Month: August 2019
Should Governments further Fund Public Transportation?
Today, it is commonly assumed that every person with a driver's license owns a personal vehicle. However, in the United States alone, public transportation is used 35 million times on a common weekday (Facts). In China, there are near 170 million privately owned vehicles (China's), compared to their population of over 1.3 billion. The term public transportation can refer to a bus, train, subway, ferry, or other means, that commonly involve a fare (Public). It is used more often than many assume and can be considered vital in the lives of those without their own form of transport. Public transportation can work wonders for the economy. It provides careers, both directly and indirectly, at approximately 1.1 million jobs per year in the United States (Transit). It provides careers in the form of bus drivers, technicians, and coordinators. Also, it provides transportation to the workplaces for those who do not have access to their own car. The downside of taking a bus rather than a car is that it may limit the work schedules of these people. This is due to the time tables of the transportation. Often, there is also debate in whether public transportation is entirely safe, due to the locations of the stations, or the character of those using the transit or conducting the transport. This is where the controversy arises. The annual spending on public transportation in 2014 was $416 billion in the United States (Facts), and 2.5 billion British pounds in the UK (Public Sector), or near $3.5 billion.
Although these figures are already considerable, it can be argued that the government should increase funding. This would increase the quality of public transportation. To address this topic, the benefits and draw-backs of public transportation must be analyzed to informatively decide on whether the figure that is spent on public transportation is too much or too little. Today, the environment is a growing concern in ways such as global warming or pollution, but many may argue that there is little being done to prevent the deterioration of the Earth. 28% of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation in Canada (Greenhouse), and 14% globally (Global). In increasing funding for public transportation, it will decrease the use of individual vehicles, thus limiting the use of gasoline and the emissions coming from the cars. On average, heavy rail transit, such as trams or trains produce almost 80% less gas emissions than single occupancy vehicles (Transit). If governments were to increase the use of public transportation, air pollution could decrease at an exponential rate. An example of how transportation can affect the air is in China, where some of the worst traffic occurs, as a traffic jam once lasted ten days long. This is one direct cause of the air pollution in China, as it is home to sixteen of the dirtiest cities on the globe (Air).
Not only would the environment benefit from the increase in public transport funding, but the economy as well. According to the American Public Transport Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes public transportation, every $1 used for public transport funding results in $4 back into the economy (Facts). When individual vehicles are not being bought as often and less money is being spent on gas, more money can be used instead on substantial infrastructure for communities, such as roads, utilities, or education (Transit). The APTA is a credible source as it has represented public transportation for over one hundred years. The members of the organization all specialize in transportation, whether it be building it or conducting it. Providing more funding for public transportation would increase the quality of the transit and reduce any negative connotation that may be associated with the thought of taking the bus or a train, as some may associate public transport with lower income areas. More people would be using it to commute to work, school, or home, and, subsequently, traffic congestion would be reduced.
Minimizing traffic would lower the stress of those on the road as traffic is typically a high-tension situation, decrease the effect of cars on the environment, and lessen the amount spent on gasoline per person, which was $1,560 per year in 2017 in the United States (DiLallo). The unemployment rate in the United Kingdom is 4.2% (How). With public transport more readily available, the unemployment rate could drop, which is typically desirable in many countries. If public transportation is further funded, the bus or train schedules would not have to be as restricted as they may be now, and public transit could further provide careers for hundreds of millions of people worldwide, whether it be a bus driver, a train conductor, or provide a shuttle to and from a workplace. Despite common belief, public transportation frees up time for those using it. Rather than having to drive to and from work or school, someone else is driving for them, and therefore provides them excess time for other activities, such as studying or reading, while on the go. Not only does it free up time, but it also is linked to a healthier lifestyle, as people typically walk to and from their homes to bus stops or train stations. As well as this, public transportation may be safer than individually driving, as transit operators must go through training to be able to control the vehicle in which people may be taking. In the United States, bus accidents only account for .01% of transport related crashes compared to nearly three-quarters of highway fatalities resulting from single-vehicles (Kille).
Public transportation does a substantial amount of good and provides safe and effective means of travel. In opposition to further funding public transportation, it could be argued that it would decrease the number of careers in a country. The number of traffic police, car manufacturers, and car salesmen could decrease as the need for individual cars would decrease. Many people worldwide would be out a job. With this, there is question to whether the increase in public transportation will help the economy or hurt it instead. Also, there is some question to if public transportation should become free, which could be detrimental to the economy if it were further funded. More money would be used to better the transportation, but there would be no direct economic returns. The use of public transportation can increase the time that the average person must wait for commuting. The average time spent waiting on transportation in Great Britain is almost 43 minutes a month, where public transportation is more prevalent than it is in most countries (Britons).
Although they would be using this time for other activities, it could be spent at work or home instead. If public transportation were to be further funded, the money must come from somewhere. This funding would have to come from increasing taxes or pulling funding from another cause, such as education or health care. If the money were to be coming from taxes of the people, it could cause an uproar from the public as those who do not need to use public transport will be forced to pay for it. The taxes that would be increased would include sales tax, property taxes, or gas taxes according to Christopher MacKechnie. If the funding was pulled from other programs, it could also be a cause of conflict, as, again, the taxpayers' money would be going towards public transportation rather than being spent on something that the entire population could make use of. MacKechnie was a bus driver for ten years while completing his college degree. He later worked in an authoritative position at a major public transportation company in Los Angeles, which therefore verifies his credibility in the matter. Further funding public transportation could be argued as unnecessary by many people. Public transport is often seen as unsanitary and even dangerous.
Further funding it may help with these problems, but they would not be entirely eliminated and the negative social stigma surrounding public transportation would most likely remain as funding could not alter opinions immediately, if ever. This means that, even if transportation were to be renovated, it is not guaranteed that it would have an increased use. The crimes committed on public transportation include, but are not limited to, theft, rape, or even homicide. When improving public transportation, it betters the infrastructure itself, but it cannot regulate criminals that may take the bus, therefore still limiting the amount of people using the transportation due to the fear that may be associated. Commuting shorter distances through walking or cycling is much healthier than using public transportation. Typically, those that use private cars or public transportation tend to struggle with stress, exhaustion, and sleep quality over those who commute with physical exercise. (Page). If public transportation is not being used by those who are commuting shorter distance, that demonstrates that further funding the transport would be unnecessary to a great majority of people, and therefore make a very little positive impact on society. After considering both sides of this issue, I feel that governments worldwide should increase their funding for public transportation. It is beneficial in many ways economically and environmentally through providing careers and reducing traffic congestion. The argument opposing further funding can be used in favor of both sides of the issue. Many of the points are theoretical, such as increase in funding may not increase use. Also, the negative views that are associated around public transportation are not widespread, therefor discarding this point. The careers that could be provided greatly outweigh those that would be taken away.
The traffic police may slightly decline, but it will not be a dramatic change for the career, as private cars will still be popular; public transportation will just be more commonly used. After analyzing these points, it can be concluded that no dramatic negative changes would occur if public transportation would be further funded. The points presented in support of further funding are based on facts, such as the economic benefit in the fact ?every $1 used in funding results in $4 back into the economy.' The environment is one thing that a great majority of people agree should be maintained and taken care of. Public transportation can play a role in the bettering of the environment, further encouraging the need for further funding and encouragement for public transport. If I were to further my research, I would learn more about the extent that public transportation can decrease gas emissions. Clearly public transportation would decrease the emissions, but it would be interesting to understand how far it would be beneficial and how. Also, it would be interesting to research the extent that traffic congestion would be reduce and what positive long-term effects that it would have
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Government and Fast Food
Children's obesity has tripled during recent years, and twenty-five percent of the people affected by it are under nineteen years of age, and that's according to a study made by Green Planet (the largest independent publishing platform that focuses on sustainable food, animal welfare issues, environmental protection, and green living and the biggest plant-based food and recipe site). Fast food and poor eating regimen are the primary explanations for the ascent of the weight rates. Individuals connect to fast food since it is the most effortless and least expensive alternative accessible option.
In the same study, it was stated that diabetes will kill twice the same number of women as breast cancer every year and that today 2 out of 3 Americans are overweight, which is basically around 67% of Americans, and that 34% of the people beyond 20 years old are obese. This study also shows that fast food is not just threatening our health, but it is also hurting the financial status of individuals as there are $150 billion that will be spent just on treating corpulence related diseases and $175 billion on treating diabetes-related illnesses. Fast food is creating a havoc for our future generations, as it impacts our health, economy, and the planet, and that's why the government should play a role to save our present that we are living and our future that we are destroying without noticing.
How is fast food harming our body?
Fast food has many negative effects on our digestive and cardiovascular systems. According to an investigation medicinally reviewed by Natalie Butler (registered/ licensed dietician who specializes in weight management , gastrointestinal diseases, food allergies and intolerances, inflammatory diseases, gut health, and functional nutrition. , most fast food contains starches with practically zero fiber, and when the digestive system separates sustenance, it releases carbohydrates and sugars as glucose in your blood stream; your pancreas changes this sugar into insulin, which moves and transports sugar to cells that need it. If you eat carbohydrates and sugars with great quantities, the sugar spikes will increase in your body beyond what your body organs can handle, and these extra insulin spikes will lead to debilitating insulin response which can lead to insulin opposition and type 2 diabetes and result in gaining weight. This is significant because many Americans now are consuming fast food and it became a habit for them, they don't realize that they are killing themselves.
This investigation additionally expresses that the number of calories that fast food gives to individuals is critical, which will cause stoutness in the long haul. Obesity increases chances of respiratory problems such as asthma and shortness of breath, as the pounds increases causing more pressure on the heart and lungs. Even more, individuals who expend fast food have a 51% possibility of having depression.
As indicated by Mayo Clinic, carbohydrate rich sustenance can cause sugar spikes in the blood, causing sudden hops in glucose levels, which can cause acne breakouts. Children who eat fast food more than three times each week are more susceptible of developing eczema, which is a skin condition that causes aggravated patches of inflamed, itchy skin. Fast food contains many carbs and sugars, which increase acids in your mouth, causing the breakdown of tooth enamel, which then can lead to cavities and bacteria in your mouth. These dense sugars and carbs in junk food will eventually cause obesity, and obese individuals have a higher danger of breaking bones while falling, as their bones are weaker than more healthy individuals, and this supports that obesity and fast food places many risks on the individuals and causes them to grow weaker, and lessens their body's ability to protect them in times of danger or injuries.
Effects on immunity and reproductive system, and future generations
Green Planet also states in the same study used previously that processed foods have some chemicals that can alter the way hormones act in your body, called phthalates. High levels of exposure to these chemicals could prompt birth issues, for example, birth defects(abnormalities). As stated in an environmental nutrition study by Palmer, Sharon(an award-winning blogger, author, registered dietitian nutritionist, and plant-based food and nutrition expert) and in a recent National Institutes of Health survey of the science on the theme of the western eating routine and its impacts on our immunity demonstrates that the Western eating diet is colossal in sugar, sodium, and saturated fat; (which have a provocative inflammatory impact), and is low in omega-3s (which has a calming anti-inflammatory impact), this style of diet can be hazardous and could hurt our gut microbiota, which will debilitate the immune system.
This can eventually lead to changes in the host environment, shifts in immune cell functions, and changes in nutrient accessibility for the gut microbiota, causing the immune response to weaken. Obesity additionally makes a provocative reaction that can dull the immune system's ability to protect the body. Even more frustrating is that mother's eating habits can affect the gut microbiota of the unborn kid, causing the child to have an impaired immune system, which make the immune system vulnerable to infection, auto immune and allergic diseases, so this diet can affect our genes, ability to fight diseases, and it passes on to future generations, which indicates the danger that we are placing on our own future.
Effects on animals and the planet
These are little of many fast food effects on our body, and if we leave fast food control us and have more power over us, our future is going to suffer. The government is there to protect the people and support its nation, but if we are going to grow and seeing our kids growing developing all these diseases, we will be like a deceased nation, or a nation living to survive its various diseases, people will spend their money on treating themselves and there will not even be enough healthy people to work and support or economy. The government needs to play a role to save our generations. Many people need restrictions to guide their decisions, the government applied restrictions on consuming of tobacco, as it killed many people, but what about fast food that will destroy our future and we are just watching it?
Citations:
- Pietrangelo , Ann, et al. 13 Effects of Fast Food on the Body. Healthline, Healthline Media, www.healthline.com/health/fast-food-effects-on-body#sugar-and-fat.
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Government And Fast Food. (2019, Aug 12).
Retrieved November 5, 2025 , from
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Hinduism: a Universal Religion
The dictionary defines Hinduism as, a major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, developed from the Vedic region. However, Hinduism as a whole cannot be boiled down to a simple sentence. While it is a religion that over millions of people follow, it also can be considered a lifestyle. Even the roots of Hinduism are different than other well-known religions, as it has no original leader, no single scripture, or even a regularly fixed set of teachings. So what is Hinduism? It is often addressed as the eternal faith or the Santana Dharma because it is based on collective wisdom of several various teachers (Singh, 1990). Like most ancient faiths, there are religious texts and scriptures for believers to follow. For Hinduism, it is the Vedas and the Upanishads. These Scriptures teach its followers the best way to live their life, offering guidance and spiritual confirmation. Another major difference between Hinduism and other renowned religions is the fact that it can be considered a universal religion or belief system. A universal religion is a religion that transcends normal human pettiness, fake theology, and a one-way system. It's a religion that does not belong to one specific race or gender or country and does not maintain a sense of superiority. It is a religion of freedom of thought and rationality and goodness. It is a religion that recognizes the value of all lives and all of humanity. These are all the different aspects that Hinduism encompasses and what makes it a renowned universal religion.
A common misconception regarding the religion of Hinduism is that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. By definition, polytheism refers to worshipping many gods of equal stature. This is not the case in Hinduism as they recognize one unitary, supreme God, who is the absolute. While the Hindu religion does have a plethora of gods, they are more or less considered great beings rather than the one true Divine (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). Because reality is based on inner experience rather than outer experience, so the gods are seen as an inner experience. As such, they are just as susceptible to change as the human mind (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996).
The concept of time to Hindus is different than how most Western cultures view it. While Westerners see time as linearly, Hinduism embraces an approach that interprets the notion of time as cyclical (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). Not only is it because each soul lives on through reincarnation, but the world is created and destroyed only for the creation process to begin again. Ultimately, the world and time is eternal.
The Vedas offer guidance on how to achieve the necessary liberation from the world. It manages this by stating the four goals of life: dharma, artha, kama, and moksa. Dharma is not as basic as its definition of religion would state. Dharma is what shapes a person's worldview and their sense of justice. It is doing what they believe to be right, regardless of the circumstances. Artha and kama are the second and third goals of life. Artha is wealth while kama is sensual enjoyment and pleasure. Both of these relate to the physical and worldly desires that people face. The Hindu religion encourages seeking after both of these all in moderation, as it is unrealistic to believe that these won't be found appealing to normal people. Moksa is the release from suffering, old age, and ultimately death wherein one attain peace in spiritual poise (Singh, 1990).
The word Dharma constitutes the core of the message of India to humanity (Suda, 1970). It is shown to be of importance time and time again in both of the two great epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and in the various religious Scriptures. In fact, the Bhagavad-Gita actually centers on the concept of dharma, as Lord Krishna encourages Arjuna to fight in the war because it is his duty as a warrior and prince. Dharma is derived from the root of the Sanskrit word, dhr, which means, to hold, have or maintain (Suda, 1970). Dharma is the philosophy of thought that keeps the whole universe in order and everything in its proper place (Suda, 1970). The idea is that an individual only realizes his or her dharma when they get rid of all their impurities (Suda, 1970). Dharma is accordingly paired with the concept of Truth, known as Rita, which signifies divine or cosmic order (Suda, 1970). One's dharma, however, is not fixed or static. It is susceptible to change and subject to growth just as people are (Suda, 1970).
The Bhagavad-Gita is one of many Scriptures of the Hindu religion. It follows the story of Arjuna, a warrior prince, with his mentor, Lord Krishna, and his dilemma of whether or not to participate in the war while on a battlefield. It is thought to influence a whole galaxy of leaders from the [Indian] freedom movement (Singh, 1990). There are four main reasons, why the Gita is both significant and relevant, even in today's modern society. The first reason being that the Gita is written amidst a situation of conflict. The epic pans out in the middle of the great Kuruksetra War and is about a warrior for the divine call (Singh, 1990). This appeals to readers, both in the old and modern day, as every individual wants to feel that their life has a higher meaning. Furthermore, the Bhagavad-Gita shows a divine personality of the teacher (Singh, 1990). Lord Krishna is disguised in human form and it essentially personifies the Para-Brahman. The relationship between Krishna and Arjuna is one that resonates with readers as well. In the Hindu tradition, the connection between a guru and a sisya (protegee) is a very intimate one. These relationships are related to father and son, best friends, and even lovers. It is a bond based off of faith, devotion, and trust (Singh, 1990). Even though Krishna is the mentor and a god, he is never seen threating Arjuna, but rather urging him to follow his dharma.
