Survive by Love, Faith and Will Essay -- History, Nazi Party, Jews

At the beginning of the 20th century, anti-Semitism became more serious. Germany began to isolate and eliminate Jews. When the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, comes to power in 1933, he wanted to set up the perfect Nazi state. The Nazis wanted to stamp out any opposition to their rule, so they set up a system of concentration camps, death camps for holding people that they see as â€Å"undesirable†. Those â€Å"undesirables† were Jews. From 1933 to 1945, about six million Jews are murdered and it is called the Holocaust. The Holocaust is the greatest single case of mass murder in history and is difficult to ignore. After World War II, survivors of the Holocaust told their stories directly or wrote down what happened in the Holocaust. One of the famous writers is Elie Wiesel, a Noble Peace Prize winner in 1986 who wrote the novel Night based on his experience as a Holocaust survivor. Night is the record of Elie Wiesel’s memories of the Holocaust. This work of lit erature is about his experience with his father, Chlomo, in the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald between 1944 and 1945. Another book that effectively describes the theme of the Holocaust by Canadian poet Anne Michaels is Fugitive Pieces, for which she received many prizes such as, Orange Prize, Canadian Authors Association Award and so on. The Fugitive Piece tells the story of a seven-year old young boy Jakob Beer and his parents are murdered by Nazi soldiers and his sister, Bella, is abducted during the Holocaust in Poland. Jakob flees and is rescued by a Greece geologist Athos Roussos. Athos hides Jakob successfully in Greek, then at the end of war, they move to Toronto. Both characters though from different perspectives and stories Elie and Jakob’s experiences... ...him geography and language every day. Because of Athos strong will, Jakob finally goes out the room and back to life at the end of the war. Hence, Ellie and Athos' will to survive supports them and the people around them to live to see the end of the war. To sum up, World War II was the most destructive human endeavor in history. Battles were fought on every continent and involved more than sixty countries, affecting about three-quarters of the world’s population. Six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Although the memory of Holocaust has made the world more sensitive to genocide, it has a lasting impact on the Jewish people. Then both Night and Fugitive Pieces are two impressive books which allow readers glimpse at Holocaust, tell the world that even in the worst situations, love from families and friends, faith and will to live will encourage survivals.

National Social Issue: Drugs and substance

The problem of drug and alcohol abuse among youngsters has become a social and concern of national importance that merits closer attention and demands significant thrust and efforts by parents, teachers and government. This problem of drug and alcohol abuse takes especially severe implications in case of youngsters due to their greater vulnerability in becoming confirmed addicts of these substances ( Langfield, MacIntyre and Turner, 2006). Statistics from Office of national drug control policy point out that over half the students in USA over half the students in USA try out at least one illegal drug before passing out high school, and around two third of them have at least drunk once (Fact Sheets). It’s also reported that use of illicit drugs and alcohol among American youngsters is highest in the industrialized world (Haier, Maddi and Wadhwa, 1996). Causes of substance abuse Adolescents turn towards drugs and alcohol due to a number of reasons that include disturbed family background, history of substance abuse in the family, pressures from peers and friends, as a reflection of prevailing social trends and some times just for experimentation purpose (Prichard and Payne, 2005). Their peers or friends, public trends, and general acceptance of limited drug use that is considered social and normal initiate a large number of teenagers to substance abuse. Youngsters are indeed under great pressure to use drugs due to pressure from their immediate social interaction, and because drug use is seen as sign of growing up. In this regard, reports and surveys have strongly indicated that once youngsters understand the dangers associated with drug abuse, there is a significant reduction in drug abuse among them. Many youngsters turn to drug abuse feeling they are invincible before drugs and thereby get entrapped in the vicious circles of alcohol and drug addiction (Prichard and Payne, 2005). Generally youngsters are initiated in the drug cycle with a relatively less dangerous but highly addictive drug marijuana. Later on they are motivated to use more dangerous and potentially life threatening drugs such as crack, cocaine, and heroine, making them completely depended on drug. Increasing instances of substance abuse also finds hand of organized drug mafia whose business depends on increasing the size of their spread by popularizing the concept that drug use is common and therefore acceptable (Cherry, Dillon and Rugh, 2002).. Effect of Substance Abuse Dependence upon drugs abuse creates a whole set of medical, social, and psychological problems for the youngsters that adversely affect their normal development and growth path while creating an equally traumatic experience for their parents and peers. The persistent use of drugs and alcohol cause depression, moods swings, sudden volatile behavior, seizures, lack in concentration, lack in coordinated speech and behavior, stupor and increased suicidal tendency in the adolescents (Prichard and Payne, 2005). Other problems related to drug and alcohol abuse are disrupted family life, self isolation and seclusion, disruption in functioning of central nervous system, and renal and hepatic failures (Haier, Maddi and Wadhwa, 1996).   Heavy drug abuse leads to permanent damage to brain tissues, cause lasting depression, irritability, mood swings, inability to take decisions, reduction in cognitive and intellectual abilities, isolation from family and friends, increase in suicidal tendency, coma and even death. Remedy of substance use The problems related to drugs and alcohols are systematic, long term and need consistent monitoring, support and treatment, something that is only possible in the family setup (Langfield, MacIntyre and Turner, 2006). Individual treatment is seldom effective as its effects are short termed and in the absence of any preventive motivation and check adolescents tend to fall back to the use of drugs and alcohol.   Therefore the problem requires a systematic, comprehensive and all out approach to attack its foundation. The government, in coordination of society needs to evolve policies and programs that prevent youngsters from being initiated into the drug use (Rivers and Shore,1997). An important step in this effort is to identify the youngsters who have already used/abused drug once and ensuring that they are not led to further abuse of drugs and/or alcohol. In this regard, federal student drug testing program is a major initiative that aims to make students aware of their own drug abusing habits without exposing them or embarrassing them before their friends and family members (Rivers and Shore,1997). The mission should also aim to spread awareness against performance enhancement drugs in sports academies and sporting teams, as these drugs encourage students to take illegal drugs at later stages. This priority should also focus on making younger people aware of better health options, educating them on full range of dangers associated with drug abuse, the permanent debilitating effect of drugs like cocaine, marijuana and heroine on their family relation, health, career and entire life (Haier, Maddi and Wadhwa, 1996). The program must aims at launching a comprehensive media program to educate youngsters on all the aspects of drug abuse. It also includes the intention to induce help from families, schools, sports coaches, teachers and community leaders in to reinforce the message that drug use is extremely harmful, dangerous and leads to irreparable loss (Cherry, Dillon and Rugh, 2002). The substance abuses prevention policy should further aims to use public health infrastructure to intervene in the initial period of drug abuse. An integrated aspect is to use medical institutions as a screening procedure and providing treatment to every one, whether they can afford institutional treatment or not. The program should also includes patients risk assessment by physicians to estimate their potential of drug abuse (Haier, Maddi and Wadhwa, 1996). The final priority in program should be concerned with attacking the well structured and deeply rooted drug trade by targeting foundation of drug business, such as agricultural production of many drugs, their transportation and distribution network, its organizational and hierarchical system and its transportation system (Cherry, Dillon and Rugh, 2002). This strategy promises impressive results with certain elimination of major drug cartels, elimination of cocaine trade and make significant progress in bringing down the size of organized drug market. In this regard United Sates is committed to closely interact with international community to share information and collectively act against the drug trade. Reference Andrew Cherry, Dillon, M.E, Rugh, D. 2002. Substance Abuse: A Global View. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT. Haier, R.J. Maddi. S.R. Wadhwa. S.R. 1996. Relationship of Hardiness to Alcohol and Drug Use in Adolescents. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Volume: 22. Issue: 2. P.A. Langfield, M. MacIntyre and J.G. Turner. 2006. Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Abuse. 27.02.2007. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/consumer/10216.html Prichard J.   and Payne J. 2005. Alcohol, Drugs and Crime: A study of Juvenile in Detention. Australian Institute of Criminology. 27.02.2007. http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/rpp/67/06_chapter2.html#1 P. Clayton Rivers and Elsie R. Shore. 1997. Substance Abuse on Campus: A Handbook for College and University Personnel.Greenwood Press.Westport, CT.                                       

