Fiction Blog Post 2

Evaluative question: Hypothesize how does confidence plays a role in who a person is?

Nick and Norah on their first date

In Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Norah struggles to find confidence to enter a new relationship. After Norah meets Nick, she finds out they have a lot in common. They are both newly out of a relationship, have similar taste in music, and complementary humor. She is attracted to Nick, but lacks confidence if she is ready to take on a current relationship. She continues her first date with him until she feels overwhelmed. “I race out of the room, slamming the door behind me with my foot..”(83). Since she has broken up with Tal, she thinks she will never find anyone who will love her again. Even though this is not true, the thought of this is frightening. Teenagers are at a point of there life were actions seem surreal. Many experiences they go through are for the first time in their lives.  They feel invincible until they are taken down. Once they lose this confidence it is hard to gain back. Tal was Norah's transition from childhood to adulthood. Instead of having a great experience with him, she was criticized and stripped of who she is. Nick unlike Tal is considerate, funny, and caring. She realizes this, but is still nervous she is not good enough for him. In society today this is a major issue. People need to come to the relaxation that no one or nothing is "too good for them". If a person is being the best person they can be that is what is most important. Another point to make is a relationship does not define someone. It is important to take things at the pace they see fit. If the person is not ready for the commitment, then they are not ready. Not much can be done about it. A person is only young for a certain amount of time. Instead of wasting it contemplating if they are ready for a relationship, this time should be spent doing what makes them happy with people that support them. 

Essential Question

                                                                 Topic: Music
Essential Question: Are the lyrics of popular music harmful to childern's development?

Claim: The lyrics of popular music are harmful to children's development.

Reason: The reference to drugs and alcohol in the lyrics of music provide an influence to take part in these activities.  

This is musical notes

Evidence:  The use of drugs and alcohol in the teens' of the United States has been a growing problem. Today in music,the use of drugs and alcohol are heavily referenced. From Miley Cyrus talking about the use of Molly, to Drake spreading the slogan Y.O.L.O, you only live once, teens recieve the wrong message of the consumption of these products. Instead of relizing the harm of them, they believe since major stars are taking part in such activities in must be safe, or not a big deal. Teens are in a time in their life where they are finding who they are. They want to feel excpeted by the rest of there peers, friends, and sociey as a whole. They tend to conform to others to try to fit in. Musicans are major influences to the younger generations. If a star is taking part in a certain thing it makes it seem "cool" or the right thing to be doing. Stars are not shown getting hurt or the aftermath of the choices they make. Instead of teens focusing on celebrities, one should focus on what benifits them. 

Fiction Blog Post 1

If you were given opportunity for success, but you were not interested in the topic what would you do?

This is the cover of the novel

Success is only viable if one is interested in the topic, even if opportunity is present; in Nick and Norah's infinite playlist, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Norah struggles to find what she wants out of life. Norah, a senior high school student, is trying to find her identity. Her whole life she has made decisions based on others instead of herself. Now, as she is starting to enter a new phase in her life, she is unsure her interest's. She is a smart student who has immense opportunity. "The Jewish Princess from Englewood Cliffs, valedictorian who chose a Catholic girl's high school to accompany her best friends through the experience, who chose to turn down Brown, the girl whose possibilities should supposedly be infinite"(28). Even though Norah has opportunity she lacks interest. She is known to conform for others. For the first time she is making decisions based off of what she wants. She is afraid that if she choses the "common path" she will miss out on something important in life. Norah is young and does not realize the decisions she makes now reflect who she will be in the future. Instead, she is "living" in an utopia where everything will work out eventually. Recently, Norah has also broken up with her boyfriend Tal. Tal is older then she is and attending the college Columbia. He has a strong personality, wanting to always be viewed as the dominate figure.  Since this is true, she is not able to make many decisions, and gives up who she is to please him. "But I said I was willing to consider it. I told him I could be vegan! I could be more Jewish"(49). Now no longer being with Tal, Norah is free to create her own identity. She dated him since she was fifteen. For the past three years, she has not made decisions with her best interest in mind. Since he is gone she has went through a phase of denial that she will be okay without a specific interest in life. Since she is not interested in a certain topic, Norah is not able to properly fulfill the opportunities she has been given.   

