Developing a Line of Inquiry: Assignment Two Planning List some ideas/areas of interest that really stood out to you about Assignment One. In other words: why this particular area of interest, what stood out, why does it interest you, what lines of inquiry might you like to pursue etc? • Detective Benson’s character development from previous seasons to now • The characters of SVU and how their backgrounds affect them • Message of sexual harassment prevention List some search terms you intend to try using: Google Scholar, UNCC Library Databases, NPR, and YouTube. You must select at least one library database to use. • Detective Benson SVU • Characters of Law & Order: SVU • Law & Order SVU and Women Search Terms Sources I Can Access Based on These Search Terms

Example: Sherlock’s impact on forensics

Example: PBS, How Sherlock changed the World,2013, Netflix

Characters of Law & Order:SVU

http://www.npr.org/2011/04/27/135771115/ice­t­from­cop­killer­to­law­order NPR, “Ice­T, From 'Cop Killer' To 'Law & Order”, 2011

Law & Order SVU Ebscohost, “Law & Order: SVU”, 2015, Entertainment Weekly

Law and Order SVU Ebscohost, “Trauma Queen”, 2013

Law and Order SVU Ebscohost, “Behind the Scenes at Law & Order: SVU”, 2012

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Lauren Bray, “Assignment One”, 2015

Actors of Law & Order: SVU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7rLXgaF4_Q “Law & Order: SVU "Criminal Stories": MARISKA HARGITAY "Det. Olivia Benson" On Set TV Interview” Youtube, 2014

Law and Order SVU and Women

http://dx.doi.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/10.1080/15205430903531440 Effects of Violence Against Women in Popular Crime Dramas on Viewers' Attitudes Related to Sexual Violence

Sexual Harassment Law & Order: SVU

Ebscohost, “Education of Women and Women's Expectations from Distance Education on the Issues Concerning Them”, 2014

Tentative Topic Proposal: Throughout sixteen seasons of Law & Order: SVU, Detective Benson along with each other actor involved in the community of practice have worked to not only solve sexually­heinous crimes in the show, but also make their audience aware of what goes on daily for such a department. Mariska Hargitay (Detective Benson) has proven her commitment to work through various charities and aid to victims of sexual harassment and assault. My paper further observes and proves how Mariska Hargitay significantly impacts the way crimes should be handled and how she has influenced others to be more aware. Introduction

My sources used for my paper largely focus on the roles that each character plays on Law & Order: SVU and why they’re fit for that role, or how the show is a crucial example of society’s expectations for women and incidents that happen so frequently. I will be using information from my sources to break research down and introduce the impacts characters have on the show, focus on one character specifically, and how and why that character has been able to adequately send such an important message for women on the show. Essentially, I am using my research to prove the connection between Mariska Hargitay’s acting on Law & Order: SVU and the message of how rape culture victims are affected.

Mariska Hargitay, on and off the camera has proven that rape culture, daily treatment of women (and men), and any reports of sexually based crimes need to be acknowledged and taken seriously. I believe that Hargitay adds such a crucial role to the show because of her passion for the message it sends and without such passion, the audience would not have different types of connections to the show. It takes one actor to allow audience to feel emotionally connected and acknowledged.

While Law & Order: SVU does an adequate job at serving justice to those who have committed sexually based crimes, we are aware that this is only a television show and much more work needs to be done in order for justice to be served as such on all accounts. Mariska Hargitay not only shows her passion for the victims of such crimes on the show, but is also an advocate off­screen, even founding the Joyful Heart Foundation that gives aid and education to survivors of sexual assault. This continuous work and effort by her tells us that she acknowledges possible progress that can still be made by society and the courtroom. One can only assume that she is most fit for her position on the show and appreciate the strong attachment

she has to the storyline. While I have no personal connection to Mariska Hargitay, I do hold a significant level of respect for her passion to address and help survivors of sexual assault. Literature Review

While I chose an interview with Ice­T (Detective Tutuola) as one of my sources, I believe that his involvement with Law & Order:SVU and his commitment to the show is perfectly represented in this interview based on an autobiography of himself. The fact that he is sure to repeatedly mention his role in the show as a cop, compared to what society expects him to be, is crucial to understand the actors’ appreciation for being apart of the show. Ice­T is admitting that due to his ‘rough’ background, society and others around him did not expect him to be apart of a show that depicts the realities of crime and relies on justice to be served.

While Entertainment Weekly’s article on season 16 of SVU is brief and to­the­point, it is crucial to realize that this article helps to further prove and emphasize that there have been extreme transitions made in the show and among actors. Its purpose is to give the season suspense for viewers, but makes it apparent that this season is largely focused on character transition and changes for each of them. What this article fails to provide us with is how the characters’ changes will affect us, the audience.

“It starred a powerhouse pair of actors: the tough, warm­eyed Mariska Hargitay, as Olivia Benson…” “Trauma Queen” states as it introduces a specific television series that portrays sexual harassment and rape crimes. Challenging my proposal that Law & Order: SVU is a show that realistically depicts sexually­heinous crimes and gives the audience an example of how justice would be served in a properly­functioned courtroom, Nussbaum describes the show as a fantasy that rids itself of raw material so that viewers can “handle” watching it. While giving her critical opinion of the show, she also addresses the reactions that women may have­ survivors of rape may find it to be therapeutic after avoiding such cruelties or women who have never experienced such trauma may watch what happens on the show and become more aware of what could happen to them at any time.

