For my senior project, I created a maze, outlined all possible motions in tape, and programmed a small VEX robot to navigate it. I discovered that most conventional mazes are composed of two pieces that fit together. Therefore, all mazes can be solved by following the left or right wall from start to finish. To give the robot the means to navigate the maze, I outlined all of the possible directions the robot could travel in black tape. The bottom of the robot was equipped with three infrared sensors. These sensors worked by shooting infrared light down at the ground and detecting the light that bounces back. Because of the light absorption of the black tape, the light detected bouncing off of the black tape will be different. I ran through many different maze designs, trying to create one that would have as many points of choice as possible that could fit on a flattened tri-fold board. It took several tries, but I finally succeeded by erasing lines on a 4 by 5 grid until I created a viable maze. After I created the code, I placed the robot on a the maze and let it run through. After observation I adjusted the speed of the robot and the code governing action at intersections. I also added additional strategically placed tape at T-junctions to ensure that the robot detects the black tape with its left or right sensor.

Autonomously Solving Mazes with Robots (1).pdf. (2017, July 21). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://soe.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/imce/gov2017/Autonomously%20Solving%20Mazes%20with%20Robots.pdf

This source is an experiment done with autonomous robotic navigation of mazes done at Rutgers University done by a group of 6 graduate students. The students were attempting to figure out how to use programming techniques in order to allow robots to figure out how to find the fastest possible route through a maze. Their research was inspired by the ability of Google maps to figure out the exact fastest route to a certain location. The students believed that this software could be very useful for autonomous robots and vehicles. I would use this source to find out what exactly the programing techniques they used are and how they are applicable to the maze.

Blynel, J., & Floreano, D. blynel_evorob03.pdf. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fc84/cf42f04d6474a9fc92117957ef695f976030.pdf

This article discusses the application continuous time recurrent neural networks as they allow robots to navigate T-mazes, which are a specific type of maze. This article describes the computational mainframe of the robot in terms of genomes and neural networks. This source also presents many different mathematical equations that can be used in order to guide the robot through the maze. This source also presents information relating to how the data from T-maze navigation can be used in order to navigate more complex mazes in the real world. This source will be used in order to find some of the math and programing techniques necessary for allowing a robot to navigate the maze.

Duchon, A. Maze Navigation Using Optical Flow. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7360/030567921a978e1a5a7b531e57564be93992.pdf

This article is an article discussing a sensory method of navigating mazes known as optical flow. This article is written by Andrew P. Duchon, a professor in the Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences at Brown University. This article details how the process of Optical flow works on a computational level in addition to describing how it can be used both in the context of small scale robotic maze navigation and in the large scale movement towards automation. The article details many different methods in which Optical flow can be used for navigational purposes. This information will be tremendously useful when coming up with navigational algorithms.

Han, K. (2007, August). COLLISION FREE PATH PLANNING ALGORITHMS FOR ROBOT NAVIGATION PROBLEM. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/5021/research.pdf?sequence=3

This article details a specific algorithm that can be used to allow robots to navigate mazes and obstacle courses without collision. This algorithm was used by graduate student Kyung min Han under the supervision of Dr. Robert W. McLaren at the University of Missouri Columbia. This article also discusses an algorithm known as Genetic Algorithm in which a robot can determine which possible navigation solution is the most efficient. This article also discusses how this solution is used in nature, bringing up the examples such as Ants and the Human genome. This article is useful because it provides an example of someone conducting similar research to mine, using a specific algorithm.

Harsh, S., & Bird, J. (2012). ME 597D Spring 2012, Group 2 Camera Based Maze Navigation. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from https://www.mne.psu.edu/brennan/ME545/2012/Lesson22_LAB_PathPlanning/Group3/Group2MazeNavigation.html

This source is an article written by Saurabh Harsh and John Bird of the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Penn State University. This source goes into great detail describing an experiment done in which they tried to get a robot to successfully navigate the maze using certain censors. This source will be used to determine ways in which the robot can use sensory information to navigate the maze. This source will also be useful for gaining insight into how the robot computationally processes the information it observed and use it. This source will be tremendously useful when trying to figure out the navigational algorithms.

