Confused and not making progress

I was having trouble finding non-internet sources so I decided to interview someone who has experience in the mental health field. I tried to ask her about different opinions on what should be done. It ended up getting really off topic and left me more confused about what I'm trying to present. I'm starting to realize that my topic is a lot more complex than what I was trying to focus on. I was hoping to get a somewhat unbiased more objective view of different solutions to the problem, but it turned out to be the opposite. She started to talk about how people who are dangerous can't be treated in mental health facilities, but non-violent people can. She says that there is a different between mental health issues and behavior. For example, someone with a conduct disorder can't be treated with medication. A sociopath (or anti-social personality disorder) can't be sent to a hospital for two reasons. One, they are too dangerous. Two, it does not help to put them in a different facility when they need to be held accountable for their actions. Once accountability is there, she said that mental health treatment would be appropriate. She said that a big problem with why treatment doesn't work is because there is no follow up and the need for case workers. She also asked me if I knew is there was any screening for a person to be put into the mental health section of the jail. I am not sure if there is a screening process so I will research it. She encouraged me to do more research on the system and what happens before inmates are incarcerated. I'm not sure if that's what needs to happen.

The conversation went way off topic and it left me more confused. She asked me to identify what different sides I'm trying to look at and I told her I was looking at different opinions on solutions. She still did not have a clear answer to my question partly because of her bias, which she recognized, and the need to expose the entire situation. Because she explained more parts of the criminal justice system and mental health, I am really confused about what I'm writing about. I pretty much have no clue anymore. I did research on different possible solutions which is what my original plan was, but I couldn't find very much besides some info on CIT (which isn't that related), mental health courts, and some alternative treatment facilities. I guess I'll just do research on everything and see what turns out.

Despite the information overload and confusion, I did talk to someone whose father works in the criminal justice system. I'll be talking to them tomorrow and I'm hoping to receive a non biased, objective answer.

Progress

I found an article by Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton who was directly involved with and witnessed the effects on mental health and the legal system. Partly because of her own personal experiences, she has concerns about and advocates for keeping people suffering from mental illness out of jails and placing them in appropriate mental health treatment. She starts off by listing statistics. According the the U.S. Department of Justice, 16% of inmates reported a mental condition or previous psychiatric hospitalization. She also says that according to some studies, nearly half of the inmates had three or more previous sentences and that inmates with mental illness stay an average of three to four times longer than other inmates. The fact that inmates have had previous sentences shows the theory of the revolving door which many talk about. She says that mentally ill inmates require more resources, but taxpayers are paying for police to repeatedly arrest, transport, and process mentally ill defendants. She makes a point by saying, "The question becomes, would we rather spend these dollars to keep mentally ill citizens homeless, revolving in and out of our criminal justice system, or would we rather spend these dollars to help them to become stable, productive citizens?". Her focus for solution to this problem takes place in Ohio's criminal justice system. Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a training program to help police officers deal with mentally ill people. In this training, they learn about diagnoses, treatment, symptoms, crisis de-escalation, etc. so that they can better deal with mentally ill and prevent violence and large coflicts. CIT is a collaboration between law enforcement and mental health community and this is what Stratton says is an important part of keeping the mentally ill out of jail. Another solution that Stratton and other advocates promote is a separate mental health court.

Not very much progress...

I tried to do more research on different opinions on what should be done about the treatment of mentally ill patients. I found a lot of articles on how they are being mistreated including the issues of the death penalty and mentally ill inmates. I didn't really find any new information on why they should be treated better and everything I've found so far has said the same thing. Almost all of them have said that jails are not where mentally ill people should be receiving treatment even though most are. Most people say that they should be treated in hospitals. Even though most sources said that inmates are being treated poorly, I found one article that spoke about how mentally ill inmates are being treated better and one that told a story about an inmate getting court ordered treatment in a hospital. I have not yet been able to find sources for reasons that support inmates not being treated with better care.

Progress...

