The Elocutionist Vol. 3 by George Goga

The

Elocutionist

The

Elocutionist

Vol. 3

Published by Dapper Sloth Press | Rochester, NY georgegoga.com © 2022 George Goga Cover design: Grace Validzic, Katelyn Iklé Cover copy: Scout Porschet & Luke Weber All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

Table of Contents Introduction

11 Part I : Th e P e r s on al Nar rat iv e

Owen Brown Born at the Right Time 17

The Concerted Cultivation Lifestyle 23

Allyson Bucklin

What Makes One Successful? 27

Natalie Budgar Mikayla Myer

Mentality and Maternal Influence on Success 31

Clare Canario

The Winding Road of Success 37 An Outlier’s History 41

Colin Matthews Natalie McFadden

Luck and Lineage:

The Pursuit of Success 47 Victoria Poworoznek

Three Bones are Needed to Succeed:

a Wishbone, a Backbone, and a Funnybone 53 Michaela Riley Nathan Rusinko Lily Silver

Circumstances and Success 59 Success with Soccer 63

The Stairs of Success 67

Melissa Wright

On Outliers and Teenagehood 71

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Part I I : Th e Adv ert isement A naly si s R. Brown, S. Palmer, A. Garcia

Gator-Ad: Help Your Body 77

Pepsi is More Than Okay 81

A. Bucklin, N. Budgar

Amazon’s New Invention 87

Noah Derleth

J. Fladd, S. Porschet

Subscribe to Apple Music,

Not Societal Norms 91 Mikayla Myer

The Ultimate Value of Kindness 97

Taylor Salone

A Lesson in Advertising that Pepsi Will Never Forget 105

Michaela Vanzile-Partridge Luke Weber

The Cog 109

Why Online Advertisements Need Another Look 111

C. Canario, M. Urrutia

Toyota, The Great Escape 119

All Strength, No Sweat 125

Marilyn Clausell Natalie McFadden

East Hills is a Thrill:

The Genius Behind a Humorously Tragic Ad 129 Michaela Riley Lily Silver

Handsfree Driving for Everyone 135

Apple: The Key to Harvesting Your Success 139 Part I I I : Et y mol o g y S t udy

Allyson Bucklin

The Most Deceiving Color of All 147

J. Fladd, S. Porschet Mikayla Myer

On the Etymology of Brick 153

Shadows of the Past: The Continuity of Shadow 159

VOL. 3

Tearing off the Sleep Mask:

Ella Seidel

The Life and Evolution of Woke 165 Natalie Budgar Luke Weber

The Black Night 173

We’re Meanies! 179

D. Ivanchikova-Crouse, C. Matthews

Abracadabra 185 Natalie McFadden

Not Your Grandma’s Sauce:

Analyzing the Ingredients of a Familiar Word 191 Big Fat Gypsy Wedding of Lies:

V. Poworoznek

The Misuse of Gypsy 197 Michaela Riley Lily Silver

Women Aren’t Funny, They’re Hysterical 205

To Area 51 and Beyond: The Etymology of the Word Alien 211

Melissa Wright

On Being Cryptic:

There Are No Secrets Hidden Here 217 Part I V: Gue st Sub m is s ion s Kaitlin Owens

How to Feel 225

Isabella Bonventre Kaitlyn Combs

Vulnerable 229

The Continuous Fracture 231

R. Kendrick, L. Champlin, K. Strojny Sam Paris

Yo Birb 233

Ghost’s Revenge 237

Nicharee Cokic

Dao 245

Lincoln Champlin

Within the Garden’s Soil 247

Th e E l o c u t i o n i s t Claudia Aguilera

Importance of Family 249

Derek LeShure Jr. The Coldest Winter 251 Jo Avila

All in a Day: A Brief Memoir 267 Part V: Mis c e l l any

Various

On Happiness 275

Various

On Overratedness 281

Various

On Striving for Perfection 295

Jack TenEyck-Johnson

About the Authors

On Modern Art 303

308

Introduction

he reader holds a collection of non-fiction produced by Geneva High School students during the 2021-2022 academic year. It bears noting that the process of publication signifies a rite of passage in any individual’s life—propelling them beyond the comfortable microcosm of singular experience and into a world of global rhetoric and composition; this is especially true (and rare) of high school students. While the primary scope of this publication is to celebrate student creativity and critical thinking, its secondary aim is to disrupt a series of problematic assumptions about student writers in today’s world. The need for an anthology of this sort is urgent. In a world that’s frightfully expanding its access to publication, whether online or through traditional avenues, one exemption strikes me as most problematic—that of authentic student voices. This is not to say that such voices do not exist; rather, that they have not been adequately celebrated. Year after year, this continues to hold true. We hear of New York Times bestsellers, celebrity authors, and “million-dollar book deals” as though the meritocratic rhetoric of American democracy were not designed to keep particular populations out through not old enough, not wise enough... but maybe next year arguments. The following anthology responds to such a reality, leveraging the included voices to make the reunited case that celebrating student writing is 11

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fundamental to crafting an equitable, informed American populace who can think and write for themselves. And that the process of composition, revision, and publication shouldn’t be reserved for a particular age or station in life—by then, many allegiances have already been decided and it becomes woefully inadequate to speak of could have and would have at some point back then. The talented student writer’s dilemma often goes like this: though writing is by no means a chore, it becomes increasingly artificial as the student moves through their secondary and post-secondary education. Whether it be in high school or college, student writing whose logical end is the instructor’s desk, brain, and by extension gradebook becomes stifling, facile, and at times painful. Eventually, writing becomes a chore to complete with frightening regularity rather than a skill to cultivate. This is not to discount the need for writing for one’s self— but to make the reunited case for expanding access to talented, well-spoken student voices as the first step toward supporting a healthy tradition of composition and publication. The anthology begins with an essay often assigned in introductory writing classes—the personal narrative. Students are required to place their own success narratives in the context of Malcolm Gladwell’s argument in Outliers. Following this, the second essay is an advertisement analysis. Here, students select a memorable television ad and assess its effectiveness through common rhetorical appeals. Beyond the obvious notion that writing about images is a prerequisite for writing about prose, ambitious students often select ineffective ads, explicating in detail how the ad’s rhetoric fails rather than fulfills its rhetorical purpose. The final essay included in this collection involves researching the etymology of one word in the English language. Among other sources, students rely on the Oxford English Dictionary to explicate the nuances and shades of meaning that have affected 12

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the word since its provenance. Beyond requiring students to participate in the research process, the essay also asks students to speculate, and to tell the story of the future of the word’s etymology—a move that would make any linguist proud. One of the most exciting additions to this year’s publication is the inclusion of additional student voices across our school. The reader will find essays written by students in grades 9-12 who enthusiastically pitched their writing to us. Alongside academic essays, readers can expect short fiction and poetry. I’ve allowed myself to monopolize one part of this publication, its introduction, to point out a painful realization: that although I would love to take sole responsibility for these essays, in all reality, it is students’ immense dedication to the task at hand that has crafted the following collection. Throughout the composition and revision process, students have taken the lead to produce the book you now hold. Along with teaching them about the publication process, this experience has placed them at the center of creative expression, crafting their own narrative about who they are as learners and who they will become. George Goga 2022

Part I:

The Personal Narrative

Born at the Right Time: Malcolm Gladwell and the Power of Timing Owen Brown

alcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers: the Story of Success tells us about the extraordinary luck of successful multi-millionaires of Silicon Valley and Wall Street, elite athletes, and other individuals who have earned exceptional accolades. Through his research and writing, we learn that one’s heritage is incredibly important in obtaining a proper education and opportunities along a career path. With these family and situational advantages, being born at the “right time” in a profession can catalyze extreme success. Our lives are ruled by luck, and with enough ambition at the right time, I will become a successful pilot. With entering any industry, timing is everything, and the airline industry is no different. Dozens of planes sit grounded in hangars without pilots to fly them, despite claims of not surfing from a pilot shortage; dozens of 777s and a 380s two gigantic wide bodied aircraft that cost millions sit in storage for Dubai based Emirates airline sit grounded due to a lack of pilots. Boeing, one of the members of the aircraft manufacturing duopoly, is “estimating that more than 700,000 commercial 17

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pilots will be needed worldwide by the year 2039”. Future pilots in my generation are like Bill Joy and Bill Gates who were born at the right time to take advantage of the growing opportunities in the electronics and coding industries. While some might be skeptical of entering an industry that could be shut down at any moment due to some sort of pandemic, travel and the aviation industry at large have seen a surprisingly fast and powerful rebound from airlines and the aviation industry as a whole. According to the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), there are only 20% fewer travelers than before the pandemic during summer 2021 and now almost a year later demand has returned to pre-coronavirus levels. Some countries such as China have even seen an increase in travelers. Even though lockdowns and the virus caused many pilots to lose their jobs, many airlines have already felt a need for more pilots. United Airlines went as far as to open a flight school and pay for students’ pilot licenses. The Coronavirus did not hurt my prospects to become a pilot; in fact, it helped. Most pilots are Baby Boomers and are nearing retirement age and many choose to retire early due to the pandemic further aggregating the pilot shortage, driving up salaries benefits and making it a great time to enter the industry. Gladwell argues that 10,000 hours of practice is what it takes to achieve greatness in hobbies, careers, and activities. Starting my flight training while I’m still in high school gives me an advantage to get a jump on those hours before starting my official career. High level violinists start “around five years old”, and while I may not have started flying on my own that early, starting now will still give me an advantage. I have been playing the violin since at least age five, my deeper fascination since then has been with flying. The Matthew Effect can be applied to my personal improvement: starting flight training earlier than others in my age group will allow me to gain skill and prowess before many of my future colleagues, and this means gaining the upper hand in getting a job and seniority at an 18

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airline. Being born in April, I may gain some benefit from the Matthew Effect by qualifying for my license this spring when I turn seventeen instead of later in the year, enabling me to get other qualifications and endorsements like my instrument or commercial rating before finishing school. The single most significant factor in determining your quality of life as a pilot is your seniority. The longer you have been at the airline, the better pay the better schedule and the better days off you get. Starting now and continuing my flight training through college will make me more successful as a pilot. One of Gladwell’s most stressed upon and important themes in Outliers is that of family heritage. In this way, my family’s unique heritage not only gave me life but will give me the tools to have a successful life. My paternal great-grandfather was a Jewish chemist in Belarus. He then migrated to the US in the early twentieth century. He then worked as a chemist at a factory in Syracuse, New York. My paternal great grandmother was an Ashkenazi Jew and was from Russia. Her family were jewelers. My grandfather was born in Masena, New York and graduated as the valedictorian of his high school and went to medical school in Syracuse. Because my grandfather’s family were successful but not rich, during medical school he exchanged his skills for room and board by delivering babies at a home for unwed mothers. He went on to a residency in Ohio where he met my grandmother. He was soon drafted into the Vietnam War, but because he was a neurosurgeon, he was not on the front lines and mostly worked in larger hospitals in Japan and other allied countries to treat patients with severe brain and spine injuries.When he returned from war, his expertise in treating cranial gunshot wounds helped him become one of the most respected surgeons in his New England hospital. His success stood on the shoulders of his parents; his parents migrated to the US with their acquired skills, which were in demand (chemistry and jewelry making), and this in turn allowed 19

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him to succeed in his education and protected him from giving his life on the front lines of the Vietnam War. My paternal great grandparents (whom I never met) and my grandparents’ education and professional success made it possible for my dad to feel empowered, receive his own higher education and job, and for me to then afford to learn to fly at a young age. Another advantage that I benefit from is by being born in and living in a country with a very low PDI (Power Distinct Index). This means that if I am doing something wrong or someone would like to offer advice or disagree with me, they will be sure to let me know with a direct statement before I inevitably mess up. For example, if I am landing and I take the power out too fast or too early, it makes for a rougher landing and I need criticism and help from my instructor to know what I’m doing wrong. To make things even better, I was not born in the southern United States. Gladwell writes about how southern “pride” caused massive firefights with guns in townships like Harlen, Kentucky and other small villages with two dueling families. The Howards and Turners feud started when a game of poker went awry over accusations of cheating. To protect their own pride, they shot each other. This dominoed into the many other firefights between the two families rooted in pride. I am far more docile than these southerners and wouldn’t let an accusation of cheating, whether true or not, escalate into a fight. If someone disrespects me, I can let it go easier and am able to accept criticism more easily to improve and think about my actions. To bring everything together I was born at the right time to enter the airline industry as it faces a high demand for pilots, in the right place to learn that skill, and with a heritage that will support me through my education and will allow me to go into this highly specialized career path. Outliers explains how successful people are created by the circumstances they are born into, and while I may not have been born into a life of a Silicon 20

Part I: The Personal Nar rative

Valley billionaire like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, I was born with advantages and if I take care to nurture my opportunities, I can have a successful career, and hopefully life.

The Concerted Cultivation Lifestyle

Allyson Bucklin

uccess in life can mean a number of different things. Being successful truly varies from person to person as everyone comes from different cultures and backgrounds that formulate who we are. Being successful also truly varies based on how one defines success. One may have the desire and goal to become truly happy by the end of their lifetime whereas another person may see wealth as the ultimate success. Success can be achieved over a long period of time or it can be achieved numerous times throughout a day all based on how one defines success. Success can also differ with age. For a toddler success could be considered their first steps taken or their first words spoken. For an adult success can mean starting a family, finding the right job, or buying a home. However for teenagers, most of our time is filled with sports or school. When trying to juggle both at the same time, some will fall behind while others will rise to the occasion. When trying to figure out what has made me successful, I decided to scan over the last sixteen years of my life. I soon came to realize, my success as a student athlete has involved a combination of my personality, my family background, and be23

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ing raised with “concerted cultivation”. From before I can even remember, my parents have always taught me to do my best in everything I do. When something has become difficult in my life, I have been taught to be persistent and patient when trying to work through obstacles. Ever since I was young, I have enjoyed learning which is one the reasons I have been successful in school throughout my entire life. My success is “not so much ability” but it stems more from my “attitude”. Every night before bed, I used to read a book to my mom as a kid. I would enjoy going to the school library to check out new books. I would come home from preschool and set up my stuffed animals and pretend they were my students. As a result of this positive attitude towards learning instead of dreading and being repulsive to learning, I have either achieved high honor roll or principals list in every quarter throughout middle and high school. Another large part of my success as a student athlete has been growing up with “concerted cultivation” parenting. This style of parenting includes keeping the child busy with numerous different activities. Throughout my life, the different sports I have played competitively have been soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics, cheerleading, softball, figure skating, and dance. In addition to participating in these sports, I also have an extensive music background. Throughout third grade to sixth grade, I have participated in chorus at the school. I also used to play the piano for a large part of my life as well as playing the flute since third grade up until the present. Currently, I only play two sports, soccer and lacrosse, both at the varsity level and also compete on a travel lacrosse team and indoor soccer team. It is clear that I have always been “heavily scheduled” which can be overwhelming at times; however, it is worth the benefits and success that it has brought to me. As a result of having a “constantly shifting set of experiences”, this allows me to gain experience and learn more about myself and what type of environment I need to be placed in to succeed. These situations have 24

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made me more open to asking questions and shifting different situations to my “preferences” so that I can be sure to succeed in whatever I am doing. This lifestyle has also allowed me to gain experience with a constantly changing and heavy schedule. Always staying busy from a somewhat young age has taught me how to manage my time wisely. Playing sports during the school year can be extremely stressful at times when trying to learn how to manage my time wisely and fit everything in. In addition to having school five times a week, I also have either a game or practice six days a week which is also in addition to the homework I receive in school. Finding time to get everything completed on time can be difficult however over the years I have gained more experience and practice with time management which is an essential skill in life. This experience will help me in my future when it comes to college and in my future career path and job. Oftentimes, when thinking about being successful, many will think big and overlook their successes. Success can often be associated with wealth, happiness, and greatness. While these ideas can be true, we often forget to think small and realize that we can achieve success everyday which will eventually build up to achieve the ultimate goal in the end of being successful.

What Makes One Successful?

Natalie Budgar

utlier (n.); a person or thing differing from all other members of a particular group or set. Outliers are special, someone or something out of the ordinary. In the grand scheme of things, “outliers” don’t just become “outliers” because they are largely successful. The following is a list of some of the many circumstances allowing “outliers” to become who they are. 1. They were given one or two little advantages early in life that set them just far enough ahead to have an edge on others. 2. They were the right person, in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills to give them a rare opportunity to become largely successful. 3. The background and or culture embedded within them gave them an edge to become successful in a specific profession or area of life. I will explain in the following paragraphs how this list applies to my life. I will explain how having certain characteristics, and sharing similar circumstances to many successful people from Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers has contributed to my success, in a very important aspect of my life, soccer. “Concerted cultivation” was one largely talked about circumstance from Outliers. Concerted cultivation was mentioned to be “the middle-class parenting style”. Essentially, upper and middle class parents follow a parenting style where they are 27

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largely involved in their child’s life, interests, and education. People have picked up that kids whose parents use this style tend to be very busy with a variety of activities, as their parents help make that possible. These kids are “exposed to a constantly shifting set of experiences”, and that they learn “teamwork and how to cope in highly structured settings”. Along with this, they are also “taught how to interact comfortably with adults, and to speak up”. The term “entitlement” describes the set of skills kids walk away with from this style of parenting. They can “pursue their own individual preferences and to actively manage interactions”. Personally, my family falls into this category. Both of my parents’ jobs allow for them to be heavily involved in the lives of my brother and me, socially, academically, and athletically. My parents’ style of parenting also falls into the category of concerted cultivation. This aspect has largely contributed to my success on the soccer field even if it may seem insignificant. I first possess the ability to even sign up for sports due to my parents being involved in my personal life. Many kids don’t have this basic opportunity that most people take for granted. Soccer motivates me to be successful in all aspects of life. Soccer will get pushed to the back burner if my grades and attendance are not where they should be. My focus will shift off of soccer as a consequence, if I am not a good person in our community. Soccer is something that makes me extremely happy, knowing that that could be taken away motivates me to become successful in all aspects of life. Everyone strives for success. Success is available for people to interpret. It is a very common notion for people to base personal success on how well their peers are performing at the same task. You will never become successful if you base your success off of others, as Gladwell argues. There are so many factors of success unseen to the human eye. The early life of star hockey players was a topic discussed in Outliers. It is stated that “The professional hockey player starts out a little bit better than 28

Part I: The Personal Nar rative

his peers. And that little difference leads to an opportunity that makes that difference a bit bigger, and that edge in turn leads to another opportunity, which makes the initially small difference bigger still–and on and on until the hockey player is a genuine outlier”. I am the soccer player I am today because of a similar series of events. Although I am not on track to become a pro soccer player, I have a similar past that has set me ahead to become successful. My parents signed me up for sports from the time I was a child. I always had a special place for soccer, and although today I am a three sport athlete, this still holds true. I knew soccer was what I wanted to do from the time I was little. Due to this, I spent my childhood seeking out any opportunity to play soccer. I was never a super talented soccer player, but because I put in the time and effort, I was set just far enough from my peers to stand out. This small advantage motivated me to put in work on and offseason to make that small advantage more noticeable. This hard work did not go unnoticed and freshman year, I got pulled up to varsity. Although I was excited that I achieved my goal, there was already a senior goalie I would have to compete with. I worked and worked, and ended up starting as a freshman. This advantage gave me more experience than many of my peers had. I was awarded Finger Lakes East All League Team Mention my sophomore year due to these small advantages that set me ahead. That award is something crucial to someone trying to get recruited to play in college. All of these little things over the course of my life took my originally small and minor advantage into something much more noticeable that will help me to become successful throughout my soccer career. Nobody becomes successful on their own, as argued in the book. There are people there along the way to help, and there is motivation and self worth embedded within, helping contribute to success. If my personality weren’t obsessive I would not be half as successful. When I have something on my mind, that 29

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is all I think about. In the eyes of soccer, I have a goal, and that goal sits in my mind at all times, which motivates me to put in the work. As big of a role that my personality plays, my generation plays a more significant role, and adds fuel to the fire of achieving my goals. In my generation there are many successful female athletes in the media to look up to. This would have been a rare occurrence until recently. By seeing others like me, living my goal and being represented in the media, I know that if I work hard I can achieve my goals. Seeing role models in the media demonstrates that my goal is in fact achievable and that it’s not some out of this world dream, but a reality I can work towards. The mass representation of females in athletics proves that anyone can do anything, and that athletics are for everyone. My family has contributed largely to my success by driving me to practices and allowing me to sign up for clinics, camps, and club teams to improve myself. My community is important to my success, as I live in an area where there are many local opportunities that others don’t have. My culture is important because the culture I was brought up with was to persist and work hard. This has helped me overcome many obstacles. At the end of the day, success is not one person who rose to become famous and wealthy by themselves. Success is the traits, culture, past, and morals of a person and how those things work alongside important people and opportunities in their life to help them accomplish something great.

Mentality and Maternal Influence on Success

Mikayla Myer

hroughout my life, my education has been my utmost priority, which has led me toward the success I have achieved. It has not been an easy journey, and there will be more limitations and obstacles in the future; however, I am prepared for what is next in my trek to success. Gladwell’s Outliers discusses the ideas of success and how it can vary from each circumstance and each person. Based on whom they surround themselves in and what they have learned from their culture, generation, and family. My dedication to achieving my goals in my education has led me to so much success already, making me who I am today. Those whom I surround myself with have contributed as well because they support me and my goals, pushing me to the level they know I can achieve. Although I have had my struggles throughout the years, one thing has stuck, my self-determination. Through elementary school, I was always in advanced math classes along with the rest of my friends. Although it was hard work when compared with regular classes, I consistently did well. When I began fifth grade, I failed the test to continue in the advanced math class. I was devastated. I felt as if I was unin31

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telligent, not successful enough for these classes. This mentality continued until seventh grade. I was put back into the advanced class where I took the Intro to Algebra class. My parents advocated for me to be put into the advanced program again because they understood my potential. They understood I wanted to excel; I was determined to do well. They also understood that I was not challenged far enough in the regular classes and understood that the only way to meet this challenge was to argue for a place for me back in advanced math. My mom taught me self-determination, which I have because she was the same way as a student, wanting to do more and succeed in school. She did so since she graduated salutatorian of her class and took honors classes which she excelled at. I have always received many opportunities in life to improve myself in school and I have always taken advantage of those circumstances to improve my learning and knowledge. In the advanced path, I took some advantages and opportunities to make me successful today. In Gladwell’s book, he proposes that children born in “January through April” have increased opportunities. I disagreed with this idea because being born in the “May through August” group I have the same advantages as those born in the “January through April” group. I have even done better in school than some students born in “January through April” given that I have had the same opportunities as those born in those months. To get back on track with my math skills and to cover the material that I was going to miss by skipping seventh grade math, I did tutoring outside of school. Tutoring set me up perfectly to fit right back into the advanced math path and brought me up to speed with material that I would miss and the new material I needed to know. I excelled in the Intro to Algebra class because I challenged myself, I was determined to stay in this class, and I was well prepared for the content of the course. I continued with the accelerated path throughout my high school career, which branched out beyond just math, to all courses of study and I maintained the 32

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work ethic to excel: “Willing[ness] to work” to “develop” certain abilities will “reward” you in the end. I have worked hard and put forth the effort; the effort I put in rewarded me with excellent grades and the determination to improve. I have had to advocate for myself to achieve what I wanted to be successful. Many issues present in today’s world need a new set of eyes to see how to solve these issues. My generation is determined to try and fix these problems and are the perfect fit to solve these issues to curate the betterment of the world for the advancing future. My generation has delivered many new ideas to society, changing the old thoughts that do not work for the younger generations in the world, with the advancement of technology and evolving culture that younger generations bring. I also believe that my generation is knowledgeable about topics that need to be discussed and aren’t afraid to express their opinions openly and demand change from those that disagree with their views. This generational perspective has influenced me and my success in school and my education. I have advocated for myself in my education and grades, and worked tirelessly to ensure that my success is within reach. American culture has three main ideas or focuses: competition, independence, and achievement. Competition comes into play when as a country, trying to prove that we are the best country in the world through warfare and economic power and competing with other countries to be the best country in the world. Independence is one of the founding principles of America when gaining independence from Britain and is conveyed today through the freedom to do whatever you please and rely on yourself. The sense of achievement coincides with competition with trying to be the most successful and powerful nation in the world and being acknowledged for such achievements. All of these aspects of American culture manipulate the way I’m successful in life. I try to be independent so that I feel confident that I have truly earned my success and haven’t had to 33

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rely on others to achieve my goals in life. I compete with others in my grade to get better scores and work harder than them to achieve all of the academic desires to adequately prepare myself for my future to curate the utmost success I can. Another aspect of American culture is continuing to try and achieve your goals and prove your point in society. I carry this idea with me in school and use it by “simply [not] giv[ing] up [...] until [I’m] sure [I’m] [r]ight” or have figured out the problem that I am having with a question, not only in school but in my everyday life as well. I ensure I have the correct thought process and check multiple times that my answer or idea is correct and understandable. The culture of being in the middle class is “learn[ing] a sense of ‘entitlement’” and growing up middle-class there are more advantages than those that are poor. The “entitlement” the parents taught and “encourag[ed]” their children to advocate for themselves if they needed to, leading to success in middle-class families. I agree with Gladwell that the entitlement these children receive sets them up for success in the future. My parents taught me entitlement, in a sense, by encouraging me to not be afraid to ask questions or speak up when I want to voice my opinion and make certain that I’m given what I deserve. They have also given me abundant opportunities to express myself and do activities that I love, such as playing club sports to improve my skills and devoting their time to my success in these parts of my life. I have had a successful life so far and hope to continue the self-determination and the other traits that I have picked up along the way to keep my success going into the future. My personality, family, generation, and culture have all contributed to the success I have achieved so far in my life. These parts of my life have taught me how to be more successful and achieve my goals. The book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell conveys how there are many ways to be successful, whether those involving dedication and determination or alternate means leading to 34

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success which involve how different aspects of an individual’s culture contribute to their overall success in life.

The Winding Road of Success Clare Canario

hat is success? Many people would answer this question differently, depending on their perspective of life and their journey. Some may say a 16 year old junior in high school can’t be successful; however, I’m an outlier when it comes to my educational success. Reading Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers allowed me to reflect on how little aspects in my life have contributed greatly to my education. My economic status, perfectionist tendencies, immigrant family past, societal standards, and the parenting style I’ve been exposed to are crucial factors in my journey so far. Family gives you the roots to stand tall and strong through life. Gladwell highlights the significance of having a family support system, as they are able to offer guidance. My parents are my biggest role models; specifically, their many years of education and life experiences. Everyday, my parents would ask what I had learned that day in school, which produced engaged conversations. My parents are also avid readers, resulting in my love for reading as well. Reading has given me an upper hand when it comes to my education as it uncovered different perspectives of life I can explore. My parents’ obvious interest and passion in education has made me realize how precious education truly is. The validation and pride I feel when I can tell my 37

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parents my grades is immense and I feel that as a result of the values my parents have instilled in me. This fall, my parents are both pursuing another degree, and in my eyes that is admirable and reveals how learning is a lifelong process. Growing up in an upper-middle class family gave me numerous opportunities that I’ve used growing up. Annette Lareau, a sociologist presented by Gladwell, did an experiment where she followed multiple families of all contrasting backgrounds and status. Lareau discovered that there are two parenting styles divided between wealthy and impoverished. Unlike the impoverished parents, the “wealthier parents were more involved in their children’s free time,” as they were able to take their kids from one interest to another. My parents were always involved in the activities I pursued as a child, driving me to soccer practice, piano lessons, and summer camp. Without my parents investing their time in my interests, I wouldn’t have been able to learn from those occasions. The piano lessons allowed me to easily pick up the notes for the trumpet, which is the instrument I play at school. I had the advantage of getting piano lessons from a young age which pushed me farther in my music abilities at school, and I can thank my parents for that. The importance of “family background” is emphasized through Terman’s research with his “Termites,” a group of children Terman studied throughout their life with a high IQ. Terman discovered that as his subjects got older they were split into 3 categories, the A Group, B Group, and the Cs. The A Group had the “true success stories,” while the B Group was “satisfactor[y],” and the Cs were those struggling to even find a job. The reason why the termites had different outcomes came down to their family and economic status. Those in the middle to high classes ended up in the A Group, and the people who resulted in the Cs were in the lower classes. Children are inevitably going to have more opportunities to become successful if they are supported by their family and have a stable economic status. 38

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It is proven that people who are poorly educated can also be very successful. The account of Polish immigrants by the names of Louis and Regina Borgenicht in Gladwell’s Outliers, displays how each generation is different from the next. The Borgenicht’s traveled from Europe to America, and used their previous experiences with tailoring to create an apron business in Manhattan. They prospered with their sales, as they had a steady business when the “garment trade was the largest and the most economically vibrant” in New York. The Borgenicht’s were able to successfully create their own employment because their generation allowed them to. In today’s generation, it would be near impossible to accomplish selling aprons in Manhattan from scratch because that is simply not what our generation empowers. Instead, education is unfortunately being portrayed as a path to success. Growing up, I would hear stories from my grandmother about immigrating from Ireland to New York City at the age of 16. She became a secretary for a piano company and supported her family. She didn’t finish highschool or college, but was still able to call herself successful in her generation. This generation however, is money hungry. I’ve always thought that the more educated someone is, the more money they’ll make. There’s some truth to that statement, but not to the extent that I used to think. As generations change, culture does as well. As one’s “culture [and] legacy gets passed down,” they are molded into being able to achieve certain aspects of their life. Everyone has their own advantages their culture gives them, and for me, my culture has made me appreciate and value school on a higher level. Speaking up and being assertive in school is vital in order to expand one’s knowledge. Personally, I’m a very outgoing person which gives me the advantage of communicating issues in school when needed. In school being able to communicate is key, but it is also important in other aspects of life too. For instance, being a pilot requires a great deal of communication, 39

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and if something isn’t communicated properly, disaster could occur. In Outliers, Gladwell mentioned an incident where a plane crashed through a Colombian airline. Robert Helmreich, a psychologist, studied what had happened on the flight and realized that because of the “high-power distance of Colombians,” the chances of the crew speaking up was lowered, and as a result, that miscommunication caused a crash. This event of being nervous to speak up to superiors is similar to school where some students may be shy when it comes to talking with teachers. For me, communication has always been something I’ve used to get one step farther in my education as I am aware of the importance communication offers, and when it comes to school, I’m somewhat of a perfectionist. Being a perfectionist can be detrimental because of the pressure I put on myself, but I mostly profit from my perfectionist tendencies. I want to achieve as much as I can, which gives me a sense of purpose when it comes to my work. Without being able to express concerns and participate in school, my education would be extremely limited. My personality has gratefully given me an edge other students may not have. Life moves very fast, causing us to miss advantages we can acquire in order to make us successful. After reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, I’ve realized that I have been given numerous opportunities when it comes to my educational journey, which makes me an outlier.

An Outlier’s History

Colin Matthews

uccess comes from many different aspects of life. Some may work hard to get that success while some may get lucky. However, the main way to get success is to work for it. Many successful people such as Bill Gates have put in the work to get the success that they are aiming for. One of the successful moments of my life was when I was just growing up and going through school. During my time in school, I have taken everything my teacher has taught me and adjusted them, making me more successful than others. In the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, he talks about success. He would talk about different main ideas that led people to become successful. The main points that could relate back to my life is the importance of family and culture. My family has always been there for me, even when I’m down and about to give up. My family has been very important to my success. If I’m feeling down or can’t do something by myself, my family will be there to help me out. Many times, I have been stuck and needed help to do some type of work that needed to be done the next day, such as school work. I would always ask for help from my family, either talking with my aunt or my older sister. They would always try and help me do it, but would also help me to get better at it. Most of the time, I would 41

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be stuck doing an essay, and would ask for help, trying to figure out how I should start or how I should fix it. I always go to my older sister for this type of activity because I know that she would help me out and explain something that is there that I didn’t see. Even in this essay, I have asked for a bit of help. My family would also do anything for me to be more successful, even if it means to take away things that are important to me. They wouldn’t do this because they hate me, but instead to do it to teach me a lesson about working harder. At times like these, I may start to feel resentment towards them, but I have helped me become a more successful person. My family has always been there for me and that has made me a bit more successful than the other students. Within our society many successful individuals have been celebrated for their intelligence, talent, and diligence. It’s because of these famous traits that their achievements can also seem so natural; however, Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers demonstrates the preparation that contributes to success, from family, to culture, generation, and personality which have all sustained my own ability to research, study, and read into history. Initially, Gladwell introduces the contributions of one’s generation to success within “The 10,000-Hour Rule”. Gladwell portrays the success stories of famous individuals such as Bill Joy, Bill Gates, and The Beatles, in all cases being able to secure 10,000 hours of practice for mastery in their craft. Gladwell shifts this ability to practice 10,000 hours with each of these successful individual’s generations, conveying how individuals such as Bill Gates and Bill Joy were born in a generation with ample opportunities to practice programming and to use computers for 10,000 hours. Gladwell’s generation practice of 10,000 hours applies to myself as the information age would take a dramatic turn in the mid-2000s. Advancements in search engines from Google and smartphones from Apple would give 42

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me 10,000 hours of practice using the internet, a tool valuable for finding or learning all types of historical information. Contributing to my success in history, using the internet has exposed me to researching historical information that’s sparked my interest, engaging me in the practice of researching and discovering new historical topics. Without it, my means for exploring history and finding subsequent success within history wouldn’t have occurred. My ability to research history through my generation also illuminates my own ability to find opportunities in that research due to my personality. In the chapter “The Trouble with Geniuses”, Gladwell expresses how one’s personality can also contribute to their success. Gladwell demonstrates this by comparing the life of Christopher Langan, with an IQ of 95, to Robert Oppenheimer, leader of the Manhattan Project. Chris Langan had a higher IQ, but Langan wasn’t nearly as successful as Oppenheimer due to a lack of ‘practical intelligence’. Gladwell takes the concept of practical intelligence from psychologist Robert Sternberg, where Sternberg describes practical intelligence as the ability to personally talk and socialize to find opportunities for success. Gladwell expresses this concept through an experiment done by Annette Lareau, which studied twelve families, between parents and children. The experiment concluded that parents who had income or the ability to engage with their child’s learning would help give their children a personality of practical intelligence, breeding success. My personality developed this practical intelligence as my parents have helped engage my interest in history, providing detailed books that helped me to explore history in greater depth. Their support for my interest not only gave me the confidence to do research within history, but to also socially pursue opportunity through history as well. It’s from this practical intelligence in my personality that I’ve been able to find opportunities within museum internships, historical projects, and historical educa43

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tion which all have produced success for me. Though my generation and personality furnished the ability to research and find opportunities in history, my family lineage has supplied me with the important ability of literacy to help me understand and write about historical topics in greater depth. In the “Three Lessons of Joe Flom’’ Gladwell proceeds to illustrate how one’s family is an element within an individual’s success. Joe Flom, being a Jewish immigrant, leads a successful life of rags-to-riches, enduring The Great Depression in New York City while creating one of the largest law firms in the world seemingly from his own virtues. However, Gladwell presents the family heritage of Jewish lawyers during that period, finding that their garment-making grandparents of the nineteenth century instilled a meaningful work effort for opportunities. This mindset of making work meaningful would live on into their grandchildren Jewish lawyers who worked for success at every opportunity given. My family heritage has given me a similar mindset by being literate. My great grandfather Lester Kirkham would live as a rancher with his family in South Dakota. Being ranchers, it would be difficult to find schooling because of the deserted nature of the plains. Despite this, his family would learn to be very literate as they would read every column in the Kansas City Star Newspaper. This literacy would help Lester succeed through school while also being able to write his autobiography. It’s through my family lineage of literacy that I’ve been able to read and write about all historical topics that have interested me, contributing to my ability to have a greater understanding of history as a whole. My family lineage presents my understanding and reading of history, but within that linkage exist the culture that has been passed down through time. It’s my pioneer culture that has given me my curiosity for exploring history. Progressing near the end of the book in “Rice Paddies and Math Tests”, Gladwell comes to describe the importance of culture supplying success. 44

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Within Asian culture, Gladwell empathizes with the complicated hard work of rice farmers, where every harvest and type of rice was meticulously labored over throughout the entirety of the year. This dedication to work is paralleled with the Asian culture of learning numerals, where psychologist Karen Fuson from Northwestern University describes the straightforward easy use of numerals in Asian culture compared to the complicated western numerical system. Gladwell combines these two cultural legacies to explain why most Asian individuals are quite good at math, with their culture of easy numerals and hard work ethics bringing them success. My culture comes from that of the pioneers in the mid nineteenth century. During this period, homesteaders such as my great-great-grandfather Henry Kirkham sought land and opportunity, going west to South Dakota. The pioneer culture that stemmed from this movement was one of restlessness and curiosity. Henry’s life proves this as he traveled with and learned the language of the Lakota Sioux for ten years, being a translator in the army during the 1880s. It’s this pioneering culture that’s lived on in families such as mine and has lived on within me, as my curiosity and willingness to explore history have brought me to learn historical topics in greater depth and detail. This greater understanding of history through my pioneer culture of curiosity has brought me opportunities by which I’ve found success exploring. History is a topic I enjoy thoroughly. Exploring the stories and events of past individuals has connected me to a world of success that I have never seen before; however, I know that this success wasn’t simply born naturally of my own being. My generation has proven how having a mastery of 10,000 hours on the internet can help benefit research and exploration of historical topics, with personality giving me the benefits of being able to talk and socialize to find opportunities from that exploration. This, along with my culture and family which was formed from the curiosity and restlessness of the pioneers, would ultimate45

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ly influence my curiosity into researching history. My family would provide the means to do this exploration as they would persevere through the hardships of the plains, becoming well versed in literacy that I use every day whenever I look at a document, book, or piece of history to learn from. These influences have all come to shape my ability to find opportunity, joy, and happiness from history, bringing me the success that I am forever grateful for. Gladwell establishes how success can come from all avenues of life, with each successful individual finding their success through the preparation of multiple influences. Influences such as generation, personality, culture, and family have all played a role in my success in history, as they have for many other individual’s successes. In our society, one’s successes can be sensationalized as such a monumental achievement, making their success seem so naturally self-driven; however, behind every successful individual is the influences of others who have made them who they are. In many ways, we are all outliers, with the influences and actions of others bringing us all our own success.

