Avery Lee

Mrs. Webster

Pre-Ap English 2

May 23, 2021

Write a persuasive magazine article to the general public regarding how social media has

negatively affected everyone’s everyday lives.

Social Media vs. Society

Social media has certainly changed the world in drastic ways. Some can argue that

social media has had only positive effects on society, but when you dig a little deeper into a

teenagers everyday life with social media, you can see that it has had many undesirable effects

on their lives. Social media has changed people's opinion on the value of their life and

appearance, become an easier outlet for cyber bullying, and has left many teenagers with

underlying mental health problems. There is no permanent solution to reverse the negative

effects that social media has had on our society today, but educating people about the dangers

of social media is necessary to prevent even more negative effects on society.

Social media has undeniably affected teenagers' everyday lives the most. Teenagers

these days have become incredibly dependent on technology. I know a lot of people, including

myself, that cannot go more than 10 minutes without checking their social media apps. Most

teenagers that I know have really based their happiness on social media. I will open my phone

and my social media to see people I know that seem to be living their best lives. I can’t help but

see that and start to think that my own life is less fun than their lives. I start to believe that the

life I'm living is inferior and less important to those that only show the good aspects for the world
to see. I know that that is not true whatsoever, but myself and people I know can't help but think

that our lives are boring when we see videos and pictures of people relaxing on the beach or

hanging out at a concert with their friends. One thing that people need to realize is that nothing

that we see on social media is the real truth. A prime example of things not being as they seem

in social media are pictures being photoshopped. People for the past few years have also been

comparing their bodies to those of models on different social media outlets. Even though all of

those people on social media with the “perfect bodies” have access to many different kinds of

photoshop and photo editing, we still view those people as the beauty standard. Social media

and photoshopping apps make the lives of others seem “perfect”, but people have to remember

that it’s not as it seems.We can only see what they choose to show to the world, not what's

happening behind the scenes or how they feel.

Cyberbullying has become a bigger concern with social media as more and more apps

come out where people can post anonymous comments and posts. Cyberbullying is described

as “an umbrella term to describe many different kinds of online abuse including but not limited to

harassment, doxing, and reputation attacks” (Solutions). Social media has made cyberbullying

much easier to do and get away with by allowing anyone to leave a mean comment on

someone's post and the person who posted it has to read it and not know who posted it. It is

very difficult to tell the tone of someone's voice through a screen and things said can be taken

the wrong way. In a research study in 2018, it was discovered that “more than 59% of US

teenagers have experienced bullying or harassment online” (Vojinovic). The kinds of

cyberbullying that goes on can vary, but it is all equally as emotionally damaging and can all

cause feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-doubt, and isolation.

Another negative impact of social media in society is that social media has unknowingly

left people, especially teenagers, with many different mental health issues. These social media

apps are designed to be addictive and have been proved to lead to giving their users anxiety

and depression (Robinson). People these days base their happiness on the positive feedback
that they receive on their posts on social media. These mental health issues have gone way

further than just anxiety, social media anxiety has received its own name: Social Media Anxiety

Disorder (Miller). The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is a very common phenomenon between

young adults who use social media. The fear of missing out has been proven to be linked to

intensive social media use and lower life satisfaction and lower happiness (Robinson). A lot of

people will say that an easy solution to lessen the negative effects of social media on teenagers’

mental health is to just stay off social media, but that is not the case and it is not that simple.

The addiction to social media has recently been described as almost more addictive than

cigarettes and alcohol (“Social Media ‘More”).

In conclusion, social media has definitely had more negative effects than positive effects

on society, especially regarding teenagers' everyday lives. The constant use of social media in

everyone's daily lives has had a drastic impact on every aspect of how people live their lives.

Social media has changed people’s opinion on the value of their lives and body image

compared to everyone else's that they see on social media and social media has become an

easier and bigger outlet for cyberbullying to untraceably happen. These two things lead to

humans, especially young adults, developing many different mental health issues. Social media

has become a domino effect with one negative impact leading to another. Even with all of the

positive effects that technology and social media has had on society today, it is essential to not

overlook all of the adverse effects social media created.

 Works Cited

Miller, Keith. “Social Media Anxiety Disorder.” Keith Miller Counseling,

www.keithmillercounseling.com/social-media-anxiety-disorder/.

Robinson, Lawrence. “Social Media and Mental Health.” HelpGuide.org, 13 May 2021,

www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm.

