Reflection Paper 2: Gun Control As a country we have witnessed a great amount of tragedy. Sandy Hook, Columbine, and Virginia Tech all have one thing in common: young, innocent students killed by gunshot wounds. Some would say “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” while others disagree. There are two large interest groups that have drastically different views on the growing issue of control. Those two groups are the Brady Campaign and the NRA.
Intro: • Introduce the social topic of bullying and its prevalence and dangers • Write about how rhetoric can lead to bullying or bad motives and ultimately end in suicide • Write briefly about how Cassius’ rhetoric influenced the conspirators behind Caesar’s death • Explain how I’m going to draw a connection between the rhetoric used by Cassius and the rhetoric used by verbal bullies today • Thesis: The written word while not directly dangerous can influence the emotions and motives of other people and lead to suicide and murder. Body Paragraph 1: • Angel Green 14 year old girl bullied at school • Committed suicide publicly next to the school bus stop so her bullies (conspirators) could see her dead body • Verbal Bullying; "They called her whore, slut and countless names, and told her she was worthless," Green’s Mom said. "She did this before the bus was going to be there so her bullies would see her." • Relatable to The Tragedy of Julius Caesar because in both instances dangerous rhetoric was used to persuade both Brutus and Angel to think death was the best option. Body Paragraph 2: • Tori Swoape committed suicide due to verbal bullying • She is another victim of dangerous rhetoric • Like Caesar she was a loving person that was pushed over the edge with powerful words just like Cassius pushed Brutus over the edge with dangerous and persuasive rhetoric.
The 12 angry men were your average men, but each one had a different side. One of the guys was your average sport’s loving guy, some were the typical ’followers’ of a crowd and few were smart; observant people. I recognized each person had a characteristic and/or a trait, but most did not know it or did not want to show it. A great topic, which can relate to the group of men in this movie and be a way to better understand this movie, is Groupthink. This is a term/topic, which was developed by a social psychologist name Irving Janis.
Gray is a “[…] brainless beautiful creature […]” (Wilde 2), Two-Face is not pleasant-looking, due to an unfortunate event; “[…] a vengeful mob boss hurled acid in his face…” (DC Universe) scarring his face for life. Both men began as good people, but because of a series of events, both became bad, each in their own separate ways, but neither sought world domination, unlike many other villains. Both had girlfriends while living as good people, but once each man turned bad, their girlfriends died young and tragically. Both men also have different experiences concerning the law; Two-Face used to be a district attorney and knew the laws, while Dorian did not have any knowledge of the law. Both men became murderers, but their motives and methods were distinctly different.
The pair then committed suicide. It is the fourth-deadliest school massacre in United States history, after the 1927 Bath School disaster, 2007 Virginia Tech massacre and the 1966 University of Texas massacre, and remains the deadliest for an American high school. The massacre provoked debate regarding gun control laws, the availability of firearms within the United States and gun violence involving youths. Much discussion also centered on the nature of high school cliques, subcultures and bullying, in addition to the influence of violent movies and video games in American society. The shooting resulted in an increased emphasis on school security, and a moral panic aimed at Goth culture, social outcasts, gun culture, the use of pharmaceutical anti-depressants by teenagers, teenage internet use] and violent video games.
Juror #2 was a very frantic and nervous type of guy. In the beginning he voted the boy guilty, but by the end of the film his reasonable doubt had him opposed to that previous notion. Juror #3 was the assumed “antagonist” which fits his character very well. He was all for the young boy’s execution the whole time until he glanced at a picture that held some type of symbolism to him when he finally broke down and voted innocent. Juror #4 the Wall Street guy was very analytical about his vote.
Almost always their manipulation skills are exceptional. A study just published in the journal Legal and Criminal Psychology found that even though they are more likely than other criminals to re-offend, psychopathic criminals are two and a half times more likely than others to charm parole boards into releasing them. The root of the problem Many researchers now believe that the core defect in psychopathy—and what most distinguishes it from other antisocial behavior disorders—is what are called "callous/unemotional traits." A child who kicks another child because he's angry and can't control himself but feels terrible afterwards may be antisocial, but he's not psychopathic. It's the kid who does it and feels no remorse—or even gets angrier because the other child's crying is annoying—who's most worrisome.
I was also made aware of the world when Atticus told his children that everyone has a story and “you never understands a person until you consider things from the person’s point of view”. The characters in the story seemed believable. I could relate to them because my uncle and I were pulled over by white cops during my short stay in the United States simply because we were people of color. I especially liked Atticus because He portrays decency and goodness while protecting his innocent children. The story has a good theme” to Kill a Mockingbird” because Jem, Tom Robinson Dill, Boo Radley, Mr. Raymond) can be identified as mockingbirds-innocents who have been injured or destroyed through contact with
In the assertion ‘all people are good, but it’s the external forces of society that make a man evil’ I immediately think of the ‘Ballad of Joe Meek’. Joe Meek was generally a ‘good’ person before his encounter with the police officers. He had good intentions by telling the police officers they were wrong for putting their hands on the young woman, but the blatant disrespect the police officers showed him changed his outlook. The actions taken by the police officers stand as the external forces or catalysts for Joe Meek’s violent rampage. Back in our ‘Rise of Man’ unit, many people in the class agreed that the quality that makes man is the ability to be shaped by our experiences.
As a symbol of independence, he wears a red hunting hat, which he grows fond of during the course of the novel because it displays uniqueness and individuality. He uses the hat to prove that he is better than everybody around him, therefore not needing to interact with them. Holden rebels the adult world around him he views as full of “phonies”, searching for innocence and truth, despite the fact that many of his actions would define him as a “phony” as well. Holden is sensitive and can be overly emotional at times. After the death of Allie, he dealt with the event by breaking all the windows in the garage “just for the hell of it”.