Am I not turtley enough, for the turtle club?

The turtle represents nature. It is slow-moving, just as nature takes time to grow and replenish, but keeps on walking, like nature continues on growing. The turtle's shell represents the way nature is able to survive and protect itself, regardless of the actions of man. The life span of a turtle and how long their species has existed shows how the years of nature outlast those of man. The turtle is living in Oklahoma during the dust bowl, which was created by man not heeding to nature, when not much water could be found. This again shows nature's resilience as well as nature's way to adapt to any circumstances. The turtle is trying to cross a road, a man-made structure, and is struggling a little. It first has to climb up a hill before it gets to the road, showing nature's ability to grow and overcome obstacles. When it gets to the road, it tries to cross it quickly because the asphalt is hot, symbolizing man's destruction of nature. A car drives by and swerves to miss the turtle, representative of the people who try to be kind to nature, or at least respect it. The woman in the car learns from her mistake and continues driving, but slower this time. People are learning not to mess with nature. Another driver however, swerves to run over the turtle, but misses and just knocks the turtle onto it's back. The man symbolizes, well, The Man, and capitalism, how some people are purposefully trying to destroy nature, or at least don't care about the state that it's in. It takes time for the turtle to get back on its feet, but the turtle continues walking and eventually crosses the road, showing that nature will always be around, no matter what man tries to do to it. As the turtle goes along, it plants seeds behind it, ensuring the continuation of nature and new growth even in difficult situations. When Tom picks up the turtle it shows how man is trying to train nature and bend it to our will. The turtle, in perhaps an act of rebellion, pees on Tom, after it has been wrapped in his coat for a long time.

Jim Casy is a man who was once a preacher, but is now lost, in both his religion and life. He is living in the wilderness and has decided that he doesn't love Jesus, but rather, loves people. He believes that everyone is part of a single soul and that no one can possible be either good or bad. He represents the theme of "We vs. I", and possibly alludes to John the Baptist.

Tom Joad was just recently released from prison after killing a man in self-defense. He is on probation (foreshadow) and is traveling to his dad's house trying to find work and place to stay. He was born into the life of a farmer and doesn't know what to do after prison, especially now that all the crops are dead. Tom represents the theme of anger.

Grapes of Wrath: Chapters 1 and 2

Characters - Tom Joad: a younger man recently released from McAlester prison after four years for good conduct after killing a man; currently dressed in the nice, new clothes they gave him; smokes and drinks; originally from Oklahoma, where he is trying to get to his dad's place to find a job; son of a cropper; not secretive, doesn't care who knows about him, but doesn't talk much.

      the truck driver: a stout man used to the Oklahoma sun; drives trucks for a living; wants to got to school for mechanical engineering; wants to be known as a nice guy; likes to know things, a little nosy; tries to figure people out by looking at them; has a good memory; gets bored driving.

      the waitress: a young girl working in a road-stop restaurant; gets bored easily; probably doesn't like living in Oklahoma.

Plot - Exposition: A truck driver is sitting in a restaurant with a bored waitress. He leaves to go back to his truck and continue driving. A nicely dressed hitchhiker asks him for a ride up the road. The truck driver refuses at first, but then doesn't want to be considered a mean guy and feel like he has to do just as he's told. The hitchhiker hangs onto the truck until they get a little up the road, then jumps in the truck. They sit for a while, listening to the tires. The truck driver tries to figure the man out and make conversation. The hitchhiker doesn't talk much, but then, after knowing that the truck driver is just trying to figure his story out, gets a little annoyed and tells the truck driver about his past: how he was just released from prison after four years for killing a man and is going back to his father's house to try and find work. The truck driver is a little surprised and anxious. Shortly thereafter, the hitchhiker (Tom Joad, as he told the truck driver), tells the truck driver to stop, and he jumps out of the truck. The truck driver continues driving.

Persuasive Essay

Topic: Pro-suicide, or why suicide should not be frowned upon.

Thesis Statement with Order of Development: The generalizations associated with suicide should be seen as incorrect, and the intellectual aspects of the decision to "off yourself" need to be considered. We need to look at the act of suicide itself, why it is practiced, and why we need to change our view of the subject to truly understand this "unseemly" decision.

MLA Citations:

Cholbi, Michael. "Suicide." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2008): n. pag. Web. 11 March 2010.

