A Photographer Captures a Revealing Photo of His Teacher in the Photography by Will Weaver

Most people would believe that we are shaped and defined by our values and moral character. However, Malcolm Gladwell argues, in the chapter “The Power of Context, Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime” In other words, The Power of Context is the social setting and or the environment around you and how it affects your behavior. Anticipating resistance from the reader Gladwell uses rhetorical strategies such as real life examples, controlled experiments and theories to help advance his claim and to help persuade the reader to side with his argument.

The author also effectively supports his thesis through pathos. To evoke strong emotion in his readers, Jones appeals to the audience’s feeling of vulnerability in their youth. Recognizing that during adolescence most people feel powerless, he tells engaging stories of his own and his son’s rise to power through comic books to give the audience something to connect to. As these stories are told, readers reminisce about those days, and feel joy in knowing that there was a happy ending. The feelings created make the audience look positively at the essay and relate to it.

Throughout life, one is faced with many experiences, and how one deals with those experience shapes one’s life. Laurie Channer’s Las Mantillas and Margaret Atwood’s It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers share the same theme of action versus inaction, however they define it from opposing perspectives. Action and inaction are complete opposites thus leading to completely different results. Whether taking action or remaining passive, strong feelings occur that can impact one’s life. Distance is also a huge factor in whether a person takes action or not, which is explored in both texts. While Channer’s Las Mantillas emphasizes the positive impact taking action has on an individual and society and Atwood’s It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers critiques the effects of inactivity, both agree that when faced with injustice it is vital to take action for one’s beliefs.

Many individuals is faced with the decision of conforming or choosing personal desire, and it is not an easy decision. It is hard because being shunned by others for being different is not a good feeling. Choosing to conform over personal desire, often leads to loss. On the other hand, personal desire is what sets others apart and gives them joy. In the poem, “The Jackhammer Syndrome”, Al Purdy discusses the good and bad memories he has experienced. He goes through his memories of when he had fun and made mistakes, but he reflects on what he could have done better. The author of “The Jackhammer Syndrome informs against choosing the welcoming joy of conformity over the long-term gains of personal desire. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire may seem easy at first, but if the choice is to conform, the joy it gives will not last. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire Conformity may seem to give joy at first, but it does not last. When Al is playing pool with his brother, he wants to win badly, but losses. However when he did not care to win, Al wins! Conforming can lead to loss but personal desire has much to gain. If the choice is to conform, personal identity may be lost. In my life, I recognize several instances in which I found several similarities between Al and myself. I have made decisions that were not always good ones such as swimming across long distances with friends.

A role model helps create an introspective attitude towards a person’s life. Having a positive role model drastically changes the attitude and fervor you have for life. Unfortunately, role models can be equally harmful as they are beneficial. Wes Moore lived in an era when discrimination was rampant, an environment where there were very few positive role models. Despite Tony’s effort to preempt Wes’s degradation, Wes made a few bad decisions a long the way to push him away from the path of a better life. “Send them a message” Wes would tell himself in volatile situations. He hasn’t been able to learn to control his feelings because of his brother’s detrimental motto. In spite of Tony’s best intentions, his actions were completely not true to his words. Although it can be seen as inevitable, it cannot be denied that Tony’s action had a huge impact on Wes’s course of action. The author, on the other hand, was exposed to a positive role model through military school. With a black male positive role model to look up to, the author became introspective and reflective about his life. This change ultimately shaped him to become a more disciplined person; which helped him stay on the path of a normal

This analysis have shown me how important is to be faithful to your own principles, even when the world takes you to unknown. The knowledge of the society in which each one has to life is what shows that opposed positions that seem irreconcilable are part of a whole and as Collin’s suggests, each individual has to decide what is right or what is wrong in the society and then take a position and try to change what is wrong. (Hentrhone,

While having a differing beliefs from others is not always encouraged by society, it allows us to create our own identities. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the theme of dissent starts to become prevalent as the islanders' life progresses due to disagreements and the vast differences between priorities. I can relate since dissent has played a large role in the creation of my unaltered views and opinions, most notably at my time in school while in math class. Despite my desire to get ahead and do things differently, I was always met with direct opposition from my peers and teachers. From this experience, I learned that dissenting from society's expectations eventually leads in the creation of internal and external reform of opinions and customs. This is because dissent allows you to gain a societal voice and reshape your identity.

Damon Knight’s “The Country of the Kind” follows a narrator who the audience at first knows little about, who lives in a society that is different from the norm, but is also initially left ambiguous. This sense of the unknown exists up until the narrator stumbles upon a pamphlet which opens up new viewpoints to the reader. The pamphlet serves to create three new perspectives in particular, all of which significantly shift the reader’s understanding of the story. First, it gives the reader a chance to understand the narrator and sympathize with him. Second, it offers a new perspective on society and their overall conception of what defines a utopia. The third and final perspective is that of the people who live within this society, and their interactions with the main characters. These three new perspectives prove to be formative in understanding the main character, his interactions with other characters in the story, and the role of society.

Accordingly the protagonist’s lack of maturity is shown in a lack of concern for the consequences of his actions combined with his belief that a bad reputation was all he needed .At the confrontation at

In the short story “A&P,” John Updike emphasises the overall theme of to be an individual is to face social consequences.

In modern society, we often face competition to survive. We may forget our own truth because of our selfish behavior. However, no person can say that people who value their integrity highly are good people, and no one is curious about what is and is not really ethical behavior. There are always certain experiences that shape a person's moral standpoint and integrity. In Old School by Tobias Wolff, he expresses this message in the book. The main character of the book, is a fictional alter ego of Tobias Wolff. Throughout this novel, He is trying to provide the basis of truth by using various scenes, characters, and other incidents, he expressed it. Reading this novel, the audience will probably be curious about what is true and untruthful. Wolff did not say the name of the protagonist in this novel, but by writing in the first person, he portrayed the main charger as another self of himself, and through this manner, readers have had the opportunity to lead themselves. Readers are left to ask, “what is the truthfulness and false in our live.

Difficult conversations make us comfortable. Though these conversations occur between many kinds of people and differ among varying landscapes, they can foster necessary change. A society has little ability to change norms without these difficult conversations. Walter Mosley’s, The Right Mistake, provides a vivid account of widely different individuals who ask the right questions. A person’s ability to ask these questions also is valuable to change.

In James’ case he knew that if he worked hard at school he could gain his fathers approval. However it seemed that he was in the shadow of his brother, who was also under the same pressure. He had turned to cheating to get better marks to avoid his father’s disapproval. James’ own sense of right and wrong were being clouded by his loyalty to- and competition with his brother, also his need for approval from his father and his sense of duty to protect his frail mother by “not

Truth and honesty is the aspired driving force within one’s life but it can be as destructive as deceit and dishonesty. People always yell, “Tell the truth, be honest with me!” but when all things are said, their first reaction is to call out the lack of sympathy of the person. In the novel, The Stranger by Albert Camus, Meursault lives his life through truth and honesty but societal morals and values often bring him down in more ways than one.

      Within Measure for Measure, the character of Angelo can be seen as a case study of will over moral nature. Angelo, a deputy, is given the Dukes authority to act in his behalf while the Duke is away. The story unfolds as Angelo uses the agency he's been given in ways that many men in authoritative positions have done. It is interesting to follow his line of thought and to realize that this is a man who is not unlike many others. The main conflict between Isabella and Angelo is a contemporary problem. Measure for Measure is a unique opportunity to investigate the personality types of the characters involved in the conflict, and the study of these complex characters can give meaningful insights into