I feel that this article did not give Brave New World justice. Many of the important details in the story that could have helped the author’s argument were not used. Although she did not use some of the important details, Margaret Atwood did a good job in showing how soma, the drug used in the book, and drugs now days is related. For example, soma is a drug that makes everyone happy. Today’s drug that is used to make people “happy” is marijuana. Soma in a way relates to the drugs nowadays because they also bring an instant bliss with no side effects (Atwood). I think Atwood goes into too much detail when she is describing the utopia. I feel that she could have focused more on other qualities in Brave New World. I also don’t like how she compares the story to later times than the story was written. Atwood relates the story to the Victorians and Plato. This story should be centered on how the story is related to the present times. At the end of the article, she says that humans today wish to be as careless as the gods, lying around on Olympus, eternally beautiful, and having sex (Atwood). I do not feel that this is the case for many people today. I feel that people wish to spend their time relaxing but not as careless as the gods. I believe that Brave New World does have some qualities that are in today’s world but I feel that Margaret Atwood left out many of the important details used in the story.

Do Violent Video Games Promote Violence?

I believe that violent video games promote violence in children. It allows them to believe that violence is acceptable. If these children were to have poor parenting, then the children would think that this kind of behavior was okay. Violent video games that state on the package that they are for mature audiences only, then that wish should be respected and parents should not buy those games for children. Video games now are more detailed and show the gamer graphic details of the murder of people compared to in the 1980s where games did not have good graphics.
In the article, the people stated that violence in video games and violence in behavior are unrelated. I feel these people are wrong because violent video games “enhance the learning of violent behaviors” (“Do Violent”). These games promote aggression rather than making the gamer feel that violence should be punished. Although I feel that violent video games promote violence, I don’t feel that it is the cause of school shootings. Poor parenting has a huge influence on youth violence. If a child is not taught what is right and what is wrong then they are more likely to take part in violence.
Some players of violence video games may know the difference between fantasy violence, but others may not. The article states that young children without a framework for ethical decision-making may mimic the actions they see on the games (“Do Violent”). Along with violent video games, I would not allow my child to watch R rated movies. These types of media that are viewed by children can show them that this behavior is acceptable.

The Hunger Artist in Kafka’s life

The Hunger Artist is a story about a man who starves himself for the attention of others. The man travels from city to city and fasts for a period of time. He believes he can last a longer period of time without eating, but he is forced to quit by his manager. The Hunger artist “feeds” on others attention and spends his time trying to get others to notice him. Kafka uses many symbols in this story and many of the items portrayed in this story have a meaningful purpose.
I think that this story is related to Kafka’s life in many ways. Kafka did not have a good relationship with his parents. I think this relates to the main character in the story because the man feels neglected and just wants to be accepted just like Kafka in regards to his parents. Kafka did not have a good relationship with his father especially and it reflected in his writing. Maybe that is why he wrote about such different topics. Many of the topics that Kafka wrote about had to do with death. This may reflect on how unhappy Kafka was in real life.

Neddy Light

The first reference of drinking used in the story is when the story first starts. On page 99, the author writes that the characters in the story “drank too much.” He continues on this page saying that Neddy sat around a pool with a glass of gin. On page 101, Mrs. Graham offers Neddy a drink. Continued on page 101, the author states that the women were drinking. On page 102, a reference is made in the story as “as cold as gin.” Drinking is very important to this story because it is part of the character’s lifestyle. They spend their lives partying and drinking. 

The pools represent the different times in Neddy’s life. As Neddy continues to swim, his journey becomes harder and its harder for him to get out of the pool. This resembles how his life is becoming more difficult as he is aging. The storm in the story represents trouble. As Neddy starts his journey, he is faced with trouble. The storm foreshadows that Neddy has a troubled life. He lost his family and his home. As the story ends, Neddy finally comes to term with reality and realizes that what his neighbors had said were actually the truth. 

Concealed Carry

The article is about the controversy of carrying concealed weapons. Proponents feel that it will reduce crime and we should have the rights that are stated in the constitution. Opponents feel that guns are not an effective way of self-defense. I feel that adults should have the rights to carry their own weapons. People that carry guns are more likely to be able to defend themselves if they were involved in a harmful situation. Also, off duty police officers will be capable of fighting crime if they were allowed to carry a handgun.
Adults should be able to carry fire arms because they will be able to defend themselves if someone were to pull a gun on them in a harmful situation. They will have the capability of defending themselves rather than being unarmed. According to the article, laws have reduced homicides, rapes, and robberies significantly. If firearms were allowed many of the crimes would have been prevented.
I feel that the “shall-issue” laws are an effective way of a happy-medium with states that don’t allow firearms. These laws state that the owners of guns cannot have a prior felony or any other related convictions. These laws will still ensure safety for people who don’t carry guns. The article states that criminals carry guns regardless if they are legal or not, but we should be allowed the same advantages in protecting ourselves. We should be allowed the protection because not everyone has a body-guard that can protect them from lunatics.

Minimum Wage Article

This article explains the controversy between whether people should receive minimum wage. Proponents feel that everyone who puts in a day full of work should receive their daily pay. Opponents say that many employees that receive minimum wage, most likely are supported by a spouse or parent. I feel that every worker should receive their daily pay no matter what. Companies shouldn’t have the authority to choose whether or not someone gets fully paid based on the fact if they live with someone else. In my opinion, they are being stereotypical and they don’t know the family’s expenses. Some workers are single parents and live pay check to pay check to pay for everyday necessities. According to the article, a person working standard hours only receives $15,080 a year when expenses are higher now than they used to be. The cost of living is far more expensive than it was in the past. Due to this fact, people should be required to receive full pay or a higher wage. Now a days, teenagers get jobs a lot earlier than they used to because their parents can no longer support them. I don’t think that pay should be determined if you live with a parent or not because some parents don’t help out their children when it comes to expenses. Minimum wage should be increased and companies need to stop being so conservative of their money.

This article involving the controversy of art in schools is very repetitive. The author of the article uses the same examples but just changes the wording around to make the fact seem new. Although the article is very repetitive, I felt like the author really got his point across. It really opened my eyes to the fact the art is really important in child development. Art is really important and can help children in the future. Art gives the opportunity for a child to start brain development and help a child’s imagination. I know as a child art and cartoons are what made me what I am today.  Without state funding of art, many schools will face more problems of learning disabilities and lack of proper child development. I think funding should be required so a child has an opportunity to take their learning to its full potential.