Smore #1
Media Literature
Media Literature
Kenny McMillian
Mrs. Danley
CP Lang Arts
7 January 2016
When I think of “Media” I think of communication on a grand scale. Media is a way that everyone, everywhere, (or whoever has access) can stay in touch and up to date with what’s going on around the world. Without media everyone would be disconnected from everything and the world could not function because everyone would be on a different page and not know what situations they are in and how to solve those certain issues. There has always been forms of media throughout human history. Television and Cellular phones are the biggest sources of media in modern times. Back before we had those there was newspapers and radio, and before that there were town meetings. In some cases media can be spread through movies and films. Man has always had ways to inform others about things that are happening in society.
Media literature to me is how well information is spread and the different forms of it.
In literature there’s different ways that people speak but they’re all still mainly correct, same thing with media. Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, there has always been some type of way to spread information just in different forms, not everyone can understand or has access to same types of media so it is changed up for everyone to understand. If media was the same then not everyone would be updated on what’s going on around the world. Without media the world would not be the same. But fortunately we have close access to media in most places.
Television
Wordle Turtle
Radio
Smore #2 What can i do
Kenny McMillian
Mrs. Danley
CP 12th grade literature
7 February 2016
I will do my part to change the world by not littering and recycling. It’s probably the easiest thing anyone can do and it’s the most affective to the earth. I am already doing my part to help preserve the earth because at home my family and I already recycle and are very strict about the things we put in the trash. Also I will do my part by not littering because it’s illegal to liter and you can be fined up to one thousand dollar for doing so and I don’t have a thousand dollars I can just give away like that.
Smore #3 Super Bowl Commercial Precis
Kenny McMillian
Mrs. Danley
CP 12th grade Literature
8 February 2016
Super Bowl commercial Précis
In the commercial “Puppy Monkey Baby” (2016), Mountain Dew, a well-known soft drink owned by Pepsi, Advertises their new flavor called “kickstart” by creating a bizarre creature out of “Three Awesome Things Combined.” The three awesome things being combined and compared to are “Dew, Juice, and Caffeine combined”, With a puppy as the head, a monkey’s midsection for the torso, and a baby’s legs in a diaper, this Creature is surely strange looking and is supposedly another set of “Three Awesome Things Combined”. Mountain Dew develops this idea by juxtaposing three different types of “Awesome” things, “Dew”, short for Mountain Dew, is the main part of the advertisement and it is compared to the puppy (the head), which is the main part of the body. “Juice” represents the taste of the drink and is compared to the torso because if something doesn’t taste good you won’t put it in your stomach. Caffeine is what gives people energy to move, this is compared to the legs of the creature because without legs then it wouldn’t be able to move. Mountain Dew created this bizarre commercial in order for you to remember their brand and what product they are selling. The more something stands out to you the more likely you will remember it and that’s what Mountain Dew did in their commercial. Mountain Dew made this commercial for all people who drink energy drinks.
Smore #4 ( How Advertising Affects Society)
Kenny McMillian
Mrs. Danley
CP 12th Grade LA
10 February 2016
How Advertising Affects Society
Advertising is way companies spread the knowledge of a product throughout society. Some of the methods used to spread this information are television commercials, social media, or radio broadcasts. Most advertising comes through commercials seen on TV. Though most commercials are positive they still have negative effects on society. Reason being is that the purpose of TV commercials is to try and persuade people to buy a product, commercial companies use “perfect” people saying that if you buy their product you could possible look like a “perfect” person as well. I think advertising pressures people into looking, thinking and acting a certain way to fit in and live up to society’s standards. People conform to the ways that society want them to be and that sometimes means these people lose personal values or their positive ways just to be accepted. I feel advertising dictates some of the trends that go on throughout society. I think advertising makes people in society feel that if you don’t have the newest products or have seen the latest trends then you’re not “cool” or “popular” and people won’t accept you. People have their priorities WAY out of order. There are more people standing in line to buy shoes than there are people graduating from school. That shows something about people and how easily persuaded some are.
