Frank McCourts Angelas Ashes Essay -- Essays Papers

Frank McCourts Angelas Ashes Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes is a powerful and emotional memoir of his life from childhood through early adulthood. This book is a wonderfully inspired piece of work that emotionally attaches the reader through McCourt’s life experiences. Its effectiveness is primarily due to McCourt’s evolving ‘innocent-eye’ narrative technique. He allows the reader to experience his own life in a changeable form. Through this unique story telling technique, the reader is able to watch Frank grow and evolve. Between the ages of four, eleven and fourteen changes in his writing can be easily identified. It is evident that the written text, McCourt’s thoughts, and the resultant relationship with the reader evolve and become more complex during this part of his life. When describing his experiences at the age of four, McCourt's writing style is very much like a story told from a child’s perspective. He uses simple dialogue and a ‘tell it like it is’ approach: â€Å"We’re on the seesaw. Up, down, updown. Malachy goes up. I get off. Malachy goes down. Seesaw hits ground† (19). At this point, he demonstrated a basic, staccato-like sentence structure. McCourt presents information as if heard and interpreted by a child. On page38 Mrs. Leibowitz, a kind neighbour who lives in the same building as the McCourt family, says, â€Å"Nice Chewish name, have apiece of cake, eh? Why they give you a Chewish name, eh?† The reader knows that the word Jewish is spelled as it is heard and that this is typical of child interpretations. Just as simple dialogue is used throughout the book, so are simple pattern thoughts. Children have a tangible stream of consciousness and often have a tendency to change subject matter quickly throughout a conversation: â€Å"They have their tea†¦uncle Pa Keating, who is my uncle because he’s married to my aunt Aggie, picks up Eugene† (87). The reader already knows from previous information that Pa Keating is the children’s uncle. Just as children often incorporate needless information into a conversation, McCourt does the same in his writing. The reader acquires an image that a real conversation is taking place. Frank McCourt also shows the reader, through examples such as on page 16, that his thoughts as a child are quite simple. He tries to describe the anger he feels by stating â€Å"a blackness comes over me.† Because of his age, he... ...scriptive and has an involved sentence structure characteristic of a mature writer. His thoughts and his feelings are deeply profound. The relationship with the reader has changed extremely and is quite noticeable. In the beginning and parts of the middle of this book, the reader is ‘shown’, not described, a scenario where the result is often left to be interpreted. This is not so at the end of his memoir. Frank McCourt, instead of using a ‘show and tell’ narrative method, which applies in the beginning, is in a didactic mode where he explains everything in detail and there is nothing left for the reader to interpret. To conclude, there is an evolved Frank evidently noticed from the start through to the end. As Frank McCourt grows and develops into an adult, so too does his writing. The written text, thoughts and the relationship with the reader indeed evolves and becomes more complex as Frank matures. Examples taken from the ages of four, eleven and fourteen show these noticeable differences. Through an evolving ‘innocent-eye’ narrative technique McCourt is able to establish a powerful emotion connection with the reader. Bibliography: Frank McCourt. Angela's Ashes

Teen Conformity in Sinclair Lewis Babbitt and in Society Today Essay

Teen Conformity in Babbitt and in Society Today      Ã‚   In society today, people feel the need to belong. They feel as though they have to be a part of something in order to feel special. At times, they will go so far as to lose their individuality and submit themselves into complete ignorance just to be able to know that there is someone or something to which they can always fall back on. Conformity is one of the most common and most apparent forms of Babbittry in the twenty - first century. First, the question must be answered: "What is conformity?" The answer, of course, is very simple. Conformity is a person changing their attitude or behavior on their own in order to fulfill certain social norms (Ferguson). Conforming to social norms can mainly be seen in peer pressure with adolescents. "Peer pressure is the influence that people in your age group exert on you." (Kowalski 6). Every day on television, there are advertisements for cars, beauty products, music, and clothes. Peer pressure can also be seen with drug use, types of music, clothes, and the list goes on. People feel as though if they give into these peer pressures, then all of their problems will simply go away. They will no longer be picked on for listening to the wrong music or wearing the wrong clothes. It is certainly much easier than resistance (Ferguson). This of course would result in confrontation and leads to isolation.    