Part 1 of Final

Part 1 Final: Page 54

            You would think it was just a regular day in Los Angeles. It was a sunny morning on a Friday in West Hollywood. I had a meeting with my dad’s uncle who lives in Beverly Hills P.O. Box. I knew my dad’s uncle liked me, but I wondered why he invited me to his home on that Friday morning. It felt like it took me ages to get to his house. I don’t know if it was all the hills that made it feel like it took forever to get there or if it was all the thoughts that I had rushing through my mind.

            I was looking at all the tall palm trees and the green grass and I thought wow this really is Beverly Hills. It actually really is what its like in the movies. I arrived at his house around two and the sun was out and bright. I forgot to bring him something small like a drink or flower. Sometimes it would hurt me inside to see Ned, but I would still have a warm feeling inside because he looked just like my grandpa. I would have that streak of pain rush through my body because I wish my grandpa were still here today. I have pictures with my grandpa as a baby, but what’s the point I don’t remember hm. There I am standing in front of the fancy iron decorated door.

            We were sitting by the pool and I could hear the stream of water falling into the pool. He was asking me about school, but the funny thing was school just finished. It was mid-June and he was curious what I was going to do with my future being that I just finished my high school life. I told him I wanted to work in real estate and he gave me a smile. He was proud of me because, he was real a real estate major. He built his empire off of real estate. I felt like he was there to support me throughout my future, especially support me with the career I chose because I haven’t always had the best male figure around. Earlier in the year I told him how I thought of him as my own grandpa. I used to call him Uncle Ned, but lately I thought of him as my actual grandpa. He took a breath of fresh air and looked at me with his warm eyes. He told me that he wanted to leave all his riches for me. He had a building in West Los Angeles and his home in Beverly Hills P.O. Box. As he told me that my jaw dropped. It was the most shocking incident and I couldn’t even believe that instant. He had children and grandchildren, I don’t know why he chose to give it all to me.

            Ned left for a minute and my eyes escaped into the view overlooking Los Angeles. All sound was blocked out that moment I looked at the view. When he came back, he tapped my shoulder and asked if I was okay. I told him I was fine and we went back into his home filled with Persian carpets and antiques to have eggs and bagels with cream cheese for lunch. While having brunch, he told me that he always had a good feeling about me and how I wasn’t anything like my family. He also mentioned how everything my family did to me was undeserved. I never knew he would understand any of my pain since I’ve always thought has lived such a happy life. I never took the time to figure out the pain he was going through especially when he grew up. I have always thought he was born into happiness and success.

Found Poem- Shaking U.S. Support

Shaking U.S. Support

Benjamin Netanyahu

Pointedly criticized

Blunt comments by Obama

Netanyahu landing strong

An unexpectedly strong victory

Never agreeing to a sovereign Palestinian state

Vision of peace, two free countries

Living side by side

Separately

Independent states for Israelis and Palestinians

The U.S. reevaluating their approach

A significant shift.

 

Found Poem for Night by Elie Wiesel

 

Night by Elie Wiesel

The Look in Her Eyes

From this moment

Separation

Completely broke her

They look in her eyes

As they stared into mine

And I had but one desire

Seeing her alive again

She continued to scream

Breathless…

Mercy

Terrible awaken

Under the authority of the German army

She’s mad, poor soul

Our flesh… creeping

Auschwitz.

Darkness of the night

Shame in our souls

In front of us flames.

Final: “Virtual Selves” Essay

            The students or even the younger generation of today has grown up online. The online life has been said to be a positive affect by some people and some people say it has a negative affect. I think that technology is useful it’s just that this younger generation has taken it for granted. The Internet alters the nature of many things. You could be sitting there alone by a computer but you won’t feel alone.

           

            You could have multiple identities on the Internet. In text 5, “Maybe I just exude it. I don’t know. But I feel like this short person with this squeaky little Filipino voice and nobody wants to pay attention.”(135) When I play this big guy everyone listens to me,” she says. (136) The woman felt like no one paid any

attention to her in real life. She created an alter ego in the virtual world. The avatar she created was a polar opposite of her. The woman felt lonely and just wanted someone to listen to her for once. She felt the need for attention or even some acceptance. By creating this avatar it made her feel better. Many people vanish into these avatars and lose acceptance for themselves. It is a simple repetition where people make a polar opposite avatar online. Another simple repetition is where people make a thinner, prettier version of themselves.

            I am able to balance my virtual life and my real life. In text 5 it says, “ A sociologist at MIT, Sherry Turkle, described these environments as laboratories for the construction of identity”, says Spaight. (136) Many people are sinked into the virtual life. I know who I am. I don’t need to a virtual personality online to help me find out who I am. Some people could need the the virtual life to help them find out who they really are and some people it really drives them even further from finding out who they truly are. I personally don’t think I need any of this online life. We shouldn’t confuse our online personas and online activities with what we do in the real world. Social sites today help us connect with things all over the world. You see things that you wouldn’t have even imagined of. Social sites only make us judge each other even more just like the media as a whole.

