English III B: Showcase Portfolio

Isaiah Hernandez considers himself an Austinite who has been living in Austin, Texas
his whole life and attends Garza high school which he plans on graduating from here
pretty soon. He enjoys playing sports such as football and basketball, enjoys playing
billiards, and enjoys doing mechanical work with his father. When he’s older, he would
like to have the opportunity to travel the world and visit various fantastic cities such as
Rome, Dubai, and Tokyo. He doesn’t quite know what he will do after high school but
whatever he chooses to do, he will excel in every way to accomplish his dreams.
Throughout his education, he favored the subjects of Math, Science, and History over
English for the sole purpose of not being as creative and imaginative as others, so
writing essays was always a struggle that Isaiah suffered from. Over time, his English
skills improved but he still didn’t quite understand what the purpose of writing was until
attending Garza high school. Throughout his time at Garza, his English, vocabulary, and
grammar skills have expanded extremely and now is able to construct an essay with no
doubt in his mind, taking the knowledge he’s gained from Garza to assist him on the
pathway to success.

Visual Representation of Isaiah as a Writer:

Short Story Final: Scream Cartoon

This assignment is about a story some are quite familiar with that is based on a 1996
horror film called Scream but is illustrated a bit different than the original narrative. It
tells the story of teenage girl Sidney Prescott who is suddenly attacked by a masked
serial killer while she’s home alone but ultimately escapes and calls for help. I chose to
do this assignment because the movie Scream has been one of my favorite horror films
growing up and I thought it would be nice to base my short story project on the film.
This assignment reflects how I’ve developed over time as a writer because it shows that I
constructed my first ever short story that I’ve illustrated and transitions smoothly from
slide to slide.
Satire Final: The Earth as Fried Calamari

The Earth as Fried Calamari

By: Isaiah Hernandez
Austin,TX - A glacier located in Antarctica is nicknamed “The Doomsday Glacier'' because of its high risk of
killing us all. Due to climate change, the collapsion of the glacier could cause a bit of damage from coastal cities,
such as the white-supremacists enclave of Florida to the Karen-filled hills of Los Angeles. The City of Angels, also
known as homeless central, is also home to some of the most glamorous celebrities in Hollywood and the richest
people in the world.
These oligarchs
contribute so little
towards the battle of
climate change and
global warming. Many
rich people are so selfish
and greedy that they
would rather buy luxury
items such as expensive
cars, jewelry, and private
jets than to try to save
their home from wildfires.
You can say thanks to all
the rich who are doing
next to nothing to save
the planet from
extinction.
It will take a minute for us
to actually see a
difference with climate
change but, as they say, it’s the effort that counts. Instead of buying and paying for botox surgery, lip fillers, and
private jets, the Kardashians could possibly contribute some pennies to fund research studies or could simply stop
using jets. Jets and cars are a huge factor to pollution because they both release huge amounts of carbon emissions
into the air, which damages the ozone layer. It’s the same for rich people . For instance, why would billionaire Elon
Musk decide to complete his purchase of Twitter for $44 billion? and why would Vladmir Putin decide to declare war
against Ukraine with approximately over $350 billion dollars in property damage done? I believe we as the human
race have way bigger issues at hand such as drowning and being deceased.
The Doomsday Glacier is just the first domino to fall in the chain reaction of what climate change has in store for
us as global warming continues to increase the annual temperature of the world. The Earth will soon have us frying
into a plate of calamari to be served on a platter with a splash of rich tartar sauce.

This assignment is about a glacier in Antarctica that as a result of climate change, has
been melting and thawing out very quickly and if so has the capability of rising sea levels
and changing millions of lives as we know it. I choose to do this assignment because I
believe it is important for individuals to learn and educate themselves about issues that
can become life-altering in a matter of seconds. This assignment reflects how I’ve
developed over time as a writer because it shows that I’ve constructed a satire article
solely based on a difficult environmental issue and how I’ve made a serious topic into
humor.
Poetry Final: The Emerging Role of Men

The Emerging Role of Men

What values and morals make a man a man? Society nowadays may think they have the answer to this
question but in reality they force men into a metaphorical box in which if they don’t comply with, they
become instant outcasts. The poems “Coniferous Fathers” by Michael Kieber-Diggs and “My Son The
Man" by Sharon Olds are both poems about alternative versions of male roles in which they become
better than the typical traditional roles of what society expects of them.

“Coniferous Fathers" is a poem that depicts a type of father that is always present within his child’s life
and shows his children that he is not afraid to express how he’s feeling whether it's being happy, sad or
disappointed. I believe this poem tries to give the reader a message that fathers should be more positive
and present in their children’s lives with the poet expressing that fathers that are made this way should be
praised and symbolized as fathers with great honor, wisdom, and integrity. This poem tries to persuade
men to become greater than the typical traditional role that fathers hold within a family which in many
cases, is limited to providing for the family. As a result, children often lack the recognition and attention
they need and want from their fathers, probably due to their fathers coming home too exhausted to
participate in their children's lives or simply because their fathers decided to be absent.

