Media Bias Article Selection

Rationale 

This article is a modified version of an article previously read on Al Jazeera America that headlines, "Autopsy of Sandra Bland reveals no signs of murder."  Sandra Bland was a woman found hanged in a jail cell in Waller County Texas; her death was classified as a suicide but an increased amount of awareness against racial profiling and police misconduct has ignited national debate against the true cause of Sandra's death. Family and friends called for an independent autopsy, and stated that it was unlikely that Bland would have killed herself, mentioning how she was upbeat about the job she was about to begin. This raises many questions as to how consumers of the media should view the situation; should we listen to news reports and suggested facts, or the personal accusations provided by Bland's family? In the article written particularly by Al Jazeera, provides a detailed account  of the analysis of Bland's autopsy report, submitted by Waller County prosecutor, Warren Diepramm.  This rewritten article will offer a more emotional and personal insight regarding the situation of Bland's imprisonment, which reflects the main ideas of family members and local activists. 

Article:

Bland- a 28 year old African American women- tragically died in Waller County jail just three days after a Texas trooper pulled her over during a routine and "normal" traffic stop. Officials classified her death as suicide by hanging, but those who know the Illinois woman treated that classification with skepticism. 

Activists claim her death is the latest example of racial bias and excessive force by US law enforcement. Now theories have emerged on social media, suggesting the Chicago woman may have been dead when her mugshot was taken. police dashboard camera footage shows the traffic stop incident in the most clear manner possible; shows the incident escalating from a warning for failure to signal a lane change to her being placed in handcuffs and a physical altercation with the white trooper. The video of Sandra's brutal arrest confirms she was subject to a violent, racist and traumatic encounter with the police. And though we still don’t know what happened next, one thing is clear: a traffic stop for a failure to signal should not lead to death.

An autopsy conducted by Haris county Institute of Forensic Science concluded that Bland dies through asphyxiation and immediately classified her death as a suicide. Police stated that Bland had used a plastic garbage bag to hang herself. The autopsy report showed Bland had multiple abrasions on the right side of her back, slight abrasions on her wrists, and 25 to 30 healing, parallel cuts on her left forearm that predated her arrest. This autopsy was inspected by the US prosecutor against Bland's family members case. They have previously requested to conduct an autopsy but did not anticipate that the autopsy would be presented by the main Prosecutor in the case. 

Moreover, Bland's prison intake form included a check mark for "yes" on epilepsy, and she can be heard in the video telling the arresting officer that she suffered from the illness. However, the autopsy  did not include a test for epilepsy, and the sheriff’s office said Bland “was offered Emergency Medical Services prior to being transported to the jail” but that she “refused any medical treatment.”

Practice IOC- The Tempest

Audio for third practice IOC- the tempest

Act 2 Scene 1

Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5Xjnl_inxw6M1lnYTFlS1Y4anc/view?usp=sharing

Practice IOC- Royal Beatings

Practice IOC- Royal Beatings

Audio Link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5Xjnl_inxw6RnM3YzdXbjJURjA/view?usp=sharing

This Is Water Blog Post

In his "This Is Water" essay, David Foster Wallace addresses issues that are often neglected and overlooked. He suggests that true freedom is acquired through education is the ability to be adjusted, conscious and sympathetic. After reading his essay, I I have been trying to go into a new mindset of acknowledging every day as a new experience, regardless of if I have done the activities or not. David foster Wallace starts off by using the analogy of water to describe our neglected surroundings. He uses this to convey how we can be so accustomed to our environment, that we do not even register them into our quotidian lives. He continues to use another parable of a religious man and an atheist who have difficulties understanding each other due to the differences in their personal beliefs and continues by showing that we have the choice to think that people are in our way, or rather we might just be in their way. We perceive our thoughts and emotions way before we are able to perceive other’s thoughts and emotions; it takes far more effort to understand people than to understand ourselves. As a result, we put ourselves in the centre of our worlds and constantly have trouble seeing where people come from. Wallace offers a solution to put ourselves into other people's shoes. When we understand the perspective of other’s, we are less prone to be stuck in what Wallace calls our ‘natural default setting.’ This natural default setting was the most interesting thing I pulled from his video  as I never acknowledged the concept before. Often times, I put myself into a routine with the same continuous mindset. Now being aware of this cunning thesis, I will approach life with  a new mind set and acknowledge everyday as new experience. In relation to this concept, Literature can play a great role; through the understanding we are able to gain from literature, we have the potential to shape the world around us. Wallace signifies how important it is to be aware of surroundings and the realities of other people's lives to the develop a sense of empathy and emotional intelligence. Literature has the power to give us this sense of awareness as we are exposed to different components of the story and engaged with the characters. These details will allow us to have a greater understand of emotions within a larger context, in turn expanding our emotional intelligence. 

