Monday, May 21, 2012

To What Extent Would You Go To Survive

To guarantee my survival, there are very many things I would do. I do not, however, think that I would sacrifice my morals. If surviving meant killing another person, or doing something that i am totally against, I would not do it. If it came to the survival of my family, however, things might be different. To make sure my family was safe, or that they survived, i would do most anything. But if it was only myself in the mix, it would not be as important to me. Do not get me wrong, I love my life. But one person is not as important as a whole lot of people.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Sirvivor Synthesis Essay: Surviving After a Rape

Six-Word-Slant

  • Rape affects many- men and women.

140-Character-Claim

  • Thousands of people are affected each year by rape, and in order for those people to survive, they have to face the hard truth.

  • Surviving Rape and Sexual Assault
Two out of every six people are raped. Thousands of people are affected each year by rape, and in order for those people to survive, they have to face the hard truth. Learning to survive this terrible ordeal is not easy, but can be done.

Learning to deal with rape is a long and difficult process; especially if you are experiencing PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. According to Samantha Smith, in the article “through my eyes: Surviving Sexual Assault,” “You should see a doctor if you are experiencing flashbacks or having night terrors. It can help you cope with what has happened to you.” Smith also says “Talking to your family can help, because they care about you, will not judge you, and will always support you.” Learning triggers is also a good way to learn to deal with rape. Courtney Finley, a women interviewed about her rape, admits “I was terrified, Everything made me nervous. But, after a few weeks, i finally figured out my ‘trigger’ so to speak. When I was rapped my attacker smelled like cigerette smoke. Smoke was my trigger.” Some triggers are almost impossible to get away from. Finley states that “Learning to deal with your triggers is difficult, but it can be done. Family and friend support is important, but so is a lot of prayer and trust in God.”

One of the most important things to learning to survive a rape is this: It is not your fault! According to professors at Kansas State University, in the article “Counselling Services,” “Rape and sexual assault are about power and dominance; they are not about sex and certainly not about feelings of affection or love.” Too many times people believe an assault was their own fault because of the way they ‘led someone on,’ but they need to understand that this is not true. If they would just talk to a professional, or read up on others’ stories, it might help them to understand. Another thing that might help in this situation is to tell someone. Talking to others is always good. If another person can get you to say the words rape or sexual assault out loud, it would help to remind you that it is not your fault. Telling your story to other rape victims does the same thing to help them. Telling other victims not only helps them to know that it is not their fault, but it helps reiterate the point to yourself over and over again.

Some people, especially the attacker, might try to make it seem like the attack was the victim's fault. They might state that the victim brought it on themselves. They might try to say that the victims skirt was too short, their jeans were too tight, or maybe their shirt was too revealing, there for they were asking for it. They might say that the way a person was acting or dancing was the cause of the attack.They are only trying to manipulate their victim! It is NOT their fault. People can not attack another because of the way they look or act. As shown by Jack London in the book “The Call of the Wild,” Buck is beaten because of the way he acted. He did not know he was acting wrong, therefore should not have been beaten. The same thing applies to rape victims. If people did not do anything wrong, they have no reason to be afraid. That is just an excuse rapists use to stay out of trouble.

Maybe someone you know and love has been a victim of rape or a sexual assault. Maybe all that person really needs is someone to talk to. Talking about it would not be easy for them, and probably not for you, either, but if it helps them to move on, would it not be worth it? Maybe you should let someone talk to you and use these steps to help them. You would want someone to talk to.

       

Monday, April 30, 2012

The Value of Life

The responsibility of the cost of life is a big one. You are responsible for your own life, but are you always responsible for the life of others? Of course you are! It is part of being a human on this planet. We have the responsibility to our fellow humans to be the best person we can be, and that means that you should help and take care of others all the time. But if others have the zeal to survive, then it does not always lie on you.

The Titanic was a big deal in that time in history. It was said to be unsinkable. We now know that that statement was untrue, but at the time they thought it was accurate. The ship hit an iceberg, yes, and that is what caused it to sink. But the people on that boat thought they would be safe no matter what because the men who built that amazing boat said that they could not sink. I do not know about you, but if I was told that I was on a ship that could not sink, I would feel pretty safe. The people who built that ship have to take some responsibility for the one thousand and some odd deaths that occurred in the early hours of the morning on April 15, 1912. They said the passengers of that ship never had to worry about going down, but they were mistaken. But, they can also take responsibility for the people who survived. They made the life boats that were hanging off the side of the ship, therefor saving over seven-hundred lives. But, without the zeal of those people to survive and get back home to their families, they would have had a lot more deaths to be responsible for.

Responsibility for life also occurs very clearly in The Call of the Wild. Buck was an ordinary dog, taken from his home and forced to go through many hardships. He ended up being the alpha dog, the head dog in charge. All the other dogs looked to him for what they should do, and for what was right. Buck had a responsibility for his own life, but also for the lives of the other dogs in the pack. Spitz, the alpha before Buck, was responsible for the lives of the pack, but that all changed when Buck ended Spitz's life. Buck was responsible for that life, and frankly, so were all the other dogs of the pack. But Buck later faced many other dogs to keep his status as alpha. He had to fight off many other dogs to stay in his position of power, and had he not had so much zeal to survive, he would have been dead.
So we all have a responsibility for life, and not just ours. Everyone around us. Whether we choose to realize this or not, is completely up to us. Will you choose to take this responsibility?

