The Role Of Minor Characters In A free essay sample

Separate Peace Essay, Research Paper Without the minor characters the narrative # 8220 ; A Separate Peace # 8221 ; would be losing major points and it wouldn? t tally swimmingly. The minor characters in the narrative play an of import function in the manner the narrative falls together and in doing Finny to decease. The minor characters in this narrative set up sort of props for other things to go on in the narrative. For illustration Brinker? s struggle with Gene. The first portion of the struggle begins in the butt room where Brinker brings Gene after Finny has his autumn. Brinker tries to state everyone that Gene in fact did strike hard Finny off of the tree. Gene gets out by doing up a brainsick narrative but he is still huffy at Brinker for this so he must acquire even. So subsequently on in the narrative, at the winter carnival, Gene gives Brinker a ground to keep a stigma against him. We will write a custom essay sample on The Role Of Minor Characters In A or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Gene, caught up in the exhilaration, and acquiring back at Brinker for the butt room incident, pours some cider down Brinker? s pharynx. This cyder about choking coils Brinker which causes him to be angry at Gene and he must acquire even with Gene subsequently. So even later in the narrative, as his retaliation, Brinker sets up another test about Gene? s forcing Finny off of the tree. He gets everyone into his # 8220 ; # 8221 ; tribunal room # 8221 ; to watch the test and he tries to turn out that Gene did in fact push Finny away. The consequence of all of this retaliation and the consequence of Brinker? s being is that Finny finds out the truth which is that Gene did strike hard him out of the tree on intent. The major consequence is that Finny dies because of Brinker. So Brinker, being a minor character, has the function of partially doing Finny to decease in the terminal. If it wasn? T for Brinker, Finny would hold still been alive. Minor characters besides add secret plan and volume to the narrative and maintain it alive. For illustration Leper? s traveling to the war. When Leper goes to the war, it is brought as a surprise. This is because Leper is non expected to be a war traveling type of cat. Leper is a quiet, non athletic cat, doing him non a really ideal war individual. Brinker would hold been expected to be the first to enlist in the war because he is so large and athletic. This is one portion of the minor characters adding secret plan to the narrative. Another portion is Leper? s really in writing description of the war to Gene. This makes the war seem really existent in the narrative. The most of import thing Leper does to lend to the narrative as a minor character is that he is besides to fault for Finny? s decease. Brinker calls Leper into the â€Å"court† to depict what he saw when Finny fell out of the tree. It was during Leper? s description of how he saw Gene bouncing the limb when Finny realized the truth and had his 2nd accident on the stepss, which lead to his decease. So Leper can be said to be portion of the ground Finny dies, and at the same clip he adds secret plan to the narrative in how he goes to war. If Leper wasn? T in the narrative, Finny would hold still been alive because Brinker wouldn? T be able to turn out that Gene was guilty and Finny wouldn? Ts have run out of the tribunal to hold his 2nd autumn. The minor characters in this novel are besides used to for-shadow things. For illustration, When Doctor Stanpole turns out the visible radiation in the corridor. When Finny finds out about Gene? s knowing forcing him off the tree, he runs and falls down the steps. Dr. Stanpole comes to analyze him on the steps. Gene stays back out of the manner so that Finny doesn? t acquire all worked up and ache himself once more. Once everyone is gone but the physician, Gene approaches him at the chapel doors, and attempts to inquire him what? s incorrect. # 8220 ; It? s the leg once more. Broken once more. But a much cleaner interruption I think, much cleansing agent. A simple break. He found the light switch and the anteroom was plunged into darkness. # 8221 ; Doctor Stanpole is used in this portion of the narrative as a for-shadow to Finny? s decease. The for-shadowing is when the physician says that it? s a simple break, and turns out the visible radiations. The darkness for-shadows decease. The physician is besides set up to be portion of the cause of Finny? s decease. The physician is the 1 who tries to run on Finny? s bone and put it by traveling it. But the physician does something incorrect. Bone marrow flights from finny? s bone, acquiring into his bosom and killing him. So the physician is one of the minor characters and he is used to for-shadow Finny? s decease, besides he is portion of Finny? s decease. This makes him an of import portion of the narrative. If Doctor Stanpole wasn? T in the narrative, there wouldn? t be any for-shadowing of Finny? s decease, and Finny might still be alive because a different physician would hold had to make the operation and he may non hold done the same error. Without the minor characters of this narrative, Finny would likely still be alive and the narrative would be missing some of the for-shadowing of Finny? s decease. The minor characters in # 8220 ; A Separate Peace # 8221 ; play of import functions in how the narrative falls together and how they all cause Finny to decease in the terminal.

