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Brandon Jones Art Portfolio Q1
For Q1 I drew I created a ceiling tile, fall wall hanging and a charcoal self portrait. For the first project, we were assigned the ceiling tile. I chose to do a comic book cover from DC Rebirth, the newest reboot of comics for DC comics. I was unsure how to go about it first. I decided to use only grey and black for the characters. The second project was a fall wall hanging. I decided to do a Jason Vorhees mask, as I felt it was appropriate for the season as Halloween was approaching. For the third project we had to create a self portrait using charcoal. I felt as though this project would take a lot of time and attention to detail. I enjoyed this one the most out of all the other projects we did. Unfortunately I was unable to create the water color painting due to the SEPTA strike and my inability to come to school. Finally, I enjoyed this quarter. I learned many helpful techniques and I look forward to future projects.
Final Project Q1-4 - Shamble
This quarter I didn't have a main focus for my artwork at all, so I'm going to talk about the individual pieces.
My ceiling tile was a birthday present to a friend, and it ended up being something like two weeks late. She's really into the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica (which is my fault), so I wanted to do something for that. The particular character I pained got beheaded and eaten in the anime, so the entire tile is a cruel, cruel joke. It was much more complicated for me than my tiles last year, which had much more simple designs and were just generally easier to paint. As a result of this, my tile last year didn't turn out as neat and nice as I would have hoped. It's not as symmetrical as it could have been, and some of the colors are wrong. However, the project as a whole looks pretty nice, so I guess I'm satisfied.
My self portrait was a pain to draw. I am used to much smaller canvases, and when I was given the size of the paper, I had no clue what to do, really. I just improvised, and it doesn't take up the entire paper, but it's something. I used a lot more blending techniques than I would normally because of the amount of space the drawing takes up and how tedious it would be to neatly shade everything with just the pencil. This is probably the piece I like the least out of all of them
My third piece wasn't assigned for this class, but it illustrates what I was figuring out on the side: markers. I've had two sets pf the particular markers I used since I was 13, and just have never gotten around to using them in depth. For the summer and most of this quarter, they have been my primary medium for coloring and I am very happy with them. They give a very clean and bright finish, and work very well with the way I shade hair. The character in this I made last year, and she has been one of my primary subjects for my marker art because of her color palette. She is incredibly fun to draw, and I hope to use her for an actual assignment sometime this year.
Overall, I haven't seen glaring improvement in my work this quarter, but am overall satisfied with it. I'm excited for what I'm doing next.
Senior Art Q1
This year in art, we began the year with a pretty big project. We started off with the year with a ceiling tile painting. I decided to do a grim reaper ceiling tile. Based off of Yeezus Tour art, the ceiling tile is a Wes Lang inspired reaper on a military green background. His scythe has a rose at the end to symbolize love over violence. The second project was a fall wall hanging, we were to create a fall themes drawing and I chose to do a skull (for Halloween) with fall leaves in the background. The third was a self portrait with charcoal. This was the hardest project of the year for me because I'm not that great with realistic drawings and I don't know how to draw with charcoal. In the end, I took my time and I enjoyed the final product. The final project of the year was a watercolor painting and this was a good way to end off the quarter. Personally, painting with watercolors is always a relaxing experience for me so after balancing the college process, social life, and school, I was able to relax a bit.
First Quarter Works
My first piece, the Ceiling Tile, is one that I was moderately pleased with. I based the design off of Steven Universe, it represents an insignia featured in the show. I took the original design featured on the show, the four colored diamond, and added a flower with vines that strangled the original design. I surrounded the entire things with earthly colors, the colors of the flower and vines, to show that the original design was completely isolated. This reflects an event in the show that one wouldn't know unless they viewed it.
For my second piece, the Self Portrait, I decided to take my chances at drawing a cartoonish version of myself rather than a realistic portrayal. I have mixed feeling about the outcome of the piece. I wished that I had kept it in it's original pencil sketch, rather than adding color, and want to fix the hair so it looks more cartoonish. But I was very pleased with the facial structure and eyes.
My Art Project
This quarter in art we had two major projects. We had to make one of the legendary ceiling tiles and we had to draw a self portrait. I've never seriously been good at art so I thought the class would be a struggle for me. I´ve never seriously been interested in art either but over these last few months everything about that has changed.
The first project was the ceiling tiles. I chose to do something a little complicated but in the end I was proud of it. I did the rap album cover for Lil uzi vert vs the world. I liked the cover, I thought it was very colorful and had a lot of different pictures inside one picture. I thought I could recreate it, make it into my own. I chose to use different colors then the original version. I wanted to make it lighter and brighter. I was so nervous about painting it because of all the colors and it was my first real time painting. I think overall my project came out really well and I'm proud of it.
The second project was my self portrait. This was the hardest of the two to me. I struggled with trying to portray myself correctly. I´m not very good at drawing people especially faces so I was scared of the turnout. It took me awhile to actually get the portrait to look like me. I had to get the detail in my face and my beauty marks it was just extremely difficult. I think it made me realize the class wouldn´t be as easy as I thought it would be.
In all the first quarter projects were a success to me. I never thought I would be in art let alone be good at it. I´m very interested in art now, and I´m very excited for the rest of the year.
How has the corvettes changed
How has the Corvette changed overtime?
The Corvette has evolved over time because...
The corvette was first introduced in 1953. The first model was made from 1953 to 1962. It was the start of the C series cars. They were almost discontinued because GM expected way more people to buy the car, but that fell short drastically. but GM stuck it out and kept making models in the future.
In 1927, GM hired Harley Earl to be the new designer. 14 years later in his work career, Harley saw that another company called Nash-Healey was making an expensive two seater car. He convinced GM that they needed to make a more affordable two seater sports car. They started the project and named it “Project Opel” in late 1951. The way they made it inexpensive is they used parts you could find in local car part stores. they would used the used the chassis from former model chevrolet cars. So they didnt have to make whole new frame design.
