“Making a Difference” by June Callwood is an expository essay created to inspire the reader to make a change in the world around them, and to stand up for what they believe in. By just doing simple, positive things, people can make a huge impact on their lives and the lives of people around them. June Callwood, author of “Making a Difference”, changes the way many people see the world by describing scientific research and telling the stories of people who performed small, random acts of kindness that made a huge difference in people’s attitudes and the community around them.
June Callwood starts her essay by describing the story of a woman who had just recently moved to Canada and was being abused by her husband. The author describes the way people constantly talked about how someone should help the poor woman, but no one actually stepped up and did. A few days later, though, a fund had been established to help the woman, and she had
…show more content…
Arendt’s studies state that “...evil thrives on apathy and cannot exist without it; therefore, apathy is evil.” (June Callwood, 442). The author then produces a persuasive argument about why she believes Arendt is correct in her findings, and adds her own conclusion; “They (bystanders) fantasize about taking leadership to get a much-needed crosswalk for the neighbourhood, or throwing themselves into good works. The problem is: how to start.” (June Callwood, 442). The author gives several examples of altruistic people who saw a chance to make change, and took it. She describes the difference of performing a good deed out of the goodness of one’s heart, and performing one with the intent of being rewarded. Callwood shows proof of extensive research in her writing, and craftily uses a mixture of pathos and logos (rare, but effective) to sway the reader into agreeing with her. Overall, the body of her essay is well written and very
In Barbara Lazear Ascher’s essay titled “On Compassion, Lazear describes her various encounters with the homeless in order to create her argument concerning the origins of compassion. In her argument directed at an open-ended audience, she interprets compassion abstractly and portrays empathy as the building block to compassion; meaning, to be a more tolerant society, one must first learn empathy to understand and demonstrate true compassion. When analyzing Ascher’s rhetoric, her meticulous use of diction and rhetorical devices reveal a developing skeptical. Namely, Ascher’s use of rhetorical questions, a first-person narrative, and a careful selection of detail convey her initial skeptical attitude toward her subject of compassion.
Emily Murphy played a vital role in helping women reach a level of true equality during the twentieth century. When visiting a prairie farm, Emily Murphy noticed a stressed woman. The woman was stressed because her husband had sold their land and ran off to the United States, leaving the woman homeless. Becoming very determined, Emily Murphy set out to change the law. In 1911, the Dower Act was finally passed in Alberta, which gave women the right to own one-third of their husband’s property.1 Emily Murphy's important decision to help amend the law in a way that it was beneficial to women showcases her determination to make sure women got their rights. Even though the law was not totally fair, it still shows that Emily Murphy took an initiative and helped women reach a step closer to their goal. Before Murphy took this essential action, many women were left homeless, since they had no right over their husband's property, and if she had not done so, many more women would fall victim. Women being able to own property was a significant matter in those days, and this was only made possible with the ...
In a short story called, “Thank you ma’am”, the author is trying to convey the theme, or message, of the importance of showing random acts of kindness towards others to help institute change. Mrs.J show one act of kindness when she washes his face. Another when she makes Roger food at her house. Mrs.J is kind and shows multiple examples throughout the story.
Currently, Canadian women are helping women in third world countries gain the same rights Canadian women have received. Some well known foundations are ‘Because I Am A Girl’, donations are sent to girls in the third world country so that they can obtain food, shelter, and an education, allowing them make a change in their society. Canadian women would not have been able to create projects to help women in other nations gain their rights if not for The Married Women’s Property Act, World War I, The Person’s Case, and Canadian Human Rights Act. These key milestones in Canadian history have allowed Canadian women to continue fighting for women rights on a global stage.
When you begin to identify with the struggles of the characters, you see them not only as a homeless man on the street, but a real person just like yourself. In a world full of so much hatred and violence, reading an essay that solely focuses on the good nature of others motivates one of go out and do good for the world. The essay gives an example of a French shop owner offering a homeless man some of her businesses food. This act of kindness displayed by the shop owner gives us courage that there is good in this world. Acts of kindness are also catalysts so that others might follow and
The littlest actions can impact our lives drastically for better or for worse. Throughout our lives we all have experienced something that has inspired us. These experiences go from small gestures made by kind strangers all the way to global catastrophes. These experiences influence us to do everything we do on a day to day basis.
