The new pearl harbor revisited Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The new pearl harbor revisited - Essay Example Zubaydah had mentioned that some members of the Saudi royal family was in support of al-Qaeda and had been informed in advance that there would be terrorist attacks in America on September 11,2001. Besides Posner’s honesty being in doubt thanks to his past works his information was important in preparing the American public on future attacks by Saudi Arabia in efforts to gain control of the richest oil reserves in the world. (Griffin 142) Zubaydah was one of the main characters in the Commissions report but even then not even once did the commission mention that three members of the Saudi royal family had known about the attacks of 9/11 including Prince Ahmed. One of the commission’s duties was to cover up any links between Saudi Arabia and the attack of 9/11 and therefore would not mention Posner’s account of Zubaydah’s testimony, for the same reason the CIA destroyed tapes involving Zubaydah’s interrogation(Griffin 150). Later Abu Zubaydah’ s testimony was in doubt with Risen wondering whether his recitation of telephone numbers had been well rehearsed earlier on so as to be employed incase he is captured and create discord between the Saudi royal family, which Osama hated, and America. ... The CIA however viewed him as a central member of the al-Qaeda with important information to give, a view that was publicly supported by President Bush (Griffin 158). Posner’s account was in agreement with the FBI’s view that Zubaydah produced most information on traditional interrogation and the CIA’s view that he was a central person in Al-Qaeda. In both cases Zubaydah gave the names of Jose’ Padilla and Khalid Mohammed but no Saudi officials were mentioned. With the information publicly available it becomes impossible to determine whether the testimony by Zubaydah as presented by the Posner account was true. This could however could have been possible if there was a thorough investigation which unfortunately the 9/11 commission did not give (Griffin 160) . On the issue of al-Qaeda funding, Zubaydah had mentioned that the terrorists got funds from the Saudis. The commission however, did not even mention this reported claim in their report but instead den ied even having found any evidence of funding from the Saudi government and the senior Saudi official’s .Later a Los Angeles Times story presented the information to have been politically instigated. The author of the story, Josh Meyer, had interviewed several senior members of the 9/11 commission. The commission had uncovered that the Saudi Arabian government funded the terrorist group and even provided equipment even maybe directly to Osama. With the commission being bipartisan had wondered how to present this information in its report .They finally decided to deny getting any information on the funding (Griffin169) The 9/11 commission had sent a memo to the FBI headquarters through Ken Williams to which they did not respond. The commission decided to down play this by simply

Community Health Education Intervention Research Paper

Community Health Education Intervention - Research Paper Example In my community, one of the major obstacles that I have seen regarding health education has been the delivery of sex education. One of the most important reasons that can be attributed to poor sex education is limitation in curriculums. This has created a lot of problems for the teachers who have been assigned the role of promoting health awareness amongst the population, particularly the youth. Although education related to sexuality is being imparted since some time now, and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases have made the need for health education even more acute, there are still impediments in its delivery. These obstacles not only prove to be a barrier in the development of the plan but also prevent the effective implementation of the health education initiative. As a result, the aims of the initiative fall short and the plan fails to achieve its objectives. Gilbert, Sawyer and McNeill (2009) report that one in every five sex education teacher have problems in the curr iculum that they are provided. There are also other problems in the delivery of sex education such as opposition from the parents of the children that the education is aimed at, or by the community as a whole, and lack of support by the higher authorities. There are various issues that arise as a result of poorly planned or inadequate curriculums. Some of the aspects of the programs being followed by health educators are abstinence curricula. In 1981, the American Family Life Act was put into effect. The Act developed Title XX funds which were aimed to devise sexuality programs that were based on the promotion of abstinence in order to holdup the beginning of the sexual activity of the youth. A number of abstinence-until-marriage... This report approves that the writing committee should be made up of professionals who do not only have know-how of sex education but also come from the area or institution that is the target of the program. The size of the committee must be given due attention, since too small committees might not be a fair representation of the targeted population. In order to make the implementation of the program more effective, the peer leaders or teachers who are meant to deliver the course should be motivated and must show faith and interest in the plan. The sex educators should provide them with effective training to equip them with the necessary knowledge and teaching skills. This essay makes a conclusion that it can be said that curricula of the health education program is very important in the effective implementation of the program and for the achievement of productive outcomes. Failing to do so, as in the case of abstinence-only and abstinence plus programs not only negates the purpose of the program but also affects the stakeholders, i.e. the target population; such programs fail to bring about voluntary behavior changes in the population such as to promote healthy sex behavior. There is a need to develop comprehensive sex education programs since research has shown that they are more effective than abstinence-only education. The designing of the curricula can be done by first performing a needs assessment and then designating two committees, the writing and the advisory, to draft the curricula. To make the program wholly effective, evaluation must be carried out. All the health education activities are for nothing if the target population does not r eceive any benefit from it in some substantial, measurable way.

