To Kill A Mockingbird Controversies Literature Essay

To Kill A Mockingbird Controversies Literature Essay To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the great classics of the last century, a beloved book that is studied in high schools across the United States-and yet this book beloved by many is also hated by some. Each year, the American Library Association holds its Banned Books Week to make people aware of the challenges libraries across the nation face, trying to keep controversial books on their shelves (Doyle 2). The ALA ranks To Kill a Mockingbird fourth on its list of The Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009, on accounts of offensive language, racism, and [being] unsuited to age group (State News Service). People who find elements of To Kill a Mockingbird offensive often write to libraries requesting that the book be restricted or altogether removed from shelves. Incidents like these, with Harper Lees book and with many others, have led to the creation of Banned Books Week. Is it constitutional to ban books on the grounds that they contain material some people find offensive? According to the First Amendment of our Constitution, it is not. The First Amendment states, Congress shall make no lawabridging the freedom of speech, or of the press (Noble). The Constitution makes it clear that book-banning will not be tolerated, but why did our founding fathers create this law? They created this law because the censorship of books is detrimental to society. When our founding fathers wrote the Constitution, they wanted to make sure and lay a strong foundation for our newborn nation to grow upon. The right to read the books we choose is foundational to our democracy, and indeed, to our freedom. Why, then, do so many Americans still try to ban books they find offensive? The answer is simple: the United States is a melting pot not only of different people, but of different opinions, making it impossible for a a writer to write a good book without someone disagreeing with the books themes. When people disagree with a book, many times they act to change the book or ban it from libraries altogether. These people believe they are doing the other a favor by removing objectionable content from the reach of the public. However, they are actually doing everyone-including themselves-a disservice. For example, look at the case of Raymond English, who faced objections from multiple groups over the content of a history book he was attempting to write. Each group had a different complaint about the way their interests were represented in the book. Feminists disliked the portrayal of their movement, Filipinos disliked the portrayal of the annexation of the Philippines, politicians disliked the portrayal of the American economy, Zionists disliked the portrayal of Arab population statistics in the highly fought-over Palestine area during the early 1900s, and different church denominations disliked the portrayal of the Reformation (Noble 271-272). This series of stumbling blocks from multiple groups with different views stood in the way of the main purpose of the book, to provide a volume chronicling the history of the United States. The problem we face is that America is too diverse, with too many opinions for everyone to agree with each other; our country cannot afford to censor every scrap of text that offends the sensibilities of one particular person or group, or we will have no books and no freedom of speech left. Without freedom of speech, the same groups that act to ban books would be unable to advance their causes; Feminists would not be able to advance womens rights, Filipinos would not be able to campaign for their independence, and churches would not be able to express their views on the Reformation. Without freedom of speech, society is stagnant. Historical research shows a strong relationship between the abundance of books in a society and a societys health; in fact, it could be said that books are the building blocks of society (Knuth 3). Books communicate ideas, and by reading about these ideas, we develop our culture. Take, for example, the impact of reading on slaves in the South prior to the Civil War. The majority [of scholars] still agree that the basic result of literacy has been and is one of liberation (Cornelius 2). Literacy leads to reading, reading leads to learning, and learning leads to freedom. For this reason, many slaveholders did not allow their slaves to learn how to read, fearing that learned slaves would revolt (Cornelius 12). Slaves who were taught to read and write often became leaders in