Dombeck, Mark and Natalie Reiss. "The Nature of Suicide." MentalHelp.net (2007): n. pag. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.

Salvatore, Tony. The Suicide Paradigm. (2007). Web. 11 Mar. 2010.

"I hope that when the world comes to an end, I can breathe a sigh of relief, because there will be so much to look forward to." - Donnie Darko
"If you die you're completely happy and your soul somewhere lives on. I'm not afraid of dying. Total peace after death, becoming someone else is the best hope I've got." - Kurt Cobain
Nirvana - characterized by the extinction of desire and suffering and ...Eden: any place of complete bliss and delight and peace, The complete cessation of suffering; a blissful state attained through realization of no-self; enlightenment;
Suicide from the viewpoints of different cultures (try Jainism, Japan)
Look up Liberalism, Seppuku, Sati, Idealism (Goethe, Schopenhauer, Herodotus), Nietzsche, Heasius, Camus, Hume

Not selfish - donating organs, loved ones are going to have to deal with their death eventually, Is it selfish of those who try to stop others from committing suicide knowing that it is ultimately a person's own choice and that the pain the person is experiencing could be stopped automatically? They should take the person's view on the subject more seriously, why not end all suffering? Why use medication and psychiatrists to TRY to help you, when you have a for sure solution?

Depressed people want an end to their suffering, and what better solution than to really give it an ultimate end?
Depression is shown by feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and frustration, and I say, are people who are depressed wrong to feel that way if it's all true? Humans are basically worthless, we're destroying ourselves and everything we touch one little step at a time. We are a hopeless civilization. We should all feel frustrated with ourselves and our current worldly situation. The people who realize this early on, or realize it at all, are the ones who have found the truth in life, who aren't living in their own induced sense of what is real and what isn't. They have seen true reality for what it is.

90% of people who commit suicide suffer from a significant psychiatric illness.
Most cases were from Europe and North America (82.2%). The majority (98%) of these had a diagnosis of at least one mental disorder. Among all diagnoses, mood disorders accounted for 30.2%, followed by substance-use related disorders (17.6%), schizophrenia (14.1%), and personality disorders (13.0%).

People who are born into poverty, discrimination, people in Nazi concentration camps deliberately touching the electric fences.

Solve overpopulation -

The Bible contains a number of references of men seeking suicide, either by taking direct action or by asking God to kill them on the spot. In these passages, the authors of the Bible do not appear to consider suicide to be a great moral sin.

It is not "a permanent solution to a temporary problem", but rather a permanent solution to ALL problems, throughout life.

I don't see depression as a disease, I see it as a realization of truth. - Me

"Would it be wrong, would it be right, if I took my life tonight? Chances are that I might." - Papa Roach - "Last Resort"

Suicide: The act of causing ones own death. Suicide may be positive or negative and it may be direct or indirect. Suicide is a positive act when one takes ones own life. Suicide is a negative act when one does not do what is necessary to escape death such as leaving a burning building. - MedicineNet.com

Though 90% of the one million people who commit suicide every year suffer from psychiatric illnesses, the remaining 100,000 people do not.

"Life is like a movie, if you've sat through more than half of it and its sucked every second so far, it probably isn't gonna get great right at the end and make it all worthwhile. None should blame you for walking out early." - Doug Stanhope

"Suicide is a fundamental human right. This does not mean that it is morally desirable. It only means that society does not have the right to interfere." - Thomas Szasz

"Nine men in ten are would be suicides." - Benjamin Franklin

"Suicide was against the law. Johnny had wondered why. It meant that if you missed, or the gas ran out, or the rope broke, you could get locked up in prison to show you that life was really very jolly and thoroughly worth living." - Terry Pratchett

"No one ever lacks a good reason for suicide." - Cesare Pavese

"All healthy men have thought of their own suicide." - Albert Camus

"Suicide is the remedy of pain." - Matt Hartman

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2501/is-suicide-against-the-law

THE FOLLOWING IS MY ACTUAL ESSAY, FIELDING:

"To be, or not to be: that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil."

- William Shakespeare, Hamlet


Suicide is the world's tenth-leading cause of death, and though 90% of the one million people who commit suicide every year suffer from psychiatric illnesses or substance-abuse related problems, the remaining 100,000 people do not. Benjamin Franklin even said that, "Nine men in ten are would be suicides.". So why kill yourself? And why is suicide traditionally thought of as a bad thing? The generalizations associated with suicide need to be seen as incorrect, and the intellectual aspects of the decision to "off yourself" need to be considered. We need to look at the act of suicide itself, why it is practiced, and why we need to change our view of the subject to truly understand this "unseemly" decision.

