Final Portfolio

• FINAL REFLECTION

At the beginning of my first semester, I was very overwhelmed and frustrated because my first semester was online. “ I am feeling Frustrated because it seems hard online to stay on track and especially when it’s your Ist semester in the college”. Therefore it was way different than going to college and work being in a class with your classmates and with the professor. Although I was overwhelmed, “Nice work, Mian. I like this idea that is valuable to remember WHATEVER stuck out to you. I don’t think we say that enough!”. when I met my English professor in an online class. I felt a lot of relief. It gave me hope and great courage to move forward even if we are not in school. My English professor is charming and great. She gave me the courage to move forward with my first semester and do good on my assignments. This semester in English class I learned a lot of amazing and interesting stuff about writing, reading, and how to deliver your message to the audience. Something important that I learned in this term was Peer review and editing. One of y classmates gave me a peer review. “I liked your essay because of your educational journey began from your father and it doesn’t seem “typical” in the sense that you didn’t write about school as your education narrative.” We checked our classmate’s work. And we gave thoughts on that paper that what are the things they did good, and what are the things they can do better. In addition to that, I learned about my favorite topics that I wanted to research and get information about it. “ My favorite topic is about soldiers”.All the information, strategies, tactics that my professor taught me in this subject are very essential. I can use those strategies to make my reading and writing skills good. Furthermore, I learned how to cite a source accurately and how important it is to write a specific genre. As my first semester was going every day I was getting more comfortable with my professor, and with my assignments. It was a great journey that I finished with my efforts and my professor’s guidance. For time being the last week of my semester is kind of stressful because I am giving my final exam this week. I am very confident that I will pass all my exams. And I am hopeful for my spring semester. That my spring semester will be more interesting and I will try to do better than my first semester. My first semester is a great experience to take classes online. I said that because I often heard about the online classes however I didn’t know how to take them. Now by taking online classes I know that how an online class experience is. 

Unit 1

In unit 1 I changed my sentences into short-form by putting periods Next to it. Also, I used capitalization word and sentence combing. I also added some more information as my Professor told me in the feedback.

The first day when I came to New York. My dad told me that you are reborn. You are in the world’s best country. Here you can achieve anything. You just have to work hard and stay on your track. Nobody will ever try to cut you or try to be a hurdle in your progress. It will be all you if you can’t do something that means you are missing something. Therefore just be yourself work hard to achieve something. Then step back put someone else ahead and help them. I remember a moment that happened in my life back in 2004 and changed my thinking about Education.

 

I was hiding under a bunk. God save me, I won’t do it again. However,  Oh my God this is the best banana I’ve ever eaten. It tastes like heaven. I was six years old going home from school. I was starving, and I knew that there was no food at home because there was no money. As I walked down the street I saw a man selling bananas and oranges. When I saw the bananas,  the taste of the banana came into my mouth. But when I put my hand in my pocket, there was no money. My pants pocket was ripped from inside. I knew that I didn’t have money. But the way I was looking at the banana was the same as if I was looking at a beautiful girl. I wasn’t able to take my eyes off the banana; the banana seemed to be calling me, saying “come eat me, I know you are hungry.”

 My family and I were financially poor. Now I was hiding and I ate the banana. I was still hungry. I went to my home and hid under the bed. My mom asked me, “what happened, are you ok?”  I didn’t answer. I was a hungry 6 years old who didn’t know what to do when you are damn hungry. At night a man knocked at the door. He called my dad’s name, Ali. My dad opened the door and said “Greetings”.  After that,  the man complained to my dad about me, saying  “Your son stole my banana.”   My dad was silent, the man said insulting things to my dad. I was inside listening to their conversation, cursing myself and regretting what I had done. After the man left,  my dad came into the room and started beating me.  I was badly battered, my bones hurt the whole week. The very next morning my dad came into the room and told me he loved me and took me to the farm. While we were there, he told me why he beat me last night. He told me how hard he works. He told me he was depressed and worried about the future and that he wanted to send his children to the best school but he couldn’t, due to our poverty. He said poverty taught him a lot.  He said, “Right now I am poor, I know people who want me to do well. I also know people who would wish to see me struggle forever. He said that poor people who have people around them who care are the luckiest. Poverty makes you work harder; it forces you to do any kind of work you can find, as long as it helps you to survive.”  That day I learned a lot from my dad. I had seen my dad working very hard in the hot summer and the freezing winter without a sweater on and that day I understood that if you get an education you could work in a cool room in the summer and a warm room in the winter. Since that conversation never left my mind. As I came to NY. I promised myself. That I will do good in my Studies. I will become a man. Who always give people. Therefore, I worked hard in high school and graduated. Now I am working hard in my college to be a good student than I was in high school. And be the one whom my parent’s proud of.  The older I get, the more I realize that I have to work hard. From that day on, almost every day I wake up and ask myself. What I am going to do with my future. Whenever I try to answer that question, suddenly I see the boy hiding under the bed and praying that God saves him. I promise myself every day that I will do what I must to achieve my goals. 

