Saturday, September 27, 2014

Dreadful Destiny

"Lying there, With a halo in her hair she cried"
      -Panic! At The Disco, "From a Mountain In the Middle Of Cabins"

Sometimes, children are cruelly born into inferior situations. The number of babies being born addicted to drugs is rapidly increasing. This year at The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida, they admitted "about 75-80 addicted babies, five to seven times the normal amount" (Today). Usually, the mother becomes addicted to drugs (commonly prescription drugs) before pregnancy, and once they become pregnant, they are reluctant to obliterate the use of drugs because they are hooked. Then, the toxic chemicals infused in these drugs transfer to the innocent child and affect their growth development.

These children are born with birth defects, and encounter medical issues such as tremors, digestive problems, and unstoppable crying. They are experiencing the horrible side effects of drug withdrawal. Frankly, a newborn child does not have a choice in their fate. They never were given the ability to alter their awful situation.

Pearl, born to Hester Prynne, relates similarly to this situation in The Scarlet Letter. Her mother committed adultery, and she was born out of her indecency. To society, she is seen as a "freakish, elfish" child because Hester's sin ultimately created Pearl, and Hester's immorality is rooted deeply inside Pearl (Hawthorne 93). Society shames and humiliates Pearl for being this way. Pearl does not have the choice of being born into sin, similarly to a newborn child forced to be addicted to drugs. Both of these detriments create consequences for its culprits and harm a child's well-being. It is ultimately unfair for predestinates to determine a child's fate internally or publically.

Visit this link to watch a short report on the baby addiction epidemic: http://www.today.com/video/today/48078597#48078597

4 comments:

  1. Wow- that's a really interesting comparison! I never would've thought of it, but it's so true.

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  2. Awesome job Sarah, I agree completely destiny is set for a new baby! BTW this is my first time visiting your blog and I really like the color scheme and the flowers. I think next year the color guard should have the same design on their flags. :P

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  3. I really like the way you stated that parents are the ones that set the future for their baby before they even have it. Also, nice Panic! at the Disco quote. I see this background as a future color guard silk :D

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  4. Cool comparison. This helps to relate two completely different time periods and the adversity children can face that is beyond their control.

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