Korey Kendall
Dr. Kay
English Composition 1001
18 November 2014
Chill Out, It’s Just Meth
“It's [Breaking Bad] a form of pop-culture therapy that normalizes drug violence and helps us to accept what's transpiring on the streets of Mexico and every major North American city as a naturally occurring phenomena”
– Douglas Haddow
Methamphetamine, also known as “meth, ice, crank, glass, bump, tweak,” is an addictive and illicit drug that as of the last decade, has become a cornerstone in popular culture. The drug has made appearances in movies, music, novels, advertising, cyber culture, and most recently, television. The most popular source of methamphetamine information has come from hit-television drama Breaking Bad. The story takes place
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and future daughter, Holly. It also features Skylar’s sister Marie and husband Hank, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. Immediately into the show, Walter is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and falls into self-turmoil thinking about the hospital bills, how he can send his kids to college, and how can he can support his family when he’s gone. He found his solution to the problem on a ride-along with his brother-in-law Hank to bust a methamphetamine operation. From then on, Walter found a methamphetamine cooking partner in ex-student Jesse Pinkman. Walter finds his success in life to be producing a high-grade blue meth that becomes the trademark of his alias, “Heisenberg”. Breaking Bad depicts Walter’s transformation from a simple, family man into a non-moral, sociopathic, prideful meth kingpin that lost touch with …show more content…
Specifically, Gus Fring, the meth kingpin Walter killed on his rise to the top had a private investigator named Mike Ehrmantraut. Once Gus had been killed, Mike stuck along with Walter and Jesse, that is, until he was killed in episode 7 of season 5. The problem was, Mike was a good man and split his money into nine different savings for the people close to him. Once that gig was up, he tried to use his secret stash, only to encounter Walter, demanding the names of the nine people. A feud then starts between the two about their past decisions and mistakes which leads Walter to shoot him. It is there, both of them in silence, when Mike tells Walter he could have gotten them from someone they work with and Walter tries to apologize but it’s too late. Throughout the seasons, Walter began killing anyone that stood in the way of his reign as Heisenberg. He has become so prideful in his work that killing someone really does become second nature to him (Wondemaghen 1). The second example of his overwhelming pride is in episode 6 of season four when his wife Skylar doubts his physical integrity and states that he is a weak man. A pissed off Walter responds, “You clearly don't know who you're talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger. A guy opens his door and
The Crucible, a prominent play authored by Arthur Miller, introduces a new type of horror. The theatrical work stages in Salem, Massachusetts where numerous illicit murders (murder in this case is referring to those who were falsely accused of witchcraft and payed a fatal consequence) took place. John Proctor, a farmer doing the witchcraft trials, was falsely apprehended for witchcraft, along with his wife Elizabeth Proctor. Instead of admitting to the false accusations and be granted life, John Proctor chose to die as a noble man. Now, as courageous and respectable as that might have been, John Proctor should have corroborated the charges because he had already commit sins that defy his nobility and morals.
Walter’s appeals were denied and despite many desperate arguments by Bryan in his defense, the court was not changing their mind. He soon hired Michael, an assisting attorney and former heroin addict. With their investigations, they discovered that Bill Hooks was paid by the sheriff to provide false testimony and plenty more incriminating evidence that only proved that Walter was innocent. Out of nowhere, Ralph Meyers contacted Bryan and wanted to talk to him. When Bryan got to the prison, Ralph admitted his whole testimony was a lie, and that he was threatened the death penalty by the police if he did not testify against Walter. He also admitted that he did not actually know anything about the murder of the woman, and only decided to come
Walter has changed his whole family. He has started so much conflict with all his family. His family at this rate will be better off without him. “You ain’t looked at it yet and you don’t aim to speak on that again? You ain’t looked at it and you have decided-well, you tell that to my boy tonight when you put him to sleep on the living room couch.” This just shows how much he wants to have HER money for himself because he is selfish and a shallow person. He is the reason why the family is tearing apart. Also, Walters actions show how edgy and inpatient he is. (Violently flinging the coat after her) He starts to get very violent, he flings things, slams doors, yells at mama, and starts to get verbally abusive towards her. He doesn’t know how to let things go and how to think in another person’s perspective. He only wants to do what he wants, he doesn’t care what the other family members want he just knows what he wants to get and forces the decision upon them all.
Walt was good at his job and doing well to perform his duties, but then few things happened around him, which changed his whole life. The first thing or event was corruption, which he was seeing around him in his company. The second thing was to see the superiors also doing corruption and looting money from the company accounts. And third thing was customers of the company. He saw that even customers don’t pay up their money to the company, but still company is bearing them, so he thought if customers are free to do so, then why he cannot do so. He saw that rules are being broken everywhere, so he thought to do so as well. These three events became the major factors for Walt to think about committing a crime
Because of this new depression, Walter starts to get himself wasted every day. He hasn’t been showing up to work, and faces the prospect of losing his job. Mama, realizing the potentially catastrophic effect this can have on her family, must intervene. She gives her son the one thing he has always wanted, power. She gives him the remaining $6,500 to use as he wishes (except for the $3,000 to Beneatha’s continued
The newfound distributor turned out to be a sociopath, so in order to protect his identity Walter created the alias Heisenberg for himself. This was the point when Walter’s psychological health began decaying rapidly.
