The fact that a letter written by a prisoner could almost bring me to tears shows how wrong you can truly be about a person. Prisoners are usually thought out to be people that know nothing about life, because they are not actually living it. They are living a life enclosed behind bars. However, this man knows more about the qualities that I would want in a man that I do. If a man possessed nearly half of those qualities, then I would consider myself happy. And this is a lifer…
When I first started reading this article, I actually got pretty mad. It felt like it was simply a list of characteristics that men thought that they possessed. Being myself, the first thing that I thought was, “Are you serious? Men never possess nearly any of these qualities. Figures that a man would write this article, just going on and on about what great characteristics they have.” However, I learned something about myself when reading this article. I learned that I am the first person to jump to irrational conclusions. I almost started crying when I read that the author was simply listing a bunch of qualities that they THOUGHT a man should possess; not actual qualities that men DO possess. It was an apology. It made me feel horrible to think that I am so judgmental. However, I am simply another example of sociology in the works. This is sociology.
Being a woman, it is sometimes difficult to understand the role a man should take in various situations. But this is sociology. In order to understand it, you must be able to understand the viewpoint of another person. Like Sam said, in order to fully understand the way sociology operates, you must first develop empathy. This involves putting yourself in the shoes of another person. Putting yourself in the shoes of another gender is a perfect example.
I believe the best part of this letter was when the author said, “So in my opinion, as long as you are able to love there will always be someone willing to receive the love that you have.” Some people believe that love can never be in their reach. However, if a man in prison says it is available to him, then it must be tangible for everyone else. As long as you put yourself out there and open your heart, someone will be willing to accept that love and love in return.
It is comforting to know that the author of this letter still has some contact with his family and friends. If one of my family members made a mistake and committed a horrible crime, I feel that I would definitely be angry with them. However, being part of a family means sticking with your family members through the thick and thin. You must be there to support them through everything. I am glad that there are other people in the world that take the same approach to family relationships. However, it is kind of sad to think that contact decreases through the years. While this is expected, it is still upsetting. Being able to see your close family slowing slip even further and further from reach must make it extremely hard to cope with prison life. It is just another added burden.
I really liked this article. Most of the other articles about lifers were not like this. They talked about the way being prison has changed them as a person, and how they cope with being behind bars. However, while this piece has many of these elements, it takes a primary focus on the family. Since family is something so important to me, I thought it was interesting to see how family relationships remained after being in prison.
I just think this is another example of how human beings are so quick to judge one another. Just because something may look a certain way, does not actually mean it is that way. Everyone has a story, and they definitely vary from person to person. The author of this piece considered suicide at one time. That is how much remorse they felt for their crime. However, prison turned their life around and made their relationship to God that much better.
I was so happy to read this letter, B.’s Response. The author was very insightful, showing first hand that some people can receive a life sentence without killing. He showed how he was annoyed at being called a murder, but instead of lashing out and being angry, was looking to educate those who did not know any better than to assume this. The author committed a felony. However, while the felony was being committed, another individual took someone’s life. The law states that if someone is killed while a felony is being committed, the person who committed the felony is just as guilty as the person who pulled the trigger.
In class, we have talked a great deal about the “lifers.” More often than not, these prisoners have been generalized to be murders. I often assumed that all of them were, because I never heard a specific example of a prisoner, who received life, who was there for a crime other than murder. However, in class this issue was quickly addressed. A student made a remark the other day about the fact that all the prisoners deserve to be there for life, because they took the life of another. Sam quickly defended some of the prisoners and told the student that some of them were there for other crimes, and may not deserve a life sentence. This really opened my eyes. How could someone do something so bad that they would have to spend the rest of their life in prison, without the physical act of killing? I was really hoping to find an example.
I feel like people are so far off when they think gay couples cannot raise a child properly. This video is living proof that it does not matter what the sexual orientation of your parents is. The young man in this video has been raised to become a very successful individual, and he was raised by two women. If you saw him walking down the street, you would never know it. You would only know if he told you. I think that any straight couple would be proud to say that he was their son. Gay couples are a minimally tapped resource to the thousands and thousands of children that need homes. These orphans could end up being just as successful as the speaker in this video through a homosexual couple.
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Creation