Summer Task - A summary of five articles I enjoyed
Article 1 - Vanity Fair Article - The Bling Ring
https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2010/03/billionaire-girls-201003
This is an article written by Nancy Jo Sales and published on February 3 2010. It is about an infamous gang of teenagers who gained media attention when they began to crave fame and material items and therefore took to robbing Hollywood houses at night. They did this by looking up celebrities' addresses and waiting until said celebrity went out to a famous party or to shoot a film. They would then circle the house and search for unlocked doors and windows or a key hidden under the mat to enter with and take expensive items. It was never enough for it to be noticeable but they took to bragging about it at parties and this was linked to two celebrities who had seen the masked teenagers on CCTV. The robbing went on for ten months and the long list of victims included Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom and Lindsay Lohan.
I am interested in this article as it influenced the security of the Hollywood Houses and made a huge change to the neighbourhood. It made a difference and shows the impact jealously and want can have on the younger generation and how corrupted they can become in their desire to be famous.
I also find it interesting how the teenagers were incredibly smart to find a such a simple way into someone's house but also incredibly stupid as they were terrible at keeping it a secret. It is controversial to think about whether what they did was a blessing or a curse as the sentences they received for their crimes were very light and they did achieve the fame they desired but they were also resented for what they did. When the leader of the group was arrested she heard the police officer talking about how he had interviewed the witnesses and her immediate response was "What did Lindsay [Lohan] say?"
Article 2 - HRW - Discrimination of LGBT Youth in US Schools
https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/12/07/walking-through-hailstorm/discrimination-against-lgbt-youth-us-schools
This is an article published on 7 December 2016. It is about the bullying LGBT youth have to experience at the hands of other students when going to school in the US. A lack of policies exist to help protect the students from the bullying and to prevent other students from doing it. Meaning that many students are left to fend for themselves and their education is limited as a result. A vast array of statistics are shown throughout the article that could potentially shed light on why the bullying happens. For example, when the article was written, eight states had laws prohibiting teachers from talking about LGBT issues and educating the students on what being LGBT really means. Also, only twenty states had laws prohibiting bullying students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
I find this article engaging because it is about an issue that is still relevant today and still strongly affects today's youth. It highlights all the key problems that still exist and gives potential reasons as to why this is (e.g. the laws that are/aren't working to fix them). It also tells the personal story of one of the victim's of the bullying and their parent's perspective on the matter which makes the story that much more sad and makes it much more emotional for the reader.
One way the article could improve could be to list potential solutions to the bullying and how the readers of the article could work towards these solutions. They could recommend tips and advice on how to help a student that is being bullied because of their identity and ways they can push the government to do more to combat the issues.
Article 3 - Daily Mail - One in Four Adolescents is a Criminal http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-34916/One-adolescents-criminal.html
This is a Daily Mail article written by Matthew Hickley. It is about the rise in youth crime rates and the potential reasons behind them. The reaction of the officials is supposedly "saddened but not particularly surprised" which I personally find a little demeaning as the government seems to have a very negative impression of today's youth. This could, of course, be because of the rising crime rates but the rising crime rates could be a result of the government's stigma of them that results in them being able to do little else. Stereotypes of teenagers have been around for a long time and they are possibly the most frowned upon generation. Articles like this often contribute to this but as they are only stating fact (usually) some say teenagers bring it upon themselves.
I personally find the article interesting as it not only talks about the actual crimes but also teenagers' opinions on what is right and wrong. This shows why teenagers could be offending more as the line between right and wrong is blurring for them. However, the reason for this is unclear and not really discussed in the article.
Article 4 - BBC News - Disagreement over Brexit Legislation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41182561
This is an article written on 7 September 2017 and published on the BBC News website. It is about the current Brexit organisations happening in the UK and how some politicians are still doing whatever they can to keep Britain in the EU whilst others are trying to get us out as soon as possible. The currently legislation being proposed is not liked by all the MPs, Sir Keir Starmer calls it the 'great power grab bill' as it appears to benefit some more than others.
I am interested to this article as it is very relevant to what is happening in the world today and is about Brexit, which is something I feel very passionate about. As well as English Language, I am also taking politics A Level and like to keep up to date on political matters, particularly Brexit. I feel this article is very informative as it uses direct quotes from the debate and describes it from several different viewpoints. It also states which laws are being changed and which are staying the same and who is behind it. I feel this is very beneficial to the reader as it allows to them to see the debate from an outsider's point of view and form an opinion based on everything they see. They are also given a lot of context so their decision is not just based on what happens at the debate but also what is potentially influencing the actions of the people contributing to it.
Article 5 - BBC News - Row over Abortion
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41176953
Published on 7 September 2017 by BBC News, this article is about Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg publically opposing abortion in all cases, even when a woman is raped. The article was written by Brian Wheeler and states that Rees-Mogg's opinion is not based on politics but on his Catholic background. Other politicians like Anne Widdecombe, Terry Dicks and Arlene Foster who are all also opponents to abortion. However, Theresa May is said to not agree with them. Wheeler also mentions how MPs voted to cut the 24 week mark in 2008 and were unsuccessful as a lot of politicians are not anti-abortion but pro-choice. In 1987 MP David Alton tried to ban late abortions but did not succeed as he didn't try and make an exemption for babies created as a result of rape as he believed it to be a tiny minority of cases.
