Authors Note MaxF 811

A Note on The Text

These days bullying is affecting many school children all around the world, and it comes in many different forms. Cyber bullying for example, is becoming more and more prominent. The effects of bullying are substantial, ranging from failing grades and drug use to suicides. Most student suicides are bullying related, in which the bully harasses the student so much that he wants to end his life. Studies performed at Yale University show that “bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide then non-victims”.

There are many things we can do however to prevent bullying, and its effects, by taking action if you witness bullying and tell an adult, and the person who was bullied should do the same. Other things you can do is hang out with a group of friends while in the hallways and going home, and for parents, pay close attention to their eating habits, and if they try to fake being sick. Kids who are bullied often don’t want to go to school, so faking sickness is a way out for them. Also if your kid has a sudden drop in his grades, it might also be a sign that he is being bullied. Other signs of bullying are “showing signs of depression, like ongoing sadness, withdrawal from others, losing interest in favorite activities…” as well as “Giving away favorite possessions and saying goodbye to people” or “engaging in dangerous or harmful activities”.

            The reason why I chose this topic was because of how widespread and detrimental bullying is to the child’s health. Now I have never been bullied, but I feet sympathy for the kids who are, and especially the kids who are considering to end their life. I can understand that most kids are bullied at least once during their school years, and the bullies don’t even know they’re doing it.

This story was written to encourage people to call out against bullying, and stop the bullying related suicides and trauma. I also want to help stop repeated and intentional bullying, which can lead to trauma and a higher chance of substance abuse. I want to motivate people to take action and wipe out bullying, and I hope you will if the time ever comes. Bullying is affecting more and more schoolchildren around the world, and we need to stop it.

Synthesis Page- Percy Jackson Heroes of Olympus- The Son of Neptune MaxF 811

ELA Synthesis Page

Critical Thinking Question- Who has the “power” in the text?

Book- Percy Jackson Heroes of Olympus- The Son of Neptune

Beginning	In the beginning of the story, Percy has had his memory wiped and sent to a Roman demigod camp. In this part, the person with power is Juno, who got him into the Roman camp, and then revealed herself as a goddess. “ “So Juno huh, does this mean I’ve passed your little test?”. Juno had the power here to influence Percy and stop him from uniting Romans and Greeks, resulting in Gaea winning.
Middle	During the middle of the story however, Gaea becomes the power player, or        Polybotes maybe with his massive army. Gaea is also whispering to them, trying to persuade them to walk away and abandon their quest. “The whole ravine was full of monsters-column after column marching south, so many and so close, Hazel was amazed they hadn’t heard her shouting”. Gaea has control of this army and is going to use it to destroy the Romans.
End	At the end, the trio returns with a bunch of awesome armor and a really cool staff, destroying the giants’ army, and saving Rome’s legacy. As the staff has godly power, “Thunder shook the valley. The eagle let loose a blinding flash, and a thousand tendrils of lightning exploded from its golden wings-”. They saved the day and became heroes of New Rome.

Archetypes

Percy, Hazel, Frank- Heroes- embarked on a dangerous quest and saved the day

Gaea/Giants- Shadow- tried to destroy the heroes many times as well as New Rome, but got defeated.

Hylla- Heroine- led reinforcement troops to help save New Rome

Reyna- Scapegoat- got the worst end of the heroes, no boyfriend, and lots of responsibility

Reflection

During the book, power is very fluent, never staying in one place for too long, building suspense until the very last moment when BAM, the heroes come to save the day. The book gives everyone a loose grip on all that power, giving that extra little kick to the book. This book is one of my favorite, and I can’t stop reading it.

Argument Essay- Should THe Hunger Games be Banned? MaxF 811

 

            As a tribute falls, a cannon sounds and a hover copter rushes to pick up the fallen body. This is the story of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Some adults want this story taken away, from younger kids and teenagers because it is “violent, sexually explicit, offensive”. They go on to say it is “anti-ethnic, anti family, insensitive, and satanic”. However, The Hunger Games should not be banned because a few parents don’t want their 14 year olds reading this book. Anyone who has read the Hunger Games knows the book is not sexually explicit. While the level of violence in the book is higher then most, the violent actions in the book are what empower the story. Without it, the impact of the story would be diminished. And finally, while the complaints were motivated to get the book banned, all of this started when the movie came out. The few parents who started weren’t paying attention to what their kids were reading, starting this whole snowball of complaints. The Hunger Games should not be banned just because it has some violence in it, and some claims for banning are not supported with evidence.

