Research Paper on Pornography

Should Pornography Be Banned?

1. Introduction

The porn industry has been around for ages and has evolved over the years into a phenomenon that generates billions of dollars every year. Nowadays you can find it on the Internet, in books, in magazines, and on TV. Recently, it has become evident that access to pornography is by no means limited, except for legally, to minors.

Fulfilling a sexual fantasy can take someone to a place of ecstasy. Not fulfilling a sexual fantasy can leave them frustrated and irritated. Coming close to fulfilling it can make them momentarily happy, which is where pornography does its job.

The fact is that a lot of people do a lot of things for sex. Consciously or subconsciously, the urge to procreate as human beings is something that is undeniable. Sigmund Freud is considered to be the founder of psychoanalysis and his theories involve the process of relating many human emotions, actions, and reactions to the primal impulses associated with sex. Although many criticize his theories as incomplete and closed-minded, his research has greatly contributed to mankind’s understanding sexual aggression, love, and many different complexes. These complexes are often transformed into multi-media, and more specifically pornography. Controversial fantasies such as rape, pedophilia, and incest are often the subject of pornographic material and can sometimes lead to the dangerous activity of an emotionally unstable individual and the endangerment of an undeserving victim. On the other hand, a lot of people who have not become serial killers regularly enjoy pornography, individually or as a group, and proceed to live a comfortable family life.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the pros and cons of pornography in a debate that would contribute to the hypothetical porn equivalent of the prohibition. It is of fundamental importance to acknowledge both the positive and the negative effects that pornography has on its users in order to realize the overall negative impact that this industry contributes.

2. The Positive Effects of Pornography

2.1. The Benefits of Pornography

There are many advocates of pornography, and the arguments they impose certainly have some rationale behind them. The world would be a very different place if pornography was banned and the change would not necessarily be for the better. Furthermore, it is an industry, which has boosted many economies and generates a lot of economic activity all over the world. There are many instances where pornography can help an individual or a couple. Many opinions state that there are no discernable effects of pornography and that that it actually has beneficial effects in terms of fantasy, sex education, and artistic expression (Malamuth and Billings, 1986, 85). For instance, consider a family of four. Included is a married couple and two children, a teenage boy and a teenage girl. In a hypothetical case, we can understand the positive effects pornography can have on each member of the family.

2.2. A Real Life Example

Let us consider the mother and the father. Naturally, after 15 years of marriage, the husband’s sex-drive has lowered considerably meanwhile the wife’s has risen. Unfortunately, neither looks the same as they did when they were newlyweds, especially the wife after having two children. This couple, which is in a monogamous relationship, may explore the option of viewing pornography together as a stimulant. They may find something very interesting for themselves, something that stimulates creativity in the bedroom that they never developed earlier, due to a lack of need. If the couples’ marriage were to crumble due to infidelity or a lack of romance stemming from disinterest and boredom, the children would suffer from a lot of turmoil that could have been otherwise avoided.

The children are affected in another way. The boy has had mixed sexual feelings and repressed his sexual identity for most of his life. He has a feeling that he might be gay but he is too shy to tell anyone, especially his old-fashioned father. The girl is going through puberty and is very curious and artistic by nature. Both children explore their feelings via pornography and satisfy their urges and understanding of sex. They realize that they are not ready yet to explore sex on their own but treat a suppressed need for sexual expression through pornography. Considering that they are enrolled in a private school with a religious curriculum, which does not support extensive sex education, this is a huge positive for the children. Otherwise the boy and the girl may have made themselves susceptible to the dangers that coincide with unprotected sex. By banning pornography, the consensus neglects to understand that it is merely a result of the fact that men and women are sexual beings (Malamuth and Billings, 1986, 85).

