The idea that a single person’s actions can resonate and intrude into other people’s lives is a concept not often though about. Being that each of us has our own individual life to worry about, it is hard to imagine that we are all deeply interconnected to others within the human race. We often tend to only think of ourselves and our immediate families; disregarding our relationship to everyone else in this world. Each one of us holds a position in life in which we all influence one or more persons. Depending on the amount of a power a person holds certain people can influence an even wider range of others. These positions do not always have to do with a career or a job, as socioeconomic positions are fair play in this world (a rich man of resources exudes more power and influence than a homeless man). Even though those who hold more power in society actions and personality can also influences more people than one may think. A person’s occupation can also establish a connection with others which allows for influence. Since people are highly interconnected to others and their surroundings, we must approach the decisions we make with regard to the preservation of morality. Certainly we have law, however it is the duty of the people to make the right choices and to teach doctrines that do not threaten or hurt others. Individuals yield more power than they think they do, as many are influenced by the ways that others approach things. In Susan Griffin’s “Our Secret” and the critically acclaimed film “Babel”, the way in which people are connected seems to be a consistent theme though out both of the texts. In these works we see how the actions or decisions of a single person can influence and corrupt the lives of many.
All of our interactions within this world hold a certain degree of influence that we do not often think twice about. In certain occupations this influence and power can be seen and understood. A college professor, for example, may or may not be aware of his or her influence on a student’s opinion. Professors are in a position in which they can persuade or influence a person’s opinion. Because students often find trust in what their professor is saying, it is easy to succumb to their views, beliefs, or opinions. Not all students can be persuaded so easily, however over a decade of a teaching a professor has likely influenced thousands of studen...
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...le action such as giving away a gun can impact the lives of several people all at once. Even the innocence of child play can set off horrible consequences. It all comes down to good decisions and bad decisions, which essentially comes down to morality. We, as humans, need to teach old children right from wrong since at any given time one action could potentially ruin lives of several. Although we are not perfect it is important to be careful in what we teach our children. The habits they learn now could bring unnecessary problems to society. If we do not fix the bad habits our children pick up, we are continuing an old cycle that will ever be a drain on mankind. It is also very important to make the right decisions at all times because we can never predict the consequences of one action. People in power should also be closely monitored and we should not always trust their agendas.
Works Cited
Griffin, Susan. “Our Secret”. Ways of Reading Eds. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Sixth edition. Boston. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.
Iñárritu, Alejandro González Babel, Paramount Vantage, Anonymous Content, Zeta Film,
Central Films, Media Rights Capital. 2006
X, Malcolm. "Learning to Read." Rereading America. 9th ed. Boston/NewYork: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 189-97. Print.
Berger, John. "Way of Seeing." Berger, John. Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Ninth Edition. Bedford/St.Martin, 2011. 141-160.
By reading a certain print texts, readers are manipulated into accepting or rejecting additional texts. The short story “The Altar of the Family” written by Michael Welding shares many comparisons with the feature article “Boys to Men” written by Stephen Scourfield, and by reading one the reader can make clear understanding of the other. Symbolism, genre and certain values and attitudes are present in both the texts and will be further examined in the following essay to show that a readers understanding of particular print texts is shaped by the reading of previous texts.
The statement that everyone should have a gun may appear radical at first but can be justified with careful explanation of the following items. Firstly, everyone should not only have a gun but should be trained in how to use a gun properly. Secondly, everyone should not only have a gun but carry a gun with them publicly. Thirdly, the guns that everyone carries should have no limitations in strength beyond those that are required for safe operation. Fourthly, public protection is not adequately provided within the current system. While there are several other topics that could be discussed, the topics chosen demonstrate the argument.
Griffin, Susan. “Our Secret”. Ways of Reading Eds. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Sixth edition. Boston. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.
Rosalind Franklin: Seeing a woman as a scientist during this time is somewhat rare, so the fact that she has taken up this profession show that she is persistent, dedicated, and smart. The only problem is that she is undervalued because of her gender. She is also very quiet and reserved because she’s in a different country.
...n promoting stricter gun laws, government needs to find out what is causing the problem and addressing it. Parents need to take into consideration what video games there children are playing and which movies they are watching. Spending too much time examining and enforcing stricter gun laws can be costly, while taxpayer’s wealth money can be used on drug warfare or other beneficial objectives for the country. An alternative for strict guns law is a stiffer prison sentences for individuals who commit a crime with a firearm and therapy for the mentally ill. Wayne LaPierre introduced the famous quote “Guns do not kill people, people kill people.” The quote demonstrates that firearms cannot kill an individual without a human intervention. Rather than screening firearms in a negative light, individual should change the concept of human nature from violence to peaceful.