Giving a different perspective to the show, interview with Ken Storer, screenwriter for Law & Order: SVU, provides background to the original intentions of the show and how it was originally developed. The screenwriter himself had experienced trauma in 9/11 attacks and after deciding he wanted nothing to do with practicing law, he did still admire the work and wanted to write about such in a fictional way. He describes how trauma can force or push people to make life decisions that they otherwise would not, which in his case, inspired him to write stories based on real­life events and “how humans hurt other humans” for SVU.

It is enlightening to glance back at my own observations and research of the show in my Assignment One and compare information to that of other sources. For example, I described Detective Tutuola as someone who adds diversity and believes that “justice should be served in a non­judgmental manner” and after listening to Ice­T’s interview, it is apparent that he and his

ways of thinking are very much represented by his character, the only difference being background and identity. If viewers were to observe this, could they more accurately see what message is subtly being sent to them through this show and others shown on television?

While the interview with Mariska Hargitay has little to do with her as a person and everything to do with an episode from season sixteen, Hargitay describes her character in her own words and describes her experiences with directing for the first time. I specifically noted the details about her directing and how she has learned from previous colleagues and put everything she has learned into perspective, as someone apart of a community of practice would do. Her interview has greatly impacted my argument, or proposal, in which she grows as a person and character thoroughly.

Unlike many of my other sources, “Effects of Violence Against Women in Popular Crime Dramas on Viewers' Attitudes Related to Sexual Violence” deals more with sexual harassment, the message that Law & Order:SVU sends to viewers, and statistics involving such cases rather than characters of the show. Such stats vary from how many crimes go unreported to how men and women react to seeing crimes portrayed on television. The article introduces Law & Order:SVU as a television show that mostly aids in prevention of such crimes, but has statistically proven to reinforce traditional gender roles.

Similar to the previous source, “Education of Women and Women's Expectations from Distance Education on the Issues Concerning Them” deals more with gender roles and the empowerment of the woman, but unlike the previous source, Demiray uses Law & Order: SVU as a guide for women to be aware of their government and how to achieve justice. While focusing less on prevention and more on teaching women what can be done about sexual harassment, the article puts a strong emphasis on organizations for women and laws to be aware of and taught. Because Law & Order:SVU offers broad spectrum of how cases can be handled and various laws in place, it acts as a starting point for more women to learn and become knowledgeable.

Entering the Conversation

As mentioned in my introduction, I will be studying my observations of the correlation between actor Mariska Hargitay as Detective Benson and the message of the seriousness of sexual heinous crimes in the show. Rather than largely focusing on Hargitay’s personal background, I am proposing that the show itself has influenced her to be an advocate more than any other single event, and at the same time, she has influenced the show just as much. The show, while acting as a televised representation of the NYPD SVU department, is realistically solely an interpretation. I believe that Hargitay has influenced this interpretation to make it into how a properly functioned, effective department would run.

Many assume that in a television cast, actors are solely given a script, they memorize it, and portray that character to the best of their ability. Mariska Hargitay has not only played her role as Detective Benson, but she has also become emotionally attached to her character and what the show stands for. After fifteen seasons of Law & Order: SVU, Hargitay has been given

the opportunity to direct episodes. This tells us that she has become completely invested in the show and while her character is extremely empathetic towards women who have experienced sexual assault largely due to her past and being a child of rape, Hargitay herself has never stated that she has experienced such a situation. This can indicate that people can become involved and emotionally invested in a cause and the outcomes that they haven’t personally experienced.

With season eighteen premiering shortly, Hargitay has been surrounded by various stories and play­outs of sexual assaults and its victims. Once she began directing the show, there is an apparent change in her character, which she also notes in multiple interviews. While her character has always been empathetic and one who stands her ground while never becoming attached to anything else other than her job in life, Hargitay gives Benson a change in life when she is given the responsibility of being a mother. One can only ask if Hargitay directs this significant change in order to make Benson’s life one of fulfillment, both in career and family; Is this what Mariska Hargitay believes to be the biggest goal in life? I am proposing that with Hargitay’s full commitment to speaking out against sexual assault both on­screen and off­screen, that there are proper, ‘right’ ways of governing a community as a team, as Hargitay directs and acts out in Law & Order: SVU.

The teamwork shown between Detective Benson and her partners on the show is notable. Hargitay has sent the message to society that it is impossible for only one individual to make a change within a community, state, country, or world. She has developed a character that is headstrong, sometimes stubborn, hardworking, and has the patience to take other opinions into consideration. Because of this patience and virtue, Benson achieves much more in her line of work and is able to help victims while putting trust in her team to help her. Do our average police departments also commit to this act of work on a daily basis? Can we observe specific ones that do and note where they stand compared to those that do not? Is Hargitay in fact sending a message to society through her work behind the scenes of the show?

