Poverty and Crime Essay Example for Free

Poverty and Crime Essay â€Å"A study found that Americans who are living in extreme poverty has reached a 32-year high. This rise in poverty extends beyond ghettos and reaches to suburbs and rural communities. Poverty and crime has been a controversial subject over the years. Scholars argue that poverty does not have a relationship to crime because there are countries where poverty is very high but the crime rate is low. In the US it would be hard to argue that there is not a relationship between crime and poverty. The poor people make up an overwhelming majority of the people behind bars. Sociologist and criminal justice scholars have found a direct connection between poverty and crime. An economic theory of crime assumes that people weigh the consequences of committing crime. In an environment of extreme poverty, system failures abound. Establishing satisfying employment and economic well-being are important factors for successful reintegration from prison to the community. It will take all of us working together to make a real impact on this problem (capaassociation.org).† The Crime rates get higher as the poverty rates increase in America. But why do this happen, is it because people are getting desperate or is it just a consequence. A reason could be that people are running into conflicts. But another reason could be that some people look how others function and how they solve their problems. Or is it just how people label other people contributes the way they act in society. It is also possible that poverty is because of the culture of poverty. Conflict theories are the social, political or material inequalities of a social group, which detract from structural functionalism. People run in to conflicts in their life weather if there small or big, but the size of the problem is the individual’s decision. Some people resort to crime only if the cost or consequences are outweighed by the benefits to be gained. So if someone lost a job or needs money as fast as possible they are more likely to commit like burglary, mugging, larceny, or theft. Another conflict could be if someone finds out that a close friend is in trouble and they need money and they do what they have to help them out.

Obamacare Essay Example for Free

Obamacare Essay â€Å"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones weve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.† Those words were famously spoken from Barack Obama during his election period. Following through with those words, he begins to make change in the country. Change isn’t easy, yet you hope it’s worth it in the end. The USA seems to be standing on both sides of the fence when it comes to the changes the President is making with healthcare. March 23, 2010 Obama signed into law Affordable Care Act, or better known as Obamacare. Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, it represents the most significant government expansion and regulatory overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 (www.obamacarefacts.com). Obamacare was enacted to provide affordable health insurance to 44 million uninsured Americans and to reduce the growth in health care spending. Obamacare has done some important things already, such as prohibiting insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you get sick and has been working with insurance companies who will not cover a person because of a pre-existing condition. However, as with all change there are two ways at looking at the new bill. Obamacare will drastically affect the low-income families in a positive way. In America healthcare is so difficult to afford for the average low-income family, Obama has placed the care on a sliding scale. The expansion will cover over 15 million low-income individuals and families below the 133% FLP mark. However each state has the option to opt-out of providing coverage for the poor. By not providing coverage for the poor, it will leave 2-3 million people without coverage. States that decide to opt-in employers will have to respond by laying people off and making full time employees part time to avoid Obamacare penalties and taxes by not implementing the program. Others will not expand beyond 50 employees to avoid the bill’s mandate’s (Shenk, 2013). The average consumer will see a difference because some businesses are adding surcharges to invoices in to help make up the cost of healthcare coverage for their employees. On a positive note, there would be no annual or lifetime limits, children can stay on their parent’s plans to age 26; FDA can approve more generic drugs driving prices down and breaking monopolies and protections against discrimination for gender, disabilities and domestic abuse. And there will be significant tax credits to the small businesses with less than 25 employees, to help offset the costs of providing coverage to their employees. Obamacare will certainly challenge the nation over whether it wants a national system to be dependent on Washington or rely on dual federalism that protects freedom. The bill doesn’t allow the American citizen the option, if they want to offer or accept coverage; they have to have it or they will be penalized. That doesn’t allow much freedom of choice, however at least they are being offered the opportunity to coverage. Despite the rocky road Obamacare has had to start, it has lived to see another day and each day the kinks are worked out. This bill is here to stay. So, as cchange isn’t always easy, the average American citizen can say that the law will be beneficial to them as individuals, their families, communities, and country.