The Sirens of Titan essays

The Sirens of Titan essays Throughout the novel, there are events and characters which have definite parallels in modern world religions such as Christianity. The trials and tribulations of Malachi Constant, and perhaps even other characters in the novel, and the story of Jesus as laid forth in the bible seem to possess similar aspects. Before delving into the specific areas which may contain parallels, perhaps it would be best to consider what the areas in the novel are being compared to: Jesus and his life. Roughly twenty years ago, a movement began in the religious community in which theologians and historians alike began an attempt at separating the "historical Jesus" from the Jesus found in the bible. What has slowly become apparent is that the Jesus found in the bible is much different than the actual man. In essence, what is seen in the bible is an image of Jesus, rather than the real Jesus. This concept of image vs. reality in religion is also reflected in The Sirens of Titan. But who c! reates this image? In the case of Jesus, religion was the force which began to interpret his life and present him as something other than he was. In The Sirens of Titan, a similar image-creating force continually appears where one would instead expect to find the "God" to Malachi's "Jesus"; religion is substituted for God in the novel. As presented in the bible and the Catholic church, Jesus was the son of God. He was the wisest of men, capable of walking on water, healing the sick, blessing the lives of men and guiding the way to eternal happiness in the kingdom of heaven. Sent to earth to preach the word of God and help men learn to lead better lives, he willingly suffered, even gave his life, for mankind's sins so that man may be forgiven in death and allowed to enter into God's heaven. Yet, consider the source of this information for a moment. These are not the words of Jesus himself, but rather interpretations of Jesus by those who followed him. A v...

Andragogy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Andragogy - Research Paper Example The seven steps to creating a learning planning for adults is called the progress model which means that solving problems is the focus of how learning is accomplished. The following paper will examine the assumptions that define andragogy and the meaning behind them as they support adult learning and the differences between adult and child level learning capacities. The origins of andragogy can be traced back to a German educator in 1833 who used the term to define adult education from child education. Alexander Kapp created the term which specifically means man-leading, which is in contrast to the term pedagogy which means child-leading. In the 20th century American education theorists defined three different types of adult learning. The first is andragogy, the second is self directed learning, with the third being transformative. Andragogy is used as a description of adult learning as a concept in which the learner is motivated by a series of assumptions that end with the learner developing solution to problems in order to learn in the context that an adult learns best (Melik & Melik, 2010, p. 108). Defining andragogy is a bit difficult as it has been presented through a variety of different ideas and is therefore not quite a firm theory through which to filter ideas. Andragogy was originally presented with three assumptions. Some criticisms of the ideas behind andragogy is that it is focused on the individual and not a critical evaluation of the social perspective on adult learning. The concept of andragogy has been correctly criticized for not informing the social perspective, but Knowles suggests that it does not have to promote the social perspective in order to have value in developing a structure of ideas about adult learning. One of the main proponents of andragogy as a theory of learning for adults is Malcolm Knowles. Knowles introduced the idea in the 1970s in response to the fact that most theory on learning was focused on

RELIGION IN PROMETHEUS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

RELIGION IN PROMETHEUS - Essay Example We are then prompted to ask, what is the connection between science and religion? The key to Prometheus is the spoiler alert. In its proposition, the engineers with their religion of self-sacrifice are said to have seeded life on earth and elsewhere. Inferring from the film, the crucifixion of Jesus about 2000 years ago is said to have prompted a civil war among the engineers. The theme of the war was founded on the meaning of the Cross Event as practised on earth. Ridley Scotts Prometheus has become the most debated film of the summer. It is beautiful and significant and presents human questions that appear the most primary of the time (Hey, 2008). However, whether the questions are asked well in the film and if the responses given out of that are satisfactory is debatable. One of the most controversial and intriguing thematic concern of the films is the involvement of an overt discussion of faith and science. The character of Dr Elizabeth is a scientist whose father was a missionary in the Catholic Church. The controversy arises in her character. The argument is pegged on the fact that she maintains her religious faith despite her argument for the evidence that an alien ancient species had used genetic engineering to create humanity in its image. Instead of questioning the concept of a supernatural creator, Elizabeth shifts her belief to the credence of an intergalactic God who made the creator species. The 1968 ‘Chariots of the Gods book by Erich Daniken promotes the pseudoscience ‘ancient astronaut theory (Juhant & ZÃŒÅ'alec, 2011). It is quite interesting to imagine how the scientific community would react to Scotts move to embrace this approach. However, it would be more interesting to contemplate the reaction of the religious communities to its plotline. The belief in an external force that plays a role in the creation of humanity could be a concept that has the potential for both anger and delight among the religious groups. It should be

