Introduction:

My goal for this paper is to introduce the idea of personal identity struggling against a larger groups. I want to jump start a discussion within my peers. My original idea was almost entirely different; I restarted with a stronger point, and less repetitive statements and observations. I struggled with finding a structure that tied all of the quotes together, but eventually managed to find common ground. If I could change anything, I would delve deeper into the idea of a community deciding your self worth.

Essay:

Individuals that are a part of a group have an inherent conflict between acting in their self interest, as an individual, and following a group’s ideals. In this environment, there is a delicate playing field of striking a balance between being yourself and still belonging to the group. We see this conflict play out in satire, science fiction, and in our daily lives.

The selfish behavior of forced superiority is especially difficult to control. A review of the popular book ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell analyzes interactions within the group of animals. “The thoughtful reader must be further disturbed by the lack of clarity in the main intention of the author. Obviously he is convinced that the animals had just cause for revolt and that for a time their condition was improved under the new regime. But they are betrayed by their scoundrelly, piggish leaders. In the end, the pigs become indistinguishable from the men who run the other nearby farms; they walk on two legs, have double and triple chins, wear clothes and carry whips.” In the beginning, the pigs act in the best interest of the group; help conduct a revolt, and devise a new system. As time goes on, they see the benefits of acting for themselves as individuals. In their quest for self gain they became the oppressive farmers they had supplanted. The pigs claim to be a part of the group, but have seized a more powerful role. This is a clear case of Primus inter Pares, meaning first among equals, someone who is above the others in their likeness. While the pigs claim to be group members like all of the other animals, they clearly develop a sense of self that they are “more equal” than the others.

Your being is often decided by those around you; affecting your interactions and ideas of self-worth. In ‘Flowers for Algernon” written by Daniel Keyes, the main character Charlie Gordon expressed very little self interest beyond the benefits of being a part of a group. Focusing almost exclusively on fitting in did not bring the lasting happiness he craved. “How strange it is that people of honest feelings and sensibility, who­ would not take advantage of a man born without arms or legs or eyes-how such people think nothing of abusing a man born with low intelligence. It infuriated me to think that not too long ago I, like this boy, had foolishly played the clown. And I had almost forgotten. I'd hidden the picture of the old Charlie Gordon from myself because now that I was intelligent it was something that had to be pushed out of my mind. But today in looking at that boy, for the first time I saw what I had been. I was just like him! Only a short time ago, I learned that people laughed at me. Now I can see that unknowingly I joined with them in laughing at myself. That hurts most of all.” In this moment Charlie realized that he had never truly been accepted. He had unknowingly made fun of himself to be a part of the group. His focus was always on belonging, even when he grew intelligent and didn't feel like he belonged, he yearned for it.

Not all individuals choose one path or the other. They adapt to their surroundings to survive. This habit is often used in social situations, like changing speech patterns or body language to best fit the situation. In the new york times article, Why ‘Self-Identifying’ Is Different From Coming Out by Wesley Morris, Bill Kennedy, a professional basketball referee, has different identities for different groups. In public life he allowed people to assume he was heterosexual, until recently when he publicly came out. Those close to him knew about his homosexuality beforehand. His decision to have two separate identities most likely spawned from an effort to gain acceptance into two different worlds. “There was no ritual to Kennedy’s announcement. He’s a self-identified gay man who, again, has a job best done with little to no identity. News reports reverted to ‘‘coming out,’’ which, clearly, is what this was. But it was also something more complex. ‘‘Self-identified’’ alters the tenor of the outing. Not only does it imply ownership of the identity. It also implies that the person coming out was, under the circumstances, not actually in. He just wasn’t out to you. If you’re self-identified, you might have cultivated a life that’s self-selected, meaning the people aware that you’re gay know because you’ve told them.” In his personal life he was able to act more selfishly with less risk of rejection. Kennedy could focus more on his individuality, while as a referee there was more pressure to conform to the group ideology. His existence was considered irrelevant unless someone was there to validate it.

The complex actions of individuals assimilating into a group or a set of groups are split between acting with themselves in mind or adopting the mindset of a community. Balancing these two behaviors is critical to an individual's identity within a group and whether or not they will be accepted by that group. Without it, you aren’t even the beginning of a concept.