Everyday we see someone that needs help in the community or a friend, family, or even someone at your school. Some of our greatest leaders have told us that one small act of kindness can make the world a more enjoyable place. Martin Luther King was among one of those many leaders and has created the greatest change in our society’s history. Civilization cannot merely exist without the help of one another and our society would end if humanity decided to stop being kind or compassionate. Our professors and teachers give us the materials and assistance we all need in order to reach great measures in our future. Small acts of kindness have even inspired the most influential people and has led them to
Most women in Mrs Mallard’s situation were expected to be upset at the news of her husbands death, and they would worry more about her heart trouble, since the news could worsen her condition. However, her reaction is very different. At first she gets emotional and cries in front of her sister and her husbands friend, Richard. A little after, Mrs. Mallard finally sees an opportunity of freedom from her husbands death. She is crying in her bedroom, but then she starts to think of the freedom that she now has in her hands. “When she abandoned herse...
The real question is, what does it really mean to make a difference? According to the dictionary it means, “Be important, matter” or “Cause a change in effect, change the nature of something” (“Make a Difference.”). That second part is what really stood out to me. It lead me to look back at my life and think about how I have changed the nature of something. I try to leave my mark in all parts of life. I have went on a missions trip, I try to be a leader in all sports, and I just try to genuinely be nice and make each and every person’s day better.
Many people have started to become obsessed with themselves and not the problems around them, this has to change. However changing a community, even a miniscule amount would require a planned, long effort by multiple people, or would it? What if a few people from a community start doing random acts of kindness whenever they have a chance or see fit? Then the people who the group affected will go out and do another act of kindness, if we can keep this process going, it could lead to a change in society. Not all of the people will continue it, but if a few from each occurrence keep the message going, this could make an impact in the community. Thinking about this, I tried to come up with a few different ideas that I could do. My first reaction was to go to the internet and look up what others have done. Searching for different actions of kindness I found delivering umbrellas on a rainy day, another was buying a lunch for the person behind me or a movie ticket. As I thought it through for a few days I decided that I wanted to do something that I came up with and not something off of the internet.
While it is easy to doze off during a lecture, or ignore a warning, humans are enthralled by stories. The story of the starfish is not only interesting and inspirational, it’s message is incredibly effective. There is always more you can do to help, and the advice applies to a wide variety of situations. From volunteering your time, donating money, or even just being supportive of someone going through a hard time, people have the power to make a difference. The “starfish” might not thank you, they might not even know that it was you who helped, but you still made a positive impact on the world. While appreciation and the feeling of creating a huge change are wonderful, it is your first small step that matters the
People’s lives are changed every day by their actions and experiences. This past summer, I participated in a community service project, an experience that opened my eyes in many ways. I was a volunteer at the County Memorial Hospital. In my time as a volunteer at the hospital, I was able to meet patients and staff members from all over the world and learn about their life experiences. Listening to all of their stories has made me truly appreciate everything which I have.
When we sacrifice our time to help someone in need, whether it is a great or small need, we become a part of their life and can help alleviate heavy burdens. We feel good for looking outside ourselves and contributin...
Volunteering enables an individual to make a positive impact on his or her community, while empowering the individual to better his or her life. This summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer at many diverse locations. From the hospital to the local library, I truly value my experience and treasure everything it has thought me. Volunteering lets us experience and learn things that we otherwise would not have learned; volunteering opens doors for us that we may not have been able to open before. Volunteering provides us with guidance and tolerance which we may use in the future to aid us in our decisions. At first glance, volunteering may seem to only benefit those who are helped, but on a deeper level, one can realize that volunteering benefits the volunteer as much as, if not more than, those who are helped. Not only does volunteering make a difference in one’s community, but it also helps the volunteer become a smarter, happier, friendlier and more caring individual.
Given that the government allows such courteous campaign to be more active, we may anticipate to see a huge change to Singapore, a huge positive change for society to be more courteous to each other. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. (Aesop, 2013) We must believe that no matter what small gestures we make, it will make a differences in the lives of others.