The Hollow Hope By Gerald Rosenberg

Those who advocate the Constrained Court view believe that there are three constraints which prevent courts from causing social change. First, “[t]he bounded nature of constitutional rights prevents courts from hearing or effectively acting on many significant social reform claims, and lessens the changes of popular mobilization” (Rosenberg 13). This restraint is caused by several factors. First, the Supreme Court does not get to issue a ruling on which ever issue it wants. A case must work its way through the system. Second, judges must be concerned with the legal system as a whole, and thus seek to create stability and predictability. Third, there are rules regarding the ability of parties to bring a case before the

Discuss how your investigation of the generic conventions of poetry has influenced your understanding of at least one poem that you have studied in this unit.

Anthropology and genetics are two fields that, when put together, discover some amazing things. Most of these amazing things are written in the book The Journey of Man, by Spencer Wells. In it, he explains where humans originated from, and how we came to populate the entire globe. It is both humbling and riveting, and a great start to understanding how much work truly goes in to studying our past.

The main theme in the book, The Dark is Rising, is obviously the conflict between the dark and light. It is one of the many suspenseful fantasy books about the battle between good and evil, Susan Cooper wrote about the dark, light, and the mystical powers.

The book I read for my Political Science class was In God's Underground, by Richard Wurmbrand.

In “The Victims” by Sharon Olds it describes a divorce through the eyes of the parents’ children. The first section is shown through past tense as the speaker is a child and the last section is shown in present tense with the speaker already being an adult trying to make sense of past events. The word “it” in the first two lines carries a tremendous weight, hinting at the ever so present abuse and mistreatment, but remaining non-specific. The first part generates a negative tone toward the father who is referred to as malicious by the mother who “took it” from him “in silence” until she eventually “kicked him out.” Through the entirety of the poem the children are taught to hate their father. Who taught them? Their mother showed them that their father was a villain and were taught to have no sympathy for him but “to hate you and take it” and so they did so. Although the poem never directly states what the father did to receive the family’s hated, the speaker gives examples as to why he is hated.

The theme of suffering will be talked about throughout this essay. Even though it isn’t the most pleasant topic to talk about, it is part of our lives. The dictionary defines suffering as “The state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.” This essay will examine suffering and how it shows up in different printed sources, as well as in my personal life.

Howard Thurman removes the window dressing in the African American experience of segregation in America. Thurman in his book, “The Luminous Darkness” paints an obscure portrait that delved deep into the consciousness of Black men, women and children freshly freed from chattel slavery. Two hundred years of slavery and one hundred years of darkness seeping into each soul perpetuated by an evil explained only through the Word of God. Although this book was published in the 60’s, the stigma segregation continues resonate in the souls of those who remember and perhaps even in the souls of those who do not.

In his book The Hollow Hope, Gerald Rosenberg’s thesis concerning law and social change is that the courts are ineffective in creating significant social reforms. His main claim is that the courts are too weak to overcome their lack of constitutional rights, their apprehension to make unpopular rulings, and their lack of judicial enforcement powers (Rosenberg). In his view, Rosenberg assesses that under the right legal and social conditions these constraints can be overcome, but ultimately he concludes that the courts can only bring about the illusion of change, stating that, “U.S. courts can almost never be effective producers of significant social reform. At best, they can second the social reform acts of the other branches of government” (Rosenberg 422). Regarding same sex marriage, Rosenberg’s assessment is that while proponents of same sex marriage had the necessary elements to produce social reform, they turned to the courts too early and as a result, the litigation campaign resulted in “one step forward, two steps back” (Rosenberg 368).

Though the court system may play a factor in social change, I do not think that the Judicial Branch is solely responsible for the change of social norms within a nation. Though the Supreme Court is able a declare a final verdict on whether or not a case is constitutional or unconstitutional, the ultimate decision of change is left in the hands of the citizens. If a law is not accepted by the people it represents, then that specific regulation has no real authority. Laws are created to express and enforce social norms, status quos, morals and common beliefs.

In the introduction of the book, Levitt and Dubner use scenarios from history and everyday events that explain how in many of them, generally accepted beliefs, known as conventional wisdom, are wrong. For example, they mention a scenario in which crime rates in the 1990’s were expected to rise greatly; however, they dropped to its lowest level in 35 years. Due to conventional wisdom, people predicted the increase in crime rates, crime was deemed unstoppable.

There is absolutely no resistance to the idea that the Supreme Court’s decisions shape our country’s future. Decisions like Brown v Board of Education, or Obergefell v Hodges have dramatically changed some laws and restrictions seem as derogatory and contrary to our “equalitarian” society. The question that many people pose however, is why some Supreme Court decisions implemented almost immediately, and others take a while to even gain some sense of traction. Expert opinions differ, but they all almost revolve around the idea that political inclination often determine implementation and respect of laws. Others say resistance to Supreme Court decisions stem from the parties involved and their interests. Needless to say, almost every theory and opinion in this case bear some truth.

In the article “The End of Men,” Hanna Rosin offers several examples of women overpowering men. The inequality between men and women has become a critical issue in today’s society. According to Rosin, women are slowly surging ahead in the workforce and family life while men are left behind struggling to meet expectations. Rosin argues that this role reversal is taking place because women are simply better suited for postindustrial society.

Victimless crimes, the illegal act(s) that involves consenting adults and lacks a complaining participant, have been the topic of heated debate for some time now (Kendall, 2014). This debate centers primarily on the question as to whether these acts should be crimes at all. The arguments take several forms. One of the controversies involves the importance of personal freedom versus society’s idea to uphold moral standards. A second issue addresses the problem of the conception of harm. People who stand on this side on this side of the argument raise questions as to whether victimless crimes are harmful not only to the participants but to others in society as well. More importantly, they ask whether such acts result in negative

“In a Dark time” by Theodore Roethke gives a retrospect into the inner turmoil’s of finding oneself through a haze of doubts in till reaching a moment of clarity. Each section of the poem describes a different emotion, or inner thought that spirals from fear of death, to emotions of desire. The use of imagery between nature and uncertainties of the narrator give a glimpse into Roethke’s own mind during the time he wrote this poem. Without hundreds of pages Roethke created a poem that connects readers to their own self-doubts and struggles of finding ones way again.