Andrew HarrisSelf-Assessment

Memoir

When I had met with you back in March I was told that I needed to have more

of a set theme in my memoir. You recommended child’s innocence and I believe that

I was able to fit that into this piece quite well. I was also told that the ending still

needed some work. So what I did was I completely took out the old ending and

wrote a new one that would directly relate to the theme of the memoir. Now the

ending doesn’t seem as if it’s “tacked on” and flows with the rest of the story. This is

probably one of the best pieces of writing I have ever done.

Review

I had no idea what I needed to work on with this paper until I met with you

on it and was able to discuss it into more depth. I also had read several movie

reviews since and I think I have got a better feel for writing reviews now. Most of

what I had done for the first draft was summarize the movie and only talk about the

death and dying theme of the movie. The piece is shorter and there are fewer

summaries. Also there is better information on what aspects of the movie I liked. For

example I added the body language of the main character was done very well and

then went into several sentences o why I believed that to be true. My review has

changed a lot since the first draft, but it was for the best.

Open Genre

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I had pretty positive feedback on my flyer. It was very informative and to the

point. However, it was pretty messy. The first draft I did was a word document and

that was just a pain to deal with. So I went back and re did the entire thing on power

point and was able to get it looking nice and clean. I like hoe I had the yellow

background on the flyer with black writing I wanted to make it look similar to a

caution sign. I believe that this would be a good flyer to show people because of all

the natural disasters that have been going on. Also Utah is due for a big earthquake

so hopefully people will get prepared.

Researched Argument

This was probably the toughest paper for me to write this semester. I have

written research papers before but they were all on topics that I was able to chose

for myself. Although the topic of death and dying was very broad, it is still not a very

fun topic to write about, but it is something we all need to think about eventually.

My biggest problem at first was that I did not have enough sources to back up what I

was saying. The sources I did have were also not in MLA or APA format so I had to

go through and change that. I also did not connect my topic of hospice care to a

broader perspective so I went through and made it so the paper also included that

hospice care can affect everyone. My paper was also not long enough so I was able to

beef it up a lot more after all of the drafts I did.

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Andrew HarrisEnglish 2010

The Magical Second Basement

Growing up the youngest of seven wasn’t always easy. I have three older

brothers. Two of these brothers, Winston and James, loved to torment me. I was

their favorite source of entertainment, even better than cable television and

Nintendo 64. Why was I so entertaining you ask? Well, I have quite a bad temper

with an extremely short fuse. James and Winston would mess with me until I would

explode in an angry rage like a giant volcano; and then they would sit back and

watch their favorite kind of entertainment unfold right before their eyes.

If I was lucky my parents would step in after I blew sky high, but if my

parents were unable to step in or my father thought it was hilarious, Winston and

James would come back around for round two. Getting me to explode could involve

both a physical and a psychological punishment of some sort. Although they were

good at both types of punishment, they were professionals when it came to playing

mind games with me. They could trick me into believing or doing anything they

pleased. They were con men and I was an innocent child.

On a hot summer afternoon when I was seven, my brothers were sitting in

our basement bored out of their minds. Unfortunately for them, their favorite

entertainment (me) was playing at a friend’s house. When they realized they needed

more entertainment in their lives they decided to come up with an evil prank to pull

on me when I returned home.

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The brilliant scheme Winston and James hatched on that fateful summer day

was that they tried to convince me that our family home had a “secret second

Basement.” They told me that this second basement had a swimming pool, hot tub,

big screen television, pool table, arcade games, and all the candy a boy like me

would ever want. Basically the second basement was a dream come true to an

innocent seven year-old like myself.

The first time James and Winston, the “gruesome twosome,” approached me

about the second basement, they began by telling me that I had no idea how

awesome our house really was because of our secret second basement.

“The second basement even has a swimming pool!” Winston exclaimed.

“A swimming pool, really?” I exclaimed with excitement.

“Yeah and that’s only part of it”, James said proudly.

