Super Me

Original Diagnostic Essay-

If I could wake up tomorrow with a superpower, I’d prefer to have the ability to read other people’s minds. There are many powers that have been shown through the media that would be intriguing to have. Out of all the other powers I think telepathy would be the easiest to get away with because people do not know you have it. Also, I feel that reading minds would be quite useful and beneficial in my life for many reasons.
Mindreading would allow me to see what other people are thinking. It’s no surprise that most people do not communicate even half their thoughts when talking. When someone speaks I find myself saying only a little of what I’m thinking at times. Having the power to read minds I would be able to tap in and see what truths are not being said. It would allow me to see which of my loved ones are loyal and if they mean what they say. Lies would be impossible to get away with because I would be able to see the truth. My support network would be increasingly positive.
I would most likely be in the same place with this superpower. I may be at a different position at work or school, though, as with my ability I would be able to see expectations more clearly. For example, at a job interview I would know exactly what the manager was looking for and what to say to get the position. Even if I did not know the job well I would quickly be able to learn what needs to be done. As I am only human, I would use this power very often. The difference would be in how the ability is used. I could not only use it to my benefit, with work, friends, and loved ones, and to find information out quickly, but to help others. If a friend was confiding in me how they were dealing with a terrible situation, I could see what they really need and be there for them the best I could. If people were struggling, I could help them without them having to hurt their pride and ask for help. When I ask the typical question, “How are you”, I would know the true answer and go from there. This skill would lastly, be extremely helpful in love relationships. Guys often say, “It’s not like I can read minds”, when in a relationship. Well, as a person that could, expectations would be clear. If they were lying about elements of the relationship that could be extremely damaging, I would know and be able to act accordingly. With this skill it also may be important for certain trusted friends or family to know of the ability so they could have a say in my reading their minds.
There would be one disadvantage of this power that I would have to discipline myself to deal with. This is a power that could be abused very easily for personal gain. If used only for selfish reasons, I could use knowing people’s thoughts against them. I could blackmail people with their secrets, use their thoughts and worries to hurt others with insults that cut through their hearts, I could use people’s thoughts to exploit them in public, even famous people. People would be so intimidated of me I could move far ahead this way, but that is one quality of having a superpower that must be considered. With any superpower the integrity and character of its owner must be evaluated. An example of this negative power comes from the movie, Xmen 2. In that film there were 3 individuals who could read minds. Two were the good guys, the xmen, who used their powers daily but only told others about their thoughts when it was needed. The last character used his power to attempt to hurt millions of mutants. As a “good guy”, I would have to use my power and make it known to others sparingly.
In conclusion, there are benefits and shortcomings in having the superpower of reading peoples minds. This power could enhance the quality of my relationships, job, and ability to help others in difficult situations. If used purely for selfish purposes, it could lead me to getting far in life but with the cost of hurting and minimizing other people’s feelings. It is a power that would take great self discipline and consideration to use in a positive way. With all power, super or not, takes integrity to use for good, I would be willing to accept the responsibility granted to me if I could wake up one morning with the ability to read minds. This power would be used to benefit myself and also others, and isn’t that what the purpose of power is?