The novel Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis certainly demonstrated the need for an individual to conform to social norms. The main character's son, Theodore Roosevelt Babbitt, or Ted, accurately represents how teenagers conform in order to feel a part of something. Ted often demonstrates the need to be different tha... ...   Ã‚  Ã‚   Current Health, A Weekly Reader Publication Sep. 1999: 6. Lewis, Sinclair. Babbitt. 1922. New York: Signet Classics, 1998. Maxwell, Kimberly A. "Friends: The Role of Peer Influence Across Adolescent Risk Behaviors."   Ã‚  Ã‚   Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aug. 2002: 267 - 311. Rhoads, Kelton. (1997). "What Can Social Influence Do?"   Ã‚  Ã‚   Working Psychology Website. Retrieved November 8, 2002: http://www.workingpsychology.com/whatcan.html Wesley, Valerie W., et al. "Raising Kids Strong; A Guide to Giving Children Values They can Lean On."   Ã‚  Ã‚   Essence Dec. 1989: 73 - 76.    "Who's Cool in School?: Athletes, Cheerleaders on Top; "Dorks" are a Social Flop."  Ã‚   (1996, September 20). University   Ã‚  Ã‚   of Virginia News. Retrieved November 22, 2002:   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/textonlyarchive/September_1996/nerd.txt Teen Conformity in Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt and in Society Today Essay Teen Conformity in Babbitt and in Society Today      Ã‚   In society today, people feel the need to belong. They feel as though they have to be a part of something in order to feel special. At times, they will go so far as to lose their individuality and submit themselves into complete ignorance just to be able to know that there is someone or something to which they can always fall back on. Conformity is one of the most common and most apparent forms of Babbittry in the twenty - first century. First, the question must be answered: "What is conformity?" The answer, of course, is very simple. Conformity is a person changing their attitude or behavior on their own in order to fulfill certain social norms (Ferguson). Conforming to social norms can mainly be seen in peer pressure with adolescents. "Peer pressure is the influence that people in your age group exert on you." (Kowalski 6). Every day on television, there are advertisements for cars, beauty products, music, and clothes. Peer pressure can also be seen with drug use, types of music, clothes, and the list goes on. People feel as though if they give into these peer pressures, then all of their problems will simply go away. They will no longer be picked on for listening to the wrong music or wearing the wrong clothes. It is certainly much easier than resistance (Ferguson). This of course would result in confrontation and leads to isolation.    The novel Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis certainly demonstrated the need for an individual to conform to social norms. The main character's son, Theodore Roosevelt Babbitt, or Ted, accurately represents how teenagers conform in order to feel a part of something. Ted often demonstrates the need to be different tha... ...   Ã‚  Ã‚   Current Health, A Weekly Reader Publication Sep. 1999: 6. Lewis, Sinclair. Babbitt. 1922. New York: Signet Classics, 1998. Maxwell, Kimberly A. "Friends: The Role of Peer Influence Across Adolescent Risk Behaviors."   Ã‚  Ã‚   Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aug. 2002: 267 - 311. Rhoads, Kelton. (1997). "What Can Social Influence Do?"   Ã‚  Ã‚   Working Psychology Website. Retrieved November 8, 2002: http://www.workingpsychology.com/whatcan.html Wesley, Valerie W., et al. "Raising Kids Strong; A Guide to Giving Children Values They can Lean On."   Ã‚  Ã‚   Essence Dec. 1989: 73 - 76.    "Who's Cool in School?: Athletes, Cheerleaders on Top; "Dorks" are a Social Flop."  Ã‚   (1996, September 20). University   Ã‚  Ã‚   of Virginia News. Retrieved November 22, 2002:   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/textonlyarchive/September_1996/nerd.txt

Is Balochistan the New Bangladesh?

