Multimodal Profile Essay

Audrey Hepburn: Mother to the Children of the World 

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn was born in Brussels, Belgium on May 4, 1929. She was an Academy Award winning actress, an icon of the fashion industry and most importantly a humanitarian. Her early career began after World War 1, when she had moved back to England with her mother. She began performing in ballets, modeling and then acting in small films under the name Audrey Hepburn (“Short Biography of Audrey Hepburn,” para.2). She had a beautiful face and was an especially caring person who loved helping people.

At the age of 16 Audrey was already working as a volunteer nurse at a Dutch hospital during World War II. She helped heal many allied soldiers back to life. Helping people was one of her best qualities throughout her whole life, as she had said herself “I was born with a terrible need for affection, and an enormous need to give it” (Audrey). Not only did she work in the hospital to help out people during the war but she also began working with the Dutch Underground. She started giving ballet performance to collect money for anti-Nazi groups. She knew that any effort would help. Giving back to the community was never a question for Audrey. It was so important for her to put others above herself, all of the time. Even at a young age she was already dedicating her life to helping out others.

Audrey Hepburn has become a name known by many today. She devoted much of her later life to working with the children of third world countries. Although it was probably tough at times to see what these children were experiencing, Audrey had a passion for helping people and knew that working with UNICEF was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

What sparked Audrey’s interest in working with these children arose from what she had experienced in her own childhood. During her childhood Audrey had experienced trauma through watching Jewish children around her being forced out of their homes and sent to concentration camps. These were horrible sites and no child should have had to experience watching others being put into these awful camps, or even worse being forced into these camps. Audrey in her later years was very determined to help these disadvantaged children out, even if she was only able to make a small impact on their lives. She knew anything would help. She was so dedicated.

Audrey as UNICEF Ambassador

After her last film, Audrey was appointed to the position of Special Ambassador to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Through UNICEF she would make an impact on many children. From 1988 until her death in 1993 she worked for UNICEF helping children in various ways. Although Audrey had done work with UNICEF before, these last few years of her life she would passionately dedicate herself to this organization. When reflecting on her work with UNICEF Audrey stated, “it’s ironic that it was because of children that I stayed home all these years. Now it is for the sake of the children that I’m traveling all over the world” (Audrey). Audrey had taken time off of making movies to watch and provide for her own children and after retiring from acting she was again focusing on helping out children, which were not even biologically hers. She saw them as her own though. Hepburn always went out of her way to help others no matter what circumstances she was facing herself. She would never refuse anyone, no matter what situation she may have been struggling with in her own life.

Audrey put everything else that was going on in her life aside and went to great lengths to help these underprivileged children out. As Jill Rembar watched a video on Audrey’s Humanitarian work in Ethiopia, she reflected on Audrey’s work, stating, “Audrey was walking around the refugee camps, reaching out to people. Emaciated babies, flies on their eyes. She’s picking them up, kissing them, without knowing what diseases they might have” (“Audrey Hepburn A Tribute,” para. 4). She knew that these children deserved better than the lives they were living. It was not their fault that they were put in these awful positions. She wanted to show them that there was a brighter future ahead of them.

At the end of her career, she had decided that she would donate all of the money she had made on her last couple movies to UNICEF. Her contribution would aid in not only helping these children but also brining awareness to people all around the world. Although Audrey received many awards for her work, she never measured her success by them. Audrey wanted to spread global awareness and allow other people to realize that any little bit of a donation can help this organization and these children.

Audrey traveled to various countries to help children, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Turkey, Vietnam, Sudan and other others. Through these missions Audrey helped these poor children of the world and their countries, focusing on ways to bring these children happiness. Before Hepburn died on January 20, 1993, she was awarded various awards for her humanitarian work. These awards included the International Humanitarian Award and the Children’s Champion Award. She was also awarded, in 1992, by President George Bush the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work for UNICEF (“Audrey Hepburn”). Audrey never let anyone down. Today, there is not only a day in February in recognition of Audrey’s work, but also the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund, that is constantly helping children and allowing Hepburn’s legacy to live on.

