I have been able to grow a lot as a writer through these essays and papers this year. I have never written a paper that was 4 pages before, but it was a great learning experience. It allowed me to go into so much more depth than I normally do on say a 5 paragraph essay. We did a lot of interesting topics. Enjoy my work.
Dystopian Project
Step 1 - Problem/Injustice Research and Writing (all students complete this individually--see assignment sheet for detailed directions)
One problem that could be compared to a dystopian culture in security cameras. Have you ever walked down an aisle at Target? They have a surveillance camera every ten feet staring down at you from the ceiling. I understand that it is essential to stop shoplifters, but where is the limit. For one thing, people are entitled to privacy.
“There are an estimated 30 million surveillance cameras deployed in the United States…” According to (Popular Mechanics). Knowing this, I think it is safe to say if the government wanted to they could have eyes on you wherever you go. Of course, unless you were hiding in the woods or something. Besides the fact that the FBI can tap into pretty much any surveillance camera, they can also use their own cameras to spy on whoever they want.
Spy bots are not a very new field of use for the FBI, but did you know that there could be one disguised as a bug in your very home this second? If that doesn’t intrude your personal privacy I don’t know what does. “The Air Force is now developing what it calls MAVs, Micro Air Vehicles, tiny drones that can quietly search for an individual terrorist and then kill him with explosives or even incapacitate him with chemicals.” (Don’t Let Government…). Although there are some good uses to spy drones, it is understood that they could easily be used for evil in the wrong hands.
Step 2 – Story Proposal and Writing (all students complete this individually--see assignment sheet for detailed directions)
The setting of my dystopian story will be 50 years into the future in an urban neighborhood just outside a military base known as . There are robots with cameras that roam the streets and drones that scan every house daily. Every House has surveillance cameras in every room, even the bathrooms.
Depending on how old you are, each person of the household has a different curfew. Every night you have to be home and get your face scanned or else the robot police will be notified and a fleet of drones will take off looking for you. Every person is monitored at all times using face recognition, and heat sensors. Society is run by Donald Trump.
Protagonist: Tommy Adams
Tommy lives in a house with his brother, Steve, and his mother, Kelly. Tommy’s father was taken to jail after disobeying curfew. They live in a small home just outside a military base in South Carolina. Tommy is different because when he was born the face recognition never worked for him. He is 18 now and beginning to find out that if he exceeds his curfew nothing happens. He is going to make a run for the Canadian border after breaking his father out of jail.
Plot pyramid:
Intro to society and evil government
Finds out face recognition doesn't work on Tommy
An officer is assigned to watch him every day
Kills officer, breaks dad out of jail, and runs for the border
They get caught and are taken back on a plane
Hijack plane and turn it around to then crash it in canada
Step 3 – Project Artifact Options and Writing (all students choose one, make one, and write about it--see assignment sheet for detailed directions)
In this map I have created, it was my main goal to show how big the military base was in comparison to the rest of the city. The military base is a big part of the city because most of the people that live in Van Britten work there. The people of this dystopia city do not care for the government one bit but they have no other choice of how to make a somewhat steady income.
Another significant piece of the map is the DMZ (demilitarized zone). It has not been specified what they are trying to stay away from because that is what the reader’s imagination is for. On purpose, I made the map in a basic grid pattern with no parks or any form of entertainment to show how this is not a place anyone would want to live.
Step 4 – Presentation (all students participate--see assignment sheet for detailed directions)
Link to our Google Slide presentation:
Works Cited
Stossel, John. "Don't Let Government Rules Destroy the Power of Mindless Drones | Fox News." Fox News. FOX News Network, 13 Aug. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
"Surveillance Society: New High-Tech Cameras Are Watching You." Popular Mechanics. 01 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Step 1 - Problem/Injustice Research and Writing (all students complete this individually--see assignment sheet for detailed directions)
One problem that could be compared to a dystopian culture in security cameras. Have you ever walked down an aisle at Target? They have a surveillance camera every ten feet staring down at you from the ceiling. I understand that it is essential to stop shoplifters, but where is the limit. For one thing, people are entitled to privacy.
