ThINK (If I Stay)

In the novel If I Stay, by Gayle Forman, one issue nagged at me throughout the entire book.  Maybe it's just me and I am too old fashioned, but has the whole world really tossed all of their morals and values, to adopt a moral compass that points everywhere but north.
The amount of teenage mothers has skyrocketed in the last ten years.  abortion rates have also raised astronomically (and unnecessarily).  Forget "safe" sex.  There is always a possibility of getting pregnant.  If you are ready to take care of a child, to have a human being depending on you for everything, then that is your decision, but if not, then it might be wise to keep it in your pants.  I was raised going to church, listening to bible stories about Moses and Abraham.  From a biblical stand point i certainly think that abstinence is the way to go.  From a moral standpoint I think abstinence is the way to live your life.  And from a personal standpoint sex before marriage should just not be done.

I, Too, Sing America

In the poem "I, Too, Sing America",by Langston Hughes, the tones of rejection and hope are clearly expressed by how the man is sent to the kitchen to eat when there is company and by how he grows strong and looks toward the future with hope that he will one day eat at the table among the other men, as an equal.  Even though the man is told time and time again that he isn't good enough, that he is inferior, he refuses to give up.  He eats the food given to him and builds up his strength, waiting for his time of equality and his place at the table.