I am a teenager free essay sample

I am a teenager. I am ignorant, illiterate and irresponsible. I lie, cheat, steal and hate for no apparent reason. I am rude, inconsiderate and, to all appearances, completely lost. I have never known failure, loss or despair. I never talk to my parents about my life, and would never suffer being seen with them in public. I dont know the value of a dollar and am under the impression that money is cleverly disguised as foliage. I drive 90 miles an hour and cause wrecks, discord and trouble wherever I travel. I know nothing of events, current or past. I am superficial, loud and obnoxious. I am viewed with haughty disapproval as a person who drinks, smokes and parties at every opportunity.I am a teenager. I am a stereotype. I have been cast unfairly in the role of an imprudent person who knows nothing, is inherently cruel, and always thinking of myself. We will write a custom essay sample on I am a teenager or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I am the bane of a society of whom many have never read Tolstoy, Dickens, Bronte, Nietzsche or Rousseau. I am dismissed by many of the generation who fear the day when I become an adult, because then the world will surely fall to pieces. When people look at me, they evaluate through lenses tinted with suspicion, mistrust and doubt.Some will never know that I am compassionate, humble and patriotic. I am an athlete, singer, artist and comedian. I am a daughter, sister, student and friend. I laugh and cry. I speak out and I brood. I love, dislike, and show indifference. I will be the next Nobel Prize winner, best-selling author, life-saving surgeon, president, or beloved teacher. I have lofty dreams and the ambition to make them reality. I have the determination and self-discipline to see every goal surpassed. I will go to college not just to party and have fun, but to pull myself one step closer to the destination I so greatly desire. Through kind words, intelligent conversation and common courtesy I will change the misconception of youth.One day, one person at a time, I will show those who judge that they are wrong. When I am an adult there will be a new collection of disrespectful, reckless, hateful youth. Maybe, just maybe, when I look at them, I will see through the labels and see the promise of a future generation. For now, I am simply and proudly myself. I am faithful, loving and honest. I am inquisitive, intelligent and sincere. I am a leader, follower and teacher. I am a teenager.

The Meanings of Like

The Meanings of Like The Meanings of â€Å"Like† The Meanings of â€Å"Like† By Mark Nichol What’s not to like about like? It’s a versatile word, but one easily misused and abused. Like is a preposition: â€Å"He is like me in that regard†; â€Å"Like him, I fail to see the humor.† Take care to use me and us (and, in the third person, them), rather than I and we (and they) in association with it. Like is also frequently employed as a conjunction: â€Å"Like I told you before, we’re running out of boxes†; â€Å"Like we’ve seen before, it depends on the situation†; â€Å"It looks like it’s going to rain.† However, this usage, once common, fell out of favor long ago, and it’s still considered a colloquialism that is out of place in formal writing. In each of these examples, as is the better choice. In addition, like is employed as a comparative term (â€Å"I’ve seen something like that before†) and is often seen as a substitute for â€Å"as if.† (â€Å"She looked like she might cry at any moment.†) The word has overtaken the more formal and, as explained below, slightly different usage â€Å"such as† to make comparisons: â€Å"I prefer more dynamic sports like soccer,† rather than â€Å"I prefer more dynamic sports such as soccer.† The argument against considering like and â€Å"such as† interchangeable is that â€Å"such as† suggests inclusion (soccer is one of the sports the writer prefers), whereas like implies exclusion (soccer is representative of the type of sport the writer prefers but is not one of them). However, the indiscriminate appearance of either usage and many writers, myself included, have used both in the same piece of content is ubiquitous, and the interchangeability is unlikely to change. Over the last few decades, the word has persisted as a filler, especially among young people (â€Å"I was, like, totally confused†), or again, especially among younger members of the population as a conversational substitute for said (â€Å"And he was like, ‘Go for it’†). I admit without embarrassment that although I am not young, I freely employ like in both usages when I speak. In writing, I would use them only for humorous effect. The first usage is adverbial, similar to colloquial usage like (I mean, â€Å"such as†) â€Å"It’s true, like enough† (as a substitute for likely). Other adverbial uses are as an alternative to altogether or rather (â€Å"All this time, I was calm, like†) or to about or nearly: â€Å"It’s more like a hundred dollars,† â€Å"It took, like, four hours.† (The latter usage is likely the inspiration for the use of like as an interjection.) Like serves as a noun: â€Å"I’ve never met his like since†; â€Å"I have no patience with her like.† A similar usage is â€Å"the likes of†: â€Å"I hope we’ve seen the last of the likes of him.† (The sense for the latter usage, and the one previous to that, is often pejorative.) Recently, too, it has acquired the meaning of â€Å"something one likes,† such as a social-networking Web page. And, of course, it functions as a verb, meaning â€Å"To choose or prefer,† â€Å"to enjoy, or to thrive,† â€Å"to regard,† or â€Å"to want.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Program vs. Programme3 Types of Headings20 Tips to Improve your Writing Productivity

