What Is a First-Generation College Student

Generally speaking, a first-generation college student is someone who is the first in their family to go to college. However, there are variations in the way first-gen is defined. It usually applies to the first person in an extended family to go to college (e.g. a student whose parents, and possibly other previous generations, did not go to college), not to the first child in an immediate family to go to college (e.g. the oldest child out of five siblings in the same household). But the term first-generation college student can describe a variety of family education situations. Students who had a parent enroll but never graduate or one parent graduate and the other never attend can be considered first-gens. Some definitions include students whose biological parents did not attend college, regardless of the education level of other adults in their lives. More than one person within a family can be a first-generation college student, too. Say your parents never went to college, youre one of three children, your older sister is in her second year at school, and youre just now filling out college applications: Youre a first-generation college student, even though your sister went to college before you. Your younger brother will be considered a first-generation college student if he decides to go as well. Challenges Facing First-Generation College Students Many studies show that first-gens, no matter how theyre defined, face more challenges in college than students whose family members have attended school. Most importantly, first-gen students are less likely to apply to and attend college in the first place. If youre the first person in your family considering going to college, chances are you have a lot of questions about higher education, and you might be unsure where to find answers. The good news is that many college admissions offices are committed to recruiting more first-gen students, and there are online communities dedicated to first-gen students as well. When youre looking at schools, ask how they support first-gen students and how you can connect with other students in similar situations.   Opportunities for First-Gens Its important for colleges to know if you are the first in your family to pursue a college degree. Many schools want to balance their student body with more first-generation college students, they may provide peer groups and mentor programs for these students, as well as offer financial aid specifically for first-gens. If you arent sure where to start learning about opportunities for first-generation students, talk to your high school academic advisor or even the dean of students at a college youre considering. In addition, try researching scholarships geared toward first-gens. Seeking out and applying for scholarships can be time-consuming, but its worth the effort if youre short on funds or are planning to take out student loans to pay for college. Remember to look at local organizations, associations your parents belong to, state scholarship programs, and national offerings (which tend to be more competitive).

Lord of the Flies A Critical History

â€Å"The boy with the fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon. Though he had taken off his school sweater and trailed it now from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair was plastered to his forehead. All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of head. He was clambering heavily among the creepers and broken trunks when a bird, a vision of red and yellow, flashed upwards with a witch-like cry; and this cry was echoed by another. ‘Hi!’ it said. ‘Wait a minute’† (1).   William Golding  published his most famous novel, Lord of the Flies, in 1954. This book was the first serious challenge to the popularity of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye (1951). Golding explores the lives of a group of schoolboys who are stranded after their airplane crashes on a deserted island. How have people perceived this literary work since its release sixty years ago? The History of Lord of the Flies Ten years after the release of Lord of the Flies, James Baker published an article discussing why the book is more true to human nature than any other story about stranded men, such as Robinson Crusoe (1719) or Swiss Family Robinson (1812). He believes that Golding wrote his book as a parody of Ballantyne’s The Coral Island (1858). Whereas Ballantyne expressed his belief in the goodness of man, the idea that man would overcome adversity in a civilized way, Golding believed that men were inherently savage. Baker believes that â€Å"life on the island has only imitated the larger tragedy in which the adults of the outside world attempted to govern themselves reasonably but ended in the same game of hunt and kill† (294). Ballantyne believes, then, that Golding’s intent was to shine a light on â€Å"the defects of society† through his Lord of the Flies (296). While most critics were discussing Golding as a Christian moralist, Baker rejects the idea and focuses on the sanitization of Christianity and rationalism in Lord of the Flies. Baker concedes that the book does flow in â€Å"parallel with the prophecies of the Biblical Apocalypse† but he also suggests that â€Å"the making of history and the making of myth are [ . . . ] the same process† (304).  