We Decide

This is the last Action Project for our humanities class, Rhetoric. Though this unit was short, we were still able to focus on the main point, which was to "unite". The purpose of the unit was to learn how art can bring people together, while also using rhetorical techniques in its message. We had an online FE and to prep for it, we watched a series of videos from a channel called, "A Complete Waste of Your Time & Money". Their medium of art is comedy, and in their videos, they use comedy to spread positivity, specifically around voting for Joe Biden. During the online FE, the creators of the videos, Linda and Tony, talked to us about their process for making the videos and their inspiration, along with answering our questions. After that FE, we were given the challenge to create our own art piece centered on an important current issue of our choice. We were supposed to go about this project as if we were submitting it for a high school contest. Below you will see my art piece along with my artist statement. Enjoy!

MEM. WE Decide Art piece. 2020

I am a high school Junior at GCE Lab School and the topic I chose for my art piece was Climate Change. I chose this because it is an important issue that concerns everybody that lives on Earth, and because of this, I figured it would reach a wider audience. My artwork's message is, "WE Decide," and this is basically saying that we, the human inhabitants of Earth, decide what happens to our home. The emotions I was trying to evoke from this piece were empathy, sadness, and some inspiration to do better. I made the choice of showing the environment and animals struggling, while humans try and hold the earth together, mainly because we are the main contributor to Earth's deterioration. I am hoping that seeing the animals dying, the ice melting, the deforestation, and extreme weather, among other major things happening, inspires people to care about and be conscious of their actions. Three important facts that I included in my piece were that 80% of the icebergs have melted since 1912, 17% out of the 25% of the Rainforest that is "able" to be deforested, has been destroyed, and that the current Global temperature is 1.16 degrees Celcius. These were important to include because each of them represents a significant issue that we are being faced with. The first being, the icebergs melting because this means there will be higher water levels, and ancient diseases that are trapped inside the ice, could potentially be unleashed. The second statistic is that if the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest reaches 25%, it will cause the whole forest to deteriorate (17% of the forest has already been destroyed). The last fact is that the Global temperature is 1.16 degrees, and if it rises even 1 degree more, the future of our entire earth will be essentially non-existent. 

I chose to draw this piece using colored pencils and used generic printer paper because that was the only thing I had around my house. I also thought it made it more personal to draw something with unsophisticated materials. The main rhetorical appeal I used in my artwork was pathos, expressed in the messages from the animals, from the people trying to keep the earth together, and how each environmental situation is presented. I also used logos by including the statistics in the artwork. I also feel that the artwork represents a hyperbole or an extreme exaggeration, mainly because if we don't take care of the earth, of course, it isn't going to split down the middle and we won't need to go into space to hold it together, but it is metaphorical in that way that we can either decide to keep our earth strong and healthy (essentially 'put together'), or let it slowly die. Ideally, I think my artwork would have the greatest impact if it were displayed at a city bus stop. My sense is a huge number of people take the bus every day, and while waiting for the bus, they would be able to take in the message of the piece and inspired into action. 

Citations:

Glick, Daniel. Global Climate Change, Melting Glaciers, 18 Jan. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/big-thaw/.

Irfan, Umair. “Brazil's Amazon Rainforest Destruction Is at Its Highest Rate in More than a Decade.” Vox, Vox, 18 Nov. 2019, www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/11/18/20970604/amazon-rainforest-2019-brazil-burning-deforestation-bolsonaro.

Sanchez-Lugo. “Global Climate Report - March 2020.” National Climatic Data Center, www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/202003. 

Atef's Design

This is the last AP for our STEAM class, Design & Engineering. In this unit, we focused on math concepts including speed, speed conversions, circles, volume, surface area, and energy components. In addition, we studied simple machines including wheels, axles, pulleys, and gears, eventually leading to our final subject, bicycles. I am proud of the math I did this term, despite some moments of self-doubt. We also had two field experiences, with one of them being online and the other in person, though we had the option of being online. One of the FEs was Amanda Woodall, who came to talk to us about Divvy bikes and the other was a visit to Earth Rider Cycling, an electric bike shop. The one that stood out to me the most, was the electric bike shop because we learned how electric bikes worked and I got to watch students try them (I took the online option). While prepping for this AP, we interviewed a biker of our choice to get their perspective on the experience of riding their bikes. We then kept that information in mind, when we were assigned a fictional profile on which to base our project. Once we were assigned a profile, we assessed their needs and began to use our prior information from the interviews and what we knew about the person's needs, to create a custom bike, just for them. Below you will see my process and the final product. I hope you enjoy it!

