The Topic Of Spanking Children

The Topic Of Spanking Children One day last summer, I hung out with my friends Elizabeth and Kisha. Elizabeth is a young mother with a 3-year-old son named Raine. Elizabeth did not know how to control her son; on that day, the three of us went to a strip mall to shop for clothes, and Raine was with us. While we were shopping, Raine wandered off many times from his mother, and she rarely told him anything. Then, he threw huge tantrums whenever he saw something he could not have. I bit my tongue so much that day because despite how I felt about his behavior, it was not my place to tell anyone else how to raise his or her children. He was very bratty; he made a scene in a convenience store we all walked into, becoming disobedient and defiant with Elizabeth and screaming at her. Still, I said nothing out of good taste. Finally, the topic of whether or not I would make a good father came up because I saw a couple with children who were behaving well; I enjoy children when they are well-behaved. I was making no attempt to attack Elizabeths parenting even though her son was horrible. I was merely conjecturing my own capabilities at parenthood. I could no longer bite my tongue. The girl with the out-of-control child, of all people, had the audacity to imply that I may not be a good parent. Before I realized it, I told her, Well at least my children will know how to conduct themselves in public and will not talk to me any kind of way. He is clearing acting up and disrespecting you, but you refuse to spank him. Because of this, Elizabeth and I do not talk much anymore. I suggested that she spank Raine. She obviously did not believe in spanking bad children. I thought it was very foolish of her to have this mindset because she never employed any other disciplinary technique that was successful in altering his behavior. She, along with others, believes that spanking is wrong. I do not think that it is absolutely right, but I do believe that the positive outweighs the negative; parents should be allowed to spank their children when it is necessary. There is an appropriate way for parents to do this without abusing their children. Though, it is not absolute, spanking can still be very effective. Children are not perfect beings who do not make mistakes. Children need to be taught respect and appropriate behavior. They need to know that there are consequences for not following the rules. What exactly is spanking? Kazdin and Benjet define spanking as the act of hitting a child with an open palm on the buttocks or the extremities (hands and legs) with the intent to discipline without leaving any bruises or injuries (Kazdin Benjet, 100). Larry Winget, a father and also the author of Your Kids are Your Own Fault: A Guide for Raising Responsible, Productive, Young Adults, agrees with this definition and believes that spanking should be used to alter undesirable behavior in children, not to hurt them (Winget, 88). What is discipline? Any attempt to change or control a childs behavior is discipline (Brown, 69). Discipline can be divided into two sub-categories: autonomy-granting techniques and restrictive techniques. Autonomy -granting techniques allow a child to correct his or her behavior on his or her own accord. These techniques are generally non-punitive and include lecturing and oral disapproval. U. Bronfenbrenner affirms that middle class parents tend to use these t echniques which include reasoning, isolation, and guilt (Brown, 68). Research shows that families with higher socioeconomic statuses (SESs) tend to have punishments that are very lenient in correcting misbehavior. Restrictive techniques force a child to alter his or her behavior by incentive: punishment (Brown, 68-9). And obviously, spanking is a form of punishment, and therefore is included with time-outs, grounding, privilege revocation, and all other restrictive techniques. Whether or not parents should be able to spank their children, and to what extent, is a very controversial debate. Like any debate, there are contenders of the idea. These contenders make some valid, however flawed, statements against spanking. One is that spanking instills fear into children, and children who will comply with the rules via spanking will not do so out of respect; they will succumb out of fear (Davis, 141). Another argument is that spanking is abusive and condones violence as an acceptable way to solve a problem (Davis, 143). These claims are true only when the spanking turns into abuse. Davis included a question from a parent answered by M. Senn, an opponent of spanking. He asked: Q: Should I hit my child back when he hits me? A: No, you should not. If you strike him back, you are teaching him that the only way to respond in anger is by physical blows, and it may turn into a fist fight (Davis, 141). There is so much wrong with this all together. For one, if a child is audacious enough to hit his own parents in a non-life-threatening scenario, the ones who conceived him, then he deserves to be punished. He or she should also realize that if he or she has enough moxie to hit anyone, parent or not, then he or she should be brave enough to get beat down if it escalates to something more serious. In others words, do not throw a punch if you cannot take one. A child is headed in the wrong direction if he or she thinks that he or she can be violent without suffering any consequences. And, one can certainly not hit a random person out on the streets and expect not to be retaliated against. We live in a society where skirmishes turn into bloodbaths because people think that they can handle them with their fists. Ideally, fighting is not the answer, but parents should certainly not condone abuse by their own children. That is crazy. And if parents have to spank their children to convey th at message to them, then I support it one hundred percent. Tibbetts affirms that spanking is but a single act among many that supports civilized behavior against the natural barbarism of the American brat (Davis, 144). Leaving children undisciplined is like leaving people to anarchy; it just will not work. There are many adults who lack the judgment and reasoning capabilities needed to function in society. And, children are still developing mentally and physically in order to be able to cope as adults. Why would one assume that children, non-adults, will be fine if left to their own devices? Opponents of spanking believe that it encourages the development of bad character in kids; children who do not want spankings become very deviant by lying to avoid them (Davis, 140). However, one parent with an 8-year-old named George chose not to spank him and found that it permitted George to be dishonest and defiant. The father saw an improvement in Georges behavior after he decided to span k him and noted that he only had to spank his son a few times by the time George turned thirteen (Davis, 137). Opponents argue that the people who support spanking are religious fundamentalists who base their reasons to justify it on the Bible, a book that some, depending on their own particular beliefs, view as unsubstantial (Davis, 139). Proverbs 13:24 reads that he who spares the rod does not love his child, and that he who loves his child will discipline him or her promptly. Despite how one may feel about Christianity and the Bible, the practicality and cogency of this statement cannot be disputed. Only a negligent parent and fool will let his or her children run amok and not discipline them. And, one final belief that opponents share is that spanking is addictive because of its easiness to execute and gives parents the satisfaction of getting out anger (Davis, 142). Spanking should not be about seeking a thrill, getting revenge, or relieving stress on behalf of the parent. It s hould be simply to discipline the child and nothing more. Anything else and spanking is at risk of becoming abuse. Kazdin and Benjet agree that spanking isnt necessarily positive nor negative, but can be depending on other conditions. Spanking is negative only when it becomes abuse. Physical abuse is punishment that is severe, excessive, and physically harmful and dangerous to the child. Physical abuse can involve the use of objects. It is also noted to be directed at parts of the body that are not included in the proper definition of spanking: the buttocks or extremities (Kazdin Benjet, 100). Slapping a child in the face is considered physical abuse. Punching a child is definitely a form of abuse. Allow us to examine the movie Mommie Dearest. The film told the story of Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of the late actress Joan Crawford. In the film, Christina and her brother were subjected to the harsh abuse and strictness of their mother. There was a scene in the movie when Joan was upset with Christina for hanging her own clothes with a wire hanger. Because of this, Joan beat Christina with the same wire hanger to teach her a lesson: do not hang your clothes with wire hangers. How preposterous does that sound? If that is not a clear image of physical abuse, then I do not know what is. There was no reasoning behind it. To say that the punishment was excessive would be an understatement; it was uncalled for, period. Joan