Month: October 2019
A Review of Red Badge of Courage
The red badge of courage is written by Stephen Crane. This wonderful novel is published by touch stone classic in 1895 The red badge of courage is a really good book for anyone that loves a good realistic fiction novel based on the struggles of war.this book is also a very accurate representation of what the civil war might of been like.he book takes place in an unnamed civil war battle the author, Stephen Crane did not used a specific battle or time period. The story starts off by introducing Henry Fleming and his 304th regiment from new york. Jim Conklin is a tall soldier that tells others that he overheard the general saying they, in the near future might be going to war. Some soldiers in the 304th regiment didn't believe the news and started to not like the infantryman because they would try to guess what was happening. Henry Fleming gets excited for battle. Henry Fleming enlisted behind his moms back. he had enlisted against his mother's will.he began story feel scared of the thought of war. When the regiment went to war they were in position and all Henry could think about is finding a way to get out of the war.
The enemy started to attack his regiment and Henry flees. After the attack Henry finds a dead body and gets scared so he runs and joins a large group of retreating wounded soldiers. He was walking next to a badly injured man and the man started to question his disability. Henry felt bad because the man was hurt and Henry wasn't so Henry tried to get away from Him. Henry started to think that was a simple of pride and he wanted his out injury to show his courageousness. He called the wound the red badge of courage. Henry gets injured by a fellow soldier while he was trying to escape. After his head healed up he was ready to fight. When his regiment returned to battle Henry went crazy shooting at everything. People even were stunned with his courage. He heard people talk badly about his regeneration and got mad and was going to prove them wrong.
On one of there last battles there color guard was killed so Henry took the regiments flag and carried it himself. His last fight is when he was sent to overwhelm the enemy soldiers and a man by the name of Wilson captured the bad guys flag. On the way back Henry fills guilty but comes to terms with himself and lived in solitude.
Character:
Henry Fleming: is the main character in this novel. He has manny struggles in this story of war.The strategic ways of war led Henry to the combat zone. When he joined the union force, he immediately became scared and he felt as if he should run away. He tried to find ways to get off the feild of battle. The author describes Henry as a young soldier. At the start of the book Henry Fleming is mad at himself because he was such a coward. Henry became more courageous as the book goes on and finally gets on the battle feild.As he gazed around him the youth felt a flash of astonishment at the blue, pure sky and the sun gleaming on the trees and fields. It was surprising that Nature had gone tranquilly on with her golden process in the midst of so much devilment. (Ch.5, p. 50.) when Henry sees the courage of his fellow troops he gets jealous of them and wants to become what they were."At times he regarded the wounded soldiers in an envious way. He conceived persons with torn bodies to be peculiarly happy. He wished that he, too, had a wound, a red badge of courage." (Chapter 9, pg. 55).
The people in his regiment get upset that he is such a coward and they talk badly about him. In the darkness he saw visions of a thousand-tongued fear that would babble at his back and cause him to flee, while others were going coolly about their country's business. (Narrator, Chapter 2) Henry dislikes the badly injured man because he keeped asking him about his injuries. Henry wants to receive an injury and wants to be the leader of his regiment.He wished that he, too, had a wound, a red badge of courage. (Narrator, Chapter 9) Henry's only weakness is his cowardness and how it was shown is when he desperately wanted to get away from the field of battle.It had suddenly appeared to him that perhaps in a battle he might run. (Narrator, Chapter 1) I think that personality I think the author developed the Character very well because of the amount of detail That was in the story to built his character.The youth perceived that the time had come. He was about to be measured. For a moment, he felt in the face of his great trial like a babe, and the flesh over his heart seemed very thin. (Narrator, Chapter 3)
The author did not write about any religious beliefs and Henry discovered later on in the book that it wasn't right for him to not do any of the fighting. And instead do whatever he could to fight along side of his fellow soldiers. It is a temporary but sublime absence of selfishness. (Narrator, Chapter 19) I think that some of Henry's Traits apply to me as well because at the beginning of the book he was scared once he was face-to-face with battle but towards the end he overcame that and was very courageous how that applies to me is sometimes I am scared of something new or something they're not familiar with but once I start doing it I get very used to it very quickly. Overall I would definitely become friends with Henry Fleming because of all the things he had to overcome and some of the stuff that happened tell them achieve his courage would definitely help me overcome some stuff in my life.
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Main Character in the Red Badge of Courage
Stephen Crane’s 1895 novel The Red Badge of Courage, conveys the fictional story of a young soldier named Henry. The setting takes place during the years 1861-1865. The American Civil War is taking place because of the ongoing conflict between the northern states and the southern slave owning states. Henry is certain to join the war. Throughout the novel, Henry shows a great deal of development and maturity as a soldier. There are drastic changes in his comportment and character due to the things he encounters. For the duration of this revision, Henry’s sensations array from glory, distress, melancholy, fury, elation, bravery and finally to integrity. His comportment and character transform from innocence to understanding, in essence from disbelief to responsibility.
When Henry is first introduced as the main character, he is an arrogant and self-centered young fellow who enlists for the army for the reason being that he believes it will bring him glory. Henry is determined to go to war despite the fact that his mother does not approve of his decision. The self-centered nature of this pursuit for glory is emphasized by his disobedience to his mother who worries for his well-being and pleads for him not to go. Egotistical Henry disregards her and goes away on his desperate journey to find his glory. Soon enough, he is forced to face realism and all his desires for glory begin to faded away.
Henry is consumed by a tremendous fearfulness. His fear is so great that he begins to believe “it would better to get killed quickly and end his troubles.” Although he was extremely afraid at first, he is able to regain assurance when he joins his fellow soldiers to maintain the line. Because he was able to put aside his self-centeredness and became part of the unit, he was able to survive the battle. The ability to become part of something larger and set aside one’s own ego is one of the main markers of maturity.
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Main Ideas of the Red Badge of Courage
The title of the book is The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, an American Writer from the late 17 centuries.
Stephen Crane published The Red Badge of Courage in 1895.
The Red Badge of Courage took place during the Civil War; however, Crane never mentions an exact time or place. The controversy of the enslavement of African Americans was the main cause of the Civil War, so for Henry Fleming to be fighting for the North and be successful in battle, it made him realize his courageousness.
The theme of The Red Badge of Courage, is that courage does not represent how well or how strongly you do something, but is that you get done what needs to get done. Even if your scared or it seems impossible, your task gets done. In the beginning of the novel, Henry's own definition of Courage, is that he believes courage correlates to masculinity and how heroic someone is. As the story progresses, Henry realizes that courage is completing the tasks given to you with dedication and willingness to serve.
Henry Fleming is the main character and is a teenager in America fighting for the Union Army. Henry doesn't understand the idea of Courage, and has many encounters through the novel that makes him understand the real truth about war and death.
Henry's Mother is only shown in Henry's flashbacks, she is the reason that Henry comes across the ideas of how little his existence is, compares Henry's ideas of war to the realities, and advises him not to join the war.
Wilson was Henry's friend who went through some rough times during the war together. Wilson at first was very out there, loud, and wanted to be seen as a tough guy. As the story progresses, and he goes through some traumatic experiences with battle and his family, he becomes sympathetic.
Jim Conklin is a friend of Wilson and Henry that fights in the war with them. He is a quiet and down-to-earth man. In any situation he is put in, he always stays to himself and doesn't let others emotions and opinions affect him.
The Tattered Soldier was put into the narrative to show a parallel to Henry's feeling of guilt. Henry showed guilt because he ran away, instead of fighting, and is not living up to his mistakes.
The color red is shown throughout the narrative to give a sense of gruesomeness and a dark side to each reference, but mainly it's symbolism is referring to courage and all the tough and hard things you have to get through to be courageous.
Jim Conklin is almost seen as a Christ figure, and his death parallels to Jesus Christ's death, because Jim reclaims Henry's sins and gives him a new chance. Crane puts him in the story to give Henry a second chance and help him become courageous.
Stephen Crane's tone throughout the narrative is sarcastic and subjective, especially when he is describing Henry's thoughts.
He, too, threw down his gun and fled. There was no shame in his face. He ran like a rabbit. This passage shows Henry making the decision to flee before battle. This decision gives Henry a start to become the better person and become courageous from this cowardly moment.
The central theme for The Red Badge of Courage is that courage is obtained when you go headstrong into something and complete what needs to be completed. When Henry goes into battle the second time, and goes in with all his might, it demonstrates his courageousness.
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The Problem with the Foster Care System
I believe every living person has the right to life and to live it without any restrictions, just as God entailed for all his children. I chose to center my project on the catholic social teaching of Rights and Responsibilities because I believe that all of our actions we make now will determine what evolution and growth we make in our society in the future. I wanted to connect my specific catholic social teaching to a social issue that I believe plagues America today, the foster care system. Foster care is one social issue that tends to be looked over in today’s society. Many automatically assume that all foster kids are provided with all of their needs by the government or by their own foster parents, when in reality it is quite the opposite. Thousands of children across the United States within the foster care system are neglected and abused everyday. It is our responsibility as people of God to help our brothers and sisters who struggle to find a home,family, and purpose. I decided that the organization that not only helps aids foster kids around the county but also spreads awareness of the issue itself was CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASA not only helps those children find a safe and permanent home, but provides them with a specially trained volunteer whom are appointed by judges to help others understand what is in the best interest for a foster child. These volunteers act as a voice for the rejected children who live within a broken and merciless system. I plan to connect all three of these topics (tenet,social issue,organization) by researching thoroughly why and how it is our responsibility to help those who have become victims of the foster care system. My overall plan is to dive deep into my topic by looking through federal cases, websites, and other resources that will aid me in my search for answers.
Going more into depth on Rights and Responsibilities and my decision on basing my essay around this specific tenet, I felt that it is important to understand and I wanted to explain it thoroughly. The Catholic tradition teaches us that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can only be achieved if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Rights are necessities or conditions in life that people need in order to be fully human. People need these rights in order to fulfill what God created us to be, happy. Responsibilities correspond with rights, mainly because it is the responsibility of people to fulfill God's expectations, in that we, his children, can serve one another until we can live in together in perfect harmony. An example of how rights and responsibilities is referenced within the scriptures is within the verse of Isaiah 1:17, stating, “Learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea.” It is heavily urged numerous times within the Bible to help those who cannot help themselves. Catholic Social Teaching teaches us that it not society that owes us these rights, but we as humans owe them to one another. In order to achieve true happiness, we need to take responsibility and create a society in which all are equal. This tenet is also shown with Sacred Tradition which can been seen within one specific quote from Pope Francis,“Society as a whole, and the state in particular, are obliged to defend and promote the common good.” Here Francis is saying that as humans, we are called to help those less fortunate than us and spread God's love and will, as it is yet again one of our responsibilities in life.
This tenet is seen our daily lives everyday. You don't have to volunteer at your local homeless shelter everyday in order to fulfill rights and responsibilities. It is in the small acts of kindness, like giving half of your lunch to a classmate who forgotten their own, that can make a big impact on someones day. This tenet I believe specifically applies to my social justice issue because from even participating in acts like the giving tree or donating your old clothes to a foster care clothing drive can make a foster kids day better. Things that we take advantage for in our daily lives (i.e. clothes, toys, blankets,TV, phones, books, etc) are what some of these kids go without for days and weeks when bouncing around from home to home. Humans should strive to live out the teaching of helping those who cannot help themselves, in this case foster kids. In order to achieve true happiness, we need to take responsibility and create a society in which all are equal.
The issue at hand, that being the foster care system, has failed to meet the needs of hundreds of kids placed in the system every year. From from allowing those who have aged out of the system altogether without any aid to support themselves, to the struggling children who live with an abusive, profit privatized group home, the hidden harm of the system itself goes unseen by the majority of Americans everyday.
According to Mashable, one in five foster kids “who age out of the system will become homeless… one and four children will be involved in the justice system within two years of leaving foster care”. The gruesome reality of the after effects of being a former foster child is real, and everyday it is getting worse. The systemic issue on the table: the neglect to aid and better child welfare within the US. Ever since the foster care system has been put into place after seven year old Benjamin Eaton became America’s first foster child in 1636, the process for a child to find a permit home has become myth to some of foster kids.
Due to the fact that there is not enough “non-relative placement resources available to meet the needs of the children requiring foster care… this has led in some cases to moving children around from home to home”, says The CT Mirror. What once was a temporary solution for finding a child a permanent home has now become a hectic mess, resulting in thousand of kids bouncing around from home to home, leaving them no other option but to sit, wait, and hope for the best. Another harsh reality of being a foster child is being left in the hands privatized foster care homes. “Privatization takes place when a government outsources services or functions to private firms… existing for one reason only: to make a profit,” says Adoption.com. The product in this case, the child. The more kids these companies place into their homes and the faster they get adopted, the more money they make. By federal and state law, children are supposed to be placed with extended family members but some privatized foster care agencies, who operate outside of the government system, put profit ahead of policy, which overall can cut kids off of family forever.
My issue relates to rights and responsibilities because it is our job to help our brothers and sisters, not neglect of the right to live life happy. They should be treated with dignity and respect, instead being seen as something to profit off of. You cannot put a price on a living being. A human life is precious, so why is this still a problem? Why are foster parents abusing kids physically, emotionally, sexually? In short, because they can. These foster parents are not being stopped by anyone and instead are being paid to continue their abuse. Not only do I believe that this issue violates human rights, but the facts agree with me as well. No human being should be treated like dirt, because that is not what God wanted for us. He wanted us to always support and help each other, especially those who cannot help themselves. He wanted all his children to live and love together, instead of neglecting thousands of kids who do not know what the definition of “home” truly means. “The system” is a shining example of the abuse of human rights. It has failed thousands of kids longing for a loving family, a happy life, and a chance to have their voices heard, all which has be denied to the majority of those kids. No child should ever have to go through any form of abuse with their foster families. They did not ask to be put in this situation whatsoever, so why make it any worse for them? There has to be change, and in order to do so and better this broken system, it all starts with speaking up about the injustice that is being done. It starts with donating to child protective agencies to help properly recruit and train more qualified foster parents.
CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, helps thousands of foster kids across the nation. The organization itself was created in 1976 after founder, and Seattle Superior Court Judge, David Soukup, could not stand another day of worrying about “the lifelong impact his decisions had on abused and neglected children”. In an interview with the LA Times Soukup stated that he was “consumed by the fact that I didn’t have enough information about each child... I just didn’t know if I had done the very best job I could.” Soukup came up with the idea of volunteers being the voice for different foster kids within and outside of the courtroom. Almost forty years later, there are over 900 CASA programs within 49 states today. After calling this organization, I learned the certain procedures volunteers must undergo before being assigned a case. First volunteers must complete the application process which includes a criminal background check, over twenty hours of training, which covers topics like how to handle a case with a recurrence of family violence and the legal processes they will face when appearing in court for their child.
I choose this specific organization because of the differents ways they help better a foster child's life by investigating any problems within their child's home, advocating for them in court, and overall ensuring that their child is receiving the best care financially, medically, and etc. CASA volunteers “represent the best interests of children who are involved with the child welfare system” (Caliber Associates). According to ProKids, children who have a CASA volunteer are less likely to “spend time in long-term foster care, defined as more than 3 years in care”.
This organization is remarkable due to the fact it directly helps thousands of foster kids around the nation. CASA itself is a social justice rather than a charity, because the organization works directly (meaning face to face) with the child and courts to help better the life of this child now and forever. CASA volunteers do not just give their child money and walk away, they are helping to mend a broken system and help those whom have become victims of foster care itself. The organization operates out of the system of subsidiarity, meaning that they give responsibilities over to the individuals and local communities in order to reach the common good. This principle has shows foundations similar to the way God exercises his power, like how Jesus did not make or force his followers follow him and his beliefs. Jesus gave them the freedom to do as they wish. In this case with CASA, these children are not being forced to tell their volunteers all of their needs, but it is their choice of freedom to speak up of the injustice that is going on within their life. Subsidiarity relates to CASA because it shows how these kids are involved in the choices they make for themselves.
Lastly, this organization aligns with the catholic social teachings and as well aligns with the teaching of the church. The whole purpose of CASA is helping a foster child who is in need of a better life. Volunteers are putting their lives on hold to better someone else’s. I believe that CASA is a great example of an organization that lives out the catholic social teachings and Gods plan.
Overall, throughout all of my research, I have gained an extensive amount of knowledge for how the foster care system operates as well as how CASA operates. I have gained an enormous amount of respect for CASA volunteers and all of the hardwork and dedication they put into to help these kids. Throughout all three aspects of my paper, I successfully drew connections between rights and responsibilities to the foster care system to how CASA demonstrates qualities of the catholic social teachings. This issue is one I am passionate about because mainly because of the TV Show, The Fosters, which tells the story of a young foster girl who is placed into a foster home with a couple and their blend of adoptive and biological children. This show opened my eyes to the reality of what living within the foster system is like and the rough conditions some foster kids have to undergo. The result of finishing the TV show and this essay leaves me inspired more than ever to become a CASA volunteer later in my life and bring change to a foster kids life. I believe in doing so, I can start a chain reaction for making this social injustice more aware within society.
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The Problem With The Foster Care System. (2019, Oct 30).
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Fostered or Forgotten?
Fostered or Forgotten?
A drug addict is sprawled out on the floor, unconscious from the heroin coursing through her veins and the one too many nearly fatal blows to the head from an abusive boyfriend. Three kids aged between five and nine hold in their breath as to not be detected in fear of becoming the next victim of the abusive boyfriend. Unfortunately, for thousands of kids placed into the foster care system this is the reality of their everyday lives. With no other alternative or solution many minors are placed into foster care, hoping one day to find a stable, permanent home with a forever family or to be reunited with their parents and loved ones.
Foster care is a term that refers to the systems in which children under the age of 18 years, who are exposed to high-level of abuse, neglect or excessive home conflict, are placed and taken care of. In these foster cares across the United States of America, children are offered a safe and loving environment in a manner that effectively meets their psychological, social; physical and medical needs (Perez, p. 47). The key role of foster care is not to separate children from their parents, it is to ensure that the children under the age of 18 years are in a safe place whenever there are huge family conflicts, and that they are able to return back to their home and be reunited with their parent and close family members whenever situations come back to normal (Lahti, p. 26). So, the key aim of foster care centers across the United States is to ensure that children are reunited with their birth-parents when it is safe.
When these vulnerable foster care children are taken to different institutions or community centers, they are assigned to special state certified caregiver known as a foster parent (Lahti, p. 20). The placement is arranged through government or social-service agency. When the child is identified and handed over to a certain community children Centre, then the states governments and the federal government goes ahead to provide the institution, foster parent or group home with compensation for the expenses they incur while taking care of the child.
In the United States, the process of establishing and running a foster home requires one to have a license from the specific state in which it is to be established. However, as Graaf, ( p. 66), argues, different state governments have different laws regarding how foster homes are to be established and run. This means that for a foster home to be allowed in the United States, the home needs to have a home licensing, and the conditions one is required to meet before having such a license vary from one state to the other. However, apart from the varying requirements, what is common in all the states across the US is that the licensing is supervised by each state's department of child protective services (Lahti, p. 22).
The concepts of foster care in the country has become largely accepted in all states. This explains the reason as to why there are over 437,465 children accommodated by foster care centres spread across the United States (Padot, p. 74). In fact, out of all types of foster care systems, the nonrelative foster homes are more prevalent as it is stated that they harbour around 48% of all children in foster cares across the country (Graaf, p. 54). Other common types of foster care centres include; relative foster homes which harbor 26% of children under foster care in the country, followed by foster institutions which harbour around 9%, and also trial visit homes which takes around 5% of the children in need of foster care services in the country.
The aim is not to separate children from their birth-parents. This is evident going by the statistics given by Padot ( p. 42), showing how and where children who leave foster care end up. Going by Padot, ( p. 65) information, it is evident that out of 254, 114 children who exited foster care services, 51% of them were reunited with their parents or caretakers. This is after the situations that had made them are taken to such foster care centers normalized and were taken back to their homes. The other 21% of the 254,114 were adopted through the due legal process of adoption (Padot, p. 43). It is also stated that 11% of those children were emancipated as minors by aging up and becoming adults who can work and provide for themselves.
In addition, 8% are said to have been reunited with either one of their relative or relatives, 6% were taken by guardians (Perez, p. 34). This clearly shows that the foster care concept in the United States is a pure success, as its transition rate, the success rate is very high. This means that foster care helps vulnerable children to get a safe-landing after they are exposed to bustling situations and conditions, after which they are reunited with their families and other helpful people when situations improve.
The funding of foster care services was streamlined back in 1961, when the Congress went ahead and passed a law, which gave authority to AFDC (welfare) to pay for the foster care services in the country. Previously, before the passing of the above 1961 law, foster care services funds was only made to children in their own homes (Graaf, p. 65). However, the passing of the above law, made funding of the foster care in the United States easier, thus giving way for rapid and effective growth of foster care services in the country. For example, after the passing of the above law, funding for fostercare in some states was highly streamlined, therefore giving way for its growth (Lahti, p. 28). In Texas, it is stated that the Texas state-paid mental treatment centers as huge as $101,105 a year per child per child per year. This way, foster care centers got a sustainable stream of revenue, which allowed for its massive growth.
Initially, before the 1990s, the United State lacked any clear law on how long children taken to foster care must reside in those centers before they are reunited with their families. This gap created a problem as children were left to waste away in these centers (Lahti, p. 43). However, in 1997, the United States of America passed what is known as the adoption and safe families act (ASFA). The passing of this legislation condensed period allowed children to stay within the care Centre system before they are availed for adoption (Graaf, p. 52). Under this new legislation, state child welfare agencies are supposed to classify and scrutinize cases where intensified situations create
perpetual split-up of a child from his or her birth-parents, and thereafter, a process of identifying the best option for the safety and well-being of a child commences.
There was massive opposition of ASFA, with those opposing arguing that the passing of this legislation was not necessary, given that it does not address the situation of children staying for a long time in the foster care centers (Graaf, p. 29). This group argued that the key reason as to why these children stayed in foster care centers was due to the fact that they were taken from their homes without concrete reason. However, a decade or so later, after the passing of ASFA, the situation has largely improved as there are about 7,000 fewer cases of children in foster care than before the passing of the above legislation. Secondly, in 1999; a new legislation termed as the foster care independence act was passed, and this legislation in a huge way helped address the issue of youths who were aging in foster care centers. The legislation gives a leeway for such youths to achieve self-sufficiency (Padot, p. 13). This means that when a child reaches 18 years, he is no longer forced to stay in foster care, and can automatically be released to find work and engage in other profitable enterprises that will enable him to feed himself or herself.
Apart from granting the aging youth the liberty to leave the foster care centers, the new legislation also emphasized the need for proper welfare measures for the aging youths in the foster care centers (Graaf, p. 23). With this clause, the U.S government has made a major investment in almost all main foster care institutions and centers by way of giving out funds to these centers for specialized programs such as the education and training voucher program. Such initiatives have greatly helped youths who are aging in such centers to acquire a college or vocational training at a free or reduced cost (Lahti, p. 21). This process has led to the introduction of Chafee and ETV money in all states, as it is deemed important in helping these growing youths in foster care centers.
In conclusion, it is evident that foster care is a noble process that has helped millions of the United States children; children who could otherwise have been ignored or neglected in the society. Though there are various challenges facing this system, the fact remains that it is a noble system that saves the vulnerable children from the wrath of violence, oppression, and abuse. It allows the children to grow in serene environments where they are able to get physical, psychological; and social support, therefore, enabling them to grow normally.
Works Cited
- Graaf, G. Keeping Kids at Home, in School, and Out of Trouble: Funding Home and Community-Based Care for Non-Medicaid Eligible Youth with Complex Behavioral Healthcare Needs. Cingage, 2018.
- Lahti, J. "Adoption of children in foster care: a comparison of processes leading to adoption by foster parents and adoption by others." 2000, doi:10.15760/etd.878.
- Padot, R. H. "The Politics of Foster Care Administration in the United States." 2014, doi:10.4324/9781315777412.
- Perez, Enrique M. How do home and community based services change long-term care? Florida Atlantic University, 2010.
- Stone, J. "Fostering across the Globe: The World of Foster Care: An International Sourcebook on Foster Care Family S
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Fostered or Forgotten?. (2019, Oct 30).
Retrieved November 4, 2025 , from
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Education in Foster Care
The groups of students are, on average, poor, non-white, and have disabilities), missing from current research is an understanding of whether poor education outcomes for foster youth are due to maltreatment and foster care placement or known academic at-risk factors. Findings indicate that for youth with a history of foster care placement, the impact associated child maltreatment and foster care placement comprises their ability to function and learn beyond noted education at-risk factors.
Results: Findings indicate even after controlling for the association of noted education at-risk factors, foster youth were significantly less likely to achieve positive outcomes on the majority of education outcomes. Administrative child welfare and education data were merged to investigate education outcomes for youth with a foster care history in grades 8 to 12 in four California counties. Youth with a history of foster care placement were matched closely to general population students on a number of demographic factors. Ethnicity, disability status, and school quality school were a primary at-risk factor for all students.
Background/Current Paper: For youth with a history of foster care placement, the impact associated with challenges within the family environment and removal from home often compromises their ability to function and learn. Specifically, students were matched on gender, ethnicity, English Language Learner (ELL) Status, primary disability, National School Lunch Program (NSLP), district, and a measure of school quality. While past research suggests that characteristics of foster youth and at-risk groups identified in the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) overlap (Compared to the closely matched group of students, foster youth were 6-26% less likely to achieve proficiency in CST ELA and math and 9-27% less likely to achieve success in English and math courses.
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Education In Foster Care. (2019, Oct 30).
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Aging out of Foster Care
Every year over 20,000 foster care youth are released from care to go out on their own and start a new life as a productive adult in society, or at least that's the hopeful result when the state releases youth from care. Across the nation, the youth that are being released from care are being released without the knowledge and skills necessary to be a working productive adult in the real world. These youth are given slim to no guidance upon being released and following release.
In result, they are quickly faced with a multitude of challenges that the typical teenager is not faced with after turning eighteen. When aging out of care youth are confronted with challenges such as educational, mental, financial, and many others, in response the state child welfare systems across the nation have worked to provide programs to help youth in their process as they learn true independence. So how are youth aging out of foster care truly being helped in combating the challenges of entering adulthood and gaining self-sufficiency through independent living programs? With increasing rates of homelessness among aged out foster care youth the federal government initiated the Title IV-E Independent Living Initiative of 1986. This provided states with the funds to prepare teenage youth from the age of sixteen and up in foster care for the shift into adulthood. Since 1986 states have developed these programs that provide great training and teach the youth many useful skills for entering adulthood, though these programs and the types and quality vary widely across the country (Fowler).
Evidence expressing the effectiveness following the implementation of Independent Living Programs though was far and few. Because of this, the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence program of 1999 was put into action for more flexible funding so that states could create a multitude of various programs to help educate and teach youth that were soon to age out and youth that have left care but were under the age of twenty-one. Since the enactment of the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence program there has been a renewed effort to address the challenges foster care youth are faced with, since most outcomes are still showing horrible results (Scannapieco).
There are many Independent living programs all over the United States and the quality of the programs can differ from state to state and county to county. In the state of Georgia one of the most successful Independent Living Programs is the New Beginnings program from Goshen valley. The goal of the program is to empower and emotionally support adult youth to help make the transition from foster care to independence (Independent Living Youth Handbook). This program helps youth become responsible and goal oriented and provides 24-hour support to the adult youth. All the youth in the program live in apartments with other youth and go to weekly life skills meetings where they meet with their life coaches and therapist. These life coaches provide help through teaching life skills such as communication, decision making, and conflict management. In addition, life coaches help youth obtain educational, vocational, and employment opportunities and even help find and provide transportation for all. The new beginnings program not only helps provide youth with a roof over their head, but also provides them with an unlimited phone service plan and a monthly food allowance of $200 which is split up over four weeks.
