This is What's Up!

Escape existence with "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson.

"If I weighed 10.00, I wouldn't be happy until I got down to 005.00. The only number that would ever be enough is 0." Lia wants to disappear with her weight and to get there, drugs, puking, cutting, and anorexia are all open options. How far can she go until she again meets Cassie; her dead winter friend.

New and Blue

Jessica C.

Mrs. Zurkowski

Honors English Purples

October 27, 2010

New and Blue

Blue is the first color in the abbey that Prince Prospero owned and it is the first stage of life. Blue represents water, which is full of life. Hundreds of different plants and animals live in water, and humans need water to survive. Naturally, most people associate life and blue together. In “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe, Poe briefly describes the room that is blue. He only says that “vividly blue were its windows”. He calls the color vivid, or lively. Edgar Allen Poe, wanted his readers to see that in his story “The Masque of the Red Death”, blue is representative of life.

            Blue also be known as the beginning of life. In the story, the blue room is placed in the far most Eastern side of the abbey. The rooms are arranged east to west. It is commonly known that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. This symbolizes life starting in the eastern room, the blue room, reaching its peak, in the orange room, and ending with the setting sun in the black room. Blue is representing the beginning of life, infancy. Infants are dependent. So in the beginning stage of life, humans are young and dependent. Babies are also lively. They are literally alive in the fact that they can carry out all of the functions of a living thing which includes a specialized way of getting food: crying. Babies are very lively because when they need something, they cry and use all their energy to get food, while grown humans will simply open up a refrigerator. Infants have moved on in their time of existence where they can survive without being inside the womb and they are happy and lively. They still can’t do much for themselves, so despite being dependent, they are vivid and jubilant.

            The color blue and its symbolic meaning of life are important to me because I have three new baby cousins. By seeing them grow I can see that this point in their life is important because what they see and hear now is going to greatly impact them later. This period of time when they depend on others, by the help of parents and other people, they learn everything. It is through this point in a human’s life that their central ideas and beliefs will reflect. I have seen my cousins learn good behaviors and bad behaviors through those that assist them. Part of life is learning the difference between things that we should and should not do. In the earliest stages of life, young children learn that. Through this they are truly living. In “The Masque of the Red Death” the blue room is the first room to be entered. This is where the guests are taught how to behave in their environment and react to people, including Death. As they travel these rooms, they learn more and more.

All About O. Henry

1. O.Henry's real name was William Sydney Porter.

2. He usually wrote about ordinary people in New York City and his stories usually ended with situational irony.
3. Porter was raised  by his grandmother and aunt because his mother died when he was three.
4. He left school at the age of 15.
5. He was convicted on embezzling money although he may have not been guilty.
6. Writing short stories was his way of making money for his daughter while he served five years in prison.
7. In a two year period, he wrote a story every week.
8. The closing years of O. Henry's years involved alcoholism, medical issues, and financial problems.
9. He was married for a year to Sara Lindsay Coleman.
10. On June 5, 1910 he died.

Image and Information cite : http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/

Edgar Allan Poe Webquest

Image site: http://poestories.com/gallery.php



In reading "The Masque of the Red Death", our class learned more about Edgar Allan Poe by participating in a webquest.

1. Provide the following biographical information: birthdate; birthplace; death date.
1. Edgar Allen Poe was born January 19, 1809 in Boston and died October 7, 1849
2. What tragic childhood events influenced his writing?
1. Poe's mother died when he was 2 years old and his father abandoned him.
3. There are 13 theories on what caused Poe's death. List five of them.
1. He had tremors and kept relapsing until death
2. He might have had brain lesions and died of brain fever.
3. Possibly death due to an enzyme disorder
4. On the day Poe died it was election day in Baltimore so Poe may have been beaten, intoxicated, and had his clothing changed so he could vote various times.
5. Poe may have been beaten to death 
4. According to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, what state did Poe call home?
1. Poe's home according to the Edgar Allen Poe Museum was in Virginia with his adoptive family.
5. What does the Poe Society of Baltimore think about this claim?
1. The Poe Society of Baltimore says that Poe's hometown is in Baltimore with the Clemms.
6. What famous military academy expelled Poe in 1831?
1. In 1831 Poe was expelled from West Point.
7. Who did Poe marry? How old was she?
1. Poe married Virginia Clemm when she was 13 years old.
8. What do you think about the marriage?
1. I think that it's very odd that Poe married his cousin especially at such a large age difference.
9. When was "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat" written?
1. "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat" were wrote in 1843.
10. When was "The Raven" published?
1. "The Raven" was published in 1845.