In the next model, the C2 which came out in 1963, they Changed the design a little bit. They made the headlights rise up out the body, they split the rear window, and they came in solid hard tops. The head lights wouldn’t be an in-body design again until 2005.The outcome for these corvettes were a lot better than the original versions. The engine of course also got bigger and better like with most new car model.
The C4 model which came out in 1983, became America's most desireable car. It was produced for 13 years. In 1986 the convertible became the Indianapolis 500 pace car. The C4 became known for its more sleek design than other cars and previous model corvettes. It was aso the first corvette with a uniframe. A uniframe is when the floor pan, windshield, halo, and perimeter frame are all welded together. In 1986 GM partnered with lotus for a new engine design to replace the stock L98 V8 engine. Lotus helped make the corvette’s ZR1 engine. The original engine made 245 horsepower at its max but lotus’s ZR1 engine made 375 hp.
The most recent Corvette, the C7, in my opinion is the best looking corvette ever made. This car has been in the makings since 2007. Which is only 2 years after they released the C6. The C7 is the first corvette to have a back-up camera and a magnetic ride suspension system. It also has an upgraded engine but it’s not an engine partnered made by lotus. This engine makes a minimum 455 horsepower and a maximum of 650 horsepower.
The corvette has drastically changed since the first model in 1953. The structural integrity of each model got stronger and stronger. Each improvement made the car lighter, stronger, and safer. While some will say as the years progressed the build quality got cheaper (using more plastic) but it was all for weight reduction purposes.
Works cited
Mueller, Mike (2012). The Complete Book of Corvette: Every Model Since 1953. St. Paul, Minn.: Motorbooks. ISBN 9780760341407. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
"Prototype Corvette ZR-1 Leads Day One Barrett-Jackson Bidding". Automotive.speedtv.com. 2009-01-14. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
Q1 Final Project - Cynthia To
For the first quarter, I have done three art piece. They were the ceiling tile, the fall wall hanging, and lastly my self-portrait. For the ceiling tile, I decide to do something similar to my sister's tile, The Muppets. I did the character, Walter. I chose to make the background green because it looks like the character Walter is behind a green screen. For the fall wall hanging, I had an idea that I should make a banner that said, "fall is here" and decorate the background like fall. Also, I wanted to make my drawing to that fall is happy. For the self-portrait, it was hard to draw myself at first and on a big piece of paper. It was really a big challenge to draw all my artworks by hand and my eye skill.
Q1 Blog Post
For my ceiling tile, I painted myself with a fork sitting on the edge of a giant bowl of soup because I think this metaphor sums up my life quite nicely. I went with a simplistic design because I'm not very good at painting so I wanting to make sure I didn't add too many details.
For my self portrait, I used pencil and charcoal because I pretty much never draw using color. The reason it looks kind of terrible is because I like to draw on a much smaller scale so I had a lot of trouble with this particular assignment.
MP1 Artwork by Nick Ryan
This quarter, we worked on two art projects. The first project we did was we made a design and painted it on a ceiling tile. On my ceiling tile, I drew and painted a pop art of Samurai Jack. Samurai Jack is a cartoon character and I chose to draw this because Samurai Jack was a part of my childhood and the art style of the show is what inspired me to become an artist. The hardest part about doing this project was getting the proportions right, I had to sketch and erase a lot in order to ensure I had the proportions correct. It took me over 5 hours to complete this project and I’m proud of it. I love seeing it when I walk onto the third floor every morning.
The second project was my self-portrait. I had a lot of fun doing this because I was able to draw myself in any style I wanted, and I chose a weird one. I decided to draw myself as a caricature because I’ve always viewed myself as not very serious. In the portrait, you’ll notice that I look very sleepy and calm, but happy. I made sure I looked like this because that is how I usually am. Then, for the background, I put my fingerprints all over it. It started out as a mistake, but then I decided that could be my “signature” for the portrait. Using the charcoal was challenging because it takes a level of precision to differentiate between hard and soft lines. Also, the charcoal doesn’t always stick to the paper, sometimes it falls off and becomes smudged on other parts of your drawing. It was still fun. I enjoyed doing this project.
More cops+black/brown schools=failure
Tigidankay Saccoh
Pahomov
English 3
October 17, 16
Resource Officers and The School-to-Prison Pipeline
Schools are supposed to be safe havens for students, where they can be challenged to grow spiritually and intellectually. When students feel safe in school, they are encouraged to stay motivated and aim for higher-education. However, this feeling of security and belonging now seems like a luxury to poor students, especially minorities. The increased presence of law enforcement in schools of non-white students is deeply rooted in systemic racism and classism. Some may argue that law enforcement in schools enforces order and peace, however this belief is uninformed. The presence of police officers in underprivileged schools is an enabler of the school-to-prison pipeline because it desensitizes students to violence and subjects them to nefarious stereotypes.
The school-to-prison pipeline describes the phenomenon of middle and high school students being funnelled into criminal justice institutions. Many victims of this virulent system are children with learning disabilities, histories of neglect, abuse, and penury. These students are in desperate need of counselling services or basic compassion, but are instead ostracized and incarcerated. Zero-tolerance policies criminalize trivial offences, that can be handled internally. These policies are employed by law enforcement in schools, and disproportionately hurt students of color. For instance, a PBS fact sheet on the school-to-prison pipeline reports that 70% of students involved in in-school arrests are Black or Latinx. Moreover, Black students are 3.5 times more likely to be suspended compared to whites, and make up 40% of students who are expelled every year. These figures are not unfortunate coincidences, but evidence that law enforcement presence in neighborhood schools is a failing disciplinary blueprint.
