Chapter 32. DIALOGIC/DIALECTIC Student Samples of Dialogic/Dialectic Papers --- Sample One: Basic Dialogic Paper--No Sources        Sample Two: Research Paper #1 on a Book: Political Issue        Sample Three: Research Ppr. #2 on a Book:  Social-Psych. Issue   Sample Four: Prizewinning Research on a Health Subject       --- Introduction The samples below are papers by students, unless specifically noted.  They are examples of "A" level undergraduate writing or entry-level professional work.  To get a better idea of how this type of paper is written, you will want to look at all the samples.  Then compare the samples to each other and to what the "Basics" part of this chapter says.     The authors of all sample student papers in this Web site have given their permission in writing to have their work included in WritingforCollege.org.  All samples remain copyrighted by their original authors.  Other than showing it on this website, none should be used without the explicit permission of the author. If you do not have time to read every sample below, word for word, then use a form of skim reading: read the entire introduction and conclusion paragraph of a sample, and then read just the first and last sentence of all the other paragraphs in the sample.  This method of skimming often provides an understanding of the basic contents and of the paper's form or structure.  Another method of faster reading is to choose just one or two of the samples that are most like the paper you will be required to write; then read, either fully or using skim reading as described here. Unless otherwise noted, sample papers do not necessarily meet all requirements an individual instructor or professional supervisor may have: ask your instructor or supervisor.  In addition, the samples single spaced to save room; however, a proper manuscript given to an instructor or supervisor normally should be double spaced with margins set at or close to 1" unless another format has been requested.    Sample One: Basic Dialogic Paper, No Sources SPECIAL NOTES: This paper is a rough-draft weekly paper, not a developed research paper. Amy Geiger Practice Paper #4 University of Minnesota © by Amy Geiger Three Opposing Viewpoints on Abortion by Amy Geiger         Abortion has been an issue of heated debate in the United States for numerous years. Legislation has ruled it legal to perform an abortion on any gestational age of an embryo or fetus. Some people agree with the law and consider themselves pro-choice.  Others are completely against abortion and are pro-life.  In addition to these two groups is another group who support abortion in the first half of pregnancy, but believe abortion should be banned for the second half. Pro-Choice         Those who agree with the laws on abortion are strong supporters of the woman's right to choose.  Hence, they call themselves pro-choice advocates.  These persons are in support of abortions no matter what the condition of the pregnancy.  They believe in the woman's right to refuse to carry an embryo or fetus in her body.  According to these people, a woman should be allowed to choose the best option for herself and the fetus at any time during her pregnancy.         Pro-choice advocates do not consider abortions to be murder.  They view the embryo or fetus as a human tissue that is dependent upon the mother's uterus to remain alive.  They believe that this tissue is not viable outside the uterus and therefore is not independent human life.         This group of people also believes that pregnant women have the right to refuse to use their bodies for the growth of something they do not want.  They see unwanted pregnancies as invasions of a woman's body. Pro-Life         Those against abortion believe that it kills an unborn child.  They consider themselves to be pro-life advocates for America's unborn children.  These persons suggest that the beginning of human life is at the instant of fertilization.  They see abortion as morally and ethically wrong.         Pro-choice persons view abortion as murder.  They view an unborn child as a human with rights to life.  They argue that taking a human life living outside the uterus is considered murder, so killing an embryo or fetus, an unborn child, is also murder.         Pro-life advocates also argue that abortions are being used for unsettling reasons.  People are choosing to have abortions when they discover that their unborn child is not "perfect."  The embryo or fetus may be the wrong sex, or have some form of a birth defect.  They also view abortions as an unacceptable form of birth control.  Many women are not getting one abortion because of an unwanted pregnancy, but two, three, and sometimes even more.  Late-Term Abortions         A third group of people involved in the abortion debate are pro-choice for the first half of pregnancy, but believe that late term abortions should be banned.  Like pro-life supporters, this group believes that late term abortions do not just remove tissue, but actually kill babies.         These people argue that fetuses can be saved with today's technology at only 25 weeks gestation.  They claim that neonates this age are able to hear, smell, taste, breathe, and are capable of living as independent human lives.  Their physical characteristics are human as well. These fetuses have arms, legs, eyes, mouths, and even fingernails.  They argue that babies born at this age do have nervous systems that allow them to feel pain.  They feel that late-term abortions are cruel and unusual punishment of an unborn child.  They conclude that an abortion on a fetus 25 weeks gestation or older is unjust. Conclusion         The long-standing debate over abortion will continue forever.  There are complex issues related to abortion that make it a personal as well legal debate.  The three views presented here: pro-choice, pro-life, and pro-life after 25 weeks' gestation, are just the tip of the iceberg on abortion. --- Return to top.              Sample Two: Research Paper #1 on a Book SPECIAL NOTES: This paper is a research paper developed from an initial response to a book.  The subject is related to world-government issues.  Eng. 1114-03 Inver Hills Community College © by Jesse Belter Humanitarian Assistance and Sierra Leone by Jesse Belter Introduction             When a country fails to provide the basic needs of survival for its people, the international community is faced with the issue of intervention.  However, there exists no clearly defined doctrine to guide governments or humanitarian organizations in these matters.  Some people believe that the protection of sovereignty is more important than the possible benefits of intervention, preferring that governments focus on domestic concerns.  Opposing this are those who believe that humanitarian intervention is necessary to resolve many conflicts and that the preservation of life trumps all else.  Still another mentality suggests that these two goals are not mutually exclusive—that the members of the international community are capable of controlling their own countries while still being able to intervene in some countries.  