The Destructive Power of Peer Pressure Essay examples -- Peer Pressure

Peer pressure: influence from members of one's peer group. Peer pressure is an incredibly widespread issue in today’s society, and can have many significant and long lasting effects. Peer pressure is an issue that can be found in many places, with many varying degrees, but often happens for the same reasons. Peer pressure can cause drug and alcohol addictions, being caught shoplifting, failing exams, and other problems. It has many causes, with many contributing factors, but is most prevalent during the teenage years, as teens look beyond the guidance of their parents, and seek answers from their peers. Peer pressure most commonly occurs at parties, where parental supervision is minimal, however indirect peer pressure can be experienced anywhere. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the topic, as well as the causes and related effects. The report will cover the types of peer pressure, who is affected, who are the offenders, why do they offend, where does it happen, what can happen, how can it be solved, and why it is so hard to control. Peer pressure is a very widespread issue, manifesting itself in two main forms, direct and indirect. While direct peer pressure is more forceful, and harder to combat, it is also less prevalent than indirect peer pressure. In some instances both forms of peer pressure can be found in the same situation. Direct peer pressure is pressure exerted when directly asked or told to do something, and is more forceful, harder to deflect, and often requires a response or excuse. Direct peer pressure generally involves things such as drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and decisions regarding sex. This form of peer pressure can have many significantly life changing long-term effects. I... ...(2013). Peer Pressure. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Facts_for_Families_Pages/Peer_Pressure_104.aspx [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013]. Ianrpubs.unl.edu (2013). Publication: Friendships, Peer Influence and Peer Pressure During the Teen Years. [online] Retrieved from: http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=837 [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013]. Sitemaker.umich.edu (2013). UM.SiteMaker: Message. [online] Retrieved from: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.darnell/peer_pressurehttp://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.darnell/peer_pressure [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013]. Stewart, G., Larsen, A. and Wynne, E. (1989). Peer pressure. New York: Crestwood House. Us.reachout.com (2013). Peer pressure : The Facts : ReachOut.com USA. [online] Retrieved from: http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/peer-pressure [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013].

Misogynistic Societies

Societies Although written in different time periods and in dissimilar settings, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy are both feminist novels with main characters who are suppressed by their societies. Misogyny is fully apparent in both novels, and both Offred and Tess utilize similar means to endure their harsh societies. A misogynistic society is clearly depicted in The Handmaid’s Tale. In Offred’s society, the handmaids’ only role in society is becoming pregnant.When Offred is going to the Commander’s house, she states, â€Å"We are two-legged wombs, that’s all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices† (Atwood 136). Because the Republic of Gilead is suffering from low birth rates, the handmaids are treated not as human beings, but as mere objects with the sole goal of bringing children into the world. Their only values are their wombs. In addition to being an object only focused on birth and children, Offred is a slave to everyone and everything around her.Throughout the whole novel, Offred is rarely able to make any decisions for herself; everything is already chosen for her. â€Å"Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us† (8). Offred is even judged and branded by her clothes. Red, the color of fertility and raciness, tells citizens of Gilead who she is, and what she is meant to do. As a handmaid, Offred is fully taken care of, but has no basic rights. Although not as prominent, Tess of the D’Urbervilles also contains several portrayals of a misogynistic nation.In the novel, Alec takes advantage of Tess and completely disregards her feelings and opinions. He never listens to what Tess has to say, but constantly comes back for Tess, as if he owns her. When he offers to help Tess and her family, he says, â€Å"You are Eve, and I am the old Other One come to tempt you in the disguise of an inferior a nimal† (Hardy 366). Alec is mocks her and Angel, and always thinks of her as an object he owns to which he can always come back. Angel also contributes to the misogyny in the novel.When Tess tells Angel about her past, he gets angry and leaves for Brazil, even though he has confessed to the same sin. â€Å"In considering what Tess was not, he overlooked what she was, and forgot the defective can be more than the entire† (282). He only saw one side of Tess and chose not to see her faults, which caused a major break in their relationship when he finally came to realize that Tess, just as everyone else, has faults. Because of their restricted, difficult lives, Offred and Tess often find ways to cope with their situations.Offred’s companionship with various people around her is an escape from reality, as well as a diminutive act of rebellion. After talking about how frightening and â€Å"loose† Moira is, Offred claims, â€Å"Nevertheless Moira was our fantasy † (Atwood 133). Moira is secretly a hero to many of the handmaids and Offred is somewhat able to experience the excitement and rebellion vicariously, through Moira. Also, Offred’s companionship with the Commander helps her survive. When talking about the commander, Offred says, â€Å"To him I’m no longer merely a usable body.To him I’m not just a boat with no cargo, a chalice with no wine in it, an oven – to be crude – minus the bun. To him I am not merely empty† (163). Once she realizes that the Commander actually cares for her and doesn’t think of her as an object, she becomes hopeful and starts believing that she might have a chance. Likewise, Tess utilizes her friendship with Marian, Izz, and Retty to overcome the many obstacles that come her way. Her friends often help her realize how much she loves Angel, and they constantly tell her that she is, in fact, worthy of Angel’s love.When Marian and Izz how miserable Tess is when Angel has left, they stick by her and write an anonymous letter to Angel telling him that Tess loves him and he should come back to her if he loves her, because there is an enemy nearby (Hardy 383). Although all three girls love Angel, they step aside when they realize how much Angel really cares for Tess, even if doing so lead to self-destructive behavior. Additionally, Tess and Offred both attempt to resolve their problems with their past lives. Lying in bed, with Luke, his hand on my rounded belly. The three of us, in bed, she kicking, turning over within me† (Atwood 103). Offred constantly thinks about Luke and her daughter to remember the happy times in her former life. She tries everyday to remember her family, because it is gradually getting harder to remember the life she had before Gilead.Tess is also always thinking of her past, which constantly reminds her of her sins and because of these terrible memories, she keeps from making the ame mistake. When Tess w alks by the sign painter, he has a sign that reads: â€Å"THY, DAMNATION, SLUMBERETH NOT† (Hardy 95). Such as this sign, throughout the whole novel, Tess is constantly reminded of her wrongdoings, which helps her become a better person. The Handmaid’s Tale and Tess of the D’Urbervilles contain misogynistic societies in which females are treated as objects. Offred and Tess both feel repressed by their own societies and use similar ways to survive in their restrained environments.

