The Three Little Pigs

            Once there was a forest, filled with pine trees that sheltered the little houses below. Now, these houses were the only houses in the woods for miles. But, the owners found the forest as an illuminating and inspirational place where they could build their homes. This beautiful land was occupied by no other than three little pigs, who had grown up with a deep appreciation of nature and the opportunities that it provided. One day, the three little pigs decided to make a house out of nature. But, what type of house could they build? The first pig felt a connection with straw since pigs have had years of experience living in hay and mud outside a barn. The second pig wanted to build a house out of sticks because of the appreciation he felt towards the pine trees in the forest that kept them safe from terrible weather. The only type of house that the third pig wanted was one made out of brick. With a brick house, the third pig felt that could be connected to humans by constructing and enhancing his own nature with something manmade.

            The only problem with all these wonderful ideas was that no pig could decide which house to build. So, the third pig suggested the idea that their mother always would say to them: “Man will always seek out the good if left alone.” With a nod of their heads and a soft blow from the breeze, the pigs went off, getting supplies to build their houses. A few hours later, the first and second pig’s houses were complete, but the third pig, who felt illuminated by the warmth from the sun blazing on his back and in his heart, continued his hard-work, building the house of his dreams for the rest of the day.

            Meanwhile, a wolf in solidarity walked by. He, too, felt an untamable desire to be with environment and the pine trees, so he could see something as beautiful as his own nature. But, when he saw the little pigs building their houses, he was shocked. They’re ruining the nature, he thought. None of them even own the landscape or property!  Suddenly, the forest looked sad to the wolf. The branches of the trees stretched out to him, almost asking for his help. Then, the wolf, full of courage and a belief that he was doing the right thing, marched up the hill to the three little pigs’ houses. As soon as the pigs saw him, they jumped with fright and ran into their houses for shelter. The wolf chased them down and knocked loudly on the first pig’s door. “I know you’re in there, piglet. We need to talk.” “No way,” the pig said. “Well, then, I’m coming in because this is not right to do to nature.” But, a large gust of wind blew before he could finish his sentence and knocked down the house of straw. The little pig cowered in a brink of fear and then quickly jumped through the window of his brother’s house.

            Now, the wolf was annoyed. Why wouldn’t anyone have a nice chat with him about how they have ignored the beauty of the nature around them? He went to the house of sticks. Before he knocked, he noticed a sad, limped tree with missing limbs. Now, he was mad. He knocked on the door. “Now, look here. All I want to do is talk. You need to stop—“ Suddenly, another gust of wind whipped by, causing the house of sticks to collapse on the little pigs. The little pigs shook in fear and held each other tight. “Oh please, God, don’t let him eat us!” The wolf frowned. “You think I’m going to eat you?” But, the pigs did not answer. Instead, they ran to the third house. The wolf shook his head in disappointment. This is why pig senses were so limited. They could not even stop to think that maybe the wolf wanted to talk rather than eat them. Their understanding of what they thought the wolf would do was much different than the wolf’s own reasoning.

            With a big sigh, the wolf went to the third house and knocked lightly on the door. “Could we please talk?” He said lightly. “No one’s home!” They called out. The wolf frowned. “All I want to do is talk.” “Yeah, right. That’s what the last wolf said to our cousins.” “No,” the wolf said, “Honestly, all I want is to talk about what you’ve done to the land.” “Oh,” said one of the pigs. They cracked open the door. “You like what we’ve done?” “No,” the wolf said, “I don’t like it at all. I want you to move. Take you’re house somewhere else. You’re ruining nature.” “See?” One of the pigs said, “Didn’t I tell you that the wolf was trying to destroy our houses? He’s already blown down two of them!” “I didn’t do it,” the wolf said, “The wind is doing it! Can’t you see you’re angering nature? That you all are doing is destroying good, natural land?” The wolf let out a sigh. As soon as the breath left his lips, a huge gust of wind came again. The pigs with angry looks, quickly slammed their door shut and closed all the windows.

            When the wind stopped, the wolf cried. “All I want to do is talk about your houses!” “Go away!” A pig shouted. Instead, the wolf climbed on the roof and shouted down the chimney. “I want to talk and I won’t leave until you move your house to save the land around it!” Suddenly, another gust of wind came, knocking the wolf down the chimney and into a burning pot of hot water below. The wolf screamed and jumped out of the pot. He ran out of the house and down the hill. “Maybe next time you’ll understand our relationship with the environment!” A pig called. After that day, the wolf walked home with a changed mind. Now, he unlocked the world of nature, finally understanding the relationship between the environment and creatures on the planet.

A Pesky Penny in Your Thoughts? Get rid of it!

Thesis: It makes "economic sense" (Source A) that the penny should, without a doubt, be elimination from the coins in the United States; therefore, people will not have to search their pockets for a coin that is worthless in transactions today.

Sources:

• Source A: Getting rid of the penny makes the "best economic sense." The bill that Kolbe was trying to introduce would just have transactions round up or down, making pennies essentially useless. They are not purposely trying to get rid of the penny (for all those people out there who believe the penny should be preserved because it preserves Lincoln's name). Instead, they are trying to help with transactions, which will help with business, time, and the economy.
• Source B: Gore's research shows that people lose 4 hours a year searching for pennies (the equivalent of $60 a year). People should not lose money because of a small (almost useless) coin. $60 is enough to pay for a whole meal! If we were to round transactions and eliminate the penny, it will save people both money and time.
• Source C: "You can't buy anything with a penny anymore." If you can't buy anything with a penny, then why do we even need it? If other countries have eliminated their "low-denomination coins 30 years ago," then can't we drop the penny as well? It will not only save our economy as a whole, but it will stop other countries from "laughing at our senseless jingling" and make us, instead, look sensible.

