This Shouldn't Be Our Reality

In my class called Art of Rhetoric, we studied how speech, presentation, and body language affects how people interpret a speaker. In order to make a rhetorical analysis, you must study the context, speaker, genre, occasion, and especially the audience. There are different rhetorical appeals too, that take great part in bringing the audience in. If it make you trust the speaker, it is called ethos. If it pulls your heart strings, it is called pathos. Lastly, if it is reasonable and has a logical approach, it is called logos. I had fun being able to analyze a speaker's rhetorical success or failure. For our Action Project, we had to create a speech for a mayoral candidate wanting to be part of the Chicago government. I chose Chuy Garcia, because I follow his actions as a politician in newspapers often. He hasn't said he is running for the spot, but I strongly believe he should because I look up to him. I agree with a lot of his views.  I studied his hand gestures, body-language, tone, and words very closely so I could represent him. There was a lot of research on his interview with news, so I wouldn't say any opinions he doesn't believe in. The class and I were able to do a face-to-face rhetorical analysis on Troy LaRaviere, a mayoral candidate who was a CPS principal. I was able to ask him questions, and see how he responded. This helped me know how to present myself during my speech.

JMP, Mustache, (2018)

  JMP, This Shouldn't Be Our Reality in Little Village, (2018) CITATIONS

Konkol, Mark. “Chuy Garcia Says His Little Village Block Helps Him ‘Keep It Real’.” DNAInfo.com. My

Chicago, 3 March, 2015. Web. 21 September, 2018.

Culti-Grabbing the Soil

In this unit of Design and Engineering, we learned about how tools are designed, volume, surface area, and vectors, which are important concepts for creating a product. Throughout the class, I was surprised to see that math and drawing had a connection in the real world for designers. We mainly focused on gardening products and how designers must complete many steps before manufacturing a product. For one of our Field Experiences, we had the opportunity to speak with the owner of Beyond Design Inc about the process of inventing an original tool. It made me realize the team effort required to create something that could improve thousands of lives. Mostly elderly people like to garden, though many tools aren’t made for their needs. I learned that it is important to take people’s differences into consideration when designing. For the Action Project, my task was to improve a gardening tool so it makes the task easier for an elderly person. My class and I took a trip to Home Depot to pick a gardening tool and inspect its different components, in order to be inspired for our invention. The tool is meant for someone who has low hand strength, and needs assistance in cultivating the soil for aerated soil. Many tools need a lot of hand strength in order for them to work, but this lightweight hand tool will just need to be lifted and placed on top of the soil so it can do its job. This project is teaching me how to have empathy in designing this tool, because it needs to be made for the hands of someone else, not myself. Empathy is being able to understand how another person feels. I got out of my mindset and was able to interview an avid gardener about how they feel about gardening, so I could think of a solution to their hobby troubles.

JMP, Interview with a Gardener, (2018)

From my interview, I learned that if a designer keeps a tool simple, it will perform amazingly at its intended task. Tools that camouflage with their environment become dangerous, as a gardener might accidentally step on them. Owning brightly colored tools makes them easier to locate. Small tools are popular because they are portable and light. Also, gardeners grow into their hobby because of their parents' or grandparents' love for it. It is a shared passion to enjoy the slow but rewarding growth of plants throughout time. 

I had to conduct a lot of research on existing examples of my tool. To cultivate deeper into the soil, a more curved pronged cultivator is best. Keeping it light with minimal prongs will make it more portable. A stronger, three pronged cultivator will aerate the soil best. Cushioned grips make working more comfortable and keeps sweat away. Wood is often used in tools because it is lightweight and is cheap. Not properly using a wood tool can cause breakage.

After gaining a sense of what can be improved in the cultivator, my partner and I created the "Culti-Grab". This new tool acts as an automatic cultivator. The prongs work together to get rid of big clumps of soil so a plant can grow its roots out. It aerates the soil by acting as a claw machine. You hover it over a selected area of clumped soil, and press the GRAB button to dig to break down the lumps. Press the OPEN button to release the claw, to let go of the now aerated soil. The three prongs are made of carbon steel, which is lightweight and strong for the thickest of dirt. A handy timer reminds the gardener to take a break every 30 minutes, to not wear their muscles out. It is recommended to take breaks while gardening, or else strain will cause deep pain in your body. The button makes it simple to adjust the prong’s curl, for different dirt thicknesses. For a comfortable experience, the grip is made of gel that molds to the hand, making the planting feel natural. 

