Category: Portfolio & Reflection (Page 4 of 12)

Unit 1 Original: 

There is always a moment in life where a person absolutely hates school. I can guarantee mostly everyone goes through this stage in life.  According to the 2020 stress in American report, 87% of Gen Z youth in college considers school as a crucial source of stress. Am I surprised by this? nope, not at all. Im actually experiencing this amount os stress at this very moment. But let’s go all the way to the beginning where it all started and how I developed these nasty feelings for school.

It all started when I was going from 1st to 2nd grade. What a time. You can imagine how happy a kid is knowing they are going to the next grade and that’s exactly how I felt as I standed in front of the school building with my mom. It was a beautiful September morning, the sun was shining bright, it was almost hard to see, the leaves were still attached to the trees and kid’s running all around, excited to see their friends for the first time. The smell of grass and Coffee hit my nose and the a slight breeze rustled with my hair high up in a ponytail. I was gripping my mom’s hand, extremely nervous. I could remember breaking down into a nervous sweat and not being able to stay still. I jumped around, still holding on to my mom wondering what this year would be like. Would I make new friends? would I like my new teacher? How would my new classroom look? All these thoughts jumbled through my head as I was finally pulled out of them as I looked at my mom. She was already looking at me. I saw something in her eyes that day I couldn’t depict. Was it sadness or pity I couldn’t really understand. My mom bended down slowly and as we gotten to the same eye level, she told me something I wouldn’t understand until I’m older. “Sometimes in life there are times we need to stay back to improve”. What did she mean? My young self didn’t know at the time but as I was sent off into the big orange building looking behind me, seeing my mom with the same look in her eyes smiling and waving, I had an idea of what she meant. I was praying to god it wasn’t what I think it was.

Ive always had a hard time in school. I remember my young self staring blankly at my homework, all the words on the pages jumbling in head, I just couldn’t get it and that stressed the living hell of of me. Kid’s would sing the abc’s and brag about doing addition and subtraction, I absolutely despised it and felt my first feeling’s of jealousy at a young age. So was I surprised I got held back a grade? yes and no. At the time, all I knew it that I wasn’t with my friends and had the same damn teacher from last year. I felt everyone eyes on me on that first day of school. Was I imaging it? probably yes but it didn’t stop the feelings of anxiety and embarrassment to creep up on me. Tear’s started filling my eyes and this horrible feeling in my stomach started to take place. It felt like something was at war inside my stomach. I heard people’s whispers and saw teacher’s looking at me with so much pity. I could remember sitting in lunch, the big cafeteria loud with people’s voices and teacher’s screaming at their students to eat. Tears were stinging in my eyes begging to come out and my lunch tasted rotten. I was sitting alone feeling absolutely lonely. I heard my name being called and as I looked up behind me I saw my old classmates laughing and pointing at me. That day was the day I realized I absolutely hated school and nothing would change that.

Even as I left the school building, I still couldn’t escape school. I had an intense amount of pressure to do well and that came from my immigrant parents. I can still feel my mother’s disappointment when I couldn’t even recognize the shapes on my homework. We would always sit in our lit dinning room with papers fluttering all over and books scattering on the table. She tried so hard to make me understand the school work and I just couldn’t. I felt as a disappointment at the young ages of 10-12. I truly felt stupid and had no hope. Was I not worthy enough because of my grades? Ive asked myself this question my entire life. Grade after grade I found myself disappointing my parents more and more. All I wanted was there approval and appreciation and the way to get that was by getting good grades. I still remember nervously shifting around on my feet and the same war feeling in my stomach as my dad analyzed my report card. His face was always the same, full of anger. Why did I try my best when it was never enough? That made me hate school even more. It was ruining my relationship with my parents.

As i’ve gotten older I learned that grades don’t define me as a person. Yes, I’ve thought that all my life but as I’ve gotten into college and graduated high school with honor roll, I’ve realized that I’m doing this for me. Not for my mom or my dad, or that girl, or this boy but for me. This my education and I will never live up to there high expectations but that’s ok. As long as I’m happy with what I’m doing I’ll be fine. I can still feel my excitement running through my veins as I got my first 90. I hung it up on my wall and i’ve never felt so proud of myself.  Do I still hate school? Yes of Course! but it’s a hate love relationship that I wouldn’t change for the world.

Unit 1 Revised:

It all started when I was going from 1st to 2nd grade. What a time. You can imagine how happy a kid is knowing they are going to the next grade and that’s exactly how I felt as I stood in front of the school building with my mom. It was a beautiful September morning, the sun was shining bright, it was almost hard to see, the leaves were still attached to the trees and kid’s running all around, excited to see their friends for the first time. The smell of grass and Coffee hit my nose and a slight breeze rustled with my hair high up in a ponytail. I was gripping my mom’s hand, extremely nervous. I could remember breaking down into a nervous sweat and not being able to stay still. I jumped around, still holding on to my mom wondering what this year would be like. Would I make new friends? Would I like my new teacher? How would my new classroom look? All these thoughts jumbled through my head as I was finally pulled out of them as I looked at my mom. She was already looking at me. I saw something in her eyes that day I couldn’t depict. Was it sadness or pity? I couldn’t really understand. My mom bends down slowly and as we get to the same eye level, she tells me something I wouldn’t understand until I’m older. “Sometimes in life there are times we need to stay back to improve”. What did she mean? My young self didn’t know at the time but as I was sent off into the big orange building looking behind me, seeing my mom with the same look in her eyes smiling and waving, I had an idea of what she meant. I was praying to god it wasn’t what I think it was.