“Social Media 'More Addictive than Cigarettes and Alcohol'.” The Express Tribune, 21 May

2017, tribune.com.pk/story/1414621/social-media-addictive-cigarettes-alcohol.

Solutions, Madison Web. “Mental Health.” Cybersmile,

www.cybersmile.org/what-we-do/advice-help/mental-health.

Vojinovic, Ivana, et al. “40 Heart-Breaking Cyberbullying Statistics for 2021.” DataProt, 5

Apr. 2021, dataprot.net/statistics/cyberbullying-statistics/.

 Avery Lee

Mrs. Webster

Pre-Ap English 2

December 9, 2020

Write an expository essay for a blog intended for teenagers and adults analyzing and

reflecting on Helen Keller's quote "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be

seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart". Explain what she means and your

stance on the idea that she presents.

The Most Beautiful Things In Life

Helen Keller once said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen

or even touched - they must be felt with the heart” (Keller, 191). When most people are asked to

name something beautiful, they will name a diamond ring or a shiny new car. But what makes

those things beautiful? The sparkle of a diamond and the color and design of a wedding dress

can be beautiful, but people don’t necessarily think about the unseen things that make them

beautiful. The love and happiness that make those things beautiful can’t be seen or touched but

must be felt with the heart. No matter how expensive or how much labor is put into creating

something, nothing can triumph the feelings of love and happiness.

The ability to feel love is one of the biggest gifts one can have. Love, unlike a lot of

things, has no boundaries. It has no rules or requirements. Anyone or anything can love anyone

or anything. Whether it’s the love between a young child and their puppy or an engaged couple,

it has no limit. You can never love too much and you can never run out of love, but you can run

out of the objects that many people perceive as “beautiful”. Often times, people do beautiful

things because of love. Parents will work until the late hours of the night just to get their son or
daughter that toy they wanted. Someone will move across the country just to be with a loved

one. Seeing things like that and feeling that strong of love for someone is undoubtedly one of

the most beautiful things in the world.

Happiness is one of the purest feelings a person has from the moment they are born.

Memories that include happiness are some of the most well-remembered. The memory of a little

boy getting his first touchdown or goal is a memory that he will remember for the rest of his life

because it made him so happy. The trophy that that young child gets isn’t what he remembers.

He remembers how happy he felt and the happiness he got from his parent’s praise. If one

doesn’t have happiness, they might look at life in a negative way. When someone lookings at life

without happiness, those objects that they think are beautiful, are not seen the same way. Many

objects that are thought of as beautiful, such as a sunset, aren’t beautiful anymore if there are

no happy memories behind them.

With love often comes happiness and with happiness often comes love. If there was no

such thing as love and happiness in the world, then there would be no meaning in those

“beautiful” things we can see and grasp. Most people spend most of their life working to be able

to provide for themselves and have those “beautiful” objects. What those people don’t realize is

that those objects don’t make up for the happiness and love that they will find throughout their

lives. Once people realize that, they become happier because they focus on the actually

beautiful things in like. Love and happiness.

Things that we can see and touch only stay beautiful for a period of time. People get

bored with it and are used to it. The feelings of happiness and love are the things that people

remember, not the “beautiful” things that people eventually lose interest in. Love and happiness

are always showing up in people’s lives in different forms. Whether it’s through someone they

meet or something they accomplish, things felt with the heart will always be more beautiful than

those things we can grasp and see.

 Works Cited

Shaler, Sophia Penn Page. The Masters of Fate: the Power of the Will. Duffield and Co.,

1921.
 Avery Lee

Mrs. Webster

Pre-AP English

February 1, 2021

Write a letter to Coca-cola, Inc. convincing them to continue their campaign.

Dear Coca Cola, Inc.,

The 2014 Coke Super Bowl ad has received a lot of hate and backlash over the past few

years, but I believe it needs to continue to be aired. This commercial is an amazing example of

how America should be an image of a country that consists and accepts all cultures and people.

America is a melting pot of different people from all over the world and this commercial really

highlights that great aspect of America.

One part of this commercial that really stuck out to me was how the song “America The

Beautiful” was sung in many different languages that aren't English. That song was sung in 9

different languages throughout the video including English, Arabic, Spanish, French, Hebrew,

Keres, Hindi, Mandarin, and Tagalog. This specific part of the video sparked outrage in many

Americans because they didn’t think it was very ‘appropriate’ to have such a patriotic song sung

in languages that you don’t normally hear in America. I think that the fact that the song that was

chosen is such a token of American culture and pride really adds to the idea of America being

an accepting and loving country.