3. The Negative Effects of Pornography

3.1. Pornography and Sexual Aggression

A common criticism of pornography is that exposure can lead to increased sexual aggression in the viewers. In a report which explores the positive effects of experimenting with pornography, the research conducted suggests that sexual violence in pornography can create many anti-social effects, such as increased acceptance of rape myths, increased acceptance of violence against women and decreased perceptions of the suffering of a rape victim (Check and Malamuth, 1984, 15). Furthermore, a more recent study of 16 experiments which involved subject’s examination of violent and non violent pornography concluded that after exposure to the pornographic material, attitudes supporting sexual aggression increased (Malamuth et al., 2000, 44). Coupled with the idea that aggression towards women can have positive consequences (Malamuth and Ceniti), this can lead to some dangerous situations.

3.2. The Case of Ted Bundy

In the case of Ted Bundy, an infamous serial killer who murdered and raped many women and was executed for it, sex and more specifically pornography changed his life for the worse. In his final interview with James Dobson, Bundy told a story of how a little boy who was fascinated with pornography turned into the man that he was. His first exposure to pornography was when he was a minor, at the age of 13. The fascination and aggression he displayed was gradually brought forth from fantasy to reality. Although this is an extreme case, Bundy’s claim was that every criminal that he came in contact with while incarcerated shared a similar history and involvement with pornography (Dobson). For Bundy, along with many others, the addiction to immediate sexual gratification along with desensitization leads to acting out sexually in a violent way.

3.3. Considering the Youth

This brings us to a point that was explored by the Children’s Digital Media Center and Department of Psychology at the University of California. As mentioned earlier, access to pornography is by no means limited to adults. In a literary review, findings showed that there are many cases of children being inadvertently exposed to pornography through the use of peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. This exposure can influence sexual violence, moral values, and sexual activity of minors (Greenfield, 2004, 741). Misinformation gathered via this exposure can further harm children who already suffer from antisocial behavior.

When asked about these experiences, many of the subjects mentioned feelings of disgust (24.5%), shock/ surprise (23.6%) and embarrassment (21.4%) (Greenfield, 2004, 744). These are feelings that should never be associated with sex. Since the minors are not well educated on the matter, this can create lasting complexes. A boy can feel like he is inadequate while a girl can feel like it is okay to be mistreated, or vice versa depending on the type of pornography. Because the exposure is inadvertent and unintentional, many parents are unaware or unable to communicate about this issue. Furthermore, many children are not privileged enough to have the warm parent-child relationship needed in order to discuss the things they see.

4. Conclusion

Although there are certain ways to present pornography that would cause minimal harm to its viewers, the overall effect of pornography on our society is negative. For those who argue that pornography stimulates sexual expression, the fact is that pornography desensitizes the viewer until the point where only abnormal sexual activity is perceived as gratifying. For a couple that is having trouble being romantically involved with each other, there are many options that do not involve pornography, such as marriage counseling. The argument that pornography serves as a reasonable tool for sex education is preposterous, unless you would like your child to learn about rape and unprotected group-sex as opposed to STDs and pregnancy prevention. The problem with treating pornography as a form of artistic expression lies within the fact that most pornography is made for profit and not artistic expression. The sheer volume of material that is targeted to one target group but received by others is unparalleled by any other industry. The dangers of addiction, especially for minors, are too important to overlook. Just as propaganda that slanders certain religions, races, and people is cast away, so should the pornographic propaganda that teaches sexual aggression towards women is fine and that men and women are suppose to look a specific way to be considered beautiful. Until a substantial and effective method of censorship of content and distribution of pornography is established, its production and distribution must halt.

__________________

Warning!!! This is just a sample Pornography research paper (Pornography research paper example) which cannot be used as your own paper. You can contact our custom research paper writing service which provides college and university students with high-quality custom written essays, term papers, research papers, thesis papers and dissertations on Pornography topics.

Get professional Pornography research paper writing help from our professional Ph.D. and Master's academic writers. A+ quality and 100% plagiarism are guaranteed! Feel free to ORDER A CUSTOM RESEARCH PAPER ON PORNOGRAPHY NOW and you won't be disappointed.

Knowledge Assessment Essay

Knowledge Assessment
A growing body of literature indicates that preschool children experience a critical period in the course of their mental, cognitive and intellectual development. It follows that all stakeholders – principally authorities, parents and caregivers – should promote a safe, nurturing and respectful environment, which facilitates optimal conditions for the development of the young brain. Abundant evidence shows that this kind of environment, whose nature is comprehensively defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) under the term high quality child care, brings about tremendous improvements in terms of child development and future achievements. This paper reviews findings on short- and long-term benefits of high quality child care (in terms of e.g. cognitive stimulation, warmth and caregivers’ education) in several major domains.
 

