Negative Space Cut out Reflection

Snapchat-1903737009-1
Snapchat-1903737009-1
Negative space is the space around and between an object. I found negative space in my cut out by taking the background paper and outlining my design with black construction paper then did the opposite with orange paper on the other side. Artists need to distinguish negative space because it is as important as the object itself. It helps for us to see the boundaries and how big an object is. Seeing in the negative space helps to enhance drawings because it makes it stand out depending how you use it. 

Negative Space Cut-Out Reflection

IMG_4456
IMG_4456
Negative space is the space around the subject of an image. Negative space is generally the background of an image while positive space is the subject of the image. I found negative space by first cutting out the image according to the colors depicted on original image I had. I then separated the pieces by color and flipped one set of pieces to make a full image. It helps an artist to see in negative space because it allows them to create more depth in the image which in turn makes the viewer perceive the image differently. Negative space does enhance drawings because it creates and adds dimension to an otherwise flat drawing/picture/image.

Negative Space Art Assignment.

Negative/Positive Space Piece.
Negative/Positive Space Piece.
Negative space is all of the space that is not used in a photo but is just as important.
All of the space that isn't focused on the subject defines the photo and emphasizes the main subject.
In my cut out, I used a cutting knife to trace out certain areas of an image. I then used the traces to visually show the negative space that was in the image the entire time.
Understanding negative space as an artist is a necessity as it helps to really understand if one's subject is truly the main focus of an image as everyone has different views on art.
Negative space does, in fact, enhance drawings as they give the effect to focus on the subject strongly in an image.

Negative Space Cutout

Negative Space Cutout
​What is negative space?
Negative space is the space around the object, not the actual object.

Negative space in my cutout
I used negative space in my cutout by looking at the background and the actual image itself and separating them to highlight the different parts of it.

Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?
Seeing in negative space gives an artist the ability to simplify the image as well as accentuate all of the components of it. 

Does seeing in negative space enhance the drawings?
I believe that negative space does give the art piece a more emphasized effect because it highlights not just the object itself but the space around it.

Negative Space Cutout Reflection

IMG_4899
IMG_4899
What is negative space?
Negative Space is the space that surrounds an object of an image. Negative space helps balance the difference between negative and positive space.
 Explain how you found negative space in your cut out?
I found negative space in my cut out by separating the work into two. The background of the project and the main drawing of the project.
Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?
It's important for an artist to see negative space because negative space along with positive space help define the object and bring balance to the artwork.

Does seeing in negative space enhance drawings, why or why not?

Seeing in negative space enhances drawings because it helps strengthen your understanding in art, and ability to identify the positive spaces and negative spaces in every work you encounter.   

Negative and Positive Space

IMG_2395
IMG_2395
A. Negative space is the space around the object you are looking at. You can picture this like looking at a piece of swiss cheese, the space in the holes is the negative space.
B. I found negative space by following the lines of the bat and cutting it out.
C. It helps them identify the shapes learly and help them see the background.
D.It creates depth to the drawing, you are able to see the item you are looking at and the space behind it.

Week 3 - Day 2 - blog - negative/positive space - cut out[Indiya Johnson]

Screenshot 2018-04-26 at 9.37.16 AM
Screenshot 2018-04-26 at 9.37.16 AM
1)​What is negative space?
Negative space is the space around the pieces of the photo to focus on the main points. The negative space is usually the background of the photo while positive is the main object. People commonly use it for optical illusions such as the cup with the two faces or the old lady and young lady. 
2)Explain how you found negative space in your cut out?
I first started by cutting up each piece. After I  did that I traced all those pieces onto my pink paper. Afterward, I then took all the lighter gray parts( the tree and the extra pieces of grass) and after I did that I cut out the pink side. Gluing all the extra pink pieces to the blue(the inside of tree designs and background) I was then finished.
3)Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?
It helps an artist to see negative space because it helps them focus on the main points of the object. Also afterward it becomes easier to draw in designs, etc. Giving them a different point of view than they had before.
4)Does seeing in negative space enhance drawings, why or why not?
Yes because you see it in a different way than before therefore you get a different meaning of the art piece. Making it come out better than it would have before.

2fer #7 Raymond Rochester


         Does working out and lifting a fitter healthier lifestyle help your confidence



                                       Working out: The answer to confidence?


Physical fitness is a huge thing to many. There are many different ways that people do to get fit and stay in shape like running, boxing, lifting weights, and many other things that needs you to work hard, get your heart beating and blood pumping to burn calories  and build muscle. There are many benefits to living a fitter life like feeling better, looking better, being more capable and having benefits that goes as far as possibly living longer. Working out and living a better lifestyle can help your confidence because of the new self image that is made after the physical transformation..  


In an article from lifesum.com there is a person who talks about their  experiences of working out and also talks about how her physical transformation makes her feel more confident  “I’ve lost count of how many before and after pictures I’ve seen where people have undergone the most radical of radical transformations, and shed half their bodyweight, and then they say something along the lines of, ‘Honestly though, it’s not the weight that’s the biggest deal, I am so much more confident in my body and in my own skin’. This is typically the point at which I roll my eyes and think to myself ‘OF COURSE you feel so much more confident, you’re slimmer and you hated your body before!’

But I’ve had a kind of aha! moment. I will say that I’m not sure if there is any psychology behind this, so feel free to disregard everything. All I know is that for me, working out has been strangely empowering.” This person says that she has found a confidence because of the body transformation that they went through from working out. It was said that this person hated their body before getting in better shape and comparing how they saw themself back then to now is a huge part of their new found confidence.



On a question and answer type of set up on this website called sharecare a question was asked. The question was ‘Does exercise help increase confidence?’ Jeff Coswell an NASM elite trainer said “Absolutely. Working out and seeing your body change definitely will help change your attitude towards yourself and even life. When you start feeling good about what you have accomplished your whole perception changes. As a personal trainer myself just seeing peoples eyes light up when the have lost that weight and body fat makes me even feel good. When you start looking and feeling better your whole attitude changes for the better. Have you ever met someone who said I have lost all this weight, dropped all this body fat and have more energy and I am miserable? Of course not because reaching these goals makes you feel you can accomplish anything. So work hard and feel great.” From Jeff Coswell quote it looks like he's saying that it's mostly a mental type of feeling that changes based on your progress and how you look. Once again it's the same Idea from paragraph 1 where the comparison to the before and after transformation has a huge boost in confidence.