The person my partner and I were assigned is a 15-year-old named Atef. Atef is currently living in Cairo, Egypt and he has to bike through sandy terrain and heavy traffic to school every day, which is 3.25 miles away. Once he gets to school, he has to carry his bike up two flights of stairs to get to class. He also can't afford to get professional maintenance for his bike. After doing an assessment of his profile, I determined that his main needs are a lightweight and low maintenance bike. My solution for Atef was to make a bike that was made out of lightweight material (Nylon powder), foldable, with fewer components (so it is easy to clean), a plastic tubing around the gears so they don't get clogged from sand, and a backpack contraption that is stored in the seat and hooks onto the wheels, which makes it easier to transport.

Two‌ ‌things‌ ‌I‌ ‌learned‌ ‌while‌ ‌researching‌ ‌bikes‌ ‌was‌ ‌that‌ ‌there‌ ‌are‌ ‌many‌ ‌different‌ ‌types‌ ‌I‌ ‌was‌ ‌not‌ ‌aware‌ ‌of,‌ ‌and‌ ‌several‌ ‌ways‌ ‌you‌ ‌can‌ ‌make‌ ‌them,‌ ‌including‌ ‌3D‌ ‌printing.‌ The 3D printing actually partly inspired my design because of a bike I saw in this article. It is made out of Nylon powder, which is 65% lighter than normal materials and it is made with Additive Layer Manufacturing, similar to 3D printing. That is the material and building process my bike is based on. A‌ ‌quote from the person I interviewed also inspired my design and it‌ ‌was,‌ ‌“I‌ ‌like‌ ‌how‌ ‌lightweight‌ ‌my‌ ‌bike‌ ‌is and it is easy to transport.”‌ ‌This‌ ‌inspired‌ ‌the backpack part of my‌ ‌design‌ ‌because‌ ‌of‌ ‌how‌ ‌Atef‌ ‌has‌ ‌to‌ ‌carry‌ ‌his ‌bike‌ ‌up stairs‌, and‌ ‌it isn't easy to do that with a big heavy bike. 

Here is a labeled sketch and a scale model of the bike I created, using cardboard. The model is photographed in a similar terrain that Atef would be riding in and I used one of my brother's action figures to make it more realistic. 

MEM. Bike Sketch. 2020

MEM. Bike Model. 2020

A ‌few‌ ‌ways‌ ‌that‌ ‌my‌ ‌bike‌ ‌is‌ ‌better‌ ‌than‌ ‌the competition‌ ‌is because of the backpack‌ ‌feature‌, it has a protective‌ ‌covering‌ ‌around‌ ‌the‌ ‌gear,‌ ‌and it is made out of lightweight material. All of these components are not ones I have seen all in one bike before. My‌ ‌user‌ ‌should‌ ‌trust‌ ‌in‌ ‌my‌ ‌design‌ ‌because‌ ‌it‌ ‌addresses‌ ‌all of his‌ ‌needs, specifically being easy to clean and maintain.‌ For the bike, I decided to go with a ‌single-speed‌ ‌bike ‌because‌ ‌they‌ ‌are ‌low‌ ‌maintenance‌ ‌and‌ ‌less‌ ‌distracting, so‌ ‌he‌ ‌can‌ ‌focus‌ ‌on‌ ‌riding‌ ‌through‌ ‌traffic.‌ The‌ ‌gear‌ ‌ratio‌ ‌of the bike is 44/16‌ ‌because‌ ‌it makes the bike ‌easier‌ ‌to‌ ‌ride and the scale I used to make the model was 1:12.‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

The calculations for the bike can be found in this slideshow:

 

In conclusion, I took Atef's needs into‌ ‌consideration‌ ‌when‌ ‌designing‌ ‌this‌ ‌bike, some of‌ ‌which‌ ‌was to make it‌ ‌easy‌ ‌to maintain,‌ ‌lightweight,‌ ‌and‌ fix the issue of ‌clogged‌ ‌gears.‌ ‌Two‌ ‌obstacles‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌ran‌ ‌into‌ ‌during‌ ‌this‌ ‌process‌ ‌were‌ ‌when‌ ‌I wanted to make the model digitally but couldn't figure out how so I made a physical one, and the overall thought process of finding ideas for my bike that were original and don't already exist. I enjoyed this experience and I‌ ‌learned‌ ‌how‌ ‌special‌ ‌it‌ ‌feels‌ ‌to‌ ‌build‌ ‌your‌ ‌own‌ ‌model.‌ ‌ ‌

Citations:

Ridden, Paul. “EADS Airbike Made of Steel-Strength Nylon.” New Atlas, 2 May 2015, newatlas.com/eads-bristol-announces-nylon-airbike-manufactured-by-alm-technology/18094/. 