First, the extent to which caregivers provide opportunities for physical activities, exploration of the surroundings and age-adjusted kinetic skills predicts child performance along the development milestones. The same holds true for the propensity for obesity, which declines in high quality environments (Lawlis, Mikhailovich, & Morrison, 2008). An additional benefit that promotes physical growth and well-being is the lower prevalence of childhood diseases among children who attend high quality care (NICHD, 2006).
 

In their multisite longitudinal study, Peisner-Feinberg et al. (2000) reviewed a large cohort from an earlier study (West, Wright, & Hausken, 1995). Focusing on cognitive, social and emotional development, the former study’s findings include, among others:
 

First, high quality child care was found to affect readiness to school and significantly decreased the effect of socioeconomic gaps. This holds true for cognitive measures such as math and language, as well as social conduct. Abnormal social behavior also seems to be less prevalent among well-cared cohorts.
 

Second, these effects continue to have long-term implications. That is, children who benefited from quality care during their preschool years show superior school performance. The authors define high quality care as predictor of school performance and indicate that children’s superior performance allowed them to gain higher benefits from the didactic and social opportunities in their schools. 
 

Third, high quality care compensates for traditional risk factors at childhood. This is especially true for children of poor educated mothers, who are considered as risk group for poor school performance. In fact, these populations showed the highest rate of improvement in both short-term and long-term measurements of numerous factors.
 

Finally, the quality of the teaching staff and the degree to which teachers and caregivers had closer relationships with the children were strongly correlated with the children’s behavioral development and academic achievements. Typical areas of superior performance included language, math, thinking and attention skills, sociability, problematic behavioral patterns and peer relations.
 

It is hard to overestimate the extent to which child care influences children’s development an through which their future. All the studies discusses in this short paper make a strong point that these interventions are not only indispensable to promote school and preschool performance, but also are extremely cost effective. This holds true especially for children at risk, for children of poorly educated parents, and for socioeconomically deprived toddlers and preschool children.       

American History Timeline Essay

1. Native Americans prior to European Colonization- The Native American people were known as hunters-gatherers. They practiced agriculture and aquaculture, used farms, and managed to sustain cities with their own architecture. There is much argument with regards to the size of the population at this time, with estimates ranging from 1 to 18 million people.

2. The Effects of British Colonization on the Native American People- In 1775, the British Empire consisted of 20 territories in North America.  Thirteen of these colonies are now known as the United States. Up until 1810, an estimated 400 thousand black slaves were exchanged for guns, gun powder and rum. Poor Europeans also served as slaves during the establishment of the British Thirteen Colonies. Between 1492- 1612, the majority of the indigenous population of America (Native Americans) had been due to epidemic diseases brought over by the European and Asian communities. With little freedom, the Native Peoples resorted to suicide and abortion as a form of self-protection.

3. Protestant Christianity and Colonial Social Life- The 18th century saw many changes in the way Christians acted amongst themselves, and their involvement in religious affairs. Events such as the Great Awakening, the American Revolution, and the debates surrounding the Church and the State were the cause of separation and denomination among the sects of religion in the early 19th century. The secularized society of the time challenged Christian orthodoxy and liberal Christianity became prominent among the people.

4. The Seven Years’ War-1756-1763- The war resulted in almost 1.5 million deaths to the participants’ nations, which included Prussia, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Austria, France, Russia, Sweden and Saxony. Although the war had officially begun in 1756, two years prior, the American and Canadian colonies had began battle with each other. The final battle in North America saw the French submit the rights to eastern North America to the British, in turn giving control to the prized fur trade of the subjected territories.