While Hargitay has focused much of her attention on sexual assault and its victims, she is sending a crucial message to detectives and protective officials all around the world at the same time. While the show is no representation of a ‘perfect’ department and is sure to remain realistic, directors and producers have been sure to incorporate all aspects of a hard­working, committed team who also have their downfalls in life. Detectives, politicians, and anyone else working in government or judiciary, should be selfless. They should be caring. They should be passionate and attentive. They should be open­minded and willing to adapt to change or compromise. They should avoid bias, no matter what happens in their personal lives. These people are not only officials, but should be advocates. This is interpretation of an effective leadership. Conclusion

In conclusion, I am proposing that Mariska Hargitay has gone to extreme measures by her own will in order to be an advocate for victims of sexually­heinous crimes and has set an example of how the legal system should work both on­screen and off­screen. She acts as an influence to not only the audience of the show and to victims that she helps annually through charity or awareness benefits, but also influences the show itself and has given it a new importance­ one of awareness for both men and women, awareness to government officials, awareness to the people involving laws and how to handle criminal cases. So far I have observed

the most recent season and how each character has made their significant changes, I have compared my research to the research of others­ both emphasizing my case and arguing it, and I have chosen which actor best portrays the overall meaning of a community of practice and applied her work to terms we have learned in this course. I have made it apparent that each actor and the role they play in my figure world is indispensable, but have focused on the difference between Hargitay and the others. My contribution is one that makes the connection between character influence and society. Such a connection allows perennial success for the series by maintaining a strong relationship between audience and character. With my contribution, Law & Order: SVU will not only be viewed as a series with a strong message, but audience will develop a new appreciation for the passion and work involved. From knowing more about this topic, we can apply this figure world that Hargitay is trying to develop in her work to our every­day lives, it can influence the way we view gender roles, equality among sexes, or even our political views. We can make it into something of our own and become advocates ourselves, developing a passion for subjects we feel strongly about, or it may sway our opinions from the way we had previously perceived things. Is this series all about the influence of things? Has it subtly developed a society that has become more interested in gender equality and womens’ rights? Mariska Hargitay continues to act as a strong, passionate individual and actress standing against sexual harassment and standing for women empowerment.

Works Cited

Abrams, Natalie et al. 2015. “Law &Amp; Order: SVU.” Entertainment Weekly 1381/1382: 114–14. Bray, Lauren. 2015. “Assignment One”. Demiray, Emine. 2014. “Education Of Women and Women's Expectations from Distance Education on the Issues Concerning Them.”Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education 15(4): 332–49.https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&an=ej1044223&site=ehost­live&scope=site (January 2015). Hargitay, Mariska, and ScreenSlam. 2014. “Law &Amp; Order: SVU ‘Criminal Stories’: MARISKA HARGITAY ‘Det. Olivia Benson’ On Set TV Interview.” Lee, Moon, Stacey Hust, Lingling Zhang, and Yunying Zhang. 2011. “Effects Of Violence Against Women in Popular Crime Dramas on Viewers' Attitudes Related to Sexual Violence.” Mass Communication and Society 1: 25–44. Marrow, Tracy (Ice­T), and NPR. 2011. “Ice­T, From 'Cop Killer' To 'Law And Order'.” Nussbaum, Emily. 2013. “Trauma Queen.” New Yorker 89: 108–9. Storer, Ken, and Loni Emmert. 2012. “Behind The Scenes at Law &Amp; Order: SVU: For Screenwriter Ken Storer, the Road to Landing a Staff­Writer Gig All Began with 9/11.”

Michael Rowlands Assignment Two Everyone in life strives to be perfect, but rarely is it achieved. The NFL has been around for over 60 years and only one team has been able to have a perfect season. The Miami Dolphins have been the only team in NFL history to accomplish this feat. They won all 14 regular season games and went on to win Super Bowl 7. The Dolphins had this amazing year during the 1972­1973 NFL season. This perfect season was set up the year before when the Dolphins lost to the Cowboys in Super Bowl 6. After having the terrible disappointment of losing on the biggest stage of the NFL the Miami Dolphins players and coaching staff were on a mission to destroy every team they faced.

Being born in Miami, Florida I have always had a passion for following the Miami Dolphins success. Unfortunately the Miami Dolphins haven’t had much success in recent years but the team is still viewed as one of the best organizations in the NFL. There absolute dominance during the early 70’s was something that may never happen again. Being able to be perfect in a professional sport has rarely been done. The Dolphins went to three super Bowls in a row and won the last two. During the second year of their three year dominance they went completely undefeated being the first and only team in history to do that. Many believe if the Miami Dolphins would keep this record and be the only team in NFL history to be the only team to go completely undefeated and win the Super Bowl during the same year. It is a nearly impossible task but some believe that if it happened once then it could happen again. Over 60 years of football and still only one team has done it but can it be done again. The competition in the NFL has gotten a lot more intense so some also believe that this record will never be broken and the 1972 Miami Dolphins will have had the greatest NFL season ever. Physics is an important aspect of football that typically every fan looks over. The players and coaches do not because they know they need every advantage they can get to have an advantage. “Ultimately, our running back must ensure two different conditions. To keep the ball from rotating out of his grasp, he must apply a torque that counters the one being applied by the defender. The sum of all the torques applied to the ball must be zero… The other unpleasant possibility is that it could simply be pushed linearly out of his grasp” (Gay 20104, p. 210). Physics is an extremely important aspect of football because for example if a running back knows how to hold a better way and it prevents fumbles then it gives his team a better chance of winning games. The coaches and players take full advantage of these opportunities. (Freeman 2012) The Miami Dolphins 1972­1973 Super Bowl season started on a cold January night after losing Super Bowl 6 to the Dallas Cowboys. The locker room was dead silent after a miserable loss. Don Shula the head coach walked into the locker room after the game and told his team that what just happened was extremely painful but that each player should remember this pain because it would making winning next year’s Super Bowl win even better. He also told his team that they would win every game the following year so that they would not have to feel the way they did then. Shula at the time was probably trying to cheer up his team but no one would've ever guessed that the Dolphins the following year would go a perfect 17­0. Hall of Fame quarterback and long­time ABC college football announcer Bob Griese is a living football legend. Now, on the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Miami Dolphins' incredible championship season, Griese tells the behind­the­scenes story of the team both on and off the field as it achieved a feat no other team has ever succeeded in matching: perfection (Griese 2012). Bob Griese was one of the best players on that Dolphins championship run during the early 1970’s and without his amazing talent and leadership that Dolphins team would have never gone undefeated and probably never won a Super Bowl.