One good example of such intervention is Sierra Leone .  Daniel Bergner in In the Land of Magic Soldiers says that this country has “been named by the United Nations, for the third year in a row, as the worst on earth. . . .  Sierra Leone was . . . ravaged by what was perhaps the most horrific civil war in a land [ Africa ] of civil wars” (10).  What follows is an exploration of these three arguments, with specific examples taken from the conflict in Sierra Leone . Background Some brief background information on the conflict in Sierra Leone and Britain ’s involvement is needed to understand the points that will be made next. The civil war in Sierra Leone revolved around two main parties: the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the government of Sierra Leone .  Both sides of this bloody civil war were fighting for control—over both the government and the country's diamond mines.  The RUF, a group of rebel fighters, controlled many of the diamond mines, which partly funded the war.  The RUF forces led attacks that left many dead and maimed civilians in their wake.  They employed brutal tactics, involving cutting off hands, arms, and legs, while leaving many of these amputees alive.  The other especially troubling aspect of the RUF’s fighting tactics was its use of child militants.  These children were abducted and forced to commit some of the worst atrocities of the war.   Britain chose to intervene and put a stop to this cycle of violence.  While it may have had ulterior motives for its intervention, as will be discussed below, it also felt a certain obligation to help Sierra Leone , which once was Britain 's colony. Sovereignty and Non-Intervention With the preservation of sovereignty a major issue to them, some people believe that the concept of non-intervention, or staying out of another country’s affairs, is the proper course of action for the world.  According to Adam Roberts in his article “Humanitarian Intervention Is Not Effective,” the policy of non-intervention “provides a clear rule for limiting the uses of force by states and for reducing the risks of war between the armed forces of different states. . . .  It involves respect for different societies and their religions, economic systems and political arrangements” (40). Those who take this poistion believe that referring to a military intervention as “humanitarian aid” skews the reality of what it actually involves.  As Roberts explains, the whole notion of intervention exposes ethnocentric ideologies on the part of the intervening country or organization (46).  An example of this ethnocentrism can be seen when Bergner says, “The British felt they would save the people from themselves” (97).  To the British, the people of Sierra Leone needed saving more than they may have actually desired it. Those who take this position may also feel that when intervention does occur, the efforts are often poorly organized and wasteful or are simply conducted out of a desire to look after the intervening country’s interests in that region.  The world has seen many well-intentioned humanitarian efforts that have not gone as planned, such as those in Somalia and Bosnia/Herzegovina.  Thus, for example, Britain ’s decision to intervene in Sierra Leone could be seen as an exercise in self-interest: the British might have been attempting to improve their standing in the world by flexing their military might in a country that was once their colony.             Another group of people who oppose intervention on principle does so out of a desire to see their own countries' conflicts and problems resolved before those of the rest of the world.  Bergner tells the story of a Sierra Leonean amputee named Lamin who traveled to New York City to receive a pair of prosthetic hands.  While there, he asked many people he met for money to aid him and his family, and through his persistence he was fairly successful (91-92).  However, when he repeatedly asked the director of the YMCA where he was staying to fund a new house for him back home, he was told that “[n]o matter how terrible things were in Sierra Leone, the organization had priorities here, poverty here, ‘children of prostitutes and drug addicts, right here on the south side, even if it looks like we have everything’” (92).  This statement gives a good example of why someone who is not in support of humanitarian intervention might feel as he or she does.  Such people believe that, with limited budgets and resources, each country must focus primarily on itself and, through doing so, a strong international community will be forged.             Of course, this position does not support total inaction in all cases.  If there is an international crisis that might become a threat to their own lands, then most would consider an intervention acceptable.  In addition, “conscience-shocking situations”—such as those involving genocide and ethnic cleansing—might warrant action.  And although many people who take this position do not favor their government’s resources being used to support other countries, most would have fewer qualms about the private sector choosing to do so. Moral and Ethical Requirement to Intervene             On the other side of this debate are those who feel it is unethical to stand by and do nothing when there are known crimes of war and crimes against humanity being committed anywhere in the world.  U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan poses this question in his Millennium Report: “If humanitarian intervention is, indeed, an unacceptable assault on sovereignty, how should we respond to . . . gross and systematic violations of human rights that offend every precept of our common humanity” (48)?  This question brings to mind some of the horrors that history has seen, including the Holocaust and genocide in Rwanda , and the failure of the international community to respond in time. Those who support intervention on humanitarian grounds would consider prevention to be the best possible outcome, but they also believe that there are times when military intervention is needed to halt an ongoing conflict.  Annan admits this in his report, stating that armed intervention should not be discarded as a possible resolution to violent conflicts involving murder on a large scale, but that it must remain as a last resort (48).  Jane Sharp, who directed the Defense and Security Program at the Institute for Public Policy Research in London, writes in  “Moral Considerations Should Outweigh Political Arguments on Intervention,” “There is no justification for passivity and indifference in the face of systematic killing, torture, and rape of a people . . . ” (37).  To those that support this position, all of humanity is a collective being, and the more stable the global community is, the more likely is the stability of one's own country.             There can be some profits gained from intervening in another country’s conflict.  Bergner appears to believe that Britain chose to return to Sierra Leone out of a seeming desire to bring peace to its former colony, with "heroism in the British effort, risk without the promise of tangible reward” (98).  