I’ve always had a hard time in school. I remember my young self staring blankly at my homework, all the words on the pages jumbling in my head, I just couldn’t get it and that stressed the living hell off of me. Kids would sing the abc’s and brag about doing addition and subtraction, I absolutely despised it and felt my first feelings of jealousy at a young age. So was I surprised I got held back a grade? yes and no. At the time, all I knew was that I wasn’t with my friends and had the same damn teacher from last year. I felt everyone’s eyes on me on that first day of school. Was I imagining it? probably yes but it didn’t stop the feelings of anxiety and embarrassment to creep up on me. Tear’s started filling my eyes and this horrible feeling in my stomach started to take place. It felt like something was at war inside my stomach. I heard people’s whispers and saw teacher’s looking at me with so much pity. I could remember sitting in lunch, the big cafeteria loud with people’s voices and teacher’s screaming at their students to eat. Tears were stinging in my eyes begging to come out and my lunch tasted rotten. I was sitting alone feeling absolutely lonely. I heard my name being called and as I looked up behind me I saw my old classmates laughing and pointing at me. That day was the day I realized I absolutely hated school and nothing would change that.

Even as I left the school building, I still couldn’t escape school. I had an intense amount of pressure to do well and that came from my immigrant parents. I can still feel my mother’s disappointment when I couldn’t even recognize the shapes on my homework. We would always sit in our lit dining room with papers fluttering all over and books scattering on the table. She tried so hard to make me understand the school work and I just couldn’t. I felt disappointed at the young ages of 10-12. I truly felt stupid and had no hope. Was I not worthy enough because of my grades? I’ve asked myself this question my entire life. Grade after grade I found myself disappointing my parents more and more. All I wanted was their approval and appreciation and the way to get that was by getting good grades. I still remember nervously shifting around on my feet and the same war feeling in my stomach as my dad analyzed my report card. His face was always the same, full of anger. Why did I try my best when it was never enough? 

The struggles I had at home were affecting my mental health and my performance at school. During my early teen years I realized how bad my anxiety had gotten. I would nervously pace around my room, reading my flash cards over and over again, afraid I might forget everything I studied. I would hold onto my stomach as the pain was too much to endure. My hands would get clammy and I’d break into a nervous sweat knowing that if I got an unacceptable grade, I would disappoint my parents again. The anxiety made it hard to focus on tests and my school work. Even making friends was tough for me. In school hours I would sit alone in the big playground, The ice cream truck’s music loud as ever, kids laughing and running, enjoying their youth as I sat there alone in a bench, trying to recite my notes. I was jealous. I was jealous of how carefree those kids were. I was jealous of how easy it was for them to make friends. But most of all, I was jealous of their relationships with their parents. Seeing them run up to their parents with a big smile on their face, jumping into their arms, and not having to prove their validation. As a preteen, I blamed school. I thought If there wasn’t any school, my parents and I would have a better relationship. 

Entering high school I didn’t know what to expect. The experiences I had during elementary and middle school still affected me but I wanted the next 4 years to be different. I was willing to change my mentality and think positive for once. Before my first day, I had a life changing conversation with my older cousin. She looked me straight in the eye and said “Who cares what people think? You shouldn’t let people’s opinions affect your happiness. Be proud of your accomplishments and take pride in them. Your parents are never satisfied? So what! If you’re happy with your grades that’s all that matters. You’re doing this for YOU and your future. Not for anybody else.” I remember staring at her wide eyed and speechless because she was completely right. My happiness needed to come first, I was always thinking about people’s opinions and wanting to prove myself. But I was never considering how this affected me mentally and drained me. Going into 9th grade with a positive mentality and blocking out the negative was the best thing I ever did. Learning how to control my anxiety was hard, but I learned that doing breathing exercises and reading really helped. Making friends started to come more easily and overall I never felt more better. My parents’ high expectations bothered me less and less and as my high school years went by and I focused on myself. Doing things that made me happy and getting high grades for me and my future, no one else’s. 

Now finally in college, I learned that grades don’t define me as a person. Yes, I’ve thought that all my life but as I’ve gotten into college and graduated high school with honor roll, I’ve realized that I’m doing this for me. Not for my mom or my dad, or that girl, or this boy but for me. This is my education and I will never live up to their high expectations but that’s ok. As long as I’m happy with what I’m doing I’ll be fine.  

 Unit 2:

I’ve always been passionate about giving my hamster Mizuri, her best life. Researching, providing her necessities, using proper care, all that. I was aware that I had an exotic animal and I was determined to provide the best care for her. This led me into doing lots and lots of research, not only on hamsters but on other exotic animals as well. I’ve learned many things that I never knew before about rodents, reptiles, birds, and more. There was such fascinating information but the one thing that stuck out to me the most was the common issue of their mistreatment. I was in shock hearing about PETA discovering the true horrors of pet store chains and the horrible abuse they endure from neglectful homes. I felt helpless not being able to help these poor animals. Why are big companies like Petco, Petsmart, etc are still in business when they spread misinformation and provide the wrong care for pets? What could I do to stop this? Many individuals who own exotic pets attempt to change the nature of the animal rather than provide their pet’s necessities and do research. Tactics such as confinement in small, barren enclosures, chaining, beating “into submission,” or even painful mutilations, such as declawing and tooth removal is sadly a common thing. PETA, an animal organization who exposes these acts discovered a shocking truth during an investigation in Petco. Birds, reptiles, fish, and other small animals were treated like merchandise. They spent hours and days in transit from cruel suppliers, including breeding and distribution mills, and many animals were wild-caught. These animals ended up trapped in small tanks, cramped cages and were often denied even the basic necessities of life. It’s estimated that 75% of captive reptiles die within the first year in a person’s home. But of course Petco still sells them to customers who buy them on impulse, with no knowledge of their unique needs for space, heat, humidity, lighting, and more. Have you ever gone to the pet store and seen those shelves with multiple fish in these tiny small bottles stacked on top of one another with no space and barely any water? The sad thing is, this it’s viewed as “normal” to some people. We need to inform people on the dangers of buying from these sick companies and educate them on the proper care of exotic animals. They are living/breathing creatures that deserve better.

PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world and has more than 9 million members and supporters globally. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment business.  PETA also works on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered “pests” as well as cruelty to domesticated animals (peta.org). While watching this video posted by PETA on the cruel mistreatment of exotic animals in Petco, you can tell how passionate they are to spread awareness and desperate to help these poor animals. Their authority for writing this to inform the public of the animal abuse in pet stores.

