Academic Journal - Freedom High School

Academic Journal - Freedom High School - 2016

AETOS
Academic Journal - Freedom High School - 2016
AETOS 2016 VOL. 1 ACADEMIC JOURNAL of FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL 25450 RIDING CENTER DRIVE SOUTH RIDING, VA 20152 STAFF and COLOPHON
Journal Designer: Dana Maier Journal Coordinator: Shelly O’Foran Faculty Advisory Board: Freedom High School English Department Shelly O’Foran, Department Chair Tyler Anderson Jenna Arndt Jessica Connors Sean Curry Josefa Garcia Katheryn Hans Brandon Kalbaugh Joyce Kim Evelyn Kirby Dana Maier Roddy McDaniel Susan Nigro Karen Richardson Katie Santarelli Veronica Short Kathryn Steele Laura Tornello Beverly Weatherly Darla Woods The English Department presents the premiere issue of Aetos, the Academic Journal of Freedom High School. The student writing published within was selected by teachers for displaying an exemplary level of skill, meeting or exceeding the English Department’s high expectations for each grade level. Aetos refers to Aetos Dios, a golden eagle that served as Zeus’ messenger and companion. The names of other FHS Publications have similar Latin origins: Aquila, meaning “eagle,” honors the Yearbook, and Aerie, meaning “nest,” adorns the Literary and Art Magazine. Special thanks to our Freedom community of life-long learners and teachers without whose e forts in composing, reviewing, and formatting these essays this publication would not be possible. Thank you for helping us soar above and go beyond. AETOS Academic Journal ▪ published via Joomag.com ▪ May, 2016
TABLE of CONTENTS
9th GRADE Melissa Abel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Symbol That Lives On Madison Boyer . . . . . . . . . .Scout Searches Somebodies for Some Sound Scrupulous Behaviors Ethan Curtiss . . . . . . . . The Development of the Mockingbird Symbol in To Kill a Mockingbird Megan Lindsey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mockingbirds Gina Nored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From Boy to Young Man Matt Rossman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Disease of Prejudice Sage Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . To Kill A Mockingbird Connor Wells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Lawyer’s Flower Ashleigh Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .How Innocence is Lost 10th GRADE Meghan Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Macbeth Persuasive Essay Cecilia Barber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “Accidents Happen” - Explode A Moment Carley Belknap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Business Letter to From the Farmer Sydney Campbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stairs Are the Worst Caroline Chen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Safe Spaces in Colleges: Activism vs. Antagonism Erina Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1984 Literary Analysis 10th GRADE (cont’d) Kendall Malinchock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Temptation’s Trap Caroline Maloney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Explode-a-Moment Matt Neal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Explode-a-Moment Ally Perlberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Reverence of the Ending of a Ballet Caitlin Phan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Ultimate Influence on Macbeth Owen Weismiller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Business Letter to Rolling Stone 11th GRADE Christian Europa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Driving Force: What Motivates Human Behavior? Sri Jayakumar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morals vs. Survival: Can Morals Survive Catastrophe? Trevor LeMaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What Irritates me! Hunter McCluer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruskin Timed Write Response Brynne Raba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Rhetoric of Ideas: Analyzing Rhetoric in “The Myth of the Gay Agenda” by LZ Granderson Brandon Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Psychology of Creepiness: Big Question Essay, “What Makes Something Creepy?” 12th GRADE Mallika Dammalapati . . . . . . . . . . Nanotechnological Applications for Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer Brigham Galbraith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Door to Hell: An Unexpected Wealth of Knowledge 12th GRADE (cont’d) Mila Jasper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kill Your Heroes Mira Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .You Did the Crime, But Do You Really Have to Do the Time? Madeleine McCafferty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Something Bleaker Than Crime or Punishment Shanker Narayan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Does the Pharmaceutical Industry Exist To Serve the Greater Good and Eradicate Disease, or Has It Become an Increasingly Profit-Driven Entity That Falls Under the Umbrella of Corporate Capitalism? Hannah Ngo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Uses of Pharmacogenomics in the Development of Effective and Safe Drugs and the Impact on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Disease Vivek Ramakrishnan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isms and Change 9th GRADE COURSES and TEACHERS HONORS ENGLISH Evelyn Kirby Karen Richardson Veronica Short Kathryn Steele ACADEMIC ENGLISH Evelyn Kirby Shelly O’Foran Karen Richardson Katie Santarelli Veronica Short Beverly Weatherly AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue A Symbol That Lives On Melissa Abel Grade 9 Honors English January 15, 2016 We live in a world that is like a dark, foreboding forest filled with terrors. However, amongst the monsters hidden in the brush, there are sweet, harmless songbirds, spreading the joy of their presence with them wherever they go. In Harper Lee’s novel
To Kill a Mockingbird
, the symbol of the mockingbird represents the innocent people whose lives and livelihoods are thrown away needlessly, the ideas of which can be seen in modern day events such as the kidnapping of women in Africa by Boko Haram, prejudice against Muslims in America, and the murder of Freddie Gray. First, the symbolism of the mockingbird represents the kidnapping of over 200 girls in Nigeria by Boko Haram terrorists just a few years ago. In a reign of terror, the girls were taken from a school and “those who did not [escape], it is feared, may have been raped, brutalized, enslaved, and forced to convert to Islam” (Melvin). Many young women with beautiful lives ahead of them were tragically lost. Their futures were taken by a senseless act so that terrorists could show their power. This event show similarities to the description of Tom Robinson’s death that Mr. Underwood, the newspaper editor, used in the paper. In his article, he “likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds” (Lee 323). He says this because Tom’s life was taken without a valid reason. Tom’s imprisonment was an attempt of Bob Ewell to cover up for his own offenses, gain power, and make a place for himself in the community. Tom was disposable to Ewell. Sadly, these women are also viewed as disposable in the plans of terrorists. 9th Melissa Abel 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The young women kidnapped by Boko Haram are like mockingbirds, innocent girls lost for no good reason. As a second illustration, Muslims in the United States today are being persecuted and threatened. In the novel, Ms. Maudie describes the symbolic mockingbirds as not doing “one thing but [making] music for us to enjoy…that’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 119). This description reflects that anyone who does not disturb the community should not be harmed. Nearly all Muslims in the United States are innocent people, not the plotting villains that many believe them to be. However, an influential presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has suggested publicly that the U.S. should enact “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” (Diamond). He has become a face of prejudice against an almost entire innocent population of people in America. His opinions have caused people to question the motives of Muslims both living in and immigrating to the United States. His desire to remove rights and freedoms from these people seems unfounded considering “FBI statistics reveal that 94 percent of terrorist incidents in the United States between 1980 and 2005 were committed by people who were not Muslim” (Saeed). Therefore, like mockingbirds in the book, Muslims should not be hurt, prejudiced against, or disrespected. They should not suffer the wrath of others, just as mockingbirds should not suffer. Finally, the loss of innocent life, as with Lee’s mockingbirds, can be seen in the murder of Freddie Gray, a young man who was killed after being arrested and taken into police custody. He was arrested because of a prejudice against young black men. Police were led to believe he was guilty when he ran from them, though in reality they “had no justification whatsoever for 9th Melissa Abel 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue taking him into custody” (Robinson). After his arrest, he requested but was never given medical care. As a result, he died in the custody of the police. His life was lost because he became tangled in the work of law enforcement without reason. This is similar to the scene in the novel where Scout shares her opinions of involving Boo Radley in the case of Bob Ewell’s death. Scout says, “well it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 370). She realized that it would not make sense to tangle a quiet, innocent person like Boo in the affairs of the police. Unlike Freddie Gray, Boo was lucky enough to stay free and keep his livelihood intact. This quote is a reminder, however, that the death of Freddie Gray was like the shooting of a mockingbird; an innocent life lost without reason. In conclusion, the significance of the mockingbird in Harper Lee’s novel is present in the kidnapping of women in Africa by terrorist groups, prejudice against Muslims in the United States, and the murder of Freddie Gray. These people were innocent songbirds, killed or harmed in the dark forests of life. Their lives, and the symbol of the mockingbird, have brought a new understanding of preserving the futures and the happiness of all people. This can be as simple as showing kindness to someone who is being bullied, or protesting acts of violence. It is a conflict encountered by people every day of their lives. The mockingbird represents an important idea that continues to live on in our world today. 9th Melissa Abel 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Aratani, Lori, Paul Duggan, and Dan Morse. "Six Officers Charged in Death of Freddie Gray." The Washington Post, 1 May 2015. Web. 5 Jan. 2016. Diamond, Jeremy. "Donald Trump: Ban All Muslim Travel to U.S. CNNPolitics.com."
CNN
. Cable News Network, 8 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Jan. 2016. Lee, Harper.
To Kill A Mockingbird
. New York: Grand Central, n.d. Print. Melvin, Don. "Boko Haram Kidnapping in Nigeria, One Year Later."
CNN
. Cable News Network, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. Robinson, Eugene. "Freddie Gray Never Had a Chance." The Washington Post, 1 May 2015. Web. 5 Jan. 2016. Saeed, Aliya. "A Muslim Parent's Guide to Talking to Children About Acts of Violent Extremism." Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, 5 Jan. 2016. Web. 5 Jan. 2 Vinograd, Cassandra, and Alexander Smith. "#BringBackOurGirls: Boko Haram Terror Unabated Year After Chibok Kidnappings."
NBC News
. N.p., 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. 9th Melissa Abel 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Scout Searches Somebodies for Some Sound Scrupulous Behaviors Madison Boyer Grade 9 Honors English January 20, 2016 “A man is like a novel: until the very last page you don't know how it will end. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth reading” (Yevgeny Zamyatin). Throughout
To Kill a Mockingbird,
Scout learns about what this quotation is about. She starts out by putting people into groups based on stereotypes and rumors, but discovers that they are more than they seem.

In the realistic fiction novel
To Kill a Mockingbird,
by Harper Lee, Scout and the reader develop morally by learning what is making Mrs. Dubose seem so rude, by visiting Calpurnia’s church, and by meeting Boo Radley for the first time. Scout learns to not judge people until she gets to know them by spending time with Mrs. Dubose. When Scout and Jem first go to Mrs. Dubose’s house to read to her, she corrects Jem every time he makes a mistake while reading. As he continues to read, Scout realizes that “Mrs. Dubose’s corrections grew fewer and farther between, that Jem had even left a sentence dangling midair. She was not listening” (Lee 142). This is the first time that Scout sees what is really happening in Mrs. Dubose’s life. She seemed surprised to find that after a while Mrs. Dubose “was not listening” and stopped being so cranky. Scout did not understand how much her sickness affected her life and how difficult it was for her. After Scout and Jem leave Mrs. Dubose’s house, Jem tells Atticus “she’s so nasty. She has fits or something. She spits a lot,” and Scout says, “she scared [her]” (Lee 143). Jem and Scout both judge Mrs. Dubose on her outside appearance. They do not entirely comprehend what is happening to her or what is truly going on in her life. They both use vague words to describe her and do not really talk in toomuch depth 9th Madison Boyer 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue about it. After Mrs. Dubose had passed away, and Atticus explained how difficult it was for her to live, he says that “she was the bravest person [he] ever knew” (Lee 149). He hopes that Scout and Jem will understand what bravery really is. Atticus opinion varies so much from Scout’s because she does not understand, and he does. He uses Mrs. Dubose as an example to teach Scout that everyone has something in their life that might affect them negatively, and that she should not judge someone until she knows what that is. Readers can relate to this because it is very common to judge others or have them judge one’s self too quickly. One should not immediately dismiss someone based on how they act before finding out what their life is like. Scout and the reader both realize that some people have it worse off than it seems and not to assume that someone does not before they get to know them, and therefore, Scout and the reader develop morally. Scout learns how people can be falsely stereotyped by visiting Calpurnia’s church. Scout had been told her whole life that black people were not as good as white people. In her town, black people are not treated well and often segregated. Before the court case, for example, the white people sat all around, but “in a far corner of the square, the [black people] sat quietly in the sun” (Lee 214). They were treated as outcasts, only because the color of their skin was different. Even though they “sat quietly” and did not do any harm, the white people still believed that they were bad. Scout realizes that this is not necessarily the case though when she meets a majority of the black community at Calpurnia’s church. Some even stand up for her when Lula tells Calpurnia that Scout and Jem should not be there, saying that “[they’re] mighty glad to have you all here. Don’t pay no ‘tention to Lula, she’s contentious because Reverend Sykes threatened to church her. She’s a troublemaker from way back, got fancy ideas an’ haughty ways – we’re 9th Madison Boyer 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue mighty glad to have you all” (Lee 159). The black people at the church treated Scout with kindness and wanted her to know that she was welcome. Repeating the phrase “mighty glad to have you here” multiple times shows that they were glad and were friendly, contrary to popular belief. They gave excuses as to why Lula did not want them here, and wanted to show Scout that they were different from Lulu. After church was over, the people there donated money to Tom Robinson’s wife. When Scout asked Reverend Sykes why they did that, he said “Didn’t you hear why… Helen’s got three little ‘uns and she can’t go out to work” (Lee 163). The way the people acted at the church when asked to donate, and the casual way Reverend Sykes talks, shows that doing this is not very uncommon. Scout’s church, on the other hand, does not seem to donate to people or worry about charity. This confuses Scout because she asks Reverend Sykes why he did. The reader can relate to this because people can be stereotyped incorrectly based on skin color and gender. Everyday people are treated differently based on these factors, and it is not right. The reader and Scout both develop morally by learning about how people are labeled versus how they really act. Scout learned an important lesson by meeting Boo Radley for the first time. Before she really meets him, Jem tells Dill and Scout that Boo “dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained – if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off” (Lee 16). Jem makes him seem inhuman. Although everything they know about him is just rumor, the children still treat it like fact. They truly believed that Boo was bad, even without getting to know him. When Miss. Maudie’s house burned down and Scout went outside to look at the fire, she came back in with a blanket on her back. When Atticus noticed it, he said “’maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.’ ‘Thank who?’ [Scout] asked. ‘Boo Radley. 9th Madison Boyer 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you’” (Lee 96). Before this, Scout had always assumed Boo was not a good person and he did not care about others. It shows that he obviously cares about Scout by helping her in a distressing time. Scout is very surprised by this, as shown when she does not have any idea who to thank. At the very end of the story when Scout and Boo were walking back to his house, Scout thinks about what Boo had done for her. She thinks about the fact that he had given Jem and her “two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of goodluck pennies, and [their] lives… [They] had given him nothing, and it made [her] sad” (Lee 373). Thinking back at all the gifts Boo gave Scout, she understands who he really is. She knows now that her initial impression of him and the rumors that were spread are wrong, and she feels bad about it. Scout realizes that Boo is actually a very good person. The reader can relate to this because rumor can spread like wildfire sometimes. The way other people talk about someone is usually biased, and one cannot truly get to know someone until they meet them. Meeting Boo Radley and comparing him to the untrue rumors that were spread illustrate how Scout and the reader develop morally. Scout and the reader discover a lot about others and who they really are throughout
To Kill a Mockingbird
. By learning how brave Mrs. Dubose really was, by meeting all the people at Calpurnia’s church, and by getting to know Boo Radley for who he truly is, Scout and the reader develop morally. Scout learns this lesson majorly on the last page of book, which proves, literally, that people really are just like novels. 9th Madison Boyer 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Development of the Mockingbird Symbol in
To Kill a Mockingbird Ethan Curtiss Grade 9 Honors English January 22, 2016 A fourteenyearold black boy named Emmett Till was savagely beaten and murdered for whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. Eight black teenagers were sentenced to death in Scottsboro, Alabama for allegedly raping two white women without any evidence. During the era of unethical Jim Crow laws, the southern states were rampant with segregation and prejudice toward anybody with colored skin. The judiciary system lacked loyalty to the law and colored people were seen as inferior to the white folk. Emmett Till and the Scottsboro boys are just two examples of bigotry expressed in this time. Like innocent mockingbirds hunted despite living solely to sing their hearts out for the enjoyment of others, these harmless boys were sought out on the lone basis of racism. In
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee, the symbol of a mockingbird is developed through the myths about Arthur Radley and the persecution of Tom Robinson that relate to the multimillennia oppression of the Jewish people. Arthur Radley is portrayed in the minds of Jem and Scout as a maniac. He is described as “[dining] on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained” (Lee 14). The evil image of Arthur is further indulged by Stephanie Crawford when she says “she woke up in the middle of the night one time and saw him looking straight through the window at her” (Lee 13). The gossip circulating around Maycomb, ignited by Miss Crawford, depicts him as a murderous ghost. However, when it becomes apparent that the objects left in the tree next to the Radley’s house are from Arthur, he is seen as friendly and longing. Additionally, when Bob Ewell attempts to assassinate Jem and Scout on their dark walk home from the 9th Ethan Curtiss 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Halloween production, Arthur heroically saves the two from Bob Ewell’s thrashing blade. It is at that moment that Scout gains absolute compassion and respect for Arthur. Concerning the eating of squirrels and stabbing of his father, she realizes “he hadn’t done any of those things..he was real nice” (Lee 323). Arthur’s genuine kindness and care for the children revealed in his selfless bravery is squashed by nasty myths, akin to the quell of innocent mockingbirds. Tom Robinson is a hardworking, credible man caught in the fray of bigotry expressed by the dysfunctional Ewell family. While subordinate to the white folk, Tom gladly performs manual labor for Mayella because “Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help none, and neither did the chillun” (Lee 218). Tom is sympathetic for a woman higher in social class, displaying his care and compassion for others. However, Mayella is quick to dismiss this in her testimony when she claims, “He got me round the neck, cussin’ me an’ sayin’ dirt I fought’n’hollered, but he had me round the neck. He hit me agin an’ agin” (Lee 205). Mayella tries to cover up the truth that her father Bob Ewell was the one who beat her for advancing on a black man. Atticus wrings this information out of Mayella when he asks, “What did your father see in the window, the crime of rape or the best defense to it? Why don’t you tell the truth, child, didn’t Bob Ewell beat you up?” (Lee 213). Mayella does not deliver a denial to this statement, indicating that she is lying about having been beat by Tom. Despite her obvious lies, the jury still convicts Tom out of sheer tradition that
a black person may not reign over a white person
. Scout describes Tom as “a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” (Lee 276). There was nothing Tom and Atticus could have said to convince the prejudiced jury to exonerate Tom. The false conviction of Tom Robinson ruined the life of an innocent man, comparable to the “senseless slaughter of songbirds” (Lee 275). 9th Ethan Curtiss 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Since the founding of Judaism, the first monotheistic religion, Jewish people have been oppressed everywhere. In Egypt, Ramses enslaved the Jews for not believing he was a god. After the exodus from Egypt, the Jews were then enslaved in Babylon until they were freed by Cyrus the Great of Persia. In modern times, nearly six million, of the nine million, Jews in Europe were slaughtered under Nazi rule in Germany during the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945. Even now that the Jewish people have been granted their own homeland of Israel, they are still at constant war with neighboring countries. The Jewish people have been denied safety and independence their entire existence. During her current events lesson about Adolf Hitler, Scout’s teacher tells her students that “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody . . . There are no better people in the world than the Jews” (Lee 281). However, Scout realizes the insincerity in this statement when she asks Jem, “how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home” (Lee 283). The people of Maycomb are blinded by their own ignorance to recognize their hypocrisy. Like the poaching of gracious mockingbirds and the unfair treatment of Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson, the Jews are persecuted in all their ventures. The disregard for ethics and law expressed in Maycomb evokes the symbol of a mockingbird to represent the mistreatment of virtuous people. Arthur Radley’s morality and integrity suppressed by childish gossip likens him to innocent songbirds hunted by savages. Additionally, this symbol is developed through Tom Robinson’s false incarceration by a prejudiced jury. These instances of discrimination are analogous to the worldwide antiSemitism against the Jewish people since before the common era. While heavily present in the small town of Maycomb, the disease of discrimination plagues the entire world. 9th Ethan Curtiss 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Mockingbirds Megan Lindsey Grade 9 Honors English January 22, 2016 Many creatures in the world do no harm but receive harm in return for a variety of reasons; many of which are not justified at all. An example of this would be the mockingbird which does no damage to the world but is occasionally killed for sport. Humans can also be mockingbirds and be harmed for doing no damage. In the novel
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee, the symbol of the mockingbird is demonstrated by Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch; these characters draw parallels to modernday figures and people from the past like the Scottsboro Boys, Harper Lee, and Martin Luther King Jr. Tom Robinson represents the innocence of a mockingbird by having done nothing wrong but dealing with harsh consequences purely because he was black. After the decision of the trial is announced, Jem does not understand how Tom Robinson is convicted and says “How could they do it, how could they?” (Lee 285). Jem heard all of the testimonies and Atticus’s closing statement and knows that Tom Robinson did not do anything wrong, but the Maycomb jury still convicted him anyway. Jem is so surprised because he cannot believe people would do something against an innocent person who is a mockingbird. Even after Tom is dead he is still considered to be a bad person. In Maycomb, Tom’s death is considered “Typical of a [black man] to cut and run” and reinforces the stereotypes in Maycomb (Lee 322). Tom Robinson is talked about like a criminal and horrible man all because he is black which makes him a mockingbird. On March 25, 1931 nine black boys called the “Scottsboro boys” were accused of raping two white girls. The boys were innocent but since the white girls had said that they had 9th Megan Lindsey 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue raped them, the boys went to trial with a white judge and all white jury. They lost the trial and many many appeals after, until some were eventually let free. However, the state of Alabama did not officially pardon all of the boys until 2013. Like Tom Robinson, these boys were mockingbirds who had done nothing wrong but were harmed anyway. The innocence of Tom Robinson does not save him from becoming a mockingbird and neither does the innocence of the Scottsboro boys because of their skin color. Boo Radley is considered a monster because he does not come out of his house even though he is not harming anyone. At the beginning of the book, Jem and Scout are really frightened by Boo Radley. Jem describes Boo Radley as “sixandahalf feet tall, judging from his tracks;” and claiming he “dined on squirrels and any cats he could catch” (Lee 16). Scout and Jem have never actually seen or spoken to Boo Radley but all of Maycomb considers him to be a monster so the children believe it too. In reality, Boo Radley just does not feel comfortable in the world outside of his house but Maycomb makes him into a mockingbird by saying all these horrible things about him. Later in the book, Jem and Scout start to understand Boo Radley better after the trial. Jem says “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time...it’s because he wants to stay inside” (Lee 117). After the trial, Scout and Jem have been exposed to the discrimination of Maycomb and realize that Boo may actually be hiding from the cruelties outside of his house in the real world. The kids now start to think of Boo as a mockingbird of Maycomb because most people consider him a monster without knowing him or thinking about his feeling. The author herself of
To Kill a Mockingbird
, Harper Lee has become much more private with fame and prefers to be left alone in her house. Fame made Lee into a mockingbird because it made her feel the need to withdraw from society 9th Megan Lindsey 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue in order to feel less vulnerable and have privacy. Boo Radley and Harper Lee both need their privacy but are made into mockingbirds by the world’s views of them. Atticus Finch is also a symbolic mockingbird in the novel. Atticus takes the Tom Robinson case because he knows Tom is innocent and deserves a good defense but is tortured by Maycomb because of it. Jem and Scout do not understand why Atticus feels the need to defend Tom Robinson because the other people in Maycomb see this defense as crazy. However, Atticus gives his reasons and says that, “If I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not do something again” (Lee 100). Atticus feels that defending Tom is his duty and thinks that if he did not do it he would no longer be a respectable man. He even says that he would not be able to walk through town and feel good about himself. This is important because the people of Maycomb are going to be brutal to him if he does defend Tom, but he does it anyway because he thinks that it is the right thing to do. So, when the town is harsh, Atticus becomes a mockingbird. When the people of Maycomb are talking about the case, one man says that “Atticus aims to defend him, that’s what I don’t like about it” (Lee 218). Atticus is also treated so poorly because he is actually going to try and defend Tom Robinson instead of just accepting his fate, which is what someone would typically do. Atticus is not harming anyone he is simply trying to defend an innocent person but receives rude and horrible remarks about it. Like Atticus, Martin Luther King Jr. did not hurt anyone, instead leading peaceful protests for African American rights. However, he also received violence in return for doing no harm. Police were violent to the protesters, and Martin Luther King Jr. was later assassinated. Even though Atticus and Martin Luther King Jr. did no harm they both received violence in return, making them mockingbirds. 9th Megan Lindsey 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Tom Robinson’s and The Scottsboro Boys’ innocence was unimportant during their trials because of race. Boo Radley and Harper Lee both are considered different and scary because they value privacy above all else. Finally, Atticus and Martin Luther King Jr. receive violence in result for their peaceful ways of standing up for what they believe in. The mockingbird symbol is shown by Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus in the novel
To Kill a Mockingbird
and shown in real life by their parallels, The Scottsboro Boys, Harper Lee, and Martin Luther King Jr. More and more innocent things are harmed in everyday life which leads to the idea that all of society is responsible for contributing to the problem of the mockingbird. 9th Megan Lindsey 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue From Boy to Young Man Gina Nored Grade 9 Honors English February 16, 2016 Witnessing a murder trial can certainly make a young man grow up quickly.