5. God Given Freedom of the Individual- The Protestant Reformation, beginning in 1517, resulted in a huge amount of innocent bloodshed. But it left a legacy which gave the right for a prince to choose the religion of the state. The effects of the scientific revolution (17th Century) brought the American Enlightenment, which took reasoning and applied it to religion. Coupled with the Great Awakening and the Declaration of Independence, these events resulted in the American people living with the freedom to choose his or her own path in life.

6. The Evolution of the Socio-political and Cultural Milieu- This evolution saw a lot of contributors and contributions. Much of it can be understood by analyzing the events surrounding the formation of the Declaration of Independence, the formation of the Constitution and the its amendments, including the Bill of Rights.

a. Declaration of Independence- On July 4th, 1776, the 13 United States of America had declared their independence from the British rule and King George III of Great Britain. The declaration of rights included the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. The person most responsible for the declaration is Thomas Jefferson, who paved the way for individual human rights in America. 

b. Constitution- 1787-1788- The constitution serves as a replacement for the Articles of Confederation, which was used as an advisor to the national government and its operations. The constitution divided the national government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judiciary, a means to the end of preventing tyranny.

Bill of Rights- 1789-1791- This document serves as a list of amendments to the constitution, with the purpose of limiting the governments influences on personal freedoms. In 1789 James Madison made the first amendments. The document was ratified in 1791.

7. George Washington- 1789-1797- This was the term of the first president of the United States. Vice president, John Adams succeeded George Washington as presdient. He pioneered the concept of a cabinet system and the delivery of inagurual address. He is known as the father of the Us, a contributor to the US constitution, and a leader who created a government that was accepted by Americans all over the country. His leadership, strong-will, military experience, and self-sacrifice served as a model for presidents who came after and for the citizens of the country from that point onwards.

8. The Evolution of Jeffersonian Democracy- 1800-1820- Named after the 3rd president of the US, the name refers to a philosophy that empowers republicanism against British imperialism. The development of Jeffersonian democracy was based on the ideal that the citizens of the US had the power to prevent the corruption of government. The group of Jeffersonians, which included James Madison, Nathaniel Bacon, Albert Gallatin, and John Randolph, preached freedom of speech, a separation between church and state, civic duty, and the right to be informed, in the name of the American citizen. 

a. Louisiana Purchase- 1803- This event refers to the purchase of over 800 square miles of land, known as the territory of Louisiana, from France. The U.S. paid $217 USD in today’s currency for a piece of land that was double the size of the United States. The acquisition was received with criticism, as it seemed to oppose the Jeffersonian philosophy. Simultaneously, it created an opportunity for a power shift for the United States over England. Thomas Jefferson’s main motivation for acquiring the land was to maintain access and control over New Orleans, which possessed the most utilized port for import and export goods in the United States.

b. The Second Great Awakening- 1790- 1840- This was a great religious movement which caused new reform denominations of Christian people to be realized. The religious upheaval had positively important effects on people, which included a change to the attitudes of the middle class people via a promotion of strong work ethic, temperance, and ridding the people of suffering and injustice. Slaves and slaveholders were included together in participation of conversions and speeches. 

c. The Embargo Act- 1807-1809- Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, in order to prevent war and protect American interests, imposed The Embargo Act. The act restricted Americans from participating in foreign trade during a French-British conflict over European control. The idea was to influence the French and the British using economic means rather than war, and put an end to their conflict. The act failed due to loopholes, created a financial imbalance for the U.S., and the U.S. was forced into war that same summer. 

d. Issues with the Courts- Thomas Jefferson and the Jeffersonians confronted Federalist judges and courts. While many Jeffersonians wanted to abolish the federal judiciary system, Jefferson did not. He did however combat the attempts to increase the power of national courts. In a very controversial sequence of events, several judges impeached and convicted.

9.  The War of 1812- 1812-1815- The U.S. had declared war against the British Empire. Reasons included trade restrictions and “the press” of Americans into the Royal Navy. The war between the Americans and the British involved the invasion of Upper and Lower Canada, via sea, warships and privateers. Neither of the participants won ground on each other and the relationship between Britain and the U.S. got better. Many parts of British North America were demilitarized, British impressments ceased, and in the Treaty of 1818, border negotiations were made. 

