Extraorinary Conflicts Essays - Lake Forest, Illinois,

Extraorinary Conflicts Extraordinary Conflicts Ordinary People Ordinary People by Judith Guest is a very emotional book that deals with many thoughts and actions about life and suicide. A lot of people would have different opinions or perspectives about this story. My thesis question for this book is: Does the author Judith Guest try to prove that even the perfect family can fall apart? In this novel, regular or ?ordinary people? have to learn to cope with many extraordinary crises. In Ordinary People, Conrad Jarrett is a seventeen year old boy attending a public high school in the suburbs of Illinois. He and his family go through many stressful struggles after Conrad's brother Jordan dies in a boating accident. Jordan's death influences Conrad so much that he even cuts up his wrists and tries to commit suicide but he does not die. Conrad struggles with a lot of things including school, quitting the swimming team, and his friends. Conrad's mother Beth, is a perfectionist and is always concerned about the way people view her and her family. She wishes for everyone to see them as ?normal?. Conrad's Dad Cal feels he is somewhat responsible for Conrad's suicide attempt. He also believes that Conrad and Beth are drifting away from each other and he doesn't know who to follow. The story ends when Beth leaves home to go away for a while because she can't get along with her family. In this book, the title does give a clue about a possible theme. The term ?ordinary people? is mentioned several times in this book. There can be many different themes for this book although my theme did not come from the title. My theme is: even a perfect family can fall apart and sometimes fall into a mental stress, due to a life changing event. I think this because everything is perfect before Jordan dies. Everything and everyone seems to fall apart after his accident. For example, Conrad attempts to commit suicide as a result of Jordan's death and some more various other reasons. One time in the book, Conrad says ?I wanted to commit suicide because I needed more sleep and less stress?. The main conflict in this book for the Jarrett family is learning to cope with extraordinary crises. The whole Jarrett family tries to cope with Jordan's death but they don't succeed very well. This conflict affects Conrad the most since he attempted to kill himself. Other small conflicts seem to build around this major conflict. For example, after Conrad tried to kill himself, his mother thought that he was trying to hurt her for some reason. She never feels the need to forgive him for what he has done to himself. This brings much tension between Conrad and his mother Beth. This small problem also affects Cal's and Beth's relationship with each other because they fight often and do not get along very well. There are a few unusual objects in this story that I think changes the mood of some characters. One unusual object is a small business card in Dr. Berger's office. The card reads, ?I love you. Is this ok? signed Jesus C.? This is unusual because it is almost like Jesus Christ is talking to Conrad personally. Conrad and his family does not ever turn to Jesus Christ for help in these hard times. Another unusual object is Conrad's new car. Conrad thinks that his parents are only giving it to him just to be saying, ?here now be happy and leave us alone?. Although Conrad's parents do not actually feel this way about it, Conrad does. The dialogue in this story is very realistic. The dialogue seems to be focusing on the Jarrett family and how realistic and dramatic things can be. The character's words say a lot about the character. Conrad's words for example, are honest and dramatic. I think Conrad is the heroic one because he overcomes many tough obstacles in life. I also believe that he is the protagonist in this story and his struggle with the obstacles is the antagonist. One main internal conflict is one between Conrad and himself. He struggles with many changes in life and he wants to please everyone. His worst struggle and biggest fear was suicide and the thought of it. He continually struggles with the thoughts of suicidal attempts and the fears that go with them. Conrad also has a conflict in his head because he asks himself weird questions and doesn't even know why. He also