In this article about a man who was suffering from chronic pain on a website called www.pickthebrain.com, the man in the article states that Working out has many benefits towards building your confidence. First, it teaches you the importance of making a decision and what really deciding is. It helps you to build a more positive self-image and an internal compass. You learn gratitude, discipline, and visualization. Finally, you learn to move more slowly, which makes you appear more confident and self-assured. Once again the idea of self image of brought up.

Due to the self image of humans, the idea of bettering ourselves is needed to make lives easier. This shows how working out and living a better lifestyle can help your confidence because of the new self image that is made after the physical transformation.

This is my best 2fer because of the connection I was able to make in the real world. This was also a topic that I was comfortable with and I personally workout a ton myself. I have seen the personal growth in me which makes my 2fer a lot more connectable with the audience and myself. The research I did was expressed in my 2fer and how I was able to piece things together which made me feel confident in my own work.


Super Crazy Love


Super Crazy Love 
Taming of the Shrew 
Superbad

In the movie, Superbad, we follow high school students, Evan and Seth, while they do their absolute best to win over the girls they are interested in, Becca and Jules. While this movie is not an exact replication of the play, Taming of the Shrew, it shares some very distinct similarities. They both use comedy to make a mock out of love. Although, there very certain features in both the film and the play that help someone understand Love in a different way. Love is very complex and different, most people feel it in different forms. However, it makes most people relentless to share it with someone. 

 

Evan and Seth were at lunch talking about Jule’s party and how they need to get the alcohol for the party. Seth mentions how he is doing this so he can get with Jules at the party. Seth comes right out and says that he will do anything and everything just to get with Jules which in some ways is love. He wants to get close to her by any means necessary. In Taming of the Shrew, Lucientio tried to get close to Bianca by posing as her teacher. He did go farther than he had to in order to win her heart, but he it was never shown that he would have done anything to win her over. While Seth clearly made a choice to do anything it takes to win her over. Later in the movie, he was taken to another party. He decided to steal the alcohol in the basement. In order to do that he had to drain the smaller bottles into two larger bleach containers. This was an extremely bold move to win over Jules. Bleach is a highly dangerous chemical and if consumed can kill someone. However, Seth made that choice, and carried those bottles throughout the rest of the movie until he got them to Jule’s house. Both Lucentio and Seth are willing to push the boundaries in order to achieve their goal in regards to love. 

Although Seth relates to Lucentio, he also shares some similarities with Petruchio. The quote below is a sample of something Petruchio said. 
 
“Petruchio:... I will not sleep, Hortensio, till I see her" (Act 1, Sc. 2, line 106)

In this quote, Petruchio is speaking to Hortensio about Katherine. Everyone is making a big fuss over how beautiful Bianca is, but no one is paying any attention to Katherine. Hortensio tells Petruchio that she was not a good woman to be with, and Petruchio should pursue someone else. Despite what Hortensio said, Petruchio wasn’t going to listen to him. This was an interaction between Petruchio and Hortensio related back to the dynamic of Seth and Evan when it came to women, Jules to be specific. Seth wanted to be with Jules and would constantly talk about it, but Evan wanted Seth to give it up. Evan doubted Seth when it came to Jules. It may not be the exact same, but Evan compared a lot to Hortensio in these moments. Evan didn’t want Seth to have to deal with one of the most popular girls in school rejecting him. Hortensio didn’t want Petruchio to rationally marry a woman that he might not be happy with. They were both looking out for their friend. Seth and Hortensio both were acting extreme rash in throughout the book and the movie. They were doing dumb and crazy things just to achieve their ultimate goal. Getting the girl. Can that be love? Doing rash things just to be with some girl that they barely know. Petruchio has never even met Katherine at this point, and Hortensio is also warning him about her. One might think he would step down after hearing she is bad news, but he does it anyway. He does it because he is in love. Maybe not in love with Katherine, but in love with the thought of Katherine. The thought of sharing his life with someone that isn’t like everyone else. He loves the idea. So, he convinces himself that he loves her throughout the book.
 
Throughout the play and the movie, there is a constant theme of love, but specifically that it makes people do and think crazy things. This is expressed through many different characters. Lucentio goes to extreme lengths just to meet Bianca. Seth breaks the law just to impress a girl that barely notices him. Lastly, Petruchio convinces himself to love someone who is different from most women just so he can feel a connection. The movie and play both accurately represent love in some of it’s craziest forms. 
 

NEGATIVE SPACE CUT OUT REFLECTION

IMG_2214
IMG_2214
A. Negative space is the empty space that surrounds an object or figure in an image. 
B. Negative space was useful in my cutout because it highlighted the mirror-image aspect of my piece, amplifying it's basic design.
C. It helps an artist to see in negative space because it gives the potential to simplify designs or logos.
D. Negative space can help simplify your piece and in some ways make it more realistic. For instance, if there is negative space in the sky it adds realistic emphasises to an empty area of your image.

My Fake Relationship

Relationships are one of the most extreme forms of compromise. People give up little parts of themselves to please someone that they are supposed to remain with for life. In Shakespeare's, “The Taming of the Shrew” the audience views the progression of Katherine and Petruchio’s courtship and marriage. However Petruchio does not love Katherine and is only marrying here to receive the dowry from her father and to tame her into being the perfect wife. In “My Fake Fiance”, Jenn is a new homeowner who has been robbed and Vince is a gambling addict in heavy debt. They meet at a mutual friend's wedding and decide to get married so Jenn can keep the gifts and Vince can keep the money they recieve. Taming of the Shrew and My Fake Fiance have shown that marriage is a simply a deal that people make and they both expect something  other than love out of the arrangement. The difference in My Fake Fiance is that, in today’s world, it is more acceptable for women to be honest about they want in a relationship and if it is money and status that is alright.

"Petruchio: O slow-winged turtle, shall a buzzard take thee?