In â€Å"Why Its No Go,† Baker concludes that the effects of World War II have given Golding the ability to write in a way he never had. Baker notes, â€Å"[Golding] observed first hand the expenditure of human ingenuity in the old ritual of war† (305). This suggests that the underlying theme in Lord of the Flies is war and that, in the decade or so following the release of the book, critics turned to religion to understand the story, just as people consistently turn to religion to recover from such devastation as war creates. By 1970, Baker writes, â€Å"[most literate people [ . . . ] are familiar with the story† (446).  Ã‚  Thus, only fourteen years after its release, Lord of the Flies became one of the most popular books on the market. The novel had become a â€Å"modern classic† (446). However, Baker states that, in 1970, Lord of the Flies was on the decline. Whereas, in 1962, Golding was considered â€Å"Lord of the Campus† by Time magazine, eight years later no one seemed to be paying it much notice. Why is this? How did such an explosive book suddenly drop off after less than two decades? Baker argues that it is in human nature to tire of familiar things and to go on new discoveries; however, the decline of Lord of the Flies, he writes, is also due to something more (447). In simple terms, the decline in popularity of Lord of the Flies can be attributed to the desire for academia to â€Å"keep up, to be avant-garde† (448). This boredom, however, was not the main factor in the decline of Golding’s novel. In 1970 America, the public was â€Å"distracted by the noise and color of [ . . . ] protests, marches, strikes, and riots, by the ready articulation and immediate politicization of nearly all [ . . . ] problems and anxieties† (447). 1970 was the year of the infamous Kent State shootings and all talk was on the Vietnam War, the destruction of the world. Baker believes that, with such destruction and terror ripping apart at people’s everyday lives, one hardly saw fit to entertain themselves with a book that parallels that same destruction. Lord of the Flies would force the public â€Å"to recognize the likelihood of apocalyptic war as well as the wanton abuse and destruction of environmental resources [ . . . ]† (447).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Baker writes, â€Å"[t]he main reason for the decline of Lord of the Flies is that it no longer suits the temper of the times† (448). Baker believes that the academic and political worlds finally pushed out Golding by 1970 because of their unjust belief in themselves. The intellectuals felt that the world had surpassed the point in which any person would behave the way that the boys of the island did; therefore, the story held little relevance or significance at this time (448).   These beliefs, that the youth of the time could master the challenges of those boys on the island, are expressed by the reactions of school boards and libraries from 1960 through 1970. â€Å"Lord of the Flies was put under lock and key† (448). Politicians on both sides of the spectrum, liberal and conservative, viewed the book as â€Å"subversive and obscene† and believed that Golding was out-of-date (449). The idea of the time was that evil spurred from disorganized societies rather than being present in every human mind (449). Golding is criticized once again as being too heavily influenced by Christian ideals. The only possible explanation for the story is that Golding â€Å"undermines the confidence of the young in the American Way of Life† (449).   All of this criticism was based on the idea of the time that all human â€Å"evils† could be corrected by proper social structure and social adjustments. Golding believed, as is demonstrated in Lord of the Flies, that â€Å"[s]ocial and economic adjustments [ . . . ] treat only the symptoms instead of the disease† (449). This clash of ideals is the main cause of the fall-off in popularity of Golding’s most famous novel. As Baker puts it, â€Å"we perceive in [the book] only a vehement negativism which we now wish to reject because it seems a crippling burden to carry through the daily task of living with crisis mounting upon crisis† (453).   Between 1972 and the early-2000s, there was relatively little critical work done on Lord of the Flies. Perhaps this is due to the fact that readers simply moved on. The novel has been around for 60 years, now, so why read it? Or, this lack of study could be due to another factor that Baker raises: the fact that there is so much destruction present in everyday life, no one wanted to deal with it in their fantasy time. The mentality in 1972 was still that Golding wrote his book from a Christian point of view. Perhaps, the people of the Vietnam War generation were sick of the religious undertones of an out-of-date book.   