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Devotion to Technology

A Literary Essay by Ava Weinberg

Most parents believe kids' addiction to technology is due to kids’ own actions. However, I disagree. In the story “The Veldt,” by Ray Bradbury, he shows it’s not always the kids’ fault for being addicted to technology. Bradbury’s sending a message: parents should not let their own kids be nurtured by technology, because it can lead to the kids being more devoted to the technology then their own parents. In the story, there’s a family of four who lives in a house that’s embedded with technology. For example, there is a room for the children called ‘the nursery’, and the technology impacts their daily lives and creates conflict.

In the beginning, parents George and Lydia have left their children to be alone and cared for by the nursery, to the point where Wendy and Peter (their children) would lie for the nursery so that it doesn’t get shut down by their parents. One day, when the kids weren’t home, Lydia told George how she felt like something was off with the nursery. So they went to look at it, but to their surprise the room did not have its normal projections. Instead, it was an African Veldt with lions feasting, the hot sun shining, and vultures circling in the sky. To George and Lydia, the room felt too real, in a bad way. When Wendy and Peter got home, George decided to bring up the Veldt, because he was concerned about why they were playing in a scary place. However, Peter replied by saying: “‘I'm sure you’re mistaken, Father.’”(Page 6) In other words, Peter is trying to hide the African Veldt in the nursery, instead of telling his dad the truth. This shows how the children believe they can’t tell their parents everything, because they're afraid they will shut off the nursery/house. While Peter was talking to George about the nursery, Wendy went to the nursery and changed the projection. Then Peter brought George over to the nursery, and to George's surprise the nursery was  “[...] a green, lovely forest, a lovely river, a purple mountain, high voices singing, and Rima[…]The African Veldt was gone.”(Page 6) This proved to George that the kids lied to his face, and changed the projection in the nursery, because earlier he saw the African Veldt. By Wendy and Peter lying to their dad, it just made the parents feel more concerned about the nursery.

As the story continues, it becomes clear that the house is the one taking care of the family, instead of the parents. The house is forming a wedge between the parents and kids. George and Lydia decide that they might shut down all of the technology in the house, because they feel like it has gotten in the way of their family. After thinking about this, George goes to tell the kids. When they hear the news, Peter responds: “‘That sounds dreadful! Would I have to tie my own shoes instead of letting the shoe tier do it? And brush my own teeth and comb my hair and give myself a bath?’”(Page 8) This shows how dependent the children are on the technology in the house since their parents never interacted/teached them how to, for example, learn how to tie their own shoe laces. Also how they’re unsettled that their parents would try to shut it off. Peter then tells his dad: “‘I don’t think you'd better consider it anymore, father.’”(Page 8) In other words, Peter threatens George because he is upset to lose the technology. However, I think this action reveals how Peter and Wendy’s parents have neglected them, let them be taken care of by technology, and do whatever they want. Wendy and Peter feel threatened and lash out at their parents because they are afraid to lose the technology that takes care of them. As this shows, technology has fully taken over the house, and it has pulled apart the Hadley family.

At the end of the story, the kids feel like the nursery is more of their mother and father, to the point they will do anything to stop their real parents from shutting down the house. After all of these events, George and Lydia end up calling a psychologist, named David McClean, to have a look at the nursery. After McClean learns more about the nursery and family, he comes to a conclusion that the nursery isn’t the real problem. He says to the parents: “‘This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents. And now you come along and want to shut it off.’”(Page 9) This is the moment when George and Lydia realize that the technology in the house has overtaken their roles as parents, and due to this the kids have become very protective of the nursery, because they feel like it nurtured them for most of their life. Later, George and Lydia decided that it would be best for the family to go on a long vacation, fully detached from all technology. Then, George and Lydia hear their kids calling their name from the nursery, so they went down. However, the kids weren’t there, and it was just George and Lydia alone in the veldtland. Suddenly, the room was becoming too real. George and Lydia could feel the lions growling and coming closer to them, and then “Mr. and Mrs. Hadley screamed. And suddenly they realized why those other screams had sounded familiar.”(Page 12) Earlier that night, when they were in bed they heard those exact screams and realized now it was their screams. This implies that the parents got eaten by the lions. The kids were so threatened by their parents turning off the technology in the house, to the point that they would imagine them dying from lions and make it come true.

