Happiness Project
The Happiness project was presented to us to teach us about what true happiness. Being teenagers we are very susceptible to the messages that media gives us about happiness, which is not always true. This project gave us the keys to realize how we can make ourselfs truly happy. In the Happiness project we read a book called Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, a Socratic seminar and a art piece.
Essay
Happiness is one of the most important things to have for a long, healthy life. We are prewired to strive for happiness in everything we do. Humans are obsessed with happiness. We sing about being happy, talk about happiness and try to buy our way into happiness. America is considered a happy country because of the large amounts of resources we have. Americans often spend most of their life trying to feel happy, and end up believing that happiness can be bought. This is not completely true. We find ways to be happy constantly, and this can be a good way to live, but this excess of happiness can and will hurt us. Excessive happiness can make to oblivious to others and the world around us, but true happiness can make us notice the world. To reach this happiness we must first know what makes us happy. Our society has evolved to think that happiness can be brought in the form of the newest phone, or biggest house. This is a false accusation and will hurt our society in the near future. To have true happiness, we must have social stability, be kind to one another, and have meaning in life and relationships, but also ensure that nobody suffers at the cost of another’s happiness.
Happiness is vital for us to be healthy. We should try to reach a point of lasting happiness, but how can we reach happiness if we don’t know what creates happiness? The question is what makes us happy. Think back to the last time that you gave a gift to someone or helped somebody out with a problem. Do you remember how you felt? Often after helping somebody, people feel better about themselves because they know they just helped out a person. We know how we feel when people go out of their way to help us, and we take satisfaction in spreading that feeling. One of my favorite things to do is to give gifts. I love it when people give me gifts out of the blue, and I love to give gifts because I know that person will feel the same way I did. This gives me a sense of security in my social life because I know the person will think higher of me. Humans need to have a secure social life be to confident in themselves which can translate into happiness. In the Japanese island of Okinawa people continually help each other out and feel happy as a result. This happiness has resulted in the long lives of its inhabitants, and some people in this island can live past one hundred. This is because they all lead happy and healthy lives, where they are connected to the earth and each other. The happiness that’s being created is resulting in a secure environment that anyone can fall back on. This is what true sociably stability looks like, and the people are not afraid because there is always someone to fall back on. The people of Okinawa amaze our culture because the longevity of their lives and when asked about how they do it they often reply that they are happy and eat well.
Humans are extremely social beings. Without being social we become depressed and loose meaning in life. After we reach the main things we need such as food, water, shelter and health, we focus on improving our social lives,. Social acceptance will allow for us to feel as if we have close friends. These relationships are important because the person will draw happiness from the either person. Martin Seligman ,a psychologist who studies positive psychology, says that “The one way in which they differ (happy people): They’re extremely social”. I feel like Martin’s findings really do make sense. Happy people are often that way because they have people to talk too. This socialization can make people feel real, true happiness. This happiness will last longer and be something that really makes you feel good. I had a experience in February with friends and it was the first time I really allowed myself to feel socially secure, even though that was almost three months ago I still feel happy about it and I consider it one of the best experiences of my life. That was true happiness caused by social acceptance. A person can never not feel fully happy unless they have some sort of relationship based on trust, security and meaning.
To find meaning in life is to find true happiness. Our society is very focused on having easy happy and not finding any meaning or even to think about it. You must have real meaning to have true happiness. “Happy people get a lot of joy from receiving benefits from others, while people leading meaningful life’s get a lot of joy from giving others” says the article “There’s more to life than being happy” Giving help to others is finding true happiness. You must have meaning to have true happiness. “ Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self absorbed or even selfish life in which thing go well needs and desires are easily satisfied and difficult or taxing engagements are avoided” You have to have real meaning in life to be a happy person. Without meaning in your happiness you cannot allow yourself to have purpose. This purpose will make you happier because it gives you something bigger to reach for, and when the goal is reached it gives you a sense of pride. Meaning in life and happiness is absolutely necessary for reaching true happiness, because without it you’ll not have a enduring sense of happiness. Happiness must last long unless and keep you happy for a long time, and if not, it is not real true
Society has evolved to focus on the idea of consumerism. We consume many things to feel ‘happy’ but not realize the cost it has on other peoples safety and happiness . Our happiness should never cost another person’s happiness. We zs 21st century humans don’t realize that happiness has a cost and it’s not always money. I love to dance but it is very hard for my parents because it is a costly sport, therefore my happiness is costing my parents their financial security. This commonly happens in our world and many people do not notice, but this so called “happiness” is not real happiness because it was bought. This form of phony happiness is often made in terrible conditions, where the workers is paid so little that they cannot afford security, such as enough food or adequate housing, which you must have for happiness. Apple, the company responsible for the ever popular IPhone, are made in factories in China by workers who work and live hazardous environments. “Working excessive overtime without a single day off during the week, living together in crowded dormitories and standing so long that their legs swell and they can hardly walk after a 24-hour shift.” says Mark Duell, a writer for the Daily Mail website. This means that our material happiness is costing the health and safety of these workers, so we can have the latest technology. This is not fair to these workers. Even thought IPhones can make people content, they can’t make us truly happy, but people think they do. This false sense of happiness is taking away the happiness of the workers.
Happiness in its truest form is the best medicine. Real happiness makes you healthy, stress free and it makes it easier to be kind to one another. As a society we can learn to value real happiness by stressing that real happiness comes from a secure life and a healthy social life. We can teach people that happiness cannot be bought, but it can be provided. You can find happiness without buying anything and you make yourself healthy by happiness without dangerous drugs. It is vital that we teach our friends, family and peers this because less and less people are living a quality life that all humans deserve. A dark future will follow if the world cannot learn and seek true happiness. People who are given the information of what happiness will be kinder, and help keep our world running until we cease to exist.
