Monsters of Today

Monsters of Today

Chelsey Moody

Ms. Karen Redding

English 1102

May 2, 2012

Table of Contents

Analytical Cover Letter…………………...……………………………………………...……2

Quality Comparison……………………………………………………………………...……3

Least Successful Paper (The original final draft submitted to me) ……………...……4

Most Successful Paper (The original final draft submitted to me)….……………...…8

“What’s the Difference?” Paragraphs…………………………………………………11

Revision Samples……………………………………………………………...………………12

Least Successful Paper (with mark-up) ……………………………...………….……13

Least Successful Paper (new final version) …………..……………...………….……17

Most Successful Paper (with mark-up) ……………………………...………….……21

Most Successful Paper (new final version) …………..……………...………….……24

Free Choice Essay (with mark-up) ……...…………………………...………….……27

Free Choice Essay (new final version) …….………………………...………….……29

May 2, 2012 Karen P. Redding Assistant Professor of English Gainesville State College Oconee Campus 1202 Bishop Farms Parkway Watkinsville, Georgia 30677 Dear Ms. Redding

As I worked on this portfolio, I realized much my writing has improved since the beginning of the semester. I came into English 1102 not very confident with my writing. I struggled with developing a thesis and making my writing flow well together. After this semester in your class, I can honestly say that my writing has improved greatly. I am so much surer of myself when I write and I do not second judge my writing.

With my first paper I struggled greatly with putting all my ideas into a clear, flowing paper. I wrote my paper and then ended up rewriting the entire thing because I was so unsure of myself. My thesis was not very obvious and did not fit for my entire paper. Another issue I struggled with was connecting my two articles in a clear way to the readers (you) of my paper. The ideas I had made since in my head, but I struggled with supporting my statements with facts from the articles.

My second paper was a group paper. Ayah and I had a much easier time with this paper. I was more confident in conducting sentences and linking ideas, while Ayah was more confident it producing ideas and editing. This paper was much easier for me because by this point, I had learned what I did wrong and where I struggled on my first paper and was able to avoid the same errors on this paper.

In this class I have also learned how to not always take the literal point of view on works of literature, film, art, etc. I tend to be a very literal, realistic person and take everything for the way it is. You, as a teacher, made me look beyond the literal point and interpret literature and film in a new light. I learned that literature and film do not have one correct way of interpreting them. One work of literature can have numerous interpretations by different people.

English 1102 is class that I will be able to look back on for the rest of my college career. I have learned so much about how to write clearly and efficiently in this class. As I mentioned earlier, I have become more confident about my writing which has made writing come easier for me. Learning how to interpret things in my own way as long as I have evidence for that interpretation will help me in life for the rest of my life.

Quality Comparison

Chelsey Moody

Redding/ Eng 1102

Synthesis Final Draft

January 31, 2012

Anything can be a Monster

Monsters seem to be a topic that is becoming quite popular in today‟s world. There are numerous

books, articles, TV shows, and movies all dealing with some monster of some sort, whether it is a

vampire, werewolf, zombie, or some other supernatural being. One idea that seems to be common is the

idea that a monster does not have to be born a supernatural being or even ever turn into one to be

considered a monster. Two articles that describe different sides of this idea are “Monsters and the Moral

Imagination” by Stephan Asma and “The Urban Gothic: From Transylvania to the South Bronx” by

Seymour Rudin.

In “Monsters and the Moral Imagination,” Asma discusses the definition of monsters, why people

are attracted to them, and how monsters relate and benefit humans. Asma suggests that the reason for

monsters being on the rise is the “social anxiety in the post-9/11 decade, or the conflict in Iraq--some

think there‟s an uptick in such fare during wartime or perhaps it‟s the economic downturn” (Asma 1).

