My capstone project is an app called QTS, which stands for Quick To Save. This app guides people if they encounter someone in need of CPR. The app asks essential questions and depending on the answers, it’ll play a video showing a step-by-step process of performing CPR on a person. While the video plays, your current location is displayed on the screen as well in order to give 911 a quick and accurate address. If CPR is not needed, the app will say so and remind the user to contact 911, the current location once again provided on the screen. I spend long hours every week researching, coding, and fixing lots of unforeseen issues in order to get a final product that I am proud of. This capstone helped me not only learn how to perform CPR but also taught me about everything that goes on behind the creation and publication of every app we use daily.

Capstone: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vcs-qDMQEu6KN_9shKq1_OAQ8BtNkRGl/view?usp=sharing

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1We4iZUesQ9xKGolOqrR-6Jck1f4UilfeeyGlnDj1Zcs/edit?usp=sharing

My artwork is showing the scene from pages 141-143. Bromden wakes up not seeing any of his hallucinations for the first time in a long while. As he looks around, he states, “A window was up, and the air in the dorm was clear and had a taste to it made me feel kind of giddy and drunk, gave me this sudden yen to get up out of bed and do something.” Bromden had never been able to get a good look at the outside. He looks out the window and “saw for the first time how the hospital was out in the country.” Bromden takes in as many details of the outside as he can, most of which I portrayed in my artwork(141).

The first thing Bromden noticed was the moon low in the sky over the pastureland. He talks about the moon, saying that “the face of it was scarred and cuffed where it had just torn up out of the snarl of scrub oak and madrone trees on the horizon.”(141) Because of that, I made sure to include lots of trees in the horizon that were tall enough to cover parts of the moon.

Bromden then notes that the stars in the sky were pale next to the moon, but ”they got brighter and braver the farther they got out of the circle of light ruled by the giant moon.”(142) In my artwork, I made the stars closest to the moon barely noticeable and get brighter when they were away from it.

Later on, Bromden notices the geese flying in the sky. He mentions a lead goose, which for a moment “was right in the center of that circle, bigger than the others, a black cross opening and closing”(143). Keeping that in mind, I drew a goose in the shape of a black cross in the middle of the moon, making the other geese behind it a lighter color, making sure the attention was on the goose in the middle.

With all these details, the most important one that I included is the window screen mesh. The mesh serves the purpose of reminding the viewer that Bromden is still stuck inside the hospital, unable to get any closer to the trees or look up at the sky.

This scene is significant to the story as it’s the only moment in the book so far where Bromden’s head clears up, and his vision is not affected by fog. For once in a long time, he’s not being tormented by his hallucinations. Bromden looks out into the world he hasn’t been out into in years. The scene sparks happy memories into his brain, reminding him of calmer times with his family, looking up at the sky. This moment of clarity can result in grounding Bromden in reality once more, or it can act as a small taste of freedom, pushing him to want to escape the terrors of the hospital and go out into the world once again.

In chapter 30 of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood describes the story of how Offred loses her pet. Many people have had that experience, including me. However, the way Offred’s and my story go is not what you would expect.

Offred and her husband, Luke, were planning to leave their house and go to another country. They prepared everything and then found that they did not know what to do about their cat. “We could give her away, I said. One of the neighbors. Even as I said this, I saw how foolish that would be.”(192) Offred and Luke were worried that if they left the cat behind, she would start meowing and people would know they were gone. Offred did not want to go along with what Luke was thinking so she proposed anything she could think of, trying to deny where this conversation was going. Though it might sound like it, denial is not intentional. There isn’t a moment where we rationally decide to be in denial, instead, our brain automatically does it to protect us. When you’re confronted with something you can’t accept, your brain tries to make you rationalize other possibilities, no matter how far-fetched they may be. Similar to Offred, I have experienced denial related to my pets too. Standing at the end of my driveway, seeing my dad looking at a cat that had been run over and hearing him say my cat’s name put me in that same state of denial. I took no time to think, I had no control of my body. I found myself moving away from the road, screaming no repeatedly. I dropped to the ground, hiding my face, trying not to see the scene in front of me. I did not want to accept what had just been implied and my brain tried to prevent me from believing it, though a part of me was aware of the truth.

