For my video editing project, I made a video showing how to change your oil at home with simple tools. I’ve always had a passion for cars but I’ve also been camera shy my whole life. I wanted to make a video showing people just how easy it is to change oil at home. Some mechanics or dealerships will charge top dollar for oil changes and won’t even use the right oil or filter. This video is also a way to get people to go out and learn something about their car.
Finals
Statistics Final Project
For my statistics project, I randomly asked two groups of twenty five people the same two questions. There’s a catch; I sent a survey with the two questions to one group of twenty five, and asked the two questions to the other twenty five in person. My hypothesis was wrong, but it was still fun and interesting to make a survey and see results of questions that I came up with.
Disposability Research Paper – Final Draft
Austin Yaeger
Mrs. Jank
English 2
9 February 2018
Homeless people in America
In some circumstances, the American people choose to see homeless people as disposable. There are many types of people who are homeless and reasons why they are where they ended up. Some reasons are out of there control, and some are just because of poor decision making. This can easily be seen through how homelessness has changed, poor health / mental illnesses, employment, how it impacts them and how America needs to step up and help. Who knows; maybe one day someone you know could end up like one of these people and see what they really go through on a daily basis.
Homelessness has changed throughout the years and shows why homeless people today are considered disposable to some. In “Citizen Hobo: How a Century of Homelessness Shaped America” by John Baranski, he shows how homeless people were back then, and how they have changed. In his book, he says that the homeless people back then were “Mostly young, single, and male, these hobos by necessity and choice hopped the rails in search of seasonal jobs and relief, using their wits, each other, and labor as their primary means of survival.” (Baranski 271). This goes to say that these homeless men became homeless on purpose so that they could hitch a ride on trains to find a new life. Nowadays, people can become homeless on purpose, but it’s not a good choice to. People today become homeless from losing money and other problems relating to that. Pertaining to them being considered disposable, Baranski also states that “…hobos at many turns faced public hostility and the gaze of reformers.” (Baranski 271). Baranski is saying that back then, people were still treated as “disposable” as they were being looked down upon for what they were doing. Just like today, the homeless people back then were being perceived as disposable. The people didn’t want them in their towns trashing everything up, sort of like today with some people in America.
It’s important to realize that how homeless people were back then isn’t the only example that can show how people think of them as disposable. Poor health can also cause homelessness, which then leads to more and more major issues down the road. Poor health associating with homeless people has always been a major concern when dealing with the homeless. In “Homelessness and the Public’s Health: Legal Responses” by Barbara DiPietro, she also says that “Poor health is simultaneously a cause and consequence of homelessness.” (DiPietro 28). This quote further explains that having poor health can get someone wound up in terrible situations. Having major health issues and not being able to pay hospital bills can get people homeless very fast. Homeless people also lack health insurance, so they have no one to back them up if they end up sick or injured and have a massive bill to pay. DiPietro responds to that problem by saying how “Lack of health insurance and access to basic health services lead homeless populations to frequent emergency rooms and hospitals more often than general public.” (28). Like DiPietro said, homeless people with poor health wind up in emergency rooms more often than the non homeless people do. That’s because homeless people live on the street with no protection or shelter. Homeless people sometimes can’t pay for medicine or other remedies, so they rely on trust that their body can overcome whatever they have. Society may see sick homeless people on the street and think that they are useless because they can’t provide for themselves or get some help from a professional.
However, poor health is not the only reason society sees homeless people as disposable.
Unemployment in homeless people is a deep concern in how they will make money and get back on their feet. Some employers don’t want homeless people because they can’t trust what they can do because of their past life. They would rather have someone that can support themselves and show up to work everyday. In the journal “Barriers to obtaining employment for people with severe mental illness experiencing homelessness” by Daniel Poremski, he talks about how getting a job when you’re homeless is nearly impossible, and how when they have mental disorders, it’s pretty much impossible. Criminal records can scare employers into not hiring homeless people as well. In Poremski’s journal, he talks about how “Unemployment among homeless people as been estimated to be around 80-90%.” (Poremski 181). These numbers are scary high, and to some people living in America, it can show how they think homeless people are disposable because they aren’t working or doing much to help themselves get out of where they are. Back to the criminal record problems, Poremski states that “Having a criminal record, physical illness or substance abuse and poor employment appear to impede employment for both housed people with a mental illness and people who are homeless.” (181). Poremski says that having physical problems, criminal records, substance abuse and poor past employment can cause employers to not hire these people who are in need of work. Employers need to be concerned with these problems, but instead of putting a hand in their face, they should lend a hand of help to these people who are in dire straits. Now poor health isn’t the only eye opener to show how homeless people are not disposable. How homelessness affects the actual person who is homeless is truly painful to look at.