Some day, I want to go back to my city. Where I committed that innocent mistake, find a boy whose family is poor like mine was, and help that family. Therefore getting an Education means a lot to me. Because for me the Education is the way to be successful and do all the stuff. That I want to do.

 

Unit 2

I changed a lot in the revision of unit 2. According to the feedback that I got from my professor. I missed two source entries and the information that I provided was not Informative. Therefore, In this revision, and fulfilled the missing parts. 

Intro

What are the difficulties faced by soldiers and how they trained? how do they change in this process? I am interested in this question because that’s how I can know more about being a soldier and what are the qualifications that a person needs to become a warrior. I watched a lot of documentaries and movies based on soldiers. Every individual who becomes a soldier is a courageous and strong-minded soldier. A person changed after getting the training of a soldier. After getting the training. A soldier can overcome many of his weaknesses and especially his breaking point. Every soldier always stays ready to sacrifice for his country. I would like to find what kind of person can join the army is there specific people who can join or anyone can join I want to know that what are the tactics that a soldier use in warfare and his daily life. I also want to know whence the soldiers change over time and how? I assume to find this because that will help me to understand more effectively about my topic. It will also answer my research question. I don’t believe that the knowledge  I will obtain can go versus what I have expected to find because the question that I have is pretty straight and I know that whatever erudition I will discover will be correct however if the information works against what I had expected then I will use that knowledge anyway and I will question my assumptions. I will try to overcome my assumptions and make it right. I think all the genres can give me good information. Furthermore, the genres in which I can easily connect my point of you to the reader and make him understand what I’m trying to say will be the best genre.

 

 

• All Four Source Entries

1-The first source entry in the article that I used is by the Army university press. In this article, I read about army training. The article was written by Ist Sgt. Ian Trowers. He wrote on August 21, 2019. 

 

Trowers, Ian. “Army Training.” Army University Press, William Morrow, 21 Aug. 2019, www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/NCO-Journal/Archives/2019/December/Army-Training/. 

In army training, every soldier should be ready to do anything for his country. Specifically, in this training, there is no choice of losing. Every single time whatever you will do you have to win it either win it or either die doing it therefore there is no point in losing anything “in the Warfare as well as in life. The article also talks about the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. In both countries US Army sharpened their counterinsurgency skills by recruiting new soldiers and sending them there to get more skilled. In this training, a lot of counterinsurgency mission rehearsals were conducted. So that’s how every single soldier knew he’s weak and strong point therefore in these trainings they overcome their weak point and make it strong.

In the article. I got some of my answers and a lot of information. A quote where it says “The Army is a profession. Competent and confident leaders are a prerequisite to the successful training of ready units. It is important to understand that leadership training, development, and certification are integral parts of unit readiness. Leaders are inherently Soldiers first and should be technically and tactically proficient in their basic Soldier skills”. In this quote, I understand that to train men to be good soldiers you also need a brilliant trainer who can train them extraordinary. It opened y mind widely to think more about the training of a soldier. 

Furthermore, I think in my research question I have to be more accurate like what I want to know about army training for example it can be like combat training survival training, etc. this article gave me wide thinking about my research question. 

 

2-My 2nd source entry That I used is from a Movie called American sniper. There is also a book wrote by Chris Kyle. The book’s name is American sniper this book was written on January 2, 2012, the genres used in this book and the movie are biography and autobiography.

In this video, I saw a soldier shooting at an eight-year-old boy. It wasn’t just a shooting as I saw the video I observed and I felt very deeply how a soldier fights with him on himself to decide should he kill the boy or not. As I was watching the video I got a sense that how hard it is for a soldier to make decisions within no time. It was very hard for the soldier to decide. A soldier before becoming a soldier Took Oath that he Will protect his country he would sacrifice himself or will kill any kind of threat to his motherland. 

