Exploring the Mystery and Magic of Life

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Entry #9 - The Digital Divide

November 18, 2023

Source Link During the past couple of weeks, my English class has really begun to dive deep into media and the impact that it has on society. I have been thinking a lot about media and technology, as well as the many ways that they affect my life and the lives of those around me. I've also been thinking about how media impacts the lives of those who don't have access to it. The digital divide is "the growing gap between the underprivileged members of society, especially the poor, rural, elderly, and handicapped portion of the population who do not have access to computers or the internet; and the wealthy, middle-class, and young Americans living in urban and suburban areas who have access," ( Stanford University ). UN's Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development tells us that only about 53.6% of the global population actively uses the internet. That means that approximately half of the world's population either doesn't have access to the internet...

Entry #8 - How Musical Theater Changed My Life

November 11, 2023

Source Link I take a deep breath as I step out onto the dark stage. The air around me buzzes with excitement, and the audience is completely silent in anticipation. I fidget with my checkered dress as I think about my character; her likes, her dislikes, her fears, and her dreams. The music begins and a bright smile spreads across my face as I feel a newfound confidence surge throughout my body. As I open my mouth to sing my first note, I know that I am where I belong. I am home. Musical theater is more than just a form of entertainment. Musical theater is a beautiful form of art and expression that can fill the lives of an audience with joy. However, in this blog post I will not be discussing how musical theater affects an audience, I will be discussing how musical theater affects its actors. I am the perfect example of this transformation. When I was little, I was a quiet and shy young girl who had very little confidence in herself. I was scared of doing pretty much anythi...

Entry #7 - The Hashtag and Its Influence on Society

November 01, 2023

Source Link Have you ever been scrolling on your Twitter account and found a post containing the phrase #BlackLivesMatter, #MeTo, or #IceBucketChallenge? Maybe you have created a post that contained the hashtag #SummerPictures or #ThrowbackThursday. The hashtag has become extremely popular in social media, and it has taken the world by storm. Whether we appreciate the hashtag and its use or not, we cannot deny that it can impact society, transform our government, and change the world. The reign of the hashtag began clear back in 2007, when Chris Messina made a simple proposal on Twitter ( Wikipedia ). He suggested that the pound sign be used to categorize messages ( Wikipedia ). That summer, a San Diego resident named Nate Riddener followed Messina's example and created a post that contained the the hashtag #SanDiegoFire in an effort to raise awareness of the one billion dollars worth of damage caused by wildfires that year ( Bernadette N. Lim ). Lim tells us that, "in July...

Entry #6 - "The Haunted Mansion:" A Spooky, Family Friendly Film with a Deep Lesson

October 20, 2023

Source Link We all have favorite movies that we like to watch every time the Halloween season comes around. Movies such as Casper , Beetlejuice, Hocus Pocus, and The Nightmare Before Christmas have become some of the most popular Halloween family movies. We enjoy watching these movies because they put us into the spirit of the season and can actually provide us with wholesome memories and lessons. Honestly, I have never been a huge fan of scary movies, and I will not go anywhere near a horror film. However, a new, spooky movie recently came out that has quickly jumped to the spot of one of my very favorite films of all time. A movie that was actually based on one of my favorite rides at Disneyland. . . The Haunted Mansion . Disney's The Haunted Mansion was released on July 28, 2023. As of September 8, 2023 the movie had made $101.3 million worldwide, which was way less than what Disney had originally anticipated ( Harrington ). According to Rotten Tomatoes , the...

E/C Entry - "Capitalism: A Love Story"

October 12, 2023

Source Link "Capitalism: A Love Story" is a film by Michael Moore that focuses on the idea of capitalism and the negative consequences that it has on the middle and lower classes. The film uses statistics, stories, and previously hidden secrets to make the point that capitalism is an evil practice. I recently watched this film, and I found it to be very interesting. It was informative, entertaining, and EXTREMELY blunt. I have never seen a film done by Michael Moore before, so the experience was very new to me. There were a lot of things that I liked about the film. . . and then there were a lot of things that I wasn't a fan of. One thing that I really appreciated about this film was Moore's use of rhetoric. He clearly knew exactly what his purpose was, who his intended audience would be, and how he wanted to convey his message. Moore's purpose was to inform people about capitalism and the toll that it is taking on the U.S. economy. His intended audience was t...

Entry #5 - Review of the Article "Why Arizona Needs More College Grads"

October 11, 2023

Source Link On September 17, 2016 Governor Doug Ducey published an article called "Why Arizona Needs More College Grads." In his article, Ducey explained the importance of gaining a higher education, and he also used the article to introduce the new Achieve60AZ plan. His article was extremely well written and it is clear when reading it that Ducey is highly knowledgeable when it comes to the elements of persuasion. In the article, Ducey uses the rhetorical triangle to help him establish credibility, present logical facts, and connect with his readers. Source Link The very first thing that Ducey does in his article is construct his own ethos, which is a fancy Latin word for "ethical appeals." Louisiana State University tells us that ethos, "appeals to the writer's character. Ethos can also be thought of as the role of the writer in the argument, and how credible his/her argument is." Ducey begins the article by saying, "I'm honored to be ...

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