The primary audience PETA is trying to reach are animal lovers. But also pet owners, future pet owners, animal activists, parents, pet stores, and more. When animal lovers see these videos, they want to make a difference, change, and do anything to help. If PETA were ignoring something or someone, it would definitely be big pet store chains since these videos that expose these big pet brands can ruin these companies’ sales rate.

PETA speaks on these exotic animal cases because people need to know the suffering these poor animals go through on a daily basis and we need to help them anyway we can. This abuse has been going on for a long time and it’s time to change, support, and help. The purpose of doing this is to spread awareness and knowledge. Also to bring to light the secrets of these big pet store chains. PETA posts very educational videos to inform the public and educate us on this important matter. It shows us the harmful consequences of supporting big pet companies such as petco, pet smart, and animal mills.

This makes me wonder why big pet companies are still running? Why are they in denial of their animal abuse?  

In the past, PETA  has investigated many big pet store chains such as Petco and Pet smart. They discovered a wide spread of animal suffering. During 2018, a PETA eyewitness worked undercover in a pet shop in Nashville Tennessee near the company’s headquarters and what they found was horrible and upsetting. To save money, pet smart employees repeatedly refused to take obviously sick, injured, dying animals for desperately needed veterinary care. A supervisor told PETA’s eyewitness not to tell customers that pet smart buys from Sun Pet; A warehouse that does unexplainable things to these poor animals. PETA discovered dead guinea pigs being left on the floors and cages, birds covered in feces, hamster’s suffering from “wet tail” with deadly intestinal diseases and neglected and stressed animals put on the shelves to be sold. “PETA reported that they were taking the older and sick hamsters, putting them in bags and whacking them against the table to k*ll them” What kind of sick person would do this?! This is pure cruelty.

PETA’S YouTube videos are very educational and eye opening, They show actual cases on where animal cruelty is done and they’re not afraid to show animals being injured or dead. As I was watching their videos I couldn’t believe my ears on what was being said about these pet store chains. They played recordings on what pet store employees said, which were very upsetting and their videos made me want to help and take action in any way I can. I’m glad that this topic is not being swept under the rug and is being talked about. The video makes its point clear and is very informal. Once the video starts, they get straight to their point, which is that pet store chains abuse animals and if people didn’t know this before the video, now they do. After watching the investigation I’m definitely never ever buying from pet smart or Petco again. PETA does not sugar coat again and I appreciate that because people need to see the true horrors these animal’s face on a daily basis. Many injured animals were shown in the video and pet smart employees saying awful things about the animals. It’s just really sad and we need for this to stop.

Munchie’s Place on youtube has been saving exotic animals for years! She owns a very small animal rescue in Washington State. Munchie rescues hamsters, gerbils, and mice with her volunteer team from neglectful homes.They find ads from craigslist or people surrendering these exotic animals and give them temporary shelter until a permanent home is found. Sometimes these rodents need to be rescued because the care provided for them was terrible, disgusting, or both. Other times it could be medical. The video shown is about a Syrian hamster called Louie and her rescue story. She is really well behaved and is super cute. When Louie was brought into Munchie’s rescue, there were many red flags. The hamster’s old enclosure was first of all vertical. Which meant very little floor space was provided. Hamsters need horizontal enclosures, 50 square inches of floor space is the recommended minimum. But of course more is always better. Glass tanks are the way to go and for starters, a bin cage. Louie’s enclosure barely had any bedding either or chewed toys. Bedding helps keep the ammonia smell down, regulates the area for the hamster’s body temperature in the hot summer days and in the cold winter nights, and lets them burrow. Louie’s old enclosure came with no wheel as well! Hamster’s travel five to ten miles a night so it’s important to get them a proper wheel. How was she able to get her energy out?! We learn that Louie is disabled because of improper breeding and has no tail?! Yep you read the right, she has no tail. Louie’s tail is completely gone when Munchie examines her. Not only that, it looks like it has been chopped off. Someone has chopped off her tail. We don’t know who did it but the family that had Louie had lots of children. At Least 4 or five young kids. It’s possible that one of the youngest kids took the hamster and cut off its tail. It was a very clean cut and very recent as if it was still healing. The person who did this, did it on purpose. Imagine the pain this poor hamster experienced. Children need to be taught to respect their pets but personally I don’t think young children should even have small pets because of things like this. Children should never be kept alone with an animal and should never be responsible for a living being. It’s the parents responsibility. Thankfully, Louie is in a better place now with the proper care and will get veterinary help soon. Sooner or later she will get adopted into a good home. I really appreciate what Munchie is doing because she’s helping these exotic animals get a better life. This could have been avoided if the parents had done their research before impulsively buying a hamster. Pet store employees are also to blame since they let the family walk out of their store with no wheel, bedding, or chew toys knowing that they had a hamster. At least educate them before selling them the hamster. But of course they won’t because they only care about the money. 

Louie’s rescue story video was made on February 14, 2022. Munchie makes these videos to inform and teach the public about exotic animals and their rescue stories. The audience is for future pet owners and pet owners in general. The author used imagery as she showed us the hamster’s old neglectful enclosure and the scab on the hamster’s tail. She was furious that this poor hamster went through such abuse. When I saw the old cage, I felt sad because a hamster should never live in something like that. I can imagine my own hamster in a situation like that and it makes me mad on how someone would let a hamster live in such horrible conditions. I could feel Munchie’s emotion as she talked about this rescue story and I knew how devastating and serious this was. She was very informal and she talked about hamsters’ care and I really appreciate that since not a lot of people talk about it. I feel like people who definitely watch this learned many things about hamsters and how serious the abuse these exotic animals endure. 