Boys and Girls IOC

Link:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5Xjnl_inxw6LVZVMnFGdl9qeVk

Women's Literature Reflection

This year has started off with a focus on literature and Alice Munro's short stories. These past four lessons have really allowed me to understand the values of studying literature. When studying literature, young adults like us students can learn not only language aspects such as vocabulary items but also open our minds to the power of "meaning." Great literature is able to resonate with audiences all across the world. Literature helps us know the world around us and allows us to be more mindful and aware of other cultures and their struggles. It allows you to empathize and sympathize with characters who are not real and yet mirror the lives of many humans around the world. After being able to empathize with characters and books, that feeling extends far beyond literature. You gain a better understanding about human beings and their feelings and allows you to communicate and connect more efficiently.  Once you look at pieces of literature with an open- you open a sort of portal to the most available knowledge about humanity--our beliefs, our self-perception, philosophies, assumptions and interactions with the world.  We were also introduced to the concept of "women's literature" during  our first four lessons. Although there is no one definition for this concept, I personally believe woman's literature is writing that discusses the daily lives of women and what they go through with their families, and personal relationships. It is very relevant to study this type of literature as it gives us a chance to explore the perspectives and issues that often confront women. It's certainly true that gender roles have been changing in the last 35 years and Alice Munro is certainly the one to depict that in her writing. Though she is not exactly a feminist writer nor does she express political thoughts in her writing, she does express the daily struggles of women being trapped in their conventional roles and dealing with their daily struggles with those assigned roles. This was very significant especially during the 50''s to the 80's as this was a time of women empowerment and  "a generation of adjustment." By expressing these daily feminine struggles, Munro is able to express them in a certain way that impacts the reader to create a sense of understanding for the character. The part I enjoyed most in reading Munro's work was her ability to document small details in the story that related to the main character. Not only does this present the reader with a better visual and atmospheric sense of what  is happening, but it allows the reader to empathize withe the character and imagine themselves in that situation. This is a great way as making the moral meaning of the story more impactful and effective. 

Analytical Activity- m.A.A.d City (Kendrick Lamar) Commentary

Lyrics 

Brace yourself, I'll take you on a trip down memory lane

This is not a rap on how I'm slinging crack or move cocaine

This is cul-de-sac and plenty Cognac and major pain

Not the drill sergeant, but the stress that weighing on your brain

It was me, O-Boogy, Yaya, YG Lucky ride down Rosecrans

It got ugly, waving your hand out the window. Check yo self

Uh, warriors and Conans

Hope euphoria can slow dance with society

The driver seat the first one to get killed

Seen a light-skinned n**** with his brains blown out

At the same burger stand, where *censored* hang out

Now this is not a tape recorder saying that he did it

But ever since that day, I was looking at him different

That was back when I was nine

…

Fresh outta school cause I was a high school grad

Sleeping in the living room in my momma's pad

Reality struck I seen the white car crash

Hit the light pole two nigga's hopped out on foot and dashed

My Pops said I needed a job I thought I believed him

Security guard for a month and ended up leaving

In fact I got fired because I was inspired by all of my friends

To stage a robbery the third Saturday I clocked in

Projects tore up, gang signs get thrown up

Cocaine laced in marijuana

And they wonder why I rarely smoke now

Imagine if your first blunt had you foaming at the mouth

I was straight tweaking the next weekend we broke even

I made a legion then made a promise to see you bleeding

You know the reasons but still won't ever know my life

Kendrick AKA Compton's human sacrifice

…

If I told you I killed a nigga at 16, would you believe me?