Smore #5 (Hypocrisy)
Kenny McMillian
Mrs. Danley
CP 12th grade LA
12 February 2016
Smore #5
In society today, big time companies will find any way to sell their products. Though most try and persuade people of society that they are trying to make a difference in the world, but are the main reasons that problem occurs. For Example McDonald’s, largest fast food chain in the world, Says they are going to help decrease the rate of childhood obesity. Yet the salads at McDonald’s cost nearly triple the amount of a regular cheeseburger. It’s the fact that they advertised more of the unhealthy stuff instead of the healthy things and they say they will do their part to change the rate of obesity because of their food. There is hypocrisy in all advertising. The people who are making money from these companies don’t care about how the customers feel, as long as the consumers are buying their products and continuing to put money in their pocket they will continue to produce and sell those products. If they are put on the spot about the negative effects of their product then they’ll say what they have to say in order to get out of that situation and no one will see a large change in how good that product is. If people are persistent then you might get that company to donate money to organizations that help correct the problem they have a tremendous impact on.
Smore #6
Kenny McMillian
Mrs.Danley
CP Literature
22 February 2016
S’more #6
If people want freedom then it’s nearly impossible have security and vice versa because if you have the freedom to do whatever you want then you can’t have the guarantee that you’ll be safe. The same for security, if you have security then you are most likely limited to that one thing and have no freedom. For example jobs in different places around the word, in America we have the freedom to choose any job we want but we don’t have the guarantee and security of having a job at all, while in other countries you are guaranteed a job and security but don’t have the freedom to quit that job and find another. In this case with the San Bernardino killing, IPhone is being forced to hack into the phones of the shooters, but IPhone says that if they hack into these particular phones then they’d have to hack into all IPhones. Police need them to do it so they can search the phones for Society’s security, but at the same time IPhone owners won’t have the freedom and privacy they once had before because if the government can hack into a phone then an experienced hacker can get into it and get hold of important personal information. In the article IPhone says they can’t even hack into people’s phones. I think IPhone shouldn’t give the encryption codes because it can put all iphones in danger and the fact the government can already hack into our phones and view who we call and text. I think the government has ways to get into the shooters phones and they just want IPhone to give them access to everyone’s phone.
Smore #7
Kenny McMillian
Mrs.Danley
CP 12th grade literature
26 February 2016
Smore #7
After reading the “Little Brother is watching” article my opinions still never really changed from before I read the article. The only answer on the sheet I made different was the statement “For an idea to exist, we must have words to express it.” At first I disagreed because you can have an idea without having any words to express it, but as I read the article my opinion changed. If you want to expand your idea then you have to have words that describe what it is you’re trying to accomplish. You also have to be able to explain idea to others to have support to advance your idea. Without words to give life some type of meaning the world would be in chaos because no one would know what to do or how to explain know themselves. Another thing I do believe is that “little brother is watching” in the article it gave great examples of how that’s happening. I do think someone is watching and listening at all times. Somehow people catch things on camera that were supposed to be hidden and it gets publicized, then the whole world knows about it.
Smore #8 Politifact
Politifact
Donald Trump
“NASCAR endorsed Trump”
Said by Republicans on Monday at Concord, N.C. just miles from the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The truth is NASCAR’S CEO, Brian France and several current of retired drivers support Trump. Brian France Says “This is my personal and not a corporate position”
You have to know that NASCAR the company doesn’t endorse Donald Trump but its CEO and several drivers support so the statement is half true.
I think that Donald Trump is arrogant and the fact that such a well-known company’s owner supports him will fill his head up even more than it already is and he’ll become more Egotistical
Marco Rubio
“Foreign aid is less than 1 percent of our federal budget”
Said by Republican Marco Rubio on Friday, March 11th says “I’m against any sort of wasting money on foreign aid, but it’s less than 1 percent of our federal budget.”
This statement is true because The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget wrote that “foreign aid represents a TOTAL of 0.7 percent of the budget, or 1 percent it military aid is included”
You have to know that the amount of money the U.S. spends on helping other countries is a very small amount compared to the rest of the government spending.
