6. Zebras 2024

  Rhetorical devices: appeals, repetition, and syntax “What does syntax even mean?” Syntax: the way in which linguistic elements (such as words) are put together to form constituents (such as phrases or clauses) “Why does that even matter? The way we form sentences do not mean anything.” Yes it does. That was the exact dialog that went through my head when I was researching different rhetorical devices to mention for our rhetorical analysis essays. “How could it possibly make a difference if I change the way we form our sentences?” This was my mindset. However after reading John Ray’s blog from last week, he mentioned all the different ways to use the word “Rizz.” This prompted me to think about how the same words can be used in different ways to mean different things. “Maybe syntax is important?”  Language: the principal method of human communication, consisting of words used in a structured and conventional way and conveyed by speech, writing, or gesture. Language is such an...

I was recently in a debate with my friend over the existence of God. I, a heavy believer in science, obviously claimed that God didn’t exist. He, on the other hand, contended that God did exist. Rather than have a healthy debate, my friend wouldn’t acknowledge my perspective and was adamant that God did exist. To be fair, he was raised in a religious household, and I wasn’t. My parents didn’t give religion much thought; we just held one celebration per year at my grandmother's request. Rather than foster some appreciation for religion, it created some resentment in me, and I became hell-bent on disproving the existence of God. My dad was a heavy believer in science as well, but he never talked about the origins of Earth. I did my research, furthering my knowledge than just the simple recognition of the “big bang.” To keep it brief, according to UChicago , the Earth formed out of “a mixture of dust and gas” around the Sun. With this information, I simply could not believe anyone who...

 The Ability to Write Writing. Why is it so special? Why do we find the need to write out of our own thoughts? Does it truly have power?  "Pinterest." Writing can allow creativity, it allows an individual to be open with their own thoughts and emotions. In the words of Carl Sagan, “writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions.” After much thought, he is not wrong. Sagan discusses this quote in his book Cosmos , as a way of a “sweet connection” with other different “human generations, races, nationalities, and cultures.”  From Sagan's point of view, I feel that I can agree with this idea. Writing can allow many to be able to connect with others. Like in many books, readers tend to grow a love and passion for a series because of the power that the author holds. That power being their writing. They are able to write these novels that contain such beautiful writing. Writing that allows a reader to be able to imagine like the characters, settings, and themes.  It...

  A picture is worth a thousand words.  I used to think this saying was dumb. When I was a kid, I always thought words were more impactful because of how easy it was to explain things using words. I also wasn’t smart enough to understand the complexities of a picture. But I think the main contributor was the fact that my aunt would constantly take pictures of EVERYTHING. In every family gathering, she would be everywhere taking pictures of everything. From the food, to the little kids running around, to the adults all talking to each other, and she would constantly be asking people to pose for a picture. Everyone in my family found it annoying, and she would always respond by saying “I’m just capturing memories!”   As I got older I started to understand her more and more. The only way to capture memories is to take pictures. Describing a really fun night takes away from how special the night could be. While a picture can really capture everything. From the emotions o...

People often question why their one vote matters, well does it? Does one vote affect anything? Yes, it does. In 2016, San Francisco supervisor, Jane Kim, ran for State Senate. In her position as state supervisor, she had a generally high approval rate, thus leading voters to believe that she was a shoo-in for the Senate. With this confidence, many voters stayed home on election day, believing that the rest of the voters would make up for their absence. Unfortunately for Kim, she l ost to Scott Wiener by only 14 votes . Though Kim “pull[ed] out a first place finish” in the primaries, election day proved to be a disappointment. Kim–" a fighter for the middle class” , had support mostly from young renters, often liberal, and her loss proved to be a huge step back for liberals across the San Francisco and San Mateo counties. Jane Kim and Scott Wiener at the State Senate Debate on April 6, 2016.  Image from The San Francisco Chronicle Although it may seem like everyone has a vote, stat...

The power of self-acceptance is a concept that only recently occurred to me.  All my life, I'd always been chasing social acceptance. I was always trying to fit in, as cliche as it sounds. I developed what I call a "liquid" personality because I was so metamorphic with how I altered it just to match the people I was hanging around. But of course, it was all fake.  It wasn't me to gossip about who was dating who in that big group of kids. But I'd still chime in with the "OMG really?! No way" every time someone said something personal about their own friends (a concept I never understood - how can you gossip about your own friends? Make it make sense I'd think to myself).  It wasn't me to put so much pressure on competing with my friends about who could get the higher GPA.  It wasn't me to talk about dressing up in dolly outfits.  It wasn't me to talk about Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo or Stranger Things or TikTok because frankly, I...

 Having Stress? It's the Best! Stress. So much stress. But at the same time, not a lot. I have always been quite an anxious person, overthinking things and worrying about possible outcomes. I remember one afternoon during the height of the rumors about a nuclear war, I became convinced that if something bad happened I would want to be at home with my family. In a panic, I ran home and began declaring my love as soon as I opened the door. It was unreasonable, for sure, but that little eating feeling with each step I took, just kept saying:  What if? But I never thought that I was more stressed than anyone else. At school, especially during junior year, stress weighs down on students like heavy backpacks as they drag their feet to the next class. And you can see the effects on the body. I’m sure you've noticed the sunken eyes of some students (including myself) or the sinking feeling in your chest like your heartstrings have been pulled tight before a big presentation. You can b...

