As we all know, the fuss over climate change and global warming have grown into overwhelming amounts. Many have said that humans are the main cause of global warming; this is very far from the truth. As we have seen in the past, the Earth fluctuates through its own natural stages of warming up and cooling down since the prehistoric times. Scientists have been promoting the belief that our use of cars and other "harmful" technology is detrimental to the world due to release of gases such as carbon dioxide. They have said that we are wasting our resources and should be conserving them for the future generations. Because of this, people are actually recycling and using less electricity because they believe that if they don't, the world will reach an end. “Even if global warming were true, we have no actual proof that humans even contribute to it,” says one Republican Congresswoman. "The amount of funding needed to even do all the things environmentalists want to is just too enormous. Most of these researchers are coming up with these ideas and they aren't even climate scientists; what makes the situation worse is the fact they haven't shown any evidence to their claims. I can assure you that we would know if we were affecting the Earth in a negative way. We've seen little to no sight of major weather increase in the last decade. Obviously, the majority does not know what they are talking about. If I can't see it, I don't believe it!" With the growing problems, paper bags are now being instituted into grocery markets nowadays; this is wrong because now we have to mass produce paper and plastic bags just to give people the option between the two. People are even riding bikes a lot more, particularly in the United States. "It's so silly how people actually are riding bikes because they think cars are hurting the ozone," says an anonymous male U.S. citizen. "Okay, maybe carbon dioxide is causing ozone depletion; so what? That still doesn't make me want to ride bikes. Why would I want to tire myself out every time I want to get somewhere? People are literally riding miles and miles for no reason at all; global warming has become a hindrance in their transportation. Why would you force people to work their way around everywhere? If I wanted to workout, I would go to the gym! While they are all going around riding bikes all day, I'll be riding my new Maserati!" Scientists are pushing for mayors in cities to start encouraging recycling and reusing. Recycling bins are starting to be being placed all over towns and cities in attempts for people to stop throwing away plastic. Researchers are saying that plastic bags are hurting animals who mistaken the bags for food, and that plastic bags also hurt the environment. However, many argue that it is necessary to kill animals to survive and that we already kill them for food. It shouldn't be our fault birds and other predators eat plastic bags. Also, there doesn't seem to be any noticeable drastic damage to the ecosystem so why does it matter? Our world is perfectly fine the way it is. Climatic change is a natural occurring event that occurs many times throughout our history dating back to times such as the Ice Age. Instead of repudiating it, we should actually embrace it. In the near future, we will finally be able to visit Antarctica, something we would never have been able to do regularly in another time period. I chose to use global warming as my problem because its something that I personally feel very passionate about. I believe that global warming is very real and that each year it seems like the weather is becoming more and more unpredictable. I feel that we shouldn't try to pretend that problems don't exist; we should confront them with a solution. The satirical argument I created is one that is saying that global warming is not harmful to us at all, masking the true argument which is that it is indeed harmful. People who don't catch sarcasm quickly probably wouldn't get that this was a satire because you have to really be able to spot when sarcasm is present in the article. I chose to create a news article because I felt it would deliver a lot better than a song or video. In my article, I provide a lot of serious situations like the death of animals while still providing a little comedy to make the reader chuckle. I had a point, which was to show how silly it is to believe this, and I showed sarcasm such as when I explained us being able to one day travel to Antarctica on a regular basis. In the article, I presented an understatement when the male U.S. citizen says, "Okay, maybe carbon dioxide is causing ozone depletion...", a moment of verbal irony when the Republican mentions that most researchers aren't even climate scientists while she is a politician who practically knows nothing about science, and finally a parody that was meant for the Bill Nye and Republican Congresswoman Blackburn debate on climate change.
