different lands inhumanely. Later on in the book Jack has turned into one of those “savages” that he despised so much. This falls into the idea that “something is only good when I do it because we are the superiors”. Which is not only senseless but also a product of double standars.

In the modern day world, we have progressed to a society that agrees we should all be treated equally no matter one’s gender, race, or color. It’s usually is used to justify acts of cultural appropriation. People would argue that since we’re equal then that we should have equal permissions to do certain things. “In a truly equal world, you wouldn’t have to think about if you have power and privilege over the people you’re borrowing culture from. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. In our world, systems of oppression create power dynamics between different groups of people.” The reason that it’s not civilized is not because it’s not humane but rather because it’s showing the impression that one thinks that they are superior. That’s why they can do this thing from a different culture that is usually not praised and sometimes degraded because they have that authority. Which can connect to what Jack was lie in the book. He claimed that he is British and civilized unlike the “savages” but then does the things that savage people do. For example, when the British went to India to take its rescources. Not only did they steal but the British turned them against each other. Which wasn’t just in anyway, but since they have the higher power then they aren’t held accountable.

We might not be aware of it but we do uncivilized things and claim it to be just. And when we are pointed out for it then we don’t take responsibility for our actions and blame it on another person or group which in it of itself is a “savage” thing to do. And we still very proudly claim that we are civilized people. Which could unconsciously show our superiority over other people.

In the book Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, there is a group of kids with no adults that get stuck on an island where they get scared of a beast. the only two people that know there's no beast is Piggy and Simon. they do not like them is because of his appearance --  piggy is a chubby boy and he has glasses. Simon knows when to have fun and when to work. You constantly see Ralph and Jack pick on Simon and Piggy because they're different in some way. people treat others differently if they're not the same as them. Like if people are creepy and weird compared to other people that are outgoing and creative they will not get the same treatment.

In the book, Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon are hiding from the beast And thinking of a way to fight it. Jack's told the group that Ralph thinks that they're cowards. At that moment Jack was trying to get them not to trust Ralph so that they will pick Jack to become their chief.“He’s like Piggy, He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief.” This means two things, he's trying to imply that Peggy is weird and that he doesn't like Piggy. Saying Ralph is like Piggy means that he doesn't like either one of them. Since he said  Ralph is a coward and that he does things like Piggy is basically saying he is a coward. He's using Piggy name in the sentence ever so slightly implying that he doesn't like Piggy too. If people are different and any type of way from the rest of the group. Then no one likes them they try to push them to the side like they're nothing, and because piggy is a fat boy with glasses and is a know it all. but just because they do different things doesn't mean they deserve that punishment.

Right now, Simon is next to the pig’s head and even when the pig is falling apart the flies are still on it.  “Simon’s nose and the blood gushed out they left him alone, preferring the pig's high flavor”, the Lord of the Flies is still hanging on the stick like a black ball. Simon gets up and says, “What else is there to do.”. From the quote, you can see why people think Simon is creepy and weird. He is speaking out loud to a pig head. This quote shows how Simon is different from the other boys. Like he would go off and talk to the pig's head and climbing up mountains to see if a beast is real. At this time Ralph and Piggy were about to join Jack's party and Simon was climbing mountains all by himself to find out if a beast was real. The other kids do not want to be around Simon because they do not believe that the beast is real but Simon does. When he comes back to the group to tell the boys that the beast is harmless they think he is the beast that they didn’t believe in was Simon.

On June 26, 2018, Donald Trump created a Travel ban that affects people from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. He was afraid of terrorists coming into Our society and messing it up. He wanted to stop terrorism but not all people that come from those countries are terrorists. most people from those countries are trying to just come here to get an education. “Radical Islamic Terrorism must be stopped by whatever means necessary!”, this is saying how he will go through so much just to stop radical Islamic. just because some people in the religion did some bad stuff It doesn't mean you have to prevent everyone from coming to America.  

In this sassy, I talked about how people treat others differently if they're not the same as them. So Donald Trump stopping people from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. When Jack said to Ralph He’s like Piggy, He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief. Both of these things are making the people that they're doing this to fill a different way and it's just putting people down. Both of things prove my thesis that people treat people differently if they're not the same as them.

