Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Equal rights for gays
Influence of popular culture in American society
Equal rights for gays
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Equal rights for gays
America claims to be a country of rights, freedoms, and equality, yet none are really granted. The right to pursue happiness that America so loudly advertises is a lie, if everyone truly had the right to pursue what makes them happy there would not be transgender people being beaten half to death for being who they are, or gay men being assaulted and ceaselessly harassed for who they love. If this country truly acted upon what it preaches then maybe it would be the great nation it claims to be. Why should people, average human beings, be frightened to walk down the street or to go to the restroom? People choose to judge and place whatever blame they can on those who are or even just appear to be different. People view differences,
In the introduction, the author has done a good job engaging the audience with emotions, and painting a vivid scene of the seals being slaughtered. This essay does a good job of acknowledging the other point of views. This essay also has a good, clear sense of structure. The author has a strong thesis statement, that gave a clear indication of what the following paragraphs are about.
This book is telling a story about two African American boys (Wes A and Wes P) who have the same name and grew up at same community, but they have a very different life. The author, Wes A, begins his life in a tough Baltimore neighborhood and end up as a Rhodes Scholar, Wall Streeter, and a white house fellow; The other Wes Moore begins at the same place in Baltimore , but ends up in prison for the rest of his life. Then why do they have the same experience, but still have a totally different life? I will agree here that environment (family environment, school education environment and society environment) is one of the biggest reasons for their different.
The otherization of people that are different scares people because seeing the world in a different way widens the diversity of lifestyles that we are not aware of (Harris). America prides itself on being a melting pot of cultures, but how we react to newcomers is often at odds with that self-image (Winters). If people stopped responding with passive complicity to carefully crafted messages designed to "otherize" those whose needs deserve fair treatment and justice and those whose voices speak for them, certain media outlets and popular personalities might soon be out of business (Harris). When people are different and new, people get scared because they are not aware of the lifestyles they live. The unknown is a fear to many, and when people are different and act different, people become scared until they become known to how their lifestyles are.
Writer Marilyn Vos Savant once stated, “What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom ‘to’ and freedom ‘from’.” When you are an American, freedom is just one of the multitudinous privileges that come with the package. Benefits such as rights, the pursuit of happiness, and diversity are some additional perquisites. However, everything has flaws and America has a few.
Have you ever felt stuck? Wherever you are, it’s the absolute last place you want to be. In the book Into the Wild, Chris McCandless feels stuck just like the average everyday person may feel. Chris finds his escape plan to the situation and feels he will free himself by going off to the wild. I agree with the author that Chris McCandless wasn’t a crazy person, a sociopath, or an outcast because he got along with many people very well, but he did seem somewhat incompetent, even though he survived for quite some time.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James has been the cause of many debates about whether or not the ghosts are real, or if this is a case of a woman with psychological disturbances causing her to fabricate the ghosts. The story is told in the first person narrative by the governess and is told only through her thoughts and perceptions, which makes it difficult to be certain that anything she says or sees is reliable. It starts out to be a simple ghost story, but as the story unfolds it becomes obvious that the governess has jumps to conclusions and makes wild assumptions without proof and that the supposed ghosts are products of her mental instability which was brought on by her love of her employer
“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both” (Roosevelt). The goal of America’s legal system as we know it is that everyone is given an equal opportunity to stick up for what they may or may not have done, as described by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Also this is what officials strive for, it is not always the case. Facts can be skewed, distorted, or misrepresented to make one side seem to be guilty without a doubt and to make the other side seem as if they have done nothing wrong. The Crucible by Arthur Miller begins and ends with one-sided accusations of witchcraft. It all results from a group of girls who had been dancing in the woods. After two fall sick, the accusations begin. The girls who were dancing, especially Abigail Williams begin blaming others to look less guilty themselves. Accusations are flying left and right so that soon, hundreds are in jail and over a dozen are executed. Abby’s main goal is to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor, so she can be with John Proctor, a man she previously had an affair with. However, John is not interested in Abby and his
Freedom is something that is not taken lightly in our country. With so many people in America, and so many different religions and views, there will never be a way to make every single person happy. People have the right to believe what they choose, say what they want to say, and do what they want to do. They have the right to worship and take part in ceremonies they choose. It is not for the government to tell them how to live their life. There may be restrictions on certain things but they do not require you to believe a specific way. America is a privileged nation and a free country and the people have every right to be thankful for all the freedoms we have been given.
Although America has come really far when it comes to the civil liberties and rights of its citizens, there is still a lot of room for improvement. We have yet to achieve the goals expressed by the Constitution because there continues to be several cases brought to court of people’s rights being taken from them and many more where people are being discriminated against. Once a person is settled into a certain lifestyle it is difficult to change their mindsets. True civil rights and liberties will only come once America and the citizens that reside within change the way that they see the world, and realize that everyone was created equal with certain undeniable rights – the way it was intended to be.
All the examples of ‘norm violations’ observed throughout the past weeks and the content of the text book have made me come to a conclusion that we are afraid to be different. Different is viewed as bad putting us on the other side of the crowd where people are judged and misunderstood for what they believe. We are so used to seeing things being ‘correct’ we are afraid to come out of our shells and be something that could become great because society might say otherwise. Sometimes you have to think outside the box and live outside the norms although it a little difficult to some more than
The discussion of making English the nation’s official language has sparked an ongoing debate among many individuals for several decades. As of now, the United States does not have an official language due to the diverse population. Many individuals believe that by establishing an official language, the United States is being culturally insensitive, that diversity is the key to forming America’s identity. However, establishing English as the official language would promote unity among not only American citizens but also the nation.
The United States Government is beloved to all Americans, in the simple fact that all men are created equal and all men are given equal opportunity, to aspire to achieve success and make their dreams come true. Although the percentage of people who achieve all of their goals in life is fairly small, they have the freedom to chase them and America for the most part is a pretty content place. The “law of the land” that sets the standards for our rights and privileges is the U.S. Constitution.
Humans have established their own rights in society for many, many years now. However, because some humans differ from the norms that are built in society, they are shunned and denied their rights until they conform to society’s norms. There has been numerous groups of people who have been denied their rights in America. African Americans, immigrants, Native Americans, and gays have been isolated simply because that is the way that they were born into this world and others do not find them “normal”. There is another group that has also been mistreated though; people who identify themselves as transgendered. A good portion of society is unknowingly misinformed about these kinds of people.
Perhaps the most exclusive aspect of American freedom is stated directly in the Declaration of Independence. It states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Jefferson). This well-known statement truly incorporates all facets of what it means to be free in America. The citizens of this country have the right to live. They have the right to be free of restriction and control, to do what they please. And they have the right to be happy in whatever way that might be. These rights are...
What makes a good person good? According to WikiHow, "We should learn to define our own morals ourselves. One of the simplest ways to do so is to love others, and treat them as you would like to be treated. Try to think of others before yourself. Even doing small things daily will greatly enrich and improve your life, and the lives of others around you." This quote shows us what we need to do in order to be what society thinks as, “good". In order to be a good person, you have to do good and moral things in your society consistently. However people might think that by doing one good thing once in a while will automatically make you a “good person”, but in reality it doesn’t.