I finally returned to my third body paragraph, looking at it with fresh eyes. I was able to put it together in a way that I liked. I found facts from the documentary, and used experiences from female friends and acquaintances to build a cohesive argument backed with factual knowledge. I struggled with the title, and wish that it could have been as good as the rest of my essay. I just finished my final draft and am excited for people to read it.
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I finished my first body paragraph and had a stroke of genius when starting my second paragraph, and worked through it very easily. I revisited the documentary to gather some statistics and factual information to put into my paragraphs so far. Some of the statistics that I found were alarming to me and I am glad that through my paper, I might bring to light some of these issues for others reading my essay. I had some trouble when it came to my third body paragraph, so I wrote my conclusion and will come back to it.
I decided to choose the topic: “ Does media bias prevent young girls from achieving positions of power in American society?” So far I’ve completed my introduction but I’m skipping over the background paragraph for now. I want to differentiate between the intro and the body paragraphs first. At first I thought this topic would be easier to write about but now I am realizing that there are many more layers to it than I originally thought there were. I welcome this challenge and am really excited to write about this pressing issue, and to take a glimpse into the way media affects women (something I normally wouldn’t notice).
The argument in “Miss Representation” is that women are misrepresented in the media and in society as a whole because the media portrays women as objects. It emphasized the lack of women in leadership positions, and that women in leadership positions are just as capable as men.
This documentary made me feel, think, and try to improve in many ways. I did not appreciate how the film put down women who do not pursue leadership positions. That may not have been their intention when they made the film, but that was the impression that I got from it. It is good that the film wants women to pursue leadership positions and eliminate media stereotypes, but I also think that there should be no shame in taking a different path in life. I also felt enlightened. As a man, I had seen these things and thought that they were innocuous. Looking at them through the eyes of the women in the documentary, I could see in myself how these negative stereotypes could reinforce destructive ideals. The argument in this film is nothing new to anyone who hears this information. Many people in our society are well aware of the sexism ingrained in our society. However, what this documentary does is pull actual statistics and facts to put what we know into perspective and brings to light new ideas about this issue that we have heard before, further exemplifying the argument. After interacting with many female friends, a lot of what they have been saying echoes statements in the documentary. There is a severe lack of role models and representation for women in many modern movies, television shows, news outlets, and social media. I think that this misrepresentation may make women believe that jobs and roles that are occupied by men are not jobs and roles that women can occupy themselves. Personally, I don’t feel as though I contribute to the issues present in this film, so I don’t think there is much to change. However, I know people who could really benefit off of a documentary like this, and the knowledge contained in “Miss Representation” could very well sway the minds of these people and make them change their ways. Now that I have seen this film, I am now able to see how the media I am consuming might affect the upbringing of young girls and women in general. Overall, this film was very enlightening and opened my eyes to the struggles that women face today. Homepage Well-Being Assessment: Flourishing
Why assessment summary: I provide everything required of me, and go into detail for them How assessment summary: Done. About Page Well-Being Assessment: Flourishing Why Assessment Summary: I have provided an extensive description of myself and multiple pictures as well as everything else required of me How Assessment Summary: Done. Contact Page Well-Being Assessment: Flourishing Why Assessment Summary: I have all of the requirements for my Contact Page. How Assessment Summary: Done. Blog Page Well-Being Assessment: Suffering Why Assessment Summary: I have missed some blog posts but I have posted some very good ones of the few that are completed How Assessment Summary: Finish by May 5th. Narrative Project Page Well-Being Assessment: Floursihing Why Assessment Summary: I have the required preface as well as multiple drafts that I have posted on the page How Assessment Summary: Done. Research Project Page Well-Being Assessment: Flourishing Why Assessment Summary: I have the required preface as well as multiple drafts that I have posted on the page How Assessment Summary: Done. The couple in Hills Like White Elephants are at a crossroads in their lives which is symbolized by their discussions at the train station. I had a similar experience with my friend, discussing our own personal crossroad in between high school and college, and how that affects our own lives.