Survey results

 Access to survey results were not able to be completed. This is a hypothesis to want results were thought to be. Many people listen to more then anticipated, when ask daily hours listened. All people agreed that a world without sound, would be strange and something that we can not anticipate the  experience of. The most  popular genre of music is pop, since it is the most well known.  Music affects people in different ways. Some people are emotionally moved while others are not affected.

Objective Summary: The Vicious Circle of Income Inequality

      In Robert H. Franks text, The Vicious Circle of Income Inequality, Frank discusses the income gap between the upper and lower class of the United States, and the affects this has taken upon society.  Frank starts his article by stating society's wealth is created by new interprise.  The creation of interpirse in the United States has enpowered a growth in the economy.  Society influences the creation of goods within the area. If most revenue is created from the "higher archy of society" goods will be desgined for these people. The middle and lower class's then suffer from this change making necessities less accessible.  The struggle for the these classes is not understood from the upper class, since they have not expierned it in daily life. Many politicains, legislators, and top earners come from the upper class.  Since these people are composed of upper classmen, they have a highly influencial affect on the conductivity of society. Top earners are more exsable to legislators then the middle and lower class. Because of this, they have a higher rate of influence within research orginzations and political affiars. The second topic Frank talks about is the competition for success in the United States. Today with new technologies it has become harder to be succesful within ones profession.  With improvments in trade, communication, and technology, many jobs have a small percentage of the top "elite" who are considered to be very succseful.  These elite groups, become smaller with higher and higher amounts of revenue; while middle and lower class people struggle to make ends meat against leading corporations. For example, Apple and Microsoft our leading corporations for the computure software. With only two main suppliers for the world people gravitate to the top companies. This creates a income gap for society. The head of these compines become imensely rich, where as all competion is engulfed in debt.  Many people aruge the income gap is based off of oppurtunity. The Author feels the wealty have a higher oppurtuntiy to be succsefull, with oppurnties that are not provided to the masses. Starting at a young age the upper class enrolls their childern in top ranking schools with prestigous acedemics, athletics, and extracurriculars. They can afford tutors and a numerous of other advantages to insure suscess in their childern.  Familes with tigheter incomes do not have this oppurtunity. Many childern coming from lower income backgrounds have to support themselves and help to support their families.  When collage comes around, going may be out of the question if they are not finalicaly alliagable. With this stated, these families have already fallen behind to improve their economic standing, increasing the gap between the rich and poor. Franks final point in the text talks about unless something is change, America's fincail gap will continue to grow.  A change is nessicary for differing results, otherwise the gap will only continue to become worse.

Frank, Robert H. "The Vicious Circle of Income Inequality."The New York Times.The New York Times, 11 Jan. 2014.Web.27 Feb. 2014.

Tech Friday 3

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This Is Your Brain on Music:pages 168-203

In pages 168-203 of This Is Your Brain on Music, David Levitin explores human emotions. Music is known to push our emotions. Rhythms are composed to portray specific points. If a composition has a vast difference in pitch, it is inferred as suspenseful. In contrary a song with a higher faster beat is inferred as joyful. Our brain’s link music to specific events. If someone hears a song when they experience a traumatic event, in the future if the song is listened to again, a relapse of emotions will occur. The cerebrum is responsible for our emotions. It codes for hormones to be released while listening to music, sounds, and daily life interactions. Music stimulates our brains. Neurons send specific signals through neurotransmitters, allowing certain emotions to be expressed. Different genres of music have a higher chance to affect how we present ourselves and feel overall. The last point Levitin made is about an experiment involving mice. In a study, lab mice that listen to scream music have a much higher chance to become cannibals. With this said, this does not mean humans that listen to this genre of music will ever turn to cannibalism. It does prove though certain genres of music affect your mood in different ways.