Math project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Math project - Essay Example I considered various factors, including my family expenditure in every month. Finally I came to a conclusion that I could afford to purchase a Honda CR-V within a period of sixteen months. I borrowed a loan from one of the banks in our country. I made this decision with considerations to the costs and interest payments. I also considered down payments, trade in allowances and other debts. This was not the only payment I had to make, thus I allocated an affordable amount to this budget. I had some rent, insurance and taxes that needed to be paid within every month. I therefore had to limit my debt payments to less than 45% of my monthly gross income. My entire household earns $5,000 in terms of gross wages every month. 24% of this amount was spent on rent. This is approximately $1,200. After paying this, only $ 2,550 remains. I still needed money for insurance, groceries, fuel and other household expenses. I decided to budget 20% of my total earnings to the purchase of the car. This meant that I had to set aside $ 1,000 for purchase of the car. The car is one that I can finance for not more than $2,000 per month. I could not spend more than this amount on the car since I needed to cater for all the other needs. I have a family to provide for alongside all other requirements in life. The amount that was hereby allocated to car payments included insurance and registration fees. The car selected is a front wheel drive and costs approximately $31,600. I chose this car since it was affordable for me then. The car also favored my taste and preference. A front wheel drive car is cheaper than a four wheel drive. I had to borrow $32,000 from the bank. This was the lowest amount possible depending on the situation at hand. In making this decision, I had considered all factors, including the total payment, loan term and interest rate. I tried to make the initial