I wondered to myself why my parents kept quiet about this awesome part of the

house to my sisters and me?

“How come dad has never told me about this before?” I asked the gruesome

twosome.

Winston replied, “ Dad didn’t want Abby, Aliza, and you to ruin all the nice

things we have down there.”

This made sense to me, but I was a little bitter that my father had kept something

this awesome from me.

“Can I go down there now?” I asked excitedly.

“Sorry Andy, but you are not a founder.” James said.

A little frustrated I replied, “Well, what does it take to be a founder?”

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They told me that the only way I could become a founder was to do

everything they asked me to do, which would, of course, involve me doing their

chores and scratching their backs.

When I confronted my dad about the second basement he thought it was

hilarious at first, but then he realized that his innocent little boy had become

obsessed with getting into the second basement. “Andrew there is no such thing as

the second basement.” He sincerely told me.

I then looked over at Winston and James who were shaking their heads in

disgust.

“He just doesn’t want you to break any of the expensive equipment!” James

replied quickly.

Maybe my brothers were very convincing or maybe I just wanted to believe

that there actually was a second basement; so their prank lived on.

I knew that I had to prove myself worthy to become a founder. So I became

their indentured servant doing anything and everything that was asked of me. It was

a lot of work but I told myself that it would all be worth it in the end because I would

have total access to the magical second basement and all that it had to offer.

The “secret trapdoor” to the second basement was hidden in the little room

under our basement stairs. Winston would go in by himself and hide under blankets,

while James would wait outside the room with me. When I was allowed to go inside

Winston was out of sight. I remember thinking to myself that the second basement

really does exist. I wanted to join him in the magical second basement so badly!

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A couple weeks later my friends were over at my house playing. My brothers

decided it would be hilarious to embarrass me in front of all of my friends. The

gruesome twosome came up to me grinning from ear to ear and asked:

“Andrew how would like to go swimming in the second basement right

now?”

I didn’t even answer them because I was already sprinting up the stairs. I ran faster

than I have ever run before. My dream was coming true! As I approached my

bedroom door I threw open the door and ripped out the dresser drawer that

contained my swim trunks. I threw off all my clothes and before I knew it I was

flying back down the stairs tying up my swimsuit.

When I came back down the stairs to the first basement all Winston and

James were having a hard time keeping straight faces; after all their master plan was

exceeding their grandest expectations. There I was in my swim trunks out of breath,

at their disposal. I was so excited that all my hard work was paying off and that I

was finally going swimming! Unfortunately for me --Winston and James--wanted to

keep their prank alive.

“Andrew, I just remembered, you’re not old enough to be a founder,” said

Winston.

Seething with anger I snarled, “ Well how old do you have to be? I have done

everything you’ve asked me to do to become a founder!”

“Well Andy you have to be at least twelve years old” Said James.

Frustrated beyond belief I replied. “Winston isn’t even twelve yet!”

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Knowing they had backed themselves up into a corner, Winston said. “Well

I’m the one exception to that rule.”

I shouted back in front of my friends, “How do I know if there is actually a

second Basement?”

Winston said. “Andrew you just have to believe that there is a second

basement!”

I screamed out. “YOU ARE NOT THE HOLY GHOST! YOU DON’T

KNOWEVERYTHING!”

After my angry exchange with my brothers all that Winston and James could do was

laugh hysterically. Finally it hit me—the second basement did not exist and

everything I had done was all for nothing. Their brilliant plan had exceeded their

fondest expectations. They had me standing in front of my friends in my swimming

suit, angry as hell. Not to mention I had been their slave for a couple of weeks.

I wish I could tell you that this was the last time my brothers took advantage

of my childhood innocence, but then I would just be lying to you. Children will

believe just about anything you tell them. Unfortunately for me it was the gruesome

twosome telling me what to do and taking advantage of my innocence. They would

exploit my child innocence because everything they told me would eventually lead

to me to doing their chores. Were they lazy or were they geniuses? One thing that is

for sure is that I will have my revenge on the gruesome twosome!