            Many parents and school board administrators have wanted to ban the Hunger Games because of “excessive violence”. However, it is hard to tone down the type of violence in this kind of story. It is very important in the storyline because the violent actions in this book hammer the image through, making this a very compelling and exhilarating book. The dystopian society plot is empowered by a somewhat large amount of violence, and no violence, no story. “The sheer scale of its brutal, disturbing violence should be shielded from younger children, and introduced only alongside careful conversations with parents. But that doesn’t mean the book should be banned outright.” (Weebly.com 1) However, I do agree with this, the book should probably not be introduced in elementary school, but maybe in 7^th or 8^th grade is an appropriate year. Outright banning however, is overreacting, and just because it’s violent does not mean that it will have a negative affect in a child’s learning and development. On the contrary, it can teach a child some more about the real world and some politics. The Hunger Games is a good book to read, and should not be banned just because it is violent.

            There has been a huge wave of complaints against the Hunger Games ever since the first movie came out. The fact that most parents can’t tell the difference between a movie and a book is somewhat disturbing. “Apparently parents and educators are too stupid to know the difference between a book and a movie.” The movie made the book recognizable, and so parents have wanted to ban this book ever since. Also, some of the claims are perverse. The Hunger Games being “sexually explicit” is ludicrous. There is maybe a paragraphs’ worth in the whole book that is slightly sexually explicit, as well as in the movie. This makes me think that the critics of the book are people who have never actually read the book or saw the movie, and are going off of one angry parent on a random social website. This may be the cause of most of the events that got this book on the challenged book list. The Hunger Games should not be banned just from a few angry comments on a social media website.

            There are many reasons why people want to ban the Hunger Games, but I don’t think that the book should be banned. It is an exhilarating book that deserves to be read by many. The story is very moving and is very popular. The Hunger Games is an inspiring book that can teach children about the real world.

Social Awareness Project MaxF

Max Feuerman                                                                                                          12-1-14

811

ELA Social Awareness Project

Overview- The social issues in our society today are numerous. The stresses of school for one, every day can be a battle just to learn. Democracy is also a strong topic. At this very moment, many people in Hong Kong are fighting for their democratic rights that China agreed to give them, and that people still hold on to the old ways of totalitarianism. Probably the most heated topic in the U.S. is racism. There is still income, justice, and working conditions inequality. For example, African Americans are 3 times more likely to be searched, cuffed, and arrested than whites. There are many issues still out today, and these only a few of the brightest.

Table of Contents

The problems of school- Page 1

A poem on Democracy- Page 2

The Topic of Racism- Page 3

The Daily Stress of School

            You finish with school just to come home, and do more schoolwork. What’s the point of having school end at 3:00 if you are still spending an hour to do homework? The purpose of homework is practicing what you learned it school, which is not bad necessarily, only when used in the wrong way it does not help your child’s education. Homework can also cause stress in kids, especially if they have a busy day and are worried about their grade, and received a lot of homework. Homework can also take away time you need to get a proper sleep, which is detrimental to the child’s ability to learn. Also, homework takes up time that kids would rather use for after school activities, getting enough exercise, or just hanging out with a friend. Homework may be contributing to the obesity epidemic because kids are not exercising enough.

Should homework be banned? Some parents think so. In Australia, one mom Sharny Kieser is challenging that homework should be banned, because it is preventing kids from exercising and contributing to obesity. The DOE and schools however, want homework as a method of practicing what you learned in class. Both of these arguments have pros and cons, and here are some solutions to meet partway. One possible solution to the stress of homework is is having teachers collaborate with each other about homework, so you don’t have every subject in the same day giving homework. Another way is what MS 51 was doing, having what’s called “0” period every day except Friday, where you could come in and get help on homework or a project before classes start, having this bit of breathing room can help take stress off of kids. These are two hopefully possible solutions to homework stress, and there are probably many more.

A poem on Democracy

They say democracy is key

To having a world happy and free

 But some have other plans

Those tight fisted rulers of the land

Are taking control

 Of the world the world they once loathed

And are killing civilians as they please

They put many risk

For their own little gain

And are still making many miserable today

I came up with this little poem based are on the article about the Hong Kong protestors and how China’s government is taking control of Hong Kong’s democratic government. China has kept their very strict totalitarian rule over the population of over 1 billion Chinese. They deny “basic freedoms” like freedom of speech, or freedom of religion. They will not let up, they believe that they have a right to everything, and are a very hot “melting pot”, or assimilator.

