Arthur Brewer

Dr. Crowther

English Composition

4/7/22

Do you ever wonder how people survive the coronavirus?  In this essay, I will be talking about covid vaccines.  Covid vaccines are important because they can help stop the spread of covid. There are many types of covid vaccines, all of which were developed differently and come with different risks.  I will be explaining the types of vaccines, when and how they were developed, and the side effects.  I will also explain the different proteins used to develop vaccines.

The three main types of vaccines are Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson.  Pfizer vaccines are important because they can help people survive the virus.  People of ages 5 and older are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine (CDC 10).  People who get the Pfizer vaccine will be fully vaccinated within 3-8 weeks after “2 shots in the primary series” (CDC 2).  Pfizer is an mRNA vaccine (CDC 4).  The shot is given “in the muscle of the upper arm” (CDC 5).  A booster shot should be given to anyone who is at least 12 years old “who received a Pfizer-BioNTech primary series” (CDC 3).

As opposed to Pfizer, one must be a legal adult in order to be eligible for the Moderna vaccine.  Moderna is essential because it can help prevent infection in a person and lowers the chances of death.  Anyone considered a legal adult is eligible for the Moderna vaccine (CDC 9).  In 4-8 weeks after “2 shots in the primary series” anyone will be fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine (CDC 2).  Moderna is an mRNA vaccine (CDC 4).  The shot is given in the same muscle as Pfizer (CDC 5).  If anyone is at least 18 years old and “received a Moderna primary series” they should get boosted (CDC 3).

Johnson and Johnson is vital because, like Pfizer and Moderna, it can also help stop the spread of covid and decrease the chance of dying.  The ages eligible for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine are ages 18 and up (CDC 5).  It usually takes just one shot of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for a person to be fully vaccinated (CDC 4).  The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a viral vector (CDC 3).  The shot is given in the same muscle as Pfizer and Moderna (“the upper arm”) (CDC 6).  The people who should get boosted are those 18 years of age or older “at least 2 months” once they get the Johnson and Johnson vaccine (CDC 5).

Here’s how covid vaccines are developed.  The first stage is the exploratory stage.  The first step of development is to figure out the right antigen “of the pathogen to be included in the vaccine” (Rhodes 55).  They will then have to “determine the best way to administer” the antigen (Rhodes 55).  In the next stage, the preclinical stage, “tissue-culture techniques and animal studies” are used to determine “whether the candidate vaccine” will make its subject immune to the virus (Rhodes 55).  The three Rs used in the principle scientists use are “replacement of laboratory animals”, “reduction of animals”, and “refinement of experiments” (Rhodes 55).

“In phase I trials,” up to 149 people receive the candidate vaccine to find out if it’s safe and effective, which “constitutes the primary endpoint of the study” (Rhodes 56).  Scientists also use their chances “to determine potential efficacy” (Rhodes 56).  The goals of phase II trials are to put efficacy in place and to send out more info “about safety”, the “immune response” quality initiated by the vaccine, “the immunization schedule, and the optimal dose” (Rhodes 57).  The safety and potential efficacy of the candidate vaccine are measured by phase III trials (Rhodes 57).  To put effectiveness in place in the markets they aim for, global pharmaceutical companies finance phase III trials (Rhodes 57).  “The incidence of infections…in the vaccinated population compared with” those who don’t get vaccinated is what “the ultimate” vaccine efficacy test depends on (Rhodes 57).  Areas with high infection rates are where “vaccine trials are best conducted.  (Rhodes 57).

In the sixth and final stage of development, the vaccine goes through a regulatory review (Rhodes 58).  A vaccine is approved if it “passes through all three phases of clinical trials” (Rhodes 58).  A developer then “submits a Biologics License Application to regulatory authorities”, which are administered by “key organizations such as” the World Health Organization, the Food and Drug Administration, and the European Medicines Agency (Rhodes 58).  Vaccines are then manufactured and distributed.  

Here are the dates of development for the vaccines.  I will also explain the ingredients for the vaccines.  In May 2020, scientists first tested the covid vaccine on nine macaques for effectiveness (Rhodes 55).  The Pfizer vaccine “became the first mRNA vaccine” that the US Food and Drug Administration ratified (Le Page 19).  

Here are the ingredients for the Pfizer vaccine.  mRNA is one of the ingredients (CDC 22).  The lipids used to make the vaccine are “2[(polyethylene glycol (PEG))-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide”, “1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine”, cholesterol, and “((4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate)” (CDE 22).  The lipids are meant to “help the mRNA enter cells”, which can transfer more genetic code from DNA to the ribosomes. (CDC 22).  The salts and sugar in the vaccine are “dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate”, “monobasic potassium phosphate”, “potassium chloride”, “sodium chloride”, and sucrose (CDC 22).  These salts all stabilize the vaccine molecules until the vaccine is ready to be administered (CDC 22).

