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2018 Sosland Journal of Student Writing Lindsey Weishar, Editor Brynn Fitzsimmons, Asst. Editor Presented by the University of Missouri-Kansas City English Department through the generosity of Rheta Sosland-Huwitt and the Sosland family 2018 Sosland Journal of Student Writing All works copyright © 2018 by their respective authors and used by permission. All rights reserved. This book is designed for educational use and may be used freely in classroom settings for educational purposes. Submission is open to UMKC students in writing classes. Guidelines are available at our website. SoslandJournal.wordpress.com Table of Contents Editor’s Note . .v Introductory Level Ilus W. Davis Competition Winner Video Games and Gender: Female Discrimination in the Gaming Industry. 1 Clayre Barkema Alternative Facts to Learning: A Literacy Narrative. 9 Abigail Schoenrade The Truth, the Press, and Hell: How Social Media Biased News, and the President are Damaging Our Democracy. 17 Addison Graham Urban Sprawl and Revitalization. 25 Richard Schneider Intermediate Level Ilus W. Davis Competition Winner White America’s Obsession with the Black Male Body . .37 Conor Schulte Misogyny in Hip-Hop . .47 Maggie Agee The Healing and Reformative Power of Music: Using Music to Cross Cultural and Medical Barriers in Modern Society . .55 Lily Fisher The Ethicality of Holocaust Imagery in Poems: Sylvia Plath. 63 Enrico Mejia Parks and Recreation: A Satirical View of Local Government. 85 Charlotte Leske Marriage and Gender in “The Applicant”. 97 Geneva Tilbury The Continuous Perpetuation of the Gay-Suicide Stereotype . 105 Krithika Selva Rajoo Not in My Backyard: The Rise of Global Anti-Immigrant Sentiment . 115 Caroline Moriarty Advanced Level Ilus W. Davis Competition Winner Americans Against Islamophobia. 131 Taylor Cline The Price of Mental Illness: A Black and White Issue. 153 Jasmine Salem An Ideological Criticism of Black Mirror- “Nosedive” . 171 Benjamin Cottrell Analyzing the Ineffectiveness of the United States in Responding to Russian Cyber Warfare. 181 Chase Ford King of the Mountain . 197 Hope Mertz Contributor Notes . .217 Sosland Journal v Editor’s Note hank you for picking up a copy of the 2018 edition of The Sosland Journal. In these pages, you’ll encounter a Tdiversity of voices on a multitude of topics relevant to our current life and times. These writers represent both UMKC and HSCP, and their work speaks to the caliber of the academic writing programs and classes in the Kansas City community. A commitment to community is a theme that has struck me again and again in reading through these essays. Each of our writers dives into subjects at the forefront of current conversations. In taking time to write about subjects ranging from the problem of increased depression in African American males to combating Islamophobia, from exploration into the poetry of Sylvia Plath to the need for gender equality in the gaming world, these writers represent hope for solutions to these issues. Each of the conversations they begin in their essays is an invitation for others to join a dialogue, to explore other facets of these issues, and most importantly, to grow in understanding of and compassion for others. As editor, I am honored to have read each of these pieces. As well as a tool for sparking conversation, it is our hope that The Sosland might be a tool that can be used in the classroom. For this reason, we’ve included content and stylistic questions vi Sosland Journal at the end of each essay. Current and past issues of The Sosland Journal can be accessed online at soslandjournal.wordpress. com. We are always open to hearing from you as to how we can make this journal more accessible, so please feel free to send your comments to [email protected]. It takes the work of many to produce The Sosland, and to them we owe a debt of gratitude. First, we’d like to thank Rheta Sosland-Huwitt and the Sosland family, who continue to support the efforts of this journal, and other programs and awards at UMKC. We’d also like to give a warm thank you to Dr. Mahala, who serves The Sosland as faculty advisor and directs Composition at UMKC. Additionally, we so appreciate the work of our judges, John Moessner, Lerie Gabriel, and Milton Gomez, who read through each of the 55+ entries we received this year. I am indebted to Ande Davis, editor of last year’s Sosland Journal, for his continued support and guidance in the process of assembling the journal. I also want to give my special thanks to the lovely Brynn Fitzsimmons, whose dexterity with InDesign, support, and amazing editorial skills have shaped this journal into its final product. Finally, I want to thank all who submitted to the journal this year. We were privileged to be able to consider your