Suicide, by legal definition, is the intentional taking of one's own life, or killing oneself. There are many various ways in which people can and do kill themselves, like hanging or shooting themselves, jumping off a tall building, or throwing a toaster into their occupied bath tub. The American Mental Health Alliance-Oregon states that three of the top reasons why people commit suicide are change, choice, and control. Suicidal people normally feel the need to change their circumstances, their life, and fix how they're feeling. Many feel that it is their only choice, that suicide would solve all their problems, which it would, indefinitely. Suicide is also used to show the person that they are in control of their own life. Suicide is normally thought of as a selfish and unthoughtful act. Is it selfish to want out of a bad situation? Or is it selfish of those people trying to keep you from saving yourself? According to the World Health Organization, suicide rates worldwide have increased by over 60% in the last 45 years. Compare this with the second law of thermodynamics, which states that in any system, the entropy can not decrease, but rather tends to increase. Dictionary.com defines entropy as inevitable social decline and degeneration. If we are to believe this standard law of physics, then our own entropy is increasing, the world is getting worse, as suicide rates increase. This growing state of entropy would directly affect one's sense of change, choice, and control, leading more people to commit suicide, not because of mental illnesses, but because of the state of the world in general and how it is affecting the population.

Knowing that the world is an increasingly detrimental place to be, can we say that committing suicide is the wrong decision? Suicide is a choice, a right each and every one of us is entitled to, and not a wrong decision. The choice to commit suicide is the right decision for some. In the world of philosophy, several jurisdictions view suicide as acceptable, and even condone it. Idealists Goethe, Schopenhauer, and Herodotus wrote and spoke about suicide in a positive manner, saying that it was one of life's greatest comforts. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said that. "It is easier to die than to endure a harrowing life with fortitude.". Schopenhauer is known for saying, "They tell us that suicide is the greatest act of cowardice, that suicide is wrong; when it is quite obvious that there is nothing in the world to which every man has a more unassailable title than to his own life and person.". Ancient Greek philosopher, Herodotus, stated that, "Death is a delightful hiding place for weary men.". In his book, "Beyond Good and Evil", Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that, "The thought of suicide is a great consolation: by means of it one gets successfully through many a bad night". Liberalistic and existentialistic views have even gone so far as to promote that one must justify not committing suicide. Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz said that, "Suicide is a fundamental human right. This does not mean that it is morally desirable. It only means that society does not have the right to interfere.". We shouldn't judge others for their choice to kill themselves and call their decision "wrong". Albert Camus, an absurdist philosopher who was even against suicide stated that, "All healthy men have thought of their own suicide," implying that it does not mean that one has a mental problem if they have suicidal thoughts, it means that they are normal. I myself often think on the idea of suicide, and I have no psychiatric disorder nor a history of mental illnesses in my family, I am merely a human.

Historically, suicide has not always been considered morally wrong. There is even a specific subcategory of suicide called dutiful suicide in which the person's suicide is thought to contribute to a greater good. The ancient Romans and Greeks believed that suicide was completely acceptable. Most suicides of the time were due to a defeat in battle. Emperor Nero committed suicide after the Great Fire of Rome, the cause of which is unknown, making sure a grave was prepared for him prior to his death. In the Roman colony of Marseilles, anyone could apply to the Senate wanting to kill themselves and immediately receive the poisonous hemlock plant for free. Athenian philosopher Socrates was despised by the Athenian leaders for making them look like fools in public by his questioning, and was falsely put on trial for corrupting the minds of the youth. He was found guilty, and after drinking the, in this case, prescribed hemlock solution, said, "Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Please, don't forget to pay the debt.". Asclepius was the Greek god of healing, and in his statement, Socrates was saying that death is the ultimate cure and instance of complete freedom. In Japan, killing yourself came with a sense of honor and courage. The ancient Japanese act of seppuku, or stomach cutting, was performed only by the samurai, specifically those who didn't want to fall into the hands of their enemies. In India, it was once common for recently widowed women to practice the act of sati. During sati, a dead man's wife would voluntarily lie on or next to her husband's funeral pyre, and proceed to be burned with her dead husband. Men sometimes performed sati, and it was not uncommon for the widow to light the fire herself. Before the funeral, the woman would dress in her wedding garments to prepare for her death with her husband. Sati was seen as expected and considered virtuous at the time. Today, these acts are judged as wrong, and sometimes even considered criminal, but should they be? People today face the same problems as back then. The causes for suicide are the same today as they were back in history, and just as justifiable.