I did more research on the history of state hospitals, why they got shut down, and the effects of deinstitutionalization. Deinstitutionalization began in 1955 after the introduction of the first effective antipsychotic medication. Deinstitutionalization had two stages: moving people out of the institutions and then closing parts of all of the institutions. This created a huge crisis because those released could not be guaranteed necessary care to live in the community or medication. Not only did it negatively impact those released at the time, but those who became ill after had no access to public mental health care. Deinstitutionalization was also based off the idea that mental illness should be treated in less restrictive settings and different treatment philosophies. I have not yet found sources for different arguments or views on how mentally ill inmates should be treated.

Progress

I did some more research on specific details and statistics. I found more information, but I haven't compared it to other sources yet. I found more information on state hospitals regarding their development, controversies, and reasons for shut down. I also found more statistics one them being in 1955, about 560,000 Americans were being treated in state hospitals. Between 1955 and 2000, the population increased from 166 to 276 million. You would expect to find 930,000 patients in state hospitals, but there are fewer than 55,000 today. Almost 300,000 are in jails and prisons and another half million are on court-ordered probation. I did further research into possible solutions and alternatives that have been tried or are functioning currently. I watched a documentary on Atascadero State Hospital in California which is a facility that holds mentally ill inmates after they have served their time in jail. It showed the conditions of the hospital, which were much better than jail, but also some of the reasons why it is controversial (is it fair to keep people after they have served their time, cost, etc). I also re-read the part of Pete Earley's book "Crazy" on the Diversion Program which sends inmates to actual mental health facilities to be stabilized.

Topic for Inquiry Contract

I read an article on the problem of jails becoming crowded with mentally ill inmates due to the shutting down of many state hospitals. I found the information interesting but also horrifying so I read a book on it. Pete Earley, a journalist, wrote the book "Crazy" which was a combination of his own story about his son and also his own research. He focused on the Miami Dade County Jail, which houses the most mentally ill patients in one facility, and talked with staff at the jail, doctors, judges, law enforcement officers, and inmates. The conditions are far from optimal and in some ways inhumane. Inmates are first prescribed medication from which the jail has connections with the manufacturer even if that is not what is needed. Many people suffering from mental illness get pushed through the "revolving doors" of the jail because of repeat offenses which can be linked to insufficient or nonexistent treatment. Although many officers are trained to deal with such people, there are still many unnecessary altercations and tragedies that occur due to a lack of knowledge and training. According to the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are currently 1.25 million inmates suffering from some type of disorder. Because of deinstitutionalization, jails have become mental hospitals where inmates are not receiving appropriate treatment.

Ideas

I don't want to research any ideas related to politics such as the war or global warming. I would be interested in a health issue possibly related to psychology, but I'm not sure on the specific issue. The only ideas I have right now are related to different treatment options/requirements, commitment, etc.

Proposal Argument

In her letter to the CEO of Stone's End Restaurant and Brewery, Laurel Wilson presents the problem that servers make more money than hosts because they receive tips. She states that hosts do an equal amount or more work than servers and that the difference in wages is unfair. She presents her argument in a reasonable way and suggests possible solutions. She also uses her personal story in an attempt to make her point more valid. However, her argument comes across as very self-serving considering she only uses herself as an example and it seems like she's whining. She doesn't really provide any facts and uses personal opinions instead to support her argument.

C.P. Ellis

I think his story does offer credible way of overcoming hatred and misunderstanding between races. The method told about uses communication between people of differences to solve dislikes and tensions. He says, "I didn't until I met a black person and talked with him, eyeball to eyeball, and met a Jewish person and talked to him, eyeball to eyeball. I found out they're people just like me." This shows that it is easy to hate a group of people, but more difficult to hate an individual person. By talking about issues between different races and religious, for example, people saw that there wasn't a great deal of different between them. This realization allowed them to discard their hostility towards each other. I think that this method to get rid of discrimination is possible, but difficult to achieve. In order for it to work, both sides would need to be committed to solving the problem. Although I think some would be willing, many would oppose. I think it is possible to use this method to help discrimination, but I don't think it would work to solve it completely on a large scale.