Implementation of the Trémaux Maze Solving Algorithm to an Omnidirectional Mobile Robot. (2014, January). Retrieved January 24, 2019, from 328138637_Implementation_of_the_Tremaux_Maze_Solving_Algorithm_to_an_Omnidirectional_Mobile_Robot

This source is a conference paper about a specific maze solving algorithm known as the Trémaux Algorithm which can be used to allow robots to solve mazes. This source was written by Lim Kai Li a researcher at Sunway University. This source details how the robot analyzes each pathway of a maze using numerical values in order to solve the maze. I will be using this source in order to find useful aspects of the Trémaux Maze Solving Algorithm in order to find which aspects will be useful in creating my own personal algorithm. This source has many useful details about how this algorithm works.

McKinley, P., & Clark, A. Solving VEX Robot Maze. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from https://www.egr.msu.edu/future-engineer/sites/default/files/content/Payson-Charles-poster-SolvingVEX.pdf

This source is a slide detailing some experimentation that has been done with robotic navigation of various different mazes. This slide was created by Michigan State University professor Philip K. McKinley and was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. This source details a case in which students were tasked with creating a robot that could navigate various different mazes. This slide presents the evolutionary steps that their project took in addition to potential future studies that could be done on this topic. This source will be used to gain insights into the processes related to the testing robot navigation of various different mazes.

Ng, J. (2010, February). 2010-Navigation-Ng-PhD.pdf. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from http://robotics.ee.uwa.edu.au/theses/2010-Navigation-Ng-PhD.pdf

This article analyzes many different algorithms that can be used by robots in order to navigate unknown environments. This article was written by a graduate student James Ng a PhD student in the School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of South Alabama. This article discusses the bug algorithm that uses sensory information such as frequency data and scanning in order to navigate unknown environments. This source will be used to learn about a specific algorithm that could potentially be used to navigate the maze. While there are many algorithms that I could potentially use for this project, I plan to mix several together in order to make my own unique algorithm.

Pullen, W. D. (2015, November 20). Think Labyrinth: Maze Algorithms. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/algrithm.htm

This source provides a list and description of many different types of mazes and many different algorithms that can be used to generate them. I believe that this source could be tremendously useful to me as I believe that maze generation algorithms could be modified in order to form maze solving algorithms. Additionally, since I am going to have to create a maze of my own for this project, I believe that it could be useful for me to research the many different types of mazes. This source will be used in order to design a useful maze and figure out how to solve particular types of mazes.

Turkar, V., & Kathe, O. (2015, September). Maze solving robot using image processing. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from file:///home/chronos/u-9659f93ab7722ecb44a2956c9fd83e3fa75bf8fe/Downloads/07456635%20(1).pdf

This source details an experiment done at MIT in which they attempted to find a way for a robotic mouse to navigate a maze. This source also talks about many of the future technological uses of this technology, particularly those that relate to automation technology such as Self Driving Cars. Such information will be incredibly useful when writing a paper and creating a presentation about the real world applications of my project. Additionally, this source provides many useful algorithms that can be used in order to allow a robot to navigate mazes. These algorithms could potentially be used in order to figure out how the robot will computationally navigate the maze.