Audrey Hepburn was such a beautiful person, both inside and out. She is a role model to anyone especially anyone in the world that wants to make a difference. She was solely a genuinely good person. It does not take any ordinary person to do what Hepburn had done. She had determination and motivation and nothing was going to stop her from working with these children and helping to bring them happiness. She was overall such an amazing person and a role model to many. Her legacy will never be forgotten.

Works Cited

“Short Biography of Audrey Hepburn.”Welcome to our Audrey Hepburn fan website. Audrey1, 1998-2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2012.       http://www.audrey1.org/biography/7/short-biography-of-audrey-hepburn.

“Audrey Hepburn – IMDb.”IMDb – Movies, TV and Celebrities. IMDb, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/.

“Audrey Hepburn,” The Biography Channel website, 2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/audrey-hepburn-9335788

“Tribute to the Humanitarian Work of Audrey Hepburn | Quotes.” Tribute to the Humanitarian Work of Audrey Hepburn. N.p., 2006. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. http://www.ahepburn.com/quotes3.html.

Profile Angle of Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp: Unlikely Superstar by Sean Smith

          This profile, “Johnny Depp: Unlikely Superstar” written by Sean Smith is very interesting, especially from the angle he takes. Smith’s main focus or angle on Depp is how he really became the superstar as most people know him today and the life outside of his celebrity life: being a father. Smith discusses both Depp’s career and some of his personal life. His first page of writing mentions both angles.  Smith quotes Depp saying when his “daughter was born, suddenly there was clarity. I wasn’t angry anymore” (Smith 860). He wants the audience to realize that once Depp had his daughter his life changed and he realized where his place in life was. Smith also mentions the fact that Depp “has worked harder at not being a movie star…yet he has evolved into one of the most adored actors of his generation” (860).  As Smith continues his profile he describes briefly Depp’s career and about his movies, especially Pirates, which made him most famous and later talks about Depp’s family life and the importance of that life. 

What makes this profile very interesting is the fact that Smith uses some of Depp’s exact quotes. It is easy for the reader to develop a sense of personality when they are quoted directly. Smith does give very interesting facts about Depp which really hold the readers attention such as, ” he is chronically late for interviews” (862). This allows for the reader to really see who Depp is on a more personal level. The significance about Smith’s topic is the fact that most people probably do not know that Johnny Depp was unsuccessful at first or such a family man. The way he wrote his profile was very well organized and really interesting.  I never knew those facts about Johnny Depp.

Music Education is Important

In the article “Music Education in Public Schools” by Brian Picente he talks about how important it is for children to be able to participate in music education because it is not not vital in school, but every day life also. His thesis is the idea that music is a crucial tool to improve the lives and development of students. He says that because many people do not understand the benefits of music it is generally the first extracurricular activity to go when a community faces budget cuts. He advocates for why this is wrong and in an interesting and informative way.

I personally enjoyed reading this article. I thought it was well written and really gave me and understanding to why music education is so important in schools. Before I read this, I did not see how influential music can be to students and what it could actually help them with in school. I agree now with Picante’s main idea. I like how this article is developed and feel like the paragraphs flow into each other really well. I also liked his use of questions posed and how he then went on to answer them and he continued his paper. I thought it was very effective. He also gives an opposing argument of why music education may not be helpful to some students which I think is very clever. He effectively puts evidence into his paper to back up his claim and make it sound more scholarly. When describing the benefits of music education he says that a studied showed that, “students who played an instrument….scored 8% to 10% higher on standardized tests than students who were not involved in music” (Picante, 62). Bringing in statistics helps the reader to really compare the importance of music education and why it is so beneficial to students. He does a great job with making claims and backing them up, integrating sources throughout.

 

Eick’s Take on the Occupy Movement

Caleb Eick’s essay is about the protests by people who felt economic injustice forming the protest group called “The Occupy Movement,” which began in September 2011 by a group of people in New York City. Eick’s claim is that because the people feel the need to have a voice in the current economic crisis they are rising up, and forming protest groups in turn causing these Occupy Together groups. Eick talks about corporate greed and how this is affecting the people in today’s economy. He states that because of the unhappiness these people feel that these groups are caused by, “the reality of flawed government policy, and the corporate greed permitted are the driving forces of the Occupy Movement” (57). He states that what these protestors are trying to do is end the higher power and the unchanging ideas of the government. He says the point of this movement is to have the voices of the people be heard against the government. His claim is presented in this essay through textual evidence and extrinsic information obtained from other sources.

