Pushing the Limits
Late one Friday night in the fall of 1995, while I was hanging out with the girls, my laughter stopped short as Jenny Williams’ large grandfather clock struck one time loudly throughout the old farmhouse. Our laughter and fun came to a halt. My parents’ curfew as well as my school driver’s permit curfew had long expired. Curfew would not have been an issue that night because most fifteen-year-olds would have been at home in bed. Because of my right to drive, my pride in being one of the few freshmen with their school permit came with its own benefits as well as consequences. The privilege to drive to school and back was a privilege easily taken advantage of. One of my rule breaking attempts was driving home from Jenny’s house at 1:00 in the morning. The plan to get home quickly almost backfired and I was almost stuck in a sticky situation, literally!
I raced around Jenny’s cluttered house looking for my large wood carved key chain. I knew I needed to make fast tracks before the clock hands worked their way any farther. I found my keys at last and I was racing to my car. My competition with the undefeated clock was soon to begin.
I started the engine and took off with the radio blaring like a foghorn, and the accelerator floored. I was about 15 minutes northwest of my house, but I was attempting to cut those minutes in half. As I approached Wellman, I pictured the late shift policeman, Jack Wright, sitting in his car at the town park parking lot just waiting to pull over and ticket some immature teenager like me. I decided to take a short cut down a dirt road, which would allow me to cut some time and avoid any unfriendly policemen.
I charged away in my lightweight, manual, gray Chevy Spectrum that I liked to call “Junior.” While speeding along to Tom Petty’s, “You Wreck Me Baby,” I had not noticed the shower of mud flying from my cardboard-looking hub capped wheels. The thought crossed my mind to turn back, but the tires had already begun to spin hopelessly like a hamster’s wheel. I realized that turning back towards a possible cop was not an option. This road was not about to let me maneuver a three-point-turn-about either.
As shown above, curfew laws can play a very critical role in a teenager’s life. It can assist with keeping the city safer, help them get enough sleep, and help them build their personal skill under a well-structured system routine. A lot of people might find curfew laws for teenagers unconstitutional and contradict the first amendment, so they decide not to abide with it. But by doing so, they are placing more a bigger experience to teenagers who are still working on developing their skills to take on new challenges. After all, Teenagers are the future of our society if we don’t teach, coach, direct, and offer guidance their future will be unstable and unproductive and that will affect the entire nation.
During the time of the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692, more than twenty people died an innocent death. All of those innocent people were accused of one thing, witchcraft. During 1692, in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts many terrible events happened. A group of Puritans lived in Salem during this time. They had come from England, where they were prosecuted because of their religious beliefs. They chose to come live in America and choose their own way to live. They were very strict people, who did not like to act different from others. They were also very simple people who devoted most of their lives to God. Men hunted for food and were ministers. Women worked at home doing chores like sewing, cooking, cleaning, and making clothes. The Puritans were also very superstitious. They believed that the devil would cause people to do bad things on earth by using the people who worshiped him. Witches sent out their specters and harmed others. Puritans believed by putting heavy chains on a witch, that it would hold down their specter. Puritans also believed that by hanging a witch, all the people the witch cast a spell on would be healed. Hysteria took over the town and caused them to believe that their neighbors were practicing witchcraft. If there was a wind storm and a fence was knocked down, people believed that their neighbors used witchcraft to do it. Everyone from ordinary people to the governor’s wife was accused of witchcraft. Even a pregnant woman and the most perfect puritan woman were accused. No one in the small town was safe. As one can see, the chaotic Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were caused by superstition, the strict puritan lifestyle, religious beliefs, and hysteria.
The notorious witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts occurred from June through September. It is a brief, but turbulent period in history and the causes of the trials have long been a source of discussion among historians. Many try to explain or rationalize the bizarre happenings of the witch hunts and the causes that contributed to them. To understand the trials and how they came to be, we must first examine the ideals and views of the people surrounding the events. Although religious beliefs were the most influential factor, socioeconomic tensions, and ergot poisoning are also strongly supported theories. A combination of motives seems the most rational explanation of the frenzy that followed the illness of the two girls. This paper looks closely at the some of the possible causes of one of the most notable occurrences in history.
Lesile, Katie. "Teen Curfews: Protect Teens, Curb Crime, or Just Peace of Mind?" Atlanta News, Sports, Atlanta Weather, Business News. N.p., 13 June 2011. Web. 22 May 2014. .
Tuesdays with Morrie is an inspiring tale in which Mitch, a young man struggling with the concept of a meaningful life is given a second chance, and a new outlook on life when he meets his past teacher, Morrie. They quickly renew the relationship they once possessed in college. Morrie becomes Mitch’s mentor, role model and friend once again. This time around, however, the lessons are on subjects such as life, love, and culture.
