Assumptions based on the influences of friends, family, and community Essay

Assumptions based on the influences of friends, family, and community - Essay Example In the tiny village of Lansquenet (in â€Å"Chocolat†) the villagers are appalled that Vianne has opened a chocolate shop and has disregard for the social expectations that Lent imposes. Rather than simply ignoring the chocolate shop and Vianne and Anouk and carrying on with their own beliefs, the town is outraged and ostracizes Vianne for not going along with their tradition of suffering and deprivation. The chocolate store is disturbing to them because they want to have fun too but don’t want to admit it. Their first reaction is to ostracize them and point to them as being bad. This makes them feel better about staying stuck. However it forces the villagers to question why they are suffering, what would actually happen if they broke tradition, where did these rules come from (not from inside) and what is life for but to enjoy, why carry the burden of the past. It takes a few stronger villagers to stand against tradition, after which the whole village feels safe to als o follow its desires. In Sula, society both dislikes and needs Bottom as a community. It needs a place to look down on, it needs people to point to and say they are bad, in order to make them feel good. They needed Sula in order to unite together over something. They could all unite in their values and point at her together to say she was bad. When she leaves, they lack a cause to unify them and it is because deep inside the people of the community are not truly fulfilled by the trappings of their own structure and tradition. However when Sula comes back they find their common mission again. The community’s stability and rigidity keep everyone stuck. In â€Å"Bet Me†, Min is very much influenced by her family upbringing. She is trapped, feeling as though she is only mediocre and that good-looking flashy people are selfish and would never give her the time of day except in passing and would soon get bored and unceremoniously abandon her. The story demonstrates how this is self-fulfilling too, in the recount of her first relationship which ends badly. Not surprisingly, when Min meets Cal, especially under the circumstances, she makes assumptions right from the beginning, and actually sets herself up for the same thing to happen again – she does not treat him right because she already believes he won’t treat her right. Had Cal not been tied into a bet, he would have not even persevered and would not have found out who Min really was. Min also would not have wasted her time on Cal but for her own need for a date to her sister’s wedding. These unusual circumstances where they were tied to each other by their own selfish needs, kept them together long enough to realize their perceptions of each other had been wrong and had been borne out of the in-bred perceptions offered by others. They start to like each other. Min learns to see beyond Cal’s good looks and finds a truly caring person. In â€Å"Sula†, the families of Nel and Sula are contrasted. Nel’s stable, rigid family of tradition and structure dictate to her what is right and wrong, and compel her to live the life of the straight and narrow. Sula has a very unconventional life with her mother and grandmother and several boarders, she is free from any conventions of society. Nel grows up in a trapped box of limits and Sula is

Issue facing texas Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Issue facing texas - Research Paper Example A part from education, there are some other issues that must also be addressed in Texas. These issues involve poverty, budget and tax payment. These issues have been there for long time but there are current reforms that have been put in place in orders to control these challenges. Education policy (university & colleges) There have been many challenges that are affecting the education sector in Texas. Some have been there for long while others have been caused by the current legislation and the type of education system that have been put in place. One of the major issues facing Texas colleges and university education is the lack of funds for both the students and the schools. The cost of colleges and universities are very high in Texas. This blocks many students from pursuing there postsecondary schools courses. In the past, the cost of colleges was average. Many parents were able to take their children for high education. This dream has been erased by the rise of school fees. Recen tly, college costs have risen at a very high rate. This rise has even exceeded the rate at which inflation goes up. Parents and students now feel they are being exploited by the government due to the rise in school fees. Some cannot afford to pay all the fees and their children are forced to drop out of college. This rise of education fees has been caused by Texas failure to pay taxes. There has been a big hole in Texas budget that has forced the tax payers’ lot money in trying to reduce the budget deficits ("Challenges Facing Career and Technical Education"). This issue of rise in school fees has been dealt with to some extent. There are some policies that have been put in place in order to reduce the rise in school fees. These measures also help parents and students raise enough money for high education. One of the measures that have been put in place includes giving financial aids to the students who are studying in colleges and universities. This aid is made effective by giving loans to the students. These loans are given through private financial institutions or federal government. These institutions include education tax credits, state loans, work-study programs and federal grants. These loans help many students in colleges. Those who are in the two-year community colleges can also benefit from the loans. They will be able to give back to the society after completing college. The loan is also available for those who are going for five years in their high education. Most of the students who are going for four years have high chances of getting these loans as compared to those who are going for two years. This is because the four-year courses are known to cost more money than the two-year courses ("Challenges Facing Career and Technical Education"). From my opinion, this policy of giving financial aid to students is very important. It helps many students whose dreams were to study in colleges and universities. It is also very essential for students who come from poor families. When these students complete their education, they will be able to help the other members of their families. This means that the financial aid important will help the whole society. K-12 Education There many issues that is associated with K-12 education in Texas. Some of the issues are caused by larger number of students in the lower grade schools. This large population in