Friday, January 31, 2020
Turning Point Of My Life Essay Example for Free
Turning Point Of My Life Essay The engines of the 747 jumbo passenger jet roared loudly in my ears with a resonance that said â€Å"There’s no turning back.† I tried to ignore this humming, chanting, vibrating message shaking my legs and rocking my spine. I fumbled with the cool, silver metal of my seatbelt buckle and checked one more time that I was really locked in. I felt the aircraft rolling left, then taxiing right, and I tried as best I could to believe it knew the best way to go.  I took Sonia’s slender hand in my own clammy palm without ever looking up. In my mind I saw the historic monuments and pastoral countryside of France sweeping past, out of view, though I knew I was still safely on the runway. I saw my mother and father, my lifelong friends. And then my back pushed hard against the seat as the engines raged into a frenzy and the wheels of the airplane lost contact with the ground.            As a small child in France I used to play with my best friend XXXX in the schoolyard. We were equipped with arsenals of toy cars and trunks, ships and robots. I always loved the airplanes best; I remember holding them as high as I could against the backdrop of the blue sky, my point of view convincing me I was among the clouds, thousands of feet above our little playground. I would climb to the top of the slide and continue my flight, achieving the most spectacular heights with which no boy, anywhere, could compete. I imagined flying away to parts of the world I didn’t yet have names for, exploring mountain peaks and silty ocean bottoms. I ventured alone into the furthest reaches of the globe, a fearless pilot explorer. As I sat now in the belly of a real life airplane, soaring off to meet my destiny, I hoped I was as brave now as I was back then.            They told me lots of things about Washington, D.C. They told me to be careful as the crime rate was high and I didn’t want to get shot. They told me the Washington Monument was a sight to behold. They told me Washington was where political deals are made that affect the entire planet. They told me D.C. was the land of opportunity. I couldn’t wait to get there and find out who was right and who was wrong. I wondered how the Promised Land would compare with France, the only land I’d ever called home.            I knew Sonia was excited. We were like twins, she and I. Same small home town, same field of study, same destination. She displayed the kind of adventuresome free spirit I did as a little boy, and I admired her for it. We were both giddy to move into our cozy new apartment together and finally begin a life together, on our own to make it or break it. We were all starry eyes and heads full of possibility as we hurtled over the ocean toward the land they called America. We grasped each others hands tighter as we told bad jokes and laughed nervous laughs about what awaited us when the wheels of our aircraft touched the ground.            Back in France, my brother Georges and I loved watching sports together on the weekends. We’d argue over our favorite teams and cheer on the local favorites over lots of food and drinks. We’d been close growing up and I knew I’d miss those weekend bonding sessions. I wondered when and if Georges would get the chance to come to the States to see his brother, a big time Business major in Washington.  And what about mom and dad? I knew they were at once sad and overjoyed that their little boy was rushing off to make something of himself, and I wondered which emotion won out. I hoped, for their sake and mine, that they were happy in the knowledge that I was growing up alright. As Sonia quietly sipped a complimentary diet soda, I could see in her eyes that she was having the same wistful thoughts of home. I told her it was all going to be ok and that, hey, we would practically be neighbors with George W. Bush. We both had a good laugh at that one.            As I alternated between watching the second hand on my watch tick off the time and staring out over the billowing clouds below, I daydreamed of the future. I saw our cozy apartment, furnished with a nice sofa and chairs, a television, and our very own bowls, plates, cups, and silverware.  I imagined us under a blanket on a frosty D.C. night, watching American sitcoms and eating take-out. I saw us working feverishly behind computers and in libraries, expanding our minds and moving closer toward our goals. We would hang out with our new American friends in American bars and drink American beer. We would go see American rock concerts and joke about how Americans think we French folks are rude. Maybe one day we’d get a dog or a cat. The possibilities seemed fascinating and endless.            As the plane made its final descent, my heart was in my throat. â€Å"This is it,†the engines of the plane said. Once again I checked my safety belt to make sure I was fastened in. Though I loved to fly, the landing was always my favorite. I loved seeing the expanse of a new city, laid out in miniature before my eyes. I loved to watch as the tiny model world with me floating above it became the looming, real world with me in the middle. Sonia and I smiled oversized, childlike smiles at each other as the wheels of the jet rubbed against the concrete landing strip, sending small puffs of up smoke into the air. We bobbled and bumped along the jet way as the passengers stretched and gossiped amongst themselves until, finally, the plane came to a stop.            Sonia and I departed the plane, hand in hand, and breathed in the air of our new home. The airport seemed to heave in and out with the swarms of people moving through it. Momentarily, all thoughts of home, my childhood, and my future departed as I became intoxicated with the overwhelming here and now. We stopped briefly for a greasy airport hamburger before hustling to collect our baggage and hail our first American cab to take us home. Anxious, Sonia did a little dance next to her bags as I waited for the cabby to load our things into his bright yellow vehicle. We closed the cab doors behind us with a bang and were on our way.            