In a magazine article written by an anonymous author, she says that “sure we didn’t have much to eat – I got most of my meals at school, and we scrounged up what we could at the dollar store. But we were actually happy.” (62).What the author is saying is that these people literally almost have nothing. They eat from school and that’s about the only food they get. The fact that these people were “actually happy” is astonishing. They were blessed by what they could get and weren’t greedy for what they didn’t get. The author then goes and talks about how “In other words, you learn to deal with hardship by having the right attitude. It’s one of the biggest things I’ve taken away from this whole experience.” (62) The author is saying how staying positive through it all is the key. Having the right attitude in anything you do in life will help you succeed. The author of this magazine article was actually homeless at one point. She eventually made it through the process and went to college. This proves how even in the worst times, there is always a chance to make it right. Some people don’t look at it that way though. For some, they see that they have no chance in life and they are disposable to society. After looking over all of these reasons why homeless people are considered disposable, America needs to turn around and see how they need our help.
Kimberly Aiken won Miss America in 1993. She wanted to make a change in how everyone around the world should help the homeless. Aiken wrote a message to the people and titled it “Hope for the Homeless”. In her message, she says that for her “Not long afterward, homelessness “hit home” for me when, for more than a year and a half, drug and alcohol abuse left my uncle without a place to call his own.” (HTML). Aiken saw her own uncle struggling to find hope, so she wanted to be that source of hope. She wants us all to be that source of hope for others in the same situation as her uncle. Aiken states that she went on a field trip to Washington DC and “There I saw people sleeping on street grates for warmth, bundling up on the steps of federal buildings pushing carts with everything they owned.” This is when she really started to see how it was affecting these people. They didn’t have much at all, and what they did have wasn’t much. Even though these people look like they are down on life, she dedicated her time to help these people get back on their feet.
Homeless people are still people, but to some, they are considered disposable and useless. Homelessness has changed a little bit throughout the years, but the same mindset still stands. It’s true that poor health associating with homeless people can cause some people to see them as disposable. Even though unemployment among homeless people is between 80-90%, employers should do the right thing and give them a chance. While being homeless is not the ideal situation for anyone, having the right attitude and mindset can get you through anything. Finally, people need to wake up and see that these people are in serious trouble, and God wants us to help them. Everyone is created equal in God’s eyes, so everyone should treat people the same and no one should ever think of another person as disposable.
Works Cited
Aiken, Kimberly. “Hope for the Homeless.” Essence, vol. 25, no. 6, 1995. EBSCO HOST.
Baranski, John. “Citizen Hobo: How a Century of Homelessness Shaped America.” Journal of Social History, vol. 39, no. 1, 2005, pp. 271–273. EBSCO HOST.
DiPietro, Barbara. “ Homelessness and the Public’s Health: Legal Responses.” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, vol. 45, 2017, pp. 28–32. EBSCO HOST.
Poremski, Daniel. “Barriers to obtaining employment for people with severe mental illness experiencing homelessness.” Journal of Mental Health, vol. 23, no. 4, Aug. 2014, pp. 181–185. EBSCO HOST.
“The 3 W’s of homelessness in America.” Girl’s Life, 2015, pp. 69–69.
American Dream Essay
What is The American Dream
The American dream is not dead, it is just that some people do not have the right mindset and work ethic to live it out. Through the characters Willy, Lennie, Candy and his dog, and the poem Brother Can You Spare a Dime, I will show how the American dream is a very difficult life task to accomplish, but it is achievable. I will also show how the American dream can be hard for some people, and how to rid the bad things in life, so that the American Dream can ride that much smoother.