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Andrew HarrisEnglish review

Buried

Imagine waking up in pure darkness, having no idea where you are, and

breathing heavily. Luckily you find a lighter, but when you light it you find out how

unlucky you are -- buried alive in a plywood coffin. This is how Buried starts out by

painting the picture of how grim the main character Paul’s situation is.

You get a sense of claustrophobia right from the start. Paul (Ryan Reynolds)

tries to relax in the dark solitude of his plywood coffin when all of a sudden a phone

rings and startles him awake and he hits his head on the top of the coffin because

there is literally no room for him to move around. He was taken hostage after his

convoy in Iraq was attacked. The sad thing is that he’s not even a soldier; he’s an

independent contract truck driver working in Iraq for an American company

moving supplies from place to place for the troops. His captors buried him alive with

the hopes of getting some ransom money. They buried him with a cell phone so they

can prove that he is alive.

In grim situations like Paul’s it always helps to have some support when

death is looming around the corner. In Paul’s case it was Dan Brenner who was

giving Paul hope that he would be rescued. He had a plan for what Paul could do to

help them find him and he shared experiences of successful stories similar to Paul’s

situation. I believe its human nature to comfort and support people in their time of

need. This is especially the case when it comes to death and dying. You want the

person to move on in a peaceful state, not a in a state of despair and pain.

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Also, I believe that the way the movie was shot portrays how most people see

death, dark and disturbing. The entire movie was just of Paul in his dark and somber

coffin. You never see any other characters; all you hear is their voices over the

phone. His situation seems bleak and almost inevitable that he is going to die, but he

does what most people do, goes out with a fight. He tries everything in his power to

have his captors let him go and to help Paul Brenner find him. It’s a thrilling race

against time before Paul’s oxygen is gone and the cell phones battery is dead.

The entire movie Reynolds is dripping in sweat, breathing heavily, with blood

chalked on his forehead. Even though the entire movie was of a man trapped in a

coffin, Ryan Reynolds did a great job enticing the audience with his body language.

He is always tense, uneasy, and very frustrated with his circumstances. Although he

doesn’t have much room to move around in, Paul can’t sit still, because he is worried

about he and his family. This movie will make you feel anxious and claustrophobic,

but you can’t help but watch as the plot unfolds before your eyes.

The budget for this movie was only $3 million, but it was more that for what

director Rodrigo Cortes wanted to accomplish. This movie is raw, edgy, and not

what I was used too, but because of these reasons I grew an appreciation for it’s

uniqueness. This movie is unforgettable because it makes you wonder what you

would do if you were buried alive.

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Andrew HarrisEnglish 1010

The Cure For the Incurable

Imagine being diagnosed with a terminal illness and being told you only have a

few months to live. Knowing that the grim reaper is knocking on the door, do you just

throw in the towel and say you fought a good fight? For many people this answer will be

a “Hell no!” Almost every person wants to live their last days to the fullest. But how do

you live life to the fullest if a terminal illness is starting to set in, without undergoing

painful and expensive medical treatment? A rather simple answer is Hospice Care.

Hospice is a philosophy of care where death is accepted in the final stages of life.

Most people who are candidates for hospice care have less than six months to live. The

goal of hospice is to enable patients to live as pain-free as possible in the patient's final

days. Instead of in a hospital hooked up to ventilators and other expensive medical

equipment hospice care enables people to live their last days with their families. The

focus of hospice is care not cure. Hospice founder Dame Cicely Saunders once said, “We

will do all that we can, not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die”

(Dardis, p. 87). To live until you die means to me that you will be as pain free as possible.

When you are pain free as possible you will be able to enjoy life right up until the time

you pass away.

For many people hospice care is started too late after they have tried many

different and expensive medical procedures because the patient believes that he is

giving up and that all hope is lost. In my opinion, if you are told that you don't have

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much time to live you should accept death as being inevitable. Many people think that

this is cowardly but most people who start hospice care wish they had started it earlier.