(Yepremian 2012) Yepremian was the Miami Dolphins kicker and he explains the perfect season while for most of the game he was standing on the sideline watching the game. The third game of the season Yepremian had three field goals with one of them coming with only three minutes left in the game to give the Dolphins a chance to win the game. He explained the games that were very close and difficult and he explained the games that were complete blowouts like the game against the New England Patriots were the Dolphins won 52­0. Despite being 16­0 the Dolphins went into Super Bowl VII as an underdog to the Washington Redskins. The Redskins had won the NFC after an 11­3 regular season and had beaten the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in the playoffs. Washington didn’t have a chance against the Dolphins “No­Name Defense” in the Super Bowl (Giglio 2006, p.14). In Giglio’s book he describes all the teams throughout history that have had perfect seasons in their respective sports. (Rowlands 2015) The Miami Dolphins went 14­0 during the regular season of the 1972­1973 NFL season. During a span of three years the Dolphins made it to the Super Bowl three times and won two of them. They were able to do this incredible feat with the help quarterback Bob Griese, and running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris. The Dolphins suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Cowboys the year before going undefeated and beating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl 7. In Super Bowl 6 against the Cowboys the Dolphins were the first team ever to not score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. They only scored 3 points coming from a lone field goal. (Larsen 2006) The competitive balance of the National Football League (NFL) using Gini coefficients and the deviations of the Herfindahl­Hirschman Index. The authors present upper bounds for both measures that are constructed using actual playing schedules. They model competitive balance as a function of player talent, the incidence of strikes, the expansion of the NFL, change in the number of playoff teams, schedule length, team relocation, the number of new stadiums, and the introduction of free agency and the salary cap in the NFL using data from the 1970 to 2002 seasons. The authors find that free agency and salary cap restrictions tend to promote competitive balance, whereas a concentration of player talent reduces competitiveness among teams. Player strikes and the construction of new stadiums also affect competitive balance. During the 2007­2008 NFL season the New England Patriots were the closest NFL team to breaking the Miami Dolphins record of being the only team to go undefeated. The Patriots won all 16 regular season games but fell short of winning the Super Bowl by losing to the New York Giants. Like the Miami Dolphins the Patriots previous year ended badly and fueled a rage to come back the following year and get revenge. The Patriots were accused of cheating during the 2006 season by spying on the opposing team’s plays. This accusation against the Patriots made them furious and they nearly had the impossible accomplishment of going completely undefeated. Another example of a team that nearly got the perfect season was the 2010 Green Bay Packers. They started the season 15­0 until they benched there starters for rest purposes and ended up losing the last game of the season. The Packers then

went on to winning the Super Bowl and were one game away from going perfect. The Green Bay Packers are the last team to be only one game away from a perfect season. I believe that if in the last 10 years two different teams were able to get so close to the nearly impossible task of going undefeated that it could happen. But it is also even harder to go undefeated today than it was during the Miami Dolphins 1972­1973 because there are now two more games to play. That number might go up even more because the NFL could make so much more money if they added an additional game or two. So the chances of breaking the perfect season record could start to get even harder than it has been in the past. During the current NFL season there are currently four teams with undefeated records. This is the first time ever that at least four teams have started an NFL season 6­0. This Sunday two of these teams will play so at most there will be three undefeated teams remaining. I believe with the talent on these remaining teams that it is possible that one of them could go undefeated. The four teams left are the Green Bay Packers, the Denver Broncos, the New England Patriots, and the Cincinnati Bengals. I believe that the New England Patriots will go undefeated this season and become the second team to do that in NFL history. The Patriots have one of the easiest schedules remaining in the NFL and them playing spiteful against every team because they were accused of cheating last year in the playoffs. Future tells us that when a team faces adversity in a previous season the team the following year plays even better than in the past. Since the Patriots won the Super Bowl last year, the only real way for them to have a better season is to go undefeated. It will be very difficult but with Head Coach Bill Belichick and All Pro quarterback Tom Brady they might be able to go undefeated. Many believe that the Dolphins will be the only ream ever to go undefeated for an entire season. Over 60 years and the only team in professional football to have gone completely undefeated is the Miami Dolphins.

Assignment One (Rowlands 2015)

Beliichick, B. (n.d.). Football Physiscs.

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=LKdElnAs7BoC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=larry+

csonka&ots=oAEhNWZdMI&sig=UIf68NvvAa06fuKp1Lq4B9adDMA#v=onepage&q=larry%2

0csonka&f=false

Giglio, J. (2006). Great teams in pro football history. Chicago, Ill.: Raintree.