On October 26th, 2015, a video of an African-American teenage girl being brutalized in her Spring Valley High School classroom in South Carolina surfaced on the internet. She had refused to heed her teacher’s orders to leave the classroom. The teacher notified a white police officer, Ben Fields, who proceeded to bodyslam the fifteen-year-old in front of her peers. This incident ignited a firestorm of rage from around the country. Fields was criticized over his incompetence and poor-judgement. Despite being paid to de-escalate tension that might arise in the high school, he only violently exacerbated the issue. This event was laced with racial undertones, and exposed how this type of discrimination existed thematically in poor, majority black and brown schools. Fields viewed the student as more threatening than she actually appeared, either due to his implicit bias or deliberate discrimination, because she was black.
The school-to-prison pipeline describes the phenomenon of middle and high school students being funnelled into criminal justice institutions. Many victims of this virulent system are children with learning disabilities, histories of neglect, abuse, and penury. These students are in desperate need of counselling services or basic compassion, but are instead ostracized and incarcerated. Zero-tolerance policies criminalize trivial offences, that can be handled internally. These policies are employed by law enforcement in schools, and disproportionately hurt students of color. For instance, a PBS fact sheet on the school-to-prison pipeline reports that 70% of students involved in in-school arrests are Black or Latinx. Moreover, Black students are 3.5 times more likely to be suspended compared to whites, and make up 40% of students who are expelled every year. These figures are not unfortunate coincidences, but evidence that increased law enforcement presence in neighborhood schools is a failing disciplinary blueprint.
Cops in schools do not make underprivileged black students feel any less unsafe than cops patrolling their neighborhoods do. Many black students fear an expectation of incriminating when cops infest their learning spaces. Ben Fields could not deescalate the situation with the fifteen year-old girl because he was operating in a discriminatory manner. She was black and female, so she was expected to have an attitude problem and an inclination for anger. More importantly, to Fields, she most likely seemed older than she was, and therefore more responsible for her teenage defiance.
A study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, examined the extent to which racial bias exists and how scorching its consequences are. 60 urban league police officers were asked to assess the age of white, black, and Latino children based on photographs in one experiment. The officers were arbitrarily assigned to be told that the children in the photographs were accused of either a misdemeanor or a felony. They overestimated the age of black felony-suspected children on average five years, but they underestimated the age of white felony-suspected children by nearly a year. This study shows that there is clearly a societal bias against black children. More recently, On November 22, 2014, a little black child, Tamir Rice, age 12, was shot and killed at Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland, Ohio by on-duty Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) Officer Timothy Loehmann. Tamir had been playing with a toy-gun, and was mistakenly reported to be a 20-something-year-old man. In schools with law enforcement presence, this bias metamorphoses into violence and fear-instilling tactics. In these turbulent environments, conflict-resolution is often passed over in favor of harsher interventions and are readily , implemented. This study shows that white kids are usually given the benefit of the doubt, while black kids are subconsciously demonized and stripped of their childhood innocence.
The presence of cops in schools also creates a void of sympathy between teachers and students. Some teachers heavily rely on school resource officers to handle situations that can be taken care of in class.When teachers report students to school officers, it almost always leads to suspension or expulsion. A study by The Council of State Governments Justice Center found that, when controlled for campus and individual student characteristics, being suspended or expelled made a student nearly three times more likely to come into contact with the juvenile justice system within the next year. By handing students over to law enforcement, they emotionally disconnect with whatever their troubled students are undergoing, and are not forced to empathize with them. As a result, their classroom because tension-filled, which is not the type of environment that allows students to thrive.
In conclusion, law enforcement in schools is detrimental to students in more ways than it is beneficial. Their presence can make students feel as if they are predators, and they will most likely be treated as such. School should not be a hostile environment, where students are expected to fail before they are even given a chance to strive. This confrontational disciplinary system has proliferated into a larger disparity for black and brown students, contributing to the mass incarceration epidemic engulfing vulnerable black youth nation-wide. It is imperative that reformed methods of mediation are considered to save minorities from becoming stereotypes.
Sources:
Fact Sheet: How Bad Is the School-to-Prison Pipeline? (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/tsr/education-under-arrest/school-to-prison-pipeline-fact-sheet/
H. (2014). Police release video, names of officers in shooting of 12-year-old boy. Retrieved October 17, 2016, from http://fox8.com/2014/11/26/video-to-be-released-in-officer-involved-shooting-of-12-year-old/
Q1 Artist's Slideshow
These are the two pieces I've done this quarter. The first is my ceiling tile, which depicts flowers drawn similarly to those in scientific texts. My second piece is my self-portrait, which was done with pencil.
MP1 Artwork
For this marking period we have worked on two major assignments. These assignments incorporate a ceiling tile and a self portrait of oneself. For my first Assignment I did my ceiling tile based on a huge television series. This is pretty little liars, this show is very mysterious and elevating just like my personality it gives you suspense. My art work took all of the time we were given and over because I needed to perfect it. I chose to paint "A" the mystery girl next to the title to show that no one knows who she is and she is covering her face and she is telling you to keep quiet.
My second assignment was a self portrait. I chose to draw the picture of when I was at my best friends house after our movie date the day before.It is one of my favorite pictures and it turned out so well. It took one class to draw and to perfect. and i chose to color it in with colored pencils.
Interviews and the SEPTA Strike
Dear Families,
This weekend - November 5th and 6th - is SLA's second weekend of prospective student interviews. We are aware that the SEPTA strike has made transportation challenging for many families. We ask that families make every attempt to attend this weekend. We will be opening up limited spaces for interviews on December 10th at 10:00 am. If you cannot make it to the interview this weekend, please email us at admissions@scienceleadership.org to reschedule your interview.