However, he also feels that the British were looking to restore some of their standing in of the international community as a powerful country (98).   Sierra Leone did not have much to offer Britain except some undervalued diamonds, but the soldiers spoke of wanting to bring peace to the land by bringing down the rebel forces, the R.U.F. The people of Sierra Leone were generally accepting of British troops' arrival, as it symbolized the beginning of some semblance of order in their lives.  These people craved structure, and the British could provide it.  Left to themselves, their civil war could have raged for years longer than it did, bringing more chaos and death.   Britain ’s intervention undoubtedly saved many lives and relieved some of the suffering of the citizens of Sierra Leone . Responsibility to Protect             A third position suggests that in a truly cooperative world, instead of the competitive environment that currently exists, the nations of the world could work together to suppress brutal leaders and resolve violent conflict, both internal and external.  In this point of view, concerns of domestic stability and the desire to stabilize the rest of the world are not mutually exclusive ideas.  According to Gareth Evans and Mohamed Sahnoun in “The Responsibility to Protect,” the argument needs to be redefined in new terms: rather than focusing on the “right to intervene,” the discussion should be about the “responsibility to protect” (2).  They add that “although this responsibility is owed by all sovereign states to their own citizens in the first instance, it must be picked up by the international community if that first-tier responsibility is abdicated . . . ” (2).  By changing their mentality to the “responsibility to protect,” say Evans and Sahnoun, people would focus on groups who are suffering rather than on people who may be considering intervention (2).  Ultimately, the goal of any intervention should be the betterment of the lives of the civilian populations of a particular area.             This mentality emphasizes that the people of the world need to be shown that they all belong to the same global society.  This does not mean that they need to turn their backs on national pride and devalue their own culture, but rather all countries need to learn to value the cultures of their neighbors.  In his training of the soldiers of Sierra Leone, Captain Rosenfeld of the British forces felt, for example, that it was his duty to create soldiers “who feel themselves different from the rebels, who feel a desire to serve society” (Bergner 103).  It is through this desire that peace can be brought to war-torn lands—a desire to uplift one’s own country from within.  If the citizens of a country are unable to achieve this on their own, then it is the responsibility of the international community to assist them.             In this viewpoint, the United Nations should be at the forefront of the question as to who should provide this international assistance.  With its global representation and impartiality, the U.N. can continue to fill the role of global watchdog.  This does not mean that the rest of the world's countries can sit by as the U.N. looks after the world for them: the U.N. is only as effective as the support it receives from the global community.  In this viewpoint, the superpowers of the world bear greater responsibility to protect than do other countries.   Anthony Lake , a former U.S. national security advisor, supports this in 6 Nightmares: Real Threats in a Dangerous World and How America Can Meet Them.  He says, There is a moral imperative that is all the deeper with our superpower status.  How can America sit on the sidelines when innocent civilians are being slaughtered?  We lose credibility on other issues if we turn our back on humanitarian tragedies.  More important, it is wrong to do so.  With our great power comes great responsibility and leadership in human as well as geopolitical terms.  Not acting when you can is as much a decision as becoming involved.  (19)             People who take this position believe that by working together within the context of the United Nations, the global community can be strengthened in its resolve to see an end to tragic situations involving crimes against humanity.  On the one hand, though Britain and the U.N. were both integrally involved in Sierra Leone , it was the superior military might of Britain that was able to secure peace in the country.  On the other hand, though, without the presence of the United Nations, the world may have looked less kindly on Britain ’s intervention.  Both parties were necessary to bring the beginnings of peace to this country.  In fact, this same formula could be implemented elsewhere where similar conflicts exist.  Following Britain ’s eventual departure from Sierra Leone , there must remain a peacekeeping force, most likely provided by the U.N., to guard against a backslide into violence.  The work in this country is far from over, but a good start has been made.                     Conclusion             The issues of international responsibility and humanitarian intervention are multi-faceted, with many people presenting a variety of valid opinions.  These issues may not be as simple as the three main arguments presented above, but the arguments do provide a well-rounded overview of the issue as a starting point for further debate.  None of these three is, perhaps, completely right or wrong: as in life, there are positives and negatives in all options.  The third argument, a compromise position, would seem to be the most idealized, while the other two are more pragmatic.  It seems obvious that Sierra Leone continues to be in need.  In the words of one Sierra Leonean that Bergner interviewed, “[I]f you leave this cancer, the patient is going to die” (60).  Clearly, Sierra Leone cannot be left to struggle alone.  Hopefully, the global community can work together to achieve the outcome that the compromise argument would bring, for the world cannot afford to stand idly by. --- Works Cited Annan, Kofi A. “’We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century.” Millennium Report to the United Nations. 2000. Accessed 1 March 2006 . <www.un.org>.        Bergner, Daniel. In the Land of Magic Soldiers. New York : Picador, 2003. Evans, Gareth and Mohamed Sahnoun. “The Responsibility to Protect.” Foreign Affairs v81 i6 (2002). Accessed 1 March 2006 . <http://infotrac.galegroup.com>. Lake, Anthony.  6 Nightmares: Real Threats in a Dangerous World and How America Can Meet Them. New York : Little, Brown: 2000. Roberts, Adam. “Humanitarian Intervention Is Not Effective.” Interventionism. Paul Winters. Current Controversies. San Diego: Greenhaven: 1995. Sharp, Jane. “Moral Considerations Should Outweigh Political Arguments On Intervention.” Interventionism. Paul Winters. Current Controversies. San Diego: Greenhaven: 1995. --- Return to top.                Sample Three: Research Paper #2 on a Book SPECIAL NOTES: This is an MLA research paper on a subject drawn from one specific book.  