The Zombie Horror Genre Film Studies Essay

The Zombie Horror Genre Film Studies Essay -The zombie horror Genre is the theme and genre that will be analyzed to understand the detailed examination of a recurring pattern between these types of movies. There will be many examples of the films from this genre to support my arguments. The literary influences on the genre such as Richard Matheson helped to usher in a new type of monster that was caused by humans through contamination. George A. Romeo built upon this idea to give us more and different types of ideas. The variations and changes within the genre over the years has been one that consisted of far off set and poorly constructed monsters. The impact of particular individuals on the genre such as George A. Romeo has lead to a completely different kind of movie. The importance of social and economic forces on the genre has influenced a resurrection of the horror zombie genre. The world in horror films is inclined to end with alarm not quietly but the type of alarm depends on the film. The main prevailing manner of ma ss annihilation in horror movies is reason they are so interesting. Each film will divulge something fascinating about our society and the uncertainties and fears that we all share. An exceptional zombie movie will make you sympathize with the characters and build on the plot to allow for a real deep developed film. Zombie movies pick out are darkest fears and put them into film to scare us whether it may add political undertones. These movies depict the world being completely empty from the evil undead monsters because they have destroyed social order. Zombie movies need a strong lead character that is willing to fight for all the members of the team and for the less fortunate that are in need. These films tend to have dark scenes and lighting setting the mood for fear and adrenaline to scare the audience. They have poorly lit at night in a familiar location where help is not available or never seems to come. There are terrible hidden secret that tends to be overly shocking. They tend to have a tragic hero that never wanted to be that is searching for their own family members. The monsters or villains never truly die and can always be brought back or explained why they never truly died. Cliffhangers are a main theme of horror movies as it can always be left open to the idea of a sequel The older zombie movies depicted viral pathogens. An immense global epidemic state of affairs became progressively more popular in the 1970s. As greater than before sexual freedom, elevated the distress of infectious ailments such as sexually transmitted diseases. By the turn of the 21st century, the increases of notable illness like swine flu, AIDS, SARS and the Ebola virus. This allowed these sort of end of the world movies to be a popular subject of horror films. Zombie movies have changed from the early days of the original zombie films. These modern zombie flicks bring a completely new dimension. Back in the day, either a chemical spill or voodoo curse that could cause the dead to rise. The Night of the Living Dead zombie movie was a revolutionary interweave into this film. This may have been the start of a new type of zombie film. George Romeros Night of the Living Dead reinvented zombie tradition in 1968. The zombie apocalypse of the past the graphic violence was able to repro duce the amplified glumness of the Vietnam War period. In the modern times, the zombie apocalypse has had a resurrection, prompted by worries of terrorism, disease, and global flux, which is basically a division of the viral infection. The zombie contagion in which a pathogen triggers the dead to rise has undertaken an existence of its own regard since then. The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Plague of the Zombies (1966), Night of the Living Dead (1968), The Omega Man (1971), The Crazies (1973), Rabid (1977), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Burial Ground: Nights of Terror (1981), Day of the Dead (1985), Dead Alive (1992), 28 Days Later (2002), Shaun of the Dead (2004), Angry and Moist: An Undead Chronicle (2004), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Land of the Dead (2005), 28 Weeks Later (2007), Planet Terror (2007), I Am Legend (2007), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Mulberry Street (2007), Day of the Dead (2008), Doomsday (2008), Diary of the Dead (2008), The Signal (2008), Zombieland (2009), Carr iers (2009), Pontypool (2009) and The Crazies (2010). The movie and all its successors initiate the zombie film to generate numerous copycats that used the fundamentals establishment by George A. Romero. Some of these such movies are: Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971), Zombie (1979), Hell of the Living Dead (1980), Night of the Comet (1984), Return of the Living Dead (1985), Night of the Creeps (1986), Children of the Living Dead (2001), House of the Dead (2003).. The video game series Resident Evil that was eventually made into films in 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2010 and the video games series Dead Rising (2006). Night of the Living Dead is spoofed in movies such as Night of the Living Bread (1990) or Shaun of the Dead (2004). Some of the television shows are that have used the idea are Buffy the Vampire Slayer, South Park, Pink Eye (1997), Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom (2001) and FBI Warning of Doom (2002). There are also others such as Night of the Living Homeless (2007), Medium; Bite Me (2009), The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror III (1 992), XIII (2004) and XX (2009). Operation Doom (2010) George A. Romeros movie Night of the Living Dead leads in the splatter film sub-genre. Prior to this film horror had frequently portrayed people in bad costumes, rubber masks, cardboard arrays or shadowy figures that creep around mysteriously. They were set in locations distant from suburban and rural America. Romero exposed the influence behind utilization and setting horror in common and normal locations. This offered a model for creating a successful and profitable film on a very small development budget. The slasher movies of the 1970s and 1980s to name a few notable ones such as John Carpenters Halloween (1978), Sean S. Cunninghams Friday the 13th (1980), and Wes Cravens A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). All of these movies are indebted to the original concepts Night of the Living Dead, which they later used to inspire them in their own films. Each of these films was successful in their own right and adds something new to the horror genre. This movie I Am Legend (2007) is not a zombie movie but it does fit into the idea that a plague has changed the human population and destroyed it. I Am Legend (2007) is a remake of the original The Omega Man. It is from the genre of the drama, horror, sci-fi and thriller. A year after an infection destroys nearly all of humanity and changes the rest into monsters. The sole survivor in New York City strives boldly to find a cure. Richard Mathesons literary novel did influence many movies such as The Last Man on Earth written in 1964, Night of the Living Dead (1967), The Omega Man in 1971 and I Am Omega (2007. The movie Night of the Living Dead (1967) spurred the genre in a new direction for many years to come. Robert Neville was an ordinary person who was caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Neville is a scientist who was powerless to prevent the spread of the horrifying virus that was untreatable and fabricated by