THESIS STATEMENT: Despite the similar unfair treatment towards Balochistan, like Bangladesh; Balochistan is not the same situation as Bangladesh. Ever since Pakistan came into being it has faced numerous challenges, some of which have been crucial to overcome in light of its handicapped economy, and lack of a headstrong goverment. A very crucial point along these years has been the loss of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, which revolted against the government of Pakistan due to unfair treatment of their people and gained independence for themselves with the help of the Indian Army, when matters were beyond bad.The case in discussion here is the recent turmoil in Balochistan; their lack of autonomy, lack of security, and extraction of resources. Does that make Balochistan the next Bangladesh? According to the following analysis, not so much. Social Similarities: The cry for independence in East Pakistan that led to the formation of Bangladesh started from the language riots. When East P akistan, which made up 60 percent of Pakistan’s population, was denied their right to Bengali being the national language; they became infuriated since most people there couldn’t speak Urdu or English very well.This need for their language brought about the start of the Bengali nationalism. The angry Bengalis of East Pakistan started rioting massively, fighting for their language; hence uniting the youth and the students towards one cause and starting the Bengali Nationalist Movement. The nationalism in Bengalis and their protests towards the wrong being done to them in other ways such as politically and economically brought about their first cry for independence.Similarly in Balochistan, the exploitation of their people, the atrocities done to them, and unfair conditions has led to the Balochistan Nationalist Movements. Organizations like BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army), BRA (Balochistan Republican Army), and BLF (Balochistan Liberation Fund) are all working towards supporting Baloch nationalism and fighting for their rights. Even though the cause of this nationalism in Balochistan does not have much to do with language, the fact that this nationalism has evolved and is now pressing the Balochis towards wanting independence, is a striking similarity etween Balochistan and Bangladesh. It can be said that this nationalism is what is driving both Balochis and Bengalis towards the larger picture of wanting independence. Differences: Even though socially Bangladesh and Balochistan are similar with their nationalism standing high and above, there are a lot of social differences that keep them apart from falling under the same situation. In Bangladesh, the Bengalis were a lot more united as a whole.Since the beginning Bengalis never wanted to be divided, but when they were done so against their will and then given to a federation that didn’t allow its language, agitation had built up amongst the Bengalis. This nationalism amongst them was very uniting, and helped them in the later years when they faced other unfair conditions politically and economically. So the fact that their leader Sheikh Mujib Ur Rehman and their different Nationalist movements led by the students were very united in their goals made their nationalism even stronger.It can be said that those leading the protests in Bangladesh wanted the goodwill of all the Bengalis and wanted their voice heard. However, in Balochistan that unity is seen missing. Historically, Balochistan was a large land mass which had different tribes living together, divided into borders, each on their own. Balochistan as a primordial ethnicity never existed. The Mughals had first set up Kaalat, with a king/emperor given the title of ‘Khan’. Slowly, five different states were set up in Balochistan, each with their own leader.Later on when Pakistan came into being, these 5 states were still pretty much separate without a larger name of a geo political entity. The name Ba lochistan was given to these tribes’ years after they had been a part of Pakistan, in 1971 when Balochistan was made a province. Slowly and gradually the political issues started tearing the Balochis into protesting for their rights. Since the tribes had been divided and appointed Sardars/chiefs to rule them, these Sardars started manipulating their own Balochi people into getting the government to fulfill their demands.Hence the Sardars would light up a fire, the people would start riots and the Government of Pakistan would pay them to calm them down. This continued until the Balochis backfired on their own Sardars and kicked them out of Balochistan. In light of this, it can be said that Balochistan isn’t very united in its cry for independence/autonomy. The different organizations working for the Balochistan Nationalist Movement don’t work together, since they come from different families and have different agendas of their own.The Balochis were led down by th eir own Sardars who should have been holding them together and protecting them, but instead they were not willing to put aside their own agendas, goals and conflicts; this made the different Sardars stand against one another and not come together to stand for a larger cause for their people. Hence Balochistan is way different from Bangladesh in the sense that it lacks Bangladesh’s unity and strength that came from their union in Nationalism. Economical Similarities: Balochistan and Bangladesh both present one similarity, which is economical neglect from the rest of Pakistan.When Bangladesh was East Pakistan, it formed 60% of Pakistan’s population; however, resources were put more towards the establishment of West Pakistan, as compared to East