I first heard about hospice care in my English class when we were assigned to

read an article entitled Letting Go by Atul Gawande. Dr. Gawande made a very

compelling argument for hospice care and explained it well. After reading the article I

decided I wanted to do some of my own research because I have two grandparents who

will surely need some sort of end of the life care in the next couple of years. My two

grandparents have been fighting off cancer and Parkinson’s disease for the last three or

four years and their health are progressively getting worse.

Upon further research I discovered that hospice care not only helps you out

physically but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well. This would be perfect

for my grandfather who was recently put on some anti-depressants to help him cope

with his Parkinson’s. My grandfather has always been a very active man up until recently

and it has been very hard for him to deal with his extensive health problems. Probably

the hardest thing for my grandfather is that he needs help doing the simplest of tasks.

Although they are not quite candidates for hospice care, if I have any say they will

definitely have a hospice nurse in the final stages of their lives so they can live as pain

and worry free as possible.

Many people do not agree with what hospice care does, mainly because it puts

so much emphasis on death. However, we all must realize that sooner or later we are all

going to die. This is a hard pill to swallow, but if we swallow it sooner rather than later

we will be able to live our lives to its full potential. Denial of death is a big problem all

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around the world. People will think that their life is to good too even be thinking about

death, but if we do it sooner than later it will be easier for yourself and your family as

well. According to C. Northcote Parkinson, “delay is the deadliest form of denial”

(Gardener, p. 17). If we delay thinking about death we will have to suffer the

consequences later, which is why everyone should be considering hospice care now if

they are diagnosed with a terminal illness in the future.

Another big reason why most people do not agree with hospice care is because

they do not fully understand it. Being both a journalist and a doctor, Atul Gawande did

not fully understand hospice care at first. He thought of hospice care just as a big

“morphine drip” (p. 2). He did extensive research and discovered that hospice care is so

much more than helping people face death by giving them something to ease the pain. I

myself did not understand why someone should undergo hospice care until I did further

research.

There are many myths surrounding hospice care, for example, many people

believe that when you start hospice care you are just giving up. However, the sooner

you start hospice care the more opportunities there are to stabilize the illness and

address other needs. By no means are you giving up, you will just be giving yourself a

better chance to get your illness under control. Some patients even improve enough to

be discharged from hospice care.

Probably the biggest thing that people need to realize about hospice care is that

it’s not just about the patients, but their families as well. Terminally illnesses not only

affect you, but also your loved ones. It can be very depressing for somebody to see a

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loved one going through terminal illness. In hospice care there are social workers

provided to help you and also your loved ones get through this difficult time. Hospice

care will provide families will mental and emotional support to get through the difficult

times.

In conclusion, I hope that if you or a loved one is in the final stages of life due to

a terminal illness that you will seriously consider hospice care as an alternative to

further medical treatment and procedures. You or your loved ones will enjoy living the

last days of your life as pain free as possible. Also a certified hospice nurse will help you

and your family get through this difficult time physically, mentally, and spiritually.

People struggling with a terminal illness need to always remember that there should

always be hope that a cure will be found. However, if a cure is not found in time hospice

care should be seriously considered.

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Works Cited

Cancer.org. "Hospice Care." American Cancer Society: :Information and Resources for

Cancer: Breast, Colon, Prostate, Lung and Other Forms. 27 Mar. 2009. Web. 07

Apr. 2011.

Gawande, Atul. "Letting Go." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2010. Web. 07

Apr. 2011.

Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Hospice Care: Comforting the Terminally Ill - MayoClinic.com."

Mayo Clinic. 16 Apr. 2010. Web. 07 Apr. 2011.

Gardner, John W. Quotations of Wit and Wisdom. Norton, 1980. Print

Dardis, Sharon, and Cindy Rogers. As I Journey On: Meditations for Those Facing

Death. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2000. Print.

Krakauer, R et al. “Opportunities to Improve the Quality of Care for Advanced Illness.”

Health Affairs 28 (2009)

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