Mysterious Secrets to be Discovered
In the novel Don’t Tell by Elizabeth Chandler, many appealing characters are created. This book is about a charming, intriguing, and curious teenage girl named Lauren. Lauren visits her godmother and family back in Wisteria for the first time since her mother’s death. Lauren had spent every summer in Wisteria with her mother and her godmother; but ever since her mother’s mysterious drowning there, she hasn’t been able to bring herself back to where hers along with her mother’s roots are placed. Lauren has vivid memories of that certain day and the feelings that went through her. Can you imagine losing your mother at such a young age, when you need her most? Bringing herself back to Wisteria has changed her life for the worse. Lauren can’t seem to lose those images from her mother’s death and feels as though she is being followed. Especially since Nora, her childhood friend and godmother’s daughter, has been acting way different; as if she is obsessed with Lauren’s mother and feels like Lauren’s mother’s spirit is still alive and waiting for Lauren. As the story becomes more of a mystery and more in depth, many symbols and hidden messages are revealed.
While Elizabeth Chandler does a spectacular job of describing Lauren’s personality and feelings, she knows exactly how to incorporate certain symbols into the story. The symbols in this book really help the reader have a better understanding and knowledge of all the characters and the whole storyline. One certain symbol is the river that Lauren’s mother died in. The river symbolizes death, murder, accident, and all the other possibilities that could have happened to Lauren’s mom. It is hard for Lauren to contemplate that she will have to deal with living on the river for the rest of the summer. Growing comfortable with the rivers presence will become a challenge to Lauren. Will she ever bring herself to feel the lurking water of her mother’s soul by the end of the summer?
As Lauren aims to explore the deadly water, there are other unexplainable events taking a toll on Lauren. She doesn’t know what to think when her necklaces, lamp cords, and other things tie themselves into a gigantic knot. These knots symbolize the mystery left in Wisteria. Nora insists that these knots are coming from Lauren’s mother, that she needs to get Lauren’s attention, and her soul is still alive. Lauren, doubtful of these accusations, creates excuses for why these strange actions are taking place; she won’t let herself believe it could be her mother. Whether you accept that Lauren’s mom is gone for good or not, the death will always be a mystery. What really happened to Lauren’s mother that night? As the summer gets creepier and more amusing Lauren will come closer to knowing what exactly happened that night.
Although Wisteria is bringing more questions than answers, Lauren does indeed find some time for fun with her childhood friends. Dancing in her flashy red high heels at the prom with Jason, one of the most popular boys in high school is an example of one of these times. However, Lauren isn’t interested in Jason; she finds happiness in a tease, flirt, and a childhood playmate, Nick. It just happens that on the night of the prom, her heels getting stuck in the mud in her front yard could have been the best thing to ever happen to her. That exact spot was where the fulfilling, awaited kiss with Nick occurred. Lauren’s high heels, still stuck in the front yard, symbolized something like a memorial on a magical place where Nick and she kissed. The shoes also represent hope and happiness.
There are many more symbols throughout this story, and Lauren discovers some shocking things. Lauren will discover why Nora acts so strangely, and her true family. Dealing with the complication of losing your mother and returning to the place you once called your home can be difficult, and Lauren grew stronger from it. It can be despairing to comprehend how many people have lost their family and don’t know what exactly happened. Overall this book gives an impressive idea on the feelings and mysteries behind losing some very close to you.
Cyber-Bullying
Since fifty- eight percent of kids admit they have bullied online before, cyber bullying continues to be a big issue in the United States. It leads to suicide, suicide attempts, and poor work ethics during school, at home, and other places. Some reasons why certain people cyber bully is because they might be watching sitcoms or movies that include bullying and making fun of people. Other reasons people get the idea to bully is because they feel a state of jealousy or want revenge on someone. Unfortunately, as teens become more technology savvy, this bullying takes place on the Internet. Using the Internet to harass, bully, or assault people, and teens in general is not the right solution.
Using the Internet to bully certain people is not right, and it leads to many deaths. Megan Meier, a thirteen year old girl, was in to MySpace and other social networking sites when she got a friend request from a “hot” boy named Josh Evans. With her mother’s consent she added him. It all went downhill from there, Josh Evans along with other kids posted malicious comments on her MySpace and it eventually led to her hanging herself. Megan Meier had other problems too, she was overweight for a while, had ADD, and depression problems. Those problems plus the insulting comments really got to her and she died three weeks before her 14th birthday. This is a truly tragic story and goes to show you how bad cyber bullying is and can be. Another teen named Ryan Halligan took his own life in October of 2003. He was relentlessly bullied by the same group of guys once he got in to middle school. Ever since kindergarten he was in special education programs at his school until 5th grade, therefore he was not as academically caught up as some of the other students. That is what started his never ending bullying problem. As he got older he became a part of Instant Messaging. The night he took his own life was caused by a rumor spread by the same bully. This bully had told everyone Ryan had had something done to him that therefore caused him to be gay. Ryan was humiliated and the bullying only got worse. This is what led to his suicide. You can tell that bullying on the Internet is just as bad as bullying with words and in person.