Luck and Lineage: The Pursuit of Success Natalie McFadden

ven though success is subjective, a common way for all to characterize the term is through an accomplishment or excelling at a particular task. Whether success means doing exceptionally well in school, being a top athlete, or just making it to the end of the day, it requires passion, rigor, luck, and being in the right place at the right time. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell identifies countless prosperous individuals and the contributing factors that made them successful. Elements such as American culture, persistent attitude and personality, and a supportive family not only have influenced these individuals, but have aided me in my academic endeavors. A significant factor in success are the opportunities provided to you, or in other words being in the right place at the right time; however, taking the “special opportunity” to “work really hard” and “seize it” are other components, which are all a part of someone’s personality. For instance, Bill Gates had the privilege to attend Lakeside School, which was within walking distance of the University of Washington, supporting his path to success. Gates took his chance to walk to the University of Washington and practice programming to reach the ten thou47

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sand hour threshold needed to be a master in his field. In my case, I had an “extraordinary opportunit[y]” to work with graduate students at Cornell Agritech summer of 2021, which was an incredible learning experience. This opportunity was laid in front of me, but I didn’t have to take it. As a result of my ambitious and spirited personality, I applied for the job and saw into another world. I learned to appreciate hard work and I feel as though I can incorporate lessons I learned from working there into my education. When I look through media and books, I become temporarily anchored in many different topics that catch my eye. This curiosity and creativity has led me to take up the harmonica, research particular subjects, read, learn the R programming language, and complete random activities, pushing myself out of my own comfort zone. Curiosity and creativity have positively influenced my school work and projects because they force me to interrogate my own understanding in class. Overall, my personality influences the chances I have of success, as it can positively impact outlook and capability to accomplish greatness. Attaining success can be shaped considerably by the community and family that surrounds them. Gladwell introduces Lewis Terman’s “Termites,” which are intellectually gifted individuals that were tracked in terms of achievement, health, and relations, pointing out that the differentiating factor between them was their “family background”. Growing up around an encouraging and generous family has made me who I am. They taught me the importance of small acts of kindness by paying for the person behind them in the drive-through or opening the door for a stranger. They enlightened me with dedication and persistence, as they took the time out of their day to help me with homework or take me to practice. Not only have my parents supported me, but they have also fueled my curiosity and creativity by filling the house with books and puzzles. Furthermore, Gladwell notes how we have our own “distinct personal48

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ities,” but are handed down “tendencies and reflexes” from our ancestors that are integral for our success. Gladwell highlights that “lessons” the “garment workers” brought home with them turned out to be “critical” for getting ahead. My grandfather grew up during the Great Depression and witnessed, first hand, the struggle of living at that time. His family lost their home due to bank foreclosure, because of a lack of work. His family were Irish immigrants who appreciated education profoundly. His inspiring story of tenacity affected me considerably, as he rose to construct his own business, which continues to thrive, as well as raise a family. His lessons resonate with me inside and outside of school, encouraging me to leave no stone unturned in school, whether I am completing homework, taking a test, or even playing my instrument for the school band. While it is difficult to define, American culture contains a mixture of norms, values, and lifestyles from differing regions. When different cultures combine, they create a new way of life that encompasses equality, progress and change, as well as education, and competition. Such qualities fuelled me to be the best that I can be academically and socially, therefore helping me to be successful. Gladwell emphasizes “power distance” when illustrating the communication struggles of an airplane that failed to land because of the cultures of people in a cockpit. Individuals in the cockpit didn’t speak up to the pilot about an issue concerning their landing because of their culture, which had a high power distance. They felt intimidated and didn’t think of their pilot as an equal. My “American-ness” taught me to be the opposite, encouraging me to speak up when I’m confused or ask questions during class. Consequently, I will be content in my knowledge and whereabouts in my academic progress. While America is status-obsessed and has a long way to go with social acceptability, communicative ability is undoubtedly a skill that thrives, which constantly supports my goals and achievements in the classroom. 49

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Gladwell mentions that being born in a certain generation can have advantages or disadvantages depending on the historical events that occur in that period. Gladwell illustrates this argument by introducing software programmers born in the 1950s, entrepreneurs born in the 1830s, and the Termites born before 1911. Software programmers succeeded because they hit an adequate age when the first computers came out in the 1970s. Entrepreneurs born in the 1930s were at the right age when the 1970s came around, when industrial manufacturing, Wall Street, and railroads emerged. The Termites born before 1911 were “unlucky” as they graduated college when job opportunities were scarce because of the Great Depression and World War I. Demographic luck affected my generation, as our “place in history presents us with” advanced technology, such as computers and smartphones, where the internet has exposed us to a vast amount of resources. Having access to the internet gave me the chance to do research for academic endeavors, communicate with teachers at the click of a button, and be on top of my work. Generations before could not have conceived the extensive amount of knowledge available to us at our fingertips throughout our teenage years. Our generation will be extremely computer-literate, opening up novel opportunities to different jobs and pushing technology advances even further. Another generational advantage is that we grew up when a change was occurring, as the first black president, Barack Obama, was elected into office and same-sex marriage was legalized, giving many the “sense of possibility necessary for success”. Being surrounded by diversity and inclusion cultivates a workplace that is filled with differing perspectives, which has promoted my aptness to more understanding and reduce bias. When these components integrate into our knowledge and community, people are more accepting, comfortable, and open, creating progress. When change occurs right in front of our eyes, there is a better chance that we will move forward with 50

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that change and conduct it ourselves in the future in the real world and school system. In Outliers, Gladwell emphasizes that personality, family, culture, and generation form us into who we are and who we destine to be; such elements will either propel us to success or diminish our chances of being accomplished. Personally, the world that surrounds me, my relations to others, my beliefs have curated a path to success for the classroom. In life, there is no single solution to success, nevertheless, our best shot is to seize opportunities, have a determined mind, keep our creativity in check, and hope we are in the right place at the right time.

Three Bones are Needed to Succeed: a Wishbone, a Backbone, and a Funnybone

Victoria Poworoznek

ubjective (noun): based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. Art is subjective, fashion is subjective; and so is success. Parents often teach their children that success derives solely from hard work. Those who are determined and possess power ultimately become successful, right? Wrong. Achievement and success come in many forms and are all influenced by different concepts and ideas. Receiving a college degree could be one person’s form of success while starting a business could be another’s. Success is achieved in many ways with factors and obstacles influencing it along the way. A person may possess pure talent and a strong work ethic and others simply run into lucky opportunities. A person’s success could also be a product of privilege as white privilege lessens the chance for People of Color to become successful. Some people simply don’t have enough money to chase their dreams. On the other hand, everyone experiences stress, fear, anxiety, writer’s block, injuries, and exhaustion while climbing the road to their version of prosperity. Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers lever53

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ages various success stories to illustrate the strange nature of success. Gladwell tries to debunk the theory that successful people become triumphant solely because of “individual merit.” He argues in his book that accomplishment and experience are results of various and seemingly unimportant factors such as your family background, your individual personality, and the generation you were born into. Looking back, my family, my personality, and my fellow students have molded me into the student I am today. Family dynamics play a critical role in determining who a child becomes and what they will accomplish in the future. This dynamic refers to the interactions among relatives including their roles and relationships. Those factors include the number of children in the family, parenting style, and the personalities within the family. A child’s home environment has long term effects on their development. If a child is brought up where the parents and/or siblings are hardworking, then that behavior will influence that child to become a hard worker themself. My family is composed of both educated blue and white collar workers from blacksmiths, electricians, healthcare workers, engineers, and a soon to be lawyer. Both of my parents have received college degrees and have been working rigorous jobs since I was born. Growing up, they taught me that schooling is the key to getting into an excellent college and starting a successful career afterwards. I acknowledge that I am both privileged and lucky that I grew up with both parents and that I’m middle class. These factors gave me an advantage over some of my peers as soon as I was born. Everyone in my household has a voice and we support each other as a small community. I am allowed to be very triumphant in my academic success because of the support system I have behind me. Gladwell mentions that “people don’t rise from nothing. We do owe something to parentage and patronage”. Successful people often come from “hardy seeds” as Gladwell uses a symbol of the tallest tree in the 54

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forest to explain the origins and the rise of prosperous people. Plainly put, the tallest tree didn’t just grow extremely tall from a “hardy acorn,” there was also “no other trees block[ing] its sunlight,” as well as growing from “rich and deep” soil. Eminent figures do start with hardy seeds but many family and background factors play a large role in their success. For me, being an only child gave me the privilege of being the only tree to receive attention or “sunlight” from my parents. That luxurious soil for my seed as a child were my parents and my home that is filled with encouraging words of wisdom and hugs. Essentially, Gladwell argues, “No one - not even rockstars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even genius - ever make it alone”. In making this comment, Gladwell urges us to take into account that every successful person in the world has received some form of help whether from a family member or friend. I’ve always believed that hard work isn’t enough to become successful, that I needed to utilize the people around me in order to become successful. These components allowed me to sprout into one of the top students of my class and gave me many opportunities that I have ahead of me. Given this, I believe I have one of the best mindsets to be a successful student. My family and friends often describe me as determined, headstrong, mature, and practical. I also believe I have an amazing ability to retain information and the ability to put my thoughts into words. Although I am proud of my skills, I wasn’t brought into this world with them all. Many of them developed with practice as well as my parents putting me into adult situations at a young age. Both book smarts and street smarts are acquired with time. These skills allow for advantages in school as well as the adult world. Gladwell mentions the story of Robert Oppenheiner, a physicist who “possessed the kind of savvy that allowed him to get what he wanted from the world”. This “kind of savvy” is referred to as practical intelligence or street smarts that are “a set of skills that have to be 55

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learned”. Learning to speak up for myself aided me in school and allowed me to get the help I needed from my teachers. Gladwell writes that sociologist Anette Lareau believes that “middle class children learn a sense of ‘entitlement’” to opportunities, education, and attention . Lareau “means it in the best sense of the term” as they “pursue their own preference and to [manage] interactions” in adult settings. This “entitlement” I acquired as a middle class child allowed me to chase after my goals. This “entitlement” allowed me to see that I was a person that deserved to be listened to, someone who deserved what was best. I wasn’t going to accept being ignored by my peers, I pushed myself out to get the help I needed. This entitlement mixed with my “savvy” social skills to get what I want has propelled me towards my success goals. Generation Z is the most ethnically diverse and the largest generation in American history. Most of us are older than the iPhone, myself included. Gladwell would see this as detrimental to my path to success as he mentions that there are more benefits of “being one of those [born] in a small generation,” including school staff being “generous with their time” as there are less students to attend to. Universities are “a delightful place” with “no crowding in the cafeteria” and the “demand is high” within the “job market” as “new entrants [are] low”. Being born in a large generation means I must be more competitive for spots in classes, attention from adults, and job opportunities in the future. Although being a part of a smaller generation would have made my life easier, I find that the challenging lifestyle of competing with others in academics has caused me to push harder to excel above my peers. Even though study nights are ruthless, I became one of the most skilled in the midst of large competition. Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers explores the factors that ultimately influence a person’s path to success such as family background, the year you’re born, and if you are determined enough 56

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to outcompete others. But of course not everyone’s road to success will follow the same formula. A percentage of factors that are controllable can influence success such as work ethic and a large amount of practice, but uncontrollable factors can also influence an individual’s success like privilege, luck, and cultural background. Success isn’t measured in dollar signs. One will know what true success feels like when one is completely comfortable with both their financial and emotional situation.

Circumstances and Success

Michaela Riley

uccess is commonly defined as having achieved a desired outcome by setting a goal. Success is subjective to your personal goals. For instance, getting a college degree could be a version of success, or starting a successful business, being in your dream career, being in a financial position where you can provide for your family, or whatever your idea of success is. In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell explores the circumstances and opportunities that lead one to success. Gladwell reflects on the stories of some of the most accomplished people around the world while discussing the stereotypes of success, happenstance, and the significance of talent in becoming successful. Social class can affect success, such as growing up in a middle-class family versus a lower-class family. Gladwell suggests that you have certain advantages growing up in a middle-class family. Your parents will have a greater impact on your education, in your social life and are more likely to encourage and support you in extracurriculars. Imagine being a talented soccer player in a middle-class family where parents are more likely to cultivate this talent and steer it into a career. Outside of school, a student is more likely to be involved in programs that improve their academic skills. Growing up middle class, I have the opportunity of going to a tutor outside of school and my 59

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parents are involved in my interests. I took piano lessons and was involved in sports like dance, swimming, cross country, and tennis. The involvement of my parents has contributed to my academic success. Malcolm Gladwell also elaborates on how middle-class parents are more likely to encourage their kids to advocate for themselves and speak with adults so that children appeared comfortable in those settings; they were open to sharing information and asking for attention”. My parents taught me communication skills, to be respectful and polite, which allows me to be comfortable expressing myself verbally with my peers and adults I come into contact with. At a recent interview at the library, I felt very comfortable speaking with the interviewer about myself. According to Outliers, family dynamics can influence success. Having a stable family with married parents brings consistency and a sense of comfort to your life. Parents who treat each other and their kids with respect help children learn how to be respectful of others and encourage each other. In the case of Chris Langan and Robert Oppenheimer, Lagan’s family was unstable which led to instability throughout his life. On the other hand, Oppenheimer’s family was a complete unit with his parents playing a significant role in his upbringing. Oppenheimer’s parents supported Robert to be passionate about his interest. For example, Robert was interested in collecting rocks at an early age. He was invited to a rock lecture by local geologists. His parents, despite his age, brought him to the lecture where he was to speak. He introduced himself to many adult geologists even though he was uncomfortable. In this way, his parents used “concerted cultivation” . to steer Oppenheimer to success. Chris Langan, on the other hand, did not have this parental support. He did not have a father figure and his mother was not dependable. Without parental support, Lagan was not able to advocate for himself and lacked self-esteem. Gladwell states, “By contrast, the working class and poor children 60

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were characterized by an emerging sense of distance, distrust, and constraint. They didn’t know how to get their way, or how to “customize”...whatever environment they were in.” Oppenheimer’s positive family dynamics growing up benefitted him in his career. The family dynamics of my life are a positive factor and more closely related to Oppenheimer’s experience. My parents are involved in my life, parents and grandparents who support me in academic and extracurricular activities. Extended family also plays a part in family dynamics. In the epilogue, Gladwell reflects on his family, mentioning how his grandmother was a driving force in his mother’s life. “The fact that my mother and her sisters left Harewood was my grandmother’s doing”. Malcolm’s grandmother made it her ambition to have her daughters receive a proper education so that one day they could leave Jamaica. In my own family, my grandmother also provides this force. She was a teacher and constantly encouraged reading and math outside of school. My grandmother babysat us during the summer and we always had reading time and plenty of math sheets to work on so we wouldn’t “lose anything over the summer”. Also, Grandma is always willing to provide financial help by generously giving me a twenty without my parent’s knowledge. Malcolm Gladwell suggests that talent is only a small fraction of success. Timing, work ethic, and opportunities have a larger impact on how successful you will be in life than raw talent does. “Their success was not just of their own making. It was a product of the world in which they grew up in”. My outlook for success is positive. I come from a middle-class family with an extended family that is supportive and involved in my life, stressing education, communication, and promoting my self-esteem. With these factors in place, I am set for success.

Success with Soccer Nathan Rusinko

hat has made me successful in soccer? I would say the reason I’m successful in soccer is due to the fact that I’ve been put in a good environment that allows me to be successful, along with people that are around me such as my parents, brothers, and friends. I lived in South Carolina in a decent sized town of Rock Hill. During the spring and fall, my brother and I would play soccer at a big complex which allowed us to become really good at a young age. We moved to Geneva where they offered soccer and we continued to play the sport we loved. The main reason I am successful at soccer is due to the hardwork and effort I put into making myself a better player. During the summer I play on a club team and during the winter I play indoor soccer. Even on days I haven’t had practice, I tend to go outback to work on my skills. My dad is the one who introduced me to soccer on account of his nephews who played soccer as well. My older brother is the main reason I have been successful in soccer. He was the one who pushed me to get better, always passing with me in order to help me compete at a higher level than my age group. It’s thanks to him that I’ve always played soccer at an age group above me. I was on JV in eighth grade, moving to varsity by freshman year of high school. Sophomore year I was a starter on varsity and ended the 63

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season with two goals and five assists. The more I learned skills with my brother, the more I wanted to compete with him at his age level. I told my parents I wanted to play two years with my older brother before he goes to college. I put in the work and I achieved my goal. When Malcom Gladwell said, “Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds”, I relate to this quote and the reason I’m successful in soccer is that most people aren’t playing soccer all year round playing on club teams trying to get better everyday. I have played soccer my whole life and every single year I’ve seen improvement. I have my family set a goal for me every season to achieve. The reason I have mainly been successful at soccer is my ability to listen to my coaches and learn from my mistakes. What I’ve learned from my time playing soccer is that you can’t be successful right away. For example, there is not a single person on earth that is successful without sacrifice and effort. You can not perfect a skill by just seeing it, you have to go out, put the hardwork and effort in. Everyone has a different idea of success but you have to set checkpoints along the way to keep motivation and see improvement before the end goal is acquired. The goal I am trying to achieve now is the MVP on the soccer team at the end of the year. Every success story has its ups and downs, I was never always a starter on varsity. I have to work and grind my way up to the starting spot. At the beginning of freshman year I didn’t start a game but I kept pushing myself, making myself a better player, showing my coach that I deserve that starting spot. I eventually ended up starting in the biggest game I’ve ever played in, the 2019 sectional finals. I wasn’t happy with the spot I was in on the bench so I made sure I outworked people to reach that starting position at the end of the year. As I keep getting better I push myself to make the people around me better and become a leader on the soccer field. I help people who 64

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don’t know as much soccer as me and pass my knowledge down to them to make them better. The main reason I’ve succeeded in soccer is my work ethic, attitude, and the ability to listen and learn from my mistakes. I always end up putting more effort into getting better and making sure I am being the best I can be at soccer. Success has many different meanings, no one person has the same definition of success as another person. It is just like any argument that is opinion based, there will always be people who do not believe in your success, on the other hand people will believe in your success. At the end of the day in order to be successful you have to be willing to put in 110% of effort every minute of the day seven days a week. I believe I am successful in soccer based on my effort and accomplishments.

The Stairs of Success

Lily Silver

hen you Google “success,” the first image to appear is someone climbing a staircase and triumphantly reaching the top. If I was to use this same metaphor for my personal success, what would the top stair be? I could highlight my academic, athletic, or artistic accomplishments, but I believe my metaphorical ascent has focused more on the development of my identity. Now that we know what my landing is, what are my stairs? I’ve needed these stairs because as Malcolm Gladwell argues in Outliers, innate ability does not guarantee success. These are my family’s value of education, being born in a generation that is more informed, and my culture in Judaism, giving me increased advantages in my growth and learning to help me move towards my top stair. As a child, I listened to the news almost every day, with broadcasts being a constant background noise in my house. This was my parents’ attempt to breed my curiosity and a love for learning, and it worked. However, the emphasis on education is not surprising, as both my parents worked at a liberal arts college, and I was raised around academics. My childhood exemplified “concerted cultivation,” a parenting style that Gladwell claims offers significant advantages. Gladwell leverages a study by Annette Lareau exploring different parenting 67

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styles that connect to socioeconomic status to understand these advantages, where the example of a middle-class family looks very similar to my own. Lareau states that the middle-class families were “heavily involved in their children’s free time”; similarly, my parents spent their days ushering me from sports, to music lessons, and after-school programs. The middle-class parents also expected their children to “negotiate” and “to question adults in authority”; my parents rewarded me for speaking up and questioning rather than remaining passive. According to Gladwell, when wealthier children are struggling in school, parents “intervened on behalf of their kids”; and I always knew that if I needed something my parents would go to teachers, to principals, and anyone in between to get me help. This “social savvy” that my parents taught me has given me independence and dictates who I am today. I don’t struggle to have difficult conversations with authority or share my opinion and perspective. If my parents hadn’t listened to the news with me, representing their priority for education, I wouldn’t be as conscious of the world, understand my privilege, or be as independent. My success in developing into the person I am, and the person I am proud to be, depended greatly on the opportunities that my parents gave me, the opportunities I didn’t even realize I was getting. Despite the advantages my parents offered me, my success is also attributed to my generation. As Gladwell argues, the “possibility” and “opportunities” for success come from what “our particular place in history presents us with”. Just like Gladwell’s example of Jewish lawyers who were successful partly because of demographics, I have had endless opportunities to interact socially and foster my curiosity because of the internet. There are more opportunities to connect with others who live very different lives than mine, which has given me even more possibilities for learning than my parents could offer. The internet has also forced me to become a solid person and know 68

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my limits and abilities, as it can be a place where hate is easily spread, and in order to not be swept up, I need to present myself and my ideas purposefully. I have participated in social activism, developed my values at an early age, and learned how to determine my own opinion because of the internet. Gladwell demonstrates that demographics can also render success as even people with “the best of family lessons, cannot escape the limitations of their generation.” Having information constantly at your disposal can be overwhelming, which has taught me to set limits and understand that everything you consume isn’t always real. Without these lessons, I wouldn’t be as grounded, or know my personal boundaries at such a young age. Gladwell argues that cultural legacies are “powerful forces” that “persist generation after generation, virtually intact”. My cultural legacy is rooted in the concept of “Tikkun Olam,” a Hebrew phrase meaning “to repair the world”. Similar to the examples in Outliers, my ancestors immigrated from Eastern Europe and were garment workers during the peak of the industry. While this was a demanding industry to be a part of, Gladwell establishes that this difficult work demonstrated to immigrants, and their descendants the “miracle of meaningful work”. Their grueling time in the garment factory left behind a cultural legacy; one that tells young people like me that “through [my] own powers of persuasion and initiative,” I can have control over my success. This “culture” and “family history” “gave [me] the greatest” “opportunities” to develop confidence and a hard work ethic. Gladwell was right; cultural legacies do have a significant influence on behavior, and success, but what he didn’t realize is that my ancestors were a prime example of “Tikkun Olam’’; they repaired their world and the story of their success, at a time when they were set up to fail. Rhetorically, this moment appeals to logos because it enables Gladwell to draw on first hand anecdotes of Jewish garment workers, solidifying the logical argument that meaningful work is central to 69

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identity. Success, in other words, is a result of meaningful work. In my own experience, my culture’s emphasis on meaningful work has given me the drive to mend the world and has cultivated my values, bringing a deeper meaning to my success. As someone progresses through their life, their concept of successful personal growth changes and their “top stair” keeps shifting. While the structure of my staircase will stay the same, I will add new stairs and the landing will continue to shift. However, I interpret success as being resilient, not staying stagnant, and pushing my development throughout my life. Outliers demonstrate that hard work and the lucky advantages of environments and cultures are how people become successful. Well, I’m certainly willing to work hard and thanks to Gladwell, I understand that my family, generational skills, and purpose I discovered through Judaism, will be the foundation for the rest of my life, and will continue to be the reasons for my success.

On Outliers and Teenagehood

Melissa Wright

uccess comes to every person in many different ways; for some it may be getting up out of bed and to school on time and for others it may be winning an award on stage in front of millions. These temporary successes that come and go rival lifetime success which for the most part changes your life in full mostly for the better. A personal example for me is being a highschooler and upkeeping being on the principal’s list throughout the pandemic while juggling home life and activities outside of school. That is my form of temporary success. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell highlights the people that have indicated themselves as successful individuals who are above the general population whether it be by societal advantages and privilege or talent and practice. So with all these points in mind, do I, as a sixteen year old girl who seems to be stuck in a stagnant position of her life, consider myself a successful person? What have been my achievements in and out of school? Being a stubborn person gives me the advantages Gladwell claims that I lack. In The Matthew Effect, Gladwell describes how the month that you were born in has an effect on your level of maturity, which in turn is seen as an advantage in the real world. Gladwell uses hockey cutoff dates as an example to 71

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explain how “the eligibility cutoff for age-class hockey is January I”. This detail contends that people who are born in the earlier months have a greater advantage over others who are not because they are put into practices earlier and have more time to get into the better leagues opposing their opponents. The fact that I was born in July diminishes my chances of getting any of these advantages as opposed to my siblings who are both born in February. Applying this rule to in real life, people born in the earlier part of the year have the superiority in age meaning they apply the 10 Thousand Hour rule earlier, something that Gladwell describes as a necessity needed for success. This is one factor that is detrimental in my journey to success; however, natural bred competition flows through me because of the fact that I have an older sister. If my sister and I do the same thing, then I want to beat her at that which has bred an ethic in me to achieve and go beyond others in my age. Gladwell explains that someone who is successful “involves someone or some group working harder than their peers” which is one reason I am successful today since my competition with my sister has motivated me to work harder than her. Hockey players who have been given the ability to further hone their abilities acknowledge competition as a vital tool. Having my sister guide me and push me has bred the ability in me to push myself further than my peers. This is my advantage, having siblings, only children don’t get taught this natural bred competition or have the want to push themselves further. It is much more difficult to teach them this skill. My siblings, unknowingly, helped in how I would become successful in school and in the real world. As most teenagers do, I got a job as soon as I possibly could and I did that all with the help of my older sister who at the time asked the manager if there was a need for another busser at the restaurant paving my start into the workforce. She also was a large part in my training to become a busser and now I’m training to become a server demonstrating the growth that I have 72

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taken and how having a supportive family is really beneficial to becoming successful. Having grown up in the same place, generations of my family have grown up in familial names become well known, especially in my case where my family has been super social and influential to the people around them. Gladwell sums this up as cultural legacy which could be influential and an advantage because of the reputation your family has made for yourself for example, my sister has worked in a restaurant for almost three years now and her dependable and responsible attitude set up the pathway for me to easily get a job Gladwell argues this idea by describing how “cultural legacies are powerful forces. They have deep roots and long lives.” The legacy my elders and sister have built for me in and out of school is needed because it has an impact on me and my family are generally well known and are perceived as hard workers and good people. This is important for me because once people hear my last name they already have an idea of who I am and I need to uphold it. Working at a restaurant at 14 years old is beneficial to the development of self- esteem, I got over anxiety when talking to people, I developed good saving habits with my money, and I instilled a good work ethic in myself. Another tool that has made me successful there is the fact that I have been there for over two years so I have had thousands of hours of practice. Gladwell depicts how the Beatles became successful through hours and hours of practice and how constantly practicing and being onstage “was the making of them”. This 10-thousand hour rule is something that Gladwell depicts as something vital needed in becoming successful. The idea of practicing at something for long periods of time is needed to become well devoured in a hobby. In my situation working every week for almost two years has helped form the ethic I needed for success. I have worked in one specific place for almost three years which has sparked all that I needed to become well versed and to start moving into 73

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becoming a server. With the COVID-19 pandemic that really negatively impacted my success though because the restaurant was only open for delivery and I was off of a job. This also happened in school, the pandemic was something that really was unexpected and even if I was off of work and online for school in some forms it actually helped because I could better understand myself without anyone’s influence in such a developmental time. I have seen at least five bussers all around my age come and go proving to my managers and myself that my work ethic is much better than anyone else my age. Wanting to be successful requires conquering over competition and I have done this over everyone else. I know that my family and I are very proud of my work ethics that have also been developed while working at a restaurant. The pandemic wasn’t helpful to this but to my development into becoming a teeager the pandemic was helpful to that. Overall, success is objective and my idea of success is being able to uphold a job for over two years starting when I was only 14 years old. Gladwell depicts that one trait that Outliers have that makes them successful is the perseverance and motivation to succeed which I have built for myself while working in a restaurant. Now that I have experience in a restaurant that makes it much easier for me to get a job in another restaurant and this experience highlights me out of competition. Success as a teenager is very important in development because it gives the child motivation to push themselves farther and build up even more success which has been proven in me.

Part II:

The Advertisement Analysis

Gator-Ad: Help Your Body

Alexander Garcia, Seth Palmer, Ryan Brown

nergy drinks have been used by athletes for years and years, and there have been thousands upon thousands, if not millions of ads produced to sell these products, but this Gatorade “Greatness Starts with G” ad is particularly helpful when trying to understand how corporate interests shape the cultural legacies of common products. “Greatness Starts with G” ad is trying to sell their product Gatorade, by leveraging professional athletes doing their training as the foundation for the ad. Gatorade, created in Florida, is a major company worldwide. They sell products such as their iconic drinks, merchandise including clothes and hats, and even household items like coolers. The Gatorade ad explicitly sells their drinks and all of its different flavors, but behind that simplistic message lies a deeper meaning that is not immediately obvious.The ad is subliminally tying its product to greater overall human production, that if you drink their product, you will be work harder, and work longer, and ultimately lead a life that is more productive. One of the major focuses of the Gatorade ad is the appeal to kids and a younger audience, because when it comes to kids, especially on the subject of sports, they tend to want to aspire to be their favorite athletes, because these athletes are their idols and inspiration for their own passion. Logically, Gatorade is 77

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appealing to kids in the sense that their favorite athletes are seen in the ad, using their product, leading to the kids buying their products in hope that they can get one step closer to becoming their idols. The fact that Gatorade went out and used well known names from different sports as well, from a logical standpoint helped build their audience, the more sports involved, the more fan bases immersed. The use of D.K Metcalf, a star receiver in the NFL, brings in a major audience from the United States due to the fact that American Football is one of, if not the most popular sport in the country. The use of Christian Pulisic, a well known soccer player who plays for Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the word, brings in even more buyers and consumers purely because soccer is and has been the biggest and most known sport in the world for years now. The attention to detail of this ad makes it a very clever one as well. They know soccer isn’t the biggest sport in the U.S, but they compensate for that fact by getting a player like Christian Pulisic, a U.S born star player, which regardless if the viewer is a big fan of soccer, the power of patriotism which is always a characteristic of the average of American, will influence the viewer to buy the product whether they like the sport or not. Throughout the years, there have been many logos for large businesses that have appealed to customers’ trust; this could be a simple logo such as your local grocery store, but it could also be a product online such as the Gatorade symbol. This logo has been trusted by athletes and everyday people as a drink that helps them perform better in sports. You see the Gatorade symbol everywhere, on bottles, on gallons upon gallons of it displayed at major sporting events, in commercials. The list goes on, but it does not excuse the fact that this is a symbol people know and love. And it is known to help with thirst during the intense pressure and athletic ability that it takes to play a certain sport. It’s just as simple as “people trust the logo”. In the ad, you see the logo relates back to where it was originally made, 78

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at the University of Florida, where Gatorade was born. It was named after the Gators, which is the mascot of the school. This community connection creates a level of trust between the students and faculty at the college who connected with the brand and learned to trust it. The aspect that Gatorade relates back to sports in more ways that one connects to the point that the ad presents ethos as a way of convincing people to buy their product. Gatorade has been known in the sports world for years as one of the best sport performance enhancing drinks, because of the name that it has made for itself and the trust that the label provides for athletes. Gatorade, a brand that everybody knows and loves. But what makes it so special? Gatorade incorporates so many little features into ads that really draw attention to the viewers. For starters, this ad has very upbeat music; this detail is the base of this ad due to the other eye catchers such as the famous athletes training in the sport that they play, motivational words popping up continuously, and the overall idea that when you work hard you must consume Gatorade to help recover. Another key feature that connects the audience emotionally is by showing a swimmer with a missing limb. This snippet in the ad allows the watchers to realize that “if they can do it, then I can do it”. This ad also has a feature that allows the readers to connect with the athletes, when the athletes take a break to get a drink of Gatorade, the upbeat music in the back stops. When this happens, we get a feel for the hard work that the athletes are putting in. This product is truly meant for everyone, which is another great example as to how this company has turned out to become so successful. The appeal to the emotions that are present in the ad contribute to how much of their product they sell. Gatorade uses athletes that everyone knows and loves to help them sell their products, and they use the athletes famous quotes or sayings in their ads, making the audience more attracted to the product. 79

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These athletes showcased in the ad show the strong relationship the company has with the sports world too. Whether it be as a major sponsor of the NFL, or even having the minor league in the NBA being named after them, you can not have sports without Gatorade. The cultural significance of the company is major, leading some to argue that its impact is second to none when talking about sports. This ad specifically has so much significance in itself, the very upbeat music, inspiring words, the athletes sweating and working hard, it all resembles this idea in American culture, that as long as you put in the work, you put in the hours, you will become successful, you will have succeeded in whatever you were preparing for, it’s what everyone likes to call “The American Dream”, a rags to riches story with its only independent variable being the amount of practice you put in, this ads motto “Greatness starts with G”, motivating the people to chase, to try and achieve greatness with pure hard work and determination. This is American Culture, the constant bombardment of inspiration to make people feel empowered and determined to achieve what they need to achieve. This ad does so well in not only getting the U.S interested in buying their products, but getting the world to be a part of their so called “movement”. It’s showing the world the typical “American Dream” story. These athletes are all so talented and highly regarded because of the work they put in, and obviously because this is an advertisement for Gatorade, they discretely imply that it all started with the use of their products. This ad might demonstrate a stereotypical view of how America and its people function, but the “American Dream” can hold true for some; it can still be used for inspiration and motivation, and that was the point of this ad, besides selling their product. Gatorade is pushing the idea of the “American Dream”, inspiring those who watch it to work hard and keep pushing, only then will they find success. 80

Pepsi is More Than Okay

Natalie Budgar, Allyson Bucklin

epsi’s “More Than Okay” ad aired during the 2019 superbowl. The purpose of this ad was to demonstrate that Pepsi is better than Coke and appeals to everyone. The commercial takes place in a modern diner in which a woman asks for coke and the waiter then asks “Is Pepsi okay?”. A guy sitting behind her then asks sarcastically “Is Pepsi okay?” and then goes on to compare Pepsi to special and sentimental occurrences in life in an attempt to show how good Pepsi is. The woman then ends up wanting a Pepsi. For as long as Coke and Pepsi have been around they have always been each other’s main competitors. As these are two very well known brands and people usually have their preference when it comes to Pepsi and Coke. This ad is trying to prove that Pepsi is better than okay while at the same time proving that Pepsi is better than coke. One of their main goals with the ad was to also show how Pepsi appeals to everyone. The Pepsi ad explicitly sells the idea that Pepsi is the best choice but implicitly sells happiness and satisfaction to everyone. When it comes to the appearance of the ad, Pepsi made sure to create a clean and modern setting for the ad to take place in. This ad takes place in an upscale modern diner having multiple booths and a bar. Within the diner there are multiple custom81

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ers however the ad’s main focus is on a single woman in a booth and a single guy sitting in the booth behind her. The young male waiter is dressed in a more modern version of what diner servers used to wear. As Pepsi is known for their logo including blue, red, and white, throughout the advertisement these colors are prominent. Throughout the ad we see red as this color is the color of the booths as well as the part of the ceiling over top of the bar. All three of these colors become more prominent towards the end as Cardi B, who is a female rapper, comes in wearing a dress with red, blue, and white jewels with matching red, blue, and white long, jeweled, acrylic nails which become one of the focus points in one shot of her picking up a Pepsi can that has the original design of a Pepsi can however matches her nails as the can is covered with red, blue, and white jewels. This advertisement was designed to appeal to everyone as well as those who prefer Coke over Pepsi. This advertisement aired for the first time during the 2019 superbowl. The superbowl is known for their ads, as this event is annually one the most watched sporting events in America. With such a wide variety of people watching this event, Pepsi designed their ad to appeal to all of the viewers at home watching. The ad appeals to everyone no matter the age as this ad uses three different celebrities that have different fan bases in order to be inclusive to all age groups.The ad focuses on three major celebrities, Steve Carrell, Lil Jon, and Cardi B to help them promote the idea that Pepsi is better than Coke to their fan bases. Steve Carrell is a well known actor known for numerous of his different roles in old and modern television shows and movies. Cardi B is a well known female rapper whose music and personality have gained popularity over recent years. Both appeal to different age groups as Steve Carrell appeals to the middle aged and older audience and Cardi B appeals to the younger audience. When Cardi B walks in, one of her most well known songs, “I Like It”, also starts playing which helps appeal to the younger 82

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audience as they know and enjoy the song. In addition to both of these celebrities, Lil Jon also makes a short but important appearance in this commercial as he is used for the transition in between Steve Carrell and Cardi B. As these celebrities have a wide range and vast amount of followers, together they help to gain popularity for Pepsi as they are proving that Pepsi is more than okay to all of their followers and fans, making them more inclined to drink Pepsi rather than Coke. This advertisement relies heavily on the appeal of ethos to help promote Pepsi. To help promote their credibility, they aired this advertisement during the 2019 Super Bowl which is one of the most watched sporting events every year in America. As there are millions of people at home watching television, to have your ad played during this event costs a lot of money which helps to prove their credibility. What also makes this ad rely on ethos, was the appearance of three major celebrities known as Steve Carrell, Lil Jon, and Cardi B. These celebrities combined have a vast amount of followers as well as each having a diverse fan base. As this ad focuses on proving that Pepsi is better than Coke, by showing that these major celebrities support Pepsi, this helps to appeal to each of their fan bases at home, hopefully resulting in them trying and enjoying Pepsi. This advertisement also relies heavily on pathos to help sell the idea that Pepsi is better than Coke. This ad appeals to pathos as it utilizes Steve Carrell, who is an actor and comedian to help make this ad humorous. This scene starts as a woman asks for Coke and then the waiter asks “Is Pepsi Okay?” and Steve Carrell pops up out of a neighboring booth and sarcastically restates the question “Is Pepsi Okay?” with emphasis on the word “Okay”. He then uses hand gestures and compares Pepsi to a puppy, shooting star, and the laugher of a small child. All of these comparisons are special things that people often cherish in life and are experiences they will never forget which helps to comfort the audience. The ad then becomes humorous 83

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towards the end as the customer decides she wants a Pepsi and Steve Carrell tries to imitate Cardi B’s well known catchphrase “Okurrr”. Ultimately by making this advertisement humorous but also comforting, by evoking these emotions from the audience, people watching the ad at home will be more inclined to trust the brand Pepsi and buy the product as they believe they will enjoy this product like they enjoy the comparisons made by Steve Carrell. Finally this advertisement also relies on logos to help get their messages across to the audience. This ad specifically revolves around the word “Okay” as it is used in multiple different forms and tones to help get the message across. Cardi B plays one of the major roles in this advertisement and is also known for her catchphrase “Okurrr” which is another way of saying “Okay”. This pronunciation of the word “Okay” has become a well known catchphrase among the younger generation as it grew through social media. The question “Is Pepsi Okay?” goes along with the idea that Pepsi is more than Okay as well as incorporating what Cardi B is known for. As she walks in with one of her most popular songs playing called, “I Like It”, and saying her catchphrase “Okurrr”, this helps to appeal to the younger generation while also staying true to what the ad is trying to promote. Lil Jon also wears a big diamond chain that says “OKAAAY” as he says this is in response to Steve Carrell stating that Pepsi is more than okay. As all of these celebrities use this word in different ways but still relate to the message of the ad, this appeals to the logos of the ad as the different pronunciations break down the logic of the ad when trying to prove that Pepsi is more than okay. Another appeal to logos falls within the fast pace of the ad. This ad is only around 30 seconds making it very fast paced when trying to get their message across. This is the reason for the repetition throughout the ad of the word “okay” and the phrase “Pepsi is more than okay”. As the ad takes place in a din84

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er, when transitioning between the celebrities and their parts, it goes from Steve Carrell to Lil Jon who rings a bell while also saying “OKAAAY” and pointing to Cardi B walking in as her song comes on. This ad is continually moving forward in an attempt to get the message across quickly which is similar to how a diner works. A diner is usually busy with a fast pace feel to it which makes everything come together regarding the logic behind the ad. This appeals to logos as this helps to stay true to the setting and the feel of the ad while still promoting their product. Overall, while this advertisement is trying to promote the idea that Pepsi is more than okay, this goes to reveal different details about American culture. As this advertisement is very fast paced and is continuously moving, this helps to show how Americans are always on the go and are restless. If this was a 2-3 minute advertisement, we would get bored and not pay attention to it compared to this 30 second ad. We tend to always want to be going and moving instead of relaxing for once. This ad also goes to show how competitive we are. This ad specifically targets Coke as Pepsi’s main competitor and goes to persuade those at home that Pepsi is better than Coke. This goes to show how competitive we are as humans and always wanting to be the best. This advertisement was specifically designed to appeal to everyone while at the same time, using celebrities and the culture of the younger generation to increase Pepsi consumers as opposed to Coke consumers.

Amazon’s New Invention Built to Take Over Your Home TV Noah Derleth

he new Amazon Fire TV Stick is infiltrating homes around the world. The host of the famous British car show named “Top Gear” and now host of “Clarkson’s Farm”, Jermey Clarkson is the star cameo of this ad about the new Amazon Fire TV stick. When people think of Amazon, they usually think of Jeff Bezos and having billions of dollars, so Amazon mixes not only the car world together, but also the Amazon brand together. The Amazon ad explicitly sells people that they need the new Fire Stick, however the ad implicitly sells people to buy more than just the Stick from Amazon so the brand makes more money. Amazon has the former car show actor Jermey Clarkson to cameo in the ad to sell people the new Amazon Fire TV Stick. Amazon knows that this ad will work because Jermey Clarkson is known worldwide and people from all over the world will listen to him and purchase a new Amazon Fire TV Stick. When I look at the ad, I immediately know that it will make me laugh because Clarkson always has something about him that makes people laugh. At the very end of the ad, it is showing Jermey behind a giant portrait of himself to get people to 87

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think about what he said during the ad and want to purchase a Stick for their TV. Millions of people will listen to Jermey Clarkson during the ad. Amazon wanted Jermey to talk about their product rather than Jeff Bezos talking about his own product. If Amazon did that, the ad wouldn’t be successful, but since they got Jermey Clarkson to cameo in it, it became much more popular. I also think this ad targets anyone born before the show aired in 2002 and loves cars. They will listen to Jermey Clarkson because they have been watching him since the program began or within a few years of 2002. This ad obviously is not aimed for kids because they wouldn’t know who Jermey Clarkson is or what he is talking about. The only thing that might interest younger ages is the music while Clarkson is riding a segway around his huge mansion which brings comedy into the ad. However, teens and young adults would know who Jermey is and would want to get an Amazon Fire TV stick. In result, Amazon would profit from a person’s choice to purchase their product. However, this ad’s appeal to ethos is not very strong because this ad is more to make you laugh and drop your guard and then think about buying their product. This ad is more pathos and logos heavy because it is made for Jermey Clarkson to get the audience’s attention. This ad is made more for people to laugh and drop their guard quickly so they will think that if Jermey Clarkson likes this product maybe they would like it too. In result, they will buy the product and not only Amazon will make money, but so will Jermey Clarkson. When people drop their guard, they tend to accept easier and if it’s a product they might need and if they know someone in the ad, they will possibly get it, thinking they’ll like it. This ad has a much stronger appeal to pathos because the ad makes you laugh when Jermey says “Mostly it’s about me”. But this ad also makes the viewer laugh at the very beginning when he is polishing a little bust of himself with an old brush. This ad also draws your attention 88

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by its choice of music, String Serenade No.13 “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” in G Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This music is usually played at royal or fancy dinners or “parties’’ as some people call it. Meanwhile, this music is being used in this ad to draw attention to the viewer or even try to make a connection with royalty at some points. This ad uses people’s emotions to draw attention to the ad while Jermey Clarkson says to purchase the new Amazon Fire stick. This ad also possesses a much stronger appeal to logos throughout the ad than ethos. When Jermey uses Alexa to bring up different programs, he uses various British tv programs and movies that viewers may know and explains why they should get the product. He uses people’s interest to Amazon’s advantage and brings up his own program and says “perfection”. When people think of the word perfection, most think of something containing no flaws and achievable to that person. By Clarkson mentioning “perfection”, he is referring to Amazon and how their product is perfect because it has his own show on it. He uses the commercial to his advantage because he says “it’s not all about me, but about the new Amazon Fire TV Stick”, and after he mentions Amazon and the company’s new product, he then adds “it’s mostly about me” because he was paid to be in the commercial. In result, Clarkson knows that it’s not about the product but about him making their product become successful. After that, Clarkson uses Amazon to gain more popularity with customers from Amazon whio may have never heard of him before. I believe that this ad contains two-sides of the ethos, pathos, and logos rather than having three complete sides. There isn’t much ethos within the ad because ads are not meant to be boring and long with the brand saying “buy our product”. Those types of ads never sell which leads to their company losing money and eventually going bankrupt. But having Jermey Clarkson as the main cameo in the ad makes everyone drop their guard and think about the product a lot and possi89

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bly purchase it. When people drop their guard, they become vulnerable, which means that Amazon can make a move by having Clarkson mention to purchase Amazon’s product. In result Amazon will not lose money and will gain back the money they spent on the ad. While watching this ad Jermey Clarkson immediately made me drop my guard and in that case it will get stuck in your head and make you think about buying it and you will eventually buy it from thinking about it so much. This is not a problem for me because I have a Roku stick which is the cheaper alternative to Amazon Fire Stick and works just the same. If you truly want the real deal product then purchase Amazon’s product, but if you want a cheap option look no further than a Roku stick.