Luke decided to be the one to solve their predicament. He told Offred he’d “take care of it”. Offred immediately knows he plans on killing the cat. She sits there as he goes to find the cat and she doesn’t move until after he’s done. “You have to create an it, where none was before. You do that first, in your head, and then you make it real.” (193) Offred justified Luke calling the cat “it” by saying that’s how he was able to go through with it. I understand that Offred and Luke tried to detach themselves from their cat and tried to make this easier for them. That doesn’t mean that they were right. Simply saying “it” instead of “her” is not enough to make that decision any easier. I know that very well because my mom tried to do the same thing. She tried to make me feel better about losing my cat by suggesting we could just get another cat the next day. That didn’t change anything. No one can detach themselves from a pet that easily or quickly. That relationship exists still, no matter how much you may try to erase it. It would take someone who never truly cared for the cat to be able to go through with killing her. Sitting there and letting it happen also showed how apathetic Offred was. She could have tried to argue against it but she sat there and let Luke go through with it. Unlike her, I fought back against any comments that were made about getting a new cat. The last thing I would allow to happen was for people to act like my cat wasn’t as special as he was, like he was replaceable, like he was simply an “it”.

Not only did Offred just sit there and let it happen, but she refused to hold her husband accountable for what he did. “…because that little sacrifice,…was done for my sake as well. That’s one of the things they do. They force you to kill, within yourself.”(193) Offred tries to blame what they did on someone else, saying they were forced into making that decision. She does this to try and remove herself from what happened, knowing that if she were to accept that her husband chose to kill their cat by his own will, she also let it happen by her own will, refusing to act even though she had many chances to do so. Putting the blame on someone else makes it easier to not feel guilty, and though I understand that well, I have never been one to think like that. While Offred used any opportunity to blame others, I did not blame anyone specifically. There were many people I could blame, my family for letting my cat out, the driver for being reckless, or myself for not being there sooner and preventing it. Though placing the blame on someone besides me would in theory make me feel better, I knew that this was not something that could be blamed on one party alone. Luke and Offred knew what they were doing and they decided to go through with such an awful decision instead of trying to keep the cat alive in other ways. The cat was not of any priority to either of them, yet the killing of her required them to act how they did to rationalize and excuse it.

Luke decided to be the one to solve their predicament. He told Offred he’d “take care of it”. Offred immediately knows he plans on killing the cat. She sits there as he goes to find the cat and she doesn’t move until after he’s done. “You have to create an it, where none was before. You do that first, in your head, and then you make it real.” (193) Offred justified Luke calling the cat “it” by saying that’s how he was able to go through with it. She said that making the cat an it would make it easier, that simply calling their cat it would make it really an it. I understand that Offred and Luke trying to detach themselves from their cat and trying to make this easier for them. That doesn’t mean that they were right though. Simply saying “it” instead of “her” is not enough to make that decision any easier. I know that very well because my mom tried to do the same thing. She tried to make me feel better about losing my cat by suggesting we could just get another cat the next day. That didn’t change anything. No one can detach themselves from a pet that easily or quickly. That relationship exists still, no matter how much you may try to erase it. It would take someone who never truly cared for the cat to be able to go through with killing her. Sitting there and letting it happen showed how apathetic Offred was. She could have tried to argue against it but she sat there and let Luke go through with it. Unlike her, I fought back against any comments that were made about

Dinajda Dollani

Ms. Pahomov

College English

October 13, 2023

The unspoken rules between women are a concept often seen in The Handmaid’s Tale, but also in our current society. Offred remembered “the rules, rules that were never spelled out but that every woman knew: Don’t open the door to a stranger, even if he says he is the police. Make him slide his ID under the door. Don’t stop on the road to help a motorist pretending to be in trouble. Keep the locks on and keep going. If anyone whistles, don’t turn to look. Don’t go into a laundromat, by yourself, at night.”(24) In our society, women are always wary of men; carefully choosing what they wear, being aware of their surroundings constantly, and watching the way they stand or look at someone. It’s a well-known rule that women shouldn’t be out at night and always have to be accompanied by someone to go anywhere. All these rules amount to the same concept; don’t stand out and blend in with the world as if you’re just air itself. These rules are widely known but no one ever says them out loud because they are considered common sense. They are rules that are learned by women when they’re young. Many grow up being aware of their surroundings and careful of the people around them. Often women listen and watch all around them, taking in stories and experiences, and using them to establish the rules. It’s like finding pieces of a puzzle. All women share these rules, and though they are never spoken, they are all agreed upon. These unspoken rules are created in each woman’s mind in order to keep them safe. These rules are a tactic of survival, deployed by women in their daily lives to stay safe.