The subject is one from sociology, psychology, and social psychology. Dialogic Paper (c) Dianna Berg Eng 1114-3 Save the Killer by Dianna Berg Introduction             In the book In the Land of Magic Soldiers by Daniel Bergner, the reader is confronted with the idea of rehabilitating children soldiers. This dialogical paper argues that there are a great number of people torn on the topic of the rehabilitation of children who become killers through abuse and trauma. Some believe that rehabilitation can’t be done. Flannery says, “Adolescents are much more likely to react in an aggressive and violent manner . . .” (106). Those who don't believe rehabilitation works believe that such children become sociopaths with no sense of right or wrong.  However, others believe with therapy and hard work anyone can change and become a better person.  In addition, some people are split on the subject.  They believe that it is possible to change such children, but there will always be trauma haunting them, and the trauma could resurface, causing more physical and psychological damage. Summary of Bergner             Daniel Bergner wrote a collection of events about the 1990s civil war in Sierra Leone from interviews he conducted during his multiple visits to the country. In chapters seven through ten, he interviews Chema, a priest who is trying to rehabilitate young children who were forced to become soldiers. Chema conveys many accounts of his charges to Bergner, some horrible and some enlightening. The children that Chema watches over have had the worst lives imaginable: they have committed acts of violence that are hard to put into words. Some of these children have no hope of returning to normal society, while others have already been integrated back into a productive life. Stay Violent                  People on one side of the issue believe that these children can’t be changed back into “normal” human beings because they are monsters, thirsty for violence and bloodshed.  Certainly, children can become cold blooded killers through violence, trauma, or natural causes. Such was the case in the 1990s in Sierra Leone.  Take the example of the boy named Daniel.  According to Bergner, “With an ax, Daniel had told the caregiver, he’d removed the hands of his own father.  The same with his mother, the same with several siblings and cousins. Then all were shot except his two youngest sisters. Daniel was instructed, by the rebel who held him at gunpoint, to leave the two little girls alone” (111).  People who believe children cannot be rehabilitated suggest that children who become this violent cannot return to a normal life after living in such a violent environment.             Many children turn violent due to past traumas in their own lives, and these traumas cause psychological damage. Kelly and Totten says, “They also experience different kinds of negative social events; poverty, neglect, abuse, family violence, bullying and teasing - and they struggle to deal with them in variety of ways” (6). The same blood lust is seen in serial killers. Shirley Lynn Scott, a writer on serial killers for Crime Library, says, “Even families that appear healthy on the outside may be putting on an act. Children can learn the ‘Jeckyl and Hyde’ routine from parents who are outgoing and social with neighbors and co-workers, but who scowl at their kid's inadequacies when they get home” (5). This transformation from innocent to wicked is one reason why so many people do not see the ugliness until it is too late.              The cycle of abuse is hard to detect, because through generations the technique is perfected. Scott adds, In Serial Killers, Joel Norris describes the cycles of violence as generational: "Parents who abuse their children, physically as well as psychologically, instill in them an almost instinctive reliance upon violence as a first resort to any challenge." Childhood abuse not only spawns violent reactions, Norris writes, but also affects the child's health, including brain injuries, malnutrition, and other developmental disorders (5). Parents will abuse their children because their parents abused them. This cycle affects the victim both physically and emotionally, warping the mind until the victim believes that abuse is normal.             There have been many documented cases of children becoming violent and deadly toward other people. According to Kelly and Totten, the average youth homicide rate for 1984 to 2000 was slightly higher than the average youth homicide between 1974 and1983. Vicious and violent crimes make up about twenty percent of all adolescent crimes in Canada (Kelly, Totten). In America, the crime rate for adolescences seems even higher.             According to Smith, on the night of April 19, 1989, around nine p.m., a group of at least 40 youths went on a rampage in Central Park, New York City. The intent of these youths was to mug, rob, scare, and beat anyone that they saw. According to police reports, the adolescences assaulted and robbed a homeless man, accosted a couple on a bike, and thrashed two male joggers. When the youths came across a female jogger, they attacked, raped, and battered her to the brink of death. Trisha Meili, known as the Central Park Jogger, miraculously survived severe hypothermia, extensive blood loss, and a skull fracture. Meili has no memory of the attack. The attacks committed by these youths were so terrible that the word “wilding” was coined to describe the event (Smith 40). The fact that a word was created to describe the event of violence only underscores the horrendous attacks that these youths committed. Children who are exposed to years of fighting and living in constant fear know nothing but violence. For example, Bergner met another boy named Komba.  Bergner says, “And by the time Komba came, having brought his West Side Boys unit with him, the children were at war. Komba joined in. For their lost guns the boys substituted smuggled knives, broken bottles, kerosene poured over one another’s clothes before they set each other aflame” (112). Children like this who grow up in a violent environment may continue to act like monsters and may have no hope of becoming productive citizens. According to Bergner, another child nicknamed "Killer" "wanted to learn to drive, then to own a taxi, and the priest had arranged this, paying for lessons and buying Killer an old car. I was told later that he’d been dealing drugs for soldiers in one of the U.N. battalions and, most recently, employing his taxi for armed robberies" (123).  