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=cXD2fX6nvasC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1969&dq=mia

6mi+dolphins+1972+season&ots=F2zOoLXX18&sig=VjfyPlRnQLtXf2CSj8FWjoWW9tk#v=o

nepage&q=miami%20dolphins%201972%20season&f=false

Undefeated: Inside the 1972 Miami Dolphins perfect season

Freeman, M. (2012). Undefeated: Inside the 1972 Miami Dolphins' perfect season.

New York: It Books :

https://books.google.com/books?id=UHgBmCtOT00C&printsec=frontcover&dq=dolphins+goin

g+undefeated+in+1972&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAGoVChMI4c3P3_DPyAIVh9OACh

1MEQO_#v=onepage&q=dolphins%20going%20undefeated%20in%201972&f=false

Griese, B., & Hyde, D. (n.d.). Perfection: The inside story of the 1972 Miami

Dolphins' perfect

shttps://books.google.com/books?id=WVlBk5EOUXkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=

miami+dolphins+undefeated+season&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAmoVChMI

_s_Q9fXPyAIVkqiACh1jrgoe#v=onepage&q=miami%20dolphins%20undefeated%2

0season&f=falseeason.

Larsen, A., Fenn, A., & Spenner, E. (2006). The Impact of Free Agency and the

Salary Cap on Competitive Balance in the National Football League.Journal of

Sports Economics, 374­390.

http://jse.sagepub.com/content/7/4/374.short

Yepremian, G., & Clayton, S. (2012). Tales from the Miami Dolphins sideline

reminiscences of the Dolphins glory years. New York: Sports Pub.

https://books.google.com/books?id=vyNrCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA24&dq=miami+dolphins+undefea

ted+season&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEQQ6AEwA2oVChMI_s_Q9fXPyAIVkqiACh1jrgoe#v=on

epage&q=miami%20dolphins%20undefeated%20season&f=false

Justin Watts

Walden

UWRT 1104

November 2, 2015

Leisure Time reading

Introduction:

“To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of

history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries” ( Moyer ).

Books can get people through rough times and even make good time better. They have the power

to push your analyzing ability and can take you to places in your mind you’ve never thought of.

Reading has the ability to reduce stress and relax people in chaotic situations. No matter how

much stress you have at your work place, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues

you face in your daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great book. A well

written novel can transport you to other realms and let tensions drain away and allow you to stay

calm and relax.

My love of novels and books came from my childhood. One of the first books that I truly

connected with was the book To Kill a Mockingbird. I thought it was a fantastic book and

thought that everyone could relate to it. I always paid attention to great detail in fiction books

and the more I looked at books, the more I enjoyed reading. Books such as the Hunger Games

and the Maze Runner mesmerized me with the creativity throughout both novels. As I grew, I

was able to appreciate what leisure time reading did for me. I wish for those reading, to

appreciate and understand the benefits of reading and how it can transform the way you perceive

and think of things.

The effects of reading is quite evident with everyone, just about every person acknowledges the

fact that positive factors coincide with reading. There is however a question about the effects of

leisure time reading. Reading plays many important roles in people’s lives. Without reading

entirely, it could have many harmful effects. There are so many things to explore through

reading and literature, and I wish to know more.

Literature Review:

A topic that I found regarding reading was support groups of reading. One of the articles discuss

taking surveys of high schoolers and talking to them about the statistics related to leisure time

reading. They talk about the test scores and benefits towards high school factors. There was a

survey where ninth graders were to determine attitudes toward reading and identify factors in the

lives of older children and teens associated with the development of a love for reading. The

article demonstrates the pleasures of reading and discusses interesting and engaging books for

young adults. The second topic relates to science fiction texts, written for young adults, which

deal with the tenets of the post human age. Another topic expresses feelings about characters in

books. This study investigated the extent that adult writers experience with the characters they

create for their works of fiction. This speaks of an author’s version of why they create characters

the way they do in fiction. This relates to my topic because I want to know why young adults are

so intrigued by reading fiction.

My assignment one was on the film/book the Maze Runner. I noticed that many people are

intrigued by the weird apocalyptic genre of books and movies that have been coming out. I really

enjoyed this movie and it made me want to explore the idea even more. I can use assignment one

to compare to the types of fiction books that young adults are interested in reading in their leisure

time. One article talks about what young adults do in their leisure time. It gives facts and

statistics on leisure time reading as well as other activities young adults engage in. It also shows

more detail in the aspect of what types of books they are reading (fiction, romance, nonfiction,

science fiction, and many more). I could use this study to provide more detail and add more

numbers and statistics to my paper. Lastly, the final topic talks about culture and history. These

sources use a combination of surveys and interviews to analyze the outcomes of leisure reading. I

could incorporate these statistics they argue that from leisure reading. One can learn about

people and relationships, countries, life enrichment, and different perspectives. In my paper I

want to explore why leisure time reading is becoming more popular and what people can benefit

from it.

Entering the Conversation

The thought of reading too many teens can be thought of as boring and a waste of time. With

homework, extra­curricular activities, clubs, jobs, and sports many can’t find time to incorporate

reading into their schedule. “Certainly, learning to read is valued by many cultures, and the

ability to read is regarded as the most fundamental goal of education” (Strommen). Reading is a

huge benefit to those that do. It has many effects on a person that they might not even know

about. These effects that reading can have on a person could change their life. Some of these

effects are that reading can reduce stress, gives a higher sense of tranquility, improve one’s own

analytical skills, increase your vocabulary, improve your memory, expand your writing skills,

enhance your brain, and help with prioritizing one’s goals.