Happiness is vital for us to be healthy. We should try to reach a point of lasting happiness, but how can we reach happiness if we don’t know what creates happiness? The question is what makes us happy. Think back to the last time that you gave a gift to someone or helped somebody out with a problem. Do you remember how you felt? Often after helping somebody, people feel better about themselves because they know they just helped out a person. We know how we feel when people go out of their way to help us, and we take satisfaction in spreading that feeling. One of my favorite things to do is to give gifts. I love it when people give me gifts out of the blue, and I love to give gifts because I know that person will feel the same way I did. This gives me a sense of security in my social life because I know the person will think higher of me. Humans need to have a secure social life be to confident in themselves which can translate into happiness. In the Japanese island of Okinawa people continually help each other out and feel happy as a result. This happiness has resulted in the long lives of its inhabitants, and some people in this island can live past one hundred. This is because they all lead happy and healthy lives, where they are connected to the earth and each other. The happiness that’s being created is resulting in a secure environment that anyone can fall back on. This is what true sociably stability looks like, and the people are not afraid because there is always someone to fall back on. The people of Okinawa amaze our culture because the longevity of their lives and when asked about how they do it they often reply that they are happy and eat well.
Humans are extremely social beings. Without being social we become depressed and loose meaning in life. After we reach the main things we need such as food, water, shelter and health, we focus on improving our social lives,. Social acceptance will allow for us to feel as if we have close friends. These relationships are important because the person will draw happiness from the either person. Martin Seligman ,a psychologist who studies positive psychology, says that “The one way in which they differ (happy people): They’re extremely social”. I feel like Martin’s findings really do make sense. Happy people are often that way because they have people to talk too. This socialization can make people feel real, true happiness. This happiness will last longer and be something that really makes you feel good. I had a experience in February with friends and it was the first time I really allowed myself to feel socially secure, even though that was almost three months ago I still feel happy about it and I consider it one of the best experiences of my life. That was true happiness caused by social acceptance. A person can never not feel fully happy unless they have some sort of relationship based on trust, security and meaning.
To find meaning in life is to find true happiness. Our society is very focused on having easy happy and not finding any meaning or even to think about it. You must have real meaning to have true happiness. “Happy people get a lot of joy from receiving benefits from others, while people leading meaningful life’s get a lot of joy from giving others” says the article “There’s more to life than being happy” Giving help to others is finding true happiness. You must have meaning to have true happiness. “ Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self absorbed or even selfish life in which thing go well needs and desires are easily satisfied and difficult or taxing engagements are avoided” You have to have real meaning in life to be a happy person. Without meaning in your happiness you cannot allow yourself to have purpose. This purpose will make you happier because it gives you something bigger to reach for, and when the goal is reached it gives you a sense of pride. Meaning in life and happiness is absolutely necessary for reaching true happiness, because without it you’ll not have a enduring sense of happiness. Happiness must last long unless and keep you happy for a long time, and if not, it is not real true
Society has evolved to focus on the idea of consumerism. We consume many things to feel ‘happy’ but not realize the cost it has on other peoples safety and happiness . Our happiness should never cost another person’s happiness. We zs 21st century humans don’t realize that happiness has a cost and it’s not always money. I love to dance but it is very hard for my parents because it is a costly sport, therefore my happiness is costing my parents their financial security. This commonly happens in our world and many people do not notice, but this so called “happiness” is not real happiness because it was bought. This form of phony happiness is often made in terrible conditions, where the workers is paid so little that they cannot afford security, such as enough food or adequate housing, which you must have for happiness. Apple, the company responsible for the ever popular IPhone, are made in factories in China by workers who work and live hazardous environments. “Working excessive overtime without a single day off during the week, living together in crowded dormitories and standing so long that their legs swell and they can hardly walk after a 24-hour shift.” says Mark Duell, a writer for the Daily Mail website. This means that our material happiness is costing the health and safety of these workers, so we can have the latest technology. This is not fair to these workers. Even thought IPhones can make people content, they can’t make us truly happy, but people think they do. This false sense of happiness is taking away the happiness of the workers.
Happiness in its truest form is the best medicine. Real happiness makes you healthy, stress free and it makes it easier to be kind to one another. As a society we can learn to value real happiness by stressing that real happiness comes from a secure life and a healthy social life. We can teach people that happiness cannot be bought, but it can be provided. You can find happiness without buying anything and you make yourself healthy by happiness without dangerous drugs. It is vital that we teach our friends, family and peers this because less and less people are living a quality life that all humans deserve. A dark future will follow if the world cannot learn and seek true happiness. People who are given the information of what happiness will be kinder, and help keep our world running until we cease to exist.
Reflection
If I were to advise someone on finding happiness I would first give them a hug. People are social creatures and find security in having friends. I would then tell them that they don't need to buy anything to find happiness, but teach them to be kind to others. I would help them find a close friend who could be there for them when they needed someone. I could tell them that finding happiness won't be in a how to book or on the internet. Finding happiness is your own journey and all you need for the journey is love.
This summer will be the busiest ever in my life. I have learned that I become stressed easily so I'll need to find a path that will keep be calm and happy. I'm going to remind myself everyday of the true meaning of happiness. I will not allow myself to buy material goods because I think they will make me happier. Everyday I will do something out of my way for another person. I will make time to get off my phone and take a walk, because nature makes me happier than being stuck on a screen.
This project will affect my life because it made me stop and think. It made me realize why I never feel happy. I now know why and how I can work to improve my life. I think that learning about happiness will make me realize that this society has been giving me a false sense of reality. Because of this project I feel like I have the beginning ideas of how to have true happiness.
