Adoration of Jenna Fox - Essay free essay sample

Jenna Fox is a mentally unstable adolescent because, after waking up from a yearlong coma, she has no memory of her friends or family. She soon recognizes how her actions toward her parents, and grandmother, have different effects on their expressions and body language, but she still does not understand what she is supposed to be feeling. â€Å"I don’t remember my mother, my father, or Lily. I don’t remember that I once lived in Boston. I don’t remember the accident. I don’t remember Jenna Fox,† (Pearson, 7). This excerpt from the novel explains that Jenna is lacking the knowledge of who she is. She doesn’t understand how she cannot remember the people that were closest to her. As the story progresses, Jenna wonders if she has ever had friends, â€Å"Did I have friends? †¦ I may not remember everything, but I know there should be these things. Something. I know when someone is sick that people check on her. What kind of person was Jenna Fox that she didn’t have any friends? Was she someone I even want to remember? Everyone should have at least one friend,† (Pearson, 17). Using the psychological lens, the quoted thought of Jenna Fox explains to the reader that she knows from her instinct that it is normal to have friends. She starts to question herself as an individual, creating an unstable self-esteem. Throughout the novel, Jenna starts to acquire a few friends, making her self-esteem and psychological state become more positive. The first person that Jenna meets, that isn’t a family member, is Mr. Bender. He acts as a type of guardian to Jenna when her father is in Boston for his occupation. For example, he happens to help Jenna out in a particularly difficult situation with the neighbor boy, Dane, â€Å"Mr. Bender comes through the woods, making a show of his golf club, swinging it more than he is using it for balance on the hillside,† (Pearson, 217). Psychologically this makes Jenna feel more secure and comfortable when she knows that Mr. Bender is in her company. Ethan is also another person that helps Jenna feel at ease. He becomes Jenna’s significant other and is also, ironically, the only person that Jenna, herself, shares information about her genetically engineered body with. After sharing that information with him, he says to her, â€Å"†So I know what a monster is, Jenna, and it’s not me, and it’s not you,†Ã¢â‚¬  (Pearson, 165). His words send a comforting message to Jenna, which helps her feel a bit more positive about herself. In addition to Ethan and Mr. Bender, Allys achieves a positive role in Jenna Fox’s mental-state. Allys is the first friend to actually express positive feelings toward Jenna, â€Å"†¦I just sit there with satisfaction wrapping around me. I like you. That’s what she said. I like you, Jenna,† (Pearson, 76). The words that Jenna repeats to herself explain to the reader that she feels accepted socially into the world, even though (herself included) nobody except for her parents know what is truly different about her composition. Having friends plays a major role in the life of someone who is mentally unstable and has a negative view of their self. In the novel, when Jenna had times of struggle, she felt concealed away from her family because she couldn’t remember her relationships with them. From what she had watched on videotapes is the only remembrances she had, making the little pieces of family structure very important for her mentally. When her relationships would build with them, she was careful to keep them strong. The person that Jenna went to hoping for advice and somebody to trust is her grandmother, Lily. For example, Jenna seeks answers, and she turns to Lily in her mental time of need, â€Å"†You’re the only one I can ask,† I add. â€Å"The only one I know who will tell me the truth,†Ã¢â‚¬  (Pearson, 148). From the quote, Jenna’s knowledge of the importance of her and Lily’s relationship is recognized, and linked to how Jenna feels about being treated fairly by being told the truth. Accordingly, Jenna’s father works in Boston, but when complicated situations arise in her life, he makes the commute as quickly as he can back to their home in California. For example, Jenna confronts her mother about what she hasn’t been told, and her father comes home immediately, â€Å"A shadow of stubble is on his cheeks. His hair is uncombed. His eyes are hollow. He looks like he could have run here all the way from Boston,† (Pearson, 121). From the description of her father, the reader can recognize that the bond between family members is strong, and without them, people wouldn’t have anyone to help them in mental hardships. By reading Mary E. Pearson’s, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, using the psychological/psychoanalytical lens, the constant theme of family and friends being important in a person’s life, is recognized in a variety of different ways. When a person has nobody to turn to in a time of mental need, a part of that person’s identity becomes questionable. Family and friends provide a positive mental part of identity that is unique and extremely important to every human being.