I think if we aren’t going to spend any more money on foreign aid then we should cut it out of the budget because it’s less than one percent of our total spending and that could use the money towards something else.
Hillary Clinton
“Gun violence is by far the leading cause of death for young African-American me, outstripping the next nine causes of death combined.”
Said by Democrat Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, February 17th during a speech, as she goes into detail about how gun violence is on the 10 most common causes of death for African-Americans between the ages of 15 an 24.
This statement is true because The Center for Disease Control and Prevention website posted data that shows gun-related homicides are at the top of the list follow by Unintentional injures
You have to know about gun violence in America to know this statement is true
I agree with the statement and I feel that it should be one of the more important issues in the United States.
Bernie Sanders
“The Walton family of Walmart…This one family owns more wealth than the bottom 40 percent of the American People”
Says Democrat Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, February 23rd during a campaign rally explaining that just this one family has more money that 40 on America.
You must know that this statement is true and that Walmart is an International company that makes a lot of money.
I agree with this statement because unfortunately the Walton family is WAY richer than the McMillian family and many other families in america
Smore #9 Rebellions
Kenny McMillian
Mrs. Danley
Senior Lit
23 March 2016
Rebellions and Uprisings
Between 1941 and 1941 there were many “underground resistance movements” in ghettos on the Nazi side of Eastern Europe. The different type of races that joined the resistance consisted of some Jews, Polish, Lithuanians, Belorussians, and Ukrainians. Most Jews were reluctant to join the uprising because they knew that it wouldn’t succeed in stopping the Germans. Only a few resilient Jews would escape from the ghettos and join the resistance movement. Weapons were smuggled into the ghettos for the participants in the uprising who were refused to obey German law. The Warsaw ghetto uprising in the spring of 1943 was the largest single revolt by Jews. Hundreds of Jews fought the Germans in the streets of the ghettos. The Jews didn’t obey the German’s orders to report to a spot for deportation. Though the Jews didn’t win, and knew that they weren’t going to win, they continued to fight. At the end of the fight the Nazis burned to ghetto down and forced the Jews out. The Fighters for the Resistance consisted primarily of young men and women a majority of them died during the dispute. This rebellion stands out because it was a small amount of people that resisted against a large army, though they knew they were going to fail and that most would parish, they still fought. These people were inspired by the fact that they weren’t going to be killed voluntarily by the Germans, but that they’d die fighting for freedom. The Jews wanted to free themselves from the ghettos the Germans had established for them and join a resistance group that would fight against the Germans. People joined the movement because they felt they had nothing to live for and that they might as well die fighting back. I see political uprising in modern time in examples like black lives matter
Smore #10
Kenny McMillian
Mrs. Danley
Senior Lit
26 March 2016
Government Surveillance (S’more #10)
I do believe the government spies and monitors our lives. At first it seems impossible to keep track of people all the time, but when you step back and think about it, it really isn’t that difficult for the government to do that. Think about this, when you’re in public you are always under surveillance because what establishment doesn’t have at least one camera in it. Other than restrooms, there is nowhere in public you can really have privacy. What about those who don’t go out in public as often as others? Well those people are still being watched. Most people who don’t go out to buy their products purchase them online. The government has the ability to look at your search history and can go through your computers storage and find out more personal information about you. The book 1984 is the perfect comparison to the topic of “Government Surveillance”. In the book, the citizens of Oceania have these television-like devices inside of all their homes and it watches and listens to everything they say AT ALL TIMES! In modern times the surveillance isn’t that severe but it’s relatable because like all of Oceania’s citizens have the monitor in their house, most people in America have computers in their homes that monitor what they search on the internet. As the world evolves more towards technology, the internet is becoming more of a part of people’s lives, and more of people’s personal information is put on it which can help the government see what people are doing at almost all times. Winston is a fictional version of Edward Snowden because like Winston, Edward Snowden worked for his government and was aware of the goal they were trying to accomplish. Winston joined the brotherhood in order to rebel against his government and Edward Snowden Exposed his government plan to have surveillance on everyone and I agree with both of theirs ways of rebellion. In the end, Edward Snowden did other U.S. citizens a favor by showing the governments true intentions and hopefully some people learned to watch what they search on the internet.