Reflection on Becoming a Teacher

Reflection on Becoming a Teacher I have always had aspirations to be a Primary teacher. Although I am relatively new to the profession I am ] However despite the challenges that face me I am trying to remain positive and make the best out of this situation Before I started writing I felt the best start way to reflect on my practice was to conduct a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities Threats) to analyse my CPD opportunities in a way to focus on my goals and reflect on my practice so far. (See Appendix 1) By doing this I was able to highlight what I believe to be important and factors that I would like to improve on. I will now look at the political issues affecting education in Scotland, current research and how each have had an impact on my own learning. From this I will then review my position and set my goals for the future. The Political Position Harold Wilson the former Labour P.M. once said: A week is a long time in politics First Minister Alex Salmond discovered to his dismay the meaning of this quote in the first week of December last year. On Tuesday the 1st December 2009 Fiona Hyslop was redeployed from her position as Education secretary marking the first change in the Scottish Government Cabinet since the SNP came into power over two years ago. (Swanson 2009) The question is what happened? Alex Salmond made this decision only days after the Scottish government statistics showed a fall in teacher numbers of 1,348 over the past year, despite his plea to increase them. Fiona Hyslop has suffered a lot of criticism as education secretary the main reason being her failure to deliver the SNPs biggest education pledge of lowering primary 1-3 class sizes to 18. The final straw was Ms Hyslop threatening to centralise education taking power away from local authorities. The opposition parties also threatened a vote of no confidence in the Education Secretary if the First Minister did not do something to deal with the situation- a threat that could not be taken lightly. (Macleod 2009) By the 8th of December the SNP Government and the new Education Secretary Mike Russell faced its first challenge an enquiry into the class sizes pledge a major part of the SNP 2007 manifesto was called into question of whether or not the pledge was deliverable in their time in office. As if the current situation wasnt bad enough on the 11th Dec 2009 the General Teaching council published their report of probationers gaining employment after their initial year and their findings were not encourage able. The report stated that out of teachers surveyed only one teacher in five (20.2%) gained a full time permanent job after completing probation this summer and a significantly greater number of new teachers more than 1 in 4 have been able to gain employment as a teacher at all. Commenting on this report EIS General Secretary Ronnie Smith said The fact that so many of our newly qualified teachers are unemployed or under-employed on very patchy, short-term, contracts is a tragedy not only for these individual teachers but also for Scottish education and its pupils. (EIS 2009) Current Research and Personal Experiences Every aspect of being a teacher draws on both your professional and personal resources and values (Moyles and Robinson 2002 cited Asprey, Hamilton and Haywood 2002) Watzke (2007) amongst others talks of stage theory in teaching stating that there are distinct changes in a teachers thinking throughout his or her career. Fuller (1969) was one of the first to comment on this matter and suggests that in the beginning teachers are not concerned about teaching but their own survival. This stage known as self concerns e.g.. Can they survive and pass their probationary year? Later in their career Fuller stated the focus is on actual performance as teachers calling this stage task concerns. This makes sense as it is only natural once you have confidence in yourself to then focus on improving your learning experiences. The last stage after successful teaching the focus then moves on to having a meaningful and positive influence on their pupils which is known as impact concerns. As teachers learn and grow in the teaching profession they learn what works and what does not and this is something that comes from experience therefore it makes sense to follow a path like Fuller suggested. All teachers are very different and each have their own unique learning style. However, one thing what I would hope all teachers would have a shared value is the belief that the children are the most important part of their job and is their job as teachers to get the best out of the children they teach. As humans we all have our own values as individuals and as teachers. Eisner and Vallance (1974) talk of three main dimensions on which varied value positions are held. They suggest that that they are best represented as continua: Individual society This is the concept of whether education should be geared to meet individuals needs rather than educational terms being planned to meet the needs of the society. values skills This is the concept of whether education should focus on developing individuals sense of values in a moral ethical context, or on developing their skills. adaptive reconstructive This is whether education should prepare children to fit into the present society, or strive to change and in turn changing society. ( Eisner and Vallance 1975 cited in Pollard 2005) By looking at these three dimensions, we can perhaps see where our own values fit in. Pollard (2005) like Watzke (2007) talks of how teachers change and adapt as they gain more experience throughout their career. Pollard (2007) uses this example; a newly qualified or student teacher may place their self at the individual extreme of the first dimension placing more importance on skills extreme and feel more comfortable with the adaptive extreme of the third dimension. However, as time goes on and more experience is gained opinions may change. Being on supply I am able to see good practice in many different schools in my area. I also have the opportunity to be flexible and work in different establishments Nursery, Primary and the Additional Support Needs (ASN) sector. Working on supply you get to know particular schools and soon realise the schools that are nice to work in and the ones you may want to steer clear of. The question is how do we know this? What makes something feel like this?   I think what it comes down to is the culture of each individual school. Culture is both a dynamic phenomenon that surrounds us at all times, being constantly enacted and created by our interactions with others (Schein 2004 p1) Every organisation whether they realise it or not has their own unique culture. Being in so many different schools you come across just how different the working environment can be from school to school. The tricky part is being able to gauge the culture and act accordingly because what wouldnt be an issue in one school could be in another. The most popular example is the staff room. If it is my first time working in a particular school you have to gauge the environment and try to follow suit for example the seating arrangements, the biggest mistake you can make is to sit on someone elses seat if this happens you may either depending on the school get asked to move or be given the evil eye for the rest of the day. Another example especially in a big staffroom is when you sit down and other groups come in after and sit in little groups and you are left in the middle on your own twiddling your thumbs. To be on the safe side I usually wait until everyone is in the staffroom and then ask is it ok to sit in a particular seat. Sometimes you ask Is it ok to sit here?   