Critical Analysis on "Smoke Signals"

The article “Smoke Signals” by Alessandra Potenza explains the rising popularity of unregulated electronic cigarettes among young people. Although electronic cigarettes are free of cancer-causing tobacco, they are still a danger to health, according to U.S. officials, who worry that while they could help smokers quit smoking, electronic cigarettes could bring in a new era of nicotine addiction.

 Potenza includes an example of a 26-year-old student, that lets us see the point of view from a kid and how easily one can start a habit of smoking. “Tiffany Harvey…saw an electric cigarette on Instagram. Out of curiosity, she bought one and tried it… ‘I like to smoke something that’s flavored,’ she says.” Harvey is now an active e-cigarette user. The author also included how e-cigarette companies are attracting more youth to their product. She stated that e-cigarettes come in many youth friendly flavors like chocolate, vanilla, or bubble gum, which is a likely reason they are popular among kids.

Additionally, Potenza includes a comparison of how much e-cigarettes are being advertised today versus the old days when regular tobacco was smoked by more than a third of Americans and tobacco industries had no regulations. “The blu eCigs brand… spent $12.4 million on ads for the first quarter of 2013, up 1,150 percent from 2012.” The shocking increase of advertisement is so scary, it feels like “e-cigarette makers will undo 40 years of efforts to de-glamorize smoking.” The details about Tiffany Harvey and the multiple flavors of e-cigarettes contribute to the main idea of how smoking in youth is on the rise again because cigarette makers are targeting youth. The shocking numbers about the advertising efforts of e-cigarette companies also relate back to the main idea as a supporting detail of the rise in youth smoking.

Potenza is trying to get us to think about how e-cigarettes are going to eventually return America to its nightmare of smoking being a regular activity of almost half of the people. She uses point of view and a strong beginning and ending. First, she uses the words of young people to show the point of view of how easy it is to start a habit of e-electronic smoking. In the beginning of the article, she quotes Harvey, who has “been an e-cigarette smoker ever since” she tried a single e-cigarette and got hooked. Then at the very end of the article the author quotes 21-year-old Bryan Kano, who spoke of his smoking habits. “It’s become kind of a hobby to me,” said Bryan, “I don’t think I would quit anytime soon.”

In addition to showing the points of view, Harvey starts and ends the article with an example of an active smoker, which makes us think about the danger of e-cigarettes. The example of Tiffany Harvey sets the tone for the rest of the article that smoking habits are very easy to pick up. Later in the article, when the author mentions advertisements for e-cigarettes, we think about Harvey and how there are probably many others like her who simply see an e-cigarette and turn into a smoker. When she ends with another smoker who’s hooked on e-cigarettes, it leaves us thinking about how fast the new craze of electronic smoking could spread and make us feel like the “U.S. officials” who worry we will return to our heavy smoking days.

After reading the article, I realize that the author has scared me about a new wave of smoking, especially when I read about the kids and how greatly advertising campaigns have increased in the past couple of years. Because I’m living in this time, I took away a feeling of precaution going into the future, where e-cigarette smoking may be common in my school. I now realize how easy it is to start smoking because of the surprisingly unregulated e-cigarettes, and how hard it is to turn back once it becomes a habit. Before, I thought America was over its smoking problems and is focused on other issues like obesity, but I realize there is a chance smoking can easily become a national problem once again. The article lead me to this thought when it showed the similarities between the advertising campaigns for tobacco that hooked so many people in the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s and the advertising campaigns of e-cigarettes now, and how they might have the same effect as the ones in the past.

Now that I’ve heard what e-cigarette smoking is, I think there should be regulations just like there is for tobacco. In some places, there are regulations in place but according to the article, the European Parliament rejected the regulations of e-cigarettes in 28 of its member countries. Although several states have laws, in many others, e-cigarettes are available to minors. I think if we use the same regulation tactics as we did with tobacco, which became much less of a health issue than it had been, e-cigarettes also can be contained and it doesn’t have to spread to more people.

Lastly, I am still curious about what goes into an e-cigarette and if it is really a healthier option and can be used safely to help people quit smoking. What is in an e-cigarette and are any of the ingredients harmful? Also, do e-cigarettes have a similar effect on human health as a regular tobacco cigarette? If not, what effect do they have? This information could help me reach a conclusion of how tight regulations should be, and whether or not the rise of e-cigarettes is as serious as Potenza writes.

