...sky”, by Anna Hope, is about how youth often is characterized by life, desire and a feeling of freedom and invincibility. The setting is in today’s London and the author starts in medias res “It is dark, but the wrong dark. Something is wrong with the dark” (l.1). Because of this the author establishes, by his use of words such as not just dark but the wrong dark, a rather gloomy mood. The story is about how being young and, although freedom is within reach, responsibility and expectations are right behind you, reminding you of reality. The youth is a vital part of your life providing background for what the personality of the person concerned ends up to be. Every person has different ways of looking at freedom. Some people like to take a run in the nature, open their minds and others do drugs to escape from reality. In “A Gap of Sky” the girl called Ellie deals with the issues of drugs, freedom and responsibility. She does a lot of coke and seems to be addicted and needs it so she can write her essay. “and then more coke arriving”(l.20) “Coke. Does she have any left? … Yesssss! Clever Ellie. Little bump just to get things started.” (l.30-33). Ellie also likes to party and the night before seemed to be pretty rough with booze, smoking crack pipe, taking drugs and ending up with some bruises. “rests her swollen cheek against her palm” (l.3) “her chest hurts.”(l.11) In the morning of this wild night, she wakes up and realizes that she has an essay due to the day after and if...
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...Analysis of A Gap of Sky You have to be a good daughter or son. You have to be a good girlfriend or boyfriend, a good friend, a good brother, a good sister. You have to be good at math, chemistry, social science and biology. You have to wear the right clothes, and be good at sports. You have to be popular and have the coolest friends. The pressure nowadays is enormous. There is no wonder why so many young people want to run away sometimes, so they can get away from the huge amount of pressure that they are dealing with. This huge pressure can make people feel very lonely, even though they are surrounded by lots of people, and this is exactly what the short story “A Gap of Sky”, written by Anna Hope, is about. In this short story we hear about a nineteen year old girl called Ellie, who is afraid of not living up to her teachers’ and parents’ expectations and this is what has driven her into a drug abuse. The short story gives us a portrait of a young girl, who is caught in between her desires and what is being expected of her. She is struggling with her inner demons and she is having an inner fight with herself about which decisions are ethically right or wrong. The short story is written as a 3rd person narrative. The point of view is limited to the main character Ellie and the text only describes Ellie’s thoughts e.g: “She remembers going out for booze. Did she get booze?” . The narrative technique that’s being used makes the reader come very close to Ellie’s personality...
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...Violent Video Games Should not be Banned By Chris Taylor Com/156 Effective Persuasive Essay August 1, 2010 Violent Video Games should not be Banned Violent video games that promote violence and criminal activity should not be banned because each game is properly labeled. It is the parent’s responsibility to monitor their children on what games they play and for how long they play the games. Numerous surveys have been taken that show games can enhance certain learning abilities and not cause violence. Violent video games are meant for adults and banning these games takes away the right of freedom of expression from the adult. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) provides concise and impartial information about the content in computer and video games so parents can make a clear informed purchase. (www.esrb.org/ratings) ESRB provides ratings for each game that is distributed. These ratings have two equal parts: Rating symbols and content descriptors. Rating symbols on the front of the package provide age limits on who should be allowed to play the game. Age appropriateness is clearly marked and those younger than that should be monitored. The rating system used is the same system that TV shows and movies use to rate their content. Content descriptors which are located on the back of the package indicate elements in a game. These descriptors are C (early childhood), E (for everyone), E 10+ (everyone 10+), T (for teens), M (mature 17+), A (adults only)...
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...treated them poorly. Hence, the slaves’ desire to kill portrayed how desperate they were in order to do that expressing. The only right thing that seemed okay was to go out and kill all the people they hated and get what they wanted which was freedom offered by the Spanish King in Florida. Indeed, that required a lot of courage and bravery to go against their leaders which would created massive consequences like immediate death for those rebels and effects which will try to stop this from happening again. The immediate and...
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...English essay – “A Gap of Sky” Amalie Thomsen Introduction: The title of the short story is “A Gap of Sky” and is written by Anna Hope in 2008. Anna Hope is an English actress and writer. She is from Manchester and was educated at Wadham College, Oxford. The short story is fiction, but could still take place in real life. The main theme is identity formation. Analysis: The story is written with a 3rd persons view: “Ellie reaches a hand out […] She takes the glass, stumbles forward…” The narrator therefor has an omniscient point of view, and knows everything about the main character, Ellie. Characters: In the story we have the main character, Ellie, her friend Toby (who we do not meet, but hear about) and the mother (we do not meet her either). Ellie: The main character, Ellie, is 19 years old: She is only nineteen […], and lives in London: […] this part of London. She is a very unhealthy and sloppy teenager. She has smoked a lot of pot, which her health condition clearly shows: The air is cold, makes her gasp, cold and hurting on her ragged lungs. She a type of person who postpones many of her things: She’s got to get this essay in. […] They won’t close till sixish. It will all be fine. Ellie is a complex character because a part of her develops and she becomes more grown up. At first she has a very difficult relationship with her mother, but after seeing a little stone, she suddenly realizes that she has not been fair to her. The setting (FOCUS) The setting...