In addition to the food allowance and service plan, the program also helps the youth obtain a driver's license, which is otherwise a hard task to get done for many youths while in foster care. After obtaining a license the youth can then use program vehicles as allotted for school, work, and personal life. The program also teaches the youths the importance of saving and helps them in the process of obtaining their own vehicles. The program has its rules as well to administer necessary discipline the youth need instilled. The way the program works is through a carefully developed Individual learning plan, which determines the advancement through the three-tier system the youth advance through over time and by exemplifying maturity.
Each tier allots for a later curfew, less supervision, and less required saving percentages from your paychecks. With such a program providing such services for youth that are aging out of care or have aged out of care might have you asking why the results of aged out youth are still so heartbreaking. Well programs as successful as new beginnings are very rare and cost a lot of money to run and require the right people running it. In 2017 alone, the new beginnings program was able to serve 34 young women and men, allowing for six new young adults the opportunity to start college, and discharged five young adults into independently living in the community (2017 annual report). Through the new beginnings program the average savings account balance for youth was around $20,349.28, with over 25 youths having six months or more of steady employment.
The total driver's license achieved by youth was 15, with a total of 17 cars purchased by youth. Thanks to the program nine youths were able to graduate from high school and five from college (PQI report). All great accomplishments but coming at a cost of just over one million dollars. With over 20,000 youth branching out of care every year the cost can be astounding.
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Growth of America in the Gilded Age
The Gilded Age was a time period in the 19th century that took place between the civil war and the beginning of the 20th century. The Gilded Age was when America experienced enormous growth. This period of time brought in new technology and industry growth. The Gilded Age was not all good though, monopolies were formed and corruption in government began.
The Second Industrial Revolution was where economic productivity was spurred. The Revolution came about from the creation of modern transportation, communication systems, electrical power, and the systematic application of scientific research to industrial processes. The biggest thing from modern transportation was the transcontinental railroad which helped expand markets worldwide. Communication systems came from telegraph lines which helped Europe and America communicate. Electricity increased speed, power, and efficiency of machinery. Electricity also made elevators possible which made taller buildings possible. Scientific research helped researchers find a way to make more steel and gasoline. This research helped make new products like telephones, typewriters, phonographs, sewing machines, cameras, and farm machines. With making these new products faster it made the prices go down.
Corporations grew much larger in size, power, and socially than ever before. The corporations would often form connections with important people to influence governors, legislators, Congress, and presidents. Some corporations tried to eliminate their competition by driving the other company out or by buying the other company out. By forming these companies many business leaders bribed politicians, broke laws, and exploited workers. Many people men who created big businesses were driven by the desire of becoming rich, so they could have power. One major monopolist was John D. Rockefeller who created a vertical integration monopoly with his Standard Oil Company. This means that he owned all of the different businesses that he needed to produce and sell the oil. After the Civil War Congress, state legislators, and presidents were all bribed to let big businesses do what they wanted to.
Not only did the economy transform but the tension between social classes were also more visible than they were before. There was no intermarriage between two different classes. The industrialists that dominated economic, social, and political life after the Civil War had so much wealth and showed it off to everyone. Most middle-class Americans were left to practice self-discipline and restraint, simplicity and frugality. The working class was filled with unskilled workers from railroads, mills, mines, factories, sweatshops, and slaughterhouses. Even though wage levels grew overall during the Gilded Age, there was a great difference between the pay for unskilled and skilled workers.
Women and Children were given more opportunities to better themselves and their families during this time period. The number of middle-class women working outside the home tripled during this time period. Most of this is due to women being able to get a higher education because they were allowed to be admitted to more colleges. But the mills, factories, large businesses, and mines needed more unskilled workers, so they hired children and women to fill those places. Children and women had lower wages than an unskilled man that did the same job they were doing.
Workers during the Gilded Age often struggled to force employers to recognize their needs and concerns. Since no would listen, the workers which were also called unionized workers would frequently hold strikes in response to their wages getting cut. Those strikes usually became violent between the unionized workers and the managers of the business. The violent strikes led the middle-class Americans to view the unionized workers to be radicals or anarchists.
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Binge and Underage Drinking
Binge and Underage Drinking at Central Michigan University The intended audience is students of CMU and future students and their families. Living on your own, parties, booze, and drugs are all (hopefully) new experiences that almost every freshman at Central Michigan University has encountered. To most, this may seem like the best time of their lives, to others, it seems scary and dangerous. While these things are not the main focus of college, they play a large role. Binge and underage drinking have always been an issue on college campuses across the nation, and Central Michigan University is not exempt. Binge drinking can lead to hospitalizations, regrettable decisions, and in some tragic cases even death. In the past few years that I have attended Central, there have been several deaths that I have been aware of due to binge drinking.
One student suffocated from holding his head in a trash bag while vomiting, another was so intoxicated that he fell down the stairs and died. These students were young and had bright futures ahead of them, death should not have been part of their college experience. Those students will never walk across the stage with their friends to receive their diploma, all because of binge drinking. Unfortunately, binge drinking is inevitable in college towns, and it seems that it takes occurrences like these ones to make students understand how dangerous it can really be. Why is it that the societal norm in college is to binge drink three or four days a week, even if the student is not of legal age? When did it become this way? It seems that most people do not even want to hang out with one another unless there is alcohol involved. Oh, it's your birthday? Let's drink.
Got an A on your exam? Drink. Have an exam that you didn't study for and you know you will fail? Drink! Are students using drinking as an excuse to cope with their anxieties and stresses of school? Or because their peers are snapchatting them and encouraging them to shotgun a four loko and then later on posting to their story a video of them vomiting to make other people laugh? It is often seen as cool to be able to drink a lot. You hear kids saying all the time how much alcohol they put down this weekend. Some even make it into games and have events such as beer Olympics or case races where they literally win trophies for being able to drink the most alcohol. While I am sure these activities are fun and a great way to socialize with your friends, at the end of the day they are dangerous. It has been reported from the Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that on average two out of five college students have engaged in binge drinking at least twice during the past two weeks. In addition, the National Insitute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's estimate that 4.3% of college students in 2014 consumed five or more drinks in a row on a daily basis (Nicole). I should note that according to the Center for Disease Control binge drinking is defined as a drinking pattern that brings a persons blood alcohol content above .08 grams percent, or 4 to 5 drinks within a two hour time period (CDC).
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health had resulted from one of their studies that showed 60.8% of full-time college students aged 18-22 reported alcohol use and 39.1% were classified as binge drinkers. Other studies have reported that the majority of all college drinking reported it attributed to underage students (Nicole). While some students do not drink or drink in moderation, the majority of them go overboard and drink as much as they can. One group of students in particular that are known for binge drinking are those a part of greek life. Some, not all greek affiliated organizations, encourage members and especially new members, to drink in excess. There have been rumors that they even use this as a hazing tactic. People who join Greek Life are there to make friends and impress one another, making it difficult to want to say no even when they know they should. Members would rather drink to impress each other than drink to have a good, safe, time. In addition, they have mixers with other fraternities and sororities where they party and drink and of course, have a good time. These mixers and parties in general even outside greek life are a way for new students to make friends. These parties build trust in one another, especially if you see the same people at every party.
However, this trust can lead to the inability to protect oneself and the ability to identify risky situations (Nicole). I bring up Greek Life because it is far more common for freshman to join Greek Life and freshman are almost always under the age of twenty-one. Research indicates that there is a significant relationship between greater alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking among those involved socially in college Greek fraternities and sororities (Nicole). It has been found that while those who are underage do not drink as often when they do drink they are more likely to binge drink (NCBI).
According to the Center for Disease Control underage binge drinking has caused more than 4,300 deaths per year. In addition, about 189,000 emergency department visits were made last year for injuries and other conditions linked to excessive drinking for people under the age of 21 (CDC). Underage binge drinking is a public health issue and has caused the United States Economy $24 billion in 2010. The Central for Disease Control also states that underage binge drinking can lead to memory problems, abuse of other drugs, and problems with school and social problems. Students tend to forget that the main reason they are away at University is for an education, and binge drinking can often lead to dropping out. Many students skip class due to hangovers or drink instead of studying and doing assignments. Binge drinking not only has substantial effects on one's health but can also have an effect on their future.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimated that 25% of college students have experienced academic difficulties due to alcohol consumption (Nicole). According to an article by Kyle Kaminski on MLive, a Michigan based newspaper, only about 20 percent of the first-time freshman enrolled at CMU earn a four-year degree in four years. While alcohol is not the only blame of this statistic, it certainly plays a large role. If you attend Central Michigan University, it is required that you take an online alcohol course, provided for the student free of cost by the school. However, most students do not take this course seriously because it is online and you can easily click through the slides without retaining any information.
This course is also required to only be completed once, during your first semester at CMU. there most likely were students who learned a lot from the course and took it seriously, however for myself and others that I know who have taken the course, they just clicked through the slides. Central could decide to make this course mandatory to take every year in order to make it more effective. If they decide to do so, the course should be different every year, and not so easy to just click through. Instead, they could offer a one day, in-person training session every year so that students will be more likely to pay attention. In addition, I think Central should send out notifications when students have reported serious effects from binge drinking.
For example, if a student is hospitalized a report would go out (it would be anonymous) about how much the student drank, their BAC, and if they were injured or not. This could let other students know how serious of a problem this is and hopefully deter them from making the same decisions. What is the proper way to reduce excessive binge drinking among underage college students then? Most college campuses have policies set to deter students from doing so. Central Michigan University, for example, states on their website that those under the age of twenty one cannot possess alcohol in the dorms. Those over the age of twenty one may possess and consume alcohol in the dorms as long as everyone in that room is over the age of twenty-one (Alcohol and Controlled). Furthermore, it is stated that Residents agree not to possess, use, manufacture, produce or distribute, or aid in the use, manufacture, production or distribution of any controlled substance except as expressly permitted by law (Alcohol and Controlled). The webpage outlines the rules that residents must follow, but it does not explicitly list the outcomes if they violate the rules.
This page is mostly geared toward incoming students and underage students, but the most important aspect that could deter students from drinking would be the reprimands that are not easily accessible. While most students would see this and simply follow the rules because it is the right thing to do, others will ignore this page because they will think that there are no consequences. A study was done among 10 universities in North Carolina to solve this issue.
The study was around environmental strategies and plans were made with local law enforcement. Across the schools, there was 1 off-campus policy and 11 on campus policy implemented. On campus policies included increased sanctions for student alcogol violations, benefits for students in good standing, new late night programming, ban on alcohol flyers in residence halls, restrictions on alcohol paraphernalia, interdepartmental procedures for better communication and reporting, dual judicial policies to address off-campus behavior and clarity on student code of conduct (Wolfson). Three of the schools implemented comprehensive social norms marketing campaigns including a safe ride program, commitment from area landlords to track student alcohol violations in apartment complexes, and host meetings with area retailers to improve responsible service practices (Wolfson).
One school had a Citizen Scholars Program where privileges such as preferential campus housing and parking spots were tied to clean alcohol records (Wolfson). After these measures were implemented students self-reported that there were fewer consequences due to own drinking i.e requiring medical treatment due to drinking, a DUI, being involved in a physical interaction while intoxicated or being taken advantage of sexually (Wolfson). I believe that these measures could significantly help the binge drinking problem at Central Michigan University. People who are familiar with CMU are familiar with the annual event Main Stage. I remember my freshman year at CMU I went and received shot glasses and coupons from local bars, even though I was only eighteen years old. By having bars and liquor stores promote themselves at Main Stage, it gives off the message to young students that CMU condones underage drinking, especially on campus. I believe that Central could benefit significantly if alcohol paraphernalia, as well as alcohol-related advertisements, were eliminated from the campus. Having meetings with local liquor stores about the importance of IDing properly will also play a huge role in the number of students that underage drink.
It is known around campus which liquor stores do not scan IDs, or do not ID at all. If liquor stores had stricter policies, for example, if they scanned a fake ID they would report it to the police, this would deter students from easily accessing alcohol the way they do. Some people think that an easy solution would be to just lower the drinking age to eighteen. This is not an easy or safe solution to the problem. In the 1970s many states lowered the drinking age to eighteen. This was followed by increases in the sale and consumption of alcohol and in alcohol-involved traffic fatalities among those aged 18-20 (Wechsler). After seeing this, states raised their drinking age to twenty-one, causing underage young adults from those states to drive to other states in order to purchase and consume alcohol (Wechsler).
In 1984 The National Minimum Drinking Age Act became a law, requiring that states prohibit the purchase and public possession of alcohol for persons aged younger than twenty-one years old, in order to receive all federal high way funds (Wechsler). In other words, Michigan will never lower their drinking age to eighteen because our roads will become almost nonexistent if we lost the little funding we already have to fix them. I propose that Central Michigan University takes after the schools in North Carolina and instills environmental policies to reduce underage binge drinking. Having policies such as calling the police when a fake ID is found alone could dramatically reduce underage drinking.
Preventing binge and underage drinking needs to be a goal not just for the campus community, but the community of Mt. Pleasant as well. Every business that sells alcohol needs to have an ID scanner including bars and grocery stores. Alcohol is extremely accessible for underage students, especially when they have made friends that are of age that can buy for them. There needs to be stricter consequences for those who are found supplying alcohol to those who are underage. In addition, rewards such as preferred parking and housing will be a great incentive for students to not get an alcohol violation on or off campus. By having these policies enacted, it could increase freshman enrollment and make residents of campus and Mount Pleasant feel safer. Binge drinking and underage drinking on Central Michigan University's campus needs to be controlled.
