I ended up changing my topic and decided to focus on censorship vs freedom of speech, press, expression, etc.... Here's a rough outline of where im headed. Let me know if it flows well or if it feels like there's too much jumping around topics. Thanks for reading!

Government censorship is a necessity in keeping a safe and stable society, but censorship yields the possibility of becoming a threat to society. The laws which governments set for censorship in society can cross the line and begin to suppress basic freedoms such as freedom speech, of press, and of expression. The United States and its censorship agencies such as The Federal Commissions Agency (FCC), and Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) do a good job in censoring media in a way that allows people to express themselves, but also ensures that content is suitable for society. What content is and isn’t suitable for society? Censorship differs from government to government and from society to society. Most European countries and its citizens are accepting of nudity on television commercials, but most U.S citizens would be appalled at the sight. I will touch on several thoughts in regards to censorship and the difference between censoring content and suppressing basic human rights and freedoms. My analysis of censoring, in general, will come from collected history, studies from scholarly articles, and from collected thoughts and quotes regarding peoples’ experience with censorship.
The FCC has taken several questionable measures throughout history to insure that censorship within the Medias remains in conduct and to their standards of what is considered acceptable content. (Include example of Supreme Court rejecting a ban of certain malicious words on Fox) The FCC is run by the government, but various parts of the government, such as the Supreme Court, question whether the FCC’s censorship is within constitutional law. (State another example of an FCC questionable ban) The ESRB focuses on censoring and rating entertainment software, specifically and almost exclusively focusing on gaming. Their rules and regulations for rating software are based on several scaling procedures which focus on inappropriate content such as violence, drug use, sexuality, and profanity. Many argue that the ESRB can go too far at times with its censorship of violence, sexual themes, and profanity in gaming software. (Go on to give examples and quotes from articles)
Censorship throughout the internet has always been an issue around the world. In the U.S. people challenge the censorship of racist comments through opinionated blogs and articles because censoring such opinions can be considered unconstitutional.( include example of censoring racism from article-include argument against the censorship) Chinese citizens can’t go as far as searching for democracy related content or anything relating to the Dali Lama because it is against Chinese law to do so.

Essay #6 Topic

I'm having trouble finding something I really want to write about, but since I'm going into the medical field I thought I'd touch on that a bit. The United States lacks a health care system which can provide health care for all of its citizens. Most Americans rely on either independent health care providers such as Blue Cross, or on non-profit health care providers like healthy families which only covers so much and so many. In 2007 there were nearly 46 million U.S. citizens without health care, many of those with insurance had only limited insurance because full coverage can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars (for a family). I plan to talk about the different types of medical care programs and their flaws/ benefits. Health care is something every U.S. citizen should have available to them, I understand the changes which would have to occur in order to support such a program, but I believe the changes to move towards a better health care system are a must.

Nov 19- Response to question 2

I believe that students should proofread their work before they turn it in to prevent possible plagiarism. Schools should provide the tools to input work and search for possible plagiarism in order to help students prevent plagiarism in their work. When doing a research paper, students can make sure they give proper credit to quotes or statistics. The two students from Virginia seemed confused on their plagiarism charges, they said they didn't think they had done anything wrong. One of the students, Allison Routman, said that "nobody had ever defined paraphrasing" for her. Schools can educate their students on wat constitutes as plagiarism and what doesn't. Students find information through internet sources, if a student takes information straight out of the internet they should know how to properly give credit where it's due. The two students were expelled from the school and couldn't finish their education. The charges could have easily been prevented if the students had taken the time to proof read their paper or give proper credit where due. The expulsion was too harsh, these students will now have to continue their education elsewhere and will have to do so with the plagiarism charges on their records. Schools can provide students with the proper knowlege about plagiarism in order to help prevent it.

Essay #5

Alright, I'm having alot of trouble writing essay #5 so be as harsh as possible please! I can't seem to write heavily opinionated papers. I'm having trouble finding facts regarding my paper, all I can include (not in this version) are quotes on thoughts from others which might help support my thoughts. I know it's very incomplete, but I'm working on it and so far this is my sloppy base for my final essay.