“There are an estimated 30 million surveillance cameras deployed in the United States…” According to (Popular Mechanics). Knowing this, I think it is safe to say if the government wanted to they could have eyes on you wherever you go. Of course, unless you were hiding in the woods or something. Besides the fact that the FBI can tap into pretty much any surveillance camera, they can also use their own cameras to spy on whoever they want.
Spy bots are not a very new field of use for the FBI, but did you know that there could be one disguised as a bug in your very home this second? If that doesn’t intrude your personal privacy I don’t know what does. “The Air Force is now developing what it calls MAVs, Micro Air Vehicles, tiny drones that can quietly search for an individual terrorist and then kill him with explosives or even incapacitate him with chemicals.” (Don’t Let Government…). Although there are some good uses to spy drones, it is understood that they could easily be used for evil in the wrong hands.
Step 2 – Story Proposal and Writing (all students complete this individually--see assignment sheet for detailed directions)
The setting of my dystopian story will be 50 years into the future in an urban neighborhood just outside a military base known as . There are robots with cameras that roam the streets and drones that scan every house daily. Every House has surveillance cameras in every room, even the bathrooms.
Depending on how old you are, each person of the household has a different curfew. Every night you have to be home and get your face scanned or else the robot police will be notified and a fleet of drones will take off looking for you. Every person is monitored at all times using face recognition, and heat sensors. Society is run by Donald Trump.
Protagonist: Tommy Adams
Tommy lives in a house with his brother, Steve, and his mother, Kelly. Tommy’s father was taken to jail after disobeying curfew. They live in a small home just outside a military base in South Carolina. Tommy is different because when he was born the face recognition never worked for him. He is 18 now and beginning to find out that if he exceeds his curfew nothing happens. He is going to make a run for the Canadian border after breaking his father out of jail.
Plot pyramid:
Intro to society and evil government
Finds out face recognition doesn't work on Tommy
An officer is assigned to watch him every day
Kills officer, breaks dad out of jail, and runs for the border
They get caught and are taken back on a plane
Hijack plane and turn it around to then crash it in canada
- Our story takes place in the small village of Van Brittan.(somewhat like SJ)
- Van Brittan is home to a large military base, which comes with high security, even in people’s homes. It is also on the border of a DMZ making it just that much more secure.
- The security is so intense that many have attempted to leave the town unsuccessfully, leading to their jailing.
- With our main character Tommy, a 26 year old janitor at the military base who has always been a handful for his employers. Stuberness to adapt has led Tommy fed up with the new tight security in the town. To add to this, one night, his dad was thrown in jail for not being home at the 10:30 curfew time. Tommy goes out to meet his dad in jail and attempts to sign in at the security check in and realizes that the security bots aren’t picking up on him. He begins to use this to his mischievous advantage.
Step 3 – Project Artifact Options and Writing (all students choose one, make one, and write about it--see assignment sheet for detailed directions)
In this map I have created, it was my main goal to show how big the military base was in comparison to the rest of the city. The military base is a big part of the city because most of the people that live in Van Britten work there. The people of this dystopia city do not care for the government one bit but they have no other choice of how to make a somewhat steady income.
Another significant piece of the map is the DMZ (demilitarized zone). It has not been specified what they are trying to stay away from because that is what the reader’s imagination is for. On purpose, I made the map in a basic grid pattern with no parks or any form of entertainment to show how this is not a place anyone would want to live.
Step 4 – Presentation (all students participate--see assignment sheet for detailed directions)
Link to our Google Slide presentation:
Works Cited
Stossel, John. "Don't Let Government Rules Destroy the Power of Mindless Drones | Fox News." Fox News. FOX News Network, 13 Aug. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
"Surveillance Society: New High-Tech Cameras Are Watching You." Popular Mechanics. 01 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
The Mission of Emissions
Have you ever walked behind a school bus and been shot in the face with the dark grey fumes from the exhaust? Our world is becoming more and more polluted with chemicals from cars and something needs to be done. Automobile companies are taking huge strides to make cleaner, more efficient cars. With the world's population increasing, more people are driving cars which are spitting out harmful gasses into the atmosphere. I have done research to find out what steps the car industry is doing to make cleaner cars that are more friendly to our environment. In order to solve the problem of air pollution through car emissions, automotive industries need to make more fuel efficient vehicles, produce a wider range of electric and hybrid cars, and start promoting hydrogen fuel cell cars.
