Animal Prison
Dehumanization in Criminal Courts and Sentencing
This essay examines how recent criminal sentencing laws dehumanize criminals, judges and the community at large. For instance, Truth by Sentencing, a law in which earned-time and parole are all but abolished, increases the likelihood that a criminal will reoffend and alters people’s perception prisoners’ Imago Deo. No matter how safe or logical long sentences appear, dehumanization has no place in functional and healthy criminal courts
This essay was composed for my high school Sr. Thesis. This piece not only expresses my passion for viewing people rightly, but also my desire to draw from diverse sources, from Brothers Karamozov to Federal Sentencing Report articles.
When the Congolese and Europe Met
This essay answers the question "to what extent has the Berlin Conference negatively impacted the Congolese". It examines the different results the Berlin Conference of1885, and other European influences, had on the native people who occupied the region later known as Congo.
This work focuses on the interaction and clash of different culutres, a particular interest of mine. It also considers the turbulent history of a place my family and I lived during our time as missionaries.
Villainy
Villainy is an essay examining the impacts of fictional villains on their audience. It acknowledges the power of narratives to shape our views and characters.
Written for my Writing 1 class, this essay explores my delight for fiction and the belief that the things we read and watch and delight in have the power to change us for the better.