Upfront magazine Nonfiction Reading Response by Demitrius Hilerio

       In the article "Can Your Phone Testify Against You?" by Patricia Smith, Patricia Smith talks about whether it's right or wrong for the police to look through a persons electronics and digital profiles to find information. Smith begins by talking about a court case that had to do with a person that committed a crime and got his phone searched by the police. The author then transitions into talking about how the police invaded the mans privacy by looking into his phone. The author basically does this because she wants the readers to think about whether the police should be authorized to look through someones device or not even in a criminal situation. Smith then talks about how the fourth amendment has changed from when it was first written until now. Then to finish the article off smith talks about the situations the police can look through a persons device and that people have the right to delte posts, searches and more. This article showed me that our information is more accesible and to think what I post or what I search.

    In the article Smith uses other peoples opinions to and quotes to support her topic sentences in almost every paragraph. For example: "Butler says the ruling also has huge implications for future privacy cases. 'courts will now be more likely to rule in favor of greater privacy protection for digital records,' he says." These quotes are said by experts that study digital privacy and people in the government that have a strong opinion on something the author has mentioned in the article. The author uses these important quotes to elaborate and to make sure the reader understands what courts are beginning to understand about the modern age of technology. I think the Smith didn't present the actual peoples opinions. I think it would've made the article even stronger to include the people that have gotten their device searched to show the point of view of the person that has been through this personally. I think Smith has chosen quots that truly support the main idea of the article and that definetly shows a point of view.

   In the article another technique Smith uses is including real life court cases that display the authors main idea and that can start an opinion. One example of this is like I said before when Smith included the part in the article when the man got his phone searched by the police illegally. For example: "Later, police found information on Riley's phone linking him to a shooting. Riley was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. But in a landmark ruling about privacy rights this summer, the Supreme Court overturned Riley's conviction. The justices ruled that police need to ask permission or get a warrant from a judge to search someone's phone-just as the police need permission to search inside someone's home." I think the author included this specific court case because it's not only completely relevant to the authors main idea, but it shapes the rest of the article. Smith used this piece of evidence like a hook, she used it to grab the readers attention and then build off of it so it can relate back to the whole article. This piece of evidence also kind of gives away the authors main focus of the article and what she wants you to know.

 The article can relate to the real world completely because technology is such an important thing now and is evolving even more to beome more and more a part of our lives. This article made me realize that technology is changing the way us humans handle crime and daily life. I would like to continue researching about how the fourth amendment relates to technology and when it can and cannot be applied. This article has changed my thinking about technology and how serious it can be and how it's not always a positive thing. This article remind me of Edward Snowden, the man who exposed the government for spying on peoples devices, which was also a debate about digital privacy and a event that is still being talked about.

                                                                         Works Cited

Smith, Patricia. "Can Your Phone Tesify Against You." New York Times Upfront 1 Sept. 2014: n. pag. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

Ela Trip Reflection by Demitrius Hilerio

     On the Ela trip to the museum of the city of New York I noticed most of the museum that our class saw expressed the point of view of a local of New York. One part that expressed this was the social activism exhibit. This exhibit really made me wonder about how far people will go to enforce something they believe in. For example in the exhibit there were displays on womens rights, gay rights, African American rights, and more. The museum displayed these issues by how they were handled in New York. It made me wonder how many changes can be made by many people coming together and making a big community of people that have the same opinions and beliefs that they have.
    What I learned from this trip is it is okay to express what you believe in. This trip also made me realize how many important issues were taken care of in New York. This trip made me think about how our history has been constructed to be what it is today. For example in the social activism exhibit it showed how women rights was accepted and african american rights were accepted and even recent things such as gay rights were accepted. The museum had speeches on display that expressed an issue like African American rights or another issue. The Jeff Liao exhibit also gave me a different point of view of New York. It made me wonder how he took photos so accurately so he can put them together without any troubles of capturing the same thing twice. His photos made me think how much I should apprciate the beauty of the city. The whole trip overall showed me how New York has been a place of history and beauty.

Demitrius Hilerio Class 810 Divergent Book Club Reading Response 11/6/14

        When reading books there are lots of things the author hides for the reader to find out. The author does this to make the reader figure out the meaning of something that seems simple, but is really complex and expresses a theme or a change. What the author usually does is includes a symbol. For example in the book "Divergent" by Veronica Roth the main character Tris changes throughout the book. Tris goes from being polite and scared of doing something like jumping off a building to being a rebel and a risktaker. The main charcter is forced into joining a new faction, which in the book requires you to have the same characteristics as the people in that faction.  In Divergent there are symbols that represent this change throughout Tris's journey.
        One example of a symbol that expressed character change is Tris's Tatoos. At the beginning of the book she would never be aloud to get a tatoo or even want a tatoo because of the faction she was in. She was taught to care about others and not herself. Later in the book she gets a tatoo,which shows she has changed from when she was in her old faction. A good part that showed this change was when she visited her brother and he is suprised that she has Tatoo's. "....I run at him as fast as I can and throw my arms around his shoulders. 'You have a tatoo,' he says, his voice muffled." This part is important because her tatoos are meant to show the reader how much Tris has changed and the author hints this in this part by making Tris's brother realize how much Tris has changed since the beginning of the book. Of course there are many more symbols that express Tris's character change like the Abnegation faction and the Dauntless faction.
        Another symbol that expressed Tris's character change is the Abnegation faction and the Dauntless faction. In  Divergent the Dauntless faction and the Abnegation faction are described to be factions with a opposite set of characteristics in each. Tris goes from Abnegation to Dauntless, which really shows a important change. "My father calls the Dauntless 'hellions.' They are pierced, tatooed, and black-clothed. Their primary purpose is to guard the fence that surrounds our city. From what, I don't know." This part is important because it is a symbol of what she initially was and what she turned into, which was something she never thought she would be. In Divergent even people are symbols of Tris's character change.
      Another symbol that expresses Tris's character change is Tris's parents. Tris's parents tell Tris things and do things that that influence her change and the new characteristics she picks up. For instance Tris's mother turns into a very brave person throughout the book. This influences Tris to be brave as well. "She smiles. 'Be brave, Beatrice. I love you.' I feel her lips on my forehead and then she runs into the middle of the street. She holds her gun above her head and fires three times into the air. The Dauntless start running." This quote shows that Trsi's mom gives her advice to follow even though she dies.
       In Divergent most of the time there were symbols that influenced Tris's character by the end of the book. This book shows that many things can influence a persons behavior. In this book people factions and small things like tatoos influenced Tris's character. This book could have been banned because some parts were a little graphic, but besides that the book was normal. This book could also teach that a person can be motivated to overcome the hardest goals.