ABOUT ME
BUCKET LIST
DEAR READER
WRITTEN WORKS
= Go Home
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I am lucky to say that I have a great, loving,
supportive family and a hysterical group of
friends. Without them, I probably would
have flew over the cuckoo’s nest a long
time ago.
I love the feeling of sand between my toes
and the sound of waves (no matter how
little) crashing, so my mission for the
summer is to spend as much time as
possible at the beach.
Hockey and baseball are the two best
sports in the world. Go Yankees! (That’s
right MB).
In between the days I have to work, I take
short road trips. Its always fun to get away
for a day or two and see what’s out
there
- Next year, I’m going to CNU and
so far, majoring in psychology.
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Swim with dolphins
Learn how to surf
Visit all 8 wonders of the world
Backpack through Europe
Spend New Years in an exotic location
Experience no gravity
Road trip across America – coast to coast
Visit beaches all over the world, at every coast
Go scuba diving at 10 different reefs
Go to Vegas and win money
Go to a Yankees v Red Socks game – see Yankees win
Climb a pyramid
Travel to every continent
Go fishing and actually catch something
Race a Ferrari
Own a red ‘70 Chevelle SS
Go on a shark dive
Take an African safari
Go to Hawaii
Fly in a helicopter
Learn how to drive a motorcycle
Make enough money to live comfortably
Live on a boat for at least a year
Go bungee jumping
Have a food fight
Dear Reader,
After looking back at my writing over the years, it is easy to see that I have made great
progress.
In elementary school, I learned how to write basic sentences and paragraphs. My stories
were simple, focused on a single element and had little meaning. As time progressed, I
learned basic syntax and structure.
In middle school, my writing improved greatly in a short amount of time. I wrote my first real
research paper and worked quite a bit on my technique. My papers were well formed and
written. I was learning how to write detailed, informative papers that would prepare me for
high school and college.
In high school, my papers have become more detailed and precise. I can write analytically
and critically about many different things, including poetry. Thanks to my 12 years of
schooling, I now feel prepared for the essays I will have to write later on in college.
=Return
Here
Eleven: Timed Writing
In the short story “Eleven,” Sandra Cisneros uses many literary techniques,
especially diction, to characterize Rachel. The first-person, conversational style of the
writing helps to characterize Rachel as a young girl who has yet learned to fully
appreciate the meaning of her birthday. Diction such as birthday, Mama, stupid,
Band-Aid, Papa and tippy-tip, plays a very important role in giving the passage the
voice of a young girl.
Even if it was unclear how old Rachel was, the sentence structure would
characterize her as a young girl. The sentences are short and fragmented in some
places, with many repetitive statements inside. The many simple sentences show
Rachel’s fragmented, direct way of thinking. Her sudden change in topic from
birthdays to the red sweater gives a great example of how easily children are
distracted. Similes in lines nineteen through twenty-one also characterize Rachel as a
young girl. She relates her birthdays to tree trunks and dolls, which are often things
played with in childhood.
The use of dialogue in the story shows Rachel’s feelings towards how she is
treated and why she would want to be older. The story is described in vivid detail,
showing her childlike perspective and how she pays close attention to the details of
everything going on around her. The ugly, plastic red buttons and the smell of cottage
cheese of the sweater reveal how easily she was embarrassed by the sweater. The
interesting view and reluctance that she has for her birthday gives further insight to
her character.
The many literary techniques Cisneros uses in the story give Rachel the
personality of one that is affected by trivial, childlike events that go on in life. She is
innocent, young and naïve and if she weren’t an eleven year old girl, the impact of the
story wouldn’t be so powerful.
College Essay
Middle school boys are insecure and ruthless; they choose one peer out of a
crowd of hundreds to pick on. This is a tradition that makes them feel powerful and in
control, but none ever stop to think about the boy getting picked on. Unfortunately, my
brother, Andrew, was the prime target of their bullying. Sixth grade was a miserable
year for him; he had always had a hard time in school, he was the youngest sibling
and he had a heavy case of ADD/ADHD. He never wanted to talk about his day when
he ran off the bus after school and would lose himself in hours of video game
marathons. The bullying never stopped and all we could do was encourage him to
ignore it. Finally, in seventh grade, he couldn’t turn a deaf ear to everything they said
and did, so he hit a boy across the face and got suspended. He then had to deal with
the repercussions and had to work his hardest to get back into school. Andrew never
had it easy.