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Man Creating Man

If I had the choice to create a person such as Frankenstein did, would I do it? No, i do not think I would. It is not for man to deem what is fit for a person to look like, and get to choose all the characteristics of another. Furthermore, it is not for man to play God.

One reason I would not create another person is because, who am I to choose what they get to look like? If I were to create another person, they would look like what I picture beauty to be. But who says what I see as beauty is the same to the next person?

The big reason I would not create another person is because I am not God. In my personal belief, God is the creator of all things, and He has made things the way they should be. If I were to create another person, it would be the way I deem fit, or in my image. But that is not right. With my belief it is better to leave things to God to do, and not try to take his job. God creates everything perfect, and I could never do Him justice.

\If I was ever faced with the choice of creating another person, as hard as it might be, I could not do it. I can not choose what beauty is, and I am not God, so why even play like it? It is not my choice who comes and goes in this world.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

2012 Theme Word!

I chose the word friend because every one, at some point or another, needs a friend in their lives. I can not exactly say what it is like to not have a friend. I might complain about mine, but I have always had friends in my life. Some are just friends that i talk to every now and then, some are friends that i talk to every day. Some are friends that I go to with my problems, and some are friends that I can not live without. But all the same, they are all friends.

But as lucky as I have been to always have good, caring friends in my life, some people are not that lucky. In our very own school there are people who do not have anyone to talk to, they do not have people to tell them that their hair looks pretty, or that they like spending time with them, or that they are cared for. In our own school, there are people who sit all alone at lunch time, cause they do not have any friends to sit with. That tends to take a toll on people.

Most of the time, we do not think about the person who just dropped all of their books in the hallway, or the person who is getting made fun of, or the person who is sitting all alone. No, we are too busy thinking about what we are going to eat for lunch, or our test next period, or wondering if that person we like is thinking about us. We do not take time out to think of others. And I am just a guilty as the next person . That is why, this year, I am going to work on being more of a friend, to everyone.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Talking about My Antonia!

  • Willa Cather in her novel, My Antonia, offers her view on life in the pioneer times.

  • How would My Ántonia be different if it were told from Ántonia's perspective?

  •                           Everything would be different, because things would be seen through a different eye, things
                              things would be told in a different way, and things would be from a different mind.
  • How effective is Cather, a woman, at narrating a story from the point of view of a man? Does Jim sound like a man writing, or does the narrative sound like a woman pretending to be a man?

  •                      I think she is very good at making Jim sound like a man. You couldn't tell it was a woman!
  • Why do you think Jim changed the title from Antonia to My Antonia?

  •                      Because she was his. His best friend.

    Wednesday, November 30, 2011

    ARGUMENT: RELIGION SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN SCHOOL!

    • Assertion/Claim: Religion should be allowed in school.
    • Evidence: If religion is allowed in school, it will prepare kids for the future in many different ways. 
    •  Commentary One : If you learn about all the different religions, then maybe people would understand what goes on in the world. When 9/11 happened, a lot of people thought it was a hate crime. But in all actuality, it was a religious thing.
    • Commentary Two: If people understand the different types of religion, then maybe there would not be such misunderstanding. People would also know what offends people and how to not do that.
    • Evidence: If the kids are taught about religion in school, they are free to make their own decisions and not have their hands forced by someone else, and they will be able to understand more about it.
    • Commentary One: If you teach all religion in school, kids are more likely to understand it. There is a better chance that they wont think wrong about it. "Theologians, clergy, scientists, and others belonging to many religious traditions have concluded that their religious views are compatible with evolution, and are even enhanced by the knowledge of nature that science provides." This quote is from the National Center for Science Education. There are a bunch of kids who think you can not believe science and have religious views, but if scientist can, why can't you?
    • Commentary Two: If a child is taught all different types of religion, then they can make their own decision. If they are not, then they will grow up believing what people tell them, no matter what it is.
    • Opposing Claim/They Say: Teaching religion in school would offend many people.
    • My Rebuttal/ I Say: If you teach all different kinds of religion, then why would someone be upset? You are not trying to force your religion on them, you are simply trying to explain that there are others out there.
    • Paragraph: Religion should be allowed in school. If religion were allowed in school, then many people would understand the world better, because right now, people do not. You could understand why certain people act the way they do, or why people believe differently. It would also give kids their own free choice, instead of growing up believing what they are told, they would believe what they wanted. Sure, some people might say some religion is offensive, but  not rightly so, because there would be more than on kind taught. We do not want to inundate people, but at the same time, they need to understand. So if people taught religion in school, everyone would be better off in the future.
    • My Thinking: My thinking during all of this would probably be inductive. I think this because, while I would love to see religion in school, i do not believe it is very likely to happen.
    • Sources: