A Compromise

This is the last action project for my humanities class called, “A Nation’s Argument”. In this action project we had to choose one of our previous action projects and fight for it by creating a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. One of my struggles during this action project was making the argument against my own course. I wanted to show that it's not just about property because GCE encourages it's students as much as possible. I was able to also show that they were worried about the student as well which made their argument more fair. Enjoy my project!

Food is Energy

“Food & Drink: Eating is only allowed in the cafeteria and open concept space downstairs during lunch, after school, and during breaks. Food and drink in those spaces during class time is at the discretion of the instructor and may change depending on daily activities. If food is consumed in the cafeteria or open concept space, students must wipe down the tables. Refusal to clean up can result in loss of privilege.There is to be no food in any carpeted space or upstairs at any time. An approved drink container can be turned upside-down over your personal computer without leaking. Violation of the food and drink policy will be considered insubordination and will result in the consequences aforementioned.” -GCE Code of Conduct

Syllogism for GCE

1. The only rooms without carpet are the cabin, cafe
2. If food is consumed in the cafeteria or open concept space, students must wipe down the tables.
3. Cleanliness is important to GCE

Conclusion: The prohibition of food and drink is based off of protection of property.

This rule is unjust because it focuses on the product of an even bigger issue about cleanliness and property, making it a red herring. Throughout the text there are multiple statements about making sure the space is clean, and not having anything to do with the food itself. It explains the different areas you are allowed to eat which implies that those rooms are easier to clean up, since each of those rooms (like the cafe or the open concept) have hardwood floors. It also explains that there will be consequences if you weren’t to clean up after yourself. This rule also shows the importance of sealed drink containers and even goes as far to say it is only approved when you are willing to hold it upside down over your own computer. From what I’ve noticed, the teachers or other staff of the school are able to have open drink containers in whichever room they want to. Sometimes it even makes sense to have a more open container like a coffee cup to let the heat out.

This is the second action project for my humanities class called, “A Nation’s Argument”. This unit was about different logical fallacies one could use in an argument and how to debunk that. We specifically looked at the Dred Scott case and the contradictions that the decision created. In this action project we had to create an amendment to a rule in the code of conduct for GCE. One of my struggles while making my case against the food policy in the GCE code of conduct, was breaking it down into a syllogism. Every time that I thought it was at it’s core issue I found out that it could be part of something more. Overall I really liked making the project because I learned more about my school. Enjoy my project!

prohibition poster (1900's) domestic violence

This issue has a relationship with the prohibition of the alcohol since it was originally meant to protect housewives from their drunk husbands. This is similar to what GCE did because they are going after a product of an even bigger issue. Instead of banning alcohol they should've focused more on domestic violence. GCE should have focused on the cleanliness instead of eating since it is the most overarching rule.

Syllogism for the Amendment

1. Food is important
2. Some students might be busy during lunch
3. Food gives you energy
4. Energy helps students learn

Conclusion: Food should be allowed to be eaten in any room or class.

This amended argument is more beneficial to the school and the students because more work would be getting done. The students will be more energized in class making it possible to get more done. This of course makes it more beneficial to the teacher since they would be able to have a productive class time.

“I feel that we should be able to eat in class as long as you are mindful of how you are doing so.” -A.A.

No Strings Attatched

This is the second action project for my class called “Light, Sound, and Time”. This unit was about how sound is used in different situations and basically what sound is. We specifically looked how waves travel through different materials. In this action project, we had to create a one-stringed guitar called a diddley bow.  Overall I really liked making the project. I never expected that you can do so much with just one string. Enjoy my project!

Run, Jump, and Land

This is the first action project for my class called “A Nation’s Argument”. This unit was about how a constitution is created. We specifically looked at America’s constitution and how each law affected people in the past and how they affect people now. In this action project we had to declare our own declaration of independent study. My project looks into why we should have a independent study here at GCE about parkour.

Don't be Negative!

This is the first action project for my class called “Light, Sound, and Time”. This unit was about light and more specifically about what light actually is. In this unit we learned about the function of cameras and how each piece can relate to a part of the human eye. In this action project we had to create a pinhole camera, use it to take a picture, and develop it. I’m actually pretty happy with the way my camera turned out since I didn’t really know what to expect in the first place. During the process of making this action project I was able to learn about the process of developing film and why it works.

Morpheus

This is my action project for my STEAM class called "Rocket Science". In this class we learned about aerodynamics, and of course we learned about science behind rockets. When making this AP we used all of our knowledge to make bottle rockets. The goal was to see how high we could make the rockets go. There were different ways we could make our rockets go "higher" without  actually increasing thrust, since we based our information on how long it was in the air. For example I tried to make mine work better by making it glide in the air with bigger wings, while others used parachutes.

This Poem is Torture ( Final Edit)

DSC_0050 from M Finklea on Vimeo.

Artist's Statement

The topic of my poem was about Guantanamo Bay, and the torture that goes on inside it. It’s an important topic to think about, because it’s not talked about as much as it was closer to the events of 9/11. The reason why Guantanamo Bay is important to me is because in my opinion torture is worse than death. In my opinion, if proven to guilty then a criminal it’s at least ethical to take control of the criminals life in order to save others. But it seems unethical to abuse that control and use it to hurt others both mentally and physically.

Whilst writing my poem I decided that I wanted to include a good amount of allusion since Guantanamo Bay was the product of a very important moment in history. Another poetic device I knew I needed to use was lots of imagery because I really wanted the reader to see from the perspective of those who were taken away and thrown into prison. I also knew that I wouldn’t want too much connotation, because the story that I wanted to tell would be too open for outside thought. One of my favorite poetic devices is wordplay, since the english language is so complicated. Even though I really like wordplay I wasn’t able to fit it in.

While making this video I wanted to focus on the final chapter of my poem with hand gestures and facial expressions. I tried to make a certain effect in the audience by slowly growing in intensity. Even though I wanted to start off slowly during the performance I couldn't help but overdue some parts. I ended up rushing at the beginning. At the end I used hand gestures like putting my hands up like a criminal and lifting up my shirt to get tortured. Overall I'm pretty happy with my poem and my performance.