The Pressure to Cover

Mainstream is a myth because no one is normal. Everyone has differences, but most people cover them up to appear to be mainstream. I think that mainstream person is someone who the majority of the population views as typical of our society. This doesn't mean that everyone in our society would like or want to be a mainstream person, but they have to pretend to be that mainstream person to be accepted by society. I think that Yoshino makes good points to defend that mainstream is a myth by giving examples that everyone covers something. People cover small and large things only because they believe that will make them appear to be mainstream.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Credibility

"And now, reader, I come to a period in my unhappy life, which I would gladly forget if I could. The remembrance fills me with sorrow and shame. It pains me to tell you of it; but I have promised to tell you the truth, and I will do it honestly; let it cost me what it may." (46)
She makes it clear that it is difficult for her to write and this shows how much slavery has impacted her. It lets the reader know that she is taking a risk by writing this, but she also says that she will tell the truth. She also uses certain language, description, and often imagery to make her stories seem real and appeal to people's emotions.

Freedom

Emily Flint tries to find Linda so Linda hides. Mrs. Bruce offers to buy Linda, but Linda doesn't like the idea of being passed on from owner to owner and being bought and sold. Mrs. Bruce buys Linda anyway and frees her. Linda is appreciative of being free but is frustrated with the whole system of slavery.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

It is important that this book is fact and not fiction because fact is more real and believable. The fact that the events in the book are real makes it easier for people to make a real connection. It appeals to people's emotions with real facts. Many people would expect for a slave to write in the type of language used and that just reinforces credibility. If it was edited, there could also have been some question on whether the content was modified. Just like “What to the Slave is the Forth of July?” which was from the viewpoint of a slave, it gives an inside look.

Douglas

He is saying that he has no freedom on a day where freedom is celebrated throughout the United States. Not only does he not feel free, he says that the fourth of July demonstrates the differences between blacks and whites. He says, "The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn." He appeals to one's emotion by trying to project his own emotions on the reader. He does not provide any logic or facts to support his opinion, and his argument appeals only to emotion.

Causes of Prejudice

I agree with the way that Parrillo describes prejudices are formed. He presents several different theories that have been proven correct by studies. Parents, peers, experiences, and environment, or socialization, all have a big impact of development of prejudice. For example, someone who grows up with with parents who are racists and verbalize or act on those beliefs has a higher chance of agreeing with that and continuing to pass those views on to their children. When people in a certain social class feel that their security is threatened and they are able to blame it on another social class, they will act out against that opposing class. The acting out of one class on another is economic competition. Non-Jewish people feel threatened by Jewish people because of the stereotype that Jews are better with business than non-Jews. Society has widespread beliefs on a class level. For example, Chinese are good at math. Even though this is not necessarily a negative prejudice, it makes people feel threatened and prejudices are formed.

Jefferson

The picture and the essay give different messages. The essay makes it seem like Jefferson think blacks are inferior in every way, but the picture shows blacks and whites living together in acceptance of each other. The way history is taught today portrays Jefferson as more accepting of blacks than other people in his time. In fact, he wanted his slaves released when he died. His essay was written to display common aristocratic views of his time. Even though Jefferson did agree with society about their inferiority, he does speak about them with sensitivity and caring by implying even though they are inferior, it's not their fault that they're that way. He tries to make both sides lives better by suggesting to separate the two races. His views are obtained primarily because of the low position of slavery in society.

Emerson

Emerson talks about how self-trust is crucial for success. He says that it important to stand up for and speak of what you believe. He says, "A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace." He also makes a point about how man should not be a conformist which goes along with self-trust and how one should not worry about what other people think. I do agree that self-trust and standing up for what you believe is important. However, some people do fear others reactions and do not always stand up for their beliefs. Self-trust in a way that someone is comfortable with him or herself is important even if one doesn't verbalize it. I do agree with what he says is needed to be successful, but I do not think it's easy.

Presentations

I liked Nick's speech because he presented it well to his audience. I like how he started off by taking a poll and tying it into his organization because it tried to make you relate to those who benefit from Big Brothers Big Sisters. He did a good job appealing to people's emotions by using different stories and had good statistics and descriptions of what the organization does. His presentation stuck out in my mind because of how he presented his organization and put me in a position to think about it.

Presentations

The speech that had the biggest impact to me was Alex's. He started off by making us thinking about what it would be like if we were in a bad situation which caught my attention from the beginning. He described Goodwill's purpose and what they do along with examples and good statistics. He appeared to know what he was talking about and was confident which made what he said more believable.