“My Son the Man” is a poem that reveals a damaged mother that is experiencing her son's transition
into adulthood and finally starting to become a man in which she announces that someday she’ll
eventually have to overcome her fear of men. I believe the significance of this poem is to illustrate how
over the years it may seem saddening and difficult to witness the growth of your child grow from a small
infant into somebody that doesn’t need your full attention or care anymore and will one day take the
knowledge and wisdom passed and given to them to help guide them around the struggles of life. I believe
the mother feels a bundle of emotions with her feeling mainly worried that her son now has the capability
to hurt and damage others, the way she swore her son would never turn out to be and doesn’t want to feel
like she has failed to guide her son away from that path of becoming a type of man she and other women
would fear.

The metaphors that are portrayed in both of these poems represent idolized figures of what some may
think defines a man a man with the metaphors in “Coniferous Fathers” comparing fathers to become and
emerge from coniferous trees and with the metaphors in “The Son the Man” that compares a mother’s son
growth over time to the way the magician Houdini used to escape his daring stunts. In “Coniferous
Fathers”, the metaphor symbolizes that fathers should stay positive and be present in their children’s lives
such as coniferous trees. These trees are considered to be evergreen trees like the pine tree in which the
leaves of the tree stay intact and green year round. This metaphor demonstrates the way fathers should
be with their children, always there to have a shoulder to lean on and always trying to understand their
children. The significance of the color green within coniferous trees is that they symbolize fathers as
being positive and present in their children’s lives as they grow. In “My Son the Man,” the metaphor
expressed in this poem shows a troubled mother who wishes for her son to break the traditional chains
society may have over him. Throughout the poem, she compares the way her son has grown over the
years to the way Houdidni used to break free from the shackles and chains he used during his daring
escapes. The poem explains that the way Houdini used to escape his stunts is the way she would want her
son to break free from the traditional grasp society might have on him with many cases of stereotypical
men being disrespectful and obnoxious towards women in which she would want her son to become
better version of a man, a version she hopes she won’t feel scared of.

The poems demonstrate two challenges to what society might consider as an idealized version of a
man. They propose a new alternative role for men to play in modern times. The poem “Coniferous
Fathers” redefines masculinity as being a father who is more involved and engaged with his children’s
lives while the poem “My Son the Man” redefines masculinity as men breaking free from the traditional
barriers society may have on them. If men were to follow this alternative version of masculinity, the
poems project that the world would become a more equal and diverse society where men are able to
express themselves the way they want and with them finally gaining freedom from the patriarchal locks of
society.

Visual Representation:

This assignment is about two poems that talk about the role of men and fathers and
how they emerge from the standard figure society expects of them. I chose to do this
assignment because originally I was assigned to do a poem but then I decided to analyze
and write an essay over the two poems that were assigned to me for the poetry chapter
and I believe these poems are of great significance because they talk about issues that
many don’t talk about. This assignment reflects how I’ve developed over time as a writer
because it shows how I’ve excelled at my grammar and writing skills.
Film-Study Final: World Water Crisis

World Water Crisis

By: Isaiah Hernandez

In the film Blue Gold: World Water Wars, scientists and environmentalists
both say that in the near future, our sources for freshwater around the world
will deplenish rapidly and the demand for clean water will soon be
industrialized and used for the sole purpose of profit. They suppose that to
save us from future wars fought over water, we must learn to conserve water
more efficiently, reduce urbanization, and to reduce the amount of pollution
we emit into the environment.

The Earth is covered with both land and water with 71% of it being water and
in that 71%, only 3% of the water is freshwater and the rest is saltwater.
Freshwater is vital for living life on Earth since it's the water we use to
produce most of our agriculture, generate power, to manufacture, and to simply
drink safely. The majority of freshwater is found within glaciers, ice caps,
and permafrost which unfortunately we don’t have much access to so the
freshwater we do use comes from either lakes, rivers, and reservoirs or from
underground. The amount of freshwater that is available worldwide is decreasing
slowly and scientists believe that by the year 2050, there will be a severe
water crisis that will affect the majority of the planet if we don’t reduce our
water usage.

The film discusses many different issues and conflicts that are occurring
around the world over the fact that the need and demand of freshwater sources
is increasing but the amount of freshwater sources are slowly depleting. The
three major water companies that control a large part of the world’s water are
Suez, Veolia, and RWE/Thames and these major water corporations tend to try and
purchase different water sources around the world including different lakes and
reservoirs to use for the sole purpose of profit which makes locals frustrated
because they feel that these corporations are stealing their rights to their
water. About 771 million (1 in 10) people in the world don’t have access to
safe drinking water with 2 million of those people being here in the U.S.
because of the actions of these corporations, and we as a society are
contributing too by the overuse and pollution of our water sources.