Katherine: Ay, for a turtle, as he takes a buzzard

Petruchio: Come, come, you wasp! I’faith you are too angry

Katherine: If I be waspish, best beware my sting

Petruchio: My remedy is then to pluck it out

Katherine: Ay, if the fool could find it where it lies"


(Act 2, Scene 1, Line 220-225)


In this piece of text the first meeting of Katherine and Petruchio is shown. From the moment that they first begin to speak they are bickering. However their wits prove them to be equals in the field of insults. This displays that when people engaged in the deal of marriage they have to be compatible  in some way. Whether that be that they are in “love” or they are able to provide sufficient retorts to the others comments. This connection made Katherine and Petruchio eligible for engaging in marriage. This is like the beginning scene in My Fake Fiance where Vince and Jennifer meet at a wedding and they begin to make fun of a profile each other.
Screenshot 2018-04-23 at 6.58.45 PM
Screenshot 2018-04-23 at 6.58.45 PM

Jenn and Vince at the Wedding

“ Jennifer: No, I mean there's no such thing as soulmates

Vince: So you sleep around?

Jennifer: Sorry, I’m not your type

Vince: I don’t have a type, what makes you think I have a type?

Jennifer: Please, have you ever heard the phrase ‘the clothes make the man’”


This is like the scene in Shrew because it chronicles the first meeting of Jenn and Vince and it shows that they are not really falling for each other at first so it only accentuates  the fact they got into marriage for other reasons.

"Petruchio: Then tell me, if I get your daughter’s love, what dowry shall I have with her to wife?

Baptista: After my death, the one half of my lands, and in possession, twenty thousand crowns"


(Act 2, Scene 1, Line 126-129)
In this scene of Shrew Petruchio is talking with Baptista about how much he will receive if he marries Katherine. This shows that Petruchio only wanted one thing out of the marriage. It also showed the historical reference of how the fathers of the women were thankful for the marriage and payed the groom. This can be compared to the scene in My Fake Fiance when Jennifer’s parents begged to pay for the wedding.
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Screenshot 2018-04-23 at 7.01.32 PM

Jenns mom begging to pay for the wedding

“Vince: Wait a minute, aren't the bride's parents supposed to pay?

Jennifer: No way. We are not asking my parents to pay for our fake wedding.”


In this section Jennifer’s mom is begging to pay for their wedding. Jennifer is insectanly telling her that she does not want her to pay but Vince convinces her to let them pay. This showed that families know that marriage is a deal and they wanted to thank Vince for taking their daughter. In previous section it had been stated that the mother and father were waiting for Jennifer to get married considering her sister Bonnie was already married.

"Hortensio: Petruchio, since we are stepped thus far in, I will continue that I broached in jest. I can, Petruchio, help thee to a wife with wealth enough, and young and beauteous, brought up as best becomes a gentlewoman. Her only fault, and that is faults enough,

Is that she is intolerable curst, and shrewd, and froward, so beyond all measure that, were my state far worser than it is, I would not wed her for a mine of gold.

Petruchio: Hortensio, peace. Thou know’st not gold’s effect. Tell me her father’s name, and ’tis enough; for I will board her, though she chide as loud as thunder when the clouds in autumn crack.”

(Act 1, Scene 2, Line 84-97)



In this section of the play Petruchio is explaining to Hortensio that he wants to marry rich. Hortensio jokes that he knows that Katherine needs to get married but that he wouldn’t marry her.  Petruchio finishes off by telling Hortensio that he does not know the power of money and that he would marry anyone. In that time it was more acceptable for men to be in marriage with a submissive wife and money. It further helped the claim that marriage is just a deal and that it is alright to not want love out of it. Petruchio male place in society made it more acceptable for him to be deceitful in marriage. This is different from the scene in My Fake Fiance where Jennifer puts everything that she wants on the wedding registry because that is all she is in it for.
Screenshot 2018-04-23 at 7.03.22 PM
Screenshot 2018-04-23 at 7.03.22 PM

Jenn making the wedding registry

“ Sales Associate: Oh, I couldn't help but notice. You know there’s an easier way to do that. Everything is computerized these days, so just choose what you want, aim the gun at the barcode and pull the trigger. It's a lot of fun.

Jennifer: Wow this is fun

Sales Associate: Here you go. Well you know what they say? It pays to get married.”


Jennifer is now able to go off of the mantra “ It pays to get married” because her and Vince have established that that is all the want. Also because of the new a progressive nature of time Jennifer was not shamed for being honest about all the material items that she wanted out of marriage. Her friends and family even made it a reality when the bought her these items.


The reality about marriage is that is not all about love. It is a deal between two people whether they are in love or not where the both receive something out of it. Petruchio wanted money. Katherine wanted to be worth something in the eyes of  society. Vince wanted to pay off his gambling debt and Jennifer wanted to refurbish her house. All marriage contains ulterior motives but in the beginning it was only acceptable for men to have them. Now the objects that people want in marriage have become for transparent and acceptable for both partners to want, especially women.


Work Cited: 

Junger , Gil, director. My Fake Fiance . ABC , 2009.

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Penguin Books, 2016

Negative/Positive Space Cut Out

Negative Space is the space that makes up an image. When you take out an object from an image, what's left is the negative space (the background).

To find negative space in my image I looked at the image and separated it into two parts, the actual bird it self and the background. 

 An artist can imagine every single part of a picture and create an image that unites all parts beautifully. 