Here are the ingredients for the Moderna vaccine.  mRNA is one of the ingredients (CDC 18).  The lipids used to make the vaccine include “PEG2000-DMG: 1,2-dimyristoyl-rac-glycerol, methoxypolyethylene glycol”, “1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine”, BotaniChol, and “SM-102: heptadecane-9-yl 8-((2-hydroxyethyl) (6-oxo-6-(undecyloxy) hexyl) amino) octanoate” (CDC 18).  These lipids are meant to get mRNA into the cells, thus increasing the genetic code from the nucleus carried to the ribosomes (CDC 18).  The other ingredients in this vaccine are “sodium acetate”, sucrose, tromethamine, “tromethamine hydrochloride”, and “acetic acid” (CDC 18).  These ingredients “help keep the vaccine molecules stable” until it is ready to be injected.

Here are the ingredients for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.  Unlike the two other types of vaccines, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine does not have mRNA.  One of the ingredients is “a harmless version of a virus” that is not covid (CDC 21).  This ingredient tells the body to construct a “harmless” covid protein, which is like an antibody (CDC 21).  The other ingredients for this vaccine are “polysorbate-80”, “2-hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin”, “trisodium citrate dihydrate”, “sodium chloride”, “citric acid monohydrate”, and ethanol (CDC 21).  The purpose of these ingredients is to stabilize the molecules in the vaccine until “it is ready to be given” to a person (CDC 21).

Lastly, I will explain the side effects of vaccines.  A person might experience a soreness on the arm where the shot was given.  A migraine might also occur the day after a person has been vaccinated, which usually only lasts for one day.  There are also some “cardiovascular and hematological” side effects that people might experience (Al-Ali 3).  These include “cardiac injury”, hemorrhage, “thrombotic events”, and thrombocytopenia (Al-Ali 4).

In conclusion, covid vaccines play a major role in increasing the chance of surviving covid.  The ingredients in the vaccines can put cells on alert.  The side effects usually don’t last longer than 24 hours.

Works Cited

Center for Disease Control.  “Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (also known as COMIRNATY) Overview and Safety.”  24 Mar. 2022,  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Pfizer-BioNTech.html.  Accessed 27 Mar. 2022.

Center for Disease Control.  “Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (also known as Spikevax) Overview and Safety.”  22 Mar. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Moderna.html.  Accessed 27 Mar. 2022.

Center for Disease Control.  “Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Overview and Safety.”  22 Feb. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/janssen.html.  Accessed 2 Apr. 2022.

Rhodes, John. How to Make a Vaccine. ProQuest Ebook Central, 12 Apr. 2021, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/gsu/reader.action?docID=6476960&query=how+to+make+a+vaccine.  Accessed 3 Apr. 2022

Le Page, Michael. “The future of medicine unlocked.”  16 Oct. 2021, https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=d2c0bb17-ad33-46ef-bc03-c4295e8161c2%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHNoaWImc2l0ZT1lZHMtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=153083325&db=fth.  Accessed 3 Apr. 2022

Al-Ali, Dana, et al. “Cardiovascular and haematological events post COVID-19 vaccination: A systematic review.”  1 Feb. 2022, https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=3e124b28-9946-4a4d-8b9c-4a1c1ba79297%40redis.  Accessed 5 Apr. 2022

Reading is a fun and instructive hobby that has sadly been going out of style for a while. But when the pandemic of 2020 hit and the world went into lockdown, people were left with a lot of time on their hands, and many decided to turn to reading. Most people read books they had at home, sometimes buying them or borrowing, but very few chose to read digital books. While reading did become more popular, there was also a big group of students who read even less than normal, which has the possibility to cause big problems later on.

For many years, the reading habits of Western Civilisation have been getting steadily worse. Back in 2012, a study by the National Literacy Trust showed that there was a 10% drop from 2005 in the amount children and young people enjoyed reading, and an entire 25% decrease in daily reading from 2005 to 2012 (Clark 10-11).  Another study by the same group in 2018 showed that there had been a rise in both daily reading and enjoyment of reading since 2012, which had been a very low point, but levels in both categories were still declining since the start of the organization in 2005 (Clark 3-6). The same survey from 2018 also showed a difference between the reading of girls and boys. Only 51% of the boys said they really liked to read, compared to 63% of girls (Clark 4). One of the biggest differences making this xx is a pure difference in temperament. Boys have trouble sitting still for long periods of time and a short attention span, getting easily distracted by anything around them, and wandering away. So it is harder for them to make a habit of reading than it is for girls, and sometimes harder things never get done. 

But it was not just boys doing less reading. Fewer children of either gender were picking up books for fun. This was a bad trend, since many studies have shown that reading books has lots of benefits past the entertainment of a fun story. Reading is relaxing, which can make people happier, work harder, and sleep better. It familiarizes people with vocabulary and the structure of writing, making it easier for people to write their own xxxx. It exposes people to a wide variety of opinions, encouraging them to think for themselves. It gives people information in an interesting medium, that they can make connections with as the rest of life plays out. There is a possibility reading even lengthens lifetimes! (Fagan) p a

S There have, of course, been efforts to encourage reading. Lots of programs have been set up, especially for the summertime, when students who do not love reading fall further behind their classmates in reading skill because they rarely practice over the summer. Around four fifths of the students in the 2018 National Literacy Survey knew that 

But now those benefits were getting lost as the busyness of life and the easy entertainment of the TV screen took over. 