The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the two great Indian epics. Not only are they interesting stories to read, but they also offer guidance on how Hindus, or people in general, should live their lives. Like the Bhagavad-Gita, the Mahabharata's inner message, also maintains one must always do their duty (Krishnananda, 1990). Additionally, the Mahabharata preaches on trusting in the Lord. When one clings to God, He will see that all abundance is poured upon [you] (Krishnananda, 1990). Like the Mahabharata, the Ramayana has numerous lessons to follow as well. In both of these epics, they start off with an initial depiction of the glory of human life, only to be contaminated by the vision of a poisonous sting that also is a part of human existence (Krishnananda, 1990). Life is not always going to be smooth sailing. It has ups and downs and it's about adapting to the curve balls it throws. Furthermore, the Ramayana teaches about abandoning one's worldly desires, such as lust and greed and pride and to choose the path of righteousness.
Hinduism also follows a timeline in which the people split the stages of their life. These stages are known as Brahmacarya, Garhasthya, Vanaprastha, and Sannyasa (Singh, 1990). The stages are split into twenty-five year periods and are separated into student life, householder, semi-retirement, and the final stage of complete withdrawal. During one's student life, the primary focus is receiving an education. The next stage is the householder stage, which is concentrated on starting a family and that seeds into the next stage of semi-retirement. This stage is mostly a filler of gradual attachment in order to prep for the final stage of complete readiness to withdraw entirely from a social life.
Individuals are divided into four categories based on their inherent qualities (Singh, 1990). This is commonly known as a caste (or varna) system, and it is still used to this day in India. The four varnas break down into the Brahmanas, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras. The Brahmanas are ranked the highest and appear on the top of a vertical ladder. They are the people who provide spiritual guidance and intellectual sustenance to society (Singh, 1990). Next comes the Ksatriyas, or the warriors. In America they would be considered soldiers or people of power in the government; people's who duty or dharma revolves around ruling the nation and defending it against aggression (Singh, 1990). The vaisyas are the traders, those who are involved in agricultural and commercial operation (Singh, 1990). Lastly, there are the Sudras or the labourers. However, contrary to popular belief, the ladder can be shifted to look at horizontally rather than vertically. People are not desperate to switch castes, even if they appear on the lower rung. They are proud of their caste and everyone is considered an integral part of society.
The Vedanta, also known as the Upanishad, come at the end of the Vedas and hold what is considered to be key tenets of Hinduism. It follows five main principles that are the core of Hindu belief. The first one is the all-pervasive Brahman. This is an ideology that is shown in countless other religions. There is one divine entity that has a driving force and power for everything that anyone does. There is no manifestation without the divinity behind it (Singh, 1990). This concept of the Brahman is what makes Hinduism a monotheistic religion, contrary to the common misconception of it being a polytheistic one. The next principle leapfrogs off of the first one as the Brahman resides within each person's consciousness, in the Atman (Singh, 1990). The Atman is fundamentally a soul residing in an individual. The Atman is neither separate nor apart of the Brahman as the Lord resides within the heart of each person. The relationship between the Atman and the Brahman is the crucial point upon which the entire Vedantic teaching revolves (Singh, 1990). The last three principles are what establish Hinduism as a universal religion rather than a limited one.
The four yogas (Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Raja) are concentrated on bringing a union between the Atman and the Brahman (Singh, 1990). The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word, yuj, which is translated to join or yoke. That is why the idea of the four yogas or paths to the divine involves the joining of the individual soul with the universal divine being (Singh, 1990). Jnana yoga encompasses intellectual discrimination and knowledge (Singh, 1990). Intellectual discrimination is discerning between real and fiction (Gabriel, 2018). The goal is to reach Enlightenment through the process of reasoning (Gabriel, 2018). This yoga is done via studying. Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion to a personal form of God (Singh, 1990). It is considered the easiest yoga to practice, as one does not have to have supreme physical or mental attributes. In the Vedanta, there is said to be a fine thread of pure love which connects [one's] heart to the divine (Gabriel, 2018). That thread is reflected to be the crux of Bhakti. It is the ultimate surrender to the divine. Karma yoga, not to be confused as just karma, is known as, the way of action (Singh, 1990). It is performing an action, regardless of the benefits. Essentially, it is acting selflessly. The final yoga is raja yoga and it is considered the king of all yogas. This yoga involves the various spiritual practices, including physical and psychic exercises (Singh, 1990). Raja yoga means the royal path (Singleton, 2010). It is about maintaining control over one's mind. This is done through the practices of mantras, various techniques, and meditation. Every mind is filled with conflicts, which causes the obscuration of the Divine. Through the practices mentioned above, the Divine will be able to peacefully join with oneself. Many Westerners appreciate Raja yoga as it is not necessarily linked with the Hindu religion, and can be practiced regardless of one's belief system (Singleton, 2010).
The concept of karma is not lost on Western culture and this Hindu idea is one of the more recognized one. Etymologically karma means work, but it is more often noted for the after effects of any action (Kalghatgi, 1965). The principle of karma revolves around the idea of eternal metempsychosis (Kalghatgi, 1965). This word, developed from the Greek language, envelops the idea of the soul after death, transitioning to a new body, regardless of species. It is a subcategory of the idea of reincarnation. The basic idea of karma is that through ones actions, a unique and particular life is created (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). Regardless of the nature of any action action, actions of a particular type produce experiences that match that type of said action (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). The actions continuously persist, until a human makes an effort to change their ways and stop performing actions that harm either themselves or others. This is where the idea of metempsychosis comes in. Accumulated karma is carried over from one lifetime to the next (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996). A specific soul will be forced to continually reincarnate until the lessons from the previous life are learned and no more karma is generated, regardless if it is good or bad (Scotton, Hiatt, 1996).
All human beings, because of their shared spirituality, are members of a single, extended family (Singh, 1990). This is a principle found in the Vedanta that displays Hinduism as a universal religion. It is the belief that individuals are amrtasya putrah: children of immortality. Humans carry within their consciousness the light and power of the Brahman (Singh, 1990). Furthermore, the Vedanta talks about the essential unity of all religions and of all spiritual paths (Singh, 1990). There is no explicit way to the divine but rather there is a multiplicity of paths.
Hinduism has approximately around nine hundred million followers. There is a multiplicity of paths on the way to the divine, and that is due to the fact that everyone comes from a different background. Even in the Bhagavad-Gita, there is a sense of universal applicability. Hinduism does not confine itself to any particular creed, and has no desire to make converts (Singh, 1990). This is due to the fact that the divine Brahman and Atman reside in all beings (Singh, 1990). What works for one person, may not work for another. There is no central book or authority, which is different from many religions as Christianity focuses on the Bible and Islam, has the Quran.
While Hinduism is a religion, it can also be seen as a way of life. There are no strict rules or guidelines one must follow in order to be in accordance with their way of living. While many Hindus are vegetarian because they believe in the well being of all beings, there are others who are not. There is no specificity. Furthermore, it is extremely tolerant. In all the religious Scriptures and texts such as the Upanishads and the Vedas, Hindus put an emphasis on the many different ways to reach God or the Brahman. This belief comes from the fact that God exists in everything and everyone. Furthermore, Hinduism doesn't believe in conversions. Missionaries were never a priority because if the Brahman resides in all beings, people will realize it themselves. While Hindus do have rituals, which they follow, they are by no means necessary in order to the gain access to the Divine. The only requisite to become a Hindu, is sincerity and the actual desire to become one with the Brahman. There is a prayer in Hinduism that translates to, well-being of the whole world. Hinduism is not an exclusive religion, but one that is open to all (Beckerlegge, 2004).
Like most belief systems, Hinduism has many different tenants and principles condensed into one religion. Whether it is the idea of reincarnation, where a soul is reborn into another body after death, or the concept of karma, Hinduism has managed to become a forefront on the religious playing field. It is currently the third highest followed religion in the world, with over millions of faithful followers. While it started as a religion based on geography (the Indu River), it has made its way all throughout India and even into the Western hemisphere. But how has a religion that doesn't force conversions or even believe in missionaries become so big? Hinduism prides itself on being a tolerant religion. Unlike Christianity and Islam, Hindus are open-minded towards other faiths because they believe that they are all pathways to the Brahman. It is difficult to categorize Hinduism into a specific sect of theology, as Hindu theology contains many different elements of almost every theological system. There are five ideologies, however, that help condense the Hindu religion. These five elements have given shape to the Hindu religious tradition: doctrine, practice, society, story, and devotion (Narayanan, et al., 2018). While Hinduism has many different messages relayed to its followers, the very essence of Hinduism is found in the opening line of the Upanishads, This entire cosmos, what is still or moving is pervaded by the Divine (Singh, 1990).
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Controversies in Organ Donation
Organ donation is a topic that can cause quite the controversy. To some being an organ donor is one of the most generous things you could ever do. But to others, well they just don't fully understand the importance of donating your organs and why it's important. By donating organs you are literally saving thousands of lives. Why would you want to see an innocent person die? Are you that heartless or have you not fully grasped to the importance of this.
Here in the United States, there is a major shortage of organs. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, there is an overwhelming number of people who are in need of a life-saving transplant. 117,000 people to be exact. In a chart constructed by the United Network for Organ, it states that 95% of adult Americans support organ donation in theory, but only 54% have actually signed up to be donors. which is absolutely absurd. Journalist Paul Hsieh says that doctors and organ donor advocates are frustrated by the lack of people's will to donate. Which is immensely understandable.
There are many organs you can donate. For example, the heart, kidney, and lung can all be donated. In an article titled Should The Government Require Your Consent To Be An Organ Donor. it basically states that organ donor advocates have proposed to change the United States state law. What they are proposing is for hospitals to switch from an opt-in system to an opt-out system. Which is one of the best ideas for them to propose. unless your religion is against it then that law wouldn't be a problem to uphold. You still people who will try to argue that they have the right to their own body. Which is true but think about all the people you could save. Instead of being ignorant of the fact that people will have your organs, you should really think about the lives that you could save.
Other things people may say is that dont want to be an organ donor is because of their religion. Unless you are a Jehovah's Witness or Shinto you should still be considered for for the opt-in law. On the website https://www.donorrecovery.org it states that Jehovah's witnesses do not believe that when one donates their organs they must make sure all of the blood must be removed first. they follow this because of their strict rule on blood transfusions. This website also states that Shinto's believe that messing with dead bodys are a sin and is a very serious crime. To them the body should stay pure and never be disturbed.
Some may argue that they can't live/ function without their organs. Witch is totally not true. The myths that people come up with is just a bunch of nonsense. One of the myths is that Im too old. The truth is that you are never to old to be an organ donor, what matters is your health and the condition of your organs are in when you die. Another one is that If i'm in a coma they could take my organs.. The majority of deceased organ donors have to be declared brain dead. Being brain dead is not the same thing as being in a coma ! People anc recover from a coma but being brain dead is final. And lastly is My family will have to pay for the donation. There is no cost whatsoever for you to give your organs.
In conclusion, being an organ donor is the human thing to do. You are practically saving thousands of lives. The recipient may be you or even your family members. You should always consider being an organ donor , because you never know who's in need of one. So it's very important to have that thought in mind the next time you are asked. Being an organ donor is not a right its the human thing to do.
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Visiting a Hinduism Religion
I recently attended an Indian wedding with my family as my brother's best friend is of Hinduism religion. The wedding took place at India House Banquets in Schaumburg and was really interesting to compare to the many catholic weddings I have been to. When visiting this area that many Hinduism weddings take place, it was noted how different they are from Catholic churches Before discussing the most interesting ritual I witnessed, some of the things that are different from a traditional Catholic wedding were the clothes and lengths. As my brother was one of the men who stood up in his wedding, Hindi people celebrate week long for their weddings. One day is designated to the bride and her bridesmaids getting their henna done, another day is designated to the bachelor and bachelorette party and the wedding itself begins early in the morning and lasts all day. Another thing that I found to be amazing was the clothes they wear for wedding celebrations. The outfits they wear are stunning and they do a few outfit changes from the ceremony to the banquet hall. Overall, this was such an amazing experience and I wish everyone would have the opportunity to experience a wedding in a religion other than their own.
Jumping into my favorite part of the wedding was a ritual called the Seven Steps when the couple to be married walks around this ring of fire. This is the most important ritual as after the seventh, and final step, the man and woman are legally husband and wife. This is different as in my familiar religion, the couple says their vows and undergoes a service in which they are granted marriage ending in a you may not kiss the bride. One of the biggest problems of this ritual was the language barrier but it was translated in an easier way as I asked the groom after the fact. The importance of this walk is many different prayers to their God reaching out for different blessings. The groom says something and then the bride will respond as they both are making lifelong promises to each other and to the God. Starting with the first step, they pray for healthy food and a respectful life together. The next step is physical health along with mental stability and spiritual strength to live the best and pure life as husband and wife. The third step is asking for wealth, wisdom, and prosperity.
The next step was happiness for them forever and it also signifies the importance of family, parents, and elders. The fifth step was praying to God asking for his blessings and kindness on all living things. This also connects to praying for their friends and other relatives. The sixth step asks again for lifelong happiness and a long life together. The seventh step ends this ritual as it pronounces the husband and wife legally married. They both agree to have a long life together of loyalty and companionship along with honesty and universal peace. As this ritual is happening, the man always starts the pledge and the woman responds in agreement mentioning we this and that. This was something that I found to be the most interesting ritual as it is something I have never seen before. When the groom was explaining to me this ritual I found it to be so passionate and meaningful. The different steps they take show their everlasting love for each other.
This relates to a theme we've encountered in our readings on Hinduism as Dharma is the universal law. Living in harmony is important as Dharma is the core of the Hindu practice. They will never go to through the afterlife process if they do not follow their Dharma. When the couple gets married, they can pursue Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha together as a married couple. In India, a common way to have a spouse is through an arranged marriage and this is still in effect today as it is the most preferred way. It is very difficult to find a spouse the family approves of and family plays a major role in this religion as we have read in the Mahabharata.
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Mandatory Organ Donation
Mandatory Organ Donation sounds wrong doesn't it? Nearly 115,000 people die every year waiting for an organ transplant. That amount of death could be resolved by making donation mandatory. According to the American Transplant Foundation a new name is added to the Transplant waiting list every ten minutes. Meaning 240 people will be added to the transplant list every single day. 87,600 people a year will need an organ transplant. The statistics are proof of just how much we need this. Religion is one of the main factors that people can not be a donor or even receive a transplant.The Percentage of other healthy and capable Americans that have no reason they can't donate,other than the fact that they don't want to because they find it crude or they just simply aren't educated about it.
20 people die everyday from a lack of available organs, and from just one deceased donor eight lives can be saved. UNOS.org says that there are 114,621 people on the waiting list. There are only 13,041 donors, Meaning only 64,835 people will get the life saving transplant that they need. 4 out of 5 donations come from the deceased, 1 out of 5 comes from the living. 95% of Americans support Organ donation and only 1. The information should be made easier to get as far as handing out brochures on how and what donors do. They can not take your skin, eyes, bones, or tissue while you are living. However they can take a kidney, and pieces of other organs to grow in the recipient's body according to Organdonor.org.
Religion is one of the leading factors people can not seem to be able to donate or receive however, Jehovah's Witnesses are often assumed to be opposed to donation because of their belief against blood transfusion. However, this merely means that all blood must be removed from the organs and tissues before being transplanted. as www.donorrecovery.org says. The Amish can even receive even against the popular opinion that they can not. The Amish consent to donation if they know it is for the health and welfare of the transplant recipient. www.donorrecovery.org says. As long as this is being done for the right reasons no one is going to completely refuse. This is Life or Death after all. With knowing that the reasons not to be a donor are crumbling.