I think negative space can enhance your image if you want to do something different with your drawings. Being able to separate the background from the image can give you leeway to create and change different things within that image  

My Best 2fer

To me I think that this is my best 2fer because this is one of the biggest topics that I am passionate about. This is a topic that most people tried to disagree with me on but I still did what I had to do to keep my mind in the same state. To me not being able to use "I, we, us, and you" was a very hard thing to do. Most of the other 2fers didn't make me feel as though I was arguing against everyone but this did and this is why I believed this this my best 2fer yet. 
2fer #7

Negative/Positive Space Cutout


Negative space is the empty space that is surrounding an image or an object. For every piece of positive space there is a piece of negative space around it. For example, if I were to show you a tree, the negative space would be the spaces around the tree and in between the leaves and branches. In my cut out, I found the negative space by looking at all the empty spaces, all of the places where there was empty space in around the bird. It can help an artist to see in negative space because it helps to define the image. Negative space is just as important as the positive space and the object itself. Negative space is so helpful to artists because it helps to balance the image and to define the shape. I think that seeing things in negative space can enhance drawings in some ways and in other ways it cannot. For example, when you draw the negative space of an object, you are leaving out many details of the object itself which can be important depending on what you are drawing. However, drawing just the negative space really provides an emphasis on the object and outline/shape of the object itself.


negative space cut out (1)

2fer #7

Matthew Reed

English 3

April 23, 2018

There are many media streaming services such as: Netflix, Hulu, and Youtube.  People find themselves watching tv most of the time. A new trend with the availability of complete series and seasons of t.v. shows through streaming services is binge watching. Binge watching is a very popular trend now that streaming services have become more popular. People binge watch tv shows to escape reality; their world of boredom and depression to find themselves in something a lot more interesting,  this does not always last forever, and can sometimes hold people back.

Most people find themselves watching television for fun. They just want to kill the time before their next task or assignment. However , there are some individuals that want a quick escape that will help them forget about their lives. One person who sought this out was writer, Julian Kimble. Kimble was struggling with depression and feelings that his life was meaningless. He had trouble getting out of bed, and completing daily tasks. He found his easy escape in television shows, remembering how he used to love tv when he was a child. This is what he wrote in his article on The Fader, “Between streaming services, premium channels, and network television, there’s an overabundance of shows, limited-series dramas, films, comedy specials, and documentaries to get lost in. But where others see a bottomless abyss, I see an opportunity to immerse myself in the winding narratives of other people’s lives.” From this it is shown that Kimble needed an escape due to his life beings overwhelming. He was trying to surround himself with fictional scenarios and problems because he wants to forget about his own. Notice how he says, “But where others see a bottomless abyss…”. He doesn’t know what’s best for him right now, he just sees a easy and quick fix and goes for it. However, conquering depression takes a lot of someone’s will power. Ignoring his problems and going somewhere else is digging the whole even deeper. He is not bettering himself by giving in to fantasy world of television.

People believe that binging television will make their lives better, but there is a study done by the University of Texas that suggests otherwise. During the study, hundreds of millennials were asked a series of questions about their binge watching habits to see what the psychological effects it has on someone. Newsweek wrote an article about the study. Here’s what they said about the outcome, “What they found was troubling—people who binge-watch are more likely to be depressed and lonely…”  It was shown in the quote, that depression can be caused by binging. People are spending all of their time trying escape the real world into a fantasy one. They are losing track of their everyday life, and isolating themselves from it. This is why they feel so alone. They spend all their time watching tv, they start to lose focus of the real people around them. Eventually drifting apart from them. At times, they may believe this is a good thing. If they do not have any real life relationships they can focus all there time on the fake world, and they do not have to deal with the hardships of human relationships. However, this facade does not hold forever. When the fantasy ends, they return to reality and realize they are alone and worse off then they were before.

If binge watchers stopped to think about it, they would realize that binge watching is not just about trying to find happiness , but trying to abandon their lives because they are bored of them. Binge watching creates an quick and easy escape from reality. However, when people return they find themselves alone and depressed. Binge watching might seem helpful at first, but it’s just a unhealthy abyss.

I believe that this essay is my best 2fer. I am very passionate about my topic and my thesis. Binge watching Netflix and Television is something I find myself doing a lot. I have always thought that it was harmless, and an easy way to kill the time. However, I only recently realized what kind of negative effects that is having on me. Instead of using it to kill time, I use it as an excuse to sit in my room away from the rest of society which does not help my mental state at all. I have learned to stop watching a show after a couple episodes. There is nothing wrong with relaxing after a long day and watching some Netflix, but it should not be a hobby. It should stay as luxury. In my essay, I represented my point of view very well without using my direct opinions on the topic. My analysis reflected on what binge watching can do to someone’s mind. Overall, I find this to be my best 2fer, and I am very proud of it.



Kutner, Max. Newsweek, Theres New Research on TV Binges and Depression. Published January 29, 2015. Accessed April 18, 2018. http://www.newsweek.com/if-you-just-binge-watched-house-cards-youre-probably-depressed-302842 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Super Powers

Since the start of superheroes in comics dating back to the Great Depression and World War II, they have continued to gain popularity through movies and TV shows. People of all ages still watch superhero movies and many younger children wish to meet one. The only downside to this is the fact that these superheroes they see in comics or movies aren’t real. Batman isn’t roaming the streets of Philadelphia trying to find his parents’ killer and Captain America’s frozen body wasn’t found in Atlantic City. In reality, these superheroes’ abilities show what people really want from society. They want someone they can look at as their protector who can jump between rooftops to catch bank robbers. Superheroes reflected America’s fears and gave them a chance to feel invulnerable.

Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, was written as a student who grew up to become a soldier. He fought Nazi troops and was viewed as a US hero in order to go against Nazi Germany’s propaganda. During the war, Captain America and his sidekick Bucky were a key symbol of hope for people. It seemed like after the war their popularity died down. In an article from Britannica, the writer says, “As the war wound down, the market for patriotic superheroes began to shrink, and Captain America and Bucky were literally put on ice.”  This suggests that people were no longer in need of these superheroes giving them something to look up to and a future they could wish for. These seemingly perfect figures were only popular when people felt in danger and would much rather read about an “ideal” story where someone comes to save them all, rather than trying to deal with what was happening during the war.

These superhero idols weren’t just used for hope during World War II. In an article by The New York Times the author says that superheroes started to reflect political realities when Justice League was questioning President Lex Luthor’s decisions to invade Qurac or Marvel heroes having to register their abilities with the government. The Superhuman registration was viewed as an invasion of privacy by the government since they had to give up their hidden identities. People don’t deal with these same exact issues where they have to give up their superhero identity to the government but invasion of privacy is still relevant to what the government can access through phones. When they see these superheroes dealing with issues that are in the world today it makes them feel like their situation could turn out the same way. The superhero simply saves the day and makes everyone feel safe again. It distracts from the fact that people feel like there is no way they can intervene in the situations people face today and make things better in the same way a superhero is supposed to do. That sense of safety and not having to worry is something that they don’t have so all they can do is look at a false situation and ignore the reality.