New Diagnostic Essay-

As the days go by, each one runs into the next and it always seems the same. I wake up, go to work or school, go home, and the next day it is always the same thing. I always wonder when something will happen that would change the rest of my life. I wait for that moment when I know my world will never be the same. Then one day I woke up and it was…..
It was a normal Tuesday morning when I woke up late. I scrambled to get dressed, brush my teeth, and eat breakfast. I had to be to work at 11 am and it was already 10:45. When I was rushing out of my apartment building I accidently nudged into a lady that lives across the hall. “Gosh this girl always is running into me, she is probably late again”, thought the lady across the hall. This was crazy! Touching her I heard her thoughts but as she walked by me all she did was smile and keep going.
Could this really be? Could I read minds? So I started the day with this epiphany. All day long at work I tried out my new trick. I am a waitress so every time I would refill a drink and a persons hand was on the glass, I would accidently touch it. I could read people’s minds without touching them but when I did it strengthened the power. It is the craziest thing to hear people’s inner most thoughts. If people actually said everything they were thinking, there would be a lot of upset people. I had no idea how I obtained this power but I was going to use it to my advantage.
From that day on I led a different life. I became a famous telepathic. All over the world people knew me as the mind reader. I started to meet very famous important people. I met actors, singers, lawyers, and even men in congress who asked for my assistance. These people would have problems in their lives and would ask me to talk to someone involved and figure out the truth. I would just touch these people and instantly know what was going on in their minds. I always got paid well and my customers would recommend me to others. This was a good life for awhile. I was rich and loved, but there was always still an emptiness in my heart. I realized one day that I was unhappy because I really was not helping anyone. I was using this amazing gift to con people so they could get what they want. I decided to do something heroic with my power.
Coincidentally, the very next day I got a very important phone call. The president of the United States needed my assistance in a very serious situation. Terrorists had written a letter threatening the White House that they were going to bomb it. They had found a suspicious man lingering around the White House gates with a phone. When they approached the gentleman, he screamed,” We will get you guys”. He was taken into custody and we found out he was a member of Al Qaeda. No matter what was done to him, he would not give up where the bomb was placed or how much time was left before the explosion. I was needed immediately. A helicopter came for me and I reached the White House in no time.
The president met me at the gate and told me we were going to interview the terrorist right away. I was very nervous, but the fate of the White House could depend on me. When I got in the interview room, the man was tied up and looked severely beaten. It almost seemed like they had tried to torture him to get the answers out. He would not budge with his loss for words. As I sat down, he looked almost scared to see me. When I went to grab his hand he tried to move but was stuck in handcuffs. “She thinks she can read my mind. I know exactly who she is but what she does not know is that the bomb is going to go off in less then three minutes”. “Don’t think about the spot, whatever you do not think about place you put it or it will be over”, thought the terrorist. I told the government officials what I had heard and everybody started to panic. What would we do if we could not find the bomb?
I tried again and while I was touching his hand, I was talking about different places a bomb could be in the White House. I was hoping that if I kept naming places, he would think about the place without even noticing. “Nope, wrong again”. “What dumb people and they say this is the best country in the world”. “It’s on the side of the entrance to the White House, how could no one have noticed”?
I could not believe it! I told the president and he informed the bomb squad who instantly removed it. This was perfect timing because the bomb had 33 seconds to go. The terrorist was arrested and taken to jail. I was considered a hero and received a special reward from the president. I had saved the White House and helped put a dent on the Al Qaeda terrorist group.
I was a changed person after that. I only used my powers for important situations. I didn’t get greedy and just use it for the money. I still to this day have no idea how I received such a blessing, but I am grateful every day. I received this power for a reason so I felt I should use it for the right purposes. Every day is filled with new adventures. I never know what is going to happen next.

Easy to pass or not?

College life, very exciting. It is a whole new world of people trying to move on to the next step, whatever it may be. The social aspect is always interesting because there is such a group of diverse people. The part we all dread is the academic classes. In order to get any degree or to even graduate from TCC, a person has to pass certain classes. English 111 is one of those courses.

My first day was kind of unusual. This being my first semester in college at TCC, I did not know where any of my classes were. Class started at 11 am and around 11:30 I still had not found my English class. Finally entering the classroom, Mr. Gasparo greeted me with much enthusiam. The class was very full and here I started on my wonderful journey into English 111.

My first impression of Mr. Gasparo was he was very laid back. He is a New Yorker so I figured he would be kind of abrasive. However he did not seem that way at all. The first class period was kind of like being in a foreign country. I could understand what was going on but it was very new and different to me. As Mr.Gasparo explained what he expected of us, he also told us how most of the course assignments are found on the internet. Myself being computer illiterate, I was nervous about this. In high school nothing was really done on the internet but in college, everything is done online. Going through this course I realized I had to become familiar with computers because if a student doesn’t look up their work online, nobody will tell them when it’s due. Anytime an assignment was due, and people did not have it to turn in, Mr. Gasparo would say: Didn’t you check the syllabus online?

Throughout the last 16 weeks, I have written many papers. It seems that is mainly all I did do. We would get assigned one paper and next thing we know Mr. Gasparo is talking about a new paper that is due in a week. I am kind of glad about this because being out of school for almost three years I feel I have forgotten some writing tools. I love to write and taking English 111 with Mr. Gasparo has got me back on track. I also enjoyed the topics he would pick us to write about. They were intriguing and allowed a person to be creative. For example, the first essay we were assigned to write was the Diagnostic Essay. We could pick a superpower to have and write about it. This allowed us to use our imagination and I really liked that.

A main plus about Mr. Gasparo was he gave people a second chance. We were assigned an essay to do on a restaurant and we would have to critique it. I thought I did a pretty good job on the paper but sadly I received a C on it. Never in my life have I received a C on an English paper so I was very upset about this. When I looked at the comments Mr.Gasparo wrote on my paper, they were all simple mistakes. He arranged a meeting with me and we discussed what I could do to make my writing better. I was able to rewrite my paper and received a B on it the second time around. I am glad Mr.Gasparo was so helpful and it showed me he was really concerned about me becoming a better writer opposed to other teachers who would not have made the effort to help me.

In conclusion, I enjoyed my experience in English 111. I definitely improved my writing skills and even learned some new writing tools. I never before had even heard of the rhetorical appeals, logos, pathos, and ethos. However, using these terms in a paper helps explain the topic in much more detail. If I were to recommend Mr. Gasparo to other students, I would definitely have positive things to say. I just hope my next English experience is just as beneficial.