After spending a few hours at my desk, my eyes drifted to the wall of my cubicle and my mind drifted elsewhere. I was twenty-eight years old, and I was sitting up in the captain’s quarters of my very own freighter. I might have even put my feet on the desk and my hands on the back of my head, however, I refuse to believe that I could have been that carefree in such a high risk job. I looked up and saw Miami, the city that made me the man I am today, I seem to remember always grinning whenever the great city came into view after seeing nothing but ocean for days. But my smugness soon turned to annoyance as I saw the US Coast Guard approach. Having done this job for seven years, this was far from my first encounter with the boys in blue. As their speedboats encircled my freighter, I sighed as I walked down to greet the officers. They boarded and scattered throughout the boat. I walked down to greet the head officer. I shook his hand and he went into his usual spiel “Hi I am here on behalf of the US Coast guard and I am here to conduct a mandatory search of your vessel for any unregulated commodities.” I rolled my eyes as he went on with his speech “unfortunately, recently, we have been unable to find the source of the influx of arms, so we will have to inspect the contents of your shipping containers.” My heart suddenly beat 10 times faster, there was no way that I could have possibly anticipated this.”What sort of products are you shipping?” he asked. “Farming equipment,” I lied. He opened one container and found a collection of tractors, hoses and pipes. I breathed, but immediately tensed up when he approached the second. He opened it, to reveal a few barrels of grain and some seeding machinery. He looked at the third shipping container which I knew was full of AR-15 rifles, and I could barely breathe. It was a miracle that he didn’t notice my shaking knees and sweat drenched forehead. But then, he looked back at me and said “you’re good to go!” All of the tension suddenly left my body and I looked back at my men and smiled. I should be grateful now that I don’t have to live in fear of the law, now that I live a normal life with a nine to five desk job. I should be grateful that I never had to feel so much tension in my daily life. Yet I can’t say that I feel any remorse for this memory. In fact, I honestly miss the moments when I feared for my life. Because I have not felt a single strong emotion since I got my new job. Though maybe I should be grateful? Boredom is preferable to the slammer.

My name is Colin Taylor-McGrane, I currently am a senior at Science Leadership Academy and a student of the CTE Engineering Program. I hope to continue my pursuit of Engineering into college and throughout the rest of my adult life. I believe that there are three core personal attributes that make me a strong engineer. My analytical approach to solving real world problems, my knowledgeability about the issues I face, and my outspoken nature when communicating my ideas.

I believe that being analytical is the key to solving problems in all fields. In engineering, it is of particular importance. When I am first given a problem, I have a natural inclination to understand every detail about that problem. I feel that this allows me to come up with more possible solutions and not overlook major issues that I may face. Additionally, failure is inevitable in engineering, however, I always try to be thorough in my analysis of my failures in order to correct them.

However, analysis is always improved by background knowledge of the issue you are faced with. From a young age, I have always actively sought out knowledge. They say that knowledge is power and I most certainly agree. My large background knowledge has helped improve my deductive reasoning, helped me relate essential ideas. Additionally, I have a very strong memory. I can remember facts, lists of items, and moments in time very well, because of this, I have been able to retain newly acquired knowledge for much longer.

I also feel that I tend to think outside of the box when coming up with solutions to problems. I often have ideas and opinions that differ from those of my colleagues, and I am not the least bit shy when communicating them. Even under intense pressure and criticism, I am always willing to express my thoughts, and I feel that doing so is essential in group settings. It is important that all ideas be taken into account when deciding how to tackle a problem, and when I feel like I have a good one, I make sure that it is heard.

Because of these three traits, I feel that I can effectively tackle the issues faced by engineers. When I am faced with a problem, I immediately relate my previous knowledge to that issue. I then try to understand as much as possible about that issue before attempting to solve it. Once I come up with ideas, I advocate hard for them, even if they do not have much support from my peers. But, when they inevitably fail, I can always figure out why and fix the final result to fit my goal. That is why I believe I am a strong engineer.

Colin Taylor-McGrane

Mr. Block

English 3-Earth

March 7 2018

How the Media Can Cause Invisibility

One issue with our media has had harmful effects on the youth of america is the harmful effects of the absence of representation of marginalized groups in America. The reason why media representation is so important is because children are highly receptive to the characters and images they see in books, on television and in film. Children are impacted by messages from the media and carry them throughout their lives. When children do not see people similar to themselves in the media, researchers have found it lowers their self esteem and contributes to a self-view of unimportance. In a Huffington Post article entitled “Why On Screen Representation Actually Matters,” sociology professor Nicole Martin of Indiana University stated, “There’s this body of research and a term known as ‘symbolic annihilation,’ which is the idea that if you don’t see people like you in the media you consume… you must somehow be unimportant.”(Boboltz) The article describes a study that she conducted in which she showed children of color and white children a television program featuring white lead characters. She found that white children had much higher self-esteem after watching the program while the children of color reported much lower levels of self-esteem.(Boboltz) This suggests that seeing characters like themselves in the media may have a noticeable impact on their views of themselves and their roles in society. This can influence their aspirations about the life that they want to lead, the careers they wish to pursue, and the level of confidence that they have in navigating life.