Pakistan. Hence, East Pakistan was always economically ignored and not given higher weightage in line of the fact that they formed a larger portion of Pakistan. Resources were taken from East Pakistan and put to the betterment of West Pakistan; later in the years Ayub Khan’s industrialization plan, which was the golden age of Pakistani Capitalism, also involved setting up industries in West Pakistan, instead of East Pakistan.In the very same manner, Balochistan is also being economically neglected. Even though Balochistan is a desert and is largely barren, that does not mean that it lacks its fair share of natural resources. The land of Balochistan contains natural resources like Sui Gas and Rico Diq, which are worth hundreds of billions of dollars making it one of the world’s potentially richest regions. Yet, the people of Balochistan live in poverty, deprived of clean drinking water, education, and the natural gas that their own land pumps to the rest of Pakistan.This makes it a similar target of extraction of resources and lack of constructive attention, just like Bangladesh was. Geo Strategic Differences: Even though similar in the unfair treatment they received economically, Both Banglades h and Balochistan are different from one another from a geo strategic point of view. Talking about Balochistan, it is the largest land mass of Pakistan, is full of natural resources like oil, gas, coal, gold and many other precious materials and minerals, which are largely valuable to Pakistan.It plays a very important role on the foreign affairs of Pakistan by sharing borders with Iran, and Afghanistan. Protected by the surrounding Arabian Sea as well as mountainous ranges, Balochistan is connected to CARs through the Chaman Pass. Countries like China take interest in developing the Gawadar port in Balochistan; whereas the US also has immense interest in Balochistan’s large land mass; hence its unique geo strategic position is very important for Pakistan.Bangladesh on the other hand was never much important for Pakistan from a geo strategic point of view. Since East Pakistan was thousands of miles away from West Pakistan, with a large mass of enemy territory in between; Bang ladesh never held any geo strategic importance. Moreover, Bangladesh didn’t have the billions of dollars worth of resources, neither did it have any importance to the US which further decreased its geographical importance for Pakistan. The US never held any interest in East Pakistan, since they didn’t sign SEATO, which was a strategic treaty.The geographical importance of Balochistan makes it a lot more valuable for Pakistan, also since if Pakistan loses Balochistan, it basically losses its majority land area, as well as disrupts relations with its connecting countries. However, Bangladesh didn’t hold any such importance and it was always an understood fact that losing Bangladesh would be a lot easier, if ever there was an enemy attack. Political Similarities: Bangladesh was a victim of political instability from Pakistan’s end since the very beginning.The reason Bangladesh and Balochistan want away from Pakistan is the unfair treatment they have received . This unfair treatment varies greatly between the two, but brings them under the same light in the manner that it is highly uncalled for. Bangladesh was always denied its fair share of representation as East Pakistan, similarly Balochistan isn’t given any autonomous power to control its own province; the provincial government in Balochistan has been made highly handicapped with the little power it is granted. Differences:Politically, both Bangladesh and Balochistan fall under unfair treatment; however, the political situations in both areas are very different. When Bangladesh was still East Pakistan, the largest political problem it faced was the fact that it wasn’t granted the political representation in the government that it rightfully deserved, seeing that it was the majority area of Pakistan. From the day Pakistan was formed, till the years that followed, it was obvious that with the government being based in West Pakistan, The majority would be controlled by the minority. In his article Bangladesh: why it happened?G. W. Choudhary writes, â€Å"Pakistan began its political career under a parliamentary system modeled on Westminster and under a federal constitution. But neither the parliamentary system nor the federation was genuine. The constitutional forms and trappings of democracy only provided a cloak for rule by the few who were able to concentrate power in their own hands. During eleven years (1947-58) of so called parliamentary democracy, there was not a single general election, and the provincial elections were described and ‘a farce, mockery and a fraud upon the electorate’. In light of this it can further be explained how East Pakistan never received its fair share of representation in the government. Moreover, there were denied their rightful power when their political party, Awami League won the elections in 1970-71. From the years that followed from 1947, when Pakistan was formed, till 1971, when Bangladesh was for med; East Pakistan was never given its fair share, neither in the army, nor in the government.Hence they were always politically weak despite the fact that there was immense unity amongst their own organizations and political parties, working for the Bengalis. It must be noted that East Pakistan was always politically united amongst its own people; as in there weren’t sub divided feuds amongst the Bengalis that kept them politically at par with each other. In Balochistan this unity was missing. Since Balochistan had never been a single, united political entity; the Sardars were divided in their