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...not even a thought the European people grew more and more dissatisfied with their monarchy type of government. People yearned for the freedom to do as they wished, worship who they wanted, and work on what skill they felt was their calling. Thanks to Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus discovering a new land “a new world” to the west, slowly but surely these wants by the people became a reality. In this essay I will open your eyes to both the positive and the negative aspects of what type of government the United States of America uses as well as the ever growing issue of the Mosque being built in Manhattan and how the Muslim community is using our laws to their advantage. “Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal in the world.-Abraham Lincoln the sixteenth president of the United States. So what exactly do these words mean? The basic meaning is that justice and equality go hand in hand in our government, which is democracy. Democracy originated from the ancient Greeks, it is said by many scholars that Athens of the fifth-century BCE held the purist for of democracy that there ever was. From the beginning at the birth of this nation there was a democratic style of government in place. This was driven by the need of the people to have a voice, have freedom, and to get away from the European style type of government that they were so weary of. Democracy has many positive features. First Democracy is based...
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...ever since the 9/11 attacks and beyond that. Ever since the day of 9/11, I have been in fear to show who I am, what ethnicity I am, and what religion I practice. Due to the cause of the attacks, people had the wrong perception to what being a Muslim really is, for people thought it was battle against Muslims and not a battle against terrorists. In Zayn Kassam,” Can a Muslim be a Terrorist?” He answers, “Sure, why not, I wonder, for so can a Jew, a Hindu, a Sikh, a Catholic, or, indeed, a member of any faith (776).” Another example of unfair assumption that is portrayed is in George Orwell’s, “Shooting an Elephant,” for in his essay he was a white British police officer that was hated by the Burmese people, because of the British rule over Burma, and the assumption that white people are violent and hateful. In addition, because of the British rule the Burmese people assumed that all British officers and British were alike due to their unfair ruling. In this essay the narrator George Orwell was assigned to go kill and what it seems to be an untamed Elephant, but due to his conscience he would feel resentment if he was to kill an Elephant, because of his non-violent and none hateful nature. Furthermore, he is in a situation where the people of Burma expect white man to do rampant, but on the contrary he does not feel that there is a need to kill the elephant. With this pressure that George Orwell felt and how he does not want to embarrass himself, he felt obligated to kill the elephant...
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...Angela Long Social Work 2280 Drugs and alcohol Social Work 2280 Drugs and alcohol Due 11/22/2013 The goal of this essay is to construct an insightful discussion with focus placed on the phrase “My individual freedom as it relates to functionality vs. dys-functionality”. I will rely on detailed knowledge provided by our text, to facilitate in perceptive incorporation of specific theoretical principals. In Addition, I will give an intermixing of the various conceptions, models, perspectives and philosophically supported viewpoints, surrounding this topic. My target of including this material, is to create an educated and thorough explanation that will address, the meaning of the choice words used in the phrase. Contemplating the various meaning, and values being represented by these words, what is involved in the uncovering these, and the importance this has. I also evoke merit of essential consideration, on the abundant assorted fundamental components, and properties that are underlying in the actual subject matter. The point of discussion will include the examination of these various diverse, segments. The meaning behind my statement of considering the actual, underlying subject matter. Was just to communicate my personal understanding of what you’re truly seeking from the topic. Which may be completely in correct! The topic (to me) seemed short and easy when reading it, but ambiguous in ways when you really examine it! Therefore, I wanted...
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...In the essay On Racist Speech by Charles R. Lawrence III, he writes about the fact that racial insults have become an issue in what is supposedly a free country. Lawrence states that universities must create policies or codes in order to ensure the protection of all students from any remarks that can be considered racial harassment. However, he points out that the opposing side claims that if such policies were to be created, they would be impeaching on every American’s constitutional rights as stated in the first amendment. Lawrence states that this argument has “placed the bigot on the moral high ground and fanned the rising flames of racism” (65). I agree with Lawrence’s point of view in the respect that any sort of racial insults should not be protected under the first amendment and those who claim otherwise are only doing a disservice to everything the constitution stands for. In order to ensure the equality of every individual, universities should place policies that prohibit the use of racial insults. In the beginning of the essay Lawrence claims that protecting individuals against racist speech is one of the most important ways to “reinforce society’s commitment to (racial) tolerance as a value” (65). While I do believe...
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...better future. Planning your future Since I was a kid, I always dreamt of being a millionaire, and some people will argue that this is not a dream, but it’s a goal to achieve. Where I come from, a dollar means something, so I was raised to appreciate and always know that nothing lasts forever. When I was around thirteen, I saw my dad work 8 hours a day to come home tired and not in the mood to talk or listen. So I always had a question in my mind, do I really want to end up working for a company that tells me what to do and how to do? Or do I want to be my own man? Be my own boss. And at that moment I realized what I wanted to be. An entrepreneur. I was always fascinated by technology and how it will make our life easier. I want to open up my own software company, it will be mainly for creating and developing applications for phones and other gadgets, the first main issue I might face will be to financially be secure when I start this project, I have talked to my brother and he agreed that he will be joining me in this project, which boosted my confidence that I am a step closer to achieve my dream. To be...