 

Kyle, Chris. “American Sniper Movie Review & Film Summary (2014): Roger Ebert.” Movie Review & Film Summary (2014) | Roger Ebert, William Morrow, 2 Jan. 2012, 

 

3-In my third source Entry, I used an article called “The Emotions of war”. In this article, I read about the different categories of mental illness. I also learned that How soldiers encounter mental disorders. Every soldier who comes back to his country after the war. He has to go through therapy to be normal again. Many soldiers suffer after a war. They face problems like depression, anxiety, etc. They suffer in the love of their country. As I read the article and watched a short video of veterans. That how they felt going to war and coming back from war. As a veteran was explaining what he did in far. He couldn’t able to tell. Like he started getting nervous and shivering. According to the article “Young soldiers in combat inevitably confront killing. They take life away from others, and in so doing breach one of the most fundamental moral values of their society, often with long-term consequences. Fighting for survival in Vietnam, Karl Marlantes often felt satisfaction when his unit killed the enemy. In later years, he felt haunted by those deaths, as do other combat veterans”. This evidence shows that after killing the people in the war. The soldiers felt haunted. Even they killed the people way back in the century. Still what they did is with them. They can’t able to forget it. They can’t resist their thinking. 

Epstein, Michael. “The Emotions of War.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 20 May 2018, www.pbs.org/tpt/going-to-war/themes/combat-experience/. 

 

4- My fourth source entry is about soldiers who fight with him in himself? I am interested in this query because I Know that being a soldier it’s not a cakewalk. 

 

Mahoney, Kara. “WHOSE CHOICE? PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATION AND THE ARMED FORCES.” Whose Choice? Psychotropic Medication and The Armed Forces Kara Mahoney, Kara Mahoney, 2013, winter, weblaw.usc.edu/students/journals/rlsj/issues/assets/docs/volume22/Winter2013/3.Mahoney.pdf. 

 

In this Legal article called who is the choice? Psychotropic medication and the Armed Forces. The soldiers encounter many obstacles while performing a Mission a Soldiers face a lot of health issues in every mission especially for a long-term mission they use medication that can help them stay alert and focused on the mission. A Soldier is trained To ignore every kind of situation that affects the mission however if a soldier can’t ignore his pain or health issues then he has to take some medication like a drug so he can stay active and perform his mission effectively.  As evidence, the author states that as evidence the author states that “ If mental health problems become impossible to ignore, there are pressures to quietly take psychotropic medications instead of any other mental health treatment, such as psychotherapy.4 There are also coercive pressures to take medications like stimulants to perform missions lasting twenty-four hours or longer”.They are for being a soldier it’s not easy however it takes a lot of courage and strength to be the one different person from all other than in the world.  

 

After reading this article I strongly agree with the author that the soldiers Suffer a lot not just on the battlefield although with their selves as well. For example, as I read in the article “Walk into any of the larger-battalion-aide stations in Iraq or Afghanistan today, and you’ll find Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft to fight depression, as well as Wellbutrin, Celexa, and Effexor. You’ll see Valium to relax muscles (but also for sleep and combat stress) as well as Klonopin, Ativan, Restoril, and Xanax. There’s Adderall and Ritalin for ADD and Haldol and Risperdal to treat psychosis; there’s Seroquel, at subtherapeutic doses, for sleep, along with Ambien and Lunesta. Sleep, of course, is a huge issue in any war. But in this one, there are enough Red Bulls and Rip Its in the chow halls to light up the city of Kabul, and soldiers often line their pockets with them before missions, creating a cycle where they use caffeine to power up and sleep meds to power down.” Therefore as my research question being a soldier, is not being ordinary. My research question being a soldier he’s not being an ordinary person. Besides, soldiers miss their families. They can’t go back until they don’t perform their duties given by their country. The rhetorical factors that I learned in professor Hall’s English class are about genre like my purpose of writing this legal source and other genres about my research question are to spread awareness to the youth of this country so they know that being a soldier is not obvious. 

 

A quote that triggers me and it exemplifies the document claim  “ The military has acknowledged the problem and, as will be discussed, has made recommendations for dealing with the overmedication of its service members. Yet in practice, individual service members continue to bears the full weight of choosing to take care of their health while risking stigma and their careers, or choosing to hide their mental health concerns while risking their long-term health, their safety, and the safety of their fellow service members”. This quote explains that being a soldier is not easy it demands perfection strength courage this quote truly triggers me that what are soldiers what are the obstacles that a soldier face furthermore soldiers have to take pills medication so that they can restore their energy. And to sleep, they still have to take medication that will help them to sleep. 

