You and Jr./Sr.

                I hear people talk all the time about how quickly your high school years fly by, but mine do not seem to be going fast enough. Now a senior, I am ready for college and the next important years of my life.

                Junior year was definitely a tough one. Having a bittersweet ending to the volleyball season at the state tournament when Wynne beat us out in the first round was disappointing. Also the crazy piles of homework, from Pre-AP history and Pre Calc were not fun. However, overall it was not too difficult of a schedule, academically wise. This revelation was relieving considering all the warning I got about it being the toughest year. Thank goodness for study halls! My favorite class by far was anatomy. I really enjoyed dissecting things until it became an everyday thing with the pig, but I plan on exploring this field more in college. I also had a great soccer season going undefeated in conference, and going to the second round in state. I could not have asked for a better team.

                I am so excited to finally be able to say I’m a senior. Just one more year, and I’ll be off to college to learn new things and meet new people. I’m really excited about not having too difficult of classes next year; only really needing an English credit to graduate takes some pressure off.  Having more privileges will also make the year more bearable, such as signing out when you turn 18 and leaving campus for lunch periods. I cannot wait to graduate with the Batesville class of 2013!

You and Survival

                   Survival, the fact of remaining alive or in existence, but to some the word survival ignites an animal-like instinct that is difficult to ignore. Going to crazy measure to ensure life tomorrow will always be a human priority. With so many jobs centered on prolonging life, death is not something most people look forward to. They will go to great measures to ensure not only their life, but others as well. When it comes to my survival, I believe I would do all sorts of things.

                My survival tops a lot of other priorities, but putting my life before someone else’s is not something I could easily do. Sure, in self defense, I would not think about it twice. In The Guardian, a movie focused on the coast guard, there is a perfect example of selfish survival instincts. At the beginning of the movie the story opens with a husband and wife that are stranded in the ocean and when the main character tries to save them the husband uses his wife as a flotation device putting her life at risk. In those shear panic situations, it is hard to imagine what I would do. Thinking about the scenario I cannot imagine doing that, but in the heat of the moment will my thoughts be just as rational?

              

I can definitely say, if put in the situation of being kidnapped or taken, I would not just “go quietly.” I would put up a fight and do everything I could to get away, not only physically but mentally trying everything to fake out my kidnappers and escape. Ultimately, I would rather be difficult and fight than let them take me, even if I lost and it meant a sooner death. Battling my attackers, I would not rest and I feel sorry for anyone who decides to mess with me.

               

One day I will be met with a situation that maybe could put my life at risk. I think, the way I react to that situation will say a lot about my character. Will fear take over my senses, or will I have enough sense to think logically and come up with the best solution?

Survivor Essay

Six Word Slant

• Doctors: Lengths they go to save lives.

140-Character-Claim

• Doctors are forced to maintain composure as they perform surgeries and check ups that determine whether a person will live to see tomorrow. (139)

          Intro:

In Jack London’s The Call of the Wild, the reader explores the life of Buck, a domesticated dog gone wild. While forced to adapt to his ferine surroundings, Buck also learns that sometimes difficult choices must be made to save yourself or others. Buck’s job, like a doctors’, entails looking out for everyone involved. Doctors are forced to maintain composure as they perform surgeries and checkups that determine whether a person will live to see tomorrow.
Body:
Sometimes doctors have to ignore the rules and break down walls in the medicine field to save a life. News.com’s article “Vodka-Drip Feed Saves Unconscious Tourist” by Jessica Marszalek convey that doctors do not stop looking for ways to save their patient even when treatment is “unconventional” but “successful, with the patient having now made a full recovery.” Dr. Gelperowicz and Dr. Fraser use a case of vodka to save a dying tourist’s life. Instead of accepting death for this patient, the two doctors fought to find an alternative to the needed dosage of “100 percent-grade alcohol” when the supply ceased to subsist. Madison Park’s “Saving a Life: A Doctor’s Duty--A Husband’s too” CNN article tells of a tragic story where a man’s calmness may have saved his wife’s life. When Tim Delgado woke up to find his wife was having a seizure, he didn’t stop to worry about the possible formidable consequences, but trachead her throat and was calm in a time of disaster. Some rules for doctors need to be broken occasionally to look out for the patient’s best interest.


Doctors are selfless people, not only putting time and effort into making someone healthy, but sometimes putting their own life at risk as well. In “Doctor put her own life on the line for patients” by Colleen Cason, a story of a persistent and brave doctor that took the “unconventional path” takes form. Dr. Claudia Jenson after developing cancer and checking into the hospital, “[kept] up her practice from her bed.” Refusing to let her patients go untreated, Jenson did not have time for sick days. According to Madison Park, Dr. Delgado’s instincts as a doctor kicked in to save his patient even though she was his wife, Alison, he has to save. Ignoring what some would say his better judgment in not treating a loved one, an unwonted task, Delgado knew Alison’s life was in his hands and only he could save her. Once in awhile a doctor is faced with the choice in doing what is best for themselves or their patient, and most will say their patient’s life is the most important.


In a rough economy, doctors cannot be looking out for a sick patient’s well-being; all they care about is their next paycheck. Colleen Cason’s article illustrates that Dr. Jenson experiments with medical marijuana because she will reap the reward on pay day. The reason Jenson pushed this method of treatment was because she knew the expense at which people will pay to obtain medical marijuana as a pain reliever. Explained by Jessica Marszalek in her writing piece, “hospital authorities later proved very understanding about the booze bill”. Concerning themselves with the best way to keep the tourist’s heart beating, they did not have the time to think about the cost. Or furthermore, what they would get out of saving the tourist like a puppy looking for a treat. Some people might feel the only perk of being a doctor is their fat salaries, but the determination to go through medical school must be sparked by something greater than money.
Conclusion:
                Though some people will never understand the value of life, medical doctors and London’s character, Buck, do. They challenge society to look out for neighbors and stranger alike. Saving lives and saving yourself are both important, and the lengths to achieve those goals are never ending.

Works Cited
Cason, Colleen. "Cason: Doctor Put Her Own Life On The Line For Patients." Ventura County Star. 25 Nov. 2007. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://www.vcstar.com/news/2007/nov/25/doctor-put-her-own-life-on-the-line-for-patients/>.
Marszalek, Jessica. "Vodka-drip Feed Saves Unconscious Tourist." NewsComAu. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/vodka-drip-feed-saves-unconscious-tourist/story-e6frfkp9-1111114611480>.
Park, Madison. "Saving a Life: A Doctor's Duty -- a Husband's, Too." CNN. Cable News Network, 05 Mar. 2011. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/05/married.doctors.emergency/index.html>.