Enter the lockdown of 2020. Kids and adults alike were left without all of their normal occupations, to spend their time only in things possible at home. Unsurprisingly, many turned to the hobby they already enjoyed the most – playing video games and watching TV. But as the time stretched on, many people found these activities boring and xxxx. So some tried reading. A lot of people chose to pick up the 

 

	Before the school closure	%	During the school closure	%
1	Playing games using a device	56.4	Playing games using a device	57.2
2	Hobbies	45.5	Hobbies	47.8
3	Reading	40.5	Reading	44.5
4	Watching TV	37.1	Watching TV	38.9
5	Spend time with family	37.0	Spend time with family	35.2

 

People were ready to read the books, but where could they get them from? Libraries were a wonderful resource that many people thought to turn to, only to find that libraries were closed along with everything else. Of course, there was still the option of ordering library books online and picking them up in-person, so libraries were still usable, and many people did xxxx. Online bookstores were another much used option, though a lot of people hesitated to spend their uncertain money on books. In the end, the majority stuck primarily to books they already had in the house.

This table gives percentages of all the different sources people chose to acquire books from.

 

Sources of reading materials	%
Home (I have reading materials at home)	73.7
Online bookstore (my family members bought for me)	27.0
Public or school library (borrowed before CB)	26.8
Online resources/e-book	22.3
NLB app	19.1
Teachers/school	9.8
Friends	9.8

 

Lots of people had books sitting around that they had been meaning to read. The hard, long books that had felt too boring to try to fit in when there so many more exciting things to do, were now given the time they needed to be appreciated. Some people lept at the chance to learn and investigate on their own while they had time. For some, all they wanted was a comforting book to tide them through the uncertainty they were stuck with. 

Digital books would have been a great option for people who did want new books but didn’t have the resources. Cheap, easy to store, and always available, they seem like an obvious solution to the problems with getting new books. The problem is that many people don’t feel comfortable around digital devices as books. Most children and teens think of them as xxxx for video games and have trouble adjusting their mindset to open a book instead of a game. Some Singaporean students were interviewed who felt this way:

Interviewer: Do you like read in print or online?

Student 2 & 3: Print books.

Interviewer: Why?

Student 3: Because I can’t always find what I want from the internet. Also, some need to pay money, going to library is better.

Student 2: I like go to library to borrow too, ‘cause I don’t know how to search (books) online. Or, I ask my mother to buy. If the books are yours, you can take your own sweet time to read them.

Student 1: Haha, I don’t read books online. I play online games.

Interviewer: Oh, you do. Why?

Student 1: When I open my computer, my phone, the games are there, very convenient, haha. I don’t even know where to find those, those they say need to pay. (Sun)

c

While many students found more time in their lives to improve their reading, there was another big group of students/children who had the opposite experience. There is something known as ‘summer reading loss’, which is what happens when students who are not consistent readers have summer break, and they do not have any reading assigned them over the summer, so until school starts again they do not do any reading. When they go back to school in the fall, they are at a disadvantage to all of the kids who read for fun over the holidays, because the consistent readers come in with at least as much comfort in reading as they left, while the non-readers are out of practice. During the lockdown, all the kids were out of school. There were extended breaks, the school that they did do was less productive, and they generally did a lot less reading than their normal amount. It was summer reading loss on a huge scale. 

There will be some serious consequences in later life and the rest of their school years for these students. What was already hard in reading just got harder with the lack of practice, and xxxx. College will be harder than it needs to be. Even good readers often feel like they have a lot of reading to do in college. People who struggle with reading to start with are going to be massively overwhelmed, and have a considerably higher chance of flunking out. Reading is an important skill, and not making an effort to xxxx(give it?) to all the students who are trodging through right now without knowing the wonders of a good book, is an offense to them that will have a huge impact on their future life – both careers and free time.

 

Works Cited

Boucher, Abigail, et al. “How reading habits have changed during the COVID-19 lockdown.” The Conversation, October 5, 2020 https://theconversation.com/how-reading-habits-have-changed-during-the-covid-19-lockdown-146894, Accessed April 4, 2022

Clark, Christina. “Children’s and Young People’s Reading in 2012” National Literacy Trust, 2013, https://cdn.literacytrust.org.uk/media/documents/2013_04_11_free_research_-_childrens_and_young_peoples_reading_in_2012_cyEveGL.pdf, Accessed April 4, 2022

Clark, Christina. “Children and young people’s reading in 2017/18” National Literacy Trust, January 2019, https://cdn.literacytrust.org.uk/media/documents/Reading_trends_in_2017-18.pdf, Accessed April 4, 2022

Clark, Christina, and Picton, Irene. “Children and young people’s reading in 2020 before and during the COVID-19 lockdown” National Literacy Trust, July 2020, literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2020-before-and-during-the-covid-19-lockdown,  Accessed April 4, 2022

