The Civil War On Drugs - 1310 Words

The prison system in the United States is broken. There are many reasons why it is broken, but the main source of the problem is from the privatization of prisons. The United States has a capitalistic economy, which means our society driven by acquiring capital. Every person’s goal is to make money and live the â€Å"American Dream†, including big corporations. Since privatizing markets like healthcare, television, and banking worked for their favor, companies realized that prisons could produce large sums of capital. The war on drugs solidified that belief. Since the start of Ronald Reagan s â€Å"War on Drugs† in the 1970’s, prisons have been privatized and exploited for monetary gain. The public thinks that this so called â€Å"War on Drugs† is†¦show more content†¦Another problem with privatized prisons is that they do not focus on rehabilitating prisoners. There are no preventative measures enforced to keep felons from going back to pr ison once they get out. Since keeping prisons full makes more money, the private prisons plan to keep them full. The prison system is broken and it needs to be fixed. Our class collaborated and made a five point plan that we think will fix the majority of the problems that privatized prisons have caused. Our first point is to â€Å"abolish all policies and laws in place that discriminate against those that have been convicted. We want the judicial system to lead with fairness toward all†(1). Our second point is to â€Å"protect the interests of prisoners [by letting the federal government run prisons] and not private institutions [so that inmates safety is not sacrificed] for the sake of corporate profit†(2). Our third point is to â€Å"equip prisoners with the skills that they need to be successful when they get out of prison through correspondence programs, rehabilitation programs, and ridding the public of the negative stigma that prisoners carry†(3). Our fou rth point is to put â€Å"programs in place to prevent at risk communities from being forced into prison. This can be enforced by putting police through programs to teach them how to catch criminals without racial profiling. We want programs in at risk communities that teach skills

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe - 888 Words

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe In ?The Cask of Amontillado?, Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a trip into the mind of a mad man. Poe uses certain elements to convey an emotional impact. He utilizes irony, descriptive detail of setting, and dark character traits to create the search of sinful deceit. Poe also uses first person, where the narrator is the protagonist who is deeply involved. The purpose is to get the reader to no longer be the observer. He wants them to see with Montressor?s eyes, hear with his ears, and to react as he would. There is no real violence in the modern sense of the word. However, it is more horrifying because rather than seeing it through our eyes, we feel it through words. This short story is a great†¦show more content†¦This false sense of friendship and care is the ultimate deception trait found in Montressor. The setting Poe chooses for the story adds to the horror. The details of the environment help to increase the feeling of sinful darkness. His use of descriptive imagery help us experience the catacombs ourselves. He sets most of the story in the dark, damp series of winding tunnels of the catacombs. The weather is an example of the sinfulness that exist in the catacombs. Drops of moisture trickle among the bones, and the ground is constantly damp. Poe use these illustrations to remind us the sliminess nature of the catacombs. Through Poe?s use of descriptive detail we get the feeling as if it is us, the reader, who is being led through the crazed corridors of Montressor?s mind. Poe uses several different types of irony throughout the story. Dramatic irony, where the reader perceives something that a character in the story does not, is seen in the plot of the story. It is Fortunato?s obsession for wine that dramatically lures him to his death. Fortunate approached Montressor with a lot of warmth from his heavy wine drinking. The search for the Amontillado (Spanish sherry) delivers the plot for the murder. The thing that provides Fortunato with warmth, is also the thing that helps cause the murder. The irony of the carnival setting, and Fortunato?s attire illustrate aShow MoreRelatedThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe836 Words   |  3 Pagesqualities in the story. In the story many things are used as symbols such as the actual cask of amontillado, the trowel, the jester costume and the setting in which there is two in the story. Another literary technique used significantly in the story is irony. Irony is the expression of ones meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. In the short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† Montresor a very troubled man who plans to seek revenge on another man named FortunatoRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe And The Cask Of Amontillado1384 Words   |  6 PagesWhat makes Edgar Allan Poe work unique? Other than being a strange individual, Poe has become a remarkable literature writer. The Raven, Annabel Lee, and The Cask of Amontillado are just a few of Poe’s work that staples the theme of gothic literature. This essay will allow you to see the gothic elements Edgar Allan Poe uses through his most common poems. Gothic literature has many elements which play into its definition. The actual definition is a style of writing that is characterized by elementsRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe906 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† was written in 1846, by Edgar Allan Poe. Born in 1809, Poe never knew any of his parents. At the age of three, his mother died of tuberculosis, and his father deserted the family before he was born. Taking care of him was his foster parents in Richmond, Virginia. They loved Poe, but were not supportive of his decisions and kept Poe poor. Having debt and not being able to provide food and clothes for himself caused Poe to quit school. Later, heRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe920 Words   |  4 Pageswhen that trust no longer exists? In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe, Fortunato is about to find the answer to this question. On the surface, Montresor seems friendly with Fortunato, but deep down he feels nothing but hate for him. Could this hatred have an irrationality that only Montresor understands? In different ways, both of these men are proud and affluent, yet both have downfalls that will l ead to a tragic ending. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of language contributes to the understandingRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1555 Words   |  7 PagesIn his writing, Edgar Allan Poe has multiple uses of direct and indirect characterization. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor had rules such as â€Å"I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong† (Poe, 2). Poe used indirect characterization to show the reader that Montresor is an unreliable narrator because he justified hisRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1303 Words   |  6 PagesIn Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† the narrator recalls an extremely significant time in his life, and takes the reader along with him. Throughout the story, one experiences a perfectly planned murder which took place over fifty years ago, and still no one has discovered what truly happened to poor Fortunato as he was chained to a wall in a room that was then closed off, and torched to death due to all the nitre in the walls. As the story goes on, the reader can see some of Poe’s unfortunateRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1076 Words   |  5 PagesThe short story, The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allan Poe is a story of terror and betrayal. Like many of Poe’s literary works, the story has a dark undertone with a theme of terror and depression. More than half a century ago, Marshall McLuhan argued that though Poe was fascinated by evil, the evil that he had in mind was not that of Calvinism, but that of the split man and the split civilization. In general, McLuhan was right, but in this instance Calvinism, and its God, provided a darkRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe707 Words   |  3 PagesIn the short story of The Ca sk of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe writes in first person point of view from the perspective of Montresor who seeks revenge against Fortunato. Montresor began to develop the perfect plan for revenge. During the carnival season, Montresor meets with Fortunato and decides to implement his plan carefully through irony. Poe s story describes the murderer s mind which has lived as a memory of Fortunato s death for fifty years. Poe uses different types of irony and symbolismRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe985 Words   |  4 PagesEdgar Allen Poe is a well known author of short stories and poetry from the 19th century. He is known especially for his stories of horror and suspense. The Cask of Amontillado is one of his more famous pieces. The story follows the narrator, Montresor, as he exacts revenge on Fortunato. Montressor draws Fortunato into the wine cellar where eventually he chains Fortunato to the wall and encloses him inside it. Throughout the story the narrator continually proves that he is not the most reliable sourceRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1575 Words   |  7 Pagescommitted the perfect murder in just such a tale, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† Montresor plots and kills an unwary friend/foe during carnival time for motives that are unclear. The author of this tale, Edgar Allan Poe, influenced by his somewhat tragic life and one of the most influential Gothic writers, uses symbolism and irony to show the multitude of complicated motives of the narrator in his famous horror story. Upon examining Edgar Allan Poe’s life, one is not surprised that he chooses to write