Crawford must have had mental issues because responsible, mentally fit parents do not act this way. Another film depicting child abuse is Precious. The film depicted the life of a 16-year-old, African-American girl named Claireece Precious Jones who was obese, illiterate, and suffered severe forms of mental, physical, and sexual abuse from her parents. In one scene, Preciouss mother Mary attempted to hit her in the head with a cooking pot. This was because she thought Precious told an adult from her school to come to the house to discuss the benefits of education and alternative schooling with Mary in regards to Precious. Discussing education is a justifiable reason to try to give ones own child a concussion. The reality was that the adult came to Precious and Marys home of her own accord; Precious even warned the adult to not come because she knew Mary would react this way. In another scene, Mary forced Precious to eat a huge plate of pigs feet Precious made for Mary because it was not of her liking. She glared at Precious coldly, making sure that Precious ate every bit of it befo re she would make Precious cook dinner again, right this time. This was why Precious was morbidly obese. In yet another scene, Mary attacked Precious and her newborn when they finally came home after leaving the hospital. Mary did this because she was angry with Precious for coming clean to a social worker about the abuse she suffered. Mary was also jealous of Precious because Marys boyfriend (who was also Preciouss father) preferred to sleep with Precious and not her; both of Preciouss children, the newborn included, were products of rape from her father. In this scene, Mary waited for Precious to come home with the baby and asked Precious if she could hold him. Then, she told Precious to get her something to drink. While Preciouss back was turned, Mary tossed the baby to the ground and then threw a flower pot at the back of Preciouss head, causing it to shatter. She hurled more objects at Precious and cursed at her. She then charged at Precious, and a violent scuffle ensued. Lucki ly, Precious and her baby able to leave the apartment with minor injuries. Precious ran down the staircase with the baby and fell down; they both were miraculously fine. Fortunately, she moved herself and her child out of the way before a television came falling down the stair well from the floor of her mothers apartment; Mary, out of hate, tried to kill her own daughter and grandson. Although the Precious movie depicted an overly extreme case of physical abuse among other abuses, it defined it nonetheless. With that being said, proper spanking done from a responsible parent should never be mistaken for abuse. Spanking, when done properly, is actually a great tool for discipline. Studies show that 74% of American parents of children age seventeen and younger use spanking as a disciplinary technique while 94% of parents with children age three to four spank (Kazdin Benjet, 100). Spanking cannot be as bad as some people make it seem if virtually all parents do it. E.T. Gershoff concluded with an analysis of 88 studies that spanking had negative effects only when it was abusive (Kazdin Benjet, 100-01). Sweden passed a law in 1979 banning spanking to prevent child abuse. However, child abuse cases increased six-fold from 1981 to 1994 (Larzelere, 5). Spanking is not that issue that people should worry about; abuse is the issue. One father concurs that spanking prepares children for the real world; in the real world, people are punished for breaking the rules. He states, To have rules for behavior without the threat of physical punishment is like having laws without jails (Davis, 138). To the people who argue that spanking promotes fear in children, is fear really a bad thing? Is it not that same fear that prevents many children from getting in trouble in the first place? Is it not fear that scares adults from committing crimes that will otherwise put them in jail or prison? Is it not fear that promotes safety and good judgment in people anyway? People argue about deviant behavior to avoid punishment. If people, children included, are doing the right thing to begin with, then they should not have to worry about being punished. It is as simple as that. Let us consider the story of the little boy who burned himself after playing with the stove after his mother told him not to. She understood that the fire looked cool but advised him not to touch it because it will burn him. Out of his own defiance and curiosity, he touched the fire anyway and so forth. Analogously, spanking is the fire. He did not listen to his mother and had to suffer the consequences: being burnt. And ho pefully, he learned first-hand that fire burns and that he should not touch it if he does not want to get burnt again. Analogously, children should behave accordingly if they do not want any spankings. And, that is the practicality that makes spanking effective; it presents the child with an unfavorable outcome if he or she decides to be disobedient. Larry Winget agrees that children who are effectively and appropriately punished have more love and respect for their parents because their parents are showing that they care enough to correct potentially self-destructive behaviors in their children (Winget, 86); Janis Cambell believes that people tend to raise their children the way that their parents raised them (Cambell, 199). If this is true, then it is safe to say that Larry Winget respects and loves his parents, and they spanked him whenever it was necessary; he does the same to his children, and they love and respect him. Properly spanking a child when it is necessary can aid in ensuring that the child in question is not going down the wrong path and getting into trouble. Dianne is contemplating spanking her child. How does she go about it properly? Dr. Diana Braumrind states that Parents should first use verbal disciplinary reasoning to correct misbehavior. If that fails, then use non-physical punishments such as time-outs. If the problem persists, then use non-abusive spanking to correct the behavior (Larzelere, 4). Larry Wingets approach to discipline involves mak[ing] the punishment about the behavior and not about the person. With his experience as a father, he believes that parents should stress that they are spanking their children to alter their behavior, not because the children are bad people. He urges parents not to attack their childrens personalities (93). Doing so could potentially harm their mental developments. Winget continues by stating that parents need to make the punishment fit the crime (92). Do not spank a child if he or she forgets not to smack at the dinner table. Do not spank him when the both of you are at the grocery store and he asks for Skittles despite you telling him that you were not buying any candy prior to walking in. If you say no and he throws a massive tantrum and knocks items off the shelves, then spank him. Only spank a child when it is absolutely necessary. Winget affirms that anger is an appropriate response to [an] offense, and that a parent should wait to administer punishment because he or she may lose his or her temper and do something he or she may regret: seriously injuring the child (91, 92). Most of all, Winget stresses that a good parent will talk with his or her child so the child can have a better understanding of why he or she is being punished. Talking allows the parent to exercise judgment when listening to the child and figure out why the child did what he or she did so that the parent can determine how to punish the child. This can also help the parent to decide whether or not a spanking is even necessary (92-93). Good parents who spank their children are not the vicious , evil monsters that people believe them to be. The procedures mentioned by Braumrind and Winget show sympathy to the child. Although spanking can be a great means of discipline, it is not the most perfect method. No discipline is. However, it can be very effective. The first flaw with spanking is that it may not work on every child. Winget agrees that different kids require different punishments, and that spanking is an effective tool with some kids. Wingets son Tyler responded better to discussions and lectures while his other son Patrick responded better to being spanked (87; 88). The second imperfection with spanking is that its efficacy is subjected to severity and frequency (Kazdin Benjet, 100). Spanking loses its effectiveness when it is overused and is the only method of discipline, and it is very easy for parents to exhaust this method (Winget, 88). I can recall children from my childhood who were spanked almost everyday by their mothers and were still problematic. I remember these mothers spanking their kids and nothing else; they never asked them why did you do it? Rather, they found the neares t belt, or switch (long twig from a tree), or loafer and began whipping with the deepest frustration. In a study, Kazdin and Benjet found that occasional, mild spanking accompanied with other disciplinary techniques showed to be the most positive, effective form of punishment (101). One study states that parents from lower SESs tend to spank their children more while middle-class parents