There are many myths about organ donation but the few educated people know how to disprove them. Many people believe that there is an extra cost among the funeral for organ donation, but UNOS.org says There is no cost to the donor's family or estate for organ and tissue donation. Meaning the recipient gets the cost for the organ and the surgery. A national computer system and strict standards are in place to ensure ethical and fair distribution of organs. Organs are matched by blood and tissue typing, organ size, medical urgency, waiting time and geographic location.UNOS.org. So the scenes in Grey's Anatomy where they are stealing and thinking of ways to steal organs does not happen in real life. Education about organ donation is one of the smartest things to do before you write it off completely. When you die and you go in for an autopsy they are going to take out, weigh, and throw your organs in a bag to rot within you. So as far as the crude nature of the process and the people thinking they are being harvested does not happen. So which way is more crude? Would it not be better if you knew that you were saving up to as many as eight people's lives?
Organ donation is a second chance for someone, But yet only 54% of Americans sign up to be a donor. So in conclusion I agree that organ donation should be mandatory, for the benefit of the people that really need it. Organ donation isn't something that will ever run out, not enough people know about it. Let's not let our future diminish because we don't take the time to be educated about donation.
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Saving Lives with Organ Donation
How would you feel if you picked up the phone to hear your mom saying through tears the doctor said I need a heart. More than 114,000 men, women, and children are on the national transplant waiting list as of August 2017 (organdonor.org). Ninety-five percent of adults in the United States support organ donation yet only 54% are signed up as donors. One donor has the opportunity to save up to eight lives. There are 8 lifesaving organs that can be donated including heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and intestines(organdonor.com).
The organ waiting list keeps on developing day by day. . Although, about 80 people receive organ transplants daily, it's estimated 20 people die each day waiting for a transplant, another person is added to the waiting list every 10 minutes. Only three out of every thousand people die in a way that allows for organ donation.In the United States 100,000 people are waiting for a kidney donation, 14,000 people awaiting a liver, and 4,000 people waiting for a heart. While a cornea donor can restore sight to two people 1,400 adults and children are awaiting new lungs.
Becoming a donor is simple. You can sign up with your states donor registry or fill out an organ donor card when you get or renew your drivers license (webmd.com). Anyone is able to become an organ donor, but a parent or guardian must consent for minors. One person can change the lives of more than seventy-five people by registering to become an organ, eye, and tissue donor.
When you give an organ you are saving a life. The life you save could be your spouse, child, parent, brother or sister, a close friend, or a very grateful stranger. Live donors are able to give up certain organs, as in a kidney, part of the pancreas, intestine, liver or lung, in part or while without having long-term health issues. There are different types of living donations: directed donation, non-directed, and paired donation.
Living donation is major surgery so there will be risks. Pain, infection and blood clots are all possible complications. The most common type of living donation is directed, the donor specifies to whom they are donating. Twenty-five percent of living donors aren't biologically related to the recipient(donatelife.org). It is rewarding to donate organs, however, it is illegal to pay someone for an organ.
There are myths associated with organ donation. For example, some think no one will want their organs or tissues because of their age or poor health. Not very many therapeutic conditions consequently exclude you from giving organs. The decision to utilize an organ depends on strict medicinal criteria. Specific organs may not be appropriate for transportation, but different organs and tissue may be fine. When considering donation health is more important than age. The transplant surgeon assessed organs and chooses whether or not they are reasonable on a case-by-case premise.
Other people believe the hospital staff won't work as hard to save their life if they become a donor. In fact, during treatment, you will be seen by a specialist whose forte nearly coordinates your specific condition, where specialists center around sparing your life. It's often said donors aren't allowed an open-casket funeral. The donors body is garments for burial, so there is no unmistakable indications of organ or tissue donation which allows no interference with an open-coffin burial service.
Very few medical condition disqualify you from donating your organs. A disease in one organ does not preclude other organs from being donated (nebraskamed.com). Only few conditions would absolutely prevent a person from becoming a donor-such as active cancer or systemic infection(organdonor.gov).
Organ donation can be a fulfilling and positive experience. It can enable a family to work through the grieving process and deal with their loss by realizing their adored one is helping save the lives of others. Many donor families take encouragement in realizing their adored one helped spare different lives.
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The Drinking Age should Remain the same
The opposing viewpoint is the drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19. Colleges and Universities argue that having the drinking age 21 is making issues worse. If young adults know that they are legally allowed to drink then there would be a lot less thrill seekers trying to break the law. Additionally there would be a decrease in the number of fatalities and long term injuries because adolescents would not have the fear of legal consequences if they seek medical attention. College students would be affected if the drinking age was lowered. There are already so many reports of abusing alcohol on campus and it would only get worse it would be legal. Although most students find themselves at one point at a college party with alcoholic beverages, it is still regulated and not out of hand because there is an age limit. Many students have a fear from getting in trouble by not only their parent but the actual college itself so they tend to steer clear of parties as much as possible. If the drinking age was lowered it would also increase the risk of students developing other bad habits like smoking tobacco or marijuana.
Adolescence is a time period of significant growth, physically and mentally. It is characterized by physical health and low incidence of disease. It is proven that physical activity and exercise is a primary prevention against chronic conditions. If the drinking age is lowered, the increase of young adults developing diseases is inevitable. Over the long term, drinking increases the risks of many cancers and can cause significant damage to the digestive, nervous, respiratory, circulatory, skeletal, and immune systems. Additionally, alcohol consumption has been linked to diabetes, infertility, sexual dysfunction, liver inflammation, and mental health issues discussed by Gale (2017). Cognitive development is extremely important. It is the development of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood which was a theory found by jean Piaget when he placed the importance on the education of children. Ages 18-25 we are transitioning from adolescents to adults and while this is happening the brain is also continuing to develop as well.
According to Arnold-Burger (2008) alcohol impairs judgment and heightens risk-taking behavior as well as slowing perceptual and motor skills, so given to a person who has an immature brain function in these areas already, research shows that the effects are even more exaggerated. And finally, the research indicates that alcohol or drug use during these formative years can cause long term, irreversible damage. The drinking age is believed to be a lifesaving effect. Adolescents are still learning about themselves and transitioning into being young adults and to give them the option to partake in what is believed an adult activity, jeopardizes their future and potentially their life. At the age of 18 you are not completely able to make the most correct decision because the mind isn't fully matured. Although people younger than 21 still get behind the wheel after drinking, there are much fewer each year because of the drinking law. There will always be several young people who will rebel, but there are a lot more who will make the more rational decision to obey the rules. Gholipor (2014) states the federal law that enforced the drinking age to 21 made a significant decline in teenage drinking and driving and there was actually a 54 percent drop over the past two decades Therefore, when states lowered the drinking age, consumption went up and more people died.
When states increased the drinking age, consumption went down and fewer people died. The debate over lowering the drinking age to 18 years old has been ongoing since 1984 when it was raised to 21 years old. There is a long history of alcohol in America, and why it was legally set to this age. The belief that alcohol was the major cause of most personal and social problems is where the prohibition movement fell into place. They believed illegalizing alcohol would reduce crime and improve the health of citizens. Prohibition failed and ended in the 1930s and allowed each state to set their own alcohol consumption laws. Most states at that time made the legal drinking to 21 years of age. Around 1972 when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, many states lowered the drinking age as well. Unfortunately, with the decrease in the drinking age a drastic increase of alcohol-related care accidents occurred. In response to the rise in traffic fatalities the National Drinking Age Act of 1984 came into place which prohibited persons under 21 years of age from purchasing alcoholic beverages. It is evident that the drinking age should remain because it saves lives, decreases the chance of interrupting cognitive developments, as well as developing comorbidities and if lowered would negatively impact college students.
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Comparing Declaration of Rights and Bill of Rights
- Comparing the English Declaration of Rights and the American Bill of Rights
- Origins and Intentions of the English Declaration of Right
- Origins and Intentions of the United States Bill of Rights
- Similarities Between the Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights
- Differences Between the Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights
Comparing the English Declaration of Rights and the American Bill of Rights
The United States, having started off as an English colony, has been impacted profoundly by the historic English, and the broader European, climate and politics. Though the political and situational climates, in which the two documents were developed, differ greatly, it is interesting to see both the similarities and differences between the two in order to truly understand the impacts that the English Declaration of Rights had on the American Bill of Rights.
Origins and Intentions of the English Declaration of Right
In the 17th century, many European Monarchs began to move towards an absolute monarchy. Along with the already growing tensions between the British Parliament and King James II, there were growing tensions between British Catholics and Protestants (Coward, 2017). It was clear that England was on the brink of becoming an absolutist state, as evidenced by King James II's dismissal of parliament and his attempt to rule on his own. As a result, an attack on his throne was imminent by his son-in-law, William of Orange, forcing James II to flee to France. This was considered an effective abdication of the throne at which point, William of Orange ascended the throne with James II's daughter Mary (Slaughter, 1981). On February 6, 1689, the English Parliament read the Declaration of Right aloud to William and Mary along with a formal offer of the throne. This Declaration was designed such that it would be a tactical compromise between the Tory and Whig parties who each wanted Absolutism and Constitutional Monarchism respectively (Pincus, 2011). This original Declaration consisted of two main parts. The first part outlined a list of King James II's misdeeds and was followed by the second part, which outlined thirteen articles which outlined limits on the powers of the monarch along with the rights of Parliament. The Declaration instituted a limited constitutional monarchy in which the King and Queen has a largely ceremonial positon, and a parliamentary system is in place with the Prime Minister at the head of the government (Pincus, 2011). The Declaration of Right was restated in statutory form as the English Bill of Rights in December of 1689. However, to maintain a clear distinction between this document and the American Bill of Rights, we will proceed to refer to the original Declaration of Right for the remainder of this analysis.
Origins and Intentions of the United States Bill of Rights
To understand more about the United States' Bill of Rights, we must fast forward to the late 1780s. As the debate over ratification of the US constitution grew bitter, James Madison drafted a Bill of Rights. These original ten amendments to the US Constitution, aimed to specify individual rights and liberties. The American Bill of Rights was drafted by James Madison after the bitter debate over the ratification of the United States Constitution. The Anti-Federalists were concerned that this new Constitution created a presidency so powerful, that it would be akin to a monarchy (Main & Countryman, 2004). As a result, the Bill of Rights was written as a response to the concerns of Anti-Federalists by directly identifying limitations of the government's power along with individual liberties and rights. The Bill of Rights aimed to minimize the fears of a government exercising oppressive force and was established to protect the freedoms of each individual and would protect the same individuals against fear of a tyrannical government. The Federalists initially opposed the Bill of Rights. Noted Federalist Alexander Hamilton believed that the Bill of Rights supported a government rooted in monarchy. It was realized, however, that the Bill of Rights is an entitlement of each citizen to rights which cannot be infringed on by the government. Thus, the federalists and anti-federalists, were both able to agree that the Bill of Rights was a good compromise as any new laws would not be able to breach the Bill of Rights by infringing on the rights of citizens. The Bill of Rights guarantees Americans freedom of speech, trial by jury, protections from cruel and unusual punishment, and many other basic liberties that citizens of a nation deserve. Over time, the 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights became an integral part of the United States Constitution and was essentially part of the latter.
Similarities Between the Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights
At the most superficial levels, one of the most evident similarities between the Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights is the situations that they were developed in. Both documents were created and developed shortly after war and revolution. When the Americans created the Bill of Rights, they had only recently declared their Independence from the British after the American Revolution and were attempting to create the foundation of a newly independent nation (Main & Countryman, 2004). The British, on the other hand, created the Declaration of Right in response to the Glorious Revolution. The Glorious Revolution was precipitated by an absolutist monarchy which resulted in fears about individual rights and freedoms (Coward, 2017). In both situations, the revolutionary situations preceding the creation of the documents gave representatives the power to assert themselves and fight for the freedoms.
However, the similarities between the two documents transcends the obvious. By delving deeper into the similarities, we can see that with the creation of the Declaration of Right, the English Parliament developed and promoted a government in which the rights and liberties of individuals were protected from a harsh and oppressive monarchial government. These ideas and philosophies made their way to the 13 American Colonies as well.
In both the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Right, the influences of English philosopher John Locke can be found. John Locke was an English philosopher who was dubbed the Father of Liberalism (Anstey, 2003). Locke wrote extensively about the social contract theory. Social contract refers to the idea that individuals relinquish some of their freedoms to a government and accept the authority of the ruling government. In return, the government is expected to protect the remaining rights of the individuals. Locke believed that individuals benefit by living together under the rule of a government. However, in order to function in a mutually beneficial manner, social contracts provide a framework as to how individuals and governments interact. In Locke's view, every individual had an inherent right to life, liberty, and estate (Anstey, 2003). Locke believed that it was the government's duty to protect the individuals' lives by ensuring they are free to prosper. He believed that the government needed to enforce a system of laws and rewards in order to improve the society and individuals should have the ability to revolt if the government acted against or infringed on these rights.
The similarities in philosophies and backgrounds that worked together to create each of the documents is even further evident as one looks at specific articles from each document.
The first amendment to the US Constitution is strikingly similar to the provision of the Declaration of Right which guarantees freedom of speech to parliament especially in debates and parliamentary proceedings (US Congress, 1791; EAC, 2000). While the English Declaration grants this liberty only to parliament, the Bill of Rights gives this right to every citizen.
The second amendment to the US constitution, or the right to bear arms, also bears great similarities to the Declaration of Right, namely the provision that grants Protestants the ability to possess weapons for self-defense (US Congress, 1791; EAC, 2000). Both provisions came about, respectively, in times when people needed protection. For the Americans, they had just finished a Revolutionary War and as a result, it was not unthinkable that protection in the form of gun power would come in use. In terms of the British Declaration of Right, a major factor behind the Glorious Revolution, which precipitated the Declaration of Right was religious tension between the Catholics and the Protestants. Coming from a Catholic England, Protestants did not have the same liberties as Catholics. Especially with the great deal of tension existing already, coupled with the fact that Catholics could possess guns, this provision was extended to Protestants in order to allow them the same liberty.
The nextamendment to draw parallels to the Declaration of Right is the sixth amendment. The sixth amendment ensures that all citizens charged with a crime, are given the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury (US Congress, 1791; EAC, 2000). The analogous English provision states that anyone tried for high treason has access to an impartial jury. While the Declaration of Right offers these liberties only in the case of high treason, the Bill of Rights offers them for all crimes. Though this may seem like a difference, it is important to note that since high treason is the contradiction of the sovereign, it is difficult to identify the same situation in the United States.
Finally, the eight amendment to the US Constitution is nearly identical to one of the Declaration of Right provisions. This provision and amendment prohibits excessive fines or bail along with cruel and unusual punishment (US Congress, 1791; EAC, 2000).
It is very evident that the United States Bill of Rights very closely resembles the English Declaration of Right. Both documents came about in similar situations and were written with the intent of limiting power and guaranteeing protection of rights. In fact, American colonists expected to have the same rights as those granted to English citizens. However, this denial of rights was what lead to the American war for Independence. Thus, when the framers of the US Constitution were devising a foundation for this nation, Madison's proposed Bill of Rights, which closely resembled the British Declaration of Rights, soon became an integral part of the US Constitution itself. Though both documents attempted to curb the powers of government while protecting individual rights, there are also differences that exist between the two documents which should be identified and addressed to truly understand the impact that the Declaration of Right had on the Bill of Rights.
Differences Between the Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights
One of the most obvious differences between the Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights is that the Declaration of Right identifies the separation of powers of the government and how the government is set-up, something that is not necessarily identified in the United States Bill of Rights specifically.
The United States Bill of Rights specifically address individuals and the rights and liberties that should be enjoyed by citizens. It offers protections for speech, the bearing of arms, trial by jury, protection against unreasonable search and seizure, and protection against cruel and unusual punishment to name a few. Clearly, all the amendments stated in the United States Bill of Rights are civil liberties and have no relation to the organization and layout of the government itself.
This is where the English Declaration of Right differs. Because the Declaration of Right was created as a safeguard against an autocratic government, it aimed to set up a government that protected the rights of individuals. Parliament used the Declaration to ensure that it would be a key player within the English government, thereby making the monarchy an almost ceremonial role. The Declaration of right spends a major portion guaranteeing that there will be elections to see who represents the people as members of the English government. This organizational development of the government is something that is present in the Declaration of Right but not the Bill of Rights. As a result, the English Declaration of Right delved further as it included provisions regarding the operations of government along with protection of liberties.
Another major difference between the two documents rests in the target groups affected by the provisions in each document. The English Declaration of Right consists primarily of rights that apply to Parliament but not the English people. The United States Bill of Rights, on the other hand, focuses on the provision and protection of liberties to individual American citizens, not Congress. For example, the first amendment of the United States Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech to all Americans. The parallel Declaration of Right provision only provides freedom of speech to members of Parliament. This difference is not surprising, however. As England left a monarchy and began to shift towards the parliamentary system, the belief was that granting these rights to members of parliament, who were elected to represent individual citizens, would equate to the protection of individual liberties as well (Coward, 2017). The United States, on the other hand, focuses on individual liberties and this highlights the fact that the United States was a true republic”ultimately placing governmental power in the hands of the American people.