So what makes cars so harmful? Most vehicles produce Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, And Nitrogen Oxides as well as hydrocarbons. These compounds are the reason why our ozone layer is being depleted. Without an ozone layer, the harmful radiation from the sun has no barrier.
CO2 is a is a big factor behind global warming. When gasoline and diesel engines run, they give off CO2 which then goes up into the atmosphere. It is a greenhouse gas so it contributes toward climate change and global warming.
Another thing that is affected by vehicles that burn gasoline a diesel is air quality. Places around the world such as China and California are already experiencing the harmful pollution from the emissions of automobiles. Weather chanels don’t just tell the temperature but now tell the air quality now too. If you asked someone what the air quality was like in 1960 they would have laughed at you and said, “It seems fine to me.” In fact, according to Peter Jaret, “About 60 percent of particulate matter 10 microns or less in size comes from combustion sources, such as cars and power plants.” This matter that is 10 microns or less is what is causing the air pollution. If something doesn’t happen soon there will be consequences.
I did a survey to find out if electric and hybrid cars were actually becoming a popular thing. The people taking it consisted of 33 students and teachers, but the results were surprising. Out of all who were surveyed, only one drives a car that is not gasoline powered. I believe the reason behind this is that most of the students and teachers who were surveyed drive cars that are between 2000 and 2008 which is before hybrid and electric cars were popular. If i did this survey in 10 years I am sure that the results would look a lot different because of the fact that hybrid and electric cars would have been on the market for a longer period of time making them cheaper due to age.
Many car manufacturers are advertising cleaner cars mainly not because they are cleaner for the environment, but because they are more fuel efficient or cheaper to run. If companies tried to sell cars only because they didn’t put out as many emissions then they wouldn’t have very good success. People who buy cars could care less about if they are putting a lot of emissions into the atmosphere which is why manufacturers need to make cars that can do both.
To start to take care of the problem there needs to be cleaner methods of transporting people from place to place. Good alternatives to gasoline powered engines are electric engines.
According to the Environmental Magazine, “Electric cars produce zero emissions from the tailpipe. Moreover, while electric cars do produce some pollution in the manufacturing process and in parts of the nation that use fossil fuels to generate electricity, on a national average, electric cars produce half the amount of carbon dioxide as a conventional car.” Although electric cars are nice, one drawback is that you cannot drive very far with one charge. That is why hybrid cars are also a cleaner cheaper option.
Advantages of having a hybrid car is that you can save gas by using the battery, but if it ever died then you would still be able to use the gasoline powered engine to get you where you need to go. Most hybrid cars use the brakes and other methods to recharge the battery while you are driving that way it just feels like driving a very fuel efficient car. It is convenient that you do not have to plug your car in every night. The Honda Prius is a good example of a modern hybrid car that is popular throughout the United States. Even though Honda focuses its marketing on the fact that it will save you money, they should also be advertising that cars like these could save your life because of them increasing air quality.
You may be thinking that even though these cars are cleaner they still give off pollutants. Well, one form of powering a car with zero emissions is through the hydrogen fuel cell. This system takes in Hydrogen and Oxygen and outputs electricity, water, and heat. The good thing is that in this system there is absolutely no pollution. According to Joseph Romm from Greenhaven Press, “(The fuel cell system) had more than 40 percent lower emissions of carbon dioxide (C02, the primary greenhouse gas) and less than one one-thousandth the emissions of other air pollutants.” The only setback to using hydrogen fuel cells is that they aren’t very reliable. Yet. Car manufacturers have already started producing concept models to see it they could actually sell on the market. In 2015 Toyota came out with one of the first hydrogen fuel cell cars, the Mirai. Obviously hydrogen stations aren’t very popular right now but as this technology develops this could eventually replace gasoline powered cars.
In conclusion, car manufacturers and scientists are trying to come up with cheap methods to save our environment. Maybe one day vehicles won’t even need gas or electricity to run. As of right now, the race to make the cheapest most fuel efficient car still goes on. Just be grateful that as cars are becoming more fuel efficient, they are also becoming less harmful to the environment. The next time you go outside take a deep breathe of fresh air and remember that there are people who care and want to keep it that way.