Works Cited

• Keyes, Daniel. "Flowers for Algernon." New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966. Print.

• Soule, George. "In 1946, The New Republic Panned George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'." New Republic. N.p., 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.

• Why ‘Self-Identifying’ Is Different From Coming Out. New York Times, n.d. Web.

Structure is the arrangement and relations of parts of something complex. Laws are made to keep order and get people to work together efficiently. People will follow the rules if they benefit, otherwise they would not see the need to follow the rules. Breaking laws would influence others to break them in order to achieve what they want. This kind of system is almost impossible to control, as it doesn’t benefit the larger population.

In the first chapter of ‘Lord of The Flies’ by William Golding, Ralph finds a conch shell, and uses it to call attract all of the boys together. This was how the conch became a symbol of power. Whoever had the conch during a meeting could speak aloud. The main antagonist Jack didn’t see the appeal to this system. That is shown in this scene between him and Piggy, ’Jack was up too, unaccountably angry. “Who cares what you believe-Fatty!” “I got the conch!” There was the sound of a brief tussle and the conch moved to and fro.’ (p. 90) Jack was given power to abate his anger of not being the leader. But here he is trying to take control over more that what he was given. The conch halted Jack’s intentions to take control, as it let others share their opinions. He wanted what was best for him, and used the other boys to follow him, not caring what happens to them. Jack did not care for anybody but himself, causing others to stray away from him and being fearful. Hoping that Jack would not get rid of them when he was done with using them for his benefit.

People have rules to keep society running. These systems may differ, but mainly benefit a one group over another. The people who are benefited less, will be more likely to break laws to survive. Other times people just want the benefits without having to qualify. An example of this is how two Rhode Island men lied about their regular income to receive food stamps. These types of people usually feel cheated by their disadvantages, and attempt to get what they believe they deserve. This ties into people wanting power to do what they want. But them taking food stamps from those in need, not caring what will happen to others, makes a character like Jack from Lord Of The Flies. Selfish people who want to be in control only for their own benefit.

The government's point of view of this outrageous case, is quite interesting. They are the ones who make sure people follow laws, and decide punishments if broken. They believe that this scandal was an impure action that could influence more people to steal food stamps. If this happens, people who really need the food stamps will not be available to them. Thus, creating a problem for more people who are starving, and people who have money for food are get away with this.  The government wants to charge these criminals to show that everyone has to follow rules in order to help those in need. The poor who need food stamps, will now have food stamps. And the government will prove to society that they are in power to keep order and peace, by not letting others do what they want.

Ralph and Piggy benefited from the rules the boys first created. Throughout the book Piggy shown to cling to the idea of the conchshell. The opportunity of speech it provided him was something he could not find in Jack’s. “I got the conch! Just you listen! The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down there by the beach." (Pg. 45)  Ralph and Piggy, who represent the Government in this situation, are trying to stick by the rules and show the other boys the benefits. The inexperience in the boys made them choose Jack’s world of no work, and constant hunting. They ended up regretting this decision as it led to death and destruction. In these situations, some choose to stick to the rules and suffer silently, while others blaze through the laws that are made to benefit the society.

In conclusion, the one who did not see the benefit, Jack, was feared and hated. He tried to forge the path that suited him, and did not look for the bigger picture. Those men that lied about the food stamps are hated and will never be trusted again. It is sometimes better to listen to those in charge rather than be persecuted.

Works Cited

1. Golding, William. Lord Of The Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 2003.

2. "Examples of General Fraud Investigations - Fiscal Year 2014." Examples of General Fraud Investigations - Fiscal Year 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

3. "Has America Become a Nation of Squatters? | TIME.com." Business Money Has America Become a Nation of Squatters Comments. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

I have had a great time at my ILP. I now know how to assemble, code, and package about six of the company's products. I get to use large machinery along with soldering tools.

I usually visit for two and a half hours every Wednesday, and that gives me enough to time to complete an optical device. It’s cool to think that I have made something that was sold to researchers!