Wildlife trafficking worldwide has been estimated to be a 19 billion dollar business. It has become a national security issue and  a worldwide issue that needs to be solved. Criminal networks are profiting in the death of a lot of exotic species. In the wildlife trade, people want profit. They’ll do anything in order to sell these animals and if that means treating them like merchandise and abusing them, They will. Exotic animals like Tigers, chimpanzees, bears, lions, etc are being housed as pets when they are simply not. It doesn’t matter if you raised them or they seem to “like you”, these animals will act on their natural instinct. It’s dangerous plain and simple.These animals are bred in captivity for many years and are sold to people who have no idea or no ability how to provide for them. A tiger shown in the video, lived in a circus her whole life in a cage that was only 5 foot by 7! Exotic cats are being bred in puppy mills and being sold cheaply on the internet. Some tigers are even being sold for only $25. At exotic animal auctions across the United States, Animals are sold to the highest bidder regardless of qualifications, intended use, or other animal welfare and public safety concerns. These auctions take place in countries that don’t have a law against the sale of endangered species or the buying and selling of exotic animals.  How did these species get into the United States? How are these animal’s bred? A lot of people wanna have something that’s “rare” but don’t know the consequences. Too many people are getting these animals not aware of how big and dangerous they can get. Not only that, the animal’s suffer their whole life because they’re trapped in cages and not provided with the proper care.

“There are more big cats in private hands than there are in the wild now.” A man being interviewed said. This quote specifically shows the reality of these animals being taken away from natural homes and put into captivity. These animals are not pets. Tiger’s, bears, chimpanzees, are dangerous animals. Yes they are cute but It’s not right to take them away from their true environment. They will not be happy and it endangers them. People who buy exotic animals aren’t even knowledgeable or educated on their proper care. These animals suffer in human hands.

This informational video about wildlife trafficking was to educate the public on the dangers of buying exotic pets. They do this by interviewing an animal rescuer who is very informal on exotic animals.They explained what underground pet trades were and why we needed to stop them. This causes the audience to want to help with the sight of these animals in really small cages and being wrongly cared for. The video was very informal as they actually went undercover to one of animal trafficking events, and showed us how it’s really like. The man being interviewed, Who owned an animal rescue center, warned everyone that these are dangerous animals and they’re not meant to be pets. He explained his experience working in a rescue shelter and what these animals have been through. It was eye opening. Definitely the audience they wanted to reach was for anybody who’s thinking about getting an exotic pet in the future.

In conclusion, Pet store chains and WildLife trafficking need to be stopped! The reason why pet companies are still up and running is because people are unaware of true horrors hiding underneath those walls. As a matter of fact, before I was a pet owner, I didn’t even know pet stores were bad! This serious topic is brushed under the rug because we are dealing with exotic animals and people don’t really care much for them. Us as humans tend to look at these animals and be like “I want one!” and impulsively buy them for fun. We never really sit down and do our research. If research was done, many animals wouldn’t end up in neglectful situations like Louie, the hamster whose tail was chopped up. Yes they are “cheap” but that doesn’t mean we should be treated any differently. But mostly, I blame this on people who sell animals that don’t inform customers on the requirements and responsibility of owning a living creature. But pet stores treat animals like merchandise and only care about making money. They don’t care about the well-being of these animals. PETA has done lots of investigations on pet stores like petco, pet smart, and more. The things they found were unspeakable. Birds, reptiles, fish, and other small animals spent hours and days in transit from cruel suppliers, including breeding and distribution mills. These animals end up trapped in small tanks, cramped cages and are often denied even the basic necessities of life. They are often sold to people who have no idea how to care for them. We need to inform people on the dangers of buying from these sick companies and educate them on the proper care of exotic animals. Wild Trafficking is another problem on its own where people are making profit off of animals that are meant to be in the wild! Tigers, bears, Cheetahs, Alligators, and even animals that are going instinct are being sold to people that have no idea or no ability to provide for them. Not only that, owning these types of animals can be very dangerous. The animals in captivity suffer their whole life because they’re trapped in cages and not being given the proper care. I was surprised to learn that most people didn’t know exotic animals were being mistreated in pet stores. I really think this topic should be spoken about more and we should work as a community to stop them from selling anymore live animals. Now that I’ve learned about the mistreatment of exotic animals, I can spread the message and inform people. Spreading the word can help these animals if more people know about it and want to help. But I feel like the audience I want to reach is future pet owners. Please do your research before getting a pet and you can break this cycle. We need these animals to go to good homes. But don’t get a tiger!

Source #1: Another Look Inside PetSmart, Inc.: A PETA Eyewitness Exposé, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) , 29 Mar. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYLMceh2DbU&t=2s. Accessed 20 Oct. 2022.

Source #2: Vice, director. An Inside Look at the Exotic Animal Trade: Profiles by VICE. YouTube, YouTube, 19 May 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSQ8blCdAtA. Accessed 26 Oct. 2022.

Source #3: LoverGurl77983, Munchie. “TW: This Is Cruel to Do to a Hamster! | Luz Rescue Story | Munchie’s Place.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Feb. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuZqNTkUPE8.

 Unit 2 Revised:

I’ve always been passionate about giving my hamster Mizuri, her best life. Researching, providing her necessities, using proper care, all that. I was aware that I had an exotic animal and I was determined to provide the best care for her. This led me into doing lots and lots of research, not only on hamsters but on other exotic animals as well. I’ve learned many things that I never knew before about rodents, reptiles, birds, and more. There was such fascinating information but the one thing that stuck out to me the most was the common issue of their mistreatment. I was in shock hearing about PETA discovering the true horrors of pet store chains and the horrible abuse they endure from neglectful homes. I felt helpless not being able to help these poor animals. Why are big companies like Petco, Petsmart, etc are still in business when they spread misinformation and provide the wrong care for pets? What could I do to stop this? Many individuals who own exotic pets attempt to change the nature of the animal rather than provide their pet’s necessities and do research. Tactics such as confinement in small, barren enclosures, chaining, beating “into submission,” or even painful mutilations, such as declawing and tooth removal is sadly a common thing. PETA, an animal organization who exposes these acts discovered a shocking truth during an investigation in Petco. Birds, reptiles, fish, and other small animals were treated like merchandise. They spent hours and days in transit from cruel suppliers, including breeding and distribution mills, and many animals were wild-caught. These animals ended up trapped in small tanks, cramped cages and were often denied even the basic necessities of life. It’s estimated that 75% of captive reptiles die within the first year in a person’s home. But of course Petco still sells them to customers who buy them on impulse, with no knowledge of their unique needs for space, heat, humidity, lighting, and more. Have you ever gone to the pet store and seen those shelves with multiple fish in these tiny small bottles stacked on top of one another with no space and barely any water? The sad thing is, this it’s viewed as “normal” to some people. We need to inform people on the dangers of buying from these sick companies and educate them on the proper care of exotic animals. They are living/breathing creatures that deserve better.

PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world and has more than 9 million members and supporters globally. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment business.  PETA also works on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered “pests” as well as cruelty to domesticated animals (peta.org). While watching this video posted by PETA on the cruel mistreatment of exotic animals in Petco, you can tell how passionate they are to spread awareness and desperate to help these poor animals. Their authority for writing this to inform the public of the animal abuse in pet stores.

The primary audience PETA is trying to reach are animal lovers. But also pet owners, future pet owners, animal activists, parents, pet stores, and more. When animal lovers see these videos, they want to make a difference, change, and do anything to help. If PETA were ignoring something or someone, it would definitely be big pet store chains since these videos that expose these big pet brands can ruin these companies’ sales rate.

PETA speaks on these exotic animal cases because people need to know the suffering these poor animals go through on a daily basis and we need to help them anyway we can. This abuse has been going on for a long time and it’s time to change, support, and help. The purpose of doing this is to spread awareness and knowledge. Also to bring to light the secrets of these big pet store chains. PETA posts very educational videos to inform the public and educate us on this important matter. It shows us the harmful consequences of supporting big pet companies such as petco, pet smart, and animal mills.

This makes me wonder why big pet companies are still running? Why are they in denial of their animal abuse?  

Source #1: Another Look Inside PetSmart, Inc.: A PETA Eyewitness Exposé, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) , 29 Mar. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYLMceh2DbU&t=2s. Accessed 20 Oct. 2022.

In the past, PETA  has investigated many big pet store chains such as Petco and Pet smart. They discovered a wide spread of animal suffering. During 2018, a PETA eyewitness worked undercover in a pet shop in Nashville Tennessee near the company’s headquarters and what they found was horrible and upsetting. To save money, pet smart employees repeatedly refused to take obviously sick, injured, dying animals for desperately needed veterinary care. A supervisor told PETA’s eyewitness not to tell customers that pet smart buys from Sun Pet; A warehouse that does unexplainable things to these poor animals. PETA discovered dead guinea pigs being left on the floors and cages, birds covered in feces, hamster’s suffering from “wet tail” with deadly intestinal diseases and neglected and stressed animals put on the shelves to be sold. “PETA reported that they were taking the older and sick hamsters, putting them in bags and whacking them against the table to k*ll them” What kind of sick person would do this?! This is pure cruelty.

PETA’S YouTube videos are very educational and eye opening. They show actual cases where animal cruelty is done and they’re not afraid to show animals being injured or dead. As I was watching their videos I couldn’t believe my ears on what was being said about these pet store chains. They played recordings on what pet store employees said, which were very upsetting and their videos made me want to help and take action in any way I can. I’m glad that this topic is not being swept under the rug and is being talked about. The video makes its point clear and is very informal. Once the video starts, they get straight to their point, which is that pet store chains abuse animals and if people didn’t know this before the video, now they do. After watching the investigation I’m definitely never ever buying from pet smart or Petco again. PETA does not sugar coat again and I appreciate that because people need to see the true horrors these animal’s face on a daily basis. Many injured animals were shown in the video and pet smart employees saying awful things about the animals. It’s just really sad and we need for this to stop.

Source #2: LoverGurl77983, Munchie. “TW: This Is Cruel to Do to a Hamster! | Luz Rescue Story | Munchie’s Place.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Feb. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuZqNTkUPE8.

Munchie’s Place on youtube has been saving exotic animals for years! She owns a very small animal rescue in Washington State. Munchie rescues hamsters, gerbils, and mice with her volunteer team from neglectful homes.They find ads from craigslist or people surrendering these exotic animals and give them temporary shelter until a permanent home is found. Sometimes these rodents need to be rescued because the care provided for them was terrible, disgusting, or both. Other times it could be medical. The video shown is about a Syrian hamster called Louie and her rescue story. She is really well behaved and is super cute. When Louie was brought into Munchie’s rescue, there were many red flags. The hamster’s old enclosure was first of all vertical. Which meant very little floor space was provided. Hamsters need horizontal enclosures, 50 square inches of floor space is the recommended minimum. But of course more is always better. Glass tanks are the way to go and for starters, a bin cage. Louie’s enclosure barely had any bedding either or chewed toys. Bedding helps keep the ammonia smell down, regulates the area for the hamster’s body temperature in the hot summer days and in the cold winter nights, and lets them burrow. Louie’s old enclosure came with no wheel as well! Hamster’s travel five to ten miles a night so it’s important to get them a proper wheel. How was she able to get her energy out?! We learn that Louie is disabled because of improper breeding and has no tail?! Yep you read the right, she has no tail. Louie’s tail is completely gone when Munchie examines her. Not only that, it looks like it has been chopped off. Someone has chopped off her tail. We don’t know who did it but the family that had Louie had lots of children. At Least 4 or five young kids. It’s possible that one of the youngest kids took the hamster and cut off its tail. It was a very clean cut and very recent as if it was still healing. The person who did this, did it on purpose. Imagine the pain this poor hamster experienced. Children need to be taught to respect their pets but personally I don’t think young children should even have small pets because of things like this. Children should never be kept alone with an animal and should never be responsible for a living being. It’s the parents responsibility. Thankfully, Louie is in a better place now with the proper care and will get veterinary help soon. Sooner or later she will get adopted into a good home. I really appreciate what Munchie is doing because she’s helping these exotic animals get a better life. This could have been avoided if the parents had done their research before impulsively buying a hamster. Pet store employees are also to blame since they let the family walk out of their store with no wheel, bedding, or chew toys knowing that they had a hamster. At least educate them before selling them the hamster. But of course they won’t because they only care about the money. 

