Julia's Justifications

We tend to say things we do not mean in order to make ourselves appear as a good person, like “let’s keep in touch” and “it’s nice to meet you.”   It is not always clear whether we are actually pleased to meet someone, or just do not want to come off as rude.   In the course of saying things we do not truly mean, the expressions that we use become meaningless.   As a society, we care too much about the way others perceive us.   We would rather say something such as “how are you” instead of being transparent.   We create this fake, forced, first impression because we are trying so hard to appear “perfect.”   We then continue being “polite” because we do not want to be labeled as a bad person.   However, we are labeled as a good person if we say, “sure, we can definitely meet up,” even though you most likely won’t.   I am not saying we should stop being polite because it is something we do everyday and it would be silly to stop doing it. ...

In “A Measure of Restraint” Chet Raymo demonstrated the idea that humans must exercise restraint in the pursuit of scientific discovery.   Throughout his piece, Raymo reveals that science is a deadly enemy that must be kept restrained to prevent danger.   In the first paragraph, Raymo provides an anecdote about “two unemployed young men in search of a fast buck” entered a radiation clinic in Brazil, and that the pair sold a “stainless steel cylinder about the size of a paint can” to a junk dealer.   His young niece rubbed “the glowing dust on her body,” which eventually killed her.   The effect of this anecdote was to show the lack of knowledge and awareness that existed within the people.   They thought the blue light was beautiful but did not think about that the same pretty blue light could cause them harm.   In paragraph 4, Raymo writes about Pierre and Marie Curie and their obsession over radium.   Their discoveries made them famous, but at...

Tradition has been such an integral part of society.   It brings people together and enforces values, morals, and customs from one generation to the next.   Every family has a tradition, whether it be flying to Florida for spring break or having a get-together for Thanksgiving.   Marriage is one custom that has a certain tradition to it.   For example, the bride always wears a white dress with a veil and tosses the bouquet behind her to a crowd of single women.   These are all traditions of marriage, yet the tradition of marriage is completely lost and withered in Las Vegas.   In Joan Didion’s essay “Marrying Absurd” she attacks commercialism and criticizes the impulsive nature of America’s youth.   Didion states that Vegas “seems to exist only in the eye of the beholder,” revealing that although the idea of wearing a “light satin Priscilla of Boston wedding dress with Chantilly lace insets” may sound absolutely fantastic, it lives only in their mi...