“I used to call it sex, but Gideon said I might as well call it rape.”

– “Gideon” by ZZ Packer

This quote is used in ZZ Packer’s short story, Gideon. This quote is very powerful because it describes and depicts the emotions each person had for each other in their relationship. We see that the narrator considers the act of sex as just sex. When the narrator uses this term with Gideon, Gideon becomes frustrated and tells the narrator that she should stop calling sex, sex, and instead, she should start calling it rape. We see Gideon using a different phrase for “sex”. Gideon tells the narrator that they are not just having sex, instead they are “making love”. This shows a huge difference in emotional feelings from both parties to one another.

Later on, we read that while the narrator and Gideon were “making love,” the condom broke during their act of intercourse. Gideon got very angry and threw the condom on the wall while shouting “Fucking Freestyles! Who the hell buys fucking Freestyles!” In my opinion, I believe that Gideon should not have been angry at all. He claims that when he has intercourse with the narrator, they are “making love” and there is no reason to be mad at your partner after the two have made love. In today’s world, Gideon could just take the narrator to the pharmacy and make sure she does not have this baby. On another word, if Gideon actually wanted to make true love to his girlfriend, why would he need a condom? If he actually loved the narrator, I believe that Gideon would not freak out over one simple broken condom. I think that Gideon contradicts himself when he claims that he and the narrator make love, and then he gets pissed off over one broken condom.

Throughout August Monterroso’s short story, “The Eclipse”, we can see how Monterroso effectively displays the personification of the Guatemalan Jungle. Monterroso successfully does this by describing the jungle as powerful and describing how the jungle has trapped Bartolome.

In today’s society, many people are unaware of the positive effects that marijuana has on the human body. Marijuana is used legally for medical purposes. Marijuana reduces pain caused by AIDS and cancer. Marijuana also contains a chemical that prevents cancer cells from spreading. Cancer patients who are in need of medical marijuana “suffer from painful nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite” (Welsh “23 Health Benefits of Marijuana”). Marijuana decreases the effectiveness of these side effects in several ways. It decreases nausea, pain, and fuels appetite. These are only a few of the several benefits marijuana offers the human body. The greatest benefit that marijuana has to offer, in my opinion, is its effects on PTSD. My entire family from my mom’s side live in Israel, they have all served in the IDF forces and some continue to serve on till this day. Some of my cousins recently suffered PTSD after events from this recent summer during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. Their doctors in Israel prescribed them medical marijuana, and according to their mothers and fathers (my aunts and uncles), they see improvement in my cousin’s conditions. These are only several of the effective results of marijuana when used medically.

Welsh, Jennifer, and Kevin Loria. “23 Health Benefits Of Marijuana.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 20 Apr. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Drug-Sniffing Dogs Patrol More Schools

Are high schools students throughout America becoming surrounded by drugs? Recent incidents show that in several high schools throughout America, kids are walking around with illicit drugs in their backpack or leaving their drugs in their locks.  Several schools have taken steps in order to prevent the presence of drugs on their campuses. One would expect that the community would applaud such a decision by the school in order to combat the growing presence of illicit drugs. However, the response towards this decision by the school board has been viewed upon negatively not only by students, but also some parents.

At Norfolk High, a drug-sniffing dog was brought into the school while most students were sitting in their classes. Within 13 seconds, the German Shepherd was able to sniff out marijuana in one students locker. As the dog went on to another hallway, the dog smelled methamphetamine from another locker.  People claim however that these searches are illegal and may cause panic. Dalia A., a mother of four in central Queens, stated that “if the school is bringing in K-9 units to sniff out for drugs there is serious concern about drug use within school premises.” Dalia also stated that if she saw this happening at her daughters high school, she would have pulled her daughter out of school.

Many students are also complaining about this new policy because of the ineffectiveness of some dogs. My cousin Yuval, who currently serves in the IDF, serves in the “Oketz” unit. This unit is the special forces of the canine unit. The dogs in this unit are trained to sniff out explosives, mines, drugs, and even fights enemy combatants. Yuval told me that “Even the most well-trained dog cannot be 100% trained to sniff out anything. Sometimes there are mistakes but it is always necessary to be cautious.” In the article, there is a small section which talks about a girl, Kelsey Jones. A dog wrongly sniffed out her locker and she felt “extremely accused” because of what happened to her. “She recalled being escorted from class and forced to stand by her locker as an armed officer searched her belongings.” Although many people protest the use of these drugs, it is obvious that we can see drugs within some school premises. The question now is what is the necessary steps that must be taken in order to combat the presence of drugs within our schools premises.

Avok, Michael. “Searches at Norfolk High to Happen Twice a Month.” The Norfolk Daily News. Norfolk Daily News, 16 Feb. 2015. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.

Schweber, Nate. “Drug-Sniffing Dogs Patrol More Schools.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Mar. 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.

Works Cited:

Orland, Kyle. “Microsoft: Xbox One Advertising Will Integrate with Kinect.” N.p., 5 July 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/07/microsoft-xbox-one-advertising-will-integrate-with-kinect/>.

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