Introduction to My Blog

Hey everyone! My name is Carina and I am a senior student in high school. I am planning to attend university next year, and I'm super excited! Although I know where I am going next year, my future is still unclear as of now. Nonetheless, I am hoping that every milestone along the way will be a learning experience for me. We all figured out our paths eventually, don't we? 

Over the last 12 years of school, I never really considered myself a great writer. I've been praised for my writing in other courses before, but I always figured that my writing has always been the same throughout the years with little improvements. It wasn't until Writer's Craft when I realized that my writing has improved tremendously over the last four months. When I compare my work from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester, I see and feel the dramatic gap between my writing. I have learned to express my emotions and past experiences through writing, something I never thought writing could bring out in me. 

In my blog, you will read two poems, two journals, one lens analysis and one journalism article. All these pieces have been written because I wanted to express my experience, emotions, or concern for each individual topic. I hope you enjoy reading my blog! 

Introduction to Poems

Poems are unique pieces of writing. They allow individuals to explore a form of writing that does not require them to write down long explanations or descriptions, but rather requires them to put their experiences forward and write freely about how they may feel. Poems are also written in the least amount of words possible, in order to allow the reader to grasp the main focus of the poem. Poems can be particularly useful in expressing emotions. Feelings of depression, anger, or love can be transformed into a form of poetry that can send a deeper and powerful message. 

Sixteen

At sixteen,

Everything is supposed to be okay

At sixteen,

The hardest choice you should have to make is what clothes you want to wear,

Or what food you want to eat

At sixteen,

Loving yourself should be your only priority,

Learning to embrace those flaws that everyone once pointed out

At sixteen,

You should be finding joy in the little things

When you will be celebrating your seventeenth birthday,

When you will be visiting the cottage with your family again,

And when you will be getting your first job

At sixteen,

You should be focused on your next goal,

What assignment you will have to complete next,

Where you will go after high school,

And what career choice you will want to pursue

At sixteen,

You should be wondering what it will be like to slow dance with your husband in the kitchen at 2 am to your favorite song,

Or daydreaming about the perfect proposal

At sixteen,

There should be all sorts of possibilities out there waiting for you,

And you should be jumping at everyone of them

But at sixteen,

Everything is all wrong

At sixteen,

You should not be crying over your boyfriend,

Not crying over what he said in the argument ten minutes ago

At sixteen,

You should not be asking “Am I really happy?”

Or “Am I that easy to forget?”

At sixteen,

You should not feel empty without him

At sixteen,

You should not be up at three in the morning wondering what you did wrong,

Or making 11:11 wishes for him to come back

At sixteen,

You should not be sitting at the edge of your bed at four in the morning considering whether or not your existence matters in this world

But at sixteen,

You are crying, unable to study for your last exam

At sixteen,

You have given up on love,

You thought he was the one

At sixteen,

That day still haunts you

The day you were in tears, saying “Please don’t leave me.”

At sixteen,

You were my everything

Before you go

It’s sad to think about the good times,
how innocent and in love we were.

Our love made me feel out of control,

I think that’s how I knew it was right.

I poured my soul out to you,

And didn’t have to worry about the mess I made.

We went through hell,

but I called it love.

Because baby,

it was all worth it.

You were my first kiss,

First love.

I’d like to think you haven’t fully moved on,

Maybe I’m not the only one whose mind wanders back in time over and over again.

Maybe if it was meant to last,

It would have.

Maybe when we’ll meet again,

We’ll be whole versions of ourselves.

Our lives content and in good place,

Like how we always hoped they’d be.

Perhaps then we’ll be better for each other,

Despite all those years away from each other.

Maybe I was too much,

Maybe I wasn’t enough.

I wanted it to be you,

God damn, I really did.

I saw galaxies in your eyes,

No, you were the entire galaxy to me.

But maybe it was for the best,

Maybe it was our destiny.

Perhaps our absence from each other is all we really need,

Perhaps we’ll both be happier like this.

Cause that’s all I’ve ever wanted,

Was for you to be happy.

It’ll take some time,

But I’ll be okay.  

But before you go,

I have one last thing to ask.