In the book, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses the character Lennie to show the struggles of having problems trying to live the American dream. George gets tired of having to repeat himself over and over again and yells, “I’ll tell ya again. I ain’t got nothing to do. Might jus’ as well spent all my time telling you things and then you forget ‘em, and I tell you again.”(Steinbeck, 4). This quote shows how Lennie has problems forgetting simple things and how this can affect his daily life. The quote also shows how if you have problems, like a mental disorder, people will look at you differently and it is harder to make it in life. Some people do not normally want someone who has a mental disorder working for them, which is wrong because everyone deserves an equal chance. Towards the beginning of the book, George becomes very mad at Lennie and blasts at him, “Blubberin like a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you.”(9). The quote shows how George is telling Lennie how he is a big baby, and he is comparing him to one. Being called a baby is not very nice and it is even harder when you know you have a mental disorder or other problems. Lennie can not do much for himself, which makes it even harder for him to live. Just like how Lennie has problems that hurt him, Candy’s dog is just like that in the way that the dog is useless and they want him out of their lives. They want to rid the bad things of their lives so life will be easier.
In the book, Of Men and Men, Steinbeck uses the character Candy and his dog to show how disregarding the bad things actually helps you. Carlson becomes angry at Candy about his dog, “Why’n’t you get Candy to shoot his old dog and give him one of the pups to raise up? I can smell that dog a mile away. Got no teeth, damn near blind, can’t eat, Candy feeds him milk. He can’t chew nothing else.”(Steinbeck, 36). This quote shows how ridding the bad things in life, will actually make things easier to complete the American dream. Without the bad things that slow you down, you can strive faster and be more successful. An example is if someone is mean or annoying, ignore them and do not worry about them. Do not let them hold people back from dreaming. Another time in the book was when candy was feeling bad for his dog and he thought that, “”Maybe it’d hurt him,” he suggested. “I don’t mind takin care of him.””(45). This is the best quote because it shows how Candy was blind by the fact that his dog was useless and he needed to get rid of him. He took care of him for no reason and was wasting his energy on him. In addition to Candy’s dog being useless and needing to get rid of him, Willy is sort of like that as well. He needs to get rid of the mindset he is in and change his ways for the better.
In the Film and Novel, Death of a Salesman, Miller uses the character Willy to show how being like him is bad. Willy was lost in his life and had no clue what to do. He had a job, but it was not paying well at all. Willy was becoming pretty mad at Charley about him having a job, “I got a job, I told you that. Why the hell are you offering me a job?”( Miller, 29). This quote emphasizes that Willy is stuck and he believes he is succeeding, but he really is not. Willy believes he is doing fine and that he does not need a job when he already has one. At Willy’s funeral, Charley started to talk about Willy and how, “Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman has got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory.”(111). Charley is saying that Willy was losing his dream. Willy did not even start his own dream, but his friends did it for him. Willy dreamt, but he did not dream for himself. When dreaming, always do what will make yourself happy and what you actually want to do. Willy wasn’t happy, he was faking it. In addition to Willy needing to change away from wrong, the poem shows how hard it was, and still is, to achieve the dream. The poem, Brother can you Spare a Dime, it shows how it is not easy with bad things going on, and how the road to success is not easy.
In the poem, Brother can you Spare a Dime, Crosby uses excellent word choice and thoughts to create a very well written poem. This poem shows how back then, times were tough and people had to keep pushing through. Crosby talks about how, “They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead, why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?” (Lines 5-8). This quote shows how hard life really is and how people can lie to others so easily. Crosby was told that the American dream was easy and it is free floating, but then he got hit with reality. Crosby also talks about him asking, “Say buddy, can you spare a dime.” (Line 24). This quote is the main line in the poem and where the poem got its name. This quote also emphasizes what I said above. It shows how hard times were, especially during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a very hard time for many, and many gave up on life during it. It shows how the road to success has its road bumps. The road bumps can be major or minor, but still affect people. We need to learn to overcome the road bumps we run into, and to persevere through it.
