Hamlet Essay

The search for justice causes one to act blindly through anger, rather than through reason. Everyday we are confronted with a problem that requires us to make a decision. In most cases, the decisions are made without much thought, and therefore result to catastrophic consequences. In the play, Hamlet, William Shakespeare creates an elegant hero, which our modern society can relate to the individual as a deterioration of human character. Disillusionment, depression, and despair are the burning emotions churning in Hamlet’s soul as he attempts to come to terms with his father’s death and his mother’s incestuous marriage. Unquestionably, there are many elements that compile a tragedy, which consist of everything from the murderous villain to the fallen hero. However, for a play to encompass a tragic hero, there must be a few essential components within the hero. Most importantly, the main character must be of noble birth, acquire heroic attributes, and possess a moral flaw, which leads to his own demise. Furthermore, the hero must be placed in a position beyond his control but have the ability to choose his own destiny by acting pertinently. Therefore, it is evident that Hamlet demonstrates characteristics of a tragic hero when confronting his dilemma to gain revenge upon his father’s death, however, it ultimately leads to his own demise. Our Online writing service will help you to write the research paper on Hamlet’s dilemma Read more…

Essay on “Should the Elderly Receive Free Bus Rides”

I had the privilege of growing up with all four of my grandparents alive and involved in my life. This provided me with firsthand exposure to the challenges facing our elderly. These changes were physical, emotional, and psychological. We frequently hear discussions regarding society not taking good enough care of the elderly. Based on what I saw in my grandparents and their struggles, I think that providing seniors with free public transportation would be a good place to restart the process of providing them with the dignified care they deserve.

The most basic premise we should work with when considering how to help the elderly best is to insure that they are not “shut-ins“. Once they are out and about they feel like they are living and look forward to life’s experiences. How do we get them out? Elderly people tend to be concerned about spending money and, since they generally do not drive, the cost of riding the bus could really deter them from going out. Providing seniors with free public transportation could actually entice them to go out and be more active.

A second reason for providing free transportation to the elderly is the fact that many seniors have minimal incomes and simply cannot afford to pay for transportation. There is an assumption that seniors have pensions and savings accounts which provide them with all their needs, but this is simply not the case. Many seniors who have worked all their lives do not retire with significant funds. We owe it to them to “treat” them to these rides to ease their financial burden after their decades of hard work and paying taxes.

I wish my grandparents were still alive so I could honor them and pay them back for all they did for me and my family. We should all rally around today’s seniors and ease their burden by providing them with free public transportation.

Essay on “Should the Same Laws Which Prohibit the Sale and Consumption of Heroin Be Applied to Tobacco?”

The regulation or outright banning of tobacco and tobacco products is one of the most emotive public policy issues facing the American society today. There is an overall agreement over the banning of the sale and consumption of heroin. In fact, all states have made the use and sale of heroin illegal. While heroin is federally controlled and banned from public use, the banning of tobacco continues to be an elusive matter especially for Congress.

One factor to take into consideration is the effect that both heroin and the nicotine in tobacco have on an individual. Proctor (2012) points out that studies by the American Heart Foundation reveal that although tobacco consumption has less dramatic effects compared to heroin, the addictive strength is equally potent. Nicotine, like heroin, stimulates negative biological and chemical changes in the brain. The similarity in the psychoactive and health effects of both substances provides adequate reasons for the legislators to create heroin-esque laws that ban the manufacture and distribution of tobacco products.

Applying heroin laws to ban tobacco use would have the desired effect of jolting people into realizing the severity of the substance (Chapman, 2007). A complete ban on the consumption and sale of tobacco will create the notion that the consequences of using tobacco are as severe as using illegal and lethal drugs such as heroin. Through stringent controls, users can attain the necessary ability to resist temptations associated with tobacco use. Laws that prohibit the use and sale of these products will deter people from the need to smoke, especially among the young people.

However, imposing a total ban on the sale and use of tobacco would be impossible from the political point of view. Most states have banned smoking in public places and increased taxes on tobacco products; nevertheless, a total ban would be highly contentious. There are up to 50 million smokers in the United States and up to 125 million voters. Parties or candidates that support a complete ban of tobacco may lose potential voters. Some tobacco manufacturing firms have also ganged up to scuttle any legislation that would affect their sales (Golden, Peterson & McCay).

Applying heroin laws to curb tobacco use is beneficial to the health of the general populace despite its laborious enactment. The resulting effect would be a generation that is conscious of the effects of tobacco and how to resist its consumption. Legislators should take steps in enforcing stringent measures to regulate the accessibility of tobacco products.

References

Chapman, S. (2007). Public Health Advocacy and Tobacco Control: Making Smoking History. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Golden, N.R., Peterson, L. F. & McCay, W. (2009). The Truth About Smoking. New York: Infobase Publishing.
Proctor., N.R. (2012). Golden Holocaust: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition. California: University of California Press.

Essay on “Should Students Have to Pass a Basic Skills Test to Graduate High School?”

The high schools in the USA do not follow a common curriculum. This anomalous situation is giving scope for disparities in the educational standards among the students who apparently possess the same qualifications. It will be difficult to know the level of skills of the students coming from different schools without a common test.