Another part of this commercial that really had an effect on me was the inclusion of all of

the different races and types of people. This commercial showed so many different kinds of

people including a woman wearing a hijab. Whenever people think of America, they don't

necessarily think of a woman wearing a hijab and I think that this commercial really helps to try
and diversify the image of the ‘average’ American. There is also a clip of what appears to be 2

gay dads spending time with their daughter at a roller skating rink. It was such a subtle inclusion

that had such a huge meaning and impact on the whole message of the commercial. It adds to

the idea of America being a welcoming country that accepts and supports all kinds of people.

Finally, the last thing that caught my eye in this commercial was how despite all of the

different ranges of ages, race, and sexuality, they are all doing similar things that Americans

typically do. It depicts different people dancing in the street, 2 gay dads at a roller skating rink, 2

asian children at a movie theatre, etc. This really shows how anyone that lives in America is

treated equally and can have equal opportunities to do the same things as others. There is a

small clip of a group of girls getting food at a restaurant in Chinatown that really shows how all

cultures are supported in many different ways and forms all throughout America.

In conclusion, I believe that this ad campaign should continue to be advertised because

it shows how America really is a melting pot for many different cultures and people. I believe

that the people who think this ad campaign should be pulled don’t appreciate how amazing

America is because of all of the different kinds of people one can meet everyday on the street.

The different kinds of people that I meet everyday have really helped shape how I see the world

and helped me have experiences that I wouldn’t have had if it weren’t for the wide variety of

people I meet everyday. This commercial is a great example of what kind of country America is

and should strive to be.

 Avery Lee

Mr. Almanza

Pre-Ap Chemistry

January 14, 2021

What is the science of taste and smell?

Science Behind Taste And Smell

Taste and smell are a very prominent part of everyday life even though its greatly

overlooked. People go day by day not thinking about what actually happens when you

take a bite of their favorite food or smell the roses in the flower shop. Despite people

using their taste and smell without even thinking, the process of tasting or smelling

something and determining that taste and smell is quite complex. Most people don’t

think twice about their taste and smell or the intricate process behind it until it’s gone.

The science behind taste and smell is quite complex. Both odor and food

molecules work with similar sense receptors. The chemicals in foods, tastants, are

detected by groups of taste buds that have different special sensory cells. When the

food molecules make contact with the taste buds, the sensory cells send messages to

the brain to determine the taste. With smell, there are special sensory receptors in the

nose that pick up odor molecules, odorants, and send messages to the brain. Those

receptors work together to help us to determine the taste and smell of different foods

and items.

The process of determining taste first starts when food is chewed and broken

down into molecules that can be identified. At the back of the tongue, there are about
7-12 visible bumps called circumvallate papillae which have a few thousand taste buds

in each. Every taste bud has about 50-100 special sensory cells that are stimulated by

different tastes. The sensory cells then send signals to the end of the nerve fibers when

they are stimulated, which then sends signals to the brain. There are 4 primary tastes

that humans can detect; sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. When someone tastes something

sour, the food’s acidity helps taste buds recognize the PKD2L1 protein that is present in

foods that are considered sour. The G-protein receptors in taste buds detect sweetness

from sugars in different foods. Sodium Ions and some lithium and potassium ions are

the cause of something tasting salty. As those ions pass through the taste buds, the

taste buds detect the salty taste. T2R’s are taste receptors in the taste buds that help

determine a bitter taste.

The human’s sense of smell is called olfaction because odors pass through the

olfactory tract and are processed by the olfactory cortex in the human brain. Odors

come from diffused molecules and the human brain uses the molecule’s chemical

signatures to identify the specific smell. When a human inhales odor molecules, mucus

traps the molecules on olfactory receptor neurons, small cells found on the olfactory

epithelium. The olfactory receptor neurons and olfactory bulb work together to

determine specific smells. When the smell receptors get stimulated, signals get sent

through the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb where the smell signals get interpreted

to determine the smell. The human nose is incredibly sensitive and can distinguish

between 1 trillion different smells. The human nose is more sensitive to some smells

than others. For example, the human nose is extremely sensitive to sulfuric odors.
Sulfuric odors intensity is amplified up to 1,000 more because the receptors in the nose

that detect sulfur, bind with particles of copper that are in nasal mucus.