This summer will be the busiest ever in my life. I have learned that I become stressed easily so I'll need to find a path that will keep be calm and happy. I'm going to remind myself everyday of the true meaning of happiness. I will not allow myself to buy material goods because I think they will make me happier. Everyday I will do something out of my way for another person. I will make time to get off my phone and take a walk, because nature makes me happier than being stuck on a screen.
This project will affect my life because it made me stop and think. It made me realize why I never feel happy. I now know why and how I can work to improve my life. I think that learning about happiness will make me realize that this society has been giving me a false sense of reality. Because of this project I feel like I have the beginning ideas of how to have true happiness.
Art Piece
Model UN
The Model UN was a ten week project focused on simulating a real United Nations conference. We learned about the inner workings of the UN and then began learning about problems going on in our world. We first focused on the North Korea nuclear issue. We did had a conference at the end of the project on the same issues. Then we began on the Israel-Palestine issue. At the end of this we did a large conference that also was a exhibition.
Policy papers
Doucette
1
Vivien Doucette Sara Price Model UN February 6, 2014 Israel Policy Paper Even though North Korea and Israel both are not part on the Non Proliferation Treaty and have produced nuclear weapons, Israel does not want North Korea to possess nuclear weapons because they could give them to Iran and Syria and because North Korea is a rival of the US, who has close relations with Israel. North Korea was declared an independent state after the Vietnam War, and since then the country has been one of communism and silence. Often the rulers of North Korea make the military their highest priority and threaten other countries with military action. In the last ten years, the country is thought to be building nuclear weapons. North Korea is one of the four countries in the world who are not in the Non Proliferation Treaty. This treaty prevents countries that are not in the UN Security Council from having nuclear weapons. These supposed nuclear weapons that North Korea has been building could be given to Iran and Syria, Israel’s utmost enemies. Professor George Jochnowitz stated that Israel could be most threatened by North Korea “The country most threatened may well be Israel” (Jochnowitz). This means that North Korea’s actions are not directly toward Israel, but North Korea is supplying nuclear weapons to Iran and Syria, who both consider Israel an enemy state. Iran could use these weapons against Israel, causing mass destruction. As stated by David A. Patten on the issue with North Korea giving Iran nuclear weapons “Analysts fear a dramatic advance in North Korea’s nuclear missile technology, revealed inadvertently during a Congressional hearing Thursday, will quickly find its way to Iran —“ (Patten) Iran is a know rival of Israel and is likely to use these weapons against Israel, therefore Israel strongly disagrees with North Korea having nuclear weapons. This problem needs to be solved immediately to secure the world’s security and peace. Israel has declared that the following resolution will solve the problem facing us today. Israel wants North Korea to dismantle all nuclear weapons, and then allow sanctions to be lifted from the country. This will help many problems facing the world. Since North Korea is friendly with Iran and they both interchange nuclear knowledge, this would help prevent Iran having fatal nuclear bombs. This would also help secure the safety of the United States of America, Japan and South Korea which they all have close relations. The goal of this is to prevent counties from launching harmful weapons to other countries. If North Korea does not oblige with these, Israel would like for a small group of guards that would control and enforce these resolutions. Sanctions will be lifted from North Korea slowly and surely when all nuclear weapons are dismantled. Vivien Doucette Sara Price Model UN 2-28-14 Israel on the Israel Palestine Conflict Even though the Palestinians continue to live in refugee camps, Israel believes they should not be permitted to return because it would create hostility between the people and the Jewish identity of the country may be compromised. It is common sense that Israel is the center of a long fought battle between the Jewish settlers of Israel and the Muslim people of Palestine. Beginning in the wake of the Holocaust, European Jews began to immigrate to Israel, a country that has been considered the Holy Land. They illegally left their countries behind to search for a better life. Upon arriving in Israel they realized that it was occupied by Arab Palestinians and the currently ruling British. The Palestinians were very unhappy with the Jewish settling into what they considered their land. Soon after, when the British discharged Israel declared themselves as a country. War broke out. Neighboring Arab countries invaded the country, intending to “dump them into the Mediterranean sea”. During this war the Palestinian people left in a max exodus. Some of these people left because they were in the fighting, but a lot of the Palestinians left because they were being tricked by the Palestinian media. Efraim Karsh states “Yet while the Jewish leadership and media described these gruesome events for what they were, at times withholding details so as to avoid panic and keep the door open for Arab-Jewish reconciliation, their Arab counterparts not only inflated the toll to gigantic proportions but invented numerous nonexistent atrocities. The fall of Haifa (April 21-22), for example, gave rise to totally false claims of a large-scale slaughter, which circulated throughout the Middle East and reached Western capitals. Similarly false rumors were spread after the fall of Tiberias (April 18), during the battle for Safed (in early May), and in Jaffa, where in late April the mayor fabricated a massacre of “hundreds of Arab men and women.” Accounts of Deir Yasin in the Arab media were especially lurid, featuring supposed hammer-and-sickle tattoos on the arms of IZL fighters and accusations of havoc and rape”(Karm) These people who left Israel intended to come back, but they have never been allowed back. Seventy years later the Palestinians have never been allowed the right of return. Many live in dirty, unsafe refugee camps. People are having their rights taken away from the other countries. This must be solved to prevent the violation of millions of people’s human rights. If we don’t this, countries will continue to violate these people’s rights. This is a conflict affects the entire world and how different countries are viewed. Millions of people, both Israeli and Palestinian, have been murdered. We must solve this. Israel’s solution for this possibly disastrous battle is a two state solution. The West Bank and the Gaza Strip would turn into the country of Palestine. The people of Palestine would be able to fly from the Gaza and the West Bank without restrictions. Trading between the two lands will not be affected by Israel in any way. If Israeli citizens want to move into Palestine they must live there for five years to obtain Palestinian citizenship, and also have citizenship in Israel for duration of ten years after their move. After these ten years they will have to gain citizenship later. If a Jewish settler does not try to gain citizenship in Palestine while there, they will be deported back into Israel, with no hesitations. |
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Socialization Project
Dear Media, Socialize
Me
What If I told
you everything you do is influenced by socialization? Socialization is the
process of one’s learning of culture, and how to function inside it.