One prime example of this phenomenon is the psychological effects of the lack of hispanic representation on the children of the latin community. In a 2017 study by USA today on racial representation in film, it was revealed that only 3.1% of speaking roles in films are were given to hispanic actors, despite the fact that hispanics make up 17.8% of the American population.(USA Today)  In a Ted Talk by Maria Hinojosa, founder of  the newspaper Futuro Media Group, “As a little girl, I understood the importance of journalism, reporting and media. But I never saw myself there. My stories didn’t appear. We were invisible. I was invisible from the media narrative. No one in the reporting that I saw I saw looked like me, looked like my family. So I began to think that maybe somehow my life —my story— was less valuable, less important.”(Hinojosa) This clearly shows how media representation affects the aspirations of minority children. If minority children do not see themselves receiving proper representation in the media, they will not view themselves as important members of society, nor will they feel that they have any place certain careers or social groups.

When a group is underrepresented or invisible in the media, the impact of any one character can be profound.  This can be clearly seen with the character in the Simpsons named Apu. This year, Indian comedian Hari Kondabolu made a documentary called the “Problem with Apu” where he interviewed many famous South-Asian actors about the impact that the character had on their childhoods, as well as their professional pursuits. Though one may initially believe that the fact that Apu is an Indian stereotype voiced by a white man was the character’s main issue, that is not the case. Nearly all of the Simpsons characters are stereotypes, however, when Hari was asked in an interview why Apu was so problematic, he replied by saying that:

“There are other representations of Italians. I'm not saying they're all good. But there's a - wider representations of people who are Italian, people who are Scottish. I don't know of any kids who are Scottish that grew up with - who are like, God, Groundskeeper Willie really embarrasses me and my parents. But, like, for me, because of my skin color there was no hiding from it. There was no, that's not me. You know, I didn't have a bunch of other brown characters. This was it. And that's the big difference.” (Kondabolu)

While this character is a stereotype of Americans of South-Asian descent, the main reason why this character is so unacceptable in the eyes of many South-Asians is because he was their only form of representation while growing up. Because there were no other forms of South Asian representation in the media at the time, one stereotypical portrayal became all the more harmful to the lives of people of South Asian descent.

The media is an amazing outlet for people of many different races and ethnicities to share their culture and talents with the rest of the nation, and sometimes, the world. However, many members of marginalized groups of people do not get the opportunity to share their talents and culture through the media. Therefore, each individual of that group that does get that opportunity has a significantly larger impact on the perception of children of the same minority group.

Bibliography:

“Study finds films exclude women, Hispanics.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 31 July 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/07/31/study-finds-films-exclude-women-hispanics/104158948/.

Hinojosa, Maria. “From Invisible to Visible.” Latino USA, 31 July 2015, latinousa.org/2015/07/30/from-invisible-to-visible-2/.

Kondabolu, Hari. “In 'The Problem With Apu,' Hari Kondabolu Discusses South Asian Representation.” NPR, NPR, 17 Nov. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/11/17/564936511/in-the-problem-with-apu-hari-kondabolu-discusses-south-asian-representation

Boboltz, Sara, and Kimberly Yam. “Why On-Screen Representation Actually Matters.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 Feb. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-on-screen-representation-matters_us_58aeae96e4b01406012fe49d.

Introduction

The greatest year of my life was when I was in third grade. That year, I traveled the world and I was homeschooled by my parents. That year, I had many truly legendary experiences that taught me a lot about the world and myself. In this essay, I am sharing two experiences from that year that have taught me a lot. One thing that I was exceptionally proud of with my paper was that I put a lot of detail into the descriptions of the scenes. I am also proud of how much thought and depth that I put into the analysis of what the experiences taught me about the impacts of travel on my life. In the future, I hope to go more into depth into the things I learn from much smaller moments in my life.

