Social Awareness #3

    

      


Observe your surroundings (school, home, neighborhood, media) 


      Well I go to school every 5 days a week and I observe my surroundings a lot. For example, most people hit each other... just for fun and most people tell people that they are ugly or fat etc. All of these are issues  are what I find totally unfair. I chose the topic on people calling each other fat or talking behind each other's back. I found this a serious problem because it it can harm you and persuade you to the wrong path. For an example, I am researching on Anorexia and bulimia nervosa and because of bullying and telling people they are fat it actually persuades them to do something wrong. For example,  I researched on this french model named Isabelle Cora and she actually suffered from Anorexia. The reason, she decided to become anorexic is because of her photographer and her boss. 
       Her boss told her that she was fat and she needed to lose weight. Isabelle decides to become anorexic and slowly she became addicted to it and she became only 86 pounds for a 28 year old! This is why i thought that it was totally unfair the way people are treating each other like this and it may lead you to thew wrong path  just like Isabelle Cora. I thought that it was wrong for Isabelle to do this to herself, because she even went to coma and she nearly died, but Isabelle is still anorexic... I also read many stories about young teenager who became anorexic or bulimic because people either told then they need to lose weight or they had a bad body image. I read it at : http://www.christianitytoday.com/iyf/truelifestories/ithappenedtome/7.50.html . If you go on this link you will obviously find diaries of young teenager struggling from anorexia nervosa. 
     So this was one topic from my list of observations and I explained why I thought it was either wrong or unfair. I also posted a video from Youtube with Jessica Simpson and Isabelle Cora and how Isabelle suffered from anorexia nervosa. 

Bulimia Article Responce ( Respond on 2-3 articles)

    I found 2-3 articles on Bulimia. Bulimia is a serious issue, especially in teenagers. I found one article on bulimia at  http://sks.sirs.com and  one article on bulimia at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov . Bulimia is a illness in which a person overeats or feels a loss of control  when they eat, and what they do next is they force themselves to throw up. The articles I researched on  both of them mentioned that young women tend to bulimia more than men. People with bulimia are often at a normal weight, but they see themselves as fat and huge. For example, I have a cousin who is 17 years old and is 5'7 tall and is 138 pounds and she is absolutely happy with her weight because she knows that because she is tall, her height is normal for her. The symptoms of bulimia is when you do compulsive exercise, and go to the bathroom everyday after you eat, or buying a large amount of food and disappear quickly.
       I also found out that both of my articles also mention that bulimia can lead to dangerous medical problems. People who force themselves to throw up, stick their finger down their throat and after a while their esophagus gets destroyed. People ( young female teenagers) have bulimia because they want to stay thin and is scared for their body images. The article on bulimia from http://sks.sirs.com , I  found out that even websites persuade young women to be bulimic. Juli Babbit , is a 26 year old women who is recovering from bulimia and has found herself often going to a websites and looking at pictures of thin models showing off their ribs and gave her tips to lose weight. Juli now realizes how that website damaged her physically and emotionally as well. People with bulimia may think that they are in control of bulimia, but slowly bulimia takes control over them, I decided to research on these issues because I've read  books and magazines on bulimia and how it was a serious issue among teenagers.
   So, I think that if you believe that bulimia will help you stay thin... think again.
Links: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
          http://sks.sirs.com

Social Awareness #2 (Two Voice Poem)

I WOKE UP FOR SCHOOL TODAY. 
I felt dizzy.
I felt sick.


MY BODY HURT TODAY.
I took to much drugs that night. 
She covered my body in bruises.


I WENT CRAZY.
I wanted to kill myself today. 
I wanted to kill her for beating me today.


WHY COULDN'T MY LIFE BE PERFECT?
I went to school today, but no one talked to me.
They looked at my bruises and cuts.


I WANT TO TELL.
Drugs changed my mind. 
She threatened me.


I JUST WANT TO DISAPPEAR.
I wish I never took drugs.
I just wish my mom changed.


