Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - Homophobia and Self-hatred :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Essays - A Debt that Must be Paid    Adolescence, under the best of all circumstance, is a time of great stress and confusion for young people. Bodies, relationships to friends and family, and moods change rapidly as social, psychological, and physiological puberty is navigated.    In this society, to be an adolescent who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered (hereafter referred to as 'gay') means to be at significant risk for suicide, depression, dropping out of school, violence, homelessness, rejection from family, prostitution and substance abuse.    Estimates suggest that at least three million children and adolescents in the United States are homosexual.    For this group, the societal stressor of homophobia (both external and internal) adds a significant and often lethal component. Researchers estimate that up to one-third of all adolescents who commit suicide are lesbian or gay. In addition, gay teens are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts.    Data collected in 1985 suggest that 85% of gay youth who attempt suicide also use illicit drugs. Nearly a quarter of that group had already undergone chemical dependency treatment. The mean age for suicide attempts is 15 years and most report multiple tries. Overdose and self-laceration account for 80% of these attempts.    National dropout statistics reveal that 28% of gay and lesbian high school students leave school because of physical and mental harassment resulting from their perceived sexual orientation. While in school, the data indicates that more than 37% of adult gays experienced threats, harassment, or violence in either junior high school or high school.    Feelings of social and emotional isolation are also are rampant. Four-fifths (80%) of gay adolescents report severe problems in this area. According to a 1986 survey, 40% of homeless youth identifies as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. In addition, half of all lesbian and gay youth studied, report that their parents reject them because of their sexual orientation. It is estimated that 26% are forced to leave their own homes.    Gay youth are more likely to experience violence perpetrated upon them by family, school peers, and total strangers. Nationally collected data is not available, since the Bureau of Justice statistics do not indicate crimes against youth who are gay. Non-national studies show that of youth who report assault crimes, 46% say that their sexual orientation was an issue. More sadly, 61% of the violence perpetrated on this group occurred within their own family.

Lou Holtz Convocation

Chase Wells Dr. Donald A. Hoy BA 198 B 2 September 2012 Lou Holtz a Convocation to Remember Lou Holtz: motivational speaker, hall of fame football coach, magician, devout Catholic, and Benedictine supporter. This last week I was blessed with the chance to hear him speak. His speech was based on the idea that by following three rules, you can live a just life with no regrets. Throughout the speech Holtz cracked joke after joke, keeping it constantly interesting.At one point, he even shocked the crowd with a very impressive magic trick. By combining an excellent message with humor, and magic he had the entire crowd’s attention for the full duration of his speech. Holtz’s three rules were: do the right thing, do your best, and show people you care. The three rules seem easy enough to follow, and the motivation to go along with them has inspired me to follow them. Lou was truly passionate about what he preached. He clearly contributed much of his success to these rules.Thro ugh stories of life experience Holtz persuaded, and motivated the crowd. I think every person in the gymnasium left with the knowledge to improve themselves as a person, and the motivation to perhaps do it. Lou Holtz is truly an extraordinary person. He’s a 5’9’’ man that talks with a lisp, and role model for thousands. That in itself is impressive. Not to mention his excellent track record as a football coach, New York Times best selling books, Motivational speaking accomplishments, and more.His life long mission of making not only decisions he can live with, but the right ones has cast him into success. Having never been one to watch college sports I walked into the convocation with little knowledge of who Lou Holtz was, and low expectations for his speech. I walked out stunned, surprised, and impressed. Lou Holtz is an amazing person. His speech gave me knowledge, and motivation to improve my life, and for that I am grateful.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1789 Words