Clark, Christina, and Picton, Irene. “Children and young people’s reading engagement in 2021” National Literacy Trust, October 2021, https://cdn.literacytrust.org.uk/media/documents/Reading_in_2021.pdf, Accessed April 4, 2022

Sun, Baoqi et al. “The COVID-19 school closure effect on students’ print and digital leisure reading.” Computers and Education Open, vol. 2, December 2021, doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2021.100033, Accessed April 4, 2022

 

 

 

 

 Hupfeld, Annika, et al. “Leisure-Based Reading and the Place of E-Books in Everyday Life.” (Unsure) 

dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40480-1_1, Accessed April 4, 2022

 

Nora Lane

Professor Crowther

English Composition

March 22, 2022

 

                     The Conflict of Trust with Medicine and Science: Before and After Covid-19

There is a hidden dark side to our evolution in science and medicine, and it has affected the daily lives, perceptions, and general health of our society. Unfortunately, this “hidden” part of our evolution has placed generations of trauma on spectrums such as race, gender, and even mental health. These exact spectrums have unfolded into multilayered experiences during the pandemic such as mask mandate and vaccine conflicts that have continued to persist until today. Unless the trauma is addressed, treated, and removed. Feelings of distrust, betrayal, and overall rebellion against scientific reason will persist.

During the beginning of Covid, we have seen people that have chosen to ignore the facts and the years of knowledge given by well-credited scientists such as Dr. Anthony Fauci a now world-renown speaker during the pandemic. However, even given their reputations and the endless abundance of accessible scientific journals available, there is hesitation that has continued to linger in science and medicine; as well as misinformation (such as fake news) not being regulated and used as factual information.

Since the begging of the Pandemic, the public has been informed by the CDC and world-renowned doctors and scientists on the growing status, and growing nature of the virus. Yet, people chose to believe that the virus as a government tool of control or a made-up concept revolved around conspiracy. Even though the data was present and completely disregarded the tragic lives being lost to it. This is a similar problem to the “vaccines cause autism” rampage that took told in the late 1990s after the publishing of The Lancet by Andrew Wakefield. Even after it was discredited and disapproved by several studies on the epidemiology of autism and accredited physicians the damage was done. By that time several parents have completely opted out of their children getting the MMR (measles) vaccine, even though it was proven that the measles virus was a casual path to autism itself. Ultimately, this mistake would later spawn the Anti Vax Movement that has continued to dominate and grow in our society today. However, misinformation and “fake news” are only one side of the infinite growing problem of social distrust.

Racism has played a very key part in the destruction and overall disconnection with the science community. Since the beginning of slavery, African Americans were used as mere tools and were not viewed as people. The “father of Gynecology” J. Marion Sims was known to use enslaved women as experiments for gynecology research and it was shown that he did not use anesthesia for his procedures, but only later for his white clients. This type of ignorance contributed to several other immoral acts of racial injustice to the African American community such as the infamous “Tuskegee Experiments”. This event took place in Tuskegee Alabama in 1932 and consisted of 600 non-consensual participants being injected with syphilis thinking that there getting treated for “bad blood”.  This experiment continued upregulated and undocumented for nearly forty years later in 1972. Fortunately, there was a halt to the experiment after it was published. As Quoted by the CDC report, “The Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs appointed an Ad Hoc Advisory Panel to review the study. The advisory that the study was “ethically unjustified” …”.   (Source: Visuals, Unsplash.com

We should also focus on other factors for medical distrust due to racial domination and segregation. One general fact that should be recognized is the medical neglect that has continued to take the lives of Black women. More than we anyone would like to believe Black women are more likely to be dismissed and even turned away for undiagnosed medical conditions that they could suffer from. This includes the fact that Black Women alone are 40.8% more likely to die due to birth complications that any other ethnic race in America. A fair majority of said complications were preventable such as Hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders and Cardiomyopathy and “…hypertensive disorders of pregnancy contributed more to pregnancy-related deaths among black women than among white women” (Source CDC.com).  The final focus would be predisposed racist assumptions of people of color and their cognitive abilities called “race-norming” which is still used in medicine today and is nonetheless extremely immoral and problematic. This test does not include other factors such as quality of life, healthcare, trauma, or even education. Although there are more factors than the ones I stated, this trauma would show why we saw resistance and disinterest in getting the vaccine to Black Americans during the pandemic.

 

(Source: Sarah Mirk, Flickr.com)

In the absence of race, men and women also have split differences in their experience with healthcare. Women in America do not receive the same quality of care compared to their male counterparts. Let us use the IUD procedure as an example, you are given medications for dilation of the cervix, and they use a sharply curved clap to “pinch” the cervix. The problem with this, is that this is often done without medication afterward or aesthesia, doctors will even undermine the pain their female client could be in and at times flat out decline medications. Compared to men if they go under certain procedures such as a vasectomy. They are given numbing injections and pain medications without hesitation. On a bigger note, “women are more likely to be in poor health compared to men” (Source: The Guardian) due to gender bias and the stereotypes of “woman hysteria”.