Today law enforcement is criminalizing innocent activity because of curfews placed in their region. Like in Shaina’s case, she had a destination in mind. Many young teens out past 10p.m. are only trying to get home or have a place of interest in mind. There shouldn’t be an automatic negative assumption of a teen that is out past 10pm. Teenagers should not have labels placed upon them when they have not caused any trouble. Curfew laws create these labels on young teens and put down the ones who are innocent. Curfew laws discriminate against young teens who have done nothing wrong and serve no threat to the community.
Today, teen curfews are commonplace and supported by voters. Bainbridge observes that according to Jet Magazine’s survey taken in 2011, 75% of the voters were in support of curfew laws (13). Parents arrange for young children to go to bed at an earlier time than teenagers (Psychologytoday.com). Teens receive the privilege to stay up later but this can mean that they will be out on the streets later at night. McKinny indicates that curfews are in place to protect the youth from crimes that may harm them or take the children’s lives (Time.com).
“Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for American teenagers, accounting for about a third of all deaths in that age group” (Crisp). In actual numbers, motor vehicle crashes kill more than 5,000 teenagers every year (Gregory). These statistics are frightening and have led more than 50 percent of adults to support higher required ages for drivers’ licenses (Gregory). Teenagers, though, say this would be unfair and would make their lives difficult. Meeting the needs of Indiana teenagers while still keeping them and other drivers safe can be accomplished by a more restrictive graduated licensing law.
Through out the years teenagers have been driving without a license. In this century teenagers are decreasing to get their license (Teens getting their driver license. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from ). Teenagers tend to think that just because they know how to pump gas press the brakes and rea...
The purpose of this paper is to examine juvenile curfew. Curfews have been in place for many years. In the 1700s, curfew was put in place for slaves and workers. Now, since the 1990s, juvenile curfew has become a popular policy across the nation in hopes that it will reduce crime while also protecting the welfare of a minor. Though that may be the sole purpose, there have been critiques about the implementation of juvenile curfew. Some may say that it creates a safer community while others may conclude that it is biased and does not work. First, this paper will provide some of the reasons in which curfew is being used. Second, some of the consequences that come along with juvenile curfew will be stated. Then, the various forms of the curfew
Logan was on his way home from an evening at the local bar. He and some friends had gone out to have a couple beers. As he sped down the road, he blinked vigorously to try to clear his vision. Although it was a perfectly clear summer night, Logan’s vision was blurred from the alcohol. “As long as I keep this car on my side of the road, I’ll be fine,” he thought to himself. He was doing a decent job of obtaining control over the vehicle, or so he thought. Only three miles from his country home, he became unaware of his position on the road as it began to curve. As he continued around the familiar curve in the road, a truck came out of nowhere at hit Logan’s small Toyota Camry head on. The big F-350 pickup truck was no comparison to the little
Today in the world you see how driving becomes an everyday thing, everybody uses a car to get to the destination they need whether it’s their job or just to go out. Many out there have their driver’s license, while others are just starting to learn how to drive to obtain their driver’s license. Everybody has always had an issue with what the right age should be to allow people to obtain their driver’s license and drive. While some people don’t argue with the age that teenagers should be allowed to drive, others don’t agree on letting teenagers get their driver’s license at such young age. People had always had various good reasons on why the driving age should be adjusted or why it should be left as it is. In my opinion and what I think is
Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom, is a story of the love between a man and his college professor, Morrie Schwartz. This true story captures the compassion and wisdom of a man who only knew good in his heart and lived his life to the fullest up until the very last breath of his happily fulfilled life. When Mitch learned of Morrie’s illness, the began the last class of Morrie’s life together and together tried to uncover “The Meaning of Life.” These meetings included discussions on everything from the world when you enter it to the world when you say goodbye. Morrie Schwartz was a man of great wisdom who loved and enjoyed to see and experience simplicity in life, something beyond life’s most challenging and unanswered mysteries. Morrie was a one of a kind teacher who taught Mitch about the most important thing anyone can ever learn: life. He taught Mitch about his culture, about trust, and perhaps most importantly, about how to live.
It was the night before my driver’s test, and with each passing hour I felt the anxiety creep into my veins. Vying for first place with high school graduation and prom night, receiving a driver’s license is one of the biggest milestones in a teenager’s life. A driver’s license means midnight runs to Sheetz, road trips to the beach, and rides to the mall without your mom blowing kisses from the car as you walk sheepishly towards your friends. What more could a teenager want than these perks? Of course, I was hyper-aware of all that was at stake in regards to my driver’s test. Thus, the night before the exam, I intensively studied my driver’s manual and watched YouTube videos that offered helpful driving pointers. I even dragged my mother along for one more practice run on the road.
According to a 1997 survey conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, “[A curfew] provides officers an opportunity to intervene with potential issues before problems develop. Periodic sweeps remind the public about the law officer. Curfew enforcement has, in large part, become a part of routine enforcement” (US Conference of Mayors). Most adolescents do not see a logical point in having a curfew, but they don’t always realize that parents and other adults only want what is best for them. Curfews allow for parents to keep an eye on their children, keeping them safe and away from harmful situations. It is important to inform others, adults and teenagers alike, of the advantages of a curfew, in order to allow everyone to take better care of themselves