Right after seeing Captain Marvel with my friend Mike, we were in the car blasting some throwback tunes. It was around 12:30 at night when we took off. The songs filled me with feelings of nostalgia, bringing back memories of high school. “Hey dude, doesn’t it ever feel weird being here?” I said. “What do you mean?” “You know, like, just being here at home while everyone’s in college.” “Yeah, it’s weird but I’ve just been trying to focus on work.” “I don’t know man. It’s just weird knowing that high school still exists like five minutes away from us.” “Yeah but we’re not in high school anymore.” “I know, I know. But part of me kind of misses it just because of where we are.” “Me too dude.” Just as he said that, we passed by a very popular shopping center called “Gateway” that used to be the hot spot in high school. “Gateway just feels different now too,” I said. “Yeah, I miss the days of me you and Greg getting Five Guys and loitering in the parking lot at night.” “I miss that too, especially running into kids from school at Wawa and other places like that.” “We don’t really miss the location. We just miss Wawa when we knew we would walk in and see three other kids we knew. We don’t miss gateway as a shopping center, we miss gateway when we knew everyone would be there. It’s not the place, it’s the people.” “Yeah, that makes sense.” After passing Gateway, we drove in silence for a few minutes. I pulled up into his driveway, ready to drop him off, but he stayed in the car for a little while longer. “I can’t wait to go away to college,” I said. “Yeah man, I’m looking forward to going to Bucknell in the fall. I’m just trying to enjoy the time I have left here.” “Yeah I’m still thinking about where to go. It’s kind of a struggle right now.” “Don’t worry man. You’ll find your place.” “Yeah, it’s just hard focusing on studying while being here.” “Yeah, but you have to use that awful feeling of wanting to get out to motivate you to get out.” “I know. I’m trying, but sometimes it gets tough.” Mike then recommended me these lectures by a man named Alan Watts to listen to at night because they help him get through similar struggles. We put a lecture on, and listened in silence for the full ten minutes. It gave me insight on some things I have been thinking about, and made me feel a little less alone. Once it was over, we said our goodbyes. I put on one more throwback song, and drove home. In “My Name Is Margaret” by Maya Angelou, Margaret is employed by a racist white woman named Mrs. Cullinan. Throughout the course of the story she puts up with indignities from her and ultimately rebels against her authority by breaking her most valued china. This rebellious attitude carries over into my life when I went to D.C. alone, despite being barred from the trip because of false statements.
My freshman year, I ran against a junior for a leadership position for a club at my school. Despite all odds, I won, and this did not sit well with my opponent. During my sophomore year, this person continuously tried to damage my reputation, attempting to sway public opinion of me. I spent the greater half of the year turning the other cheek and trying to be the better person. I never tried to stoop to their level. This caught up to me February of that year. The biggest and most anticipated trip that our club members attended was coming up. It was a three-day-long trip to Washington D.C. My school did not want me to attend due to the complicated situation of the club, and my grades in class. This judgement was primarily based on lies, so I decided to attend the convention on my own. The morning of the convention, I had my bags packed, I was in my suit, and I was ready to go. My dad dropped me off at 30th Street Station just in time to catch my train. On the way down, I had been texting my friends that I was going on the trip anyway. They were excited and scandalized. When I arrived to Washington D.C.’s Union Station, I immediately hailed a cab and set off to the hotel. My friend met me at the front of the hotel, sneaking me through the back and taking me to a room where I could store my luggage. When I returned to the lobby, I also returned with a name tag made specifically for me. Throughout the rest of the day, I participated in every activity I normally would have, and technically didn’t break any club rules. As the day went on, I became a little too cocky in my ability to get away with being at the event, and started taking risks. I sat on the dais on the main stage, putting myself in the eyes of around a thousand kids, and hundreds of adults chaperoning the event. I was having a great time. I finished the night off with a taco from across the street with some friends, and hit the hay. The morning after, I planned to sneak out. I had gathered my things and was on my way out when I ran into an obstacle: the program director of the event. She stopped me in the halls, pulling me aside and giving me a thorough talking-to. I immediately scrambled to leave the hotel and head back home. In the end, I decided that the experience was worth it. I was being denied something based on a falsehood. Sometimes you have to break the rules when the verdict is unjust. And because of all this, there is a new national rule within the club as a result of this whole ordeal.
Marcel Proust was a French author from Paris who despite his many ailments was able to succeed as a writer, writing mostly at night and sleeping by day. His famous answers to a questionnaire has given it the name “The Proust Questionnaire” which is what I have responded to below.
