Josh Lykins ENG 101B Final Project

Josh Lykins

Section 1 - Introduction

I am Josh Lykins, my hometown is West Liberty Kentucky, I am a freshman at EKU studying criminal justice, and a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. When I first came into this class I was expecting it to be different than it is. Due to the amount of homework that was given right off I was a little worried, but after being in it for a few weeks I quickly learned that it was not that bad. This class has been very enjoyable for me; I have been introduced to an abundance of information not only in the area of English, but in history. It has broadened my knowledge on topics such as government, justice, ethics and morality, and individualism. This has helped me become a better-rounded individual on these subjects due to the fact that I have studied the thoughts and opinions of such great writers such as Gandhi, Machiavelli, Thomas Jefferson and others.

Section 2 – Government

                Government is a very controversial topic. Many people have attempted to form what they call an “ideal government.” I for one believe that there is not an “ideal government.” Every form of government is going to be flawed in some way, but we must realize that nothing is perfect and we must make the best of the situation. Men such as Thomas Jefferon, Machiavelli, and Gandhi all expressed their views on an ideal government, but the only persons ideas that are still around today are Thomas Jefferson.

                Machiavelli and Gandhi are two totally different sides of the playing field, Gandhi being very passive and against war and law is much different from Machiavelli who is extremely pro war and law. Gandhi’s way of government is much too passive; it is not human nature to obey laws without the fear of immediate consequence. His belief in nonviolence would leave his civilization vulnerable to any form of attack. A government based on the teachings of Gandhi would only result in pure chaos. Machiavelli, however; believes that military and law should be the main focus of a population. This leads to an uncomfortable lifestyle for people living in this society. Unlike the two authors mentioned Thomas Jefferson’s form of government has lasted over one hundred years and is still used today in one of the world’s most powerful countries, he taken teachings from Gandhi such as civil rights and freedom, and teachings from Machiavelli considering the fact that America has one of the best military’s in the world. Jefferson is truly the best of both worlds and in my opinion he and his companions have developed the closest thing to an “ideal government.” In one of his most famous quotes witch describes how he truly is for the people as well “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish.” (Jefferson 80).

                The picture above describes my view of government because of the fact that it is the declaration of independence a document written many years ago that still reigns over all countries as (in my opinion) the best form of government so far.

Section 3 – Wealth and Poverty

                Living in an era that demands economic success it is difficult to close the gap of wealth and poverty. Andrew Carnegie and Kenneth Galbraith believe that the wealthy have an obligation to assist the poor in a way that will give them the opportunity to make a better life for themselves.

                The writers mentioned believe that the unbelievably wealthy should not waste there money on insignificant items,  but use their wealth to assist not only unfortunate individuals but give many people the opportunity to succeed through ways such as bettering a school in a poor city. As Galbraith mentioned in the first sentence of The Gospel of Wealth “The problem of our age is the administration of wealth, so that the ties of brotherhood may still bind together the rich and poor in harmonious relationship” (Galbraith 391). This will give the children in attendance a better chance to seek higher education and contribute to society in a positive way. Giving money to charity’s such as school systems is a great deal better than just handing the poor money for them to waste on insignificant items that will not benefit them in a suitable way.

                Taking into consideration the Carnegie and Galbraith’s view on wealth, poverty and charity we can attempt to help the less fortunate in better ways than simply giving them the money they need. I believe that if we can achieve this goal it will enhance the economic system as a whole by giving the poor a push to help stimulate the economy by contributing to society through the workforce.

                The picture shown at the beginning of this section shows a poor girl on a chalk board, this represents charity work for unprivileged children

Section 4 – Justice

                In the world today injustice can be found everywhere you turn, and the only way to terminate injustice is to challenge it. There is no greater challenger to my knowledge other than Martin Luther King JR. This man was cursed, humiliated, and put in jail just to stand up for the unjust discrimination that was being done to his people. In his Book Letter from Birmingham jail he states “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here” (214). Although he knew that his actions to stand up for justice would put him in jail he still bared through and eventually it paid off and his dreams of equality came true.