Rod Rosenstein Biography

Rod Rosenstein Biography Rod Rosenstein (born Rod Jay Rosenstein on January 13, 1965) is an American attorney and former criminal prosecutor who investigated tax fraud and public corruption before being tapped by Republican President George W. Bush to serve in the Department of Justice as a U.S. attorney in Maryland. Rosenstein enjoyed support and respect from Republicans and Democrats alike and served as the second in command at the Department of Justice under Bushs two successors in the White House, Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump. Rosensteins political legacy, though, will very likely center on his controversial move to appoint Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III to investigate Russias attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. Fast Facts: Rod Rosenstein Full Name: Rod Jay RosensteinKnown For: Deputy U.S. attorney general who appointed and oversaw special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential electionBorn: Jan. 13, 1965, in Lower Moreland, near PhiladelphiaParents Names: Robert and Gerri RosensteinSpouses Name: Lisa BarsoomianChildrens Names: Julia and AllisonEducation: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, 1986 (B.S. in economics); Harvard Law School, 1989 (J.D.)Key Accomplishments: Winning respect from Republicans and Democrats alike in Washington as he became the longest-serving U.S. attorney in the country during the administration of President Donald Trump Early Years Rod Rosenstein was born and raised in Lower Moreland, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where his father operated a small business and his mother served on a local school board. It was there, he said at his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate, that he learned straightforward values. Work hard. Play by the rules. Question assumptions, but treat everyone with respect. Read widely, write coherently and speak thoughtfully. Expect nothing, and be grateful for everything. Remain gracious in times of defeat, and humble in moments of victory. And try to leave things better than you found them. Rosenstein attended public schools and graduated from Lower Moreland High School in 1982. He then entered the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied public policy, management, and economics. His interest in government led him to Harvard Law School after graduation. Rosenstein served as an intern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts, a position that had a lasting impact on his career as a public servant. Career in Law Rosensteins long career as a government attorney began in 1990, when he first joined the Department of Justice as a trial attorney with the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division. From there, he launched into decades of prosecuting drug dealers, white-collar criminals and public corruption. As the U.S. attorney for Maryland, Rosenstein pressed for longer sentences for felons and battled inner-city gangs. Among Rosensteins most high-profile cases were prosecutions of: Baltimores elite Gun Trace Task Force, whose mission was to get guns off the streets and violent criminals behind bars; eight of its nine members were alleged in 2017 to have abused their power by shaking city residents down for cash, drugs and jewelry. Some members of the squad confessed to robbing residents, planting drugs on innocent people and reselling the substances to others.A Baltimore man who shot and killed a 3-year-old toddler who was playing on her front porch in Baltimore in 2014; the case remained unsolved for about three years when Rosenstein in 2017 accused a 28-year-old gang member of firing the gun at a member of a rival faction. These cases do not solve themselves. They get solved because of extraordinary work by honorable, decent, diligent law enforcement officers, Rosenstein said at the time.Dozens of people in prison-corruption scandals at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover; employees there were accused of smuggling drugs, cigarettes, cellphones an d pornographic movies into the facility and selling them. Rosenstein also: Recommended the firing of FBI Director James Comey over his handling of the investigation into Democrat Hillary Clintons email servers.Appointed Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III to investigate Russias attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the case. Legal observers describe him as a tough, law-and-order prosecutor who is also fair-minded and nonpartisan. Heres a look at the various positions Rosenstein held prior to his time as deputy to Attorney General Sessions. 1993-94: Counsel to the deputy attorney general;1994-95: Special assistant to the Criminal Division’s assistant attorney general;1995-97: Associate independent counsel under Ken Starr, whose office investigated Bill and Hillary Clintons business and real-estate dealings in Arkansas.1997-2001: Assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland.2001-05: Principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, supervising criminal sections and coordinating tax enforcement activities of the Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Internal Revenue Service.2005-17: U.S. Attorney in Maryland, overseeing federal criminal and civil litigation.2017-Current: Deputy U.S. attorney general following President Donald J. Trumps nomination on Jan. 31, 2017, and Senate confirmation on April 25, 2017. Personal Life Rosenstein and his wife, Lisa Barsoomian, live in Maryland and have two children, Allison Liza and Julia Paige. Barsoomian worked as a government prosecutor and, later, as a lawyer for the National Institutes of Health. Important Quotes It is important to separate the role of politics in setting priorities and the decision to prosecute cases. And in the Justice Department that is what we do on a daily basis, that is how are trained. - Speaking to an ABC affiliate about his role as deputy attorney general.â€Å"The oath of office is an obligation. It requires me to support and defend the Constitution of the United States; to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution; and to well and faithfully discharge the duties of my office. I have taken that oath several times, and I have administered it many times. I know it by heart. I understand what it means, and I intend to follow it.† - Speaking at his confirmation hearing in 2017. Role in Trump Russia Investigation Rosenstein was a relatively unknown political figure outside of Maryland, even after being tapped as deputy attorney general and assuming oversight of Muellers investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections. Rosenstein drew Trumps ire after appointing the special counsel, but threw his career into jeopardy by suggesting to colleagues he secretly record Trump in the White House to expose the chaos consuming the administration. Rosenstein also was said to have discussed recruiting cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows for the forceful removal of a president outside of the constitutional impeachment process.  Rosenstein denied the reports. While Rosenstein held onto his job after that controversy, Trump passed him over for a promotion in late 2018 when Session was fired as attorney general. Rosenstein had been the heir apparent to the position because of the terms of the federal Attorney General Succession Act, which gives the deputy attorney general authority when the top position becomes vacant. Sources Davis, Julie Hirschfeld, and Rebecca R. Ruiz. â€Å"Caught in White House Chaos, Justice Dept. Official Seeks Neutral Ground.† The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 May 2017.â€Å"Meet the Deputy Attorney General.† The United States Department of Justice, 21 June 2017.â€Å"U.S. Attorney in Baltimore Is Trumps Pick to Be Deputy Attorney General.† The Washington Post, WP Company, 14 Jan. 2017.Vignarajah, Thiru. â€Å"A Look at the Past Work of the Deputy AG Who Called for Comeys Firing.† Vox, Vox, 10 May 2017.