Crystal meth, or ice, is the perfect destructive drug. It’s easy to make, cheap to buy, highly addictive, and it’s everywhere. And you don’t need to touch ice to be its victim. It is intersecting with every aspect of Australian’s lives, destroying families, causing carnage on our roads and murder in our homes.
If cocaine were legal, what would the little packages be called? Sweet N' High! Unfortunately, this is an example of what is commonly known as a “crack joke.” Drugs are increasingly being misused and abused. Yet, today’s youth in its ignorance takes drugs as a light matter. It is a different story altogether from someone who has actually used drugs. In Beautiful Boy, journalist David Sheff recounts his own and his son, Nic’s journey of drug abuse. Sheff’s memoir is a haunting experience filled with tears, brawls, and ample amounts of crystal meth. In Beautiful Boy, Sheff, while applying a casual and conversational style, effectively uses rhetoric to share his experience with an addicted teen.
When Tarek gets detained by the NYPD in the subway station, and Walter tries to intervene on his behalf, Walter is told that all he can do is make a statement in the station. Walter Vale does everything in his power to help Tarek get free. Even though Walter never had any contact with the immigrant population before, he feels very connected to Tarek over the bond that they share in music, and he helps him despite his ethnicity and race. Walter hires a lawyer to try and get Tarek released, and he visits him frequently. When Walter visits Tarek, he sees how the people are discriminated against and even with all his influence, Walter feels powerless in this situation. Walter was a man of privilege living in America and he never experienced the feeling of such powerlessness in a situation before. This feeling of powerlessness makes Walter fight for what he believes in and he tries everything in his power to help Tarek and set him free.
When Ruth, Beneatha, and Mama see Walter acting like this, they are shocked and are disappointed in how he is acting. Walter tries to cope with the current situation he is in, and he realizes that his family is by his side and that is what matters to him in that moment.
He is envious of the people in the establishment who can afford a higher standard of life, while he is stuck in a two room kitchen apartment, where they must share one bathroom with rest of the floormates. Walter hate seeing man around his age or even younger than him having such a lavish lifestyle because he believes that he would gotten the same type of opportunity if it was not for the color of his skin. Seeing his conversations with his mom, the readers can see that Walter feels that he is hopeless in the American
Some of the best television shows are great because of their accurate replication of the sociological elements found in the real world. Breaking Bad, arguably one of the best shows ever made, accurately depicts the role of social stratification, social networks, deviance, and sanctions in our society. In this masterpiece, the main character, Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher receives a cancer diagnosis. Realizing the financially troubling situation he would be leaving his family in, he decides to start cooking Methamphetamine to make as much money possible before his death. While not the main focus of the show, viewers can observe how various sociological elements impact Walters behavior and decisions.
He is very ambitious and determined in his goals of becoming successful. At the same time he is very immature and naive. He is also very passionate and emotional and this sometimes blocks out his decision making. Walter is dead set on opening up the liquor store in the beginning of the novel and sees it as a way to better the life of his family. In addition he is not content with his current life. His immaturity is revealed when he argues with his adult sister and also when he has frequent emotional breakdowns. An example of his constant fighting with his sister is when he says “You a horrible-looking chick at this hour” (p.35). This displays Walter’s juvenile behavior, since at thirty-five Walter is still fighting with his sister. Walter is like a roller coaster going emotionally up and down. He reaches his highs when he was about to buy the liquor store. Contrary he hits rock bottom when he finds out Willy ran off with the money. Although never said Walter likely suffers from bipolar disorder given his constant mood swings. Nevertheless while the rest of the Younger’s see their lives going down the drain Walter still has optimism and hope. He views the money as a way out the Younger’s current living conditions. Walter was so determined to achieve his dream that he became gullible and naïve and convinced himself that things have to go right, but when they did not he lost his mind. Walter is
Ice, crank, meth, crystal, tweak, go fast otherwise known as Crystal Methamphetamine, in the United States is at epidemic levels. 1
Breaking Bad is a TV show about a science instructor, Walter White, turning to cooking methamphetamine when he finds out that he has terminal cancer, so as to leave some legacy for his family. The show accompanies Walter as he changes from a compliant and empathetic father to a cold, merciless drug kingpin through the wrong decisions he makes in life. Vince Gilligan made the show with a dream of having the hero turn into the adversary as the show advances and to investigate the subject "actions have consequences." In giving Bryan Cranston a part as Walter White, Gilligan picked a performing artist whose livelihood bend dovetails uncannily with his character. As Walt changes from such a family man himself into a force eager executioner,