writing. We want to encourage you to continue writing. Not only does your voice matter, but it has the ability to bring dignity and hope to those who are suffering and offers us avenues to be more compassionate people. Sincerely, Lindsey Weishar Editor, The Sosland Journal ESSAYS Sosland Journal 1 INTRODUCTORY CATEGORY WINNER VIDEO GAMES AND GENDER FEMALE DISCRIMINATION IN THE GAMING COMMUNITY Clayre Barkema To this day, my mother always questions why I, her teenage daughter, am more interested in first-person shooters, adventure games, and online multiplayer games than I am in makeup, clothes, and romantic comedies. She tells me over and over again, “That stuff is for boys,” and I try to tell her girls can like video games too, but she doesn’t get it. She doesn’t get how much fun I have by actively putting myself in a story by controlling the actions of a character, or by making decisions that you cannot make while watching TV. She does not get why I like to shoot zombies and run around an overgrown cityscape to escape the apocalypse. This misunderstanding is the mindset many people—both in and out of the gaming community—have when they hear about female gamers. They are stuck in the thought that video games are for men to enjoy. This idea is reinforced by the lack of representation of females in games. However, having strong female characters in video games helps break the “damsel-in-distress” stereotypes and promotes equal representation for women gamers, as well as an opportunity for women to be more than just a sex figure. The treatment of female gamers is largely due to way they are represented in the games they play. For the longest time, the video game industry was dominated by “young white 2 Sosland Journal males who love the form’s traditional mix of violence and sexy women” (Weinman 2). These men grew up playing games where it was okay to treat women as objects and assume that they are in constant need of rescue. However, the industry is growing, and women are becoming more and more involved in not only the purchase and playing of games, but the production as well. Amy Hennig is a female writer, formerly with Naughty Dog, and is best known for her work on the “Uncharted” series. Her addition to the series brought on a new form of character, a strong female, Elena Fisher. In a part of “Uncharted 4,” Elena pulls the main lead, Nathan Drake, up a ledge and Sean McLoughlin, a long-time player of the series commented, “That is a lot of strength, Elena. You are very impressive.” (Jacksepticeye, Uncharted 4 — Part 9). But that does not mean that women are being treated any better. When women join online games, they receive all sorts of derogatory statements: “a girl went into a certain game’s online community, asking about its mechanics. .The first response she got was from a male player, telling her he’d answer if she performed a sex act on him” (Frum). For the most part, women are mistreated in and out of games due to derogatory representation in the games they are trying to enjoy and the communities that are associated with them. Elena Fisher is not the only female character in the gaming world, but she is among the minority of strong leads, a select few being Ellie and Tess from “The Last of Us,” Jodie Holmes from “Beyond: Two Souls,” and Amanda Ripley from “Alien: Isolation.” Men are starting to take notice of the strong female leads. As Mark Fischbach played through Figure 1 - Cover for the “The Last of Us,” he took notice of the remastered (2014) edi- tion of The Last of Us. female characters early on in the game, even Sosland Journal 3 before any real action had happened: “[Marlene] seem[s] to be doing pretty well for a girl that was shot, lots of strong female characters in this game” (Markiplier, The Last of Us – Part 3). Even the packaging (Figure 1) for “The Last of Us” shows Ellie being independent and heroic, holding a hunting rifle while the male lead stands behind her, when he would traditionally be the focal point. Sean McLoughlin played through “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” and also acknowledged the strong female lead: “Elena is my favorite character, I think probably in all of [the series]. She’s just such a cool, nice person all the time. I like her, I like her a lot. They made her very relatable. a very down-to-earth, chill girl” (Jacksepticeye, Uncharted 4 – Part 8). However, these women are so outnumbered by the sheer vastness of “damsel” types Figure 2 - Promotional ad for Grand Theft Auto V plaguing the video (2013). game community. Take a look at the advertising for the game “Grand Theft Auto V” (Figure 2) and consumers will immediately take notice of the willingness to include exposed, sexualized females as the main selling point of the game.

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