People who have been born into terrible environments grow up with the knowledge to survive, and if that means killing other humans, then according to them, that’s what has to be done. Completely Cured             People on the other side of the issue believe, however, that with hard work and determination, children with psychopathic and violent tendencies can be cured. Of course, child soldiers will have a difficult path in order to return to being active citizen of Sierra Leone. However, the children who became soldiers are victims, too. To rehabilitate children who have gone through such great trauma requires counseling, reeducation, and possibly reunification with the families from whom they were taken by rebel soldiers. Bergner says, referring again the Chema, the priest who rehabilitated child soldiers, “But compared to the kind of war they’d waged half their lives, Chema seemed to view [such remembering] as progress rather than repetition, a movement away rather than a movement back” (112). Chema is convinced that with time he can help the child soldiers stop their violent tendencies.             In war time, children are exposed to unsuitably high levels of stress, which affects their psychosocial development and the interpersonal trust learned when people are children. According to Silverman, child soldiers are threatened, injured, tortured, imprisoned, abused physically and sexually, and “forcefully recruited to participate in violent acts against friends and family,” even killing someone. All of this easily traumatizes such children in severe ways, leading to anxiety disorder, depression, and sometimes suicide. Such dramatic changes in the daily routine of children’s lives in war time cause stress on them, which affects their physical and mental development.  The level of stress children will have depends on both their personal coping skill and family support. Clinical examination shows that children with a cause, like caring for the disabled or helping in post war clean up, are better able to focus energy in a positive capacity, rather then feel forlorn, isolated, and without a rationale (364).  Children have their own way of coping with stress and trauma. Children may act inappropriately but should never be punished for it. Silverman suggests sitting the child down and talking in a calm manner that perceives no anger or judgment and explaining the situational norms, methods like Chema used to rehabilitate child soldiers in Sierra Leone.             The first step in the rehabilitation of victims of violence is to identify the possible events that they witnessed and the effects those events had on them.  According to Helping Children Cope with Disasters and Terrorism from the American Psychological Association, “Traumatized children and adolescents often display depressive disorders or anxiety disorders in addition to posttraumatic stress disorder” (Silverman 19). With this display of apprehensive behavior, the road to recovery will be difficult and the child will have to be counseled.             An important part of counseling is to face the trauma by talking through it and then move on. According to Bergner, “‘Normally at night I sit here,’ [Chema] said, voice as soothing as all around us. ‘Normally at night, after they watch a video or have their activities, they come to sit with me. They talk about the day, what they have done in the war, anything’” (114). In Violence and Mental Health in Everyday Life, Flannery gives a list of suggestions for practice to help children that have been exposed to violence. “Safety and security must be your first priority -- be persistent on getting the help you need -- be patient, it will probably take more than a few weeks to cope with traumatic events” (175-185). The family of the child needs to show him or her that she is safe from harm and that the child is free to discuss the past events openly without fear of being reprimanded.             Children who live in violent environments cope with daily stress in many different ways. It was thought that the most violent youth would be most likely to report using inappropriate coping strategies: for example, alcohol, drugs, and aggression. However, one survey shows that the top two coping strategies among such youth were listening to music and talking to friends (Flannery). Such studies convey that with counseling and therapy, violent children may be able to deal with their anger and aggression in a health manner without resorting to violence.             In addition, kidnapped victims who were forced to commit terrible acts of violence may start to feel safe and begin to heal after their nightmarish experiences once being reunited with their families. Bergner says, “Some of the boys stayed no longer than several weeks [in Chema's rehabilitation center]. The goal was to find their families, reunite them with parents or relatives” (117).  Children need to go back to their families to give the children a sense of normalcy and safety. According to Helping Children Cope with Disasters and Terrorism from the American Psychological Association, “Given the numerous stressors that accompany a disaster, social support from a variety of sources should help minimize youngsters’ post disaster distress - social supports from significant others, such as parents, friends, and teacher” (Silverman 28). Families of traumatized children will need to show support for their children, but families should not smother the children in over protectiveness.  It is suggested that,if the child refuses to talk about the traumatic event, it is better to allow the child a little time and ask again, later, rather than force the topic. Maybe Cured but Always Haunted             People in the middle of the issue believe that sometime children can overcome their violent pasts, but there will always be the knowledge of the events in the backs of their minds, reminding them of what they have done. Some may need continual help with this remembering.  According to Bergner, “[F]or many of the teenagers who’d finish their live-in months at the center, and who Chema had placed in apprenticeships in the capital an hour’s drive away, the need to be in his presence brought them back on frequent evenings to sleep on the floor outside his room” (113). The children returned because in their minds the center was the only safe place for them since they were taken from their families. They became dependent on the safety they received when they were living with Chema.             In addition, other children who have been through violent traumas return to a similar life because it is the only one they know. David J. Freed, Cumberland County District Attorney, says, But high-risk offenders are very likely to commit more crimes, and often. In recent years, there have been approximately 100,000 juveniles in custody nationwide. The vast majority of these troubled youths will be released back in to the community, with their expected "prime crime years" ahead of them and facing recidivism rates of up to 75% - simply warehousing high-risk offenders is not adequate. They need to be required to do the hard work of constantly confronting and changing their anti-social beliefs and behaviors (4). If children are not rehabilitated fully, then they may go back to a life of crime and violence.             Even if children change their behavior and stop killing, that violence may manifest in a different manner. Bergner says, As a feud developed between the village and the center, sporadic fights led, one day, to Chema being surrounded as they walked along the road.  