The Lunch That Lasted Too Long

Written by Satya, Caroline, IzzyMcFrizzy, Jessica, and Marcia

It was a beautiful and lazy Tuesday, and Linfield students found themselves with the challenge of keeping away boredom during an extended lunch. With an hour and fifteen minutes of nothing to do, the students thought it best to past the time with stories. They decided that whoever told the best story would get a free lunch paid for by everyone the next day…

The Rich Kid:

By Caroline

Each day she pulls up to the private school in her white Mercedes-Benz with a diamond encrusted license plate. She steps out with a Venti Starbucks in one hand and Gucci purse in the other. Her hair and makeup always look flawless and no one would ever catch her wearing sweatpants. Her Dad’s money pays for everything she could ever ask for and she cringes at the thought of having a job.

The Senior:

By Jessica

The only reason the senior is at school is so that he can graduate, but until then, he’s going to enjoy high school to the best of his ability. He gets special privileges such as using the senior lunch line and being the boss on campus. The whole school looks up to him, and teachers finally give him the respect that he deserves. The only thing he has to worry about are college applications, but once that’s over, the rest of the school year is a breeze. He will definitely get senioritis near the end of the year and become a nuisance. However, once he’s gone everyone will miss him.

The Teacher’s Pet:

By IzzyMcFrizzy 🙂

It wasn’t a special week, it wasn’t a special day, but this girl comes to English class like it’s the last day she’ll ever see the teacher. She proudly displays a smile from ear to ear and a joyous disposition as she runs to the front of the room where her teacher stood. The Starbucks in her hand isn’t her normal potion – it’s for the teacher, and it’s her favorite drink.

“Ms. Teacher, how was your event-that-only-you-and-I-and-three-other-people-know-about?”

“It was fantastic! Thanks for asking!”

“I just hope everything goes well for you. You definitely are my favorite teacher.”

On days when the teacher prints insufficient copies for the class, the girl volunteers to run to the copy room to pick up the printed pages. Right as she enters, the teacher asks the class a discussion question about the previous night’s reading. As the girl walks across the room to hand the teacher the copies with a smile, she pipes up and answers the question in full detail, leaving no room for others to add to the “discussion”. She walks back to her seat in the front and center.

When it was time to write an in-class essay, the girl glances around, then looks back at her partially written essay. The teacher allowed for two body paragraphs, but she chooses to be extra and write three. She had no choice but to quietly ask someone for an additional piece of paper, and seeing that the teacher had glanced up at the noise, she said, “Sorry, I’m going to write three body paragraphs”. She sees the teacher nod her head, thinking that she had successfully impressed the teacher with the extra work. By the time she handed in her essay, her name wasn’t there, instead it was written by, “Teacher’s Pet”.

The Jock:

By Satya

You can find the jock with his friends sitting at a table throwing around a football. He’s always joking around and he doesn’t take anything seriously. The only thing on his mind is the next game, and what he’ll have to do at practice. Even though he’s lazy, teachers love him because of his sense of humor. Occasionally, he gets called out of class by his coach to talk about the upcoming game. After school, he chills with his buddies and waits for practice to start. He dreams of getting a football scholarship one day.

The Gossip Girl:

By Marcia

She is the one girl that always knows everything. She knows about all the details about all the drama, and she knows about the new couple before they even start dating. You see her everywhere, because she is everywhere to observe everything. She is in everyone’s business, and she is the one you want to find the minute something juicy happens. She comes to school with her phone on instagram, and yells: “OMG have you heard….?” You never know if her information is reliable, but who actually cares? It is all about spicing up the boring school hours. Fake stories always sell better

Tale of a Rich Girl

by IzzyMcFrizzleWizzles 😀

Now allow me to tell you a tale about how money can change anybody.

Imagine a girl with flawless makeup and a high-end bag. After parking her white Mercedes-Benz, she walks to the high school with a Venti Starbucks, and at the hallway, everybody turns to her. Her wealth stands out like a diamond, but what catches the eye of the people is that she is not a new girl. She was the same girl who only ever wore sweatpants and T-shirts.