Sonia and I have been enjoying our new life in the States. We finally got our things unpacked and situated in our cozy new apartment. We do all of the things I’d imagined on that airplane, and then some. In some ways life in a new country is like life on another planet, and Sonia and I enjoyed playing the extraterrestrials. Each day at a shopping mall and each night at a club or a theater was a new adventure. We were in uncharted territory and we wanted to map as much ground as we possibly could, drinking in the ups and downs of our newfound culture.            Of course, we became engrossed in our studies. Though we are early on in our American education, I can sense the small milestones as we work our way along toward that fateful graduation day. Until then, we enjoy our classmates and our professors and try to do the best we can with what we have. We’re very lucky to be here, as so many people in the world never see the land beyond their hometown. We’ve seen the lands beyond and the waters in between.            As for my friends back home, I keep up with them via email and telephone. I wonder how people must have gotten by without the wonders of the Internet. I e-mail photos back home of Sonia and me at various landmarks and field questions about what it’s like living in Washington. Of course, I inquire as to how my old pals are doing and try to keep up on the latest local gossip from home. A couple of my friends have promised to come and visit, and I certainly hope they do. Experiences like this are so much better when you can share them with people who really know you.            And then there’s Georges. We keep in touch the same way, and I keep him up to speed on American sports while he fills me in on French sports. I’m trying to get him excited about American football, but I don’t know that I’m succeeding. Sometimes we talk on the phone on during weekend sporting events and for awhile it is almost like we’re back home again, together.            Sonia and I are discovering what it’s like to live together as a couple. We bicker about small and unimportant details like an old married couple, but we enjoy it and we’re enjoying our time together. We’re beginning to learn what it’s like having to give in to each other’s wants and needs in order to keep each other happy. We talk about the future, about next year, about what happens after graduation. We enjoy making plans but are careful to also enjoy the present. Someday when I’m an important business executive, I’ll look back at my time in college as the best time of my life. I want to live life and remember as much of it as I can.            Of course I miss my family, my friends and my France. Some things here will just never compare – I think most people feel that way about home. Restaurants will never compare to my mother’s cooking and even my best American friends won’t remember the time I fell down on the playground and skinned my knee. My time away from everybody has made me appreciate them all more and I look forward to the times when we get to talk.            Sometimes I think back to that time in the plane on the French runway. I think about my sweaty palms and the roar of the engine and the tight seatbelt. I think about my uncertainty towards leaving my home country, and I think about how well we’re adjusting so far. I feel the same way when I think about my life and what my future holds – I hear the roaring jet engines telling me â€Å"This is it.† I guess all one can do is try their best and keep moving forward. Stepping onto that airplane is the hardest part. After that all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
The Flaws Of Hamlet :: essays research papers
What is Hamlet's flaw?…';Nor to any one is he known to have defect. No one ever ventures to speak of him slightingly or critically. Why does not the King, Laertes, or Fortinbras despise him for a scholar and a dreamer, at least, instead of taking him as they all do for the worthy son of his warrior sire? Why does not the Queen once sigh, or Horatio sadly shake his head? He is a courtier, soldier, scholar, the expectancy and rose of the fair state, cries Ophelia, and there is no suggestion that she is saying it as one who does not know. It is the accepted opinion. The king fears him, and he shrinks form bringing him to account for Polonius' death, he says because of the great love the general gender bear him. This sinful Queen quails under his rebuke, and yet loves him too well to betray his confidence. And as often in Shakespeare's tragedies, at the end of the play judgment to the same effect is pronounced on his character by a disinterested party.'; Â Â Â Â Â Was Hamlet out of his mind, or was he pretending to be crazy? Did anyone realize what Hamlet's dilemma, such as Ophelia, the King, and the Queen? What was his delay? Could it be that Hamlet was not so much afraid of killing the king, but hurting his mother, mentally, emotionally, after the death of her King and her abrupt marriage to Claudius. Was Hamlet afraid, that maybe the ghost of his father wasn't really his father's ghost at all, in that it was a trick of the devil? Â Â Â Â Â Hamlet's over analysis is what turns out to be the reason for so many deaths, including his own. His procrastination kills not only himself, but also his mother, his girlfriend, and others, but it also leaves the reader full of doubt. Of course the average reader is aware that Hamlet will kill the new king, but was it necessary to have so many deaths due to one mans uncertainty? Yes, his father, the king, was killed by his own brother, Hamlet's uncle, and at seems as quickly as he died, he queen was re-married just as quickly. More often than not, Hamlet questions himself, his goal, his reason for being alive, but for every question came an opportunity to kill Claudius and he didn't. Hamlet, undoubtedly was confused, and probably scared, but the key question here is, was he in his right mind?