I haven't read much of Edgar Allan Poe's works. I have only read "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Masque of the Red Death" because of English last year and again this year. I don't particularly like his writing because I find it really creepy especially the way he describes things. Although I do appreciate "The Raven" because of the Baltimore Ravens football team.

Source cites:

1. http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/person/timeline_play.asp
2. http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poedeath.htm
3. http://poestories.com/view.php?photo=42bfacea44500
4. http://www.poemuseum.org/index.php
5. http://www.eapoe.org/papers/misc1921/quinnc09.htm

To be Among the Beautiful

The leaves fall down bright and vibrant.

Fall to an end

One day to begin and live again.

But they fall right now,

Down to the ground.

Every color making a difference.

The yellows, reds, and browns all swirl together.

Ones of the same color,

Staying ugly together.

And I think of the race of the people we are.

A small tree of red among all of the yellows, reds, and browns.

Small and ugly.

Big and beautiful.

To be a red among the yellows and browns

Would turn my frown around.

Because I could be next to fall,

And I want to be among the most beautiful .

Willkommen!

Willkommen! Welcome to the second quarter of school! School has been great so far. One of my favorite classes right now is German. English grammar and sentence structure is helping me to become better at German. In English, I'm excited to read some Shakespeare. As a famous writer, many of my friends have read him and told me of the challenge his writing poses and I'm excited to see if I stand a chance in reading this. Also, we're reading Edgar Allen Poe, which thrilled about. Edgar Allen Poe wrote the creepiest stories. Reading them is like being forced to watch a scary movie in school. I hate scary movies so I hope the Edgar Allen Poe unit will move quickly and the Shakespeare unit will overshadow this.

At the Bel Air High School Homecoming, some friends and I had an interesting time!

Changing the Drinking Age Position Paper

Image cite: http://www.caterersearch.com/

Changing the Drinking Age

According to Edgar Snyder & Associates, "About 5,000 people under the age of 21 die each year as a result of underage drinking, 1,900 of those deaths are from auto accidents.” (Edgar Snyder & Associates). Drunk driving results in an excessive amount of death every year, although teenagers driving under the influence seem to be the most common. If is also widely known that the drinking age in America is 21 years of age, how then do all of these teenagers gain the title drunk drivers? By illegal consumption of alcohol, teenagers engage in risky activities such as drunk driving, unprotected sex, and binge drinking. Then the final result of drinking becomes numerous teen pregnancies, high intoxication rates, motor vehicle accidents, and deaths.  Ironically enough, the victims of these things, wish to lower the drinking age.  Lowering the drinking age would be to adulterate the mental and physical health of growing teenagers as well as their future.

