f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\01 Defining Hiroshima.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Defining Hiroshima: Dropping of "the most destructive explosive ever devised by man." The quote above is from a leaflet that was dropped on several Japanese cities, warning the people within to evacuate. No such warning fell on the people of Hiroshima: that was the site of the first of the two uses of the atomic bomb. Historians have debated the necessity, as have students in a classroom studying world history. Whether or not the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was necessary, on August 6, 1945, by the word of President Harry Truman, the city of Hiroshima felt the wrath of science. Hiroshima is synonymous with the mentality of Harry Truman; he was a simple man who saw the world in black and white. Truman was told by his advisors (Leslie Groves among them) that the dropping of the bomb would end World War II with as little American casualties as possible. Little or no talk of ethics took place, as Truman believed that the simple answer to the conflict was in the grasp of the United States. Hiroshima was the result of this "quick fix" for the war. For the eighty thousand plus who died instantly as the extreme blast from "Little Boy" spread quickly overhead and through the streets, it was over before they knew it. This seems a merciful fate when coupled with the deaths and mutations that countless victims suffered from radiation poisoning years after the bomb fell. So what is Hiroshima? A blunder of men, perhaps. A killer blow to fell the enemy instead of peace talks. The opening of a new era. Whatever one considers it, in finality, one must also see the whole of the bombing, what it was and what it means today. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\02 The atomic attack on Japan.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hiroshima - Damage Map: www.atomicarchive.com Japan Regional Map: http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japanmaps/l/blmap.htm Memorial Cenotaph in the Peace Park, Hiroshima: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2160.html Hiroshima, Chugoku Region, Japan, Asia, The World The atomic attack on Japan known as Hiroshima took place in the city of the same name. Hiroshima was destined to be the sight of the first atomic strike in history once President Roosevelt's top military advisors were informed of the new weapon. It was left untouched during the entirety of WWII because of the U.S. Department of Defense's desire to see and accurately measure the total destructive capabilities of their newly developed atomic bomb. The after effects of what started in a relatively backwater region of Japan have crossed the globe in the near-60 years since Hiroshima. The atomic and nuclear bombs have made their way across all continents except Antarctica (and you can never be fully sure of that). While the dropping of the first atomic bomb took place in Hiroshima, the waves caused as a result have spanned the world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\04 What events lead up to it.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Before it Happened Stepping-stones to tragedy The bombing of Hiroshima did not happen overnight. The events leading up to it can be traced back nearly as far as one wants to go, but in this case to January 30, 1933, the date when Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. This caused many German and Jewish scientists to flee to the Unites States out of fear for Hitler's anti-Semitism. Many of these were the great minds that would eventually formulate and make atomic energy a reality. Leo Szilard, one such former-German scientist would place a patent on the concept of using neutrons to break apart atoms and create a chain reaction in July of 1934. Numerous discoveries and firsts occur between 1934 and lead up to the next significant date, December 6, 1941. On this date, one day before the "day that will live in infamy," President Roosevelt signs over $2 billion to the Manhattan Project for research. Unbeknownst to his vice president, Harry Truman, the weight of this research will eventually fall onto his shoulders. The next event, which will lead the United States to its destiny of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, will serve the generation of the day most strongly in the justification of the dropping of Little Boy and Fat Man. December 7, 1941, while entertaining dead-end negotiations over the acquisition of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, the Japanese bomb the US naval fleet docked at the Hawaiian island. Also, the Philippines and the islands of Wake and Guam, under the control of the US Navy are bombed and occupied by the Japanese forces. A little known event in US history is that in July 17, 1944, in a fairly important San Francisco area base, a huge explosion erupted and killed 323 men, totally disintegrated two ships and the entire length of a train stationed there. Recent declassified documents have lead to speculation of a miscalculated nuclear explosion test on US soil. As the war escalates and the United States begins to regain its composure in the Pacific, the American forces are able to take away greater and greater victories. The US forces begin a campaign of "island hopping," taking island after island on a route to the Japanese homeland. The fighting gets bloodier and bloodier for the Americans and a ratio emerges from the carnage: about one American will die for every two Japanese killed. The US victories in Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands in March of 1945 are the harshest-fought, as they are getting so very close to mainland Japan. The American troops begin to set up Okinawa as a base of operations for what they anticipate to be a very brutal and very bloody invasion of Japan. On April 12, 1945, FDR dies in office and leaves the presidency to his vice, Harry Truman. For the first time, on the 25th, Truman is given word of the Manhattan Project and that General Leslie Groves had always intended it for use in Japan. July 16, 1945, the infamous New Mexico Trinity Test, an atomic bomb is exploded in the desert with the equivalent of 18,000 tons of TNT. Accounts of the day say that some Manhattan scientists in attendance took bets as to whether or not the bomb would start a chain reaction and destroy the world on the spot. The bomb itself was said to have been transported out across the pothole-ridden dirt roads in the back of a pickup truck. August 6, 1945, in response to Japanese heel dragging over the requisite unconditional surrender, President Truman orders the atomic bomb to be dropped over Hiroshima. The explosion completely devastates the city, annihilating square miles upon miles of buildings and the death toll to a total of around 100,000 persons. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\06 Whos Who.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Who's Who Important Leaders During Hiroshima Hideki Tojo: Initially a soldier in the Japanese army, he worked his way up to the rank of general, was appointed vice minister of war, minister of war, and eventually prime minister. He was the leader of Japan in title, and in practice, had more power to command than did the Emperor Hirohito. He was a supporter of Nazi Germany and like Hitler, feared the power of the communist USSR. He began to negotiate with the United States but when he was convinced that the negotiations were going nowhere, ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Emperor Hirohito: He was the man who was Japanese emperor-god during WWII. He was a man fascinated by Western culture and took a six-month tour of Europe in his youth. He was a peace-loving man, more interested in marine biology and haiku poetry. While he was in power, he was little more than a figurehead for Japan, the true power of military and state in the hands of the prime minister figure, Hideki Tojo. He called for peace, and attempted to negotiate peace via his son through Russia. On August 15, 1945, the people of Japan heard their emperor for the first time; he expressed to his people the need for their surrender, in which they must "endure the unendurable. Harry Truman: He was president of the United States who made the final decision to use the newly contrived atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The 33rd president of the United States, he had been vice president to the renowned Franklin Delano Roosevelt up until FDR's death. His humble beginnings as a farmer in Kansas gave him a very grounded view of life and decision-making. He saw the atomic bomb simply as a way of ending the war swiftly in order to save the lives of American troops. General Douglas MacArthur: A military man from the cradle to the grave, MacArthur has been called "one of the protagonists of the 20th century*." He attended West Point and from there, continued on a career of military service until he received the honor of Chief of Staff. He was in control of an air base in the Philippines, which was destroyed as the same time as Hiroshima. He fought the Japanese forces until on September 2, 1945 he oversaw the Japanese surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. (Left: Einstein, Right: Szilard) Who's Who Atomic bomb / Manhattan Project Leo Szilard: A Hungarian-born physicist, he contemplated on and believed that it would be possible to formulate an atomic bomb while walking down the streets of London. Working with his friend and colleague Enrico Fermi, the two developed the first primitive fission reactor. He urged the United States government to begin formulation of an atomic weapon, contrary to Albert Einstein's pleas to hold use fission only for an added energy source. Neils Bohr: A brilliant scientist from Denmark who studied physics, Bohr moved to the United States in 1943 after refusing to work for Nazi Germany in their race to achieve the atomic bomb. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922 and formulated the Bohr-Wheeler theory, which attempted to explain fission and the uranium required to create the reaction (and would be instrumental during the Manhattan Project). He pleaded with the United States' government to rid the world of nuclear weapons and to use fission for the betterment of humanity. Enrico Fermi: This nuclear physicist was born in Rome, Italy and forced into his role in life after the death of his brother. He taught nuclear physics and high-level mathematics in the University of Rome for years until he split the atom, for the first time in Rome in 1934. In 1942 he created the first fission chain reaction, required for the bomb. Then in 1944, he was recruited onto the Manhattan Project where he oversaw and advised on the progress of the A-bomb. General Leslie Groves: A native-born American military man, Groves was born in Albany, New York in 1896. His educational career landed him in West Point Military Academy. He would eventually be posted as the director of the Manhattan Project and appointed the nation's best scientists and European physicists fleeing Nazism and fascism. He advised President Truman to drop his "special bomb" and delivered "Little Boy" to Gen. Carl Spaatz who was in charge of the Air Force in the Pacific. He continued to work for the country's nuclear research program until his retirement in 1948. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\07 Significance.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Significance of Hiroshima "Use of the bomb had besmirched America's reputation..." -Richard Norton Smith The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima began a new era. It was essentially the end of the line for Japan's imagined immunity, it was a power far greater than any weapon seen to that date, and it was the end of World War II. In doing the above, it established the United States as the nation with the biggest stick and made the Soviet Union want to take that stick away. This would be otherwise known as the beginning of the Cold War. Hiroshima unleashed a new threat to humankind. Using the power of the atom, something so small that it cannot be seen to annihilate whole cities and eventually continents, warfare evolved into an ordeal where the whole world was at stake at once instead of a region. Any nuclear war now has the potential to destroy the entire human race, as we know it. On the positive side, the secrets revealed with the atom were used to create a new and relatively clean energy source. As Einstein had pressured FDR in his letter (located in the Primary sources section), the development of nuclear powered energy plants has vastly improved life (if electricity is considered an improvement; some might argue that) for people around the world and within the United States. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\08 Memorable Quotations.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Memorable Quotes from WWII-Pacific/Hiroshima • Winston Churchill in regards to the atomic bomb: "We seemed suddenly to have become possessed of a merciful abridgement of the slaughter in the Far East... To bring the war to an end, to avoid indefinite butchery, to give peace to the world, to lay a healing hand upon its people by a manifestation of overwhelming power at the cost of a few explosions, seemed, after all our toils and perils, a miracle of deliverance." • President Truman in regards to the dropping of "Little Boy" on Hiroshima: "...We have used it to shorten the agony of war, in order to save thousands and thousands of Americans. We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan's capacity to make war. Only a Japanese surrender will stop us." •Unknown petty Italian officer visiting Japan after alliance is sealed: "For Americans, it is the dollar that is the moving spirit. They cannot win." • Emperor Hirohito's announcement to the Japanese people of acceptance of Potsdam Conference: "Despite the best that has been done by everyone, the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage... In order to avoid further bloodshed, perhaps even the total extermination of human civilization, we shall have to endure the unendurable, to suffer the insufferable." • Dwight Eisenhower, interview in Newsweek, 11/11/63 "...The Japanese were ready to surrender and it wasn't necessary to hit them with that awful thing." • Herbert Hoover, reportedly addressing President Truman: "I am convinced that if you, as President, will make a short-wave broadcast to the people of Japan - tell them they can have their Emperor if they surrender, that it will not mean unconditional surrender except for the militarists - you'll get a peace in Japan - you'll have both wars over." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\09 Primary Sources.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Why I Chose Letter to President Truman from the Department of Agriculture This letter was very interesting to me for a variety of reasons. First of all, it provides a contradiction to the letter from Philip B. Fleming, which is important if we are to see the two sides of the beginning of the atomic age. The atomic age is the aftermath of Hiroshima. Another thing about the letter is how it has a surprising amount of ethnocentric language. The Department is bashing Russian intelligence and ingenuity, while at the same time claiming that the United States produces the greatest machines on the world. It is a unique look into the casual disregard of the ability of the Soviet Union to compete on an international scale. Another little thing is that this is a letter that, in its day, would have been nigh impossible to read (unless you were a high-ranking government official). This gives it a certain amount of intrigue and feeling of importance. Maybe that's just for personal reasons. Why I Chose Letter to the President from Philip B. Fleming concerning peacetime development of Atomic Energy This letter provides a strict juxtaposition to the previous letter. That is the main reason it was chosen as a Primary Source and to my reasoning it seems to be more logical. Perhaps if the president had followed General Fleming's advice, the Cold War could have been avoided (perhaps not). The wisdom in trying to placate the Russian bear cannot be denied either way (unfortunately, our government has long held a policy that force is the only thing Russia understands). The main flaw in the logic is another reason why I chose to use this document as a Primary Source (for the sake of irony). Fleming believes that it is only a matter of time until the Soviet Union obtains nuclear secrets and tells the President that they should give the Soviets our atomic secrets, making the United States, Great Britain and the USSR the only nations to hold nuclear secrets. He believes that because the three largest world powers hold secrets of the atom, the rest of the world will be held off. Here's the inherent flaw: how could we keep nuclear secrets from China, Japan, and Germany forever when we couldn't with Russia? If Fleming's goals had been realized, history may have recorded a totally different Cold War. Fleming's dismissal of Asia being able to house a nuclear power suggests a jingoistic stance much like in the letter from the Dept. of Agriculture. Why I Chose [The] White House press release announcing the bombing of Hiroshima This was the first document I sought out and for obvious enough reasons. Within this press release, one finds the official stance of the White House (in 1945) on the atomic bomb. The stance of the Truman Administration is that the bomb was developed out of necessity, as an "if we hadn't, someone else would have" type of argument, making the bomb not something which was developed with the sole intent of killing vast amounts of people, but an eventuality of American ingenuity. The document also explained what exactly had happened to end the war, and began to press upon the public the tremendous power that had been unleashed. The carefully chosen language used within sidesteps mentioning the vast amount of civilians that were killed in the city. Another function of the letter, and a reason why I chose it, is it gives a vague future outlook for peacetime use of atomic energy. This could be used to compare what was projected with what has actually become of atomic energy. Why I Chose Letter from Albert Einstein to FDR concerning the possibility of nuclear bombs This letter from the renowned scientist Albert Einstein to President FDR may be the reason that the government provided financial backing to likes of Szilard and Fermi. It suggests that FDR should pull some strings and make is so that the aforementioned scientists can work away with some assistance and without worrying about funds. The successful development of a way to harness atomic energy could (and did) set America up as "the" world leader. It is essential to include this letter if we are to understand the phases that the development of the bomb underwent. Why I Chose Leaflets Dropped on Cities in Japan This document seems to me essential. When I first saw that I could use the actual text (translated anyway) I knew that I had to have it. It is a very factual account of what was to happen. It states simply that the United States is in possession of a hell of a bomb, and it may or may not be used on any given city. To think that someone in Nagasaki might have read it only hours before the second atomic bomb dropped is mind-boggling to me. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\10 Secondary Sources.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Secondary Sources ...Describe or analyze the primary sources. • Peter Wyden, Day One: Before Hiroshima and After. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984 • Arthur Zich, The Rising Sun. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1977 • S. L. Mayer, ed., The Japanese War Machine. Secaucus, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 1976 • John Keeger, ed., Who Was Who in World War II. New York, New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Publishers, 1978 • J. Robert Moshkin, Mr. Truman's War. New York, New York: Random House, 1996 • HistoryLink.org f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\1984 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I think that today's society is a "half version" of George Owell's novel, 1984, in some ways it is similar and in others, uniquely different. The closest we come today to a "Big Brother" is the mob. The people are also controlled by watchful security cameras and subliminal messages. However, something in life today is very different from that of 1984, it is the people. In the words of the famous lyricist, "Power to the People." In analyzing "Big Brother," there are similarities between it and the mob. The Mafia is a crime family that can see everything, there is no going against the mob or else someone is going to die. The Mafia is so widespread that it has operatives all over keeping an eye out for cops or law enforcement, this is the Mafia's "telescreens" (Orwell 6). Another startling similarity between the mob and "Big Brother" is the Mafia's strange way of making someone disappear or "vaporize" (Orwell ). Almost unknowingly a person's identity can be changed, altered, or deleted. Authorities use security and surveillance cameras to observe criminal activities or possibly every day activities. Too much surveillance liberties are given to police or FBI. By using hi-tech cameras which can actually document a person's life. Unknowingly, there may be a cute little camera installed in the bedroom. Another way that today's society controls the masses is subliminal messages. Illegal now, subliminal messages were widely used in the entertainment business, especially during the fifties. An example is that movie makers would add a split-second commercial add for popcorn and soda during a movie. Customers would actually be manipulated into buying these products. Even though, this kind of brainwashing is illegal, it is still very hard to detect, who's to say that we are not bombarded by subliminal messages just by watching commercials on television. This is too risky, to think that a person's actions and emotions can be swayed by someone else's perversion's. Again, this is very similar to 1984. Of all the things there are today that would make it impossible for there to be an inner or outer party, as in 1984, is that there is each other. No matter how hard our government tries, they cannot reach everyone. Contrary to 1984, where they do get everyone, I feel that was extreme and unlikely. I find it highly unlikely that a form of government can find a way to get the whole world to follow them. 1984 is not a reality, strength lies in numbers. In conclusion, life in the nineties, is a very resilient time. In this time, there is a substantial amount of restriction of the public, much of which is for law and order. A lot of this day and age may resemble George Orwell's 1984. It is nothing but a facade of government mixing with technology at a dangerous level. There's nothing to fear because 1984 is far-fetched and an anti-socialists nightmare. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\1984 3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ George Orwell-1984 Introduction- This story takes place in a state called Oceania. The main characters introduced are Winston Smith who is a worker on one of the four branches of government on Oceania. This four branches are "The Ministry of Truth" where they falsificate or remove all past documents such as books, newspapers, magazines, records, tapes and anything containing information about the past and are rewritten with the "accurate" meaning of whatever the Government (known as "Big Brother") wants it to be. All past records are erased and everyone must believe what the new ones say or else they are caught by the Thought Police. The Thought Police are a group of modern people who are like the police of our time except that this police can see you every single second of your life through special devices that look like T.V.'s called Telescreens. This Telescreens are placed in the houses of people, outside buildings, parks, walls, anywhere they could be put and are always turned on. The Telescreens are constantly giving you information of the wars won and also telling you what to do and always watching every movement you do, no expressions are admitted in Oceania other than hatred or the one "Big Brother" tells you to. The second branch is called "The Ministry of Love" where people were punished, tortured and were taught to hate each other. The third branch is called "The Ministry of Plenty" where economic affairs were handled, they decided who got how much of something almost always being too little of a ration. The last branch is called "The Ministry of Peace" which handled all the war affairs such as where the next bomb they launched would hit and who they needed to destroy next. Big Brother had a slogan that read "WAR IS PEACE", "FREEDOM IS SLAVERY" and "IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH". Winston worked in the Ministry of truth where he's job was to rewrite the news on the newspaper called Times. Another character is O'Brien who helps Winston love Big Brother for Winston hated Big Brother. Julia is the girl that falls in love (which is a very big crime) with Winston. Katharine is Winston's wife though he hasn't seen her for three years. Eastasia and Eurasia are the two other states fighting for power with Oceania. The proles are the only people who are not controlled so much by Big Brother, they act as we do and can have their own believes, thoughts, feelings or anything they feel like. Emmanuel Goldstein is the boss of an underground brotherhood that wants to destroy Big Brother. Conflict- There are uncountable conflicts on this novel but the main one is the struggle of Winston to disobey Big Brother and try to rebel against it and destroy it trying to bring back the original past of mankind. Climax- The climax of this story is when Winston and Julia join this secret brotherhood commanded by Emmanuel Goldstein who's sole purpose is to destroy Big Brother by opening the eyes of people by a secret book that didn't have a name, it was just called "the book" which contained the beliefs of Emmanuel as to what Big Brother was doing. Falling Action- The falling action here is when after Winston and Julia have sex in their own little hiding place which was a room who they rented from Mr. Charrington (who was really O'Brien in disguise) in a place where the proles lived, the Thought Police, commanded by O'Brien catch them and takes them to the Ministry of love where they are punished, humiliated and are made to confess everything and anything that they ever knew while being tortured by O'Brien. Winston betrays everything he loved by punishment and is made to betray everyone and everything he believed in by facing his greatest terror which is rats. Conclusion- The conclusion is that after a few months or years of rehabilitation, Winston is taught to obey Big Brother and love him even though his mind tells him otherwise and he also has to learn how to control his mind to suit whatever Big Brother says is true or not such as 2+2 being 5 and not 4, and he knew it was 5 because Big Brother said so and there was no proof of it being incorrect. After he gets rehabilitated they send him off out of the Ministry of love and is killed by a bullet that enters his head and finally at the end he knows that he now loved Big Brother even though Big Brother had killed him for he never betrayed Big Brother after his rehabilitation. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\1984 4.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In George Orwell's 1984, the Party, the government of Oceania, has many slogans. One of the sayings is "Big Brother Is Watching You". Despite the fact that the slogan is only mentioned a few times throughout the novel, it embodies the government that Orwell has created. We first learn of the slogan when the setting is described on the first page of the book. Orwell depicts, in explicit detail, the sights, sounds, and smells of Oceania. When illustrating the hallways of Victory Mansions, Winston Smith's and other members of the Party's apartment complex, Orwell writes: On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. Big Brother Is Watching You, the caption beneath it ran (5). This poster shows Big Brother as having a face. Big Brother was not an individual person so he did not have a "face". The face, however, gives Big Brother a human quality. By doing so, the government puts itself on the same level of humanity as the citizens that it governs. The people are supposed to feel more comfortable with a ruling party that is just like them. The billboard is also found on every landing and every streetcorner. The overbearing number of posters is a way for the Party to continuously remind its citizens of its presence and ingrain the message into the people's conscience and subconscience minds. "Big Brother" is another name for the Party. It's an ironic choice of words for the Party's second name. First, the notion of a "big brother" connotes a child's big brother. One thinks of comfort and protection, fun and trouble, and love and other feelings when thinking of a brother. One of the Party's goals is to rid Oceania of these emotions. Second, the brother is part of the family unit. The Party is trying to destroy the family and the feelings associated with it (Kalechofsky 114). The phrase "Big Brother Is Watching You" is the Party's way of showing its control over the citizens of Oceania. The Party displays its power over both the history of the world and over the citizens of Oceania's everyday life in many different ways. "Who controls the past," Orwell writes, "controls the future: who controls the present controls the past'" (23). The Party shows its authority over humanity by changing the past, present, and future. It changes all documents in order to fit their needs. For instance, if the Party says that something never happened, then it never happened. All evidence of the event is destroyed. Oceania is continuously at war with either Eurasia or Eastasia. When the Party decides to start fighting with Eastasia and be allies with Eurasia, after years of fighting with Eurasia, all signs of a war with Eurasia are wiped out within a week. The documents are all falsified in the Records department. This is where Winston works. It's ironic that all of the nation's records are changed in the Records department and that this department is in the Ministry of Truth. In this department, facts are rearranged, erased, added, and rewritten in order to revise and "correct" history. There are, however, reminders of the past. Some of these reminders are the smell of real coffee, the thought of good beer, real sugar, a children's history textbook, and various objects in Mr. Charrington's "ordinary" shop and room. Winston buys a diary with paper that hasn't been manufactured in nearly forty years and an "archaic" pen. In the secret room, there is a painting of a church. Churches and religion are a thing of the past. There is also an old armchair and a big bed in the room. Their softness prompts Winston to think of the past. Winston is the only person who remembers the past and that there was a different kind of life in the antiquity. He tries to save it for himself and for the future by writing a diary. It helps clarify and put his thoughts in order. He knows that he will be caught and that future generations will never see the diary. Nevertheless, he still feels the need to write it for that small possibility that they will read it. The Party uses their power so much that the changes that they're making are getting out of hand. As Orwell writes, "The past was dead, the future unimaginable" (25). Oceania's government controls where everyone lives. The division of the people into three classes, the members of the Inner Party, the members of the Party, and the Proles, is on account of a definite hierarchy in the economic standard of living (Freedman 100). Membership in the Party and in the Inner Party is not hereditary. Members of the Inner Party live in large, luxurious mansions. They have everything that they want and need, including the freedom to turn off their telescreens when and if they want to. Other members of the Party live in the Victory Mansions. They are not taken care of and smell of boiled cabbage and sweat. The Proles live in a run down ghetto type of area. By dictating where everyone lives, the Party also determines what class the person is a member of. The Party governs everyone's daily schedule. Members of the Party are all woken up at the same time by a voice from the telescreen. An exercise instructor on the screen leads the people in stretches and exercises, called the Physical Jerks. After dressing, etc., the adults go to work while the children go to school. Lunch is in the middle of the day. There are periodic two minute hates to arouse the people's anger and excitement. After work, there are social gatherings at the community centers and then everyone returns home and goes to sleep. Any change in a person's regular routine is viewed as suspicious. For this reason, Winston is nervous about skipping going to the center one evening and meeting Julia instead. The Party regulates the languages used in Oceania. There are two common dialects used, Oldspeak and Newspeak. Oldspeak is the vernacular that we know and use in the United States today. Newspeak is the language that the Party creates. It is the only idiom with a vocabulary that decreases in size as time goes on. The Party wants to have a language that is so small that it'll be impossible to think poorly of the Party. (This is known as thoughtcrime in Newspeak.) Furthermore, all poetry and songs originate from the Party. There are two significant songs that are repeated throughout the novel. One of them is: They sye that time 'eals all things, They sye you can always forget: But the smiles an' the tears across the years They twist my 'eartstrings yet! (117, 180) It is sung by a "red-armed woman" while "marching to and for between the washtub and the line". The woman is a Prole. The second song is: Under the spreading chestnut tree I sold you and you sold me: There lie they, and here lie we Under the spreading chestnut tree. (66, 241) This tune is played over the telescreen. First of all, songs are produced, mainly for the Proles, by a versificator. This is an ironic choice of a word to name this machine. A versificator is a machine. It has no feelings. The name, versificator, comes from the word versicle. A versicle is a verse that is chanted by a priest and responded to by his congregation. This is a prayer with a lot of emotion. Second, the songs, despite being mechanically produced, have an emotional feminine undertone (Weatherly 82). This side is related to the mother figure of the family unit that the Party is trying to destroy. The government exerts its sovereignty over marriage. All marriages are arranged by either the state or by the parents of those involved. The purpose for marriage is to legalize the union of a man and a woman in order to produce children to serve the state. From the time that these offspring are very young, they are trained as spies. Many children, such as Parsons' kids, turn their parents in to the Thought Police. Neither the parents nor the children are supposed to have any love for one another. There is no love in the world. "Love" is only used for propaganda. Adultery is forbidden to the people. However, they have never been exposed to its existence. Therefore, they don't even know what it is. As a result, forbidding it is an unnecessary extreme. The Party has ways of controlling the thoughts of the people. Winston believes that the Party can control everything except for your thoughts. He says that "nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull". In the end of the novel, however, Winston learns that he is wrong. He realizes that the government has the ability to even penetrate your mind. One of the ways it they controls your thoughts is with the two minute hate. Even if at first you know what you're doing, you get caught up in all of the commotion and get excited and angered too. The Thought Police enforce the desired train of thought. Nobody knows who or where they are, what they look like, or when they'll arrest someone. Even children, like Parsons' kids, can be part of the Thought Police without their own parents knowing. The Thought Police use methods such as torture and force to comprehend one's thoughts. They use these same methods to compel one to accept the things that the Party says and writes even if you do not believe in them. No matter how little you give credence to what the Party says in the beginning, you eventually come to accept everything. Winston comes to believe that two plus two equals five. He also learns to consider the following statements as true: WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH (7,17, 26, 87, 152, 166) Everyone is under constant surveillance. There are telescreens in the houses and other buildings of every Party and Inner Party member. The following exert displays some of the telescreens' power: Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment...... You had to live- did live, from habit that became instinct- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized (6-7). The Proles didn't have telescreens in their houses or edifice f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\1984 By George Orwell.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1984 -George Orwell Summary Chapter 1 and 2 We are introduced to Winston Smith the main character of the story. Works at Ministry of truth. Ministry of truth is one of four government buildings in destroyed London, the main city of Airstrip One, a province of Oceania. Year is 1984 and three contries are at war, Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. Oceania is run by the party whose leader is Big Brother. Winston is sick of his life in the ruined city and decides to keep a diary. This is against the law in Oceania. He felt his feelings begin to hate Emmanuel Goldstein, leader of the enemy party. He also spots O'Brien, a party leader whose eyes he see's a bit of political sympthy. See's young girl who he dislikes. He feels it is only a matter of time before his though crimes are detected. A knock at the door he thinks is police. Mrs. Parsons, his neighbor is at the door and asked him to unclog a sink. He does it but smells sweat all over the apartment. Mrs. Parsons is a follower of party doctrine and a fellow employee at the ministry. The children are members of Spies, a youth that encourages spying and telling on traitors, including parents. Winston is revolted. He returns home and writes a couple more minutes before going back to work. He remenbers a dream where O'Brien tole him he would meet him in a place wher there is no darkness. He washes his hands and hides the diary Reaction Major ideas, conflicts and themes are introduced. We are shown how the earth has changed, into 3 main contenients. we are also introduced to the main character and how he fits into the new world. Also we are shown how the computer age has taken over peoples minds. The language is easy to understand, it has not really changed much over time. Seems like nothing left after nuclear war, just ruins remaining. We are introduced to Tom Parsons which Winston is contrasted with. The city is very drab. Quotes "Big brother is watching you, the caption beneath it said" "Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever." 1984 -George Orwell Summary Chapter 3,4 and 5 Waking from dreams, he remembers his mother and sister, and can barely remember their disappearence and feels responsible for there deaths. He has another dream where he is in the perfect countryside with the girl he had noticed eariler. He dreamed she stripped for him. This time he is woken up by the telescreen, telling him to do his exercises. He thinks about how much power the Party has over all information. Begins work at the ministry of truth. His job is to correct printed articles in line with the Party's orders. The Ministry and records department jobs are to rewrite history to make the party look good. They get a break because of the 2 minute hate. When he gets back he replaces a speech by Big Brother with invented history. Makes up story about a man named Ogilvy. The article had become contrary to the present party policy. It is replaced as though is never existed. Winston meets Syme, a philologist, for lunch. Syme explains parts about Newspeak. They are joined by Parsons. Winston thinks of the fate that each co-worker will recieve. Syme will be vapourized because he is to smart, where Parsons is dull enough to escape vapourization. He is the only one who has not been taken over by the propaganda that is always being brodcast. He notices the same girl from the other day starring at him and thinks it is the thought police. Reaction The Golden country that he dreams about is definatly a release or a freedom from the the drabness of London. Also from the party. We are introduced to the fact that he has no mother or father or sisters or brothers anymore because they were taken by the party. He is realizing that he is rebelling against the party and he understands that he is at risk. Winston is in search of the truth and is concerned because of the party's ability to change history. We find that he likes his work even though it is for the party and against morals. He is introduced to the girl that will play a big part in the book most likely. Quotes "People in the Records Department did not talk readily about there jobs." "Winstons greatest pleasure in life was his work" 1984 -George Orwell Summary Chapter 6,7 and 8 He records in his diary and encounter a couple of years ago with a prostiture mad up to look young, but was really and old woman. This menory of the encounter causes him to think of the policy regarding sex and marriage which the party has enforced. Thsi causes him to theink of his miserable life with his wife Katherine, that he has not seen in eleven years. Winston resents the intrusinon of the Party into the sex lives of its members. Also realizes the discouragement of sexual enjoyment, that makes any love affair with a party member impossible. Writing down the incident does not help him. He makes another entry in his diary, this one concerning the proles. He feels they are the only group that might overthrough the party, but they are unaware of it. There is no way of finding the truth about the past but he does think that present life is worse than the past. He remembers a photo that came into his possession trying to change the pastbut he destroyed it. He plans to stay free. After work one evening, he wonders into the prole end of London, and ends up near the store where he bought the diary. Follows man into pub and plans to ask him about revolution but man is incoherent. He leaves the pub and wanders. He ends up outside the little antique shop and decides to buy a glass paperweight. Mr. Charrington shows him a room upstairs and Winston dreams of renting it. He notices a dark haired girl following himand he is sure it is the thought police and he will be arrested. Reaction We discover that people have a bond when it comes to sexuallity that the party connot control. Even thought the party rejects sexual relationships between its members. Sexual experience is no longer allowed in the society and Winston longs for one. He confesses in his Diary about his last expereince but it does not help. We find he has faith in the proles and there ability to revolt. It is hard to set up a revolt with the thought police detecting every thought. Winston reaches a crises with the thought police. Quotes "Winston reached down and cautiously scratched his varicose ulcer" "Not a word could ever be proved or disproved" 1984 -George Orwell Summary Part 2, Chapter 1,2 and 3 At work he runs into the dark haired girl again, in the hallway. She falls and while he is lifting her up she slips him a note. He reads it at his desk and is amazed to find that it simple states, I love you. Eager and excited to meat with her, he has to wait 7 days until they eat together in the cafeteria. They decide to meet in Victory square. When meeting there, they arrange another meeting next sunday afternoon. At the designated meeting place, in the countryside outside London, he finally learns her name. Julia explains that she considers herself rebelious to the party. She has had sex with many other non-members. Suddenly he walks into the scene exactly like his dreem. She removes her clothes and they have sex. He belives that sexual desire may be the force that destroys the party. Following there secret meeting they meet each othe occasionally. Julie arranges the meetings. They go a month without seeing each other but whenever they can before and after. She belives that she must pretend to cooperate with the party and in secret break the rules whenever possible. Winston thinks that rebellion is the best answer. They discuss past girl and boyfriends and how the party controls them. Reaction He is ready for the Julia but is worried about a possible trap. His negative approach to life and his sexual fustration make him ready anyhow. Once he commits to her he connot go back and he is committing though crimes. This may be the beginning of the end. He was happy to find that she was not a virgin and had previous affairs. His idea of revolt is changed and he now is enjoying being corrupted. Julia takes charge of the relationship, showing her aggressivness. She does not believe in Winstons ideas on rebellion and thinks that differently. Quotes "A sense of helplessness took hold of Winston" "Between you and me, the antique trade's just about finished" 1984 -George Orwell Summary Chapter 4,5,6 and 7 Winston does rent the room above the antique show and realizes the foolishness of what he and Julia are doing. She brings him coffee and real sugar and real old-fashioned make-up. Julie tries to remember an old nursry rhyme, while Winston immagines that he and Julia and the room itself were all closed in like the paperweight. Many preperations for the upcoming hate week keep Winston, Julia and the others very busy. Winston discovers that his friend Syme has dissappeared and all records of him have been altered. Meanwhile, Parsons is still busy and happy in the preperations for hate week. He was right about them. Because of the increased work load he and Julia do not meet as much but in the room above the antique shop they look at things from the past and other forbidden things. They discuss the hopelessness of there private rebellion and that it cannot go on forever. He is dissappointed that Julie does not reject propaganda from the partyand her theroy that the party sends bombs on itself. One day at work O'Brien gives Winston his address and asked him to stop by so tha he can lend him an advance copy of the Newspeak dictionary. Winstonthinks this is a conspiracy against the party and is excited but, thinks it will end in touture and death. Winston dreams of his mother again and the hunger and awful conditions there were before the disappearence. He feals bad for asking for rationed food and stealing his sisters choclate. When he came back they were gone. Winston tries to tell her but she is tired. He is glad him and her have there own feeling toward each other. Reaction He rents room above the antique shop showing his independence and his plunge into the end. He wishes the room could be closed in like the paperweight. We find out how different the two main characters are. The state does not care what kind of person you you are. Julia understanding of the party is much better that Winston although she is nieve to many things that the party does. Winston defines his rebellion in three steps, first the thought then the word(Diary) then the act(Julia). O'Brien seems to be a good man, also in rebellion. His mother was like him. Quotes "The timy interior of the shop ws in fact uncomfortably full, but there was almost nothing in it of the slightest value" "A sharp cry of pain was wrung out of her" 1984 -George Orwell Summary chapter 8,9 and 10 Winston takes Julia to the O'Briens apartment. He wonderes is O'Brien is also a rebel because he finds him in front of the telescreen, hard at work. Over toast he explains to Winston what is required of the secret rebel brotherhood. They except the terms of the menbership except that they will never see each other ever again. O'Brien promises to be given a copy of Emmanuel Goldstein's book, secretly in the future. After a long week, of sorting through millions of documents, changing them to prove that the Party's decision that Easstasia, and not Eurasia, was the enemy that they have been fighting all along. He rushes home to read the copy of the book. He reads while lying back and relaxing. Julia falls asleep when he tries to read her sections of it. When they awake from there sleep they start talking, but a voice issues from behind the picture on the wall. It is a hidden telescreen which instructs them not to move. They are rushed by armed guards. The Thought Police had been observing them all along. Winston and Julia are violently seperated. Mr. Charrington enters the room without his disquise, looking much younger. He is a menber of the thought police. Reaction Winston thinks of O'Brein as a strong, unexcitable man. He is dedicated and wholeheartyu to the brotherhood. Winston joins the brotherhood and tells about his dreams. We understand about hate week a little more. Winston reads the book that is given to him by O'Brien. Winston and Julia get arrested. They find out that O'Brien was the enemy. There was a sorta feeling that O'Brien was the bad guy, and they would get cought sonner or later. Quotes "He was a bit early" "The lane widened, and in a minute he came to the footpath she had told him of" 1984 -George Orwell Summary Part 3 Chapter 1 and 2 Winston is being held prisoner in a large, crowded cell at the Ministry of Love. Ampleforth and Parsons are both prisoners also. Parsons was tured in by his own daughter for thoughtcrime. He feels increased discomfort and room 101 is continually mentioned by several prisoners. O'Brien enters the cell with a guard and Winston now realized he has been betrayed by him. O'Brein is a member of the Inner Party. O'Brien orders the guard to strike Winston who feels a great deal of pain on his elbow. Winston is tortured both physically and mentally for an unknown length of time. He keeps getting interrogated with beations and questions until he confesses to many crimes. O'Brien reveals that he has been watching Winston for seven years. O'Brein wants total rehab. from Winston. O'Brien explains why the party can never be defeated. He has been informed that Julia quite easily betrayed him and has now been released totally rehabilitated. Winstons questions about room 101 is not answered. Reaction Finally he is caught by the thought police, which was inevidable since the beginning. He realizes that he has been betrayed by Julia and O'Brien. But he says he would never betray her. All time is lost while he is in jail. We is going to be rehabilitated and is taken to the dreded 101 for more mind games. Winston does not crack, except that O'Brien gets him to believe is a little crasy. Quotes "Listen the more men you have had the more I love you" "We can come here once again" 1984 -George Orwell Summary Chapter 3 and 4 O'Brien tells Winston th esecond stage of his rehab. is about to begin- understanding the why in party. He also tells winston that he wrote sections of Goldstiens book. He says the Party rules for the sake of power, and power alone. The proles will never revolt. O'Brein questions him further and punishes him when he does not answer correctly. Winston says he is morally superior to the Party, but O'Brien has a tape of the conversation about what Winston was willing to do to join the brotherhood. Winston thinks that the party will be defeated by a noble man, but O'Brien shows Winston himself in the mirror. Winston weeps looking at his own aged and ghastly body. He conforts himself by thinking about how he never betrayed Julia. Winstons health is improving, and he is trying to accept the rightness of the party. He examines the past events and realilizes the party was in control the whole time. He realizes also that he party can make anything right if is wants to. He has to practice doublethinking. He wakes up from a troubled sleep, calling Julia's name. O'Brien enters his room and Winston confesses that he still hates Big Brother. He is sent to room 101. Reaction He had also looked to O'Brien for sanity and stength and kindness but now he sees what he really is a power-hungry guy who likes infliction of pain. He finds out he has been watched for 7 years. After being broken or cracked he still has the fact that he has not turned against Julia. They completely destroyed Winston and he has now entered the party. Quotes "Have you heard the rumours of the existance of the brotherhood." "The brotherhood cannot be wiped out because it is not an orgainization in the ordinary sense" "He was tired, but not sleepy any longer" 1984 -George Orwell Summary Chapter 5 and 6 The torture room is brightly lit, room 101. O'Brien says that the room contains the worst thing in the world. It turns out to be rats in a cage which can be strapped over his face. Winston yells and screems and is overcome by the horror and the terror. He screams that this punnishment should be given to Julia and not him. O'Brien spares his life. Winston is then released. He is sitting under a tree at the Chestnut Tree Cafe. He drinks very heavily now. He remembers meeting Julia and how they talked about how they betrayed each other. The party would not allow them to see each other, but neither felt anything anymore. He remembers a game of his childhood but then it is pushed out by the broadcast that comes on the telescreen. Eurasia is once again the enemy. His heart fills with love for Big Brother. Reaction The party knows the worse nightmare of each person and is ble to use that against them. It worked on Winston. Finnally he gives in and the party has won. Quotes "He did not attempt to kiss her, nor did they speek" "He loved Big Brother" f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\1984 BY GOERGE ORWELL.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL THE BOOK 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL IS ABOUT A MAN NAMED WINSTON SMITH. HE LIVES IN THE COUNTRY OF OCEANIA. IN THIS COUNTRY EVERY THING IS CONTROLLED BY A PARTY NAMED THE BIG BROTHER. THIS PARTY CONTROLLS EVERY THING FROM FOOD RATIONS TO WHAT PEOPLE CAN THINK. THEY EVEN HAVE TELLASCREANS EVERY WHERE SO THEY CAN WATCH PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES. WINSTON WORKS IN NEWSPEAK. NEWSPEAK IS WERE THEY EVENT SIMPILAR WORDS SO THEY CAN ELEMINATE OTHER WORDS TO MAKE THE LANGUAGE SIMPILIAR. WINSTON LIVES A PRETTY NORMAL LIVE UNTILL HE JOINS A UNDERGROUND PARTY CALLED THE BROTHERHOOD. HE JOINS THIS BECAUSE HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN WHAT THE BIG BROTHER IS DOING AND HE THINKS IT IS WRONG. THE BROTHERHOOD IS AGAINST THE BIG BROTHER AND IS TRYING TO END ITS POWER. IN THIS PARTY THEY TELL WINSTON EVERY THING THE BIG BROTHER IS NOT TELLING THEM THINGS LIKE WHO OCEANIA IS REALLY AT WAR WITH AND EVERY THING THAT THE BIG BROTHER HAD BEEN LYING TO THEM ABOUT. IN THIS PARTY WINSTON MEETS A GIRL NAMED JULIA. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THEY FALL IN LOVE. THEY HAVE SEX FOR A LONG TIME BUT HAVING SEX IS ILLEGAL IN OCEANIA. SO THEY HAVE TO HIDE.THEY FIND A SPOT IN THE FORREST WHERE NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT SO THEY WONT GET CAUGHT. AFTER A FEW MONTHS THEY FIND A BETTER SPOT THAT THEY RENTED FROM A FREIND. THEY USED THIS PLACE FOR A FEW MONTHS. UNTILL ONE NIGHT WHEN THEY FELL A SLEEP AND IN THE MORNING THEY WOKE UP TO THE POLICE TAKING THE TO JAIL. THEY TAKE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE QUESTIONED AND INNTERRIAGATED UNTILL THEY BREAK DOWN AND CONFESS. THEY ARE TAKING THERE AND TORRTURED AND BRAIN WASHED UNTILL THEY BELIVE WHAT THE PARTY TELLS THEM. THEY USED THE THING WINSTON WAS MOST AFRAID OF AND THATS RATS. SEEING THE RATS MADE HIM YELL OUT DONT HURT ME HURT JULIA.THEN THEY LET HIM GO BECAUSE THEY MADE HIM THINK EVERY THING THEY TOLD HIM. THESE ARE THE SAME TECHNIQUES THAT THE GERMANS USED CALL PROPAGANDA. THEY USED THESE TECHNIQUES TO BRAIN WASH THE PEOPLE AND TELL THEM WHAT TO THINK. I THINK THE THEME OF THE BOOK IS TO NEVER TRUST ANYBODY BECAUSE IN THE END OF THE BOOK WINSTON YELLS OUT HURT JULIA NOT ME. JULIA TRUSTED HIM AND HE TOLD ON HER. 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL THE BOOK 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL IS ABOUT A MAN NAMED WINSTON SMITH. HE LIVES IN THE COUNTRY OF OCEANIA. IN THIS COUNTRY EVERY THING IS CONTROLLED BY A PARTY NAMED THE BIG BROTHER. THIS PARTY CONTROLLS EVERY THING FROM FOOD RATIONS TO WHAT PEOPLE CAN THINK. THEY EVEN HAVE TELLASCREANS EVERY WHERE SO THEY CAN WATCH PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES. WINSTON WORKS IN NEWSPEAK. NEWSPEAK IS WERE THEY EVENT SIMPILAR WORDS SO THEY CAN ELEMINATE OTHER WORDS TO MAKE THE LANGUAGE SIMPILIAR. WINSTON LIVES A PRETTY NORMAL LIVE UNTILL HE JOINS A UNDERGROUND PARTY CALLED THE BROTHERHOOD. HE JOINS THIS BECAUSE HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN WHAT THE BIG BROTHER IS DOING AND HE THINKS IT IS WRONG. THE BROTHERHOOD IS AGAINST THE BIG BROTHER AND IS TRYING TO END ITS POWER. IN THIS PARTY THEY TELL WINSTON EVERY THING THE BIG BROTHER IS NOT TELLING THEM THINGS LIKE WHO OCEANIA IS REALLY AT WAR WITH AND EVERY THING THAT THE BIG BROTHER HAD BEEN LYING TO THEM ABOUT. IN THIS PARTY WINSTON MEETS A GIRL NAMED JULIA. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THEY FALL IN LOVE. THEY HAVE SEX FOR A LONG TIME BUT HAVING SEX IS ILLEGAL IN OCEANIA. SO THEY HAVE TO HIDE.THEY FIND A SPOT IN THE FORREST WHERE NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT SO THEY WONT GET CAUGHT. AFTER A FEW MONTHS THEY FIND A BETTER SPOT THAT THEY RENTED FROM A FREIND. THEY USED THIS PLACE FOR A FEW MONTHS. UNTILL ONE NIGHT WHEN THEY FELL A SLEEP AND IN THE MORNING THEY WOKE UP TO THE POLICE TAKING THE TO JAIL. THEY TAKE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE QUESTIONED AND INNTERRIAGATED UNTILL THEY BREAK DOWN AND CONFESS. THEY ARE TAKING THERE AND TORRTURED AND BRAIN WASHED UNTILL THEY BELIVE WHAT THE PARTY TELLS THEM. THEY USED THE THING WINSTON WAS MOST AFRAID OF AND THATS RATS. SEEING THE RATS MADE HIM YELL OUT DONT HURT ME HURT JULIA.THEN THEY LET HIM GO BECAUSE THEY MADE HIM THINK EVERY THING THEY TOLD HIM. THESE ARE THE SAME TECHNIQUES THAT THE GERMANS USED CALL PROPAGANDA. THEY USED THESE TECHNIQUES TO BRAIN WASH THE PEOPLE AND TELL THEM WHAT TO THINK. I THINK THE THEME OF THE BOOK IS TO NEVER TRUST ANYBODY BECAUSE IN THE END OF THE BOOK WINSTON YELLS OUT HURT JULIA NOT ME. JULIA TRUSTED HIM AND HE TOLD ON HER. 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL THE BOOK 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL IS ABOUT A MAN NAMED WINSTON SMITH. HE LIVES IN THE COUNTRY OF OCEANIA. IN THIS COUNTRY EVERY THING IS CONTROLLED BY A PARTY NAMED THE BIG BROTHER. THIS PARTY CONTROLLS EVERY THING FROM FOOD RATIONS TO WHAT PEOPLE CAN THINK. THEY EVEN HAVE TELLASCREANS EVERY WHERE SO THEY CAN WATCH PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES. WINSTON WORKS IN NEWSPEAK. NEWSPEAK IS WERE THEY EVENT SIMPILAR WORDS SO THEY CAN ELEMINATE OTHER WORDS TO MAKE THE LANGUAGE SIMPILIAR. WINSTON LIVES A PRETTY NORMAL LIVE UNTILL HE JOINS A UNDERGROUND PARTY CALLED THE BROTHERHOOD. HE JOINS THIS BECAUSE HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN WHAT THE BIG BROTHER IS DOING AND HE THINKS IT IS WRONG. THE BROTHERHOOD IS AGAINST THE BIG BROTHER AND IS TRYING TO END ITS POWER. IN THIS PARTY THEY TELL WINSTON EVERY THING THE BIG BROTHER IS NOT TELLING THEM THINGS LIKE WHO OCEANIA IS REALLY AT WAR WITH AND EVERY THING THAT THE BIG BROTHER HAD BEEN LYING TO THEM ABOUT. IN THIS PARTY WINSTON MEETS A GIRL NAMED JULIA. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THEY FALL IN LOVE. THEY HAVE SEX FOR A LONG TIME BUT HAVING SEX IS ILLEGAL IN OCEANIA. SO THEY HAVE TO HIDE.THEY FIND A SPOT IN THE FORREST WHERE NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT SO THEY WONT GET CAUGHT. AFTER A FEW MONTHS THEY FIND A BETTER SPOT THAT THEY RENTED FROM A FREIND. THEY USED THIS PLACE FOR A FEW MONTHS. UNTILL ONE NIGHT WHEN THEY FELL A SLEEP AND IN THE MORNING THEY WOKE UP TO THE POLICE TAKING THE TO JAIL. THEY TAKE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE QUESTIONED AND INNTERRIAGATED UNTILL THEY BREAK DOWN AND CONFESS. THEY ARE TAKING THERE AND TORRTURED AND BRAIN WASHED UNTILL THEY BELIVE WHAT THE PARTY TELLS THEM. THEY USED THE THING WINSTON WAS MOST AFRAID OF AND THATS RATS. SEEING THE RATS MADE HIM YELL OUT DONT HURT ME HURT JULIA.THEN THEY LET HIM GO BECAUSE THEY MADE HIM THINK EVERY THING THEY TOLD HIM. THESE ARE THE SAME TECHNIQUES THAT THE GERMANS USED CALL PROPAGANDA. THEY USED THESE TECHNIQUES TO BRAIN WASH THE PEOPLE AND TELL THEM WHAT TO THINK. I THINK THE THEME OF THE BOOK IS TO NEVER TRUST ANYBODY BECAUSE IN THE END OF THE BOOK WINSTON YELLS OUT HURT JULIA NOT ME. JULIA TRUSTED HIM AND HE TOLD ON HER. 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL THE BOOK 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL IS ABOUT A MAN NAMED WINSTON SMITH. HE LIVES IN THE COUNTRY OF OCEANIA. IN THIS COUNTRY EVERY THING IS CONTROLLED BY A PARTY NAMED THE BIG BROTHER. THIS PARTY CONTROLLS EVERY THING FROM FOOD RATIONS TO WHAT PEOPLE CAN THINK. THEY EVEN HAVE TELLASCREANS EVERY WHERE SO THEY CAN WATCH PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES. WINSTON WORKS IN NEWSPEAK. NEWSPEAK IS WERE THEY EVENT SIMPILAR WORDS SO THEY CAN ELEMINATE OTHER WORDS TO MAKE THE LANGUAGE SIMPILIAR. WINSTON LIVES A PRETTY NORMAL LIVE UNTILL HE JOINS A UNDERGROUND PARTY CALLED THE BROTHERHOOD. HE JOINS THIS BECAUSE HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN WHAT THE BIG BROTHER IS DOING AND HE THINKS IT IS WRONG. THE BROTHERHOOD IS AGAINST THE BIG BROTHER AND IS TRYING TO END ITS POWER. IN THIS PARTY THEY TELL WINSTON EVERY THING THE BIG BROTHER IS NOT TELLING THEM THINGS LIKE WHO OCEANIA IS REALLY AT WAR WITH AND EVERY THING THAT THE BIG BROTHER HAD BEEN LYING TO THEM ABOUT. IN THIS PARTY WINSTON MEETS A GIRL NAMED JULIA. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THEY FALL IN LOVE. THEY HAVE SEX FOR A LONG TIME BUT HAVING SEX IS ILLEGAL IN OCEANIA. SO THEY HAVE TO HIDE.THEY FIND A SPOT IN THE FORREST WHERE NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT SO THEY WONT GET CAUGHT. AFTER A FEW MONTHS THEY FIND A BETTER SPOT THAT THEY RENTED FROM A FREIND. THEY USED THIS PLACE FOR A FEW MONTHS. UNTILL ONE NIGHT WHEN THEY FELL A SLEEP AND IN THE MORNING THEY WOKE UP TO THE POLICE TAKING THE TO JAIL. THEY TAKE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE QUESTIONED AND INNTERRIAGATED UNTILL THEY BREAK DOWN AND CONFESS. THEY ARE TAKING THERE AND TORRTURED AND BRAIN WASHED UNTILL THEY BELIVE WHAT THE PARTY TELLS THEM. THEY USED THE THING WINSTON WAS MOST AFRAID OF AND THATS RATS. SEEING THE RATS MADE HIM YELL OUT DONT HURT ME HURT JULIA.THEN THEY LET HIM GO BECAUSE THEY MADE HIM THINK EVERY THING THEY TOLD HIM. THESE ARE THE SAME TECHNIQUES THAT THE GERMANS USED CALL PROPAGANDA. THEY USED THESE TECHNIQUES TO BRAIN WASH THE PEOPLE AND TELL THEM WHAT TO THINK. I THINK THE THEME OF THE BOOK IS TO NEVER TRUST ANYBODY BECAUSE IN THE END OF THE BOOK WINSTON YELLS OUT HURT JULIA NOT ME. JULIA TRUSTED HIM AND HE TOLD ON HER. 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL THE BOOK 1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL IS ABOUT A MAN NAMED WINSTON SMITH. HE LIVES IN THE COUNTRY OF OCEANIA. IN THIS COUNTRY EVERY THING IS CONTROLLED BY A PARTY NAMED THE BIG BROTHER. THIS PARTY CONTROLLS EVERY THING FROM FOOD RATIONS TO WHAT PEOPLE CAN THINK. THEY EVEN HAVE TELLASCREANS EVERY WHERE SO THEY CAN WATCH PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES. WINSTON WORKS IN NEWSPEAK. NEWSPEAK IS WERE THEY EVENT SIMPILAR WORDS SO THEY CAN ELEMINATE OTHER WORDS TO MAKE THE LANGUAGE SIMPILIAR. WINSTON LIVES A PRETTY NORMAL LIVE UNTILL HE JOINS A UNDERGROUND PARTY CALLED THE BROTHERHOOD. HE JOINS THIS BECAUSE HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN WHAT THE BIG BROTHER IS DOING AND HE THINKS IT IS WRONG. THE BROTHERHOOD IS AGAINST THE BIG BROTHER AND IS TRYING TO END ITS POWER. IN THIS PARTY THEY TELL WINSTON EVERY THING THE BIG BROTHER IS NOT TELLING THEM THINGS LIKE WHO OCEANIA IS REALLY AT WAR WITH AND EVERY THING THAT THE BIG BROTHER HAD BEEN LYING TO THEM ABOUT. IN THIS PARTY WINSTON MEETS A GIRL NAMED JULIA. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THEY FALL IN LOVE. THEY HAVE SEX FOR A LONG TIME BUT HAVING SEX IS ILLEGAL IN OCEANIA. SO THEY HAVE TO HIDE.THEY FIND A SPOT IN THE FORREST WHERE NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\1984.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is an American classic which explores the human mind when it comes to power, corruption, control, and the ultimate utopian society. Orwell indirectly proposes that power given to the government will ultimately become corrupt and they will attempt to force all to conform to their one set standard. He also sets forth the idea that the corrupted government will attempt to destroy any and all mental and physical opposition to their beliefs, thus eliminating any opportunity for achieving an utopian society. The novel shows how the government attempts to control the minds and bodies of it citizens, such as Winston Smith who does not subscribe to their beliefs, through a variety of methods. The first obvious example arises with the large posters with the caption of "Big Brother is Watching You" (page 5). These are the first pieces of evidence that the government is watching over its people. Shortly afterwards we learn of the "Thought Police", who "snoop in on conversations, always watching your every move, controlling the minds and thoughts of the people." (page 6). To the corrupted government, physical control is not good enough, however. The only way to completely eliminate physical opposition is to first eliminate any mental opposition. The government is trying to control our minds, as it says "thought crime does not entail death; thought crime is death." (page 27). Later in the novel the government tries even more drastic methods of control. Big Brother's predictions in the Times are changed. The government is lying about production figures (pages 35-37). Even later in the novel, Syme's name was left out on the Chess Committee list. He then essentially vanishes as though he had never truly existed (page 122). Though the methods and activities of the government seem rather extreme in Orwell's novel, they may not be entirely too false. "Nineteen Eighty-Four is to the disorders of the twentieth century what Leviathan was to those of the seventeenth." (Crick, 1980). In the novel, Winston Smith talks about the people not being human. He says that "the only thing that can keep you human is to not allow the government to get inside you." (page 137). The corruption is not the only issue which Orwell presents, both directly and indirectly. He warns that absolute power in the hands of any government can lead to the deprival of basic freedoms and liberties for the people. Though he uses the Soviet Union as the basis of the novel's example, he sets the story in England to show that any absolute power, whether in a Communist state or a Democratic one, can result in an autocratic and overbearing rule. When government lies become truths, and nobody will oppose, anything can simply become a fact. Through the control of the mind and body the government attempts, any hopes of achieving an utopian society are dashed. The peoples' minds are essentially not theirs' anymore. The government tells them how to think. Conformity and this unilateral thinking throughout the entire population can have disastrous results. Orwell also tells us it has become a "world of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons. Warriors fighting, triumphing, persecuting... 3 million people all with the same face." (page 64). George Orwell was born in India and brought up with the British upper class beliefs of superiority over the lower castes and in general class pride. A theme very prevalent in his novels, Nineteen Eighty-Four certainly no exception, is this separation in the classes. The masses are disregarded by the Party. This is a theme which is "fundamental to the novel, but not demonstrated as fully as the devastation of language and the elimination of the past." (Kazin, 1984). Kazin also states in his essay that: "Orwell thought the problem of domination by class or caste or race or political machine more atrocious than ever. It demands solution. Because he was from the upper middle class and knew from his own prejudices just how unreal the lower classes can be to upper-class radicals, a central theme in all his work is the separateness and loneliness of the upper-class observer, like his beloved Swift among the oppressed Irish." (Kazin, 1984). This feeling of superiority somewhat provokes and leads to the aforementioned corruption of absolute power. As the saying goes, "absolute power corrupts absolutely." It is not even so much that the rulers want to become corrupt, but they cannot grasp the idea of an absolute rule. They, as Kazin stated, cannot comprehend the differentiation within the system, and thus become corrupt. This ultimately prevents achieving an utopian society where the upper class people want to oppress and the lower class want to rebel. Orwell had strong anti-totalitarianism points of view and greatly satires Socialism, even though he still insisted he was a Socialist in its pure form, in this novel and in Animal Farm. Many consider that Nineteen Eighty-Four is actually an extension of Animal Farm. In Animal Farm, Orwell "left out one element which occurs in all his other works of fiction, the individual rebel caught up in the machinery of the caste system. Not until Nineteen Eighty-Four did he elaborate on the rebel's role in an Animal Farm carried to its monstrously logical conclusion." (Woodcock, 1966). The two books primary connection is through the use of the totalitarian society and the rebel, and as stated some believe Nineteen Eighty-Four to simply be an extension of Animal Farm. Nineteen Eighty-Four, however, brings everything to an even more extreme but even scarier is the fact that is more realistic, such as in a Nazi Germany environment. Nineteen Eighty-Four is considered to have great pessimistic undertones, Orwell's prophecy if you will. It is also not known whether it was intended as a "last words", though it was his final work, as he collapsed and was bed-ridden for two years before he died. He did marry several months before his death saying it gave him new reason to live. Orwell's creation of Winston Smith shows a character who is: "in struggle against the system, occasionally against himself, but rarely against other people. One thinks of Orwell's having thrown his characters into a circular machine and then noting their struggle against the machine, their attempts to escape it or compromise themselves with it." (Karl, 1972). Orwell writes more about the struggle as a piece of advice than anything else. This novel was widely considered prophetic, a warning of what could be to come if we did not take care. Orwell's method was to introduce the questions, not propose solutions. Most likely he did not have the solution, but it was his "solution" to help bring about the awareness of the existing problem. The corrupt government is trying to control the minds of their subjects, which in turn translates to control of their body. Orwell warns that absolute power in the hands of any government can deprive people of all basic freedoms. There are similar references in another of Orwell's novels, Animal Farm, supporting the ideas of corruption and an unattainable utopian society which were presented here in Nineteen Eighty-Four. With this novel, Orwell also introduced the genre of the dystopic novel into the world of literature. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\20000 Leagues Under the Sea.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA by Jules Verne The news spread worldwide about a serpent-like creature. Supposedly, part of the whale family has been ramming ships and sinking them with ease. The large ship named the Abraham Lincoln was sent out to find and kill this beast. An attack of the monster left Professor Aronnax and his long time sidekick Conseil thrown overboard. Ned Land, master harpooner was thrown overboard as well. An iron-plated submarine saved their lives. When taken aboard the submarine they were treated with hostility. With an introduction to Captain Nemo they became passengers aboard the Nautilus. They were astonished by the Nautilus on how it could dive down to the ocean depths to see all that the sea had to offer. Professor Aronnax and Conseil found the ocean depths to be a new world! Many life and death experiences made Ned Land feel uneasy about his new life aboard the Nautilus. He was determined to escape. Captain Nemo took them to many exquisite places. They experienced hunting and searching for pearls, VigLo Bay, a hollowed out volcano, and the underwater city of Atlantis. Captain Nemo took them to the South Pole, where no man had been before and Captain Nemo was the first to go there. They almost died leaving the Great Ice Barrier. Then they fought with giant squid. Captain Nemo seemed to be seeking revenge on ships from his own country. He used the powerful Nautilus as a weapon to sink many ships. After 10 months of being aboard they completed their underwater exploration covering 20,000 leagues under the sea. A Maelstrom hit the Nautilus and Professor Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land, already in the dinghy ready to escape, were thrown from the submarine. They floated to safety and returned to their homeland. The mystery remains. Nobody knows what happened to the Nautilus and its infamous Captain Nemo. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\2nd essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Over the years I have read many great books which have sparked my interest and stimulated my mind. When I find a book I enjoy I tend to run with the author until his style of writing grows old, or until ive read them all. While most of the books I have read some extraordinary books there have been some that have made me want to shoot my self in the face (metaphorically no need to worry). I am currently reading Homer's Iliad for enjoyment and in school I am reading Shakespeare's Hamlet both of which I truly enjoy. My personal favorite and I believe under appreciated book of all time was the WWI book All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque. As a boy I found that I enjoyed reading. Books such as Wayside School series by Louis Sacher, and Maniac McGee were the first books I read. I then began to read the books by Mark Twain including the beginning of the one about being a cowboy. Through middle school I began to read books by S. E. Hintion starting with Outsiders and That Was Then This Is Now and ending with the book Rumble Fish. I read many others over Elementary and Middle School, most of which I can't remember the name or the plot (including one which was a modern version of king Midas with chocolate instead of gold).My favorite books of middle school were Bridge To Teribetheia as well as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. High School holds my favorite and most memorable selection of books to date probably cause it's the most recent. In my Freshman years I went through a Tolkien stage in which I read almost every one of his books including Unfinished Tales put together by his son Christopher Tolkien. I have in many ways yet to recover from this phase I was even one of those nerds who dressed in Middle-Earth clothing to the release of Two Towers. Directly after that and contributing greatly to my "Aura of nerd" I read all of the Harry Potter books. After that I read the book One Flew Over The Coocoo's Nest which sparked my intrest in human psyche. Instantly my sister recommended Clockwork Orange which I enjoyed though I found the English a little difficult. My surch for insanity lead me to the short storys written by the great Baltimore citizen Eger Allen Poe (personal favorit The Pendulam). Flowing like a stream I quickly picked up several of the butiful works of Steven King, I started with Pet Semetery and included It, and Cristean. Over the summer and beginging of my senior year I started to read books about the world famous British Secrit Agent James Bond, ranging from bouth Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice, Live And Let Die, and Casino Royal and John Gardner's License Renewed, and Never Send Flowers. I am currently reading Homer's Iliad with the help of a book called Mythology by Edith Hamilton and Clifnotes, I was inspird to read this book after watching the movie O' Brother Where Art Thou which is based off the Odyssey but I want to read them in order. During the school year I have been assigned many other books several that I had alredy read (One Flew over the Coocoo's Nest) and others I had to read for the first time (Hamlet, Turn of the Screw) My history with books has covered a wide spectrum from deliciously appetizing books to god awful. Probably the worst series of books I read was by Salvater, I found that each one got worse. His characters seemed to be unrealistic and dull and his plots were poorly planed, worst of all was his depiction of sex witch was so appalling he would unintentionally make your stomach turn. His writing got so annoying that reading him was no longer leisure and became a chore. Another book that caused severe insanity was Huxley's Brave New World which I had to read as my senior thesis, I absolutely dispised this book much for the same reason I hated Salvator's books also I found he truly lacked detail making the picture in my head foggy and unclear. One of my favorit books which I have read in recent years is Erich Maria Remarque's All Quite on the Western Front, this book to me that in inhumane times it is the humanity or comradeship between men that pulls them thru it. Paul the main charictor forms a bond with the other men in his troop that cant be broken even in theyre deaths. In the first or second chapter the men lie looking at the sky betting on a dog fight between two enemy plains not cairing if theyre side won or not. To me the best and purest symbol of comradeship came in the form of the man named Kat, kat would always provide for his buddys. The friendship between Paul and Kat shows when they go to steal a goose Kat was looked upto as an older brother by most of the men. When Paul returns home for a breaf time he feels out of place all he desires is to be back with his friends, he realizes that the life he lead before the war was totally difrent to the person he had become. These books which I have read have permenitly affected my views and outlook on life and many reflect my own personality. The books mentioned in these pages aren't the only ones I have read but they are ether favorites or highly memorable. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\6 months later.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 6 Months Later Now that Lennie is out of the way, I guess that I can actually do something with my life. But, It's been 6 months since leaving the farm and I still don't have a job. Oh, here's a sign. A mentally handicapped hospital needs an attendant. I can do that, and it pays well too. $150 a month. "At that rate, I'll be able to get that land soon enough. Ain't that right," I asked Candy? "We sure are," he replied with enthusiasm. As we stepped into the complex, the first thing I saw was the reception desk with a young, pretty, receptionist sitting behind the desk, polishing her nails. Lennie would have enjoyed watching her I pondered. She asked us what we wanted, and I told her that we were just here to find out 'bout the job. After getting a quick overview and job description, I was ready to work right away. Candy was also lucky enough to get hired as a nurse for $100 a month. I stepped into the bedroom and I saw about 25 kids sitting around a middle-aged man, listening to a story. As I stepped in, the story teller stepped over to me and told me what I had to do. Educate them and talk to them. That was it. I was getting paid $150 just to teach a group of handicapped kids. I sat down next to the story teller, Bob, and I looked around and carefully observed them. As I did this, I could see Lennie's face flashing in my mind. What was happening to me. Why couldn't he just leave me alone. I survived through my first day of work, reluctantly. The hospital also provided housing. That night, I had the most horrible dream of my life. I could see Lennie petting hundreds of rabbits, one at a time. But he was crying and screaming in rage. The rabbits were dying. "George, why do they die? Don't let them die George, please. Can I still tend the rabbits? I know I done a bad thing," exclaimed Lennie. I got up, screaming. "Lennie, please leave me alone, please," I asked. It was silent. Nobody was awake. I looked like a complete nut with all those kids, including Candy, staring at me. Candy just went back to sleep. He was the only one that could understand the pain that I was going through. This happened to me several nights after the first nightmare. Each one would consist of rabbits, lots of them, and Lennie. After a while, they just told me to leave because they thought that the kids were already tortured with their own handicaps. Candy wanted to stay, so I told him that I would come back for him when I gathered enough money. After one day alone, I had done a lot of thinking. Mostly about Lennie and the others, but one thing I thought a lot about was the things Lennie said. "I could go off to the mountains and find a cave, you know. And I wouldn't eat any ketchup," he would say. Now that I think about it and know what it feels like to be alone, I am glad that Lennie stayed with me the whole time, till death had separated the two of us. I also realize that he always obeyed me and tried really hard to help me. He tried so hard to keep those pups alive, and yet they died. He was such a hard worker, worked harder than any of us. I also realize that we couldn't do some of the things that he could do. Such as understanding a person more deeply than any of us. He knew more about myself than I did. And he always kept up to a task, like trying to be able to remember. He could never do that. He would have taken good care of those rabbits. If only he had a chance. He could prove to me, to everybody else, and most importantly himself, that he was capable of doing something right. Sure he killed Curly's wife, but she sure as hell was a bitch. She probably didn't deserve to die, but Lennie didn't know any better? He probably thinks that she's still alive, stupid boy. Wait a minute. I'll ask for one more chance at the hospital, and then Candy and I could get ready to leave after just one month. I guess I'll start to walk back the ten miles it took to get here. I know, I'll get a wife, and invite people to stay at my new ranch. And Candy could invite people too. It would be great. But why am I so happy?? I just killed my best friend; he was so helpless. Maybe he's better off know, but I will never know. All that I can think about now is what Lennie said to me just before he died. "George, can I still tend the..... the rab-bits." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\a clockwork orange.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Clockwork Orange The freedom of choice and the rehabilitating form of corrections encase the realm of A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. It produces the question about man's free will and the ability to choose one's destiny, good or evil. "If he can only perform good or only perform evil, then he is a clockwork orange-meaning that he has the appearance of an organism lovely with colour and juice but is in fact only a clockwork toy to be wound up by God or the Devil or State"(Burgess ix). Burgess expresses the idea that man can not be completely good or evil and must have both in order to create a moral choice. The book deals upon reforming a criminal with only good morals and conditioning an automated response to "evil." Burgess enforces the idea of the medical model of corrections, in terms of rehabilitating an offender, which is up to the individual. That one should determine the cause and then find an exclusive treatment to resolve that individual's case, then apply it. This is the case with the character Alex, a juvenile delinquent introduced into prisonization then conditioned by governmental moral standards. This lack of personal moral choice imposed upon Alex creates conflicting situations in which he has no control over. This is apparent when trying to readjust into society. As conflicts arise within the spectrum of criminal justice the main focus is revolved around the corrections aspect of reforming the criminal element. Within the confines of the seventies Londoner. The character, Alex is created as the ultimate juvenile delinquent leading a small gang. Living within his own world the use of old Londoner language and attire reflect the non-conformity with society. Let loose within a large metropolitan, Alex is engulfed in the affairs of several criminal practices, from rape to aggravated assault. As a juvenile delinquent, Alex is finally caught and seen as an adult offender. Like all offenders he promotes his innocence and sets blame upon his companions. "Where are the others? Where are my stinking traitorous droogs? One of my cursed grahzny bratties chained me on the glazzies. Get them before they get away. It was their idea, brothers. They like forced me to do it"(Burgess 74). Betrayed by his cohorts Alex is beaten by local officials and confesses to all the crimes. As a point to retribution a sergeant states, "Violence makes violence"(Burgess 80) and proceeds to through Alex back into the cell. All the while Alex detests the treatment and conditions of the local jail, " So I was kicked and punched and bullied off to the cells and put in with about ten or twelve other plennies, a lot of them drunk"(Burgess 81). Unlike the fair treatment of most juveniles Alex was finally getting the taste of adult corrections, being held in a drunk tank along with other felons. Faced with the reality of prison life, Alex is introduced to prisonization by the same system which incarcerated him. Showing him one must be tough and violent to survive within the penal system. The term prisonization refers to the effect when an offender is subjected to the culture, morals, rules, and values of a penal institution. Then this is inscribed into his or her own behavior and deems them fit as a norm. This is the case involving Alex when he must prove his worth in a correctional institution by beating a fellow inmate. "If we can't have sleep let's have some education, our new friend here had better be taught a lesson ...I fisted him all over, dancing about with my boots on though unlaced, and then I tripped him and he went crash crash on the floor. I gave him a real horror show kick on the gulliver"(Burgess 102). Although being brutal deems fit for Alex, he realizes that only repentance and good behavior in the eyes of the officials can release him from the jaws of justices. So in order to be viewed as a reforming criminal Alex turns to religion. As the prison minister clearly states, "Is it going to be in and out of institutions like this, though more in than out for most of you, or are you going to attend to the Divine Word and realize the punishment that await the unrepentant sinner in the next world, as well as in this?"(Burgess 90) and the main focus for reforming is in the hands of God and individual moral choice. Through religion Alex soon becomes a model prisoner, externally, yet internally still willing to do anything to get out. This also included experimental rehabilitation methods done by the state. Being a juvenile in an adult prison one would have the urgency to be released as quickly as possible. When the word got out of a new experimental reforming process and a chance for early release, it immediately caught Alex's attention. To be chosen, this meant constant pressuring and questioning to the officials, plus showing that he is trying to reform. " You've been very helpful and, I consider, shown a genuine desire to reform. You will, if you continue this manner, earn your remission with no trouble at all"(Burgess 94). However Alex's intent on reforming was not a religious aspect but the quickest. He finally realizes a new way to get out and questions the proceedings. "I don't know what it's called, I said, All I know is that it gets you out quickly and makes sure you don't get in again"(Burgess 95). However the minister has doubts about the medical treatment techniques involved in forcing a person to be morally better. He brings up the question of what makes a real moral person. "I must confess I share those doubts. The question is whether such a technique can really make a man good. Goodness comes from within, 6655321. Goodness is something chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man"(Burgess 95). This does not deter Alex from the thought of early release but only intensifies his desires. With his determination and pure will Alex is finally permitted to be experimented on for rehabilitation. With an early release in site Alex's willingness overshadows any curiosities of the treatment. Transferred from a state prison to a private facility insures his release from incarceration. "In a little over a fortnight you will be out again in the big free world, no longer a number"(Burgess 108). With the increase in population comes an increase crime, this has also brought on encouraging new rehabilitating techniques to corrections. Stated by one government official the importance of reforming in corrections rather than retribution. "The government cannot be concerned any longer with out moded penalogical theories. Cram criminals together and see what happens. You get concentrated criminality, crime in the midst of punishment . . . Kill the criminal reflex, that's all"(Burgess 105,106). The rehabilitating technique used upon Alex is that of responsive conditioning with the use of drugs and visual aids. Conditioning is the implementation of either teaching or forcing one to feel or think a certain way when given a decision. Alex is therefore forced to feel and think negative responses when shown evil sites or thoughts. Yet the an error had occurred when the state was conditioning "good" into him. The use of classical music along with the treatment conditioned Alex to respond to that as well. As Alex detested the use of music, he states the cruelty of the technique, "But it's not fair on the music. It's not fair I should feel ill when I'm slooshying lovely Ludwig van and G.F. Handel and others"(Burgess 133). Yet the state feels the use of music is only an enhancement to the treatment, "It's a useful emotional heightener, that's all I know"(Burgess 131). As the treatment ends the sick feeling is only increased when Alex is confronted with any "evil." With this conditioning set in place Alex is finally released into society and deemed healthy, pure of all morals. The readjustment into society's values seems to be the main question. Was the implementation of conditioning a person to strictly good morals proper and humane? As the title suggests one can not be purely good or evil to be a man. One must have both in order to create humanistic choice. If not, the creation would be that of a robot like person incapable of feeling or self awareness. As Alex is released into the world as the states' example of a "healthy" person, he is tested by all extremes. One test was the incapability to defend himself against the smallest attacks on his character. Another error the state had provided is the use of music in the treatment of Alex. Not only does he feel physically sick when he thinks or looks at violence but also when he hears classical music. "It was that these doctors bratchnies had so fixed things that any music that was like for the emotions would make me just sick like viddying or wanting to do violence"(Burgess 161). Within the conditioning techniques of repulsing him to violence, the state had also forced him to hate music. The use of this correctional treatment failed due to the implementations on morality of human choice. Is it better to have a criminal make human choices, good or bad, or a purely good person not capable of making any choices. As most opinions state, criminals should all be locked up or dealt with in some harsh manner. There are also those who believe that offenders are diseased by some element and can and/or should be cured. As far as corrections is concerned, society can not lock up every offender and can not come up with plausible means of curing the criminal element. With the rise in population there will always be a rise in crime. However this does seem to be the present trend, 5.3 million people were on probation, in jail, in prison, or on parole in 1995 (B.J.S. 1). As seen in Alex's case the corrections techniques to cure the element did not work. Perhaps the best means was to incarcerate him for his term and let him pay his debt to society. The only correct method of corrections is that of self correcting ones. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A Comparison and Contrast In Both As Worn By Hester and Dimm.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Comparison and Contrast In Both A's Worn By Hester and Dimmesdale The two A's worn in the novel by both Hester and Dimmesdale are dramatically different, yet they are born and made by the same identical sins. These letters are also differentiated by the infinitely changing emotional state and physical well being of the character, the towns views of morality and natural order, and the affecting environment. The two sins of most importance in the novel and that serve the greatest beneficiality in the appearance of the A's are--of course-- adultery and hypocrisy. The separation in the appearance of both of the A's begins with each characters own personal interpretation of the extremity of their sins. Where Hester's A is beautiful and artistically done ("fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom; pg.37) her interpretation of the extremity of her sins is one of self composure and nonchalantness. She views her sins solely as a "violation in the natural order" of the environment and therefore cannot even perceive her sin as being evil except through outside brainwashing. While Dimmesdale's personal interpretation as to the extremity of his own sins is a "violation of God's law," which is the law that he is totally dedicated to and supported by. Dimmesdale's interpretation of his sin is much more severe than Hester's, it is a breach and direct contradiction of his own self consciousness and physical existence. Therefore the appearance of his A, even though it is never directly described in the novel, must be raw, jagged, and brutally crooked (...a ghastly rapture; pg.95). Maybe Dimmesdale's self torture is so horrifying or inconceivable that it is either indescribable, (...too mighty to be expressed only by the eye of his figure; pg.95), or best left up to the reader's imagination. Unlike Hester, Dimmesdale, because of self interpretation, cannot in any way conceive his sins of being anything but evil. Although the appearance of the A's are proportional to the interpretation by each character; also the appearance of the A's is directly correlated between the consequences each character receives because of their sins, both Hester's and Dimmesdale's punishment is introduced through a new character and some sort of isolation. The new character's are a form of abstract contrasting where each new character is an extension of the sinner's "A" itself. Where as Chillingworth is a doubled extension of Dimmesdale's consciousness; Pearl is a contrast to Hester's creativity, patience, and composure. Dimmesdale's punishment through Chillingworth is one of mental bombardment and spiritual torture which supports the theory that Dimmesdale's A must be horrifically putrid and indescribable. Pearl's punishment towards Hester is one of irritation that attempts to counter balance Hester's everlasting patience and composure. Because Hester does not let her irritation get to her and remains constantly tranquil, the A that she wears (ie. the extension of the A she bears) is as beautiful and natural as she is. So the A's worn in the novel, even though from the same origin, are the exact antithesis of each other separated by personal interpretation and individual consequences. Where one character's beauty and open mindedness to her crime and punishment makes her A and her punishment (Pearl) natural and beautiful. While the other character's torture and self hatred of himself and his crime make the burden that he carries much more heavy. Dimmesdale's A and the extension to his A (Chillingworth) are ugly, and brutal. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\a critical look at Ibsens doll house.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ english interpretation of Ibsen's "A Doll's House" "A Doll's House" is classified under the "second phase" of Henrik Ibsen's career. It was during this period which he made the transition from mythical and historical dramas to plays dealing with social problems. It was the first in a series investigating the tensions of family life. Written during the Victorian era, the controversial play featuring a female protagonist seeking individuality stirred up more controversy than any of his other works. In contrast to many dramas of Scandinavia in that time which depicted the role of women as the comforter, helper, and supporter of man, "A Doll's House" introduced woman as having her own purposes and goals. The heroine, Nora Helmer, progresses during the course of the play eventually to realize that she must discontinue the role of a doll and seek out her individuality. David Thomas describes the initial image of Nora as that of a doll wife who revels in the thought of luxuries that can now be afforded, who is become with flirtation, and engages in childlike acts of disobedience (259). This inferior role from which Nora progressed is extremely important. Ibsen in his "A Doll's House" depicts the role of women as subordinate in order to emphasize the need to reform their role in society. Definite characteristics of the women's subordinate role in a relationship are emphasized through Nora's contradicting actions. Her infatuation with luxuries such as expensive Christmas gifts contradicts her resourcefulness in scrounging and buying cheap clothing; her defiance of Torvald by eating forbidden Macaroons contradicts the submission of her opinions, including the decision of which dance outfit to wear, to her husband; and Nora's flirtatious nature contradicts her devotion to her husband. These occurrences emphasize the facets of a relationship in which women play a dependent role: finance, power, and love. Ibsen attracts our attention to these examples to highlight the overall subordinate role that a woman plays compared to that of her husband. The two sides of Nora contrast each other greatly and accentuate the fact that she is lacking in independence of will. The mere fact that Nora's well-intentioned action is considered illegal reflects woman's subordinate position in society; but it is her actions that provide the insight to this position. It can be suggested that women have the power to choose which rules to follow at home, but not in the business world, thus again indicating her subordinateness. Nora does not at first realize that the rules outside the household apply to her. This is evident in Nora's meeting with Krogstad regarding her borrowed money. In her opinion it was no crime for a woman to do everything possible to save her husband's life. She also believes that her act will be overlooked because of her desperate situation. She fails to see that the law does not take into account the motivation behind her forgery. Marianne Sturman submits that this meeting with Krogstad was her first confrontation with the reality of a "lawful society" and she deals with it by attempting to distract herself with her Christmas decorations (16). Thus her first encounter with rules outside of her "doll's house" results in the realization of her naivety and inexperience with the real world due to her subordinate role in society. The character of Nora is not only important in describing to role of women, but also in emphasizing the impact of this role on a woman. Nora's child-like manner, evident through her minor acts of disobedience and lack of responsibility compiled with her lack of sophistication further emphasize the subordinate role of woman. By the end of the play this is evident as she eventually sees herself as an ignorant person, and unfit mother, and essentially her husband's wife. Edmond Gosse highlights the point that "Her insipidity, her dollishness, come from the incessant repression of her family life (721)." Nora has been spoonfed everything she has needed in life. Never having to think has caused her to become dependent on others. This dependency has given way to subordinateness, one that has grown into a social standing. Not only a position in society, but a state of mind is created. When circumstances suddenly place Nora in a responsible position, and demand from her a moral judgment, she has none to give. She cannot possibly comprehend the severity of her decision to borrow money illegally. Their supposed inferiority has created a class of ignorant women who cannot take action let alone accept the consequences of their actions. "A Doll's House" is also a prediction of change from this subordinate roll. According to Ibsen in his play, women will eventually progress and understand her position. Bernard Shaw notes that when Nora's husband inadvertently deems her unfit in her role as a mother, she begins to realize that her actions consisting of playing with her children happily or dressing them nicely does not necessarily make her a suitable parent (226). She needs to be more to her children than an empty figurehead. From this point, when Torvald is making a speech about the effects of a deceitful mother, until the final scene, Nora progressively confronts the realities of the real world and realizes her subordinate position. Although she is progressively understanding this position, she still clings to the hope that her husband will come to her protection and defend her from the outside world once her crime is out in the open. After she reveals the "dastardly deed" to her husband, he becomes understandably agitated; in his frustration he shares the outside world with her, the ignorance of the serious business world, and destroys her innocence and self-esteem. This disillusion marks the final destructive blow to her doll's house. Their ideal home including their marriage and parenting has been a fabrication for the sake of society. Nora's decision to leave this false life behind and discover for herself what is real is directly symbolic of woman's ultimate realization. Although she becomes aware of her supposed subordinateness, it is not because of this that she has the desire to take action. Nora is utterly confused, as suggested by Harold Clurman, "She is groping sadly in a maze of confused feeling toward a way of life and a destiny of which she is most uncertain (256)." The one thing she is aware of is her ignorance, and her desire to go out into the world is not to "prove herself" but to discover and educate herself. She must strive to find her individuality. That the perception of woman is inaccurate is also supported by the role of Torvald. Woman is believed to be subordinate to the domineering husband. Instead of being the strong supporter and protector of his family, Nora's husband is a mean and cowardly man. Worried about his reputation he cares little about his wife's feelings and fails to notice many of her needs. The popular impression of man is discarded in favor of a more realistic view, thus illustrating society's distorted views. Ibsen, through this controversial play, has an impact upon society's view of the subordinate position of women. By describing this role of woman, discussing its effects, and predicting a change in contemporary views, he stressed the importance of woman's realization of this believed inferiority. Woman should no longer be seen as the shadow of man, but a person in herself, with her own triumphs and tragedies. The exploration of Nora reveals that she is dependant upon her husband and displays no independent standing. Her progression of understanding suggests woman's future ability to comprehend their plight. Her state of shocked awareness at the end of the play is representative of the awakening of society to the changing view of the role of woman. "A Doll's House" magnificently illustrates the need for and a prediction of this change. --rhmmmm, that's a paddlin' f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A Day in the Life of a Gnome 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Moses Alba Mrs. Foreman English IV Thursday, January 30, 1997 A Day in the Life of a Gnome Once upon a time there was a gnome named Knob, who lived the far off land of Gnomania. Gnomania is a huge underground lair with only one entrance. The only entrance to this lair is by swimming down to the bottom of the ocean floor and knocking on a large clam. On the other side of this clam is an old grouchy gnome named Stubby whose only job was to keep the clam clean, and listen for the knock of incoming visitors. To assist Stubby in guarding the clam, he had a pet snark. A snark is an animal or pet that can be used as a watchdog. One day Knob went to visit his grandmother in the land of Gnollie which is about a guzillion centimeters away from Gnomania. On his way to his grandmother's house he ran across a garden. Upon stumbling on the garden, he decided to be thoughtful and pick some tulips for his grandmother. Tulips were her favorite snack. While approaching his grandmother's house, he found something to be very strange. His grandmother was hovering on an hummingbird, while picking apples from her tall twenty-foot appletree. After contemplating on this strange doing, he decided not to let it bother him. After seeing Knob approach her house, Knob's grandmother whistled for the hummingbird to bring her down so she could greet him. She greeted him with a loud burp which was a common courtesy among Gnomanians. After greeting him she also sprinkled him with some of her fairy dust. She handily carried it around in her turban. She naturally invited him in for dinner where they ate lots of mosquitoes. After dinner, they watched a cheap imitation of television. They used a big box to put different animals in and called it the Discovery channel. By the end of the day Knob was getting a little weary, so he decided to return home. When he returned form Gnollie his pet snark was there to welocme him home. He welcomed his snark back by feeding it fisheyes or to us humans dog biscuits. After the short snack, Knob and his snark went back to his teepee where they hibernated until the next morning. The next day Knob met up with his friend Door. Door was a runaway gnome who lived on the streets of Gnomania. They met one day by accident. Since Door lived on the streets, he had to steal food to survive. One day when f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A Day in the Life of a Gnome.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Moses Alba Mrs. Foreman English IV Thursday, January 30, 1997 A Day in the Life of a Gnome Once upon a time there was a gnome named Knob, who lived the far off land of Gnomania. Gnomania is a huge underground lair with only one entrance. The only entrance to this lair is by swimming down to the bottom of the ocean floor and knocking on a large clam. On the other side of this clam is an old grouchy gnome named Stubby whose only job was to keep the clam clean, and listen for the knock of incoming visitors. To assist Stubby in guarding the clam, he had a pet snark. A snark is an animal or pet that can be used as a watchdog. One day Knob went to visit his grandmother in the land of Gnollie which is about a guzillion centimeters away from Gnomania. On his way to his grandmother's house he ran across a garden. Upon stumbling on the garden, he decided to be thoughtful and pick some tulips for his grandmother. Tulips were her favorite snack. While approaching his grandmother's house, he found something to be very strange. His grandmother was hovering on an hummingbird, while picking apples from her tall twenty-foot appletree. After contemplating on this strange doing, he decided not to let it bother him. After seeing Knob approach her house, Knob's grandmother whistled for the hummingbird to bring her down so she could greet him. She greeted him with a loud burp which was a common courtesy among Gnomanians. After greeting him she also sprinkled him with some of her fairy dust. She handily carried it around in her turban. She naturally invited him in for dinner where they ate lots of mosquitoes. After dinner, they watched a cheap imitation of television. They used a big box to put different animals in and called it the Discovery channel. By the end of the day Knob was getting a little weary, so he decided to return home. When he returned form Gnollie his pet snark was there to welocme him home. He welcomed his snark back by feeding it fisheyes or to us humans dog biscuits. After the short snack, Knob and his snark went back to his teepee where they hibernated until the next morning. The next day Knob met up with his friend Door. Door was a runaway gnome who lived on the streets of Gnomania. They met one day by accident. Since Door lived on the streets, he had to steal food to survive. One day when Door was running away from a gardener he ran full speed into Knob. They both fell straight on their backs. As Knob came to his senses he realized what was going on. Being the compassionate and helpful gnome that he was, he decided to help this stranger who was in great need. He hid Door in an alley to where the gardener could not find him. Door, realizing the great deed that had been done, from then on vowed to help Knob in any predicament that he might be in. Ever since that day Knob and Door have become very close friends. After meeting at his teepee Door and Knob went to the town festival. At the festival they saw many entertaining attractions. One of which was a 9 foot sasquatch. Other attractions were an actual television, a real life dog, and a basketball. The main attraction was a real life human whom they had kept in captivity for three months. After a fun-filled day at the festival Knob and Door decided to go home. Only Door did not have a home. His home was the streets. Realizing this, Knob contemplated on letting Door live with him in his teepee. Finally, after many hours of deep thought and concernment he decided to ask Door to live with him. Door, surprised by the offer, joyfully accepted it. And they lived happily ever after. I hope you have enjoyed reading this imaginative and creative short story because I have really enjoyed writing it. Just another day in the life of a gnome. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A DOLLS HOUSE.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Nancy Landis Ms. Holmes, p.1 English 12 12 February 1995 Nora Perceived by Other Characters In the Victorian age many woman were thought of as mere objects. Most woman has no real social status and were not allowed to express themselves freely. A Doll¹s House, a play by Henrik Ibsen, has brought controversy to the conclusion in which Nora leaves her family. Nora perceived in many different ways is the catalyst that forces Nora to leave her family. Many people had found it difficult to understand how Nora could dessert her husband and children. In the Victorian Age it was not only unheard of to walk out on your loved ones but unethical as well. There are many incidents that inch by inch helps Nora come to the conclusion that she must leave her home and family. As Nora states ³ My first duty is to myself² (Ibsen 68 ). Her husband, Torvald, treats Nora more as a possession then an equal partner. He uses, manipulates and molds her to fit perfectly into his facade. Krogstad, a morally diseased man who works for Torvald, also uses Nora to gain a higher position at work. He believes her to be an easy target for blackmail. Nora¹s best childhood friend, Christine Linde, helps her realize that a woman can think, act and live independently for herself. As Nora realizes that she must find her true self, the ways in which Krogstad, Christine and Torvald perceive her dramatically change. Christine Linde, a woman who has had to live independently since her husband died, suddenly comes back to visit Nora and finds Nora has not changed from her childish ways in high school. Nora for an instant does not recognize her old friend because of the time that has passed since the last time she saw her. Christine tells Nora of her husband¹s passing and how he did not leave her any money or ³even any sorrow or grief to live upon² (Ibsen 6). She tells Nora how she had to marry him because of her ailing mother and two younger brothers. She needed someone who could take care of her and her family financially. Now she is on her own and looking for a job to support herself. Nora expresses her sympathies and promptly brags about Torvald¹s promotion at the bank. She is so excited at the importance of his job and more importantly the money that will begin to start pouring in. Nora thinks it will be wonderful not having to worry about money and being able to shop at any time for anything. ³Nora, Nora, haven¹t you learnt any sense yet? In our school days you were a great spendthrift² (Ibsen 8). Christine tries to point out to Nora that there are more important things in life to worry about besides money. ³Christine, a woman who has been forced to live in a hard world starts out patronizing Nora² (Rogers 83). She believes Nora is living in a dream world, one that nothing can go wrong, instead of living in the real world where everything is not always so perfect. Christine understands that Nora has led a sheltered life for she was always taken care of, first by her husband and then by Torvald. Nora has never had her freedom like Christine; she always depended upon someone else. Christine on the other hand never really had life easy. ³She had to marry a man she did not love for the sake of money - in other words she too had her doll house² (Hornby 99). For most of her life, Christine was responsible for someone. She never had the luxury of depending upon anyone and therefore became more cynical of the world. As Christine gets better acquainted with Nora she begins to realize that Nora is not what she seems; Instead her true inner feelings and thoughts are smothered by Torvald¹s domineering views. When Nora tells Christine about the money she borrowed, Christine does not understand because a woman is not allowed by law to borrow money. Nora answers ³humming and smiling with an air of mystery, Couldn't I? Why not?² (Ibsen 12). Christine is shocked at this information and can not believe that Nora would defy her husband. ³Christine too is inclined to treat Nora as a kitten that has never known trouble. Not unnaturally Nora is piqued into revealing that she is not such a child after all. Seven years ago she saved her husbands life by borrowing money² (Ibsen and Strindberg 139). ³You are just like the others. They all think that I am incapable of anything really serious² is Nora¹s response to Christine¹s comment (Ibsen 11). Nora is sick and tired of everyone treating her as though she is incompetent. She wants them all to realize that she is a woman who is more than Torvald¹s ³little squirrel² to manipulate (Ibsen 5). When the doctors tell her that Torvald will die if he does not live in the south; she first tries to work her wiles on him and uses tears and begs but he will not go. She knows she must save him at any cost. Nora did what she thought the only solution was; she borrowed the money and told Torvald that it was a present from her father. Nora¹s borrowing gave her a sense of worth. It made her feel like a man and made her feel more powerful. Christine¹s first thoughts of Nora¹s forgery change as she realizes that Nora did it out of love and not deceit. Christine begins to understand more and more that Nora is forced into a role that Torvald wants filled but not one that Nora wants to play. She on the other hand is waiting for Torvald to love her as she loves him. She wants him to sacrifice his reputation to prove his love for her is as great as hers for him. Christine ends up interfering in their relationship by holding Krogstad from retrieving the letter because she believes the truth must come out in order for them to save their marriage. Krogstad is a man who is treated and treats with contempt. He is Torvald¹s employee at the bank who is about to loose his position for lack of morals. Torvald will fire him not because he forged someone¹s name on a bond but because he did not take his punishment instead he ³got himself out of it by a cunning trick, and that is why he has gone under altogether² (Ibsen 27). Krogstad is angry and vows revenge so he goes to Nora, whom he has been lending money, to reveal that he has discovered Nora¹s own forgery. He hopes to use this against her to retain his position at the bank. He thinks Nora will be an easy target as he says ³Oh you can¹t frighten me. A fine, spoilt lady like you² (Ibsen 43). He does not believe Nora will display the courage to defy him. This information is important to Krogstad because he now wants to rehabilitate himself. He needs Torvald to give him a higher position in the bank so that people will respect him. Respectability is important because he is tired of being depicted as a villain. The irony is that he wants to become a better person but to do this he will blackmail Nora and destroy a marriage without feeling any guilt. Instead of rehabilitating himself he is becoming more and more villainous. Thinking that Nora could use her influence on her husband he tells her to make sure that he is able to keep his job. Nora knows this is impossible because her husband will never listen to her pleas for Krogstad¹s sake. He scares her with threats that he will tell Torvald about the forgery. ³Nora condemns Krogstad¹s behavior as shameful, brutal, and nasty. He retaliates by making her look in the mirror. He manipulates her into thinking that her crime was just as bad as his² (Durbach 79). A disagreeing Nora naively tells him that the law will see that her crime was different because it was out of love whereas his was out of greed. ³Nora would rather die then tarnish Torvald¹s honor. She would rather die then put him to the test² and that is why she tells Krogstad she will do anything for him in exchange that he keep her secret (Hornby 101). Nora pleads with him to take money instead but Krogstad wants more than money instead of his position at the bank. He instead has decided that he will use Nora to influence Torvald to promote him to second-in-command who actually runs the bank. When he does not get his promotion but rather a dismissal, out of anger and revenge sends a letter to Torvald explaining Nora¹s forgery and lies. Krogstad¹s turning point comes when his old flame, Christine, comes to him to reconciliate. She wants someone to love and someone to take care of and Krogstad fits the description. She explains that she had to jilt him not because she did not love him but to marry someone with enough money to support her family. Krogstad confesses that her rejection was the beginning of his downfall. Krogstad is hesitant at first to trust her love but Christine¹s suave words about ³two shipwrecked people joining forces having a better chance than each on their own² and the fact that she could live with him even knowing his past history made up his mind to trust her love (Ibsen 56). When Christine pledges her love to Krogstad, that love gives him the strength to turn over a new leaf over and really want to rehabilitate himself. Christine changes Krogstad because she was the only one who has ever loved and cared for him. Due to this quickly, blossoming love, Krogstad realizes that the most important things in life are not money and respectability but rather love and trust. This realization helps him to understand that blackmailing Nora was wrong. He wants to relieve Nora¹s fear and make everything right in their marriage. Christine who has seen Nora¹s struggle tells Krogstad that the letter must be read. She believes that the truth must come out so they can have a complete understanding between them. Nora and Torvald¹s marriage seems like the perfect marriage to everyone including Nora and Torvald. What no one saw is the facade Torvald is living in including Nora. Torvald had just been made manager of the bank, a position that holds prestige and includes a bigger salary. Now that he is in the spotlight he wanted a perfect home life. He believes that Nora should not work but stay home and raise the children. He also believes that a wife should obey her husband and not argue with his decisions. In effect he transfers Nora into his own poppet to maneuver. ³Once married, the women find they have a clearly defined and essentially subordinate role in relation to their men, whose property they legally and socially become² (Thomas 177). Calling Nora names such as ³little skylark² and ³spendthrift² indicate that Torvald sees Nora on a level below him (Ibsen 6). To him Nora is not equal to him for she is a woman and does not have the intelligence or competence to think as well as a man. ³When Nora wants something from him, she flatters and manipulates instead of asking directly, as an equal. Concealing her competence and strength, Nora makes every effort to appear the twittering lark Torvald believes and wants her to be² (Rogers). Torvald treats Nora like a child because that is how he manipulates her into thinking that she is an inferior creature who needs a strong man to lean on. She tries very hard to please her husband because that is all she knows how to do.. ³She can wheedle and cajole but can never speak to him frankly and has therefore had to take a number of serious decisions on her past life in secret and entirely on her own² (Thomas 2). When Torvald talks to Nora he talks about silly things; he never converses about anything serious because he thinks she lacks the intelligence. Nora amuses Torvald when she brings up scientific investigations with Dr. Rank. He laughs and says ³Just listen- little Nora talking about scientific investigations!