Racism

            Even after a lot of society’s’ efforts to get rid of racism, it is still prominent today. The arch on Grand Army Plaza is proof, even after centuries; the world still has not gotten over the fact of racism. On the right side of the arch opposite Prospect Park is the Union side of the war, and in the statue, an African American (kneeling next to the bottom next to the cannon), is one of

Income inequalities are still prominent, with the average U.S. citizen making around $50,000 a year, while African Americans make around $33,000 a year on average. The percentage of African Americans making under $15,000 dollars a year is 25%, while 27% make 15-35,000 dollars a year, this is all well below the poverty threshold. The unemployment rate is also significant, with around 11% of African Americans unemployed, while the U.S. rate is about 6%. African Americans are more likely to be in poverty than all other races. In families, about 24% of African Americans are in poverty while the global average poverty rate is about 12%.

Use of force by police is unfairly targeted at African Americans. They are 3 times more likely to be searched, handcuffed, and arrested. The police use deadly force more frequently to African Americans than whites, as shown in news reports. For example, 2 cases, one in Ferguson and one in Staten Island show the trend. In Ferguson, an African American who shoplifted cigarettes was shot 6 times and killed by an officer. The police officer nearest was told by his dispatcher that an African American teenager had robbed a store.  On Staten Island, an African American was killed with an illegal chokehold, after selling untaxed cigarettes. The man said he couldn’t breathe many times, before he suffocated. The witnesses also heard him, but they didn’t let up on him until he was dead The fire of racism still burns strong today, and will for a long time to come.

Bibliography

<http://blackdemographics.com

http://www.news.com.au

www.nytimes.com

Nonfiction Reading Response MaxF 811

              The battle for democracy still wages. This time however, it centers in Hong Kong, where China is taking away its right to free speech and press. The battle first started with only a couple hundred people. They blocked off a government building, and the police responded by arresting and assaulting several with pepper spray. They are trying to end the protests, and so far have been unsuccessful. The protestors have also tried to bring the U.S. in, which frustrated Obama. The students still are keeping up with their classes, but the "war" will be long. This issue of democratic freedom has a long and bloody road, and has no end in sight.
             The "Umbrella Revolution" is gaining momentum as more and more people join. The protestors have used umbrellas to guard against pepper spray, which is where the name came from.  China's oppressive government is what has sparked this revolution in-the-making. China still isn't backing down, since it is in a bad position. If they concede, the government will have to deal with more protests, and if they don't, there will be a lot of bloodshed that follows. The full cause on why this started, is because the residents of Hong Kong "see that China's rejection of full democracy is an insult to Hong Kong's special status". They keep a "tight lid on dissent" and deny the freedoms that we have today. They also control politics by jailing opponents, and they control what their citizens see on the internet with what some call "The Great Firewall of China". This is history repeating itself, over and over, just like the protest in Beijing in 1989. Except, this time they can't massacre the protestors, it would be very bad for China's reputation, and hard on the country. Tibet is also stirring, the early signs of protests to come. And even after all this, they still aren't letting up on the Hong Kong protesters. The Chinese are acting on the promise allowing them to elect a leader, but in 2017. And rather than open nominations, it'll be screened by biased judges, loyal to China and their assimilation of Hong Kong. The students are making provisions such as cell phone apps, as well as food and water, and don't leave messes behind on the protesting sights. The war for free speech has no solid negotiations so far, and probably won't for a while.
              The battle has been fought for free speech many times. First in Europe, than the U.S., and now Hong Kong has joined the list. The Chinese have weaseled their way into another revolutionary protest and the military can't solve it. The right to choose our leader is one that is valued highly among all. Corruption is common is the world, and democracies are a step closer to a non-corrupt political world. Hong Kong is making an important event, as defying China even with the pressure against it, and is sure to go down in history.

