The, One About A Dangerous Cult By Chuck Palahniuk

Wes Moore the author says, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.” In my opinion, I agree with Wes Moore the authors’ statement; there were several times throughout the lives of both the successful Wes Moore and the other Wes Moore that went to prison could have impacted either one of them to go down the opposite path that they originally took.

Documentaries are usually boring, just spitting facts at the viewers. Not Michael Moore’s “Bowling For Columbine,” this film was very different from any other documentary. It was not simply facts, instead Moore took a different approach to get the attention of the less informed. Learning a lot throughout the film, it would be a great recommendation for anyone looking to learn about the gun accessibility and violence within America.

At the highest level, the division that persists in most democracies transforms into conflict over power. In these situations, there is a constant struggle over popularity and legitimacy, both of which are necessary components for power accumulation and consolidation. As a result, severe issues arise when either or both of them no longer lie in the hands of elected officials. A prime example of this was Germany during the Great Depression, where the democratically elected government collapsed because of economic crises. While they were losing power and popularity, Hitler was rapidly gaining on them. After going through several other candidates, the political elites were desperate for change, so they resorted to elevating him to the position of chancellor. They believed they could control and use him to regain a political foothold over the nation. Although such an event did not ensue, it revealed that, “If a charismatic outsider emerges on the scene, gaining popularity as he challenges the old order, it is tempting for establishment politicians who feel their control is unraveling to try to co-opt him” (Levitsky and Ziblatt 15). This was the final nail on their democracy’s coffin. By supporting an extremist like Hitler, the elites gambled away the future of Germany. They thought that

Power in politics is a person who has the ability to influence a person in terms of their behaviour; however they possess no right to - unlike authority. There are many ways in which a person can influence another’s behaviour; one such example is through coercion. Coercion refers to the use of violence or threats in order to influence someone. [Jones and Norton, 2011]

Nations all around the world are still healing from the wounds of twentieth century totalitarianism, yet more seems to be on the horizon. In his 1984 magnum opus, George Orwell warns future generations of the many dangers of allowing government, or the powerful few, from being the chiefs of law expression and history using the eerie, all-powerful dystopian Party. Unfortunately, it is a warning few have truly heeded in the past half century. Resulting from a lack of written laws, the Party may prosecute its citizens relentlessly and without reason. Moreover, the Party maintains an iron grip on all published information, ensuring a death hold on all free expression and education. Yet, above all, the Party controls history; it rewrites, revises and republishes the past to secure their totalitarian future. In spite of these warnings, the decades following the publication of this novel saw nations continue on the

Historically religion has usually been a large part of civilizations, states, nations, and cultures. In Poland the case is no different; religion has been engraved in the culture and history of Polish people. Since the introduction of Catholicism In Poland has grown largely and more homogenously Catholic. It can be argued that this was manufactured at the end of the Second World War; through the holocaust and forced migrations by the Soviet Union. The significance of Poland’s strong ties to the Catholic Church is that the church plays a large role in the structure of polish society. The Catholic Church has served as a protector and promoter of polish culture during the times Poland vanished off the map, to the struggles for democracy. As Poland fought to rid them of Soviet influence and become a free democratic society with free elections that Catholic Church played a key role in helping the fall of communism in Poland. However from an alternative angle it can be said that art a music movements were also a key fundamental influence in the fall of communism in Poland. Although entirely opposite, both artistic expression and religion were two institutions of culture that both played significant roles in Poland’s rise to freedom. However it is clear from the work of many musicians, poets and

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.

Kurt Vonnegut followed many principles in his writings. He claimed that “people do not realize that they are happy” (PBS NOW Transcript). Feeling that people had the wrong view on war, he felt that he needed to get the facts straight. Vonnegut believed that art can come from awful situations, and that the truth is not always easy to look at. Kurt Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse – Five to tell of his experience in the bombing of Dresden, as a prisoner in war and the atrocities that occurred.