favored reasoning, isolation, guilt, and the threat of loss of love over spanking (Brown, 68). Researchers concluded that the parents of the lower SESs had higher levels of stress; stress is linked to physical abuse (Giles-Sims, Straus Sugarman, 171). However, M.L. Kahn did a study stating that working-class (lower SES) parents tended to spank when their childrens behavior was most extreme, but held back whenever they sensed that spanking was not the appropriate course of action (Brown, 68); These parents displayed good judgment while chastising their children. Though spanking is not the utmost, ab solute way of effective discipline, it can still be an effective tool when coupled with other methods and used with proper judgment. Despite all the benefits of spanking and the preponderance of parents who support it, society still frowns upon it. There are many people, doctors and others with merits, who consider proper, mild, non-abusive spanking still abuse. It has become a secretive thing for parents because of the taboo surrounding it despite it being legal; critics have been known to rebuff its legality by comparing it to cigarettes, saying that both are legal, harmful, and habitual (Davis, 142). This argument does not serve good parents who only seek to eliminate bad behavior any justice. Non-abusive spanking is not harmful, and the parents who are successful at correcting misbehavior do not have to spank frequently in order for it to become a habitual thing (Davis 137). With spanking becoming more, and more secretive, parents have been very conscious of how they discipline their children in public places. Parents who suffer the unfortunate circumstance of their children misbehaving in places like the groc ery store face a catch-22: being considered as unfit if they ignore it, or being viewed as abusive if they attempt to correct the misbehavior (Brown, 70). These parents worry about the nosy, meddlesome, old women who believe in all children being cherubs incapable of mischief. They worry about being scrutinized and ultimately reported to authorities for simply trying to raise children to the best of their abilities. Whenever a child is knowingly misbehaving the way children do from time to time, these old women tend to pardon it by saying, Oh, he is just being a kid. Dont punish him. But, whenever a child is extremely offensive, they have the temerity to question and challenge the parenting skills of the adult. Parents are embarrassed when their children act up in public and view it as an emergency situation because of three beliefs concerning parenthood in American society: that children turn out well with good parents, that contemporary parents are not as good as their predecessor s, and that there is no such thing as bad kids only bad parents (Brown, 70). Parents feel judged by these beliefs. With parents judgments conflicting with the mores, it is no wondering why there is so much controversy surrounding the right of parents to spank. While researching, I stumbled across some interesting facts. Studies show that fathers tend to spank their children more than mothers despite mothers being the main disciplinarians who also spend the most time with the children; mothers tend to yell at their children more (Cambell; 199, 202). I remember being spanked by my father more so than by my mom in my childhood. And I also remember her lecturing me more so than my father. Another fact is that younger parents are more likely to spank their children more than older parents (Giles-Sims, Straus Sugarman, 171). That caught my attention because I thought it would be the older group that favored spanking; the old people I grew up around where staunch advocates of spanking problematic children. Boys tend to be spanked more than girls (Giles-Sims, Straus Sugarman, 171). I can see this as being true because the boys I grew up with tended to misbehave more so than the girls. Parents who spank their children more than once often forget how many times they have had to so (Giles-Sims, Straus Sugarman, 171). Losing count is only expected for things that have been done with a sufficient amount of frequency. The final fact that I learned was that Caucasian parents are more likely to spank their children, despite other ethnic groups general acceptance it, particularly African-Americans (Giles-Sims, Straus Sugarman, 171). That, too, was interesting because I always thought Caucasians generally disagreed with spanking. There has been quite a handful of research done on spanking. The issue of spanking is one containing opposing view points. One side of the argument is in dissent about the issue, claiming that it is abuse while the other side supports it as an effective tool. Fact of the matter is, spanking definitely works and is very popular among American parents despite societal tendencies to discourage it. Ideally, if all children did not misbehave, then parents would not need to spank them. A mother in her right mind does not even want to think about spanking her child, let alone having to do it. It becomes a conflict for her because she will see her child misbehaving and know that she will have to spank him. I remember my own mother telling me that spanking will hurt her more than it will hurt me because I would eventually understand my wrong along with the consequences that entail. I would get over it; she, on the other hand, would bear the burden of her conscience because she would be placed in a position to where she would have to spank the child she loves so that he would learn to do better, not because she is angry. Non-abusive spanking should never become synonymous with abuse because abuse is detrimental; proper spanking is the opposite. Non-abusive spanking is not always the best solution, nor is it the only option to every crime committed by the child, but is very effective when done correctly; there is a proper way parents must go about executing it. And finally, there has been extensive research done on the topic. Parents should be allowed to spank their children so that they will become responsible adults with a great understanding of appropriate behavior to have in American society, or any society for that matter.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 34

Elena had once fallen off that balcony and Stefan had jumped and caught her before she could hit the ground. A human falling from that height would be dead on impact. A vampire in full possession of his or her reflexes would simply twist in the air like a cat and land lightly on their feet. But one in Damon's particular circumstances tonight†¦ From the sound of it, he had tried to twist, but had only ended up landing on his side and breaking bones. Elena deduced the latter from his cursing. She didn't wait to listen for more specifics. She was off like a rabbit, down to the level of Stefan's room – where instantaneously and almost unconsciously, she sent out a wordless plea – and then down the stairs. The cabin had turned completely into a perfect duplicate of the boardinghouse. Elena didn't know why, but instinctively she ran to the side of the house that Damon would know the least: the old servant's quarters. She got that far before she dared whispering things to the house, asking for them rather than demanding them, and praying that the house would obey her as it had obeyed Damon. â€Å"Aunt Judith's house,† she whispered, thrusting the key into a door – it went in like a hot knife into butter and turned almost of its own volition, and then suddenly she was there again, in what had been her home for sixteen years, up until her first death. She was in the hallway, with her little sister Margaret's open door showing her lying on the floor of her bedroom, staring with wide-open eyes over a coloring book. â€Å"It's tag, sweetie!† she announced as if ghosts appeared every day in the Gilbert household and Margaret was supposed to know how to deal with it. â€Å"You go running to your friend Barbara's and then she has to be It. Don't stop running until you get there, and then go see Barbara's mom. But first you give me three kisses.† And she lifted Margaret and hugged her tightly and then almost threw her at the door. â€Å"But Elena – you're back – â€Å" â€Å"I know, darling, and I promise to see you again another day. But now – run, baby – â€Å" â€Å"I told them you would come back. You did before.† â€Å"Margaret!Run!† Choking on tears, but maybe recognizing in her childlike way the seriousness of the situation, Margaret ran. And Elena followed, but zagging toward a different staircase when Margaret zigged. And then she found herself confronted by a smirking Damon. â€Å"You take too long to talk to people,† he said as Elena frantically counted her options. Go over the balcony into the entry way? No. Damon's bones might still hurt a little but if Elena jumped even one story, she would probably break her neck. What else? Think! And then she was opening the door into the china closet, at the same time shouting out, â€Å"Great-aunt Tilda's house,† unsure if the magic would still work. And then she was slamming the door in Damon's face. And she was in her Aunt Tilda's house, but the Aunt Tilda's house of the past. No wonder they accused poor Auntie Tilda of seeing strange things, Elena thought, as she saw the woman turning while holding a large glass casserole dish full of something that smelled mushroomy, and screaming, and dropping the dish. â€Å"Elena!