                Civil disobedience, if preformed in the correct way, is completely necessary for the betterment of society. Henry David Thoreau was a great man like the King, and during times of slavery hid slaves and helped them escape the clutches of the south, and risking his own life in the process. This was an action that paved the way for the Kings success. Without people who use civil disobedience for what they know is right, the world would basically live under a dictatorship. This is why we need people to take a stand of civil disobedience even in the modern world today or else I fear that injustice will become more and more common before we can even realize it.

                The picture shown above describes this section because it illustrates the disobedient support equality witch is a large reason of why our justice system is today.    

Section 5 – Ethics and Morality

                Ethics and morality should be the building blocks to a happy and successful society and is the guide to personal enlightenment. In my experience these two words are very much the same, they can be defined simply as good and bad, as a society this should stressed on the individual to be held to a greater standard of living for the betterment of society as a whole.

                Those who are not serious about living a life in which ethics and morality are priorities to be successful will inevitably stoop to a level of crime and chaos, this is where we often associate ethics and morality with religion. Iris Murdock gives a good explanation to the ties of ethics and morality to religion in this statement “In the background of many of these arguments lies a question about the relation of morality to religion, the difference between them, and the definition of religion.” (Murdoch 734).

                For one to truly be happy I believe they must be satisfied with the life that they live. Aristotle Provides us with a good quote involving happiness “The majority of men, as well as the cultured few, speak of it as happiness; and they would maintain that to live well and to do well are the same thing as to be happy.” (Aristotle 696). To me this means how well your life is spent on things that matter such as family and friendship and not so much money and items. In my experience, topics such as friends and family have truly made me the person I am today, and without them I don’t know where I would be.

                The clip shown at the start of this paper portrays a family that is happy with each other, this describes this section because they appear to be ethically sound with only themselves as a family.

Section 6 – Individualism

                Individualism is something that should be taken very seriously, in the end the only thing you really have to show for is who you are and what you have done with your life. Ralph Emerson Summed up individualism in a short quote “To be great is to be misunderstood.” Emerson (265). This is a very influential quote because it speaks for so much in such a short saying. Nobody in this world is truly normal, everybody is weird in their own way, some just choose not to show it, but in my opinion individualism is the outward expression of you.

                My parents told me growing up that one of the most important things I need to accomplish is to make a difference in a good way, and being the individual that I intend to be I strive to rise above the norm of the people in my generation today and try to be more polite, by doing things a simple as opening a door for somebody, or holding the elevator that may make a difference in somebody’s day.

                Typically people that are brought up have similar personalities; this is where culture comes into play. I do not agree with the fact that somebody is stereotypical to their culture is not an individual, it is only human nature to follow that pack subconsciously and not even know what is that you are following. Every culture is going to be alike in some way whether it is fashion, music, or whatever it up to the person to determine what truly makes them happy and not be afraid to show it.  

                The illustration above describes this section because the one fork is different from the rest showing that it is an individual.     

Section 7 – Conclusion

                Coming into my first semester college English class I really didn’t know what to expect, I had heard that college English was really hard and that it is easy so I was in the dark about everything. My personal experience with the class has been a great one, I really enjoyed some of the topics we covered and I felt like I learned a lot. I also really enjoyed the professor she did a great job of making topics should be boring somewhat interesting, and appreciated her compassion toward students.

Section 8 - Works Cited

Aristotle. “The Aim of Man”. Ed. Lee A Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2010. 691-711. Print.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Self-Reliance”. Ed. Lee A Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2010. 255-269. Print.

Galbraith, John Kenneth. “The Position of Poverty”. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2010. 405-417 Print.

Jefferson, Thomas. “The Declaration of Independence”. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2010. 77-85. Print.

King Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2010. 211-231. Print.

Murdoch, Iris. “Morality and Religion”. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2010. 729-743. Print.

Photographs Used:

The Declaration of Independence. N.d. http://spoiledpetcafe.com. web 12/14/11

Poor Economics. N.d. http://pooreconomics.com/. Web. 12/14/11

Defend Equality. N.d.  http://laughingsquid.com. Web. 12/14/11

Happy Family. N.d. http://movies-macaulaywangrussell.blogspot.com. Web. 12/14/11