The Aunts in The Handmaid’s Tale use these prior worries over safety as a way to brainwash women to follow this new society. The safety concern was one way the Aunts convinced women that they should be happy with their new life in Gilead. In a way, many of those unspoken rules don’t apply anymore because of the new world. Although, this does not mean women are in a position where they don’t still need unspoken rules. In the book, it’s stated, “‘No,’ the woman says. I don’t know this woman, she wasn’t at the Center with me, though I’ve seen her, shopping. ‘But I’ll watch out for you.’ “(124) Even though the Handmaids don’t know each other, they know to quietly ask for information and keep in mind what the others wanted to know in case they can help. The Handmaids are united through common interactions and knowledge. The new situation they’re living through requires women to create new unspoken rules. This helps them survive once again, though the danger is now less physical and more mental. They use these new rules to be able to get through these new circumstances, relying on each other as much as before.

The Handmaids are able to communicate with each other and reveal their true intentions which others would not be able to grasp quite as easily. “‘I’d like to pass by the church,’ says Ofglen, as if piously. ‘All right,’ I say, though I know as well as she does what she’s really after.”(30) The Handmaids have to complete their duties in pairs so they can tell on the other if they try to rebel in any way. Offred knows that Ofglen does not actually care about the church, meaning she could easily say something to get her in trouble but she doesn’t. Instead, she acts like she’s unaware of her intention and goes along with her, giving Ofglen a chance to do something she wants. Offred understands Ofglen and decides to help her. This is another unspoken rule among women; being able to talk to each other without talking. Women decide to go out of their way to help each other, supporting one another silently, though the support is always recognized by the other. Women do this because they understand each other on a level that others can’t. “She hesitates, as if to say something more, but then she turns away and walks down the street. I watch her, She’s like my own reflection, in a mirror from which I am moving away.”(45) Offred recognizes Ofglen as a reflection of herself, seeing how similar they are even without much knowledge on each other. Many women see each other in this way. To help out another woman is to help out yourself. You understand them how you wish you were understood. You support them silently, just like you wish to be supported silently. We make these rules and we don’t speak them, for they can be understood without words.

https://www.wevideo.com/view/2604829457

In my previous slate post, I talked about my research on abusive relationships. I mentioned things like statistics, warning signs, effects, and ways to get help. There are many other organizations and websites that are trying to help with my issue. There is a National Domestic Violence Hotline as well as websites that talk about resources to use when trying to get out of the relationship. I think a lot of the information that these websites and organizations provide is very helpful especially since most victims of abusive relationships do not have someone close to them to talk to. These resources are widely available which makes it easier for someone to find the help they need.

For my Agent of Change, I decided to create an Instagram account that talked about all the information I learned about. I wanted to create something that many people had access to and that would always be available to them. Most people have access to the internet and social media accounts so making an account sounded like a great way to spread awareness on my topic. The name of my account is @l.t.h_abusive relationships and there I talked about all the information I thought would be helpful to people that are either in an abusive relationship or know someone that is in an abusive relationship.

Agent of Change Instagram Account

The account is still very new as of the time I am writing this post so I’m not surprised to see that there hasn’t been much interaction with it yet but I do hope in the future that more people will find my account. I hope this account is actually able to make a change in someone’s life.

This project sounded very difficult at first. I didn’t have any topic I wanted to talk about and didn’t think I’d be able to contribute much to any cause. But after finding an issue that I was passionate about, this project became a lot more fun and interesting to do. It took quite a lot of work and time to be able to research and find all the information I needed to be able to talk about this topic but it was still very interesting. I learned a lot more than what I originally knew about this issue and I think that is a great thing. This is a very common issue, I know people personally that have been affected by being in an abusive relationship and I feel like I can finally understand them more. I feel like I could have put more work into the research and the account itself. I really like what I created but I just think it could have been better. The creation of the account and the posts ended up being done in a bit of a rush so I believe that if I had more time to work on this project, it would have come out better. I still very much like the account that I created though, even if it’s not perfect. I just hope that it can help others that are being affected by my issue.

Annotated Bibliography

Everyone has someone they love. Whether it is a family member, friend, or significant other. Love is supposed to be one of the greatest feelings in the world. Loving someone means you are happy to spend time with them, do things for them, and feel safe around them. But what happens when being around a person you love starts to hurts? What if you’re always scared or gloomy when that person comes to mind? Is that still love?