( I found this video on youtube and it's about child abuse. Please watch this video, it's extremely sad )

Between the Shades of Gray by: Ruta Sepetys

"Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch..." - from the inside cover 


I currently finished reading Between the Shades of Gray. I really enjoyed this historical fiction book. It was filled with a whole wad of details. The historic place in the book took place in Siberia. The main character of this book was Lina who is a 15 year old girl and she and her family are forced by the Soviet guards out of their house and are forced to go to Siberia. Lina's father was captured before them and was sentenced to death in prison. Lina, at first, was extremely confused why she had to leave from their Lithuanian Home, but it was very hard for them to survive in Siberia as slaves. The Soviet guards were extremely cruel to them. Lina and her mom and younger brother had to stay in a crowded and dirty train car with other Lithuanian people. The  train car had absolutely no bathrooms at all, so people used the bathroom in the wagons! The train car became very stinky so they cut a hole in the train car, where the people can use the bathroom instead of using it in the wagon. Lina's mother tries hard to feed everyone in the cart, but Lina thought her mom shouldn't have been helping everyone especially the old man, who kept on complaining a lot. I also found this interesting quote from the inside cover. Lina and the other people had to get off the train car to go another one, but Jonas was grabbed a Soviet solider, but Lina's mother ran and begged the guard to let Jonas go. Jonas was extremely lucky that his mother knew how to speak Russian, so the mother had to give her pocket watch away(which was given by Lina's father). In felt really bad when I read this because it didn't make any sense to me. The reason why it didn't make sense because Lina's family is completely innocent, is isn't fair that he Soviet guards just violently barge into their house and capture them. After a hard life in the train car, they finally arrive to Siberia, but that's when things get even worse. Lina's father dies in the prison camp, which breaks their mothers heart because she couldn't see him for the last time. Lina is just experiencing  hard labor. Lina ended up with blisters all over her hands, but she and her mom were tortured badly by the guards. The Soviet guards wants Lina and her family to sign a contract, but a very bad contract. The contract stated that they had to work for 25 years, but they refused. So the guards kept shooting random people to scare them, most of them signed because they were really scared. Lina's mother dies at the end of the book because of hard labor. I felt so bad, because her life was completely ruined because of the Soviet Unions. I also felt bad because Lina had to see hoe both of her parents died. At the very end, Lina gets married with a guy she fell in love with, who she met in the train car named Andrius. Lina gets to leave Siberia and continues her life with Andrius.

Cleaning out my Closet by:Eminem ( Social Action #1)

Where's my snare?
I have no snare in my headphones - there you go
Yeah... yo, yo

Have you ever been hated or discriminated against?
I have; I've been protested and demonstrated against
Picket signs for my wicked rhymes, look at the times
Sick as the mind of the kid that's behind
All this commotion emotions run deep as ocean's explodin
Tempers flarin from parents just blow 'em off and keep goin
Not takin nothin from no one give 'em long as I'm breathin
Keep kickin  in the mornin and takin names in the evenin
Leave 'em with a taste as sour as vinegar in they mouth
See they can trigger me, but they'll never figure me out
Look at me now; I bet ya probably sick of me now ain't you momma?
I'm a make you look so ridiculous now

I'm sorry momma!
I never meant to hurt you!
I never meant to make you cry; but tonight
I'm cleanin out my closet (one more time)
I said I'm sorry momma!
I never meant to hurt you!
I never meant to make you cry; but tonight
I'm cleanin out my closet

Ha! I got some skeletons in my closet
And I don't know if no one knows it
So before they thrown me inside my coffin and close it
I'm a expose it; I'll take you back to '73
Before I ever had a multi-platinum sellin CD
I was a baby, maybe I was just a couple of months
My  father must have had in a bunch
Cause he split, I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye
No I don't on second thought I just wished he would die
I look at Hailie, and I couldn't picture leavin her side
Even if I hated Kim, I grit my teeth and I'd try
To make it work with her at least for Hailie's sake
I maybe made some mistakes.

