Moral Code: "Designer Babies" by Julia Santos

In the Upfront Magazine, “Designer Babies,” the author, Patricia Smith talks about how scientists are learning how to genetically engineer babies’ traits and genes for both medical and social reasons. Medically, this will be good for society because it will help prevent certain diseases that result from genetic defects. However, changing and determining babies’ more physical and personal traits (such as height, eye color, IQ, etc.) challenges my moral code, and I believe that it is unethical and unnatural. The first reason that I think that this is unethical is because it would not be good for society. Eventually, if choosing babies’ traits became normal, there would not be any individuality anymore in society, and more and more people will feel that they have to look a certain way in order to be accepted. There would be no more flaws, or talent, or distinctive personalities. I think that, even though we may not love them, our flaws help to make up who we are. And even sometimes, we, ourselves, are the only ones that see certain flaws in ourselves. People determining what they think is “perfect,” and putting it into another human being is very wrong. The second reason that I disagree with this is because I believe that there is no “right” way for a person to look. It’s just a matter of people’s opinions. Social media portrays that the celebrities and models that you see in magazines are perfect; perfect hair, perfect personality, perfect look, and the perfect body. It tricks society into feeling that in order to be beautiful, we need to look a certain way. However, I believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that no one look is perfect. In addition, I think that fate should decide what a person ends up looking like, and not us. In conclusion, genetically engineering a baby in order to give it desired physical or personal traits, goes against what I believe in. I believe that people should be born naturally and that everyone has flaws, even in a utopian world, there will still be flaws. I believe that as we grow up, we learn to embrace our flaws, and by changing them, society would be ruined.

sonnet by julia santos

shall I compare thee to a dream?
you are like the night and day
we make a good team
when I wake up, I wish you'd stay

I don't want to leave
All day, I want to stay in bed
I dream all day. just to relieve
"I was to stay here forever" I said

As the final hour is here
I must finally wake
leaving brings a tear
I am up, calm as a lake

martin espada essay by julia santos

Julia Santos 811

Martin Espada is a well known, educated and respected Puerto Rican poet from New

York City. His poetry often deals with major issues and have recurring themes. One theme in

particular has been seen in Revolutionary Spanish Lesson, The New Bathroom Policy at English

High School, and Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877. This strong

theme in Espada’s poetry is the idea of power, and the abuse of it.


For instance, in Espada’s poem, The New Bathroom Policy at English High School, the

principal abuses his power over the school by banning Spanish speaking in the bathrooms. He

has no excuse to do so besides the speaking of Spanish, and hearing his name in these

conversations, "constipating him". The principal in this poem is abusing his power as the

principal, cutting of the Spanish speakers in the school of a location where they can express their

culture and may speak the language most comfortable to them (if they learned Spanish as a first

language).


Additionally, an example of the theme of the abuse of power in Espada’s poetry is in his

poem, Revolutionary Spanish Lesson. The people mispronouncing the narrators name are either

using the power of the narrators name and purposefully mispronouncing it to frustrate him, or

just not taking the time to ask them how his or her name is pronounced. When you have a choice

to make, like the subjects of the poem mispronouncing the narrators name again, and again, you

have power over the situation. Being careless with this power to make better choices is still an

abuse of a, even if small power much of the time, power. Then, the speaker goes on about

ridiculous actions that he'll complete if any one mispronounces his name. For example, "…hijack

a bus load/ of Republican tourists/ from Wisconsin,/ force them to chant/ anti-American slogans/

in Spanish…". This represents Espada's recurring theme of abuse of power.

Lastly, abuse of power is a significant theme in Espadas poem, Two Mexicanos Lynched

in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877. This poem talks about the lynching of two Mexicanos

by whites in California. Not only is the extreme racism and prejudice obvious in this situation,

the “gringos” in the poem had much more power than these Mexicanos. There were forty of them

present to lynch only the two Mexicanos, which means that the Mexicanos were outnumbered to

fight the "gringos" who were trying to kill them. The whites were a higher status and had a better

situation than the Mexicanos. It’s murder in every sense of the word, and all murders or deaths

are terrible, but the way it was committed makes it even worse. The white people in the poem

abused their physical and social powers over the Mexicanos.


 In conclusion, the abuse of power is a huge and abundant theme in Martin Espada’s

poetry. He uses it clearly in three different poems, The New Bathroom Policy at English High

School, Revolutionary Spanish Lesson, and Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California,

May 3, 1877. Espada used many different forms of abuse of power in his poems, showing that no

matter what kind of power one abuses, it’s still wrong if you do it for the wrong reasons.

How does this text make you feel about justice in the world? Response to upfront article- JULIA SANTOS

In 2011, a bunch of protests were happening in the Arab world, toppling long-time rulers in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya and starting an uprising against Syria's dictator. Many people were excited for democracy. This was known as the Arab Spring. Now, the enthusiasm is long dead. Militias cover the area and thousands of people are dead. America had been allies with Egypt, and now there is the fall of the first democratic president. The U.S aid doesn't want to help anymore. Should they help?