__1.__What is your idea of perfect happiness? My idea of perfect happiness is the ability to make a living doing what I love surrounded by people I love. Being able to travel where I please and live in a home that I like. Earning enough to be able to delve into other facets of life that interest me and committing to them. And eating really good food. __2.__What is your greatest fear? Time, the way that it keeps going and how things change but it is an unstoppable force. It is something that fascinates me despite how scary it can be. __4.__What is the trait you most deplore in others? I don’t like when people try to hide who they truly are, and when people lie about who they are it’s harder to genuinely connect to them. __5.__Which living person do you most admire? I most admire my Mom because she’s a single mother who still works hard every day to continue to raise me and get us what we need. __6.__What is your greatest extravagance? Clothes are my greatest extravagance. I have an addiction to designer clothing. Growing up with a mom who works in Bloomingdales, it’s something I’ve been surrounded by my whole life and it’s always been a part of me. __8.__What do you consider the most overrated virtue? I consider all virtues equally important in their own ways. Each one of them provides us a framework that we use to guide our lives. I couldn’t think of one that is overrated. Instead, I was able to think about how each of them have had impacts on my life. __9.__On what occasion do you lie? I don’t lie, I just don’t tell full truths. __12.__What is the quality you most like in a man? The quality I admire most in a man is his ability to embrace effeminate things while still being masculine and not caring what other people think. __13.__What is the quality you most like in a woman? The quality I like most in a woman is confidence. I like strong women who are not afraid to be up front, who get what they want, and who are not ashamed to be who they are. __14.__Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I most overuse “Isn’t that crazy?” It is very applicable to start out many conversations about literally anything from the extraordinary to the ordinary. Even if it isn’t too crazy. Isn’t that crazy? __15.__What or who is the greatest love of your life? The greatest love of my life is my beautiful, amazing, adorable, gorgeous, intelligent, strong, Mediterranean girlfriend. She helps me in so many ways and I can always count on her. The bond we share is stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before romantically. __16.__When and where were you happiest? Colts Neck, May 19th 2018 was the first time I hung out with my current girlfriend. I remember the drive to her house as vividly as the present moment, and I can recount almost every conversation, every song that was playing, what we were wearing, every place we had been. Every time I think back on it, it makes me happy. __17.__Which talent would you most like to have? I would like to be able to play the guitar. I’ve always been a musical person, and being able to take something I love to listen to and expressing it myself is something I’d love to be able to do. __19.__What do you consider your greatest achievement? I consider graduating high school to be my greatest achievement, and I barely pulled through. I had a tough senior year and I fell back at certain points, but toward the end I managed to bring it up. __20.__If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? If I were to die and come back as a person or thing, it would be a gorilla. Gorillas have been my favorite animal since I was a kid and I like how all gorillas live in little tribes that are very centered around each other and taking care of each other like one big family. __21.__Where would you most like to live? I would most like to live in New York because I was born there and I have always loved the city, at first because of that reason, and as I grew older because of the atmosphere of the city. Alternatives would be Washington, DC, Rome, and Sparta (where my family is from). __22.__What is your most treasured possession? My most treasured possession is my Bible which was gifted to me after my Confirmation by my grandparents. Even though I don’t read it all the time, sometimes I look in it and see what they wrote inside for me, which makes it valuable to me. __24.__What is your favorite occupation? My favorite occupation is archaeology. Ever since watching Indiana Jones as a kid I have always wanted to be an archaeologist. I love history and being a college professor and also being able to travel to sites has always fascinated me. __25.__What is your most marked characteristic? My most marked characteristic is my attitude. I have been described as a very relaxed guy who can get along with anyone. __26.__What do you most value in your friends? In my friends I most value compatibility. If I am able to get along with someone and always have a great time with them, that is what makes a good friend. __27.__Who are your favorite writers? My favorite writers are John Steinbeck, or any old Greek or Roman. My favorite book is Of Mice and Men but I also enjoy reading anything from those ancient periods because the history fascinates me, especially Julius Caesar’s works. __28.__Who is your hero of fiction? My hero of fiction is Achilles because I admire his brutality in the war, his thirst for Greek and personal glory, and his courage and bravery in facing a war he knew he wasn’t going to come out of. __29.__Which historical figure do you most identify with? The historical figure I most identify with is Alexander the Great. We’re both Greek and are obsessed with conquering and expanding the Greek empire. ;) __30.__Who are your heroes in real life? Alexander the Great, My Dad, and Jesus, all three have traits I admire and have taught me valuable life lessons. __31.__What are your favorite names? My favorite names are Peter, Sophia, Nadia, Athena, Samara, Filbert, Yasmine, Briseis __32.__What is it that you most dislike? I most dislike schoolwork and work that I don’t want to do. They’re all too boring and sometimes very tedious. __34.__How would you like to die? I would like to die peacefully after a long life of doing what I want. __35.__What is your motto? It is what it is… but I wish it wasn’t. |
Nikko M.I will use this blog to express how I see the world and make sense of my surroundings. ArchivesCategories
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