How to Survive A Plague

Peaceful Protest

In my opinion, an effective protest is one that is fighting for a meaningful cause that demands a change. However, what sets apart a protest that will or will not be taken seriously is whether or not it is peaceful and unified. Once violence is involved, protests can lose respect and consideration for a change. As seen with Martin Luther King's protests many years ago, his protests were so effective because they involved no violence and a lot of patience, and the effectiveness is seen in the change that were gradually made. 

People choose to protest because a large group of people fighting for a change will catch the attention of a large audience and demand acknowledgement. In How to Survive a Plague, they AIDS activists where effective at first when they all joined together with a common interest. They educated themselves and participated in nonviolent protests. However, as years passed they started to split apart and have different goals. If they group had remained unified, they may have achieved success ore efficiently.  

My Education

My education has  been quite different than what we have read about recently. I was always encouraged to push myself to my fullest potential and was always provided with anything that I needed. 

From Kindergarten to sixth grade, I went to Holy Family School. It is a very small Catholic school in Nazareth where most of its students were from the middle or upper class. I had one class throughout elementary with about fifteen students in the whole grade. My experience is practically the opposite of the students we read about from Los Angeles. This small class size had very isolated friend groups and very much sheltered us from the outside world, since everyone was very similar. This caused me to be a little socially awkward when I first transitioned to public school in seventh grade, but I knew that removing myself from that small group of students was the best decision for me. 

I switched to the Nazareth Area School District in seventh grade, and the resources available were astonishing (especially in the middle school that was only built a few years ago).  There were opportunities for students with practically any type of passion.  In the final years of high school, each student receives advice and support for continuing their education, and a large majority of students take AP classes.  Although it is a public school and there are many students that come from a lower class, Nazareth is an overall financially secure area where there is a small amount of poverty. So, attending college is highly encouraged by the teachers and guidance counselors because the majority of students are able to afford it. 

I am extremely thankful for the opportunities that I have, and a lot of it comes from the area where I have grown up. It is very eye opening to learn about the struggles students from low class areas go through on a daily basis.

Media Image Analysis

Grand Theft Auto is an open-world action adventure game filled with shooting, robberies, and other crime filled actions. It is one of the most popular video games played by young men; the most recent version reaching around 34 million purchases, according to IGN Entertainment. However, the degrading ways that the women in the game are depicted has become apparent. As seen in the advertisement, the portrayal of women in this game is solely sexual. Grand Theft Auto displays a link between the oversexualization, degradation, and objectification of women and violent video games, and they use this to sell their product.  

The advertisers for Grand Theft Auto know that a promotion showing one of the male main characters would not grab the attention of their intended audience, so they display an attractive woman to create that association with the game. A sexual image will instantly attract young men to the product, and even though this particular woman is not significant to the video game, it will be more effective. The use of women as an object to sell a product is used throughout advertising, which further contributes to the objectification of women in society.

"The Mask You Live In" Discussion

When I was in mid-elementary school, the Wii first came out. Christmas was coming soon, and my older and younger brothers begged for one. They were extremely excited to receive this video game, and so was I. 

      When my brothers received the Wii for Christmas, they started playing immediately. I remember asking to have a turn and being ignored or being told "You wouldn't like games like this." Unlike my older sister, who was very girly and had never attempted to play a video game in her life, I wanted to give it a try. I told my mom that I was upset about it, but she told me I should be relieved that I was not wasting my time.  

I didn't understand. Why would it be a waste of my time but not a waste my brothers' time? 

In The Mask You Live In, it talks about the amount of time young adult males will waste playing video games. However, this is not something girls are known to waste their time doing. I think that this is because girls were told that they shouldn't play video games from such a young age, but this is not the standard for boys. Even though I am glad that I spend my time doing other things, I think it is unfair that I never had the opportunity to have video games as an outlet like my brothers did. 

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

The Perks of Being A Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a coming of age novel narrated by Charlie, a freshman in high school. The book isn't set up like a traditional novel, though. It is a series of letters Charlie writes throughout his freshman year to an anonymous stranger. His letters begin with him being an outcast, always alone and dealing with severe depression. However, he befriends two quirky seniors who change his perspective on life.

I hate to admit it, but I actually saw the movie before I read the book. I really enjoyed it, so I bought the book, and it was a completely different experience. Since the book is a collection of Charlie's letters, it differed so much from the movie and I enjoyed it much more. I read this book in the beginning of my sophomore year, and I think it was perfect timing. At the time, I was going through a lot emotionally, and the lessons that I learned really changed my perspective. I felt like I could relate to many of the characters, and I found their success quite uplifting. I loved how many of the characters Charlie befriended did what made them happy instead of trying to fit in. I really would recommend this book to anyone, especially in their teens

Meet Lindsey!

 Meet Lindsey...

Lindsey is a senior at Nazareth High School. She just moved to Nazareth from Indiana last year. She likes Nazareth much more than Indiana, but she would love to live in North or South Carolina when she is older. She has a younger brother who is going to be a freshman, and she is a lifeguard at Dutch Springs.

In her free time, Lindsey plays volleyball, which she has played since 7th grade, and hopes to continue playing volleyball in college. Along with playing volleyball, she wants to study occupational therapy because it keeps her active and allows her to help people. When she isn't playing volleyball, she enjoys playing guitar and singing. Although alternative music is her favorite, she is the most talented playing country.

Overall, Lindsey is an active, friendly, sushi-loving person, and I am very glad I had the opportunity to get to know her!

Welcome

Hi! My name is Sarah Dunne, and I am a senior at Nazareth High School. 

 I have three siblings, Kylie, Conor, and Patrick.
Kylie, the oldest, is 20, and she goes to Pitt.
Conor is 18 (just a year older than me), and he just left to begin college at Temple.
Patrick, the baby of the family, is 13 and beginning his last year at middle school.

I have been dancing since I was three. As a senior, I will be starting my 15th year at Art of Dance Studios. Dance has always been a passion of mine and a great way to stay active. I spend several hours a week at the studio taking classes like ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, conditioning, etc.  Through dance, I have made lifelong friends and have found a stress-free outlet to express myself. 

Although dance is a passion of mine, I'm not interested in continuing dance as a career. I have loved working creatively with technology for the past few years. I can spend hours on Photoshop or editing film, and I have joined the yearbook and news show staff. In the future, I hope to major in visual communications or advertising to further develop these skills and hopefully turn them into a career.