Socialization begins in your earliest stages of life, with the people who raise
you. As a toddler you are given reinforcements for everything you do whether it
is good or bad. These can be gender specific or a rule that applies to life, but
they all have the same objective to make sure that you do what society wants you
to do. Being a teenager I’ve be socialized by reinforcements to be perfect, to
care greatly about my looks and to be insecure about
myself.
How many times have you heard or said the word perfect today?. Our modern
world is obsessed with the idea of perfectionism. From a young age we are
rewarded for being perfect, telling us that perfectionism is something to
constantly strive for. The idea of a perfect teenage girl has been drilled into
my thoughts, being a young woman. Girls who claim to be perfect are rewarded by
attention, admiration and self-confidence. I’ve been socialized to strive for
this unattainable goal. Look at the closest magazine near you, how many pictures
do you see of a young woman, photo shopped to have a flawless figure, or an
image of a family, smiling happily without any problems in the world. Magazines
such as People, depict so many of these in such a little layout, you can’t help
to think of the message they’re getting across. In my belief, women are taught
that the only way to please someone is to be perfect in anyway and that it’s the
only way to be confident in themselves. The media forces this idea and tries to
“help” reach it. They give you movies, books, songs and pictures of this ideal
girl, taking over what your idea of it is. I consider myself a perfectionist and
it really does make life a lot harder. Looking back to sixth grade I remember my
goal for the year was to be perfect. It never happened. But,
how can be you be perfect, if it is truly impossible in our world? Perfectionism
is incredibly hard to achieve because perfect is different to everybody. The
definition of perfection is what is ideal, but doesn’t that mean it’s different
to everyone? If I could have it
completely my way, I would replace the idea of perfectionism with the idea of
doing your best.
When I was a very young girl, I had a pretend vanity table. The table
came with fake makeup, a toy perfume bottle and a very large mirror. I remember
spending hours at that thing making myself pretty, staring at myself in that
mirror. Women have become so preoccupied with the way we look, it’s almost
blinding us. Young girls are taught to focus on their appearance, instead of
things that are really important. A lot of teenage girls spend a good amount of
their days trying to make themselves “pretty” instead of working on school or
talking to people. Fotoshop by Adobé, a satirical video, points out the unfair
expectations about media’s idyllic women, stating “Maybe she’s born with it, eh
no its Fotoshop.” The media
distorts models and celebrities bodies to make them fit and skinny looking, when
really they are the size of an average woman. A lot of these stick thin bodies
are very hard to achieve, without the money. Despite this, women become obsessed
with trying to be skinny, spending a lot of time and money, then ultimately
happiness. Millions of dollars each year are spent in the US alone on cosmetic
and weight loss products. According to the UK’S Dailymail website,
women spend an average of one year and three months in their lifetime in front
of the mirror.
Confidence in teenage girls is known to be notoriously low. Being a teen
girl, I’ve never been very confident in myself because the way media has always
shooting me down. Media always tells you that you’re not good enough and you
need to be better. There’s always someone who’s better than you and model after
whether it’s a star or a fellow peer. Its how media shapes us to be their
puppets, telling us if we dress this way boys will like you, or if you have this
purse, you’ll be a better person. When you don’t dress like this or buy that
purse, we become worried that we are not good enough and lose confidence in
ourselves. The video Miss Representation features strong, powerful women in
different fields of study, talking to us about how the media represents women.
Jean Kilibourne, who has a doctorate in education, states that “A lot of
advertising is based on making people feel anxious and feeling insecure”. I
agree with Jean a lot. I’ve seen plenty of commercials and thought “Why can’t I
be that skinny?” “Where’s my beauty?” I see it all the time, and whenever I do
feel confident, I’m instantly pushed back down, by the closest magazine or TV
commercial. Every single add is trying to make you feel insecure. But how can
you avoid this negative effect of media? Completely shun media and all forms it
comes in? That is impractical. Or can you remind yourself and others that
you’re beautiful? If we spread the message that everyone is beautiful, no
matter what the TV commercial tells you, our insecurities would melt away.
Imagine how awesome that would be.
The media contributes the most to this harmful cycle . Why is that? The
amount of media that surrounds us in a day is astonishing and frank fully
terrifying. Media is one of the largest agents of socialization because of our
immense exposure to it. But how can we stop it becoming the downfall of our
society? Not that the media is completely bad, there is great things about it,
but why can’t there be a balance? The media’s goal is for us to become their
robots. The world would completely loose sight of what is really important. This
cycle needs to be broken. It can be done by teaching about it, not listening to
it and sending out a good message to people. What we really need are more people
who can be themselves. More people must take off the mask that they wear in
society for our world to break the harmful
cycle.
My two masks signify me and the mask I’m asked to wear. The mask I wear
is one of the perfect teenage girl, with a flawless complexion, cliché make up,
and a general perfect sense. The word perfect is across the eyes to symbolize
how the obsession with perfection is blinding our world. The mouth is very
prominent, because people talk, but don’t see. The opposite is with my personal
mask because it has no mouth but a very large eye. The mask I wear is
emotionless, because we are told to hide our feelings, but my mask has intense
emotions that reflect the emotional girl I am. My mask also has the things that
I believe represents me. There is
a book page because reading is my escape from the world, a lightning scar
on my forehead that tells you have a serve obsession with the Harry Potter
series.