This is also linked to increased mental health complications during the development of the pandemic. According to KFF.org, “During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder”. It’s an honest comparison in 2019 where it was only one in ten adults.  I personally know many people who have transitioned from better to worse, or semi-stable to an overall decline and even I am among the vast contributors to growing the data. Forced isolation and solidarity, have increased mental instability amongst Americans and have unintentionally forced individuals into an endless cycle of insanity and routine to cope with the pandemic. It doesn’t help that there are external factors that contributed to the mental health crisis to increase in America such as increased gas rates, wage disparities (including minimum wage), increased hours and workload to due shortages, job displacements, and so on.

(Photo Source: KFF.org)

 

It is fair to say that our healthcare system and scientific community has failed to provide reinsurance to our society. This in no way blinds the fact that we do have ethical scientists, doctors, and quality workers in our health care community, but there is serious work that needs to be done. If we continue the path of neglect and do not reassure society with well-documented work within ethical and moral standards. Then we will continue to fall short in the next upcoming wave of a possible pandemic in the future. Unification and understanding is key.

 

Arthur Brewer

Dr. Crowther

English Composition 1101

3/27/22

In this essay, I will be talking about covid vaccines.  Covid vaccines can help stop the spread of covid.  I will be explaining the types of vaccines, when and how they were developed, and the side effects.  I will also explain the different proteins used to develop vaccines.

The three main types of vaccines are Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson.  People of ages 5 and older are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine (CDC 10).  People who get the Pfizer vaccine will be fully vaccinated within 3-8 weeks after “2 shots in the primary series” (CDC 2).  Pfizer is an mRNA vaccine (CDC 4).  The shot is given “in the muscle of the upper arm” (CDC 5).  A booster shot should be given to anyone who is at least 12 years old “who received a Pfizer-BioNTech primary series” (CDC 3).

Anyone considered a legal adult is eligible for the Moderna vaccine (CDC 9).  In 4-8 weeks after “2 shots in the primary series” anyone will be fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine (CDC 2).  Moderna is an mRNA vaccine (CDC 4).  The show is given in the same muscle as Pfizer (CDC 5).  If anyone is at least 18 years old and “received a Moderna primary series” they should get boosted (CDC 3).

Works Cited

Center for Disease Control.  “Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (also known as COMIRNATY) Overview and Safety.”  24 Mar. 2022,  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Pfizer-BioNTech.html.  Accessed 27 Mar. 2022.

Center for Disease Control.  “Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (also known as Spikevax) Overview and Safety.”  22 Mar. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Moderna.html.  Accessed 27 Mar. 2022.

        Since the beginning of the pandemic there have been many questions regarding our future as human race, some of which have still yet to be answered clearly. It was clear that Covid would affect us socially given that we were dealing with an airborne virus which had no cure. With the limitation of “in person” communication and the pandemic beginning of the year in 2020, it was unclear how students would be continuing the rest of their semester. Quarantine left schools closed delaying the graduation period for students, especially ones who were transitioning from middle to high school and high school to college. The solution that seemed to be the most practical was to hold online schooling, forcing many students to get comfortable doing all of their work on a computer instead of the usual in-class experience. To some, this transition may not seem that drastic, but studies have shown that covid has negatively affected students all over the world. As we are progressing past the pandemic era we have to consider what changes have been made due to covid and understand how these changes have affected us so that we can take the right steps to recovery. One question that we should ask regarding these changes is “How has Covid affected education?”

        Although schools did not close completely, for some students the beginning of the pandemic marked the end of their school year. The move from in-class to virtual learning was very abrupt and took time for both students and teachers to get used to. There were a few problems with virtual learning such as lagging with video calls, students not logging into the correct classes, students not having access to a functioning microphone, or students not having access to a computer or internet access at all. According to the World Economic Fourum children from low-income households, children with disabilities, and girls were less likely to access remote learning due to limited availability of electricity, connectivity, devices, accessible technologies as well as discrimination and social and gender norms. This was also the case in countries where there isn’t much access to computers or the internet in households in countries such as Ghana, Mexico, and Pakistan. Although there have been issues with virtual learning, there are still a number of schools that offer online based learning  or a hybrid style based learning due to covid. 

 

Nora Lane`     

Professor Crowther

English Composition

March 19, 2022

 

                     The Conflict of Trust with Medicine and Science (before and after Covid-19)

There is a hidden dark side to our evolution in science and medicine, and it has affected the daily lives, perception, and general health of our society. Unfortunately, this “hidden” part of our evolution has placed generations of trauma on s spectrums such as race, gender, sexuality and even on mental health. Unless the trauma is addressed, treated, and removed. Feelings of distrust, betrayal and over all rebellion against scientific reason will persist.

During the beginning of Covid we have seen people how have chosen to ignore the facts given by well credited scientist such as Dr. Anthony Fauci a now world renown speaker during the pandemic and Dr. Robert Malone who helped develop the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. But even with given their reputations and an abundance of free accessible credited scientific information available, There a hesitation and general distrust from the public. This could be linked into past conflicts with race, sex, gender and possibly religion that have continued to linger in science and medicine; as well as misinformation ( such as fake news) not being and regulated and used as factual information.

