The Final Steps Into The Ordinary Essay Example For Students

The Final Steps Into The Ordinary Essay marcus SnellEnglish 101 1:00-1:5011/6/00The Final Steps Into The Ordinary?Its hard sometimes to put your finger on the tipping point of tolerance. Its not usually the Thurgood Marshalls and the Sally Rides, the big headlines and the major stories. Its in the small incremental ways the world stops seeing differences as threatening?And its finally happening for gay men and lesbians. Theyre becoming ordinary.? In the September issue of Newsweek magazine Ann Quindlen wrote an article entitled The Right To Be Ordinary. In this article Quindlen addresses the issue of gays and lesbians becoming a part of every day life. The article states that even though there is still a lot of discrimination in our country; being gay or lesbian over the years has become more widely accepted. The author effectively argues this point by her use of anecdotes, her tone, and by ?. We will write a custom essay on The Final Steps Into The Ordinary specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Quindlen successfully uses anecdotes to show readers how gay men and lesbians are becoming more commonplace. She builds her credibility by use actual anecdotes that have really occurred and have been reported in many newspapers. On incident that she reported was the Supreme Courts decision that the Boy Scouts had a right to keep out gay scoutmasters. This seems like a setback but it was actually a blessing in disguise. Even though the gay scoutmaster lost his trial, it was the Scouting officials that really took the beating. Men who had been Eagle Scouts for years began to send back their badges. The United Way would no longer support them and took away their funding. Cities and states soon prohibited the Boy Scouts from using public facilities. All this the Boy Scouts lost because of one little act of intolerance for a fellow human being. An additional example would be that during the summer in Vermont, nearly 500 gay and lesbian couples were united in civil unions. Even if these unions were only a ?second-class? type of marriage, it still meant something to the individuals. Unlike how many religious leaders have felt, nothing awful occurred because of these marriages ?The sky did not fall. The earth did not split in two. Happy families and happy friends watched happy people pledge their love.? Anna Quindlens tone made the editorial both successful and unsuccessful in relaying the point of her thesis. In writing her editorial, Quindlen used a somewhat humorous and aggravated tone. Her humorous tone was shown strongest when she was talking about Dr. Laura Schlessinger and about the Biblical text. To quote Quindlen about a letter written to Schlessinger, ? It thanks the conservative radio talk-show host, who has a loyal following of people who apparently were not yelled at enough as children and are trying to find someo ne to make up for it, for educating people regarding Gods law on homosexuality.? Quindlen also addressed a few questions that the Bible had raised in her mind. The Bible states that slaves may be bought from neighboring nations. She was confused because a friend had told her that this stood for Mexicans but not Canadians. Another passage tells her that she is morally obligated to put her neighbor to death because he works on the Sabbath day. Last of all, she talks of how her friend told her that eating shellfish is an abomination (again according to the Bible) but a lesser abomination that homosexuality. Quindlen disagrees with this statement, along with the ones before it, and would like some clarification. This humorous tone kept the editorial entertaining and gave a different perspective on how to view what the Bible has to say exactly. .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 , .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 .postImageUrl , .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 , .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485:hover , .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485:visited , .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485:active { border:0!important; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485:active , .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485 .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u834bb10e108b5efc5ed0255b2b78b485:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Recycling EssayA hint of aggravation could also be heard coming through to the reader. Sign of aggravation were ineffective in conveying her thesis. Anna Quindlens aggravation illustrated that even with all the progress the human race has made, with accepting differences; we still have a long way to go. Some of the strongest feelings of irritation are present near the end of the editorial. ?There are still too many gay bias murders, too, and too many committed by young men who feel threatened by the very notion of homosexuality. Thats one of the saddest things about the decision by the Boy Scouts, that they send a clear message to those who most need to learn tolerance tha t homophobia is acceptable, natural, even praiseworthy.? Little amounts of aggravation is expected when dealing with a subject as important as this. The statement Quindlen made had to be made so she could show that even though we have progressed; we still need to deal with others and ourselves individually. A THIRD POINT GOES HERE!!!!!!?It is almost tangible, the ways in which ordinary people who happen to be gay have become unremarkable.? Quindlen said this at the end of her editorial speaking of the guy who won ?Survivor? and how he was a gay man. He was only an ordinary man who made his way to the top by succeeding. It just so happened that he was gay, big deal. He was just another person wining a million dollars because of his mental and (in his case) physical strength.

