This is a Metaphorical Mirror

In the same way that a painting consists of calculated brush strokes and shadings, or in the same way a poem consists of a small but specific percent of all the words in a language in an order precisely chosen by the writer to convey her thoughts, a photograph is a moment from the photographer's life, a moment elected of many to offer a glimpse into the photographer's mind. In the same way that art ranges from realism to impressionism, a photograph portrays reality as either untouched, slightly edited, or over exaggerated to the point of fantasy. Despite this, photography is not a lie, in the same way that music and dance are not a lies. They are art forms, expressions from the heart, tangible depictions of human imaginations. If film can be considered an art without being ridiculed, then why not photography? A film is simply an extended compilation of photographs. Perhaps the objections begin in the idea that anyone has easy access to taking photos, therefore a photographer ...

When coined with the term "youth," the idea of paramount beauty, strength, and mobility come to mind. For this reason, it is more common to see young people do foolish things than older, for the older are burdened with the aftermath of their foolish years; in fact, the more foolish things done, the greater the burden that is strung later on. Here's an illustration of my vague words: Over a century ago, the world met cigarettes for the first time. At the moment, cigarettes were deemed as innocent, and even helpful trends, enhancing the overall coolness of an individual.  Everyone played with them, eventually initiating their addiction in their early years. It became the norm to smoke cigarettes during meals, on walks, whenever feeling down, etc. Forty years too late, after seeing lung cancer and emphezema cases skyrocket, people then realized that what they were playing with in their mouths launched severe health defects, overall intensifying the later burden they wou...

    The prompt for my in-class essay regarded whether or not college was worth the cost. I used the college-bound mindset of myself and my peers at Troy High as an example in my synthesis, and this whole idea then prompted me to ponder why it is that we spend so much time thinking about our futures.     Don't get me wrong- planning ahead is great. It's smart to set goals and work to achieve them, but my argument begins when this completely engulfs your present youth and all the opportunities around you now by becoming all that's thought about or the main reason any action is completed. It simply becomes overbearing. After all, if half your life is spent in tireless effort to make the other half more enjoyable, the average level of enjoyment in your life is just, well, average.      Franz Kafka wrote, "let the future sleep for now, as it deserves. If you wake it too early, you get a groggy present." To add on to this, the present quickly transforms ...

Buenos días, Me llamo Jenna y yo soy una estudiante de la clase de inglés de Señora Valentino. Porque leímos un ensayo sobre la idioma nacional de los E.E.U.U, decidí escribir mi blog en español; después de todo, inglés no esta la idioma oficial de este país, y no hay nadie decirme escribir en inglés. Pero, yo tengo unos pensamientos de esta tema, como: la escuela se enseña en inglés, y muchas de las tiendas son en inglés, y los trabajos son en inglés, y es más facil aprender inglés para vivir en este país... si el inglés no es la idioma oficial, al menos haga lo básico para un país más organizado en general. No estoy diciendo que abandone su otro idioma y se convierta en un experto en inglés, pero va a ser útil para todos aprender un poco de la idioma.  Cinco años en el pasado, mi primo viajó a america con la habilidad decir cuatro palabras en inglés. Cuando estaba enojado conmigo, el diría,“I no love you.” En un año, el puede hablar en inglés con fluidez, pero también c...

In second grade we had a whole 2-hour lesson on the difference between "needs" and "wants." Mrs. Fairweather passed out a sheet with different images, including food, clothes, toys, etc., and by the end of the lesson we had to circle the images representing what we needed in order to prove we could differentiate between what we need and what we want. In second grade we were learning the basic needs- what we need to survive. They taught us that when we are hungry, we need food; when we are thirsty, we need water; if we are cold, we need warmth; when we are tired, we need rest. Reflecting on this in the present, it's not exactly true. Most of us were fortunate enough to enjoy the luxury of an endless supply of food, drinks, shelter, clothes, love, toys, sleep, movies, and games. We never needed anything. Even now, such as how Sowell mentions in his essay "Needs," food, the quickest "need" that comes to mind, is not needed when we are in a coun...