Captain America: Civil War came out in 2016 and shows two different superheroes with opposing views on how the country should be run. An article by Vox talks about how the original comic from 2006 was during the time of America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These disagreements between two superheroes that were friends show the reality of today. Whether it’s decisions over the country or disagreements with friends, people still use the stories as an escape. A point that supports this is shown in an article by The Atlantic where the writer says, “If American culture is indeed in a state of decline, these are the stories built to survive its demise.” The central idea of why the story relates is to provide that alternate ending of what could happen. People often want to forget about the reality and hope that a miracle will just fix everything back into place.  

Although people who aren’t superhero fans might not think that superhero movies or comics matter much, its influence goes beyond entertainment purposes to help people cope with the harsh reality of the world. These happy endings give people hope for their own issues. Things do not always go as planned in the world or exactly how people want them, whether it’s about politics or society, and the writers of these comics create a superhero born into that kind of environment that can overcome anything.

Works Cited

Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Captain-America. Accessed 19 Apr. 2018.

Gustines, George Gene. The Superhero as Society’s Mirror, From World War II to Iraq. The New York Times Company, 14 July 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/07/14/arts/design/14comi.html. Accessed 19 Apr. 2018.

Abad-Santos, Alex. Marvel’s Civil War and Its Politics, Explained. Vox, 3 May 2016, www.vox.com/2016/5/3/11531348/marvel-civil-war-explained. Accessed 22 Apr. 2018.

Petaccio, Carmen. “How Superhero Stories Reflect American Anxieties.” The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2018, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/03/twilight-of-the-superheroes/475236/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2018.


Smoking kills- Sharron Norton 2fer#7

Sharron Norton

English 3

Pahomov

23 April 2018

Smoking Kills

Smoking pollutes the air, litters our streets, water, and results in accidental ingestion by small animals and children. Cooperation is needed in order to lessen this impact, and restore the planet to health. The production of cigarettes should decrease by 90% so that with time, the harmful habit could disappear. A significant decrease in the production of tobacco products will lead to the minimization of demand on it as the price will get higher, the supply will decrease and people will not be able to buy it.

Generally, the public is well aware that second-hand smoke is very dangerous. According to the CDC, second-hand smoke contains carcinogens, toxic metals and poisonous gases. While these substances have negative effects on human health, they also affect our environment as well. Second-hand smoke goes into our atmosphere and messes up the world’s air quality. There has  also been reports that a gathering of experiments indicates that levels of respirable suspended particulates (RSPs) decreased by up to 96% in public spaces that banned smoking. This improvement in air quality is not only for the sake of health, but as well as the organisms of the environment. Smoking pollutes the air, but the damage to the environment does not stop there. Thrown away cigarette butts customarily are left in public streets. Cigarettes are the most common  item that contribute to litter. Now, the main problem revolving around the disposal of cigarette butts are the cases when they are accidental eaten by children and animals. Studies have Shown that household pets or other small animals that make the mistake of ingesting cigarette litter may suffer tremors, vomiting, respiratory failure and even death. Just one cigarette butt is dangerous, and a whole cigarette may be lethal if ingested. Although others may not immediately recognize it, cigarettes are toxic waste and need to be disposed of properly.

Cigarette is the deadliest object in the history of human production. Cigarettes kill about 6 million people every year. Tobacco causes human deaths, more than by all deaths from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, and motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. Smokers die 14 years earlier than nonsmokers. Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of human cancer and deaths which are higher in developing countries than in developed countries. About 70% of tobacco-related deaths will occur in developing countries. Another factor that tags  along with something is Lung cancer which is an aggressive disease. The lungs are the most important organs that help us breathe and give oxygen to all the cells in the body. These organs are affect both directly and indirectly by cigarette smoking. One in 10 moderate smokers and one in 5 heavy smokers (15 cigarettes per day) will die of lung cancer. About 85% of smokers with lung cancer die within 5.5 years. Many types of cancers including pancreatic cancer and colon cancer, bladder and kidney cancer are caused due to tobacco smoking. Tobacco smoking is also associated with cancer of the oral cavity (including lip and tongue) in both men and women. If government were to restrict the intake people had with tobacco/ cigarettes, then the percentage of deaths and effects of cancer would definitely decrease as well.

Furthermore,  The use of tobacco products is one of the main causes of preventable and premature death and disease the world over. It does not just affect the smokers themselves but the innocent lives of their neighbors and Earth itself. If people in higher places were able to put a stop to production and its passing to people in the country, then there would be a big change. Change in global warming, as well as the welfare of people in this planet. People would be more safe.


Sources:

“Should Smoking Be Banned?” Vaping Daily, vapingdaily.com/quit-smoking/should-smoking-be-banned/.


Begh, Rachna, et al. BMC Medicine, BioMed Central, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4601132/.


Make Economy Better

Make Economy Better


Trash is everywhere, no matter where people go. The amount of waste on the streets only increases, day by day, especially in the streets of Philadelphia. As a well known city, Philadelphia gets many visitors everyday. They flock to Philadelphia’s Old City to many other historical places like the Liberty Bell, The Betsy Ross house, and etc. Being able to live anywhere is nice, except when having to deal with the trash no matter where people go. Driving or walking around Philly, it is common to find places filled with trash, or places that are trashed up. These places have a negative impact on the city. If citizens were to own up to their actions and be more environmentally conscious, then Philadelphians would not feel discouraged as they trudge through old wrappers and cigarette butts. Developing a way to stop citizens from littering is the best way to improve the economy.


Walking around in Philly, people will find that there is a lot to observe. One thing people realize is the excessive number of homeless people. Homelessness is one of the reasons as to why trash exists in the city of Philadelphia. The homeless are constantly carelessly throwing away trash on the street. The people who do not have a roof over their heads have nowhere else to place anything besides on the streets, creating more and more trash. Philadelphia also has a 25.7%  of those in poverty, which is the same as ¼ of the population being in poverty. It was stated by Tony Abraham that the city does not have enough resources to provide more shelters. If Philadelphians had more care for the homeless then the city would be avoiding a great amount of trash laying about the streets. This will also be helping the economy and benefiting the homeless because it will create a cleaner space for them to live in. Without the trash that is partially created by them, it will help reduce the amount of trash in the world and provide better for the economy.


