Hunger Games Graphic

Final Allusion Graphic

Allusion Graphic Draft

For my final, I'm planning on adding black and white pictures of my friends and I and make that as my background.

Allusion Poem Draft

Opening Up

[Based on Jessie from the Toy Story]

I try to walk away from what haunts me.
It's my past.
I can't let them see.
I'm vulnerable, weak.
I'm not who you think I am.

Hiding the pain behind my genial smile
Is the best I could do.
They think I'm that girl,
Sassy and sweet.
Rambunctious and adventurous, too.
But there's something different, wrong.

A million eyes are on me.
It's obvious.
They see the pain
And they offer a hand.
I confess that I'm okay.
But it's not enough to convince them.

I appreciate the help
But I'd rather stay independent.
They call me stubborn and hard headed.
They just don't know why.
They don't understand.

I want to open up to them.
I want to be released from this box
I'm trapped in.
It's just too complicated.

I just can't.
I'm afraid.
Once I get close to them,
they'll leave.
I know.
I was abandoned once,
I can't be abandoned again.

But I'm gonna try
To open up.
It's worth a shot.
Maybe I'll actually learn something
Or even find something.

That's friendship and trust.

Writing Standards Portfolio

To end the semester, we needed to make a portfolio on 5 six traits of writing that we learned so far out of the 6. In this portfolio, I reflected on what I've learned this semester and how I improved to better my writing and be more efficient in all the traits. (Please see my website to view my whole portfolio/conclusion.

WEBSITE: http://www.wix.com/melisponce/melsportfolio

To my parents: Please answer the following questions as a comment.

1) What piece of writing did you like best in my portfolio? Why?
2) Do you feel that I've improved as a writer? Explain.
3) Which trait did you feel that I need more work on?
4) Which trait did you feel that I was the most successful on?

Angry Letter Draft

Dear AT&T,

I have been a satisfied AT&T user for the past year or so. I very much like the quality in your phones and the reasonable prices that vary on how outdated or new they are. 

However, I have had some problems regarding the service you give to help out the customers. There was one point where my Blackberry Bold’s trackpad stopped working and it became difficult for me to get anywhere on my phone. All I really could do was text and call, but even that was difficult to work around because of the constant clicking of different numbers and letters. So I called customer service who told me that I needed to update my software. They led me to a website in order to download Blackberry Desktop Software onto my laptop. After doing that, they told me to connect my phone using the USB onto my laptop and using the computer, I needed to get rid of all my files, but they reassured me that I will be able to get all my files back after troubleshooting. After hours of troubleshooting, waiting, and downloading, my trackpad still didn’t work. So my mom asked them if they could just replace my phone with a new one because we still had warranty on it. However, AT&T services said that they can only give me a used phone, not of the same brand and they stated that I needed to pay about 100 dollars for insurance. 

In addition, I decided to just go to the AT&T where I bought my phone. They basically told me that they couldn’t do much just because my contract hasn’t expired yet. So they led me back to customer service so that they’ll be able to trouble shoot the problem with my phone. My mom and I clearly mentioned our experience and how it didn’t help at all. All AT&T did was give us a number to call to try it again. My mom and I didn’t want to go through the same downloading and waiting again, so we decided to not do anything further because we weren’t gaining the assistance we really needed. 

Despite all of that, I appreciated the way they helped me as best as they could, even though it wasn’t as easy doing it through the phone. They were very patient with me and even though it’s their job, they didn’t get frustrated with how many questions I was asking. 

I have nothing against AT&T but I do feel that in case a situation like this comes up again from a different person, they should state their policies a lot more clearly and explain the difference between warranty and insurance; basically giving a lot more accurate information so there’s no confusion. 

Sincerely, 

Melissa Ponce  

Eating Disorders

Ever looked in the mirror and think of yourself as ugly or you feel as though you don't fit in with the crowd? Well, you're not the only one. Many teenagers nowadays tend to feel so insecure about themselves; most cases are because they feel that they're too fat or just way too skinny to fit into society, so they either binge or purge. Many of them suffer from depression and low self esteem. They feel as though they're so alone, so they have to do something with their bodies to impress others. But without thinking, they try to 'fit in' in the most negative way possible- by bingeing or purging. Because the statistics of eating disorders in the United States are increasing, the government should take action by requiring a class for nutrition.

The only way to to understand the effects of an eating disorder is to know how to eat normally and well. It's very important to eat three meals a day with at least 1 snack time. Regular eating habits include controlling or managing what is eaten by eating when hungry or stopping when full. People eat well for health and energy. In fact, nutritious food play a big role in an individual's life. It helps people to think clearly, to keep their moods in balance, and to help them have positive relationships with family and friends. Therefore, it's highly important for people, especially teenagers to understand that the body needs nutrients to grow, to fight diseases, and to make energy. Types of nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. All of these play a key role in keeping the body's systems in good repair.

According to statistics made by South Carolina Department of Health, 8 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder; 7 million of them are women and the other million are men. However, the National Eating Disorder Association think that there are way more than just 8 million women. Based on research, they came up with 10 million women living in the United States have an eating disorder. Although women are higher in statistics, 10-15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia are men. Many men disguise bulimia as 'staying in shape' and they exercise intensively as a form of purging. In some cases, an eating disorder can last up to 1 to 15 years, or even longer. 1 percent of adolescent girls develop anorexia nervosa and that is when they starve themselves to death and another 2 to 3 percent of young women develop bulimia nervosa which is when a person over eats and then vomits it all out in order to control their weight.

Anorexia usually occurs in adolescents between the ages of 10 to 18, but there's a high possibility that it can happen at any age. Anything could trigger the disease, such as an attack, school, or personal commitments that can be overwhelming. A Seattle psychologist states that some teenagers just juggle way too much, such as aiming for a 4.o grade point average, becoming prom queen, the captain for a certain sport, and being in a relationship and it's highly impossible to function at that high level all the time. Other problems such as another family's health problems, a divorce, alcoholism, drug abuse, broken friendships, or even a misguided insult could trigger the disease. People with anorexia try to handle the chaos they feel inside by taking complete control of the size and shape of their bodies. They tend to count calories obsessively, weigh themselves several times a day, and skip eating meals.

Adults normally recommend teenagers with these problems to see any healthcare professional. However, many of them don't like to talk about it unless it's beginning to show. Most teenagers would be embarrassed of the situation and if they can't talk about it with their friends or family, then they won't be able to open up to a stranger. So in order to help the problem, high schools should really require every student to take a nutrition class. That way, teenagers wouldn't need to talk about it but they'll be aware of the harmful effects of bingeing or purging. And through these nutrition classes, they'll understand the importance of eating right and the positive effects of health eating.