Another difference is that though there are a lot of overlaps in the rights that are addressed in both documents, there are different rights as well. Though the American Bill of Rights addresses the freedoms of the press, the Declaration of Right does not identify any liberties to be exercised by the press, again illustrating the focus on individuals by the United States Bill of Rights as opposed to the English Declaration of Rights.
Overall, John Locke and other similar philosophers had a great impact on both documents. Locke's influence was direct on the English Declaration of Right. His political philosophies are highlighted in the Declaration of Right through the establishment of limitations on the monarchs (Anstey, 2003). Though more indirect, Locke had an even greater impact on the United States Bill of Rights. This is highlighted by the separation of church and state in the United States. In Locke's viewpoint, the government should not have influence over individual beliefs and individuals should be free to exercise their own religion without any governmental interference (Anstey, 2003). This belief is reflected in the American Bill of Rights in the first amendment. The English Declaration of Right, on the other hand, while preventing the establishment of a Catholic religious institutions”a necessary measure given rising religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants”does not separate church and state explicitly.
Conclusion: Identifying the Impact of the Declaration of Right on the Bill of Rights
The English Declaration of Right took a near autocracy and made it into a constitutional monarchy (Pincus, 2011). It did so by placing strict limits on the power of the monarchy and redistributing it to the Parliament and English people. The impact of the English Declaration of Right has been long standing and can still be seen in in spirit in many similar documents of the throughout the world. It encouraged a form of government where individuals could live in peace knowing that their liberties were protected. It was this philosophy that found itself rooted in the spirits of the thirteen colonies as they began their journey towards independence and then even more as the newly independent thirteen colonies began to develop a constitution as the foundation of the new nation.
As a colony of England, American colonists expected the monarchy to grant them the same liberties granted to British Citizens by the Declaration of Right and the Magna Carta. The lack of these rights, in fact, was one of the major precipitating factors that lead to the American Revolution (Main & Countryman, 2004). When they finally gained independence, the newly independent Americans knew what they wanted. Thus, they used the existing English documents as a guideline to design their new government and protect the liberties of their citizens.
Because the American Bill of Rights was so greatly influenced by the English Declaration of Right, it is not surprising that both documents share many philosophies. Both documents show signs of great influence from the philosophies of John Locke and his belief of the social contract. While both documents were designed to protect the rights and interests of the people and were also intended to limit the government, because of the different time periods and political climates that they were developed in, there are also some evident differences. However, it is important to note that even though a focus should be made on these differences, the differences should be identified as similarities of different magnitudes. At the end of the day, the intentions of both documents were the same. What differed were small aspects that did not necessarily apply to the other situation. For example, while both documents were written intending to protect the government, the Declaration of Right details the protection of civil liberties as well as the set-up of the government. The United States Bill of Rights, on the other hand, focuses only on civil liberties.
Though the English Declaration may cover some more aspects, the root of both documents is the same”granting liberties to citizens and ensuring that the government does not take them away. Our nation currently has many debates going on regarding the validity of the amendments. Before we become close minded and automatically shoot down such ideas, we must consider that even when designing our Bill of Rights, a take on the existing Declaration of Right, the framers understood that different situations call for changes to be made. In a similar light, we must consider that changes might be necessary and be open-minded to the debates that follow. Because after all, being stagnant can be the biggest weakness.
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Prostitution in India
India is the country where religiously, women are respected.But when we take a tour of reality, situation is completely different.India welcomes you with 'n' number of issues related to women.Prostitution is one of those issues where the hypocrisy is seen.This profession holds no respect in the society.Logically if we look at the perspective, in India there are maximum rape cases and also people here don't digress the rapist whereas sex workers are objectified and treated badly.
In a conversation with Leela, a sex worker in Kolkata said that 90 percent of the women working here are forcibly dragged into this business.They don't start this with their consent like other countries. In greed of giving them work in the big cities, agents bring the girls from villages and small towns who are unaware of the cruel world and they get trapped here. The dark world of prostitution eats them bit by bit,and their half part of life is spent into that cocoon of unhappiness.But the question arises what after the time when it comes an end, because the demand of the prostitutes lasts only till they are young and by the time they get older the place throw them like the chewing gum when it looses it's flavor.The business suck their blood and the light of their life till the time they get out of that place they are left with nothing but just a rotten meat.Initially there are many scars given which some or the other way affects the rest of their life and if they even try to take a fresh start,it gets very difficult.But survival on the other hand demands for the need of money.
The first half of the lives of the prostitutes are eaten by the demons and they loose all the light and enthusiasm, basically looses their whole identity.Therefore there is no scope of them to educate themselves as the dark world doesn't treat them well.This particularly affects a lot when the life of the prostitution comes to an end,they are left with nothing.This was one the biggest problem because it led to suicides,begging and getting into illegal businesses like selling of drugs and so on.Money was anyway a need to them and especially in India where they weren't given any sort of respectful jobs which has led them to do such activities.It is even seen that those who have left the business have been more poorer after they got out of it.That is why they try their hands in the illegal businesses to earn sufficient money.But nothing is permanent and the harsh reality of the world of prostitution is that even though money they are paid are some or the other way more than any regular work but there are many things that women have to pay back for instead of that.They had no where to go , nothing to wear and were unemployed.Nobody wanted to give them the job and accept them.This caused many suicides or putting their selling their child for some amount of money.Condition was very much critical and some step has to be taken for it.
Looking at the situation of now, there are certain initiatives taken which has come up and has brought much changes.As this issue was very much serious and should have taken seriously by the government but they took zero interest in solving the matter.Someone has to come up with the solution, a ray hope was seen when many NGOs came up with this idea,and therefore many NGOs took theinitiative of bringing the changes and to give the sex workers a better life to lead on.Women who wished to work or pursue their education are supported thoroughly.Women are given confidence about themselves and always motivated for a better future.The thing is that they are so much drained from inside that they lack confidence.But there are many women who have fought this battle like a hero and have marked an example for other women.Little bit of respect,support and acceptance from the society have pushed them which has brought so much of confidence to them. It also teaches us to make world a better place for you and for me and the entire human race. We need to understand that they have been caged in this world and have been exploited , harassed and the light of their life has been taken away by the death eaters.
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Prostitution in India. (2019, Aug 12).
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Minimum Legal Drinking Age Law
Minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws provide an example of how scientific research can support effective public policies. Between 1970 and 1975, 29 States lowered their MLDA's; subsequently, scientists found that traffic crashes increased significantly among teenagers. Alcohol use among youth is related to many problems, including traffic crashes, drownings, vandalism, assaults, homicides, suicides, teenage pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of a higher MLDA in preventing injuries and deaths among youth. Despite laws prohibiting the sale or provision of alcohol to people under age 21, minors can easily obtain alcohol from many sources. Increased MLDA enforcement levels and deterrents for adults who might sell or provide alcohol to minors can help prevent additional injuries and deaths among youth. KEYWORDS: minimum drinking age laws; evaluation; history of AOD public policy; public policy on AOD; adolescent; law enforcement; AOD availability; AOD sales; AODR (alcohol and other drug related) injury prevention; AODR mortality; traffic accident; drinking and driving
Science can play a critical role in developing effective policies to address health issues, including those focused on alcohol-related problems (Gordis 1991). In an ideal world, public policy development would be based on the identification of a problem and the scientific evidence of the factors that are most effective in reducing that problem. In the real world, however, public policy results from economic and political forces, which occasionally combine with good science. Minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws provide an example of how scientific research can support effective public policies. This article shows how science has influenced MLDA policies in the past and summarizes research contributing to the ongoing debate on the MLDA.
HISTORY OF THE MLDA
Following the repeal of Prohibition, nearly all State laws restricting youth access to alcohol designated 21 as the minimum age for purchasing and consuming alcohol (Mosher 1980). Between 1970 and 1975, however, 29 States lowered the MLDA to age 18, 19, or 20. These changes occurred at the same time that minimum-age limits for other activities, such as voting, also were being lowered (Wechsler and Sands 1980). Scientists began studying the effects of the lowered MLDA, particularly focusing on traffic crashes, the leading cause of death among teenagers. Several studies in the 1970's showed that traffic crashes increased significantly among teenagers after the MLDA was lowered (Cucchiaro et al. 1974; Douglass et al. 1974; Wagenaar 1983, 1993; Whitehead 1977; Whitehead et al. 1975; Williams et al. 1974).
With evidence that lower legal drinking ages were associated with more traffic crashes among youth, citizen advocacy groups led a movement to restore the MLDA to 21 in all States (Wolfson 1995). In response, 16 States increased their MLDA's between September 1976 and January 1983 (Wagenaar 1983). Many States, however, resisted pressure from these groups and ignored Government incentives to raise their MLDA's (King 1987). The Federal Government became concerned about the safety both of youth in States that had lower MLDA's and of youth who lived in neighboring States. Persons who were below the MLDA in their own State could drive across State borders to purchase alcohol in a State with a lower MLDA and then return home, increasing the likelihood of being involved in traffic crashes.
Because the 21st amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteed States' rights to regulate alcohol, the Federal Government could not mandate a uniform MLDA of 21. Instead, in 1984 the Federal Government passed the Uniform Drinking Age Act, which provided for a decrease in Federal highway funding to States that did not establish an MLDA of 21 by 1987 (King 1987). Faced with a loss of funding, the remaining States returned their MLDA's to age 21 by 1988.
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MLDA Reductions in Drinking
Following the end of Prohibition, each State developed its own set of policies to regulate the distribution, sale, and consumption of alcohol. In addition to the MLDA, examples of other alcohol control policies include excise taxes, restrictions on hours and days of sales, and server training. Many of these other alcohol policies have only recently been evaluated (see Toomey et al. 1994 for a review of the research literature). Of all the alcohol control policies, MLDA policy has been the most studied. Since the 1970's, at least 70 studies have explicitly examined the effects of either increases or decreases in the MLDA, with some studies using more robust research designs than others. MLDA policies may have been evaluated sooner and more often for a variety of reasons, including: (1) a growing concern about youth drinking and driving; (2) availability of archived, time-series data on traffic crashes; (3) the fact that many States first lowered, then raised, their MLDA's; and (4) preliminary research showing the large effects of changes in MLDA's. Thorough literature reviews by Wagenaar (1983, 1993), the United States General Accounting Office (1987), and Moskowitz (1989) provide detailed summaries of many of these studies. MLDA laws have been evaluated mostly in terms of how changing the MLDA affects rates of alcohol use and traffic crashes among youth.
Methods used to study the effect of the MLDA on alcohol use have varied widely, contributing to differences in conclusions among studies. For example, some studies used convenience samples, such as students in introductory psychology classes, whereas other studies used sophisticated, random sampling designs to obtain nationally representative samples. Wagenaar (1993) concluded that studies employing strong research and analytical designs typically observed increases in alcohol use among youth following a lowering of the MLDA. In contrast, when many States raised the MLDA, alcohol use among youth decreased.
Beer is the alcoholic beverage of choice for most youth. As a result, reduced rates of alcohol use among youth after the MLDA was increased were primarily evident in decreased rates of beer consumption (Berger and Snortum 1985). Rates of wine and distilled spirits use among youth did not change dramatically following the rise in the MLDA (Barsby and Marshall 1977; Smart 1977).
Opponents of the age-21 MLDA theorized that even if a higher MLDA reduced alcohol use among minors, drinking rates and alcohol-related problems would surge among those age 21 and older. In other words, opponents believed that a ""rubber band"" effect would occur: When youth turned 21, they would drink to ""make up for lost time"" and thus drink at higher rates than they would had they been allowed to drink alcohol at an earlier age. A study by O'Malley and Wagenaar (1991), however, refutes this theory. Using a national probability sample, O'Malley and Wagenaar found that the lower rates of alcohol use due to a high legal drinking age continued even after youth turned 21.
Although the MLDA's effect on youth alcohol consumption is important, a key consideration is whether the MLDA ultimately affects the rates of alcohol-related problems. Alcohol use among youth is related to numerous problems, including traffic crashes, drownings, vandalism, assaults, homicides, suicides, teenage pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases. Alcohol use is reported in one-fifth to two-thirds of many of these problems (Howland and Hingson 1988; Plant 1990; Roizen 1982; Smith and Kraus 1988; Strunin and Hingson 1992). As drinking rates increase or decrease, rates of alcohol-related problems may change in response.
Decreases in Traffic Crashes
Using various research methods, at least 50 studies have evaluated the effect of changes in the MLDA on traffic crashes (Wagenaar 1993). Some studies assessed policy changes in only one State, whereas others analyzed the MLDA's effect across multiple States. These studies evaluated the effect of MLDA changes on a variety of outcomes, including total traffic crash fatalities for youth; drinking-driving convictions; crashes resulting in injuries; and single-vehicle nighttime crash fatalities (the crashes most likely to involve alcohol).
Most studies on the effect of lowering the MLDA found an increase in traffic crashes and traffic deaths among youth (Wagenaar 1993). Of the 29 studies completed since the early 1980's that evaluated increases in the MLDA, 20 showed significant decreases in traffic crashes and crash fatalities. Only three clearly found no change in traffic crashes involving youth. The remaining six studies had equivocal results. Based on results from research studies such as these, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that in 1987 alone, 1,071 traffic crash fatalities were prevented because of the MLDA of 21 (NHTSA 1989).
Since 1984 researchers have been investigating whether changes in the MLDA also affect other alcohol-related problems. Of the four studies conducted to date that focused on other social and health consequences of alcohol use, three found an inverse relationship between the MLDA and alcohol-related problems: A higher legal drinking age was correlated with a lower number of alcohol problems among youth. The New York State Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (1984) found a 16-percent decrease in rates of vandalism in four States that raised the MLDA. In a study of an increase of the MLDA in Massachusetts, Hingson and colleagues (1985) did not find significant changes in the rates of nonmotor-vehicle trauma, suicide, or homicide. Smith (1986), however, found an increase in non-traffic-related hospital admissions following decreases in the MLDA in two Australian states. Jones and colleagues (1992) found lower rates of death caused by suicides, motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian accidents, and other injuries in States with higher MLDA's. More research is needed to characterize the full effect of the MLDA on rates of alcohol-related injuries and on problems other than motor vehicle crashes.
THE ROLE OF ENFORCEMENT
Research indicates that a higher MLDA results in fewer alcohol-related problems among youth and that the MLDA of 21 saves the lives of well over 1,000 youth each year (NHTSA 1989; Jones et al. 1992). What is compelling is that the effect of the higher MLDA is occurring with little or no enforcement. A common argument among opponents of a higher MLDA is that because many minors still drink and purchase alcohol, an MLDA of 21 does not work. The evidence shows, however, that although many youth still consume alcohol, they drink less and experience fewer alcohol-related injuries and deaths than they did under lower MLDA's (Wagenaar 1993). A more appropriate discussion, therefore, is not whether the MLDA should again be lowered but whether the current MLDA can be made even more effective.
Despite laws prohibiting the sale or provision of alcohol to people under age 21, minors throughout the United States can easily obtain alcohol from many sources. Buyers who appear to be younger than 21 can successfully purchase alcohol from licensed establishments without showing age identification in 50 percent or more of their attempts (Forster et al. 1994, 1995; Preusser and Williams 1992). In addition, although many youth purchase alcohol themselves, most youth indicate that they generally obtain alcohol through social contacts over age 21 (Wagenaar et al. 1996b; Jones-Webb et al. in press). These social contacts--who include friends, siblings, parents, coworkers, and strangers approached outside of alcohol establishments--purchase alcohol and then either provide or sell it to minors.
Commercial establishments licensed to sell alcohol, as well as social sources, face potential criminal penalties, fines, license suspensions, and lawsuits for selling or providing alcohol to minors. So why do they still supply alcohol to youth? One reason is that policies are not actively enforced. For policies to deter specific behaviors effectively, people must believe that they have some chance of being caught and that they will face swift consequences for noncompliance (Gibbs 1975; Ross 1992). Wolfson and colleagues (1996b) found that only 38 percent of the alcohol merchants they surveyed thought it was likely that they would be cited for selling alcohol to a minor. Further research is needed to determine whether social sources are aware of their legal liability for providing alcohol to youth and whether they perceive a high likelihood of facing penalties for doing so.
