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Acknowledgements

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     I still remember the first day of class. I remember taking the syllabus and not knowing what was going to happen in the next few months. At first, I couldn't decide whether to take 11 English AP. Now. looking back after 9 months, I know that it was the right decision. I wouldn't be where I am now if not for that. All those vocab quizzes, in-class essays, and reading assignments were worth it. To. where it all started, the first reading assignment, The Partly Cloudy Patriot, I will always remember how it made me understand that you can truly support your country, but be vigilant of the actions of its government. To my favorite reading, This is Water, which made me realize that the real value of real education is simple awareness of what is hidden in plain sight all around us. To the book I actually enjoyed reading even though it was for school, The Great Gatsby, I can never forget how entertaining the plot was and how it had some of the most important themes like greed,
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Photography

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Can you imagine a world without pictures? There would be no camera rolls, no movies, no social media, and so much more. Life wouldn't be the same. Photographs have become such a big part of our lives that we cannot imagine living without them. They allow us to capture memories that we don't want to forget. They illuminate issues like war, migration, art, and fashion. They raise awareness about important issues and inspiring action. Why would photography ever limit our understanding of the world? If anything, it provides glimpses into the past and preserves culture. Photographs freeze a memory so that we can always go back and relive the moment. Pictures usually are not something that need an explanation; sometimes even the photographer doesn't know what the reason behind taking a picture is. We can interpret what we want to by looking at a picture. They don't always need to mean something specific. It's not that the purpose of photographs is to enhance experience or
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Entertaining or Educational

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The prompt about Florida's Okefenokee Swamp portrayed the same place in two different ways - educational and engaging. Though the second one was better to read, the first one had more information. This made me think about how if I wanted to learn about something, would I pick an article that is practical or entertaining. The practical one would be dull, and the entertaining one might not be informative. I wouldn't know which to pick. It's like the difference between two YouTube videos you find when you search  "How to use chopsticks correctly". One might be called "Using chopsticks correctly" and the other might be called "Five things you didn't know about using chopsticks". I would probably click on both of them, but that's a waste of time. I read this article that said content needs to be at least one of these three things: entertaining, informative, or educational. Or else, it will get lost in the never-ending sea of online content.
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Why do we do things that are bad for us?

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Akrasia is built into a tiny part of every human being. Sometimes, or most of the time in some cases, we know it's not good, but we can't help it, we lose self-control. No matter how hard we try to not act against our better judgment, we are human, we do what makes us happy in the short run. This cannot be summed up in one big example but in several small ones. Every day, we choose between a better option and an easier one. I can't speak for everyone but I choose the easier one 50% of the time, even though I know it's not good. This is mostly true for decisions that have no immediate consequences. A simple choice between going to the gym or watching TV with loads of junk food might make me question my judgment. There's a high chance of me picking the first - and clearly better - option if everything is fine, but even a minor inconvenience will most likely make me pick the second option. The minor inconvenience will act as an excuse to avoid what I know to be good. E
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Cancel Culture

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Cancel culture, a modern internet phenomenon where a person is ejected from influence or fame by questionable actions caused by a critical mass of people who are quick to judge and slow to question, has changed how, when, and where people challenge each other's views. It has become so widespread that when someone says something that doesn't collide with most people's ideas, they get canceled, and what happens to them later is completely ignored. Though it can be a little harsh, cancel culture in most cases quite literally means, "If you disagree with me, I will do whatever it takes to ruin your life". One of the biggest victims of cancel culture is teens. When canceled by peers, a teen experiences commenting,  unfollowing, bullying, ignoring, and isolating.  L went through one such experience. She didn't even realize she had been canceled until all the friends she had through middle school completely cut her off. When she asked them what happened, they insulte
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Lack of Representation in Media

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According to a website, 73% of people have had their name mispronounced. And most of those people said it made them feel disrespected, upsetting, and like they didn't belong. This other website said there a five stages to what people feel when their name is mispronounced. 1. Denial - no clue that you have a difficult name. 2. Anger - Why was I named like this? 3. Bargaining - Mom, can I change my name? 4. Depression - (So this didn't really happen to me) 5. Acceptance - Call me anything you want, but please don't shorten my name since it gives a whole new meaning to it. I found myself relating to some of these stages, just like Firoozeh Dumas did in "The 'F Word'". The line that stuck out to me was: "My name, Firoozeh, chosen by my mother, means 'Turquoise' in Farzi. In America, it means 'Unpronounceable'". This made me think about how due to either changing their name or shortening it, the beautiful meanings the names have are lo
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The Onion

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Litter-Robot Recalls Thousands Of Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes That Accidentally Transported Cats To Year 1300   When you first saw the Litter-Robot, did you think it was an amazing invention? Or were you one of those people who thought it was useless and not worth the money? Apparently, the Onion also didn't like many aspects of the Litter-Robot. The main thing the article didn't like is the way a cat goes inside the box and doesn't return for a while. The article said "Attributing the defect to a manufacturing error pet care company Whisker issued a recall Wednesday on thousands of self-cleaning Litter-Robots that had accidentally transported customers' cats to the year."  The sardonic tone here is mocking the design of the Litter-Robot because the cat basically goes into the box and is locked up, causing the owners to worry about their pets. Even though the bright white light and the whirring in the picture are an exaggeration, the robot overall seems pretty
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