Asma believes that monsters in a way help us to discover our values by bringing us trials and tribulations

(Asma 2). Asma‟s main focus was looking at different real events, such as the stabbings in the café, in

Connecticut. Bruce Shapiro and some of his friends were having lunch in a café, when Daniel Silva

entered the café with a knife. Silva then began to stab several people. Another incident Asma discusses

occurred in Israel where a man was decapitated for teaching girls because in the Muslim religion it is

forbidden for a man to teach girls in the same school as boys. Asma claims that Daniel Silva and the

Israeli soldiers are both monsters to their victims. Asma expands the definition of monster to include

more than just the supernatural and states that everyone has his or her own individual monsters.

Asma sums up his entire article by saying:

“The monster concept is still extremely useful, and it‟s a permanent player into the moral

imagination because the human vulnerability is permanent. The monster is a beneficial foe,

helping us to virtually represent the obstacles that real life will surely send our way. As long as

there are real enemies in the world, there will be useful dramatic versions of them in our head”

(Asma 3).

This quote explains how important monsters are in the lives of humans and this society. While monsters

put fear into humans, they are also valuable to humans because they help us survive real life situations.

By imagining what a person would do or how they would handle a interaction with a monster will better

prepare a person for a realistic incident. This goes to show how monsters are “beneficial foe.”

Rudin studies different stories of monsters, such as vampires and „wolfens‟, that take place in

New York. One of the stories he tells is about a "group of pre-teen children [responding] to the poverty,

degradation, and hopelessness of their lives by becoming a pack of bestial, blood-drinking, human-flesh-

eating creatures, endowed with more than human agility and strength, who prey on unfortunate strollers in

Central Park and are-after committing a series of murders-hunted down and destroyed by the police"

(Rudin 115). Rudin focuses a lot on the aspect of horror. “We often confuse the distinction between terror

and horror.” (Rudin) Horror can be defined as intense psychological fear. Rudin also shares the story of

“Transfer” in which a young municipal employee turns into a wolf and kills his female coworker that he

is interested in along with numerous other people. This article makes you think how similar some of these

monsters are to humans. All of the monsters in the stories Rudin shares start out as humans. It‟s kind of

scary to think that someone you know and work with could be a monster. While obviously vampires and

werewolves aren‟t real, someone you know could very well be a monster in another sense, like a murderer

or rapist.

Asma believes that just a regular human can be a monster without acquiring supernatural powers

can be considered a monster. Rudin, on the other hand, believes that in order to be considered a monster,

a human has to actually transform into some supernatural being. The belief that they have in common is

that a monster can be a regular, normal human before being considered a monster.

Another belief that Asma and Rudin have in common is that they both believe that monsters arise

after a period of stress or after a negative event, Asma mentions that monsters could be so popular

because of 9/11, the war in Iraq or the financial crisis. Rudin mentions poverty and degradation to be the

causes of an outbreak of vampires in one story.

Even though Asma and Rudin have different ideas of why/how they are important, they both

believe that monsters are important in the human world. Asma believes that a monster can be a regular

human without turning into something supernatural. Rudin believes that a human has to turn into

something supernatural to be considered a monster. Without the existence of monsters, humans wouldn‟t

be able to figure out their values.

Works Cited Page

Asma, Stephan. Monsters and the Moral Imagination. Web. 19 January 2012.

Rudin, Seymour. "The Urban Gothic :From Transylvania to the South." Bronx. Web. January

17, 2012.

Ayah Mansour

Chelsey Moody

English 1102/Redding

Film Analysis- Final Draft

27 February 2012

Lighting and Shadowing

Lighting in movies is essential to the portrayal of characters. Directors often use lighting

and shadowing to relay whether a character is good or evil. In No Country for Old Men, Ethan

Coen and Joel Coen use lighting and shadowing to portray whether a character is sweet,

innocent, trust worthy, dark, evil, or a combination of these elements. The contrasting of these

elements between the characters makes the movie engaging.

The shadowing that is constantly on Anton Chigurh’s face helps give the impression that

he is malicious and darker than the other characters. In the scene where Carla Jean and Anton are

in her mom’s house, Anton is sitting in the corner with his face completely shadowed. It’s almost

hard to see the expression on his face. The dark lighting makes his eyes even darker, which

makes him seem even more evil. Throughout this scene, Anton ignores Carla Jean’s plea for life

and murders her. By murdering Carla Jean, Anton confirms he truly is immoral.