Sources Cited:

Saletan, William, and William Saletan. “Trump Blames Violence on Hate Speech-Just Not When the Perpetrators Are White.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 31 Oct. 2018, slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/trump-rhetoric-extremist-violence-response.html.

Cassella, Carly. “Trump's Tweets Are Highly Correlated With Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes, Study Finds.” ScienceAlert, www.sciencealert.com/trump-tweet-islam-highly-correlated-anti-muslim-hate-crime-study.

Jermira Butler

                                                                                                                 SilverStream

                                                                                                                  English 2 ( D )

                                                                                             March 25, 2019

In William Golding’s, Lord of the flies, Golding tells the story of a group of boys who finds themselves stranded on an island and have to fend for themselves. Without a leader for construction there will be chaos. Which causes savaged actions among each other.

Social inequality is something that people now view as inevitable. It happens and we can’t do anything about it. In William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”, he writes about young English boys who have very clear differences in values. The events that happen are all subsequential to those differences. Golding uses symbolism to show how social inequalities unintentionally began. The beginning of the children’s civilization process began with the conch.  They started to find different things that would allow them to live civilized and with rules. The conch was used to initiate when people speak. “A conch he called it. He used to blow it and then his mum would come. It's ever so valuable--”, Piggy said. A few lines after Ralph replies, “shut up.” (pg.15) The conch became very valuable to piggy without anyone even realizing it. It was an unintentional value that he had towards the conch. He didn’t want anyone to ruin it, drop it, or use it the wrong way or else he would get mad. The difference between Ralph and Piggy became obvious, the very first social inequality began. Ralph’s response to Piggy shows how Ralph doesn’t value the same thing that Piggy values, he clearly doesn’t see the conch how Piggy sees it. Ralph’s response to Piggy was out of ignorance, he didn’t care; just like many would with talking about racism. They don’t see races outside of theirs the same so they make comments out of ignorance. They unintentionally continue to let racism emerge due to the fact that their ignorant. This starts the separation of the group. Ralph is unintentionally creating that division in the group, as well by telling Piggy to shut up. Later on in the story, Piggy shows up with the conch again. He is upset that the other boys won’t let him speak. "The conch. I got a right to speak,” says Piggy. “The twins giggled together.”(pg. 35) This shows how the conch once again is important to Piggy and not important to the others. He begins to get very upset when he notices that there's a difference in a equality between him when he has the conch and when the other boys have the conch. It’s very obvious that when he has the conch he values it and he actually wants to be heard, but when the others have the conch they have it and they are heard. There is a very clear difference in social equality here and it's super unintentional. The boys don’t intentionally say, “let’s not let Piggy speak.” They just don’t care for what he has to say. Once again showing how the social inequality of the value of the conch unintentionally began. Maren, a student in my English class, said “I don’t think they don’t care about Piggy I think it just happens.” This statement opened my eyes to realize that social inequality is not because people don’t care, “it just happens.”

The boys continued to create unintentional social inequality.  Ralph was commanded chief. The choirboys and Jack, were assigned to work hard just as the other boys. However, they decided that they wanted to go hunting. “When the meeting was over they'd work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting,” said Ralph. He was highly upset on the fact that all Jack wanted to do was hunt while the others had to work hard. There was a very clear difference in values here. Ralph wanted to get rescued while Jack wanted to hunt. Jack isn’t intentionally deciding to not listen to Ralph, he just wants to do something else that he saw best for the group’s interest. There is a pattern of this unintentional pattern in the book; one boy wanting something while the other does another. This very moment is the start of the rivalry between Jack and Ralph.  Thea, one of my classmates, had said that Jack wanted to do it to prove something. This reminds me a lot of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and police brutality. Police don’t care enough to stop, just as Jack doesn’t care enough to stop hunting. They both continue to do it even if it’s actively hurting others. They just wanted to do the “right thing” meanwhile it’s actually the wrong thing. ‘Black Lives Matter’ just wants to make the people happy and actually promote safety, like Ralph. Ralph just wants to be a good chief and have everyone safe by being rescued. It is a very clear difference in social equality.

Despite everything you have read, people think that the social inequality in Lord of the Flies is because they wanted it that way. Others may think that the boys just didn’t want to like each other, or that they purposely had division. I proved otherwise, that the separation was unintentional. It wasn’t because they wanted it to happen, but that they had clear differences in values. The contribution that I make is unique because I provided things that people looked over as not possible because of how simple it is, but in reality it goes more in depth. Golding uses the symbolism to show how social inequality can be unintentional. The boys had very clear different values. Therefore, social inequality was on the island just as it is everywhere.