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The Teenage Years
The teenage years, a complicated, thrilling, yet potentially problematic period in a person's life. These years are full of all sorts of new beginnings and freedom. Teenagers are known for living a thrilling type of lifestyle filled with risky behavior and bad decisions. It is an era to make mistakes and learn. Mistakes, although should never put anyone's life at risk. At the age of 16 and a half a person can attain a driver's license. Driving is a big step in the freedom aspect of life. It is easy for teenagers to forget that driving is not a right, it is a privilege that comes with many responsibilities.
Teenagers are consistently participating in thrilling activities that has the possibility of getting them in trouble but that is a risk they are willing to take. People are introduced to alcohol at a very young age, whether it be through a household environment, media, or peers. The use of alcohol starts at a very young age. The life of an adolescent is complicated and delicate. They are influenced by factors that they may not even notice. Adolescents engage in the use of alcohol for many different reasons. One study found that the physical and social environment, as well as the individual behavior of the adolescent was related to their alcohol consumption (Alden et al., 2017). These results correlated adolescent alcohol use as a way to make them feel better about themselves. Everyone says the teenage years are all fun and games but it can be one of the most stressful periods of a person's life. Stress is directly correlated with an adolescents drinking behavior (McKay et al., 2013). There are stresses regarding the grades a person receives at school. There are stresses regarding a person's home life, whether it be a divorce or poor treatment by their parents.
And teenagers mostly stress about their social life. They may not feel like they are fitting in which leads to low self esteem, or they are simply searching for a thrilling experience. Teenagers so desperately want to fit in they are easily influenced by peer pressure. All of these stress categories lead to adolescents consuming alcohol. Adolescents are known for a fun Friday night participation in an environment where alcohol is involved. Binge drinking in adolescents is very common (Marcotte et al., 2012).
Since adolescents already have the mindset that they are invincible and thrive off of thrilling experiences, driving under the influence seems to be the perfect activity. They may choose to drive under the influence because they think have no other choice or they aren't that drunk. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen deaths in the United States (Marcotte et al., 2012). Younger drivers are more likely to get in crashes than older drivers because of their inexperience or risky behavior. Everyone is guilty of running red lights or speeding through a yellow light, but to an adolescent it is thrilling. 1 in 4 car crashes with teenagers involve an underage drunk driver (Statistics, 2018). Drunk driving seems so easily preventable which is why these statistics leave many people with an unsettling feeling.
Teen drinking and driving is not only a United States problem but a worldwide problem. In Italy, there was a study done on patients admitted to the emergency room with a positive blood alcohol concentration. More than 50% of the patients being treated were adolescents involved in car accidents (Allamani et al., 2013). In Italy, ?…“ of road fatalities involved alcohol (Allamani et al., 2013). It is a serious world wide issue that needs to constantly be addressed.
Thankfully, teen drinking has decreased since 1991 (Vital Signs, 2012). These decrease may be related to multiple different reasons. One reasoning for the decrease may be the parent and adolescent relationship. Being an adolescent is tough but being a parent to an adolescent is even more tough. There is a fine line, and specific rules you are supposed to follow when you are a parent but it does not always mean that your child is going to turn out perfect. Adolescents who search for excitement through risky behavior reported of driving under the influence or with someone driving under the influence (Pedersen & McCarthy, 2008). The decisions these adolescents make can be directly related to their personality which the parents can not control, but they can attempt to influence them in the best way possible.
Adolescents are influenced by their family on the decisions they make, especially their parents. Since 1990 the style of intensive parenting has increased (Arnett, 2018). This parenting style is where the parent is highly involved in their teenagers life. There is a direct correlation between the risks adolescents partake in and parental modeling/supervision (which word fits better). (Arnett, 2018). Intensive parenting includes the authoritative parenting style. This style is where the parent is involved with the teens life. This includes having rules and being supportive. The adolescent feels comfortable enough to be open to the parent and does not lie to them about what they are doing or where they are going. The strictness and involvement of parents in a teens life will decrease teens making risky driving choices (Laghi et al., 2013). The rules may include a curfew for the teen that is not the state law of a person who is driving on a junior operating license. Rules may include who the teen is allowed to drive when it is legal for them to drive peers.
Another rule may be where they are allowed to go. Parents should be motivated to make agreements with their teenagers in attempt to prevent any risky behavior. Ultimately adolescents have the choice to decide what behavior they are going to partake in. If adolescents find themselves in situations that their parents were trying to avoid they can call on their parents for help if they are comfortable enough to do so. By being an authoritative parent you are willing to be their for the child and are affectionate towards them. If they get themselves involved in a situation such as making the choice to drink and drive, or getting in the car with someone under the influence. They will feel comfortable enough to call on a parent to help them get out of that situation. Parental involvement is only one of the reasons why teen drinking and driving has decreased.
There are many programs that have implemented to attempt to end teen drinking and driving. One of the organizations whose goal is to end drunk driving is Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also known as MADD.
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Learns and Experience New Things
Exposure is how everyone learns and experience new things, You can't make up your mind on something when you've never seen, heard, smelled, or touched something. The exposure to a new thing opens your eyes more and more and gives you more of an understanding of things and where you stand as far as what is done with such things. That is why i believe a good solution is to lowering the drinking age. The two ideas I am proposing, one is to lower the drinking age to 18, and give the option for adults to supervise their teen if they are between the age of 16 - 18 if they wish to allow their child to drink.
Doing this would give teens a good amount of exposure to what drinking is like and how they feel about it. One way or another teens will do what they want, and that includes drinking underage. If the law was changed teens all over could stop hiding all of their belongings and it would bring an enormous amount of relief from all parties now that there is no legal risk. This would also give the protection of teens because the adult can watch and make sure nothing goes wrong, where as most teens have to hide it and also risk doing something stupid that they shouldn't have done that could cost their life or someone else's. In the survey me and my partners made 65 out of 100 teen in between 9-12 grade said that they have drank or still do. 24 of the 65 were seniors meaning that about a third of the group that drinks. An overwhelming amount of teens drink even though it is illegal.
According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, underage drinking accounts for 17.5% ($22.5 billion) of consumer spending for alcohol in the United States. The 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 24.8% of youth aged 14 or 15, 46.7% aged 16 or 17, and 68.3% aged 18 to 20, drink alcohol. This just goes to show that teens are going to do it regardless of the law. My parents, their friends and Officer Paguli all thought that my proposal was reasonable and could possibly work. So taking my proposal could make this action by teens legal and allow an adult to supervise their actions. To test this proposal we can go to a couple different counties and cities and change the law to our proposal. If we give it about 10 to 15 years it would give the law time to change fully settle and show how much can be done. After the 10 to 15 years I expect to see that the alcohol has found its spot just like cigarettes did. Where there is a select group that binge drinks at a consistent rate, and then there is the rest that rarely do it if at all.
A huge draw back of this proposal is that right after this law is introduced their will be an extremely large amount of teens drinking for the first time and way more often than others. There is also a higher probability of teens making stupid decisions such as breaking stuff or drinking and driving. In the United States, 31% of road traffic deaths involve alcohol. This percentage is higher than many countries with a drinking age lower than 21 such as France (29%), Great Britain (16%), Germany (9%), China (4%), and Israel (3%). Although the United States increased the MLDA to 21 in 1984, its rate of traffic accidents and fatalities in the 1980s decreased less than that of European countries whose legal drinking ages are lower than 21.
None of these things are good but the statistics show that have the countries with lower drinking ages have lower accident rates than the US which has a legal drinking age of 21. No Matter what the legal drinking age is it does not protect people from who want to drink and drive. If they are going to drink and drive they are going to do it no matter what the legal age is so having it at 18 or 21 doesn't matter. The law does not protect other people from drinking and driving. I believe this would only be a temporary issue that would only last a few years and once we get into the later years of the testing things will smooth out. Federal law would give the states the option to support or not support this law. Federal law would ensure that all states follow this law and it will make it easier to keep track of the the progress of all the people.
My solution would be the one that works because I am surrounded by my peers, I know how they feel about drinking and i understand how they feel about the current laws and how they would do it differently. If the legal age was lowered, More people would legally be able to drink in bars, restaurants, and other licensed establishments. Revenue would increase for private business owners, and greater amounts of tax revenue would be collected by the government. My peers want to drink and they want to party and this proposal would do exactly what they needed it to do. It gives them full control over the alcohol and gives everybody a chance to try without having to worry about getting in trouble. Normalizing alcohol consumption as something done responsibly in moderation will make drinking alcohol less of a taboo for young adults entering college and the workforce. This would also lead to safer and regulated alcohol consumption instead of binge drinking and hiding it because it is illegal.
In my interview with Officer Pigula i asked him questions about teen drinking. He believes that the law is good where it is right now, but he would not be opposed to the law being changed to that. I'm comfortable with where it is right now, but i would not be opposed to it being changed to 18. Even though the law did not go along with the idea with adult supervision over teens while they drink. Officer Pigula said that theoretically he agrees with letting a legal guardian or parent supervise teens drinking alcohol, but criminally it is illegal and if he had to deal with a case of teen drinking his hands are tied and wouldn't be able to help them.
I also asked Officer Pigula what he thought about the effects of alcohol, or have a effect on you if you drink at a younger age. I don't think drinking itself will have a negative effect, but posting pictures and videos of it could. As a teen when i do something illegal i want to keep it between as few people as possible and i'd think that my peers feel the same so taking videos or pictures is almost out of the question to me.
When you turn 18 your whole life changes, you are allowed to do so much more that you weren't before. You are seen as a legal adult at the age of 18 but alcohol is the one exception for things you can do once your 18. You can enroll in the military and risk your life to keep our country safe but you aren't allowed to have any form of alcohol. You are allowed to vote for who will run the country, but you're not allowed to crack a cold one with the boys. You can even buy cigarettes at 18 something that has been proven to cause several different types of cancer and do serious damage to a human's body.
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Define Alcoholism
One way to define alcoholism would be a destructive disease that enslaves people into choosing alcohol over everything. Where does alcoholism come from? Why is alcoholism such a common issue, yet most people don't know that they struggle from the addiction? Even better, what has the government done about this issue? In the early 1980s, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, stating that it is illegal to drink under the age of 21. Ever since the law was created, there had been a drastic change in reducing the number of drunk driving and alcohol-related incidents with teenagers. In spite of, many American teenagers argue that the minimum drinking age should be lowered and that they should have the right to have a drink once in a while.
Many adolescents are irresponsible and consider drinking as just a phase or fun; therefore, lowering the drinking age to 18 would only increase their risks of drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, and violent/destructive behavior. Throughout a teenager's years, a majority of them believe that to genuinely have funned they need to go to parties and have a drink or two. These are the years when many young people start experimenting with alcohol. Alcohol can be found anywhere easily.
In the film, Real Life Teens: Alcohol the reporter asserts that Alcohol is everywhere in our society today from advertisements to restaurants to TV and movies. Everyone seems to be drinking. Getting it doesn't seem to be a problem (2001, 5:50). Since everyone seems to have alcohol, it makes teenagers feel the need to also drink. This is considered to be prohibited which is why many teenagers want the minimum drinking age to be lowered. When teenagers drink, they do it because of the way alcohol makes them feel, it gives them a thrill or makes them feel grown up'. They also might be doing it to fit in and feel as if their part of a peer group because having friends and fitting in is significant to teenagers. Teenagers will claim that if they're able to vote and go to war risking their lives, then they should have the power to drink alcoholic beverages. Alcohol may not seem like a drug, but it's a psychoactive addictive substance that affects an individual's body, behavior, and decision-making abilities.
What most people may not realize is that soldiers at war don't drink for the enjoyment of it, but because they are more associated with suicidal behavior. Herberman acknowledges that High levels of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems are associated with suicide and suicidal behaviors as well as psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. This statement does not only relate to U.S. military soldiers but also civilians proving the risk we have in today's society.
The age of consent for drinking should remain at 21 to help reduce the risk of suicide and depression disorders. Compared to other countries around the world, the United States has the highest minimum drinking age. This would be another reasoning for teenagers wanting the minimum drinking age lowered. In Mexico, the drinking age is 18, and in Spain, it's 16. Thinking it can't get any lower, shockingly the drinking age in Russia is none! Among all nations, Russia ranks as one of the highest consumption percentages of alcohol which isn't surprising since they have no drinking age. The alcohol consumed there contributed the country to higher risks of early death. Their life expectancy is 70.5 years compared to America which is 78.69 years. The contribution of alcohol there also brings higher rates in accidents, heart disease, and cirrhosis, among others. Russia allows drinking within any age range which is what teenagers want.
Allowing the drinking age to be lowered or not have one at all would bring absolutely no good at all but only more deaths. If the age of consent for drinking was lowered down to 18, there would be more freedom and a less risk of establishing a drinking disorder as an adult. That's what most teenagers want to believe; however, that's completely inaccurate. Carpenter did a study researching how lowering the age would affect the public health, and ended up finding shocking results. He explains that it's; however, difficult to assume or estimate how many drinks would be taken if the drinking age were lowered, so he estimated the harm per drink to the person consuming the beverage. For every additional drink, an individual consumes, results in a higher increase for the risk of dying especially if underaged. Carpenter infers that If the drinking age were lowered to 18, there would be an additional 8 deaths per 100,000 person years for the 18-20 age group. Claiming that the drinking age should definitely not be lowered.
The statement and research prove that by lowering the minimum drinking age, it would do more harm physically to the human body at such an extreme that it would cause yet again more deaths. The National Minimum Drinking Act has been a huge success for today's society. In the article, "Minimum Drinking Age: Should the minimum drinking age in the United States remain 21?," it is noted that Supporters of the current minimum drinking age say that the higher age limit has reduced drunk driving deaths substantially, and generally makes for a safer environment. Supporting the fact that the minimum drinking age currently is helping the public health. The article also claims other ways about how the drinking act has been a success by noting that It has prevented scores of negative alcohol-related incidents in addition to car crashes, such as fights, alcohol overdoses and other types of accidents, they say, many of which never get reported and therefore are not reliably tracked. Concluding that when drinking is considered a topic, the discussion will mostly only be about drunk driving because the numbers of it happening are just the most measurable results we have.