“Hey that's mines!”

I looked over at my squabbling classmates. Without thinking I interrupted.

“Actually it would be ‘mine’ not ‘mines’.”

They stared at me. I flushed and returned to my book, regretting my outburst.

This kind of interaction has happened to me many times throughout my life. As I got older I started ignoring incorrect grammar as I discovered slang. I did not want to be labeled ‘grammar Nazi’ or be considered stuck up. It made me feel like how I spoke was too different and wrong.

When I was younger, I used larger and more complicated words than kids my age. I was shy, so I didn't talk to my peers. I did not have many friends at school because all my buddies lived farther away. This situation made me feel separated from my classmates. Instead, I would sit with the adults and listen to the things I didn’t understand, but gave me a feeling of importance. I felt that if I wanted to talk with the grownups, I would need a bigger vocabulary; I looked in dictionaries and watched documentaries to sound older and more knowledgeable. This detached me from my classmates even more; they did not like how I spoke and I did not like how they spoke. Looking Back, it was not very important for me to correct them, because that was their environment showing through. If I did not want them judging me for how I communicated, then I should not have judged them for it.

I have been told that my West Philly accent is not very strong, even though that is where I was raised. I do not use most Philadelphia slang as my parents never used it. My Mom grew up in Louisiana and my Dad is from New Jersey. They both have subtle accents, and their language style has impacted some of how I speak. I believe my way of speaking is a blend of my parents and the area I grew up in.

This does not mean that my dialect never changes. My location can affect how I speak to others. Like most students, I am more respectful in my speech at home. I do not curse, and I use proper sentences and grammar. At school I tend to be more loose tongued, louder and willing to use slang or inappropriate language with my peers. This also happens in other environments; when I visit my friends in South Philly, my words slur together subconsciously. I adapt to the dialect like Slyar from Heroes or Absorbing Replication. For this to happen I do not even have to leave my house. I have found that if I when I watch a show from a different region, I also pick up a bit of that dialect shown on the show. The first time I noticed it was when after watching seven or more Doctor Who episodes in a row, when I spoke to my sister, I used some of the jargon from the show. This confused me and my own way of speaking sounded strange after.

My dialect is not incorrect because it is not the typical way of speaking for where I live. It can show how I was raised and what influences me. Just because someone else's accent differs from mine, does not mean that one of us is superior to the other. My dialect is mine, and everyone else has their own. You can learn a lot from someone from how they communicate; they may fall into a stereotype or they could be completely different. If your going to judge, do it by who they are, not what they sound like.

This is my third blog post on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. My first blog introduced OCD. It was very vague and was missing information. It also included my quiz on OCD. My second blog gave a brief explanation of what I had done and was planning. It wasn’t very thought out, but had my basic starting plans. It talked a bit about my results.

There are many organizations with a goal of higher OCD awareness. an OCD Awareness Week was even created! Many people have had fundraisers,I and other sponsored events. If your search the internet you can find many websites that focus or at least mention OCD. I like how these people take time to create and promote an entire event to help others. My own goal was simple, help spread awareness for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. As mentioned in earlier blog posts, I made a video about OCD.(couldn’t put it here) It describes the basics of OCD and the different subcategories. I also show some of my test results. This video is rather simple though.

OCD awareness event

This is my second blog post for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Here is the link to the first blog post. My first blog post was mainly about what OCD is, and mentioned a few different kinds of compulsions.

I have created a simple survey to see what people knew and how they felt about OCD. I shared this with people I knew, my advisory, and a friend of mine shared it on facebook. I unfortunately only received 15 responses. Here is a link to my responses. This didn’t leave me much to work with. Out of these 15 people, almost all roughly knew what OCD was. 13%, or two people, out of the test takers had OCD.

I will be making an informational video for OCD awareness. This will be posted on social media sites. At first I was going to do a presentation, but I feel that a video would be more useful, as it could be shown to more people.

