Scopes trial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scopes trial - Essay Example One might even be as bold as to say that the only contribution that scopes made to the whole trial, as presented in the essay, is offer his name for posterity’s sake whenever someone wants to refer to the trial. Scopes was not acting on his own volition rather as a legally necessitating factor for the trial to proceed. The main issue in the trial is the positions of the ACLU and the positions of the Christian fundamentalist and what they felt is right for the average American school curriculum. The trial is not about a prosecutor trying to prove that the defendant is guilty neither is it about the defendant proving his innocence and this is clearly shown by the defense allowing unchallenged testimony against Scopes albeit its obvious falsity owing to the fact that Scopes was not even a biology teacher. The trial is an ideological confrontation between two diametrically opposed interest parties and them resenting their agenda before a national audience. The very nature of the trial gives a feeling of transcendence over a teacher simply defending himself against the state; the media access and coverage allowed the national attention and high profile counsel on either side of the matter is testimony to this. The essay gives the perspective of the broad goals that are the aim of this trial: the statute opposing the teaching of evolution in schools but more importantly the ideological basis for agreeing to or opposing the statute. The perspective of the essay is much wider than the perspective of the trial, Larson uses the trial to address the issue of scientific and academic freedom and the curtailment of this freedom by special interest groups based on subjective beliefs held by different groups. Intellectual freedom is Larson’s main agenda and he seeks redress for the situation whereby the majority imposes its religious beliefs and epistemological leanings

The Changing Definition of the American Dream Essay - 1

The Changing Definition of the American Dream - Essay Example The author's definition of the American Dream is one that is based on finding meaning in one’s life.   Richard Cory might have killed himself because he did not find his existence meaningful at all. The American Dream refers to material security, not necessarily prodigious wealth, and, more importantly, it concerns the meaningfulness that people find in their lives by having a fulfilling career and making the world a better place.  The American Dream is about material security. The traditional American Dream is home ownership and having enough material things for comfort. In the article â€Å"John Zogby: The American Dream Redefined,† John Zogby’s survey reveals that people who see the American Dream this way are called â€Å"Traditional Materialists.† Materialists believe that the American Dream â€Å"meant some form of financial success: the acquisition of goods, a bigger house, a home with a piece of land around it and so on† (Zogby). This Dr eam is about the attainment of material goods that affects perceptions about the quality of life.  The American Dream is not about being extremely wealthy, however, because people are already content with sufficient material security. Howard R. Gold, in â€Å"Price Tag for the American Dream: $130K a Year,† asserts that many people think that the American Dream is much simpler than being filthy rich. Thomas Hirschl, the co-author of the book Chasing the American Dream and a professor at Cornell University, emphasizes that, for some of the people they interviewed, the American Dream is â€Å"not about getting rich and making a lot of money. It's about security† (Gold). It is a dream of having enough to have a good life, not necessarily an extremely wealthy one. Finally, the American Dream represents the idea of finding meaningfulness in life by having a fulfilling career and making the world a better place. Some people think that the American Dream is about living the ir dreams that make them feel that life is meaningful.