Other surprising alcohol-related accidents that we don't have a direct measure of which have improved since the drinking act law would be alcohol poisoning, birth defects, obesity, drowning's, and falling off balconies at parties. Alcohol will affect a young developing brain more than a full-grown developed brain. It dramatically affects the brain mentally, especially if the brain is still developing. A brain isn't fully developed until around the age of 26. When young people drink, there's a higher risk of their brain not developing properly. Drinking will cause irreversible changes specifically to the area of the brain that is responsible for rational thinking. Damage to this particular area of the brain could lead to memory problems, impaired problem solving, and learning difficulties; therefore, the less alcohol consumed, the better the brain functioning. Other impacts of alcohol in teenagers would be the physical effects it can cause to the human body. When taking a drink, it increases the risk of an individual's health condition.
Alcohol doesn't digest in the stomach it passes quickly through the bloodstream and travels to every part of the body including the brain, kidneys, lungs, and liver. It has the power to be able to damage each of those body parts we need to stay alive. Alcohol in the system will last about an hour or more depending on how much was consumed. It will last longer than most people realize, and when still under the influence of alcohol, they won't think twice about their actions. Richter attributes by claiming that Alcohol use can be particularly risky during adolescence and young adulthood, when critical components of brain development are underwaywhich are associated with the tendency to engage in risky behaviors.
These risky behaviors will create consequences that could impact a child's life forever such as getting into a car crash which will either risk someone else's life, or their own with death, injury, and/or guilt. Adolescent drinking can be caused by the way a child is raised during their childhood. Teenagers who grow up with too strict or too permissive parents, tend to drink alcohol more than their peers. If a parent is too strict, the kid will feel as if he/she has no rights to do anything; therefore, when something as drinking isn't allowed, it makes them want to do it, even more, causing a higher risk of it happening.
If a parent is too permissive or too easygoing, the child will feel as if they can do whatever they want, and not even feel guilty about the decision they've just made. Cornelius supported this by predicting that Less parental involvement and acceptance were significantly related to earlier initiation of alcohol and greater drinking level in the bivariate analyses. This statement claims that parents should try to be more involved and supportive in their child's life. The parents should give the child some freedom such as hanging out with friends, but also set some rules such as no drinking and doing drugs. If parents become more encouraging and sympathetic towards their child, they could help prevent their child from drinking underage and staying healthy. By having a prevention program for all urban and suburban high schools such as the RRR, can help decrease alcohol use for adolescents.
The RRR stands for Refuse, Remove, and Reasons. Michelle did a study where she had two groups: the RRR group, and the comparison group. The comparison group was the group of participants that weren't part of any program between the age of 14 and 19. After a few months of this study, Michelle determines that there was a significant finding for reducing days getting drunk from alcohol for the RRR group compared with the comparison groupthe comparison group's getting drunk from alcohol increased over time and the RRR group's decreased. The capability for the RRR group to be able to reduce adolescents drinking consumption creates a strong argument to keep and have more prevention programs in high schools. If teenagers aren't prevented from drinking and begin drinking underage they raise the risk of future alcohol addiction problems.
Alcoholism is the cruelest form of alcohol abuse in which the individual becomes dependent on alcohol to be able to function. Side effects include slowed reaction times, slowed brain activity, slurred speech, disruption of sleep patterns, and changes to vision (blurriness). Addiction develops more rapidly to a teenager than to an adult. A teenager will take about 6 to 8 months to get addicted, while an adult will take about 5 years. People who begin to crave alcohol and start to become dependable eventually produce a tolerance to it, so to get the same effect, they need to drink more than usual. This can quickly become a habit which then creates an alcoholic. Alcohol has been a huge issue in America for decades of time, and still to this day is an issue we have.
In spite of, by having the National Minimum Drinking Act created back in the 1980s, it has most definitely changed today's society tremendously. Over time with research done by experts, there have been finding ways to help prevent and reduce the number of adolescents drinking. Ways would be by having prevention programs and by parenting the right way. Many teenagers continue to argue about lower the drinking minimum age because they believe they're responsible enough. Notwithstanding, with the facts and statistics of how it can impact an individual and the public health, proves it to them that the consequences are not worth it.
Works Cited
Carpenter, Christopher, and Carlos Dobkin. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age and Public Health. Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 25, no. 2, Spring 2011, pp. 133156. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1257/jep.25.2.133. Cornelius, Marie D., et al. Adverse Environmental Exposures During Gestation and Childhood: Predictors of Adolescent Drinking. Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 51, no. 10, Aug. 2016, pp. 12531263. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3109/10826084.2016.1162812. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018. Herberman Mash, Holly B., et al. Alcohol Use and Reasons for Drinking as Risk Factors for Suicidal Behavior in the U.S. Army. Military Medicine, vol. 181, no. 8, Aug. 2016, p. 811. EBSCOhost, doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00122. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018. Hospital, Michelle M., et al. Developing an SMS Intervention for the Prevention of Underage Drinking: Results From Focus Groups. Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 51, no. 2, Feb. 2016, pp. 155164. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3109/10826084.2015.1073325. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018. "Minimum Drinking Age: Should the minimum drinking age in the United States remain 21?" Issues & Controversies, Infobase Learning,12 May 2006, https://icof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?ID=2351. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018. Real Life Teens: Alcohol. Films Media Group, 2001, digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=95625&xtid=42151. Accessed 24 Nov. 2018. Richter, Linda, et al. Underage Drinking: Prevalence and Correlates of Risky Drinking Measures among Youth Aged 12-20. The American Journal Of Drug And Alcohol Abuse, vol. 42, no. 4, July 2016, pp. 385394. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3109/00952990.2015.1102923. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.
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Coordinations in Walmart
Walmart is a retail monster in the business working over the oceans and making a major fortune out of it. It's the universes biggest and the most impacting retailer. Walmart is unquestionably an unpredictable association as it works at an extensive scale over the globe and have distinctive showcasing sections and divisions including in the working procedure of the association. Walmart particularly has Coordinations, advertising and deals office which are the real piece of the association making this particular retail monster. This kind of approach has empowered Walmart to be more effective in the particular market section by giving administrations to the clients and enhancing our everything client encounter by utilizing their Innovation and Administrations.
A few terms that took after to construct its realm are as per the following.
Productive Store network
Walmart's inventory network is one of the world's most proficient production network, Walmart utilizes less break in the middle of from the distribution center to their store diminishing the expenses and improving the general benefit.
By having a compelling inventory network Walmart has effectively created it advantage over its rivals and in giving distinctive materials to the better places at an extremely standard time.
Now and then it would be not as much as official for the organization to have a production network subordinate association on the grounds that the entire framework is relying upon the inventory network if a section separates at that point there is a little deferral in doing the business.
Key association
Key association is one of fundamental reasons of Walmart's prosperity, Walmart locate the best value provider and inquire as to whether they can satisfy the request then a long haul organization program is offer which lessens the costs.
Vital associations likewise gives a strong base Walmart. By having diverse vital organizations Walmart at effectively coordinated itself into advertise and converge into the contenders too.
In some cases is vital associations likewise make an issue for the association as the accomplices begin distinctive qualities instead of executing the systems with the Walmart?
Natural stock stockpiling
Walmart utilizes extremely instinctive method for putting away the stock, It keep its stock in truck and afterward later the stock is stacked to the semi-truck without moving them to the distribution center , this extensively builds the effectiveness of the transportation and time.
Reliance on the a lot of Innovation and thoroughly relying upon the natural stockpiling framework here and there prompts disappointment as they can be mechanical and in addition mechanical mistake.
Utilizing most recent innovation
Walmart utilizes best in class arranging and transporting advancements to guarantee the required quality and speed it requires and to acquire high benefits and super-effective framework.
Innovation based condition is dependably in dread of getting hacked, being abused and being worked by some other individual as opposed to the organizations official representatives. Contingent upon an excessive amount of Innovation Kelly Walmart disappointment regarding the mechanical blunders.
Walmart utilized the terms recorded above to manufacture a situation for the ease business. It concentrated on the biggest gathering of white collar class individuals and the thought was to give minimal effort item incredible quality. Walmart gave the best supply and administration framework which chop down the costs in this manner clients were getting the items in best cost with higher quality.
Walmart's technique continued developing as per the time and needs subsequently Walmart's ease procedure is extremely appropriate for the business.
Enhancing the Walmart current circumstance in Walmart needs to apply their procedures to the diverse piece of the world. Walmart should center around the creating nations like India and China and additionally littler creating nations like Bangladesh. Purchase specifically concentrating on these nations Walmart can broadly expand the level of offers and in addition can be effortlessly showing signs of improvement cost in these a particular areas. As Bangladesh is considered as assembling center for huge numbers of the global brands, Walmart and effortlessly update themselves and execute these methodologies to conquer the particular issue of expanded spending plan for the particular area. As the work charges are likewise low in the creating nations, Walmart in generally increment their adequacy regarding the retail advertising.
By watching out for the general deals and additionally the human asset data framework, Walmart can broadly build their effectiveness and also profitability towards the particular locale in which they are working together. Estimation of the stock and in addition Ascents of the client with respect to the item composes and furthermore be exceptionally advantageous for the association to keep a record of the execution for Walmart. This comprehension of the circumstance would build the level of profitability of the association. High number of estimation methods ought to be utilized to much of the time measure and control the information and in addition its encouraging for progressing Walmart in to the general public. By utilizing distinctive measurements for Quality Administration Walmart can generally build the level of administration arrangement to the client.
Execution of advanced stages is exceptionally fundamental for Walmart to enhance their general level of viability over the web and other computerized mediums. By making particular system for usage of the better promoting viewpoint on the Advanced System and generally expanded organizations reach to the clients. By expanding the achieve the client organization can undoubtedly develop in various markets and also it can without much of a stretch go Worldwide too.
By utilizing above methodologies Walmart in effectively increment the level of usage and additionally progression in the general public. Procedure for unquestionably assist Walmart with maintaining and preferred standpoint over its rivals and to give better administration and get bigger incomes from the market.
Walmart is a concentrated association. The majority of the representatives inside the working environment are required to take after the organizations arrangements which is typically called the 10 principles of Sam Walton which is firmly executed in to the association. These methodologies are specifically signature of a brought together Association in which everything is streamlined by the beginning of the center thought of the association.
Unquestionably Walmart has their own separation procedure by dropping down the costs. Walmart utilizes low value cost separation strategy for enhancing the general accessibility among their rivals. This low estimating approach empowers Walmart to get a greater amount of the market income by enhancing its general accessibility of market run items and also giving new items to lesser costs. As Walmart is extremely huge in estimate keeping up this sort of structure following down the cost and expanding the general benefit of the association by offering the most extreme measure of items has dependably been advantageous for the organization. Distinctive anticipating devices and additionally accessibility of best accessible providers utilizing the electronic administration framework is one of the primary thoughts which is actualized into the Walmart for enhancing the general cost income from the particular market fragment in which they are working.
Market conduct of Walmart case not particularly institutionalized. Common alteration as indicated by the district and circumstance where the Walmart is opening its grocery store is the most fundamental piece of making a more compelling showcasing procedure for enhancing the accessible assets and in addition items. Organization is intensely depending on HR and making a greater amount of the natural approach instead of concentrating on mechanical engineer 1 model of the authoritative structure. Walmart has cutting edge arranging and overseeing office however their approach of getting an ever increasing number of HR into the authoritative structure as dependably drove them towards
Being a natural structure.
For enhancing the general operational structure of the association, Walmart can execute better procedure of treating its representatives by enhancing the general accessible hotspots for the workers and in addition giving satisfactory pay scale to their representatives also.
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My Student Loans
Why I defaulted on My Student Loans written by Lee Siegel shares personal experiences when he was young of why he defaulted on student loans. Loan Default can be described as when a person fails to pay of their loan that was given to them on a specific date. Siegel recommends that college graduates should take his route if you owe a lot of money. The route that Siegel chose was to borrow money from the Board of Education, and go to a private rather than a state. Thousands of youthful graduates are conveying thousands to a huge number of dollars in understudy credit obligation, understudies are right now confronting a heap of a monetary test. As difficult as it has been. I've never looked back. The millions of young people today, who collectively owe over $ 1 trillion in loans, may want to consider my example(38). A longside grants, corporations, and awards, understudy credits are an imperative strategy for financing post-auxiliary instruction. With educational cost rising, more understudies are obtaining to pay for school instruction today. Nonetheless, not all understudies understand the weight of paying back their understudy credits.
Millions of teenagers moreover millions of college educated students ignore student loan , and ends up affecting them in further life. Lee Siegel emphasizes that the U.S. Department of Education is losing money due to students not paying their student loan debt off. Moreover additional students are defaulting their student loans. Student Loans should not be ignored or get to the point of where he/she defaults them.In a passage Siegel mentions how people are blind to reality, and how that his heart goes out to them. He says how that the circumstances that he was once in will basically never be as worst than that. In this passage Siegel acknowledges that people are currently in the same situation that he was in when he was young. Throughout, the article he gives advice for young teenagers moreover high school graduates that are planning on heading to a university.
Even though, default student loans have become a major issue you need to know how to avoid them. Students need to comprehend what budgeting is, and how it can help them. Budgeting can enable understudies to arrange their exercises, creating budgetary destinations, uncover wasteful, ineffectual, or unordinary use of assets, make relatives mindful to utilize cash admirably, and permit acknowledgment of issues before they happen. Albeit great record keeping is required for the financial backing to be useful, once understudies get themselves on a general calendar of planning their funds it turns out to be simply one more day by day/month to month routine of life.Although, Siegel recommends that students should take his route you should not. Student loan default is the worst path to take in order to pay off your college tuition or even if you want to go to a college.