If we knew where we’d be one year later,
Do you think we would’ve done anything different?

Introduction to Journals

Journals are a creative form of writing that do not necessarily need to be structured in any way. They can be daily records of events or news that have occurred. Journals can be used to express your emotions for a particular subject, your concerns for a worldwide issue, or simply as a way to describe your past experiences. I find that journals have allowed me to open up and express some of my emotions that I have kept bottled up for so long. One of the journals you will be reading is called 'The Harsh Reality'. This journal will describe the challenges that immigrants face when arriving to Canada and the reality that they must face. The second journal is called 'The Importance of Achievements'. This journal will describe how significant achievements are considered to be in our everyday lives and without them, we are judged. 

The Harsh Reality

Many people refer to North America as the “Land of Opportunity”. But is it really the “Land of Opportunity”? We often hear about people who have immigrated to Canada in order to seek a better future. These people settle down and start a family, hoping that their child will be provided with opportunities they did not have in their home country. This type of mindset has run from generation to generation. People living in developed or developing countries make an effort to escape their home country and travel to a country that they believe will provide more opportunities for their lives. Of course, there is nothing wrong in doing this. In a developed or developing country, immigrating to other countries may be hard and those that do end up leaving are often the lucky ones. The major problem for these people, is that sometimes they are not provided with the opportunities they may have hoped for when they arrive in Canada. Immigrants who are not fluent in English, are offered with very limited job opportunities in Canada. They may work as janitors or nannies. They may work in large factories doing labor-intensive work. They may also be working in conditions that may be harmful towards their health. But like many others who have immigrated to Canada to look for a better future, they are faced with the reality that they are part of the working class once again. The language barrier and the educational requirements needed for certain careers, limits their potential tremendously. They are working in job sectors that are heavily focused on their skills and their ability to perform labor-intensive tasks. The saddest part is that they are also paid minimum wages, wages that are not enough to support their families or allow them to explore the luxuries that other families would be able to. They are forced to constantly live on a low-budget and to constantly save their money for future use.

An example of someone I know that has immigrated to Canada in order to seek a better future, is my father. My father had escaped Vietnam with a few other people from his town on a boat. He was able to arrive at a refugee camp where he lived with many others for a few months. My father recalls learning English at the camp, along with a few other labor-intensive skills. Through a successful interview, my father was able to immigrate to Canada where he was granted a home to live in and a few other necessities. His journey from Vietnam to Canada truly inspires me because he did whatever it took to get him to the place he is in today. My father left his entire family back home in Vietnam and set off on a journey that was unpredictable. Although he was educated and worked as a nurse in Vietnam, he was unable to find a medical profession here in Canada. The language barrier has prevented him tremendously from working in the career that he would have loved. Since coming to Canada, he has worked in factories for over 20 years. It upsets me because he has had to wake up extremely early in the mornings and drive over an hour to work, yet he is still making what is considered to be a low-income each year. The conditions he works in are not the best either. The factory he is in, contains harmful chemicals that could possibly damage his health over a long period of time. But my father is not the only one working in the factory with this type of situation. Many of the other employees are often faced with the same reality he is in. They have no choice really, no other job sector will hire them due to the language barrier and the educational requirements for certain jobs.

Immigrants are faced with the harsh reality of life, but they are also providing better opportunities for their children and their grandchildren. Raising their children in Canada will allow their child to overcome the language barrier and allow them to be just the same as any other child in Canada. They will find more employment opportunities and be able to support themselves with jobs or career that may not require such labor-intensive work. I believe that children who live in North America are extremely privileged in the fact that they are able to achieve a high paying job not through labor-intensive skills, but through post-secondary education and knowledge. They will be paid much higher salaries than their parents ever did and most of them will not even have to engage in any sort of physical labor.

A few months ago, I remember reading a post from a popular Facebook page called Humans of New York. The post had a picture of a lady who was quoted saying, “After I finish my shift at the bakery, I start my shift at Starbucks. I work 95 hours per week at three different jobs. One of my sons graduated from Yale, and I have two more children in college. And when they finish, I want to go to college too. I want to be a Big Boss. I'm a boss at the bakery right now, but just a little boss. I want to be a Big Boss." This lady is not only working to support and help her children, but also aiming to achieve her “American Dream” that not many people are able to do. Immigrants should not be undervalued or looked down upon, but rather praise for their commitment of working multiple jobs to provide a future for their own children.