Not a single student, faculty member, or friend knew how she got all that money; they knew her as the quiet and friendly girl in the back. Let’s call her Regina.

Regina calmly approaches a group of other girls at lunch, but they face her with anticipation. Their eyes show curiosity: is this the same Regina from two months ago? As if telepathically, they all accept Regina back into table, just as if they were best friends like before. But Regina has some new things to reveal.

She points out someone’s cute Vans, but laughs at the fact that Michael Kors is a much better option. She insists that they come to her house for a baking party every week. When someone admits that they can’t make it, she plays the pity card and pouts until that person is forced to comply. She even asked whose idea was it to make the dress code so strict; she claimed she would have done a much better job on school policy.

Regina feels good about successfully blending into the crowd, but her friends knew that something was wrong, and something must be done.

The next day, Regina approaches the same group at the same table. She did not ask to sit down, nor did her friends let her sit, but she dropped her Gucci on one side and invited herself in. She began to rant about how difficult it is to choose between makeup brands Chanel and Mary Kay, and one by one, her friends began making excuses for leaving the table. One had a quiz to take, one needed to buy food, and another person left their phone in a room. All but one friend left Regina.

The friend was quietly listening to Regina with a solemn face. When she asked her friend where everyone went, the friend sighed and said that Regina needs to know something. The friend began to draw out the difference between the Regina two months ago and the Regina sitting across from her. “You are not the same. You were such a quiet and friendly person who always wore sweats. Now you wear only the triple dollar sign, and it seems you bought the attitude as well.”

Regina looked back at her friend with a blank stare. The friend spoke up once more.

“But I can help you get your friends to like you again! Usually wealthy people are hated the most, but I know a way where you can get people to like you without giving up on money!”

Regina still sat silent and thoughtful, then replied, “Um, yeah, that won’t be needed.”

The friend blinked in surprise and began, but Regina interrupted.

“Y’know sometimes you gotta know who your real friends are. Who cares about those friends anyway, they can like or not like me, whatever. But you are a real friend! See you stick up with me!”

“Okay now wait a mo-”

“We should totally go the mall and shop together! I mean your backpack should totally be replaced by something much better. I’d say replace it with Louis Vuitton.”

The next day, the friend was careful to not be noticed by Regina. But lo and behold, the friend was simply at her locker when someone put their hands over the friend’s eyes, and she heard a shrill voice, “Guess who??!!!” The friend sighed inwardly and gently pushed the hands away from her face, but the person complained, saying how she just got her nails professionally done. Without even seeing her face, the friend knew it was Regina and she was done with her. She could not take any more of her snobbish attitude.

Regina walked around the lunch area in search of friends, anyone whom she can talk to. She had all the riches a 17-year old can buy, but no one to sit with. She had a Gucci purse and Kate Spade sunglasses and a clingy and belittling attitude, and she remembered her friend say to her, “You are not the same”.

And now my friends, I daresay that money can drive you to levels you’d never think to go. Tread carefully with money, and maybe you won’t end up like Regina.

National Security and Your Health

Article being analyzed: The Real Threat to National Security: Deadly Disease

On March 24th, 2017, The New York Times published the opinion article, “The Real Threat to National Security: Deadly Disease” written by Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker. The two authors revealed to their audience that President Trump’s national budget is more concerned with national security than it is with national health. In fact, his budget severely neglects the health of the American people. Diseases are dangerous and America has not done a very good job of responding to pandemic outbreaks, and it is possible that in the near future more diseases can become prevalent. Bio-terrorism also can contribute to future outbreaks, so instead of fortifying troops, Trump should fortify the hospitals if he truly wants to protect his country.

