Why College Athletes Must Finish School First free essay sample

Introduction For many college athletes, the lure of playing pro sports is intoxicating. Dreams of fancy cars, luxurious homes, tailor-made suits, voluptuous women, and the mental images of a crowded stadium chanting their name is enough for any collegiate athlete to think about abandoning their education for a chance at stardom. When the dreams are solidified with million dollar contracts, think immediately is replaced by impulse. Left behind in the frenzy is the much needed college education that no one seems to care about any more. An athletes only hope is to complete a college education first for what lifes lessons has to offer later when hard-knocks is the final exam. Many people believe there is no need for an education because of the money that is made by professional athletes. They are indeed right. The average athlete earns an annual salary of $3. 3million. The problems are that many professional athlete are either bankrupt or in jail, mostly because of impulse control disorders that cause millions of dollars to disappear. We will write a custom essay sample on Why College Athletes Must Finish School First or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There is no wonder as to 78% of NFL players going broke within 2 years and 60% of NBA players are broke within 5 years of their retirement. Are they a product of their environment? Want to bet? It starts young. Most athletes who make it to the professional level are from lower to middle socioeconomic status where they have been involved in sports since they were young. According to the American Psychological Association, lower socioeconomic statuses correlates to lower education, poverty, and poor health. The effects are inequities in wealth distribution, resource redistribution, and quality of life. The American Psychological Association also identifies lower to middle socioeconomic statuses who are in college in association with the feeling of not belonging in school, thus dropping out before they graduate; perhaps the reason collegiate athletes impulsively abandon their education not only for the mere millions of dollars, but to fit in a world with peers who share the same socioeconomic statuses where they feel the sense of belonging. The problem is the impulsive behaviors continue and are only strengthen by those around them. The negative effects of lower to middle socioeconomic statuses are learned behaviors with a belief that they â€Å"need† certain items to fit in as normal Americans. So, when they see it, they buy it, -an impulse. Impulse is the automated response devoid of thought. A part of what makes an athlete great, but when too many actions are gratified through habitual repetition of impulses that control ill-eminent behavior off the playing field, disorder of rational thought gives birth to an impulse control disorder. The most troubling impulse control disorders are gambling, overspending, and hyper sexuality. The impulse control disorders that habituate bad behaviors are no stranger to professional athletes. As young athletes learn to act on impulse, they carry on the impulse behavior as they reach adulthood. By this time, cliches, privileges, and attitudes of superiority become a pattern that discerns a collegiate athlete in making critical decisions. Over time, impulse control disorders are so prevalent that athletes get used to other people making their decisions for them. The responsibility is then shifted, rendering the athlete powerless against his or her own destiny. As disorder norminates behavior through the absence of thought, responsible behavior become devoid as does the logic to abandon their college education for a chance as a professional athlete. Then again, how many of us would throw away the winning numbers to the lottery? The same impulse control disorder behaviors by athletes are similar to those that have won the lottery then lost it all. Meet Evelyn Adams. She won the New Jersey lottery not once but twice with the total winnings at $5. 4 million. â€Å"Winning the lottery isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, â€Å"says Evelyn Adams, â€Å"everybody wanted my money. Everybody had their hand out. I never learned one simple word in the English language no. † Might sound familiar to some professional athletes that can’t just say no for squandering their money, or the collegiate athlete who cannot say no to the multi-million dollar contract. It is imperative for collegiate athletes to finish their college education because of the impulse control disorders that can be overly exploited by the other people and powers that be. Many people cannot phantom a collegiate athlete passing on the opportunity of a lifetime in the same light they see themselves to be foolish for hrowing away the winning lottery ticket. Friends and family often live vicariously through their beloved collegiate athlete in the fact they never been through college themselves. They end up rooting for their success all the way. That is until their athlete is approached by a pro-sports agent and asked to abandon their college education for a career at the professional leve l of stardom and riches. For family and friends, the benefits of a college education for their beloved athlete become null as they see the athlete’s opportunity for themselves. Yet family and friends are least of worries for the athlete to be concerned more for the powers that be. The money that professional athletes can generate draws other people with bigger intentions with less the caring. The powers that be are the television networks, owners, sponsors, and sports agents who receive millions of dollars with no regard for the well-being of the collegiate athlete or the effects of an unfinished college education. As the powers that be are concerned, the college athletes are their mule and forty acres. Athletes should not fall prey to the roar of the crowd nor the dollar signs promised in million dollar contracts. Completing a college degree teaches maturity and responsibility along with the many positive influences that his/her classmates may be to them. The fact that impulse disorders are exploited for everyone else’s benefit should raise a red flag that a completed college education is not only a wise back-up plan when their pro-career comes to a screeching halt, but a great tool for student athletes to learn life’s many lessons before they become pro.