Subscribe to Apple Music, Not Societal Norms Jana Fladd, Scout Porschet

pple Music, a streaming platform that emerged in 2015, facilitates on-demand listening of an extensive collection of music. Apple Music’s collaboration with famous rapper, Drake, in their “Drake vs. Bench Press” advertisement aims to sell Apple Music’s services through a variety of appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. Apple, a technology brand that earned the title of the world’s largest technology company in 2021, has begun to branch out and offer different streaming services that cater portability and convenience. The advertisement explicitly sells Apple Music, but implicitly sells motivation, confidence, and individuality to adolescents seeking a new perspective that previous generations have resisted to adopt. The advertisement begins in a gym with Drake lifting weights. His face of focus and determination takes up the entire screen, almost as if to create a jumpscare. As the video progresses, the trainer leaves for a phone call, allowing Drake to let his true music taste shine. The mood shifts from serious and masculine to upbeat and free as “Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift plays loudly and Drake enthusiastically lip syncs the lyrics. He feels a renewed sense of inspiration to work harder and con91

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tinue lifting until the advertisement closes with a failed bench press; Drake struggles and falls off the bench due to distraction from the tune. “Distractingly good,” followed by Apple Music’s logo, both glow white on a contrasting black screen. Apple strives to be a modern, diverse, youthful brand that challenges social norms. By including hit pop songs most are familiar with such as “Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift and “‘Sneakin’” by Drake, the advertisement appeals to a variety of ages. Specifically, however, Apple’s appeal to young people is explicit when the advertisement shifts from a serious mood to a lighter, more energized mood after Drake changes the song that plays. They appeal to generations such as Gen-z and millennials because they entertain the idea of using music as an escape from society’s norms, a theme common among today’s youth. A male crushing a heavy and intense workout would be expected to listen to rap or other music conventionally considered masculine, but instead he switches to a pop song by a prominent female artist and feminist. Apple appeals to ethos through astonishing statistics that create a credible image of the company and product. The first message following the end of the acted scene is “40 million songs”, which is a number beyond our daily uses, indicating a legitimate and substantial company that will surpass expectations. Apple strives to be the leader of the music streaming industry, and the statement, through an appeal to ethos, inclines the viewer to subscribe because the statistic validates Apple as a versatile company that can fit all music needs. Apple also creates a clean, modern image for itself by illuminating the message in white letters on a black background. The white and black colors keep the closing messages fresh and simple. People trust a modern, large company with resources because they tend to have better products they can count on. Apple’s large following persuades people to join, as it gives them reason to believe they will be another of many satisfied customers. 92

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What goes unsaid in the advertisement is the fact Apple is an enormous corporation with an immense following, generating 274 billion in revenue in 2020 alone. This makes for a great chance the viewer already has an iPhone, iPad, iMac, or any one of the other countless products sold. Everyone has heard of the brand or is a part of its cult following; people know and love their products and can expect the same quality from Apple Music, the promoted streaming service. Apple appeals to ethos through its trustworthy, classic brand name and strong standing with forty million songs while simultaneously implying its solid fanbase and foundation rather than explicitly stating it. The appeal to ethos doesn’t stop at the well known brand name. Drake has built an empire around his music, always making the renowned “Hot 100 Chart” by Billboard with every new release, currently holding seven songs on the list. With a fanbase nicknamed “Team Drizzy,” he is ranked to be the second most popular artist worldwide, currently tracking 4,233,250 fans. Drake has even propelled to Spotify’s “Billions Club,” featuring four songs that have each reached over one billion streams. Drake’s determined face is the first image the viewer sees. For many, especially Apple Music’s target audience, this familiar face compels them to keep watching. Once Apple has hooked them in, they proceed to sell their service. Drake as the face of the advertisement gives the production more credibility: people feel comfortable buying from a famous name because it makes the product in question more credible and trustworthy. This name brand endorsed by a famous musician is the ultimate ethos combination that compels the buyer to invest in the streaming service. Drake, the recipient of four Grammy Awards and forty-seven nominations, appeals to the emotions of the viewer by radiating astonishing feelings of joy and excitement, along with more subtle messages about masculinity and music. The juxtaposition of Drake’s hyper-masculine persona grunting and 93

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lifting weights while proclaiming “No mercy!” and his affinity for Taylor Swift, whose fanbase is primarily teenage girls, reveals that Apple Music facilitates personal expression without judgment. Through this appeal to pathos, Apple Music demonstrates that its streaming services are for anyone, regardless of taste, whether a potential consumer prefers Drake’s track at the beginning or Taylor Swift’s revenge anthem at the end. When Drake’s trainer, who serves as an allegory for the male gaze, leaves, Drake becomes noticeably more energetic and motivated while bench-pressing. This portrayal of Drake’s joy when he becomes free of the pressure of gender norms and societal expectations prompts consumers to inquire how they have been forced to repress elements of their personality and identity, and how Apple Music could help remedy this. Apple’s advertising appeals to logos through its implied benefits: the service will surpass the subscriber’s expectations and therefore lead them to a fulfilling life. When Drake opens the Apple Music application to discover his personalized playlist, the viewer catches a glimpse of Frank Ocean’s latest album, as well as a personalized ‘Pop Workout’ playlist, highlighting the wide variety of genres that are available to stream. By explicitly featuring three prominent artists that occupy different musical niches, Apple implicitly assures their future customers that of their 40 million songs, they are accommodating of all music tastes. As Drake switches from music meant to appease his trainer to music he truly enjoys, he becomes noticeably more energized and enthusiastic about his workout, underlining that with Apple Music, any consumer can increase their productivity and even quality of life. The closing statement of the advertisement asserts that Apple Music offers forty million songs, demonstrating that it is a practical option likely to have all your favorites while even being endorsed by reputable, award-winning music artists. On the surface, Apple’s advertisement sells a product solely 94

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for its corporate growth, but beyond that, it promotes change to inspire its young viewers to be secure in their identity in today’s male-dominated society through Aristotle’s three appeals. The short film challenges the notion that men must strictly adhere to the stereotypes surrounding music: rap is hardcore and motivating while Taylor Swift and other pop artists, especially the female, are vapid and designated only for the feminine, weak, and unambitious. Music should not be another vessel for humanity’s confinement within gender norms, but rather a way to free people and expand their bounds: music is an escape, not a perpetuation of toxic masculinity. The future is headed in this direction and Apple intends to be a leader. Through Apple, music is ultimately utilized as a catalyst for future change, uplifting marginalized voices.

The Ultimate Value of Kindness

Mikayla Myer

onstantly, we are presented with advertisements, whether through social media, television, billboards, or the radio. Although not all the advertisements we may see are particularly captivating, we will usually still remember them if they are catchy, and if they directly appeal to the target audience that we are a part of. The “Unsung Hero” commercial effectively captivates the audience because of the emotions of generosity, compassion, and helpfulness that are conveyed. These important messages of the true value of kindness and the importance of helping others deeply affect the viewers of the commercial. The advertisement for Thai Life Insurance is about a young man who goes about his day helping those around him through simple acts of kindness such as giving money to those in need. Peers of the man think that he is insane for giving up money that he has earned, such as when he gave food to a stray dog, or when he gave money to beggars on the side of the street. However, he is not discouraged by these people but is concerned more for the people around him and the emotions that he receives because of his selflessness. The “Unsung Hero” ad explicitly sells Thai Life Insurance, but it implicitly sells heartfelt emotions that 97

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are worth more than money due to the dedication to helping others, emphasizing that life insurance is for everyone. The “Unsung Hero” commercial does not feature famous people or anyone who is well known; it is just normal everyday people. The ad is in Thai so it’s directly for those who are Thai to buy this company’s life insurance. The advertisement takes place in a busy city that is dreary, monochromatic, and dull. The colors of the commercial are washed out and not bright. The people are all wearing dirty, old clothing, emphasizing how they are a poor community and they often may rely on the help of each other which the main actor in the advertisement does. In addition, the commercial exhibits people and animals that struggle every day which further conveys that the community is in need and poor. Even the main character of the ad faceshardships and still helps others with his own time, effort, and money. Since the main character in the advertisement is happy giving up his time to others, the “Unsung Hero” suggests that receiving emotions and kindness in return for your selfless acts is worth more than money. The commercial targets those who want to buy life insurance, so people who are 50 years of age or older may be intrigued to find a life insurance that they can depend on. When people are looking for a life insurance company, they need to find a business that is going to give them protection and a sense of security, allowing them to do the things that they enjoy in life. This ad is selling only to those who are from Thailand since the language spoken is Thai; however, the fundamental ideas that are conveyed are universal. In similar ads from the same company, for instance, “Silence of Love”, which also appeals strongly to emotions to convey that Thai Life Insurance will always be there for you in all parts of your life. Thai Life Insurance company was founded in 1942 and was one of the largest insurance companies in Thailand. Over the years, up to current day it has made billions of dollars and is 98

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still in business after 79 years. The company is known for their heartfelt and emotional commercials to grab the attention of the audience. The ad uses random actors and not celebrities as the main characters to indicate that their life insurance is for everyone, making their company appeal to a wider variety of people. Furthermore, by using random individuals, they make their company appeal to more people because the audience may view it as generic and more relatable since the majority of commercials include celebrities. An appeal to ethos in the advertisement is through the narrator who speaks seldomly and in Thai; his voice sounds as if he was an older man. The company uses this narrator to convey that he has experience in life and is wise, making the viewer more likely to be persuaded to buy life insurance. The narrator appeals to those buying because the man may be similar in age and give those looking to buy life insurance a sense of comfort and reliability in this company. No one knows who the main character of the ad is, which is intentionally done by the company to engage the audience and persuade them to obtain their insurance since they may view themselves as the main character, making the commercial relatable. The main character of the advertisement is just like everyone else which encourages viewers to relate to him. The purpose of the “Unsung Hero” is to gain the trust of the people, making the main actor relatable in how he pursues the kindness he wishes to bestow on his peers and how anyone can do the same. The commercial is in Thai with English subtitles, demonstrating that the coverage has spread beyond just Thailand to English speaking countries. The ad effectively appeals to ethos through the credibility of the Thai Insurance Company since they are a well known company, and are additionally known for their heartfelt and emotional ads to connect and persuade the audience. All of the appeals to ethos previously described add to the main points of the commercial about how being sentimental and caring more about others is worth more than money or 99

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anything that you could buy. From the beginning of the commercial, there is upbeat and light music adding to the whole mood of the ad which is heartfelt and as well, plays along with the emotions of generosity and fulfillment that are conveyed throughout the ad. The man in the advertisement portrays that if he can do all of these wonderful actions to help others then you can too. The acts of the man are supposed to inspire and motivate the viewers to be like him and to feel as though this company will be by their side for anything in their lives. Through the ad, you notice that individuals around the main character are questioning why he is doing the selfless deeds he does every single day and why he would waste his money so that others can be happy. However, the company wants to emphasize that giving away money and time to complete strangers is considerate and takes dedication. The main character doesn’t care because he values the reactions and emotions that are conveyed by those that he is helping more than the money that he has or the money that he is giving to others. There is dedication that is expressed throughout the ad due to the man helping the same people every day. Although he is poor himself and could use the money, he values the happiness of others over the stability of his own life. A memorable feature of the commercial is the moment in which a poor girl who has resorted to begging on the street with her mother is finally able to go to school. She can finally receive the education that would have only been a dream without the help of the main character, but became a reality because of his financial generosity. The impact of the man’s kindness by buying this stranger an education portrays that others can do the same and make an impact on others lives. The advertisement uses the issues and problems that the actors face to persuade the viewers that they should buy their life insurance to ensure happiness, security, and safety from such hardships. This appeal to pathos is a main subject by arousing the sympathy of the audience by making them feel 100

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bad for those in the harsh conditions in the ad. The appeal to pathos is heavily relied on in the commercial to convince the audience to buy their life insurance. The substantial dependency on the appeal to pathos can be an advantage in marketing because many consumers will be attracted to ads that are very emotional over ones that are full of direct information and credentials. Although credentials are important, most people will be drawn toward an advertisement that entices them and makes them remember it because of the emotions that it demonstrates. In addition, the language indicates that this company wants to appeal to non Thai speakers to try and convince them to buy their insurance, especially with their vivid messages and emotions that are portrayed. The company also uses the selfless acts of the main actor to convey that if you bought their insurance, you could too, be capable of performing considerate actions. Obviously, the explicit appeal to logos of the advertisement is to buy Thai Life Insurance; however, the ad additionally emphasizes that people should help others in need because this life insurance will always be there for you in whatever you want to do. Although the ad is in Thai, the appeal to logos through the main points can still be understood about the value of helping others and those actions being repaid through kindness. The main focus over the entire commercial is that when doing small acts of kindness throughout your day, you will receive kindness in return for your actions, ultimately making you feel like you are making a difference in people’s lives. This company is a wealthy and successful company that is definitely stable; however, they are still making commercials all demonstrating similar ideas and emotions. The company uses this consistency of their emotions and messages to their advantage to try to appeal to their audience to buy their insurance. The actors in the advertisement seem to be possibly lower class, which the company portrays to express that their insurance may be affordable 101

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and their insurance is for everyone. These main points of the value of generosity developed throughout the ad are concise and easy for anyone to understand, making it universal and appealing to anyone which is a benefit to the advertisement. Although it’s in a different language, you can still follow and understand the focal points in the commercial and what it’s trying to indicate to the audience which is very important in drawing the audience in and convincing them to buy the insurance. The appeal to logos may not be as emphasized compared to the other appeals but the main messages in the advertisement are repeated enough and emphasized that the audience will remember them when finished watching the advertisement. Some may argue that there are some downfalls in the balance of the appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. Even though the “Unsung Hero” is a well known ad and the company is as well, the ad relies heavily on pathos because of the emotions expressed in the ad, which can disprove the plausibility of the business. The ad is trying to persuade consumers through heartfelt emotions and the ad does not explicitly express the Thai Life Insurance company until the very end of the commercial where they just flash the name of the company. Although I grant that people may argue that this ad is not effective in convincing the audience because of the imbalance of the appeals or that there is not enough credibility, I still maintain that this advertisement is extremely effective in persuading the audience. It overcomes the language barrier through the audience being comprehending the message that generosity is the most valuable thing, even over money. It makes the audience feel emotional and they are affected by the message of open heartedness having more value compared to money. I disagree with the point that this commercial is imbalanced in its appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos because no advertisement is going to be perfectly balanced and each appeal is emphasized throughout the advertisement 102

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enough although it isn’t balanced evenly. Overall, the “Unsung Hero” is a very effective commercial to persuade those who are watching to buy their life insurance with the extensive use of the appeals to pathos, logos, and ethos. Although it’s in Thai, people who speak other languages can still understand the meaning and the messages conveyed in the advertisement which were that being generous is worth more money because you will receive kindness in return. The advertising reiterates the values of being thoughtful of those who are in need and how people will repay you for your kindness which is more valuable than wealth and riches. Would you rather buy Thai Life Insurance, or life insurance from another company that is hyper focused on drowning the viewers in facts, more than building a personal, emotional relationship with their customer? Hopefully, the answer is Thai Life Insurance because it is highly effective in convincing the audience to buy their insurance and they demonstrate their main hopes of security, happiness, and protection with their ad. Most people don’t even pay attention to the commercials that are displayed but the “Unsung Hero” advertisement does not compare to any other life insurance ad. The emotions that are conveyed by this company makes people want to watch the commercial. There will be many advertisements like this in the future since this company’s ads have millions of views. Many companies may take the Thai Life Insurance’s approach to persuade their audience through heartfelt emotion and strong memorable messages that will last for years.

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A Lesson in Advertising that Pepsi Will Never Forget

Taylor Salone

or over 50 years, Pepsi has been a household name as a billion-dollar food and beverage company known for its well-loved soft drinks. On April 4th, 2017, Pepsi wanted to release an ad that portrayed unity and peace, following the widespread protests advocating against police brutality, called “Live for Now”. However, this ad quickly became known for its controversy rather than its peaceful message as it was received by audiences as trivializing serious issues. While this ad tries to explicitly sell Pepsi products to the audience, overall they end up failing to do so, and ultimately conveys severe themes of performative activism and ignorance. The ad features a large, seemingly joyful group of protestors marching through a street with signs written with generic messages such as “love” and “peace”. While they’re walking, multiple people are seen to join throughout the ad, including Kendall Jenner, who’s modeling next to the protest beforehand. Jenner notices the protests, leaves the photographer, and joins the procession, all while carrying a can of Pepsi. She ends up giving her drink to one of many police officers lined up to authorize the protest, causing the crowd to cheer and document 105

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her superficially audacious act. In the ad’s aftermath, Pepsi received major backlash from its target audience, but who is the target audience? Seeing as the main cast of the ad were primarily young men and women, it’s safe to assume them as the target audience. Young adults are seen to organize these protests and publicly fight for rights the most because they have the power and knowledge to do so, but unfortunately for Pepsi, they also have the knowledge to recognize the performative undertones of the ad. Pepsi made no effort to sincerely portray the danger that protesters put their lives in, replacing the defiant, resistant, and serious attitudes of minority protestors with those of naivety and misplaced joy. Five years later, the ad is still known for its ignorant and trivial portrayal of life-threatening movements, specifically Black Lives Matter. Over the decades, Pepsi has been advertising its products, one of the most common tactics they’ve used to appeal to ethos, or appear more credible to their audience, is to use well-known celebrities. This strategy is used worldwide with advertisements and it’s seen to work. The audience sees someone they admire consuming a certain product, and it will influence them to want to do the same. “Live for Now” happens to feature Kendall Jenner, just another celebrity used to influence the viewers of the ad. This method could have had the full potential of being effective, however, they ended up using her presence for all the wrong reasons, causing Pepsi to seem anything but credible. The largest takeaway from this ad appears to be towards the end when Jenner hands a police officer a Pepsi, and the entire protest suddenly goes wild. People are cheering, snapping pictures, and approving of the small act she’s done as if it fixed all the problems the protest was for in the first place. It can be inferred by the time the ad was released and the contents of the ad that it was inspired by protests against police brutality, leading many to believe this ad comes off as childish and completely ignorant. 106

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Pepsi demonstrates that its product can erase the gigantic societal divide between victims of police brutality and the police themselves. Not only does the ad seem incredible due to ignorance of social issues, but also because Pepsi doesn’t give credit to those who truly risk their lives participating in protests for social justice. They portray walking up to authorities during a protest as something so insignificant that anyone could do it without consequence, which doesn’t pertain to the reality of protests at all. They downplay a serious situation while also placing it in the hands of a celebrity, someone who will rarely ever have to fight as hard as a protester would for their rights. Another way ads will try to appeal to us is through, pathos, or our emotions. Pepsi has constantly used its ads as a way to convey joy, they want us to believe we will be happier with their products. Unfortunately, they couldn’t let that notion go, even for what should have been a serious commercial. This ad is supposed to give a sense of bravery and inspiration. Throughout the video, we see images of hardworking people, including struggling photographers and instrument players who all join in on a powerful movement. Watching others protest should give the audience a sense of justice, and Pepsi wanted viewers to think that they are on their side. Pepsi wanted people to buy their products in hopes of being proud of them, thinking, “Wow, the company I buy from is knowledgeable and stands up for human rights!” However, the ad turns out to be completely ironic, as there is no real justice served. In place of a sense of pride, Pepsi’s audience is left unsatisfied and disappointed watching as they capitalize on deadly situations and lead people to believe that they don’t care about what affects their consumers’ lives. Although some may argue there isn’t much logic behind this commercial, Pepsi still attempted to appeal to logos, or rationality, when producing this ad. They want to convey a message that common ground can be achieved through kindness and consideration—but as an addition to buying their drinks, 107

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of course. Despite their efforts, Pepsi only proves how out of touch they are with these naive messages. Everyone in their ad is joyful, dancing, and looking camera ready with a smile on their faces. No one at a protest would ever look as joyful as they did. This only causes confusion, and whatever message they were trying to relay flew over the viewer’s heads as they were trying to decipher how they were supposed to respond to such an advertisement. Pepsi’s “Live for Now” is truly the epitome of performative activism and irony wrapped up in one commercial. It makes so many individuals wonder why such a wealthy company that has been around for so long wouldn’t take the time to research or correctly portray a protest. There is seldom smiling and laughing at protests, you will not find a group of people breakdancing at a protest, and you certainly won’t find a random celebrity making amends with the perpetrator by handing them a soda. PepsiCo announced that they wanted to “project a global message of unity, peace, and understanding”, but it’s clear that they were more focused on the validation and money of their viewers rather than trying to understand how they can actually help resolve the issues that harm people of color. In the short 48 hours that the ad was still on the air, PepsiCo received a wakeup call they will never live down.

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The Cog

Michaela Vanzile-Partridge

he advertisement, The Cog by Honda, is for people who want to know about cars, learn more about them, and learn about what they are buying. This Ad is not just for adults but also for children because they can get focused on the ad and can go tell their parents about it and the ad will persuade their parents to buy it. The Cog is about a video of car parts bringing themselves together to form a brand new, Honda car. The Honda ad explicitly sells customers who buy their cars and to get them to notice newly built Honda cars so, they made an ad about it. The Cog features the parts of the car and how they work together. The audience for this ad includes people who want to know more about cars and new families who want to buy their first car but don’t know where to start. The age group for this ad would be ages sixteen and up because you can get your permit at the age of sixteen and can buy your own car at that age. The Cog appeals to ethos by using no voice in the advertisement to intrigue viewers to keep watching. The way Honda designed this ad was unique because most of the time, in car ads, there is always a person yelling about what sales they have going on. But in this ad, Honda decided to have barely any voices but to have the parts of the car to “work together” to stay 109

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a brand new car. The appeal to ethos to the advertisement is effective because the people who made this advertisement have experience in this job or have had a job similar to this and have experience in the field. The Cog appeals to pathos by making the viewers intrigued to watch the ad by the way they made it. The message of this advertisement persuades viewers to buy this product because the advertisement makes viewers think the car was built successfully and is 100% safe with no worries. This company’s method to persuade viewers to buy their cars is genius. At the end of the advertisement it says “Isn’t it just nice when things just work.” meaning when things work out peacefully, it is a nice and gentle feeling. Most people would keep their car for about four years and two months and then go and find a new one so Honda is trying to make ads look compelling to draw potential customers in. The users decided not put words with the advertisement because they probably thought that the viewers would not pay attention to what’s going on in the video if they hear voices in it and they would only pay attention to what the voices are saying and not what the ad is really about. This ad tells us that humans like to focus on people’s voices then what is actually going on besides what they’re talking about. The significance of this ad is to teach people to not only listen to what people have to say, but also to look at what they’re talking about because it can have a deeper effect on you if you look and listen to what they have to say. The future of this ad could help future engineers learn more about cars and can invent ways to make better, faster, stronger and more reliable cars in the future.

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Why Online Advertisements Need Another Look

Luke Weber

rom 2018 through 2021, the Isreali gaming company Plarium Games launched a massive ad campaign through websites like YouTube and Twitch to promote their new mobile action-RPG game, Raid Shadow Legends. The platforms that Plarium chose to use to promote their product are spaces that feature individual creators of content, as opposed to the massive organizations behind entertainment you might find on television channels. Consequently, almost all of the ads for Raid Shadow Legends on these two websites are brand integrations, a style of advertising in which the creator themselves presents the ad. Picture Anderson Cooper telling you why you should buy the latest flavor of potato chip. One of these “brand integrations” from a YouTube channel called Offline TV perfectly exemplifies why this type of advertising can be so lucrative, and thus is the specific ad read I have chosen to examine. The Raid Shadow Legends advertising scheme perfectly markets a fun, rewarding experience with a low effort threshold to the short attention spans and bored minds of the average online entertainment consumer. This specific advertisement in the campaign is a minute long 111

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integration, placed at the beginning of a 20 minute long video. The ad begins spontaneously, as the creators “discover” the game inside of a package. After this, the video cuts away to a more scripted segment, as one of the creators narrates over roughly fifty seconds of graphics from the game. The integration is routinely interrupted by comedic breakaways (about every ten or fifteen seconds) that relate vaguely to the ad content. This main scripted segment describes the game and lists some of the features that might make it stand out from its competitors, such as graphics and variety of gameplay. Finally, the ad wraps up by offering an in-game reward for new players who download the game using the creator’s link in the video description. An extremely important factor in determining whether this advertisement is effective is the demographic of people who consume content from sites like YouTube and Twitch. First, since most of this media is less than two decades old, most people who watch are young adults or adolescents. Second, partially as a result of their age, fans of online video creators are often very dedicated to the channels they watch. On YouTube alone, there are over two hundred thousand channels with over one hundred thousand subscribers, so it makes sense that most people can find channels and communities that they truly resonate with, not close approximations. Another force driving their dedication is the interaction they receive with the creators. Tools like the comment section and the quick time between most videos’ conception and release make people feel as if their viewership matters, and has an impact on the content they watch and others in the community. Third, and most importantly, internet consumers have a short attention span. If you don’t find a video immediately engaging, there are twenty more on the suggested feed waiting to take its place. A livestream falling into a lull? Choose from the fifty running on the homepage of Twitch, or get notified when other streamers go live. The online environment is built to eliminate boredom, at 112

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the expense of entertainers who fail to maintain engagement in their audiences. An extremely strong ethos appeal is formed within this ad through trust of the creator by the consumer and the comic relief provided constantly within the ad. It should not be understated the amount of trust and respect a creator holds in the eyes of the viewer. As the vast majority of comedic or entertainment based YouTube videos (as opposed to educational videos) are personality driven, the viewer knows the creator much more personally than they would a television game show host or sports commentator. Many creators who find massive success on the platform go on to do live shows, generally an adaptation of the videos or streams they produce. This just makes sense to most people, as it is generally assumed that the person you see on camera accurately depicts their personality and interests in real life. They adore the person on screen, a connection that can be easily taken advantage of by advertisers. In the case of the Raid Shadow Legends advertisement, it is assumed by the viewer that the game in question has some kind of redeeming quality for the members of Offline TV to be promoting it. The comedic breaks spread constantly throughout the advertisement add to this effect. Instead of applying directly to the game, the jokes are targeted more towards lives and personalities of the creators, such as “[Raid Shadow Legends] even has a better storyline than Fed’s romantic life” (the narrator is a creator that goes by “Fedmyster”). If the creators are cracking jokes, then surely they must find something funny or enjoyable about the game, the viewer reasons. And if the creator enjoys it, maybe I would too. As for rational features of the ad, the video doesn’t provide the kind of ideas that would motivate someone to stop what they are doing and change their behavior, which actually works in the advertisement’s favor. Most ads would have you leave or take your attention away from the advertisement medium 113

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to go out and buy their product or service. Plarium needs far less action for their ad to be successful: their app is available on most operating systems and is “totally free” (ignoring the microtransactions that make the app profitable). A click of a button and the expenditure of zero dollars is all that the ad needs to be successful. For this reason, many of the appeals to logos are presented in a way that exchanges depth and complexity for saturation of ideas. The ad is extremely fast paced, fitting in lines about the graphics, gameplay, storyline and specific game mechanics in only about 30 sec (the rest of the ad being allocated to comedic relief ). For instance, the ad integration states that there are “visually stunning champions from sixteen different factions”. At the end, the ad lists “boss fights, pvp battles” and then says “so what are you waiting for”. Upon second inspection, these statements are extremely shallow. The ad doesn’t say what a “faction” is or why you should care. In the gaming industry, these terms are practically buzz words, as they are staples of most if not all action franchises. Plenty of games have team strategy, massive enemies that represent a landmark, and fighting against other players; simply listing those features doesn’t provide a detailed logical appeal. However, presenting ideas so quickly, the ad suspends this kind of critical thought. Critical thinking isn’t the goal of most people looking for entertainment on the internet, and generating it within the viewer certainly isn’t the goal of this ad. All of the features presented simply imply that the game has depth, and give the viewer ways in which to imagine an experience they would like to be having without realizing that their imagination may have little to do with the actual game. This imagination, combined with their trust in the creator, provides just enough of a logical justification for the viewer to download the app. Chances are, if a bored viewer clicks on Offline TV’s video to be engaged, and are bombarded with such an array of ideas and pitches, they will be intrigued enough to give Raid Shadow Legends a try. 114

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The emotional appeal of the advertisement is much less subtle, enticing the viewer largely with an effective bandwagon appeal combined with the use of specific language designed to make the viewer feel as if they are part of a group. The very first claim made by the ad is that Raid is “the most popular mobile RPG on the market right now”. This statement divides the ethos appeals in their two main components: popularity and urgency. For popularity, niche online entertainment communities really help to motivate the viewer. As I have discussed before, viewers in this setting identify much more strongly with their creators, and that results in cult followings full of people with very similar interests and personality traits. Increased communication through social media, online forums and other mediums means that people are very aware of these similarities, and are eager to connect with like-minded people. The sales pitch that the game is one of the “most popular” on the market is language meant to emphasize that the game is at the peak of its popularity, and is drawing others in, even if you don’t feel convinced by the ad. Watching the ad, the viewer will look forward to a highly social experience that they can enjoy with people that will provide interesting interaction to the game, especially if the game itself appears somewhat unappealing. Urgency to fulfill the emotional promises of social contact is also exemplified in this first claim, and restated later in the ad. Most games would have you believe that their experience is one of “ultimate” quality, that is to say the game will remain unchallenged by future competition. Plarium makes no attempt to present this appearance claiming that the game is “most popular “right now” (emphasis added), implying that the game will be at the peak of its popularity for only a short period of time. Since most mobile games do in fact follow a trend of high popularity for a short period of time, Plarium uses that trend to introduce the fear of missing out, or FOMO into their ads. Advertisers have known for a long time that FOMO is a huge 115

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sales driver, and Plarium generates the image of a social, shortlived experience in order to take advantage of this seemingly innate human motivation. At the end of the advertisement, their tactic becomes especially clear, as a limited-time offer is presented that gives beginners bonus in-game resources if they download the app within the next thirty days. As far as I can tell, these resources don’t make or break your playthrough of the game; the limited-time offer is used rather to give the viewer a hard deadline: download the game, or forever miss out on the experience. Humans are naturally social animals, and in the wild, social exclusion can mean the difference between survival and a cold, lonely death, so naturally humans are hard-wired to never let an opportunity to socialize and connect slip away. The established trust between the creator and the viewer, the rapid-fire presentation of the ad and the appeal to a socially energizing experience combine to create a lucrative advertising scheme that perfectly utilizes the novel and quickly expanding platform of online entertainment. Although these new advertising techniques may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern of the accountability of online creators. New advertising techniques targeting the online entertainment consumer need to be thoroughly examined and reviewed to ensure that the consumers (many of them children) aren’t manipulated by online personalities. And with the increasing number and diversity of outlets, it is becoming increasingly difficult for adults and the general public to quality control the kind of advertising that is shown to their children and loved ones. Raid Shadow Legends itself could be used as a possible example of corporate abuse of this trend: the entire business model of the game is that downloading and playing is initially free and quick, until the pace of the game slows down, at which point the consumer is encouraged to use microtransactions (exchanges of small amounts of real-world money for in-game resources) to maintain the pacing of the game. While one could maintain 116

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that this tactic is easily-avoidable and relatively inoffensive, the opportunity still exists for corporate powers to take advantage of increased viewer engagement and trust in online entertainment programs to further manipulate viewers into overly consumerist ideals and practices.

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Toyota, The Great Escape

Clare Canario, Maria Urrutia

oyota Superbowl commercial, highlighting the new 2020 Toyota Highlander has the objective of selling a car. The commercial’s main purpose is to entice car buyers to purchase the new Toyota, while simultaneously making them visualize how adequate the car is through adventurous and entertaining circumstances. Throughout the advertisement, there are numerous instances of people in danger leading them to need an escape. To get to safety, the people in peril would get into the new Toyota Highlander and be secure from the jeopardy they were in. Toyota is a Japanese car company that has been around since 1937. Over the years, they have expanded to develop a worldwide presence as one of the most well-known car companies. Toyota has a history of making unique commercials that either tell a touching story that the audience can relate to, or is jampacked with action scenes that people can’t take their eyes off of. This Toyota advertisement explicitly sells the 2020 Highlander, but it implicitly sells reliability, efficiency, and assistance. The individuals in the commercial emphasize how the car is readily available for any instance at hand, which further proves how the car is dependable and accommodating in most situations, leading people to purchase the car. At the beginning of this advertisement, the audience is pre119

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sented with a panoramic view of a disastrous power plant tragedy with vigorous green fumes spreading all over the place. The dramatic music intensifies as our attention is turned towards the people who are trying to flee. One of the characters declares that there is no space in the escape vehicle and stays behind, as the camera and melodies slowly emphasize their melancholic expression. Soon, the music abruptly pauses, as the Toyota Car interrupts the theatrical scene. The ad continues to follow this recurring scenario of a dramatic sacrifice scene being obstructed by the Toyota driver along different settings such as the wild west, some sort of supernatural catastrophe, and at the movies when the driver rescues her son. The commercial was shot in high definition which allows for a clear, resolute image, and is also full of top-quality animation to implement realistic explosions and detailed creatures. From the ad’s execution, it can be assumed that the target audience is large groups of people who travel together such as extensive families or groups of friends. It is also evident that the commercial does not target any specific gender, as both women and men are portrayed inside the vehicle; suggesting, that the product can be utilized by anyone. Nonetheless, the ad only intends on reaching a specific age group, since cars are an item that can only be used by people over a certain age (usually 17 or older). The advertisement also indirectly targets the middle/ upper-middle class, given that this socioeconomic class tends to be able to afford cars. Moreover, the ad’s emphasis on convenience rather than opulence further appeals to this specific socioeconomic class as the group is generally inclined to have a larger family because their income allows them to provide for more than one child, but cannot afford over-priced luxuries. This ad does not convey that anyone needs to be of a specific marital status to use a Highlander, meaning that this advertisement isn’t specifically marketed towards families with kids, or people who are married or single. This ad does specifically use 120

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a clever storyline to get their point across, but Toyota’s message has been reiterated many times before by other car companies in commercials. During the entirety of the ad, Toyota has targeted the ethos appeal by establishing believability and credibility through the use of various rhetorical devices, such as visual evidence, testimonies, professionalism, and authoritative language. For example, the advert provides visual evidence of the functionality of its product when it demonstrates, one person at a time, the considerable amount of people that fit in the car, subsequently proving the overall message of the ad; that the car has a lot of space. The commercial seems to understand that a simple idea such as a spacious car is easy to prove visually and is, therefore, an effective method to deliver its message. Given this, some may argue that the ad’s fast pace could hinder the viewers from evaluating whether or not to buy the car. However, we would argue that this is precisely what allows Toyota to persuade the audience, since they’re not given that much time to profoundly reflect on if the ad’s points can be disproven. Hence, they’re most likely to comply with buying the car since, at face value, it seems like the best option. Furthermore, the advertisement presents various different narratives which serve as testimonies to further certify the car’s capabilities. These various stories presented throughout the ad convey believability as each account can be seen in real life in some way, despite being fictitious. Additionally, the commercial also relies on instituting a sense of authority and experience in order to appeal to the ethos rhetoric. This is perceivable through the use of professional cinematography and animation during the entirety of the ad which connotes experience from Toyota in the domain of motion-picture photography, resulting in a sensation of quality being transmitted; consequently continuing to support the ad’s reliability. Moreover, because due to the fact that Toyota is remarkably well known (and has been for decades), the 121

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brand’s extensive knowledge on the field has most likely been unintentionally imprinted on the viewer’s mind prior to the ad, which also incites an impression of Toyota’s control and dominion over other vehicle companies. The brand’s sovereignty over other brands is also reinforced through authoritative language such as the driver’s “Get in Bryan,” which is delivered in a monotonous, annoyed tone implying that this is not the driver’s first time doing this. Ultimately, the most significant appeal to ethos is most likely the whole moral principle that comes with helping people out, as these actions exhibit ethical values and noble character which the audience is inspired to attain by the ad. From the beginning to the end of the Toyota commercial, there are numerous appeals to humans in danger. The extensive imagery of explosions, high-speed horse chases, extraterrestrial creatures, and more, all help exemplify the unsafe situations the soon-to-be passengers of the new car are in. Each scene features a different terrain with varying climates, displaying the pronounced cinematography of sandy deserts, snowy mountains, and rainy cities. Inside the advertisement, theThe characters within the advertisement exhibit their bravery through their sacrifice, as each passenger escapes their demise and ultimately makes it out alive. Empathy is produced as the situations the characters are in seem devastating. The audience’s guilt surges, inciting a desire in them to help out the characters, which is later satisfied and fulfilled by the car that comes to the rescue. A dramatic tone displayed through specific lighting and acting, sets the scene’s exciting mood, leaving the audience tentative and captivated. The dramatization of the music within the commercial emanates an intense atmosphere of the danger that is going to transpire. Comedy is alluring, therefore, the commercial utilizes a joke in order to get the audience to visualize themselves in their own Toyota Highlander cracking jokes. The main driver introduces humor when she converses with another 122

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passenger, saying “‘That critter has an ugly mouth’. ‘That’s not his mouth’. ‘Ugh, I just got this washed’”. Essentially, the characters’ wittiness allows the advertisement to deliver a humorous tone which is usually present in enjoyable aspects of the audience’s life, hence a personal connection is drawn between them. The commercial is fast-paced and filled with action, resulting in a hooked and entertained audience, waiting to see what is coming next. The advertisement is consistent in that there is a small amount of time for the dramatic scene of impending danger, and then suddenly the car interrupts, revealing an obvious and easy solution. Movies also tend to have different sets, dramatic music, and captivating gestures. This advertisement is extremely similar to those movie features, making this commercial entertaining to the audience, the same way a movie does. The ad also incorporates a sneaky play on words to when the last passenger is getting into the car. Whereas industry standard has it that car commercials should sell you a product, this Toyota ad capitalizes on adventures and sacrifice that subtly persuades people to buy the new 2021 Toyota Highlander. The car starts with only one person in it, the driver, but by the time the commercial ends, there are five passengers. This is the brand’s way of presenting how spacious and efficient the car is. Over the course of the commercial, the Highlander treks through loose gravel, sand, slippery snow, and pouring rain, which allows the audience to visualize how versatile the Toyota Highlander is. No matter the terrain, the Toyota is able to get through it. In addition, the commercial also incongruously incorporates a modern vehicle along with an old-fashioned mode of transport (horse) in order to appeal to the mind and intellect. Although the ad doesn’t come out and directly says to buy the car, the ad does, however, present motives to buy the Highlander in more creative and indirect ways. The car has space, efficiency, reliability, versatility, and more, but that is displayed 123

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through the storyline of the commercial. If people buy this car, they are confident that they won’t be stranded in one place with no source of transportation like the characters in the ads were. Instead, the Highlander would always be there to help out in a fashionable, efficient, and courteous way. By the end of the advert, we are also presented with a final rescue scene, in which the driver assists her son with the space the car offers. This scene allows the viewers to consider how these scenarios can be used in their own lives, therefore establishing logic behind the need for a spacious car. All of a sudden, the Highlander appears and the characters are offered an escape. Some may assume that the ad’s argument upholds many stereotypical ideas of how western society expects women to act, and defeats modern ideals of gender equality and demolishing patriarchal views. Our own view, however, is that the commercial tries to perpetuate America’s altruistic culture that values unselfishness and charity. As a result, we believe Toyota’s future is heading in the right direction, in terms of selling cars through advertisements. This ad is adventurous and entertaining but does so through the use of the new car they are selling. As a result, more people will purchase Toyota cars because of the persuasive and entertaining commercials the company produces. While it is true that the ad’s purpose is to sell a car, there is a creative aspect to the commercial that Totoyta uses to further persuade the viewers to buy the car. This commercial conveys how valuable cars are and how they can help others in necessary situations. Although Toyota is a Japanese company, it is one of the most well-known car companies in America.