Since the begging of the Pandemic the public as been informed by the CDC and world-renowned doctors and scientists on the growing status, and growing nature of the virus. Yet, people chose to believe that the virus as a government tool of control or a made-up concept revolved around conspiracy. Even though the data was present and completely disregarded the tragic lives being lost to it. This a similar problem to the “vaccines cause autism” rampage that took told in the late 1990’s after the publishing of The Lancet by Andrew Wakefield. Even after it was discredited and disapproved by several studies on the epidemiology of autism and accredited physicians the damaged was done. By that time several parents have completed opted out of their children getting the MMR (measles) vaccine, even though it was proven that the  measles virus was a casual path to autism itself.

When we think about the COVID-19 Pandemic, some people might remember how we got to stay home and relax or chill. That we got a break from everything. Have you ever thought of the many changes students had to go through and how that affected them? Students were negatively impacted and couldn’t catch a “break”. Students couldn’t physically go to school during March 2020 to May 2020 right when the pandemic started in America. As well as the following school year from 2020-2021. Schools had to make adjustments “among virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning” (Dorn, Hancock, Sarakatsannis, and Viruleg par. 5). Students “faced multiple schedule changes…with glitchy internet connections and Zoom fatigue” (Dorn, Hancock, Sarakatsannis, and Viruleg par. 5) because they had to keep on switching back and forth. As stated above, students had many problems to worry about…

Throughout all these changes, teachers have been putting a lot of effort to help students readjust as much as possible. In the article “Modeling the Possibilities: Building the Caring, Reciprocal Relationships Needed to Nurture Powerful Learning” it states that “teachers have heroically been working to support children’s development—not just academically, but socially and emotionally too.” Even though teachers may look put together they were struggling if not just then more than students. Teachers wanted to school students that school could be entertaining as well as educational. By engaging a lot with students, teachers and students can form relationships that are “essential for children’s healthy brain and overall development—physically and socially/emotionally as well” (Falk Par. 3). These relationships could be hard to form but by just letting the children be comfortable can do a lot. When dealing with young kids in their out of place settings, you’ll have to know how to deal with them, including talking, playing, teaching, observing, or even just listening to them. When listening to students, teachers have found that some will speak “of illness, loss, sadness, fear, anxieties, and their pain about injustice; while it also expressed hope, gratitude for loved ones, longing for connection and community, and the opportunities that the pandemic has provided for personal learning and growth” (Falk par.6). With just enough effort teachers can and have made a positive change during this negative time.

Photo by Brandon Baker from PennToday

For many years, the reading habits of Western Civilisation has been getting steadily worse. Back in 2012, a study by the National literacy trust showed that there was a 10% drop from 2005 in the amount children and young people enjoyed reading, and an entire 25% decline in daily reading from 2005 to 2012 (Clark 10-11).   Another study by the same group in 2018 showed that there had been a rise in both daily reading and enjoyment of reading since 2012, but levels in both categories were still decreasing since the start of the organization in 2005 (Clark 3-6). This was a bad trend, since many studies have shown a direct connection between the amount of reading students do outside of class and their reading comprehension, and their appreciation of reading as adults.  There was, of course, an effort made to encourage children to read. But part of the problem was that lives filled up with driving, lots of school, and  playing with friends, so that without any intrinsic reading motivation pushing them to make time, and with many lacking the enjoyment of reading that makes it fun instead of a chore, there wasn’t much happening.

Enter the lockdown of 2020. Kids and adults alike were left without all of their normal occupations, to spend their time only in things possible to be done at home. Unsurprisingly, many turned to the hobby they already enjoyed the most – playing video games and watching TV. But reading books did become a lot more popular as a result of the lockdown. The biggest increases in reading and liking reading came from people who had already read a fair bit before the pandemic started. 

There were two genres most read during the pandemic. Many people wanted comfort from predictable stories, or books they had already read a lot of. Others, (especially adults) started to pick up the more boring, long, and informative books that they had never found the time for before. (Bucher, Harrison, Giovanelli)

While the lockdown did provide people with spare time that they could use for reading, it made it much harder to get books. Libraries were shut down, and many people were reluctant to spend their money ordering books. This led to many people sticking to books they already owned, and so had often already read. Yes, digital books were available, for little to no cost, and could have widened the options of many people who were confined in the physical copies available to them. The problem was that many people do not think of digital copies when they want to read. Some think of them as not really books, many feel uncomfortable reading in a device. One study drew the conclusion that schools should be acclimatizing students to the use of digital devices for reading on. 

Safwan Ahmed

Dr. Crowther

English 1101

3/11/2022

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

            The coronavirus pandemic prejudiced not between who it affected. It touched people from poor and wealthy nations, from the east and west, from developing to developed countries. The virus was indiscriminate. It is a blaring reminder of how fragile we are as a collective species. The disease does not discriminate, and neither do the outbreaks that can wipe out an entire population in days and weeks. The focus of society shifted from their daily lives of school, work, sleep, eating, and repeat to paying attention to what was happening in the world in social movements and politics. Images of BLM, the death place of George Floyd, and protests against police brutality show just how sidelined social justice movements had been before the pandemic and how the most significant positive that came out of the pandemic was this shift of focus.

