What Makes a Person Evil?

Recently in class we have been discussing one of Shakespeare's more popular plays, Macbeth. Macbeth started as a hero, but then became a power-hungry villain. Going on a killing spree, Macbeth's journey to power was not one he was proud of. But, is he really evil? He may have done all these evil things, but he still felt remorse for them. This raises the question of what makes a person evil. The true nature of evil, in my opinion, involves why someone does something as well as how he or she feels about it afterward.

In Macbeth's case, he did evil things for power. These motives are some of the things that decide the true nature of the action. It is important to be driven by good morals. In an article on Psychology Today, talks about how people can be “morally insane”, meaning they don’t have clear morals. In psychology, this is considered a mental disorder, but it doesn’t necessarily apply to all people just because they don’t evil things. Someone could just not listen to their morals, and end up being driven by evil, like Macbeth.

Macbeth felt haunted by what he did. This shows that he does have good morals, but he repeatedly ignores them. Although it shows he still has goodness in him, ignoring this regret still shows how he is evil. Whether or not someone feels regret can determine whether or not the nature of the person is truly evil. Regret shows one’s true feelings, even if they have done an action that goes against them.

Overall, the true nature of evil is what a person’s morals are and whether or not they actually follow them. Although Macbeth had good morals and knew right from wrong, he still did what he knew was wrong. Good morals can make a person truly good or the total opposite.

Sources:

Dahlen, Dr. Barbara Van. "Happiness / Blog." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 01 May 2013.

Pomeroy, Leon. "The Anti Batman." Psychologytoday.com. N.p., 24 July 2012. Web. 1 May 2013.

Shakespeare, William, and A. R. Braunmuller. Macbeth. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. Print.

 

Education for Sale

    

     An issue affecting many students across the country coming into this second semester is college costs. The cost of going to college can seem to be too much for many people to afford, and this ends up seriously limiting future options. The average cost for a four year public in-state college is $8,240 a year (collegeboard.org). Although costs seem high, college should not be free.

       Many people argue that this helps make sure that only the people who are serious about going to college get in.There are also many scholarship opportunities available. For families who still need more help financial aid is offered. Many people are also misinformed. The media often only show the sticker price for a college, but don't also show the increase in amount of scholarships and financial aid offered. The real change in college cost is to wealthier families, and only about 20 percent of the increase comes from net cost and other 80 percent of the increase comes from price-discrimination, which is the highest amount a college could get from someone (bloomberg.com). Overall costs have not risen drastically, and college is more affordable than it seems.





Too Young for Crime?

     In recent stduies, it was found that the crime rates in juveniles is higher than usual, and it is even becoming more violent. Not all teenagers are out of control, but it seems that more are committing illegal acts. There needs to be more consequences in order to stop this problem. At school, we know there are serious consequences for cheating, so it is very rare when it happens. Why shouldn't more drastic consequences be set in place when it comes to something as serious as breaking a law if it could also prevent it from happening?

     Many people argue that trying juveniles as adults will just end up costing more but this is not the case. With the threat of jail time, there are actually less crimes committed. Not only could this be preventing more crimes from happening, it could also cost less money. With all things considered, sentencing certain juvenile offenders as adults is safer for the community and can even do that child good.   

Towing the Ethical Line

      Lately in class, we have been discussing the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, where a scientist takes irresponsible risks in order to make new discoveries and gain new knowledge. The things he does raises questions like how far is too far to go in gaining new knowledge? Today scientist continue to attempt to play God and dance on the fine line between making new discoveries and still being ethical. A very popular issue involving this is stem cell research.
    
     Stem cell research is very controversial, not only because some say it's playing God, but the biggest issue being that to get the best stem cells they have to use embryos. On the other hand it has shown some signs of healing cancer but at what cost? Essentially they are losing a life to save another. The American Medical Association explains the different ways to get stem cells, a few include taking cells from adults that causes no harm to the person who donates them. This would be the best thing to do, without taking things too far they can still do the research they need without being considered unethical. They can save lives, without losing any others.

The Importance of Choice: Major Grade

     Everyday, we are faced with so many choices which is often overwhelming, and can feel a little scary. Lately in school, we have been talking about the quote, "You don't choose a life... you live one" from the book and movie, The Way. Although this quote says you don't choose, I feel like it really brings up the idea that you make a choice everyday of whether or not you wallow in the things you can't control or live the life you've been blessed with. Just live your life. Often times, we are faced with decisions and don't know just how to react. I have heard that in situations like these, toss a coin, and for that brief moment it's in the air, you know which side you're hoping it will land on.

This means that not every decision is an easy one but there is always something in your head that knows what you really want, even when the rest of you doesn't. This voice is often pushed aside nowadays because of everything going on around us that is out of our control - the parts of our life that we don't choose. The important thing is to live your life and choose to listen to that voice, no matter what you can't control

Brain Food

     Schools across the nation are doing about everything they can to keep up with our country's raising concern for the obesity epidemic. There is one thing they could do that has been proven to be healthy, and that is allow students to eat throughout the day. Not only is snacking through the day healthier, on school days it can increase focus. In an article approved by a dietician, eating more often can help your body burn more calories and keep you from eating unless you really are hungry. In another article on fitnessmagazine.com, eating little snacks every three hours is one of the healthiest ways to eat the right amount of calories. Another reason students should be allowed to eat during class is that it can increase focus. Studies show that if you're eating something healthy, it improves focus and even memory, which would help improve grades. I don't think students should be eating whole meals in class, but I think it would be beneficial if more teachers allowed eating during class.

Other sources:
livestrong.com

The Importance of Choice

     Everyday, we are faced with so many choices which is often overwhelming, and can feel a little scary. Lately in school, we have been talking about the quote, "You don't choose a life... you live one" from the book and movie, The Way. Although this quote says you don't choose, I feel like it really brings up the idea that you make a choice everyday of whether or not you wallow in the things you can't control or live the life you've been blessed with. Just live your life. Often times, we are faced with decisions and don't know just how to react. I have heard that in situations like these, toss a coin, and for that brief moment it's in the air, you know which side you're hoping it will land on.

     This means that not every decision is an easy one but there is always something in your head that knows what you really want, even when the rest of you doesn't. This voice is often pushed aside nowadays because of everything going on around us that is out of our control - the parts of our life that we don't choose. The important thing is to live your life and choose to listen to that voice, no matter what you can't control.