124

All Strength, No Sweat

Marilyn Clausell

ast year, Secret Deodorant announced a nationwide casting call for its new campaign “All Strength, No Sweat” along with four new products launched. The advertisement was done through a song personally made for the campaign and sung by the artist Jessie Reyes. In the ad we are presented with various women of different ethnicities, all doing what they love. Secret was developed in the 1950s as a result of women’s desire for a product that would contribute to their feelings of femininity, daintiness and freshness. In 1972, Secret introduced the now-famous tagline “Strong enough for man, but made for a woman”. This tagline still remains one of the most famous advertising lines of all time. This Secret Deodorant ad explicitly sells their new deodorants, but it implicitly sells self-confidence to women, which has become especially marketable because what is more important than the self ? Confidence has to do with how well a person feels within themselves, and how much they trust their abilities and qualities. As individuals we are always looking for ways to improve on ourselves. What better way to start this off than boosting our comfortability. The first thing that stands out about the ad is the choice of color. All of the main components of the ad are blue. At the very beginning, there’s a blue bus. Then, there’s a scene in front 125

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of a lake with clear blue skies. The singer is in a blue studio recording her song. The product of the ad, the deodorant, is blue. And the outfits all of the girls are wearing are blue. This color repetition goes on throughout the whole advertisement. There is a reason for that. Not only is the color blue a very common favorite color, it also has its psychological effects. Blue calls to mind feelings of calmness or serenity. It’s often described as peaceful, tranquil, secure, and orderly. Blue is often seen as a sign of stability and reliability. That is why many businesses that want to project an image of security and trustworthiness often utilize blue in their advertising and marketing. Along with the scenery, the ad also features a good amount of female celebrities including Jessie reyez (singer), Camilla Mendes (actress), Swin Cash (X-WNBA player), Ainsley Rodriquez (fitness guru), and Shenae Grimes Beech (actress and youtuber). Each one of them has their own part in the ad where they demonstrate their career and the things they love to do. The main audience this ad targets is women. Not any specific type of woman, but women in general. We are presented with women of all races and ethnicities. Jessie Reyez and Shenae Grimes are Canadian, Camilla Mendes is Brazilian, Swin Cash is Black, and Ainsley Rodriguez is Latinx. The advertisement wants to make sure it includes a variety of people, specifically women, so none feel left out. They’re implying that it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you look like. You can be confident being who you are. What’s more, the ad capitalizes on this diversity to suggest that the company producing this product is forward-thinking and affirming a variety of identities. What makes an advertisement more credible than integrating credible people? That’s exactly what Secret did. They involved actresses, singers, YouTubers, gurus, even sports players. Just the fact that these individuals are part of the influencer industry makes the advertisement many times more credible. This 126

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gives the audience a sense of reassurance that they are certain to enjoy the product. “If a VIP enjoys it, why wouldn’t I?” In other words, it is professionally approved. This appeals to ethos, immediately making the ad more credible because the individual advertising the product is a credible individual themselves. Who wouldn’t believe the words of an X-WNBA player? Swin Cash spent most of her time running around and being active. If this product works for her, who says it can’t work for us? Going back to the tone of the ad, this pop of color creates a sense of unison between all the components embedded in it, appealing to the audience’s emotions and making it more interesting to the eyes. Not only is it a vibrant color, it is also a color loved by many. The women in the ad are all wearing some sort of blue. Light or dark, vibrant or dull. They prove that anyone can look good in it. “Buy it. It will look good on you no matter what.” Not only will their deodorant boost your confidence, it is also a necessity. Every woman needs a deodorant for daily life. Secret is this deodorant. With Secret, you are free to wear and do whatever you want without worrying about feeling uncomfortable. Being a woman is about feeling comfortable in your own skin. With Secret’s new deodorant you can guarantee that not only will you be comfortable in your own skin, moreover you will possess the confidence to display it to the rest of the world.

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East Hills is a Thrill: The Genius Behind a Humorously Tragic Ad Natalie McFadden

lthough it can vary wildly for certain individuals, the average person sees up to 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day. Whether scrolling on social media, in a magazine, newspaper, or even driving down the road, we are guaranteed to see multiple advertisements that try to attract us to products. East Hills Mall in St. Joseph, Missouri created a masterpiece of an ad that allures people to come shop for back to school. This advertisement encompasses a wide variety of products in the mall presented by their own workers in a unique and eccentric way that received attention nationwide. East Hills Mall was built in 1965 as one of the first malls in the Midwestern United States. The mall was expanded and now has 50 tenants, most of which are lifestyle retail stores and restaurants. The mall certainly changed the shopping dynamics of the city after it was built. The East Hills ad explicitly sells clothing and products for back to school, but it implicitly sells a sense of community and unity surrounding the mall in St Joseph’s to children and parents who are going back to school, and even protests large corporations. 129

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Visually, the employees of the mall are gathered to advertise the mall of East Hills to the people of St. Josephs, advocating for going back to school and fostering a wide community effort for academics. Individuals are positioned in front of different stores that they work at, including American Eagle, Master Cuts, Rue 21, Journey’s, Off Broadway Shoes, and Vanity, singing different tunes for each store to a beatboxing rhythm, presenting numerous products the mall has to offer. “Denim,” “Haircuts,” “Backpacks. Backpacks. Come get your backpacks,” and the most notable “Boots and pants and boots and pants” are all key phrases heard throughout the ad. They start and finish off the ad with their signature fluorescent green logo and their website name. This genius ad targets young children, high school students, college students, and parents, as they promote back to school shopping. Seeing the girl sing in front of the carousel engages younger viewers, inspiring them, as it would be some children’s dreams to sing on television. High school and college students might see the clothing and styled hair and be interested in indulging in such items. Parents or grandparents may watch the ad and want to provide clothing and certain commodities for their children. Overall, the ad appeals to the local community, targeting a plethora of demographics spanning from kids to grandparents. The editory effort put into the advertisement is an appeal to ethos. East Hills editors have applied different fonts and sparkling effects that dazzle the screen. When people see the bright flashing visual effects, they are drawn in and may realize the work someone went through to photoshop and animate the screen. There is a childish font pictured stating “Back to School,” which appeals to children, as they are attracting younger people to shop for back to school endeavors. The credibility of the commercial escalates when the employees are presenting the product in a creative way, because if the workers are representing 130

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their stores, it means that they enjoy working there and would go on television to promote it. While it is true that the workers seem slightly nervous and uncomfortable on camera, they go as far to represent companies in a commercial that will appear to thousands. The employees’ clean appearances, nice clothes and haircuts charm people, suggesting they are fashionable (at least for 2014), indicating dedication of the business and high credibility. Moreover, they put in time to make an entire song, tune, and beatbox, which takes time and knowledge. Additionally, appeals to ethos are recognized outside of the ad itself, relating to the producer and the coverage. Chris Fleck is the producer of the East Hills commercial. He is a writer, producer, and director who has gained nationwide coverage and awards for his distinctive creativity in his campaigns. The Today Show and Ellen endorsed the commercial, calling it brilliant and when the commercial dropped there was a 30 to 40% increase in sales. The fact that Ellen and The Today Show, which are wealthy, and highly broadcasted television shows, displayed the East Hills ad means that they are doing something right. Even though it may seem like the ad is a complete disaster, its widespread coverage on shows worth millions of dollars, say otherwise. Logically, the explicit message is people should buy products for back to school, but the implicit message is that when you come to East Hills, Missouri you can get a community, and an upbeat, and caring environment. The explicit idea is that the mall has much to offer, which is the point of creators depicting the store in the background and presenting items that consumers might want to buy, especially back to school products. The commercial proves that when someone comes to East Hills, they aren’t just getting a place to shop for clothes, but they can additionally get haircuts and backpacks. The director, instead of creating an ad laden with characters, metaphors, and overstimulating scenery, gets the point across quickly, appealing to 131

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the mind as the message of the ad doesn’t get confused with a sidestory or distract you with a celebrity. Celebrities take away the focus of the ad, so the audience remembers the cast and not the product. Even though A-list celebrities are in the ad, it doesn’t always mean it is effective. Rather than implementing the factors aforementioned, East Hills simply sells their back to school campaign; they don’t need a flashy celebrity or a million dollar budget to communicate their message. Implicitly, East Hills attracts family and friends, creating a healthy and wholesome environment. Similarly, it ties in the relatability of the ad by proving that the East Hills mall isn’t perfect, as they sing off-key, and there are unclean cuts. They make mistakes, but so do humans. Humans constantly make mistakes and creators at East Hills are getting the point across that that is certainly acceptable, which supports appeals to ethos, as well. Nonetheless, East Hills’ humorous mistakes and seemingly bad decisions propelled them forward, gaining national attention. An author or producer can appeal to pathos by evoking emotion and alluring the audience, by means of language, visual, and oral intrigue. An extensive amount of emotions can be taken out of this ad, especially as a result of its choices concerning visuals and audio. The ad commences with a kid singing, “East Hills, we’re back to school”. While some people might assert that the child’s rendition is slightly off-key and awkward, people sympathize with the child and might think it is endearing. The bizarre beginning draws people in, especially children who might see the young girl and want to be her. When watching ads, kids tend to connect with other kids in the ad, whether they are consuming or interacting with the product and feel the urge to desire it. Thus, the ad encapsulates the interests of adults as well as younger children. As the commercial continues, other employees from different stores join into the song in different parts and there is a subtle beatboxing in the background. The song develops into an earworm, or in other words, gets 132

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stuck in your head for an extended amount of time, making the audience remember the mall. The song doesn’t have to be incredible, it just has to be effective and catchy. Besides audio elements, there are visual components that add to the overwhelming brilliance of the commercial, appealing to pathos. At the beginning of the ad behind the girl, a carousel is pictured whizzing around in the background giving people a sense of nostalgia surrounding the mall. Shopping malls were all the rage and the prime hang out spot in the 80s and 90s, so parents now can connect to a key memory in their teenage years or childhood. Everyone excitedly swirling around the mall, hoping to find some piece of clothing or get a cool new haircut to flaunt in school, or even playing at the arcade with their friends. By adding the carousel in the background, the ad brings a whole generation of people into their store and directly connects to their emotions. The simple visuals of optimal lighting, people smiling and creative sparkling effects are pleasing to the viewers’ eyes accessing emotion through satisfaction. Other than nostalgia and satisfaction, this advertisement appeals to individuals’ sense of humor and relatability. When I first saw the ad, I thought it was extremely unprofessional and the worst ad I’d ever seen, but I soon realized that the low quality and humor made it unforgettable or as people say “it was so bad, it was good.” Moreover, relatability becomes effective as well. The commercial proves that the creators are regular, down to earth people who are trying to make an ad for their community. They don’t want to steal your money like big corporations do; they want to help people get back to school. Even if East Hills makes mistakes the watcher feels for them because they make mistakes as well, putting them in the same position. In essence, East Hills doesn’t believe they are superior to their audience, which further increases their appeals to ethos. On the surface, this ad might not seem like a culturally sig133

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nificant ad; however, after investigation, East Hills is evidently protesting large corporations and reinforces the importance of unity, family values, and a sense of community. Affluent companies such as Nike and Walmart might not grab people’s attention because normal people don’t relate to large corporations and their insincere claims. American people appreciate a sense of community and ads they directly associate with. If people can connect with the company, there’s a higher chance that others are going to buy their products. The audience, given that the ad seems homemade and heartfelt, can identify and aren’t intimidated by a large corporation that may flood you with their brand logos. Rather than sensing contempt that they might feel when large institutions preach to them, they feel welcomed. Undoubtedly, when people go back to school, they will think of this awkward, yet brilliant and hilarious advertisement of East Hills Shopping Center.

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Handsfree Driving for Everyone

Michaela Riley

adillac’s advertisement during Super Bowl 54 pays homage to the 1990 movie Edward Scissorhands. The promotion starred the original actress Winona Ryder along with actor Timothee Chalamet. The advertisement’s purpose is to sell the company’s new feature of hands free self-driving cars. Cadillac is an American luxury car company that began producing hands free vehicles starting in 2019. The Cadillac commercial explicitly sells cars, but it implicitly sells hands free steering to everyone, rather than just the rich. The advertisement begins with an average looking home and family environment, except that the son has scissors for hands. The advertisement goes on to emphasize the difficulties of having scissors for hands such as cutting the signal line on the bus, effectively breaking the bus for other passengers. The signal line instructs the driver that a passenger would like to get off at the next stop. Additionally, Edgard gets his hands stuck in a fence, deflates a football, and disrupts a teachers’ science experiment. The commercial ends with Edgar being introduced to driving by using the hands free system in the Cadillac. The promotion targets a wide audience as it was aired during 135

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the Super Bowl. The commercial features famous actors revising the movie Edward Scissorhands from 1990. The colors used are dark, light gray, black and pink, following the lighting of the original movie. There are also some features of pastels that reflect the same color palette. The advertisement intends to target a broad audience in the age range of 40-60 year olds who were familiar with Edward Scissorhands when it was first released. Winona Ryder is easily recognizable to Generation X while also targeting a younger generation who know her from series like Stranger Things. The Gen Z audience would recognize Timothee Chalamet as he is currently a popular actor starting in movies such as Ladybird, Little Women, and Dune. The commercial targets the middle class with the suburban aspect: the ranch home, minimum wage job, using a bus as transportation. The Cadillac commercial would reiterate with the Super Bowl audience because viewership is made up mostly of males in the age range of 30-60. The broader audience would interest men who are married and that would be watching the Super Bowl. Beyond this, the commercial is attempting to appeal to younger men who someday aspire to own a Cadillac and view it as a symbol of success. The advertisement appeals to ethos by placing emphasis on Edgar’s physical impairment showing Cadillac is aware and willing to make cars that are accessible to people with disabilities. Ryder’s role of watching Edgard struggle with having scissorhands can represent someone who has a family member with a physical impairment. The viewer would be able to relate to the complications Edgar faced and Winona Ryder’s need to help. The commercial’s overall aesthetic can invoke nostalgia for the age group that experienced the movie when it was first released 30 years ago. This is seen in the colors and the use of the original soundtrack as background music in the advertisement. The addition of Winona Ryder would draw in the age demographic of 40-60 year olds since they grew up with her 136

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presence in the media and feel that they trust her. In fact, the promotion compels the audience to sympathize with Edgars’ situation from him getting thrown off the bus to him not being able to take on simple tasks due to his scissorhands. Cadillac appeals to pathos through the company’s use of empathic scenes that occur in the commercial. The scenes detail Edgar’s life both outside and inside of the home addressing the social aspects and the problems created by his scissorhands. The advertisement connects to the target audience by creating nostalgia with the music and aesthetic in the commercial. The soundtrack for the promotion, along with cinematography of pastels, and the dark ambience were in the original movie. Connection to the broader audience also comes from invoking sympathy for Edgar as he cannot do things we take for granted with hands. As a result, he is isolated from his peers and his social standing suffers. People in the advertisement sympathize for him rather than treating him as an equal. The commercial contains many scenes that are effective at conveying that he has difficulty completing simple tasks. At one point, Edgard accidentally cuts the signal line on the bus. The bus driver seems aggravated and the next time Edgard tries to take the bus the driver does not allow him to get on, forcing him to ask his mother for a ride. The bus signal scene most effectively appeals to pathos because it foreshadows his need for his own transportation. His mother sees that he is embarrassed having to ask for a ride, and later she sees him enjoying driving a car in a virtual reality game. She takes it upon herself to buy him a car that he can use, in turn advertising hands free driving. In addition to evoking sympathy, the commercial also utilizes humor. In one scene Edgar is tossing around a football with other students and when he attempts to catch it he deflated the ball. He and the other students have a surprised expression and you can hear the air hissing out of the ball creating an awkward pause. Later, the manager of the sub shop Edgar works at says to Edgar, “hey 137

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buddy, can we stick to the menu?”. This occurs after Edgar uses his scissor hands to create an extravagant sub causing ingredients to fly everywhere. The Cadillac advertisement is selling hands free driving through the movie Edward Scissorhands to sell cars to the middle class and those with physical disabilities, and suggests that they would benefit from purchasing their car. The commercial achieves this through the use of ethos and pathos in specific scenes. Invoking feelings of nostalgia and specifically targeting Generation X in a plea to buy a Cadillac.

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Apple: The Key to Harvesting Your Success

Lily Silver

hat is our purpose in life? This question is an asset that Apple is an expert at utilizing in their advertisements, launching them to a level that companies like Google or Microsoft fail to meet. Apple’s advertising is captivating, sleek, and inspiring, making consumers seriously contemplate buying the latest Apple product. In 2014, Apple released “Your Verse” an especially persuasive iPad ad that features the legendary actor Robin Williams. It checks all the boxes for the persuasive rhetoric needed to create an enticing ad; however, it also beautifully appeals to the desire for meaning and asks viewers what their life’s purpose or “verse” will contribute to the world’s metaphorical “poem”. While the explicit message of “Your Verse” is to drive consumers to buy the iPad, it implicitly promotes the idea that we are all destined for greatness, while suggesting that Apple is the key to achieving this destiny. “Your Verse” is a display of different people pursuing their passions. It ranges from people hiking mountains, playing hockey, designing architecture, and even sumo wrestling; while, of course, highlighting the iPad in all these endeavors. All of the scenes are unique, but they collectively captivate the au139

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dience with the overlap of vibrant colors, majestic natural and man-made wonders, and suspenseful music. The advertisement also includes Robin Williams’ speech, “What Will Your Verse Be?”, from his celebrated movie Dead Poets Society. Williams’ message is that while “pursuits” in areas like “medicine, law, business, and engineering” are “noble”, passion and love is what truly matters in life. As the ad comes to a close, the audience is left with the question “what will your verse be?”; or in other words, what will you contribute to the world? This open question is intentionally something that audiences can relate to. Apple extended their audience by displaying it on televisions in western societies, debuting it during American NFL playoffs, and by strategically making it appeal to a diverse set of consumers. Apple demonstrates that their iPad is made for anyone and will support you along any journey or discovery you wish to make. If you want to scuba dive, dance, or make a robot, the iPad is essential to this accomplishment. However, the way that Apple truly captivates everyone is through the inspiring questions and the ideas about humanity they pose. Robin Williams optimistically interprets the world where everyone has a voice. The question, “what will your verse be”, engages the audience and empowers people to feel like they have power and ability to actually make a difference. However, Apple is competing against themselves, as although they want the ad to captivate a wide range of people, the iPad is not economically accessible for many. The product itself is marketed more selectively, towards upper and middle-class consumers, who are in the position to buy the product. Although some Apple skeptics may argue that the ad cannot be universal if the product is only marketed to a specific group, that is exactly Apple’s point. Apple’s objective for the ad is to have them perceived as a company that believes in consumers, and wants to equalize the possibilities of success. Yes, Apple will sell iPads from the ad, but isn’t consumer confidence more invaluable than sales statistics? The 140

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point of the advertisement is to demonstrate that Apple is giving us more than just technology; something that is appreciated regardless of socioeconomic status. One way that Apple manages to make the message of this ad universal is to appeal to ethos. While Apple is already considered a credible company, several of the ads features enhance it, making it worthwhile to watch. Firstly, the ad has high quality cinematography. The camera shots, angles, and obvious high cost value make it appear as though Apple is invested in our consumption. Along with the production, Apple also depicts their product, the iPad, used in multiple different settings. People of all ages are displayed using the iPad, contributing to Apple’s credibility and presence as a brand that is manageable for all. Another important appeal to ethos is the immense amount of cultural, racial, and gender identities represented. Displaying a diverse group of people using the product demonstrates that Apple is conscious of how their decisions affect others. Apple could have chosen the easy way out, using only a white, middle-class, male to display the iPad and its features, but instead, they opened up the conversation to more people, earning them credibility as a company, and for the ad. Apple continues to enhance their reputation by including Robin Williams, someone most viewers will undoubtedly know. People don’t just ‘like’ Robin Williams, they adore him; they look up to him, and most importantly, they trust him. Williams held a wholesome presence in American popular culture throughout his life, and even after his death, viewed as downto-earth, generous, and likable in all the ways that the general public appreciates in a celebrity. His personality earned him respect and dedicated supporters as he was a person people could relate to, and someone who seemed to have a certain air of wisdom. Williams lacked the disingenuous and vacuous nature that many other celebrities gain with fame, which contributes to that respect. Besides his personality, he was a fantastic 141

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actor and many of his roles were endearing, like his character in Dead Poets Society. William’s character’s optimism and goal of shaping young minds, represents the same philosophy as the advertisement, and by including it, aligns Apple’s ideals with a loved actor, character, and movie. Consumers trust in Robin Williams is something Apple leverages as his appeal and influence attracts more people and prompts them to trust Apple. Naturally, almost everyone would assess that one of Apple’s messages is obviously encouraging the audience to buy the iPad. However, Apple executes this in an interesting way, as they do not include costs and new features that make the iPad unique. Instead, they assert more rudimentary messages related to life as a whole, appealing to logos. Related to their product, Apple’s message is that technology and the new age of the internet is not just about functionality, but rather about creativity and capturing the beauty of the world. Other companies lack the reasoning behind their decisions and products, but Apple markets their philosophy in this advertisement. Apple’s greater message is that they are challenging the status quo; they aren’t just there to make a profit, but to inspire, and contribute to the world’s development. Finally, “Your Verse” also claims that people are capable of greatness, especially when they buy the iPad. The messages appeal to consumers’ decision making, as they are given meaning behind the company and not just reasons why they make excellent technology. That message of “why” is what produces the feeling of unity and understanding that connects people to the ad. Undoubtedly, despite all the beneficial features that “Your Verse” unfolds, the most alluring aspect is the appeal to pathos. The scenes are moving and create an emotional response that resonates with viewers. Primarily, one of the main focuses of the ad is Robin Williams’ speech. As Williams argues, “the human race” is attracted to “read[ing] and writ[ing] poetry” because it is “filled with passion” and emotion, making it no coincidence 142

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that Apple chose this particularly motivating speech as their narration. We are encouraged to step aside from societal expectation, from demanding careers or schools, and ask ourselves what are we truly “stay[ing] alive for”. Of course, jobs, society, and school are aspects that are still “necessary to sustain life,” but are they fulfilling? Or, as Williams quotes from Whitman, are we all just going down the same generic path like “endless trains of the faithless” and uninspired? According to the ad, this is a very real possibility. However, we are urged to remember that “we are here” in a “life [that] exists,” and in a “identity” that we get to mold. We are all here to “contribute a verse” to this “powerful play” that we call life, but there is only one chance. In other words, Apple enlightens all of us to “seize the day,” and do what you always dreamed of, because you only get one shot. Apple captivates the audience and has potentially given someone the push they need, to get off the couch, turn off their television, buy an iPad, and make a difference in their life and someone else’s. Although we all like to deny that advertisements have persuasive power over us, and we are immune to capitalistic corporations’ influence, we are all susceptible to optimism. It is part of the human condition that even the most reserved and doubtful of people’s barriers are broken down when presented with hopeful aspirations. That is the genius of the ad, it is about one of the greatest mysteries of life; why am I here? And, Apple answers it by displaying to the audience all the extravagance the world has to offer, from the natural beauty, to culture, and designs by humans. It makes us belong and feel excited for the future; and that is all anyone could truly ask for. “Your Verse” culturally attracts westernized cultures because it advances consumerism and has an emphasis on the greatness in us all. The sense of individual successes is something that is ingrained in western social standards and ideas of perfection, like the American Dream. Many companies have learned that those values draw in customers, but Apple goes beyond just 143

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a typical advertisement and out-competes others because they focus on the significance of the ad. The purpose is to give the audience power and the individualism that we seldom feel we receive. We aren’t lumped in together, but are told to stand out, to do what you want, and to not follow the masses of people living an uninspired life. The advertisement calls us to write our own narrative, embracingly contribute to the world’s history, and find our “verse”. The future of the advertisements is left with us, the consumers, as we are the ones who must live by Apple’s philosophy and keep it alive and relevant. We are the future. The future of the ad, the future of the world, and the future for ourselves; so, what will the future hold for you?

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Part III:

Etymology Study

The Most Deceiving Color of All

Allyson Bucklin

hen hearing the word “white”, our minds automatically jump to the color white. This instant jump is justified as the actual dictionary definition of the meaning of white is that it is the lightest color possible and is represented by milk or freshly fallen snow. While white is the lightest color possible, it is representative of the absence of color in an object or in a person. This color is often overlooked because of its simplicity which is what makes this color especially interesting to research. We are constantly surrounded by this color without even noticing. From paper to snow to clothing to cars and more. Since white is a color, white is typically used as a descriptive word. This color is also associated with a positive connotation as it is representative of being pure and innocent which is why it is linked with weddings. In contrast, white is not supposed to be worn at a funeral as this time is filled with grief and sorrow. Throughout history, white has been used as a descriptive term. This word has gained popularity from 1850-1900 however lost its popularity between 1930-1980. Since then it has gained popularity again and is at an all time high. The etymology of “white”, most commonly known for being the lightest color 147

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possible, has extended in meaning as white is often linked with the idea of innocence and purity as well as being associated with hygiene and cleanliness. The earliest documentation of white was in 1200 when it was used as a descriptive word. Throughout time, this documentation remains prevalent as the main usage of white is used as an adjective to represent the color of an object or person. While the definition of the white has never changed, throughout time, white has come to represent purity and innocence, a hygiene and cleanliness, and giving off a simple and professional notion. Using the color white to represent purity was first introduced in ancient Rome and Egypt as priestesses wore this color and it was the color of the marble in ancient temples. The color white was a word inherited from Germanic. White is also a race and a classification of people who have a European origin. In the current world there have been multiple events that have sparked B.L.M (Black Lives Matter) movements and protests all over the country. These events have caused the term “white privilege” to be used more commonly when trying to hold individuals and our country accountable for actions in the past and present. For the most part the word white is used when describing color however there are multiple layers of the symbolism of this word which makes white an interesting word or color to research. The word white is often associated with a positive connotation. The opposite of white would be black as black is typically representative of darkness and has a negative connotation. One of the justifications of white being known to have a positive connotation is embodied by the saying “white lie”. This saying is used when a harmless lie is told to protect someone’s feelings. A lie is typically associated with a negative connotation as a lie is characterized by being untruthful and dishonest. White, on the other hand, is associated with being honest. These two are polar opposites. By adding the word “white” in front, this helps to demonstrate the harmless intent of the lie as this lie 148

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was meant to be protective. White is also known to be a color of simplicity because this color lacks color from its blankness. Because white lacks color, this detail plays into the role of white being a representation of hygiene and cleanliness. This detail allows for white to serve as a backdrop for other colors to appear on top of white. This idea will allow for dirt to be easily identified when using white objects. Hotels, hospitals, doctors, and resturants use this color to help build their credibility and trust with the patients or guests by providing a clean and comforting environment. Connecting to the idea of white being used to represent cleanliness, white is also tied to professionalism. The term “white collar” is associated with those who work in professional environments such as offices or administrative settings. This term is the opposite of the term “blue collar” which defines those who engage in hard manual labor environments like agriculture, mining, and construction. Typically, blue-collar jobs will result in working outside and getting dirty which is why these workers often wear heavy and darked colored clothing so that dirt isn’t seen as easily. As opposed to those who work white-collar jobs typically wear a suit and a tie. In addition to this idea of white being associated with professionalism, this idea is also represented by one of the most famous buildings in America, The White House. This pivotal piece of architecture plays into the role of how white is representative of professionalism and royalty/elegance as the person who protects the country is living in a house that is colored white. White is also a color that represents peace and perfection which is represented by doves. Doves are known for being related to the idea of love and peace as these are usually white in color. Doves also appear as symbols of love and peace in multiple different religions like Judaism, Chrisitanity, and Islam. The Pope has also worn white since 1566 to represent purity and innocence. Similar to this, brides are known to wear white gowns on their wedding day as having a white colored gown would 149

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symbolize their purity, virginity, and innocence and the transition to the new chapter in their life. The idea of white being a symbol of purity and innocence is also portrayed in many different works of literature. One of the greatest and most memorable examples of this concept is in The Great Gatsby which was written by F. Scott Ftizgerald when one of the main characters, Daisy Buchanan, is introduced wearing a white dress. Making Daisy wear a white dress was done to help portray her as an elegant, beautiful, and honest and pure woman. Another example of white being a symbol of innocence is portrayed in the saying “white christmas”. One of the most exciting times during childhood is Christmas time. One of the most important parts of Christmas is making sure that there is snow on the ground to get the true Christmas experience that is depicted in childhood movies and stories. As you grow older, this term becomes more nostalgic as having white christmas was one of the most important things in your life at one point however when growing up, your life becomes busier and more stressful as there is more responsibility and this importance slowly dies off. While white is a color that can seem very simple, there are many different layers and symbolism that is represented by the color white. The future of my word consists of most of the same elements of its past. I predict that white is still going to be used as an adjective as it is a color. In addition to this, I believe that white will also still be used to represent purity, innocence, professionalism, and cleanliness in places like restaurants, hotels, and hospitals as well as by brides and by individuals working in an office setting. I also think that white is going to continue to grow in popularity for a little bit of time regarding its association with B.L.M. movements and white privilege. Since protests are becoming more prevalent in society, people are going to continue to discuss this ongoing issue which is why I think that the word and color white is going to undergo an increase 150

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in popularity. While white is a color that can seem very simple, there are many different layers of symbolism that make this word and color more complex than it may appear.

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On the Etymology of Brick

Jana Fladd, Scout Porschet

rick was first used as a noun to represent an ancient building material, but is still used today in contemporary construction and vernacular. Beginning as a concept in neolithic China, brick’s first English usage was around 1405 CE, when it was spelled brike. Later, as a verb, “to brick” was used to depict the action of throwing a brick, often at a person or window in a delinquent manner. Eventually, leading into the twenty-first century, the vast amount of brick buildings and houses in New York and New Jersey that were often very cold facilitated its use as an adjective. Bricks are notorious for their heavy, dense structure, but because of this quality are sturdy and have an immoble place in English. With the invention of cellphones, brick could also mean a dated phone, as they are often heftier and thicker than more conventional and sleeker smartphones. Despite brick’s literal origins as a noun and construction material, the word now possesses a multitude of slang definitions; its physical sturdiness and permanence is indicative of its lifespan in the English language. Brick is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “a building material consisting of molded blocks, typically made from clay, which are dried or baked to a hard, stonelike consistency,” and has existed this way for centuries. Brick in the 153

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modern English language was derived from middle Dutch, with its etymon spelled brycke; this term was used in the thirteenth century. The Dutch alternatively spelled it brik, and this meant a “fragment, piece, or something broken off ”. Brik was the Germanic base of the word break. Additionally, an old French spelling borrowed from Dutch was brike. First used in 1405, this also influenced the English word. Brike described the sturdy building block made from baked clay used for houses and other establishments around a town, and while less frequently used today, brick buildings, hundreds of years old, still stand. The word has stood the test of time both literally and figuratively, as these constructions still thrive while the word remains popular among many different demographics, gaining alternate slang definitions in addition to those already existing. The OED places brick in the sixth frequency band, meaning the word occurs 10 to 100 times per million words used in the modern English language. Brick’s relevance is not to be overlooked—there is a reason it has morphed into new forms to fit modern times. Its color, rectangular shape, heft, and sturdiness are relatable to countless aspects of our world. Later, into the twentieth century, brick was used colloquially to describe a variety of objects that shared physical characteristics with the building material. A kilogram of drugs, a loaf of bread, cold weather, an obsolete phone, and anything that shares the rusty red color of bricks all share the same pattern of phonemes. A brick of heroin or marijuana is an informal unit of measurement and related to its namesake in its shape, as it is typically compressed for convenient and illicit distribution. Similarly, a loaf of bread shaped like a brick is also referred to as a brick. Brick as an adjective to describe cold weather originates from New York, where many buildings are made of brick, which absorbs its surrounding temperature and can feel up to ten times colder than the actual temperature. As technology has progressed and become wireless and more portable 154

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and cell phones have become progressively slimmer, becoming more integral to our daily lives, old, obsolete, and clunky phones have been termed bricks, which may also reference the lack of sophistication and modernity of both the building material and outdated technology. Brick is also commonly used to describe the specific burnt orange hue associated with the building materials bricks, and is used as a descriptor for shades of nearly anything: nail polish, lipstick, comforter covers, and paint were among the most popular Google searches. If anything, an object or something more abstract like a feeling or temperature, happens to share a characteristic with the ancient building material, it can be referred to by the same morpheme. Because of brick’s universality and resilience, it has served as a unit of measurement and comparison throughout history and across cultures. Bricks as a construction material often bring people together under roofs and between walls, and similarly, make a small step closer to unity by providing a single word that is familiar to everyone, easy to pronounce, and has a formidable future in the English language because of its figurative and physical heft. Brick has a wide range of uses as a verb, from describing a crime to one’s emotional state. A brick is rather massive and heavy, and when thrown will shatter glass and make a monstrous hole in a window. This is where the verb bricking comes from, an old term of British slang used to describe the action. It was used as early as 1874, in Printer’s Circular, when the author states they have never been “bricked” among other threatening actions such as being “knifed” or “licked” by people in reaction to anything they’ve ever said or written. More recent usage was in 2004 in Birmingham Evening Mail to report the crime of vandals bricking the windows of the trams. In Australian society, to brick could also mean for a police officer to frame someone for a crime. This usage is now rare, but one appearance in 1975 was in the Telegraph of Brisbane, where the headline 155

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was “Get that bludger this time even if you have to brick the b-,” suggesting they would like to catch the criminal at all costs, even if it means framing. Contemporary British slang includes the phrase to brick oneself, which means “to soil oneself by defecating involuntarily, especially through anxiety or fear.” This has made the shift to modern American language, as to brick means, colloquially, to defecate oneself, especially if it takes on the same dense or massive characteristics, or if under duress or as a result of a stressor. To brick can depict a wide variety of actions surrounding crime as well as the action of soiling oneself, exhibiting its great diversity in meaning. Just as bricks are a sturdy and reliable material for construction, brick is a word commonly reached for in the English language, as its versatility as an adjective, noun, and verb provides it with enough meanings to guarantee its lasting presence in the vernacular of nearly everyone. The Google Ngram Viewer displays a flat and consistent frequency leading to a steady increase from 1800 to a significant peak around 1912, then a steady decrease until the 1990s, when it has slowly increased in frequency through today. This suggests the slang used to describe frigid weather popularized in this period, as well as cell phones, a recent invention, are aiding its comeback. It may have peaked through 1912 because of how popular brick houses were until other building materials replaced them. A reason, however, that it is not higher for the late twentieth century to today is that a significant portion of its modern usage is slang, which is less often published in books than the literal meaning, which was more common in earlier periods. One reason that brick is commonly used is that it is not limited to certain classes of people. It applies to the majority of Americans and is not exclusive. Unlike many slang words or jargon, the usage of brick is unconstrained to any particular setting, geographical area, or degree of formality because of how vast its range is. Brick is popular partially because of its numerous applications, but also 156

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because its many definitions apply to experiences that are nearly universal: the majority of the population has been in a brick building, experienced cold weather, witnessed cell phones grow old and grizzled when a slimmer, shinier version comes out, or seen a paint chip or crayon labeled as brick red. These meanings have adapted to the housing conditions and technology that has emerged as times have changed; therefore, brick’s meaning will undoubtedly continue to adapt new definitions with the endless objects that share the block’s characteristics.

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Shadows of the Past: The Continuity of Shadow Mikayla Myer

I. Introduction

he word shadow first appeared in 1050, deriving from the Old English word sceadwe. Shadow has two main meanings, the physical meaning and the figurative meaning. The physical meaning of a dark reflection occurring when an object intercepts light, dates back to the mid 1200s and continues into present day. Shadow is a common word that can be used in daily vernacular and by any person at any time. Both are meanings that have evolved over time and gave shadow a new meaning and a negative connotation. Often, the word shadow has a negative connotation, but especially with the figurative meanings of shadow, which convey death. I often associate shadow with Halloween because there are creatures lurking in the shadows and you fear what will be lurking in the shadows. Artists may use the word “shadow” more frequently to describe the darker parts of their art to create a 3 dimensional effect. Although the physical meaning of the word shadow has remained the same throughout history, the figurative meaning has evolved into many meanings and has been representative through fore159

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shadowing in literature, religion as a marker of death, and representative of youthful playfulness in the film industry. II. Etymology According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the physical meaning of shadow first appeared in 1220, cited in Bestiary 648. The spelling of “shadow” has changed significantly from its origin in Old English sadue, for the physical meaning. Primarily, the physical definition has maintained its meaning over the years, and perpetuates the common notion of darkness, gloom, and tranquility. The frequency band of shadow is significantly high compared to others, meaning that the word is still commonly used today in everyday communication. The word shadow has evolved in its figurative meaning and simultaneously continued to stay the same with its physical meaning. Shadow has, and will always mean “comparative darkness, that is caused by an interception of light; a tract of particle darkness produced by a body intercepting the direct rays of the sun or other luminary.” This definition of shadow will continue to be commonly used into the future and retain its popularity in daily use. Shadow is a commonly used word, especially by artists who are describing the darker shades to create a 3 dimensional look to their art pieces. It has increased in popularity from when it was first used, because the physical meaning has branched into multiple figurative meanings. These figurative meanings that are used in literature and motion pictures are also very popular. I use this word often because it’s common and there aren’t multiple words for the shadow. There isn’t another comparable word to shadow that describes it effectively which many other words have, which makes shadow so popular and common. When I am drawing, I create shadows to give the drawing depth and a 3 dimensional look so the drawing doesn’t look flat, forcing me to use the word shadow quite frequently. The primary major shift 160

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from the physical definition of the word, is the development of the figurative meaning, even though it directly correlates with the physical meaning of shadow. Words that are similar to, or are associated with the word shadow are silhouette, gloom, umbra, blight, outline, and pall. These words have a negative connotation, most relating to darkness and some are associated with death. Blight, a plant disease and pall, a cloth spread over a coffin, both are associated with death and decay, supporting that the word shadow has a negative, death related connotation. The Latin word umbra is defined as shadow or shade which relates to the physical meaning for shadow. According to Google Ngram, the word shadow peaked in the late 1500s during the European Renaissance. People began expressing themselves and their culture through art and sculpture, which could be a reason for the peak of the word shadow during this period of time. Art was a vital part of the Renaissance, where famous artwork that is still well known today was created. Humanism was a popular form of art during the Renaissance where artists were creating pieces that were realistic and looked human-like in relation to different cultures. When creating humanist art, adding shadows elevated their work to appear more human-like and look three dimensional in paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Another possibility for the word shadow peaked nearing the end of the sixteenth century could be imperialism and the exploration of the seas. Imperialism was a period of exploration and race for the major powerhouses of the period (Russia, Japan, United States, Germany, Great Britain, and France) to conquer as much foreign land as possible. Much of the land that was taken over and “discovered” was never seen by foreigners before and they didn’t know the indigeneuos people of the land and that the inhabitants were what was going to be lurking in the shadows. The land was foreign and there was fear associated with the exploration of unfamiliar land and what would be hiding in the shadows. Especially in 161

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Africa, the land was a dangerous place, since imperialists weren’t familiar with the terrain or its people. The physical meaning of the word shadow has been used for decades and will continue to be used in the future, as well as branching off and developing new figurative meanings. Diverging from its literal meaning, the many figurative meanings of the word shadow enhances it to another level that the physical meaning lacks. Connecting to the Bible, the shadow of death denotes that there is doom and gloom approaching or death is being foreshadowed. The shadow of death is an embodiment of the ancient Hebrew word Çalmūth, which “comes from the Semitic root found in Arabic as “alima to be dark”. The shadow of death, and all of its derivatives, have a negative connotation of death and darkness which is in relation with the physical meaning of shadow. The shadow of death is still used today since the Bible is prevalent in some religions. The meaning of the shadow of death, the death and gloom, has continued to be used through foreshadowing. The meaning as well as the connotation of the shadow of death have remained the same since the origin of the word. Another figurative meaning that is derived from the corporeal definition of shadow is foreshadowing, which is commonly used in literature and motion pictures to issue a warning of a future event occurring, often associated with a negative occurrence approaching. Foreshadowing is more of a modern word, according to the Google Ngram, peaking in the late 1800s and continuing into the current day. There is another peak for foreshadowing during the late 1500s, which simultaneously peaks with shadow, meaning that there is a correlation between the two words in meaning and connotation. Another reason for foreshadowing peaking in the late 1500s is that Shakespeares’ plays were performed and became very popular. Shakespeare used foreshadowing in his plays, such as Romeo and Juliet which is a tragic love story with a despairing end. The fate, that 162

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them falling in love will lead to a tragic ending, was foreshadowed. The death of Romeo and Juliet was foreshadowed in the play from the beginning, that them falling in love will lead to a tragic ending. Foreshadowing is often used in fictional pieces of work, from movies to literature, to elevate the work and to excite the audience and also a look into what is in store for the characters. Shadows themselves can also have a figurative meaning that could symbolically represent parts of someone or something that they desire and or fear. In Peter Pan, the Disney movie based off of the famous novel by J.M. Barrie, Peter has a shadow that follows his every move, until it becomes separated from Peter and acts on its own. The shadow is a mischievous and active character that leads Peter to chase it all over, trying to reattach it to himself and regain control. In Peter Pan, the shadow symbolically represents the past and memories that Peter has, but also the childish traits that he possesses. The shadow is rambunctious and wild just like a child, suggesting that the shadow is what gives Peter the childish aspects about himself. Peter chases the shadow around trying to get it back because without it, it’s as if he is missing a part of himself, conveying that there is time for play, but after your childhood you put that nostalgia behind you and get ready for the real world. Peter fears growing up and having responsibility which is why he has to get his shadow back, to live on the memories and the idea of never growing up. Peter’s shadow doesn’t have a negative connotation as most of the words that are associated with shadow do, conveying that shadow doesn’t always have a negative connotation and can be positive at points. The evolution of shadow is expressed through multiple figurative definitions, the majority associated with a negative connotation but some a positive connotation.