In conclusion, parents should not leave their own kids to be nurtured by technology, because it can lead to the kids being more devoted to the technology than their own parents. In “The Veldt,” we follow a family that’s overly addicted to technology, and how the technology forms a wedge between them, to the point where the kids fully turn on their parents just to keep the technology. Ray Bradbury wants us to realize that sometimes unplugging yourself from technology can help you find a better meaning in life.

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My Editorial Title: Why are concert tickets SO expensive?

I’ve spent many nights laying in bed scrolling on my iPhone searching for reasonably priced concert tickets.

I wanted to see Olivia Rodrigo, but I was not able to get tickets through general sales. My last resort was searching for people who are reselling tickets. I went to Ticketmaster and saw how expensive each ticket was: $900 after fees, per ticket.

I ended up not going.

After this experience I started to realize that mainstream artists, when going on tour, have very expensive tickets, which most people can’t afford.

Over the past five years, ticket prices have risen dramatically, especially because of resellers. In People it was reported: “In 2023, the price of concert tickets has skyrocketed to the equivalent of a month’s rent to as much as a mortgage payment.” In other words, concert tickets have become as expensive as the major expenses people pay for every month. And most people simply can’t afford to pay a month's rent just to see their favorite artist.

In The New York Times, a mom shares her experiences with reselling tickets. She says how her sister bought six Taylor Swift tickets for a concert with ok seats but only used three, so she had three left. The mom said: “She asked me to post them in a large Manhattan-moms Facebook group I am a member of for $2,400 each or best offer. I acknowledge that this was a bonkers price for these seats, but cheaper than the current market.”

To prove that concert tickets have risen in the past few decades, I compared Brittney Spears and Taylor Swift concert ticket prices. I believe they have had the same amount of popularity in their respective eras. In the 2000s, Brittney Spears’s average ticket price was $180, and for resale tickets it was $375. In 2023, Taylor Swift tickets averaged $500 plus fees, and resale average was $2,150, with the highest tickets at $13,000. You can see the drastic difference in the past 20 years for the most popular artists.

I bet you are wondering why tickets have become so expensive. According to Variety, this is due to dynamic pricing and the resale market: “Dynamic pricing is a new strategic ticketing practice where ticket prices for concerts behave in the way airline prices or surge pricing for Uber does when there’s high demand,” said Eric Frankenberg, senior charts/data analyst at Billboard. “We’re also able to resell tickets on Ticketmaster. There’s probably a lot of this money being made on the secondary market that [wasn’t] being reported in these official ticket prices.” What this means is that companies are charging as much as they can to sell tickets, and are getting even more for sold out shows on the resale market. This is not fair for the average fan who just wants to see their favorite artist.

Some people might argue that concert ticket prices are the best way for artists to make money from their music. According to Festival Pro, very few artists make money from recording their music “because record labels, producers, distributor, and agents all want their cuts…but if they can build up a loyal following from playing live on a tour it may provide a steady, reliable income source.” However, a majority of artists don’t earn much money even with tours, so this only applies to the most popular mainstream artists. Also, the amount of money these uber- popular artists are making seems like so much that more than they would ever use. For example, before Taylor Swift's Era’s tour in 2023 she was worth $7.4 million, and now in 2024, with the tour still continuing, she is worth $1.1 billion. According to Forbes: “In a rare feat, Taylor Swift is the first musician to reach the milestone solely from songwriting and performing.”

In conclusion, I believe that concert ticket prices should be way cheaper than what the most popular artists are charging, so average concert lovers like me can go see their favorite artists without having to worry about the price.

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My Essay Title:  AI: It will give students new opportunities that are worthwhile in the classroom.

Have you ever heard adults talking about AI, and wondered why they always have a lack of confidence in us, saying “they will just use AI to cheat,” or “it will make them lazy.” When in reality, not all kids and teens are alike, and we should have confidence in them. AI is beneficial in many different ways, but a few is that it can help students become more productive and it can help their minds grow. Hence, AI will enrich students’ overall academic lives.