The Choice is Yours

 

No one wants to die and no one wants to take a chance that might put his life in harm’s way. So why drink and drive? What is the difference between that and death? Drinking and driving only can lead down a path of destruction. Whether you destroy your own life or another’s life, the end result will be like a can of beer carelessly crushed on the ground. The beer can in this picture is not recycled nor is it thrown away, showing that the memory of what will happen will constantly haunt the path they choose (whether to get behind the wheel or not). Also, the can is crushed at the side, hitting what would be the side doors of the car and the lives of passengers, proving that drinking and driving cannot just alter your life but the lives of others as well. Therefore, one little screw up with alcohol and driving does not just affect those in the car, but those around you as well that the shadow of the beer can stretches out to. One drink is all that it can take to change (at least) one life entirely. One drink and your world is changed, and the only thing you can focus on is the accident caused by stupid and reckless decisions.

Death Everlasting Upon Generations

Hello death, goodbye sickness, I bid you adieu,

“I simply cannot bear another day like today” (40),

“I know I’m nothing but a burden to you” (40),

Death, come take me away.

“You’re not the one who has to bear it” (169),

With Death calling my name,

“You don’t have to bear the brunt” (169)

“I know it’s my fault [to blame]” (174).

“The camphor soaked cloth lay upon her brow” (187)

And a fake Death stood by her side,

“Mother’s not coming in tonight” (48),

Yet no child let out a cry.

"[But] I’ll be gone soon” (40),

“I realize the burden on your shoulders” (141),

“When I’m gone it will be easier on you” (141),

She said a little bolder.

“No wonder you keep yourself sick all the time” (163),

Death is the star in your show,

“Your room stays locked all day long” (172),

Get out of this house and go!

"[But] it’s my fault” (39),

“I know I’ll be gone soon” (39),

So take Death with you when you go,

The Mrs. Compson show ends at noon.

TTYL Txting

The message is clear: put down the phone while driving and keep your eyes on the road; you might save a life. Texting and driving is dangerous and even life threatening for the driver as well as those around him. In this image, the drive does not pay attention to the surroundings. When you first realize the text is shaped like a child, the attention is drawn towards the bright ball rolling off to the side and more than likely a real child is in the road. In a scenario like this one, the driver only acknowledges the ball and not the boy who is chasing after it. Since the phone blocks the driver’s view of the street, he cannot determine the chance of an accident and his reaction time is slow.

            This text-created little boy represents how texting can affect people’s inability to pull away from the virtual “world” of text and back into reality. With the combination of the driver’s speed, shown by the unfocused and stretched sides of the photo, and the driver’s distraction, the child will most likely get hit; all because someone could not manage to ignore the phone. If the driver kills the child, not only will he take away the child’s chance to ever communicate with his friends, his family, or anyone again, but he will also take away a life. Although technical advances make life easier, they are not necessarily an improvement in the way we live if we do not act responsibly when using these devices.

The Irrelevant Inferiority

            Women have been considered less intelligent than men due to Paul Broca’s scientific discovery of their inferior brain size. Stephen Jay Gould, the author of “Women’s Brains,” disputed this claim and engaged in his own research to support his counter theory. Gould effectively argued that biological labeling is “irrelevant and highly injurious” (Gould 190) when imposed on a set group, such as one of a certain sex. Through his scientific research, his knowledge on discoveries of the brain size, and his opinions and questions on the topic, he is able to contradict Paul Broca’s discoveries that “women, like it or not, had smaller brains than men, and therefore, could not equal them in intelligence” (185).

            In order for Gould to discuss the idea that women are not superior due to their smaller brain mass, he must present his knowledge on the topic. He does so through professors and reformers that disputed and agreed with his claims. Paul Broca, who Gould explains is a “professor of clinical surgery at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris” (185), studied the difference in craniometry for so long that he “exerted great influence and [even] won high esteem as a jewel of the nineteenth century science” (185). In his essay, Gould, who “reject[s] the inferiority of women” (185), includes excerpts by George Eliot and L. Manouvrier to support his own beliefs. Gould shows readers that although Broca was held in high standards due to his discoveries, only support from other researchers along with the right calculations truly establishes one’s credentials in society.

            In “Women’s Brains,” Gould does not just affirm his authority on the research of brain size, he also performs his own experiments out of his great disagreement with Broca’s claims. He often questions Broca’s work and whether he “measured with the most scrupulous care and accuracy” (185). Gould’s questions are not just literary devices, but they are also an expression of his emotions. Even though women “were opposed by numbers [of scientific calculations]” (185), he strongly believed that Broca’s data and “his interpretation [was] ill-founded” (187). He even went to the extent of performing his own experiments on the brain. He concluded that Broca’s research was lazy and imprecise because he did not take into consideration that “brain weight increases with height” (Broca used taller men), that “brain weight decreases with age” (he used older women), and that “degenerative disease often entails a substantial diminution of brain size” (188). Gould even uses his own opinions to explain that “the whole enterprise of setting a biological value upon groups [is] irrelevant” and suppresses “women of extraordinary talent” (190). By his opinions and questions, Gould expresses his emotion and his logic on brain size. He also shows his passion on how much he wants to save women so “they may dream” (190) and not be constrained under false scientific discoveries.

            Without proper measurements and calculations, science should not be used to determine the inferiority or superiority of anything, including races and sexes. Perhaps without biological labeling, groups of society will be able to “apply [more of their extraordinary talent]” (190) in the world.