Louie’s rescue story video was made on February 14, 2022. Munchie makes these videos to inform and teach the public about exotic animals and their rescue stories. The audience is for future pet owners and pet owners in general. The author used imagery as she showed us the hamster’s old neglectful enclosure and the scab on the hamster’s tail. She was furious that this poor hamster went through such abuse. When I saw the old cage, I felt sad because a hamster should never live in something like that. I can imagine my own hamster in a situation like that and it makes me mad on how someone would let a hamster live in such horrible conditions. I could feel Munchie’s emotion as she talked about this rescue story and I knew how devastating and serious this was. She was very informal and she talked about hamsters’ care and I really appreciate that since not a lot of people talk about it. I feel like people who definitely watch this learned many things about hamsters and how serious the abuse these exotic animals endure.

Source #3: Vice, director. An Inside Look at the Exotic Animal Trade: Profiles by VICE. YouTube, YouTube, 19 May 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSQ8blCdAtA. Accessed 26 Oct. 2022. 

Wildlife trafficking worldwide has been estimated to be a 19 billion dollar business. It has become a national security issue and  a worldwide issue that needs to be solved. Criminal networks are profiting in the death of a lot of exotic species. In the wildlife trade, people want profit. They’ll do anything in order to sell these animals and if that means treating them like merchandise and abusing them, They will. Exotic animals like Tigers, chimpanzees, bears, lions, etc are being housed as pets when they are simply not. It doesn’t matter if you raised them or they seem to “like you”, these animals will act on their natural instinct. It’s dangerous plain and simple.These animals are bred in captivity for many years and are sold to people who have no idea or no ability how to provide for them. A tiger shown in the video, lived in a circus her whole life in a cage that was only 5 foot by 7! Exotic cats are being bred in puppy mills and being sold cheaply on the internet. Some tigers are even being sold for only $25. At exotic animal auctions across the United States, Animals are sold to the highest bidder regardless of qualifications, intended use, or other animal welfare and public safety concerns. These auctions take place in countries that don’t have a law against the sale of endangered species or the buying and selling of exotic animals.  How did these species get into the United States? How are these animal’s bred? A lot of people wanna have something that’s “rare” but don’t know the consequences. Too many people are getting these animals not aware of how big and dangerous they can get. Not only that, the animal’s suffer their whole life because they’re trapped in cages and not provided with the proper care.

“There are more big cats in private hands than there are in the wild now.” A man being interviewed said. This quote specifically shows the reality of these animals being taken away from natural homes and put into captivity. These animals are not pets. Tiger’s, bears, chimpanzees, are dangerous animals. Yes they are cute but It’s not right to take them away from their true environment. They will not be happy and it endangers them. People who buy exotic animals aren’t even knowledgeable or educated on their proper care. These animals suffer in human hands.

This informational video about wildlife trafficking was to educate the public on the dangers of buying exotic pets. They do this by interviewing an animal rescuer who is very informal on exotic animals.They explained what underground pet trades were and why we needed to stop them. This causes the audience to want to help with the sight of these animals in really small cages and being wrongly cared for. The video was very informal as they actually went undercover to one of animal trafficking events, and showed us how it’s really like. The man being interviewed, Who owned an animal rescue center, warned everyone that these are dangerous animals and they’re not meant to be pets. He explained his experience working in a rescue shelter and what these animals have been through. It was eye opening. Definitely the audience they wanted to reach was for anybody who’s thinking about getting an exotic pet in the future.

In conclusion, Pet store chains and WildLife trafficking need to be stopped! The reason why pet companies are still up and running is because people are unaware of true horrors hiding underneath those walls. As a matter of fact, before I was a pet owner, I didn’t even know pet stores were bad! This serious topic is brushed under the rug because we are dealing with exotic animals and people don’t really care much for them. Us as humans tend to look at these animals and be like “I want one!” and impulsively buy them for fun. We never really sit down and do our research. If research was done, many animals wouldn’t end up in neglectful situations like Louie, the hamster whose tail was chopped up. Yes they are “cheap” but that doesn’t mean we should be treated any differently. But mostly, I blame this on people who sell animals that don’t inform customers on the requirements and responsibility of owning a living creature. But pet stores treat animals like merchandise and only care about making money. They don’t care about the well-being of these animals. PETA has done lots of investigations on pet stores like petco, pet smart, and more. The things they found were unspeakable. Birds, reptiles, fish, and other small animals spent hours and days in transit from cruel suppliers, including breeding and distribution mills. These animals end up trapped in small tanks, cramped cages and are often denied even the basic necessities of life. They are often sold to people who have no idea how to care for them. We need to inform people on the dangers of buying from these sick companies and educate them on the proper care of exotic animals. Wild Trafficking is another problem on its own where people are making profit off of animals that are meant to be in the wild! Tigers, bears, Cheetahs, Alligators, and even animals that are going instinct are being sold to people that have no idea or no ability to provide for them. Not only that, owning these types of animals can be very dangerous. The animals in captivity suffer their whole life because they’re trapped in cages and not being given the proper care. I was surprised to learn that most people didn’t know exotic animals were being mistreated in pet stores. I really think this topic should be spoken about more and we should work as a community to stop them from selling anymore live animals. Now that I’ve learned about the mistreatment of exotic animals, I can spread the message and inform people. Spreading the word can help these animals if more people know about it and want to help. But I feel like the audience I want to reach is future pet owners. Please do your research before getting a pet and you can break this cycle. We need these animals to go to good homes. But don’t get a tiger!