Me
What If I told
you everything you do is influenced by socialization? Socialization is the
process of one’s learning of culture, and how to function inside it.
Socialization begins in your earliest stages of life, with the people who raise
you. As a toddler you are given reinforcements for everything you do whether it
is good or bad. These can be gender specific or a rule that applies to life, but
they all have the same objective to make sure that you do what society wants you
to do. Being a teenager I’ve be socialized by reinforcements to be perfect, to
care greatly about my looks and to be insecure about
myself.
How many times have you heard or said the word perfect today?. Our modern
world is obsessed with the idea of perfectionism. From a young age we are
rewarded for being perfect, telling us that perfectionism is something to
constantly strive for. The idea of a perfect teenage girl has been drilled into
my thoughts, being a young woman. Girls who claim to be perfect are rewarded by
attention, admiration and self-confidence. I’ve been socialized to strive for
this unattainable goal. Look at the closest magazine near you, how many pictures
do you see of a young woman, photo shopped to have a flawless figure, or an
image of a family, smiling happily without any problems in the world. Magazines
such as People, depict so many of these in such a little layout, you can’t help
to think of the message they’re getting across. In my belief, women are taught
that the only way to please someone is to be perfect in anyway and that it’s the
only way to be confident in themselves. The media forces this idea and tries to
“help” reach it. They give you movies, books, songs and pictures of this ideal
girl, taking over what your idea of it is. I consider myself a perfectionist and
it really does make life a lot harder. Looking back to sixth grade I remember my
goal for the year was to be perfect. It never happened. But,
how can be you be perfect, if it is truly impossible in our world? Perfectionism
is incredibly hard to achieve because perfect is different to everybody. The
definition of perfection is what is ideal, but doesn’t that mean it’s different
to everyone? If I could have it
completely my way, I would replace the idea of perfectionism with the idea of
doing your best.
When I was a very young girl, I had a pretend vanity table. The table
came with fake makeup, a toy perfume bottle and a very large mirror. I remember
spending hours at that thing making myself pretty, staring at myself in that
mirror. Women have become so preoccupied with the way we look, it’s almost
blinding us. Young girls are taught to focus on their appearance, instead of
things that are really important. A lot of teenage girls spend a good amount of
their days trying to make themselves “pretty” instead of working on school or
talking to people. Fotoshop by Adobé, a satirical video, points out the unfair
expectations about media’s idyllic women, stating “Maybe she’s born with it, eh
no its Fotoshop.” The media
distorts models and celebrities bodies to make them fit and skinny looking, when
really they are the size of an average woman. A lot of these stick thin bodies
are very hard to achieve, without the money. Despite this, women become obsessed
with trying to be skinny, spending a lot of time and money, then ultimately
happiness. Millions of dollars each year are spent in the US alone on cosmetic
and weight loss products. According to the UK’S Dailymail website,
women spend an average of one year and three months in their lifetime in front
of the mirror.
Confidence in teenage girls is known to be notoriously low. Being a teen
girl, I’ve never been very confident in myself because the way media has always
shooting me down. Media always tells you that you’re not good enough and you
need to be better. There’s always someone who’s better than you and model after
whether it’s a star or a fellow peer. Its how media shapes us to be their
puppets, telling us if we dress this way boys will like you, or if you have this
purse, you’ll be a better person. When you don’t dress like this or buy that
purse, we become worried that we are not good enough and lose confidence in
ourselves. The video Miss Representation features strong, powerful women in
different fields of study, talking to us about how the media represents women.
Jean Kilibourne, who has a doctorate in education, states that “A lot of
advertising is based on making people feel anxious and feeling insecure”. I
agree with Jean a lot. I’ve seen plenty of commercials and thought “Why can’t I
be that skinny?” “Where’s my beauty?” I see it all the time, and whenever I do
feel confident, I’m instantly pushed back down, by the closest magazine or TV
commercial. Every single add is trying to make you feel insecure. But how can
you avoid this negative effect of media? Completely shun media and all forms it
comes in? That is impractical. Or can you remind yourself and others that
you’re beautiful? If we spread the message that everyone is beautiful, no
matter what the TV commercial tells you, our insecurities would melt away.
Imagine how awesome that would be.
The media contributes the most to this harmful cycle . Why is that? The
amount of media that surrounds us in a day is astonishing and frank fully
terrifying. Media is one of the largest agents of socialization because of our
immense exposure to it. But how can we stop it becoming the downfall of our
society? Not that the media is completely bad, there is great things about it,
but why can’t there be a balance? The media’s goal is for us to become their
robots. The world would completely loose sight of what is really important. This
cycle needs to be broken. It can be done by teaching about it, not listening to
it and sending out a good message to people. What we really need are more people
who can be themselves. More people must take off the mask that they wear in
society for our world to break the harmful
cycle.
My two masks signify me and the mask I’m asked to wear. The mask I wear
is one of the perfect teenage girl, with a flawless complexion, cliché make up,
and a general perfect sense. The word perfect is across the eyes to symbolize
how the obsession with perfection is blinding our world. The mouth is very
prominent, because people talk, but don’t see. The opposite is with my personal
mask because it has no mouth but a very large eye. The mask I wear is
emotionless, because we are told to hide our feelings, but my mask has intense
emotions that reflect the emotional girl I am. My mask also has the things that
I believe represents me. There is
a book page because reading is my escape from the world, a lightning scar
on my forehead that tells you have a serve obsession with the Harry Potter
series.