The street shoot out scene between Anton and Llewelyn is another example of how

Anton is corrupt. The scene starts off with Anton’s body completely shadowed, but soon after

his face is revealed. His face is heavily shadowed on his right side and the whites of his eyes

could not be seen because they were so shadowed. Anton murders an innocent bystander and

wounds Llewelyn in his attempt to get the money back from him. These actions Anton commits

in this scene proves how corrupt he is.

The lighting on Carla Jean’s face is brighter and softer throughout the movie. This choice

of lighting by Ethan and Joel Coen gives Carla Jean a sense of innocence and vulnerability. As

Carla Jean begs for her life, there is a manipulation of key lighting and some back lighting.

These elements of lighting make her face bright and vivid. The bright lighting on her face along

with her plea for life put her in the category of being sweet and innocent.

Sheriff Tom Bell has heavy lighting on his face, no shadows which give him the

appearance of an all around trustworthy person. The sheriff is at the table at the end of the movie

talking about a dream he has about his father. His wife tells him to share his dreams because “he

has time for them now.” The lighting is bright on his face and the expression on his face is clear.

The are no shadows on his face that give any indication of darkness or evilness. As a sheriff, his

duty was to serve and protect, to capture the bad guys and save his city from all evil. Within this

scene and throughout the whole move, the lighting on Sheriff Bell gives the impression of a

trustworthy person.

Llewelyn Moss is a character that exemplifies, through lighting, both innocence and some

aspects of evil. As Llewlyn is in the dark hotel room anticipating Anton’s attack, the right side of

his face is completely shadowed. The lighting that appears on the left side of his face comes

from the lamp he is sitting beside. As he reaches over to turn the lamp off, there is a bit of back

lighting coming from the window left in the room. Other than that, Llewelyn’s whole face

becomes completely shadowed. Llewelyn waits with a shot gun in his hand, prepared to shoot

and Llewelyn’s motive is to kill Anton. The small amount of lighting in this scene results in a

heavy amount of darkness and portrays Llewelyn evil side.

Another scene that displays Llewelyn’s character is in the beginning of the movie.

Llewelyn spots a man wounded under a tree. It is bright outside and the sun is shining greatly on

Llewelyn’s face. As Llewelyn kneels down, his face becomes shaded by the tree branches and

leaves. He finds the money and takes the man’s gun as well. The brightness on Llewelyn’s face

gives him the appearance of a good guy. He falls into the category of being innocent, until he

kneels down and takes the money that does not even belong to him. The shadowing then begins

to appear on Llewelyn’s face heavily. The lighting and the shadowing on Llewelyn’s face puts

him in the category of being innocent at first, then leads to him showing his evil aspects.

No Country For Old Men primarily uses lighting to portray the main elements of a

characters personality. The shadowing or lighting on the characters faces determines how a

character is viewed automatically; leaving no room for uncertainty of how the character should

be viewed. Ethan and Joel Coen do a terrific job of using lighting and shadowing to portray

whether a character is sweet, innocent, trustworthy, malicious or evil.

What’s the Difference?

The first essay I did was a comparison between two different articles on what a monster is. My

thesis was not a very strong thesis. “One idea that seems to be common is the idea that a monster does not

have to be born a supernatural being or even ever turn into one to be considered a monster” (Moody,

paper 1). I should have made my thesis broader so that everything I discussed in my paper would have

branched off my thesis. Another issue I struggled with in this paper was connecting the two articles. I

could see how the two articles linked in my head, but I struggled with putting that connection to words.

My second essay came much easier to me. By this point, I was more confident in my writing, so

writing this essay came much easier. I worked on this paper with Ayah and we worked really hard to

come up with a strong thesis. Our entire paper supported our thesis and we could tie each point back to

our thesis. It was much easier to work as group because I could put the sentences together and Ayah could

go back and edit what I wrote. We did have a small issue with repeating a few ideas.

I made a great improvement from my first essay to my second. My second essay was better

written. My points were clear and they all flowed from the thesis. On my second essay, I was able to

show how good of writer I am.