the slave communities, giving organization to their culture and creating their own small society within a society (Cornelius 85). By reading the Bible, slaves demonstrated equal intelligence with their masters and gained a sense of identity as a distinct group of Christians; more importantly, they discovered in the scriptures that they were created equal and ought to be free. (Cornelius 3). The ideas that they found in the Bible gave them a yearning to be free. Of course, this was only possible because educated slaves had access to such books with such ideas, that would reveal to them their enslaved state and inspire in them a desire to be free. What if they had had no books to read? Would they have discovered these ideas anyway, or would they have remained ignorant of the condition in which they lived? If books inspire us to think for ourselves and to seek freedom, is it possible that without them, we would lose that freedom? The answer is yes. We need only look at history to see what a loss of important books does to societies. World leaders realize that for the people, literacy leads to freedom; to this end, many totalitarian regimes have sought to regulate their countries libraries. These governments attack books because they know books contain ideas, and by controlling ideas, they can control people (Knuth 3). The Nazis, in their efforts to create a pure race, took away the peoples books before they ever acted to kill the people themselves (Knuth 87). Communists in China followed a similar pattern. When the Communist Party took control of China, they stomped out dissent by removing from the countrys libraries any literature that did not agree with them (Knuth 165). As with Germany, scholars who thought for themselves and did not go along with the social changes enacted by the government were imprisoned (Knuth 180). These books were replaced with Communist-supporting texts and literature that glorified the new government (Knuth 176). Mao Tse-Tung, the leader of this new government, was a writer who used his books-such as the Little Red Book that became his bible-to enthrall the minds of the Chinese citizens (Knuth 166-169). Should not those [creative] impulses be utterly destroyed? Mao said of the countless books confiscated and writers imprisoned at his command. I think they should; indeed they must be utterly destroyed, and while they are being destroyed, new things can be built up (Knuth 178). Without books, the people became willing slaves to a destructive regime. Even though we are privileged to live in a democracy, with a Constitution that gives us the power to voice our ideas, it is all too easy to lose that freedom if we give in to the impulse to censor books. Even a person fiercely opposed to book-banning may find on the list of Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009 some book containing content he finds Keylon 5 objectionable. In such an instance, he might find himself reconsidering his views, thinking that perhaps there are some basely vulgar novels out there that deserve to be banned. But consider that every time we ban one book, we give the opportunity for someone else to ban another book less deserving of the negative stigma. When we silence a voice that offends us, we open a window through which someone else whom we offend may silence us. In a nation of diverse opinions, sometimes we must bear offense in order to protect our right to speak our minds. The right to read, express our ideas, and disagree with the ideas of others is foundational to the freedom we have in our country. We cannot give away our freedom by giving in to the impulse to censor books, lest we become a nation as destructive as the Germany of World War II. Our freedom is far more precious than our feelings; it is the heart and soul of our nation. It is vital. It is cherished. It is our freedom to believe in God, without fear of persecution, the same freedom upon which our country was founded. We cannot destroy the books that are part of our heritage, such as Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, a book accused of racism that, in reality, is a passionate argument against racism. Mockingbirds dont do one thing but sing for us.thats why its a sin to kill a mockingbird, Miss Maudie says to Scout Finch in Mockingbird (Sparknotes). Lees book is itself a mockingbird, one that we would be wrong to kill. When we allow such a book to be banned, we allow the destruction of something inherently good, and worse, we allow the destruction of our own freedom. Therefore, we should hold on to our freedom; we should hold on to our books.