About forty years ago, teachers used to say that the worst problems in their schools were students chewing gum and talking during class. Wouldn't it be wonderful if those were still the biggest problems? Unfortunately, teachers now are struggling with many deaths of their students and maybe even their own children. The numbers of teenagers’ deaths increase everyday from gun violence. Students, particularly boys, who carry guns, are more likely to be involved in drug activity according to The Children Data Bank and more likely to have committed crimes with weapons. Likewise, girls who carried guns were more likely to report feeling threatened. Therefore, stricter law for gun control will lessen the insecurity of a person when holding a gun and prevent further unnecessary death.
The presence of overbearing authority figures in Miriam Toews’ “A Complicated Kindness” proves that when excessive stringency is applied, negative consequences are created within the target being “controlled”. The groups being influenced may therefor retaliate in acts of defiance or fall under domineer of their authority figures in which case it could represent religion, government and parental authority. This point is emphasized in the novel through events and behaviors by the characters such as social outburst perceived as “taboo”, acts of rebellion and search for “outlets”, the idea of “double life” and conformity within a community causing people to become less self-aware.
The 17th and 18th centuries saw the embryonic stage of women’s quest for intellectual and social parity with men. The evolution of women’s fight for equal opportunities was bogged down by a long history of stereotyping and condescension. Women were weaker physically, bore children and nurtured them. The economics and culture of Europe at this time was strongly influenced by religion and resulted in prejudice against women. The dominating religions of Europe in the 1600’s and 1700’s (Catholicism and Protestantism), citing the bible, reinforced women’s roles as mother’s, wives, and homemakers. Women were considered the weaker sex both physically and mentally. Men and most women assumed that because women gave birth and produced milk for their infants, God intended that their place was in the home. Men’s egos, as well, did not allow for women to compete with them. Males thought their place was to rule, fight wars, provide income, teach and be the head of his family. Women were not accepted in academics, politics, church leadership, business, or the military. Despite these prejudices, women saw an opportunity in the sciences. As a discipline based on observations and deductive reasoning it did not necessarily require a comprehensive academic background. Since most women were deprived of the more advanced education that men received, it was the perfect field for them to begin their pursuit of equality. As a result, a growing number of women actively participated in scientific research in chemistry, astronomy, biology, botany, medicine, and entomology.
“Although the perpetrators of the school shootings at Littleton and other campuses have been surrounded by dangerous influences, such as television and the Internet, to which they do not know how to respond, they are responsible for their own behavior. The way to improve society is to improve individuals. Society, in particular parents, must take steps to ensure that children know the difference between right and wrong” (The Absence of Public Morality Causes School Shootings). While knowing the majority of shooters are strongly influenced by their surroundings, parents should be wise as to monitor what their children read, watch and view on the internet. The ability and ease to access a firearm should be sustained as well. Although guns will not directly harm anyone, if the weapon falls into the hands of an adolescent – whom has never handled a gun before – a very serious problem may arise. Parents need to learn to respect the age and development of their child and peach about gun safety, what is right and what is wrong, should their child start showing interest in
When most people think of the Scientific Revolution, they think of scientists such as Galileo, Newton, Brahe, and Boyle. However, many people do not even know about the many women who played a vital role in the scientific advancements of this period. Even when these women were alive, most of society either ignored them or publicly disapproved their unladylike behavior. Because of this, these women were often forgotten from history, and very little is known about the majority of them. Although their names rarely appear in history books, the female scientists of the Scientific Revolution still impacted the world of science in several ways. In fact, all of the scientists listed above had a woman playing an influential role assisting them in their research. However, assisting men in their studies was not the only role open to women; several women performed experimentation and research on their own, or advancing science in some other way, even though the society of the time looked down upon and even resisted their studies.
Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey. Women in Science: Antiquity through the Nineteenth Century. Cambridge (Mass.): MIT, 1988. Print.
He who is subjected to a field of visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constraints of power; he makes them play spontaneously upon himself; he inscribes in himself the power of relation in which he simultaneously plays both roles; he becomes the principle of his own subjection. By this very fact, the external power may throw off its physical weight; it tends to be non-corporal; and, the more it approaches this limit, the more constant, profound, and permanent are its effects; it is a perpetual victory that avoids any physical confrontation and which is always decided in advance.
The expansion and endorsement of intellectualism by the many important forward thinking scientists created a desire for social revolution, which, in turn, created an atmosphere conducive to further intellectual study. The Scientific Revolution was, in essence, both a social and intellectual revolution. During the Scientific Revolution, scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, and Christiaan Huygens wrestled with questions concerning God, human intellectualism, and their scientific views of the universe, its purpose, and how it functions. Ultimately, the implications of these new scientific discoveries began to change the way people thought and behaved. People began to question the widely accepted and Roman Catholic Church endorsed Aristotelian views of the universe. This led to the questioning of the traditional views of the state and societal structure. The geocentric Ptolemaic model was no longer blindly accepted. The earth was now no longer easily explainable or thought to be the center of the universe. Beliefs that were hundreds of years old were now proven to be false.