Q1 Final Project
I have always thought the ceiling tiles in our school made the students of SLA unique. The colors literally brighten up the room and spread curiosity, inspiration, and memories. As I gaze around the room I see memories of my childhood represented through cartoons. Everyone has a different representation of what was once, and still might be, meaningful to them. This is why I decided to incorporate Pokémon, from my childhood, and Pokémon Go, from the present, into my ceiling tile. It brings a mixture of realities and memories for the students who are here now and those who will be here in the future. This piece took at least 10 hours to complete.
After some inspiration and a confidence boost I finally completed my self portrait after 3 ½ hours. I love drawing silhouettes but what happens in between those lines is an unsolved mystery. Noses and lips were never my specialty but I tried my best, and I think it came out pretty good for my first self portrait. I used only a number two pencil to create an image of myself by looking at picture that I held in my phone, nothing too special. I will continue to look at this portrait when I doubt my future works knowing that I tried my best and succeeded.
Quarter 1 Artwork
Artist's Statement
For my final project I created a ceiling tile painting, fall wall hanging, charcoal self-portrait, and a water color painting. I was most impressed with my charcoal self portrait because of how much it looked at me and how much expression was in the picture. I also liked my fall wall hanging because the anatomy looked very proportionate and I it had interesting cartoon style. My ceiling tile painting, and water color painting I was less impressed with and I think it's because my drawing skills are better than my painting skills. For the ceiling tile, I liked the idea of it, but I thought the final product was lacking because it was anatomically incorrect and the figure in the painting was a little stiff. I thought my water color painting was okay, but the subject was a little boring, and I wish I had painted something a little more exciting. I also think I need a little bit more practice with my water colors.
A lot of my artwork, specifically when it's illustration, focuses on strong women because that's what a lot of the characters I draw are. My fall wall hanging, "Up Above", for example features a witch not only because it was halloween themed, but also to show witches (aka powerful women) in a positive light. In my ceiling tile, "Go Away", I have a cartoonish looking woman sitting down and bitterly telling someone to go away. In our society many women are told to not show anger and "smile" more no matter how they are feeling. I made this painting to combat that idea and show that both women and men should be able to feel whatever they want. My water color painting "Tools" and self portrait "F**kboy" had less meaning behind them, but I still put a lot of work into them.
The Use of Ads on Netflix
Whether it’s binge watching old sitcoms or exploring old films produced before they were born, Netflix has become a core part of almost every teenager’s life in the past couple years. However, in the last couple of years, a new reason has emerged as to why people subscribe to Netflix. Their own original shows, shows like House of Cards, Orange is the new Black, and Narcos; are some of the most popular and well known TV shows of the past fifty years. Netflix uses different gimmicks and strategies to attract many viewers to their own show, specifically their use of advertising tricks in ways that haven’t been used before for other shows not made by Netflix.
One of Netflix’s best uses of advertising would be for one of their best rated and most popular show, Orange is the new Black. Orange is the new black is based off of a true story of a woman who goes to a minimum security women’s prison in upstate New York. The advertising department of Netflix decided to sponsor an article written in the New York TImes not only to promote their own show, but to inform the general public about life in a women’s prison. The advertising was a huge hit, being referenced on several large news cable channels as well as other articles.
Another advertising technique that Netflix uses is actually on their own website for their lower rated shows like The Ranch, or newer shows that haven’t had that much exposure such as The Fall, Trailer Park Boys, and more. This actually makes a huge impact on what shows get watched. For example, Stranger Things was one of these shows that didn’t have a lot of hype or advertising going into it, but through this technique they use it became a massive hit, and is now one of their most popular series to date.
Another huge success for Netflix’s advertising department would be the ad they had for House of Cards during the Superbowl in February of 2016. The ad was actually an ad for Frank Underwood to be president, which not only reference things that were happening in current times but also a huge plotline for the show, as the show details his journey to become president through manipulation and other unconventional ways. It was a huge hit, yet again another success for Netflix’s advertising and their ratings, but it also sparked more interest in the current election, and tons of fan made artwork, T-shirts, and even a website for support of Frank Underwood in the 2016 election.
For any TV show, before it’s watched, it always has an intro; and for Netflix shows these intros aren’t lacking whatsoever. In fact, Netflix intros are some of the things people look forward to the most. These intros can also be used for other purposes, like TV ads for their own shows. For example, Narcos’ intro had an intro that tied into the main plot line; it featured one of Pablo’s favorite songs, and also featured some real pictures of the rise and the hunt of Pablo in the 1980s. It even used a picture of the DEA agents who were chasing Pablo at the time in Colombia. This wasn’t the only success Narcos had through unconventional advertising, but they also had put ads in the bottom of the plastic bins at airports, which had items like passports, sunglasses, and DEA Badges at the bottom, with a picture of Pablo Escobar. It sparked up a bit of controversy, but overall it actually increased the popularity of the show and increased ratings of the show as well.
While Netflix has not been in the favor of ads on their own website, their use of ads in other places have been a phenomenal success, and have sparked interest in shows like Stranger Things. Overall, Netflix’s use of these subtle ads have put them over the top of their competition, and have set them apart from shows on other Networks.
Works CIted
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
Taube, Aaron. "Why Netflix's Advertising Is Worth Your Attention." NATIVE. N.p., 04 May 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
"FRANK UNDERWOOD 2016." Frank Underwood 2016 Anything for America. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.