Project reflection
Here's a link to my project reflection.
Greek tragedy Project
Life on the Cusp
Prologue
(Scene opens to the inside of an apartment complex in the slums of Los Angeles.. It is a dark and cold night. A young man, with a backpack slung around his shoulder, is walking out of the worn down doors out of the apartment. The mother, with a baby nestled in her arms runs after him with a frantic look strewn across her face.)
Elana: Daniel! Stop! Where are you going?
(Daniel turns around and faces her still slowly walking backwards)
Daniel: I’m leaving. I can’t deal with the price of you and the baby. I’m going to get a better job and more money, make a life of my own. Say goodbye to Lindsay for me.
Elana (worry on her face): But the child! What will I do without you?
Daniel: Elana, trust me my love, you will live. Find a better man that can provide for you. (Daniel turns back around and walks away into the dark night.)
(Scene fades out as Elana is left sobbing on the sidewalk.)
Scene One
(Fast forward 14 years later, as Lindsay is remembering this moment as a daydream . She blinks and is brought back to reality. The smell of canned meatloaf lingers in the air of a small, frayed kitchen. A little girl is humming a song while playing with toys on the kitchen floor.)
Lindsay: Holly, clean up your toys dinner is almost ready. Mom will not be home until late again so I will be tucking you in here after dinner ok?
(Holly frantically picks up the toys and puts them away)
Holly: Ok! When’s mama coming home?
Lindsay (with a strained look on her face): You know it won’t be until very late baby girl. She took the late night shift at the diner tonight. But no worries, you’ll see her tomorrow. (Lindsay takes out two plates from the cupboard.) Grab your dinner then I’ll read you a bedtime story.
(Holly and Lindsay eat and finish dinner. Then Lindsay picks up both of their dishes and goes to clean up. Holly picks her toys back up and starts to play with them once again.)
(The eerie sound of the land line telephone pierces the air. Holly drops her toys and rushes to pick up the phone.)
Holly (in a high pitched eager kid voice): Hello?
Elana (on other side with stress in her voice): Honey? Will you please give the phone to Lindsay for me?
Holly: Yes mommy. (She runs to Lindsay) It’s mommy!
Lindsay (tired voice): Hi mom.
Elana: Hi sweety! How’s it going? I hope all is well! I unfortunately will be home later tonight. Probably past midnight. I’m so sorry.
Lindsay: (sighs) Oh alright, that’s ok. Um, I’ll see you later.
Elana: Okay love, I will see you. Call me if you need anything! Goodbye! (Phone clicks)
Lindsay (puts down phone and turns to Holly): Bedtime Holly! Put your toys away. Do you want to pick out a story?
Holly (puts toys away): Yeah! I choose The Boy Who Cried Wolf!
Lindsay: Okay! Put your pajamas on and get into bed then we can read.
Lindsay and Holly walk to a small room cluttered with dolls and Lindsay’s books. There are two beds on each side of the room. It is quite obvious that the girls share the room. Holly puts the book on her bed and hops under the hand me down quilt. Lindsay reads of the story, a favorite of hers when she was Holly’s age.
Lindsay (closing the book): The end.
(When Lindsay had finished the story she looks over at Holly who already fallen asleep. Lindsay goes back into the kitchen which also has a small torn couch and a old box TV. Next to the couch there is also a small table. They have smiling faces holding books on the front. Lindsay grabbed a few college brochures from the counselor. It was the only way to earn more money. Lindsay lays in the dark. All she wants is to survive now and go to college. She falls asleep.)
Chorus:
(As kids from around the neighborhood)
Mom is out late tonight
She’s working hard, double shifts
Can’t get mad, can’t put up a fight
Earns minimum wage, and not many tips
She’s let you down,
But you need to keep going
Don’t put on a frown
The worst is unknowing
There’s no money around
And you wish you had more
Now you must focus
You want college, and must care for Holly,
But with earning money, you’re still on the hunt,
For now just be happy, be jolly
Scene Two
Lindsay is woken up from a deep slumber by the phone ringing once again. She grabs it wondering why someone would call her so early in the morning...
Lindsay: Hello?
Man on Phone: Is this Lindsay?
Lindsay: Yes, can I help you?
Man on the Phone: Hello, this is Sergeant Steel from the LAPD, we have your mother here under custody, she has been charged with a DUI.
Lindsay(heavily breathing in shock): Excuse me?
John: Last night around 3 a.m. your mother was taken under custody for being heavily intoxicated while driving. She is here, and will be able to get taken out soon. She will be charged heavily.
Lindsay(choking): Um..how much officer?
John: Well, by the time she is finished, the total will be around $10,000, for DUI in the state of California.
Lindsay (gasping): We don't have that much money! We don’t have any money!
John: That is for you and your mom to discuss. We will see you soon. (Phone clicks)
Lindsay almost collapses in awe. She quickly runs to Holly’s room and wakes her up.
Lindsay: C’mon baby girl. Get dressed fast we are going into town to pick up mommy ok?
Holly(sleepily): Why?
Lindsay: Nevermind, Holly, please hurry.
(They both get ready quickly then head outside to catch the nearest bus to the police station, about a 45 minute ride. Lindsay and Holly stare out the window in fear, not knowing what is going to happen when they arrive. They pull up to the station and hop off, both shaking in fear as the station is very large. Lindsay grabs Holly’s hand and walks inside to the front desk where a woman sits eagerly typing away on a computer.)
Front Desk Lady: May I help you?
Lindsay: Hi, um I’m here to pick up my mother from custody.
Front Desk Lady (annoyed): And her name?
Lindsay: Elana Wallers, I'm Lindsay Wallers, her daughter.