ambitions and had a tone of feuds amongst themselves.These caused the biggest political weakness of Balochistan. Even though just like Bangladesh, Balochistan never got the representation in army, or government that it asked for; what differentiates the two is the fact that Balochistan fell victim to its own internal feuds. In his article Balochistan is no Bangladesh, Sushant Sareen de scribes this as, â€Å"The trouble is that while many of the tribal Sardars, in their hearts ight be supportive of the Baloch cause, or are being forced by public sentiment as well as the circumstances on the ground to pay lip-service to the aspirations of the Baloch people (for example, Akhtar Mengal insisting on a dialogue with the Pakistani authorities under the aegis of the UN), they are not willing to put aside their personal egos in the service of Baloch nationalism. Their personal ambitions, feuds, rivalries, a desire to be one-up on their fellow Sardars makes it impossible for all of them to come together for the larger cause of their people. † Hence their leadership issues form a major political drawback for Balochistan.Another major political issue that separates Balochistan from being the next Bangladesh is the high importance of anarchy in Balochistan. Even though the legal constitution doesn’t allow for there to be a Jirga system that prevails in Balochist an; but since the judiciary is weak and Balochis don’t trust it, they turn to the Jirga system. Since the Pakistan government never did anything substantial to stop this Jirga system, it has deep rooted itself amongst Balochistan, turning it into anarchy in the name of democracy. This has given way to the Balochistan game.Different countries have come and started to set up their roots in Balochistan trying to take it over. MILITARY Similarities: On 25th March, 1971, Operation Searchlight was started; where six brigades of Pak Army moved into East Pakistan and arrested workers; people of East Pakistan were sexually assaulted by the army and were left crippling while their governor Sheikh Mujeed Ur Rehman was arrested. East Pakistan suffered sexual, physical, and psychological torture at the hands of their country’s army. Similarly, people in Balochistan have suffered and are still suffering at the hands of the Pakistan army.Missing people cases are on the high, bodies a re found lying around after days of waiting and the torture just doesn’t seem to stop. This forms part of the major problems of Balochistan, which is not enough security. Even though this similarity of torture at the hands of the army remains, there's no denying the fact that its intensity in Balochistan is far greater than that in Bangladesh. In light of all the above mentioned similarities and differences, a conclusion can be reached about whether or not Balochistan is going to be the next Bangladesh.Despite the fact that the similarities remain, making it look like the same way nationalism and nationalist movememnts were a start towards the larger independence of Bangladesh, Balochistan remains a different situation. It’s safe to say that Balochistan is no Bangladesh. That statement lies on the fact that the problem of Balochistan is beyond that of unfair treatment by the government. Balochistan faces what is a severe case of lack of unity, unlike Bangladesh which w as always a lot more united in its attempt to gain independence.Balochistan is a case of crippled inner politics, encouraged by the Pakistani government that further weakens it towards not being able to gain anything substantial. BIBLIOGRAPHY: * http://www. chowrangi. com/why-balochistan-is-burning. html * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_Bangladesh#Creation_of_Pakistan * http://www. jstor. org/discover/10. 2307/2613440? uid=2129;uid=2;uid=70;uid=4;sid=21101363476631 * http://www. thedailystar. net/forum/2011/December/on. htm * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Bengali_Language_Movement http://bangladeshwatchdog. blogspot. com/2012/02/bangladesh-and-now-balochistan. html * http://idsa. in/idsacomments/BalochistanisnoBangladesh_ssareen_190110 * http://www. defence. pk/forums/strategic-geopolitical-issues/165565-balochistan-pakistan-s-second-bangladesh. html * http://blogs. thenews. com. pk/blogs/2012/02/saving-balochistan/ * http://www. nation. com. pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-d aily-english-online/columns/03-Oct-2012/the-balochistan-plan * http://www. bangladeshfirst. com/docdetails. php? cid=9;docid=1

Anonymous Hacker Book Report

Allow me to explain. Not that long ago there was a shooting in Sandy Hook Elementary school. It was a tragedy across the board that most of us felt. While the Anon portions of the internet (Achaean, Reedit, etc) teemed with inappropriate Jokes and disgusting humor, there was an underlining sense of outrage that could be felt in the far corners of the deep net. This didn't come to full bloom until the Westbrook Baptist Church stepped in with their plans to protest the funerals of the dead children of Sainthood.Immediately the same people who would post â€Å"dead kid mess† were striking out urbanely and quite harshly against the audacity of someone to tarnish the memory of kids In real life. That's what a lot of people don't understand about Anon and the 100 different sec groups out there trolling â€Å"newfangled† and â€Å"morals†. The net is a different world inside. Anon and everyone else do not see it as an extension of real life unless it's to make an impact . These are the same personality types that love tagging things with spray paint. It's all for laughs, until however it gets serious.Westbrook Baptist Church (WEB from now on) struck a moral nerve with Anon and the