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee takes a closer look into racism through a murder trial in the South during the Great Depression. A wellloved story by the world, this novel has profound revelations about love, courage, and friendship. The Finch family, consisting of two kids named Jem and Scout, and their father, Atticus, struggle through many troublesome times in a small Southern town with a great deal of prejudice. In
To Kill A Mockingbird
, a fictional bildungsroman by Harper Lee, readers connect with Jem as he develops into a young man by learning from his father, life experiences, and time. Many people learn much from their parents, and Jem is no exception. Jem learns a considerable amount from his father, Atticus, and grows as he learns. At one point in
To Kill A Mockingbird
, Jem says, “Atticus is a gentleman, just like me” (Lee 113). Jem exclaims this after Atticus shoots the mad dog in Maycomb, protecting the people from harm. Atticus is indeed a gentleman, and is always courteous to others. Jem is able to pick up on his father’s admirable character, and mimic his good qualities. He recognizes adults have certain outstanding characteristics, such as being considerate, and as Jem develops, he realizes he should act in this manner as well. Readers can relate to Jem’s growth because many look up to their fathers and learn important lessons from them. Because Atticus is Jem’s only living parent, Jem is highly influenced by the way his father acts and lives, and is therefore likely to act similar to Atticus. Readers are able to pick up on this through Scout’s eyes when she states, “Jem was becoming 9th Gina Nored 1 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue almost as good as Atticus at making you feel right when things went wrong” (Lee 297). When Scout makes this statement, she has just missed her part in the Halloween pageant, and Jem manages to convince her that she did her part well. Atticus is not able to attend, and so Jem is the only one in Scout’s family who is available to comfort her. The role of comforter is passed down from Atticus to Jem in this moment, and the fact that Jem is able to take on this job successfully shows his continued development into a young adult. He does not tell his sister that she should not have forgotten her stage cue, but instead attempts to lift her spirits. This proves Jem is becoming a kind and caring young man. These traits have not always been evident in Jem’s character. Indeed, earlier in To Kill A Mockingbird , Jem may not have acted as he does this night. Jem gains qualities that lead him into his teenager years throughout the story and learns these things from his father. Readers can connect to Jem’s development because they may recall learning from their parent’s teachings as well. Although maturing from a boy to a young adult is influenced by family, another big factor is learning through life experiences. As children of a lawyer in a small prejudiced town, Scout and Jem have to go through many challenging times. For one, Atticus defends an innocent “colored” man in a court case who is ultimately given the death penalty. After learning the verdict, Jem says, “It ain’t right, Atticus” (Lee 244). A sign of maturity is being able to recognize the right and wrong in life circumstances. Jem is clearly able to recognize this difference, and even feels distraught about Tom Robinson, the innocent colored man who is convicted. He cries for this injustice in the world, which he is intelligent enough to fully understand. Jem learns how the world is unfair through his own experience at the trial and grows morally through his revelations. 9th Gina Nored 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Another part of growing into a young man is questioning the way the world works and looking deeper into people. When at Miss Maudie’s, Jem says, “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world” (Lee 246). After the Tom Robinson trial, Jem, Scout, and Dill stop by Miss Maudie’s house. Jem concludes that Maycomb folks are not always outstanding people after a conversation with Miss Maudie. His statement proves he is growing into a young man because he is able to see people at a deeper level. He now understands that people are not always what they seem and that there are cruel humans in the world. Learning about the world is a significant step in crossing the bridge between childhood and adulthood. Somewhere along this bridge, Jem leaves childhood behind him and enters into the teenage world. Everyone will at some point realize that there are unjust and cruel people in the world, and readers can relate when they see Jem conclude this as well. Growth can come from experiences and others, but sometimes learning occurs with the passing of time. As Jem ages, he naturally starts to become more mature. On October 31, Scout claims, “Jem considered himself too old for Halloween anyway” (Lee 289). Jem is becoming more aware of how to act in public situations because he recognizes some events are meant for smaller children. He does not want to participate in some of the games the Maycomb children are playing because he may not be challenged intellectually and is most likely not entertained by such simplistic concepts and games. Jem is shown to be growing up when he considers himself too old to participate in Halloween. Near the end of Scout and Jem’s story, Jem tells Scout about his newest theory. When explaining, he says, “‘That’s what I thought, too’, he said at last, ‘when I was your age’” (Lee 259). The theory Jem speaks of talks about the varied kinds of people. Scout disagrees and thinks everyone is the same, while Jem says people are different. Jem is 9th Gina Nored 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue more mature than Scout in this instance because he comprehends that people act in diverse ways with varied motives and morals. He recognizes people are as complex as a thousand piece puzzle, while Scout believes everyone is the same puzzle piece. Jem comes to this realization simply by growing older and learning over time. Jem’s most significant development in
To Kill A Mockingbird
is his growth from a child to a young man. Over the course of time, Jem grows from a child to a young adult in three aspects: socially, morally, and intellectually. Jem learns how to be a gentleman and compassionate from his father, making him act more like a young adult in his social skills. The world becomes clearer to Jem when he understands how unfair life can be and develops morally through his life experiences. Jem also begins to realize that people are puzzling, coming to many intellectual epiphanies through the course of time. In
To Kill A Mockingbird
, a fictional bildungsroman novel by Harper Lee, readers can relate to Jem when he grows into a young man as he learns from his father, experiences, and time. A novel loved worldwide,
To Kill A Mockingbird
is a profound tale of one family’s growth and journey through life. 9th Gina Nored 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Disease of Prejudice Matt Rossman Grade 9 Honors English January 20, 2016 A disease, by definition, is a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms. If this is so, can intolerance to diversity be considered a disease? In Maycomb, people succumb to rumors, and discriminate against race, age, family background and gender. This disease still affects people today, in the 21st century, when there is still discrimination over things like race and religion. In the novel,
To Kill A Mockingbird,
by Harper Lee, the symbol of disease develops and impacts the 21st century United States by being something people are taught to oppose, a plague everyone must deal with in daily life, and something that one will become immune to when they learn right from wrong. Primarily, from a very young age children are taught to resent and oppose this disease in America today; this is no different in the fictional 1930s town of Maycomb, at least for the Finch family. Atticus Finch teaches his children Jem and Scout that “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 39). As Atticus states, one is not able to avoid discriminatory acts until they can empathize with others. Similarly, school teachers and parents today teach youths not to discriminate over arbitrary things like skin color, Atticus lives by these ideals and teaches his children to follow suit. This teaching is further demonstrated when Jem is complaining about Mrs. Lafayette Dubose and is reminded by Atticus that he should “just hold [his] head high and be a gentleman” despite her racist and degrading remarks (Lee 133). Atticus teaches Jem that while he should not allow the disease to take hold of him, he must still show respect and patience 9th Matt Rossman 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue towards those affected by it. Even if an American today knows the wrongs of bigotry, they still must keep open minds towards those who do not and believe they may still change for the better. Analogous to when Atticus teaches Jem, Calpurnia teaches Scout that “some folks… don’t eat like [her]... but [she] ain’t called on to contradict ‘em at the table when they don’t” (Lee 32). Calpurnia shows Scout that no matter what a person’s manners or actions are, she must still treat them with the level of respect she treats Atticus with. Calpurnia, much like a present day parent or teacher, teaches Scout that she should give everyone a chance and cannot judge someone by her first impression. Just as Atticus teaches his children not to be prejudiced towards anyone, Americans today must be taught the same ideals or they too will catch the same disease as many before them. Furthermore, the disease of Maycomb, Alabama is a disease in which one will have to come into contact with and approach in everyday life. There will always be that one person waving a Confederate flag and spouting nonsense about white male supremacy, and in the case of
To Kill a Mockingbird
, that one person is Mrs. Dubose. Scout and Jem must endure Mrs. Dubose’s racist and sexist remarks that can range anywhere from asking Scout “what [she] is doing in...overalls [when she] should be in a dress and camisole” to stating that their “father’s no better than the [black people] and trash he works for” (Lee 135). Racist and sexist remarks like those of Mrs. Dubose were evidently not uncommon in the thirties where people of color and women had essentially no rights. Even today, one could not go on the internet for more than ten minutes without finding some diseased comment, video or image. On a greater scale, after the trial of Tom Robinson, Atticus tells his children that “in [their] courts when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee 295). While court cases decided 9th Matt Rossman 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue over skin color are less common in America, there remain many who believe that some people are better than others just because of race or gender. Atticus knows that no matter what, these people’s existence is a fact of life that he and his children must deal with every day. Before Tom Robinson’s trial, Atticus talks to his brother about how he hopes he “can get Jem and Scout through it without...catching Maycomb’s usual disease” (Lee 117). Atticus knows that Maycomb’s disease is easily spread and there is no way of getting by without having to deal with it in one way or another. Whether the person has the disease or is surrounded by those who do, prejudice and tolerance are two sides of the same coin. The disease affects everyone, today and in the novel, as there is no tolerance when there is no injustice to oppose. Lastly, there is no vaccine for Maycomb's disease; the only way to develop immunity is to learn to do what is right and follow in the footsteps of Atticus Finch. When Jem is over at Miss Maudie’s house eating cake after the trial, he realizes that until then he had been like “a caterpillar wrapped in a cocoon...like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place” (Lee 288). Jem had been shielded from the disease of Maycomb, and it was not until the trial that he realized the injustice of discrimination based on race. He went on to further contemplate this when he stated that juries should be done away with and that there should be unbiased people like Atticus making the rulings. Jem shows how much he has matured throughout the story and that through all the hardships he will not catch the same disease as so many others. Similarly, after Boo Radley saves her life, Scout finds that he is not the killer people made him out to be, and she finds “Atticus was right…[in that] you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” (Lee 374). Scout stood in Boo’s shoes, on his porch and witnessed her world through his perspective. Scout found that she should not believe whatever 9th Matt Rossman 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue people said, and only then, did she become immune to the disease and know what it truly meant to love everybody. Martin Luther King Jr. once stated that he had a dream that “one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers” (King, “I Have A Dream”). Martin Luther King hoped that one day everybody will love each other despite skin color, gender, or background. Harper Lee had that same dream, and hoped that when Scout and Jem fulfilled that dream, so would the reader. That dream still applies today and though the events of the novel and civil rights movement happened over fifty years ago, they continue to immunize people from Maycomb's disease. Only when Americans today are able to discern wrong from right will they truly be immune to the disease that plagues Maycomb. To Kill a Mockingbird
is a wellwritten novel that continues to affect readers today through its indepth reflections on racial segregation and stereotyping. Through the symbol of the disease, Harper Lee shows a problem that is at the root of human nature. People instinctively stray away from those whom they see as different and tend to stay with who they believe are like them. This novel provides great insight on the wrongdoings in 1930s Alabama while also showing that nothing will change if Americans continue to live with this diseased state of mind. The novel
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee develops the symbol of disease and affects America today by showing the disease as something that, at a young age, people must be taught to resent, something that people must come to terms with as it is present in everyday life, and a disease that one can only be immune to when they learn to love everybody equally. But the question still stands, can prejudice be considered a disease? Yes, the disease of prejudice is not a disease that affects someone on a physical level but it is indeed a disease of the mind. 9th Matt Rossman 4 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue To Kill A Mockingbird Sage Walker Grade 9 Honors English January 6, 2016 A bildungsroman is a coming of age novel that details the nature of education. Combining the German words for “education” and “story,” a vast majority of realistic fiction novels fall under this category. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is no exception. Lee explores the process of education for her readers and main characters in a multitude of ways ranging from moral, social, and intellectual. To Kill a Mockingbird is, in its entirety, a bildungsroman for the reader because it displays Jem Finch’s social education through being exposed to Calpurnia’s private lifestyle, witnessing the court case, and through his interactions with Boo Radley. To Kill a Mockingbird is a bildungsroman for the reader because it details Jem’s social education through exposure to Calpurnia’s private life. In First Purchase Church, Jem can tell that he and Scout are not exactly welcome when Lula tells Calpurnia, “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here…they got their church, we got our’n” (Lee 136). Jem learns that the black citizens of Maycomb are just as frosty toward white citizens as the white citizens are to the black community. Through this interaction, he and the reader learn that the wariness black citizens hold for white citizens extends to white children, too. This speaks measures about the horrific racism present in this era. Jem’s exposure is not limited to one conversationScout mentions that “Jem and I heard the same sermon Sunday after Sunday” (Lee 138). Jem and the reader learn that the only difference between First Purchase and their own white church was location, color of the people’s skin, and condition of the church house. The sermon was the same, no matter who was delivering it. This discourages Jem from becoming racist, and he is more 9th Sage Walker 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue more open and accepting of the black community than Atticus’ teachings alone could make him. Likewise, Jem learns the fine navigation of social tact when Calpurnia explains, “Now what if I talked whitefolks’ talk at church…? They’d think I was puttin’ on airs to beat Mose.” (Lee 143). Jem is exposed to social tact between the white and black citizens of Maycomb County, and there is a clear separation of speech between the two cultures. Calpurnia explains that if she spoke using “whitefolks’ talk” surrounded by her neighbors, they would assume she was mocking their manner of speaking. She goes on to tell Jem and Scout that if they used “blackfolks’ talk” with their family, then it would be outright inappropriate. Jem learns that despite his beliefs of equality, there are far too many negative stereotypes attributed on the black citizens of Maycomb: Racism is alive and thriving. Furthermore, Harper Lee has written a
bildungsroman
for the reader because she has described Jem’s social education through witnessing the court case. While witnessing the case, Jem becomes increasingly agitated, so much so that Scout comments, “Jem seemed to be having a quiet fit…once he whispered, ‘We’ve got him’” (Lee 203). Atticus has just cornered Mr. Ewell and is subtly implying that Mr. Ewell abuses Mayella, and Tom Robinson is completely innocent. The reader is alerted to Jem’s sureness and is prompted to decide whether or not they agree with Atticus. The reader is now aware of Atticus’ social cues and mannerisms in court, as well as how he thinks. This behavior, in turn, is evident in Jem who takes after his father. Next, when questioning Mayella Ewell, Atticus asks Mayella, “Who beat you up? Tom Robinson or your father?” (Lee 214). The reader, and the entire courtroom, now understand that Atticus had indeed been implying Mr. Ewell is abusive toward Mayella. Jem and the reader can now form their own theory on what has happened, or rather not happened, between Mayella and Tom 9th Sage Walker 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Robinson. Jem learns how racism and guilt can twist a person to go as far as accusing an innocent man of a horrible crime. Later on, Atticus delivers a final speech to the jury and the courtroom. He speaks of the duty and responsibility of the jury and states, “there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal... [In] a court” (Lee 234). Atticus admits that people are not created equal, however, in the eyes of the law, all men should be equal. Jem understands how equality must be present in the court, no matter who be the defendant. This is obviously not the case, and the court is evidently as biased as the rest of the world. This can be applied even today, eighty one years later than the timeframe in the book. People bring their bias into a court and destroy the “all men are equal before the law” idealism. Lastly,
To Kill a Mockingbird
is a sociallyeducational story for the reader and Jem Finch through Jem’s interactions with Boo Radley. Early on in the novel, Boo Radley has always been a sort of enigma. In one encounter, Jem leaves his ripped pants behind in the Radley’s yard, and when he recovers them, “(The pants had) been sewed up. Not like a lady…all crooked” (Lee 66). Scout speculates that the situation was almost as if someone had expected Jem to return. The reader is enlightened to the possibility that Boo Radley sewed Jem’s pants, and if he did, that he did it out of kindness. Jem is urged to make the connection that not all rumors are true, and that Boo Radley could simply be a polite, albeit isolated, man. Likewise, when Miss Maudie’s house burns down and Boo places the blanket over Scout, Jem has a startling epiphany. He babbles to Atticus about Boo’s positive impact on his and Scout’s lives, saying, “he ain’t ever hurt us, he could’ve cut my throat...but he tried to mend my pants instead” (Lee 81). Jem realized how kind Boo has been to him and Scout. The reader discovers how influential Boo is, even in the confines of his home and under the stereotypes he carries. Once again, it is proven how stereotypes mean 9th Sage Walker 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue nothing and rumors cannot judge a person’s character. Finally, at the end of the story, a fierce altercation between Bob Ewell and the children takes place. Jem and Scout could have easily been killed had Boo Radley not saved them. When Atticus wants to bring Boo’s good deeds to light, the sheriff harshly shuts him down by stating, “draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelightto me, that’s a sin” (Lee 318). Boo Radley is a shy man. To force him into the open, especially against his wishes, would be a sin. As Scout puts it, it would be like hurting a mockingbird. Though unconscious during this quotation, when he awakens, Jem will learn about the bravery shown and love Boo has for him and Scout. From Calpurnia’s lifestyle, to witnessing the court case, and interactions with Boo Radley, To Kill a Mockingbird
is most definitely a
bildungsroman
for Jem Finch and the reader. Jem has learned to assess situations with his own knowledge, leave personal bias out of legal situations, and that rumors do not judge character. Each and every one of these happenings has shaped his personality. He has evolved as a character and a person, and the reader has been right there with him throughout the entire journey. Jem Finch has matured from a child to a respectable young man through these encounters. Harper Lee has constructed a beautiful novel that serves as an educational opportunity for her characters and her audience. 9th Sage Walker 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Lawyer’s Flower Connor Wells
Grade 9 Honors English January 20, 2016 Charles Lamb writes, “Lawyers, I suppose, were children once,” as an attempt to plant a seed in one’s mind of how a child blossoms, of how the nurtured roots of childhood are slowly dug up and the wilted petals of innocence are lost, forgotten in the wind. The quotation above is used by the author Harper Lee as the epigraph to her novel,
To Kill a Mockingbird.
The novel is told as a flashback narrative of Scout Finch, an innocent struggling to understand Maycomb County with a mist over her eyes. Her brother, Jem Finch, is a teenage boy morphing into a gentleman similar to his father. In the Bildungsroman novel,
To Kill a Mockingbird
, written by Harper Lee, Jem Finch’s education develops significantly with his gradual understanding of the people of Maycomb County, comprehension of being a gentleman of real courage, and his sprouting empathy for othersall of which coincide with the development of the reader. One of Jem’s wilted petals of innocence is his gradual understanding of the people of Maycomb County, a tired old town in the South and home to the Finches. The beginning of the wilting occurs while chatting with his neighbor Miss. Maudie as Jem stares at a halfeaten cake and states, “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is…like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place…always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like” (Lee 288). At this moment, Jem breaks through the false kindness and warmth of Maycomb. Through syntax and diction, Lee portrays Jem’s thoughts as though he stumbled upon something so arduous, only a delicate simile could put it into words. The simile compares Jem’s naïveté to a sheltering cocoon and, as a result of the trial, the cocoon 9th Connor Wells 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue abandons Jem to the reality of Maycomb. Jem now grasps the truth of the racism, discrimination, prejudice, and bias of Maycomb: all which were culturally accepted at the time. The wilting of Jem’s petal is also aided by another innocent, Scout. While contemplating the social divisions of Maycomb County with Scout, Jem appears to be strained with a mental burden. Scout notes, “Jem…punched his pillow… his face was cloudy…‘that’s what I thought, too…when I was your age. If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other?’”(Lee 304). Scout’s narration allows the reader to witness Jem’s mental turmoil as he hears her simple, innocent views. Lee is using the protagonists to contrast the “perfect world” views of an innocent to Jem’s view of a sad reality. Because his education develops through an innocent, the reader now truly sees how precious innocence can be to the world. Kurt Chambers once said, “The innocence of children is what makes them stand out as a shining example to the rest of Mankind,” This quotation contrasts the presence of innocence in childhood to the absence of innocence in adulthood. The reader now has the ability to go in the community and question discrimination and prejudice, just as Jem does.
To Kill a Mockingbird
allows the reader to see and live life through the eyes of a child. Jem’s numbed petal of innocence falls and is blown away by the breath of reality. Therefore, Jem and the reader develop alongside each other through the education of the people of Maycomb County. Atticus Finch makes a point to Jem to act as a gentleman, and most of all to be a man of real courage. As a result of Atticus defending Tom Robinson, Mrs. Dubose pesters and routinely insults Scout and Jem. One day, Jem surges into one chaotic act. Scout refers back to her present self, reflecting, “In later years, I sometimes wondered exactly what made Jem do it…break the bonds of ‘You just be a gentleman son’…he simply went mad” (Lee 136). Even decades later, 9th Connor Wells 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Scout still ponders the spark which ignited Jem’s explosion of rage. Jem is generally characterized as tranquil and gentlemanlike; however, one can only take so much adjustment and abuse. Jem’s ultimate goal in life is to emulate his father, shown when he states, “…Atticus is a gentleman just like me” (Lee 131). The bond between Jem, a boy, and Atticus, a gentleman, aids in the wilting of the second petal. After the death of Mrs. Dubose, Atticus states, “I wanted you to see what real courage is… it’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what…she was the bravest person I ever knew” (Lee 149). In Jem’s eyes, Atticus is setting himself on the same level of bravery as Mrs. Dubose. This is absolutely absurd through the eyes of an innocent: How can the bravest man he knows, be as brave as a grouchy, cruel, sick woman? As a result, the petal dries up, and the reality of real courage comes into Jem’s focus. Jem develops through the teachings of Atticus, a gentleman, and becomes a spitting image of him. Timothy Dalton states words similar to Atticus’s: “Real courage is knowing what faces you, and knowing how to face it.” The reader could feel an impact similar to the one felt by Jem. After comprehending real courage, the reader could go into the community undertaking more challenges. In short, with Jem’s education of what being a gentleman and real courage look like, he develops. The moment Jem has
the ability to understand and share the feelings of another
is the moment he displays empathy. Atticus leads his children on a trail to empathy by using little breadcrumb lessons to lure them. Following the verdict from the case, Mr. Ewell chooses to threaten Atticus. And Jem, concerned

for the wellbeing of Atticus, states, “We’re scared for you, and we think you oughta’ do something about him… ‘Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute’” (Lee 292). The quotation involves two cases of empathy. The first is 9th Connor Wells 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Jem’s concern for the wellbeing of Atticus, and the second is Atticus’ prompt to the children to stand in Mr. Ewell’s shoes. In the eyes of Jem, Atticus is asking him to feel for a cruel, rotten, and deadbeat man. Atticus opens a whole new branch of empathy for Jem. Jem’s comprehension of empathy is also illustrated when he states, crying, “How could they do it, how could they… ‘I don’t know but they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it seems that only children weep. Good night” (Lee 285). In this quotation, Jem stood in the tattered shoes of Tom Robinson, a black man, and indirectly displays his empathy. Jem stood in the shoes which bore witness to a cruelty no man should face; discrimination. When Atticus states, “…seems that only children weep,” it prompts the reader to the idea Jem is an innocent and can see the breach of justice committed against Tom Robinson. The repetition of the phrase, “how could they” emphasizes Jem’s disbelief of the situation to the reader. The reader develops through their application of empathy to their life, as Jem doesto see the homeless and stand in their tattered shoes or bare feet. Alfred Adler defines empathy as “seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.” And so, empathy is the key element to shaping a better world and allows one to unlock a whole new perspective on life. In summary, Jem and the reader develop through the use of empathy and the last, crumbled petal slowly drifts to the earth and lays gently. To conclude, the education of Jem Finch throughout the novel is remarkable in the way it imparts on the reader. In
To Kill a Mockingbird
, written by Harper Lee, Jem Finch’s education develops with his new knowledge of the people of Maycomb County, comprehension of being a gentleman of real courage, and his newfound empathy for others, all coinciding with the development of the reader. Jem’s education leads to the death of a hued flower, with alluring 9th Connor Wells 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue petals supporting drops of morning dew. An American poet, Lucy Hooper, writes, “
Innocence is a flower which withers when touched, but blooms not again, though watered with tears.” 9th Connor Wells 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue How Innocence is Lost Ashleigh Wood Grade 9 Honors English October 29, 2015 French essayist, Joseph Joubert, once wrote, “Innocence is always unsuspicious” (Joubert). Young children are the picture of innocence, wideeyed and chubbycheeked little bundles of innocence. They do not question whether someone is a good person or whether someone might cause them harm; they are unclouded by such thoughts. Children have to be taught that looks can be deceiving and strangers can be dangerous. As children grow older, and hopefully wiser, they also become less trusting and more aware of their surroundings. Once carefree, frolicking children, they become concerned individuals, often glancing over their shoulders or narrowing their eyes at others’ intentions. But why, what makes them so suspicious? What causes them to lose their innocence? In the short story “The Flowers,” Alice Walker presents the idea that innocence is lost through discovery, knowledge, and understanding. Children and young adults are generally very trusting towards their peers, friends, and especially, their parents. When a little girl happens upon her mother donating a beloved toy, she may be heartbroken and wonder how many other Barbies and stuffed animals got “lost” this way. She will likely be suspicious of her mother when other toys turn up missing. In “The Flowers,” the main character, Myop, is a content and unsuspecting girl who takes a stroll in the woods while collecting flowers. Her foot becomes wedged in something, and although she is unsure of what it is, she makes an attempt, “unafraid, to free herself” (Walker 18). This quote helps to illustrate that children are generally not afraid or suspicious until they witness something startling or unsettling. Myop reaches down and “It was only when she saw his naked grin that 9th Ashleigh Wood 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue she gave a yelp of surprise” (Walker 18). This further emphasizes the idea that Myop would remain unconcerned and carefree if she did not discover what she unexpectedly stumbled upon. Without this startling discovery, Myop would still be holding onto her innocence. When scientists or archaeologists make new discoveries, they are often left stumped. At first, they may be unknowledgeable about what they have found. They take time to observe and study to figure out what it is they do not know. Myop learns that the man she stumbled upon “had been a tall man” (Walker 19) and “he’d had white teeth, all of them cracked or broken” (Walker 20). Through the author’s descriptiveness, it is clear that Myop learns the man is dead, or at least, she knows he is not living. Without looking down and studying the body, she would not know the man was no longer living. She would otherwise remain unaware of life’s greatest tragedy, the loss of it. Myop further observes that the man’s “clothes had rotted away,” indicating he had been there for some time (Walker 21). This quote provides a glimpse into Myop’s learning and her connection of the facts to one another. She gleans that he is no longer alive and has not been for quite some time. Without stopping to examine her findings, Myop would remain unaware of death and free of the negativity often associated with it; her innocence would not be lost. Children do not usually comprehend what occurs when people pass away. They simply do not understand that death is often a long and hard goodbye. When “Myop laid down her flowers” next to the man, she shows an understanding of the gravity of the situation (Walker 27). By putting the flowers down, she demonstrates her comprehension that death is permanent. As her understanding dawns, Myop grasps that the man is dead, and feels a sense of grief. She now comprehends that his life came to an abrupt end, as did her innocence. “And the summer was 9th Ashleigh Wood 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue now over” indicates the change from an innocent child to a more aware young adult (Walker 28). As Myop’s life as a carefree child is over, the author implies that the harsh reality of winter sets in. As Myop understands the meaning of death, she loses her innocence, because she now understands that she will die one day as well. Myop’s journey through the woods leads to her loss of innocence. Through discovery, knowledge, and understanding, she is forever changed. When a child discovers a new or unfamiliar object, naturally they will study and learn about it. The knowledge they gain opens the door for doubts about many childish beliefs, and leads to more adultlike thinking. Finally, they develop an understanding of the realities of life. With this experience, also comes a loss of innocence. A parent can protect a child for only so long, as the loss of one’s innocence is inevitable. 9th Ashleigh Wood 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Joubert, Joseph, and Paul Auster.
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert: A Selection
. New York: New York Review, 2005. Walker, Alice. "The Flowers”.