The Reality of Television
Television has been around for decades, and when it started there were only a handful of programs to watch. By contrast, cable TV has changed drastically over the last couple of years, with an explosion of offerings. Reruns, new genres and concepts are all what the “magic box” holds. Compared to earlier programming, shows have not only gotten funnier and more adventurous, but they have also become violent and sexualized. Surprisingly, TV shows and movies that have violent or mature content pull in views. This is surprising because it is assumed that people would not appreciate these things being shown. These shows don’t just pull in enough views to keep it going for the season, but views resulting in the start of fandoms and social media advocates. People watch these shows not because they actually think the content is important to the show itself, but because of the surprises that they hold.
Many shows and movies nowadays are rated PG-13 and up due to the nature of its content. As relatable as it is, many people prepare themselves to watch TV. They go around all day reminding others about what’s airing that night. They are usually excited to watch shows like The Walking Dead; a show where a death every episode is not enough. The necessity for such rated showings is a result of curiosity. According to an unsourced TV critic, “Seeing the possibilities of the horrible things man could do to one another. And to some, it lures us in.” People don’t get to witness those sorts of things in person. Of course a zombie apocalypse is not (currently) occurring, but people are fascinated by shows that display what it would be like if there was one. When good actors and directors can pull off realistic looking ideology, deaths, and massacres, it makes people want to see it and believe it.
Reality shows are well known when it comes to violent and mature content, because they helped pioneer the trend. Love and Hip Hop, Bad Girls Club, and whatever’s on MTV all fall under the category of “Reality Violence.” These shows are known for the harsh treatment of others; why else would it be called “Bad Girls Club”? Putting multiple girls in a mansion and watching them crumble is entertaining to many. People watch these shows in anticipation that a fight will break out. It is almost as if violence is an attention magnet. In an episode of Jersey Shore a female cast member was struck in the face by a drunk male stranger. According to an ABC News article, this recorded incident promoted the show and doubled its ratings. The video also went viral online. These millions of views are a result of disbelief. People had to watch the clip because it was unbelievable, and once again curiosity striking the mind.
Online TV networks have expanded this trend. Websites can now be considered as television. Netflix, Hulu, and Vudu are all sites that allow people to watch what they want, when they want to. Each site has a net worth of over 1 million dollars, and hold shows that are dependent on chance. These shows’ content can either make or break it. Sources from Uproxx.com show that the most top rated shows on Netflix are Breaking Bad, the Walking Dead, and Orange is the New Black. Each of these shows express violent and/or mature content in more than one episode per season. Why are they so popular? These shows are like the dependency of television. They have the ability to grab anyone’s attention; they got the guts to take risks, and as a result, they succeed. Making a show that displays the production of drugs, or publicizes LGBT minors, which was taboo for years, are the keys to successful entertainment if done properly.
And then there’s the shows with sexual content. With ratings upwards of 9/10, Game of Thrones is not an underdog in the television business. Sex and nudity, violence and gore, profanity, alcohol, drugs, smoking, and frightening/intense scenes are all what can be expected from this show. Everything figuratively bad is incorporated into this show. The ratings are outstanding though. In America it is taboo to show naked bodies and sex scenes, but it is done anyway. This risky choice in presentation resulted in success for the show. Each episode averaging about 60 minutes or more it keeps people amused. “...the fact that the events are too slow to unfold keeps people curious.”, is what an author had to say about the show. There were many claims that the show was boring, but the only reason that it kept views was because of its complicated and fascinating plot took curiosity to a new level.
When TV finds its old ideas getting stale, they will run out of ideas it will resort to its “plan b”. The plan being to get the audience’s attention by whatever gimmick. However, if the popularity of oversexualized and violent shows continue to grow, then television may be in trouble. If more shows exhibit explicit content, then tomorrow's children may only have destructive things to watch. Curiosity is good in a sense, but if television’s only resort is violence or sexualized content then the future should be a concern. Human curiosity should revolve around more than just guts and nudity.
Work Cited:
Nussbaum, Emily. "The Westeros Wing." The New Yorker. N.p., 27 June 2016. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
Coulson, Justin. "The Problem with Exposing Kids to Sexual and Violent Content." Family Studies. N.p., 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
Thoman, Elizabeth. "Media Violence: What If We Changed the Question?"Media Literacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
Miyamoto, Ken. "Why Do Some People Enjoy Watching Gory and Disturbing Films?" Quora. N.p., 1 July 2011. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
VanDerWerff, Todd. "Why Shows like The Following Cheapen Violence and Diminish Its Power." Why Shows like The Following Cheapen Violence and Diminish Its Power · For Our Consideration · The A.V. Club. N.p., 18 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
Canning, Andrea, and Elizabeth Stuart. "Reality Show Violence Getting Too Real?" ABC News. ABC News Network, 30 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
Radwan, M.Farouk, MSc. "Why Is Game of Thrones so Popular." 2 Know Myself. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.
Advance Essay #2
Advance Essay #2
Christian McCormac
While transferring from my middle school C.W Henry in the Mount Airy area to my recent high school Science Leadership Academy, I would say that I learned a new way of living from what I knew during middle school. While in middle school my daily routine consisted of waking up everyday at 6am, my mom dropping me off at school, to my mom picking me up after school was over and taking me home. I never got the chance to explore what was around and discover new things. Now since I am in highschool and my high school is located directly in Center City, it definitely gives me way more opportunities to get outside and see what the world has to offer. Going to SLA, I would say gave me a lot more freedom to be my own person and discover new things, that I really never knew about before as a young kid in middle school. Going from my middle school to SLA definitely was a huge change in my lifestyle. It also gave me a better outlook on how I live my life and what I should be looking at forward to. Coming to school everyday definitely got me out of my comfort zone. When I was in middle school I remember how the teachers and staff treated everyone like prisoners almost and not like human beginnings. You could tell that the teachers and staff there weren't as passionate about there job as the teachers and staff at Science Leadership Academy. I remember in 8th grade during the winter we didn't go outside for recess for almost five months. That mentally killed me not being able to go outside, run around, and breath some fresh air. Now that I am high school, the teachers and the staff are more reasonable and treat you like a human beginnings. High school people are more accepting for who you are and how you live. It’s not like middle school where you have to line up just to walk to a class that is the net door down.