My friend once told me a story about the village in Syria where our fathers grew up. She said that there was a very old but very wise man whom everyone in the village respected and came to for advice. He was kindhearted, intelligent, and enduring, living until his 112th year. At a point in his last year of life, he said he was going to die the following day, despite maintaining perfectly good health. The villagers, surprised at this sudden remark and the calmness that it was embedded in, denied this and told him they would bring him food tomorrow as a gift. Sure enough, when they came by his house, he was found in his bed, enveloped in serenity. Overnight, some said he had turned his bed to face north*, said his final prayers, and slept for the final time. In disbelief, I asked my friend if this story was real, to which she nodded in response. Then I questioned how on earth he knew he was going to die the next day. She simply said, "I think you can just feel when your body is a...

It is a melancholy object for those who observe the amount of people on the streets that scour through dirty dumpsters in grimy rags, all to obtain a trifle piece of moldy cheese or cracker. Children who look just above the age of four lift their heads from a pile of garbage to glance at the wealthy, the ones who's waste the child stands in, as they stroll by. These poor people, instead of being motivated to find real work elsewhere and purchase first-hand food, find sustenance in the discarded trash of the upper-class.  I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious amount of citizens and food living beside, under, or inside these dumpsters is in the present deplorable state of the nation a very great additional grievance; and, therefore, whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of reducing the amount of waste produced, thereby making these citizens useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the public to have her statue set up for a pres...

For 47 years, the Detroit International Jazz Festival has been drawing crowds with the promise of sun, fun, and fine music . Visitors would argue that it does just that. T he DIJF is held every Labor Day weekend in the heart of Detroit. People from all around the state come with the expectation of hearing some of the best jazz artists perform right in front of them- and they get to do just that for free. DIJF is the world's largest free jazz festival. As expected, a world class festival that can be attended with no cost attracts countless jazz-- well, all music-- lovers. Seats are packed. Lines for food are long. If you don't show up to a stage 20 minutes early to see a world renowned artist play for an hour, you end up standing on the railing inside crowds of other people who also didn't manage to grab a free seat in time. But it's actually worth it. Sure, standing isn't the most relaxing position, but the experience of listening to a live Great go crazy on...

The tables have vanished. Kids were standing up and eating, like horses. The ones who were sitting at the remaining tables were two-to-a-seat, packed like sardines. The rest were eating on the floor, like dogs. Troy High cafeteria at a glance before : ·        700 students trying to find a place to comfortably study, socialize, and eat ·        Upperclassmen sitting in the back - Senior Tables ·        Half the kids end up only finding space on the floor outside Food fight breaks loose, administration takes away a row of tables. The kids who did all the launching, from the back of the senior tables, were at no inconvenience to relocate to another group’s usual table. Thus began the domino effect: the entire half of the lunchroom struggled to find comfort in their 20 minutes of “break” in the six hour day. All because of 10 kids , who remain unaffected by “their” punishment. It rem...

Oh crap. Shoot stupid alarm clock shut up. No, no stop- beeping- ok fine- I’m up, I’m up. Another day, another penny. Or nickel... dollar? Whatever. Another 8 hour work day. Let’s see what texts I didn’t get last night... Oh crap. Crappity crap crap crap I’m late for my meeting- better throw some clothes on-  Shoot, my good suits are at the dry cleaning.. if I wear this solid brown one then people will think of me as presumtuous, like Joe. Can’t be like Joe. Then the plaid brown one gives off a strong erratic vibe. Umm I guess saucy is better than either of those- turquoise it is!  Now a tie. Tie tie tie. If I go without one I’ll be deemed as careless and hobo-ish. What will compliment the sauciness... oh, perfect, here are some floral pairs. Socks? Well I guess plain intelligent ones will have to work since I gotta run-  Wait can’t forget the underwear- can’t go in these boxers. People will think I’m irresponsible. But where... are my darn... briefs? Ok final...