Not Always Right

Brooke is a stunning, red-haired, fair-skinned, girl with dazzling blue-green eyes. On her skinny figure she wore light distressed Jeans and a long-sleeve grey sweater? she rocked It. I had never talked to her In my life and I had never heard anything bad about her; I Just made assumptions of my own. Before asking her anything, I told her that she could tell me anything and that it would be safe with me and I meant it. She has good grades, likes photography, and says that she doesn't typically have issues with her friends.Then, I asked her if she was self-conscious and she said yes; she also said yes when I asked her if she considered herself to be depressed. She told me that she had family issues and that her and her parents do not get along?to this I relate In so many ways. We talked about family problems for the entire first half of our conversation. When this topic came to an end I asked a question that I'm sure she saw coming. I asked her is she cut and she said, â€Å"l used t o but things have gotten better for me. She started cutting in 7th grade because of self-hatred, depression, ND family issues. I wasn't surprised because too many freshman girls do this as well, including me. The main things I learned about her were that I was wrong and that we have a lot In common. To be honest, I learned more from this experience about myself than I learned about Brooke. When I asked Brooke to speak with me, I had an Idea that the assumptions about her in my head were no doubt, correct. Because I had judged her so roughly, I did not think she would be able to change my mind?call me stubborn.Also, I came to realize that Brooke and I have a lot in common: the way we deal with problems, being self-conscious, and being required to adjust to family issues. This made me realize that I tend to Judge people who I share similarities with; I also found other relationships where I did or do this. I do this because I try so hard to be myself and be original, but being complet ely unique is hard to do in a world of 6,973,738,433 people. She is a gorgeous girl and I am insanely jealous of her; I know for a fact that I edge people am jealous of.When we were talking, I found my original idea of her completely deteriorating. The more I think about my colonization with Brooke, the more I realize that I am wrong. Now, I realize that I enjoy talking to her. I hope we keep talking and maybe even one day become friends. I hope that eventually she will see me as someone she can talk to about her problems instead of cutting herself. When I spoke with her, I felt like I could be honest and be myself and I rarely feel this way with anybody.I'm surprised y my slight ability to open up more than I usually do during that conversation because I always hold everything in. For example, when she asked me if I cut, my good friends. I'm thankful for the change to begin getting to know Brooke, and I hope that we continue getting to know each other. I will not say that I am goin g to stop Judging people because Vie tried to do so before?it doesn't work, but from now on I will try my best to get to know a person to a fuller extent before Judging them. I'm glad I got this chance to figure out that I was wrong about Brooke.