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
The Ride
The Ride The Ride is the story of the heinous and gruesome murder of ten year old, Jeffrey Curley, a case that is familiar to many in the Massachusetts area. The book works its way from the grisly crime to the years afterward. It focuses on the family of Jeffrey, heavily weighted on the life of Cambridge Firefighter Bob Curley, Jeffrey’s father. Charles Jaynes and Salvatore Sicari, both from Jeffrey’s neighborhood were convicted of the murder.Within this essay I will demonstrate from The Ride the relationship between reporting and suffering that may have been brought on for the crime victims of this case, the relationship between the victim profiles and the victim family profiles, the role in which the family may have played in the crime, relationships that developed between the victim and the victim’s families of this event and how the Restorative Justice Model would have better served the victims of this crime. The indirect victims, The Curley’s, as a re sult of this crime experienced a magnitude of media sensation from the very onset of the event.Some of it being in helpful, useful ways and some times in negative ways. Once it was reported that Jeffrey Curley was missing, the media went to great lengths to get his information publicized and to bring awareness to the Boston area of his disappearance. Hundreds of community members gathered and started conducting their own searches. Fliers were made depicting a young Little League player and posted in almost every business and on every street pole. Persons who were not familiar or an acquaintance of the Curley’s offered their help and services in the search for the missing boy.The innocence of the young boy portrayed in the fliers tore at the heartstrings of all Boston residents. Along with all the positive outpouring from the community and the media, also came negative aspects. Nearly every media outlet in the Boston area took up camp on the streets in and around the Curley ho me, often times confining the Curley’s to their home. If they were able to leave, they were bombarded with request for interviews, which I believe can lead to further victimization at such a tragic and terrifying time. The Curley’s grief was widely publicized and sensationalize after the crime occurred.In the book, the Curley’s were depicted as an average lower income, divorced family. Shortly after the disappearance and murder of Jeffrey Curley rumors also began spreading throughout the community about the Curley’s and their parenting tactics. It was mentioned in the book that people questioned why Jeffrey would be allowed to roam around the neighborhood unsupervised throughout the day. A lower income neighborhood, where often times young adults and teenagers were seen gathering at street corners, the sort of places where petty crimes and mischievous behavior took place.The Curley’s felt scrutinized by some of the comments that were being passed a round, thus leading to further victimizations of the family. It was mentioned that the Curley’s felt responsible in some way for Jeffery’s disappearance, rape and murder. They agonized over all the â€Å"what ifs†and if they could have made a difference. The abovementioned rumors only added more guilt to their already traumatized lives. As a result of this crime, many relationships were established between the victims and numerous agencies, social groups, special interest groups, and politicians, as well as the criminal justice system.Some of these relationships were positive and some were negative. Bob Curley and his family went to extreme measures to have the death penalty reinstated in the state of Massachusetts. The Curley’s began this journey by contacting Senators and Representatives to help spark a need for the reinstatement of the death penalty. The Boston area had been plagued with vicious and heinous crimes for years, and the Jeffrey Curley mur der put the wheels in motion for changes to be made in the criminal justice system.In a heated battle for the reinstatement, lawmakers who once opposed the death penalty were changing their stance, but in the end certain lawmakers that proposed it changed their stance too. In the end opponents were able to kill the death penalty bill with an 80-80 tie. The Curley’s were outraged at