Coauthors, Osterholm and Olshaker, have a high regard for national health. They both believe that in order to maintain true national security, the country must be protected from the most perilous threats—deadly and fast-spreading diseases. To emphasize the disastrous effects of wide spread techniques, the authors employ several rhetorical techniques such as appeals to logos and rhetorical questions. Facts such as, “7.4 billion people, 20 billion chickens and 400 million pigs… the ideal scenario for creating and spreading dangerous microbes,” help the reader to correctly comprehend how defenseless the U.S. and the world is to highly contagious diseases which in turn supports the authors call for better national health programs. Olshaker and Osterholm also brilliantly use rhetorical questions. Their most notable rhetorical question is, “Will H7N9 mutate to become easily transmitted between humans?” which stresses the possibility of new viral outbreaks in addition to the Zika and Ebola viruses. The increased likelihood of another viral outbreak causes the reader to consider the importance of funding the nation’s disease control centers rather than sending their disease-prone troops to war. The authors’ use of facts and rhetorical questions guides their readers to the conclusion that the U.S.’s Department of Health is equally, if not more important, than the Department of Defense.

Osterholm and Olshaker’s support of national health aligns with my own views on this issue. Health problems run deep in my family, and my family has been personally affected by disease. For example, my grandfather’s parents both died of malaria when he was young, so he never really knew them. Disease remains commonplace in this day and age even with the advance of medical technology. Just recently, a member of my community has died from a foreign disease, because of this I was reminded that even though modern medicine has the impression of making mortals invincible, that is not so in reality. I agree with these authors that Trump should support the Department of Health, not tear it down.

 

Books and Donald Trump

Article being analyzed: Books Can Take You Places Donald Trump Doesn’t Want You to Go

In the opinion article titled, “Books Can Take You Places Donald Trump Doesn’t Want You to Go,” published in The New York Times written by  Hisham Matar, the idea is expressed that reading books allows people to be more open-minded which directly opposes the close-minded world view that President Trump holds and embeds within his country. Matar discusses his personal experience with reading, directly quotes accomplished authors, and gives several real world examples to support his claim. He ends his article with a final stance on Trump’s discriminatory and ignorant world view. Matar believes that in the end, Trump will cause himself to suffer, because his views separate himself from humanity.

Hisham Matar writes this opinion article to convince his reader to read more in order to expand their knowledge of humanity which will in turn make them more sympathetic and inclusive people than Trump. Syntax and rhetorical questions within the article help convey Matar’s message to his reader. The sentence, “for a strange thing occurs then: a distance widens and then it is crossed” is specifically structured to emphasize a key idea to the reader. This sentence was written in the context of meeting like-minded individuals when a person enters a library. These people find unity inside a library, because everyone there is relating to humanity through reading. The part of the sentence, “for a strange thing occurs then:” draws attention to the following part of the sentence which is, “a distance widens and then it is crossed.” The latter part of the sentence is the key idea Matar wants to express. This idea is that the “distance,” which is the many cultures and lives vicariously experienced through reading, is “crossed” by realizing that readers within the library are no different from each other and are all part of humanity. The message conveyed in this sentence is actually Matar’s main message for the whole article—that people should read more to understand humanity on a deeper level. Rhetorical questions such as, “how many times have I been a peasant or an aristocrat?” demonstrate the capacity a reader can have for understanding the different walks of life. This question prompts the reader to consider the power of reading books, because books have the ability to help someone sympathize with two drastically different experiences.

Hisham and I share the same opinion on this matter. I agree that books open pathways to other worlds. Books link humans together. This idea is unfathomable to Donald Trump; he is a man who advocates hate and discrimination. I personally know the power that literature holds, and there are many books that I have read that have given me a new perspective on cultures different than mine. The autobiography, I Am Malala, was one of these books which helped me see the world from the eyes of a girl not much older than myself who lived through terrorism and discrimination. Since books have united me with humanity, I agree with Matar that books will have this same effect on others and will be the best counterattack against Trump’s disunity and segregation.

Vladimir Putin: World’s Most Powerful Man

Article being analyzed: Why Putin is world’s most powerful man

In the CNN news article, “Why Putin is World’s Most Powerful Man,” written by Fareed Zakaria, Russia’s history, its leaders, resources, and stance in the world is examined to determine whether or not Putin is the most powerful man on the planet. Zakaria states that the Russian government completely relies on Putin, and that he has earned the respect of his Russian people by bringing them stability after the chaotic aftermath of WWII. Putin’s ruling capacity coupled with the fact that Russia is the largest country in the world and is rich with natural resources, makes Vladimir Putin a terrifyingly powerful man.