est. of the hastiest community. Commander X came out of retirement, Jester (whose admittedly against Anion's actions usually, came out in support and offered services. ) Whether It was setting up VPN for everyone to run Dodos off of or setting up old school pranks Like pizza wars or blacking out (faxing black pieces of paper to run out Ink) It went Like wildfire. It was one of the first times I've ever seen all the factions come together. What amazed me however was the interactive real life protests that went down.Anonymous called for actions and the net responded in kind. Ass of people took to the streets from Anon to protest the WEB. With them members of the Hells Angels and even former military and off duty police stood in solidarity against them. What was amazing was the fact that this translated from online IIRC to real time real life protest. People broadcasted the whereabouts of the WEB van and flooded any hotel with calls, faxes and emails who dare take them in. This was then broadcasted again on Stream so the world could see Just how powerful the Internet could be. The biggest thing was Black Lotus.A service that provided hardcore Dodos protection for invalids. This service costs a lot of money to employ and only those most fearful of an attack will get In touch wit Black Lotus. However that week they were held over a barrel. Instead of going Dodos was not an option really, what was however was the â€Å"dioxin† of the employees. Dog were accumulated in a massive pastiest that went around the net. Everyone who was poised went online and did their research. This yielded some insane results. Everything from the Coo's address and phone number and social security number were captured.After a bunch of threats and back and forth with YANG (Your Anonymous News) twitter account and Jackal (one of the few respected enough to lead a proper â€Å"Pop†) the company employing Black Lotus protection gave up. Instead of being dosed, they gave all the money they got from WEB to the Sandy Hook Victims fund on top of a generous donation of k. We Are Anonymous is a good book about a few isolated incidents. I don't however find it to be indicative of what Anon is about or the other sec that work within the hastiest community. Yes we did it for the lulls, but there was a sense of â€Å"moral† to all of us.

Should Physician-Assisted Suicide be Legal?

Most people in North America die what may be called a bad death. One study found that ‘More often than not, patients died in pain, their desires concerning treatment neglected, after spending 10 days or more in an intensive care unit’† (Horgan). The word euthanasia is the opposite of bad death in that its Greek origins of eu (good) and thanatos (death) have it meaning good death.   The media attention dedicated to Dr.   Jack Kevorkian, the â€Å"death doctor,† in the 1980s has given rise to some interesting questions and moral dilemmas concerning the right to die.   Ã‚  Jack Kevorkian made use of suicide machines, rigged contraptions that would deliver a death blow, to his patients that recommended them.Basically, euthanasia is the mercy killing of an individual who has a terminal illness and who might be in considerable pain or have no quality of life.   It can take two forms.   Passive Euthanasia is simply denying the patient lifesaving treatment s.   Examples of this can be the removal of feeding tubes or breathing tubes.   Active Euthanasia is, as the name implies, an active way to put a suffering individual to death.   It may include administering lethal doses of painkillers or toxins to the individual.   One definition of physician assisted suicide which combines both type of euthanasia and therefore has been dubbed ‘voluntary passive euthanasia (VPE) is â€Å"A physician supplies information and/or the means of committing suicide (e.g. a prescription for lethal dose of sleeping pills, or a supply of carbon monoxide gas) to a person, so that they can easily terminate their own life (Robinson). Recently morals and ethics have come into conflict over this issue.   Is the right to die inherent in each individual?   What role does dignity play?   Is the quality of life more important than the sanctity of life?The majority of people look to answer these questions from their own personal experiences.   T hose who have watched love ones die long and painful deaths will usually wish to avoid those ends themselves.   When death is imminent, suffering for a few extra days spent in pain or even unconscious or unaware of one’s surroundings seems a futile and even cruel punishment to inflict upon oneself or a loved one.   Others fear that the depression and pain experienced by the dying person are clouding their decision-making abilities. However, personal feelings are the least likely to be validated because everyone’s personal feelings and view differ.   Therefore, other levels of the moral and legal hierarchy must be considered.Many attempt to resolve this dilemma through religious avenues.   Religion as a basis for legal decisions is not uncommon.   Legally, the church and state must remain separate, but many exceptions have been made.   A moment of silence in school can be used for prayer.   Member of certain religious denominations may refuse medical treat ment such as vaccinations for their children.   Certain individuals are not required to swear on the Bible in court, and some religious groups are even allowed controlled and illegal substances for use in religious services.   Clearly precedence has been set for breaching or at least blurring, the line between legal and moral. Most devoutly religious individuals believe that taking the life of another is immoral under any circumstances.   