The Importance of Achievements

There is a reason why people on this planet are living. The reason often lies in the individual themselves. Whether we are living to work towards a specific career or living to work towards finding our source of happiness, it is evident that we are always working toward an achievement in life. No matter what country you are from or what ethnicity you belong to, the majority of the human population is constantly working towards improving themselves in order to reach their next milestone in life. Believe it or not, even newborn babies have been working towards their next milestone from the moment they were born. Babies must work towards developing speech, learning how to walk, learning how to adapt to new changes, etc. By learning certain skills or learning new information, you are preparing your body to get ready to reach the next milestone in which you will utilize that skill or information. For example, a senior student in high school will learn an excessive amount of information over the course of the semester. Of course, learning all this information isn’t just going to go  to waste. By learning this excessive amount of information over a short period of time, we are familiarizing ourselves and preparing ourselves for the final exam. But like many other students, the final exam will never be the last achievement we face. Students who continue onto post-secondary education will be faced with evaluations as well. Even those who do not pursue a post-secondary education and go on to find jobs in the workforce are faced with the pressure of achieving that next step or milestone as well. The next step may be to find a higher paying job or perhaps to find a job that will not make your life miserable. This endless cycle continues on and on, and on. The next milestone may be to find a boyfriend/girlfriend, get married and start a family. Even then we are still aiming to reach that next goal in life. It may be work-related or it may be family-related, but nonetheless it is a goal that we are working towards. The cycle of achievements never stop, it is as if the human race was designed for this type of challenge. Perhaps that’s why it is called the human race, because people are constantly racing to reach that next goal or next milestone in life before we die. 

We do not notice it, but achieving something in life is almost a necessity. If someone decides to not achieve a certain goal they have in life or do not reach a particular milestone, people automatically assume that they are a failure. Take for instance a high school dropout. High school dropouts are often unmotivated to continue on in school and graduate. They either don’t see the point in coming to school, or are simply too lazy to complete the necessary requirements to graduate. In their case, they would have not reached their goal of graduating and moving on ahead. They are stuck in the same position and unable to push themselves to achieve that next step. As a result, they may be viewed as failures because they were unable to achieve the goal of graduating high school.

I believe that finding love can also be viewed as an achievement. Many people on this planet have been able to find love, and many others have not. People on this planet live for love. They want to love someone, and be loved back. It’s natural for people to desire love, but what is unique is that we celebrate the achievement of two people finding love. Proposals, anniversaries and weddings are all key dates of special moments between two people who have found love. Society praises them for their achievements in finding love within each other. For those who do not find love and have not achieved the goal of finding a partner, they are sometimes viewed upon as a failure. People may look upon them and assume that they have not done everything in their power to find the ‘one’, when in fact they may have tried their hardest already and were just simply not destined to be with a specific someone.

Achievements are a huge part of our lives, whether we admit it or not. We are constantly working towards a new goal in life almost every day. It’s a cycle that never stops, and that is not meant to be stopped. If it is stopped, there would be no human race. 

Introduction to a Lens Analysis

Analyzing any piece of writing through a criticism lens, will always provide a unique perspective to the piece. Many do not realize the obvious messages that are hidden in the story until they have read a lens analysis or have completed one themselves. Lens analysis are meant to open us up to new angles and perspectives that we may not have noticed about before. By following a certain group of rules, we are able to analyse a piece of writing through only one particular view. In my lens analysis, I chose to analyze Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Lens analysis do not require anyone to analyze long and sophisticated pieces of writing, such as Harry Potter or The Great Gatsby. As you will be able to see, even this simple children's book can be analyzed critically through one point of view. 

Through a Marxist Lens: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

The Marxist lens examines how socioeconomic factors influence the characters, plot, setting, time period, or any other aspect of a piece of literature. It focuses on the relationship between different social classes and how the distribution of power, wealth, and materialism is determined.