Watching my brother struggle through middle school made me realize that I
want to help all of the Andrews in the world. Bullies and insecurities are small
problems compared to what some children face in life, so I desire to help kids
overcome any hardships, large or small, in their lives. I will give them a friend they
can talk to whenever they need to vent. I will be an outlet for those children and I’ll
always be there for them. By helping those children, I would help their families cope
with the insanity that comes with having an adolescent in the house. My dream is to
become a child psychologist, and I know that it will take a lot of work and sacrifice,
but I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to gain the ability to help people.
I’m so grateful that Andrew helped to put me on the right path; I now know that my
purpose in life is to lend a hand to who ever needs it and to be a guardian angel to
those who think they have been forgotten.
Paraphilias: Psych Research Paper
ABSTRACT
Paraphilias are sexual disorders that disrupt the every day life of the
people it affects. There are a wide variety of different paraphilias and
none of them are easily treated or cured. In this paper, the seven
most common paraphilias are described. Exhibitionism is the
showing of inappropriate body parts to others and voyeurism is the
watching of others. Pedophilia is the abnormal sexual interest in
prepubescent children under the age of thirteen. Frotteurism is the
groping of unaware strangers who have not given their consent.
Fetishism does not affect strangers, because it is the act of being
obsessed sexually with an inanimate object. The final two
paraphilias described are the two most dangerous. Sadism is the
giving of pain for sexual pleasure and masochism is the receiving of
pain sexually. None of these paraphilias are necessarily preventable
or predictable, they are all disruptive and somewhat dangerous.
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It is common knowledge that sexual offenders live in communities all over the United
States, but what people don’t know is that there are thousands of other deviants out there. Some
of these people have a sexually related disorder known as a paraphilia and many of them are
never caught or cured of their affliction.
Paraphilias are sexually related disorders that disrupt a person’s normal lifestyle and the
peace of a community consistently for at least six months (DSM-IV). They consist of sexual
fantasies, behaviors and uncontrollable urges for objects, activities and situations that are out of
the ordinary (Miller, “Paraphilias,” 2005). Freud believed that paraphilias are caused by a
disruption in one of the four courtship phases; however, it is commonly made to believe that the
disorders are caused by the disruption of sexual development, abuse or family dysfunction in early
adolescence (Brannon, “Paraphilias,” 2008). Some paraphilias are caused by the need to feel
masculine or dominant, which leads to the fact that the disorders are more commonly found in
men than women (Discovery Health, “Paraphilia,” 2002).
Cognitive, behavioral and psychoanalytical therapies are common methods for treating
paraphilias. Prescripted medication and hormones are also offered to paraphiliacs in order to
reduce sexual urges and tendencies, but many people who have a paraphilia rarely seek help on
their own and are usually forced into treatment by a court order. Many of these people are
uncooperative with the treatment, leading to a low success rate and a high rate of repeat
offenders (Miller, “Paraphilias,” 2005).
Exhibitionism is one of the three leading paraphilias, along with voyeurism and pedophilia,
which causes people to be arrested by the police (Encyclopedia, “Pedophilia,” 2006).
Exhibitionism, also known as flashing, apodysophilia and Lady Godiva syndrome, is the exposure
of a body part that should be covered and often involves mooning, flashing, anasyrma and
martymachlia on an unsuspecting person or stranger. While people with exhibitionism are often
arrested, mild forms of the disorder aren’t considered illegal. For example, many nightclubs
actually encourage mild exhibitionism in order to attract more people. Other illegal forms of
flashing occur in crowded areas, like football games, and by displaying pictures or videos over the
internet (Wikipedia, “Exhibitionism,” 2007). An exhibitionist usually suffers from fixation on the
phallic stage of psychosexual development, personal immaturity, stress and is similar to mental
retardation, senile brain dementia, antisocial personality disorder and schizophrenia. Some
researchers believe that it is done to inflate the ego of a person by increasing another’s sexual
arousal, while others believe that the levels of testosterone increase the likelihood that men will
become sexual deviants. In order for any sort of treatment to be effective, it must be long term,
usually covering the lifespan of the individual (PsychNet-UK, “Exhibitionism,” 2003).