A path you can take in order to not have any student loan debt is going to a local community college. Many students are in a rush to go to a university right out of high school, and chose a major that they aren't very interested in. High school students that go straight to a university , and are not completely ready for the loan that they will have to pay off is incredible. It has been stated that americans that come out of college owe over $1.48 trillion dollars worldwide.
In 2016 a class that graduated from a university moreover a specific student owed $37,172 in student loan debt. For example , my brother goes to UC Berkeley and my sister goes to Duke ( scholarship for soccer ) each month or every two months my parents are paying an average of 30 thousand dollars in order to attend a college of that sort. Even though , they go to that college my parents were mentally prepared to pay of each month the deposit that you would have to put in.
Student's that are not prepared to pay off their student loans should not rush to go a university , because than later you would have more money building up that you would have to pay off. Another, reason why you shouldn't take Siegel's route is because it can ruin your credit. A person's credit score is everything it's what allows you to buy a car, get a house/apartment, and anything you can think of most probably your credit score is involved in. For example, my mom forgot to pay off my brother's credit score so now we owe $4,000 to the bank/credit loan. Credit loan is a tremendous problem in today's society , because many people think they can just spend as much money as they want. Even though, you can get whatever you want in the future you're going to have to pay it off so you don't want to go overboard with it ever.
Furthermore, Siegel recommends that how you shouldn't go into student loans if you haven't saved up enough money in order to get out of it. A way you can save up enough money if you want to go into default student loans is by creating a savings account. A savings account is similar to a bank account rather you put a certain amount of money into your savings , and overtime you earn interest. Every student as well as the youth should have a savings account which usually the parents provide with at a young age. Student loan default has become a major issue throughout many years. Currently the Department of Education is in the process of fixing this issue. Enough then all the pieties about debt that have become absorbed into all the pieties about higher education might be brought into alignment with reality. The government should not guaranteed loans, but rather give students a chance to learn and pay for their college education.
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Edna’s Awakening in the Awakening Novel
In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna's awakening and how it affects her is an example of situational irony. Situational irony is when something occurs that is unexpected and does not follow an assumed outcome. Throughout this novella, Edna Pontellier makes an attempt to discover herself in many distinct aspects of her own being. She grows cold and distant to her husband and children as she focuses on herself completely. She has multiple affairs with Mr.Pontellier and eventually ends up living on her own after buying herself an apartment. Most readers would be left believing that Edna would be satisfied with discovering herself in being that she spends all of her time within the novella trying to do so. Most would believe that this independent-minded woman with radical thinking for her time would find it easy to have peace in knowing that she did not have to rely on anyone but herself for it. But, in the long run, Edna ends up being dissatisfied with her discoveries. She finds herself upset with the fact that she struggles to care for her children and love her own husband. These discoveries eventually lead her to kill herself. While there are other smaller instances of irony in the novella such as instances of verbal irony, this is by far the most ironic part of the story.
DYNAMIC CHARACTER
In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the character of Edna Pontellier can be considered dynamic. A dynamic character is defined as a character that undergoes a change in personality or perspective throughout the course of a story. Their counterpart is the static character. A static character remains unchanged throughout a story in most/every aspect. At the start of the novella, Edna was submissive to her husband. She was his obedient prized possession; she did all that he asked of her even if she did not believe he asked of her was necessary. A good example of this is in Chapter 3 (pg. 7), stating Mr.Pontellier returned to his wife the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after Mrs.Pontellier was quite sure Raoul had no fever Even though Edna was sure that her son did not have a fever because he held no symptoms and did not complain of anything before he went off to bed, she still went to check on Raoul simply because her husband had told her to. But as the story progresses, the once obedient Edna grows to defy the commands of her husband. In Chapter 11 (pg. 42), Edna refuses to return inside when her husband calls for her. She does not just say no either; she boldly turns him down, stating, Leonce, go to bed I mean to stay out here. I don't wish to go in, and I don't intend to. Don't speak to me like that again; I shall not answer you. This is a drastic change in personality in comparison to how she was just a few chapters early in the story. She is more independent and outspoken than she had ever been. Along with not submitting to her husband's commands, Edna has also gone from being a half decent mother completely isolating herself from her family. She went from doing the tasks that most mothers of that time were accustomed to doing to living away from home and cheating on her husband.
CHAPTER QUOTATION EXPLAINED
Throughout The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier gradually isolates herself both mentally and physically from her family, especially her husband. Although Edna seems to be quick to push Robert away at the beginning of the story, she begins to grow closer to him during her awakening. At the beginning of the novella, Mrs.Pontellier was loyal to her husband, regardless of what he demanded if her. She followed whatever he told her to do, even if she knew that nothing would come from his requests. An example of this (as previously stated) is in Chapter 3 when Mr.Pontellier asks Edna to go and check on their son, Raoul, because he believes that he has a fever. Edna does so even though she knows for sure that Raoul could not possible have a fever. As the novella progresses, she starts to recognize her true feelings for Robert and easily strays away from Mr.Pontellier and their marriage. In Chapter 13 (pg. 50-51), Edna speaks of how she has fallen asleep for a long time and has awoken to a world where it is just her and Robert, stating, How many years have I slept? The whole island seems changed Although nothing has physically changed, Edna's state of mind has. This quote allows the reader to clearly see that Edna has changed mentally, for better or for worse. She has changed from an obedient, robot-minded wife to a self-discovery obsessed woman who is completely hooked on another man that she is willing to forget the world for him.
SHORT SCENE ANALYSIS
In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Chapter 17 proves itself to be important as it shows further character development of both Mrs. and Mr. Pontellier. The chapter begins with Mr.Pontellier returning home for dinner. He expects for his wife to tell him of her reception day only to find that she had spent the day out instead of abiding by her normal duties. Again, this scene shows Edna's progressive and more blatant defiance of her husband's wishes. The interaction between the two is quite reminiscent of how a rebellious teen might interact with their parents. Mr.Pontellier seems more confused than upset at Edna. Mrs.Pontellier does not give him a reason to why she left. She simply states that she just wanted to go out: like a defiant child rebelling just to rebel. One of the more important parts of this chapter though, following the interaction scene between Edna and Mr.Pontellier, is Edna's tantrum. After Mr.Pontellier heads off to the club, Edna returns to her room. It states, Once she stopped, and taking off her wedding ring, flung it upon the carpet. When she saw it lying there, she stamped her heel upon it, striving to crush it. But her small boot heel did not make an indenture, not a mark upon the little glittering circlet (pg. 71). This scene is very important in the discovery of Edna's character specifically. It makes it clear to the reader that Edna will not be able to leave her marriage to be with Robert so easily. This is shown through Edna's inability to destroy her wedding ring as easily as she did her handkerchief and a glass vase.
THE CREOLES OF LOUISIANA
The most respected of social classes in Louisiana (specifically the New Orleans area) at the time was that of the French Creoles. This upper class group of people were descendants of wealthy French settlers. They were thought of highly even though when, looking back at them now, many can recognize that how they treated women was unacceptable. The French Creoles of Louisiana were respected for their upkeep. They held what was considered to be perfect families at the time: a stay at home wife, disciplined children, and of course, a husband who left his wife to do most everything. Women were to be married as soon as possible. Typically these marriages were forced and held no love with the women being treated as just a necessary aspect in creating a perfect Creole family. Once married, they were left to complete a multitude of daily tasks in their new homes such as devote their lives to their husbands and children, obey every and all commands given by their husbands, take up appealing hobbies and much more. Women were encouraged to keep their feelings, specifically negative and thought-provoking ones, buried deep down within them for the better of their families. So, in my opinion, I agree with Edna wanting to isolate and distance herself from her Creole lifestyle. Although she tends to be a bit brash when it comes to how she rebels against the Creole way of life, it is understandable to why she reacted in such a way. No one deserves to be repressed in such a manner. Women deserve just as much respect as men, especially in context to the Creoles. In their society, women do so much but get so little in return.
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The Awakening Quotes and Analysis
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#1 You are burnt beyond recognition, he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage. (pg. 48, paragraph 2.) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100 word minimum)
The first sign of the bubbling conflict is that her husband doesn't treat her as a true individual. He seems to be distant from Edna as a spouse. L©once now sees his wife as a possession that can easily affect his reputation and place in society. He is a business man who is frequently away from his family, which can strip a relationship of its passion and contentment. Tension easily intensifies when a loved one isn't present to show expected affection. He has become so distant from Edna that not only is their excitement drained, but his image of her is not influenced by his feelings for her. Instead, it is distorted by comparisons to other women and materialism.
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#2 They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels. (pg. 19, paragraph 1.) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100 word minimum)
Edna is not the ideal mother. She does not show the affection that most mothers in New Orleans show their children. Her children do not necessarily go to her for comfort. However, her sons seem to be stronger from this. Instead of crying after a fall while playing, they will fix themselves up and continue to have fun. Although her sons don't seem to be particularly bothered, L©once is. He desperately wishes that Edna could be more like Alc©e. Alc©e is considered one of the most perfect women in their town. She's very caring of her children. She listens to her husband's opinion. She's extremely charming and talented. While Edna and Alc©e are close, Edna may distance herself to avoid comparison.
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#3 At a very early period she had apprehended instinctively the dual life--that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions. (pg. 35, paragraph 1.) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100 word minimum)
While Edna tries to appeal to society's standards, she often feels unhappy and suffocated. She is not mentally for her current role as a mother and wife. For so long, she has been strolling along and settling for the circumstances. She hasn't been living and her passion lays dormant within. However, as she slowly becomes an individual, she is no longer conforming. In fact, she begins to neglect her old, humdrum life. As she strives for independence, she begins questioning her current situation's set up.
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#4 Add to this the violent opposition of her father and her sister Margaret to her marriage with a Catholic, and we need seek no further for the motives which led her to accept Monsieur Pontellier. for her husband. (pg. 46, paragraph 2) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100 word minimum)
As most young people do, Edna accepts L©once as her husband, seeing that it upset her father. The second that someone, especially an authority figure, opposes an idea, the urge to rebel ignites. There's something exhilarating about going against basic morals or commands. It allows one to feel completely free and a bit euphoric. This same feeling could have influenced her to open a physical affair with Alc©e. He satisfies her animalistic urges. It is later explained that he enjoys pursuing married women. The feeling is dangerous and risky, but it's enough to make the consequences worth it. The rebellious urge helps eradicate the bore of standards.
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#5 several persons informed her simultaneously that Robert was going to Mexico. She laid her spoon down and looked about her bewildered. He had been with her, reading to her all the morning, and had never even mentioned such a place as Mexico. (pg. 104, paragraph 2) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100 word minimum)
Robert and Edna have gotten more intimate and their relationship has become complicated. There is no doubt that their feelings for one another causes tension between them. However, they cannot act on impulse. Infidelity is very shameful, and it will not only ruin their reputations, but L©once's as well. Robert's sudden departure crushes Edna. Robert seems to know this as he is noticeably uneasy and quiet. That night, he strains himself to be distant as he leaves her. As Edna was blatantly honest about how she felt, he started to truly explain his reason for leaving. He abruptly stops, which shows that he is not fond of professing his love for another man's wife.
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#6 Does he write to you? Never a line. Does he send you a message? Never a word. It is because he loves you, poor fool, and is trying to forget you, since you are not free to listen to him or to belong to him." (pg. 209, paragraph 5.) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100-word minimum)
Though Robert promised Edna he would write her, he never does. Edna frequently visits Mademoiselle Reisz, who allows Edna to read the letters she receives. When Edna hears that Robert is coming back from Mexico, she searches for his reason, hoping it's for her. Reisz explains to Edna that Robert is trying to diminish his love for her. He believes it is impossible for him to pursue her while she belongs to L©once. Robert, like most people in society at the time, view women as the property of their husbands (if they are married). Since he cannot let this go, he feels he must force himself to stop loving Edna.
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#7 "I'm jealous of your thoughts tonight. They're making you a little kinder than usual; but some way I feel as if they were wandering, as if they were not here with me." (pg. 217, paragraph 6.) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100-word minimum)
Alc©e, Edna's physical affair, is a man who is very flirtatious and pursues married women. However, Edna does not fit his desperate, lonely, housewife stereotype. Her urge to be independent allows her to stay free. When Edna hears of Robert's soon arrival, she is elated and it's quite noticeable. It's the happiest she has been in a while. Alc©e suspects that he is not the reason for this sudden burst of joy. He expects her to be infatuated with him, as many other women in the past. Instead, he is seemingly becoming the desperate one in this affair.
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#8 "You have tried to do too much in the past few days. The dinner was the last straw; you might have dispensed with it." (pg. 241, paragraph 4.) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100 word minimum)
At her dinner, celebrating her move, she snaps at one of the guests that sings. She has been wearing herself out with the move and the adjustment to the lifestyle she is trying to have. Many say that artists tend to be very lonely. Edna is increasingly isolating herself from her friends and family, so she can go through these awakenings. She does not desire to become anyone's possession, including Robert's. As of right now, it seems that he is never going to pursue her. This means that Edna truly will be alone. Edna is struggling with these feelings along with the events happening outside. She is mentally and physically exhausted.
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#9 So he had come back because the Mexicans were not congenial; because business was as profitable here as there; because of any reason, and not because he cared to be near her. (pg. 255, paragraph 3.) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100-word minimum)
When Robert explains why he has returned from Mexico, Edna is hurt. He did not come back for her. If business was more profitable there, he would have never returned. He would continue to ignore his promise to write her. It must pain her deeply that she didn't influence his return. He could have very well stayed in Mexico. While Edna was so deeply missing Robert, his response gives her the impression that she hasn't crossed his mind. She had hoped that Robert felt the same as she did. But Robert is still not willing to deal with his confliction.
Quotes, passages, or sentences go on the left side with a page number.