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is a children’s story book written by Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss. The story revolved around the Grinch, a grouchy and bitter creature who lives in a snowy mountain just north of a town called Whoville. The Grinch despised the townspeople called the ‘Whos’ and their annual Christmas traditions. Through the story, the Grinch transform from a bitter and unpleasant creature to becoming a much happier and joyful individual. He befriends the townspeople of Whoville and learns that Christmas is not just about receiving gifts, but rather spending it with your loved ones.

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is a simple, but unique piece of literature that strongly suggests evidence for the Marxist criticism. The story is completely centered around the Grinch, the bitter creature who notoriously hates Christmas. As we learn from the text, "Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason", the reason the Grinch hates Christmas is not commonly known yet. As you continue reading further into the story, it is apparent that the real reason the Grinch hates Christmas is because he struggles financially. The Grinch seems to be in a different economic class than all of the ‘Whos’ who celebrate Christmas. The line, "But the Grinch, Who lived just north of Whoville”, demonstrates that the Grinch lives in an area away from the ‘Whos’. The Grinch lives in a cave on top of a snowy mountain, isolated from all the other townspeople. This evidence supports the argument that the Grinch is probably too poor to live in Whoville or is not good enough to appear as part of the upper class.

When describing Christmas, the Grinch goes into great detail of all of the materialistic things the ‘Whos’ participate in. "They'd rush for their toys!", "young and old, would sit down to a feast", and "hanging a mistletoe wreath" are all examples of activities that many of the ‘Whos’ engage in during the Christmas season. The Grinch cannot afford to have all the materialistic objects that are easily accessible to the ‘Whos’, thus making him develop a hatred towards Christmas and the townspeople.

Within the small town of Whoville, the Grinch is an outcast due to his appearance, attitude, and financial state. "Why, for fifty-three years I've put up with it now!" This line shows that for the last fifty-three years, he has been powerless against the ‘Whos’ and their celebration of Christmas. The Grinch’s hatred towards the townspeople causes him to believe that he is able to take away the town’s happiness by stealing the children’s toys. In the quote, “Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant, Around the whole room, and he took every present”, the reader is able to see the satisfaction the Grinch receives from stealing the gift’s from homes. This proves how important materialistic objects are to the Grinch. He believes that materialistic objects are essential to an individual’s happiness and that without them, the children of Whoville will not be able to continue spreading their cheer and joy during the Christmas season. This allows us to see how important materialistic objects are believed to be, even in society. Many people in society believe that money is the real cause of happiness. They believe that money can buy anything and thus, buy them their happiness. They are correct to a certain extent, but not entirely. Money is only short-term happiness. I believe that happiness comes from not only money, but also from accomplishments and love. An individual who is able to achieve a certain goal or has a certain someone who is able to make their lives 100x better, will be happier with their lives versus someone who does not have all that and only has an excessive amount of money.

From a Marxist perspective, the conclusion made upon this story is that wealth automatically leads to happiness. This is seen when comparing the bitter and lower class Grinch, to the happier and wealthier ‘Whos’. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas shows that even in society, the financial situation of an individual determines their happiness and lifestyle. Those that have the money are able to buy the items they desire, whereas those who do not have the money are left with no choice but to live with that they have. The story also shows that those who have money, are respected and treated differently. In the beginning of the story, the Grinch was not able to bring any sort of materialistic object into the town. Due to this, he was not accepted into the Whos’ society and was not a respected individual. Towards the end of the story, we see that this situation is reversed. "And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast! And he, HE HIMSELF!” At the end when the Grinch is offer some sort of materialistic objects to town, he becomes a respected individual and is welcomed into the Whos’ society. This is a mirror representation of the society we live in. In society, people are respected and respected if they are able to afford high-end possessions. If you walk into a high-end clothing store versus a department store, you can clearly sense the difference in the way employees treat you. If you walk into a high-end clothing store wearing a regular t-shirt and jeans, they will look upon you with disgrace and think Why are you even in here? It is clear that money is a false indicator of how you should be treated. In addition, many people prefer brand name items over items that may be the exact same, but are not labeled with a known brand. If an item looks exactly the same as the branded product but is less expensive, then why aren’t all of us going for the less-expensive product? One of the answers is the fact that we look cooler wearing a brand, as it displays a message that we are able to afford the expensive things in life. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas proves that money is not only associated with purchasing power, but also our happiness and the respect we receive from others. 