man. Neville is resistant and now the final human being survivor in what remains of New York City and possibly the whole world. Neville has dependably transmitted daily radio messages for three years. He is burdened to locate any other survivors who may be out there. Nonetheless, he is never truly alone because altered victims of the infection the contaminated skulk in the darkness watching his every move. They are waiting for him to make a critical error in judgment. He has hope to able to save humankind but he knows that time is running out. Neville wants to discover a technique to undo the problems of the virus using his own blood, which is immune. This is his one mission that drives him to keep going each day. Dawn of the Dead (2004) is an action, drama, horror and is a remake of the original movie Dawn of the Dead (1978). It was George A. Romero who was able to transform and modernize the zombie horror film genre by means of producing Night of the Living Dead this movie represented a new dawn in horror filmmaking. The film has also successfully been able to distinguish the use of the expression zombie. This is one example of the serene beginning to a zombie horror film that extra long. The sky view is the picture of perfect serenity. It all creates a more tragic scene when quite surprisingly, morning comes all too excessively soon. With morning, all that is rational ceases to exist. The pure pandemonium of the circumstances of an epidemic of a deadly virus that turns those infected into the undead. It comes so abruptly that it clutches the viewer from beginning to end. A nurse, a police officer, a young married couple, a sales representative and many other survivors of a worldwide afflict ion band together to fight for their lives. The affliction is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies and the survivors procure shelter in a shopping mall. This is a nightmare of a horror movie, which contains real horror thrills. The survivors protected at the abandoned local mall. People not being content to fight just an outside force must also be fighting with each other. The infection begins slithering increasingly close to bring them all to the threshold of extermination. The zombies are extremely quick and a lone bite from them leads to bleak fate of mindlessness and but solitary gunshot to the head prevents them. 28 Days later (2002) is of the genre horror, sci-fi, and thriller. This movie is about a rage virus that forces the contaminated crazy person to be hungry for blood and filled with extreme rage. Within 28 days or four weeks after the mysterious outbreak, that takes place in London. A few remaining survivors attempt to locate a sanctuary, while the incurable virus spreads throughout the United Kingdom. The entire population is either dead or evacuated leaving behind bloodthirsty contaminated inhabitants and a few of the solitary unaffected individuals. Civilization has come to a standstill; the inhuman suffererà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s frequent attacks devastate the social order, while those limited survivorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s battle for continued existence. Danny Boyleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s 28 Days Later is a classic among a multitude of zombie and biohazard movies. This movie contains within it that there is always a tinge of sadness, emptiness, helplessness. A prime example is the empty Lon don scene with that background music. This films utmost accomplishment is to allow the audience to remain unbiased all the way through the movie. This is exclusive of picking either side this is because the virus is simply used as a metaphor. Dead and undead both can be sympathized with since neither truly wants to be in either predicament. Rage is depicted as a serious social disease. That idea allows the film to a much more serious one and not just another zombie movie. It is a movie with a message to the audience to wake up and look around them at the social disorder that is already occurring every day. Resident Evil (2002) movie the film adaptation based on a video game. The genre is action adventure horror. It became a successful franchise video game series Resident Evil that was eventually made into films in 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2010. Paul W. S. Anderson was the director of this particular movie but with each movie, the director changed. This may have helped keep the movies fresh and inspired. A special military division battles an authoritative, unmanageable supercomputer that has engineered a virus. After a laboratory accident, many scientists have mutated into zombies. It has turned most of the scientists and employees of the facility into rampaging flesh eating zombies. Much gunfire, combating, explosions aid in developing the mysterious cliffhanger ending that leaves things extensive unwrapped for another sequel. Up until this point, the zombie movie theme seemed to be much outdated. They were still making them throughout the 1990s but we they were not as popular as films li ke that George A. Romero did. Nothing was particularly innovative or exhilarating was being made with the zombie concept. The one place where it was really doing well was in the world of gaming such as Resident Evil. Even when a film is in production, very few movies based on these games stick to the intended story line. Resident Evil brought resurgence to the zombie movie subgenera and was hot again. More and more zombie movies were being made and Most zombie films start with the picture of perfect serenity to allow the viewers to get comfortable before the mayhem begins. The viewers are allowed to learn a little bit about the character and get to like them. Once you begin to like the character then they are eradicating in a gruesome way and the viewer feels for them. They feel like they personally have gotten to know some of their journey and feels for them. Fans of zombie movies may be a smidgen dissatisfied when a movie takes a while for the zombies to show up and start their mayhem. These types of movies are trying to establish a plot and story line. Most films are by-product of other action, science fiction and zombie films. Another type of opening scene that is popular is the sudden and fearful jolt of a tense and terrifying opening sequence. A film that moves at a brisk pace that uses slow motion so the viewer can catch important scenes. Fan are much more interested in these types of scenarios but they do leave little t o the imagination of what the movie is really about. Most of these movies do have a satisfying conclusion are the only real problem areas in the horror movie genre. This is to be expected in the genre as not all the questions can ever be answered and some mystery must be left for sequels if they are to follow. Being that they are horror movies characters no matter how much you like them, they must die in order to continue with the story line. In zombie films the characters are picked off one by one People must work together to survive in a horror film and if they do not overcome their differences and band together they will survive until the end. The characters come from all occupations to learn to get along collectively. Almost immediately more survivors arrive and they discover that if they wish to remain alive, they should bond together as the army of undead overruns the world. The genre is every changing and having new life breathed into it as new film makers finish school and are inspired to change the old into something new and f resh.

A Holiday Deconstruction :: essays research papers

A Holiday Deconstruction By RA   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone looks forward to holiday entertainment. Jordan has faithfully kept the tradition of mounting a holiday show for the entertainment of the student body, staff, and students parents. Notice how à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“communityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? does not follow à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“staff.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anyway, after watching the show A Holiday Celebration I was appalled by the misuse of Christmas themes. So many things were wrong with the show. First off, the Ghetto Holiday Skit: ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s starts off as a predictably funny opening between two half-witted burglars who take too long too enter the damn house, and when they do, they have the audacity to continue (discussing) or alluding the window. What completely destined a potentially comical skit was the sexual insinuation that shamelessly demoted those with an alternate lifestyle to objects of derision if anyone with a social conscious saw the skit; they had to notice the aforementioned.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Secondly, the Santa Claus bit: Okay, I will give you this: we all need comedy in our lives. However, do we need comedy at the expense of other? Ask yourself this, how did overweight people feel about being made fun of? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Damn these childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Do we need children to be damned more than they already are. I mean, what is wrong with this? We grow up believing St. Nick exists but do we need to also believe that he is a drunk who holds grudges against kids? Think about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Third, the models: lack of professionalism on their part. Who models their own style? (Own clothes) But hey, at least they incorporated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“bigà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The two main problems with the show or any Jordan shows is the lack of diversity. Jordan is a tapestry of diverse cultures, yet only one is predominantly represented onstage. If youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re intelligent, you might figure which group of people! If we preach diversity, lets practice it, please. The other problem is the gospel singing.