Studies have found that analytical thinking is boosted by reading. Readers improve their general

knowledge, and more importantly are able to spot patterns quicker. If you can spot patterns

quicker, your analytical skills will rise. This being just one of the benefits of leisure time reading.

“Fiction texts outline the ethics of biotechnology, such as the creation of a superclass, and

crossing the boundaries between human and animal, human and machine. Most of the texts place

nurture above nature and promote a "safe," traditional vision of humanity despite the potential of

biotechnology to change the human form” (Ostry 6). When reading fiction, one can see the

patterns in such books like the Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and the Divergent series. I found

them all to be very similar and more times than not could predict how the book was going to end.

Even though the endings were predictable, the books were still fun to read. Fiction strengthens

your imagination and creativity. Your imagination gives you the view of what the world could

potentially be or just a different perspective from another person. When we are facing life’s

hardships seeing the world in a more optimistic view could help to show how things can turn out

for the better.

In a popular cartoon called The Simpsons there is an episode where Lisa (the daughter) is upset

and Marge (the mom) asks if one of Lisa’s book characters is having problems. When you’re

reading you become extremely attached to the characters and this in return helps you with the

emotion of empathy. Empathy is the ability to see and value what another person is feeling or

experiencing. When you read you see the world through the characters’ eyes and can see a whole

new light. This empathy then comes off the page and comes into to your daily life. It helps us to

relate emotionally with other people, to recognize the difficult hardships of others, and to have

an open mind. This can make us more sensitive and compassionate. Our relationships with others

will be enhanced by genuine sympathy, and we’ll inevitably be sympathetic to people we don’t

know because we realize the depth beyond the unfamiliar face.

Fictional Reading brings out curiosity. One of the most important aspects of learning is being

curious. When you're curious about something in the world, you seek it out and learn everything

you can about it. As it turns out, fiction is a great starting point and can enhance ones curiosity.

Fictional reading also makes people more comfortable with ambiguity. This is because fiction

books don’t always have clear endings. I believe it makes more people comfortable with the

feeling of not knowing everything all the time. This is a valuable trait to have because one can

learn to live in and enjoy the moment.

Fictional literature can help us explore abstract human experiences. Writers of different

eras, cultures, and even worldviews can connect with us at a profound level. Fiction gives

people an idea of foreign ideas through books. Fictional literature can deepen our appreciation

for concrete human experience. By retelling life stories with words, we can heighten our

sensitivity to common human experiences. Fictional literature gives a depth to human experience

and natural beauty. Fiction reading can focus our attention on things that we take for granted and

these images intensify our experience of the world we see around us.

Conclusion/ So what:

Books have the power to change people’s lives. Aside from the effects it has on the brain,

reading can have dramatic effects on human experience. Some of these effects are that reading

can reduce stress, give you more peacefulness, improve your analytical skills, increase your

vocabulary, improve your memory, advance your writing skills, enhance your brain, and help to

prioritize your goals, and so much more. Reading plays such an important role in people’s lives.

Without it, it could potentially have some harmful effects.

When you read, empathy is an underlying emotion that you improve on. Empathy is the ability to

see and value what another person is feeling or experiencing. When you read you can learn about

different people and see the world a lot differently. This empathy then comes off the page and

comes into to your daily life. It helps us to relate with other people. Fictional Reading brings out

curiosity. As it turns out, fiction is a great starting point and can increase ones curiosity. This can

make people want to learn and can really benefit the individual. Fictional literature can help us

explore abstract human experiences. Writers of different eras, cultures, and even worldviews can

connect with us at a profound level through books and leisure time reading.

All of these factors are important because they can influence one’s life for the better. Whether

reading is reducing stress in your life or is making you more curious about the world, it is

important and adds benefits to your life. The benefits are there for everyone to take advantage of

and people should really incorporate reading into their free time within the twenty­four hours

that we all share all day, every day. Literacy is the bridge that connects human feeling with

human logic. Desultory hearts would surround the globe without the intermediate passages of

empathy which can truly be expressed by a mere pen and paper. Reading makes all of us more

human. When we actually take the time to sit down and read a story we can feel emotion and

connection with an outside world and a different perspective.

Reading and writing gives us a way to write down and record so many things, from history, to

songs, literature, and important events. All of these contribute to what legacy we leave and pass

down to the next generation. Our culture, history, and values would not be remembered if writing

and especially reading did not exist. It is also important for health and even recreational

purposes. Many people use reading as a tool to escape from an unfortunate reality. Mental health

experts say that reading is always recommended for progress in poor mental health, and even

stress related issues.

Some new ideas that were brought to mind during this process was that with the way our society

is now, regarding technology, how can this negatively impact reading? Today, most people

would much rather pick up their smart devices, watch TV, and listen to their iPod’s than pick up

a book and read. Most of this comes down to pure apathy and convenience. If we think about

past generations, reading books was sometimes the only fun past time available. There wasn’t

many distractions and this may be why many older people are able to read, write, empathize, and

even communicate better compared to our generation today. Is technology the main contributing

source of why reading is not as popular as it used to be?

Works Cited

Bean, Thomas W., and Helen J. Harper. "Exploring Notions of Freedom In and Through Young

Adult Literature." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy: 96­104. Print.