Front Desk Lady: Ahh yes. She is 4 doors down and on your right.
The two girls hand in hand walk down the eerie hallway to the 4th door. Holly screams and jumps on her mom as soon as she sees her. Lindsay just stares in disgust.
Holly(as hugging her): Mommy! I missed you
Elana: I missed you too honey. I missed both of you. Now lets jump back on the bus and talk about what happened at home ok? I just want to get out of here.
Holly take Elana’s hand. Lindsay just stands there with crossed arms ,obviously extremely frustrated. She then turns around and starts walking towards the bus stop. Elana and Holly follow.
Chorus:
(As kids from around the neighborhood)
What has happened here
You can’t believe your eyes
Your life is not clear
Your life is full of lies
Why mom, why must you do this
We have no money
You have to miss
Your days are never sunny
Minimum wage
You can’t handle
Where will we go
What will we do
We may never know
My life is a zoo
Scene Three
(The three girls are back at the apartment. Holly is in her room as Lindsay and Elana are in the living room)
Elana: Look, I’m sorry. I was having a rough ni-(interrupted)
Lindsay (yelling): Ohhhhh it was a rough night? Really mom really? Do you know how much this is going to cost us? $10,00! There goes any chance of me getting into college!
Elana: I know honey just please calm down everything will be fine. We will figure this out ok? I cannot say sorry enough.
Lindsay (voice raised): Fine mom whatever. Just go do whatever you need to do. I have got YOUR child to take care of.
(Lindsay then goes to her and Holly’s room to comfort Holly and slams the door
(Lindsay and Holly come out of the room together to get ready for dinner)
Lindsay (peeking into kitchen): Mom! What’s for dinner?
(No reply)
Lindsay: Hmm! I wonder where she is! I’ll check the bathroom, maybe she’s taking a shower. Holly go to the kitchen and sit down. Dinner will be soon
(Lindsay walks to bathroom and knocks on the door.)
Lindsay: Mom? Are you in there?
(Lindsay knocks again)
Lindsay: Mom! Open up!
(Nothing)
Lindsay: Ok mom I’m coming in!
(Lindsay opens the door and walks in .She sees her mother lying there on the ground lifeless, with an empty pill bottle in her hand. A loud scream pierces the cool air.)
Lindsay: Mom! (Walks up to her and shakes her) Mom wake up!
(Lindsay sees a note scrunched up in the pill bottle. She reads it, as it states her mom killed herself due to the stress of bills.)
Lindsay (crying): Mommy please wake up! Mom! What will I do without you?
Chorus:
(As kids from around the block)
Your mother is dead, what to do
Her face is cold
Her hands are blue
You must stand up, you must be bold
The stress did this,
The minimum wage
It locks you up,
It puts you in a life-long cage
You can’t go anywhere
Unless they raise
We must stand up and fight
We must do it for all
This is our right
We will not fall
The End
Prologue
(Scene opens to the inside of an apartment complex in the slums of Los Angeles.. It is a dark and cold night. A young man, with a backpack slung around his shoulder, is walking out of the worn down doors out of the apartment. The mother, with a baby nestled in her arms runs after him with a frantic look strewn across her face.)
Elana: Daniel! Stop! Where are you going?
(Daniel turns around and faces her still slowly walking backwards)
Daniel: I’m leaving. I can’t deal with the price of you and the baby. I’m going to get a better job and more money, make a life of my own. Say goodbye to Lindsay for me.
Elana (worry on her face): But the child! What will I do without you?
Daniel: Elana, trust me my love, you will live. Find a better man that can provide for you. (Daniel turns back around and walks away into the dark night.)
(Scene fades out as Elana is left sobbing on the sidewalk.)
Scene One
(Fast forward 14 years later, as Lindsay is remembering this moment as a daydream . She blinks and is brought back to reality. The smell of canned meatloaf lingers in the air of a small, frayed kitchen. A little girl is humming a song while playing with toys on the kitchen floor.)
Lindsay: Holly, clean up your toys dinner is almost ready. Mom will not be home until late again so I will be tucking you in here after dinner ok?
(Holly frantically picks up the toys and puts them away)
Holly: Ok! When’s mama coming home?
Lindsay (with a strained look on her face): You know it won’t be until very late baby girl. She took the late night shift at the diner tonight. But no worries, you’ll see her tomorrow. (Lindsay takes out two plates from the cupboard.) Grab your dinner then I’ll read you a bedtime story.
(Holly and Lindsay eat and finish dinner. Then Lindsay picks up both of their dishes and goes to clean up. Holly picks her toys back up and starts to play with them once again.)
(The eerie sound of the land line telephone pierces the air. Holly drops her toys and rushes to pick up the phone.)
Holly (in a high pitched eager kid voice): Hello?
Elana (on other side with stress in her voice): Honey? Will you please give the phone to Lindsay for me?
Holly: Yes mommy. (She runs to Lindsay) It’s mommy!
Lindsay (tired voice): Hi mom.
Elana: Hi sweety! How’s it going? I hope all is well! I unfortunately will be home later tonight. Probably past midnight. I’m so sorry.
Lindsay: (sighs) Oh alright, that’s ok. Um, I’ll see you later.
Elana: Okay love, I will see you. Call me if you need anything! Goodbye! (Phone clicks)
Lindsay (puts down phone and turns to Holly): Bedtime Holly! Put your toys away. Do you want to pick out a story?
Holly (puts toys away): Yeah! I choose The Boy Who Cried Wolf!
Lindsay: Okay! Put your pajamas on and get into bed then we can read.