To back up his claims Eick uses evidence from outside sources that help his claim come through even stronger. Once he makes a point he backs it up with evidence, creating the “They say/I say” dynamic. An example of this is where he says his point and backs it up with evidence is where he is talking about the differences between a socialist and capitalistic economy. He makes his point on page 55 and backs it up from an outside source Kotz and quotes him. He tends to make his own point and back it up with textual evidence every time. He also uses what he saw and personal anecdotes towards the end to make points stand out more.

Post #2

Katelyn Doherty

Professor Austin

ENG 105

22 October 2012

Cultural Article Project Part I

Citing MLA

1.    Quoting a line from the article.

When describing the relationship between the soap operas and the viewers, Beck emphasizes that, “the crossing of these narrative paths over time necessarily results in the very real and powerful interrelationships between the show, viewers, and actors in each other’s emergent life narratives” (157).

 

It is important to quote this sentence because this sentence is repeated twice during the article while Christina Beck is trying to convey her argument to her audience. This quote is stating at the introduction of her article and later on repeated near the end. She wants her readers to understand the effect that soap operas have on its viewers and they relationships that are entwined between the show and its audience and cast.

2. Paraphrasing a line from the article.

Beck comments on the fact that the watching and observing what occurs in a daytime drama over a long period of time allows the viewer to develop relationships, which increase memory capacity and allow the viewer to predict what will come in the future. The many generational setup of a soap opera allows a viewer to strengthen relationships with family members and other social interactions. It enables he/she to talk about the show and create new memories and remembrances for further generations. Watching soap operas allows the viewer to socially interact with them in his/her free time and create his/her own reflections, reactions and memories (Beck 157).

 

It is important to paraphrase this paragraph from the article because I found the details valid, but felt that I could put it into my own words and structure. It would still be as effective as it was in the article. Nothing stood out to me from the paragraph that was worded exceedingly well. It was best to paraphrase because the ideas were interesting and I wanted to keep them, but I did not need to quote the whole thing. I would not have been able to keep the details by just summarizing either.

3. Summarizing from an article.

Although many people do not always feel that soap operas are intentionally put on TV for viewers to develop vivid memories and connections, it is actually true that soap operas help people through their daily lives. Even though many have been taken off the air it is important the people continue to keep connects with them making life more meaningful (Beck 166).

 

It was more effective to summarize this section rather than quote or paraphrase because the details were not as important. The main idea could be developed into my two sentences without uses details. Summarizing helps to make a short and concise point about something, leaving out details. Taking out the details, I felt, made this even more meaningful

Post #1

Katelyn Doherty

Professor Austin

ENG 105

22 October 2012

Comparison to Watching TV Makes You Smarter by Steven Johnson

In recent discussions of watching television, a controversial issue has been whether watching TV actually makes a person smarter. On the one hand, David Sedaris states that “programming on TV has increased the demands it places on precisely those mental facilities” (Johnson 280), which focuses viewers to think while watching TV. From this perspective it could be said that any television show with a complex value places demands on viewers, which forces them to think and in turn causes them to become smarter. On the other hand, however, others argue that watching TV does not make a person smarter, yet helps them to be able to understand and deal with everyday life. Watching television is a provocative topic that allows people to use their brains to follow complex plot lines and acquire their own knowledge but it does not overall cause the viewer to become smarter.

When viewers watch a television show which follows complex plot lines or even a show that contains various scenes full of information, it forces their brains to concentrate, especially if they need to remember what happens for weeks to come, but does not necessarily make them smarter. Steven Johnson centers his argument around the fact that watching TV does make a person smarter, while Christina Beck says that watching TV allows people to incorpoarate knowledge relevant to their daily lives. Beck’s main argument is focused around the soap opera relaying the message that, “the crossing of these narrative paths overtime necessarily results in the very real and powerful interrelationships between the show, viewers, and actors in each other’s emergent life narratives” (Beck 157). Watching television allows viewers to follow plot lines which can ultimately help them gain knowledge for their every day lives, although much of television is overly dramatized. Television allows the viewers to form a reaction to what they see and how they are going to act upon that, in turn helping them gain knowledge, although not necessarily making the smarter. There is no true way to define “smart” because it is such a wide term and could mean a variety of things when a person thinks deeply into it.

