Under Pressure (do do do dodo do do)

I very much hope you know that song^

Ruth is under a lot of pressure form her family and her environment. The only reason she even considers having an abortion is because of how poor the family is. It would not be fair to Mama or Beneatha for Ruth to have a baby. They don't have the room or money. Travis is already sleeping in the living room, where would the baby go? Mama and Beneatha do not deserve to be up all night listening to the baby cry. Mama would deal with it, but Beneatha is selfish. She would complain about it constantly. Ruth is simply not in the right environment to have a baby. There is also the factor of money, or lack there of. With the insurance money and the new house it could be a possibility, but now that Walter has thrown away every bit of money they had, there is just no way. They can barely afford Travis as it is. If Ruth lived in a different environment and had more money, she would never abort her baby. 

Death Penalty (Social Justice-NOT FOR HOFFMAN'S EYES)

I do not support the death penalty in any way. It is inhumane and barbaric. How can we tell society that it is wrong to kill someone by killing people. With that said, I do understand some of the reasons why people do support it.

I have had this debate with many of my friends, all different ages, genders, religions, and political affiliations. The most effective argument I have heard any of them say is that it is cheaper for us as Americans. Why should we pay for these murderers and rapist to live? I have a friend who works in a jail, so he sees first hand what our tax dollars are going to. Prisoners get treated better than they should. They get considerably good food and health care when there are people in our country starving to death and dying because they can't afford the surgery they need. There are accounts of people purposefully getting arrested so they have a meal to eat and a bed to sleep in.

I believe that there is one simple solution to this. End the death penalty, and in it's place put life in solitude without parole. A human being needs companionship. The human cannot function completely on it's own. Even those who enjoy being alone cannot stand to be fully isolated from all life forms. It is the worst possible way to live. They should not be fed very well, just what they need to survive. There is no reason for them to have any extra luxuries. They can live their lives with only their thoughts to keep them company. I fully believe that this is the perfect replacement of the death penalty.

When debating the death penalty I purposefully do not include my faith. I don't think it is smart to argue about an issue with religion in this day and age. Non Catholics are not going to listen to Catholics, non Jews are not going to listen to Jews, and so on. I can say as a Catholic that I believe the death penalty is wrong and immoral, but a non Catholic does not care about my Catholic values. Not only that, but people often come off in a snobbish, high and mighty way when they justify their beliefs through a religion. This article sounded very absolute. It was as if the Catholics are saying "I'm right and your wrong", which is not true. Everyone has their own opinions, and opinions cannot be right or wrong.

I do agree with this article on the basis of banning capital punishment, but I do not agree on the ways they are trying to communicate their opinions. One quote that jumped out at me and really made me angry is on the fourth page, "In fact, such use of the bible (finding a "proof text"to affirm one's point of view) us inappropriate". I literally laughed out loud when I read this. The Church uses quotes from the Bible every time it can, for issues from gay marriage to abortion, but the one time they can't find a quote that fits their use, they say it is irrelevant. Funny.

I did agree with the article when it said "we cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing...This cycle of violence diminished all of use-especially our children". Children are always listening. How can we teach the future of America that it is okay to kill people if they've killed people? The cycle will never end this way. While I often disagree with how this article goes about expressing their opinion, I do agree with the big picture, end capitol punishment.

Loneliness

Walter feels lonely in his family. Everybody else thinks that the insurance money is Mama's and she can do or not do whatever she wants with it. Walter is the only person with a scheme. He wants to invest it in a liquor store. Not a single person agrees with him. While there is a possibility that this pan could work, the fact still remains that the money is Mama's, and he wants to take all of it. Maybe if he only needed a thousand or two, but he wants to risk all ten thousand dollars.  He is so frustrated in the rest of his family that he walks out, even after he finds out that, not only is Ruth pregnant, but she is intent on having an abortion. Walter's love of money is clouding the love he has for his family. He spends the entire first act arguing with everybody. His stubbornness is causing a riff between himself and his family.

Oppression

Hansberry is right when she says that man's oppression of man is the most universal theme in literature, pop culture, and history. I do in a way understand why the Super Bowl commercial, "America is Beautiful", is relevant to this. The commercial is inspiring, but actual Americans are upset because they interpreted it to say it's okay for immigrants to come into the country not knowing English. That's not what the commercial was trying to say, though. It was showing America the melting pot, how diverse this country is and how beautiful this diversity is.
It disgust me that the "Change the Mascot" commercial was not aired. I have friends that are Native American, not "Indian", that are offended by the Red Skins. It is supposed to be honoring the Native Americans, but if they chose to honor African Americans instead would they be called "The Niggers"? The commercial should have aired, and the name of the football team should be changed.