Works Cited
"Car Emissions and Global Warming." Union of Concerned Scientists. Web. 11 May 2016.
"Ford to Introduce First Solar-Powered Car." EcoWatch. 02 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 May 2016.
"Fuel Cell Vehicles." Fuel Cell Vehicles. Web. 11 May 2016.
Hawaleshka, Danylo. "Alternative Vehicles Should Replace Gasoline-Powered Cars." Energy
Alternatives. Ed. Helen Cothran. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Goodbye to Gas Guzzlers: Sensible Alternative Vehicles Are Starting to Hit the Roads." Maclean's (20 Nov. 2000).Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2016.
Jaret, Peter. "Air Pollution Remains a Threat." Pollution. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego:
Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Why Tiny Particles Pose Big
Problems." National Wildlife39 (2001). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May
2016.
Motavelli, Jim. "Green Cars Can Help the United States Meet Its Transportation Needs." Cars in
America. Ed. Andrea C. Nakaya. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints.
Rpt. from "Here Come the Cleaner, Greener Cars." E/The Environmental Magazine 18 (Mar.-Apr. 2007). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2016.
Romm, Joseph J. "The Promise of Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel Is Exaggerated." The Hype
About Hydrogen: Fact and Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate. Island Press, 2004. Rpt. in Transportation. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Have you ever walked behind a school bus and been shot in the face with the dark grey fumes from the exhaust? Our world is becoming more and more polluted with chemicals from cars and something needs to be done. Automobile companies are taking huge strides to make cleaner, more efficient cars. With the world's population increasing, more people are driving cars which are spitting out harmful gasses into the atmosphere. I have done research to find out what steps the car industry is doing to make cleaner cars that are more friendly to our environment. In order to solve the problem of air pollution through car emissions, automotive industries need to make more fuel efficient vehicles, produce a wider range of electric and hybrid cars, and start promoting hydrogen fuel cell cars.
So what makes cars so harmful? Most vehicles produce Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, And Nitrogen Oxides as well as hydrocarbons. These compounds are the reason why our ozone layer is being depleted. Without an ozone layer, the harmful radiation from the sun has no barrier.
CO2 is a is a big factor behind global warming. When gasoline and diesel engines run, they give off CO2 which then goes up into the atmosphere. It is a greenhouse gas so it contributes toward climate change and global warming.
Another thing that is affected by vehicles that burn gasoline a diesel is air quality. Places around the world such as China and California are already experiencing the harmful pollution from the emissions of automobiles. Weather chanels don’t just tell the temperature but now tell the air quality now too. If you asked someone what the air quality was like in 1960 they would have laughed at you and said, “It seems fine to me.” In fact, according to Peter Jaret, “About 60 percent of particulate matter 10 microns or less in size comes from combustion sources, such as cars and power plants.” This matter that is 10 microns or less is what is causing the air pollution. If something doesn’t happen soon there will be consequences.
I did a survey to find out if electric and hybrid cars were actually becoming a popular thing. The people taking it consisted of 33 students and teachers, but the results were surprising. Out of all who were surveyed, only one drives a car that is not gasoline powered. I believe the reason behind this is that most of the students and teachers who were surveyed drive cars that are between 2000 and 2008 which is before hybrid and electric cars were popular. If i did this survey in 10 years I am sure that the results would look a lot different because of the fact that hybrid and electric cars would have been on the market for a longer period of time making them cheaper due to age.
Many car manufacturers are advertising cleaner cars mainly not because they are cleaner for the environment, but because they are more fuel efficient or cheaper to run. If companies tried to sell cars only because they didn’t put out as many emissions then they wouldn’t have very good success. People who buy cars could care less about if they are putting a lot of emissions into the atmosphere which is why manufacturers need to make cars that can do both.
To start to take care of the problem there needs to be cleaner methods of transporting people from place to place. Good alternatives to gasoline powered engines are electric engines.
According to the Environmental Magazine, “Electric cars produce zero emissions from the tailpipe. Moreover, while electric cars do produce some pollution in the manufacturing process and in parts of the nation that use fossil fuels to generate electricity, on a national average, electric cars produce half the amount of carbon dioxide as a conventional car.” Although electric cars are nice, one drawback is that you cannot drive very far with one charge. That is why hybrid cars are also a cleaner cheaper option.