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Voyeurism is that act of watching people in the nude or doing sexual acts without that person’s knowing. The
deviant is often referred to as a “Peeping Tom” and while the disorder mainly pertains to watching others, it also
includes listening to erotic conversations on the phone and videotaping sex. Sexual gratification is achieved through
masturbation, not through sexual contact. In order to be considered a paraphilia, it must be the only means of
obtaining sexual gratification. This condition often starts around the age of fifteen accidentally and progresses over
time, never really ending. There is no way to statistically predict who will become a voyeur. Behavior therapy is offered
to voyeurs, but they must want to change how they act in order for success. Humiliation is a useful tactic is driving
voyeurs to obtain help. In some states, voyeurism isn’t even considered a crime and where it is, it is only considered a
misdemeanor and penalties are minor (Encyclopedia, “Voyeurism,” 2007).
Pedophilia, the most common of the paraphilias, involves a sexual interest with pre-pubescent children under
thirteen years old. The term ‘pedophile’ isn’t given to people between the ages of seventeen and nineteen having sex
with those who are twelve or thirteen and a person must be at least sixteen years old having intercourse with a child
five years younger. Pedophiles do not always have sex with the children; they may show children sexual acts or body
parts without touching the child or undress and fondle them. Pedophiles are hard to classify because there is no
typical age group affected with the disorder. Some pedophiles work in jobs where they are entrusted with children,
such as teaching or day care, while others pick children up on the street or engage in sexual acts with family
members. Fifty percent of the pedophiles arrested are married. Frequency of pedophiliac activities usually
corresponds with the stress levels of the individual. Some researchers attribute testosterone levels to pedophiliac
behaviors, but there is no gene found predisposing one to the disorder. Others believe that pedophiles were sexually
abused as children and they feel the need to be dominant over others. There are many forms of treatment for
pedophiles including behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, castration and medication, but none are relatively successful.
Pedophiles often have a high rate of recidivism. In jail, they are looked down upon as disgusting and are often beaten
brutally by other inmates (Encyclopedia, “Pedophilia,” 2006). Pedophilia is said to be one of the worst of the
paraphilias.
Frotteurism, once known as frottage, toucherism or groping, is the rubbing against a person sexually without
their consent in order to gain sexual gratification. The act is done normally with the hands or genitals. Most frotteurs
are males while the victims are female and sadly, the victims aren’t always adults, children may be affected as well
(Wikipedia, “Frotteurism,” 2009). In order for the groping to be considered a paraphilia, it must disrupt every day
functioning and happen often without the consent of the victim (DSM-IV). Frotteurism usually occurs in crowded
areas, like an elevator or train, so that the frotteur may escape quickly, sometimes without the victim even aware that
they had been assaulted. The disorder usually begins in adolescence at puberty and is only stopped through cognitive
and behavioral therapy. Frotteurs aren’t caught often because it is so easy for them to disappear into the crowds
(Hucker, “Frotteurism,” 2005).
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Fetishism is a disorder that affects the afflicted, not the people surrounding them. A person
diagnosed with fetishism needs an inanimate object for either mental or physical sexual
gratification. People often turn to these objects as a safety net because they fear humiliation or
rejection from another person. Fetishisms are often benign, but can be vicious; for example, a
rapist cuts a lock of hair from a victim to use for masturbation. Obsessions with objects meant for
sexual gratification, like a vibrator, do not qualify as a fetishism. Some symptoms are similar to
those of mental retardation or dementia and like other paraphilias, treatment must be long-term in
order to be effective (PsychNet-UK, “Fetishism,” 2003). Fetishisms aren’t illegal, but can be
disruptive to those who are affected.