Simile and metaphor Essays

Simile and metaphor Essays Simile and metaphor Paper Simile and metaphor Paper The speakers anger is a central to the whole poem. In stanza two Afrika achieves a shocking intensity by his line arrangement and repetition. The repetition of and(12-15) gives the impression of deep familiarity with the bureaucratic sounding District Six (9) and we can understand the sentiment amiable weeds(8) more clearly. The listing effect establishes a rhythm and a pattern, which the reader anticipates. This means that when and(15) turns into anger(16) it comes as a shock. The stanza also concentrates on the sensitive parts of his body, skinlungseyes(13-16) all, which are subject and vulnerable to hurt. Anger is also associated closely with heat and fire. It is the hotanger of his eyes(15-16); the sign of the restaurant is flaring(18) and his hands burn(45). The image of glass(17, 30, 41, 47) is very important in the poem (the word appears four times) as well as a reference to clear panes(28). It is glass which shuts out the speaker in the poem. It is a symbol of the inequality between whites and blacks, rich and poor. The glass symbolises the exclusion of the blacks from the whites world. But in the glass as well as looking in on outside, one can also see a reflection of oneself. The glass acting as a mirror means that it brings about a double traumatic experience . The speaker sees the standard of living that he has, the stains of bunny chow on his jeans, but he also sees the higher standard of living being enjoyed by his (now) equal countrymen. It is this injustice, which causes the speaker to yearn, for a stone, a bomb, to shiver down the glass(46-47). It is not the actual glass that he wants to smash; it is the racist mentality of those in power that he wants to shatter. The poems title and last line suggests, Nothings changed(48). The speakers familiarity with this environment has not changed. Although there is no sign there, the poet can feel that he is in District Six, my feet know/and my hands.(11-12) The gap in the standard of living has not shortened between the black and white people. There is still that element of exclusivity, no sign says it(25) as the apartheid is over, but there is a guard at the gatepost(23). The poet still feels the anger and violent rage towards those that exclude him. The title in this sense is ironic, physically everything has changed, the Port Jackson trees(21) threaten to take over and there is new restaurant whose patrons are exclusively white. However deep down the important matters and worthwhile changes have not taken place. This leads to a sense of disappointment because an expected change has not happened. District Six has changed, but the speakers feelings have not because the new South Africa operates apartheid based on wealth. The poet reflects that despite the changing political situation, there are still huge inequalities between blacks and whites. The poem is a protest about the injustices of a system that allowed apartheid in the first place, but now does so little to improve the lives of the non-whites. Those in powerful and influential positions resist progress and deny justice to the common people. The title, Inglan is a Bitch is repeated as a refrain throughout the poem. The word bitch has many connotations, all of which are negative, so straight from the beginning the reader can intelligently guess that the poem criticises England. Black immigrants were brought to England to help alleviate the labour force after the Second World War; it was labelled as a country of many opportunities, a promise that turned out to be false. Literally a bitch is a female dog and they are noted for their hardworking nature. This could signify that in order to survive in England you have to be diligent also. In Linton Kwesi Johnsons, Inglan is a Bitch the narrator is black immigrant worker, who describes his work history in England. He has worked in the andahgroun(2); has had a lickle jab in a big otell(11) and in a crockery factory. All his jobs have been hard labour and menial work even at the age of fifty-five(42). He tells the reader that he was doing well while he was working as a dish-washa(11). This type of employment is quite unskilled and a job that most white Britons would consider beneath them. The poem dispels the myth that England has good economic prospects for everyone. Not only are the immigrants working very hard for a lickle wage packit(17), they are