I am a big fan of Eminem. This song was very deep and emotional. Eminem was young and had a painful life with his mother. Eminem has been bullied and his mother took a lot of drugs. Eminem's mother (Debbie) abused Eminem emotionally,physically,and verbally as well. Eminem had suffered more than as well. Eminem was bullied by a guy named Bailey. Bailey injured Eminem so much that Eminem got broken noses and sort of lost his vision in one of the eye, Debbie ended up suing his school for bad protection. Debbie was accused of putting her own son on drugs. Eminem was addicted to drugs because of his mother. This song he wrote and sang was about his dark past. Cleaning out my Closet is sort of an expression showing that how ever since he was a little kid, he tried to hide his past (  all his memories were sort of locked up in a closet.) Eminem wants to spill and tell everyone about his painful memories and does not want to keep it a secret anymore. Eminem wasn't only trying to clear out his childhood, but wanted everyone to know what his wife (Kim) did to him as well and wanted to start over again. Kim and Eminem knew each other as a kid and fell in love and got married. Eventually, Eminem became extremely famous because of his rapping, but Kim never loved him. Kim cared all was about money. Kim eventually cheated on Eminem, but Eminem found out and it caused a deeper hate for Kim. In the song Eminem wrote the lyrics  " I got some skeletons in my closet .And I don't know if no one knows it .So before they thrown me inside my coffin and close it.I'm a expose it; I'll take you back to '73"  I thinks what this means is that since Eminem kept these secrets with him for so long... it turned into  skeletons. I thought that this was like a metaphor because he compared it to dead bodies (skeletons) with his secrets. I kind of also changed the lyrics because their was few curses and I deleted the curses. But, I chose this song because it related to social issues like drugs, child abuse and bullying. So for those of you who didn't listen to this song, you really should. This isn't the whole entire song, this is only part of it.

Hate List by: Jennifer Brown

"The list was idea. I didn't want anyone to die. I didn't mean to be a hero. Will you ever forgive me?"  (from the blurb) 
Hate List by: Jennifer Brown was a very deep and emotional book which nearly bought me to tears. Hate List was a only a secret between Valerie and her boyfriend, Nick. Valerie didn't know that the Hate List would cause a tragedy to so many students. A few months ago, before the incident happened Val and Nick were happily dating and called themselves "Romeo and Juliet". Val was not popular, but there a girl named Christy who bullied her and Val hated her so much... and put her on the Hate List. Val was hearing her MP3 player one day,but Christy grabbed her MP3 player and broke which pissed off Val. Nick on the other hand always talked about committing suicide , but Val  never paid any attention because she thought Nick was just joking. Val was so pissed  at Christy and complained to Nick and Nick said "I'll take care of it". Val was so happy that Nick was protecting her, but everything went wrong that day. Nick went up to Christy and bumped into her. Val was behind Nick feeling so happy. Nick told Christy that she was on the Hate List. Val was mad at Nick because he told Christy their secret. That's when Nick took out a gun and shot Christy in the stomach. Val screamed and Christy fell to the floor nearly dead. Nick ran away shooting more people form the Hate List. Nick was looking for a girl named Ginny Baker who was hiding under a cafeteria table and shot her face which she had a to get a plastic surgery later on. Nick shot a lot people from the Hate List, but Val was getting frantic and ran around the school trying to stop Nick. She saw dead people on the floor and kept on hearing the gum go off and she finally found Nick in the chemistry lab. Nick shot her Chemistry teacher and was looking for Jessica Campbell. Jessica practically ruled Garvin High with her beauty and her popularity. Val put her on the Hate List because she made Val feel like she were nothing. Nick went crazy when he shot people and was about to shoot Jessica Campbell, but Val ran in front of Jessica trying to save her and got shot in the thigh. Val fainted and found her self in the Hospital. Frankie (her brother) won't talk to her and her mom was crying and thinks she was involved in the shooting. Detectives and psychologists constantly come and ask her questions. Frankie finally tells her that Nick is no longer alive, but Nick actually shot himself in the head. Val read news paper articles about the the shooting in Garvin High. People even say that they were happy that Nick died which teared Val in the inside. Val still loved Nick and few months later after the incident, Garvin High opened once again and Valerie had to start school again and confess her guilt about the Hate List. Hate List is  very good book. If you have not read this I am highly suggesting this book:)

2 Fav Post's in 810

I read many people's blog in my class and I have to admit that they all did a pretty great job on it! The blogs I really enjoyed was Zac Palomo's blog. Zac's summary was detailed and it also convinced me to read the book Zac was summarizing on. Zac's blog wasn't boring, but actually was very enjoyable as well. Zac actually put alot of effort into it. Another blog I enjoyed reading was Jamila Jahangir's blog. Jamila wrote a  poem which had a lot of meaningful details in it and her summary about Adrian (from the book The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4) was intensely deep.Her poem was really good and sorta had a rhythm and a beat to it. Everyone's blogs were also good too.