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Global warming is becoming an increasing issue in the world. Climate change is occurring, as we can see from the rise in sea level due to melting of polar glaciers and from the growing intensity of catastrophic hurricanes. A trend of increasing droughts and winter storms are even said to be linked to global warming, along with the depletion of the Earth's ozone layer; the rise in the use of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, and methane are all said to be contributing to ozone depletion. The last few decades have been the warmest Earth's seen since 1850. Unless we take extreme, necessary precautions to prevent further destruction, it's only going to get worse. Sadly, a large portion of people, mostly in the United States, don't believe that global warming even exists; most of those who do believe global warming is real feel that humans aren't a contributing factor. They say that global warming has been occurring even before the age of man, claiming that it is a natural cycle that has fluctuated from the ice ages to now. They even have said we can't possibly know since we can't rely on the thermometers of previous times which could be inaccurate. National Geographic has reputed that we can use other sources for information about climate, such as trees which tell us about the environmental conditions throughout its years based on its rings. (Is Global Warming Real?) Climate change is real and its only getting worse. Within the scientific community, there is no debate; global warming is happening and it is because of human interference. Though natural amounts of carbon dioxide have varied, today's carbon dioxide levels are higher than its ever been in the past 800,000 years, being more than 40 percent of what we would consider to be normal. Climate change is real and its only getting worse. Within the scientific community, there is no debate; global warming is happening and it is because of human interference. Though natural amounts of carbon dioxide have varied, today's carbon dioxide levels are higher than its ever been in the past 800,000 years, being more than 40 percent of what we would consider to be normal. Works Cited
"How are humans responsible for global warming?" Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental Defense Fund. Web. 19 February 2014. http://www.edf.org/climate/human-activity-is-causing-global-warming "Are humans responsible for global warming?" Web. 19 February 2014. http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-humans-responsible-for-global-warming "Is Global Warming Real?" National Geographic. National Geographic. Web. 19 February 2014. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-real/ Mullin creates an epic scene of this new apocalyptic world as well as sets a great tone for the story, as shown in this passage. He uses words "lifelessly" and "mummifying" to create a deep, dark feel for the readers. Mullin uses phrases in parenthesis to emphasize the observations of the protagonist such as, "I saw the front of the car ... a guy (or girl, it was impossible to tell) sat in there, head leaning lifelessly...". Mullin uses short sentences, most likely to create dramatic effect for example when he writes, "But after that, I avoided looking into wrecked cars." Mullin only uses declarative sentence types in this passage most likely to establish a sadness and despair feeling. Sentences seem to be kept structured with simple and complex sentences. These simple sentences correlate directly with the main character and his thought process, thus forming a character readers can connect to. The fact Mullin uses simple common teenage language also unites teenage readers to the character, creating a more emotionally riveting story for them as well. From this, we can see how Mullin plans on attracting people to indulge in his novel, particularly teenagers. Dating your mom by ian frazierI found this writing by Ian Frazier to be very funny. Frazier uses the relationship between mother and son and twists it by describing it as romantic. Frazier tells hows the son tries to attract his mother but feels guilty for his father, providing a great comical scene for the readers. Also, Frazier describes the loving son complimenting his mother on her appearance, alarming the reader as something absurd. While reading, I slowly began to realize the message Frazier was trying to convey. The irony is that people tend to think that emotions or love towards one's parents is disgusting, which is unusual because parents are so loving for their children. Of course Frazier exaggerates this by changing the interpretation from family love to romance to gain the attention of the reader for a more dramatic and comical effect. From this, I believe this writing to be a satire. The message Frazier is presenting is that there is nothing wrong showing appreciation and love for one's parents, exploiting how silly people are for believing otherwise. High school students demand wars in easier-to-find countriesThis was definitely one of the most funny writing of the four I've read. The author did an excellent job showing how teenagers actually talk in this satire; yes, I