From all the words to the wiser quotes in my book, No Easy Day, I can conclude that this book is mainly intended to teach people about military life and its dangers and difficulties in a nonchalant easy reading way. An example of this is when Mark Owen says, “Don’t just live, but live for a purpose bigger than yourself. Be an asset to your family, community, and country.” This is an example of how he tries to teach people to be part of something bigger and make their lives mean something antemortem. Mark also says, “There is no honor in sending men to die for something you wouldn’t even fight for yourself.” This is another example of how Mark expresses the opinion of a soldier and how dangerous what they do is.. he explains that soldiers are not immortal beings who will serve their time then come home. He explains how soldiers are just as mortal as everyone else and they do not want to fight if they don’t have to. And maybe the most relevant quote Mark says is, “We were tools in their box, and when things go well they promote it. They inflate their roles. This expresses the military opinion that soldiers are just tools to make politicians look good and how politicians absorb the credit that should go to our military men and women. This book expresses the opinion of a true soldier. Mark wrote this book to teach nonpartisan people about military life.
I think the legal drinking age should be reduced from 21 to a younger age. Alcohol related driving accidents are more likely to occur with younger drivers because they have no experience with alcohol and think that the warnings are nonsense or that they can control themselves, thus making it easier for them to abuse the privilege and drive drunk. The absence of alcohol only makes them want to use it more. If it were a nonchalant part of a teen’s life they would not abuse it as much because the excitement would be gone. In 2009 the amount of alcohol related crashes for drivers between the ages of 21-24 was 35%. Another reason that the drinking age should be lowered is that 18 is considered the legal age of adulthood in America. 18 year olds can risk their lives in wars, serve on juries, and get married, but they cannot legally take a drink. Also it is not a police priority to bust underage drinkers. Police have too few resources to make underage drinking a priority. It is infect abnormal and almost nonexistent to see an arrest for underage drinking. It is estimated that 2 out of every 1,000 occasions of illegal underage drinking in America results in an arrest. Because of these facts I think that the legal drinking age should be lowered from 21 to a younger age.
I think the German plan of utilizing wind power is a good idea, even with the implementation of high voltage wires to do so. However the German citizens are strongly against this new idea. The article I read said that the German people have been perfectly content, as of now, to back the government on renewable energy sources. But this new idea of the high voltage wires to transport the wind synthesized energy has sparked protest. I say that the German people, who have contributed so greatly to the cause, should be willing to have a few wires running through their back yards if it means cleaner energy. A strive for cleaner energy is not at all abnormal from what they are used to. The article also tells about the country becoming more coal dependent as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in Japan. They already rely on renewable energy for about 25% of their energy but they want to raise that number to 40% by 2025. I think Germany is moving in the right direction and other countries should take note. They could make the demand for burning fossil fuels almost nonexistent since they also greatly rely on nuclear power. 40% renewable energy would be a great accomplishment, however the article also explains the people’s point of view. It explains how people are upset that the wires will decrease their property value. These wires will also destroy the natural beauty of the German landscape. I can see where this may pose a problem for many people. The German people are not at all making nonsensical complaints, they just want to protect a moribund environment. However this plan will give more than it takes if it can reduce burning fossil fuels. To conclude, while these wires may pose an initial annoyance their absence will make Germany’s goal of going 40% renewable impossible.
I believe that the practice of the death penalty should be continued and is an effective method of dealing with criminals. The death penalty is effective because people fear death. Criminals don’t plead for the death penalty, they plead for life in prison. This demonstrates that they do not want to die. They would rather live a nonchalant prison life that could prove to be not so bad. Also some people deserve to die. Crimes such as rape, malicious murder, and abduction and torture deserve a punishment more serious than a prison sentence. A final reason for the implementation of the death penalty is that it prevents criminals from escaping or communicating to the outside world; that could result in more deaths. Their absence from society could save more lives. Some people are just safer postmortem. It is nonsense to believe that a life in prison sentence could be a greater punishment than death. From all these examples I can conclude that the death penalty is both an effective method if deterring crime and also to prevent criminals from further harming society.
The hero’s journey analysis is portrayed in the film Shawshank Redemption. Andy receives the call to adventure when he is convicted of murdering his wife and is sentenced to jail. This is the call to adventure because he is thrown into an abnormal situation where he is in danger. He has a mentor, Red, and enemies, the sisters and later the warden. Red gives Andy what he needs t survive in the prison and the warden and the sisters try to work against Andy’s goals. In the next part, the initiation, Andy faces trials like earning his place in the prison and facing his enemies. He is also abducted in a sense when the warden forces him to launder money. These are vital parts of the initiation because they make Andy strong and provide him the opportunity to be the hero. Andy has to “fight the dragon” and enter the belly of the whale when he decides he does not want to help the warden anymore and finalizes his escape plan. The warden is the dragon and Andy surfaces victorious by acting noncommittal but then is found absent from his cell and escapes and the warden’s suicide. For the return Andy is pursued by the guards but escapes. At this point he has crossed the threshold and returned to the world of free men. He has mastered both worlds and is free to live a nonchalant life wherever he wants. So with this Shawshank Redemption fits the hero’s journey format.
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