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.

Demitrius Hilerio Class 810 archetypes and symbols synthesis page

Second Reading Response by Demitrius Hilerio

   In the book "Bystander" by James Preller the main character Eric is a Bystander in a few bullying situations because he is friends with the bully himself. Eric doesn't know this at first then discovers this later on in the book. The bully is Griffin. Eric's feelings for Griffin change throughout the events that occur in the book. Griffin does things that makes Eric think different of him and avoid him.
 
  At the beginning of the book Eric feels that he can trust Griffin and that truly he is his true friend. Eric felt that he couldn't reveal something about himself so secret like his father to anyone but Griffin. "Sure, Griffin was a different kind of guy, there was no question about that. He had his rough edges. He wasn't like his old friends back in Ohio. But for one day, during those few hours, Griffin was what Eric needed. He was, Eric believed, a friend." (Page 60) This quote is important because it explains what Eric wanted whiches was a friend but it also explains that he thought Eric was a different type of friend, which is something he needed. This quote also explains only during that time of that day was when Griffin was actually acting like a true friend towards Eric. This shows that even though Eric didn't know much about Griffin for that time in the book he really thought he could trust Griffin.
 
  During the middle of the book Eric gets suspicious and starts to find out a little more about Griffin that changed his feelings towards Griffin. For example during one part of the book Griffin beats up a boy name David Hallenback and Eric stands on the side and watches and talks to Griffin after the situation is over. " 'Hallenback's fine,' Griffin snapped. 'Besides, he won't say much. He knows better than that.' Eric measured his words carefully. 'It just seemed . . . unnecesary.'" " 'Shut up, Eric. Or maybe next time it will be you.' " (Page 82) This part of the book shows that Griffin be very aggressive when enraged. This part of the book also shows that Eric is starting to see that Griffin has another side that Eric doesn't know about until this part of the book. At this point in the book Eric knows how Griffin can act towards people and he is a little more alert of what he says or does around Griffin.

  During the end of the book Eric is irritated with Griffin's act. Eric learns that Griffin will go very far to bother and enfuriate someone and make them furious until they feel publicly embarrassed. I know this because in one part of the book Griffin reports to the principal that Eric has a knife in his locker. Then the pricipal checks Eric's locker and sees that he doesn't have one. Eric then shows that he is angry with Griffin. "His body vibrated with anger, knees pumping, feet tapping. Why would Griffin, if it was Griffin, put Eric through that? Just to embarass him?"(Page 176) This part of the story shows that Eric now knows the truth about Griffin and how far he will go to embarass Eric. By this part of the book Eric knows Griffi is the good listener or good friend that he thought he was.

  All in all Griffin does things throughout the book that changes the way Eric feels about him. Eric goes from thinking Griffin's a good friend from being a little alerted about what he says around to completely being annoyed with Griffin. The character change in the book can relate to my life because this book shows that a person can seem like something they're really not. This book also relates to my life because it tells to find a friend that you can really connect to not a friend that can be aggressive towards you.
 

September Blog Post 33 Minutes by Todd Hasak-Lowy Reading Response

      In the book "33 Minutes" by Todd Hasak-Lowy the main character Sam Lewis is the cliche of a nerd and a confused eighth grader that has a former best friend (Morgan Sturtz) that doesn't like him anymore. Sam still tries to hang on to a friend he had really good times with. Throughout the book Sam turns into a person that is confused about their friendship with a person they care about his best to a person that has to end that friendship for the better. At the beginning of the story Sam thinks about the times him and Morgan were best friends and about what they used to do. For example "Just this last September, me and Morgan were still together all the time. Or at least a lot. He was over at my house on the weekends, his playbook filled with Xs and Os opened up on our living room floor, while I helped him memorize plays." (Pages 23-24) The author included this into the text because he wanted the readers to see that Sam cannot let go of the fact that the days when he helped Morgan with his Football plays are over even though they weren't that long ago.