do believe this is a satire because it expresses how uneducated young people are about worldly affairs. Most of the education in the United States is centered on America and not much else. Students don't really learn in detail about the world until they take world history in sophomore year. I really laughed at the part where they compared the situation to a video game; that sounds like someone would do something like that. In terms of literary devices, I would say he/she presented an instance of an understatement in the part where the article stated "people claim we don't know as much geography as our parents and grandparents..." How to write about africa by binyavanga wainainaBinyavanga Wainaina's cleverness in this excerpt from Granta 92: The View from Africa is very astounding to me, making it one of the best satirical pieces I've ever read. Wainaina's makes fun of the typical stereotype that Africa is a poor country that is in desperate need from Western assistance. This work is complete genius as Wainaina describes the scenes of Africa that usually come to one's mind, making the readers chuckle about how silly all of it really is. An example of this is when she describes the people with "naked breasts (young, old, conservative, recently raped, big, small) or mutilated genitals, or enhanced genitals. Or any kind of genitals. And dead bodies. Or, better, naked dead bodies. And especially rotting naked dead bodies." This writing is filled with tons of hyperboles of the thoughts of Africa by the western nations. Miss kindergarten america by carol SchacterThis writing by Carol Schacter I found to be quite interesting. I believe this also was a satire because it describes how a little girl, who participates in beauty pageants, is forced into growing up and is focused on beauty way too early than she should, presented when it says "she had stopped eating cookies and ice cream and started smoking. Then she had really lost a lot of weight. Daddy called it 'baby fat' and said leave it alone, but Mommy said after all, the child is five and it's about time she thought about her shape." I think the idea Carol is trying to show is that little girls should enjoy being young instead of rushing to become adults, mostly resulted by the parents in this case who pressure the young girl in beauty pageants. I believe parody is being used because the author is making of fun of the life of pageant girls.
#2 What is a conflict in the text? page 182 One of the main conflicts in this story is the conflict between Hassan and the bullies: Assef, Wali, and Kamal. Assef in particular has an extreme hatred towards Hassan for being a Hazara. He enjoys taunting Amir for hanging around him. When Amir, the main character, wins the kite tournament, he loses his kite which Hassan goes after to look for. Amir follows him and finds Hassan trapped by Assef in an alley with this pants off. Wali and Kamal begin to aid Assef in raping Hassan. Amir then pretends he did not witness this and does not call for help. He acts afterwards like he was looking for Hassan and finally found him. This began the decline of Amir and Hassan's friendship. Amir started feeling uncomfortable with Hassan since the incident and began to avoid him. Amir later starts accusing Hassan of various acts until he is then banished from his house. When he gets older, Amir regrets his decision and is taunted by the fact that he chose not to help his friend even when Hassan always was there for him. #2 What is a conflict in the text? page 182 One of the main conflicts in this story is the conflict between Hassan and the bullies: Assef, Wali, and Kamal. Assef in particular has an extreme hatred towards Hassan for being a Hazara. He enjoys taunting Amir for hanging around him. When Amir, the main character, wins the kite tournament, he loses his kite which Hassan goes after to look for. Amir follows him and finds Hassan trapped by Assef in an alley with this pants off. Wali and Kamal begin to aid Assef in raping Hassan. Amir then pretends he did not witness this and does not call for help. He acts afterwards like he was looking for Hassan and finally found him. This began the decline of Amir and Hassan's friendship. Amir started feeling uncomfortable with Hassan since the incident and began to avoid him. Amir later starts accusing Hassan of various acts until he is then banished from his house. When he gets older, Amir regrets his decision and is taunted by the fact that he chose not to help his friend even when Hassan always was there for him. #1 What would happen if Amir saved Hassan from the bullies? page 198 I think that perhaps if Amir was able to save Hassan from the bullies, he would have been able to prove to Hassan his loyalty to him and Amir would have been able to save himself a lot grief. Their friendship would have remained and Hassan would have probably moved with Amir to America where he could have lived a better life than in Afghanistan. In America, no one knows the difference between a Pashtun and a Hazara. Amir thinks these thoughts a lot throughout his life, wishing somehow he could go back and change what he had done. #7 What words best describe Amir's father (Baba)? page 224 Baba would be characterized as a person of truth and who strongly believes in morality. Baba places great value on doing right which becomes very ironic for Amir when he discovers that Hassan is his brother and that Baba lied to him his whole life. Amir feels heavily dismayed by this because he feels great betrayal especially because Baba emphasized never "stealing the truth" from someone. Earlier, Baba’s major concern about Amir was that he didn’t have the courage to stand up for himself. He follows through on these beliefs in his own behavior. When he was willing to sacrifice his life to keep the Russian guard from raping a woman, he set an example to Amir about how to act true and as an adult. #13 What was the effect of Amir and his father leaving? page 228