† she cried. â€Å"What – it can't be you – you're all grown up!† â€Å"What's the trouble?† demanded Aunt Maggie, who was Aunt Tilda's friend, coming in from the other room. She was taller and fiercer than Aunt Tilda. â€Å"I'm being chased,† cried Elena. â€Å"I need to find a door, and if you see a boy after me – â€Å" And just then Damon stepped out of the coat closet, and at the same time Aunt Maggie tripped him neatly and said, â€Å"Bathroom door beside you,† and picked up a vase and hit the rising Damon over the head with it. Hard. And Elena dashed through the bathroom door, crying, â€Å"Robert E. Lee High School last fall – just as the bell's rung!† And then she was swimming against the flow, with dozens of students trying to get to their classes on time – but then one of them recognized her, and then another, and while apparently she'd successfully traveled to a time when she wasn't dead – no one was screaming â€Å"ghost† – neither had anyone at Robert E. Lee ever seen Elena Gilbert wearing a boy's shirt over a camisole, with her hair falling wildly over her shoulders. â€Å"It's a costume for a play!† she shouted, and created one of the immortal legends about herself before she had even died by adding, â€Å"Caroline's house!† and stepping into a janitor's closet. An instant later, the most gorgeous boy that anyone had ever seen appeared behind her, and rocketed through the same doors saying words in a foreign language. And when the janitor's closet opened, neither boy nor girl was there. Elena landed running down a hallway and almost crashed into Mr. Forbes, who looked rather wobbly. He was drinking what seemed to be a large glass of tomato juice that smelled like alcohol. â€Å"We don't know where she's gone, all right?† he shouted before Elena could say a word. â€Å"She's gone right out of her mind, as far as I can tell. She was talking about the ceremony at the widow's walk – and the way she was dressed! Parents don't have any control over children anymore!† He slumped against the wall. â€Å"I'm so sorry,† murmured Elena.The ceremony. Well, Black Magic ceremonies were usually held at moonrise or midnight. And it was just a few minutes before midnight. But in those minutes, Elena had just come up with scheme B. â€Å"Excuse me,† she said, taking the drink out of Mr. Forbes's hand and dashing it directly into the face of Damon, who had appeared out of a closet. Then she shouted, â€Å"Some placetheir kind can't see!† and stepped into†¦ Limbo? Heaven? Some place their kind couldn't see.At first Elena wondered about herself, because she couldn't see much of anything at all. But then she realized where she was, deep in the earth, beneath Honoria Fell's empty tomb. Once, she had fought down here to save the lives of Stefan and Damon. And now, where there should have been nothing but darkness and rats and mildew, was a tiny, shining, light. Like a miniature Tinkerbell – just a speck, it hovered in the air, not leading her, not communicating, but†¦protecting, Elena realized. She took the light, which felt bright and cool in her fingers, and around her she traced a circle, big enough for a full-grown person to lie down in. When she turned back, Damon was sitting in the middle. He looked strangely pale for someone who had just fed. But he said nothing, not a word, just gazed at her. Elena went to him and touched him on the neck. And a moment later, Damon was again drinking deep, deep, of the most extraordinary blood in the world. Usually, he would be analyzing by now: taste of berry, taste of tropical fruit, smooth, smoky, woody, rounded with a silken aftertaste†¦But not now. Notthis blood, which far surpassed anything for which he had words. This blood that was filling him with power such as he had never known before†¦. Damon†¦ Why was he not listening? How had he come to be drinking this extraordinary blood that tasted somehow of the afterlife, and why was he not listening to the donor? Please, Damon. Please fight it†¦ He ought to recognize that voice. He'd heard it enough times. I know they're controlling you. But they can't controlallof you. You're stronger than they are. You're the strongest†¦. Well, that was certainly true. But he was getting more and more confused. The donor seemed to be unhappy and he was a past-master at making donors happy. And he didn't quite remember†¦he really should remember how this had started. Damon, it's me. It's Elena. And you're hurting me. So much pain and bewilderment. From the beginning, Elena had known better than to outright fight the tapping of her veins. That would only cause agony, and it wouldn't do her the slightest bit of good except to stop her brain from working. So she was trying to make him fight off the horrible beast inside him. Well, yes, but the change had to come from inside. If she forced him, Shinichi would notice and just possess him again. Besides, the simpleDamon, be strong gig wasn't working. Was there nothing to do but die, then? She could at least fight that, although she knew that Damon's strength would make it pointless. With every swallow he took of her new blood, he got stronger; he changed more and more into†¦ Into what? It washer blood. Maybe he would answer its call, which was also her call. Maybe, somehow inside, he could beat the monster without Shinichi noticing. But she needed some new power, some new trick†¦ And even as she thought it, Elenafelt the new Power moving in her, and she knew that it had always been there, just waiting for the right occasion to use it. It was a very specific power, not to be used for fighting or even for saving herself. Still, it was hers to tap. Vampires who preyed on her got only a few mouthfuls, but she had an entire blood supply filled with its enormous vigor. And calling upon it was as easy as reaching toward it with an open mind and open hands. As soon as she did, she found new words coming to her lips, and most strangely of all, new wings springing from her body, which Damon was holding bent sharply back from the hips. These ethereal wings were not for flying, but for something else, and when they fully unfurled they made a huge, rainbow-colored arch whose very tip circled back again, surrounding and enfolding Damon and Elena both. And then she said it telepathically.Wings of Redemption. And inside, soundlessly, Damon screamed. Then the wings opened slightly. Only one who had learned a great deal about magic would have seen what was happening inside them. Damon's anguish was becoming Elena's anguish as she took from him every painful incident, every tragedy, every cruelty that had ever gone into making up the stony layers of indifference and unkindness that encased his heart. Layers – as hard as the stone at the heart of a black dwarf star – were breaking up and flying away. There was no stopping it. Great chunks and boulders fractured, fine pieces shattered. Some dissolved into nothing more than a puff of acrid smelling smoke. There was something at the center, though – some nucleus that was blacker than hell and harder than the horns of the devil. She couldn't quite see what happened to it. She thought – she hoped – that at the very end even it blasted open. Now, and only now, could she call for the next set of wings. She hadn't been sure that she would live through the first attack; she certainly didn't feel as if she could live through this one. But Damon had to know. Damon was kneeling on one knee on the floor, with his arms clasped tightly around him. That should be all right. He was still Damon, and he'd be a lot happier without the weight of all that hatred and prejudice and cruelty. He wouldn't keep remembering his youth and the other young blades who'd mocked his father for being an old fool, with his disastrous investments and his mistresses younger than his own sons. Neither would he endlessly dwell on his own childhood, when that same father had beaten him in drunken rages when he neglected his studies or took up with objectionable companions. And, finally, he would not go on savoring and contemplating the many terrible things he'd done himself. He had been redeemed, in heaven's name and in heaven's time, by words put into Elena's mouth. But now†¦there was something that he needed to remember. If Elena was right. If only she were right. â€Å"Where is this place? Are you hurt, girl?† In his confusion, he couldn't recognize her. He had knelt; now she knelt beside him. He gave her a keen glance. â€Å"Are we at prayer or were we making love? Was it the Watch or the Gonzalgos?† â€Å"Damon,† she said, â€Å"it's me, Elena. It's the twenty-first century, now, and you are a vampire.† Then, gently embracing him, with her cheek against his, she whispered,†Wings of Remembrance.† And a pair of translucent butterfly wings, violet, cerulean, and midnight blue in color, sprouted from her backbone, just above her hips. The wings were decorated with tiny sapphires and translucent amethysts in intricate patterns. Using muscles she had never used before, she easily drew them up and forward until they curled inside out, and Damon was shielded within them. It was like being enclosed in a dim, jewel-studded cave. She could see in Damon's fine-bred features that he didn't want to remember anything more than he did right now. But new memories, memories connected with her, were already welling up inside him. He looked at his lapis lazuli ring and Elena could see tears come to his eyes. Then, slowly, his gaze turned on her. â€Å"Elena?