The Politician

He brought along some promises of peace

Yet played both sides like some corrupt police.

The laws were his but never could he follow

Them for he called himself the new Apollo.

A duty to the people he once claimed

But now the wealthy have his soul well tamed.

He fed the voters sweet Neapolitan
To hide that he was a Politician.

For if the nation knew this deep dark truth,

You can bet they would question his rich couth.

At This Rate, We’re Never Getting Flying Cars

           “Earth Without People”, an article by Alan Weisman, goes into great detail about what a world without the human race would resemble. To ensure that his message is received, Weisman uses multiple examples of imagery to the audiences’ senses. Examples of these include images of the jungles swallowing all of the cities, trees and weeds cracking the foundation of buildings, clogging sewers, mass extinctions of many animals on Earth, and the rebirth of the planet. Alan Weisman uses many images to convey his message of an unusual planet without humans, causing the audience to buy into his theories and crave more.

            “Within 10 centuries, the jungle swallowed all.” After reading that, I personally could visualize hundreds upon thousands of trees and vines swamping cities across the planet. Weeds draped over buildings, cutting off sunlight to the rest of the world. At first, it looked almost as if the world had reverted back to the way it was before Homo sapiens evolved. However, as time progressed, I saw the planet dying and evolving at the same time. Later in the article, Weisman uses other visual images to help the audience picture this chaotic yet peaceful world.

            Many writers struggle nailing imagery that appeals to the senses of taste and smell, however it would appear that Weisman does not. While reading the lines about the backed up sewer systems, dying rats and water-soaked metals, my nose began to fill with the stenches of rotting flesh, garbage, and rust. I could almost taste the rats’ putrid carcasses. The message was received, and I could no longer focus on the point of the essay. The imagery used their almost distracts the audience from the main point of the essay, while still keeping them intrigued.

            Reading about overheated air, I began to feel warmer, and seeing how mounds of ash would form, my body felt dirty and disgusting. Then learning about the mass extinctions of several species, I could hear the cries of dogs and bison being wiped out by superior predators. I could see the falcons and cranes devouring the rodents and the diseases destroying populations from the inside, the musky scents filling the air. I felt like I could reach out and just hold one of the dying animals, hoping that some outside force would restore their life. Weiman goes on to say how species would revert back to their forming being and devolve. Humans had impacted the world so significantly, that without us, the world would revert to a more stable state. The images of a rebirth were what hit me the hardest as a reader, and it was then that I realized how much humans had really damaged our home.

            In conclusion, Alan Wiesman successfully uses imagery throughout his article in an attempt to capture the audiences’ attention. For me, Weisman appealed to all five senses and in doing so brought the inevitable destruction of Earth to my attention. Alan Weisman’s article tells the story of where Earth is headed, but not all of it is set in stone.

The Only Time a Wulf Would Save Cows

            It was noon, the busiest time of day for Jim Skinner and his men. All around the world, their empire ran deeper than anything else. Crowds of people surrounded their palaces, each person waving crisp bills like maniacs. A window opened and the first man stepped forward. After carefully staring towards the heavens, he mustered the confidence to speak his request. “I’ll have a number three, with no pickles and a large soda.”

            The McDonald’s kingdom has thrived for many years, starting long ago under Ray Kroc. In memory of the past kings, Skinner created tens of thousands more palaces across the United States. At these new man-feeders, people could relax, drink, and be merry. Every day, hundreds of Americans would walk into Skinner’s beautiful palaces, enjoying the beautiful bounty of burgers. However, the peace and tranquility that existed would soon come to crashing halt.

            A disastrous, disgusting disease infected the cattle ranches that King Skinner used to fuel his glorious palaces. This monstrous death-bringer would only infect the cows that were within the McDonalds’ kingdom, although nobody was quite sure on the why. Each night, as the ranchers went to sleep, the cows would slowly drop dead. One by one, as if being tipped over by some invisible monster, the cows would fall flat on their sides and lay there forever more. Their death-cries were hideous, striking fear into the locals each night. This disease was destroying Skinner’s kingdom from the inside.

            Farmers around the kingdom called their leader with concern, “I have no clue what is going on, sir! I go to bed, wake up, and the cows are dead!” The palaces were running dry. They could no longer sustain their people, for there was not enough beef for everyone. The working men, who once rejoiced in the bounty of McDonald’s, found themselves staying in the office eating eggplant and egg salad. Skinner’s men weren’t getting customers, causing a loss of profit that would come out of their paycheck. Dark times were setting over Skinner’s kingdom, and out of fear of a revolt, he called in a favor.