Laws prohibiting the sale and provision of alcohol to minors are not well enforced (Wagenaar and Wolfson 1995), and systems for enforcing the legislation vary by State. Typically, however, enforcement systems use both State administrative agencies, usually called State Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) agencies, and local law enforcement agencies, such as police departments and county sheriffs. Enforcement of MLDA laws has focused primarily on penalizing underage drinkers for illegal alcohol possession or consumption (Wagenaar and Wolfson 1995), an unintended and unanticipated consequence of the MLDA (Mosher 1995; Wolfson and Hourigan in press). For every 1,000 minors arrested for alcohol possession, only 130 establishments that sell alcohol to them have actions taken against them, and only 88 adults who purchase alcohol for minors face criminal penalties. Wagenaar and Wolfson (1994) estimate that only 5 of every 100,000 incidents of minors' drinking result in a fine, license revocation, or license suspension of an alcohol establishment.
An in-depth review of enforcement actions in 295 counties in 4 States (Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, and Oregon) showed that in a 3-year period, 27 percent of the counties took no action against licensed establishments for selling alcohol to minors, and 41 percent of those counties made no arrests of adults who provided alcohol to minors (Wagenaar and Wolfson 1995). The States were selected for their diversity of alcohol-control systems and availability of data. Although the majority of counties took at least one action against alcohol establishments and adults who provided alcohol to youth, many did not take actions frequently.
As noted earlier, only a tiny proportion of incidents of minors' drinking results in fines or other penalties for establishments that sell alcohol. Some reasons that enforcement agencies do not cite or arrest illegal providers include (1) perceived acceptance of underage drinking by community members, (2) lack of community encouragement to increase enforcement of the MLDA, and (3) lack of resources (Wolfson et al. 1995).
Given the low level of enforcement activity, it is not surprising that many adults do not hesitate to sell or give alcohol to minors. To create a deterrent effect, we need to increase the likelihood of facing negative consequences for illegally selling or providing alcohol to youth. One approach is to encourage ABC and local law enforcement agencies to increase enforcement against illegal alcohol providers. Preusser and colleagues (1994) found dramatic reductions in alcohol sales to minors (from 59 percent at baseline to 26 percent I year later) following an enforcement campaign involving three ""sting operations"" in which underage males attempted to purchase alcohol.
In addition to increasing enforcement of the MLDA, other procedures and policies can be implemented to improve the effectiveness of MLDA laws. To ensure that adults do not sell or provide alcohol to minors, both public and institutional policies can be developed that complement MLDA laws (Wagenaar et al. 1996a). Alcohol establishments, for example, can implement several policies and practices, including (1) requiring all alcohol servers to receive responsible service training on how to check age identification and refuse sales to teenagers, (2) establishing systems to monitor servers to prevent illegal sales to youth, and (3) posting warning signs (Wolfson et al. 1996a,b). Wolfson and colleagues (1996a,b) found that establishments adhering to these policies were less likely to sell alcohol to young women who appeared to be under age 21 and who did not present age identification.
THE ONGOING MLDA DEBATE
Despite an abundance of research demonstrating the effectiveness of the age-21 MLDA at saving lives and reducing alcohol-related problems, several States are again considering lowering their legal age limits for drinking. Louisiana's MLDA of 21 was recently challenged in court on the premise that it violates the State's constitutional law regarding age discrimination. Louisiana's State Supreme Court concluded, however, that "". . . statutes establishing the minimum drinking age at a level higher than the age of majority are not arbitrary because they substantially further the appropriate governmental purpose of improving highway safety, and thus are constitutional"" (Manuel v. State of Louisiana [La. 1996]). In other words, because the MLDA was based on empirical evidence that such laws saved lives, the court decided that the law was not arbitrary and thus did not violate Louisiana's constitution. Despite the Louisiana decision, the MLDA of 21 also may be challenged in other States.
CONCLUSION
The same arguments used to lower the MLDA 20 years ago are being used today (see sidebar, pp. 216-217). Despite ongoing debates about the MLDA, research demonstrates the effectiveness of a higher MLDA in preventing alcohol-related injuries and deaths among youth. As the MLDA's were lowered, rates of injuries and deaths increased; when the MLDA's were raised, injuries and deaths significantly decreased. The benefit of using environmental (i.e., external) approaches, such as the MLDA, is further supported by the fact that drinking rates were reduced even after youth turned age 21. In contrast, individual approaches (e.g., school-based programs) have generated only short-term reductions in underage drinking. This finding suggests that to create long-term changes in youth drinking and alcohol-related problems, strategies that change the environment should be used.
Despite the MLDA of 21, minors still have easy access to alcohol from commercial and social sources. The observed benefits of the MLDA have occurred with little or no active enforcement; simply by increasing enforcement levels and deterring adults from selling or providing alcohol to minors, even more injuries and deaths related to alcohol use among youth can be prevented each year.
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In the United States should the Drinking Age be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age
Many people around the world drink alcohol for numerous reasons. However, some people may not be able to drink alcohol in other countries because of the drinking age law. For example, people are allowed to drink alcohol at age 18 in Korea, but they cannot drink in the United States because the drinking age law is 21. Since 1984, the United States Congress introduced the minimum drinking and legal purchasing age law as 21 and most states have followed the law until now. After the law passed, the percentages of drinking decreased, but at the same time there are now more people protesting. Even though there are more people protesting, the nation should not lower the drinking age from 21 to a younger because drinking alcohol can cause humongous damage to human body, the accidents and deaths rate will increase, and the rate of alcoholism will increase.
The history of alcohol began a long time age. When the first alcohol was created, people did not drink as much as nowadays because the main purpose of using alcohol was to treat illnesses or other medical purposes. However, ever since few centuries ago, people, typically European, began using the alcohol for another purpose: drinking. After some time, drinking alcohol became popular. It is also around this time that Americans started drinking. Europeans imported abundant supplies of liquor into the United States in the 1600s when they came to America. They also created liquor using ingredients from America. As American alcohol became popular in the late 1700s, people started drinking it with every meal. Everybody, even children, could enjoy drinking alcohol without any interference because there was no age limit for drinking alcohol. However, few years later, Abraham Lincoln realized how alcohol was dangerous to the human body; therefore, he imposed a new tax on liquor and made it mandatory to teach the danger of alcohol at school. After the Civil war, in 1910, the United States government banned driving while intoxicated and 9 years later, in 1919, the Constitution announced 18th amendment:After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited (U.S. Constitution). The government officially prohibited manufacturing, selling, or transporting intoxicating liquors to the whole states. However, in 1993, the Constitution announced another amendment: The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed (U.S. Constitution). The 18th amendment was quickly abolished because it failed to be maintained and raised the crime rate. Later, in 1984 July 19, the U.S. constitution introduced the current drinking age law, 21.
First, the National Institute of Health, NIH, studies whether alcohol is good for health and if it is bad, it examines how it is bad and effects on the human body. According to NIH, alcohol mainly damages the brain, heart, pancreas, immune system, and liver (Alcohol's Effects on the Body). Alcohol blocks the brain and other tissues from communicating, so the body cannot function properly. If the body fails to function properly, the body and brain cannot develop properly and the behavior and mood may change negatively too. Some people say alcohol helps increase blood pressure; however, it is more likely to cause arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) and cardiomyopathy (stretching and drooping of heart muscle). Furthermore, people who have high blood pressure need to control or stop drinking alcohol because it can lead to heart attacks and make their immune system weaker. If the immune system becomes weaker, the liver will be impacted by getting alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis because alcohol primarily damages the liver. Even if it is worse, it can lead human body to have cancers such as liver, mouth, esophagus, throat, and breast cancer.
The human body is connected together. If one organ is affected adversely, all other organs can be damaged. Lowering the drinking age will make people drink more alcohol. However, if people drink too much, they be hurt physically more than they gain in entertainment; therefore, the drinking age limit should not be lowered from 21.
Secondly, the lower minimum legal drinking age produced not only more sale and consumption but also car accidents, typically people who just stepped into their adulthood. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, reported that in 2015 alone, about 1.1 million drivers were arrested and 111 million drivers self reported. More than ten thousands people are also losing their lives every year because of alcohol impaired driving crashes (Impaired Driving). However, among casualties, 2,333 teenagers, between ages 16- 19 were included and 234,845 teenagers were put in a serious situation by accidents (Teen Driver).
This is the another statistic that focused on teenagers' alcohol impaired driving crashes. According to another center, NSDUH, about 7.3 million teenagers who were under 21 had experienced drinking liquor. Out of the total, 19 percent drank alcohol illegally. This caused 1900 young people to be dead and 300 young people to commit suicide (Underage Drinking Statistics).
The rate of drinking alcohol continues to increase every year. At the same time, the average of accidents and death rates is also on the rise This statistics shows how people get out of control after drinking liquor. Both teenagers and adults drink and drive. Many people have been arrested, injured, and killed by drunk driving. If the drinking age limit lowers, more people will be injured and killed. The crime rate will also be higher. In order to cope with this situation, the age limit for alcohol should not be lowered.
Thirdly, lowering the drinking age limit will result in more alcoholism. Oxford dictionary defines alcoholism as addiction to the consumption of alcoholic drink (Oxford Dictionary). People cannot handle their behavior or thoughts while they are drunk; therefore, they can easily be a bad influence to others or society through robbery, sexual assault, rape, violence, child abuse, or homicide. In 2015, 86 percent of homicide, 15 percent of robberies, and 37 percent of rapes and sexual assaults were committed by drunk people.
Alcoholism also impacts families. More than hundred thousand incidents of family violence is caused by liquor.Scientists announces that 40 percent of all crimes are related to alcohol abuse (Alcoholism and Family/ Marital problems.). In the United States, there are also numerous people struggling with drinking and it is turning to a serious problem these days. There are about 12 to 14 million adults who have an alcoholism problem and more than 3 million teenagers are at risk to be addicted.
To lower the age limit for alcohol is the same as to increase the number of alcohol addicts and criminal rates. There are so many alcoholics that even at the age limit of 21, lowering the age limit will likely aggravate the situation. Young people are also more likely to become addicted to alcohol because they cannot control themselves as well as adults. Therefore, it is wise to stay within the age limit of 21.
Today, numerous people believe that small amount of drinking alcohol has benefits to human body because some doctors and medias announcement. According to Mayo Clinic, The possible health benefits of drinking alcohol are reduce risks of developing and dying from heart disease and diabetes (Nutrition and healthy eating). About six hundred thousands people die in the United States because of heart diseases; however, a glass of wine can help to relieve their heart diseases, at the same time, it drops the death rate that caused by heart disease. If people control the drinking amount, it can enoughly be beneficial to our health.
However, it also contains abundant health risks. Typically addiction, fatty liver, heart disease, mental health problems, and even several cancers at the same time. Some doctors say it can prevent heart attacks and breast cancers; however, others have announced there is a larger possibilities to get other health risks. It is more helpful to eat fruit such as grapes or berries instead of alcohol. People tend not to recognize some facts, but only listen to what they want to hear. Media News Today also reports that Women should not drink more than a glass a day, and men, two glasses (Alcohol use and your health). This means more than a glass or two can cause many dangerous health risks. When people asking about benefit of alcohol, most people only provide wines, not other alcoholic beverages because there are no other benefits for other liquor to human body. Drinking alcohol is actually more easier to have health risks than prevent the health.
The age limit for alcohol is still a controversial issue, and many people disagree with it. Many people have expressed a strong desire to change the legal age to below 21, but there are so many problems that can arise from changing the age limit. For example, profuse accidents still occur when the age limit is unchanged, and if the age limit is changed, more accidents will happen. Accidents are not only bad for people, but also can affect the reputation of the country. It is a more efficient and wiser choice to maintain the age limit to protect people's health and raise the reputation of the country rather than to change the age restriction to bring accidents and country's bad reputation. Knowing the problems and trying to prevent them is a far more important than conforming to people's' desires; therefore, the drinking age should not be lowered.
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In the United States Should the Drinking Age be Lowered From 21 to a Younger Age. (2019, Aug 12).
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Different Opinions on Wether or not the Legal Drinking Age should be Lowered
Thesis: Binge drinking is a major problem in todays society, and some would argue that it is because of the legal drinking age; today, I would like to explore two opinions on lowering the legal drinking age in order to understand this issue more.
Introduction:
Each year, more than 4,300 minors die due to heavy drinking.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that 5.1 million people ages twelve to twenty admit to having binged on alcohol at least one time within the past month.
One in twenty-five college students share that they have consumed fifteen or more drinks within a two week period (Newport Academy 2017).
For those who don't know, one drink is defined as (Buddy T 2018)
Twelve ounces of beer
Five ounces of wine
One and a half ounces of hard liquor
The current legal drinking age is twenty-one, but there have been discussions about reducing that age. As college students, this issue affects us directly as we have all been exposed to alcohol wether it be from a firsthand experience or not.
At our age, and in the college environment, I'm sure that we all have some basic knowledge of the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption among our peers.
Binge drinking is a major problem in todays society, and some would argue that it is being caused by the United States' legal drinking age; today, I would like to explore two opinions on lowering the legal drinking age in order to understand this issue more.
Signpost: First, we will take a look at some arguments in favor of keeping the drinking age at twenty-one.
Body
Around 1986, the federal government required all states to have an MLDA, or minimum legal drinking age (Toomey 2009).
By 1988, every state had begun enforcing a minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one (Toomey 2009).
A lot of states had to go through major processes in order to change this law.
Changing the MLDA is a long, strenuous process.
This is one reason that people argued not to lower it again.
To better understand this argument, I will be using Michigan as a specific example.
When Michigan made their MLDA twenty-one, there was a lot of backlash.
Michigan then came back with two arguments (Toomey 2009).
The first argument that they presented was that this new law would be extremely beneficial to public safety.
When the drinking age was lower, there was a spike in automobile accidents among eighteen to twenty year olds.
They had done a lot of research in order to find that underage drinking and highway crashes were directly related.
This resulted in them using the MLDA as a defense against crashes.
While some may believe that normalizing drinking at a younger age could help educate minors on how to drink responsibly, many people believe that it will only increase the frequency of consumption.
The second argument, was that drinking alcohol is not a protected right in the constitution.
This is why they believed that it was not immoral to change the legal age.
Americans are extremely protective of their rights, which is why some people thought that it is only right that they be able to control their own drinking habits; however, this is not a guaranteed right in the U.S. constitution.
According to Andrew Plunk, there was an argument that lowering the drinking age would only make drinking more dangerous for kids who are not in college.
By lowering the drinking age, college students would be able to legally drink, which would only make it more dangerous for people who still aren't old enough.
While some people currently believe that the MLDA makes it dangerous for college students, it is being argued that by lowering it, we will be putting high school and middle school students at risk (Martinez 407-410).
Studies have shown that the minors who are fighting to get the drinking age lowered are those who are heavy users and at risk (Martinez 407-410).
This could mean that they are only looking for a more convenient way to drink alcohol.
Transition: Now that we have explored one perspective, why don't we begin looking at arguments in favor of lowering the drinking age.
There are also many people arguing that lowering the legal drinking age may be just what we need in order to keep our society's youth safe.
In the U.S., thirty-one percent of automobile accidents are alcohol related. This is much higher than European countries who enforce an MLDA below twenty-one (procon.org 2016).
A 2016 study showed that 20% of their high school subjects had gotten into a car where the driver had been consuming alcohol.
The other argument is that the drinking age encourages bad drinking habits (Anderson 2016).
This includes binge drinking.
Binge drinking is a huge issue among college students (Wechsler and Nelson 986).
Before going to a party, minors will consume large amounts of alcohol in a very short period of time in order to feel the effects without worrying about getting caught in possession of alcohol.
This greatly increases the possibility of alcohol poisoning,
There are an average of about six deaths every day caused by alcohol poisoning (Newport Academy 2017).
The final argument that I will cover is the argument that being eighteen makes you a legal adult in every other part of society (Anderson 2016).
It is a popular opinion that if you have the right to vote, get married, join the army, etc., you should be able to decide if/how you would like to consume alcohol.
Having such serious rights as the ones I just listed cause people to believe they are more than capable enough to make a decision about alcohol consumption.
One popular argument that I came across, was that if we are mature enough to make political decisions and have a say in such large issues, then we should be mature enough to make a decision that will only affect our bodies (Anderson 2016).
Now that we have explored these two perspectives, I would like to invite you all to join me in a discussion about what we just heard.
Dialogue Questions
- If lowered, what age should it be lowered to?
- Would anybody's lives be changed drastically by a lowering of the legal drinking age?
- Does anyone agree that drinking could be safer if the legal age is lowered?