Celebrities a.k.a Bad Role Models
Celebrities are an important part of modern American life . They’re everywhere, and many of them don’t live normal lives anymore because of paparazzi. This is alluring, of course, almost everyone wants to be the center of attention. As a result, celebrities actually do crazy things to get the attention of the press. This is a problem for their fans. Celebrities have great influence over their fans, so their careless decisions negatively impacts their fans’ body image and futures.
In 2005, a study was conducted on 229 teens, 183 undergrad students, and 289 adults in order to see how deeper interest in celebrities correlates with body images of the subjects tested. There were multiple tests used, including the Celebrity Attitude Scale, and the Attention to Body Shape Scale. Results showed that female teens that worshiped celebrities more intensely were more likely to have poor body images of themselves. This proves that celebrities and their promotion of a slender physique negatively impacts how teens see themselves and their weight. This extends to eating disorders. Eating disorders like anorexia are a sort of body dysmorphia where the anorexic has this idea that they are always too fat and they need to be skinnier. According to the South Carolina Department of Health’s website, Anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness in adolescents. Looking at most of the celebrities, there is a trend of very slender physiques being common, especially in women. More young women suffer from an eating disorder than males. This connection is supported by the first paragraph.
There are also problems with teens’ futures, and how the glorification of the wealthy and famous lifestyle has discouraged the youth from wanting to work harder. In 2010, a survey was done in the UK of 1,000 16 year olds. It simply had one question, “What would you like to do for your career?” 54% answered that they wanted to become a celebrity. When those children that answered in that way were asked exactly how they were going achieve this goal of becoming a famous person, 21% of the children studied said they would do so by appearing on a reality TV show, and 5% even said they were planning on dating a celebrity. The larger percentage consisted of those who did not even know how to become famous and those that believed they had the talent to become a celebrity. These answers show that children and are looking up every day at screens with rich, famous people on it, that seemingly are able to do whatever they want. These children don’t even know what they want to do, but they know they want to become famous. More than half of those 1,000 children wanted to be famous as a career, which isn’t really a career, there seems to be something lost in translation when people think famous, that there isn’t any work involved. By contrast, Only 15% of those teens said they wanted to pursue a medical career. if there are more people that want to be “famous” rather than helpful and beneficial to society, there is a problem with the media.
Finally, substance abuse. Many celebrities talk about and glorify drug usage like it’s safe, maybe safe for them, they have nothing to lose. Meanwhile teens’ bodies aren’t meant for this sort of thing, it’s very dangerous. Lots of celebs go to rehab , and that is not a good example for the children. Drugs like Xanax were popularized by celebs a lot and is a common theme in many pop songs. All in all, celebrities can be pretty bad influences on the youth. Encouraging and indirectly causing more self image problems in teens, blinding them in their career choices, and making drugs look cool.
Works CIted
Maltby, J et al. “Result Filters.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2005, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15826331. Kershaw, Alison. “Fame the Career Choice for Half of 16-Year-Olds.”The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 17 Feb. 2010, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/fame-the-career-choice-for-half-of-16-year-olds-1902338.html. Farr, Kristin. “Is Celebrity Obsession Bad for Us?” KQED Education, KQED INC., 20 May 2014, https://ww2.kqed.org/learning/2014/05/20/is-celebrity-obsession-bad-for-us/. “South Carolina Department of Mental Health.” Eating Disorder Statistics, South Carolina Department of Mental Health, http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm.
Code Switching in Life
In life, you may change the way you talk to accomodate who you are with. Its natural. You wouldn't speak to your teacher the same way you would talk to your friends. But would you talk to someone differently because of their race? It is a subconscious action called code switching, evident in everyday life that actually helps us with communication across races, cultures, and communities.
I remember a time when I was in the hair salon with my mother, sitting in those grayish tan, cold metal chairs waiting my turn to sit in the bigger, more comfortable chair to get my hair done. A friend of my mothers who I knew through affiliation was usually there around the same time we were, but always before us, was getting her hair braided with small, gold pieces of hair jewelry at the ends of every braid. “Aw, she's just so proper! Look at how cute she is.” “Thank you!” I said. “Listen, she talks so white!” I hated this. I hated this meaningless banter that had a lot more meaning to me than it did to her. What does speaking white even mean? In the moment i wanted to just walk out of the salon into the warmth of the summer day, since the salon was in a basement and was very cold, especially while sitting on those metal chairs. I felt so different when she said that i “speak white” because it just wasn't me at all. I have never been white, so i didn't know how it felt or how speaking white was any different from speaking black. I always felt that i spoke differently from the other kids in my school and neighborhood and i felt it even more when people pointed it out. Her statement made me feel out of place, like in this room of black females, it was as though I was not one. Even in school, i didn't exactly feel like i belonged there but being in a hair salon with my mother, sitting on those grayish tan, cold metal chairs somehow made me feel at home with my gender and race because everyone here was like me. But in that moment, i wasn't anymore.
In certain situations, people code switch so that they can relate better with the people they are talking to. This also depends on the area they are in. Matt Thompson brings up the important point in,”Five Reasons Why People Code-Switch,” he writes “We want to fit in: Very often, people code-switch — both consciously and unconsciously — to act or talk more like those around them. While this can be effective, it can also be perilous...” . This quote relates to my theme by giving a reason as to why people code switch. In my scene, I consciously know now that my behavior then was different from how I would act around my friends or in a school setting. The word perilous in this quote helps me see how code switching could be dangerous in real life situations as well as helpful.