The American dream was originally about discovery, individualism and the pursuit of happiness. However, in the 1920s depicted in the Great Gatsby easy money and relaxed social values have corrupted this dream. During the Roaring Twenties when the ideal American lifestyle was being portrayed and everything was at an all time high. After the end of the First World War, moral and social values diminished and portrayed the Jazz age in which moral degradation and the recklessness of the 1920s. As a result, loneliness, disillusionment and loss were being portrayed throughout this period. In the Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is an average man who falls in love with an unattainable society. As long as Gatsby has faith in life’s possibilities and regaining Daisy’s love he continues to strive until eventually he does not succeed and ultimately dies. Furthermore, Fitzgerald manages to portray modernism by presenting the flaws in society during the 1920s such as the wast eful lives of the wealthy in the novel, as none of them were portrayed as people who wanted to achieve something worth fighting for and rather were portrayed as people who would spend money for the sake of portraying themselves as wealthy and superior to the other classes in society. This novel is a symbol of the American Dream being disintegrated through the desire of money and pleasure, which overtook more noble goals. Through, the analysis of the main character, Jay Gatsby and the journey of his past,Show MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1393 Words   |  6 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald was the model of the American image in the nineteen twenties. He had wealth, fame, a beautiful wife, and an adorable daughter; all seemed perfect. Beneath the gilded faà §ade, however, was an author who struggled with domestic and physical difficulties that plagued his personal life and career throughout its short span. This author helped to launch the theme that is so prevalent in his work; the human instinct to yearn for more, into the forefront of American literature, where itRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1343 Words   |  6 PagesHonors English 10 Shugart 18 Decemeber 2014 The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a social commentary on American life. The Great Gatsby is about the lives of four wealthy characters observed by the narrator, Nick Carroway. Throughout the novel a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby throws immaculate parties every Saturday night in hope to impress his lost lover, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby lives in a mansion on West Egg across from DaisyRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby The Jazz Age was an era where everything and anything seemed possible. It started with the beginning of a new age with America coming out of World War I as the most powerful nation in the world (Novel reflections on, 2007). As a result, the nation soon faced a culture-shock of material prosperity during the 1920’s. Also known as the â€Å"roaring twenties†, it was a time where life consisted of prodigality and extravagant parties. Writing based on his personal experiences, author F. ScottRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1166 Words   |  5 Pagesin the Haze F. Scott Fitzgerald lived in a time that was characterized by an unbelievable lack of substance. After the tragedy and horrors of WWI, people were focused on anything that they could that would distract from the emptiness that had swallowed them. Tangible greed tied with extreme materialism left many, by the end of this time period, disenchanted. The usage of the literary theories of both Biographical and Historical lenses provide a unique interpretation of the Great Gatsby centered aroundRead MoreThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald845 Words   |  3 PagesIn F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, colors represent a variety of symbols that relate back to the American Dream. The dream of being pure, innocent and perfect is frequently associated with the reality of corruption, violence, and affairs. Gatsby’s desire for achieving the American Dream is sought for through corruption (Schneider). The American Dream in the 1920s was perceived as a desire of w ealth and social standings. Social class is represented through the East Egg, the WestRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay970 Words   |  4 Pagesrespecting and valuing Fitzgerald work in the twenty-first century? Fitzgerald had a hard time to profiting from his writing, but he was not successful after his first novel. There are three major point of this essay are: the background history of Fitzgerald life, the comparisons between Fitzgerald and the Gatsby from his number one book in America The Great Gatsby, and the Fitzgerald got influences of behind the writing and being a writer. From childhood to adulthood, Fitzgerald faced many good andRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald2099 Words   |  9 Pagesauthor to mirror his life in his book. In his previous novels F. Scott Fitzgerald drew from his life experiences. He said that his next novel, The Great Gatsby, would be different. He said, â€Å"In my new novel I’m thrown directly on purely creative work† (F. Scott Fitzgerald). He did not realize or did not want it to appear that he was taking his own story and intertwining it within his new novel. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he imitates his lifestyle through the Buchanan family to demonstrateRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1607 Words   |  7 Pages The Great Gatsby is an American novel written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. One of the themes of the book is the American Dream. The American Dream is an idea in which Americans believe through hard work they can achieve success and prosperity in the free world. In F. Scott Fitzgerald s novel, The Great Gatsby, the American Dream leads to popularity, extreme jealousy and false happiness. Jay Gatsby’s recent fortune and wealthiness helped him earn a high social position and become one of the mostRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1592 Words   |  7 PagesMcGowan English 11A, Period 4 9 January 2014 The Great Gatsby Individuals who approach life with an optimistic mindset generally have their goals established as their main priority. Driven by ambition, they are determined to fulfill their desires; without reluctance. These strong-minded individuals refuse to be influenced by negative reinforcements, and rely on hope in order to achieve their dreams. As a man of persistence, the wealthy Jay Gatsby continuously strives to reclaim the love of hisRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1646 Words   |  7 PagesThe 1920s witnessed the death of the American Dream, a message immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Initially, the American Dream represented the outcome of American ideals, that everyone has the freedom and opportunity to achieve their dreams provided they perform honest hard work. During the 1920s, the United States experienced massive economic prosperity making the American Dream seem alive and strong. However, in Fitzgerald’s eyes, the new Am erican culture build around that