 Unit 3:

https://mailcitytechcuny-my.sharepoint.com/personal/briana_urena_mail_citytech_cuny_edu/_layouts/15/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fbriana%5Furena%5Fmail%5Fcitytech%5Fcuny%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2FAttachments%2FNew%20Project%202%2EMP4&ct=1671663995341&or=OWA-NT&cid=0da41985-1ce4-0f5e-a74f-a64e28c41083&ga=1

 Artist Statement:

Getting a hamster for my birthday was truly a life changing experience. I was now responsible for a life. Knowing her diet, her proper care, her schedule, and even what type of bedding she liked was very important. I wanted to give my hamster, Mizuri, her best life. I mean who wouldn’t? When you care for something so much, you want to give them all the best things. While doing research, I learned many things about hamsters that I didn’t know before. Like how they were solitary and horrible mothers! But what really caught my eye was their enclosures. Their enclosures? Yep, a pet’s enclosure was a very important thing. It’s their life, where they eat, roam, and sleep. When I learned the enclosure I bought for my hamster in my local pet store was bad, I was completely shocked. My first thought was, “why would pet stores sell these cages if they’re bad for hamsters?” Not only did I feel shocked, I felt disappointed in myself. Why hadn’t I done my research before getting Mizuri? It’s something I regret until this day. But the disappointment didn’t stop me from fixing my care, spending most of my money on her new enclosure, and her new proper wheel. I saw a huge change in Mizuri’s behavior after I did this. She was more active, less stressed, and more relaxed. But my unanswered question still haunted me “Why would pet stores sell these cages if they’re bad for hamsters?” This made me stumble upon a youtube video called “Another look inside PetSmart: A PETA Eyewitness expose.” The title caught my eye since I bought Mizuri at PetSmart. 

I was never the same after watching that video. I was in shock hearing about PETA discovering the true horrors of pet store chains and the horrible abuse animals endure from neglectful homes. I felt helpless not being able to help these poor animals. I wondered why big companies like Petco, Petsmart, etc were still in business when they spread misinformation and provide the wrong care for pets? What could I do to stop this? Birds, reptiles, fish, and other small animals were being treated like merchandise. These poor animals were trapped in small tanks, cramped cages and were often denied even the basic necessities of life. I felt even worse knowing my hamster had probably gone through the same exact abuse explained in the videos. 

My goal for this project was to inform people on the abuse of animals in pet store chains, animal mills, and pet trades. The more people know about the abuse, the more people will stop supporting pet store chains and animal mills. This will help so much. In order to stop this, we need to work together, and end the buying of pets in pet stores. Every time a customer buys a pet from Petsmart or Petco, they are giving money to those horrible animal mills. Also as a pet owner who made the mistake of buying my hamster from pet smart, I want to warn future pet owners not to do the same as I did. To learn from my mistakes and not support pet store chains. I really think this topic should be spoken about more and we should work as a community to stop them from selling anymore live animals. Now that I’ve learned about the mistreatment of exotic animals, I can spread the message and inform people. Spreading the word can help these animals if more people know about it and want to help. But I feel like the audience I want to reach is future pet owners. Please do your research before getting a pet and you can break this cycle. We need these animals to go to good homes. 

The hamster community and other animal communities are so big, especially in social media. Everyone is friendly and gives each other great advice. I learned so much from watching hamster care videos on youtube and talking to other fellow pet owners. I can definitely see my work being put on youtube or even tik tok. I think many people would want to save these animals that desperately need help. Youtube is such a big platform and can be used for research. I believe that by using these tools I can spread the message and inform people on this very important matter. Like I said, the more people know about the abuse, the more people will stop supporting pet store chains.

Deciding on what genre to choose was very hard for me. I knew I wanted my genre to be informational, but I didn’t know how to dump all that information into a brochure, newspaper, or even a video. At first, I decided to do a brochure but I felt stuck. How was I gonna keep my audience interested? What information should I use from my research? I wasn’t satisfied or confident that my brochure would get my point across. So instead, I decided to make an informational video. I knew the way I liked to learn was through youtube videos. Also, I was inspired by a woman on youtube, Victoria Raechel who has a very successful channel by speaking about hamster care. Her videos are very quick but informal and interesting. My goal was to successfully do the same. By doing a video, I can connect with pet owners and future pet owners. 

Starting this project was weirdly easy. Since I have done research on this topic before, I already had a head start. Obviously, some of my questions were still unanswered, but I had an idea of what I was getting into. This topic truly means a lot to me. I wanted people to be informed about why pet store chains shouldn’t be supported and why it’s extremely important to do research before getting a pet. I knew what I wanted to accomplish by doing this project and I wanted to do it well. Things started getting a little rocky when I had to do the Rhetorical Analysis. I have never written one before and had trouble trying to understand what went into a Rhetorical Analysis. But I sought help from my professor during office hours and it helped me tons. I was successfully able to write a rhetorical analysis for each source. Speaking about sources, I had trouble trying to find sources that weren’t repetitive. I didn’t want my audience to feel like I was saying the same thing over and over again. I wanted my sources to be uniquely different and this led me to having trouble picking out my last source. I decided on writing about the underground exotic pet trade. I never knew that tigers or even bears were sold as pets. I found it shocking and very interesting. The whole project I wanted to know more and more, I never got bored. When I decided to make a video for my research, I found it really hard. I had to find a way to make my video interesting, informal, and short at the same time. I watched many youtube videos as examples and used the things that I liked to put into my own video. I knew that what I was researching was a very sensitive topic and I wanted to make it watchable for even people who have a hard time witnessing animal abuse. I decided on putting funny GIFS to make the video a little more lighthearted and not too depressing. The editing process was very fun but difficult at the same time. I really had to organize my video and know which clips go where. My goal was to catch my audience’s attention. To do this, I used many clips, pictures, and colors. 