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Someone possessed me, and took the memories of the times I was possessed,† he whispered. â€Å"Yes – at least, I think so.† â€Å"And someone hurt you.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I swore to kill him or make him your slave a hundred times over. Hestruck you. He took your blood by force. He made up ludicrous stories about hurting you in other ways.† â€Å"Damon. Yes, that's true. But, please – â€Å" â€Å"I was on his track. If I'd met him I might have run him through; might have ripped his beating heart out of his chest. Or I might have taught him the most painful lessons I've heard tales of – and I've heard a lot of tales – and at the end, through the blood in his mouth, he would have kissed your heel, your slave until he died.† This wasn't good for him. She could see it. His eyes were white all around, like a terrified colt's. â€Å"Damon, Ibeg you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And the one who hurt you†¦was me.† â€Å"Not you by yourself. You said it yourself. You werepossessed .† â€Å"You feared me so much you stripped yourself for me.† Elena remembered the original Pendleton shirt. â€Å"I didn't want you and Matt fighting.† â€Å"You let me bleed you when it was against your true will.† This time she could find nothing to say but, â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I – dear God! – I used my powers to afflict you with terrible grief!† â€Å"If you mean an attack that causes hideous pain and seizures, then yes. And you were worse to Matt.† Matt wasn't on Damon's radarscope. â€Å"And then I kidnapped you.† â€Å"Youtried .† â€Å"And you jumped out of a speeding car rather than take your chances with me.† â€Å"You were playing rough, Damon. They had told you to go out and play rough, maybe even to break your toys.† â€Å"I've been looking for the one who made you jump from the car – I couldn't remember anything before that. And I swore to take out his eyes and his tongue before he died in agony. You couldn't walk. You had to use a crutch to get through the forest, and just when help should have come, Shinichi drew you into a trap. Oh, yes, I know him. You wandered into his snow globe†¦and would be wandering still if I hadn't broken it.† â€Å"No,† Elena said quietly. â€Å"I would have been dead a long time ago. You found me at the point of suffocation, remember?† â€Å"Yes.† A moment of fierce joy on his face. But then the trapped, horrified look returned. â€Å"I was the tormenter, the persecutor, the one you were so terrified of. I made you do things with – with – â€Å" â€Å"Matt.† â€Å"O God,† he said, and it was clearly an invocation to the deity, not just an exclamation, because he looked up, holding his clenched hands to heaven. â€Å"I thought I was being a hero for you. InsteadI'm the abomination. What now? By rights, I should be dead at your feet already.† He looked at her with wide, feral, black eyes. There was no humor in them, no sarcasm, no holding back. He looked very young and very wild and desperate. If he'd been a black leopard he'd have been pacing his cage frantically, biting at the bars. Then he bowed his head to kiss her bare foot. Elena was shocked. â€Å"I'm yours to do what you please with,† he said in that same stunned voice. â€Å"You can order me to die right now. After all my clever talk, it turns out that I'm the monster.† And then he wept. Probably no other set of circumstances could have brought tears to Damon Salvatore's eyes. But he had boxed himself in. He never broke his word, and he'd given his word to break the monster, the one who had done all this to Elena. The fact that he had been possessed – at first a little, and then more and more, until his entire mind was simply another of Shinichi's toys, to be picked up and put down at leisure – didn't make up for his crimes. â€Å"You know that I – I'm damned,† he told her, as if perhaps that might go a small way toward restitution. â€Å"No, Idon't ,† Elena said. â€Å"Because I don't believe that's true. And Damon, think of how many times you fought them. I'm sure they wanted you to kill Caroline that first night you said you felt something in her mirror. You said you almost did it. I'm sure they want you to kill me. Are you going to do it?† He bent toward her foot again, and she hastily grabbed him by the shoulders. She couldn't stand to see him in such pain. But now Damon was looking this way and that, as if he had a definite purpose. He was also twisting the lapis lazuli ring. â€Å"Damon – what are you thinking? Tell me what you're thinking!† â€Å"That he may pick me up as a puppet again – and that this time there may be areal birch rod. Shinichi – he's monstrous beyond your innocent belief. And he can take me over at a moment's notice. We've seen that.† â€Å"He can't if you'll let me kiss you.† â€Å"What?† He looked at her as if she hadn't been following the conversation properly. â€Å"Let me kiss you – and strip out that dying malach inside you.† â€Å"Dying?† â€Å"It dies a little more each time you gain enough strength to turn your back on it.† â€Å"Is – it very big?† â€Å"As big as you are by now.† â€Å"Good,† he whispered. â€Å"I only wish I could fight it myself.† â€Å"Pour le sport?† Elena answered, showing that her summer in France last year hadn't been entirely wasted. â€Å"No. Because I hate the bastard's guts and I'd happily suffer a hundred times its pain as long as I knew I was hurtingit. â€Å" Elena decided this was no time for delay. He was ready. â€Å"Will you let me do this one last thing?† â€Å"I told you before – the monster who hurt you is your slave now.† All right. They could argue about that point later. Elena leaned forward and tilted her head up, lips pursed slightly. After a few moments, Damon, the Don Juan of darkness, got the point. He kissed her very gently, as if afraid to make too much contact. â€Å"Wings of Purification,† Elena whispered against his lips. These wings were as white as untrammeled snow, and lacelike, barely existing in some places at all. They arched high above Elena, shimmering with an iridescence that reminded her of moonlight on frosted cobwebs. They encased mortal and vampire in a web made of diamond and pearl. â€Å"This is going to hurt you,† Elena said, not knowing how she knew. The knowledge seemed to come moment by moment as she needed it. It was almost like being in a dream where great truths are understood without needing to be learned, and accepted without astonishment. And that was how she knew thatWings of Purification would seek out and destroy anything foreign inside Damon and that the feeling could be very unpleasant for him. When the malach didn't seem to be coming out of its own accord, she said, prompted by her inner voice, â€Å"Take off your shirt. The malach is attached to your spine and it's closest to the skin at the back of your neck where it entered. I'm going to have to strip it out by hand.† â€Å"Attached to my spine?† â€Å"Yes. Did you ever feel it? I think it would have felt like a bee sting at first, as it entered you, just a sharp little drill and a blob of jelly that attached to your spine.† â€Å"Oh. The mosquito bite. Yes, I felt that. And then later, my neck began to ache, and at last my whole body. Was it†¦growing inside me?† â€Å"Yes, and taking over more and more of your nervous system. Shinichi was controlling you like a marionette.† â€Å"Dear God, I'msorry .† â€Å"Let's make him be sorry instead. Will you take off your shirt?† Silently, like a trusting child, Damon took off his black jacket and shirt. Then, as Elena motioned him into position, he lay across her lap, his back hard with muscle and pale against the dark ground on either side. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said. â€Å"Getting rid of it this way – pulling it out through the hole where it entered – will really hurt.† â€Å"Good,† grunted Damon. And then he buried his face in his lithe, flat-muscled arms. Elena used the pads of her fingers, feeling at the top of his spine for what she was looking for. A squishy point. A blister. When she found it, she pinched it with her fingernails until blood suddenly spurted. She almost lost it then as it tried to go flat, but she was pursuing it with sharp nails – and it was too slow. At last she had it held firmly between thumbnail and two fingernails. The malach was still alive and aware enough to feebly resist her. But it was like a jellyfish trying to resist – only jellyfish broke apart when you pulled. This slick, slimy, man-shaped thing retained its shape as she slowly pulled it through the breach in Damon's skin. And it was hurting him. She could tell. She started to take some of the pain into herself, but he gasped, â€Å"No!† with such vehemence that she decided to let him have his way. The malach was much larger and more substantial than she had realized. It must have been growing a long time, she thought – the little blob of jelly that had expanded until it controlled him to the fingertips. She had to sit up, then scoot away from Damon and back again before it lay on the ground, a sickly, stringy, white caricature of a human body. â€Å"Is it done?