On Overgrown Paths

History can be defined as an account of man’s progress: From hunter-gatherers to pioneers of industry, man has evolved from surviving to thriving. Success came to those who used; use the spear to live, use the plow to feed, and use the cage to contain. One could credit the survival of man to our capacity to use. No longer is progress defined by how we survive, but rather how much profit we can produce, how many amenities we can create, and how many unnecessary ‘necessities ' we can mass produce.…

smokers who have accomplished nothing with their lives. This is very disheartening when you think of how these people are supposed to be the leaders of the future. Though there are many reasons why this dramatic change has occurred but there are three paths that seem to cause this behavior the most. Young adults seem to be at the point of adulthood because a lack interaction with their parents, the cost of living has increased, and the system has been built to keep them oppressed. Until the…

In the beginning of the novel, the harshness of Puritan justice is connoted through the nature surrounding the prison door: Hawthorne uses organicism to reflect the convoluted nature of Puritan justice as the “grass-plot, much overgrown with burdock, pig-weed, apple-peru, and such unsightly vegetation” grows in front of the prison door (36). Yet, on the other side, there is also a “wild rose-bush, covered . . . with its delicate gems” representative of “some sweet moral blossom”…

described to have argued to keep the tree standing and alive, but only for her voice to fall upon deaf ears. Meridian describes, after Wild Child’s death was not given the proper respect needed, that “[the] night, after The Wild Child was buried in an overgrown corner of a local black cemetery, students… rioted on Saxon campus for the first time… and the only thing they managed to destroy was The Sojourner” (39). Ironically, previously they had all fought to protect that tree from the…

vibrant like a painter’s canvas. As winter neared once again, the leaves formed a thick carpet covering the forest floor. The bare trees looked menacing, and the wind turned crisp and cool. Whenever I felt sad I would tramp through the narrow, spindly path and make my way to the center of the woods where I would sit, think, play or just be alone. In the woods nothing bothered me. I felt at peace. Whatever was tough in my life could not get to me when I was in the woods. I could be whomever I…

noise came from crickets, their chorus measurably increased near a clump of bushes. That direction felt... right. So she advanced slowly. Seeking empty spaces of deep blue in between the grey blackness of the trees, her hands cautiously secured a safe path - nevertheless, she deliberately dragged out each step. Suddenly she tripped and fell hard. Swallowing a scream with a painful gulp, she felt the shock of the fear clasp frozen fingers tightly around her heart, which forgot to beat when the…

For as long as time itself men have lived and died for Honor. Men have been elevated to Knighthood or left in squalor for an act or breach of Honor respectively. In the story “Barn Burning,” by William Faulkner (1897-1962) describes this very battle between a man and his son. The honor of the family versus the honor of one’s self. The story takes place in Yoknapatawpha, an imaginary county in Mississippi. In this county like most across America there are a couple family names that hold a lot of…

Learning Check Question 1 The culture and industry of the United States health care system are harmful to its citizen’s wellness and health due to: special interest groups influence and disregard of human life for profits; lack of affordable health care; and cultural and environmental factors. First, as depicted in the movie, “Obama’s Deal”, there is a blatant lack of consideration and compassion for the pubic on the part of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies (Frontline, 2010). The…

“Okay, so, who wants to try to go to the summit tonight?” James took a glance around. He was holding the fire stick that had been at the campsite since last summer, his tall, lean figure tilting forward into it. His pale skin gleamed with sweat from building the fire as his eyes took in all the raised hands from beneath his darkened glasses—the pair my best friend Phoebe and I always made fun of him for looking so geeky in—which he denied were actually Transitions. James and I had become fast…

blend of ideas, ideals, and circumstances, so too is the overall essence of what makes a human, human. Anthropologists have dedicated their lives to the attempt of understanding just a fraction of what composes the human race of today, as well as the path traveled to reach this point. Much of today’s anthropological achievements can be seen by looking at the fields of archeology and linguistic anthropology,…