They believe that only God can give and take life. Clearly they view physician-assisted suicide as murder.   Doctors who do so are playing God, which is considered a sin.From a medical standpoint, doctors are often in the middle of this debate. As physicians, they are extremely knowledgeable about the pain and suffering associated with terminal diseases and injuries.   They may feel personally saddened at this deterioration of a patient that they have come to know.   However, the doctors are bound by the Hippocratic Oath in which they h ave sworn â€Å"first, do no harm.†Ã‚   At this point, they possible feel conflicted between their professional duty and their personal feelings.Legally, taking one’s own life is suicide and taking another’s life is murder. Wikipedia defines murder as â€Å"the premeditated unlawful killing of one human being by another through any action intended to kill or cause grievous bodily harm† (Murder). This definition, doctors who take the life of a patient, even one who is suffering horrible and certain to die, is guilty of murder.Thus, the question of should physician-assisted suicide be legal is certainly complex.   Public opinion polls show that the international public is generally supportive of euthanasia.   According to a Gallup poll in 1997, 57% of people are in favor and 35% are opposed in the US.   In Canada, 76% are supportive with that number rising to 80% in Britain, 81% in Australia and 92% in the Netherlands (Reed, A12).The right to die is j ust one of the many choices that have come under the legislative domain.   Roe v. Wade gave the choice of abortion to women.   However, this right is now in jeopardy.   It seem that the US government is afraid to give choices about personal life decisions to the American public out of fear of religious backlash.   This has led to doctors fearing to provide this humanitarian aid out of fear of legal backlash in the form of lawsuits or even prosecution.Sue Rodriguez was the center of a high profile terminally ill case in Canada.   Suffering from ALS, she publicly challenged all opponents of the right to die with â€Å"Whose life is it, anyway.   Her doctor helped her commit suicide in the presence of a Canadian Member of Parliament. Neither was prosecuted (Robinson).   It is very hard to argue with the pleas of a dying woman in this situation.   However, the recent case of Terry Schiavo, in which the family had to make an interpretation of an incapacitated womanâ€⠄¢s desires, is less cut and dried.   Human greed and hatred can interfere with just decision making and this case clearly divided America.One way to ensure that an individual’s own personal wishes are carried out is through a living will.   In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that every individual has the constitutional right to control his or her own medical treatment and that doctors, nurses or any professional staff must follow ‘clear and convincing evidence' of the ill individual’s wishes.   The personal position of the doctors and the family cannot override a living will (Robinson).Unfortunately, 67% of people do not have a living will (Robinson).   In absence of such a document, society is forced to the original question:   Should physician assisted suicide be legal?   Yes, it should.   First of all, the majority of the public believes that it is the right and just thing to do.   Next, legal precedents of the importance of choice in simil ar situations such as abortion have already been established in court.   Third, even if patients are depressed or in pain, they are still dying. The United States Justice system validates the choices of depressed individuals every day.   If a depressed person makes a choice to commit a crime, that choice is validated by an arrest, conviction and possible prison term. Prolonging their life under these circumstances is cruel and unusual punishment.   Doctors can choose as well.   Millions of people rely on doctor’s choices every day.The United States should not strip individual choice from its citizens. Citizens should be able to make the choice and then live (or, in this case, not live) by the consequences.   Physician assisted suicide should be legalized in the United States.   This way it can be documented and cases like Sue Rodriquez and Terry Schiavo will not have to dominate the media but can rest in the peace that they deserve.Works CitedHorgan, John. â€Å" Right to Die.† Scientific American. May 1996.Murder.   Wikipedia. Retrieved 19 July 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MurderReed, Christopher.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Oregon Tackles Mercy Killing.† Globe and Mail.   June 27, 1997: A12.Robinson, B.A. Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide.   Ontario Consultants on ReligiousTolerance.   January 19, 2006.   Retrieved 19 July 2006 fromhttp://www.religioustolerance.org/euthanas.htm