- Is there a way to keep the MLDA at twenty-one, while also keeping minors aware of the dangers of binge drinking? How?
- According to a 2009 study, heavy drinking rates were very high on college campuses. However, they only asked minors. How do you think the results would differ if they had asked people of all ages?
- What are your opinions on the fact that only heavy drinkers were arguing to lower the legal drinking age?
Conclusion
- As we have learned today.
- The minimum legal drinking age in the United States can cause a lot of tension and disagreement.
- We have explored the perspective of those who would like the MLDA to stay at twenty-one, and we also looked at those who would like to lower it.
- I hope that after what I shared with you, and the discussion that we had, you will be able to make a personal decision on wether or not you think that the legal drinking age should be lowered.
- Insert some information from class discussion.
- I now encourage you to go out into the world and make responsible choices and remember what we have learned today.
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Different Opinions on Wether or not the Legal Drinking Age Should be Lowered. (2019, Aug 12).
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Analysis of Tell Tale Heart
Humans perception on reality is very much varied. All of us are placed into specific lifestyles that end up playing a huge role on whom we become. Which makes every individual different therefore no one is the same. But each go through inner conflicts by themselves. Ginsberg noticed in the 1950's that across our country each human goes through various amounts of conflicts and insanity's. The events that takes place in a person's life correlate to how one may become. In Ginsberg's Howl it's expressed that no matter how long or tough the road of life is, no one has to do it alone, and also there are many ways to find peace within ourselves to be able to get through the chapters of life.
Names create an identity, and an identity is forged through experience. We all see the world through different lenses, and this is what leads to our perception of reality. There are problems that arise in our everyday lives, and the question often asked is who is affected. Who is the who? In part one of Howl, Allen Ginsberg emphasizes that the who is the everyday man. From the looks of what Ginsberg experienced and written down as a poem, the 1950's generation seems dismal. The who represents people that are struggling to make a living such as those wept at the romance of the streets with their pushcarts full of onions and bad music (line 48). These people abhor their current situation and to further show their disgruntled outlook on the lives they are living, they own push carts that have onions and bad music. We can also see that the who is desperate. Many people would do whatever it takes to make the dream of a high life come true, such as those plunged themselves under meat trucks looking for an egg (line 52). Ginsberg is metaphorically speaking in this line, as the egg could represent the limited opportunities that were given during this time period. Searching for such a rarity is much like finding a needle in a haystack.
The 1950's was seen as a ballad, demonstrating that everyone was born to be wild through Ginsberg's point of view. As an example, they went out whoring through Colorado in myriad stolen night-cars (line 43). Allen Ginsberg also gives us a picture of the carefree lifestyle the younger generation had during this time period such as going to moviehouses' rickety rows, on mountaintops in caves (line 43). There is a chasm that divides the youth from the old. The old is concerned for the future, while the young, in a way, is given carte blanche. Only the young can enjoy life even though they are somewhat oblivious to what is going on in the world. The 1950's saw its share of the tale of two cities. One where a carefree life is lived and the other where there is turmoil. In part I, the who is also those that fear the worse to come, as created suicidal dramas on the apartment cliff-bank of the Hudson under the wartime blue flood light of the moon (line 46). Peace appears to be the last thing on everyone's mind since war could escalate between the two super nations during this time. Maybe by doing what seems like haphazard activities allow people to indirectly express themselves, thereby giving acceptance to the daily grind they must go through.
People tend to find reasons to justify why certain things happen, and often this is done by using a scapegoat. In part II of Howl, Ginsberg depicts adversity as Moloch, a god that children are sacrificed to. Moloch is seen as the institution in which society is surrendered under. Moloch is the head games, as Ginsberg states that Moloch whose name is the Mind! (line 85), and that our view of reality is a reflection of how the mind perceives the surroundings.
Ginsberg angrily blames Moloch for being the inner demon that resides within him, as entered my soul early! (line 87). This line could refer to the way how he was borninstitutionalized. Ginsberg further shows antipathy towards Moloch as the reason he is a consciousness without a body who frightened me out of my natural ecstasy! (line 87). In addition, because he is under Moloch's oppression, Ginsberg figuratively casts away his own values and himself as an individual down the American river! (line 90). He is saying to give up being a human being to become pure machinery (line 83) that does what it is supposed to do. We unknowingly became enslaved under Moloch since he is the sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open skulls and ate up brains and imagination (line 79). Ginsberg tells us that we have eyes are a thousand blind windows (line 84), meaning that we are unknowingly brainwashed into doing the tasks created by Moloch. In a way, Ginsberg allowed himself to regain peace of mind by rambling on about a deity being in every aspect of his life. His emotions are not bottled up, and the way he is able to let go is through his poems, particularly within Howl.
In part III and the footnote of Howl, the tone of the poem takes a 180 degree turnaround. There are no obscure intellectual rants about Moloch and what is going on in America which happened in parts I and II. Ginsberg in a way starts to mellow out and began to accept reality as it is. Furthermore, he realizes that he is not alone in coping with the everyday drudgery of life itself. He starts by earnestly telling his friend Carl Solomon that I'm with you in Rockland (line 94). Ginsberg met Solomon in Columbia Presbyterian Psychiatric Institute, where Solomon was treated there for depression with insulin shock (Charters par. 7). There was a common ground between the two, both men were great writers on the same dreadful typewriter (line 99), as well as being among twenty-five-thousand mad comrades all together singing the final stanzas of the Internationale (line 109). Ginsberg's mother was admitted to many psychiatric wards and eventually passed away in one; Solomon becomes a comfort for Ginsberg as he saw the shade of my mother (line 96). The tight bond shared between the two allowed them to get through hell-on-earth experiences such as going through fifty more shocks (line 106). Ginsberg and Solomon's friendship gave both men internal peace to ward off the destruction of the outer world.
The footnotes relay the word holy beyond redundancy. However, this is where the idea of what we originally thought of sacredness is altered. Instead of pureness, Ginsberg is all for derogatory and adulterated values that often society frowns down upon such as nakedness, where The skin is holy! (line 114). Everything that society views negatively, Ginsberg turns the other cheek. Additionally, Ginsberg satirically uses the word holy as a means of accepting the fact that one man alone cannot buck the system also known as Moloch the institution. Instead of trying to change society, he searches for the good, the Angel in Moloch! (line 124).
Gaining a sense of peace seems very difficult during the 1950's. It appears that in order to have a sense of tranquility in one's life, external factors influence the internal, not the other way around. Often as a society, we aim for a quick-fix to dealing with our problems. We might use alcohol or drugs to temporarily null the situation, but not necessarily the smartest way to go about doing so. For Ginsberg, to gain a peace of mind was to write down unorthodox poems. This was his way of dealing with the head games that life plays with him.
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Availability of Birth Control in School
In my personal opinion, I think high school should be able to dispense contraceptive to their student because growing pregnancy, infection transmitted through sexual contact, caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites and abortions. Those are confidentiality walk-in appointments with guaranteeing confidentiality is vital, and SBHC's work to ensure that teens know their confidentiality is assured. You-friendly services with all staff members being trained to work with teens and aides usually have a background like the students. Staff spends time getting to know the student and discussing family planning decision. Parental involvement with clinic staff encouraging teens to involve their parents or other trusted adults in a family planning decision. care management with staff encouraging tracking and monitoring teens well-being and adherence to prescription directions. Pregnancy testing with staff providing pregnancy testing on the same day a student request it. Staff uses negative pregnancy test results as an opportunity for counseling on family planning. If a student tests positive for pregnancy, staff provides options counseling but does not refer for abortion services. Finally, with walk-in appointments like responding to adolescents' complex range of needs, and students who come in without appointments are welcomed during certain hours each day (Fothergill,1999).
The cognitive developmental issues that are at play are continue to be influenced by peers (the power of peer pressure lessens after early adolescence), seek increased power over their own lives, and learning to drive and increasing their independence. The emotional development that also come into play would be have the capacity to develop long-lasting, mutual, and healthy relationships, if they have the foundations for this development trust, positive past experiences, and an understanding of love, and Understand their own feelings and can analyze why they feel a certain way (Huberman, RN, Med, 2016).
I think that schools meddle school or high school should address these issues if they are going to give contraceptives by having sex education program or class at each middle or high school, speaking to a big class and making the conversation indirect is a great way to deliver the mess to not only female student but male student as well.
High school student’s parents should always keep playing the role of the supportive parents and always make sure that their tweens/teens have protection/birth control if they know their children are sexually active. Also, parents should explain how important it is to always have protection to their tweens/teens. Therefore, any high school that is thinking about having sex education program or class at each high school, and probably an advance health class that highlights these issues in sexual development should get consent from the parents of these young tweens/teens.
References
Fothergill, K. (1999, October). Contraceptive Access at School-Based Health Centers: Three Case Studies. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/513-contraceptive-access-at-school-based-health-centers-three-case-studies
Huberman, RN, MEd, B. (2016). Growth and Development, Ages 13 to 17-What Parents Need to Know. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/156-parents
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Baby Boom after World War II
After World War 2 ended, the American population dramatically increased. Millions of babies were born as soldiers returned home to their families. Known as the baby boom, this sudden growth in the birth rate started in 1946 and continued on until 1964. In the boom's peak year of 1957, 4.3 million babies were born; only 2.5 million babies were born in 1939 before the baby boom (United States). The large baby boomer generation not only had significant effects on the American population, but also the economy. The baby boomer generation caused the suburban housing industry and automobile industry to flourish from 1950 to 1965.
Due to the increasing family size, the suburban housing industry quickly grew in the 1950s and 1960s. As families got larger, suitable housing became more difficult to find. Homes in the city were either too expensive or too small for the baby boom families, causing them to live in alternative housing like trolley cars and Quonset huts instead (The Growth of Suburbia). For example, in 1947, 6 million people were living with relatives due to the lack of urban housing. As a result of this pressing problem, the suburban housing industry flourished, creating millions of affordable homes outside of the city for growing families. Suburban single-family homes were cheaper and larger than housing in the city, making them perfect for families with babies. Construction grew rapidly from only 114,000 homes in 1944 to 1,692,000 houses in 1950 (Kaledin 61). In the suburban housing community of Levittown, more than 30 houses were built a day and 17,447 homes had been built in 4 years. Housing in Levittown was in high demand and the Levitts earned an average profit of 1,000 dollars on each house they built (Kaledin 62). Overall, the housing industry greatly profited as the median price for a single-family house in 1950 was 10,050 dollars (Young and Young 286). Adding on, in 1959, Vice President Richard Nixon boasted about the success of democratic capitalism to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, stating that 30 million American families owned their own homes. In fact, in the 1950s, the 'typical' American lived in suburbia (Kaledin 121-122). For example, in 1960, 60 percent of Americans owned a house as compared to 40 percent in 1943 (Young and Young 66). From 1950 to 1965, the suburban housing industry flourished as a result of families' growing needs.
The automobile industry also prospered because of the baby boomer generation. Due to the suburbanization caused by the baby boom, automobiles became a necessity for families. As Young and Young state, [t]he move of the middle class to the suburbs was coupled with a desire for new cars (247). This is because of the widespread placement of facilities in the suburbs. Establishments like schools and stores were miles apart from each other, forcing families to invest in automobiles. By 1958, 70 percent of all American families possessed a car, which was a rise of 20 percent from 1950 (Young and Young 247). Specifically, in 1950, 49 million cars were registered, but by 1959, the number grew to 74 million (Young and Young 251). Cars were necessary to travel to work in the city, run errands, drop kids to school, and participate in various other activities. Access to an automobile was deemed a necessity due to the scarcity of local facilities (Young and Young 248). Due to the necessity of cars, the number of motor vehicles on the road in 1950 doubled from the amount in 1945 (Young and Young 247). The cost of the car increased by 33 percent due to high demand; the average price rose from 1,270 dollars to 1,822 dollars (Young and Young 251). Families also began to invest in two cars -- one for the mother and one for the father -- to travel to work and run errands at the same time. By the end of the 1950s, over 10 percent of all families owned 2 cars (Young and Young 248). As the baby boom children grew older, they too possessed their own motor vehicles. Cars provided autonomy to teenagers and teens used their autonomy to watch movies in drive-in restaurants, customize their cars, and take part in neighborhood races (Young and Young 28-30). The automobile industry greatly profited from the baby boomer generation and the necessity of cars. For instance, in 1955, General Motors became the first company in the United States to earn one billion dollars in one year (Kaledin 124). Furthermore, by 1955, Americans had spent a total of 65 billion dollars on motor vehicles (Kaledin 122). As a result of the baby boom, the automobile industry thrived in the 1950s and 1960s
Due to the baby boomer generation, both the suburban housing and automobile industry prospered from 1950 to 1965. Baby boom families moved to the suburbs to accommodate their growing needs as suburban housing was inexpensive compared to homes in the city. Consequently, the automobile industry flourished because suburban facilities were established far away from each other, making cars necessary for travel. To add on, as the baby boomers grew older, they too increased the demand for automobiles. The baby boomer generation has had multiple long-lasting effects on the American society and economy, not only after the end of World War 2, but also today.
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The Narrator in the Tell-Tale Heart
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is being told by a narrator who is angry. The narrator tells all his motives from the beginning by addressing his issue of the old man's eye to the reader. The story he tells is based on his view to defend his place even though he insists that he's not crazy, but his actions say it all. The narrator spends many nights watching the man sleep. On the last night the narrator wakes the old man while watching him. He stays silent and unmoving in darkness. The narrator is very known that the old man is petrified and trying to down play all the noises. The narrator tells himself that he hears the old man heart beating. The fear of hearing the old man heart beat wakes up the neighbors and then he kills him. The man cuts the limbs off the old man and hides it under the floorboards. Then at the end he could get away with this, but he admits to the police what he did. The only reason why he admitted to it because he thought him hearing the old man heartbeat. This automatically shows me how crazy the narrator is even though he tries to be very convincing. I found this story to be very horrifying but also entertaining and it was my favorite story by Edgar Allan Poe.
I argue that the narrator of the Tell-Tale Heart is a complete reversal of the American Adam because of his obsessive mind with the old man that he lived with and his evil eye. The narrator had explained how he killed the old man in detail and how the heart beating of the old man sounds like the heartbeat of his heart. In the story there was many sources of the old man heart sounding like ticking of a watch wrapped in cotton. The killing of the old man and how evil he had only destroyed him at the end, then also exposing himself. To prove my argument, I will focus on three traits of the Anti-American Adam which are, not innocent, tricky smooth, evil emotion. For the tricky and smoothness trait the narrator shows are also in the middle to end because that's when he says how he got rid of evidence. The innocence of is at the end of the story when he confesses his deed as he can't ignore the loud sound of his own guilt and crime. We can see what he is hearing is his own conscience, forcing himself to do whatever he has to because there are consequences for his actions. The narrator that hears this sound. Therefore, either way he forces him to confess, by saying this out loud, "It is the beating of his hideous heart!"
The narrator of the story shows us a trait of the dark side of Romanticism with the evil emotions in his heart and how he felt inside about the old man's eye. In the middle of story, Poe the narrator talks in a furious tone by really looking into the old man's eye. He felt like the old man eye was watching him and judging him. The narrator felt the eye was so bad he had to do something about it and destroy it. Poe writes, It was open wide, wide open and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctiveness all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones (668). As we see in this quote Poe describing the old man's eye and how he despises it and how he's really looking into the man's eye really shows how he feels. Also, in his heart he is feeling evil within himself, but he was very jealous that the old man had a glass eye and saying how perfect it had looked. Another quote I found that shows how evil the man is of the old man is, He had the eye of a vulture a pale blue eye with a film over it Whenever it fell upon me , my blood ran cold; and so, by degrees very gradually I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever (666). This showed how he was thinking about killing the old man from getting anger built up from looking at the old man's eye. The narrator evil emotion then turns into a horrifying murder of the old man.
Poe goes in detail of how he murdered he old man and how smooth and tricky he did it in the story for instance, The night waned and I worked hastily, but in silence. First, I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs. I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye not even his could have detected anything wrong ( Poe 669). This quote shows how smoothly he tried to murder the old man by cutting off his body parts and way he is describing it and then he said he was doing all this silently and how he put in under the flooring. Nobody will find any evidence on the old man murder in his mind he thinks nothing is going to go wrong. Another quote to show the smoothness of the narrator from murdering the old man, He also said there wasn't anything left from this such as blood or stains and he was so happy he cleaned up everything and cleaned out stuff from murdering the old man. The narrator smoothness during this murder shows how bad his motives were but smooth it was.