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III. Predictions Shadow will continue to be a word that is used every day in the future, and maintain the physical meaning. Since shadow doesn’t have any strong synonyms that portray the definition of it as well as shadow, it will endure in common usage into the future. Shadow will continue to constantly evolve and create new figurative definitions relating back to the meaning. Due to shadow not deviating from its negative connotation, I believe that it will continue to have that negative connotation, denoting death, gloom, and darkness. The association between darkness and shadows will remain stagnant, meaning that the negative connotation will also continue into the future. The use of foreshadowing will maintain its prominence in literature and motion pictures since this literary device has been used for a significant amount of time and a key component of fictional works. As a result of their cultural significance, literature and movies will never fade away or decrease in popularity, therefore foreshadowing will never die out. Overall, shadow never strongly deviates in meaning, popularity, connotation, or association with other words; hence why shadow will always be used in everyday vernacular and perpetuate the same connotation and definition in the future.

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Tearing off the Sleep Mask: The Life and Evolution of Woke Ella Seidel

he Oxford English Dictionary defines “woke” as “awake; not (or no longer) asleep,” but also figuratively, as “alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice.” The word “woke” has multiple shades of meaning that have evolved with time, beginning with its literal definition, taking on political and social significance due to an association with various bouts of activism, and now regressing to a term used jokingly, mockingly, and even insultingly. Like countless other slang words, though, it’s not surprising that “woke” has ended up with connotations so far removed from those originally intended by its orthographic origin. Although the figurative usage of “woke” has gone awry from the initial use, the sarcastic way in which “woke” is used today on the internet, slapped on hashtags under posts about conspiracy theories, and weaponized by right wing political figures to villainize anything slightly liberal, speaks volumes about how words, especially those that are labeled as slang, are bound to deteriorate and lose significance at the hands of misuse and ignorance. When discussing the history of the word “woke,” it is impossible to ignore its origins in African American Vernacular 165

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English (AAVE). Even when used literally, the term “woke” in place of the word “awake” has historically been used by African Americans. For example, rather than saying “In school he can barely stay awake,” one would say, “In school he can barely stay woke.” This substitution is considered grammatically incorrect, as woke, when being used literally, functions solely as the past participle of “awake.” The literal meaning of “woke” is often associated with sleeping, dreaming, and the disruption of these states, leading to awareness. “Woke” in the present tense, “wake,” has very similar meanings and associations. Among these meanings are, “to come out of the state of sleep or unconsciousness; to be roused from sleep, cease to sleep,” “to become animated, alert, or lively, to throw off lethargy,” “to become conscious or aware of; to become ‘alive’ to,” and “to be stirred up or aroused; to be put in motion or action.” Although “woke” and “wake” also share figurative meanings, “wake” did not evolve into slang, or gain popularity under its figurative use as “woke” did. Much like its literal meaning, the figurative definition and usage of “woke” is also intertwined with African-Americna Vernacular English (AAVE) and African American history. The first figurative use of “woke” recorded in the OED was included in an essay by William Melvin Kelley, “If You’re Woke You Dig It,” in which he discusses the nature of black language and culture and how it is commonly appropriated by whites. He describes the constantly evolving black idiom as a “chicken-egg proposition,” meaning that the origins of these characteristic idioms can be muddled and heavily debated, but the debate is redundant, as it will almost always end up inconclusive. Arguments on the same topic take place today, concerning the origins of slang words commonly miscredited to various social media platforms, such as Twitter, and the (primarily) young people that use them, rather than acknowledging this slang as AAVE. This lack of awareness, as well as awarding of credit where it isn’t due, is problematic, as it ignores the history 166

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of slang and oftentimes, its roots in African American history, which can be important in understanding the connotations associated with it, past or present. Although the figurative usage of “woke” has been associated with being aware of social injustices due to race for quite some time, “woke,” and “stay woke,” gained an association with the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the 2010s, after a series of police brutality cases targeting black people resulted in tragic deaths. In 2014, following the fatal shooting of eighteen-year-old Michael Brown Jr., a black man, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, the phrase “stay woke” became a watchword for BLM activists and protesters. The phrase cautioned activists to continue this awareness of police brutality, and its frighteningly common occurrence, and remain alert to racial inequality. Over the years, “woke” has worked its way into signs boasted at various protests, the physical embodiment of the beliefs held by those alert and willing to act against injustice. Reading, “stay woke,” “get woke,” “wake up,” and a multitude of other similar phrases, protesters use “woke” as the catchall for an array of different social and political injustices. Although originally “woke” pertained exclusively to racial injustices (specifically police brutality addressed through the Black Lives Matter movement) today it can also be used to address gender inequalities, gun violence, and homophobia, among others. Over the years, “woke” has infiltrated various genres of music, becoming the focal point of songs such as “Master Teacher” by Erykah Badu, and “Redbone” by Childish Gambino. “Redbone,” a popular song of Childish Gambino’s, repeats the phrase “stay woke,” and reinforces the association between this phrase and a sort of enlightenment or sudden awareness. In the situation that the song describes, “stay woke” is actually referring to becoming alert about an unfaithful partner in a romantic relationship, however it is not totally out of the question to consider that Gambino employed this phrase with the inten167

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tions of relating it to political or social awareness. Another song of his, “This is America,” focuses entirely around gun violence in America, and its relation to black people specifically. During the summer of 2020, when the awareness of police brutality (at least on social media) seemed to be at an all time high, many people used TikTok as a medium to express their distaste for various social issues by creating videos using “This is America” in the background. Through these videos, users addressed issues such as police brutality, gun violence, racism, and homophobia—all topics that teens across a multitude of social media platforms were displaying an increased awareness of. Whether this newfound awareness was simply performative, a characteristic of modern “woke” culture, is up for debate, as social media typically inspires performative activism. Also repeated in Badu’s 2008 song, “Master Teacher,” is the phrase “stay woke.” The use of “stay woke” in this song was formative in the use of the term in following years, and it is manipulated within the lyrics to carry both the literal and figurative meanings. The lyrics, “Baby sleepy time/ To put her down now/ I’ll be standin’ round/ Till the sun down/ I stay woke,” demonstrate the literal usage of “stay woke,” which is simply to stay awake. At other moments though, the phrase “I stay woke” is used figuratively, left open for interpretation. Singing, “Even when the preacher tell you some lies/ And cheatin’ on ya mama, you stay woke,” Badu plays into the figurative interpretation of “woke,” meaning awareness of immoral acts, bad intentions, or concealing of the truth, rather than the political and social implications that the word primarily carries today, although these are aspects of the song as well. Of course, these songs are only a few examples of “woke” or “stay woke” presenting themselves in pop culture, but stuck out to me due to their popularity (“Redbone” by Childish Gambino), and their being among the first notable usages of “woke” with the figurative meaning in songs (“Master Teacher” by Erykah Badu). 168

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The guidelines for who should be using “woke,” are more unclear now than ever before. When used seriously, “woke” was used by those who considered themselves to be especially alert to political and social injustices, and to refer to like-minded others. Another perspective is that if you are truly “woke,” you wouldn’t think to refer to yourself with this term in the first place, as the goal of being genuinely “woke” is to educate yourself on certain issues, rather than proclaiming that you care about them when you don’t, just for appearance. However, when used sarcastically, the user could be mocking people who participate in performative activism, considering themselves enlightened after minimal research or critical thinking, besides the amount required to gain awareness of the issue in the first place, which is not much. When used as an insult, usually aimed at liberals by the right-wing, “woke” mocks the over-cognizant and hypersensitive attitude that some believe characterize the political left. In addition to this, placing a value on “wokeness” functions to call attention to those who contribute to such social and political injustices, almost shaming them for not being politically aware. Now, with the intentions and perceived meanings of “woke” spanning such a wide range, it is difficult to understand the goal of those using the word. Ultimately, context is the determining factor in trying to decipher the intentions of those using “woke.” For example, the connotation of the word “woke” under a grainy Instagram post about the Illuminati has vastly different intentions than “woke” on a sign at a BLM protest, or “woke” in the title of a news article. As a context-dependent linguistic referent, “woke” has evolved alongside its complex social and political climate, as well as the ever-changing status of slang. The Google Ngram entry for “woke” features a series of spikes in usage throughout the 1500s, presumably being used in the literal way, since the figurative meaning didn’t appear until approximately 1940. Around 2000, the usage began to in169

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crease rapidly, eventually reaching an all time high in 2019. The figurative usage of “woke” became associated with the Black Lives Matter movement in the 2010s, which partially explains why “woke” saw such a significant increase of usage during this time period. Second to 2019, the highest usage of “woke” occured in 2017, a moment when the figurative definition was added to the OED. However, this spike could be completely unrelated to the figurative definition of “woke” being added, as it has been used for decades prior under this definition without being officially recognized. To account for “woke” reaching its highest usage in 2019, all possible current usages of the word need to be considered. Naturally, as words evolve and adopt new meanings, assuming that the new usages appear faster than others can fade, their prominence will increase due to the wide variety of contexts now open for applying them to. Today, the literal “woke,” as the past participle awake is used, as is the figurative definition previously discussed, addressing a more metaphorical kind of awareness. In addition to this, “woke” is used mockingly, sarcastically, and insultingly, especially in recent years, where this sort of use has taken over the one referring to genuine concern over social and political injustices. Although the Ngram data presents 2019 as the highest point in use, the future relevance of “woke” is yet to be determined. Over time, the varying usages of “woke” have slowly chipped away at any sense of power that the word had previously retained. I predict that it will continue to do so, until the only connotation remaining in use is one of mocking and sarcasm. Today, this reality doesn’t seem too far off. With the exception of “woke” as it is used by politicians, and then reflected in the media, the word no longer holds much figurative meaning. When looking for examples of people using the hashtags, “#woke,” and “#staywoke,” on social media seriously (including Instagram and Twitter), I was surprised to find that almost every caption or tweet using these hashtags was either completely sarcastic, or 170

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just added to the end of some basic realization made to sound profound. If I were relying only on the content that I found when searching these hashtags, I would have little to no understanding that “woke” was ever used powerfully or intentionally, or in association with BLM. If the fate of “woke” follows that of most other slang terms, the slang meaning will begin to faze out, until the figurative usage no longer remains in our vocabularies. The process of bleaching, which occurs when a word begins to lose its intention and intensity, but continues to be used commonly, is one characteristic of slang with short-lived popularity. I believe that this will happen to “woke” eventually, but not immediately. Since the term has more recently become an insult, I believe that this use will last longer, especially with the American political climate as volatile as it currently is. Regarding the figurative meaning with connections to activism, “woke” seems to be nearing the end of its life. Besides its connections to BLM and other progressive movements, it is now more natural to refer to someone as “woke” mockingly, or at least, in jest. This joking is definitely justified, as the connotation of “woke” was quickly transformed with the appearance of performative activism. What’s more, if someone really considers themself to be deserving of the term “woke,” they probably won’t use it to describe themselves. Awareness of social and political injustices is perpetually on the uptick, and won’t slow down any time soon. As the uncomfortable conversations associated with racism, homophobia, misogyny, or any form of injustice due to aspects of identity that can’t be changed, continue to become increasingly normalized, “woke” culture will only continue to thrive, even if the primary use of “woke” ends up as an insult, or snide remark.

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The Black Night

Natalie Budgar

ark, daunting, mystifying, unknown: black. Black is dark and deceitful, it symbolizes evil and death. Black, although possessing many definitions is most commonly defined in the following ways: “Of the darkest colour possible, that of soot, coal, the sky on a moonless night in open country, or a small hole in a hollow object; designating this colour; (also) so near this as to have no recognizable colour, very dark.”, “ Of or relating to black people, their history, politics, culture, etc. Of an area or place: predominantly inhabited or frequented by black people.”, and “In figurative senses, chiefly with negative connotations.” The word black seems to have many different interpretations considering the vast array of ways it is used. When hearing the word black it strikes a sense of darkness both figuratively and literally. Black is a word people use daily as a descriptive asset to language. Black is used on a daily basis to describe the color of objects, the sky at night, or the color of people’s skin. Although black is used in these literal ways, black also conveys quite a powerful meaning under the surface. People hear the word black every day describing color and objects, however when the word black is heard, it is associated with darkness, with evil, death, or other situations and events that are extremely negative. Through history, the word black has 173

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been utilized to describe horrific events such as Black Tuesday, Black Saturday, and the Black Death, all of which are events of political, economic, and social degradation. Although the word black has many different meanings and compositions, they all resonate with a negative connotation. The word has had many different meanings and usages throughout its history, contributing to a variety of both implicit and explicit understandings. One of the most common meanings of black in today’s society is referring to the color. The word black originated in Germany, and is a word inherited from the Germanic language. Through its history, the word has contained a slew of spellings and contexts. The earliest known usage of the word black in reference to the color occured in c1275, stating “Ane blake claðe”. Another usage of the word black from 1551 demonstrates the ways in which the word has gathered new contexts and meanings in the English Language over time. In 1551 the word black was used in Old English usages such as “The wood hath a black color and is the myche desyred of men for to make pypes.”. Most recently in 2001 the word black was used in contexts such as “The third passenger..was a thin woman in a witchy black dress.”. Although the word black in each example is referring to the color, the differences over time illustrate differences in spelling, as well as context. The first known usage of black from c1275 is something completely non understandable to today’s world, and the word even had a different spelling. In 1551, the word had changed its spelling, to the spelling that is used today, but the sentence surrounding the word is something unrecognized by society today, as modern English speakers would not speak in that form. The word black has ventured into modern day society, through its works of evolution. Many times, in old English the word would be spelled “blaec” referring to darkness or ink. Through its history in the English language, we have adopted and interpreted the word into new meanings to resonate with the way we use language today. In today’s world, if 174

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the word black was used to talk about soley ink, it would have a much smaller frequency usage than it does today. Through history, the word has evolved to have meaning in current society, as we have adopted the word and given it new meanings which differ from the past. Today, the word black has a frequency usage of band 7, thus meaning that the word black occurs between 100 and 1,000 times per million words in typical modern English usage. Other than referencing the color of inanimate objects, the color black also refers to colored people, their history, culture, and politics. Black is a word that through its many uses is always tied to a negative connotation. One reason for this comes with the history of colored people. In society when someone thinks of a black person, they are not just thinking of the person standing before them, but rather the years of history, racism, descrimination, and harsh treatment this group of people have been forced to endure. “Black people” refers to the group of people who were kidnapped from their home and brought to America on ships, and forced to labor for other groups of people. The earliest known usage of the word black in reference to a group of people was documented in 1726. The word was used in the following sentence “Adjoining to the White Town, stands a much larger, called the Black Town, where the Portuguese, Indians, Armenians, and a great variety of other People inhabit.”. This illustrates that from the beginning of the time black was used to refer to people, it has had some sort of negative connotation. Even dating back to 1726 referring to black people meant referring to separation and to differences. Through time, however, the context of this word has become much more harsh. Usages in the 1900’s include “There were those segregated black slums which honeycombed every Southern town.”, and “The speech studied was primarily that of Negro students; the list which follows is composed solely of deviations appearing in black speech.”. This illustrates that what 175

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at first was referred to as a simple separation had evolved into derogatory terms to draw differences between black and white people. This is an interesting concept, however, as in many cases, white and black are extreme opposites. Referring to simple color, it is seen that black is the opposite of white which spirals into a sense of binaries, including light vs. dark, right vs. wrong, good vs. evil and on and on. Similarly, the word white within history is related to purity, and happiness, and is used as terms such as white collar, where black is used in the opposite way, referring to ideals such as blackmail. This, in a sense, contributes to the racist ideals of American history, as whites believed to be superior to black people, ultimately causing segregation, racism, and discrimination. Due to this interpratation of the word black, it has been associated with many other words such as negro, slum, and ghetto. These words that have been linked back to the word black, are a direct result of the racist ways in which black people are referred to. Although the color black is something I use to describe color, I tend to not use it in the context of describing people, due to the negative connotations associated with it. Personally, it seems more respectful to use terms such as African Americans or People of Color. Although it is known that the word black is quite ubiquitous when it comes to descriptivism, the word black is also used in figurative senses in which the word contains a negative connotation. Many examples of this include blackmail, the black death, Black Tuesday, Black Saturday, as well as being omnipresent within other terms that don’t directly contain the word. The word blackmail has an extremely negative connotation, as it is a criminal offense and an extremely evil thing to do. The word black fits into this word, as it is an evil thing to do. It is a criminal offense meaning it may be “done in the dark” meaning in secret. It’s a hidden thing, deceitful, and unknown which ties back to the original definition of the word black. Similarly, the Black Death was an extremely horrific event in world his176

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tory. This again was very unknown, and seemed almost evil as it came out of nowhere and was wiping the lives out of entire towns. This event was an extremely negative event, again tying the word black in with a scary and evil meaning. Black Tuesday on October 29th 1929, was the day Wall Street investors traded around 16 million shares of the New York Stock Exchange and millions of dollars were lost in a single day. This would strike economic crisis, and through history economic crisis is referred to as “black days” there have been many days such as black saturday, where their ws economic strife causing a calamity. The connection to economics gives the word black yet another feather in its cap, for being associated with negative events and attributes. Similarly, black is also associated with words such as evil, death, and melancholy. Although black is not deliberately a part of these words, it is implicitly there. In movies “evil” always comes in waves of dark black gusts, or evil things happen at night, when it’s pitch black outside. Evil is portrayed as a darkness, and is therefore associated with the word black. Similarly, depression and melancholy are feelings of sadness and sorrow, which are known to be dark times in someone’s life, drawing its association to the word black. At funerals, people wear black as it is a dark and gloomy event. Due to the implicit meaning of the word black, society has had the ability to latch on a slew of new meanings to its originally wide variety. Taking into consideration the past and present meanings of the word black, it is safe to argue that no matter what the future of the word may hold, it will always come back to a dark and negative connotation. The future may, however, give it an even worse connotation if people continue to place black and white at opposite ends of the spectrum. Through the future, black will continue to be a high frequency word, referring to the color of an inanimate object, just as we have seen from the beginning of its origin to now. Less direct meanings, however, may change 177

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with time, as current day politics are beginning to place guilt on what is tolerated in society and what is not. This may spark a change in the use of the word in racial contexts. I believe the word will stay strong to its negative connotations, however, as it is already linked to many disastrous historical events. Through the beginning of its history, the word has kept true to many of its original meanings, with slight changes, adjusting to modern English, and modern day political and social norms. It is predicted that the word will stay relatively true to its meaning in the future based on the numerous examples of common themes through its time. In the future, the word may be used to represent the past, the dark times in American hHistory where we swept our problems under the rug, and treated certain racial and ethnic groups as inferior. When the world becomes more inclusive, black may be used to represent our horribly exclusive past, however only the future will tell.

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We’re Meanies! Luke Weber

he word “mean” (adj.) has two main meanings in modern English: to be held jointly, or to be an intermediary, and to be inferior, or malicious. In the current day, “mean” is colloquially used in many situations (as an average, or to describe a particular affinity or talent), but most usages fit broadly with either of these two definitions. The “intermediary” meaning is much older, and can be found in Old English. However, from the fourteenth century onward, the word “mean” developed its second meaning, which began to coexist with and reflect upon the first. Throughout its long history, the shift in the denotation and connotation of the word “mean” from an adjective that denotes common possession to a playground insult directly reflects cultural changes in value towards public and private rights and property in the English speaking world. The oldest definition of “mean”, the definition that addresses the common and the shared with a neutral connotation, stretches back to the middle ages, a time in which heavily cemented royal dynasties and governments weren’t as prominent, at least in the Western world. This time period, commonly referred to as the “dark ages” in the areas that spoke what would become Modern English, was characterized by a lack of centralized government, also known as the Feudal system. 179

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This system was much more susceptible to revolt because of the lack of a national military, giving the average commoner more influence over the ruling class. During this time, “mean” stayed neutral, harmlessly referring to common peasants and property. Most property was also common, as it was the duty of feudal lords to provide shelter and protection within their own castle in times of danger. However, at the shift from Old English into Middle English, which happens to be the end of the dark ages in Western Europe, “mean” is developed to mean “‘inferior’”, and “‘not exceptionally good.’” Even more telling are some of the sub-definitions: “of low social status”, “badly off ”, “undignified”, and even politically “weak, [and] comparatively powerless.” Royal powers after the dark ages, secured by nationalized power, began to calcify as dynasties and hereditary aristocracies kept political power in the hands of the few. With less power to dissent, the common folk could be written off as inferior, physically, politically and mentally. Shared land also saw a drop in value with the growth and development of urban areas. The public areas in dense cities like London were filthy, as it was common practice to dump human excrement onto the street during this time. The cleanest, most valuable land was held privately by royalty and aristocracy, kept away from the filth of the lower class. While maintaining its original meaning, “mean” took on a deeply negative secondary meaning during the shift to Middle English that would continue to influence the usage of the word. As both meanings became cemented in academic and colloquial language, the frequency in usage of “mean” at certain points in history exemplifies the perception of public property and rights during those times. According to Google Ngram, “mean” experienced its first major peak in usage during the seventeenth century, which coincides with the height of the Enlightenment. This intellectual movement was characterized by the emphasis on the power of the common folk, and the rights 180

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they should be provided by their government. Philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote about the power of the people, believing that the common worker or peasant still had the power to overthrow an unjust government. The frequency of “mean” would peak under these circumstances, its use driven by the newfound power in and appreciation for commoners and their rights. The American, French, Haitian, and countless other revolts would occur under this peak. It was no longer embarrassing to be common, or pointless to fight for shared rights. Being “mean” during this time meant existing in harmony with your countrymen, holding the political power to overthrow corrupt leaders, leaders that would dare to speak down on the image of the common man. Public land became honored, as democratic debate and gatherings were recognized as important. As a description of the common people, “mean” became especially important in representing the values and thoughts of writers at the time. The next major event in the history of “mean” was its decline at the start of the nineteenth century. In particular, the decline of “mean” after the Enlightenment era began during the industrial revolution. While the idea of democratic governments was still very prevalent in the English speaking world, their role in the world drastically changed during this time period. As countries like the US and Britain grew, they began to impose their ideologies upon foreign nations. The relationship between the ruler and the ruled expanded to a global scale, stealing wealth from smaller nations to fund a growing empire. Prominent cases include the British occupation of India and the Opium Wars in China. Instead of concentrating wealth from peasants into the aristocracy, Western Nations like the US and Britain began concentrating wealth from foreign countries through forced trade agreements, increasing their military power. In terms of the whole world, the English speaking world was very rich and had a very high standard of living. Americans and the British 181

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thought of themselves as global leaders, who had better a work ethic and culture than undeveloped nations. While the idea of helping the “mean” person by forming Democracies was still relevant, Americans at this time would stop considering themselves to be a proud, equal member of the “mean” population, explaining the dip in usage. Regionally in America, the negative denotation of “mean” developed after the end of the dark ages has become a go-to insult, denoting poor ethics in its target. According to the OED, the “moral senses” of “mean” only appear in modern English, and the rise of capitalism during the nineteenth century seems like a perfect spot for this trend to have begun. As people began to connect hard work with wealth, the amount of money a person had could be correlated to their moral character. Whether or not this correlation held any water, it could have easily been used to justify the wealth of the middle and upper class, who scoffed at the “mean” working class that could never meet their rigorous moral and ethical standards. Unlike the previous era, people once again began valuing private wealth and property over public holdings, which were bound to be poorly funded and poorly maintained. “Mean” began to denote not only objective deficits, like status or intelligence, but deficits in character that could rarely be justified on their own. A classic insult used by American youth is to call someone you don’t like a “meanie”, and this has clear roots in the moral connotation added to the word during industrialization in America. From uniting a social movement, to becoming a playground insult, “mean” has always been an integral word to our society that reflects some of our deepest values. The development of “mean” from its original denotation as something that is common or average demonstrates how people in the past have valued such rights and property. Although “mean” can seem mundane, the lack of short-term variability in “mean”’s definition allows more resolute conclusions to be drawn about the usage 182

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of the word in the past. While not a crazy or zany word, “mean” can act as a much more broad and reliable measurement of society, which is very useful in an age of distraction and extreme subjectivity.

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Abracadabra Abracadabr Abracadab Abracada Abracad Abraca Abrac Abra Abr Ab A Dylan Ivanchikova-Crouse, Colin Matthews

rom the year 1565 to 2022 the meaning of the word Abracadabra has altered drastically, reflecting the social environment in each stage of its evolution. At first, abracadabra was a magical phrase, used to ward off evil spirits and ailments, coming from the Roman word abraxas which appeared on mystical amulets and charms. Abraxas’ original meaning has remained relatively stable; however, today the word relates to childhood tales of magic and adventure, where previously there was superstition, now there is silliness. This transition is exemplified in abraxas’ development into abracadabra, which has become childishly magical. The word abracadabra has undergone a dramatic shift in meaning, changing from an accepted word of healing to today’s childish wordplay, reflecting the larger shift of social perspectives, specifically lines of reasoning: how people accept claims now is a lot more data and science centered. The origin 185

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of the word abracadabra lies in the adaptation from the word abraxa, another magical inscription. Abracadabra referred to a medically mystical practice intended to ward off death and disease in which a piece of paper with the word was written on it eleven times. Everytime the word was written, it would lose a letter until the word itself disappeared. From then on the paper would be folded up and placed into an amulet. This was a consequence of the sixteenth century’s Renaissance and learning, where new medical practices were established as a way for individuals to feel safe within the post Black Plague period. In many ways, the previous Black Plague would instill a fear of the impossible scope of what humanities medical field lacked, with medical practices such as plague doctors and other religious remedies falling short in humanity’s time of need. The word abracadabra reflects these sentiments as its use within the era lacks the same religious sentiment that the mystical and the divine regard healing and treatments. The first recorded use of abracadabra dates back to 1565, in which writer James Calfhill speaks of the word as a remedy in his book Aunswere Treat. Crosse f, bringing attention to how there is a “secret operation..in the word Abracadabra” which can “Heale one of the feuer”. Calfhill’s analysis of the word, that it contains a “secret operation,” reveals the attitude of a great number of people in the 16th century, that hope and faith is the best remedy: cures devised from these elements were the only option in a world rife with death and famine. When traditional methods of healing and proposed methods from authority fail, people turn towards the unorthodox, seeking relief from their ailments in witchcraft and divine power. Abracadabra’s meaning perpetuated under this guise of divine healing and remedy up until the late 18th and early 19th century. With abracadabra being documented during 1791 by author G. F. A. Wendborn as a word which was a puzzle to “decypher”, with the word still being “written on a small piece of 186

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paper”. Similarly to how Wendborn believed abracadabra was to be “deciphered”, so too was the field of science during the 18th and 19th century. In an era of innovation and technology, the drive for humanity to understand and categorize our health via scientific testing led to the birth of modern medicine. With voyages of scientists such as Charles Darwin, the mystery and unknowns of the world started to fade, and with them faded the superstition and remedies of faith. In turn, the mystery and credibility of abracadabra was admonished in the scientific revolution, with the word in 1825 being described by S. T. Coleridge as a “nonsense of blasphemy”, being an “abracadabra of presumption”. However, abracadabra wouldn’t simply disappear. Rather, the word itself began shifting to describe superstitious remedies as a whole, becoming more trivial and playful from its original serious meaning. The more popular understanding of abracadabra is that it’s a magical nonsense word, usually accompanying a magician’s performance. As seen in “Abracadabra, I’m an Umpire!” from Looney Tunes. Just as James Calfhill revealed the majority of people’s understanding of abracadabra, Looney Tunes portrays how most people know abracadabra, as an old word found in books that has some magical power but is unpredictable and has no cultural meaning beyond gobbledygook. An additional connotation that has been attached to the word is that it’s a child’s word, often seen in children’s TV shows, and something for kids to say when showing their parents a magic trick, not a cure for sickness or a talisman to ward off evil. The most widely known examples of abracadabra in the modern age can be seen in children’s cartoons and the book series Harry Potter where the word maintains its strong magical meaning. It’s because of these adaptations of abracadabra that the word itself has been relegated to the niche group of magic and wizardry, losing its previous common definition of healing and remedy. The future for abracadabra is uncertain. In most regards, 187

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abracadabra hasn’t lost its playful meaning, but its usage in common language is beginning to fade. In today’s present age abracadabra has had little use beyond a magical sense, with its meaning of healing being lost to time compared to its more understood childish context. In many ways the sheer age of abracadabra makes its understanding foreign to a modern audience, therefore making it likely that the word will ultimately die off. However, In an age of pandemic and uncertainty there’s bound to be words which will fill and fit abracadabra’s role for our modern era, with its superstitious definition not dying with the word. With the thoughts of disease and death being present once again due to Covid-19, it’s even possible that in some manner abracadabra might find a new life, expressing humanity’s ever continuous desire to find a remedy for the problems plaguing ourselves and our planet. Language and the way people perceive it is an ever adapting subject because language itself is constantly changing and always growing, that is why abracadabra is an apt example when it comes to being able to analyze time periods and patterns of human behavior. The shift of meaning abracadabra experienced reflects the way humans accept information and come to conclusions from 1565 to the modern era. In the middle ages the majority of people used God and magic to explain hard to understand phenomena, hence the purpose of abracadabra, to supply a remedy to hard to understand ailments. Now, in the modern era, where misinformation is so commonplace, the people care a great deal for proof, science, and factual evidence to support a claim, a stark contrast to the middle ages. Abracadabra manages to parallel this shift in how the world is perceived: it was first used as a magical remedy, but now it is magical nonsense because there’s been a steadily increasing inclination towards getting the truth set straight, and to not believe everything you read without properly investigating. Though the future of abracadabra is as uncertain as its heal188

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ing powers, its creation and present use is fascinating to observe. From such a sharp shift in meaning, abracadabra can seem as a word which warns us of superstitious remedies through its now present silliness. It reflects how, in the age of information, people have become a great deal more suspicious of things that don’t seem to have a reason. Also, giving some insight to how decisions are made today versus in the middle ages, with graphs and presentations showing data and not with feelings and word of mouth information. The magic of abracadabra is lost and the word might be as well in another fifty to a hundred years, but people will keep changing, and definitions of words will keep changing alongside them, reflecting perspectives and reality.

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Not Your Grandma’s Sauce: Analyzing the Ingredients of a Familiar Word Natalie McFadden

I. Introduction

hen perusing through recipes and cookbooks, a key flavor that adds garnish to any dish is a delicious sauce. Tomato Sauce, Puttanesca Sauce, Hot Sauce, Soy Sauce, Chocolate Sauce, the possibilities are endless. The Oxford English Dictionary defines this common use of “sauce” as a “liquid or soft [substance] consisting of several ingredients intended to be [...] accompan[ied by] some article of food”; however, the expansive realm of this word does not end there, as sauce has other slang meanings or included phrases. Whether in the kitchen, on the sports field, music, or in conversational situations, sauce has made its way into the hearts of each of us, one way or another. Sauce derives from three main backgrounds. In the Latin language “sauce” may derive from “salsus” or “to salt” and is related to “salad”. In Spain, “sauce,” is rooted in the word “salsa”. Lastly, the familiar spelling of “sauce” has French origins. While the basis and meaning of the word remains the same, the 191

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spelling has changed, going from “salss,” “saulce” and “sawce” to “sauce,” due to the Great Vowel Shift. “Sauce” has experienced many differing connotations, involving slang, descriptor words and meanings; however, the culinary “sauce” remains considerably prevalent in common vernacular. Typically the word “sauce” may denote a moving, liquid substance; likewise, it has fluidly transformed etymologically into slang, characteristics and phrases, revealing that as a whole humans value flavor and excitement in their lives. II. Etymology The origin of the literal meaning of “sauce,” relating to cooking, comes from the Romans who would disguise questionable freshness of food or, in contrast, display they could afford expensive spices. One of the earliest known sauces from ancient Rome was garum, made out of fermented fish, seasoned with coriander, cumin, and topped with honey. The Rites of Zhou, an ancient ritual Confucian text, mentions a Chinese soybean paste. Therefore, sauce is not only important in our nourishment, but also carries cultural significance. Foods and sauces fill people with nostalgia, are prevalent in their heritage, and tie them back to their family. Cooking gives people a sense of tradition within their family and creates sentiments we share with individuals we love. Next, “mother sauces,” coined by French cook, Antonin Careme, were established, including Hollandaise, Bechamel, Volute, Brown, and Tomato sauces. During the 1800s, as illustrated by Google Ngram, there was a rise of “sauce,” most likely in cook books, due to the invention of ladles. Surprisingly, sauces were integral in daily cuisine since the 3rd century B.C. Over the past 50 years, according to Google Ngram, the usage of “sauce” has dramatically increased, demonstrating humanity’s reliance on and love for flavor. However, in 2012, it peaked, after McDonald’s revealed their secret sauce 192

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in the Big Mac. Today, using sauces may not be a signifier of wealth, but it surely does indicate cultural values, and our love for spicing up our lives. “Sauce” has fluidly spread into alternative definitions, such as adjectives, by adding the suffix -y. Sauce transformed into saucy, meaning “an impudent person,” according to the OED. This iteration of “sauce” evolved in the sixteenth century. Notably, in Jacob Faithful, one states, “He’s full of his sauce, sir—you must forgive”. Therefore, this adjective describes someone who acts out and/or is excessively exuberant. Interestingly, a similar word to “saucy” is “sassy,” as they both mean “pert” or “cheeky”. The transformation forced “saucy” out and “sassy” into its position, as the latter is used more frequently than the former. From the sixteenth to eighteenth century, the word “saucebox,” meaning a person addicted to making saucy or impertinent remarks, was developed, which has ties with “sauce”. Someone who is saucy may have spirited and exciting attributes. Ultimately, if you are saucy, you are bold, have flair, and may be suggestive, which connects to the literal meaning because sauce itself is flashy, and undoubtedly adds spice and flavor to any dish. When we act saucily, we are looking for an adventure and thrill that we all crave in one way or another. To push the notion of differing employment of similar words, “sauce,” in addition to the literal and adjective usages, can be utilized in a slang sense. Historically, slang words are significant because they let us communicate freely and connect with our peers. The use of slang words fluctuates with current events and relevancy. “Sauce” is no exception to these ideas, as it inevitably has become a part of the neverending list of slang words. As the Urban Dictionary states, having “sauce,” is synonymous with having “style, confidence […] and being fashionable”. Recent rap songs muse about having sauce; for instance, both “Too Much Sauce” by Sauce Walka and “Sauce it Up” by Lil Uzi Vert discuss being the best and extravagantly flaunting 193

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their wealth in an almost overbearing way. Whether we accept it or not, many are attracted to extravagance and ostentation, because it makes us feel seen, which can equate to feeling loved. Although people look down on it, standing out and increasing our own visibility to others is a human instinct; so, acting “saucily” is peoples’ form of being noticed, and subsequently feeling valued. Furthermore, “hitting the sauce” is a euphemism for heavily drinking alcoholic beverages. Despite the hazy correlation between sauce and alcohol, they are connected nonetheless, as they are both liquids that are associated with food. Lastly, in the past few years, “sauce” or “saucing someone up” may denote juking someone on a sports field, especially in basketball when someone has admirable ball handling skills. Although I grant it is a bit absurd, people on the sidelines might cheer on their teammate if their skills surpass the level of the opponent, therefore “saucing” that person “up”. In essence, having sauce, hitting the sauce, and saucing someone up, fall within the sphere of the etymology of “sauce,” further suggesting that humans enjoy having skill, being extravagant, and perhaps going about excessively. III. Predictions Although the different meanings of “sauce” changed over time, I believe the original culinary “sauce” will emerge victorious over its other meanings. Slang words change quicker than colloquial usages and nouns, because we find abbreviations, acronyms, or something playful that fits the current times and circumstances. As circumstances constantly change, so do slang words. I should raise the point that nouns and verbs will change in the future, but slang is highly temporary, as trends and current events dictate parts of our language. I predict that “sauce” will continue to be used in its culinary sense, because it is integral to a tasty dish and is consumed, not only by our bodies for sus194

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tenance, but cultures and civilizations, including my own. The culinary definition, because of its cultural ties, resonates in our minds and connects us with our family, which people cherish. On the other hand, “sauces” spill and move into different pathways, changing their definitions and connotations. Hypothetically, if our world suffers from food shortages after global crises over the climate, I maintain that sauces, in addition to food for flavor, will no longer be used, because it won’t be needed. The world won’t need the extra flavor; only the basics will be essential for survival. IV. Conclusions Studying the etymology of “sauce” has introduced me to the history of piquancy of life and “sauce,” movement, and changes in life and language. When analyzing one single word, it illuminates parts of history and trends that we didn’t know were related. We see the history relating to sustenance, perceiving each other and describing our peers, current events that influence common slang and phrases, and the mutability of language overall. The metamorphosis of the word “sauce” further expands the notion that language is constantly changing, as it captures different levels of prominence concerning meaning, contrasting spellings, and different places for usage i.e in the kitchen or on the sports field. These conclusions allow us to realize that individuals value excitement and garnishes of adventure in their lives, both of which are reflected in the evidence of mutability of language, as we encourage “sauce” to be incorporated in different areas of our life. Whether that includes being spontaneous, participating in something new and different, or adding a new taste amongst their palate, humans inevitably search for joy, even out of the simplest things in life. Having a zest for life and being passionate about your endeavors is key to fostering some 195

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form of happiness. Getting into a dull groove and stopping doing activities that excite limits the availability for pleasure and achievement. If we look for ways to add garnishes to our lives, we are living up to our potential, instead of restricting ourselves by acquiescing into a bland routine.

