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Exit 17 - Eighth Edition

A collection of Mt. Hood Community College student essays
from Writing 115, 121, and 122

Reviewed, compiled, edited, and produced by

Chad Bartlett
Holly DeGrow
Jodie Marion
Jonathan Morrow
Scarlett Saavedra
David Wright
and the MHCC English Department

Table of Contents
(all essays are in PDF format - requiring Acrobat Reader)

The water this far from shore now had a creepy calmness to it. After resting my arms and legs, I sat up to have a look around. I noticed a man on a board floating through the waves that we had passed. I waved my arms back and forth and shouted, “Hey, we’re stuck out here!”

This film showed me that no matter how much I might want to forget something, somehow it is worth holding onto. Memories help people learn from previous mistakes. They help form the path that we take in life

When children hear things said, negative or positive, they internalize them. I feel that if a young male grows up in a household where male bashing is common, it could lower his self-esteem. However, as adults, I think we need to be a little thicker skinned. My question is, what is the big deal?

Writing 121

I remember on the second day of the war, the neighborhood was deserted and the streets were so quiet that it seemed like the world had stopped. We were so afraid to leave the house. The men decided to stay home while the women and the children left. We drove to the river to get a canoe to cross the river, but the water was low so a lot of people were waiting and some people were stuck in the mud. Children were crying.

It was an excruciating week to say the least. I was going crazy counting down the days until the auction was complete. During those seven days, whenever I went out anywhere – to the store to work, to my girlfriend’s house – all I could think about was getting back to my computer and checking in on my auction.

If we (the viewers) were to observe this photograph casually, we would think that these people were the typical blue collar workers in an industrial part of town, somewhere off our radar screens. Ironically, Dean, Linda, and their two children (found living in their car) were discovered hidden in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, California. The picture, subtly and powerfully, pulls us out of our comfort zones in realization that this family is right here in our midst.

There are many powerful emotions vying for expression, violent thoughts being just one in a long line. Where did these thoughts come from? Television? Oh, but if life were that simple! It would be such an easy fix for society to end violent behavior tomorrow. Unfortunately, violence has been a part of human nature since time immemorial.

At first, Nurse Ratched gets a winning smile on her face as McMurphy questions the other patients as to why they have not told him that he has slowly been digging his own grave. But when Cheswick and Scanlon disrupt the nurse’s control over the therapy sessions with insistent questions about ward policy, the first cracks are seen in Nurse Ratched’s domineering façade: she slowly perceives that McMurphy’s influence has changed the patients.

Writing 122

It has become evident that we must curtail our consumption of fossil fuels for a variety of reasons. We have known for some time now that the byproducts are harmful to the environment, that the world supply of fossil fuels is limited, and that there are many possible alternatives for producing energy. Society as a whole does not seem very concerned, though, as we continue to use fossil fuels on a daily basis. Everyone does it, so nobody feels guilty.

It isn’t a coincidence that this gun is pointing towards the viewer, nor is it an accident that the soldier is hard to see. Having this weapon pointing towards the viewer of the ad instills just the slightest bit of discomfort and helplessness. The message is, “Instead of being on the receiving end, wouldn’t you like to be the one in charge?” It effectively associates power and dominance with the product.