† Damon was breathless – it really had hurt, then. â€Å"Yes.† Damon stood and looked down at the flabby white thing – barely twitching – that had made him persecute the person he cared most about in the world. Then, deliberately, he trampled on it, crushing it under the heels of his boots until it lay torn in pieces, and then trampling the pieces. Elena guessed that he didn't dare blast it with Power for fear of alerting Shinichi. At last, all that was left was a stain and a smell. Elena didn't know why she felt so dizzy then. But she reached for Damon and he reached for her and they went to their knees holding each other. â€Å"I release you from every promise you made – while in the possession of that malach,† Elena said. This was strategy. She didn't want to release him from the promise of caring for his brother. â€Å"Thank you,† Damon whispered, the weight of his head on her shoulder. â€Å"And now,† said Elena, like a kindergarten teacher who wants to move quickly on to another activity, â€Å"We need to make plans. But to make plans in utter secrecy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We have to share blood. But Elena, how much have you donated today? You look white.† â€Å"You said you'd be my slave – now you won't take a little of my blood.† â€Å"You said you released me – instead you're going to hold that over me forever, aren't you? But there's a simpler solution. You take some ofmy blood.† And in the end that was what they did, although it made Elena feel slightly guilty, as if she were betraying Stefan. Damon cut himself with the minimum of fuss, and then it began to happen – they weresharing minds, melting seamlessly together. In much shorter a time than it would take to speak the sentences aloud, it was done: Elena had told Damon of what her friends had found about the epidemic among the girls of Fell's Church – and Damon had told Elena everything he knew about Shinichi and Misao. Elena concocted a plan for scaring out any other possessed youngsters like Tami, and Damon promised to try to find out where Stefan was from the kitsune twins. And, finally, when there was nothing more to say, and Damon's blood had restored faint color to Elena's cheeks they made plans as to how to meet again. At the ceremony. And then there was only Elena in the room, and a large raven winging its way toward the Old Wood. Sitting on the cold stone floor, Elena took a moment to put all she now knew together. No wonder Damon had seemed so schizophrenic. No wonder he had remembered, and then forgotten, and then remembered that he was the one she was running from. He remembered, she reasoned, when Shinichi was not controlling him, or at least was keeping him on a very loose rein. But his memory was spotty because some of the things he'd done were so terrible that his own mind had rejected them. They had seamlessly become part of the possessed Damon's memory, for when possessed Shinichi was controlling every word, every deed. And in between episodes, Shinichi was telling him that he had to find Elena's tormentor and kill him. All very amusing, she supposed, for this kitsune, Shinichi. But for both her and Damon it had been hell. Her mind refused to admit that there had been moments of heaven mixed in with the hell. She was Stefan's, alone. That would never change. Now Elena needed one more magical door, and she didn't know how to find one. But there was the twinkling fairy light again. She guessed it was the last of the magic that Honoria Fell had left to protect the town she had founded. Elena felt a little guilty, using it up – but if it wasn't meant for her, why had she been brought here? To try for the most important destination she could imagine. Reaching for the speck with one hand and clenching the key in the other she whispered with all the force at her command: â€Å"Somewhere I can see and hear and touch Stefan.†

Happiness in China

Introduction This paper mainly focuses on Chinese happiness index and its influencing factors analysis. There are many things we are eager to get, such as freedom, money, promising job, reputation, etc. However, we do not pursuit these things themselves, what we want is the improvement of happiness. Those things have value only when they directly or indirectly promote the feeling of happiness. Gross national happiness (GNH) is an indicator that measures quality of life or social development in a scientific term. In the 1970s, the king of Bhutan proposed the concept of Gross National Happiness.He believed that government should aim to create happiness. The national happiness index should be improved including the factors both in the material and in the spiritual. The GNH index identifies four aspect of national happiness development: good governance, economic growth, cultural development and environmental protection (Hu, 2011). With the rapid development in China, the government takes the index to measure the national happiness. However, there is no exact quantitative definition about how many factors influence the GNH.The paper therefore will analyze the factors that impact China’s gross national happiness from social, economic and politic perspective. Social Factors The education system Education in China does not focus on the students’ practical ability and interests in studying. These schools focus on students’ test scores instead of the students’ potential. Teachers desire to have the top students rather than â€Å"bad students†. A student’s scores represent his or her personality. From elementary to high school, students have no elective courses. The teachers’ task is to teach students how to get high scores on the exams.The students are over stressed. They go to school about 6 o’clock in the morning, they stay up studying at night (Hu, 2011). It is impossible to become relax under such pressure. If s tudents want to be admitted to top universities, they have to study hard. Studying is the only thing they need to do. The universities just require students’ outstanding scores from the college entrance exam. Therefore, a special group of students called returning students who re-attend classes after failing the college entrance exam. Many students re-attend high schools classes year after year until hey are admitted to a top university (Hu, 2011). The only scale to measure one's capacity is the diploma. Furthermore, students would prepare the postgraduate examination in order to find a better job. From elementary to the college, students care for nothing except studying. The situation leads to a decreasing unhappiness index for China’s student and their parents (Hu, 2011). Quality of marriage In China, marriage is based on one's family background, which is a significant factor that affects many couples of all ages. Even in modern times, a great number of young people in China will obey family arrangement.Oftentimes, if one's family live in poor conditions, the party will be rejected by the other party’s family with an excuse ( Luo, 2009). Even in marriage, the couples have to struggle for their future, such as house, car, money. If the couple fails, they may divorce each other. Sometimes, the marriage may only be decided by the money not affection. This is the reason that the Chinese couple have a low happiness index in marriage( Luo, 2009). Social security system China’s social security system is not perfect and in the process of reformation. What is worse, the aging of society is the new pressure added on society security system.China’s population continues to grow. The expert predicted the total population will reach 1. 5 billion by the middle of the 21th century, and the elderly population will exceed 300 million. Due to the one-child policy, the common families have only one child. As a result, the number of retirees wi ll continue to work to reduce the burden on their family (Hu, 2011). Furthermore, the ensure pension and medical insurance system is still incomplete in China. The members of family save money for the older family member not for traveling or entertaining. If someone is sick in family, it could make the whole family in dilemma (Hu, 2011).These situations place a heavy burden on younger generations. The young people have the responsibility to take care of the parents and to rise the next generation. The problem also increases the unhappiness index for Chinese life. There are so many social factors that influence the Chinese happiness index. China’s government should take measures to provide the people a higher quality environment for life to increase happiness index. Economic Factors The price of commodities In China, the price of commodities has risen significantly. It has gone beyond the income level of many common people.Housing price, especially, has gone too high in recent years (Orlik, 2013). Many people in China make every effort to earn money to buy a house. They work day and night. They give up the opportunity to travel. They dare not to have dinners in restaurants. They consider that whether they should buy clothes or not. All efforts are made to buy a house. Especially, people who borrow money