To Control or Not to Control - The issue of Guns in America

This is the second to last AP for our humanities class, Rhetoric. In this unit, we had an FE to Marquette Park Memorial, with the purpose of grasping the energy around standing where a major civil rights movement once took place and fully understanding its significance. We also had Ugo Okere come in as an FE guest to speak to us, via zoom, and share his experience from running for alderman in Chicago's 40th ward. After those FEs, we started focusing on news articles, specifically op-eds, and how they are an influential component to the article's editorial. We read a couple of sample op-eds and then were challenged with writing our own. For my op-ed, I decided to choose the topic of gun control because it is a current issue, especially in Chicago, and I feel like we need to move toward a solution. I hope you enjoy my AP!

 

Time Magazine (2011). Gun Statistics. 

In an op-ed for CNN, by Jill Filipovic, in 2019 called, “Fewer guns means fewer killings, and we all know it,” national gun control and gun violence are addressed after they reflect on recent mass shootings. Though a national issue, gun control needs to be resolved by each state individually, and right now, the state in question, is Illinois. As officials evaluate their options, it’s wise for them to study occurrences around the country, and realize the solutions should include gun control compromise and putting an end to NRA influence. 

Specifically, Chicago’s violent crime rate has declined in the past year, but this past summer, according to Newsweek, shootings were at an all-time high. The article shows that there was a 46% increase in reported shootings since July 12, 2019 - July 12,2020, and a 98% increase in those shootings, in just 6 days, compared to 2019. A question that should be asked right now is: What can we do to prevent this amount of shootings, and how can several groups of people be united in this decision? 

The CNN article states, “Most gun owners do not need their guns,” and, while this is agreeable, the determination of who owns a gun, should not be decided based on opinion. To uphold the freedom that this country stands for, the goal is not to take guns away, but to make sure they are obtained legally and safely. Of course, the legality of the process for obtaining a gun will need compromise between opposing groups. 

Many gun law opposers tend to use their 2nd Amendment right to back their defense that stricter gun laws infringe on those rights, saying things like: “We need to protect our rights. Guns are our rights. The second amendment is our right.” While that may be true, both sides of the gun control argument might agree that military-grade firearms should be banned from the general public. Putting firearms in the hands of a mentally ill person is putting fuel on a fire. In an attempt to create compromise, there should be laws supporting individual licensing for low-grade firearms, fingerprint-based background checks, mental health screenings, and required training before even touching a gun. Then, the right to obtain a gun would not be stripped, therefore, not obstructing the 2nd Amendment, but rather making it slightly harder, and, therefore, safer for the public. 

The point is, in many incidents, whether it be school shootings or targeted mass shootings, they prove to be highly preventable. Think about the numerous innocent school children, think about a regular civilian walking down the street, or finally, think about your own family - wouldn't you want to do everything to protect them? A recurring theme is a bullied student or a person with a mental illness, that was shockingly able to obtain a high-grade firearm with little effort. 

The final point mentioned in the CNN op-ed is how unlikely change is to come with the number of government officials so heavily financially incentivized by the NRA. Further explained in this article, the NRA has a history of swaying politicians to not act in the peoples’ best interest in terms of gun control. We need to put an end to corruption, which leads to an endless cycle of this argument, in order for the country to be unified in the issue of gun control. 

Addendum Paragraph: 

The use of rhetorical appeals and devices occur all throughout this op-ed. First, in paragraph 2, the appeal used is logos, and this is because there are statistics presented. Second, in paragraphs 1,2, and 6, the appeal used is ethos because of the cited sources, which creates trust. Lastly, in paragraph 5, the appeal that is used is pathos, because of the part asking you to think about individual people that could be affected by guns. In paragraph 5, the stylistic device present is anaphora, and in paragraph 4, there are two stylistic devices present, a metaphor and epiphora.