Reading and Writing about Short Fiction
. Ed. Edward Proffitt. NY: Harcourt, 1988. 9th Ashleigh Wood 4 10th GRADE COURSES and TEACHERS
HONORS ENGLISH Katheryn Hans Brandon Kalbaugh Dana Maier Susan Nigro ACADEMIC ENGLISH Jenna Arndt Brandon Kalbaugh Joyce Kim Darla Woods AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Macbeth Persuasive Essay Meghan Adams Grade 10 Honors English November 17, 2015 Macbeth
is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1606–classified as a tragedy because of all of the death that occurs, some which Macbeth himself is responsible for. One of these deaths caused by Macbeth is the murder of Duncan, the king. Macbeth schemes with his wife, Lady Macbeth, for a way to maneuver around Duncan’s guards, kill him, and place the blame on another. While some people may assume that Macbeth is not guilty of the murder of Duncan by reason of insanity due to abnormal behavioral patterns including visions of the supernatural, he is veritably guilty of first degree murder because of his intent and premeditated plan to kill. One could argue that Macbeth shows signs of insanity, possibly caused by traumatic incidents in battle from before act one. This would relieve him of any fault in the murder of Duncan. After the battle, Macbeth and Banquo see the Weird Sisters who prophesize that he will ascend to the throne. This could either be a true visit from the supernatural, or Macbeth’s subconscious presenting in the form of hallucination; “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.53). If this was Macbeth’s subconscious desires displayed as women who could predict the future, it further develops the theory that he had mental issues that were obstructing his judgment at the time he murdered Duncan. The word “shalt” is a less commonly used word; it can be translated into modern English as “will”. By saying “shalt,” the witches used simple language to plant the idea in Macbeth’s head that he will be king, and there was no other alternative. This could be vital to Macbeth’s insanity defense because it could be reasoned that 10th Meghan Adams 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue he was persuaded by external forces that were possibly hallucinations, telling him he would definitely become king. Additionally, Macbeth was observed by many witnesses as acting out of character, ‘“His Highness is not well” “Sit, worthy friends. My lord is often thus and hath been from his youth”’ (3.4.6365). This quotation both references Macbeth’s atypical actions as well as the presence of multiple eyewitnesses who could testify to the fact that Macbeth appeared temporarily insane. Lady Macbeth mentioned that his fits of insanity occurred “often” and have “from his youth,” which is known by the audience as an invention to spare Macbeth’s dignity, but Lady Macbeth may have inadvertently told the truth. The fits possibly began in act one with the sighting of the Weird Sisters and progressed to be more vivid and frequent as the play continued; the evidence pointing toward Macbeth having a valid basis for an insanity defense is becoming more believable. Nevertheless, there is additional information that causes one to deduce that the murder of Duncan was planned and subsequently committed by a clearheaded and cunning Macbeth, categorizing it as first degree murder. Although the plan to kill Duncan was constructed by Lady Macbeth, Macbeth was present during the fabrication of their plan, “When Duncan is asleep (Whereto rather shall his day’s hard journey Soundly invite him), his two chamberlains Will I with wine and wassail to convince That memory, the warder of the brain Shall be fume and the receipt of reason A limbeck only. When in swinish sleep Their drenched natures lies as in a death, What cannot you and I perform upon Th’ unguarded Duncan? What not put upon His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt of our great quell?” (1.7.7182). Lady Macbeth is the one who verbalizes the plan, but Macbeth had the intention to become king through means of 10th Meghan Adams 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue assassination from the time when he first received the prophecy. They planned during a moment that had no indication of any outside influences, internal or external, showing how this plan was the individual idea of Lady Macbeth, who only prearranged Duncan’s death because of Macbeth. First degree murder differs from second degree murder by the alteration of being premeditated on, known as first degree, or feelings had for a certain period of time that are suddenly acted upon, known as second degree. Macbeth clearly thinks about killing Duncan for his position as king before he kills him, and Macbeth had a detailed plan with his wife before the murder. Lady Macbeth says, “What cannot you and I perform upon Th’ unguarded Duncan,” directing attention to the fact that Duncan will not have his guards, they will have previously been given wine by Lady Macbeth, and will have no recollection of the night; this leaves a carefully calculated opening in which Macbeth can murder Duncan as planned. As Macbeth was being called by Lady Macbeth’s bell to murder Duncan, he contemplates what the murder will mean for his future, “I go and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to hell”; Macbeth does not know whether the outcome of this murder will be what he desires or will end in what he fears (2.1.7577). “It” being done is the murder of Duncan, and the fact that Macbeth knows that when the bell chimes, he is to go get “it” done, supporting the claim that Macbeth meticulously preplanned Duncan’s murder. The “heaven” that Macbeth is speaking of is the result he hopes for after he murders Duncan. Macbeth wishes for the absolute power of a king, but by scheming to get it, he may have damned himself to “hell” – this is what will happen if someone other than Lady Macbeth discovers his involvement in the murder of the former king. Using direct quotations from Macbeth and others around him, one 10th Meghan Adams 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue can conclude that Macbeth is guilty of first degree murder as proved by his preplanning and strong desire to become king. Since Macbeth heard the prophecy that he would be king, he had the intent to kill Duncan to attain his position as king. Macbeth was frightened of his inner thoughts, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man” but he still acted upon them (1.3.142143). This quotation displays his fear of himself but also his intent to kill and how preplanned the murder was. The witches made no mention of “murder” in their prophecy; Macbeth came up with the thought on his own, further displaying his intent to kill. He did not merely want to dethrone Duncan, he wanted insurance that when he became king he would stay king, which is most likely why he chose something so drastic as regicide to become king. An additional quotation spoken by Lady Macbeth supports the claim that Macbeth is guilty of first degree murder, “Alack, I am afraid they have awaked, And ’tis not done. Th' attempt and not the deed Confounds us” (2.2.911). She is expressing her fears of what could happen if someone has “awaked” and Macbeth was discovered during his “attempt” to murder Duncan and had not yet performed the “deed.” This quotation contains substantial evidence showing how Macbeth is meant to be murdering Duncan, and also how the murder was planned beforehand. Using the information, it can be concluded that Macbeth is guilty of first degree murder due to his purposeful intent to murder Duncan. After analyzing the evidence for both sides, one can deduce that Macbeth is not insane and is guilty of the first degree murder of Duncan. He planned the murder ahead of time with his wife, had the intent to kill Duncan, and did so for what he believed was a just purpose. He is not 10th Meghan Adams 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue insane; he was clear headed before and during the murder of Duncan. He was responsible for his own actions and knew what he wanted. He did whatever he could to achieve his dreams of becoming king, even something as dramatic as murder. The murder was intentional and planned, which makes his actions meet all of the requirements for the crime to be classified as first degree murder. 10th Meghan Adams 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue “Accidents Happen” Explode A Moment Cecilia Barber Grade 10 Honors English September 16, 2015 On a warm, sunny Thursday morning, sometime between when the clock struck nine and ten, I sat at my mom's big brown desk, with her oversized white Mac turned on in front of me. It buzzed softly, but that didn't bother me. In an attempt to better my fading German skills that very summer, I'd made my parents buy me a German program, an online class for me to take. Despite my initial dedication, that day was the last I ever used it. I guess it was because of the negative memories associated with it. Just as any other morning that summer had gone, my father came down a few hours after I'd attached myself to the computer early that morning. We spoke very little, but I remember him asking me where the keys were. He'd skipped breakfast, as he did every morning, and as he shouldered the black backpack that he'd bought back home in Switzerland when I was seven, he glanced out the front window. "Your grandma's here to watch you for the day!" My father called to me from the other side of the house. I heard him searching around for his shoes, digging around under what seemed to be the thousand other pairs of shoes in the closet in the front hallway. He must've seen her car pulling in, on time as usual. After shouting back, unconcerned, I bid him good day and turned back to the conjugation of my verbs, frustration creasing my haircovered forehead. I heard the front door swing open, and then closed, and then open again. "Forget something?" I shouted across the house curiously, looking up from the greasy, fingerprint ridden screen of my mom's computer. The only response was his panicked cry. "Grab the phone! Call 911!" 10th Cecilia Barber 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue I'd never seen my father scared before. Every moment of the twelve and a half years I'd been alive, he'd been the strongest part of our family. He always seemed to know what to do. When I came home after a bad day at school, he'd hug me all the same and then, somehow, everything would be okay. Every computer issue, every math problem, every single struggle I'd ever come across, he knew how to fix. My father was undoubtedly the strongest man I knew. Right then, as I reached forward with a slightly shaking hand to grab the home phone off its receiver and pushed my mom's rolling chair back under the desk, I almost didn't recognize the man in my living room. He had a roll of paper towels in his hands, already halfway back out the front door, fear in his eyes, and none of the strength I was used to seeing. "What's going on?" I yelled after him, avoiding the curious chihuahuas at my feet and chasing him out the front door. "Just do it!" My fingers fumbled over the receiver, pressing the buttons I'd been told about so many times but never actually typed myself. The phone was ringing in my ear when I reached the front door, the view in my driveway stopping me in my tracks. Her blue Subaru was in the middle of the front lawn, crookedly parked and rolling slightly. There was a pair of keys lying on the black asphalt, reflecting the sunlight bright into my eyes. But what really concerned me was the woman lying on the same asphalt I'd been covering in chalk outlines of my body not days before, drenched in her own blood, screaming "Help me! Help me!" The phone finally picked up, and the next thing I heard was "911, what's your emergency?" It seemed ridiculous, actually. How could she be so calm when suddenly, everything 10th Cecilia Barber 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue seemed wrong and I found breathing becoming increasingly difficult. My world had started falling apart within a span of seconds, and this woman with the monotonous robot voice sounded unfazed. "II... I need... an ambulance..." I managed to stutter. With some prodding, I rattled off my address, thankful that my teacher's first assignment last year had been to memorize it. I was surprised she understood it on the first try, because I barely even understood the sound of my own voice through the tears racing down my cheeks. The woman told me that an ambulance would be here soon, and asked me to stay on the phone. I'm not sure if she could understand my response, because at that point I was barely breathing and I could hardly see anything through the tears. This was my grandmother, bleeding ruby red onto the asphalt, her beautiful green dress stained a deep brownish red. My older brother pushed me gently out of the doorway to a seated position on the front steps, still dressed in the same white tshirt and camo pajama pants that he'd been wearing to bed for the last couple years. Despite the messy hair and the red pillow creases on his cheek, he seemed to have full awareness of the situation. He hurried to snatch up the glistening car keys, jumping into her car and moving to pull it out of the way. The rest of the morning was a blur, a whirlwind of events that never quite clicked into place in my memory. A man in a blue police uniform asked me a couple of questions, but all I could manage to choke out were a few strangled sobs as my blurry eyes watched the helicopter fly away with her mangled body somewhere inside. None of my neighbor's empty promises held any meaning to me. Whispers of "grave 10th Cecilia Barber 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue condition," "fatal injury," "ICU," and "unstable condition," were the monsters screaming in my ears over the whispers telling me that by some miracle, some grace by a God I had long since stopped believing in, that she'd make it out alive. No amount of secretly boxbaked "homemade, secret family recipe" cakes and burned casseroles would make my grandmother okay again. Every "I'm here for you" was followed by a strained smile and a silent 'but only out of courtesy.' Despite the loud hustle and bustle of my driveway, crowded with people who hid their anxiety under paper masks, I had never felt more alone in my life as I watched them blankly from the front steps of my house. I didn't even notice when the police cars were gone, the blood had been washed away, and my dad was at work until the clock had struck eleven. Numb, I went inside to find the computer screen had gone dark. I didn't turn it back on. 10th Cecilia Barber 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Business Letter to From the Farmer Carley Belknap Grade 10 Honors English December 14, 2015 25450 Riding Center Drive Chantilly, VA 20152 December 14, 2015 Maria Cortez Owner 39281 Landing Hill Lane Washington DC, Virginia 20317 To the owner of From the Farmer: Over the past several months, my family has become loyal customers of From the Farmer. Prior to using your service, my mother has been constantly looking for produce that is fresh, grown by local farmers, organic, and reasonably priced. While this seems like an impossible combination, especially in the DC area, I am pleased to say your service has provided this very same product on the front steps of my door. One of the biggest challenges From the Farmer helped my family with was the commute to the grocery store. The closest grocery stores near our house are Harris Teeter and Giant. Both of these stores have a wide range of packaged items, but they had a lackluster produce section. While we had options with fresher produce, such as Whole Foods, the commute to get there was ridiculous. The trips would often take a full two hours to get there and back. Needless to say, there was no winning situation. However we no longer had these problems after we started using From The Farmer. 10th Carley Belknap 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Since you offer the convenience of delivering produce to our front door, my mother has been able to avoid the horrible traffic between our house and the grocery store. She has acted a lot less cranky while cooking dinner, since she has avoided sitting in the car for several hours. As a teenager, it is very relieving to have her in a good mood. I am also amazed about the quality of the food you provide. Most of the food typically available to me consisted of packaged food and lackluster produce, both at home and at school. This caused me to steer away from having carrot sticks or grapes for a snack instead of chips or crackers. I was shocked the first time I tried From the Framer, I had never actually realized what fresh produce tasted like. Soon after this revelation, I fell in love with your produce and began eating healthier. For the first time, I was choosing to eat sweet peas and juicy apples over packaged products. It was a whole lot easier to eat healthy, since your food had a strong and fresh flavor that was kept me coming back for more. Along with that, the customizable orders provided great variety, so I rarely got bored with what I was eating. While I do still eat processed and packaged foods, motivating myself to eat fruits and vegetables has been a lot more easy and enjoyable. As a satisfied customer, I want to say thank you for providing a service that seems almost too good to be true. If you continue to do what you have been doing, you can expect to see my family as customers for a long time. I will be looking forward to next Tuesday for our weekly delivery. Sincerely, Carley Belknap 10th Carley Belknap 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Stairs Are the Worst Sydney Campbell Grade 10 Honors English September 22, 2015 Everything started just fine. By bare feet escaped my room and padded across the carpeting as I daydreamed about nothing but the task ahead: get some food. I went down the first set of stairs with a bum bum bum of my feet and a squeeeaaak as my hand slid down the shiny wood railing. My hand on a railing is my lifesaver when going down a flight of stairs. I always trust the railing, because I can't ever trust my coordination. I remember there being a blast of bright light piercing through the landing window and making my eyelids rush to protect my retinas.
Awesome,
I thought.
I am the master of stair
BUMBUMBUM. The room around me blurred as I slipped on the second step and fell down the stairs, successfully leaving my confidence to rot away by the window of light.
Well, seems like my cause of death will be awful coordination and beige carpeting
said the sliver of my mind that wasn't blasting a playlist of profanity. I ever so gracefully descended the stairs, a beautiful picture of flailing limbs and a shocked face. My sense of sight and sound faded away so the pain could be magnified. My right leg laid flat, leading the way as I crashed down every. single. step. My left leg twisted up towards my left arm, which was clawing madly at the air in a sad attempt to stop the fall. I felt my spine hit each step at a fast, hectic pace. My right arm stayed in place, captured by the railing I had stored all my faith in. My arm streeetched like a rubber band while my hand stayed firm on the railing, refusing believe that it was betrayed by that wooden traitor. Right as I felt my arm pulling out of its socket, my hand finally let go. I fell down the rest of the stairs at a pace that could match a rabbit's heartbeat. 10th Sydney Campbell 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue I crumpled on the floor in defeat. The stairs had won. My mom rushed to the scene, and I started laughing through the pain so she wouldn't worry. My eyes were watering at the sharp pain in every muscle and bone in my body.
Don't make her worry: keep laughing. keep smiling.
My laughter and pained sobs mingled and fought for attention. My mouth spasmed between a smile and a frown. I collected my thoughts and walked off, dragging my pained defeat with me. 10th Sydney Campbell 2 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Safe Spaces in Colleges: Activism vs. Antagonism Caroline Chen Grade 10 Honors English December 2015 Society is ever changing. It is a fluid thing, reacting to the people, the media, and the mixing of ideas and culture. Since the beginning of civilization, the defining characteristic of human society has been change: change in beliefs, change in government, change in styles of dress and art. Currently, America is entering one of these pivotal eras. Now, with incredible advancements in technology and the rapid information network of social media, the foundations for a revolution have been laid down. As today’s young people – millennials, teenagers, young adults – mature, they’re realizing that there is so much wrong with the world. Racism and sexism runs deep in American culture and in the world’s society; religious tolerance is a still a foreign concept to some; strangers believe they can dictate who you can or cannot love. Where is the equality? Where is the kindness? Where is the humanity? In response to these transgressions, people are standing up, speaking out. A common example is the Black Lives Matter movement that surged up following the death of Michael Brown, a black teenage boy killed by a policeman for allegedly no good reason. In the wake of his death and the push for justice, protests of all sorts have surged, ranging from topics of police brutality to minimum wages to racism and sexism. In 2015 alone, more than thirty big protests and sitins have occurred – and that only counts the movements of huge, national –media attention magnitude (2015: A year of protests in America). The fight for change is happening, right here and right now. 10th Caroline Chen 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue An important battlefield for this fight is America’s college campuses. Young adults are the predominant force on college campuses. These are people who have grown to realize they are living in a changing era: young enough to realize that their futures stretch long and far, but old enough to know that they are the only ones who can take matters into their own hands. So they push, and push, and push. When do they push too far? The recent protests and the forced resignation of the president of the University of Missouri is a prime example of how a movement with good intentions can cascade into chaos. The University of Missouri does have a history of racism on campus – in 2010, two while males scattered cotton balls across the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center on campus; in 2011, an allegedly drunk student scrawled racist graffiti on a campus structure – and possibly many more undocumented incidents (Pearson). However, in the latter half of 2015, perhaps sparked by the increase in racial discussions and tensions caused by the death of Michael Brown, a progression of things began to happen. Early September, a Facebook post by Payton Head, the Student Government President of Mizzou, states his frustration with “bigotry, antihomosexual and antitransgender attitudes at the school.” CNN’s documentation quotes Head’s Facebook post, “For those of you who wonder why I'm always talking about the importance of inclusion and respect, it's because I've experienced moments like this multiple times at THIS university, making me not feel included here” (Pearson). Payton’s words carry a lot of weight. As a student who is heavily involved with the student body of Mizzou and the organization of many events, he’s outright stating something already subtly known, forcing people to confront the problem that has been plaguing not only 10th Caroline Chen 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Mizzou, but also other colleges nationwide. He and the student protesters who have been demanding improvements and calling for the President of Mizzou, Tim Wolfe, to resign, all have good intentions in their hearts. They want progress. They want their college experience and the experiences of those after them to be the best it can possibly be. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, when do good intentions spill over into a onetrack mindset that allows for no rebuttal? For Mizzou, the latter months of 2015 have been filled with turmoil. Student protests have jarred the university into actions. The demands for change have initiated progress – President Tim Wolfe has resigned, and the university has announced “a series of changes to improve campus climate”. Their rise to action has spurred on college students across the country, including those from Yale, JMU, and Claremont Mckenna College (Svrluga, Larimer, and Anderson). As the hype continued and to grow, something called “safe spaces” in colleges were thrust into the spotlight. Theoretically, a safe space is somewhere where people are able to “relax and fully express themselves, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable on account of race, religious affiliation, sexual or gender orientation, etc.” (Advocates for Youth). This concept is used most commonly with marginalized groups – the LGBTQ+ community, or ethnical minorities. Today, this concept is widespread in colleges. On the surface, safe spaces are beneficial for the people who seek them. Somehow, America seems to view the white, cishet man as the dominant figure, and any other variation – a woman, a person of color, an LGBTQ+ individual, a disabled individual – is deemed to be lesser and subject to oppression. In colleges, safe spaces are designed to allow students reprieve from stress and provide a community where 10th Caroline Chen 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue people can share experiences and help with others similar to them. When done right, safe spaces are effective and peaceful means to providing a safe social network among marginalized groups. However, the purpose and meaning of safe spaces have been twisted. In the face of the Mizzou protests, safe spaces were used as an excuse to block off and “protect” groups of students from reporter interaction. In a video gone viral, Mizzou student protesters are seen forcibly blocking off and pushing away a photographer, who was a fellow Mizzou student on a freelance assignment. They claimed protection from the media, chanting: “No Comment! No media, safe space!” (Friedersdorf). On the surface, this negative reaction toward the press is not surprising. Credible news sources like the Washington Post and CNN have written articles on police brutality and racism in a way that paints the aggressor as the victim or downplays their actions, while the actual victim – who often ended up dead – was portrayed as a criminal. Oftentimes, important evidence, usually against the aggressor, is exposed by committed journalists on social media instead of reported by in a news article. In the face of cases like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Sandra Bland, there is no wonder that student protesters at Mizzou were worried about inaccurate and twisted reporting. However, to use safe spaces as a weapon instead of a shield defeats the entire purpose of it. Behind a cover of solidarity, the students who are demanding change have gained the confidence so that it seems as if they can bulldoze their way through any barrier, until action is taken. It is this mob mentality, this select way of thinking that is attracting criticism to the concept of safe spaces. Mizzou is not the only college that has weaponized safe spaces. A more striking example occurred at Claremont McKenna College, where an Asian woman was booed by a crowd claiming to be a safe space for sharing her experiences. Upon describing her experiences with 10th Caroline Chen 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue harassment by black males and making a clear point about how people of color can be racist too, she was pushed away and scorned at (Preza). This incident, only a droplet in an ocean of cases, further highlights how here a drive for righteousness has warped the once benign safe space into a tool for obstruction of freedoms and differing yet valid viewpoints. This brings benefits to no one – individuals who rely on safe spaces find themselves under attack by critics who see only this exaggerated version of a safe space. To those who do not need or do not use safe spaces will scorn and jeer, as Richard Dawkins, a former professor at Oxford University, did. In a tweet, he stated, “A university is not a ‘safe space.’ If you need a safe space, leave, go home, hug your teddy & suck your thumb until ready for university” (Wood). Mr. Dawkins is fundamentally wrong in his interpretation of a “safe space,” but the recent usage of it in the midst of student protests is to account for this misunderstanding. To disparage safe spaces is to be ignorant of problems that plague society. Not all college students are white, male, cisgender, heterosexual, and ablebodied; safe spaces are designed to allow people to seek out those similar to themselves and create a reprieve from the harassments of everyday life. However, to change safe spaces, something meant to protect, into a hypocritical weapon in the name of reformation is destructive to everything safe spaces stand for. 10th Caroline Chen 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited "2015: A Year of Protests in America."
RT International
. 30 Dec. 2015. Web. 9 Jan. 2016. "Advocates for Youth."
Advocates for Youth
. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. Friedersdorf, Conor. "Campus Activists Weaponize ‘Safe Space’."
The Atlantic
. Atlantic Media Company, 10 Nov. 2015. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. Pearson, Michael. "A Timeline of the University of Missouri Protests CNN.com."
CNN
. Cable News Network, 10 Nov. 2015. Web. 9 Jan. 2016. Preza, Elizabeth. "College ‘Safe Space’ Boos an Asian Woman For Declaring ‘Black People Can Be Racist’."
Mediaite
. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. Svrluga, Susan, Sarah Larimer, and Nick Anderson. "Mizzou’s Impact Is Felt on Campuses Nationwide."
Washington Post
. The Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2015. Web. 9 Jan. 2016. Wood, Holly. "Why All Colleges Need Safe Spaces and Why Richard Dawkins Is a Monster Coated in Garbage Sauce."
Medium
. 24 Oct. 2015. Web. 10 Jan. 2016. 10th Caroline Chen 6 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue 1984
Literary Analysis Erina Lee Grade 9 10 Honors English January 2016 Thesis Statement:
Through the use of foreshadowing and irony, Orwell develops the theme of how helpless individuals actually are against a greater collective force in order to appropriately end the book and finalize the warning the book is meant to be. Body:
Winston is portrayed as the protagonist throughout the book, but his insignificance is underscored by the constant reminders of how rebels of the Party are always caught by the Thought Police and are brainwashed in the Ministry of Love, foreshadowing his imminent doom. He is followed throughout the course of the book in his everyday life as a political rebel of the Party, breaking the laws of the government simply by mentally opposing them. Often, he scores what he thinks to be victories against the Party by doing what it disapproves of, such as when he first meets Julia alone in the woods and sleeps with her such that “their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. [Their course of action] was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political act” (Orwell 126). Though a victory of this type seems small and insignificant, it is important to Winston in that it is in direct opposition of the Party’s customs. As long as he disagrees with the ideals of the Party and is rebelling against them, he is winning the battle of will between them. At the same time, though, his emotions are tempered with a sense of fatalism in that he has come to terms with the fact that the Thought Police would catch and punish him sooner or later, since “[he] might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later [the Thought Police] was bound to get [him]” (Orwell 19). Despite his struggles against the Party, he perpetually reminds himself of how set in stone his fate is, foreshadowing later events 10th Erina Lee 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue where he is indeed captured by the Thought Police. However, he grimly believes that “To die hating [the Party], that was freedom” (Orwell 281), showing that going against the Party was such a personal liberty to him that if he died hating the Party, then that would be his testament to all he had stood for in life. This leads the readers to believe that this is the manner in which Winston will emerge as the victor in his battle against the Party, proving that he actually is an important individual, at least to himself. However, Winston is then captured by the Thought Police, which leads to him betraying Julia and being released shortly afterwards. In the end of the book, it is publicly announced that Oceania has won a great military victory over its supposed enemy, triggering a permanent change in Winston that serves as his breaking point and causes him to love the Party (Orwell), effectively dismissing the struggles and rebellions he had been undergoing throughout the course of the book. The last chapter is a sort of grand, ironic finale, a final dose of satire that almost seems to turn the entire book into an elaborate, bleak prank. In the beginning, he thinks of himself as an individual, “From the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink” (Orwell 28), as he writes in his diary in a derisive manner. In the end, though, he undergoes “the final, indispensable, healing change” (Orwell 297) as he listens to the trumpets of victory blaring from the telescreens while tears stream down his cheeks. He realizes, after so long of hating the Party and its doctrines, that he was the one in the wrong the whole time, and the Party had helped him rather than harmed him. He had turned away from the comfort of Big Brother, but finally he embraces the secure, welcoming colossus that is him. This hopeless, ironic turn of events serves to solidify how the Party cannot be won 10th Erina Lee 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue against, warning the readers that the only way to prevail against such a government is to not let it exist in the first place. This ending, as a result, is appropriately written in that it finalizes the warning the book is meant to be. 10th Erina Lee 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Temptation’s Trap Kendall Malinchock Grade 10 Honors English December 10, 2015 Temptation is a powerful force that relies on blinding ambition to lure selfish and ignorant people into its trap. William Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a loyal and active leader for his country, yet when he becomes vulnerable to his wife’s greed for power, his eventual downfall quickly becomes inescapable. In the play,
Macbeth,