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Big Fat Gypsy Wedding of Lies: The Misuse of Gypsy Victoria Poworoznek

I. Origin of Gypsy

he vocabulary of the past generations in America is filled with terms that originated as demeaning terms towards women. These terms have violent and aggressive origins and it’s impossible to escape being called these terms as a woman myself. Thousands of these names exist in the English language, but an even more insensitive term that is still prevalent is the term “gypsy.” The Oxford English Dictionary innocently defines “gypsy” as “A member of a widely dispersed, traditionally itinerant people originating in South Asia and now mainly found in Europe” but the word has much darker denotations. Throughout the nearly 500 years of its etymology, “gypsy” has transformed from referring to an Indo-Aryan language to a demeaning term referring to Romani women. “Gypsy” continues to be inappropriately used by younger people on the internet not aware of its origins, proving that demeaning terms used against women will never disappear under our patriarchal society. Throughout “gypsy’s” history, the spelling of the term and 197

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meaning has drastically changed. The earliest form of “gypsy” can be traced back to the 1500’s under the spellings “gypsye,” “gypsie,” and “gypsee.” In the 1600’s, the “g” was replaced by a “j” until it was solidified as “gypsy.” Its etymon states that the term is an alteration of “gyptian,” a person of residence in Egypt. “Gypsy’s” were originally thought to have come from Egypt. “Gypsy” is not an English word; it originates from Gypcian, a worn-down Middle Eastern dialectal form of Egyptian. The term’s true impact goes way beyond its innocent definition of traditional itinerant people who reside in Europe, it’s much darker than it appears. II. An Innocent Language There are many denotations surrounding the word “Gypsy.” One of the most innocent and not harmful is the denotation that “gypsy” is the “Indo-Aryan language known as Romani and any of its dialects.” Romani or “gypsy” is a group of 60 or more highly divergent dialects that are directly related to the Indo-Aryan languages. The Oxford English Dictionary demonstrates that the earliest mention of the gypsy language is in 1800 with the use all the way through 2014. Google’s Ngram Viewer does illustrate that the use of “gypsy” was common in the 1800’s. This denotation is actually one of the only positive denotations surrounding “gypsy,” which I can only assume became a personified version of the language of gypsy to describe the people speaking it. III. Discrimination Against Romani Women Romani people have never truly escaped discrimination from those around them. During the mass migrations of the 1800’s Romani people tried to escape persecution in Eastern Europe. This hope of new freedom only granted them more dicrimina198

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tion at the hands of Americans. Around the same time, “Gypsy” was beginning to be used as an insult towards those immigrant women. One of Oxford Dictionary’s denotations of “Gypsy” is a “contemptuous term for women: considered deceitful, thoughtless, or fickle” as well as a “person who acts disreputable, unscrupulous, or deceptive manner.” Google’s Ngram Viewer illustrates a steady increase of the use of “gypsy” from 1860 to 1900 with the term never being forgotten in America. Although the Oxford Dictionary may describe the term as gender neutral, “gypsy” was used mainly against immigrant women and also contained a racial element to it. “Gypsies” were thought to have dark skin and were constantly portrayed as hypersexual who wore little clothing. The term and its stereotypes have harmfully portrayed Romani women as street women who lie and are deceitful for money. This stereotype has fostered violence and discrimination against these women. Oxford Dictionary illustrates the earliest usage of “gypsy” in a demeaning way dates back to the 1600’s of women being described as cunning and sexual. Romani people already have experienced a history of persecution back home in Eastern Europe. An article created by the Nation Orignaztion for Women titled “The “G” Word Isn’t for You: How “Gypsy” Erases Romani Women” stated that 70 to 80 percent of Romani were murdered in the holocast. The amount of hate crimes and systematic discrimination has remained constant as American’s have a sense of Nativism towards immigrants and their families in the United States. The last thing Romani people needed was Americans creating new slurs to objectify and disrespect their women. Romani women have always experienced disrespect and dicrimination, particularly differing treatment in the areas of education, reproductive health care, and in the labor market. In the twenty-first century, the media portrays two types of “gypsies,” the beggar who is dirty and abuses the welfare system and the hypersexual one who threatens the patriarchy. While the use of the word “gyp199

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sy” may seem innocent as most Americans believe the term to describe a free-spirited traveler, it conjures up dangerous stereotypes against Romani women. Non-American women face the most discrimination in a society that is not only structured agianst women but also structured against anyone who isn’t white. IV. In Literature and Pop Culture Surprisingly, not everyone is educated on the fact that “gypsy” is an offensive term. “Gypsy” started popping up in works of art as early as the 1800’s, but in a way that reinforces negative stereotypes against Romani women. The appearances of “gypsies” in literature over the years has remained deceitful, oversexual, wild, and untamed. In Jane Austen’s Emma, “gypsies” make an appearance as people who bait Harriet into an alley, reinforcing the stereotype of being street women who steal from others. In Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the “gypsies” mentioned are wearing little clothing, dancing sexually in the street, and possess the attention of all of the passers-by. Disney’s animated recreation, respectively named, does nothing but erase the gross and racially motivated descriptions of “gypsies.” Disney only reconstructed the image of the “gypsies” to be kind. Disney was in the wrong for completely erasing the systematic oppression of Romani women. They should have least addressed the change of the character. Constantly oversexualization and fetishing for one particular marginalized group of women causes violence and aggression to them in real life. These misrepresentations in literature should no longer be taught to students since no progress can be made in protecting Romani women if we continue to not listen to their voices. Disney is not the only company that has profited off of “gypsies” on television. TV channel company TLC has a very well known show titled “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding” with both a British 200

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and American version. These shows were said to be following people of Romani descent but no actual Romani representation was present. The show faces many controversies including the inclusion of racism in their advertisements causing racially motivated bullying and being hugely misleading. The show also displayed gross oversexualization of young women as the first episode was titled “Virgin Gypsy brides” with a description illustrating that “gypsy” teenagers were to remain “virgins” until marriage. This disgusting misrepresentation of Romani women and culture was simply brushed over. TLC was never severely called out for their oversexualization of teenagers and their racist remarks. We are failing to protect Romani women even to this day. The music industry is another place where misrepresentation of “gypsy” is being cultivated. Many popular artists have wrongfully used the term in their songs when none of them are actually Romani. These artists only capitalize off of a term that was never originally theirs. There is “Gypsy” by Lady Gaga, “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac, “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” by Crystal Waters, “Gypsy” by Shakira, “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” by Cher, “Gypsy Road” by Cinderella, and “Gypsy Eyes” by Jimi Hendrix. These artists not only romanitize the image of “gypsies” and the so-called “gypsy life” but they also make money off it. “Gypsy” will continue to be used by non-Romani people because famous artists and writers have convinced so many people it is reasonable to still use the term. “Gypsy” will continue to be used because belittling names used against women have been institutionalized over decades of use. V. American Preconceptions & Cottage Core American society has limited me and many others from learning the true meaning of “gypsy.” Growing up, I innocently believed that a “gypsy” was a woman who could never settle down. A free-spirited woman who is always moving from place to place. 201

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The television shows and the music containing the term “gypsy” only reinforced this false belief I and many others held. Many people still hold this belief to this day. Shows such as “Gypsy Wives” by TLC didn’t help, showing mostly American Women who pretended to be wild and unfit for marriage. Only when social media became more popular were more people called out for their inappropriate use of “gypsy.” This is where I was finally able to learn the true horrible history and meaning behind the term “gypsy.” Social media has enabled us to spread awareness about insensitive and outdated terms, since you can educate thousands of people with one post. Social media has allowed Romani women to have a voice after decades of persecution. Unfortunately, all good things are followed by bad as there is an insensitive side to social media. In the past couple years, I’ve personally witnessed “gypsy” being used hand-in-hand with “cottage core,” a type of aesthetic way of life. Urban Dictionary defines “cottage core” as a “romatized interpretation of western agricultural life….. centered on ideas of simple living and harmony with nature.” Most “cottage core” related posts have to deal with young women who are free spirited and live among nature. This synonymous use of “gypsy” and “cottage core” is very harmful due to the fact that it completely erases the true meaning and history of the term as well as misleads the younger generations about the term. These posts should not be taken lightly. Twitter pledges itself on taking down or marking misleading information but no action is taken about the misuse of “gypsy.” Demeaning terms against women are never taken seriously and no one faces repercussions for using them. This is all the result of a society structured against women. VI. Consequences for Misuse Predicting the use of “gyspy” in the future it simple; it will continue to be used to discriminate against women in a so202

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ciety structured against women. In American society where crimes against women are institutionalized, demeaning names used against women have been at all time high as they rapidly spread over social media. “Gypsy” continues to be one of these terms. Social media companies’ actions to try to take down these posts aren’t enough activism for many people in and out of the Romani community. Aniko Orsos, author of “We Romani Women…” makes a point that “Romani people are regularly amongst the most disadvantaged and most vulnerable” in our society, meaning they need the most protection from domestic and verbal abuse that can be spread throughout social media. Many activist groups offer suggestions on how to curb the misuse of “gypsy” including the Alliance Against Anti Gypsyism that has entire papers about combating antigypsyism. These papers include sections about the Federal Government taking actions against social media posts containing misinformation in public discourse and the media. The alliance illustrates that the National Government can take actions including “foster counter-narratives in school” curriculums, “implement, support, and finance civic educational training on countering hate speech” and implementing “increased sanctions for recurring hate speech.” It’s a big step in progress to punish and educate those who continue to ethnically discriminate in 2022. While “gypsy” may not dissipate from American vocabulary along with other demeaning terms for women, we can reduce its use by proper education and boosting Romani voices. VI. Conclusions Misogyny was coined by the Ancient Greeks as early as the Seventeenth century. Since then and even before, gender discrimination spread around the world like wildfire, becoming an instutionalized practice. The English language continues to be used as a tool against women as dozens of degrading names 203

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for us have become normal everyday vocabulary used in music, movies, and literature. With American society coming from nativist origins, unAmerican women face the most discrimination in the states with degrading terms created just to use on them. The most populist term being “gypsy” originating from an older version of Egyptian adapted into the English language to discriminate against Romani women. “Gypsy” is predicted to remain a degrading name for women as Google’s Ngram illustrates an increased use of the word in the last ten years that is fueled by the literature and media we consume. The trend of non-Romani utilizing the term to insult a wide variety of ethnicities will remain constant as the United States is filled with systemic racism. As “gypsy” changed from referring to an early Indo-Aryan language to a misogynist insult, it’s evident that American culture continues to foster discrimination against different ethnicities. I urge the next generation of parents to educate their children on people with all different ethnic backgrounds and to stop the continued use of offensive language against other cultures. Hate is taught, it’s easy to avoid spreading it to the next generation. Remove “gypsy” and other derogatory language from your vocabulary and uplift Romani voices that have been shunned for so long.

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Women Aren’t Funny, They’re Hysterical Michaela Riley

ysterical as an adjective can also be attributed as a noun, but is most often used as an adjective. Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as of, relating to, or of the nature of the hysterical passion, or hysteria (as a medical or psychogenic disorder). Also (of a symptom or condition): (supposedly) occurring as a manifestation of this disorder. Today, we see the word used prominently in social situations where excessive laughter is expressed. However, hysterical has a long overlooked history of deeply rooted medical sexism. The word is viewed very differently today when compared to past definitions. The root word is hystera meaning “uterus/womb”. For a majority of this word’s history it was a medical diagnosis for a large number of psychological distresses in women. Although the definition has changed, the word hysterical still has negative connotations attributed towards women, that perpetuates and compromises women’s position in American society and the healthcare they receive. The definition of the word hysterical that is most commonly in use today is the colloquial extremely funny definition. This meaning of the word first emerged in the late nineteenth cen205

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tury and early twentieth century and the word, according to Google Ngram, had its peak in popularity in the beginning of the 1900s. Throughout history hysterical has meant different things to different cultures going through at least three prominent shifts in meaning. With its root word hystera originating in Ancient Greece, hystera meaning uterus/womb, philosophers Plato and Hippocrates believed that the hystera moved through the female body resulting in various physical and/or mental ailments in the places the uterus landed. In addition, the Greeks believed that a woman’s inability to bear children or get married was due to hysteria. Ancient Romans believed that hysteria was the result of a disease of the womb or a disruption in reproduction. Roman physician Galen theorized that the womb could become poisoned causing hysteric symptoms. To treat these symptoms, he believed herbs or marriage could bring relief. During this time women’s worth in ancient Roman and Greek society was largely dictated by whether or not they could bear children. Women were expected to aspire to the marriage role, defined as either wife, mother or both. It was concluded that conforming to societal norms would be the best treatment for hysteria. Within the period of the fifth to thirteenth centuries, the interpretation of hysteria went under a transformation due to the growing influence of Christanty. At this time, Christians believed that suffering was a result of sin, hence hysteria came to be perceived as satanic possession. Treatments of hysteria moved from going to hospitals, to receiving treatment at churches through prayers and even exorcisms. This interpretation further accentuated the notion that women were crazy or had unbalanced emotions just because of the existence of their uterus, as obviously the uterus caused symptoms of hysteria. Had it not been for Sigmund Freud’s evaluation of hysteria, men might not have been diagnosed with it, nor would it have been taken more seriously as a mental health issue. Even so, it 206

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still remained that women were predisposed to this diagnosis because of their laziness, capacity to exhibit emotions, body aches, or let’s be honest, the mere existence of the uterus. Eventually, in the 1700s, hysteria shifted from being considered a physical condition to being categorized as a mental disorder. This first occurred in regard to research conducted by French psychologist Charles Lepois who believed that hysteria was a malady of the brain. English physician Thomas Sydenham presumed that it was an emotional condition, and not a physical condition. Though different views of hysteria were starting to emerge, the overall wide spread consensus remained that hysteria was connected to demonic possession. Convulsive fits and hysterical presentations were still being treated with exorcisms. About a century later, other worldly treatments associated with astrology started being explored. German physician Franz Anton Mesmer developed the notion that hysteria was caused by the magnetic forces of the planets. In what he called “Animal magnetism”, the magnetic pull of the planets negatively affected humans leading to hysterical symptoms. To treat his patients, primarily women, he used hypnosis and magnets. Unfortunately his methods of relieving the hysteria actually caused more symptoms that were considered to be hysterical. Most of his work had no medicinal value, though he did make a considerable profit. With the cyclical nature of his theory and the still popular concept of the uterus being the cause of hysteria, Mesmer’s theory is preconceived in patriarchal actions that take advantage of generations of women’s suffering. In the nineteenth century Sigmund Freud, an Austrian psychiatrist, published “The Aetiology of Hysteria” in which he illustrates the experiences his female patients had dealt with. He concluded that hysteria was caused by traumatic experiences in childhood. Freud also introduced the idea that men could be affected by the mental disorder, therefore making the word less of a gendered term. Nevertheless, his findings concluded 207

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that women were still predisposed to the disorder. Hysteria was included in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’’ (DSM) until 1980 when it was replaced by anxiety and depression. The DSM is used by all professionals to diagnose mental disorders throughout the United States. It has been in use since the 1950s. Hysteria remained a diagnosis for thirty years, potentially being erroneously applied to many. Also related to hysterical is mass hysteria, a noun composed of two meanings—mass dense aggregation of objects having the appearance of a single, continuous body, and hysteria meaning overwhelming, uncontrollable emotion or agitation, esp. as a collective reaction to an event. Mass hysteria has gained more attention in the twentieth century, periodically being associated with unexplained psychological events. The most famous example of mass hysteria in American history was the Salem witch trials in 1692-93. A group of women in the village of Salem, Massachusetts were accused of practicing witchcraft. As a result of mass hysteria, over a hundred women were put on trial for practicing witchcraft. Interestingly, unmarried women who displayed more symptoms of hysteria were more likely to be accused of witchcraft during this time. My view is that the current definition of hysterical will continue to pertain to humor as well as extreme anxiety. More often than not, hysterical will be used to describe situations that are generally humorous. Following the current state of the world, climate change, and the pandemic, it is not surprising that people are experiencing bouts of anxiety. The definition will continue to stray away from being linked to women. The removal of hysteria as a diagnosis from the DSM has helped take away the archaic stigma surrounding the mental health connotation associated with the word. These findings have important implications for the broader domain of the language associated with mental illnesses and bringing wider awareness to certain mental states. 208

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With that in mind, I believe that mass hysteria will grow in usage following the emergence of social media platforms and our daily lives becoming intertwined with the algorithm as well as groupthink being prominent in sub groups on a majority of these platforms. With social media being ubiquitous and inescapable, we are subjected to certain illegitimate ideas and or exaggerated news. In recent years, the medical and psychiatric fields have made great progress in moving away from diagnosing people with hysteria and are now aware of the actual mental and physical ailments that are associated with it. Although the definition of hysterical may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concerns over women’s health issues still being attributed to the “hystera” before considering other causes. And when considering the definition in terms of emotion, I would conclude it is more often attributed toward describing women’s emotions.

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To Area 51 and Beyond:

The Etymology of the Word Alien

Lily Silver

he word alien has a complex history ranging from being used in the Bible, to being a derivative of the French word “aliene” and the Latin word “aliēnus”. Although the word has elaborate meanings, the most common definition for alien in the Oxford English Dictionary is something or someone that “belongs to another person, place, or family” or is “from elsewhere”. Collectively, alien is used to describe a foreign organism, applied derogatorily against foreigners or immigrants, and describes an extraterrestrial creature popular in science fiction. The negative connotation that is associated distinctly with each definition of the word alien demonstrates that humans address fear by attacking what is unknown to them, consequently impacting our psychological interpretations of the word. It is natural for humans, animals, plants, and other organisms to move around the world intentionally, and unintentionally. One of the definitions of alien reflects the biological movement of organisms from outside their native homeland. Alien defines a “plant or animal” that is “not native” but is “brought from another country or district”. Similarly, alien defines “biological material, such as cells or tissues” that “originate from 211

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another organism”. We use alien to comment on the natural, or sometimes intentional transfer of one being to another place or host and its consequential impact. Although the definition appears to be neutral, it has a negative connotation to humans. We consider something that is “alien” to be invasive, and recognize plants, cancers, and bacterias, as a threat; even if they are part of the natural ecosystem and lifecycle. No one wants to hear that there is alien bacteria in their body, or their backyard has an alien pest, hence why we have come to psychologically interpret the word to mean danger. By associating the natural form of alien with disaster, disease, and chaos, we attempt to avoid anything that seems out of the ordinary and try to control the unpredictable changes in our environment and health. The examples of alien demonstrate how we shift our psychological response to a simple definition of a word, causing more harm than good. Besides the use of alien in a natural sense, one of the most prevalent uses of the word alien throughout history is to isolate certain groups of people, and dehumanize them. Diverting from the foundational meaning of the word alien as just a foreign being, alien takes on hostile connotations during times of increased nationalism and conflict. In America, using alien to distinguish immigrants from “true Americans” emerged around the country’s conception. The Alien and Sedition Acts that were created in 1798 under President John Adams’ administration, allowed the president to deport, arrest, and imprison any “aliens” during wartime. This act was created to isolate and create suspicion of anyone who was not American, with the goal of restricting criticism of the government and ridding the country of foreign adversaries. In this context, alien took on a negative connotation, and created a nationalistic attitude that anyone who was not a natural citizen did not belong in America. Alien is still used in prominent U.S legislation, such as the Immigration and Nationality Act (enacted in 1952), which in 212

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Title 8 covers “Aliens and Nationality”; representing how the word has prevailed in America because of its use in legislation from the countries beginning to modern day. The use of alien in legislation also has profound impacts on how the word is used socially, especially during world conflicts. The Oxford English Dictionary uses “strange,” “unfamiliar,” “different,” and “hostile” to define alien, characterizations that have persisted throughout world history. Using alien to refer to immigrants or other foreigners, particularly in a nationalistic sense, follows a very distinct pattern, peaking around times of tension, like world wars. As Google Ngram demonstrates in their graphical representation of alien and its use in literature from 1800 to 2019, the word began a steady increase from 1910 to 1917 during the times of pre-WWI, during the war, and towards the end of the war. In the 1920s, the word decreased in use, returning to the pre-WWI levels, but eventually hit another peak in the 1940s, around the time of WWII. The peak of the word alien during times of war is not surprising, due to the period’s increase of nationalism, and a disdain and suspicion of foreigners. Especially during WWII, someone’s differences were reason for extermination or imprisonment, resulting in Germany’s extermination of “inferior” races and America’s internment of Japanese Americans during the war. Although there was a dip in the use of the word from the 1950s onward, it reached the highest peak of the century between 2001 to 2002, around the time that the world had to reckon with the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, and the consequential wars in the Middle East. The Ngram demonstrates the pattern and history of the word, but also the pattern of human behavior. When something becomes difficult, or a perceived threat is on the horizon, we search for someone else to blame, and label them as the outcast. Diverting from the biological meaning of an alien, the word can symbolize division in human civilizations, and the incorporation of human fear, anger, pride, and 213

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selfishness, into intolerance. Human fear of differences is not merely contained to our atmosphere, but extends into the universe and the multitude of mysteries it holds, which is evidenced by the trends of the word alien. More recently in the twentieth century, as humans realized the limitations of Earth, the frontier of space became more intriguing. Astronauts were sent to orbit the Earth, land on the moon, and give humans the first look at our planet from space. However, as our knowledge of space expanded, so did our anxiety of what else our universe might possess, bringing the concept of alien life into our popular culture. Although the idea of extraterrestrial beings is intriguing and captivates science-fiction audiences, there is also an uneasiness of the threat aliens could pose. Popular culture capitalizes on fear of aliens by portraying them as green, slimy, emotionless, destructive, and capable of taking over the world in many cinematic interpretations. On Earth, humans have always thought themselves to be top of the food chain, and the possibility that another species could be superior and take away everything that we control, is understandably frightening. But, the fear and also fascination with aliens continues to grow, maturing into conspiracy theories, stories of alien encounters, and distrust of the government. Conspiracies about Area 51, a U.S Air Force Base in Nevada, that supposedly has proof of alien life, have emerged on the internet. In 2019 the conspiracy resulted in a movement called “Storm Area 51,” with the idea of a large group of people storming the base to find information. The threat never actually materialized, but similar conspiracies are widespread on the internet, spreading false information and mistrust in the government. The violent action present in “storm” militarizes the word alien, indicating that such conspiracy theories and language encourages aggressive action against extraterrestrial beings and also humans. The word alien in today’s culture has catapulted into a social and political issue that is a form of interest, fear, 214

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destruction, and capital for companies and people. Alien is not going to recede from our language anytime soon. In fact, its use will only continue as division in our world grows. As we continue to advance biomedical technology, we will discover ways to incorporate alien material, and ways to isolate and destroy it. In a political sense, the global population is arguably, as divided as ever. As wars rage on, as refugees and immigrants flee countries, and as nationalism grows, alien will continue to be used to dehumanize others. Finally, as climate change worsens, and our Earth slowly loses its capabilities to hold life, humans will have to continue to explore space to find a suitable alternative. And, as we do, the reality of alien life outside our atmosphere will expand, and panic of what this means for humanity will intensify. Of course, as that reality is explored, popular culture will continue to produce more and more realistic interpretations of what alien life would look like; preparing, but also scaring people for the possibility. Ironically, the future of the word alien is not unknown; its future will consist of its use continuing, and people projecting their fears onto all alien forms. Each form of the word alien exemplifies a different aspect of our global society, and how we react to adversity. The ways in which we use the word alien, has created social norms and expectations that dehumanize outsiders, and institute social structures, treating some as superior to others. Although we are in an age where defying social norms is more acceptable, alien has persisted in our laws and actions, and continues to embody human fears of each other and what we cannot control. Historically, alien has come to demonstrate the social conditions that are instituted because of language, and a way that anxieties of uncontrollable factors are blamed on innocent people, organisms, and undiscovered space creatures.

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On Being Cryptic:

There Are No Secrets Hidden Here

Melissa Wright

hile conducting the study of the etymology of the word cryptic there have been very notable changes in how the word is used, from describing a physical religious burial ground that was considered a place of worship and calmness called a crypt to transforming to describe something more hidden, dark, and unknown intangible items like the creation of cryptocurrency or the idea and existence of cryptids conveying how many people in the world have grown to fear the unknown as opposed to worshiping what was hidden away. The Oxford English Dictionary describes the word cryptic as “communication of knowledge by secret methods”, like many words in the English language it is derived from Latin and Greek roots. The earliest use of the word occurred in the early 1600s, its main etymon from Latin being crypticus. This word has gone through many changes and spellings from crypticke, cryptike, cryptique in the early 1600s to cruptick in the 1700s eventually landing on the spelling that we know today as cryptic; what’s most interesting is how the meaning for cryptic has changed throughout time and people’s feeling and emotions have affected the psychology and definitions of this word. 217

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The prefix crypt was previously associated in a religious sense to a burial ground where priests and higher ups of a particular church are buried in the basement of the church which is considered a place to be at peace since the basement is censored and hidden from the public eye. The OED definition of crypt is “An underground cell, chamber, or vault esp. One used as a burial place and typically lying beneath a church” demonstrating the physical place behind it. This is connected to the idea of being one with the church and reaching the ultimate goal after death, heaven. Christians follow the belief that if the body is not fully intact at the time of death then reaching heaven is unattainable so crypts were created to preserve the body and let the soul rest to make the full journey to heaven, they were also used to store values of the church and to protect these valuables from theft. According to the Google Ngram, there was a rise in the early 1800s to the 1900s in the word crypt portraying how crypts became more popular back then. These are the years where crypts were the most popular and even when there has been a rise in the word in the early 2000s it hasn’t risen to how high the percentage was. A crypt is a physical manifestation of cryptic––it’s a spot for serene communication between the resting soul and God in hopes of reaching heaven. Made to hide this conversation away and physically restrain the public’s view from disrespecting and disrupting the peace of the soul. In a religious sense, the word cryptic and crypt had actually been associated with a place of religious worship, and generally has a positive connotation behind it because of the idea that the soul resting in the crypt can reach heaven if they are not disturbed. However, the evolution of the word cryptic and describing something as cryptic has more of a negative connotation to it now as compared to earlier days because of the metaphorical things created which has built fear in others, crypts were a place of worship and sacrament which still has the physical significance behind it, but 218

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the actual word cryptic doesn’t have the same association as it once did and the developments of technology have had a negative impact on the word because of the online organizations both political and economical which have made the word into something that is now feared. The idea of being described as cryptic would make people uncomfortable because of the idea that many fear what they don’t know. As technology continues to shape and have an immense impact on the world around us the idea of being mysterious and cryptic has become a much more valuable tool in others, something that people have come to fear, which is something others have found pleasure in, creating fear in others. As I previously suggested many don’t like the idea of being cryptic for the fear of being unknown however many love being unknown because of the advantages created through being feared. Through the rise of technology a secret cyber group has been created termed ‘anonymous’ because of their large skills in hacking the actual group hasn’t been revealed yet because of their skills. The group usually hides their faces and uses a voice changer making them stick to their name of being ‘anonymous’. The group is very mysterious and they are the unknown, but they use the power for good, speaking out against high people in power and unjust governments that have done wrong or tyrannical acts. Even though the group is actually doing good, they create fear in people because they are doing something that has never really been seen before, and no one knows who they are. This also creates fear because they don’t want to be the next person to be exposed by this group, giving the idea that they are actually doing something controversial that they don’t want exposed. This group proves the idea that people fear the unknown because even if ‘anonymous’ isn’t directly targeting them they still create this fear and their point gets across through fear. Even if there isn’t any actual danger, the psychological fear this group creates is something that is widely felt in people. Becoming cryptic 219

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has turned into a more figurative meaning undermining the physical place of worship and making it seem less than what it is. Cryptocurrency, another figurative item that is derived from cryptic, is something of large value in today’s day and age but not many people know what cryptocurrency is and how much of an impact it has had on the world’s economy. Opposed to actual paper money, you can see cryptocurrency as the introduction of the virtual world of economics. It also can’t be trusted because your money can easily disappear. Normal human beings for the most part don’t even understand how to work it. Throughout the development of time, metaphorical ideologies associated with being cryptic have mostly been partnered with censorship and censoring the public. This argument largely isn’t a good thing because of the fact that people aren’t getting important information giving reason as to why people feel the fear associated with this. Further evidence of the censorship of the media can be proven through the development of cryptids. Cryptids, another derivative from crypt, is according to the OED is “an animal whose existence or survival in the present day is disputed or unsubstantiated” many people don’t know about the creation or even the idea of these creatures. Through the mentions of peoples, stories, and tales, cryptids are believed to be real and often are feared by many because of these stories. This proves the scientific effects that cryptic has had on the biology of the world because scientists haven’t proven these creatures real yet however many people believe and fear the power of these creatures even though they might not be real. This conveys how people have fear in the unknown and what they can’t control, demonstrating the power in the word cryptic and how that word alone has enough power behind it to cause fear and interest enough to make people look into and research things like cryptids. Another example of this is the statute, Kryptos, it can be found in front of CIA, largely a bunch of jumbled up letters that can be 220

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decoded into a secret message via caesar cipher, however this isn’t an easy task; along with the fact that there is no spacing or punctuation words are purposely misspelled in the actual message to make deciphering it a harder duty. Many don’t know what the message means which means that attempting to decipher this could be a large waste of time however, this may not be the case since it is placed in front of the CIA. Along with the four panels that have a bunch of random lettering things like a random log and a piece of granite is around it and no one has no idea if these are included in the meaning behind the statute. This is a different example on how people may fear the unknown because people have attempted to solve this puzzle for years, practically becoming addicted to it even if the code may mean nothing to them. It demonstrates how people will become obsessed in trying to solve the unknown which in many cases can be seen as something that is dangerous. As the world developed things described as cryptic have become much more dangerous than previous connotations. Being cryptic will further develop making more negative connotations than positive as the future develops. In today’s day it’s associated with things like the illuminati, a secret society that scares people even if they don’t know what they’re for. The development of conspiracies and theories also developed the way people think of cryptic things. Also it is contextualized with biological findings as opposed to the previous religious and mystical connotations it was originally derived from and has an impact on how the word is viewed in this day and age. Describing something that is cryptic may still have a negative connotation because of the creations that have been made associated with the word. Even though it really hasn’t been proven that the illuminati isn’t a proven actual real thing. The popular saying, “guilty by association” is very accurate in this situation because a crypt originally had a positive association with reaching heaven and God; it is now connected to fear and the worry 221

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for the unknown through connections with the illuminati.

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Part IV:

Guest Submissions

How to Feel

Kaitlin Owens

What’s it like to feel? It’s like the hot scalding sun on your skin No, it’s stubbing your toe No, it’s like breaking a bone No, it’s like losing a friend No… it’s like losing your best friend Actually, to feel is like… heartbreak at midnight, the drowning, overwhelming clamor of my thoughts, the ache of my heart, the pounding headache… To feel…

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It’s dependent on your mindset You could be alone in the empty forest, alone in the dark, scared and alone The drowning dark red sea of blood, the overwhelming heat of the sun…. The sun? What is this sun? You’re the sun, my sun No… the sun is in the sky? No, it’s actually in your mind It’s you… To feel your touch, It’s my mission, for you to take me away For the pins and needles to disappear… For that screaming hawk to rest… Give me your ‘touch’ and teach me how to feel Then I’ll know… that what it’s like to feel, isn’t the sun, nor the pain of being broken That feeling isn’t the sound of something or the thought of 226

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something You’re what it’s like to feel… That’s my answer, You.

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Vulnerable

Isabella Bonventre

You can brick up your heart How ferocious and defensive We all churn inside We could not bear to be so naked Each mad heart silent, a brilliant music stilled We live alone in the house of the heart We are utterly open with no one in the end It comes down to an instant “I have something to tell you” The shatter of glass Diseases, wars, despairs, and arts Are hearts bruised and scarred

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Scored and torn Fragile and rickety forevermore

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The Continuous Fracture

Kaitlyn Combs

Consider for a moment a brilliant music stilled Barely beating, hearts grow cold, mad heart silent Stripped to the skin for the war against social structure, despairs, arts It endures the unimaginable Moaning cries, piercing and yearning Two billion heartbeats, you burn out To a halt, you come close to death

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Naked, bruised, scarred, Fragile, Rickety forevermore Dragging itself into a defense to die

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Yo Birb

Rose Kendrick, Lincoln Champlin, Katie Strojny

Consider the hummingbird flying jewels, nowhere else in the universe, whirling and zooming, nectaring. They can dive, they can fly, they retreat. But when they rest, their hearts grow cold. Consider the hummingbird, a moment, the most amazing thing you have ever seen.

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Brilliant music stilled, faster than we could clearly hear. Hummingbirds, a life closer to death. They suffer, burn out, in a lifetime, eternally in motion. So much held in a heart, in a lifetime, in a day, an hour, a moment. All hearts, finally, bruised and scarred, scored and torn. Repaired by time, patched by force. Forevermore, 234

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Consider the hummingbird.

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Ghost’s Revenge

Sam Paris

t was a dark October night in the year 1988; I was on a late night walk. I had just turned 41 two months ago. I decided to go on a walk because it was the last warm night of the month. While I was walking I decided to take a stroll in the cemetery. That might have been a big mistake on my end, but I love October and I love eerie things. What can I say? I walked in and immediately got this feeling that I should leave. Now you see, the smart thing to do would be to just leave, but this would not be a good story if I had used my brain, so yeah I stayed. As I was walking I got this feeling like I was being watched. As I felt someone’s eyes burning a hole into the back of my head I continued to walk. Although I couldn’t shake this feeling I wasn’t too worried about it; that was until I heard a branch crack. As soon as I heard the cracking of the branch I whipped my head around to see that no one was there. At this point I was starting to panic. I knew no one was with me but I know that I heard someone. As I continued to look where the noise came from my thoughts continued to race. I turned to begin walking again and I was abruptly stopped by a ghost-like image. I jumped and yelled, “who are you?” The ghost only responded in blank stares. I wanted to run, 237

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I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs, but I couldn’t move. I was frozen with fear and confusion. I had heard ghost stories all throughout my childhood, but I never experienced something like this. “My name’s Diane.” a soft voice responded. As soon as she started speaking It felt like all of the fear had been pulled out of my body. “Diane, what a nice name. You look like you need help with something.” “I do!” she said excitedly. “I need help in being able to rest in peace .” “How can I help you with that?” “I need help with getting revenge.” I thought about what she said for a second; while I was thinking I saw more ghost-like figures coming towards me. I looked around and Diane started to smile. I asked her what she was smiling about and she told me that they know you’re the one. “The one?” I thought. What is that supposed to mean? I was quick to find out what that meant. “I’m John.” one of the ghosts said. “I heard you were here! We were expecting you.” “Expecting me?” I thought. They just met me but they’re acting like they’ve always known me. “You’ve got experience in the military so you have experience with weapons. You were meant to help us get revenge on those who hurt us so we can cross over and rest.” John explained. I couldn’t process what they had just said. This is so much responsibility for me. How did they know about my past? I hadn’t mentioned anything about that to anyone. I hated talking about it. I hated that part of my life, but these random ghosts I know nothing about know more information about me than my own friends. “How… how did you know that” I said with great confusion. 238

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“We’ve known you for a long time just as you’ve known us for a long time.” John said. “But that’s impossible. I’ve just met you.” “A past life. We were friends, surely you remember!” he shouted trying to get me to understand. “I don’t understand it makes no sense-” “You’re right. It doesn’t make sense and it will never make sense, but forget about it. We need your help finding peace.” “So I knew all of you? Why can you remember but I can’t? None of this makes sense!” “No, you only knew me and Diane, no one else.” He said avoiding having to explain why. John reassured me that everything was fine and he was very adamant about me helping them cross over. There were about five of them, but I’m also unsure due to the fact that I was in a haze while all of this was taking place. John explained that in order for me to help them we need to get revenge on the ones who killed them or wrong them. “Are you suggesting I kill people?” “I know this might be hard to hear and I know it’s a lot to deal with but yes.” John said while trying to sound reassuring. “I’m not a killer!” I shouted. “You were in the military you must—” “No! That’s not who I am anymore. Plus, you guys seem to have been dead for hundreds of years. How do you expect me to get revenge on those who are also likely dead.” Diane chimed in, “These people wronged all of us. They did experiments on us and so many horrible things. It’s not just one person each or one person as a whole. It’s not even the ones who killed us. No, It’s the organization.” “Organization?” “The rich and powerful. They took us off the streets where we were living. You were there too. You tried to stop them from taking us but you couldn’t. You died with us, but you came back. 239

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I wish you could remember. Why can’t you remember? John why can’t he-” John cut her off. “Diane, please stop, you’re going to drive him away. We have other things to worry about, do not worry about this right now.” Diane went to go out to touch him and as soon as she did he remembered everything. Their friendship, the streets where they used to sleep. Everything except for the organization. He had also gotten a flashback to his childhood. He remembered when the three of them would run around and play little made up games. They’d hang out every day as kids. “I remember! Diane, I remember.” “See John, I told you It would work!” This then made him think of his parents and how they weren’t there much. He never blames them for it because they had to work to get money, but it saddens him. John and Diane were like his family growing up. They did everything with him. Diane and John hated the library but they would go because it was his favorite spot. They were always there for each other. “Why didn’t you say anything when you first saw me, John?” “Because you would have thought I was crazy or you were crazy. Either way, it would have ended badly. Trust me I didn’t forget how you are” “Why couldn’t I remember?” “I don’t know. Maybe if you take down the organization-” “What even is this organization John you have told me nothing about it” “You know what it is… unless” John paused, staring at him in awe. “They must have messed with your memory.” “My memory?” He exclaims. “My memory is just fine.” Diane chimes in, “They must have erased his memory or tried to at least. Might have put in some false memories instead.” Hearing this made the man upset. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that he most likely has false memories. “The organization John.” he said starting to get annoyed. 240

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“Fine. The organization is well, just that; an organization of people that is put together to do experiments on people. They were trying to give us powers and that worked all except for, well us.” “John don’t.” Diane stopped him. “What kind of powers?” “Simple powers you’d read about as a kid.” John said. “Where is the organization?” “Up on sanctuary hill. Hopefully you will remember once you get there.” Now that he had remembered he was able to get to work right away. He knew where he was going and who he was going after. One by one the people fell. The organization in which they would experiment on poor innocent citizens was starting to fall. The more it fell the less people he would see at the cemetery. He was killing the people involved just like how John wanted him to and it was working. There were only two souls left, John and Diane. There was also only one person left in the organization. The most powerful of them all. He is the one who owns it all. The one whose family passed it down from generation to generation. He, who would remember the names of John and Diane. “Hugo.” The man turned around. It was him. I got a flashback to the time I was here hundreds of years ago. The flashback took him back to the year 1888. He had been homeless after being in the military. He expected more after getting discharged but this is where he ended up. He was on the streets by himself for a while until he ran into Diane and John. Once reconnecting they were inseparable once again. They did everything together and were a family once again. All was good until one day a strange van came along and took them. They were all taken to the hill, sanctuary hill was what it was called. It was a huge brick building covered in moss and defi241

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nitely in violation of many health code violations. Inside was about as you’d expect this building to look. It was worn down but functional. There were parts of the ceiling falling down and the temperature of the building would give you goosebumps. They were all taken to different rooms where they were given a basic physical examination. They were then put to sleep. They were asleep for what seemed like a day but it was in fact five years, well for the man. Diane and John didn’t make it. The person who ran the facility, Mads, checked on the man every day. When he finally woke up he was in a haze. He had little to no memory left. Mads filled his brain with false memories and sent him back into the world with a mission. Before he was sent out though he stood in Mads’ office where Mads told him that he would have to help his friends and free their souls. Mads wanted his last mission to be taking down the organization. He looks just like his great grandfather he thought as he came to again. “Who are you?” Hugo said, confused. “Diane and John. Do you remember them?” “I have no idea who you’re talking about,” Hugo said smugly. “I know nothing of those people.” “Right, well I am the one who killed the rest of your employees and I’m getting revenge for Diane and John; and if I’m going to be honest I couldn’t care less if you told the truth because I know who you are. I know what you’ve done. To Diane, to John, to me. Diane and John told me about how I was experimented on too before I died but somehow-” “Somehow you’re back. Correct. Did you ever wonder why you’re back?” Hugo said as if to take the thoughts right out of my head. “No” “Would you like to know?” Hugo asked at a last attempt to save himself. “No. This is just a trick. All of your employees have tried the 242

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same trick. It wont work on me Hugo.” “I’m aware, but I do not want a compromise. This is the end of the line for me. Just like how this is the end of the line for you. Isn’t that right, Luke.” “How does he know my name?” Luke thought as backed up a step. “How do you know my name?” Luck began to shout but Hugo stopped him. “Because like you said, I remember you. I remember Diane and John. I remember all of you. My parents told me stories about the things they did. They wanted me to be just like them. They wanted me to pass it as they have for many years. They said you would be back. I didn’t know what that meant for many years until recently. I saw your name in a paper. Military man? I knew it was you immediately. Then I remembered what my parents had told me about you. You were a special experiment tasked with coming back and helping the dead. You were kept alive for many years after your death was faked. From there we observed you and made sure you were ready to go into the public again. With a fresh memory and with a task you were on a mission. This Luke, this is the end of your mission.” It was then something clicked in Luke’s mind. He knew what he really had to do. “Thank you.” Whispered Diane and John. “Goodbye Hugo.” The gun fired twice.