            In text 6, “That the internet links millions of people in new spaces that are changing the way we think and the way we form our communities. (147) “We are using the life behind a computer screen to become comfortable with new ways of thinking about evolution, relationships, sexuality, politics, and identity.” (147) The Internet connects millions of people. You can meet people from all over the glove online at any time of day. It isn’t always safe though. People need to keep caution when online. I think that the ability of meeting people online stops people from going outside and meeting others. Many people go online to find a companion. Going online to meet people stops us from forming a stable and connected community. You should be aware of everything going on in your community. How do you think people did everything 100 years ago? They went out in the real world and worked for everything. There wasn’t any online life to do the things they wanted for them. Since many people go online so much they’re losing their ability for a real life interaction. People are becoming too comfortable in the virtual world.

            I personally wouldn’t a job that has me dealing with a computer all day. I want something where I can interact with others and be more open to new things. The virtual world allows us to be something we’re not and you lose your true identity. People who feel lonely go online to find people to talk to. It stops us from gaining any social skills in the real world. The Internet is useful for educational information but the social sites and avatars are changing the way we think and soon enough your true identity will be lost.

Works Cited

Text 5:

Levine, Ketzel. “Alter Egos. In a Virtual World.” NPR 14 June 2007.

Text 6:

Turkle, Sherry. “Who Am We?” Wired January 1996.

A Fun Winter Vacation

With the cold weather and lack of sunny days in Los Angeles, a person can become depressed. We didn't have much of a winter this year however we made the best of it. We did road trip it to Big Bear where there was snow[.1] . The cold and damp weather seems to make me feel sleepy and tired though. At the same time, winter in LA can be fun, since people can actually go out. While more towards the Midwest and east coast most people are doing something indoors since it’s so cold out. It’s even sunny during our winter days here in Los Angeles. It can’t get any better than 70 degrees on a daily basis.[.2] 

Even with all this warm weather, I did miss the snow.  The family took my brother and I to Big Bear. It was fun to experience the outdoors. The air was so fresh and the sky was so blue. I made sweet hot chocolate for my family and friends. During the day we were in Big Bear and at night we stayed at my family friends house, which was in Apple Valley, twenty minutes from Big Bear. At night, I enjoyed seeing the shining beautiful stars. It was only a two and a half hour drive away from Los Angeles and it was just so different. At night in Apple Valley you can actually see the stars. There aren’t all those lights or pollution blocking the sky like there is in Los Angeles.

After the whole Big Bear trip was over I was back at home. I was only back in Los Angeles for three days before I figured out I was going to Las Vegas.  After five long hours in the car, we finally arrived at the Luxor. Interesting place I might add. My brother is really tall so it was funny to see him run into the slanted windows. We weaved in and out of the hotels crossing Las Vegas Blvd. at each passing. My favorite hotel was Ceaser’s Palace.  No wonder it’s like $500 a night to stay there. We ended the trip with blueberry pancakes and hot chocolate. Driving home wasn’t so bad since I got to sit in the front seat.

I spent the third week hanging out with friends  and going to the gym. I also got all four of my wisdom teeth taken out which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It felt good to go the gym after being on vacation for so long and just eating whatever I pleased. All the Vegas buffets were just so tempting. There was a ton of variety of all types of food from Chinese food to Italian. I also loved the variety of the delicious and colorful desserts the buffets had to offer. I didn’t have much pain after the surgery actually. People kept scaring me that getting your wisdom teeth taken out is such an awful experience. It was just an uncomfortable feeling in my mouth because of all the blood.

Overall, I did enjoy my winter break.  I was up and doing something most of the time. I didn’t put my break to waste and I got many things done. The only negative part to my break was the wisdom tooth surgery but otherwise it was a pretty enjoyable three weeks. I do plan to learn how to ski and snowboard one day. Maybe one day I will live in a cold place where it snows throughout the year so it would be nice to know how to ski and snowboard. It was a great time and I look forward to the new year. 

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Autobiographical Narrative

Autobiographical Narrative

            The name of the person that supports me academically is my father, Isaac. He doesn’t actually sit down and help me with my homework, but if I need academic advice he will give it to me. He is always concerned about my school work, sometimes even more than he is concerned about me. I know that he wants me to do my best. I would say that health is my favorite subject and my favorite class that I have taken. I like health because it is something important to know about. It also a quality subject to inform other people about. It is taught worldwide, so that shows just about how important it is. I also like that I can connect Health class with health issues that are happening today. Just like I was able to connect my previous Health class to Ebola and I was able to understand even better how diseases work.