A point could be made that watching television does not actually make people smarter yet sometimes the complexity of some television shows help to develop the complex thinking of that shows’ viewers, which in turn causes viewers to gain                                    knowledge. Knowledge is acquire through reactions and actions which people form and act upon in their every day lives. Although Johnson claims that watching TV makes a person smarter, it’s the everyday, life experienced based knowledge that Beck talks about which could have made his argument much stronger. Watching television is a way to stimulate the brain and make viewers think, but only through shows with complex plot lines, which Johnson also talks about. Soap Operas, although mainly dramatized, allow viewers to understand actual events which occur not only in the lives of these characters in the shows, but to themselves. As an audience member relates a character to hiself/herself they are able to gain knowledge of how to act towards a certain situation and reflect on that action. Johnson’s and Beck’s arguement can both be vaild when relating them to every day life situations and not making a person smarter, but gaining knowledge.

Maggie Cutler & The Influence of Media

Whodunit the Media is a very interesting article by Maggie Cutler about the effects and influence that the media has on children today, especially relating to violence. On the one hand it is said that violent media can cause children to be influenced badly which in turn can lead wrong life choices. A quote that stood out to me and that I found to be true is that, “media violence is a risk factor that, working in concert with others, can exacerbate bad behavior,”(Cutler 686). I do agree with Cutler on the fact that playing and watching violent media can cause violent tendencies in children and in teens, especially if they are already predisposed to a violent lifestyle. My mother did not allow my younger brothers to watch violent movies or play violent videos until they were around ten years old. I feel that this was a good idea on my mother’s part because it is best if parents teach their children about violence before the children fill their head with those “bad” influences because eventually they may act on them. Media is very influential, especially on children.

On the other hand, it is possible that playing violent video games may be helpful to some predisposed violent children because it may help them rid themselves of violence and aggression through media. It is clear that many studies have found that some video games and television shows have a “‘cathartic effect’ of media violence makes some kids less aggressive,”(Cutler 687), which could actually be true. It is possible that aggressive children who play these violent video may be purging this aggressiveness and violence out of the their system. It may act as a relief for not only the children, but the parents. It can help the parents focus on a way to help their child rid themselves of aggressive behavior. It may help the child understand that these acts are only socially acceptable in media, such as watching television and playing video games. I think both views are very interesting and could both be true.

Kids Today & Amy Goldwasser’s Article

I enjoyed reading “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?” by Amy Goldwasser and found it to be an extremely interesting article. A quote that stood out to me the most from this reading was when the author was talking about the “‘diminished role of voluntary reading in American life,’ particularly among 13-17 year olds,” (666). This really sparked a thought in my mind! Many students, myself included, voluntarily reads in today’s day in age because throughout school, especially middle school and high school, so many books are thrown at students as “required” reading. Most people do not really enjoy reading these books but are forced to because they are a part of the curriculum. As soon as one book is finished being read and discussed another one is then “required”. This process does not just continue throughout the school year but then, there is also “required” reading for the summer also. Because this “required” reading is so important it gives students no time to do outside reading for pleasure. Since high school ended, I have read so many books for pleasure; I actually really enjoy reading now!

Contrary to many critics, Goldwasser’s main point of the article was to inform readers that even though today’s students are not researching and divulging themselves into books at the library, the internet is a very useful tool. Yes, many students do use the internet for mindless things, such as Facebook, and youtube, but it is also a handy search engine for any question that arises in students heads. The answer is literally at that student’s fingertips! I use the internet for almost everything, yes I am guilty for using social media sites, but I use it every day for my studies, in addition to books from the library. Goldwasser says that, “once we stop regarding the Internet as a villain, stop presenting it as the enemy of history and literature and worldly knowledge, then our teenagers have the potential to become the next great voices of America,” (669). If students and children how taught how to use the internet correctly at a young age there will be more room for minds to expand. Centuries from now, the technology will be so advanced, I’d like to think, that no one will be using hard copies of anything. The internet will then be relied on even heavier than it is now!