Jabbing and flailing cutlasses in the air, the villagers seemed ready to take him hostage.  His boys responded with rocks and with blades of their own.  He was rescued by the violence whose aggression he hoped to purge (114). Once the child is taken out of the violent, polluted environment and is given therapy, even with a relatively normal life the child may relapse.  Bergner tells of one incident at the center:  "[A] boy reenacted his old ways against the priest himself, getting hold of an ax and coming at Chema, weapon raised. Others disarmed him before he brought the ax down” (113). However, it is a cycle of violence that can be broken if the child is given the treatment required.  In some cases, the child’s violent tendencies will stop on their own when he or she is taken from the dangerous situation or when the threat that caused the violence is no longer there. According to Davis, this was true in the case of Cheryl Pierson. Cheryl was born into an abusive family. Her father, James, would control the family with an iron fist and publicly beat them. When Cheryl's mother got sick and couldn’t perform her marital duties, James went after Cheryl to satisfy his sexual appetite. After years of abuse, Cheryl started to fantasize killing her father. Finally Cheryl turned to a schoolmate, Sean, who said that he would kill James for a thousand dollars. Sean shot Cheryl’s father five times. The police learned about the arranged killing and sentenced Cheryl to six months in jail. Six years later, Cheryl is happily married with children and doesn’t seem to have any violent fantasies or outbursts. With the abuser gone, Cheryl had no reason to continue to plan the murder of others. Cheryl was able to have a normal life even though she will always have certain memories that are painful.             There also are many drug treatments for people who suffer from depression, anxiety, and OCD.  However, medication alone is not a cure. There is no such thing as a “quick fix” or instant cure for the trauma that violent children have been exposed to. Most studies have shown that the combination of therapy and medication are the best course of action than either alone (Flannery). In child soldiers, dealing with aggression and violence may take time and patience. Conclusion             Can child soldiers be completely healed and returned to a normal life? Or are they doomed to be forever consumed by violence and bloodshed?  Is there something that lies between? There are numerous accounts of successful rehabilitation and just as many failures in society and in In the Land of Magic Soldiers. There may be too many variables to ever know for certain how many children trained to slaughter other humans will ever be anything more than human butchers. Flannery says, “Remember, it takes many years for a child’s behavior to develop and there are many factors that influence how they may act . . .” (178). All that can be done in the meantime is to give love, kindness, and guidance, making sure such children will make the right choices. --- (Note: Some features of the older MLA format—from before 2009--may still be in this bibliography.) Works Cited Bergner, Daniel. In the Land of Magic Soldiers. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.  Davis, Carol Anne. Children Who Kill. Great Britain, 2003.  Flannery, Daniel J. Violence and Mental Health in everyday life. Oxford: AltaMira Press, 2006.  Freed, David J. "Hearing on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act: Overview and Perspective." United States House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities and Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism an Homeland Security. 12 July 2007. Fight crime invest in children. 26 Feb. 2008. <http://dworkforce.house.gov/testimony/ 071207DavidFreedTestimony.pdf>.  Kelly, Katharine D. and Mark Totten. When Children Kill. Ontario, Canada: Broadview Press Ltd., 2002. Scott, Shirley Lynn. "Childhood Abuse." Crime Library. Warner Bothers. 26 Feb.2008 <http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/tick/abuse_3.html>. Silverman, Wendy K. et al. Helping Children Cope with Disasters and Terrorism. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2002. Smith, Merril D. "Rape." Encyclopedia of Rape. 2004. "Violence and the Brain." Crime Library. 2007. Turner Entertainment New Media Network. 20 Feb. 2008 <http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/children2/brain_6.html>. --- Return to top.                Sample Four: Prizewinning Research Paper on an Individually-chosen Subject SPECIAL NOTES: This paper is a fully-finished paper developed from a subject chosen by the student.  It won the University of Minnesota 2000-2001 Wilson Library Award for Best Student Essay Using Library Research in the University of Minnesota CLA Composition Program.  EngC 3027-05 University of Minnesota Graded Paper #2, Dialogic © by Kelly Casperson Discussions of Childhood Obesity by Kelly Casperson Introduction         Obesity is on the rise in America. News articles and scientific reports unanimously agree that America is becoming the most overweight country in the world, and other developing countries are not far behind. In addition, these countries' children are now becoming as overweight as their parents and other adults. Unlike these adults, children seldom have the knowledge and control over their lifestyle to contribute to either health or obesity. Prominent researchers in the field exemplify the need for quick action. They state, "The effects of childhood obesity on morbidity and mortality indicate that effective prevention and therapy for childhood obesity are likely to have a significant impact on adult disease" (Gortmaker 100). This paper discusses different arguments in the research to decrease the percentage of overweight children. Modifications in diet, increased cardiovascular health, and behavior modification programs are the three competing fields, each differing in their actions and reasons for effectiveness. Background          Before discussing the ways to control childhood obesity, it is necessary to look at what the problem is and how prevalent it has become. The accepted clinical diagnosis for being overweight is a triceps skinfold measurement to estimate a person's body mass index (BMI). Although somewhat arbitrary, if this BMI is 85% or more above the average, a person is considered overweight (Harlan 1). According to the Center for Disease Control, "The percentage of young people who are overweight has almost doubled in the past 20 years" (United States). In order to understand what these statistics mean, it is imperative to look at the effects of being overweight as a child.         Obese children are at risk presently and in the future as overweight adults. Being overweight can have both psychological and physical ramifications. Obesity is linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, total mortality and certain cancers in adulthood (Harlan 2). Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine states that "obesity present in young women was associated with an adverse impact on household income, education, and rates of marriage, poverty, and college completion" (Gortmaker 1008). Reducing the incidence of obesity will benefit these parts of society as well.         Furthermore, according to research by Price, "Overweight children are especially vulnerable to stigmatization because of the importance given to physical skills and appearance during the developmental years" (95). Additional research has looked at children's views toward other children who show a disability. Results showed that "depictions of obese children were consistently rated less positively than most of the other depictions of children, including children in wheelchairs, on crutches, with limbs missing, and with facial deformity" (95). With research showing these serious effects, ways to effectively reduce and prevent childhood adiposity (body fat) must be offered. Changes in diet, exercise, and the implementation of social programs are three presented here. Effect of Diet         The first argument states that diet is the problem and should be addressed to control obesity. Today a child's diet is not as healthy as it was before the increased popularity of fast food and pre-packaged meals. In addition, many children and adults do not know what constitutes a healthy diet. Only a small percentage of children get the adequate number of servings of fruit per day. This fact is exemplified by the story of a nutritionist at a local grocery store that prides itself in its extensive produce section. She was left speechless when the woman at the checkout counter had to ask her what was in her bag; it was green lettuce. After that, the woman was not surprised when the cashier also did not know what the eggplant was. The cashier verbally wondered what possibly could be the use of something as ugly as that. Market appeal and convenience have changed what people view as acceptable food for consumption to the extreme of not recognizing fresh produce.             Most food marketed on television is disproportionately high in calories and fat content. A diet high in these types of food increases a child's risk of obesity because it has been proven that higher levels of energy intake can lead to greater percentage of fat in a person. In addition, a high fat diet induces obesity, so reduction of this factor is beneficial to the individual. In a national survey asking pediatricians their recommendations for weight loss, 84% answered that decreasing caloric consumption was the most important program (Price 95). In addition, Davis says that "a reduction in daily energy intake is fundamental to initiate weight loss in any individual" (299). Research has found a positive correlation between total energy intake and fatness in a group of three-to seven-year-old children. These same researchers further stated in their published data that "total energy intake accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in skin-fold fat increases over a 3-year period" (Gutin 116). Decreasing daily intake of as little as fifty calories a day leads to more than two kilograms of fat loss a year.         Additional proof is the finding that weight loss is increased when a diet is implemented that has a lower percentage of fat. Peter Davis states in "Obesity In Children," "One of the mechanisms proposed to explain this phenomenon is that a high fat diet leads to the deposition of body fat due to the efficiency of the conversion of dietary fat into stored triglycerides. The metabolic cost of such a conversion is in the order of 3% of energy intake whereas the cost of storing dietary carbohydrate as body fat requires the expenditure of 23% of the ingested energy" (301).         In addition, researchers found that a child's amount of ingested fat may be associated with their level of obesity, even when its total energy intake is not. Gutin writes, "A high-fat diet leads to greater fatness, even at a lower energy intake than a low-fat diet, perhaps due to the lower thermic effect of food for fats as compared to carbohydrates and protein. Young children (mean 4.4 years) who were at high risk for obesity because of their parental weight status were found to ingest a diet higher in fat and lower in carbohydrate than a group at low risk for obesity. No difference between the groups in total energy intake was observed, and the high-risk group gained more weight over a one-year period" (117).  All of these researchers, regardless of the type of diet change, report that a change in diet toward lower percentage of fat and decreased total caloric intake is the effective means to reduce a person's percentage of body fat. Effect of Exercise         Others argue that lack of sufficient exercise is the problem in childhood obesity, and increasing energy expenditure is the most effective treatment method in need of addressing. Proponents believe the problem lies in society's shift towards a more sedentary way of life. Major Mary Christine Clark and Stephanie L. Ferguson in their article "The Physical Activity and Fitness of our Nation's Children" claim, "There has been a 50% drop of required physical activity in high school physical education programs for 1991 through 1997. Only one state in the U.S., Illinois, currently requires daily physical education from kindergarten through the 12th grade" (250). Increasing daily energy expenditure will ensure healthier children and promote a decrease in obesity throughout the nation.         Proponents of this side claim that exercise is more effective than diet changes because these habits are more long term. Active children are much more likely to be active as adults. This factor, more than diet alone, provides the backbone for a healthy body. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion is aware of the positive health benefits that incorporation of exercise in one's life offers, and this is not just limited to losing weight. The Center states that "adults who are less active are at greater risk of dying of heart disease and developing diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure" (Kramer). Starting a life full of activity early on increases the chance of continuing this habit into adulthood.         This active lifestyle can be promoted in several ways. The Center for Disease Control claims, "Young people can build healthy bodies and establish healthy lifestyles by including physical activity in their daily lives" (United States). The CDC has established essential guidelines when starting up a routine of daily exercise: Emphasize enjoyable participation in physical activities that are easily done throughout life. Offer a diverse range of noncompetitive and competitive activities appropriate for different ages and abilities. Give young people the skills and confidence they need to be physically active.         Further, researchers at the Georgia Prevention Institute Medical College of Georgia has outlined some principles for the most optimal exercise activities for children. They state, "In order to use up a lot of energy, the focus should be on aerobic exercise such as walking, running, cycling, dancing, and sports that involve moving the whole body for extended periods of time. Activities involving both arms and legs allow the strain to be spread over a larger muscle mass, with the result that more energy can be used with less cardiovascular and subjective strain" (Gutin 117).         