In conclusion, taste and smell are very complex senses and a lot goes into your

body being able to determine a taste and smell. The sense of taste and smell are both

connected through the human body’s chemosensation and the way they work together

is very intricate. It’s interesting how much work goes behind something that people don’t

usually think twice about. All of the science that goes behind taste and smell helps me

to really think about what I’m tasting and smelling and how impressive the human body

is.
 Works Cited

Anderson, Mark. “Chemists Discover Why the Nose Is Hypersensitive to Sulfur

Odors.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2016,

www.scientificamerican.com/article/chemists-discover-why-the-nose-is-hypersensitive-t

o-sulfur-odors/.

“The Science of Mouth and Nose - How We Taste and Smell.” Dental One

Associates of Virginia,

www.dentalone-va.com/the-science-of-mouth-and-nose-how-we-taste-and-smell/.

The Science of Taste and Smell,

mypages.iit.edu/~smart/scotchr/the-science-of-taste-and-smell.html.

“Taste and Smell.” BrainFacts.org,

www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/taste/2012/taste-and-smell.

“Your Nose (for Kids) - Nemours KidsHealth.” Edited by KidsHealth Medical

Experts, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, kidshealth.org/en/kids/nose.html.

Avery Lee

Mr. Almanza

Pre-AP Chemistry

November 2, 2020

Write a letter to your representative explaining one global issue, the negative impacts it has, what is
being done about it currently, and what still needs to be done.

Ocean Acidification

Dear Representative,

Ocean Acidification is a big part in the destruction of marine life and marine ecosystems. Ocean

Acidification is when too much carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean which causes a reduction of

seawater pH, saturation states of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals, and carbonate ion

concentration. That forms carbonic acid. The carbonic acid and calcium carbonate react to each other and

dissolve away the skeletons of marine life including coral. Ocean Acidification is very dangerous to

marine life and can be harmful to humans. People are trying to slow down and end the process of ocean

acidification by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and excess nutrients, but there is still a lot more that

we can do to help put a stop to ocean acidification.

Ocean acidification affects humans and marine life in many dangerous ways. The carbonic acid

and calcium carbonate react to each other and dissolves away the skeletons of marine life including

coral.That would cause many marine life to not be able to create their shells and skeletons. That would

lead to many food webs collapsing and coral reefs dying, which is a home for many animals. In addition,

that affects the seafood that we eat. If a lot of marine life starts dying, that means the amount of seafood

that humans eat would be very limited. It could also affect the air we breathe and the scenery of the world,

mainly the ocean with all of the beautiful coral reefs gone.

There isn’t a fast fix to stop ocean acidification, but there are many things that people are trying

to do to help because a lot of small steps will lead to a big impact. For example, foundations are spreading
awareness and teaching people about ocean acidification. Foundations help support scientific research in

support of stopping ocean acidification. In addition, The EPA is doing many things to try and put a stop to

ocean acidification. They are using technology to predict changes in the carbon cycle of the ocean and

how it impacts the ocean and it’s ecosystems. They are also studying how ocean acidification affects

marine life and how to help marine life while ocean acidification.

Putting a stop to ocean acidification is not a one person job, it takes everyone to do even a little

part to get close to stopping it. For example, the main thing that could help is to start by trying to end

global climate change. Global climate change is a main cause of ocean acidification. You can start by

cutting down on reducing the use of fossil fuels. In addition, you can spread awareness about ocean

acidification. If more people know about it, then more people will be cutting down their global warming

emissions. By doing that, we can significantly cut down the harm to the marine ecosystems.

Ocean Acidification is a big problem that requires everyone’s attention and help to solve or else

our marine life and marine ecosystems are in serious danger. If ocean acidification keeps processing, then

we are in danger of losing an important part of our world. If people just change a small part of their

everyday life, we could easily save the marine ecosystems. All it takes is paying attention to our world

and a little effort into making a change.

Sincerely,

Avery Lee
 Works Cited

“CO2 And Ocean Acidification: Causes, Impacts, Solutions.” Union of Concerned Scientists,

www.ucsusa.org/resources/co2-and-ocean-acidification.

“Ocean Acidification Solutions.” Revolution,

therevolutionmovie.com/index.php/open-your-eyes/ocean-acidification/solutions/.