In the novel "American Psycho" written by Bret Easton Ellis, Patrick Bateman 's use of violence and his wealth are exemplified in scenes involving the murder of his ex-girlfriend Bethany. As well as appealing to the idea to maintain an upscale image by any means such as purchasing expensive merchandise and taking the initiative to attend upscale restaurants. His actions with the implications of those elements reveal the consumptions of status and privilege. The detailed narration of Bateman 's intense violent acts and purchases of expensive products creates imaginary and conflict for readers to accept the appearance he is trying to come across to his associates and the general public. This may result in readers rejecting his character and concluding that he is worthy of the position in society, he desires to achieve or deserving of it. This plays a significant part in how to read this novel because it demonstrates the obsession of acknowledgment and the measurements individuals are prepared to grasp it. The only sense of acknowledgment Bateman receives from the other characters in the novel is his tan instead of his presence or success. Experiencing treatment like this can possibly help the audience understand his motives for preying on women. Feeding off the vulnerability and the weakness of women provides him with the confidence and authority that he lacks. Overall, the consumption of seeking prestige and praise through aggressive behavior towards powerless people

He never really approved of technology which led him to live out in the middle of the woods on property he bought from the help of his family. On this property is where he made homemade pipe bombs. Contained in the pipe bombs, Kaczynski handcrafted parts of wood to make his bombs and added razor blades for more of a lethal appeal. If he was mailing his bombs, one of his actions to get investigators distracted was leaving red herrings. For part of his behavior, he sent the bombs to universities, computer shops, and airlines mainly. Sometimes Kaczynski transported the bombs himself to houses he thought that were plotting against him. The more attention the better, the more lethalness that the bomb contained, the better. Anything that led investigators away from Kaczynski was always his plan. In some ways, investigators sometimes thought that person behind all these terrorist acts were one step ahead of them.

In the novella The Body, author Stephen King makes an attempt to explain a story about losing innocence, only to be replaced by maturity and the corruption that comes with it. To do so, King revolves a story around a group of four boys who go on a life changing journey to find a dead body they heard about through the grape vine. Little did they know that pursuing this journey would eventually change them for the worse. In its entirety, the crux of the novella was to show how the experience of meeting death hands-on will pivot a person’s life and will either lead them onto a slippery slope or mold them in to a man soon to be. More specifically, King reinforces this theme beautifully by using light imagery during the

For centuries, man has dreamt of constructing pristine simulated worlds , existing in a separate sphere from our imperfect reality. From the town of Pullman, a company town south of Chicago to Disney World, attempts to force Utopia have failed, falling prey to the complications of people’s personal desires. The Truman Show, directed by Peter Weir, tells us the story of The Truman Show, an elaborate reality show built around the control of one man’s life. Christof, the director, has created an entire living city for Truman, the star of his show, and the only one not in on this whole elaborate fakery. Essentially, Truman is living his life in the simulation of a flawless, archetypal American town, for the entertainment of millions of viewers around the world. Christof, along with countless others obsessed with the idea of controlling part of the world to fit their visions of an ideal reality, have deluded themselves into thinking fictional utopias can exist apart from the undeniable constraints of reality. Their fundamental flaw lies in relying on the assumptions of psychological behaviorism, and the belief that they could perfectly condition the behavior of the inhabitants follow the goals of the community.

Michael Moore suggests that the Unites States has a high level of gun homicide due to the “culture of fear.” In class, we discussed another factor of the high level of gun violence was due to the high rates of racism in the United States. I believe Michael Moore presented a good argument because crime rates have been decreasing each year. In the film, Bowling for Columbine, Moore explains that mainstream news network has increase the report of crimes about six hundred percent. Moore compares two countries, the United States and Canada to dismissed the hypothesis that the more citizens of a country own guns the higher the gun homicide. He uses the gun ownership in Canada as a control variable. He is comparing to control his results. He uses

Looking back on Ted Kaczynski life, one have to wonder when did his behavior changes.

In the movie, the Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, we see many examples of the challenges of intercultural translations. The movie portrays cultural conflict between Chinese culture and the American culture as portrayed by the lives of four mothers and their daughters. The mothers were born and raised in China, adopting the high-content Chinese culture, while their daughters, born and raised in America, adopted the low-context American