from the banks are under a lot of pressure for repayment. Their mortgage payments are most part of their monthly salary so they do not have enough money to spend on other things.Even if they are not satisfied with the current work, they dare not to resign. Due to high housing prices, many people have become slaves to their houses and live under tremendous pressure in all aspects. To their surprise, the prices of houses have become much higher! It is awkward that a common person cannot afford a common house in China (Orlik, 2013). There is no doubt that the high commodities price is not good for the physical and mental health of the people. In order to hav e better living, the people pay the high cost.This situation is not beneficial for the improvement of happiness index in China (Orlik, 2013). Income Inequality China has great economic growth in the past few decades. However, the average incomes are higher in urban areas than in rural areas. The phenomenon of income inequality is obvious in China(Finance and economics,2012). The income of the famers is mainly depended on the land, but the agricultural output is limited. They cannot become rich just by a few acres of land. A lot of rural residents abandoned their land and go into cites with nothing, these peasants are called migrant laborers.They can do are limited occupation due to the lack of professional skill. Women worked in labor-intensive goods and services with the minimum wages. Men worked as builders risking their lives. More badly, they may not be paid after the work is finished. Even through migrant laborers live in the same city with urban residents, their living conditi ons are totally different(Finance and economics,2012). The inequality income make the labors live in the bottom in the cities. However, migrant laborers still do not want to go home due to the worse living condition.These situations make migrant laborers have low happiness index(Finance and economics,2012). Opportunity of job The imbalance of employment between supply and demand exists in China. China is in the peak of the population, there are a lot of workers need jobs. For the rural laborers, they would like to go to urban for better life environment. The urban has an increasing pressure on employment because the surplus rural laborers move to urban. The rapid growth of new workers is far more than the growth of job creation. The situation is also confronted by the college graduates.The continuous development of Chinese higher education has produced hundreds and thousands of college graduates annually. Unemployed college graduates become a common phenomenon (Economy Watch, 2010). The unemployment problem influences the happiness index on Chinese people. More badly, it could lead to the social unstability. To solve this social problem, the government should make efforts for better employ environment (Economy Watch, 2010). Political factors Democracy Democracy is defined as the rule that manages state affairs according to the principle of equality, the minority is subordinate to the majority.The United States and European countries have very mature democracy. However, China is a developing country,much of the system is not perfect and it does not achieve a complete democracy. (Pei, 2013) In western countries, the separation of the powers is a political doctrine. It is divided into executive power, judicial power and legislative power. Even if the president commits crime, judicial independence can prosecute his action. For example, the former president of Taiwan who broke the law, an independent judiciary made trial for him (Kelly, 2013).While China implements the system of people's congress and the Communist Party commands all the system, it produces the law privileges. They use the privilege to corrupt and the subordinate officials provide shelter for them. Furthermore, the phenomenon of bribery is very severe. Clerks pay bribes to get the ideal position. These situations result in people low happiness index (China daily, 2010). Freedom The political freedom involves many aspects including freedom of speech, freedom of assemble and freedom of vote and so on. These freedoms can regard as the sign of human right.The political freedom should be treated as the ultimate goal of Chinese political reform and development. Freedom of speech is the political right to communicate one's opinions and ideas. While Chinese people almost have no rights, the speech against party or government is prohibited by the reality of media and the internet; Freedom of assembly is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests. Due to the rule of one-party monopoly, the Communist Party of China do not allow to make other the parties or groups.In this way, the power is not restricted. The individual without organization’s management have no power to oppose it; Freedom of vote refer to every citizen has the freedom right to vote for a leader. As long as you have ability and ambitions, everyone has the opportunity to be leader. The candidates can introduce policies to get votes so that people will benefit. Unlike China, official is appointed behind the relationship or money (political right and freedom, 2013) The system of organization in China leads to those problems, which is the reason that the Chinese have less political freedom.The government should try to implement the multiple party coexist structure so that Chinese people can have real freedom. People could have a high happiness index in China. Equality The equality is a social state in which all people within a specif ic society have the same status in certain respects. The social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, property rights, and equal access to education, health care and other social securities. It also includes equal opportunities and obligations. (Gay, 2013) In China, all kind of reasons cause to the inequality in many aspects.Such as, there are inequality relationships between superior and subordinate in official circle because of the lack of the voting system. It has the inequality of education distribution because the imbalance development of district economic. These situations lead to a decreasing unhappiness index in China’s community. Conclusion Based on the researches, this paper mainly carried on a study in Chinese happiness index via analyzing the influenced factors. The social, economic and politic factors were considered as the factors that have great influence on happiness index.In support of the basic result, this paper unde rtook a systematic analysis from these aspects. Ultimately, there is conclusion that all kinds of factors have a significant impact on happiness. Furthermore, considering the actual situation in China, the majority of population are middle and lower income workers, farmers, and unemployed. Their living standard determines the overall level of happiness in society. Therefore, it is very urgent and important to design proper policies to enhance these people’s happiness level. Several policy recommendations are put forward to the government to increase the citizen’s happiness index.First, it could be suggested to build a sound social system. The government should remain a primary priority to make Chinese residents get better education and satisfy their needs. And building a social security system protects the middle and lower income residents. In addition, the government should guide sustainable and stable development of economics. It is important to regulate wealth gap b etween rich and poor and control the excessive imbalance of income distribution. The government should also adjust economic structure and improve the demand capacity for labor to reduce unemployment.Finally, the politic factors have the lowest feeling of happiness in society. The government can reform and establish multi-party democratic constitutional system instead of one-party monopoly in china. The rights, free press, freedom of assembly and open elections, is the basic need of human beings for high happiness (Hu, 2012). Because of the constraint of time, this paper ignored some other factors when doing research. Furthermore, many countries have a higher level of happiness, such as some Nordic countries. We can compare Chinese economical, social and political data with those countries.Through comparison, we can detect some deeper reasons to guide our new research. References Centre For Bhutan Studies. (2013). Bhutan GNH index. Retrieved from http://www. grossnationalhappiness. c om/articles/ CSR. (1998, October). The development research center of the state council of the People’s Republic of China. Retrieved from http://www. chinacsrmap. org/Org_Show_EN. asp? ID=133 China Daily. (2010, February). Retrieved from http://www. chinadaily. com. cn/china/2010npc/2010-02/09/content_9449872. htm Finance and economics. (2012). A new survey illuminates the extent of Chinese income inequality.Retrieved from http://www. economist. com/news/finance-and-economics/21568423-new-survey-illuminates-extent-chinese-income-inequality-each-not Gay, M. (2013). Equality center. Retrieved from http://www. hrc. org/the-hrc-story/equality-center Hu, A. (2011, February 24). China must measure happiness. Retrieved form http://www. chinadialogue. net/article/show/single/en/4130–China-must-measure-happiness- Hu,Z. (2012). Chinese Happiness index and its influencing factors analysis. Retrieved from https://docs. google. com/viewer? a=v&q=cache:87W_oHEJOfMJ:kth. diva-portal. rg/smash/get/diva2:517428/FULLTEXT01+Chinese+Happiness+Index+and+Its+Influencing+Factors+Analysis&hl=zh-CN&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShbzAfX43ywu53VUiBsILTQM_2xIECL1yhLg0dKRhYpo8cyrWY_1dE6DcH4MqqAvZDp-CbZjTIuhHTZOZq2NjNO19gljUbgNwzp1GqoKkG7V4Fw58wu-95VtfDDqgpP6u2-9A5E&sig=AHIEtbRIrzxH_PxOcD30dRfTyXFbz4oftg Kelly, M. (2013). Separate of powers. Retrieved from http://americanhistory. about. com/od/usconstitution/g/sep_of_powers. htm Luo, A. (2009, November 5). The differences between Western marriage and Chinese marriage i learnt. Retrieved from http://www. gzstuff. om/profiles/blogs/the-differences-between Orlik, T. (2013, January 16). Hope for home buyers in China. Retrieved form http://online. wsj. com/article/SB10001424127887324235104578242043338468974. html Political right and freedom. (2013). Retrieve from http://baike. baidu. com/view/512465. htm Pei, M. (2013, February 13). 