Revision Samples

Chelsey Moody

Redding/ Eng 1102


January 31, 2012


Monsters seem to be a topic that is becoming quite popular in today’s world. There are

Nnumerous books, articles, TV shows, and movies all dealing with some monster of some sort, whether it

is a vampire, werewolf, zombie, or some other supernatural being. One idea that seems to be common is

the idea that a monster does not have to be born a supernatural being or even ever turn into one to be

considered a monster. Two articles that describe different sides of the idea that monsters do not have to

be supernatural beingsdifferent sides of this idea are “Monsters and the Moral Imagination” by Stephan

Asma and “The Urban Gothic: From Transylvania to the South Bronx” by Seymour Rudin.

In “Monsters and the Moral Imagination,” Asma discusses the definition of monsters, why

peoples’ attraction are attracted to them, and the relation of how monsters relate and their benefits to

humans. Asma suggests that the reason for monsters being on the rise is the “social anxiety in the post-

9/11 decade, or the conflict in Iraq--some think there’s an uptick in such fare during wartime or perhaps

it’s the economic downturn” (Asma 1). Asma believes that monsters in a way help us to discover our

values by bringing us trials and tribulations (Asma 2). Asma’s main focus was looking at different real

events, such as the stabbings in the café, in Connecticut. Bruce Shapiro and some of his friends were

having lunch in a café, when Daniel Silva entered the café with a knife. Silva then began to stab several

people (Asma 3). Another incident Asma discusses occurred in Israel where a man was decapitated for

teaching girls because in the Muslim religion it is forbidden for a man to teach girls in the same school as

boys (Asma 3). Asma claims that Daniel Silva and the Israeli soldiers are both monsters to their victims.

Asma expands the definition of monster to include more than just the supernatural and states that

everyone has his or her own individual monsters.


“The monster concept is still extremely useful, and it’s a permanent player into the moral



there are real enemies in the world, there will be useful dramatic versions of them in our head ”

(Asma 3).

This quote explains the how importaimportance of nt monsters are in the lives of humans and this society.

Monsters help humans to discover their values and the most important things of life. While monsters put

fear into humans, they are also valuable to humans because they help us survive real life situations. By

imagining whathe actionst a person would takedo or how they the way a person would handle an

interaction with a monster will better prepare a person for a realistic incident which. This goes to show

the way how monsters are “beneficial foe.” (Asma 3).

Rudin takes a different approach by studyingstudies different real life stories of monsters, such as

vampires and ‘wolfens’, that take place in New York. One of the stories he tells is about a "group of pre-

teen children [responding] to the poverty, degradation, and hopelessness of their lives by becoming a pack

of bestial, blood-drinking, human-flesh-eating creatures, endowed with more than human agility and

strength, who prey on unfortunate strollers in Central Park and are-after committing a series of murders-

hunted down and destroyed by the police" (Rudin 115). Rudin puts emphasisfocuses a lot on the aspect of

horror. “We often confuse the distinction between terror and horror.” (Rudin) Horror iscan be defined as

intense psychological fear. Rudin also shares the story of “Transfer” in which a young municipal

employee turns into a wolf and kills his female coworker that he is interested in along with numerous

other people. This article makes a personyou think of the similarities how similar some of these monsters

are to humans. All of the monsters in the stories Rudin shares start out as humans which is also a point

that Asma makes.. It’s kind of scary to think that someone you know and work with could be a monster.

While obviously vampires and werewolves aren’t real, a regular person someone you know could very

well be a monster in another sense, like a murderer or rapist which shows that monsters do not ever have

to turn into a supernatural being..

Asma believes that just a regular human can have the qualities of can be a monster without

acquiring supernatural powers can be turn into considered a monster. Rudin, on the other hand, believes

thats that in order to be considered a monster, a human has to actually transform into some supernatural

being. The belief that they have in common is that a monster can be a regular, normal human before

beiturning into a ng considered a monster.








something supernatural to be considered a monster. Without the existence of monsters, humans wouldn’t

have a way be able to figure out their values.

