Becoming Literate

The obesity epidemic dates back to the early 1980’s in western culture. According to The Origins of the Obesity Epidemic in the USA–Lessons for Today by Norman J. Temple, there was a substantial increase in obesity rates of American adults from 1976 to 2000, and it continues to rise. (Temple, 2002, section 2). Uncoincidentally, Americans took a liking to fast food restaurants, and processed foods were becoming more prevalent during these times. Many people fault our nation’s government for our obesity rates. However, I disagree and believe that your body is your responsibility, not the government’s. In What You Eat Is Your Business , Radley Balko discusses how the U.S treats obesity and some changes he believes will help. Balko (2002) says, “President Bush earmarked $200 million in his budget for anti-obesity measures… This is the wrong way to fight obesity. Instead of manipulating or intervening in the array of food options available to American consumers, our government ought to...

The rise of technology and pop culture go hand in hand. Pop culture has always found a way to keep up with technological advancements. For example, the invention of radio brought music, sports, and many other forms of entertainment to a widespread audience. In part to the creation of the internet, pop culture is vastly different than it was decades ago. Some believe that this has caused pop culture to take a turn for the worse. They say the internet has caused interpersonal relationships to fade away in favor of likes and followers. Others question if pop culture even exists today. However, I disagree that pop culture today is indeed beneficial. In Watching TV Makes You Smarter , Steven Johnson's main point is that if entertainment is consumed in the right manner, it will improve the mind’s cognitive abilities. His argument revolves around how television and movies have drastically increased their number of threads. Johnson explains “the Sleeper Curve,” which shows how entertainm...

The first time I can remember being able to read was around kindergarten. The children's book Parts by Tedd Arnold is one of the first books I remember reading. The book is about a young boy who lost his first tooth one day. This worried him, causing him to think he would lose all his body parts. However, the boy's parents reassure him that it is perfectly human to have a tooth, or a strand of hair fall out. Tedd Arnold's choice of words and rhymes in his books appealed to children my age at the time. My father would always read it to me and my younger sister. I loved the book so much that I would start to read it to myself. Even though I did not fully know how to read on my own, it still encouraged me and made reading one of my favorite things to do in my spare time. With my father being an English teacher, literature played a crucial role in my young life. Waking up on a Sunday to read comics from the newspaper while eating breakfast was sometimes the highlight of my day....