In middle school, i felt that i was different from the other kids in my class. This feeling did not start or go away in one grade year, it was continuous through my entire middle school experience and i still feel it today. The kids in my class would talk and laugh and the way they communicated, i just did not understand. I couldn't read them and i felt illiterate in a sense, even though majority of my school was black and we were all the same age. I got the same emotion when i crossed a big word in a new book that i didn't know. When i was with my family, I knew what to say, how to speak, and how to act. It was just natural. This relates to my code switching theme by me changing how i talk and the specific things i said depending on what group i was with.
In this quote, there is a great example of how code switching is used in a way, specifically in a workplace. Most people can relate with this given you don't talk to your friends in the same tone or use the same words as when you speak with your boss. “Your mom or your friend or your partner calls on the phone and you answer. And without thinking, you start talking to them in an entirely different voice — still distinctly your voice, but a certain kind of your voice less suited for the office…” the writer proceeds to give examples of different accents that come forward when talking to family such as Southern drawl, New York accents, etc. “When you're attuned to the phenomenon of code-switching, you start to see it everywhere, and you begin to see the way race, ethnicity and culture plays out all over the place.” This entirely relates back to code switching by showing how it is used and even talks about how you see the difference between race, ethnicity, and culture.
Thompson, Matt, Mr. "Five Reasons Why People Code-Switch." NPR. NPR, 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.
The costly physique
Beauty is something humans hold to a high standard when idolizing things, people and significant others. Humans have always had a high standard for beauty, whether it's in physical objects or their significant others. With the constant influence of social media and celebrities, the standard of beauty in America is forever changing, and many American citizens complain that every new trend is hard to keep up with. Women all around the world are often finding new trends to attract men and to show financial status however, many women will go to many lengths to get the body they desire.
The idea that we must have what everyone else has and yet somehow be better than them is the mentality of most women. Many women see the bodies of Kim K, Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez and often desire that body. Many women will often go under the knife for this alluring physique. Dr. Michael Salzhauer, also known as “Doctor Miami” is a plastic surgeon that puts all of his surgeries on a social media app called snapchat. Doctor Miami often makes it look cool to get a brazilian butt lift or a breast augmentation, he even makes hashtags out of them, “It really demystifies the whole process. Yes, they are gory, but nobody has to watch it.”Although looking at all of the nitty gritty stuff behind the scenes may sound horrible, it actually gives customers a chance to see what will happen if they so choose to undergo these life changing processes.
Although any women may want to look like an instagram model or a celebrity, they may not want to go under the knife and risk it all. Many women resort to extreme dieting and exercises, many celebrities such as; Khloe Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Lopez and even Beyonce workout at least 3 times a week. Many celebrities often go on diets that include juicing, no carbs, no dairy, or even all veggies, “ ‘By lunchtime, I’m starving,’ J-Lo says. She mixes it up but a typical day is salmon and a veggie-packed salad. She loves broccoli, peppers and zucchini with a drizzle of vinaigrette on top.” although many of these diets that celebrities used, recommended by their trainers may work, they don't alway guarantee the the body unless you have the money to match. Personal trainers can often cost as much as $60- $70 dollars per session, and the celebrity trainers, upwards to $1,000 dollars a month. This a lot to spend on being happy, however many people feel as if the ay the look is a reflection of who they are on the inside. Although not all women aspire to have the Kim K or Jennifer Lopez body type women subconsciously look up to it as a goal they may never reach. Via the influence of social media, a women's ideal body type can become inspiration or can cause a self esteem deterioration.
Works CIted
http://www.vice.com/read/meet-dr-miami-the-plastic-surgeon-who-snapchats-his-operations-400
Pardes, Arielle. "Meet Dr. Miami, the Plastic Surgeon Who Snapchats His Operations in Real Time | VICE | United States." VICE. N.p., 24 Apr. 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11031-013-9371-4
"Changes in Materialism, Changes in Psychological Well-being: Evidence from Three Longitudinal Studies and an Intervention Experiment."SpringerLink. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/01/06/jennifer-lopez-diet-weight-loss-fitness-routine-exercise/
@dorylarrabee. "Jennifer Lopez’s 90-Calorie Breakfast & Veggie Diet That Keeps Her Slim At 46." Hollywood Life. N.p., 06 Jan. 2016. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.
A Boost Of Literacy
Introduction:
In this essay I introduce a fear of reading out aloud I have had and how it connects with my ideas of literacy and how they have an effect on me. I analyze many quotes from the story, ¨How to Tame a Wild Tongue¨ by Gloria Anzaldua in order to prove my points of how literature created many fears in my life and made me very self- conscious. I hope to show others that literature is not all about reading or writing but actually can define a persons identity. Also, I would like to show others the problems that could go on with a person that they would never know about and how their actions can affect these fears and make a person very shy or quiet.
The Great Comment Section Debacle
2Fer #2 Revised
The Great Comment Section Debacle
Written by Luis-Manuel Morales
In many ways, The internet has paved the way towards bringing the world together. Whether that be through hashtags to raise awareness, or viral videos that get everyone talking, the world is now in the midst of being intertwined by the world wide web. However, there are some major flaws in this massive communication system. The comment section was brought to various social medias and forums to keep the conversation stirring, even further then the content could do. This may sound great on paper, but the end result isn’t that pretty. Although the average internet user might not think that the current state of comment sections matters much, they're impact on the community is dangerous and contagious. If anyone can say anything on the web with no backlash in real life, the side effects of such freedoms are horrifying.
One of the freedoms that is available in the virtual world that is not as accepted in the real world is freedom of speech. In person words can backfire and damage a reputation, because a person’s identity is almost always associated with what has been said . However, the internet has gifted the people with anonymity. Anyone can say whatever they want, without anyone knowing it was them. People are free to say whatever they please with little to no backlash in real life. This allows for the unlimited use of bigoted, racist, and crude remarks for many people to go crazy with.