On Course Journal Entry

Dick Gregory, The Memoir of Dick Gregory by. Dick Gregory, Slavery by Another Name by. Douglas A. Blackman, The Autobiography of Malcolm X by. Alex Haley, and Stolen Legacy just to name a few. I also watched documentaries; Hidden Colors 1-3 and Dark Girls. I also studied a couple museums, the most recent being the one in contribute of Martin Luther King and Accelerator Scott King in Atlanta. I talked amongst other individuals who were interested in the topic, as well. B. What do you do to learn the Information or skills needed to learn this? I read more than anything else.I was so intrigued by what I was reading and how it all was so connected to modern day society I just continued to read and make notes mostly. C. What did else do you do to learn this? I spoke to other people who were also interested In the topic and we all shared our new found knowledge to expand the wisdom we were digesting. I looked at some African pictures and old news articles. I also, consumed Information off the Internet. The more I learn the more I realize there is so much connected to present day activities. So, I still to this day study this topic. D.How often do you engage in learning this? I honestly engaged in this study every day. I have a whole collection of books pertaining to the subject, sometimes I think so many books so little time. E. When you engaged in learning this, how long did you usually spend? My studies were constant. I'm talking at least 6 to 7 hours out of the day usually. That was before school started of course, now it's more so 2 to 3 hours every other day. F. What feedback did you use to determine how well you learned this? When I enlightenment. They were quite fascinated with my learning in such short period of time.Some people didn't believe me, but those are the closed minded individuals who are content with what they were taught in the American education system about their ancestors Just being nothing more than slaves. G. How did you feel when you engaged in learning this? At first I was filled with anger and disappointment. Then, I found balance in it as I do in everything. Know I'm actually glad that they chose us. I feel so alive, empowered, conscious, and mindful now, the list can go on and on. Just so many emotions! So many volumes of life have taken over me that I have a totally new found perception.H. What are the rewards for learning this? There are an astonishing deal of rewards in regard to this lesson, including knowledge of self being my number 1 gain. I got closer to myself and my spirituality, discovered my destiny in the mist of it all by coming into visualization of what I want to do with my life. I can go on in a great abundance on what this topic has taught me and brought forth into my life. I can truly say I am grateful for the experience and I wish to enlighten others so they come into realization of who they are and what they mean to America. Part 3.By reading and writing about learning, I have relearned that if you want to know and/ or understand something it takes hard work and dedication. I will use this knowledge to maximize my learning in college by taking great pride in my work. When I stepped on the campus of Eastern Florida College to enroll I knew I was ready and by any means necessary I will stay motivated. I wish to understand everything that is being taught to me. I am a very active learner so a lot is already hitting home. I now when things do decide to get tough I will seek greater explanation of the topic.I was informed there are tutors. There are plenty of methods I can take to absorb information. My most dominant styles of learning are logical learning; I prefer using logic, reasoning, and systems. And Solitary(interpersonal) self-study learning. I also like sound such as aural learning sometimes to remember certain things. These are styles I use when I am working on school lessons. There are other styles I prefer when it comes to labor or something else. I enjoy writing t hings down a lot. I see theirs is a lot of work in college.I'm not sure if it's due to the classes being 8 weeks or f it's always like this, but it seems it can get a little intense if you're not organized or focused. I have a schedule around my lesson and I still find the time to get all of my work done with no distractions. So, honestly when it comes to learning I think it depends on the individual and how bad they want their education. I know what I am her for, I am willing to take every calculated step in order for me to absorb the information. And again, I am not interested in taking in information Just to take a test. I'm not here to regurgitate information!I'm trying to fully understand everything Hess teachers are supposed to be teaching me. â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world†. It sure didn't surprise me when we were asked, if we won the lottery would we still be interested in coming to college? Students were more interested in the illusion of having money. Fortunately, I am not motivated by money. I wish to make a difference in the world that's my motivation. Making a better society for my son and the other generations to come. I have great desire to touch every life around me, like Vive been doing since birth.