² (Ibsen 56) Nora real purpose to Torvald is that of a ³doll-wife². Torvald needs Nora to act every inch the lady. He wants everyone to be jealous of his wife and home life. He wants to control her every action and thought. ³Nora herself is trying to keep from being reduced. She wants to curse like a man, sign loans, have male friends, and enjoy some personal power, not because she wants to be a man but because she wants to express herself more than society allows² (Deer 89). Torvald has Nora perfect the Tarantella before the ball because he wants her to leave a spellbinding effect on everyone at the dance. His wish is for everyone to admire her beauty and perfection and in effect be jealous of him. After the dance he whisks her away suddenly because as he states ³Do you think I was going too let her remain there after that, and spoil the effect?² (Ibsen 53) Torvald did not really know Nora or even really care to know her, all her needed and wanted was someone to be molded into a perfect doll. As Nora secret is revealed, Torvald is angered at her lies and deception to him. He does not give her time to explain but merely converts her from being his little skylark to criminal and hypocrite. When he finally learns of Nora¹s forged note, he acts true to form. This sort of thing Nora expected. She accepts it calmly and is even resigned to committing suicide by jumping into the river. But almost immediately Helmer¹s facade crumbles. It turns out that he is more interested with his own career than with Nora¹s moral character (Hornby 95). As Nora tries to explain that she did it for love, Torvald is quickly thinking up a plan on how to save his reputation. He decides that Nora may stay in the house but may not raise the children. He thinks her lies and deception will poison the children. ³Nora discovers how limited her romantic role-playing has been, how it was not only imposed on her by society, but willingly accepted by her² (Deer 2). She begins to realize that she must find out who she really is before she can be a wife and mother. Just as soon as Torvald begins to calm down, he receives the returned bond from Krogstad. He is ecstatic and yells ³I am saved!² (Ibsen 67). Suddenly everything in Torvald¹s eyes is alright again. To him they can go back to the way their marriage was before. He forgives Nora and tells her that he now understands that she did it out of love for him. Nora on the other hand has finally come to the end of her straw. To her ³Torvald proved to be not a courtly hero, but a frightened and mean-spirited little man who is more worried about his reputation than his wife² (Thomas 2). When Torvald reveals the note, Nora wanted him to take the blame on himself and protect her to prove his love for her. ³Torvald¹s rejection of Nora when he read Krogstad¹s first letter closes off their relationship. In effect he dismissed her from the human race, since he denies her the only roles permitted her those of wife and mother, thus ironically pushing her toward finding new ways to relate to society. When moments he later receives Krogstad¹s second letter and restores her to her status as delicate possession she recognizes the he is once again trying to cut off her change to grow and become involved in the world (Hornby 100). In effect Torvald alienates Nora into leaving her home and her family. The ways in which Torvald, Christine and Krogstad perceive her all had a direct effect on Nora¹s leaving Torvald. Christine at first thought Nora to be childish but then realizes it was just an act she played to fit in Torvald¹s facade. She learns that even though Nora always had someone to take care of her she has had to struggle internally with who she really is and how she acts. Krogstad along with Torvald both use and manipulate Nora for their own advantages. Both cared nothing about her thoughts or feelings. Throughout the play Nora begins to realize that she no longer wants to play Torvald¹s role anymore. Torvald¹s failure to take the blame on himself is when Nora finally realizes she must find herself because she can not continue to live in the facade world that Torvald put her in. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A Fictional Story.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Fictional Story Once upon a time... Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A Jest of God.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We were strangers from the beginning tormented by our difference which did not exist. (Betsy Warland) An important ingredient inherent in a successful mother-daughter relationship is balance. Like the scales of justice, maintaining equilibrium requires work. The special bond between mother and daughter is delicate and unlike any other relationship due to expectations of performance on behalf of both women. The female psyche is, characteristically, particular: each woman having a certain regiment making themselves unique. Ideals and behavior learned, possibly inherited, from others are two of many things which carve an individual's personality. It is these similarities and differences which often cause conflicts between mother and daughter. In A Jest of God, the relationship between Rachel and her mother is strained due to unspoken expectations that each had of the other. Stemming from poor communication, a host of differences were assumed to exist between the two, when in fact their struggle originated in their sameness. The largest weapon which spear-headed the communication war between Rachel and her mother was the generation gap; coming from different eras, the pair assumed they had nothing in common. In Rachel's eyes her mother was a pristine, saintly woman who maintained high moral values for herself and her family. Therefore, being a good person and making the right decisions was never questionable to Rachel, as this was how her mother expected her to behave. Rachel listened numerous times to her mother comment on how "peculiar" her behavior looked, and spoke of anyone else she observed doing the same. Although this annoyed Rachel about her mother, she adopted similar paranoia tendencies, speculating how her behavior with Nick, a summer beau, looked to anyone who could be watching or noticing. Irritated by her mother's attitude, Rachel excused it on the pretense that her views reflected the past times in which she lived. However, Rachel had neither the patience nor the desire to speak out against her mother for fear of stirring trouble between them. The irony in Rachel's decision is that their relationship needed just what she was so desperately trying to avoid. By turning her back on the communication problem between herself and her mother, Rachel wanted to believe that the problem was inherent in the misunderstanding each had of the other. Underneath her shell, Rachel was coming to terms with what was really true of the gap between herself and her mother: their difference lay in her want to not be similar. Both were single: Rachel unmarried and her mother a widow. Through her fling with Nick, Rachel wanted to express her desires to be independent from her mother, and have an adult relationship with another human being. Another similarity between the two women was in their propensity to be stubborn and secretive, having opinions they did not speak of but eluded to. This stubbornness was evident in terms of religious exploration as both were curious about faith. Rachel was more aggressive in her curiosity as evidenced in her visit the Tabernacle, however kept it a secret knowing her mother speculated about what good people saw in such activity. Yet another similarity both mother and daughter share was in their satisfaction at living in a small town. Following the death of her father, neither Rachel nor her mother were anxious to change their living pattern. Rachel was not blind to the similarities she had with her mother, but attempted to change herself in order to be different. Like a teenager's last rebellious actions before entering adulthood, Rachel's actions during her last months in Manawaka symbolized the final fight to be different from her mother. Struggling to maintain a casual relationship with a man her mother would disapprove of, Rachel was forced to sneak around behind her mother's back. Rachel's mother seemingly had no trouble speaking her mind. Rachel tried to maintain her image as a proper, rule-abiding school teacher, and refused to speak to her principal about a troubling issue for fear he would lose respect for her. When attending the Tabernacle, Rachel spoke in tongues and left not knowing what she revealed of herself, only that her mother would surely disapprove of what she had done. Making a public spectacle of herself was a fear Rachel shared with her mother, however the experience was liberating for her because she knew the news would disturb her mother. These outward actions by Rachel were demonstrative of her want to finish her spiritual growth, which was stunted by an overbearing mother, and her own fear of being the same way. Rachel remained a child well into her adult life. This was evident in the way she spoke to herself, analyzing, and scrutinizing her own actions. The narrative tone was that of a motherly voice, likely evidence of the fear for what her mother would say, and reflective of who she was growing into. Rebelling against such growth is a natural progression for women because a strong sense of rivalry exists between mothers and daughters. The latter, eager to carve their own path, become distressed when they realize they are unable to choose something new for themselves because it has already been branded into them from their mothers. Such behavior is ritualistic and shows friendly competition between the wise and the wiser, as the former strive to prove themselves independent. It is an attempt by daughters to prove their ingenuity, and gain acceptance and approval from their mothers. Rachel realized this was occurring simultaneously with the reconciliation of her inner self, took charge of her independence and moved herself and her mother to the West Coast, at the end of the book. Gaining independence was a great triumph in Rachel's life, and coincided with the first building block in an attempt to bridge the communication gap between herself and her mother. Taking charge of her life was something Rachel never felt compelled to do prior to the growing experience of her inner-self. As important as branching out on her own was, she was never before able to do this because she allowed herself to live under her mother's protective wing. Although seeming to despise her mother for the qualities she unadmittingly possessed herself, Rachel was merely running from the truth, and failing to communicate only helped to reinforce this. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A Little Less Freedom of Speech.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Essay Writing Ceci Cravens 1.25.04 1.2 Response Paper The article is from the Boston Globe's opinion section. The essay is entitled "A Little Less Freedom of Speech" and is about the recent, outlandish claims of racism by minorities that inhibit freedom of speech in the general public. The case for the article is how freedom of speech is being limited by outrageous accusations of racism. The thesis that is supporting the case states "it doesn't take much to get slammed as a racist these days", meaning the writer is implying that due to certain peoples misconceptions and altered understandings, a simple phrase like "Eenie meenie minie moe" can be viewed as racist jargon. The following are frames that I found within the article: 1. Jennifer Cundif, alleged racist that was found innocent of claims of racism 2. A cabinet member of the mayor of Washington D.C., accused a racist because she used the word niggardly, which is a synonym for stingy. 3. Students of Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska were penalized by the school's administration because they put up posters that were deemed inappropriate and racist. Although the writer does not have an actual works cited page, the writer cites from the Omaha World-Herald and US District Judge Kathryn Vratil. The use of the different frames makes the writers opinion more acceptable. When discussing the incident at the airport, the columnist makes it clear that the accusations the customers made were ludicrous. At the end of the essay the writer makes his point eloquently, "The First Amendment says nothing about a right not to be offended. The risk of finding someone else's speech offensive is the price each of us pays for our own free speech. Free people don't run to court -- or to the principal -- when they encounter a message they don't like. They answer it with one of their own". What the columnist is basically saying is that in a free society everyone's opinion is allowed and those who cannot fathom the viewpoints of others should not immediately run to there lawyer, but should defend their view through what else, free speech. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A Medical Experience.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It was the end of a normal day at the station. The medics are just getting to bed after running a half a dozen calls for an assorted minor medical and trauma problems. The paperwork was finished. The reports were entered into the computer. The truck was even restocked. They were just about into dreamland but, as with most nights at this particular station, sleep was not to be. Several miles away, in a small, well kept apartment, Angie Briggs, a eighty-year-old woman awoke to the feeling that the life-giving air was being denied to her. She tried to sit up, but the feeling would not subside. Walking made it worse. She also noticed that, even though the temperature in her room was comfortable, she was dripping with sweat. The longer that she waited, the harder it became to breath. So, realizing the fact that her doctor was probably asleep, she did the next logical step, she called her daughter, who lives in another state. The daughter realized that her mother needed more help than she could give over the phone, tried to persuade the mother to call an ambulance, which, of course, the mother refused to do, stating that it wasn't necessary. The daughter then took it upon herself to call EMS from her own house. The medics were notified of the problem through the usual method, a series of tones over a radio that cause a loud horn to blare and all the station lights to come on, much to the annoyance of the fire lieutenant. This alarm was immediately followed by the dispatchers voice giving all the applicable information on this call. "Med unit 2, respiratory call, 103 Royal Terrace Boulevard, apartment 7, in reference to a 80 year old woman with shortness of breath." Not that the EMS crew were listening at this point. They are busy getting into their jumpsuits and putting their boots on. It does not matter if they are eating, sleeping, watching TV, or even taking a shower, they are required to be in the ambulance and en route to the scene within two minutes. "Med Two's en route." Stated EMT Jennifer Meyers in a sleepy voice " Copy med 2 is en route to 103 Royal Terrace Blvd., apartment 7." Now they are listening. "This is in reference to a 80 year-old female who is in severe respiratory distress. Received the call from her daughter that is out of state. Patient sounds very short of breath." "Copy" "I'm pretty sure that it is in the first entrance into the apartment complex. Should be the third or fourth building on the left", stated Doug Murphy the paramedic on duty. It took only a few minutes for the ambulance to arrive at the scene. After dispatch was informed of their arrival, Doug and Jennifer removed the stretcher that was already loaded with the monitor, the airway bag, and the med box. As he approached the front door, Doug took notice of the condition of the walkway, of the location of the bushes, and any outside furniture that might impede exiting the house with a stretcher loaded with a person. He did the same quick evaluation upon entering the residence. After knocking, an elderly, heavy-set woman opened the door. The medic could see immediately that she was is serous trouble. Her clothes were soaked, wet with sweat, every time she took a breath, a faint popping sound could be heard. The medic also could see the front of her neck pull in along with every breath and that her general color had a faint, matted bluish color about her. Doug knew that without immediate treatment, this lady would die. Doug quickly lowered the stretcher and took the equipment off of it. "Why don't you sit right here." Doug told Mrs. Briggs " I'm fine, really. I told my daughter that I would see my doctor in the morning. I don't know why she called you?" Mrs. Briggs stated. The medic was surprised that she could talk at all. "When did you start having trouble breathing?" Doug asked as he was turning on the oxygen bottle "About an hour ago. I woke up and couldn't catch my breath." Pointing to the oxygen mask that the medic was placing on her face. "I really don't need any of that." " I think you do. You need to let me do my job and treat you. This condition will only get worse." "No, I think I'll wait till the morning." "Listen, you don't have until the morning. To be perfectly blunt, I doubt you have a hour. You need to let me treat you now. Your lungs are full of fluid." "How do know that?" asked the patient. "I can hear it, even without my stethoscope." retorted the medic. " I can take care of this problem with medicines, but I need to do it now." Looking at his partner. "How's the blood pressure?" The medic's partner had been busy taking the patients blood pressure and pulse, and was now in the process of applying the electrodes on the patients chest for the monitor. "180/90, pulse 100 very irregular." came the reply. While his partner began to set up the IV bag, the medic finished putting on the monitor leads. After he turned the machine on, he then began listening to the patients chest, carefully listening to each lobe of the lungs, trying to judge just how far the crackles, or rales, go up into the chest. This allows him to determine how full of fluid Annie's lung were. "Your lungs are three-quarters the way full." Doug then took a look at the monitor. "Do you usually have skipped heart beats?" questioned the medic. "Yeah, it's been like that for a while." answered the patient. He then asked the patient. "Have you ever had an IV before?" "Yes. Do I really need one now?" "Yes ma`am, you sure do." answered the medic. A rubber tourniquet was placed around the patients arm tight enough to stop the return blood flow, or venous blood but not too tight enough to cut off the arterial blood flow. He then looked for and found a vein in her wrist, prepped the site with alcohol, and stuck a needle that was covered by a thin catheter into the vein. After he removed the needle, leaving the plastic catheter in the vein, he took a sample of blood from the site and connected the IV line. He then released the tourniquet and opened the IV line to make sure he had a good flow. The drip rate was set so it would only drip once ever few seconds. After he taped the line down to the patient's arm, he finished this particular procedure by making sure that all the dirty needles were safely placed in a sharps container. He didn't want any accidental needle sticks. "Ma'am, are you allergic to any medicines that your aware of?" "No, not that I can think of." "OK, This is what we are going to do. First, I'm going to give you some Nitro with a spray. What I need to you to do is open your mouth and put your tongue at the top of your mouth" Stated the medic. Mrs. Briggs complied, almost. She opened her mouth and kept her tongue at the bottom of her mouth. "Tongue up." The patient complied. "Good, now take a breath in." When she did, the medic sprayed the Nitro into her mouth. Having her inhale when he sprayed the Nitro kept it from going back into his face. Talking to the patient "Ma'am, I'm going to give you some Lasix though the IV line. Hopefully, it will pull some of that fluid out of your lungs and back into your bloodstream. Is that oxygen helping?" "A little." "Good" The medic replied. He then proceeded to slowly give the Lasix. The standing orders that he works under (after all, a non-physician cannot give medicine without a physician willing to assume responsibility for it) allows him a dosage range up to 80 mg. for Lasix. If the patient was not in such distress, he would have opted for double of the home dosage. However, this time he chose for the full eighty. After being secured in the ambulance, Jennifer went back to make sure that the residence was locked up. Doug then retook the patients blood pressure (which had not changed) and listened again to her chest, detecting a slight clearing of the lungs. "Ma'am, I need to ask you again if you are allergic to any drugs." "No, I'm not." "Have you ever taken Morphine before." "No, why?" "Because I'm going to give you some in a minute" "Why? I don't hurt anywhere." "We're going for another effect that it has. It helps pull that fluid out of your lungs." Seeing a look of confusion in the patients eyes, Doug asked "Do you understand what is happening?" "No" "For some reason, your heart cannot keep up with the flow of blood coming into it." The medic explained as he drew up the Morphine from the vial. "When this happens to the left side of the heart, the blood backs up into the lungs, causing the blood plasma to leak into the tiny air sacs in your lungs. This is what is causing you to be short of breath and to have that crackling noise when you breath. All the medicines I am giving you cause your blood vessel to dilate, or get bigger. The Nitro causes this all over the body. The Morphine does it in the arms and legs. And the Lasix pulls it out of the body by making you have to pee a lot. The Morphine will also help you to relax somewhat. Just let me know if you start felling nauseous." Doug took a alcohol wipe and cleaned the injection port of the IV tubing, then inserted the syringe's needle into the port. "I'm giving you the Morphine now." By this time, Jennifer had finished locking the apartment. "You all set?" She asked, sticking her head in the back of the truck. "Yup, let's go." On the way to the hospital, the patient started improving; her blood pressure and pulse were going down, and the patient was breathing a lot easier. The rales were even noticeably diminishing. The medic had called the hospital over the radio notifying them of the patient that he was bringing in and her current condition. The patient, due either to her finding it easier to breath or due to the Morphine, began talking. "How long have you been a fireman?" The patient asked "Never have been, I'm a paramedic." The paramedic retorted. "We have a dual system in this county. We work with and are stationed with the fire department, but we are under a different chain of command." "What does that mean." "I don't put out fires, they don't give people needles." By the time that the ambulance got to the hospital, the patients lungs were almost clear of any rales that the medic could hear. And, as expected, the patient requested a bedpan as quickly as possible. "Which room would you like us in." Doug asked a nurse. "What'ch ya got" came the reply. "Heart failure." "Room 10 will be fine." "Thanks." responded the medic as he wheeled the patient into the treatment room. While the nurse went to get her paperwork, the medic and his partner lifted the patient onto the hospital stretcher, transferring the oxygen tubing f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A Seperate Peace.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Separate Peace is a novel about two boy's lives and how they evolve during the course of WWII. The story was written by John Knowles, who also left home to attend a school at the age of 15. The story involves many instances in which the barriers between friendship and rivalry are cited. One of the main characters of the story, Phineas, often demonstrates that it is important to be yourself and try to make the best out of a situation whenever confronted by one. Phineas is athletic, friendly, and competitive. Phineas is a very athletic person. He seems to be good at any sport he tries and all of it comes without practice or post-effort. During the course of his stay at Devon, Phineas wins several awards in all the sports he plays in. One day while the others are away, Phineas and Gene go to the gym and Phineas breaks the school time trial record for swimming. If Gene was not injured by his fall out of the tree then he would be able to compete in the Olympics. Phineas is a friendly and outgoing kind of person. Finny was always friendly and respectful towards other people and whenever one of his classmates such as Leper was being isolated from the rest of group, Finny would take up for him. Even though Gene made Finny break his leg, Finny still didn't hold anything against him and refused to believe what happened. Finny has always been friendly to others due to his outgoing personality. Finny is a competitive sportsman like person. Whenever Finny sees a challenge that has never been achieved he will try to do what the others could not. During the summer when there was nothing else to do, Finny decides to make a club. When the club meets, all the members have to jump out of the tree to be initiated. Finny will always stand up to challenges set by others and succeed in breaking them. Although Finny is not very smart, his athletic talents make up for it. With Finny's outgoing attitude and friendliness, he can usually talk his way out of most situations that arise while at Devon. When Finny died after breaking his leg, the world lost a great person. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A Slice of life.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thump!Thump! There was a loud noise at the door, "Alright hold on, I'm coming." Tim yelled. Tim was in his early twenties, he had a blue mowhawk, always dressed shabby, and addicted to heroin. Tim walked to the door and opened it, "Yes." he said sarcastically. The man at the door asked if Gwen was home, "Are you Gwen's new boyfriend" Tim asked him. "Yes I am, my name is Tony" he replied. "Nice to meet you" Tim said. "No, Gwen is not here right now. I think she is still trying to get the job at that bar on 6th street" Tim replied. "Oh, well tell her that I came by and just to give me a call, OK?" Tony said. "One problem" Tim said. "Oh, and what's that?" Tony replied. "Didn't Gwen tell you?" Tim said "we don't have a phone, or a T.V or any other appliances, we are gutterpunks. Why do you think we live in this shed?" "Well I guess I will just come back later" Tony said with a strange look on his face. "Tim! Wakeup! " Gwen yelled. "Huh?" Tim replied. "Wakeup!," she yelled back. "Oh, OK" Tim yelled back. "That boy, Tony came by, looking for you, he thought we had a phone." Tim said chuckling. "You didn't tell him that we don't have a phone or the other stuff did you?!" Gwen yelled. "Um, well kinda yeah, why?" Tim questioned. " Why?" she yelled and stormed off. Gwen was the type of girl who didn't care what people thought of her, but she didn't like it when people would find out that she was poor. She had blonde hair, and was very thin. She wore sequined pants, and these funny looking shirts most of the time, unless she went out. "Gwen?, Mike, and Shirley are home. Look I'm sorry I told Tony." Tim said. "Send Shirley in." Gwen yelled back. "Shirley, Gwen wants you." Tim said. " I'll be right in" she yelled back. Shirley was an Irish girl whose parents had both died, and she was sent to America to live with her aunt, she ran away and met Mike. Shirley had red hair, and was also a weird dresser, she had a job at a library filing books. The pay was bad but she would accept anything, that would keep them alive. "I'm outside Gwen, come on out and we will talk." Shirley yelled into the shed. "What's wrong with her?" Mike asked. "Tim told her new boyfreind we were poor," Shirley replied. "So, what's wrong with being poor?" Mike asked, " We have a place to sleep and we're happy." "Yeah, but you know how Gwen is about these things." Shirley said. "Yeah, I guess," Mike replied. Mike had brown hair, worked in a music store that paid him almost nothing. He plays the guitar really well, and has tried out to be in local bands so he could earn money but hadn't been lucky. He is the only one of the group that knew about Tim's heroin problem. Gwen walked out of the shack and apologized to Tim for storming off, and told Shirley that she was OK, and didn't need to talk anymore. "So, Tim, when are you gonna go look for a job?" Mike asked. "Ugh.....me work!?" Tim replied sarcastically. "Yes you." Mike said. "I will start first thing tomorrow, looking for one, I promise." Tim said. "Well I don't know about you guys but I'm going for a walk."Tim said. "Bye" they all said. "Maybe I should go with him," Mike thought to himself. "I'll be back in a minute," Mike told the girls. He ran to catch up with Tim, "Tim!" he yelled "Wait up!" "What do you want?" Tim asked. "Do you have any heroin with you?" Mike asked " Oh, so you know I'm hooked?" Tim questioned. "No! I am just making sure you don't, so you won't mess yourself up." Mike said "Mike, just leave me alone, I don't need you telling me what to do!" Tim yelled at Mike. "Fine but don't think about coming back to the house unless you quit right now!" Mike yelled back. "Fine then, tell gwen and shirley that it was nice knowing them." Tim said. "I wonder where they are?" Gwen said. "I am sure they will be home soon." Shirley said. Clang! The door of the shed opened, Mike walked in but no Tim, he explained the whole thing to them about Tim being addicted to heroin. Both of the girls were shocked, and insisted that they go and find Tim. Mike said " I'm sure he'll be back, lets just wait." "I sure hope so," Shirley said. The next day Mike, and Shirley went to work and Gwen stayed home. Gwen was cleaning the house, when a policeman came by. He said that Tim had been found dead in an alley. She asked how he had found out where Tim lived, he said that he had seen, him walking over here many times. Gwen informed everyone of the news, they all cried and were sad. Mike thought that they should all forget about it and go on with their lives, they all agreed. Gwen got a job working in a bar, Mike still worked at the record store which was becoming more and more popular, and Shirley still worked at the library. So all together they made a pretty good amount of money. "Maybe we could get an apartment?" Gwen asked the other two. "Yeah!" Shirley said "What do you think, Mike?" "I think that would be pretty good, we would have our own showers and stuff, I think that's a great idea." Mike agreed. So the next day they went looking for an apartment, they went to three housing developments and finally found one with three bedrooms, a phone and one shower for one-hundred-fifty dollars a month. They decided to take it. They moved in the next day, and were settled. They all liked the apartment, and everyone was happy. Everyone continued their jobs and they gradually raised enough money to buy a car. One night they were walking down the street, and Mike saw an ad for tryouts for a band, "Should I try out for that?" he asked the girls, "Sure go for it, Mike." Gwen said. The next day Mike went to the tryout and was picked over many guitarists. The band told him that he would start playing the next day, and that they were going to tour in a few weeks. Mike thought this was the greatest thing ever. "Can you believe this!?" Mike screamed with joy, "I have never been so happy." "Well what are you going to do about your job?" Shirley asked. "I don't know, do you think I should quit? Because the band said we were going to tour," Mike replied. "Yea well what happens if you guys break up then what are you going to do?" Shirley said. "Well hopefully I will have enough money from touring that I won't need to worry for awhile." Mike replied. "Oh well do whatever you want," Shirley said. After a few days, Mike came home and told the girls that that he was going to leave for awhile to go and do some shows. They asked when he would be back and he said he didn't know. Mike went on touring and Gwen and Shirley kept doing what they were doing. Gwen continued seeing Tony, and they finally decided to get married, it was ironic that Tony's family was a very wealthy family. When Gwen broke the news to Shirley, Shirley was happy and sad. She was happy that Gwen was getting married, but she was sad because she would have no one to live with. "Oh, Shirley, I am so sorry but I really want to get married and get away from this type of living and this apartment." Gwen sobbed " I know, I would too if I could but you go ahead, and get married, live a happy life." Shirley replied. "Thank you" Gwen said hugging Shirley. A month later Gwen and Tony were married and moved to Orange County, California. Shirley still resided in Berkeley, and seemed happy living alone, she had gotten a smaller apartment that wasn't so expensive. A slice of life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A STRANGER IS WATCHING.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A STRANGER IS WATCHING A Stranger is Watching is a terrific book. I enjoyed reading this book very much. The non-stop action kept me reading for hours. One of the best features of the book is how it was written.The point of view changes every chapter.For example Chapter 1 is written in the point of view of the infamous Foxy character.Chapter 2 is written in the point if view of our protagonist, Steve; and so on.I also liked how the author built the relationship of the characters up,so you care about what happens to them and feel like you're going through what they are going through.For instance,the author tells us of Steve's wife's death.We find out that Steve's son, Neil was never the same after this tragedy.When a new women,Sharon comes into Steve's life,Neil rejects her.Neil thinks that if Sharon and his father get married ,his father will send him away.When Neil and Sharon are held hostage together, Neil's feelings for Sharon change;he begins to see her as a nice person and a motherlike figure.I felt the author built this relationship up well so that the story would have a happy ending. I also like how the author made the character traits of the protagonist completely conflict with the antagonist.The protagonist,Steve is a successful man with a family and no problems;at least in the mind of the antagonist.The antagonist has problems with females,a career he feels is going nowhere,and a lack of good friends.throughout the story we find out that the antagonist is very jealous of the protagonist's lifeand that's why he indirectly targets him.This contrast was an addition to the already excitng plot of the story.. In my opinion the best part of "A Stranger is Watching"is the end,chapter 52.this chapter contains one of the greatest climaxes I ever read.The chapter begins at a frantic moment.All of the characters lives are at risk because Foxy's bomb is about to go off.After a fight with Foxy,Steve manages to release Sharon and Neil.At the same time Ronald Thompson(a juvenile convicted if murder)is about to be executed for the murder of Steve's wife,Nina.A few chapters earlier we find out that Nina is Foxy's victim but he got off clean with it. Steve races out of Grand Central Station (where the bomb is going to go off)with Sharon and Neil.At this point the author stops her narrative and begins with the time eleven forty-two,twelve minutes after the bomb goes off,at this point we don't know what happened to our characters.In this next paragraph we are informed that Steve,Neil ,and Sharon get away while Foxy dies from his own bomb.We also find out that Ronald Thompson is saved from his execution and released from prison. I enjoyed this part of the story so much because it was the point of the highest excitement. Every event that took place in the story built up to this major event.All excitement in the story was covered at this point.I feel the climax is the best part of every story,and should be.This was definitely one of the best books I have ever read. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\A World Without Engineers.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A World Without Engineers Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, on the planet Zovirax, there was an evil king, King Syphilis, who was mighty pleased with himself, for he had just banished all the engineers on the planet to work in the Pixie Stick Powder mines on the moons of Gluteus. "You see," he told his sycophantic servants and lackeys, "I have solved two problems with one simple executive order. I have rid the planet of those annoying, nerdy, know-it-all, engineers." (King Syphilis was actually quite envious of them, because he went to a Junior University in Palo Alto, and didn't know very much at all.) "And secondly," he explained, "I have provided cheap slave labor for the Pixie Stick Powder mines, thus ensuring a limitless supply of this heavenly confection for all to enjoy." All of King Syphilis' staff applauded loudly, because he tended to behead those who didn't. "Bring us intoxicating chemicals, so that we may celebrate," ordered the king. "I'm sorry, Mr. King Syphilis," replied the servant. "You banished all the chemical engineers to the powder mines, so we cannot make the intoxicating chemicals anymore." King Syphilis was quite mad. Nobody talked back to him and go away with it. "Bring me my plutonium phasor gun, so that I may vaporize this impudent guy," ordered the king. "I'm sorry, my good King Syphilis," replied another servant. "Since you deported all the nuclear engineers to the powder mines, we have been unable to operate the plutonium powered phasor gun." Now the king was really mad. "I'm really mad!" said the king. "Bring me my limousine, so that I may repeatedly run over these contumelious servants of mine." "No can do, Mr. King," said the third servant, whose part will be played in the movie version by Keanu Reeves. "All the mechanical engineers are in the mine place, and everyone knows, you can't drive cars without mechanics." "Go jump off a bridge!" said King Syphilis. Another of his servants interrupted, "We have no more bridges, since all the civil engineers have been exiled to the powder mines. Perhaps we should bring them all back." But the king was not the brightest of kings, so he didn't agree to that just yet. "Bring me my vibrating pleasure device, so that I may relax and think about this dilemma of ours," ordered the king. "We are unable to do that, my king, because all the electrical engineers who design the vibrating pleasure devices are in the powder mines." "Hmmm," thought the king. "Perhaps I was wrong in banishing the engineers from my planet. Without them, we have no intoxicating chemicals, no plutonium powered phasor guns, no automobiles, no bridges, and no vibrating pleasure devices. I will bring them back from the powder mines of Gluteus." But it was too late, because the engineers so enjoyed having free time that every last one refused to return, and they were all killed in a freak mining accident. So the moral of the story, boys and girls, is that engineers are a very important part of out everyday lives, and, engineers although smelly and dirty like pigs in a pig pen, you should not banish them to slave labor camps. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ABC Book.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A gatha Christie, the author of "And then there were None" is called the Queen of Mystery by those who have read her books. In addition to, "And then there were None", Agatha Christie has written many books, which include "ABC Murders", "Body in the Library", Easy to Kill" and "Towards Zero". B rent, the family name of Emily, the 65 year old daughter of a Colonel, and definitely not happy with the way the world is going now. She liked every thing as it was 45 years ago, when children did what their parents told them to and when everyone respected their elders, but now ..... C oroner's inquest having turned her life upside down, Vera Claythorne has had tough luck so far in her life. She does not have a lot of money, and has had trouble finding a job after the inquest. Even though she had been acquitted, people still look at her funny when she walks down the street. D octor Armstrong, a former doctor who likes time to think. Whenever he thinks about the past one of the first things to pop into his mind is the fact alcohol ruined his life. If only he hadn't had a couple of drinks before operating on his patient, he might not have accidentally killed him. E veryone was dead when the police got to the Island. Nobody could figure out what happened. The police did not find any suicide notes and searched the island a couple of times. The police found no-one in hiding and were left open-mouthed and clueless. F red Narracott was the boatman who took everyone to the island on his boat. As he told the police, as far as he knew he was the only one who had taken anyone over to the Island. G eneral Macarthur, loved war and was disappointed when he had to stop fighting on the battle grounds. War was his life. He loved the smell, the sounds and the feel of battle. In fact he craved to kill again. H elpless, the guests on the island were prey to the killer, they couldn't get off the island because there was no boat. Hiding was out of the question due to the bad storm, and they did not know who the killer was, so everyone was under suspicion. I ndian Island was purchased under the name U.N. Owen and nobody knew who it was. All the tabloids were saying royalty had bought the island or some eccentric millionaire, but nobody really knew who it was. J ustice Wargrave, was a judge. You could say he was a murderer, even though he never killed anybody himself. He just sentenced people to death. He was a mean and intimidating judge which he used as an advantage over the others. K illed, everyone on the island was terrified of being killed. They trusted nobody and suspected everybody. With the killer's identity being unknown, only one person went to the bathroom or to walk around while the rest waited together so there was no chance of being a victim. L ombard was an ex-soldier who liked firearms. He had brought one to the island for his own protection he told everyone, but I doubt anyone believed him. So they locked away the gun and any other weapons and no single person was able to open the lock. M arston was the youngest guest who liked to do things fast without thinking first. He liked speed and alcohol. He was very good at prejudging people and liked to be at the centre of attention. He was favoured by women and he knew it. N obody, not even the butler Mr. Rogers and his wife, who had been hired to take care of things on the island, knew who U.N. Owen was. Although he or she was expected to show up soon after all the guests arrived on the island. O pen-mouthed the detectives from Scotland Yard were, when they had no evidence only ten corpses and their personal diaries. The detectives were unable to explain that there was no murderer, but all the people definitely had been murdered. P erson or persons unknown on the island was using a false pretense so nobody would suspect that person as the murderer which was why it was difficult for the murderer to be discovered. Q ueasiness was felt by some of the passengers on the boat ride to Indian Island, as the water was getting rough due to a squall coming up. The boat bounced around from wave to wave. Fred Narracott mentioned just before they got to the island that if it gets any rougher nobody would be able to reach the island by boat. R ich was the person who had bought the island. He would have to be, to be able to afford something which was worth a lot. Tony Marston thought at least with all that money they should be served good food and thirst quenching drinks. S tranded on the island due to a terrible squall which came up as soon as Fred Narracott got back to the mainland, everyone would have to wait until the sea was calmer and the waves were smaller. Not worried about food or water, as there was enough on the island, they were worried about being murdered. T en little Indian glass figurines were in the centre of the table in the dining room. As each person was murdered one mysteriously disappeared from the table, even though the room was locked each night before everyone locked themselves in their rooms. U nderstanding the various reasons why they were asked to come to Indian Island, each guest had received a letter, but each letter only had a scribbled signature and no return address. V iolent were all the deaths, especially Tony Marston's because he had a big chunk of concrete dropped on his head. Mr. Rogers' death was violent too, as he was hit in the back of the head with an axe. W hy was this happening to them, everyone on the island was wondering. Who could hold such a big grudge against each one of these people to go to all this trouble to kill them. X -rays had to be used on three bodies by the coroner to determine the exact cause of death. Also poison tests were done on two bodies and gunshot tests on two more bodies. Y ounger than any of the other guests on the island, was Tony Marston. Emily Brent was the oldest, with everyone else being around the same age. Z oo, according to the poem "Ten Little Indians", was were three little Indians went, a bear hugged one, and then there were two. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Abercrombie.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Abercrombie & Fitch- The concept and image that Abercrombie tries to embody is a classy, but rugged look. The company intentionally fades, tears and wrinkles their clothing to add a look of the outdoors with the sophistication of a classy clothing line. A. The picture is of an attractive young man wearing a roughed up cotton shirt which is tucked into his flannel boxers. Covering his head is a worn, grey hooded sweatshirt. Obviously the advertisers intentionally chose a young, handsome young man to wear these clothes because Abercrombie is trying to target with teenagers into buying their clothing. The manner in which is closed are displayed shows a rebellious and touch attitude, which may be very appealing for young teenagers. B. The picture is of a rugged looking field jacket with fur on the top of the jacket. Underneath the picture the words "Mountain rescue field jacket" appear. The jacket in itself is a classic example of fashionable irony. The jacket is rugged and tattered looking, but at the top there is a layer of fur, which is the antithesis of the rest of the jacket. Fur is supposed to symbolize wealth and class, but this jacket seems to clash with that idea. Brian Bass Essay Writing Ceci Cravens 2.3.04. "[Bricolage] refers to the means by which the non-literate, non-technical mind of so-called 'primitive' man responds to the world around him....In this way the teddy boy's theft and transformation of the Edwardian style revived in the early 1950's by Savile Row for wealthy young men about town can be construed as an act of bricolage" (Hebdige 104). A. Bricolage is essentially taking an old style or meaning and re-interpreting it into a new style, idea or meaning. The new fashion image that Abercrombie has created can be viewed as an act of bricolage. Originally, tattered garments meant a sign of poverty or lack of style, but today tattered jeans, shirts; hats etc seem to be the stylish and common look. "Thus pills medically prescribed for the treatment of neuroses were use as ends-in-themselves, and the motor scooter, originally, an ultra-respectable means of transport, was turned into a menacing symbol of group solidarity" (Hebdig 104). B. Although this quote is not directly discussing Abercrombie's odd use of bricolage; it indirectly connects to it. Just how the scooter was considered respectable, and then became used differently, the same thing is happening with the fur in the Abercrombie add. Originally fur was a symbol of high class status, but in this Abercrombie add the fur seems to add to the rough, edgy look Abercrombie seems to exploit. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\AC essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Melissa Dewey Soled History pd 3 Oct 24, 2003 The Articles of Confederation, which proved to be an ineffective form of government with respect to foreign trade and economic conditions in the United States. The inability of congress to enact or collect taxes without states approval and regulate interstate or foreign trade, led to rebellious citizens and economic depression. The Articles of Confederation decentralized national power resulted in an insufficient form of government in relation to foreign trade and economic conditions in the new nation. Due to the lack of power granted to congress to enact or collect taxes, without all thirteen states approval, proved the efficiency of the government of the Articles of Confederation to be weak in relation to economic conditions. The first major challenge for the Articles of confederation was the national debt created by the War of Independence. The unattainable war cost of one hundred and sixty million dollars caused congress to borrow money from abroad, but the inability of congress to tax citizens resulted in the incapability of the new nation to pay off French loans, which resulted in more national debt. Another attempt made by congress to suppress national debt was to print Continentals, or a form of paper money. Due to the inability of congress to establish a national currency, many of the states printed their own forms of paper money, which decreased the continental's face value. By 1783 the states contribution to congress was decreasing and in the late 1870s national debt increased by an obscene amount. Without an adequate power of taxation, lack of an executive branch, and the reluctance of citizens to pay taxes the United States fell deep into national debt under the Articles of Confederation. Another factor emphasizing the ineffective government produced by the Articles of Confederation was the inability of congress to regulate interstate and foreign trade. Other countries, especially Britain, placed high tariffs and trade restrictions on United States goods which resulted in limited trade with Britain. The government had inadequate power to impose a uniformly high tariff and protect merchants from foreign competition under the Articles of Confederation. Half of the United States ships went to Great Britain, or the West Indies both of whom placed high custom fees on the new nations goods after independence, resulting in a British gain of Atlantic trade at the cost of American merchants. Instead, the States placed tariffs on each other's goods, which resulted in a decline of intrastate trade, driving the nation further into debt. The Articles of Confederation lacked proper power to protect the nation from economic depression, caused by the government's inability to regulate interstate and foreign trade. The Articles of Confederation lack of a centralized national government, produced states with different currencies, and unregulated trade resulted in rebellious citizens. In 1783 Alexander Hamilton and the newly appointed superintendent of finance, Robert Morris's inability to secure adequate funding for the United States due to a government devoid of proper taxation authority, resulted in The Newburgh Conspiracy. Although The Newburgh conspiracy was never carried out, the idea represents the extent of the financial constraints present in the United States. The weakness of the Articles of Confederation in relation to foreign trade and economic conditions in the nation was emphasized through Shays's Rebellion.. Farmers lacked the proper currency to pay off debts to states; the overabundance of state currencies defaced the value of the paper money, and the government lacked the proper power to establish a uniform national currency. Another issue produced through Shays's rebellion emphasized the need for the government's power to collect taxes, because the weak Articles of Confederation lacked the proper financial support to form a militia to stifle Shays's rebellion. The rebellious citizens symbolize the Articles of Confederation in ability to satisfy the needs of the new nation due to the decentralized national government. The Articles of Confederation's restriction of the government's power to regulate interstate or foreign trade resulted in uncertainty and higher prices for merchants and consumers, empasizing the inadequate form of government and inability to support national debt, or economic conditions present in the new nation, and led to rebellious citizens. Economic conditions and foreign trade suffered in America due to the weak government produced by the Articles of Confederation. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\acting essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ August 2004 To Whom It May Concern: The performing arts have been my passion for as long as I can remember. I love performing because I love being in front of people, and being in the spotlight. Every single moment of performing is so exciting for me, and I know it will be a part of my life forever. I have been acting for about seven years, and it is such an excellent experience. Acting really excites me beacause I get to meet new people and learn and experience so much. I love being able to 'walk in somebody elses shoes' while portraying a whole different character then myself. I love being able to be in a whole different world , and having the ability to actually be my character. I would like to apply to Lyric Acting School because I am eager for more acting/performing opportunities, and therefore I need to become a better actress. To pursue my carreer even further, I need to take my acting skills to a higher level. Sincerely, Taylor-Anne Reid 13 years old f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\activity sheet.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tom Healy Activity Sheet My college interest is that of a musical college, and to be more specific, a major in musical composition. I have been playing piano for five years, and been taking lessons from two professional teachers for one year. My current teacher is a piano teacher at Rowan and also a world-renown pianist. Before my piano lessons I had taking one year of guitar lessons but ultimately abandoned full priority of guitar for piano. Currently I am working on a variety of musical endeavors. I am composing a piece for violin and piano to be performed at the senior-directed cabaret by a fellow violinist and me. I am also involved in a piece for two guitars to be performed at the talent show by a fellow guitarist and me. Finally, I am working on an orchestration piece for strings to be considered and possibly performed by the high school orchestra. In my freshmen and sophomore year I had been in the high school chorus, in which I had performed multiple concerts. I am now a part of the S.U.R.E. Club and the history club. I had been a leader for three years of an independent band and during that time we had performed live and recorded an album composed of seven songs written by me. We were considered, by our fellow peers, as one of the best bands in Township and we received much praise from fellow musicians. I have received honor role every marking period last year and many other times during the previous years. I have received admission for a gold Renaissance card many times throughout my high school career and received the card 3 times. I had a part-time job last year at McDonalds and now I help out my neighbors with various odd jobs. All teachers find me conscientious and dependable with responsible and positive attitudes. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ad essay for final.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Seth Quinn Katherine TA Homework: Maxims and Advertising According to lecture, advertisers use Grice's maxims in many ads and in many ways. The maxims are apart of the cooperative principle. This principle is what helps makes conversation flow and people able to understand each other. The maxims are as follows: maxim of relevance, maxim of quality, maxim of quantity, and maxim of manner. I found some advertisements that have some of these maxims in them. For example, I came across an ad for Verizon wireless cell phones. It had the trademark man with the thick black glasses and black hair. Behind him are mountains with no other signs of life; a place where most cell phones would not get very good reception because the satellites would not be able to pick up the signal. Next to his head the ad said, "Can you hear me now? Good." This is also the question that in every commercial or ad that this man is saying while he is talking on his cell phone. Then it says at the bottom, "Simply everything you need to know about your wireless services." This advertisement is using the maxim of relevance. What the man says is tied to what is said at the bottom of the ad. It expects the viewer or reader of the ad to interpret that Verizon cell phones have great reception no matter where the person is using it and that it is probably better than almost every phone out there reception wise. The phrase at the bottom suggests that reception is basically the only important thing when it comes to a cell phone and Verizon cell phones get awesome reception. Another advertisement that I saw was showing guitar amplifiers for Marshall. It had a picture of the new amp in the center with pictures of other amps with no names on them in the background. These other amps were much smaller. At the top it said, "Only Marshall can bring you the full 300 watts that only the truest guitar player need." The maxim used here is that of quantity. It does not tell more than what is necessary. It says it brings a full 300 watts, but all major amplifier companies have 300 watt amps. Another maxim used is the maxim of relevance again because it suggests that "only the truest guitar player" uses a Marshall amp. This suggests to the reader or viewer that what is meant by "truest" is "best" and that the best guitar players use Marshall amplifiers so if you buy one you will become good at guitar. The last ad that I saw was for Jim Beam hard liquor. It had a picture of the bottle and a blue collar worker to the side looking as if he were talking to the reader or viewer of the ad. At the bottom of this ad it simply said, "Dare I say 'high class?'" At the left side of the ad it said, "Who are you at the end of the day?" I laughed simply because this is just cheesy, but it does use the maxim of relevance. The two phrases along with the picture of the blue collar rugged worker suggest that any can feel rich if they drink this Jim Beam alcohol, even if the person is not even close to what society thinks being rich is. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ad Hominem paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wendi M. Brooks Reasoning and Critical Thinking Professor Smillov 22 April, 2004 Ad Hominem Ad Hominem literally means, when translated from the Latin, "against the man" or "against the person". So basically it boils down to, someone disregards an argument based on the person making the argument or presenting the argument. This is fallacious because an argument shouldn't be judged because of a bias someone might have against a certain person that is making it. For example: John: "I believe that abortion is morally wrong." Jake: "Of course you would say that, you're a priest." John: "What about the arguments I gave to support my position?" Jake: "Those don't count. Like I said, you're a priest, so you have to say that abortion is wrong. Further, you are just a lackey to the Pope, so I can't believe what you say." In this example we see that Jake is disregarding everything John says based on the mere fact that he happens to be a priest. If he weren't a priest and gave the same back up information saying abortion is morally wrong, Jake might have been more open to the what John was saying. This is a very common fallacy. People need to understand that the character, circumstances, and actions of a certain person do not hold any bearing to the truth and falsity of the argument itself. If I, as a young Christian woman, were giving reasons why I feel abortion is wrong, people could easily decide not to listen to me because of my religious background, but really my reasons for believing the way I do, aren't because of my religion. But if someone didn't know that, they could easily be disregard my opinions, even though they are only based on the fact that murder is wrong by law, as well as in my religion. This fallacy needs to be avoided. It can be avoided by making people understand that you can't bias your opinions because of your feelings for the person making the argument. If someone has a good point, and I don't particularly like the person making the argument, I am not going to disregard what they are saying just because they aren't my friend. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Adios Cordera primo distante de 1984.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chris Stone el 2 de diciembre, 1996 Ramón Díaz-Solís el 9o trabajo Adiós, Cordera: primo distante de 1984 Adiós, Cordera, un buen ejemplo del movimiento naturalista, nos cuenta una historia triste pero muy sencilla y pura. Su lenguaje descriptivo nos da una imagen perfecta de la escena presentada. También, la inocencia del cuento, en sí mismo, resulta un elemento integral de la trama. Estamos a discutir la verdadera significación del cuento y a ver cuando vuelve a aparecer este estilo literario. En la historia, Cordera, una vieja vaca que reemplaza el hueco de una madre muerta. Cuida a los niños y ahí, con Cordera, se diviertan los niños de ella. Tienen todavía a su padre, pero esa vaca acaba haciendo el papel maternal. Con el desarrollo tecnológico de la región, el granjero pierde su dinero; un fenómeno que siempre pasa porque el venir de algo nuevo requiere que algo se vaya. A un cierto momento, se da cuenta que va a tener que vender esa vaca sólo para vivir. Los niños lloran mientras un tren llevando ganadería pasa por su campo donde solían jugar con Cordera. Terminan gritando "¡Adiós, Cordera, Adiós Cordera de mi alma!" Luego, el hermano también se va y de la misma wagón le grita la misma frase a su hermana que miraba desde el campo precioso. Bueno, aquí vemos una vida tranquila rasgada por la llegada de algo nuevo. No es un nuevo fenómeno de nuestra existencia, sino un fenómeno familiar. Cada siglo ha producido sus revolucionarios y los que convierten lo actual en lo histórico. Un ferrocarril y el telégrafo cambian la economía y pues a los niños les parece que esa nueva "cosa" "aruinó el orgullo de nuestro padre y nos robó la única mamá que tenemos." Pero lo que me interesa más a mí es las semejantes entre este cuento y la famosa novela, 1984. ¡Ojo! Tal vez me cree loco: no se ve claramente a primera vista esa relación entre las dos entidades; hay que analizar los símbolos de cada uno. George Orwell nos cuenta una visión profética. Escrita sobre los eventos del año 1984 d.C., la novela es una pesadilla de lo que puede pasar con los adventos de nuevas tecnologías. El tren, el ferrocarril y el telégrafo que cambian la vida de los niños (y de Cordera) representa lo mismo que la televisión omniciente en 1984. No digo que las historias son idénticas, sino que el mensaje es el mismo. Una diferencia entre los dos es el sujeto del cuento (o novela según el caso). Clarín, o sea Leopoldo Alas, se dirige a la destrucción de la naturaleza. Orwell, en 1984, nos describe la destrución del espíritu humano. Pero en realidad, el resultado de los dos escenarios es la destrución de una manera de vivir. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Adoption Research.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This material may be reproduced and distributed without permission; however, appropriate citation must be given to the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse. Options Magazine Adolescence-Who Am I And Where Am I Going? No sooner do your children begin to understand the wonders of biology than their own bodies begin the surge of growth toward puberty and the awesome stage of adolescence. Adolescence, for all its newness-it was not considered a distinct stage of life until after the first World War-has quickly acquired a reputation as a difficult and trying period for children and parents. Physical growth changes the person from a child to an adult, in preparation for procreation, but mental and emotional development may take years to catch up with the body. Adolescents' behavior is in transition and not fixed; their feelings about the world and their place in it are tentative and changeable, like a chameleon's. The adolescent's primary task is to establish a secure sense of identity; the process is arduous, time-consuming, and intense. Establishing a stable identity includes being able to live and work on one's own, to maintain a comfortable position in one's family, and to become a contributing citizen in one's community. It is the nature of all adolescents, adopted or not, to question everything and everyone. It is also in their parents' nature to worry about their children's futures and their own survival in this period. Almost everyone agrees that, although often extremely difficult, open communication can smooth the process. Adolescence is a time of trying on and choosing in all aspects of life. Two major aspects of adult identity formation will be choice of work and choice of a partner to love. Teenagers look for and imitate role models. They critically examine their family members (as they did in elementary school), peers, teachers, and all the other heroes and anti-heroes the culture offers from rock musicians and movie stars, to ball players and politicians, to grandparents and peers' older brothers and sisters. They idolize and devalue people, ideas, and religious concepts. They often bond tightly with peers in small groups that are intolerant of all outsiders. They vacillate between criticism of others and harsh self-criticism. They are sometimes supremely self-confident and often in the depths of despair about their abilities and future success. If normal adolescence involves a crisis in identity, it stands to reason that adopted teenagers will face additional complications because of what some have called "genealogical bewilderment" (Sants). The fact that the adoptee has two sets of parents raises more complicated questions about ancestral history now that intellectual development has assumed adult proportions. The search for possible identification figures may cause the adolescent to fantasize more about birth parents, become interested in specific facts about birth relatives, or wish to search for or meet them. Although all adopted adolescents have to struggle to integrate their fantasies and future goals with their actual potential and realities, foreign, biracial, and other cross-cultural adoptees (as well as teenagers with physical or emotional disabilities) have additional challenges. They may suffer more from what Erik Erikson calls "identity diffusion," i.e., feelings of aimlessness, fragmentation, or alienation. They may appear outwardly more angry at adoptive parents, and more critical of what their parents did or did not do to help them adjust to their adoptive status. They may withdraw more into themselves, or conversely feel they need to "set off to see the world" in hopes of finding their true identity. Adolescents often express their reactions to loss by rebelling against parental standards. Knowing that they have a different origin contributes to their need to define themselves autonomously. According to Dr. Nickman, "An adopted son or daughter cannot be expected to be a conformist. If he is, he may be inhibiting an important part of himself for the sake of basic security or out of a sense of guilt or responsibility to his adopters." It probably helps a child to be told by adoptive parents that they understand their son or daughter's need to take control of his or her own life, and that they stand ready to assist in any way that they can, including giving their blessing to a child who needs to "to go it alone" for a while. Of course, a youngster under 17 years of age might be asked to wait until s/he could realistically manage in whatever environment would be encountered. [back to top] Searching for Birth Parents Current adoption practice has mixed opinions about whether, when, how, and with whose help, adoptees should look for more information about or try to initiate a reunion with birth parents. Information on this process is available through the Clearinghouse. Adoptive parents tend to think about their children's wish to search when they first adopt, and again when confronted with their angry toddlers. The topic resurfaces in adolescence, either raised directly by the child, or when rebellious, defiant behavior such as threats to run away, makes parents wonder if their child is wanting or needing to contact a birth parent. It takes a parent with sturdy self-esteem and more confidence than most of us have to withstand the stony silences and stormy confrontations with teenagers in turmoil. Parents are often tempted to escape perhaps by abandoning their teenagers who are having toddler-like tantrums, but you and your family will benefit more if you remain calm, stand up for the values you have taught, and continue communication efforts. For some adolescents, searching can be useful, while for many, the urgent activities and decisions of daily life are so pressing that they feel uninterested in or unable to confront such a heavy emotional undertaking. Waiting till they have reached adulthood when their lives will be more settled may be better for the latter group. Anger, Sex, and Aggression-Again! Adopted adolescents have the same trouble searching for a comfortable identity as do non-adoptees. Problems involving aggression, sexual activities and pregnancy, delinquency and substance abuse, social isolation and depression are the most common ones faced by teenagers and their families. Although there appear to be more adoptees percentage-wise in adolescent psychiatric treatment programs than nonadoptees, the majority of these patients tend to be the multiply placed children whose problems stem from a variety of sources, often the least of which is their adoption. Although sexual identity is an issue for all adolescents, adopted girls have the additional burden of conflicting views of motherhood and sexuality. On one hand there is their perhaps infertile adoptive mother and, on the other, the fertility of their birth mother who did get pregnant and chose not to keep her baby, or possibly had her child taken away from her. No matter how open communication has been, it is often next to impossible for adolescents to discuss their feelings about sex with their parents. Additionally, the adopted girl, unless she has close friends who are adopted as well, would have difficulty finding an ear understanding and sophisticated enough for this discussion. This may be a time to encourage meeting with other adopted teenagers, either through an organized group or informally, to provide your child with support for some of these sticky issues. Looking for solutions outside of the family is also appropriate for an adolescent for whom one major developmental task is to learn to separate and live independently. As adolescents move toward greater autonomy, a parent's most difficult task is to create a delicate balance of "to love and let go." Although there are many times when you could encourage your toddler-"me do it myself"-or elementary school-aged child to "try things alone" or learn a new skill, an adolescent needs to assert his/her independence by establishing differences from you, and real distance. The adolescent needs to take his or her independence or autonomy, rather than be given it. This often means a period of estrangement, lessened communication, or outright strife. You may want to listen and talk to your friends who have weathered adolescence with their biological children to note the similarities, and as you have tried to do all along, to understand the differences, acknowledge them, and try to work on them with your child. No matter how much you wanted to be parents, there are many times during the years of child rearing when you might ask, sometimes in humor, and sometimes in sadness, "Why did I ever sign up for this job?" Sometimes you can only reply feebly, "Well, it sure makes life interesting." But finally, you must have faith that the bonding that occurred in the early years between you and your child, the trust that has built as s/he grew up, and the communication that you have established, will come full circle and provide rich and rewarding relationships for you and your adult children. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\adv comp college essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ashley Svec 02/11/04 "I'm kind and caring." How many people say that about themselves? Almost anyone can say that, but not many people can mean it. I used to think that everyone was the same and normal and that I was exactly like the person next door. I now know that I am indeed not very normal at all. Some people may see me as weird but I see me as my own person. I have come to find that I am extremely kind and caring about others. Yes, I think everyone would say that about themselves, but if you asked any of my friends or family members, they would tell you that I am different. I care about other people's feelings more than my own. I put other people's problems in front of mine. Some people may think this is bad, but I think it is just how I am. If someone has a problem, whether it is my worst enemy or my best friend, I will try to help them. Just think about it, if your worst enemy was going through a tragic death and they came to you for comfort, what would you do? Many people would say, "I'm sorry for your loss," and walk away, or pretend to care but don't really care. I just care about every human being one hundred percent. I just feel that every person should be loved and cared about, and I can't stand it when people aren't feeling appreciated or important. Many people tell me that I am crazy, and I should just worry about myself, but I have a problem with that and can't do it. Until about three weeks ago, I thought I was just a nice person like everyone else. Well, that all changed very quickly. One of my two best friends came up to me at school and told me that I was a terrible friend and it was all my fault that we had not done anything together for the past seven months. I got very worked up about it. I tried to figure out where I went wrong, why didn't I call her when I did stuff? Oh yeah, because she had a boyfriend and always told me that she didn't want to go. I tried to think of every way possible that I screwed up. I literally tore myself apart over this. I convinced myself that it was my fault. The following day, another one of my good friends told me that I have changed for the worst ever since I got a boyfriend two months ago. She told me that I never do anything with my friends and I should change before I lose all my friends. Wow, did that hit me hard. That was probably the worst day in three months. I went home and asked my mom what she thought about both things. She told me that she has never seen me happier and she thinks I am a very good friend to all that I can be. My very best friend in the world told me the same as my mom and also that she thinks I do plenty of things with her. I still tried to figure out where I went wrong. I just ate myself up for about two weeks trying to figure it all out. Finally, I realized that I can't let these people get to me so much. I have come to the conclusion that I am my own person and people do change. A person can't have the same friends forever and have them like you forever. Even after all this, I still today, want everyone to be happy and satisfied with me. I always want to please people even when I'm not happy myself. It is just the way I am and I wouldn't change it for anything. I like to have the people around me pleased and happy. If other people aren't happy, then I am not happy. I think this is why I want to be a Music Therapist. I can help other people be happy with one thing that I love, music. I can help other people with their problems, just like I do now. To some people, my unique characteristic of kindness may be strange and stupid, but to me, it is the most wonderful thing ever. It is just the way I am. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\African Literature.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Trent Hughes Eng 109 Paper #2 African Literature The two short stories "In the Cutting of a Drink" and "The Return" bring different responses from me. "In the Cutting of a Drink" makes me think about what it would be like to go into a new culture. It also makes me think about the decline in moral values now days. "The Return" reminds me to be more thankful for the many things I take for granted. It also makes me think about how hard it can be to cope with change. In the poem "Those Rainy Mornings" I am reminded of my grandma and what a kind, loving, wonderful person she is. In Frank Chipasula's poem "Those Rainy Mornings" the speaker is talking about his aunt Gwalanthi. The speaker tells us what a wonderful loving person his aunt is. In the first section the speaker tells us how his aunt would wake up at the crack of dawn and build a fire. Then she would begin cooking porridge. In the second section of the poem the speaker talks about waking up "out of the nagging nightmare." Then the speaker describes his aunt a little bit more, "her soft but husky call." In the last section the speaker talks about how kind his aunt is to take care of his brothers and sisters while his parents "strayed to the copper mines." This poem makes me think about my grandma and all the wonderful things she has done for me. The speakers aunt is an old fragile woman, "hoe-broken palms" and "scrawny ribs." But she is also a very hard worker and loving person. Both these things remind me of my grandma. My grandma may be old and fragile but she is still a very hard working and loving person. My grandma is always up at first light doing household chores or working in her garden. Many times we have to force her to go inside, so she won't be exposed to the hot sun for to long. I can't count the number of times my grandma has made my bed, folded our clothes, washed our dishes, or done various other household chores for me and my family. I could never fully repay my grandma for all the wonderful things she has done. My grandma, like aunt Gwalanthi, is a very kind, hard working person. Ama Ata Aidoo's "In the Cutting of a Drink" is about a person relating his story of looking for his lost sister in a big city called Mamprobi. The narrator, Mansa's brother, is talking to his uncles in the story. He is telling them about the things he experienced in the city while looking for Mansa. The narrator is from the country, so a lot of the city life is new or shocking to him. The narrator and Duayaw, the person helping him find his sister, go to a nightclub while looking for Mansa. This is a very new experience for the narrator. Some new things he experiences are dancing and watching women buy beer. But the most shocking thing is when he finds out his sister Mansa works there. "Young woman, is this the work you do?" he asked her. In the end Mansa's reply was, "any kind of work is work." This story made me think of a couple of things, differences in cultures or places and a decline in moral values. When the narrator goes to the city he is in a totally new culture. Many of the things he sees done are shocking to him. "I sat with my mouth open and watched the daughter of a woman cut beer like a man." "I cannot describe how they danced." Going into a new culture would have to be a shocking experience for anyone. The comment "any for of work is work" made by Mansa makes me think about the decline in moral values. Now days many people seem to go by this saying. People seem to not care about what form of work they are doing as long as they make money. Some factors to consider when doing a job are, is what you are doing morally right or ethical, and is what you are doing legal or illegal. Would you want your husband or wife to go to work as a prostitute? Or would you want them to go to work as a female or male stripper? I would hope not in both cases, the first simply because it is illegal. The second because it is pornography and I think you should have enough respect for your spouse to not want them to do that kind of work. So the comment "any form of work is work" is not a way to go about finding a job. "The Return" by Ngugi wa Thiong'o is about a man named Kamau who returns home after being in a detention camp for five years. He hopes to see his old village exactly the same. Instead he finds it now ruled by the British. The British have changed the village and its culture. Worst of all, Kamau's wife Muthoni left with another man named Karanja. Muthoni did this because Karanja lied and told the village that Kamau had died. At the end of the story Kamau lets a small bundle, filled with things that reminded him of Muthoni, roll down a bank and float down the river. Then he talks about the relief he felt after this happened. "Why should she have waited for me? Why should all the changes have waited for my return?" These comments make me think about change and how hard it can be to cope with change. It also made me be more thankful for some of the things I take for granted. When Kamau returned home he basically returned home to a completely new village. His family had aged, many people didn't recognize him, and his wife was gone. This was very hard for Kamau to cope with, "the old village had not even waited for him." Kamau felt resentful and angry. I know I would have the same resentful feelings as Kamau if I were put in the same situation. I would feel cheated if I came home one day only to find it completely changed. Many time I find myself taking my friends, family, home, or security for granted. Sometimes I don't realize how important these things are in my life. I know if they were taken away or completely changed, I would be devastated. I would not be able to get over it as fast as Kamau. After reading this story I am more thankful for the many things I take for granted. All three of these readings bring out different responses from me. My grandma is the person I think about in the poem "Those Rainy Mornings." I am reminded of all the wonderful things she does for me and my family. In the story "In the Cutting of a Drink" I think about the decline in moral values these days. I also think about the what it would be like to go into a whole new culture. After reading the story "The Return" I am more thankful for the things that I take for granted. The story also makes me think about change and how hard it can be to cope with change. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\african politics midterm.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alex Khoper African Politics Adibe, Clement Apr. 25, 2004 Question 1 The "Scramble for Africa" could not have been better timed than during the industrialization of Europe. Under such slogans as ending slavery and civilizing the barbarians, the Europeans marched into Africa to divide the wealth of a continent. It was a dual mandate for "protecting and civilizing" Africa, while at the same time exploiting it. Through chartered companies, the governments at home were able to profit, while those companies exercised political, as well as military control of the Africans. The support for such profits and manipulation of Africa was driven by nothing other than public patriotism and nationalism. This patriotism during a time of technological development and accumulation of wealth by rivaling European countries was leading to war. Fortunately, Africa was seen as fair game where great powers of Europe could play without stepping on each others toes. Laying aside their ambitions in Europe; France, Germany, Italy, along with Britain emerged as major claimants of African "colonies." Through the use of treaties, which were completely misinterpreted by local chiefs, these countries were able to amass huge quantities of land. In return, they claimed to modernize the Africans by introducing laws and policies, which were influenced by racism and greed. And while encouraging the natives to educate themselves, to cultivate and eventually become European citizens, they were not given the same rights as white Europeans. Colonization of Africa was driven by self-indulgence and the need to make money, while disguising it by claims of being "protectorates and trustees of backward races" and the barbarians, who would only be treated as such through racist policies and practices. The relationship between Britain and Africa was that of trade partners in the early 19th century. Great Britain possessed a few lands in Africa, mostly supplying oils and other food sources. The land was typically used by explorers, merchants, and missionaries and no major conflicts with the natives had arisen. With the industrialization of Europe, other nations began to militarize and imperialize. Britain was more concerned with its trade with East Indies and Asia and had not yet realized the potential of Africa. Its motives were strategic and defensive. While other motives did exist, such as to colonize, to search for new markets and materials, to attain world prestige, to convert natives to Christianity, and to spread their style of government, the main motives still remained to protect existing land holdings. They would not have to wait long to change their objective as other European nations were beginning to be interested in Africa as well. They decided that Africa was too rich a land to leave untapped. In response, Britain began to turn trade agreements into stronger and more formal protectorates and even colonies. Britain's imperialist involvement in the partition and scramble for Africa was a response to the actions of French and German, among others. Britain struck first and most fiercest, easily gaining control of numerous rich lands by overpowering the natives with military technology and organization. By 1910, Britain was in full control of Egypt, Nigeria, the Gold Coast, East Africa, Sierra Leone, and most of the Sub-Saharan Africa. British holdings were strategically planned to include the lands with the most amounts of natural resources and positioning that could possibly allow for the invasion of others' holdings in the future. They were also very strategic in its ruling of its colonies. They racistly and oppressively controlled each colony, implementing 2 main political structures; the Direct and Indirect systems of government. These included chartered companies, as well as the appointments of local chiefs or the Lieutenant-Governors, who were all under orders of the British government. Lord Lugard described such colonial ambitions toward Africa as "dual mandate." The first being the mandate to the indigenous population, which was the idea of promoting the welfare and advancement of colonial people. The next was the mandate to the rest of the world, which involved the development of Africa and its participation in the world market. According to Lugard, there were 9 reasons for colonization. Under such motives, the British entered colonial Africa. The first of these bases was geo-strategy. It was the need for Britain to protect its routes to the Indian Empire and at the same time to counter the aggression and imperial motives of France and Germany. Emigration was another reason for colonizing Africa, as more and more Europeans were buying land in Africa. They needed protection from their home governments. The reason, under which most European countries entered Africa, was to end slavery. As Britain outlawed slavery in 1830's, Africa was still troubled by slave-trading wars. This was seen as humanitarian and not exploitation goals and nobody questioned it twice. Another motivation for their involvement was to protect the British missionaries already stationed in Africa. It was another way to make sure Christianity would dominate the region, which led to the next goal of the British, under which it gave them ideological justification. That was "mission civilisatrice," translated to civilizing mission. Britain claimed to colonize Africa to rid it of barbarism and "to promote their moral and educational progress." Conceivably the real grounds for infiltrating the African continent lay in the last 4 ideas. Britain had been the most dominant power in Europe for centuries before the industrial revolution. As other European nations began to catch up to the dominance of Britain, there was nothing left but pride or vanity. It was a race to see who could gain more in the least amount of time. At the same time, the British had to worry about protecting the chiefs in the already acquired lands. Had they allowed the radicals to gain control, it may have led to an internal revolt resulting in bloodshed and loss of land and profits. Finally, the British wanted to promote and extend their style of government and capitalism, as well as introduce a system of taxation, which would result in more profit. There were many dimensions to the British colonization of Africa. Only those intentions that promised modernity in Africa were heard by the people in Europe. The real reasons were not. Under such circumstances, the British, along with other European nations were able to penetrate and exploit Africa for what it was. Unlike Britain, other European countries did not always hide their true intentions for Africa. France and Germany wanted to acquire tropical possessions just because they were seen as "colonisable." Yet, the European nations struggled with the idea of exercising their dominance over the natives. Their "sphere of influence" was limited to certain areas, which they found to be not enough. With the Act of Berlin, it was agreed that only by retaining real occupation would they be able to maintain order, protect foreigners, and control the natives (p.13)." This way the Europeans could do more "good" than "bad." The interest in Africa would soon pay off as the continent was rich in natural and raw materials, as well as agricultural superiority. The British rule of Africa, for the most part, was characterized as indirect rule, unlike the one of France and Germany. This way a colonial official was more of an advisor than direct ruler. Those still in charge, or at least under orders from Britain, yet familiar to the natives would still be the traditional chiefs. In areas where there weren't any chiefs, they were created, which led to many conflicts and non-development. People would see these chiefs as puppets, refusing to cooperate and not eager for change. These, among other approaches led to bigger racial divisions and racist policies. There were 3 main policies implemented in British colonies. The first was the policy of differentiation. It had to do with a "separate legal and political system for whites and Africans (http://husky1.stmarys.ca)." The Africans were exempted from European law, making them second-class citizens in their own land. Although, there were procedures by which they could upgrade to European status, such measures were too difficult for most. Under such policy, laws were passed which benefited the whites over the natives. The next policy was the policy of assimilation and no differentiation, which was a new liberal struggle "to eliminate differences in legal status based on colour (http://husky1.stmarys.ca)." As more and more territories and their large populations were annexed, the problem had to be addressed on a larger scale. This included rapid assimilation through Christianity, schools, and hospitals. There was also the policy of indirect rule and no assimilation, which dealt with the idea of white advisors in legal matters without any direct control or participation. It was a way to civilize the natives without any direct involvement. Throughout colonial Africa, policies were introduced, which were racist in nature and which led to racist practices. The idea of "civilizing" in itself is racist. When we add in King Leopold to the picture, it becomes even worse. With his brutal methods of murder, starvation, decapitation and kidnapping for ransom he was able to control the population of Congo which he used for his own personal profit. He gave the natives no rights and they were treated as animals, instead of as human beings. Such policies and practices impacted Africa on many levels. By forcing Africa into the world economy and later withdrawing its support, Britain, along with many others, forced the destruction of traditional social, economic, political, and cultural structures of African nations. The sense of community and family spirit was replaced by competition and individualism and further increased ethnic conflicts due to uneven development strategies. Colonization divided Africa into regional and territorial boundaries and decimated African populations. It created economic dependency on the industrialized nations along with general underdevelopment and poverty. Most importantly, it institutionalized national and international racism against Africans and peoples of African descent. There were not only negative effects due to colonization. Some of the positive effects were modernization and development of industry, particularly transportation. The improvement of education and health systems was another. The rise of nationalism gave Africans a sense of one culture which had to be represented through art and political and economic involvement in today's globalization. Question 2 During colonization of Africa, European nations acted in a very unilateral, self-concerning environment. There were not many checks and balances between nations and that's why many atrocities took place in African colonies. One of them was Congo. Before E.D.Morel opened the eyes of the world to the events taking place in Congo, many believed that the sole purpose of white Europe even being in Africa was to stop slave trade and to civilize the barbarians. What they didn't know was that Africa contained massive quantities of natural resources, in addition to many exotic foods. The advantage in technology of the Europeans was no match for the Africans, who were seen as cheap or in some cases free labor. This was exploited by King Leopold, who had no mercy for the natives. He thought his crimes would go unpunished and he invested lots of money to make sure of just that. He, along with many others refused to understand the culture and traditions of the natives. They were not used to the political and social structure of tribes and families. They were interested in enforcing democracy, which was their own promotion of capitalism. The treatment of Africans and their cultures during colonialism has played a big role on their ongoing struggle to find a place within today's global environment. Today's' Africa is no different than the one during colonialism. The rulers of African nations today, while not white, follow the same pattern as those during colonialism. Many of them run their countries as their own personal playgrounds. The same atrocities that went on during colonialism are still going on today. It's also not clear whether the African nations are trying to find their own place in world politics and economics or just trying to satisfy the needs of the West. There needs to be more pressure applied on Africa to democratize. The problem lays in the absolute rule and military rule of many African countries. Unless the West gets involved, many more people will die for no good cause. We cannot turn Africa into the old colonized Congo. Everyone ignored King Leopold during his totalitarian rule over Congo where the population reduced by half during his rule. No one wanted to know what was really going on in Congo and those that suffered were the people. The same is going on in all of Africa today and the world cannot stand by and learn of the mistreatment and neglect some time in the future. The international community needs to come together to address such issues as AIDS, malnutrition, starvation and many other problems concerning Africa. Real democracy needs to find a way so that Africa can join the rest of the world in searching for better way of life for its people. Before colonialism, the African society was organized and based on traditional values. It had not been introduced to mass religion, nor was there a need for nationalism or one culture. Basically, there was no need to modernize. It was a very rich civilization due to many diversities and social structures. Friendship and brotherhood were the main elements of this society, where work was considered as a value and where mutual help was a responsibility. People lived according to traditional values. The elders were seen as the detainers of such values and much respect and honor was given to them. They were in charge of the traditional and moral education of children. The family structure consisted of the father representing the head of the household, being able to choose a husband for his daughter, responsible for hunting and supplying the family with food. Everyone felt as part of a big community where any child could be disciplined by anyone else. This traditionalistic way of life began to change with the colonization of Africa. New ideas and ways began to penetrate the continent; some forcefully and some not. Africa was pushed into the world economy and had to fight to modernize. New technology, and the new way of thinking began to dominate the way of life. They method of living, speaking, and behaving was beginning to change as well. These new concepts were seen as threats to traditional values. People were being exposed to other cultures through newly introduced education and the advancement in technology and communication. People were forced to work many hours to support the family. In Congo, during colonialism, families were taken as ransom in order to force men to leave for work for months at a time. The sense of one family was on the decline as parents were not part of their kids' everyday lives. Art became more and more important. It was a way to save and represent the history of the people. It served and still serves as a representation of national identity. Yet, Diawara argues that there is no other choice but to modernize and to do that means to put art and religion on the back burner. He believes that Africa needs to democratize and let go of the old traditional ways. At least put them in museums and galleries for admiration but concentrate on giving people freedom from oppressive traditions and religions. He stresses the need to advance in technology and democracy, in order to help the African nations in their struggle. Cultural globalization has reached the shores of African and its people are no longer interested in preserving old traditions or a sense of family. It's all about making money and looking out for themselves. The tales and stories once told by the elderly are replaced by movies and TV shows. Parents and kids work to support the family and find no time to sit together and talk. Those are the consequences of globalization and individualism. The political change in Africa has taken on a similar path. The need for wealth and dominance over others is what drives many African countries today. There is a wide division between rich and poor, as well as those who welcome change and those that despise it. Diawara talks about how people welcomed him once he came back. They saw him as an outsider, who was no longer one of them. He described the kids going to the bathroom right in front of his hotel, as well as their unwillingness to blame their own government for their misfortunes. He portrays people who are proud of their cultures and traditions, not willing to satisfy the West. Most consider art as the only true African possession, not yet taken by the West. And while they make it for cultural value and representation, the same pieces are sold in the West for millions of dollars. That is why most of them refuse to sell it for profit. Diawara illustrates those in Africa blaming everything on Europe and the United States; for the decline in traditional value to all other misfortunes of colonialism. He depicts them as people not wanting to change. Those that come back to Africa, such as Diawara, see it in a different light. The so-called Afro-pessimism forces them to blame the African governments for not moving forward. The other blame is with religion, which takes traditional values and turns them into fanatic and radical ideas. No matter who is to blame, one thing is clear. Africa can't turn back the clock. They don't have a choice other than to modernize and democratize. It has to start with the people and the leaders who need to realize that they are all in it together. Only then, will they be able to set aside all differences and move forward. Bibliography 1. Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold's Ghost. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York. 1998. 2. Lugard. The Dual Mandate in British Tropical Africa. 3. Africana. http://www.africana.com 4. British Colonial Policies. http://husky1.stmarys.ca/~wmills/course317/3brit_policies.html f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Agrifood Research Resume 22.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Summary Community Based Research and Development > project planning and management > development of research tools and methodology > fieldwork - personal & group interviews, focus groups, community collaboration - networking > program evaluation > statistical & qualitative analysis > professional case study & report writing BC Agri-food Sector Development > secretariat services provided to emerging small scale food processor's association of BC > organization of sector stakeholders: small scale growers, organic farmers, processors, retailers, farm-gate - community markets, restaurants, food security & policy making bodies, federal & provincial government, others ... BC Agriculture, Land & Resource Base Research > agricultural land use, small scale agriculture, organic farming, secondary specialty food processing, co-operatives & alternative strategies for marketing, production & labor > agro-forestry - non-timber forest products, herbs, botanicals & nutraceuticals, eco-forestry eco-certification and value-added wood industry Education Currently Completing Social Work Degree @ UVic / Honors, Member of the Golden Key Honors Society Uvic Currently completing the Restoration of Natural Systems program in the School of Environmental Science UVic Credit Union Business Development Program / Investment Planning Certification Canadian Management and Human Resource Certification Professional Experience Current Researcher, British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC Current Researcher / CED Consultant, Community Venture Development Services, Victoria, BC Current Researcher CEDCO 1985 - 2000 Personal and Commercial Banking / Financial Planning, Calgary Co-op Credit Union; The Co-operators; Nelson and District Credit Union; Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce; Royal Bank of Canada Professional and community activities LifeCycles Project Society, current Secretary of the Board International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Victoria 2002 conference steering committee member Restoration of Natural Systems (UVIC) Island Chef's Association Taste of Gold, volunteer (Sept 2001) Feast of Fields / Farm Folk City Folk, 3rd annual volunteer References & writing samples Available upon request Colleen Shepherd 27 Cambridge ST Victoria B.C. V8V 4A7 Phone (250) 480-5939 Cell (250) 882-5939 E-mail cshep@uvic.ca 1 3 Colleen Shepherd 27 Cambridge ST Victoria B.C. V8V 4A7 Phone (250) 480-5939 Cell (250) 882-5939 E-mail cshep@uvic.ca f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Agrifood Research Resume.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Summary Community Based Research and Development > project planning and management > development of research tools and methodology > fieldwork / personal & group interviews, focus groups, community collaboration / networking > program evaluation > statistical & qualitative analysis > professional case study & report writing BC Agri-food Sector Development > secretariat services provided to emerging small scale food processor's association of BC > organization of sector stakeholders / small scale growers, organic farmers, processors, retailers, farm-gate / community markets, restaurants, food security & policy making bodies, federal & provincial government, others ... BC Agriculture, Land & Resource Base Research > agricultural land use, small scale agriculture, organic farming, secondary specialty food processing, co-operatives & alternative strategies for marketing and production > agro-forestry / non-timber forest products, herbs, botanicals & nutraceuticals, eco-forestry / eco-certification and value-added wood industry Education Currently Completing Social Work Degree @ UVic / Honors, Member of the Golden Key Honors Society UVic Credit Union Business Development Program / Investment Planning Certification Canadian Management and Human Resource Certification Professional Experience Current Researcher, British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC Current Researcher / CED Consultant, Community Venture Development Services, Victoria, BC 1985 - 2000 Personal and Commercial Banking / Financial Planning, Calgary Co-op Credit Union; The Co-operators; Nelson and District Credit Union; Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce; Royal Bank of Canada Professional and community activities International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Victoria 2002 conference steering committee member Island Chef's Association Taste of Gold, volunteer (Sept 2001) Feast of Fields / Farm Folk City Folk, 3rd annual volunteer Urban Restoration and Sustainable Agricultural Systems, UVIC professional certificate program participant (Sept 2001) References & writing samples Available upon request Colleen Shepherd 27 Cambridge ST Victoria B.C. V8V 4A7 Phone (250) 480-5939 Cell (250) 882-5939 E-mail cshep@uvic.ca 1 2 Colleen Shepherd 27 Cambridge ST Victoria B.C. V8V 4A7 Phone (250) 480-5939 Cell (250) 882-5939 E-mail cshep@uvic.ca f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ah Woe Is Me.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ah, Woe Is Me A) Summary of The Story: In the beginning of this short story we are introduced to Sarah, an aging black servant living in South Africa. She works hard for an upper-class white family and spends all of her money on education for her three children who are sent to a boarding school. They come home once a year at Christmas, and the first time the narrator meets the children, she is surprised at their well-mannered behaviour. She finds, however, that Sarah is a bit harsh towards them, and she comments on this. Sarah tells her that it is better to learn the lesson now and grow to accept one's fate later. In the course of the following year, Sarah must give up her job because of her legs, and one day her daughter comes to the house. Slowly she tells her story to the narrator. How the younger brother is working now, and how she is taking care of Sarah. The narrator offers her some clothes and some money and invites her inside for a cup of tea. When she is about to leave, she starts crying and can only mutter that her mother is very ill. Unsure of what to do, the narrator hands her a handkerchief. B) An Essay About the Text: The setting in this story is South Africa in the 1950's. Apartheid and segregation are words that describe the conditions under which the blacks (the native Africans) live perfectly. The blacks nearly have no rights and must accept being oppressed by the whites. Sarah is only one of many poor blacks who only just manages to earn a living by working as a servant for a rich white family (the narrator). Slavery does not exist anymore, but it can be difficult to distuingish the life of a slave from that of a native African in the 50's except from the fact that they do after all get paid for their work. Sarah is very concerned about her children getting a good education. She probably wants them to have a better life than she has had so far, and while that is a very noble thought, the facts speak against it. Her children do not at this time have a very good (if any) chance of getting a good solid education because it is very expensive, and their mother does not make that much money. Even if she did make enough money, her legs are bad, and at the end of the story, she has to give up her job (and thus take her children out of the boarding school) because she cannot afford to pay for the school. This is what could look like the final blow to her children's future success in life. No education means no chances of getting a better life in South Africa (and just about everywhere else, too). But what if she did have enough money to give her children a proper education - would that guarantee the children a good future life? I gravely doubt it. As I said before, the blacks live almost like slaves, and as such, they do not have the opportunity to climb the social ladder. All in all, Sarah's hopes and dreams for her children are all very noble, but, unfortunately, at that time and place, very unrealistic. The narrator does not treat Sarah any better than most other white people in South Africa at this time. While she allows Sarah's children to stay in her house during Christmas, I think the only reason she does it is because she tries to escape her own bad conscience. It is Christmas after all. Throughout the rest of the year, she does not even think about helping Sarah's children financially so they can stay in school. Even though she presumably has more money than Sarah will ever see, the thought of helping her servant out does not strike her at any point in the story. Her servant is her servant, and servants' children are not someone she thinks about. This point is also very clear to see when one reads the description of the narrator's thoughts about Sarah's children. She is surprised at how well they behave, how good their manners are; as if she was expecting a horde of wild animals instead of normal human beings. She is undoubtedly not the only one to think this way about the blacks, they were considered animals by many white people at that time. However, the narrator seems to excuse her treatment and behaviour towards Sarah and her family with ignorance (see lines 99-103). I find it hard to believe that this ignorance really existed, but it is possible that it did, because the whites and the blacks were so distinctly segregated by the apartheid system. Yet I find it hard to believe that the narrator was completely unaware of Sarah's almost inhuman standard of living. Surely, even though apartheid almost divided the whites and the blacks into two separate worlds, she must have known something about the conditions under which Sarah and her children lived, and that it was getting worse as the days went by (because of the mother's bad legs). When Janet, one of Sarah's two daughters, comes to visit the narrator in the end of the story, the narrator once again displays her ignorance about the blacks, but this time she openly admits it. Janet is, of course, in an unpleasant situation when she stands in the back yard of her mother's former employer. Everyone has some pride in themselves, and standing in the back yard, asking for alms is, of course, very degrading to a proud person, no matter who that person is. Janet has probably tried being in a similar situation before, but now that her mother is unable to provide for the disintegrating family (her father has lost his job and her sister has married and moved away), the life and death of her family depends solely on her and her brother who are the only ones working. Janet is of course very depressed and sad, but she cannot give up now. Her last hope is that the narrator will help her out, and, fortunately, she does. The handkerchief is actually the first thing the narrator has ever done to help Sarah's children. It is not until that point in the story Janet realizes just how bad things are with Sarah and her family. Of course, one could again be tempted to think that it was only her bad conscience that made her give Janet the clothes, but there is no way to be sure. I am, however, inclined to believe that the narrator has finally realized how immense the difference between the "black world" and the "white world" really is. However, the things she gives Janet (some money and the handkerchief) will not last long, and what will Janet do then? Come back for more, of course. I am not saying that the narrator is doing something bad, but I do not think she realizes that Janet will probably come back again. It is like giving a stray cat some food; it will always come back for more. The question is if the narrator would give Janet more money if she came back, and if it would be any help at all. The first question is easy: Yes, she would give her more money if she came back - her conscience forbids her to do otherwise. The second question is a bit more difficult to answer. Of course the money is an instant help to Janet and her family, but only a very insufficient one. The few dollars (or whatever currency they use in South Africa) she gives Janet will only provide the family with a meal or two, and after that they will be back to where they started, and would have to beg for more money. Now, I am not saying charity does not help, but I do not think it helps as much as many people would like to think it does. In many cases, it only puts off the sufferings. The apartheid system has officially been abolished in South Africa today, but I think old habits die hard, so to speak. I am sure there are still blacks like Sarah and her family who have to subordinate to the richer white population even though - officially - apartheid does not exist there anymore. Societies do not change overnight, especially not when one group has to give up its right and privileges and share them with others (whom they dislike). Sarah's story is undoubtedly not the worst example one could find, but no one knows what happened after the scene in the narrator's back yard. Translation: In the beginning of his well-known novel about a missing principal, Hans Scherfig gives the following description of how it all started: On the tenth of October, a horrible discovery was made on Amager Fælled. A soldier found the horribly mutilated remains of a person who had literally been blown to bits. The police immediately started an extensive investigation, which was somewhat complicated by the fact that it was impossible to identify the body. Some small pieces of clothing were sent for chemical analysis, but since the results would not be available until a week later, the police were unable to proceed directly with solving the mystery. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Alante K essay 12604.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alante K. Blacher Grade: 4th January 26, 2004 Bad Boy or Good Boy There once was a boy named Jordan Tabb. He was the worst kid ever. He would beat you up on a regular basis for your lunch money. "Ouch!!!" said a boy on the playground. Yep that's right. But one day that changed. There was a girl named Nia Johnson. She was the nicest girl ever. She would stay after school often and help the science teacher clean the room and she was a good student. After watching how Nia behaved Jordan realized that he too, was a nice person. He tried to be nice to people and he became friends with a boy that was not happy. So he apologized to the people that he had hurt and everything was okay. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Alice Walker.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alice Walker 1. In Walker's essay, when she cites Virginia Woolf, Walker makes Woolf's points seem like they are about Black women when in actuality they are about white women from a different time period. Woolf uses names like Jane Austen and Emily Bronte who have no relation to Walker's view point but she incorporates them anyways. The only similarity that Walker and Woolf share is that they are both feminists with strong feelings about equal rights for women. 2. When Woolf is quoted, she makes references to other important authors but Walker distorts what Woolf is saying by imposing different black writer's names in between the lines. By adding these names, Walker has morphed Woolf's point into what Walker wants the reader to comprehend. 3. Walker's manipulations distort Woolf's credibility. Woolf, who wrote A Room of One's Own before Walker was even born, intended that quote to be viewed completely differently than how Walker is using the text. Woolf is talking about empowering white women and their influence as writers. Despite that Walker is an award winning writer, for her to distort what another important writer stated makes Walker seem less credible. 4. Walker used Woolf as an example because Walker is talking about a feminist issue and Woolf is a well respected feminist writer. Although, Walker should have used someone who could relate to black women not just women in general. If I were writing the same essay I would not have cited Woolf. I would cite from one of the authors that Walker mentions in between Woolf's quote (744). Richard Rodriguez 1. Hoggart's definition of a "scholarship boy" is very straight forward and basically states that a "scholarship boy" is a student who likes to learn outside of the classroom and reads many books. According to Rodriguez, a scholarship boy is something far more complex than a kid who likes to excessively read. Rodriguez gives a psychoanalytical approach and interprets the scholarship boy into his own life. 2. When Rodriguez mentions Hoggart's idea, Rodriguez interjects stories and memories from his youth to try and convince the reader that the scholarship boy is something of a personal matter. In a way, Rodriguez is trying to create sympathy for his troubled past. 3. Rodriguez's conception of what the scholarship boy should be is far too in depth for what Hoggart is stating. Linking Rodriguez's personal experiences with Hoggart's theory takes away the credibility of Rodriguez's point. In no way does Hoggart go into detail about his past but somehow Rodriguez feels it is necessary, and that demeans Rodriguez's credibility. 4. Rodriguez had to use Hoggart as a source because his essay was about the scholarship boy and Hoggart is the expert on the topic. I would have not added my personal, traumatic experiences to the essay because that is distracting and unreasonable for this essay. Rodriguez could have made his point just as clearly without the memories he infuses in his writing. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\almost famous essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Speech Communication 3.28.04 Prof. Linda Williams Almost Famous Almost Famous, written and directed by Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire), is a coming-of-age story inspired by the director's own experiences during his early years as a music journalist. Almost Famous offers an uncomplicated narration that adheres to a teenager's drive to become independent, to develop his own identity, and to maintain objectivity as a beginning music critic. Set in San Diego in the early 1970s, Almost Famous introduces the element of Rock'n'Roll music as a venue for freedom. Finding moral support in the lyrics of Simon & Garfunkel, 18-year-old Anita (Zooey Deschanel) rebels against her conservative mother Elaine (Frances McDormand). Deciding to leave home, she urges her younger brother William to let himself be influenced by the music of the era. Over the years, William (Patrick Fugit) develops an interest and befriends legendary music critic Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who asks him to cover a Black Sabbath concert for "Creem" magazine. His article earns the mature-sounding 15-year-old an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to join the more accessible "Stillwater" band and interview lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) during their "Almost Famous" concert tour. Postponing his obligations at school and at home, William develops emotional ties with the band and with the seductive groupie Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), and discovers the contradictions of being a subjective journalist. In this film I found there to be many memorable scenes with meaningful dialogue. Of all the scenes I looked through I found the part where Lester Bangs gives advice to William about love, art and William's own personal identity to be the most interesting. He says: They make you feel cool. And hey. I met you. You are not "cool." And while women will always be a problem for guys like us, most of the great art in the world is about this very problem. Good-looking people have no spine! Their art never lasts! They get the girls, but we're smarter Yeah, great art is about conflict and pain and guilt and longing and love disguised as sex, and sex disguised as love... Look I'm always home! I'm uncool! Listen man The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone when we're uncool. This film is about many things, the collapse of Rock n' Roll, sexuality, expression, freedom, drug abuse, friendship, but most of all it is about personal identity and finding yourself where you belong. After trying to be something he really was not, William realizes his mistakes and writes what he truly experienced with the band Stillwater. Unfortunately Rolling Stone rejects his piece and claims it is a fabrication. Thankfully later, the lead guitarist Russell, realizes his mistakes and admits what William wrote was all true. In analyzing my speech and the film, I used a more historical approach and then related it to my narrative self. I chose this film and this specific speech from it because I thought it would not only be entertaining for the class, considering Almost Famous is quite a popular movie, but it provides relevance to all of our lives, bearing in mind that all the students in our class are young, still insecure and are just earning our new found freedom. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\almost famous.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LESTER BANGS They make you feel cool. And hey. I met you. You are not "cool." LESTER BANGS And while women will always be a problem for guys like us, most of the great art in the world is about this very problem. Good-looking people have no spine! Their art never lasts! They get the girls, but we're smarter LESTER BANGS Yeah, great art is about conflict and pain and guilt and longing and love disguised as sex, and sex disguised as love... LESTER BANGS Look I'm always home! I'm uncool! LESTER BANGS Listen man The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we're uncool. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\alostladybup.