Part 1

For my five objects, I chose a tiny FSU piggy bank, an otter bracelet, a star from my
father in Kuwait, a sticker that says Powered by Tofu, and a program from an academic award
ceremony.
The little piggy bank was a gift given to me by my mother around Christmas time. When
she gave it to me, I was extremely happy because she gave it to me as a little surprise. This
little pig was a combination of some things I love: a pig and FSU. The pig is made from plastic
and its sweater is made from synthetic cloth. It is used as a Christmas decoration or it can be
used as a piggy bank. This object is cute and funny, because of the size and the pigs custom fit
FSU sweater. The genre of the piggy bank would be decoration. Decorations appear
everywhere around us. They add personality to a room. They are the reason a room likes nice
and inviting or cold and barren. People use certain decorations that look visually appealing to
them or have a special meaning. I was so happy when my mom gave this to me because it was
so thoughtful. Whenever I look at my little pig, I think of how giving and loving my mom is.
The otter bracelet was also a Christmas present given to me. It came with another
bracelet, and the two otters on the bracelets hold hands. My sister received the other otter
bracelet. It is a symbol for our bond as sisters. The bracelet is made out different metals and is
used as a piece of jewelry, which is the genre. Jewelry acts as a constant reminder to whoever
is wearing it of something special, like a wedding band or a necklace that has been passed
down through generations. Jewelry is also used to accessorize. I wear my otter bracelet to
display how my sister and I are connected. This object suggests the unity that my sister and I
have. The creators of the bracelet, the company Alex and Ani make bracelets with charms that
represent different things, so whoever is wearing it can wear a bracelet that is displaying
something important to them.
My next object is star from an American flag that my father flew in an airplane in Kuwait.
To me, it is like having a little piece of him here with me in the United States. It is made of cloth.
The stars affective dimension is comforting, because I have a little piece of my father no matter
where he is. The star is a keepsake. This affects the meaning because if you did not know this,
you would think it was just a plain star with no story behind it. Keepsakes can be anywhere and
take any form. This genre is specific to humans because we are sentimental. We hold onto
things that have significance to us. We find comfort in these objects and the memories they
hold.
The Powered by Tofu sicker is an object that shows that I enjoy tofu. I think it is funny,
many people do not like tofu and have many misconceptions about it. But I embrace it and love

tofu; this sticker symbolizes that. It is also a testament to my love of animals. Peta2 is a youth
organization designed to fight for animal rights. It has different techniques to spread the
message than its more well known sister group, Peta. The sticker is silly and lighthearted. The
sticker is like an advertisement because they appear everywhere and can stick to a lot of
surfaces. This helps with spreading messages because of their versatile nature and easy
accessibility.
Finally, my last object is the program from the Showcase of Seminole Scholars. It is a
souvenir from the ceremony and I believe it shows my hard work and dedication. The program
from the Showcase of Seminole Scholars would be classified as a program. Programs appear at
events to inform what is going to happen during the event. They list speakers, times, and other
information pertaining to the event. It is also a physical object to take away from the event.
When I look at this object, it gives me a feeling of pride. People around me feel happiness for
me because of my achievement.
If you combine all these objects, you can see a message of compassion and dedication.
The pig, bracelet, and star keepsake all have my family in common. Being away from them
makes me realize how much I love and appreciate them. All though the genres are different in
these objects, they are all quite similar to me because of their common theme. When looking at
my tofu sticker and program, I can see how dedication is important to me. When there is
something worth fighting for or I am passionate about a certain subject, I really want to go out
there and put my all into it. And if possible, try to help solve the problem. For example, animal
rights is a subject that is very important to me. I feel the responsibility to raise awareness. It is
not a message many people are open to receiving, so I have to be dedicated and positive. As
for being dedicated in school, getting good grades in college now means I am on track to getting
a good job. The end goal does not even have to be a good job, just as long as I am in a
situation where I am happy. I do not know what the future holds, but I know for a fact what you
put in is what you get out. I would love to not to work hard in school and stay home, I know if I
put in the effort there is a reward at the end of the journey.
These objects are all different, but they highlight the parts of me that I value and see to
be most important in my life right now.

Dear Professor,
I have always loved nature and animals. I grew up playing with stuffed animals and
exploring outdoors with my brother. But something interesting happened when I was 11. My
brother turned vegetarian. This was a slight shock because as a family we never gave
vegetarianism any thought. I praised him for his choice, but never thought I could give up meat.
Some serious cognitive dissonance was happening to me. I felt like the biggest hypocrite. I did
not think it was right to say I loved animals but still choose to eat them. After some
documentaries and learning about the meat industry, I swore off meat at 14 years old. Two
years later, I finally turned vegan. It felt right. My actions finally caught up with my beliefs.
Through the years of learning about vegetarianism and veganism, I found out that there is so
much more to these lifestyles than saving animals. Most important to me was that not eating
animal products makes a significant difference in the environment.
When you think of the biggest environmental problems we face today, you probably
would not think meat would be a major contributor. I am passionate about veganism and the
environment because the two go together so well and one affects the other. I think more people
need to consider the fact that meat is essentially destroying the Earth. There are a lot of
resources and factors that go into food, especially those that contain animal products. There is a
giant disconnect in how we think we think our food gets to us.
Water usage is a big environmental problem. It is becomes even more of a problem
when we talk about food production because the high demand for meat is too high in
comparison to the amount of water available. We are pulling water from natural sources faster
than it can replenish itself. These animals need to water to drink, and all the grains they eat
need irrigation. This really strains our water resources. Rainforests are being cleared in order to
make farmland to grow soybeans, which are then fed to cattle, which finally gets turned into
beef. Also, cows produce methane, which is an even stronger green house car than CO2. Pig
excrements are stored in lagoons and have no place to empty into, so more lagoons are
created. The meat industry is causing serious harm to the environment through these and many
more unsustainable practices. Years of documentaries, articles, and following animal rights
groups have provided me with this information. It is hard to ignore these facts when you come
across them so often.
I want to know the best way to educate people in this topic. That is the best way to start
any sort of change. Once you get the message out in an effective way and people begin to
respond, the movement grows on its own. I also want to educate myself more on the damage to
the environment so when people ask questions I can give factually correct responses that are
backed up. The best way to get this information is through research. By using databases I can
find articles that contain factual information that has the sole purpose of educating.
People are not responsive to veganism. It has turned into a word people associate with
radical and unrealistic ideas. And along with that, people love and value food very much
because it is a cultural thing. People also do not respond well when they feel like someone is
telling them what to do. I picture myself as a non-vegan all the time and imagine how it would
feel if someone was telling me what to do. But the thing is I was a non-vegan once and in reality,
only a few activists group, if any, really force the idea of veganism on people. It seems like
vegans are being forceful because it appears that they are asking so much change from you.

Its hard to change your habits and ways. But we need to focus on what we can do in the now in
the present to better the future. Lowering the amount of meat a person consumes benefits our
Earth in more ways than one.
I believe it is a problem that people are not making smart choices when it comes to the
food they eat and buy. Animal products are very destructive and only causing harm to our
environment. If people in developed countries become more educated on these issues caused
by the livestock industry, perhaps they can make better choices in the grocery store.
Sincerely,
Bianca Diaz