Alcohol Abuse Essay Example for Free

Alcohol Abuse Essay Alcohol abuse is perhaps one of the biggest problems in the United States today. It is not only a personal problem that dramatically affects an individual’s lives, but moreover those that surround such a life. In the essay â€Å"Under the Influence† by Scott Russel Sanders, he expresses his emotions through a poem. â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† by Theodore Roethke. â€Å"The whiskey on his breath could make a small boy dizzy; but hung on like death; such waltzing was not easy. † (258). This poem is one of many effective devices that Sanders uses to clearly and decisively convey to us the readers of how profound the effects of alcoholism are. Sanders reflects back to his childhood and explains his complex relationship with his alcoholic father and the after effects now that he is a grown up. One of Sanders memorable comments in his essay is when he states his father â€Å" He would not hide the green bottles in his tool box, would not sneak off to the barn with a lump under his coat, would not fall asleep in the daylight, would not roar and fume, would not drink himself to death, if only I were perfect† (255). What a strong point of view in a little boys mind; to think, â€Å"if only I were perfect† his father would not drink! Sanders tell us how our children experience the burden, of the effects of alcoholism. Sanders said, â€Å"Father ‘s drinking became the family secret. While growing up, we children never breathed a word of it beyond the four walls of our house† â€Å"I asked my mother if she ever spoke of his drinking to friends. ‘No, no, never’ she replied hastily. ‘I couldn’t bear for anyone to know’†(257). It must be very difficult for a family and, especially for a child not to be able to communicate their suffering to others. Sanders as a chills wasn’t able to be honest; he was force to live a lie. Another comment from Sanders was, â€Å" I hated also the Gallo brothers, Ernest and Julio, whose jovial faces shone from the labels of their wine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  †I meant to go out there and tell Ernest and Julio what they were doing to my father, and then, if they showed no mercy. I would kill them† (259) Sanders contrast the jovial faces on the wine label to the reality of his father’s fuming. character. Sanders closes with, â€Å"I still do- once a week, perhaps, a glass of wine, a can of beer, nothing stronger, nothing more. I listen for the turning of a key in my brain† (266). Sanders is comparing his drinking to his father’s drinking as an alcoholic. Unlike his father, Sanders is not an alcoholic and has the ability to control his drinking. Work Cited Sanders, Scott Russel. â€Å"Under the Influence† Fifty Great Essays Editor. Robert Diyanni. Pearson. 2011 Pages 258, 255, 257, 259.

American Idol Essay -- Cheathouse Essays

American Idol â€Å"That rendition was impressive, but you do not look like an American Idol; however, we will give you one more chance. Welcome to Hollywood!† A person with a mediocre voice that is not stunningly attractive would have a harder time advancing to Hollywood on American Idol. As the judges say, an American Idol should be a distinct person with an exceptionally fantastic voice. Culture is the training or refining of intellectual faculties and the way of life for a particular people. My goal will be to critique the ideal of image on American Idol and discuss how people may or may not get though based on looks alone. In the entertainment industry, images of the â€Å"perfect† people are portrayed as women being skinny, tan, and firm and men being handsome, muscular, and original. Judges Randy, Paula, and Simon critique contestants on American Idol mostly based on their image. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and best-known Simon Cowell are the main judges on American Idol. They critique auditions in seven different cities where each performer sings and if well enough, receives the yellow ticket to Hollywood. However, â€Å"This show is called American Idol. It wasn’t good enough† is what many contestants hear. From the millions of people who try out, only a small percentage get though to the second round. The judges place those contestants into groups of three to perform on stage in front of a large audience. They eliminate hundreds of contestants to narrow the field down to jus...

Kant’s Categorical Imperative: Suicide Essay

There are over thirty-thousand suicides a year in the United States alone. Whether or not suicide is acceptable is a moral issue. Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative can be applied to this moral issue. Kant strongly disagreed with suicide, because it was not a morally responsible decision; I will give a summary of the Categorical imperative, and use this information to develop an argument that Kant or a Kantian would use to argue against suicide. Kant’s Categorical imperative argued that an action or rule is moral if it is universally good. If everyone sees an action as good and can perform the action than it is moral. The categorical imperative applies to all rational beings regardless of one’s personal motives and desires. Kant believed that we those actions that if you would want an action performed on you than it are moral. â€Å"Act only on that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law (309). † Based on the categorical imperative, Suicide is immoral because it is our purpose to acquire happiness. If we all committed suicide as we pleased, then we would seize to exist, which is unethical. Because suicide prevents us being happy, it is not morally permissible under Kant’s categorical imperative. Humans should be thought of as a means not an ends. If we committed suicide than we are not achieving our potential to be happy, which is unmoral. To Kant suicide was â€Å"in no circumstance permissible. † Kant believed that any man, who would survive a suicide attempt, had now discarded his humanity and was lower than a beast. Suicide degrades our humanity, because it takes away our basic purpose. One could argue that Kant biased to a religious view of suicide being immoral. Kant believes that our lives belong to God and are not ours to end. It is also questionable to categorize our lives as a thing, and debase his humanity over a decision that they have made. Suicide is immoral because it does not bring happiness, and is not universally acceptable. Because we can no longer make moral decisions Kant argues that suicide is not morally acceptable. Kant states that â€Å"It cannot be moral to root out the existence of morality in the world. † Suicide prevents you from performing anymore acts of morality. According to the Categorical imperative, if we can perform a good deed we should, regardless of whether there is anything to be gained. We are bound by a set of universal laws that all should follow unconditionally. We should not commit suicide because; we have an obligation to perform good deeds in the world. Our purpose as humans is to perform good actions in the world, but we cannot do this if we are dead. Committing suicide prevents us from performing actions and is an irrational decision to make, which violates the Categorical Imperative. If one wants to commit suicide they should think of all of the actions that they would no longer be able to perform in death. One should strive to perform moral actions in life and to continue living as long as possible. We are each unique, and have actions that only we can complete. Works Cited Cahn, Steven M. , and Peter J. Markie. Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.

