17

In the 1990s, millions of Americans dedicated their hours watching someone else's drama. The trial of OJ Simpson was the focus of many American lives. This single trial caused such a racial controversy - as the judges announced the verdict in favor of Simpson (the trial was to determine whether he killed his wife or not - and his wife was Caucasian while he was African-American), the two races separated to different sides of the room. Albom further describes the effects of this single trial - from not being able to trust the police to attorneys taking cases in hopes of becoming famous.

I agree with Albom's idea. A single action can affect many lives years after it's been "forgotten". Take for example, the terrorist attack on September eleventh. Since then, those with an Arab background are seen as suspicious - some people refuse to trust them because of what people of the same religion did many years ago. What we do now affects what happens years from now, which affects what happens years from then.

16

Tall, tanned, leather-clad men are the topic of Ehrlich's About Men. According to Ehrlich, the cowboys have been romanticized by those who didn't live in areas where cowboys were. Real cowboys did hard work to get it done, not because it was romantic for them to be strong. Ehrlich's tone conveys that she is serious about the cowboys that she knew. She knew that they did not have pride over their title, but rather their pride was in the work that they did. Her tone is formal and serious. She does not approve of the way that cowboys have been romanticized. Her purpose was informing. She knew that most people did not personally know a cowboy, so she simply informed those who did not grow up the same way that she did.

15

Secrets are evident in every aspect of life. In Sante's essay, there are three main reasons for secrecy: Soviet Union, internet, and confessional culture/media.

First up, the author discusses the Soviet Union. This was the part of the essay that was initially confusing, but I think that the main point of it was that people in the Soviet Union had to keep secrets because they didn't want to get in trouble with the government. This type of secret protects the safety of the individual who has the secret.This is not normally a secret that they would share with their close friends due to the possibility of the government finding out.

Next, the topic of internet comes up. The internet is one of the biggest places where people share secrets. Nobody over the internet knows who "animegirl27" is. These people feel that they are making real connections with other people, and that alone is reason enough to trust them with their deep secrets. However, Sante argues that the internet is one of the places where secrets can spread like crazy. Some people might in fact know who "animegirl27" is. Posting secrets onto a place where the whole world can view it is not exactly a very smart idea.

Sante's last thought is on confessional culture and the media. We live in a place where we feel insecure if we are the only ones feeling a certain way. Confiding in a close friend and letting them know the secret is a way that humans get emotions off of their chest and into the open. Being human, we have the desire to tell something that we know that we shouldn't.

14

I have a friend who is one of the nicest girls ever. I will bet my life on that. She is always so polite, I've never seen her mad or frustrated. She is the definition of a polite young lady.

When I see other people, especially the rude boys (mostly freshmen) I can't help but wonder why they aren't as polite as my friend is. 

The main problem is that public schools don't place as much emphasis on ethics and values as they should. Schools these days are obsessed with raising their test scores by supplying their students with busywork. Class after class, students are just handed the material and expected to learn it. While these are important for their education, this does not necessarily make them a good citizen.

Students should be taught important values. "Respect" is a wonderful value, since everyone regardless of age or status deserves respect. It's a value that is very positive, and it's rare that it can be taken negatively. Along with "respect", "kindness" and "honesty" go along with it. Being "kind" and "honest" is giving "respect" to someone because it is the opposite of "mean" and "lying".

While values are important, it's also important to keep in mind that some believed values can do more harm than good. On the subject of education, the student is expected to turn in their best work. This goes along with consideration, because the student is taking their time to put forth the best effort into their work. This is a good value, as long as it is kept in moderation. If teachers expect good work from students all of the time, and assign a lot of work, students may get stressed and resort to academic dishonesty to be "considerate" to the teacher by continuously putting forth their best work.

13

"Hey, this movie came out this weekend! It looks pretty awesome, let's go check it out!"

"No, it actually sucks. Don't waste your time or your money."

Conversations like this happen on a constant basis. What makes that movie "super awesome" or "absolutely terrible"?

First off, this shouldn't be a generic topic about movies. There are so many different kinds of movies in all sorts of categories. There are funny movies, and scary movies. There are dramas and musicals and romantic movies. 

I personally like the darker movies, especially those associated with Tim Burton. One of my favorite movies from him is Corpse Bride. I would classify it as a good movie because of all the elements it combines effectively. There is always the need for visual appeal, especially in animated films, and Corpse Bride has some great graphics. As an artist myself, I know how difficult it can be to make an art detailed while trying not to clutter it. The artwork in this is very detailed, but it does not give any sense of clutter to it visually. A movie like this also needs a good storyline. While Corpse Bride is a completely fictional tale (there's no way a corpse could talk in real life!), it ties in realistic elements. For example, the corpse bride, Emily, was betrayed by a lover before her death. The betrayal led her to wait for the marriage vows. This is a natural human emotion of hope. I believe that hope is one of the main themes of the movie.

On the contrary, there are elements that can make a movie "terrible". For this, I will use the film The Last Airbender as an example. The Last Airbender is a film based upon an animated series, "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The previews tricked many viewers into thinking that high tech special effects could be the basis for a great movie. Personally speaking, I felt that the special effects were the only part of the movie that was worth watching. This film had many actors that I had never heard of before, and their lack of experience showed. With a film based on a series like this, it leads a lot of viewers to have high expectations, and this movie did not meet those expectations. The Last Airbender's viewers expected the film to move along the same plot as the series, but were disappointed when so much from the series was left out of the film. There were some viewers who were mad about the mechanical details in the film, like the name pronunciation. The names are Asian-based, so it's easy to see how they could be difficult to pronounce, but viewers believed that the actors should have watched the series to get into character better.

The movie industry is a serious business, and there is always a risk involved when making a movie because of the public opinion. However, as long as they put forth their best effort and make the best movie they could make, hopefully the public will appreciate it.

12

I answered the Pink Flamingo prompt, but I could have added more to the beginning of the thesis. I did not really explain my point until the end of the essay. My thesis was there, but it was not as clear as it could have been. My paragraphs were linked, but my transitions were a little off. I think I tried to cover too many ideas, so I was not able to develop all of my ideas as fully as possible. I feel that I included a lot of details and quotes to support my analysis.

I felt more organized during this timed write because I had the experience from the Rodriguez essay "under my belt". My thesis did not go well, so if I had the chance to revise this, I would work more on what my essay would actually be about. If given more time, I would change my essay to incorporate a better-thought-out thesis. The organization went mostly according to plan, but as I wrote it, I changed some of the structure here and there to make the language more vivid. As I wrote the essay, I began to understand more of what the author was trying to say. I saw her point of view more clearly as I wrote this essay. If I had to write a timed essay tomorrow, I would try to organize my thoughts on another sheet of paper before beginning the writing process.