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...Many things threaten our world: war, climate change, and poverty are among them. While many people are concerned with our economy, our oil dependency, and dwindling food and water supplies, others acknowledge the simple reason as to why we are faced with these issues – the Earth is overpopulated. Exponential growth has been seen in our world population over the past two centuries, with a grand total of 7 billion (6.97 as of my last essay) people roaming the Earth today (Tomkin, 2011). Mankind has ventured a long way to reach the position we are in currently, and in this essay I will explain how we got here and where we might be headed, citing examples of previous efforts to combat overpopulation. I then will suggest my own solution to the problem, and then give detailed analysis as to why my method should be implemented. Over the course of mankind’s time on this planet, the population has changed rather drastically. Since long before the birth of Christ, thousands of years ago, the Earth had held a stable number of approximately one million people (Zhang, et al, 2011). The stability was vastly due to the scavenger lifestyle of early humans, a world where only the strong survived. Throughout the Middle Ages population increased to an estimated 250-500 million people, yet took hard hits due to disease and plague (Rosling, 2010). The flux in population was due to the invention of agriculture, which at this time was the sole reason that Earth’s carrying capacity had increased...
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...Anna Munoz Dr. Jones DISC 1313 December 4, 2015 Music and The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s All forms of Black music, from jazz to rock and roll, played an important part in the Civil Rights Movement. The songs were sung for multiple purposes and played a critical role in inspiring, activating, and giving voice to the people involved. The evolution of music during the early 1950’s and 1960’s in the Black freedom struggle reflects the evolution of the Civil Rights Movement itself. The progressive thought of the 1950s nurtured new ideas and cultures including the Civil Rights Movement and the fast spread of rock and roll. One such cultural revival occurred after the end of World War II during a time of change, prosperity and restoration. The “Puritan dicta” outlined by Baldwin represents the American ideology before the Second World War. As the first settlers of this nation, the Puritans set the mold for many common American ideologies. In the Puritan view white represented good and black represented evil, including Africans and their culture. After the war, Baldwin states that the former puritanical views of whites will be challenged. Musicians such as Elvis Presley were the first to issue this challenge to white society. Early rockers like Elvis would pave the way for social commentary in music that would add much fire to the Civil Rights Movement. To fully understand the explosion of popularity of Black music in the years following World War II, one must understand...
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...The efforts and repercussions of the predecessors that came before us have fought for our rights as human beings. These individuals contributed to the establishment of people of color and minority groups to be able to exercise rights that never applied to them. These actions demonstrate positive and negative freedom. Positive freedom can be perceived as the ability to decide the course we want our lives to take by setting goals and achieving them. However, positive freedom does have its limitations because one is truly not free from higher authority putting constraints on these decisions. This is evident that one is no truly free when given the ability to control their lives. Negative freedom on the other hand is being free from the constraints...
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...John Steinbeck: Chrysanthemums Analysis The authors’ use of vivid details draws the reader into the lonely world of Elisa Allen. The dismal setting at the very onset of Steinbeck’s short essay, allows nature to become a part of the overbearing shadow of Elisa Allen’s hopelessly trapped existence. From the closed off valley to the fenced in garden, Elisa’s mundane covered pot imprisons her needs on various levels. As the story states, “It was a time for quiet and waiting”. She waits to be appreciated and taken seriously by her husband, Henry. She waits and longs for a meaningful sexual relationship that will have depth and substance in the prime of her life. She waits for a chance to fulfill her dreams of adventure, and yet even though she is strong, proud and willing she is never given the opportunity to discover who she is or what else she may be capable of doing. The strong, sturdy, beautiful chrysanthemums become an extension of Elisa. For when the flowers were well taken care of by her planters’ hands, they bud, thrive and grow into outstanding sturdy blossoms that are the talk of the county. She too would like to bud like the flower, to be opened up to new awakenings, adventure and feelings of appreciation and beauty. The fact that she longs to be a part of something bigger than herself is seen in the numerous brief trancelike depictions of her physically being at the ranch and yet looking toward the horizon at what possibly lies just out of...
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...regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation or ethnic background. The road to earning these civil liberties has been tainted with much pain, tears and suffering. It has not been easy for the different groups represented within the population of Americans to obtain and protect their rights. This essay will recount the bloody paths Americans of all colors had to follow in order to enjoy the civil liberties which so many take for granted today. The origins of civil liberties for the United States dates back to England. The United States has a clean start by including the Bill of Rights in the American Constitution. The Bill of rights at first were the symbolism of American ideals because there was no way of enforcing them until 1803 where in the case of Marbury v. Madison the Supreme Court took action in striking down laws for the first time that were considered unconstitutional. From that point on the Supreme Court established a precedent of wielding the power to strike down any unconstitutional legislation. Marbury v. Madison happened long before the Civil War and before any of the other cases mentioned. However its importance to civil liberties is essential to any civil liberty essays because it was the one case that allowed for the Supreme Court to take action and enforce the bill of rights along with any other law that is deemed unconstitutional. It was this case that brought about the exercise of judicial review in the United States under Article III of the U.S. Constitution...
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