These techniques have been used effectively in classrooms and clinics around the nation. The physiology behind these claims is that an increase in activity also increases the resting metabolic rate of the individual, causing an increase in fat burning capability. Davis states, "Exercise is known to increase the Fat-Free Mass (FFM) component of body weight. Resting metabolic rate is dependent primarily upon the FFM of the individual, with the fat man being much less metabolically active. An increase in FFM will therefore increase resting metabolic rate and hence total energy expenditure. This increase will contribute to a negative energy balance and the subsequent loss of body fat" (301).  These are only a small sample of the published studies that insist on physical activity as the primary component in weight management and implementation of a healthy lifestyle. Integrative Programs         Others argue that a change in diet or activity is not enough because diet and exercise alone only accomplishes short-term weight loss. Instead, they believe a new holistic outlook must be taken to encompass the diverse population of overweight children. This includes providing culturally sensitive resources that provide children with the motivation they need to be healthy and make more active choices about their bodies. Proponents believe that changes in the classroom and home life need to occur to prevent unhealthy children and promote healthy living.         In addition, they believe that diet, exercise, and other behavioral management techniques need to be implemented together in a person’s lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight and body tone. According to Davis, "studies that compared an exercise regimen alone with a control group failed to find a significant effect of the exercise program on change in weight. It has been suggested that poor adherence to the exercise plan might have contributed to the poor results in these studies" (302). Guidelines published in Childhood Obesity: a Biobehavioral Perspective outline a policy that sums up current knowledge of what effectively constitutes an integrative program to reduce childhood obesity (see "Table 1"; Krasnegor 154). Table 1 1. Interventions should include components directed both at food intake and at energy expenditure. 2. The dietary component of interventions should provide for parental involvement and for behavior modification and environmental modification. 3. The energy expenditure component should emphasize continuous, vigorous exercise rather than short-burst competitive activities characteristic of many physical education programs in schools. For overweight children, changes in lifestyle exercise should be used to increase energy expenditures and self-management skills. 4. For both diet and exercise components of school-based obesity control programs, self-monitoring appears to be an important skill to be developed in the child, probably for reasons of reinforcement and feedback in the learning process. 5. Involvement of peers in the education of individual children and adolescents appears to be helpful in building a supportive social climate and norm for the dietary or exercise behavior.         Additional research at the New England Medical Center in Massachusetts has listed two behavioral focal points to combat obesity in integrative programs. The first is examining behaviors that are the center of behavioral modification therapy. According to researchers, "These include the frequency and types of food consumed, the circumstances surrounding eating, and individual behaviors such as eating speed. The second approach will require a sophisticated analysis of family behavior that focuses on both the explicit and implicitly messaged regarding fatness, food consumption, and activity" (Dietz 51).  They admit that their research is rudimentary, but it has already provided some useful therapeutic framework to research the changes needed to effectively regulate healthy weight loss. Conclusion         It is apparent that there is a national health crisis stemming from overweight individuals, including children. Many varying schools of thought and research try to reverse the effects of poor lifestyle and the influence this has on obesity. One positive outlook is that of Peter Davis. He states, "A major advantage to those who aim to treat childhood obesity is that children are able, in some cases, to ‘grow into their weight’" (300). Nevertheless, casually assuming this view or ignoring the problem can lead to severe health problems in the future. The health of future generations depends on understanding this growing obesity problem and recognizing all three options discussed here as ways to promote healthy lifestyles in children and reduce obesity. --- Works Cited Clark, Major Mary Christine and Stephanie L. Ferguson. "The Physical Activity and Fitness of Our Nation’s Children." Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 15(4) (2000): 250-252. Davis, Peter S. W. "Obesity in Children." Clinical Obesity. Peter G. Kopelman and Michael J. Stoch. Oxford , England : Blackwell Science Ltd, 1998. Dietz, William H. Jr. "Childhood Obesity." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 699 (1993): 47-53. Gortmaker, S. L., Must A., Perrin J.M., Sobol A.M., Dietz W.H. "Social and Economic Consequences of Overweight in Adolescence and Young Adulthood." New England Journal of Medicine. 329 (1993): 1008-1012. Gutin, Bernard and Tina M. Manos. "Physical Activity in the Prevention of Childhood Obesity." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 699 (1993): 207-19. Harlan, William R. "Epidemiology of Childhood Obesity." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 699 (1993): 1-5. Kramer, Laura. "Slimkids: Healthy Weight Control Program for Children and Teens." Web. 17 March 2001. Krasnegor, N. A., G. D. Grave and N. Kretchmer. Childhood Obesity: A Biobehavioral Perspective. New Jersey: The Telford Press, Inc, 1998. Price, James H., Sharon M. Desmond, Elizabeth S. Ruppert, and Cathleen M. Stelzer. "Pediatrician’s Perceptions and Practices Regarding Childhood Obesity." American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 5(2) (1989): 95-103. United States Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Online Division. 17 March 2001. <http://www.cdc.org>.      Additional Sources Allison, David B. and F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer. Obesity Treatment: Establishing Goals, Improving Outcomes, and Reviewing the Research Agenda. New York: Plenum Press, 1995. Blackburn, George L. and Beatrice S. Kanders. Obesity Pathophysiology Psychology and Treatment. New York: Chapman and Hall, Inc, 1994. United States Senate (1999, November 20). "Physical Education for Progress Act (PEP)." Senate Bill 1159 (S. 1159.IS). Web. 16 March 2001.     --- Return to top.