Social Action Post 2

The article “The High Price of Cheap Fashion” by Patricia Smith reveals where cheap clothes sold in America come from. Most of isn’t made here at all, but in foreign countries like Bangladesh, China, and Vietnam. The author shows how those countries produce clothing with such cheap prices. The conditions in Bangladesh, for example, are terrible for workers. Wages are very low, there are few regulations in factories, and workers are required to work long, hard hours. Recently, a factory in Bangladesh collapsed because of illegally added floors and machinery, killing 1,127 workers. It is unjust that people in America can buy cheap and trendy clothing at the expense and even death of workers in other counties. The economy in America and the other counties that is based on low wages and mass production is an injustice, especially because they keep down public awareness of the way the clothing is made.

Workers in Bangladesh and other big clothing-producing countries are living in a world of injustice, because their working conditions are so inhumane. According to the article, “Bangladesh has seen some of the worst practices in global garment history.” The wages are as low as $37 a month, which is approximately $2 a day. Countries like Cambodia and Indonesia also have low wages, about 50 cents an hour. Employees are required to work many hours in the unsafe conditions of sweatshops. A building owner in Bangladesh “illegally added extra floors and allowed the factories inside to install heavy equipment that the building wasn’t strong enough to support.” As a result, on April 24, 2013, the building collapsed and killed 1,127 people. For workers to work so hard for so little in unsafe conditions is not fair.

The big clothing brands that make huge profits off mistreated workers and the many consumers who buy their products are the ones who create injustice. Companies know cheap labor leads to cheap prices on clothing and higher profits. In China, workers’ paychecks have been steadily rising and major retailers are taking notice. Companies including Gap, Benetton, and Sears have shifted their production to Thailand, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. This motivates governments of other countries to keep wages low and invest less care in their workers. Consumers also play a role in the injustice suffered by workers. Americans have been gradually buying more clothing per year since the early 1900s. “By 1991, Americans were buying about 34 pieces of clothing a year,” Smith writes. “Today Americans buy on average 68 garments and eight pairs of shoes a year.” Clothing has changed from a long-term investment to a quick fashion that is discarded quickly. Companies that need to keep up are demanding more from their suppliers and probably worsening conditions of labor.

To provide some justice to those laboring dangerously every day, public awareness should be spread. If more people knew what’s behind the low price tags on their sweaters, they would buy fewer of them. If many people bought less from the stores, the retailers will surely notice and try to change. Perhaps the clothes here should be more expensive and the wages in other countries higher. Many people are already aware, such as Grace Donnelly, a college sophomore who now buys more “fair-trade” clothes. “At least you know the clothes you’re buying were made sustainably and the people that made your clothes were paid fairly,” she said. Even if no major changes have been made, everyone should know what went into their clothes and how hard it has been for those who made them. Although nothing can bring back the lives of workers who perished in Bangladesh, spreading awareness would bring justice one step closer for the people just like them still working for low pay in an unsafe factories somewhere out there.

Of all the clothing Americans buy, only two percent is actually made here. The majority of our clothing comes from countries like Bangladesh and Indonesia where workers endure unjust treatment, low wages and unsafe conditions. But it is all the customers who go through so much clothing who are pushing retailers to make more than ever. This brings injustice to workers because now they are being forced to work longer and harder for little pay. As a community, we need to spread awareness of this issue to strive for the rights and justice or laborers living the tough life. “The era of the $4.99 dress is not going to last forever,” said Cline, an optimist for reform. “Things are going to change.”

Social Action Post

In South Africa, many social issues are present such as poverty and traces of segregation. The article “Crossing the Racial Divide” by Lydia Polgreen includes the life of a white, middle-class, South African family that moved into the poorer part of the country to see what life was like. They immediately noticed the poverty, the only thing people had was what they needed to live. The family also caught traces of segregation, as some of the folks were not comfortable with them staying. What makes these issues complex is the difficulty it would take to solve them. The Hewitt family soon learned how hard living was and realized it would take a strong community to pull though. But old traces of segregation were preventing that from happening.