Works Cited Page



17, 2012.

Chelsey Moody

Redding/ Eng 1102


January 31, 2012


Monsters seem to be a topic that is becoming quite popular in today’s world. Numerous books,

articles, TV shows, and movies all dealing with some monster of some sort, whether it is a vampire,

werewolf, zombie, or some other supernatural being. One idea that seems to be common is the idea that a

monster does not have to be born a supernatural being or even ever turn into one to be considered a

monster. Two articles that describe different sides of the idea that monsters do not have to be

supernatural beings this idea are “Monsters and the Moral Imagination” by Stephan Asma and “The

Urban Gothic: From Transylvania to the South Bronx” by Seymour Rudin.

In “Monsters and the Moral Imagination,” Asma discusses the definition of monsters, peoples’

attraction to them, and the relation of monsters and their benefits to humans. Asma suggests that the

reason for monsters being on the rise is the “social anxiety in the post-9/11 decade, or the conflict in Iraq-

-some think there’s an uptick in such fare during wartime or perhaps it’s the economic downturn” (Asma

1). Asma believes that monsters in a way help us to discover our values by bringing us trials and

tribulations (Asma 2). Asma’s main focus was looking at different real events, such as the stabbings in

the café, in Connecticut. Bruce Shapiro and some of his friends were having lunch in a café, when Daniel

Silva entered the café with a knife. Silva then began to stab several people (Asma 3). Another incident

Asma discusses occurred in Israel where a man was decapitated for teaching girls because in the Muslim

religion it is forbidden for a man to teach girls in the same school as boys (Asma 3). Asma claims that

Daniel Silva and the Israeli soldiers are both monsters to their victims. Asma expands the definition of

monster to include more than just the supernatural and states that everyone has his or her own individual

monsters.


The monster concept is still extremely useful, and it’s a permanent player into the moral



there are real enemies in the world, there will be useful dramatic versions of them in our head

(Asma 3).

This quote explains the importance of monsters are in the lives of humans and this society. Monsters

help humans to discover their values and the most important things of life. While monsters put fear into

humans, they are also valuable to humans because they help us survive real life situations. By imagining

the actions a person would take or the way a person would handle an interaction with a monster will

better prepare a person for a realistic incident which goes to show the way monsters are “beneficial foe”

(Asma 3).

Rudin takes a different approach by studying different real life stories of monsters, such as

vampires and ‘wolfens’, that take place in New York. One of the stories he tells is about a "group of pre-

teen children [responding] to the poverty, degradation, and hopelessness of their lives by becoming a pack

of bestial, blood-drinking, human-flesh-eating creatures, endowed with more than human agility and

strength, who prey on unfortunate strollers in Central Park and are-after committing a series of murders-

hunted down and destroyed by the police" (Rudin 115). Rudin puts emphasis on the aspect of horror.

“We often confuse the distinction between terror and horror.” (Rudin) Horror is defined as intense

psychological fear. Rudin also shares the story of “Transfer” in which a young municipal employee turns

into a wolf and kills his female coworker that he is interested in along with numerous other people. This

article makes a person think of the similarities some of these monsters are to humans. All of the monsters

in the stories Rudin shares start out as humans which is also a point that Asma makes. While obviously

vampires and werewolves aren’t real, a regular person could very well be a monster in another sense, like

a murderer or rapist which shows that monsters do not ever have to turn into a supernatural being.

Asma believes that just a regular human can have the qualities of a monster without acquiring

supernatural powers can turn into a monster. Rudin, on the other hand, believes that a human has to

actually transform into some supernatural being. The belief that they have in common is that a monster

can be a regular, normal human before turning into a monster.








something supernatural to be considered a monster. Without the existence of monsters, humans wouldn’t

have a way to figure out their values.

Works Cited Page



17, 2012.