The development and evolution of Gregorian chant

The development and evolution of Gregorian chant For centuries, Gregorian chant was considered the official music of the Catholic Church. Naturally, this degree of importance placed on the genre gives it considerable significance, both religious and cultural. Its exact beginnings, however, are not absolutely known. Also, chant has changed over time due to it being based on practices of the Church, which have also changed over time due to decrees by various popes, agendas of monastic orders, and the influences of and intermingling of cultures, such as the Franks, Romans, and Byzantines. Although the name of Gregorian chant is derived from Pope Gregory I â€Å"The Great†, it has its roots much earlier in history, predating Christianity. In fact, Christian chant is believed to have been originally derived from Judaism, as there was a considerable amount of common ground between Jewish and early Christian liturgies (Werner 20). This is seen through writings of the early church which show that the early Christian church was heavily influenced by Hebrew worship (Barton). However, there is little information available from chants of early centuries compared to Gregorian chant and other chants of later centuries (Hiley 478). One reason for this is that musical notation for chants of this time did not exist, for at this time chants were an entirely oral rather than written tradition. Also contributing to this lack of information is that early Christians were persecuted, forcing private worship until the Edict of Milan of 313, which gave Christians the right of freed om of worship in Rome (484). Due to this freedom, Christianity could afford to become more formalized and organized, its music included. There is further ambiguity surrounding the specific origins of Gregorian chant in considering Pope Gregory himself. What Gregorys influence was on Gregorian chant is debatable, as there is limited evidence supporting that he either had a great deal of influence on the genre, such as directly composing chants, or virtually none (513). However, two pieces of evidence support a common theory of his involvement in the creation of Gregorian chant that was known throughout the Middle Ages, which are two books written by Pope Gregory. These two books, entitled Antiphonarium and Graduale Romanum, are compilations of already existing chants that Pope Gregory designated for specific parts of Catholic mass which supports the theory that his involvement was limited to such compilations (D‘Silva). An example of Gregorys ordering to use specific music in liturgy is him mandating that the Allelulia be used during mass for an entire year (Apel 41). Despite the lack of specific information concerning the beginnings of chant that would later evolve to become Gregorian chant, the origins of Gregorian chant as it was known throughout the Middle Ages are more clear, as music books, although they still were not musically notated, of the genre were created by the Franks at around the 9th century, making the genre easier to trace through history to that point (Hiley 514). Note that it was not until the 10th century that sources were created containing musical notation, namely being musically annotated Graduals and Antiphonals from the Codex 359 (Apel 52). Also, it was not until the 11th century that music was annotated in a way so that tunes could be read (53). In addition to these musical books, various manuscripts were written that outlined liturgical proceedings, allowing for further clarification of the specifics of Gregorian chant (53). The peoples who ruled the area that is roughly present-day France played a large role in forming Gregorian chant to what it is, from the Franks to the Carolingians (Hiley 512). This started under the rule of the Frank king Pepin, who lead the Franks to control much of Europe through military conquest, spreading the culture of chant to the Franks, and also causing reforms to Gregorian chant by the Franks and their successors (513). In addition to causing chant to be more widespread, the intervention of the Franks also caused Gregorian chant to evolve from further influences (513). Not only did the influence of the Franks allow the beginnings of Gregorian chant to be seen more easily, as was described previously, but their musical texts also show the original motives behind its development, the main motive being to help control how the liturgy was run by assigning specific chants to certain parts of the liturgy, as was done by Pope Gregory (515). In the case of the Franks (namely Pepin and also Charlemagne), the reasoning behind trying to control the specifics of the liturgy was so that it would become standardized since many members of the church were influenced by their own local traditions in structuring the liturgy, which Frank leadership was trying to suppress (Barbon). Of course, due to the amount of time between Pope Gregorys writings and the adoption of chant by the Frankish church (300 years), it can be safely assumed that the liturgical assignments of the Franks were different than those of Pope Gregory. More changes were made as well in Gregorian chant, including the style of singing, such as the combining of both Roman and Frankish singers, although eventually a return to a more Roman styled liturgy and type of singing occurred among the Franks (Hiley 517). Since writing texts for the chants was still not common practice and musical notation for them did not yet exist, it follows that the Franks had