It is possible, also, that the academic world felt belittled by Lord of the Flies. The only truly intelligent character in Golding’s novel is Piggy. The intellectuals may have felt threatened by the abuse that Piggy has to endure throughout the book and by his eventual demise. A.C. Capey writes, â€Å"the falling Piggy, representative of intelligence and the rule of law, is an unsatisfactory symbol of fallen man† (146). In the late 1980s, Golding’s work is examined from a different angle. Ian McEwan analyzes Lord of the Flies from the perspective of a man who endured boarding school. He writes that â€Å"as far as [McEwan] was concerned, Golding’s island was a thinly disguised boarding school† (Swisher 103).  His account of the parallels between the boys on the island and the boys of his boarding school is disturbing yet entirely believable.  He writes: â€Å"I was uneasy when I came to the last chapters and read of the death of Piggy and the boys hunting Ralph down in a mindless pack. Only that year we had turned on two of our number in a vaguely similar way. A collective and unconscious decision was made, the victims were singled out and as their lives became more miserable by the day, so the exhilarating, righteous urge to punish grew in the rest of us.† Whereas in the book, Piggy is killed and Ralph and the boys are eventually rescued, in McEwan’s biographical account, the two ostracized boys are taken out of school by their parents. McEwan mentions that he can never let go of the memory of his first reading of Lord of the Flies. He even fashioned a character after one of Golding’s in his own first story (106). Perhaps it is this mentality, the release of religion from the pages and the acceptance that all men were once boys, that re-birthed Lord of the Flies in the late 1980s. In 1993, Lord of the Flies again comes under religious scrutiny. Lawrence Friedman writes, â€Å"Golding’s murderous boys, the products of centuries of Christianity and Western civilization, explode the hope of Christ’s sacrifice by repeating the pattern of crucifixion† (Swisher 71). Simon is viewed as a Christ-like character who represents truth and enlightenment but who is brought down by his ignorant peers, sacrificed as the very evil he is trying to protect them from. It is apparent that Friedman believes the human conscience is at stake again, as Baker argued in 1970.   Friedman locates â€Å"the fall of reason† not in Piggy’s death but in his loss of sight (Swisher 72). It is clear that Friedman believes this time period, the early 1990s, to be one where religion and reason are once again lacking: â€Å"the failure of adult morality, and the final absence of God create the spiritual vacuum of Golding’s novel . . . God’s absence leads only to despair and human freedom is but license† (Swisher 74). Finally, in 1997, E. M. Forster writes a forward for the re-release of Lord of the Flies. The characters, as he describes them, are representational to individuals in everyday life. Ralph, the inexperienced believer, and hopeful leader. Piggy, the loyal right-hand man; the man with the brains but not the confidence. And Jack, the outgoing brute. The charismatic, powerful one with little idea of how to take care of anyone but who thinks he should have the job anyway (Swisher 98). Society’s ideals have changed from generation-to-generation, each one responding to Lord of the Flies depending on the cultural, religious, and political realities of the respective periods. Perhaps part of Golding’s intention was for the reader to learn, from his book, how to begin to understand people, human nature, to respect others and to think with one’s own mind rather than being sucked into a mob-mentality. It is Forster’s contention that the book â€Å"may help a few grown-ups to be less complacent, and more compassionate, to support Ralph, respect Piggy, control Jack, and lighten a little the darkness of man’s heart† (Swisher 102). He also believes that â€Å"it is respect for Piggy that seems needed most. I do not find it in our leaders† (Swisher 102). Lord of the Flies is a book that, despite some critical lulls, has stood the test of time. Written after World War II, Lord of the Flies has fought its way through social upheavals, through wars and political changes. The book and its author have been scrutinized by religious standards as well as by social and political standards. Each generation has had its interpretations of what Golding was trying to say in his novel. While some will read Simon as a fallen Christ who sacrificed himself to bring us truth, others might find the book asking us to appreciate one another, to recognize the positive and negative characteristics in each person and to judge carefully how best to incorporate our strengths into a sustainable society. Of course, didactic aside, Lord of the Flies is simply a good story worth reading, or re-reading, for its entertainment value alone.