The Storm: An Inner Reflection Essays -- Emotions Psychology Essays

The Storm: An Inner Reflection Memories are all we have sometimes, but what if memories bring out unwelcome feelings? In Romesh Gunesekera's short story "Ranvali," a young lady goes back to her father's old holiday bungalow and begins to discover new feelings toward her beloved Communist father. The story is set in an idyllic bungalow in Ranvali, by the coast of India. Theorists such as Roland Barthes would argue that setting in modern narratives "no longer need meaning: they simply are: that is their meaning." (qtd in Chatman 145). However, in "Ranvali," the storm that besieges the bungalow while the young lady is there clearly mimics her thoughts and gives the reader a greater sense of the inner turmoil that she must be going through. It can thus be shown that the storm is an essential part of the setting that Gunesekera uses to evoke certain feelings in the readers of "Ranvali." In the story, the storm mimics the narrator's inner turmoil at discovering new feelings about her father. But is the storm part of setting? Chatman makes a distinction between existents - characters and setting. For Chatman, "setting 'sets the character off'; it is the place and collection of objects 'against which' his actions and passions appropriately emerge" (Chatman 134). The storm is part of the description of the 'place' where the story unfolds. The memories of the narrator's father, which may be considered the 'actions and passions' within the story, emerge before and after the occurrence of the storm. The storm is thus part of the background to which the events in "Ranvali" occur. Chatman also gives three criteria for being a character - presence, being named and importance (Chatman 139). The storm in "Ranvali" is clearly not explicitly... ...der is given a definite analogy to how she might be feeling. Gunesekera's use of this narrative device as opposed to using the narrator to describe her emotions makes the reader sympathetic to the narrator's plight in an almost unconscious way. Although the storm is part of the setting, it subconsciously draws a connection to the narrator's inner thoughts. The reader thus can imagine that a storm rages within her mind, with thoughts about her father's idealism conflicting with her love for him. Without this narrative device of the storm, the story would have been much impoverished, as the final effect of "Ranvali" would have been much reduced. Works Cited Chatman, Seymour, "Existents" Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1978. 131-145. Gunesekera, Romesh. "Ranvali." Monkfish Moon. London: Granta, 1992: 89-102.

Truancy: A Symptom of a Larger Problem Essay -- mental health, justic

The movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, is the epitome of adolescent rebellion and independence – the benchmark of free-spirited insubordination that lies in the heart of all teenagers. Sure, the movie depicts skipping school as nothing more than a harmless and fun pastime, something that is enjoyable due in large part to its riskiness. But essentially, it documents the day of a truant. A truant whose wild antics entertain, but a truant nonetheless. Like most things, Hollywood’s characterization of adolescent truancy is incorrect, not just in the sense that most kids will not be singing in parades whilst cutting class. It downplays the rather serious nature of chronic absences that permeates all levels of society. Adolescent rebellion and the need to distance away from authority figures and find ones’ own individuality is a normal part of growing up and the developmental process (Steinberg, 1987). However, problems arise when this distinctive need manifests itself in overtly negative activities. Whether it be experimenting with drugs and alcohol or skipping out on class, the undercurrent of teenage self-exploration is present. Going back to the point of truancy, this need, coupled with boredom and peer pressure, can increase the occurrence of absenteeism. Nevertheless, a number of other factors do play a significant role. Chronic absenteeism is often a symptom of larger problems than teen rebellion. Bullying, family issues, financial difficulties, drug use, and lack of academic skills are only some of the potential causes of truancy within the United States (Reid, 2012). And while schools across the country continue desperately to try and mitigate truancy, it seems to be on the rise; in 2012, data indicated that up to 15 percent... ...tiative. Crime & Delinquency, 214-234. National Institute of Mental Health . (2011). The Teen Brain: Still Under Construction . Besthesda : U.S. Department of Health and HUman Services . Prevention, O. o. (1996). Truancy: First Step to a Lifetime of Problems . Washington : U.S. Department of Justice . Reid, K. (2012). The causes, views and traits of school absenteeism and truancy: An analytical review. Research in Education, 59-82. Statistics, B. (2010). Bullying Statistics 2010. Retrieved from Bullying Statistics: http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics-2010.html Steinberg, L. D. (1987). Family processes at adolescence: A developmental perspective. Family Therapy, 77-86. Zik, M. (2009). The Effects of Participation in Contingent Music Experiences on Truancy Rates of Junior High School Students . Dayton : University of Dayton.

