In Total Remission Valentine's Day will never be the same. Four years ago, Cupid's holiday coincided with my discovery of a tumor in my cheek. Later diagnosed as a rare sarcoma, this capricious cancer has provoked me to understand myself and my passions. While I have developed new life perspectives since vying with cancer, my metamorphosis was not induced by my illness, but through learning to confront myself. My renewed outlook manifests in my leadership with the American Red Cross where I serve as the Chairman of the National Advisory Council on Youth Involvement. Carrying my insight from cancer--that tomorrow is never guaranteed--I have re-focussed the Council's advocacy efforts on behalf of the 340,000 youth volunteers of the Red Cross. Rather than promoting youth as an investment for tomorrow, I have prioritized youth as the asset of today. With a more immediate message, our Council has bolstered corporate youth programs and youth funding. Through my service on the National Committee on Resolutions, I also integrate youth initiatives from the field level of the Red Cross into national policy. My approach to Red Cross service has also changed at the grassroots level. Shortly after my final chemotherapy treatment, I was dispatched to a residential fire in central Fort Worth. At the scene, I discovered a mother crouched at the curb silhouetted against her smoldering house. While listening to the mother, I learned that she lost her thirteen-year-old son in the blaze. Though I had rehabilitated disaster victims before my illness, this event carried a different significance. While I was learning to live anew, I comforted a mother coping with death. My conversation with the mother compelled me to re-confront my journey with cancer. By reflecting on my own anxieties, still real and familiar, I empathized with the mother on an equal plan rather than that of victim and volunteer. Through service, I now probe my own experiences to assist and empower others. I have confronted and challenged myself in other realms of my life. Last spring, in Harvard's Agassiz Theater, the lights were dim and the audience hushed as a cool cube of ice melted over my tongue. Through the crack in the curtain, I noticed my friends huddled in the rear of the theater. A moment later the music roared and I leaped on stage with my troupe. Dressed in our radiant costumes, we feverishly danced, skipped, and clicked our sticks in near perfect harmony.
...) This archetype is rendered new because the color of black is supposed to be evil or bad, but the “man in black” ends up being Westly who is good and saves the princess. The color of black can actually be good or bad depending on which character is wearing or seeing it. The Princess Bride actually does contain archetypes such as colors (black) that render the story new to be unlike other stories.
Irish playwright, George Bernard, once said that “Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Can someone truly “create themselves” when his or her life’s quality and longevity are in jeopardy? It is very sad to think about children who have been diagnosed with cancer and that if they lose their battle, may never get to live a full, healthy life like their peers. According to the Childhood Cancer Foundation, a staggering 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year; for 25% of them, the disease will be fatal. An estimated 13,500 children and adolescents younger than 20 years of age are diagnosed annually with some form of cancer in the United States alone. Those who do make it through their adolescent years have a greater risk of developing chronic health problems or secondary cancers in their later years. It goes without saying that the disease creates much hardship, pain and suffering. That being so, support for families and patients going through this hardship is very critical. There are many organizations that strive to be that backbone for these families. The Make a Wish Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House for example believe that, if a child is exposed to positive experiences and atmospheres, it will have an overall positive effect on his or her health and wellbeing. These support groups provide great opportunities for struggling families, but ultimately that can only go so far. Cancer not only compromises the patient’s physical health, but also affects the social, mental, economic, and emotional well-being of their entire family.
In our world there are many forms of communication and these devices are beginning to take a toll on our younger generations. In Jeffery Kluger’s article,” We Never Talk Anymore: The Problem with Text Messaging,” the idea that younger generations are becoming socially inept due to technology is discussed. As these younger generations consume texting as a main form of communication other important social skills deteriate.
The Star-Crossed Lovers archetype is used to render the story of The Princess Bride new because, at the end of the book, it is now stated whether or not Buttercup and Westley will get to live happily ever after or not. In most stories the author writes a definite ending, but Goldman doesn't, he leaves the ending up to the reader when he writes “Did they make it? Was the pirate ship there? You can answer that for yourself, but, for me, I say yes it was" (Goldman 357). In some ways though, Goldman uses the Star-Crossed Lovers archetype more traditionally, in that Buttercup and Westley love each other and want nothing more to be together, but many obstacles stand in the way of that happening. One of those obstacles is that Prince Humperdinck will go to any length and do almost anything to prevent the lovers from being together including keeping the love letters that he told Buttercup to write to Westley, which results in Westl...
I interacted with more people than I could count - all the while astounded by how many clinics were needed to give the underprivileged basic medical needs. This required participation in interviews on patient history and diagnostic discussions with supervising physicians. Daily, I saw the eyes of the little boy in young patients; I was reminded that it was possible to make a difference in these other countries. I had another opportunity that I did not with the little boy: I was able to form relationships with many of the terminally ill patients while serving tea and talking in hopes of boosting
When MacKenzie choreographs she focuses on delivering spectacularly rich performances. She has the ability to combine and create beautiful and engaging movement designs with an unusually effective understanding of concert dance architecture (Nevin, 2013). The audience is able to see the beauty each dance imposes. She is able to capture the audience with every dance and take them on a beautiful journey. She is also thoughtful in everything she does, but especially in anything that deals with any type of human connection, which is one of the many reasons why she is so successful as a teacher (Nevin, 2013). With her thoughtfulness and new ideas she is also open to learning and embracing new possibilities (Nevin, 2013). She is not just open t...