Ono, Ryan, et al. “Ocean Acidification.” Ocean Conservancy, 27 Feb. 2020,

oceanconservancy.org/ocean-acidification/.
Avery Lee

Mr. Almanza

Pre-AP Chemistry

November 2, 2020

Write a letter to your representative explaining one global issue, the negative impacts it has, what is
being done about it currently, and what still needs to be done.

Ocean Acidification

Dear Representative,

Ocean Acidification is a big part in the destruction of marine life and marine ecosystems. Ocean

Acidification is when too much carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean which causes a reduction of

seawater pH, saturation states of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals, and carbonate ion

concentration. That forms carbonic acid. The carbonic acid and calcium carbonate react to each other and

dissolve away the skeletons of marine life including coral. Ocean Acidification is very dangerous to

marine life and can be harmful to humans. People are trying to slow down and end the process of ocean

acidification by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and excess nutrients, but there is still a lot more that

we can do to help put a stop to ocean acidification.

Ocean acidification affects humans and marine life in many dangerous ways. The carbonic acid

and calcium carbonate react to each other and dissolves away the skeletons of marine life including

coral.That would cause many marine life to not be able to create their shells and skeletons. That would

lead to many food webs collapsing and coral reefs dying, which is a home for many animals. In addition,

that affects the seafood that we eat. If a lot of marine life starts dying, that means the amount of seafood

that humans eat would be very limited. It could also affect the air we breathe and the scenery of the world,

mainly the ocean with all of the beautiful coral reefs gone.

There isn’t a fast fix to stop ocean acidification, but there are many things that people are trying

to do to help because a lot of small steps will lead to a big impact. For example, foundations are spreading
awareness and teaching people about ocean acidification. Foundations help support scientific research in

support of stopping ocean acidification. In addition, The EPA is doing many things to try and put a stop to

ocean acidification. They are using technology to predict changes in the carbon cycle of the ocean and

how it impacts the ocean and it’s ecosystems. They are also studying how ocean acidification affects

marine life and how to help marine life while ocean acidification.

Putting a stop to ocean acidification is not a one person job, it takes everyone to do even a little

part to get close to stopping it. For example, the main thing that could help is to start by trying to end

global climate change. Global climate change is a main cause of ocean acidification. You can start by

cutting down on reducing the use of fossil fuels. In addition, you can spread awareness about ocean

acidification. If more people know about it, then more people will be cutting down their global warming

emissions. By doing that, we can significantly cut down the harm to the marine ecosystems.

Ocean Acidification is a big problem that requires everyone’s attention and help to solve or else

our marine life and marine ecosystems are in serious danger. If ocean acidification keeps processing, then

we are in danger of losing an important part of our world. If people just change a small part of their

everyday life, we could easily save the marine ecosystems. All it takes is paying attention to our world

and a little effort into making a change.

Sincerely,

Avery Lee
 Works Cited

“CO2 And Ocean Acidification: Causes, Impacts, Solutions.” Union of Concerned Scientists,

www.ucsusa.org/resources/co2-and-ocean-acidification.

“Ocean Acidification Solutions.” Revolution,

therevolutionmovie.com/index.php/open-your-eyes/ocean-acidification/solutions/.

Ono, Ryan, et al. “Ocean Acidification.” Ocean Conservancy, 27 Feb. 2020,

oceanconservancy.org/ocean-acidification/.
 Avery Lee

Mrs. Webster

Pre-Ap English 2

December 9, 2020

Write an expository essay for a blog intended for teenagers and adults analyzing and

reflecting on Helen Keller's quote "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be

seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart". Explain what she means and your

stance on the idea that she presents.

The Most Beautiful Things In Life

Helen Keller once said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen

or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.”. When most people are asked to name

something beautiful, they will name a diamond ring or a shiny new car. But what makes those

things beautiful? The sparkle of a diamond and the color and design of a wedding dress can

make those things beautiful, but people don’t necessarily think about what makes them beautiful

that can’t be seen. Love and happiness that make those things beautiful can’t be seen or

touched but felt with the heart. No matter how expensive or how much labor is put into creating

something, nothing can triumph the feelings of love and happiness

The ability to feel love is one of the biggest gifts one can have. Love, unlike a lot of

things, has no boundaries. It has no rules or requirements. Anyone or anything can love anyone

or anything. Whether it’s the love between a young boy and his puppy or an engaged couple, it

has no limit. Often times, people do beautiful things because of love. Parents will work until the

lat hours of the light just to get their son or daughter that toy they wanted. Someone will move
across the country just to be with a loved one. Seeing things like that and feeling that strong of

love for someone is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful things in the world.