Note- Missing some body paragraphs/ intro sounds more like a body(let me know)/No conclusion yet.


I believe a big part of American culture today has to do with the consumer- driven part of society and their views. It seems America is in need of a culture, when I asked my American friends about their culture they often referred to the culture in which their family had originally came from. The dictionary defines the word culture in different ways, but the most interesting definition I’ve found is that culture is “the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.” My belief is that today’s society could be partially defined as a consumer based culture in which our beliefs, ideals, and way of thinking comes from what we observe in the media. Society observes culture
The average American family doesn’t have time to spend on big celebrations like Christmas or Thanksgiving, commitment to jobs prevents many families from traveling or getting together with friends (provide statistics). Often times, Christmas is no more than exchanging gifts with family members, which is fine, but in a way defeats the reasons for celebrating a Christmas. Celebrations might occur within a family because It’s considered normal to do so, but they might not know what the holiday means or why they should be celebrating it. (include something on Jehobas Witness)
Culture has changed over the past fifty years. Moments such as family dinners have slowly disappeared, holidays are now an excuse to take time from work and families have lost their identity or tie to a culture to call their own. It was within American culture for families to sit down in the afternoon or evening to share a meal. Today, there’s no time for small celebrations due to pressures in work, school, and even friends. (look into stats for families and their celebrations)
American culture is viewed in several different ways, often times these views come off as slightly negative. My Italian teacher mentioned to me that most Italians think of Americans was “pill poppers.” She said American culture is viewed as one which runs on medication and unnatural supplements. It’s hard to believe that a country like America could be defined by a single image of culture, but unfortunately and ultimately our culture is viewed as fake (go into reasoning, provide examples/ thoughts) (Include medias influence over our image over seas and here as well).

Response to the Election

I am very pleased with Obama's victory and I'm hoping that he will deliver what he has promised. I live in St. Helena, a very wealthy town that often times lives in its own economic bubble. I've always thought that this economic bubble would remain strong due to the wealth of my town, but lately I've been feeling the effects of the economic crisis within my town's bubble. Grapes are being thrown away rather than sold because there's nobody to buy, I see smaller tips at my restaurant and an overall decrease in business. I hope that Obama can deliver on his word that he will make school more affordable. As someone who wants to go to medical school I need strong support financially and I hope I'm able to afford going to school without driving myself into a debt I'll never be able to pay off.

The Media and Morals

I believe the media plays a role in affecting people's morals, but my focus is specifically in the younger population. Without a clear explanation from an adult on the difference between what's seen in the media and the real world, kids can be easily influenced by what they see through media. Parenting can affect how a child may interprit media and how they act based on what they see and hear. The big issues in media are sex, drugs, and violence, but I believe these isssues can be turned around and used as important assets to teaching a child good morals. Parents can

Essay #4

I am among the scholars who say Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is racist, but unlike most scholars I believe Twain’s racial text is appropriate due to the time period in which it takes place in. Huck Finn is filled with racial slurs and situations which dehumanize blacks, but I don’t believe it is Twain’s intention to insult African Americans. Jane Smiley condemns the book as “racist trash,” and although I agree the book is racist, I don’t view Huck Finn as “trash.” The racial context of the book can be both aid and damage a student’s perspective on race. Huck Finn can aid a student’s racial tolerance if presented appropriately by a skilled teacher. (Use Peaches Henry evidence to support last statement.)

After reading Huckleberry Finn, I've concluded that it is a racist book. Mark Twian floods the book with racial slurs and dehuminizing situations for blacks, but I believe the book's overall message is one of racial truth and the morals sorrounding it. many scholars such as Jane Smiley, give us evidence to support they're argument that Huck Finn is a racist text and should not be considered a great American novel, but writers like Peaches Henry provide several counter arguments which suggest that Huck Finn's inclusion of racism isn't intended to be racist and can have educational and moral value.

(This is all I have so far, I spent most of my time orgasnizing my thoughts and laying out my body paragraphs.) Sorry for the small amount of content, if you want to get a better idea of what I want to say, I have 2 and a half pages worth of notes/ thesis development. I hand wrote everything and don't have enough time to post all of it, ask if you'd like to see it. Thanks.