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“When pictures carry the weight of clarity in a scene, they free words to explore a wider area.” -Scott McCloud We’ve all heard the phrase, “a picture tells a thousand words,” but have you ever wondered why that is? Just think, when you look at ten solid paragraphs of text with no pictures at all, what are the chances you will actually take the time to read it? Now, imagine walking into a museum with several beautiful complex paintings, what are the chances you will actually take the time to walk around and look at all the paintings? The simple obvious fact is that images speak louder than words. There is so much more value in images than people give them credit. Images help us learn, they grab our attention like words cannot, they explain difficult concepts, and they inspire. I don’t know about you, but I would certainly rather read an engaging picture book than a book with several pages and tiny words containing no images. Images have the power to convey abstract and comple...

“Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think.” -David Foster Wallace In David Foster Wallace’s speech “This is Water,” he discusses the “natural, hard-wired default-setting“ that every human being has to be “deeply and literally self-centered”. When I thought about how his speech related directly to me, I realized my mindset was exactly that of what David Foster Wallace described. His speech seemed kind of like a rude awakening to me. Initially, I didn’t accept that I was self-centered and preoccupied with myself because I believe I care about other people. However, as I read on, I realized that I am pretty self-centered at times. At this moment of realization, I actually felt pretty guilty. For this reason, I believe David Foster Wallace‘s speech is exceptional. He effectively uses logical and emotional appeals to make his listeners reevaluate their own ways of living. A specific part of my everyday life Wallac...

"Trying to protect his students' innocence he told them the Ice Age was really just the Chilly Age." -Billy Collins We were all told a lie at some point or another. During our childhood, we were told silly lies such as the magical Tooth Fairy or that eating carrots will give you night vision. However, there are more serious lies, such as telling your spouse that you did not have an affair when you have secretly been seeing someone else. The “lies” we were told as children were are all pretty harmless. In fact, they brought more joy to our childhoods. While some people believe you should never lie under any circumstance, I believe otherwise. I don’t know about you, but I can easily say that my childhood wouldn’t have been the same without Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny. On top of that, the world would probably not be a very pleasant place if people always told the truth. Now, all of this raises a very intriguing question, when is a lie too much of ...

"A day set aside to celebrate love is now marked as the 18th school shooting of 2018. Why? Does the right to bear arms supersede the right of our children to schools free of gun violence?" -Reverend Traci Blackmon School is supposed to be a nonviolent place for children to learn and grow. Unfortunately, many students are more worried about whether they will even make it through the day. Following each shooting, there are numerous discussions regarding gun control, while others think the shooting are a result of mental illness. Whatever the reason, there have been far too many school shootings in the past decade to not take action and alter something. I believe students should be able to go to school without fear and with the sole purpose of wanting to expand their knowledge. I am angered by the fact that these shootings keep repeating themselves despite the fatal losses. School shootings are a nightmare and the longer we sit around doing nothing, the scarier the thought...

“We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.” -Frederick Douglass The past is the foundation of our world. It allows the people of the present and the future to make the world a better place. Similar to how a baby needs its mother to grow, the world needs the past to evolve. It teaches us survival, gives us courage, and it protects us. It allows us to see the sacrifices that have been made for us in the past which we can use to protect ourselves in the present and future. It is often said that "history repeats itself.” However if we study the successes and failures from the past, as a world we should not be repeating the same mistakes. Mistakes of the past should be lessons so they will not reoccur in the future. In addition to helping the future be a better place, the past also gives emphasis to the histories of nations and civilizations. This emphasis allows each individual in the world to understand their unique past so they c...

"Happy endings come after a story with lots of ups and downs.” -Unknown Join me on my journey through junior year of high school. Follow this blog for an inside look on my life, through the ups and downs.