Colgate Palmolive’s Strategies Essay

A distribution channel is defined as a set of intermediaries performing a variety of functions. These interdependent organizations are involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption. Marketing channels for a product are considered one of the more important decisions made for a product. It is believed that these channels not only serve the markets that the products move thru, but they make the markets. Distribution channels determine the price thus the profit of any given product. The final stop for any product/service is the consumers, what channels the product move through has many options. One very important decision in the channel is the push verse pull marketing. A company’s push strategy uses a sales force and other promotions to pursued intermediates to carry, promote and sell the product to the consumer (Kotler & Keller, 2009). This strategy is most effective when market share or name recognition is low, when consumers have no brand loyalty and product benefits are well known. In contrast, pull strategies use advertising and promotions to provoke consumers to request the product from intermediaries. The strategy is successful when consumers make a choice prior to purchase and choose based on brand loyalty and name recognition. A company must first identify the types of intermediaries available to assist with distribution to the consumer. When Colgate-Palmolive developed the new Precision toothbrush, they had to determine the distribution channel for the product. Like its other products, the Precision toothbrush would be sub-contracted to Anchor Brush. Anchor Brush would produce the new toothbrush (which required three different types of equipment), warehouse- hold inventories, and handle transport- channel is responsible for ensuring quicker delivery. Precision’s positioning as a niche or mainstream product played a major part in the pricing and production schedules being determined. Each positioning had a different effect on pricing and adequate supply for the market. The product positioning also determined what markets and where the product would be sold. Since research had shown the new product would create a new market of consumers and Colgate-Palmolive was an established brand in the toothbrush category, a â€Å"pull strategy† would seem effective. CP could collaborate with Anchor Brush, and sell the niche Precision toothbrushes in food and drug stores. Selling a mainstream Precision toothbrush would send product to mass merchandisers and club stores. Prior to the introduction of Precision toothbrush, Colgate-Palmolive did not sell directly to dentist, a definite area of opportunity for the product, whether niche or mainstream. Colgate-Palmolive like most companies developed a product and determined what distribution channels would be used to get the final product to the end users/consumer. A production, warehousing, and transporting partner were used to move the product to the final stage of the process, retail stores for consumer purchase. Colgate-Palmolive could benefit from using a sales force that worked directly with dentist to distribute the Precision toothbrush. This partnership between the niche product –Precision and dentist would increase awareness and provide â€Å"expert† endorsement to the new product. Once the demand was increased- fueled by dentist promotion, Precision can be moved to a mainstream product with little adjustment in production and warehousing. Colgate-Palmolive’s uses a vertical marketing system strategy to move the Precision toothbrush to market. Colgate-Palmolive is the channel captain with name recognition and the product ideal that the producer, warehouse, and transporter collaborate with to produce the product.

Synthetic vs. Conventional Motor Oil

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 85 percent of the motor oil changed at home by do-it-yourself-ers. About 9.5 million gallons a year in that state alone ends up disposed of improperly in sewers, soil, and trash. Multiply that by 50 states and it is easy to see how used motor oil might well be one of the largest sources of pollution affecting groundwater and U.S. waterways. The implications are startling indeed, as one quart of oil can create a two-acre sized oil slick, and a gallon of oil can contaminate a million gallons of fresh water. The Lesser of Two Evils Conventional motor oils are derived from petroleum, whereas synthetic oils are replicas manufactured from chemicals that are really no kinder to the environment than petroleum. Plus, those chemicals used to make synthetic oil also come from, ultimately, petroleum. As such, conventional and synthetic motor oils are about equally guilty when it comes to how much pollution they create. But Ed Newman, Marketing Manager for AMSOIL Inc., which has been producing and selling synthetics since the 1970s, believes that the synthetics are environmentally superior for the simple reason that they last about three times as long as conventional oils before they have to be drained and replaced. Additionally, Newman says that synthetics have lower volatility and, therefore, do not boil off or vaporize as quickly as petroleum motor oils. Synthetics lose from 4 percent to 10 percent of their mass in the high-heat conditions of internal combustion engines, whereas petroleum-based oils lose up to 20 percent, he says. Economically, however, synthetics are more than three times the cost of petroleum oils, and whether or not they are worth the difference is the subject of frequent, inconclusive debate among auto enthusiasts. Do Your Homework But before deciding for yourself, consult your car’s owner’s manual regarding what the manufacturer recommends for your model. You can void your car’s warranty if the manufacturer requires one type of oil and you put in another. For instance, many car manufacturers require that you use only synthetic motor oil for their higher-end models. These cars can now go up to 10,000 miles between oil changes. Natural Alternatives While synthetics seem to be the lesser of two evils for now, some promising new alternatives derived from vegetable products are coming of age. A pilot project at Purdue University, for example, has produced motor oil from canola crops that outperforms both traditional and synthetic oils with regard to both performance and production price, not to mention greatly lessened environmental impact. Despite the benefits, though, mass production of such bio-based oils would probably not be feasible, as it would require setting aside large amounts of agricultural land that could otherwise be used for food crops. But such oils may have a place as niche players as the worldwide market for petroleum products diversifies due to dwindling reserves and related geopolitical tensions. EarthTalk is a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine. Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted on ThoughtCo  by permission of the editors of E. Edited by Frederic Beaudry