Smore#11
Smore #!2
Kenny McMillian
Mrs.Danley
Senior Lit
April 4, 2016
Freedom vs. Happiness
I think in order for mankind to be happy they must be free in their own minds, for example look at the communist countries in the eastern hemisphere, the people living in those countries feel they have their freedoms, but we in America have feel we have more freedoms and feel like they aren’t living a good life. If you are born into that environment and are used to living that way all your life then you grow accustom to the life you live. Freedom is the power to do whatever you please, if people are living in a country that has set rules then they are truly not “Free”. So here in the United States, we live my the phrase “land of the free and home of the brave” yet we still have to obey laws and regulations. No one in any developed country is a free person, they have the freedom to make their own decisions depending on the country but unless you live in the wild among nature with no governing then you haven’t experienced “freedom.” Freedom Is a physiological term because freedom is in the mind. If you think that you’re free then you’ll be more inclined to be happy.
Smore #13
Kenny McMillian
Mrs. Danley
Senior lit
26 April 2016
Smore #13 (gas lighting)
Gas lightiing is the act of manipulating someone into questioning their own sanity. Most people who gas light tend to contradict themselves about things they say. A lot of people fall for it because they fail to realize things for themselves, and trust everything someone of power says. Even if its full of lies, if it sounds legit people will fall for it with no hesitation because they support the person that is saying it. For example Kim Jong-Un, the dictator of North Korea, uses gas lighting to rule the country. He tells the citizens to hate America yet he has imported multiple American made limousines, imported wines from America, and dozens of pianos. Yet his country teaches its citizens to hate Americans at an early age. One way we can stop gas lighting is by actually doing research on the stuff people in power say. You have to consider the source. If it’s not a trustworthy source then don’t believe it until you have seen where the information they said is legit. Always do your research on something that’s important to you and don’t believe everything that comes out of people’s mouth
smore#14 (pt1)
Kenny McMillian
Mrs.Danley
Senior Lit
6 May 2016
Smore #14 (Can We Auto-Correct Humanity)
Growing up in the 21st century, it’s not an unusual site to see people spend a lot of their time looking down at their phone screen because they’re on social media. Technology is becoming more and more a part of people’s everyday life. The world depends heavily on technology for everything, from ordering stuff on the internet to guiding and giving directions to a destination. While this may make life a blessing and way easier, it’s also a curse. In order to make the technology we have function properly we must put a lot of our attention into it. With that sacrifice, we lose connection with real life things such as friendships. People may think social media is connecting them to others in a fun way but in actuality it’s hurting the relationship. People now a days don’t know how to hold a face to face conversation because most of the conversations people have are through instant messaging. There is only one way that people can control that, and make the normal things in life normal again. That resolution is to put down the phones every once in a while and enjoy the life you have. People have become addicted to the technology they have it’s almost like a drug addiction. People need to make personal connections with the ones around them instead people they’ve never seen on social media. I like to use myself as an example. I have social media accounts but I don’t post everything I do on them and I have a few good reason why. My Primary reason is that I don’t want everyone knowing what I’m doing or where I’m at. My second reason is that I feel if I’m always on my phone while I’m doing an activity I’ll miss out on something important during that activity. My final reason is that I honestly don’t care what people think so I post when I post and if I don’t then I’m not anxious to do so because I don’t like my business out for the public to see
smore#14(pt2)
Kenny McMillian
Mrs.Danley
Senior Lit
6 May 2016
Smore #14 (pt2)
Looking at my first smore I my perception on media in general has changed slightly. It has made me more aware of things that are possible in different places around the world and opened my eyes to real life. Taking this language arts class has taught me to be aware of the people who are in power and that people will come and go because they’re living their lives. Mrs.Danley’s language’s art class is different from my past language arts class because it made me mature. We watched the news every day and makes me aware of everything that happens around the world. It makes me grateful to live where I do after seeing some of the stuff I’ve seen on the news in other places.