...continue my journey because of certain circumstances, I am relieved that I preserved despite all odds. In essence, I now know that volunteering at hospice enabled me to do my part and help others. Even if it is not major, just the ability to brighten the day of a lonely patient by making them holiday cards or speaking to their family members gave me much needed joy and fulfillment. Because of my involvement at Heartland Hospice, I have come to include community service as a necessary part of my life. Over a period of time, I have learned that volunteering isn’t just about clocking in hours but rather an obligation to do my best to help others and contribute to society in any way I can. I also feel that my love and compassion for people are strengths especially applicable to service, and that volunteering my time is the best way I can satisfy this calling.
This book is very good at analyzing almost each aspect of the Disney company such as the history, the Disney Universe, and the world’s response. Understanding the company’s intentions helps to define the culture. Looking deeper into the company itself, the article “The Psychology of Disney”, written by Collide magazine, goes into detail about the four parts of Disney movies. This includes the formula, the animation, the music and any other patterns. This source also explains how the audience mind is affected by each of these different aspects mentioned. When looking deeper into the movies, the darker parts-- including the original stories these movies are based off of--can show you that looking just at the surface of Disney movies provides the wrong impression. While the last source looks at the culture from a creator's point of view, this next source looks at the culture in a consumer's point of view. In the article “Does More Money Mean More Happiness?” written by Susie Poppick, it addresses if spending money really brings happiness. While the article questions if the money being spent by the consumer is really bringing the consumer happiness. The book brings up an example that Disneyland parks are actually built for guests to spend tons of money when they first enter the park. When first entering a Disney park there are food places and gift shops which draws people in,
Although she wears no red badge of courage, she has seen no battlefields, yet her eyes have faced the grim, hellish, satanic, nightmare of war. She has felt the brutal, savage, agonizing pain as if being hit by an M16 Assault Rifle. Sinking her teeth and claws so sharp into the depths of her illness, she has held her own against the world’s most fierce, murderous disease known as cancer. It lives at the base of her brain, throbbing with the red blood of life, trying to escape into the vital parts of her being. Throughout all of this, my cousin Kayla, has shown such strength, determination, courage, lion-heartedness and tenacity. Not only is Kayla a hero, an inspiration, she became a spokesperson for The American Cancer Society and was chosen Hero of Hope class of 2015.
...any different ways, it has also changed the way social interactions now occur. The bulk of the average person’s day is spent checking his or her phone, whether it’s for a sports or news update, playing an up and coming game or even catching up with an aunt in Australia. Though this initially seems to be a good thing, in hindsight, it has caused the destruction of our ability to communicate face-to-face. The world is now at the tips of everyone’s fingers; they have the ability to be connected to the world but individuals are more disconnected than ever before. The art of communication has been lost to angry birds and lack of body language. Individuals have nothing to share because they have already done so over texting. Cell phones aren’t a necessary evil; they are that way due to misuse. It is up to the individual to determine when they are crossing that fine line.
Disney movies are all religious based in some way, shape, or form. In the movie “The Lion King” there is a constant father figure throughout the film. In later scenes he comes to Simba and tells him to remember who he is so he can get the courage to take back his home. There are parallel scenes in the Bible about how God talks to his children and guides them from the heavens (The Lion King). These messages put in Disney movies give kids a realization the God will always be there to guide them no matter what age they are. It also inspires that child to be what they want and accomplish anything by having
William Goldman writes these very words before immerging us in a novel filled with fantasy, love and adventure; but what prevails is the fact that he edited and picked pieces of the “original” to fit a mould for a child’s book- reducing it to something of a bedtime story for his son. The book was lessened to something for a child, and one does not destroy the aforementioned ideals in this case, but attempts to keep them instilled in the child for as long as possible - it becomes obvious as to why the story unfolds in this exaggerated way. He claims that the novel originally used the story to talk about the Western world. There is the stark truth of what the novel truly is, not a tale about love, so the author himself states that he leaves only the good parts, eliminating darker truths about the world, and political opinions. The Princess Bride was then not meant to tell story of adventure but was a satirical take on Western history. The entirety in which the “original” novel was edited and rewritten speaks volumes of how even this fairytale world, had the sole purpose of being an anecdote for something else, and the “true love” and “high adventure” in it implicated were not the focus of the
People’s lives are changed every day by their actions and experiences. This past summer, I participated in a community service project, an experience that opened my eyes in many ways. I was a volunteer at the County Memorial Hospital. In my time as a volunteer at the hospital, I was able to meet patients and staff members from all over the world and learn about their life experiences. Listening to all of their stories has made me truly appreciate everything which I have.
For decades Disney has been the source of happy endings, fairytales, and family friendly stories for children of all ages. These stories range from realistic and familiar, to the eye-catching magical fairytale. The key to each of these stories are the happy endings brought about by each of the characters unique personalities and dreams. Disney’s films are attempted to provide children with the basic understanding of wrong versus right, but instead influences our society’s beliefs and awareness. Although Disney’s efforts to provide the basic morals to our children are misleading and affect our society strongly, they also contain the use of racism in a form which shows the major differences between characters. The once admired and well-known characters are seemed to be recognized by their species, ethnicity and even their social class. Disney films have taken out of context and have persuaded their viewers understanding of racial stereotyping, which is thoroughly explained in Henry Giroux and Grace Pollock’s novel, The Mouse that Roared. They bring awareness to the underlying racial stereotyping in Disney films, which deeply affect our societies understanding today. Giroux and Pollock bring into perception these admired and regularly watched films through precise examples and racist rendering of the specific characters species and ethnicities which strongly influence our society and lead children to intake these negative influences.
I believe cell phones play an important role in our society’s evolution in communication and has fundamentally changed the way we achieve this task. However I firmly presume that we need to use this technology responsibly. Cell phones have many great uses, but when used improperly this amazing invention can be your worst