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Schueth University of Nebraska-Lincoln Taking Liberties: Willa Cather and the 1934 Film Adaptation of A Lost Lady In October 1934 Americans opened up their newspapers to find a new movie playing downtown--A Lost Lady starring Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Morgan based on the novel by Willa Cather. The adjacent placement of Willa Cather's name next to Barbara Stanwyck's name (which was usually featured sweeping across the page in most ads) marked a critical moment in Cather's career when her name and reputation were infused into her popular culture without her control. The film and, perhaps more importantly, its advertising survive as a showcase of how Hollywood transformed Cather's aesthetics into a popular-selling medium, the Hollywood Romance genre film. The collusion of Cather and Hollywood reveals the shifting nature of professional writing in the 1920s and '30s as literary agents and publishers found new profit-making markets for their writers. Further, the relationship between Hollywood and literary texts documents how both popular selling and classic literature were becoming more complex material objects, exploitable in numerous ways. Film historian and critic Judith Mayne suggests that the massive Hollywood industry was part of the emergence of a new kind of public sphere, "one shaped by the institutions of consumerism" which often chose profit margins over art (1). The adaptation of Cather's novel into Hollywood mass-market middle-class American culture (mostly geared toward women) suggests much about her culture and its treatment of the artist as a consumable product. Unlike films based on novels by authors long dead, such as Charles Dickens or Jane Austen, living writers are in the midst of producing new work, and therefore they are continually developing their literary reputations. As we will see with the film adaptation of A Lost Lady, film adaptations and Hollywood publicity machines became a new force in the cultural construction of a writer's reputation. Indeed the cultural construction became a complex site as critics, writers, publishers, and now, Hollywood marketing departments simultaneously presented competing images to the public. In this essay I will pay special attention to the advertising, since it was the primary means by which Warner Brothers used Cather's name as a selling device. The sheer exposure of the advertising--including newspaper ads, shop window displays, and radio promotions to name a few--widely exposed the public to Cather's name. Central questions to the twentieth-century literary marketplace emerge in such moments as these: Who has control over a writer's reputation? How is the public informed about a writer? How much control can a writer have over her work? In the teens and '20s, Hollywood movies were consuming the attention of the American public. With rapid innovations in film technology, such as improved film projectors and the division of films into reels allowing for longer movies, leading filmmakers such as D.W. Griffith (Birth of a Nation) were able to tell more sophisticated stories through film. With such advancements, the film industry in the United States became a cultural juggernaut, reshaping concepts of amusement, entertainment, class systems, and narratives. Moreover, the film industry became big business. As Mayne suggests, after World War I Hollywood became "so dependent of the profit principle that the cinema at times seems to resemble a vulgar Marxist fantasy" (96). Indeed, Americans became so enamored with the cinema that by 1938 eighty million movie tickets were sold every week, representing 65 percent of the total US population (Minnesota On-line Media Project). With the rise of filmmaking and growing profits, there was a corresponding increase in the need for subject matter. In the silent film era, filmmakers recognized the limitations that the lack of sound placed on them to tell complex stories. Filming well-known works of literature became a standard choice for many filmmakers because it gave them a chance to work with story lines their audiences knew. As producers realized, well-known works of literature also provided a built-in marketing benefit: those who admired a book were drawn into seeing the filmed version, and quality of the literary work translated into a perceived perception that the film could also be good. Uncle Tom's Cabin, one of the earliest literary works put to film, was filmed over ten times in the silent film era beginning in 1903 (Gifford 144). With the popularity of novel adaptation in film, Hollywood grew dependant on novelists. As Virginia Woolf noted in 1926, "All the famous novels of the word, with their well known characters, and their famous scenes, only asked, it seemed, to be put on the films. The cinema fell upon its prey with immense rapacity, and to this moment largely subsists upon the body of its unfortunate victim" (Authors on Film 88). By the late teens and twenties (and institutionalized in the '30s), American authors were cashing in on Hollywood's interest. Edith Wharton, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Theodore Dreiser, Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and William Faulkner all participated in the lucrative financial windfall that came with selling their film rights to movie studios. Theodore Dreiser, for example, was paid $150,000 for the film rights to An American Tragedy in 1931. By 1934, Edith Wharton's major novels (The Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth, The Children, and Glimpses of the Moon) had all been adapted. Indeed, writers such as Hemingway, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald depended on Hollywood film projects to support their writing careers. Hemingway scholar Frank M. Laurence notes that while some of Hemingway's Hollywood films were embarrassing, it nevertheless "served to widen his name recognition even within the public that might never had read a word he wrote" (24-25). Because book sales rise in the wake of a major film production of a literary work, writers could make money both from the sale of copyright and from the resulting book sales even when the Hollywood movies were terrible. Cather knew this from experience. She sold the rights for A Lost Lady twice, once in 1924, which led to the now-lost 1925 silent film starring Irene Rich, and again in 1929, which ultimately led to the 1934 Warner Brothers film. Cather also sold rights to The Song of the Lark in 1932. After initially receiving a strong rejection from Cather, Ferris Greenslet, her editor and literary agent at Houghton Mifflin, wrote to her advising, Don't you really think that since neither of us would ever be compelled to see the picture if we didn't want to, and since of the millions of persons who would see it only a very small percentage would be admirers of your literary art, you might take the cash and let a little of the credit go, not forgetting that some of the millions of spectators might be inspired to become readers of all your books? (FC to WC 26 Feb. 1932) Cather finally agreed, but not for the standard promises of books sales or new, avid readers. She wrote Greenslet that from her earlier experience with the 1925 filmed version of A Lost Lady, the rise in book sales was short-lived and the fan letters she received were from messy and illiterate people (WC to FG 13 March 1932). Despite her strong feeling toward the matter, Cather sold the rights to guard her art against what she must have assumed was a greater risk. Cather's agreement to sell the rights to The Song of the Lark stipulated that Houghton Mifflin never ask her to sell the film rights to My Ántonia. Greenslet comforted Cather's decision to sell The Song of the Lark by writing to her that he was "more than every convinced that there is not only a picture but a good picture in it, one that we need not necessarily be ashamed of" (FC to WC 15 March 1932). In this case, however, The Song of the Lark never reached production, and Cather must have been relieved. Greenslet's optimism for a "good film" to come out of The Song of the Lark however, was perhaps misplaced given that film adaptations were notoriously poor in the late 1920s and early '30s. As film historians Gerald Peary and Roger Shatzkin note, while Hollywood exploited works of "highbrow" literature, the art often was pushed into a "body of established conventions that tended toward melodrama" (6). Maureen Turim, discussing the adaptation of Main Street into Warner Brothers' 1936 film I Married a Doctor, says that Warner Brothers "hoped to attract old devotees of Main Street, while appealing to a different audience who identified with the film through its new title as a 'woman's film'" (207). In 1932, after his own disappointed with the film adaptation of An American Tragedy for which he was highly paid, Theodore Dreiser wrote that a "movie representative admitted that they would prefer . . . . to buy the title [of the novel] only" (Authors on Film 207). Dreiser complains that the artist in film has been replaced with "a more or less purely commercial and so business-minded group" who exert "a material tyranny over a new and even beautiful art form" (Authors on Film 209). Likewise, with the 1934 adaptation of A Lost Lady, the storyline was exploited for its romantic possibilities over its artistic ones. On 21 February 1934 Gene Markey, co-author of the screenplay, wrote a Warner Brothers inter-office memo detailing his interest in adapting A Lost Lady because it could be turned into a "picture of dignity and great dramatic power." Yet, in the midst of the Great Depression and of restrictive moral codes in the film industry, Markey noted, "However, there is much to be done with it- -the creation of a whole new beginning- -and a whole new ending--to avoid the low-key depression feeling effect [sic] the last half of the novel." Indeed, the novel underwent a major re-writing in the screenplay, and I will briefly touch on the storyline quoting from a short Warner Brothers' plot summary. The movie begins with a completely new opening where we see an engaged Marian at a lavish party where her fiancé is suddenly shot to death by the jealous husband of the woman her fiancé had "been carrying on a secret affair" with. "Shattered," Marian takes a rest cure in the mountains where she suffers a fall and is rescued by Daniel Forrester, "one of the country's leading corporation lawyers," who was also "ordered to the mountains" by physicians. Forrester falls in love with Marian, who begins to recover under his friendship, and he eventually asks her to marry him. Marian accepts his proposal with an "understanding that honestly rather than love shall be the watchword between them." Neil Herbert takes on only a minor role in the film as Forrester's junior partner, "but stirs no response in Marian." Ellinger, the character who replaces Cather's Ivy Peters, "drops by from the sky like a thunderbolt in his aeroplane" at the Forresters' new luxurious country estate, falls instantly in love with Marian, and the two carry on a secret love affair. When Forrester learns of his wife's betrayal, he suffers a heart attack. The script treatment goes on to explain that, "Through long months of hopeless illness, Marian nursed her husband . . . . and learns, through a newspaper story, that Ellinger is about to marry a wealthy San Francisco girl." Marrian and Forrester reunite in the end, realizing that "she loves this man who has been so devoted to her." Judith Mayne suggests that in "adapting traditional novels as well as best-sellers, the classical Hollywood cinema promises that the reading experience will be recaptured in the movie theatre." Because of this, she contends, criticism on novel-film adaptations has long hinged on the "artistic superiority" of either the novel or the film that tends to "focus on authorship almost exclusively" (101-102). According to Mayne, novel-film criticism needs to account for the specific historical contexts informing film adaptations, reading those films under "the complexities engendered by a juncture of texts, viewers, and history" (105). Such a contextual reading of the A Lost Lady film adaptation proves useful as means to understand the massive changes Warner Brothers made to the storyline. One of the significant and revealing aspects in the A Lost Lady adaptation is the shift of the film's setting from a remote Nebraska "thirty or forty years ago, in one of those small grey towns along the Burlington railroad" to a contemporary upper-class, glitzy Chicago. Warner Brothers was nervous about the "depressing" and "low key" aspects of the novel, which most likely underscored the contemporary economic crisis in the midst of the Great Depression. For many Americans during the Depression, movies were a cultural daydream to escape from the drudgery of unemployment lines and soup kitchens. Moreover, the film erases Cather's complicated critique of modern materialism, especially in her characterization of Captain Forrester and Ellinger; it rewrites Forrester as a rich corporate lawyer who has money and security, and Ellinger as a rich, bored playboy. As the movie industry embraced the bottom line in its own business practices, so too did the industry build propaganda into films to defend capitalist business practices. Cather's critique of "new materialism," as biographer James Woodress calls it, and her nostalgic look backward to the pioneer West populated "by dreamers, great-hearted adventures" who loved the land and protected it from exploitation, was perhaps dangerous to Hollywood studios intent on exploitation themselves. No matter how different the film was from Cather's novel, Warner Brothers' marketing of the film used Cather's name to reinforce the "serious" dramatic power of the film. While Cather's contract with Warner Brothers was specific in detailing publicity restrictions, including a clause that states "no words shall be used which expressly or by inference convey the idea that the Owner [Cather] has written or supervised in any respect the dialogue or any other element of the motion picture," it did not stop Warner Brothers from exploiting her name. Memos from Warner Brothers executives suggest that there was serious consideration of just how to work Cather's name into advertising text. In a 25 May 1934 memo from Jim Seymour, he suggests: Inasmuch as we have taken some liberties with Willa Cather's prizewinning novel in modernizing it, I recommend the following form of main title credit A Lost Lady Screenplay by Gene Markey and Kathryn Scola Based on Willa Cather's novel/or/Based on the novel by Willa Cather While Seymour does advise using Cather's name in the advertising text, he is careful to suggest that, "It would be a mistake to mention the novel and/or novelists name on the first main title." By June, however, a short memo suggests that Warner Brothers executives wanted an even more direct connection between the movie and Cather's name. The new credit put forward in the memo reads, "Barbara Stanwyck in 'A Lost Lady' by Willa Cather." Indeed, the final newspaper advertisements sent to theatre companies suggest that Warner Brothers considered Cather's name a highly marketable commodity. The movie's newspaper advertisements, which ranged in size from one inch by one column size to full-page layouts, featured Cather's name in a range of styles. Examples vary from "Willa Cather's celebrated novel of a woman who tried to make marriage take the place of love comes to the screen in triumph" to "From the novel by Willa Cather, American's Greatest Woman Writer." The use of Cather's name highlights her literary celebrity and Warner Brother's faith that Cather's name was solid enough to sell movie tickets. Further, her proclaimed stature as "America's great woman writer" was used to market to both those who read and admired her work, and to those unfamiliar with her work, especially, it seems, to a targeted audience of middle-class women who were fond of formulaic romance films. In the same press book, Warner Brothers constructed a sophisticated advertising campaign that included "tear sheets" for newspaper advertising, pre-penned movie reviews, photos of Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Morgen and the other stars, and newly emerging merchandise tie-in campaigns for dress shops, milliners, pipe and tobacco stores, and even pet stores since Forrester's character has a collie in several scenes. The press book opens with large block lettering, featuring the film's "Important Selling Values." Nestled between "star value" and "production value" is "story value" which reads, "the great American novel by Willa Cather, Pulitzer Prize winner, made into a great dramatic hit!" Underneath the selling points, in large lettering, is the advice to managers to "Back 'Em Up with Big-Time Exploitation." Exploitation indeed. Above all, every aspect of Barbara Stanwyck- -including her hair, clothing, and shoes--was featured as a product movie fans could buy at local shops. Stanwyck's role as an emerging star was a guiding influence in the film's promotion. Warner Brothers was intent on making her a star of their studio, so all of the publicity revolved around her. For example, publicity calls Stanwyck a "dramatic genius" and says that the role of Marian Forrester is "made real" by her performance. As with Cather's name, the studio turned Stanwyck into a commodity. The "Stanwyck Swirl" for example, was, according to the press book, "a startling new hairdress introduced by Miss Barbara Stanwyck" which can "top off your chic appearance--at business, at the theatre, at home." Sarah Berry in her recent book Screen Style: Fashion and Femininity in 1930s Hollywood suggests that Hollywood actresses were often made into cults of personality who were not only put forward as "stars," but also as leading representatives of American womanhood and lifestyle (27). In this way, while stars were featured as often glamorous and rich, they nevertheless functioned to give middle-class women an ideal lifestyle to duplicate as they purchased similar, affordably priced clothing and accessories modeled in the movies. One pre-penned article for newspapers educated women on the dress styles shown in A Lost Lady. The article says, It is the contention of Orry-Kelly, famous designer of gowns for all the Warner Bros.-First National stars, that an actress must sense dramatic effect in costume. Consequently, for "A Lost Lady," taken from best seller of Willa Cather, famous Pulitzer Prize winner, Barbara Stanwyck has the wardrobe that reflects every mood. Middle-class viewers were encouraged to emulate Stanwyck's style by consuming the goods identified with her. Further, as consumers were sold Stanwyck's sophisticated style, they were simultaneously buying into Cather's reputation as "best seller," "Pulitzer Prize winner," and "great American writer." As such, Cather was also used to represent middle-class American taste. As Joan Acocella explains of Cather's reputation, Throughout the thirties, even though her work was now becoming uneven, Cather was one of America's best-loved novelists. . . . Universities gave her honorary doctorates. Time put her on its cover. And the regular book reviewers-- some of them excellent, but not leftist, not vanguard--generally praised her (25). Cather's widespread success in the 1930s ensured that people knew her name, even among those who had never read her novels. As a public personality, her name was recognized and as such, became a highly marketable commodity. Movie ads proclaimed Cather's credibility, her status as the "greatest," against the melodramatic elements of the film's storyline. Tag lines such as, "Willa Cather's throbbing revelation of a woman's heart!" seem grounded in some artistic merit to potential moviegoers, and so seeing a formulaic romance film attains middle-class respectability because it was written by (as another ad exclaims) "the magic pen of America's greatest woman writer!" Further, a host of promotional strategies were suggested, revealing how Warner Brother's was specifically marked A Lost Lady to middle-class women. One promotion, simply referred to as the "Problem Contest," suggested that for a prize of free tickets to the film, women could write to their newspaper editors a 100-word essay answering the following question: "If YOU were the heroine of 'A Lost Lady,' portrayed by Barbara Stanwyck which of the three men would YOU choose in your quest for complete happiness in life?" Another suggested a "Femme Frolic" because, as the promotion material suggests, "This picture is truly a woman's picture." Managers were told that they could "pep up" a "For Women Only" matinee "by having a psychologist down to give a short lecture on some of the situations in the film." Also, for "next to nothing," managers could buy still shots from key scenes accompanied by "punch lines," which amount to exclamatory lines from the film's script. For example, one still captures Barbara Stanwyck saying, "I know you saved my life--but don't try to save my soul!" While Warner Brothers tried diligently to tie Cather's name into their promotions, critics responded by separating her name from the film. Critics such as the one from the Evening Post realized that the "picture product...reduces the elements [of the novel] to the lowest common denominator" (Oct. 4, 1934). The Herald Tribune's reviewer, Richard Watts, Jr., said that "Even if the photoplay called 'A Lost Lady' didn't pretend to be an adaptation of Willa Cather's genuine American masterpiece, one of the finest novels ever written in this country, it would still be a highly unsatisfying motion picture." Film critics reviewing A Lost Lady understood that Cather had little, if any, control over the adaptation of her novel, and in their reviews they note a difference between Cather's authorship of the novel and the authorship of the film. The tension here between critics and their attack of the film adaptation reflects Cather's complicated position in her culture at the time. Middle-brow film critics wanted to save her reputation from "the lowest common denominator" and place her into a more respectable upper middle-class status, even while her name was widely known and celebrated. While there is no known direct response by Cather to the 1934 film, Alfred Knopf, her publisher and close personal friend, says that "She used to say to me that if she had wanted to write a play or a motion picture she would have written a play or motion-picture script" (38). He further relates that The experience [of the 1934 A Lost Lady adaptation] was so disillusioning that she determined never to risk repetition. One day Benjamin H. Stern, our close friend and long-time lawyer, who also represented her for a number of years, told me in his office that he had an offer from Hollywood that ran into six figures. Ben's office was on the thirty-fifth floor of the French Building and I immediately told him that would as soon jump out the window as mention this offer to Miss Cather. I added that I thought if he wished to retain her good will, that he should not mention it to her either. He didn't. (38) Other offers did come in, however. In 1936 Cather wrote to Zoë Akins that she did not approve of a dramatic adaptation of A Lost Lady written by Daniel Totheroh, noting that he didn't understand in the least Mrs. Forrester's character (Dec. 15, 1936 Huntington). That same year Cather wrote to Helen Sprague that young contemporary writers were caught up with the idea of being a writer, attaining celebrity status, and getting into the movies. As far as Cather was concerned, this was a passing fad (8 March 1936). After the release of A Lost Lady, she also rejected all offers for radio and phonograph renditions of her work, some of which could have been financially lucrative, claiming that the actors turned her work into sentimental nonsense (Cather to Woollcott, 8 Feb. 1935 Harvard). Toward the end of the '30s, as Cather's health declined and as she suffered from the deaths of her brother and other loved ones, her attention turned to how she could protect her image after her death. While living, Cather could easily say no to radio and film productions, but after her death, who could possibly care for her work as much as she, the artist? The temporary answer lay in her will, where her lasting statement stands to the executors of her estate a prohibition on stage productions, motion pictures, radio broadcasts, ad other reproduction methods discovered thereafter. Although not perfect, such a stipulation ensured that for at least seventy-five years beyond her death, Cather could employ some artistic control over her art. What emerges after the release of A Lost Lady is Cather's retreat from the public spotlight. By the mid-thirties, as L. Brent Bohlke notes, Cather felt so "completely besieged by the movies, attorneys, investment representatives, and relatives" that she "finally resorted to having her telephone shut off during off during her working hours and having her secretary write formal letters in place of the personal responses she would rather have made" (xxv). In this protected, personal space, Cather turned to her work. Though out of the public spotlight, she maintained her literary presence through projects such as the Autograph Edition of her collected works and her controversial essay collection, Not Under Forty, which both served as capstones to her career. In solidifying her aesthetics, especially through her Not Under Forty, Cather brought to her public a way of reading her writing, a set of principles by which to judge her work. Throughout Cather's career she showed a keen sense of attention to the most minute of details. Knopf relates that Cather interested herself in almost every aspect of her books' design, from the selection of the paper to the typeface to advertising copy (Knopf 14). With a loss of the artistic control central to Cather's artistic principles, the 1934 adaptation of A Lost Lady reveals how her culture capitalized on her name and literary reputation, as well as how far she would go to protect her work, even when that meant a loss of what could have been generous income. Cather's celebrity was vexing for her: on the one hand it provided the stability and comfort to write as she pleased; and on the other it tired her to see her work and name misused and manipulated for material, rather than artistic purposes. Acknowledgements All Warner Brothers memos and advertising discussed in this paper are part of the A Lost Lady Film Collection donated to Archives and Special Collections at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln by Dan Ladely, Director of the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theatre at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Without Mr. Ladely's kind donation of his research files to the Archives, this paper would not have been possible. Letters from Ferris Greenslet to Willa Cather (shelf mark bMS Am 1925 341) are quoted by permission of the Houghton Library, Harvard University, and Houghton Mifflin. Works Cited Acocella, Joan. Willa Cather & the Politics of Criticism. Lincoln, U Nebraska P, 2000. Berry, Sarah. Screen Style: Fashion and Femininity in 1930s Hollywood. Minneapolis: U Minnesota P, 2000. Bohlke, L. Brent, ed. Willa Cather in Person: Interviews, Speeches, and Letters. Lincoln: U Nebraska P, 1986. Cather, Willa. Letter to Zoë Akins. 15 Dec. 1936 Harvard. ---. Letter to Ferris Greenslet. 13 March 1932. Harvard. ---. Letter to Helen [Sprague?]. 22 March 1936. WCPM. ---. Letter to Alexander Woollcott. 8 Feb. 1935. Harvard. Geduld, Harry M., ed. Authors on Film. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1972. Gifford, Denis. Books and Plays in Films 1896-1915. New York: McFarland, 1991. Knopf, Afred A. Portrait of a Publisher: 1915-1965. NY: The Typophiles, 1965. Laurence, Frank M. Hemingway and the Movies. Jackson: UP Mississippi, 1981. Mayne, Judith. Private Novels, Public Films. Athens: U Georgia P, 1988. Peary, Gerald, and Roger Shatzkin, ed. The Classic American Novel and the Movies. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1977. R.M. Film Review. New York Evening Post. 5 Oct. 1934 n.p. Clipping from A Lost Lady Film Collection. University Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Turim, Marueen. "I Married A Doctor: Main Street Meets Hollywood." The Classic American Novel and the Movies. Gearlad Peary and Roger Shatzkin, eds. Media History Project. University of Minnesota College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Watts, Richard Jr. Film Review. New York Herald Tribune. 6 Oct. 1934. n.p. Clipping from A Lost Lady Film Collection. University Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Woodress, James. Willa Cather: A Literary Life. Lincoln: U Nebraska P, 1987. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Aly Damianakes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Aly Damianakes #306 March 9th 2004 To Build a Fire In the short story, "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, a man was stuck fighting for survival in the Yukon Territory during the winter. The extreme temperatures combined with the mans stupidity led to his downfall in the cruel harsh winter. He made some very dim decisions along the way which he paid for in the end. All in all the environment didn't kill the man, his stupidity did. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Aly Damiankes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Aly Damiankes 1090 Leland Dr. Lafayette,CA 94549 Attention: Preston, Manager Hollister Co. 1 Sunvalley Mall 94598 Dear Preston: I am a devoted Hollister shopper, every time I'm in the mall I make sure to go there and see what's new. It is by far my favorite store! I love the "California" atmosphere and the beach theme; I think it really makes the store unique. You can always tell where Hollister is by the Cabana look on the outside. I love being in there because even if it's cold outside, I feel like I'm at the beach. The lighting is what I think really makes the store appealing. Most stores are bright and they use light colors to make the clothes stand out, Hollister has the dimmed lights that make the store seem almost like a tiki hut. The dark, sort of homey interior of Hollister is a retreat from the rest of the mall, like the beach is to everyday life. I also love the clothes!, They are so cute and I love all the different accessories. The prices are reasonable, even for teenagers living off babysitting money. If I had a check for $1,000 I would no doubt be able to spend it on clothes there! Some stores I only like the winter clothes, or some stores the summer clothes, but at Hollister I love everything for all the seasons. They are also good quality, which is very important. Another favorite of mine is the Hollister perfume, which I love to "try on" every time I go there. Once I get enough money, I'll buy it for myself. Hollister has good music too, I like how you can pick what you want to here instead of listening to something some one else picked. I also like the music selection. You have a wide variety of genres. All these things make Hollister my favorite store. The one suggestion I have to make Hollister a better, more comfortable environment is the dressing room doors. I hate to say this because it's what makes it Hollister's dressing room, but the doors or curtains in this case are a little to.....open for me. Whenever I'm in there, I always feel rushed to get out because I'm afraid someone will walk in on me. While I know this would never happen it's still uncomfortable. Besides that I absolutely love this store and I hope that once I'm old enough, I can work there! Sincerely, Your Devoted Shopper Aly Damiankes f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\American Dream.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Every morning Joel Hardy was awoken by his alarm at precisely seven thirty-five. He would have a shower in the master bathroom on the third floor of his home. He would then eat a hearty breakfast, (prepared by his beautiful wife Joanne), with his daughter, Jennifer. Then he hopped cheerily into his new Mercedes, and started to work. Joel worked at Virtual Tech. Computers, a new computer company that specialized in virtual reality. Joel was the chief design editor and brought home a handsome one hundred and twenty thousand dollars per year. Joel had many friends, both at work and in the community. Joel sounded his horn as he came to a stop in front of Kyle McNeil's apartment. Joel did this every morning as Kyle was a very close friend of his, and worked in the same company. Kyle however, was not a lucky as Joel, Kyle did not have the three story home that Joel did, nor the outrageous salary, nor the beautiful wife and daughter. He did not have the luck of being at the lab when the reality-cam was finished, the idea that gave Joel his claim to fame. If it would have been Kyle working that shift maybe things would be different. Kyle was a loner, and a struggling loner at that. "Good morning Kyle," said Joel. "G' mornin'," mumbled Kyle in a saddened voice. Joel instantly sensed that something was wrong and upon further questioning found that Kyle had lost yet another one of his "bimbo" type girlfriends. Joel pretended to be sorry for him for a while, then they spoke of work. Kyle never really envied Joel's success or his life until that day. Kyle was trying one the new reality simulators called "American Dream", which was a program which enabled the user to have an ideal American life. Kyle experienced things that he had never before experienced; the love of a child, the security of your own home, and the devotion of a loving wife. Kyle eventually became obsessed with the simulator, using it for four and seven hours per day. He began watching happy situation comedies on television instead of violence filled action movies. He was captivated by the idea of having a family, love, and without knowing it, Joel's life. Kyle never told Joel about his new fixation, and continued to travel to and from work with him as if nothing had changed. Sometimes Kyle would stay all night in the simulator, and all of the next day, it was an obsession in the true sense of the word. Kyle didn't want to live his family life in a fantasy world anymore, he wanted to try and invent or create something that would give him a raise and the money to start building his dream. Joel was working on a new program that would revolutionize the computing industry. He kept it secret, only working on it at home. He didn't even tell Kyle about it. But one night, while watching a football game at Joel's house, he discovered that Joel had left his computer on and unprotected. Kyle sat down just to browse around, but upon finding the new program he saw that this could be the key to his new house. Kyle quickly copied the program onto a disk and took the disk with him. The next day at work Kyle took this disk to one of his superiors and by the end of the day Kyle had a new job, car, and house. All Joel had to say was that he was proud of Kyle, and that it was ironic that they were both working secretly on the same idea. They just chuckled and smiled together for a while, then Joel stopped, but Kyle kept on smiling. Kyle's girlfriends were now substantially more classy, but still none that stayed with him. He wanted a wife. He wanted a partner. He wanted Joanne. That night Kyle invited Joanne somewhere secret and special. A place that would intrigue any bored housewife, a romantic park, in a dark wood. Kyle had a blanket, and on it burning candles, and incense. Joanne, for one short passionate moment fell in love with Kyle. But that was all it took. "Do you know what's odd Kyle?," asked Joel "No," replied Kyle. "Joanne went to her mother's last night," said Joel, "and didn't come home." "I'm sure she's fine," said Kyle as he looked down at his computer screen and smiled. Kyle arranged other meetings with Joanne, and they all went the same as the first. Kyle soon tired of the affair and wanted Joanne to leave Joel so that they could be married. Joanned refused, saying that Joel was too nice, and kind of a man to just leave like that. So, rather than accept the rejection, Kyle decided to make Joel look cruel, heartless, and criminal. That night, Kyle entered the company building, using Joel's security code. He transferred money from other's pay-checks to his own. He deleted important system files, and downloaded the company's customer database. He created the illusion that Joel was planning a hostile take-over. What Kyle did not know was that Joel was working late in his new office and watched Kyle do all of these things. Joel confronted Kyle and asked, "What the hell do you think you are doing?" "What does it look like Joel? You always were a moron. I'm finishing you. I have had enough of your perfect house, perfect job, and...well...not-so perfect wife," said Kyle. "Not-so perfect wife?," asked Joel. "Yeah, those nights that she was supposedly at her mother's, she was with me at my house," bragged Kyle. "Doing what?," questioned Joel. "You figure it out," said Kyle, "and...ahh...by the way, I took your program from your computer. He, he, he. Good idea. Thanks." "YOU BASTARD," screamed Joel. At this Joel reached into his desk, pulled out his shiny new corporate handgun, and shot Kyle three times in the head. Then in an attempt to hide the bullet holes and the murder, he through him through the window of his twenty-fifth floor office to crash upon the pavement below. Kyle lay dead and bleeding, and Joel stands three hundred feet above him with a gun in his hand. "Kyyyyle, Kyle. KYLE," said Joel. "Wha...what the?," said a puzzled Kyle. "Don't you think you should give the simulator a break for a while? You're going to burn yourself out," said Joel as he resets the "American Dream" simulator, "besides, I haven't weeded out all of the bugs yet." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\american graffiti essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It's amazing to see how teens, society, standards, attitudes, drug and alcohol use, car, and prices change in forty years. It may seem like a long time but enough time to develop new technology, new styles, loss in respect for parents and teachers, loss in respect for sexual activities, times seems so short. Watching American Graffiti my eyes were opened to how society has changed from 1962-2003, I saw differences you wouldn't believe. In the movie American Graffiti you have seven main characters. Steve, Lori, Kurt, Toad, John, Debbie, and Carol. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\american lit Essay 1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Essay When you hear the word romantism you would probably think about candle light dinners or something romantic. Romantism is actually a form of writing in which you show what you are writing about with words. You do so by looking at things, such as nature in a simple way. The two writers I choose to write about are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. They were the two best romantic writers of their era (1800-1900). The reason I chose these two, was because they both were great at showing you what they are talking about in their writings and using romantism. The first writer I chose is Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was born in Boston in 1803; he went to Harvard at the age of 14. He became known after he gave speeches and lectures all over the country. I think Emerson would think that society today is good in some ways, and bad in other ways. One reason he would think that society today is good is because nature is more beautiful is ever. He would also think it was good that we have kept plants and animals healthy, by using new tools and technology. He would think society was bad because of some of the ways of transportation we have. He would think that the way people see and react to others because of different cultures or personal preferences was wrong. Also the amount of trees and other things in nature we use for resources would bother him I think. Also the recent tragedies in New York with terrorism, I think the situation would mind boggle Emerson. Emerson is passionate about society and the things in society. Now we have so many different problems and differences in society, which I think would make Emerson's beliefs different. I think he would fell different about nature if he lived in a environment like the one we have today in our lifetime. The second romantic writer I chose was Henry David Thoreau. He was born in 1817, and he also went to Harvard at the young age of 16. He began writing about nature and his beliefs at the age of eight. Thoreau believed in civil disobedience. He liked to place nature above materialism. Thoreau didn't like technology unless it betters or benefits people. I don't think he would like the technology that we have today. I think he would like airplanes though. He would think they were a great means for transportation. He might also like computers also, only because it makes it easier to do things that he had never dreamed about doing. Other than the computer and airplanes, I think he would hate most everything else involved in technology. I believe he may think that society needs to look at things in a simpler way, by not just thinking about what it took to make or build something. That is why are society is so biased and opinionated about so many different issues and beliefs. Thoreau thought that civilization was a bourdon, caused by industrial organization and the domination of industry over human interest. The reason I believe these authors would have total different ideas and beliefs, is because America today is so much different. Thoreau wouldn't think automobiles were stupid would he? Would Emerson think that nature and trees could be used for resources? These are questions that I can't answer because they are not living in the era we are. They were live in an era were all we really had in America was nature; there was no technology at that time. The only thing was the railroads that were beginning to be built, but still they didn't really like railroad. I think that railroads bettered people in many ways. The one think I think they would have said for sure if they say today's society would be, I cant believe how far this country has grown in the last 150 years. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\An analysis of the MAyor of Casterbridge.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The plot of The Mayor of Casterbridge, by Thomas Hardy, can often be confusing and difficult to follow. The pages of this novel are filled with sex, scandal, and alcohol, but it provides for a very interesting and unique story. It all begins one day in the large Wessex village of Weydon-Priors. Michael Henchard, a young hay-trusser looking for work, enters the village with his wife and infant daughter. What follows next, is certainly a little out of the ordinary, and this book provides and interesting plot, that is sure to brighten up any boring day. Michael Henchard, looking for something to drink, enters into a tent where an old woman is selling furmity, a liquid pudding made of boiled wheat, eggs, sugar, and spices. Henchard consumes too many bowls of furmity spiked with rum. Feeling trapped by his marriage and under the influence, Henchard threatens to auction his family. The auction begins as a kind of cruel joke, but Susan Henchard in anger retaliates by leaving with a sailor who makes the highest bid. Henchard regrets his decision the next day, but he is unable to find his family. Exactly eighteen years pass. Susan and her daughter Elizabeth-Jane come back to the fair, seeking news about Henchard. The sailor has been lost at sea, and Susan is returning to her "rightful" husband. At the infamous furmity tent, they learn Henchard has moved to Casterbridge, where he has become a prosperous grain merchant and even mayor. When Henchard learns that his family has returned, he is determined to right his old wrong. He devises a plan for courting and marrying Susan again, and for adopting her daughter. A young Scotsman named Donald Farfrae enters Casterbridge on the same day as Susan and Elizabeth-Jane. Henchard takes an instant liking to the total stranger and convinces Farfrae to stay on in Casterbridge as his right-hand man. Henchard even tells Farfrae the two greatest secrets of his life: the sale of his wife and the affair he has had with a Jersey woman, Lucetta. Henchard is confused as to how to make good on his bad acts. Henchard remarries Susan, who dies soon afterward, leaving behind a letter to be opened on Elizabeth-Jane's wedding day. Henchard reads the letter and learns that his real daughter died in infancy and that the present Elizabeth-Jane is actually Susan and the sailor's daughter. Henchard also grows jealous of Farfrae's rising influence in both Henchard's business and in Casterbridge. The two men quarrel and Henchard fires Farfrae, who then sets up a successful competing grain business. Henchard is rapidly going bankrupt, after several bad business deals. Soon after Susan's death, Lucetta Templeman, Henchard's former lover, comes to Casterbridge to marry Henchard. In order to provide Henchard with a respectable reason for visiting her, Lucetta suggests that Elizabeth-Jane move in with her. Henchard tries to force Lucetta to marry him, but she is unwilling. She has fallen in love with Farfrae and soon marries him. Henchard's business and love life are failing; his social position in Casterbridge is also eroding. The final blow comes when the woman who ran the furmity tent in Weydon-Priors is arrested in Casterbridge. When she spitefully reveals Henchard's infamous auctioning of his wife and child, Henchard surprisingly admits his guilt. The news, which is harmful to Henchard's reputation, rapidly travels through the town. Henchard is soon bankrupt and forced by his poverty to become Farfrae's employee. He moves to the poorest section of town. Farfrae and Lucetta buy Henchard's old house and furniture. The Scotsman then completes his embarrassment of Henchard by becoming mayor of Casterbridge. Later, Henchard challenges Farfrae to a fight to the death. Henchard is on the verge of winning when he comes to his senses and gives up. As the mayor's wife, Lucetta becomes the stylish and important woman she has longed to be. But she fears her secret affair with Henchard, if revealed, might destroy her marriage to Farfrae. She begs Henchard to return the damning letters she had written him years before. Henchard finds the letters in his old house and reads some of them to Farfrae. He intends to reveal their author as well but relents at the last minute. Later, he asks Jopp, a former employee, to deliver the letters to Lucetta. Henchard doesn't realize Jopp hates both him and Lucetta. Jopp shares the letters with some of the lowlife of the town. Lucetta sees herself paraded in mimicry, and the shock kills her. Henchard reconciles with Elizabeth-Jane, who continues to believe Henchard is her father. He sees his final chance for happiness crumbling, however, when Elizabeth-Jane's real father, the sailor Newson, comes to Casterbridge to find his daughter. Henchard lies to the sailor, telling him Elizabeth-Jane died soon after her mother's death. Newson leaves, but Henchard worries that the sailor might return to reclaim Elizabeth-Jane. During the following year, Henchard's life becomes fairly settled. He lives with Elizabeth-Jane and runs a small seed store. Farfrae begins flirting with Elizabeth-Jane, and the two plan to marry. Then the sailor returns, and Henchard flees Casterbridge. Henchard appears at Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae's wedding to deliver a present. Elizabeth-Jane spurns him, and Henchard sees that Newson has taken over as father of the bride--a role Henchard can never play. He leaves Casterbridge broken-hearted. A few days later, Elizabeth-Jane discovers Henchard's present, a bird in a cage. The unattended bird has died of starvation. Touched, she and Farfrae go in search of Henchard. Too late, they learn he has just died in the hovel where he had been living with the humblest of his former employees. The young couple read Henchard's pitiful will, in which Henchard asks that no one remember him. As one can see, to often scandal can end in tragedy, as in the case of poor Michael Henchard. He lived a risky life, and paid for his mistakes in the end. The Mayor of Casterbridge proves to be an interesting novel, that provides everything modern day critics hope to keep out of the hands of children. The book proved to be at times, quite exegesis, but the plot is presented well, and the settings described beautifully. Thomas Hardy creates a masterpiece in describing the rise and fall of one Michael Henchard. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\An event that changed my life .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Open your eyes. Let the music surround you and indulge. But don't let it blind you. We must stay alert and strong. You can take them, for they are the weak. Find the source; he is there if you look, if you accept, if you are open. For the act of closing is futile. You cannot see his heart, but you can feel his love. The children run out into the new day to find the bitter cold exciting. When tucked into their warm beds, the world was dreaming. They dread the next day, waiting for the arrival of the school bus. But when they awoke to the whiteness, the pureness, a sort of childish bliss swept through them, for this kind of happiness is only felt with the drifting in of snow and the voice of the radio announcer declaring a day off of studies. Mothers curse the administrators, insiting the weather shouldn't stop the daily study of knowledge. Fathers curse the plow trucks for their hectic ride into work that awaits before them. But the children open their eyes to see the miracle, little as it may seem. The children hesitate not, for at any moment they know it may melt away, like their past. The snowmen are created as if God had sprinkled a little of his miracle in each of their tiny hands. Snowballs are thrown playfully by young boys, showing their "masculinity" to the girls who giggle at their "immiturity." No one notices the shadow. She walks through, smiling to herself at the past she barely can recall. The angelic music of her past plays to herself. She wonders if the children themselves can hear the songs of the angels. She just then realizes that they are the angles. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Analysis of The Astronomers Wife by Kay Boyle.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the "Astronomer's Wife" by Kay Boyle, something as simple as a conversation with a plumber about a stopped elbow is enough to trigger an awakening in Mrs. Katherine Ames. When Mrs. Ames realized that the plumber was talking about something she understood (the stopped elbow), she realized that her marital problems were not the result of a division betwwen the sexes; instead, she realized that some men, like the plumber, are as practical as she is, and that some other men, like her husband, scorn people like her because they are intellectually inclined. Previous to this discovery, Katherine did not realize that there were different kinds of men, and therefore she did not realize that she and her husband were mismatched. Furthermore, in her awakening, Mrs. Ames also discovers that she, like the plumber, occupies as valuable a place in society as the astronomer, for she does the "dirty" work to free people like her husband to have time to think and to discover. The scene in question takes place after Mrs. Ames has already noticed that the plumber has a few physical characteristics that match her own (such as blond hair), and she is talking to him as he descends into the earth. The scene begins immediately after the plumber says "I think something has stopped the elbow", because this phrase was one of the few things that a man has ever said that Mrs. Ames has understood. After the plumber has descended into the ground before the scene, Mrs. Ames is the only one left. She spends the entire duration of this scene sitting on the grass, silently thinking and revealing her thoughts to the audience. During her course of thinking, Mrs. Ames makes the important discovery that there is a whole race of practical people like herself, men and women alike. She knew that "when her husband spoke of height, having no sense of it, she could not picture it nor hear", but strangely enough, when another man who happened to be a plumer spoke of his work, "madness in a daily shape, as elbow stopped, she saw clearly and well". Mrs Ames finally realized during these thoughts that these were two men with two different ways of life, and perhaps her way of life suited the plumber's more than the astronomer's, in that she too could identify only with daily concerns. The division between people in her mind was no longer just between men and women; it was now the working and the thinking, those who "had always gone up, [and] others who went down, like the corporeal being of the dead". She now recognized that there were both physical and spiritual human beings, herself and the plumber being the former, and her husband being the latter. The theme is revealed in the way that these two classes of people, the toilers and the thinkers, react to the world. The people who work with their hands, when they see "weeds springing up, [do] not move to tear them up from life". In other words, people like Mrs, Ames, upon recognizing something that occupies the same position in society that they do, such as the often ill- regarded weed, do not feel compelled to destroy it. Weeds, like the workers, although considered ugly, are as necessary for nature to be in balance as the more beautiful flower is. However, people like the astronomer "could balance and divide, weed out, destroy". This indicates that people with lofty ambitions, like the astronomer, do not regard the common people as necessary for the world to run smoothly, and would rather obliterate them. The astronomer does not realize that by unclogging pipes and performing other such chores, those people have allowed him to be free to think about large-scale problems. Interaction between the two types of people is necessary, whether either one realizes it, for the world to function. The "Astronomer's Wife" is an excellent short story that brings out the often forgotten point that both the practical people and the ambitious dreamers are important for each other's survival. While Mrs. Ames perhaps could never get along without her husband, it was no fault of her own that she didn't. She provided a comfortable existance for the astronomer so that he would be free to do his work, and the marriage would have been happier if Mr. Ames recognized all that she had done, and had considered her lifestyle a valid one. Of course an understanding was never reached, because otherwise the author would not have been able to illustrate the similar conflicts that exist in today's society so well. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Animal Farm 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PG. 1 Animal Farm Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his psuedonym George Orwell, is an English author commonly known to write about political issues. Orwell has been highly acclaimed and criticized for his novels, including one of his most famous, Animal Farm. In a satirical form, George Orwell uses personified farm animals to express his views on stalinism in the novel Animal Farm. Throughout Orwell's early novels, democratic socialism kept the author from total despair of all humans(Greenblatt 104). After his better experience in the Spanish Civil War and the shock of the Nazi-Soviet pact, Orwell developed Animal Farm. The socialism Orwell believed in was not a hardheaded "realistic" approach to society and polotics but a rather sentimental, utopian vision of the world as a "raft sailing through space, with, potentially, plenty of provisions for everybody"(Grennblatt 106). Animal Farm is a satirical beast fable which has been heralded as Orwell's lightest, gayest work(Brander 126). It is a novel based on the first thirty years of the Soviet Union, a real society pursuing the ideal of equality. His book argues that this kind of society has not worked and could not (Meyers 102). Animal Farm has also been known as a an enter- taining, witty tale of a farm whose oppressed animals, capable of speech and reason, overcome a cruel master and set up a revolutionary government(Meyers 103). On another, more serious level, it is a political allegory, a symbolic tale where all the events and characters represent events and characters in Russian history since 1917(Meyers 103). Orwell uses actual historical events to construct Animal Farm, but rearranges them to fit his plot. Manor Farm is Russia, Mr. Jones the Tsar, the pigs the Bolsheviks who led the revolution. The humans represent the ruling class, the animals the workers and the peasants. Old Major, the inspiration of the rebellion, is a combination of Marx, the chief theorist and Lenin, the actual leader(Meyers 105). Old Major dies before the rebellion just as Lenin did in the Russian revolution. In actuality Stalin and Trotsky argue over power after Lenin's death, which Orwell satirizes in Napolean and Snowball. In Animal Farm, Orwell immediately establishes the Soviet political allegory as Old Major (Marx/Lenin) describes the exploitation of animals by humans and the statement "all animals are comrades." The animals continuous singing of "Beasts of England" can be seen not only as a symbol of the decay of communist notions of a perfect state, but also as Orwell's more general comment on the decline of true liberty and equality in the west (Gardner 99). The progress of the revolution from a common idealism to a state system of leader, police, and workers happens rather rapidly. The animals take over the farm and the pigs ( Bolsheviks ) emerge as natural organizers. The pigs rduce the principles of animalism in seven simple commandments and develop a green and white version of the Russian hammer and sickle flag. Instead, theirs has "a hoof and horn which signifies the future Republic of the animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown"(Orwell 89). Orwell demonstrates both the greed and the hypocracy involved in the urge to power when the clever pigs contribute to none of the work and keep for themselves all the milk and apples. During the novel, the pigs continue to gain more and more power. In the pigs uprise of power, the Seven Commandments are an effective structural device. Their different alterations resemble the pigs' progressive rise to power. The pigs' gradual acquisition of priveleges- apples, milk, house, whisky, beer, clothes- leads to the final identification of pig and human, Communist and capitalist(Gardner 101). The blurring of the past and the hardening shape of the present, grim, greedy, or just pragmatic, are accompanied by betrayal of the spirit of the revolution exemplified in the ammendments made into the "Seven Commandments" of "Animalism"(Gardner 102). Costantly these are changed by one of the deceiving pigs, Squealer. The puzzled animals can not figure out with trying to keep pace with the pigs increasing authority. So the commandments such as, "No animal shall sleep in a bed" becomes, when the pigs move into the farmhouse, "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets." Also, after the savage killings "No animal shall kill another" is modified by the addition of "without a cause." Each event that occurs in Animal Farm has a historical parallel(Meyers 106). The Rebellion is the October 1917 Revolution, the Battle of the Cowshed is the subsequent Civil War, Mr. Jones and the farmers represent the loyalist Russians, the hen's revolt stands for the brutally suppressed 1921 mutiny of the sailors, Napolean's deal with Whymper represents Russia's 1922 Treaty of Rapallo with Germany(Meyers 106). The most significant of all the events is the building of the windmill, which in Soviet terms represents industrialization(Meyers 107). Orwell ends the novel with a satiric portrait of the Teheran Conference of 1943, the meeting of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin who are now allies (Raymond). Throughout the entire book, the pigs gradually gravitate towards the human world. First, through trade and alliances with Mr.Frederick. The selling of timber to Mr. Frederick of Pinchfield is the animal equivalent of the short-lived Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact of 1939(Gardner 105). Then as the pigs celebrate the Pyrrhic victory at the Battle of the Windmill, they drink alcohol. More and more has Napolean, now "elected" president, become the remote object of a personality cult in a system marked by "readjustment" of rations for workers and the empty "dignity of" more songs, more speeches, and more processions(Gardner 105). Despite this, all the animals, except the pigs, still hope for days before the Rebellion. They figured if they worked hard, at least, they worked for themselves. "No creature among them went upon two legs"(Orwell 36). "No creature called another creature 'Master'"(Orwell 38). "All animals were equal"(Orwell 62). Orwell finishes Animal Farm with a surprise ending. He demonstrates the pigs' complete corruptness as they walk on their hind legs. The pigs train all the young sheep to walk on their hind legs and chant "Four legs good, two legs better." Orwell throws in irony throughout the novel to show that not all the animals are fair and equal. On the whole, Orwell's intentions to discredit the Soviet system by showing its inhumanity and its back-sliding from ideals is achieved. It is Orwell's sharpness of visualization and emotional resonance that have ensured Animal Farm what seems to be a permanent place in literature(Gardner 107). Graham Greene rightly noted in his review that we "become involved in the fate of the animals. We care about them too much merely to translate events into their historical equivalent." There is no such possibility in Animal Farm, nor, by the end , can we escape the weight of the book's sadness by thinking that these things have only happened to animals(Gardner 107). We look from the oppressed animals in the book to the oppressed human beings outside and back again, and can see no difference (Gardner 107).Work Cited DISCovering Authors, Gale Research Inc., 1993 .[computer] Gardner, Averil. George Orwell. Boston, G.K. Hall and Co.: 1987. Meyers, Valerie. Modern Novelists George Orwell. St. Martin's Press: New York, 1991. Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc., 1946. Schorer, Mark. "An Indigent and Prophetic Novel." The New York Times Book Review, 1949. Williams, Raymond. George Orwell; A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey, Prentice- Hall, Inc.: 1974. Woodcock, George. The Crystal Spirit: A Study of George Orwell. Little, Brownn, and Company, 1966. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Animal Farm Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ December 2, 1996 Period 5 Animal Farm Essay The name of the book is Animal Farm, which is written by George Orwell. This book is about a farm with animals who dislike the treatment, and overtake the farm and overthrow the humans of the farm. As the revolution took place, two leaders came about. Their names were Snowball and Napoleon, whose main goal was to have nothing to do with humans, and bring communism into their society. "Napoleon was a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar, the only one of those on the farm. He was not much of a talker, but with a reputation for getting his own way" (Ch.2, P. 25). "Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive but did not have the character depth that Napoleon did" (Ch.2, Pgs. 24-25.) Snowball was the one with the ideas like the committees and the windmill. He was a better thinker than Napoleon. When all the animals helped kick Mr. Jones off the farm, Snowball led the animals to the store-shed and served out a double ration of corn to everybody with two biscuits going to each of the dogs. Napoleon on the other hand was very selfish. He stole milk that was meant for everybody and drank it all, and he stole apples. He doesn't care about the work the animals do, just what would benefit him. For example, Napoleon comes up with the building of the windmill that would supply electricity so they would not have to work as hard. Napoleon was against this because he didn't come up with the idea. When Napoleon sees that Snowball is gaining more power with the speech of the windmill, Napoleon sends his dogs to chase Snowball out of the farm. After Snowball was chased out of the farm, Napoleon gains more power by saying Snowball was a bad person. He told the animals that Snowball was with Mr. Jones from the starting. (Ch 6. P. 72) "We will teach this miserable traitor that he cannot undo our work so easily." He is now saying that Snowball was the one who ruined the windmill, even though it was his idea. He called him a traitor. And when Napoleon couldn't do the trash talking, he sent squealer. "For we know now, it is all written down in the secret documents that we have found-that in reality he was trying to lure us to our doom" (Ch. 7 P. 80). He was telling all the animals that Snowball was a traitor and was with Mr. Jones, because of the Battle of the Cowshed. He told them that it was all set up for them to be slaughtered. One animal shouted that he was shot. But squealer was a smart one. He told them that the shot only grazed him, and Napoleon was the good guy. He was the one that sank his teeth into Jones' leg. To me at least, it seemed that Snowball was always trying to do what was best for the farm and all the other animals. Snowball came up with the ideas for the committees, the windmill, helped with the commandments. He was the courageous leader because the fact is that he was the one who led the animals at the Battle of the Cowshed. he was the one who was supplying the animals with food during the rebellion. Napoleon was stealing food. Napoleon, since, has been changing the commandments that would best suit him. He has basically changed all the commandments with a few words. The seventh commandment has been changed to (Ch.10 P. 123) "All Animals are Equal But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others," meaning of course, the pigs are more equal. The commandments are being changed to benefit them. The alcohol commandment has changed with an addition of two words. "No Animal Shall drink Alcohol To Excess). The bed commandment has changed to where they can now sleep in beds, but without sheets, but the only animals that sleep in the beds are the pigs. Since the leader of the farm is a pig, none of the pigs have to follow the commandments because when they break one, they just change it to what they did. I think that the animals are starting to act like humans more and more, which they hated the most. The chant that was four legs good, two legs bad, had been changed to four legs good, two legs better, just because the pigs wanted to walk like humans and have started walking like humans (Ch. 10 P. 122). From this book, we learned that communism is very hard to bring to a society where every person thinks that they are better then another. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Animal Farm.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Animal Farm George Orwell's novel, Animal Farm, is a deceitfully simple story about a group of farm animals who, tired of toiling for the benefit of humans, rebel and create their own way of life only to find themselves, several years later, toiling for the benefit of one of their own kind, the pigs. Because of the simplicity of this novel, many people consider it to be a children's story. However, beyond it's lighthearted surface, it is truly a satirical attack against Stalinism. "It is also a lament for the fate of revolutions and the hopes contained in them." Adding to the complexity of the book, it also shows man's willingness to compromise the truth. In the short scope of this novel, Orwell expresses many of his ideas about men and politics. Major, an elderly pig, is the one who plants the seed of rebellion in the minds of the other animals by sharing with them a song which he had learned as a young pig, but which he has just recalled during a dream. This song "Beasts of England" describes a peaceful life where all animals will live in harmony, no longer enslaved by humans. Riches more than mind can picture, Wheat and barley, oats and hay, Clover, beans and mangel-wurzels Shall be ours upon that day. Bright will shine the fields of England, Purer shall its waters be, Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes On the day that sets us free. (pp. 7-8) The character of Major symbolizes the Soviet Union leader, Vladimir Ilich Lennin. Lennin too had caused his comrades to rise up in rebellion against the Czarist form of government in the hope of creating a country where everyone would be equal. Before he saw his ideas fully enacted, he died. After the death of Major, the power is left in the hands of two other pigs, Snowball and Napoleon. Napoleon, who, without anyone else discovering, had raised a litter of puppies into fierce dogs, now uses them to chase Snowball off the farm. This shares many similarities with the way a leader came into power to succeed Lennin. Lennin's choice was Leon Trotsky, but Stalin, who is represented by Napoleon, uses tactful maneuvers to work his way into government and establish a totalitarian system. As the only leader, Napoleon quickly begins to abuse his power. Using his superior intelligence, he soon has the other animals doing all the farm work while he and the other pigs take on the roles of supervisors. The attitudes of the animals, especially Boxer, with his motto, "Napoleon is always right," are representative of the way people in a totalitarian state blindly follow their leader. One of the most important reasons for this blind faith is fear. Napoleon creates this fear through the use of his dogs, who make sure there is no opposition to his rule. Fear alone, though, does not keep the animals loyal; rather it is the combination of fear and the hope that their original dreams will still come true. None of the old dreams had been abandoned. The Republic of the Animals which Major had foretold, when the green fields of England should be untrodden by human feet, was still believed in. (p. 85) This is the general feeling of the animals and keeps them working hard to reach their goals. Over time, we see the pigs becoming more and more like humans. First we see them sleeping in beds, then drinking alcohol, and finally walking on two legs. Everyone of these things is strictly prohibited in the seven commandments; however, Napoleon has bent the rules to help himself, so when the other animals check the rules, they have miraculously changed. This is a trait inherent in most of mankind... they seem only to follow the truth when the truth suits them. If it does not, they change it to meet their needs. What begins as a wonderful dream where animals would control their own lives, free of human control, ends with the animals under the control of an even more oppressive ruler. Lennin's overthrow of the oppressive Czarist government, in the end, led to the tyrannical and totalitarian reign of Stalin. As long as there are such beliefs as, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," (p. 88) all rebellions for equality will fail because there will always be some group to fill the role of superiority. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Animal Instinct.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Animal Instinct What would life be like without a mother or a father? What would life be like without any adult supervision? How would a person act if they did not have society to tell them what is right and wrong? Author William Golding believes that a person that wasn't brought up by society would only act using their basic human nature. It is also a part of his believes that this nature is evil. In his novel, Lord of the Flies, Golding proves his ideas on the evil at the base of the human nature through the lives of Piggy, Ralph, Roger, and Jack, whom are all young boys trapped on a deserted island in the Pacific. Piggy was a nonathletic, fat child with glasses and asthma. He was the child who was least effected by the evil inside of himself. Piggy was also the most intelligent child on the island, and this intelligence is what kept him from giving in to his evil. This intelligence was also thought by Jack to be a threat. Piggy lived in fear of Jack because he knew what type of person he was and that he could not be trusted. On page 93 Piggy expresses his fears by telling Ralph, "I'm scared of him and that is why I know him. If your scared of someone you hate him but you can't stop thinking about him." In this it is obvious that Piggy is scared of Jack, so much so that he thinks about him constantly and now he has him figured out. This is why Piggy is unaffected by his evil. He sees what is happening to everyone else through Jack. The other person who wasn't overcome by their evil is Ralph. Ralph was an older child, and he was an athletic born leader. He was the leader of the tribe until the children began doing what Jack said. Although he never completely surcame to it, Ralph was tempted by evil. One instance happened when Jack and his hunters came back from a hunt and began to dance. The story on page 75 says, "Ralph watched them enviously and resentful." He was envious of the other children because they got to dance and chant, but he knew that it was wrong, so he did not join in, and during this time while he was being tempted he treated Piggy terribly. He began to do what Jack said. Once when Jack brought the meat back from one of the hunts he gave everyone a piece except for Piggy, and when he complained Jack screamed at him, and instead of standing up for him as he did before Ralph sat quietly and gnawed on his meat. At the beginning of chapter 5 Ralph takes a walk, and he begins not only to realize that the way he has been acting was wrong, but also to realize how life should be lived. At the beginning of the walk he was starring at his feet and was troubled by life. Then he realizes that his problem was that he was starring at his feet. When he began to look at the path in front of himself he began to think more clearly. Just as he did on the path, he finds that in life you should always face forward. After that, Ralph saw life more clearly and overcame that temptation from evil. Ralph lived to be the sole survivor of the island that was not overcome by evil. Roger was one of the hunters that followed Jack from the beginning. He becomes almost totally driven by evil. At first Roger was a quiet boy. He barley even sputtered out his name when he was introducing himself. Jack took him in though. Every time that Jack went to do something Roger was right there with him. Jack probably picked him because he was so shy and quiet. He wanted someone who would follow orders and not ask questions, but Roger became more than that though. He not only followed Jack's orders, but he followed the orders of his primitive instincts. Roger in following his instincts killed Piggy. When he did killed him it was for no reason at all. Jack was the leader of the hunters. The hunters were the evil children. He was also the first child to become uncivilized or evil. He wasn't always the evil child though. Near the beginning Jack and Ralph were friends or at least friendly. It was at the point when the tribe decided to choose a leader that he became the uncivilized and evil Jack. On page 23, the book says that, "Jake and Ralph smiled at each other with a shy liking." This came just after Ralph decided that Jack would be in charge of the choir, whom would all be the hunters. Through the boys hunting they became less human and began to turn into their animal selves. Jack was the worst of all at this. He would get down on all fours and sniff the ground and wallow in the dirt. Another thing he did was he painted his face. This was a symbol of him losing his identity, and become an animal without passion, thoughts, or even a soul. When Roger killed Piggy he was not a child. He was not a man. He was an animal. He didn't have the capability to think or reason. When he killed Piggy, Roger was operating on pure survival instincts. He was like a wolf or a bear. In the end Golding proves that at our base we are just wild animals driven to evil by our instincts. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ANIME TERM PAPER.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Eric Chorney Prof. GCR 10/14/02 Term Paper Anime the Film Industry of Japan Anime is a term for Japanese animation. Manga is a term which is mean for comic books or graphic novels. Anime often covers more serious topics than the typical cartoon. In America, cartoons are considered a form of entertainment meant for children. In Japan, people of all ages watch anime. Most shows and movies are centered for kids or young adults, but there are also many anime that are made for the older generations of people. There are many genres in anime with basic categories like comedy, romance, action, drama, and pornography (hentai). There are also anime with content meant specifically for boys (shounen) or for girls (shoujo). For girls it gets a little more complicated in the anime industry. What makes their anime for women called Shoujo anime and manga has many different forms and styles that make it unique. Shoujo anime and manga really emphasize people's emotions, relationships and feelings. This is different from shounen because they usually rely on actions rather than emotions. A unique concept that is portrayed in shoujo is that everything is beautiful. No one is ugly and even certain types of concepts like homosexuality or incest are actually illustrated in a very tasteful manner though I am sure that for American audiences is very hard to visualize due to the graphic and very controversial topics that they are. In American society people are a lot more put behind closed doors on a subject such as this. These topics are brought to another level by the Japanese in their anime to educate the youth. Shoujo anime and manga artists are also considered the best because of the attention to detail that is shown in the work. Even the tiniest of details such as hair waving in the wind has much detail to it. Another big concept in Shoujo has to do with the eyes of a character; the eyes of a character can tell you if the character is good or evil. For example the main character that is the hero or heroin usually has very big eyes with a type of sparkle to them. Drama and romance are the two biggest types of genres that are in shoujo but they are not the only ones. It is actually true that the horror genre is the biggest seller of shoujo in Japan by revenue. Shounen anime and manga (boys) produced to go straight toward the male consumer. Shounen is based in a more action based world for people less on the social interaction of people and more on what people do. It is usually violent and shows women in a very helpless and sexual fashion. This is the genre of anime and manga that has really made a big impact in the US and stays the biggest sellers for anime and manga. There are many sub genres in shounen: Mecha is stories about big robots that have pilots which control them. They have a lot of action and they also at times can be very political. They speak about coups and the economic troubles of the world for example. This is shown in such mecha anime and manga as "Robotech" and "Gundam". They also show a certain type of character like the loner who is quiet but his actions do all his talking. American audiences can compare them to Gary Cooper (the strong silent type) 1. Samurai anime are all about the feudal systems in Japan from the Tokagawa Dynasty and Meiji restoration. Samurai anime and manga are not always historically accurate but do tell the story of the old Japan before the fall of their feudal system. This genre appeals to men more not because of history but more because of the violent content. This genre also depicts women in a more natural and realistic manner for size and shape (see anime like "Rurouni Kenshin" and "Blade of the immortal"). Sports anime shows anime like GTO which is a race car anime but also has anime based on soccer, baseball and basketball. This is a shounen anime because it mainly depicts the male student who excels at these sports. Comedy anime can be for all different types of people ages young and old. For boys the main characters always seem to have a problem for keeping their balance and trip and fall, or to land on a woman and end up with his hands on her chest (See "Golden boy" or "Here at Greenwood"). They are the all around clumsy person who means well but always gets into a mess. This is thought of as appealing to boys because it shows their shyness towards the opposite sex and usually shows how they would try and go about finding a love interest. Hentai is the very sexual adult anime which is uses hardcore sex to sell (they use things like rape, toys, and tentacles from monsters). Most of the time this genre is directed at males, but women are very interested in (yaoi) which is homosexual anime. ("Rei Rei" or "Guy") There is also a whole side to anime that has to deal with history and the culture of Japan. The genres in that are usually the way teenagers live and their struggles, history of Japan, Japan's involvement in WW2, spirituality, and relationships such as marriage. These stories are very rich and complex and show the hardships of many Japanese people. Some titles such as "Vision of Escflowne" and "X" show the hardships of Japanese teenagers in school and in just every day life. The main characters of X have to deal with the death in their families and lost love interests. In "Escflowne" the main character whose name is Hitomi Kanzaki, feels that she is not good at sports or at education at all. She then contemplates suicide because of her situation. This is actually a common thought amongst Japanese teenagers in school. The school system in Japan is a very stressful situation on Japanese students because if you do not do very well you won't get accepted to higher education. That is why in the whole world Japanese teenagers have the highest suicide rate in the world. 2 Such anime and manga like "Rurouni Kenshin" and "Princess Mononoke" depict different time periods in Japan. "Rurouni Kenshin" shows the time periods of Tokugawa Japan - 1603-1868 and Meiji Japan - 1868-1912. These two time periods chronicle the death of the feudal system of Japan as well as the death of the samurai. This series also shows the politics of the time period and the Americanization of Japan with the introduction of Commodore Perry in 1853. Princess Mononoke shows the Yamato Japan 400AD-700 AD with the different industrialization of the time period with iron mill community and the corrupt politics of the time period and the use of samurai. A Samurai was a protector of the land and hired by the Shogun (Leader of the Clan). They were usually armed with Katana sword. As the years got into the Meiji Era the Samurai became very corrupt and were not really needed anymore because of industrialization and a merging of cultures. Much anime and manga deal with ideas related to the Pacific War, during WW2. The two that stick out the most are "Barefoot Gen" and "Grave of the Fireflies". "Barefoot Gen" is an autobiography on a survivor of Hiroshima. It gets quite graphic on what the atomic bomb did to the Japanese people not just as it was dropped but the radiation poison which then followed. "Grave of the Fireflies" shows a family that struggles to survive after the bomb and shows the economic suffering as well as the way the Japanese people had to rebuild the communities. Both of these anime's show the realities of surviving the war and what the people did to rebuild. Religion is a very important part of anime and manga that is told. Such series as Evangelion and Card Captors use religion as a major factor. Evangelion uses such religious symbols as the tree of Sephiroth (the tree of life) which is a big religious symbol in both the Jewish and Christian religions. These symbols show up quite a bit in anime because the Japanese interest to western society. Card Captors uses certain poses called mantras and mudras. These are ritualistic hand poses that can summon spirits and the actually mediums of Japan use these poses to actually perform prays to their Shintos (Angels). Relationships such as marriage are incorporated in many anime and manga. Such topics as arraigned marriages and people being afraid of growing old with out a mate are common themes in many types of anime such as "Cowboy Bebop". In "Cowboy Bebop", one on the main characters named Fay Valentine can't seem to find a mate for herself. Though her standards were high she found the person she though was her soul mate and became anything but that. In Maison Ikkoku, a mother living in Maison Ikkoku, meets with the house manager in Kyoto and brings a portfolio of her son to try to arrange a marriage. Eventually the old woman pulls out a portfolio of young unmarried men for whom she is matchmaking. Later to find out that they are right for each but he did not give an answer in time so she married someone else All of these different factors make up very rich stories that are made up of many different factors of the lives of Japanese people. They show the many hardships of the Japanese people and how they live their lives. They also make different anime and manga for different people. It has been said by Mark Schulenberg who wrote The Japanese Encyclopedia of Pop Culture anime was the next golden age of Japanese cinema. That means that people do not find it childish and so of it has very adult themes. The Japanese treat anime industry the way that Americans would treat Hollywood. More and more as the years go on Anime and Manga have come sneaking its way into America. Starting by television shows in the 60's such as 8 Man, Astro boy, and Gigantor and later with the release of Akira in 1985 by Streamline Entertainment. That is when anime had its big break. It taught Americans that it animation could have complex stories and appeal to people's imagination. Nowadays there are many different distribution companies that sell anime and manga, such as Manga, AD Vision, Anime Works, and many others. To walk into a movie store such as Suncoast Video or Saturday Matinee, it is very common to see the biggest racks to have anime on them. Years ago if someone were to ask you what anime was you would probably not be able to answer but today it is some of the most common children's cartoons (See "Dragon Ball Z" and "Pokemon"). You also can see children and adults buying t-shirts and lunch boxes with their favorite anime characters on them. It is an industry that has many marketing techniques for selling paraphernalia. In Japan you can find things from a notepad to suit that has an anime insignia on it. Even when you were a child you probably did not realize it but shows like "Thundercats" and "Robotech" were all anime. Though it seems to be a long way from being shown as blockbuster hits on the movie screen, titles like "Princess Mononoke" have been bought by Miramax". Though it is up to the American Audience whether or not anime becomes a big seller for the film industry, I feel that it has its foot through the door and is just waiting to get in. 1. Tony Soprano says this in episode 1 of the HBO series The Sopranos season one. 2. Japan's Suicide rate http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1524782.stm Biblography Richard Maidment, Colin Mackerras Culture and Society in the Asia-Pacific New York: The Open University 1998. Schauwecker's Guide to Japan, http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e641.html, Japanese History "Cowboy Bebop", Bandai Entertainment "Samurai X", AD Vision Entertainment "Vision of Escaflowne", Bandai Entertainment "X", Manga Entertainment "Neon Genesis Evangelion", AD Vision Entertainment "Rurouni Kenshin", Anime Works "Barefoot Gen", Manga Entertainment "Grave of the Firefies", Manga Entertainment "GTO", Manga Entertainment "Princess Mononoke", Miramax The fantastic in modern Japanese literature by Susan J. Napier/ palgrave 1998 Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke by Susan J. Napier/ palgrave 2000 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Antigone Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wendi M. Brooks Core I 9-29-03 Antigone Antigone is a tragic story. It begins with Antigone and her sister Ismene talking about burying their dead brother, Polynices. Polynices and their other brother, Eteocles were supposed to rule Thebes after their father, Oedipus died. They were each supposed to rule for one year, but Eteocles refused to step down from the throne. Polynices marched on Thebes with a band of men, and was defeated. Both Polynices and Eteocles were killed. This made Creon, their uncle, ruler of Thebes. Creon had a very strict rule that said that any intruders that come into Thebes trying to fight or defeat anyone, would not be given a proper burial. Therefore, Polynices wasn't given a proper burial. Antigone and Ismene were very upset about this because it is a disgrace to their family reputation. Antigone decided she was going to bury him herself. Ismene advised her not to, and told her that she would not take part in this illegal act. So, Antigone did it by herself. After Creon found out that she was the one that did this, he told her that her punishment was death, and Antigone was willing to accept that. Her fiancé, Creon's son, tried to pursued him not to kill her, but he wasn't successful. She is sentenced to death. I will focus on both Creon and Antigone's reasons and excuses for their actions. I think they both have good legitimate reasons for what they do. This story is focused on the conflict between the two main characters, Creon and Antigone. Some would say that Creon is a horrible ruler. I disagree. He had his rules and he stuck to them. Polynices should have known this rule, and therefore knew what the consequences of his actions were going to be. The reason he wasn't willing to give Polynices a proper burial was for his invasion of Thebes and his attack on his brother. In the play he justifies this punishment by saying that he has to be strong and strict in order to keep his rule over Thebes. If he were to let some people break the rules and get away with it, then others would do it, and it wouldn't be equally fair. Antigone is presenting an example of civil disobedience by burying her brother and accepting the consequences. She is most definitely a righteous martyr, although she could have warned her brother of the consequences so that he wouldn't have invaded Thebes and then lost his right to a proper burial. All she wants is her brother to be looked highly on by the gods, and she knows this won't happen if he doesn't get buried. She cares about her brother and the rest of her family, as well as their reputation. There could very well be an element of self destructiveness in her effort to help her brother get buried. Throughout the play she seems completely willing to give up her own life to give help to her brother. And that she does. She is sentenced to death by Creon. Her fiancé attempted to convince Creon not to kill her, but it didn't work, and she was killed. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\antrho term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Presbyterian Church Danielle Schwartz Anthropology 121 5/17/2004 1 I Introduction Presbyterians follow their past all the way back to the Protestant Reformation as well as to the 16th century. Their heritage and a great deal of what they accept as true and have faith in began with the French Lawyer we know as John Calvin whose writings made clear of a lot of the Reformed thinking that came before his time. A lot of the early Presbyterians in America originated from England, Scotland and Ireland. The first Presbyterian movement in America was in Philadelphia around 1706. The first assembly of the movement was also held in the Philadelphia except it came many years later, in 1789, it was called together and assembled by the only reverend/minister to sign the Declaration of Independence, Rev. John Witherspoon. The Presbyterian religion and the Presbyterian followers are individual in two major ways: one is they stay with a outline of religious thought called Reformed theology and two is they have a form of government that emphasis' the active, figurative leadership of both church leaders, ministers and church members/followers. Reformed theology is a certain way of thinking of god's existence and how god has to do with the world itself. The reformation theology believes that god is the supreme ruler over everything and that human's main purpose in life is to please god and enjoy his presence. A major difference between Presbyterians and other religions is that they believe in total equality for all people and they give the woman of their communities their own work and even their own lives. Presbyterians as I have learned are very much into doing what they believe. They are doers as well as believers. They believe the deliverance of helping all of humankind with shelter, nurture, as well as the spiritual need of god. They also believe in the continuation of worship and the 2 Reservation of the truth, to keep on helping what is right in the world. Not only do they believe in preaching to help others but they also follow through with their beliefs through their actions. Through there structures of synods, presbyteries, and their General assembly, they do missions to help others. The general Assembly are people who coordinate and provide services for others for example Mission Support Services, Congregational Ministries Division, National Ministries Division, Presbyterian Investment and Loan program and things like that. Not only do Presbyterians give themselves to serve god, they give themselves to serve others whom they are needed by. The very purpose of the Presbyterians is to share their love of god and Jesus with their words as well as their actions all throughout the world. Presbyterians take on in mission activities, look for ways to improve hunger, encourage self-development, take action to disasters, support mission works, preach the gospel, heal the ill, and educate the younger generations for the future. The Presbyterian Church that I went to is called the Woodland Hills Presbyterian Church. They also share the location of their church with the Valley Iranian Church. The Woodland Hills Presbyterian Church is a biblical church where they are taught and preach the Holy Scriptures. It's through those Scriptures that they come to know and love Jesus Christ. They encourage their congregation to study and read God's word thoroughly in, which I presumed they meant the bible. The goal of the church is to follow Jesus Christ who is both their lord as well as the person who saved them. They believe that following Jesus Christ is the most important decision a person can and will ever make. 3 II Presbyterian worship Many different things determine the arrangement of worship in a Presbyterian church on a Sunday. For one, the Pastor for two, the members and followers of the church that are present, and thirdly it also is determined the church's influential majority. Like most Presbyterian churches, the Woodland Hills Presbyterian Church includes its service with prayer, music, reading the bible, as well with a sermon at the conclusion of the service that was based upon the scripture that had just been read. There was something I found particularly interesting and it was called the Sacraments, which by definition is "outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification". When it came time for Sacraments in the church it gave the congregation an opportunity for individual and private reaction and response as well as a time for the sharing of the community concerns to be brought up as part of the worship. The foundation in which the Woodland Hills Presbyterian Church implies that worship and praying is to be structured of five major events based on the word of God. These five major events based on the word of god are gathering around the word, proclaiming the word, responding to the word, the sealing of the word, and bearing and following the word into the world. However all though they follow these five events based on the word of god they also realize and distinguish that there are other ways of worship that may fulfill the needs of other people's faith and beliefs. 4 III Prayer, Music, Scripture, Preaching, Sacraments, and Offering A. Prayer/Praying The way the Presbyterians was very different from how I'm used to praying within my own religion. It was different and quiet the experience to understand what they where doing. Prayer Is just not praying to them, it's a way of life, it's part of their soul and is at the center and main part of their worship. Through prayer and through the holy spirit (whom I think I have learned to believe is what they believe to be one of the three parts of god) people try to find and are often found by the one person whom they believe is the "true god" and that person has been exposed to them as Jesus Christ. While praying the Presbyterians wait for god, they listen for him to speak to them to connect with them. I remember thinking it was weird that they call god by name and actually talk to him. They also when they pray remember all the things that god has done to help save them, that he has sacrificed in order for us to be of a happier place. The strangest thing to me was when they offered themselves to god, because in Judaism we don't do that. There were different ways they used to express there prayers, at times they just read and spoke the prayer, or sang, or just a moment of silence for private reflections. The Word of God in scripture helps to form prayer, however I learned that prayer is often the center of the Presbyterians life and of there own personal spiritual beliefs. 5 B. Music For the people at Woodland Hills Presbyterian Church Song and Music is a way in which you able to put your whole entire self into it, your mind, body and soul. The music in the church I could see with my own eyes was a time you where able to connect with god in a totally different way. Song brings even more unity to a community, which is already closely nit. The church encouraged its people to sing along with the choir and with the other musicians that they had. I don't remember the name of the instruments but they had a couple of things other then the keyboard assisting them with there. Although music is allowed in the church it is used only for praying and worship purposes only, if the music is used for anything other then that such as entertainment, it is considered disrespectful to both the congregants and to the church, and to god himself. C Scripture The scripture is what confused me the most about reaching out and learning about a new religion, I was most confused by what exactly the scripture was, I mean I had a vague idea but it still confused me. From my understanding the scriptures are believed to be the Word of God that is actually written and in which it is a witness to god's self-revelation. It is here in which we learn that Jesus Christ, the living form of God himself is an hidden witness of the holy spirit. The scripture itself are a main focus and a main importance for not only Christian worship and praying but also for Presbyterian followers. When it comes to the scripture to be read for a particular service the minister 6 or pastor in the case of this church to decide on which scripture will be selected for the service. Usually the complete variety of psalms ought to be used during the worship. For some reason which I'm not entirely sure but the pastor told me that the sections that where chosen to be read are usually directed by the season of the church year, which I don't quiet understand. D Preaching The sermon or what the pastor/minister is preaching in services is based upon the written word; it's the declaration of scripture in the confidence and belief that through the Holy Spirit Jesus is present in our lives. Not only is it preached that but it is also taught and told that Jesus Christ offers grace to all and is asking for a certain degree of obedience from us in which we must obtain. Sermons are not mean to be any glorious and out down speech, they are meant to be simple, and down to the point. E. Sacraments The Sacraments in which I mentioned earlier is a way to show on your outside grace which was organized so to speak by Christ in order to show the followers dedication. The purpose of this part of the ceremony or well rather of the service on Sundays is to able the members of the congregation and the follows a chance for both private responses to their dedication and love for Jesus Christ as well as for the communities overall consensus as well as concerns that need to be brought up during worship. It seemed like all religions their where people who questioned parts of what 7 they were learning and this was one of the appropriate times to address them or to think about them privately. F Offerings Through everything I've learned and research the Presbyterian community is a very tight community in which they believe in giving of themselves to better the community and to show their true dedication and love to god and Jesus. By offering themselves to Jesus and to god and their life style they believe they where devoting themselves to being better people and I believe that that is true. From the moment I entered into the church building I felt immediately comfortable within the surroundings and with the pastors who happened to be married. There was also a missionary in residence in which I arrived I had no idea what it was but then learned that it was basically someone who was in charge of making all the activities and in charge of planning church events. While I was there I talked to a couple of the members and one of them kind of offended me, not in she was rude or anything just in how she was shocked that I didn't believe in Jesus Christ. She then continued on trying to not necessarily convert me but to force her beliefs on me. Personally I was kind of uncomfortable and found this a bit weird because although I have my own beliefs I would never try and change someone's mind about there's. Maybe educate them but never go out intentionally trying to convert someone to become Jewish. The church took place where the pastors sat up on a podium like thing and there was a stand in the front where they gave their sermon. The congregation sat in seats facing the podium so that they could 8 hear and see the pastors. The building itself was to put it honestly, quiet simple yet nice. IV Overall Opinion I really enjoyed going to a church which was not only not my denomination but not the same religion as the one I'm used to attending. Reading, studying, and learning about the Presbyterian Christians was very relax and very nice. It was good to understand and to know that there are still some people out there that truly are devoted to god and to their beliefs, particularly in Jesus Christ. Although I do not believe in Jesus Christ the same way that they do, I find it inspiring that they want to improve their lives and the lives of others to prove their dedication, their love and their pureness. The service itself made me understand the closeness of this religion and the unity that they all had with there community and with themselves. There was a certain feeling of comfort as most religions often bring, and it made me realize that these people gave a purpose to their lives, they gave their lives to the person who they believe gave them theirs, God, and Jesus Christ. It was quiet aspiring to watch people so devoted to something, it was also really interesting realizing some major differences between Judaism and Christianity/Presbyterianism. There was a lot of respect for both of the pastors and everyone felt comfortable. Although the church was a small one in a way it made them even more untied and even closer and it made me feel very welcomed for the most part. I never realized before listening to the sermon and the service and talking to them how devoted they are to helping others and to making sure people realized how important Jesus Christ really is and was. The place where the congregation sat was called a puse I think that's how you spell it, I'm not exactly sure why it's called that. Also 9 in the back room there was a bowl type thing with "Holy water" in which people are baptized. Becoming baptized or baptism is a holy ceremony that Christians do in which this holy water is used in the name of the father, the son, and of the spirit. Someone who becomes baptized is now being included into the teachings, followings, and life of Jesus himself. I also learned that many women Christians refer to the holy three, otherwise known as the Holy Trinity with more of a unisex dialect like using words like the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer as way to get away from the masculine words. I also noticed that at one point near the end of the service that there was something going around that was a basket and from my understanding of what I was told it was to collect money and was called a tiden/tides or offerings to the church. After the service on Sunday when it was over there was Sunday school for all of the kids starting as young as I think it was kindergarten going all the way till high school. They were split up by grade level, and I was able to listen to a part of one the classes and they were talking about the scripture that they had discussed previously in church, it was rather interesting. This experience was one of a kind, and it definitely made me realize that I love my religion and respect it with all my heart there are other religions out there that have other things that are similar to mine just they do things a bit differently. Work Cited 1. Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt: A Theological Survival Guide for Youth, Parents, and Other Confused Presbyterians by Ted V. Foote, P. Alex Thornburg 2. Presbyterian Questions, Presbyterian Answers: Exploring Christian Faith by Donald K. McKim 3. Presbyterian Polity for Church Officers by Joan S. Gray, Joyce C. Tucker 4. Presbyterians, Their History and Beliefs by Walter Lee Lingle, John W. Kuykendall 5. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13295a.htm 6. http://fm2.forministry.com/Church/Home.asp?SiteId=91367WHPC f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\AP English 12 Reflection Essay on Hamlet.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Eric Rooney Period 1 Hamlet Reflection Hamlet was one of the most interesting stories that I have read to date. Shakespeare's character developments were remarkable, and the plot development was extremely captivating. However, I enjoyed the Hamlet unit for a variety of other reasons aside from the captivating nature of the story itself. One of my favorite parts of the unit was our analysis of the characters. My classmates and I were able to develop interesting insights on Claudius, the female characters of the play, Hamlet himself, and many other characters. I found it particularly interesting to hear the perspectives of my female classmates concerning both Ophelia and Gertrude. Without my classmates, I may never have realized how the female characters are so dominated by the male characters of the story, and I may never have realized that Claudius does possess some degree of "good" personality traits. I also enjoyed the Hamlet unit because we read so many criticisms of the play. It was extremely interesting to hear how various individuals not only interpret the characters of the play but the actual play itself. At times, the criticisms seemed a little bizarre, but they provided us with a chance to look at the play from a new perspective, which I found to be rather enlightening. These criticisms often produced heated debate, but I believe that this heated debate was beneficial to the class because our discussions allowed us to see how the same literary work can be interpreted so differently and with such passion. The Hamlet unit was my favorite to date, and I believe that this can be credited to the fact that the unit combined a great story with interesting and varying analysis. I loved exploring the idea of literary criticism because each criticism was revealed something about the story that I had never really thought about. I hope that when I am in college my English class will revisit the story of Hamlet, and one day I may even write my own criticism of the story. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\AP English Essay One Format.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Patrick McGrath 08.16.04 AP English Ms. Eizenberg (2002 Prompt) Morally ambiguous characters-characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good-are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose one of your summer reading books in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. * Identify literary techniques-interpretation of content * 750-1000 words * Title * Staple to sheet Thesis:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DI One: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DQ:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DI Two: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DQ:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DI Three: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DQ:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Conclusion:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\AP Psychology Intelligence Essays.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Eric Rooney Period 2 Intelligence Unit Essays 1. Theories of Intelligence There currently is a great debate over what exactly is intelligence. Three leading theorists have developed their own opinions on what they believe intelligence to be composed of and these theories differ from one another in a number of ways. Sternberg stresses a triarchic theory of intelligence, which proposes the idea that are three basic kinds of intelligence. The first kind of intelligence is called componential intelligence and this refers to the mentall processes emphasized by most theories of intelligence, such as the ability to learn how to do things or acquire new knowledge and carry out tasks effectively. The second component of this triarchic model is experiential intelligence. Experiential intelligence is the ability to adapt creatively in new situations and to use insight. This type of intelligence refers to an individual's ability to decipher the important from the irrelevant, and their ability to combine new knowledge with formerly known knowledge. The final component of this triarchic theory is contextual intelligence. Contextual intelligence is the ability to select contexts in which you can excel, or the ability to shape the environment to fit your strengths. According to this triarchic theory it is apparent that Sternberg believes that intelligence encompasses a broad variety of skills. The componential is basically a measure of ability, experiential a measure of creativity and contextual is a measure of practicality. Thus, in summary Sternberg's method of measuring intelligence is to examine the information processing involved in thinking, changes with experience, and effects in different environments and when such is measured, it will be shown that high intelligence results from the effective organization of these three components in altering their use to deal with familiar problems and making adaptations in order to work with new problems. Gardner proposes the theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence suggests that there is not one intelligence, but rather many intelligences, each of which is relatively independent of the others. Gardner's theory suggests that intelligence is made up of seven various components each of which is independent of the other. The first of the seven components is logical-mathematical intelligence and this refers to an individual's ability to work with numerical values or logically solve problems. The second component, linguistic intelligence, refers to an individuals verbal skills and their ability to manipulate language. The third component is spatial intelligence and this refers to such skills as the ability to draw well or other artistic skills that deal with depicting or visualizing thing from a spatial perspective. Musical intelligence is rather self-explanatory because it deals with the musical talents of an individual such as their ability to compose or play instruments. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence refers to the ability of coordinated movement such as dance performance or athletic competitions. Interpersonal intelligence refers to a person's ability to interact with other individuals. Finally, intrapersonal intelligence refers to a person's ability to know themselves. Thus, it can be seen that the number of intelligences are more extensive in this theory than in the triarchic theory. Goleman has a theory of emotional intelligence. Goleman's theory of emotional intelligence refers to how effectively people perceive and understand their own emotions and the emotions of others and can manage their emotional behavior. Goleman believes that there are five traits or components that contribute to one's emotional intelligence. The first component is knowing one's own emotions, and this refers to the ability to monitor and recognize our own feelings. This concept is of central important to self-awareness and all other dimensions of emotional intelligence. The second component is managing one's emotions. This refers to the ability to control impulses; to cope effectively with sadness, depression, and minor setbacks; as well as to control how long emotions last. The third component is the ability to use emotions to motivate oneself and this refers to the capacity to marshal emotions toward achieving personal goals. The fourth component is recognizing the emotions of other people and this refers to the ability to read subtle, nonverbal cues that reveal what people really want and need. The final component is managing relationships and this refers to the ability to accurately acknowledge and display one's own emotions as well as being sensitive to the emotions of concepts. All of these theories are unique in their own respect, and furthermore, they all tend to be different from the past traditional theories of intelligence. The past traditional theories tended to focus mainly on measuring concrete things such as numerical and verbal skills, but the more contemporary models discussed above account for the various other strengths of individuals. For example, a traditional theory presented by Thurstone stressed seven areas- spatial ability, perceptual speed, numerical ability, verbal meaning, memory, word fluency, and reasoning. Thurstone's theory basically centers around how smart an individual is, and it fails to take into account the other possible strengths of the individual such as their musical or artistic talents which are taken into account in the more contemporary theories. However, it is important to note that the more contemporary theories are not completely different from the past traditional theories, rather the contemporary theories seem to take the past, traditional theories into consideration and then expand upon them. 2. I would be in a rather tough situation if I wished to measure the intelligence of all the students because I obviously would have to account for cultural bias within the tests, and there would also be a good chance that I would have to keep my testing techniques within financial guidelines. To the students with US origins, I could administer a Stanford-Binet test. This tests was developed with the purpose of measuring IQ and to help identify those individuals who are not too bright in hope that they can be given better assistance. One of the main advantages of this test is the fact that it will help me locate those students who are struggling and as principal, I would then help get these children the necessary help. However, I a disadvantage of this test is the fact that this test is highly verbal in nature. This would be a huge disadvantage in my situation because some of the students aren't very familiar with the English language and thus, they have a disadvantage in testing. Therefore, if I administered this test to the foreign students they would most likely score poorly on it because they are unfamiliar with the English language. I wouldn't want to obtain a false measurement of my foreign born students due to an unfair test that is culturally bias so I would make sure that I would administer performance tests to my students. Performance tests are tests that attempt to minimize the use of language, and thus, all students will have an equal opportunity to perform well on the test despite their language background. I would also make sure that I administered culture-fair tests, which are tests that are designed to reduce cultural bias by minimizing skills and values that vary from one culture to another. If the tests that I administer aren't culturally-fair, then the US students would perform better because they are so accustomed to our everyday values while the foreign students may not perform as well because they would be unfamiliar with the norms and traditions of our society. In order to obtain an accurate measure of intelligence I may also wish to administer the WISC-III tests to my students. The WISC-III tests is an individual intelligence test developed especially for school-aged children; it yields verbal, performance and full IQ scores. The fact that this test would require individual testing may be beneficial because the student can get his or her necessary attention during the test. It may also be possible to have a favorable proctor for the foreign students that could help aid with the language barriers. However, this test does offer a number of disadvantages as well. First, the test measures and stresses verbal skills, and if English isn't the primary language of the student then there is a good chance that they will perform poorly and thus, the results will be lower than they should be. This wouldn't be fair to the foreign born students, so I would hesitate to administer the WISC-III. One of the other main reasons as to why I probably wouldn't administer the WISC-III test has to deal with the fact that it is an individual test and to administer an individual test to each and everyone of my students would be very time consuming and financially costly. Thus, from an economical point of view administering a WISC-III test to the whole school wouldn't be very practical, rather I may decide to only administer the WISC-III tests to those students who have performed poorly on the culture-fair performance tests that I originally administered. Through further testing with the WISC-III it may be possible to determine what specific areas the student needs help with improving. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Appendix Term Paper II.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Figure Caption Figure 1. Prevalence of depression by percentages in levels of education and income: Almeda County Study, 1965. Everson, S.A., Kaplan, G.A., Lynch, J.W., & Maty, S.C. (2002). Table 1 Reported Experience of Pain in a Population Sample of 70-Year-Old Men and Women Pain Sample. Bergh, I., Johansson, B., Oden, A., Sjostrom, B., Steen, B., Steen, G., & Waern, M. (2003). Men n(%) Women n(%) P value Frequency of episodes of pain Pain less than several days a week 21 (32) 17 (19) daily or several days a week 45 (68) 74 (81) NS Duration of pain <6 months 20 (30) 13 (14) <6 months <10 years 29 (44) 39 (43) >10 years 17 (26) 39 (43) 0.006 Number of pain locations 1 36 (55) 32 (35) 2 17 (26) 21 (23) >/equal to 3 13 (20) 38 (42) 0.004 Maximum pain intensity past 14 days 1 Mild 8 (12) 8 (8.8) 2 Discomforting 18 (27) 26 (29) 3 Distressing 32 (49) 44 (48) 4 Horrible 7 (11) 12 (13) 5 Excruciating 1 (1.5) 1 (1.1) NS Average pain intensity past 14 days 1 Mild 28 (42) 28 (31) 2 Discomforting 24 (36) 43 (47) 3 Distressing 14 (21) 20 (22) 4 Horrible none None 5 Excruciating none None NS Table 2 Unipolar depression: common physical symptoms. Cassano, P., & Fava, M. (2002). Table 3 Unipolar depression: common behavioral symptoms. Cassano, P., & Fava, M. (2002). Table 4 Crude odd ratios for the risk of comorbid depression and diabetes, as well as of comorbid depression and high BMI. Blazer, D.G., Burchett, B., Craft-Morgan, J., & Moody-Ayers, S. (2002). Depression and Diabetes Depression and High BMI Variables Odds ratio P value Odds ratio P value Age 0.8 ns 0.07 ns African American 1.67 <.05 2.31 <.001 Female 1.83 <.01 1.63 <.05 11+ years of school 0.57 <.001 0.53 <.001 BMI upper 25% 2.08 <.001 Diabetes 2.67 <.001 Functional impairment 5.23 <.001 3.81 <.001 Cognitive impairment 2.72 <.001 1.83 <.001 Table 5 Prevalence of unipolar depression in patients with diabetes. Betan, E., Larsen, H., Musselman, D.L., & Phillips, L.S. (2003). Source # and type of patients Methods Prevalence of depression in patients with diabetes Garvard et al 1993 20 studies w/ adults 9 controlled, 11 uncontrolled Controlled studies: (500 subjects) W/ type I & II diabetes Diagnostic interview: mean: 14% Self-report symptom scales: mean: 32% Uncontrolled studies: Diagnostic interview: mean: 15.4% Self-report symptom scales: mean: 19.6% Anderson et al 2001 42 studies w/ adults 20 controlled, 22 uncontrolled Controlled Studies: (21,351 subjects) W/ type I & II diabetes Diagnostic interview: mean: 9% Self-report symptom scales: mean: 26% Uncontrolled studies: Diagnostic interview: mean: 14% Self-report symptom scales: mean: 31% All studies: Diagnostic interview: 11% Self-report symptom scales: 31% 1 9 Prevalence of Depression f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Appendix Term Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ References Bergh, I., Johansson, B., Oden, A., Sjostrom, B., Steen, B., Steen, G., & Waern, M. (2003). Pain and its relation to cognitive function and depressive symptoms: A Swedish population study of 70-year-old men and women. Journal of Pain Symptom Management, 26, 903-912. Betan, E., Larsen, H., Musselman, D., & Phillips, L. (2003). Relationship of depression to diabetes types 1 and 2: Epidemiology, biology, and treatment. Society of Biological Psychiatry, 54, 317-329. Blazer, D.G., Burchett, B., Craft-Morgan, J., & Moody-Ayers, S. (2002). Depression in diabetes and obesity, Racial/ethnic/gender issues in older adults. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 913-916. Cassano, P., & Fava, M. (2002). Depression and public health, An overview. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 849-857. Everson, S.A., Kaplan, G.A., Lynch, J.W., & Maty, S.C. (2002). Epidemiologic evidence for the relation between socioeconomic status and depression, obesity, and diabetes. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 891-895. Faith, M.S., Jorge, M.A., & Matz, P.E. (2002). Obesity-depression associations in the population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 935-942. Fernandez, E., (2002). Anxiety, depression, and anger in pain. Dallas: Advanced Psychological Resources, Inc. Kessler, R.C. (2003). Epidemiology of women and depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 74, 5-13. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\appliance essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ They did it, they bought that prissy, 3001x microchip of a phone! That makes me so angry! I think my fancy, 3000x microchip might just burst! I can see it now, my beautiful, orange, paint splattering; my long antenna popping; my good-looking, stretched, yet bendy body splitting in two... Sometimes it just stinks to be a (perfect) phone. You have to admit though; I'm everyone's favorite conversing appliance. Everybody loves how simple it is to charge me, just put me on my black hook, and then there goes a loud beep! I'm already being charged, aren't I speedy? Communicating has never been so much fun! See the unique, colorful owner's manual for more information about the wonderful me! Also in the manual, I have scribbled down my life ambitions, such as me beating the Tele-3001x! Yuck, there goes that disgusting Tele-3001x, the one I saw earlier! I can't believe someone would buy that horrifying machine; everyone knows that the Tele-3001x is my worst enemy! This has spoiled my beautiful day, I think I will go and talk to my best friend, the always agreeable Tele-Zapper, or maybe the wonderful Caller-ID, of course, the Tele-2999x is still there, she's always great! Oh wait, hooray! Someone has picked me up (how lovely!), and decided to use me to communicate instead of the Tele-3001x! Go me! Go me! I'm so super, I'm so powerful! Too bad that someone was none other than, the horrible, awful, mean Rob! All he ever does is chat with someone for two seconds, and then throw me down wherever he is! H e has no respect! He's definitely on my dislike list! Shall I read you my dislike list? Ok, I dislike being left off my black charger, I abhor short phone calls, I detest Tele-Marketers, and I especially hate, the Tele-3001x! Sorry, that was building up for a while...Let's talk about something enjoyable, how about my like list? Well, I love gossip, I adore 3-way chats, I find irresistible long phone calls, and I am in love with an anonymous voice, (I always hear it whenever Stephanie's on the phone; Stephanie's the gossiping sister!). MWAHAHAHAHA! I must still be the best phone because they are wrapping the Tele-3001x back into its disgusting, green and red box! As you can see, with my good looks, nice friends, and my organized lists (dislike list and like list), I have conquered the Tele-3001x! I hope you have learned a lesson, that no matter what, the Tele-3001x will never conquer the perfect, me! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Apprentices Training programs.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Regarding apprentices there are some problems: * Long term commitment * Expectations regarding type of work and pay * Farmers using apprentices as replacement for labour * Low rate of pay unfeasible for young people paying off student loans * Low % of turnouts end up working in the community or in agriculture * Students wanting a more enriched experience * Need for some type of curriculum / formal program * Students want more benefit from their time on the farm * Taking a share in the produce sales can enhance motivation * Need for long term mentoring and work potential * Bridging programs * No where to go after apprenticing * Need to be educated about the real benefits or farming (not necessarily monetary) * A well developed program could turn out growers that bring back benefit to the community * It could also provide credibility to the new grower who would have experience in all aspects of growing scientific, technical, business, marketing, networking, ecological, business planning, approaching institutions * Co-operative land sharing and shared tenure farming for apprentices could boost (dbl) production on the farm increasing the volume of food produced on a given farm .... Time and manpower being the big barrier to expansion... needing to fit the market demand but how? * More food to into the market by shared farming * Farmers on Vancouver Island have the potential to grow winter crops * How about sharing their land if they want to farm in the summer allow a relationship with another farmer to grow winter crops on their land * Farmers provide the infrastructure, training, venue to farm * Commitment increases, chances of long term relationships due to the fact that emerging growers can see themselves potentially farming for a living. * Development of a diploma or formal program with clear deliverables * Training for farmers who are involved in the program, materials available to them, university support, community linkages Community Training programs in Victoria are usually non-profit and rely on government money and fund raising * There have been drastic reductions both provincially and federally in the number and types of programs that are being funded and the requirements * There is little or no money available for core funding in these programs which means that staff and management do not have guaranteed incomes * Stressing the organization * Compromising the programs * Limiting the outreach * Limiting the development of new and innovative programming and IT applications * Need for more community level $ * Need for corporate fund raising * Collaborative effort * When groups work in Isolation and focus solely on there funding sources they limit the ....... * Protectionism amongst groups * Need to expand the sector by working together UBC / Camosun courses vs. Community based programs for delivery of training and apprenticing * Infrastructure * Funding * Time to develop curriculum * Need linkages * Partnership UBC vs. FarmFolk * f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\April Morning Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I think that some of the reasoning behind Moses Cooper letting Adam fight in the war was that Adam was no longer a small child like his brother Levi. He was growing up, and if he told Adam not to fight in the war he probably would have anyway. Quote "If I had forbade him to sign that muster book then and there, I would have lost a son. Is that what you want? But I saw him there so tall and strong I could have wept. You can't shelter him. There comes a time, and this is that time" (page 75.) I think that Moses had to die in order for the story to continue because if he had lived I don't think that the Battle would have been such a alarming experience for Adam, and because of the traumaticness of watching his father's death Adam was able to grow up and become more of a man. Some of the actions of Moses's death were Adam went into a state of almost shock, and wept and mourned over his father's death "I sat there and cried. I hadn't cried so much since I was a small boy... Another result of Moses's death was the meeting of Adam and Solomon Chandler even though their good friendship only lasted for a brief time f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\archetypes in a rose for emily.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Melissa Clark English 102 Oakes 4/9/97 Archetypes in A Rose for Emily Archetypes are, by definition, previous images, characters, or patterns that recur throughout literature and though consistently enough to be considered a universal concept or situation. Archetypes also can be described as complexes of experiences that come upon us like fate, and their effects are felt in our most personal life. A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner contains many of this particular critical method. Although there are several archetypes found, the most important is Emily's father. Archetypes are like riverbeds which dry up when the water deserts them, but it can find it again at any time. This short story offers many interpretations. However, the structure of the story breaks down into two stages: past and present. By examining the archetypes within the story, it can be suggested that Emily's over-protective father stands to represent Emily's feminist struggle, the ongoing battle for women to have an equal place in society. Emily should be able to do as she pleases, but her dependence her father does not allow her to have that freedom. Her father's over-protection is evident in this passage, "We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will" (279). Her father robs her from many of life's necessities. She misses out on having friends, being a normal "woman," and her ability to be happy. Emily is not able to live a normal life which she indirectly blames on her father. Emily is so used to having her father be there for her, she figures that by keeping his body he can still be part of her life. The Jungian archetype of this feminist struggle can be noted as: Emily is not able to live a normal life because her father keeps under his thumb. In relation to keeping her father's body, she keeps Homer Barron's body so long because she feels that she has finally accomplished something in her life. Emily is not ready to give up that feeling. The feminist struggle is hard to detect but it is still there. In conclusion, there are two archetypes in A Rose for Emily: Emily's father and Homer Barron. Emily's father is the chief archetype because he is the reason for Emily's breakdowns. She has been scarred for life which she obviously never over comes. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Archetypes In the Lion King.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ John Berry Edwards Per. 2 4/18/96 The Lion King is a story containing many archetypes. Archetypes are patterns or models of literature that reoccur in many stories. In this paper I will discuss three of these archetypes. They are the hero, death & rebirth of the hero, and the symbolism and associations of water vs. desert. These archetypes can be noticed easily and help things come together. The Lion King has a very evident hero, Simba. Simba meets many of the characteristics of an archetypal hero. Among these is the way that he is taken away from his home, the Pridelands, and grows up with Timon and Pumbaa. After Simba arrives with Timon and Pumbaa, we see very little of his life until he is fully grown. When the film returns to Simba, he soon decides to return to Pride Rock and face his past. He returns to save his kingdom from its desolation caused by Scar and the hyenas, and to restore it to its glory. The hero of a story commonly goes through some of these events. Simba faces a common archetypal situation, death and rebirth. Although Simba never physically dies, in spirit he does die. The spiritual death of Simba is when he runs away from the Pridelands into the desert. Everyone in the Pridelands thinks that he has physically died. In fact, he nearly does die in the desert. Luckily, Timon and Pumbaa find him and keep him alive. The spiritual resurrection of Simba occurs when he returns to his home at Pride Rock. Everyone discovers that Simba is alive. It seems as if he has risen from the dead to them because for such a long time they believed that he was dead. At Pride Rock, Simba returns to his previous life and faces all of his problems. The symbolism of water and desert in the Lion King is very important. Water often accompanies a change in a story. Water can also be a sign of birth and rebirth. An example of water foretelling a change is Simba's lie when he says that he and Nala are going to the water hole. They actually visit the Elephant Graveyards. This visit causes Simba to get a view of reality, not from his sheltered world. When Simba is found by Timon and Pumbaa in the desert, they splash him with water to bring life back into him. Another example of the symbolism of water is the rain when Simba defeats Scar and assumes his position on the throne of Pride Rock. The rain symbolizes the rebirth of the Pridelands. They go from the desolation that Scar brings to the prosperity that comes with Simba. On the other hand, the desert is symbolic for spiritual defilement and desiccation. This occurs on Simba's flight from the Pridelands. He loses his spirit, and spiritually dies. There is many cases of archetypes of characters, situations, and symbolism and associations in the Lion King. This paper discussed several of them. They included the heroic qualities of Simba, the spiritual death and rebirth of Simba, and the associations of water and the desert in the story. These archetypes are very important to the story and help give the viewer a better understanding. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Area Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Area Essay Leah Goldbreger 10/22/00 7D The formulas for a parallelogram and a rectangle are exactly the same. They both are bh, which means base times height. The only difference between them is that on a rectangle that height and the base is obvious, but on a parallelogram one must find the height. Height Height Base Base The height in the parallelogram is not its side, but a line from the base going straight up. The base in the rectangle and the parallelogram are the same. The area for a trapezoid and the area for a square are similar. The area for a trapezoid is [(b1+b2)h]/2. There are two bases in a trapezoid: the top and the bottom, and to find the height one must do the same thing they did to find the height in a parallelogram: draw a straight line from one of the bases to the other one. Base 2 Height Base 1 For all of the regular polygons the area is the same: apothem times 1/2 of the perimeter (1/2pa). The apothem is a line going from the center of the polygon to a point in the side of the shape. Apothem A circle is very different from a rectangle because it doesn't have any angles. The formula for a circle is "pi"r^2. Pi is 3.14, and so you have to multiply that by the radius and then square it. Radius In conclusion, all of these area formulas come out to the same thing: the area (or circumference) of all of these shapes. Most of the formulas have something in common with the area formula for a rectangle. + f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\argumentative essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Burge 1 Rondell Burge Pete Marbais Comp II / Tues, Thurs (1:10) Argumentative Essay Nudity: In the Eyes of the Beholder With today's society it is easy to find a subject controversial. Whether it is a minute issue, such as profanity, or something more domineering. One such issue that has raised question is what limitation nudity should have in art. Some believe that it as no place in any public sanctum, where unwilling eyes might catch sight of a provocative image. An example of this took place at the Wichita State fine arts gallery. This gallery, which is open to the public, chose to display an exhibit in which two nude individuals were trying to escape a cube. Every year my high school art class took a trip to view this gallery. This year's visit happened to be the same time as this exhibit. As any good, lawsuit fearing school district would do, our school required a special form the students' parents had to sign for them to witness this piece. Looking up as we walked into the art forum I saw a large black curtain marking off a small corner of the building. We made our way through the folds of curtain coming to a small room with an elevated cube placed in the middle of the room. Cameras, positioned opposite each side of the cube, projected a different image on each side. These images just so happened to show two humans, who were nude, escaping from their environment. As I looked around at the other viewers, I witnessed such expressions as interest, curiosity, even a little pleasure, Burge 2 but the prevalent attitude seemed to be disgust. This disgust was conceived only from the mere presence of nudity and the biased idea that the human form is vile. The most disheartening aspect of this situation is that these critics are the same that chose to get the permission form signed and slip into the forbidding crevices of the black curtain. Wichita State approached this sensitive situation with tasteful precautions. Simply put; don't enter the exhibit if you will be offended. Some critics would rather there be an unlimited ban on such pieces of art without exceptions. According to the first amendment this would be a breech of rights. Should we abide by what a few narrow minded people say or follow the constitution of the United States on which every right the American people have is based upon? The censorship of art has been practiced on many occasions, in which an institution has banned a certain work of art or sometimes a whole show that they deemed too promiscuous. In any such act, the censoring parties risk debate on the issue for violating the first amendment. The issue then will be held in a court of law where the court will decide the fate of the censored pieces. Many courts have actually ignored the bill of rights and let the censorship stand. One such example was in 1973, in Miller v. California, when the Supreme Court actually declared the first amendment did not protect obscene material. The accused was prosecuted for mailing promotions for a book that happened to have nudity in its illustrations. The court set three standards for material to be deemed obscene. The first, as quoted by Kyonzte Hughes, is the "'average person, applying contemporary community standards,' finds that it 'appeals to the prurient Burge 3 interest.'" The second is " the work portrays sexual conduct 'in a patently offensive way'"; and the last being "the work 'lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.'" (Hughes). These points will prove to be arbitrary and clearly can be taken into too many contexts to be successfully used. A second example of the misuse of censorship can be seen in Southeastern Promotions v. Conrad, held in 1975 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. City officials refused the right of Southeastern to perform a musical that contained nudity. The city claimed the site of the play to be government property and in doing so claimed the right to decide what is to be performed there. Southeastern screamed a violation of rights and in a court decision won the right to perform the controversial musical (Hughes). Universities have also practiced censorship within their borders. One such instance occurred on the campus of the University of South Florida, where a graduate student was denied the right to display his performance-art piece. The piece was meant to explore man's vulnerability; which showed the student in the nude living in a fiberglass cave for three weeks. Gallery visitors would then observe him on a monitor at the end of a cloth tunnel leading to the cave (Read). The student soon gave in, agreeing to clothe his genitalia for a two-hour period of residing in the cave. Examples such as these, infringe upon the rights stated in the bill of rights, defying one particular one, the first amendment. The bill of rights consists of ten amendments each with its own guidelines. These guidelines were set forth to protect the rights of citizens and in turn controlling the amount of power the government holds. The first of these amendments directly effects censorship, outlining that censorship is unconstitutional and should not be practiced. If it Burge 4 were practiced it would allow the government to be in control of the people, eventually establishing a form of dictatorship. The first Amendment states " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." The statement upholding the right of free speech is not the only part of the first amendment that involves censorship. Many supporters of the censorship of provocative art do so because of religious beliefs. If a court, as a cause to censor a certain piece of art, used these beliefs, it would be supporting that religion. This is clearly defined in the amendment to be a breech of rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." The support of this First Amendment can be found in many important court decisions. In the 1980's congress passed prohibitions on the government funding of certain art. The NEA set guidelines on the use of funding; stating "none of the funds...may be used to promote, disseminate, or produce materials which.... may be considered obscene." Clearly being unlawful, many artists filed lawsuits against the NEA in accordance with the guidelines. Federal courts soon found the criteria required by the NEA to be unconstitutional, stating the requirement was "unconstitutionally vague" and that it "violated the First Amendment protection of free speech."(Freedom of Expression). The First Amendment was also upheld in a New York court, ruling that Mayor Rudolph Giuliani violated the Amendment when he acted against an exhibit in the Brooklyn Museum. The mayor cut city financing and began eviction proceedings in response to a provocative exhibit called "Sensation". Federal Judge Nina Gershon ruled that Giuliani was violating the First Burge 5 Amendment in his actions and immediately restored all funding (Campbell). The First Amendment and those that come after are a vital part of upholding the freedom that people hold for granted. These rights must be able to be expressed freely in order to keep these freedoms a reality. Many skeptics do not agree that nudity in art should have a place in our society. Some say that certain groups of our society, such as children, should not see these types of works. What these individuals don't mention is that with most instances there is some kind of advanced warning to the exhibited works. This part of the artistic community should not be all together censored, keeping everyone from enjoying the art pieces. The only action needed is to forewarn the public about the nudity present, and then let them decide whether or not to view them. With these precautions there is no need to abolish this classic form of expression. Others might argue that nudity is not art; it is just a cheap thrill that artist use for attention. What they might not know is that the human form has been used in art for hundreds of years. Before recent society the human body was a beautiful aspect of life. Modern artists do not need to change this ageless concept in result of recent perverse perceptions of the naked body. One unusual objection to nudity did not actually focus on the inappropriate subject matter but the fact that it distracts the viewer from enjoying the piece. This opinion was the result of a play that involved nudity. The critic stated that the performance was not obscene: "I'm suggesting a moratorium on nudity because not only is it distracting, it's anti-theatrical. It's the death of artifice." (Istel). Everything from bad acting, to the guy in the front row with a chronic cough can take away from a theatrical performance. The point is that to someone, the Burge 6 nudity could be a vital part of being induced into the play. Put in a conclusion to the paragraph. This argument raises a lot of controversy, which in turn creates the need for compromise. Some guidelines could be put on where nudity should be present; it just does not need to be taken away altogether. One exception to this right of free speech is when the majority of the viewers would be children. Not only are they too young to see these images but also more importantly they do not have the intellect to appreciate the pieces. One just example, involves a certain book in an elementary library. The book had negative views within its pages and was available for all the students (Libraries retain challenged...). In this case, the only audience would be the students themselves, which really can get nothing positive out of the book. Censorship needs to be avoided at all costs in order to keep our freedoms. This can happen as long as certain precautions are made when dealing with a controversial topic. Wichita State created a very comfortable environment when exhibiting the nude piece by letting the public decide whether to view the art. Nudity in art is a subject that must be handled with care, but never censored. Violating the First Amendment must never be allowed for fear of further oppression by the government. By no means do we have such oppression, but little by little we will come closer to this control with every right we choose to forfeit. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\article for essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Today's Globe Politics Opinion Education Science NECN Special reports Obituaries Traffic | Weather HOME > NEWS > BOSTON GLOBE > OPINION > OP-ED A little less freedom of speech By Jeff Jacoby, 1/25/2004 IT DOESN'T take much to get slammed as a racist these days. Just ask Jennifer Cundiff. ADVERTISEMENT Back in February 2001, the Southwest Airlines flight attendant was trying to coax passengers boarding a flight from Las Vegas to Kansas City to find their seats quickly so the plane could take off. "Eenie meenie minie moe," she said over the intercom, "pick a seat, we gotta go." Cute and harmless, right? Not to two black passengers, it wasn't. Louise Sawyer and Grace Fuller, who are sisters, interpreted Cundiff's couplet as a racist insult and said they were sure it was meant to humiliate them. It was so upsetting, Fuller claimed, that it triggered a seizure and left her bedridden for days. Eventually the women sued, charging Southwest with violating their civil rights and inflicting physical and emotional distress. If you're scratching your head in bewilderment, you aren't alone. Unless you're old enough to remember flappers and speakeasies, you probably don't know that the words that originally followed "eenie, meenie, minie moe" were "catch a nigger by the toe." Cundiff, who was 22, certainly didn't know. Like most of us, she grew up saying "catch a tiger by the toe" -- she says she had never heard the older, uglier version. Ah, but innocence offers scant protection against contemporary racial victimology. Neither does common sense nor the right to free speech. Any of those should have been reason enough for US District Judge Kathryn Vratil to summarily bounce the lawsuit as frivolous. Instead, she ruled that Cundiff's little rhyme "could be reasonably viewed as objectively racist and offensive" and said a jury would have to decide "whether Cundiff's remark was racist, or simply a benign and innocent attempt at humor." The trial took place last week. A jury of eight deliberated for less than an hour before finding Cundiff and Southwest innocent of racism. Of course, the stewardess and the airline will not be reimbursed for the lost hours and legal fees this preposterous lawsuit has cost them. And that isn't all that they lost. Every time a case like this occurs -- every time someone is sued or punished or forced to hire a lawyer just for expressing an opinion or making a comment that someone of a different color finds offensive, all of us are left with a little less freedom of speech. Dismayingly, such cases seem to be occurring more frequently than ever. Now and then one of these incidents draws national scorn. A few years ago, a wave of ridicule forced the mayor of Washington, D.C., to rehire an aide who had been accused of racism and forced to resign for using the word "niggardly" -- a synonym for stingy. But most of the time, these cases end with racial correctness trumping fairness and free speech. Consider a story out of Omaha last week. According to the Omaha World-Herald, several students at Westside High School were punished after they "plastered the school on Monday" -- Martin Luther King Day -- "with posters advocating that a white student from South Africa receive the `Distinguished African American Student Award' next year." The posters featured a picture of junior Trevor Richards, whose family moved to Omaha from Johannesburg in 1998, smiling and giving a thumbs-up. School officials tore the posters down, apparently in response to complaints from a few black students, and denounced them as "inappropriate and insensitive." Trevor was suspended for two days, according to his mother, and two of his friends were also penalized for helping to put the posters up. A fourth student, the World-Herald reported, "was punished for circulating a petition Tuesday morning in support of the boys. The petition criticized the practice of recognizing only black student achievement with the award." The students were punished, in other words, for expressing an opinion -- that it is wrong to create an award for which only black students can qualify. That is hardly an outlandish point of view. There are 1,843 students at Westside High, of whom fewer than 70 are black. Why should 96.2 percent of the student body be barred from a school honor on the basis of their race? Isn't that just the sort of offensive racial thinking that Dr. King condemned? A message is not "inappropriate and insensitive" merely because some people complain about it -- not even if those people aren't white, and not even if the message is politically incorrect. The real outrage at Westside High last week was that four students were disciplined for exercising a freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Other students may not have liked what they had to say. That didn't entitle them to suppress their speech. The First Amendment says nothing about a right not to be offended. The risk of finding someone else's speech offensive is the price each of us pays for our own free speech. Free people don't run to court -- or to the principal -- when they encounter a message they don't like. They answer it with one of their own. Jeff Jacoby's e-mail address is jacoby@globe.com. (c) Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\As I Lay Dying.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fulfilling a promise they had made to their mother, Addie, Cash, Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell, and Vardaman, in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, journey across the Mississippi countryside to bring her body to be buried in Jefferson, alongside her immediate family. Each one, in turn, narrates the events of this excursion as they are perceived. Though all of the family members are going through the same experiences, each one expresses what they see and how they feel by exercising their individual powers and limitations of language. What each character says as well as how he/she says it gives insight into that character's underlying meanings. Darl, for example, uses his linguistic skills to gain power as narrator. He possesses the ability to pick up on things unsaid and to read other people's actions. Dewey Dell describes his intuitiveness when she says that "he said he knew without the words, and I knew he knew because if he had said he knew with words I would not have believed...and that's why I can talk to him with knowing with hating with because he knows" (27). He uses his gift of realizing things without them having to actually be told to him to gain credibility with the reader. Who would doubt a narrator who possesses that type of adroitness? Also, his language is clear and reflective. He uses similes and metaphors and appears to have an acute awareness of spatial relationships. Darl's sophisticated perception and poetic linguistics give him the means of reaching for and maintaining his role as a competent observer and reporter. However, his position does create certain problems for his siblings. Tull describes Darl's "look" as being uncanny. "He is looking at me. He dont say nothing; just looks at me with them queer eyes of hisn that makes folks talk. I always say it aint never been what he done so much or said or anything so much as how he looks at you. It's like he had got into the inside of you, someway. Like somehow you was looking at yourself and your doing outen his eyes." (125) It is the same penetrating gaze that gives Darl so much power that makes the others around him so uncomfortable, especially Dewey Dell. She feels that his strange knowledge of what has not been said is an invasion of her privacy. "The land runs out of Darl's eyes; they swim to pin points. They begin at my feet and rise along my body to my face, and then my dress is gone: I sit naked on the seat above the unhurrying mules, above the travail" (121). If Dewey Dell interprets his "knowing" as crossing some personal boundary that she created then that would explain her fantasizing about killing Darl and why she reported his setting fire to the barn. In fact, everything about Dewey Dell is extremely personal. Whereas her brothers report what happened, she tells how she feels about it. She uses language not as a means of describing but rather as expressing. "He could do so much for me if he just would. He could do everything for me. It's like everything in the world for me is inside a tub full of guts, so that you wonder how there can be any room in it for anything else very important. He is a big tub of guts and I am a little tub of guts and if there is not any room for anything else important in a big tub of guts, how can it be room in a little tub of guts. But I know it is there because God gave women a sign when something has happened bad." (58) She is not describing the sun as "poised like a bloody egg upon a crest of thunderheads" (40) like Darl would or explaining how to do something in a step by step manner like Cash. Dewey Dell is attempting to express her confusion and her fears. She is a young girl who became pregnant and doesn't know what to do about it. She knows she can't tell her family and she has no means of taking are of herself. Instead of using language to describe the world around her, she uses it to show how she feels on the inside. Language is a personal thing to Dewey Dell and though she does not possess Darl's polished quality of speaking, she demonstrates its power as well as he does. Cash, like Darl, uses language as a means of gaining authority. He begins the novel as not having any control because Darl possessed the role of narrator. His first narration is in the form of a list. The second and third are not even complete thoughts because nobody takes him seriously. He has no power as a narrator; he is simply a character. It is not until Darl goes insane, losing his role. The weight of that role is then passed onto Cash who, in his last two narrations, finally has the ability to tell things as he sees them. Language has importance to Cash in of itself. It gives him what he previously lacked - the simple right to express what he thinks. "Sometimes I aint so sho who's got ere a right to say when a man is crazy and when he aint. Sometimes I think it aint none of us pure crazy and aint none of us pure sane until the balance of us talks him that-a-way. It's like it aint so much what a fellow does, but it's like the way the majority of folks is looking at him when he does it." (233) Whereas language is a power to Darl, Dewey Dell, and Cash, it is a limitation to their mother. She feels that words made up to describe certain experiences are inadequate to the experiences themselves. She says that "words dont ever fit even what they are trying to say at" (171). Phrases like "motherhood" and "love" according to Addie, are completely separate from what they actually mean; they are simply tools. How could the balding man wearing glasses who spent hours staring at the alphabet to spell out the word "pride" know that that's what a mother would feel when she's watching her child act out the lead part in the school play? And how could that brilliant young woman just out of college possibly understand the word "death." It has no meaning to her - it is only a term used to describe the transition from living to nonliving. Language is crucial to all of Addie's children, except Jewel, to mark who they are but it is experience that matters to their mother. The power and limitation of language can be used to explore different perspectives of the same events. Although Darl, Dewey Dell, Cash, and Addie all saw the same things, they each use different methods of expressing them to portray what is important. The funcion of language is different for each character but plays an equal part for each. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Association for College Admission Counseling Scholarship Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Association for College Admission Counseling Scholarship Essay There are many reasons that I feel that I am qualified for this scholarship, but with limited words to explain this I will give you some qualities that I think stand out more than the others. I will give you the qualities of athleticism, leadership, and dedication to school and community. The quality of athleticism has been with me ever since I started elementary school. During my high school years I have been participating in a sport every season, excelling in football, basketball, and baseball. This past season I had the privilege of making the semi-final game in football, which is quite a feat for our high school. We just ended our basketball season, earlier than expected, and not being able to participate in the EDC basketball tournament. Baseball will hopefully be a successful season. The quality of leadership I hold has been evident in many cases. Toward the beginning of my senior year I was elected by the student body as their Homecoming King. For athletics, my leadership was awarded with being named captain for two years in baseball, and honorary captains for both football and basketball. My dedication to school has brought me to keeping a steady 3.8 and above GPA, has got me elected to the National Honors Society my junior year, and kept me on the honor roll. Even though I have extra-curricular activities I still manage to hold this GPA. My ability to work in the community has been able to make my day better whether I am visiting the nursing homes, mowing lawns, cleaning driveways, or just helping out with mechanical problems. These qualities of athleticism, leadership, and dedication to school and community I believe qualify me for this scholarship. Sampson 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\astronomy term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Red Light of Opportunity Rich Solito April 2nd, 2004 Astronomy 406 Introduction: Mars; The History of Studies are Endless As early as 300BC, Egyptians have referred to Mars as "Horus of the Horizon". From the beginning that this massive red rock that boarders the terrestrial planets in their orbit around The Sun has been discovered, it has mystified and left civilians and mainly scientists wondering if there will ever be a chance that our neighboring planet will ever be set foot on by a human being living on our planet, Earth. Mars has been extensively researched and tested in the best of scientist's ability and technology that was available to them at their point in history for hundreds of years. In 1894, The Lowell Observatory was established specifically to study Mars and all the wonders that our neighboring planet has to offer. As the years have passed and technology has improved, more and more information has been discovered about Mars and hypothesis made on if there was ever life on Mars, and if there could ever be life on Mars again. Photographs have been taken from high-tech telescopes and rationales have been made from the discovery of other objects in the heavens, such as Pluto, suggesting that Mars either had or could have life on its surface someday. Today in the 21st century, with technology even stronger and more sophisticated than ever, scientist's have begun to take further steps to learn the mysteries of Mars and learn more about the possibility of bringing human beings to Mars someday. With the development of customized rovers, cameras, space shuttles and tools, the possibility of humans one day setting foot on Mars has grown larger, as well as learning the real history of Mars. The possibilities in space travel, astronomy and even science in general are endless, if astronauts ever landed on Mars and were able to fully examine and test everything about the planet's surface and over attributes. By setting foot on Mars, astronauts would be able to set up extensive equipment to test the ground, air and atmosphere of Mars as well as being a large step closer to the Jovian planets, which would allow for more in-depth and close up research of the outer planets as well as posing the possibility of setting up space stations on Mars to actually explore the Jovian planets by way of spacecraft. The landing and thorough research of Mars is our next step towards discovering the true mystery of our solar system, as well as our existence as humans beings. Setting foot on Mars: Why Someday Mars may be in Our Reach Mars, being the fourth planet from the sun, is relatively small, comparing more to the size of The Earth's moon than to most other planets in the solar system. The Mass of Mars is 5.419 x 10 to the 23 kg, while its density is 3.93 grams per centimeter cubed. Mars is very rocky and contains mountains much larger than any mountain that can be found on earth, and in that case, the largest mountain ever discovered in our solar system. Mars' largest being Olympus Mons, which is actually a volcano, being measured to be 15 miles in height and its diameter around, according to In Quest of The Universe, "could cover much of the area of Washington and Oregon. There are a number of possible reasons in which leave hope in scientists to someday reach human contact with Mars. The weather on Mars ranges anywhere from 30 degrees Celsius during the day (which is a very livable temperature for human beings) to -135 degrees Celsius at night. The reason for this very large slide in temperatures during the days and evenings on Mars is the fact that Mars has a very thin atmosphere, causing the insulation during night hours to be very little, if evident at all. With the little atmosphere that Mars contains, being 95% made up of carbon dioxide, the temperature on Mars simply cannot be moderated. But the very mild temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius leaves a window of opportunity for scientists and astronomers alike, to possibly be able to withstand the temperatures on a more moderately warm day on Mars. Scientists have also noticed that the escape velocity on Mars would be 5.03 km/s, which is actually less than half of Earth's escape velocity, which is 11,200 meters per second. This would allow for humans to be able to land on Mars, do all the studying that they needed to do, and then be able to take off back to Earth. The hypothesis that there may have been life on the planet, Mars at some point in history has been proven relatively valid over the years. Photos have been taken from cameras and satellites in space showing some forms of possible dried up canals on the surface of Mars, as well as smooth edges on rocks and cliffs in the canals, which suggests that water causing friction with the constant rubbing up against the edges of rocks in the canals, could have been the cause for the smooth edges in the canals. Although scientist's have failed to discover present-day water on Mars, they have discovered and noted the observations of the past presence of water that can be found in the rocks, minerals, and geologic landforms, particularly in those that can only form in the presence of water(marsrovers.gov). The possibility of water once existing on Mars opens up a whole new door of ideas attaining to life on Mars. With water comes the existence of plants, as well one key nutrient that human bodies, the only human-like prototype Earth knows about, need. All this information that has been discovered about Mars in history has been convincing enough to scientists that there is a very good possibility that there was once life on Mars, and maybe even the possibility that someday, there could once again be life on Mars. Scientists studies have become much more extensive and progressive in recent years. Challenges Scientists must Overcome With the great opportunities sciences have noticed to discover more about Mars, the realization that there are also a lot of challenges for the study to be successful must be noticed. Challenges include the actual travel to Mars, the weather that they must withstand, the money it is going to cost, and the smooth landing that the air craft must made if it holds actual human beings. Astronauts have actually never landed on a solid space past the moon. This challenge would require new equipment that would be needed as well as the knowledge of how to go through Mars atmosphere (the little atmosphere that there is) and successfully land on the planet(Noble). Another issue, which I briefly discussed earlier, was the extremely fluctuating weather on the planet. It would be much easier for astronauts to commit to their studies if the weather on the planet was 30 degrees Celsius as opposed to negative 135 degrees Celsius. They would need to plan the correct times to conduct their mission, and be equipped with protection that can withstand extremely cold temperatures if need be. The spacecraft and any other equipment that they brought with them would also have to withstand the very cold temperatures that Mars poses. Another issue that has more to do with politics than the actual space travel by scientists and astronauts is the money factor. Any space-experiment costs millions of dollars, let alone actual human contact and space travel to a never before visited planet. The research they would have to conduct and the finances that they would have to give to the project could cost more than any other space travel experiment ever known. The issue stands with the residents of the United States and the government of the United States. A lot of people are opposed to the amount of money The US puts into space travel in general, and feel that the money can go to better causes, such as the welfare of the poor in our country and protection of our country against terrorism. Opposers of using sufficient amounts of US funds on space travel complain that there are better ways to make our choices with the money that we have than to use it on space travel and exploration. Another issue that astronauts and scientists need to consider is the actual landing on Mars and what types of obstacles they might face. Mars is filled with craters and mountainous surfaces. They would need to study and figure out the exact place that they were going to land and be prepared with the equipment and landing gear that they have designed, in order to have a safe landing for the actual humans on the ship, and eventually a safe take off back to Earth as well. Recent Studies and Steps towards Human Contact In order for astronauts to eventually be able to set foot on Mars, there are a number of research projects and studies that must be completed before "human contact" mission is even deemed plausible. Missions and research includes what scientists label as "fly-bys" of Mars, "Orbiters" of Mars, and the "Roving" of Mars. "Fly-Bys" of Mars took place when we were just beginning our study on the solar system and mainly Mars. The first studies of Mars in space simply flew by Mars, taking numerous amounts of pictures on their way past. Flyby missions included the Mariner 3-4 and The Mariner 6-7, which took place in the 1960's. The first Mariner space craft flew past Mars on July 14, 1965, collecting the first close-up photographs of another planet. The pictures, played back from a small tape recorder on the plane, showed lunar-type impact craters, some of them frozen over from a very cold evening on Mars. The Mariner 4 spacecraft lasted three years in solar orbit, studying Mars' solar wind environment and making coordinated measurements with Mariner 5, the second ship which was launched to Venus in 1967 (nasa.gov). These missions served as a great stepping stone to the beginning of our extensive research of Mars. Although technology was definitely not where it is today, NASA used what they had for equipment and set the precedent for the mid 20th century on how space exploration should be conducted. The pictures taken have helped lead scientists to their next step in exploring Mars; "The Orbiters". Orbiters are satellites that NASA scientists have launched into space to orbit Mars and take in-depth pictures and take readings on Mars' atmosphere and weather. The Orbiters that we have sent out have given us a number of different types of information about our neighboring planet. Orbiters have helped us learn about the craters, gullies and channels of Mars as well as the rocks and polar ice caps. Also, without these orbiters, such as the Mariner 8-9 and first and second Viking, we may have never been able to obtain the extensive amounts of information on Mars' landforms, internal structure, magnetic field and the elemental and mineral composition. Recently, orbiters have helped to obtain information in preparation for our newest type of exploration on Mars, Rovers. For example, the satellites we have orbiting Mars have helped find appropriate spots to land are rovers safely, without any serious damage being inflicted on the machines before they even begin their research. Satelites (orbiters) have been working hand in hand with Rovers, which will be explained next, to help identify "scientifically interesting sites" on Mars that rovers should study. That satellites lend a huge helping hand to the rovers, who's controllers need to be focused on avoiding hazardous terrain, by aiming their antennas towards earth to translate the information on rocks and dirt that the rovers are picking up, and send the signals back to Earth for more in-depth, hands on studies. Orbiters will also be a large help with the incoming space crafts containing further equipment, by assisting with the navigation for correct insertion into the orbit of Mars, as well as a smooth landing. Lastly, orbiters are very helpful in the return of information studied on Mars, back to Earth. A strategy NASA has most recently used is launching the information found into Mars' orbit in a small canister for the satellite to pick up and bring back to Earth. The latest technology has allowed us to actually land on Mars and travel the planet via "a rover". The rovers we have sent to Mars are actually inflatable. Which use very large, inflated wheels to move over rocks, as opposed to having to go around them and waste time. Rovers are built to be inflated upon arrival at Mars and deflated into a much more compact and light-weight piece of equipment to board the ships and return to Earth. Rovers now rely on state-of-the-art technology to know where they are on Mars and which rock and dirt samples are worth testing. Eventually, NASA's goal is to have teams of rovers roaming the planet, that can meet up and exchange information to eventually be sent to Earth for testing. NASA's overall goat with the Rovers is to get them working to the point where they could even build a robotic colony and set up places for humans to land and live while they are on their journey. NASA has stated that if humans indeed to someday reach Mars, that rovers will act as a tool to "pave the way" for human contact. Other Essential Equipment being used: The large equipment, such as the satellites and rovers have done wonders for the experimentation on Mars, but there are various types of other equipment that we have used and plan on eventually using when the time comes that our own human feet are actually setting foot on Mars. This equipment includes special cameras, spectrometers, grinders and magnets. The Panoramic Camera, nicknamed "the pancam", is a pair of cameras with extremely high resolution that will be used to view both the land and sky of Mars. These cameras can be hand-held, but right now scientists have attached them on top of the rovers, in order to get the most hands on experience they can while still sitting in their laboratories on Earth. Each pancam has a special lens that allows images to be taken at different wavelengths, which helps scientists on Earth examine the rocks and gravel found to a greater extent. The other type of camera that NASA is using is The Microscopic Imager, which can view rocks at an even closer view than The Panoramic Camera. This camera is specifically made to look for signs of the rocks interacting in any way, shape, or form with water that may have exited on Mars at any point. This camera does so by analyzing the size, shape and indentation on each rock that it views. This tool has also recently been added to the rover's arsenal, as the camera can be attached to its arm. Another type of tool that has just recently been used on Mars is The Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer, in short, the Mini-TES. This scopes our rocks and reads the thermal radiation signals that rocks on Mars emit. By finding out the thermal radiation patterns of the rocks found, scientists are able to figure out which types of minerals are found on Mars. With this information, they compare and contrast their finding to already-known information on rocks and their nature-involvement with water; again searching for proof that water could once be found on Mars. The last tool that I will speak of is The Rock Abrasion Tool, the RAT (how clever). The RAT is small and compact, but is designed to drill approximately two inches into rock formations found on Mars. Scientists use this tool to expose the insides of a rock, which may or may not be different than the outside of the rock. If it is found that the insides of the rock are different than the outsides, than scientists can study this and see what types of "environmental conditions" would have caused the outside of the rock to be different than the inside. This alone can help scientists discover what the environment on Mars was once like. Conclusion: What does NASA have Planned for The Future? With all the work that has been completed in the past five years, taking one step closer to discovering the mystery of Mars, NASA is only looking ahead towards the future. In late 2005, NASA plans to send orbiters into the orbit of Mars to study the temperature and overall weather of Mars, as well as continuing to search for signs of water. This mission is scheduled to last approximately one year. In 2007, NASA plans to send a team of four rovers to different locations on Mars so that they can all collect data on Mars' rocks, atmosphere and internal structure at the same time. They will be using an orbiter as a reconnaissance tool, to help organize the navigation of the mission, as well as relay their findings back to Earth for further studies. Given the steps that NASA has taken in the most recent years to improve their technology and fully explore our neighboring planet, the mystery of Mars is surely within our grasp. Although plans for actual human contact have not been made, we should expect them to be made sometime in the immediate future. We began our exploration of Mars with "drive-bys" and proceeded with orbiters. We now have vehicles fully exploring Mars with high-tech cameras giving scientists on Earth a clear site to everything the rover sees. Recently, NASA has released their plans to build a robotic space station on Mar's; could humans be next? Bibliography Lowell, Percival. "Mars". Boston, New York, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1895 Lowell, Percival. "Mars and its Canals." Boston, New York, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1895 Wilford, John Noble. "Mars Beckons: the mysteries, the challenges, the expectations of our next great adventure in space" New York: Knopf, 1990 Mars Exploration Rover Mission. Updated Regularly by NASA. http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov "Mars Timeline of Discovery" May, 2001. Astrodigital Inc. http://www.astrodigital.org/mars/index.html f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Audio Cocktail.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Audio Cocktail Ideally, our show would encompass a full range of down-tempo, experimental music. We will dig into eclectic sounds of the past including Miles Davis, John Cage and Frank Zappa. In addition, we will incorporate contemporary artists such as Sigur Ros, Sparkle Horse and Aphex Twin. Anything that pushes the boundaries of ordinary music will appear on our radio show. Between musical segments we will briefly discuss the selections based on our research of the artists. We will also showcase various local guests and occasionally play some of our own music we've made. We are all serious about music and serious about fun. Our combined charisma will act as the cohesive element that holds the show together. Peace Brian, Mike, and Ian f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Backup of Prospectus.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Schueth 2/11/04 Dissertation Prospectus "You're too popular to escape it:" Willa Cather & Celebrity Culture Cultural critics such as Tyler Cowen have recently argued that twentieth-century "fame-seeking, celebrity, and fandom are deeply rooted" within American culture and as a consequence, have had an enormous impact on the production of art and the construction of private and public identities. Cowen argues that celebrity has become "the ideological and intellectual fabric of modern capitalism," and as such, celebrity culture is a particularly suggestive lens for cultural criticism, since celebrity culture intersects a wide range of cultural sites, providing for a multi-layered, complex analysis. This dissertation proposes to build on studies of celebrity culture by analyzing Willa Cather's career and texts as they show her negotiation with celebrity culture, the literary marketplace, and the media. By charting the cultural growth of celebrity, this project will explore Cather's sustained interest in celebrity culture demonstrated by her imaginative and intellectual working out of specific issues of notoriety/fame within her work. Further, as I work through each chapter, I will work in contemporary and historical writers to contextualize Cather's negotiation with celebrity culture. As a part of this exploration I will pay special attention to wider issues of women in the literary marketplace, middle-brow and high-brow audiences and the textual and visual construction and presentation of the modern "personality" figure. Critical aspects of race and class will, as necessary and relevant, fold into my analysis. Born in 1873, Cather's world-view was situated within late Victorian culture, and her life follows the emergence of modernism as well as a host of technologies that reshaped the landscape of media and role of the public person within that media. Cather's childhood experiences at the Red Cloud Opera House (biographer James Woodress says that "it was the one place in town that held the most attraction for Cather .... the memory of plays and light operas there was golden" (58)), her performances in theatrical productions in Red Cloud and at the University of Nebraska, and her drama criticism for the Lincoln Journal and Courier newspapers in the 1890s are compelling evidence that Cather was highly engaged with the celebrity culture around her well before her emergence as an aspiring editor-writer. In particular, Cather was interested in the role of art and the artist in a world increasingly geared to an "economy of fame," as Tyler Cowen puts it, which rests on the commodification of the individual artist into product and image (8). The increasing pressures artists faced due to the blurring lines between public and private life especially caught Cather's attention. Particularly, this theme of private/public critically informs her fiction while simultaneously defining a major aspect of her own negotiation with celebrity culture. The dissertation will argue that Cather's experiences in her celebrity culture are evident throughout her fiction. Each chapter will be grounded in a specific historical moment from Cather's career and will trace her response to that experience. Specifically, I will break Cather's career into three broad time frames representative of her work and attitudes toward celebrity: the early "apprenticeship phase (1900-~1918); the early to mid 1920s, when Cather became a celebrity figure (1922-1927); and the late years (1935-death). Chapter 1: Contextualizing Cather in American Literary Celebrity Culture This paper will introduce a historical/social context for celebrity culture in general and literary celebrity in particular. I want to particularly show how advertising, marketing, and image moved from "low brow" literature to "high brow" through Whitman, Twain, and other American writers, because these are changes that directly impact the literary marketplace Cather encounters in the early 1910s. I may also be able to work with Cather's drama reviews for Lincoln newspapers, and showcase her specific inquiry into celebrity culture. There are lots of possibilities for what this chapter can do for my dissertation, and I'll expect to write it late in the process to efficiently and effectively inform the resulting chapters. Chapter 2: The Troll Garden & Alexander's Bridge: Reinterpreting Cather Through Celebrity Culture This chapter will argue that Cather's early works, The Troll Garden (1905) and Alexander's Bridge (1912), are primarily concerned with issues of art and celebrity and that in these works, celebrity culture emerges as a critical theme. Each story in The Troll Garden addresses celebrity culture from various points of view, and engages such themes as the role of the artist in a commercial marketplace; the allure of the "star," stage, and the artistic performance to individual lives; and the ways in which celebrity culture complicates the role of art and the artist. The collection is remarkable for its kaleidoscopic look at celebrity culture as Cather shifts her perspective on celebrity from story to story-in whole, a sustained and thoughtful exploration of her celebrity culture. Cather's first novel, Alexander's Bridge (1912), also directly addresses issues of celebrity culture. Cather signals this early in the novel when she writes that, "There were other bridge-builders in the world, certainly, but it was always Alexander's picture that the Sunday Supplement men wanted" (10) making Alexander's "reputation . . . as the saying is, popular" (36). Cather's interest in the fictional Alexander's career as a celebrity figure gave her the scope to imaginatively process issues of celebrity culture that she had seen first-hand at McClure's magazine. Cather understood the paradox at work for artists within the celebrity culture. The artist who strove for widespread recognition and a greater financial independence as a form of "freeing" one's time, also invited in the demands of the celebrity: interviews, sales pressures, and a demand to please the public; Alexander had "expected success would bring him freedom and power; but it had brought only power that was in itself another kid of restraint" (37). Chapter 3: Imagining Celebrity: Cather's Ghostwritten Autobiographies This chapter investigates Cather's two ghostwritten biographies of celebrity figures and traces how her insights into celebrity may have played a key role in the later development of her narrator figures in major novels. The first biography, The Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy and the History of Christian Science (serialization: 1907-08; book: 1909), was Cather's "first lengthy assignment at McClure's" (xvii), and, as David Stouck has noted, "The central interest of the narrative is in Mary Baker Eddy's unflagging struggle to achieve fame and power and in the psychological roots of her unique personality." With her second project, My Autobiography (1914), Cather herself takes on the persona figure as she writes in S.S. McClure's voice. In assembling the pieces of McClure's life, Cather configures his rags to riches story as she simultaneously takes up "her most thinly veiled autobiography" in The Song of the Lark. At issue in these works is celebrity culture itself, including the public's fascination with the public person, the thorny process of researching and writing another person's life for public consumption, and the difficulty of separating the public identity from the private, etc. I will argue that these celebrity-driven issues form the lens through which Cather constructs her unique outsider narrator figures in My Antonia, A Lost Lady, and My Mortal Enemy. These are figures fascinated by the life of another, and each one struggles to understand and "get at" the central mystery-the secret of self-that drives its subjects. This construction allows Cather to deepen her intellectual conversations with these critical themes of fascination and secret selves, as well as mirrors her own negotiation with these issues. Chapter 4: From Bank Street to Main Street: Cather, the Press, & Regional Identity This chapter will examine how Cather constructed her public identity/reputation/biography in her early interviews, and I will build on a conference paper I recently wrote on how Cather used Sarah Orne Jewett to build a sense of regional identity as a writer. In that paper I argue that Cather consciously bypassed celebrated male Western writers such as Owen Wister, Frank Norris, and Stephen Crane to build a literary identity through Jewett's literary celebrity as a regional writer. To flesh out this argument, I will contrast Cather with Edith Wharton's construction of her literary self. Since Cather was often compared with Wharton in popular a celebrity-driven magazines such as Vanity Fair, the contrast between these two writers and their construction of their strikingly different public literary selves will shed light on how women writers contended with celebrity culture as they worked to shape their public identities. Chapter 5: The Problems of Renown: Cather Responds to Celebrity Culture This uses as a starting point Cather's 1923 Pulitzer Prize as a site of inquiry for both Cather's position as a literary celebrity in American culture and her response to that celebrity in her later fiction, especially in The Professor's House and My Mortal Enemy. To provide context for Cather's award and the critical response to the award, I will discuss the politics of literary awards in the early 20th century. (I have done much of this work in a previous conference paper.) I also want to show how the issues Cather faces as a celebrity writer show up with increasing sophistication in her fiction. For example, in The Professor's House, the Professor faces the legacy and fame of his brilliant former student; and in so doing, he must also face the material success connected to Tom Outland's fame. In My Mortal Enemy, Cather uses the framework of a fairytale to showcase the downfall the Driscolls; from evening parties with Modjeska and other well-known celebrities to the bareness of cheap apartment dwellings, the novel suggests the fragile line between celebrity and obscurity. Chapter 6: Picturing Cather: The Iconic Cather This chapter has been drafted for my exam, and I am currently working with Sue to substantially revise it. My revision will narrow in on Cather's photographs, and take out some of the historical context. Chapter 7: Drowning in Celebrity: Cather, Warner Brothers, and Lucy Gayheart This chapter will use my previous work on the 1934 filmed version of A Lost Lady to discuss Cather's relationship to her public, especially how her name became a marketable product in the 1930s. Building on this work, I will argue that her next novel, Lucy Gayheart, is a dark response to her status as a celebrity. I will explore how Lucy Gayheart can be read as Cather's interpretation of a sentimental novel, a highly popular form of fiction and certainly the genre of the 1934 filmed version of the screenplay for A Lost Lady. Cather's response to her celebrity culture can be read through Clement Sebastian's drowning. The event becomes the primary metaphor around which Cather constructs her statements on artists in a celebrity-driven society, since it was the James Mockford, the "white" skinned, "somewhat rubbery" accompanist, who "fastened himself to his companion with a strangle-hold and dragged him down"(57; 138). Further, Lucy Gayheart's plot mirrors The Song of the Lark in striking ways, but Lucy's life becomes a foil to Thea's rise to fame, and she is literally pulled under by her superficial romantic fascination with Sebastian. Chapter 8: From Celebrity to Classic: Cather's Late Years This last chapter will center on Cather's final years-years that some critics and biographers term her "reclusive" years. This chapter will question that belief, and situate Cather as a popular writer who is constructing a long-lasting legacy in her final years. Of primary concern is how does someone outlast "celebrity"? In a culture full of writers, actors, and other public personalities who take on short-lived public importance only to fade in a matter of months or years into obscurity, how does one secure a more permanent place within this celebrity culture? I will especially look at her construction of the Autograph Editions, her book of essays on literature and writing, Not Under Forty, and her selection of public appearances. Also, I want to pay special attention to the marketing of Sappirha and the Slave Girl, which, to my mind, is one of the most sophisticated campaigns of her literary career. For example, the book was featured prominently in the Book of the Month Club catalog. Further, letters recently given to the UNL Archives suggest Cather's continual negotiation with celebrity culture. In a remarkable 1936 letter to Cather, Alfred Knopf tells Cather to consider turning down a lecture. He writes: I am writing despite your word, because my thoughts on the subject seem at the moment to be quite clear. What I'm afraid of is that you'll have to turn out to be just a very disagreeable swollen-headed beast or just simply everybody's sweetheart. It's a horrible choice, but you're too popular to escape it. Knopf's letter not only suggests the pressures of Cather's public renown, but also shows her continual negotiation with her public profile-the very problems Cather forecasted in Alexander's Bridge decades earlier. Further, this letter highlights Knopf's personal engagement and commitment to Cather, one he took on with great care and sensitivity. Conclusion: The final conclusion of the dissertation will suggest the complexity of Cather's handling of her career, especially in comparison with other writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, who fell out of fame at the end of his career. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Backup of Regional.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Schueth University of Nebraska-Lincoln Humanities Conference, Nov. 2003 New Title Fanny Fern's novel Ruth Hall (1855) tells the story of a widowed mother of two, who, in order to save herself and her children from the depths of poverty, becomes a highly successful newspaper columnist under the non de plume of "Floy." Toward the end of the novel, after Floy has become a critical and popular success, a publisher describes Floy as "elastic, strong, brave, loving...fiery, yet soft" and ends with the punctuated conclusion that she is "a bundle of contradictions!" (180). Fanny Fern (Sara Payson Willis) knew well how a woman writer like Floy could be labeled as much since Ruth Hall was largely based by Fanny Fern's own career in the literary marketplace. For professional women writers of the nineteenth century, personal and public identity manifested itself into "a bundle of contradictions" since women like Fern (and others such as E.D.E.N. Southworth, Frances E.W. Harper, and Lydia Maria Childe, to name a few) often commanded high prices for their work and regularly produced bestselling books, but many times, as in this case with Ruth Hall, these women had to rest their literary ambitions on the welfare of her children or through the morals of True Womanhood. For all their success, these women commanded almost no lasting critical respect. Twentieth century women writers also met with such contradictions and writers such as Edith Wharton and Willa Cather had to carefully craft their public personas in an order to thwart nineteenth-century stereotypes that women "authoresses" were merely second-rate artists. Further, the growth of celebrity culture added to an increased interest in the private lives of writers, and, as Barbara Hochman notes, "many publications catered to the reading publics wish to 'know' authors by providing new modes of access to them" (27). The ways in which Wharton and Cather responded to those cultural pressures varies greatly from those writers of the previous century, and indeed, a study of Wharton's and Cather's public and private personas showcases the power of both class and region in building a literary project at the turn of the century. As women writers in a field still dominated by male critics and writers, Wharton and Cather had to negotiate their own "bundle of contradictions" as they worked out their public and private identities as women novelists. In this chapter, I will explore how Wharton and Cather constructed their public/private personas in terms of self-fashioning themselves as professional and regional writers. As a woman of the upper class, Edith Wharton, like most women of her class, was certainly not raised to be a writer-and most certainly not a professional writer. "In the eyes of our provincial society," Wharton recounts in her autobiography A Backward Glance, "authorship was sill regarded as something between a black art and a form of manual labour," (69). Wharton further frames herself in her autobiography as child who was an "omnivorous reader," and who followed the "many prohibitions" in reading material her mother "imposed" on her (65). For this, Wharton says that she grew up reading only the "essentials," which translates into a long list of classic male writers and, critically, only a few women: Mrs. Heman and Mrs. Browning (66), Mrs. Beecher Stowe ("who was so 'common' yet so successful) (68), and the Brontës ("who shrank in agony from being suspected of successful novel writing") (69). Wharton notes that she was "forbidden" to read the "lesser novelists of the day," what can only be interpreted as a subtle hint to contemporary women novelists of her day who were producing much of the best-selling fiction. Finishing her chapter, "Little Girl," Wharton reflects on her "dream of a literary career," that "faded into unreality" because "I had never even seen [a writer] in the flesh!" (76). Indeed, when Wharton, critics, and other writers frame public images of Wharton in magazines and journals, she is framed around a masculine tradition of writing rather than a feminine tradition. As mentioned above, Wharton rarely cited women writers besides women such as Jane Austin, and she never cites contemporary novelists at all, besides at rare intervals to showcase her own mastery over "second rate" sentimentalists. Early critics, too, constructed Wharton as a different kind of woman writer, she was "misleading," as one critic wrote in The Nation (Oct. 30, 1913: 404). In this case, that amounts to a combination of Wharton's "breeding" and her "gentlemanlike" style. While touting her writing as such, The Nation reviewer says that she is nevertheless "strongly feminine" made interesting through its "hint of contradiction" (404). Even constructed in a space between masculine and feminine writing, Wharton is nevertheless a "nervous, cultivated American woman," whose writing is limited as "an extremely clever performer" (404). Wharton's first major publication was The Decoration of Houses, which she co-authored with Codman. With it, Wharton set up what would be a major aspect of her public identity, her expertise on high forms of cultural knowledge. Part Martha Stewart part historian, Wharton continued to publish works such as Italian Villas and Their Gardens (1904), one year before she would find critical and best-selling success with The House of Mirth. Find House of Mirth discussions??? Advertising??? Further, Wharton's continued success came from her publicly touted friendship with Henry James. While critics were quick to see Wharton's literary connections to James even before she became close friends with him, Wharton's career was largely mapped out as a Jamesian protégé. When it came time for Cather to publicize her new novel, O Pioneers! in 1912, she had to work out critical issues of marketing both her authorial self and the book to an increasingly sophisticated American book-buying public. After Cather's self-proclaimed failure with her first novel, Alexander's Bridge, the success and marketing of her new, and potentially risky, Nebraska novel would be critical for her career. Cather's years as an editor at McClure's magazine made her "more sharply aware," as Janis Stout puts it, "of both literary fashion and the ways in which fiction got itself published" (89). With this in mind, Cather's marketing of her first Nebraska novel (including the important necessity of writing her authorial self into the marketing) set a tone that would largely characterize her public reputation (and her later celebrity status). She may have been asking whether her success with the new novel would allow her to continue writing, especially with S.S. McClure's earlier warning that she could not pull off a successful professional writing career. In this paper I will explore Cather's early newspaper interviews in which she positions her authorial self as a regional writer, arguing specifically that through these interviews she modernizes and complicates former literary understandings of regional writing in general and western regionalism in particular. One of the most notable aspects of Cather's early interviews is the way she consistently refers to Sarah Orne Jewett as her literary mentor. While Sharon O'Brien and Marilee Lindemann have made much of the Jewett-Cather relationship, both concentrate on Cather's preface to a collection of Jewett's work. Cather's use of Jewett's name and literary reputation in this preface was, arguably, different than her use of Jewett's name some twelve years earlier. By 1925 Cather was sure of her literary powers-in fact, she was at the height of her creative output, producing One of Ours, for which she won the Pulitzer prize, A Lost Lady, The Professor's House, and would soon begin her masterpiece, Death Comes For the Archbishop. If we move back in time to 1912 and in the immediate years following, Cather's future lay uncertain, and her use of Jewett's name and literary reputation introduced Cather's own name in connection to a respectable American literary tradition of New England regionalism. Cather met Jewett through Annie Fields in 1908 in Boston while Cather was researching a series of articles on Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, for McClure's magazine (Stout 98). As one of the most well-known and respected "local color" writers of the late nineteenth century, Jewett was one of many successful women writers (Freeman, Cooke, etc.) who commanded the public's attention and filled the pages of magazines. By the turn of the century, however, the success of these local colorists diminished; as Donna M. Campbell explains, the rise of male naturalist writers such as Dreiser, Crane, and Norris were a part of "a backlash against what was perceived as feminine domination of audience and literature alike" (47). While Cather did not like many of these local color writers (most of whom were women), she did admire Jewett's work (O'Brien 335). During their brief relationship before Jewett's death in 1909, Jewett urged Cather to abandon her attempts at writing Jamesian fiction and rely on her own life experience for subject matter. While Cather ignored Jewett's advice and wrote Alexandar's Bridge, she did begin to write about her memories of Nebraska in O Pioneers! Cather's interviews during this period closely mirror those Jewett gave years earlier in which Jewett discusses her technique of writing from her early life experiences and her deep connection to the New England landscape. In one circa 1900 interview, Jewett tells of following her physician father about "silently, like an undemanding little dog," to various patients "whom he used to visit in lonely inland farms or on the sea-coast in York and Wells" collecting, unconsciously, all of the details of "the country interiors." "Now," Jewett said in her interview, "as I write my sketches of country life, I remember again and again the wise things he said and the sights he made me see" (Famous Authors 47). Throughout Jewett's discussions of her writing, she underscores the lived experience of the places and memories that inspired her fiction in order to show the "authentic" experience behind her fiction. In 1913, while promoting her new novel, O Pioneers!, Cather began to invoke Jewett's name and discuss Jewett's effect on her own writing. In fact, Cather dedicates the novel to Jewett "in whose beautiful and delicate work there is the perfection that endures." In one interview, after calling Mark Twain, Henry James and Sarah Orne Jewett the "great ones" when asked to name her favorite American writers, Cather relates finding a Jewett letter "among some of her papers in South Berwick after her death." Cather then goes on to quote a line from Jewett's letter: "Ah, it is things like that, which haunt the mind for years, and at last write themselves down, that belong, whether little or great, to literature." In her interview, Cather points to Jewett's honesty, "that earnest endeavor to tell truly the thing that haunts the mind," that she most values about her work. In showing Jewett's literary influence on her own writing, Cather later states in the same interview that with O Pioneers! she "tried to tell the story of the people as truthfully and simply as if I were telling it to her by word of mouth" (Bohlke ) Cather's use of Jewett's name and literary heritage becomes a common strategy for the emerging writer in her interviews throughout the teens. In a 1919 interview for the Chicago Daily News, Cather quotes Jewett as telling her to "Write it as it is, don't try to make it like this or that. You cant' do it in anybo[d]y's else[s] way-you will have to make it your own. If the way happens to be new, don't let that frighten you. Don't' try to write the kind of stories that this or that magazine wants-write the truth and let them take it or leave it" (Bohlke 18). In naming Jewett throughout her interviews, Cather claims a link to Jewett's legacy of regionalism. Yet, as a western writer, Cather's claim to a New England tradition suggests a complexity and depth to her construction. That one of the most well-known and respected New England writers like Jewett could become friends with and influence a new writer from the Nebraska plains upsets easy notions of what defines "regional." Building her name on Jewett's literary legacy instead of other notable popular western writers like Owen Wister, Frank Norris, or Stephen Crane, she bypasses the male western literary tradition for her own sense of regional/literary identity. In addition to mentioning Jewett's influence in her early interviews, Cather constructs her authorial self by developing a picture of her Nebraska childhood throughout these interviews. She often over-simplifies her childhood to interviewers, reducing her experience to what L. Brent Bohlke has noted as a "romantic vision" of her life that often featured her "riding recklessly across the Nebraska plains" on ponies to the extant that "it would seem that even Cather herself began to believe" these stories (xxii). Another way to interpret Cather's "romantic vision" is through Scott McCloud's term amplification through simplification, in which complex qualities are simplified to their most basic, one-dimensional shape. The simplified state, McCloud argues through the example of a photographic face simplified into a happy face, allows for readers to absorb themselves into the story, or, in the case of the happy face, the generalized shape of the face allows the viewer to imagine the face in any number of ways, and hence it's possible meanings become amplified (McCloud ). So, then, in a similar way, Cather's mythic rendition of her Nebraska childhood allows readers the space to imaginatively invent Cather. While her generalizations about immigrant women, pony rides, and other experiences with her natural surroundings gave readers a much different conception of the West than dime-store westerns, her stories also have a bareness that allows readers to imaginatively engage in her Nebraska childhood experiences. Cather's repetition of this story, as Bohlke notes, further amplifies her story, reinforcing her Nebraska ties and her self-construction as a western writer (xxii). That is, Cather's authority to write about the west lie in her childhood experiences. Yet even while Cather builds herself as a Nebraskan, her interviews also dislocate her from Nebraska. In the Webster County Argus, for example, an anonymous writer notes, Naturally we were especially pleased when last Friday Miss Willa Cather, whose address is New York City, but who is at home in Red Cloud, New York, London, Paris or any other city on earth in which she happens to be, called at this office for that reason. Miss Cather is enjoying a several weeks' visit with her parents... (Oct. 29th, 1921; Bohlke 26) What is especially noteworthy in these newspaper interviews with Cather is her ability to occupy a multitude of authorial identities: a transplanted Virginian, an urban New York writer, an international traveler, and a Nebraskan. While Cather's focus on her childhood in Nebraska may have served to underscore her authenticity as a western writer, much in Jewett's tradition, it also served to obfuscate the other half of her life in the east, her New York life-an urban life very much unlike that of her Nebraska novels. Yet, as these interviews show, readers were made well aware of her New York address. Unlike Jewett, who said in one interview that, "I was born here . . . and I hope to die here" (Famous Authors 46), Cather constructs herself in such a way that she does not tie herself to living in Nebraska even as she claims that identity. This complex stance on her Nebraska/urban identity is taken up in a 1921 interview, in which Cather states that she "will have it distinctly understood that she is not an eastern, western, northern or southern writer, but first and foremost a Nebraskan." The article explains that, When questioned as to why she considered herself a Nebraskan after so many years abroad and in the east, she replied, "Because my father and mother sill live in Nebraska. They have lived here for 30 odd years, and because I came to Nebraska when I was 8 and lived her until I finished college at 19, and the years from 8 to 15 are the formative period of a writer's life, when he unconsciously gathers basic material. (Omaha Bee 29 Oct. 1921; Bohke 31). While western writing has a history of transplanted writers, making their careers writing about their non-native west (Owen Wister, for example), Cather was from the West and she made her living writing about the West from the East. To construct a sense of authenticity, she underscores her family ties to the state. As she claims in one interview, "my grandparents were among the real pioneers" (emphasis added; Philadelphia Record 10 Aug. 1913; Bohlke 11). In yet another interview, Cather, while in France, claims that "she is skeptical about remaining there, for as she recalled Paris last autumn, when the leaves were turning yellow on the cottonwoods along the boulevards, she said she would sit by the Seine and feel weepy and homesick for the Republican valley" (Omaha Bee Oct. 29 1921). The play Cather makes between the cultural cache of "taking up an apartment in Paris," and her "homesickness" for Red Cloud, reveals how she could map out a complex range of geographies for herself. She is able to live the life of a successful writer, traveling to exotic locations to relax, but in connecting the Seine to the Republican valley, she shows how she remains loyal to her Nebraska roots. Even in early Cather novels we can chart a geographical pull away from Nebraska. While working on O Pioneers!, for example, Cather's trip to the Southwest had a deep impact on her sense of place. David Stouck has noted that there is a "uncommon degree" of autobiography in Cather's fiction, and so, not surprisingly, in Cather's next novel, The Song of the Lark, Thea's most powerful awakening moment does not occur in Nebraska, but rather in Panther Canyon. In the Introduction to My Antonia, we are told that Jim Burden, again like Cather herself, is a displaced Nebraskan living in New York but still retains "those big Western dreams" that make for a "quiet drama . . . in one's brain" (xi). Even as she tried to construct herself as a Nebraskan in her interviews, the displaced characters we find in her novels reflect her own complex relationship to Nebraska, her urban lifestyle, and her sense of place. Judith Fetterley and Marjorie Pryse have recently argued that that a complex relationship to place has been the norm, rather than the exception, for women's regional writing. They say that, These writers both in their fictions and in their own biographies frequently move back and forth between urban and rural/"regional" places; while cosmopolitan attitudes might assume clear barriers between the modernizing life of the cities and the presumptively pre-modern world of the regions, for the writers themselves and in their regionalist texts, these barriers become permeable and transitive. (5) Certainly for Cather, while she skirted around her New York life in interviews, her readers gained a sense of this "permeable and transitive" space as they followed Cather throughout many geographies. While this paper is not looking at how Cather's readers and critics were responding to her literary self-fashioning, two key literary figures of this time period stand out in their response to Cather's relationship to place. F. Scott Fitzergerald remarked in the 1919 volume of The Men Who Make Our Novels, that, "the writer, if he has any aspirations toward art, should try to convey the feel of his scenes, places and peoples directly-as Conrad does, as a few Americans (notably Willa Cather) are already trying to do" (167). That Fitzgerald positions Cather in the same breath as Conrad suggests that he saw her not as a mere "regional" writer, but as a serious writer using place to develop American fiction. Further, Sinclair Lewis told an Omaha audience in 1921 that, Willa Sibert Cather is greater than General Pershing; she is incomparably greater than William Jennings Bryan. She is Nebraska's foremost citizen because through her stories she has made the outside world know Nebraska as no one else has done. (Omaha World Herald 10 April, 1921) That these prominent and popular writers of the time saw Cather as a successful model of a modern writer connecting herself not only to place, but to a tradition of great literature, shows that her early self-fashioning was, in many ways, successful. Certainly both writers were trying to do the same, and as Fitzgerald's comment suggests, Cather was leading the way toward a new American literary tradition. While Cather's construction of her authorial self as western writer in the time period between O Pioneers! and My Antonia was largely successful, she faced increasing problems as some critics railed against her portrayal of World War I France in One of Ours. Hemingway's famous reaction to the novel, that Cather lifted her war scenes from Birth of a Nation and "Catherized" it, suggests that while Cather could write seriously about the Nebraska landscape, she transgressed her boundaries when writing about war (Woodress 333). Cather's successful self-construction as a Nebraska writer ultimately limited her ability to move her subject matter and authorial self into new directions. Her identity as a Nebraskan feminized her in connection to the land, and to take up a masculine space-as Hemingway's remark powerfully shows-was to transgress upon male writing. As the politics of the literary landscape shifted in the 1920s, the context and success of Cather's authorial identity created problems for her. Yet he controversy surrounding her Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours opened her up to a much broader audience and consequently, her subsequent novel, A Lost Lady, was a critical and popular success. So, while Cather was, in some ways, limited by her Nebraska childhood identity and subject matter, it did not hinder her finding a broad readership and later, taking dramatic risks with Death Comes for the Archbishop and Shadows on the Rock. While I think that Cather tried to build a complexity into her regional identity by trying to create a more complex, kaleidoscopic view of regionalism, her image ultimately became simplified by her readers and critics as a Nebraska writer. For Cather, her own literary self-fashioning was much like her relationship to the land itself, as she said of Nebraska in one early interview, it was "the happiness and the curse of my life." Works Cited Baldman, Charles C. The Men Who Make Our Novels. NY: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1924. Campbell, Donna M. Resisting Regionalism: Gender and Naturalism in American Fiction, 1885-1915. Athens: Ohio UP, 1997. Bohlke, L. Brent, ed. Willa Cather in Person: Interviews, Speeches, and Letters. Lincoln: U Nebraska P, 1986. Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Lincoln, U Nebraska P, 1994. ---.The Song of the Lark. Lincoln, U Nebraska P, 1972. ---. Willa Cather in Person: Interviews, Speeches, and Letters. L. Brent Bohlke ed. Lincoln, U Nebraska P, 1986. Gordon, George [Crittenton, Charles Baldwin]. The Men Who Make Our Novels. NY: Moffat, Yard & Co., 1919. Fetterly, Judith and Marjorie Pryse. Writing Out of Place: Regionalism, Women, and American Culture. Urbana: U Chicago P, 2003. Harkinks, E.F. Famous Authors (Women). Boston: L.C. Page, 1901. Lindemann, Marilee. Willa Cather: Queering America. NY: Columbia UP, 1999. O"Brien, Sharon. Willa Cather: The Emerging Voice. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1987. Stout, Janis. Willa Cather: The Writer and Her World. Charlottesville: U Virginina P, 2000. Woodress, James. Willa Cather: A Literary Life. Lincoln, U Nebraska P, 1987. ?Omaha World Herald Article in Archives 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\bandessay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Annie O'Donnell Band- Period 4 January 31, 2003 Londonairy Air Review My review is on Londonairy Air composed by John Kinyon. I chose to review this piece because I thought that our band performed this song the best and it was our strongest piece. At times, I could hear a few wrong notes and squeaks in the beginning of the song during the clarinets' solo. There were times when it didn't sound like "one clarinet" when it was supposed to. I think we could have improved on the phrasing. One place where our phrasing wasn't good was between the pick up measures 17-25. Our transition was somewhat choppy and could have been a lot smoother. I thought dynamics was one of our strongest areas in the piece. I thought we had great dynamic changes whether we were doing a crescendo or decrescendo. I liked the changes we made at the end of the piece right after the melody when we went right back to the soft-playing clarinets. I thought this piece had the best dynamic changes. Overall, the solo groups were good but sometimes it was hard to hear the melody. In measures where clarinets came in the for the melody part that was the refrain of "Oh Danny Boy", you couldn't really hear them. Also you couldn't hear the melody was a little weak in measures 34-42. In those measures flutes, trumpets, and a little bit of low brass had melody. You could only hear the flutes loud and clear. I think we could have improved on balancing by playing softer so you could hear all of the different instruments. For an overall performance rating, I gave Londonairy Air a 7. I thought that this piece deserved a 7 because it had very good dynamics, good balancing, and pretty good note playing. It had very good dynamics with even crescendos and decrescendos moving smoothly from melodies to solo groups. In measures 26-27 there was a really good decrescendo building up into another crescendo. It sounded really good. The band's balancing was alright. You should be able to hear the melody clearly, but some of the time it was hard to hear it. In measures like 34-42, you could only hear one instrument group instead of several. Lastly, there was pretty good note playing throughout the piece. In the beginning of the song, the clarinet section was not playing in unison and sometimes where it was supposed to be a B natural, and you could hear a combination of a B natural and B flat. However, overall I thought that the piece sounded good, that band members tried hard to do their best. I thought that Londonairy Air was our best and strongest musical arrangement played at the Winter Concert. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Banking Concept of Education.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Expository Writing Professor Habershaw 4.11.03 4.1 Paulo Freire's essay on the "Banking Concept of Education" is an interesting composition about the flaws of the educational system. Defined by Freire, the "banking" concept is "the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits" (Freire 260). Freire believes what the teacher tells the student is the defining source of information for the student. He states "the teacher is the subject of the learning process, while the pupils are mere objects" (Freire 261). I agree with Paulo Freire's idea that the teacher is given too much authority and power in the classroom. If a teacher is feeding their students the wrong information, then all the students now have the incorrect perspective. Also, a teacher can add a bias or slant toward his/her information that can cloud a students mind. I believe whether or not I was conscious of it or not, I have been "banked" by my educators. To a varying degree, all my ideas and knowledge are a culmination of my teachers influence on me. Knowledge is a cycle, so the understanding's my teachers have taught me have come from their previous teachers and so on. At many times in my life the educational system has been an irritating process of memorization and other nonsense that ultimately becomes only ephemeral knowledge. So basically I agree with Freire's scorn for the "banking" method of education. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Barney vs Sesame Street The Ultamate Educational Battle.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sesame Street and Barney The Dinosaur are two popular educational shows for children. Are they really teaching kids with the right techniques? Are they teaching kids anything at all? It's a battle to see which is better: Barney or Sesame Street. Sesame Street and Barney have totally different teaching techniques. Sesame Street captivates the audience with high joltage and fast scenes. The child barely understands what is going on and when they understand that scene, it's over and the next scene is almost done. The child does not learn well under these circumstances. Barney does not have the same JPM as Sesame Street but it still attracts the audiences' attention. The show is slower and more understandable than Sesame Street. Barney focuses on one topic for every show. The one that I watched, entitled "Up We Go", was about flying. You learn about kites, birds, planes and more. You get more out of the show than if it was about many topics like Sesame Street. The one we saw had many topics like eating healthy, dental hygiene, the airport and more. The child can have an overload of ideas for one day and get all mixed up. Both Barney and Sesame Street have songs in them. I found that Barney had many more songs than Sesame Street. The songs are used as jolts and they work well in getting the attention of the child. I found that the Barney songs were much catchier than the Sesame Street songs. They were slower, and other than the dancing, there was not much else happening. On Sesame Street, the background was changing, things were flying and colors were jumping. The attention was not put on the song by the kids, it was put on the actions on the screen. Barney, like Sesame Park, showed minimal biases regarding sex and race. The cast consisted of three boys and three girls. One boy was disabled but was as able as the other kids. The races on the show were mixed. They consisted of a Latino boy, a Chinese girl, an African-American girl and more. On Sesame Street there was less of a mix of races. They just had the primary races of the United States like African-Americans and Latinos. While watching Barney, I noticed that a main focus was imagination and 'Playing Pretend'. This shows that the show is aimed at four and five year old children and h that much younger. Sesame Street is aimed for all ages. Who won the battle? I think it was Barney. They are both great children shows but Sesame Street is to much energy for kids, and it does not teach about friendship and politeness as Barney does. That is one of the most important things in life. Barney also taught about reading, math, shapes and colors. Barney has solid educational value, and without the overuse of jolts, they teach the kids. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Bartleby The Failure.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bartleby, the Failure It is not rare, sometimes it is even common, that an author speaks about his or her self in their works. Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener" is often considered such a story. Many of the characters in the story and images created allude to Melville's writing career, which was generally deemed a failure. The main character in the story can either be Bartleby or the narrator, but Melville partially embodies both of them. We are understanding towards the narrator's reasoning for keeping Bartleby and for the sympathy he shows for Bartleby. After the general failure of Moby Dick, at least in Melville's time, he immediately wrote Pierre, which was a deeply personal novel. This self pity could have been continued in "Bartleby, the Scrivener". In addition, Bartleby seemed to feel that continuing copying was worthless, possibly from spending many years in a dead letter office. Melville probably felt this way, but needed to continue writing to support his family. When Bartleby is in prison, he wastes away without abruptly dying, a degeneration until the point no one notices his absence. Melville had reached the prime of his popularity early in his career, so when he published Moby Dick, his career was already in decline. His disappointment was only to increase as his career diminished until his death which was hardly noticed in the literary community. The narrator also resembles Melville, but in a different way. Melville uses the narrator to view his own situation from a 3rd person perspective. He attempts, and is somewhat successful, in getting readers to feel sympathy for Bartleby, therefore, sympathy for him. On the contrary, the narrator also scorns Bartleby's persistence after he stops copying: "In plain fact, he had now become a millstone to me..."(1149). In this respect, the narrator also represents Melville's literary critics. Behind the relationship between Melville, the narrator, and Bartleby, one can also see the relationship between the narrator and an ideal audience that Melville would have wanted. He probably wished that his writing would be more popular among the readers, although he professed his own demise with Bartleby's atrophy. His other employees, Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut, were similar to other writers who inspired Melville, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne. The narrator describes them as "most valuable" and "accomplishing a great deal"(1133). However, this inspiration from other authors could have depressed Melville, who was not nearly as successful. In "Bartleby, the Scrivener", Melville tries to relate to the reader and explain his declining situation. This story, on an allegorical level represents Melville, his life, and what he wished his reading audience would understand about him. This is probably what he wanted, but readers, initially, see a melancholy story about the condition of humanity. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\bean tree essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Patricia Gonzalez August 27, 2003 If you thought being a single parent was hard, well Taylor Greer received a two year old girl while heading west on the road. There were a lot of difficulties but she overcame all difficulties in life with the advice of her friend Lou Ann Ruiz. Their friendship helped them overcome lots of difficulties in their difficult lives. Lou Ann and Taylor were very good friends because they knew how to give and take in their friendship. They had different lifestyles that helped each other. They gave and took in their friendship by helping each other when one was at work. Their give and take friendship was not only physically was mentally also. Lou Ann and Taylor had the solution to each others problems. Lou Ann and Taylor were two women with very different ways of life in every way but at the same time knew how to get along. Lou Ann was a married woman and pregnant at the time her marriage was not working out, on the other hand Taylor was never married and her child was given to her. Lou Ann faced family problems ". . . Angel had already been home from work and had left again, for good" (pg.43). Lou Ann had to deal with the abandonment of her husband and raise her child by herself. Taylor had to raise a child that was not hers, the child was given to her and she had to raise her, with good standards when she had no clue of what to do. "Take this baby" (pg.23) this was what the woman who gave Taylor Turtle said. Taylor did not know how to react and maybe didn't decide to but had to take responsibility for this baby. If it wasn't for Lou Ann Taylor would have never kept Turtle, the baby would probably be with child services. These two friends played an important role in each other lives. Taylor and Lou Ann's friendship was a give and take friendship, they helped each other with house chores. "Lou Ann ladled soup out of the big pot on the stove and brought bowls over the table."(pg.112). Since Lou Ann was not working she would take care of the kids and cook dinner so when Taylor came home she would have something to eat. This was generous of Lou Ann to cook for her like a family which Taylor did not want to accept. "Most of the time I fed the kids and put them to bed before Lou Ann came home at eleven."(pg.205). When Lou Ann started to work afternoons Taylor had to take care of the kids. When Taylor worked Lou Ann would take charge and when Lou Ann would work Taylor would take care of the kids. They not only helped each other physically but mentally also. Lou Ann and Taylor give and take in their friendship not only by material things but with advice also. "But I was ready to give in, what else can I do? How can I fight the law? . . . . I cannot believe you're just ready to roll over and play dead about this Taylor."(pg.235). Lou Ann kept insisting that Taylor do something so Turtle would not get taken away from her. Due to Lou Ann's insistency Taylor thought twice and ended up getting Turtle to be her daughter. "Some one time when I was working in this motel one of the toilets leaked and had to replace the flapper ball. Here comes it said on the Package; I kept it till I knew it by heart. 'Please note: parts are included for all installations, but no installation requires all of the parts.' That's kind of my philosophy about men. I don't think there is an installation that could use all my parts." (pg.118) Taylor's Philosophy about men made Lou Ann realize she was not the blame for her marriage not working out. Taylor also contributed to Lou Ann not going back to live with Angel. Helping each other make decisions by giving advice instead of telling each other what to do is the best they could do to have a good friendship. In conclusion Lou Ann and Taylor's friendship can be described as loving and caring. They were a family that had a difficult life and they didn't let difficulties get to them. Their friendship was a give and take, when one would give the other would always take even if they were not sure, because in the end it was the best for them. They were different. They would help each other physically, they would help each other out mentally and in every way that they could. Life for both of these mothers was not easy but together they showed they could do whatever they wished to do. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Being an American.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Professor Habershaw Expository Writing 11.13.03 4.2 Dear Mr. Said, Being an American, a member of the Western world, I can see that you are trying to educate mostly Westerners about the actual status of your society. Although you mostly speak to the Western world (including Israel), you also informing Palestinians of the need for change. With constant negative images of Palestinians in the media, it is important to understand your point of view and how the Palestinian people feel about their stature in the world. Throughout your essay, you make important statements about your cultural identity. Since you technically do not have an autonomous nation, I can understand when you explain how there is a lack of cultural identity for the Palestinians. Your tone and appropriate word usage makes me feel empathetic towards your cause. If you were more negative and hateful towards the Western world then your voice would be less accepted, but I feel your tone is more informational. I am cognizant of how the brutal force of the Israeli Army (which is funded by my own country) can terrorize your people. When the world will not listen, sometimes there is no mediation except violence. Emiliano Zapata, in his time of freedom fighting, said "It is better to die on your feet than it is to live on your knees". Instead of strapping C4 to your chest, you have chose to voice your opinion of oppression through words, which I admire. In your essay you use photographs to help convey your point. The pictures are not overtly brutal or bias, but are simply informational. I noticed that you chose a Swiss photographer to take your pictures which is most admirable, because you could have easily chose a Palestinian photographer, but that would create more of a bias opinion. The picture of the children playing on a war tattered car profoundly struck me. In that simple photograph I could more clearly see your view point, and it was not overdone but purely diplomatic. I see your scrutiny of the Western world is a little tainted, but that is expected. The United States plays a key role in the unfair treatment of the Palestinian people. Obviously your side is not innocent in this dilemma, but I do blame my own country and Israel for a heavy majority of the problem. Instead of being pessimistic, you seem hopeful and informational in the sense that you clearly want change for the Palestinian people. Hopefully soon, before more people are lost on both sides, the world will truly realize there needs to be a change. These conflicting ideologies on land and culture must be accepted, but both sides must give up something in return. Before any true peace can be established, the daily attacks from Palestinians and Israelis must end. In the formation of two new societies, the Palestinian people must be granted an independent nation where they can practice and identify themselves as they so desperately need. From your essay, I see that you believe change is not just necessary, but possible. Both sides are aware of their loses, so it is only a matter of time before we can all sit down and honestly agree on a working society for all of us. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Beowolf Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wendi M. Brooks Core I: Kaplan, Matthews October, 2003 Beowulf 1. The values of the Danish culture are embodied in the Germanic Heroic code. Those traits for men are courage, strength, and loyalty for their men as warriors. For their rulers and kings, hospitality, generosity and wisdom. For all of the people a good reputation was of the utmost importance. Beowulf had the traits of a perfect hero. He was brave and courageous, strong and loyal, and had commendable pride. An example of these traits is his courage and ability to fight the horrible monster Grendle. He also was very loyal to the King, even though it wasn't his King, and was willing to give his life for the Danish people. His goals throughout the epic are to uphold the warrior code. He was conscerned with protecting his men and the people in his town. He also had a great desire for glory. He is rewarded with riches and honor, as well as a reputation as a hero, and eventually the throne. The utmost example of his rewards is when he becomes King of the Geats. 2. The thane has an amazing relationship with the King. He will do anything for the king, and in return the King then has to provide him with protection and a mead hall. The reason this is a successful relationship is because they are mutually beneficial. They are each getting what they need. The thane gets a reputation and praise from the King, and the King is constantly protected and taken care of. One good example is the relationship between Beowulf and the King. Beowulf never tried to take away from Hrothgar's power, and was extremely respectful and in return Beowulf was rewarded very generously and they became friends. Another example of a good thane is Wiglaf. When Beowulf was King, Wiglaf was the only warrior brave enough to defend him when he fought the dragon. 3. The three monsters were Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. Grendel had been exhiled to the swamp and was supposedly a member of Cain's Clan. He represents the exact opposite of Beowulf. He is not brave, and is really more of a coward then anything else. He always sneaks up on people, and doesn't have any traits of a hero. In the end he even runs away from Beowulf. Grendel's mother was evil. She was also a coward because she ran into her lair and Beowulf came and defeated her. Now since both of these monsters are defeated, order can be restored in Denmark. Beowulf's fight with the dragon is one of his weaknesses. He was so prideful, that he ended up leaving his people without a ruler. He defeats the dragon but in the process is killed himself. He refused to listen to his cousil when they told him he was too old to fight this dragon. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Beowulf 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BEOWULF In epics, the main character is usually a hero. This is a person who expresses courage and superhuman strength. These people are recognized as the epitome of all people in this time. In Anglo-Saxon literature the role of a hero is to protect good. There were many great pieces of literature during Anglo-Saxon times. Perhaps one of the best was Beowolf. In this story the main character is Beowolf, a man who protects the Herot from a terrible monster, and later on in his life protects his own castle. Beowolf is a hero who represents good in this story. During Beowolfs time people spoke very highly of heroes. An example from the story of Beowolf protecting good is when the king is speaking of him. He says of Beowolf, "Until that curving prow carries/Across the sea to Geatland a chosen/warrior who bravely does battle with the/creature haunting our people, who survives/that horror unhurt, and goes home bearing/our love."(208-212) The king speaks of Beowolf as a great hero and hopes that he will be able to defeat Grendel, the monster that has been terrorizing Herot. Before his confrontation with Grendel, he did many other things to assist his people. An example of him doing this is when he speaks of himself killing the giants and wiping them off the earth. He says, "They have seen my strength for themselves,/have watched me rise from the darkness/of war, dripping of my enemies' blood/I drove five great giants into chairs, chased/all of that race from the Earth." (246-250) Beowolf proves his strength to others and to himself. In his fight with Grendels' mother Beowolf proves many things. An example of Beowolfs heroism is when he is battling her. "That mighty protector of men/meant to hold the monster 'till its life/leaped out ..." (366-367) Beowolf is described as the "protector" of his people and proves this by defeating Grendels' mother. She had recently killed a close friend of the king in defiance to the slaying of her son. To prevent further killing, Beowolf went to an arena under a lake and destroyed her. Later on in his life he kills a fire-breathing dragon because he wants to protect his kingdom. He was king for over 40 years and had done all he could to protect his kingdom. Beowolfs best asset is his strength. He uses his superhuman power to defeat any monster that stands in his way. He also possesses great courage, which allows him to face great dangers and peril, where other warriors would turn and go the other way. The reasons for Beowolf helping his people are simple, fame and fortune. Grendel is loved by his people and collects great treasures from his battles. However, Beowolf is most admired because he is a hero and protects anyone in need. That is why Beowolf represents the hero portrayed in epics, as well as Anglo-Saxon literature, very well. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Beowulf Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Beowulf Essay The Anglo- Saxons concept of heroism was mostly based on the Germanic heroic code. This code valued strength, courage, and loyalty in warriors; hospitality, generosity, and political skills in kings; ceremoniousness in women; and good reputation in all people. This code is vital to warrior societies as a means of understanding their relationships to the world and the menaces lurking beyond their boundaries. A hero needs to be strong in order to defeat its enemy. He should be courageous so he wouldn't fear anything that tried to harm him or and other person. Devotion to duty is the most important because to be a hero, you have to give it all you got and to make sure that people look up to you. As people grew up in that era, there were a lot of wars and changes. Land was always being taken over by some other country or tribe. The language of the land that was taken over usually had changed over onto the tribe that took the land. You would need strength, courage, and loyalty to get through the hard times and still stay united as one tribe. Your people would have to fight off the enemy and have the strength and courage to do so. Being an Anglo Saxon hero, Beowulf proved himself to be an exception to the rest of the Anglo-Saxons. He had all the characteristics needed to be looked up to. As Grendel went to Beowulf to feed, he " then stepped to another still body, clutched at Beowulf with his claws, grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper - and was instantly seized himself, claws bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm." (P. 52). Beowulf was an exceptionally very strong person. He stood out as a leader and his men stood by his side. He didn't want to let Grendel get away from a horrifying crime so as Grendel went down into his lair at the bottom of the lake, Beowulf " leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone's answer; the heaving water covered him over." (P. 56). That showed that he was the best leader that could rule over men for being that courageous. He devoted his duty to his tribe and warriors from all over. Beowulf's heroism is just like the New York firefighters today. When Beowulf had to help his people, he had to go to into a great battle with Grendel and his mother. Just like Beowulf, the New York firefighters had to help this country and its people by saving the injured or hurt in the September 11th attacks. What Beowulf and the firefighters did changed the lives of everyone and both events stuck out in people's minds like bold letters. Grendel would have kept killing innocent people if Beowulf hadn't killed him. Comparing to what Beowulf did, the firefighters saved thousands of lives on that day and kept looking for survivors weeks after. Now in these days, people don't really think of a hero as being just one person. They look for a group of people who help someone out. You can accomplish more with more people. We didn't send 1 troop over to Iraq to fight the war; we sent a fair game. People still look up to someone for a role model such as an older brother or even someone famous. This world needs a hero. Garrett Willis English- 5th period 9/8/04 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Beowulf Short Story.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the beautiful town of Ventaria, which is located near the southern-most point of Ireland, a once proud colony of people enjoyed the magnificent surroundings and a simplistic life. Brian the Great, beloved ruler of the Ventarians, had been killed by the evil Filth-Sammich. This vile creature, with a crocodile-like build, had a head larger than the immense church in the center of the town. When fully-opened, the mouth of the Filth-Sammich could open wide enough to fit a large tree. It's powerful jaw and razor sharp teeth were feared by all that knew about it. The beasts' torso looked large enough to contain the entire population of Ventaria, and still have room for an elephant or two. Finally, the tail of the Filth-Sammich was so long and powerful, it could wrap around and crush the massive castle of Brian the Great. Although Ventaria no longer had a ruler, fear of the Filth-Sammich kept the locals in line. In order to keep their town, the people had to bring food to the creature, as soon as it was available. They also had to give him all their precious valuables. The Filth-Sammich allowed the Ventarians to eat enough to stay healthy, but nothing more. Before the Filth-Sammich arrived, the people were loyal and faithfully devoted to their respected ruler. The monster lived in a gigantic cave which was a ten-minute walk to the edge of town. It was rumored that when the Filth-Sammich swallowed you, you were slowly digested over a week or two. The beast also made it clear that it had powers beyond the forces of nature that allowed him to mentally witness the actions of anyone within the borders of Ventaria simply by thinking about it. With this in mind, townspeople were obedient and compliant towards the wishes and demands of the Filth-Sammich. Warriors that were still loyal to their deceased king, had developed a secret signal that the Filth-Sammich didn't pay any attention to. When a warrior asked another about his harvest for the Filth-Sammich, it meant that there was a meeting in the abandoned farmhouse on outside town limits that night. Here, the monster could not detect or observe. When these meetings were held, the soldiers would relax and speak of rebellion against the Filth-Sammich. Drinking and socializing took place in this farmhouse, giving the men a sense of security. They would talk about how they could slay the mighty monstrosity evil-eradicators. One soldier in named Urther announced that he could defeat this terrible fiend. Although Urther was the strongest and most skilled warrior in the group, his comrades were skeptical. So, Urther told them that he was going to go slay the beast, proving his worth. The other warriors made futile attempts to convince him not to, but he was determined. So, Urther's fellow soldiers gave him the finest equipment they had. They gave him the strongest armor, a superior helmet, and finally, the sword of Brian the Great. With this, Urther set out to achieve an inconceivable task. He knew that his odds were stacked, but, with a fearless and determined state of mind, he made the trek to the cave of the Filth-Sammich. He knew that when he defeated the monster, he would be known as the greatest of all warriors. When he reached the cave, he snuck behind the beast while he was admiring and sorting the riches it had taken from the Ventarians. What Urther had forgotten, was that the Filth-Sammich could see him now that he was in town limits. With amazing speed, the creature spun around and swung its tail at Urther. Urther was not ready for this, and the Filth-Sammich's tail knocked the sword out of his hand, while at the same time breaking his leg. Urther tried to fight the huge monster, but he was in quite a predicament. The beast picked up the brave warrior and flung him into his enormous mouth. Quickly, Urther grabbed hold of the monsters tongue and held on for dear life. Flying back and forth, the Filth-Sammich tried to fling Urther from his tongue, but Urther's grip was holding. Urther kept hitting some hard object at the back of the creatures throat. He realized that this was the beast's spinal cord. With an overwhelming feeling of determination and confidence, Urther punched at this bone structure with every ounce of strength in him. A shattering noise sounded throughout the cave as the cord was severed. The Filth-Sammich let out a scream that was heard miles away. With a broken leg and bloody fist, Urther managed to free himself from the mouth of the dead monster. He got the sword of the king and painfully crawled his way back to town where his victory was celebrated. The astonished Ventarians unanimously appointed him king. The story of Urther and the Filth-Sammich circulated around the world; giving Urther the glory he worked so hard to achieve. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\beowulf.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alan Spivak 9-18-96 Beowulf and His Pride One of Beowulf's main characteristics is his ever present pride. To most protagonists their pride is usually explained by a friend or narrator. However, Beowulf is one who likes to show the whole world how important and valuable he is to them. Through out the chapters which we have read it seems as though the whole point in the book is to show off his strength. He presents himself before a fight with boasting and an ostentatious manner of fighting. When Beowulf was a little boy he wanted to show his strength and entered a race with his friend Breeca. He knew that he would win with no effort at all, but then, due to a storm, he lost his way. While Beowulf was trying to return to land he managed to kill nine sea monsters with his bare hands and still caught up to Brecca. He apparently bragged to such an extent that everyone in Scandinavia knew about this race and the courageous way he cleared the sea of evil. He, at this young age, had no need to think about death. All he thought about was foolishly having fun and proving himself to the spectators. When Beowulf fought with Grendel, the demon who was terrorizing Herot Hall, he came there boasting about how worthy he was to fight for Denmark. The people accepted him as a deserving warrior and permitted him to do what ever he needed to rid them of Grendel. Beowulf wanted to fool Grendel into thinking that he was sleeping so that Grendel would try to kill him, but instead Beowulf would terminate him. That night Grendel did come and fell right into Beowulf's trap. Beowulf had Grendel in his hands, but no matter how strong Beowulf was the demon escaped missing only an arm. Grendel would soon die in his lair because of blood loss, but Beowulf was unhappy that he could not stretch Grendel's body on the floor. However, he still hung Grendel's arm, just to show how only he was strong enough to kill the monster. This time when Beowulf went to fight he told the king that if he would die then the king should give Beowulf's armor to its rightful owner. In Beowulf's next fight with Grendel's mother, he showed once more that he was capable of such an adventurous task. There was no soldier brave enough to take on a monster that lives in the pits of hell and thrives on the bodies of innocent men. However, Beowulf ostentatiously jumped into the fiery lake and once more showed to the whole world that he was the greatest warrior of all time. Beowulf, maturing, told the king to take care of his armor and more importantly, to make sure that his soldiers don't remain leaderless. He realized that there are other people he has a responsibility for besides himself. Throughout Beowulf's three fights he constantly had self pride and showed his worth to everyone. However, as he got older and fought more battles he realized that there was a possibility that he could die. As Beowulf gets closer to death, he sees that his pride won't watch over his men or wear his armor. After he realized that with fame came responsibility, he still was a proud and boastful man. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Bernadette.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fear, it has a way of controlling everything that it comes in contact with. As young children we are introduced to this intimidating desire with intrigue and suspicion. As we age, the thoughts of fears become more like realities, ideas of loneliness and death enter the picture as comprehensible thoughts and views of the future. These issues make up the foundation of the Mavis Gallant story "Bernadette". In this story we are presented with the image of a young French Canadian girl, who finds herself pregnant and without a husband. The context of the story explores the relationships between the members of the household in a fear associated manner. The relationship between the Knights and Bernadette is the base of the story. These three people relate to each other in an intimidating fashion and this is what makes Bernadette's predicament so difficult to overcome. As well, the family ties between Nora and Robbie are explored. Their family relationship is one based on dependence, and without this one factor the connection between the two results in fearfulness of being alone. Fear has a way of attacking our judgment and this is what makes associations between people an apprehensive and hard act. The story is set in Quebec during the 1940-1950, when what you were was the definition of who you were. As the story opens we are presented with the main character Bernadette, who is concluding that she is one hundred and twenty-six days pregnant. At this time in history it was quit common for young rural girls to bare children at a young age. However, Bernadette is a single French Canadian girl who is working and living in a urban community, where things like that do not take place. We are here introduced to the first fear presented in the story: --How will Bernadette tell the Knights that she is pregnant? -- The answer to the question is what haunts her, and the reaction of the Knights is the anxiety that builds up inside of her. These intimidating fears places Bernadette in a compromising situation, she is in a position of abandonment by her family and the shame she thinks she has brought on to the Knights. These fears have forced her to react in an unusual fashion. Bernadette is so fearful of what they might think that she tries to hide herself in her work so that she is not placed in the position where she will have to interact with the Knights. The fear of failure and disappointment took control over her mind. When around the Knights she worked as a robot in order not to arouse ideas of her current condition. Her nervous fears brought her to the point of giving in to their expectations and allowing herself to lie to them about the books she read and the men she saw. Her images of her dead siblings as angels would comfort her fears at time, but would also bring up new ones. She would wonder about her child and the life that was waiting for it; would it live a life like hers or would it pray for her in the heavens. The Knights were a couple that were brought together by convenience and fears. Nora was concord by the fear of not being in control, she had to be the one person everyone depended on in time of need. From her positions on committees to the forgiving attitude she showed Robbie about his many affairs, Nora always had the upper hand in any given situation. The affairs that Robbie had, showed Nora that he wasn't as dependent on her as she wanted him to be, that is why she would treat the problem as a solvable condition, in order to keep Robbie under her control. We are told about Robbie's dreams of being a playwright and fears of failure and the poverty that might follow. These fears were reinforced by Nora; her fears of failure, allowed herself to place her children into private boarding school, so that would not have to suffer the thoughts of bringing up her children wrong. All the fears that controlled their lives affirmed their ideas of how life was to be lived. The fears of being alone brought Nora to the point where she was ready to do everything that she could to keep Robbie apart of her life. This point is proven at the end of the story when Nora's suspicions about Robbie and Bernadette bring her to suggesting that they pay for Bernadette to be placed in a home so that she can continues her life with Robbie as if undisturbed. As well, the anxiety she experiences is tested at the party she holds where her total control is lost by all the disturbing news she is given about her husband and Bernadette. She is forced to continue with the party in confusion and despair. This intertwined relationship between the Knights and Bernadette illustrate how people are fearful and deceitful to each other even when living under the same roof. The fabrications of tales and unseen conditions brought out the anxieties in each of the characters. These fears are manifested at the initial start of the relationships and continue to grow if not put to rest. This is seen when the pressure of the unborn child is released from Bernadette's conscience when Nora is forced to corner Bernadette in the kitchen to question her about the suspicions of her pregnancy. Bernadette and the Knights are characters that display for us the results of what may happen when we let our fears control us to the point that they are seen more as truth instead of obstacles. Fears are great deterrents and allow us to see things not for what they are. In conclusion, we must all face the fact that fears and anxieties will forever be present in our lives, but we must progress to the stage where we can see them for what they are instead of allowing them to enter our existing routines. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Beyond the Hori.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In Beyond the Horizon and Diff'rent, Eugene O'Neill reveals that dreams are necessary to sustain life. Through the use of the characters Robert Mayo, Andrew Mayo, Ruth and Emma Crosby, O'Neill proves that without dreams, man could not exist. Each of his characters are dependent on their dreams, as they feed their destiny. When they deny their dreams, they deny their destiny, altering their lives forever. O'Neill also points out, that following your dreams, brings you true happiness, something all of his characters do not experience. The characters of Rob, Andy and Emma are stripped of their dreams and their destinies, by the ones who profess to love them. Rob and Andy unknowingly allowed Ruth to lead them down a path, they were not meant to travel. Emma is the same as Rob and Andrew in this respect, because she let Caleb's actions control her ability to follow her dream. Rob is a dreamer. His only wish is to go `beyond the horizon' and discover the mystery of life. Andy, however, is Rob's opposite. Andrew is practical and down-to-earth. His deepest desire is to spend his life farming. "One constructs the world out of fact, the other out of pure imagination." Rob's quest is strange to Andy; it goes beyond anything he can comprehend. Andrew, who is "A Mayo through and through." does not think in the imaginative terms Rob does. "It's just beauty that's calling me-the beauty of the far off and unknown...in quest of the secret which is hidden over there, beyond the horizon." (Horizon, 85) Andy does understand, that his brother could never be happy living on the farm, because his heart is elsewhere. Emma is like Rob in a few ways. Both characters have idealistic views. Rob believes in the secret beyond the horizon and Emma in Caleb's fidelity. Neither of them consider the fact things may not be as they perceive them. For Emma, this innocence is her undoing. Emma considers Caleb to be `diff'rent'. This difference is what makes him special to her. She trusts he will always be this way and that they will always have a future. "But you're diff'rent. You just got to be diff'rent from the rest." Andrew is not like Rob or Emma. He is always logical. He considers Rob's dreams to be a result of his College education, something Andy does not have. Andy has no desire to go anywhere beyond the farm, because it has everything he needs. He is the one to tell Rob that "we've got all you're looking for right on this farm." (Horizon, 85) This is his nature and to change it, alters the course of his life, as well as that of the people around him. In Beyond The Horizon, Ruth is the catalyst for the changes that occur. She convinces Rob she loves him and that he should stay on the farm, instead of going in search of his dreams. "Oh, Rob! Don't go away! Please! You musn't now! You can't! I won't let you! It'd break my --my heart!" (Horizon, 91) Rob does not consider the long-term effects of this decision, he sees only momentary satisfaction. Rob does not realize the impact his decision will have on Andy, who is also in love with Ruth. Andy, thinks he could never stand to live on the farm, with Ruth and Rob married. He feels in time he would grow to hate it. "I can wish you and Ruth all the good luck in the world...but you can't expect me to stay around here and watch you two together, day after day." (Horizon, 110) So, Andy defies his own nature and sets out on the boat, Rob was to travel on, in search of happiness. This is a point that Andy is similar to Emma, in the way that she reacted to someone else's actions. Caleb cheated on her when he was away at sea. Emma being a highly moral person, cannot love him the same way any more. "I can't Ma. It makes him another person--not Caleb, but someone just like all the others." (Dif, 512) Emma made Caleb out to be the perfect man and made him totally infallible in her eyes. She did not fall in love with Caleb the person, but with Caleb the ideal, that never actually existed. Many people try to save her from making the biggest mistake of her life, like Rob tried to stop Andy, but to no avail. Emma remains firm in her decision, despite her mother's warnings. "It'd be jest like goin' agen an act of nature for you not to marry him." (Dif, 512) By rejecting Caleb, Emma denies herself a future, because she knows she could never marry anyone else. "She loses her only chance for happiness because of her wilfulness and her tragic flaw, an overweening pride." In essence Emma cannot live with Caleb and cannot live without him. Rob is Emma's opposite, because he does not need another person to make him happy, he only needs to be free, to go where he wishes. However, even he does not realize it till the end. For each of the characters, tragedy results, because they did not follow their destinies. Ruth because of her haste in deciding to marry Rob, has grown to hate him. She realizes that she never loved him and wishes Andy would come home and save her from her prison of a marriage. "Ruth Mayo, having married the wrong Mayo brother... must see her marriage fall apart, along with the farm. Her consolation is that the absent Andy still loves her and he will be a final refuge for her." Andy does not give Ruth the response she desires and she becomes more bitter and cold as the years pass. Rob, because of Ruth's treatment of him, has grown depressed and no longer dreams. He realizes what he has been deprived of and thinks he still has a chance to reclaim it. Rob was a failure as a farmer, just as Andy predicted. "Farming ain't in your nature... as a place to work and grow things, you hate it." (Horizon, 84) His true nature tried to lead him down the right path, but he refused it. Rob's life could never work out as long as he is trapped behind the hills surrounding his farm. "For Robert Mayo the hills surrounding the Mayo farm are a physical symptom of the restrictions, the limitedness and the monotony of farm life." The restrictions slowly suffocate him and eventually destroy his imagination, so he can even no longer dream of a happier life. Andy's punishment, is that he is never truly happy. He spent eight years running from who he is and where he belongs. "Andrew, who has changed during the eight or so years of the play's action from a healthy young farmer into a tense, hard, even ruthless--and unsuccessful-speculator, is the greatest failure of all, for he has spent eight years running away from himself and has been changed from creator to parasite." This is Andrew's sad fate, which is intensified when Ruth admits she loves him. Knowing his brother is dying because of Ruth's admission, Andy must live with the guilt of knowing he had a part in his brother's suffering and eventual death. Ruth's interference in the course of the Mayo brothers' lives ruined the lives of all three, Ruth included. Ruth and Caleb seem to have the same role, however, Caleb was not the one that revealed his infidelity. Emma's brother Jack told her, which makes him the catalyst in Emma and Caleb's destruction. Benny, merely took advantage of the situation. Emma's involvement with Benny, was her last feeble attempt to find happiness, even though she knew, it was not what she is looking for. She only thought she loved him, because she was so desperate to be loved. But because of her own stubbornness, her chances of happiness are again thwarted. Caleb, asks her one last time to marry him and still indignant, Emma turns him down. With that, she sends Caleb over the edge and he kills himself, ruining her last chance to be happy. Only then does Emma realize what she has done and kills herself in guilt. "Only after Caleb's death does she realize that his love for her remained untarnished, while hers for him was flawed." Emma's flaw is her high moral standards, whereas Rob's is his lack of foresight. "It is ironic, but the stress is on emptiness, not on the irony." The emptiness, as the audience realizes, is all that is left of the characters of both plays. Emma Crosby and Rob Mayo were both physically destroyed by the decisions they made in life. Ruth and Andy, although they survive, they have little left in them. Ruth is no longer capable of love and Andy is no longer capable of being a farmer. Instead of a creator he is the destroyer. But unlike Emma and Rob, Andy and Ruth have the chance to correct their mistakes and get back on their proper path. If Ruth can get past her bitterness and Andy past his grief they can still live a happy life. Rob and Emma however, have paid the price in full, for neglecting their dreams, proving that without their dreams they were nothing. They were merely the vessel in which their dreams would be realized. When the dream died, the vessel no longer had a purpose and they were slowly destroyed. Bibliography Bigsby, C.W.E. A Critical Introduction To Twentieth Century Drama. London: Cambridge University Press, 1982. Floyd, Virginia. The Plays Of Eugene O'Neill. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing, 1985. Leech, Clifford. O'Neill. London: Oliver & Boyd, 1966. O'Neill, Eugene. "Beyond The Horizon". The Plays Of Eugene O'Neill. New York: Random House Publishing, 1954. O'Neill, Eugene. "Diff'rent". The Plays Of Eugene O'Neill. New York: Random House Publishing, 1954. Raleigh, John. Eugene O'Neill The Man And His Works. Toronto: Forum House Publishing Company, 1969. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Billy Budd essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kate Mabe, Tricia Smith, Lizzie Bernold, Andrew Beam, Amanda Barbee, Emily Schrag, Casie Gould, Valerie Karnofsky Mrs. Achenbach Period 3 Serving Justice in the Case of Billy Budd From the case of Billy Budd rise several important questions dealing with the power of the law and the extent to which it should be recognized. Billy Budd has killed a man-a superior officer nonetheless-and this is, by law, punishable by death. But the death of Billy Budd would weigh heavily on our consciences, and we know from sufficient evidence that the intent to kill was not there. The real question that arises is not "is Billy guilty of murder?" but rather "should the law always be so strictly interpreted?" Every legal offense is different, and if a law is to do its job, it should punish according to the offense. The case should not be manipulated to fit the law; rather the law should be made to fit the case. Laws are made to serve justice and to protect individuals. Each case has unique circumstances, and in order for justice to be served, the laws should be interpreted differently each in each one. Captain Vere has illustrated his realization that this case has special circumstances, stating that "This case is an exceptional one (Melville 59)." Everyone on the Bellipotent knows Billy for his kindness; Billy even has attempted to befriend Claggart. By sentencing Billy to death, the Drumhead Court would eliminate a kind-spirited and hard-working man from the ship. Billy's good heart and benevolent nature show that he is not likely to kill another man in the future, and killing him won't protect any individuals. Since a law is made for serving justice and protecting people, and sentencing Billy to death does neither, then this is not a fair law. If justice is to be served, a crime as general as murder should not be given just one broad punishment. There are different types of murder. Each one is a different circumstance, a different crime, and therefore not all deserving of the same punishment. Perhaps some murder deserves the death penalty, but this would be murder that implies a premeditated act, well thought-out and planned before it is committed. This is definitely not the case since Billy himself said he bore no malice towards Claggart. Then there are murders with intention to kill, but these might not be premeditated or planned. Billy did not have an intention to kill-he just wanted to speak his in his own defense. The only way he could speak was to hit Claggart, which killed him only by chance. In Billy's case, he meant to hit Claggart, but that action unintentionally lead to death. Billy did not strike Claggart in order to injure him. Billy struck Claggart in a response, simply to refute Claggart's malicious claim. "If I had found my tongue I would not have struck him" said Billy (Melville 55). So, Billy's action does not fit into either of the first two categories, which might deserve harsh punishment or even death. Rather, it is its own unique case, undeserving of the death penalty. Laws regarding murder should allow for such differences. Capital punishment, the sentence Billy Budd might face, is also an inhumane way of dealing with convicted murderers. It does not deter crime, nor is it a morally correct option for punishment. Those eligible for the death penalty often do not act out of reason while committing their crime, but instead are driven by pure adrenaline and raw emotion. Billy Budd was not thinking clearly at the time he hit Claggart, therefore he had no time to stop and think that what he was doing might lead to death. Thus, the punishment of death obviously was not serving its purpose. A law should teach those who break it how to become a better citizen. A death sentence gives the convict no chance of redemption, as it is a permanent and irreversible chastisement. If hanged, Billy would never be able to learn from his mistake. Also, because no judicial system is perfect, there is always room for error. To condemn someone to death is to put that person under circumstances that can never be reversed. Whatever happens can never be taken back. This is not an appropriate punishment for anyone if there is doubt about their guilt, as there is in the case of a disabled person such as Billy Budd. Since the purpose of a law is to serve justice, and to carry out the punishment necessary to fit the crime, its execution should by no means leave a feeling of guilt. If a man is being punished properly for a crime, there should be no doubt in the minds of his prosecutors. A biting conscience at the time of condemnation is a sign that whatever sentence is being given must not fit the crime at hand. Captain Vere and the others present at the time of Billy Budd's hearing display signs of moral regret at what they feel they have to do. The decision to hang Billy is not come to quickly-Vere takes quite a while to validate his reasoning even to himself. In his long, carefully constructed words, and constant questioning of himself, a struggle is seen between his own "private conscience" and his public duty. He asks an important question here: should the conscience be permitted to interfere with duty? The answer is that it should never have to. Justice and morality go hand in hand. When the conscience denies something, it follows that there must be moral flaw. Were justice being properly served in Billy Budd's case, the consciences of the Captain and his men would not have interfered so strongly with what they perceived were their duties. Therefore, Billy Budd's case must be different-it must be an exception, and must be dealt with accordingly. His punishment must be mitigated in order to properly fit the crime and eliminate the guilt of wrongdoing. There are many things that make this case unique, and that need to be taken into consideration when devising Billy's punishment. When considering this case, one must recognize that Billy Budd is crippled. It is true that he is not noticeably mentally or physically handicapped, but he does have a disability. In a situation where any other person would be able to speak up for himself, Billy was unable to. He has a condition that prevents him from verbalizing his thoughts when he feels very strongly about a certain topic or situation, which causes him to stutter. When Claggart accused Billy of conspiring with his fellow sailors, Billy could not verbally defend himself. So he defended himself in the only way that he could, by striking Claggart across the head, causing his death, and "you don't hang a man for speaking the only way he could." Because of his inability to protect his honor with words, Billy's use of physical force was somewhat justified. In analyzing Billy Budd's case, it is evident that if anyone should be blamed for Claggart's death it should be Claggart himself. Claggart instigated the conflict with Billy and pushed Billy over the edge. Claggart was the one who accused Billy of planning mutiny, with the intention of getting Billy in trouble and eventually put to death. It was because of this provocation that Billy struck him. As said by an officer of the Drumhead court, "He (Billy) was tempted beyond endurance." Claggart is responsible for the actions which caused his death. This situation in which Billy was baited into violence is not unique, but rather very similar to many other events throughout life and literature. An example is the in The Great Gatsby where Tom could be seen as responsible for the death of Jay Gatsby at the hands of George Wilson. It is not necessary for the person who committed the action to be guilty-those who instigated the conflict are instead to blame. Claggart took advantage of Billy's disabilities, and more or less caused his own death. Also partially to blame for Claggart's sudden death is his own physical weakness-his skull was found to be particularly thin. The first person to find out about Claggart's death is the surgeon. He makes a crucial comment saying that Claggart's skull was very thin. In this case Billy cannot be held accountable for Claggart's death. Billy was ignorant to the fact that Claggart's skull was peculiarly thin and therefore unable to withstand the type of assault a normal, healthy, thick skull would have been able to resist. Therefore Billy should not be found guilty due to Claggart's poor physical condition. This is yet another aspect which makes this case unique, and causes the prescribed punishment not to fit it. "I bore no malice against the master at arms....If I had found my tongue I would not struck him...I had to say something...I could only say it with a blow...God help me," (Melville 64). These were Billy's words after being accused of Claggart's murder. Billy Budd had no motive behind killing Claggart, although he did commit a crime. Billy was only trying to communicate in the only way he could, he did not mean to kill. Sometimes, humanity has to be put before the law, especially since men form these laws themselves. Since the case being argued is whether or not Billy should have been put to death, he does not deserve to die for something that he had no intention of doing. His punishment should be mitigated to account for this fact. Because every case is unique, and laws are made to properly serve justice leaving those responsible with clear consciences, they should not be made so strict that they do not allow for manipulation and mitigation depending on the situation at hand. Billy Budd's case is unique for many reasons-his own disability, Claggart's interrogation, Claggart's own thick skull, and Billy's lack of malicious intent. Therefore, in order for Billy to be punished rightfully and for law to serve its intended purpose, Billy's punishment must not be death. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Billy BuddWas Captain Vere Right .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CaptainVere makes the right decision by executing Billy Budd. If CaptainVere lets Billy live the rest of the crew might get the impression that they will not be held accountable for their crimes. If the crew feels that they can get away with what ever they want then there is a chance that they might form a rebellion and have a mutiny. A mutiny would destroy the stability and good name of the ship and the crew. Captain Vere does not want to see this happen. There are three main reasons Captain Vere makes the right decision by executing Billy Budd. These reasons are that if Billy lives then a mutiny might occur, because the law states that a crime as severe as Billy's is punishable by death, and Captain Vere feels sorry for Billy and does not want Billy to suffer with guilt until a martial court could give a decision. If Billy is not executed then corruption might occur on the ship and cause a mutiny. Captain Vere knows that a mutiny might occur and does not want it to happen. Captain Vere could possibly be using Billy's execution for his crime of killing Claggart as an example for the rest of the crew. It shows the crew what will happen to them if they try to start a mutiny. After Billy's death CaptainVere obviously feels regret for executing Billy. Captain Vere's last words are "Billy Budd, Billy Budd" (p. 76) show an example of this. Those last words might symbolize that Captain Vere killed Billy for the wrong reasons. If CaptainVere uses Billy's death for an example to the rest of the crew then it might not necessarily be the wrong reason. CaptainVere has to decide between one life and the lives of the entire crew. No matter what Captain Vere's reasons are he does make the right decision. Another reason CaptainVere might of executed Billy Budd is because CaptainVere follows the law to the letter. The law states that mutiny is punishable to by death. Some readers might not see this accidental murder as mutiny, but killing a superior officer in the British navy is considered mutiny. In Captain Vere's decision he shows the crew that no infractions of the law will be tolerated. In the story CaptainVere is described as "never tolerating an infraction of discipline" (p. 16). This trait could be the reason for Billy's death. Another reason Captain Vere might execute Billy Budd is that he does not want Billy to suffer with his extreme guilty until a martial court can see his case. Captain Vere probably had a personal attachment to Billy. This is evident when Captain Vere says, "struck dead by an angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!" (p. 51). This statement implies Captain Vere's true feelings for Billy. If Captain Vere had let a martial court try the case then they would most likely come to the same conclusion. Because of this fact Captain Vere did not find it necessary to make Billy wait for a trial. Captain Vere made the right decision by executing Billy for his crimes. Although the decision was controversial it kept stability among the crew. The crew's fate is more important than any individual sailor's fate. If Captain Vere had made the opposite decision than there probably would be a very horrible fate for the Bellipotent. Billy Budd could be considered a tragic hero. In his short life Billy touched more lives than most people do in there entire lives. Billy is somebody that most readers would agree is a tragic hero. Even though Billy Budd is so great, Captain Vere made the right decision. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Bio Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The human body is a functioning system of many diverse parts which are all related to one another. The hormones which are found in humans are no different; they interact within the human body and take part in many vital and necessary procedures for the survival and reproduction of humans. The two major systems in which control and manipulate hormones would be the nervous and endocrine systems. This paper will examine these two systems and their relationship on hormones in humans. Firstly hormones are chemical messengers that are carried throughout the blood stream to target cells (Freeman, 2002). Human hormones consist in very small percentages but their effect on target cells has drastic significance. Hormones are carried to many different cells in the body and they produce extensive results. The majority of hormones are grouped into three different groups; they are a polypeptide group, an amino acid derivative group, and a steroid group (Freeman, 2002.) They allow humans to organize substantial numbers of cells within the body in reaction to changes from environmental challenges, growth, development, reproduction and homeostasis (Freeman, 2002). The endocrine system found in humans is a compilation of cells, tissues and organs responsible for the production and secretion of hormones. One of the parts of the endocrine system is the adrenal glands. More specifically to this is the hormone epinephrine, this hormone is an example of just what role hormones play inside the human body. Once a human is placed into an unsafe situation both the central nervous system and endocrine system are operational. The reaction of the human to the unsafe situation is an increase free glucose and fatty acids in the blood as well as increased pulse rate and results also showed an increase in blood flow to the heart, brain and muscles. The epinephrine changes the body from being relaxed to a body of tenseness and readiness (Freeman, 2002). When discussing the nervous system and its involvement in hormones the most essential region to discuss is the pituitary gland. As previously discussed that both the endocrine system and nervous system both have a role in how hormones operate within the human body. The pituitary gland is found at the base of the brain and is attached to the hypothalamus (Freeman, 2002). An experiment carried out by Smith in which he removed the pituitary gland of rats showed the relationship between the endocrine system and the nervous system. Once the pituitary gland had been removed the rats stopped growing and they could not keep a consistent body temperature. Both of these areas were controlled by the release of hormones that came from the adrenal glands. This showed that without the pituitary gland other gland areas from the endocrine system ceased to function (Freeman, 2002). The consensus became that the pituitary gland was the master gland and that many other glands in the endocrine system depended on hormones from the pituitary in order for them to function properly (Freeman, 2002). The fact that humans have hormones in our bodies allows us to survive and have allowed our species to become a very successful species. The relationship that is present between the endocrine system and nervous system allows for hormones to be direct and produces in a very efficient and useful matter. Without this interaction between the two systems humans could potentially face situations unprepared or could suffer much greater consequences than if hormones were not present in the human body. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\BiologyCheetah Evolution.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ John Townend Period 5 10-7-03 Cheetah Evolution Darwinian Explanation: Today's modern cheetahs can run 60 mph to catch prey. Their ancestors could originally only run 20 mph. There was selective pressure in the environment of cheetahs that demanded for faster cheetahs to catch more prey because there was a battle for survival. There was variation in the ancestral population. Some cheetahs could run faster than others. These cheetahs were able to catch more prey, which resulted in more survival and reproduction. This was a heritable trait, so it was passed on from one generation to the next. Eventually, faster cheetahs dominated the population because they were the fittest. Then the cheetahs' prey got faster because they evolved. This called for faster cheetahs. There was a variation within the population and some cheetahs were faster than others. The faster ones were again able to catch more prey and therefore survived and reproduced more. As time went on, cheetahs kept on growing faster because their prey grew faster too and so the fastest and fittest cheetahs became the majority of the cheetah population. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\black response paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Essay Writing Ceci Cravens 2.25.04 Response Paper The article by Glen C. Loury simply explains the message and meaning behind Debra J. Dickenson's book The End of Blackness: Returning the Souls of Black Folk to Their Rightful Owners. The point of the book is that the reason why African Americans are still oppressed today is because African Americans are putting themselves down. The author says: Their focus on racial grievances, however legitimate, keeps them from having to fashion a constructive way of viewing their role in American life. I agree a lot with what Dickerson has to say. Obviously, other races have been the culprit in this problem of racism against African Americans, but the constant sympathy call from today's black spokesmen simply does not help. When Dr. Martin Luther King was an activist in the Civil Rights era, he did not ask for sympathy. He believed in the African American people to be strong and to fight for their rights, but today it seems the leaders of the African American associations are continually blaming others and begging for grievance. On the opposite side of this viewpoint lies Michael Omi's essay "In Living Color: Race and American Culture". His essay entails a synopsis of some of the misrepresentations of African Americans in the media. Although he brings up some interesting arguments on stereotypes, Omi is simply repeating the obvious. If we as a nation want to change and evolve are race issues then we have to stop the blame game. We need to accept that we have these problems but in order to change we must look beyond the past. Both essays are interesting in their own way, although I admit that I do agree with Loury's essay a lot more than Omi's. Loury seems to talk about something new and positive, while Omi simply dishes out all the negative and distasteful points of view. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Bobs World.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bob's World "Bobby," yelled his mother in a shrill voice. "Bobby, you have to get up and go to school today!" "But mom, I have to work at school and I can't watch TV there," Bob pleaded. "Besides I get the lowest marks in my class because the work is so easy that I get bored." "Just come and have your breakfast and go to school," she ordered him. As Bob headed towards school, he saw one of his friends skateboarding down the street. "Yo Bob, you wanna try my board, man?" the youth asked. "No thanks, my knee is acting up again," Bob replied. "Sure man, whatever you say dude," was the reply he got as the youth skated away at top speed. "Hi Bob," came the voice of Lucille as she came up to walk to school with him. "Hi Lucille," Bob replied shyly. Bob and Lucille were good friends. Bob wished that they could go out on a date but, he knew there was several reasons why they would not make a good couple. First Lucille had told him that she did not like it if her boyfriend was a lot smarter and better at sports than her. After-all they were so different. She worked so hard to get stuff done while he needed very little time if any at all. She was the captain of the soccer and basketball teams while, if his knee was better, he could beat her at any sport. He knew they were just so different they were fated not to be together. The two friends chatted their way to school. She talked about her sports games and practices and how much homework she had while he talked about the TV shows he had watched. When they got to school they said their good-bye's -- she had trigonometry and he had basic computers. As the teacher started her usual rant about this and that, Bob turned to his brilliant (like him) friend John when he said. "Hey man didn't I see you walking with that Lucille chick?" John asked him. "Ya I mean she isn't smart or as good at sports like you and me but I like her anyway," Bob replied. "But Bob man, she just smacks of effort, how does one person do so much work?" John asked Bob. "I know that is a serious letdown, doing stuff sucks, I don't know why she does it," Bob used his usual drowsy voice. "She should just hang out like us and stop doing so much and trying so hard," John while leaning back on his chair so that it was up on two legs. You could tell that he was trying his hardest to look cool. "Mister Smith, could you please keep all four legs of your chair on the floor and stop talking with your friend Mr. Simpson!" the teacher ordered. "But Miss we weren't doing anything ... honestly," John said in his whiny little voice. "It is no use John, I can always tell when you talk because only you are that incoherent." THE END f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\boo hoo.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Saturday January 15, 2000 Dear Scott, I've finally realized that after the endless words I have spoken to you whether I was screaming, sobbing, whispering them in your ear or even merely talking, nothing has sunk in. Not a single day passes by that I don't find out different things about you that I never knew you did or said. It's completely irrelevant what they are. The fact remains that you are barely ever honest with me. I don't want this letter to be judgmental I do not want it to start a fight and a big hate spree; I just can't help but feel torn. I'm not even sure if the reason I'm with you is because I don't want you to be with anyone else or I because I want you myself. We haven't really been respectful to each other, I mean the way we talk to each other is disgraceful, it really is. Swearing and screaming at each other to "shut the hell up". I'm not saying I haven't made any mistakes of course I have. The only thing that I can come up with is that I'm trying harder to make this work then you are. I tell those who affected our relationship negatively that it would not be appropriate if we talked any longer, mostly I didn't even bother to tell them that at all. You however continue to let those people affect our relationship every day. If it means costing "us" I can't help but think you would continue to do it. You are dishonest and that obviously means you don't respect the fact that that's not acceptable to me. A.k.a not respecting me. I try to do things for you to make you happy with me but nothing works I will obviously never make you happy it's not humanly possible unless you do it yourself. This is really depressing and at the same time insulting it's not me that makes you unhappy. You have dug yourself into your own miserable hole. I know that sounds really bitter, and so will the following I have continuously tried to help you through this but according to you someone else does it better. I can' t help, and I have no will to try any longer. I fell in love with the person you used to be and you are not that person anymore and who you are now does not want to be the way you were. You say you are extremely unhappy and that only drags me down with you. You need some one who is not as close and as attached as I am to get you through your struggle. I know you love me but not the way I want you to. I feel as though you think I'm the selfish one in this relationship but when it really comes down to it, I'm not. I remember when you told me that a relationship dies when both people stop growing. This time last year I was a rose in full bloom, now I can feel my petals being torn off my stock. Metaphorically speaking of course. No, I am not going to mention the girls that have contributed to this whole mess because you are a guy and that's what guys do. I truly have no faith that any man is different because I used to think you were different and would never hurt me that way and look what happened.( taking note that yes I was bad too) And of course my mistakes don't linger too far back in my mind. I have to be the strong person that I am, that would mean not being with someone who at this point in his life does not have the selflessness one needs. I do love you and I always will. You have changed me both positively and negatively, which will change my opinion of you forever. You will never be just a guy. If we ever do manage to be friends again then you must know that no one will ever compare to you. I don't want anybody else so none of what I'm saying has anything do with that but that we aren't right for each other anymore. I have cried endlessly over this and I cannot, and will not do that anymore, I'm tired and worn out. Of course if you do move on it will hurt me probably more then anything else has but that part of my heart has already been hit a couple of times before. If I start to recall the good times I might take back all the bad things and where would that leave me? But I do want to thank you for what you did for me, coming into Merivale I was so scared that it would be the same as grade eight and you proved to me it wouldn't. We have shared so much and all of it is treasured in my heart and in "my box". I don't want to end this I still love you so much. But ....you aren't you anymore and it is so hard to get past that. I love you so much, and it hurts so much. I feel so empty (take note I am bawling while writing this and of course listening to sappy music) I know this won't ever end well, and trying to get this to work is just making the good times harder to reach. I know we will talk after this and we won't ruin are weekend at Tremblant by fighting so those are two good things. I do wish you the very best I want nothing more then for you to be happy and successful. But that house on the canal that we, or should I say I dreamt about is not ever going to happen. I don't think there is much more to say then I truly think you aren't that surprised we are breaking up again but that it wasn't you that did it. I do love you, goodbye Boo, Lauren xoxo f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Book Brief Mary Shelleys Frankenstein.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Book Brief Frankenstein Mary Shelley Novel Brief Synopsis: The book opens with a scene of a ship in the Arctic Ocean. The ship is stuck in the ice and unable to move. Robert Walton, the ship's captain, is writing letters to his sister back home. The letters tell of his explorations and the events that occur on the ship. Walton's crew pulls abord a lifeless body and revive the man back to life. This man is Victor Frankenstein. Walton and Frankenstein talk about why Victor is in the Arctic and Victor explains the horrible and tragic story of the past few years of his life. Victor was born to a very wealthy and popular family. While he was still young his parents adopted a young girl with whom Victor would grow up with and eventually fall in love with her. Victor goes through medical school and becomes very good friends a classmate, Henry Clerval. Even though Victors young life seams perfect it is all about to change. Victor's mother died when he was still young and her death would change him for the rest of his life. After Victor's mother's death Victor swore he would conquer the mortality of humans. Victor, once he was out of medical school, he began to work on his theory of conquering death. He collected numerous body parts and put them together and used a special technique to bring the corpse to life. At first Victor thought he had failed, but the creature sat up and was alive. Victor was horrified by his own creation and fled his laboratory. The monster then disappeared into the city. Two years pasted and the monster wasn't heard from, until something terrible happened. Victor's younger brother William was strangled to death. It was believed that William's nanny and close friend of the family, Justine, had murdered him. A lynch mob gathered and drug her off and hanged her. Later on Victor saw his creature and realized that the monster murdered his brother not Justine. Victor still in shock after his brother's death went to the mountains. The monster followed him there. When Victor stopped the monster confronted him. The monster explained to Victor how he survived while in hiding. He told Victor of the family he watched through a crack in the wall of the abandoned shack he stayed in and how he learned to read, write, and talk from these people. After a long and detailed conversation the monster told Victor of his deal. The monster wanted Victor to create another being similar to himself. The monster realized that he was hideous and that no normal human could or would ever love him. The creature that Victor would create for him would be his lifelong partner and they would flee civilization never to return. The other side of the deal was if Victor did not agree the monster would haunt Victor the rest of his life. Since the monster would not have anyone to love neither would Victor because the monster would torture Victor by killing all the people that he loved. At first Victor agreed to the deal. Days went by and Victor began his project. Half way through he realized that he regretted the first time he did this and he swore to himself that he would not repeat the same mistake again. Victor destroyed the remains of the project and as he was doing this the monster came in the room. Once the monster saw Victor wreaking his laboratory, he became furious. The monster promised Victor he would regret his actions and threatened that Victor should be careful because the monster would be with him on his wedding night. The monster's threat did not stop Victor from his plans of marrying Elizabeth, his childhood love. After the wedding Victor hired the best men to guard him and his wife that night. As Victor was checking the guards he heard his wife scream. They rushed into the room, saw the monster fleeing the room, and saw his wife strangled on the bed. Victor then swore that he would track the monster to the ends of the Earth and kill him. The monster lead Victor to the Arctic. This is where Victor was pulled aboard by Capt. Walton and his crew. After Victor finished telling his story to Walton and his crew he fell asleep and died. Sometime later a rather large and hideous man came aboard the ship and asked if they had seen his "father." The men pointed toward Victor's body and the man/monster wept. The monster built a raft and placed Victor's body on it and floated out to sea on it. As the crew watched the monster set fire to the raft burning the raft, Victor's body, and himself to death. Theme/Author's Message: The theme was that we, as humans, should not "play God." We should also not interfere with nature because it is far more powerful than we can possible fathom. Main Characters: Victor Frankenstein -- Young doctor, wealthy family, and creator of "the monster" The Monster -- Creation of Victor Frankenstein, kills William Frankenstein, Henry Clerval, and Elizabeth directly, he indirectly kills Justine, and Victor's father. Elizabeth Lavenza (Frankenstein) -- adopted sister and later wife of Victor. Robert Walton -- Captain of a ship that is exploring the Arctic and he nurses Victor to life and is there went Victor dies. Henry Clerval -- Friend of Victor. Justine Moritz -- Lynched by a mob because it was believed that she killed William Frankenstein. William Frankenstein -- Victor's youngest brother, killed by monster. Tone: The tone here is dark, mysterious, and eerie. A typical setting for a horror story. Critical Review: I did enjoy reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It is one of the few horror books I have actual read. I chose this book because a friend of mind recommended when I said I had to read a book for school. I had already seen the movie and enjoyed it, so I thought I would also like the book. I did like the ending better in the movie than the book though. The reason is that Vincent actual gets to confront the monster other than running all over the Arctic looking for it. I wish though that Victor would have been able to get rid of the monster. Victor should have never let the monster out of his sight, but if that happened there would not be a story. I felt sorry for Victor because of the lose of his wife, but the monster promised he would take away his loved ones. I would recommend this classic to anyone who is in the mood for a good classic. I do say that if you are going to watch the movie though, watch it after reading the book. The movie does spoil the book, because the movie does have a better ending. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Book Report on novel UhOh by Robert Fulghum.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Uh-Oh SOME OBSERVATIONS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR Book By Robert Fulghum Report by (Your Name Here) Uh-Oh Uh-Oh was written by Robert Fulghum, it is 244 pages long and was published by Villard Books. This book is a collection of small stories pertaining to the life of the author, and also his opinions, thoughts, and philosophies. There are no specific characters that are through the book except the author. This is not a novel, but yet it does continue some of the ideas written in his previous books, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten and It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It. Some people may ponder the author's decision on the title, but it is explained quite thoroughly in the book. At any time you may pick up this book and read a section of it without having to read it from the start, and yet every story and idea in the book flows right into the next. The sheer simplicity and ease of reading is a pro, but still it is very detailed in every way. Here's one thing though: if you didn't like the style of writing in his previous books, chances are not much will change your opinion on this book from your opinion on the last. The style of writing is very laid back, sort of a Sunday reader or one that you can pick up in the bathroom from time to time. I enjoyed reading this book so much the first time I had to read it again. The second time was even better than the first, because of all the new things I could understand. I love how nowhere on his book does it say "New York Times Bestseller" because every other book on the shelf has it, but the author chooses to be different. He knows he's a winner, and as long as the people know that, he doesn't have to show it off. I also love that when I finish reading one of his books it's like I've just been sitting right next to him for about 4 hours and had a big conversation. But that's not all of what his book is. He's a minister, so in his writings you can see traces of church lecture here and there, and there's also an element of the book that everyone can relate to, you know, read something in the book that sparks an old memory, and say, "Gee, I can remember when...." If there is any author that is more inspiring, uplifting, or downright hilarious than Robert Fulghum, I'd like to meet that person and kiss their feet. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Book review 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Animal Farm by: George Orwell Book Review by George Lacy Mrs. Spain Fall '96 Character Analysis of Napoleon "Napoleon was a large rather fierce looking Berkshire boar," that was spoiled and always got his way. He was the only pig of the kind on the farm. Napoleon was a great rival to Snowball. Snowball was very outspoken while Napoleon was very secretive and did not talk much. Napoleon and Snowball prepare for the Rebellion in a very similar manner, and have many goals alike. Old Major's vision was important to both Napoleon and Snowball and develop his ideas into a plan. The society was to be set-up after the Rebellion. Napoleon's plan benefits himself while Snowball's are benefiting to all the animals. After the Rebellion Napoleon takes charge of the milk and the apples, at this time the plan that benefits him is put into action. Napoleon does not take part in the activities for the animals. As part of Napoleon's plan he disagrees with Snowball on most of the issues. Napoleon is a secretive plotter that works behind the scenes and someday plans to eliminate Snowball as a rival. For example he secretly trained the guard dogs in secret, keeping them completely hidden from view. Napoleon was also very good at developing support for his ideas, after meetings he would talk to the other animals one on one and "psychologically brainwash" them. He is very kiniving in his ways to get more power and is always trying to discredit and undermine the other animals. One time he urinated on Snowball's plans for the windmill. Napoleon's sense of timing is keen and this is very useful is his quest for more power. At just the right time he implies that Snowball's teachings are not beneficial to the other animals. Then the time comes when Napoleon has to carry out the rest of his plan, getting rid of Snowball. But by the time the animals realize what is going on Napoleon has taken control and is ready for any objections. Napoleon eventually gains total power and symbolizes a despotic ruler. In this book Napoleon represents "Stalin and his counterpart in the Russian Revolution. Napoleon always has to have the best produce, best quarters, whiskey, and clothing. He distracts the other animals from the fact that he is modifying the original Animal Farm visions. He ruthlessly kills anyone who protests his actions. He keeps the animals working long hours at immense projects like building the windmill and a new school. Napoleon keeps the animals busy for one reason, so they don't think about what is happening to them and their lives. He also had the animals give him credit for every good thing that happens to them. Then Napoleon decides he needs a scapegoat and of course he chooses Snowball. Napoleon character does not change throughout the novel, he is greedy and always gets his way. And he also wants more and more because he has a never ending greed f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Book Review The Day of the Jackal.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Josh Holloway Period 2, English 3-4 A Review: The Day of the Jackal The Day of the Jackal, written by Fredrick Forsyth, is a fictional novel that displays the author's brilliance by setting a mood and connecting you with the characters. The Day of the Jackal takes place in post World War II in France. The Jackal is a professional assassin, whose name is not revealed, who is hired by a French terrorist group to kill Charles de Gualle, the President of France. This terrorist group has had several failed attacks on the President, and the Jackal is their last hope. The mood the author sets is exceptionally suspenseful. When Rodin, the leader of the terrorist group hears of the failed attacks, the reader can feel his frustration and hatred towards the French government. When Jean-Marie Bastien is vigorously preparing for the first assault on de Gualle, the reader can sense the tension in the air and the feeling of accomplishment when Bastien says, "That's it! One hundred and fifty bullets will have passed through the presidential car by the time it comes abreast of the van. By God we've got it." All this points to Fredrick Forsyth's amazing mood setting talent in this novel. The reader feels at one with the many characters as they each take part in the many small ventures that give rise to the climax. In a scene where the Jackal is purchasing a fake identification card, the reader can tell that the man making the card is an expert. Not because it was mentioned, but because the man has such a large amount of information about I.D. cards to offer. This same writing talent that displays the characters with subtle suggestion instead of giving specific details is also shown when the Jackal goes to purchase his sniper rifle. It is not mentioned earlier, but the way the armorer talks about the mechanics involved with making a gun in which the Jackal described shows that he is one of the best in the business. Forsyth takes characterization to new level with the Jackal. The reader gets to know the Jackal with a detached understanding of him. Forsyth keeps him a mysterious being with no past and, as far as the rest of the characters in the book are concerned, no present. The reader gets to know the Jackal's meticulous personality and his great care for every slight detail. This machine like personality, added to the fact that no personal history beyond slight background was given, keeps the reader from caring about the Jackal's well being. One can feel a detached fondness to this character, and want him to succeed, but if, for instance, he was to die, one would feel no remorse. Fredrick Forsyth has mastered some key literary elements in a way not thought possible before. This author, although not on the "classic book list," is one of the greatest writers of modern times and should, with out a doubt, be added to that list. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Book Review.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Book Review For Whom The Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway Pages Read: 74 (really busy) For Whom The Bell Tolls begins with a pyrotechnic for the Russian army reviewing the land where he must blow a bridge to stop enemy movement. He is a little overwhelmed by the task he is assigned to complete yet he is mentally sound in his manner and seems to know exactly how to handle himself in the situation. The book, so far, is believed to be set in Spain as everyone speaks in Spanish and is set around the time of World War II ('carbine': gun used about that time). The main character of the book is a man named Robert Jordan. He is the soldier or 'partizan' (Russian word for guerrilla) who is sent to take out a bridge during a frontal attack on the enemy. He is, as mentioned, a little overwhelmed by what he is ordered to do but he knows so much about the way people work and think that he can spot when a man is about to fold. He is very brave and cunning from what has been read so far and is very skilled at his job. Jordan's guide in the jungle is a man of 68 years named Anselmo. Anselmo is very agile and strong for his age and is a good guide. In addition to this, he is also very wise and provides meaningful insight when a situation arises. There has been no turning point in the book other than Robert Jordan getting his mission orders which is really the beginning and not a turning point. My personal opinion of the book so far is good. I like the usage of language, the way a character speaks, the lack of contractions, and where the story is headed. The start has been good and I hope it carries through to the end. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\bow v hard essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Amanda Seibald Bowers v. Hardwick-Right to Privacy September 11, 2004 On June 30th, 1986, the case of Bowers v. Hardwick was decided. Noted as one of the more controversial cases of its time it raised an endless list of questions regarding homosexuality. More importantly, however, were the questions brought up about how and where homosexual acts should be conducted. The arguments revolved mainly around moral and religious values yet both the majority and the dissent touched upon the issue of privacy. It was here, on the subject of privacy, that the opinions of the majority and the dissent took diverging paths. Altogether, the majority feels that homosexual sodomy is immoral, unacceptable, and against the Bible. In addition, it argues that this specific incident falls into the category of privacy that can indeed be reached by the government. Originally, it was decided that Georgia law violated Hardwick's fundamental rights because homosexuality is a private behavior that is out of the hands of state regulation. Soon after, the Attorney General's petition was conferred for questioning the decision and eventually it was overturned. In the opening opinion of the Court, Justice White stated that even though the incident occurred in the privacy of Hardwick's home, that fact would not affect the result of this case. This was previously declared in the renowned 1969 case, Stanley v. Georgia, in which Stanley was excused from reading obscene material in the privacy of his own home, simply because it was done in his own home. Other famous cases that were debated on the issue of privacy include Roe v. Wade, in which abortion was the central issue, Pierce v. Society of Sisters, dealing with education and child rearing, and Loving v. Virginia, regarding [interracial] marriage. All of the abovementioned cases were all decided favoring the Fourteenth Amendment. However, the majority did not feel that any of these cases resembled Bowers v. Hardwick nor did they claim any constitutional right to engage in homosexual sodomy. For this reason, the majority claimed that homosexual sodomy should and could be regulated by the government. On the other hand, the opposition clearly felt otherwise. Although they agreed with the majority that the matter at hand was indeed a privacy issue, the dissent claimed that this incident is completely out of the state's control. According to Justices Blackmun, Brennan, Marshall, and Stevens, the Georgia statue denies the respondent the right to choose what kind of sexual activity to engage in, if any at all. Together, the dissent also decided that Bowers' case was more about the invasion of privacy and "right of intimate association." The dissent also stated that the Constitution guarantees that a certain area of individual liberty will be kept beyond the government's reach. Entwined in this argument is the distinction between the facets of privacy: decisional and spatial. Decisional privacy refers to the right to make decisions that are appropriate for the individual to make for himself. An example of another case in which decisional privacy was protected was Roe v. Wade, in which the right to choose to have an abortion was argued. Spatial privacy, however, refers to the location at which the individual's actions occur. It is here, on the issue of spatial privacy, that the majority and the dissent strongly disagree. The case of Bowers v. Hardwick involves both aspects of privacy; favoring the majority opinion would require the Court to go against the Constitution in not only one way, but now two. According to the dissent, the fact that the incident of homosexual sodomy took place in the privacy of Hardwick's own home should have a major impact on the decision of the case. Evidently, Bowers v. Hardwick is one of the more controversial cases of its time and paved the way to modern times. The issue of privacy was divided in two by the majority and the dissent. This case challenges the extent to which the Constitution can be interpreted and applied in different societal situations. In this instance, the debate is about privacy and its several aspects. Should the location of the occurrence have an effect of the outcome of this case? Or will it violate too many rights already granted by the Constitution? In Bowers v. Hardwick, the haziness and elasticity of the law is demonstrated. It is a perfect example of how different people react to different, and new, controversial situations. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\bowling for columbine 10.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Expository writing Response Paper 1.3: Bowling for Columbine After viewing the film Bowling for Columbine by filmmaker Michael Moore many emotions ran through mind. At first I felt depressed and embarrassed that America could let the important issue of gun control get so chaotic. Later I thought more about how Moore skewed the film so I could feel his intended thoughts. So I came to the conclusion that Moore did make a very powerful point but with a very strong filter. Just like any photograph, film, magazine article or any other form of media there will always be a filter. In this particular film, Moore uses a long filter to make a powerful statement about gun control with a grand social standpoint. In the beginning scene of the film, Moore goes to a bank where they give you a gun if you open a bank account. At the end of the scene Moore walks out of the bank with a gun that appears to be given to him right away. What Moore didn't tell you is the scene was actually shot in two different takes, one where he opens up a bank account and then another two weeks later when he receives his rifle. Having the use of an editing program such as Avid, the filmmaker can combine the two separate scenes into one so it looks as if everything occurred on the same day. So many of the powerful scenes in the film could have been altered completely through editing to prove the filmmakers own point. In the very last (and powerful) scene with the president of the National Rifle Association, Charlton Heston, Moore drills at Moses, I mean Heston about various problems with the right to bear arms. After many questions, which Heston never fully answers, he walks away in anger. Since only Moore and his camera crew were there it is hard to tell if what we saw in the film was the full conversation. Moore could have easily edited out an important comment that Heston said or something of that context, but we will never know because Moore has the ability to morph his view in the film he wants the viewer to see. Moore doesn't want the viewer to think about anything pro gun, he wants the audience to only see and hear what he feels will support his point o f view In filmmaking, when people hear the word "documentary" they assume that what they are witnessing is real and rarely question what they are viewing. Generally, when a documentary is made, the film is supposed to take an objective standpoint and let the viewer analyze what they have seen. If you take a step back and accept that Bowling for Columbine has a long filter, the question of reality appears to be more important. Yes, Moore filmed real people in the real world but was every situation truthful? It is impossible for anything that is documented to be fully truthful considering people see the world in different ways. For example: when the two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York millions of people watched it happen live and there is no dispute that two planes hit a building but there is a distinction in the way people saw it occur. In the same mindset, Moore's film cannot be considered reality because you can never fully record reality. Some other troubles with creating reality on film are the effect holding a camera in someone's face will do. It is in human nature to act one way by themselves and another when they are with other people. If you add a camera to the dilemma it makes it impossible to ever really know if the person being filmed is being their true selves. In Steven Spielberg's Catch Me if You Can, Leonardo DiCaprio says "the world only knows what you tell them". No matter what the filter was or how it was used in the film. Bowling for Columbine is a gripping portrayal of the problem America is currently facing with gun control. When Moore shows the footage of the two teenage assassins in Columbine high school it his horrific and moving. Even though Moore's opinion is completely slanted and not objective it sends a clear message that the United States has a serious problem with gun violence and there needs to be some kind of intervention. When a six year old child has the ability to bring a gun to school and kill another classmate that is a societal failure. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\bowling for columbine 20.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Expository Writing Professor Habershaw September 22, 2003 In the world of filmmaking, when people hear the word "documentary" they assume that what they are witnessing is a direct representation of fact and rarely question what they are viewing. Generally, when a documentary is made, the film is supposed to take an objective standpoint and let the viewer analyze what they have seen. After viewing the film Bowling for Columbine by filmmaker Michael Moore, many emotions ran through my mind. At first I felt depressed and embarrassed that America could let the important issue of gun control get so chaotic. Later, I thought more about how Moore skewed the film so I could feel his intended thoughts. Considering that the film is classified as a "documentary," it was actually less of a document and more of a visual essay. So I came to believe that Moore made an important film with overt bias but not a valid documentary. "The heart of the matter for someone doing documentary work is the pursuit of what James Agee called 'human actuality'?rendering and representing for others what has been witnessed, heard, overheard, or sensed. Fact is 'the quality of being actual,' hence Agee's concern with actuality" (Coles, 176). Just like any photograph, book, magazine article or any other item of non-fiction media, films will always be a created with a bias. Many influences make it impossible to accurately depict reality including perception and a persona. "In shaping an article or a book, the writer can add factors and variables in two directions: social and cultural and historical on the one hand, individual or idiosyncratic on the other" (Coles, 177). In this particular film, Moore uses a social or "long" filter to make a powerful statement about gun control with a grand social standpoint. In the opening scene of the film, Moore goes to a bank at which they give you a gun if you open a bank account. At the end of the scene, Moore walks out of the bank with a gun that appears to have been given to him right away. What Moore didn't tell you is that the scene was actually shot in two different takes: one in which he opens up a bank account and then another two weeks later in which he receives his rifle. With use of modern editing software, a filmmaker can easily combine the two separate scenes into one so it looks as if everything occurred on the same day. Many of the powerful scenes in this film could have been altered completely through purposeful editing in order to prove the filmmaker's own point. In the very last (and most powerful) scene, an interview with the president of the National Rifle Association, Charlton Heston, Moore drills him about various problems with the right to bear arms. After many questions, which Heston never fully answers, he walks away in anger. Since only Moore and his camera crew were present, it is hard to tell if what we saw in the film was the full conversation. Moore could have easily edited out an important comment that Heston said or something of that nature, but we will never know, because Moore as the editor, has the ability to morph his thoughts into the film altering what the viewer sees. Moore doesn't want the viewer to think about anything pro-gun; he wants the audience only to see and hear what he feels will support his point of view. Therefore, he edits his film accordingly. If you take a step back and accept that Bowling for Columbine has a long filter, the question of subjective reality appears to be more important. If Moore were to have used a "short filter" on this project, the focus would not have been on gun control in the United States, but possibly on a student from Columbine High School or on Charlton Heston himself. Yes, Moore filmed real people in the real world, but was every situation truthful? It is impossible for anything that is documented to be fully truthful, considering that people see the world in different ways. "All documentation...is put together by a particular mind whose capacities, interests, values, conjectures, suppositions and presuppositions, whose memories, and, not least, whose talents will come to bear directly or indirectly on what is, finally presented to the world in the form of words, pictures, or even music or artifacts of one kind or another" (Coles, 177). For example, when the two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, millions of people saw it happen and there is no dispute that two planes hit this building, but there is a distinction between the ways people saw it occur. In the same mindset, Moore's film cannot be considered total reality because you can never fully record reality. Moore's film isn't fiction; it just isn't the full truth. When Moore adds depressing music or militaristic sounds over certain images, he is trying to evoke emotions in the viewer on an almost subconscious level so that the viewer is more taken aback or touched. In the scene in which Moore shows the footage from the cafeteria in Columbine High School, there is a very sad guitar song playing over the sound of the 911 call. The music enhances the scene to make it feel tragic and horrifying. This alteration of the image distorts the reality of the piece. Another trouble with creating reality on film is the effect of holding a camera in someone's face. It is human nature to act one way alone and another when with other people. If you add a camera to the situation it makes it impossible to ever really know if the person being filmed is being their true self. When looking at some of the photographs by Walker Evans in Coles' essay, you can see the over-dramatic "filtering" adds to his photographs. One example is the photograph "Famous Man," which entails a scruffy man in overalls giving a very depressing gaze. "The viewer is given no room to wander, to be distracted. This eye to eye-to-eye engagement, a contrast to other possibilities available to Evan's of the same man sitting at the same time in the position" (Coles, 197). Evans will crop out certain elements of his photographs so the viewer only sees the sad faces or whatever it is he is trying to prove. In the complete photograph there is a girl sitting next to him with a more optimistic look, but Evan's chooses to remove/crop her from the work to make a more melancholy photograph. That same type of filtering is evident is in Moore's filmmaking, as Moore will edit and manipulate an interview or story so that it will best suit his motive. When I was watching Bowling for Columbine I was so entertained and able to clearly connect with Moore's standpoint that afterwards I realized that Moore had used his filter in such a convincing way that I truly believed the majority of what he stated. In the film, Moore criticizes the right wings use of propaganda through inter-cut footage of Heston's NRA rallies. But in overview Moore used the same form of propaganda by forcing his own words on to the screen but on the other side of the political spectrum. No matter what Moore's filter was or how it was used in the film, Bowling for Columbine is a gripping portrayal of the problem America is currently facing with gun control. When Moore shows the footage of the two teenage assassins in Columbine High School it is horrific and moving. Even though Moore's opinion is completely slanted and not objective that it sends a clear message that the United States has a serious problem with gun violence and there needs to be some kind of intervention. Moore's over powering interviews and excessively dramatic elements slant the movie from a real documentary to a form of entertainment. Throughout the film, the intense emotions the filmmaker creates are biased toward the liberal standpoint and ignore the central focus of the film. At times, Moore goes off on tangents about racism, the media, and world issues that do not concentrate on the issue of gun control in the United States. By viewing Bowling for Columbine, one could easily be swayed by Moore's opinions and forget that this film too is just an opinion. To fully appreciate the film for its positive and negative characteristics, one must analyze Moore's purpose and audience. Since he used a long social filter on a film about gun control in the United States, his purpose was to convince Americans that we need to pay more attention to this issue. If his intentions were to tell a story about one person affected by poor gun control, the film would have been skewed using a short filter, meaning that Moore's intentions were to display gun control as a whole societal problem and not an individual matter. Despite Moore's lack of creating an objective documentary, Bowling for Columbine is a skewed visual essay that is unconventional and entertaining. Part of the problem with calling Moore's film a documentary is that the film is written, directed, produced and narrated by Moore so there is no escape from his mentality in his work. Regardless of whether you are a liberal or a conservative, Bowling for Columbine at the minimum is entertaining and humorous at times. For the film to be considered a valid documentary, it would have needed less of an opinion and more of a neutral standpoint. To attempt to make a perfect documentary would be near impossible but at least Moore made an entertaining attempt. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Bruce Lee Essay on Jeet Kune Do SelfMastery.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jeet Kune Do Bruce Lee Three swordsmen sat down at a table in a crowded Japanese inn and began to make loud comments about their neighbor, hoping to goad him into a duel. The master seemed to take no notice of them, but when their remarks became ruder and more pointed, he raised his chopsticks and, in quick snips, effortlessly caught four flies wings. As he slowly laid down the chopsticks, the three swordsmen hurriedly left the room. The story illustrates a great difference between oriental and western thinking. The average westerner would be intrigued by someone's ability to catch flies with chopsticks, and would probably say that has nothing to do with how good he is in combat. But the oriental would realize that a man who has attained such complete mastery of an art reveals his presence of mind in every action. The state of wholeness and imperturbability demonstrated by the master indicated his mastery of self. And so it is with martial arts. To the westerner the finger jabs, the side kicks, and the back fist, etc, are tools of destruction and violence which is, indeed, one of their functions. But the oriental believes that the primary function of such tools is revealed when they are self-distracted and destroy greed, fear, anger and folly. Manipulative skill is not Oriental's goal. He is aiming his kicks and blows at himself and when successful, may even succeed in knocking himself out. After years of training, he hopes to achieve that vital loosening and equability of all powers which is what the three swordsmen saw in the master. In every day life the mind is capable of moving from one thought or object to another - "being" mind instead of "having" mind. However, when face to face with an opponent in a deadly contest, the mind tends to stick and loses it mobility. Stick ability or stoppage is a problem that haunts every martial artist. Kwan - in (avalokitesvara), the goddess of mercy, is sometimes represented with one thousand arms, each holding a different instrument. If her mind stops (999) will be of no use whatever, it is only because of her mind not stopping with the use of one arm, but moving from one instrument to another, that all her arms prove useful with the utmost degree of efficiency. Thus the figure is meant to demonstrate that, when the ultimate truth is realized even as many as one thousand arms on one body may each be service able in one way or another. "Purposelessness", "empty - mindedness" or "no art" are frequent terms used in the orient to denote the ultimate achievement of a martial artist. According to Zen, the spirit is by nature formless and no " objects" are to be harbored in it. When anything is harbored there, psychic energy is drawn toward it, and when psychic energy loses its balance, its native activity becomes cramped and it no longer flows with the stream, where the energy is tipped, there is too much of it in one direction and a shortage of it in another direction. Where there is too much energy, it overflows and cannot be controlled. In either case, it is unable to cope with ever - changing situations. But when there prevails a state of "purposelessness" (which is also a stage of fluidity or mindlessness) , the spirit harbors nothing in it, nor is it tipped in one direction; it transcends both subject and object; it responds empty - mindedly to whatever is happening. True mastery transcends any particular art. It stems from mastery of oneself - the ability, developed through self - discipline, to be calm, fully aware, and completely in tune with oneself and the surroundings. Then, and only then, can a person know himself. ---- Bruce Lee 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\C S Lewiss quotation.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Never, never pin your whole faith on any human being: not if he is the best and the wisest in the world. There are a lot of nice things you can do with sand; but do not try building a house on it." This quote from C. S. Lewis examines how we as a culture can put all our faith in one human being, and how we are overwhelmed with disappointment when he/she does not live up to our expectations. It could be a parent, a teacher, a spouse, or a pastor. We admire these relationships and put all our faith in them and forget that they too have faults and are merely human. It is like building a house on sand. The ground is not stable and secure, and with every wave that passes the sand washes away more and more of the foundations. When we put our faith in people, it could lead us to a loss of our identity, discouragement and a sense that our expectations are not being fulfilled. According to the dictionary the first meaning of the word faith is allegiance to duty or a person. The second meaning is to believe or trust. We therefore could have a balance of faith in our lives. It is important to have trust in any close relationship. However, when we completely become obsessive in our behavior it can lead to problems with the people in our lives. It is important to balance our faith with logic of understanding of where our personal foundation comes from.This paragraph is like a second introduction. It really is not needed. This start is not the example. Begin with a good, clear topic sentence that links back to the thesis, like this: In society today, and particularly during anxious times like the current war in Iraq, people seek out their pastor to help guide them. The danger comes when we place too much faith in a religious leader, without balancing that faith with healthy skepticism. [Here you can bring in an example from history, and then you can follow with a personal example]. What follows in your paragraph is not a specific example, and you need that. some people will decide to attend a wonderful church. The people are like family, the music is exactly what they enjoy and the pastor speaks in a language that they understand. Often times the problems occur when all the faith that should be in our religion, is on our pastor. We will take his word only and not investigate what the faith of the religion is. The foundation is solely on the word of the pastor. Many churchgoers will put their pastors on a pedestal. They are to live sinless lives and do no wrong in the eyes of the congregation. This may be a reason a church will not succeed because of the demands of the people and the expectations of some. Having all your faith in one human for your foundation of your religion is a disillusion to the truth. Here is your specific example for the previous paragraph. An illustration I have in my personal life is with my own pastor. I have been attending the same church for about six years. There is never a perfect church in my eyes; there is always something that could be better. I believe that you go and learn and serve the community the best way you can. My pastor was not only my teacher, but also a man that was like my father. I had a lot of faith in him and really trusted everything about him. One day reality hit me in the face. My pastor and friend came to me and said the he had something to tell me. He looked so sad, like the life had been sucked out of him. His eyes where filled with tears and he was joyless. He began to speak and he shared with me about a sin he was struggling with. He said that the official board knows about it and he will share it with the congregation soon, but wanted to tell me personally. After an emotional meeting and feeling very let down in my relationship, I walked out of the office in shock. Asking myself many questions. How could I have not known? Is he a hypocrite? He basically lied to me and my anger came out as well. I really had my foundation shook by this man that I called my pastor and father. Due to the recognition of the confession, many people from the congregation left the church. We had what some may call a "church split." I personally stayed and supported him as he went on a sabbatical leave. I learned a lot from putting too much faith into my pastor. I know that he is not perfect and I have begun to trust again. Forgiveness played a big part, since at anytime I may need some forgiveness as well. Excellent personal example. Another person we may put to much faith in is our spouse. These are the people that we are to live the rest of our life with and to love and cherish with our whole heart and soul. Where is the balance of faith? It can be achieved with careful communication and self-confidence. We live with this person day in and day out. Their habits are a part of our lives whether we like them or not. At times two people can be around each other so much that they end up picking up some of their habits or acting like them. Mostly we hear of women loosing their identity in a relationship. This may be because they have too much faith in the man that they married and their whole world is wrapped up in this one person. Our spouses should compliment our life by bringing out the best in our character. This however can be very hard at times. In my own life, with my husband I came into the marriage with a whole list of expectations. In this paragraph, it takes you a long time to get to the personal example, and then we really never get a specific one as in the paragraph on the pastor. I had a lot of faith in him that he would be molded into the man that I think he should be. I expected him to basically think the same way that I did. I struggled with putting too much of my faith into him and not putting enough faith in what our marriage was based upon. I am working on my ninth year of marriage and it has been a road of curves and bumps. We have learned to balance our faith and not put to many expectations on each other. Everyday we try a bit harder to be a bit less selfish and to communicate better. Allowing faults to happen and accepting our flaws is a way of balancing our faith and not putting to much faith in the relationship that should last a lifetime. Another person who can have too much of our faith is our parents. From a small child our parents are the first people we have faith in. If we continue to have too much faith in them, as we grow older, we may become discouraged. If we never venture out and discover life in our own way then how are we ever going to make a conclusion about the world around us? Our parents could be the best people we know, they could be the wisest people we know or the most knowledgeable. However putting all our faith in them will lead to frustration and isolation. Our parents teach us what they were taught about life and show us how to live in this world. As we grow and become more aware of our surroundings, we may see that what we were taught may not be correct. Our parents are people who have come from a different generation. They grew up believing a certain way and that way is passed on. As I personally have become a woman I look back on the answers my mother gave to my questions; I have come to the conclusion that she is wrong. If all my faith were in my mother instead of finding my own way of thinking then I would have lost my uniqueness. I remember a time when my mother was having a girl talk with me about life. I was just entering middle school and I decided that I wanted a "training" bra. I never knew why they would call it a "training" bra because I didn't understand how it was suppose to train my breasts. My mother's advice was to always wear a bra or your breasts will sag. This is totally not a correct statement. If your breasts want to sag they will find a way whether you wear a bra or not. This is just a small example of how my faith went beyond my mothers. I took some of her suggestions on life and kept them for use and others I have not. I am thankful to be able to have the freedom to expand my thinking. I am balanced in my loyalty to the people in whom I choose to have faith in. The second part of C. S. Lewis's quotation talks of how there are many nice things you can do with sand but do not build a house on it. This is suggesting to have our foundation on solid ground and to be balanced as we build faith into our lives. We can be loyal to anything and everyone, but we need to be careful of how far we will go in our loyalty. Jesus says, "Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rains comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against the house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come the winds beat against the house, it will fall with a might crash." This is another example of how it is important to have a solid foundation. When building a house the first step is to dig and then pour footer. Footer is strong concrete for the walls of the house to sit upon. It is a strong foundation for the house. When the winds blow and the rain come the house will stand. It gives a sense of security knowing that the home is going to withstand the torrents of the weather. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\cabinet essays.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Part III: Why do you want to be an assistant cabinet director? I would like to be involved with this position because I have had experience being an assistant director in the past, and I really enjoyed it. I was able to learn about a whole new side of campus, and I am eager to learn even more about the student government side. What university and/or community activities have you been involved in while a student at the University of Florida that would relate to the Cabinet(s) for which you are applying? I really want to get involved with the public relations cabinet because I like dealing with and especially being around people. I was an Assistant Director of Solicitations for Gator Growl as a freshman, and I enjoyed meeting all the people that dealt and helped out with putting on the Gator Growl performance. I am currently an Assistant Director of Personnel for Blue Key, and with this position I have met all of the members on Blue Key and the people who run the banquets. It is an interesting experience to be a part of these great organizations, and I like the feeling of knowing that my contributions are well needed, and that I make a difference. I feel that my past experiences being involved on Campus have helped me to become acclimated with the University of Florida. I now have an idea how this campus is run, and I feel that with my past experience I will be able to help out with Student Government in any way possible. What other type of experience do you have that would be applicable to the position(s) you are applying for? I have been employed as a camp counselor in the past and a sales representative as well. These jobs are directly related to helping people, and catering to their needs. These past jobs have helped me to learn how to deal politely and carefully with people. I have learned to make the situations I have dealt with enjoyable ones, where both the customers/campers and I are content, and the communication flows well. What new ideas or projects do you recommend for the Cabinet(s) for which you are applying? I recommend a newsletter be sent out or posted weekly so that the Cabinet members and their assistant directors are fully informed on what needs to happen for that week. I am not sure if this idea is already being used, but if it isn't, I would think it would be a great way to keep these positions up and running smoothly. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CableDescramblers.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Cable Descramblers In Technology News, by the year 2000 consumers will be able to be cable converters and descramblers at their local electronics store thanks to the FCC. Cable descramblers and converters are used for viewing your local cable service. Right now, most people rent this equipment from their local cable supplier. Some companies such as Outback Electronic Systems sell this equipment with a disclaimer that they may not use their products to defraud their cable company. With a cable descrambler you can view all cable channels without paying your local cable company. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Caesar Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Blake Berry Caesar Essay There were many times through out this entire story that characters made bad and even worse decisions. The characters I have chosen to talk about are examples of what I am talking about. Everyone in life makes decisions, its just human to do so but the things some of these people have done are not just accidental miss-haps, they were conscience decisions and they new what they were doing were wrong, some of them anyways. The following is who I chose to speak about and choices they have made. Caesar in the beginning made the conscience decision to trust Cassius even though he said "If I had to fear someone, it would be Cassius"(indirect quote). Caesar was uncomfortable with Cassius deep down and now it has led to tragedy. Caesar made this decision of trusting or pretending not to "fear" Cassius because he wanted everyone to think he feared nothing and no one. Overall Caesars decision has resulted in his death because Cassius played a big role in his killing. I don't think Caesar thought through the fact of Cassius doing something like that. Cassius's "bright idea" to kill Caesar probably wasn't the best idea. He and many others (Cassius was the back bone of the idea) wanted to assassinate Caesar because they feared him being in power or office. Cassius and others thought it would be for the best for Rome. The main result in his decision would be in the end when he killed himself, and this led up to it. A lot of this had to do that killing Caesar ruined him and his reputation and led everyone to believe him to be a conspirator. Cassius's suicide was led up to from other problems. Brutus had a good life, he was a well respected man above anything else. He had military positions and was a good guy. Now where Brutus went wrong was when he decided to join the conspirators. That choice screwed up a lot of things going for him. We know that Cassius did everything he could to convince Brutus that killing Caesar was an "honorable" thing and Brutus is all about honor. That's why he made that decision was because he thought it was honorable. Brutus had several bad things happen to him because of his decision. Just like Cassius, the worst thing that happened to him was his decision to kill himself. These three men could have made their life's a lot easier and much more laid back. Brutus's and Cassius's thoughts of what and what not do about little things that wouldn't have mattered consumed them. They all could have gone from day to day to be left alone or gone through out their daily life's but it just was to much for Cassius to deal with for some reason and wanted Caesar gone and had to bring Brutus, a good man with a great life, into this and ruin his life. All of this is sad for all of them that their life's had to be taken but maybe this could be a life lesson for us all. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Canticle For Leibowitz.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Walter Miller, in the novel A Canticle For Leibowitz, mocks the way we are as humans, particularly in those ways that lead to regressive thinking. The novel pokes fun at the attention to impractical details, such as to the spent copying the Leibowitz blueprints. Miller also mocks humans by describing the inordinate amount of attention and energy given to a spiritual being such as Leibowitz, as today's society worships God. Finally, the most absurd way Miller mocks today's society occurs when he describes how they do not give something very important the considered attention that it deserves. These are three examples how Walter Miller mocks and shows today's society their faults. Miller mocks the way we are as humans when Francis gives too much attention to impractical details to the Leibowitz blueprints. Brother Francis spends many years copying the blueprints of the circuit design. Francis copies the design so carefully he mistakenly believes the color of the paper is important to the design of the circuit. Francis is set on mindlessly copying the blueprint he does not realize what the circuit design is for, and what is does. Brother Francis thinks regressively. The monks copy out the blueprints, and then do nothing with them. As a society we do the same thing today. In school students copy notes off the blackboard blindly, they do not know what they are copying. Therefore, they do not understand the content. Not only does Miller also poke fun at impractical details, Miller also pokes fun at the way today's society revolves is the importance of a spiritual being such as Leibowitz. Today's society is strongly set on the existence of God. Today's society is mocked due to the importance of a spiritual being, like Leibowitz. The monks do not really know who Leibowitz is. All of the information about Leibowitz are only rumors. No concrete evidence surfaced to prove that Leibowitz exists. It is the same in today's society with the belief of God. No proof that God physically exists is evident today. Most people still believe in God spiritually on the other hand. In comparison to the book's society, Leibowitz is their God. When Brother Francis accidently stumbles upon possible genuine evidence of the existence of Leibowitz, they ignore it. The Monks concentrate on the most illogical things. The only thing that they believe is important is a mysterious pilgrim spotted in the desert. The Monks believe that the pilgrim is Leibowitz himself. The Monks are looking past concrete evidence wondering if it is Leibowitz who is seen desert. It seems that the monks do not concentrate on what is really important. They concentrate on the most absurd things. If we discover a fallout shelter in the desert that housed Jesus, we would not brush it off like the monks did. We would protect, and display it in a museum for years to come. The monks did not protect these documents when they sent Brother Francis to New Rome with sacred documents. The Monks, and sadly, Brother Francis has to suffer to this misfortune. Finally Miller mocks the monks regressive way of thinking when they send Brother Francis to New Rome with the Leibowitz designs. The monks did not think ahead in sending Francis to New Rome without protection. The fact that they failed to provide protection for Brother Francis is absurd. Francis is transporting the most important documents ever found half way across the country all by himself without protection. Many dangers are apparent on the way to New Rome, including robbers, and the monks failed to think ahead to see this. Today's society is the same. Our society sometimes rushes to judgments when we get excited. We fail to look ahead at the consequences. A good example is the deterioration of the ozone layer from pollution. During economic highs factories were pumping pollution into the air at an enormous rate. No one realized the damage it was doing to the ozone. Today's society is left to fix the problem that we were not responsible for. The factories only thought of money and failed to think ahead of what the pollution would do to the air. Reading the book, A Canticle For Leibowitz, it is apparent that today's society is an image of the monks society. We copy things out mindlessly without thinking, an example is homework, and we do not really know what we are really doing. The monks also copy mindlessly when Francis copies the blueprints. Today's society is also dependant on a spiritual being that could or could not exist. The monks gave too much attention to canonizing Leibowitz. We fail to look past these things, like the Monks, and wonder if they really exist. We also realize our society thinks too regressively and do not think ahead when we make a decision. Instead we let the spur of the moment determine our decisions in most cases. The monks also did this when the failed to offer adequate protection for Brother Francis. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\career path essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I have always wanted to be a graphic designer. I got a taste of the visual arts industry while working on my high school year book and newspaper staffs. I doubled as a photographer when the story assignments called for an extra hand; otherwise, I managed all the advertising that ran in the newspaper and the year book. Though I enjoyed writing stories and following leads, I preferred the hands-on job of actually laying out the stories on the computer and tackling the complicated process of preparing photos for print. Little did I know that I was setting foot into what would become my chosen career path. The more that I worked, the more serious I got about wanting to pursue a degree as a designer. Having decided early on that this was my calling, it was not hard choosing a major when I got to college. Triggered by the limited exposure to the industry while in high school, my first goal was to immerse myself even deeper in the trenches of the advertising industry. I bought a camera and took a formal class to learn the basics, while tackling sporadic freelance work as a portrait photographer. Even though I found the work to be very challenging, I always enjoyed presenting the final product. After talking to my professors during my early semesters of my major, I learned that I would be more marketable in this field by developing as many multiple task-related skills as possible. The first thing I needed to do was to learn industry-specific skills that would help sell my portfolio. Academically, I needed to be at the forefront of industrial technology. Professionally, my every intention was to find work as an intern or apprentice at a major ad firm as early as possible in my college career so that my class work could mirror real-world experiences. My ultimate goal was to gain enough experience in the field early in my career so that I could eventually start my own company and use all of my acquired knowledge and skills to secure a foothold in the industry. The first step in my career path was to make sure that I finished my degree. Having already been exposed to the industry, I thought that my classes would be a breeze. Boy was I in for a surprise.**Expand on the last statement, what difficulty did you encounter?** I benefited from having a minor familiarity with the material. I had come to terms with the inner workings of an age-old industry. I dug even deeper in the design field when I got my first internship. I felt at home in front of the computer, muscling through layouts and designs. I got hands-on experience with the technology associated with this particular field. I learned to use a varied array of software titles that were essential to one's success in the field. I also familiarized myself with the not-always-friendly hardware that was beginning to serve as an industry backbone. As my required coursework grew more demanding towards the end of my degree, I began to tackle more challenging internships within the industry. Those not only complimented my coursework, but they also allowed me to apply what I was learning in the classroom to real-world situations. However, the more challenging the projects became, the more I realized that there was more that I needed to learn about the industry if I was going to succeed in the field. So it came as no surprise that my march across the stage to receive my degree was less than satisfying. I knew that there was still more for me to learn. I still wanted to sink my teeth into my keyboard and shake it around a bit. I wanted to put every ounce of my creative energy into wrestling with the hierarchies of rigid conceptual thinking. I yearned to push beyond the limitations of conventional thinking! I wanted my ideas to break new ground, push the envelope, tear the seal, and take flight. I wanted to believe that change was still a revolutionary concept borne of a sketch on the side of paper cup. And if the secret to success was truly "constancy to purpose," then I had to continue the quest to amass as much knowledge as possible that would guide and nurture my drive to succeed in this dynamic business environment. I realized that a graduate degree would give me the knowledge, experience, and flexibility-tools to not only survive, but to plant the seeds that would bear success throughout my lifetime. After graduation, I continued my internship at an advertising firm for nine months. I did not have any classes to complicate my learning process, so this allowed me to immerse myself even deeper into the hands-on learning process. I especially concentrated on sharpening the skills that I developed during problem solving exercises in the classroom. I coupled that experience with a continued, diligent effort in attaining industry-specific computer skills as an accent to my creative skills. While at the ad firm, I applied the classroom experience into real-world situations. I attempted to solve a myriad of advertising campaign complexities with a shallow pocket of experience. I made it a point to learn from failure. I learned that not every idea is going to ignite a passionate response from the Senior Art Director. I learned that the best ideas are often spur of the moment thoughts recorded on napkins, refrigerator doors, or paper cups. This proved true when I was hired to design and produce the 2002 edition of the Dallas Cowboys Family Cookbook. After more than a week of sketching and working through less-than-stellar computer renderings, I stumbled on an idea while having dinner with some friends. Ever the doodler, I was halfway through defacing a napkin before I realized that my nonsensical sketches had sparked a solution to my cover-idea. Subsequently, I was hired to design this year's edition of the cookbook due to last year's success. Armed with a comfortable creative industry skill set, I left the ad firm in pursuit of more challenging work. Hypnotized by the excitement of making it on my own terms, I set out as a freelance designer and photographer. I was determined to make my degree work for me. I wanted to see the efforts of my labor bear fruit. I blended the best of my talents in photography, design and advertising into a "unified solutions" formula that will serve as the basis of my business model. One of my major goals is to see my business grow year over year. One of the tools that will help in reaching this goal is more education. For example, my experience as a graphic designer has taught me that it is not enough to produce pretty designs and pictures for clients; as a creative director, I have to go a step further and assist the clients in realizing the full potential of an ad campaign that correctly addresses the target audience they are trying to attract. A complimentary degree in Marketing will benefit not only me but also my customer base. Currently, I have managed to implement my skills into solving everyday client problems. As the business grows, so do the needs of my clients. I hope to combine all of my skills and talents into a viable business plan that will cater to every facet of my clients' needs. Eventually I hope to expand my business into an international firm where by I can make an educational investment in Uganda and pass on my skills to up and coming designers eager to carve out their own niche in this increasingly competitive global market. Essay Question #2: Please indicate in essay form your major goals for your career and how your education is furthering them. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Catcher in Rye essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ John Sampson Period 2 DC English Mr. Knodel The Catcher In The Rye This narrative is a great piece of written work that is debated over for its profane language, violence, and many other situations or habits. This essay will tell you my point of view when it comes the allowance of students to read and study this book in school. There will be three claims I will give to back up my argument. One will be on the profanity, another on drugs and alcohol, and the last on the main character Holden Caulfield. My first claim is on the amount of profanity that is used in this narrative. I admit that it is overly used, but what can someone honestly do about profanity in real life. Everyone at one point or another has used profane language. There is no doubt in my mind that this is true, and at the age at which students are studying this narrative they should be mature enough to handle profanity and its usage. That is why when one is a senior in high school, that it should be okay for one to read this particular narrative. My second claim is over the usage of drugs and alcohol in this narrative. Every where Holden goes in this narrative he is smoking or drinking, but also where ever you look in real life you will see billboards, magazines, or TV ads with alcohol or smoking products. Face it, these two things will always be a big issue when in comes to having students read or learn more about it. They learn more about these two things from TV, magazines, and billboards then they do it school. My third and final claim will be on the character Holden Caulfield. This character can be very controversial because of his behavior, habits, thoughts, and language. Even though Holden can be a scary judge of talent at some point, he will always be a part of us in some way. All of us can say that at one point we were like him in some way, no matter how little we were like him. So in a way this is just a reminder that this type of behavior is normal to an extent. Even though Holden ends up in an Asylum in the end, he did act as a normal teenager for a period of time. After awhile the pressure and built up anger just got to him and he did end up in a bad situation. Like the Shanley Mission says, "To teach the total person..." this narrative can help us grow into that total person that Christ wants us to be, no matter how he intends for us to end up. I gave you my three claims - profane language, drugs and alcohol, and Holden Caulfield - and evidence to back it up. I believe that reading this narrative should be allowed in Shanley High School. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Catcher in the Rye.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Catcher in the Rye, starts off with the main character, Holden Caulfield being expelled from school once again. Holden is a sixteen year old boy who has been expelled on numerous occasions from other schools. This time he is being expelled from Pency Prep. Before Holden goes home to his parents, he plans to spend a few days in New York. His parents do not know of the expulsion, so he spends the weekend in a hotel. Holden is a pretty strange kid who can always find a way to get himself into trouble. Holden constantly talks about how he hates phony people and phony words. He complains of how the head master Thurman of Pency Prep is a phony person. Holden says he is the kind of guy who will treat you bad, but will act polite and nice to your parents when they visit. Holden basically decides that almost everyone he meets in his life is a phony. He even gets disgusted with the advertisement for Pency Prep. The picture of the horse jumping over a fence is a false image in his opinion. He says that he has never even seen a horse on the campus. Holden is also very curious. Of all things, he wonders where the ducks go when the pond freezes over in the park. He loves his red hunting cap that he bought for a dollar. The cap serves as his way to be an individual. Stradtler is his roommate and they are fairly good friends. Stradtler is two years older than him so he is always going out on dates and has to listen to Holden question him. One time Stradtler goes out with one of Holden? long time friends, Jane Gallagher, and he has to listen to an earful from Holden. Ackley is Holden? neighbor and they are all right friends. Ackley is the kind of guy though who can get on anybody? nerves in a heart beat. Ackley and Stradtler despise of each other and rarely talk. Ackley is very nosy and Holden does not understand why he puts up with Ackley? nonsense. Holden has a dead brother Allie, an older brother D.B., who is a writer, and a younger sister Pheobe. He does not talk much with D.B. and he really likes to ?hoot the bull?with his sister. While in New York, Holden tries to get in touch with many of his former acquaintances. He spends a couple of nights in some night clubs and one night with a prostitute. After the night with the prostitute, Maurice the elevator man beats Holden up pretty bad. This is the first time that Holden has ever stood up for himself. Holden is the kind of person who lies naturally. On a train, Holden sees his friend? mother and tries to impress her with vivid talk and telling lies. Holden once again fails at becoming an adult. He does not know how to act in the ?dult world.? Holden meets Sally Hayes, and takes her places, like the skating rink but all they ever do is argue. Holden has a hard time expressing himself, and though he loves Sally, he manages a way ruin things. He consults one of his friends Carl Luce, who is an expert at sex, but not at love. Carl suggests that Holden under go psychoanalysis. With too much time on his hands before he must break the news to his parents, he has the urge to talk with Pheobe, so he sneaks into his house. He wakes her up and they ?hoot the bull?for a while. In their conversation, Holden says some really absurd things. The most absurd thing he says is that he wants to be a catcher in the rye when he becomes older. He wants to make sure kids do not fall over the cliff when they play. The story ends with Holden visiting his sister? school, and going to the museum. At the end of the book, Holden says he wishes he never told anyone about anything, because when one tells something to someone, one misses them. Holden indeed missed everyone he talked to, including Maurice. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CatcherInTheRye.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Catcher In The Rye Holden Caulfield is teen angst bull-crap with a pickax. He's sarcastic, nasty, and completely unlikeable. He also doesn't give a crap. He is every teenager caught between the crapy little games of high school ("you're supposed to kill yourself if the football team loses or something") and the fear of adulthood ("going to get an office job and make a lot of money like the rest of the phonies"). The greatness in Holden Caulfield is that what he has to say is better than a million Celestine Prophecies or anything said by Jonathan Livingston Seagull (save for the squawks after you shoot him) or Jesus (save for the apocryphal "hey Peter I can see your house from here"). Holden Caulfield says that life sucks, everyone is a phony, and you'll be inevitably disappointed by everyone that you hold in awe. If you think that this sounds awful, ask yourself one question. When was the last time you found any joy in watching Barney or the Care Bears? It isn't just what he says but the way he says it. He goes through life making dead-on observations that completely shoot the kneecaps out from under the terminally self-righteous. When a successful mortician tells the school to follow his example and pray when things go bad, it is Holden Caulfield who points out that the guy is praying for more people to die. He's depressed by nuns and annoyed by shallow girlfriends, while in love with his platonic friend. Even more interesting is the fact that Caulfield's general pissed off attitude and his hormones are inextricably linked. He practically wants to kill his roommate, Stradlatter, because Stradlatter might have screwed a girl he desires. He guiltily admits to making out with phonies, and in a major confession he confesses to being a virgin. He gets the crap beat out of him by a disgruntled pimp after deciding that he doesn't want a to have sex with a prostitute for the silliest of reasons.