Greaney, Vincent. "Factors Related to Amount and Type of Leisure Time Reading." Reading

Research Quarterly: 337. Print.

Moffitt, Mary Anne S., and Ellen Wartella. "Youth and Reading: A Survey of Leisure Reading

Pursuits of Female and Male Adolescents." Reading Research and Instruction: 1­17.

Print.

Moyer, Jessica E. "Learning From Leisure Reading." Reference & User Services Quarterly:

66­79. Print.

Ostry, Elaine. ""Is He Still Human? Are You?": Young Adult Science Fiction In The Posthuman

Age." The Lion and The Unicorn: 222­46. Print.

Strommen, Linda Teran, and Barbara Fowles Mates. "Learning To Love Reading: Interviews

With Older Children And Teens." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy:

188­200. Print.

Taylor, Marjorie, Sara D. Hodges, and AdÈle KohÁnyi. "The Illusion Of Independent Agency:

Do Adult Fiction Writers Experience Their Characters As Having Minds Of Their

Own?" Imagination, Cognition and Personality: 361­80. Print.

Watts, Justin. "Assignment One." Lecture.

Assignment Two

Mariah Romero

It’s a dark stormy night, four friends are sitting in the living room. Suddenly lightning struck and

caused for the lights to go out in the house. The girls are beyond freaked out and the sound of the

loud thunder and the strikes of lighting causes them to huddle together in fear. Then with a big

gust of wind, opens the back door. At this moment in time, the girls are beyond freaking out. All

of sudden the lights come back on and no sooner than the lights come on, all the girl’s phones

began to ring. They all pull out their phones and looked at it, with pure horror they knew who it

was, the text read “Next time you’ll be left faceless –A.” A is back to haunt them and they are

not prepared for it.

Pretty Little Liars focuses on four friends who are stalked and tormented by what was in the

beginning an unknown person. Within the show many of the characters showed signs of having

different mental illnesses. From Spencer having a mental breakdown from abusing medication to

Mona biggest mental breakdown. Mona from Pretty Little Liars season 3 can be seen as being

Narcissistic or having a personality disorder. Since her reveal as “A”, Mona has been locked

away at Radley the mental hospital.

Over the last 50 years, there has been a dramatic change in how people look and treatment

people with a mental illness. With more technology available to research those with a mental

illness, we can see how that person’s brain works and we can improve their living. I am going to

dig deeper into mental illness treatments and awareness. Treatments has also greatly improved as

well; we went from believing everyone that was mentally ill needed to be locked up in a “crazy”

house or treated as they were criminals or less than human to having medication that help with

the symptoms so that a person was function “normally” as possible in society. Pretty Little Liars

does not really hit on the treatments of mental illnesses but it does show different characters

having some type of mental illness. It just brings awareness that just because someone seems like

they are normal, they could have a mental illness that they have been trying to hide from

everyone and being left untreated can lead to that person having a manic episode.

Before I began my research on mental illness treatment/ awareness and the connection that Pretty

Little Liars has with it. My position on this topic as a viewer of this show is that in our society,

we tend to jump to conclusions about people with a mental illness. I can understand when

Hannah became very angry when her best friend Mona was locked up in Radley, the mental

hospital and everyone kept calling Mona crazy. Mona although snapped and tried to hurt Hannah

and the rest of the girls, Hannah still believe in that Mona just need help and that she was crazy.

like a lot in our society we tend to say right off the bat that someone with a mental illness has to

be crazy when in reality they may just need some help with dealing with their symptoms. My

interest in this topic comes from my love of the show and also I have an interest in learning more

about mental illnesses. This paper will dig deeper into more about the treatment for people with a

mental illness and how Pretty Little Liars characters like Mona often show them going through

periods of having mental illness or they are actually mentally ill.

Literature Review

The many of the characters in Pretty Little Liars have showed signs of having a mental illness.

Either it was from them acting out by having manic episodes or just the way they interacted with

others on the show. The person that was “A” in the show clearly had a mental illness because

that person stalked and tormented the characters; Hannah, Emily, Spencer, and Aria. Emily is

going through her bag when she pulls out this necklace with teeth on it and it said “Dead Girls

Can’t Smile”. Romero, M. (2015). This just shows how far this “A” character will go and no

normal person would be doing something like that. With this trend throughout the show with

multiple characters going in and out of Radley for having mental breakdowns or showing signs

of having a mental disorder. For example, Narcissistic Disorder have trouble handling anything

that may be perceived as criticism. May have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability

and humiliation. Personality Disorders: MedlinePlus, (2015.) or Borderline Personality Disorder

People have unstable moods, relationships and behaviors. They can also have psychotic moments

and very impulsive. People with this disorder usually has other disorders along with it, for

example depression, self­harm, anxiety disorders. Borderline Personality Disorder, (2015.) Mona

out of all the characters in the show has showed the most symptoms of having some type of

mental disorder like Narcissistic Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder.

Many demonstrate psychopathic behaviors at an early stage of their life. Although we do not see

the early life of the characters, like mentioned before many do shows these signs throughout the

show. Violence can be caused by mental illness or social deprivation. Mona probably had the

combination of this because she had some type of mental illness and due to Allison’s non stop

bullying throughout their young lives. Mona was very insecure and started to hate Allison

because she also caused for Mona not to have friends for a long time. Origins of Violence: Is

Psychopathy and Adaptation? (2015.)