Persuasive Speech

I chose United Way for my organization because it provides many different services that cater to different groups of people. There has also been some controversy over this organization which would be interesting to research.

Horatio Alger

Alger's myth could be "interred" by showing what actually happens in reality. Myths are challenged by showing their inaccuracy or faults by exposing and making what actually happens a more powerful image. Although an image of a successful person who came from a more difficult background creates a happier picture, an image of a person living in poverty is also powerful even if it does have a more negative feel. However, making the image of a person living in poverty stick is difficult because reality is often less appealing and people choose to pay attention to the more appealing and believe what they want to believe.

Roger and Me

In the documentary, a more realistic situation was portrayed. It is much easier to ignore a problem than actually fix it and that is what was shown. People were given things such as a theater and an amusement part to distract themselves from the real problem. Nothing was being solved or fixed. The consequences of ignoring the problem were also pointed out by showing what people had to do to make money such as the woman selling bunnies. "Ragged Dick" gives off a better feeling and has a typical storybook ending. Although this does occur in the real world at times, I think that the first situation occurs more often. "Roger and Me" is more realistic in my opinion, but I think that most people would rather have what was presented in "Ragged Dick" to be reality.

Stephen Cruz

The definition of the "American dream" is that through hard work and determination, one can succeed. Cruz says that it is not possible for everyone. He thought he was living the American dream because of his abilities, but in reality he was being manipulated for other's purposes. When he was promoted to personnel, he was given a glass office when the other white employees were enclosed. The reason for this was to make the company look good to the government and other employees. His job was to hire people, but when he hired a black secretary, she was fired behind his back without a good reason. If you are an accepted person in society, you can truly live the American dream. He is an example that the American dream is sometimes an illusion for minorities.

Class in America

I don't think that Mantsios makes a case that the wealthy are exploiting the poor. The definition of exploit is "to make full use of and derive benefit from". He doesn't make the point that the poor are being exploited, but instead points out the differences between the two classes. It can be assumed that the wealthy are exploiting the poor, but he shows no data to support that. He does point out what advantages the wealthy has, but does not argue that they are using the poor to their advantage. It could be interpreted that the poor are being exploited because the people who have money and power are not doing anything to help the problem. It could also be seen as that classes are a natural function of economic, political, and social society in which we live in. Mantsios does not make an argument that the rich are exploiting the poor. However, I do believe that the rich are making no efforts to help this issue and I do not see that as exploitation.

First Place

Claim: We should fund First Place
Reasons: It provides beneficial services for students
Grounds: rate of success, list of services
Warrant: That the services help end homelessness
Backing: examples of social and academic success
Conditions of Rebuttal: limitations, cost, short term fix
Qualifier: It's a start even if it's not the ultimate answer

Visual Argument

I think that whether visual argument is more persuasive depends on the person. Some visual arguments could be unclear or distracting, but many can be very powerful. Some people are more visual learners while others are not. Visual arguments are easier to understand right away because all you have to do is look without any reading however, they may have no meaning to some people.

Ethos and Pathos

The author's responsibilities are to provide accurate information without using deceitful ways to make a statement or prove a point. The media and government do not live up to those standards. They will say what they need to say in order to making a convincing argument or statement whether it is true or not. They have no problem pulling on people's emotions to get what they want. For example, on of president Bush's reasons and argument for going into Iraq was that Iraqis had biological and chemical weapons of destruction and were looking for materials to create nuclear weapons. It turns out that this did not happen. They were arguments of convenience because Bush wanted to invade Iraq and was willing to say what was needed.

Pseudo-argument

There are people who to this day believe that Neil Armstrong never landed on the moon. The believe that it was videotaped in a Hollywood studio. The have no true evidence that is was filmed, but not matter what you tell them, they believe the same because they are fanatical believers. Even though all the facts proved that he walked on the moon and that it was not possible to tape, they continue to disagree. Recently, the original tapes were not able to be found and those who believe this used the information to reinforce their point.

