Becoming A Hit Man

The word “violence” holds a powerful meaning all around the world today. Violence today is political. This is causing racial tension caused by prejudice and discrimination of a person. Flashback time to the 1980’s, where we are able to see when one of the best films were created. Do The Right Thing,1989 by director and actor Spike Lee, is a film that explores racial tensions in many different ethnic groups in New York. Racial tensions was prevalent in a multicultural mix of races such as; African-American/Black, Italians, Caucasian/White, and Asian communities. The main racial tensions in the film were Italian-Americans and African Americans. Spike Lee uses anger, violence, and fear in Do The Right Thing to represent discrimination and racial altercations.

Sometimes when I’m home alone with my younger siblings, I yell at them and threaten to hurt them if they annoy and distract me. Usually, I do this because I’m in charge and I know I won’t get in trouble for it and because I have work to do and I don’t want to get in trouble for not doing it. Similarly, some police (mostly white) abuse their position by shooting people when they think they are in danger. Night by Elie Wiesel is a memoir of the Holocaust and Lord of the Flies is a novel by William Golding. Both texts show that humans can hurt others to save themselves and power corrupts us as human beings.

And well like i found out that Mrs. Gruelle dies she was shoot in a gang violence i say how could this have happened to someone that was just looking to make a difference in the kids to stop the gang violence and then this happens to her she just wanted this to be a better place she was just trying to make this life better and maybe also their town because the teachers there they had no hope in them that they would actually wanna come to school an learn because like they said there junior year you really don't have no one in your class nomore she had faith in them that she would get them to be someone she wanted to make a change and i think that she did make a change looking at the beginning to the end it showed that the kids wanted to come to class and listen then the students really liked

In J.J. Anselmi “I heard the shot that killed my neighbor, but I refuse to be afraid” brings to the light that violence can happen anywhere, and that there are many signs of racism still in our world. He shares his experience with having his ethnic neighbor murdered, and participating in interviews with news people who only cared about is opinion based on his own racial class. In his article he also explains his experience with violence in different cities, as well as how living in these different towns has made him realize many other views on what many may consider a safe living or safe neighborhoods. All of this opening his eyes and realizing how some people who spastically live in these safe

The setting of this novel is based in a very fatally dangerous neighborhood. Often times, the narrator and main character Mann, describes the true setting of his surroundings. “They kill people where I live. They shoot ‘em dead for no real reason” (Flake, Page 1). Mann has struggled through not only his brother’s death, but his relatives and close friends as well. His neighborhood is unexpected in killings and shootings. “A boy walks out of his house and goes to the store for milk and Bang! He’s dead.” (Flake, Page 78) The description of Mann’s neighborhood is very pertinent compared to today’s society. This novel relates to society because there are dangerous cities in America like Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, and everyday news articles get published about killings, shootings and stabbings. The audiences are into movies that are relevant to what they have already observed, whether it is a personal experience or based on news stories. If this novel gets adapted into a motion picture, it has the ability to spread a positive message to hopefully change people’s outlook on these situations to help towards the cause and fight for a

Harrison is the perfect example of this kind of rebellion. Although he is only fourteen, “he is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous” (141). Due to his abilities, he is in prison because he is a threat to society. Harrison is aware that a new society must emerge, and he breaks out of prison, removes his handicaps, and for just a moment, shows his individuality. In the government’s eyes, Harrison is a rebel, and rebels are people that have no place in society, and must die. Diana Moon Glampers, who is the Handicapper General and represents conformity, kills Harrison and his selected mate with whom he wanted to rule a more humane America. She then threatens everyone else with force in the television station with a shotgun by “aiming it at the musicians and told them they have ten seconds to get their handicaps back on” (143). Although Harrison’s actions take place, conformity and equality still rule. In an article in Contemporary American writers, it describes Harrison’s parents after the murder, “They resume their passive, acquiescent lives; having forgotten the entire scene almost as soon as they witnessed it” (2396). This dehumanization is the result of government oppression, as well as the physical punishment that awaits if anyone tries to be rebellious like Harrison Bergeron.

