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An Argument Against Affirmative Action Essay - 1716 Words

Paved with Good Intentions: An Argument Against Affirmative Action Out of the jaws of civil war, the new United States had emerged. Broken and burning and minus 620,000 men, a new challenge lay before the nation: social equality. How would we address the sickening grievances endured by these African American now-citizens? That question has hallmarked fiery debates from dinner tables all the way to the Supreme Court for more than a century. During the Civil Rights Movement, millions of American citizens demonstrated across the country in pursuit of fairness, and famously in his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, Dr. Martin Luther King championed the idea of a country that saw no color, but based judgement on the content of character. Through decades of policy, our government implemented social reform within institutions of education and employment. Collectively known as Affirmative Action, this social reform established racial preferences in favor of minority groups at the expense o f whites and Asians. This social reform was unquestionably established in good faith, but into what has this festered now? The pursuit of fairness is perhaps the most American in spirit, and a goal toward which we all strive together. Unfortunately, the policies collectively known as Affirmative Action, however well-intended, have further widened the boundaries between us through some ideal of ‘righteous’ discrimination. The time has come, it seems, that our government and our nation rethink the policiesShow MoreRelatedArgument Against Affirmative Action Policies Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesGroups that are in refutation of Affirmative Action professor Gary Becker, who states â€Å"Affirmative Action policies lowers standards of account ability need to push employees or student to perform better.† (Becker) Becker’s meaning behind this argument is that students or employees who are affecting by affirmative action tend to try harder than they should know that they are going to be accepted just because of Affirmative Action policies. Becker say this type of polices eventually hurts more thanRead MoreArguments for and Against Affirmative Action Essay example893 Words   |  4 Pagesapplying but denying his admission, encouraging him to apply at a later date. After all, Christopher is white and, according to Affirmative Action, Steven is more deserving of admission based on his ethnicity which increases the diversity of the institution by allowing students of different races and cultures the same opportunities.(1) But does it? Affirmative Action, a remedy that federal courts used to impose on violators of the Civil Rights Act, was originally introduced in 1961 by PresidentRead MoreRace Based Affirmative Action On Higher Education Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesRace-Based Affirmative Action in Higher Education In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925, which created the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, or CEEO. One purpose of the CEEO was to â€Å"recommend additional affirmative steps which should be taken by executive departments and agencies to realize more fully the national policy of nondiscrimination† (Kennedy). This executive order planted the seeds that grew into what is today known as â€Å"race-based affirmative action,† or theRead MoreWhy We Still Need Affirmitive Action1493 Words   |  6 PagesWhy we still need affirmative action Because of the complex nature of the discussion on affirmative action and the controversies and the emotion surrounding it, it is imperative to first recap on the causes of race and inequality in the United States of America. The policies on affirmative action were proposed as a fractional remedy for the socio-economic impacts of past and present disadvantage faced by certain groups in the population, especially with regard to biases on gender and race. Such disadvantagesRead MoreAdvantages and Disadvantages of Affirmative Action Essay1667 Words   |  7 PagesEssay The Affirmative Action Debate Affirmative Action Defined Affirmative Action can be defined as â€Å"positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded (Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)†. However because those steps involve â€Å"preferential† selection affirmative action generates intense controversy (Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Affirmative Action (Negative)Read MoreAffirmative Action : Discrimination And Ethnicity Essay1459 Words   |  6 PagesLucia Lopez Intro to Philosophy Professor Gill Affirmative Action In â€Å"Arguing Affirmative Action,† Harvard professor Michael J. Sandel discusses the arguments that have arisen from the entry of affirmative action into practice. Affirmative action refers to admission policies, in this case put into effect by universities, that provide equal access to education for groups that have been historically excluded or underrepresented, such as women and minorities. In his essay, Sandel asks whether itRead MoreAffirmative Action: Social Policy1348 Words   |  6 PagesAffirmative Action Affirmative action is a social policy created to promote the welfare of minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are all created equal and should not be judged by race or gender. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantage their whole life, anRead MoreThe Importance Of Distributing Desert Based Aid At A Small Liberal Arts School1441 Words   |  6 PagesQuestion Three: In arguing in favor of the importance of distributing desert (merit) based financial aid at a small liberal arts school such as Green Mountain College, several arguments present themselves: one, desert based aid insures that incoming students meet a standard that facilitates strong academics, which in turn improves the school s reputation and contributes to its long term viability; two, it incentivises students to work hard academically, benefiting fellow students and faculty whoRead More Affirmative Action Is Not the Solution Essay1340 Words   |  6 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Affirmative action is a social policy created to promote the welfare of minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are all created equal and should not be judged by race or gender. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantage their wholeRead More Two Views of Affirmative Action Essay1498 Words   |  6 PagesTwo Views of Affirmative Action We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal†¦. Even before it became a nation, America was heralded as a land of equality. Thomas Jeffersons statement begs more than a few questions, one of which is: How can we ensure equality to everyone? Beginning in the late 1960s, the federal government provided an answer to this question in the form of affirmative action. In recent years, many people have called this policy into question. Interestingly