AI is beneficial to students because it will allow them to become more productive in and outside of school, and help them think more critically. Therefore, instead of fearing AI we should use it to its fullest potential. In a local school newspaper called The Shield, student Alice Scott shared her ideas on AI in schools and its uses: “[...] tasks like brainstorming research topics, revising essays for word count[...]Chat GPT could free up a student’s time to allow them to focus more on the work that involves higher level thinking.” This explains why AI will be helpful to students when they need to be more productive so they can focus their efforts on tasks that involve more advanced thinking. In addition, from University of Washington News, Professor Katie Davis was interviewed about whether AI could help students become more independent and productive. In response to the question: “Can you describe a way that people have been using ChatGPT without instructions that surprised you?”, Dr. Davis said, “Kids are sophisticated users of technology[...]That mindset provides a real opportunity that schools can take advantage of, to teach critical understandings of AI and other emerging technologies.” This shows how kids know how to use technology very well, and using AI in school would provide students with a better sense of knowledge. Thus, AI would let students work harder and learn more in the classroom.

AI is also beneficial to students because it helps them grow and become more sophisticated users of technology by having to make decisions about their use of AI. From University of Washington News, Dr. Davis shared her ideas on students using AI  in classrooms: “I’m most interested in kids who try to break ChatGPT because that suggests to me that they’re using a tinkerer’s mindset, which suggests that they are in control.” In other words, Dr. Davis believes kids breaking down AI and learning its flaws makes them smart enough to use AI for its benefits in school. In addition, Dr. Davis also gives an example of ways kids and teens have used a certain type of AI to improve their knowledge. She states, “One example is Khan Academy, which has come out with an AI chatbot, Khanmigo. The company is framing Khanmigo as a tutor that’s not just going to give you answers, but actually ask you open-ended questions to help you come to your own answer.” This proves that AI can help students learn without getting the answer right away. Therefore, AI can help students become more tech savvy, which further proves that AI will benefit students’ future academic lives.

Others would argue that AI is harmful, because it will dumb down students and cause them to become lazy, since they can just turn to AI and get the answer.  People have had fears about technology many times in the past. For example, when the internet was invented, many people were afraid that it would invade our privacy, but over time we have eased into it. In a 2022 article from Scoon TV, a high school teacher named Douglas Marolla gives his opinion on AI in schools. He states, “I remember when Google emerged and people were excited because you ‘don’t have to know anything anymore, you can just Google it!’ That was 20 years ago. The result is that we have swaths of young people who realize that they don’t have to learn for the sake of learning, they can simply look it up and the answer is there.” He isn’t wrong that some students may take advantage of technology to get the answer. However, he is untrue when he says that students will end up not cherishing the worth of learning. Yes, some will cheat, but most kids and teens are naturally curious, and are eager to learn more about the world. For example, Dr. Davis states “They’re asking: What can I do with this tool? How can I push it and stretch it?” Thus, AI will benefit kids and teens in the classroom, because it will add to their academic lives.

In conclusion, AI will enhance students’ present and future academic lives by helping them become more intelligent and productive. The debate over AI proves that not all kids and teens are alike, so we shouldn’t take away AI in schools based on some students’ mistakes. Instead, we should learn from their mistakes and improve AI, so more students can thrive in school.

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Part 3: New Town, New Mother

Three months have passed since the Silver Plague began, and things for everyone have been going downhill, especially for Agatha's family. Unfortunately, her father passed away from the Silver death. The vaccine he had didn’t seem to work for him. Also since her father had the plague, her and her mother had to evacuate the house and now they're moving to the other side of town.

One day later when Agatha and her mother have reached the town they see it's the complete opposite from their area.  Instead of having rustic two-story houses with Lookout onto a wildflower Meadow, it was dirt roads that looked out onto small buildings that could go as far as 10 miles. The town they moved to was called Longhill.

Agatha had no comments About the town, but her mother sure did. Unlike Agatha who grew up with an open mind her mother had been lying to her whole life. Her mom didn't care about any other person below her; she only wanted to live the beautiful rich life, or at least that's what Agatha thought.

“Ugh. This town is not like our Wildflower Meadow where we can ride on our horses,” Agatha’s mother announced. “And look at all these dirty people.”

Agatha and her Mother had almost reached their hotel. Just by walking down the streets Agatha could see the pale green skinned bodies. Everyone in Longhill looked the same. They all had the Plague. Agatha was so shocked. She wondered why barely anyone in her old town looked like how everyone in Longhill did.

Part 4: The Truth About Her Mother

After a while Agatha and her Mother finally reached the hotel. They checked in and even the person working there was sick. At this point there wasn’t any place in the world that didn’t have the plague. As they entered the room, they both fell onto the bed.

“Mother, why is everyone in Longhill sick, but no one back in Floria was?” Agatha questioned.