Ayah Mansour

Chelsey Moody



27 February 2012






elements between the characters gives depth to each of the chararcters.makes the movie engaging.









his face is revealed. His face is only revealed after Llewelyn shoots Anton in the leg. His face is only

shown because they are equal at that point. His face is heavily shadowed on his right side and the

whites of his eyes could not be seen because they were so shadowed. The director’s choice to keep

his eyes shadowed shows that Anton is completely dark and evil. Anton murders an innocent

bystander and wounds Llewelyn in his attempt to get the money back from him. The lighting on

Anton during thesese actions help to prove that he is Anton commits in this scene proves how

corrupt. he is.

The lighting on Carla Jean’s face is brighter and softer than the lighting on characters

such as Anton and Llewelyn throughout the movie. This choice of lighting by Ethan and Joel

Coen gives Carla Jean a sense of innocence and vulnerability. As Carla Jean begs for her life,

there is a manipulation of natural, key lighting and some back lighting. These elements of

lighting make her face bright and vivid. The bright lighting on her face along with her plea for

life put her in the category of being sweet and innocent which is a complete contrast to Anton and

Llewelyn..





The are Nno shadows appear on his face that give any indication of darkness or evilness. As a

sheriff, his duty was to serve and protect, to capture the bad guys and save his city from all evil.

Within this scene and throughout the whole move, the lighting on Sheriff Bell gives the

impression of a trustworthy person which gives hope that even after all the bad things that have

happened, there is still hope..








heavy amount of darkness and portrays Llewelyn evil side. Even though Llewelyn seems like a

good person, this scene shows that he is not as good as he seems.












Formatted: Font: 11 pt



Ayah Mansour

Chelsey Moody



27 February 2012






elements between the characters gives depth to each of the chararcters.









his face is revealed. His face is only revealed after Llewelyn shoots Anton in the leg. His face is only

shown because they are equal at that point. His face is heavily shadowed on his right side and the

whites of his eyes could not be seen because they were so shadowed. The director’s choice to keep

his eyes shadowed shows that Anton is completely dark and evil. Anton murders an innocent

bystander and wounds Llewelyn in his attempt to get the money back from him. The lighting on

Anton during these actions help to prove that he is corrupt.

The lighting on Carla Jean’s face is brighter and softer than the lighting on characters

such as Anton and Llewelyn throughout the movie. This choice of lighting by Ethan and Joel

Coen gives Carla Jean a sense of innocence and vulnerability. As Carla Jean begs for her life,

there is a manipulation of natural, key lighting and some back lighting. These elements of

lighting make her face bright and vivid. The bright lighting on her face along with her plea for

life put her in the category of being sweet and innocent which is a complete contrast to Anton and

Llewelyn.





No shadows appear on his face that give any indication of darkness or evilness. As a sheriff, his

duty was to serve and protect, to capture the bad guys and save his city from all evil. Within this

scene and throughout the whole move, the lighting on Sheriff Bell gives the impression of a

trustworthy person which gives hope that even after all the bad things that have happened, there

is still hope.








heavy amount of darkness and portrays Llewelyn evil side. Even though Llewelyn seems like a

good person, this scene shows that he is not as good as he seems.














Chelsey Moody

Psyc 1101

Olson

November 16, 201

Say No to Cigarettes

The manufacturing of cigarettes has been a question throughout the world for quite some

time now. While smokers may only see the positive effects of smoking, there is more harm than

good done by smoking cigarettes. There are many reasons that the manufacture of cigarettes

should be made illegal such as the chemicals they are made with and the harmful affect they

have on others.

There are four thousand chemicals created by the smoking of a cigarette. Out of that four

thousand, only six hundred of those chemicals are approved for the use of manufacturing

cigarettes. The most important chemical to be put into a cigarette is nicotine, which is the

chemical that people become addicted to.what makes people addicted. Nicotine does not While

this chemical may not physically harm a person’s body, but the addictive substance still causes

harm by creating a constant strong desire for cigarettes day after day. Reports state that nicotine

addiction is a mental illness and something that smokers will be stuck with permanently. I have

witnessed the addiction of smoking firsthand since I was a child. My dad has smoked since as far

back as I can remember and both of my brothers have followed in his footsteps. They have all

three tried All three of these men have tried quitting ats some point, but and they have not been

able tocan never follow through. While they may have not resorted back to cigarettes right

away, choosing chewing tobacco and other resorts besides smoking, I have watched some of the

people I care about most hurt their bodies as well others around them with smoking cigarettes

over the past eighteen years. Because of the control I have seen cigarettes have over my own

family’s life, I could not agree more about making not only cigarettes, but also tobacco in

general illegal.