Watching TV Makes You Smarter – Steven Johnson

Does watching television makes you smarter? What makes good television? What is it about good television that can make you smarter? These are all questions I asked myself before reading the story, “Watching TV Makes You Smarter,” by Steven Johnson. He promotes that although watching mindless television is not going to be good for you, there is television that will make your mind think and force it to follow events throughout the show. I agree with Johnson in a sense that the “right” television will increase brain activity and make people think while they are watching TV. Children and adolescents need to be exposed to “good” TV, because it will help them learn about social issues as they go through life. Good TV, according to Johnson, can be described as when, “you focus on the plot, and in focusing you’re exercising parts of your brain that map social networks, that fill in missing information, that connect multiple narrative threads,”(292). When choosing shows to watch it is important that people pick shows were they have to engage and submerge themselves into the action. He also defines “good TV” with a basic criteria, “whether a given show engages or sedates the mind,”(293).

I feel that this writing would have been more effective if Johnson had compared shows that were more recent. Although his article was post 2001, many people who read this article in the future are not going to know most of these shows. They only way I knew what most of these shows were is because I heard my parents and grandparents talk about them. I believe that TV today is not as great as it was in the past, but there are still some educational shows that help develop the brain, deal with everyday social issues, and overall make people think. Changes scenes and using good information make the show worth watching. Watching the “right” TV can make everyone smarter. Shows like the news, CSI and Law and Order, mostly geared towards adults, Teen Mom and Glee deal with the social issues of teenagers & Between the Lions, Dora and Super Readers are all educational for very young children learning to read, write and speak. Even though I feel that Johnson writing would have been more effective if he used more recent shows as examples, I agree that watching TV can make a person smarter and more aware of their social surroundings if they choose the “right” TV shows to watch.

A Father-Son Relationship; Powder by Tobias Wolff

Let me start off by saying, Powder, by Tobias Wolff was a cute short story about the relationship of a father and son, and how it later will affect the boy in the future. I liked the tone of the story compared to the tone of Didion’s essay, Grief. The relationship and bond between the father and son seemed somewhat heart warming. Some personal ethnography included in the short story could possibly be the way the boy acted and his disposition, which was mostly taken from his mother, rather than his father. He was more anxious and worried throughout the story, where the father was just basically “living in the moment;” he was more of a risk taker. Although the mother was not a main character in the story, it is evident what she is like by the first line of the story. The narrator says that the father had to “fight for the privilege,” of the company of his own son because the mother was seemingly more rigid and strict.

I also really enjoyed the style this story was written in. There were a lot of details that really made the story come alive! At first the title of the story, Powder, made me wonder what it was going to be about. As I continued to read the story, it was clear that the title related to the snowfall. A white, dusty, powder substance that descending onto the earth onto a December day. I also liked in the end how instead of using the word snow, the author summed up the story using the word, “powder.”

This leads me to my next point; the overall moral and significance of the story and how this one event changed the boy’s way of thinking. There are two main metaphors I found through reading this story, which relate to the significance also. The ending line of the story describes what the boy took away from his experience with his father, “if you haven’t driven on fresh powder, you having driven.” I felt that this meant if a person hasn’t tried to live their life to the fullest, why is it worth even living? This is what the boy realized by the end. It is okay to be spontaneous. It is okay not to be such a perfectionist. It is okay to try new things. It is not okay though, to always be worried- life is much better when a person not only enjoys it, but enjoys themselves. The father was able to show his son that it’s okay sometimes to do things that may be a little crazy, those are the moments in life that make it worth living. I also felt that the storm was a metaphor for the life this family had. It was rocky and bumpy. They did not always see eye to eye, but in the end things worked out and they made it through them. I felt this was important because the father said, “I want us all to be together again,” which displayed that no matter what the hardships that he had to endure he’d get them through it. The boy’s father became a guide, letting the boy know that even when things do go as planned, anything you set your mind to, you are capable of working through it.