I think that is not fair and there is no justice in the world. Barack Obama wants to keep the relationship between Egypt and the US but he doesn't want to help the civilians who are being killed in the street. It is kind of scary; Egypt's army killed their own democratic president and all the supporters. Does that show that America, in fact, fears to help Egypt? Thousands died in August from military clashes, people are being killed in the street, and we just can't help? This makes me think, that Obama knows we can help, but he can't take that chance. There's no difference from thousands being killed in Egypt than a bunch of Obama supporters being killed.

The title to the article is called "Has the Arab Spring FAILED?" Well, indeed it has and we need America to help fix it. Sometimes, America has no justice. I know sometimes, there's no justice. We're scared but I think we should always stand up for what is right no matter how scary.

How does this text make you feel about justice in the world? by Julia Santos

Justice Denied , page 8 of upfront magazine by Dan Barry, Campbell Robertson, and Robbie Brown

The article is about a black man who was shot by two white men for no reason in the 1960s. The police suspended his case after a short time because frankly, I don't think they even cared about his case. What makes me angry is, stuff like this happens today. There is no justice in our government and police. The police decided a black guy's case wasn't worth their time and sent the man's wife a letter shortly after the case saying they suspended it. But, I'm sure if the man who was shot was a white man, the police wouldn't leave his case unsolved for 50 years.

This stuff really makes me disapoints me. Shouldn't we, America, be past this racism crap? I feel like the police find ways "to make us safe" by stop and frisking every black guy or muslim guy. I saw on another source that a black 14-year-old was shot by a white man because he was "suspicious" and the case was never solved even though the boy was only carrying and soda and candy, not a weapon. The shooter was never punished. Then, a woman accused a black man of "pointing a gun at her" and the black man went to jail but he didn't even do anything to the woman. You see that? Racism. If the black guy is a victim, police don't care. Once its a white person, jail and 'solved'.

Why is this man who was shot in 1963, never got a solved case in 50 years?! Injustice and unfairness in our government. Why can't we grow up? Why can't we have a brave person in government come and say, "Thats not right!"

by julia santos

research question- julia santos

Don't wanna be an American IdiotOne nation controlled by the mediaInformation age of hysteriaIts calling out to idiot America

"American Idiot" - Green Day by Billie Joel Armstrong

Not only is this Green Day's best song, but it has a lot of meaning and I feel like it relates to our lives everyday. Like Billie Joel said, "One nation controlled by the media", our whole country is sucked into the Internet, IPhones, and our tablets and computers more than other countries. We are addicted to TV, new information, and simply having the coolest thing. I'm not saying I don't do it, everyone does it.

Also, the way he calls Americans idiots. Its true, we rely so much on technology and use screens so much everyday, by this point, we are idiots. I know what you're thinking, that you are smart. Of course, everyone is smart, but if you think about the internet usages, its stupid. Most people will stare at a screen for 90000000 hours and not learn any valuable information. Also, its stupid that instead of talking to people while we wait for something, we use our phones. Its so hard to make conversation. Just today, mr friend sat next to me on the bus. She talked to once and went on Instagram the whole time. I know I do it too, but what we do is so stupid, and I think Billie Joel is right to call us idiots.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/americanidiot.html

Letter to ms Berber about banning books by Julia Santos

Julia Santos 11-12-13

Dear Ms. Berner,

Banning books is useless because it only benefits few people and not the community. It isn't necessary to take books out of sixth library because banning books is like preventing someone from learning. People who don't like a certain book try to ban it, but they don't know that it teaches students because they can relate to the character's life. Books should remain in sixth grade libraries because the students need to learn from them.

Alton Verm claims that he didn't have time to read the first pages of [Fahrenheit 451] because of profanities and it has the gods name in vain. If Verm actually read he would understand it's meaning. Profanities should not be the reason a book has to be banned, if it really had to be banned at all. Any book I would understand you would take out is an adult book that extremely dark and inappropriate. Also, if Verm doesn't have time for profanities, or time to read the book, don't read it! If one person doesn't like a book, it doesn't mean his community can't read that one book. You can't take out books to help students, when books could be potentially helping them.

"You can't ban books and expect to have good readers and writers." according to the Denver Post. If the school community expect good works of writing, then they better not expect that they will ban books. Students can learn from deep books and can relate and express their own feelings into writing. They can't have that when books are taken away.

Dark books and subjects have value. "As kids, they want fantasy, but when they enter their teens, they want more realistic and darker books because they are struggling with those issues". according to William Porter from the Denver Post. How can they learn life lessons? If books are banned, how can students relate their problems to anyone? Personally, I don't always want to talk about what's going on, and I'm sure my classmates and 6th graders feel that way too. Books are almost like a guide to show a way out and they are fun to read. If you take books out of the sixth grade library because they can't handle them, how can they handle life?

Books need to remain in sixth grade libraries because students need to learn from these books. Our sixth graders are going to have a dull library with books with no lessons and truth. "Censorship is the enemy truth. even more than a lie. a lie can be exposed, censorship can prevent us from knowing the difference." according to Bill Moyers.