Take the quiz below to find out what type of student you are!  Guidelines:  Only pick one answer Be honest Calculate the amount of points in total and find what category you fit into 1. You attempt all credit opportunities that your classes offer Always= -2 points Wouldn't Dare Not to = 2 points True= 2 points Correct= -1 point 2. You've been caught trying to sneak into other classes during lunch in order to gain more knowledge How Did You Know?= 2 points Only thought about it= -5 points 3. You contemplate stealing a tuba from the band room every once in a while Relatively, yes= 4 points Sometimes= 2 points 4. You have a tendency to light your homework on fire with a cigar and throw it on the roof of a preschool building All the Time= 2 points 5. You have attended at least two.5 different schools in the past week Sure= -3 points Now calculate your results! Between -2 and 11: You are a student! You go to school. Keep...

I hear stories about people's drunk adventures: "Man, I was so knocked up that I couldn't even climb the stairs!"  Or, "I kept thinking the sky was falling so I cried for my mom for, like, a solid 20 minutes." Or even, "I crashed my car into a tree that wasn't even near the road because the world was spinning like a blender and I couldn't see shit." I'm usually impressed by the absurdity of these actions. I'll hear about the quietest kid in class taking one sip and impersonating Kanye West the rest of the night. It's clear to me that alcohol really messes with someone's brain. When I think about disabilities, conditions like MS or Parkinson's come to my mind.  Once you're diagnosed with either of those, you're diagnosed for life. My prototype of the word "disability" usually is a severe long-term condition like paralysis. I immediately think of the extreme end of the spectrum, but thinking about ...

We humans are the most vital beings of the earth. Anything the earth provides exists solely to serve our race well. The other animals that live on this earth are just food-menu options- the ones that aren't rated "customers' favorite," aka the great majority, are discarded and pushed further and further towards the periphery of their habitats to make room for breeding the “chef's special”, and just for us in general. The animals that have a slight potential to overpower us are killed before they get the chance to decide we are terrible food options. It took a while (more than several decades) for the managers protecting Yellowstone National Park to realize that killing all the wolves to keep visitors safe was the main issue contributing to the imbalance of species residing there, resulting in an exponential growth of the elk and coyote populations, affecting the entire ecosystem there. When they finally added only 14 wolves back to the park, elks and coyote popul...

DETROIT- Exactly five and a half hours ago a polar was found on the Southernmost tip of Argentina. When questioned how he got there from Antarctica, he claimed he jumped. After studying this polar bear, the leading scientist and veterinarian in this study, Dr. Boman, explained that because of all the ice partings in Antarctica, the polar bears have been jumping from one piece to the next. "This particular polar bear's legs became so strong from jumping that he managed to jump over the Drake Passage and land in the Southernmost tip of Argentina." Dr. Boman worries that there will be an influx of this polar bear's followers arriving at the same location within 5 years, so long as the ice keeps melting. His explanation was rejected by the White House, declaring that the polar bear was really a brown bear that was kidnapped, painted white, given steroids, and planted there by the Chinese to prove that their global warming hoax was true.  An unofficial spokesman fr...

The ACT reading sections always have interesting articles that end up engrossing me in the content, making me forget to maintain an analytical mindset while "skimming through." I end up running out of time sometimes, not because the questions stump me, but because I want to absorb every sentence, at times even re-reading a paragraph since the first impression ends up being so great that it requires a second impression just to handle it. The SAT on the other hand is a bit more of a struggle to get through. The creators so incredibly aware that the topic of wetlands bores the living crap out of high-schoolers that they make it a point to sneak it in as the last prompt of reading on every other test. The final eleven questions, the final stretch of the race, just end up being the toughest drudge of the whole test, like we are marching through a thick sludgy marsh, with the muck absorbing and suffocating 455x the willpower that I used for the previous reading prompts and could...