the decision, as they thought there was hope of getting this bill passed. They had lobbied, protested, gathered petitions, and worked day and night during this period, only to have it rejected. As proponents of the death penalty, they felt that Jeffrey’s murder was meaningless and unregarded to warrant such a penalty.Throughout the Curley’s journey of this crime, specifically for Bob Curley, relationships that he never thought he would have were emerging at every corner. A once advocate for the reinstatement of capital punishment was beginning to form relationships with persons who op posed such. Not the heated debate relationships he was accustomed to, but good open and honest communication. He connected with victims of other heinous crimes, such as the father of a victim of the Oklahoma City bombing event, which resulted in his daughter’s death.Although suffering the loss of his daughter he was still an opponent of capital punishment. Bob Curley slowly began to change his views on capital punishment and became more open to the idea of opposition. Over a year after his encounter with these victims, Bob Curley changed his stance on capital punishment and now opposed it. Despite backlash from his family, Bob Curley remained firm on his newfound decision and remains that way today. I believe that this change in stance and new friendships he made helped Bob Curley in the healing process.Charles Jaynes and Salvatore Sicari were tried separately and in separate courts. The book depicts Jaynes as the mastermind behind the crime and Sicari, the accomplice. Jaynes was known to have pedophile tendencies and often was outspoken about such. Jeffrey was a young, naive boy, who was easily persuaded by Jaynes. Sicari was tried first and received life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jaynes on the other hand was convicted of second-degree murder. Once again, the Curley’s were outraged with the latter verdict. Jaynes, who had been known to be the mastermind, received a lessor sentence than the accomplice.I believe any faith the Curley’s had in the criminal justice system was greatly diminished by the verdict. Again, the Curley’s continued to suffer further revictimization as a result. Bob Curley’s personal relationship with his significant other, Mimi, also became strained as a result of this crime. As one can imagine, Bob Curley suffered great depression after the murder of his son. He became withdrawn and distant from Mimi. He also turned to drinking alcohol on a daily basis as a coping mechanism. As a resul t, he became violent with Mimi, and was forced out of the home and was estranged from her.Serving as a wake up call, Bob Curley sought professional help and help from Alcoholic’s Anonymous. After a significant amount of time apart, Bob and Mimi were eventually able to mend their relationship. I believe that much of the above mentioned information, problems and conclusions could have been prevented with the newly emerging Restorative Justice Model. Bob Curley, as well as the rest of the Curley family carried an extreme amount of hatred, as one can only imagine. However, by doing so they suffered even deeper and were continually revictimized as a result.Bob Curley often times had courtroom outburst at the offenders, shouting obscenities. If the Curley’s had taken part in some type of reconciliation, peacemaking or mediation process much of their suffering and revictimization could have been prevented. Jeffrey’s mother, Barbara still has not been able to get closur e or peace as a result of this crime. She is no longer able to work a full-time job and lives with one of her sons. Had Restorative Justice been an option and had the Curley’s taken advantage of it, I believe much of their suffering and agony could have been avoided.The term victim is derived from the Latin term, to sacrifice, and the Curley’s, unfortunately, hold true to the definition. They have paid the ultimate price for the heinous crime committed against Jeffrey Curley in 1997. The journey they have been forced to travel on has brought suffering to them through numerous agencies, them to labeled and profiled, periods of guilt feelings, and numerous relationships to formed, both good and bad. References: Macquarrie, B. (2009) The Ride. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.