Another cause for our water crisis is the effect urbanization has on the
environment because the amount of pollutants these massive cities emit yearly
as well as the demand for water these cities require are increasing rapidly
putting our water sources at risk. The city of Los Angeles is the 2nd most
populated city in the United States and in the film, environmentalists referred
to the city as being a “water parasite” based on the fact that the city diverts
a bunch of water that comes from out of the state through a series of dams and
aqueducts they’ve constructed for the city to sustain since their local water
systems weren't able to support its heavily populated and polluted city.
Urbanization also affects water recharge which is a process where rainwater
over time seeps into the ground and replenishes the aquifers that are
underneath the Earth and is where we pump our groundwater from but due to
urbanization, cities are covered with pavement roads, sidewalks, houses, and
skyscrapers which prevents water from passing through the ground to recharge.

In the film, scientists and environmentalists discuss many possible solutions

that may solve our future water crisis such as establishing a cheap water
solution called the Blue Alternative which was a program where volunteers came
together every summer to build small handmade wooden dams, streams, and
reservoirs to help restore our groundwater systems and help create more clouds
that will bring more rainfall. Another helpful solution expressed in the film
is the use of hydroponic systems in the agriculture industry where farmers use
the water that fish live in that's full of minerals and nutrients to grow their
crops and the excess water that is left over from watering the crops is then
collected to go back into where the fish live in so the process can repeat
itself. By doing this, farmers save a ton of water and money in which farmers
don’t have to buy any fertilizer or nutrients for the water.

Another solution that the film discusses that may solve our future water
crisis is building alternative permeable pavements that will reduce urban
runoff and replace modern day roads and sidewalks. These alternative pavements
will allow rainwater to infiltrate through into the subsoil and remove any
pollutants that are contaminating the water so the water can help replenish and
recharge our underground water systems. This alternative solution can help us
use water more efficiently and reduce urban runoff which is where rainwater is
contaminated with car pollutants, oils, dirt, etc. and then is washed into
storm drains and into local streams and rivers that can seriously harm the
water quality and disturb the environment. The effects urbanization has on the
environment are extremely serious and the amount of pollutants these major
cities emit are one of the biggest causes of air pollution in the world from
carbon emissions emitted from vehicles increasing yearly to the increase of
construction and manufacturing.

Overall, the film Blue Gold: World Water Wars discusses the impending world
water crisis and how we can save the planet from future wars fought over water.
We can overcome this catastrophe by conserving water more efficiently, reducing
the effects of urbanization, and reducing the amount of pollutants that we emit
into the environment. By taking drastic measures, we can prevent future
disastrous conflicts over water and save the planet from extinction.

Visual Representation:
 This assignment is based on a film named Blue Gold: World Water Wars which talks
about the world”s future water crisis and what the possible effects and consequences can
be. I chose to do this assignment because I watched the film during my environmental
systems class and thought it would be interesting to write an essay about the effects and
solutions of our future water shortage. This assignment reflects how I’ve developed over
time as a writer because it shows how I improved with researching and detailing every
little aspect of the film and of the world’s water crisis.
 Reflection Essay: How can we overcome the corrupting
influence of power?

The corruption of power has been known to have serious radical effects throughout
the world that has had many individuals questioning if they can trust or rely on those
that bear such power. The corrupting influence of power can cause a variety of conflicts
that can result in inequality, poverty, social division, economic decline, and injustice
within a country and creates a fragile government system many won’t trust. To
overcome this corrupting influence of power, we must learn to better understand the
way corruption works and must embrace transparency.

Corruption is a form of dishonesty and fraudulent behavior and activities of those in

power and the way it works is that it can involve a variety of individuals and can occur
almost anywhere throughout the world with the majority of corruption occurring mostly
in government, political, and judicial systems but it can vary in many areas too because
it has been known to be found also in business, health, education, and media systems.
To understand the way corruption works is very complex because corruption has the
ability to adapt in many different circumstances and can be difficult to comprehend but
recognizing and acknowledging corruption is our first step to overcoming those that
corrupt the influence of power.

Transparency in government systems is the principle and idea of allowing individuals

and citizens to have access to critical information and results that is found within their
local government that is needed to make decisions and hold those of corrupted power
accountable for their actions. By giving access to those seeking information from their
government, the trust and faith of the people become stronger for their government and
therefore decreases and prevents corruption at a steady pace. Transparency can work in
many different ways from having open government data to monitoring policies which
strengthens the ties between a government and its citizens, creating strong bonds and
allowing those that are corrupted to be held accountable.

The corrupting influence of power weakens and crushes internal government systems
that’ve been established years ago but learning to better understand the ways of
corruption and embracing transparency is the first initiative to prevent and stop
corruption.