This tool gives the gardener a break from intense manual labor, and does the digging for you. Elders can find comfort in the grip, so it doesn’t bruise their hands. Being able to adjust the tool’s parts is handy because it is worth investing in interchangeable tools, rather than tools with different sizes.

The Culti-Grab is similar to a wedge, because it drives into dirt to separate the dirt chunks. The prongs work together to wedge into the soil in order to get the task done. The grab button make the angle of the prongs more drastic so they insert into the soil, and the open button makes the angles of prongs less so the soil can be released.

This project gave me a more positive view of gardening. I recognized that there are many factors in taking part of this hobby. Being able to be hands-on with tools was helpful, because it put me in the shoes of a gardener and the hardships it has. I believe that this hobby is rewarding because you end up with a beautiful piece of life that you helped raise. It was easy for me to depict how to use the new tool. I was able to work well with my partner, by splitting up the work evenly. Coming up with an original idea was difficult at first, but we let our creativity show and thought of the wackiest inventions with no hesitation. If I have the materials one day, I would love to bring this idea to life and use it myself and share it with others!

Expansionism on Alcoholism

In my last Unit for my STEAM class Cure, we wrapped up what we learned from all units in the Disease and Cure classes. We delved into what it means to prevent a disease or illness. We only had two weeks to get into the unit, so we studied probability of getting a disease and how medicine can change the outcome. We also made a family tree about diseases that run along the generations. I loved learning more about my family and how to prepare myself if I get one of the diseases they had. Our field experience consisted of a Yoga Nindra instructor to help guide the class through a very relaxing meditation. It was my first time meditating, but I had an amazing time. It gave me more energy and made me want to try again. The instructor lead us to the point where you are on the brink of falling asleep, so it’s a very calming state. Meditation can help heal your mind from stress and other worries in the world. I never thought of mind exercises to be helpful, but this field experience changed my mind. Literally. For this Action Project, we had to create a fictional patient profile. In the profile, we had to write about their lifestyle, behavior, diet, habits, concerns, and family medical history. This resulted in a consultation, in which we had to advise positive changes to their lifestyle, and therapies to help their concerns. I wrote a consultation on someone dealing with alcoholism for ten years. I picked this because I wanted to do an illness, not a disease.
 

In conclusion, I loved this entire class. I didn’t think I’d be interested in genetic and medical history,

but it really stood out to me. I think that I will take what I learnt in class to the real world, and incorporate it to become more knowledgeable on medical science. I worked really hard on this Action Project to look professional and clean. Hopefully, someone with alcoholism will take my research and advise and take it to their daily life and make better change.

Who Really Wears the Trousers?

In my Humanities course called “Drama”, we studied gender roles in two different societies in plays we read. We read “The Taming of the Shrew” by Shakespeare and “The Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen. In Shakespeare’s play, a man takes control over his wife without her realizing it. In Ibsen’s play, a women is stuck in an abusive relationship and a fake happy mindset, but she leaves her family to find her true self. I liked reading these plays because it gave me insight in society hundreds of years ago. I’m glad our society isn’t that controlling nowadays. The class got to visit the Goodman Theater and learn about acting and writing a script. This made me become more interested in theater and what life skills I can learn from it!

In this Action Project, I wrote a play about women being put down often a couple centuries ago, with DS and OL about gender equality. Here it is!

In conclusion, I loved writing a play and performing it. I wish I would've taken the time to memorize the lines. I enjoyed working with my partners.

Reckless Rashes

In my STEAM class named Cure, we learned different ways on how to treat illnessin everyday life. There are three basic ways on how to treat yourself- over the counter drugs, prescriptions, and remedies. I loved learning about the scientific way that drugs work in our body, and how effective it is to our bodies. I only go to the doctor when I am extremely sick, so it was interesting to learn about new home remedies that I can try on myself. Our class performed a lab in which we had a pill that closed off our sour tasting taste buds, so that sour foods tasted sweet. It was a mind blowing experience because I ate hot sauce with ease after I took the pill! And I can’t stand any spicy foods. This lab was to demonstrate how drugs work on our bodies. When you take in a drug, it's molecule fits into it's matching shaped receptor site, just like how a key matches it's lock. Biological events occur within the body, such as chemical reactions or nerve impulses. This mechanism is called "Lock and Key".