Overall, I am very satisfied with how my unit 3 project came out. Honestly, I had a lot of fun researching about a topic I was interested in. I’ve never done that before. Many things did change during the process like what sources I wanted to use, what audience I wanted to reach, or even my questions. But it was all worth it for the finishing product. If I had the money, I would make my video an ad. By making it an ad, the video can gain more exposure and allies. By working together we can stop the abuse of animals in pet stores, pet trades, and animal mills. The topic would be spoken about more and taken more seriously. I’m glad that I decided to do research on this topic because I was able to use my research and present it to class. Now that they are informed, they can talk to others about it and more people will know about the true horrors of pet store chains. I can definitely see myself in the future showing my friends or family the video I made or even posting it on youtube with a little more editing of course.

Reflection: 

Transitioning from high school to college was a big change that I thought I was ready for but was later proved wrong. Throughout my highschool career, I wasn’t exactly the best writer nor did I really put 100% in my writing. I knew this course was a requirement for my major and I knew that unlike high school I couldn’t just slack off. In order to improve my writing, I had to change my ways and manage my time wisely in really perfecting my craft. This class taught me that you don’t need to be a good student in order to be a good writer. I learned how to take criticism, use my professor and peers’ feedback, how to read like a writer, and annotate. All these skills have helped me outside of school and in other classes. For example, with these skills I have learned how to write professional emails, write lab reports, and even understand my books from a different point of view. 

In my earlier work, I struggled with pacing and time management. At the end of an essay, I would rush and try to get it over with. In my unit one project “Hate” I explained how school affected my self esteem and my relationship with my parents. In the 2nd to last paragraph I went from “It was ruining my relationship with my parents” to “As I’ve gotten older I learned that grades don’t define me as a person.” Looking back at it I see how this caused my audience to get confused and wonder “how did we get here?” or “there’s something missing”. I learned that this could have been avoided if I had taken the time to reread my work and asked my friends or peers’ for their perspectives on it. I should have made sure everything made sense for my audience. I had a bad habit of waiting till the last minute to write my essays and rush through it. I realized this caused me to not write to my full potential and make my essays seem not completely done and sloppy. I knew after getting this criticism from my professor, I had to change my ways. Throughout the semester, I’ve learned that drafting, time management, and checking my work is very important. I now proof read everything out loud and think about my audience when I write. If anything is confusing or just not adding up, I ask my professor’s or peer’s for feedback. My classmates and I did a lot of group revisions and helped each other with our writings during class time. I learned that taking my time and getting my classmates’ opinions was super helpful and helped my work look more professional and well written.

My favorite assignment this semester was our unit 2 which was the annotated bibliography. In the annotated bibliography we were assigned to pick a topic we felt strongly about and share it with the class. Using my professor’s feedback from unit 1, I felt more confident and knew what I could do to make my Unit 2 better. First, I drafted my intro, body paragraphs, and conclusion weeks before the assignment was due. By doing this I changed things that didn’t get my message across, got people’s thoughts and opinions, and did lots of research. This helped me tremendously! I wasn’t rushing nor procrastinating hours before the assignment was due. Not only was I less stressed doing this project, I was actually having fun. During highschool, I was never able to research a topic I was actually interested in. This led me to have no motivation and be bored half the time. Doing research on a topic I was very passionate about, made me realize how good my essays can be when I put time and hard work into it. Using my Unit 2 project, I was able to inform people on the true horrors of the pet store trades. Knowing that I was able to spread a message, made me feel like I was making a change and spreading awareness. I even used my research to inform people outside of school and on the internet. I remember writing this in my artist statement “The more people know about the abuse, the more people will stop supporting pet store chains and animal mills. This will help so much. In order to stop this, we need to work together, and end the buying of pets in pet stores.” By doing this project, I think I’m closer to my goal, informing people on why pet stores shouldn’t be trusted and how as a community we can help. My video and my annotated bibliography can help spread this message. 

The class and I were assigned to read an article called “How to read like a writer” by Mike Bunn and this changed my perspective on reading a lot. I realized that everyone has the ability to become a good writer. Throughout our everyday lives, we are always writing, texting, or reading even when we don’t really realize it. But do we ever really stop and analyze a book or our writing and ask ourselves “how can I improve?” or “why did the author write this? what was their purpose?” I have read a lot of romance novels and realized that I never really read like a writer. I never asked myself while reading, if the author didn’t write this would I still like it? or how can I adopt similar techniques in my own writing? While reading this article I’ve learned many ways on how I can improve my writing while reading. There are important connections between reading and writing and how reading in a particular way could also make me a better writer. On a particular blog I posted named “HW Sep 6” I explained how “the goal is to consider the choices the author made and the techniques they used, and decide whether I want to make the same choices in my own writing or use the same techniques”. When I am reading, I need to see how something was constructed so that I can construct something similar myself. 

After reading this article, I’ve learned so many ways on how to improve my writing. I feel way more confident now for my college essays and how I can improve and work on my mistakes as a writer. One of the many helpful tips I learned was that all writing can be improved! Think about how a published text would be different, maybe even better, if the author had made different choices in their writing and how It’s always a possibility that I can be faced with similar choices in my own work. Also I need to ask myself when I’m reading, “what’s the author’s purpose for this piece of writing?”, “who is the intended audience?”, and “are you going to write something like this yourself?”

In conclusion, this ELA course helped me with skills that are extremely important for jobs, schools, reading, and more. I learned that in order to improve, I had to put my 100% in everything. By doing this, I got better results in my writing and classwork. When I started this ELA  course, I didn’t know how to manage my time or even annotate properly. But by working with my professor and my peers, I was able to achieve my writing and reading goals. Every project we did in class, I improved more and more by using what was given to me and listening to constructive criticism. Now that I know how to read like a writer, I am able to understand poems, speeches, and books more. Even the annotation process is easier. With the research I’ve done for Unit 2, I can now teach other people on the topic and use the skills I’ve learned to write more annotated bibliographies in the future. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12nMHwEshLfBWTbrq_kWJhguJR7mq5ny_6vwDhurKjwU/edit

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qPP9ns1lYfrr3vrdC0uiOmAMtmHl8gxuAczucQRjJFI/edit?usp=sharing