People normally condemn suicide. They say that it is selfish, unfair, and cowardly. Suicide is none of these things. Suicide is a way out, a means of escape that's open to everyone. If the person is truly not wanting to live any longer, they have the right of suicide. Those who view this act as selfish is thinking only of themselves. The accuser is hypocritical. If the person wishing to commit the act believes that they would be truly happier if it were performed, is it not selfish to want to keep them alive? To want to force them into living merely because you still want them here, or their family and friends still want them around? It would be selfish to tell someone their actions would be selfish. Think more about how the person feels, not what you want, isn't that the entire basis of unselfishness? As far as suicide being unfair, suicide is a fundamental human right, and anyone can kill themselves. It is their life, their body, and their choice to live or to die. It is not unfair if everyone is open to the choice, and only some take it. Suicide takes more bravery than any act I've heard of. Committing suicide is the greatest leap of all, more so than say a leap over a river to save a child in a burning house. In most cases, the outcome is entirely unknown to the person, and no one on this earth can even fathom what ultimate death is like. It takes guts to go somewhere, when you're not sure of anything about where you're going, or if it's the right decision, or what your life would be like if you stayed, or even if your attempt will be successful. And yet, knowing nothing about anything, brave people still decide to go throught with their decisions. Suicide is not an easy way out, it is the hardest way out you could possibly think of. It is not cowardly to want to get food if you are starving to death, so why is it considered cowardly to get yourself out of any other bad situation?

Suicide is a choice, a decision, a right, and not a wrong. Suicide shouldn't be looked down on as a permanent solution to a temporary problem, but rather a permanent solution to all problems. Everyone has the right to their own life, and those who decide to take theirs shouldn't be judged for it. If we all just accepted others, the world would be a better place, less full of prejudice and persecution. It is unfair to think wrongly of those who simply want a way out. If you were in a situation where you seriously wanted to die, would you want people telling you how wrong it is to feel that way? Perhaps suicide rates would even decrease if more people accepted those who committed it, rather than condemn them for their natural human thoughts. Comedian Doug Stanhope once said, "Life is like a movie, if you've sat through more than half of it and its sucked every second so far, it probably isn't gonna get great right at the end and make it all worthwhile. None should blame you for walking out early.".

Hawton, K., and K. van Heeringen. "Suicide." The Lancet. Apr. 2009. Print. 11 Mar. 2010.

"Suicide." Women's Web. n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2010.

Bertolote, J.M., Fleischmann, A., De Leo, D., and D. Wasserman. "Psychiatric diagnoses and suicide: revisiting the evidence." Crisis. 2004. Print. 13 Mar. 2010.

Krastev, Nikola. "CIS: UN Body Takes On Rising Suicide Rates." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 9 Sept. 2006. Web. 13 Mar. 2010.

"Understanding And Dealing With The Risk Of Suicide." Oregoncounseling.org. 17 Jan. 2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.

"Suicide Prevention (SUPRE)." World Health Organization. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.

Fermi, Enrico. Thermodynamics. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1956. Print. 20 Mar. 2010.

"Suicide in Graeco-Roman Thought." Journal of Psychology and Judaism  24.1 (2000). Print. 23 Apr. 2010.

Tacitus. The Annals. Book XV. Print. 23 Apr. 2010.

Kerferd, G.B.. The Sophistic Movement. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print. 23 Apr. 2010.

Madison, Laurel A.. Journal of the History of Philosophy, 40.4 (2002). Print. 23 Apr. 2010.

Fuse, Toyomasa. "Suicide and culture in Japan: A study of seppuku as an institutionalized form of suicide." Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 15.2 (1980). Print. 30 Mar. 2010.

Hardgrave, Jr., Robert L.. The Representation of Sati: Four Eighteenth Century Etchings by Baltazard Solvyns. Kolkata: Bengal Past and Present, 1998. Pg. 57-80. Print. 30 Mar. 2010.