            The lesson from “Grapes of Wrath” progressed because it showed me how a dime can come a long way and how dignity is needed. I have learned over the years that money isn’t everything but it is a necessity to live. The man lived with what he had and never tried to show himself as a poor man. It is important to keep your dignity and this excerpt helped me understand it even better. In the future, I do see myself having tip-top grades, and I want to attend USC. I also look up to my brother who goes to USC. He graduated from Fairfax. It doesn’t matter where you came from because if you try hard enough you will make it to the college you want. I would describe myself as a conscientious student. I do all of my homework and class work and I try to consistently be positive. Being optimistic is a significant trait to have.

            My first language was English and it was what my parents spoke to me as a child. I also did learn Farsi through my family. But I mostly spoke English as a child because it was more important. I did need to learn Farsi since the older people in my family like my grandma can only speak Farsi. So I clearly did need a way to converse with my grandma and I knew at her old age she wasn’t going to even try to learn English. Today, I speak Farsi fluently. 

            Both my parents are Iranian which explains for how I know Farsi. As teenagers they came to the great North America. My father has lived in New York, New Jersey, Florida and for the past 25 years in Los Angeles. My mom has lived in New York and now for the past 20 years in Los Angeles. My parents are still together after 20 years. I also have one brother who is 19. As a child he the one always being spoiled and yet everyone says the daughter gets spoiled, not in my case. The older child was the one who got everything they wanted. To this day I would say he is still more spoiled. He moved out when he was 18 to leave for USC, so I kind of feel like an only child since he has moved out. I’ve grown up in the same house my whole life and still live here. I was always pressured into doing my best ever since I was a child especially since there are so many successful people in my family. It isn’t easy to always do well and being pressured all the time isn’t the best feeling ever either. As for a job I would like to get into the real estate and business field. At USC I plan to study real estate development and business. I want to do property management and maybe even be a real estate agent. I’ve thought about being in the medical field but I wouldn’t want to go to school for all those years and plus I like being out in the real world and associating with all types of people. Getting into real estate would give me a lot of knowledge. I would travel to many places and talk to all sorts of people.

            I would say that my friends, family and education have had a big impact on me. I’ve learned to try my best and understand others. I’m on my pathway into adulthood and I know what I want to do with my life. I want to graduate Fairfax and continue my way to USC and have a successful job in the real estate field. I also want to help the less fortunate and I want to help shape society. I have been through my struggles with my family but these struggles have helped shape who I am today.

"What is an American?"

“What is an American?”

           

Everyone has their own view on what an American is. To the government its being a United States Citizen. I don’t think that a citizenship or rather a piece of paper can grant you being an American. That piece of people just shows you can live in the United States legally. There are other parts of America such as Alaska and Hawaii but I wouldn’t consider those as being America. When I think of being American, I think of the 48 states located within the continental United States and not the other two parts, Hawaii and Alaska.

            If you think about it our ancestors were immigrants. Over generations we have lived here and called ourselves Americans. The United States once welcomed all immigrants. Every other place that we settled we were strangers. I would still consider myself to be an American especially being that I was born in the United States. Nowadays we deny entrance to people who are like our ancestors. To the people who want to establish a new home and are willing to work. People want to come here because the United States is definitely the land of opportunity. The immigrants that are here, came here hoping for a better life. Many people who moved from other countries to the United States have become quite successful.

            The immigrants that did make it safely into the United States definitely do have many opportunities. Many immigrants who don’t even speak English could make thousands a month doing our dirty work. People come here to work and they help grow our economy.  So I don’t understand why immigrants are always looked at so lowly. Or many times people come to work and make money and send it back to their country. With the money they make here their family could have a better life back home. I think that immigration will always happen no matter what anyone says. We just have to bring in the people who are willing to help and not bring any violence or negativity to our society.

            The United States isn’t all about the fame, beaches filled with surfer dudes and pretty girls or even the hamburgers were known for. Those are just a bunch of generalizations. The media tries to tell people what an American is. The movies make it look like the United States is filled with a bunch of wealthy people who go live a great, happy life .No it isn’t all about that. The United States is a land of freedom and opportunity. I think your life is what you make it. You may be born into poverty or riches but making that change is up to you. Yes, my ancestors were immigrants and so were yours.

            My parents were born in Iran. I call my parents Americans and they consider themselves to be one. Not just because they have granted their citizenship but because they love America and follow the traditions. I would say that my parents are more Americanized than actually being Iranian. My parents have lived over half their life in the United States, so I wouldn’t see why they wouldn’t be considered an American. I was born here in California and I wouldn’t want to change it. I celebrate all the American holidays and appreciate the United Sates. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere but the United States. I am an American and I wouldn’t want to change it.