Miller lures readers into his essay with a bone-chilling tone established in the introduction of the essay. The essay opens with vivid descriptions and investigation of the Columbine shootings, “the boy with the bleeding head being dropped from the window” (435). Miller’s utilizes a dark tone to prepare readers for an essay that reveals the darkness in today’s society. The main argument Miller provides is these horrendous events are extremely complex with the motives being mostly unknown in many cases. The inclusion of quotes from Eric Harris’ dairy, one of the Columbine Shooter, effectively persuades readers through the method of logos. Miller samples Harris, “I want to leave

Staples successfully begins by not only admitting the possible faults in his practiced race but also by understanding the perspective of the one who fear them. Black males being opened to more violence because of the environment they're raised in are labeled to be more likely to cause harm or committing crime towards women but Staples asks why that issue changes the outlook of

Throughout the entire essay, Staples effectively uses rhetorical devices such as pathos-driven anecdotes and tactful diction, yet the simple instance of irony that he uses in order to introduce the essay powerfully sets the tone. To begin, Staples states that his “first victim was a woman… [he] came upon late one evening on a deserted street in Hyde Park” (205). By beginning the essay with this irony while speaking of his first ‘victim’, Staples is playing with the way that many individuals view black people and showing the reader the instant that he became aware of his inability to be perceived normally by those around him. Staples presents himself in the beginning of the essay as “a graduate student newly arrived at the University of Chicago.”(205). Persuaded by logos, it seems absurd that a man with the intelligence to attend such a selective university could be perceived as a dangerous individual solely based on his race. This is not to say that all people that attend selective universities, or even all black people for that matter, are inherently good, for there are certainly bad people of

Ben Staples uses a lot of adjectives and descriptions to help put the reader in his place. He will describe the time of day, what the people looked like, scenarios and who was apart of them and most importantly how he felt. He plays on emotions such as fear, guilt, and sadness. Various times he expressed guilt, “ I’d come into-the ability to alter public space in ugly ways” (Staples 652). He felt as though his presence was a negative one, something that was causing fear to the people around him. In this short sentence readers are put into his shoes to understand how he must feel. He is young and in college and is “a softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken” (Staples 625). He also talk describes why he is afraid “When fear and weapons meet-and they often do in urban America-there is always the possibility of death” (Staples 652). This is a terrifying thought for most people, but he identifies the violence between police officers and people of his race, there never seems to be an understanding met when this happens. This is also his life that is on the line, which is a terrifying thought for a young man who has a long life ahead of him. Throughout the essay, Ben Staples uses pathos to describe how he feels that black people are being treated in America.

In contrast, Rose’s relationship with his teacher in his vocational classes is unlike Rodriguez’s. Rose explains that his teachers could care less about teaching their students and instead of trying to talk to the students calmly, they use physical violence to control them. Richard states, “When the class drifted away from him, which was often, his voice would rise in paranoid accusations, and occasionally he would lose control and shake or smack us. He also states, “The physical education teacher routinely had us grab our ankles to receive his stinging paddle across our butts.” Rose’s relationship with his vocational teachers was not successful and had the effect on him of trying to be an “average” person.

One effective way Staples got his claim across was the use of pathos. Throughout the essay, Staples strongly uses pathos by giving his readers examples of his encounters with some of his victims and his feelings during those situations. One example of how he uses pathos, is when Staples talks about his encounter with his first victim. Staples states, “As a softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken- let alone hold it to a person’s throat- I was surprised, embarrassed, and dismayed all at once. Her flight made me feel like an accomplice in tyranny.” (Staples 1). According to Staples, “I grew up one of the good boys…” (Staples 2). Staples wants his white audience to see that soft side of him and change the way they think and act towards him. Another example is when Staples states, “At dark, shadowy intersections in Chicago, I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light, and

Newman begins her book by telling the stories of two different rampage shootings, at Heath High School and Westside Middle School. Once she establishes the shooters and the subjects of her study, Newman lays out her thesis and explains that her research shows that many factors contribute

Based on the evidence in the film I believe there was a combination of factors which attributed to these killings. The school failed to stop bullying and did not recognize the warning signs these students presented prior to this tragedy taking place. Dietz’s hypotheses are “resentment brewed anger, sadness rooted depression” (Class film). This explains some of the external and internal behaviors that

“At the Dark End of the Street,” is a novel that takes back to the terrifying experience Recy Taylor had in Abbeville, Alabama. Taylor was gang-raped by six white men in the 1940s. This scene immediately shows readers the civil rights movement during the 20th century and how important it was in understanding what was happening. Danielle McGuire is the author of “At the Dark End of the Street,” which was published in 2010. However, “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed,” is a novel that focuses on King’s protection during the Montgomery bus boycott that took place in Montgomery, Alabama. Charles E. Cobb is the author of “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed,” and was published in 2014. Both of these novels focus their points on different and similar aspects of the civil rights movement. When Cobb wrote “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed,” he focuses on the protection African Americans needed in order to not get killed completing everyday tasks, like going grocery shopping. Even on public transportation, civil rights activist felt threatened to the point of bringing weapons and concealing them on their personnel. Even though both novels take place during different times of the Civil Rights Movement they both show the similar hardships important figures played during this movement.