Lindsay and Holly walk to a small room cluttered with dolls and Lindsay’s books. There are two beds on each side of the room. It is quite obvious that the girls share the room. Holly puts the book on her bed and hops under the hand me down quilt. Lindsay reads of the story, a favorite of hers when she was Holly’s age.
Lindsay (closing the book): The end.
(When Lindsay had finished the story she looks over at Holly who already fallen asleep. Lindsay goes back into the kitchen which also has a small torn couch and a old box TV. Next to the couch there is also a small table. They have smiling faces holding books on the front. Lindsay grabbed a few college brochures from the counselor. It was the only way to earn more money. Lindsay lays in the dark. All she wants is to survive now and go to college. She falls asleep.)
Chorus:
(As kids from around the neighborhood)
Mom is out late tonight
She’s working hard, double shifts
Can’t get mad, can’t put up a fight
Earns minimum wage, and not many tips
She’s let you down,
But you need to keep going
Don’t put on a frown
The worst is unknowing
There’s no money around
And you wish you had more
Now you must focus
You want college, and must care for Holly,
But with earning money, you’re still on the hunt,
For now just be happy, be jolly
Scene Two
Lindsay is woken up from a deep slumber by the phone ringing once again. She grabs it wondering why someone would call her so early in the morning...
Lindsay: Hello?
Man on Phone: Is this Lindsay?
Lindsay: Yes, can I help you?
Man on the Phone: Hello, this is Sergeant Steel from the LAPD, we have your mother here under custody, she has been charged with a DUI.
Lindsay(heavily breathing in shock): Excuse me?
John: Last night around 3 a.m. your mother was taken under custody for being heavily intoxicated while driving. She is here, and will be able to get taken out soon. She will be charged heavily.
Lindsay(choking): Um..how much officer?
John: Well, by the time she is finished, the total will be around $10,000, for DUI in the state of California.
Lindsay (gasping): We don't have that much money! We don’t have any money!
John: That is for you and your mom to discuss. We will see you soon. (Phone clicks)
Lindsay almost collapses in awe. She quickly runs to Holly’s room and wakes her up.
Lindsay: C’mon baby girl. Get dressed fast we are going into town to pick up mommy ok?
Holly(sleepily): Why?
Lindsay: Nevermind, Holly, please hurry.
(They both get ready quickly then head outside to catch the nearest bus to the police station, about a 45 minute ride. Lindsay and Holly stare out the window in fear, not knowing what is going to happen when they arrive. They pull up to the station and hop off, both shaking in fear as the station is very large. Lindsay grabs Holly’s hand and walks inside to the front desk where a woman sits eagerly typing away on a computer.)
Front Desk Lady: May I help you?
Lindsay: Hi, um I’m here to pick up my mother from custody.
Front Desk Lady (annoyed): And her name?
Lindsay: Elana Wallers, I'm Lindsay Wallers, her daughter.
Front Desk Lady: Ahh yes. She is 4 doors down and on your right.
The two girls hand in hand walk down the eerie hallway to the 4th door. Holly screams and jumps on her mom as soon as she sees her. Lindsay just stares in disgust.
Holly(as hugging her): Mommy! I missed you
Elana: I missed you too honey. I missed both of you. Now lets jump back on the bus and talk about what happened at home ok? I just want to get out of here.
Holly take Elana’s hand. Lindsay just stands there with crossed arms ,obviously extremely frustrated. She then turns around and starts walking towards the bus stop. Elana and Holly follow.
Chorus:
(As kids from around the neighborhood)
What has happened here
You can’t believe your eyes
Your life is not clear
Your life is full of lies
Why mom, why must you do this
We have no money
You have to miss
Your days are never sunny
Minimum wage
You can’t handle
Where will we go
What will we do
We may never know
My life is a zoo
Scene Three
(The three girls are back at the apartment. Holly is in her room as Lindsay and Elana are in the living room)
Elana: Look, I’m sorry. I was having a rough ni-(interrupted)
Lindsay (yelling): Ohhhhh it was a rough night? Really mom really? Do you know how much this is going to cost us? $10,00! There goes any chance of me getting into college!
Elana: I know honey just please calm down everything will be fine. We will figure this out ok? I cannot say sorry enough.
Lindsay (voice raised): Fine mom whatever. Just go do whatever you need to do. I have got YOUR child to take care of.
(Lindsay then goes to her and Holly’s room to comfort Holly and slams the door
(Lindsay and Holly come out of the room together to get ready for dinner)
Lindsay (peeking into kitchen): Mom! What’s for dinner?
(No reply)
Lindsay: Hmm! I wonder where she is! I’ll check the bathroom, maybe she’s taking a shower. Holly go to the kitchen and sit down. Dinner will be soon
(Lindsay walks to bathroom and knocks on the door.)
Lindsay: Mom? Are you in there?
(Lindsay knocks again)
Lindsay: Mom! Open up!
(Nothing)
Lindsay: Ok mom I’m coming in!
(Lindsay opens the door and walks in .She sees her mother lying there on the ground lifeless, with an empty pill bottle in her hand. A loud scream pierces the cool air.)
Lindsay: Mom! (Walks up to her and shakes her) Mom wake up!
(Lindsay sees a note scrunched up in the pill bottle. She reads it, as it states her mom killed herself due to the stress of bills.)
Lindsay (crying): Mommy please wake up! Mom! What will I do without you?
Chorus:
(As kids from around the block)
Your mother is dead, what to do
Her face is cold
Her hands are blue
You must stand up, you must be bold
The stress did this,
The minimum wage
It locks you up,
It puts you in a life-long cage
You can’t go anywhere
Unless they raise
We must stand up and fight
We must do it for all
This is our right
We will not fall
The End
Project Reflection
Project Reflection
greek_tragdey_reflection.docx | |
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