{ A Little Bit of Leah }

DISCLAIMER: This is a paper I wrote for my AP Language class so it is in a different format than I typically write. WARNING: Content is harsh and very blunt at moments. Please read at your own disgression.    Introduction 16- year-old Rachel wakes up to the sound of her alarm and immediately reaches for her cellphone. She checks her texts, snapchat, twitter, and facebook messages and it is only 6:30 in the morning. According to a 2010 study of 8- to 18-year-olds conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, girls such as Rachel will spend more than 7 ½ hours a day consuming media. (2010, http://kff.org) But what is the toll that these 7 ½ hours will take on a 16-year old girl? Does the media make any difference in the mind of a girl? Researchers seem to think so. Body image issues for girls and teens has been on the rise since social media has been introduced to the world and with it, the introduction of a new phenomenon: the selfie.     Since the crea...

 Happy New Year! This is the time of year when we all realize that we don't even remember what 'new year resolutions' we made last year, and we resolve to make new goals! . . . But lets be honest, goals can be discouraging. What happens when year after year I continue to make goals that are never reached? Here are steps to magnify goals that I have discovered, and am continuing to discover.  1. Set Some! Marvin J. Ashton tells us, "A prerequisite for “doing” is goal setting . Actions are preceded by thoughts and planning. All of us must take charge of our own lives. We must evaluate the choices that are open to us, and then we must act positively on our own decision. An old proverb states, “A journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step.”' It does not hurt to try . Making a goal is the first step to achieving greatness.  2. What kinds of goals should I set? So now you're ready to set goals, but what goals do you set? How many? A...