10. The Monroe Doctrine- 1823- First stated by James Munroe, the doctrine addressed an issue that was a concern to Great Britain and Spain, as well as the U.S. Its goal was to ensure that no European power would attempt to further colonize any parts of the U.S., deeming this effort as an act of aggression. The doctrine was unexpectedly successful and had a lasting effect for nations seeking independence over the next two centuries.

11. The Evolution of Jacksonian Democracy- 1828-1850- Contrary to Jeffersonian Democracy, president Andrew Jackson preached power to the executive branch of the government while minimizing Congress. Among Jackson’s more notable actions (and non-actions) was the inclusion of all white males into the people entitled to vote, the avoidance of controversy regarding slavery, and the rewriting multiple state constitutions. 

a. The Nullification Crisis- 1832- South Carolina’s Ordinance of Nullification was the catalyst for this crisis. The ordinance challenged the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832, which forces southerners to pay higher prices on goods they did not produce, in order to protect the northerners. The end result saw reductions in tariff rates, which satisfied the opposition in the South.

b. The Bank Crisis- 1832-1833- Andrew Jackson held a strong opposition to the Second Bank of the United States. Jackson declared that the bank needed to be overruled and eradicated because it concentrated the nation’s wealth into one institution, it exposed government to the threat of control by foreign powers, made the rich richer and the poor poorer, favored states geographically, and held too much power over Congress. Jackson was successful as he withdrew U.S. funds and redistributed it among other banks, land sales, cotton production, as well as other areas.

c. The Trail of Tears- 1831-1837- Catalyzed by the relocation of the Choctaw Nation to Cherokee in 1831, the Trail of Tears refers to the forced removal of tens of thousands of Native Americans from southeastern states, freeing 25 million acres of land.

d. The Manifest Destiny- 1845- John O’Sullivan coined this term while discussing expansion plans of the James Polk administration. The Manifest Destiny refers to the belief that the U.S. should expand across the whole continent of North America, and was even used as an excuse for the upcoming Mexican-American war. The idea was not well received, especially by those who would have rather focused on strengthening the economy instead of expanding territory.

e. The Causes and Effects of the Mexican War- 1846-1848- This war was a result of a miscommunication between the two countries, in regards to the annexation of Texas. Mexico, despite the Texas Revolution of 1836, saw Texas as part of its territory. American military invaded and overpowered Mexican territory, forcefully exchanging $15 million for the territories of California and New Mexico.

Essay on University Education in English

Today, English is a vehicle language. In fact, English is the language of the international communication and people use this language worldwide, even though for many of them English is not their native language. At the same time, English is the main language with the help of which people can gain success on the international level. Obviously, the language competence opens huge career opportunities for people worldwide since, today, the knowledge of English language may be a key to the professional success, especially for those people who are employed in multinational corporations. In such a context, the number of foreign students, who choose to study overseas, is constantly growing because, along with the higher education and qualification they get English language competence that means that they can work on the international level. However, the growing number of foreign students at Universities of English-speaking countries, such as Australia, raises a serious problem. On the one hand, the involvement of foreign students is beneficial for Universities from financial, marketing and academic points of view, while, on the other hand, the question concerning the quality of education naturally arises.

First of all, it is important to underline that Universities often stimulate foreign students to enter. In this respect, numerous programs and scholarships allow foreign students to enter Universities and continue their studies in English-speaking countries, such as Australia. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that often such programs and scholarships do not bring any direct financial benefits to Universities. Nevertheless, Universities are interested in the involvement of the larger number of foreign students.

In such a context, it is necessary to take into consideration two factors which are beneficial for Universities. Firstly, the growing number of foreign students improves the brand image of Universities. In other words, the more foreign students a University is able to attract the more prestigious the education at this University becomes since foreign students, who are about to choose a University to study at, prefer Universities where the number of foreign students is high because these Universities have well-developed language programs and courses which can facilitate the studies of foreign students. In addition, students believe that these Universities can provide the education of the higher quality, though, in actuality, the involvement of foreign students is a pure marketing strategy of many Universities in English-speaking countries. It is not a secret that the competition between Universities of English-speaking countries, especially the UK, the US and Australia, grows dramatically and the more foreign students Universities are able to attract the better will be their competitive position in the educational market, which, similarly to other markets, tends to globalization (Baez, 102).