(he just found it disconcerting to see her take her clothes off without fanfare.)The fact that his little brother has just died and that he's being kicked out of yet another school takes second place to the whole sex question. In other words, Holden Caulfield is a guy; stereotype away. What is also interesting is how closely Caulfield captures the attitude and culture of adolescence. There is the caste system in which Caulfield hates and wishes to be his roommate Stradlatter. Meanwhile zit-encrusted Ackley, whom he maybe should feel sympathy for, is an annoying guy that Holden can't wait to get out of his room. He's sympathetic to the principle's daughter, saying that it's not her fault what kind of a bastard her old man is, and without missing a beat remarks on the fact that she pads her bra. Cruelty and frustration are mixed, but the comedy level allows you to laugh at your own painful memories. Granted, like many of his fans, Holden Caulfield turns out to be nuts or at least residing in an insane asylum. (Sorry, if you think that those stupid surprise endings are the best reason to read Salinger.) Yet, in Caulfield's insanity, there is a transcendent theme. By being the pissed off, nasty, cynical insane bastard; Holden Caulfield suggests that it is ok to be a crap. Your criticisms of the world are not invalid and nothing you say or think is so bad that you need to repress it. Ironically, this is not only something that is essential to survival (especially if you are a teenager and desperately trying to maintain your lily-white self image) but is also the key to ultimately becoming a decent caring human being. Keep your prophets, preachers and shamans. I'll take Holden Caulfield over them any day. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\cath activity.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tom Healy Social Security #: 141-94-8463 Activity Sheet 1) President of History Club 2) Chorus 3) Soccer 4) S.U.R.E Secretary 5) Basketball 6) Toys-for-Tots 7) March-of-Dimes 8) Lakeland Cat Rescue 9) Living Waters 10) Coffeehouse 11) Performing at Youth Group Mass f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Catherphotocomp.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Schueth University of Nebraska-Lincoln Comprehensive Portfolio II: Scholarly Paper Picturing Cather: A Portrait in American Image & Celebrity Culture "The spectacle is not a collection of images; rather, it is a social relationship between people that is mediated by images." --Guy Debord, The Society of the Spectacle "The camera and plate are prepared, the lady must sit for her daguerreotype..." --Walt Whitman, Song of Myself (1855) The twentieth-century phenomenon of the "icon" celebrity (from Albert Einstein to Marilyn Monroe to Madonna) has a fundamental relationship to the photographic image. As Catharine R. Stimpson contends in her foreword to Brenda Silver's recent Virginia Woolf Icon, the twentieth-century icon "is unthinkable without the presence of the camera." Photography, Stimpson explains, "accelerates and reaffirms the process of iconization and celebrity making" through modern modes of mass production (xii). With icons such as Monroe and Madonna, we can easily imagine a corresponding image of each, immortalized through the reproduction of those images over and over again. Monroe standing above the subway grate, for example, or Madonna in her cone-shaped bustier in the early 1990s have become infamous portraits of these women, standing as both a visual shorthand for their personality in particular and the cultural era each represents. (Ever been to a fake 1950s diner without seeing the Monroe photograph?) Cather's interest in her image is documented by her legacy of portraits both in photographic form and through her selection of artists Leon Bakst and Nikolai Fechin to paint her portraits. While most of us encounter Cather's image on literary postcards, on book jackets, and as part of biographical and critical studies, these images are necessarily pulled away from their original contexts. The need to build that original context back into Cather's visual legacy becomes critical as we investigate Cather's construction of her public personae, giving us insight into how she managed her career and negotiated the ever-increasingly celebrity-driven literary marketplace. In this paper I will explore the relationship between Cather and her image by looking closely at selected photographs of Cather throughout her life, culminating with Edward Steichen's 1927 portrait of Cather in Vanity Fair. This essay will also argue that Cather's life-long interest in portrait and amateur photography provided her the tools she needed to negotiate her image in the marketplace to build her literary celebrity. Further, I will tie together the historical forces that brought about celebrity culture and explore how Vanity Fair and Edward Steichen's involvement in her portrait positioned Cather as a full-fledged celebrity of her time. But first, I will discuss the critical role photography played in the construction of the modern celebrity figure in nineteenth century American culture. Photography & the Invention of Modern Celebrity Upon Cather's birth in1873, her parents took their baby daughter to Winchester, Virginia (confirm) to have her photograph taken. Like most parents of the time (as ours), it was an opportunity to capture a lasting image of a fleeting age. This baby portrait marked the first in what would be for Cather (and those in her generation) an entire life documented in photographic images. This, it is critical to remember, was a profoundly new possibility. While Cather's parents had their portraits taken as young adults, when photography was an emerging novelty, Cather was born into a generation when photography was now solidified into the culture, and her generation would face new and shifting relationships to the cultural role image and personality played in private and public life. Photography rapidly absorbed itself into American life after its invention in 1839 by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, and photographic portraits had taken a major place in the culture as more and more lower and middle-class Americans could afford some type of photographic portrait by the mid 1850s. Family and friends collected portraits of loved ones, and documented ceremonies such as the birth of a child, a marriage, or funeral. Among many other early pioneers who advanced the science of American photography, Matthew Brady brought the emerging field into the realm of public spectacle. Brady's high-profile celebrity portrait studio capitalized on the public's curiosity of photography by exploiting the public's even greater curiosity of, as Brady termed them, "illustrious figures." Brady photographed such prominent men and women as Abraham Lincoln, General Robert E. Lee, Jenny Lind, Thomas Cole, Clara Barton, Jefferson Davis, Walt Whitman and P.T. Barnum ("Matthew Brady's Portraits: Images as History, Photograph, and Art"). The public flocked to Brady's galleries, paying admission to gaze at the images of public figures whose life-like appearances were, aside from engraved portraits in books and newspapers, wholly unknown to the mass public unless they were lucky enough to see them on the street or stage. Brady's celebrity pictures had a larger effect than merely profiting from the public's desire to see famous faces, the power of the photograph and more specifically, Brady's artistic portrait style, brought about a shift in the "emotional intimacy" between public figures and their audiences; that is, his photographs were suggestive of the underlying humanity of his subjects, and his work helped formulate our modern understanding of the celebrity as a "real" person, not merely someone who existed in text or abstract lines of illustration. Importantly, he also had a penchant for showmanship and created a public spectacle around his work, yet another hallmark of modern celebrity making. Leo Braudy, in his extensive study of fame, argues that Abraham Lincoln's selection of Mathew Brady as his photographer was based on Brady's success as a celebrity creator. Braudy says that Lincoln "exploited" the new medium of photography to develop his "image of solemnity and seriousness," profoundly altering the image of the president into a picture of "the ordinary man, the representative man, transformed into the extraordinary by both his belief in principle and the demands of history" (495-96). In the early 1850s as Walt Whitman was transitioning from journalism to the literary world, he brought with him the kinds of self-promotion and advertising that he must have seen at work in the theatrical world. Much like Lincoln, Whitman used photographs and illustrations of himself as a representation of the "the ordinary man" as well as a mechanism to exploit his public personality. One of the most effective ways Whitman chose to disseminate his public self was by publishing illustrations of himself in his books. Since, as Whitman states in his preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, "the great poet is the equable man," the visual illustration of himself as "one of the roughs" (50) simultaneously served to illustrate his aesthetic principles and his public recognitition. So the image of Whitman with an open collar, posing casually with his hand on his hip was, according to Ed Folsom, "in sharp contrast to the expected iconography of poets' portraits, portraits that conventionally emphasized formality and the face instead of this rough informality, where we see arms, legs, and body" (140). Indeed, Whitman's image broke significantly with images of nineteenth-century poets who were primarily illustrated in strictly formal settings. Personal appearance, too, reflects a class difference between Whitman and the poets such as Longfellow, Lowell, and Howells (check ot). While early Whitman critic Emory Holloway felt that it was "a pity that he felt he had to advertise himself or go under" by acting as "his own press-agent," today critics understand that Whitman was part of a much larger socio-economic cultural shift, and that Whitman anticipated and even embraced that shift with a high degree of skill and savvy. As Daniel Boorstin notes, "Formerly, the public man needed a private secretary for a barrier between himself and the public. Nowadays he has a press secretary to keep him properly in the public eye" (61). Folsom agrees, arguing that Whitman's use of his image in Leaves of Grass had a "highly influential" effect on "the way most American poets portrayed themselves on their book jackets and frontispieces"(135). While Whitman was not the only writer in the later half of the nineteenth century to exploit his personality, his constant interest in photography and image within his text created legacy that led to huge shifts in the publishing industry. In an 1890 article published in The Author, a trade journal for the growing occupation of professional writing, J.A. Bolles notes that, Articles by distinguished individuals are splendid advertisements for the periodicals in which they appear; articles by other contributors, unless they are very celebrated, are not valuable as advertisements; and, as in all enterprises judicious advertising has become an indispensable factor, publishers are simply following the modern way of doing business by pursuing their present methods (144). Bolles goes on to note that "distinguished writers know that their success is not chiefly due to their literary ability," that now it takes "something besides authorship" to attract public attention. Whitman had a keen understanding of what that "something besides authorship" meant to develop an audience. Whitman was aware of the power of public personality held well before it became the reality of the American marketplace. Grounded in his early exposure to the daguerreotype in the early 1840s when he was still working as a journalist, Whitman began meeting pioneering photographers such as Mathew Brady, Gabriel Harrison, Jeremiah Gurney, and Thomas Eakins to list a few (insert note here about Folsom's research avail. on Whitman Archive). As David Reynolds notes, Whitman's fascination with photography had a major role in the aesthetic development Leaves of Grass (281). Through the metaphor of photography, Reynolds explains, Whitman had "a direct mimesis of reality, supporting Whitman's oft-repeated aim of establishing an honest, personal relationship with the reader" (285). While Whitman certainly wanted to create a personal relationship with his reader, the process of illustrating himself into his printed volume demanded the creation of a personae figure. The character Whitman created, as Ed Folsom argues, "served as a kind of surrogate identification" since Whitman excluded his written name from the title page of the 1855 edition, and, even when Whitman added his name to future editions, his image worked as a critical iconic frame of reference for Whitman's readers (Folsom 135). Whitman presented his image every chance he could get, whether as a visual image in Leaves of Grass, or through textual description in various anonymous reviews and articles he penned about himself. Note how closely this description of himself written in the Washington Morning Chronicle in 1899 matches the 1855 pose in Leaves of Grass: On Pennsylvania avenue or Seventh street or Fourteenth street, or perhaps of a Sunday, along the suburban roads toward Rock creek . . . you will meet moving along at a firm but moderate pace, a robust figure, a robust figure, six feet high, costumed in blue or gray, with drab hat, broad shirt-collar, gray-white beard, full and curly, face like a red apple, blue eyes, and a look of animal health more indicative of hunting or boating than the department office or author's desk. (qtd. in Holloway 483). Whitman's use of camera-like descriptions of himself throughout his review reveals how he built his image in a variety of ways-either through the camera or through camera-like description. What is vital here is not that Whitman was merely interested in photography, but, moreover, that Whitman fundamentally altered the relationship between the poet and the reader, so that Whitman could be "frequently beloved at sight," as he claimed (Holloway 485)i. As Whitman revolutionized the literary world with his image and bravado, the larger entertainment world was following, using photography to propel actors and actresses into new, unprecedented states of fame. When Jenny Lind, a relatively unknown singer in the United States, toured American cities under the management of P.T. Barnum, she had her photograph taken in virtually every city she stayed, and quickly became one of the most well-known personalities in the country (Taft 81). Photography allowed for the dissemination of actors' and actresses' images relatively inexpensively, especially through cartes de visite (small picture calling cards) as well as regular picture postcards, which Cather bought as a child at The Red Cloud Opera House. One of Cather's favorite stars, Sarah Bernhardt, was largely responsible for significantly changing the ways in which the public interacted with famous theatrical actors. As Heather McPherson argues in her look at actress Sarah Bernhardt's photographic images, "Although not the first to exploit the potential of new technologies and the emerging mass media," Bernhardt was "instrumental in creating a new paradigm...of the modern mass-media star" (78). Bernhardt used photography to "simulate and re-create the visual and emotional dynamics of her performance," and as a "genius" of publicity, she made sure newspapers in Europe, England, and the US carried full-page picture stories related to her every role. Theodore Dreiser paints a vivid picture of theatrical celebrity in his 1900 novel Sister Carrie. Dreiser's novel focuses on the struggle of his heroine from demeaning sweat-shop labor positions to the pinnacle of modern day achievement: the limelight of the stage. Carrie, we are told, "longed to be renowned like others" in a "showy world" that "completely absorbed her" (348). After being pulled from her anonymous position in the chorus to a leading role, Carrie found a small notice in the paper. As a small first step to building a larger fame, Carrie "hugged herself with delight" (349). Later, Carrie's success grows, and she is renowned for her glamorous pictures which appear frequently in the paper. Dreiser details this celebrity world with characteristic social insight, as he tells us that: It was about this time that the newspapers and magazines were beginning to pay that illustrative attention to the beauties of the stage which has since become fervid. The newspapers, and particularly the Sunday newspapers, indulged in large decorative theatrical pages, in which the faces and forms of well-known theatrical celebrities appeared, enclosed with artistic scrolls. (Sister Carrie 349) As Dreiser notes, the role of the actress in American culture during the 1890s and 1900s exploded, and newspapers and magazines became a new venue for fame and a barometer of success and cultural value. According to an extraordinary 1903 Cosmopolitan article on photography and image, Mrs. Wilson Woodrow notes that, "There is no class of women who are so frequently photographed as actresses." She goes on to explain that photography "is a part of their professional life as much as learning their parts or looking after their costumes." Woodrow argues that while actresses are certainly self-absorbed, it was the photograph's ability to advertise that was "very necessary to her success." Actresses, according to Woodrow, now needed a constant supply of new stylish photographs ready for public consumption or else "she is subject to the criticism that the public is tired of seeing her in one pose" since the "personal attraction of an actress is one of her trump-cards which she hopes will assist her in winning the game." Fame, notoriety, and money are all apparent signs of "winning the game," as Woodrow puts it. "The dream of every actress' heart," she tells her readers, "is that she may, with the photographer's aid, achieve a picture so unusual and so exquisitely delineating her beauty that all the world shall wonder, admire, and hasten to see her in the portrayal of her various roles" (680-81). Self image, then, had become central to life in the public by the twentieth century, and it would demand a stronger negotiation by those in the spotlight to discern between the public and private. Leo Brady says that, "By the later 19th century, all the inner Napoleons, neglected geniuses, and spiritual adventurers-let alone the frankly ostentatious public man-had to put on more of a show to catch the attention of both the audience to which they played as well as the one they sought to reject" (491). It was impossible, then, to be in the public spotlight and not be necessarily mixed up in the forces that were driving actresses to replicate their image over and over in the hopes of attaining some hope of fame. Photography and the Cathers While Brady photographed the rich and famous, photography also began to cater to lower and middle-class Americans. The rapid innovation of photography combined with its inherent ability to produce an image quickly and relatively inexpensively meant that "the camera democratized the image" since "large numbers of people could afford pictures of themselves" (Camera 22). Leo Braudy agrees that photography shifted the ownership of one's image from a high-brow luxury to a middle-class indulgence. "One of photography's most important effects," he writes, "was to take the art of imaging out of the hands of those skilled enough to paint or engrave as well as those rich" (492). At the disposal of "virtually everyone," Braudy says that Americans found an "immense vogue for individual and group portraits" after the Civil War. He writes that the public's desire to be recorded on film, and the desire of their friends, families, and admirers to retain those images was more than just a personal quirk. It also seems part of an overwhelming cultural need that photography half-discovered and half-simulated in order to furnish memory with precise visual details of face, dress, posture, and in the ways one appeared to others (493). The ability to own a life-like representation of a family member or loved one certainly played into aspects of nineteenth-century sentimentality, in which photographs could be kept as mementos of loved ones, children, and mark other life ceremonies such as marriages and funerals. Gus MacDonald believes that nineteenth century masses were attracted to photography because it was "infused by the warmth of the past" and would "come eventually to reinvest life with some reminders of its continuity and purpose" (59). In the same 1903 Cosmopolitan article discussed above, Mrs. Wilson Woodrow writes that, That the desire to be photographed is almost universal is undeniable, else photography as a business would not be a recognized feature of commerce, and photographers would not multiply in numbers through the length and breadth of the land. Photographs! Photographs! They are everywhere; they cover our tables, they lie about our rooms, thick as the leaves of Vallombross (675). In attempting to understand why women are so attracted to having their portraits taken, she suggests that besides serving women to "retain a record, at least, of the beauty which is exclusively her own-to render lasting and changeless that which in our nature is elusive and subject to imitation," photographs also serve as a "record" of those "we cannot see...in the flesh...some record of their faces which shall assist our memories" (678;680). After the Civil War photographic studios became prominent throughout the United States-even remote pioneer towns supported a full or part-time photographer. As with most middle-class American families of the period, photography was a meaningful part of Cather family life well before Willa's birth. Photographs in the George Cather Ray Collection at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln suggest that Willa's father, George P. Cather, was photographed as early as 1866 in Winchester, Virginia. Studio portraits of the nineteenth century offered sitters the promise of an exciting experience. Much like the photographs of actors and actresses who posed in character with scenes and props from their respective plays, the nineteenth-century portrait studio offered everyone the opportunity to "perform." Besides the theatre, studio portraits took its inspiration from older forms of portraiture, in which sitters were posed in various backgrounds or with various props to suggest aspects of their personality, profession, or social standing. Portrait studios commonly featured such amenities as "interchangeable backdrops, some on long rolls which could be wound through parklands, seascapes, conservatories and palm houses, until one was found to the sitter's taste." And studios were equipped with "drapes and classical columns," "rustic bridges," and even "swings and bicycles and motor cars" (Camera 30). Such theatrical settings can be seen in photographs throughout Cather's childhood and young adulthood. As early as 1879, Red Cloud had its first full-time photographer. According to the Nebraska Gazetteer and Business Directory, by the mid-1880s Red Cloud was supporting up to four professional photographers: Earle Tennant, W. Dickinson, and J. Wegman, and C. Owen. In 1888 the Bradbrook Studio opened on the Moon Block, and for the next two decades it would be the most stable and longest lasting portrait studio in town. Advertising in the Red Cloud Chief that when in town, visitors should "take the trolley to Bradbrook Studio on the Moon Block" (Check Quote), since the novelty of photography served not only Red Cloud residents, but also to rural visitors, in town to buy necessities and spend extra money. Bradbrook captured the first photographs in which Cather as an adolencent took on a boyish appearance. As scholars have repeatedly pointed out, these photographs serve to show her innate ability to play with outward appearances. As Sharon O'Brien argues, Cather's early exposure to photography fostered a desire to "express the human possibilities" (101). As Cather grew older, as Janis Stout reads it, she began "to realize that such a [boyish] persona was not entirely necessary" (20). Instead, Cather, seemingly without hesitation, began to dress professionally, adopting dresses, cloaks, and fine hats, all the fashionable items required to take on her new part-time job as drama critic for Lincoln's newspapers. Cather, then, at an early age demonstrated a keen knowledge and ability to transform her public identity through dress and photography. Largely understood through her knowledge and participation in the theatre, and through her reading and knowledge of Whitman, who she wrote a critical review of in 1896. Whitman's influence on Cather is most notable in the title of her first major novel, O Pioneers!, named after Whitman's poem by the same title. Cather and the Snapshot While Cather's portrait studio photographs provide us with formal images of Cather, the growth of personal amateur photography allowed for another side of Cather to emerge in private photographs, meant for friends, family, and Cather herself. The large collection of known snapshot pictures feature Cather relaxed settings, either on vacation site, or posed with family and friends. Personal picture taking by the mass public began with Kodak's 1888 introduction of the box camera. With a simple and effective design, Kodak advertised it's new camera with the slogan, "Anybody can use the Kodak. Press the button-we do the rest" (Kodak 56). At twenty-five dollars, the camera included 100 pictures and developing, and photography a playful amusement for the adventurous amateur. In his history of Kodak, Douglas Collins says that "With its leather carrying case strung over the shoulder, the Kodak camera was stylish, portable, and conveniently available whenever the occasion called for a picture" (58). The new portable camera meant that people could now integrate photography into their daily lives, taking photographs of landscapes, family, friends and themselves in much more private, intimate ways. Further, amateur photographers were allowed total freedom in how to take pictures and how they wanted to visually record their world. Such possibility meant that amateurs could play with their own sense of style and create a personal aesthetic style. For Cather, it seems that her personal photography was a place to show a private side to her personality, but nevertheless, it was also a place for Cather to experiment with poses, clothing, and photographic techniques. As photographs from the recently donated in the Philip L. and Helen Cather Southwick Collection at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln powerfully suggest, snap shot pictures were a meaningful part of Cather's life. As early as her college years in Lincoln, Cather was posing for casual pictures. Perhaps the most well-known snapshot from this period is a picture with Cather posed in front of a famous boulder on the NU campus. Wearing a long dress and a straw hat, she strikes a pose with her arms crossed before her. Importantly, it is the same pose that Cather will strike for Steichen's Vanity Fair shoot in 1927, and showcases Cather's early experimentation with a "look" that she would refine throughout her life. Snap shots effectively document how much of Cather's public image was a refection of her own private taste, style, and everyday life. The sailor shirt and tie, a popular women's clothing item throughout the teens, twenties, and thirties, was a particular favorite for Cather. Find photos to talk about here...In tying her everyday style into her celebrity portrait for Steichen, Cather was trying pull an authentic part of herself into her public image. This suggests that Cather was very much aware of how her visual celebrity culture worked, and how she tried to construct a more "real" sense of herself in a media system that was, in many ways, dedicated to "a high-stakes game of pursuit and seduction," as Tyler Cowen puts it in his study of fame (66). The Graphic Revolution Fuels the Icon In the 1910s and twenties, Cather was dealing with the after effects of what cultural historian Neil Harris calls the "iconographical revolution," roughly covering the years1885-1910. The increasing refinement of half-tone printing processes since the 1880s meant that by the 1920s, magazines and newspapers could mass produce sharp photographic-quality images cheaply. Cather knew first-hand of this emerging technology as she worked at McClure's Magazine. In S.S. McClure's My Autobiography ghost written by Cather, McClure explains that "The development of photo-engraving made such a publication than more possibleii," (207) and Cather's editorial position at the magazine positioned her at the center of this emerging image culture. The iconographical revolution was further advanced through the growing motion picture industry. The "movie star" became a new phenomenon that tied magazines, Hollywood, and advertising together, giving rise to a much different public personality than that of the nineteenth century; that is, these stars could generate significant public interest and fascination not so much by what they did, but by the sheer fact of who they were (Susman 223). In Richard Schickel's His Picture in the Papers: A Speculation on Celebrity in America based on the Life of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Schickel argues that the movie celebrity forever altered the expectations the public had toward all public persons. According to Schickel, politicians, writers, artists, intellectuals, and even scientists became "performers so that they may become celebrities so that in turn they may exert genuine influence on the general public" (9). This transformation of the public figure into celebrity figure resulted into two competing realities; on the one hand there was one's everyday common life and on the other, there was the life one lived through newspapers and magazines, a reality in which celebrities could be "as familiar to us, in some ways, as our friends and neighbors" dominating "enormous amounts" of "psychic energy and attention" even though the closest the average person would ever come to knowing these celebrities was in a half-tone photographic image-literally, ink on paper (8). This celebrity culture formulated itself most powerfully in the pages of popular magazines, and no other magazine between the two world wars so expressed that celebrity culture than Vanity Fair, a gem in publisher's Conde Nast's crown that included best-selling Vogue and later, Home & Garden. Vanity Fair was founded in 1914 as a competitor to H.L. Mencken's The Smart Set, and Vogue's success allowed Condé Nast to make Vanity Fair a "slick" magazine that incorporated all the costly elements that the financially rocky Smart Set was unable to give its readers: high quality paper, graphic design, and a plethora of images. Editor Frank Crowninshield bought a small New York "peekaboo" magazine by the name of Vanity Fair in 1913, with a short-lived intention to reincarnate it into a Vogue-like fashion magazine. In 1914, however, Crowninshield decided that he wanted Vanity Fair to be a magazine "read by people you meet at lunches and dinners" covering "the things people talk about at parties-the arts, sports, theatre, humor, and so forth" (qtd. in Douglas 96). Crowninshield's main interest was making Vanity Fair something to talk about by publishing the first stories on European and American avant garde literature and art. In particular, Vanity Fair printed some of the first images of Picasso and Matisse, ran poems by Dorothy Parker and articles by Robert Benchley. As magazine historian George Douglas says of Vanity Fair, "it was as appealing to the eye as it was to the tastes of its intended readers...it always had substance and it always had guts" (94). With style and substance, Vanity Fair attracted the attention of New York's educated and its rich, and while it never attained mass market appeal (the circulation rate hovered below 100,000), the expensive advertising rates Vanity Fair was able to charge its elite advertisers gave Conde Nast a profitable income. Although it began in 1914, the magazine didn't hit its stride after WWI, when, perhaps due to a mixture of toying with the magazine's content formula and the birth of the Jazz age, it became stylish to read. Readers of Vanity Fair are said to have conspiculously read the magazine in public and placed copies of the magazine on coffee tables before parties. The popularity of the magazine suggests how it so masterfully captured the spirit of the post-war era: witty, playful, experimental, and rich. As John Russell says in his introduction to Vanity Fair: Photographs of an Age, "Vanity Fair was not in the business of aesthetics. It was in the business of getting people talked about" (xvii). Those talked about included the obvious group of Hollywood and Broadway celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin and Gloria Swanson, but also included a surprisingly eclectic group of personalities including scientists, professional tennis players, golfers, boxers, conductors, composers, writers, critics, and even dog breeders. This construction of celebrity within Vanity Fair intermixed full-page portraits of well-known Hollywood and Broadway stars with the less well-recognized, putting a glamorous face to writers, intellectuals, and composers while at the same time giving an intellectual flair to the Hollywood celebrity. Vanity Fair, I suggest, defined celebrity in much more inclusive and even intellectual terms than other popular magazines of its time. Within Vanity Fair one could be a celebrity without the narrow definition of the "movie star." Crowninshield assumed his readers were, as he said, "people of discriminations, clever, and full of a wide and varied culture," and so he assumed that such readers would naturally be interested in those he and his friends were interested in, from the stage actor to writer to sportswoman (qtd. in Russel xii). The Image Maker Perhaps one of the most key aspects of the magazine's popularity stemmed from its use of photography within its pages. Crowninshield's belief that fine fashion photography could be elevated to an art form had helped Vogue become one of the most popular fashion magazines of the time, and he had similar revolutionary plans for photography in Vanity Fair. Hiring portrait artists who included Edward Steichen and Man Ray, relative unknowns in the high art world since museums and collectors had no interest in buying portrait photography, Crowninshield gave these photographers "privacy, discretion, unstressed commitment" and paid Steichen (at least) a salary of $35,000. Edward Steichen had been in the art world for over twenty years by the time he signed onto Vanity Fair. Slightly younger than Cather, Steichen was born in 1879 in Luxembourg, and came Michigan as a small boy. As a young teenager he taught himself photography while apprenticing as a lithographer. He moved to Paris to study drawing and painting, but quickly became well known for his innovative photography and for his photo portraits of famous artists. Moving back to New York in the early 1900s, Steichen became involved with Alfred Stieglitz's circle and he was a founding member of "291" and Photo-Secession galleries. During WWI, Steichen helped develop aerial photography and it was during this period that he began a process of greatly re-evaluating his aesthetics. Moving from the early photographic style of soft focus pictorialism, Steichen's work with aerial photography began to peak his interest in sharp lines and clean detail-the fundamental aesthetic qualities that he used to transform portrait photography. By the early 1920s, Steichen attained fame for avant garde work, yet, according to Joanna Steichen, his "photography brought Steichen more fame than income" (xx). That all changed in 1923, however, when Steichen accepted his potion with Vanity Fair and Vogue. The high salary commanded from Condé Nast raised eyebrows among Steiglitz's crowd, who saw Steichen's venture into commercial photography as selling out on their quest to improve the stature of photography in the art world. But, according to Joanna Steichen, he believed in "the photograph's potential as a medium for mass communication," viewing his work with magazines as an artistic and aesthetic challenge to raise the everyday pedestrian magazine photo into an artistic object (xx). No doubt, Steichen's knowledge of mass communication directly led to his ability to produce what we now recognize as iconic photographs of his subjects. Cather first appeared in Vanity Fair in a 1922 article titled, "American Novelists Who Have Set Art above Popularity: A group of authors who have consistently stood out against Philistia," Cather is featured in group of authors including Theodore Dreiser ("among the most extraordinary phenomena of American letters"), James Branch Cabell ("quite unlike anything else in American fiction"), Edith Wharton ("The greatest living American novelist"), and Sherwood Anderson ("Foremonst among those who are using the novel as a means of criticizing American civilization"). For Cather, the magazine cite's H.L. Mencken belief that "My Antonia is the best novel ever written by an American woman writer" (page reproduced in Amory, Vanity Fair: Selections From America's Most Memorable Magazine 58). The magazine's title for this page suggests some critical tensions with its own view of celebrity culture as it highlights the fact that this group of authors puts "Art Above Popularity" even though the magazine itself centers itself around that celebrity culture. Perhaps the key here is the magazine's reference to the "Philistia," or the low-brow common reader who did not read Vanity Fair and thereby defined the intellectual superiority of the Vanity Fair reader. Yet, no matter how Vanity Fair positioned these writers to its readers, the fact remains that this first mention in Vanity Fair marks her entrée into the developing celebrity culture of the 1920s. Her inclusion into celebrity culture came to full fruition in 1927 when Cather's Steichen portrait was featured in Vanity Fair. Cather and Steichen had dinner plans in February 1927, most likely making plans for the sitting. Certainly Steichen and Cather shared common interests and his work (which included portraits of some of Cather's early heroes such as Duse and Bernhardt) must have fascinated her. Furhter, Cather must have realized that, as David Friend notes in his recent Vanity Fair article, Steichen was so well known for his images that "fellow photographers snapped up issues of the magazine each moth, hoping to detect new nuances in his lighting or backgrops which they could then mimic" (370). In the portrait published in Vanity Fair, Cather is featured as Steichen captured most of his writers, sitting. She is looking slightly downward to the camera with her arms on the chair, looking comfortable, relaxed and self-assured. Titled "An American Pioneer-Willa Cather," with the sub-heading, "The Noted Novelist Has Just Completed Her New Work 'Death Comes for the Archbiship'," the accompanying text names Cather "the heir apparent to Edith Wharton's lonely eminence among America's women novelists." The text further notes that She writes in a way that seems utterly transparent and forthright but that conceals in its overtones a vast and subtle interplay of ironical intelligence. The depth and variety of her understanding is implicit in a swift, muscular style, wrought with an economy that discovers the inevitable word and the inevitable idea. MORE HERE Joanna Steichen notes that in many of Steichen's photographs of women subjects that "no matter what the pose, the era, the woman's age or position in the world, her eyes confront the camera directly, holding their own, challenging the observer" (89). Certainly this estimation fits aspects Cather's portrait, especially in terms of her body language in which crossed arms signify confrontation. But perhaps Cather's gaze here is more complex than a simple challenge to her viewer: there is a warmness in her eyes that gives the portrait a rich sense of Cather's sympathy and at the same time, there is a sense of self-assuredness, as though she is telling her audience that she has proven herself in the world, and she has done it on her own terms. Further, the softness of her linen shirt and the loose tie around her neck, rather than giving an effect of a stuffy masculinity, give the viewer the sense that we have found the writer at work. How pre-determined this pose was set up is perhaps difficult to speculate. According to one biographer, Steichen liked to improvise on his Vanity Fair portraits-since these last-minute improvisations usually led to his best work. Joanna Steichen says that her husband often "set up" last minute changes "to transmit the essence of a play or a personality in a single image," and that he was interested in capturing "private character in the public fasces he photographed" (89-90). This famous picture of Greta Garbo, for example, was taken after Steichen complained about her "fluffy" hair, and in frustration she pulled it back (515). Steichen is known to have worked closely with his famous models, putting them at ease and drawing out of each the real person behind the public face (514). While there is little evidence of Cather's participation and reaction to the Vanity Fair issue, what we have suggests she was proud of the picture. Blanche Knopf was so impressed with the Vanity Fair issue she sent a telegram to Cather in Wyoming writing, "HAVE JUST SEEN STEICHEN PHOTOGRAPH IN VANITY FAIR SIMPLY SUPERB DON'T YOU THINK WOULD LIKE TO USE IT TOO IF THEY PERMIT AND YOU APPROVE WITH MY LOVE"(17 June 1927, HRC). Cather quickly replied that by contract the photo belonged to Conde Nast (WC to BK 19 June 1927, HRC). Later in the late '30s, Cather approved the Steichen photo for her Autograph edition with Knopf. The Iconic Cather Much like Whitman, Twain, and Charlie Chaplin, the building blocks of the American iconic figure seem steeped in a tradition of visual repetition through dress, what Sarah Burns calls "key markers of the public self" (223). While Cather never developed a strict costume as Twain's post 1906 white suit ensemble, Cather developed and maintained a visual look that the public could easily recognize after her break with McClure's. In doing so, Cather built her iconic image in a subtle, but nevertheless effective, visual manner through her white middy blouse with loose-fitting tie. The look, much in the tradition of Whitman, ties Cather to her middle and working class readers since the look was popular, comfortable, and relaxed. Snap shot pictures reveal that this look was not a staged fiction, but rather an expression of her everyday daily style. The "Cather" constructed in the glamorous Steichen photo is the same Cather captured in private snap shot photographs at Grand Manan. That Cather continued to wear the middy blouse and tie after 1927 reflects her interest in this look. In 1933 and 1940 newspaper features on Cather, for example, she reappears in her middy blouse and tie, and affirms the former iconic image she created years before. While the Steichen photograph highlights the celebrity culture and image of the 1920s, the outdoorsy, snap-shot style of these photographs presents the same Cather in nature. Authors of both features pick up on Cather's image as a writer of the prairie, and ties her physical appearance into her literary style. For example, in Dorothy Canfield Fisher's 1933 essay on Cather, the sub-head reads, "Willa Cather Lived Her Books Before She Wrote Them. Her Girlhood Was Spent on the Unfenced Prairie; She Knew the Trials and Triumphs of the Pioneer." In the New York Herald Tribune article, authors Stephen Vincent and Rosemary Benet similarly describe Cather as a real, unaffected person, having "no ivory tower about" her, as the say, since "she is too hearty for that." Of her appearance they wite, "Of medium height, with clear blue eyes, she gives an impression of great intellectual vitality and serenity combined, calm strength and lively independence" (6). Works Cited Cather, Willa. Telegram to Blanche Knopf. 19 June 1927. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Collection. Harry Ransom Research Center, University of Texas-Austin. Douglas, George H. The Smart Magazines. Hamden, CT: Archon P, 1991. Edkins, Diana, ed.Vanity Fair: Photographs of an Age. NY: Random House, 1985. Knoph, Blanche. Telegram to Willa Cather. 17 June 1927. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Collection. Harry Ransom Research Center, University of Texas-Austin. Schickel, Richard. His Picture in the Papers. NY: Charterhouse, 1973. Silver, Brenda. Virginia Woolf Icon. Chicago: U Chicago P, 2000. Steichen, Joanna. Steichen's Legacy. NY: Knopf, 2000. i Unlike many other 19th century writers who created non-de plums to invent a literary character to help separate the private writer from the public eye, such as Fanny Fern and E.D.E.N. Southworth, Whitman creation of "Walt Whitman" was a more authentic public personae, and that personae complicated the line between public and private life, fact and fiction. While the images he published of himself were largely life-like representations, they were nevertheless staged creations--staged as any studio portrait is an artificial pose created by the photographer's expertise and the sitter's imagination. Perhaps the most famous Whitman photograph that documents the "unreality" of his personae is his early 1880s portrait in which Whitman sits in profile with arm resting on his chair, gazing at a butterfly on his finger. Although Whitman is quoted as defending that it "was an actual moth," the butterfly was actually a cardboard cutout, found after Whitman's death. The butterfly, then, becomes an interesting metaphor in discussing Whitman's image and the layers of possible fictions that lie between Whitman and his viewer. While photographs provided Americans with a new realistic look at life, it was not without its visual tricks. As Folsom notes, the butterfly acts as an important metaphor throughout Leaves of Grass, and so in looking at images of Whitman or any other writer for that matter, the viewer must read under the various layers of visual meaning that may be at work ("Notes on Whitman Photographs" n. 18). ii ). Indeed, as magazine historian David Reed notes of McClure's, "photographs had come to play a ... prominent role on the magazine's pages at 49% of all reproductions used" --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CensorshipAndTheInternet.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Censorship And The Internet The freedom of speech that was possible on the Internet could now be subjected to governmental approvals. For example, China is attempting to restrict political expression, in the name of security and social stability. It requires users of the Internet an d electronic mail (e-mail) to register, so that it may monitor their activities.9 In the United Kingdom, state secrets and personal attacks are off limits on the Internet. Laws are strict and the government is extremely interested in regulating the Intern et with respect to these issues.10 Laws intended for other types of communication will not necessarily apply in this medium. Through all the components of the Internet it becomes easy to transfer material that particular governments might find objectionable. However, all of these means of communicating on the Internet make up a large and vast system. For inspectors to monitor every e-mail, every article in every Newsgroup, every Webpage, every IRC channel, every Gopher site and every FTP site would be near impossible. Besides taking an ext raordinary amount of money and time, attempts to censor the Internet violate freedom of speech rights that are included in democratic constitutions and international laws.11 It would be a breach of the First Amendment. The Constitution of the United Stat es of America declares that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redr ess of grievances" 12 Therefore it would be unconstitutional for any sort of censorship to occur on the Internet and affiliated services. Despite the illegality, restrictions on Internet access and content are increasing worldwide under all forms of government. In France, a co untry where the press generally has a large amount of freedom, the Internet has recently been in the spotlight. A banned book on the health history of former French president Francois Mitterrand was republished electronically on the World Wide Web (WWW). Apparently, the electronic reproduction of Le Grand Secret by a third party wasn't banned by a court that ruled that the printed version of the book unlawfully violated Mitterrand's privacy. To enforce censorship of the Internet, free societies find that they become more repressive and closed societies find new ways to crush political expression and opposition.13 Vice - President Al Gore, while at an international conference in Brussels about the Internet, in a keynote address said that "[Cyberspace] is about protecting and enlarging freedom of expression for all our citizens ... Ideas should not be checked at the border".14 Another person attending that conference was Ann Breeson of the Ame rican Civil Liberties Union, an organization dedicated to preserving many things including free speech. She is quoted as saying, "Our big victory at Brussels was that we pressured them enough so that Al Gore in his keynote address made a big point of stre ssing the importance of free speech on the Internet."15 Many other organizations have fought against laws and have succeeded. A prime example of this is the fight that various groups put on against the recent Communication Decency Act (CDA) of the U.S. Se nate. The Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition on 26 February 1996 filed a historic lawsuit in Philadelphia against the U.S. Department of Justice and Attorney General Janet Reno to make certain that the First Amendment of the U.S.A. would not be compr omised by the CDA. The sheer range of plaintiffs alone, including the American Booksellers Association, the Freedom to Read Foundation, Apple, Microsoft, America Online, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Commercial Internet eXchange Association , Wired, and HotWired, as well as thousands of netizens (citizens of the Internet) shows the dedication that is felt by many different people and groups to the cause of free speech on the Internet.16 "Words like shit, fuck, piss, and tits. Words of which our mothers (at least some of them) would no doubt disapprove, but which by no means should be regulated by the government. But it's not just about dirty words. It's also about words like AIDS, gay, a nd breasts. It's about sexual content, and politically controversial topics like drug addiction, euthanasia, and racism."17 Just recently in France, a high court has struck down a bill that promoted the censorship of the Internet. Other countries have attempted similar moves. The Internet cannot be regulated in the way of other mediums simply because it is not the same as anyt hing else that we have. It is a totally new and unique form of communication and deserves to be given a chance to prove itself. Laws of one country can not hold jurisdiction in another country and holds true on the Internet because it has no borders. Although North America (mainly the United States) has the largest share of servers, the Internet is still a worldwide network. This means that domestic regulations cannot oversee the rules of foreign countries. It would be just as easy for an American te en to download (receive) pornographic material from England, as it would be from down the street. One of the major problems is the lack of physical boundaries, making it difficult to determine where violations of the law should be prosecuted. There is no one place through which all information passes through. That was one of the key points that was stressed during the original days of the Internet, then called ARPANET. It started out as a defense project that would allow communication in the event of an e mergency such as nuclear attack. Without a central authority, information would pass around until it got where it was going.18 This was intended to be similar to the road system. It is not necessary to take any specific route but rather anyone goes. In th e same way the information on the Internet starts out and eventually gets to it's destination. The Internet is full of anonymity. Since text is the standard form of communication on the Internet it becomes difficult to determine the identity and/or age of a specific person. Nothing is known for certain about a person accessing content. There are no signatures or photo-ids on the Internet therefore it is difficult to certify that illegal activities (regarding minors accessing restricted data) are taking place. Take for example a conversation on IRC. Two people could people talking to one another, bu t all that they see is text. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain the gender and/or age just from communication of this sort. Then if the conversationalist lies about any points mentioned above it would be extremely difficult t o know or prove otherwise. In this way governments could not restrict access to certain sites on the basis of ages. A thirteen-year-old boy in British Columbia could decide that he wanted to download pornography from an adult site in the U.S. The site may have warnings and age restrictions but they have no way of stopping him from receiving their material if he says he is 19 years of age when prompted. The complexity in the way information is passed around the Internet means that if information has been posted, deleting this material becomes almost impossible. A good example of this is the junk mail that people refer to as spam. These include e-mails ad vertising products, usenet articles that are open for flames. Flames are heated letters that many times have no founding behind them. These seem to float around for ages before dying out because they are perfect material for flamewars. Flamewars are long, drawn out and highly heated discussions consisting of flames, which often time, obscenely, slander one's reputation and personae. Mostly these are immature arguments that are totally pointless except to those involved. The millions of people that partici pate on the Internet everyday have access to almost all of the data present. As well it becomes easy to copy something that exists on the Internet with only a click of a button. The relative ease of copying data means that the second information is posted to the Internet it may be archived somewhere else. There are in fact many sites on the Internet that are devoted to the archiving of information including: ftp.cdrom.com (which archives an extraordinary amount of software among others), www.archive.org ( which is working towards archiving as much of the WWW as possible), and wuarchive.wustl.edu (which is dedicated towards archiving software, publications, and many other types of data). It becomes hard to censor material that might be duplicated or triplic ated within a matter of minutes. An example could be the recent hacking of the U.S. Department of Justice's Homepage and the hacking of the Central Intelligence Agency's Homepage. Someone illegally obtained access to the computer on which these homepages were stored and modified them. It was done as a prank; however, both of these agencies have since shut down their pages. 2600 (www.2600.com), a magazine devoted to hacking, has republished the hacked DoJ and CIA homepages on their website. The magazine ei ther copied the data straight from the hacked sites or the hacked site was submitted to the magazine. I don't know which one is true but it does show the ease that data can be copied and distributed, as well it shows the difficulty in preventing material deemed inappropriate from appearing where it shouldn't. The Internet is much too complex a network for censorship to effectively occur. It is a totally new and unique environment in which communications transpire. Existing laws are not applicable to this medium. The lack of tangible boundaries causes confusion as to where violations of law take place. The Internet is made up of nameless interaction and anonymous communication. The intricacy of the Internet makes it near impossible to delete data that has been publicized. No one country should be allowed to, or could, regulate or censor the Internet. 1 http://fileroom.aaup.uic.edu/FileRoom/documents/Cases/102socrates.html 2 Declan McCullagh, "PLAGUE OF FREEDOM" Internet Underground, http://www.eff.org/~declan/global/reports/plague.073196.txt (31 July 1996). 3 Declan McCullagh, "PLAGUE OF FREEDOM" Internet Underground, http://www.eff.org/~declan/global/reports/plague.073196.txt (31 July 1996). 4 Shari, Steele, "Taking a Byte Out of the First Amendment. How Free Is Speech in Cyberspace?" Human Rights, http://www.eff.org/pub/Censorship/human_rights_960420.article (Spring 1996). 5 Bryan Bradford and Mark Krumholz, "Telecommunications and Decency: Big Brother goes Digital," Business Today, Spring 1996 : 12-16. 6 Bruce, Sterling, "Short History of the Internet," The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, http://www.isoc.org:70/00/internet/history/short.history.of.internet (17 Apr. 1996). 7 Bruce, Sterling, "Short History of the Internet," The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, http://www.isoc.org:70/00/internet/history/short.history.of.internet (17 Apr. 1996). 8 Shari, Steele, "Taking a Byte Out of the First Amendment. How Free Is Speech in Cyberspace?" Human Rights, http://www.eff.org/pub/Censorship/human_rights_960420.article (Spring 1996). 9 Bill Gates, "Searching for middle ground in online censorship," Microsoft Corporation, http://www.microsoft.com/corpinfo/bill-g/column/1996essay/censorship.htm (27 Mar. 1996). 10 Bill Gates, "Searching for middle ground in online censorship," Microsoft Corporation, http://www.microsoft.com/corpinfo/bill-g/column/1996essay/censorship.htm (27 Mar. 1996). 11 "Silencing the Net--The Threat to Freedom of Expression Online." Human Rights Watch May 1996, Vol. 8, No. 2 (G). 12 Thomas Jefferson, "Bill Of Rights," The Constitution of the United States, http://Constitution.by.net/uSA/BillOfRights.html (21 Apr. 1996). 13 "Silencing the Net--The Threat to Freedom of Expression Online." Human Rights Watch May 1996, Vol. 8, No. 2 (G). 14 Declan McCullagh, "PLAGUE OF FREEDOM" Internet Underground, http://www.eff.org/~declan/global/reports/plague.073196.txt (31 July 1996). 15 Declan McCullagh, "PLAGUE OF FREEDOM" Internet Underground, http://www.eff.org/~declan/global/reports/plague.073196.txt (31 July 1996). 16 Steve Silberman, "Defending the First Amendment," Hotwired.com, http://www.hotwired.com/special/lawsuit. 17 Heather Irwin, "Geeks Take to the Streets," Hotwired.com, http://www.hotwired.com/special/indecent/rally.html 18 Bruce, Sterling, "Short History of the Internet," The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, http://www.isoc.org:70/00/internet/history/short.history.of.internet (17 Apr. 1996). Bibliography Bradford, Bryan and Mark Krumholz. "Telecommunications and Decency: Big Brother goes Digital." Business Today Spring 1996 : 12-16. Gates, Bill. "Searching for middle ground in online censorship." Microsoft Corporation. http://www.microsoft.com/corpinfo/bill-g/column/1996essay/censorship.htm (27 Mar. 1996). Irwin, Heather. "Geeks Take to the Streets." Hotwired.com. http://www.hotwired.com/special/indecent/rally.html Jefferson, Thomas. "Bill Of Rights." The Constitution of the United States. http://Constitution.by.net/uSA/BillOfRights.html (21 Apr. 1996). McCullagh, Declan. "PLAGUE OF FREEDOM" Internet Underground. http://www.eff.org/~declan/global/reports/plague.073196.txt (31 July 1996). Silberman, Steve. "Defending the First Amendment." Hotwired.com. http://www.hotwired.com/special/lawsuit. "Silencing the Net--The Threat to Freedom of Expression Online." Human Rights Watch May 1996, Vol. 8, No. 2 (G). Steele, Shari. "Taking a Byte Out of the First Amendment. How Free Is Speech in Cyberspace?" Human Rights. http://www.eff.org/pub/Censorship/human_rights_960420.article (Spring 1996). Sterling, Bruce. "Short History of the Internet." The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. http://www.isoc.org:70/00/internet/history/short.history.of.internet (17 Apr. 1996). f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Central Tendency Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ There are three measures to central tendency: the mean, median, and mode. These measures relate in different ways to different distributions either skewed or normal. Intelligence tests can also be measured using central tendency principles as well each has a distribution. Intelligence tests also are biased in material, and need regular updates. The mean is the average score, or the sum of the scores divided by the number of different scores. The median is the middle number in a set, which divides a distribution in half. The mode is the most frequent score, which shows up the most often. A distribution is the curve of scores. A skewed distribution is a curve that has a long tail in one direction and has extreme scores that change the mean. The three measures mean, median, and mode under a normal distribution are all the same. Also, in a positively skewed distribution the mean is the greatest number, as to the median and mode. An intelligence test measures the abilities of a person and distributes it as a score. Under the standard, most scores are within 15 points of the mean, being 85 and 115. In two normal distributions there can be an overlap as some people score above and below the mean between the groups. To determine if a test is biased then the scores of two groups need to be measured to see if the test is biased or not. Jimmy Diegelmann 2003 Essay #1 11/1/2009 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ceremony.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The novel Ceremony, written by Leslie Silko deals with the actions of a Native American youth after fighting, and being held captive during World War II. The young mans name is Tayo and upon returning to the U.S., and eventually reservation life he has many feelings of estrangement and apathy towards society. The novel discusses many topics pertaining to Native Americans, through the eyes of Tayo and a few female characters. The novel is one that you must decide for yourself what you believe, and why certain ideas or characters points of view are important. When reading the novel Ceremony, you must decide what you actually believe, and what situations were only figments of Tayo's stressed mind. Many of these situations occur throughout the book, some are very clear and others have hidden meanings. On a whole I believed what Tayo had to say about the world from his shoes. There are certain instinces that I know what Tayo is seeing is completely impossible a In Ceremony one must decide why and how the women's perspective is of importance. I believe the reason the women's view is to put a different perspective upon everything that goes on in the book, as compared with the perspective of Tayo. There are two women in the book who put their perspective into the story, one of them is the elderly mistress of Josiah and the other one is Helen Jean who went on one of the many joyrides that Harley and the others went on. These women are actually just a way for the author to explain how the rest of society viewed Tayo. An example of this is when Helen Jean describes Tayo "Too quiet, and not very friendly(161)". Another thing this allows the author to do is to show how the War affected the young women from the reservations. She is able to show you how Helen Jeans life was in just a few pages. Silko was able to show how the Native American war veterans looked to anyone who happened to look upon them, but that wasn't one of them. The perspective of the women also helped to debunk a lot of the stories the men told about the war and their various conquests etc. Another item for discussion that comes up in Ceremony is what did you as a reader actually learn? Well I learned many things that I found to be interesting, and that I had not known previously. One of these many things that I learned was the fact that during World War II, white America actually "accepted" Native Americans into its culture. White women slept with the Native Americans, as if they were any other military personnel. Even the elderly of society (who are often the most prejudiced) began to come around and accept the Native Americans into society. But this was short lived, once the war was over (and there usefulness to the army) they were returned to the reservation and quickly forgotten by white society. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Chap 2 essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MeghanWildner 8-17-04 2nd AP US History #2. In what ways did the English colonies develop differently from the Spanish and the French colonies? The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 gave birth to England becoming the Mistress of the Seas, otherwise Spain would have kept control of the New World. During this Age of Exploration, the European countries of England, Spain and France, developed colonies in the New World. The developmental difference of the English colonies varied from the Spanish and French due to different social structures, economic systems, and religious beliefs. All three countries sought wealth in the New World. The Spanish found quantities of gold, the French traded with the Native Americans for furs, but the English, more so than wealth, found freedom from religious persecution as well as raw materials such as tobacco and sugar. The majority of the early English colonists sought freedom from religious persecution. Since their reasons for coming to the New World were different from the Spanish and French, the English colonists developed differently. A. Unlike the Spanish and the French, the religion of the English impacted their social structures. In order to follow the ways of the Bible the English that fled for religious freedom, were literate and educated their children as well. 1. Spanish- a. exploited the Natives b. initially male colonists only c. intermarriage with Natives 2. French- a. kept good relations with the Natives, b. initially male colonists only c. intermarriage with Natives d. formed trading posts instead of towns 3. English- a. assisted by the Natives- intermarriage rare and didn't enslave them b. settled as families c. formed towns d. established their own self-government- Mayflower Compact, House of Burgesses, only churched free adult males allowed to vote, therefore politics influenced by church leaders e. schooled their children- Bible textbook B. All the mother countries benefited economically from the colonies, but the English established mercantilism with valuable raw materials found in the New World. 1. Spanish- a. found large quantities of precious metals b. free labor from the Natives (exploitation) 2. French- a. traded for fur with Native Americans 3. English- a. didn't find gold, b. had bountiful supply of raw materials- tobacco and sugar-> mercantilism C. Spurred by John Calvin and the English Reformation, it was the religion of the English colonies, which marked the most significant difference from the Spanish and French, because their goal was not to proselytize the Natives, but to have religious freedom themselves. 1. Spanish- a. Catholic b. not fleeing religious persecution c. unlike English they tried to convert the Natives 2. French- ditto a. Catholic- French King would only allow Catholics to settle - the Huguenots (French Protestants) fled to the English Colonies 3. English- a. majority Protestant, the Puritans hated Catholicism and wanted the Church of England to be purged of all Catholic rituals b. came to New World for freedom of religious persecution from Church of England c. didn't try to convert the Natives Since their reasons for coming to the New World were different from the Spanish and French, the English colonists developed differently. During the Age of Discovery these three leading European powers came to the New World in search of wealth. Each country's colony benefited the mother country in a different way. Religion was the significant factor that caused the developmental difference of the English colonies from the Spanish and French. All three countries developed colonies with different social structures, economic systems, and religious beliefs, however the development of the English colonies deviated greatly from the Spanish and French. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Character Analysis for The Portable Phonograph.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1-29-97 Essay #2: Character Analysis for The Portable Phonograph Walter Van Tilburg Clark's short story, The Portable Phonograph, is a tale about the last survivors in the world after the total destruction of a war. The author gives clues and hints of this throughout the beginning by writing in a narative voice and describing the scene in dark war-like terms. The characters are then introduced as a group of men huddled around a fire. The older of the men, Doctor Jenkins, is the leader and his character is full of personality that can be analyzed by the reader. He is the owner of the shelter that they meet in. This paper will point out the different aspects of the old man in this story and state conclusions that can be drawn from them. The men in this story are obviously amused by the slightest little things. They occupy themselves through book readings from a collection that one man has. Each of the men has their contribution to the group and together they endure a time of devastation by entertaining each other. The older man has a record player that he brings out once a week for the listening pleasure of the group. He is very proud of this treasure. It has sustained through these hard times just as he has and he limits his use of it to make it last. He owns only three steel needles and he gets one out to use because on this particular occasion, their is a musician visitor with them. The other men act as excited as children. They listen to the record and then leave the doctor's house. Doctor Jenkins is nervous and suspicious at the end of the story when the other men leave. "With nervous hands he lowered the piece of canvas which served as his door, and pegged it at the bottom. Then quickly quietly, looking at the piece of canvas frequently, he slipped the records in the case..." (Clark, page 241). He feels that "everything he has" is at risk with the greed that a time like this could produce in the other men. He is secure and comfortable with the things that he has and he doesn't trust the others. He then hides his treasures away in a safe place after they leave. As he gets into his bed he feels the "comfortable piece of lead pipe" with his hand. The doctor has no problem resorting to violence and that actually makes him feel more comfortable. The greed that the doctor sees in the others is a reflection of the feelings and thoughts that he himself has. His views are distorted through his thick shell and he sees himself in the men. He invites them back every week, it seems, so it is quite possibly that his possessions do not make him as happy as the company he receives every week. The contrast between the happiness that the men get from his musical device and the lack of fulfillment this provides for him is interesting. In the world that this story describes, the reader expects the the doctor to be happy with all that he has. As the story unfolds, you gain an understanding of the feelings behind his possessions. Doctor Jenkins is a normal character. His feelings are presented in a real manner. The reader can conclude that his personality is not unlike anyone else. What he sees is influenced by the way he is and how he feels. He views things in a way that ultimately makes his feelings of suspicion and greed stronger. Therefore never breaking the cycle of how he judges those around him. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Characterization of Uncle Henry.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Characterization of Uncle Henry This characterization of Uncle Henry focuses on the two main ways that he is portrayed in "Luke Baldwin's Vow." These two ways are: what Morley Callaghan, the author, reveals through the narrator and what other characters say about Henry. In this short story, Henry is usual referred to as Uncle Henry because he is Luke's uncle. The narrator of this story portrays Henry in many physical and psychological descriptions. He is the manager of a sawmill, where he employs four men. When working in his sawmill or anywhere else for that matter, he never wastes anything, big or small. Henry is very organized when it comes to the business of running his sawmill. He even keeps a little black book to record every single transaction of the sawmill. Henry is big and burly, weighing in at more than two hundred and thirty pounds. He has a black, rough-skinned face. Luke's uncle is said to look like a powerful man, but his health is not good. Henry has aches and pains in his back and shoulders, which his doctor cannot explain. He is respected by his family and friends, and no one ever disobeys him. Uncle Henry thinks that everything has to have a specific purpose. For example, he thinks that his old dog, Dan, is ". . . not much good even for a watchdog now," and is ". . . no good for hunting either." The narrator's description of Henry is so well done that one can picture him in one's mind or even compare him to someone in one's day to day life. The second main way that Henry is portrayed throughout "Luke Baldwin's Vow" is what other characters say about Henry. In this story Henry has a wife named Helena. She says that her husband is "wonderfully practical." Helena also says that Henry takes care of everything in a sensible and easy way; therefore, that would make him an efficient worker. Secondly, Luke, Henry's nephew, looks up to him as a role model. One reason that Luke does this is because "he had promised his dying father he would try to learn things from his uncle"; so he watches him very carefully. Finally, Mr Kemp, Henry's neighbour, says that he is a practical and straightforward man. The other characters in this short story describe Henry just as well, but not as thoroughly as the narrator. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\charity essay 111902.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Danielle Savarino November 20, 2002 Puritan Paper Mrs. Montejunas Charity: How did the Puritans perceive charity and how does Reading observe it charity? If you were a Pilgrim coming in from the Mayflower, you were probably Puritan. Puritans thought that they should set up a community based on religious principles. Religion and church surrounded Puritan's lives. The Puritan people constantly had to go to church and pray. The Puritan's believed in predestination which is the idea that when you are born, God knows every decision that you will make and furthermore knows if you will go to heaven or hell. However, you have no clue where you are going until you die. Another part of the Puritan beliefs is that you should help the people that were poverty-stricken and that were doomed to suffer in this "world". Charity was viewed as comfort to those that fell under these qualifications. The Puritan people basically had to help these types of people considering that the Puritans were above these poor, unfortunate groups of people. Also, since the giver did this charitable act, this was a sign of the goodness of the giver. Charity, in this present time, is looked upon as an extremely gracious act by the person willing to give up time and possibly money. Not that many people give to charity or spend their time helping the unfortunate. Since the view of God and the church is changed significantly since the Puritan people, so has charity. Charity was something that "had" to be done by every Puritan person that wanted to be accepted into heaven if that was what predestined. Now, people have really lightened up about the whole issue of charity. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\cheating essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Warren Spohn English 2 Dr. Gibbons 4/5/04 Cheaters The recollection of the amount of times I have cheated, or allowed others to cheat, is an overwhelming realization. In high school I remember my friends and I all having the test questions and answers because a friend had taken the test earlier or had stolen the test. I can recall one of my teachers explaining to the class various ways that he had cheated on exams too. The reality of cheating is that everybody does it during his or her life. In order to preserve our self-interest humans will lie, cheat, and even steal in extreme cases. Our society has allowed for cheating to become a daily routine because it is difficult to punish a cheater, when you are guilty of cheating as well. However, somewhere a line must be drawn in order to decide what amount of cheating will be tolerated because that is the only way we will begin in the direction of honesty. Human self-interest is what drives us all in daily activities. In high school, my girlfriend worked very hard and was a high achiever, although she too is guilty of cheating. She wanted to go to a good college and therefore she yearned for a transcript decorated with a complete row of "A's". In order to achieve this goal and satisfy her self-interest she compromised her morals by allowing herself to cheat in order to get her "A". Looking back on her actions now I do not see it as a complete disregard for her morality because she was cheating in order to do well in her class. "There is too much competition between students, which leads to increased pressure to do well." (par.6) She felt the need to do well in her class, which resulted her weakness to cheat. The fact that all human persons cheat contributes to why society allows for cheating to continue. I mentioned one of my teachers explained to the class one day the tricks he used for cheating. This made it hypocritical of him when he would discourage cheating in his class because how would it seem if he punished a student for behaving the same way he had? Because our society cheats it becomes vague as to where society's position about cheating stands. We all understand that cheating is not morally just and a popular slogan within our society is "Cheaters Never Prosper." However, Wenke points out that television segments, "Guess what? Cheaters do prosper," are proving the traditional slogan false. Wenke continues to acknowledge that "98 percent of students who participated in the survey (Who's who in America high school students) admitted to cheating." (par.8) Our society allows for cheating to lead to accomplishment, so why would someone not cheat? The key idea here is toleration. When did or society decide to tolerate cheating? Wenke quotes Robin Stansbury as saying, "State and national statistics show cheating among high school students has risen dramatically during the past fifty years." (par.4) It is unclear to me as to why and when cheating became so dominant in our society and why my generation tolerates cheating so much as well. I believe that my generation suffers from all of the pressures to go to a good college and make a lot of money for later in their lives. Wenke states, "In this kind of society, morals take a back seat to how much you earn and how prosperous you are." (par.8) This is a disheartening fact because my generation will soon be running the world and if we are so tolerant of cheating, our society will be suffocated with deception. I am at a loss when I try to think of a solution to the epidemic of cheating that is upon society. Morality has truly been thrown out of the intense pressure on individuals to do well and the easygoing attitude toward toleration of cheating. Since all members of society contribute to the cheating and dishonesty surrounding us, I suppose it will take effort from everyone to attempt to stop cheating and regain the satisfaction of pride from earning something, rather than cheating your way to get what you want f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Chemphs term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As defined in the Encyclopedia, steroids are a large group of naturally occurring and synthetic lipids or fat-soluble chemicals, with a great diversity of physiological activity. Included among the steroids are certain alcohols (sterols), bile acids, many important hormones, some natural drugs and poisons found in the skin of some toads. Cholesterol, a major contributor to arteriosclerosis, is a sterol. Steroid hormones, which are similar to but not identical with sterols, include the adrenal cortical steroids hydrocortisone, cortisone, aldosterone and progesterone and the female and male sex hormones, Estrogen and Testosterone. Most oral contraceptives are synthetic steroids consisting of female synthetic derivatives of this substance. There are many types of steroids including Testosterone, Winstrol, Clenbuteral, Clomid, Dynabolon, Deca Durabolin, Sustanon, Finapliz, Equipoise and Nubian. Most of these are Anabolic Steroids. Testosterone is a male hormone. It is considered a synthetic male hormone manufactured for the purpose of achieving muscle growth. It comes in many different esters. The more prevalent Testosterone Esters are Cypionate, Enanthate, propionate and Suspension. Winstrol is a common brand name for the drug stanazolol. It is a 17-aa steroid designed for oral administration but it is also available in injectible form. It is classified as an anabolic. People take it for body building. There is strict government control on it and it is very expensive. There are many forms of counterfeit Winstol so one must be very careful when purchasing it. Clenbuterol is known as a sympathomimetic. It is taken to mimic adrenaline and noradrenaline in the human body. It is selective beta-2 agonist that is used tostimulate the beta-receptors in fat and muscle tissue in the body. It does work well as a fat burner but not as a body builder. Clomid is a brand name for the drug clomiphene citrate. It is usually prescribed for women to help in ovulation. In men the natural lever of testosterone production is increased with this drug. The effect of this drug is beneficial to athletes, especially when they are discontinuing the use of steroids. It plays a crucial role in preventing a crash in athletic performance. Clomiphene citrate is widely available on the black market. Until recently it was easy to get it through foreign mail order. Clomid is becoming harder to obtain. Dynabolon is used by athletes for muscle gain. It also goes hand in hand with gain in strength. The increases in body weight and improved strength are the result of water retention in tissues and joints. Bodybuilders who use the drug usually inject it twice a week. Female athletes rarely use it since they prefer Durabolin which is discussed next and has a shorter duration of effectiveness. Deca Durabolin is an inject able steroid. It is a low androgenic steroid with high anabolic properties. It is good for developing size and strength. It can be used by almost all athletes with very low side effects. Sustanon is an oil-based injectable containing four different testosterone compounds. It is an androgenic steroid with a pronounced anabolic effect. It leads to less water retention an estrogenic side effects. When first starting the drub you can expect to gain about 20 pounds within a couple of months. The counterfeit drug is rarely seen on the US black market. Finaplix is a veterinary cattle implant which contains the potent androgenic steroid trenbolone acetate. It is the same drug which was once available as an injectable in the US labeled Finaject. It is very effective at burning fat. It can be very toxic especially to the kidneys. Equipoise or boldenone undecylenate is a favorite veterinary steroid for many athletes. Its effects are strongly anabolic. It will provide a steady and consistent gain in mass and strength. Muscle hardness and density can be improved when it is combined with Parabola or Winstrol. If injections are made too often an oil abscess will form at the injection site. If this happens a doctor will have to drain the site. The last one is Nubain which is a popular pain killer used by bodybuilders or weight lifters to combat injuries and break through the "pain barrier". It is also highly addictive. Anabolic Steroids are a big part of society today. Almost all professional body builders are taking or have taken anabolic steroids Body building would not be where it is today without the use of steroids. These steroids come in different shapes forms sizes and colors. There are many more fakes/counterfeit steroids on the market than there are real steroids. Fakes are sold because they are cheap to make and easy to sell. They can be almost identical to the real thing. Unless purchasing from a friend or relative the buyer should beware they will probably be scammed. In the past Anabolic Steroids were mainly used by bodybuilder who were serious about bodybuilding. However today steroids are being used more and more in all sports. Athletes in football, baseball, hockey soccer, wrestling, track and field, cycling and swimming are using it. Anabolic Steroids are used by individuals that simply want to change the way they look. It is used as medication for specific diseases such as AIDS. They help prevent muscle loss from the patient. They are also used is professions that require above average strength such as the army, police officers and bouncers. The biggest problem with the anabolic steroids is the abuse by teenagers. In many high schools sports are everything. Students will do anything to be the best and get all the attention. Because counterfeit steroids are such a big problem the high school students are probably taking fake steroids and no the real thing. In any case, anabolic steroids should not be considered by athletes under the age of 18 year old because of all of the serious side effects. There are many side effects associated with the use of steroids. Some steroids lead to more side effects than others. Usually the more effective the steroid the more negative affects the user will see. Water Retention, Acne, Gynecomastia, Aggression, hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease, Palpitations, Impotence and Jaundice are only some of the side effects. The most common side effect is water retention which cause puffiness or swelling in the neck and facial area. It is rather noticeable especially if you know the person is on steroids. Acne is a very common side effect. It can give someone acne who has never had it before and it can make acne worse for others. It can appear in new places such as the back and neck. Gynecomastia is the formation of breast or abnormally large glands. The first signs are lumps under the nipples which grow to fatty tissue and increase in size the longer the steroids are used. Another side effect of steroid usage is Aggression also known as road rage. Many times steroid users find themselves fighting more with family, friends and coworkers. High blood pressure can also happen during continued use of steroids. If someone is using steroids they should get blood pressure tests regularly. High blood pressure can lead to more serious diseases such as Cardiovascular or heart disease. This is because steroids affect the cholesterol level. Over a period of time the cholesterol builds up and clogs the arteries. Heart palpitations have been reported by a number of athletes on steroids. This may indicate an elevated level of the central nervous system. After prolonged use of steroids Impotence can occur. High dosages of steroids can cause Jaundice which is a serious liver disease which is found by an enlarged painful liver, yellowing of the eyes and skin and flu like symptoms. Anabolic Steroids are intended for people with health related problems and not athletes looking to gain muscle mass. Many body builders an athletes abuse steroids. However the abuse is also among regular people who are disappointed with their bodies. They abuse steroids to shed unwanted fat, or put on some weight. The symptoms of steroid abuse in males are: * Quick and large muscle gains * Aggressive behavior and violent temper * Severe acne on shoulders, neck and face. * Premature balding * Abnormal breast development The symptoms of steroid abuse in females are "man like" features, such as: * Deeper voice * Increase in body hair * Development of the jaw. * Smaller breasts * Fewer menstrual cycles. If you are going to buy steroids the safest way is t purchase them from a pharmacy. However that requires a prescription. Most people get their steroids from friends, relatives or someone from the gym. The person buying the steroids has no clue if they are real or fake. Many people today are using the internet to buy steroids and other medications. The biggest problem with the internet is there are scammers. They pretend to be legit suppliers and simply take the customers money. The customer can't do anything about it because the whole process is illegal. If someone found a possible source on the internet, they should check all the scammer lists to see if the possible source is on any of them. They should ask for references (prior customers). If the person is convinced the source is legit a small order should be made to test the source. However, the person might wait for a bigger order to rip them off. Another way to obtain anabolic steroids is to drive to Mexico and bring them back. Mexican pharmacies have a large supply of steroids. This is illegal and very risky. There are two basic ways to take Anabolic steroids. 1. Orally through the mouth 2. Injected into the body with a needle. The majority of users try to stay away from the pill form because they put more stress on the liver. Some steroids like winstrol have a short life and need to be taken several times a day. The liquid form can also be taken orally. Some athlete will drink the steroid rather than turning their body into a pin cushion. Injecting the steroid is the way most users go. They inject once or twice a week. The safest area of the body to inject are the glute, the shoulder and the thigh. The user should have done much research before injecting their body with the steroid. They need to know what type of needle, where to inject and how to withdraw the liquid. In the 1970's and 1980's federal regulation of steroids came under the jurisdiction of the FDA. Anabolic steroids were required to be prescribed and dispensed by licensed physicians but were not scheduled as controlled substances. Under 1988 legislation criminal penalties were set for people in anabolic steroids for non-medical reasons. In the mid 1980's because of media reports of increasing use of anabolic steroids in sports including high school sports, Congress became concerned. They held hearings to determine whether the Controlled Substances Act should be amended to include anabolic steroids along with more serious drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The majority of witnesses who testified including medical professional recommended against the proposed amendment to law. Under the Control Act possession of any Schedule III substance is a federal offense punishable by up to one year in prison and or a minimum fine of $1,000. Simple possession by a person with a previous conviction fro certain offenses including drug or narcotic crimes, must get imprisonment of at least 15 days and up to 2 years and a minimum fine of $2,500. An individual who sells steroids or possess with intent to sell is punishable by up to five years in prison and or a $250,000 fine. Each violation goes up ion years in prison and fines. Steroids are hard on the body even though it may help its looks. As discussed there are many negative side effects some more serious and long-lasting than others. Is the increased performance for athletes or the change in body size or appearance worth all the risks of the side effects and possibility of being arrested for fined since it is illegal? I don't think so. Steroids were meant for people with health related problems and should be use in that way. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Chicken Soup for the Soul.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chicken Soup for the Soul: Love/Overcoming Obstacles Debora Vickers-Mawji 403 Wateroak Wynd Sunset Beach, NC 28468 910-579-4714 debora@xaranda.net What's it like to be an American woman married to a Muslim man? I get this question all the time. Before 9-11, people were friendly, kind, and accepting despite the obvious differences between our family and the average "Bible Belt" family of North Carolina. We speak different, we look different, we ARE different. Nonetheless, our two restaurants were busy, patronized by locals and tourists alike; our children were happy, and all was well with the world. Then everything changed in one terrible day. The first and most dramatic difference had to be the way people looked at my husband, Karim. He looks Middle Eastern, even though he is not. He has an accent, despite the fact he has lived in the US since he was ten years old. Neighbors who used to wave, or stop by for friendly chats suddenly looked uncomfortable when we were around. They skulked by, watching nervously as if they expected us to start lobbing bombs we had concealed beneath our T-shirt and shorts. Business income dropped dramatically. We were forced to let employees go, and close our second location. Racial slurs started rolling in. I will never forget the look on my husband's face when a man went so far as to spit at him and call him a "Sand Nigger", right inside of our restaurant. Then, to my horror, I discovered the apple tree in our back yard had been chopped down. What was next? Was I going to find my husband swinging from a tree? Were we going to be attacked by an angry mob? Were our children going to be harassed in school? Sadly, for the first time in our lives, we came to realize the incredible depth of human hatred, fear, and ignorance. Despite the increasing difficulties after 9-11, we decided to hold an "All You Can Eat" Spaghetti dinner to raise money for the victims of the World Trade Center. We donated all the food for the cause, despite the fact we were flat broke and faced foreclosure on our business property. Employees and friends volunteered their day off to help us out. To our great surprise, we ended up serving over two hundred people in an hour and a half, and raised well over a thousand dollars. The people who showed up had to be the kindest souls we have ever met. There were loyal friends, but mostly it was a house full of generous strangers who deeply cared for others in need, and wanted to help in any way they could. Many stuffed three to four times the amount owed for their dinners into the fund-raiser jars, offering warm smiles of reassurance, and hugs of appreciation. In addition to the funds we raised, they gave us something money could never buy... faith in our fellow man. With renewed strength, we held our heads high, knowing we had nothing to be ashamed of. We struggled to hang on even through the most difficult of times. Gradually, the tide began to turn. The restaurant started to pick up again, and we caught up with all of our bills. The awful man who spit at my husband was arrested for felony assault on a police officer in Texas. Deep and meaningful friends had sifted from the chafe of humanity; and our children's friends, much to our relief, had never even blinked a wary eye, unlike so many of the adults around them. One day as we stood on our back porch, my husband and I watched in astonishment as an unusually large beaver emerged from the pond and dragged off what was left of our apple tree. Apparently, she was the evil culprit who had cut it down, and with great determination was back to finish the job. At that moment, through our laughter, we knew our lives could never be about hate or fear. Our life together had always been about love, despite our cultural and religious differences; love for family, love for friends, and most of all, love for the people who are willing to give others a chance, no matter who they are. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trained in legal and creative writing, DJVM writes primarily for newspapers. She is marketing an original script, "Shattered Pearl"; based upon her husband's family struggle to survive in Uganda, under one of the most brutal dictatorships in recorded history. The script was a Quarter Finalist of the 2002 Scriptapalooza Scriptwriting contest. She is currently working on another script, which may be adapted into a musical. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ChristinaCarpEssay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Christina Tobie English 2X, per 3. Bless Me, Ultima essay April 1, 2004 The Relativity of Faith (Blue means "insert this here") (Red means "read my commentary and evaluate") (Yellow means "delete this") In Bless Me, Ultima,(this should be underlined) Tony begins the book with blind Christian faith (try "blind faith in Christianity"),(end the sentence here.). but(Change this to "However," through his own growing maturity, the events he witnesses, and his dissatisfaction in the lack of tangibility in conventional God(:)(this should be a comma) (h)e(lowercase he) turns to (a) less structured belief (system with the Golden Carp) that is ultimately more existentially fulfilling. As Tony's faith evolves throughout the novel, he discovers that ultimately(change this to "eventually", as you used ultimately earlier) faith is relative. As a child, Tony needed the wonder and grandeur of Catholicism. (After) (s)erving witness to the deaths of innocents, and the exposure to the sins of his brothers causes him to question the very fundamentals of Catholicism. Thus, Tony is drawn to the physical and less dogmatic deity of the golden carp. As he matures, Tony develops his own sense of faith. (good thesis, I can't remember the prompt though, so I'll trust you) Tony is born a Catholic, ("in the beginning of the book" is unnecessary, change it to "and initially",) he is lost in the glamo(u)r of what he has been told is true; Tony is given no room to explore(, and begins to question it, leading to his new development of faith.) (This topic sentence does not relate to the thesis, so add what I wrote, or something of your own.) Catholicism is out done by its own dogma (Where did this come from? What do you mean? It doesn't belong if you don't explain it.). Organized religions are a system of prefabricated beliefs, often forced upon children through indoctrination; really not that often analyzed, nor really 'followed', just accepted. (ok) Tony is just expected to become a priest, he is not asked(yes). At first Tony has a real love for his faith, (and) he worries for his fathers sins and his brothers. He truly believes that he will achieve a connection to god with his first communion( where he states,) "Soon he would be with me, in me, and he would answer all the questions I had to ask."(219). From the beginning Tony is expected to be a priest, Tony wants his questions answered, but God is silent. Tradition commands Tony to obey this silence and put aside his dreams for his Mothers. (Tony reflects on this traditional feeling where he states,) "A priest I thought, that was her dream. I was to hold mass in Sundays...in town. I was to hear the confessions of the silent people of the valley, and I was to administer the holy Sacrament to them(,)"(9)(.) As the book progresses Tony finds himself more and more isolated from the Catholicism in his family(,) as he finds himself questioning the unquestionable(:) his faith. (Try this for a topic sentence: Tony's own experiences as he matures regarding religion have been more primitive and pagan, but are tangible to him, and lead to his divergence from Christianity.) A number of people in Tony's family strongly believe in the Christian god(this doesn't relate to the second part of the sentence.), and yes, his own spiritual experiences have been more existential and primitive, e.g(.) when he finds he can trust in the golden carp.(This isn't even a topic sentence. Make it into something that relates to your thesis, which was, "Tony develops his own sense of faith as experiences in his life mature him," if I was correct.)(Tony expresses his joy at having a tangible god where he says,) "I could not have been more entranced if I had seen the Virgin, or God himself. I could ... have reached out and touched the holy fish!"(114) The lack of tangibility and response from the Christian gods frustrates Tony; he wants answers, he wants concrete evidence that god is listening. The novel is filled with the deaths of innocents, (and) Tony questions how a god could allow the death of such goodness and allow such evil to continue(.) However, he receives no answer from the Christian god. (you need a transition here. You go from his doubt in Christianity to him feeling guilt for believing in the Carp.) Wracked with guilt, Tony feels that he has betrayed his family by abandoning the faith of his ancestors. (You always forget to lead into the quote! Let's try, Tony expresses his melancholy regarding this where he says,) "Would they smile when they learned I doubted the god of my forefathers,... and knew I praised the beauty of the golden carp?" Although Tony feels he is violating what has been taught to him; he seeks spiritual satisfaction in the physical form of the golden carp. He finds solace in the mere physical proximity of the golden carp, unlike his first communion where he feels disregarded by the lack or response from God (good, you made a comparison. This is what a good transition is. Do it more often.). For Tony, Catholicism is nothing but disappointments, and disillusions; causing him to change his faith to that of the compassion and understanding of the golden carp.(good) As he matures, Tony develops his own sense of faith; he finds that even though intangible, the carp is undeniably corporeal(, leading him to trust it as a deity rather than the Christian god). The reality of the carp is the fantastical, physical aspect of a deity that Tony felt Christianity was lacking. Ultima's powers are an aspect of the golden carp, both come from a natural earth magic that stems from the faith of each individual. This concept, while originally strange to Tony's devout mind, becomes the answer to the questions that needed to be asked(,) "Was it possible that there was more power in Ultima's magic than in the priest?" (Is this a quote, or your own question?) The dogma of Catholicism is simply insufficient when compared to the Karma-like aspect of the carp. (how is the carp karma-like exactly? You should explain this, it is unclear.) When (he was) a practicing catholic, Tony feared damnation for his existence even though aware of the tyranny this god is capable of. The golden carp also will punish those that have sinned. However, the carp will admonish only if the people continue to sin. Florence, damned by the fact that he feels God sinned against him, would have been welcomed into the believers of the golden carp.(what is the purpose of this sentence regarding the thesis? Use a transition or explain it) The physical presence of the golden carp allows Tony to discover the religious exultation that Catholicism could not provide(good).Regarding this, Tony exalts, "This is what I had expected God to do at my first holy communion!"(114) The freedom in the paganism of the golden carp allows Tony to grow spiritually, mentally, and physically over the course of the novel.(good) The novel ultimately proves that faith, like all things, is relative. For Tony's Mother, God is found in the greatness of high mass. For his Father, his beloved Ilano, and for his brothers, their freedom, for Ultima in all things, and for Tony, a fish. All these combined reflect the mysterious journey that is human faith, which is Anya's point: that God is in all things, including ourselves(don't use personal pronouns. Try "humanity" instead). It is our journey to find which summons we respond to with our souls. (love the concluding sentence.) Ok, lots to be corrected. I thought you had some good commentary. Don't forget in future essays that you need to lead into every quote you say and reflect on it, don't just put it in and expect the reader to know where it came from and what its relevance is. Also, your topic sentences (statement heading each paragraph) never related to the thesis. Each one should restate the thesis in regards to the content of the paragraph it heads. Finally, try to make more transitions. I didn't point them all out, but occasionally throughout the essay you would bump erratically from one thought to another. It was all underneath one concept, but it could have been smoother. Overall, I thought it was very spiritual. Good luck correcting. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Chronic Swamp Murders.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Chronic Swamp Murders One day while Joe and Jill Hemp were walking through Chronic swamp they came across a trail of blood in the water. They followed the trail until it stopped at a dead body. The body was of a man who was wearing a camouflage outfit. They immediately ran back to their house, which was not far from the murder site and called the police. Their house was located right on the edge of the swamp. When the police got there they roped off the whole area so they could start their investigation. At first it looked as if it was definitely a murder, but after a few days of investigation the police concluded that the man was probably a hunter who had either fallen out of a tree or just tripped and broken his neck. A broken neck was definitely what killed the man. The only problem with this hypothesis was that it left a few unanswered questions. If the man was a hunter where did his gun or bow go? How often did you find a dead hunter just lying in the middle of a swamp? Even with these questions police told the Hemps that it was an accident and they were in no danger. The Hemp's life went on with no interruptions until about two weeks after the hunter was found. Another body had been found in the swamp. This time the body was a male whom had a business suit on. The police came back and investigated this death. After about a week they concluded again that it was a broken neck that had killed the victim. There were no signs of a struggle so the investigators said that it was some type of freak accident. They also told the Hemps to stay out of the swamp. The Hemps never went back into the swamp again, but one night they were awakened by a loud pounding noise on the front door. When Mr. Hemp got up to see what it was, all he saw was something large running into the swamp. He then made sure that all the doors were locked and he got his shotgun out of the closet. He waited in his dark living room for about an hour and then went back to his bed. He didn't tell his wife what had happened so she wouldn't be scared . The next day when Joe was coming home from work he noticed the door was wide open. When he got closer he noticed that the door frame was broken and the door had been kicked in. He ran inside looking for his wife. He couldn't find her anywhere, so he ran to their bedroom for his gun. On his way to the bedroom he heard his wife scream and the scream was coming from the bedroom. He then saw a huge man who was at least seven feet tall and weighed about 300 pounds. This man was beating up Joe's wife. Joe ran and jumped on his back. The man stopped hitting his wife and just tossed Joe to the ground. The huge man then started beating Joe. Joe was unconscious and the man was getting ready to break Joe's neck when his wife shot the monster-sized man right in the chest with their shotgun. He instantly fell to the ground dead. Joe made a full recovery and the Hemps were credited with solving the mystery of the Chronic swamp murders. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CHRYSALIDS ESSAY.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ There is an excessive amount of prejudice, intolerance and ignorance all around society in the today's world, nevertheless there are some individuals who are aware of this and are trying to change the amount of it around them in their own society. As one can see, in the novel the author deals with these subjects very well and it makes it enjoyable for the reader. In John Wyndham's novel The Chrysalids the author deals with themes of prejudice, intolerance and ignorance; in many ways, the nature of Waknuk society parallels our own present society In the Chrysalids the people of Waknuk are prejudice against anyone who does not live up to their beliefs of a "true image." They discriminate against anyone who looks or acts differently then they do. For example there is signs all over David's house saying things like "WATCH FOR THOU MUTANT," and on the other hand Sophie has only one extra toe on each foot and she had to be sent away to the Fringes for being different. Also, Aunt Harriott's baby has the smallest little mark on her but she is still labeled as a deviation. Similarly, there is a lot of prejudice in present day society. People still discriminate against other races and religions. It is unbelievable that this is still happening in society. Just because someone has a different skin tone than oneself, or speaks a different language or has different religious beliefs does not give one the right to put that other person down or treat them with any less respect. Everyone is equal. The people of Waknuk do not let people be who they are, which shows intolerance. They believe everyone has to be the same and look very similar. If people are slightly different in any way they get sent away to this place called the "Fringes," also known as the Badlands. Intolerance does not really occur to such an extreme in present day society. In the 1940's, this intolerance was present in Germany. If one were Jewish, or a Gypsy or not of "pure German decent," one would be arrested and sent to concentration camps to ones death by starvation, forced labor, torture or poisoning. Jews were forced to wear stars of David or "J's" to indicate their religious backgrounds. In The Chrysalids, Waknuks society does not know anything about any of the other "groups," who live in other parts of their lands, which shows ignorance. Waknuk's society think that those groups are different from them and so they frown upon those differences. Ironically, the other groups speak of the people of Waknuk in exactly the same way. Those other "groups" from different places think that Waknuk's society is strange and weird. Waknuk's society does not even make an attempt to gather more knowledge about those other groups. One could argue that we have a lot of ignorance in present day society. Some people critically judge homeless people by their dress and behavior, without talking to them to find out why they live on the street. People judge them by their appearance and they just see them as lazy and worthless. As in The Chrysalids, prejudice, ignorance and intolerance are present in our own society. It is impossible to get away from it. One can avoid being prejudice, intolerant and ignorant but it is still going to occur all around oneself. The question himself must ask is can they personally make a difference to the amount of prejudice, intolerance and ignorance there is today by ones behavior. People should just accept other people for who they are and not something someone wants them to be. THE CHRYSALIDS By Emma Nemtin January 8th 2002 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Citation guide for Writers of Term Papers.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Guides to the OSU Libraries Turabian Citation Guide Introduction This guide is based on Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations 6th ed. 1996. Examples are shown for books, articles, and online resources. Bibliography items are listed alphabetically at the end of the research paper. Items are referred to in the body of the paper using the Footnote or In-Text style. For other examples, please refer to the Manual for Writers available in the Reference collections in the Thompson (Main) Library; Education, Human Ecology, Psychology, and Social Work Library; and other OSU libraries. (LB 2369 T8 1996). Book (one author) Bibliography: Wurman, Richard Saul. Information Anxiety 2. Indianapolis, IN: QUE, 2001. Footnote: Richard Saul Wurman, Information Anxiety 2 (Indianapolis, IN: QUE, 2001), 71. In-Text: (Wurman 2001, 71) [Go to Top of Page] Book (two to three authors) Bibliography: Strunk, William, and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. New York: Macmillan, 1972. Footnote: William Strunk and E. B. White., The Elements of Style. (New York: Macmillan, 1972), 27. In-Text: (Strunk and White 1972, 27) Book (more than three authors/editors) Bibliography: Russon, Anne, Kim Bard, and Sue Taylor Parker, eds. Reaching Into Thought : The Minds of the Great Apes. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Footnote: Kim Russon and others, eds., Reaching Into Thought: The Minds of the Great Apes. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 134. In-Text: (Russon and others, 1996, 134) [Go to Top of Page] Published Proceedings Bibliography: Summey, Terri Pedersen. "Translating Information Competencies from High School to College." In First Impressions, Lasting Impact: Proceedings of the Twenty-eighth National LOEX Library Instruction Conference Held in Ypsilanti, Michigan 19-20 May 2000, edited by Julia K. Nims, 135-138. Ann Arbor, MI: Pierian Press, 2002. Footnote: Terri Pedersen Summey, "Translating Information Competencies from High School to College," in First Impressions, Lasting Impact: Proceedings of the Twenty-eighth National LOEX Library Instruction Conference Held in Y psilanti, Michigan 19-20 May 2000, ed. Julia K. Nims, 135-138. (Ann Arbor, MI: Pierian Press, 2002), 136. In-Text: (Summey, 2002, 136) [Go to Top of Page] Journal Article Bibliography Davis, Philip. "The Effect of the Web on Undergraduate Citation Behavior: A 2000 Update." College & Research Libraries 63 (January 2002): 53-60. Footnote: Philip Davis, "The Effect of the Web on Undergraduate Citation Behavior: A 2000 Update," College & Research Libraries 63 (January 2002): 57. In-Text: (Davis 2002, 57) Magazine Article Bibliography: Chelminski, Rudy. "Unearthing Athens' Underworld." Smithsonian, 33 November 2002, 120-125. Footnote: Rudy Chelminski, "Unearthing Athens' Underworld," Smithsonian, 33 November 2002, 122. In-Text: (Chelminski 2002, 122) [Go to Top of Page] Newspaper Article Bibliography [rarely listed separately in a bibliography if cited only once or twice.] Footnote: William Broad, "For Parts, NASA Boldly Goes... on eBay," New York Times, 19 July 2002, 24. In-Text: (New York Times 19 July 2002) Full-Text Articles (online) [Note: The Turabian 6th edition has very limited examples for citing online and electronic resources. These examples have been adapted from those examples.] Bibliography: Nussbaum, Bruce. "Maya Lin's World." Business Week, 18 December 2000. Available from Academic Search Premier, Item 3848251. Http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/ cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?dbn=268. Accessed 13 July, 2002. Footnote: Bruce Nussbaum, "Maya Lin's World." Business Week, 18 December 2000. Database on-line. Available from Academic Search Premier, Item 3848251. http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi?dbn=268. Accessed 13 July, 2002. In-Text: (Nussbaum, 2002) Other World-Wide Web Resources (net.TUTOR "Quick Guide") To view other electronic or Internet citations, see: The OSU Libraries' net.TUTOR Quick Guide: Citing Net Sources http://gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/open/les7/guide.html [Go to Top of Page] URL = http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/guides/turabiangd.html f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\city of god.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass The Gangs of Rio de Janeiro 1. In 1980 58 per 100,000 male teenagers died from gun fights in Rio. 2. In 1995 183 per 100,000 male teenagers died from gun fights in Rio. 3. In 1999 the murder rate for people ages 15-24 was 210 per 100,000 which was the third highest murder rate of that age group in the world. 4. The violence has become so bad that many international businesses have declined investment opportunities in Rio. 5. Half of the 720,000 plastic surgery cases practiced annually in Brazil are reconstructive surgeries due to the excessive violence to the human body. "These things were not so common before, but today we treat victims of aggression who suffer from fractures and pistol-whippings," 6. In 1993 72 street children, who were thought to be gang members, were killed by an "extermination squad", composed mostly of police. The attack was known as the "Candelaria Massacre". 7. Urban violence in Brazil is a government priority second only to the economy. 8. Due to the excessive violence, the Brazilian government is contemplating banning firearms. 9. Among the 914 young people between the ages of 14 and 20 interviewed for the study, entertainment and relaxation headed the list of "concepts associated with youth." Drugs, violence, and crime were cited as the most pressing concerns, especially by lower-income respondents. 10. " 'The fear is constant,' said Vera Lucia Flores Leite, a mother whose 16-year-old daughter disappeared in 1990 with 10 other people when gang members invaded a party in the Rio slum district of Acari. She said the ransacking of her own child was not overly shocking, she said 'I see it everyday'" (Chardez, 295). Chardez, Liano. Cidade de Deus. Florentine Books, Lisbon: 1999. Hunter, Stephen. Modern Brazil: Life on the Streets. Weber Publishing, New York: 1984. Vedia, Carlos. Rio de Janeiro. Vintage Books, Philadelphia: 2001. Important Films about Violence in Brazil City of God The Man of the Year Carandia f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Civ Term Paper Fall 2003 economics and war.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The 17th and 18th century in Europe was a time of constant battle and struggle among countries and regions. Many of these battles lasted over great periods of time, and became extremely expensive. In many cases the winner of the battle turned out to be the one who could afford supplies the longest. Wars of this period were unlike wars of the past. Countries were no longer battling over religion and beliefs, but over power and money. The ability of France and Britain to raise and collect money and or taxes can explain a great deal about their success and failures on route to their goals of European dominance. This was a busy period for countries in Europe, especially the French, British, Prussians, and the Hapsburg Empire. Each was trying to get a strong hold on Europe and expand their boundaries. Each was hoping to improve its military and naval technology, in order to do this it was important to have plenty of money to invest towards it. As control over other land in different continents became and option, countries had to invest heavily in naval ships for battle. These investments in naval resources became very expensive. This struggle gave the period in time the name of the "financial revolution". This was also a busy period of trade. Many large cities that we know today flourished during this time. Amsterdam, London, Lyons, Frankfurt, and some others became trade centers. These centers became areas of wealth. Due to this many banks formed to supple money and hold savings. Many of these banks adopted the banking practices already established in Italy. These would become very important banks down the line for these countries as they would become dependent on loans and investment. France and Britain are the two countries that butted heads throughout this decade both competing for domination. It is interesting to see the differences in how each funded their military. Wars at this period had grown in size and expenses. "The cost of sixteenth century war could be measured by millions of pounds; by the late seventeenth century, it had risen to tens of millions of pounds; and at the close of the Napoleonic war the outgoing of the major combatants occasionally reached a hundred million pounds a year."(Kennedy, 77). This made it very hard for smaller countries and rulers to compete with the likes of France and Britain. Even for these two it was very difficult to scrape together the money to fund these battles. Both found ways yet there financial situations were completely different. The ways in which each created funds for battle varied drastically. Britain had a strong taxation system. They had a more indirect tax, unlike many other countries at this time that had direct heavy taxes. This indirect method really helped in keeping the British people happy and not angry with their leaders. The main income for the British was on the land tax. This tax was enforced to everyone with no exceptions. A main reason for the fair tax system in Britain was due to the fair representation. They had fair representation so there taxes were justified. However, this wouldn't be the case for the colonies, and this is what started the American Revolution. The British were heavily taxing the colonies for the huge debt they had from the Seven Years War. A strength that the British had over the French was that there per-capita income was higher, so they could afford to tax more. However, France had a larger population which canceled this strength of theirs out. The French taxation on the other hand was less productive. They had no proper system of public finance. Tax farmers collected the taxes from the people then handed the collection up to the authorities. It would go through a number of people's hands before finally making it to the king. The problem with this set up was that each person who touched the money felt that they had a right to a share. So by the time the taxes made it to the king the amount of money was fare less then when it was first collected. Another flaw in their system was the exemptions they gave to the upper class. Both the First and Second Estates were exempt, leaving the only Third Estate to pay the taxes. This was part of their population that would have funds to really help, yet they went untapped. The Third Estate also got angered by this, hurting their support for the king. However the reason why Louise the XIV was so successful was his control over his taxes, unlike other French kings. Because of Louise XIV great power he was able to raise taxes without much trouble; this helped tremendously at war time, and is a reason for his success. These two countries were always looking to find a competitive advantage on each other. One of the ways was through allies. If a country had a strong ally they could help them with funds in times of war. So at this time it was important to pick your allies wisely. Also taking out loans was a large part of funding wars. Many countries racked up huge national debts during war times. Britain's seven year war had a price tag of 160 million pounds. They had a fleet of over 120 ships and 200,000 soldiers. Of the 160 million only 60 million was raised on money markets. This made an enormous national debt and made the British people exceptionally angry with Pitt. France also relied on loans excessively. Instead of putting money into the economy they just took out loans. Those who had money were forced to purchase an office or annuity rather than invest in businesses. Due to all this the French economy really struggled. The Dutch during this time became a big player in Europe. They controlled trade. Due to this they were very influential and wealthy. As prosperity spread throughout Europe banks became very important. The Bank of England opened its doors in 1694. This was very important for the British they began to print money in a time when there was a huge shortage of coin. Another advantage the British had on their rivals was that their stock was very popular among investors. A large reason for this is that they offered very high interest rates. So many investors liked to trade their stock. This formed a relationship with the Dutch. The Dutch became great loaners to the British in war times. They always seemed to help them out. However, they were unable to in the end of the American Revolution. In fact in 1780 the Dutch left the British side and joined the French. The British managed to get there way out of debt on there own. They were forced to look in a different direction. They began to trade heavily and increase there production. Also many new inventions in technology helped them to prosper. Napoleon was one of the greatest rulers of all time. At the height of his reign he controlled most of Europe. However the reason why his empire fell was the British. As you can see the two were always butting heads. One of Napoleons plans to beat the British was economically. He thought he could cut them off from trade from the rest of Europe. He was able to do so, but the British were able to survive via other means. They were stable themselves also they opened new markets on other continents (especially Latin America). As you can see economics was always a large part of the battles that took place during this time. Wars were either over economic reasons or in some cases like Napoleon part of his tactics. This was a new direction in History and one that we still see today. The periods before this, war was caused by religion and beliefs. This is the beginning of economical wars. "Money, money, and yet more money"-Old Aphorism (Kennedy, pg76). This is a quote that sums up this period. However the reason why these two countries were able to bring their nations to the top of Europe was their ability to finance their armies and navies through long wars. There ability to finance through taxes, trade, and production made them both stronger than the rest. Another large point that helped these two countries was their ability to keep their people happy and supportive, in times of heavy taxing and debt. Also they both were very flexible; when one market closed they found others. This is especially true for the British. This is important for countries at war. Countries must be able to be self sufficient if needs be, as rivals may try to cut them off like the French attempted with the British. This was a heavily economic time these two countries made more progress than the rest of Europe this helped them control trade and expand their wealth and control on the rest of the world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Civ Term Paper Spring 2004.