When Alison disappears, Mona took over her role as the mean girl of the school, she tortures

other classmates like this nerdy kid named Lucas. Throughout the entirety of the first season, she

appears to be an ordinary teenage character. She gets into petty arguments with Hannah’s over

boyfriends and Hanna's decision to befriend Lucas. Mona used to be outcast because of Alison's

bullying. Mona is resilient but also determined to never return to her "loser Mona" persona

again. She was obsessed with being like Alison and ruling the school and when someone tested

her that is when as a viewer we see some of the symptoms of her having some type of mental

illness. Mona was going to Radley after she had a major episode and while being in there she

was being treated for her manic episode but she was isolated from others and pretty much locked

up in a box room.

Entering the conversation

When treating someone with a mental illness, especially in America it can be a very delicate

topic due to all the stigma against people with a mental illness. Millions of Americans are

affected by mental illnesses, 1 in 5 adults in America has a mental illness. The mental illness that

affects women more are borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders,

while in men they have PTSD, drug or alcohol problems. Due to the many stigmas, it has

affected how people view/treat others with mental illness because they are looked at as being

unstable, dangerous, violent. When in truth majority of the people are very stable and take

medication to treat their symptoms of their illness so that they can function normally.

Treatment for mental illnesses as greater improve in quality because there is more combinations

of medication and support like therapy so that not one treatment can be applying to everyone

with the same certain illness. Everyone’s treatment is different to fit their needs, wellness goals

and different types of support services. Doctors are more aware about treating people with

mental illness because they use to do un human treatments like shock therapy (not supervise or

approved, locking people up, holding people underwater, etc. But now doctors have a better

knowledge of the different illnesses to where patents are actually getting treated. Also there are

many more support groups are available to help with building social skills, get advice from

others that are dealing with the same type of issues.

In Pretty Little Liars they had multiple characters show signs of having mental illnesses for

example, bipolar disorder, multiple personality disorder. The main character that was the face of

the show of having a mental illness was Mona, who was went “crazy” at the end of season two,

showed having a personality disorder because she went from being a normal smart high school

girl to someone that was stalking and tormenting, also almost running over her so called friends.

When she was admitted into Radley the mental hospital, people looked at her as being a crazy

person and should not be released back into the public. Although she was a dangerous at the time

she was not being treated before her episode, so no one caught on to her symptoms and got her

help before she had her episode. Even in Radley Mona had barely any human contact and was

not really getting the proper treatment which is another problem in mental hospitals, since

generally it is low staff and the staff is not really trained to care those with certain mental

illnesses.

I personally feel that people with mental illnesses should be treated better because they are still

getting treated badly either it's from their doctors/nurses or family or even friends. People believe

that they created people any kind of way just because they have a mental illness when in fact

most people can provide for themselves and also are very intelligent people. I also think with

better ways of catching the signs/symptoms than people can get a faster treatment and hopefully

have a happier and healthy life. With the great advances that have been made for treatments of

mental illness, they have been more tailor to not only the illness but also the patient themselves. I

believe that people now have a better support system that will set them up to succeeded in the

real world so that they make relationships, have a job, live on their own if their illness allows for

them too.

With more and more information coming out for better treatments that can really help people in

need and also we can figure the signs out when a people is still young instead of when they are

adults. Also educating the public more can help society become be sensitive and aware of them

making judgments and mistreating other with mental illnesses. I really believe that the more

advances we make as a country towards mental illness, the more we can work to hopefully

having more cues or more effective medications. I think also if more people took mental illnesses

more serious than they could get a better understanding of that person and have a lower chance

of mistreating/ using that person. Overall I believe we have made great improvements and if we

continue on the path we are on then we can excel in both the medical field for research or in

sociality view on mental illness.

Conclusion

The topic is mental illness in Pretty Little Liars and how mental illness played a role in the show.

The purpose of this paper was bring more awareness to mental illnesses and treatments. In the

entering the conversation I believe that there had been great improvements in how we deal with

people that have a mental illness. How Mona was being treated different because of her being

sent to Radley. What’s new is that people are more aware that a person with a mental illness is

not less than them and are not violent or dangerous people. My contribution matters because it is

a big part of our society and we still do not fully understand it. Also it's important to know and

learn from past mistakes when it comes to dealing with people with mental illness and not

jumping to conclusions.

People should care about this topic because it is really important to learn about why and how

people get these types of mental illnesses. Also the more we learn about this topic the more we

become aware and more sensitive to others that are dealing with their disorders. We gain not

only a better understanding about the different types of mental illnesses but also we learn more

about the brain and how genetics/environment can play a role in someone getting one of those

disorders. It matters a great deal also to improve treatments because even a person has a mental

illness does not mean they should be treated like they are not humans or like they are criminals. I

believe that we need to do more research how to cure some of these mental illness that are very

deadly. I question whether is will it even be possible to cure all the disorders and will there more

new diseases that evolve over the years. I just think we need to continue with increasing the

research time on mental illness because there is still a lot we do not know about with certain

disorders.

Bibliography

Romero, M. (2015). Assignment One Observations

Origins of Violence: Is Psychopathy and Adaptation? (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015.

Personality Disorders: MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015.

Personality disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015.

Narcissistic personality disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Symptoms. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015.

Borderline Personality Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015.

Borderline Personality Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015.