As it was already stated, the outcome of a lower drinking age would be more harmful than helpful because there would be a flux in drunk driving, teen pregnancy, and other risky behaviors.  According to Anindya Sen and May Luong , “Population Health Surveys (NPHS) validate that increased alcohol consumption is correlated with risky sexual practices, and ultimately with an increased likelihood of being infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD).”  This means that not only is teen pregnancy a resulting issue of underage drinking, but STDs are a result as well (Sen, and Luong 1). Both the unborn child and mother could face physical ailments for the rest of their lives. Another issue with changing the drinking age would be that if 18 year olds could legally obtain and consume alcohol, they could share it with those that are younger than 18 more easily.(“Minimum Drinking Age”). The biggest problem with this is that most 18 year olds are still in high school which has students as young as 14. If an 18 year old had a party and invited someone that was 14, it is more than likely that the 14 year old could consume alcohol.. Out of all of them, 16 and 18 year olds could legally be driving. Lowering the drinking age would put more drunk drivers on the street. However, this idea of lowering the drinking age was tested in some states between 1976 and 1983. Unfortunately, the death rate had spiked upward so dramatically in this shot period of time that states had no option but to rise the drinking age again (“Minimum Drinking Age”). Reducing the drinking age did not help the welfare of teenagers of America then, and it will not now.

Young people drinking may result in poor mental health among them. Christina Burke has found that alcohol affects memory, attention, visuospatial skills, and reasoning (Burke). Alcohol certainly does not increase any of those things but instead decreases the efficiency of the brain in those areas. One of the most horrible effects of those is reasoning. After drinking if reasoning is distorted, then things like teen pregnancy and drunk driving become a problem. Also, regular heavy drinkers have slower brain reactions than those how are relatively light drinkers (Burke).This means that binge drinkers would face worse medical conditions opposed to someone that drinks small amounts of alcohol. Although light drinking is better, continual alcohol exposure can increase aggression and likely hood of becoming an alcoholic or drug addict especially in young alcohol consumers (Burke).As stated in “Drinking Age” "the human body does not fully develop until around the age of 21, proponents say; the intake of alcohol can cause grave mental and physical damage to a still-developing body” (“Minimum Drinking Age”). As a young drinker becomes more dependent on alcohol, they have a greater chance of becoming an abuser of another substance as well. These will both result in deterioration in the adolescent’s body and mind. The effects of alcohol aren’t worth the consumption.

Drinking teens are highly susceptible to alcohol dependency and treatment is difficult. Judi Hanson states that "Nine out of 10 teens who get treatment for alcohol abuse will relapse at least once…" (Burke) Also, 1 out of every 10 alcohol dependent adolescents will receive adequate treatment (Burke) As a teenager, kids do things without thinking. If one of them developed a habit of drinking and became an alcoholic, they would have a 1 in 10 chance of being treated to stop the addiction. Again with addictions, a study was tested on rats to see if rats exposed to alcohol at a young age would drink it again at an older age, even if it had made them sick at a young age. The experiment showed that rats who drank when they were younger, drank alcohol again even though it had previously made them ill. The same experiment was run with adult rats. When the rats were exposed to alcohol for a second time, they refused it (Burke). Those who begin drinking as teenagers will have more of a likely hood to become hooked on alcohol young whereas those at an older age have a smaller change of becoming addicted. Lastly, peer pressure can be the downfall of someone in rehab (Burke). If the alcoholic’s peers are encouraging alcohol consumption, then it will be harder for them to quit drinking. If many people are drinking at a younger age, their peers can push alcohol on them and therefore cause them a long lasting addition. Becoming addicted to alcohol isn’t hard for teenagers but it is hard for them to receive proper treatment.

It has been said that the drinking age should be lower because if teenagers weren't worried about being caught drinking, they would be more responsible. Because teenagers are so afraid of being caught drinking alcohol, they drink more alcohol faster in an unsafe environment causing high intoxication rates (“Minimum Drinking Age”). As it seems reasonable to lower the drinking age so that teenagers won’t binge drink in order to keep a clean rap sheet, there will always be an age group that can’t have alcohol. If the drinking age was moved down to 18, would this cause a fluctuation in drinking in 14-17 year olds? According to “Minimum Drinking Age”, this is called the "forbidden fruit" theory. By making alcohol legally unattainable for those under 21, lawmakers have inadvertently romanticized it, causing teenagers to want to drink even more, critics maintain" (“Minimum Drinking Age”). There is always someone that can’t have alcohol and we can’t keep pushing the age back or there’d be toddlers allowed to drink.