Happiness is one of the purest feelings a person has from the moment they are born.

Memories that include happiness are some of the most well-remembered. The memory of a little

boy getting his first touchdown or goal is a memory that he will remember for the rest of his life

because it made him so happy. The trophy that young child gets isn’t what he remembers. He

remembers how happy he felt and how proud his parents were. If one doesn’t have happiness,

they look at life in a negative way. If someone is looking at life without happiness, those things

that they think are beautiful are not seen the same way. Many things that are thought of as

beautiful, such as a sunset, aren’t beautiful anymore if there are no happy memories behind it.

With love often comes happiness and with happiness often comes love. If there was no

such thing as love and happiness in the world, then there would be no meaning in those

“beautiful” things we can see and grasp. Most people spend most of their life working to be able

to provide for themselves and have those “beautiful” objects. What those people don’t realize is

that those objects don’t make up for the happiness and love that they will find throughout their

lives. Once people realize that, they become happier because they focus on the actually

beautiful things in like. Love and happiness.

Things that we can see and touch only stay beautiful for a period of time. People get

bored with it and are used to it. The feelings of happiness and love are the things that people

remember, not the “beautiful” things that people eventually lose interest in. Love and happiness

are always changing

Avery Lee

Mrs. Webster

Pre-AP English II

20 October 2020

In Life Of Pi, Pi grew up around animals in zoos and Pi speaks about his opinions on if
animals should be kept in zoos vs the wild. Do you think animals should be kept in zoos?

Should Animals Be Kept In Zoos?

If you ask anyone about their opinion on animals being kept in zoos, I can assure you that

the answers would be very divided. Some say that the animals are safer inside of zoos, yet others

claim that it is inhumane to keep animals from their natural habitat. There are parts of both

arguments that are completely true, but I personally think that most animals should stay in the

wild and not in zoos. Animals shouldn’t be kept in zoos because some zoos take advantage of the

animals and only use them for profit, some zoos mistreat their animals, and animals should be

able to stay where they belong and not be stuck in cages.

A main argument that people make in support of zoos is that animals are safer in zoos and

that people can learn a lot by going to the zoo. Some animals that are going extinct are safer in

zoos and people, especially kids, can learn a lot from zoos, but some zoos don’t have the animals

best interest at heart. A lot of zoos main goal is one that doesn’t benefit the animals: profit. In a

study of 4 zoos by the VSA, it was recorded that only 6% of the visitors go to learn about

animals. 8% go to see another animal and 86% go for recreational and social reasons (Ridgway

3). David Hancock, a former zoo director, stated that when studying 212 zoos, only around 3%

of the zoo’s profit goes towards conservation. A majority of the zoos profit goes towards

unnecessary attractions and marketing projects (qtd. in Fravel). Do you think that 3% of the zoos
profit really makes a difference in the conservation of animals? A zoo can teach you anything

that you want to know about animals in whatever small cage that they are in at the time being.

However, a zoo cannot teach people what an animal is actually like in its natural habitat.

Attracting visitors and making a profit is most zoos main goal. The animals come second.

It's nearly impossible to miss the reports that come out every single year about zoos

abusing their animals. Going hand in hand with the idea of the animals only being used for

profit, zoos can be seen making chimpanzees wear diapers and ride scooters, make elephants

play sports, and even make their lions and tigers participate in gladiator-like activities. According

to an investigation by the World Animal Protection, about 75% of zoos and aquariums across the

globe have broken basic mistreatment rules (qtd. in Margaritoff). That also proves that the basic

claim of zoos being safer than the wild for most animals, isn’t completely true in many cases. In

the Life of Pi, Pi thinks that zoos are neither better nor worse for an animal than its condition in

the wild. If that many zoos are caught mistreating their animals, think about how many aren't

caught and will continue to abuse their animals.

Finally, animals should not be kept in cages 24 hours of every day. Animals should be

able to be in their natural habitat where they thrive. Laurel Braitman, an animal psychologist,

stated that a polar bear named Gus’ enclosure at the Central Park Zoo was less than 0.00009% of

what his home in the Arctic was. Gus ended up having to get a prescription of Prozac and

thousands of dollars of behavioral therapy (qtd. in Smith). Animals deserve to have the freedom

to do what they please in the wild. There is a reason that most animals live in the wild. The wild

is where they belong and being in a zoo can lead to them being bored, stressed, and depressed.

