Gun Control Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gun Control Paper - Essay Example Would the "home of the brave" be a better place with a stricter gun policy Indeed, all we have to do is watch the news to know our country could use a few new gun laws. It seems that every day there are shootings all over the news in all regions in the United States. While some regions are more prone to gun violence than others, this is not acceptable for an entire nation to be victim to a weapon- especially if that weapon is legal. The United States certainly has an excess of gunfire amid its streets and alleys and compare that to England. As the administration has seen very recently, the English are much safer in their country than Americans are here. The Second Amendment has always given us the right to bear arms, and it's perhaps the most upheld Amendment. It is now that Englands's gun laws can be seen as truly beneficial. It has come time to take action; United States gun laws are antiquated. After witnessing the positive progress in England, the United States must follow suit a nd amend the Constitution and it must ban guns to reduce the level of violence England has, for the past ten years, become a much safer counter, largely because of successful gun laws. In 1996, England's gun policy grew much fiercer with the introduction of several new laws that resulted in the banning of handguns in March of 1998 (Gun Control Alliance). It simply took England to go through one school shooting before they realized the danger of handguns. Following the establishment of these laws, crime shootings have continuously dropped (Gun Control Alliance). Though England still carries a surplus of air guns, with which crime is still possible, violent shootings have drastically lowered. Though perhaps it is not possible to promote such restricting laws in the United States right away, the English example can be followed as one that, if adopted in the United States, will gradual make American society safer. Contrary to England, the United States has had a cultural obsession with guns that continues to this day. In the United States are popular not only on TV, but as collector's items, video game symbols, and on the streets as a power icon. Replica guns are just as realistic in appearance as their real counterparts (Gun Culture). In America, the gun is not simply a tool, but an item reflecting our culture. However disturbing this might seem, no policy can erase this from an entire generation's mind that have lived their entire lives with the acceptance of guns. A change in policy can, however, make the United States a safer place in the long run. The Second Amendment has always given Americans the right to bear arms: "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" (The United States Constitution). From the English Common Law of 1689, to the early days of nationhood, to the present day the American Second Amendment has been nearly inviolable. To successfully enact a new gun policy, the Constitution has to be changed, so that there can be no Constitutional challenge to a new law. In order to have a gun policy akin to the English, drastic changes must take place. Procedure There are countless ways to introduce new laws into

Thematic Concerns in the Open Boat Research Paper

Thematic Concerns in the Open Boat - Research Paper Example Crane’s story provides the readers with a perfect blend of human suffering, their various behaviors and natures as well as the desolation that surrounds human beings. Although the dialect is simple and smooth flowing yet he captures essence of meaning and gives a close observation of the brutalities of the Mother Nature and human suffering. As Turchi and Baxter also states, â€Å"â€Å"The Open Boat† insists on moral truths. They are confounding moral truths and many readers will be frustrated that the wisdom of the work cannot be distilled, the themes stated plainly†. Some of the major thematic concerns that Stephen Crane incorporates in the story includeshuman bonding and relations,Man vs. Nature, unavailability of God and communication gaps. A common theme that recurs in most of Crane’s works is human bonding or relationships. It appears that the writer believes that in this world an individual cannot survive on his own as this world is an unfriendly place and human beings require some sort of weapon against the brutalities of nature and that weapon is an individual’s bonding with his fellow beings. This theme is excessively apparent from not only the setting of the story but also from the gradual plot progression. Crane creates a microcosm of mankind on the dinghy. Although initially the four survivors had nothing in common and there is a certain awkwardness that is observed amongst their behaviors yet it is observed that when they realize the unpredictability and the helplessness of their dire situation they form an unannounced brotherhood to survive the brutalities of Mother Nature. As it is also stated in the text as well, It would be difficult to describe the subtle brotherhood of men that was here est ablished on the seas.... there was this comradeship that the correspondent, for instance, who had been taught to be cynical of men, knew even at the time was the best experience of his life (61). Dersch effectively encapsulates the situation of these characters by quoting Ross Muffin’s words when he says, â€Å"‘the characters are determined by forces beyond their control’ humans are presented as ‘higher-order animals fully subject to the forces of heredity and environment and life in general is an inescapable trap’† (4). Hence the characters find solace in one another and even though earlier they had communication barriers yet they overcome them and act as one another’s support and right hand in the hour of need. For example it is clear from the manner in which the captain, the cook, Billie and correspondent take turns at rowing the boat. Then again when the correspondent is up alone and he say his desire for someone else to be awake a nd find solace in another individual’s company is a proof that Crane believes that human bonding is essential for survival. Communication gap that engulfs human race is another important thematic concern that Crane reiterates in the story to further highlight the disjunct and chaos that surround human beings. The fact that the people on the shore believed the people on dinghy were mere fishermen and the hope in the four survivors that they will be rescued yet their constant observation saying that, â€Å"Funny they don’t see us† (Crane 64) creates an ironic situation. It is as if human beings exist in their individual bubbles where they tend to keep to themselves. However when finally they do realize that their fellow beings are in need they do stand up to help one another. This theme further stresses the lonely existence of man in this