When the Hewitt family moved in, they soon learned the hardships ahead. “They took only the barest necessities… clothes, a couple of pots, some blankets, and thin mattresses.” In addition, when living in a shack it was hard to stand the cold. “They all slept on a pile of mattresses on the floor, fully clothed in multiple layers.” In the first week, the entire family, Julian and Ena Hewitt and their two daughters, caught the flu. Even if they bring more stuff next time, it will be hard helping the community if they can barely get around themselves. The way to help these people is to simply join their community. “There is a real sense of community, where people rely on each other and take care of each other,” said Ena Hewitt. This makes the issue complex because this kind of poverty cannot be helped by giving money, but by living the tough life with the people and helping them out physically.

There is also a little segregation left from the apartheid period in the 19^th century. Though some middle class blacks moved into white areas, most if the race in South Africa is still segregated. When the Hewitt’s moved in, some people despised them because they didn’t think they were genuinely interested in the poor South Africans and just did it as a publicity stunt. One person tweeted “You know what? Hope the paraffin stove falls over you and you people burn in that shack. Bye!” Would they have said this if the family were black? This makes it more difficult to help people in need if the wealthier whites are still a little segregated from the blacks. And as mentioned before, it will take a community of people to reduce poverty. In what used to be a very racial nation, it is going to take a long time for no traces of segregation to be left and until the people of South Africa come together, it will remain in the state it is now.

The biggest social issue in Africa, poverty, is very complex because a long history of segregation prevents the people from working together. The Hewitt family’s trip shows how even though they had good intentions, they were still not accepted in the society. South Africa is a great example of a place where social issues have serious effects on each other, and how the solving of one might lead to the solution to the other.

Argument Essay on YA Fiction

The world of literature has much changed in the young-adult genre. Themes of self-mutilation, suicide, murder, sex, and drugs are the focus of authors like Lauren Myracle and Sherman Alexie. The new dark subject matter in young-adult fiction has attracted many readers and sales are up 25% the last five years. People argue about how available these books should be to children because they may have negative impacts to readers, and banning books from schools and libraries is now very common. Books with heavy issues can negatively affect children who aren’t mature enough, but banning them and denying schools the right to use them is unfair to kids and is not the solution.

Young-adult fiction today has harsh content and should not be read by some kids. The article “Darkness to Visible” by Meghan Cox Gurdon singles out books with violent and gruesome topics. For example, the book “Scars” by Cheryl Rainfield might cause a relapse from a sufferer of self-mutilation because “the cover shows a horribly scarred forearm.” The book “Shine” by Lauren Myracle exposes readers to sexual assault, homophobia, alcohol, and crystal meth; topics that shouldn’t be viewed by a person who is not aware of their harsh effects and could possibly be mimicked. Jackie Morse Kessler wrote “Rage” about a girl and her issues of harming herself by cutting. “She sliced her arms to ribbons… gouged her belly until it was a mass of meat and blood.” Like a mature-rated video game, the material is not suitable for some kids and could change their views on what is appropriate behavior. In the article, Gurdon states “books focusing on pathologies help normalize them and, in the case of self-harm, may even spread their plausibility and likelihood.” So for kids who have not been introduced to horrible issues in young-adult fiction or don’t understand their harm might start thinking about or even commit an act of violence or something else that they read.

Even though some kids might be negatively affected by something dark they read, banning a book completely is not an adequate solution. Author Sherman Alexie wrote an article, “Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood” about his thoughts on the subject. In the article, he mentioned his own experiences: “I spoke to sixty students, who come from sixteen different districts, and had survived depression, attempted suicide, gang warfare, sexual and physical abuse, absentee parents, poverty, racism, and learning disabilities in order to graduate.” Those issues mirror the issues in today’s young-adult literature and there are many kids who could use them to help them solve their problems. Banning those books would take away many opportunities of learning. It would deny books to everybody, but only a select group of people who don’t understand the material shouldn’t be reading them. It’s unfair to kids who may learn from the themes in these books. In addition, young-adult fiction is really popular. The article “Teen Fiction Plots are Darker and Starker” by William Porter says “78.5 million worth of young-adult books sold in April alone.” Banning young-adult fiction books would simply take away too much from the reading lives of kids.