Hamlet, By Alexander W Crawford Essay - 1213 Words

In the film†Hamlets antic disposition† the author Alexander W Crawford, describe hamlet as mad, but a close reveal of the play shows that Hamlet is straightforward and sane. His actions and thoughts are a logical response to the situation in which he finds himself. However, he assumes antic-disposition to undercover the truth of his father s death. After the Ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius has murdered his father, Hamlet begins to plan his next steps. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold, so it s not like he can just bust into Claudius bedroom and bump him off in the middle of the night. So in this scene he warns his friends that he will put on an antic disposition—i.e., pretend to be a madman. In the first act, Hamlet appears to be very straightforward in his actions and thoughts. When questioned by Gertrude about his melancholy appearance Hamlet says, Seems, madam? Nay it is know not seems (I, ii, 76). This is to say, I am what I appear to be. Later he makes a clear statement about his thoughts of mind when he commits himself to revenge. Hamlet says, I ll wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain (I, iv, 99-103). With this statement, the play makes a transition. Hamlet gives up the role of a student and mourning son, and commits himself to nothing else but the revenge of his father s death.Show MoreRelatedHamlet, By William Shakespeare1184 Words   |  5 Pages Hamlet is one of the most enigmatic characters in literary history, and for decades many people have asked many questions about who he is, wha t his motives were, and what he thought of the situation he was in. Hamlet has many different viewpoints and is much more complex than your average character. So for a character like this to be so complex, there must be a point. But what did Shakespeare intend for us to see once we saw through the shroud of complexity? There could be any number ofRead MoreAn Analysis Of The Film Hamlets Antic Disposition Essay1290 Words   |  6 PagesAn Analysis of Hamlet s antic disposition In the film†Hamlets antic disposition† the author Alexander W Crawford, describe hamlet as mad, but a close reveal of the play shows that Hamlet is straightforward and sane. His actions and thoughts are a logical response to the situation in which he finds himself. However, he assumes antic-disposition to undercover the truth of his father s death. After the Ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius has murdered his father, Hamlet begins to plan his next steps.Read MoreHamlet: A National Hero?1862 Words   |  8 Pagesawash with the aftermath of a fateful battle. A lifeless king rests amid the corpses of his family and followers, slain for his sins. His nephew, Hamlet, has just taken the life of the man who stole King Hamlet’s crown and passes on with the confidence that he has just liberated his nation, Denmark, from an oppressive ruler. Unfortunately, what Hamlet fails to grasp is the amount of incalculable sacrifices that guided him to be able to tear away Claudiusâ₠¬â„¢ crown. In actuality, the lack of animosityRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare Essay1752 Words   |  8 Pagesanalysing the tragic play of Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, I have concluded that Hamlet only ever pretends to be mad. In researching various critic’s opinion on Hamlet’s madness I found that they had similar views to mine. The critics I reference are A.C. Bradley, Paul A. Jorgensen, and Alexander W. Crawfor. A.C. Bradley’s view is that what the audience see as madness in Hamlet is really only his melancholy. This is very different from the madness which Hamlet feigns, as when he is aloneRead MoreIago : The Master Manipulator1194 Words   |  5 Pagesto her better judgment, May fall to match you with her country forms And happily repent. (3.3.270-278) As Alexander W. Crawford explains in Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear â€Å"The marriage of Othello and Desdemona was a union of different races and colors that the sense of the world has never approved†(Crawford) This shows that Iago preyed upon the weakness that was a shaky marriage that the world has not seen beforeRead MoreIts Complicated: Shakespeares Othello1450 Words   |  6 Pagesmaking us feel sympathy for him in the situation. Different from almost every other Shakespearean tragedy, Othellos downfall is caused strictly by his passion for Desdemona, even though other factors may have catalyzed his self destruction (Crawford, Alexander W). Everything that Othello did within the play all revolved around his passion for Desdemona. Although it was wrong for Othello to kill Desdemona, Iago played a very large role in him doing so which all started with the manipulation throughRead Mor eLion King vs. Hamlet2415 Words   |  10 PagesLucas Verde Dr. Arendt ENG4U -2 26 January 2015 Hakuna Matata? That is the Question A mother says to her young child, â€Å"Honey, come downstairs and watch Hamlet!† A statement which might sound ludicrous at first, is in reality, more sensible than one might think. Since 1994, The Lion King has been a must-see film for children all around the world. Its 8.5 rating on IMDB lists it alongside of some of the greatest movies ever made. Children’s movies that were released around this time were all shallowRead MoreOthellos Relationship with Iago2536 Words   |  11 PagesOthellos Relationship with Iago From Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear by Alexander W. Crawford. Boston R.G. Badger, 1916. The first scene of Othello presents a conversation between Roderigo, the disappointed suitor of Desdemona, and Iago, concerning incidents of which Othello is the chief agent. Othello and Desdemona have eloped, it seems, leaving Roderigo disappointed and distressed. He complains thatRead MoreTragic Drama According to AC Bradleys Theory of Shakespeare and a Comparison of Arthur Miller and August Wilsons Concept of Tragedy2899 Words   |  12 Pagesliterature in this particular paradox, we become fascinated. Bradley emphasizes on viewing the literary techniques used not as the basic constituents but as the expression of tragedy. Some of the major characters in Shakespeares renowned tragedies are Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth. Most of these characters are individual sufferers as in reality; a single man faces the paradoxes of life. In every work of Shakespeare, irrespective of the individually unique traits, we find a shattered hope orRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesCarol Carnevale, SUNY Empire State College Donald W. Caudill, Bluefield College Suzanne Chan, Tulane University Anthony Chelte, Midwestern State University Bongsoon Cho, State University of New York—Buffalo Savannah Clay, Central Piedmont Community College David Connelly, Western Illinois State University Jeffrey Conte, San Diego State University Jane Crabtree, Benedictine University Suzanne Cramp ton, Grand Valley State University Douglas Crawford, Wilson College Michael Cruz, San Jose State University

Contemporary Urban Music free essay sample

Music: controversial messages In hip-hip and rap lyrics Though Franklin B. Akron and Frances L. Souza portray hip-hop and rap as a protest to racism, poverty, and glorifying the drug dealing and gangster lifestyle I completely disagree with their views. Hip-hop and rap is way of life for young black men and women. Its a language for not only blacks but white people that truly understand the content of the lyrics. Akron and Souza wrote, More recently, the term hip-hop describes a culture, superficially characterized by performers with droopy pants, hats to the back, lace less sneakers, hoods, and loud radios. One cant characterize a rapper by droopy pants and his hat to the back. Many rappers such as: Jay-Z, Kenya West, and EL Cool J wear suits on stage for their performances. When hip-hop began in the ass it was known for break dancing and great lyrical content. We will write a custom essay sample on Contemporary Urban Music or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There was political rap, spiritual rap, and a more positive feel for the ladles. Hip-hop began to change with the times In the mid to late ass. This Is when drugs began to run rampant In the black neighborhoods. These shifts In the black neighborhoods change black peoples point on views on many topics. According to Rose, T author ofBlack Nose, Rap music is innovative uses of style and language, hilariously funny caravansaries and chitin-circuit-inspired dramatic skits, and ribald storytelling. Rose is completely off base with his assessment of hip-hop and rap music. Nothing in rap is even close in design as the old asses chitin circuit. The design of hip-hop and rap is a sort of outreach or a way out of the ghetto for many young black people. Many of whom have made some terrible mistakes in life, but realize that society would never place them in corporate America, so they learn the skill of rapping.Rappers have often been accused of demeaning women and glorifying the gangster lifestyle. Hip- hop does not glorify the gangster life, It merely serves as a warning to the youth that you dont want to go down this road. Rappers can only tell you their life and the choices that they made. The demeaning of women Is In their perspective the correct way to approach a hot topic In the black community, this being how some women behave. I do believe that some of the songs are over the top, but I understand the Some also describe rap as a product of the ghetto culture, but not all rap is songs. Eased or formed from the ghetto. Henry Louis Gates,Jar. , a professor at Harvard University said, A lot of what you see in rap is the guilt of the black middle class about its economic success, its inability to put forth a culture of its own. Now I respect Mr. . Gates, but he knows nothing about hip-hop or rap or its culture. In my opinion his comments are irrelevant and cannot be taken seriously. Many rappers have criticized politicians and police officers because the so-called leaders of the world do nothing to Improve black neighborhoods, schools, and ways of life.To look through a rappers eyes and understand what they see you would have to have been Ron In a scalar situation, Born and raised In the ghetto, and viewing crooked police officers do horrible and dishonest things. Politicians wont make any changes to the Drew have produced three of the biggest rappers ever in Mine, Snoop Doggy Dog, and 50 Cent. Dry. Dress first solo album titled The Chronic with a marijuana lead displayed on it was misinterpreted as him trying to promote the use of illegal drugs. Dry. Dress album was meant as that feeling one would get after the use of marijuana, and he clearly stated this on numerous occasions.Rap is also described as a infusing and noisy element of contemporary American pop culture. Rap is neither noise nor confusing. Its a lesson for those that have never lived in the ghetto, and lesson for those on how to get out of that hell hole. Its a lesson for people that have sold drugs, and have no other way of means to provide for their families. Do I glorify selling drugs? Absolutely not!! I Just understand that mindset because I lived in the ghetto, and still have friends that reside there. Many critics of rap are the older white generation that is completely clueless as to the feelings of a young black man.Rabbi Eric H. Wife states, The vehicle of dissemination for pornography on a massive scale to children is gangster rap a type of music that is so filthy and vile that it far exceeds what even the most tolerant parent might accept as an inevitable result of the generation gap. This statement made by the Rabbi completely shows the generational gap between the older white generation and the younger black generation. The older generation cannot seem to wrap their minds around the idea that such violence, drug dealing and using exists in the black neighborhood.