Dark Child Essay

Ideology-Countries whose history is strongly marked by western European immigration or settlement, such as the Americans, and the Australians, and is not restricted to Western Europe (Wikidpedia. org). Many countries around the world have been influenced by the western ideology. Western Ideology includes components such as literary, education, political and philosophical views, and most of all, religion. In the autobiography, â€Å"The Dark Child†, Camara Laye, is a person who faces these types of challenges. He becomes stuck between his own traditional and the western ideologies. In the Dark Child, Camara Laye’s youth and development of his cultural and personal values as a young man is explained. He is part of the Malinke tribe in the village of Koroussa in Upper Guinea and is eldest out of many brothers and sisters. In the beginning, he learns about many of the traditions and customs his people. He is told about Totemism-the fact that everybody has a spiritual animal that is chosen by the person’s character. While learning about his people, he has attends a Koran school and then a French school in another part of town. Later in the book, he learns about Konden Diara- a ceremony that is a ritual used to conquer a boy’s fear before the initiation of circumcision. He undergoes the ritual and circumcision-represents a rite of passage –a boy is now a man. After graduating from his school, Laye leaves at 15 years of age to attend a technical college in Guinea’s capital city of Conakry. Like any mother, Laye’s warns him to â€Å"be careful with strangers† and sends him off on a train to live with his Uncles Sekou and Mamadou in Conakry where he comes across many cultural changes. In the school, in a new city for the first time in his experience, Laye encounters difficult language barriers and a hot, humid climate more taxing and oppressive than that in his Koroussa home. He also seeks changes during the day where people at their work are dressed in a Western style, but in boubou’s when they come home from work. Laye lives the life of a typical college school student, studying at the school’s campus and returning home to Koroussa during the holidays. When he returns, he sees the transformation within his family and friends. Later, he finishes his studies in Conakry and is offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to study in France. His mother greatly disapproves, but Laye and his father convinces his mother. At the end of the book, Laye leaves for France, and promises to himself that he will return to his people. As I was reading the book, it made realize the position of Africa and where it stood as a country. I felt distinctly as I was reading throughout the book, western values and traditions were overrunning the traditions of not only Africa but Laye’s life as well. Since the beginning of the book, he not an ordinary child in the village peoples eyes. He was one of the many who was sent out to attend school and be educated. His father knew what was to come of Africa, modernization. In my opinion, I think his father placed Laye in school for the purpose to contribute to his people, as oppose to being a goldsmith like himself. As he moved to Conakry, he moved in with his uncle Mamadou. His uncle lived in a European-style house. Was it unfamiliarity, or the humid heat of the town, or the fatigue of two days in the train that kept me from sleeping? Yet it was a very comfortable house: the room I slept in was large, and the bed soft, softer than any I had previously slept on† (147). Laye was astonished about his living headquarters. He was not used to this style and roominess. As I earlier stated, people in Conakry dressed differently during the day than at home. It took him a little while to get used to this as well. Later in the book, he woul d return home during the holidays. As he came back, he noticed that his mother had been plastered with white clay. â€Å"Originally it had been like the other huts, but gradually it began to acquire a European look† (169). His was trying to adapt to the style of the west through her son’s experience in Conakry. She was expressing not only her love for Laye, but also her feelings toward the western tradition. While he was in his village, one of his friends’ Chet was seriously ill. The medicine men gave him remedies and charms to help her but there was no significant change at all. Laye and his other friend knew that he had to see a white doctor at the hospital. Chet passed away after a week. Because of Laye’s education from the west, he knew that the medicine men were insufficient. From experiences and education of the west, he has become a man with wisdom of both cultures. â€Å"The Dark Child† is a wonderful journey through Camara Laye’s personal experiences. It shares many of his experiences and challenges through his life as a youth and young man. I really enjoyed the book and thought it was really educating.