Advanced Essay

When I was in third grade, I spent the year traveling with my family. One seemingly unimportant event that has stuck with me occurred when I went with my family to a waterpark near Bangalore, India, called WonderLa. After going down several different waterslides, we decided to take a break from the excitement and head over to the wave pool. When we reached the pool, I noticed that there were actually two different pools. On the left was a wave pool for men that was huge, spanning over thirty feet from left to right. Inside the pool was a sea of men jumping around in shorts and t-shirts through waves several feet high. To the right of the men’s pool was a much smaller pool for women and children. That pool was maybe a third the size of the men’s pool, and the waves were only a foot high.The women were wading in brightly colored saris. My dad, sister, and I decided to swim in the men’s pool since it seemed like more fun. We waded, swam, and jumped around in the pool until a life guard appeared. He told my twelve year old sister that she had to go over to the women’s pool. She begrudgingly left the pool and stormed over to where my mom was sitting. Though I thought it was strange and unfair that she wasn’t allowed to swim in the big pool, I just continued wading around.

In hindsight, I realize that one of the most beneficial things about traveling is the opportunity to observe different cultural and societal norms. When you live in the United States, you tend to think that the American way of doing things is the correct way. However, when you travel, you get to see that many nations have very different customs. When I was young, I sometimes perceived the customs of the places I visited as unfair, inferior, and ridiculous, and in some cases, that was certainly true. However, the same thing can be said about a lot of social rules in America. In the years following that year of travel, I would sometimes view American culture and society through the lens of a foreigner. I realized that social rules are never completely logical. Though to my nine year old self, and to many other Americans, the gender segregated wave pools may seem unjust, unnecessary, and somewhat illogical, I later came to realize that the same thing can be said about many societal rules in America, particularly those regarding gender. In addition to allowing me to view American culture from a different perspective, travel has also increased my sense of connection with and interest in the larger world and the places I visited, even years later.  

One day, when I was nine years old, I hiked up an active volcano with my family in Guatemala. We got up incredibly early and drove for an hour or two until we arrived at the base. When we got out of the van, we were swarmed by a bunch of young boys trying to sell us walking sticks. We rejected their sales pitches one by one until we reached the path up the volcano. We then started our hike up.

The path up the volcano was incredibly steep. It was a dirt path with greenery on both sides. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that I was just hiking in the forest. After hiking up for an hour or two we finally reached the highest point that we were allowed to go. As we exited the vegetated portion of the mountain, I was hit with a sudden wave of heat.

“The sun is so hot up here,” I complained.

“It’s not the sun, it’s the volcano,” my dad answered.

The area near the top was a barren wasteland of pumice. There were rocks of many different sizes piled up everywhere. I looked to my left and saw flowing lava.

“Oh my god, that is flowing lava!” I practically shouted. I found a gap between two rocks, and my sister and I roasted some marshmallows. After hanging out at the top for a while, we descended down the volcano.

A few months after I had left Guatemala, I heard my mom shouting. “Come upstairs, you have to see this!” I ran up the stairs and hopped on my mom’s bed. Vulcan Pacaya, the volcano, had just erupted. I stared at her laptop screen as red molten lava shot up from the crater of the volcano. Though the only person who had died was a foolish reporter who got too close, the damage was devastating. In that moment I realized that the new understandings and emotional connections with the places you visit last long after you leave. I thought about all of the boys that tried to sell us sticks, who lost their homes and everything they owned. To me, the volcano was an exotic attraction, but to them the volcano had been a force of destruction that they had been living next to for years. Had I not been to the volcano, I doubt I would have cared much about its eruption. In America, when we hear about devastating events that don’t affect us, we tend to say “That’s horrible” and then continue on with our lives. However when you actually visit places you start to pay attention to events that occur in those places. You pay more attention to the news about those places and actively seek out new information.  When you travel to places you get to learn about the culture and society of that place when you are there, but, it also increases your investment in the events of the other countries in the future.

