Throughout life young adults and adolescents tend to be faced with many challenges that alter the out come of their adult years by either benefiting or harming it. This is evident in “The Pact,” by Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt, and “Gifted Hands: A Ben Carson Story,” by Ben Carson. These two books are similar in multiple aspects such as: the influences, and environment the characters are exposed to; the characters goals and struggles; and the purpose for writing the books and the lesson learned from reading the books. All of these aspects together develop an underlying theme that both stories have in common. The theme is that education is the key to a tranquil life, meaning life will be easier if you mentally invest in knowledge.
In both “The Pact” and “Gifted Hands” the main characters are the authors and they grow up in similar environments and experience common influences. In “The Pact” it states the three young men grew up in Newark, New Jersey a poor neighborhood that is composed of crime, drugs, and death (Davis et.al 20). In the same manner Ben Carson grew up in Detroit, Michigan and in Gifted Hands it says that his family was struggling financially so badly to where they had to move in with relatives (Carson 21). The men in the two books also had common influences that were both negative and positive. The most influential impacts for “The Pact” authors were said to be their friends because the text states, “friends have more influence on one another’s lives than anyone else does, especially in those teenage years when kids are trying to discover who they really are” (Davis et.al 174). However, in “Gifted Hands,” Ben Carson doesn’t mention friends as his greatest influence but he mentions his mothe...
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...two different time periods and environments, which shows that it does not matter what your circumstances are because there is always someone out their going through the same type of situation and using the same “defense” as you to get through it and in “The Pact” and “Gifted Hands” authors case the defense was education.
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Davis, Sampson, Rameck Hunt, and George Jenkins. The Pact. New York, New York: The Berkley Publishing Group A division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2003. N. pag. Print.
Carson, Ben. The Gifted Hands: A Ben Carson Story. N.p.: Review and Herald Publishing, 2009. N. pag. Print.
Heller, Joseph. "Chapter 21." Catch-22. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2004. 210. Print.
Too often, students are taught that their lives are defined by who they are and what they do, not by circumstances. But circumstances can be very crucial to determining how a person’s life is shaped. It’s no secret that not all schools and neighborhoods are created equal. Some schools offer advanced classes, and college prep, and opportunities, while some schools don’t even have textbooks. Even within the circumstances, there are circumstances. The students in the latter school that lacks textbooks may have parents who go the extra mile to ensure that they have more opportunities, or could have parents who don’t have the resources to do that. Environment and circumstance can make a huge difference, and Wes Moore’s The Other Wes Moore is a fantastic
Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1985. McQuade, Donald, ed., pp. 113-117.
“If we are thinking about effect of education – or the lack of it – on our nature, there is another comparison we can make”(The Allegory of the Cave by Plato 1). Plato was a philosopher in Classical Greece; he was fighting for freedom and education. Malcolm X was an African-American Muslim who was fighting for human rights. They both had a vision of freedom and education. We have two stories; one is “The Allegory of the Cave” and “Learning to Read”. Education is a very useful thing that can open our eyes to many things, and we should know how we need to develop properly. Why do we have to compare these two stories? Can we conclude some very important things after reviewing? In this stories we can find two different ways how to study, even though stories have some same ideas, they are different. I have several reasons why they are different and how are they similar.
By Justin Kaplan. (Penguin Group (USA), 2006. Pp. 208. Prologue, content, acknowledgements, sources, index. $13)
"A Separate Peace." Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Vol. 3. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp., 1993.
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...ave brings them out of their protective and secluded shells. In both stories the theme of oppression, one mental the other physical, resulting in a victory, one internal the other external, prove that with determination and a belief in a higher power you can survive any situation.
Throughout his life Ben Carson faced many trials and tribulations. All of which forced him to make life altering decisions. Going from a “disturbed” child and adolescent to an outstanding surgeon society would think Dr. Carson made the right choices, but along the way Ben wasn’t so sure.
In our society, a college education is no longer an option or privilege, but rather a necessity. The main reason people go to college is not because they want to, but because they have to. Guidance counselors and parents pressure most high school seniors to go to college because it is “the right thing to do.” Our society has it in our mind that if a person does not go to college they will not become successful. Exactly one year ago I was in high school, and being a senior was probably the most stressful year. Most seniors worried about filling out college applications and deciding what major to do. Inputting all your grades and knowing that you were not the best student is especially stressful. For most people, going to college seems
McQuade, D., Atwan, R., Banta, M., Kaplan, J., Minter, D., Stepto, R., Tichi, C., Vendler, H. (1999). The Harper Single Volume: American Literature, (3rd Ed.)
Harmon, William, William Flint Thrall, Addison Hibbard, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.
In today’s society a vast number of people are well educated. They have the equal opportunity to choose their own path in life by getting an education. A primary educational aspect of every human is to learn to read. Being able to read is a primary goal of people in human society, as well as important in itself to society; it takes people far beyond their wildest dreams. A person who is literate has few limitations on what they can do; the world is an open playing field, because a person that is literate has the ability to become very successful in life. On the contrary, a person that is illiterate has many limitations on their life. The limitations can consist of any disadvantage that can stop a person from becoming successful in their life. For one of many examples, illiteracy has a significant impact on the economy, because it affects the jobs and basic living skills that people need to survive. Mental disorders can possibly ensue in an illiterate persons’ life. In some cases, it is like they live in a world of their own and alienate themself from other individuals. The only thing an illiterate person has to rely on is themself and the things that they hear from other people. This is especially true in A Judgment in Stone by Ruth Rendell, where the reader encounters a significant notion about evil in the mind that a disadvantaged person can acquire, as well as how fragile the mind can be.
Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.
What defines a successful life? In other words, what are the measures of success and to what extend is college important to achieve success? Although most of mankind link a successful and a fulfilling life with money, success can be determined by other factors. These questions spark a controversial debate, creating factions in people’s minds. While one side of the debate is more vivid, people tend to deny it. Most people argue that in order to achieve a fulfilling life, the success must be structured on a basic foundation and element, that is education. College paves the way to students for a successful life not only on the workforce scale, but also on the personal, social, and economic level.