to learn Roman liturgy and chants by memory when this shift back to strictly Roman liturgy occurred. This also denotes that the number of chants that were used and popular were not too numerous at this point in time, as they could still be all memorized. Despite the shift back to a Roman style liturgy, over the years and into the 9th century to the start of the rule of the Carolingians, who succeeded the Franks, Gregorian chant continued to evolve as new musical elements were added to the genre by the Franks and more compositions were created (Hiley 517). Some of these changes were brought on by outside influences on Gregorian chant, such as by the Byzantines, who developed the eight mode system (529). The fact that the amount of compositions of Gregorian chant were increasing can be tied in with the development of written musical texts around this time period, causing Gregorian chant to shift away from a strictly oral tradition, for it would no longer be possible to memorize all of the chants necessary as their numbers grew. As the popularity of Gregorian chant grew, it underwent several more reforms and evolutions, mostly during the 12th and 13th centuries (Hiley 608). An example of such a reform was more specific notation being used in writing chant, which included specifying pitch, among other specific musical elements (608). Another reform was the tendency to drift away from previous melodies of the Middle Ages, creating a type of chant called â€Å"Neo-Gallican† chant (609). Many of these changes made to Gregorian chant were initiated by various orders, two major ones being the Cistercians, who believed in performing the liturgy as it was done originally, and the Dominicans, whose reforms, like the efforts of many before it, were aimed at standardizing the liturgy (612). Gregorian chant did not enjoy constant growth and popularity, however. After the 12th century, the popularity and growth of Gregorian chant started to wane, presumably due to a period of reduced popularity of the Catholic Church (DSilva). Also, around the 16th century the Catholic Church was threatened by Protestantism, which also played a part in decreasing the popularity of the church, thus affecting the popularity of traditional monastic liturgies and music (Hiley 615). Another such period of decadence for the church and for Gregorian chant was during the age of Enlightenment, as less emphasis was placed on the church and God and instead more on the individual and reason. As a result of this new ideology, the power and influence of the church began to decline. In addition to the general ideology of the time, another reason for the decline of the Church was the political struggle caused by the French Revolution, which caused a reform in the French church so that it no longer observed previous monastic traditions (Bergeron xii). Due to Gregorian chants close association with the church, its popularity began to decline as well (Barton). This causes yet another obstacle in acquiring information about Gregorian chant and thus makes it more difficult to interpret today as the knowledge of how to interpret various medieval musical notations was lost (Barton). A large factor of why Gregorian chant did not die out completely is the involvement of monks at the French monastery at Solesmes, and other such monasteries, who during the 19th century were commissioned by Pope St. Pius X to modernize Gregorian chant (DSilva). They achieved this by removing the strict association that Gregorian chant had with the church, secularizing it and adding a meditative, â€Å"trancelike appeal† (DSilva). In the end, Gregorian chant was changed to be more akin to classical Roman chant than the Gregorian chant of the Middle Ages. As a result, the chant that is known today as Gregorian chant is more similar to early plainchant rather than what was originally dubbed as â€Å"Gregorian chant† (DSilva). As a result of this change of the style of Gregorian chant, along with the declining power of the Catholic Church and thus the popularity of Gregorian chant, it is difficult to know what Gregorian chant of the Middle Ages exactly sounded like (Barton). Another factor that contributes to this is the lack of musical notation with text in the Middle Ages, and that some of the notation that does exist from the time period cannot be interpreted due to these periods of decrease in popularity. Overall, the fact that chant was originally a purely oral tradition that consisted of few enough chants that could be memorized, along with Gregorian chants affiliation with a religion that was originally persecuted and later declining in popularity, contributes to the murkiness of the origins of Gregorian chant. Also, the fact that Christianity underwent significant changes from the time of its conception to modern times results in equally significant changes occurring in the style of music that was so closely affiliated with its prominent church, even causing Gregorian chant to nearly die out on several occasions in history. However, despite the several bouts of decrease in popularity that Gregorian chant experienced, it is currently one of the oldest forms of music that is actively listened to today (DSilva). Also, the many changes that Gregorian chant underwent throughout history makes it very unique, as it cannot be entirely attributed to any specific event, person, or even nation or empire. Instead, as David Hiley states, â€Å"†¦Gregorian chant is neither of one specific time, nor wholly Roman, nor wholly anything else† (Hiley 513).

