Paraphrasing

One concept that Niall Richardson brings up in “The Gospel According to Spiderman” is the idea that if Spiderman uses his powers for himself, nothing good can come out of it, but if he uses it for the greater good, many lives can be changed. He learn this the hard way when his innocent little crush on Mary Jane combined with his reckless actions eventually leads to the death of his Uncle Ben. 

Mary Jane had been adored by Peter Parker since they were children.  She becomes someone of intense desire and Peter does everything in his power to win her heart. Before Parker is bitten by the radioactive spider, he is a nerd with no chance whatsoever to be with Mary Jane. However, after his is endowed with superpowers, he realizes he can use his new found powers to his advantage. He devotes a large amount of time to think up ways he can get Mary Jane’s attention and possibly woo her. For instance, he participates in a wrestling match so that he can win 3000 dollars as well as bragging rights and than use the money to purchase a sports car. He believes a sports car will surely lead the way to her heart. However things do not turn out the way he wants. He does win the match, however the owner of the wrestling challenge does not pay Parker the full amount. Parker, filled with anger, silently leaves the office; moments later the owner is robbed by a thief and Parker passes on the chance to stop him. Later that night, Uncle Ben is murdered and the very same robber is guilty. It seems that whenever Peter uses his talents for his own purpose and goals, bad things happen. He won the wrestling match but did not receive 3000 dollars, he refuses to use his powers to stop a robbery which later causes his uncle’s death. Spiderman realizes that he was given these powers not to be used for his own glory, but to help the world around him. He was given these powers for a reason and needs to use them wisely, like his Uncle Ben says and through the lives that he changes, Spiderman receives the ultimate satisfaction that he made the world a better place.

Privilege

The most common example of a privilege is driving. The DMV constantly stresses how driving is a privilege and a right. Not everyone is entitled to the right to drive, it must be earned. Through long hours of watching driver's ed videos and behind the wheel training, I finally got my permit. 6 months after that, I received my driver's license. Driving is definitely a privilege because every time I drive onto that pavement, I am at risk and I am potentially putting others at risk. Driving is something that I must be trained for and be very cautious with. I must be aware at all times when I am driving because if I start to be lazy and not pay attention while I am driving, it could cost someone else's life. It should not be abused because it can lead to something tragic. Hotshot teens who think they are the best drivers in the world and believe driving fast makes them a better driver apparently do not understand the privilege of driving. All in all, driving can be very useful, but it is a privilege, given to those who have the responsibility to use it wisely.

Hello my name is Kevin Quan and I am a freshman at APU. I am from Santa Ana which is a city in Orange County, CA. I am currently undeclared and hope I can have an idea of what I want to do by the end of this school year. I enjoy working and talking with people and may be interested in sports medicine or teaching. I enjoy doing physical activities such as volleyball, football, biking and running. I especially love biking because not only is it healthy but it allows me to see the world in a much more pleasant way, unlike the limited view from inside a car. If I were to choose a car, it would be a convertible or a jeep because of how much I can see the sky, clouds, birds, and nature in general. One thing I am terrible at is time management. In school I do poorly because of my lack of time management. I am all about having fun and spending time with friends and when it comes time to work I always put it off to the last second.  One of favorite things to do is watch movies, when I am feeling bored and just want to relax, I pop a movie in and sit back on the couch and relax. When I read the expectations sheet about this English class I got very excited because it consists of watching movies, and using that to uncover the issues about society. This sounds like a very fun and effective way to learn for me.