Fareed Zakaria writes this article in order to examine the different arguments and facts that could lead someone to believe that Vladimir Putin is the most powerful man on the planet. Zakaria uses lots of rhetorical questions and facts to determine the extent of Putin’s power over the world. Rhetorical questions such as, “but why?,” “what will happen?,” and “Do we — and does Donald Trump — really understand him?” engage the reader in the evaluation of Putin’s influence, because although these questions are not meant to be answered, the reader still tries to think of an answer to these questions. Zakaria also uses facts such as, “Russia is the largest country on the planet — 48 times larger than Germany and encompassing 11 time zones that straddle Europe, Asia, and the Middle East” to support his claim that Putin could be the most powerful leader in the world. Facts such as this one give more validity to Zakaria’s argument and encourage his readers to think logically regarding the accuracy of his claims.

The author of this article, Fareed Zakaria, makes a valid point. Putin is the leader of a very large country with a history of triumph over conquerors such as Hitler and Napoleon. He is also strongly suspected of being involved in hacking the most recent election to be in Trump’s favor. I agree with Zakaria. I cannot think of any other person on this planet with as much influence as Putin. President Trump does not even have Putin’s kind of power even though he is the President of the United States. Trump’s government is not built upon his shoulders, but it is rather in the hands of the people. However, if Putin truly rigged the election, then is it really so ludicrous to assume he could be running the U.S. from the shadows?

Essay Analysis: Steven Johnson’s “Watching TV Makes You Smarter”

“Watching TV Makes You Smarter” is an excerpt from Steven Johnson’s best-selling book, “Everything Bad is Good for You,” published in a New York Times magazine in 2005. In this excerpt, Johnson advocates for an updated criteria that can be used to accurately determine the developmental benefits of TV shows. Johnson examines several TV shows to determine how much cognitive thinking the shows demand from their audiences, and compares them to different other TV shows to validate his point. In these comparisons, he uses appeals to logic and reasoning to defend his informed opinion that TV shows considered “bad” can actually promote healthy thinking patterns, so in return, television critics should change the standards in which they rate shows as being “healthy” or “unhealthy.”

A prime example of Johnson’s logical and reasonable appeals can be found in the second to last paragraph of his excerpt in which he states, “I am not arguing that parents should stop paying attention to the way their children amuse themselves. What I am arguing for is a change in criteria.” This statement acknowledges the opposing argument, which is the accusation that Johnson supports the idea that children should watch violent TV shows for their mental development, and refutes it with his true purpose, which is the reevaluation of the criteria that TV shows’ educational value are judged against. This example’s use of reasoning clarifies Johnson’s purpose and further supports it by weakening the opposing argument.

My own beliefs regarding the educational value of TV shows is in some alignment with Johnson’s opinion. I agree that more adult-like shows that require cognitive thinking skills to understand will be good for the mental development of children, but these shows should only be watched in moderation, because I believe a child’s innocence is important to preserve. Many of the TV shows that I watch (such as anime) require the audience to make inferences and catch every detail, or else the plot will become confusing. Since I love to unravel mysteries within stories, these shows are enjoyable for me, and other TV shows that do not require high levels of thinking are boring to me, so I can say that Johnson’s theory is at least true for me.

Scott Brown’s “Facebook Friendonomics” Essay Analysis

Scott Brown writes his essay titled, “Facebook Friendonomics” to reveal the problems of having too many “friends” on Facebook. Brown makes the point that humans are natural hoarders, and that Facebook “friends” are essentially a  form of currency that humans hoard. He goes on to explain that having too many “friends” on Facebook dehumanizes them, and perverts the natural and healthy process of letting people drift from each others’ lives. In writing this essay, Brown hopes to convince his audience to allow themselves to break ties with the Facebook “friends” who are not truly their friends.