The harm of the banking concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The harm of the banking concept - Essay Example till exams, after which a student forgets what he had studied. ii) The confidence level in students deteriorates due to lack of exposure and the tension and nervousness of remembering all the stuff written in textbooks during exams. iii) Intense pressure of memorizing and learning the textbooks without understanding it properly may divert the interest of students away from studies. Among all the bad results, these three are the worst because the students are said to be educated when they understand what is being taught instead of merely memorizing their syllabus. But, education has now become a concept of â€Å"remembering† more than â€Å"understanding†, educators have lost the meaning for teaching students. Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who has left a significant mark on thinking about progressive practice wrote in â€Å"The ‘Banking Concept’ of Education† his idea of two different education methods which are the â€Å"banking† concept and the â€Å"problem posing† concept. In banking education, teachers usually assume that the students know nothing at all and then take full advantage of this assumption. They just simply feed the students with information and students are forced to swallow it all up. On the other hand, problem posing education encourages the students to develop the habit of gaining knowledge by doing practical experiments and research works rather than just noting down the lecture of the teacher without pondering on the topic. This process involves an interaction between the teacher and the students, which eventually leads to a stronger teacher-student relationship. This helps a student to be more frank with a teacher to clarify all the confusions that usually evolve in a student’s brain. It also helps a student to develop keen interest in any topic that is being taught. Freire thinks problem posing is better than the banking concept, and I am also in favor of problem posing method. Problem posing enables the students to talk, think and hold discussions among each other within the class as well as even after the class timings, which no doubt can be listed among the healthy activities. On the contrary, banking concept develops the habit of â€Å"instant memorizing† just before the exams. The knowledge students gained through the method of banking concept is usually temporary in their memory and does not benefit the student in the future. This is because the teachers don’t care whether the students really understand the text or not, even if they care, they pay no attention to communicate with the students to make themselves clear. Students force themselves to accept the information and memorize it only for the sake of getting good grades instead of having a passion to learn. The students can easily forget all the memorized information

Mosque being built by 911 sight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mosque being built by 911 sight - Essay Example The panic created by the 9/11 incident was slowly disappearing at present. However, reports about the construction of a mosque at ground zero are causing disturbances to the Americans at present. Chelsea Schilling (2011) has pointed out that â€Å"a new Islamic mosque will open its doors just steps from Ground Zero where Muslim terrorists murdered 2,751 people in the name of Allah on Sept. 11, 2001 (Schilling). There are different opinions about the construction of a mosque near ground zero. This paper argues against the construction of a mosque at 9/11 site. Supporters of mosque construction at ground zero argue that since America is a secular democratic country, Muslims have the right to construct a mosque anywhere in America. They are of the opinion that building a mosque at 9/11 site will improve the credentials of America as a secular nation. The above argument seems to be illogical. America’s secular credentials are already established since Americans shown no hesitatio n in electing a president of Muslim origin even after the 9/11 incident. The current president Obama has Muslim origins. It should be note that the in India which is believed to be one of the largest secular democracies in the world, the Hindu fundamentalists opposed the election of Sonia Gandhi as their prime minister. It should also be noted that the â€Å"leading imam, who conducts sensitivity training sessions for the FBI, has reportedly blamed Christians for starting mass attacks on civilians† (Schilling). In other words the Muslim community in America still has no regards to the victims of 9/11 incident and it is difficult to expect mercy from them in future also. The second argument in favor of constructing of a mosque at ground zero is that a Mosque at ground zero will help America to regain the lost confidence of Muslim community in America. Many people believe that a mosque at ground zero is the positive sign in strengthening America’s relations with the Musl im world. The above argument is also meaningless. It should be noted that there are many mosques functioning at different parts of America. Moreover, none of the mosques in America suffered any damages even after the destruction of world trade centre and the killing of thousands of innocent people. â€Å"Many have complained that it would be insensitive to have a huge mosque two blocks from the site that became the burial ground for victims of the 9/11 terror attack by Muslim militants of Al Qaeda†(Sanchez). Nothing more can be done to the relatives of the victims of 9/11 incident as a harassment, if the authorities go ahead with the construction of the mosque. According to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg â€Å"the mosque will help to bring our city even closer together and help repudiate the false and repugnant idea that the attacks of 9/11 were in any way consistent with Islam" (Loffee). American leaders are trying to strengthen the relationships with the Islamic communit y in a diplomatic manner. However, they are forgetting the fact that diplomacy will never win over fundamentalism. Strengthening Islamic culture in New York like big city will make different citizens in New York. Muslims will try to enforce their religious beliefs even in their social life which may create problems to other religions. Shariah laws, which are the fundamental laws of Muslim belief, will be enforced in Islamic culture and the effects of these laws may reflect in the life of other people as well. In