In order for a person to become a leader, there is one thing that he or she will need: power. Power is something that humans have strived for since the beginning of history. There are many ways that a person can gain power. Some gain power through inspiration, some become revered public figures that people naturally want to follow, and some have great skills and attributes that lend themselves to leadership. However, there is one tool has been used to attain power throughout history and has proven effective. That tool is fear. There are two ways that fear can be used to attain power: making people fear the leader and utilizing people’s fear of others. However, this essay is going to focus on fear mongering. Fearmongering is when a leader creates a common enemy for his or her people to fear. In William Goulding’s novel Lord of the Flies, a plane full of British schoolboys crashes on a deserted island. When the boys tried to decide on a leader, there was a power struggle between two boys named Jack and Ralph.

Throughout the novel, Jack used fear as a way to gain power over the group of boys. When the boys were on the island, there was a dogfight in the sky above them. The loser of the dogfight parachuted down on the island to his death. Eventually a littlun (little kid) went up and reported that he saw a snake-like beast. Fear of the beast spread among the boys. The fear caused the boys to neglect their civic duties. Ralph tried to quell the boys’ fear but to no avail. Jack declared that the beast was real and created a ritual to serve it "'This head is for the beast. It's a gift.'"(129) This quote shows that Jack was trying to convince the boys that the beast was real. It is clear throughout the novel that Jack was not happy about losing the “election” to Ralph and wanted to become the leader. He realized that since he was the lead hunter, the littluns would rely on him to protect them from the beast. If people turned to him for protection, he could easily steal the role of leadership right out from under Ralph’s nose.

Playing off of people’s paranoia in order to gain power has also happened throughout history. One example of this is with former U.S Senator Joe McCarthy. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Joe McCarthy was a senator for the state of Wisconsin in the 1950s. When he was senator, he rose to power by accusing hundreds of people in the government of being communist, without any evidence to back up any of his accusations. Joe McCarthy was senator during the Cold War, which was a time when a lot of Americans were very paranoid about the “Red Scare” or the spread of communism. McCarthy was playing off of their paranoia about communism by making the fight against communism the primary focus of his campaign and administration.

When Simon went to the top of the hill, he saw that there was no beast, just a dead fighter pilot. Simon went down the hill to Jack’s feast to inform the boys that there was no beast and that they had nothing to fear. Jack ordered his followers to “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!”(142) and the boys killed Simon. When the idea of the beast was introduced to the group of boys, Jack saw an opportunity to play off of the boys’ fear of the beast in order to gain power. It is clear that this strategy worked because many of the boys joined him and served him like a king. When Simon came along and started telling the boys that there was nothing to fear, Jack saw him as a threat to his power, so he accused Simon of being the beast and had him killed. This shows that when a person tries to tell people the unfortunate truths about the leader's’ rule or rise to power, the leader will try to eliminate that person by any means necessary.

Within Philadelphia, we have seen many similar instances occur. One example from 40 years ago happened with Frank Rizzo. According to Vice Magazine, Frank Rizzo started out as a police officer in Philadelphia. He eventually rose up to become the chief of police. Once he became chief of police, he was often accused of racism, corruption, and police brutality. He eventually became mayor of Philadelphia. When he became mayor, the Philadelphia Inquirer published a satirical article about him. In retaliation, he told his allies at the Building and Trades Construction Council to form a picket line outside the Philadelphia Inquirer building and harass the reporters, in an attempt to shut down the newspaper. This is an example of how leaders will often persecute people who reveal the unfortunate truths about their methods of rule.

As these examples show, power has always been something that humans have sought. People have tried many different methods of gaining it, and one of the most commonly used methods is fearmongering. Leaders play off of their follower’s fears in order to control them, and when their followers reveal unfortunate truths about their rule, the leader will persecute them.   In William Goulding’s novel Lord of the Flies he explores these themes through the power struggle between Jack and Ralph.  Like many leaders throughout history, such as Joe McCarthy and Frank Rizzo, Jack encouraged fear and paranoia in order to consolidate his power and persecuted those that challenged his teachings. It is clear that Goulding wanted to show the development of civilization with his novel. Civilizations can not exist without a leader, and Goulding wanted to show how leaders rise to power. This novel was written shortly after World War 2, so it is clear that he had seen leaders use fear mongering to rise to power, and he wanted to analyze how it works. Fear mongering works because people follow those who make them feel safe, and in order to make people feel safe, there must be a fear that is being played off of.  This method also works because when there is an idea of an “us” and “them”, it strengthens the idea of “us”. That is why people have used fear mongering throughout human history. Unfortunately, fear mongering is still being used by leaders today in America.