The American dream affects everyone living in America. People come to America just to be able to live out their lives the way they want to. What some people don’t realize is that it is very hard and difficult. The American Dream is not an easy task to accomplish. Some people are brainwashed, like the character Willy, into believing that it is easy and free flowing. Some people on the road to success will make the way harder, but make sure to ignore those people. Ignore the bad things in life and try to get rid of them so they do not stress people out. The American dream is also hard if someone has a mental disorder or some other problem. Some people are biased in the fact that people with problems are useless or not fit for some jobs or tasks. That is wrong and everyone deserves an equal opportunity at reaching the very difficult task that is the American Dream.
Works Cited
Crosby, Bing. “Brother Can You Spare a Dime.” poetryfoundation.org. 30 October 2017. Web.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Penguin, 1998
Steinbeck , John. Of Mice and Men. Penguin, 1993
Case files
Here, you will find case files from the book, And then there were none. These case files were written from the beginning of the book, to the end and explain who the characters were.
Suspect – Justice Wargrave (the judge)
Description: Mr. Justice Wargrave is a retired Judge. He is well known for handing out the death sentence, even when it really shouldn’t be applied. Wargrave also really likes to have a strict law to follow, hence why he was a judge.
Quotes:
Pg 3, “Mr Justice Wargrave allowed his head to nod.” I chose this quote because to me, it seems kind of weird how he has to allow his head to nod. It’s a phrase I’m not used to hearing, so it seemed odd to me.
Pg 81, “Carefully, Mr. Justice Wargrave removed his false teeth and dropped them into a glass of water. The shrunken lips fell in. It was a cruel mouth now, cruel and predatory.” This quote is freaky because with Wargrave’s false teeth, he might be showing his “true identity” instead of hiding it with his false teeth. He could be hiding something from the rest of the group.
Pg 128, “His head was poked down well into his neck.” I like this quote very much because it shows how Mr. Wargrave kind of sat in the back at times and listened to what was going down. It seems like he is contemplating what to do next.
Pg 144, ““You have had an active morning.” There was a faint malacious pleasure in his voice.” The definition of malacious is: intending or intended to do harm. With this definition, it makes this quote even more creepy. It seems like he wants to do harm, or already has done it.
Motives: In the book, I think personally think that Wargrave was the one behind most of the murders. He was a laid back guy most of the book, but towards the end of his life, he started spewing a lot more information than he usually does. It seems eerie to me that he would do that. He would talk for paragraphs at a time, about the past deaths. I think Wargrave is either using someone to help fake his death, or he is leaving the duties to someone else.
Suspect: John MacArthur
Description: Retired WWI veteran. His wife was cheating on him with another guy, so he sent him on a suicide mission. He is very impatient, doesn’t like to wait on things.
Quotes:
Pg 64, “He knows, you see, a good deal. And out of his knowledge concerning us, he has made certain definite accusations.” Wargrave said this about MacArthur, and he means that MacArthur will take advantage of situations and knows when to do it.
Pg 76, “Never knew a man could die like that — just of a choking fit!” This quote implies that MacArthur could be playing stupid and that he really does know that someone could die from choking and MacArthur could have choked him.
Pg 95, “General MacArthur and the judge had been pacing the terrace outside, exchanging desultory comments on the political situation.” This quote could mean that the two men could have been talking about other things, such as different plans or teaming up possibly.
Pg 124, “You don’t understand — you don’t understand at all. Please go away.” This quote is kind of creepy because MacArthur wants to be left alone by his thoughts. He is saying that you don’t understand what he is thinking. Don’t understand what? Is he trying to hide something?
Pg 129, “None of us are going to leave the island. That’s the plan. You know it, of course, perfectly. What, perhaps, you can’t understand is the relief!” This quote says that they are all going to die there. He is also saying that he wants to die. The burden has become too big for him, so he wants to die.
Motives: John MacArthur is a kind of special guy. In the beginning, he was kind of excited and confident about going to the island, but now it seems like he is depressed. MacArthur likes to sit on a rock and look out over the sea. MacArthur is also kind of impatient, which can hurt him at times. MacArthur is somewhat involved in the whole mystery of who killed who, but he sits back most of the time.