The narrator switch after being so evil trying to be innocent even though he's not. At the end of story is where you see the act of being innocent towards the police, The officers were satisfied. My manners had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone (669). This shows how the narrator how he tried to act if he's not guilty of the murder of old man and try to be all cheerful and innocent in front of the police. The narrator at the end of story can no longer act innocent he ends up losing it and shouting something to the police Poe writes, Villains! I shrieked, dissemble no more! I admit the deed! Tear up the planks! Here, here it is the beating of his hideous heart! (670). At this point of the story the man can't take it anymore of the murder. The beating of heart in still in his head and making him crazy. He realizes he cannot live like this and it would lead up to anger and madness. So, he admits to the police to stop the sound of the heart beating. The heart beating is his guilty conscience. The man doesn't really have it inside him being a murderer because he can't live his life like that.
From the examination of the narrator it's clear that he is evil and try act innocent until the end of the story where he breaks, and how smooth he is with his tricks during this murder. After the murder the man believed he was going to get away with it. All these traits show how evil he was in the heart because anybody who chops somebody's body and then putting it under the floorboards is very evil and something is wrong with them. Throughout this whole story it showed how obsessed the narrator was about the old man's eye and how he had love for him but still wanted to kill him. All in all the narrator shows how the man was so confident he could do this which he did and he thought his plan was going to work but when it came to being asked questions about this by police he tried to act innocent and changed his manners real quick until he shouted he was going to admit to the murder and that showed how he wasn't so tough after all or a so called heart murderer. Most people who are murders or know they are tough aren't just going to easily say they did the crime until later on maybe when there is evidence or witness or something that already shows they are guilty. The story tries to tell many stories, one thing from the story that I found to talk on nobody should not hate or dislike someone just because the way they looked. I ask myself why do racism exists and the story brings a clear image of the insanity that goes on in the minds of people who are racist Simply wanting to kill an innocent old man, just because of his glass eye and the way it looked is crazy and no matter how people try to rationalize it.
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Women Fought so they would be Able to Vote in the Elections
Women fought so they would be able to vote in the elections. The Women's Suffrage movement started in 1848. Suffragists are people, mainly women who advocate for women's rights. For years, women's suffrage supporters continued to educate anyone about the importance of women's suffrage. Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and other suffragists distributed petitions and pushed Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to enfranchise women. Some campaigners in the movement wanted to pass refine regulation. A lot of politicians weren't happy and wouldn't listen to a deprived group. So women realized that this is an even bigger problem that needed to be fixed. People didn't listen to them, so they wanted to win the right to vote better than ever. Also, that's when the women's suffrage became a massive establishment.
The goals for this movement are for women to achieve the rights to vote by means of a Congressional amendment to the Constitution and to support women's rights (Timeline). It's unfair that women were just supposed to sit around at home, doing the cooking, laundry and cleaning up. Women should have the privileges to do what men can do because they have worked as hard and they deserve the same rights. Women's suffrage activists battled for years so that this organization would be accomplished.
Susan B. Anthony was one of the majorly known suffragists and she basically became the face of the women's suffrage movement. She has traveled around the world to give her speeches, organizing petitions and created a local women's rights organization (Susan). She has fought for women's rights for a long time. She always educated other people with her speeches. Susan had the knowledge that women's suffrage was needed to be fought for. She always tried to do whatever she could to help the movement. The person that inspired her to start fighting for women's rights was Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Anthony was actually convinced to join the women's rights movement by a speech done by Lucy Stone in 1852 (Susan). After that, she has attended conventions to persuade people of how the women's suffrage matters.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a feminist and fought for women's suffrage. Even though some people thought that she took other peoples work in the women's rights movement at least she was pushing those ideas out to the world to see and read (Elizabeth). From all of the publicity, she has attracted a lot of people's attention to care about women's rights. Stanton and Mott did almost everything together including working in the conventions. They would hire agents, glow petitions, gather the locals, and try to obtain the press and viewers.
Lucretia Mott and her husband attended a convention that refused to allow women to be full participants. Going to that convention led her to join the calling with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and from that point on she devoted all her time to women's rights. Later on published her powerful Discourse on Woman (Lucretia). Like all the women I've talked about, Lucretia has also fought for women's suffrage for a while. Over the years, she was very committed to going to every single women's suffrage convention.
In 1878, the women's suffrage amendment was first introduced to congress (Timeline). Having the amendment introduced to the Congress was one of the movement's accomplishments. Susan B. Anthony wrote the federal women suffrage amendment that was introduced to Congress and passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate. In 1919, it was sent to the states for ratification. August 26, 1920, was the biggest day for women all over the world. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is signed into law (Timeline).
Some people believe that the activities and the campaigns of the suffragist earned women the vote in 1918. Others would argue that their establishment made the public realize that women could be doing other things apart from looking after their children. We can all agree that there's no point on not allowing women to vote. Actually allowing women to vote would widen the perspective on things. Permitting women's suffrage doesn't hurt anyone. Men just want the authority which is not fair. Women should have the rights to do what men can do.
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The Tell-Tale Heart: the Greatness of Insanity
Edgar Allan Poe, a worldwide renowned author, lived a short, yet otherworldly life, and made a prosperous living writing his iconic themes of horror, murder, and mystery, all recognized throughout his famous short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart." In Poe's, "The Tell-Tale Heart," he does not specifically characterize the narrator's gender, contradicting the motive to kill and murder the old man. The reader assumes that the narrator is a male due to the violent tendencies displayed throughout the text, such as "dragging him to the floor, and pulling the heavy bed over him," to the "dismembering of the corpse by cutting off the head and the arms and the legs" (Poe, 195, 196). The narrator acts upon their instincts and reveals that "he" has the desire to be dominant. If the reader were to place this story from a feminist perspective, in this particular time frame, women were perceived and mistaken to be weak and unintelligent, in which the superiority of men has taken over them. In the story, the narrator "loved the old man," which could resemble a woman's gentle care and hospitality for him, but because of this "pale blue eye," and these violent tendencies, she would be thought of to be plagued by this, and that "madmen" have absolutely nothing against the willpower of a woman's insight to kill (Poe, 193). The whole plot took a total of eight nights for the narrator to finally decide to murder this old man, which if it was in a feminist point of view, a woman would thoroughly consider her decisions and make use of her time. Although Poe leaves the narrator's gender unidentified, the perspective could be a combination of both the feminist and masculine point of view. The storyteller portrays both feminine and masculine qualities, seen in a quote from the story, "I knew what the old man felt," which is the feminine side, "although I chuckled at heart," which is the masculine side (Poe, 194).
In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the protagonists' fear of the old man's eye is the main reason as to what drove him to "dismember him and put him underneath the floorboard" (Poe, 196). The psychoanalytical perspective of the narrator reveals that he, or she, was not angry and had nothing to fear, which means that they were in rejection over the crime and had lost a sense of their unconscious mind. The story's narrator had no valid reason to kill the old man except that he had "the eye of a vulture - a pale blue eye, with a film over it" and after he was dead, they soon realized that it was a mistake because they were not thinking clearly (Poe, 193). This explains the beating of the heart that grew louder and louder, showing his pure insanity and guilt of the crime that was committed.
Two literary elements found in "The Tell-Tale Heart," is imagery and symbolism. Imagery is seen in the story because as the reader reads the text, he or she can visualize the multiple scenes of the narrator gently observing the old man every night and his pale blue eye, causing them to kill the old man because of his maniacal condition. This image of the eye helps the reader begin to understand what it is that really terrifies the narrator and what prompts him to get rid of it. Symbolism is also found in the story because of the eye depicting that it sees everything, which causes the narrator to be disturbed and tormented, explaining his insanity, and the heart, which represents the narrator's guilt when they killed the old man. Both aspects are effective in the story because it gives the reader a narrower understanding of why the narrator planned to kill the old man.
Poe, growing up as a child, did not really understand the concept of life and death, which could have contributed to the narrator's thinking that even if he had killed the old man, he would still come back to life. He thought that the eye was still alive and so was his heartbeat, which could have meant that the old man was still lingering around, even after he was brutally murdered. The narrator of the story was out of his mind and unreliable. Rather than being concerned with the murder or the consequences of their actions, the narrator is obsessed with proving their sanity, and obsession with this eye, leading to the death of the old man.
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Insanity and Mental Illness in the Tell-Tale Heart
Insanity is a mental problem typically characterized by various abnormal behaviors. This abnormality can contribute to the violation of conventional behavior in society making the victim become a possible threat to himself and others. Individuals who bear this habit tend to pass a certain message to others about themselves. In Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, the reader will discover that the unnamed narrator of the story displays obvious signs of insanity and mental illness. The dictionary defines insanity as unsoundness or a derangement of the mind (Webster's New Biographical Dictionary, 1983). The narrator can be characterized as insane by his or her actions, which are indeed abnormal. This paper will focus on the abnormal behaviors of the narrator including the consequences of his or her insanity.
First, Poe suggest the narrator is insane by his or her constant proclamation of sanity. For example, the narrator declares that because the murder of the old man was so carefully planned that he or she could not be insane. The narrator says, Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen how wisely I proceeded-with what caution-with what foresight-with what dissimulation I went to work (37). The narrator believes that if a murder is carefully planned the murderer is not insane. Also, the narrator claims that he or she suffers from over-acuteness of the senses. Concerning the sound of the old man' beating heart, the narrator says, And now have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the senses?-now, I say, there came my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton (38). The narrator is likely imagining the sound, but claims he or she is hearing it because of sharp senses.
In the beginning of the story, the narrator seems to be very caring to the old man. The narrator has no bad intentions toward the old man apart from his eye, which resembled that of a vulture-a pale blue eye, with a film over it (Poe 37). The obsessive interest in the old man's vulture-like eye forces the narrator to formulate a plan to murder the old man. The narrator confesses that the main reason for killing the old man was his eye: whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees-very gradually-I made up my mind to rid myself of the eye forever (34). The simple fact that the old man's eye is the one single motivation to murder proves the narrator is so unstable mentally that he or she must search for rationalization to kill. In the narrator's mind murder is rationalized with an unreasonable fear of the eye.
Throughout the story there is evidence and clues that suggest the narrator may be suffering from the mental illness schizophrenia. The narrator presents a few main behaviors that can be considered to be symptoms of schizophrenia, and one of them are the delusions he or she has during the story. For instance, an example of one of the narrator's delusions is in the scene with the policeman. The narrator says, They heard!-they suspected!-they knew!-they were making a mockery of my horror (40)! The narrator is showing signs of referential delusions that happen when a person believes certain gestures or actions are specifically directed at them (American Psychiatric Association). Another clue is the hallucinations the narrator has throughout the story. These hallucinations are mostly auditory, which means the narrator perceives noises as being form the external world, when in reality they are only imaginations (American Psychiatric Association). It's clear the narrator experiences this symptom when he or she says, It grew louder-louder-louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not (40). There is also the fact that it is physically impossible for someone to hear the beating heart of someone else without the proper equipment, so this noise was in the narrator's head. The last main symptom of schizophrenia the narrator demonstrates is catatonic behaviors such as extreme muscle paralysis of the body and hyperactivity conduct. An example of this is in the scene when the old man is startled and wakes up, the narrator says, I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down (38). Another instance near the end of the story is when the narrator says, I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides [] I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards (40).
It is obvious that the narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart shows signs of having a mental illness, which could very well be schizophrenia. The narrator hallucinates when hearing things that are impossible to be heard, and demonstrates behaviors that can be described as catatonic. No matter how much the narrator tries to prove his or her sanity, most readers would view the narrator's argument as insane because the murder of the old man is motiveless, but also because the narrator's confession to the murder comes across as premeditated and heartless.
In contrast, some readers may make the argument that the narrator is actually sane after all. Some may say the narrator's confidence in his ability to calculate and plan the murder shows sanity. Insane people are generally unsure of their actions, but the narrator's determination and confidence does show a bit of sanity. Also, the narrator has every chance of getting away with the crime, but feels guilty for murdering the old man, which means the narrator must have a working conscience. The narrator also shows the ability to differentiate between right and wrong as shown in the story when the narrator takes care to dismember and hide the body. If the narrator is truly insane, he or she wouldn't go through such lengths to avoid detention. An insane person would act purely on impulse, not attempt to conceal a crime, and not feel guilty about it. The narrator defies all these conventions.
In conclusion, The Tell-Tale Heart presents many points that proves its narrator is indeed insane. The narrator demonstrates the abnormal behaviors and symptoms of the mental illness schizophrenia. According to the evidence of the story the narrator is more insane than not. It is obvious to the reader of the story that the unnamed narrator offers unjustifiable reasons for his or her actions. The narrator descended into madness.
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Insanity in the Tell-Tale Heart
Edgar Allan Poe wrote the Gothic fiction short story The Tell-Tale Heart in 1843 at the age of thirty-four. This story is about the insanity-driven murder of an innocent old man. The story only contains six characters, three of which are police officers. The story is told from the perspective of the murderer himself. It follows him through the events leading up to the murder, the act of the murder, and the events after the murder. As he narrates the story, he keeps trying to convince the reader of his sanity. The narrator sees no fault in his doings, and he claims to be a sane man on multiple occasions. Throughout the story, the reader learns the narrator is everything but sane. This is obvious by his obsessions with the old man and time. Edgar Allan Poe in The Tell-Tale Heart illustrates the effects of guilt, the fall into madness, and the realm of death to give us insight into the physical and emotional effects of insanity
Throughout The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe demonstrates guilt and its ties with insanity. Near the end of the short story, after the murder, the narrator says, Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!". After the murder of the old man, the narrator thinks he can hear the old man's heart beating beneath the floorboards where his body is stashed. However, it cannot be the old man's heart, for his heart has stopped. In Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe, Daniel Hoffman says, Of course it was his own heart which the murderer heard beat (232).
The narrator is dealing with guilt from the murder, and he does not even realize it. His heart is beating out of his chest, and his anxiety from the murder is catching up with him. His insanity has him so focused on the old dead man that he does not even consider the possibility that it could be his own heartbeat. The guilt has his emotions so troubled that it is having physical effects upon his own heart. In Eight American Authors: A Review of Research and Criticism Jay B. Hubbell states, the undercurrent of meaning is so strangely marked by conflicts of a very evident sort - between man and man, and between man and nature (32). Unable to handle the overwhelming heartbeat, the narrator confesses to the death of the old man. His external conflict of the narrator versus the old man leads to the internal conflict of man versus natural guilt. His guilt, along with his insanity, led to him admitting to the crime and ultimately getting in trouble.
Madness is often one of the biggest themes in Poe's writings, much like it is in this one. This story, from the main begging all the way to the very end, conveys messages of falling into madness. The narrator is unstable in the beginning no doubt, but it only goes worse as the story goes on. His internal insanity leads to him physically acting upon it. In the opening line of the story, the narrator tells the reader, True! - Nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am! But why will you say that I am mad? (Poe 3). This opening line lets the reader know something is off with the narrator. Before telling the reader any information, he immediately proclaims that he is not calm, or as one might say, he's fearful of everything. A sane person would not start off immediately claiming to be sane and asking why others say he is not. In the next few lines, the narrator says, Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? (Poe 3).
In Edgar Allan Poe, Harold Bloom says, His denial of madness only intensifies the effect of his bizarre claim The opening words imply that we have provoked the speaker by asserting what he denies: far from being insane (52). Bloom, along with many others, see this opening paragraph as an immediate red flag of the narrator's madness. Sadly, the madness only gets worse, and the narrator falls into it, eventually acting upon it. As the story goes on, readers see the narrator fall deeper into his insanity by physically killing an older man. While this is most definitely insane, it is not the worst part. The worst part would be the narrator obsession with the old man's eye. Poe states in the story, He had the eye of a vulture - a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever (Poe 3). The narrator mentions this eye several times throughout the story, revealing his obsession with it. This eye leads to the narrator's self-destruction. The emotional effects of insanity, more so the obsession with the eye, leads to the physical effect of killing the old, innocent man.
Like most of Poe's works, one of the biggest focuses in The Tell-Tale Heart is death. However, it is more than just the death of the old man, although that it is a huge part of it. This story also focuses on the death of the narrator's freedom and insanity. The old man dies at the hands of the narrator. Poe states, In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done (3). The narrator did not commit a gruesome murder, he simply smothered the man. But his motives behind this link back to his insanity. In The Tales of Poe (Modern Critical Interpretations), Harold Bloom states, The narrator is mad, or at least abnormal according to his own account He is doubly mad when he imagines he hears the pounding of the dead man's heart (141).