by William Shakespeare, Macbeth’s decisions are molded by diverse external influences that strongly manipulate his choices, such as the witches and his own ambition; however, Lady Macbeth proves to acquire the greatest impact and psychological effect on her husband’s ultimate actions and behavior through devious acts of manipulation and verbal abuse. Macbeth’s hidden aspirations and desires lay the foundation for his ultimate behavior towards the killing of Duncan, yet the prediction of becoming heir to the throne is what plants the seed in his mind that will force him to paranoia. Throughout the duration of Act 1, the character of Macbeth is introduced to three powerful witches who reveal to Macbeth his destiny of one day taking his cousin’s place and ruling as king. This prophecy corrupts Macbeth’s morality and loyalty to Duncan, leaving him to develop the malevolent plan of murdering the King to fulfill his foreseen future of one day obtaining the throne. Macbeth’s fate is first announced to him when the third witch declares, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter” (Mac.1.3.51). The witches had been speaking in riddle to Macbeth and Banquo prior to that shocking proclamation. As a result, upon hearing his clear and anticipated destiny, Macbeth becomes conflicted between choosing to submit to his supposedly inevitable future, or staying 10th Kendall Malinchock 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue devoted and faithful to Duncan. He grows to be at war with his own ethics and what he believes is right, causing him to feel guiltridden whenever he suggests the possibility of killing his own cousin and friend. Shakespeare subtly illustrates Macbeth’s willingness to comply to other people governing his life and decisions, but his own conscience also plays a significant role in who he is as a person as seen in his many soliloquies. Continually, after the witches plant this idea in Macbeth’s mind, he develops a sickening guilt, shown when he says, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical / Shakes so my single state of man / That function Is smother'd in surmise, / And nothing is but what is not” (1.3.142145). Although Macbeth considers committing Duncan’s assassination, he adds that he feels “shaken” (143) at the horrendous thought. He then continues to brush off his impulse to murder, as he believes that his imagination and desire for becoming King has no authority over and will not influence his physical actions. He continues to label his thoughts as harmless, as seen when he adds, “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erlaps itself / And falls on th’other” (1.7.2528). Macbeth is assuring himself and the audience that although he has a growing hunger for power as well as his “vaulting ambition”, he truly has no motivation or desire to kill Duncan. When he says, “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent”, Macbeth is clarifying that he believes he lacks a suitable reason to adhere to his alarming thoughts, thus highlighting that he has no incentive to commit the murder in the first place. When further analyzing this quotation, it is clear that a metaphor is used by Macbeth, directly relating his absence of a “spur”, (a tool used by horse tamers to violently force an animal to move), to the shortage of a motive to kill Duncan, which he believes is required to even consider such a horrendous thought. Macbeth’s own blinding ambition for the crown as well as the witch’s canny riddles and prophecy aid in 10th Kendall Malinchock 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue persuading his final verdict of whether or not to kill Duncan. Nonetheless, Macbeth’s uncertainty about his possible success of completing the murder as well as his loyalty to Duncan causes Macbeth to question his fate as well as his own moral beliefs, leaving him feeling incapable of responsibly controlling his actions that can alter his future. Although the witches and Macbeth’s own inner conflicts influence his decision to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth is able to coax and harass Macbeth into following through with the murder by disrespecting his manhood. After Macbeth informs his wife of the witch’s prophecy and the difficulty he has with making the choice whether or not to commit to the killing, Lady Macbeth quickly develops a shrewd way of convincing Macbeth to throw all guilt aside and to complete the task that has been laid before him. She begins by attacking not only his courage, but also his masculinity; as seen when she retorts, “When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man” (1.7.4951). In the play, Macbeth is portrayed and illustrated as a heroic, gallant soldier who will stop at nothing to protect his country and the king. Therefore, when Lady Macbeth insults Macbeth’s stature and tough reputation, it puts an immense amount of pressure on him to want to prove that his wife has falsely accused him of being a disgrace to not only his name, but also his supposed lack of manliness. The audience quickly learns of Macbeth’s internal struggles and conflicts he possesses after being told of his forthcoming future, thus making him defenseless towards Lady Macbeth’s shrewd and cruel methods of persuasion. She is creating false insecurities within Macbeth though deriding statements, forcing him to surrender to her manipulative greed and desire. She continues by telling Macbeth that if he carries out her evil plan for acquiring royalty, then he will become more of a man than he was before. Additionally, she advances to taunting 10th Kendall Malinchock 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue him, shown when she says, “And live a coward in thine own esteem, / Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would”” (1.7.4344). Since Macbeth has just received his new title of the “Thane of Cawdor” he is even more respected than he previously was. However, Lady Macbeth utilizes this, and exploits Macbeth’s fortitude by questioning his dignity and whether or not he is fit for his new role as the “Thane of Cawdor”. The recurring theme of not being masculine enough is found in almost every rhetorical question and statement that Lady Macbeth declares. This is seen when she says, “in thine own esteem”. Although Macbeth had just earned a greater status than before, Lady Macbeth takes advantage of this, making him feel insecure about receiving the title when he is too much of a “coward” to follow through with his destiny of killing Duncan. She is questioning Macbeth on why he continues to say “I dare not” (43) immediately following after saying he “would” (44). She is making him feel guilty for not taking the opportunity that was presented to him, shown through her demanding tone and harsh abusive words regarding his lack of masculinity. The witches and Macbeth’s own conscience provide him with the evil idea of murdering the king, yet his greedy and clever wife, Lady Macbeth is who fully persuades him to assassinate his own cousin. Macbeth is influenced by external as well as internal forces, however the most prominent and obvious influential person in his life is Lady Macbeth. The witches knowingly cultivated Macbeth’s blatant ambition, however Lady Macbeth sparked a reaction in him that neither the witches, nor his own train of thought could have created. This subsequently generated Macbeth’s strong passion for power, forcing him to physically progress with the murder. In the play, Macbeth,
by William Shakespeare, temptation is found not within Macbeth’s own mind, but within the abusive and manipulative words of Lady Macbeth, compelling him to do things that 10th Kendall Malinchock 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue he would have never thought possible, leading to his own eventual demise. So is every human being naturally born with desire and temptation in their body? Or does temptation take form in the words of the people one looks toward for guidance? 10th Kendall Malinchock 5 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue ExplodeaMoment Caroline Maloney Grade 10 Honors English September 14, 2015 Click! All around me the snapping of pictures and a constant mumbling of nearby tourists bombarded the stillness. I was in Yosemite National Park, gazing out at the mountainous landscape before me. I was perched atop a rocky outcropping, already in the process of setting up my tripod. I was preparing to join the legions of tourists and photographers lined up next to me. It was almost sunset, golden hour, the ideal time for photography. The silhouette of Half Dome, a barren, granite crest, rose out of the ground. It was framed by sprawling mountains dotted by sparse patches of forest. Glazed in a soft, golden light from the setting sun, it was the perfect time for a snapshot. At the edge of the outcropping, I proceeded to set up my tripod. I turned the adjustment knobs and pulled out the slender, silver extensions for the legs of the tripod stand. After setting it up, I glimpsed down at its level to ensure that the camera was parallel with the ground. The bubble bobbed inside the level as it slowly floated to fit between its two black lines. Next, I fished for my camera, sitting amongst a chaotic mess of SD cards and lenses in my camera bag. I grasped the camera and swept its strap around my neck. I reached for my shortest lens, an 18mm55mm, and carefully inserted it into the front of my camera. Then with care, I slowly turned the lens so that it lined up with the red dot on my camera. I heard a sharp snap, and the lens locked into place. I glanced down at the preview screen—black. Momentarily mystified, I quickly realized that I had managed to forget to remove the lens cap. After hastily chuckling to myself, I removed 10th Caroline Maloney 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue the cover. Next, I began to set up for the shot. I turned the settings knob to “M” for Manual and proceeded to adjust for different aspects of the shot. First, I slowed the shutter speed, then adjusted for a wider aperture, and left the ISO as it was. I wanted the photo to really capture the light and the details of the landscape. Finally, I grasped the lens and turned it so that the sprawling landscape came into focus. I altered it so that the Half Dome came into clear focus while the rest of the landscape was lost in a slight blur. It was the object of my photo, and the blurred landscape helped to emphasize its importance. I checked the preview and then proceeded to make some final adjustments. I pressed the round button on top of the camera, eager to capture the moment—
click! 10th Caroline Maloney 2 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue ExplodeaMoment Matt Neal Grade 10 Honors English September 13, 2015 It's 9PM in my basement, a tired summer night. The selectively dim light helps me ignore the various instruments, empty soda cans, record sleeves and lyric books strewn across the floor. I quickly scroll through beats that I don’t want to finish, to find my eyes lazily scanning my tall shelf of vinyl that I don’t want to sample. I reluctantly yank a record out, deciding that if I find something amazing, I might run with it. Otherwise, I’ll go to bed and get some rest. I haphazardly slam the start button on the turntable and let the sound roll past me. I impatiently tap my foot to the beat of samples that seem to be increasingly not good enough. The tonearm bounces slowly up and down towards the center of the disc as grooves become irrelevant. Silence. Sigh. Flip. The tonearm touches down once more. I can’t bare to waste my precious time with the first empty grooves, so I turn the record clockwise like a madman with one hand. A light, mellow guitar chord shoots off like a gun as my mad spinning stops, and I quickly change directions. Release. A piano and guitar riff floats past me. Half my mind listening with a passive curiosity to the slow beat, and the other half already chopping, pitching and arranging. The madman returns as I rewind to the very first minute and release once again. The music is no longer a stranger in my home; it’s now a girl I’ve invited over who I can’t decide if I like or not. I ask her a question. I listen to her speak for about 10 seconds. I 10th Matt Neal 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue interrupt her only to ask her to repeat. The cool record feels warmer with every touch. My fingers mark up the clean plastic. The crisp smell of mid70s kick drum and tape grime overpowering the sweet aroma of sour gummy worms, laid out on top of a Taylor Swift magazine for fuel. I find my way out of my head to find my hand on a mouse, mindlessly hitting ‘record. I eagerly slam the start button. The tone arm takes its time to stumble upon an occupied groove, my mind still racing as I hear the riff for the last time. My sweaty hands touch keys and I start arranging. 10th Matt Neal 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Reverence of the Ending of a Ballet Ally Perlberg Grade 10 Honors English September 22, 2015 The music was almost at its end. With every muscle tensed, I took a literal leap of faith that marked the final move of my performance. I was mindful to keep every toe stuck together and both feet pointed as straight as an arrow, and with a small run, I took off from the ground. While in midflight, my legs extended until a perfect line was formed from tip of toe to tip of toe. Almost synchronized perfectly, my arms lifted with my legs. My right arm shot up until it was parallel to my outreached leg as my left arm angled itself several degrees above my right. My hands naturally lengthened as my fingers stretched out, being sure to keep every digit tightly in line. As always, a sliver of fear entered my otherwise blank thoughts as my heart soared and my stomach dropped. In those perfect airborne seconds, I fought to catch my breath. With a smile plastered to my glistening face, I flashed the audience with a perfect pair of pearly white teeth framed with bright red lips, then I turned to face the side of the stage as I sharply exhaled. Not a moment later, my feet made impact on the ground, and I let out a silent hiss at the contact of wooden stage on stain covered feet. With a slight twist of my torso, I whirled myself up onto my tiptoes with a quick turn and ended, body in position to bow. I smiled internally as my costume fluttered around me, an explosion of blues and green enveloping me. It was almost as if I were I swimming in an ocean of tulle and velvet. Purposely making each movement deliberate, soft, and precise, I kicked one leg back into a lunge, set my knee on the floor, and bent my front leg into a slanted ninety degree angle. I lifted my arms like a swan raises her wings to glide through the skies. I made absolutely sure to keep my back as flat as a board as I bent 10th Ally Perlberg 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue over, bowing my head gracefully. I could feel every muscle tighten, clench, and spasm as a cramp gripped my calf as the curtain dropped behind me. Every muscle cried out in pain, and I knew my spine was visible through the exposed skin on my back, yet I remained still. Through the deafening applause, the four final notes sounded. Four soft, definitive notes, each more beautiful than the last. The final note rang out, signaling my performance as complete. Then the stage went dark, blanketing me in the darkness as a small smile crept upon my face. 10th Ally Perlberg 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Ultimate Influence on Macbeth Caitlin Phan Grade 10 Honors English January 19, 2016 Throughout Shakespeare’s play
Macbeth,
the protagonist, Macbeth is a general who often contemplates his decision. One primary example is whether or not he should kill King Duncan in order to wear the crown himself. Furthermore, the people around him significantly affect him and his decisions with their words. Although the witches and Macbeth himself greatly influence Macbeth, Lady Macbeth exerts the greatest influence on him. The witches and their intriguing words play a role in influencing Macbeth. After the three witches approach Macbeth and Banquo, they tell a combination of truths and lies in order to deceive Macbeth. Macbeth brushes off Banquo’s warning, with the mindset of “If ill / Why [has] it given [him] earnest of success / Commencing in a truth?” (
Mac
. 1.3.135137). Since the witches have surprised Macbeth with their superior knowledge of an unexpected event in his life, Macbeth believes that everything they say will come true. Their convincing words in combination with Macbeth’s late notice about becoming Thane of Cawdor allowed Macbeth to become completely trusting toward the witches. Additionally, the witches indirectly opened up Macbeth’s ambitious side. He has shown his excitement at the witches’ future prediction that “the greatest is behind” (1.3.119). His thrill displays his complete trust in the witches’ words since he does not doubt their conjecture at all. Therefore, the witches have a tremendous amount of influence on Macbeth through their words of appeal and fascination. In addition, Macbeth’s qualities of striving ambition and genuine empathy are leading factors in influencing his decisions. His zeal is displayed after King Duncan announces in his 10th Caitlin Phan 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue presence that Malcolm is Prince of Cumberland. Macbeth regards this announcement as a problem in which he “must fall down, or else o’erleap / For in [his] way it lies” (1.4.5152). Even though it was just revealed that Malcolm will become prince, Macbeth is already having the conscious thought of killing Malcolm, a relative, in order to wear the ultimate crown himself. He does not want anybody to be in his way of reaching his goals and is willing to kill them, even if they are family. On the contrary, Macbeth also has a compassionate and loyal side. When he self contemplates whether or not to put the knife to Duncan’s throat for the sake of his own interest, he realizes that “[he has] no spur / To prick the sides of [his] intent, but only / Vaulting ambition” (1.7.2527). Ambition is the only reason Macbeth has for killing Duncan. However, he knows on the inside that it is not right to commit such a crime, let alone to a close relative. Macbeth does not have the ability to murder King Duncan with his own hands since he is well aware of Duncan’s kind deeds and his loyal nature. After his extended reflection, he decides not to kill Duncan due to his faithful and empathetic nature. Macbeth’s self qualities have a large impact on his decisions. However, Lady Macbeth’s influence on Macbeth ultimately drives him to make his final decision and take action. After Macbeth discloses to Lady Macbeth that he has decided not to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth becomes angry and criticizes him, “When you durst do it, then you were a man / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man” (1.7.4951). She is criticizing and mocking Macbeth since he appears weak to her now due to his sudden change of heart. Lady Macbeth believes that men should stick to their word, and if they do not, they are not men. Her purpose is to convince Macbeth to step up and be brave. Lady Macbeth is well aware of her influence on Macbeth, therefore she uses it to her own interest by poking fun at 10th Caitlin Phan 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Macbeth in order to make him feel ashamed. Furthermore, Macbeth is convinced by his wife’s argument, telling her to “bring forth menchildren only / For [her] undaunted mettle should compose / Nothing but males” (1.7.7274). Since men are generally the head of the household during this era, women are seen as weak. However, Macbeth believes Lady Macbeth’s bold personality is capable enough to raise males. He acknowledges her strongheaded and tenacious qualities, which shows that she is a prominent figure in the household. Her influence on Macbeth is so tremendous that in the end, Macbeth says, “I am settled, and bend up...Away and mock the time with fairest show / False face must hide what the false heart doth know” (1.7.7982). He makes his final decision based off of his wife’s convincing argument. He puts aside all of his own thoughts due to his wife’s great influence on him. Macbeth decides to kill King Duncan with Lady Macbeth’s plan. With her great machinations and reasonable words, Lady Macbeth successfully persuades her husband to commit the crime without backing out. Since Macbeth changed his mind due to his wife’s words, Lady Macbeth has the greatest influence on him. Overall, the three evil witches play a role in influencing Macbeth through their plausible foreshadowing. Their words start Macbeth’s ambitious thoughts. Likewise, his own qualities of compassion and aspiration drive him to consider all his decisions. Macbeth’s zeal for power pushes him to kill while his empathetic nature pulls him back. Yet, Lady Macbeth has the greatest power and control in manipulating Macbeth. Her role as a wife of a general and a member of a household in
Macbeth
is very different compared to the typical families in this era. With her headstrong attitude and charismatic aura, her influence on Macbeth is greater than anyone in his life, including himself. 10th Caitlin Phan 3 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Business Letter to Rolling Stone Owen Weismiller Grade 10 Honors English December 5, 2015 25450 Riding Center Drive Chantilly, VA 20152 December 5, 2015 Jann Wenner, Publisher Rolling Stone 1290 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10104 0298 Dear Mr. Wenner: I am writing to address my grievances with your “Best Albums of 2015.” Although I agree with a few of the selections, such as Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly at the number one spot, I find most of the choices and their placements to be tasteless, ignorant, and somewhat offensive. Multiple choices show a blatant disregard for artistry and seem to be an attempt to please a specific type of person. My time is valuable, and I often spend it reading your articles; however, you have singlehandedly wasted over 30 minutes of my time. On the night of November 30, 2015, I decided to reference your ‘2015’ list in order to relax and enjoy an appreciation of this year’s best artists. I scrolled eagerly through the webpage, the shock of disbelief slowly creeping onto my face. I began hoping desperately to find some eventual reconciliation for the increasingly depraved choices and placements found on your list. I found none. 10th Owen Weismiller 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Instead, I was forced to endure a vain 30 minutes of reading ridiculous reviews of possibly some of the worst albums of this year, perhaps generation. As a musician and a lover of music, I find it insulting that one of the most beautiful albums of this decade, Sufjan Stevens’
Carrie and Lowell,
was shamefully excluded from the list. As I said before, I often enjoy reading reviews and lists on your website; however, I will not be referencing anything from your website again unless significant changes are made. As a magazine and website that reviews and ranks music, I would hope that you start focusing on artistic value rather than trying to make the majority of readers content. Although
Carrie and Lowell
is not a very popular record, it was second only to
To Pimp a Butterfly
in artistic talent and honest beauty. I hope your magazine and website will not miss an album like this again. Sincerely, Owen Weismiller 10th Owen Weismiller 2 11th GRADE COURSES and TEACHERS A.P. LANGUAGE and COMPOSITION Susan Nigro HONORS ENGLISH Joyce Kim Darla Woods ACADEMIC ENGLISH Tyler Anderson Sean Curry Josefa Garcia AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Driving Force: What Motivates Human Behavior? Christian Europa Grade 11 Honors English December 2015 Energy is the ability to work; everything has it. Whether it is energy being stored, or energy that is being used, every object has the potential to turn energy into an action. Now, this is a very simple concept to put into simple
things
, but what about people? What drives humanity as a whole, what forces every individual to work instead of letting energy fester? The first question never concerns the action (i.e. “Why is the nail in the tree?”); what really matters is what tool actually drove it in. All things considered, it may seem that the individual is motivating itself toward a specific goal, however, that does not always provide the true intent. However unlikely it may seem, it is not always the choice of the individual itself that causes the action. In many cases, the action is taken in order to avoid an outcome, like a fear of a consequence. Fear is the most dominant force that motivates human behavior because we naturally want to avoid as many negative consequences as possible. Hysteria is the uncontrollable outburst of fear that often overrides rationality, and when it subdues an entire population, every household cannot help but throw out logic and fend for itself. In
The Crucible
, a play by Arthur Miller, it is evident that motivations that make the people of Salem afraid easily motivate them more than logical affairs. Throughout the play, the possibility of witchcraft in the community is a looming threat that is enough to frighten the community, allowing for some to take advantage of the situation by making normally absurd accusations. In fact, the only grounds for incrimination are the testimonies of a group of teenage girls who claim to be able to see the ‘witches’ that hide in the population. One of the many 11th Christian Europa 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue plagued by false accusations is the Proctor family. When John Proctor’s wife is arrested by the court, he exclaims, “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (Miller 2.4.84). Proctor understands that as a group of children, the girls are not necessarily the most trustworthy source when it comes to determining who lives and dies, as he views them as a very biased jury. This seems like common sense at first, but what is truly interesting is how the entire population of Salem does not question this. The hysteria, resulting from the ‘witch scare,’ makes room for bigotry in the place of justice, which displays that in this particular situation, fear was able to break down the authority of Salem’s entire judiciary system. Evidently, the dread of even the slightest chance of a witch infestation influences the town much more than logic. Likewise, when any population is afraid enough, it is much more difficult to get them to change their actions, even when supported by facts. The strength of fear also shows daily in reality, particularly in the clash between appeals of terror and the drastically different appeals of compassion. For example, one of the currently debated topics in Congress is the Syrian Refugee Crisis, or rather, whether or not the United States should allow the terrorized Syrian refugees immigrate to American soil. The simplest answer would be to allow them to enter, as an individual’s compassion would encourage the help of others that are afraid, especially those who are affected by terrorist groups such as ISIS. However, it is noted in the
Guardian
article, “
Syrian refugees in America: separating fact from fiction in the debate,”
that “
more than half of the US’s governors have said they will no longer provide placement for Syrian refugees, arguing that they pose too great a risk to national security.” The American governors resist their compassion in favor of what they believe is in the 11th Christian Europa 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue best interest for their people, since they believe that opening up their cities to refugees also makes them vulnerable to potential terrorists. In this case, it seems that the described terrorists have lived up to their namesake, as they have terrorized the populace of various countries enough to cause a fear that overtakes other emotions. Certainly, terrorists are able to manipulate emotions in a way, as they appeal to the government’s desire to avoid damage to its country, which plainly has more of an influence than its sympathy. Their utilization of panic as a weapon attacks from all fronts, causing fear in both the citizens of Syria and those of other countries where the Syrians seek refuge. Terrorists find victory in horror, as it is perfectly able to cause conflict between somewhat neutral groups. Unfortunately, the capability of fear to outweigh our morals is just what makes terrorist tactics so effective. Now, it is unmistakable that fear has massive motivational power, but it is important to recognize that its influence comes from a psychological root in human nature. Whether it is the threat of being corrupted by witches or being harmed by malevolent extremists, the use of this negative variety of motivation is very prevalent in culture. It is even used in simple advertisement likes antismoking ads or dirtslinging campaign announcements. In all these examples, negative motivation is being used to dissuade audiences with fear, and it is so effective at changing opinions. In a study by the American Psychological Association on the effectiveness of negative encouragement, it is stated that “fear appeals are particularly effective when the communication depicts relatively high amounts of fear…and stresses severity and susceptibility.” In turn, the participating psychologists theorized that “presenting a fear appeal more than doubles the probability of change relative to not presenting anything or presenting a lowfear appeal” (Albaraccin et al). Humans naturally react more actively to negative 11th Christian Europa 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue motivations as opposed to the positive, and it seems to derive from a human’s sense of selfpreservation. In a primitive sense, this can be demonstrated by the concept of eating to survive. Living beings need to eat, because if they do not, then they experience hunger or the threat of starvation, so they feel the need to feed. Inversely, if organisms solely ate to make themselves grow and with no threat of a ‘negative’ feeling, then there would be much less encouragement. It is instinctive to respond more to fear when presented along with a positive emotion like logic or compassion, as fear indicates a bigger threat to an individual than not acting on positive emotion; this is because the survivalist mentality creates the desire to cut losses. In other words, humans uniformly act more to avoid consequences rather than to gain. The famous author H.P. Lovecraft once said, “
The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown,” in order to justify the appeal of the horror genre of his time. However, what he did not realize is that he also provided the basis of one of the greatest motivations of human reaction. People are easily prompted to avoid consequences they find alarming or unpleasant, and unfortunately, this is often used against them. When making decisions, fear can be wielded to manipulate or change beliefs. Its power can even turn groups against each other or discourage the use of logic or empathy, but despite where the fear comes from or what it causes, humans can either let it destroy them, or learn from it. The first step to understanding the actions of a person is to understand their driving force. 11th Christian Europa 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Gambino, Lauren. “Syrian Refugees in America: Separating Fact from Fiction in the Debate.” The Guardian.
Guardian News, 19 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Dec. 2015. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. The Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2000. 166240 Tannenbaum M, Wilson K, Abarracin D, et al. Appealing to Fear: A MetaAnalysis of Fear Appeal Effectiveness and Theories. Psychological Bulletin. 15 Dec. 2015. 11th Christian Europa 5 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Morals vs. Survival: Can Morals Survive Catastrophe? Sri Jayakumar Grade 11 Honors English April 12, 2016 “Survival, it’s selfish, and it’s dark, and we’ve always been a species willing to do anything to satisfy our needs” (Caine). Morals are essential for humanity’s growth. They bring people together and allow society to develop and prosper. It can motivate people to do what is best for people as a whole. Morals keep people in check and play a significant role in protecting and helping society. But, what happens when morals are challenged by catastrophe? Morals cannot survive catastrophe because the need for survival overpowers morals due to the simple nature of humans. Morals do not survive catastrophe because when one’s family is threatened, one has to give up morals in order to protect them. For example, in the television series The Walking Dead , the main characters start off as a moral group that vows to never harm humans, only walkers, or zombies. The leader, Rick Grimes, a renowned sheriff, wakes up from a coma into a world of walkers. He finds a group of survivors and eventually takes leadership. The first act he establishes is that “[they] don’t kill the living” (Darabont). Rick begins his life in this new world as the classic “good guy”. He is careful not to break any of his morals and tries to resolve human conflicts without violence. He begins his transformation from a hero to an antihero when a woman from the group, Carol, loses her daughter, Sophia. Initially there is hope when Carol spots a Cherokee rose and Daryl says, “The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land, on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much ‘cause they were losing their little ones along the way. […] So the elders, they sent a 11th Sri Jayakumar 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue prayer, asked for a sign to uplift the mother’s spirts […] The next day this rose started to grow right where the mother’s tears fell. […] I believe, this one is bloomin’ for your little girl” (Darabont). This quote highlights the hope the group felt, especially Rick, for finding Sophia. But this hope turns into anguish when they find zombie Sophia in a barn full of walkers. This breaks Rick and he knows that the only thing he can do here is shoot Sophia to end her misery. When he feels his transformation taking place he says, “I’m not the good guy anymore” (Darabont). To protect the group he must change his rules and kill the living. This final catastrophe is what changes Rick’s beliefs and leads him down an amoral path. Morals are overcome when oneself and one’s family is in danger. Another reason morals cannot survive catastrophe is that they are a product of intelligence and when isolated from society, base emotions are expressed and they displace the formal order that humans establish in the community. For example, in
The Lord of the Flies
, a group of boys are stranded on an island after their plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean. At first, the boys act logically and elect a leader, Ralph, to keep order. But, as the novel progresses, the boys become terrified of an imaginary “beast” that lurks on the island. This beast symbolizes the primitive emotions within the boys themselves and it introduces the degradation of their morals. When the lead hunter Jack first heard about the beast the narrator says, “The madness came into his eyes again. ‘I thought I might kill’” (Golding 70). Considering the boys are around twelve years old, this psychotic thought that Jack felt was definitely the result of being stranded on the island. This catastrophe makes the boys fear for their survival causing them to undergo a transformation that makes them more violent and amoral. The boys finally lose all sense of their morals when, during a feast, the boys are performing a chant and another kid, Simon, stumbles 11th Sri Jayakumar 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue from the shadows into the middle of the chant. Suddenly, the boys start attacking him and “there were no words, no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (Golding 219). This violent, ritualistic murder of their own friend showcases the extent at which the boys have changed since they first arrived at the island. Similarly, in the article “PostDisaster Looting: Loose Morals or Survival Instincts?” the author explores how people in the aftermath of a catastrophe are desperate, and therefore decide to go against their morals and loot. For example, after a strong earthquake hit Chile in 2010 “reports of looting were quick to follow, with officials needing to instigate curfews and dispatch thousands of troops to ease what Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet called the ‘pillage and criminality’ throughout the region” (Rettner). This suggests that people abandon their moral sense after a catastrophe and loot any essentials that they need. This shows the selfish tendencies of people after a major catastrophe. Morals cannot survive catastrophe because primitive emotions overpower them. Another reason why morals deteriorate when catastrophe strikes is when authority is removed, society gets thrown into chaos because people feel betrayed. For example, in
The Dark Knight Rises
, Gotham is thrown into chaos when the city learns the truth behind Harvey Dent. They believed that he was a hero and he symbolized greatness, but it is revealed that that he was actually a criminal and that Batman took the blame for the crimes Dent committed. This caused chaos to spread across the city. The streets were roaming with military vehicles, society broke down, and the rich were targeted and persecuted. A pivotal scene that showcased the atrophy of morals was when the poor put the rich on trial the judge says, “Your guilt has been determined. This is merely a sentence hearing. Now, what will it be? Death or exile?” (Nolan). This quote reveals the harsh nature that currently exists in Gotham. Rich people do not get a chance to prove 11th Sri Jayakumar 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue their innocence and are condemned no matter what. Even worse is that they decide their own fate: death or exile. The twist is that if a person chooses exile they are forced to walk underneath the bridge, connecting Gotham to other places, on fragile frozen water. This savagery only exists because of the removal of an authority figure. Morals cannot survive when an authority figure is removed because they guide society into following important morals that keep people in check. In contrast, others believe that morals can survive catastrophe because people instinctively fight for what is right. For example in
The Crucible
, John Proctor is accused of being involved in witchcraft by Abigail Williams. In reality, John is innocent but the town is in such chaos that the judge is blinded by Abigail’s lies and sentences John to death. Before he is hanged, he signs a paper admitting that he is a witch but when Danforth, the judge, asks for the paper back John refuses to give it back because he says, “‘Because it is my name! […] Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! […] I have given you my soul, leave me my name!’ DANFORTH: ‘If [this document] is a lie […] I cannot keep you from the rope.’ […] Proctor tears the paper and crumples it
” (Miller 60). This quotation supposedly shows the sacrifice John makes because he chooses death and tears up the paper that could save his life. But in reality, John only does this for selfish reasons. He says “Because it is my name” numerous times because he does not want his name to be tainted. This shows that underneath John’s altruistic act he is actually acting on selfish feelings. Morals cannot survive when catastrophe strikes because the basic nature of humans overrules the power of morality, when humans feel the need to protect themselves and their family, when people are isolated, and their guidance is taken away. Without society, there can be 11th Sri Jayakumar 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue no morals. But, if mankind can overcome their primitive nature, maybe people can be altruistic even when disaster strikes. 11th Sri Jayakumar 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Gimple, Scott M. "Pretty Much Dead Already."
The Walking Dead
. Dir. Michelle MacLaren. AMC. 27 Nov. 2011. Television. Golding, William.
Lord of Flies
. London: Faber and Faber, 1954. Print. Miller, Arthur.
The Crucible
. New York: Viking, 1953. Print. Nolan, Christopher, Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, Jonathan Nolan, Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph GordonLevitt, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine.
The Dark Knight Rises
. Burbank, CA: Distributed by Warner Home Video, 2012. Rettner, Rachael. "PostDisaster Looting: Loose Morals or Survival Instincts?"