The reason why littering negatively impacts the economy is because there are different types of littering, from marine to land littering. Philly has great sites and places to visit and observe, but destroying all that the city has by putting waste into the locations, only makes the economy and living things go bad. The wildlife is highly impacted by the trash and the littering people create. The wildlife assume the trash they come across is safe for them to eat, although it is not. If wildlife is being destroyed, that also means the water people drink would have to go through more to be filtered, possibly resulting in a higher cost for water filtration.The rate at which people throw out food in the United States is alarming and also contributes to overflowing landfills. People do not want to find themselves living within their discards, and that seems to be the fate if people do not become more aware of the environment. If this was avoided, the economy would be more organized and healthier.


Diseases are beginning to spread. Dirt and trash are spreading in the air more frequently. With the trash Philadelphia has, it creates breathing problems for certain people. The dirt and trash are not only causing damage to people, but also animals. There are trash being thrown in rivers and other bodies of water as well. A very known river in Philadelphia, which is ẗhe Schuylkill River, is to be considered a dirty river. Trash can be seen in the river as people walk by it. It affects the water quality and also the air quality. Littering causes pollution, in which an article on a website called Philly mag, talked about pollution. ¨Here in Philadelphia County, the Air Quality Index, a color-coded scale that the EPA helped develop to show days when pollution is higher, shows that we have an average of 34 “orange” high-ozone days a year—meaning Philadelphians endure over a month’s worth of days during which the air is decidedly unhealthy to breathe.¨ This shows the statistics on how polluted the air is for people living in Philadelphia, and how it is unhealthy for people. If littering was reduced, the city of Philadelphia and the citizens would not have as big of an issue with this. Homes and sites would not be destroyed. The economy would be better improved.


Making the economy better is a possible solution to improve the health for residents of Philadelphia, and improving the pollution in the air. This can happen by citizens being able to own up to their actions and be more environmentally conscious. Then, Philadelphians would not feel discouraged as they trudge through old wrappers and cigarette butts.


Works Cited




Ricci, Dana. “Dana Ricci.” Philadelphia Magazine, 25 Apr. 2012, www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2012/04/25/tenth-polluted-city/#G7xDR1yQEpwrqrXj.99.


Revermann, Susan. “How Does Littering Affect the Environment?” How Does Littering Affect the Environment? | Education - Seattle PI, 21 Nov. 2017, education.seattlepi.com/littering-affect-environment-6802.html.


Ricci, Dana. “Dana Ricci.” Philadelphia Magazine, 25 Apr. 2012, www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2012/04/25/tenth-polluted-city/#G7xDR1yQEpwrqrXj.99.

“Homelessness in Our Community Affects Us All.” United Way Monterey County, 11 Aug. 2015, www.unitedwaymcca.org/homelessness-our-community-affects-us-all.


Abraham, Tony. “7 Things You Should Know about Homelessness in Philly.” Generocity Philly, 13 June 2016, generocity.org/philly/2016/05/24/homelessness-facts-poverty-youth-government/.


Social Media: Perception vs Reality

2fer 7 (1)

Wes Matthews

Ms. Pahomov

English III/Air Stream

4-23-18

                                     Social Media: Perception vs. Reality

In just 15 years, social media has become a dominant channel for human interaction, with an estimated 2.5 billion active users currently. This ever-increasing statistic is reflective of a global society driven by technology and mass communication. With social media, there is general discourse and news dissemination that even the most forward-thinking minds from a century ago probably would not have been able to predict. With all its popularity and usage, it is necessary to ponder the effects that social media has on the individual, and therefore on the rest of society as a whole. Though there are a myriad of these effects to observe, one of the most recognizable is that social media often breeds complex facades that seek to compromise true character for outward appearance.

Humans have always been social creatures, and with very good reason. Social groups give people their sense of purpose, while the cooperation aspects help them maintain conditions necessary to live. For this reason, it is almost natural that people gravitate to social media; the posts, comments, and likes make many people feel validated by other people in the world. This sensation of validation, however, can become quite addictive to the average person, resulting in many social media users actively seeking it out. In fact, according to a study by California State University, receiving a like on Facebook is comparable to the neural sensation one feels after intaking a small amount of cocaine, as it triggers the amygdala, which processes the importance of events and impending rewards. Consequently, it is rather common for users to feel the need to tally a large amount of likes.  Just as cocaine addicts tend to do outrageous things to obtain the drug, social media users oftentimes go to measures far outside of their regular personality in order to get likes and attention, from pulling dangerous stunts to intentionally sparking controversy and anything in between. Actions like these can be dangerous and harmful, but an even deeper subproblem is that this leads to people living much of their lives in a facade realm in which they can develop dishonest traits and attributes of pretense. These changes, no matter how nuanced, could affect the way one is viewed by others, and could even affect self-perception.

Many people use social media to post pictures of themselves or to show off their whereabouts. Not surprisingly, this has led to a generational uptick in narcissism levels. In a cross temporal study by San Diego State University, psychologists found a noticeable increase in mean narcissism levels that coincides with the 21st century rise of social media apps like Facebook and Twitter. Nearly two-thirds of the modern day college students who completed the inventory placed above the average narcissism score of students from 1979-1985. This suggests that social media has indeed affected the way people self-perceive, as there is now a large and accessible outlet to self-promote and aggrandize. In the same way users seek to be validated, people also seek admiration and praise for their live. This rather typical eagerness for compliments can manifest itself in a number of different ways, from posting an excessive amount of selfies to creating fabricated good tidings to announce. Either way, it is evident that the internet elevates people’s consciousness of how they are perceived, which often impels people to make themselves seem like more than what they are.