            In the first image, a BLM protest can be seen as men and women of all races holding up signs to show their awareness of this social movement. Colors clash from the brown and white posters, one in the middle being a rainbow as notable from the LBTQ+ flag, as every person wants to have their voice heard. The text on the signs varies from “Racism the real virus,” “Trans Black Lives Matter,” “Justice Now,” “Enough is Enough,” as each message follows the next in a systemic pattern of unity. There is a clear argument in this first picture, a message to those in opposition to BLM of how wrong they are.

            The second image depicts the saddening embodiment of George Floyd’s death place. The infamous story of the officer kneeling on the neck of Floyd is well-known across America and is what started most of the riots and protests during the summer of 2020. The flowers and gifts left at his memorial show how his murder affected so many people, especially his family. The mural in the image is a painting of his most famous picture, the same photo America witnessed in the news when his death was reported. Inside each letter of the text reading “George Floyd,” a group of small figures with their fists raised in solidarity, representing BLM protestors. This whole scene is saddening in that it reminds us of the tragic murder that enraged America back in 2020.

            One would think the history books that teach us about slavery and the abuse enslaved people endured in the 1800s were just that: history. Unfortunately, police brutality has proven to be just another form of slavery, as “WE SEE POLICE GET AWAY WITH MURDER” often. This quoted statement is precisely what is written on a sign held by a female protestor in front of an officer line, as can be seen in the third and final photo. Her covered face is symbolic that we do not know the people who stood and marched outdoors in the heat of the summer of 2020 and fought for the rights of those who could not fight for themselves. The photo was taken with the woman being the focus and the officers behind her blurred out. This shows how the photographer wanted her to be the focus, while the officers cared not, some looking in another direction and the rest otherwise clueless of the message she is delivering to the viewer.

            All in all (or any other alternative to the infamous “In conclusion”), the bulk of the coronavirus pandemic was less of the actual virus and more of its impact. People from poor and wealthy countries, east and west, and developing to developed countries were affected. Society’s focus switched from school, work, sleep, eating, and repeat to paying attention to what was going on in the world, namely the social justice movements. The death of George Floyd brought to light the fact that so much of inequality was given a blind eye, and the pandemic helped to shift the focus back to what mattered, as the three chosen images combine to reflect.

Works Cited:

BLM Black Lives Matter Protest. June 7^th, 2020. Pixabay, https://pixabay.com/photos/blm-black-lives-matter-protest-5267765/

Morse, Andrew. George Floyd Memorial, 38th and Chicago, Minneapolis. A sea of flowers and

tributes. June 5^th, 2020. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. 

https://www.alamy.com/george-floyd-memorial-38th-and-chicago-minneapolis-a-sea-of-flowers-and-tributes-image360408103.html

Timothy A. Clary. US-POLITICS-POLICE-JUSTICE-RACISM. May 29^th, 2020.

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/officers-stand-behing-a-protestor-holding-a-sign-during-a-news-photo/1216203667?adppopup=true

 

Omar Abdillahi Houssein

English 1011

Crowther, Kathryn

03/06/2022

Visual Rhetoric Analysis and Covid-19

News has been primarily dominated by stories about Covid-19 since its outbreak. The new images and stories have the effect of offering people the necessary ingredients that they can use to construct their knowledge and understanding about the coronavirus pandemic. Noting that stories in the news are repeatedly known as accurate info and news images being their graphic proof, the effect they have is considerable. The covid-19 pandemic has mainly been constructed and utilized to assemble intergroup relations and national identities. News about the pandemic has since its outbreak been spread throughout the world in various forms to create awareness, and one of the most effective ways of achieving this is through images. This paper will focus on the rhetorical analysis of images used in communicating the spread of covid-19 in Sweden. The pandemic reporting in Sweden has since been cast as an issue of national stereotyping and nationalism among the Finnish press. From the images, it can be observed that there can be three distinct multimodal rhetoric strategies relating to stereotyping: nationalizing, moralizing, and demonizing. The strategies hypothesize discussions of immoral, dangerous, and arrogant Swedes originating from national stereotypes.

The immense attention that the media has given to the coronavirus pandemic has had the effect of leading to the rise in cases of discrimination and prejudice against various groups of people, for example, the Asian people and Chinese, among other vulnerable minority groups and immigrants. Consequently, this points to the need to adequately study the coronavirus’s effect on intergroup relations. Previous studies relating to nationalism have established that reporting in news shifts in times of crisis whereby the media uses exclusionary and hyperbolic language designed to generate distinct boundaries. Notably, routing reporting is not characterized by detailed national accounts. Journalists instead use language in the third person to detach themselves from the reported events and their audience. It can be observed that the coronavirus pandemic is such that it offers a specific background for the crisis journalism by the media whereby the press constructs national identities. Moralizing is a rhetoric strategy that creates a comprehension of Sweden and Swedes to be indifferent and haughty concerning coronavirus pandemic. As used in this strategy, one of the images in the newspaper includes Anders Tegnell, who serves as the state’s epidemiologist in “Public Health Agency.”