‘Poetry Teaches Us About Life and the World Around Us Free Essays

‘Poetry teaches us about life and the world around us. ’ The two poems â€Å"Martin and the Hand Grenade† by John Foulcher and â€Å"Beach Burial† by Kenneth Slessor both discuss different aspects of war and war times teaching us about life and the world around us. â€Å"Martin and the hand grenade† explores the notion that man has a violet streak which can lead to destruction, Foulcher depicts many aspects of war such as the mental impacts as well as some physical impacts and aspects of the grenade. We will write a custom essay sample on ‘Poetry Teaches Us About Life and the World Around Us or any similar topic only for you Order Now Emphasising the difference in how adults and children interpret warfare. Beach Burial† is a recording of the poet’s grief for the sailors who died on a great land and sea battle in the North African campaign during WWII. On another level, it records the battle that we all fight, regardless of race or political or religious conviction, joined in the common front of humanity against death. The poem â€Å"Martin and the Hand Grenade â€Å"is based on a personal experience that Foulcher had while teaching at a boys school in one of his history lessons, portraying the idea that adults and children have a different view of war and violence. Foulcher creates a vivid image of the incident in our minds and allows us to picture ourselves observing the hand grenade through the metaphor â€Å"With his father’s bleak skill, Martin edges out the firing pin†. Martin’s father is specifically referred to as having â€Å"bleak skill† that had once taught him how to operate the grenade. Foulcher used this adjective as an effective way of conveying his own attitude to war and violence, describing his own knowledge as â€Å"bleak† proving his negative attitude to the violence and destruction the Grenade causes. As Martin displays the grenade, the class â€Å"pause for history† symbolically showing how children’s understanding and interest in the war and many other aspects of the world around us can be enhanced through physically seeing or holding an artefact in their hands. The students ask questions, Martin metaphorically states, â€Å"No-it had limited, power: ten yards, then the spread, became too loose to catch a man’s mortality†, illustrating the capability of grenades and the violent fatalities caused by wars. Likewise â€Å"Beach Burial† by Kenneth Slessor, depict aspects of war but this time of the more graphical and visual realities. A horrify image is created through personification â€Å"The convoys of dead sailors come; At night they sway and wander in the waters far under† enabling the reader to emphasis with the soldiers that died at war. As poetry allows us to develop greater insights and learn about the world around us, â€Å"Beach Burial† effectively portrays the real and actual happenings of war or the aftermath of war. To pluck them from the shallows and bury them in burrows, Someone, has time for this it seems†, metaphorically represents how a person, out of a mark of respect is burying the dead bodies. Emotively language further allows the reader to learn about the world and empathise with those who experienced the war, â€Å"And each cross, the driven stake of tidewood, Bears the last signature of men†. â€Å"Martin and the Hand Grenadeâ⠂¬  focuses more on the grenade and ‘painting a picture’ of the grenade and the class, allowing the reader to interpret the poem and visualise aspects related to the war and the world in general. Whereas â€Å"Beach Burial† focuses on not only the happenings of war, but on embedding a very strong image of war in the readers mind, allowing them to understand and feel the sadness intended by the poem. As both poems have a different way of conveying war, they still teach the reader about life and help them understand the world they are living in. â€Å"Beach Burial† depicts many visual aspects of the war, unlike â€Å"Martin and the Hand Grenade† which focuses on how Australian life has been influenced greatly; mentally, emotionally and physically by several aspects of the war. How to cite ‘Poetry Teaches Us About Life and the World Around Us, Essays