The River and A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor

God’s grace is offered to everyone no matter what his or her religion, or lack thereof. The real obstacle is whether or not the offered grace is realized and accepted. In â€Å"The River† by Flannery O’Connor an innocent child, Harry, is offered grace. He is clueless to what is going on, but he knows he is not content in the life he lives now. In addition, in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† O’Connor challenges the socially unworthy characters, The Misfit and the Grandmother, to find and accept grace. God grants all of his children the opportunity to obtain grace whether they are innocent or apparently socially unworthy. The innocent Harry and the socially unworthy Grandmother both receive grace through violence: however, the socially unworthy Misfit is offered grace but refuses it. God has a plan for all of his children which involves grace. Grace is forgiveness and the only real grace comes from God. He reveals it when he is ready and in different ways. Harry (Bevel) Ashfield in â€Å"The River† is a child that lacks attention from his immoral parents and is treated as an after-thought at best. He â€Å"is at the mercy of his rotten parents who treat him as nothing more than an inconvenience† (Sparrow 1). In his home everything is a joke and he is raised as if nothing matters (Sparrow 1). Although Harry is not materially deprived, he is spiritually malnourished. He lacks the appreciation and admiration that is needed for spiritual and moral growth from his parents (Sparrow 2).Show MoreRelatedFlannery O Connor And Religion961 Words   |  4 PagesFlannery O’Connor and Religion in Literature In Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, she often relates them to religion or incorporates a religious form in her stories. O’Connor highlights Christian themes throughout her writing. From her stories familiar to the bible, to death and religious views, its simple to see O’Connor’s religious understanding of God. She ties in her Christian views through her writing, which have a distinct and unique quality. O’Connor often expresses her views of God throughoutRead More The Authors Character in A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor1053 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is a short story written by Flannery O’ Connor. O’Connor was an American writer whose writings always incorporated humor into a sad or devastating situation. Her collections include 31 short stories, two novels, and a couple of letters and speeches. O’Connor is most famous for her short story works. In numerous works of h er, her conscious craftsmanship was revealed and also the devoted role that Roman Catholicism plays in her life (Flannery) O’ Connor was born theRead MoreChild Abuse in Flannery O’Connors Short Story â€Å"The River748 Words   |  3 PagesChild abuse is something that is very apparent in the world but is something that people find awkward to talk about Flannery O’Connors short story â€Å"The River† talks about a young boy Harry who isn’t taken care of very well and has a hard life. Throughout the story it is presented that Harry’s parents are unfit, he is neglegted at home, and everything is joke to the family. Harry’s parents don’t really know how to raise a child. The spend their days partying and drinking. When the sitter firstRead More The Effective Use of Tone in Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to Find657 Words   |  3 PagesThe Effective Use of Tone in Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery OConnors short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, begins with a Southern family preparing to go on what seems to be a typical vacation. The story is humorous at first because the reader is unaware of how the story will end. The tone changes dramatically from amusing to frightening and plays an important part in making the story effective. The narrator starts the story giving background informationRead More Symbolism in A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor1038 Words   |  5 PagesUse of Symbolism in A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor is a short story that depicts a familys vacation to Florida that turned into an abysmal tragedy when they met with the Misfit, a convict who escaped from prison. This story is meant to be interpreted as a parable, whereby OConnor made skilful use of symbolism to bring about messages such as the class-consciousness and the lack of spiritual faith that exist amongst human. Read MoreA Good Man Is Hard For Find By Flannery O Connor And Women Hollering Creek By Sandra Cisneros995 Words   |  4 PagesDuring a journey a person will come across a crisis or it will be an escape from a struggle or an external conflict. In the two short stories, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† by Flannery O’Connor and â€Å"Women Hollering Creek† by Sandra Cisneros, the protagonists are faced with similar crisis of limitations. On the contrary, â€Å"The Swimmer† by John Cheever describes the protagonist to be someone that has no li mitations, which led him to abuse his freedom. Although these three tales show differences theyRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesresolved is one within the protagonist’s psyche or personality. External conflict may reflect a basic opposition between man and nature (such as in Jack London’s famous short story â€Å"To Build a Fire† or Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea†) or between man and society (as in Richard Wright’s â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man†). It may also take the form of an opposition between man and man (between the protagonist and a human adversary, the antagonist), as, for example, in most detective fiction. Internal