It's ironic that we perceive our surroundings in color when color doesn't exist. It's just the result of our brains trying to interpret the reflected wavelengths of light- how that translates to color, God only knows. When lights dim, the colors around us change, and when the light is off completely, everything becomes a dark neutral color. In fact, it could be argued that everything loses its color since there's no light being reflected and black is a shade. I once heard this theory mentioning that what may be one color to someone may be a totally different color to someone else, but the colors are labeled as one. For instance, my blue may be your green, but we both call it blue. Now here's a weird idea- what if my entire set of colors are completely different from yours? Could each person have an individual set of colors that everyone else can't see? Later, I heard about color-healing: a method using colors to generate or degenerate feelings and health iss...

The theme of reliving the past is present in Gatsby, Maus, and Song of Solomon. It reminded me of the song by Tame Impala called "It Feels Like We Only Go Backwards."  Here are the lyrics to the chorus: "It feels like I only go backwards, baby Every part of me says "go ahead". I got my hopes up again, oh no... not again.  Feels like we only go backwards, darling." This song talks about being in love with a girl who doesn't seem to reciprocate, so the guy is always making less progress when he tries to make any when it comes to starting something real with her. Other Tame Impala songs are more complex with chords and the style of their songs in general, but this one in comparison is simple. It repeats the same four chords over and over again, reflecting the idea of being in this endless cycle of going backwards. The chorus repeats itself 5 times over the course of the song, leaving room for only two short verses with different lyrics. ...

The world revolves around reward. Not the sun, but reward. Behind every change in mindset, every individual stroke of effort, every desired objective, it's all a result of the underlying crave for reward. It's a biological trait- we do things or don't do things to either obtain a profit or avoid a consequence. Psychologist- sorry, behaviorist- B.F. Skinner backs me up on this; he even takes it so far as to say that operant conditioning* is what shapes our individual minds.  When I say reward, I'm talking about anything as simple as getting a euphoric feeling or approval from someone to something as tangible as money.  The biggest and most obvious reward the world has come to be built upon is money. People get this weird idea that some rectangular green paper will magically buy them happiness, and the more that they get, then more happiness they will earn. Then people like Tom Buchanan or Jay Gatsby go around flaunting their wealth to earn the approval of certai...

OFFICIAL SCRIPT CAST: Main Actor (MA)- generic school boy, very relatable to viewers Narrator (NA)- gentle voice, reassuring viewers Cool Kid (CK)- fashionable, model Peers/ Passerbys- extras Seller (S): even cooler-looking than CK. NA in physical form. SCENE 1:  MONDAY, INT. SCHOOL- DAY NA (voice over): Does everyone at school think you're lame (make it sound like a statement/fact)  MA walking down hallway, smiles at Passerbys. Cue sad music in background when Passerbys return smile with a weirded-out face, so MA is sheepish. He enters full classroom with head down and shoulders hunched. Teacher and peers laugh at him when he sits in the wrong desk and stumbles to the right one. NA: Do you wish you could make yourself cool (?) Close-up on MA dreamily gazing at CK and the crowd gathered around him. Two peers fan him with giant leaves. MA gets up, grabs hall pass, and walks out into hallway, looking dejected. Abrupt pause in sad music, c...

The picture to the right of the page from Maus is a Nazi propaganda poster targeting the Americans. Looking at it carefully, you'll see that each detail is a mockery of America's own issues. The girls on the shoulders wearing the beauty pageant sashes mocks the idea of being awarded a title like "World's Most Beautiful Leg." One of the girls, "Miss America," is wearing a Native American plains- Indian head-dress, demonstrating the mistreatment of Native Americans. Gangster problems and gun violence is represented with the gun. The guy is wearing a Ku-Klux-Klan mask while there are Blacks trapped in his rib (bird) cage, doing the jitterbug dance- supposedly an animalistic ritual. Indiscriminate military violence is demonstrated with the bomb for the bloodied foot. "Liberators" is the name of a U.S. bomber plane. Ironic, no? The malignant influence of Jews and Freemasons is shown with the flag of the Star of David hanging from the drum... Th...