Work Cited -

1. Blumgart, Jake. "The Brutal Legacy of Frank Rizzo, the Most Notorious Cop in Philadelphia History." Vice. Vice Magazine, 22 Oct. 2015.Web.31Mar.2017. <https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/remembering-frank-rizzo-the-most-notorious-cop-in-philadelphia-history-1022>

2. Achter, Paul J. "McCarthyism." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 28 Nov. 2016. Web. 31 Mar. 2017. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/McCarthyism>.

3. Goulding, William. “Lord of the Flies.” New York: Penguin, 2006.

For my entire life, I have looked up to my father. I have wanted to be just like him, as every boy does. When my father died, though I was grief stricken, I was also eager to take over the family business.

Well, yesterday, I got to be just like my father, and I was shocked to learn that everything that I thought I knew throughout my entire life had been fabricated and sugarcoated. I realized that I had known nothing about who my father really was, what he had done, or even what the family business dealt with. I never knew that our customers’ lives were destroyed by our business. Our customers are weak and desperate, they rely on our products just to be somewhat content with life. When I went to observe the work of the dealers, I saw a woman stumbling towards us. She was twitching, she had black teeth, bloodshot eyes, and had deep wrinkles despite only looking like she was in her thirties. When she got to the line, she was begging to get ahead.  I couldn’t believe that my family business had been turning people into zombies for generations. I never knew that the products we traded led to mountains of dead bodies.  When I was on the job, I saw a member of the coast guard approach the ship I was on, to ask some questions. I was shocked when one of my employees shot him in the back. I watched as the blood drenched his uniform and he fell to the ground with a permanent look of surprise on his face. I thought about how this officer probably had a family, a wife, children, and parents that would never see him again. Many of our own people have lost their lives in the name of our company’s profit. Jorge Gonzales, one of my longest serving employees, and a friend of my father’s was shot dead yesterday. I doubt that I will ever recover from seeing the man whom I had known so well as a child riddled with bullets, and I realized in that moment that he had lost his life because of my company.

Many of you standing here listening to my speech have put your lives at risk trying to eliminate our business rivals. I ask all of you whether providing for your family is worth the risk of never being able to see them again.  I assure you that your family would rather have you in their lives than the money you earn. I don’t know what to think of my father anymore. Am I thankful for the fact that he raised me and inspired me throughout my childhood, or do I despise him for lying, sugarcoating, and fabricating the details of the family business? Now that I am a fully grown man and have seen what it is my father was actually doing to provide for my family. I have decided to leave the family business.

To my family, I know that all of you are disappointed in me. You think that I am disgracing the family by abandoning the long lived family business. Believe me, I thought long and hard about this decision, I stayed up all of last night thinking about what I observed on my first day. I was not eager to put an end to everything my father had started, or to dishonor the family name, but I decided that staying true to what I believe was more important. Though I’ve wanted to be a drug lord since I knew what jobs were, I realize now that all of my dreams, aspirations, and fantasies about my future were all lies.

When I presented my slide, I learned that you need to have empty space in the right places. I had put empty space above my picture, which I thought looked OK, however it really served no purpose and it didn’t look good. I also learned that you should never have red text on a blue background, because it vibrates your eyes in bad ways. I learned that just because the slide is about me, I don’t need to feature my name. For the edited version of my slide, I got rid of my name completely. I made the picture bigger, so it got rid of the dead space above it. I moved my text box to the left, so there would be more space between the picture and the text. I made the text bigger, and moved it up, so there was empty space above and below the picture. I hope these changes make my slide more visually appealing.