For our Action Project, we had to find an illness or symptom that appealed to us and research 3 treatments to make it better.  Then, we had to create a medicine box that sold the symptom and its remedies. Each treatment option had its drug facts and instruction on how to do it.

JMP, German Measles, (2018)

JMP, Codeine Phosphate, (2018)

JMP, Acetaminophen, (2018)

JMP, MMR Vaccine, (2018)

JMP, Chart, (2018)

JMP, Ingredients, (2018)

I loved this AP because I am very interested in graphic design and gathering ideas onto an organized platter. I tried very hard to make my box eye catching. Im very proud with the end product and my collected research. I learned useful information that’ll I use in my future!

Spitting Out Sonnets

In my Humanities class called Drama,  we read Taming of the Shrew- a famous Shakespeare play about the effect of social roles on individual happiness. In the play, a man named Petruchio ventures out to win the heart of Katherine, one of the two daughters that a rich man named Baptista has. Her sister Bianca is often wanted by the men in the land. Bianca acts like how a woman “should” behave back then: quiet, obedient, and happy. Katherine was viewed as a shrew because she is rowdy, rebellious, and out-spoken. Being called a shrew was a big insult. Petruchio just wanted to marry Katherine because she was born into a wealthy family. He challenges himself to tame her to be a calm and collected woman by their wedding day, and he succeeds. The whole fiasco drives him crazier than Kate herself.
For the first Action Project of Drama, my class was asked to write a sonnet concerning one of the play’s characters. I chose Katherine because I wanted to write about her experience being wed to a crazy guy like Petruchio.

Here is my sonnet!

Petruchio! The man who wed thou Kate

Pleasure to you is taming of the shrew.

All she wants is a domestic break through

Instead, you threaten and fill her with hate.  

Beguiled Kate with grace, deceptive fool

“She is my house, my horse, my ox, my ass”

Insentient man, she earns a repast

Kate does not know what Love is in your rule.

In order to reach full nirvana, knave

Be true to thyself and your sweet woman

Sit down, be humble, flee oblivion

Open up your heart, get out your mind cave

Follow my sincere advice, know the ways

Life itself will have light, happier days.

Banning the Color Purple

In my humanities class Forbidden Books, we studied challenged and banned books. We looked at different kinds of religions and the attributes that the followers listen to. We read two challenged books, called Fahrenheit 451 and The Absolutely True Diary of  a Part Time Indian. These books are very controversial because the authors wrote without paying any mind to how the public may react to it. We also visited Natalie Moore, author of a book called "The Almighty Black P Stone Nation: The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of an American Gang". Her book was banned in prisons around the nation because it talked about gangs. It was incredibly fun to meet her and be in her office. For this AP, we had to read a challenged or banned book and write an essay on if it should or should not be banned. I read The Color Purple.

Banning The Color Purple

Imagine an author who spent years writing a book she poured her heart and soul into, only for it to be ridiculed and banned in many states. Alice Walker ,who wrote The Color Purple, is one such author. The book is a chronicle of written letters to God by Celie, the protagonist. She is a very uneducated, poor black woman. As a 14-year-old, she survived her stepfather raping her and abducting her children so she can never see them again. She lived her life thinking that they were dead. A man known as Mr. ____ wants Nettie, Celie’s sister, as his wife, but the father does not want his prettiest daughter to be married. Instead, he marries off the “ugly” Celie to Mr.____. Nettie runs away with the new married couple, but Mr. ____ tries to inappropriately touch her . Nettie flees, never speaking or visiting Celie again. Celie thinks that Nettie is dead since she never received any letters from her. Shug Avery, Mr. _____’s mistress, begins to grow a close relationship with Celie. Shug helps Mr.____ change up his rude behaviors. Shug instigates a sexual relationship with Celie, even though she has a new husband. They both really like each other without saying it. They find hidden letters from Nettie in a hiding spot, which say that Nettie has met two missionaries in Africa. They turn out to be adoptive parents of Celie’s long lost children. Celie’s letters to God tell him about love, sex, and her struggles with being a woman. The book is controversial because it contains vulgar language, sexual references, and violence. The Color Purple should be banned from readers because it contains many problematic themes.