To which the reply will be Oh yes you dont need to worry, we dont have particular seats in here but then you realise that every break time and lunch all of the staff remain in the same seats. Therefore culture is so in built they dont even realise its there but from an outsiders point of view it is more apparent. Once youve got your seat the next obstacle is talking to people. As soon as you walk in to a staffroom you can immediately sense the ambience, it is hard to explain but it is very apparent. As noted above you soon realise what schools you prefer to be in and those you arent as keen on, because in some schools you are only the supply teacher and you can sit and be ignored. On the other hand you walk in to some schools and you immediately feel a good atmosphere and although you still go through the same ritual in the staffroom asking where to sit you dont feel as apprehensive as the staff talk to you and make you feel welcome and generally seem interested in you as a person. Although I dont currently have a base school I do have schools where I work in more often. One such school is the school I worked in during my probationary year. Looking back it is funny how your first impressions of a place can be somewhat different after you have worked in a place for a while. The dynamics of a place can be very different on the outside than they are on the inside. NEED TO ADD MORE HERE On the whole my probationary school is a very good place to work on and portrays an ethos of respect and supportiveness. During my time in the school I had two very good mentors who I could always go to when I needed help which was the case for  most  of the staff in the school. However, I found out very quickly who I could ask advice from and who not to bother. My class had a lot of problems and was one Continuing professional development (CPD) is now an obligatory and accepted part in the contracts of all teachers who teach in Scottish schools. 35 hours worth of professional development activities is required over the course of the year. Teachers decide on what goals they would like to achieve over the school year and tailor this around what courses they will attend. With the advent of the Curriculum for Excellence (CFE) the Government is proposing CPD opportunities to be more specific and clearly linked to the priorities of the CFE. The biggest study carried out on CPD in the early stages of teachers career was by Draper et al., 1991, 1997, 1998 The Scottish Study of Probationers: 1988-1991 and 1995 -1996.   The research followed a group of teachers as they completed their probationary year. The researchers hypothesised the CPD would be at the fore front of the probationers activities and believed they would regard it as a priority. However, what they did find was probatio ner teachers stated that they spend more time proving to others that they could do their job rather than trying to further develop their practice. From a personal experience this is something that I myself can relate to. From the minute you walk into a school as a probationer you (unconsciously in some cases) are being judged for competency. This idea also ties in with Fuller (1969) first stage of self concerns teacher are concerned with their own learning and the thoughts of others around them. Draper et al also found that the teachers who completed their probationary year on a supply based method was more likely to threaten their development as they were not in the same place for any one time. Results showed that the second cohort 1995/96 was more satisfied with their professional development experiences than the first cohort 5 years previous to them. However, those teachers who completed their probationary year through short term contracts reported lower levels of satisfaction an d perhaps have an impact on their practice in the future. As one of their participants in the study commented: The effect of short-term contracts on initially keen and dedicated staff is disastrous. Morale, dedication and professionalism quickly evaporate. (Draper et al., 1997, cited in GTCS 2006) This is not surprising as the chances of those teachers being in a position to partake in many CPD sessions are rather low as what school nowadays would fund a place on a course for example for someone who a) isnt a permanent member of staff and b) probably wont be in the school long enough for the training to benefit the school. Without a doubt this will have an effect on a teachers morale if little or no opportunities to develop present themselves. I myself find myself in a similar position a supply teacher the professional development opportunities are little or none. (Draper et al cited in GTCS Research Jan 2006) It may sound clichà © but for as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a Primary teacher. I applied for Primary Teaching in 6th year at school however I was not successful. Teaching for me at the time had been my only option and at the time I was devastated but soon realised that I could apply again. I then went on to complete a B/A honours degree in Psychology at the University of Psychology and then went on to the Post Graduate Primary course at the University of Paisley. Looking at my strengths I believe teaching ICT seems to be one of them. ICT is something that I enjoy and is something that the children always respond well to. It comes very natural to me given the fact that I have grown up using computers. This is probably why the children enjoy it as they can see that is something I love doing and this in turn enthuses them. In my probationary school I led an in service on Activ Primary for my colleagues who were either new to the IWB (Interactive whiteboard) or were still puzzled after attending the course on Activ Primary. By doing this I felt good as it felt like I was giving back to the school by supporting colleagues rather than being supported all the time. Even now as a Supply Teacher I carry my pen drive around with me which has along with many other things ICT activities. Teachers in different schools often ask me where I get my resources most of which are from the internet. A recent example is an interactive advent calendar Power Point w hich I use with the children in the lead up to Christmas. Although I do feel that ICT is a strength of mine like everything else I am constantly learning new ideas and will continue to learn. Looking at the SWOT analysis I have some experience using Active Learning in the upper school I would like to gain experience in using active learning in the early years. As a whole one of my goals is to try to keep abreast of current developments in early years education especially in light of the CFE. I recently was given the opportunity to attend an in-service in Story Grammar one of the schools in which I do supply in. I found this to be very interesting and very beneficial in the early years. By attending this course this prompted me to look more closely into the curriculum where Story Grammar came from Key to Learning Curriculum and I purchased the Curriculum book by Galina Doyla. I have tried to use some of the ideas from the book in my work in the Nursery. Obviously just now I only volunteer in the Nursery my first and foremost goal for the future would be to gain a permanent job in early years. REFERENCE LIST Asprey, E., Hamilton. C Haywood.S (2002). PGCE Professional Workbook Professional Issues in Primary Practice. Exeter: Learning Matters BBC News. (2009). Demoted SNP education secretary endorses successor. Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8388141.stm). Last accessed 4th December 2009. EIS. (2009). Collapse of jobs for new teachers is damaging pupils education prospects says EIS. News release Available: http://www.eis.org.uk/public.asp?id=431dbase=3. Last accessed 15th December 2009. GTC SCOTLAND RESEARCH. (1996). Developing Teachers: A review of Early Professional Learning. Available: http://www.gtcs.org.uk/Research_/publishedresearch_/CPDresearch/research_cpd.aspx. Last accessed 20/12/09. Macleod, A. (2009). Fiona Hyslop stripped of education role in SNP Cabinet. Available: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6939026.ece. Last accessed 10th December 2009. Pigge, F.L. and Marso, R.N. (1997) A seven year longitudinal multi-factor assessment of teaching concerns development preparation and early years of teaching, Teaching and Teacher Education 13(2): 225-235. Pollard, A, Collins, J, Maddock, M, Simco, N, Swaffield, S, Warin, J Warwick P (2005) Reflective Teaching (2nd edition) London: Continuum Schein (2004). Organizational culture and leadership. (3rd edition) San Francisco: Jossey Bass. SNP. (2007). SNP 2007 Manifesto. Available: http://www.snp.org/node/13534. Last accessed 11th December 2009. Swanson. I. (2009). Fiona Hyslop sacked. Available: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/politics/Fiona-Hyslop-sacked-as-Education.5871555.jp. Last accessed 4th December 2009. Watzke, J.L. (2007). Longitudinal research on beginning teacher development: Complexity as a challenge to concerns-based stage theory. Teaching and Teacher Education. 23 (1), 106-122.

