Humanities, taught by Ms. Small, uses a variety of literary, historical, and cultural texts, along with essay writing, group projects, and class discussions, to explore the question: “What does it mean to be human?” I examine how ideas about humanity, identity, and society have changed over time and consider how different perspectives shape our understanding of human experience.
Satire
For our satire project, my partner, Corey Lu, and I wrote a short piece targeting a contemporary issue. We chose to satirize the process of getting your license as a minor in Massachusetts in the form of journal entries from someone going through it. We included rhetorical devices, such as hyperbole, understatement, imagery, and appeals to pathos to make our story engaging. The final project showcased our ability to analyze a problem critically while using humor to convey the message.
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For this essay, I compared a satirical approach to a traditional approach on the topic of foreign aid. I analyzed a night show episode as the satirical source and a government document as the traditional. I evaluated how each used rhetorical devices to address the issue and critically assess the effectiveness of both approaches.
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