With anonymity giving people freedom to say everything and anything, room for meaningful and constructive conversation in the comment section has become scarce. Those who wish to positively interact in their community are met with a deep dark cyberbullying wormhole. Whether that be simple playground taunts or vulgar, crude threats, the issue that is cyberbullying has taken over these sections of the internet. Despite many sites, such as youtube, putting systems in place to report such behavior, they are rarely enforced properly. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the sites themselves, as the amount of reports in comparison to the amount of employees is ridiculous. This shows an even greater problem, which is that these sites are well aware of the issue. They take some steps to try and prevent it, however they do not take the proper measures to permanently fix the issue.
Giving the people this kind of freedom is dangerous. It makes monsters out of good hearted hearted souls. Even though in concept the privileges given in a comment section are not mischievous and are for the better, they do not result in so. Christopher Wolf of the Anti-Cyberhate Committee of the Anti-Defamation League, discussed this very topic in a debate for the New York Times. “Anonymity has an important role in free expression and for privacy interests, to be sure. But the benefits of anonymity online are greatly outweighed by the abuse.” What he is saying here is that although websites allow anonymity for good and justified reasons, those who take advantage of it ruin the spirit of the community. Normal people who positively contribute to the conversation are drowned out by such people, and often times they result to fighting fire with fire. Before they know it they are contributing to the chaos that once plagued them.
The comment Section was meant to be an extension of the conversation held in the content proceeding it. It has never really been that, however, as the internet has grown over the years, this feature has become less of a conversation and more of an unwanted spam folder full of bots and degrading , off topic comments and conversations. "It's hard to determine whether this problem can be fixed, or rather if letting humans free with complete anonymity was simply a doomed plan from the start."
Works Cited
Wolf, Christopher. "Anonymity May Have Killed Online Commenting." Have Comment Sections Failed? The New York Times, 18 Apr. 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/04/18/have-comment-sections-on-news-media-websites-failed/anonymity-may-have-killed-online-commenting
Lemieux, Jamliah. "Get Rid of Comment Sections." Have Comment Sections Failed? The New York Times, 18 Apr. 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/04/18/have-comment-sections-on-news-media-websites-failed/get-rid-of-comment-sections
Wallsten, Kevin, and Melinda Tarsi. "It’s Time to End Anonymous Comments Sections." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
Advance essay #2
Writing this essay I want the reader to understand the struggles I went through by my favorite sport, basketball. Throughout this essay I’m telling the readers the transition between my streetball life and my organized basketball life. Telling them how my first practice experience went. I think I did well explaining my how my first practice went and how I was determined to improve on my skills as a organized basketball player.
The whistle blew, everyone stopped and everyone looked at who caused the coach to blow the whistle. “Addison!” the coach yelled “What are you doing? Pass the ball. The other team's ball” I didn’t say a word, I just stood there and shook my head.
The day I realized that streetball and organized basketball is different. As a kid all I knew was streetball. Always playing at my schoolyard and the playground trying to embarrass your defender, showing of your handle and all these fancy passes. I thought I was the best streetball player in my neighborhood. As months goes by my friend introduced me to the Philadelphia Suns an all Asian organization. But jumping from that to organized basketball I noticed that it was a completely new atmosphere. Knowing that the play style is completely different, knowing that it’s a team sport, not selfish sport.
So my first practice there, oh boy was it difficult. Getting yelled at every minutes, “travel, turnover, walk, run!” Frustration began to grow upon me, I never thought it would be this difficult. I whisper to one of my teammate, “yo, what are we doing?” He just gave me a look shook his head and continued to do the drill. I thought to myself was it even worth coming here. I’m a just a boy who got the streetball skills, who loves playing ball with friends and not caring about the rules. I don't have the NBA like skills like everyone in here. Throughout practice I made mistakes after mistakes. My coach came up to me, while everyone was taking a break and said to me. “Addison, don’t worry. I know this is your first practice and you’re still getting used to everything. I see you're getting mad at yourself, don't be. Just learn from your mistakes.” I just sat there with my head down. “Thanks coach” I replied. As the coach blew the whistle telling everyone to get ready. He said “just sit here and watch everyone first.” As I got the concept of the drill that everyone is doing, i hopped in and tried doing it. Guess what… I made the wrong decision. 10 seconds into the drill, I picked up my dribble. “Addison! Don't pick up your dribble!” The coach yelled across the court. I looked around and saw people shaking their heads, saying “oh my god” underneath their breath. I tossed the ball at the coach and headed back to the bench. Throughout the whole practice I sat there and looked at everyone practice. “If you keep coming to Friday and Saturday practice I promise you, you’ll get better.” Said a teammate sitting right above me, startling me. “You really think that?” I said back. “I mean I’ve been coming to practice for months and I got so much better. not trying to sound cocky or anything.” He replied. “Alright” I chuckled and shook my head. As practice comes to an end, I walked up to my coach and asked him when is practice. “Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday”. I told him that I’ll be coming every Friday and Saturday. “Great! See you then Addison. Remember learn from those mistakes you made today.” He said. “I will coach.” I said back.
As I got home, I went straight to my laptop. Type in “NBA highlight plays.” Hoping that I could learn something from the video. After watching videos after videos I thought that I could be just like everyone in the NBA. Lebron James, Rondo, Wade, and so many more. The next day, I went straight to my old middle school and started to practicing by myself. I started doing all these drills that I learned from yesterday's practice, dribbling drills, footwork drills, shooting drills, and running drills. Getting mad at myself because I couldn’t make a basket, slamming the ball onto the ground. As I continued to go to practices , I continued to get better.