Some writers like Gurdon think banning books is necessary for the protection of the darkness in young-adult literature. By banning a book, it will be removed completely and any harmful materiel inside will not fall into the hands of a child. But the many outcomes of banning books are overlooked. In addition to being very popular, young-adult fiction is the favorite of teens. Porter quotes Jill Adams who said, “The genre has the ability to change with the times and always seems to have a pulse on the teen heartbeat.” Banning it will anger teens and also teachers who had young-adult literature in their curriculum. The book industry will also be hurt in their sales and authors trying to convey important messages will never reach the people they were meant for. The cons outweigh the pros of banning even though it will protect children from rough material.

In conclusion, even with all the dark themes and gruesome covers in young-adult fiction and their negative impacts on children, banning them is not the right solution. The reading world would lose too much if they lost books in one of their most popular genres. Maybe a better solution is to teach kids about the dark issues in young-adult fiction so they would be more comfortable reading about them. Husna Haq wrote about the possibility of age ratings on books. Whatever decisions are made will have a huge impact on kids today and its imperative that the right choice is made in the end.

Narc Response

The book Narc by Crissa-Jean Chappell is about a socially awkward teenager named Aaron and his various school dilemmas. Caught with a bag of weed, he accepts an offer from the police to avoid arrest by working undercover for them. His mission is to locate the “shot callers” of the drugs circulating in his high school and find out where the drugs are coming from. To do so, the lonely teen has to make friends, attend parties, and get involved in drugs deals and other business that he would of otherwise never have even considered. Even though Aaron was being forced to do this, he benefited from his work because in the process, he made authentic friends and his social life turned around completely. The book shows that making friends and being socially active is not a big challenge, and with a little motivation it’s easier than it seems.

Previously, Aaron only had one friend and the majority of his Saturday nights were spent at home playing video games. Although he did have a smoking problem, he never went out late at night and got drunk or pursued girls. After the cops told Aaron of his new duties, Aaron soon realized what he had to do: “This meant going to parties. This meant making friends.” With this new motivation, even with the poor social skills Aaron had until then, he succeeded. After a brief talk in school with a very popular girl named Morgan, he got the guts to make a move. “Finally I sent an instant message (hi) and held my breath.” Though it doesn’t seem like much, this brief message was a great improvement in his socializing. Later on, Aaron ended up being very close to Morgan, and “she took my face into her hands and we tilted into a kiss.” So when Aaron is forced to get a girlfriend, he can do it. A lot of people in the real world just need the same kind of motivation.

Making friends was the first step in Aaron’s mission, but the challenging part was to edge his way into a party. Without any invitations, it was awfully difficult to attend a party, so Aaron would have to go in uninvited. But when he found out his sister might be hurt if he failed, he knew he had to get down to business with his undercover work. So he walked in uninvited and talked to some people and found out good information for his mission. By the middle of the book, Aaron didn’t even need any major motivation to be social anymore. “Pretty soon I was hanging out with Morgan and Skully every weekend,” he said. When Aaron didn’t want to share his house with the rest of his family for a couple of days, his friend Skully let him stay at her house. That’s pretty impressive for a kid whose best friend had been his Xbox. But without his motivation from the police, Aaron would have never considered the idea of meeting and becoming friends with new people.

There are tons of kids in the world who are at the bottom of the “social scale” who just lack the motivation to move up. Aaron provides a great example of a kid who just needed an incentive to get going, and once he did he succeeded in making friends. The author didn’t use this as the main idea of the story, but it certainly is a very strong message that should be utilized by the world.

Critical Analysis of Teen Fiction Plots are Darker and Starker

The article “Teen Fiction Plots are Darker and Starker” by William Porter is about the harsh themes in young-adult fiction and why its supporters believe it should still be available for kids to read. Porter writes that themes of today’s young-adult fiction are getting dark, but quotes people who claim that the books will not have a negative effect on young readers. In fact, some say the disturbing themes have value to readers who are suffering from the same issues.