Animals living in zoos are unnatural and uncomparable to living in the wild. In the Life of Pi, Pi

thinks that zoos are neither better nor worse for an animal than its condition in the wild (Matel
19). I agree with Pi that some zoos’ conditions for its animals are okay, but a lot of zoos’

conditions are worse than what it would be like in the zoo. The animals’ needs and wants are

always limited and no enclosure will be as big as their original habitats.

In conclusion, animals should be left where they thrive, the wild. Some zoos are good and

have a good impact on the environment and the animals, but all zoos still have downsides to

them. I think that animals shouldn’t be in zoos because, for some zoos, the animal doesn't come

first, some zoos mistreat and abuse their animals, and all animals deserve to be able to stay in

their home. No matter what zoo it is, it will never match up to how an animal would live in the

wild. Animals shouldn’t have to leave their near perfect lives in the wild for a boring life in a

small enclosure just for human entertainment.

 Works Cited

Australia, Animals. “4 Things We Need to Stop Telling Ourselves about Animals in Zoos.”

Animals Australia, 30 Apr. 2020,

www.animalsaustralia.org/features/things-we-need-to-stop-telling-ourselves-about-zoos.php

Accessed October 13, 2020.

Fravel, Laura. “Critics Question Zoos' Commitment to Conservation.” National Geographic, 2

Oct. 2018,

www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2003/11/news-zoo-commitment-conservation-critic/

Accessed October 13, 2020.

Margaritoff, Marco. “Animal Protection Group Says Hundreds Of Zoos And Aquariums Are

Mistreating Animals.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 16 Aug. 2019,

allthatsinteresting.com/world-animal-protection-mistreatment-report Accessed October 13, 2020.

Smith, Laura. Zoos Are Fun for People but Awful for Animals. 20 June 2014,

slate.com/technology/2014/06/animal-madness-zoochosis-stereotypic-behavior-and-problems-wi

th-zoos.html Accessed October 13, 2020.

Vance McConnico

Almanza

Chemistry 3rd

November 6, 2020

Write a letter to your representative explaining a global issue and the negative impact it has, what is
currently being done, and what needs to be done

Dear Representative,

Plastic is everywhere and that is becoming a big problem. It is in houses, buildings, landfill, and

even in the ocean. We need to get rid of it but it is hard to get rid of because it takes so long to

decompose. It can take over 1,000 years for plastic to decompose. Plastic is able to be recycled though

and we can also burn it. Plastic is becoming a big problem because of how long it takes to break down

and how much of it there is around the world.

Plastics are made up of elements like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, and sulfur.

Plastic is used to make lots of different things including bags, straws, bottles, cups, cutlery, and many

more things. While all of these things are great, the problem is that it takes so long to break down.

Because of this, plastic is all over the world and in the oceans and it is killing animals. Animals try to eat

the plastic and end up choking on it and dying. Instead of just letting it go into the ocean people try to

recycle plastic.

What we are currently doing with plastic waste is either sending it to landfill, burning it or

recycling it. Not all of the plastic can be recycled though, so it ends up having to get burned. When plastic

gets burned, it can release dangerous and toxic chemicals like hydrochloric acid and sulfur dioxide which

are harmful to humans. Research shows that it is better to bury the plastic waste than to burn it, although

recycling is the best option.

 In the U.S. plastic waste is a big problem. It is said that Americans go through 100 billion plastic

bags every year. We need to change things so that less plastic is thrown away. The best thing we can do to

reduce the amount of plastic waste is to try to use more reusable items instead of single use plastic ones. If

we all try to do this there will be less plastic waste in the ocean and around the world.

We need to find ways to reduce the usage of plastic because it is harmful to the environment. It

releases toxic chemicals into the air when it is burned and it takes thousands of years to decompose. It is

killing animals that live in the ocean and piling up all around the world. Changes need to be made in order

to cut down the amount of plastic that we use and end up sending to landfills and into the ocean.
Works Cited

Tapan, Miraç. “Nature can’t do it all: How long does it take for our waste to decompose?” Daily Sabah,

23 Jan. 2019,

www.dailysabah.com/feature/2019/01/23/nature-cant-do-it-all-how-long-does-it-take-for-our-waste-to-de

compose

“How Plastics are Made”American Chemistry Council,

https://plastics.americanchemistry.com/How-Plastics-Are-Made/