In 1915, Magnus Hirschfeld came up with the term transvestitism, which is the act of
wearing the clothing of the opposite sex (Depression Guide, “Transvestitism,” 2005). Hirschfeld
believed that clothing was only an outward symbol of the inner psychological being. He did much
research on transvestites and even performed the first sexual reassignment experiment, but his
research ended when the Nazi’s came to power. In present day theories, the term transvestitism is
only given to men because it has become socially acceptable for women to wear men’s clothing. It
is chronic in nature and is only classified as a paraphilia by the DSM-IV when transvestitism
occurs for over six months, disrupts normal functioning and is the only way to receive sexual
gratification (Wikipedia, “Transvestitism,” 2009).
Sexual sadism and masochism are painful paraphilias that go hand in hand. Sexual
sadism is when someone is sexually excited by causing others physical pain, humiliation and
suffering. It is a criminal and potentially deathly behavior and may be done with force or may be
consensual. A sadistic person burns, cuts, rapes and electrocutes their partner while using tools
such as handcuffs, ropes and chains to achieve their own form of sexual pleasure. Sadism is
strongly related with antisocial personality disorder and schizophrenia; additionally, it has
psychotic symptoms and often occurs within other mental disorders. In a sadistic person, most
commonly a male, there have been many abnormal neurological and neuropsychological findings.
Sadistic activities reflect a desire for dominance; the onset usually begins with mild pornography
of sadistic activities and progresses gradually over time. As sadists get older, the ability to commit
the act decreases, as does the activity. Sadistic people do not volunteer for treatment, but are
ordered by the court when caught; they are then referred to a specialized clinic that measures the
extent of the disorder through questionnaires. The treatment is often difficult and people normally
drop out (Encyclopedia, “Sexual Sadism,” 2007).
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A masochist is the person consenting to the pain of the sadist; they receive
pain to obtain gratification. Masochistic acts are usually well planned and when they
are with a sadist, there is a safety word used to stop the acts when the pain becomes
unbearable. A dangerous form of receiving pain without assistance is through
hypoxyphilia. Hypoxyphilia is when you restrict the flow of oxygen to the brain, usually
with the use of an airtight bag or a noose. This method claims two lives for every onemillion people. Masochistic behavior is usually evident by early adulthood and there is
no universally accepted way to explain why it occurs. It is possible that masochism is
either a form of escape from childhood trauma, or an abnormal relationship between
hormone levels, behavior and the central nervous system that spikes aggression
within people. Psychotherapy is used to find the underlying meaning for sexual
masochism; meanwhile drugs such a Depo-Provera or Prozac are administered to
reduce sexual urges (Stephens, “Sexual Masochism,” 2006).
In viewing the seven most common paraphilias, one can infer that sexual
disorders come in wide variety. They disrupt the lives of everyone surrounding them
and there is no way to predict who they will affect next. The likelihood that someone
will have a paraphilia cannot be reduced, for most of them originate in childhood or
early adolescence. There are few ways to treat paraphilias, and those ways aren’t
necessarily successful. All we can do is continue to search for answers and keep our
eyes open. If we are more accepting towards others, they might not be so ashamed
to obtain the help that they want or need.
The End.
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Nickelodeon
Come in! Come in ye of all ages!
Watch my films ‘til your books have dusty pages.
My name comes from Greece and money,
I make a good date spot for you and your honey.
Anytime of the day is right
I am open from 8 A.M. all the way until midnight.
What would you like to see?
An adventure, a drama or a good comedy?
A nickel is all you need
To satisfy your viewing needs.
Five pennies is a decent fare
To rest your bum on a cushioned chair.
I entertain by the masses
My screen is so big you won’t even need glasses.
My silent films bring in all to see
But those stupid dialogues cause me great tragedy.
I play my films continuously
So many people can come in and see.
But when the show comes to and end, start to worry.
Get out! Get out! Hurry! Hurry!