LiveScience
. TechMedia Network, 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2016. 11th Sri Jayakumar 6 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue What Irritates me! Trevor LeMaster Grade 11 Academic English September 30, 2015 Have you ever judged a book by its cover? Have you ever done that to a person? Assuming they aren’t good at something because of how they look? This happens to me on a regular basis. People look at me and think that everything will be challenging for me because of a disability. They believe that, because I have a prosthetic leg, I am not very good at physical activities and need assistance. I understand that some people are trying to be polite and helpful, but it really isn’t. I am the only one that knows my limitations; they don’t even exist in most cases. I am in very good shape, and when someone tells me I can’t do something or underestimates me, it motivates me to push past my limitations to prove them wrong. This happens quite often in wrestling. When wrestlers see an athlete warming up with one leg they say to themselves, “This is going to be an easy match.” I have seen it happen dozens of times. The moment that first whistle blows and we start wrestling, however, I do whatever it takes to prove them wrong. If you underestimate me, I will work harder to prove you wrong. A wrestler named “Sam”, who goes to a school in our county, underestimated me, and he regretted it. We were at the Loudoun County Championships, the second tournament of the wrestling season. Of course, Sam and I were in the same conference so we were going to have to wrestle each other multiple times. Well, when he saw me he noticeably overlooked me. He walked over to me at the beginning of the tournament before the first round even started. He came over with his overconfident, swagger walk; the pride he was carrying was so heavy it was hurting his back. 11th Trevor LeMaster 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue He was a tallish, pale kid with goofy flipping whitish, blonde hair. He looked like he had just moved from California: he had a surfer look to him. When he reached me, he looked me over up and down. After he was done checking me out as if I was some sorta smokin’ hot girl, he asked with a big, arrogant smirk on his face, “what weight are you?” I answered back with a confident tone as though I had just been challenged, “106, how about you?” He answered back, “Same. I had to cut to get this weight, though, so...you know...” In wrestling, that is probably one of the most arrogant ways to answer that question because you are insinuating that you are bigger and stronger than others at your weight. He continued to ask me questions about how I had done last season and how I am doing this season. I answered all of the questions truthfully, but with each answer, I had an uncaring, disinterested tone of voice. I never like to talk to my opponents at any time in a match; it just seems weird to me, especially if they think they are better than me. He finally walked away and wished me good luck, but I could tell it wasn’t a genuine gesture. I decided right then and there that I was going to beat that little poser; not just beat him, I wanted to embarrass him. In the semifinals of the tournament we faced off for the first time, and it was a good match. I ended up beating him like 106. I didn’t embarrass him like I had hoped, but I controlled the match and kept it the way I wanted it. He was a good wrestler, the best I had faced to that point in the season. As the final whistle blew and we stood to shake hands I could see his eyes drop like when a quarterback hangs his head in shame after making a bad throw and the ball just drops to the ground. He was too ashamed and embarrassed to look me in the eye after the match, but I wasn’t satisfied with letting him score that many points on me. I knew we were going to wrestle at least two more times after that, so I told myself that was going to be the closest match 11th Trevor LeMaster 2 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue we would wrestle. It was. Later that season I beat him in our dual meet 92. We faced off again in the Conference Finals and I beat him 103. The most satisfying win of all, however, came at the regional tournament. We were both 31 going into the consolation semifinals. The winner would advance to the state tournament while the loser would go home with nothing. I was overconfident; I thought I would just walk all over him like I had done throughout the entire season; however, he was wrestling with purpose and with passion. At the end of the 1st period, it was only 21; I was barely in the lead. I started to get frustrated because I wasn’t beating him by as much as I had thought I would be at that point. I made a stupid mistake at the very end of the 1st period that almost got me taken down; that would’ve made the score 31 in his favor, but luckily time ran out before that could happen. At the start of the second period, I was disappointed in myself, but instead of getting mad and making stupid mistakes, I just worked harder. I had won the coin flip and deferred, and he wisely chose bottom. He was usually able to get away after 30 seconds or so. Not today, not this match, not the match that I was waiting for all season long. As soon as that whistle blew, I had a mindset that I was going to pin him this period and achieve my goal of making the state tournament. I broke him down, grabbed a wrist and faked my goto move, a tilt. I had hit it on him probably a dozen times by that point in the season, and he defended it as I had anticipated, leaving his right side open for a half nelson. I jumped sides swiftly like a cheetah changing positions to bring down its prey. Simultaneously, I threw my arm in hard below his arm and behind his head, thrusting all the force and pressure I could onto his head. He flopped over onto his back like a cow being tipped over. He was fighting hard, but there was no way I was going to let him roll back over to his stomach. I held him there for about 20 seconds, squeezing 11th Trevor LeMaster 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue as if he were an orange and I wanted orange juice. The whistle finally blew, and the referee’s hand slapped the mat. I jumped up like a kangaroo, throwing my fist up in the air. Overjoyed with pride and relief, I knelt back down and thanked God. He slowly made his way off the mat to stand back up. His eyes sank back down to the mat like a sinking ship. We shook hands and the ref raised my arm. I had done it; not only had I beaten him in the most important match of both of our young careers, but I had also clinched a spot in the State Tournament. No one has the right to judge me and tell me that I cannot do something because of my disability. If someone tells me I might have trouble hiking up a mountain with them, I am going to do everything I can to prove them wrong. It’s who I am; it’s who I was raised to be. I was raised as if I didn’t have a disability, soin my mindI do not. People do not have the right to tell
me
about
my
limitations; they don’t know them. I can do whatever most people can do and, in many cases, I can do more. I have no respect for anyone who is arrogant and judges someone based off of their physical appearance. You never know what someone’s heart holds, which is the most important characteristic of all. 11th Trevor LeMaster 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Ruskin Timed Write Response Hunter McCluer Grade 11 AP Language and Composition April 15, 2016 Prompt: Passage from critic John Ruskin, circa 1860, arguing that it is right to give precedence to the soldier rather than to the merchant or manufacturer. The student must evaluate Ruskin’s argument. In this piece John Ruskin argues that soldiers are held in higher esteem by society not because they are willing to kill, but because they are willing to die. And this is right. Ruskin’s main point of contention is that merchants and manufacturers are not willing to give up their own lives. As human beings we are naturally afraid of death, so those willing to face their own mortality, to “die daily,” are vaunted as courageous and heroic. And rightly so. The opposition to soldiering state that it is “impeaceable and irrational.” Soldiers “feed war,” as David RivasRios put it. However, they are often portrayed as young lives sent to their deaths by an unfeeling government. If anything feeds war, it is politics. Soldiers are simply riding the spoon. The Vietnam Conflict is an excellent example of this. Thousands upon thousands of young men were snuffed from existence in the jungles of Vietnam in a war that experts knew to be unwinnable. It was driven by shame and ideology: “we can’t back down now. It’s cowardly.” The young men sent to kill and die were hated violently by the society that shipped them to their deaths. But the soldiers were only the messengers of destruction, tools of war. Just 11th Hunter McCluer 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue bodies, sometimes living and sometimes not. What the people of America didn’t yet understand was that to lay in a rice field in an alien country and come face to face with the fragility of a person, to remove someone from existence or be removed yourself, is one hell of a thing. United States veterans have a higher suicide rate than any other group. That fact should be appalling to every American, soldier or otherwise. And this is where the distinction between soldier and merchant solidifies. Merchants and manufacturers may devote their entire lives to a craft or passion, but soldiers give theirs up. The freedoms we enjoy are paid for in human lives. That is not something to be taken lightly. This is why those who have died for a cause are so highly vaunted, not only soldiers. Your own life is the most you can give. 11th Hunter McCluer 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Rhetoric of Ideas: Analyzing Rhetoric in “The Myth of the Gay Agenda” by LZ Granderson
Brynne Raba Grade 11 Honors English October 2015 LZ Granderson is many things. He is a father. He is a husband. He is a journalist. And he is gay. One word can automatically change many people’s opinions on a person; they would no longer see him as “that man who lives across the street” or “that man who was on TV”, but as “that gay man”. Today, Granderson could very likely be evicted from his home or fired from his job simply because he is a part of the LGBT+ community. As quoted from his TED talk, “there was a time in which…people who were black couldn't have [equal] rights;” this contributes to the idea that social issues have the tendency of repeating themselves within different groups of people. Granderson touches on these topics and much more in his TED talk. An analysis of his speech shows that he uses ethos, pathos, and logos to communicate that discrimination and negativity towards the LGBT+ community needs to end, and that the LGBT+ community wants nothing more than to exist with the same rights as everyone else. Granderson’s use of ethos helps to eliminate any potential tension in the audience. For example, the sole fact that he is gay builds credibility with the audience; if Granderson was a straight man talking about LGBT+ rights he would not seem very trustworthy on the subject. When talking about his fifteenyearold son, Granderson says, “I would like to think, as his father and he lives with me primarily – that…he's a good boy, a respectful young man. I would like to think that I've proven to be a capable father.” Many people truly believe that LGBT+ individuals such as Granderson are incapable of properly caring for and/or loving their own 11th Brynne Raba 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue children; this disproves that notion. Many people also believe that children of LGBT+ parents are different from children raised by straight parents, but Granderson eliminates that idea as well when he shows pictures of his son’s messy room (a typical aspect of the modern teenager’s life), tells the audience that his son “has a 4.0,” and that “he is starting a new club at school...he's a budding track star...he volunteers...[and] he prays before he eats.” By saying this, Granderson disproves the argument that children of LGBT+ parents grow up and behave differently than those raised by straight parents. He also uses this strategy when he talks about his partner, Steve. He tells a pleasant story about how Steve proposed to him, and this shows that their relationship isn’t any different than a heterosexual one. This is included because he wants the audience to wonder why his relationship should be seen as unacceptable when it is no different than that of a heterosexual couple. Towards the end of Granderson’s TED talk, he practically admits that he has to establish a false sense of trust with the audience. He says, “I figured if I made it funny, you wouldn't be as threatened. I figured if I was a bit irreverent, you wouldn't find it serious.” Granderson is basically telling the audience that he had to use pathos in order for them to listen openmindedly; his use of humor and irreverence help to make those who may be opposed to his argument more comfortable and willing to listen. Granderson’s speech relies mostly on pathos, as evidenced by his extensive use of sarcasm and humor. For example, he tells the audience that he is going to share with them the “evil things” that the LGBT+ community does, and proceeds to say things like, “I drink coffee. Not only do I drink coffee, but I know other gay people who drink coffee” and “I get stuck in traffic. Evil, evil traffic.” Granderson relies heavily on sarcastic humor, but he also uses coldly truthful statements. As stated in the previous paragraph, if he had not incorporated pathos into 11th Brynne Raba 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue his TED talk, the audience would be much less likely to pay attention and much more likely to be offended. Some of his more ethosoriented statements also use pathos, such as the story about him and Steve. If the story had been told by a straight person about their straight partner, it would be seen as “cute” or “sweet.” Granderson’s inclusion of this story makes the audience wonder why his relationship is seen as unacceptable if it is no different than a heterosexual one. The discriminatory attitudes that many people have towards the LGBT+ community are also emphasized when Granderson says, “Anybody in love out there? You might be gay. Because I, too, am in love and apparently that’s part of the gay lifestyle that I warned you about.” His sarcasm and humor help lighten the mood so that the audience will be more open minded. This particular statement, however, uses logos as well. Granderson implies that the audience’s logical thoughts would be that if someone is in love, and being in love is part of the “gay lifestyle”, then that person must be gay. This has an almost unsettling effect on the audience because people tend to want to disassociate themselves from anything that could be seen as “gay”. For example, the phrase “no homo” is often heard in everyday conversation, because people feel that being LGBT+ is a bad thing and they feel the need to consistently establish their heterosexuality. Granderson’s speech makes the audience wonder why people do that, and it helps them realize that it should not happen. Logos is also seen in Granderson’s use of statistics and maps. He shows a map of the United States, in which some of the states are shaded in, and explains that “in all the states where there is no shading…people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered can be kicked out of their apartments for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered...That's the only reason that a landlord needs to have them removed because there's no protection from discrimination of LGBT 11th Brynne Raba 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue people.” He includes this because, although it is shocking, it is true, and he wants to invoke a sense of empathy and a desire for change within the audience. Similar to Mary Fisher’s speech on the epidemic of AIDS, Granderson compares the discrimination of LGBT+ community members to historical events. He says, “There was a time in which…people who were black couldn't have [equal] rights.” He makes this comparison because racism is also a longstanding problem in society, and because the LGBT+ community is facing some of the same injustices that people of color are. Both communities have faced injustices and negativity for centuries, and although it has gotten better, the discrimination is nowhere near gone. Granderson also quotes the fourteenth amendment to the US Constitution when he explains that the LGBT+ community simply wants to be treated like full citizens, and he talks about modern, realworld events such as President Obama openly saying that he supports marriage equality. Granderson’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos help to avoid a potentially hostile audience and to emphasize his views in general. His main source of credibility is the sole fact that he himself is gay; if a heterosexual person gave a speech on LGBT+ rights it would seem fake, or even obnoxious. He extensively uses sarcasm and humor to make the audience more comfortable (although, if Granderson’s goals were achieved, that wouldn’t be necessary), and he uses maps and quotes to further emphasize his point. The underlying meaning in Granderson’s TED talk is that, in a perfect world, his speech wouldn’t even be necessary because people would see each other as human beings and nothing more or less. In a perfect world, people would be able to stay in their homes and jobs regardless of sexuality or gender identity. In a perfect world, people would be allowed to change themselves according to what gender (or lack thereof) suits them best. In a perfect world, trans men, trans women, and nonbinary individuals would not be 11th Brynne Raba 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue harassed for using whichever restroom they identify best with. A perfect world does not and cannot exist; perfection is based on opinion and, therefore, is nothing more than a concept. Despite this, Granderson is calling for humanity to do something about its injustices. It is not enough for people to come and listen to a TED talk; they will leave in support of LGBT+ rights, yet they won’t do anything about it. Granderson is calling for us to continue to fight and ultimately change the world, one imperfection, one injustice, one community at a time. 11th Brynne Raba 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Granderson, LZ. (2012, May). The Myth of the gay agenda [Video file]. Retrieved from URL https://www.ted.com/talks/lz_granderson_the_myth_of_the_gay_agenda?language=en 11th Brynne Raba 6 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Psychology of Creepiness: Big Question Essay, “What Makes Something Creepy?” Brandon Smith Grade 11 Honors English April 2016 Imagine being alone in a house on a rainy night, and suddenly hearing tapping noises coming from a nearby window. We experience a wide array of emotions: sadness, happiness, and anger just to name a few basic emotions. One of the most intriguing emotions people experience, however, is the feeling of creepiness. Creepiness is a unique feeling that, unlike happiness or sadness, has no similar emotion. What exactly defines creepiness, and why do we feel this emotion? Why is it that the sudden tapping from a nearby window causes an uneasy feeling? The tapping could be anything, from a tree branch to someone watching you in the dark. The reason is ambiguity. Ambiguity is the biggest factor that makes something “creepy” because of the uneasy feeling people get from the uncertainty of a threat or nature of a situation. To understand why people feel “creeped out”, we must first understand what creepiness actually is and where the word originated from. Although the feeling of “the creeps” has been around since the beginning of mankind, the first use of the term is credited to Charles Dickens. Dickens, in his 1849 novel David Copperfield, described creepiness to mean an unpleasant, tingly chill up the spine. In the years after the book, “creepy” was used to describe something that causes unease (McRobbie). A Google Ngram search shows the instance of the word increasing dramatically since about 1860 (Google Ngram Viewer). Since this first use of “the creeps”, the definition of creepiness has been blurred over the past century. 11th Brandon Smith 1 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Creepiness is not caused by the same things that make something “scary”; it is caused by a completely different reason: ambiguity. Ambiguity means uncertainty or vagueness. According to an article by Dr. Frank McAndrew, “creepiness is anxiety aroused by the ambiguity of whether there is something to fear, and/or by the ambiguity of the precise nature of the threat—sexual, physical violence, or contamination, for example—that might be present.” One of the most common examples of something that is “creepy” is a mask. Masks conceal the facial expression of whoever is wearing it. This causes our brains to feel ambiguous about the person’s intentions, making us feel disturbed. A good example of this phenomenon can be seen in a picture of two people wearing masks that unintendedly cause an uneasy feeling due to the ambiguous nature of the photograph (Solka). Masks cause uneasiness by concealing the user’s face to hide emotion, but why do people get creeped out by clowns, who generally do not wear masks? Clowns are creepy to many people, yet they do not have their face concealed, so why are so many people afraid of clowns? Krystal D’Costa says in her article about the fear of clowns: “Clowns aren't masked figures, but their painted faces come close. With face and neck covered in white or pink or tan makeup and exaggerated features drawn in red and black, these characters are instantly recognizable as troublesome. The fluidity of their dress may actually contribute to why they make so many people uneasy.” The article also includes a quote by Claude Levi Strauss about facial disguise. Strauss says "The facial disguise temporarily eliminated from social intercourse that part of the body through which, people have long believed, the individual's personal feelings and attitudes are revealed or can be deliberately communicated to others. The face is the organ by which self and society carry on the largest portion of the communication in which they engage, not only 11th Brandon Smith 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue linguistic communication but paralinguistic as well." This means that any facial disguise can create the same disturbing effect masks do. Creepiness through the nature and atmosphere of a situation is also a common cause of “the creeps.” In Solka’s photograph, not only are the facial expressions of the people concealed to create ambiguity, but the picture itself is dark and gloomy, giving off an unsettling atmosphere. In fact, darkness itself makes things more creepy because not only does darkness create a gloomy atmosphere, but it also creates ambiguity. We do not know what is at the end of a dark tunnel or a deep underwater abyss, which is why these structures are seen as creepy. The atmosphere is also why people can get creeped out just by the music in a scary movie due to the nature of the situation. An interesting point is that not only can the music in a situation induce creepiness, but the lack of music can also induce creepiness. For example, during a happy scene in a movie with children playing and uplifting music, the music suddenly dies off. This change suggests that something is about to happen, and causes ambiguity just by this change of atmosphere. A common misconception is that “creepy” and “scary” are synonyms, but they are very different. Creepiness is a unique feeling that should not be used interchangeably with emotions such as “scary”. A good example of the difference between “creepy” and “scary” can be seen in Stephen King’s fiction novel, The Shining, which has also been adapted into a movie directed by Stanley Kubrick. In this novel, a family is taking care of a hotel over the winter, and they get trapped in the hotel because of a snowstorm. The main character, Jack, goes crazy from cabin fever and attempts to murder his family. The process of Jack diving into insanity is creepy in this novel because of the ambiguity of his actions. The family is unsure if Jack is a threat or not. 11th Brandon Smith 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Once Jack attacks his family, the atmosphere is no longer viewed as “creepy” because he is a certain threat, but it is rather viewed as a “scary”. Another aspect of The Shining that is creepy is in the child, Danny. Danny is revealed to have psychic powers. Throughout the novel and movie, Danny writes “REDRUM” and says the word multiple times. It is revealed that “redrum” is murder spelled backward, which makes the audience creeped out because of the abnormality in a child saying murder, and it provides foreshadowing for Jack’s intentions. This difference between scary and creepy can also be seen in how people view “scary” animals. Animals such as snakes and bats are seen more as scary creatures than creepy because these animals have been known to attack people (Schardt). Because people know of and believe in a clear and present danger (even if the danger is a misconception), they will feel scared, but will not be creeped out. This links to the uncertainty principle that defines creepiness. Although scary animals are not creepy, there are creepy animals. Creepy animals consist of animals that may or may not be dangerous just from their appearance. Many insects can seem “creepy”, including the botfly, the Japanese giant hornet, and the assassin bug (Alford). These insects are called “creepycrawlies” because of the ambiguity they create. Most people are unsure whether the insect is a threat or not because of its appearance. Although murders are scary, they are usually not creepy. Murder mysteries, however, are creepy. Perhaps the most creepy murder mystery is the case of Elisa Lam, explained in Jean’s article on Wereblog. Elisa Lam was a 21yearold student who was found dead in a water tank at the top of the Cecil Hotel. Her body was found 2 weeks after her death only because the hotel started getting complaints about the taste and color of the water. Lam was last seen in a disturbing surveillance video of her acting very strange in an elevator, moving in and out of it 11th Brandon Smith 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue and waving her hands as if communicating with someone, although no one was seen with her. What is more of a mystery is how she got into the water tank. The roof of the hotel could only be accessed by a fire escape or a locked door that all would sound alarms, and after getting to the roof, the water tank lid would have been too heavy for her to lift. Even with all of this information, the mystery was still deemed as a suicide, although it is popular belief that her death was no suicide. The creepiness, in this case, is in, yet again, the ambiguity of what caused her death. The two week blank between when she was last seen alive to when she was found dead creates a very creepy mystery (Jean). Scary movies use all aspects of ambiguity and atmosphere to provide their creepy atmosphere. Many creepy movies use masks, such as in Halloween and Friday the 13th in which Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees are masked murderers that show little emotion. Many movies use dolls as creep factors in their movies, such as in Annabelle. Dolls are seen as creepy due to both ambiguity and atmosphere. Dolls are seen as a child’s toy, but when dolls are animated into serial killers, the ambiguity of the doll’s unchanging face and the atmosphere of what should be childish makes dolls creepy. Perhaps the most popular recurring theme in creepy movies is the use of creepy children, which can also be seen in the film version of The Shining. Children are creepy because they are seen as innocent in the real world. When children do not act the way we know them to act, it can be unsettling, especially if combined with an unsettling atmosphere. Creepiness is a unique feeling caused by ambiguity. The word has meant the same thing since its first use in the 1800s and is one of the most intriguing emotions to understand. Being able to understand creepiness as its own emotion tells us a lot about our human psychology and 11th Brandon Smith 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue how we get disturbed from uncertainty. Although creepiness has always been part of human emotion, we have only recently discovered its true cause. The next time a mask, a tap on a window in the middle of the night, or even a “creeper” watching you from afar seems creepy, know that ambiguity is behind “the creeps”. 11th Brandon Smith 6 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Alford, Justine. “The Most Horrifying (And Awesome) CreepyCrawlies In The World.” IFLScience.
IFL Science, 14 July 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2016. Annabelle
. Dir. John R. Leonetti. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2014. Film. D'Costa, Krystal. "Why Are We Afraid of Clowns." Scientific American. Scientific American Inc., 31 Oct. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. Friday the 13th.
Dir. Sean S. Cunningham. Paramount Pictures, 1980. Film.
Google Ngram Viewer Halloween.
Dir. John Carpenter. Compass International Pictures, 1978. Film. Jean. "The Creepy True Story Of Elisa Lam: Paranormal, Suicide, Or Murder?" Wereblog. Wereblog, 20 June 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. King, Stephen.
The Shining
. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977. Print. McAndrew, Frank T., Ph.D. "How We Decide Who's Creepy."
Psychology Today
. Psychology
Today, 19 May 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. McRobbie, Linda R. "On the Science of Creepiness."
Smithsonian
. Smithsonian Institution, 29 Oct. 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. SCHARDT, HANNAH. “Scary ANIMALS. (Cover Story).”
Ranger Rick
48.9 (2014): 6. MAS
Ultra School Edition. Web. 18 APr. 2016. The Shining
. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Warner Bros. Pictures, 1980. Film. Solka, Rob. "The Masks Would Then Not Only Scare Away Evil Spirits..."
Pinterest
. Pinterest,
2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.
Vsauce. "Why Are Things Creepy?"
YouTube
. YouTube, 02 July 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. 11th Brandon Smith 7 12th GRADE COURSES and TEACHERS A.P. LITERATURE and COMPOSITION Katheryn Hans DUAL ENROLLMENT Laura Tornello ACADEMIC ENGLISH Tyler Anderson Jessica Connors Roddy McDaniel AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Nanotechnological Applications for Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer Mallika Dammalapati Grade 12 Dual Enrollment April 2016 Abstract

Nanoparticles have unique physical, optical, and electrical properties that allow them to be utilized for early cancer detection. Gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes can be used to increase the efficiency of cancer biomarker detection. Nanotechnology has the potential to increase the selectivity and potency of induced cancer cell death, while minimizing collateral toxicity to nonmalignant cells. Nanoparticles, through active, passive, and magnetic targeting are able to provide localized cytotoxicity to cancerous cells. Nanoparticles can also be paired with thermal therapy and photodynamic therapy to provide versatile approaches to cancer cell death. With concentrated research and increased funding for nanotechnological education, nanoparticles have the capability to revolutionize cancer medicine. Index Terms

nanomedicine; nanoparticle; cancer biomarkers; gold nanoparticles; quantum dots; carbon nanotubes; active targeting; passive targeting; magnetic targeting I. INTRODUCTION It silently creeps, unknown to the human eye, and gathers its forces. At first, it invades nearby, but then as it grows larger and more powerful, it takes over the whole body, establishing its troops in lives and homes across the world. Its tactics and strategies are well known, yet it wins too often. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cancer is the second leader in cause of death in the United States. The National Vital Statistics Reports shows that cancer is responsible for 25.5% of total deaths in both 2013 and 2014, with 591,699 total US deaths in 2014. Apart from its sheer magnitude, cancer is particularly difficult to treat because it 12th Mallika Dammalapati 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue is difficult to detect. Researchers working at the National Core Research Center for Systems BioDynamics in Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea stress that developing technologies for sensitive and specific cancer detection is of utmost importance when considering that the survival of a cancer patient depends heavily on early detection [1]. Yet another aspect of cancer to consider is its recurrence rates even after extensive treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, even after cancer treatment, there is always still a chance that some cancer cells survived in the body, and current technology is not advanced enough to detect these lingering cells. This being said, cancer nanomedicine opens up vast opportunity for effective early cancer detection and selective and potent approaches for eliciting targeted cancer cell death [2]. Cancer nanomedicine involves nanoparticles (NPs), which are particles with at least one dimension falling within 1–100 nm [3]. With a plethora of applications and uses, nanotechnology harbors immense promise for the fight against cancer. II. CANCER DETECTION AND DIAGNOSIS With any fight, the logical step is to stop it before it even progresses. Different nanoparticles have unique properties that can be utilized from cancer imaging. To understand how nanoparticles play a part in cancer detection, biomarkers must be defined. A biomarker can be a protein, a fragment of a protein, DNA, or RNAbased and it is an indicator of a biological state of disease [1]. Thus, cancer biomarkers can be used to detect and verify the existence of a specific type of cancer in a person. Nanoparticles, such as gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, and nanowires, are being studied as effective methods of sensing cancer biomarkers [4]. A. Gold Nanoparticles 12th Mallika Dammalapati 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Gold Nanoparticles (GNPs), in particular, are being studied intensively because of their unique optical properties. According to Dr. Gang Bao and Dr. Sheng Tong, members of Rice University’s department of bioengineering, and Dr. Samir Mitragotri, a member of the department of chemical engineering at the University of California, these optical properties of gold nanoparticles arise from what is know as localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) [3]. LSPR is what allows GNPs to absorb and scatter light so well, which is what forms the basis for gold nanoparticle based optical imaging [3]. According to their size and shape, GNPs can absorb and scatter light from the visible to nearinfrared (NIR) region [1]. Gold nanoparticles that scatter NIR light can provide good contrast for optical coherence tomography, which can be thought of as an optical ultrasound (figure 1)[3]. GNPs have also been found to increase the efficiency of Raman scattering. Raman spectroscopy is an optical technique based on inelastic scattering of light, but one of the main downfalls of current Raman spectroscopy is that inelastic light scattering is not very efficient, which decreases the speed of the technique [5]. In one application, when encoded with Raman reporters and paired with the ScFv antibody that is able to recognize epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a popular biomarker used in cancer targeting, GNPs are able to act as tags for cancerous cells (figure 2). Essentially, GNPs are acting to make Raman spectroscopy a viable in vivo or in vitro cancer detection method. These GNPs with the ScFv antibody allowed for detection of small tumors (0.03 cm3 ) at penetration depth of 1–2 cm, showing the immense efficiency they harbor [1]. GNPs fall seamlessly into the world of cancer imaging and detection through their unique light absorption and scattering abilities. 12th Mallika Dammalapati 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Figure 1. Dr. Raghuraman Kannan, assistant professor of radiology at the University of Missouri and his team use gold nanorods attached to a biomolecule that recognizes epidermal growth factors (EGF) receptors to scatter light when viewed under a lighted microscope [1]. Figure 2. Antibodyconjugated GNPs used for cancer cell detection B. Quantum Dots 12th Mallika Dammalapati 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Similar to GNPs, quantum dots (QDs) also have unique optical properties that allow them to aid in cancer detection. Unlike GNPs however, QDs get their optical properties as the result of quantum confinement of valence electrons at nanometer scales [1]. QDs are essentially semiconducting, lightemitting nanocrystals [3]. QDs can be used as signal amplifying agents in ultrasensitive cancer biomarker detection. In one study, SiO2 particles coated with QDs increased the sensitivity for the detection of alphafetoproteins (AFPs), biomarkers associated with germ cell ovarian cancer [1]. QDs are what are known as fluorophores, meaning they absorb photons of light and then reemit longerwavelength photons. But compared to organic fluorophores, QDs have a narrow emission peak and a wide absorption spectra ranging from UV to visible wavelengths [3]. A QDs wavelength emission is related to its size, meaning an array of QDs can be made that are excited by a certain wavelength of light, such as UV light, but emit a specific wavelength. This allows for multicolor fluorescence imaging; in one application, QDs have been integrated into nanobiochips (NBCs) for detecting multiple cancer biomarkers at once [1]. C. Carbon Nanotubes Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) have a variety of advantages that allow them to be implemented in similar, as well as different ways as GNPs and QDs. CNTs can be used to sense biomarkers electrochemically; this is because the conductance of the semiconducting CNT changes when biomolecules are adsorbed on the walls. This causes changes in the local electrostatic environment [1]. Another advantage to CNTs is that they can be used for labelfree detection of cancer biomarkers. Labelfree detection means that CNTs can recognize different biomarkers without additional label molecules being added. CNTs can be incorporated into electrochemical 12th Mallika Dammalapati 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue biosensors, which can detect cancerous cells. Furthermore, chemical modification of CNTs has proven to be an effective way to create very selective biosensors [6]. In one application of labelfree detection, CNTs form the conducting channel in a CNT field effect transistor (FET) based biosensor and interact with introduced analytes [1]. This interaction with analytes, which in this case was a PSAACT prostate cancer biomarker complex, can be monitored, creating a biosensor. It is also important to note that CNTs can be used in label detection as well, just as GNPs and QDs are, illustrating their wide variety in cancer detection. III. CANCER TREATMENT Although advances in cancer detection will revolutionize cancer medicine, these are only the first steps in the arduous battle against cancer. After detection and diagnosis of cancer comes the treatment. Current cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and surgery to remove tumors, can be very taxing on a patient, especially considering that cancer cannot ever be completely cured with these methods. Depending on how far along the cancer is, treatment levels can vary in intensity and longevity. Nanotechnology has the potential to increase the effectiveness of cancer cell death, allowing for faster treatment and remission. NPs are generally not inherently cytotoxic, or toxic to living cells. Therefore, according to Dr. William H. Gmeiner and Dr. Supratim Ghosh at the Department of Cancer Biology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, NPs must alter the chemical or physical environment specifically in the region close to the cancer cell in order to initiate cell death [2]. This can been done through both passive, active, and magnetic targeting. A. Passive Targeting 12th Mallika Dammalapati 6 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Passive targeting takes advantage of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect to increase the concentration of nanoparticles (NPs) in a tumor (figure 3) [2]. Tumor vasculature, or the arrangement of blood vessels, is leaky because malignant cells are not responsive to cell signaling required for orderly vasculogenesis [2]. According to Dr. Rong Tong, a postdoctoral associate at MIT and Dr. Daniel S. Kohane, a professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School, nanomaterial sizes below 100 nm match the length of the openings in leaky tumor vasculature. This allows for what is knows as enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) of nanoparticles (NPs) into tumors [7]. NPs, including multiwalled carbon nanotubes and singlewalled carbon nanotubes, have been able to localize in tumor tissue via ERP. In one application, gold nanorods were delivered to tumor tissue via the EPR and used to heat the tumor through laser irradiation. After, the anticancer agent ADHGM was delivered to the cancer cells. The ADHGM recognized GRP78, which was upregulated due to the increase in temperature [2]. B. Active Targeting Active targeting allows NPs to localize to malignant cells based on molecular recognition of antigens, frequently proteins, that are expressed on the surfaces of cancer cells (figure 3). Growth factor receptors, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), transferrin, death receptor (DR) complexes, and folate ligand, as well as tumorspecific antigens have all been utilized to localize NPs to malignant cells via active targeting [2]. Monoclonal antibodies, small chemical and biological molecules, and nucleic acid aptamers have been used to guide NPs to malignant cells. 12th Mallika Dammalapati 7 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Figure 3. NP targeting of malignant cells through both active and passive targeting. NPs (green stars) accumulate in tumor tissue via the EPR representing passive targeting. NPs interact with cellsurface receptors as indicated by “Ystar” interactions that represent active targeting Once NPs are targeted to malignant cells specifically via passive targeting and/or active targeting, NPs evoke a cytotoxic response in cancer cells through drug release, hyperthermia or thermal ablation, reactive oxygen species (ROS)mediated killing, or other methods [2]. These methods can be used by themselves or in conjunction with each other. The overall benefit to all of these methods is that since NPs evoke cytotoxic responses after very specific active or passive targeting, cancerous cell death can be maximized, while neighboring healthy cells can remain. This is very promising, especially considering cancers such as glioblastoma multiforme, a brain and spine tumor, in which malignant cells are hard to differentiate from nonmalignant cells. 12th Mallika Dammalapati 8 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue C. Magnetic Targeting In the realm of drug delivery, magnetic targeting has become a very popular research area. Through proper design of the externally applied magnetic field, therapeutic agents attached to magnetic nanoparticles, which are nothing but nanosized magnets, can be attracted to local tissue under magnetic guidance [3]. Microparticles have long been studied for their cancer treatment, but lately magnetic nanoparticles have become the star of magnetic targeting because they offer better biocompatibility, optimal biodistribution, and deeper tumor penetration [3]. One study has demonstrated that magnetic targeting could be achieved with an implanted magnetic stent, which is small mesh tube that fits inside an artery [3]. After the stent is implanted, injection of magnetic nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel, which is a drug used to treat a plethora of cancers, could lead to significant growth inhibition in the stented vessel [3]. In relation, magnetic targeting can also be applied to larger areas. One application involves inhaling magnetic aerosol droplets of the size 2.5–4μm diameter; once inhaled, these

