The Myths of Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Myths of Marijuana - Essay Example The purpose of the essay is to shed light on the mystified shell of Marijuana and reinvents its real essence which is absolutely harmful. Moreover, the essay would examine the conditions in which such mystification of Marijuana and its use takes place and reveal the channels and agencies through which the myths of Marijuana are propagated. It is an irony that both the proponents and opponents of marijuana are part of the great debate on the myths of marijuana. Curiously, each side accuses the other of creating myths about marijuana. However, the present essay does not attempt balance between the contesting perspectives on the myths of marijuana, rather, challenges the myths which are favoring marijuana and exposes not only the myths but also the way such myths came to existence. Office of National Drug Control Policy, in the document- 'Marijuana Myths and Facts: The Truth Behind 10 popular misconceptions', points out that 'Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States' (2005, p.4). The crumbling fact is that Marijuana is the most popular narcotic drug among the majority of illicit drug users. There is a growing number of people in the United States who have at least once used Marijuana. ... Historically speaking, it is important to note that the youth started to become attracted into marijuana by the tumultuous 60s and 70s. The insecurities of modern life in general and the anti-establishment feelings in particular created a kind of social vacuum or a moral anomaly which tempted the people to cut their roots from traditional forms grievance addressable channels such as religious authorities, community organizations and family. On the other hand, the empty promises of a brave new world were thick in the air. The youth who were looking forward to get out of the rotten system found their easy solace in Marijuana along with Beatles and rock music. It all indicates that socio economic conditions play a vital role in the production, distributions and consumption of narcotic drugs in general and marijuana in particular as it has a carefully crafted cultural aura around it. However, the youth of 60s and 70s did not live much with their illusions. The reality was striking and naturally they came out of the grip of marijuana to perceive the reality as reality. In addition, the first time users were mostly above 19 and the potency of the available variety of marijuana was considerably less in 60s and 70s. And, the use of Marijuana was a time bound fashion than a concrete lifestyle. On the contrary, the globalized world in twenty first century is strikingly different in regards to marijuana and its marketing, propaganda, trade routes and use. The "weed" of the so called Woodstock era has paved way for new generation marijuana which is greatly stronger than the old ones. Most strikingly, the first use age is dramatically dropped into 17. In other

The Political, Feminist, and Religious view of Frances E.W. Harper, Phl

The Political, Feminist, and Religious view of Frances E.W. Harper, Phllis Wheatley, and Alice Dunbar-Nelson Phillis Wheatley, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, and Francis E. W. Harper were all groundbreaking and poignant authors whose works have remained influential throughout time. Feminism, politics, and religion are three aspects evident in their personal lives an d literature. Wheatley was considered a feminist icon because she was the first published African American female poet. However, her writing did not deal with feminist issues, rather, they focussed on religious and political themes. Unlike Wheatley, Harper's femi nist views are incorporated into her work. She uses religion as a method to express her political and social views. Dunbar-Nelson, a writer of all genres, brought together her personal beliefs and activism into many pieces of her work. Political and fe minist issues were important aspects of her personal life, which served as important themes throughout her literature. Religion, while not as prevalent, also presented itself, most specifically through her poetry. PHILLIS WHEATLEY BIOGRAPHY Phillis Wheatley is the first published African American writer. She was born in 1753 in West Africa. She was kidnapped from Africa and sold as a slave when she was around seven or eight years old. She was purchased by a wealthy family that taught h er how to read and write. Wheatley showed great intelligence in her writing style. Wheatley's book, The Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley was first published in London. Five years after her return from London her owners; Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley died. In 1778 Wheatley married John Peters and they had three children that all died ve ry young. In 1779 Wheatley advertised a... ... They're flogging my sons on the farm; But I know that Omnipotence watches, That God has a far-flung arm (Hull 93). From this one passage we can see Alice Dunbar-Nelson combine issues of gender, race, and religion. Three issues which had a major affect on her life and her writing. Bibliography Foster, Frances Smith (1993). Written By Herself: Literary Production by African American Women, 1796-1892. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indian University Press. Hull, Gloria T. (1988). The Works of Alice Dunbar-Nelson. New York: Oxford Printing Press. Robinson, William H. (1982). Critical Essays on Phillis Wheatley. Boston: GK, Hall and Company. Robinson, William H. (1975). Phillis Wheatly in the Black America Beginnings. Detroit: Boadsiod. Shields, John C. (Eds.). (1988). The Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.