However, there are strong opinions for and against this test. The supporters argue that the learning of basic skills is in the best interest of the students themselves. They strongly feel that the acquisition of these skills will help the students to be successful in their future careers. They further opine that the test will motivate the students to learn the skills.

They believe that the mandating of the skills test would force the schools to train their students to achieve these skills. In other words, this will lead to the standardization of education without disparities in the levels of knowledge of the students supposedly possessing the same qualifications. The supporters maintain that the test helps the individual school managements to assess their own performance and will make them refine their teaching and curriculum.

The opponents of this view hold that the test cannot be an accurate tool for evaluation. On the contrary, it would adversely impact the education standards as the teachers will focus more on training their students to get through the test than on guiding them for their overall intellectual development.

Against this background, it may be concluded that the skills test is an effective tool to assess the standards. Together with the mandating of the test, steps should also be taken to ensure the improvement of the quality of teaching at schools. The overall standards thus improved will reduce the need for the special preparation to pass the basic skills test. In fact, the skills test is going to be an opportunity to improve the standards; not a threat as feared by the critics.

What, in your opinion, are some of the reasons for the unusually high rate of crime in the U.S. essay

Today, America worries about increased cases of crime and rampant usage of guns. The problem worsens by the ease of acquiring a licensed firearm in the USA. The licensing of firearms helps curb rampant gun violence, but it does not help eliminate the vice. In other societies, the use and carrying of firearms is reserved for the disciplined forces. This makes hard to acquire or even carry a concealed weapon. The human being is inherently capable of acting out of extreme emotions and may act impulsively in some cases. One can only imagine the repercussions in case the person in question has a firearm. Crime in America today has become a part of the social setting and the Americans have to live with everyday news of crimes of a different nature in different states.

The gang culture is one of the leading reasons of high crime rates in the United States today. Neighborhood gangs have literally run the informal wing of government ever since the citizens obtained the right to own and use firearms. The gang related incidences lead to attacks, counter attacks, and revenge killings. Gangs also run other forms of crime, including drug and human trafficking aside from extortion and firearm trading (Soares & Naritomi, 2007, p. 8). The presence of a rampant use of drugs has fuelled drug peddling to an unheralded level. Gangs have the manpower, knowhow, firearms, and logistical expertise to engage in drug trafficking successfully. The situation worsens by the fact that drug lords work in collusion with enforcement authorities in some cases. This becomes harder to enforce the law because enforcement authorities at times meddle with investigations when they have vested interests (Soares & Naritomi, 2007, p. 15).

Another reason for high crime rates in the United States derives from the youth who graduate from school and get no jobs. This is especially so among those who do not attain the grades that guarantee them a college placement (Soares & Naritomi, 2007, p. 18). Desperation and penury push them to the wall, and they opt to engage in such criminal activities as drug trafficking and the arms trade. In this regard, it is necessary to revamp the education system and align it with the job market in order to prevent further crime spread because of joblessness among the youth (Soares & Naritomi, 2007, p. 22).

In conclusion, an increased crime rate in the USA links to factors like gang culture, joblessness among the youths, ease of firearm licensing, and collusion of drug lords with police. These are just some of the reasons that contribute to high crime rate levels in America. Therefore, it is ideal for government officials and authorities to curb this menace to reduce the number of killings faced by poor people in slums.

Reference
Soares, R & Naritomi, J. (2007). Understanding High Crime Rates in America: The Role of Social and Policy Factors. Scholarly Resources, Wilmington.

Should college athletes be paid for playing?

The field of college athletics has undergone various transformations which have affected the lives of the athletes in different ways. One of the transformations that led to widespread controversy was the introduction of policies by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to deny remuneration to college athletes. According to Roger, these NCAA policies made college athletics the only field in the U.S.A that does not pay its key revenue producers (2010). From a legal and economic point of view, the NCAA was not justified to restrict the compensation of college athletes, and hence these students are entitled to payment.

According to McCormick and McCormick, the NCAA refers to these athletes as “student athletes” leading to significant legal implications (2006). This term signifies that they are amateurs who should not expect any form of reward after they participate in sports activities. However, the reality is that these students are employees under the National Labour Relations Act (NLRA) because they meet the common law and statutory requirements for employees (McCormick & McCormick, 2006). Therefore, these athletes are entitled to benefits that are legally associated with being an employee including salaries and wages.

From an economic point of view, the field of college athletics generates millions of dollars each year, but most of the athletes live below the poverty line. This field has been highly commercialised with the NCAA providing the media with programming material for profits, yet they insist that the revenue earners are amateurs (Roger, 2010). Moreover, the generated revenues benefit only the NCAA and the associated institutions. The comparison between the amount of capital arising from college sports activities and the economic status of these athletes is an example of exploitation (Roger, 2010).

The NCAA decision to deny college athletes payment is not justifiable. This is because these students meet the legal requirements of employees under the NLRA and hence they should be compensated for their services. Moreover, these athletes should not be referred to as amateurs because the NCAA has commercialised this industry for profits hence they should be paid (Roger, 2010).