Alcohol’s Effects on Teenagers Free Essays

The number of teenagers who are into â€Å"alcohol† nowadays is increasingly alarming. The physiological effects, as well as, the physical and behavioral consequences are equally disturbing as well. â€Å"Permanent brain damage, depression, poor school performance, psychological distress / serious behavioral problems, and attention deficit disorder† are some of the physiological effects on teenagers who drink alcohol (The Marin Institute, n. We will write a custom essay sample on Alcohol’s Effects on Teenagers or any similar topic only for you Order Now d., n.p.). On the other hand, the physical and behavioral consequences include the following: â€Å"in-denial, self-pity, excessive anger, blaming others, and hurting oneself other individuals† (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Physiological Effects Teenagers who are into too much drinking may experience â€Å"permanent brain damage† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). This claim is backed up by an expert named â€Å"Dr. John Nelson†, a member of the American Medical Association (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Moreover, according to the â€Å"National Health and Nutrition Survey† girls who drink experience depression â€Å"four times more likely than those who do not engage in drinking† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Furthermore, teenagers who drink also suffer from low grades; in fact, according to the â€Å"American Medical Association†, those who drink get lower scores on â€Å"vocabulary, visual-spatial, as well as, memory tests† as compared with those who do not engage in drinking (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). In addition to that, some teenagers who drink develop â€Å"psychological distress†, as well as, â€Å"serious behavioral problems†; this is according to the statistical information gathered by the â€Å"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Last but not least, a study conducted by the â€Å"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration† confirms that teenagers who are regularly drinking may develop â€Å"attention-deficit disorder† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Physical and Behavioral Effects Teenagers who engage themselves in alcohol drinking may also suffer from the following physical and behavioral effects: First of all, teenagers may develop problems accepting unfortunate occurrences in their lives (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). They may turn â€Å"in-denial† and make use of alcohol as a â€Å"defense mechanism† every time he or she is reminded of the truth especially in cases where he or she gets offended (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Second, some teenagers may feel pity for themselves while some tend to get excessively angry which may actually result in severe drinking (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Third, some teenagers drinking severely may experience troubles accepting their faults (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Thus eventually, they blame somebody else for the untoward incidents that occurred to them (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Finally, some teenagers who drink too much may experience hurting other people or even oneself (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Summary / Conclusion Indeed, teenagers who engage themselves in drinking alcohol are faced with dangers including physiological and behavioral/physical ones (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). â€Å"Physiological effects† include the following: â€Å"permanent brain damage, depression, poor school performance, psychological distress / serious behavioral problems, and attention deficit disorder† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Meanwhile, physical ones include: â€Å"in-denial, self-pity, excessive anger, blaming others, and   hurting oneself other individuals† (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). References Garrett, F.P. (2002). Excuses Alcoholics Make. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from http://www.bma-wellness.com/papers/Excuses_Alcoholics.html The Marin Institute. (n.d.). Physiological Effects of Alcohol on Teenagers. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from http://www.marininstitute.org/Youth/teen_alcohol_use.htm    How to cite Alcohol’s Effects on Teenagers, Papers