To reveal the problems of having too many Facebook “friends,” Brown uses humor to help his audience positively relate to his perspective of never losing a Facebook “friend.” For example Brown uses these sentences, “People become mere collectibles, like Garbage Pail Kids. And call me a buzz kill, but I don’t want to be anyone’s Potty Scotty” to humorously convey the dehumanizing effects of being a hoarded Facebook “friend.” This excerpt is humorous, because Scott not only jokes about people being trashy collectibles, but he also jokingly refers to himself as being one of those pieces of junk. Although this is a lighthearted joke, Brown hopes that his audience will make the connection between his joke about being a junky collectible to the reality that overwhelming numbers of Facebook “friends” may as well have the same value as trash.

I agree with Scott Brown’s stance on the value of Facebook “friends.” I at one point made a Facebook account, but I never used it or accepted any friend requests, so although I cannot personally testify regarding the damaging effects of having too many Facebook “friends,” I can at least say that I haven’t broken any real friendships by unfriending anyone or keeping them around like a hoarded object. I also agree with Brown that some friendships are meant to fade away. People change, and their friendships change along with them, so it’s only natural that friends fade apart.

An Analysis of Ellen Goodman’s “The Family That Stretches (Together)”

Ellen Goodman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is the author of the essay, “The Family That Stretches (Together)” which was published in the Boston Globe in 1983. In her essay Goodman conveys the message that no matter how unconventional or split up a family may be, the people bound together by love are the ones called “family.” She expresses this opinion through her precisely planned syntax. Goodman uses uniquely structured sentences such as, “I have seen the nieces, nephews—even the dogs—of one marriage welcomed as guests into another” to give a specific example of how nontraditional families are just as loving as traditional families. The structure of this sentence draws attention to “even the dogs” by separating it with dashes to emphasize that the unconditional love of newly formed families is even extended to the most overlooked member of the family—the family pet.

I agree with Goodman’s definition of family. Like the families that Goodman describes in her essay, I have also acquired new additions to my family who are not related by blood, but I still love them like we have the same blood flowing through our veins. The fact that some members of my extended family are not related to me does not matter. When we spend time together or are apart, I still love them. Because of my experience, I have come to the same conclusion as Goodman. I wholeheartedly agree that family is built upon by love and support and nothing more.

Hollywood Takes on Naruto

From the people who brought you The Hunger Games, Lionsgate now presents you with… Naruto? For those who don’t know, Lionsgate is an American entertainment company known for producing movie series such as The Hunger Games, and their latest movie, Nerve. Movies such as these are popular with young, westernized people, but what about Naruto? Naruto is a manga series (a manga is a Japanese comic book) written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It was first published in 1997 and finally reached completion in 2015. Naruto is arguably one of the most popular manga series of all time.

The story revolves around a young orphan boy named Naruto Uzumaki who was alienated by his village, because of a monster who attacked the village that was sealed inside him. Despite being hated by everyone, Naruto decides he wants to become the village’s ninja leader and protector called the hokage. At its core, Naruto is about overcoming insuperable trials to be the very best that you can be coupled with an added bonus of super-powered ninja fighting. It is a brilliant story loved by many people, young and old alike, so it makes sense that Lionsgate would obtain the manga’s filming rights. However, the question remains, can they pull it off?

My answer to that question is, there is no way on earth Lionsgate can make this movie good. For starters, Naruto is seven hundred chapters long, and surrounds Naruto’s life from the time he is a young boy until he is an adult man. The chapters build off of each other, and every one of them is important to the story, so it is not possible fit every moment of Naruto’s life into one movie. Even if it was the filmmaker’s goal to only portray a part of Naruto’s story, then which part would it be? Would it be his childhood, or his adolescence? If the story is about his childhood, then the movie will not encompass his fulfilled adult life. If the story is about his adolescence, the audience will not have understanding of what he went through as a child. Besides the story, will Lionsgate be able to accurately present Japanese culture? After all, they are an American company making a movie for a western audience, so it is not likely that Naruto‘s Japanese culture will be correctly represented.

Lionsgate has yet to reveal the release date for the upcoming film. Whether it will be good or bad is up to the fans to decide. The odds are stacked against this movie’s success. The movie could severely ruin Kishimoto’s brilliant story writing, or butcher the Japanese culture, but maybe with a little bit of Naruto’s determination and positive attitude it can turn out OK somehow.

Lionsgate Naruto Article