forced to pay high taxes also. (Employment) In the 1950s and 1960s people from the Caribbean migrated to Britain in relatively large numbers. Most of these settled in cities, especially in the large English cities, and in most of these communities people from Jamaica were more numerous than people from other parts of the Caribbean. Although the Caribbean is made up of many different islands and mainland territories, including many where an English Creole is not spoken, British Black English is most similar to Jamaican Creole, because of the larger number of Jamaicans who settled in this country. (Sebba, Creole English and Black English) The most striking element of this poem I felt was the sound of the poem. Written in a Street Creole variety of dialect it forces the reader to read the poem with a different tongue; London is written as Landan(1). However this may also cause a problem with communication. It is hard in some sections to decipher what the poet is actually trying to say. A language barrier is formed. The tone of the poem is conversational, but it also has a musical, song-like quality. The rhyme scheme, rhythm and the beat all contribute to this Caribbean musical quality. There is also a refrain or in the context of a song, a chorus. The aural nature of the poem functions as a mirror for cultural identity. The style and speech represents Jamaica, but the context is in England. The refrains in the poem are very interesting, deres no escapin it(5) is repeated in every other stanza along with Inglan is a Bitch. The speaker wants to escape, but cannot. The tone is resigned and there is not much hope. Because he has lived in England, he cannot even go back. This could be due to a fused identity and now he does not fit in either culture. noh baddah try fi hide fram it(16) The poet feels oppressed and has accepted defeat. The discrimination is ever-present. This next line is important, a noh lie mi a tell, a true(24) the speaker explains to the reader that he is not moaning or exaggerating, but is giving a accurate representation of his problems. yu haffi know how fi suvvive in it(32) The verb used is survive, a harsher substitute for live. The speaker explains that life is not easy and the basics are hard to come by. yu bettah face up to it(40) echoing line 16 the speaker tells us and tells himself to just accept the hardship. There is no point in denying or trying to change something more powerful. He has no options, as no one will even listen to his problems. This is why he is writing the poem, hoping this medium will reach out to those who can help him and understand his despair. is whey wi a goh dhu bout it?(56) The last line seems to invert the vibe given out in the lines above. There is a positive emphasis as the speaker asserts this question to his audience, who may be influential black people or sympathetic white people. The wi (we) is also only seen in the last line. It signifies collectiveness and unity for a particular purpose. On his own he is nothing, but through his poetry he may find people in similar predicaments and together they can bring about a change. Ending the poem with a question means that the poet is leaving the reader to make up his mind on the situation. The poem as well as reflecting the cultural identity of the black immigrants in England, also creates a mirror for national identity. It depicts to those in power what the condition of the Afro-Caribbean contingent is. It is sweet and glorious to die for your country. This is the full translation of the phrase Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. Which comes from Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen. The title of the poem is ironic. The poem does not so much induce pity as it does shock, especially for the civilians at home who believed war was noble and glorious. Owens war poems are for civilians to make audible to them the authentic experiences of the arm. (Kerr, p.219) The soldiers are trudging back from the battle, a daunting depiction expressed through simile and metaphor. The mens wretched condition is compared to old beggars(1), hags(2). The young men have grown unnaturally old and decrepit (Kerr, p.276). They cannot walk straight as their blood-shod(6) try to negotiate the mud. The words that Owen uses have different meanings beyond the real meaning and exploit ambiguity, for example, distant rest(4), what kind of rest? In line 8 the rhythm slackens as a particularly dramatic moment approaches.