I agree with my source entries because it is similar to thinking. I think that Soldiers are tough to breakdown. However, they do fight in themselves. For example, as I explained in my 2 & 3 source entry. The most interesting part that I liked was in the video. I liked how a soldier decided by shooting a  boy. It wasn’t easy to decide. I did it to save his soldiers.

I have a question that after the sniper went back to his country. Does he have to face any judicial case. What I don’t understand is when a sniper asks the command to give him an order to kill the boy or no. He got the order that it’s on him. Why the command said that? The more information can be in books although I understand a lot of what I watched in videos. I would say that the way he wrote a movie and an article is amazing. This document tells me how I think is it similar or different.

I found in my research that how a soldier fight in himself. The most interesting thing that I found is in one of my source Entry videos in which a soldier shot a boy just to save his soldier brothers and while he was about to shoot he had to decide in himself that should he shoot or not.

That was the most surprising action that a soldier took by shooting a boy. My question deepened because as I was researching. In my two entries, I found something that hit my mind was a soldier who shot a boy however a soldier himself has a son the same age as that boy. He got no other option.

I learned this Important because that pushes any person to think two ways like why he shot a boy? What could have happened if he let the boy live.

I think most likely the specific people who call soldiers are bad or they are remotes that played by the government. However, it’s not true a soldier has his feelings too.

Conclusion

I found a lot of information about my research question and topic. It was a great experience to know about my favorite topic. In this research, I found all the answers to my questions. Like how soldiers trained? How soldiers battle within their own self? And what are the difficulties that soldiers face? In all my research there was a lot of information that surprised me for example soldiers take drugs to stay alert on their post and perform their duties better. Even if they want to sleep they have to take drugs to feel better for some time. Soldier life isn’t easy. I believe all the information that I got in my research is very important. It is important because that was my favorite topic that I wanted to research. Therefore all the information that I gathered was amazing. I think that the young people should hear about that because they should know that being a soldier. Isn’t easy. Soldiers sacrifice there everything for the country. I believe that soldiers have a deeper meaning for being a soldier. When a soldier takes an oath and pledging that he will always put the mission first, even if it’s he is losing. Veterans who come back from war. They have a lot of difficulties to face. It takes time to be normal and live between peaceful people again. I truly want to thank the soldiers for the dedication to their great nation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Unit 3

A soldier is a man or woman who fights for their government and carries the weapons risking their lives in the process to protect their country. Soldiers sacrifice their entire life to protect the motherland. Soldiers encounter a lot of difficult situations and put their self in huge risks.  In this article, I sincerely grab the attention of the youth-adult of this nation because I deem that the youth should know. Who is it who protecting us without even knowing ourselves? In unit two I confronted many hindrances that a soldier faces on the battlefield as well as in normal life. In my sources. I also discovered that Soldiers use drugs to sleep and to stay alert on their jobs. Also, when soldiers come back from war they encounter many mental issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD, sleeplessness etc.

 

      A soldier always prepares himself to sacrifice everything for his country. Soldiers die for their patriotic ardor for their country. As a piece of evidence that “ A soldier killed the boy just to protect his country. The soldier didn’t want to shoot that boy However he had to sacrifice his feeling and do the hard job by shooting the boy. That’s what he did. He shoot the boy.” Therefore, this evidence shows that the soldier’s sacrifice their feelings. What he did will stay with him till his last breath. He will never forget it. He knows what he did is ruthless although he did it for his country. By shooting the child The soldier will always feel weak that he killed a child who was not strong enough. Soldier fought in himself by making that tough decision.

https://youtu.be/3nLhxO-z_Y8

 

 

 

 Soldiers use different kinds of drugs that they take for sleep and some of the drugs that they use to stay alert on their post—this is part of the battle within themselves, going so far as to change their actual bodies. 

According to an article “ Individual service members continue to bears the full weight of choosing to take care of their health while risking stigma and their careers, or choosing to hide their mental health concerns while risking their long-term health, their safety, and the safety of their fellow service members”. This quote explains that being a soldier is not easy it demands perfection strength courage this quote truly triggers me that what are soldiers what are the obstacles that a soldier face furthermore soldiers have to take pills medication so that they can restore their energy. And to sleep, they still have to take medication that will help them to sleep. Taking those drugs have a vast impact on their bodies. That is very risky. some of the soldiers who experience trauma or were hospitalized or injured during combat are at high risk for increased drinking or drug use. This relates to my thesis that even soldiers don’t want to take the drugs. They have to take it so they can stay alert. So that they can sleep for some time. By taking drugs soldiers can perform their work better. Even if they are fatigue because drug help their body to stay alert. Their service is really helpful on the battlefield. Taking drugs help to perfume better job although it has a lot of consequences.