Things i could have done better was provide a better explanation. I will have to find and use more information on OCD. I have already found a packet that people can look to for reference.

color organized shelves

My topic is on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; most commonly known as OCD. This is a brain and behavioral disorder that causes anxiety, obsessions and compulsions. My project will be in video form, involving a thorough OCD explanation, statements from people suffering from OCD, and tips that have helped others. As child I had mild OCD relating to my body and even actions. I would have to touch something an even amount of times on both sides in the exact same way. If I mess up, I would have to finish the first set and make a completely new one to accommodate my mistake.

OCD based repetitive checklist. Example of ODC situation

There are many stories that are similar to my own. ADAA provides a similar story, from an anonymous person “The stress of moving away from home made my OCD explode. My parents and I wondered why I couldn’t adjust to college. Like a member of an audience, I watched my hall mates experience the normal worries of college: homesickness, classes, and the quality of dining hall food. I assumed the nervous feeling would eventually subside, but I was wrong. Even when the initial stress of college wore off, my anxiety remained.” This person struggled with their OCD. College drove them to stressful situations.Their OCD left a big impact on their life, along with many others.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder art

Another example from the ADAA is this person who had a college problem as well.“Episodic OCD burdened me for over a decade, from my college years until 2006. Self-punishment made matters worse, as it does for everyone. I compulsively checked the coffee maker to see if it was off, and over checked my written work.“ College is putting a really big strain on this person. It was so hard he became a slave to his OCD. He started checking things in his daily life over and over again, routinely too. These habits disrupt people's lives and create a barrier against the rest of the world.

OCD isn't always a seriously dangerous experience. For some people the thing that sets them off could be considered normal to others.  “Diance doesn’t know why she felt so anxious. But she knows what she saw when the feeling overwhelmed her: a nearby woman wearing a v-neck sweater.” Some peoples OCD is different from most. Like this person, she simply didn't like they way something looked. A piece of clothing bothered her. Even though it may seem ridiculous, its very real and frustrating. She has to live with it for the rest of her life. Things may seem weird to her, but she feels like it needs to be fixed. Thats just how some cases of OCD are.

OCD example of order (Alphabetically)

The three examples used showed that OCD can have an effect on peoples lives; even in small ways. This Disorder makes people who they are, and I want to help people find a way to help themselves without suppressing it with medication. I am curious to find out how OCD can differ from person to person. I want to learn how OCD is developed. I Also plan on finding the statistics of OCD. How many people are diagnosed, what ages, and where.  

Sarcasticos

Nadya, Jamie, Avery

Somos Los Sarcásticos.  Asistimos a Science Leadership Academy.  SLA es una escuela basado de proyectos, en el centro de  Filadelfia.  Está en 22 calle y Arch.  Está cerca de una estación de tren.  El edificio tiene cinco pisos pero el cuarto piso es prohibido. Nos gusta SLA porque tenemos muchos amigos aquí.  En SLA trabajamos duro, tomamos apuntes, prestamos mucha atención, y hacemos toda la tarea.  La escuela tiene acerca de 500 estudiantes y 20 profesores.   Tenemos desayuno y almuerzo gratis, expendedor automático, sudaderas oficiales de la escuela, y mucho mucho más.  Tenemos un equipo de Ultimate Frisbee, Basketball, Campo y Pista, Voleibol, Fútbol, Debate, y Robótica.  Tenemos también el club de música, ¨comunidad participación club¨, poesía club, club de cantar, y  club de bailar.  Participamos en Ultimate Frisbee porque es divertido y ejercicio bueno.         

Algunos cursos son bioquímica, inglés, matemáticas, historia, arte, y tecnología. Nuestros cursos favoritos son inglés y español. Estas clases son divertida y desafiante. Necesitamos unas plumas, una computadora, y nuestras revistas para inglés. Necesitamos una carpeta, un aglutinante, un lápiz, y computadora para español. Para tener éxito en esta clases tenemos que estudiar y foco en clases.

Nuestros profesores en Science Leadership Academy son inteligentes y comprehensivos. Tenemos muchos profesores. Tenemos una profesora en la clase de español. Su nombre es Señorita Manuel. La Señorita Giknis enseña inglés. La Señorita Giknis es muy divertida y loca. El Señor Todd enseña historia.  Su clase es tremendamente divertida, dependiendo del dia. En la clase de inglés leemos novelas. También escribimos muchos ensayos. Los Profesores en Science Leadership Academy son comicos. Nuestros compañeros de clase son diversos. Todos en Science Leadership Academy son muy fabulosos.