5 ways China could become a democracy. Retrieved fromhttp://thediplomat. com/2013/02/13/5-ways-china-coul d-become-a-democracy/ Spiiker education group. (2012). High housing prices in China. Retrieved from http://www. spiiker. com/intensivereading-detail/intensivereading/24832789. html

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Its Worth in American High Schools - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1330 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/05/18 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Huckleberry Finn Essay Mark Twain Essay Did you like this example? Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all ones lifetime. Mark Twain. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Its Worth in American High Schools" essay for you Create order This quote by Mark Twain himself holds a lot of symbolism for his book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, because they both encourage people to open up their minds as opposed to keeping the same thoughts their whole lives and even passing those thoughts down to their children. Some individuals may believe that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be taught because they believe the language to be insensitive. However, because the powers of ignorance and intellectual and ethical challenges that Twain brings up in the novel are crucial to the education of current American high school students, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should continue to be immersed in the young minds of Americas adolescents. Initially, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn encourages people to open up their minds. In the article Fight Over Huck Finn Continues: Ed School Professor Wages Battle for Twain Classic Professor Jocelyn Chadwick argues in favor of Huckleberry Finn. She states that, Sometimes we need something provocative because it will spark conversation. (Powell 2) By this she means that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will start important discussions about sensitive topics that make people think. Without new thoughts, the human race would be stuck in an unpoppable bubble. In the comic White washed, by Matt Bors, Bors illustrates many novels all with a common theme: controversy. The cover of a classic novel, Lolita was shown with the caption of A slight revision, shes 18!. (Bors) This refers to the controversy around Lolitas age. This is similar to the idea of language revision in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because of the difference it makes to the point of the book. Sadly, some people , like the Pennsylvania chapter of the NAACP believe that the book should be removed from required reading lists in both high schools, and colleges noting that, What the NAACP has done is take up a posture that the book as written is not good for America. (Powell 2) This, however, could actually be damaging in itself. Chadwick remarks, Twain did not write a novel thats meant to make you feel good. (Powell 2) Chadwick touches again upon the point of the novel. During an NPR call, a caller (only referred to simply as James), comments, Is this still Mark Twain? And I think my first impulse was exactly correct, this is not Mark Twain. (Conan 2) His response is shared by many others. He shares it because he wants people to know that Professor Gribben (the guest on the show at the time) was attempting to shield people from these important conversation starters about race in America. Additionally, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn addresses the powers that ignorance can have. In an untitled cartoon, a man in a vest labeled PC makes a satirical comment in the caption. The caption reads, He was a mighty good African American man of color and celebrant of Kwanzaa, Jim was, said Huckleberry. (Associated Press) The point of this caption (along with a ingenuine, with a tinge of eeriness. The cartoon pokes fun at the idea of a perfect society in which everything is censored for political correctness. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Many people see Huckleberry Finn as a mischievous boy who is a bad influence on others. The Widow Douglas and Miss Watson try to sivilize(Ch. 3) Huckleberry by picking at him, stop his smoking, and in his mind, ruin his fun. He remarks, The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldnt stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back. (Ch. 3) They try to force him to become their stereotypical good little southern boy. The town was also ignorant to and disapproving of Huckleberry. The only time that the towns people are able to put aside their views of Huck was when there was excitement to be found, like when they all crowded on the steamboat to see if the cannons can bring Hucks body to the surface after he faked his own death. But this is only after he is presumed dead. They take on these views to follow society in its ignorance. Few of them would have cared about Huck before because they didnt know him and didnt want to know him. Finally, the intellectual and ethical challenges that Twain brings up in the novel are essential for young adults to interpret and would suffer if those texts were to be taken away. By focusing on Hucks education Mark Twain fine tunes other themes in the book related to race. As a poor, uneducated boy, Huck distrusts the morals and precepts of the society that treats him as an outcast and fails to protect him from abuse. This apprehension about society, and his growing relationship with Jim, lead Huck to question many of the teachings that he has received, especially regarding race and slavery. Huck chooses to go to hell(Ch. 31) rather than going along with the rules and follow what he has been taught by the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. It was a close place. I took . . . up [the letter Id written to Miss Watson], and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because Id got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: All right then, Ill go to hell and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming. (Ch. 31) Huck bases these decisions on his experiences, and his own sense of rationalization. On the raft, away from society, Huck is especially free from the status quo, able to make his own decisions without any restrictions. He says We said there warnt no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft dont. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft. (Ch. 18) Through reflection, he comes to his own conclusions about race, money, and human behavior/ethics. By the end of the novel, Huck has learned to interpret the world around him using his own views, to distinguish malicious from pure. His moral development is sharply contrasted by Tom Sawyer, who is influenced by adventure novels and Sunday-school teachings, which he combines to justify h is ostentatious and potentially dangerous adventures. As things stand now, HF still sparks controversy in the minds of some Americans, but considering the important themes and elements that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn uses, it is a valuable work of American Literature for adolescent high school students. Works Cited The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain, 2008. Associated Press. Editorial Cartoons: Reaction to Censorship of Mark Twain; Did Samuel Clemens Know Huck Finn Would Kick up a Ruckus over a Certain Word? NJ.com, NJ.com, 9 Jan. 2011, www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index.ssf/2011/01/editorial_cartoons_reaction_to.html. Conan, Neil Publisher Edits Twain Classics To Remove Slurs. NPR, NPR, 5 Jan. 2011, www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132681463/publisher-edits-twain-classics-to-remove-slurs. Powell, Alvin. Fight over Huck Finn Continues: Ed School Professor Wages Battle for Twain Classic. Harvard Gazette, Harvard Gazette, 20 Sept. 2016, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2000/09/fight-over-huck-finn-continues-ed-school-professor-wages-battle-for-twain-classic/ White Wash. Matt Bors, mattbors.com/blog/2011/01/10/white-wash/index.html.