Penny in the Dust

Penny in the Dust In the short story â€Å"Penny in the Dust† by Ernest Bucker, we see a father-son relationship. Three points that I will be discussing are: Pete and his qualities, the conflict, and the relationship Pete and his father have. In this story we see a weak father and son relationship in the starting, which becomes better and stronger. First of all, Pete is a 7-year old boy who learns how much his father loves him. Pete is softhearted boy who loves his father more than a 7-year old boy would. Pete is also an inarticulate child who is unable to tell his father his feeling for him.Another quality Pete has is that he is very sensitive person. We see this when he cried after losing the penny. One quote that shows that Pete is inarticulate is when he states, â€Å"Oh thanks† I said. Nothing more. I couldn’t expose any of my eagerness either. † after he receives the penny. This shows Pete wanted to say something, but didn’t know how. Pete is s ofthearted, inarticulate, and sensitive boy who wants to show his love for his dad, but is unable to. In addition, Pete and his father are unable to tell one another how much they love each other.We can see the theme throughout the story; one example is when the father was unable to give the penny to his son. He had to wait till it caught Pete’s attention, and then give it. The conflict affects Pete, because he wants to tell his father everything he imagines, but doesn’t know how. An example of the conflict affecting Pete is when he is unable to tell the whole story about him losing the penny. Also another example is when Pete and his father were farming, he was unable to tell his father his opinions. He couldn’t tell his father if he wanted three rows or four rows, or if he could put him up on the oxen.I think the conflict is believable, because the Father is inarticulate while his son is very imaginative. So it can get awkward when they are talking to each oth er. Both the father and son were affected by the conflict, but in the end they were able to make an emotional connection. Lastly is the theme, which is the relationship between the father and son. The father-son relationship is important, because Pete and his father learn a lot more about each other than before. The relationship starts off weak, but ends up strong. At first Pete was unable to tell his dad how he lost the penny.He said, â€Å"If father hadn’t been there I might have told her the whole story. † In the end when the father finds the penny, Pete is able to tell the whole story to him. Also for the first time, his father had tears in his eyes, and also put his arm around Pete. In fact, the theme can be observed through Pete’s actions. He is always reluctant talking to his dad, and doesn’t really communicate with him. At the outset of the story, Pete doesn’t have much of a relationship with his dad, but upon losing the penny and then look ing for it with his dad, he develops one.Accordingly, he also becomes more open and able to talk to his dad. Finally, Pete discovers that his father does love him. The theme is important for both the father and Pete, because in the beginning they have a weak relationship, but in the end they develop a better one. Now they know each other better and can support one another. Father and son relationships are still important, because if you don’t have a relationship than you will be unable to understand and support one another. Also when you are older you will be able to make a better relationship with you children.In short, the theme and characters are important, because it will impact their life and possibly everyone around them. In conclusion, we should all have a good relationship with our family, so it can benefit us in the future. In this story we see Pete as a softhearted, inarticulate and sensitive boy, he also is timid to sharing his feeling of his dad to him. Also in th e end we see a strong father-son relationship forming. In brief, in the story we see a small relationship between the father and son, but it evolves to become a better and stronger bond. By: Manraj Sangha

Essay on The Island, by Athol Fugard - 1261 Words

The Island is indeed an actors play, for acting is its central metaphor and idea: acting as a means for the acting out of ones life, acting as a form of survival, and acting as a basis for (political) action. In The Island, two black prisoners, John and Winston, are men whose political stands against the state have caused them to be incarcerated, sentenced without determinable end in Robben Island prison. They are dressed in shorts to look like the boys their keepers would make them. But clearly the authorities wish them to be far, far less than boys, for the prisoners are treated with extreme brutality and are given the sorts of tasks meant to reduce them from men to beasts, to annihilate the last shreds of their humanity.†¦show more content†¦Finally, after the men are beaten and returned wounded to their cell, the dumb show gives way first to inchoate sounds and then to words of rage and pain. Winstons pain causes John to act, to urinate and use his urine as an antiseptic to wash Winstons wounded eye. As the two men thus act to assuage each others bodily injuries, Winston exclaims, Nyana we Sizwe (brother of the land), affirming the power of brotherhood and the indomitability of the two mens human spirit. The Island shows the backfiring of a system that wishes to rob John and Winston of their humanity by reducing them to beasts. Their white guard is unseen. Only his irritating noises and the sting of his blows are heard and he is reduced by Fugard to a character in a mean-spirited beast fable.39 John and Winston remain triumphantly human. Hodoshe exemplifies the prison guards whose humanity devolves into animal behavior, whereas the prisoners, Winston and John, create their humanity out of the very bestiality that has been forced on them. Their guards hail down beatings and wounds upon them; their human fastidiousness had been consciously taken from them when they were transported from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town and Robben Island (a journey of 770 kilometers, almost 480 miles) by vans, in which they were crammed and shackled to each other like animals, unable to refrain from urinating on one another as they traveled. And yet it is their care for one anothers wounds that brings forth andShow MoreRelatedThe Island by Athol Fugard2088 Words   |  9 PagesThe Island (1973) Athol Fugard A Quick Rundown of The Island - The Island is a Fugard play that resorts to the Classics to protest Apartheid. - It takes place in four scenes, opening with a lengthy mimed sequence in which John and Winston, two cell mates in prison on Robben Island, carry out one of the totally pointless and exhausting tasks designed by warders to break the spirit of political prisoners. - Winston has been sentenced to prison for life because he burned his passbook in frontRead MoreThe, Antigone, And The Island By Athol Fugard1423 Words   |  6 Pages Antigone, and in The Island by Athol Fugard. Unfortunately, many people get killed when this such event occurs. 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Many of them had studied Latin, Soyinka, Achebe, and Ayi Kwei Armah from West Africa; Ngugi and Micere Mugo from East Afr ica; Nadine Gordimer, Bessie Head, and Athol Fugard from South Africa, and later in the 1970s, Tewfik al Hakim and Ebrahim Hussein from North Africa, among others. The second phase of the evolution of African literature is the postcolonial period of newborn African independent states. During this