SLA tiene un otro campus.  Se llama ¨Beeber¨.  SLA es una escuela buena.  El  ambiente de  trabajo es mucho único.  En SLA podemos ser espíritu libre.   Los estudiantes son diversos porque es un ambiente fabuloso.  Lo que más nos gusta de SLA son los profesores y las clases.  SLA siempre es divertida.  A veces SLA es dificil.  SLA nunca es aburrida. ¡Science Leadership Academy es la mejor!

Sarcasticos

Nadya, Jamie, Avery

Somos Los Sarcásticos.  Asistimos a Science Leadership Academy.  SLA es una escuela basado de proyectos, en el centro de  Filadelfia.  Está en 22 calle y Arch.  Está cerca de una estación de tren.  El edificio tiene cinco pisos pero el cuarto piso es prohibido. Nos gusta SLA porque tenemos muchos amigos aquí.  En SLA trabajamos duro, tomamos apuntes, prestamos mucha atención, y hacemos toda la tarea.  La escuela tiene acerca de 500 estudiantes y 20 profesores.   Tenemos desayuno y almuerzo gratis, expendedor automático, sudaderas oficiales de la escuela, y mucho mucho más.  Tenemos un equipo de Ultimate Frisbee, Basketball, Campo y Pista, Voleibol, Fútbol, Debate, y Robótica.  Tenemos también el club de música, ¨comunidad participación club¨, poesía club, club de cantar, y  club de bailar.  Participamos en Ultimate Frisbee porque es divertido y ejercicio bueno.         

Algunos cursos son bioquímica, inglés, matemáticas, historia, arte, y tecnología. Nuestros cursos favoritos son inglés y español. Estas clases son divertida y desafiante. Necesitamos unas plumas, una computadora, y nuestras revistas para inglés. Necesitamos una carpeta, un aglutinante, un lápiz, y computadora para español. Para tener éxito en esta clases tenemos que estudiar y foco en clases.

Nuestros profesores en Science Leadership Academy son inteligentes y comprehensivos. Tenemos muchos profesores. Tenemos una profesora en la clase de español. Su nombre es Señorita Manuel. La Señorita Giknis enseña inglés. La Señorita Giknis es muy divertida y loca. El Señor Todd enseña historia.  Su clase es tremendamente divertida, dependiendo del dia. En la clase de inglés leemos novelas. También escribimos muchos ensayos. Los Profesores en Science Leadership Academy son comicos. Nuestros compañeros de clase son diversos. Todos en Science Leadership Academy son muy fabulosos.

I decided to make my slide pretty simple, because I was pretty confused and the websites kept saying that less words with bigger font was the way to go. I cut of about half of my original words, and just went with a medium amount. Apparently this is still too much, but i can revise it eventually. The little rhyme/ song i wrote a while ago for my instagram bio. It literally states what I meant and was feeling. the background was originally a color, but I wanted to have a picture as well. So, I decided to use an artsy photo that I really liked. This photo reminded me of a little island. Now onto the next topic! From the websites looked at, I learned that contrasting was important. Contrasting is taking whatever the message was or the item being sold and making it stand out more, while having the background compliment the item. I had to make sure that the text wasn’t overpowered by the background colors, which was happening before I changed the picture. I also learned about empty space. I hate leaving awkward spaces, so I had to learn how to make the slide..attractive. Because I used these rules my slide turned out much better than I thought it would.

In my homenetwork the internet comes from a Comcast ISP connected to a router and a router/modem combo through a Ethernet wire. My desktop, two TV's, Wii, Sonos sound bar, Blu-ray, and stereo speakers are connected to these devices. the gadgets with WiFi are four cell phones, multiple home phones, two Ipod-touches, four laptops, three kindles and a kindle-fire. I learned that my internet is a lot more complicated than I thought. I know that I probably would not be able to survive without it so I think that learning more about my internet would be a good to prepare, just in case something happens.