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ . The Next Step Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. Eoin Lynch April 5, 2004 DWC - Prof. Bonney The Civil Rights movement did not follow a smooth path. The progress made did not happen over night and wouldn't have happened without two influential leaders. Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. were crucial leaders in the African-American struggle for civil rights. Without these two men the civil rights movement would have turned out much different, and most likely would have been a blood bath. The two dealt with the same problems at totally different times. Washington published his most famous piece of work Up From Slavery in 1901, while King was at his peak of his leadership in 1963. Even thought the two were sixty years apart, the two dealt with the struggle of equal rights. However, these two had completely different views on what the next step should have been for African-Americans and how they should go about acquiring their equal rights. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856. He was born in the south on a farm in Franklin County, Virginia, where his mother worked the fields. His father was a white man, probably his owner. Washington was born just before the beginning of the Civil War (1861-1865), and was freed from slavery in 1862 with the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery. With his new freedom in 1872 he attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, and stayed there for three years. He moved on from here to teach in West Virginia. He then moved to D.C. to continue his education. Moving to the cities like D.C. was a trend at this time as many felt there was great opportunity for riches waiting for them there. Washington felt that it was important to get an education and the need for all blacks to do so also. However, he didn't agree with the new attitude that many African-Americans had adopted. Many had started to think that the slightest education would free them from the labor jobs they had always worked. Many became teachers and preachers; some knew very little and didn't belong in either profession. Also the new ability to take office was very enticing to many. In some of these cases the individuals had little to no education and had poor morals. This agitated Washington greatly. He noticed that many of these people found themselves out of work as quickly as they had reached office. Many of them were forced back out onto the streets and into poverty. "How many times I wished then, and have often wished since, that by some power of magic I might remove the great bulk of these people into the country districts and plant them upon the soil...where all nations and races that have ever succeeded have gotten their starts...a start that at first may be slow and toilsome, but one that nevertheless is real." (US) This idea or wish became the foundation of his plans and the plans he had for his people. His solution to their struggle was to build a foundation from the bottom and grow from there. He was witnessed many girls go off to school learn new trades and skills, but had no opportunity to uses them once out in the real world. Instead they developed new higher wants yet their ability to afford these new things hadn't changed. In 1881 he opens the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, in Tuskegee, Alabama. At his institution he gave a balanced education. He gave both an industrial and academic education. This way they would become educated and also keep there trades in other fields. He believed that it was important to earn the respect from whites. They couldn't just expect to start at the top. It was important "cast down your bucket where you are"(US) and make progress from there. In time African- Americans would work their way up and would be on an equal level. "In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress."(US) The African-Americans had built the south. They were the ones who did all the dirty work as the white-man sat back and collected the riches. He felt they couldn't earn their respect like how they had earned their freedom. He believed social equality would come with time, not over night. Like Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. was another great Civil Rights leader, except he came along around sixty years after. Since Washington many changes in Civil Rights had been made. King was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. Since Washington not a whole lot had changed with "time". African Americans were considered separate but equal. The whites wanted to keep the blacks down. The two lived in separate areas on different sides of town they could not buy or rent a home wherever they chose, and went to school separately. African-Americans could not eat at lunch counters, register in motels or share the same rest rooms with whites. It was said that the two were equal but they still were not. African-American schools were poorly funded and the facilities were fare inferior. This was what Washington assumed would come with time. Sixty years had passed and things hadn't changed. Many more rights had been given but respect hadn't been rightfully given to the African-Americans. King was the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and gained large amounts of African-American following. He was fighting a battle against injustice. He along with many were tired of unjust laws, and felt the time for equal rights was long over due. He knew that these rights would not just be handed over to them. They need to act out and win them. "It is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily...for years now I have heard the word "wait" it rings in the ear of every Negro..." (LBJ)Many years had passed since their independence and many unjust laws restricted their rights. In order to vote whites emplaced many tedious restrictions. When African-Americans showed up to vote they were tested on their knowledge of the Constitution. These tests were never given to White individuals. Or while riding a bus an African-American must give up ones seat for a White man. King was a strong believer in non-violent resistance. He arranged many boy-cots, sit-inns, and marches to prove points. He installed four basic steps in his non-violent campaign; collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exists; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. King was what was desperately needed for the African-Americans he was extremely well educated and fought well with words and actions. In his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" he quotes many great scholars and leaders of history to back his argument. He quotes the likes of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Buber, and Socrates to name a few. He also uses many similar incidents in history to reflect and compare to what he is going through to make an exceptionally strong argument. One of the most powerful is that of Hitler. King was right the time had come. His actions were hard to resist, as he didn't break many laws. He broke some laws but only those that he found unjust. "I would agree with St. Augustine "an unjust law is no law at all"."(LBJ) He makes reference to that fact that it wasn't against the law what Hitler was doing, so does that make what he was doing right? He makes it hard for those to argue against him. His argument is for their "God given rights". Still there was large resistance from society. On August 28, 1963 King delivered his most powerful speech that was heard all over the country. He led 250,000 people in a march on Washington. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character"(IHD) This was part of the speech at the Lincoln Memorial that goes down in history as one of the most powerful speeches of all time and is the highlight of the whole Civil Rights movement. King will always be scene as the main leader of the whole Civil Rights movement. He lived his life in terror and constant threat of murder. He sacrificed all he had spending time in jail for his cause. He knew the time was long over due and he wasn't going to make his kids wait for equal rights. If equal rights were ever going to earned he was going to have lead them to it. These two men are extraordinary. It's not possible or right to judge who did or contributed more. Both lived in hard times, and also different times. Washington was right, African-Americans needed to get organized and plan their attack. In his day African-Americans had been suppressed for so long that they needed to learn how to walk before run. It wasn't until Martin Luther King, Jr. came along that they found the leader that they had been waiting for. King was able to organize and lead them in the right way to achieving their God given rights. This is a horrible time in history that whites should feel ashamed for. But we still live in a world today that isn't perfect and is full of discrimination. The world is in need of such strong leaders such as King and Washington. If more of our leaders or role models today were as knowledgeable and in touch with their history as King and Washington we would live in a much healthier world. (LBJ) Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr. - 1963 (IHD) I have a Dream Speech - Martin Luther King, Jr: The Peaceful Warrior, Pocket Books, NY 1968 --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Civil Disobdience Right or Responsiblity .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The short play, Antigone, was written in 441 B.C. by the Greek playwright Sophocles. It deals with some of the most basic problems that affect a society. One of them is Civil Disobedience. Civil Disobedience both a right and responsibility of a person to fight an unjust law. Government is given the right to control a group of people by the people composing the group. If an individual has a problem with an injustice they feel has been placed against them, then they have a right to convey this. Civil Disobedience allows one to convey their thoughts and ideas in a passive, nonviolent way. It can be used when one believes that they are morally right, and that others will agree with them. Antigone conveys this thought when she tells, "No one will ever convict me for a traitor" (Page 61). In a nonviolent from, Civil Disobedience is a basic human right. Often society has laws that individuals feel is immoral, or unjust. Antigone decided to bury Polynices, for she was obeying the gods, even though it was declared illegal by Creon. "Look on me, you noble sons of Thebes- the last of a great line kings, I alone, see what I suffer now at the hands of breed of men- all for reverence, my reverence for the gods!" (page 106) This quote illustrates how Antigone believed that the power of the gods was greater than the power of any king. If she had obeyed Creon, she would have disobeyed the stronger power of the gods which could have had more of a devastating result on her. Antigone shows us, thru Civil Disobedience, that breaking some of societies laws is both a right and responsibility. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\classicism essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kate Mabe February 23, 2004 Period 8 Classicisme Classicisme a commencé en France dans le dix-septième siècle. Il était un mouvement littéraire poussé par le Renaissance et la littérature Grecque. Son dèbut est souvent associé avec la formation de l'Academie Français par Cardinal Richelieu. Il a établi beaucoup de règles très strictes pour la littérature, sourout pour le théâtre. Les régles pour le théâtre a tourné de les trois " unités " d'Aristotle: l'unité d'action, l'unité d'endroit, et l'unité du temps. Beaucoup de la littérature classique était très pessimiste au sujet de la nature humaine. Toute était sophistiquée, bien équilibrée, et plein de la philosophie et du débat. L'influence du Classicisme peut être vué dans l'art et la musique de la dix-septième siècle aussi, et le mouvement a répandu partout dans l'Europe. Quelques de ses représentatifs littéraires étaient Molière, Corneille, Pascal, Racine, La Rochefoucauld, La Fontaine, La Fayette, et de Viau. On se concentre maintenant sur trois de ces représentatifs: Molière, Racine, et La Fontaine. Molière, célèbre pour ses farces qui critiquaient l'aristocracie, est né au Paris en 1622. Son nom vrai était Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. Son père était un " valet de chambre tapissier " qui faisait le rembourage pour le roi, alors il avait une bonne enfance et aussi une très bonne éducation. Il a créé sa prope troupe d'acteurs, et la troupe est devenue ça de le roi. Dans ses pièces de théâtre, qu'il écrivait et produisait lui-même, il a souvent joué le rôle principale. Il est mort en 1673 après de jouer dans un de ses farces. Quelques de ses pièces de théâtre célèbre sont L'Étourdi, Les Précieuses Ridicules, Tartuffe, et Le Malade Imaginaire. Jean Racine est né en 1639. Il était un orphelin, et sa grand-mère l'a élevé dans le couvent de Port-Royal. La, il a reçu une éducation par des " Jansenistes, " membres d'un mouvement controversé. Il a commencé d'étudier la loi, mais il est devenu dramaturge. Un peu de ses pièces de théâtre était les comedies, mais ses tragédies étaient plus couronnées de succès. Il était l'ami de Molière jusqu'à un incident avec une actrice de Molière-Racine l'a convaincue de devenir membre de sa troupe, et Molière était très fâché. Parmi de ses tragedies sont Britannicus, Phèdre, Esther, et Athalie. Il est mort et 1699. Jean de La Fontaine n'était pas dramaturge-il était auteur. Il est né au Champagne en 1621. Après d'étudier la loi, la théologie, et la médicine, il les a abandonnées pour écriver la littérature. Il est célèbre pour ses fables, surtout sa collection Fables Choisies Mises En Vers. En 1683 il est devenu membre de l'Academie Français pour s'écriture. Ses écritures étaient très controversiales, parce qu'ils discutent les idées rejetés par l'église Catholique. Il est mort en 1695, et pour racheter ses " péchés " il a brûlé un de ses comedies. Molière, Racine, et La Fontaine sont seulement quelques des écritures de le mouvement classique en France. Leur influence, et aussi l'Academie Français, restent aujourd'hui. On peut le voir dans la littérature, l'art, et la musique de France et de tout de l'Europe. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ClassicsOralTradition.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Division of Honors and Journeying Among the Gods In this midterm essay I will discuss why Gods Journey. I believe that Gods journey for two reasons. One reason is to seek out honor for themselves. The other reason is to regain honors they have lost. To demonstrate this I will first discuss the journeys of Hades in the Homeric hymn "To Demeter" comparing it to the journey of Hermes in "To Hermes". I fell that both of these companion journeys were attempts by these Gods to win honors they did not already have. Next I will look at the companion journeys of Demeter and Apollo. I think that both of these Gods journeyed to regain honors they'd previously had, but lost. Lastly I will conclude by showing how all four Gods had to compromise and divide up the honors amongst themselves. "Earth with its wide roads gaped and then over the Nysian field the lord and All receiver, the many named son of Kronos, sprang out upon her with his immortal horses...Not an unseemly bridegroom among the immortals is Aidoneus, Lord on Many, your own brother from the same seed; to his share fell honor when in the beginning a triple division was made, and he dwells among those over whom his lot made him lord" (To Demeter 16-18, 83-87). I think that these two sets of lines show that Hades viewed Persephone as a prize. Honor was one of the things Hades won when he, Zeus, and Poseidon divided up the world. Thus Hades felt justified in journeying up from the underworld to earth to claim Persephone as his bride. I feel that he felt he deserved to have her, according to his logic, because honor was something he was entitled to as a God. I feel that Hermes journey was similar to that of Hades in that he traveled in order to win honor for himself and for his Mother Maia. "A watcher by night and a gate keeper, soon destined to show forth glorious deeds among the immortal gods. Born at dawn, by midday he played his lyre, and at evening he stole the cattle of far shooting Apollon...But I shall be master of whatever skill is best to provide for you and me forever; we shall not suffer, as you bid me, to stay right here and be the only two immortals not plied with gifts and prayers. It is better to be forever in the gods' intimate circle, rich, affluent, and with an abundance of grain, than to sit in this dark cave; and as for honor, I, too, shall claim the rite of which Apollon is a master" (To Hermes 15-18, 166- 173). Hermes much like Hades was destined to achieve glorious deeds and win honor. He felt he was entitled to steal Apollo's cattle, just as Hades felt entitled to steal Persephone, because neither he nor Maia were receiving their just honors from the Gods. I think that honor is one of the most important and significant things among the Gods. It is truly the one area in which Gods are able to distinguish themselves from other gods. I think that both of these Gods risked earning the wrath of other Gods because honor was so important to them, and they felt they were lacking of such. Both of these journeys represent one of the key reasons why I feel that Gods travel. Both of these Gods were not receiving the honors that they felt they deserved as Gods. Furthermore both of them lived in isolated places, Hades in the underworld and Hermes in an isolated cave, away from the other gods who lived on MT. Olympus. Thus these Gods could easily be forgotten and dismissed by the people, and the other Gods. I think that Hermes wanted to own something so people would honor him and his mother in the same fashion they honored the other Gods on Mt. Olympus. I feel that Hades wanted someone whom he could claim as a bride to keep him company in his rule of the underworld isolated away from the other Gods. While both of these Gods were able to temporarily steal away these honors for themselves, they had to take them from other Gods. Once these other Gods found out about their thievery they responded in kind with a journey of their own to reclaim honors which had been there's before and which they felt should still rightfully be theirs. "For nine days then all over the earth mighty Deo roamed about with bright torches in her hands, and in her sorrow never tasted ambrosia or nectar sweet to drink,and never bathed her skin... Afterwards, angered with Kronion, lord of black clouds, she withdrew from the assembly of the gods and from lofty Olympos and went through the cities of men and the wealth of their labors, tearing at her hair form for a long time" (To Demeter 47-50, 91-94); Demeter was so distraught over the rape of Persephone that she roamed the Earth for nine days seeking out her daughter. While the loss of Persephone was perhaps not a loss of honor to her in the same way the stealing Persephone was an 'honor' to Hades, Demeter still felt dishonored and offended that her daughter was taken away from her. When she found out what had happened she walked among the people from village to village until she finally came upon the home of Keleos. There Demeter agreed to serve as the birth mother of Demephoon. I feel that Demeter's journey that brought her to Demephoon was her way of attempting to win back the honor that was taken from her in the form of Persephone. Demeter used Demephoon as a substitute and cared for him in place of Persephone. Apollo goes on a similar journey once he finds out that his cattle have been stolen. "And then he saw a long winged bird and knew forthwith that the robber was the son of Zeus Kronion. And Apollon, son of Zeus, speedily rushed to holy Pylos in search of his shambling cows, his broad shoulders enveloped in a purple cloud... Son of Leto, are not these harsh words you have spoken? And here you are in search of roving cattle? I have neither seen, nor found out, nor heard another man's word; and I will neither tell, nor get the reward for telling (To Hermes 213-217, 261-264). Apollo is initially thwarted in his efforts to recover what has been taken from him just as Demeter was. He listens to and old man and finally finds Hermes, yet Hermes lies to him and refuses to tell him where his cattle are hidden because he knows that he will receive no prize if he does so. In these situations both Apollo and Demeter are thwarted in their initial efforts to recover their lost honors. Demeter does find a temporary replacement in Demephoon, but that ends when Meteneira catches her placing Demephoon in the fire and Demeter's secret is revealed. This leaves two Gods, Demeter and Apollo, unsatisfied with their stolen honors and two Gods, Hades and Hermes, thoroughly satisfied that they have been able to pull off their great thievery. I feel that since Gods journey to earn or win back honors and to divide them up amongst themselves clearly this unequal situation cannot exist in perpetuity. In both cases Zeus the Ruler of all is called upon to rectify the situation and help work out some type of balance of power between the warring Gods. "So then again the father sent forth all the blessed immortal gods. They ran to her, and each in his turn summoned her and gave her many beautiful gifts and whatever honors she might want to choose among the immortals. But no one could persuade the mind and thought of the angry goddess who stubbornly spurned their offers. She said she would never set foot on fragrant Olympos and never allow the grain in the earth to sprout forth so when loud thundering, far seeing Zeus heard this he sent Argeiphontes of the golden want to Erebos. His mission was to win Hades over with gentle words, and bring Persephone out of the misty darkness" (To Demeter 325-337). In this case Zeus was forced to recall Persephone from Hades in order to placate Demeter. However since Persephone had eaten a pomengrate seed she was sentenced to live two thirds of the year with Demeter and one third of the year with Hades. This division of the honor of having Persephone between Hades and Demeter was a result of the journeys that both of them took. The journeys of Apollo and Hermes resulted in a similar arrangement and division of honors. "For, noble and mighty as you are, O son of Zeus, your seat is first among the immortals, and wise Zeus loves you, by every sacred right, and has granted you splendid gifts. And they say, O Far Shooter, that from Zeus and his divine voice you learn the honors, the prophet's skills, and all god given relevations. I myself have learned that you have all these in abundance. You may choose to learn whatever you desire, but since you heart is so eager to play the lyre, sing and play the lyre and minister to gay festivities, receiving this skill from me and, friend, grant me glory" (To Hermes 468-477). Thus both Apollo and Hermes wind up with something to gain from their journeys. Hermes gains the fame and glory that he sought both among the Gods and among the men on Earth while Apollo was given back his cattle and the ability to play the lyre as well. These hymns I feel both have the same truths within them. Gods travel as a way to gain honor, either new or lost. Honor however is a fungible thing, there can only be so much of it to go around. Thus Gods ultimately journey as a way of dividing up that honor so that every God has some, but no one God has it all. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Collection of Works Original.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Collected Works, Vol. 1 The Collected Works of Nicholas Cottrell Disclaimer and Copyright Notice: All works within are copyrighted to Nicholas Cottrell, hereafter known as "the author". Unauthorized copying is prohibited. Each reader is authorized to make five (5) copies and distribute them in any manner as long as profit is not gained. This contains subject matter that you may find disturbing or inappropriate. Please do not read it if you think you may become offended. Table of Contents: 0. Introduction 1. "Spring" - The one romance poem in here. 2. "Spiral's End" - a poem of revenge 3. "Of Teenage Sorrow" - A short story 4. "Nomad" - loneliness in writing 5. "Frat Boys" - anti-drinking 6. "Reflected Waves" - a poem of surprise at oneself 7. "Phoenix" - a poem of redemption 8. "My Friend In Misery: An Ode to Missa" - a poem of thanks 9. "Bleeding" - a poem of being drained 10. "Observations of Corporations" - A partial view of life. 11. "Fallen Hero" - Read the disclaimer 12. "Singularity" - the one way out 13. "Short Views" - More views on life Introduction A while back, my poetry won me a statewide award. Ever since, I've been pressured to make a compilation of some of my crap and send it around to be published. This collection is just a bunch of stuff I threw together, not much thought to it. If you like it, tell me so! My e-mail address is GAFreak@aol.com, write me. I'll write back each and every person by hand, I promise. Well, on with the show, I suppose. 1. "Spring" A rose with gentle petals in the garden grows amongst the weeds Love, like the rose thrives in life's turmoils like the carefully planted seed - Nicholas Cottrell 2. "Spiral's End" Too long have I spent Explaining what I've meant Too long have you heard my ominous words Whimpering, you cry on your knees, you die. -Nicholas Cottrell 3. "Of Teenage Sorrow" A child's cries in the night awaken the mother, who stumblingly finds her way to the crib. Is it a bottle, or a diaper change? The mother does not know. Inadequacy fills the teenage mother, and blinds her to the child's needs. "Rot in Hell, kid." she mutters, crawling back into a bed where a father should be but wasn't. The child's unrelenting tears force her from her nighttime reverie, abd drag her back to the nursery. "Shut up, kid!" she growls drowsily. "Don't you know I have school tomorrow?" But the baby does not know, and her howls fill the night. Lights come on in neighboring apartments, and shouts reach her ears. "Shut that kid up!" "Some of us are trying to SLEEP!" As much as she does not know how to help her tiny child, she remembers how to defend her. A torrent of curses and insults streams unladylike from her lips, and vanquishes the neighbor's screams. Breaking into tears at her inadequacy to help her child, she drags herself to her small refrigerator and withdraws a beer. "I just need more money... I just need more time..." she mutters, and almost believes herself in her half-drunken state. In the morning she awakes, seeing that the baby cried itself to sleep. Kicking over the beer cans from the previous night, she looked at her alarm clock. Too late to go to school now. Might as well spend time with the brat to make up for last night. Dragging out a stroller from beneath half-eaten TV dinners and beer cans, she reflected on the time when she still loved her child. When Stephen was with her... when she had money to spend... when life was good. She packed the child into the stroller, and rolled out the door and down the road to a little park. Stopping at the pond, she threw stones into the water and watched the ripples rise. She pondered how easy life would be without her little brat. How easy... and that pond was so deep.. and so dark.... her knuckles whitened around the stroller's handle. So easy... -Nicholas Cottrell 4. "Nomad" Across the Earth I stride, wandering These sands I'm cursed to ride, thirsting Alone I nurture pride, crawling And with myself I die, smiling. -Nicholas Cottrell 5. "Frat Boys" Amongst the company of others, I find myself alone. These men who act like brothers, it chills me to the bone. In salute they raise their beer cans, (I alone stand without one) and dub each other "Man" thinking that getting drunk is fun. -Nicholas Cottrell 6. "Reflected Waves" A river flows beneath my feet reflection glows and life seems sweet I smile at myself and see the person smiling back is... not.... me.... -Nicholas Cottrell 7. "Phoenix" I am impure for me, there is no cure I crawl to light to try and fight the dark within consumed by my sin I see the light it is so bright wash over me and make me be I become one my sins are gone the darkness lost this light has taught my life is new enemies few I come to terms my flesh not burn I look to the sky and wonder not why Because I made peace. -Nicholas Cottrell 8. "My Friend In Misery: An Ode to Missa" In darkness I shone Held by Death's bones Fingers around my throat Thrown into the acid moat It ate away my flesh with darkness and death I meshed Inside refused to die because then no one would ask why On brink I stood and stumbled around me world did crumble With friends I went to you I spoke My darkness spent Courage awoke Inside I live and to you I give this little rhyme in immortal time. -Nicholas Cottrell 9. "Bleeding" Can give no more My flesh is spent Feel like a whore To home I went and ask they did for more of me I'm just a kid! They don't agree. A man they made of just a child To them I've said "Give me a while" But time is what I do not own that door is shut freedom, gone. -Nicholas Cottrell 10. "Observations of Corporations" Swords locked in a battle of the titans, unknowing people standing beneath continue with their lives. Those that buy and sell us continue the petty squabbles that to us are financial wars. CEOs send their army of lawyers and accountants to do battle on the market, a more bitter field of battle than any foreign soil ever has been. And the foot soldiers of the war go home every day to a wife and two kids who love him only for what he brings in, not for what he is. -Nicholas Cottrell 11. "Fallen Hero" ***This one is graphically psychotic*** Black trenchcoat flapping in the wind Dear Lord I know that I have sinned But I still do my very best to protect her, and all the rest from the deepest darkest black Oh dear God he's coming back this evil thing that should not be the responsibility falls to me from deepest shadows he appears fills everyone's hearts with fear Oh my God he has a gun I'm screaming at them all to run fast enough is what I'm not blood is all those bullets bought filled with rage, I turn around because now I hear another sound he raises the gun to come at me I guess that he cannot see Everything I care about Already gone, their lives snuffed out He is the very worst he'll kill me, unless I get him first leaping with a single bound over the bodies on the ground I've become a complete wreck My hands reach out, and break his neck I won't think about what I've done After all... I just killed my son. -Nicholas Cottrell 12. "Singularity" Above a void I ride, stumbling and on the ledge I stride, crumbling inside the hole I fall, screaming I wish for a quick way back, dreaming There is no quick way, this I know The straight and narrow way to go is the only way back to life if only I can survive the strife Kicked in the side, to ground I fall Stabbed in the back, for help I call None rush to aid, none come to help No one loves this discarded whelp I look up and see a man hung on a cross, and to me, he smiles. I ascend. -Nicholas Cottrell 13. "Short Views" Every day is a trial by fire that each man must face to reach the true freedom, the dreams of the next night that bless a monotone world with a little color. Trapped inside himself, the men of the world look to nothing as guidance. A little bud on a little plant gives freedom to some, and death to others. Is it worth it? Kids die every day wondering if it is. Freedom comes with a price. With a car, you can choose where to go, but you cannot choose when to die. Pain gives freedom from reality by making reality so harsh it cannot be faced. Love gives freedom from reality by making reality so rosy that it no longer exists. Greediness lets you see everything through hundred-dollar-green tinted glasses and everything changes into a $. Music and writing gives freedom by putting your entrapment onto paper and passing it onto other unsuspecting people. And thus the world goes round, the trapping of one man going to another. -Nicholas Cottrell If you liked anything you read, write me at GAFreak@aol.com or my home address: Nicholas Cottrell 5888 Fornof Rd. Columbus, GA 31909 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\college application essay 3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kelliann Carney English 12 10/19/03 Per. 1 Topic: Where will you be in ten years? "Today's homework is....any questions?" Silence. That was me when I was about seven years old, playing "school" in my cold basement. That was my all time favorite thing to do. But to play school you have to have a classroom, so I turned my basement into a little classroom with a bookshelf, i.e. the library, a tiny chalkboard low enough for me to write on if I stood on my tip-toes, and even to little boxes to place homework or other un-graded papers in. I would run home everyday and teach my pretend class in this little classroom what I learned in school that day. I would imagine that students were raising their hands with questions for me to answer and would even grade their "pretend" homework assignments, which tended to be a black piece of notebook paper with a grade on it. I actually still have a binder in which I saved everyone's grades in and would average them out at the "end of the year" and even create report cards. Lets see here, Lisa A. got an B+ in math, not bad, and Billy R. failed English that year, shame on you Billy, now I will have to call your parents. One time I even convinced my best friend who was a year younger than me, to be in my class. I can't believe she agreed to it, but she did. Everyday I would teach her something new and have her do worksheets, which my teachers were glad to give me since they had extras and they knew how much I loved teaching. I still have the folder in with I saved all of her graded assignments because I planned on showing her parents her progress during my "parent-teacher conference," but apparently she dropped my class before I ever got to that. I love looking back on these silly things and laughing about them. These days I no longer have to pretend to have my own class and assign fake homework assignments because I now have my own "real" class. A classroom with real walls, real desks, real chalkboards, and lets not forget real students! This is everything I have dreamt of since kindergarten and I can't believe that it is finally here. I wanted to be a teacher since the day I entered into Donlin Drive Elementary School all the way up until the day that I walked across that stage and accepted my diploma. Now I am actually planning lessons and teaching each day to class of about 22 third graders at Huth Road Elementary School. The best feeling in the whole world to me now is when I see those tiny hands waving in the air waiting to be called on. To me this is what really lets me know that I have taught these kids well. I worked very hard to make this dream a reality and I am quite proud of myself. I have also longed to teach kids new and interesting things and help educate the leaders of tomorrow, and I hope that I can make one of my students run home everyday to play "school" just like I once did. I had always had a great appreciation for my teachers; especially the ones whom you could just tell loved their job and loved teaching. They work so hard inside and outside the classroom to help us learn and become successful people. They would even sacrifice valuable time with their families to stay after with the students who needed a little extra help. They would stay up to late hours in the night to finish grading papers because they promised they would have them for us the next day. They would always greet you will a smile as you entered the classroom each morning. They were someone you know you could depend on and trust. These are the teachers that everyone remembers many years later. I strive to become one of these excellent teachers and I hope that one-day, some former student of mine will look back in their yearbook and think to themselves, "wow, she was a wonderful teacher!" But for right now, I am just taking it one step at a time. I cherish each and every one of my students, whom I consider my "children." I strive to make them the best that they can be and help prepare them for the many years a head of them. And who knows where I might be in another ten years! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\college application essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Topic- Where will you be in ten years? I met Kelliann when she was a very shy nine year old who didn't have any worries in life, but everything has changed over the years. I have spent many long hours with her day and night, sleeping or awake. I seem to know almost everything there is to know about this very interesting girl, but I continue to learn new things about her everyday. When Kelliann first came to me she was a bashful fourth grader at a new school. She didn't have many friends at her new school, so often times we would spend many hours together as she played with her dollhouse, and stuffed animals. But soon she made many friends and would often invite them to come over and play. They would play with all of her toys and usually leave a big mess all over my floor. Sometimes she would even invite her friends over for a slumber party and I would watch over the energetic bunch as they attempted to sleep. A few years flew and the colors on my walls changed several times, but always remained a bright color, which reminded me of Kelliann and how happy and energetic she was all the time. Before I knew it Kelliann was in Middle School. She soon learned about responsibly. She would spend many long hours working on homework at her desk. Anytime she needed a brake she would crank the music as loud as it would go, just like a typical teenager. Middle School flew by and High School came in with a crash. Kelliann had double the amount of homework she had in Middle School. She spent several hours a night working on homework and projects. She would often stay up until the wee-hours of morning trying to get all of her work done. But, I give her a lot of credit. She is a very hard worker and she seems to be quite the perfectionist, not finishing something until it is done exactly right. But that is pretty much the only time I would see Kelliann because she didn't want to spent time with me anymore but would rather be at work or out with friends. College flew by and Kelliann was soon accepting a teaching position at one of the local elementary schools. This was a job she had dreamt of since she started kindergarten, and she worked hard to make it happen. But this was a tough time for me since I didn't see her much anymore because she moved out. She now has a different room in her new 3-bedroom home. She does come to visit every once in a while. But, now there are two people lying in her bed at night and a young infant crying in the crib in the corner. Kelliann had started a family. Her dreams had come true and I am quite proud of her. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\college essay 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ June 21st 1992 I remember walking into Roesland Elementary School being the new kid. I remember being the new kid again, coming from St. Agnes, and feeling like I was not going to make it through the year with out my friends. After only two school days I had already developed friendships with my young classmates. It is funny how as children we are able to met new people without judgment and look for the good within them; this is why I believe it was so easy to bond on that first day of school. After second grade I decided to go back to St. Agnes because my graduating class at Roesland would be headed to a middle school and then off to Shawnee Mission North. I knew that I would go into high school at Bishop Miege, so I decided to go back to St. Agnes and graduate with my friends. I made it up to second semester of sophomore year at Miege. That year I realized how much money it was costing my parents to put me through school and I decided to help out the situation by transferring to a public school. The irony in it was that the school that I transferred to was Shawnee Mission North. Now I knew the people I had made friends with the first time I had come to their school as the new kid, but here I was coming back and this time the school was not the learning place of five hundred students, it was withholding nearly two thousand. This was my next goal, to make it through the year like I had previously done in my younger years. I made it through the year but creating friendships was much more difficult as a sophomore than it was as a kindergartener. Growing up I have experienced many different school environments. I have been back and forth from both private and public schools, but f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\College Essay Orgami.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ When I was in elementary school one of my favorite past-times was origami. I liked how exact I could make each fold so that the tip was a razor-edged point that felt sharp to touch. I was drawn to the precision in origami. Of course, lining up the points so carefully took more time, and I was slower than others in making paper cranes or flowers. This didn't bother me, because I was more proud of the result. When I compared my origami to that of others, I felt mine was better and that feeling of confidence was worth the extra time. That was elementary school - a long time ago. Since then I've changed but I've also stayed the same. For many years I lost my patience and as a result, I lost part of the excellence in my work and the pride that went with it. This happened because I had too much self-confidence and not enough humility. When one believes that they do not need to take their time, they begin to make errors in everything they do. Slowly their folds get sloppy. Although some may say otherwise, confidence is hard to lose once one truly has it. Each sloppy mistake had an excuse ready made. It was a difficult lesson to learn that there always will be excuses and they should never be completely accepted. It took a long time - too long - for me to realize what I was doing, but recently I have recovered the patience and the mule-like stubbornness to take my time. Whether it is an essay, a math problem, or a paper crane, I feel that if you are going to do something, it is important to throw yourself with as much force as possible at your goals. The less you hold back the more proud you will be of the result. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\college essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ashley Martin 101 68 2065 Growing up in a small suburb and attending a Catholic school, I feel that I have been sheltered and protected. However, I was introduced to new people, a new atmosphere, and new things when I entered high school. All of my friends were from different towns or cities and I thought they were all like the average teenage girl. That is why I was shocked to find out that one of my close friends was depressed, suicidal, and a drug addict. I had never expected that one of my good friends would be under these serious conditions since all of my other friends seemed to be fine. I was confused, petrified, and felt helpless because I had never been exposed to a severe problem like this before. The scariest thing was that my close friend, Tamara, and I were the only ones who knew. I started to lose contact with my other friends, and my schoolwork suffered because I was incessantly wondering about my friend. At times I felt as though I was insane because my conscience would tell me to find help for her, but other times it would tell me to keep it to myself. My friend tried to convince and manipulate me by telling me that she was fine, but I knew she was suffering inside and that she was emotionally distraught. Being exposed to my friend's depression, drug addiction, and suicide attempts all at once overwhelmed me. I thought to myself, I am sixteen years old; I should be talking to my friends about school, sports, and boys; not talking about depression and drug addictions. I was in the hardest position I had ever been in, and I knew I had to make a difficult decision. I realized that I needed to find her help as soon as possible, even if she would never speak to me again. I knew I needed to have the power and the courage to speak with a counselor in order to help my friend and myself with this situation. I finally convinced myself to see someone, and she was able to help my friend and myself. The cooperation of my friend's parents and herself enabled her to gradually get better. After talking to a counselor I felt as if a thousand pounds had been lifted off of my shoulders. I knew I had made the smart and mature decision of asking for help. I was risking my friendship; however, I was saving my friend's life. I never thought I would ever be put in this situation, but I was and in away I am glad that it happened. It has enabled me to become more independent and mature. Although it was extremely difficult for me to ask someone and deal with this by myself, I learned a lot from this experience and I will never forget it. I know I can take this experience and share it with others, so they can go and help their own friends, before something serious happens. All I wanted was for my friend to be safe and alive, I was only concerned about getting her help. Being exposed to this opened up my eyes to reality and showed me how precious and important life is. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\college essaymusic.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kate Welsh College Essay-Music How Has Music Changed My Life? A melody describes every emotion I have ever felt, a song dampens my soul when I feel on top of the world, and a refrain echoes in my heart describing the passion and infatuation I have for music. Music certainly has played a major role in my life making me a better person through determination, commitment, and giving me a major goal in life. My music and I have been through many ups and downs. Music is like a magical dream; it can take you anywhere you are willing to go. I have been singing ever since I can remember. I have always been able to express myself best through song. But singing is not as easy as one may think. I have studied music for a number of years to find that there is still so much for me to learn. At first all the theory and technique was tedious, but as I have grown as a musician I have found it more interesting. However the toughest part of being a musician, is the rejection and criticism that comes along with it. I first encountered all of this negativity when I arrived in high school. My freshmen year I had a music teacher who pushed me very hard, criticized all of my work, and made me feel like a failure. Then there were the many auditions I attended and was rejected from. I let all of this negative attention put me down for a short period of time before I realized the good it was doing. I was only a freshmen or sophomore and I was expecting to get a solo in the choir or a lead in the school musical. I was running ahead of myself; there were still plenty of things for me to learn and many opportunities ahead. All of this discouraging attention knocked me down, but I got back up and now I work even harder to stay up where I belong. There is a very rewarding side to all of this work too. I have studied music for over a decade now and in my musical career I have performed in various musicals, been a member of four choirs, and shared music with so many peers who love music as much as I do. Music has made a vast impact on my life and I can't imagine living a day without singing or listening to music. I am so thankful that I have such a passion in my life that I can continue to make better and do as a career in the future. I know that being a musician is a tough life full of rejection and small paychecks, but that is a life I am willing to lead. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\College of New Jersey Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Eric Rooney A Community Member Unfortunately, few people have the pleasant experience of being a true community member during their lifetime. Some people may falsely believe that they are a community member simply because they share a common address with other individuals or because they share a common school district, but ultimately these individuals are mistaken. Being a member of a community transcends the idea of simply belonging to some type of institution. To me, a true community member consistently contributes to the institution that he or she belongs to in an attempt to make the institution even better than it already is. The relationship existing between a community member and the community is undoubtedly mutually reciprocal in nature. As a community member continues to dedicate his or herself to the enhancement of the community, the community will slowly but surely begin to improve. This improvement in the community is significant to the individual because it is for the betterment of an institution that he or she takes great pride and interest in. Similarly, an individual may see his or her beloved community improved when another community member makes his or her contribution to the institution. Thus, it can be seen that although the efforts of an individual are directed towards the general community's benefit, the efforts are self-promoting as well, and this is one of the unique features of a true community. Few feelings in this world are as special as knowing that one is an active member of some type of institution, and that there belonging to this institution perpetuates it's continuous improvement. Thus, I hope to seek this unique feeling during my college experience, and more precisely, I would love to have this experience with the College of New Jersey community. I know that the community of the College of New Jersey will provide me with a wide range of opportunities, and I also know that I will dedicate myself to improving this community, which I will hold so dear to me. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Commonwealth vs Moyer paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wendi M. Brooks Reasoning & Critical Thinking Professor Smillov 22 April, 2004 Commonwealth vs. Moyer In this case, Commonwealth vs. Moyer we have a teenager named Harold Moyer who had a dream to become a professional musician. He had been learning how to play the saxophone for a long time and after graduation he found a job that would pay him a considerable amount of money and he would be able to do what he loved. A little background on this boy's life is that he lost his father and mother at a young age and lived with his aunt and uncle, the Shaeffers, for a good portion of his life. They let him live with them and gave him food and a good home. When he was old enough he began working summer jobs. He planned to save up for a saxophone since he loved music so much, and this way he would be able to follow his dream of being a professional musician. When he started these jobs, his uncle suggested that Harold give him all the money he earned, in order to pay them back for letting him live there all these years for free. I find this a little strange, since even if it were there own child, it isn't normal to make young kids, under the age of eighteen, pay for their own living expenses on a summer job that probably only pays minimum wage. If they weren't willing to support him until he was an adult and able to take care of himself, they shouldn't have had him stay there to begin with. When Harold was offered this incredibly amazing job that would make him so happy, he asked his uncle for the money to buy a saxophone, since he didn't have one of his own, and a new suit. His uncle had always said that music was a waist of time and money and therefore wasn't going to support it. So, when Harold was left with nowhere to turn for the money he remembered his uncle's very valuable pocket watch. He was home alone one night and decided he would borrow the watch and pawn it to get the money immediately and then buy it back when he got his money from this awesome job. Does that seem so wrong? He had good intensions, even though he took something from his uncle without asking. I am part of the jury and I would say that he is innocent. He was definitely owned the money from his aunt and uncle since he had been basically paying them for the past four years, when he was underage and they offered to let him stay with them. For all the years of giving his aunt and uncle his well earned money, they couldn't even help him out, when he was willing to pay them back as soon as he got the money. If they were aware of his love of music, and he was willing to pay them back, I don't understand why they wouldn't honor his love of music and loan him the money in order to let him follow his dream. That seems only fair to me. If he had no other way of getting the money, and he was desperate, "desperate times call for desperate measures". I think if any of us were in a similar situation, we would be willing to do something we thought was wrong, but I know he wasn't planning on stealing it, he was only borrowing it, and was going to return it as soon as possible. I don't think this is a crime. Why didn't his uncle just go to him and ask him if he took it, and try to handle the situation without going to court about it. I think this shows that his aunt and uncle are a bit crazy and don't care too much about their nephew. If they were a family, they could have handled it within their home, without having to get into the legal system about them. In conclusion, this young man should be declared innocent on the charge of stealing his uncle's pocket watch because his uncle was unwilling to lend him the money for him to follow his dream and be a part of this band. It wasn't even a hardcore or punk band that would seem silly to an adult, it was a jazz band that would probably play in more sophisticated venues and make a very good amount of money. They should have been more understanding and help their nephew in this situation. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CommunicationStyleofManAndWoman.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The communication style of man and woman There are two genders----man and woman in the world. Though these two gender live in the same culture, there are many differences between them, include communication style. The communication means that speech in life. If someone let you listen a dialogue that the same sound. I think you can discrininatefrom the speech content and style, who is man, who is woman. both man and women like boasting. but the express way is different. for example, a man want to boast himself how ^Å^Å., he will say directly. but woman want to boast herself how beautifully, she won^?t express directly like man do. she will say how many man like her, how many man date her^Å.that means she is a pretty woman. In addition, if woman want show her money, she won^?t to say directly how much money she had, she will change topic of conversation, like^Åhow much her clothes, her car and her jewelry. Another way in which man^?s and woman^?s communication differ is body ^Ölanguage. All people have known that woman like cry. why? woman likes use body-language to express her mood. because she can^?t express directly. If man felt unhappy or happy, he will say directly. but woman won^?t be. She uses cry to display her bad mo ., so sometimes, you can^?t know what^?s reason let she cry. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ComparativeEssayonDeath.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Comparative Essay on Deat Death is an aspect of life that everyone becomes acquainted with sooner or later. From my own experiences I am more familiar with death than I could ever want to be. Poetry is something that is very difficult for me to follow, but when it deals with concept that I am familiar with, then I am able to associate with the soul of the writer. Two poems that deal with the concept of death that I actually enjoyed reading and will compare to each other are "Death be not proud" by Dylan Thomas and "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas. Firstly, in "Death be not proud," Donne tells Death that it is not anything special. That Death is a low being that deals with the pitiful aspects of life: war, disease, and murder. Donne says that Death is nothing more than an aspect of life, just an event of the moment, "one short sleep past, we wake eternally." Donne goes on to explain that we all will go through this door while on the way to another existence. In comparison, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Thomas is a battle cry against death. To fight against it until the last breath of life is gone. That to give up life is the coward's way. To his father, who is dying from a protracted illness, Dylan says to show his love, that it is all right to cry even though he has never seen his father show the weakness of crying, just so long as he continues to fight against the coming end. In both poems, the writers are against Death; however Donne writes of Death as a weak entity that has no real power, because after we die, we will never have to face the worry of Death. Thomas, however, writes as if he doesn't believe in any kind of hereafter. An example of this is the repeated cry "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." These are two very different beliefs for an ineludible fact of life. Death is something that I have faced and will eventually succumb to; however, I believe as Donne does, that I can choose to not be afraid of the occasion, that I will move to something better, that death is not the dying of the light. But also, as Thomas believes, I will not go gentle in that good night! I will fight with every bit of strength that I have against it. We will all succumb to Death eventually, but I won't give in one minute earlier than I have to. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Compare abd Contrast Stanley from A Street Car Named Desire a.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lago and Stanley are villains in Othello and A Street Car Named Desire. They both plan a tragic scheme to draw the main Characters, Othello and Blanche to their "downfall" in their plays and they start it by their their hatred. Iago is absolutely inhuman being while Stanley showed his little conscience. They are both the master and are brilliant. Nevertheless Lago seem tp be much smarter than Stanley in comparsion. Iago and Stanley plan a tragic scheme to draw Othello and Blanche to their downfall because Othello promotes Cassio to lieutenancy, a position that he wants and it causes him to plan a tragic plan. Othello has suppossed affair to Emilia who is Lago's wife. Thus, Lago constructs a plan to revenge. Stanley hates Branche because she destroys the good relationship between him and his wife , Stella. He thinks that she has sold the Belle Reve which he thinks it's a part of partly him, but she does not give him any money. The most important one, he "assume" that Blanche describes him as "common" and bestial. Thus, he plots a plan to revenge. In all, both Lago and Stanley start tragic plan their hatred. Lago is absolutely inhuman while Stanley has little consciences in his heart. In order to achieve the target, Iago does everythings that will benefits himself even killing other's. He kills Roderigo who helps him a lot in his paln. He persuade Othello to kill his Desdemona. Furthermore he kills his wife at the end. Stanley has not yet totally lost his humanity. Although he has raped Branche, he does not kill her or other people. Moreover, at the end of the play he settles her into a asylum, but he does not just forsakes her. This reveals that someone will look after her in the future, and she will not be living alone. In short, Stanley still has little emotions of love in her heart, but Lago is absolutely inhuman, these two villains have a different level at different period. As the villians in their plays, Iago and Stanley are both brilliant, but Iago's tragic plan is almost perfect. He is able to use other Charater's "flaw" in his well constructed plan. The smartest thing he does is that able to hide his identify from others. He appears to be "noble" to others, but in fact, he is evil "nderworth". Thus, he can gain other characters's trust. For Stanley, his plan is not as well constructed as Lago " ". Actually, his plan is quite straight forward. He just find out the train and tell it to Stella and Mitch. Stanley is an impetuous person, it can be showed by the action that be "thorus" the radio out in the poker night(detail explain). This is his weakness. He make fault in his plan by this, so he cannot as smart as Lago. Lago and Stanley are both the master in their plays, they can control every other characters. Iago can control Others because he is able to gain trust form other characters. He seems loyal in front of everyone so he can easily control others. Stanley is the " " among his friends. He is the leader of the bowling team and the "plant". Thus, he can control his friends. Also he can "control" Stella and Blanche because man is alwys the King. There is no doubt that Lagoo are Stanley are the master in the play. Lago and Stanley are both an evil person, they both start their tragic scheme by their hatred. Lago is seemed to be much smarter than Stanley, but ironically, Iago cannot completely finish his trgic plan while Stanley can. Furthermore, Iago ends up with death. Anyway, they both cannot use their brilliant on the good side: otherwise the world will be more beautiful. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Comparing and Contrasting The Lottery and The Ones Who Wal.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The differences between "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin seem relatively minor when compared to the striking similarities they contain in setting, symbols, and theme. Each of the stories begin with a description of a beautiful summer day. "The flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green"(para 1) in "The Lottery" is quite comparable to "old moss-grown gardens and under avenues of trees"(para 1) in "...Omelas." These descriptions (along with several others) provide positive connotations and allow the reader to relax into what seems to be a comfortable setting in either story. Both stories also contain a gathering of townspeople. In "...Omelas there is music, dance, and special attire incorporated in the gathering, whereas in "The Lottery," the women show up "wearing faded house dresses and sweaters." Although Le Guin's environment seems more festive, all the folks in both stories are coming together for what seems to be enjoyable, even celebratory occasions. However, I believe the major similarity lies in the fact that these many pleasant details create a facade within each story. The reader is then left ill-prepared when the shocking, brutally violent, ritualistic traditions are exposed. Children are an important focus in both stories. Jackson makes it easy for us to imagine their "boisterous play"(para 2), and Le Guin writes "their high calls rising like swallows' crossing flights over the music and the singing"(para1). I see these children being used to symbolize perceived states of happiness in both stories. I also believe they are vital necessities in each story because they are taught and expected to carry traditions into the future. For instance, in "The Lottery," "someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles"(para 76), he is then able to participate in the stoning of his own mother, and in "...Omelas," the tradition "is usually explained to children when they are between eight and twelve"(para 10), and of course, the victim in this tale is a child. The fact that both authors include references to farming may be due to the association between farming and tradition. I know many people who believe that farming is a way of life that is handed down from generation to generation, it is very much a tradition to them. The men in "The Lottery" are "speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes"(para 3) and in "...Omelas," the farmer's market is described as nothing less than "magnificent"(para 3). The most obvious reason for these references is that the rituals performed in both stories are suppose to have an effect on harvest. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon"(para 32) in "The Lottery" used to be a saying heard in their community. And in "...Omelas," "the abundance of their harvest"(para 9), along with many other things, supposedly depended upon their performing the certain ritual. Although the reasons for the traditions are slightly different in each story, the rituals themselves are very much alike. Both are shocking and both involve the sacrifice of a human being. Because the sacrifice in "The Lottery" is chosen strictly by chance, age is not a determinant, whereas in "...Omelas" the sacrifice is always a child. However, regardless of this difference, when the time comes, victims in each of these tales begins pleading for release from their inevitable doom. The child in "...Omelas" says "Please let me out. I will be good!"(para 8), while in "The Lottery," Tessie screams, "It isn't fair, it isn't right"(para 79). In Le Guin's story, death comes through slow, twisted torture. The naked child sacrifice is locked in a dark cellar room, fed only a small portion of cornmeal and grease once a day, and is allowed no desirable human contact or communication. In "The Lottery" the sacrifice is simply stoned to death by the remaining community, including friends and family, although this isn't quite as sickening as the method in the other story, it is horrible and wicked nonetheless. Although it is stated in "...Omelas" that "they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weather of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery,"(para 9) there is evidence that not all agree with it. In fact, after young people see the victim in it's abhorrent condition, they are described as "shocked and sickened at the sight"(para 10), and "often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage"(para 12). In "The Lottery," many parts of the ritual had been altered or long forgotten by most of the people, this fact in itself, along with a few other clues tell me that not everyone agrees with it either. One of the characters says "seems like there's no time at all between lotteries anymore"(para 22), which leads me to believe that she wishes they weren't performed as often, or at all, and another states that she hopes it's not one of her friends that is chosen(para 66). Based in part on the afore mentioned statements, I have interpreted the themes in each story to be identical to one another. Not only do I believe that many disagree with the practice of both rituals, I also think that the individual feels helpless in putting a stop to them. The actions of each community as a whole seems much greater than the sum of its inhabitants. For example, Le Guin writes that some youngsters and "sometimes also a man or women much older" will walk alone "straight out of the city of Omelas, through the beautiful gates"(para 14). Instead of standing up and saying they don't believe the ritual is right, they do what is easier for them, they just leave. In "The Lottery," Mrs. Adams mentions to Old Man Warner "that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery"(para 31) and that "Some places have already quit the lotteries"(para 33), and he replies as a defender of the ritual by referring to the quitters as a "Pack of crazy fools" and says "There's always been a lottery"(para 32). Although she doesn't say it in so many words, I find it obvious that she feels that the ritual is outmoded and should be put to an end. This in combination with the fact that the majority of townspeople don't even remember the reasons behind the ritual, has led me to the conclusion that they only continue the process for "tradition's sake." Parallel in these two stories is the fact that certain individuals may feel like it, but no one is able to stand up against the action of their community. It just goes to show that humans are creatures of habit and that sometimes we continue to participate in (or tolerate) harmful practices, simply because as individuals we feel powerless and unable to stand up against societies in which the behaviors have always been accepted. The differences between "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin seem relatively minor when compared to the striking similarities they contain in setting, symbols, and theme. Each of the stories begin with a description of a beautiful summer day. "The flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green"(para 1) in "The Lottery" is quite comparable to "old moss-grown gardens and under avenues of trees"(para 1) in "...Omelas." These descriptions (along with several others) provide positive connotations and allow the reader to relax into what seems to be a comfortable setting in either story. Both stories also contain a gathering of townspeople. In "...Omelas there is music, dance, and special attire incorporated in the gathering, whereas in "The Lottery," the women show up "wearing faded house dresses and sweaters." Although Le Guin's environment seems more festive, all the folks in both stories are coming together for what seems to be enjoyable, even celebratory occasions. However, I believe the major similarity lies in the fact that these many pleasant details create a facade within each story. The reader is then left ill-prepared when the shocking, brutally violent, ritualistic traditions are exposed. Children are an important focus in both stories. Jackson makes it easy for us to imagine their "boisterous play"(para 2), and Le Guin writes "their high calls rising like swallows' crossing flights over the music and the singing"(para1). I see these children being used to symbolize perceived states of happiness in both stories. I also believe they are vital necessities in each story because they are taught and expected to carry traditions into the future. For instance, in "The Lottery," "someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles"(para 76), he is then able to participate in the stoning of his own mother, and in "...Omelas," the tradition "is usually explained to children when they are between eight and twelve"(para 10), and of course, the victim in this tale is a child. The fact that both authors include references to farming may be due to the association between farming and tradition. I know many people who believe that farming is a way of life that is handed down from generation to generation, it is very much a tradition to them. The men in "The Lottery" are "speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes"(para 3) and in "...Omelas," the farmer's market is described as nothing less than "magnificent"(para 3). The most obvious reason for these references is that the rituals performed in both stories are suppose to have an effect on harvest. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon"(para 32) in "The Lottery" used to be a saying heard in their community. And in "...Omelas," "the abundance of their harvest"(para 9), along with many other things, supposedly depended upon their performing the certain ritual. Although the reasons for the traditions are slightly different in each story, the rituals themselves are very much alike. Both are shocking and both involve the sacrifice of a human being. Because the sacrifice in "The Lottery" is chosen strictly by chance, age is not a determinant, whereas in "...Omelas" the sacrifice is always a child. However, regardless of this difference, when the time comes, victims in each of these tales begins pleading for release from their inevitable doom. The child in "...Omelas" says "Please let me out. I will be good!"(para 8), while in "The Lottery," Tessie screams, "It isn't fair, it isn't right"(para 79). In Le Guin's story, death comes through slow, twisted torture. The naked child sacrifice is locked in a dark cellar room, fed only a small portion of cornmeal and grease once a day, and is allowed no desirable human contact or communication. In "The Lottery" the sacrifice is simply stoned to death by the remaining community, including friends and family, although this isn't quite as sickening as the method in the other story, it is horrible and wicked nonetheless. Although it is stated in "...Omelas" that "they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weather of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery,"(para 9) there is evidence that not all agree with it. In fact, after young people see the victim in it's abhorrent condition, they are described as "shocked and sickened at the sight"(para 10), and "often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage"(para 12). In "The Lottery," many parts of the ritual had been altered or long forgotten by most of the people, this fact in itself, along with a few other clues tell me that not everyone agrees with it either. One of the characters says "seems like there's no time at all between lotteries anymore"(para 22), which leads me to believe that she wishes they weren't performed as often, or at all, and another states that she hopes it's not one of her friends that is chosen(para 66). Based in part on the afore mentioned statements, I have interpreted the themes in each story to be identical to one another. Not only do I believe that many disagree with the practice of both rituals, I also think that the individual feels helpless in putting a stop to them. The actions of each community as a whole seems much greater than the sum of its inhabitants. For example, Le Guin writes that some youngsters and "sometimes also a man or women much older" will walk alone "straight out of the city of Omelas, through the beautiful gates"(para 14). Instead of standing up and saying they don't believe the ritual is right, they do what is easier for them, they just leave. In "The Lottery," Mrs. Adams mentions to Old Man Warner "that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery"(para 31) and that "Some places have already quit the lotteries"(para 33), and he replies as a defender of the ritual by referring to the quitters as a "Pack of crazy fools" and says "There's always been a lottery"(para 32). Although she doesn't say it in so many words, I find it obvious that she feels that the ritual is outmoded and should be put to an end. This in combination with the fact that the majority of townspeople don't even remember the reasons behind the ritual, has led me to the conclusion that they only continue the process for "tradition's sake." Parallel in these two stories is the fact that certain individuals may feel like it, but no one is able to stand up against the action of their community. It just goes to show that humans are creatures of habit and that sometimes we continue to participate in (or tolerate) harmful practices, simply because as individuals we feel powerless and unable to stand up against societies in which the behaviors have always been accepted. The differences between "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin seem relatively minor when compared to the striking similarities they contain in setting, symbols, and theme. Each of the stories begin with a description of a beautiful summer day. "The flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green"(para 1) in "The Lottery" is quite comparable to "old moss-grown gardens and under avenues of trees"(para 1) in "...Omelas." These descriptions (along with several others) provide positive connotations and allow the reader to relax into what seems to be a comfortable setting in either story. Both stories also contain a gathering of townspeople. In "...Omelas there is music, dance, and special attire incorporated in the gathering, whereas in "The Lottery," the women show up "wearing faded house dresses and sweaters." Although Le Guin's environment seems more festive, all the folks in both stories are coming together for what seems to be enjoyable, even celebratory occasions. However, I believe the major similarity lies in the fact that these many pleasant details create a facade within each story. The reader is then left ill-prepared when the shocking, brutally violent, ritualistic traditions are exposed. Children are an important focus in both stories. Jackson makes it easy for us to imagine their "boisterous play"(para 2), and Le Guin writes "their high calls rising like swallows' crossing flights over the music and the singing"(para1). I see these children being used to symbolize perceived states of happiness in both stories. I also believe they are vital necessities in each story because they are taught and expected to carry traditions into the future. For instance, in "The Lottery," "someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles"(para 76), he is then able to participate in the stoning of his own mother, and in "...Omelas," the tradition "is usually explained to children when they are between eight and twelve"(para 10), and of course, the victim in this tale is a child. The fact that both authors include references to farming may be due to the association between farming and tradition. I know many people who believe that farming is a way of life that is handed down from generation to generation, it is very much a tradition to them. The men in "The Lottery" are "speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes"(para 3) and in "...Omelas," the farmer's market is described as nothing less than "magnificent"(para 3). The most obvious reason for these references is that the rituals performed in both stories are suppose to have an effect on harvest. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon"(para 32) in "The Lottery" used to be a saying heard in their community. And in "...Omelas," "the abundance of their harvest"(para 9), along with many other things, supposedly depended upon their performing the certain ritual. Although the reasons for the traditions are slightly different in each story, the rituals themselves are very much alike. Both are shocking and both involve the sacrifice of a human being. Because the sacrifice in "The Lottery" is chosen strictly by chance, age is not a determinant, whereas in "...Omelas" the sacrifice is always a child. However, regardless of this difference, when the time comes, victims in each of these tales begins pleading for release from their inevitable doom. The child in "...Omelas" says "Please let me out. I will be good!"(para 8), while in "The Lottery," Tessie screams, "It isn't fair, it isn't right"(para 79). In Le Guin's story, death comes through slow, twisted torture. The naked child sacrifice is locked in a dark cellar room, fed only a small portion of cornmeal and grease once a day, and is allowed no desirable human contact or communication. In "The Lottery" the sacrifice is simply stoned to death by the remaining community, including friends and family, although this isn't quite as sickening as the method in the other story, it is horrible and wicked nonetheless. Although it is stated in "...Omelas" that "they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weather of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery,"(para 9) there is evidence that not all agree with it. In fact, after young people see the victim in it's abhorrent condition, they are described as "shocked and sickened at the sight"(para 10), and "often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage"(para 12). In "The Lottery," many parts of the ritual had been altered or long forgotten by most of the people, this fact in itself, along with a few other clues tell me that not everyone agrees with it either. One of the characters says "seems like there's no time at all between lotteries anymore"(para 22), which leads me to believe that she wishes they weren't performed as often, or at all, and another states that she hopes it's not one of her friends that is chosen(para 66). Based in part on the afore mentioned statements, I have interpreted the themes in each story to be identical to one another. Not only do I believe that many disagree with the practice of both rituals, I also think that the individual feels helpless in putting a stop to them. The actions of each community as a whole seems much greater than the sum of its inhabitants. For example, Le Guin writes that some youngsters and "sometimes also a man or women much older" will walk alone "straight out of the city of Omelas, through the beautiful gates"(para 14). Instead of standing up and saying they don't believe the ritual is right, they do what is easier for them, they just leave. In "The Lottery," Mrs. Adams mentions to Old Man Warner "that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery"(para 31) and that "Some places have already quit the lotteries"(para 33), and he replies as a defender of the ritual by referring to the quitters as a "Pack of crazy fools" and says "There's always been a lottery"(para 32). Although she doesn't say it in so many words, I find it obvious that she feels that the ritual is outmoded and should be put to an end. This in combination with the fact that the majority of townspeople don't even remember the reasons behind the ritual, has led me to the conclusion that they only continue the process for "tradition's sake." Parallel in these two stories is the fact that certain individuals may feel like it, but no one is able to stand up against the action of their community. It just goes to show that humans are creatures of habit and that sometimes we continue to participate in (or tolerate) harmful practices, simply because as individuals we feel powerless and unable to stand up against societies in which the behaviors have always been accepted. The differences between "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin seem relatively minor when compared to the striking similarities they contain in setting, symbols, and theme. Each of the stories begin with a description of a beautiful summer day. "The flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green"(para 1) in "The Lottery" is quite comparable to "old moss-grown gardens and under avenues of trees"(para 1) in "...Omelas." These descriptions (along with several others) provide positive connotations and allow the reader to relax into what seems to be a comfortable setting in either story. Both stories also contain a gathering of townspeople. In "...Omelas there is music, dance, and special attire incorporated in the gathering, whereas in "The Lottery," the women show up "wearing faded house dresses and sweaters." Although Le Guin's environment seems more festive, all the folks in both stories are coming together for what seems to be enjoyable, even celebratory occasions. However, I believe the major similarity lies in the fact that these many pleasant details create a facade within each story. The reader is then left ill-prepared when the shocking, brutally violent, ritualistic traditions are exposed. Children are an important focus in both stories. Jackson makes it easy for us to imagine their "boisterous play"(para 2), and Le Guin writes "their high calls rising like swallows' crossing flights over the music and the singing"(para1). I see these children being used to symbolize perceived states of happiness in both stories. I also believe they are vital necessities in each story because they are taught and expected to carry traditions into the future. For instance, in "The Lottery," "someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles"(para 76), he is then able to participate in the stoning of his own mother, and in "...Omelas," the tradition "is usually explained to children when they are between eight and twelve"(para 10), and of course, the victim in this tale is a child. The fact that both authors include references to farming may be due to the association between farming and tradition. I know many people who believe that farming is a way of life that is handed down from generation to generation, it is very much a tradition to them. The men in "The Lottery" are "speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes"(para 3) and in "...Omelas," the farmer's market is described as nothing less than "magnificent"(para 3). The most obvious reason for these references is that the rituals performed in both stories are suppose to have an effect on harvest. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon"(para 32) in "The Lottery" used to be a saying heard in their community. And in "...Omelas," "the abundance of their harvest"(para 9), along with many other things, supposedly depended upon their performing the certain ritual. Although the reasons for the traditions are slightly different in each story, the rituals themselves are very much alike. Both are shocking and both involve the sacrifice of a human being. Because the sacrifice in "The Lottery" is chosen strictly by chance, age is not a determinant, whereas in "...Omelas" the sacrifice is always a child. However, regardless of this difference, when the time comes, victims in each of these tales begins pleading for release from their inevitable doom. The child in "...Omelas" says "Please let me out. I will be good!"(para 8), while in "The Lottery," Tessie screams, "It isn't fair, it isn't right"(para 79). In Le Guin's story, death comes through slow, twisted torture. The naked child sacrifice is locked in a dark cellar room, fed only a small portion of cornmeal and grease once a day, and is allowed no desirable human contact or communication. In "The Lottery" the sacrifice is simply stoned to death by the remaining community, including friends and family, although this isn't quite as sickening as the method in the other story, it is horrible and wicked nonetheless. Although it is stated in "...Omelas" that "they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weather of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery,"(para 9) there is evidence that not all agree with it. In fact, after young people see the victim in it's abhorrent condition, they are described as "shocked and sickened at the sight"(para 10), and "often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage"(para 12). In "The Lottery," many parts of the ritual had been altered or long forgotten by most of the people, this fact in itself, along with a few other clues tell me that not everyone agrees with it either. One of the characters says "seems like there's no time at all between lotteries anymore"(para 22), which leads me to believe that she wishes they weren't performed as often, or at all, and another states that she hopes it's not one of her friends that is chosen(para 66). Based in part on the afore mentioned statements, I have interpreted the themes in each story to be identical to one another. Not only do I believe that many disagree with the practice of both rituals, I also think that the individual feels helpless in putting a stop to them. The actions of each community as a whole seems much greater than the sum of its inhabitants. For example, Le Guin writes that some youngsters and "sometimes also a man or women much older" will walk alone "straight out of the city of Omelas, through the beautiful gates"(para 14). Instead of standing up and saying they don't believe the ritual is right, they do what is easier for them, they just leave. In "The Lottery," Mrs. Adams mentions to Old Man Warner "that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery"(para 31) and that "Some places have already quit the lotteries"(para 33), and he replies as a defender of the ritual by referring to the quitters as a "Pack of crazy fools" and says "There's always been a lottery"(para 32). Although she doesn't say it in so many words, I find it obvious that she feels that the ritual is outmoded and should be put to an end. This in combination with the fact that the majority of townspeople don't even remember the reasons behind the ritual, has led me to the conclusion that they only continue the process for "tradition's sake." Parallel in these two stories is the fact that certain individuals may feel like it, but no one is able to stand up against the action of their community. It just goes to show that humans are creatures of habit and that sometimes we continue to participate in (or tolerate) harmful practices, simply because as individuals we feel powerless and unable to stand up against societies in which the behaviors have always been accepted. The differences between "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin seem relatively minor when compared to the striking similarities they contain in setting, symbols, and theme. Each of the stories begin with a description of a beautiful summer day. "The flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green"(para 1) in "The Lottery" is quite comparable to "old moss-grown gardens and under avenues of trees"(para 1) in "...Omelas." These descriptions (along with several others) provide positive connotations and allow the reader to relax into what seems to be a comfortable setting in either story. Both stories also contain a gathering of townspeople. In "...Omelas there is music, dance, and special attire incorporated in the gathering, whereas in "The Lottery," the women show up "wearing faded house dresses and sweaters." Although Le Guin's environment seems more festive, all the folks in both stories are coming together for what seems to be enjoyable, even celebratory occasions. However, I believe the major similarity lies in the fact that these many pleasant details create a facade within each story. The reader is then left ill-prepared when the shocking, brutally violent, ritualistic traditions are exposed. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\COMPARISON AND CONTRASTING ESSAY Maybelline Brown.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Comparison and contrasting essay Maybelline Brown On Ancient china Ancient Egypt Have you ever wanted to know how Ancient china and Ancient Egypt are similar and different? Ancient China and Ancient Egypt have their own philosophy in their religion. In Egypt they believed in over 2000 gods and goddesses. In China they had different religions like Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Ancient China and Ancient Egypt compare and contrast in many ways but here are just a few. In their origins, they're religions and beliefs, and their daily life. Ancient China and Ancient Egypt's origins are totally different. Ancient china begins along the Huang He River; this river originates in the plateau in the Himalayan Mountains. During summer floods, this river spreads enough silt on land to create miles of fertile farmland. Couldn't continue to let the Huang He flood their season. T he population of the area grew because of the success of the farmland. Egyptians life arose from waters along the Nile bank, this river flows North through the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile River was a way of life that people, animals, and plants needed to survive in the Nile Valley, because it gave the rich soil cause of silt. This helps grows crops. The first project was building an irrigation system for agricultural purpose. They believed life in the Nile help in the after life. This isn't the only way that Ancient China and Ancient Egypt are similar and different they're also similar and different in their religions. Religions in Ancient China and in Ancient Egypt are different and yet similar. The "Three Teachings" including Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism greatly inspired the Chinese. Confucius thought people about being loyal, selfish, and courteous. Daoism is a philosophy that defines proper conduct for people and governments. Buddhism is to worship a man who try's not to overcome suffering. Egyptian religion was based polytheism, or worship of many gods. The Egyptians had as many as 2000 gods and goddesses. Often gods and goddesses were represented as part human and part animal. Temples were basically dwelling places for the gods. Each city had a temple built for the god of that city. Ancient China and Ancient Egypt have many differences the way that they are different is in daily life. Daily life in Ancient China and Ancient Egypt live in different ways and different styles but they are slightly similar. Most people of Ancient China were peasant farmers who grew on small plots of land. Farmers in the North grew wheat, millet, and barley to eat. Because there were few farm animals to produce manure so human poop was used instead. Many farmers used wooden or stone tools even after bronze iron weapons. The people in Ancient Egypt highly valued life, they treasured kids and regarded them a blessing. In lower class families, the mother raised the children. The wealthy and nobility had solves and servants that help takeoff the children by attending to there daily needs. Although women were expected to obey their fathers and husband, they were equal to men in many ways. They had the legal right to particisipate in the business deals, own land, and were expected to represent in court cases. Ancient China and Ancient Egypt compare and contrast in many ways but here are a few ways they compare and contrast in their origins, religions and beliefs, and last put not least daily life. Ancient China and Ancient Egypt are different and similar but there similarities are very little, their more different tan they are similar. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Comparison Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Comparison Essay A world without feelings is like a donut without a jelly filling. That is what I think is the main difference between out world and the Givers world. In my comparison I have found that the Givers world is a better place for everyone because of sameness but I would rather live in our world full of choice and freedom. In my first statement I found that our world is better because of the choice to buy what we need and what we desire. Unlike in the Givers world they are given what they need but not always what they desire. I will show you why I think this in the paragraph below. In the Givers world they are given what ever they need but only on special occasions are they given things they want. Unlike us, we buy things we need and desire. The bad thing about this is that if we don't have enough money we sometimes can't only buy what we want but also what we need. In the Givers world they are never left without things they need but most of the time left without things they want. That is one of the reasons I picked our world over the Givers world. The second statement is the choice to decide your job unlike in the Givers world where you are GIVEN a job that you might like or might dislike. I like being able to choose my future in a desired field of work. This is one thing I wouldn't give up and I hope to show you why below. There are both pro's and con's about having the choice to pick your job. If you get a good education in our world you have a much better chance of picking what ever job you desire. In the Givers world they get their jobs based on what they did in their recreation time. In our world they don't really care what we do in our spare time as long as we do well in school. If you do not succeed in school you do not end up with a decent occupation in our world. So I guess when I say you get to choose your occupation I guess I'm lying a bit. None the less I would still rather do things our way then the Givers way in getting a job. In my last statement I would like to bring up the argument of color. We get the opportunity to see color and we probably take it for grant it. In the givers world color only exists to few people in the community. Color is a wonderful thing and if I was put in to the Givers world right now it would be really plain and boring. Like Jonas said in the book " I wish everyone could see color". You could also bring up the argument that if we didn't have color there would be no racist or blond jokes. Lots of people would rather not have color because of those reasons but I cannot put myself under that list. Even though there are racist comments I still think this world needs color. If we didn't have color we could not experience color T.V, the stars at night or a rainbow. In my conclusion I find that our world is better then the Givers for one big reason. CHOICE. Choice is one thing I couldn't give up no matter what. I would rather live in our world with Choice and color (even if we aren't the perfect world) than live in a world without choice and color. The End f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\compsyll.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Instructor: Michael Schueth English 400 University of _________ The Rise of Celebrity Authorship & the American Literary Market Required Texts Harriet Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin Frederick Douglass, The Life of Frederick Douglass Fanny Fern, Ruth Hall Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie Willa Cather, Song of the Lark F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Course Goals In this course we will explore how image, advertising, and self-promotion played a key role in literary works from the 1850s to the 1930s. The development of the "celebrity" author transformed the role of the writer in American culture, and this course aims to understand the role of the author. Further, this course will look at other cultural influences such as technology, theatre, and art to more fully understand the complex forces at work on authors during this period. In this course, students are welcome to explore specific interests in American culture and shape their research around those interests. Policy on Attendance Because this is an intense summer course meeting five days per week, I expect that you have made arrangements with your employer to be here on time every day and that you have a realistic amount of time set aside to complete reading assignments. This course has a heavy reading load. Important: Students will fail this course FOR ANY REASON after FOUR absences. A Note on Class Discussion Because this is a 400-level course, discussion will be a major component of our meetings. The quality of this course, then, largely rests on the active and intelligent participation of all members of the class. The class discussions are meant to foster ideas among students and uncover major ideas through an organic class discussion. If you have any questions/concerns, please feel free to see me. A Note About Late Work, Incomplete Work and My Teaching Philosophy It my job to do whatever possible to challenge, motivate and work with you as we do the work of this course. It is your job to do the work. If you are absent, late, or don't do things, you will either not pass the class or, depending on the quality here, can expect a much lower grade. My teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that you want to be here to learn. Late Work Policy See me if you are planning on being absent, or, if you are ill, please phone me or email me as soon as possible. No late essays. Reading quizzes cannot be made up. Policy on Incompletes I will only give an incomplete in the case of a serious medical or family emergency. A significant amount of the coursework must be completed to receive an incomplete. See UNL Handbook. Policy on Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty Plagiarism is a serious offence and will be treated as such in this course. What you turn into me must be your own intellectual thinking-if it is not, cite your sources according to MLA guidelines. It is your responsibility to know what plagiarism is and what constitutes appropriate paraphrasing. See the UNL handbook for a more extensive discussion; also, see me if you have any questions or look up this topic in a guide to writing. Cases of plagiarism will result in failure of this course and appropriate action by Student Judicial Affairs. Short paper-This assignment requires a exploration of two major 19th century magazine publications in our library. Look through one or two years of each magazine, and discuss the ways in which fiction and poetry are used in context to other content. Requirements Research Presentation-The assignment requires exploring various historical events in American culture during this period. I have selected relevant historical topics that will contextualize the books in this course. You will be responsible for researching and formulating the most critical aspects of these historical events to the class. You will also be responsible for a one-page handout, which should incorporate relevant photographs/images. Research Paper-We will spend the second half of the semester working on the research paper. Your paper topic should explore the themes of this course, and address an issue relevant to literary celebrity. Looking a primary and archival materials is required as part of your research. Topic selection is due on October XX. Evaluation Reading responses 75 pts. Quiz 50 Short paper 100 Research Presentation 75 Final Research paper 200 Grading Scale A = 475-500 pts. A- = 460-470 pts. B+ = 445-455 pts. B = 430-440 pts. B- = 415-425 pts. C+ = 400-410 pts. C = 385-395 pts. C- = 370-380 pts. D = 325-365 pts. F = 0-320 pts. An "A" grade to me indicates that all work has been completed clearly, on-time, and with care. All requirements of the assignment have been met. The student appears engaged in the work and invested in its quality. The writing is clear, free from excessive grammatical and mechanical problems, demonstrates the writer's style and voice, and is organized and interesting. A "B" grade suggests that the work has met all requirements as delineated in the assignment. The writing is clear and coherent, with some lapses or illogical connections. The work may have some grammatical and mechanical problems. Development of thoughts or arguments may be incomplete, and some organizing could be confusing. Overall, the work exceeds the expectations of "average" college writing. A "C" grade means the work fulfills the expectations for "average" college writing. That is, the work is readable and comprehensible but perhaps is slightly disorganized, has some messy or sketchy development, or lacks fresh/interesting ideas. Often, there is boring or repetitive sentence structure and problems with grammar and mechanics. All or most work has been completed. A "D" grade is assigned when the writer has failed to meet the minimum criteria set in the "C" category. The paper is disorganized beyond understanding, incoherent, or too short/underdeveloped. Mechanical and grammatical errors plague the work. Ideally, this syllabus would cover every contingency of every possibility that will arise in the course of the semester. Of course, reality dictates that this will not be the case. Thus, I reserve the right to make changes to this syllabus as the need arises. A Final Note: I like teaching and I like students. Take advantage of this...I always encourage you to come to see me, talk to me, and ask me questions. My office hours will be announced on the first day of class, but feel free to email me as I check it often. If you find yourself puzzled, upset, falling behind, unable to complete assignments, see me as soon as possible. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CONCERTS.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CONCERTS Tue 04-13-2004 8:00 PM Pinback, El Guapo Paradise Rock Club 18+ $12.00 Mon 04-12-2004 8:00 PM Air Avalon 18+ $20.25 Tue 04-06-2004 8:00 PM Crystal Method w/ DJ Hyper Avalon 18+ $20.25 Sat 04-03-2004 9:00 PM Squarepusher Paradise Rock Club 18+ $20.00 Sat 03-27-2004 8:00 PM Broken Social Scene, Stars Middle East Downstairs 18+ $10.00 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\concusion.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ English 10 Nate Pike Period. 9 / / 96 Concusion " Ding , Ding, Ding." School had just ended. My butt had been just freed from the oppression of that chair for the rest of my life. Never again was I planning to sit down in Mr. Dicksons room again. But that was the least of my concerns. Because, today I couldn't wait to get riding on the Bike trails. These were old paths of a railroad track that had jumps built on them. By the time I got out to the bikeracks and met my friends, we were exhilerated. "To the bike trails?" I asked. "to the bike trails" they replied. We had been going to the bike trails for weeks now. Every day we came back for another thrill. So, with haste we sped away from school. Our first stop was my house. " going to the bike trails , Mom" I said while grabbing a box of little debbie snacks. "O.K., be home for supper" she said. This was in code it meant be home at five. Well who cares on to the second stop, Dons Deli. I went in and grabbed the usual. A pink lemonade Snapple and one of those huge pixie sticks. I got to the counter. "The usual" the cashier said "Yup" I said realizing that this recognition was a product of the last few weeks. "That will be two dollars" she said. But that was needless because I had already left the money and was half way out the door. I mounted my bike and rode the steed while sucking down as much sugar as possible. We finally arrived at the bike trails. We then Infiltrated the left over food that we bought from Dons Deli. We were all on a sugar high, it's now time to ride. We did the usual. Had jump contests, fix jumps, and practiced new tricks. I had a good day, my jumps were perfect. And we would soon would move on to the hardest jump.... The big double. This jump was about three and a half to four feet high. And a proximately eleven feet long. Not only that, if you messed up their was a ditch in the middle. I jumped it at least ten times, missing trees on the landing every time. And because of this we decided to move it over. This process only used about an hour of precious jumping time. We had made the jump better than ever. I tried the jump first of course. We couldn't have made it any better. It was about five now. The day was ending so we decided it was time to time laps around the track. The usual lap was about thirty seconds. But I was thinking about changing that. So I left the starting position and pedaled as hard and as fast as I could. The first jump was in sight, the big double. I jumped , but I was too high and going so far that I went over the landing. But the shock to my knees didn't bother me because I was used to it. I then rode the corner on the top edge. From experience, I knew that this gets you more speed . Then the little double, and another large jump were easy. I rode in to the finish. "What's my time." I asked knowing that I had beaten the record. "Oh we kinda screwed it up. Just go again". One of my friends said. So I swiftly set off. Not knowing that this time something would go terribly wrong. I remember jumping the big double and in mid air I looked to the side. My friend was giving me a thumbs up. I then remember having sort of a dream. I was riding down the street with people I don't know, on bikes jiggling like Jell-O. The wheels were bending and reshaping. And the frames swung side to side. Smack! Consciences hit me like a Mack truck. I couldn't see , where am I, how'd I get here, I needed answers . " What happened" I asked. I heard voices but my mind was in to much shock to translate it. " Where am I" I asked hoping for better luck. But still the people spoke in a foreign language. " What happened" I repeated starting to over load my own brain. " Nate wash your face". A chorus sang . But why should I do this. " Mom will get home soon" They said. "What happened" I said again. "Oh my god! What do you mean. You were there too. Nate just wash your face" some one said. But I knew who this was. It was my little dipstick brother. "Nate your mom is coming down the street". Some one announced. I then rubbed my eyes. And my vision was restored. My first sight was my mom pulling in to the drive way. "Nate whats wrong" she asked me while pulling me towards the house. "I don't know" I told her. I then was interrogated for about five minutes where no questions were answered. I was out of it for the rest of the night. And nobody wanted to talk to me because they claimed that I asked them the same questins over and over again. I finally did find out what happen though. Upon the landing my wheel caught a rut. I then flipped over the handle bars and shot like a torpedo head first in to the ground. I laid on the ground motionless for a minute or so. After that I started to moan and roll back and forth. After that I jumped to my feet and so disgracefully " Where's mom" I then picked up my bike and started to walk it home. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\conde paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Caribbean Imagination Professor González 10.17.2003 The Movement of African Culture in The Last of the African Kings In Maryse Condé's The Last of the African Kings, the main characters have been dispersed throughout the Caribbean and United States due to years of oppression and colonialism. In the preface to the novel, Richard Philcox writes: "African American music influences not only the atmosphere of the novel but also its structure." He continues by saying, "Just as Jazz is a reworking of African rhythms so the structure of the book reworks the links between Africa, the place of origin, and its Diaspora of Guadeloupe and South Carolina" (ix). This constant movement has created an ever changing development in their art and culture. Condé's novel depicts how constant movement from one society to another creates new directions for the African culture. Jazz creates an expression of African emotions and beats. Rhythm and syncopation are most key to the structure of jazz. "Rhythms became one of the most important elements of this rich cultural expression that would find its way into the folk and religious music of white European Colonists. The unlikely mixture of such diverse cultural activities between black and white people produced the basic elements for jazz music in terms of rhythm and harmony" (Yurochko 4). Throughout the development of jazz there have been different genres of jazz including, ragtime, bebop, swing, etc, but fundamentally jazz is the culmination of African tribal sounds and traditional brass and woodwind instruments. The rapid evolution of jazz from one style to another reflects the changing African culture. While analyzing Jazz as a constantly changing sound, one can see the connections to the African culture within the music. As the beginnings of African king culture started in Benin so did the tribal sounds of African music. From there the African culture swept to the Caribbean where they picked and engulfed new cultural influences and infusing them with the traditional African traditions. As with Jazz, the movement from Africa to the Americas brought about new sounds that developed an alternative, creative form of music. In the United States Jazz continued to develop. In New Orleans, New York and all across America, jazz became popularized by great artists such as Charlie Parker, Louie Armstrong and Duke Ellington. As the jazz movement evolved in America, so did the African American culture. With movements like the Harlem Renaissance, African Americans began new forms of art and exploration. From the beginning of the African culture in Benin to the depressing aftermath in South Carolina, the trail of African culture is constantly changing. The opening scene in the novel entails Spero having a reoccurring nightmare about his ancestors in Benin. He has haunting images of his ancestors running through his head in disgust and sadness. "Djéré, Spero's grandfather, was cradled on the far left in the arms of the oldest queen; this blissful, apparently loved illegitimate son, however, would be left behind by the family together with other relics when they returned to Africa. This abandonment would drastically affect Djéré's entire existence and that of his descendants" (Condé 5). Spero, being a descendant of Djéré feels this abandonment and in turn cannot connect with his past. His inability to fully embrace his ancestors has spawned a new culture which can be seen through the eyes of his daughter, Anita. Spero, a man of few morals, reflects the unfortunate happenings of his ancestors through his affairs with women and alcohol. If he was content with his past, he wouldn't have to drink all the time to erase his painful memories. On one level, he seems aware of the sins he commits but subconsciously through his dreams he appears haunted by the memories of his past. "He had been having the same dream for two years, three or four times a week.... What sadness was hidden at the bottom of his heart" (Condé 5). As Condé emphasizes throughout the novel, the history of the African heritage exists in their culture forever, regardless of whether or not one chooses to embrace it. Spero's acknowledgement of this fact truly has made him a flawed character. Condé writes: "He really was suffocating in Charleston! He had his fill of black churches, black universities, and black stories by black friends! Sometimes he was taken with the urge to go home. Take a plane. Land at le Raizet.... But can you return home empty handed with holes in your pockets....He was one of those immigrants whose stories are best left untold so as not to frighten candidates about to leave" (Condé 27). It is evident here that Spero appears to struggle with his personal identity. He lives in America but feels disconnected from his peers, but his past in the Caribbean and before are too troubled to return to, so in turn he lives in confusion. In any family household, the parent-child relationship has a profound impact on the mentality of the offspring. As for Spero's daughter, Anita, witnessing her father as an unemployed glutton has had an extreme impression on how she views not only her father but her own culture and history. To balance her life, Anita's mother, Debbie has made an effort to form her into a respectable woman. Debbie, who is the bread winner in the family, provides the role-model status for Anita by having her be educated and cultured in an American perspective. Ironically enough, throughout the lineage of their African heritage, the men have always fallen short and it is the women who maintain and preserve their culture. Sometimes in society when one's relationship with their father becomes shattered, those feelings are reciprocated to their kin. Spero's lack of fatherhood can be linked to the severed bond between Spero and Justin (Spero's father). When Spero lived with Justin in Martinique, he meant the world to Justin. It was Justin's dream to have Spero pass on the heritage that came from Benin, but when Spero denied his own culture and moved to the United States, this tore Justin apart. "He was shattered when Spero left for America" (Condé 37). Similar to how Spero had issues with his father, Justin had trouble connecting to his father, Djéré. "Justin could not bear his father.... Why did Djéré just sit at the dining room table, dipping his pen into a glass inkwell, scribbling and scratching from morning to late afternoon on pieces of paper, and in the evening when he was drunk, telling stories that nobody could make head or tail of?" (Condé 29). The troubling relationships in Martinique and Guadeloupe are not at all different from those in South Carolina. Just as Debbie controlled the positive flow of African influence into the next generation, Marisia provided the same support for when Justin was of no service. It seems that in the evolution of the African movement the women have played the strongest role in preserving and forwarding their own heritage. On the other side, the men appear to be the characters that lack structure and stability. They generally are absent from their own family and drown themselves with alcohol. Their jobless, sloth ways only hinder the positive movement of their culture. In the novel, The Last of the African Kings the ethnic trail from Africa to the United States created many ups and downs for their culture. The constant change from location created new influences in language, music and art. The collaboration of all the positive and negative outcomes of the developing heritage has shaped the African community to what it appears today. Just as Jazz moves and changes over time, with advents of new genres like bebop and swing, so did the characters of The Last of the African Kings. The cycle of African displacement and movement has created a contemporary culture that's rooted in the history of the old Africa with the hopes and aspirations of the new African society. At the end of the novel, Anita continues her education and proves herself to be a respectable woman. She stands as the new hope for the African culture in the family lineage. "The fact of continuous singing and dancing by the African from his home to shipboard to a new home on an ocean away proves one thing: The African never stops such activities any more than he stops breathing" (Lovell 49-50). Whether it stems from music or ancestry, the African culture will always be moving, changing, evolving and rearranging itself forever. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Confidentiality.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Confidentiality Statement Community Promise: A Local Labour Market Study the study The Community Promise is a study of opportunities available in five sectors of the Greater Victoria economy: home care, crafts, construction trades, organic agri-food, and the environment. We will be focusing on the human resource issues in each sector. The study will be used to enhance both work and business opportunities in these emerging economic sectors, and to act as a catalyst for action by sector participants, community organizations, the training community, and government. our promise We respect your privacy, and we appreciate your willingness to contribute to this important community study. All data collection and analysis under the Community Promise study are conducted under strict privacy guidelines. Data collected will be used only for aggregated statistical purposes, unless you give us permission to quote you directly (below). All data collected are held in strict confidence, and all survey materials and notes will be destroyed after the reports are produced. your rights Participation in the study is entirely voluntary, and you are not obligated to answer any survey questions. If you have any questions at all about participating, please call Vanessa Hammond or Lynne Markell at CEDCO Victoria: 250-360-0852. your agreement ? You may use my quote in Community Promise published reports. YOUR NAME AND COMPANY NAME WILL NOT BE USED IN ANY CASE. ? You may not use any quotes in any Community Promise reports. (Please check one only) I understand the confidentiality policy of the Community Promise study, and I agree to participate in the study. SIGNATURE PRINT NAME DATE f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Confused Letmein.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Donald Christensen pr #7 Confused Letmein Well it all started out like this, It was a typical day in band, marching practice. We were all outside lined up getting ready to march. As I was chatting with Bob, I over heard Mr. Letmein yell to Bob "Get in line Donny." He said it like Bob had killed someone. Bob suddenly looked up, and strangely enough, he was already in line. As we both looked at each other in wonder, Mr. Letmein commanded "Band at a ready." Next thing I knew Mr. Letmein was yelling at Bob telling him to stand at a ready, and to be quiet, he was so mad at him it seemed like he was a volcano. We started to march, and Bob looked over at me and said, "Was I talking?" "Nope" I said back quickly, so we would not be noticed talking. After marching, in Spanish class, Bob asked me again if he was talking, and again I said no. We discussed this for a while and found no reason for Mr. Letmein to yell at him at all. That is just too strange, the only thing we could think of is he thought Matt Card was Bob, because Matt was standing in front of Bob. Mr. Letmein must be getting old. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Conquest.