1. Axolotls 2023

          The room darkens, and all focus shifts to a singular light. Suddenly, you find yourself at 4 Privet Drive with obnoxious screaming from a large angry man, and a quiet boy with an odd scar on his head. Before you know it, you're in a high-speed car chase with a man named Ethan Hunt, who is driving a sleek black BMW off of a cliff, while somehow assuring you of your survival. A loud squeal later, you are in a fashionable New York City apartment with a women who claims to be a thirteen year old stuck in a thirty year old's body.       From "Harry Potter" and "Mission Impossible" to "13 going on 30",  Hollywood creates immersive worlds, transporting its audience into an exciting and enticing experience. The U.S. film industry has affirmed its rightful place on the world stage, creating rippling effects in societies globally, allowing the dominance of American pop culture since the mid-twentieth century.     ...

  Photo by Leif Johnson.  Since childhood, I always imagined having my own virtual space where I could express myself using the American language. Instead of capturing my day-to-day life through visual content on a YouTube channel, I engaged in a different form of linguistic expression — Voice Memos . This shift from a visual to an auditory platform allowed me to explore language during the years 2016 to 2022.  Initially, I recorded interviews with my family about their favorite cultural dishes and as I listened back, I observed my tone transform over the years. In 2016, my voice seemed less fluid and more brittle, reflecting an ongoing development of the English language. Over the years, my voice became more clearer and articulate. This illuminates the effect of the everyday exposure we have to the English language —  from books to TV shows —  that helps our voices grow so we can communicate with others in America.  As I delved into the recordings, I...

  Hamburgers are popular items in Americans’ diets; in fact, the hamburger industry earns over $100 billion every year. They are often served in commonly found restaurants and fast food joints such as McDonalds or Burger King. The burger is truly an essential item when it comes to picturing the culture of Americans. Where did this burger come from? The meat of a hamburger is most often minced beef, and Genghis Khan and his men would bring raw meat along with them to take with their horses. The galloping of the horses would result in the meat getting broken apart, similar to the nature of ground meat. Some people believed that this could be eaten by the people, others thought it would be too dirty and inedible for humans to eat and was instead used to soothe the aches and pains of the horses.  Although it isn’t clear what the real intentions of the Mongols were, they did spread their recipe to Russia when they invaded. The Russians would add other items into the dish like onion...

  Cannibalism in Jamestown Cannibalism has been a terrifying part of humanity for thousands of years. America itself has a long history of cannibalism, dating back to when the first settlers established Jamestown. When the Europeans initially arrived, rumors spread that suggested Native Americans committed violent acts of cannibalism not only to their enemies, but within their own tribes as well. It’s likely that these claims were fabricated in order to create distrust amongst Europeans aimed at the Native peoples, making it more justifiable to fight them and claim their land. While the accounts of Native American cannibalism cannot be confirmed, it is widely believed that the residents of Jamestown themselves—the ones who spread rumors in the first place—participated in the practice of cannibalism. As food was running low and people were getting hungry, residents started eating their animals (horses, etc.). After their supply of animals ran out, they moved to hunting snakes ...

  Mahesh - Week 8: A Necessity for Consideration The English language has experienced a change due to pop culture, exemplified by the popularity of rap songs and the value that younger generations give to these types of music. If we take the time to reflect on the progression of the English language in a colloquial sense, it is noteworthy that English speakers have become more remiss in their adherence to the grammatical rules that compose the language. English, like any other language, has endured changes that have redefined the limits of what is acceptable in an informal setting. Texting, for example, is a prevalent form of communication that many Americans employ to convey their thoughts. Although an instrument for rapid communication, texting has contorted parts of English. For example, many texters prefer using “u” rather than “you,” demonstrating how many veer away from English grammatical principles. The shortening of phrases that texting institutes among the American public...

American English, is a vibrant language, with several different strands, which showcases its evolution. It presents the combination of varying influences, each one leaving a clear mark on the language we speak today.  The American language may seem weird for new learners. As one article points out, “the spelling doesn’t match the pronunciation.” Imagine coming to America as an immigrant, and having to learn this language. It would seem like an almost impossible task due to all the grammar rules, ironic spellings, and homophonic words. However, it is all these quirks that make the American English language as unique as it is. According to a 2023 survey, English is the number one language spoken in the world!  As we are taking ourselves back to the 1920s in class, the jazz era covered by F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," showcases a much different language than many of us have heard before. The Roaring Twenties introduced a vivid array of phrases and terms that were...