As is the case with many milestones of innovation, the net pros must be weighed with the net cons in order to arbitrate its actual utility. While social media can be considered a wildly important mainspring of both the social and economic sphere, at its core its main use is for the individual. Therefore, it is just as flawed as humans, as it works almost as a mirror to the insecurities, deep desires, and vanity issues of people in the real-world. It is essential to acknowledge the shortcomings of social media globally so that people are not caught up in a simulacrum universe, but rather focus on the true social world and all its functioning systems, which unlike social media, cannot simply be logged off.















                  


I have been challenged in the past with the task of balancing the clarity of my argument’s points with my sometimes long-winded and wordy style of writing. Ms. Pahomov has brought this to my attention on multiple 2fers, and gradually I have tried to use the revision process as an opportunity to cut words or phrases that add nothing to the direction of my points. This is possibly my best 2fer because it accomplishes that to the fullest extent thus far, as it is probably my shortest 2fer as far as word count but still it has a lot to offer with the points and is directed to a thesis that I still think is thoughtful.



Works Cited


Eror, Aleks. “Social Media Has Created a Generation of Narcissists.” Highsnobiety, Highsnobiety, 12 Sept. 2017, www.highsnobiety.com/2017/03/14/social-media-narcissism/.


Campbell, W. Keith. “Is Social Media Turning People into Narcissists?” The Conversation, 18 Oct. 2016, theconversation.com/is-social-media-turning-people-into-narcissists-66573.


“The Theory of Social Validation.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communication-central/200909/the-theory-social-validation.

Social Media Doesn't Help Racial Profiling

Social media was created to help people interact with each other. Many of the people who use social media see it as a safe space to voice their opinions. Although that is the main reason for social media, different views on life cause a lot of tension on social media when it comes to sensitive topics like racial profiling. While racial profiling has been a problem for hundreds of years, it has recently become more recognized. Even though it is being talked about more via social media, it still has not helped prevent racial profiling. Social media has not prevented racial profiling because it allows people to continue stereotypes and oppress people of color.

Although Twitter is not the most popular form of social media, a lot of tweets happen to go viral on other social networks. Most of the tweets that go viral are outrageous statements from popular or famous people that have sparked outrage among their fanbase. Twitter allows people to speak their feelings which causes more hurt than help. Recently singer Sabrina Claudio caught some backlash from recent racist tweets. One of her tweets said “I’d rather be a pasty white girl than a sweaty chonga.”. Although she did receive some backlash from her insensitive tweets, she was also given some support. With her fanbase being so big, she was destined to influence some of her fans and supporters into believing a stereotype that she once believed and possibly still believed. Her inconsiderate words may have influenced some of her fans and even random people that saw the tweet to believe a stereotype about people of color. These types of actions lead to the much bigger problems in the world including issues of racial profiling and stereotyping.

The sad thing about social media is that it comes up with its own story to tell the world. Whether the story be told by a news channel or by a random user, they portray the story they want to portray it. This is what happened with Trayvon Martin. After being followed through a development, he was shot and killed by a man. According to Journalism.org, “On blogs, the racial element of the story was the top theme in the conversation, given Martin’s race and questions that have arisen about the racial attitudes of Zimmerman, a Hispanic man.” The ongoing stereotype surrounding people of color moved to the internet after this situation. Despite the fact that an obviously innocent child had been murdered, the internet still decided to make the killer, innocent. The media especially painted the victim in a disturbing and demonized way. This did not help the victim and the media’s influence resulted in the murderer not being convicted of first degree murder.

Social media has not helped racial profiling of anyone. Instead it has caused for people to repeat and make fun of stereotypes on the internet. By doing so, social media has harmed the outcome of racial profiling by not allowing the guilty party to be charged with the crime. Because the guilty party is never charged with the crime, they always get away with it and situations like these continue to happen to people of color. Social media has not prevented racial profiling because it allows people to continue stereotypes and oppress people of color.


Works Cited

Hitlin, Paul. On Social Media A Conversation About Race. Journalism.org. 2012. Web.

Way, Katie. Angry Fans Are Comparing Sabrina Claudio to Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez because of her racist online past. Babe.net. 2018. Web

I think this is my best 2Fer because it was about something I was passionate about. I feel like sometimes I write them and try to stretch them out by adding paragraphs. This does not help me though because it does not always help get the point across. So therefore I believe that it is not about the length of my essay but more about the quality.

2Fer #7

Zaire Williams

Air Stream

English 3

April 18, 2018


Thesis Question: Why shouldn’t NCAA college athletes be paid?

NCAA colleges being paid


 There are many reasons why people think NCAA college athletes should be paid for the amount of time their spending practicing for games, playing each week and attending classes, leaving them no time for a job. But, paying college athletes would change the concept of college sports and the reasons why they are there for the students. College sport is a big part of making money for the schools and providing scholarships for each of the athletes. If this was to happen there would not be fair payments, money privileges for athletes are a distraction of their true potential which is athletic talent.  

First and foremost, The NCAA is a non-profit organization. According to NCAA.org, this organization helps organizes the athletic programs of 1,281 universities and colleges all throughout the United States and Canada. There are billions of dollars that are made, coming from ticket sales and marketing rights. This money does not go to waste but instead is distributed in more than a dozen of ways that support mainly NCAA schools, consultations, and most important the student-athletes. Most of this money is distributed through Sports sponsorships, Scholarship funds, Division 1 basketball performances fund, and Division 1 championships. According to the “NCAA.org” resources page, in their Finances, it states, “As a non-profit organization, we put our money where our mission is: equipping student-athletes to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom, and throughout life. The NCAA and our member colleges and universities together award $3.3 billion in athletic scholarships every year to more than 150,00 student-athletes.” To be a non-profit organization, NCAA provides so much for these athletes to succeed and are supported on their journey to greater purposes.

  

Furthermore, playing a college sport is more of a privilege, Many people have dreamed of the opportunity to play for a college team but never achieved that goal. For example, “NCAA.org” states that “only 3% of high school senior basketball players will play NCAA sponsored basketball.” What that says for the other 7% is that they don’t get to play the sport they been working so hard in high school for, they have to go with their second choice and focus on getting a job or heading for a different career. While the 3% is playing hard for that victory title and working towards that level as a professional athlete. When these students are professional athletes that when they could be getting paid as much they skills are worth. College athletes should only feel the pride of the recognition they’re getting from all of their fans and continue to work hard for their next exciting game.