#10 "You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier's possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say, 'Here, Robert, take her and be happy; she is yours,' I should laugh at you both." (pg. 282, paragraph 3.) Your responses to those quotes go on the right side. (100 word minimum)
Robert has this societal view of wives being property to their husbands. Edna despises this perspective, one of the many factors driving her need for independence. She has become exhausted trying liberate herself and she will not be possessed by another. She is now in control of her feelings and actions. Even though Edna loves Robert, she will not allow herself to be owned by him. The idea of L©once passing her to Robert is highly degrading. She is appalled that he could even stomach it, let alone allow it to conflict his love for her. However, Robert is still torn inside. He leaves, and Edna is left alone. Though being independent could grow lonely, it's much better. To have an awakening cause so much distress and change only to return to the same lifestyle is truly a waste.
For page and paragraph references: Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Internet Archive, Chicago, New York, H. S. Stone & Company, 1 Jan. 1899, https://archive.org/details/awakeningthe00choprich
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Birds in the Awakening
To maintain a good reputation, women must conform to society by being a loyal, obedient wife and mother. In her book The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses the symbolism and imagery of birds and wings to display Edna Pontillier's struggle to free herself from society's cage. Edna wishes to act within her own discretion rather than her husband's, and ultimately, find true happiness.
In the first chapter, a green and yellow parrot (Chopin 1) hanging in a cage is introduced. The bird wishes to be alone, so it shouts, Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! (1), which translates to Get out! Get out! God damn it! This causes Mr. Pontillier, who is trying to read the newspaper, to leave. Like the parrot, Mrs. Pontillier also strives for solitude. After her husband leaves, A radiant piece settled upon her (187), revealing Edna's unhappiness in her marriage, as well as a connection between her and the parrot. A second way the parrot represents Edna is that both are trapped in a cage and treated with ownership. After the parent is introduced, it is said that it's The property of Madame LeBron (2) and that Mr. Pontillier had the privilege of quitting their society they ceased to be entertaining (2). This shows that the parrot is kept for the pleasure of others. In relation to the parrot, Edna is also treated and seen as property by Mr. Pontillier. After going for a swim, she's is told by her husband that she is Burnt beyond recognition, while he Looks at her, as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage (4). Mr. Pontillier's possessiveness over Edna creates a sense of confinement and an unhealthy marriage, just like the parrot's confinement in a cage.
Edna experiences her first sense of freedom after moving to the pigeon-house and leaving behind her broken marriage and social obligations. Her first night there is already free from her husband's possessive manner. Consequently, she sleeps with Arobin, after he continued to caress her (242). Thus, The pigeon-house pleased her and each step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual (245). Chopin uses the pigeon-house to symbolize Edna's freedom, but also her Feeling of having descended in the social scale (245). In contrast to the parrot, pigeons are free range, but also looked down upon. That being said, pigeons symbolize Edna and her current situation.
Although Edna finally broke free from her cage, she failed in her quest for happiness. Each morning she awoke with hope, and each night she was a prey to despondency (272), and after so long, she gave up on her depression. The last symbolism that Chopin uses is a broken-winged bird, resembling Edna's own brokenness and lost hopes. As Edna swims out to sea for the last time before committing suicide, she watches a Bird with a broken wing beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water (300). Because the bird has a broken wing, its hard for it to fly. It gives up on trying and falls to sea. The bird and its situation symbolizes Edna's own giving up.
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The Awakening Study Questions
The Awakening Study Questions
Chapter 1: Question 7- What indications are there that the Pontellier marriage is strained?
The only time Leonce and Edna ever speak is in passing. He takes her for granted, and sees her as a small part of his orderly world.
Chapter 2: Question 3- What shift of point of view is evident in chapter 2?
Edna has the most distinct change in point of view in chapter 2. In chapter 1 you see Edna passing her time with a young man, but Mr. Pontellier isn't worried and rather bored of his wife's flirtatious actions. Mr. Pontellier pushes away his two children and leaves his wife to her own devices, not caring if she is flirting with another man or not. But in chapter 2, Edna has settled into more of a family routine that is calm and settled, the only issue is that it's not with her husband but rather the young man she has a crush on.
Chapter 4: Question 1- Describe the unusual nature of the relationship between Edna and her children.
The relationship that Edna has with her children isn't that of the traditional sense. Edna doesn't show much interest in her children, and they have gotten use to not going to her when they need help. The children have learned that they will have to take care of themselves with little help from a nurse. Edna doesn't show any outward displays of affection towards her children. She is not a mother and doesn't want to be.
Chapter 5: Question 2- What is the difference between Robert's present attentions to Edna and his past attentions to Adele Ratignolle?
The difference between Roberts present attention with Edna and his past attention with Adele is that Adele never took Robert seriously, while Edna does. Edna isn't comfortable with Roberts actions towards her. When he leans his head on her arm not once but twice, she can't help but feel discomfort towards him. She's in a situation that she never wanted to be in, but one that she was expected to be in.
Chapter 7: Question 5- What do you learn about Edna as a person, given the reasons for her marriage to Leonce?
Edna has had fantasies of love, but she has been disappointed in some way when it comes to her marriage with Leonce. She only married him because her family expected her to, not because she chose to. Although she knew that this was a practical decision, she had a rebellious streak when it came to her marriage. She knows she must walk this path, idly, aimlessly, unthinking, and unguided.
Chapter 10: Question 3- How does Edna respond to swimming successfully for the first time? What happens that can be considered symbolism or foreshadowing?
The entire summer Edna attempted swimming but was never successful. She had several instructors, but no success. The night she swims for the first time successfully she is overjoyed, and feels a sense of freedom and power with it. She ends up swimming to far out, and suddenly the possibility of deaths overcomes her before she returns to the shore. This could symbolize the danger of straying to far away from the path.
Chapter 14: Question 1- What is L©once's reaction when Edna does not return with the others? What does this show you about their marriage?
He begins to worry about her, but then is reassured of her safety by Adele. After that he leaves for Klein's to discuss business. The fact that he shows little concern for the absence of his wife proves that he is very indifferent about what she does.
Chapter 17: Question 3- What is the purpose of Edna's Tuesday at home? How does this change after she returns from Grand Isle, and how does this fit into the theme of rebellion?
The Tuesday at home is a social convention, a time to receive visitors of social and business importance. A few weeks after returning from the Grand Isle Edna decides to stop receiving visitors with no explanation, other than I simply felt like going out, and I went out. After following this custom for six years, she decides to rebel against the demands of society and do what she wants to do.
Chapter 22: Question 1- How do the actions and comments of Leonce and Doctor Mandelet illustrate the following theme: that men cannot understand women?
Leonce complains to the doctor that Edna has some sort of notion in her head concerning the eternal rights of women. He also explains to the doctor that him and Edna haven't slept together in some time. The doctor blames the possibility of pseudo-intellectual women for Edna's recent behavior. When the doctor proposes the idea of a possible genetic defect, Leonce reassures him the he checked Edna's family lineage before he married her. Both men are patronizing and seeing women as strange creatures who are moody and whimsical. Neither man appears to understand Edna and what she is going through.
Chapter 30: Question 3- Describe the setting for the dinner, the table, the furnishings, and the overall atmosphere. What does this tell the reader about Edna's decision to leave?
The table is covered in yellow satin lace cloth, with large candles burning softly under yellow silk shades. There was something extremely gorgeous about that evening, luxurious dining chairs replaced the usual stiff ones, the gleam of gold everywhere. This type of elegance is what Edna will give up when she moves around the corner.
Chapter 31: Question 1- What are Edna's duel feelings as she and Alcee clean up after everyone leaves?
Edna was very closed off during this time and does not feel like talking. She does what is necessary to close up the house and get to her small house where she will be living. On her way to is physically aware of Alcee's presence.
Chapter 39: Question 8- How is Edna's removal of her clothes as she walks down to the beach symbolic?
Edna removing her clothing symbolizes the casting off of society's restrictions to achieve freedom. She first removes her clothes and puts on a bathing suit, but before she gets into the water she removes the bathing suit. Feeling like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world it has never known. This begins Edna's final steps towards her soul's freedom.
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Question of Freedom in the Awakening
Early in the 19th century every person was expected to live up to society's expectations by following a certain norm, as opposed to the unorthodox society of today. For instance, men were the breadwinners and the ones who worked to earn an honest living for the family. Women, on the other hand were strictly only to keep the household in check and take care of the children. With such specific responsibilities to uphold, no one really found the time to care for their own personal being in fear of becoming a social outcast and such. Responsibility was surely intact, but what about freedom? Individual freedoms weren't valued very much then, especially for women. In The Awakening, the author Kate Chopin presents a light upon freedom and responsibility from a woman's point of view. She illustrates certain symbols throughout the story that evoke the two notions.
Freedom is initiated in the novel's symbolism shown primarily in the places that Edna Pontellier resides. Edna is in a difficult position in life at certain points in the story when she experiences pure freedom away from responsibility as something that she longed for. There is contrast between her normal summer house with her family and Madame Antoine's house. At the time, responsibility for the children and the home was to be upheld by the wife at all times. . Home is the domain in which she is expected to live unhappily because of her constant duties and ignored by Mr. Pontellier. In the story the women were such an important part of society. With such responsibility at the time it was so unheard of to rebel against one's husband and defy orders. She does not receive the attention she needs from her husband and ends up spiraling in love with Robert Lebrun. He introduces her to a new world where she can be comfortable by showing her fun and also the way to Madame Antoine's home. Her home serves only as an impermanent shelter of freedom, but it is not a home. Edna is clearly unhappy and wanting to be rebellious throughout the novel when she feels disrespected. Edna's newfound world of liberty is not a place where she can remain; it belongs to someone else. It appears to her as a safe haven or a place to let her hair down and relax. When she fainted in church, this is the place where Robert rushed her to so that she could cool off. She discovered a whole new feeling. She had an epiphany and almost half an awakening.
Edna plans to move forward to the pigeon house where she becomes independent and also a shame to her husband. She becomes free in this house even though it's not much and a home she can afford. This leads to freedom and less responsibility. She was free to be herself and do as she pleased without regard to society's take on her actions and choices for herself. In the end, however, the little house did not prove to be the solution Edna looked for. While the house does provide her with separation from everyone and independence, it allows her to progress in her awakening and to escape the cage that L©once's house made. Edna finds herself living differently than she'd expected. Her house was named the pigeon house because it represented domesticated pigeons, which becomes evident in Edna's fate. Once she moves into the house she no longer has to look at the material objects that L©once has purchased the items that she felt equal to because of the way her husband treated her. Edna's home is where she's not treated as a person with dreams, but merely an object. Mr. Pontellier objectifies his wife as he says You are burnt beyond recognition, he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage.(5)
While Edna viewed her new home as a sign of her independence, the pigeon house represents her inability to remove herself from her former life, as her move takes her just two steps away. Mademoiselle Reisz instructs Edna that she must have strong wings in order to survive the difficulties she will face if she plans to act on her love for Robert. She notifies: The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth. The wings that are being referred to are of the birds in The Awakening are symbolic of freedom and captivity, where caged birds serve as reminders of Edna and other women of that time's entrapment. Madame Lebrun's parrot and mockingbird signify Edna and Madame Reisz, respectively. Like the birds, the women's movements are limited, and they are unable to communicate with the world around them. The novel's winged women may only use their wings to protect and shield, never to fly. This symbol for freedom points out the similar wording of the novel's final example of bird imagery: A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water. If, however, the bird is not a symbol of Edna herself, but rather of Victorian womanhood in general, then its fall represents the fall of convention achieved by Edna's suicide.
The sea in The Awakening implies freedom and escape. It is a vast expanse that Edna can brave only when she is solitary and only after she has discovered her own strength. When in the water, Edna is reminded of the depth of the universe and of her own position as a human being within that depth. The sensuous sound of the surf constantly summons and seduces Edna throughout the novel. Water's associates with cleansing and rebirth, therefore freedom and lack of responsibility. The sea, thus, also serves as a reminder of the fact that Edna's awakening is a rebirth of sorts. Appropriately, Edna ends her life in the sea: a space of infinite potential becomes a blank and enveloping void that carries both a promise and a threat. In its transcendent vastness, the sea represents the strength, glory, and lonely horror of independence.When she makes her way down to the beach for the last time, she thinks of her earthly responsibilities. The children appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her soul to slavery for the rest of her days . Her only way to elude them and the other responsibilities in her life was to drown herself in the ocean. In many senses, Edna's suicide is the result of her final awakening that she has been unable to balance a sense of self and freedom with the demands of life. Since she could not create a balance or allow herself to live one life over the other completely, her only choice was suicide. Her awakening happened almost too quickly and her actions as a result of it were too hasty.
The only way for Edna to cleanse herself of both worlds was to enter the sea the site of her baptism into awakening. Towards the end, she felt alternately as an exile and a prisoner, she is at home nowhere. Only in death does she believe that she could hopefully find the things a home offers relief, solitude, and comfort. She finally discovers that freedom was in death. She would be set free from the chains and shackles from society. Freedom and responsibility coincide within the story constantly to frame a woman's life during the Victorian period.
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This Medieval Era Poem
This medieval era poem is set with a theme of not just bravery or heroism, but one of honesty and loyalty even greed and guilt as well. The story starts with our protagonist celebrating. Then along comes the green knight who challenges any one man to a blow. But you can already detect a sense of trickery because, the Green Knight says he will return one year and one day later to give a blow to his opponent. In which sir gawins brother stands and demands they do the challenge. This is where the sense of bravery comes in to play. So the two duel and sir gawain's brother takes the head of the green knight and the green knight lives. So very obviously the knight demands that he follow his word and be there one year and one day later.
His brother did not uphold so he demands that sir gawain take his place. After the duel sir gawain spends the time traveling and eventually finds himself in the castle of Lord and Lady Bertilak. A sense of lust is able to be detected because of the situation of the lord's wife trying to seduce sir gawain. She tries not only once but three times and her advances fail. Just after this he is met with hid feeling of greed and guilt. She gifts him a girdle that is sworn to keep him safe. He wants to remain safe and so he take it out of greed, but he also has guilt because it goes against his code of chivalry. Sir gawain returns the the green chapel and the Green Knight is waiting for him while sharpening a blade. Sir gawain then riddled with guilt offers a trade.