What to Do If Youre Placed on Academic Probation

What to Do If Youre Placed on Academic Probation Being placed on academic probation while in college is serious business. You may have known it was coming, you may have had no idea it was coming- but now that its here, its time to sit up and pay attention. What Exactly Is Academic Probation? Academic probation can mean various things at different colleges and universities. Usually, however, it means that your academic performance (either in a series of classes or through your GPA) is not strong enough for you to be making acceptable progress toward your degree. Consequently, if you dont improve, you may be asked (translation: required) to leave the college. Learn the Specifics of Your Probation Just like schools can have different definitions of academic probation, students can have different terms for their academic probation. Read the fine print of your warning letter and make sure you understand everything thats in there. How do you need to change your academic standing? To what? By when? What happens if you dont do so- will you need to leave the college? Leave just the residence hall? Not be eligible for financial aid? Get Help No matter how confident you felt, clearly something did not work out if youre on academic probation. Check in with people for help: your academic advisor, your professors, a tutor, other students in the class, and anyone else you can utilize as a resource. Sure, it may be awkward to ask for help, but doing is almost certainly less awkward than having to leave college before you had planned to. Keep Getting Help Lets say you reach out for help, get a tutor, and work, work, work to study for your next chemistry test- which you promptly ace. Your confidence goes up and you start to feel like you may not need as much help as you thought you did. Be extra careful not to let yourself fall into your old patterns- you know, the ones that got you into academic probation in the first place- and to stick with getting help throughout the term. Prioritize Your Other Commitments If youre placed on academic probation, youll need to do a serious assessment of your other commitments. Passing your classes now becomes your number one priority (as it should have been from the beginning). Be honest with yourself about your other commitments in college and, as hard as it may be, cut out as much as you need to in order to make sure your academics are getting the time and attention they deserve. After all, you cant be involved in all you want to do if youre not allowed back in school next semester. Make a list of what you need to do (like working) versus what you want to do (like being heavily involved in your Greeks social planning committee) and make some changes as needed.

El Greco essays

El Greco essays There were many inspiring and fantastic painters in the 1500s. Europe had many painters who made a big impact on the world. El Greco was a Greek painter who moved to Spain and is regarded as one of the greatest religious painters and a master portraitist. El Greco is one of the most famous painters of all time, and the story of his young life and emigration to Spain is a great one. El Greco was born in Candia, Crete. Not much is known about his childhood. He grew up and was trained as a icon-maker in a monastery and then went to Venice around 1560, where Titian became his greatest mentor. El Greco met Michelangelo and was very influenced on his Italian style of painting, which is noticeably different from other works. Not much is known about his parents; it is speculated that they died when El Greco was very young. El Greco is the Spanish name of the painter. His true Greek name is Domenicos Theotocopoulos, which was the name he used when he signed his documents, including Spain where he was known by his Spanish name. El Greco started out small as did most famous painters and worked his way up. El Greco was a true rags to riches story considering he was an artist. El Greco grew up and learned much in his early career and had been taught by many of the greatest painters. As a young painter he moved around a lot and once out of Crete went to Venice and then onto Spain. In 1563, with the closing of the third and final session of the Council of Trent, known in European history as the Counter Reformation which commenced with it the institutionalization of Catholic life in accordance with the rules made by the Conciliar Fathers. This led to El Grecos inspiration to be a religious painter. Two worksthat are signed by Master Domenikos who was an icon, in Athens and a small portable triptych, which have been attributed to El Greco. However, their authorship cannot be established with certainty. After W...