Or see me to be innocent Kendrick that you seen in the street

With a basketball and some Now & Laters to eat

If I'm mashing all of my skeletons, would you jump in the seat?

Would you say my intelligence now is great relief?

And it's safe to say that our next generation maybe can sleep

With dreams of being a lawyer or doctor

Instead of boy with a chopper that hold the cul de sac hostage

Kill them all if they gossip, the Children of the Corn

They realizing the option of living a lie, drive they body with toxins

Constantly drinking and drive, hit the powder then watch this flame

That arrive in his eye; this a coward, the concept is aim and

They bang it and slide out that bit** with deposits

And the price on his head, the tots probably go to the projects

I live inside the belly of the rough

Compton, U.S.A. made Me an Angel on Angel Dust, what

“m.A.A.d” is an acronym for “my angry adolescence divided” This song is intended to bring more self-awareness and realization of the corrupt city that rapper, Kendrick Lamar used to live in. Rather than glorifying drug dealing like much rap music does these days, Kendrick’s story is about his “good kid” upbringing in the mad city around him.

Though a “trip down memory lane” is a metaphor for gentle reminiscence, “brace yourself” implies that his memories may not be very tame. He then adds a juxtaposition of the 1995 film “Major Pain,” which serves as a reminder that his childhood was filled with stress, pain and not much time for comedic relief presented by the “Drill Sergeant” in the movie.


In his first experience, Kendrick Lamar illustrates how he witnessed someone getting killed and decides to censor the name of the killer. Focusing on the “good kid” persona that Kendrick illustrates using characterization in his album, it is suggested that listeners are introduced to the central theme of contradiction in this song. Kendrick talks about how he had enough alcohol to fill a pool and jump into it when he turned famous. These other kids are abusing drugs and alcohol even further, to the point that they’re drowning in them. This life of drug abuse isn’t real, they’re just living an imaginary life where their only happiness comes from the “toxins” that make them zone out of the real world. 

Kendrick then begins to direct his words towards his even more when he directly asksthem questions. Kendrick is so much the “good kid”, (now to his fans), but also in relation to his peers, that they would be in disbelief if he said he’d actually committed some pretty serious crime. Of course, it was the influence of his city that made him anything but an innocent child. If he revealed all the skeletons in his closet, symbolizing the admittance of murder,  would his peers still "ride with him"? Kendrick’s “good kid” persona that has been bestowed on him actually makes this a much more terrifying prospect in the subject of violence, because he seems incapable of it. The world has put him on a pedestal. But that’s the human condition- we are all a contradiction. Once again, Kendrick’s lyrical and thematic techniques strike with upmost force.

In the final verse he tries to let the good shine through and offer advice for the youth and how they don’t have to conform to the temptations and pressures of the street. He hopes that his experience and intelligence can do well for the youth living in similar situations. “Compton, USA made me an angel on angel dust.” In an interview kendrick did with the LA Lakers, he stated the reason he doesn’t smoke is because the first time he smoked weed; someone had laced it with cocaine, which in this case is called angel dust. Thus, after this event, he no longer smoked, making him a better person, or an angel, due to angel dust.

Ultimately, Kendrick Lamar combines a meaningful concept and message, with the use of several literary devices and visual imagery to successfully convey his background and raise awareness of the corrupt upbringing in the streets. With many instances of irony such as comparisons of the rapper to kids on the strrets, Kendrick Lamar is able to carry out his popular persona of being a good kid living in a mad city, but still make people aware that not everything is really how it seems. I think this song is very insightful and complex, and it has really increased my respect and appreciation for him.