Secondly, Universities get an excellent opportunity to involve most prospective students who have huge academic potential, which they cannot realize in their native countries. In such a way, the process of brain-drain occurs and Universities of Australia and other English-speaking countries are desirable destinations for many students from countries of the third-world (Blimling, 518). At this point, it is important to underline the fact that it is high standards of education in such countries as Australia that attracts foreign students that means that the quality of education is crucial for students and, therefore, for Universities which development is impossible without students.

At the same time, the growing number of foreign students brings considerable financial profits to Universities which often suffer from the lack of the state support. At any rate, foreign students paying for the education provide stable and substantial revenues for Universities in English-speaking countries, such as Australia (Yagelsh, 204). Obviously, it is mainly due to the language and its spread worldwide foreign students prefer English speaking countries. For instance, many European universities in such countries as Switzerland, Germany, France, have high standards of education and the quality of education is not much worse or better in Europe than in Australia, but students prefer Australia, as well as the UK or the USA, because these countries are English-speaking. Therefore, Universities in Australia and other English-speaking countries can use language as an additional attraction for foreign students. The latter are ready to pay more for their education than they would normally do in non-English-speaking countries, such as Germany, for instance. In such a way, Australian Universities can benefit financially from foreign students.

However, the huge involvement of foreign students is inevitably accompanied by the risk of the decreasing quality of education in Australian Universities. It proves beyond a doubt that the quality of education of foreign students, especially if they arrive from countries of the third world, is consistently lower compared to the level of education of Australian students. In fact, Australian system of school education has larger opportunities than educational systems of developing countries which suffer permanently from poor financing and low professional level of educators.

In such a situation, Australian Universities need to focus on the quality of education that means that they should control thoroughly the educational level of students entering the Universities since their educational level should meet high standards of Australian Universities. At the same time, Universities often to spend time and financial resources to organize and introduce special educational programs or courses for foreign students to allow them to catch up with Australian students. This refers not only to the language competence but also to the general educational level of foreign students. Consequently, the drawback of the wide involvement of foreign students is the necessity of additional financial expenses and development of specific educational programs in order to maintain the high quality of education of Universities.

Nevertheless, from the financial point of view, the benefits, Australian and other English-speaking universities receive from foreign students, outweigh costs. This is why the trend to increase the number of foreign students at Australian universities still persists and it is likely to continue growing in the nearest future since the competition between English-speaking Universities of Australia, the UK and the US tends to increase. In such a situation, it is important for Universities to maintain high standards of education in their pursuit of benefits, both financial and intellectual.

Sustainable Society Essay

Within the international scientific community there is almost an international consensus that the ecological limits of the earth are being exceeded in many areas.

The need for "sustainable development", based on notions of inter and intra-generational equity has been widely espoused by Governments the world over. However, the situation remains in which approximately 20% of the world's population accounts for 80% of total annual resource consumption. The rate of consumption of natural resources (both renewable and non-renewable) continues to increase and the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. Massive biodiversity loss continues unabated. Economic and political power is becoming increasingly centralized and unaccountable.

The high profile "Sustainable Europe" project was the culmination of a 5 year Sustainable Societies Program. At the core of this project was the concept of "Fair Shares in Environmental Space". Environmental Space is effectively a way of measuring sustainability in terms of resource use (energy, non-renewable resources, agricultural land and forests). The notion of "fair shares" introduces the principle of equity in access to environmental space (which is limited by the carrying capacity of the earth) between countries.

There is much consensus amongst FoE groups around the world that contemporary local and global environmental problems and social inequalities are strongly connected to the massive over-consumption of resources in the North, and that the North may need to reduce consumption levels by up to 90% if we are to move towards the establishment of sustainable and equitable societies.

When addressing the issue of sustainability, Western European countries are typically in the situation of having, among otherthings, high per capita consumption rates, relatively high population density, a relatively poor natural resource base (already expended) and few if any "wilderness" areas to protect from industrial development. The material intensity of these economies relies on a massive flow of resources from poorer "Southern" countries. In this context, it has made sense for the sustainability work of Western European FoE groups to focus on reducing resource consumption.

