1. Pretend that you are talking to a blind man and have to describe for him what "red" is. You should use narrative and descriptive writing techniques, and try to appeal to his other senses!

If I was trying to explain the color red to a blind man I would first ask how severe his blindness is. Then I would tell him to imagine himself in place of a hot, steemy, room - he is sweating - he then touches the electric stove, which is on, and burns himself. He would be hot and sweaty and his emotion would be angry, that is the color red. If he imagines himself on a winter day inside the house with the heater on drinking a cup of warm coffee, the warm feeling is red. The smell and taste of fresh strawberries, cherries, and berries are red. When he has ever been embarassed and he can feel his cheeks blush, the feeling is red.

2. How does competition function in our society? To what extent is it healthy/unhealthy? Offer some real world examples taken from your life, community, culture, state, nation, or world.

Competition is only healthy when its mild, if it's extreme it can drive people into making wrong decisions in order to win. In our society there's competition everywhere but it's mild, except when events such as sales occur. On Black Friday the malls and stores are crowded and indeed dangerous. People are driven to do things they normally wouldn't, such as shoving and being rude in order to win products in the competition of sales. Competition makes things harder but it also makes people work harder which is not always a bad thing, for example, when enrolling for a college thousands of other students are competing with you to win a spot there, making you work harder to get better grades. It also helps me when playing sports because playing against other teams makes me try harder and play better and that's a priority to myself and many others. However, when businesses are competing against the other businesses, it becomes a problem. The whole society becomes puppets of these comapanies because they control us. They lower and higher the prices to essentials we need as they please in order for them to keep power. The price for a water bottle could be $30 and we would still have to buy it because we can't survive without it. Competition in our society is extremely alike to Darwins' theory, survival of the fittest. Another negative effect competition for money has on people is that they become consumed my wealth and devote their lives to it. We weren't put on this world to become rich with money.

3. How have you taken something that you have learned in the classroom and integrated it into your nonacademic life?

The only subjects I have integrated into my nonacademic life are english, history, and french. English is much more than just grammar, I have learned to analyze essays but taken it much further and analyzed peoples' ways, emotions, and motives. In history I learned about historic events, what caused them, and how the government works. It applies to my life because I will soon begin to live in moments that will become history and I need backround information on the government to assume what will happen in the future. French is just a hobbie I include in my life sometimes but also an oppurtunity to learn a whole new culture. But what all these classes have taught me about lifes big picture is that the education i receive now during these years, is the only education I'm going to have to survive. The importance of it has now been tripled along with my desire to have it. Life can be seen differently with knowledge and it's an advantage because knowledge is power.

4. If you could go back in time and be someone in history, who would you choose to be? Why?

If I could go back in time and be someone in history I would be an activist, Mother Jones, Mary Harris Jones. She was an American labor and community organizer who coordinated strikes and formed a union to ameliorate her community. Mother Jones made an immense impact on history which I admire. She was a couragous lady who fought for what she knew was right and greatly helped the factory workers and miners until the conditions were fixed. I hope to leave an impact on this world or to atleast the needy before I leave this world and hopefully be as brave as Mother Jones. Her aid can't be emphasized enough but ofcourse she had help of other organizers. I wish to create non-profit organizations or charitys when I'm older to help the needy countries or atleast spread the word about them and educate people. Society needs to comprehend that we have the power to help easily and they will only come to realize that through the fights of people like Mother Jones.

5. If you had the responsibility to decide where $1 million should be spent to improve conditions somewhere in the world, what project(s) would you choose? Why?

If I could decide where $1 million should be spent it would be difficult to choose but I woud send the money to Haiti and choose the Clean the World charity. Haiti is the poorest city in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and a simple donation such as soap will save their lives. Every year about five million people, the majority being children five years and younger, die from acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease due to the one unobtainable yet essential thing, soap. Studies show that simple things like hand washing reduce the spread of these diseases but sadly, soap is unavailable to these impoverished people. $1 million would truly make a difference in their lives because it would save them. The essential would be provided for almost everyone in need with just $1. If the money were spent on something other than the needy, the help would only be sufficient for a few people. Haiti needs it more than anyone.

6. How have you tried to effect change in relation to an issue of personal, local, or national significance?

The biggest I have done so far is donate money and clothes to the needy and to the invisible children movement. But the day I found out about the movement, which was yesterday, was the day I realized what I need to do to help the children being abducted and forced to fight. I am determined to create my own fundraiser to support the invisible children movement. I plan on doing this by inviting friends and family to join me, creating a club at school, and spreading the word about it. My club will have bake sales, car washes, flyers, and posters and will then send all the donations to the invisible children movement. I feel very passionate about this because I feel it's our humanitys including my responsibility to help the chidren being terrorized in Africa.

7. If you could introduce one new idea or material thing to a primitive culture, what would it be?

If I could introduce an idea to a primitive culture I definately wouldn't show them technology because they would probably become carried away like our society and some people would even lose focus of the true meaning of life which is not found in materials. I would introduce this culture to the idea of natural rights and being free because these people might be prone to being dictated by an unfair person. With rights and freedom this culture would be on the path that leads to happiness and maybe even finding the meaning of life itself. They wouldn't be consumed by greed and since they wouldn't be exposed to technology they're not stained by the distractions technology brings. Their culture would begin to flourish and continue ameliorating throughout the years.