 

Mahoney, Kara. “WHOSE CHOICE? PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATION AND THE ARMED FORCES.” Whose Choice? Psychotropic Medication and The Armed Forces Kara Mahoney, Kara Mahoney, 2013, winter, weblaw.usc.edu/students/journals/rlsj/issues/assets/docs/volume22/Winter2013/3.Mahoney.pdf. 

 

 

 

 When soldiers come back from a war. They have to go to a psychiatrist to come back and adjust to a normal life. However, for some soldier’s it’s very hard. They have to take it so that they can go back to their families and visit them. In the war whatever the soldiers encounter is very risky and dangerous. In war, they saw their friends losing their lives. They face a lot of scary scenes like getting shot or watching a lot of blood. Because of that, they can’t able to sleep. They face anxiety, depression, and sleeplessness etc. For that, they even have to go to a psychiatrist to be normal again. As stated in an article Ironically, it is only since the inclusion of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The field of traumatic stress has blossomed and been subsequently underpinned by a major body of neuroscience and clinical research. Despite the slow development of interest in the long-term consequences of the traumatic stress of war, many of the developments in mental health care in the 20th century emerged from the innovations demanded by the need to deal more effectively with the flood of mental casualties amongst the combatants of war.” Therefore, this quote explains that when the soldier’s come back from war. They face various mental disorders like (PTSD). It is approximately 37 to 50% of Afghanistan and Iraq war soldiers have been diagnosed with mental disorders. The stress of war always harmed soldiers. Also, some of the soldiers died because of mental disorders. That proofs that soldiers sacrifice their lives. \. To save their country no matter what the country demand. This point must be important for readers because the war isn’t just faced by soldiers. There is a lot of of of other things that come after facing the war. As stated above. The reader should know that soldiers are constantly surrounded by fear and risks. However, they still stay alert and always ready to sacrifice their lives for the country. 

 

McFarlane, Alexander C. “The Impact of War on Mental Health: lest We Forget.” World Psychiatry: Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Oct. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4592659/. 

 

 

 

 

In the end, I will emphasize to my adults that soldiers can do much better just staying in their own country and getting properly directed. Therefore we shall be thankful to the soldiers and their devotion to their country.

 

 

Artist statement

 

 I am involved in this matter because since my boyhood. I am a big supporter of soldiers for instance. As I got older I realize that being a soldier and being a  citizen are two different things. My inspirations where are the soldiers. Who gave their lives for their country. Furthermore being a soldier is a sweet pain. I said that because when a soldier lives far away from their family. Although they keep their family picture in their wallet. Whenever they missed them they just take it out and look at the picture. They also surprise their family after they’re done with their job and come home. The pieces fit together because I am still obsessed with the soldier’s life. I wanted to be a soldier however for some reason I can’t.

 

 My rhetorical question is Why still America sending their troops to the Middle East? I decided to write in this genre because soldiers should protect their own country by staying inside of the country. So they can meet their family easily. However American troops get deployment in the middle east that is truly far. Some soldiers stay more than 5 years in the Middle East and they don’t get the chance to meet their family. I think that’s unfair. I choose the youth as my audience because the youth should know that being a soldier it’s not easy. As they live their life nowadays. For example, hanging out with friends, stay in the family etc. Therefore they should know that they are protected from the people who can harm them. Why? Because the soldiers are standing for them all day and night to protect them. I decided to talk about this particular expect of my research because that’s what I wanted the youth to know. That’s the significant thing that I want to tell the youth. That is my message. My purpose of this piece is to tell the youth that soldiers are humans like us but they sacrifice everything for their country people just to protect them.

 I read it a lot of times. As I was reading again and again every time I get to Discover a new thing and understand it well. Besides, I used a dictionary to help me understand the meaning of difficult words. I think the most important part of the genre is to make yourself clear about what are you writing and what do you want your reader to get from it.

The topic that I choose has no end. However, I think I did good by gaining the important information. That I wanted to deliver to the youth. So they can understand it the way I do.