Lives on the Boundary :: essays research papers

The Giver Jonas, an eleven year old boy , was very intellegent and outstanding. In fact he surpassed the other kid’s intelligence. He grew up with her sister Lily and a special visitor named Gabriel very well educated by his parents . He was almost a perfect son, he was friendly and good hearted. In fact he fell in love with a girl named Fiona.. He learned very quickly all about his community, a community where all the people lived happy and peaceful lives. Jonas life was perfect, even the community were he was living seemed to be perfect. But one day when he became twelve, according to the community rules, it was time to receive his life’s assignment just like all the other kids that became twelve. Jonas was given a special assignment. To his astonishment he was given the most respected job of all. The assignment designated for Jonas was called â€Å"The Receiver†. Jonas, being the Receiver, was obligated to receive all the memories from the actual Giver and past Givers w hether they were nice or horrible. He learned many things about the past that no one else knew. At first Jonas was living peacefully in his community. He used to do all the things that a eleven year old kid does, like play, ride bicycles and go to school every day. There was no pain or fear or things to worry about. Jonas had many friends, some of his best friends were Asher and Fiona. They used to work voluntarily, helping and taking care of the old people. The elderly were lovingly cared for as were the newest members of that place. In that community every single person was given a certain job for which he or she was suited emotionally, physically and mentally at a certain age, in annual Ceremonies. Every family in this community had a mother, father, and two children, one of each sex. Jonas had two parents, a mother who was happily employed at the Department of Justice, and a father who was happily employed as a Nurturer. There was much laughter and obvious joy. There was no rudeness, no crime and no disease. When people did get hurt they took a pill and the pain went right away. No one ever broke bones or anything. There were no criminals, and there were no locks on any homes or buildings. The only bad thing about The Giver’s community was Release. Lives on the Boundary :: essays research papers The Giver Jonas, an eleven year old boy , was very intellegent and outstanding. In fact he surpassed the other kid’s intelligence. He grew up with her sister Lily and a special visitor named Gabriel very well educated by his parents . He was almost a perfect son, he was friendly and good hearted. In fact he fell in love with a girl named Fiona.. He learned very quickly all about his community, a community where all the people lived happy and peaceful lives. Jonas life was perfect, even the community were he was living seemed to be perfect. But one day when he became twelve, according to the community rules, it was time to receive his life’s assignment just like all the other kids that became twelve. Jonas was given a special assignment. To his astonishment he was given the most respected job of all. The assignment designated for Jonas was called â€Å"The Receiver†. Jonas, being the Receiver, was obligated to receive all the memories from the actual Giver and past Givers w hether they were nice or horrible. He learned many things about the past that no one else knew. At first Jonas was living peacefully in his community. He used to do all the things that a eleven year old kid does, like play, ride bicycles and go to school every day. There was no pain or fear or things to worry about. Jonas had many friends, some of his best friends were Asher and Fiona. They used to work voluntarily, helping and taking care of the old people. The elderly were lovingly cared for as were the newest members of that place. In that community every single person was given a certain job for which he or she was suited emotionally, physically and mentally at a certain age, in annual Ceremonies. Every family in this community had a mother, father, and two children, one of each sex. Jonas had two parents, a mother who was happily employed at the Department of Justice, and a father who was happily employed as a Nurturer. There was much laughter and obvious joy. There was no rudeness, no crime and no disease. When people did get hurt they took a pill and the pain went right away. No one ever broke bones or anything. There were no criminals, and there were no locks on any homes or buildings. The only bad thing about The Giver’s community was Release.

Is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde a typical gothic novel? Essay

