Growing up in a town filled with poverty, I rarely heard anyone talk about investing. People worked hard just to get by, and the idea of putting money into something like stocks or bonds felt completely out of reach. Most people were focused on surviving the week, not planning for the future. But as I got older and started learning more about money on my own, I realized investing isn’t something only rich people do. It’s actually one of the most powerful tools that anyone can use to create financial stability. It’s not about how much money you make, it’s about how much you invest and how early you start. Even if someone starts small, consistent investing over time can lead to real growth and independence. The problem is, most people never get the chance to learn that. That lack of financial knowledge doesn’t just limit opportunities, it can cause people to suffer. The 2008 financial crisis is one of the clearest examples of how damaging it can be when people don’t understand the system. In the movie The Big Short, we see how a small group of investors saw the housing collapse coming because they took the time to read the fine print, ask questions, and understand the risks. Meanwhile, most of the public didn’t have the tools or knowledge to even know what questions to ask. People were getting approved for mortgages they couldn’t afford, and no one was explaining what subprime loans or adjustable rates really meant. They trusted the system, not realizing that the system wasn’t built to protect them. The Big Short highlights just how important investment literacy really is. The people who lost their homes, savings, and jobs weren’t reckless. They were just uninformed. And while the banks and financial institutions absolutely deserve blame for being dishonest and greedy, the truth is that a better understanding of money and investing might have helped regular people avoid some of the worst outcomes. Knowing how interest rates work, what kind of debt to avoid, or how to spot risky financial products could have made a big difference. It showed me that financial literacy isn’t just helpful, it’s necessary. That’s why I’m passionate about making investing feel more accessible, especially for people in communities like the one I grew up in. I want people to see that you don’t need to be rich to invest. You just need to start with what you have and be willing to learn. For my research, I plan to use credible financial sources like Investopedia, articles by certified financial planners, and real stories from people who started with little and built something for themselves. My goal is to inspire people to take control of their financial futures. I want them to see that even if you come from a place where no one talks about money or investing, you can still break the cycle. You can learn. You can build. And you can invest in yourself.

When it comes to preparing for the exam, I focused on two stories from Her Body and Other Parties. I wanted to make sure I understood them well enough to write a decent essay, so I spent time going over key themes, ideas, and anything that stood out to me. Reviewing the stories helped me feel more prepared, but when it came time to write the actual essay, it was definitely a challenge. Writing under pressure is always difficult, and I struggled to get my thoughts organized in a way that made sense. The essay itself was tough because I barely made it to three pages. At first, I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to say and how to structure my points. I had a lot of ideas, but getting them down on paper in a clear and organized way was not easy. I found myself second-guessing whether I was making my points strong enough and whether I was explaining things in a way that would make sense to the reader. The hardest part was making sure everything flowed together properly, and I didn’t want my ideas to feel scattered or all over the place. Even though it was difficult, I eventually found a rhythm. Once I started writing, I was able to build on my points and figure out what direction I wanted to go in. It still wasn’t easy, but as I kept going, I started to feel more confident about my argument. I made sure to go back over my work to check that my thoughts were sharp, concise, and to the point. I didn’t want to add unnecessary sentences just to fill space, so I focused on making sure everything I wrote had a purpose. Looking back, even though I struggled, I think the essay ended up working out in the end. One thing I hope to improve in the future is making my writing more cohesive. I want my ideas to connect better so that everything matches together nicely. At times my writing jumps from one point to another without transitioning smoothly, and I want to work on fixing that. I also want to work on my vocabulary and use larger words to make my writing sound more polished. I know that using a stronger vocabulary can help my writing feel more professional and make my arguments more persuasive, so that’s something I plan to focus on moving forward.The discussions with my classmates were one of the best parts of this experience. It was very cool to see everyone’s opinions on the stories and how different people interpreted them in their own way. Hearing other perspectives made me think about things in ways I hadn’t considered before, and it reminded me how literature can be understood in so many different ways depending on the reader. Overall, while the essay was challenging, I learned a lot from the experience, and I’m looking forward to improving my writing skills in the future. Glad that I did this though first time writing a in class essay.

I believe the message in Real Women Have Bodies is deep because it shows how society can make people, especially women, feel invisible. The idea that women are literally fading away and no one is doing anything about it is really powerful. It shows how people can just ignore things that don’t directly affect them, even when others are suffering. This happens a lot in real life. People will watch bad things happen and still keep moving like nothing is wrong.The title itself is interesting because it forces you to think about what it means to “have a body.” In the story, women are losing their physical form, but they are still here. It’s like the world decides when a person is valuable, instead of people being valuable just because they exist. That’s not fair.One of the things that stood out to me is how the dresses represent the fading women. The fact that the women are still working, sewing these dresses, even when they are disappearing, shows how people can be taken advantage of. It’s like even when someone is struggling or suffering, society just expects them to keep going, keep producing, keep contributing. But what happens to them? What happens when they are completely gone? No one seems to care. I also really liked the relationship between the protagonist and Petra. It made me think about how love exists even in situations that feel hopeless. What I learned from this story is that people deserve to be seen, to be valued, and to have control over their own lives. No one should be forced into the background, made to feel like they don’t exist or don’t matter. But that’s what happens to a lot of people in real life. The world should be a place where everyone is free to exist, express themselves, and be who they are without fear of disappearing. That’s why it’s so important to change the way society works to stop making people feel invisible and to actually see them for who they are.

I believe the message in Eight Bites is really powerful because it shows how people are pressured to change themselves just to fit into society’s expectations. The story focuses on this woman who goes through weight-loss surgery because she believes it will make her happy, but instead, she ends up feeling like she’s lost a part of herself. That really stood out to me because it shows how people think changing their appearance will fix everything, but in reality, it doesn’t always work that way.The title Eight Bites is really interesting because it comes from the idea that eating only eight bites is the right way to eat. It’s a rule that was just created by someone, but the woman in the story follows it like it’s the truth. That reminds me of how society makes up these rules about what people should look like, how they should act, and what should make them happy. But just because a rule exists doesn’t mean it’s right. One of the most disturbing parts of the story is the shadow-like figure that appears after the surgery. It’s like the part of her that got removed didn’t just disappear, it’s still there, haunting her. That really hit me because it shows how you can’t just cut away parts of yourself and expect to feel whole. Another thing that stood out to me is how the narrator’s sisters all went through the same surgery, and they act like it’s the best thing ever. It’s like they’re trapped in this cycle of thinking that being thin equals happiness, but no one is actually questioning it. That happens a lot in real life. People follow societal norms without even realizing they have a choice. It’s sad because instead of learning to accept themselves, they just keep trying to become what other people expect them to be.What I learned from this story is that people should be allowed to exist as they are without feeling pressured to change. Society makes people think they have to be a certain way to be happy, but that’s not true. Everyone has the right to define happiness for themselves. No one should feel like they have to erase a part of who they are just to be accepted. The world should be a place where people can just be themselves without judgment. But right now, there’s still so much work to do to make that a reality.