Because of the violence in the book, The Color Purple was banned in Texas prisons. A prison says “The Color Purple was banned because author Alice Walker leads the reader to believe the main character is raped by her father.” One of the reasons that they disliked it were scenes like this. “He (Pa) never had a fine word to say to me. Just say You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t. First he put his thing up against my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grab hold my titties. Then he push his thing inside my p***y. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it” (Walker 1). This quote describes when Celie was raped by her stepfather. Violence plays a big part in The Color Purple. Those who show violence are often men, who are either sexist or racist. The men in Celie’s life are purely evil, with intentions to hurt others in order to get their way. They take advantage of women by appearing to be superior than what they really are. The women are scared of standing up to them because they will only get hurt in the end. Mr.____’s son Harpo, for example, beats his wife Sofia only after his father told him that Sofia’s resistance makes Harpo less than a man. Mr.____ is violent and mistreats his family by beating them and showing disrespect toward them. Celie herself tells Harpo to beat Sofia to knock some sense into her because she is jealous of Sofia’s aggressiveness and independence. This is obviously a violent and disturbing scene to picture in the reader’s head. The Texas prisons wanted to protect their people from reading this graphic material. This reason was attributed to extreme violence because the men were always in charge of the women, and made it clear that it could not be the other way around.

Additionally, homosexual references took a major role in The Color Purple. “She say, I love you, Miss Celie. And then she haul off and kiss me on the mouth. Um, she say, like she surprise. I kiss her back, say, um, too. Us kiss and kiss till us can’t hardly kiss no more. Then us touch each other. I don’t know nothing bout it, I say to Shug. I don’t know much, she say. Then I tells something real soft and wet on my breast, feel like one of my little lost babies mouth” (Walker 113). Men were supposed to be with women, and women were supposed to be with men. Celine’s sex life was ruined for her since a teenager because her father always raped her and took her babies. When she met beautiful Shug Avery, her whole world changed. She fell in love with a woman, which not accepted in the early 20th century. Their close friendship quickly turned into a sexual relationship, such as when Shug makes out and masturbates with Celie. Another piece of controversial text is, “All the men got they eyes glued to Shug’s bosom. I got my eyes glued there too. I feel my nipples harden under my dress. My little button sort of perk up too” (Walker 81). People wanted to ban the book because of the sexual things that Celie and Shug would do with each other for pleasure. Two women falling in love with each other was controversial for a lot of people back in the day and still in today’s society. This specific text can be problematic for someone based on religious reasons because a lot of religious people think that homosexuality is a sin. Heterosexuality is the reform that a lot of religions follow.

The Color Purple is a controversial book that should be banned. One reason it should be banned is because schools are against any form of violence. Also, many religions oppose homosexual. Lastly, certain curse words offend people of all ages. Although many books contain some curse words, The Color Purple contains racist slurs and stereotypical, racist, and sexist language. Alice Walker often uses the “n word” in The Color Purple. This word may offend people because it has a historical background and people believe that only certain races could use that word. Alice Walker says in an interview, “Our culture, our society, our world is doomed.” She believes that this book should be exposed to the public, as it shows the experiences as a woman may go through in her life.

Banning books has existed throughout history in order to protect people from being offended or be exposed to content they shouldn’t see. Authors write books that may or may not banned. They take a risk of exposing their controversial thoughts to the world. The Color Purple takes its themes and amplifies them to the the fullest extent, making each scene graphic and very vivid. This book should be banned for three obvious reasons. First, there is sexual violence throughout the book such as when men would beat their wives to make them listen to them. Secondly, the homosexual themes stirs up controversy with religion. Thirdly, Alice Walker used vulgar language, including the “n word”. This book should be in the right hands in order not to hurt anyone.

Works Cited

Goodman, Amy. “Alice Walker on 30th Anniv. of ‘The Color Purple’: Racism, Violence Against Women Are Global Issues.” Democracy Now!, 28 Sept. 2012, www.democracynow.org/2012/9/28/alice_walker_on_30th_anniv_of.

Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. ORION BOOKS LTD, 2017.

Matt McGee, "The Color Purple" , (2006)