A quote I would like to elaborate on is found on page 61 in stating "The Mansion or the Manse or some such piece of gloop. Where this very starry ptitsa lives with her cats and all these very starry valuable veshches. Such as? Gold and silver and like jewels." The question I brought up in our group today was: why do you think, in this case, Alex and his gang targeted wealthier individuals, especially because there is a lot more security surounding their homes when they can rob the "slums" and get away with more. My group members responded by saying that the gang would have to rob a lot more homes in the slums to equal the amount of profit from a wealthier home. But then again by doing so there is a greater risk for getting caught whereas in the slums you are more likely to get away with robbery, rape, violence etc... I find this interesting because it seems smarter to rob the slums and not have the risk of getting caught than to rob a mansion and have a great risk of getting caught. I feel that the smart choice would be to target the slums, but at the same time there is a larger reward when targeting the wealthier families. But if Alex and his gang did not care whether or not they got caught then what is there to lose? Nothing.
Lastly I would like to express how I feel about one the topics discussed in class today. We were asked whether or not society is to blame for youth violence. My answer was no. Although parents, teachers, education, media, and society play a role in how we view the world and react in certain situations, it is not solely the cause of "acting out" in our youth. Every individual has the personal choice on how they want to express their emotions. Some people shut down and some people act out. But no matter what it is the individual's choice how they want to deal with their pain. Some people seek help while others feel it is neccessary to steal or murder others for example. Even though our parents are a huge influence on how we see the world, we have the choice on how we want to live our lives. So to blame society and the media and other forms of influence is completely ridiculous. Our actions are chosen by us. We have the choice!
Accomplishments
12 years ago
I agree that people have a conscious ability to make the choice. There may be a lot of outside influences but when it comes down to it there is always a choice to be made.
ReplyDeleteI agree that society isn't to blame for youth violence. I believe it is how you are raised. Although Alex had a pretty good upbrining, I still think he was missing something in his life that made him rebel.
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