ENG 101-A Essay #5 Stef Giacchini

Stef Giacchini

Essay #5

ENG 101-A

Professor Benningfield                 

November 19, 2011

Section one

My name is Stef Giacchini and I’m a freshman at Eastern Kentucky University. I’m currently taking English 101.  Overall, I think this class was a good class because it taught me what is morally right and wrong. By learning other governments it makes me truly appreciate the United States of America. The freedoms we have such as the right to free speech and the right to vote is more important to me now than ever before. Free speech means to do whatever you choose to plan to study in college is a huge freedom. The ability to make choices and to understand not all countries in the world are the same and still fight for their freedom like we have today.

Section two

 http://wirednewyork.com/landmarks/liberty/

       “That the government is best when governing the least.” (175, O’Sullivan and Jefferson) Reading about Henry David Thoreau believed this was his motto and followed it throughout his rhetoric. This is a strong point to make and understand that we as Americans have the opportunity to further our education and to choose what to study. Therefore to pick a career and delve our thinking into, so we can make a living and in what we want to do with our lives. The United States is the ideal government and of what we make of ourselves.

Section three

http://gita-bhagvad.blogspot.com/2010/07/wealth-and-poverty_21.html

           By using this picture it reminds me that I have a choice between wealth and poverty. Learning to save money for basic needs is more important to me then wasting it on wants. By saving money for a college education I can learn intrinsic rewards are more powerful in becoming the person I choose to be. By learning how poor the rest of world is and people that struggle just to meet their basic needs. In the future I hope to donate money for others that are less affluent and fortunate. By growing up in Madison County I never realized how much poverty we really have in our own state.

Section four

http://www.straighterline.com/blog/post.cfm/new-course-profile-introduction-to-criminal-justice

   Justice is fairness and righteousness for all people. I believe people must follow the laws of the land in which they live. Without laws our nation would be an unsafe place in which to live. In our country we have the right to an attorney and cannot be imprisoned without due cause. We are innocent until proven guilty of a crime. In our justice system a person on trial must have enough evidence to be proven guilty of the crime. There are situations innocent people have been  imprisoned for crimes in which they did not commit. This is an injustice, yet people have the right to a fair trial. In other countries a person can be accuse of a crime and never given a fair trial this is injustice.

Section five

http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/Mighty_is_Morality.htm

      According to Webster’s 21^st Century Dictionary, the definition of morality is concerned with moral principles. Ethics is the study of right and wrong actions. An example of unethical/immoral behavior in our society is the illegal pill problem that doctors prescribed for patients. This has become a problem for law enforcement officers throughout the nation. Another example is when people in business take advantage of the money flow and use money from the business this is known as embezzlement of funds. Another example is the problem of sexual and child abuse, the Penn State situation with the football coaches. This showed immoral behavior. Many cases go unacknowledged until it comes out in the media. Religion plays a strong part in ethical/moral behavior. Once a person has strong religious beliefs they will follow what is morally right. Happiness is tied to ethics/morality because happiness stems from achieving goals in a person’s life. Goal setting should be important to every human being. Goal setting can take years of development for an example obtaining a college degree.

Section six

http://www.iosho.co.in/index.php/2011/05/be-an-individual-and-pay-for-it/

       After reading many of the philosophies by the people we study they all had a common goal and that is to live by the morals that have a basis in religion. All religions deal with self-discipline and self-control. Many religious beliefs stem from the idea of doing what right for all people. The individual formulates how they intend to live their lives for the future. An individual in any society should follow the rules of the governing state or country. Each person does have the obligation to follow the laws of the land. Each person should know the laws and abide by them. When visiting foreign countries people need to know what is allowed and choose not to break any law because you are a guest in that country. For example in some foreign countries a woman must walk behind the man then that’s what you do. Even though you may not think it’s right.  If this is the law then choose to follow it. All individuals’ character and personality are developed through parenting. If foundations are applied early in life then it shapes the moral character of the individual.  

Section seven

      This class has taught differences of peoples’ thinking and how ethical/moral behavior becomes establish in an individual. One of the main philosophers that I believed was Aristotle. “Aristotle describes the search for the highest good, which he defines as happiness. In the process of defining the good, he relates it to the idea of virtuous behavior, living an ethical and moral life. For him, the concept of morality is communal, not just individual.” (xxiii, Aristotle) Another philosopher that changed America was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His ideals and righteousness changed everyone’s thinking in America. From segregation at lunch counters, restrooms, and drinking fountains Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed America and gave hope for the future. This class I enjoyed. I enjoyed it because I realized people have been thinking about ethics and morality for centuries. As I tried to separate ethics/morality I realized it does comes from religion in my opinion. Some examples of being segregated could be used in class. If all brown eye people had to sit in the back and blue eye people in the front, people could realize what it feels like to be discriminated against. The exercise may make people understand how crazy the laws were during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. time.

Section eight

Jacobus, Lee A.  A World of Ideas. Ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s. Boston. 2010. Print
Pictures:
Statue of Liberty (Liberty Englightening the World). http://wirednewyork.com/landmarks/liberty.
            Web. 8 Dec. 2011.
Wealth and poverty is two sides of the same coin- the wealth of everyone is in the sharing not in the
            keeping. 2010. http://gita-bhagvad.blogspot.com/2010/07/wealth-and-poverty21.html. Web.
            8 Dec. 2011.
Scale of Justice. http://straighterline.com/blog/post.cfm/new-course-profile-introduction-to-criminal-
            justice. Web. 8 Dec. 2011.
Evolution of Morality. http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/MightyisMorality.htm Web. 8 Dec. 2011.
Be an individual and pay for it... http://www.iosho.co.in/index/php/2011/05/be-an-individual-and-pay
             -for-it/. Web. 8 Dec. 2011.