Others also argue that a higher drinking age doesn’t reduce the amount of drunk driving. “Minimum Drinking Age” also states that "decrease in alcohol-related car accidents among 16- to 20-year-olds also show a dramatic increase in such accidents among 21- to 24-year old.” (“Minimum Drinking Age”). This is very true but if a young adult 21-24 cannot drive safely, then why could someone younger than them drive anymore safely? 21-24 year olds have more experience driving and more experience in making decisions. In Kristen Rollin’s research she found that "A National Institute of Health proposes that the part of the brain that restrains risky behavior, including reckless driving, and thinking skills is not fully developed until the age of 25." (Rollins). Until age 25, there is no significant difference in the ability of an 18 year old and a 21 year old in making a responsible decision. Therefore, the drinking age shouldn’t be lowered but perhaps raised to age 25 so that drinkers are more responsible.

The drinking age as it stands should be raised, not lowered. The younger individuals begin to drink, the worse shape they will be in. At age 25, people are able to make better decisions than younger people. Teen pregnancy, drunk driving, and intoxication rates could be reduced if the desire to consume alcohol wasn’t so young. The age group below the drinking age will of course want to drink, but if the drinking age is higher, those that wish to drink will be older than those who want to drink now. The mental and physical health of the nation could be helped if the nation had a higher drinking age. Drinking at an early age has horrible overall effects on teenagers and that cannot be overlooked.

Works Cited

Burke, Christina, Lisa Caldwell, and Susan E. Tapert. "Alcohol and the adolescent          brain: human           studies." Alcohol Research & Health Winter 2004: 205+. Gale         Student Resources In Context. Web. 17 Sept. 2010.

"Drinking Age." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 17 Sept. 2010.

Edgar Snyder & Associates , . "Underage Drinking Statistics ." Edgar Snyder & Associates . Edgar Snyder & Associates , 2010. Web. 3 Oct 2010.

"Minimum Drinking Age." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues &         Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 6 July 2009. Web. 3 Oct. 2010.

Rollins, Kristen. "Brain Not Fully Developed until Age 25." N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct          2010

Sen, Anindya, and May Luong. "Sex, Teen Pregnancies, STDs, and Beer Prices: Empirical Evidence from Canada." 1. Web. 3 Oct 2010.



Notes on Changing the Drinking Age: Third Source

Treatment of Alcoholism

Millar, Heather. "The hidden epidemic of very young alcoholics: the stats disguise a startling truth: Kids are starting to drink at the age of 11, 10, even 9. This is how it's happening--and how three young drinkers finally stopped." Good Housekeeping May 2007: 176+. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.

1.      Teens who try alcohol will continue to use it even if it makes them ill.

2.      Adults who drink alcohol that makes them sick will not drink it as often or to that extent again.

3.      "Nine out of 10 teens who get treatment for alcohol abuse will relapse at least once, according to Judi Hanson"

4.      "'Early drinking can alter normal brain development, leaving the adult more vulnerable to drinking problems.'"

5.      One out of ten adolescents with alcohol dependency problems won’t receive proper or enough treatment to become sober.

6.      Treatment is expensive and usually not covered by insurance.

7.      Social groups of alcoholic teens usually support drinking.

8.      It is hard for adolescents to quit drinking when their friends support it.

9.      Binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning and death.

10.  1/3 of 6-9th graders obtain alcohol from somewhere in their own home.

11.  Recovery for adolescents sometimes must result in relocating homes.

Image site: http://www.google.com/

Notes on Changing the Drinking Age: Second Source

Affects of Alcohol on Young People





Burke, Christina, Lisa Caldwell, and Susan E. Tapert. "Alcohol and the adolescent brain: human studies." Alcohol Research & Health Winter 2004: 205+. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 17 Sept. 2010.