Voodoo Secrets

Voodoo Secrets Voodoo as a religion has its roots in traditional African religions. It original name is Vodu, but that paved way for the more widespread name; Voodoo. Other names referring to it include â€Å"Voudou, Vaudau, Voudoux, or Vaudaux† (Tallant 9). Captured slaves from West Africa carried its essential ideology into Haiti, then to America.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Voodoo Secrets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The practice of Voodoo involves, â€Å"complicated rituals and symbols† (Riguad 7). It involves the worship of spiritual deities, with priests called papa loa, which means â€Å"father of the spirits† (Felix 21), and priestesses acting as intermediaries between the spiritual world, and humanity. Some of them also operate as oracles, revealing spiritual mysteries to those who seek their services. The term Voodoo also describes a charm that has supernatural powers known as juju. A dherents believe that it acts as a protective force over them. They also use it to mete out revenge on their enemies. Voodoo therefore refers to an entire religious system and to certain specific aspects of its practice. Voodoo picked pace from the practices of a snake cult in Haiti during the slave trade period. The cult came from West Africa and spread with slave trade, in the Americas and to Haiti. As new slave communities grew in the Americas, different religious identities amalgamated into a unified faith as the slave communities tried to forge a common belief system to unify them in their new locales. Felix says, â€Å"Voodoo became the intermingling of essential attributes of all the religions of the different African tribes to which poorly assimilated elements of Catholicism were added† (20). Voodoo got its form in Haiti, which was an important station during slave trade. Missionary efforts among the slaves saw them incorporate elements of Catholicism in practice of t he Voodoo religion. In the process, some Voodoo spirits replaced catholic saints because of close relationships between their roles. Currently, it is common to find prayers offered to Mary and other Catholic elements such as the Lord’s Prayer and the sign of the cross forming part of the Voodoo liturgy. In fact, many Voodoo adherents are staunch Catholics. In America, Voodoo practice first took place in New Orleans before spreading to other states. This was because of the role New Orleans played in slave trade.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Voodoo belief system builds on the idea of an all-powerful impersonal Supreme Being responsible for creation of the entire universe, but who does not get involved in day-to-day running characterized by the affairs of men. The adherents worship lesser deities known as Loa who are animistic spirits. The initia l practice of Voodoo revolved around slave communities that sought to retain the vital link with their ancestral heritage. Present followers include descendants of these slaves spread throughout the Americas. In addition, tourists all over the world visit Voodoo priests and priestesses in America and Haiti to obtain special charms and amulets for all manner of purposes.  Its practice involves praying, dancing, and ritualistic expressions. It is important to distinguish between faithful adherents who actually believe in power of Voodoo, and those who participate in Voodoo recreational purposes. The use of dolls in Voodoo is the enduring image of the faith system though this is only a piece of the entire system. This view, propagated by Hollywood horror movies, depicts Voodoo priests as spiritual powerhouses using the dolls to control the outcome of an individual’s activities. There are a number of opponents to Voodoo who believe it is evil. Official catholic faith rejects Vo odoo as demonic and considers use of saints in the Voodoo liturgy as syncretism. The question of whether Voodoo is fact or fiction is hard to answer sufficiently using a scientific approach. It does not lend itself to purely scientific investigation to determine its efficacy. This is true for all faith-based systems. Evidence given by practicing Voodoo adherents does not meet criteria for objective study because they are likely to associate ordinary outcomes to their faith. It is difficult to dissociate outcomes of Voodoo mediated occurrences from random chance. The Placebo effect also applies to Voodoo. Someone may actually experience a favorable outcome because of participation in Voodoo rituals based on their belief in the efficacy of the service received. Taking a healing portion from a Voodoo priest may result in better physical health. We can therefore conclude that Voodoo is effective to the extent that such outcomes portray a positive relationship to Voodoo practice. Voodoo has had many tangible consequences in the world. The most notable was the drive towards independence by Haiti, which begun in earnest during a Voodoo festival, where all the participants took an oath to fight for independence. Consequently, Haiti became the first predominantly Negro nation to attain independence. Riguad also attest to some of the effects of voodoo practice when he says, â€Å"a curious moral consequence of the slave trade was the exaltation of the African religion by an increase of faith in the Voodoo divinities† (12). Berry identifies one of the mystifying occurrences of Voodoo when he says, â€Å"One of the most spectacular features of Voodoo is ritual possession trance, in which saints (loa) enter into and â€Å"possess† the practitioner, who can either be a believer (with no special psychological problem), a patient, or a priest/doctor who seeks to heal†. This shows that Voodoo is not without its share of paranormal occurrences that science cannot fully explain.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Voodoo Secrets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Berry, John, et al. Cross-cultural psychology: research and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Print. Felix, Emmanuel. Understanding Haitian Voodoo. USA: Xulon Press, 2009. Print Riguad, Milo. Secrets of voodoo. New York: Lights Books, 1985. Print. Tallant, Robert. Voodoo in New Orleans. Louisiana: Pelican Publishing, 1983. Print.