droplets could then be targeted to the affected cancerous lung tissue with a corresponding magnetic field (figure 4) [3]. 12th Mallika Dammalapati 9 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Figure 4. Once aerosol droplets containing magnetic nanoparticles are inhaled from a nebulizer, a magnet is used to target the affected cancerous lung tissue. D. Drug Delivery in Combination with Thermal Therapy and Photodynamic Therapy Hyperthermia is a type of cancer treatment in which body tissue is exposed to slightly higher temperatures to damage and kill cancer cells. It can also make malignant cells more susceptible to chemotherapy or other anticancer drugs. NPs can expedite the thermal therapy and chemotherapy processes by being used for thermal irradiation first and then releasing drugs. The same method can be applied for photodynamic therapy, which uses light in conjunction with drugs (photosensitizing agents). Another advantage is that heating can trigger the drug release, which similar to magnetic targeting, allows for very localized targeting of cancerous cells. In one example, nanoparticles consisting of magnetite shell and silica cores are heated. This would 12th Mallika Dammalapati 10 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue break the magnetite shell and release the drug paired with the silica [3]. These applications show very clearly how NPs can be used to enhance current cancer treatment methods that are already commonly used. IV. CONCLUSION In summary, nanoparticles open a vast new world of cancer detection and treatment. With different NPs harboring their own unique characteristics and properties, the possibilities are endless. However, it may be much longer until NPs are used clinically or commercially. There are of course many harms associated with NPs; there is the potential for NPs to be toxic to humans, and since NPs are so diverse it would be difficult to create broad warnings about toxicity. Certain studies have found NPs to have association with asthma, bronchitis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and some vascularrelated complications, such as blood clots [2]. Even now, with the plethora of research already available on NPs, human clinical trials are few and far between compared to many other areas of medicine. The solution is to push for increased selective NP research in order to disprove and/or fix health risks associated with NPs. Focusing on NPs for specific cancers and the issues that arise with that specific cancer will promote more concentrated results. Another solution, proposed by members of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at MCPHS University in Boston, is that there needs to be an increase in funding for the training of medical, clinical, and pharmaceutical students in the field of nanotechnology [8]. This will promote a new generation of scientists willing to participate in nanotechnology research. With this increase in educational funding and further concentrated 12th Mallika Dammalapati 11 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue research in action, nanoparticles will be to cancer as vaccines are to smallpox and polio: a triumph of human ingenuity. REFERENCES [1] Y.E. Choi, J.W. Kwak, and J. W. Park, “Nanotechnology for Early Cancer Detection,” Sensors
, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 428–455, Jan. 2010. [2] W. H. Gmeiner and S. Ghosh, “Nanotechnology for cancer treatment,”
Nanotechnology Reviews
, vol. 3, no. 2, Aug. 2014. [3] G. Bao, S. Mitragotri, and S. Tong, “Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery and Molecular Imaging,”
Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering
, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 253–282, Apr. 2013. [4] X. Zhang, Q. Guo, and D. Cui, “Recent Advances in Nanotechnology Applied to Biosensors,”
Sensors
, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 1033–1053, 2009. [5] K. Kong, C. Kendall, N. Stone, and I. Notingher, “Raman spectroscopy for medical diagnostics — From invitro biofluid assays to invivo cancer detection,”
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
, vol. 89, pp. 121–134, Jul. 2015. 12th Mallika Dammalapati 12 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue [6] K. Balasubramanian and M. Burghard, “Biosensors based on carbon nanotubes,”
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
, vol. 385, no. 3, pp. 452–468, Mar. 2006. [7] R. Tong and D. S. Kohane, “New Strategies in Cancer Nanomedicine,”
Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology
, vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 41–57, Oct. 2015. [8] J. Youkhanna, J. Syoufjy, M. Rhorer, O. Oladeinde, and R. Zeineldin, “Toward nanotechnologybased solutions for a particular disease: ovarian cancer as an example,” Nanotechnology Reviews
, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 473–484, Jan. 2013. 12th Mallika Dammalapati 13 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Door to Hell: An Unexpected Wealth of Knowledge Brigham Galbraith Grade 12 Academic English April 2016 George Kourounis was a speck of metal dangling from a thin line one hundred feet above the crater. Searing heat engulfed his suit, testing the limits of science, as he rappelled down to the Door to Hell. The descent was tantalizing; time stood still. After what seemed like hours, George reached the bottom, which was only worse. The source of the heat, thousands of flames scattering the ground, now made a deafening sound. It was unimaginable that anything could live there, suit or no suit, but small bacterium thrived there. George left the crater unscathed, but with questions he didn’t even know to ask before his plunge. An Enigmatic Past The past, present, and future of Turkmenistan's Derweze Crater, nicknamed the Door to Hell, are shrouded in mystery. Rumor has it a drilling site collapsed in 1971, and local geologists set it on fire to prevent the leaking gasses from poisoning the area. But when National Geographic asked local geologists, they heard “that the collapse may have happened in the '60s and that it went unlit until the 1980s” (Nunez). No one knows for sure how this crater came to be, how much fuel it has left, how long it can last. What is known about the Derweze Crater isn’t much to get excited about, but the possibilities are. The crater is filled with natural gases commonly used as a clean fuel source, but this gas doesn’t just leak out in a gentle trickle. The gas roars out in high pressure streams, and as George Kourounis described, “The sound was like that of a jet engine, this roaring, 12th Brigham Galbraith 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue highpressure, gasburning sound” (Nunez). This means that gas is under immense pressure, which also means there is a lot of it to burn. Differing Opinions A lot of gas in just one hole means a lot of good things to a lot of people. For scientists such as those with National Geographic, it means the Derweze Crater will be around for a long time. This will give ample time to study the crater’s environment. This research in turn can lead to discovering how the phenomenon started, how to recreate and/or prevent it in the future and, as Kourounis’ initial expedition was looking for, find extraterrestrial life. This includes life on planets that would be considered uninhabitable to humans. Those in Turkmenistan care less about the xenobiological aspects and more about the economic. The fact that the Door to Hell has so much gas leads many to believe that other high volume, highdensity gas reserves lay dormant beneath the Karakum desert the Door to Hell calls home. According to the Turkmen President, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, the nation plans to triple their output of gas, which is already an astounding 75 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year, and the Karakum desert looks like their best hope of doing it (Auyezov). Besides exports, Turkmenistan hopes to gain imports in the form of tourists. The isolated nation was once part of the Soviet Union, and attracts a meager 12,000 tourists a year. According to a member of Turkmenistan's State Committee on Tourism, "The burning crater... is attracting more and more interest every year, especially among foreign tourists. The 'lifeless' desert could soon become a hugely interesting destination for different types of tourism from ecotourism to extreme sports" (Turkmenistan Hoppes 'Door to Hell' Will Boost Tourism). 12th Brigham Galbraith 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Of course, even though these ideas could easily coexist, some do not want them to. Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov is one in support of harvesting and selling the natural gas under the karakum desert. He stated in April of 2010 that he wishes to put out the flames of the Derweze Crater, but has never actually followed through with this plan. According to Berdymukhamedov, "existing anomalies have hindered the accelerated industrial development of the subsoil riches of central Karakum" (Auyezov) implying that this crater is one of those anomalies. There is no solid proof that The Door to Hell will actually hinder any industrial development. Turkmenistan could easily open other drill sites while keeping the Door to Hell open. As the awareness of the Derweze Crater increases steadily every year, nearby towns benefit economically from the influx of tourists. This was only catalyzed when the Karakum desert was turned into a nature preserve in 2013 (Turkmenistan Hopes 'Door to Hell' Will Boost Tourism). Although the tourism boosts the economy as a whole, many are still torn over the issue. As stated by Begli Atayev, who works at a travel agency in Ashgabat, "Foreign tourists who visit the burning crater feel mixed emotions awe at the sight but also at the profligacy of the Turkmen people, who have simply let the gas burn for so many years" (Turkmenistan Hoppes 'Door to Hell' Will Boost Tourism). It must be considered, however, that this is only the opinion of some. Others do not want to see the Door to Hell close any time soon. Besides tourists and thrill seekers, many of the people that want to keep the Derweze Crater on fire are researchers from numerous fields of study. As stated earlier, the first expedition into the Door to Hell was to look for microbial life. It is safe to say that millions of people around the world would be ecstatic about the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Of course, 12th Brigham Galbraith 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue some would rather discover planets that support human like life forms, but for those who just want to find life, the Derweze Crater is one of the best spots on Earth. It is unique among any other spot on the planet, but like so many other places that are inhospitable to us humans, amazing life forms can be found thriving in that environment. The conditions in the Door to Hell are actually easily replicable throughout the universe. This is why so many people wish to keep the Derweze Crater open for as long as possible, or at least until someone discovers how to recreate something like it. Of course, Xenobiology, the study of extraterrestrial life, is not the only group interested in studying the unique crater. Many others wish to use it to test thermodynamics, the effects of light pollution, the efficiency of burning the gasses inside, and even the socioeconomic and psychological aspects of such a massive man made ‘disaster’.
An Enigmatic Future Although there are many differing opinions on the proper action regarding the Derweze Crater’s future, it seems most outside of Turkmenistan either don’t know about it or don’t care what happens. Granted, the Door to Hell currently only acts as a tourist trap and viral video on Youtube, and no one has ever been killed by the fires inside the Derweze Crater. This fact really pushes it off the radar of most, and those that do think about it either want it for entertainment and profit or for scientific research. Either way, the Door to Hell could potentially become a stepping stone for something that will change hundreds, or even thousands of lives. What really controls the Door to Hell’s future is what people decides matters more; the progression of science, or monetary profit for those that claim the crater. 12th Brigham Galbraith 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Auyezov, Olzhas. "Turkmen President Wants to Close Hell's Gate." Reuters. Ed. Paul Casciato. Thomson Reuters, 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. Nunez, Christina. "Q&A: The FirstEver Expedition to Turkmenistan's "Door to Hell"" National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 17 July 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2016. "Turkmenistan Hopes 'Door to Hell' Will Boost Tourism." CTVNews. 24 June 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. "What a 'Hell Hole'!" DailyTimes. 14 Sept. 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2016. 12th Brigham Galbraith 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Kill Your Heroes Mila Jasper Grade 12 AP Literature November 10, 2015 People do not like change. Patterns and predictability are easier
there is no fear of the unknown. While adjusting to a new neighborhood or getting used to new iPhone software may not be horribly problematic and may in the end make life easier, the change itself was difficult relative to the ease of sameness. The difficulty associated with changing the way an entire society functions is proportionally difficult. There are so many more variables; for a some people, the change would not only be difficult in the short run, but also in the long run. Slave owners’ lives were not made easier with emancipation, but the collective lives of society were made easier. These voices would dissent a call to change, others might not see the need to take a firm stance on whether to change or not because they would be relatively unaffected, and so on. Therefore, considerable motivation is required for social change to occur. In terms of society, change is caused by an overwhelming discomfort with the current system. Until enough people become suitably uncomfortable, the pattern of life stays the same. The Awakening,
by Kate Chopin, depicts life in the strict and structured Creole society of the Victorian era. Because of its commentary on social attitudes of the time, it was not well regarded and its merits ignored. The removal of this book from polite society at the time eerily parallels the death of Edna and all that she stands for in the book. The message Chopin presents in her novel disturbed society because it called for the destruction of a familiar and comfortable way of life. This way of life was that of the patriarchy and social stratification based on perceived “status” that restricted freedoms. By making people feel uncomfortable with society, 12th Mila Jasper 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Chopin effectively advocates for change. Chopin portrays society as an oppressor and advocates for universal individual freedom by transforming Edna from a woman to a symbol for humanity; in doing so, Edna’s death becomes the death of humanity as a byproduct of social constructs, thereby causing the reader to question the righteousness of a world that murders humanity. The equal rights movement is a multi
faceted entity encompassing rights for African
Americans and other minorities, women, the LGBTQ community, and more. In all of these aspects, the ability for society to change in order to accept the equal freedoms of these groups is crucial. Once society changes its patterns to accept all of these types of inputs, it is easy to pass and follow laws that uphold the new pattern because society is already acclimated to it. It is why Justinian did not have to create an extensive legal system in his rule of the Byzantine empire; although they did have religious freedom, most everyone followed the teachings of the Orthodox church, so only general laws were necessary. Society ruled itself. This concept is difficult to apply to a society like the United States, which is much more conducive to diversity of thought because of its pledge to uphold individual freedom. Therefore, the key to changing societal patterns is by making the the principle that is being advocated for as universally accepted as possible. This idea is essential to the success of Chopin’s social commentary. For hundreds of years, the idea of slavery was a contested issue that did not even end properly with the Civil War. Abolitionists had a tough time making their arguments heard, as slavery had fit into the way of life for so long. Society as a whole was able to live with the obvious immorality of slavery because it was comfortable. Excuses were made to make the moral argument disappear, and the issue was prolonged. But in
T
he Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,
f
reed slave Frederick Douglass makes an extremely 12th Mila Jasper 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue successful argument by making society feel uncomfortable. He understood the values of society and took advantage of them. For example, the idea of the close
knit family unit was extremely important to people at the time. By discussing how his father was likely the owner of the plantation from which he came and the change the atmosphere of the Hugh’s household undertook as a result of contact with slavery, Douglass made people question the necessity of slavery. Because people did not want to give up their values, Douglass made them open to hearing the moral argument against slavery, as it clearly presented reason to free slaves and thereby offer a solution to all of their problems. Society would get to uphold its values and become more just; slaves would gain their freedom. Although Douglass’s argument was extremely effective because it was conducive to the environment within which he was writing, it was not universal. Because Douglass argued for immediate action, he had to target the immediate concerns of society to make them uncomfortable enough for relatively swift change, thereby limiting the universality of his moral argument. Values can change; humanity is both universal and eternal. In no other movement has this concept been more successfully understood than that of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The brilliance of a movement centered on peaceful protests can not be understated. Those with authority upholding segregation only had two options: either listen to the arguments of the protesters and make a rational rebuttal or cooperate, or shut down the movement. Because no rational argument exists that could possibly justify segregation under any circumstance, let alone in the face of the rhetoric of Martin Luther King, Jr., adversaries chose the second option. The violent retribution during the Bloody Sunday march, images of policemen firehosing peaceful 12th Mila Jasper 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue protesters, and King’s rousing love
infused speeches made in the shadow of hate all roused the empathy of what King calls the “white moderate” in his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” This empathy was the key that unlocked the path to success for the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. There would always be the extreme racists, whose minds refused to be changed. Conversely, there would always be steadfast, outspoken supporters of civil rights as well. But these groups were outliers; they functioned separately from the workings of society. The white moderate was the majority of society, so the functions of society were determined by how this group reacted to the events of the time. Obviously as disenfranchised members of society, African Americans could not change social constructs the way people treated as respected members of society would, by making a choice and waiting for everyone else to follow; instead, they had to operate outside of society in a way that would make the white moderate notice the injustice of their exclusionary practices. By appealing to the humanity of society, the Civil Rights movement forced the white moderate to take a position. No matter how close or far from either end of the spectrum any given individual of the white moderate was, it was undeniable that innocent lives were being destroyed by segregation. Because segregation was a function of society, society was guilty. This guilt made society uncomfortable, so society changed. In
T
he Awakening,
C
hopin elevates the idea of cultural change through appealing to society’s universal humanity. She does so by writing about a specific form of oppression in a way that makes Edna not only representative of that aspect of the fight for freedom, but representative of humanity. The brilliance of Chopin’s artistry lies in the universality of her message and her use of mankind’s self
preservation instinct. If humanity is not safe, every 12th Mila Jasper 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue individual is at risk. Thus, Chopin utilizes the self
preservation instinct of man to demonstrate the necessity of freedom for all. In order to achieve this, Chopin must break down all social constructs associated with women at the time. If Edna were too feminine, she would only effectively represent the interests of women. If she were too masculine, she would not effectively represent the interests of women. Chopin strikes a balance through ambiguity. Although Edna has to be a woman so that the reader can easily understand the overall theme through the lens of Edna’s story, Chopin subversively breaks down the border between man and woman so that all readers empathize with Edna’s story. On the most basic level, Edna is ambiguous physically. While Madame Ratignolle is described as “the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm” (Chopin Chp. 4), “possessing the more feminine and matronly figure” (Chopin Chp. 7) in comparison to Edna, Edna herself is described as “rather handsome than beautiful” (Chopin Chp. 2). Her eyebrows are described as “thick and almost horizontal” (Chopin Chp. 2). Generally speaking, women have thinner, groomed eyebrows with higher arches, while men’s are thicker and straighter. Using masculine imagery to describe a woman creates ambiguity that allows Edna to be representative of both man and woman. The reader can not force Edna to be conclusively male or female, they can only go off of what is in the text. As the text does not clearly define Edna’s persona as male or female, she comes to represent people rather than a type of person. This strategy is further developed by Edna’s interactions throughout the novel. She is motherly in an “uneven, impulsive way” (Chopin Chp. 7); as a parental figure she falls somewhere in between the perfect Creole mother, shown by Madame Ratignolle, and the remote 12th Mila Jasper 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue but loving parent, as demonstrated by Mr. Pontellier. While Madame Ratignolle worries of “drawers” for “winter wear” for her baby, Edna “[can] not see the use of anticipating and making winter night garments the subject of her summer meditations” (Chopin Chp. 4). However, Edna is not completely neglectful. When she goes to Iberville to visit her children, she “wept for very pleasure when she felt their little arms clasping her” (Chopin Chp. 32). Edna’s uneven relationship with her children mirrors the overall ambiguity of her character. She is not conclusively the doting mother of Creole society, but she does not reject motherhood. The bond of mother and child is intrinsic, and cannot be shaken, yet Edna is incapable of fulfilling the role of mother in the way her culture dictates is appropriate. This ambiguity shows that while Edna has trouble operating under the rules of society, her humanity never wavers. As well, Edna marvels as Madame Ratignolle “coquetted” with her father at the soiree musicale, while Edna herself felt “almost devoid of coquetry” (Chopin Chp. 23). The denotative meaning of “coquet” is too flirt; however, it is used almost exclusively to describe women flirting with men. For Edna to say that she lacks the ability to flirt as a girl would suggests that normal gender roles, which are social constructs, are not really applicable to her persona. However, she maintains her capacity to love, as evidenced by her love for her children and her affairs with Robert and Alcee Arobin. The ability to love is an essential part of human nature, and is not confined to a specific gender role of type of person as dictated by society. The power of love prevails, while social constructs serve no clear purpose other than to obstruct Edna’s freedom. Thus, Edna is the personification of humanity. Edna continually defies normal social interactions such as this. However, her biggest offense against societal norms
her relationships with Robert and Arobin

completes Edna’s
12th Mila Jasper 6 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue ambiguity. Edna completely disregards the teachings of Catholicism, the religion held near and dear to the hearts of Creoles, when she cheats on Leonce. Even without factoring in religion, cheating is generally considered immoral. Therefore, she does not stand for neither any one religion nor any one set of morals. Despite the steadfastness of morals and the eternality of religion, these concepts are both social constructs, albeit powerful and long
lasting ones. However, morals and religion are not universal. By operating outside of these constructs, Edna shows finalizes her position as a symbol of humanity. She proves that even society’s most powerful constructs are less than the intrinsic power of love. What could be more human than love?
Romeo and Juliet
taught that love cannot be confined, and that lesson still holds true. It is human nature to love. Through her ambiguity, Edna demonstrates the universality of humanity. This universality gives humanity power over social constructs, because social constructs are arbitrary and humanity is an intrinsic power. Through her ambiguity, Edna becomes humanity personified. Therefore, Edna’s death becomes a powerful statement. The problem of oppression that Chopin is attacking is not just putting the continuation of social values at risk, as in
T
he Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,
o
r appealing to humanity through the death of innocent lives, as in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, but causing the death of the humanity as a result of oppression. This appeals to the self
interested nature of man, for if one individual dies because of a societal punishment for exercising humanity, there is nothing to stop society from punishing everyone else for exercising their humanity. Humanity is universal, thereby putting everyone at risk under a system that allows for the death of humanity. 12th Mila Jasper 7 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue This principle is what allows Chopin to prove the need for universal freedom. In Thomas Foster’s “Never Stand Next to the Hero” chapter in
H
ow to Read Literature Like a Professor,
h
e writes that the death of the sidekick is often upsetting to readers, because everyone likes the bestfriend. He also writes that the death of the sidekick usually brings out the qualities in the hero that result in a happy ending. In other words, the death of the sidekick catalyzes a needed change in the hero that results in a positive conclusion. Chopin uses the hero
/sidekick formula with the death of Edna. However, she alters the formula so that Edna’s death demonstrates the evils of an oppressive society. Edna dies, society lives on. Therefore, Edna is the sidekick and society is the hero. While society is heroic in that it stands for its fundamental morals, Edna’s suicide forces the reader to ask what went wrong. Edna is the main character, she is not supposed to die. Furthermore, Edna represents humanity. Humanity is supposed to be eternal. But Edna killed herself as a result of societal pressures. Therefore, the “hero” killed the “sidekick”. This is not how the hero
/sidekick dynamic is supposed to work. This makes the reader uncomfortable; the hero turned out the be the villain. Not only that, but the villain is not just out to take lives. The villain is out to kill human nature. The formula is enabling a villain; something is broken. Society is broken. 12th Mila Jasper 8 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Chopin, Kate.
T
he Awakening
.
Dover Thrift Editions. Dover Publications, 1993. Print. Douglass, Frederick.
T
he Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Barnes & Noble Classics. Barnes & Noble Books, 2003. Print. K
ing Jr., Maritn Luther
.
"Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]."
A
frican Studies Center
University of Pennsylvania. Ali B. Ali
Denar. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. 12th Mila Jasper 9 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue You Did the Crime, But Do You
Really
Have to Do the Time? Mira Lee Grade 12 AP Literature January 30, 2016 The United States justice system has become a cesspool of classist corruption as the big evade jail while watching from above on their high and mighty thrones and the little are too often cooped up in cells, robbed of years and years of their lives because of onetime mistakes much smaller than the deeds of the rich and greedy. There was a twenty year old who faced a life sentence for giving out brownies with marijuana laced in them while there are people who murder others in cold blood and get 25 years which pales in comparison. There is reform that must be made and hundreds of examples of how to do it, but perhaps none as unorthodox and distinctive as Fyodor Dostoevsky’s in
Crime and Punishment,
which may have been written before this time of corruption but could have been used to prevent it
.
He explores two different philosophies that coexist in 1860s St. Petersburg where crime is rampant and punishment is seemingly inevitable for all, even though these contrasting beliefs can cause each person’s perception of crime to be different. What is criminal to one may not be criminal to another. Therefore, in order to imply that crime is relative, Dostoevsky highlights fundamental differences between utilitarianism and retributivism by embodying them into opposing characters that often conflict because of these views, therefore suggesting that since crime is individual, it is only when one breaks their own moral code that they truly deserve punishment. Throughout the novel, Raskolnikov justifies his morally ambiguous actions with utilitarianism, a philosophy built upon the premise that whatever action maximizes the amount of people who benefit from it is the best, implying that the ends do justify the means if the end is 12th Mira Lee 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue the happiness of the general society (“Punishment—Theories of Punishment”). He rationalizes the murder of Alyona Ivanovna after hearing a student equating the death of Ivanovna to “simple arithmetic” because “for one life thousands would be saved from corruption and decay” (Dostoevsky 68). From this eavesdropping incident, Raskolnikov gets the idea to murder her since others too believe that it would be for the better of society. This in itself is the perfect example of utilitarianism: through one person, many others will gain happiness. Raskolnikov thinks that the murder would be justified because Ivanovna is a wealthy pawnshop keeper and if she were to die and her riches to be dispersed, many others would escape “corruption and decay” by profiting from her demise. In his mind, this one crime is justified by the fact it would guarantee so much good and it would not require punishment because in a utilitarianist’s eyes, and his eyes, he would be doing the world a favor by killing her. In fact, Raskolnikov so much embodies the principle of utilitarianism that when he does not abide by it, he has a mental break. Whereas Ivanovna’s murder was “without effort” and Raskolnikov was “particularly calm and collected” after it, her sister’s murder was one he made in “terrible haste,” causing him to “completely [lose] his head” (Dostoevsky 84). This abrupt shift in mood marks how irrational and reckless he became when surprised by the sister’s unexpected arrival, making the hasty decision to kill her. He had no utilitarian justification behind it, simply only doing it for his own benefit so he would not get caught. It is obvious that he too knows that this was a senseless mistake because he “completely lost his head,” knowing he broke his own moral code and that this was not something that could go without punishment. Therefore, Dostoevsky shows how in Raskolnikov’s mind, he did not think he had to undergo any negative consequences for Ivanovna’s murder because he acted for the better of society. However, even he knows he has 12th Mira Lee 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue made an immoral mistake when murdering the innocent sister as later, Raskolnikov loses his wits over what has occurred, therefore hinting at how it is not when someone breaks the law that they should be punished but when they break their own moral code. Porfiry Petrovitch is the detective in charge of investigating the murder case and the main antagonist as Dostoevsky uses this character as a tool to illustrate the philosophy of retributivism, opposing Raskolnikov’s philosophy. Even his line of work in the justice system complements this belief that people should be punished for their actions simply because they deserve to be. Whereas utilitarianists believe punishment is at times unnecessary because crime can be justified if it means bettering society as a whole, retributivists believe that the crime itself is the problem as it has upset the balance of society and only punishment can restore it (Greenawalt 348). Kent Greenawalt, professor at Columbia Law School, illustrates this concept by stating that through this principle, if a society on an island is about to disband but has found out that one member of the society is a murderer, the society must punish the murderer and wait as the criminal suffers through a jail sentence before disbanding because the criminal deserves punishment no matter what (348). This is also the viewpoint of Porfiry Petrovitch. When talking about one murderer and his struggle to feign innocence, he mused that
“
through a law of nature he can’t escape me if he had anywhere to go
”
(Dostoevsky 338). Petrovitch firmly believes that the man will inevitably receive punishment for what he has done because it is what he deserves. In his eyes, it is “a law of nature” that punishment will follow when there is crime, no matter how far away he runs from it. Petrovitch also used the analogy of a moth and said that the criminal would “keep circling round and round [him]… He’ll fly straight into my mouth and I’ll swallow him” (Dostoevsky 339). He believes that all criminals deserve punishment and even 12th Mira Lee 3 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue more so that criminals will even drive themselves insane trying to escape the inevitable punishment that is to follow and that justice will always be there to “swallow” them and make them suffer for their actions. This is also why Petrovitch employed the entirely psychological take he did when trying to apprehend Raskolnikov, causing him to turn himself in by the end because he believed that even the criminals knew they could not evade the consequences. However, Petrovitch had grown a little fond of Raskolnikov, seeing the potential that he could have had if he had not resorted to a life of crime and deceit, which is why Petrovitch urged him to surrender to the police as it would be “infinitely more to [Raskolnikov’s] advantage” since it would lessen his sentence (Dostoevsky 452). Even this itself is a retributive act. He likes Raskolnikov and wants him to suffer as little as possible. However, because of his beliefs, he cannot just let him go without any consequences. His retributive mindset is that no matter who the criminal is, they must always receive punishment because of their actions. Thus, Raskolnikov must be punished. And in the end, he is. But the audience does not know if it is because it is what he deserved, as a retributivist would say, or if it is because he acted selfishly and not selflessly when killing Ivanovna’s sister, as a utilitarianist would say. Curiously enough, the author hints that the answer is not so clearcut. Dostoevsky illustrates two contradicting, paradoxically coexisting philosophies of crime and punishment in order to question if humans should really be subject to one set code of conduct. Two philosophies can certainly coexist and end up with one result that agrees with both philosophies, like in the case of Raskolnikov and Petrovitch. Furthermore, he implies that someone only deserves to be punished when he or she breaks his or her own moral code. For 12th Mira Lee 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue wants and does not care about who he hurts or even how he manages to do it, “not particularly interested in anyone else’s opinion” and never “[considering] it necessary to justify [himself]” (Dostoevsky 282, 270). He has never gotten punishment for any of his wrongdoings, a list comprising of sins from being unfaithful to his wife to molesting a child. He manages to evade punishment and even feelings of guilt each time because in the end, his only moral guideline is that no matter what he does or how he does it, he must please himself and get what he wants. Dostoevsky is proving here how one is not to be punished unless they break their own moral code and Svidrigailov is always getting what he wants, therefore staying true to his own beliefs. To him, being happy in the end justifies being deceitful and immoral. However, when Dunya, the person he wants most, rejects him, this moral code has been broken and consequently, his spirit. Svidrigailov has always been one to live the lavish life, giving away money and living at his servants’ expense, but after the rejection, he chooses to stay the night in a “lowpitched” room that was “shabby,” “torn and dusty” (Dostoevsky 498). By uncharacteristically choosing a place of such filth and untidiness, Svidrigailov shows that he is rather ashamed and is punishing himself, something outoftheordinary that he has not done thus far. He is not isolating himself and committing suicide as an act of selfpreservation or so that Dunya will feel pity for him but because he realizes this is what he deserves since he has failed his own goal in his life—to get what he wants. Svidrigailov, without a doubt, is an immoral man who acts sinfully and without regard for any other character’s feelings but never dealt with any negative consequences throughout the book because his means were justified since they helped him get to the only end he felt was right: pleasing himself. Therefore, by Svidrigailov only undergoing punishment when he has lost Dunya, Dostoevsky implies that each person’s morality is an individual set of ideas 12th Mira Lee 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue and beliefs and that these will conflict from person to person. It is only when one individual has violated their own code of conduct that they should be punished because they have then broken their own personal “laws.” Though Dostoevsky solidifies his viewpoint well, it is hard for anyone to think a world where this type of justice is dealt out could ever exist, a society in which people could unashamedly be themselves even if it meant being immoral and horrible. Imagine a world where racists did not have to apologize for their casual everyday harassment of other people because they would be “entitled to their beliefs.” Imagine a world where government officials did not have to apologize for corruption because to them, their deceit would be for the “wellbeing of the country.” Imagine a world where every day, there were people who committed unapologetic terrorism and no one would stop them... Then again, no one has to really imagine these things because this is the world society lives in today. 1860s Russia has never hit so close to home. 12th Mira Lee 6 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Greenawalt, Kent. "Punishment."
