The Prince: Chapters 1-8

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli starts off with a description of the differences between principalities and republics. The principalities are connect to existing states. Machiavelli goes on to say that it is actually easier to govern a hereditary state than a new principality. This is because of the fact that the people have been ruled by a family and therefore are aware of how they use they're power, as well as the fact that the people love their rulers. Machiavelli then explains how the princes fight to gain control of the other's land. Also, the people can be easily swayed by a newcomer and because of this they would most often revolt. Machiavelli explains how to actually govern a principality. He suggests having ministers that help govern and who answer to the prince. They are simply his eyes and ears. According to Machiavelli it is much harder to take over a state that is run by the prince and ministers than by nobles, however it is quite hard to hold control of the noble run state. Machiavelli then explains how to hold a state that is used to living by their own laws. The first way is to completely devastate them and break their spirit. The second is to completely occupy them and therefore suppress any revolts. The third way is to allow them to continue living by their own laws, however charge taxes. In the sixth chapter Machiavelli states the belief that rulers should mirror their time ruling a country after other very successful and well respected rulers from the past. Also, Machiavelli states that rulers should depend on themselves and their natural abilities more than fortune and luck. Machiavelli then goes on to explain that a solid basis is the key to having a completely solid rule. He then explains that people can become princes by buying their way into power, crime and betrayal. However, if you become a prince by crime and betrayal you can have power but not glory. Most importantly, however, a prince must be consistent in how he treats his subjects, whether to inflict a top amount of pain and destruction or a minimum.

Extasy vs. Binge Drinking

To me, the issue of extasy use is much more of a public concern than teen binge drinking. The fact of the matter is that there have been more deaths from extasy use then binge drinking. Also, I feel it is of more of a concern because no matter what age you are, extasy isn't legal, however, drinking is legal when you are 21. Also, I feel extasy use is a much harder issue to control than teen binge drinking. The sheer fact that extasy is normally used in a very uncontrolled party scene, where as teen binge drinking is atleast usually at someone's house also makes it more dangerous.

To address this public concern, I feel the government needs to definitely strap down on the rave scene in which the extasy users are usually accustomed to. Also, the government should most likely develop a system like SafeDance, wherein they test extasy tablets to make sure they are pure extasy. While this will not alleviate the number of users, it will most likely lead to a decrease of deaths and injuries due to the consumption of extasy laced with other drugs. By having increased surveillance of the rave parties, as well as random drug testing at schools like at ours we will see an immediate drop in the number of users as well as deaths related to the use of extasy.

Articles 1-4

Article 1 - I don't think age should have anything to do with a kidney transplant. The fact of the matter is that the person who needs the kidney the most should get it, regardless of how old or young they are. It all comes down to where you are on the list and how long you can survive without this transplant. A person who is 80 years old could possibly live longer than a 20 year old. There is no way of knowing for sure, and because of that, age should not be a determining factor.
Article 2 - We are all created equal. It does not matter our gender, age, race, size, etc. So why does it matter who we love? All of a sudden, there has been an explosion of issues involving alternate lifestyles including gay and lesbian relationships and whether or not they can be considered a marriage, etc. and if these relationships warrant health insurance coverage. To me all serious relationships warrant health coverage, whether if they involve one man and one woman or two women.
Article 3 - I feel that this article brings up an excellent point: Irresponsible driving leads to accidents. Because of this, I feel that there should be a secondary law that fines you if you are pulled over or cause an accident because of inattentive driving due to cell phone use, digging through a purse, or any other situation where the driver's attention was compromised. There are too many people on the road trying to multitask while driving, which is the wrong time to be doing this. We are all guilty of doing too much while we are supposed to be concentrating on the road, but I feel that once there has been a law set, we would start to think twice before answering that one phone call or picking up something that has spilt.
Article 4 - I am completely appauled by this article. For years many races have been fighting for equal rights, but now I feel that caucasians are being wrongfully put down because of our race. No, it may not be politically correct to say, but I've never asked for preferential treatment because of the color of my skin, and I don't think it's fair that others are getting preferential treatment because the color of their skin. The only factors that should be taken into account are grades, extra-curriculars, GPA, and SAT/ACT scores. It is based on these factors that we will succeed or fail, not the color of our skin.

Heart of Darkness vs. Inherit the Wind

This statement is a metaphor for the fact that many people are attracted to the things that can hurt them. Because of this inclination towards the "disease" they are actually inclined to die from it. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow is the character who has "a secret attraction to the disease." In this case, the "disease" would be characerized as Kurtz. This is true because of the fact that he has heard all of these horror stories about Kurtz, but throughout his time with him, he saw through these stories and realized that Kurtz was just a troubled person. Marlow actually comes to admire him and consider him a friend. In Inherit the Wind, Bertram Cates has the attraction to the disease, which is a disease of change in thought towards evolution. I believe this is considered a disease because of the fact that if Cates persued this it would sufficiently ruin his career, life in this town, and future with Rachel. It would kill any chance of having a successful life would be jeapordized by his belief in change.