   In conclusion, College NCAA athletes are already getting the money they deserve through the many different ways it distributed for the NCAA organization to help these students succeed their dreams and become professionals athletes. It is not NCAA job to provide these athletes money but to make an easier pathway for them to achieve this opportunity. In other words, College is the time for them show their true talent and enjoy the game.



Work Cited:

CSS

https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/finances

By Ekow N. Yankah  October 14, 2015

https://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/why-ncaa-athletes-shouldnt-be-paid

By Mark Schlabach Jul 12,2011

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6756472/following-ncaa-money

NCAA.org

https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/finances


This 2fer I believe is one of my best 2fers because I took what I've been struggling with on with my other 2fers and made sure I didn't make most of those mistakes again. I also chose something i'm really interested in, which is NCAA college basketball and found great detail on the web page. Lastly, I made sure my body paragraphs were strongly connected to my thesis with percentages and facts.

2fer #7

Deja Winfield

April 17th, 2018

English 3

Ms. Pahomov

Does this Year’s Prom Really Matter?


Prom season is here! It’s on everyone’s mind. Juniors and seniors alike are questioning who they should take? What should they wear?  What type of corsage do they purchase? Who will be prom king and queen? Will they look beautiful or handsome? Prom is a great time to answer all these questions and more, but as a large high school event prom, it is overhyped, cruel, and overpriced. High schools should be limited to only a senior prom because it cuts down on the number of disappointed students.

Senior prom is looked as the last big memory in high school. It is when they see the last few grains of sand in the top of the hourglass of childhood. In comparison, junior prom is placed in one of the busiest school years in the academic career.  Junior prom is used as a stepping stone to popularity in high school isolating the dateless and giving status to the couples at prom. Junior prom is a preview of senior prom. In previews you never see the full story, you get to experience a small part of the real deal. Looking from the experience of Julia Murray (BHS), a now high school senior and experienced blogger, who attended her junior prom last year and did not have a great experience. While also not having a bad one this is what she had to say “The lesson here … although prom feels like a big deal, it isn’t. Prom is what you make of it. It might not be what you expected, but as long as you… And girls, you don’t need to spend all your money on a dress, there are much more important things than a dance.” She experienced spending thousands on everything, she “needed” for prom. And not going home happy. She didn’t get the experience of laying in bed and thinking about how amazing the night had been but thinking of all the other things she could have experienced with the money and time that she had spent. Knowing this would be repeated next year with a larger more expensive dress, she wasn’t satisfied, deciding that attending her senior prom would not matter. But for many, this is not the case. They decide that junior prom is the one that does not matter and attend senior prom to experience the night with friends. More students overall go to their senior prom in comparison to a student who goes to their junior prom. Like Murray, students who decided to go to junior prom have a chance of being disappointed twice. But at least she wasn’t ridiculed and mocked for the dress she wore like many are.

High school is a time of changing the body and changing appearances. The way your body changes can ruin your high school experience due to the mockery of young adults who are changing and developing as well. Prom is the time for many to show of their changing body with a suit or a beautiful dress. The way they look will always bring up their confidence initially. Until the comments unfold. Tayja Jones thought she looked beautiful in her junior prom dress (and she did). But as she opened her mobile phone to look at social media and the pictures from last night. She had seen she had gone viral. In the span of a few hours, her picture crossed the screen of hundreds of thousands of people making cruel commentary on her body and the way she should look at seventeen years of age. She even spoke out on how she felt saying “ It was just really hurtful because I was so confident the day before”. All of her confidence was dropped until she felt hallowed. And even the enjoyment of the last night didn’t make up for the abuse she had to endure. She deserved to feel the after joy of prom. She deserved to continue to love herself without question.

Prom is considered a right of passage for so many people. For some prom tells them that they are almost done with their high school career, as well as almost finished with their childhood. But for some prom is a night of horrid people locked in a room together for hours. It is the anticlimax of their high school career. Being forced to pay hundreds to even thousands of dollars for a night of ridicule and disappointment is what they expect.  And for those who decide to attend their junior prom haven the chance to allow this to be their prom experience twice. To cut the number of children who are disappointed with their prom experience we should only allow high school have a senior prom.












Work Cited


Murray, Julia. “My Junior Prom Experience.” The Roar, 15 June 2017, bhstheroar.org/6733/opinion/my-junior-prom-experience/.

Jideonwo, Peter. “Tayja Jones Prom.” BlackDoctor, BlackDoctor.org, 3 May 2016, blackdoctor.org/488232/weseeyou-teens-message-after-being-bullied-for-her-viral-prom-photo-i-will-continue-to-be-the-voice-for-those-who-cant-speak-up/13151404_1723399244598664_6492225213850044604_n/.


This essay is my best two fer essay because I looked for deeper sources that spoke on a event that was current for us as students. We are preparing for prom in this upcoming week and it tends to be the thing on all of our minds. And we all know the struggle of the stress and hearing the nightmares of prom past. I spent a lot of time on this two fer as well, and spent a hour editing my grammar and word structure.


Positive/Negative Space- Cut Out(Michal Czapla)

A. Negative space is the space that is around the object/ not focused on. It defines the boundaries of the object. 
B. I found the negative space by first figuring out what the main object was. That allowed me to find the space that was around or in between it, which was the negative space. 
C. Negative space can help an artist by making the focus of the picture stand out. 
D. Yes, negative space does enhance the image. It allows the viewer to see how the space around the object shapes and molds the object itself. 
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Negative/Positive space

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Negative space is the space in/ between an image. If you draw an outline of an apple the negative/positive space would be everything inside the border of the apple drawing and everything outside the boarder.

I found negative space in my cut out by literally cutting out the image and separating the parts of the negative space on the right and the positive on the left

Negative space helps artists to see in negative space because it adds a certain perspective of the drawing that allows the artist to be more creative with the space.

I think negative space does help the art. If you look at negative space and the effect it has on your art you can make choices that makes your artwork more interesting to look at. Don't believe me? Google: "Negative space drawings." They are pretty cool.