The narrator's motives for killing are stated in the short story itself, but they are not real reasons for murder. This murder is purely due to the narrator's insanity. Perhaps the narrator became obsessed with the thought of killing someone, or maybe he truly did not know what he was about to do. Either way, he completed the murder. He even went on to try and cover up the murder. Within the story, he says, I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye could have detected anything wrong (Poe 6). Not only was he obsessed with the murder, but he also became obsessed with the hiding of it. When speaking of the murder and the coverup, it is almost as if the narrator is proud of his doings. In Symbolisme from Poe to Mallarme; the Growth of a Myth when discussing Poe and his works, Joseph Chiara says the first is that what one may call vertical symbolism, that is to say the apprehension of the invisible world through the visible (97). Poe uses this specifically in The Tell-Tale Heart. He shows the invisible insanity through the visible murder. Not only does the narrator become physically obsessed with the murder by carrying it out, but he also becomes emotionally obsessed by being proud of it.
In conclusion, Edgar Allan Poe uses the story The Tell-Tale Heart to show readers the effects of guilt, the fall into madness, and the realm of death to give us insight into the physical and emotional effects of insanity. The narrator's insanity is discernible through his actions and storytelling. Although the narrator seems calm at first, he ends up letting his guilt get the best of him and admits the murder of the old man. His guilt led to his demise in the end. Through the whole story, we see the narrator fall deeper and deeper into madness. He starts off with an obsession that leads to a murder. He then conceals the body but admits to the murder. This murder, the murder of an innocent old man, shows us just how truly mad the narrator is. In the end, the narrator's insanity ended up taking a toll on him, both emotionally and physically.
Works Cited
- Bloom, Harold. The Tales of Poe (Modern Critical Interpretations). Chelsea House Pub,
- 1987.
- Bloom, Harold. Edgar Allan Poe. Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.
- Chiari, Joseph. Symbolisme from Poe to Mallarme; the Growth of a Myth. Rockliff, 1956.
- Hoffman, Daniel. Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe. Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1972.
- Hubbell, Jay B. Eight American Authors: a Review of Research and Criticism. WW Norton &
- Company, 1956.
- Poe, Edgar Allan. The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings. Bantam Books, 2004.
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The Suffrage of the Immigrant Workers
How do the lives of the immigrant workers in Jungle by Upton Sinclair compare to the lives of migrant workers today? The lives of the immigrant workers in the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair compared to the lives of migrant workers today is the minimum wage. Minimum wage has tremendously impacted on today's society and till this day is a complication. It has harshly impacted family to struggle for survival.The barbarous working conditions for the immigrant workers has caused diseases and despair. In the book Jungle it states about the epic struggle for survival, furthermore the immigrant search for a better life.
In the book the Jungle both the immigrant workers and the migrant workers today differences is the setting,timeline and how they protested. In the book the immigrants workers in the meatpacking industry protested violently where in the movie they were in peace.The similarities between the book Jungle is the coarse working conditions,underpaid job,the struggle for survival and in search for a better life. Both the book and the movie are calling for a change the change is the right to a better life, no more coarse working conditions, and the underpaid job. The similarities are the fight for both hunger and survival, the low minimum wage, and course working conditions. The inequality between the book and the movie are the setting of the place. The movie takes place in the field where it includes fruits and vegetables being grown while the book Jungle takes place in Chicago Lithuania meatpackingindustry.""They are trying to save their souls-and who but a fool could fail to see that all that is the matter with their souls is that they have not been able to get a decent existence for their bodies?""( 273 )In my opinion both the book and movie have more similarities.The book and the movie are both fighting for what they feel in their opinion is right for there family to survive and provide food on the table for there family. The working conditions are hurragous and need to be changed, on the other hand minimum wage need an increase for the family to live comfortably and not having to go out of there way risk there life to prove themselves to the public.
The part I play In the food chain is to serve the food to my family and make sure everything is ready on the table. I provide the grocery by shopping at the grocery stores and getting all the fruits, vegetable, and supplies I need for the food. I also cook the food for my family and make sure it has all the right ingredients to give the food a marvelous taste.When people are starving and they have anything with a price, I guess you ought to sell it, I say. I guess you realize it now when it's too late."" (348) In the book Jungle the immigrant workers part in the food chain would be the serving of food, getting the supplies needed, and making sure the meat is in perfect condition when processed. In my opinion everyone is part of the food chain in some way because we all play the same part such as making the food, serving the food, and purchasing the supplies needed.
I spend a lot time thinking about where the food comes from on my plate allot,where the food is also being processed, and how it got to my plate. Transporting food long distances means to keep it stable for transport and sale. All fruits and vegetables are all grown within a couple a hundred miles away from where you live. An array of food are can be grown in California. Shopping at a farmers market,maintaining a home garden are remarkable way to support a localfood system.""It is an elemental odor, raw and crude; it is rich, almost rancid, sensual and strong.""(28) In the book Jungle the immigrant workers spend a lot of time making sure the meat is processed correctly and in good conditions to be shipped to all the markets. In my opinion we need to help build food security for future generation, and support small-scare local farmers as they work each day to steward our day.
I feel the publishing of the book Jungle migrant working conditions will result in a dramatic change today by raising the minimum wage, the economic and social struggle of American workers. Bring light to the inhumane conditions that workers and immigrants endured. The work on food preparations is one of the greatest impacts that can be seen. In the book the Jungle it mentions the horrigous struggle for survival.""Relentless, remorseless, it was; all his protests, his screams, were nothing to it--it did its cruel will with him, as if his wishes, his feelings, had simply no existence at all; it cut his throat and watched him gasp out his life."" ( 41)
On the other hand the book impacted the the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1966, which was Sinclair's purpose in the passage. Sinclair work depicts a world where profit is more important than human beings. Sinclair also endures his focus on a great portion of his work on food preparations.
In order to improve the lives of the the modern day farm or food factory migrant workers would be raising salary wage. Having more abundance of food provided to the workers. Recognizing the social justice, equality, and fair wages. The safety to all the farm and food workers deserve. Raise the U.S. minimum wage for food and restaurant workers. Supporting the meat packing and processing workers in the United States. Making the transportation to food safer and easier for the workers. Giving the fast food workers a living wage which has gatheredover a thousand signatures. In the book it mentions ""Here is a population, low-class and mostly foreign, hanging always on the verge of starvation and dependent for its opportunities of life upon the whim of men every bit as brutal and unscrupulous as the old-time slave drivers; under such circumstances, immorality is exactly as inevitable, and as prevalent, as it is under the system of chattel slavery.""( 126)
The lives of immigrant workers today compared to the life of the migrant workers in the book the Jungle by Sinclair has dramatically changed the migrant workers today are shown with respect and treated fairly. The migrant workers work in great conditions,spend time with their family when needed. Have a fair pad job to help support themselves and their family and no need to be out on the streets to protest. The workers feel safe and have tremendous hours. The meat and farm industry will be changing tremendously for years and generations to come.
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Birth-Control and Biological Ethics
Up until the late 1900's it seemed birth control was next to non-existent. However, birth control did seem to exist. It was just that not very many people chose to take it; Some people didn't know about it or some did know and chose just not to speak up about it. There was a divide as to whether or not birth control should be used as it was viewed to question male dominance in households because females were not taken seriously during these times. Some women embraced birth control after having many painful abortions as they wanted a voice to how their bodies were used. Other women chose to look past the option due to religious practices or the views and opinions of the public eye. Birth Control was a step towards Women's Rights, Independence and Self Care; A Great Divide.
Dating as far back as the 1600's, a Woman's body was never fully her own. Native American and Spanish women were used as bartering tools between societies for sexual gain and marriage purposes. African American women were generalized to be reproductive slaves. English women were expected to follow in the foot steps of their husbands and run properties, homes, bare children, tend to family lives and not ask questions; A stigma that ran deep into other cultures and communities as well. Proving that birth control during these times was absolutely unthought of and unheard of.
The information I have discovered led me to gain a new perspective on why during that time period birth control did not exist. It also led me to understand the push for birth control in a male dominated society. This topic was simply a divide between those who wanted the right to take care of their bodies and those who stood by their men or church unsure of whether it would benefit them to speak up. Why could women be against something so beneficial to them?
According to writer Warner Fite who wrote an article called The International Journal of Ethics, which was published by The University of Chicago Press in 1916, he stated that birth control was considered to be race-suicide,(Fite, Warner. Birth-Control and Biological Ethics. International Journal of Ethics, vol. 27, no. 1, 1916, pp. 50“66). This is one reason I found that people might stray away from the medicine. He also stated that people who participated in taking the birth control could hardly measure up to that of a good and old fashioned family. Which adds to the stigma that women were expected to behave a certain way and respond accordingly to the demands of their husbands because the man brought in the majority of the money to live comfortably. Birth control was not something that was freely spoken about.
When women would ask doctors the men would attempt to turn a blind eye because contraception was actually illegal at this point and they would only talk about it if a woman pressed the issue. So even a woman who is pretty educated wouldn't know much because it wasn't something that was highly practiced or spoken of at the time. A big part of the reason the contraception was considered race-suicide, was aimed at those who were married because it was viewed as those who prefer single life (Fite, Warner. Birth-Control and Biological Ethics. International Journal of Ethics, vol. 27, no. 1, 1916, pp. 50“66). It was almost seen that birth control was a offense at that given time. It was also seen that controlling reproduction was more science related and was morally wrong against religious standpoints.
At this point birth control existed but people were hesitant to ask and hesitant to take the contraception and not be looked down on in the public eye. How could a religion not support contraception as a form of health? I came across another article from 1965 written by Carl Reiterman who worked in the Department of Sociology at the California University of Berkley. He pinpointed the divide between religion and birth control among Catholics. One very valid point he made was that birth control is against natural law or ""God's law,"" the Church proclaims that it ""has no power of any kind to alter the laws of God (Reiterman, Carl. Birth Control and Catholics. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 4, no. 2, 1965, pp. 213“233).
This basically just says that it's not natural therefore it's something unintended for use by god himself. This is a great argument that birth control should not be used so it's easy to see how it could have persuaded women to be anti birth control and stand behind their faith. Another argument of the Catholic Church reads as; Evil practices and the methods of pro- curing race suicide safely are taught by circulars and brochures to young and old and are even expounded in the Government schools (Reiterman, Carl. Birth Control and Catholics. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 4, no. 2, 1965, pp. 213“233). It was seen that birth control, which was created outside of the church was no more than propaganda. Propaganda was seen as something evil that was meant to break the church.
Many religious women believed that their body was a sacrifice to bare children. So in any case whether it be harmless or life risking, it was meant to be at the hand of god and they were willing to risk their life for a baby. They saw that if a woman was in danger and survived that child-birth she was blessed. The catholic church was really about being natural and raw to god and the church. Another argument provided by the Catholic Church was that its families were beginning to decline.
So preventing families from growing was going to completely get rid of the Catholic faith which was unacceptable. They began speaking out against doctors for having such current ideas and for promoting the end of child baring women's lives specifically to spite the religion's view points and beliefs. This was another reason many people stood by their church. After reading so many view points on why birth control was a divide between people I came across an article that actually promoted contraception. In 1967 an author and Doctor who went by the name of Margaret Sanger published an article called The Journal of Sex Research.
In this article she talks about her heart wrenching encounters with women in extreme conditions and how she could no longer stand by and do nothing. She traveled and studied multiple different types of contraceptives. It ranged from studying contraceptive jellies in Germany to relating and researching the cervical cap, then on to the intrauterine ring and many more. She was also a key person in the creation and distribution of oral contraception. Sanger believed that all women should have the right to contraceptives and she made it a personal mission for that to happen.
She became the founder of I.P.P.F also known as the International Planned Parenthood Fund. She created a place where women could go that was judgement free and provided services that benefitted their health. She was 100% supportive of innovative technology to further her ideas and wanted a worldwide solution. She was nominated for both a Nobel Peace Prize in 1960 and for the Presidential Freedom Award in 1965 and while she didn't receive either she was proud to create an establishment for research and the protection of women and their bodies.
H. G. Wells also contributed the legacy Sanger was leaving behind by saying ""The movement she started will grow to be, a hundred years from now, the most influential of all time in controlling man's destiny on earth. (Lehfeldt, Hans. Margaret Sanger and the Modern Contraceptive Techniques. The Journal of Sex Research, vol. 3, no. 4, 1967, pp. 253“255). This woman opened up a research facility and a haven for women to go to without fearing the judgement of those around them.
Margaret Sanger is also mentioned in our current History class textbook called Through Women's Eyes, where her bibliography is listed of what drove her to be so passionate about the contraceptive industry. Sanger was called to a case where a woman had given herself multiple abortions and she fell ill because she didn't have resources to prevent pregnancies from happening. She physically witnessed a male doctor turn a blind eye and laugh as if it were something funny, that a woman would ask for a way to keep from getting pregnant. This led Margaret Sanger to push for what became not only a legacy but a legend in the contraceptive industry and a step towards more women's rights. If you are interested in reading her bibliography the title is Woman and Birth Control, by Margaret Sanger.
My conclusion of what divided people from being pro-contraceptive or anti-contraceptive; creating a great divide, is a matter of opinion and belief. There were people who simply thought it was outlandish that a woman would deny the seed of their husband making birth control out of the question. There was religious faith that denied birth control because they believed it was nothing more than propaganda and women were put on earth to pro-create and carry religious beliefs down the line so the church would not diminish. Lastly, there were people who believed birth control could solve health issues because it would prevent the creation of dangerous techniques to abort unborn children and harm the women in the process, possibly leading to their death or close to a deathly experience.
Works Cited
Fite, Warner. Birth-Control and Biological Ethics. International Journal of Ethics, vol. 27, no. 1, 1916, pp. 50“66. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2376956.
Reiterman, Carl. Birth Control and Catholics. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 4, no. 2, 1965, pp. 213“233. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1384139.
Lehfeldt, Hans. Margaret Sanger and the Modern Contraceptive Techniques. The Journal of Sex Research, vol. 3, no. 4, 1967, pp. 253“255. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3811979.
References
Sanger, Margaret. Woman and Birth Control. Through Women's Eyes, An American History With Documents. 1912, pp. 430-431
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Sleep Deprivation in Japan
Japan has been known to have a sleep problem within its country. Citizens get less sleep comparatively than any country. Most citizens in Japan get under the 7 hours of recommended sleep each night and some even get less than 6 hours. Altogether Japan averages a mere 7 hours and 24 minutes of sleep. The Japanese must solve this issue as it affects not only their citizens but the country and countries in trade with Japan. It is a problem that affects us all in the long run when Japan influences trade amongst other countries. The sleep deprivation issue has developed into a crisis because the deprivation is causing major accidents, citizens are developing chronic sleep disorders, and manufacturing rates have decreased.
Japan's culture impacts how citizens sleep and sleep is an important function that humans need. Today Japan accepts the fact that citizens do not get enough sleep at night. The overall work drains society and Japan has accepted that. In Yasu Shimizu's article she states Japanese people think it is very natural to sleep on trains. They would actually be surprised to hear that people elsewhere do not fall asleep in trains. It is not hard to find people sleeping in public. Society is furthermore weakened by the sleep loss. Japanese people themselves often wonder why they become so sleepy in trains as well. There are scientific reasons. It is mainly the white noise, vibrations and subtle shaking of trains that make people sleepy. Some scholars say it is because of 1/f fluctuation. Therefore, it is natural that people become sleepy (Shimizu). The combined haul of the day with daily commands to sleep makes it no wonder the Japanese sleep so much in public.
Sleep deprivation can have bad effects on the human body. It can for one thing increase weight gain and increase risk for heart disease. A study published in American Journal of Epidemiology found information suggesting that weight gain and sleep loss are connected. Of the 68,183 women who reported habitual sleep duration in 1986 were followed for 16 years. In analyses adjusted for age and body mass index, women sleeping 5 hours or less gained 1.14 kg (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49, 1.79) more than did those sleeping 7 hours over 16 years (Patel, et.al 2006). Showing how sleep loss can cause problems besides just feeling sleepy.
When low on sleep one feels drowsy, but they may experience problems cognitively as well. A controlled experiment on sleep was conducted by two men known as Patrick and Gilbert in 1869 almost a century in later times at the University of Iowa. Gilbert and Patrick observed three young adults four times a day for a complete 90 hours of sustained awake fullness. The two observed declines in cognitive function ranging from sensory acuity to memorization. This astoundingly insightful 19th century report contains five crucial observations that have withstood the test of time and replication, but that have not always been recognized (Monk 100). It is clear that with less sleep the human body has exponential problems coping throughout the day.
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