Americans Attitude Change in the 60s Essay - 2240 Words

Question 1: For many Americans, the 1960s began with JFK’s â€Å"Age of Camelot,† an era that seemed to exude confidence in American institutions. Yet, by the early 1970s, those expectations and attitudes seemed to be replaced by a sense of bitterness and cynicism. Discuss and analyze the causes and consequences of this profound attitudinal shift. Question 3: How did official US policy towards Vietnam change between 1950 and 1975? How did American leaders link events in Vietnam to national security interests? How did the American public react to the war in the sixties and early seventies? Answer: These two questions are so intertwined with one another that combining the two answers is the most efficient way of telling the story. Vietnam was†¦show more content†¦Within the center of this division lay Berlin. Russia’s communist intentions were becoming clearer to western powers. Stalin had no plans to back down from further conflict. In 1946, Churchill delivered the â€Å"Iron Curtain† speech, symbolizing future relations with the communist powers. In 1947, U.S. president Truman established his famous doctrine of containment policy, which outlined in vague terms the west’s distain and containment intentions of further communist expansion by Russia. In 1948, Americans witnessed the pressurized showdown in Berlin between western forces and Russian occupiers, which eventually led to the division of Germany, and the construction of the Berlin Wall. Once, the Russians began developing and testing nuclear weapons, and the subsequent development o f space flight, Americans placed their lives in the hands of their government to handle this new, Cold War. The baby boom generation grew up in this environment. They grew up with missile drills and McCarthy’s witch-hunt of communists within the government. Communism was something to be feared, and America knew it. The election of 1960 brought hope to much of America, despite the close margin of victory for the Kennedy camp. JFK himself had been a war hero, and was viewed by Americans as determined to win the cold war. JFK was an attractive man, had a beautiful wife, and a seemingly perfect family. â€Å"The best and theShow MoreRelatedAmericans Attitude Change in the 60s2293 Words   |  10 PagesQuestion 1: For many Americans, the 1960s began with JFKs Age of Camelot, an era that seemed to exude confidence in American institutions. Yet, by the early 1970s, those expectations and attitudes seemed to be replaced by a sense of bitterness and cynicism. Discuss and analyze the causes and consequences of this profound attitudinal shift. Question 3: How did official US policy towards Vietnam change between 1950 and 1975? 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