When Baba and Amir went to America, Rahim Khan watched their house. Later, he decided to find Hassan to help him watch over it mostly because of loneliness. He was successfully able to convince Hassan and Hassan’s wife, Farzana, to come back to Kabul with him. Farzana and Hassan eventually had a little boy named Sohrab who Hassan loved more than anything. A few years later Rahim Khan went to Pakistan for medical treatment, but he received a call from a neighbor in Kabul. The Taliban went to Baba’s house and shot Hassan and Farzana and sent Sohrab to an orphanage. Amir learns of this from Rahim Khan and begins to go mad. Now his friend is gone forever and he can never apologize for his wrong doings. Hassan helped him even when he left Hassan helpless in that alley. He remained a true friend even until the end. Amir now feels its his fault of Hassan's death and that the only way to repay him is to find Sohrab. Its now his duty and his only option to feel some relief of everything that he has caused. #19 How is the text related to what you already know? page 223 This novel's take on war emphasizes horror, fear, despair, violence, and catastrophe. When I think of war, I usually think of honor and heroism which opposite to how soldiers actually experience the war. The era of this book takes place during World War I where many young German teenagers where either convinced into joining the military or were, later in the war, forced into joining. Soldiers live through extremely harsh conditions, witness deaths of their comrades, survive with limited materials and necessities, and have to kill other living men who have families as well back at home with having no guilt about doing so, which make the soldiers think that maybe it isn't as heroic as they thought. This book has a large focus on not only the physical damages war has on soldiers, but also the psychological damages it can have as well. These soldiers are always at the face of danger and are ready to die at any given moment. All these things have detrimental effects on these soldiers, in which they accept the way in which they live and learn to act less emotional. #20 What will people learn by reading this book? page 248 If someone wants to truly know the experience of a soldier and life out in the battlefield, this is definitely a good read for he/she. The reader is introduced to the gore and animalistic behavior that occurs out in battle. Each of the battles include horrific scenes and imagery along with ferocious violence. The deaths of young soldiers who were recruits having no experience of the war at all were very important to the story. Also, all of the major characters, most of which were only nineteen-years-old, were killed shortly before the war actually ends, stressing the idea that the war stole so many lives including the young and innocent. The idea of nationalistic glory to Paul, the narrator and protagonist, about the war later just seems as a naïve thought. #7 What words best describe Katczinsky (Paul's closest friend) ? page 268 Kat is the smartest and quickest of the members of Paul's group. He is considered to some to be the leader for he is the most experienced to the war and knows a lot about warfare. Kat is one of the easiest characters to like in the story as you see him and Paul bond. Kat is around forty years of age and is probably one of the most skilled soldiers of the German army. Kat makes it the farthest out of the group but sadly, does not live. His death crushes Paul mainly because of the relationship that was between them throughout the war. The friendship they had was the only thing that seemed normal or human out of this huge catastrophe. His death occurred when Paul rescued Kat after he had been injured and planned to deliver him to a safe location. When Paul reached his destination, he finds out that Kat died in his arms after being hit by a shell from an explosive. Paul loses his mind at this point because everyone he knows has died. He feels that when he returns home, things will be too different. This was his life now. It was everything he knew. #13 What effect did the war have on Paul? page 295 (book finished) The war completely changed Paul forever. His morals and way of life became opposite to what he had come to know in the military. His emotions and feelings seemed meaningless as time went on because in the war, there is no time to feel sorry or sad about anything; it would only get you or others