Essay on School Days

I enjoyed School Days because I felt there was a very natural progression throughout the novel. Patrick Chamoiseau, the author, is very consistent in his thought process and this allows readers to become part of the journey of his childhood education. The language is playful and appropriate to the child narrator. I found this novel to share many fundamental characteristics to Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez. Ultimately, I found that School Days was the more effective of the two novels because it left a margin of possibilities that Rodriguez's book did not have. In this essay I will explain what I find to be the fundamental characteristics that the two novels share, and I will explore what I feel is the major difference between the two authors' educational background and how that has affected their writing.

The two authors chose to explore a variety of similar themes such as: what happens when children become educated outside the home, what happens when children are educated outside of their native languages, the quandary that children find themselves in between their native language that represents home life and a new language in their quests to fit in at school. This last case is where they slightly differ. Although both young Richard and young Patrick (whom we will call the unnamed character in School Days) choose to keep their confusion, hurt, shame, and anxiety regarding school to themselves, their reasoning is slightly different. Rodriguez could feel himself exceeding his parents' educational level and did not want to flaunt things that they did not understand around the house. Patrick did not want his mother to know that he was not doing well in school. He did not want his mother to be upset with him, knowing how highly she thinks of education and school,"He kept his failures secret, along with the scoldings and the wallops, because Mam Ninotte seemed to confer supreme authority upon the school." (Chamoiseau, p.74).

The difference in the two writings is that Rodriguez makes it seem as if every bilingual child goes through exactly what he went through. Chamoiseau, on the other hand, tells his story and indirectly shares with his readers an alternative experience. In the case of an irate mother who comes to the school in her child's defense of a wrong she felt was committed to him/her by one of the teachers, "There too, a mama furious with some Teacher would come, loudly demanding an explanation" (Chamoiseau, p.88).

__________________

Warning!!! This is just a sample essay on School Days (School Days essay example) writing service which provides college and university students with high-quality custom written essays, term papers, research papers, thesis papers and dissertations on School Days topics.

Get professional essay writing help from our professional Ph.D. and Master's academic writers. A+ quality and 100% plagiarism are guaranteed! Feel free to ORDER A CUSTOM ESSAY ON SCHOOL DAYS NOW and you won't be disappointed.

Of Mice and Men essay

The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a short novel made up of six parts and its setting is California of the United States in the 1930s, a time of the Great Depression. The action of the whole story takes place within several days and it is focused on a farmhouse by the side of the Salina River in California. The story is about the experience of two working hands, Lennie and George, in a bunkhouse. These two men earn their living in the ranch as labours and they have their devotion to working just because they share their common dream of owning a farm together in their future. It is a pity that Lennie's killing of Curley's wife breaks their dream and forces George to kill Lennie with his own hand. The novel is a social novel describing the hard life of the Americans in the west in the 1930s. Throughout the story, the author would like to bring out his most explicit theme that we human beings exist and make efforts in life just because we have a dream for our future and once the dream breaks, we lose all our inertia for work.

Of the few characters in the novel, the two most important ones are George and Lennie. It is difficult to identify which one is the protagonist since the two play an equal part in the development of the plot. Lennie has to depend on the intelligent advice from George while George has to rely on the gigantic strength of Lennie. They are so interdependent on each other that they generate an intimate relationship, a relationship that arouses the suspicion of those in the farm. George has a sense of responsibility as he accepts the duty of looking after his retarded partner Lennie. However, Lennie has his own problems, the problem of petting soft things and having no brains. (I should say that) They are both character foils to each other. Physically, George is small and skinny while Lennie is "strong as a horse" and "as big as a bear". George, as the author describes, is a small fellow with a "small and quick, dark" and bony nose." He describes Lennie as a "huge man, shapeless" His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely." Mentally, George is smart while Lennie has a child's mind. George makes the decision for both and has promised Aunt Clara to look after Lennie.