â€Å"Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† is described by many as a Gothic novel. The height of popularity for Gothic novels was the late Victorian period; however they are still being published today, showing an undying thirst for them. The recognised criteria for a gothic novel include: the story of an outsider, one who does not fit in to society, a misfit. They can explore the boundaries of evil and good and even try to break them. In gothic novels the weather tends to be of a cold, dark nature to signify the personality of the character plus the often, dark nature of the story. Animals associated with fear are often included and generally there is a form of civil unrest due to the actions of the title character. The story is more often than not characterised by mystery and supernatural horror. A reason why I think that â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† is a typical gothic novel is because of the description of scenery. The street upon which Jekyll/Hyde resides is â€Å"on the left hand†; immediately this tells me that the house has an air of evil about it. In religious culture the left hand is often associated with being led astray, as it says in the Bible in the book of Ecclesiastes â€Å"A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.† This signifies that those who choose the right hand choose the path of good; those who choose the left are easily corrupted. Also it is associated with evil because of the etymology of the word â€Å"sinister† which in Anglo French reads as â€Å"senestre† meaning on the left and from the Latin â€Å"sinistr-† meaning on the left side. The house is â€Å"sinister† and â€Å"thrust forward†, which tells me that it is a dark, menacing place, it being thrust forward tells me that it does not fit in nor conform to anyone or anything else. The house also has no windows; windows are often referred to as â€Å"eyes to the soul†; I think that this is a reference to Hyde himself. The fact that there are no windows symbolises that Hyde has no soul. At this point I would like to make clear that the aforementioned street is in fact Hyde’s dwelling. In contrast Jekyll’s dwelling which coincidentally is the same house that leads onto a different street. Jekyll’s â€Å"street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighborhood† (Hyde’s dwelling) and exudes an â€Å"air of invitation†. This is completely the opposite of Hyde’s street and is used to symbolise Jekyll’s character. The two streets are symbolic of the dual nature of man- a very common element of a gothic novel. However, there seems to be a lack of a common, if not vital, element of a Gothic novel- Architecture. In a Gothic novel the architecture is of a sharp, curved, spooky nature. There are often haunted castles, graveyards, crypts. For example in the 1839 short story by Edgar Allan Poe- â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†, there are â€Å"many dark and intricate passages†. This is just one of the many example of gothic architecture in the story. However, in â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† the architecture seems to be typically Victorian, with little or no Gothic features. Another reason is the story revolves around the constant struggle that â€Å"man is not truly one, but truly two†, this details that all men have a good side but we are constantly at war with our impulses to do evil. In this story Dr. Jekyll breaks the bounds between the two and becomes utterly consumed by evil. This is similar to another gothic novel- Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein†. In this story the bounds are between life and death- â€Å"Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds†. This struggle presents the weakness of man in regards to resisting temptation, and is a very common feature of a gothic novel. A different reason is because of Mr. Hyde himself. He is described as â€Å"a little man who was stumping†. This allows me to imagine that because of his size and stature he is not a whole person; something is missing; a vital piece of the puzzle that forms a human. Hyde is also described as a â€Å"damned Juggernaut†. In my opinion this word was used as it can have many meanings- it could mean a â€Å"large, overpowering, destructive force†. This could signify the evil that is devouring Jekyll. Or it could mean- â€Å"anything requiring a cruel sacrifice†. I believe that Jekyll is cruelly sacrificing his goodness for the darkness which lies within not only him but every other human being. There is a significant event that occurs within the story which gives us a sample of his true nature- â€Å"the man trampled calmly over the child’s body†. The very thought of this incident sends a shiver down my spine and evokes anger within me, the fact that he did it in a calm manner tells me that he has not one ounce of remorse, not for the girl nor her family and would not think twice about repeating his actions. Also, the fact that the incident occurred on â€Å"a black winter morning† tells me that Hyde has a black heart and is a cold, slippery character. I think because it is morning, which is when the sun rises, it signifies the rise of the hold that evil has over Jekyll. The next reason why â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† is typically Gothic is the weather†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and the first fog of the season. A great chocolate-coloured pall lowered over heaven†. The fact that it was the first fog of the season signifies Hyde’s fist evil deed in his season of corruption. Fog adds a definite eeriness to the scene, it corrupts our eyes, shrouds us in an unknown abyss. This is basically what is happening to Jekyll; he has been blanketed in a thick fog which has stolen his ability to differentiate between good and evil. However, weather in â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† is on the sparse side. However, the 1869 novel by Richard Dodderidge Blackmore- Lorna Doone includes a lot of Gothic weather:†violent rain† and â€Å"bitter frost†an example of a Gothic novel that uses a wide range of symbolic weather. Stevenson incorporates Social criticisms into his novel. These are his own personal views in which he subtly criticises society. One of the issues that Stevenson makes an example of is that of child prostitution. Previously, I mentioned Hyde trampling over a young girls body, this event took place at â€Å"about three o’clock of a black winter morning†. This raises the question- what on earth would a young child be doing on the streets at that hour of the night? Mary Shelley also incorporates social criticisms into her novel- â€Å"Frankenstein†. Everyone in the story judges the creation on his appearance, Shelley’s criticism is that we should judge people on their character, personality and values; not by any means their appearance. Romance is also a common feature of a Gothic novel. For example in â€Å"The Modern Prometheus†, Frankenstein himself is in love- â€Å"I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her†. In â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† there is not a single wisp of romance, the novel is completely and utterly void of it. Yet another Gothic feature that â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† lacks. In conclusion â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† has some aspects of a Gothic novel, yet it lacks some small and yet some vital elements of one.