Bullying on the Internet is harmful to teenagers, and statistics state that forty two percent of kids have been bullied online and one out of four kids has had it happen more than once. So many of these kids and teenagers have pushed their selves over the edge because of these vicious threats and comments they receive. In no way is cyber bullying right and many people have created groups against cyber bullying. They get together within their communities, schools, and even work places. They speak to kids and help them understand some of the consequences of cyber bullying and how bad it really is. Krysten Moore, former Miss Teen New Jersey is a big supporter of no cyber bullying. When she was a teenager she herself was cyber bullied by students and friends, she tells her story to many kids and how she once considered suicide. She has a big influence on kids and teens and speaks publicly often on television shows and events. Krysten hopes to make a difference in her community and in other locations. These stories go to show you that bullying is not right and eventually can cause deaths.
Cyber bullying takes place in many places and different types of bills and laws are trying to get passed against this issue in our nation’s capital. A bill aimed to make cyber bullying a federal crime is being considered in Washington, D.C. I believe this bill should get passed because cyber bullying is not right in any way and causes so many deaths. Being a teenager in middle school I have a good outlook on all different types of bullying. I have experienced bullying myself and can reasonably say it is not a great way to deal with certain situations. Bullying can easily affect someone’s self esteem and mental health. Once you know you are being cyber bullied or bullied in general, the right thing to do is tell a trusted parent, adult, or guardian. Cyber bullying can be a very hard thing to deal with, that way if an adult knows; you will have someone there for you and it can be easier to get through.
Cyber bullying can be a very difficult thing to deal with, and overall is a huge problem in the United States. Using the Internet to insult and bully people is in no way right. You can see how much it affects different people in society today. Cyber bullying is very dangerous and powerful, how would you deal with it?
"Cyberbullying Continued After Teen's Death." 29 March 2010. www.CBSNews.com. 21 September 2010 .
Trauma Caused by Eating Disorders
It was estimated that about eight million people have an eating disorder in the United States. Eating disorders have become a growing problem as Hollywood becomes more extensive, and the standards for appearance greatly increase. Anorexia and bulimia are the most notorious eating disorders, and have the greatest impact on people today. Unfortunately, many women and men have had complications with this issue, and some of those difficulties have even resulted in death. Eating disorders can cause harm to your health, mental stabilization, and affect others around you.
Many people have problems with eating disorders, and a good amount of these people have had experience with neglect and variations of abuse as a child. A number of experts believe that some cases of anorexia and bulimia come to being by harsh life as a child. After reading many stories of certain people that have come into conflict with eating disorders, I would agree with those opinions. In almost every story I read, there was something about that person’s childhood and how it related to the starting of their eating disorder. Take Kathy’s story for example. Kathy is a mother with three children and had a 35- year battle with an eating disorder. She would rise before her husband and children to go on a ten mile run. Kathy limited her food intake and aggressively pushed herself to exercise non-stop. However, she was a daughter of an alcoholic father in her childhood. She was pushed constantly by her parents to be the best at whatever she did. Although she doesn’t blame them for her eating disorder, she feels that her family environment taught her to meet everyone else’s expectations and standards, but not her own. You can see how childhood played a role in Kathy’s struggle with an eating disorder.
Some cases of anorexia and bulimia are deeply impacted by childhood, and it is proven that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders stated that five to ten percent of anorexics die within ten years after having this disease. It also reported that only thirty to forty percent of anorexics ever fully recover. There are many different ways to get treatment to these awful diseases including therapy, support groups, and medical monitoring. However, it is not always easy getting that help because of the high prices associated with those treatments. This is part of the reason why the majority of anorexics don’t always fully recover. Everyone needs to be fully aware of how calamitous these eating disorders are and how they can ruin your life.
It isn’t always easy dealing with these afflictions, and it could quickly turn your life in the wrong direction. Eating disorders are atrocious; and they are most definitely preventable. Everyone that is struggling with an eating disorder needs to realize they are not alone, that they are one of the eight million who constantly battle against a disease, and that they can survive with treatment and support.
Bibliography
"DMH." South Carolina Department of Mental Health. 17 Nov. 2010 .
Joerger, Teresa. "Eating Disorder Stories." 2010. www.caringonline.com. 17 Nov. 2010 .
Anesthesiologists
Anesthesiologists are physicians that work with patients having surgery and pain relief. Anesthetics are the medicines that keep the patient from feeling pain or sensations during surgery. Anesthesiologists give their patients these anesthetics before their surgery. The anesthesiologists watch their patient’s vital signs during their surgery and adjust the anesthetics accordingly. They also monitor and give medicines to their patients in their first recovery stages (Anesthesiologist Job Description, Career as an Anesthesiologist, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job).
Since anesthesiologists are very intriguing to me, I wanted to know how much money they make per year. I decided to visit more than just one website for research because an anesthesiologists’ salary probably varies for every anesthesiologist. After researching, I found that anesthesiologists have a very high salary because of their importance. One website gave information that an anesthesiologist earns $164,030 to $296,041 per year (Salary Snapshot for Anesthesiologist Jobs). Another said that their salary was about $332,464 (Salary Wizard). The last one stated that their earnings are close to $321,686 per year (Anesthesiologist Job Description, Career as an Anesthesiologist, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job). Overall, the salary for an anesthesiologist ranges from the low $200,000’s to the high $300,000’s. Anesthesiologists have a very rewarding and fulfilling job and earn a he amount of money per year!
Bibliography
"Anesthesiologist Job Description, Career as an Anesthesiologist, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job." 2011. stateuniversity.com. 11 January 2011 .
"Salary Snapshot for Anesthesiologist Jobs." 9 Jan. 2011. www.payscale.com. 11 Jan. 2011 .
"Salary Wizard." mysalary.com. 11 Jan. 2011 .