Both characters are static characters as they learn nothing from their experience in the story. I learn much about the two characters through indirect presentation since the author puts a lot of conversations in the novel. In my opinion, the characters of Lennie and George are a little bit exaggerated because it is difficult to find such a pair in real life. At least, there is no such sincerity existing between two persons today. What we find today are characters who can only share mutual benefits in a practical world. As long as a person's value of being manipulated does not exist, co-operation or friendship evaporates. In the story, there are other minor characters such as the boss' son Curley and his wife and the ranch helpers like the old man Candy and Crooks.

The conflicts of man versus man are common in the story. Curley is jealous of the strong and muscular Lennie. The critical conflict comes with Lennie grabbing Curley's fist and crushing the latter's hand. The coincidence of killing Candy's old dog from behind foreshadows the killing of Lennie by George from behind. The loneliness of Curley's wife encourages her to come into close contact with Lennie, thus meeting her death. George's advice to Lennie on hiding near the Salina River foreshadows Lennie's hiding after he has killed Curley's wife. These coincidences , when weaved together, give the story a sense of coherence and smooth plot development. The author's purposes in writing the novel are twofold. First , he wants to reveal that human beings need mutual trust and companionship. Secondly, human beings need a dream to survive.

Curley and his wife lack companionship because they do not trust each other. On the other hand, the author shows that mutual trust and communication enable George and Lennie to take care of each other. In order to survive, George and Lennie are given the hope of owning a farm of their own by the author. Such a dream allows the two to work hard in the ranch and support their life spiritually. On the other hand, Curley's wife loses her dream of being a Hollywood star after her marriage, thus making her life empty and meaningless.

The novel is mainly told in the form of a dialogue and I look upon it as a play-novel. However, there are some instances when the writer enters the mind of all the characters and see through their thoughts and actions. Thus (I may also say that) the novel is written in the omniscient point of view. The author has the ability to pay attention in describing details. I do appreciate his detailed description of the bunk house and the surroundings in the Salina River. "The bunk house was a long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted. In three walls there were small, square windows, and in the fourth, a solid door with a wooden latch." (19) He is also able to pour emotions into the dialogue from which the readers can feel the inner feelings of the characters. "Let's have different color rabbits, George." "Sure we will," George said sleepily. "Red and blue and green rabbits, Lennie. Millions of 'em."(17) The conversation reveals Lennie's wishes and George's impatience and sleepiness. In using the lot of informal grammar and content , the author deliberately tries to make the readers feel that we are enjoying the conversations of the lower-class people in the 1930s.

I like the novel because I learn much from reading it. Apart from understanding the background of Steinbeck's time in the 1930s, I also know that the stronger ones are not always clever while the physically weaker ones may be those who manipulate others through their intelligence. I also find that loneliness is a horrible thing on Earth and therefore we need companionship and communication. Moreover, we also need a dream to enrich our life and future. Finally, I learn that racial discrimination is wrong because it is unfair to the black people. The novel has a universal appeal although it is set in the 1930s. We accept that we need communication and understanding and a dream for survival. The ending gives me surprises because George not only fails to materialize the dream of owning a farm with Lennie but also has to kill Lennie with his own hand. From another angle, the novel is a tragedy since there are the death of Curley's wife, the killing of Lennie by George and the breaking up of friendship between George and Lennie.

I shower pity on Curley's wife because she is the loneliest character in the novel. Moreover, the killing of Candy's old dog leaves Candy without a companion. I came across another novel called The Grapes of Wrath by the same author some years ago. There is a similar setting like that of Of Mice and Men and it also has a tragic ending when those migrating from the east fail to find a hand-to-mouth living in the west despite the so-called prosperity in the west. Although it is miserable for me to accept the tragic ending in Of Mice and Men, the story successfully leaves a deep impression in my mind. The characters and its themes do stimulate my thinking and give me a new perspective of human relationship and companionship. Seldom do I get a book so worthy of reading. I have got a lot in terms of knowledge, human experience and entertainment through reading the novel. In short, I would give the novel Of Mice and Men a rating of 9 out of 10 when I recommend it to students in Grades 11 and 12.