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
74.2 (1983): 348. Web. 2 Jan 2016. “Punishment—Theories of Punishment.”
Law Library.
2012. Web. 3 Jan 2016. 12th Mira Lee 7 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Something Bleaker Than Crime or Punishment Madeleine McCafferty Grade 12 AP Literature January 28, 2016 Carl Jung, a Swiss psychotherapist from the 1800s, concluded that the “unconscious is a process,” and the harmony between one’s ego and unconscious trigger the advancement, or, “more precisely, a real metamorphosis, of the psyche” (The Jung Page). Jung’s theory on the expansion of the psyche suggests an alchemic relationship between an individual’s ego and their unconscious. Alchemy is a medieval chemical science study with the intention to turn “base metals into gold,” as well as “discovering a universal cure for diseases” and “[discover] a means of indefinitely prolonging life” (MerriamWebster Dictionary). Carl Jung’s idea of the metamorphosis of the human psyche, coinciding with the principles of alchemy, can be regarded in three different ways. When it comes to the alchemic investigation of turning “metals into gold,” Jung alludes to a process quite similar, where a harmony between one’s unconscious and ego can create some sort of success or achieve a goal, much like the alchemist’s aspiration to turn ordinary substances into gold. With the right combination of substances, an alchemic mixture may yield success; however, failure was a concept prevalent in this scientific investigation. Much like Rodion Raskolnikov from the Russian novel
Crime and Punishment
, who was characterized as a onceaspiring lawyer, fallen off the path of education and progress to pursue a life of discomfort and alienation, a lethal combination of Raskolnikov’s attributes challenges that “metamorphosis” of the character. The combination of Raskolnikov’s ego and his evident yet charming superiority complex, his urge for something
more
than what he has been “given,” and 12th Madeleine McCafferty 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue his existential thoughts, when mixed with his natural gift for abstract and complex thought, offer a dangerous array of possibilities for the fate of Raskolnikovincluding, but not limited to, “gold.” The second and third principles having to do with the infusion of Carl Jung’s philosophies and the principles of alchemy are rather similar. The study of alchemy also seeks to discover cures for all universal diseases, while also desiring to prolong life. When put into the perspective of Carl Jung’s theory, one that may for the time being be referred to as the “Metamorphosis Principle,” (just for the purposes of this analysis), the interconnectedness of nihilism and existentialism. While an existentialist, such as Raskolnikov, seeks to eliminate the questions, or the “disease” that is protruding human existence (the general “Who am I? Why are we here?” phenomenon that has plagued mankind since mankind
became
mankind), nihilists reject the idea of existence, and like alchemists, seek to defy the structures discovered and set up by humans, such as the concept of time and life, to create something new. With the combination of these contrasting views, nihilism and existentialism, it can be suggested that these principles cannot necessarily exist without the other. Much like how gold cannot become gold without first the existence of a simple metal (as alchemists theorize, anyways), an existentialist cannot exist without the presence of nihilistic thoughts and ideas. In relation to
Crime and Punishment,
Dostoevsky plays with the duality of Raskolnikov’s potential and utilizes the lethal combination of attributes, a direct connection to the aforementioned Metamorphosis Principle, to exemplify the beauty of a destructive human being, worn by the weight of possibility and promise. As a dynamic character, with a powerful combination of odds engulfing his existence, Raskolnikov is faced with a rather alchemic 12th Madeleine McCafferty 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue identityone that has produced greatness in the past, considering his published work on justice and violence, yet one that was equally successful in murdering innocent people, suggesting that perhaps one identity cannot properly exist without the other. Furthermore, Raskolnikov’s relationship with existentialism can be considered a sort of alchemic mixture. With his existential thoughts, Raskolnikov experiences an existential crisis, or an existential way of thinking as a result of noticing a failure of society, coexisting harmoniously with the possibilities of both turning to something valuable, or equally invaluable. These coexisting possibilities can be a prime causation of anxiety for Raskolnikov; knowing that there are two routes, two options, harmoniously intertwined and having the responsibility to control his thoughts and impulses. Raskolnikov notes that “they are making the most of...a mine they’ve dug there! They’ve wept over it and grown used to it” (Dostoevsky 27). Contrasting “mine” and “wept,” it can be noted that Raskolnikov views the mine, which is an implication of the possibility of a positive outcome (gold), or a negative (nothing), he is automatically assuming the worst, which is why he is saying “wept.” However, he says that “they are making the most of it.” Raskolnikov, in this noteworthy discussion on society’s values, reveals through word choice that he considers that they have been digging for value in a place where there is none. After trying and trying, society concludes to failure, and has “grown” used to that, which implies that they have once expected more. He then in the end of the chapter discusses “prejudice, simply artificial terrors...no barriers” which reveal that these are the societal values that exist within the mine (Dostoevsky 27). Terrors over money and status, a place in the world, things that Raskolnikov has concluded are “artificial.” People dig for them, knowing now they yield no results, and have not for a long time, but continue to “make the most of it” because they know nothing else. 12th Madeleine McCafferty 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Not only do the principles that Raskolnikov holds close to his heart convey the characteristic of an alchemic state of mind or being, his unconscious physical actions display a similar idea. His body, and there how he seems to the outside world, often appears to be under constant attack, almost as if two opposing forces are battling for full control. Much like what Carl Jung hypothesized about the relationship between one’s unconscious and their psyche, the physical implications of the duality of Raskolnikov’s unconscious serve as evidence for his alchemic existence. In a conversation with his family, when asking the question, “‘Why, are you all afraid of me?’” Raskolnikov’s demeanor becomes uncomfortable, as he poses his question with a “constrained smile” (Dostoevsky 229). Raskolnikov’s unconscious encourages his facial features to regard the idea of his family fearing him as something positive, as he “smiles” almost instinctively after asking such a acrimonious question to his supposed loved ones. However, the positive reaction become faltered, unwelcomed on his face and producing an expression that is unnatural and forced. In the context of alchemy, Raskolnikov’s unconscious fundamentals of nihilism and existentialism come into play. On one hand, he perseveres a disconnect between himself and his familyadopting a menacing and detached demeanor that forces any sort of relationship out of the question. However, reveals by the facial expressions his unconscious produces, part of Raskolnikov is fighting for maintaining a relationship with his family and therefore is trying to dissolve this idea of a positive reaction towards the deterioration of relationships. Raskolnikov’s smile, as simple a gesture it is, reveals an alchemic relationship with two contrasting ideas of how humans can exist. Once, in his smile was “a flash of real unfeigned feeling,” another instance where Raskolnikov’s unconscious desires to outplay the nihilistic 12th Madeleine McCafferty 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue approach to life that have become the dominant idea in his mind (Dostoevsky 229). In this moment, a more existential type perspective comes forth, where a state of being is addressed and emotions are prominent, and that disconnect that Raskolnikov has been encouraging slips away. The pureness of human vulnerability comes out in this small amount of time, as an “unfeigned feeling” overcomes Raskolnikov as he attempts to adopt another of those uncomfortable “smiles.” With an unaffected and unassuming emotion, the harmony between his unconscious and ego become unbalanced, revealing that there truly is a combination of “goods and evils” that contribute to who Raskolnikov is. His smile was also “worked, as though in
convulsion,
” yet another instance displaying the conflict Raskolnikov has with the concoction of principles clouding his brain and fighting to dominate (Dostoevsky 229). It is important to consider the word choice for that phrase, especially the use of the word “convulsion.” Aside from the typical definition of the word involving atypical body movements, “convulsions” are describe political or social upheavals that are oftentimes violent. This adds a true “battlefield” type imagery to the inner conflict that Raskolnikov has, fighting between two different principles and ideologies that directly contrast with one another. In an internal upheaval, the sudden and irregular facial moments, the forced smiles, and the “unfeigned” body moments all become symptoms of the internal war that engulfs both his unconscious and his conscious. Perhaps there is a certain type of individual who is plagued with the crises of existentialism and nihilism, and the Metamorphosis Principle that follows. An “alchemic individual,” one whose beliefs and ideas of the world contrast and question one another within the realm of their own mind must take a certain type of skill, or a certain type of skill level. The author of
Crime and Punishment
, Fyodor Dostoevsky, once noted,

“Pain and suffering are 12th Madeleine McCafferty 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart...” and when relating Dostoevsky’s belief to his creation of the character Raskolnikov, he may be hinting at the idea of Raskolnikov being a gifted, or advanced reasoning and logical type person (Goodreads.com). It can be noted throughout the development of the character of Raskolnikov that he often displays a rather distant and strungout personality. Raskolnikov often “participates” in real life situations he is faced by simply being there physically, however his actions exemplify that he may be “somewhere else,” or combatting his own internal crises. According to GiftedAdults.com, “Gifted adults have a special problem awareness. They have the ability to predict consequences, see relationships, and foresee problems which are likely to occur,” and tend to establish their own version of a just world and participate in that capacity. Raskolnikov, along with the idea that he is indeed a gifted adult, operates under his own idea of a just and idealized world. When faced with the realities of what the world is really like, based on perhaps a conversation or interaction that cannot be predicted or projected, Raskolnikov, like many gifted adults, discovers they simply cannot process scenarios that do not align with their idea of the world they live in. One particular scene stands out to illustrate this, when Raskolnikov “Stood in the middle of the room and gazed in miserable bewilderment about him,” and “walked to the door, opened it, listened; but that was not what he wanted…” (Dostovesky 129). Without any particular context or reasonings for his “miserable bewilderment,” the word choice describes the relationship Raskolnikov, as a gifted individual, has with his world. A gifted individual is one who see undoubtedly that the world is not fulfilling its potential, while simultaneously investigating the ideas of how the world should be. The balance between idealism and nihilism existing within a gifted person may produce an existentialism, or 12th Madeleine McCafferty 6 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue living off of existential principles. A gifted individual that experiences an existential crisis may be a direct result of this everyday thought process interrupted by “personal loss of an identifiable beingintheworld that makes ego syntonic sense to them” (SENG). In a perhaps constant state of “miserable bewilderment,” or a slow, taunting edge everpresent in Raskolnikov’s mind, where is unsatisfied with his world and sees where his idea of life and the realities of living clash, Raskolnikov truly sees existences through an existentially gifted point of view. Though many individuals may too understand the universe through a bewildered state, a state of awe and confusion for their existence, mixed in with a sense of misery is when the idea of a gifted existentialist comes into play. Having the complex to understand that the world is a puzzling place, while simultaneously empathizing with this torturous idea of the unknown, Raskolnikov participates with the world on a higher level, with a certain depth that no other character in the novel can even begin to understand. With that coexistence of nihilism and existentialism (once again, going back to the idea of the alchemic individual), a true gifted or advanced thinker is able to balance both the idea of universal hopelessness as well as the understanding and appreciation for the unknown, while living in this permanent, drear state of “miserable bewilderment.” The second part of that scene, where Raskolnikov “walked to the door, opened it, listened; but that was not what he wanted…” illustrates this sort of distant, methodical way of searching for something that almost seems inevitably lost. However, with no true subject identifier to establish
what
exactly Raskolnikov is looking for, an abstract idea, or something conceptually unreachable, may be the source for Raskolnikov’s anguished search. Without a true grasp on what is missing that Raskolnikov seems to need, the moment he wakes up from a sickening slumber, weighs heavily upon him as his expectations for discovering that “thing” 12th Madeleine McCafferty 7 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue heighten. What
is
it?, the reader demands throughout this short yet significant scenewhat is it that he is looking for? On an abstract level, Raskolnikov opening the “door” may be an allusion to his mind inviting new ideas and concepts to help reform his idea, or his own perspective, on the world. He is not appreciative, and does not accept ideas that may dilute his original thoughts, howeverhe does not close the door. Raskolnikov hears what he does not like, acknowledges its existence while simultaneously identifying that it was not something he wanted to be listening to, and walks away, without shutting off the idea completely. As a gifted individual, while Raskolnikov maintains his own sense of reality, and his own idea of right and wrong, he has a large enough capacity to understand different ideas while acknowledging that they do not fit into what he considers a “just” world. As someone who once endeavored into the world of law and justice, writing a paper and being an active member of his community and university, Raskolnikov abruptly shed himself of his identity as a college student, a lawyer, and even a member of his family. A systematic stripping of one’s old identity, in turn for a life of searching, anguish, and fear of the complex thoughts that seem to be assaulting every instance of Raskolnikov’s life, exemplify the true struggles of a gifted individual. There is a point, in many gifted people’s lives, where the formation of existential thoughts (that are a result of a natural complex for abstract ideas and reasoning), develops into something much morea life dictated by the taunting idea that there is something
more
to the universe than the version a gifted individual creates in their mind. Though Raskolnikov’s tale involving alchemy and existentialism, as well as giftedness, produce something far from the beautiful concept of gold, a precious metal, the overall tale of alchemy provides for a peaceful ending to an otherwise tragic journey for our 12th Madeleine McCafferty 8 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue lover of crime, and equally so, punishment. The “end goals” of the alchemic process, all wrapped up into one phrase, is often historically referred to as the “Philosopher’s stone.” However, the Corpus Hermeticum, a series of ancient EgyptianGreek texts, furthers quite a different purpose to the Philosopher’s stone, outlining its purpose at a metaphorical sense. The ancient writing,
Alchemy & The Philosopher's Stone
, states that the stone “is a symbol of incorruptible wisdom achieved by uniting both rational, intellectual thinking” and “intuitive knowing of the heart” (Woodville). In Raskolnikov’s world, despite the evil concoction created from the mix of his attributeshis intelligence, his keen sense of morality, as well as his overwhelming ability to listen to his instinctsalong with the murmurs of his unconscious, he had truly reached his own version of the Philosopher’s stone. For Raskolnikov, as a gifted and advancedthinking individual, challenging the familiar and concrete moralities that comfort a majority of humanity, he combined both his rationale with his own “knowing of the heart.” In a very obvious clash between Raskolnikov’s unconscious and his ego (that mysterious alchemic combination), he refers to the murder he committed as a “grotesque blunder,” however, after some consideration and the association of the word “freedom,” with “prison,” he comes to the conclusion that his actions were not, in fact, were not mistaken, but intentional (Dostoevsky 536). And in that very moment, Raskolnikov reached his Philosopher's stone, grasping it in his uncomfortable and wary mind, now settling in the fact that his unconscious and ego revealed that nothing he did was an accident, and he had every intention to break the barrier of the commonly known human morality to not disrupt the natural cycle of death. Despite this, author P.T. Mistlberger concludes something about alchemy that aligns more with the story of Raskolnikov. He notes that in the process of alchemy, “the primal 12th Madeleine McCafferty 9 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue material is that which remains when something has been reduced to its essence and can be reduced no further” (Mistlberger). Raskolnikov, now at a place where his conscious and ego no longer need to buzz around, searching for a harmonic mixture, may no longer further his giftedness, nor develop his existentialist theories. Combination after combination of nihilism and existentialism, worn down to its bare minimum, Raskolnikov’s mind and existence has been reduced to a “primal material” that no longer receives the same weight that it once did. Locked away in the justice system that had been pestering the alchemic and gifted Raskolnikov, he now exists merely in the shortcomings of his reasoninghis definition of “freedom” is to remain trapped in the system that he believed oppressed him, and that is how it will remain. Now, enveloped in a realm where he is to understand what he had done wrong, or incredibly right if one decides to operate under Raskolnikov’s principles of “right and wrong,” in his place exists the “essence” of Raskolnikovafter all, his job here is done. 12th Madeleine McCafferty 10 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited "Alchemy." MerriamWebster. MerriamWebster. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. "Ancient Writings." World Mysteries. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. "Characteristics of Gifted Adults." Gifted, Talented & Creative Adults. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. "Existential Depression in Gifted Individuals « SENG." SENG. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. "The Jung Page Home." The Jung Page Home. The Jung Page: Reflections on Psychology, Culture, and Life. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. "P.T. Mistlberger." P.T. Mistlberger. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. "A Quote from Crime and Punishment." Goodreads. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. 12th Madeleine McCafferty 11 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Does the Pharmaceutical Industry Exist To Serve the Greater Good and Eradicate Disease, or Has It Become an Increasingly ProfitDriven Entity That Falls Under the Umbrella of Corporate Capitalism? Shanker Narayan Grade 12 Dual Enrollment April 2016 In his famous Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln envisioned an America that would operate of the people, by the people, and for the people. Today, America has increasingly become a product of selfinterested corporations, a nation controlled by the powerful, and a home to corrupt politics and business practices. We are a nation that thrives under capitalism, an economic practice that has for so many years prompted innovation, brought out the best in each and every individual, and allowed our nation to stay afloat in an increasingly competitive global market. Without a doubt, capitalism has brought many good things to the United States and has done great things for people all across the world; despite this, however, our fascination with the idea of a free market has often caused us to overlook some of its inherent flaws, flaws that are especially apparent in one particular area: the pharmaceutical industry. The end goal of current capitalist models is making profits rather than producing or selling goods at a price or quantity that is socially optimal. In other words, if a drug exists to completely eradicate a widespread epidemic in an impoverished area of the world, pharmaceutical or drug companies will simply refuse to release it to the market out of fear that it will not generate the necessary revenue. Making money is a key part of a successful business, but it is unjust, unethical, and inhumane to prioritize capital gains over an individual’s life. When the head of a pharmaceutical company is able to charge $750 for a $13.50 pill (a 5000% increase in price) because people depend on it just to see the light of another day, we can clearly see that the 12th Shanker Narayan 1 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue corporate compassion towards humanity is slowly diminishing [2]. When human life becomes less valuable than a printable commodity, we should be able to recognize that the businesses and industries that were once made to stimulate human progress have actually become its inhibitors. Does the federal government or any other agency have a moral obligation to value human life over basic capitalist freedom? Should there be any intervention into corporate America? If so, how much intervention is too much/too little? What are the long term implications facing society, both within our nation and around the world, as well as the government for the decision that they make? Capitalism, free will, and individualism are all things that must be preserved, but it is important to realize that a lack of regulation and oversight over many of today’s business could be detrimental to the health, safety, and justice of millions of people. From a purely economic standpoint, the American and global free markets have operated through the principles of supply and demand. Essentially, if there is a consumer desire or preference for a certain product or service, producers all around the world would swarm to make their clientele happy. In terms of pharmaceuticals, however, pure demand for a product is simply not enough; widespread disease, overcrowded and unhygienic hospital facilities, and millions of deaths every year have barely caused major players in the industry to budge. Why? Because there is no glaring opportunity to make a profit, something that many pharmaceutical companies often highlight as the most important part of their business model. The success that the industry has experienced in recent years, which mainly stems from the false notion that these companies have only positively impacted the quality of the healthcare industry, has allowed it to be relatively shielded from close inspection of its pricing strategies and economic structure [2]. According to a paper published in the American Journal of Law and Medicine, “through patents, 12th Shanker Narayan 2 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue trademarks, and extensive advertising campaigns, the pharmaceutical industry has created a market characterized not by price or quality competition, but by competition based on promotionally achieved product differentiation and the introduction of newer, higher priced products” [2]. Through the development of a wide array of drugs that practically have the same purpose, the industry has been able to devise its very own pricing strategy and make some more expensive than others in order to increase their market share on medications. In the eyes of the public, this not only sends a false message that the pharmaceutical industry is invested in providing optimal care and prices by offering cheaper alternatives, but it also creates the perception that the more expensive drugs are effective and relatively inexpensive (in relation to getting treated by a doctor) alternatives to hospitalization [2]. Aside from fluctuations in price, false advertising, and failures to concur with the basic laws of supply and demand, the pharmaceutical industry has secretly mastered another tactic that has made them more corrupt than ever: eliminating consumer control of the market. Though we primarily think of the pharmaceutical industry's obligation to release new drugs onto the market every year, they essentially have the ability to shape demand in their own way for their own products, and are able to mold the rules and laws set in a place in a manner that works primarily to their benefit. From a political standpoint, for example, lobbyists have formed strong interest groups and organizations, donated millions of dollars, and created “contracts” with many pharmaceutical executives and government officials to increase their annual tax credits, reduce the standards for the drug approval process, and maintain secrecy over their clinical trials as well as the data connected from these trials [3]. In fact, despite many developed drugs themselves being protected by patents, several major companies have found ways to proliferate those drugs 12th Shanker Narayan 3 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue into our everyday, brand name products, essentially enabling drug companies to create and sustain leading positions in certain drug markets [3]. While we do see several different brands for the same medication (i.e Ibuprofen), many of the brands that are featured are essentially branches of a select few parent companies. This gives consumers the perception that they have several choices when it comes to selecting what drug they want to purchase when in reality, the monopolistic/oligopolistic structure sets the final price for the market. Consumers have very little sway when it comes to influencing the price of specific drugs, for the parent companies are essentially granted full liberty to continue raising prices and profits as they please. Consumers not only find themselves in a helpless position when it comes to the pricing of drugs, but are also often misinformed and exploited when it comes to the promotion and presentation of medications as well. When pharmaceutical companies look for avenues to promote and introduce their products to the market, they essentially try to identify opportunities where they can “infiltrate” the health field. Though this might seem difficult at first, over the years, it has actually become quite commonplace. In health care, there is a large information gap between consumers and vendors, there are many uncertainties in diagnoses and outcomes, insurance companies and indirect payments have allowed people to game the system, and finally, when life is at stake, the framing of issues as well as the shameless self promotion of drugs often are more successful when they appeal directly to emotions rather than one’s conscience and rationality [6]. While it is both practical and justifiable for profit maximization to be one of the forefront goals for many industries, some industries inherently have a greater responsibility and level of accountability to society, pharmaceuticals being a prime example. When the needs and demands of the people are systematically ignored, the business essentially loses meaning, 12th Shanker Narayan 4 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue making it easier for companies to make unethical decisions, and having money be the driving force for the majority of business decisions. While it would seem as if many of the corrupt business practices would occur through direct interactions between the consumers and the industry itself, several pharmaceutical companies have found an indirect channel through which they are able to market their drugs: physicians and researchers. The relationship between pharmaceutical companies, the academic community, and medical professionals is often overshadowed, but for years, pharmaceutical companies have been sponsoring clinical trials and funding basic research, and they often even subsidize the cost of postgraduate education for many professionals in exchange for being able to deliver information regarding their products [4]. Both the volume and cost of research are increasing at a rapid pace; the research that needs to be done on some of today’s most pressing diseases (AIDS, cancer, etc.) require sophisticated technology and complex equipment with high acquisition and maintenance costs [1]. Since many of these technologies are not feasible considering the allotted research budget by the federal government and many universities, support from the industry becomes a virtual necessity. In 2003, for example, 57% of funding for all biomedical research came from industry/pharmaceutical sources within the United States [1]. In comparison, the NIH (National Institute of Health), a public organization, only funded 28% of all biomedical research. In addition, a recent European Study called the Resource Allocation to Brain Research in Europe examined the funding for brain related diseases and their cures [5]. Out of a total of 315 million British pounds that were spent on research, 308 million came from investments through the pharmaceutical industry, whereas public funding was only estimated to be around 7 million [1]. While the government still controls many of the resources and factors of 12th Shanker Narayan 5 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue production for pharmaceutical research around the world, it is very difficult to ignore the influence that the private sector and corporations have had on the development and delivery of healthcare technology and medications. The private sector is good for many things, but an over involvement by the pharmaceutical industry in the health and lives of people all across the world makes the industry and research community more susceptible to market failures. Health care should be sparingly intermingled with ideas such as profit, selfinterest, tax credits, and special interest effects, and the more significant the relationship between industry and academia becomes, the more prone our medical facilities are to becoming profit driven machines versus institutions of public health and safety. The interaction between pharmaceutical companies and the research community has had some influence in terms of how drugs are produced, where drugs are produced, and the costs of drugs in the market, but the interaction that the industry has had with physicians and medical professionals has raised questions about the ethics of physician prescribing behavior and the promotion of medications. Since physicians are largely indifferent to the prices of the pharmaceutical products that they prescribe, major pharmaceutical parent companies see them as attractive targets in the distribution of certain drugs. On average, the pharmaceutical industry spends $42 billion every year on advertising and targeting their products towards physicians, which on average is an estimated $61,000 dollars towards influencing the physician's prescribing habits and profit generation [3]. Within the industry itself, there has been an enormous misalignment between public health concerns and financial incentives. Practices such as “offlabel promotion,” which involves the promotion of products outside of their intended use as declared by the FDA, have become more prevalent as an attempt by drug manufacturers to curb 12th Shanker Narayan 6 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue the existing rules and laws that exist within the industry to self promote their product. Companies have started to offer kickbacks, such as honoraria, entertainment, and vacations to attractive locations, to physicians who market their specific drug to their patients; as a result, many medical professionals have been goaded into abandoning their moral beliefs and code of ethics, prescribing drugs that might be ineffective or even harmful just to receive some form of personal benefit [3]. Not only do consumers and insurance companies face the brunt of the costs for high priced, substandard medication, but hospitals and physicians themselves are essentially left in a bind when it comes to the decisions that they make. The funding to uphold the management and operations costs of the hospitals, which also happens to be the place of work for many physicians and specialists, has become increasingly reliant on privatelydonated endowments and gifts towards infrastructure [1]. This has led to several debates in the past years over whether the administration of health care has fallen victim to physician and institutional bias, but with hospitals around the world being dependent on money from the private sector, many find themselves in an increasingly difficult situation. As stated earlier, the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and major research organizations is often overlooked, as many times, they’re seen simply as two different entities. In recent years, however, people are seeing that they are increasingly mutually interdependent, one benefitting through large sums of funding, and the other through relatively inexpensive and quick medical research [4]. The pharmaceutical industry has created a monopolistic economic structure of its own, has devolved into major profitdriven, parent companies that falsely advertise consumer choice, and has twisted the law into a way that has allowed for their endless promotion of their products to both research communities and medical institutions; one side, however, that 12th Shanker Narayan 7 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue has yet to be explored in great detail is the ethics and morality behind their business practices. Several large pharmaceutical companies, such as Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Pfizer have consistently been outsourcing their clinical trials to third world countries [7]. In fact, the New England Journal of Medicine reported in 2009 that conducting a trial at an academic medical center in India, for example, costs less than a tenth of a cost of a trial in the United States. Clinical trials in the developing world have failed to receive clear consent from patients, inform them about potential risks, and compensate them for their cooperation [7]. Furthermore, it remains uncertain whether data collected in these trials abroad are even applicable at home [7]. Since cultural barriers, language barriers, and simple desperation for treatment exists in several of these third world countries, pharmaceutical companies have exploited the people by essentially waiving consent from their patients. The incentive of free care draws underprivileged individuals to volunteer for several of the drug studies, but due to a lack of education and language barriers, it can be difficult to discern whether the patients understand the terms and consequences of their compliance [7]. For example, in a 2012 case in India, several patients of the Dalit caste (or the “untouchables” caste), suffered atrocious side effects and even death after drug trials. While many of the deaths remained unreported, approximately 1,300 patients suffered from serious side effects or death. Over the past several years, seventythree clinical trials on 3,300 patients, including 1,833 children, took place at the Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital in Indore; many patients and their families could not understand English (which was the only language spoken by coordinators of the study), and were not informed or given formal consent forms when receiving a trial drug [7]. Finally, between 2003 and 2006, studies conducted in Uganda, Zimbabwe, and the Ivory Coast split patients into two groups to study 12th Shanker Narayan 8 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue antiretroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS [7]. While one group received continuous treatment, the other received interrupted treatment for twelve weeks [7]. Those in the latter group faced far more health risks than those of the former, and it is obvious that the inequality of treatment during trials can be fatal for the populations that sign up for something for which they have very