   (“Ilta-Sanomat News Paper 2.5.2020”)                           (“Ilta-Sanomat News Paper 2.5.2020”)

1(a)                                                                                             1(b)

The figure above (1a) represents one of the news stories connected to the coronavirus pandemic and Anders Tegnell in Sweden. The story is about the rapid increase in coronavirus pandemic infections, the related deaths in the country, and the criticism of the liberal policies on Covid-19 that Tegnell sanctioned. The image has the caption of “Ebola taught a hard lesson,” which plays the role of delivering an ominous message. Notably, logos as a way of actualizing rhetoric appeals has been realized by using red color in the word “Ebola,” which connotes danger and threat; this denotes the cause and effect. Therefore, the verbal element has the effect of communicating through visual and linguistic features; while “Ebola” conveys the primary meaning (disease, virus), the perspective text in image 1(b) has been emphasized through the use of large and bold font communicates the connotative meaning; danger and threat. In the image, the text that refers to Ebola re-counts to the image on the left-hand side shows an individual who died of the Ebola virus in Fig 1(b). Even though there is no express relationship or connection between coronavirus and Ebola, the context in which the newscast story and the incorporation of the items that refer to the two diseases essentially imply a reference. In the spread mentioned above, the image of Tegnell is the most prominent visual element, which is an indication of the importance of communication compared to the other pictures. He avoids facing the spectator, directly demonstrating an aspect of avoidance and arrogance, which echoes the conception that the Swedes are arrogant. Thus, with regards to metafunction, it can be observed that there is no express communication between the audience and Tegnell. In addition, the low viewing angle between the audience (inferior) and Tegnell (superior) points at ethos as a way of rhetoric appeal due to the rise at which he views his audience. It shows that he has a character of looking down at his subordinates. In addition to the statement that implies that Tegnell supports the decisions made by his country, it shows that he does not take advice or criticism.

 On the other hand, demonizing has been expressed through verbal elements and images that send the message of danger and threat due to high infection rates and deaths. This has been actualized by verbally and visually accentuating that the Swedes can blow out the virus to the Finns. The image below depicts tens of Swedes who gather outside and have not worn face masks and do not maintain physical social distance.

 

 

(“Iilta-Sanomat News Paper 26.6.2020”)

The diverse positions, free composition, and close distance between them show that the people are careless regarding the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the images show the stereotype about the Swedes of being outgoing and that they are more likely to express how they feel than the Finns. The news was accompanied by headlines that declared, “Red Exception” and “Sweden Glows Red in the Corona Map.” Besides the linguistic properties of the titles, the color light of the titles is such that they were written in bold and large font and red color, notably the ‘red exception,’ which communicated threat and danger hence stigmatizing Sweden as a coronavirus hotspot.

The third strategy is nationalizing, whereby Sweden insists on the national dimension on the choices made concerning the coronavirus pandemic. The plan acts as a way of ending up with the relationship between Sweden and Finland regarding which country is superior to the other in dealing with the pandemic. This is done by identifying the weaknesses and failures of Sweden’s coronavirus policies. Notably, the competitive setting has set the stage for constructing Sweden and Finland as rivals. Therefore, it can be observed that discursive means can construct national groups and people’s identities. Key among the clearest constituents of this strategy is created through photos and news stories relating to the royal family in Sweden. For instance, a news story was published by Ilta-Sanomat under the title, “National Day in the Shadow of the Pandemic,” and it featured the majestic family’s images, as shown below.

      

(“Iilta-Sanomat News Paper 26.6.2020”)

The crown princess, alongside her children, has worn national costumes, emphasizing the Swedishness dimension. Although the headlines have been designed to refer to covid-19’s shadow on the country’s national celebrations, the images have visual expression such as luminous colors do not seem to depict a dark mood. Even though these images do not have the effect of constituting the relationship existing between Sweden and Finland which is standard or typical to the nationalizing strategy, it is worth noting that they establish an immense national connection between covid-19 and the royal family as the Swedish symbol.

 The visual rhetoric analysis had played a significant role in comparing the success of Finland in the fight on Covid-19 while criticizing Sweden, particularly with regards to its policies. On the other hand, the stereotypes set Finland apart from Sweden by celebrating Finland’s policy in dealing with the pandemic. Coronavirus pandemic is a contemporary subject with the potential of causing intergroup tensions, both in the present and in the future hence the need to explore the impact news stories and images have on the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

“Ilta-Sanomat News Paper 2.5.2020.”. 2020, Accessed 7 Mar 2022.

“Iilta-Sanomat News Paper 26.6.2020.”. 2020, Accessed 7 Mar 2022.

“Ilta-Sanomat News Paper 8.6.2020.”. 2020, Accessed 7 Mar 2022.