            The next morning, after losing 200 more cows, Skinner decided to make the phone call to the nearest kingdom, Burger King. “Bernard? It’s Jim. Is your nephew by chance still studying to become a veterinarian?” The nephew was a youthful, ambitious man looking to prove himself in the medical world. Soon the two kings carried out a compromising contract, and after a few days, the life-saver and his team from Burger King arrived at McDonald’s headquarters.

            “Halt!” barked the security guard. “Just where do you think you’re going?” “I have been called in by Jim Skinner himself to take care of your cow problem,” announced the guest. After the guard stepped aside, the team made their way to Skinner’s office. It was a huge, beautiful room. Paintings worth hundreds of thousands of dollars hung from every wall. His desk, decorated with drawings of delicious deserts, stretched from wall to wall. It was there that their task was explained to them.

            “We’ve discovered that this disease is actually a highly evolved form of the long extinct Bubonic Plague. Your job is to find a cure for it and bring order back to McDonald’s. Do this, and I will ensure that you are sent back home with half my kingdom’s riches and more fame than Dr. Doolittle.” With that being said, the young vet set out with his team to the nearest farm to wait for the disease to strike.

            Upon arriving at the farmhouse, the young men walked out the fields where the cattle were grazing. Armed with test tubes, syringes, needles, and lab coats, the disease-fighters were prepared. The beef-reviver quickly picked a cow, took its vital signs, and headed back to the house. Before opening the door, he turned around to face his patients. “I promise you all I will do what I can to protect you. You have the word of Blake Wulf.” Blake entered the house only to be greeted with a feast of pizza, cake, and beer. He quickly took the hint and joined his team and hosts in devouring the food. Several hours later, after the sun had set, the men heard the wretched moans from the cattle.

            One man rushed outside and made his way towards one of the dying cows. However, once he was there, the cow immediately fell over right on top of him. Struggling for air, the man squirmed and thrashed, but it was hopeless. The weight of the bovine crushed his rib cage before he suffocated, marking the first human victim of the disease. Blake wrapped himself in a pure white coat, and threw his medical utility belt around his waist. He ran towards another cow, and quickly took a blood sample. Blood gushed everywhere, but the animal-savior beat the hell-bringer and managed to fill a test tube with the cows dying cells.

            After making his way back into the house, Blake set up his equipment and began to do tests on the sample. After numerous experiments, the vet discovered the secret behind it. Blake managed to break down the disease to its main components and formulated a life-restorer. He had managed to find a way to defeat the disease, and so he claimed victory. The vet sent his data back to Jim Skinner and notified him immediately of the cure he had created. Blake Wulf, the beast-lover from Burger King, had brought an end to the suffering within the McDonald’s kingdom and restored peace and tranquility around the United States.

Georgia Tech, Here I Come!

There are three things in my school career that mean the world to me: engineering, music, and student government. Those three things keep me balanced between emotion and logic, and make me happier than anything else. When I was looking for colleges to apply to, Georgia Tech kept coming up in all of my searches. After doing much research on the school, I found out that the balance of logic and emotional creativity that I hold so dear ran deep throughout Tech. After visiting the campus, I knew that my home was there.

            At Georgia Tech, I plan to pursue music, student government, and chemical engineering. After watching videos, the Yellow Jacket Marching Band blew my mind. I knew then that I wanted to become a member of that elite group. I would love nothing better than to be on the field, marching at halftime at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Although, marching down Freshman Hill before each game is a close second. Music is something that has taught me how to think outside the box, a trait that allows engineers to make new, innovative technology.

Student government is a passion of mine that I’ve followed all throughout high school. Throughout my senior year, I am serving as the Executive President of the Student Government, and I know that this political avenue is something I want to continue at Georgia Tech. Through the student government system, I’ve enhanced several leadership skills as well as the ability to make rational decisions that benefit the masses. These skills have allowed me to have a take charge attitude and lead my team to work together and achieve success, traits that I know is extraordinarily important in the world of engineering.

Finally, my predicted major is chemical engineering. I decided upon that because of my love of chemistry and my drive to become an engineer. One of my long term goals is to ease the world into more efficient and cost effective energy sources. To accomplish that, I plan to do plenty of undergraduate research and take advantage of any internship opportunities that come my way.  Georgia Tech is the school that will allow me to do everything I can to become the best I can be. At Georgia Tech, I know that I will be able to fit all the pieces together to complete my lifelong goal.