little knowledge on [7]. While the pharmaceutical industry could make the statement that these patients signed up for the treatment which they received, they must also acknowledge that those living in poverty signed up for them because they needed immediate medical attention and treatment. To conduct trials is one thing, but to repress critical information from the tested subjects, to make no efforts to bridge the language gap that exists between the experimenters and the experimentees, and to deny groups of individuals from treatment just in order to carry out one’s trials at a fraction of the cost in a developed country is beyond unethical. It requires serious strides in education on behalf of the pharmaceutical company as well as greater awareness on behalf of the local regulatory bodies in these third world countries to ensure that people’s lives are not at risk just for someone else’s personal gain. As much as pharmaceutical companies and so called “wonder drugs” are lauded by the media and portions of the general public, there are many times where the industry has compromised on morality and proper ethics. Every year, the pharmaceutical industry is given a certain amount of money and resources in order to produce effective drugs; as a result of corruption, however, many world organizations and policy makers have started to realize that nearly $750 million worth of allocated resources are simply going to waste every year [5]. Those most in need of medication are denied of it, causing them to purchase less expensive, counterfeit, substandard drugs from illegal and unqualified sellers [5]. The WHO estimates that nearly two 12th Shanker Narayan 9 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue million people, or one third of the global population, lacks regular access to medicines [5]. They also estimated that by improving access to existing essential medications, approximately 10 million lives could be saved per year. The decision of whether or not to provide a drug should not solely be made through cost benefit analysis; human life, at the end of the day, should be valued equally if not more importantly than maximizing profit margins. The lens through which the industry views their operations has become extremely narrow, as the primary goal of producing and distributing medications has been diluted and muddled by corporate selfinterest and the freedom to function in a relatively unregulated market. Though any major reform and regulation to the pharmaceutical industry will take several years to be passed, there are some measures that could help monitor the way in which companies price their products and ensure that rules are being followed. One such reform would be increasing fines and penalties for illegal behavior as a means of transforming financial incentives that are currently in place [4]. In 2007, for example, Bristol Myers Squibb paid $515 million in fines for unlawful promotion, kickbacks, and Medicare fraud in connection with their drug [4]. AstraZeneca settled for $520 million on charges of off label promotion and kickbacks for their drug Seroquel [4]. Another solution would be to start placing heavier taxes on pharmaceutical companies and their promotional activities. While pharmaceutical companies have helped make great strides in the field of medicine through their research and drug distribution, they are repeat offenders when it comes to generating profits at the social expense of unnecessary treatments, adverse effects, and treatments that are much more expensive than their costs of production [4]. A tax, to some extent, will help alleviate this situation by reducing the amount of unfavorable activity that occurs; by taxing promotional activities such as what is currently done in relation to 12th Shanker Narayan 10 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue healthcare professionals, the use of tax revenue could be added to our current federal budget for research, making sure that money is not only spent more prudently, but that research does not fall victim to market failures. Finally, the government should enforce a price discrimination model, where the price of the drugs themselves are proportional to their therapeutic value. This is the idea of referencebased pricing (RBP) or valuebased pricing (VBP) [4]. Since many of the new drugs that are created are essentially copies of existing drugs produced by their parent companies, therapeutically interchangeable drugs should be competing on price in order to gain market share rather than just giving companies the sole power to set the price as they please [4]. With VBP, a standard price level is set, often based on the lowestpriced drug in the class, and manufacturers may price their drugs below or above this reference as they see fit [4]. If patients choose a more expensive drug than the reference price, then they pay for the difference out of their own pockets [4]. By adhering to traditional free market rules and encouraging drugs to compete amongst each other in the market, VBP reduces prices, increases the use of proper, specified drugs, and truly provides consumers with the alternatives that they require for their health as well as what suits them financially. The pharmaceutical industry has experienced great success and profit over the last several decades, yet it is truly time for us to take a new and realistic look at the industry. Medication is not like an item served at a restaurant, a new electronic gadget that takes the market by storm, or a new model of a car that people all across the country aspire to purchase; it is something that everyone, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, healthy or ill, depends on to survive. The federal government, private regulatory agencies, and citizens all across the world have a responsibility to not only voice their concerns and moral beliefs, but also have the right to be treated with dignity 12th Shanker Narayan 11 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue and respect for their minds, bodies, and opinions. Money should not be the end goal or driving force for a business; it should serve as a byproduct of one’s passion, success, and dedication to improve humanity as a whole. Profits and revenue can always be generated through innovation and reforms, yet the health, justice, and basic human rights of individuals are things that should under no circumstance be compromised. Works Cited: 1) Bruyere O, Kanis JA, IbarAbadie M, Alsayed N, Brandi ML, Burlet N, Cahall DL, Chines A, Devogelaer J, Dere W, et al. 2010. The need for a transparent, ethical, and successful relationship between academic scientists and the pharmaceutical industry: A view of the group for the respect of ethics and excellence in science (GREES). Osteoporosis International : A Journal Established as Result of Cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA 21(5):71322. 2) Griffin MT. 1991. AIDS drugs & the pharmaceutical industry: A need for reform. Am J Law Med 17(4):363410. 3) Feldman Y, Gauthier R, Schuler T. 2013. Curbing misconduct in the pharmaceutical industry: Insights from behavioral ethics and the behavioral approach to law. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics : A Journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics 41(3):6208. 12th Shanker Narayan 12 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue 4) M.A. Gagnon, “Corruption of Pharmaceutical Markets: Addressing the Misalignment between Financial Incentives and Public Health,” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 41, no. 3 (2013): 571580. 5) Cohen JC, Mrazek M, Hawkins L. 2007. Tackling corruption in the pharmaceutical systems worldwide with courage and conviction. Clin Pharmacol Ther 81(3):4459. 6) Badcott D, Sahm S. The dominance of Big Pharma: unhealthy relationships? Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy Med Health Care and Philos. 2012;16(2): 245–247. 7) Anand N. The Ethics of Pharmaceutical Testing in the Developing World. Yale Journal of Medicine Law [Internet]. 2013 Sep [cited 2016 Apr 11]. 12th Shanker Narayan 13 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue The Uses of Pharmacogenomics in the Development of Effective and Safe Drugs and the Impact on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Disease Hannah Ngo Grade 12 Dual Enrollment April 2016 Abstract: Over 100,000 fatalities across the nation are caused by adverse drug reactions every year, revealing serious concerns about traditional prescription drugs. D rug therapies for many years have been developed around the misperception that each drug works fairly the same for everybody, where in reality, everyone responds differently. Pharmacogenomics attempts to propose a solution and modernize drug therapies by looking at the influence of genetic variation on drug response in patients with the aim of shifting from populationbased prescription to individualized treatments. There have already been published applications of pharmacogenetics that could lead to treatment of cancer, arthritis, and depression. However, there are many challenges and barriers including racial profiling and individual’s right to privacy that prevent pharmacogenomics from being fully implemented into health care. Keywords: pharmacogenomics, gene variance, adverse drug response, biomarkers, enzymes, individualized drug therapies Introduction: Over two million people suffer from serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the United States every year, causing hospitalization, serious injury, and even death [1]. In fact, an estimated 12th Hannah Ngo 1 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue 100,000 Americans die annually from ADRs, placing them as one of the leading causes of death in the nation above Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes [1, 2]. These statistics reveal the serious problem that the nation faces with regards to prescription drugs. Traditionally, drug therapies have been developed around the misperception that each drug works fairly the same for everybody, treating all patients with the same disease as one large group. Admittedly, basic characteristics of the patient such as height, weight, and age might be taken into account to optimize drug selection and dosage, but doctors usually end up going through a trialanderror process of prescribing various different drugs until they can find one that works best for the patient. One drug may work more or less effectively for one patient than it does for other patients, and one patient can experience more or less side effects than other patients would. However, the issue with efficacy and ADRs could be resolved through the examination and understanding of people’s genetic makeup. Drug response is greatly influenced by genetics, and since everyone is genetically unique, everyone processes drugs differently. Pharmacogenomics is a fairly new study that deals with looking at the influence of genetic variation on drug response in patients to potentially modernize drug therapies [3]. The aim of this study is to make a shift from populationbased prescription to individualized treatments, which allows people to be effectively and correctly treated for diseases with a reduced possibility of being over, under, or misprescribed the wrong medication. Background: In order to find the right medication, pharmacogenomics testing involves analyzing patients' DNA from small samples of their saliva or blood. From those samples, variation in one or more genes, particularly associated with enzymes, can be identified and analyzed for its effect 12th Hannah Ngo 2 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue on drug response [3]. Gene variation can occur at any step in the drug metabolism pathway, whether it be in the genes that make the receptor proteins or the genes that make the drug metabolizing enzymes. While some drug responses are influenced by genetic changes that exist at the level of a single DNA base known as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), others are caused by insertions or deletions of small DNA segments, as well as duplications or deletions of an entire gene [4]. It is crucial to examine the genes carefully because even small differences in the genetic sequences of these enzymes can have a huge effect on a drug’s safety and effectiveness. Enzymes are special proteins that act as biological catalysts to speed up chemical reactions in the body and can indicate how efficiently a person metabolizes drugs. Depending on its intended effect on the person, medication must be either converted to its active or inactive form by specific enzymes. For example, CYP2D6 is a liver enzyme that acts on a quarter of all prescription drugs and its gene exists in more than 160 different versions. It acts on the painkiller codeine and converts it into its active form, morphine. For those people with hundreds of extra copies of the CYP2D6 gene, their bodies would manufacture an overabundance of CYP2D6 enzyme molecules and metabolize the drug very quickly. As a result, these molecules may convert codeine into morphine so quickly that a standard dose of the drug could result in overdose. However, on the other hand, some forms of CYP2D6 enzymes are nonfunctional. People with these variants would metabolize codeine very slowly and may not experience much, if any, pain relief, leading the doctor to prescribe a different type of pain reliever [5]. Once the gene variants are identified, there are three general ways in which pharmacogenomics can be applied: prescribing drugs to treat genetically inherited diseases, 12th Hannah Ngo 3 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue utilizing genetic information to determine the safety and efficacy of drugs in certain individuals, and designing a drug regimen based on a patient’s metabolic enzyme activity. Currently, most of this study focuses on the third application [6]. Applications: As a result, there are emerging drug regimens from pharmacogenomics testing designed around treating cancer, arthritis, and depression. Within the last decade, personalized cancer treatments of lung cancer have been greatly advanced through the focus on molecular characteristics of the patient and the tumor. Tumor cell alterations greatly impact drug activity, and most biomarkers predicting response originate from these cells [7]. Biomarkers are measurable substances in an organism that indicates how the body will react to a certain drug. The genetic background of the patient is also evaluated to assess the risk of developing severe toxicity. Understanding these characteristics, researchers RodriguezAntona and Taron from the Spanish National Cancer Research Center have found, shows promising results in identifying the safest and most effective anticancer drug. For instance, their studies support the development of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeted therapies in treatment of certain lung cancer patients. Tumors carrying activating EGFR mutations have been recognized as a distinct, clinically relevant molecular subset of lung cancer; it is present in nearly 30–50% of Asian patients and with a higher prevalence in female patients. Patients with EGFR mutations showed an improved response rate and survival when treated with gefitinib or erlotinib compared with standard chemotherapy. Additionally, in East Asian patients with stage IIIB/IV lung adenocarcinoma who had never smoked or infrequently smoked tobacco, 12th Hannah Ngo 4 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue initial treatment with an EGFR inhibitor was found to be superior to standard platinumbased chemotherapy [7]. Individualized treatments of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have also been significantly enhanced by pharmacogenomics as well, changing the clinical view of RA from a destructive autoimmune disease to a condition in which significant damage can be prevented in the majority of patients. A large number of targeted therapies involving tumor necrosis factor and CD80/CD86 and CD20 inhibitors have become available to better treat the underlying disease process [8]. Admittedly, pharmacogenomics has not been completely successful in identifying the underlying pathways that drive the arthritis process and no predictive factors have been identified to guide the choice of a specific treatment. Regardless, Professor Huizinga, Head of the Department of Rheumatology at Leiden University Medical Center, finds that pharmacogenomic testings have served a significant purpose towards identifying distinct subsets of RA patients, based on the presence or absence of anti citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs); this is important because these two subsets are associated with quite different environmental and genetic risk factors, histology, and disease outcome [8]. Pharmacogenetic testing has also been incorporated into treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) to improve patients’ drug responses. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and norepinephrine (NE) reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) antidepressants have been among the most successful drug treatments for psychiatric disorders for decades and still remain the first line treatments for MDD [9]. However, likely due to a lack of substantial biomarkers that can reliably predict a patient's response to an antidepressant, only around 50% of patients diagnosed with MDD go into clinical remission using treatments from either one of these two drug classes 12th Hannah Ngo 5 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue [10]. Therapeutic responses are often delayed in SSRI targeted treatments and require several weeks of treatment; 20 to 25% of patients fail to even respond [9, 10]. However, studies have found that polymorphisms in CYP2D6, an enzyme responsible for metabolizing many of the psychiatric drugs, are one reason for the different individual responses [9]. As a result, Professor Stingl of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices and Professor Viviani from the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy III Department at the University of Ulm, Germany have focused their studies on the role of the polymorphic CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 genes for optimal treatment of depressive disorders and found promising results in further understanding drug response in MDD treatments. However, further confirmation from future studies is still required to confirm results [9]. Challenges: While promising results have emerged from pharmacogenomics, several barriers have prevented it from being readily integrated into today’s pharmaceutical industry. Firstly, a large gap exists between the application of pharmacogenetic testing and how the results are understood and applied in the clinical treatment of patients. When Professor Hunt of the MSU Department of Anthropology and Research Analyst Kreiner of the National Institute of Health analyzed the current implementation of pharmacogenetics by conducting interviews with 58 primary care clinicians, they concluded that many primary care clinicians were unprepared to analyze genetic information. Rather than developing individually tailored treatments, the clinicians were using people’s racial identity to prescribe medication and interpreted biological differences according to racial groups [11]. And in attempt to remedy this, the International Society of Pharmacogenomics Education Forum has urged for heightened implementation of 12th Hannah Ngo 6 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine into core teaching curricula across medical schools [12]. Nonetheless, racial involvement within the pharmacogenomics and health care has raised some heated discussion of ethics. One of the most controversial developments has been the marketing of BiDiL for the treatment of heart failure in AfricanAmericans. NitroMed, the company that markets this drug, claims that racial differences in the response to heart failure treatment are due to the pathophysiological differences between ethnic groups [10]. However, this approach has been met with criticism based on whether race should be used as a distinct biological marker, given that it introduces a risk of genetic discrimination. Many argue that genetic differences between racial groups do not correlate well with factors such as skin color [13]. Along with concerns of racial profiling, apprehensions about privacy become an issue. Because of the inherently personal nature of each individual’s genetic makeup, people are reluctant to share this information with physicians and medical researchers. Disclosure to the public, many fear, could lead to discrimination and ineligibility for employment and insurance if they test positive for a genetic disease [14]. While upholding the individual’s right to privacy, it would be difficult for researchers to obtain patients for conducting the necessary research, which is essential in facilitating healthcare professionals’ willingness to fully integrate genomic services into clinical practice [14]. 12th Hannah Ngo 7 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Conclusion: The emerging field of pharmacogenomics has caused many to be skeptical. Some argue that the field is too complex, while others argue that integration of individualized drugs is unrealistic. Admittedly, there are definitely challenges surrounding the study ranging from ethical to social issues. However, it offers promising results in treatment of diseases including lung cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and major depressive disorder that are more efficacious and have fewer side effects than traditional treatments; it could also improve therapeutic response and clinically reduce adverse drug reactions. In terms of when pharmacogenomics should be expected to be fully integrated into health care, probably not in the near future. Further studies through largescale clinical trials are necessary to confirm the potential of pharmacogenomics. References: [1] Adverse Drug Reactions. Worst Pills, Best Pills, http://www.worstpills.org/public/page.cfm?op_id=4 (accessed Apr 10, 2016). [2] Leading Causes of Death. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leadingcausesofdeath.htm (accessed Apr 10, 2016). [3] DrugGene Testing. Mayo Clinic: Center for Individualized Medicine, http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/centerforindividualizedmedicine/druggenetesting.asp (accessed Apr 10, 2016). [4] Drugs and Genes. Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative , https://cpmc.coriell.org/sections/medical/drugsandgenes_mp.aspx?pgid=216 (accessed Mar 30, 2016). 12th Hannah Ngo 8 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue [5] Pharmacogenomics Fact Sheet. National Institute of General Medical Sciences, https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/pages/factsheetpharmacogenomics.aspx (accessed Mar 30, 2016). [6] Silva, M.; Jackson, J.; Mitroka, J. Ethical Issues in Pharmacogenomics. Ethical Issues in Pharmacogenomics, http://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/issue/2015/march2015/ethicalissuesinpharmacog
enomics (accessed Apr 10, 2016). [7] RodríguezAntona, C.; Taron, M. Pharmacogenomic Biomarkers for Personalized Cancer Treatment. J Intern Med Journal of Internal Medicine . 2015 , 277 , 201–217. [8] Huizinga, T. W. J. Personalized Medicine in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Journal of Internal Medicine . 2015 , 277 , 178–187. [9] Dale, E.; BangAndersen, B.; Sánchez, C. Emerging Mechanisms and Treatments for Depression beyond SSRIs and SNRIs. Biochemical Pharmacology . 2015 , 95 , 81–97. [10] Pinho, J.; Sitnik, R.; Mangueira, C. Personalized Medicine and the Clinical Laboratory. SciElo Brazil . 2014 , 12 . [11] IngelmanSundberg, M. Personalized Medicine into the next Generation. Journal of Internal Medicine . 2015 , 277 , 152–154. [12] Hunt, L. M.; Kreiner, M. J. Pharmacogenetics In Primary Care: The Promise of Personalized Medicine and the Reality of Racial Profiling. Cult Med Psychiatry Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry . 2012 , 37 , 226–235. [13] Squassina, A.; Manchia, M.; Manolopoulos, V. G.; Artac, M.; LappaManakou, C.; Karkabouna, S.; Mitropoulos, K.; Zompo, M. D.; Patrinos, G. P. Realities And Expectations of 12th Hannah Ngo 9 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine: Impact of Translating Genetic Knowledge into Clinical Practice. Pharmacogenomics . 2010 , 11 , 1149–1167. [14] Goldman, B. R. Pharmacogenomics: Privacy In the Era of Personalized Medicine. Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property. 2005, 4, 83–99. 12th Hannah Ngo 10 AETOS Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Isms and Change Vivek Ramakrishnan Grade 12 AP Literature February 18, 2016 Inscribed on Karl Marx’s grave is the statement, “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” In entertainment today, there is an obsession with radicalism and change. Radicalism is in our T.V. shows, movies, video games, and even political candidates. But we never actually follow through with it. We will never have an actual Hunger Games, very few of us will make crystal meth with our chemistry teacher, and Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders will likely never see the Oval Office. There is a disconnect between people’s desire for radical change and the practicality of actually changing society. All of our institutions from a Constitution that makes amendments unbelievably hard to enact, to societal, cultural and religious norms are meant to preserve a status quo. So, while it is easy to entertain radical ideas as rational on face value, when combined with the complexities of the human condition and the institutions set in place to maintain the status quo, problems arise in practice. Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment can be seen as a commentary on this phenomenon: the failure of change. Raskolnikov can be thought of as an extension of Russian society. His failure to be a true utilitarian, a result of his internal struggle to completely adopt a nihilistic philosophy, becomes a larger comment on Russia’s failure to accommodate both rationalism and human nature. Raskolnikov, like the philosophers Marx alluded to, may have interpreted the world in his own, distorted way, but saw the fundamental problems in actually enacting change. 12th Vivek Ramakrishnan 1 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Utilitarianism can be defined as an approach to ethics in which the action that produces the most good, is the action that is morally right (Driver). While logically, such an approach is relatively sound, confusion arises when dealing with normally heinous actions that may still produce the most “good.” Raskolnikov attempts to achieve a sort of utilitarian justified “moral right” through the murder of Alyona Ivanovna, a pawnbroker in St. Petersburg. In a conversation between an unnamed student and a young officer at a bar, Raskolnikov overhears the student claim, “[Ivanovna] is a stupid, senseless, worthless…old woman” whose money, if set in the right place, could save “dozens of families from destitution, from ruin, from vice” (Dostoevsky 68). Placed into a cost/benefit analysis, the net amount of good killing Ivanovna may do from helping “dozens of families”, far outweighs the death of a single, “worthless,” old woman. Raskolnikov’s vision for the world stems from this analysis; that actions can be morally justified through a calculated, utilitarian approach. Perhaps most exemplary of the utilitarian fueled argument for killing the landlady is when the student claims, “one death, and a hundred lives in exchange – it’s simple arithmetic” (Dostoevsky 68). However, the problem is that it
is
simple arithmetic based on subjectivity. In the perspective of Ivanova and those who love her, obviously her murder is going to be weighted as wrong, considering the costs far outweighing the benefits. However, in the perspective of society at large, it may actually help more people than hurt. There are therefore two interpretations of utilitarianism; a personal and societal calculation. Internally, individuals are inherently selfinterested. Under the personal utilitarian model, actions that impede upon an individual’s selfinterests may be weighted differently in the cost benefit analysis – as is the case with Ivanovna. 12th Vivek Ramakrishnan 2 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Raskolnikov exhibits both a personal and societal sense of utilitarianism. After Raskolnikov gives money to Sonya and her family living in abject poverty, he immediately laments, “what a stupid thing I’ve done,” but then later praises his action claiming “then they would all be without a crust tomorrow except for my money” (Dostoevsky 26). The nature of what can be considered a “cost” and a “benefit” leaves Raskolnikov in a conundrum. On a personal level, a utilitarian analysis is extremely subjective. Giving away his money for no return can be seen as a literal monetary cost as Raskolnikov initially did, or a benefit in terms of individual fulfillment as Raskolnikov later realized. Raskolnikov’s initial reservations to donate money derive from his inherent selfinterests. Raskolnikov is a poor dropout student, and money is clearly important to his wellbeing. However, on a societal level, the reallocation of money to a family who will likely use it to survive can be justified as objectively “morally right” – helping more people than it is hurting. Utilitarianism thereby cannot be applied to a personal level as human nature clouds its effectiveness. This paradox – wanting to help others but still wanting to preserve selfinterests – shows the inefficiency of a personal view of utilitarianism in Raskolnikov’s attempt to establish what’s considered morally right. In order to introduce a moral justification system based off of true utilitarianism, Raskolnikov must only consider societal utilitarianism. Selfinterests and human nature inhibit meaningful change under the utilitarian model. To form a society based off of costs and benefits, everyone must be on the same page in terms of the effect of an action. Each action should have objective and universally weighted consequences. But in order to completely eliminate a personal sense of utilitarianism, it is necessary to adopt nihilism. Nihilism comes from the idea of nothing – a state of existence void of values, relationships, and purpose (Crowell). In 12th Vivek Ramakrishnan 3 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Raskolnikov’s case, nihilism would lead to the rejection of selfinterests or personal relationships that might lead to an obscured calculation in the utilitarian model – exemplified by his repeated reservations in giving away his own money. Without selfinterests or care for others, a personal view of utilitarianism cannot exist, leaving a societal view of utilitarianism and nihilism working in tandem. Raskolnikov, however, is unable to completely adopt nihilism. As much as he presents himself as distanced from society, he still exhibits small, yet present traces of actually being human. Raskolnikov’s personal utilitarianism and desire to help society progress is based in religion, an institution meant at preserving the status quo. In a dream about his childhood, Raskolnikov remembers his family graveyard and church. He remembers, “He loved that church, the oldfashion, unadorned icons and the old priest with the shaking head,” implying a religious background and childhood (Dostoevsky 58). In the same dream, Raskolnikov describes a group of people who kill an innocent horse, prompting a man in the crowd to ask, “what are you about, are you a Christian…?” (Dostoevsky 60). While the statement is directed at the group of people beating the horse in the dream, it is also a question subliminally directed as Raskolnikov. The dream serves as a representation of Raskolnikov’s actions the man in the dream who questions his Christianity represents Raskolnikov questioning his own religious beliefs. In the dream he is disgusted by the actions against the innocent horse because of his Christian values, which translates to disgust in his own reallife actions and capability to murder in cold blood. His morals are still based in Christianity, which is the antithesis to nihilism. Through Christian principles like brotherhood and love, Raskolnikov maintains relationships with Sonya and still cares for his sister’s personal life. Traits like compassion that cause Raskolnikov to care for the 12th Vivek Ramakrishnan 4 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue women in his life ironically hurt his attempt to become a true utilitarian. Also, Raskolnikov’s murder of Lizaveta violates the principle of nihilism – her murder was only “morally justified” in a personal utilitarian sense, preserving his own selfinterests by eliminating witnesses that might send him to jail. Lizaveta’s, death unlike Ivanovna’s, provides no use to society and is therefore not justified in a societal utilitarian sense. In most of Raskolnikov’s musings about the murder, he discusses it in the singular, almost rejecting the fact that he killed two people. Raskolnikov fails in becoming a true utilitarian because of his inherent selfinterests and foundations in society, translating into an inability to adopt nihilism. If he truly believed that his utilitarian moral justification system was right, nearly the entire second half of the novel would not be dedicated to delirious fits of guilt and fear of getting caught. In one of these instances Raskolnikov even slips in and out of reality, a period where “[Raskolnikov] was not completely unconscious, however, all the time he was ill; he was in a feverish state, sometimes delirious, sometimes half conscious” (Dostoevsky 120). This parallels the inconsistency and vagueness of Raskolnikov’s own ideology – he literally does not know what he believes is real. Raskolnikov’s failure to adopt nihilism shows his inability to completely become a true utilitarian. He will always have a personal calculation applied to his utilitarian model because of his care for others and himself, blocking his ability to make larger societal change. By examining Raskolnikov’s internalized failure to truly become a utilitarian,
Crime and th
Punishment
can be seen as larger comment on Russian society during the second half of the 19
century. From 1855 to 1881 under Tsar Alexander II, Russia underwent a series of modernizing reform efforts; trying to bring in Western ideology, culture, and science in an attempt to “rationalize” society (Haffenden). True utilitarianism falls under the category of rationalism; a 12th Vivek Ramakrishnan 5 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue science based approach towards ethics. Raskolnikov is presented as a microcosm for Russia and Russian society. The Imperial Standard of the Tsar used during the period
Crime and Punishment
was written includes a doubleheaded hawklike bird enveloped in crests of the Empire of Russia, all on a gaudy yellow background. The color yellow is also present throughout the novel to describe Raskolnikov and his environment. Moments before thinking about confessing, Raskolnikov, “felt rather dizzy; a sort of savage energy gleamed in his…wasted, pale and yellow face” (Dostoevsky 156). The color yellow is usually used when describing Raskolnikov’s sickness, in extension portraying the Tsars attempt of modernization as bringing sickness to Russia. Similar to the doubleheaded bird on the flag of the Tsar, Raskolnikov’s name literally means “divided” – which makes sense when looking at Russia th
during the second half of the 19
century, a time of huge political shifts and cultural revolutions. In this time of political and cultural disarray, Dostoevsky presents the Slavophile argument of antiwestern spread into Russia, preserving old Russian moral and ethical systems based off of things like religion rather than opting for more scientific, empirical approaches (Britannica). Dostoevsky seems to be warning of the potential dangers and inefficiencies of a society based on total utilitarianism through Raskolnikov’s character. Raskolnikov’s inner failure to adopt rationalism and a science based approach towards ethics, in extension shows the greater failure of Russia in attempting to introduce rationalism into a society originally based around ethical relativism. In the same way that Raskolnikov struggles with reconciling nihilism and trying to be a true utilitarian, Dostoevsky shows that Russia as a whole would struggle with introducing true utilitarianism based on costs and benefits into a society with selfinterests and relationships like Raskolnikov’s. 12th Vivek Ramakrishnan 6 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Raskolnikov embodies Dostoevsky’s fear of change. He is the warning label; the example of all the things that could go wrong should Russia continue modernizing efforts. We look at change in an extremely positive light but neglect to realize what makes the status quo the status quo – change is scary. 12th Vivek Ramakrishnan 7 AETOS

Academic Journal of Freedom High School 2016 Issue Works Cited Crowell, Steven. "Existentialism." Stanford University. Stanford University, 2004. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. Driver, Julia. "The History of Utilitarianism." Stanford University. Stanford University, 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. Gascoigne, Bamber. “History of Russia HistoryWorld. From 2001, ongoing. Haffenden, Chris. “Alexander II (1855 1881)” IB History The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Slavophile." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. 12th Vivek Ramakrishnan 8

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