Biography of Julián Castro, 2020 Presidential Candidate

Biography of Julin Castro, 2020 Presidential Candidate Julin Castro is a Democratic politician who has served as city councilman and mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Under President Barack Obama’s administration, he served as U.S. Secretary for Housing and Urban Development. In 2019, he announced his decision to run for president of the United States. Fast Facts: Julin Castro Occupation: Attorney and politicianBorn: September 16, 1974, in San Antonio, TexasParents: Rosie Castro and Jesse GuzmanEducation: Stanford University, Harvard UniversityKey Accomplishments: San Antonio mayor, San Antonio City Council, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 2020 presidential candidateSpouse: Erica Lira CastroChildren: Cristin Julin Castro and Carina Castro.Famous Quote: â€Å"Texas may be the one place where people actually still have bootstraps, and we expect folks to pull themselves up by them. But we also recognize there are some things we can’t do alone.† Early Years Julin Castro grew up in San Antonio, Texas, with his identical twin brother Joaquà ­n Castro, who is younger than him by just a minute. His parents never married but remained together several years after Castro and his brother were born. The couple took part in the Chicano Movement; Castro’s father, Jesse Guzman, was an activist and math teacher, and his mother, Rosie Castro, was a political activist involved in the political party La Raza Unida. She served as Bexar County chairwoman for the group, helping register people to vote and organizing political campaigns. She eventually launched her own failed bid for the San Antonio City Council in 1971. In an interview, Rosie Castro told the Texas Observer that as Julin and Joaquà ­n grew up, she spent most of her time trying to make enough money to raise them as a single mother. But she remained politically active. Aware of their mother’s sacrifices, both Julin and Joaquà ­n Castro excelled in school. Julin Castro played football, tennis, and basketball at Thomas Jefferson High School, where he graduated in 1992. He and his brother won admission to Stanford University and, later, Harvard Law School, graduating in 1996 and 2000, respectively. Julin Castro has credited affirmative action with helping him get into Stanford, pointing out that his SAT scores were not competitive. Political Career After Julin Castro completed his studies, he and his brother worked for the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer Feld, and later left to start their own firm. Both brothers also pursued political careers, making Rosie Castro’s influence on them evident. Julin Castro won election to the San Antonio City Council in 2001, when he was just 26 years old, making him the youngest councilman to ever serve the city. Later he set his sights on a mayoral campaign, but lost his initial bid. Joaquà ­n Castro won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives in 2003. In 2007, Julin married Erica Lira, an elementary school teacher. The couple had their first child, a daughter named Carina, in 2009. That same year Castro was finally elected San Antonio mayor, serving until 2014, the year his son, Cristin Julin Castro, was born. During his tenure as mayor, Castro gave an inspiring keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, that earned him comparisons to the speech Barack Obama, then a U.S. senator, had made at the convention eight years earlier. In his keynote, Castro discussed the American dream and the sacrifices his family had made to help him achieve it. â€Å"The American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay,† he said. â€Å"Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor. My grandmother never owned a house. She cleaned other people’s houses so she could afford to rent her own. But she saw her daughter become the first in her family to graduate from college. And my mother fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone.† The speech helped draw national attention to Castro that grew when President Obama named him the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 2014. The then 39-year-old was the youngest member of Obama’s cabinet. Serving as HUD secretary did not just thrust him into the national spotlight, though, it also landed him in the middle of a controversy. The HUD Controversy During his tenure at HUD, the department sparked concerns about its handling of mortgage loans. Specifically, HUD was accused of selling mortgages to Wall Street banks, causing lawmakers like U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to call out the agency. Warren criticized HUD for selling off delinquent mortgages without first giving borrowers the opportunity to modify their loan terms. Rather than financial firms, Warren wanted nonprofit organizations to manage these mortgages and help struggling borrowers. Although Castro took the heat for HUD’s management of mortgage loans, the agency’s practices in this area predate his appointment as secretary. A 2015 Bloomberg analysis found that since 2010, HUD had sold 95 percent of such loans to investment firms. That’s four years before Castro came on board. Still, critics of Castro continue to hold him accountable for the problem, some arguing that it should disqualify him from serving as vice president or president. HUD’s stipulations for selling delinquent loans was subsequently changed. Presidential Run Since his keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, speculation that Castro would one day run for president has followed him. The speculation intensified when Castro’s memoir,  An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up From My American Dream, debuted in 2018. Many politicians write books to personalize themselves to the public and broadcast their political views. On Jan. 12, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas, Castro officially announced his presidential candidacy. During his speech, he provided an overview of the issues that have been important to him throughout his career, including early childhood education, criminal justice reform, universal healthcare, and immigration reform. â€Å"We say no to building a wall and say yes to building community,† Castro said. â€Å"We say no to scapegoating immigrants, and yes to Dreamers, yes to keeping families together, and yes to finally passing comprehensive immigration reform, Castro said to applause. Castro has also been a longtime supporter of LGBT rights and of Black Lives Matter. If Castro wins the Democratic nomination, he would be the first Latino to earn that distinction.   Sources Baugh, Josh.â€Å"From Political Matriarch Rosie Castro, the Sons Also Rise.† San Antonio Express-News, Sept. 30, 2012.Cirilli, Kevin. â€Å"Julian Castros 5 Notable Lines.† Politico.com, Sept. 4, 2012.Cranley, Ellen. â€Å"Heres how Julin Castro came to be a 2020 presidential contender and what might be next.† Business Insider, Jan. 13, 2019.Garcia-Ditta, Alexa. â€Å"The Interview: Rosie Castro.† Texas Observer. Merica, Dan. â€Å"Julin Castro Officially Announces 2020 Presidential Bid.† CNN, Jan. 12, 2019.â€Å"Elizabeth Warren Protests Sales of Distressed Home Loans to Wall Street.† Al-Jazeera America, Sept. 30, 2015.