      

      In the middle of the book Sam starts to remember why Morgan sometimes wasn't a good friend and starts to think about why they still were friends after those events. In the book Sam remembers when the principal made an announcement about the math rally team winning and Morgan laughed about it even though he knows Sam was on the team that won. "All five of whom stopped when, a couple seconds later, Chris yelled: MATH SUCKS! At which point everyone laughed. Except Amy and (most of) the teachers. Everyone including Morgan."(Pages 42-43) Sam remembered this as one of the times that Morgan ignored one of Sam's math tournaments for a football game. 

    

      At the end of the book Sam's school is forced to go outside because of a fire in the school. When they're outside Morgan beats Sam up because Sam says he dumb earlier in the book. "I turned to a blank page in my notebook. I wrote Morgan is so dumb right in the middle." (page 109) Even though Sam seems like he would never do such a thing he did it because he was mad at Morgan for laughing at him and making fun of him, which is also mentioned on page 109. "Maybe I finally got sick of Morgan laughing  at me then and at the pep rally and about twenty times in between." This quote explains that Sam got fed up with Morgan making fun of him and took action about it. Maybe he took action the wrong way but he still stood up to Morgan. As a result of this Morgan beat Sam up and everyone was cheering to fight and beat Sam up. At the very end Sam realizes that he cannot be Morgan's friend anymore for the better. "My mouth and jaw still hurt, but I have no problem saying the word as clearly ad I've ever heard anyone ever say it: 'Good-bye.'" (Page210) 

   

     This book is so unique because it shows the point of view of from a person that has social issues more specifically having trouble making friends. This book is also an example of character change because not only does Sam change from a person that doesn't want to lose a friend to a person that is better off losing that friend but Morgan has also changed because he used to be best friends with Sam and recently he has changed to a cliche of a jock. Which relates to real life because in real life people do change which makes the characters Sam and Morgan so believable.

Demitrius Hilerio Class 707 Literary Essay

Demitrius Hilerio Class 707         Literary Essay

Page 1

      There are two poems that have the same theme and have something in common. These poems are “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke. These poems are about fathers that are in the working class. And even though these fathers are in the working class they still express their love and in general love their close ones. These fathers express their love to their children in different ways but they both succeed.

       In the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden we’re introduce to the father of the speaker in the poem. The speaker’s father is in the working class (As mentioned in the introduction). In the poem the readers infer the father works a lot and very hard because according to the text the father has “…cracked hand s that ached/from labor;” The author described the father’s hands to give the reader a hint about the father’s job and it takes a toll on him physically. Not only does the father work a lot but he also does many things for his family. In the poem the speaker thinks about the regret for not thanking his father for the things his father did. “…made/banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.”, This quote explains that the father got no appreciation from anyone in the house hold and the speaker regrets not thanking his father. Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold/and polished my good shoes as well./What did I know, what did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?” The author included this part in the poem to inform the reader that the father does many things and works for the family because he loves them and wants them to live in a hard time like the one they’re in.

   

Page 2

 In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke” we’re introduced to a father that is in the working class and likes to drink a little bit of alcohol after work as seen in the first sentence in paragraph one. “The whiskey on your breath/could make a small boy dizzy;” Paragraph two says “We romped until the pans/slid from the kitchen shelf ;” This quote means that the father drinks alcohol but still has fun with his son (the speaker) by dancing with him. Later in the poem it says “The hand that held my wrist   

Was battered on one knuckle;” and “With a palm caked hard by dirt;” The author gives a physical description of the father’s hands to show how his job has effected physically and to make the reader infer that the father does work hard for his family. The father expresses his love to his by dancing and having fun in more of a playful way.

     These two poems are related because they both contain working class fathers. These poems teach no matter what a close person to you does they still love you. In “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden the father expresses his love by working a lot and doing lots of stuff to make his family’s life much more easier. And in “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke the father expresses his love through dancing with his son in a playful way. From this it’s clear these two poems are similar.