Thoughtfully selected books make wonderful gifts that can be enjoyed time after time and shared with family and friends. Contenders for 2015 book awards are ideal choices. This year’s winners and finalists include excellent selections for the fiction lover. Among them is the recipient of the Man Booker Prize, A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James. Inspired by the 1976 invasion of the home of singer Bob Marley, James creates multiple voices to give life to a forceful novel that delves into a volatile time in Jamaica’s postcolonial history, one with a long shadow of evil.…
Nicholas Ulshafer US History 10/8/2014 Stolen in Chaos: An Essay in Response to The Unredeemed Captive – A Family Story by John Demos The story took place during the war between the English and French known as the Queen Anne’s War in New England, 1704.…
Jack Eller Ms. Roemer Aice – General Paper 17 September 2014 Anthem Essay Test Aside from very rare exceptions, in the society portrayed in the book “Anthem”, citizens show little to no opposition to the government that overrules them. They show no curiosity, greed, or need for self-motivation; they complete tasks given to them for their entire lives, without questioning themselves or what they are told.…
There are always two sides to an argument, but different people have different opinions on which side is right and wrong; as a result, we can compare a debate or argument as of a coin, due to the fact that it has two sides. When it comes to the topic of judicial system in America, most of us will readily agree that it needs to be reformed. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of who will step forward and make changes to the court system. Whereas some are convinced that no one is going to do anything about it, others maintain that the government will be the savior by making the changes. In the introduction of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice And Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson -an American lawyer, social justice activist,…
Summary Just Mercy is a book written by Bryan Stevenson. The book tells stories of justice and redemption in America. People are often wrongly-convicted; some spend years in jail while others get put on death row for crimes they did not commit. People on death row usually are given lawyers that do not care about proving them innocent. The American justice system’s unfairness has affected many people, especially those whom are part of the African-American society as well as high poverty areas.…
Bryan Stevenson, an established lawyer with a degree from Harvard Law School and an author of his own personal memoir titled Just Mercy, constantly battles the problems within the criminal justice system. In Stevenson’s memoir, he makes multiple arguments about the unfairness and the need for change within the criminal justice system. One such argument is that of individuals with mental health problems not being properly diagnosed during their trials, therefore receiving lengthy prison sentences such as life in prison. In order to convey his message about the neglect of the mentally ill in American prisons, Stevenson uses numbers, as well as stories that pull at the heartstrings of his readers. Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson’s memoir was written…
Mark Tranvik does an amazing job in translating Martin Luther's treatise: The Freedom of a Christian, where Luther contrasts countless religious components - the body (the inner person) and soul (the other person), and faith and works, - these subjects Luther's uses as an attempt to strengthen and return the Christian faith to its true origin. He argues that works have no effect in obtaining righteousness or salvation, instead it is a natural product of humanity. Instead, acknowledging that salvation is and righteousness is solely attainable through faith, which is the only true way humans can reconcile with God. For all rulers, nobles, Roman Catholic officials - all Christians alike- are held to the same standards of spirituality and faith. Luther is successful in his argument of faith over bodies of work to obtain salvation, when he draws support from scripture and historical context of that time.…
No Apparent Distress is the coming-of-age story of Rachel Pearson as she navigates through her unexpected journey of coming to be a doctor. Originally Pearson planned on becoming a writer; however, in the summer of her last year of college, Pearson takes up a job at an abortion clinic. Little did she know that the stories of the women she would counsel would inspire her to become a medical professional. Through years of medical education and training, Pearson learns that there is more to being a doctor than she had ever imagined. Dr. Rachel Pearson grew to become the doctor she is today not only through education, but also through her relationships with her family, peers, and patients.…
Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson- Rumination Essay “All the tear were jamming themselves together and pushing their way out”. In the book Miracle’s…
The Beautiful Struggle, written by Tanashi Coates is a memoir published May 6, 2008. Coates’s memoir gives you some insight of the upbringing and maturation of his life. In general the memoir gives you an outlook of how Coates and his siblings were raised including the struggles Coates went through that ultimately created a beautiful future for himself. This memoir also portrays the life of a conscious black family growing up in the 80s. Coates’s blunt style of writing expresses the authenticity of the narrative being told.…
Throughout the article, “God,” Simon Blackburn gives different insights that may seem logical to a person limited to a self-seeking mindset. Therefore, I will be making the argument that Blackburn is incorrect when claiming that, due to the existence of evil, there must not be an all-powerful God whom doesn’t care. Through his piece “God” Blackburn addresses various different cases through famous philosophers and theologians, namely Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Cleathnes. He firmly disagrees with these three scholars in their belief of the existence of God.…
Father Comes Home from the Wars, Suzan-Lori Parks Suzan-Lori Parks created a character that had the illusion of choice. She showed how Hero’s perception of having control of his destiny undid his relationships. The costumes of this production propelled this show into modern day and made commentary on how systemic racism may still be inhibiting the freedoms of African Americans. This play forces the audience to reconcile with the past sins, and then points out the ways society still discriminates against people of color.…
The black experience is a factor of life that every African-American person has to endure. Ta-Nehisi Coates, the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle, is one of those African-Americans. As a child, he mentions the moments in his life where the black experience was prominent. As long as an individual is black, they will encounter parts of the black experience.…
He ignores rules to save lives, despite the danger that he may face. This is evident when Charlie poaches off the Colonel’s land. While this may seem like something he did just to be rebellious, it was actually because “there was no money” and they “were becoming very hungry.” This highlights how Charlie was prepared to do whatever it took to make sure his family had food. He would do anything to help his family survive because he cares about his family, and wants to make sure they don't die.…
In “Interpreting the Sacred,” William E. Paden does not answer the what is religion question, in fact he does the opposite. Paden challenges the reader to ask why IS religion and to question how one can even define religion. It was an interesting read that discussed the difficulties in studying religion, and the challenges we all face with religion in our everyday lives. Paden poses the idea that our individual worldviews and lives shape religion, not just in the sense of how we ourselves interpret our own religions, but also how we define religion, culture, and society. Chapter 1 discusses the lens that we all view religion through.…