1.       Drinking as a teen can cause develop issues in  brain structures

2.       Frequent and large consumptions of alcohol have effects on nervous system

3.       "young adulthood is a period when most people make critical educational, occupational, and social decisions, and impaired cognitive functioning at this time could substantially affect their futures."

4.       "7 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence"

5.       Areas that alcohol affects are: memory, attention, visuospatial skills, and reasoning.      

6.       Brain structure deformities with alcohol use

7.       Regular heavy drinkers have slower brain reactions than those how are relatively light drinkers

8.       Continual alcohol exposure can increase aggression and likely hood of becoming an alcoholic or drug addict especially in young alcohol consumers

9.       Heavy drinking at a young age may not have any effect on some people.

10.   Alcohol youth disorders can be related to genetics

 Image site: http://www.google.com/

Notes on Changing the Drinking Age: First Source

Changing the Drinking Age

"Minimum Drinking Age." Issues & Controversies On File: n. page. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, July 2009.  John Carroll School Library. Web. 22 Sept. 2010.

1.      United States has one of the highest drinking ages opposed to other nations in the world.

2.      It is illegal for anyone under 21 years old to possess alcohol but there are some exceptions in some states.

3.      The high drinking age is enforced to stop drunk driving and for welfare of youths.

4.     "the human body does not fully develop until around the age of 21, proponents say; the intake of alcohol can cause grave mental and physical damage to a still-developing body”

5.      Due to the fact that teenagers don’t want to be caught drinking, they drink more alcohol faster in an unsafe environment causing high intoxication rates.

6.      71% of high school students have tried alcohol.

7.      94% high school students have said it is fairly easy to obtain alcohol.

8.      Keg parties are commonly used opposed to safe locations with drinking limits like bars.

9.     Teen drinking leads to teen pregnancy.

10.            "decrease in alcohol-related car accidents among 16- to 20-year-olds also show a dramatic increase in such accidents among 21- to 24-year olds."

11.            18 year olds are still in high school. They could give alcohol to students as young as 14.

Image site:  http://www.2facts.com/

Alcoholism: Should the Drinking Age Stay at 21?

I'm doing some research on the controversial subject of the drinking age in America and here are some thoughts I had on the subject:
1. Why was the law created?
2. Who does the law affect?
3. Could younger alcohol consumers teach young people how to handle alcohol responsibly?
4. Does the law created more harm or help to youth?

Social Issue: Alcoholism

Book: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Topic: Alcoholism

Key terms:

1.      “pregnant and consuming alcohol”

2.      “side effects of alcohol”

3.      “dysfunctional families”

4.      “addictions”

5.      “underage drinking”

6.      “children of alcoholics”

7.      “alcoholism”

Alcoholism

A reoccurring and important issue in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is alcoholism. Alcoholism effects people from any age: before infancy to death. Alcoholism can affect an unborn child if the mother is consuming alcohol. 8,500 babies are born every year with some form of fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS. (http://allpsych.com/journal/alcoholism.html) Families of alcoholics can be torn apart by the denial and anger that arises from the addiction. Programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous have been created to help cure addictions, although sometimes the problem doesn’t resolve at the addiction’s end, due to the pain caused on the family. Alcoholism relates to my life because I know people that could be considered an alcoholic and I know that their alcoholic habits have hurt others.

Image site: http://www.google.com/imgres

Novel Pen Pal Letter

September 3, 2010


Dear Junior,

My name is Jessica C., but, like you, I have a nickname: Jessie. This summer I read the entire Harry Potter series which I absolutely loved! I then went to Hershey Park with my friend Megan. I also went to the beach with my other friend Meg. I live very far away from where you live in Iowa.

I enjoyed reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, because I thought it was very realistic. I admired the way you handled the hardships that you had to endure. Everyone struggles to fit in, it but you had the hardest of challenges when most everyone on your reservation hated you because you were going to school off the reservation. To make matters worse, at the beginning of school in Reardan, the students there didn’t like you either! I admired the way that you tried to make friends with people that were not extremely friendly such as Penelope and Gordy. I felt that your ambition and perseverance is what allowed you to become friends with them.