I am interested in this article as I do not believe it is the government's choice on whether a women should be allowed to have an abortion or not and therefore politicians should not try to shame women for choosing to have one or considering having one. This may become even more relevant in the future as Rees-Mogg is the first MP in a long time to publically oppose abortion and this could start a snowball effect of people joining him and agreeing with him until our abortion laws are reconsidered for the worst.
https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2010/03/billionaire-girls-201003
This is an article written by Nancy Jo Sales and published on February 3 2010. It is about an infamous gang of teenagers who gained media attention when they began to crave fame and material items and therefore took to robbing Hollywood houses at night. They did this by looking up celebrities' addresses and waiting until said celebrity went out to a famous party or to shoot a film. They would then circle the house and search for unlocked doors and windows or a key hidden under the mat to enter with and take expensive items. It was never enough for it to be noticeable but they took to bragging about it at parties and this was linked to two celebrities who had seen the masked teenagers on CCTV. The robbing went on for ten months and the long list of victims included Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom and Lindsay Lohan.
I am interested in this article as it influenced the security of the Hollywood Houses and made a huge change to the neighbourhood. It made a difference and shows the impact jealously and want can have on the younger generation and how corrupted they can become in their desire to be famous.
I also find it interesting how the teenagers were incredibly smart to find a such a simple way into someone's house but also incredibly stupid as they were terrible at keeping it a secret. It is controversial to think about whether what they did was a blessing or a curse as the sentences they received for their crimes were very light and they did achieve the fame they desired but they were also resented for what they did. When the leader of the group was arrested she heard the police officer talking about how he had interviewed the witnesses and her immediate response was "What did Lindsay [Lohan] say?"
Article 2 - HRW - Discrimination of LGBT Youth in US Schools
https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/12/07/walking-through-hailstorm/discrimination-against-lgbt-youth-us-schools
This is an article published on 7 December 2016. It is about the bullying LGBT youth have to experience at the hands of other students when going to school in the US. A lack of policies exist to help protect the students from the bullying and to prevent other students from doing it. Meaning that many students are left to fend for themselves and their education is limited as a result. A vast array of statistics are shown throughout the article that could potentially shed light on why the bullying happens. For example, when the article was written, eight states had laws prohibiting teachers from talking about LGBT issues and educating the students on what being LGBT really means. Also, only twenty states had laws prohibiting bullying students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
I find this article engaging because it is about an issue that is still relevant today and still strongly affects today's youth. It highlights all the key problems that still exist and gives potential reasons as to why this is (e.g. the laws that are/aren't working to fix them). It also tells the personal story of one of the victim's of the bullying and their parent's perspective on the matter which makes the story that much more sad and makes it much more emotional for the reader.
One way the article could improve could be to list potential solutions to the bullying and how the readers of the article could work towards these solutions. They could recommend tips and advice on how to help a student that is being bullied because of their identity and ways they can push the government to do more to combat the issues.
Article 3 - Daily Mail - One in Four Adolescents is a Criminal http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-34916/One-adolescents-criminal.html
This is a Daily Mail article written by Matthew Hickley. It is about the rise in youth crime rates and the potential reasons behind them. The reaction of the officials is supposedly "saddened but not particularly surprised" which I personally find a little demeaning as the government seems to have a very negative impression of today's youth. This could, of course, be because of the rising crime rates but the rising crime rates could be a result of the government's stigma of them that results in them being able to do little else. Stereotypes of teenagers have been around for a long time and they are possibly the most frowned upon generation. Articles like this often contribute to this but as they are only stating fact (usually) some say teenagers bring it upon themselves.
I personally find the article interesting as it not only talks about the actual crimes but also teenagers' opinions on what is right and wrong. This shows why teenagers could be offending more as the line between right and wrong is blurring for them. However, the reason for this is unclear and not really discussed in the article.
Article 4 - BBC News - Disagreement over Brexit Legislation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41182561
This is an article written on 7 September 2017 and published on the BBC News website. It is about the current Brexit organisations happening in the UK and how some politicians are still doing whatever they can to keep Britain in the EU whilst others are trying to get us out as soon as possible. The currently legislation being proposed is not liked by all the MPs, Sir Keir Starmer calls it the 'great power grab bill' as it appears to benefit some more than others.
I am interested to this article as it is very relevant to what is happening in the world today and is about Brexit, which is something I feel very passionate about. As well as English Language, I am also taking politics A Level and like to keep up to date on political matters, particularly Brexit. I feel this article is very informative as it uses direct quotes from the debate and describes it from several different viewpoints. It also states which laws are being changed and which are staying the same and who is behind it. I feel this is very beneficial to the reader as it allows to them to see the debate from an outsider's point of view and form an opinion based on everything they see. They are also given a lot of context so their decision is not just based on what happens at the debate but also what is potentially influencing the actions of the people contributing to it.
Article 5 - BBC News - Row over Abortion
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41176953
Published on 7 September 2017 by BBC News, this article is about Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg publically opposing abortion in all cases, even when a woman is raped. The article was written by Brian Wheeler and states that Rees-Mogg's opinion is not based on politics but on his Catholic background. Other politicians like Anne Widdecombe, Terry Dicks and Arlene Foster who are all also opponents to abortion. However, Theresa May is said to not agree with them. Wheeler also mentions how MPs voted to cut the 24 week mark in 2008 and were unsuccessful as a lot of politicians are not anti-abortion but pro-choice. In 1987 MP David Alton tried to ban late abortions but did not succeed as he didn't try and make an exemption for babies created as a result of rape as he believed it to be a tiny minority of cases.
I am interested in this article as I do not believe it is the government's choice on whether a women should be allowed to have an abortion or not and therefore politicians should not try to shame women for choosing to have one or considering having one. This may become even more relevant in the future as Rees-Mogg is the first MP in a long time to publically oppose abortion and this could start a snowball effect of people joining him and agreeing with him until our abortion laws are reconsidered for the worst.
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