Introduction to a Journalism Article

Journalism articles are pieces of writing that report on a variety of things. Articles can report on international news, the entertainment sector, and the business world. Many articles contain facts and statistics when reporting on certain issues. They may also be used to summarize a broad issue into a small and narrow way. The article I have written about involves a controversial topic. It is called 'Euthanasia'. This article will report on some of the beliefs and arguments that many people have had over the last few years. 

Euthanasia

Euthanasia, just one word that can stir up a debate within seconds. Many may not know this, but euthanasia has existed long before modern times. Ancient Greeks and Romans have long been involved in the act of intentionally killing someone out of mercy. Of course, euthanasia was not performed in a civilized or advanced way as it is in today’s society. No, it simply required someone to murder the person and deal with their body in an unethical way.

You might be wondering, why would anyone request to end their life? Well, euthanasia may not be such a simple topic to understand. Euthanasia in today’s society is defined as a form of intentionally killing a patient who suffers from an incurable and painful disease. The patient’s death is usually conducted in a painless method, such as being given a lethal drink or injection. Euthanasia is often requested by patients who no longer want themselves, or those around them, to suffer from their disease and as a result choose to end their life. In a nutshell, euthanasia is most commonly known as a form of assisted suicide. In many countries, euthanasia is illegal.

There have been many cases of people who have pleaded and requested that their life is ended painlessly, but many of them often unable to obtain the government’s approval for the procedure. One such case involved a 14-year-old girl, Valentina Maureira. Valentina has been suffering from cystic fibrosis since she was young. She resides in Chile and has been receiving treatment from a hospital in Santiago, Chile. However, Valentina did something that not many people would have done to request for euthanasia. She posted a video on YouTube pleading Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet to authorize an injection which will allow doctors to euthanize her. Euthanizing Valentina will help her end her battle with cystic fibrosis painlessly. In the video, Valentina expressed her frustration for the limited options she has and has hurt her quality of life. In her heartbreaking video, she says, “I want her (Michelle Bachelet) approval so I can get a shot that will make me sleep forever.” When the video began spreading on social media, Chile’s government released a statement saying that euthanasia violates Chile’s law and that Valentina’s request could not be approved. But President Bachelet did meet with Valentina and her family to discuss the availability of medical and mental health resources that could be offered for her instead.

The legalization of euthanasia has constantly been a heavy debate among many. People in favor of euthanasia often argue that a suffering patient with an incurable disease should have the right to request this form of death. However, many of those who argue against euthanasia often bring in the role of religion and the interference with God’s plans for the patient.

Euthanasia is one of those life choices that people should not be able to make for you. Requesting euthanasia is a personal choice, and those that request it should be given the right to undergo the procedure. Patients suffering from their disease should be able to have the option of undergoing assisted suicide, as long as they have given permission for the procedure to be done. The patients who request euthanasia often understand the circumstances they are in and recognize that the pain they are suffering from is not worth the torture they are giving to their families or themselves. These patients experience the disease first-hand and therefore understand how difficult it is to try to endure in a normal life. Governments who make laws against euthanasia typically do not know the experience of living first-hand with an incurable disease. As a result of this, they may sometimes approve laws that are not in their best interest.

Sweden is one of the few countries in the world that have legalized euthanasia. Thousands of individuals have flown over to Sweden and met with a company called Dignitas, the company that holds the power to approve or disapprove their request of the procedure. Many see euthanasia as an opportunity. They believe that either they take the opportunity to undergo euthanasia and die painlessly, or continue to live with their pain and eventually die.  They argue that if an individual is to die later on in life anyways, why not now to avoid the pain? There are many sides to this controversial topic, but ultimately the choice does lie in the hands of the individual who seeks to end their life slowly and painlessly.