Having such a relationship with someone is known as being in an abusive relationship. Most people have heard of such a term before, of being in a relationship with someone that is constantly manipulating or harming you, whether it be physically or mentally. This kind of relationship doesn’t only occur between 2 people that have romantic feelings towards each other. It can also happen between friends or family. Abusive relationships are very common. Mentalhelp.net states “Every minute, approximately 20 people are the victims of physical abuse by an intimate partner in the United States.” This is also backed up by the fact that there are about 27,000 calls made to the National Domestic Violence Support Hotline every month.

statistics from a survey about how many people had experienced any form of an abusive relationship

Abusive relationships are not exclusive to only mental trauma. Most of the time, there is a lot of physical abuse involved in these kinds of relationships. Though women are the more common victim of abuse, men are not in the clear neither. According to Mentalhelp.net, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been physically abused by a significant other. Abuse doesn’t recognize gender as much as we think it does.

Percentage of men and women physically abused in a current or past relationship

There are plenty of ways to recognize an abusive relationship. One of the most obvious ones is physical abuse. If someone ever physically harms you, then that is a big sign that points towards an abusive relationship, and the issue should be dealt with immediately. Another big sign is just the way you feel. If you feel like they are controlling everything you do, are careful about everything you say to them, or just feel upset in any way around someone. If you recognize signs like these then you should put some distance between yourself and that person.

Of course, leaving an abusive relationship is easier said than done. There are plenty of difficult situations people are in that won’t allow them to leave the relationship. But no matter how difficult it seems, you can get out of it. Maybe not on your own, but there are plenty of people out there wanting to help. Talk to someone close to you that you trust about your situation. If there’s no one that you’re still in contact with, then you can go to the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help.

reasons why people say that they have stayed in an abusive relationship

Abusive relationships have serious effects on the physical and mental health of the victims. Some of those can include sleeping troubles, weakened immunity, anxiety or depression, increased risk of heart attack or stroke, etc.

Abusive relationships are quite common. You or someone close to you could be in one and you might just not have realized it yet. I’ve seen people close to me deal with being in an abusive relationship on their own and when they finally told me, I felt horrible. I wish I had realized before so they didn’t have to be in that relationship as long as they were. But I can’t go back and change the past so instead, I’m trying to share what I’ve learned with others so they are not oblivious to what’s happening like I was. If you are a victim of an abusive relationship, you can talk to someone close to you or go to this site for more help. If you know someone that is in an abusive relationship then try to talk to them, but keep in mind, talking about things like that is not easy so be patient. Love is never supposed to hurt.

Annotated Bibliography

Mi familia es sincero. Yo tengo cuatro hermanos. Yo también tengo cuatro tíos y siete primos. En mi casa, hay mi mamá, mi papá, mis hermanos y mis abuelos.

El nombre de mi hermana es Ina. Ella tiene el pelo liso y castaño. Tiene los ojos cafés. Ella es un poco alta y delgada. Mi hermana es sincera y divertida. Ella también es perezosa y un poco antipática.

El nombre de mi papa es Nardi. Él tiene el pelo corto y ondulado. Tiene ojos azules. Mi papá es alto. Él es muy trabajador y responsable. Mi papá no es ni tímido ni mentiroso.

Me llamo Dinajda. Yo tengo el pelo largo y ondulado. Tengo ojos cafés. Yo soy algo alta. Yo soy simpática y responsable, pero también soy perezosa y tímida.

Soy un poco diferente que a mi hermana Ina. Nosotras los dos tenemos el pelo largo y castaño. Nosotras también somos simpáticas y perezosas. Nosotras no somos ni mentirosas ni atléticas. Mi hermana tiene veinte años y yo tengo catorce años.

I started this piece halfway through October and finished it on 11/11. I used an application called Krita to create it. This piece shows a lot of my experience with 2020, especially the pandemic. It shows how schools closed and I had to take learning virtually, how I slowly started getting disconnected from friends, and the insomnia I suddenly had to deal with. And during those sleepless nights, I would think. I would think about the time when I could go to school and see my friends every day, about the time where I could go in public not having to worry about what I’m touching and breathing, about the time when people didn’t seem so divided, but most of all, about the time when everything was alright. These sleepless nights lasted forever, every time leaving me more empty than the last. And the moment everything turned completely dark, the sun would rise. Every day the sun kept rising and that would keep me going. A new day meant a new opportunity. The sun would always remind me of how beautiful the world is and it would push me to keep going, to see what the future holds for me.