Monday, January 6, 2020
College Tuition Is Too Expensive - 770 Words
College Tuition Is Too Expensive There are many colleges around the world and most people like to attend one. Students study hard and try their best just so they can get an acceptance letter from their dream college. However, college tuition is not that affordable; college tuition is increasing in price every single year while the yearly salary of a father stays the same or barely increases. College tuition should be affordable to everyone regardless of his or her family status and position. Students should be able to attend a college without being in a debt consisting of thousands of dollars. There are scholarships, grants and financial aid available but that does not help everyone. A middle class family cannot fully afford a child going to a 4-year college and make a living, which is comfortably in residence. A change in college tuition is definitely required for American students and the students around the world to have a better education at low cost. The cost of out of state college is almost 40% more than an in state college. Thou some families make enough money that they won’t need financial aids and grants for their children’s to go to college but the amount of families is really low compared to the families who can only rely on financial aids for their children’s to go to a decent college and get an education. Fathers and Mothers work hard to earn the money and many students do not want their parents spending that much money to get an education. That statementShow MoreRelatedAdvantages Of College Tuition1693 Words  | 7 Pagesattending college. The main argument that we have is whether college tuition is too expensive or not. Over the last few decades the college tuition rates have increased drastically, but is a rate increase necessarily a good or bad thing. I personally believe that the cost to attend college is too expensive especially for low and middle-income families. 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One reason why it continues to increase is mainly because of the significant amount of loans that are borrowed by college students but are not getting paid back; however, does anyone ever wonder where does the money that is put into colleges go to? College professors are not the reason that college cost so much; in additi on to, the money also goes towards sport teams, scholarships, and constructionRead MorePersuasive Essay1334 Words  | 6 Pagesgoing to college, owing hundreds of dollars in order to get a degree in a profession to become successful and experienced in the real world? Today, as tuition costs increase students are questioning whether college is fit for them or not. For one, college can be really expensive, for example at the University of Minnesota for an undergraduate during the academic year of 2011-2012, the cost for one credit was $448.08 and $5,825 for a total of thirteen or more credits (â€Å"Undergraduate tuition†). A highRead MoreCollege Tuition Should Be Regulated897 Words  | 4 PagesAs a freshman college student, I believe that college tuition is much higher compared to what it used to be. One reason why it continues to increase is mainly because of the significant amount of loans that is being borrowed by college students but is not getting paid back. Howeve r, does anyone ever wonder where does the money put into colleges go to? College professors are not the reason that college cost so much; in addition to, the money also goes towards sport teams, scholarships, and constructionRead MoreThe Cost of Higher Education754 Words  | 3 Pagescases adding more and more debt to their lifestyles. Though majority of students receive financial aid, the amount of debt which tuition builds is beyond stressing. For some students relying on their family can help pay the tab. Still, most students have loans and debts in their own name. So many different things make up our tuition, none being cheap. Now a day’s college is about investing your own money and time in order to receive the best education out there, in the outcome receiving the job ofRead MoreMoney For The Future : College955 Words  | 4 Pageseducation, especially higher education like college, is a privilege. Everyone is entitled to an education, but what is holding a lot of students back is their financial situation. The cost of college education is getting out of hand; its prices are alarming, leaving students with little ways to pay for it, in the dust. The unfortunate reality of students dealing with debt is a fear-mongering tactic used so that students sike themselves out and never attend college. This harsh reality applies to many studentsRead MoreCollege Education Essay1364 Words  | 6 PagesIs College Still Worth it ? Since their childrens infancy parents have always encouraged their children to go to college and become a professional. But in this new age economic crisis, is college really worth it? Tuition costs are rising to a criminally high price has everyone arguing. Is college really a good investment? Well in a very short way, yes it is. An investment that makes you 500,000 to a million dollar lifetime payout is uncomparable. In the end, today an average college graduate willRead MoreShould College Tuition Be Paid?981 Words  | 4 PagesTuition fees have always been a complaint to people who are paying and attending college, most say it is too expensive, some say it should be free. Is that a good way to go? Making college something that anyone could attend? Some say that free college would allow students that are less fortunate, wealth wise, to attend college and have hope for a better future. College plays a very important role in the economy and in my opinion, I certainly believe that college tuition is there for certain reasonsRead MoreCost Benefits of Attending College1082 Words  | 5 PagesCollege is one of the better investments a person can make to enhance their life. Attending college sets you in the right direction to become a successful individual in the future. Yes, college takes time, and a great deal of money, but in the end it is all worth it. People who graduate from college are more likely to obtain a high end paying job than a person with just a high school education. The cost of attending college may be expensive, but, the outcome of it all is worth the wait. The most
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