Working to Stop the Slaughter :: College Admissions Essays

Working to Stop the Slaughter    Gunfire kills 30,000 Americans every year. Gunfire disproportionately kills the young. Fifteen to twenty-four-year-olds are far more likely to die in gun murders and accidents than the average American. (Center for Disease Control) People in their early twenties are also more likely to use a gun to take their own life. In 1998, gun violence killed 4,476 18 to 22 year olds. In other words, gunfire kills 13 people in our age group every day. Every day, students like us mourn friends, classmates, siblings, and childhood playmates who died from gun violence. We have volunteered our time in schools where students struggle to learn because of the preoccupying threat of gunfire. Duck and cover has made a comeback. Our generation is learning to cower under our desks- not in fear of Soviet bombs but in fear of neighborhood arsenals. There are common sense solutions that work in Canada and Europe. Our elected leaders compound the daily tragedy when they choose not to act.    All it takes is some common sense. We can start by treating guns more like cars. Guns are exempt from the product safety regulations that govern everything from automobiles to power mowers to teddy bears. The gun industry, like any other industry, needs to take responsibility for the risks it creates. A government investigation helped prompt the Firestone recall. No government agency has similar responsibilities to investigate and respond to defective guns. Gun buyers have responsibilities as well. People who own dangerous products, like cars and guns, have the responsibility to learn to operate them safely and get a license.    Generations of college students have spoken out against injustice. Their efforts forced change. Students took to the streets to call for an end to the Vietnam war. The Freedom Riders spearheaded the civil rights movement. Our age group bears the brunt of the gun violence epidemic. When guns kill 30,000 Americans a year while Congress stands by and does nothing, it is time for our generation to speak up. We need to tell the stories of the people behind the statistics -- the lives full of hope and promise cut short by gunfire.