243

Dao

Nicharee Cokic

Her name is Dao and it means the star She love to sing and plays the guitar She’s skilled with spatula and a wok Made the many dishes she knows from Bangkok Steaming Jasmine rice and spicy curry She will make them even if she’s in a hurry Her meal fills my stomach and my soul Her food taste like warm hugs I always empty the bowl She’s the “man” of the house, that I will respect Working twice as hard but no complains, that I didn’t expect She’s bold and fierce, more manlier than a man But she’s also kind and tender, carrying hopes in her hand 245

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She’s like a comedian with jokes and puns I laugh and giggle I always have fun Her radiation of happiness had spreaded everywhere It highly contagious it’s all in the air Her name is Dao and it means the star These are some stories but there’s so much more I’m so grateful and with all my heart I love her She’s a chef, a best friend and a wonderful mother

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Within the Garden’s Soil

Lincoln Champlin

I walked in and immediately A cool zephyr from the West combats the summer heat. The songs of nature, carried through the winds. My spade tending to the cool soil, as his has done for years. Tomatoes, basil, garlic, swiss chard. No plant the same as another. The colors of the rainbow buried beneath the sprouts that sway in the wind Mazes of roots trapped, within the dirt, Growing, Deeper and deeper,

247

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Farther and farther from the surface. Searching for something to grab onto, To ground themselves to. Searching far and deep for necessities like water and nourishment. All while the green dances above such an intricate system. The sun beats down upon the treasures we harvest. Harvest the crops yet the roots remain. The colors, Finally breaching the surface. Seeing the light of day, Feeling the summer air. Free at last. Free forever. Though the roots Still buried, Remain hidden for eternities. It is my turn to learn the freedom of the garden. 248

Importance of Family

Claudia Aguilera

am very blessed to have my family in my life. My family is nowhere near perfect, but I love them. They always know how to get on my last nerve, but I know that I can always count on them when I need them. I see my sister and her small family she made almost everyday. She’s our neighbor which is pretty cool, so we always know what’s going on, whether she has company or received a bundle of amazon packages. But she does the exact same thing. Since she’s a stay at home mom, she’s always looking out that window, so when I go out to run some errands, she calls me and asks me where I’m going and if I could bring her something. Thanks to her I know the layout of Wegmans in the back of my head. Since the age of about thirteen, she would just make a list of the things she needed and wait for me outside. She wouldn’t go herself because she had to stay with the kids. I remember the first few times I went along to Wegmans, I would bring her a cabbage instead of a lettuce and vice versa. I’m very grateful to have her in my life. She taught me things that my mother wasn’t able to. I know my family will always have my back, and I will always have theirs. Without them, I wouldn’t be half the person I am today. Sometimes, I tell them that I don’t want to go to college, but they always encourage me to consider my future and make productive decisions. 249

The Coldest Winter

Derek Leshure Jr.

his is a love and revenge story with mystery twisted together. The story begins in Ronitia (row-nith-eah), the second-largest region in the continent. Aleksy, the main character, is from a lower end family who lives in the city of Tarko. The owner of The łabędz (lah-bee-edz), whose name is revealed later, took Aleksy in after his parents died three years prior when he was 16 and is giving him his own living space above the tavern in exchange for a job at the tavern with little pay in exchange for no rent. The story takes place within a fantasy medieval-era where nightly beasts, such as the Czenobog, are just becoming a concern in towns and cities. Cities all over Ronitia, similar to Tarko are just now gaining rulers and authority. Unfortunately, with the growing and unstable power, many are grabbing for that power to make it their own, going to any means necessary. Chapter 1 - The Commotion

The weather was getting colder in the air, and the colorful leaves were starting to fall and littering the roads leading towards Tarko, one of the major evolving cities in Ronitia. Aleksy made his way towards the door of the łabędź; the local tavern in Tarko before he stopped when two familiar voices called out to him. 251

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“Hey Aleksy!” the first voice called out. Aleksy turned to see who was calling his name, but, before he could, the second voice quickly spoke out. “Hey Kumela, how was Mt Pola?” It was Jerzy and Róża, his best friends since childhood. “Hey Kumpelka,” Aleksy replied. “It was getting dark, and I wanted to get back before the Czernobogs came out.” “Do you still believe those creatures from when we were kids?” Róża asked. Jerzy tried to hold in a chuckle as he remembered Aleksy being terrified of the story about the Czernobog that they were all told when they were kids. “Look, when they come and get you, we’ll see who’s laughing then.” They all started laughing as they made their way inside The łabędź. As they walked through the set of doors, an explosion of noise blew up in front of them. There was loud music playing from a Hurdy-Gurdy in the corner along with the singing of the bard playing, and they couldn’t distinguish the conversations people were having. Over all the noise Aleksy heard someone call his name. It was the owner of the tavern, Leon Cygan. Leon took Aleksy in three years ago after his parents died. Since then Aleksy has been working for Leon at the tavern in exchange for living upstairs. “Aleksy! I need you over here!” he yelled. Aleksy made his way around the bar and towards where Leon was serving drinks to men sitting at the bar. “Hey Leon, what’s up?” “I need you to bring these drinks to the table over there,” Leon pointed to a table in one of the corners of the tavern where four men were sitting. they must have just gotten off-duty because they were still in the Tarko guard uniforms. “Yeah, no problem. Leon, do you need help the rest of tonight, too?” “No, I should be good so enjoy your night. Just remember 252

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the curfew if you go out.” “Okay,” Aleksy replied. He took the tray that held four large glass cups full of one of the many liquors held behind the bar. On his way to the table, he heard the men better as he got closer. He heard them joking about a recruit who had a rough first day. Aleksy set down the drinks and put them in front of the men. “Here you go, boys,” he said, trying not to interrupt the conversation the men were having. As Aleksy walked away, the doors to the tavern burst open. It was an On-duty guard clearly out of breath from running. “Dominik, Kamil, Adrian, and August! Come quickly. All the guards are being sent to the castle. There’s been an emergency.” All the men previously sitting at the table were rushed out of the door with the other guard. There was a long pause before anyone said anything. People started to look at each other quietly trying to figure out what just happened. “All right, people! How about, you get back to doing whatever the hell you were doing before! Eh!?” Leon shouted, breaking the silence. In almost an instant, the volume rose. Everyone started to talk about what they thought happened. Aleksy, Róża, and Jerzy were the most confused. Aleksy walked up to where Róża, and Jerzy were standing waiting for him by the bar. “Did you hear anything at the table!?” they both asked eagerly. “No, at least nothing related to whatever just happened. All they were talking about was some recruit, I think” “Do you think something happened to the Kalosa family?” he asked the two. “Of course, you ask that first,” Jerzy snarked. “Oh, won’t you shut up about that?” Róża snipped. Aleksy always had a special feeling toward the Kalosa family ever since he was a kid. His parents, before they died one night in a fire when he was sixteen, were somewhat close to the royal family. Aleksy and Ania, the Kalosa family’s daughter, used to 253

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play together as kids and were very close to one another. Even though Aleksy hasn’t seen Ania since he was around eight or nine, he couldn’t remember, he always had a crush on her. Jerzy and Róża were quick to notice when Aleksy first started to like Ania. Jerzy was especially quick to tease him to try and seem cool; Róża, on the other hand, couldn’t help but stick up for him mainly because she had a crush on him, but also because he would stick up for her when she was being bullied for having darker, tanner skin than most of the people in Tarko. “I’m sure they’re fine,” Jerzy said sarcastically. “Besides, if anything was wrong, I’m sure they have enough money to buy whatever and whomever they need.” “I guess you’re right, but something feels off. They said it was an emergency and that every guard was being sent to the castle. Something is wrong.” Aleksy tried to explain; Aleksy was right to think something was wrong because there was a terrible event coming. Chapter 2 - Eyes Like an Arrow A few days later, most of the guards were recalled back to the castle and were holding it down like a fortress. As the public started talking, many were convinced someone was killed because the passageway to the Castle became heavily guarded, as well as the main center surrounding the Castle. No one outside of the Royal guards and the royal family is completely sure of what happened. The king’s advisor, Polo, enters Ania’s room while she is found still in bed, weeping. “Princess Ania, we must talk about the future. I understand this is hard but would your father want you to waste your days hidden in your chamber?” “To hell what you think! My father was murdered! My mother was taken! And all you can think about is the future 254

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for this kingdom,” she barked at him with tears streaking down her face. “I understand where you’re coming from; however, without any rulers, everything your family has built for you will either fall apart or be taken away by someone else. The royal guards are aware and are getting only the best to find Queen Kalosa as quickly as we can. In the meantime, I will arrange a meeting with the princes throughout Ronitia for you.” “No!” she snipped. “I mean, no thank you. I’d like to find someone that I see fit to rule Tarko and uphold our family name.” “As you wish.” Polo bowed and left the chamber leaving Ania alone once again. She didn’t know where to start looking, when almost everyone she’s met previously, had just been interested in the wealth and the power the Kalosa family provided. She thought about him, she couldn’t remember his name, she was thinking about asking her advisor to find the name. His name was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn’t quite catch it. She did, however, remember those soft but deep amber eyes he had, the same pair of eyes that pierced through her defensive walls like an arrow. It’s been years since she last saw him, she wondered where he was now and how he was doing, was he still around? She wondered. Chapter 3 - The Serpent’s Request It was pouring Thursday night when Emil made his way to the meeting place wearing an all-black robe to help hide his figure. He saw the courier waiting in the alleyway up against the wall on one of the housing buildings used by the lower class who weren’t able to afford better housing. “Thank you for meeting me on short notice,” Emil said without making eye contact. 255

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“No problem, anything for the Pruski family” the courier bowed his head as a sign of respect. When he raised his head, he was met with dark, green, serpent-like eyes that seemed to have frozen him from moving. “I need you to deliver this letter to someone very important and high in power, by any means necessary. Please keep it silent, if they capture you or even see you, the royal guards will most likely kill you. Especially with the recent events that occurred” “Understood, is there any place you want me to place the letter?” “Place it somewhere she will see it.” Emil handed the letter to the courier, he looked at the letter which read Ania Kalosa, The princess of Tarko, Ronitia. It started to pour even harder at this point, just barely enough to hide the chill and fear that ran down his spine. “Meet me here when it’s done, I’ll know when you arrive.” Emil tossed the courier a rounded hand-sized string bag, it was full of Ronitian Bits, the currency for Tarko and most places within Ronitia. Emil headed towards the street when he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, and don’t tell anyone about this, okay?” He smiled and stared at the courier for a couple of seconds until he walked out on the street and disappeared into the night. The courier, however, didn’t move. He was in terror, those Dark green eyes had wrapped around his neck like a snake, making it hard to breathe. He stood there only for a couple of minutes until he regained his cool again and made his way home, thinking of how he was going to infiltrate the Royal Castle. Chapter 4 - The Letter of Confusion The łabędź was surprisingly full of people for an early Friday afternoon. The people were talking, smoking, and especially drinking like usual. Aleksy was at the bar pouring alcohol for 256

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the men when a guard walked through the door, the tavern went quiet. Everyone stared as if the entire world stop spinning, waiting for the guard to speak. “Aleksy Kolsek? Is Aleksy Kolsek here?” he asked. Before Aleksy could say anything Leon spoke up. “Is there a problem?” he asked from behind the bar. “I’m not sure, are you Aleksy?” people were starting to gather around “No. I’ve been his guardian for the past three years, what? Is he in trouble again?” “I’m not sure, I have a letter for him from the Kalosa family.” As the guard made his way to the bar, the people began to back up making room for the guard. The guard gently set the letter on the bar and made his way back to the door, just before he reached for the door Aleksy spoke up. “Who wrote the letter?” He wondered if she wrote the letter, or if she even remembered him. It’s been a long time since he saw those Dark brown eyes, he could never forget them. He remembered how it always looked like they glowed in the sunlight, he remembered her hair which went past her shoulders, her beautiful brown hair that always had highlights in the front. “I wasn’t told, when they open the letter they’ll know and they can tell you.” The guard said unknowingly that he was talking to Aleksy. Later that day Aleksy walked up the all too familiar trail to the top of Mt. Polo where the Wielki dąb stood above everything below. Aleksy opened the letter while sitting underneath the tree in the cool humid grass, feeling the chilling breeze which let him know winter was going to be even colder that year. As he opened the letter he saw beautiful cursive writing which read: Dear Aleksy, I hope all is well with you, I’m sending this letter to you because 257

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I would like to invite you to the Kalosa castle. I heard about your parents just recently and I’d like to apologize on the Kalosa family’s behalf for your loss. I’m sending this letter to you because there are things I’d like to discuss with you in private. I apologize that I wasn’t able to come and speak in person but I hope you’ll accept this invitation just as caringly. Yours sincerely, Ania Kalosa Aleksy wasn’t sure how to react, he hadn’t seen princess Kalosa since he was eight or nine, what confused him the most was what she wanted to talk about, he didn’t know if he was in trouble or not. He realized that it had to be about something different, if he was in trouble, the guard wouldn’t have delivered the letter and left without him. He spent the rest of the day in the tavern, then later that night in his bed thinking about all the reasons for sending the letter. He didn’t get much sleep that night and Jerzy and Róża could tell when they met up for breakfast that morning. “Woah! Were you busy with a lady all night?” Jerzy smirked and began to laugh, Róża rolled her eyes and didn’t seem amused with Jerzy’s remark. Róża hit Jerzy in the back of the head which led to a quick “Ow!” Quietly followed up with a concerned look. “Seriously though, are you ok Kumela?” “Yeah, I’m just confused and tired, I—I got a letter from Ania.” “Ania Kalosa!? What!? Why?! What did she say?!” They both roared a tidal wave of questions that Aleksy spent the night already thinking about, he wasn’t even sure how to answer the questions they were asking because he didn’t have the answers himself. “I’m not sure,” he finally replied. “I’m not sure what she wants, but I have to go.” Róża and Jerzy looked at each other in 258

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concern, they didn’t say a word but they had the same thought. “Alesky, we don’t think you should go,” Róża said gently, followed by an agreement nod by Jerzy. “What? why not? I have no reason not to.” he tried to explain his reasoning to them but their expressions didn’t change. “Kumela…She left us years ago, She’s part of the royal family now, she didn’t need us then, and she doesn’t need us now” Róża reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “Yeah, She has all that money and power, what could she want us for?” Jerzy added angrily. “I know she left, but I can’t just ignore her letter.” Róża and Jerzy glanced at each other and agreed once again. “Fine, we know we can’t stop you. Just make sure you’re back at the tavern before closing or Leon will lock you out again and I prefer if you didn’t knock on my door during the middle of the night again” Róża told him. “I won’t, I’ll be off now then.” Aleksy waved goodbye at Róża and Jerzy and made his way towards the castle, unknowing of the terrible things that he was about to learn. Chapter 5 - The Letter It was pouring the Thursday before when Ania found the letter on the table inside her room, underneath the somewhat big flower pot full of Snowdrops. She picked it up and brought it to her bed where she opened the letter and began reading it: Dear Ania, We’d like to send our sincere grievances for the death of your father. However, we’d like to discuss plans for the wedding between you and our son Emil Pruski. As you know, our family is of high status and well respected, this will be a beneficial event for both of us. We get to be part of the royal family and the benefits that it comes with and you will get the stability Tarko needs to ensure its 259

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long-lasting lifetime. We hope you find our request enlightening and hope you share the same ideals, after all, we heard about the Queen, it’d be a real shame to have no family at such an important time, especially with your father out of the way. Yours Sincerely, The Pruski Family Her hands trembled when she finished the letter, not only in fear but also in anger. How could someone kill her father, kidnap her mother, and then send a letter implying that if she doesn’t comply, she won’t ever see her mother ever again? The Pruski family was well known to all classes of wealth for many would go to them for ‘special’ favors. She became furious at the boldness of the Pruski to not only thought about him again, she remembered how he was always able to calm her down just by looking at her. She wasn’t sure why he had popped into her head but she was unable to think of anything else. She wanted to see him, she felt the need to need him, she tried to remember his name. “Polo! Polo! Come here quickly” she yelled “What is it, princess?” “I need you to find someone for me, I can’t remember his name but he was a boy that I used to play with when I was younger. Do you know the names of the families that we were close to like that?” she asked, Polo started to think about who the royal family was close enough to allow Ania to play with other kids, of course, but her parents were very selective about who got close to her. “There were some but I think I know who you’re talking about. You’d come home happy those days, oh how time flies,” he remarked. “I’ll have to check a few things but once I remember I will let you know. Is there a reason you’re asking? Perhaps the princess has thought about a possible new ruler for Tarko?” he said 260

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jokingly with a smirk on his face to get Ania to laugh, it indeed worked. “No, no it’s not like that, just popped into my head is all.” She said trying to cover the true feelings from Polo’s comment. Above everything else, she hoped he would hear her call for help. Chapter 6 - Call to Arms Aleksy was led to a private room within the Castle, the room was heavily guarded as a safety precaution. When he entered the room he saw Ania sitting on a chair looking out the window, she turned to look at him. His heart skipped a beat, he knew because he felt the same way when he first met her, and it was a feeling he never forgot. “It’s you, you’re here,” She said. “Yeah, I couldn’t just ignore your plea for this meeting, however, I’m a bit lost on the reason I was called on for.” “I asked to see you because you might be the only one I can trust with this information, our families have helped each other before and I’m sorry to come to your aid once more but this is a matter my guards cannot fix.” She explained the letter she got Thursday night and how she might have to marry Emil Pruski to save the life of her mother. She also explained how the guards wouldn’t work because not only does she have no idea where to look or how to act in this situation, but the guards would draw too much attention to anything they do. After a couple of hours of throwing ideas back and forth, they finally came up with a plan. They were going to send a letter back to the Pruski family to arrange a meeting on Mt. Pola where Emil and Ania would meet to talk about the wedding that would be falsely planned until the guards arrive and detain Emil for questioning. If anything were to go bad at any time, Aleksy would be nearby ready to intervene. 261

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“So that’s the plan, is there anything we need to correct before we continue?” She asked Aleksy. “No I don’t think so, I do want to warn you now though, I’ve seen a Czernobog on Mt. Pola. I was sixteen at the time, it was the first place I went, to run from the fire. That’s where I saw it. I can’t describe it but I’m sure that’s what I saw. That’s also the place Leon found me, he heard about a kid running towards Mt. Pola, and at that time Czernobogs were a real problem at the farms outside the main city. Leon was the one brave enough to come and look for me.” Aleksy looked into Ania’s eyes as they seemed so peaceful and tranquil, he could tell she was listening to every word that he was saying. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.” She wished there was something she could have done to save him, to go back and to stop anything from ever happening. They talked only for a bit longer before they decided to end the meeting and to separate until the day of the plan, in hopes not to draw attention. Chapter 7 - The Czernobog’s Favor It was late Saturday afternoon when Ania had met Emil on Mt. Pola, Aleksy was out of sight hidden in the nearby forestation, watching from afar. Emil made his way up the cold trail that lead to the Wielki dąb With his hooded robe, Ania was unable to see the same dark, green, serpent eyes that the courier had previously seen. “You made it,” Ania said “I mean no disrespect Princess but why are we here?” Emil asked in his deep monotone voice. “It’s peaceful, It’s the one place that you can see all of Tarko from. An isolated world from what we live in” She replied while looking over to the Castle visible from where she was standing. “That’s not it, That’s not why we’re here, so tell me the truth” 262

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He looked up and stared into her eyes, Unable to look away Ania felt Terror run down her spine and back up again. “But—It—It’—It’s the truth” Her words were starting to stutter in fear. “There’s someone else here isn’t there?” He asked while looking around. “Well!? Come on out, I know you’re here!?” He yelled aloud. Aleksy debated not moving in hopes that he’d believe her but he knew she wouldn’t be able to hold it together for much longer. And so, Aleksy made his way forward o the open area where both Ania and Emil were standing. “And who might you be?” Emil questioned. “Aleksy Kolsek, Mr. Pruski.” “Ah, I see you already know who I am, therefore you already know I get what I want, and I wont stop until I have it” “Yes I am aware, However, there is something that you’re not taking into account for me. You see after my parents died, I’ve been looking for a purpose in life. I never truly found one. I learned that getting too attached to something only makes the pain worse, everything comes to an end Mr. Pruski, including you, including me, including her. The one thing that you didn’t take into account was that I’m ready to meet my end even at any time.” Alesky wasn’t fazed when he stared straight through those serpent eyes, unlike the rest, there wasn’t fear or terror just built-up anger about to explode. “You know what, if you weren’t planning on attacking me right now like how you’re going to I’d be impressed, Hell, I might have even offered you a job amongst the family business. A real shame you won’t be alive to see what’ll I do with my new status!” Both Emil and Aleksy made their way toward one another. As they got closer Emil pulled out a knife he hid underneath his robe and quickly lunged towards Aleksy, but not before he was able to side-step out of the way. Aleksy sent a right hook towards Emil’s left side and landed a solid blow in 263

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his hip, which made him drop the knife in the ankle-high grass. Emil quickly recovered and sent a returning upper-cut blow into Aleksy’s chin sending him to the ground. He quickly got on top of Aleksy and started to throw demolishing blows that anyone would have trouble blocking. Desperately, Ania runs toward Emil, ramming into him, knocking him onto his side, and allowing Aleksy to start recovering and eventually try to get up. “Wait your turn, after I’m done with him, your next! And afterward, I’ll deal with the queen.” He barked. Ania started to angrily sob, she didn’t want her mother to get hurt and she wasn’t going to allow him to touch her. Just before Emil could make his way back to where Aleksy had been struggling to get up, A roar rang like cathedral bells throughout the sky. It had become night time and the sun was setting fast. “Run!” Aleksy yelled, “Tell Leon to come and grab me if I’m lucky enough to survive.” Ania nodded and ran down the trail they had previously taken earlier that day. Emil, still partly distracted by the somewhat often roar, made his way towards Aleksy once more to finish the job. Aleksy, out of options and with no other ideas, had decided that he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. He had finally managed to get up and started to stumble his way towards Emil, He swung at him, landing a clean hit to his left cheek, stumbling back Emil regained his balance. Locking eyes, each man getting angrier by the second, they both rush towards one another with their fists followed closely behind they both swing. One punch connecting only milliseconds before the other, they both go down. The Earth stands still, not a sound but the breeze crosses over Mt. Pola, There was a false sense of security which only lasted a couple of minutes.until the horrid roar was heard once more but this time closer. Aleksy, barely conscious, could see Emil’s laying body, and over it, was a dark obscure figure and its pitch black hands hovering over Emil’s chest pulling a white liquid like substance out from his chest, into the creature’s Mouth. He 264

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began to wonder if Anoa was ok, if she had made it to Tarko safely. He thought about her beautiful brown eyes that he wasn’t ever going to see again, it made him sad. He didn’t want to go out like this but he wasn’t going to fight if it was his time, he saw the creature turn his head towards Aleksy, moving it’s head as if it were trying to smell something. The creature, much closer now, was close to Aleksy’s face inspecting the details, and the complexity it had to offer. Fading in and out of consciousness, Aleksy heard the thumping of the creature’s footsteps heading away from where he was lying, unable to move. Aleksy lost consciousness only to wake up in bed unsure of how he got there and who had saved him. He was sure he saw that monster, but why would it have let him live? In a daze, Aleksy made his way down into the empty tavern finding Leon, Róża, and Jerzy all waiting for him. Róża was the first to notice Aleksy, she burst in between Leon and Jerzy who were talking about what had happened and gave him a painful but soft and welcoming hug. “How’d I get here?” Alesky finally asked. “Róża and Jerzy found you at Mt. Pola, what were you doing up there after curfew, you know the rules and more importantly why was someone of the Pruski family found dead?” Leon started to ask a series of questions. Aleksy had explained to everyone how he went to the castle and made a plan that never worked, and how he told Ania to run and get help. When he had mentioned Ania, both Róża and Jerzy looked at one another. “Aleksy, no one has heard or seen the princess since you left with her and headed towards Mt. Pola” Jerzy said with a concerned look. “The guards that were supposed to help weren’t where you just told us, at least not when we made our way up looking for you.” he added “So no one has seen her?” Aleksy interrupted. 265

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“No, I’m sorry Aleksy” Róża said gently. Aleksy, with an unchanged face made his may back up the stairs without saying a word, confused the three waited to see if he was going to come back down the stairs, in which he did with a large backpack that slowed his walking speed. He made his way towards the door where he left and made his way towards the trail to Mt. pola. “Where are you going?” Róża yelled after him. With no response Aleksy continued his way up onto the trail,for what they saw as the last time. Aleksy wasn’t seen or heard from again. Many believe he had died after leaving the łabędź 1, same with the princess for no one had seen or heard from again since she left with Aleksy that Saturday afternoon. This wasn;t going to be the end, Aleksy was going to make sure it wasn’t. To Be Continued… Polish Words & Meanings The Łabędź Tavern - The Swan Tavern Kumela/Kumpelka - Friend/Friends Czernobog - “The source of all evil in the world, Czernobog regularly enjoys stealing and devouring souls.” … “Don’t be too afraid, though, as he hides like a wimp from the sunlight.” Wielki dąb - Great Oak/Great Oak Tree

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All in a Day: A Brief Memoir

Jo Avila

sually after I finish a shift, my battery is drained. What I do isn’t too difficult; I work at Wendy’s, but I’m on my feet all day, bopping and weaving between equally stressed coworkers, and doing my best not to get third degree burns from the fryer, grill, or oven. But that day, on a Sunday of all days, had to be the busiest day we had in months. Not only did we get slammed for two separate three hour blocks, but we were also down five people. That day involved several firsts for me. My first time doing speaker for drive thru, my first time getting an angry customer being specifically mad at a mistake I made, my first time getting a headache from difficult customers. As you can see, a very fun day indeed. After about ten hours of underpaid, overworked labour and a measly half hour break, I was finally free from Chuckie’s redheaded sister. My afterwork routine was simple: make myself a custom Grilled Chicken Asiago, stroll over to the frosty machine to pour myself a medium chocolate frosty, and then gaily saunter to the back corner, take out my laptop or phone, and promptly devour the food I deserve while watching silly YouTube videos. Occasionally, if I feel extra needy, I’ll grab a small coke and/or cookie, too. After four episodes of “Dave The Bar267

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barian”, I packed up my stuff, put my big “don’t talk to me if I wear these headphones” headphones on, picked the song “Self Love” by MAVI, and with a goofy smile and a pep in my step, left the store. The walk from Wendy’s to where I live is about 6-7 minutes, depending on traffic. Every step was a spark, attempting to set my soul ablaze with a feisty zeal. My body tingled with glee at the mere thought of eradicating the grease symbiote that attached itself to me, creating an invisible scent of grease and sweat that no amount of deodorant could wane. Home would be my Paradiso. As I was walking, a short elderly woman wearing two coats caught my attention. She was wrestling with two reusable bags and a backpack. A part of me wanted to walk by her and act like I have the vision equivalent to that of a mole, or jaywalk to the otherside, since I needed to cross the street anyways to go home, to avoid her possibly asking for help. The other part of me has morals, though, and immediately felt bad for her before wanting to help. Though I hoped for the former, my heart decided to make eye contact with her, take off my headphones, and offer her help. That quickly became the biggest mistake of the day. My plight with angry customers and second degree burns from fast food machinery paled in comparison to what would happen next. This lady looked like most other old people in the town. She had shoulder length white hair, unfashionable glasses, thin pale white skin with brown blotches here and there, as if God wanted to add more pizazz when molding her during her creation. She also had a limp, every stride she took was one twelfth of mine. She told me she wanted to get food at Ling Ling’s, a local Chinese buffet, which was about a three to four minute walk in the direction I came from. I thought to myself, Good, this is gonna take like fifteen, twenty minutes max, and then I’ll be home, and I mean who doesn’t like helping people? I should’ve bolted before 268

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her shaky tendrils of pity held me hostage. I knew the trek with the woman would be slow, and I didn’t necessarily mind it. I’ve lived with elderly people my entire life, actively seeing two grandmas, grandpas, great grandmas, and a step grandpa, along with others, and I understand that having a limp slows things down. Not to mention upstate New York is just hills; while we weren’t at a low point, a slight curve in the landscape was easily noticeable, especially when you’ve been walking all day. What I did mind was the constant stopping to check her bag, or tell me something to make meaningless banter, or the worrying about something that didn’t matter. The whole process went like this: she would fiddle around with her bag or backpack, worrying about whether she needed her coat on, or where her money was, or some other nervous tick that I often offered to help with, like just holding her bag, which she refused almost every single time. While doing this, she would get distracted and tell me some mundane fact about her life, like how she doesn’t like using her cane even though her mom told her to, or that she doesn’t have a car but her son does, or how she carries three different coats around for very specific occasions because you can never be too safe, and so much other stuff that I didn’t care about at the time. Taking her to Ling Ling’s felt like the escort missions in Dead Rising. She even repeated the same phrases and topics with me like an NPC. After what had to be half an hour (not even exaggerating) we made it to Ling Ling’s. And we made it just in time, as they were closing. The waitress up front told us that they were closing, so whatever we were going to get, we had to get now in a take out box and dip. For some reason, my new friend had trouble understanding such a simple concept, and kept asking if she could get a salad, to which the worker responded yes, in a takeout box. I stared dumbfounded at the scene unfolding before me. It was like watching someone tear off a piece of a 269

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blanket at one end, sewing it to another end, and then being confused as to why their blanket was the same length. I tried to get in to help, but I was again dismissed by the lady, so I just stayed in quiet frustration. After plenty of back and forth about ordering, staying, or leaving, she decided that she wasn’t going to eat there at all because she wanted a place where she should sit down and enjoy her meal. We left. This journey to Wendy’s was even more egregious than the last. Not even a minute in, there’s a fifteen minute stalemate because she had a dilemma with her coats and bags. This all happened as we were hitting spring, so it’s humid and warm. The heat was catching up to the lady, so she took off her coat (with my help though she was hesitant) and then fiddled with her bags despite me offering my help several times to just carry them. I understand her feeling bad about getting this much help from a stranger, but her own paranoia was starting to get the best of her. I thought I was an anxious mess, but she’s giving me stiff competition. After more see-sawing on whether or not I could carry her light but bulky bags to a location that is a two minute walk for me, she finally caved in and offered me her bags. This was followed by more stories and facts I’m already privy to and painstakingly trudging along as she uses me as a human cane. Just an hour later, I was already back at Wendy’s. I can never escape the bacon or cheesy country music that has the looby in a chokehold. I took her to a seat, eyeing my coworker at the front desk mouthing “help me” and waited for a group of what looked to be moms that just ended a marathon to stop ordering before going up to my coworker Jordan to talk to her. We make some small conversation that ends up being the equivalent of Ouroboros, both silly and confusing. I try to leave to talk to my coworker, but like a splinter in 270

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my foot, she wouldn’t let me walk two steps without painfully reminding me of her existence. I considered just removing myself from the situation quickly and painlessly, but I felt bad so I decided after I got her food, then we would separate. Why wouldn’t I just leave? I told her I wanted to be nice and I just felt bad, which was the truth. The lady clearly had no one to care for her or, even worse, no one even cared about her. The least I could do is escort her to get her food, and be on my merry way. I hold a spot in line as the old lady shimmies over. I attempt to try and help Jordan and the old lady understand each other, but I quickly give up and just leave them to figure things out as I go to the bathroom to piss out my frustrations like an alcoholic dad. When I return I stumble into Duel of the Fates IV: It’s Still Going. The old lady can’t fathom the idea that she has to wait for her food and move out the way for other customers to be rung up and given their food as well; plus, she almost immediately forgot what she had ordered—a salad, a senior drink, and a chilli. My brain started to shut down from stress and exhaustion. As I waited for the lady to get her food, I made conversation with two white conservative guys who were my age. I know they were conservative by the way they dress, the way they talked, and where they were from, a more rural part of the county than the one I live in. We talked about the situation and school and school fights and our futures, since we’re all seniors. It was a nice change of pace, but eventually became awkward. After spending more time with her, I couldn’t take it anymore, and told her I was going to get something I had accidentally left in the back. I slid past my coworkers telling them goodnight, and I bolted, only stopping when I was halfway home. I did not need to run. My regular walking speed was enough to outpace her by miles. But I felt like the running 271

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was metaphorical, running from the suffocating smog that had become my day. Once I came home, I informed my aunt and uncle about my “new girlfriend” as they put it, as I did dishes, then immediately went to bed. The next morning, I had a fun story to tell my friends at school and my coworkers. After I escaped her pitying grasp, she kept on calling for me, and she then ended up calling an ambulance on herself, which was hard to believe because she had told me that she didn’t have a phone, and was taken to the nearby hotel. Since that day, I have been vigilant to keep my eye out for her. I’m hoping that she just doesn’t remember me at all, especially given everything we went through.

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Miscellany

In a 2011 essay in The Atlantic, author and journalist Lori Gottlieb writes: “Nowadays, it’s not enough to be happy—if you can be even happier. The American Dream and the pursuit of happiness have morphed from a quest for general contentment to the idea that you must be happy at all times and in every way. Write an essay that argues your position on the claim that pursuing happiness as a goal has detrimental effects.

Luke Weber

ince ancient times, people have wondered if there is some empirical way to consistently find those uplifting and carefree emotions we call happiness. In the modern era, with our ability to track nearly every factor of physical and mental health in our own lives, one might think that we could achieve such a method, or at least that individuals might have the resources to craft one for themselves. Unfortunately, happiness can be much more complex than a simple chemical, which makes pursuing it as an individual goal in today’s world a massive challenge that is more likely to frustrate someone than improve their lives. Just because we haven’t found a way to reliably achieve happiness doesn’t mean we don’t know anything about it. The Ancient Greeks, in particular, were fascinated by it and described it in great detail. Aristotle, for example, differentiated happiness into two parts: a spiritual, holistic satisfaction (eudaimonia), and the more physical, primal pleasures like eating and sex (hedona). While other philosophers have had different ideas, what is clear is that most agree that happiness is a composite, a blend of factors that create happiness. Like a complex tapestry, happiness is a fragile thing that isn’t very reliable. As depicted in 275

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the Pixar film “Inside Out”, memories and activities that once made someone happy could no longer have that effect because of a traumatic event, or even the passage of time. Happiness is less of a feeling and more of a type of lifestyle that combines different states of mind and lifestyle choices, a complexity that could make it difficult to achieve as a goal. A goal as complex as happiness is nearly impossible to achieve on a daily basis for a number of reasons. The issue lies in the human ability to truly focus on more than one activity. Research has shown that the ability to “multi-task” is largely a myth, as people can’t really think deeply about more than one problem at a time. So, on a day-to-basis, creating happiness out of thin air is fruitless for most people. If someone tries to acquire happiness hard-on, they will likely be unable to understand the true scope of their emotions in the moment, and become frustrated with their inability to feel good. Happiness can’t be thought of as a singular thing, so treating it as a goal that a single-minded person can just wake up and achieve sets impossibly high requirements for that person to focus on in a day. The obvious solution, it seems, is to plan for happiness on a larger scale, to make happiness more of a life goal instead of a daily one. If a person can’t manage their happiness in the moment, then surely planning and taking a step back should fix the issue. However, a massive barrier stands between people and idealizing happiness that way in the modern era: consumerism. Products that promise to help consumers to “be happy” or to “live happy” are extremely common. Those who make happiness their goal instead of a balanced lifestyle will inevitably fall prey to that marketing, even if they understand that happiness is complex. Those who are determined to find the “zen” in their lives will more likely than not get pulled into a loop of trying the latest and greatest product or service, inevitably failing in their overall goal because of the inability to shake 276

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the influence of entities whose only goal is to make a quick buck. In the modern era, corporations command enough power to confound those who are foolish enough to idealize their life goal into a single word.

Dylan Ivanchikova-Crouse

ursuing happiness as a goal can be opportune in that it is liberating for anyone who wants to reorient themselves, too often people are caught up in goals that won’t satisfy or fulfill them and this can lead to a dismal state of mind. In The Atlantic in 2011 Lori Gottlieb wrote about how the quest for happiness, specifically in the American Dream, has led people to believe that they need to be happy all the time. Lori Gottlieb’s argument about happiness being a detrimental goal fails to consider the alternative that is not having happiness in your line of sight, and in doing so writes happiness off as harmful and self destructive. In modern American society students are urged to choose a job or goal that they love and will make them happy; if money makes them happy they should consider being a doctor or lawyer, if it’s talking to people then a social worker, or if it’s something relating to saving the earth then a position that supports environmental conservation. Happiness is a consequence of other aspects of life and cannot be achieved by merely existing, and when students are compelled to pursue happiness and satisfaction in their careers they become much less likely to veer off from their paths or even be motivated to perform better and contribute more to society. Happiness is not a state of euphoria but a comfortable sensation, no person needs to seek happiness by delving into temporary thrills and putting off difficult tasks, that is not happiness because it is not sustainable. Happiness is not a goal with detrimental consequences but a feeling that 277

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operates in the background of overarching goals, a feeling that comes from feeling meaningful and being fulfilled. I’ve found that in my personal experience, when I reorient myself towards my own needs and my own happiness, the results of whatever situation I’m in are often more desirable, well thought out, and better overall. There have been multiple situations where I have felt panicked to meet the needs of another person and have not been able to make a decision for fear of dissatisfying them, but when I shift my thinking to what would make myself happy I am able to make much better decisions and actually put ideas on the table and take myself into account. Of course this is an example on a much smaller scale, but it can be applied to broader scenarios, like when choosing a path for the future you’d want to choose what brings the most happiness and good to the world. Happiness as a goal isn’t a bad thing, in fact the benefits to having a shift in logic to gear yourself towards happiness can be enlightening and freeing when you’d otherwise be seeking an outcome that you couldn’t care less for. I can understand the stance Gottlieb takes, coming from the opinion that happiness is already a consequence of completing other goals and responsibilities, so to make it a goal in and of itself would mean a shift in other values to accommodate a constant happiness. This warrants the worry that for people who hold selfish values, if they were to set happiness as their goal, then their previous goals would evaporate to favor a more selfish outcome. However, a selfish person doesn’t need to set happiness as their goal to make selfish goals that result in happiness for themselves and dissatisfaction in others. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is crawling, unabashed, for the selfish desire to marry Daisy and have her to himself when she is married and with a daughter, he is so caught up in his goal of marrying Daisy that he ruins himself. Now you might be thinking that this is a piece of evidence that supports the argument that happiness is a goal that leads to ruin because Daisy is gatsby’s happiness, 278

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however I propose that because happiness is an outcome and a motivator it cannot be in and of itself a goal with consequences; Daisy is not actually his happiness. In short, because happiness is a consequence of goals in most cases, it becomes almost synonymous with the original goal because it is a motivator to accomplish that objective: happiness as a goal cannot be good or bad until the action it is motivating is taken into account. When Lori Gottlieb argues that happiness can only bring disaster they argue incorrectly, it is not an argument you can make because of how happiness functions as a motivator and a byproduct to other goals; the actual outcome of a goal can only be determined after the fact and certainly not by writing of all goals of happiness as having negative consequences.

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The term “overrated” is often used to diminish concepts, places, or roles that the speaker believes do not deserve the prestige they commonly enjoy; for example, many writers have argued that success is overrated, a character in a novel by Anthony Burgess famously describes Rome as a “vastly overrated city,” and Queen Rania of Jordan herself has assertd that “[b]eing queen is overrated.” Select a concept, place, role, etc. to which you believe that the term “overrated” should be applied. Then write a well-developed essay in which you explain your judgment.

Luke Weber

f all the things that receive unworthy praise and admiration, the tech company Apple seems to be the company least recognized for it. As a user of Apple devices, their services and hardware are better than most. In fact, the basic business model and products that Apple makes are far from objectionable. However, I believe that Apple has abused its top spot on the stock market to exploit its customers, and create a fallacious and manipulative brand image. The company Apple, one of the most successful and profitable tech producers in the country, deserves the “overrated” title because even though some may swear by their products, Apple actively suppresses competition from their market, preventing the consumer from comparing or switching products, a key feature in preserving the integrity of capitalistic environments. The first thing to note about Apple is that at least some of its reputation is earned. When the Macbook came out, it was ahead of its time; today, Apple still makes some of the best tech around. Apple’s flagship products are known for their quality and ease of use, but that does not mean that they haven’t over281

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stepped their bounds in terms of pricing. While it could be argued that Apple’s main products are worth the investment, that argument begins to break down when considering their accessories. A monitor stands for $1000? A silicone iPhone case for $50? Even chargers, something absolutely necessary to use electronic devices, are inflated to over double the price of standard USB-C cords, without any special features like added length or durability. While it may seem worth the investment to purchase an Apple device, any effort to protect, expand or preserve the life of the device is abused by Apple to drain the consumer’s wallet. After spending hundreds, or even thousands of dollars (the very cheapest of Apple desktops comes in at $1800), the consumer is forced to buy the rest of Apple’s product line for a substantial premium. Forced to spend top dollar on their personal tech, Apple customers are predisposed to ignore flaws in Apple devices and improvements made by other brands. The second step in abusing a group of consumers is convincing the consumer that there is no problem at all, that their purchases are worthwhile. Surrounding the Apple brand is a fog of exclusivity, as Apple markets the latest iPhone like it is the greatest, most innovative machine ever created. Even if that ridiculous image holds any truth, Apple will no doubt release a new device that will “outpace” the last in the coming year. The thousands of Americans who did invest as soon as possible into the latest iPhone are blinded by a remixed UI and an impressive sense of exclusivity, as Apple rolls out a line of products to pair perfectly with the “fancy” new phone. Apple often uses trusted celebrities like Drake to promote their latest releases, convincing the consumer that there is some kind of trend that they could miss out on. Despite being drained of their hardearned money through exaggerated and deceptive marketing and over-inflated accessories, consumers are more likely to defend their poor decision, and Apple as a brand, simply because they already paid up and put trust in the celebrities paid by 282

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Apple to be the charming faces of a greedy corporation. They have spent too much money, and admitting the flaws in Apple’s scheme would admit a lack of research and critical thought on their part. People hate admitting that they lost money on something not worthwhile, so they turn to defend Apple as a brand instead of admitting they’ve had. Detractors of this anti-Apple sentiment may claim that Apple really does stay on the cutting edge of technology, citing their rollout of 5G as Apple keeping their users ahead of the game. However, upon further inspection, this too is a marketing scheme. 5G is the newest expansion of a national system that provides cellular data, at a much faster rate than 4G. However, hardly any of America’s cities even have 5G towers, yet consumers are expected to pay out the nose for a feature that doesn’t really help them in their everyday lives and probably costs Apple almost nothing. 5G is only an extension of a technology that has existed for decades, yet somehow consumers have been led to believe that their investment into this marketing ploy is worth the cost. Recently, Apple has been in the news for allowing its consumers to purchase repair parts and manuals, a huge win for “right-to-repair” activists who have criticized Apple for making products that are almost impossible to repair at home or in a third-party shop. However, an examination of Apple’s past behavior casts doubt on whether this announcement was really made in earnest. Apple was notorious for deliberately disabling devices that use third-party equipment, such as when a software update disabled the use of touchscreens that weren’t installed by Apple. In the past, the only real way to fix a broken device was to send it into the Apple shop, where the true price of repair is hidden and can easily be used to exploit the consumer. This new announcement offers no real change from that paradigm, although initially seeming to cut a better deal for consumers. Apple will sell all of the parts and manuals, and 283

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since these parts are so different from other products on the market it will be virtually impossible to compare prices to similar items. Yet again the consumer will be forced to buy unique items directly from Apple, and there is no incentive for Apple to diverge from its pattern of abusing such items at the consumer’s expense. From inflation to exaggerated improvements, Apple turns the mistake of a one-time purchase into a trap of sticking exclusively with the Apple brand, while believing to truly be ahead of the competition, proportionally to the substantial investment into Apple products. Apple exploits its own customers, yet Apple products like AirPods have established themselves as cultural status symbols instead of economic leeches. By forcing their customers to use only Apple products and services, Apple suffocates their competition and homogenizes the market, which is a terrible trend that threatens the wallets of everyone interested in buying tech. If Apple is allowed to evade the “overrated” title for much longer, it may expand its invasive strategies into areas like entertainment and finance, fields in which Apple already has services that have probably begun development on similarly exploitive practices.