“Honey, this is all very complicated,” her Mother replied. “I know since this all started I have been acting differently than before, but this is because I grew up poor. I wasn’t just this rich woman.”

“What do you mean Mother?” Agatha asked.

“I’m so sorry Ag, I know I have been keeping a lot from you, but I think you're at the right age to know now,” said her mother.

Agatha and her Mother slowly got closer and hugged like two magnets connecting.

“Go on, you can trust me,” said Agatha softly.

“Ok, all of this began when I was only ten years old. Before then I grew up in a life of poverty. It was so hard to get food and stay healthy, I had so little opportunities to get somewhere in life. Then at ten I got a job offer to take care of a family's daughter as her personal playmate. Her family was so sweet and nice, they really helped me get somewhere in life. After that many lucky things happened to me,” her mother said. “Then everything got better from there and finally I met your Father. He was such an angel, always bringing me things. He was extremely nice,” Agatha's mom said as a tear rolled out from her eyes.

“You got this mom. I love you,” Agatha said and she smiled.

“Thank you hon. I love you too. So as you know, next me and your father had you. I wanted to give you everything I had never had. A very loving family, happiness, joy. However, overtime I have gotten lost,” Agatha’s mother took a long pause after what she said. “Here’s the truth. Our family and other families never got vaccines. Somehow me and you miraculously haven’t gotten the plague. And now the government has started to create new vaccines that can actually help us, but the sad truth is that it’s very expensive. In life you will meet selfish people, people that only care about themselves and other people just like them,” she said as her frown got even bigger. “So people that aren’t like the rich people are most likely not ever getting the vaccine.”

“What. Mother, that's so unfair. I have to do something. We have to do something,” Agatha stated angrily.

Part 5: Start of The Revolution

“Hello, do you know anyone named Cliff Poalon?” Agatha asked a stranger on the street. Just by looking at him Agatha’s eyes started to water, he had the Plague, his skin was green and he was so skinny.

“I shouldn’t be telling you things, but you can meet him tonight at the tavern, he will be the one wearing all black,” the person replied.

It had just turned 8:00 pm, so Agatha started walking from her hotel to the tavern. Her golden hair was put down tonight, and she was wearing a nice floral dress with white roses embroidered on them. After 10 minutes she got there. The building was broken down, but still was so alive after the Silver Death began.

Agatha started walking to the back and like the person said, she saw a man wearing all black. His curly black hair was messy and his green eyes were looking around. Then they stopped when he looked at her. “Hello! Are you Cliff?” Agatha asked.

“Yes, but why do you want to know?” he responded.

“I just have a question,” Agatha paused.

“Ok, get on with it,” he said with a smile on his face.

“I don't know if you've heard this, but the government is putting out a new vaccine, but it's very expensive so no one will be able to get it. So I was wondering if you could help me get some people to revolt with me,” she proposed.

“What does this have to do with me?” Cliff said.

“Well it would benefit everyone, so the plague could not affect people as badly as they are.”

“Ok. I'll see what I can do.” Cliff said back.

A few weeks later the revolution had been put into action and everything was going Agatha’s way.

Part 6: Never Will Be The End

Last week Agatha’s team had just reached the capitol and they set up camp. She was going to write a letter to the president, letting her know that everyone wanted peace, but they have to lower the prices on the vaccines.

The president declined and a day later the president's army was set up surrounding the camp. They were greatly outnumbered, but she had to be true to herself and stay peaceful. Then the army kept on getting closer and closer, until Agatha's group couldn’t do anything.

She came face to face with General Walker as she asked, “Please we don’t mean any harm. We just want you to lower the vaccine prices. Your people are dying, and then you come up with a vaccine that only the rich of the rich can actually buy. Don't you believe that's a tiny bit ridiculous.``

“Maybe,” General Walker replied. “But there’s nothing I can do, I don't have enough power to.”

“You can help us,” Agatha asked.

“I'm sorry, I have to follow my rules,” the General said as he shot her. Quickley her long golden hair turned red and she fell to the ground. Everyone around the world had heard of Agatha. The one that was brave enough to stand up in the world. So as she died in a flash, her name would be slowly forgotten as the years passed, but one day another brave human would be just like her and make a difference in this corrupted world.