He wanted to trade all of his riches for his life except the girdle that he kept a secret and it fails. The green knight does three blows to Sir Gawain and much like the Green Knight he lives. This is another good sense of bravery and honesty, Sir Gawain stayed true to his word and the outcome was positive. The Green Knight tells sir gawain his name he said his name is Bertilak and tells him that he is the king of the castle where Gawain was at. But because Gawain was not truthful about all of his riches on the third blow Bertilak drew blood. But Gawain has proven himself a true knight.
A sense of honor is detected because he actually proved himself. Bertilak later explains that the old woman at the castle is really Morgan le Faye, Sir Gawain’s aunt and also a witch. She sent the Green Knight on his his mission in the beginning and used her magic to change the Green Knight’s appearance. Excited to be alive but extremely guilty about his failure to tell the truth, Sir Gawain wears the girdle on his arm as a reminder of his own failure. He returns to Arthur’s court where all the knights join Sir Gawain, wearing girdles on their arms to show their support. This is where true chivalry is shown in the story.
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is a story of a hero who steps forward heroically when faced with the greatest challenge in his life. Even, as a hero he was flawed but yet he proved to be much more than just that. As his journey begins we watch him become more than just a man with great morals, he is a man with great determination. He faces one of the hardest moments in his life when he accepts The Green Knights offer. Gawain is a hero who even flawed he faced his shortcomings as a person then he stood strong in the decision to push forward and face man's mortal fear which is death.
Gawain had many virtuous standards he lived by such as nobility, honesty, valiance, and chivalry are the values instilled in him. He is a respected knight due to these characteristics it is what makes him an upstanding individual. In this game that is being played Gawain accepts the potential of what his destiny could be and what could end. Gawain's even as a hero is open to interpretation, and many critics have remarked on the disparity between Gawain's reputation for courtly refinements and his own self -image.(Moll) Gawain struggles with fear of death he wants to return to his people a triumphant hero but he is in a predicament of how he can escape his fate and survive another day. As Gawain faces The Green Knight he faces his on self-awareness of who he really is as a person and a hero. Gawain is much more in the romance than a Christian hero, he is also the embodiment of perfect chivalry and courtliness, and as such shares, most of the court's values-but not all.(Margeson).
Sir Gawain was of noble blood and this give's him the credit he needed to sit at the round table but it did not make him one of them. It did not make him a true knight this is why he stepped up to prove he was just as worthy as any other knight. This is why he bravely stood and took Author's place in the challenge he wanted to show he was not a weak man that he deserved his spot beside Author. He wanted to prove his self-worth as a Knight and as a noble family member to Author and he needed the people to see his courage. The Green Knight is not the main enemy who the hero must overcome in this game. Gawain must overcome temptation and less than heroic qualities which he doesn't quite prevail.
I am found to be flawed and false, through treachery and untruth I have totally failed, said Gawain(Poet 2380). Fear of mortality is reasonable but it is how you confront it that defines a hero and shows strength. Gawain hid his fear from the people of Camelot he wanted them to see him a strong courageous man that would endure the test of time. Each test has meaning and points to why he is having to go through it. As Gawain is tested he passes the first few tests but when faced with a magical girdle that could protect him from his biggest fear he could not pass it up. This is a sign of weakness and shows that he is human a very flawed human who wants to live. A test of chivalry as an impossibility by contriving a situation in which Gawain cannot be true to his calling without destroying himself by turning over to his enemy the girdle that would make him invincible(Martin).
Gawain needed to change the odds of the game and preserve himself from physical harm. Forgive the hero his little lapse as we see how steadfastly he has kept before him his trawpe to the beheading covenant, the only covenant his ignorant mind has been aware of as covenant(Blenkner). Gawain shows that even with flaws you can still be a hero all humans have them no one is without them it is how you challenge yourself to become better. And in truth, it turns out you're by the far the most faultless fellow on earth. As a pearl is more prized than a pea which is white, in good faith, so is Gawain, amongst gallant knights (Poet 2365). He showed that he was smart for trying to use the girdle all the other test offered him what the girdle did this offered him hope. There is no hero who passes up on hope even though he failed his test he changed his fate he got his life handed back to him. Gawain linear view of his failure supersedes the court's circular view of his success(Margson).
The way Gawain see's it is that even though he came back to his people he was no hero because of his failure to pass all test. The harm which you caused me is wholly healed. By confessing your failings you are free from fault. I declare you purged, as polished and as pure as the day you were born, without blemish or blame(Poet 2395). Even though he failed and showed his flaws The Green Knight seen through those flaws and knew he was an honorable man. To stand against death in this quest and to live to tell about it is the ultimate prize. If this game was to show exactly what a knight should stand for Gawain passed even in his failings. Sir Gawain is one of greatest heroes in this time period. He is flawed but that only makes him a stronger hero. If Sir Gawain would have obeyed all his moral codes he might not have had the same ending to his story. Untouched by magic, he truly exhibits the warrior-nobles vulnerability to courtly chivalric mystification: he has rationalized his relation to physical suffering. Gawain passes the Knight's test.(Martin). He might not have realized he was a strong brave independent knight if he had not gone through these test. Sir Gawain willingness to watch the seasons change the countdown to his death he stood strong.
He was a knight of noble blood even flawed as all humans are he faced the impossible. He finally feels he is deserving of being at the roundtable. It takes pride in oneself to take that last ride into the unknown. There is no hero who is perfect but not for trying they all get lost along the way just as Gawain did. The only truth lies in self-knowledge, in the Christian teaching that all men are imperfect(Margeson). As one faces their own mortality they face all of their decisions they made throughout their life. Gawain tried to justify all the choices he made as he come to face his end or what he thought would be his end. Gawain accepts his fall with little grace(Margeson). Ever hero has shortcomings it's how you overcome those when you most need to and what you learn from them. Gawain restored faith in himself and found his way as a true knight and hero.
Gawain's religion kept him on a path to control himself and gave him the courage to choose a better path. Each season has a new meaning it's the start of a different part of Gawain's life. As he thinks his life is going to end it is just beginning. Each chooses he takes puts him in a different direction. Gawain is restored to grace because of what he faces and how he faces it. His identity as a person is because of all his flaws and what he is missing from his life as a person. Then he overcomes the missing pieces from his life and fears no longer has a hold over him he faces mortality head-on as a true noble knight.
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Lengthy Poem Surrounding
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a lengthy poem surrounding well-known King Arthur of Camelot and one of his most noble and loyal knights, Sir Gawain. Throughout the story, the noble knight is traveling to battle the antagonist of the poem, the Green Knight, a being that challenged Sir Gawain to track down and decapitate him. During his journey, he is tempted three times by Lady Bertilak, the wife of the Lord who is granting Sir Gawain shelter in his time of need, and his knightly honor is challenged by this.
Despite being given plenty of opportunities to betray King Arthur and pick the path that would label him as morally corrupt, he remained noble and true to his vows. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the late fourteenth century. During this trying time period, the Hundred Years' War was raging and the Black Plague was finally beginning to come to a halt. This poem covers knightly chivalry and morals. Throughout the story, these two themes are challenged through the temptation of the main character, Sir Gawain. During the late fourteenth century, the Hundred Year's War was still going on with full force and it didn't look like there would be a cease-fire any time soon. In addition, the infamous Black Plague was tearing through Europe and destroying morale in society.
However, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight does not spend time on the dirty aspects of society that were extremely hard to swallow during the time period. The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight decided, instead, to give the people of Britain an escape through literature, has not mentioned the fact that the British society was crumbling. The time period had an incredibly heavy influence on the story because without the absolutely crushing events going on at the time, the motivation behind the author providing an excellent story to give the downtrodden people an escape and a person to look up to in times of extreme grief, such as Sir Gawain, the poem never would have been written in the first place. At the very beginning of the poem, Sir Gawain is at a grand Christmas feast at King Arthur's court. The author uses imagery to depict how vibrant and red the feast is, providing a stark contrast when the Green Knight walks in and disrupts the monochromatic feast.
The unknown author also uses choice words and phrases to describe the feast as jubilant and suddenly turns to an air of unease when the Green Knight is introduced. Not only did the author use imagery to set the tone of the story, but the author also used plenty of alliteration to emphasize a point. An example of the author's use of alliteration is And all his vesture verayly watz clene verdure, / Bothe the barres of his belt and other blythe stones. (Sir Gawain, lines 161-162). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem filled with symbolism, the main three symbols in the story are the pentangle, the color green, and the green girdle. First, the pentangle is made to be a representation of five virtues: generosity, fellowship, chastity, courtesy, and charity.
The reader is shown what the pentangle is meant to symbolize through these lines: It is a symbol that Solomon designed long ago / As an emblem of fidelity, and justly so; / /Therefore it suits this knight and his shining arms, / For always faithful in five ways, and five times in each case, / Gawain was reputed as virtuous, (Sir Gawain, lines 625-626; 631-633). Next is the color green, a symbol that remains constant throughout the entire story. While the unknown author does not bluntly state the meaning behind the color green, there are plenty of clues within the poem to suggest its hidden meaning. The Green Knight himself is a solid green color and he carries a massive ax in one hand and a holly branch in the other. Both of these items are directly correlated to nature. The holly branch is a piece of nature itself and the ax as a tool to cut down trees.
Another clue is the chapel where the Green Knight is waiting for Sir Gawain. The chapel itself is described as one of the most wild, natural places in the poem (Symbolism: The Color Green, pg 1) thus leading the reader to believe that the color green is meant to represent nature itself. The third and final major use of symbolism in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the green girdle Sir Gawain is given by Lady Bertilak. Unlike the symbol of the color green, the green girdle is a symbol that is much easier to understand and point out to the average reader. The girdle also is a symbol for many different things, the meaning behind it simply depends on the situation it is used in. When Lady Bertilak gives the green girdle to Sir Gawain, it is intended as a lover's keepsake and something to remember her by. She also states that the girdle has the ability to make the person wearing it indestructible. When she mentions that, the green girdle's meaning shifts from a lover's token to survival.
Then, when Sir Gawain fails to give the girdle to King Bertilak as a part of their agreement, the meaning moves towards desperate desire to survive at the expense of his code of honor (Symbolism: The Green Girdle, pg 1). The story of Sir Gawain was a genuinely enjoyable experience, some older literature can be a difficult read but this poem is an exception. The extraordinary imagery used throughout the tale completely captured me and allowed me to get enthralled in the plot. It was incredibly frustrating when Sir Gawain was constantly being tempted by Lady Bertilak. This was aggravating because, as a reader, I wanted Sir Gawain to succeed in his journey and Lady Bertilak left a bad taste in my mouth because she could get in the way of his ultimate goal. Overall, once Sir Gawain came to the end of his journey and it was revealed that the Green Knight had played somewhat of a trick on him by being the orchestrator of the state of affairs with Lord and Lady Bertilak, I was absolutely shocked.
However, I must admit that in hindsight, I, and any other reader, should have taken into consideration that the girdle presented by Lady Bertilak was green, a symbol for the Green Knight himself. The story as a whole was truly a fantastic and the unknown author did an amazing job at keeping the readers on the edge of their seats. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins with the grand Christmas feast, which immediately establishes a vibrant aesthetic. The hall is decorated to be nearly completely red, tying in with traditional Christmas colors of course. However, the Christmas feast is not the only example of a beautiful aesthetic. The author describes Sir Gawain's armor in great detail. Then, the author goes on to talk about the pentangle on Sir Gawain's shield and how it is supposed to represent five holy virtues. Another form of imagery the author uses is the changing of seasons throughout the text. The seasons drive the plot and Sir Gawain's journey and are mostly described by the changing of the leaves around Sir Gawain. A great example of this is when Sir Gawain is searching for the Green Knight. During this time, it the middle of the winter. At this point, Sir Gawain is getting worn, then he notices a green field. This is where the author uses imagery to bring in the supernatural force of the story. Otherwise, it would not make any sense whatsoever that there would be a lush green field in the middle of winter.
The sudden appearance of a summery scene is to entice Sir Gawain in a sense, it is trying to make the reader and Sir Gawain feel like the castle is a safe haven. This ends up being a test by the supernatural force, the Green Knight, further proving that the appearance of seasons throughout the story drive Sir Gawain's journey. Next, the author uses language to bring life and beauty into the piece of writing. The intentions behind why the author chose to write this story are unknown, but there are key factors in the time period and the poem itself that detail how it could have been so impactful at the time it was written.
In the late fourteenth century, a war was raging and the black death was claiming the lives of an unimaginable number of people. Due to these two major facts about the time period, the people needed something to escape to. Reading about war and death was unappealing to them because they were living in that hell every single day. It can be assumed that the author chose to write a story surrounding chivalry and true honor because that's what the people of the time needed to see most of all. Sir Gawain showed the public that it is desirable to be so honorable and noble, something that the people didn't see much of at the time.
However, the author also showed a somewhat softer side to Sir Gawain that could relate with the everyday person, he feared death just as much as any normal human being would fear such a fate. This showed the readers that Sir Gawain was human and even though he was the poster child for being noble and chivalrous, he still feared the inevitable. Not only did Sir Gawain and the Green Knight have an impact on readers at the time, but its religious themes have held true. Around the world, Christianity is practiced. The author at the time most definitely had different values and practiced religion in a vastly different way but people now are still majorly impacted by Christianity. This poem was simply a contribution to push Christianity forward as an attempt to express the author's own values and morals but as an attempt to keep Christianity at the forefront of society. The author most certainly accomplished that feat, and it is evident through the fact that millions of people continue to practice Christianity and uphold the same values to this day.
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Lengthy Poem Surrounding. (2019, Oct 30).
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