Clare Canario

hen I see the word “overrated,” I immediately think of something that is not necessary. Meat is something that the majority of humans consume as a staple in their diet, even though they don’t need it. From the beginning of time, meat was a part of our ancestors’ diet as that was the only product available during the hunting and gathering age. Since then, we have evolved into a commercialized society that allows people to have a wide variety of food available to choose from, which does not include meat. There is no doubt that meat has its ben284

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efits, as it is a great source of protein and energy for our bodies to use, but when it comes to our diet, eating meat is evidently overrated because it is often perceived as essential, rather than a source of ignorance and convenience by those who consume meat. When it comes to eating meat, one of the biggest misconceptions people have is the science behind whether it is biologically necessary. From the moment we wake up, to the time we go to bed, and even while we are sleeping, energy is needed to sustain life. The main source of energy humans have at our disposal is food. No matter what food you eat, your body will be receiving those calories and using them to produce energy. Although some foods provide more sustaining energy than other foods, people believe that meat is one of the main food groups humans need in order to survive, which is simply not true. To be considered healthy, humans need to consume a certain amount of vegetables, protein, carbohydrates, and fats throughout their day, and it is much easier than some may think to fulfill those needs without the consumption of meat. I have been a vegetarian for four years, and I am a healthy strong athlete who doesn’t need meat to survive, and neither does anyone else in our world. Instead, people choose to eat meat because it is the easier option to cook and buy, and people just don’t know the other easily accessible items for them to eat. Every day, people insensibly purchase and eat meat without understanding the manufacturing process the animals and the workers go through. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle emphasizes the horrific environment of the Chicago meatpacking industry as the workers were exposed to unhealthy situations and how the animals were treated inhumanely. It was not just the Chicago meat packing industry that was inadequate, but all the factories that killed living souls for the benefit of human pleasure. Even though Sinclair wrote The Jungle in the early 1900s, the issues within the meat industries are still relevant today. Thousands of 285

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lives are stripped away just for the satisfaction us humans crave. When there are other options for people to consume, why take away innocent lives? A number of significant professional athletes and even olympians have been extremely successful on a no meat diet. For instance, Venus Williams, a professional tennis player, is a vegetarian and it is obvious that she is healthy and getting all the nutrients she needs because of her outstanding statistics in tennis. Taking away the consumption of meat has nothing to do with the way someone performs physically, as long as the individual maintains a diet that supports their bodies overall needs. Williams continues to become stronger and more developed in tennis, and the fact that she is a vegetarian does not hinder that whatsoever. Eating meat does not make a person better at playing a sport as there is a vast amount of athletes who are vegetarian and still prosper in what they do. Despite the common notion that eating meat is a biological necessity, there are numerous instances where people have been both physically and mentally successful without eating meat. Many argue that meat is needed for protein, which is true. Another huge topic meat eaters point on is gaining muscle. They say that in order to have muscle people need to have meat and although they are correct when they say protein is needed to build muscle, meat is not the only source of protein. Legumes and other soy products have just as much protein to make muscle just as well. Ultimately, meat should be considered overrated as it has proven over multiple decades that it is not a necessity for humans, rather something humans decide to indulge in at the expense of another life. In today’s careless society, meat is extremely overvalued and people need to realize how we can thrive with the absence of killing a soul.

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Victoria Poworoznek

hroughout the social discourse of the twentieth-first century, it has become evident that the need for luxury designer items has passed. The debate over luxury items poses the argument that luxury items have surpassed their importance and have truly become “overrated.” In today’s capitalist society, it’s impossible to escape the urge to buy expensive items in order to subdue our materialistic urges. These luxury items are often cheaply made at the expense of child labor and use real animal fur, directly contrubuting to animal cruelty. Although it gives us pleasure to boast about our luxury purchases, designer items are clearly overrated because of their direct correlation to climate change, superficial relationships and poor mental health in the buyers that fall victim to them. One of the most evident issues relating to the overconsumption of luxury items is the environmental impact a constant cycle of overconsumption creates. People buy designer items to try to fit into the elite group that is constantly switching trends. This constant cycle of buying, then throwing away fills up landfills and consumes more energy, ultimately leading to more carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. Luxury brands have also been linked to animal cruelty, including keeping animals chained up in horrible conditions and skinning them before they are fully deceased. There are specific crocodile farms for the alligator skin market that keep alligators in the dark and without fresh water. The materials used to manufacture luxury items have direct links to animal cruelty. A direct link to both animal cruelty and climate change illustrates that designers items are no longer needed. Luxury items have never filled the hole in our hearts. In fact, spending has only contributed to the ever growing foramen in our society that is dependent on retail therapy. In American literature, there have been many social critiques about mate287

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rialism and designer items such as in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. In the novel, both Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan are haughty, full of themselves and clearly open to allowing material possessions to get the best of their moral codes. Both men believe that they can buy love and trust solely with money and designer items. In the end, these designer items are simply transciene but both New money and Old money people still rely on their shallow materialistic desires to be self assured. Overconsumption of materialistic items to show love to another person just prevents actually meaningful memories to be made. To show his love to Daisy, Tom gave her a $350,000 pearl necklace as a wedding present while Gatsby only uses his wealth to impress Daisy. Gatsby bought a mansion across the river from Daisy and threw elaborate parties every weekend with hopes she would visit. When Daisy finally came across the river, Gatsby was trying to further impress her with his luxury shirts, throwing them around the room like nothing. But in the end Gatsby is his own worst enemy and still greatly values the designer shirts he throws around his room to impress Daisy with. Luxury items don’t truly mean anything to Gatsby as designer items don’t truly matter to either the rich or poor. Both the rich and the poor buy useless items and throw them away as “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner explores how the true meaning of life can be found in a dumpster, it may just be overshadowed by all of the luxury items people throw out. The vicious cycle of buying then throwing out it is most evident in dumpsters, the place that Eighner lived out of. The wealthy stimulate the middle class to buy luxury goods as they do but trends quickly change. This is money that is not well spent and it ends up in the garbage in favor of another luxury item bought for approval from the wealthy. Some are tricked into thinking large hauls of designer items will fill the holes in our souls but wasting our money on useless trend cycles only deepens the whole in our heart and our wallets. 288

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Social media and celebrities online constantly fuel our desire to buy luxury items to try to fit into the minority at the top. When a favored celebrity endorses a designer brand, it puts their fans under pressure to support that collaboration even if the products are mediocre. With Harry Styles the face of Gucci, Ariana Grande the face of Givenchy, and Beyonce the face of Tiffany & Co., these companies profit off of their massive fan bases filled with impressionable kids. Using celebrities to endorse a product is an effective way of marketing, but at what cost? This method directly contributes to the cycle of buying and tossing both regular and luxury items. Without social media, these designer brands would have never been as profitable. We as humans as well as consumers would have realized how foolish it is to spend an entire paycheck on a luxury product. When have those celebrity luxury giveaways on instagram ever made a positive impact on society? Many in the upper class offer the rebuttal that they can spend their money as they wish because they personally made the money. If spending money on luxury items is on their to-do lists, who would ever stop them from purchasing? To this I say, the wealthier classes and wealthier countries create the most waste that ends up in landfills. As more and more luxury items are purchased by the upper class, the more they contribute to filling up the landfills. To completely ignore your role in pollution and waste build up is foolish. The upper class is not the only group that purchases luxury pieces either. Middle class people who also choose to support luxury brands also create a gross amount of waste. So yes you can spend your own money and whatever you want, but as a community we bury ourselves deeper into a trash hole we struggle to get out of with every luxury purchase we make. The staid upper class needs to put their selfish materialistic desires aside in order to help keep climate change and trash fill up under control. Besides, it’s been established that designer items only provide temporary plea289

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sure, proving that these items are only bought for show and tell. Unnecessary items that the upper class defend with their heart only end up in landfills a year later. Luxury items still remain overrated as they take up both physical and mental space and are bought solely to show off. It is clear that luxury designer items are overrated. Not only do these goods stimulate the wasteful cycle of overconsumption then throwing away, they also have a direct impact on the current climate and relationships. Constant exposure to luxury items on social media causes more unsuspecting people to fall into the hole of designer goods than are sold for thousands of dollars but are worth about ten dollars. It’s impossible to avoid the free market, since the free market rules American society, but to be environmentally conscious is to beware of the companies you support. Can a purse really be worth over a thousand dollars?

Moriah Pilet, Owen Brown

opularity is a perfect synonym of “overrated.” Popularity is a facade that separates people into categories to minimize them. This is especially true in educational contexts where most come to realize that after high school, popularity ceases to have any meaningful effect on your life as many people who are unpopular in their early lives go on to live very successful and powerful lives and careers. When observing popularity, it can be determined that it is unnecessary, since it doesn’t improve your life, and forces you into a mold of who you should be, rather than finding what makes you authentically happy, making it “overrated.” An extremely common cliche is that greatness comes from nothing and while that is not often true, in the eighteenth century just that happened. Napoleon Boneapart was born on the 290

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relatively small island of Corsica. After the French annexed Corsica, Napoleon developed strong Anti-French sentiments, causing him to often fight with his father. Napoleon’s parents were fairly minor nobility and could afford to send him to military school in mainland France. Napoleon was ruthlessly bullied in military school. His classmates would pick on him for his Corsican accent or his lack of money. Napoleon did not sit back and take this injustice, which regularly got him into fights. French society was incredibly closed off and it was very hard for anyone other than highly noble born people to rise in the ranks of the French army. Luckily for Napoleon the French revolution came around and allowed him to climb in the ranks of the French military. Napoleon went on to almost conquer all of mainland Europe. It is obvious that not being popular in school did nothing to hinder his ambition and his talent as a leader. Popularity affected nothing in Napoleon’s esteemed career. Popularity is ‘overrated’ in that sense since not being popular doesn’t hinder your success at all given that Napoleon became a powerful world leader despite unpopularity in the past. Sometimes people who are deemed popular have hidden demons that destroy them, but keeping them hidden is what makes them popular. While others may have the same demons, but they let them out, which makes them unpopular and isolated. For instance, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is persecuted by everyone around her because she had a child without her husband. She lived in a puritan town and she had an affair with Arthur Dimmsdale while her husband was out of town. The town assumed he was dead, but she was still punished for her adultery. At the same time, she kept Dimmesdale’s secret, not telling the town she had the affair with him. Dimmesdale was a puritan minister, the news of an affair would diminish his name and likely kill him. Instead of telling the town, Dimmesdale kept the secret to himself and it mentally and physically killed him (eventually). Hester Prynne 291

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was forced to wear a red “A” on her chest to symbolize her adultery. Though Dimmesdale didn’t have to wear it, he felt his chest burning where the “A” would be since he constantly felt the pain of his lie. Hester was isolated from the townspeople, but she was happier than Dimmesdale. She didn’t have to live in secrecy because everything about her was out in the open. Of course she had her struggles, but her lack of popularity kept her happier. However, Dimmesdale’s popularity ate away at him, he had to constantly mask his shame and pain from everyone around him since he wanted to maintain his popularity. Dimmesdale’s hidden struggles through the mask of popularity illustrates how popularity is overrated when your health is being tarnished because of it. However, even though Hester Prynne wasn’t popular, she still wasn’t living a happy life since she was still being punished for her adultery. On both sides, popularity had created an image that both people attempted to uphold despite naturally dividing from it. Popularity creates an unfittable mold to everyone, which results in negativity and harm towards everyone involved. Similarly, psychology has proven the negative effects of popularity and isolation. For a healthy, well-developed life, a human needs to be around people and make connections to the world around them. However, with popularity, anyone who is out of the circle will be left out. This social aspect may seem like an insignificant problem, but since this begins at a very young age, it can stunt many social skills that are required for successful participation in society. Children are sectioned into categories practically at birth which can be detrimental to their development. Scientists have wanted to figure out the human brain and development for decades now, but are always faced with questions of ethics. If they wanted to test how isolation from birth to adulthood affected a child, they would be torturing said child throughout the test. A case where scientists had the chance to look at a severely isolated and abused child is Ge292

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nie Wiley. She was severely abused by her parents by being held in a straight jacket from birth with not much food. She was malnourished and mute. Her isolation from the world around her caused her to be mute, especially since her parents tortured her, forcing her to not talk or cry. She had become so malnourished that she appeared six years old when she was actually thirteen. The children who are grouped into less commutative groups or no group at all, are more likely to underdevelop. Popularity also tends to hurt those grouped into popularity. These children want to stay popular, most times, so they will go out of their way to focus on that rather than their personal goals and aspirations. Popularity is an “overrated” system that harms anyone subject to it, especially because of its irrelevance since these social groups can change the entire direction of someone’s life. The truth is that popularity does not affect people’s adult life. In middle school there is the obvious separation of popular kids and the un-poplar kids. As you move up to high school, the arbitrary rules of the middle school hierarchy fade away and are replaced by many much smaller cliques (where popularity does not factor in) that help develop distinct social personalities and interests that may affect choices as an adult. Popularity in middle school will not affect your adult life. In reality, no interviewer will ask “how popular were you in middle school or high school?” and use that to answer whether they should hire you. You can become your own individual person by being by yourself and learning to be alone, while popularity makes that seem sad or unexciting. Popularity is overrated by halting personal growth while doing nothing to benefit your life down the line. One instance where popularity could change someone’s life is social media stardom. Some people can base their entire livelihood on Tik-Tok or Instagram. People with millions of followers will get brand deals and sponsorships that are worth thousands of dollars simply because they are popular. Howev293

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er, many things that come with popularity can ruin someone’s life and be incredibly self destructive. For example, the YouTuber Nikocado Avocado, who has become popular due to his muckbang videos where people eat food and talk to the camera, making him gain an incredible amount of weight in a short amount of time. His detrimental weight gain and subsequent gain in popularity has caused his mental and physical health to plument. Nikocado Avocado is quoted by Insider in saying that he would “always want attention” and that he “wanted the spotlight”. Nikocado Avocado continued to make videos for attention even though he broke three ribs due to overeating. Nikocado Avocado’s internet fame has also caused marital stress with his husband and Nikocado Avocado is often seen breaking down into tears and having meltdowns on camera for attention. Nikocado Avocado planned on taking a break from YouTube but was unable to cut off his addiction to internet fame. Nikocado Avocado’s story is incredibly sad and illustrates how popularity can ruin someone’s entire life (Nikocado Avocado is only 28 by the way). Instagram, Tik Tok, and other social media platforms will cause many to do incredibly stupid things in persuit of popularity, often ruining thier own and others lives. Eating disorders are only one example of many of the self destructive tendencies that social media propagates. Internet fame and popularity may be an incredibly fun and profitable venture but many of the risks and effects make it “overrated.” Overall, popularity can be harmful and is ‘overrated’ by demonstrating a certain “way” people should live, halting personal growth and discovery. There aren’t benefits to devoting your life to fitting into a mold of expectations that society sets with popularity. Popularity develops phycological issues towards mental health. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the realm of popularity or out of it. It is ‘overrated’ and degrading, making it meaningless to society. 294

Many people spend long hours trying to achieve perfection in their personal or professional lives. Similarily, people often demand perfection from others, creating expectations that may be challenging to live up to. In contrast, some people think perfection is not attainable or desirable. Write an essay that argues your position on the value of striving for perfection.

Natalie McFadden

n our ceaselessly working world, we are obsessed with the idea of productivity and enumeration of output. This idea of production is coupled with aiming to be perfect, as we are forced to keep pushing ourselves to achieve greatness, even if that means pushing to the brink of insanity. Reaching perfection is unrealistic, as it promotes unworthiness, addictive behavior, and drains mental health, which fosters shame and self-degradation. When individuals seek perfection, and they inevitably don’t reach it, they may feel unworthy of success and/or love. In Brene Brown’s book Daring Greatly, she explores vulnerability, which people usually stray away from, although it surprisingly has its benefits. Vulnerability has connotations of weakness and susceptibility of getting hurt; however, vulnerability and being open and honest with people allows for personal growth, courage, and accepting yourself for who you are. Brown explains that to live vulnerably, we have to follow steps of Wholeheartedness. A step in the Wholeheartedness scheme is letting go of perfectionism. If we don’t accomplish what we plan to, we might inflict a feeling of, “I am not enough,” as we attach selfworth to productivity. This link creates self-inflicted shame be295

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cause we push ourselves to continue and produce whatever it is we need to get done. Frankly, perfection is impossible, so operating under the notion that we need to force ourselves forward every waking moment is unrealistic and harmful. Therefore, it conjures a sense of unworthiness in ourselves. Furthermore, in March of 2021, I personally felt the effects of perfectionism. I underwent surgery on my ACL and Meniscus after injuring myself while playing lacrosse. I had to go to physical therapy to regain muscle, motion, and mentally prepare myself to go back to activities. My consciousness was flooded with mottos such as “push harder,” “you have to be better,” etc. Perfectionism fuelled my thoughts, and consequently hindered my progress. I had a fear of failure and when I did fail, I felt unworthy and defeated. Shamefully, I dug this hole deeper and deeper. As a result of the perfectionist mindset, I created expectations I could not live up to. Ultimately, unworthiness of success and prosperity in categories of our lives occur because we set insurmountable expectations, leaving no room for failure. As aforementioned, striving for perfection puts an inordinate amount of pressure on our mental health. In the media, we see people hide under a facade of a perfect life, perfect body, perfect house, and perfect family. Essentially, we might see this deceit while perusing online and desire to reciprocate the fake perfection in every area of our lives. Relentlessly striving to achieve excellence that we will never reach because it is in its entirety a sham. On social media, people put on a persona of greatness that is false, but people still believe it as they can’t see through the web of lies. Therefore, as we strive to match what people do online to our daily lives, we become stressed and it drains our mental health, which is where it becomes addictive. The “Improving” is actually detrimental, because we are constantly worried about what we are perceived as, which is unrealistic. Attempting for perfection by emulating lives of online influencers or even acquaintances will put you in an endless 296

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loop ending in destroyed self-esteem, since you are pushing for something that is fraudulent. In the latter half of the eighteenth century the Industrial Revolution stimulated perfectionism in factory jobs. Wages decreased significantly and monopolies grew, big business owners held the highest of standards for their workers. It was either workers reach a certain amount of output or they are fired. For instance, in Radium Dial and other radium painted watch companies, women had to reach a certain amount of dials painted. They worked more than eight hours a day, painting numbers on watches. It was necessary to cleanly paint the numbers and do so in a quick manner, so everyday women were expected to perform perfectly. This drained mostly immigrants, younger people, and women, who were employed for low wages. Mentally and physically they were put to the test, and monotonously were forced into perfectionism. As this enforcement was continued they realized this standard was unrealistic and went on strike. Perfectionism in the workplace and in our minds is detrimental for our mental health because we are afraid of failure and succumb to defeatist mentalities, when we should in reality learn from our mistakes and believe that we are enough. While perfectionism may be harmful, others may assert that striving for perfectionism and excellence is key to accomplishment and being successful. When we set goals for ourselves we are more likely to achieve a result. This concept can be true in some cases: however, these actions are addictive and leave no room for failure, as making mistakes is crucial for progress. Error is essentially the mother of invention, as countless influential creations have sprouted from faults including Thmas Edison’s lightbulb and Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. Error leaves people with enough wrongs that they will find the right, even if that means thousands of trials. Humans will inevitably fail and not be perfect, but that is okay because learning and progress is better than yearning to be perfect every time. 297

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Ultimately, demanding perfection from others and ourselves to our mental health pushes the idea of unworthiness and shame. In reality, perfection and what people appear online as is fake and if anyone thinks they have reached it there is an underlying factor that they are missing. Instead of aiming for greatness every single time, we should seek progress and be compassionate with ourselves and others.

Melissa Wright

t least everyone wants to feel perfect once in their lives. These feelings may be because of the fulfilling emotions of happiness perfection can give you. Granted, wanting to achieve perfection is ideal to many people; however, being perfect is humanly impossible and trying to strive for perfection can be mentally tolling after so many attempts over a period of time. These details suggest that perfection isn’t something human beings shouldn’t fight for. It has been proven that striving to be perfect can metally harm oneself, and everyone around you. Along with being perfect comes the pressure from everyone else around you to uphold this idea of perfection or you’re a failure to yourself and everyone. Maddie Zieglar, a previous dancer on the reality show Dance Moms, was always considered the golden child and the perfect dancer who could always win. Even her mom would describe her as a perfectionist at a very young age. Due to these pressures around her, she would be very upset or even have panic attacks when she messed up a little bit or didn’t win because she felt as if she failed. She was experiencing anxiety and panic attacks at a very young age due to the pressures put onto her. Not only did attempting to be perfect harm her, but it also harmed her fellow dancers who were constantly being compared to her ignoring the fact that she was different from the other children. 298

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The idea of striving for perfection not only harmed Maddie Zieglar’s mental health but also her peers who too experienced fear of losing. The environment that these children were in was harmful to their development; these girls would get punished if they failed, their teacher pushed the mentality of them having to be perfect onto them which became very harmful. Throughout school and life, perfection is to be expected upon from the young students. Even in chemistry class a part of it is calculating percent of error seeing how far you were from perfection down to the smallest number, this also counts as a part of the grade. Kids are taught to attempt to get the smallest percent error as possible, to strive towards exact perfection. This demonstration causes a negative mindset in children because they might develop a negative relationship with school and kids are susceptible to feeling like a failure when faced with these conditions. This example harms one’s relationship with school in the long run since kids who love school are taught to hate it. Overall, the growing pressures that come with being perfect is not worth it in the long run, it harms children’s mental health and their relationship with their environments. Growing pressure is something that involves the idea of perfection. Furthermore, perfection is not desirable because of the strains it causes on relationships. The Cold War, an historical event between America and the Soviet Union, was for the large part seeing which side could develop the perfect weapon, the example being the atomic bomb to threaten the other. A nuclear war across the whole world could have happened because of the U.S and Soviet Union trying to attain perfection and be better than the other which is not wanted when it can harm the innocent people of the world. Humans don’t have the compatibility to be perfect. If a person is seemingly perfect at managing their grades, then they certainly aren’t perfect at home. One person cannot simultaneously balance relationships, emotions, school or work life and be perfect at all of these. The human 299

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brain cannot perform multiple tasks at once which demonstrates how perfection is impossible.To add on, in its early stages, China was largely isolated from the rest of the world giving China the time to develop on its own without foregin interaction. This forced isolation gave China the mindset that they were better than anyone else and they didn’t need to trade with foregin outsiders. Due to China thinking they were better than everyone else and didn’t want help from outside forces this led to China becoming more underdeveloped proving that wanting to obtain perfection is undesirable because it has a harmful impact in the long run. Also having the mindset that one is better than everyone else is undesirable because that could lead to your downfall. Critics may argue that striving for perfection should be done if not attainable because we should always try our best. However, it is better to fail because that leaves room for development and improvement. An example being Narcissus, a man from Greek Mythology who believed that he was handsome and absolutely perfect, died by staring too long at himself in the reflection of a pool. This is where the English word narcissist comes from. Striving for perfection can lead people into thinking they are perfect, which in the long run can be their downfall, because they believe that they don’t have to change anything about themself. This ideology also can impact how others around them view this person. No one wants to be friends with someone who constantly brags and gloats about themself. Striving for perfection is unattainable and should not be desired due to what that can cause. It will always harm people because if one cannot reach that seemingly ideal perfection then that can cause depression and spiraling into anxiety. On the other hand, if one believes that they are perfect then they can fall into becoming a narcissist and believe that they are better than anyone and everyone else which is harmful to everyone around them. In addition, nobody knows what perfection truly 300

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is. Everyone’s ideas of it are different, embracing your flaws and what makes you imperfect is more important than trying to change yourself to fit in an unattainable mold.

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On Modern Art

Jack Ten-Eyck Johnson

hat is art? Art is paintings, chiseled marble, and ancient poetry that has been carefully translated. Van Gogh, Michelangelo, and Da Vinci. Art is universally recognizable and transcends culture and time. Google defines it very broadly as “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” But above all, art is subjective. It tends to be seen as something extraordinary. To make great art, one has to hone their skill for years, and study the masters—many consider something that isn’t “great art” nothing at all. How many people have looked at cartoons and rolled their eyes, claiming that they’re not real art? To an extent, it is considered something entirely different than its definition. From many perspectives, the art is in how beautiful and meaningful a piece is, instead of what feelings or ideas it creates in its viewer. Art is something that evokes emotions. Sometimes, there are dedicated messages, but the very nature of art dictates that the viewer decides what it means to them. As much as Frida Khalo can paint fetuses and wilting flowers into her portraits, there will always be a person standing by completely convinced 303

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that her works mean nothing beyond their surreal nature. And no matter how much someone can argue about the obvious symbols and their obvious meaning in a particular piece, one can’t take away individual meaning from someone else. Starry Night could be interpreted as government corruption, and the stars representative of aliens and their secret dominance over the world. Van Gogh could personally explain that the painting was just an abstract portrait of the landscape, but he could not take away what was assumed by his audience. Once the stars mean something to someone, they become more than just blots of yellow and white on canvas. There is no “correct” way to experience art. That is the true nature of art, the feelings a piece can evoke. What’s hanging on the wall is just the means to an end. Art is something that evokes emotions, and sometimes those emotions are rage and confusion. A great example is Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue, a series of paintings by Barnett Newman from the nineteen-sixties. Each painting is simple, canvases painted entirely red with small, vertical stripes of yellow and blue. Each of the four paintings is hardly different in its layout; however, the painting of note is the third in its collection, aptly named Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue III. This painting is the same as the rest. Around eighteen by seven feet, it’s mostly red besides a small stripe of blue along the far left border and an even smaller stripe of yellow on the other end, so small it’s barely visible. Why is this hanging up in a museum? A six-year-old could make that! Many consider art to be something to look at and analyze, and the lack of complexity creates an apparent lack of things to analyze. But that could be exactly what the artist had in mind. After being installed into the Stedelijk museum in Amsterdam, in 1986 a man allegedly “distressed by the work’s abstract nature” slashed into the painting with a boxcutter and destroyed it. It was only later restored, and that itself proved to be its own controversy—the 304

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restoration artist having been uncovered using paint rollers and cheap varnish. The attack happened over a decade after Newman died. The man had no vendetta against the artist, just the work itself. His art was not made to evoke a thoughtful conversation on the basis of its few colors—it was made to evoke passion. The rage some feel just by being in the presence of such simplicity, hanging up alongside the complex and deeply provocative art pieces that are nicer to look at, is a fascinating look into human appreciation and depth. As much as many preach about art being a medium to express different thoughts in more abstract ways, a canvas with three colors has continued its controversy for years after it was originally painted. There are many valid criticisms against modern art as a genre. Maybe that man in Amsterdam was just tired. Working an endless grind for a meager life, and then seeing a painting that anyone in the world could have made in twenty minutes—maybe he simply snapped because he felt mistreated because a society that valued something so simple, hung alongside the other treasures of media that had so much more effort apparent in its details—surely, that society did not appreciate his own talents. Because that artist was long dead and still treasured, his estate collecting money, while he rotted away with nothing, still alive. That hatred would seem vindicating. The confusion, the rage—that is the heart of Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue. Maybe originally the art meant nothing, maybe it truly was a way to trick the public into paying for museum tickets to see simplicity paraded around as art. Maybe it all was planned, and even in death, Barnett Newman drove an underdog to be a criminal—beloved by the other modern-art haters and perpetuating art of martyrdom. Maybe that very anger that he felt that day is the piece in its entirety. The actual painting just the beginning to an unintentional performance, that no one knew 305

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they had a part in. Maybe his anger, and on a larger spectrum the anger that many express at modern art, is what makes that certain flavor of modern art, artistic. Then again, maybe this is only an interpretation.

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About the Authors Owen Brown Owen Brown is a junior at Geneva High School. He is hoping to become a professional pilot and has about 30 flight hours under his belt. Owen is also a member of GHS Drama Club and has acted in many musicals and plays.

Ryan Brown Ryan Brown is a junior at Geneva High School. When he isn’t in class, you can find him out on the lacrosse field or hanging around friends. After highschool, he plans to attend college and play lacrosse, but is undecided about his field of study.

Allyson Bucklin Allyson Bucklin is a junior at Geneva High School. In her free time, she plays soccer and lacrosse and hangs out with her friends. After high school, she plans on attending college but is undecided on her field of study.

Natalie Budgar Natalie Budgar is a junior at Geneva High School. In her free time, she plays soccer, basketball, and lacrosse and also hangs out with her friends. After high school, she plans on attending Syracuse University to study political science. 308

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Jana Fladd Jana Fladd is a junior at Geneva High School. She plays tennis and lacrosse, is on the Quizbowl team, and likes to feed her pet tortoises dandelions, but, by far, her favorite hobby is traveling to the fourth dimension. She plans to attend college after high school, but is unsure as to a specific major.

Alexander Garcia Alexander Garcia is a junior At Geneva High School. When he’s not in school which he often might not be, he’s in Mexico living life with no boundaries. Saludos para todos en el Tejocote y Chamacuero! Viva Mexico!

Mikayla Myer Mikayla Myer, a junior at Geneva High School, plans on attending college but is undecided as to her field of study, but something in relation with biology and the interactions with the environment. When she isn’t participating in Green Club or Interact, you can find her playing soccer and lacrosse, as well as dancing in her free time. She enjoys nature and being outside gardening, hiking, and biking.

Seth Palmer Seth Palmer is in his junior year at Geneva High School, but transferring to mynderse high school located in Seneca Falls for his senior year. He plans on attending college for criminal justice in the effort to become a police officer. He enjoys hanging out with friends and playing tennis in his free time.

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Moriah Pilet Moriah Pilet, a junior at Geneva High School, plans on attending college for fashion design. When she isn’t working on assignments and participating in Green Club and Interact, she is an avid member of the Geneva High School Drama Club. In her free time, outside of school activities, she enjoys thrift shopping and upcycling said items with her sewing machine.

Scout Porschet Scout Porschet is a sophomore at Geneva High School. When she is not attempting to escape the descent of the bell jar, you can find her taking strolls with her three-pound familiar, Clementine, playing tennis, or reading. Her most recent accomplishments include hiking the 46 Adirondack High Peaks and securing the prestigious position of treasurer of the sophomore class.

Taylor Salone Taylor Salone is a junior at Geneva High School.

Ella Seidel Ella Seidel is a junior at Geneva High School. She is an active member of the GHS Green Club, as well as Interact. Outside of school she enjoys reading, taking dance classes, attempting to play the guitar, and laying on the floor. She is considering pursuing nursing, and next year she will be participating in the New Visions Medical Program. After high school Ella plans on attending college, although she isn’t completely sure about what she would like to major in.

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Jack TenEyck-Johnson Jack TenEyck-Johnson was born and raised in Geneva NY, and loves his hometown with a borderline violent passion. He hopes to graduate Geneva High School and go on to attend Hobart and William Smith and further study his interest in sociology and the Japanese language. He strives to be eccentric, and writing is definitely a part of that.

Michaela Vanzile-Partridge Michaela Vanzile-Partridge, a junior at Geneva High School, doesn’t know what she wants to do yet after high school but she and her boyfriend have decided on a plan to get an apartment after high school then think about college or finding jobs immediately. In her free time, if she is not working at Wendys, she is either spending time with family, her boyfriend, drawing or watching anime. Her hobbies are drawing, helping and caring for animals and gaming.

Luke Weber As a fond proponent of the middle-part hairstyle, Luke Weber is a proud member of the class of 2023. From running track to lifting weights, he enjoys a fun lifestyle that balances academics and physical activity. After high school, he plans to go to the US Naval Academy to study something cool, probably. Even cooler than that is his pet rabbit named Rochester, who has passions for lounging and fresh vegetables. Luke also considers himself a top tier gamer, with accolades such as gold prestige in Hypixel skywars and completion of Doom: Eternal on the third-hardest difficulty. More than anything, he wants you to consider the lobster.

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Clare Canario Clare Canario is a junior at Geneva High School. She thoroughly enjoys reading in her free time as well as playing soccer and lacrosse. After graduating High School, Clare will attend college where she plans on studying biology. Clare’s favorite quote from Shakespeare’s Othello is “put money in thy purse,” thank you.

Marilyn Clausell Marilyn Clausell is a Newyorkrican attending Geneva High School as a junior. As the oldest of five children she hopes to be a great example to her siblings. Although neither of her parents attended college, her dream is to go to Harvard University and study Business. With this education she would like to become the CEO of her own company.

Dylan Ivanchikova-Crouse Dylan Ivanchikova-Crouse is a junior attending Geneva High School. During the summer he travels to Seattle to see his father David and his step-mom Bonnie. Dylan is planning on staying near home in Geneva early on in his life to attend Hobart & William Smith Colleges and eventually begin practicing therapy. Dylan loves science and interacting with people, the reason he chose therapy as his field of interest. He enjoys the hot days of summer for about a month before he gets tired of it and wants to move on to cold days.

Colin Matthews Colin Matthews is a junior attending Geneva High School. He has a passion for history and maritime, working for museums across the Finger Lakes area. He enjoys sports such as soccer 312

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and track, and tries to stay reasonably healthy while running the 400 and 100 meter dash. After graduating, Colin will go to college where he plans to study history while also pursuing maritime archaeology. Mr. Goga has been like a father to him.

Natalie McFadden Natalie McFadden, a junior at Geneva High School, plans on attending college and is undecided as to what she will be majoring in, but has many aspirations nonetheless. Her interests include participating in Green Club, Interact, Quizbowl, and various other sports. Beyond the border of school, you can find her advocating for the honey crisp apple, discovering absurd hobbies to fixate on, and creating videos with her newly acquired green screen.

Victoria Poworoznek Victoria Poworoznek is a junior at Geneva High School who is quite the advocate for reading. Her other interests include dabbling into the Arts from time to time as well as swimming for Geneva High School. If she’s not listening to music she’s probably perfecting her academics or laughing with friends.

Michaela Riley Michaela Riley is a junior at Geneva High School. She plans on attending college but as of now her major is undecided. In her free time she enjoys reading and listening to music as well as hanging out with friends.

Lily Silver Lily Silver, a junior at Geneva High School, is an active member of GHS Green Club, Interact, and Book Club, as well as 313

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participates in the school’s athletic programs. In her free time Lily enjoys reading, hiking, doing the crossword, and analyzing the hit television show Gossip Girl. After high school, Lily plans on attending college but is undecided on what she would like to study.

Melissa Wright Melissa Wright is a junior at Geneva High School and she plans to study psychology to become a therapist in the future. She spends her free time crocheting, watching movies, and spending time with her siblings. She is a part of NHS and Drama Club and also is a part of the GHS Bowling Team.

Noah Derleth Noah Derleth is a junior at Geneva High and has no plan for the future outside of High School. He spends his free time playing video games, sketching, and playing many instruments including guitar, drums, piano, and trumpet. He is a part of NHS and plays two different varsity sports, hockey and tennis.

Nathan Rusinko Nathan Rusinko is a junior at Geneva High School. In his free time he loves to play soccer, working out, as well as video games. After high school, he plans on attending college and continuing playing soccer, but is undecided about his field of study.

Jo Avila Jo Avila is a senior at Geneva High School. Originally from Miami, living there for seventeen years with their grandma and cousin. They moved to Geneva in February of 2021, now residing with their aunt, uncle, and brother and sister, who they were 314

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separated with for five years. In their free time, they mostly like to write, listen to music, and read. They will be going to Loyola School of New Orleans for Creative Writing, and maybe double major in something music related.

Derek LeShure Jr. Derek LeShure Jr. is a senior at Geneva High School, with uncertainty about the future he is considering many options such as trade school, or the military. He uses his free time to play video games with his closest friends as well as writing many unpublished and incomplete novellas and short stories. He was also a former member of the GHS Drama club and Saint Peter’s Choir, who misses his former second families.

Kaitlin Owens Kaitlin Owens is a sophmore at Geneva High School.

Samuel Paris Samuel Paris is a senior at Geneva High School. He plans on going into a trade school for plumbing as soon as he turns eighteen. If all else fails, he will become an English professor due to his love for reading and writing. In his free time, he enjoys riding his bike around town, playing video games, and reading.

Isabella Bonventre Isabella Bonventre is a sophomore at Geneva High School. When she isn’t spending time with her lacrosse and swim team, you can often find her reading or studying history. Isabella is planning on applying to the new visions medical program in hopes to major in health sciences in college while also playing lacrosse. 315

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Rose Kendrick Rose Kendrick is a sophomore at Geneva High School. She is always very busy out of school, competing and coaching gymnastics along with sailing during the summer. After she graduates, she plans on going to the Coast Guard Academy and earning her pilot’s license.

Lincoln Champlin Lincoln Champlin is a sophomore at Geneva High School. When he is not adventuring outside, you would most often find him with his friends. After high school, he hopes to fly for the military, but is undecided on where and what he would like to study in college.

Katie Strojny Katie Strojny is a sophomore at Geneva High School. When Katie isn’t busy with her schoolwork, she is spreading smiles with her friends. After she graduates, she plans on going to college to study math or science but is undecided on what field.

Nicharee Cokic Nicharee Cokic is a sophomore at Geneva High School. After graduating she plans on attending college and maybe go into psychology but is still not sure. Every summer, she spends most of her time helping out at her family’s restaurant. She’s currently a brown belt in taekwondo and will be testing for her red belt this September. Her goal is to hopefully become a black belt by the end of her senior year.

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Claudia Aguilera Claudia Aguilera is a senior at Geneva High school. After graduating she plans to attend Keuka College to become a real estate agent. During her time at Geneva High School she was in the math and Latino club. In the summer Claudia attends VBS (Vacation Bible School). She loves to spend quality time with her friends and family.

Kaitlyn Combs Kaitlyn Combs is a sophomore at Geneva High School. She plans to study Animal Science hopefully at Cornell University to become a Veterinarian. When she isn’t in school, she spends her time singing in GHS Drama Club, St Peter’s choir, playing softball and painting. She also enjoys spending time with her many dogs, taking time to train and cuddle them when she can.

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The Elocutionist Vol. 3

Articles inside

Various On Striving for Perfection

Various On Overratedness

Jack TenEyck-Johnson On Modern Art

Various On Happiness

Jo Avila All in a Day: A Brief Memoir

Analyzing the Ingredients of a Familiar Word

Derek LeShure Jr. e Coldest Winter

Abracadabra

Luke Weber We’re Meanies

Nicharee Cokic Dao

Sam Paris Ghost’s Revenge

Michaela Riley Women Aren’t Funny, ey’re Hysterical

Natalie Budgar e Black Night

Marilyn Clausell All Strength, No Sweat Natalie McFadden East Hills is a rill:

Mikayla Myer Shadows of the Past: e Continuity of Shadow

C. Canario, M. Urrutia Toyota, e Great Escape

J. Fladd, S. Porschet On the Etymology of Brick

Lily Silver Apple: e Key to Harvesting Your Success

e Genius Behind a Humorously Tragic Ad

Luke Weber Why Online Advertisements Need Another Look

Michaela Vanzile-Partridge e Cog

Taylor Salone A Lesson in Advertising that Pepsi Will Never Forget

Noah Derleth Amazon’s New Invention

Not Societal Norms

Lily Silver e Stairs of Success

Melissa Wright On Outliers and Teenagehood

Michaela Riley Circumstances and Success

R. Brown, S. Palmer, A. Garcia Gator-Ad: Help Your Body A. Bucklin, N. Budgar Pepsi is More an Okay 81

a Wishbone, a Backbone, and a Funnybone

Clare Canario e Winding Road of Success

Natalie Budgar What Makes One Successful?

Owen Brown Born at the Right Time

Introduction

Allyson Bucklin e Concerted Cultivation Lifestyle

Natalie McFadden Luck and Lineage: e Pursuit of Success Victoria Poworoznek ree Bones are Needed to Succeed:

Colin Matthews An Outlier’s History

Mikayla Myer Mentality and Maternal In uence on Success