Consumerism In Our Lives

The image I selected as a vivid example of visual rhetoric is of a baby covered in logos of famous franchises. This image serves as a symbol of the power of consumerism in the modern world. Life in the United States revolves around consumerism. Companies are constantly competing against each other for the most business, which in turn will make the most money. In turn, consumers constantly desire the newest and most popular products on the market. I believe that the image above is sending a message that our lives revolve around the world of consumerism ever since birth. We are automatically   born into a world that is constantly thriving and we must learn to keep up with the latest trends. Personally, I favor the simple ways of life that our grandparents lived throughout their youth. I don't believe that people should let consumerism define them and run their lives. What is your perception of the modern world in regard with its' strong connection to consumerism?  I don't strive to keep up with the latest trends. My parents always instilled in me that it is not money or fame that define success, and that we should be focused on more intellectual aspects of life.

Links Between Police Brutality and Minority Groups

My research paper for writing project 3 will focus on persuading readers that police brutality is directly linked to targeting minority groups, and offer strategies to manage this. I began my search for sources by searching the TAMU Library Database. I came across a scholarly article entitled "Minority threat and police brutality: Determinants of civil rights criminal complaints in U.S. municipalities" by Malcolm D. Holmes. I chose this article because it had many components of what I would like to cover in my essay. I am using this article as a scholarly source because it includes an abstract, footnotes, references, and it is geared towards a research community audience. This article was published in a scholarly journal and uses language geared towards the academic field.
This article will play a big role in persuading my readers that minority groups are, in fact, the main target of police brutality. It provides facts and evidence as to how often incidences of brutality occur. A major factor that is repeatedly mentioned throughout the article is that nation wide, increased reports of incidents regarding police brutality directly coincide in areas where Hispanics and Blacks of lower socio economic level reside. Holmes' article revolves around a study he completed in order to determine factors that play a role in the annual rates of police brutality. He recorded data from a city with a population of more than 150,000 as well as a town where the police brutality incidents are at least 2 per year. Despite the wide range of differences between the two areas surveyed, the results were quite similar. In both areas, Hispanics and Black citizens were the victims of police brutality more so than any other ethnicity. What do you believe police brutality against minority groups has manifested from?

Can Experiences Truly Shape Our Lives?

Ever since I can remember, my one irreplaceable dream has been to become a physician. Never once have I gone through multiple phases of "what I want to be when I grow up" as many other children and adolescents have. Although, it has not been until recently that I took the time to truly ask myself WHY this has been the case my entire life.
I have come to the conclusion that experiences in one's life greatly impacts his or her future choices. Some people may have tragic stories to tell, and others joyous, but ultimately all have contributed to the life choices a person makes all through adulthood. I personally have come from a family in which diseases such as Diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular issues are extremely prevalent. Most of my extended family has already been diagnosed as a diabetic or are considered to be "borderline" diabetics, and the leading cause of death in my family is heart failure. Living on the border, such diseases are extremely common so I have become very informed about health problems at a much younger age than many of my counterparts. While hearing of loved ones who had become ill with any of the previously mentioned health issues became normal to me, it wasn't until my younger sister was born that my entire world was turned upside down.
My sister, Monica, was born healthy with no seeming illness in sight. Unfortunately, after her first birthday she came down with Meningitis and Encephalitis. I remember feeling so helpless and wishing that I could do something to cure her. She was in the hospital for six months, in and out of comas, during which endless amounts of doctors told my mother that it would be a miracle if she survived. The doctors warned us that IF she were to come out of it, she would be deaf, blind, or in a permanent vegetative state. We refused to believe this.  I would go to the hospital everyday speaking to her and believing that she could hear me. One day right before Christmas, she woke up from a coma and we were allowed to take her home for the holidays. During this time, I made it my mission to "cure" her. She came home completely paralyzed on the entire left side of her body, so everyday I played with her in order to get her to try to move her muscles and hopefully get better. All of our praying, and hard work paid off because from then on she slowly regained complete function in her left side and has now grown to be taller than me, completely healthy! She is known in my hometown as "the miracle baby" because no doctor had seen anyone come out of an illness as severe as the ones she had. I truly believe this experience is what led me on the path I am today, motivated to become a physician. If I was able to "cure" her, or so I believed as a child, I will stop at nothing to do whatever I can to cure others who are ill. I truly believe this is my life calling. Do you believe you have a life calling? In your opinion, do experiences shape the long term decisions you make for yourself?