Advantages of having a hybrid car is that you can save gas by using the battery, but if it ever died then you would still be able to use the gasoline powered engine to get you where you need to go. Most hybrid cars use the brakes and other methods to recharge the battery while you are driving that way it just feels like driving a very fuel efficient car. It is convenient that you do not have to plug your car in every night. The Honda Prius is a good example of a modern hybrid car that is popular throughout the United States. Even though Honda focuses its marketing on the fact that it will save you money, they should also be advertising that cars like these could save your life because of them increasing air quality.
You may be thinking that even though these cars are cleaner they still give off pollutants. Well, one form of powering a car with zero emissions is through the hydrogen fuel cell. This system takes in Hydrogen and Oxygen and outputs electricity, water, and heat. The good thing is that in this system there is absolutely no pollution. According to Joseph Romm from Greenhaven Press, “(The fuel cell system) had more than 40 percent lower emissions of carbon dioxide (C02, the primary greenhouse gas) and less than one one-thousandth the emissions of other air pollutants.” The only setback to using hydrogen fuel cells is that they aren’t very reliable. Yet. Car manufacturers have already started producing concept models to see it they could actually sell on the market. In 2015 Toyota came out with one of the first hydrogen fuel cell cars, the Mirai. Obviously hydrogen stations aren’t very popular right now but as this technology develops this could eventually replace gasoline powered cars.
In conclusion, car manufacturers and scientists are trying to come up with cheap methods to save our environment. Maybe one day vehicles won’t even need gas or electricity to run. As of right now, the race to make the cheapest most fuel efficient car still goes on. Just be grateful that as cars are becoming more fuel efficient, they are also becoming less harmful to the environment. The next time you go outside take a deep breathe of fresh air and remember that there are people who care and want to keep it that way.
Works Cited
"Car Emissions and Global Warming." Union of Concerned Scientists. Web. 11 May 2016.
"Ford to Introduce First Solar-Powered Car." EcoWatch. 02 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 May 2016.
"Fuel Cell Vehicles." Fuel Cell Vehicles. Web. 11 May 2016.
Hawaleshka, Danylo. "Alternative Vehicles Should Replace Gasoline-Powered Cars." Energy
Alternatives. Ed. Helen Cothran. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Goodbye to Gas Guzzlers: Sensible Alternative Vehicles Are Starting to Hit the Roads." Maclean's (20 Nov. 2000).Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2016.
Jaret, Peter. "Air Pollution Remains a Threat." Pollution. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego:
Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Why Tiny Particles Pose Big
Problems." National Wildlife39 (2001). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May
2016.
Motavelli, Jim. "Green Cars Can Help the United States Meet Its Transportation Needs." Cars in
America. Ed. Andrea C. Nakaya. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints.
Rpt. from "Here Come the Cleaner, Greener Cars." E/The Environmental Magazine 18 (Mar.-Apr. 2007). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 May 2016.
Romm, Joseph J. "The Promise of Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel Is Exaggerated." The Hype
About Hydrogen: Fact and Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate. Island Press, 2004. Rpt. in Transportation. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Lord of the Flies MBC Posts
One parallel I noticed in Lord of the Flies was the relationship between the boys and my friends and I. There are similarities because my friends and I like to camp out and usually my friend Trevor comes. He is like the leader because he has the most experience and the most gear. Also, we have hunters, or in our case fisherman. One other thing that relates us to Lord of the Flies is the stupidity. When we are out camping usually someone does something stupid which usually leads to injury. We like to have fun and mess around, but sometimes we go a little too far and end up regretting it.
One parallel I noticed in Lord of the Flies was the relationship between the boys and my friends and I. There are similarities because my friends and I like to camp out and usually my friend Trevor comes. He is like the leader because he has the most experience and the most gear. Also, we have hunters, or in our case fisherman. One other thing that relates us to Lord of the Flies is the stupidity. When we are out camping usually someone does something stupid which usually leads to injury. We like to have fun and mess around, but sometimes we go a little too far and end up regretting it.