Cameryn Roach

Ms. Pahomov

English II

25 March 2019

The Loss of a Leader

From Lord of the Flies by William Golding, we learn about a group of boys that are stuck on an island with no way off. They create their own rules, establish who’s in charge of what, and try to make it by. Over time their systemic community falls apart, a battle for leadership happens, and then total chaos breaks out. Similar to the rebellion of Fidel Castro and the Cuban government, Jack’s rebellion in the book created an opportunity for a new beginning within the group.

Throughout the story, the author brings in a character called “the beast”. The younger kids claim to see it first, and then the older kids see it too. After Jack offered a solution to their “beast” problem, Ralph disregarded his suggestion twice. That angered Jack, who called an assembly to discuss their situation. Not too long after, the assembly turns away from the intended topic--- and Jack questions Ralph’s leadership skills. Golding writes, “‘I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot---’ He looked along the right-hand logs, numbering the hunters that had been a choir. ‘I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too’” (127). Jack had asked the group on their opinion of whether or not Ralph should continue being chief, but the boys wouldn’t vote Ralph out. Because Ralph’s role as a leader waned when it was needed most, Jack turned away from Ralph’s decisions and made his own. He left the group to do what he thought was best, and that started a new beginning for the boys on either side of the newly formed rift.

Fidel Castro (1926-2016) is best known for being the world’s longest ruling leader with a record of 52 years in office. To get to that point in his life, he overthrew the president at the time, Fulgencio Batista. He disagreed with the “inefficiency of the Batista government”, and took matters into his own hands. History.com states, “On January 1, 1959, Batista and a number of his supporters fled Cuba for the Dominican Republic. Tens of thousands of Cubans celebrated the end of the dictator’s regime”. Similar to Ralph in the story, Batista was forced to retreat from his opponents when he tried to make a final stand against them. Negotiating about what’s important in dire situations was no longer an option in Castro’s opinion. Jack reacted the same way by running Ralph away, killing Piggy, and kidnapping the twins. Through this, we can see that the new beginning that started here was also the start of all the previous order they would lose.

The new transition of leadership within the group was hard to achieve for both Jack and Castro. Being pushed down many times gave the leader at the time an idea on what to expect from them when something comes up again. Having that happen many times also gives the usurper less of a reason to follow their proclaimed leader. When they finally got the role they wanted, it made things more difficult for the people that could be affected negatively by their decisions. On the aftermath of Castro’s victory, History.com writes, “His status as dictator is highly opposed by many nations because of the violations of human rights practiced under his rule.” In the book, Golding writes, “The breaking of the conch and the deaths of Piggy and Simon lay over the island like a vapor. These painted savages would go further and further. Then there was that indefinable connection between himself and Jack; who therefore would never let him alone; never” (184). Due to their lust of wanting to control the circumstances, it made the entire situation remain in their favor. They strived for it before and was denied their request, so they had to take it by force. Jack was fed up with how Ralph didn’t want to take care of the beast before it did anything else, so he left to do it himself. After taking in his new role as the head of the group, both Castro and Jack did much of what was being held back in them, and it led to chaos and confusion across the land. Both of their desires for what “needed” to happen was frowned upon by their peers, and it shows how different things could’ve been.  

From the novel and the real world example, the reader can see that the loss of a leader can create changes and conflict within the group, and in this case the changes were more along the negative side. Having faith in the person that’s supposed to lead you is a huge part of a society. When it falters, then that trust is, for the most part, lost. We can see that through Jack’s decision making process and through Castro’s constant and forceful attempts for the position as Cuba’s president. Lord of the Flies suggests that without any kind of leadership in general, whether it’s an adult or another kid, the law and order that might be established will crumble quickly. In conclusion, new beginnings in scenarios like this can happen, but at what cost?

Works Cited:

“Batista Forced out by Castro-Led Revolution.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/batista-forced-out-by-castro-led-revolution.

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. The Penguin Group, September 17, 1954, pp. 127

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. The Penguin Group, September 17, 1954, pp. 184

Hector Sanchez

Mrs. Pahomov

English 2

25 March 2019