killed. Paul murdered men on the opposing side for what he believed to be for the right reasons. Realizing that they have families and loved ones at home, he questions whether he is indeed doing the right thing. He also has these thoughts when he sees the way the captives are treated by the Germans, with disgust and hatred. The savagery of the war changes the way Paul views the world around him. Deaths of his comrades seem less important the more it happens. His conflicting feelings with his emotions and staying focused cause him to slightly lose his mind. Later finding out his mother has cancer, things just seemed to get worse for Paul and he feels that now he can't return home that there will only be more sadness. Being in the war also made him realize he would never know what its like to love. He believes the older men in the war have a lot less to lose than the young soldiers who he believes will never live a normal life again. All these things eventually lead to his death at the end of the novel which as the author puts it as a calm, relief that now the suffering is finally over. I believe the movie "Life is Beautiful" has an interesting plot and was overall very well put together. The instances of dramatic irony added to the experience, providing good laughs and amusement for the audience. Going into the movie, my initial thought was that it would be very corny and that there would be no way you could actually laugh about what happened during the Holocaust. Guido, the main character, proved me wrong. Guido's character played the best role in my opinion because of his ability to make the viewers happy in even the worse parts of the movie ( i.e. concentration camp). Also, I really felt the bond between Guido and Joshua and felt attached to them as the story progressed. The death of Guido at the end of the movie really disappointed me, along with how we as the audience don't see the family's reaction to Guido's death. Despite this, the story seemed fluid and was definitely interesting. This movie is very unique to me because of its combination of genres which include comedy, romance, and depressing/sad parts. I would recommend anyone to see this movie especially if you're looking for a good laugh.
The two stories “Like Water for Chocolate” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” are both very deep containing many messages and motifs throughout. However, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” was a lot better because of its magical realism, amazing sensory details, diction, and tone. In this short story, the descriptions are very vivid and precise allowing the reader to visualize the story very easily. The story was also has an excellent diction that was impressively perfect for the story. The tone was very mysterious and depressing which made it quite interesting. It should be also noted that the sentences were a bit lengthier than “Like Water for Chocolate”. Although “Like Water for Chocolate” did a great job using sensory details, “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” uses the details much better in ways that made the story more entertaining and left readers with words that really made them think. This also involves the great vocabulary and figurative language that the author uses in the story. One sentence that stood out to me stated, “He remained motionless for several days in the farthest corner of the courtyard, where no one would see him… some large, stiff feathers began to grow on his wings, the feathers of a scarecrow, which looked more like another misfortune of decrepitude. “ That is one of the many outstanding sentences in this story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Magical realism had a big role in both stories however in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”, it felt more real or maybe possible while in “Like Water for Chocolate”, it was very hard to believe. Tita’s magical abilities with her cooking along with fire having to do with people’s emotions didn’t quite make a lot of sense. With figurative language and diction, the story just ends up confusing the reader at times leaving them puzzled. Whereas with the old man with wings, it seems a lot more realistic and believable with the figurative language and diction complementing it well. It’s kind of difficult to understand that when a group of people eat a wedding cake that they can all turn love sick. On the other hand with an angel, it seems more real especially since angels are one thing that most people believe in or are interested in which then draws quite a bit of the readers' attention. Overall, magical realism was fantastic in both stories but was more elaborate in “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings”. Figurative language and diction complemented the magical realism along with providing interesting details to the story. Descriptions of the characters were amazing and the plot
was well thought out. “Like Water For Chocolate” was good too but magical realism elements of the story usually would leave readers puzzled. Furthermore, it was hard sometimes to even distinguish figurative language from magical realism.
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