Research Paper on Martin Luther King

Research Paper on Martin Luther King What defines an excellent leader? Is Leadership someone that can think creatively or can solve problems? Is a leader someone that knows what it takes to be a leader and to lead a group, or is it someone that sets goals for themselves and/or for the group. You could ponder these questions for a very long time but there is no true definition for leader or leadership. But you can look at people and decide if they are a good leader, by what outcomes they arrive at, the way they inspire people, and the qualities that they poses. All of these aspects are in one of the greatest leaders of all times and that would be, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This man is one to be admired and sought to be like. Martin Luther King also known as MLK was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in the year of 1929. He was brought up in a religious home, his father was a pastor. Martin followed in his dad’s footsteps and was ordained and became a minister of a Baptist church in the city Montgomery, Alabama. Montgomery was a place of great racism in the South. Dr. King saw this racism and felt something needed to be done. As for him being the newly elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). He felt he needed to do something, so in 1955, December 1, when Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger and was arrested. Martin made the decision to organize a boycott against the bus transportation . This is were the great leadership that Martin Luther King Jr. started. The leadership that King shows is, not to be afraid of anything, to stand up for your people/group, to stand up for the right of your people/group, and lastly to fight with nonviolence for your people. King took action against segregation from that day, to his death. By taking action I mean that he formed many organizations one of which was Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which allowed him to pursue other civil rights activities. This grew to be nationwide and allowed Martin L. King to help his people through his leadership skills. Martin set goals for himself and for his people. The goals he set for himself was that I will not rest until all black men, women, children are free of segregation. Which meant he would not rest until all his people were free and would do anything to help them have there freedom. The goals he set for his people were of independence, desegregation, and to have their freedom. By setting these goals it shows that King is a great leader. I feel you have to set goals to accomplish your task. By him setting these goals everyone is on the same track, and the people are looking to achieve the same goals and dreams. Which he showed his dreams when he gave the speech at Washington â€Å"The I Have a Dream† speech. Martin Luther King shows great leadership by his demonstrations of non-violence acts all of his organizations all the speeches he gave and all the letters he wrote. Through this it shows he is a man of intelligence, determination, also integrity. I say intelligence because in his demonstrations, if he would of fought back he and many others would have been killed or seriously injured and it would be his fault and he would of let his people down. So by using his brain he was able to show that the use of violence would result in violence. Not the fact that the demonstration was about the Civil Rights and the desegregation of Blacks. He also showed his intelligence by the letters and the speeches he wrote. The one that was the most inspirational was the I Have a Dream speech. This speech touched so many people. It changed the way many people thought about blacks. With the words of Martin Luther King he helped to get desegregation in the Southern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Carolina, Georgia etc just throw his leadership skills and his motivational words that ring till this day. King showed his determination through getting thrown in jail, being hit with sticks, fists, and being called a Niger. All of which hurt him but he would not let that stop him from getting his people free. He did not want to show he was scared of the white community he wanted to show his people no fear. So he faced these obstacles head on and didn’t back down. He showed his dedication and determination to achieve his goals and the goals of his people and to show no fear, and to make his people feel no fear in the whit community. By this Blacks became unafraid of white and helped them get there desegregation. Martin showed his integrity by taking responsibility for his actions, shown by him going to jail and by him being beat up or even killed. This man inspires confidence in others because he can be trusted to do what he says he will do. King says he will fight until freedom rings that means that he will fight till freedom rings, in which he did. He showed the most integrity when he was killed. He showed that he would give is life to have desegregation and to have his people have their freedom from all whites. Martin Luther King showed different types of leadership through his preaching, his I Have a Dream speech, boycotts, his marches, and his death. All of these demonstrations show that he is the greatest leader of all time. He changed America, he changed segregation, he changed the way people think of people. All of his great qualities came in handy for him to be this great leader. To be remembered as a great man and leader ever to live and die doing what he believed in, and what he thought was right. King was a great leader. He is a man that will never be forgotten. This is because of all the good things that he has done for America and and the Black population. Know one will ever for get this man because of his hard work, determination, loyalty to his people, is loyalty to his work, the trust people shared in him, How intelligent he was to make the right decision on his movements and speeches. Martin Luther King is a very inspiring individual, a man that will show you what is right and how it is going to be when all is over. He is the kind of man that will show you his dreams, and show you how he is feeling. But When it comes down to everything he is on top. He hits every aspect of a not good but great leader. Your forever Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.