Annie

The Story of Me   By: Annie Xie, B2

Yesterday… I cried an ocean when it was the first day of school, But I laughed when my brother and I had tickle fights. I didn’t believe in bad people, But I always believed in Santa and the Tooth Fairy. I despised getting muddy, But I enjoyed snuggling with my stuffed animals when it rained. I didn’t know how to play volleyball, But I did know how to paint my nails.

Today… I cry when I get injured, But I laugh when my friends and I joke around. I don’t believe in what my brother says, But I believe in my friends. I despise getting mountain loads of homework, But I enjoy games and sports. I don’t know how to play the violin anymore, But I do know how to open my locker.

Tomorrow… I will cry when I lose my loved ones, But I will laugh when I hear funny jokes. I won’t believe that Santa and the Tooth Fairy exists, But I will believe in miracles. I will despise becoming old and fragile like a skeleton, But I will enjoy how I’ve seen so many events happen. I won’t know how to stay athletic, But I will know much information.

My Four Poems  By: Annie Xie, B2

Epitaph: Here Lies Duke Duke was a nice man He made a living selling pans But one day somebody stole his shoe Duke was so busy he hadn’t a clue.

The next day someone stole his hat And he was struck by a baseball bat And was clawed and bitten by a diseased cat And landed where an elephant sat.

Carpe Diem: No One Lives Forever

Whoever you see on the streets today Might not wake up from their slumber tomorrow That’s why you should ask them to stay There’s no time left to borrow

So when you see a loved one Walking towards your way Smile brighter than the sun It’s time to seize the day

Cinquain: Beach Beach Rough sand Laughing, running, swimming The beach is awesome Summer

Haiku: When I Get Older When I get older I just want to be happy I want to be free

I don’t want money I don’t want a big mansion I just want to smile

I don’t want Bentleys I don’t want exotic birds ‘Cause I don’t need them. Freak the Mighty Project media type="custom" key="25446468"

For our essays, I wrote about feminism. I wrote about feminism because I want women to have equal rights and respect as men. We Need Feminism By: Annie Xie, B2 May 23rd, 2014

You know what blows? Being a girl. Am I being sexist? Oh sorry, it’s just that I’ve come to realize that sometimes, women aren’t given the credit they deserve. Jessica Valenti, a writer, said, “The worst thing you can call a girl is a girl. The worst thing you can call a guy is a girl. Being a woman is the ultimate insult.” Those words hit me like a ton of bricks, because it’s true. These days, most of the insults you can say to a guy are about how he’s girly. Is that how people think of women? Are all women weak and unable? No. Women can do amazing things. Just look at Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Elizabeth II, Hillary Clinton, Kim Campbell, Janet Reno, Sandra Day O’Connor, Margaret Thatcher, Barbara Jordan and many more empowering women. However, people are still being sexist, treating women as inferior and not giving them the rights they deserve. That’s why we need feminism. The definition of feminism is “ the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes”. We need to stop denying rights for women, stop objectifying women, and stop abusing women. A lot of women are denied opportunities that are given to males, all because of their gender. An article for Women’s Sports Foundation explained that female athletes only receive 45% of college athletic scholarship dollars while male athletes receive 55%. According to The Huffington Post, 42% of girls in developing countries are not enrolled in school. PNAS, one of the world’s most cited scientific research cites, conducted an experiment in 2012 where leaders in scientific institutes were given 2 identical resumes with female or male names. The participants decided that the male applicant was more hirable than the female. To choose someone over another person just because of his or her gender even though they have the same qualifications is just ridiculous. No, men and women are not equal, but we should have equal rights. We should be judged on our intelligence, not on gender. In the future, I hope humans will change they way they think about gender equality. Women are objectified in the media a lot these days. Objectification means to present or regard as an object. In the media, women are often portrayed as objects. They are evaluated by their attractiveness and appeal, making young girls and other women believe they should be ‘prettier’ and ‘more attractive’. This is a rising problem because young women are brought up watching advertisements on T.V. with women being sexualized, making them feel the need to become ‘prettier’ and ‘more attractive’, leading to only valuing their appeal and appearance and having negative body image. Budweiser, a very well known beer brand, uses women to advertise their products. However, the women they use are displaying their bodies and appeal more than the beer. To make others buy the brand’s beer, women are used as a type of bait. The objectification of women has to stop, mainly because it has an effect on how women and young girls think. Objectifying women is a huge problem and I hope people will not overlook it. Most women are targets of verbal, sexual, and physical abuse all around the world. According to a report by the US government, almost one in five women have been raped or had an attempted rape. One in every four women had been beaten by a close partner. Stop Street Harassment, an organization against street harassment, conducted an online survey in spring 2007 that showed that over 87% of women said they were the targets of a sexist comment. There were 811 female respondents. The survey also revealed that 99% of the 811 female respondents had experienced a form of street harassment. Sexual harassment happens to about 40 to 60 percent of workingwomen. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women from ages 15 to 44 in the United States, according to a U.S. Government report. To teach others that abuse is not okay, we need feminism. Teaching others about abuse can lower the percentage of it, and there will be less targets of harassment. So now you know why it blows to be a female in this world right now. However, it’s not too late to change it around. With feminism, women are actually given a chance to prove that they are able and independent. Some people don’t get what it’s about. Feminism is not about taking the power away from men and giving it to women, it’s about splitting the power so men and women have an equal amount of it. Feminists do not believe they are better than men, they are not against men, and they do not hate men. They just want equality. Males can be feminists too. If more people were onboard with feminism, women and men can have the same rights.

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