Secondhand smoke has a very harmful effect to the people around smokers. Cigarette

smokers do not consider the harm caused to the people they smoke around. IBut in some ways,

people breathing in secondhand smoke rs can actually receive more harm from being around the

smoke than the people actually doing the smoking. While the amount of harm done to the

nonsmokers depends on the amount of time that they spend around smokers, either way the

smokers are putting their peers’ bodies in danger. Most smokers attempttry to justify their

smoking by saying that they are inhaling the smoke, which is only then blown out into our

breathing room creating a less harmful smoke in the air for others to to be breathe inr. But Tthey

forget about the idea of side stream smoke which is actually a stronger smoke thant what the

smokers themselves are inhaling, all thanks to the filter. Side stream smoke is what is coming

directly off of the end of the cigarette and this smoke is in smaller particles, which makes it

easier for the bad chemicals to get into the cells of the people around. Going back to what I said

about Mmy father and two brothers smoking have put, my body inhas been put in danger of these

harmful substances since I was a little girl. I have been tried multiple times ying to get my dad to

quit smoking since I first learned about the dangerous chemicals and the harm it could cause

your body in elementary school. The fact that he could never follow through with quitting has

always scared me. This being said, I would be overjoyed if cigarette manufacturing was made

illegal.

Chelsey Moody

Psychology 1101

Olson

November 16, 201

Say No to Cigarettes

The manufacturing of cigarettes has been a question throughout the world for quite some

time now. While smokers may only see the positive effects of smoking, there is more harm than

good done by smoking cigarettes. There are many reasons that the manufacture of cigarettes

should be made illegal such as the chemicals they are made with and the harmful affect they

have on others.

There are four thousand chemicals created by the smoking of a cigarette. Out of that four

thousand, only six hundred of those chemicals are approved for the use of manufacturing

cigarettes. The most important chemical to be put into a cigarette is nicotine, which is the

chemical that people become addicted to. Nicotine does not physically harm a person’s body, but

the addictive substance still causes harm by creating a constant strong desire for cigarettes day

after day. Reports state that nicotine addiction is a mental illness that smokers will be stuck with

permanently. I have witnessed the addiction of smoking firsthand since I was a child. My dad has

smoked since as far back as I can remember and both of my brothers have followed in his

footsteps. They have all three tried quitting at some point, but they have not been able to follow

through. Because of the control I have seen cigarettes have over my own family’s life, I could

not agree more about making not only cigarettes, but also tobacco in general illegal.

Secondhand smoke has a very harmful effect to the people around smokers. Cigarette

smokers do not consider the harm caused to the people they smoke around. In some ways, people

breathing in secondhand smoke can actually receive more harm from being around the smoke

than the people actually doing the smoking. While the amount of harm done to the nonsmokers

depends on the amount of time that they spend around smokers, either way the smokers are

putting their peers’ bodies in danger. Most smokers attempt to justify their smoking by saying

that they are inhaling the smoke, which is then blown out into our breathing room creating a less

harmful smoke in the air for others to breathe in. They forget about the side stream smoke which

is actually a stronger smoke than what the smokers themselves are inhaling, all thanks to the

filter. Side stream smoke is what is coming directly off of the end of the cigarette and this smoke

is in smaller particles, which makes it easier for the bad chemicals to get into the cells of the

people around. My father and two brothers smoking have put my body in danger of these

harmful substances since I was a little girl. I have tried multiple times to get my dad to quit

smoking since I first learned about the dangerous chemicals and the harm it could cause your

body in elementary school. The fact that he could never follow through with quitting has always

scared me. This being said, I would be overjoyed if cigarette manufacturing was made illegal.

Documents

Monsters of Today