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The Silver Plague

A Dystopian Short Story by Ava Weinberg

Part 1: The Rainbow Before the Storm

It was 3044, and Agatha slowly arched her neck out the window. She could feel the fresh breath of air brushing against her face. After a few minutes, she got up from her elegant gold bed. She walked out her bedroom door and Agatha descended down her marble staircase.

Agatha smiled so wide that it could stretch from the end to the other end of the world. Then she said “Good afternoon Mother. How was your nap?”

“Wonderful dear. I'm going horseback riding later, I think you should join!” her mom replied.

“I will, as always,” Agatha agreed.

So there Agatha and her Mother were. Riding horses through the beautiful countryside. Agatha’s golden hair and big blue eyes shining in the sun. After they danced through the wildflowers as the sunset came into sight. The sunset was like a glorious conflagration, blazing with fabulous colors.

After many hours, Agatha and her Mother returned home. They were greeted by Agatha's father who had just returned home from work. They all went into the kitchen and were standing around the island table. In the back the huge windows were letting in the last rays of the sunset.

“Hello!” Agatha and her Mother said in unison. Immediately they looked into one another's eyes and everyone started laughing as loud as birds singing.

“Hello! I hope your day was as good as mine, because I have some very exciting news,” Agatha’s dad exclaimed.

“What is it honey!” her mom squealed. Slowly Agatha’s mom moved onto the other side of the island table to be next to Agatha's dad.

“Well… I just got promoted to vice president of the architecture firm” he said, delighted.

This wonderful life lasted for six more years. It was a glorious and an adventurous life. Agatha had everything she had ever wanted: to be with her family, and have a very nice and peaceful life. Agatha grew up rich, so she had never realized how not everyone in this world had as many opportunities and luck in life as she did. Then one day everything changed.

Part 2: Breaking News

It was May 18th, 3050. Agatha and her family were watching the daily news on their TV in the living room. Slowly dark clouds appeared outside their large windows, as the news channel reported some devastating news.

“Good evening everyone,” the newscaster said, her eyes becoming more serious and tense by the second. “Today, our Earth has faced some terrifying news…”

Everyone's face in the living room immediately went from happy to confused and scared.

“We have just noticed an outbreak of a new disease. It is called Silver Death. After this ad I will get into more details,” said the newscaster.

After the ad

“It is a plague and from what we have seen so far is that you get it from your drinking water. In addition, some side effects we’ve seen so far have been: skin turning a pale green, your body getting very skinny and weak, and finally your eyesight goes bad.” said the newscaster, sighing. “That's all for tonight folks. Stay safe.”

After hearing everything, Agatha’s family had to process this. Agatha looked back and forth at her mother and father before she started asking many questions. She was like a wolf howling at the moon confused.

“What are we going to do?” Agatha asked, panicking. “It’s not like we can stop drinking water.”

“Agatha, please calm down,” her mother said, but Agatha could tell her mom felt the same way she did. “When we were all babies we got a vaccine that was for something in the past that happened, and it is pretty similar to this. I believe we will be ok. So please, calm down hon,” her mother replied.

However, this never ended up being the truth for other people in the world, which Agatha’s parent’s knew but never told her, so she found out the hard way.

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Ava Weinberg, is a thirteen year old girl, from New York City. She enjoys art, and listening to music. She has a dog named ellie, who’s 2 years old

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A value that I think is really important is not to buy things when you don't need them, like clothing. As a teenager I have felt the need to buy more clothing to make myself feel prettier; but because of this I have ended up buying items I do not need. Last year, I went shopping with my mom. When we got to the store I saw so much clothing. As I was grabbing clothes to try on my mom said, "Make sure you don't buy something that you will never wear." I was really excited at the moment, "Yes!" I replied. As we reached the dressing rooms I started trying things on. "I don't really like this shirt," I said, Then I began trying other things. I was at my last shirt, and so far I hadn't found anything I liked. As I tried on the last piece of clothing, I thought to myself. I hadn't liked anything I had tried on, but I really wanted something. So I told my mom how I only liked the last shirt I tried on, even though I didn't deep down. So we ended up buying it, but I never wore it. After this I have come to realize why this is wrong, because i'm wasting my mom's money on something I didn't even like. Overall, this is why I believe you shouldn't buy something you don't actually like.

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As a writer i’ve learned that some writing genres aren’t for me, and that some are. Some of my favorite writing genres are: mystery’s, non-fiction, and more.

Writing isn’t always my forte, but when I get deep into it, I really enjoy it.