Sherman Alexie made you seem desperate at some points in your story, which I think is a very accurate description of every teenager in some point in their teenage years. You seemed desperate when you kept trying to fix your friendship with Rowdy by giving him drawings of you and him and calling his home. Rowdy responded to you by calling you profane names and punching you. He even had his dad lie and say he wasn't home when you went to visit him. You wanted Rowdy to be your friend again no matter what he did to you, and I think that every person would respond the same way.

It is quite simple to see how alcohol negatively affected your life. Family friend, Eugene, your grandmother, brother-in-law, and sister were all killed within a year due to their own alcohol consumption or of someone else’s. In fact you even think “ … I knew five or ten or fifteen more Spokanes would die during the next year, and that most of them would die because of booze.” You made me think that drinking was more than just something adults do and that it is something that can hurt people. I have always known that drunk driving was wrong, but when Eugene was killed by Bobby for the last sip of wine, I realized that alcohol is deadly even when its consumer isn’t behind the wheel. I think that people would realize how bad alcohol is, if they portrayed the dangers in a different form then drunk driving. If more people could see that alcohol could take away your money, hope, feelings, and health, they would take this issue more seriously.

My grandmother died last year and that was hard enough, so I don’t understand how you could have possibly dealt with all your losses. I hope your burden gets lighter, and that with time, your pain will ease. Lastly, thank you for your inspiring bravery to give yourself what you deserve despite what anyone says.

Fondly,
Jessica C.

Summer Reading Questions

 Over the Summer I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian  by Sherman Alexie.
Here are some questions that I answered that may help you understand the book.

1. Arnold Spirit, also known as Junior is a brave, ambitious, and a sensitive 14 year-old boy. He has the fortitude to take his problems by the horns. He also cares deeply about his friends and family and he falls apart without their love.


2. At the beginning of the story, Junior’s teacher tells him to get out of the reservation in hope of a better life for him. In the middle of the story, Junior starts school off the reservation where he makes friends, plays basketball, becomes hated by his best friend, and loses his grandmother. The story ends with the death of Junior’s sister, and him getting his best friend back.

3. The death of Junior’s friend, grandmother, and sister are all due to alcohol. This shows that the author thinks that alcohol is not a good way to spend a life because life goes by too quickly.

4. A main issue in the story is alcohol and it affects Junior because a drunk driver hit his beloved grandmother, which made him depressed. Rowdy, Junior’s best friend’s father is an alcoholic and abuses him, which causes Rowdy to be mean. Junior's sister is killed by a party where because everyone was under then influence, his sister and brother-in-law are killed by a fire. Lastly, Junior’s dad is an alcoholic and spends most of his money drinking which makes him depressed because he cannot support his family.

5. The author makes alcoholism a very real issue when the father comes home on Christmas with nothing but five dollars because he spent the rest on alcohol. This issue becomes real because it is hard to see a parent trying to escape reality rather than dealing with the problem itself. Poverty also becomes a real issue in the story when Junior has to walk to school because his family can’t afford gas. Most Americans take a ride to school for granted so when Junior couldn’t get a ride it truly brought to life the reality of poverty in society.

Image Site: http://zunal.com/myaccount/uploads/sherman_alexie_5.jpg

Unique Profile

Me!

I’m Jessica and I have been dancing ever since I was three. From ballet to tap, tap to jazz, jazz to hip hop and modern, and then more ballet classes. I have devoted most of my time to dance. When I’m not dancing, in the non-existent spare time that I have, I play my cello and softball. Because of the lack of time I have, I don’t get to think about my future or what I truly enjoy doing. Therefore, this year, my goal is to discover myself more. I don’t know what clubs I’ll join yet, but I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see.