To demonstrate these ideas, the author interviews people who are writers and readers of young-adult fiction and support the freedom of book choices. He includes statements from the editorial director of Scholastic Books, David Levithan. “Teens can explore these themes and use them to deal with issues in their own lives,” says Levithan, who is an avid supporter of book freedom. Another person the author quotes is Jill Adams, a young-adult fiction teacher at Metropolitan State College of Denver. “The genre has the ability to change with the times and always seems to have a pulse on the teen heartbeat,” she says. “It reflects what’s going on in their lives.” Porter uses this quote from Adams because she was explaining how young-adult fiction is good for readers despite its questionable themes. He also quotes readers who are in their late teens and are big fans of young adult fiction and are free to read whatever book they like. They don’t seem to have any problems despite the large amount of young-adult fiction they read. All of the people Porter includes support the main idea of his article because they favor the availability of all books to readers.

The author presents the argument that young-adult fiction can positively affect kids and should be available to all readers. He uses perspectives of different people, teachers, writers, and teens to show why even the darker young-adult fiction books should be accessible for readers. Teachers like Jill Adams who specialize in young-adult fiction promote it because it is a reflection of teens’ lives and they can learn from the books they read. Teens like Kristina Palmer and Stephanie Wheeler have complete freedom when they select their books, and no problems arise regardless of how violent and gruesome their reading choices are. Fifteen-year-old Jack Schmalzried reads anything he can find. “I like books that look in the world in a realistic way,” says Jack, whose favorite novels deal with child abuse. The author also gives the perspective of Jenna Obee, a librarian and a mom who doesn’t believe in restricting what kids read. By showing the perspectives of different people, the author makes it clear that many share the idea that these books should be available to kids.

I think that young-adult fiction should be non-restricted as well because as a kid, I wouldn’t want books to be taken away from me. Seeing the views of so many people showed me that others feel the same way. In the beginning, when the author described the way young-adult fiction books had become very gruesome and disturbing, I didn’t think they were good for kids, but after Porter explained how these books won’t have a bad influence by quoting teens, I can see now that by taking away young-adult fiction would be like taking away a bone from a dog.

Faithful Elephants

In “Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War” by Yukio Tsuchiya, a zookeeper at the Ueno Zoo in Japan tells a sad tale of three elephants that used to be at the zoo, but were ordered to be killed because of their potential danger. At the time, Japan was at war and it was possible that the zoo might be bombed. The elephants could escape and cause havoc. But the only way the zoo foundå to put down the elephants was to starve them to death. Throughout the story, there is a contrast between the violence and death in war and the peace and beauty of the elephants. Metaphors of terrible bombings and descriptions of the elephant’s serenity are what make the story so sad because it makes us feel attached to the elephants, causing us deep sorrow when they are starving.

The author describes the war using very symbolic language. “Bombs were dropped on Tokyo every day and night, like falling rain.” The comparison of bombs and rain gives an impression that the bombs are so abundant, and it will always be dark until they stop. Later in the story, the zookeepers are upset about their elephants and shout into the sky about stopping the war. But right after, “The angry roar of the enemy planes returned. Bombs began to drop on Tokyo once more.” Bombs begin to drop again as if to remind everybody that it will always be dark.

But there is also a gentle and beautiful side of the story. For example, the author describes the elephants’ eyes when they were dying in their cages as “clearer and more beautiful than ever.” So in addition to the big, dark theme of death, the elephants have a very sweet side to them. Later in the text, the zookeeper pats the elephants’ tombstone and cries softly. In this moment of sadness, the author included a very tranquil line. “He was still patting the tombstone tenderly as the cherry blossoms feel on the grave, like snowflakes.” The symbolism of snowflakes represents the amazing beauty that the elephants had and how they were so soft and gentle.

The contrast of the two themes, violence and peace, is what makes the story so depressing and sad for readers. When we see such peaceful and gentle creatures, surrounded by war, pain, and death, we develop empathy for the elephants. How could the zoo put the elephants through something like that? The elephants didn’t deserve to die the way they did. The sympathy we developed for the elephant is so great that when they die, waves of emotion pass over us and we feel miserable. Our ELA teacher, Ms. Rear, warned that at the end of the story, we might even cry.

In conclusion, “Faithful Elephants” was a depressing story because the author used contrasting themes of violence and peace. The peaceful elements made us connected to the elephants, so when they suffered, it caused a feeling of deep sadness. This idea matters because the sadness in the story is the main reason it’s so good. Strong feelings in books make us want to keep reading, and understanding the elements that create those feelings is important and can help us write stories of our own.