Essay about social media attack on survived students after Parkland shooting

Essay about social media attack on survived students after Parkland shooting On February 14, 2018, a disaster happened in Parkland, Florida. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School became a place of shooting which took lives of seventeen people – fourteen students and three staff members. Seventeen other people were injured and taken to hospital with different types of wounds categorized as non-fatal injuries. The shooter turned out to be a former student Nikolas Cruz who was expelled from this school earlier. It is reported that he had serious behavioral issues and at some point was transferred to the school with emotional and learning disabilities. At the time of the assault, he was armed with an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle and he also possessed multiple magazines. Upon entering the school, Cruz activated fire alarm and began shooting at students and teachers who were trying to leave the building. Stoneman Douglas High School shooting is classified as one of the deadliest school massacres which happened in the United States. After the event, the political debate about making gun control laws tougher started. Students who survived the horrifying assault became the activists who demand the government to change gun control laws and make them stricter. Students even pleaded for banning of high-powered assault rifles. The kids who were activists and who insisted on changing gun laws were blamed by some political representatives in trying to stage â€Å"false flag† events. Reportedly, Benjamin Kelly, who was an aide to Florida Rep. Shawn Harrison, a Republican from Hillsborough County, sent a state email with a photo of two students to the reporter. At the moment, the journalist dealt with this case and the message stated that both students pictured on the photo are in fact actors who are hired by those who are backing up strict gun laws. Shawn Harrison claimed that he does not share his point of view with the opinion of his aid and sometime later Benjamin Kelly informed on his Twitter account that he was fired. Kelly apologized and confessed that it was not his responsibility and that he made a mistake with no intent of disrespecting students or parents of Parkland. However, the political debate started and, as a result, students who survived the tragedy and became activists, in this case, ended up under the fire once again, this time from politicians and social media. Personal safety and gun usage is a sensitive issue for many in the United States. Some people claim that current law is acceptable while some individuals, in particular, those who survived shooting assault, are very much against it. Former Fox News presenter Bill O’Reilly expressed his point of view on his Twitter account: â€Å"The big question is: should the media be promoting opinions by teenagers who are in an emotional state and facing extreme peer pressure in some cases?† Nevertheless, the activists are determined to have their message heard. The student Diego Pfeiffer, an 18-year-old senior at Stoneman Douglas who survived the attack, said, â€Å"There are people who are going to be putting us down. It doesn’t matter. Everything we’re doing, it can’t be stopped. We are children and we have a message. They are bashing survivors of a school shooting. You can go ahead, but our message is going to be heard loud and clear.†

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton â€Å"I wished I looked like Paul Newman. He looks tough and I don’t. The other thing-it’s a long walk home with no company†¦And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do. So I lone it† (Hinton, 1967, p.6). From this passage, it is evident that the main character, Ponyboy Curtis, who is fourteen years of age, will be telling the story from the first person perspective. This is important to the story because he describes the events in a slangy, youthful voice that makes his narration easily believable. Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More I liked this passage because it shows that though Ponyboy belongs to a gang, he is not stereotypical as he loves being alone in pursuit of his own interests. On the other hand, this passage does not interest me in the sense that Ponyboy wishes to be another person, instead of focu sing on his own strengths. The fact that Ponyboy regards himself as â€Å"superior,† despite his young age, to other gang members amazes me. so I can still help Darry with the bills and stuffTuff enough. Wait till I get outI told you he dont mean half of what he says (Hinton, 1967, page 26). This phrase illustrates the method of communication between the gang members. Since they speak in street slang, this illustrates that the two rival groups of the greasers and the Socs share some things in common. This potential for agreement is important for the story since the reader can feel the aversion between the two teenage groups when they are engaging in a conversation. I like this method of communication because it is able to harmonize the division between the groups. However, I hate it because it is full of grammatical errors. Though the interpretation of this street slang may be difficult, it is an interesting youthful way of talking. â€Å"I could fall in love with Dallas Wi nston. I hope I never see him again, or I will† (Hinton, 1967, p.46). This quote is what Cheery told Ponyboy when they were having a conversation in chapter three. I like this conversation since it shows that Dallas Winston, the meanest person, could make a lady, like Cherry-a Soc girl with good habits, like him. This also amuses me as well. I hate the words Cheery uses in this instance because she seems not to be considering the personality of Dallas. She is simply speaking because she has been driven by emotions. Cherry’s attraction to Dallas is of essence in the story since it illustrates that the conflict between the two teenage groups is reconcilable. â€Å"I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you. And they had a blade†¦ they were gonna beat me up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hinton, 1967, p.57). These words were spoken by Johnny to Pony. I liked this phrase because it shows the sincerity in Johnny. Although he had killed Bob, he only did so to d efend himself, otherwise he could have been killed instead. Advertising Looking for research paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One thing I hate about this incidence is that instead of finding an easier way of solving the problem, Johnny, a greaser, opted to commit murder. It is sad that Bob, who played a critical role in defending the Socs, lost his life in such an unfortunate way. The death of Bob increased the rivalry between the two contending gangs. Ponyboy thinks, â€Å"That was the first time I realized the extent of Johnnys hero-worship for Dallas Winston† (Hinton, 1967, p.76). This is another phrase that captures my attention in the novel. After reading Gone with the Wind, the boys come to terms with what they are going through. I like this phrase because the book managed to open Ponyboy’s eyes such that he was able to seen the extent to which Dallas has been idolize d. On the other hand, I doesn’t like the notion that the boys were unable to realize their own sense of worth by having a high esteem of the concerning the ideas of Dallas. The tension between the two rival groups continued to increased after Ponyboy and Johnny came to that abrupt realization. And, Dallas even started to walk around with an gun so as to threaten his enemies. â€Å"Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs† (Hinton, 1967, p.117). These words were spoken by Randy. He was informing Ponyboy that he will cease to engage in fights in the rumble. I find these words interesting because they signify the futility of the conflicts between the two groups. Randy brings a good point by suggesting that the recurring Soc-greaser conflict will make them unable to rise above their social identities. This message is important in the story since it signifies the soci oeconomic differences that were the root cause of the bitter rivalry between the two gang groups. These disparities between the social classes were the source of the tension between the greasers and the Socs. Reference List Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. (1967). New York: Viking Press, Dell Publishing.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More