The events of The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born takes place between Passion Week in 1965 and February 25, 1966, the day after Ghana’s first president was overthrown. The “new black leaders with white souls” (Armah 2) have used their positions of power for personal gain. The corruption based on authoritative intimidation, bribery, and fraud has trickled down to all levels of society. When ruled by corrupt leaders who promote power and wealth through unethical practices filter down to society, do unethical practices become the social norm? In attempt to resist widespread moral decay and loss of good virtue in society, can a virtuous soul jump over the hurdles of corruption to live in prosperity or go insane in …show more content…
Her brother, Koffi Billy, has been facing financial hardships due to a freak accident resulting in the loss of a limb and a job. To release some stress – Maanan, Koffi Billy, and the unnamed protagonist go to a polluted beach to smoke marijuana. Compared to the activities Maanan could partake in, smoking marijuana is harmless and helps her spiritually heal. “The destructive thing weed does is to lift the blindness and let you see the whole of your life laid out in front of you. Now what you see, whether it comes up from hidden things inside your soul or from the common facts of the waking life you lead, is not false.” (Arman 70) They chose a spot on the beach where people go to the bathroom, yet the smoke of the marijuana overpowered the vulgar beach smells. The overpowering of smells symbolizes that mental and spiritual health of an individual will always be more important than social beliefs and norms. Maanan uses marijuana as a form of escapism to temporary leave Ghana, method to re-focus her goals for future happiness, and helps her spiritually heal the emotional wounds from everyday
“evil” shows how unfairly these black Africans were treated (93). The author further justifies the
In Annawadi, the slum setting of the book “Behind the Beautiful Forevers,” nearly everything falls under the law of the free market. Things that most countries deem “basic rights,” the Indian people of Annawadi have to pay for. Clean water, education, and medical attention from hospitals are just a few things that are exploited by police officers, gangs and slumlords. The liberalization of India caused the country to begin a process of economic reform. People from the countryside flocked to the cities to find work in the new booming economy that no longer depended on its agriculture. With the increase in population around the bustling cities, came competiveness for opportunity. This competiveness made poverty rates skyrocket, making corruption (and corrupt activities) in Annawadi the only clear way of making it out of the slums. “In the West, and among some in the Indian elite, this word, corruption, had purely negative connotations; it was seen as blocking India’s modern, global ambitions. But for the poor of the country where corruption thieved a great deal of opportunity, corrupti...
One of her strongest strategies throughout the piece is her appeal to Pathos. Instead of always saying marijuana, Jacques uses the term “natural plant” to imply a lighter definition to the word (2). One of her points is that the natural plant eases the every day pains of cancer patients. “According to a Discovery Health article, marijuana has been extremely successful in relieving nausea, which is extremely good news for cancer patients suffering from nausea as a side effect of chemotherapy,” Jacques said (8). This allows the reader to feel sympathetic for cancer patients who are unable to use marijuana to subside their nausea. This also appeals to Jacques’s credibility, showing that she has done her research on the
Drugs is one of the themes in this story that shows the impact of both the user and their loved ones. There is no doubt that heroin destroys lives and families, but it offers a momentary escape from the characters ' oppressive environment and serves as a coping mechanism to help deal with the human suffering that is all around him. Suffering is seen as a contributing factor of his drug addiction and the suffering is linked to the narrator’s daughter loss of Grace. The story opens with the narrator feeling ice in his veins when he read about Sonny’s arrest for possession of heroin. The two brothers are able to patch things up and knowing that his younger brother has an addiction. He still buys him an alcoholic drink at the end of the story because, he has accepted his brother for who he really is.
People's conscience speak that their actions are immoral, but the call of money and power can blind people from the righteous act to pursue.
Marijuana is a drug that is harmful to a person¡¯s health. It has been found to have adverse impacts on one¡¯s mental processes such as memory, attention, judgement, and problem- solving (Butcher, Mineka, Hooley, 2004, p.415). Also, marijuana can interfere with a person¡¯s ability to think rationally and logically. Thus, the lapse in judgement caused by the drug use can lead to risky sexual behaviours and this may result in increasing sexually transmitted disease such as AIDS. Moreover, the long-term use of marijuana may cause chronic breathing problems and cancer ...
Known as a period of political scandal, many politicians engaged in bribes, lies, and abuse of power to further a political, social, and often personal agenda. The typical corrupt leader "will sell his vote for a dollar [...] turns with indifference from the voice of honesty and reason [...] his unalienable right may be valuable to him for the bribe he gets out of it" (166). Such politicians are an injustice to society because as they are elected by the people, they must act towards the betterment of the people, rather than for themselves. Furthermore, those who elect this politician to office merely underestimate their political and social responsibility because they "want the feeling that their own interests are connected with those of the community, and in the weakness or absence of moral and political duty" (167). Thus, under the control of the ruthless politician and the reckless voter, the true essence of democracy is
According to the article by Dave Barry, "The Ugly Truth about Beauty", the article compares between men and women. Barry illustrate that men think of themselves as average looking unlike women they always think that they are not good enough. Barry think contributes to this difference is that women when they were young they used to play with a Barbie which make them feel that they have to be perfect just like here and that generate low self-self-esteem. On the other hand men used to play by their action figures. Which they are not a good looker. In this article Barry offer advice for both gender. That women must have self-confidence and men should care about their look just a little more. I am a women and I know that we are some times be obsessed
As shown in literature, corruption and the abuse of power is an ongoing discussion. When it comes down to the point where people are being used and abused physically and psychologically, it creates a hostile environment for both the subjects and the abuser. As represented in the two similar texts Lord Of the Flies and “I Only Came to use the Phone”, corrupted authority and abuse of power usually end up leading to the collapse of a society or a world of chaos and violence.
In this quote, marijuana is described as an informal word “weed.” Sometimes, using a casual word is more persuasive than a formal word. The affinity for “weed” expresses that everyone could be involved in the accidents because of marijuana addiction. As a result, the readers keep away from marijuana. This story and the close-up wheel appeal to the reader’s emotions about how terrible marijuana is.
David Sheff starts the story of his family with Nic’s birth and goes all the way long to the present days when his son had survived several years of drug abuse, rehabilitations and relapses. Sheff confesses that his son started to use different kinds of drugs when he was very young. At the age of 11 he would try alcohol and some pot. “In early May, I pick Nic up after school one day …When he climbs into a car I smell cigarette smoke. I lecture him and he promises not to do it again. Next Friday after school…I am packing an overnight bag for him and look for a sweater in his backpack. I do not find a sweater, but instead discover a small bag of marijuana.” (Sheff, 200...
The subjective element of beauty involves judgment, not opinion. Many people feel beauty is only something seen by the eyes. St. Thomas Aquinas views beauty in both the supernatural and natural orders. Aquinas lists the attributes of beauty to be found in nature. These are; unity, proportion, and clarity. We will see how these attributes of beauty are seen through the eye and felt by the heart.
The definition of beauty is varying among different people in the world. Even though almost everyone knows the term beauty, many people are struggling in defining it and persuading others to agree with their opinions. Beauty is defined by a combination of qualities existent in a person or thing that fulfills the aesthetic feels or brings about profound gratification. Many people define beauty as a term to describe a person’s physical appearance; they often think that beauty comes from magazines, video girls, or even models. Although the term beauty can define a person’s physical appearance, true beauty lies in the way one acts and thinks rather than the way one look.
“Drive the corruption from the land, don’t harbor it any longer, past all cure, don’t nurse it in your soil – root it out!” (164).
Tuyl, T. C. (2007). Marijuana. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.