The Pura Principle

As soon as this fictional story beings I was caught off guard. Not even a few sentences in the author, Junot Diaz, began cursing up a storm while explaining the dire situation this family found themselves in. This abrupt beginning laid the foundation for a disheartening story. The narrator Yunior and his mother tended to his older brother Rafa, who tried to live a rebellious life despite the fact that he was fighting a terminal illness. Rafa continued to party and tried to hold down a job. Rafa took total advantage of his mother even after she had kicked him out because of his eloping with a young, illegal immigrant, Pura. He stole things from their apartment and continually raided his mother's savings box. I couldn't believe that even though Rafa knew he was dying he chose to hurt and push away his mother who was one of the only people who truly cared for him. He constantly tried to fight with his brother Yunior. In the end he knocked Yunior unconscious by throwing a lock at his younger brother; this came after he realized that Pura had taken advantage of him and his family. He was wrong but in the likely last months of his life he was still driving away his family. 


I had a lot of trouble understanding the meaning of this story. I truly admired how much Rafa's mother still cared for him despite him consistently pushing her away. Also, I hated Rafa for treating her like that. I think this story showed that having a serious illness does not always change a person. Usually stories that feature people dying of a serious illness focus on how they have grown and found true meaning of life after the terminal diagnosis. However, in this story Rafa steals from his mother, marries a women who I believe he does not love, and fights with his brother. This was a twist for me; Rafa never changes. I think this story showcased the dark side of dying. 

Waltz with Bashir

In Waltz with Bashir the filmmaker, Ari Folman, uses animation to depict the horrors from the Lebanon War that he struggles to remember. The animation highlights that the film comes from the memories of the soldiers in the Israeli Army but Ari cannot remember this time himself. Ari knows the darkness and seriousness of the film but he does not know the details of the experience. The yellow/brown tones and sketching effect of the animation shows the darkness and leave some details in the background. The most dramatic scene was when the footage transformed from animated to real video. The last animated picture you see features Ari breathing heavily as the women march towards him. Suddenly real footage of the Lebanon War takes over to end the film. The detailed, vivid images are apparent. We are no longer seeing memories from various sources; we are seeing actual events. This scene stood out to me because different animated moments from throughout the film are manifested in real life footage. Bringing in non-animated footage reaffirms the reality of the events depicted throughout the movie.

Annotated Bibliography

Mariscalco, Michael W., and Paul Saluan. "Upper Extremity Injuries in the Adolescent Athlete." Sports Medicine & Arthroscopy Review 19.1 (2011): 17-26. SPORTDiscus. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

This article talks about adolescent athlete’s injuries stemming from overuse of the extremities utilized in their specific sport. This article specifically describes upper extremities injuries extensively. It includes descriptions, graphics, and images. This author is affiliated with a pediatric orthopedic surgery and sports medicine firm. This gives the author ethos on the topic discussed in the article. It was published in the Sports Medicine & Arthroscopy Review 2011.

Bowman, Lee. "Health | Medical: As Kids Get Bigger, Youth Sports Injuries Mount | Seattle Times Newspaper." The Seattle Times | Seattle Times Newspaper. 4 Nov. 2010. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2013335217_webkids05.html>.

Injuries are increasing in today’s society because kids are physically bigger according to this article. The author cites strength and conditioning training as possible causes. My paper topic will be supported by this article because it explains the decrease in participation because of the increase in competition.

Rechel, Julie A., Ellen E. Yard, and R. Dawn Comstock. "An Epidemiologic Comparison of High School Sports Injuries Sustained in Practice and Competition." Journal of Athletic Training 43.2 (2008): 197-204. SPORTDiscus. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

This article compares practice and competition injury rates and patterns in boys and girls high school sports during the 2005-2006 school year. This study shows that there is a cross-sport difference and a difference between practice and competition. It gives specific numbers for rates of injury. This official study provides statistics to back-up my research.

Christine Le Scanff, et al. "Predictors of Perceived Susceptibility to Sport-Related Injury among Competitive Runners: The Role of Previous Experience, Neuroticism, and Passion for Running." Applied Psychology: An International Review 58.4 (2009): 672-687. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

According to this article found in the book Applied Psychology: An International Review the amount of precaution taken by athletes depends on their previous experiences with injury. It discusses the determinants of perceived susceptibility to sport-related injury. It cites previous injury or extreme passion were two traits that indicated prevention measures likely be taken. Several distinct factors contribute to one’s supposed injury rate. The article describes effective methods to counteract low perceived susceptibility.

Farrey, Tom. "Competitive Youth Sports in Society: What President Obama Needs to Know to Get -- and Keep -- Kids Moving." Current Sports Medicine Reports 9.6 (2010): 359-363. SPORTDiscus. EBSCO. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.

To account for a political prospective this article takes into account President Obama’s “Child Obesity Task Force”. While this article focuses on the reduction of the obesity epidemic facing the nation’s children what makes the article relevant to my research is its connection to youth sports. It “confronts today's culture of organized youth sports”. The problem with organized youth sports is it governs most of the recreational resources available. The culture of youth sports contributes to the competitive nature of sports.