Edward Estlin Cummings Essay

Edward Estlin Cummings or E. E. Cummings,as he was popularly called was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright. His body of work encompasses approximately 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays and several essays, as well as numerous drawings and paintings. He is remembered as a preeminent voice of 20th century poetry. One of his major work is the poem â€Å" I thank You God†. The poem by e. e. cummings, titled â€Å"I thank you God for most this amazing†¦ † suggests a way of perception that differs from ordinary vision. We notice first in this poem that the day itself is seen as amazing; the â€Å"spirits of trees† that leap suggest their form; the sky is a â€Å"blue true dream,† and â€Å"everything† is natural, infinite and â€Å"yes†. The speaker is almost breathless; he hardly pauses, having no space even between his semi-colons. We find the poet both dead, then reborn in his communication with the earth and with nature; he is gradually converted into a new realm of awareness. As in the case of any small child, he views the earth’s existence in the language of his newfound cognizance–he is reborn, thus so is the sun and life and love and wings, even the earth itself. All things are new precisely because he is renewed. Next, his senses become the conduits to the metaphysical. By the word â€Å"God† he could mean a personal deity or a pantheist unity unimaginable in essence. The gist of the poem speaks more effectively to the former–glorying in the senses arises from gratitude, which begs a subject. It would be difficult to be grateful to impersonality. Rather, the poem takes on a sacramental meaning; the poet penetrates the world, and the earth itself–as it should–becomes the conduit to unearthly faith. The speaker is finite, a â€Å"human merely being† grasping for the â€Å"unimaginable† infinite, and discovering faith through what is; in other words, through the physicality of the earth surrounding him. Hence, he concludes, â€Å"now the ears of my ears awake and/now the eyes of my eyes are opened,† an allusion to a common motif running through much of the Christian Scriptures. Ecclesiastes, for instance, contains a lament for â€Å"the eye not filled with seeing†; the prophet Isaiah condemns those with â€Å"ears who do not hear† because of hardened hearts. The poet’s enlightenment, interestingly, begins with gratitude and an appreciation for nature, the sun and sky, and this is what leads to life and love and wings, all of which erase doubt. This is an unusual route to enlightenment, and unlike pantheism (which in its many forms begins with a fundamental rejection of nature as illusory and ends with the abdication of the self). Rather, cummings affirms with humility his humanity and all of nature, the â€Å"great happening illimitably earth†. The process he describes thus begins with thanks and revelry in the senses and ends with faith and enlightenment.

Lowering the legal drinking age to 18 essays

Lowering the legal drinking age to 18 essays Lowering the Legal Drinking Age to 18 The legal drinking age in the United States is set at twenty-one years of age. I believe that considering twenty-one as the legal age of maturity is ridiculous. Who is to say that just because an individual is twenty-one means that they are mature enough to consume alcohol in a responsible manner? Changing the legal drinking age to eighteen should be enforced. Eighteen year-old individuals can take on many adult responsibilities, but they do not have the right to consume alcohol. Many feel this is unfair and biased. There is a tremendous controversy over whether to keep the legal drinking age at twenty-one, or to lower it to the legal age of adulthood, 18. Congress passed the National Minimum Purchase Age Act in 1984. This law was passed to encourage each state to change their legal drinking age to twenty-one years of age. The congress believed that if they raised the minimum drinking age that it would save a significant number of lives. They figured that a twenty-one year old person was more mature than the average eighteen year-old. That, in my opinion, was a huge mistake. Just because a person lives to be twenty-one does not determine how mature they are. For example, there are many teenagers in the world that are considerably more mature than the average twenty-one year-old. The determination of legality in drinking should not be age, but rather maturity and ability to handle responsibility. The twenty-one restriction seems out of date in todays society. Many parents of todays teenagers were legally allowed to drink at the age of eighteen. Todays teenagers face more responsibility and are treated much differently from the way their parents were treated. If twenty-one is considered so mature, then why is eighteen considered an adult? At the age of eighteen, an individual can vote, serve on a jury, stay out without a curfew, leave home, drive, smoke ...