Gang Violence

According to www.google/statistics.com 24,500 gangs were active in the United States in 2005. 94% of gang members are male and 6% are female. Gangs have been a vital issue in society yet are subconciously ignored. Why do kids join gangs? A number of reasons play a role in provoking teens to participate in such extreme behavior. Gangs are veiwed almost "family" like. Sometimes when kids lack a healthy relationship at home they look to fill a void. The gang, acts as a security and fufills that emptiness. Low self-esteem is also an attribute. Not feeling accepted in your immdeiate community and failing to "fit-in" are usually essential factors. Another reason may be the pressure of social class. Kids usually identify socailly with money and if you happen to have less than your fellow peers, that effects the confidence developed in that child. Gangs are a "crutch" for teens to lean on when they see no solution reguarding their problems. I feel as if gang activity is sort of "swept under the rug" in society and we fail to acknowledge the effects as well as its consequences. Lives are taken day in and day out. Pressure and fear are instilled into these kids. Its up to the adults to act and stop pretending that gangs are not a serious issue. It needs to be addressed more agressively.

Frida

"Frida" was an empowering film reguarding woman. To me it embraced the strength and capabilites a female obtains. Frida, is an inspirational individual that expresses her emotions through painting. She creates these amazing pieces of work as a result of her own experiences. From heartache to physical trama, she stayed strong through it all, living as if everyday was her last. Her painting reflected pain yet as the same time provoked a sweetness. Being a woman I admire her perserverence and cherish her work because it gives off a sense of strength. She gives me faith that no matter the obstacle, overcoming it is not the impossible. Espeacially during the time period of her work, she symbolized hope for oppressed woman. I enjoyed this film. It concentrated on the importance of woman and their capibilites. Woman fight with the fact that today in society they are portrayed as inferior. We make 70 cents to every dollar a man does. Men are "dominent" and control. Only men can with stand a serious amount of physical pain. What Frida did was prove these obnoxious stero types to be false. She was in control and answered to no one but herself. Her husband was the one who came running back to her. She is role model in her actions alone.

Effects of Divorce on Children

Divorce can be a huge transition for most children. Its a dramatic change that forever changes an individual. Children become emotionally strained and burdened due to their parents actions. We are all born loving both our mother and father unconditionally, but what happens when a seperation takes place and its up to the child, who they want to live with or who do they "love" more. Pressure, like that, is thrown on children due to there parents inability to acknowledge the fact that a "child" should not be faced to make that choice. The divorce rate in America as of 2008 is higher than ever before, with the population rate greatly increasing. In my opinion I don't think marriage is a good idea. It gets to messy and a lot of people say that it destroys a relationship. I look forward to having children one day but realize that I have to be ready and know what I am getting in to. Children exposed to divorce are tramitized whether it be loss of contact between one parent or finacial conflict concerning child support and what not. A child is no longer a child experiencing such a drastic change. It results in stripping them of their innocence and forcing them to grow up to fast. There not able to appreciate the good times they had with "mommy" and "daddy". Maybe Americans need to re-think before they exchange vowes and say the words "I do"

The Metamorphosis

“Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka is about a man named Gregor Samsa who is a young salesperson that hates his job. His family is financially dependent on the income he produces. One day Gregor wakes up in the realization that he has transformed into a giant insect. He immediately begins to struggle with his new “body” and fails to understand the reality of the situation. His human emotions and qualities still exist as he tries to precede his normal life. This is an unrealistic situation and surreal on many different levels. Its almost as if Gregor is unaware of his physical state, continuing his daily routine. When his family finds out about has happened, they instantly begin to ostracize him, treating him as an outcast. Gregor has trouble being accepted by the society around him and fights to express him self. His room is used as a storage area for excess furniture, disregarding Gregor’s existence and denying him his personal space as a person. Despite Gregors physical features he still suffers from emotion; feeling neglected and isolated from his family. The author makes it seem as if Gregor, before his transformation was just looked upon as merely an income rather than a son or a brother. There is one point in the story though where his sister Grete is sought playing the violin and acknowledges Gregors interest in her performing. At this point I feel like she realizes the fact that he is not only her brother, yet still the same human being he once was. But it ends up being too late and Gregor dies later that night. His family picks up and leaves soon after. They failed to realize the truth in time. The family was so wrapped up in their own personal perceptions that they never gave Gregor a chance of acceptance. Franz Kafka’s literature was interesting in its style. Never have I read a book so irrational and unrealistic. This book really stimulated my idea of “ don’t judge a book by its cover”

Domestic Violence

According to www.abanet.org/ domviol/statistics, approximately 1.3 million woman and 835,000 men are physically assualted by an intimate partner annually in the United States. Also, intimate partner violence made up 20% of all non fatal violent crime experinced by woman. What some people don't understand is that its exposure to children can be tramaitizing in its effects. Children look towards their parents as role models of behavior and trust their actions to be what they know as "right". The sad part is that those traits and behaviors are engraved into the minds of those once innocent children and they grow up forming ideas and opinions on what they ve seen and been taught. It usaully leads to the same violent behavior they once experienced first hand. It doesn't nessacarily need to be physcial, instead the abuse can exist emotionally as for all forms of abuse. A lot of people, victims of domestic violence fail to speak out or act upon their situation whether it be a fear of safety or finacial dependece. This issue concerns me and the fact that help is out there should instil comfort in those who are victims and are suffering. Whether the abuse is directed towards a paticular individual, the effects of it are experienced through exposure