Museum of The City of New York

             The Museum of The City of New York gave me a new group of activists to see, bikers, and the methods they used seemed a little unconventional. What they did was dress up as clowns, while a "cop car" followed them. When they saw a car parked in the bike lane, they would ride up to it, and fake crashing into the car, while the "cop car" pulled up to the driver, and gave them a "ticket" "This could have been a real ticket" Says the "cop", and the car owners move their car. At first I didn't know what the clown suits were for, but during the discussion, we figured out they were used to attract attention to their cause, to gain support. I also like this method because it seems unconventional and innovative, a clever way of protesting. Also, clowns are supposed to be silly, so they fake things to get laughter, that may be where that dress as clowns idea came from. I wonder why the people decided to do this in the first place, they must have a pretty big reason why. Maybe they got hit, or hit parked cars before.
            Another thing about activists, is the darker side of the job. Being attacked, arrested, even killed. We saw what Martin Luther King jr had to go through, with police setting dogs to attack them, and blasting them with fire truck hoses. This sort of intolerance is still around today. In one peaceful biker march, police arrested several, and impounded the bikes, even using a power saw to cut the locks on the bikes. On another march, police set up orange netting for preemptive arrests, and arrested many of the protestors. What I don't understand fully is why, they weren't damaging property or people, although they were disrupting traffic, but that's a minor offense. Another thing is apparently they were "disturbing the peace", although from what I saw the video, the police were the ones doing that. I think they were overreacting to the protestors, but I don't know why they were.

Reading Response 1984 Max F

              "1984" by George Orwell is about a rebel named Winston in a post World War II world. The time is one of depression, and oppression. The majority of the population is brainwashed, in which the Party and Big Brother are always right, and anything different is wrong. Essentially, it is a never-ending totalitarian government. This book also contains a lot of sex and torture and death, subjects adults think are inappropriate. 1984 is a mature book, meant for older kids. 1984 is inappropriate because of the sex in the book, and the bloodshed in the book.
             A lot of love scenes are in the book are described, and might be negative to the development of a child's mind. The first mention is in the beginning of the book when Winston decides to go "have fun" with a whore. After, he leaves and acts as if nothing had ever happened (Winston is divorced). Things heat up again when Julia falls on purpose, and gives Winston a note saying "I love you", and things start getting more dangerous. They meet at a secret hiding place, and make love to each other. They were making out for some hours before they stopped, and returned to their work place. Ever since then, they were meeting in random places carefully located, met and went to their next hideout, where in each meeting they would have sex. The amount of sex already mentioned is enough for some to ban kids from reading this book. "As soon as they arrived they would sprinkle everything with pepper bought on the black market, tear off their clothes, and make love with sweating bodies, then fall asleep...". This sort of thing is considered by many schools inappropriate, and it would be a bad influence on children. It can give kids the wrong ideas to this topic in the world, and this could end up hurting him in the real world, not to mention damaging his brain early on possibly. The book 1984 is inappropriate for kids because it involves a lot of sex scenes which can damage a child's understanding of the adult world.
            The bloodshed in 1984 I find gruesome. Between the rocket bombs killing hundreds, the Thought Police secretly arresting, killing, or making them an "unperson", and the wars taking hundreds of "war criminals" to be publicly executed, many can see why this book might be banned to kids. "Rocket bombs had been killing larger numbers of people than usual. One fell on a crowded theater in Stepney, burying hundreds. Another fell on a piece of waste which was used as a playground, and several dozen children were blown to bits." Not even children were untouched by the bloodshed, which really gets to parents. Not many books available to kids actually have young children dying, or people dying in general in a book. This book can show that are kids are in danger everywhere, and make them paranoid. If the paranoia gets out of control in the child, he might kill people on suspicion, or commit suicide. Nobody is safe from the murder. A couple of bombs were dropped very close to Winston, destroying a nearby building. Winston is even arrested and brought to the Ministry of Love, where he is beat up, starved, and tortured to insanity. He finally gives in when they make him experience his worst fear in "Room 101", which are rats. He betrays his lover, and is rehabilitated, and set free. They later meet, but the relationship between them is gone. They talk about what happened, about the betrayal and the treatment in prison. Winston was even waiting for them to shoot him later, "the long-hoped-for bullet was entering his brain", and he loves Big Brother now.
           An odd, but somewhat inappropriate thing in the book is simultaneously believing and not believing in something, a process known as doublethink. They use this process to control the people, this is how they make them believe that the Party and Big Brother are always right.
          1984 is a book that in many peoples eyes, is not meant for children to read. Winston's experiences with his lover, The prison known as The Ministry of Love,  This book contains potentially damaging content, that kids should not be able to read under 16.