Pathos

The Greek word "pathos" means suffering or experience and applies to emotions. Specifically, it allows the audience to see and feel in the same way the writes does. Pulling on the audience's emotions is a powerful tool because it draws the reader in. It makes it more believable or even personal. Pathos "engage the imagination and feelings, moving the audience to deeper appreciation of the argument's significance". It impacts the reader's emotions which have a great effect on how the reading is interpreted and reacted to.

AP Exam

I'm somewhat nervous about the exam and can tell that it will be challenging. I did the sample multiple choice questions and some of them were hard and some I had absolutely no clue on. I think the essay will be easier for me than the multiple choice, but hand writing them will be painful. The multiple choice will be more difficult since my reading skills are not as good.

Torture?

I've never really thought about my views on torture, but reading the article has made me think about it. He tries to persuade his audience that torture is not necessarily a bad thing by showing us different situations. He argues that he doesn't advocate for it to be used as punishment, but rather as a preventative measure. He says that torture is different and that it "is intended not to bring anyone back but to keep innocents from being dispatched." He makes some interesting points, but he has no factual evidence. The closest he gets to that is a poll of four people. I think overall torturing people isn't right, but as a way to prevent or save innocent lives would be more justifiable. If anyone important to me or I was in a dangerous situation, I would probably have little problem with using torture as a way to keep me safe.

Cartoon and Advertisement

The cartoon, which seems political, has a more negative overtone and shows frustration. The seemingly powerful man is warning a starving man about genetically modified food. It's frustrating because these types of decisions are being made all the time with biased views. The advertisement comes across in a different way and takes a more intellectual approach. It has a less negative feel and has some humor. It's not as obviously biased. Both the cartoon and the advertisement use extremes to convey a point. The difference is the way they display it and the tone that comes across from the picture.

Implicit and Explicit Arguments

Explicit arguments state a belief or argument directly and support it with evidence and reasons. Implicit arguments are less direct and don't appear to be an argument. Implicit arguments can take the form of a poem, short story, or a photograph. However, both explicit and implicit arguments try to push an audience towards a certain point of view. Owen's poem does not directly state that it is not heroic to die for one's country. Instead he uses imagery to show the horrors of war, making heroism seem less important. The Veterans Day photo shows a Pearl Harbor veteran embracing a younger Marine sergeant. The photo shows and brings out emotions and presents and implicit argument of honoring and serving one's country. Both the photo and poem are examples of implicit arguments because they do not state the argument directly, but instead show and create images to display a point.

"Red Sky in the Morning"

I think that there were some good points and interpretations during class. From what I understand, people have an urge to share their experiences through stories, but whoever is hearing the story really can't fully understanding or experience from only listening to what happened. Not everything can be conveyed through words and the person listening to the story can take their own interpretation and create their own mental picture. The experience itself can't be duplicated or relived by words coming out of someone's mouth who was there. The sequence of events and thoughts or even emotions can be vocalized, but they can't be recreated in the exact same way. The person telling the story only has a mental picture or memory and may not even be able to convey the story accurately. Stories are the closest we can get, but they can't be the same as the experience.

Thoughts about class so far...

I wasn't really sure if I wanted to take AP English, but for the most part I'm glad that I made the decision to stay. Even though I have not participated, which is mostly due to the fact that I don’t think I have anything not obvious or meaningful to say, I enjoy listening to others discuss and share their thoughts. The themes and ideas that are discussed make sense to me and I can follow and understand most of it. It is also interesting to watch the topics take different paths. I like the depth of the discussions because it makes it more meaningful and forces me to think at more than a superficial level. The types and content of the discussions, especially how the reading is related to modern day life and society, is what has made the class enjoyable for me. By relating the events in the reading to current life, the reading becomes more real and easy to understand and relate to. The only down side so far is the amount of work. I was aware of the fact that I was signing up for an AP class, meaning that I would have a lot more work, but I didn’t realize how much work, effort, and time was actually involved. It was overwhelming at first, but it’s not as much as a shock anymore when I am assigned homework. Even though it's not my first choice to spend long amounts of time on homework, it has benefits such as practicing reading and writing skills and homework/study skills in general. I think that it’s been a good start (except for my summer reading, but that’s done now) and I think it’ll be an interesting year.