I hate the idea of being codependent or needing to rely on people. This resulted in the desire to move away from my parents as fast as possible, not expect certain things from others, and not immediately go to someone if a bad thing happened to me. Something about needing someone to feel happy, or feel secure in yourself makes me feel powerless. I like the idea that you don’t need anyone and that everyone is just an enhancer of the quality of your life, but even without them you can still be content and full.  Who are you without the company of others? Who are you when your best friend is not around you? Who are you? Are you happy when you’re by yourself? I know I am. When I am alone I make the most idiotic and obscene jokes that make me cackle.  I could be doing the mundane task of folding the laundry and my self-dialog will go like this: “There are so many clothes to fold. When did I even have the chance to wear all of this?” I ask in astonishment as I look up at the mountai...

    Remember, the stuff you say on the internet will forever be on the internet. The Internet is a dangerous and powerful thing that can make and break careers. It should be considered with care and not be disregarded.      Language has become a powerful tool in how it is used. A couple words of declaration can singlehandedly cause a world war. The ability to communicate has improved vastly especially with the modern day industrialization. With a touch of a button, you can talk to people across the country or even across the world. I can talk to my relatives in Myanmar whenever I want by simply going on my phone.       Years ago, you had to mail and wait for the mail to deliver for God knows how long. Now, there's no need for mailing. All it takes to check up on your distant relatives is a simply text or call from your phone. Now consider the language barrier. You might not understand other languages. Lucky for you, Google translate also exis...

In my previous blogs, I talked about the power of money and language. What I should have realized is that true power belongs in knowledge.  From a young age, I adopted my father’s intellectual curiosity and sought to understand concepts beyond the surface. My parents told me that building knowledge at a young age would lead to success at an older age, so I listened. I read as many books as possible, from religious to scientific ones. For some reason, knowledge was like a treasure waiting to be discovered for me. Through education, I saw my and everyone’s limitless potential. Rather than disliking school, I saw it as an opportunity to gain as much knowledge as I could. To this day, I still appreciate the math, reading, and writing skills I have developed from school.  I don’t find knowledge to be appealing just because of my upbringing; I find it appealing because it is applicable everywhere. Only recently I started using subjects that I learn, such as physics, in real life. Fo...

We have all heard about the negatives and positives of social media. But do the positives truly outweigh the negatives? Who do they benefit? In the digital age, social media has become an essential part of our daily lives, influencing the way we connect, share, and communicate.  Image from MSU Denver Red Social media has revolutionized how we connect with people globally, allowing individuals to forge friendships, collaborate on projects, and share experiences with others from different corners of the world. Social media also serves as a powerful tool for news, educational content, and important updates since they can be shared instantly, contributing to a more informed and socially conscious society. Additionally, it provides a platform to empower individuals to express themselves creatively. Social media enables the formation of communities centered around common interests, causes, or experiences. However, social media has a rising concern regarding the prevalence of cyberbullyin...

     Obtaining Power      Like my previous blogs, I am continuing to write more about some of the books that I have currently read. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black follows a protagonist that wants to fight into a farie community. Jude Duarte, wants nothing more than to fit into a new society that she wants to call home, believing that she needs to gain more power in order to be respected and seen as a faerie and not mortal.       As many protagonists, Jude is already an odd one out because she is mortal. When she was young, her parents were murder which caused her and her sister, Taryn Duarte to be brought to the farie world. Despite the circumstances for why they were in that world in the first place, they both spend the next couple of years living and becoming accustomed to the traditions and expectations.  "Pinterest."      Jude and her sister were shunned by many because they were mortal; faeries are known to hav...

Rizz. How did this word become so popular? Through constant usage in social media content.  Rizz, according to various online sources, means attractiveness, charm, or skill in flirtation to easily attract people, deriving from the word charisma. The rise of the word “rizz” is a prime example of how social media can shape our vocabulary. Constant use of it in social media has caused people to naturally adopt the word and use it in their daily life; Your friend is talking to their crush? "That’s rizz." Your friend just got asked out? "That’s rizz." The word even developed into becoming different parts of speech. It can be used as a verb: “Go rizz them up.” And as an adjective: “He has a crazy rizz face”. The usage of the word has become so common and widespread that even Merriam-Webster added it into its dictionary. The word rizz has made its way into most teenagers' vocabulary. I know it has for me.  Some words have even developed different meanings due to socia...

  Power is something that, though it seems so simple, can be considered something almost invisible yet undeniably present. Power dynamics are like an infectious disease, contaminating everywhere, within our workplaces, our schools, our communities, and even within our homes.  This is the story of my grandmother, an impoverished Brown woman discarded by her family and left to fend for herself in an unknown place, with an unknown family. This is a story of rising despite being powerless.  She was just 11 years old when she fell ill, and was forced to drop out of school.  “She’ll be suitable,” her older brothers said, “for housework.”  And so, she spent her childhood cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry, all things that any pre-teenage girl should be doing, right?  Years went by and with her older sisters being married off, her older brothers eventually decided that it, too, was time to get rid of the biggest problem on their hands: their uneducated baby siste...

In The Face of Death   Would you like to know something that has always been unfathomable to me? It’s soldiers. Soldiers, warriors, hunters, and fighters. Anyone who is able to set aside the innate selfish desire to protect your own life in exchange for the perseverance of values that run deeper in the soul than even the laws of nature can dictate or the twisted sense of duty that rears its solemn head when pushed into the face of inevitable death. I am not built to be a soldier. I can hardly imagine being out there on the battlefield, knowing I am going to die, but continuing anyway. I can not imagine it. But I imagine many people prior to enlistment or drafting do not imagine themselves in that situation either. Yet, they still race towards the echoing shouts as bombs fall and guns fire and the black unknown of death pervades the air. History is the greatest testament to this cruel power that unrelenting duty and values have on people. The ancient Romans charged in bronze, knowin...