Give a Boy a Gun Essay Example for Free

Give a Boy a Gun Essay He says just about â€Å"yes, ma’amed† and â€Å"no, ma’amed†. Yes ma’am, everything is fine. No ma’am, I don’t have a problem with anyone. But you could see the pain and anger in his eyes. Citation: What Brendan and Gary did was terribly, horribly, inexcusably wrong. I have no interest in defending them. But deep in my heart there is a little piece of me that at least understands what might have driven them to such a horrendous, evil undertaking. But what those boys id was equally inexcusable and evil. Brett Betzig – Brendan’s friend in Springfield. Citation: One thing about Brendan: He hated injustice Deidre Bunson – student on the Middletown high schoolPaul Burns – Football player. Citation: One day in class we were talking about morality, and Brendan said there was no God. He didn’t say that he didn’t believe in God. He just said there was no God. (Because of the injustice in the world, he thinks that a God can’t exist) (Page 56) Brandan Lowlor:He is a sporty, skinny guy with glasses. His parents are very friendly and they can? t understand their son’s behavior. Brandan is highly intelligent, a litte bit excited (aufgeregt? Man kann in einer bestimmten Situation aufgeregt sein, aber fur eine Charaktereigenschaft brauchst du hier einen anderen Begriff. Was genau meinst du? ) and distrustful. He loves sports and videogames like â€Å"Doom†. He doesn’t want to move to Middletown, that’s the reason why he has problems at school.

Beauty - Moving Beyound Eating Disorders and Plastic Surgery :: Beauty and the Media

Beauty - Moving Beyound Eating Disorders and Plastic Surgery Everywhere we look there is an alluring face, an exotic, flawless statuesque body, overlaying one of the largest networking systems for fashion, beauty, and cosmetics of all kinds. Magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Maxim, FHM, and many more, feed into woman’s minds of what is beautiful or the ideal self. We all struggle with coming in touch with our real self-verses our ideal self. Angelina Jolie is considered publicly as one of the most beautiful women in the world. So what is it about her that is so captivating? Her lustrous lips, which are not collagen injected? Her long black, brown, or even dirty blonde hair, depending on her role I suppose? Not to mention, the one thing that is, unfortunately and freely observed the most; her sex appeal. Here is an example of what I mean. In a movie called â€Å"Gia,’ she portrays a heroin addicted model, which might I add, is a movie based on actual events. Her career and health were diminished because of her addiction and the amou nt of pressure put on her to live up to the industries expectations. But does the film industry take these factual events to a level of complete disillusion? The answer is no. Beautiful women everywhere, that are not celebrities or models, constantly adjust themselves to remain on an unbalanced pedestal that purposively determines what defines being attractive. The amount of hype in the entertainment society causes several problems in the cosmetics of fashion. Young teenage woman strive to achieve having the prettiest hair with the perfect highlight. These young, vulnerable teenagers are determined to be the ultimate trendsetter. Weight loss and gain is a common issue among this vulnerable, low self-esteemed, diamonds in the rough. For instance, take the Hollywood Diet. The Hollywood Diet is a liquid drink composed of vitamins and minerals, amongst natural diuretics and orange extract. Some of the ingredients may cause an increase in blood pressure when introducing cardiovascular activities. Also, for some people, when there is a pre-existing heart condition combined with improper meal intake and no mineral supplements, heart failure can occur. Woman tend to compare themselves a lot with celebrities or even other beautiful woman they simply pass in the streets. From a personal perspective, I make comparisons all the time. Eating disorders are an unfortunate disease that many suffer from due to the glamorized depiction of what beauty really is.

The Trial and Death of Socrates: Linking the Symposium and the Apology

Philosophy, as it is conceived in its classical sense, means love or friendship for wisdom. Although the aforementioned conception is the most widely accepted, there is also another important conception of philosophy which springs from the Socratic-Platonic Dialogues itself; that philosophy is a certain kind of therapeia; that is, the care of one’s soul.Socrates himself believes that the care of one’s soul should be our utmost concern as human beings. Thereby, declaring that â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living. †Socrates’ trial and death as it is recorded by Plato in the Apology is one of the manifestations of Socrates’ commitment to philosophy as the care of the soul and the kind of life which is most appropriate for human beings to live. It is important to note that Socrates’ death could have been avoided if, after hearing the charges against him by his accusers Anytus and Meletus, have opted to admit that his teachings are wrong and go on a voluntary exile; but to do so would mean damaging his own soul and turning his back away from the truth; two things that Socrates is deeply committed to.This paper seeks to explore how the Symposium parallels the charges against Socrates in the Apology. In the Apology, Plato seeks to provide an account of Socrates’ trial and death; the emphasis of which is Socrates’ defense before the Athenian jurors. It is of utmost importance that we bear in mind that the Greek word apologia means defense if we are to arrive at a fuller understanding of the dialogue. The Symposium, on the other hand, deals with two very important topics: the nature of love and of knowledge.In the Apology, there are three main reasons as to why Socrates was put on trial. These may be called as the formal charges against Socrates. In Paul Millet’s book, it is clearly stated: Meletos†¦ has brought this charge and lodged this affidavit against Socrates†¦ Socrates has broken t he law by not acknowledging the gods whom the state acknowledges and introducing new daimonic things. He has also broken the law by subverting the young. The penalty should be death.(34) The foregoing passage lays down the formal charges against Socrates. Although scholars are divided in many issues concerning the supposedly historical account provided by Plato, I think it is unfair based upon the available data that there is no underlying political agenda behind Socrates’ trial and death. There are a number of reasons as to why Socrates may have many enemies. First of all, there is Socrates’ intellectual activities and reputation.Being the philosopher that he is, speculating, asking questions and probing into other people’s beliefs, it is not difficult to see that these activities offended a lot of his interlocutors especially people who are considered as knowledgeable and learned during his time. Second, Socrates’ associations are very much dangerous du ring that time. One may be reminded of Socrates’ uncle Charmides, and Critias; both members of the Thirty Tyrants.Socrates is also associated with Alcibiades, another infamous figure and also one of the key persons in the Symposium. In point of fact, such personal association with these figures is dangerous because of the political climate of the time. This is because during that time, the seat of power in Athens is very much unstable (Brickhouse and Smith 19). Such being the case, Socrates may be said to be in a very difficult situation.This is because Athens (at least, those who were in power during that time) is very critical of those personalities who can influence another upheaval and shift in the balance of power. Socrates’ intellectual activities made the youth of Athens ask questions. All of a sudden, things that are not questioned in the past are now being questioned. For some, such activities are considered dangerous and qualify as corrupting the youth of Ath ens. Socrates then, is considered as a threat to Athens and democracy.In the Symposium, we can identify an instance where Socrates questions the gods. As they were discussing love, Socrates presents a view which may be said to run against the Athenian law (and this may be related to the first formal charge against Socrates, that is, of not worshipping the gods). As Socrates makes mention of Diotima’s view about love and his agreement to her, one may say that Socrates is open to talking about and even questioning the sacred and profane.It is important to note that in the past, these things are not the type of things that is openly discussed especially in terms of questioning the gods. In the same dialogue, Symposium that is, one may notice that Alcibiades is very much attracted to Socrates and is always making ways to be alone with him. If Plato’s account is accurate, however, Socrates was able to make manifest his exceptional self-control and discipline not only in tho ught but also in bodily pleasures.In the final analysis, two important aspects offer us a tenable position as to why Socrates was put to trial and death. First, it is plausible to maintain that it is primarily because of his intellectual activities and philosophical teachings/convictions as the gadfly of Athens. Second, it is also plausible to maintain that those in the seat of power became very much in doubt of Socrates because of his personal associations with the infamous political figures of the time associated with or members of the Thirty Tyrants and traitors.The first and the second reasons may be sum up in one idea; that Socrates’ pursuit of the truth and his openness to talk about and question even the sacred and the profane poses a threat to Athens and democracy. Works Cited Brickhouse, Thomas and Nicholas Smith. Socrates on Trial. US: Oxford University Press, 1990. Millet, Paul. â€Å"The Trial of Socrates Revisited. † European Review of History 12 (2005): 2 3-62 Reeve, C. D. C. Socrates in the Apology: An Essay on Plato’s Apology of Socrates. US: Hackett Publishing, 1990.

The Scarlet Letter By Henry David Thoreau And Toni...

The past can be overwhelming-either you can learn to accept the events that have occurred and potentially let it strengthen you, or it will tear you to pieces if you dwell on it and lack acceptance or an awareness of how it might change you for the good. What has been done in one’s life can shape or determine what is to come in the future. Without being patient and understanding of your past, you can’t make that past a brighter future if you never learn to overcome a bad memory. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, Henry David Thoreau’s, Walden and Toni Morrison’s, Beloved the authors dive into different aspects of the past, each character s past dynamically affects their present; the main characters in each novel struggle with the institutionalized wrongs of their societies and how to reach for a solution to these false doings. In Beloved, the â€Å"cherry oak tree† and Beloved herself, serve as a constant cue to Sethe of all her wr ongdoings and the unforgettable experience she went through. In The Scarlet Letter, Pearl serves as a continuous token to Hester of her sin, always by her side, never letting her forget what she had done. Both protagonists’, through different dehumanizing journeys, allow themselves to grow as individuals. Each character s history is symbolized on their person; a cherry oak tree on Sethe’s back and a scarlet letter on Hester’s chest. Yet neither of them seems to be bothered by their past, they learn to embrace what they have done and becomeShow MoreRelatedBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 Pagesbetween Native Americans (or American Indians) and European explorers and settlers who had both religious and territorial aspirations - Native American oral literature / oral tradition - European explorers’ letters, diaries, reports, etc., such as Christopher Columbus’s letters about his voyage to the â€Å"New world†. - Anglo (New England) settlers’ books, sermons, journals, narratives, and poetry Native American / American Indian oral literature / oral tradition creation storiesï ¼Ë†Ã¨ µ ·Ã¦ º Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã¨ ¯ Ã¯ ¼â€°