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conquest (Conquest) The day they landed was the most horrible day I have ever been forced to live through. * * * The Soviet Union had begun to regroup. It was not immediately joined by the smaller and weaker nations that made up the northwestern region of the union. The independent nations of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithua would not follow under communist rule again; they were willing to die for their freedom. The U.S.S.R was unable to persuade the remaining components to rejoin them in their conquest and they were hasty to declare war on their counterparts. With war waging in Eastern Europe the United Nations took action. The leader of Russia's communist party and president rejected the UN's cease-fire treaty. Russia was expelled from the United Nations early the next day. The CIA agent, Newton, inched his way through the air conditioning make an effort to remain as quiet as possible. Once he reached the ventilator above the leader's bedroom he unveiled his device, a new prototype developed by his agency. This devise would unscrew and disable any form of fastener. Using a laser divertor to abstract the laser alarm system path the agent lowered himself into the room. Waiting for the man, a smaller man yet more powerful. The door creaked open slowly and an exhausted fat man entered. As soon as the door had been closed the fat man's throat had been gashed and he lay in a pool of his own warm blood. The United States had volunteered to be a "cut-off" regiment. We would put pressure on Russia to remove their troops from Eastern Europe and detain their troops in Russia. If they failed to comply with this mandate we would have no choice but to supply aid to Eastern Europe. My regiment was originally from the Southern California area; we were to be transported to San Francisco where we would rendezvous with a rather large concentration of military. From San Francisco we would be transported by carriers to the island of Hokkaido, specifically the town of Wakkanai. Our army would form a percent of the United Nations army along with Japan and England and launch an attack on a Russian city named Korsakov. This was the plan as it stood, but when you are attacked on your own soil there are priorities to attend to. Later that week the leader of Russia was assassinated in chambers. The assailant had entered through the overhead ventilator and slit the dictator's throat. He had then fled through the window setting off a number of alarms and finally escaping by slaying three of the soldiers on guard. Russia was appointed an inexperienced dictator, he was the defense minister's secretary, his name was Josef Koslov. Koslov was rumored to be a man obsessed with genocide, he was brutal and restless. * * * "A very sloppy job, know who did it?" The Secretary of War asked one of his friends employed by the Central Intelligence Agency. "Not a clue," he replied, "we suspect corrupted KGB. We know the IRA wouldn't get their nose in this." "Are you positive it wasn't one of your guys?" "Positive...The Russians are going to have a fuckin' field day with this one, talk about an international incident. We're expecting trouble from everyone. Do you plan to attack the Russians on their own ground if we are attacked?" "I don't see any good it would do, so long as their troops are removed. I am a man of peace and I feel our nation should also be," the Secretary of War replied as he entered his limousine returning to the White House. Once the limousine was out of sight the CIA man whispered, "Get 'im," into his watch. Mere seconds later an explosion rocked downtown Washington, DC. With a new Secretary of War in office, a larger number of troops were ordered to be at San Francisco for rendezvous with a fleet to Northeastern Asia. Koslov had launched a nuclear weapon from Moscow on Dublin, Ireland, in an attempt to eliminate the IRA's presence in the current state of war. It succeeded and killed more than three million innocent victims. The soldiers who were sent to battle were not the ones who would face a living hell, those were the soldiers who would stay in America to defend our freedom. They would see great cities fall into burning suit, and their children fly apart like leaves from the nuclear assaults. Koslov had consigned hundreds of thousands of his soldiers to the United States and Canada. Their harriers and nuclear submarines took our troops by surprise in San Francisco and besieged the city, our remaining troops had retreated to San Jose where a massive force of ours was mounting. My unit had been relocated to a small town north of San Francisco. Our general had adopted a "squeeze-play" to suffocate Russian forces: one force would lay siege to their side of the city while the other invade and plant bombs at the Russian's structures. A smaller force was set up on Angel Island (a small island outside the San Francisco Bay), this force would cut off any reinforcements and supplies coming to the Russian's aid. The day started like any other, except for the fact that we now carried loaded weapons and were in the trenches most of the day. We had stopped shelling long enough for them to start. Their large Howitzer machine guns tore us apart like we were nothing. "Move men! Get the hell outta the trenches! Move!" As the bombardment continued we scrambled out of the mud, following our captain's orders. My left arm had been injured in the fusillade of shots, but, I ignored the pain and took up a position behind a brick wall about three feet tall. The remainder of my unit had fled to the hills surrounding the city just as the Russians trudged over our previous barricade. They cast enormous shadows on the empty ground, the smoke was clearing and the fire was dying as I caught my first glimpse of one of their faces. Cold and lifeless was what I saw. They were already dead, as were we. I stared in my complete and utter shock as at least one thousand troops began searching the surrounding houses for enemy soldiers. I could hear shots in the distance and they gradually grew nearer. One of my foes hammered a few shots into the brick wall that I found sanctuary in. The brick wall shattered like glass as I ran for cover, all the while doing my best to slay my enemies. I must have killed a good number of Commies in that moment. I was helping the dream, the dream of peace. "Killing for peace? Killing for peace is like fucking for virginity," I told myself the searching question about what I was doing. I wished I could have been somewhere else, anywhere else. I did not like what I was doing. In a moment I would either be a KIA or a POW. Then peace was settled, this peace was a dream...no, it was real. Real inside my lifeless body, anyway. * * * This brutal war continued for some time. The United States refused to participate in a nuclear war. However, Russia launched many nuclear weapons, particularly warheads from their submarines. San Francisco was lost, San Jose annihilated. All the United States was thrown into a depression due to the loss of most of California. During this time the world was a terrible place to dwell in. England had been burnt as a whole and Ireland bombed until it was ocean. The countries that began the resistance to Russia were once again under communist rule. The only progress the UN had made was taken a portion of western Russia near Alaska and also near Japan. The hope of the world lay with these men, the soldiers. We had figured that once Russia had its existing lands back under control they would proclaim a cease fire. They did not. Instead, they conquered most of Eastern Europe and ravished the rest. An organization created in the World War II era had been reinstated by congress. The OSS was an bureau not only of America, but of Britain, France, and Germany also. Their chief job was to assassinate Russian leaders...by any means. "We gotta fuckin' pop this honcho. What the hell are they givin' us for this chore?" A tall man, George Carlson, asked. "They gave me a bag fulla' all this spy shit," Clark motioned to a canvas bag on the floor. He opened it and revealed a Zippo lighter. Unlike the conventional models, when he flicked open the top, a small barrel was exposed. "It shoots a nice little .22 bullet, made by the OSS to kick the shit outta any motherfuck it wants to. They were also gracious enough to send us each a bullet-proof vest. I bet these'll protect us good, I mean, its not like the Ruskies shoot armor-piercing shots," Clark said sarcastically. The two men waited as their taxi pulled up on a corner. They shot the driver "execution style" then continued on into the city square. In the city square, the Comrade of Russia was scheduled to give a speech on the "Dream of Russia": a particularly worthless and boring lecture. The Comrade was led out by four KGB agents. One located at his rear, one at his about-face, and two at either side. This was when the first shots cleared the airwaves, two of the four KGB men staggered then fell into oblivion. The two remaining began firing their AK-47s into the nearby building. The other team of OSS agents fled the scene. Once a distraction had been caused, Clark and Carlson opened fire on the crowd. As the Socialist citizens began to dive for cover, a third party of OSS agents shot Comrade into a hollowed mass. The OSS agents which actually conducted the assassination were, in fact, corrupt KGB agents bought off by either the CIA or OSS. Once Koslov was assassinated, Russia fell into a plague of failure. With enemies on all possible sides, it was quickly invaded. Finally, after a string of brutal battles where hundreds of thousands of soldiers were lost, Russia surrendered. All high-ranking public officials were rounded up into concentration camps on their native soil, awaiting execution. The world was once again in good hands, but when the other country regrouped, we prepared for the nuclear winter sure to follow. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Contemp Lit essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ashley Svec Final Essay May 20,2004 Ms. Kain Literature Literature is a very important part of American culture. It gives people a chance to express themselves in poetry, drama, short stories, and novels. We have read all of these this past semester. None of the pieces we read are from the current day. They have been from past periods of time such as World War II. We have discussed several themes including discrimination, materialism, and loneliness. Discrimination has been a huge theme. There was discrimination of gender, age, and race. In "Old Age Sticks", the old men are discriminating against the young boys and their behavior. This cycle goes on forever. In "A Raisin in the Sun", there is discrimination with both gender and race. When Mr. Linder came to visit the Youngers home, he showed great discrimination. He told them that they should not move to the white neighborhood for both their sake and the other white people's sakes. Also in that play, there is a lot of discrimination towards women. There is nobody besides mama that feels that Beneatha should be following her dream of being a doctor. People try to talk her out of it a million times. They believe that she should just be a normal stay at home housewife. We don't have as much discrimination with gender and race today, but I believe we still have a large problem with the discrimination of age. Young people believe that the old are worthless. Old people believe that the young do not mean anything and should be watched at all times because they are bad, bad people. Discrimination is not as bad of a problem as it was back in the day, but it still happens once in a while and I believe it should be stopped. Discrimination can sometimes lead to materialistic thoughts in people also. Materialism is a huge thing today and back in the day of World War II. The Great Gatsby is a great example of this. The characters in this movie only wanted expensive things and the expensive, important lifestyle. They had parties just to let everyone know they had money and so that they could be known for there great parties. In the play we are watching now, "Death of a Salesman", all Willy wants is a lot of money and to be able to show off his family and friends with what materialistic things he has. People today are just like that; they only want what looks good. People used to marry others because they loved them very much. Now, many people marry others because of money or because they have a nice car or house. What happened to the world? It seems like you can only be happy if you have expensive, cool stuff. People in our society today are looking for money to make them happy. This really needs to change. Love is what brings us all together. There is too much greedy hatred in the world today and not enough happiness. I have never been one to care about money or clothes very much. Of course, I like to look good when I can, but it doesn't run my life. I am fine with who I am, unlike a lot of girls these days. The pop divas today give young girls a lot of materialist ideas and make them think that a person can only be successful if they have money and the right clothes. This world is so materialistic these days and it drives me crazy. In affect of materialism in the world, many people also are extremely lonely. Loneliness. Personally, I feel that we read too much about loneliness. It seems like every story we read had something to do with it. For example, "The Unknown Citizen" was just downright depressing. Yes, it has a very good point, but who wants to think about the government talking about them like a number. "The Far and the Near" portrayed loneliness as well. The train conductor was very disappointed to find that nobody in that town was like he imagined them to be. He almost would have rather continued thinking that the town was full of nice, friendly people instead of the reality. This happens a lot in our society today. People make assumptions especially about Hollywood stars and then later find out that they were completely off. It may be a good surprise, and it may be a bad one. In "A Corn Planting", loneliness is portrayed over and over again. The old couple is first lonely because there son went away to work and they don't see him very often and then later they are lonely because there son is dead and they will never see him again. Of course, they deal with their loneliness by going about their everyday lives and planting corn. Many people do this though. They don't want to deal with tragedy or loneliness so they bury themselves in work or whatever else they can find. Also, "A Clean, Well Lighted Place" has a loneliness them in it, the character goes to a bar because he has nothing better to do with his life and there is nobody at his home waiting for him. This also happens in our society, people are not happy with their lives, so they go drink it off. This semester has been very fun and interesting. I am not a huge fan of reading really long and, to me, boring books, but we did not do that. Granted, there were some short stories I did not like as well, but overall I really liked what we did this semester. The themes of discrimination, materialism, and loneliness taught me a lot about myself and forced me to compare the stories to our society today. This has been a great semester full of great, inquisitive readings. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Controversial Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Patrick Crosby English 50 The New Black Market Right now with out anyone even realizing it there is a new black market forming, one that does not primarily sell items but shares them. This illegal place of commerce is the internet, more specifically, the world of MP3 and file sharing. While not as popular as some of the other controversial issues that our society debates on a regular basis, file sharing is dilemma that affects many Americans today. While the vast majority of people in the world listen to some form of music, you can bet they are obtaining it via the internet. The argument mainly lies with artists and record labels, some of which are on the side of file sharing and back it one hundred percent, while others including mega stars Metallica, choose to fight against file sharing under the claim that downloading MP3's takes away from potential record sales. Statistics show that the music industry has taken a considerable hit since the downloading software, in its earliest form, Napster, was introduced in the late 1990's. Combined with the innovative invention of the compact disc burner, people began downloading songs and putting them on a record able CD, making the purchase of the real CD obsolete. As the number of sales declined, the backlash began and the debate fueled. Artists from all genres came to the table to put their thoughts in. Piracy became and issue, where people began selling these copied versions of music amongst other forms of duplicated media. While the obvious sense of negativity for file sharing loomed over the music industry, many artists were huge proponents of the downloading craze. The artists that were not on MTV and even some who were have come out and spoken their support for MP3's. From bands of the indie rock persuasion to underground hip hop acts, the simple act of downloading has aided their rise and hopeful stardom ten fold. Now people have a well know place where they can learn about new music. These artists mainly do not make their money on record sales but primarily on touring (concerts sales) and merchandise other than CD's. Without the new found method, it was nearly impossibly to break into the music industry and be successful with out the backing and advertising of a major record label. The story of one musical act sticks out in my mind. A band by the name of Thursday, hailing from the suburbs of New Jersey began playing just before the MP3 craze began. While originally catering to a select group of people in the emotional rock scene they were more than likely condemned to this audience for the entirety of their music careers. As downloading became more and more popular, they began telling their audience and crowds that you don't need money to listen to good music, they began encouraging the downloading and distribution of their music on "burnt CD's" between fans of all types of music, not just Thiers. Slowly their popularity grew. Now they are one of the more popular up and coming rock acts out there. Having just signed a record contract with Island/Def Jam Records, Thursday recently sold 73,000 copies of their new album "War All the Time" in the first week. That is more than 1/4 of the total amount sold for their last album. Clearly this shows the upside of MP3's. Unfortunately this isn't always the case around this controversy. Just last month an eleven year old girl, amongst a handful of others, was sued by a group of record labels in New York, for illegally downloading songs on her computer. The penalty was to be settled on an individual basis; however other cases averaged at about a $1,400 penalty. Since this incident, there has been an outcry of support against these music conglomerates, most visibly was the RIAA petition that blasted those against file sharing. With all this controversy, I propose a resolution. I personally feel that if an artist wants his or her music to be shared via the internet then he should be able to. What I propose is a system where only the artists that choose to participate can have their music downloaded. If an artist chooses not to cooperate with the new program they do not have to. This would eliminate any qualms either side of the argument would have. Also it may force the artists against the new method to coincide any way, due to a possible backlash from fans. The risk is their but I feel this is more than a feasible and fair alternative. Unfortunately, I am sure there are some who are turned off by this dilemma and want to ditch music all together. Certainly this is not the answer. Music is supposed to be enjoyed by everyone no matter what form, so hopefully people will continue you to seek out new artists while embracing old ones and the music industry and scene will continue and flourish for years to come. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\corrected essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alex Lazarow April 29th, 2002 Application for the Duncan Norrie Memorial Scholarship I believe that I would be a good candidate for the Duncan Norrie Memorial Scholarship. My teachers and peers have told me that I have many talents, qualities, and interests, which include the following. I have initiative, motivation and the capacity and ability for leadership and organization. An example of this was my helping organizing "from scratch" (and including arranging for the transportation, hotels, chaperons, tournament registration, funding and fielding a debate team from St. Paul's High School) to go to the McGill University North American Debate Championships. I organized this with the help of Mrs. Ramjug, and our school's debate team did very well at the tournament. My team placed 14th out of over 400 teams. In addition to my leadership and organizational skills, another quality that I have is that I am fluently bilingual. French is my maternal language, although I also speak and write English fluently. In 9th grade, I took my 1st year university AP French Exam, and received the maximum possible mark of a 5. I recently did the French SAT-II Exam, and got a perfect score of 800 (99th percentile). My score on the English portion of the regular SAT-Exam was 640 (87th percentile). I consider myself to be a very friendly and outgoing person. I have always made friends easily and have always tried to be inclusive with my friends. By that I mean I try never to let anyone be excluded fro I am also very active in athletics and have played a lot of competitive sports. When I lived in Ottawa, I played for the Ottawa Royals soccer city team. I have also played for various Winnipeg soccer teams, and this year I was captain of my indoor recreational team. I was also on the Manitoba Provincial Ping Pong Team. In addition, I am an avid skier, and am rated at level 8, which means I can comfortably ski all runs including double diamonds and off-piste runs. I have also swum competitively for a number of years, and was previously ranked in the top ten in Manitoba in the 50m and 100m Butterfly. In addition to schoolwork and sports, I also enjoy music and am a "Grade 6" level pianist. I also am a member of the Christian Life Community, and drama club (this year I was assistant director). My most important school related extracurricular activity is debating. I have been a member of the "debate club" since grade 9. Since then, I have gone to Nationals 4 times always placing in the top 15. In addition, I placed 2nd at the Western Nationals in ``cross-examination`` and 5th overall. Debating had helped me to see that each story has two sides, and has opened my eyes to the problems of the world. I have also participated in the National Student Commonwealth Forum and various UN conferences. My parents have never given me an allowance. Because of this, I have always had to work to make money. When I was younger, I would mow the lawn and do the dishes. I have also worked as a soccer referee and as a receptionist for St. Paul's. Currently, I work as a Swimming Instructor and Lifeguard, and have done so for the past 1 1/2 years. I have three part time jobs working at the Rady Jewish Community Center, the Wildwood Club, and for the City of Winnipeg, and work approximately 22-25 hours a week. An important aspect of a well-rounded individual is also academic achievement. Since entering St. Paul's High School in the 9th grade, I have been on the "Gold Card" Honor Roll every semester and every year. "When I grow up", I plan to acquire an undergraduate Commerce I would then like to get a combined MBA and LLB degree and I plan to specialize in international business litigation. My dream, after I have accomplished all of the above is to then one day enter politics, and hopefully make my mark on society and to help others in need. Of course, I also dream of the other good things in life such as long life and health, and a good family. I have tried very hard to become a well-rounded individual. Although I have always done well academically, I have also always tried to be active in volunteer work and trying to do things for others. I have also been involved in many extracurricular activities including sports and music. Hopefully, my personal and academic qualities will make me a good candidate for the Duncan Norrie Memorial Scholarship. Thank you very much for considering my application. Alexandre F. Lazarow f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CorrectedAPP essays.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I believe that out of these extra curricular activities debating has been the most worthwhile and meaningful. The reasons for this are threefold. When I first started, I had a lack of confidence and a fear of public speaking. For the first 2 minutes of every speech I would stutter incoherently, and it goes without saying I was less than a mediocre debater. I was really quite bad. I had joined initially because I felt it was important not to fear public speaking. By forcing myself to persevere, I overcame this seemingly terrible fear. What happened in fact was soon after I started, I became good at debating and I started winning tournaments. I was chosen for example as the sole Bilingual debater from my province (Manitoba), to go to the Canadian National Debating Seminar. I received 8th place overall in the Bilingual Debate category, and 2nd place overall in the After Dinner Style Public Speaking category. I also attended the McGill University North American Championships where my partner and I finished 14th out of over 200 teams. Subsequently, and again representing Manitoba, I attended the Western Canada Debating Tournament, where I finished 5th overall and 2nd in Cross-Examination. In Province of Manitoba, I was also a "regular" at the "Concours D'Arts Oratoire" (the Provincial French Public Speaking championships). I won the tournament in 1999, and in 2000 I finished 2nd. I was not able to participate in 2001. By participating in debating, I gained a lot more confidence. In fact, the more tournaments I went to, the more confidence I got, and it goes without saying, the more I enjoyed it. This leads me to the second reason why debating has been so meaningful to me. I have always enjoyed preparing for the debate tournament. I found reading the articles necessary to formulate my arguments and doing a very thorough research review of the subject both very interesting and compelling. I would prepare both sides of the debate(so I could anticipate whatever arguments the opposing team might have, and already have a counterargument prepared) and I would present my side as persuasively as I could to win over the judges. I really liked this part of debating. The preparation of a case and its presentation is very appealing to me, and as a result of my debating experiences, I have decided I want to become a lawyer. I am not sure what kind of law I want to practice but I am sure some type of litigation will be its focal point. I am "debating" between criminal law and commercial litigation. The final and most important reason why debating has become so meaningful to me, is how it has affected my "world view", and my understanding and awareness of my responsibilities as an adult. Prior to starting debating, I didn't watch the news or read current events articles that often. Debating opened my eyes to the problems of the world. It showed me that there are people my age living their day-to-day lives in the middle of a war. It taught me that millions of children my age die of hunger every day. It taught me that people are being imprisoned because of their political views. Debating taught me this and instilled in me a sense of social responsibility. It was debating that motivated me to attend the Canadian Commonwealth Forum in 2000, (again as a delegate of Manitoba) to discuss the epidemic of AIDS and what we can do to help. I will also be attending the United Nations Forum in 2002. It was debating that secured my motivation to enter law, and I am also thinking that once I have by "base" as a lawyer, I will probably want to ultimately enter politics because I want to do something to change and improve the world. Debating has taught me that there are always two sides to a story. No matter how "right" one may feel, there is always someone who holds an opposing viewpoint. It is important to understand both sides of the story to make an accurate judgment. I once participated in a death penalty debate. Prior to the debate, I was very much opposed to capital punishment. I was, however, assigned the pro-death penalty side and I had to prepare arguments that defended the merits of the death penalty. Even though I still hold my initial views against capital punishment, I now understand that there is some rationale for the practice. I learned about the families that grieve because of loved ones that were killed or raped, and who want justice and a sense of finality and closure. I now better understand their point of view, and can more easily sympathize with their cause. Debating has helped me to realize that the world is full of opinions, and that every story has at least two (or more) sides, and it is important not to pre-judge issues. From what started out to be nothing more than an extracurricular activity with the goal of overcoming one of my fears, debating has become a major part in my life, and I feel it is the most meaningful of my extracurricular activities. I have had a number of academic awards since Grade 9. At St. Paul's High School, in both Grades 9 and 10, I had an academic average above 90%, and I was on the gold honor-roll list for both years. Each year on average, about 10 students per 150-student class qualify for this honor roll. In Grade 11, I received the Director's Silver Medal which is given for the second highest academic average at my school. I had a cumulative 95.8% average. In Grades 9, 10 and 11, I also received the AP French Award for each year. This means that I have received the highest AP French mark in the grade. In Grade 9, I also took the AP French Exam for first year university credit, and I received the maximum grade of a 5. In Grade 12, I am also currently enrolled in 3 Advanced Placement Courses including Advanced Math and Calculus, Physics and French. The word "Significance" can sometimes be vague. In my view, the word significance defines, and can be judged by the amount of the help a deed or action has provided to an individual in their time of need. This statement can be interpreted in many ways. One example of "significance" is volunteer work. Even though ongoing volunteer work is an important part of my life, and some people might consider it to be my most significant contribution, I don't believe that volunteering has been my most significant moment, or my most significant achievement in helping others. Correct or incorrect, my premise has always been that the degree of significance is directly proportional to the level of help provided. While my day-to-day volunteer work is certainly important and significant, it has not been on a "macroscopic" scale. This explains the selection I made for my most significant moment. Two summers ago, I had received my NLS badge (lifeguard code word for National Lifeguard Service). I had just been recruited by the Oasis Beach as an assistant lifeguard. I was a "rookie" who naively believed that accidents, (aside from bloody knees etc.) were only a myth, and wouldn't happen if people were careful. In addition, although I was certified as a lifeguard, I was still fearful of having to go into the water to save a drowning swimmer. This is because drowning swimmers, pumped with adrenaline can be very dangerous. A couple of years ago, a 200 pound RCMP officer was drowned by a 6 year old girl who he was trying to save. One improper maneuver when rescuing a drowning swimmer can be very dangerous. One day while I was on duty, I saw two young girls swim into the deep area and they became "DNS" (this abbreviation means "distressed non swimmers" and is the lifeguard code for a drowning swimmer). The lifeguard across the beach also saw the incident and we both entered the water at the same time. We got to the girls, and separated them. He helped one of the girls back to shore and I got the other one to safety with my torpedo can. Had the girls been in the water another 30 - 45 seconds they would have become unconscious, and in another 2 minutes and they would have been dead. They had both swallowed a lot of water, and needed to be transported to the hospital and we had to arrange this. This incident really changed my life and my entire world view. I believe that this event had an important effect on both the two girls, their families and also myself. The girls survived with only minor injuries, however, their lives were saved. From the shore as I was doing the rescue, I could hear the girl's parents and family franticly screaming. It would have been devastating to the families had the girl's "drowned before their eyes" and they might well have felt guilty that they hadn't watched them more closely, and that it had been their fault. I believe that in its significance to others, this rescue was an important event, and the act of saving a life was something that was "macroscopic". The effect this event had on me was immense. I realized how precious life really was. I was no longer immature enough to believe that accidents never happened. Life is short and fragile, and this event made me realize that I needed and wanted to make the most of it. I realized that I had to change a lot of things, both the little things and the big things. I realized that I had to be nicer to the people around me. I realized that I had to make the most of every moment. I had been given the gift of a strong swimming ability and I had to use it. I had overcome my fear of entering the water with a DNS swimmer, and had gone and helped them. This event also made me realize that we all have gifts and talents. To be successful, one has to use them to their full potential. These gifts should not be geared to enrich oneself or to accumulate possessions, but rather to help other people. In religion class, I was a little skeptical after I had been told that God had a distinct plan for all of us. Now, however, I believe this. I believe that God gave us all gifts and talents, and that we must use them to help others and improve the human race. This important event with the drowning girls really changed my worldview. It solidified what I wanted to do with my life and confirmed my desire to enter politics. I want to make the world a better place in a real and meaningful ("macroscopic") way, and I want to help all those that are in need of my assistance. The word "Significance" can sometimes be vague. In my view, the word significance defines, and can be judged by the amount of the help a deed or action has provided to an individual in their time of need. This statement can be interpreted in many ways. One example of "significance" is volunteer work. Even though ongoing volunteer work is an important part of my life, and some people might consider it to be my most significant contribution, I don't believe that volunteering has been my most significant moment, or my most significant achievement in helping others. Correct or incorrect, my premise has always been that the degree of significance is directly proportional to the level of help provided. While my day-to-day volunteer work is certainly important and significant, it has not been on a "macroscopic" scale. This explains the selection I made for my most significant moment. Two summers ago, I had received my NLS badge (lifeguard code word for National Lifeguard Service). I had just been recruited by the Oasis Beach as an assistant lifeguard. I was a "rookie" who naively believed that accidents, (aside from bloody knees etc.) were only a myth, and wouldn't happen if people were careful. In addition, although I was certified as a lifeguard, I was still fearful of having to go into the water to save a drowning swimmer. This is because drowning swimmers, pumped with adrenaline can be very dangerous. A couple of years ago, a 200 pound RCMP officer was drowned by a 6 year old girl who he was trying to save. One improper maneuver when rescuing a drowning swimmer can be very dangerous. One day while I was on duty, I saw two young girls swim into the deep area and they became "DNS" (this abbreviation means "distressed non swimmers" and is the lifeguard code for a drowning swimmer). The lifeguard across the beach also saw the incident and we both entered the water at the same time. We got to the girls, and separated them. He helped one of the girls back to shore and I got the other one to safety with my torpedo can. Had the girls been in the water another 30 - 45 seconds they would have become unconscious, and in another 2 minutes and they would have been dead. They had both swallowed a lot of water, and needed to be transported to the hospital and we had to arrange this. This incident really changed my life and my entire world view. I believe that this event had an important effect on both the two girls, their families and also myself. The girls survived with only minor injuries, however, their lives were saved. From the shore as I was doing the rescue, I could hear the girl's parents and family franticly screaming. It would have been devastating to the families had the girl's "drowned before their eyes" and they might well have felt guilty that they hadn't watched them more closely, and that it had been their fault. I believe that in its significance to others, this rescue was an important event, and the act of saving a life was something that was "macroscopic". The effect this event had on me was immense. I realized how precious life really was. I was no longer immature enough to believe that accidents never happened. Life is short and fragile, and this event made me realize that I needed and wanted to make the most of it. I realized that I had to change a lot of things, both the little things and the big things. I realized that I had to be nicer to the people around me. I realized that I had to make the most of every moment. I had been given the gift of a strong swimming ability and I had to use it. I had overcome my fear of entering the water with a DNS swimmer, and had gone and helped them. This event also made me realize that we all have gifts and talents. To be successful, one has to use them to their full potential. These gifts should not be geared to enrich oneself or to accumulate possessions, but rather to help other people. In religion class, I was a little skeptical after I had been told that God had a distinct plan for all of us. Now, however, I believe this. I believe that God gave us all gifts and talents, and that we must use them to help others and improve the human race. This important event with the drowning girls really changed my worldview. It solidified what I wanted to do with my life and confirmed my desire to enter politics. I want to make the world a better place in a real and meaningful ("macroscopic") way, and I want to help all those that are in need of my assistance. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Cover Letter Agrifood research.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CVDS can leverage this into a broader scope / model for provincial study / sector organization: My IFOAM connections Research experience Connection industry Growers Distributors Farm-gate Policy Organizations Food security f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Crabbing.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CRABS FOR THE CRABBER Would you like to learn how to make around two hundred dollars a day for going out in the boat and crabbing for a few hours? Once you gain the experience of a commercial crabber, you can earn as much as you want. All it takes is a little time and effort to learn the basic steps, and, of course, the love of the water. For the last two years, I have kept the books for my boyfriend's crabbing business. I helped him from the beginning when we purchased the traps to today, when he is now running 150 traps. On the boat, you should always have as many life jackets as people. Flares and a marine radio should also be on the boat in case of an emergency. For instance, if you are five miles out over the ocean and the boat runs out of gas, you could light a flare and reach some help on the marine radio. You should also keep an oar on the boat at all times. This would come in handy if your boat is stuck in mud, or if the boat breaks down in the small creeks near your dock. I also recommend that you have crabbing gloves and rubber overalls from Boater's World. The gloves have special rubber tips that help reduce the pain if a crab pinches you. The overalls will protect your clothes from getting drenched and muddy. The last thing that you should never leave the dock without is plenty of liquids to drink. I recommend Gatorade or water, but no soft drinks. It is very hot on the boat and fluids are a necessity so that you do no dehydrate. Before you can start crabbing, you need certain materials. The most important is a commercial license to sell crabs. A license can be purchased from the Game Warden in Richmond Hill. You must go early in the year because they only sell a limited number. Once you have a license and your personal number for your traps, you need a large flat bottom boat with a powerful motor. I recommend a Yamaha Salt Water Series. This motor is very reliable and can handle the long hours put on it. You should also buy a wench and have it bolted to the side of the boat. The wench is not necessary, but is will save a lot of time and effort to pull up all of the traps. A dolly should be kept on the dock to take the boxes of crabs to the truck. You will also need at least fifty crab traps to get started. These can be purchased at any boating store for around twenty dollars apiece. When you have all of your traps, you will need around 2500 feet of rope and fifty floats. After you have all of these materials, you will need bait fish and premium gasoline on a daily basis. The bait fish can be purchased anywhere that sells market seafood. The traps will have to be rigged up before they can be dropped. You should tie about fifty feet of rope on each trap. The floats will need your crabbing number engraved with a sauter iron so that no one will mistake them as their traps. The floats need to be tied on the end of the rope that is not tied to the trap. This will allow the float to stay on top of the water when the trap is on the bottom of the creek. Each trap needs to be baited with at least four small fish. When you have all of your traps ready, it is time to find places to put them. Small creeks contain the most crabs in the months of April through November. You must make sure that there are no other traps in the creeks that you select. Spread the traps out about seventy-five yards apart. Find creeks that are not used often, so that the public will not rob a few of your traps for their dinner. After you feel that all of your traps are in good places you can retire for the day. The next day, you should get an early start. Make sure that you have plenty of gasoline, boxes to put the crabs in, your overalls, and gloves. I would also recommend that you bring bait to put in the traps while you have them out of the water. When you get to your first trap, put it on the wench and let it pull it up. Don't get discouraged if there are not a lot of crabs. Dump the crabs in a box, put fresh bait in the trap, and throw the trap back out. Go through the crabs in the box and throw back any that are smaller than five inches. It is illegal to sell any that are this small. You should also take out any female crabs. If they are not pregant, which are commonly known as virgin crabs, throw them back because they are illegal to keep. If some of the females are pregnant, you should put them in a separate box because they are considered "trash crabs" because they weigh more because than the males. In other words, the female crabs are not worth as much as the males. You should check the rest of your traps just as the first one. When you finish, go back to the dock and prepare to unload. You will most likely need help because each if each box is full, it will weigh anywhere from eighty to one hundred pounds. Load them up on the dolly and roll them to your truck. Unload the boxes and make sure that they cannot dump over; you don't want crabs running all over the back of your truck. Now, you have a limited amount of time to find a place to sell your crabs. Smaller seafood markets downtown pay more than others. One, for instance, is Watson's seafood. They pay eighty cents a pound for large male crabs. A large seafood market is Wilmington Island Seafood. They only pay sixty five cents a pound for the large males. You should find a market that you feel comfortable doing business with and that is very reliable. Talk to the owner to find out what they are willing to pay and how many they will need on a daily basis. Sell your crabs and buy bait for the next day. Crabbing will pick up in the months of July and August. These are the best times because male crabs are in the creeks hiding from the females that are ready to find a mate. When it starts getting colder, you should move your traps from the creeks to rivers that flow directly from the ocean. This is because the crabs move to deeper areas where it is warmer. You should have a very productive season if you follow all of these guidelines. The amount of crabs will fluctuate from day to day, but you should be making an average of about $150 a day. If you have a bad week, don't worry about it. Chances are you will make twice the money the next week. Be careful and good luck! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Creative Writing.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I remember back in a church I used to live in this kid named Joseph. The year was, oh, I say 1935-36. He was such a delightful laid back kid when I first met him, He was always by himself playing jumping jacks and other games in which he could play by himself. He did not have to play by himself but he would for some reason always reject our offers that myself and the other kids there made to him. We would ask him if he would want to play tag or hide-and-go-seek but it was as he was mute, ignoring us for no reason. Like a year later I learned that his parents had abandoned him at the step, of the church in which we all stayed, when he was only five years of age. Joey never talked about his parents, it was like he was still mad at them. He never understood that his parents were poor and could not carry the burden of taking care of him. His parents thought they were doing the right thing by dropping him off at this church which was SUPPOSED to take care of him so that he could grow up with a normal life. In 1936 it was hard growing up in Germany. In the town we lived in there was never peace, the nuns would not tell us that, but we knew we all knew, accept for little Joseph. Nazi's would come in the church and try to teach us their "superior" ways. None of us fell for it, except Joseph. I guess he had no other place to turn to, so he slowly sank into these idiotic ways. About three years later the now 12 years old little boy was a nazi himself and the one of his kind in that church. He still would play by himself. No one liked him anymore and never asked him to play. Instead he would ask us, but now we would refuse. One day in 1939 he got so sick of us "inferior" people in the church so he left. What he did not know and what most of us did not know was that there was a battle just a town away. The nuns never told us about World War II. They always said in the sweetest voice "The world is such a peaceful place." Well, Joseph unknowingly went to this town in search for a new place to live. But stepping into this town was like slitting your wrist. Anyway a Jewish man saw him with his swastika on his arm. This obviously made the Jew mad. The two of them brawled about for at least an hour, but when the fight was over the Jew came out on top, simply because he had a knife in which he used to stab the innocent young child at least 20 times in the chest. Another nazi saw this happening, he later on killed the Jew. His life ended because of superiority...I guess superiority cannot always save your life or make it better than someone else's, because now they both are resting and surely not in peace. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CreonAntigone.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The similarities between Creon and Antigone "Ah Creon! Is there no man left in the world-" Teirsesias Greek theatre played a large role in Greece. The citizens were supposed to learn from the mistakes made in tragedies. The citizens should have learned what not to be like as a citizen or person. In a Greek trilogy written by Sophocles there are two ma in characters, Antigone and Creon. They are both strong willed and stubborn people. Both being unwilling to change, they both seal each others fate. Creon is passionate. . Antigone is full of rage. They are both so similar they can not see eye to eye . Although they may seem quite different, Creon and Antigone share many similarities throughout the story. They are both very independent people. Antigone is extremely independent.. She doesn't mind doing anything on her own. For example, in the beginning of the story when Antigone is talking with Ismene, she asks for her help . When Ismene refuses she is furious with her. Then Ismene decides to act independently. Creon is also very independent. He refuses to accept anyone's opinions except his own. When his son Haimon comes to talk with him he refuses to listen , claiming that Haimon is "girlst ruck!" and corrupted . Teirsesais comes and tells him a morbid prophecy. Creon will not listen to this either. He claims that Teirsesais has been corrupted by money, like many prophets at that time. He finally listens to the Charagous when reminded th at Teiresias has never been wrong. Antigone has no problem working by her self either. She demonstrates this when she slipped by all the guards that were protecting the dead body of Polyneices. Creon and Antigone are both independent, and they are both very loyal. They are loyal to their views. Creon is especially loyal to his laws. Antigone is loyal to her beliefs. Creon will not change his laws. An example of this occurs when he and An tigone argue. He calls her "A traitor" For giving a burial for her dead brother Polyneices. He is so loyal to his own laws that he fails to see that he is disobeying the law of the gods. Antigone puts the laws of the gods ahead of the laws of the state s. She goes ahead and buries her brother. Which was strictly prohibited by Creon. This shows her short-sightedness is because she only does what she thinks the gods want. Instead of abiding by the law that Creon decreed. Creon is also short-sighted because he refuses to believe any other opinions or laws than his own. Creon and Antigone are both so loyal which can also make them very extreme. Creon is an extremist in reason. He thinks his law is the most important. Antigone is an extremist of passion. Creon is unwilling to put the god's law above his law. He is u nwilling to listen to the passionate pleas of his son to let Antigone live. He instead puts his laws first, and states that if he lets Antigone live after she has broken his law, "How shall I earn the worlds obedience?" His extreme will, later leads to his son's death because he thinks his son has been corrupted by Antigone. Antigone is equally as extreme and she will not listen to the reasoning of her sister Ismene. Ismene reminds her of the problems and dangers she is undertaking when she goes ou t to bury Polyneices. Antigone will not listen though, and this ends up killing her as well. Because Creon and Antigone are very extreme in their ways this can also make them cruel and foolish people. Creon is quite cruel to everyone around him. He never once listens to anyone, but instead he acts foolishly and hurts everyone. When he is talk ing to his son Haimon, he retorts that Haimon is "a fool" and that he is, "Taken in by a woman!" These words and his fathers attitude hurts Haimon and he becomes filled with rage towards his foolish father. Antigone is also cruel and foolish. Especial ly to her sister Ismene. Ismene tries to help Antigone in the start of the play. When she tries to tell Antigone not to risk everything to please the gods. Antigone won't listen though, She just tells her "Go away Ismene. I will be hating you soon", in a striking example of her cruelty. Ismene and Antigone have been caring sisters until suddenly Antigone abandons her because she does not agree to help bury their brother. Creon also is cruel to his old friend and prophet, Teirsesias. Teirsesias co mes to warn him that if he does not free Antigone that bad things will happen, but Creon doesn't believe him. He claims that Teirsesias has "sold out" as a prophet and shows how foolish he is not to trust a long standing friend who has never been wrong. Creon and Antigone are both plagued by hubris. Creon wants to stand by the law he has made. Antigone is willing to risk it all to stand by the law of the gods and what is right. Creon's stubbornness is clear when his old friend and prophet Teirsesias. Tells him to free Antigone. Creon stubbornly refuses and remarks to the old wise man, "Bribes are baser then any baseness" Creon does not even listen to Teirsesias, who made him king in the first place. He is so stubborn that he refuses to listen cl aiming that Teirsesias had been corrupted by money and so his pride hampers his good judgment. He is so concentrated on everyone being corrupted that he does not even listen to common sense. His son, Haimon tries to come tell him that he should not s entence Antigone to death. Creon is outraged by his son siding with her. He tells Haimon that he is a "Fool, adolescent fool! Taken in by a woman!" Haimon responds to this by saying that he is "perverse" Creon, even more outraged, calls him a "Girls struck fool" Haimon storms off with a loathing hatred for his father's arrogant pride and stubbornness. Antigone has equal hubris herself. She is so passionate on burying her brother that she will not listen to reason. Full of arrogance and indignati on, she will not listen to the words of her sister. Ismene warned her of the dangers of burying their brother Polyneices but Antigone will not listen. She calls Ismene a "traitor" for not coming to help her and Ismene shakingly replies "I am so afraid o f you". Antigone, instead of listening to the common sense of her sister, snaps back that "You need not be: you have yourself to consider, after all". Later in the story Antigone is arrested for burying her brother and Ismene comes crawling back to her. Ismene breaks the conversation between Antigone and Creon by admitting that, "I am guilty, if she let me say so". Antigone will not let her and retorts coldly, "No, Ismene. you have no right to say so. You would not help me, and I will not have you h elp me" This reveals clearly how arrogant and stubborn Antigone can be. Even after her sister wants to share in her punishment and crawls back to her. She will not accept it to her own demise. Creon and Antigone are both remarkably similar people. Ironically, they are both so much the same that they can not see it. The flaws they share make neither of them willing to listen to the other. Many of their traits are identical, but their opinion s are so different that they can't stand each other. Sophocles did an excellent job in portraying the two vast extremes of the spectrum, passion and reason. This story hopefully proves to people that neither extreme passion nor extreme reason, but rather be in the middle and achieve arete. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\critical essay 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kate Mabe Mrs. Achenbach AP English 11 20 January 2004 The Scarlet Letter and the End of the Age of Reform The year 1790 marked the beginning of the Second Great Awakening in America. Christians began turning their eyes toward their Puritan roots, with God, sin, and redemption becoming the focus of a new kind of Christianity: evangelism. In the 1820's and 30's, religious sects began to separate into their own "sinless" communities, or Utopias, where they felt they would be pure in the eyes of God. Abolitionism, Feminism, and Perfectionism marked the era as an "Age of Reform," and a time of social and religious revolution. In the late 1840's and early 1850's, the Awakening and its revolutionary spirit died down, and in 1849 Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote his novel The Scarlet Letter. The novel is set in the time toward which Americans were looking for religious inspiration-the time of Puritanism. Unlike his contemporaries, who believed that revelation could heal even the worst of sinners, Hawthorne offers a view of sin without redemption, but rather with acceptance. A combination of the revolution occurring around him and the revitalization of Puritanism may have prompted Hawthorne to write a novel which delves into Puritan history with harsh and revolutionary criticism. The novel was both revered and condemned, but altogether widely read-a product of its times, and an influential work arriving just at the moment in which America was propelling itself forward and out of the Age of Reform. Conveniently enough, Hawthorne chose to set his novel in the midst of the world that he wished to criticize (Kaul 10). Puritanism had the attention of the nation during the Second Great Awakening-the religious fervor of that era was what many Americans were hoping to revitalize. So, Hawthorne's novel would undoubtedly be widely read, as it dealt with issues that were currently important to society. However, he uses this setting not to approve of the Puritan way of life, but rather to display its shortcomings, and offer a different view of human sin. As observed by A. N. Kaul, Hawthorne's attitude toward Puritanism in the novel "involves an irony which often assumes the innocent guise of approval" (9). Consider the rose bush by the prison door in the opening scene. The symbolism of the rose bush offers a light of hope, which at first appears to be hope for redemption. Thus, Hawthorne seems to be agreeing with the evangelists of the time in saying that all sinners can possibly be cleansed and redeemed of their sin. But at the end of the novel, the evangelists become disappointed, for Hester has not become cleansed of sin, but rather has accepted it. The rose bush becomes no longer a symbol of Christian redemption, but one of human sin in its most shockingly beautiful form. This same irony is evident also in the character of Hester herself. When Hester begins to become accepted slowly back into the community, there seems to be hope for her redemption. But soon we realize that Hester is satisfied not by being cleansed of sin but by having embraced it. Hawthorne had taken a period of time and a state of mind which was currently being closely examined by Americans and shed a rather revolutionary light on it. Such a new and critical way of looking at what was a revered time in American history sparked varied reactions. The Christian moralists of the Great Awakening found plenty to condemn. An article in The Christian Register, dated April 13, 1850, stated that "as a Christian narrative, detailing the experience of a Christian man and woman, falling away from their purity, and struggling to get back again, it is utterly and entirely a failure" (58). Orestes Brownson condemned the book in October of the same year for dealing with dangerous subjects and seeming to condone sinful behavior: "There is an unsound state of public morals when the novelist is permitted, without a scorching rebuke, to select such crimes, and invest them with all the fascinations of genius, and all the charms of a highly polished style. In a moral community such crimes are spoken of as rarely as possible, and when spoken of at all, it is always in terms which render them loathsome, and repel the imagination." (Brownson 529). Judging by this reaction and others of its kind, Hawthorne's novel was indeed quite revolutionary for its time period. In the midst of a surge of repentance and redemption, Hawthorne spoke of the unspeakable, and suggested that sin could possibly be embraced and accepted as an inevitability. More often than condemned, however, Hawthorne's novel was praised. It was very widely read, and often seen as a work of genius. Contemporary criticism praised his characters, lessons, and symbols. The mixed reactions to this book capture its revolutionary essence. It was written during a time when the country was hovering between the past and the future. Even though some held back, The Scarlet Letter helped push the nation forward. The Scarlet Letter can be seen most clearly as a backlash against the Great Awakening and the Age of Reform in its claim that "perfectionism," a quality which Americans of the time strained to achieve, is in fact impossible. Parallels are drawn between the Puritan society of the novel and the Utopias that were springing up around the country in hopes of achieving perfection. This comparison is first drawn in the opening chapter: "The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery... " Here, Hawthorne has set up an analogy in which the Puritan community is comparable to the Utopian community, and in his novel he depicts the Puritan community as failing. The book was written during a time when Utopian communities throughout the country were being set up and then failing relatively soon. Hawthorne realized what Americans coming out of the Age of Reform were soon to discover as well-that "the effort to achieve a well-integrated community life in such a world must lead to tragedy" (Kaul 20). His novel appears to have been written in order to shake the reformists awake from an impossible dream. Hawthorne's novel, while it dealt directly with a time long past, dealt indirectly with the age in which it was written. The Great Awakening and the Age of Reform attempted to resurrect a time which Hawthorne saw as full of flaws. The novel came along at the end of this period, and its criticism and revolutionary ideas might well have helped push the nation out of it. Larry J. Reynolds wrote in 1985 that "when Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter...the fact and idea of revolution were much on his mind" (67). Indeed, Hawthorne's novel is truly the product of a time of revolution, during which Americans reverted back to their Puritan roots with more intensity then ever, only to reject these views, tear themselves away from the past, and turn towards a future which would not see another Great Awakening. Mabe 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Critical essay on the Great Gatsby.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The quote "material without being real" shows the emptiness of an existence with the realization of a tainted ideal. Fittingly, this quote from Nick is placed after Daisy leaves Gatsby. Nick is imagining what Gatsby would be thinking if he had understood that the goal, winning Daisy and her materialistic insubstantiality, was unworthy of his effort. Fitzgerald does not specifically state if Gatsby is or is not waiting for the phone call from Daisy. If Gatsby has realized that Daisy will not call, then he has undergone the self-recognition of the tragic hero. If he is waiting for the phone call, then he is still holding on to his idealized goal. While this shows that he is holding onto the part of his life: that which marked his personality as more substantial Daisy's personality, it also illustrates the futility of reaching for a corrupted goal. Many Americans today may lack the motivation of Jay Gatsby in the quest for his "pure" dream. Their existence is strictly materialistic. Such individuals view the purpose of education not as serving to perfect of one's intellect, but to secure a job. Every day they perform the same dull and tedious routine, their only goal being the receipt of a paycheck which they will redeem ultimately for social status. Some do have dreams, and to their life is added new meaning through the reaching for a goal. It is this reaching, the gaining of enjoyable and constructive experience, which gives purpose to their work that diminishes the monotony of their daily existence. Whereas the straight materialists will eventually spend their "dream," the experience that a "reacher" gains cannot be taken away. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\critical essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kate Mabe Mrs. Achenbach AP English 11 19 October 2003 The Great Gatsby-the Function of the First Person F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby presents a complex network of plot twists, ambiguous characters, and uncertain motives, combined in a novel which requires a deep analysis of its content and the development of unsure opinions from frequently strange facts. The complexity and ambiguity of the plot is such that, without proper guidance, its fluctuations could become overwhelming, and it could enforce specific opinions too strongly. To prevent these things from occurring, Fitzgerald took measures to make sure that the novel would only present facts and observations, as untainted by human bias as possible, while still giving a very personal sense of presence and intimacy. He does this mainly through his choice of narration-Nick Carraway, a first person narrator who takes an almost existentialist stance while observing every critical scene and not often allowing his personal opinions to impede upon the delicate facts. As observed by Frederick J. Hoffman, the use of Nick as the narrator was "one of [Fitzgerald's] happiest decisions" as it allowed the reader to perceive the story "through the mind and eye of a narrator only partially committed to participating in and judging its world." (1) Nick Carraway introduces himself as incredibly honest, and not prone to passing judgment. Nick acts as a faithful observer-he observes his world almost as an existentialist would, stating and noting the facts but carefully excluding their effect on his opinions. Because of this, he becomes trusted and confided in by many, including the main characters of the novel. His reserved nature also enables him to present a clear and objective picture without forcing opinions. Fitzgerald carefully preserves the impartiality of Nick's observations by not having him further analyze sensory information. Imagery is impeccably presented, rich with details that incite all the senses, so that the story is presented through Nick's eyes, in his world. At the same time, however, Fitzgerald is careful not to overstep Nick's boundaries. Nick never goes a step further-he never analyzes the imagery into feelings, emotions, or opinions. It is not made perfectly clear what Nick likes or dislikes, or what his personal suspicions are about the ambiguities and mysteries that fill the story. The only things revealed are the facts, because those are all Nick cares to notice. Nick might come across as apathetic, but this is the ideal perspective through which the story must be told. Nick remains significantly removed from the most important and controversial network of The Great Gatsby's plot. He is neither blamed nor condoned by the other characters, and neither loved nor hated. He acts as a faithful watcher and no more. The intricacies of the plot which are the foundation of its ambiguity are removed from Nick's life, and he refrains from becoming too entwined. Fitzgerald keeps him so far away from the essence of the plot in order to keep the pure judgment of the narrator. That is the beauty of The Great Gatsby-the meaning must be found, buried like a jewel in Fitzgerald's elaborate network of words and mysteries. The meaning and moral of The Great Gatsby cannot afford to be blatantly given away by its narrator. So Fitzgerald removes Nick from the deepest action and sets him on the edge to watch it all unfold beyond his reach, preserving the ambiguity that would define the novel. Nick's avoidance of passing judgment also provides an excuse for him to be conveniently included in all of the novel's most critical scenes. As a silent observer, Nick is taken into the confidence of his acquaintances, and they seem to enjoy having him around because they can be sure he will not disappoint them by judging their actions. He consequently becomes a friend of every party involved in the story, which blots out the danger of showing partiality to one particular character and sustains the novel's ambiguity. Nick can then be safely taken along everywhere, and Fitzgerald can use him as a medium, which he then moves like a pawn among the scenes in the precise order he wants them to be presented. Using Nick as such, the story unfolds in a more linear, precise fashion than it might have had there been no first person narrator, or had the narrator been more actively involved in the plot. In this way, Nick's clear headed following of events begins to make sense of the novel's confusion. The employment of Nick as narrator, says Hoffman, manages to objectify the novel and "reduce its materials to scale, and to make its frightening confusion and litter comprehensible and measurable." (1) That is to say, Fitzgerald uses Nick to limit the story to the bare facts, allow for the formation of individual opinions, and organize the complexity and uncertainty of the plot by processing it first through Nick's orderly and forthright mind. Works Cited 1. Hoffman, Frederick J. "Fitzgerald." Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. (Vol. 14). Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company. Mabe 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Critical Thinking Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brooks 1 Wendi M. Brooks PHI2100 Sec 080 Professor Smillov 10 February, 2004 Conscience I was the proud owner of 100 shares of a certain stock, until I found out that they supported something that I find to be extremely immoral. Immoral to the point that I refuse to support this stock in any way now that I am aware of this. My immediate reaction is to sell this stock to whoever will buy it. Then I got to thinking that by selling this stock to a new person, I would be demoralizing them without them even knowing what was going on. I was torn because here I was with this sort of important decision to make, and fast. I finally determined to sell the stock, I just had to decide whether to tell the buyer of the immoral things that this stock is supporting, or leave them to find out for themselves. By telling them about the immoral problems with the stock, they most likely wouldn't be interested in buying it from me, but at least I would feel like I had done the right thing by not leading these people astray. So, my conscience would be in check. On the other hand though, I could withhold this information about the immoral stock and get my money for selling the stock and be done with it. With this option, I would feel horrible and my conscience would probably eat away at me for a while to come, and I would feel like I was harming an innocent person. If I simply don't tell him about these issues, he could possibly never find out, and would therefore never be harmed by this immoral stock. So, in all actuality it would be best for me to simply deal with my Brooks 2 conscience bothering me for a short time, and go ahead and clear myself of this immoral stock and let someone else deal with it and decide for themselves if they disagree with it, if they even find out. There was the slightest possibility that I was going to tell them about the stock supporting this immoral cause, but I decided not too. I know it is the selfish thing to do. I should have been more concerned with the morality of both myself and the other person, but instead I decided to worry more about my moral status than the other persons. That way I was clear, in my mind, and could go about my life knowing I didn't support something like that. After a little more contemplation about the issue, I decided that after selling the stock to someone else I would try to get the stock to stop supporting such immoral causes and to tell all the other stock holders that these things were going on. That way there was hope that the company would stop because so many of their stock holders were upset and ready to protest. I went about this by sending a newsletter to all the stock holders, and telling them what I had so recently found out, and giving my reasons for getting rid of the stock. I included that I thought that we could make a difference if we got together to try to get this stock company to get their morals back on track. The other stock holders felt very similar to the way I did, and we ended up causing the company to rethink their decision to support this immoral cause. They withdrew their support from this cause and gained many of their customers back. I chose to stay away from them, but I was glad that I was able to do something right about the wrong that was being done in this company. They were withholding information from their stockholders, and as we saw, many of them were very unhappy about this, and wanted to do something about it. Brooks 3 In conclusion, I am glad that I didn't simply sell the stock and move on, because I was able to make a difference in the way this company was operating. Also, I am glad that I didn't just leave it alone after telling the one person about what the stock company was doing behind all of our backs. I felt as if I did the right thing, and my conscience is clear. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\crucible essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Corrina Kirby American Literature October 19, 2003 Dr. Coudert The destruction lead by the witch trials in Salem formed conflicts between characters in existing relationships. The book is filled with accusations, twists, drama, and excitement as you watched the town of Salem twist itself into one complicated knot. The characters are interesting and complex, as the play goes on you really see them develop a whole different aspect on each other. John Proctor and Elizabeth's relationship was drastically changed after John's commitment of adultery and both of their arrests. You can see them change from a happy and semi normal family to a home of confusion, lies, and accusations. As the play progresses you can really see how hard it is to lead the live you always have when something this conflicting happens between you and your loved one. As the adultery comes between Elizabeth and John, as well as the arrests in the town and the accusations made by the jury against John and Elizabeth, they become a lot more disagreeable and are more hostile to each other. Abigail and Reverend Parris's relationship was changed because of the way Abigail acted. She was accused of associating with the devil, committing adultery, performing witchcraft, and stealing money from her own uncle. Abigail is ingested in her heart's want for Proctor, she will do anything to be his wife, including get rid of his present one. Abigail is probably a shame for reverend Parris because she has done so much to bring a shadow to their family. Their relationship becomes so much foggier and Abigail really shows him that he shouldn't have been so nice to her. Elizabeth and John Proctors relationship not only changed with each other but also with their maid, Mary Warren. Mary Warren betrays the Proctor's trust by framing Elizabeth as a witch. When she plants the voodoo doll as evidence against Elizabeth which then puts Elizabeth in jail, you can see how much The Proctors must have been hurt by her actions. When someone you trust betrays you it makes you question other people in your life, this brought on many complications between the Proctors and their trust for others. In conclusion, The Crucible was a wondrous book filled with complex character development and interesting relationships. As the story fills your head you learn about each relationship between the characters. The time this book was written about has many similarities to the time it was written in, the McCarthy era. The McCarthy era was a time when people were so mixed up in accusations and finding "the bad guy" that they didn't even know what they were searching for anymore. This is exactly the situation in The Crucible and it has a huge affect on the characters lives. The way your environment is has a huge affect on the way you are and that has a huge affect on the people in your life. The way Salem was being lead was making so many people different because when your actions are being compared to the devil, everyone gets a little touchy. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CryingofLot49.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Crying of Lot 49 The philosophy behind all Pynchon novels lies in the synthesis of philosophers and modern physicists. Ludwig Wittgenstein viewed the world as a "totality of facts, not of things."1 This idea can be combined with a physicist's view of the world as a clos ed system that tends towards chaos. Pynchon asserts that the measure of the world is its entropy.2 He extends this metaphor to his fictional world. He envelops the reader, through various means, within the system of The Crying of Lot 49. Pynchon designed The Crying of Lot 49 so that there would be two levels of observation: that of the characters such as our own Oedipa Maas, whose world is limited to the text, and that of the reader, who looks at the world from outside it but who is also affected by his relationship to that world.3 Both the reader and the characters have the same problems observing the chaos around them. The protagonist in The Crying of Lot 49, Oedipa Mass, like Pynchon's audience, is forced to either involve herself i n the deciphering of clues or not participate at all.4 Oedipa's purpose, besides executing a will, is finding meaning in a life dominated by assaults on people's perceptions through drugs, sex and television. She is forced out of her complacent housewife lifestyle of tupperware parties and Muzak into a chao tic system beyond her capabilities to understand. Images and facts are constantly spit forth. Oedipa's role is that of Maxwell's Demon: to sort useful facts from useless ones. The reader's role is also one of interpreting countless symbols and metaphor s to arrive at a meaning. Each reader unravels a different meaning. Unfortunately, Maxwell's Demon can only apply to a closed system. Pynchon's fictional system is constantly expanding to include more and more aspects of contemporary America.5 Therefo re, the reader and Oedipa are inefficient sorters. Both are left at a panicky state of confusion, or paranoia. Paranoia unites the reader and Oedipa. If we define "paranoia" not as a mental aberration but as a tendency to find meaning in symbols whether the meanings exist or not, we can clearly see the similarity between Oedipa and us. Paranoids do not see plot s here and there in history; they see a conspiracy as the driving force behind all historical events. At the climax of the novel, Oedipa sees the muted post horn everywhere she goes. Could she simply be delusional, as most witnesses to her think, or is there actually a conspiracy involving the Trystero? As Oedipa delves into the Trystero's history and P ierce's estate, one of four possibilities arises: "...either she has indeed stumbled onto a secret organization having objective, historical existence ...; or she is hallucinating it by projecting a pattern onto various signs only randomly associated; or she is the victim of a hoax...; or she is hallucinating such a hoax..."6 The tension among all four possibilities leads to Oedipa becoming increasing more paranoid as the novel progresses. One of the most effective literary techniques Pynchon uses to involve the reader in his fictional world is his use of details.7 The explicit history of Thurn and Taxis serves to overburden the reader with names and places that on the surface have no rela tion to the story at hand. The purpose of these details is to overlap the reader's world with the fictional one. Pynchon flirts with the reader. He allows the reader to see more of his world than any of his other characters can. Pynchon wants to lure the reader into the character's search for meaning. Furthermore, the alternations of fact with fiction, such as the description of the historical basis of the Peter Pinguid Society8, confuse the reader to such an extent that he is forced to rely upon Oedipa to decipher reality from illusion. Pynchon even denies the reader and Oedipa time to sort out the information by moving rapidly to the next event. The blending of authenticity with fiction introduces an epistemological aspect to Pynchon's work. Much of The Crying of Lot 49 tackles the historical evidence for the Trystero. Scholars have found that the actual history of the Trystero, a Renaissance p ostal system, was shrouded in mystery. It is also entirely possible that GIs were buried underneath a lake after W.W.II. Why is it not possible that their bones were used for cigarette filter? Pynchon wants the reader to recognize and plunge into the sha ded area between fiction and reality. Pierce and Pynchon tell Oedipa and the reader, respectively, that we don't know much for certain. In Pynchon's comical world, our senses deceive us, ruling out an Empirical solution to the epistemological question. What seems rational really is not, making a Rationalist solution unacceptable. By ruling out a basis for an epistemological interpretation outside the text, Pynchon commands the audience to accept Oedipa as its interpreter.9 The mystery-story plot used in Lot 49 is the most obvious reader-involvement technique. What is the Trystero? Who was Pierce Inverarity? These basic questions are placed close to the novel's surface to drive the reader to explore further, at the very l east. In fact, a mystery novel is a very basic meta-novel. The reader construes a suspect before the author reveals it to him. In our case, we think that events, places and names connect, but we are never sure until Pynchon confirms it for us, if at all. There are many metaphors that describe the relationship between the author and reader in Lot 49. The name Oedipa Maas evokes the famous Greek riddle-solver Oedipus, whose quest to interpret the Delphic prophecies leads to his downfall. Maas elicits the r eader to think of Newton's laws, where Oedipa is acted upon by the gravity of her surroundings. An object, once put in motion, as Oedipa is when she is named executrix of a will, tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. Pynchon give s us two options when presenting metaphors like the Oedipus or Newtonian allusion: either they are patterns for interpreting the meaning of Lot 49, or they are unclear, deceptive invitations for interpretations, purposely made up by the author.10 The character that unites the respective quests of the reader and Oedipa is Pierce Inverarity, Oedipa's dead ex-boyfriend. The objects that Inverarity leaves behind at his death are clues to his identity. It is the job of Oedipa to "bestow life on what had persisted, to try to be what Driblette was, the dark machine in the center of the planetarium, to bring the estate into pulsing stelliferous Meaning, all in a soaring dome around here."11 To Oedipa, Pierce is a thought that could impose an order on the chaos of clues around her. Pierce could make complicated networks out of nothing. He alone created the chaos around Oedipa. Pynchon succeeds in embodying Pierce Inverarity as a force with in the novel. Pierce was a "knight of deliverance"12 who had "failed to free Oedipa Maas from the tower of her own consciousness of the world."13 To put it in terms of paranoia, Inverarity is the conspirator behind all events in the novel. The author, Pynchon, parallels Pierce. Pynchon creates a web of events that the reader must interpret. The reader is blanketed beneath a "semiotic regime," a place where signs and symbols can be decoded in an infinite number of ways.14 The most ingenious method of involving the reader in the novel in Lot 49 is the mock-Jacobean drama 'The Courier's Tragedy'. Pynchon compares Oedipa witnessing the play to the reader apprehending the novel. For example, Pynchon switches from Jacobean vo cabulary to modern phrases ("While a battle rages in the streets outside the palace, Pasquale is locked up in his patrician hothouse, holding an orgy."15). This distances the reader from the play, similar to Oedipa's role as a confused onlooker, thereby giving Oedipa and us a false sense of security. We soon find elements of 'The Courier's Tragedy' almost in all subsequent events of the novel. Pynchon, via Driblette, speaks to the reader: "You guys, you're like the Puritans about the Bible. So hung up with words, words."16 This is not a warning to the reader and Oedipa against interpretation. Instead, it is a warning to the reader and Oedipa of the addictive nature of their respective searches. Oedipa's search for the original version of 'The Courier's Tragedy', which is obstructed by her inability to separate her play from its author, editor or producer, is an exaggerated metaphor of the r eader's troubles in making sense of the novel.17 The above-mentioned metaphors and literary techniques are vehicles for many other of Pynchon's themes. For our purposes, they serve to wed the reader's quest for a literary meaning with Oedipa's quest for self-discovery. As mentioned before, a major ele ment within the reader and Oedipa's quest is paranoia. Paranoia pushes the reader through the text. We are constantly led towards a conclusion, but then deceived. Our inability to decipher symbols relates to our inability to increase the communicative entropy of our world. Nevertheless, The Crying of Lot 49 succeeds in actively involving the reader within the text, a hallmark of postmodern literature. Duyfhuizen, Bernard. "Disrupting Story in The Crying of Lot 49," Mindful Pleasures: Essays on Thomas Pynchon. Boston: Little,Brown, 1976. Hipkiss, Robert M. The American Absurd. New York: University of Chicago Press, 1985. Johnston, John. "Paranoia as a Semiotic Regime in The Crying of Lot 49," New Essays on the Crying of Lot 49. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Plater, William M. The Grim Phoenix. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1978. Pynchon, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. St. Louis: Harper & Row, 1966. Seed, David. The Fictional Labyrinths of Thomas Pynchon. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1988. Wittgenstein, Ludwig. Tractus Logico-Philosophicus. New York: Harper & Row, 1965. 1 Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractus Logico-Philosophicus, p. 7. 2 William M. Plater, The Grim Phoenix (Indiana University Press, 1978), p. 2. 3 The Grim Phoenix, p. 12. 4 Bernard Duyfhuizen, "Disrupting Story in The Crying of Lot 49," Mindful Pleasures (Boston: Little, Brown, 1976), p. 3. 5 John Johnston. "Paranoia as a Semiotic Regime in The Crying of Lot 49,"New Essays on the Crying of Lot 49 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991), p. 4. 6 "Paranoia", p. 4. 7 The Grim Phoenix, p. 15. 8 Crying of Lot 49, p. 49. 9 Robert Hipkiss, The American Absurd, (University of Chicago: New York), p. 90 10 Paranoia as a Semiotic Regime, p. 6. 11 Crying of Lot 49, p. 58. 12 Crying of Lot 49, p. 22 . 13 The Grim Phoenix, p. 26 . 14 Paranoia as a Semiotic Regime, p. 1 . 15 Crying of Lot 49, p. 69. 16 Crying of Lot 49, p. 79 . 17 David Seed, Fictional Labyrinths of Thomas Pynchon (University of Iowa Press: Iowa City), p. 124. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Culture Essay for Hist 323.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Zach Furlow 167-64-4409 History 323 What is Culture? What is culture? How would you define it? These are interesting questions. Culture is a term that is thrown about very frequently without much thought to its meaning. It is a little difficult to give a concrete answer, since to do so requires one to remove themselves from the fabric of the culture everyone lives in every day to observe it and define it. In my opinion, culture is the meat on the bones of civilization. If one assumes that civilization is the framework for human society by which we come together and live as members of a larger, then culture is the way in which we do so. I said at first that the answer is difficult to define because we live with it every day and therefore become inured to the fact that we participate in carrying out the forms of culture in all we do. Culture is the set of beliefs, technologies, ideas, etc... that are held in common (on a wide range of scale) by people as they go about their lives. Obviously this is a very inclusive definition and somewhat vague. I believe that it necessarily has to be since one can make very minute distinctions between different cultures (e.g. one can define French culture, but French can also be defined as West-European, European, and/or Western culture). Culture is simply the way humans interact with each other and the world around them. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Culture.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Culture Israeli culture reflects the diverse background of its people. The country's most successful writers draw their inspiration from Jewish tradition. Such writers have included the novelist Shmuel Yosef Agnon, co-winner of the 1966 Nobel Prize in literature, and the philosopher Martin Buber. The foremost orchestra of the nation, the Israel Philharmonic, attracts a number of world-famous conductors and soloists each year. A vigorous tradition of folk song, in which the influence of Oriental Jewish music is strongly felt, thrives in Israel, as does folk dance. The Israel National Theater, in Tel Aviv, is notable. Israel has more than 130 museums, two of the most prominent being the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Israel Museum, in Jerusalem, which houses a large collection of Jewish folk art, a collection of modern sculpture, and biblical and archaeological artifacts. The Shrine of the Book, a part of the Israel Museum, houses a notable collection of Dead Sea Scrolls. Of the more than 500 public libraries in the country, the most important is the Jewish National and University Library on the campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which contains approximately 4 million volumes.1 Religion The affairs of the three major religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, are overseen by the ministry of religious affairs through councils established by the various religions. Jewish holy days and the weekly Sabbath are, by law, observed throughout the country, and only kosher food is served in the army, hospitals, and other official institutions. About 82 percent of Israel's Arabs are Muslim, and most of the rest are Christian. Languages Hebrew and Arabic are the country's official languages. The most widely spoken language is Hebrew, but Arabic is used frequently in schools, legal affairs, and the legislature. Many Israeli residents speak English, Yiddish, Russian, or any of a number of other European languages. Education Israel's educational tradition reaches back to biblical times, although the country did not become a modern independent state until 1948. During the ancient period, schools of all levels were in existence, and through the centuries elementary and secondary education and, to a large extent, higher learning continued under various ruling factions. The Compulsory Education Law of 1949, as amended, provides for free and compulsory elementary education for all children between 5 and 16 years of age. Reform continued with the State Education Law of 1953, which established a national system of public secondary schools. Higher education is governed by a law enacted in 1958, which set up a council to control universities and other higher educational institutions, such as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1918); the Technion^×Israel Institute of Technology (1912), in Haifa; Bar-Ilan University (1953), in Ramat Gan; Tel Aviv University (1953); the University of Haifa (1963); Ben Gurion University of the Negev (1965), in Beersheba; and the Weizmann Institute of Science (1949), in Rehovot. Students in secondary schools receive aid from state and local authorities in amounts up to 100 percent of costs, depending on parents' incomes. In addition to the secular system of elementary, secondary, and higher education, a parallel system of Jewish religious schools exists, culminating in postgraduate schools of independent study and research. Mission schools conducted by various Christian groups are also widely attended. An educational problem peculiar to Israel is that of assisting immigrants of various backgrounds to adjust to Israeli society. In the early 1990s about 960,200 Israeli children attended kindergarten or elementary schools, about 163,600 attended intermediate schools, and about 273,900 students were enrolled in general secondary schools. In addition, about 121,600 students attended vocational schools, and 96,700 persons were enrolled in institutions of higher education, including about 18,100 attending teacher-training colleges. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\cummings term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Prion Disease: Cruetzfeldt-Jacob Disease By: Amy Cummings Microbiology 1913 Mrs. Anita Hampton Georgia Perimeter College Summer 2004 Prions are proteins that are found in the nerve cells of all mammals. Numerous prions are in each nerve cell, but no one knows for sure what the prion protein does. The brain of a human or animal infected with a prion "disease" has many abnormally-shaped prions. One hypothesis states that when a person or animal ingests an abnormally-shaped prion from contaminated food the abnormally-shaped prion gets absorbed into the bloodstream and crosses into the nervous system. The abnormal prion touches a normal prion and changes the normal prion's shape into an abnormal one, thereby destroying the normal prion's original function. Both abnormal prions then contact and change the shapes of other normal prions in the nerve cell. The nerve cell tries to get rid of the abnormal prions by clumping them together in small sacs that merge with its lysosome. However, the nerve cells cannot digest the abnormal prions, and they accumulate in the lysosomes. The lysosomes grow and engorge the nerve cell, which eventually lysis. Next, the abnormal prions are released to infect other cells. Large, sponge-like holes are left where the cells lysed. Numerous nerve cell deaths lead to loss of brain function, and the person eventually dies. (howstuffworks.com/mad-cow-disease4.htm) Prions first came to public attention in the mid 1980s in the form of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease") epidemic in the United Kingdom. Mad cow disease is a prion disease in cattle. There is a theory that mad cow disease came from feed contaminated with scrapie, the long established sheep prion disease. In the 1980's, producers of cattle feed (which often included ground meat and bone meal byproducts from sheep) changed the way they processed feed. The change somehow allowed the scrapie disease agent to survive the cattle feed production process, leading to the silent spread of the mad cow disease epidemic. The best known of the human prion diseases is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). This is a rapidly progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disorder. The onset of symptoms of this disease usually occurs at about age 60. It is believed to be caused by an abnormal isoform of a cellular glycoprotein, the prion protein. CJD is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Spongiform refers to the characteristic appearance of infected brains, which become filled with holes until they resemble sponges under a microscope. Other human TSEs include kuru, fatal familial insomnia (FFI), and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease (GSS). Kuru was identified in people of an isolated tribe in Papua New Guinea and has now almost disappeared. Family familial insomnia and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker are extremely rare hereditary diseases, found in just a few families around the world. There are three major categories of CJD: 1. One type is the sporadic CJD, this disease appears even though the person has no known risk factors for the disease. This is by far the most common type of CJD and accounts for at least 85 percent of cases. 2. Another type is hereditary CJD, in this case the person has a family history of the disease and/or tests positive for a genetic mutation associated with CJD. These inherited forms of CJD include the Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome and fatal familial insomnia that were mentioned earlier. About 5 to 10 percent of cases of CJD in the United States are hereditary. 3. Last there is acquired CJD, these diseases can occur from contamination through certain medical procedures of the brain or nervous tissue, and they are called iatrogenic CJD. Iatrogenic transmission of the CJD agent has been reported in over 250 patients worldwide. These cases have been linked to the use of contaminated human growth hormone, dura mater and corneal grafts, or neurosurgical equipment. There were six cases linked to the use of contaminated equipment. Of these, four were associated with neurosurgical instruments, and two with stereotactic EEG depth electrodes. All of these equipment-related cases occurred before the routine implementation of sterilization procedures currently used in health care facilities. No such cases have been reported since 1976, and no iatrogenic CJD cases associated with exposure to the CJD agent from surfaces such as floors, walls, or countertops have been identified. o Another acquired CJD is called the panencephalopathic form. This occurs primarily in Japan and has a relatively long course, with symptoms often progressing for several years. o Over the last few years, another type of Acquired CJD called variant (vCJD) has been identified in young people, which I will discuss shortly. In the 1990's, an unusually large number of people in Great Britain developed what appeared to be CJD, and scientist began studying the evidence regarding a relationship between mad cow disease and CJD. The outbreak was alarming not only because so many people died of a presumably rare disease, but also because of their relatively young ages - the youngest victim was only 19. Even more disturbing was the way they appeared to have contracted the disease. All had eaten meat from cattle suspected of having mad cow disease. Scientists eventually concluded that the new ailment - named variant CJD (vCJD) - was a form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease resulting from exposure to the mad cow disease. This conclusion was based on the facts that the vCJD victims had lived in areas where outbreaks of mad cow disease had occurred years earlier. No victims were found in areas without mad cow disease outbreaks. Also, the time between the mad cow disease outbreaks and the deaths of the victims equaled the time it takes for the CJD to develop. Although there is very strong evidence that the agent responsible for the human disease is the same agent responsible for the mad cow disease outbreaks in cattle, the specific foods that might be associated with the transmission of this agent from cattle to humans are unknown. The "classic" CJD doesn't appear to be connected to mad cow disease, however, it's similar to the vCJD in many ways. > They are both thought to occur when misshapen prion proteins attack brain cells. > Both appear to have long incubation periods, even as long as 10 to 15 years, before signs and symptoms appear. > And both cause profound mental and physical deterioration, resulting in death. Although there are slight variations in the way the signs and symptoms manifest themselves between the "classic" CJD and the vCJD, the two forms of the disease are far more alike than they are different. Everyone affected with these diseases must eventually contend with grave mental and physical problems. A few of the differences are: > It often takes years or even decades after infection before someone with classic CJD develops signs and symptoms of the disease. Although it's too early to know for certain, scientists suspect that the same is true of vCJD. That's why some experts predict that an epidemic of vCJD is still to come. > Both classic and variant CJD begin with personality changes such as anxiety, depression, memory loss and impaired thinking. As the diseases progress, mental symptoms become more severe. Ultimately, people with both forms of CJD develop dementia - a mental disorder that robs them of the ability to speak, think, reason, remember and move. With classic CJD, the progression from initial personality changes to complete dementia occurs quickly - usually within six months or less of the onset of symptoms. In the variant CJD, psychiatric symptoms are most prominent early on in the disease, but dementia develops later in the course of the disease. > Both types of CJD affect balance and coordination, leading to stumbling, falls and difficulty walking, but these problems occur sooner in vCJD than they do in classic CJD. > Most people lapse into coma before succumbing to these invariably fatal diseases. People with classic CJD generally live an average of only seven months after signs and symptoms appear, although some people may live as long as one or two years after the onset of symptoms. Death is usually not a result of the disease itself, but rather of complications such as heart failure, respiratory failure and pneumonia. People with vCJD tend to live slightly longer - about 12 to 14 months after signs and symptoms appear. > Other signs and symptoms of classic CJD include blurred vision and eventual blindness, involuntary muscle contractions, difficulty speaking, which may lead to mumbling or speech that's difficult to understand, and difficulty swallowing. > Additional signs and symptoms of vCJD include a sense that the skin feels sticky, sensations of cold or pain, muscle paralysis, and tremors. The main indicators that lead to a diagnosis of CJD are: rapid dementia, unsteady gait, and sudden jerky movements. There is currently no single diagnostic test for CJD. The first concern is to rule out treatable forms of dementia such as encephalitis or chronic meningitis. In most CJD patients, the presence of 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid or a typical electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern has been reported. However, the only way to confirm a diagnosis requires a brain biopsy or autopsy. Both brain biopsy and autopsy pose a small, but definite, risk that the surgeon or others who handle the brain tissue may become accidentally infected by self-inoculation. Because a correct diagnosis of CJD does not help the patient, a brain biopsy is discouraged unless it is needed to rule out a treatable disorder. Worldwide, doctors typically only diagnose one case per million people each year, most commonly in older adults. There is no treatment that can cure either type of CJD, and there is nothing that will slow the progression of the disease. Current treatment is aimed at alleviating symptoms and making the patient as comfortable as possible. Opiate drugs can help relive pain, and the drugs clonazepam and sodium valproate may help relieve involuntary muscle jerks. During later stages of the disease, changing the person's position frequently can keep him or her comfortable and helps prevent bedsores. A catheter can be used to drain urine if the patient cannot control bladder function, and intravenous fluids and artificial feeding also may be used. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP)) From 1995 through June 2002, a total of 124 human cases of vCJD were reported in the United Kingdom, 6 cases in France, and 1 case each in Ireland, Italy, and the United States. The case-patients from Ireland and the United States had each lived in the United Kingdom for more than 5 years during the UK "mad cow disease" epidemic. The best estimate of the annual increase in the number of vCJD cases in the United Kingdom since the outbreak began is 18% per year, which is equivalent to a doubling every 4.2 years. A growing number of cases of vCJD are being linked to contaminated beef in Great Britain and in other countries, including Spain, Portugal, France and Germany. Scientist have identified the presence of the mad cow disease agent in the brain, spinal cord, retina, dorsal root ganglia, distal ileum, and the bone marrow of cattle experimentally infected with this agent by the oral route. In addition to cattle, sheep are susceptible to experimental infection with the mad cow disease agent by the oral route. There is a theoretical risk that in countries where flocks of sheep and goats may have been exposed to this agent through contaminated feed these animals might have developed infections caused by the mad cow disease agent and that these infections are being maintained in the flocks, even in the absence of continued exposure to contaminated feed (for example, through maternal transmission). Regardless, as of July 2002, cattle remain the only known food animal species with disease caused by the mad cow disease agent. In the United Kingdom, the current risk of acquiring vCJD from eating beef and beef products appears to be extremely small, perhaps about one case per 10 billion servings. In other countries of the world, this current risk, if it exists at all, would not likely be any higher than that in the United Kingdom. This is particularly true if mad cow disease-related public health control measures are being well implemented. Such as enhanced mad cow disease surveillance, the culling of sick animals, and bans of specified risk materials. The most stringent of these control measures that have been applied in the United Kingdom is an "Over Thirty Months Scheme" that excludes all animals older than 30 months from the human food and animal feed chains. This policy appears to be highly effective. One way to reduce the already very low risk of CJD transmission from one person to another is that people should never donate blood, tissues, or organs if they have suspected or confirmed CJD, or if they are at increased risk because of a family history of the disease, a dura mater graft, or other factor. Remember that normal sterilization procedures such as cooking, washing, and boiling do not destroy prions. Caregivers, health care workers, and undertakers should take extra precautions when they are working with a person with CJD. Also, when traveling to Europe or other areas with cases of mad cow disease one may wish to consider both avoiding beef and beef products altogether. Selecting solid pieces of muscle meat rather than beef products, such as burgers and sausages, is also a good idea. These choices might have a reduced opportunity for contamination with tissues that may harbor the mad cow disease agent. There is no evidence that CJD is contagious through casual contact with a CJD patient. References National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center Website: http://www.cjdsurveillance.com/ Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD) Foundation Inc. http://www.cjdfoundation.org National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) http://www.rarediseases.org GOOD A+ 2 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CV 5 present.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sandeep Singh Sunner Date of Birth: 23rd December 1980 Nationality: British Home Address: 72 Temple Way Driving Licence: Full, no endorsements. Tividale West Midlands B69 3JN Telephone: 0121 557 3886 Mobile: 07940 525013 E-mail Address: sana23@coolgoose.com ACADEMIC RECORD Nottingham Trent University Dates: Sep 1999 - Jun 2003 Bsc Honours Quantity Surveying & Construction Cost Management Main Modules: * * Measurement * Contract Administration * Commercial Management * Financial Management * Construction markets & procurement strategy * Added Value in Design & Construction * Marketing, strategy & Management Rowley Regis College Dates: 1997 - 1999 A-Levels: 14 UCAS Points. Subjects: Law, Mathematics and Accountancy. Tividale Comprehensive School Dates: 1992 - 1997 GCSE's (A-C): English Mathematics Double Science Geography History German Design Tech & Art Punjabi WORK EXPERIENCE Interserve Projects, Southampton (Placement) Dates: Jun 2001 - Sep 2002 Site Quantity Surveyor * Interserve Projects were previously called Tilbury Douglas who concentrated on construction whereas now they specialise in all areas of projects, from construction to facilities management. * I started this job by helping other QS's prepare tender packages for Southampton schools PFI project, measure some of the smaller packages i.e. landscaping and also made payments to sub-contractors for previous projects (including releasing retention). I did this for about 3 months at the head office in Birmingham * The rest of the 12 months I worked on site in Southampton. I started off by looking after the groundworks package, I had to re-measure the works, check against the valuations, keep records on any variations and pay the sub-contractor monthly. * Once the groundworks package was near completion I was given the responsibility of the steelwork, brickwork, windows and cedar cladding package. The same work had to be done on each of these packages. Due to my accuracy in records and re-measurement, I saved the company almost £75,000 as the valuations were over measured. * My experience from this placement was very worthwhile and taught me the importance of keeping accurate records, working to a deadline and the importance of communication and further improved my team working skills. GTRM Dates: Summer 2000 Assistant Quantity Surveyor * GTRM are a railway maintenance company who predominantly obtain work from Railtrack Plc. * My duties included preparing variations and once approved by senior QS send to contractor for payment. Other duties included approving time sheets every week, checking contracts to determine whether claims are valid, preparing estimates and completing payment certificates. * During my short time at GTRM I realised the importance of accurate estimating along with communicating affectively in order to successfully carry out duties. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SKILLS I have knowledge of Windows operating systems, Microsoft's Project, and from academic and various work experiences, fully proficient in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. I am fully accomplished in utilising search engines to gather information from the Internet and also the use of all E-mail facilities. I have also completed and passed level 1 of Computer Language & Information Technology course (RSA C.L.A.I.T) at Rowley Regis College. INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES From 1997-1999 I was Treasurer for the Sandwell Youth Forum in Tividale. My peers elected me for this position and it involved raising money for local charities and organising events for local teenagers. My main achievement from this position was being involved in the creation of a medium in which the views of teenagers could be voiced. More recently at the forum, I have been involved with a youth radio project and helping young children improve their Maths and English grammar skills in my spare time. I enjoy a variety of sports to help me keep fit physically. My main sporting interest is football, as I enjoy working as a team. Playing football makes me understand the importance of the ability to work as a team in different environments and situations. I also dedicate my spare time to kickboxing which keeps me both physically and mentally fit. My other pass times include socialising with friends and listening to music. I am fluent in English and Punjabi and have a basic understanding of Hindi and Urdu. REFEREES: available upon request. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CyberneticPlotofUlysses.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Cybernetic Plot of Ulysses A paper delivered at the CALIFORNIA JOYCE conference (6/30/93) To quote the opening of Norbert Wiener's address on Cybernetics to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in March of 1950, The word cybernetics has been taken from the Greek word kubernitiz (ky-ber-NEE-tis) meaning steersman. It has been invented because there is not in the literature any adequate term describing the general study of communication and the related study of control in both machines and in living beings. In this paper, I mean by cybernetics those activities and ideas that have to do with the sending, carrying, and receiving of information. My thesis is that there is a cybernetic plot to ULYSSES -- a constellation or meaningful pattern to the novel's many images of people sending, carrying, and receiving -- or distorting, or losing -- signals of varying import and value. This plot -- the plot of signals that are launched on perilous Odyssean journeys, and that reach home, if they do, only through devious paths -- parallels and augments the novel's more central journeys, its dangers encountered, and its successful returns. ULYSSES works rather neatly as a cybernetic allegory, in fact, not only in its represented action, but also in its history as a text. The book itself, that is, has reached us only by a devious path around Cyclopean censors and the Scylla and Charybdis of pirates and obtuse editors and publishers. ULYSSES both retells and re-enacts, that is, the Odyssean journey of information that, once sent, is threatened and nearly thwarted before it is finally received. We are talking, of course, of cybernetics avant la lettre -- before Norbert Wiener and others had coined the term. But like Moliere's Monsieur Jourdain discovering that all along he's been speaking prose, so Leopold Bloom might delight in learning that he is actually quite a proficient cyberneticist. Joyce made his protagonist an advertizing canvasser at the moment when advertizing had just entered the modern age. Bloom's job is to put his clients' messages into forms that are digestible by the mass medium of the press. If Bloom shows up in the National Library, for instance, it will be to find a logo (in what we would call clip art) for his client Alexander Keyes. The conduct of spirit through space and time is what communication's about. And James Joyce was interested, as we know, in the conduct of spirit: his own, that of his home town, and that of his species. * * * Once they're sent, what are some of the things that can happen to messages? They can be lost, like the words that Bloom starts to scratch in the sand: "I AM A..." Signals can be degraded by faulty transmission, like the telegram that Stephen received in Paris from his father back in Dublin: "NOTHER DYING. COME HOME. FATHER." A slip of the pen -- as in Martha Clifford's letter to Bloom -- destroys intended meanings, but it also, as Joyce loves to point out, creates new ones. "I called you naughty boy," Martha wrote to Henry Flower, "because I do not like that other world." Signals can be abused and discarded, like the fate of "Matcham's Masterstroke" in Bloom's outhouse. Signals can be censored, pirated, misprinted, and malpracticed upon by editors, as happened the text of this novel itself. Signals can fall into the wrong hands, like the executioners' letters in the pub, or they can land where they're sent but make little sense, like the postcard reading "U.P. up" that Dennis Breen gets in the mail. And signals can, finally, reach their intended recipient with the intended meaning, as in Bloom's pleasure in reading Milly's letter to him in the morning's mail. And what about that book that Stephen is going to write in ten years? There's a premonitory cybernetic allegory for you, and one with a happy ending to boot. * * * I would like to sketch for you, then, a brief and cursory chapter-by-chapter account of the cybernetic plot of Ulysses. But lest the listener persist in harboring doubts, as we say, concerning the cybernetic signature of the Joycean narrative, let me anticipate the first sentence of the 'Lotus-Eaters' episode: BY LORRIES ALONG SIR JOHN ROGERSON'S QUAY MR BLOOM walked soberly, past Windmill lane, Leask's the linseed crusher's, the postal telegraph office. As befits the narcotic theme of the episode, this first sentence is itself not quite sober. Even the first two words -- "BY LORRIES" -- are ambiguous, since the mail moves "by lorries" in a parallel but different sense of Mr Bloom walking "by lorries." Most significantly for our reading, this first sentence of 'Lotus-eaters' ends in "the postal telegraph office," suggesting that the episode, like the novel at large, is concerned with sending messages. STATELY, PLUMP Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. That mirror will be used shortly for heliography, when Mulligan will have "swept the mirror a half circle in the air to flash the tidings abroad in sunlight now radiant on the sea." This is idle signal-sending, with no clear sense of a recipient. Up close, Buck has just hurt Stephen's feelings on the subject of his mother, and is about to hurt them again. In other words, between the two men, communication is poor. The signals don't get through. Also in the first episode, the old milkwoman prompts a Homeric thought attributed to Stephen: "Old and secret she had entered from a morning world, maybe a messenger." "Maybe a messenger!" Cyberneticists love ambiguity, particularly about subjects like messages and messengers in disguise. The Homeric scheme for the novel tells us that the elderly milkwoman as messenger stands for or signifies the goddess Athena disguised in the form of Mentor. From the first, sending a successful signal is understood from that great cyberneticist Homer to require a disguise. The wire that conducts truth, in an image that Pynchon favors, must be insulated. Furthermore, our best ideas, the Greeks thought, come to us as if from without. Thus, Telemachus receives his prompt from Athena disguised as Mentor, just as Stephen is metaphorically roused from inaction by the old milkwoman. A signal gets through, not despite but thanks to its padding, and for both Homer's and Joyce's young man, the signal prompts new ideas. History, the subject of Stephen's instruction in 'Nestor,' is what remains of signals from the past. Education itself is the ultimate cybernetic challenge, and Stephen grapples with it in trying to explain a math problem to a slow student from Vico Road. Throughout the novel, ignorance and stupidity -- respectively, a lack of knowledge and a lack of intelligence -- pose threats to both the characters and the culture. They are not helpful insulation; rather, they interfere with and frustrate successful communication. "My patience are exhausted," writes Martha Clifford to her penpal Henry Flower. Stupidity threatens to reduce signal to noise just as surely as the citizen later threatens to bean poor Bloom. The bigotry of anti-Semitism that Mr. Deasy incarnates at the end of 'Nestor' epitomizes noise, then, in the form of injurious stupidity. In 'Proteus,' the third episode, Joyce combines the references to space and time, respectively, of the first two episodes, by allowing the sight of the midwives on the beach to prompt Stephen's thoughts of a navelcord telephone to Eden. The famous telegram from his father, containing the typo which Joyce deliberately repeated from the actual telegram but which his editors from 1934 until 1986 insisted on correcting, also appears in this episode. "Nother dying. Come home. Father." Accidental noise in the signal seemed to Joyce to possess profundity, alluding as the error did to the universal condition of mortality -- a theme dear, as we know, to the author of "The Dead." Near the end of the 'Proteus' episode, Stephen on the strand at Sandymount wonders "Who ever anywhere will read these written words? Signs on a white field. Somewhere to someone in your flutiest voice." Stephen has just torn off the bottom of Mr Deasy's letter to the editor, so as to jot a poetic idea on it, and showing that for him the medium of a signal means nothing; only its spirit, or content, matters. Bloom will write letters on these sands, too; it's as if proximity to water brings out the playful side in signal-sending, as with Buck's earlier mirror-flashing. There is a kind of playful, throwaway signal-sending that we indulge in for the pleasure of NOT knowing who will receive it. "I shot an arrow into the air; it fell to earth, I know not where." Sending real messages is serious business; sending pseudo-messages, or non-messages to random audiences, is play. Stuff for the beach, not the town. In 'Calypso' (the first Bloom chapter), velopes themselves carry meaning; the one from Blazes to Molly scorches poor Bloom's heart. But the (quote) "letter for me from Milly" does Bloom's heart good. Signals full of meaning, ones like Milly's that land where they're sent, and are properly understood, can do a world of good. "Metempsychosis" is the word in this episode that prevents Molly from understanding a sentence in the trashy novel she's reading. The transmission of spirit across time and space is itself an idea that Poldy must translate into plain words in order for its meaning to reach Molly. But he does so, and she does understand. Meanings need new clothes to cross some borders, but quick wits know how to smuggle those meanings across. The fate of the magazine story ("Matcham's Masterstroke") that Bloom reads in the outhouse shows that some signals belong in the toilet. The joke's cybernetic subtext concerns the need to evaluate our culture's signs, to digest them, and to dispose of the unworthy ones accordingly. In 'Lotus-Eaters,' the first sentence of which we followed into the post office, Bloom receives his letter from Martha Clifford, with its misspelled "world." Noise threatens to wreck signal, to put meaning to narcotic sleep, but again (as with Simon Dedalus' telegram about "Nother dying") Joyce is fascinated by the meanings born of random error. Like the bicycle tire's lemniscate that fascinates John Shade, in Nabokov's PALE FIRE, the noise that seems to spell out its own new meaning offers another kind of pseudo-signal: not one without an intended audience, this time, but one without a real author other than chance itself. The Surrealists, of course, would have you believe that they cornered the market in such random marks believed to bear meaning. When Bloom tells Bantam Lyons that he was just about to "throw away" the newspaper, and Lyons thinks that Bloom is tipping him about the racehorse Throwaway, it's a clear case of noise being mistaken for signal. That's why the winning horse is named for disposable refuse ("Throwaway") in the first place: some signals go about disguised as noise. Joyce, unlike Martha, DOES "like that other world." In Hades, Bloom very simply and matter-of-factly draws the limits of communication at mortality. "Once you are dead you are dead." No serious signals reach us from the other side, only ridiculous ones, as Christine van Boheemen reminded us on Monday. The cybernetic comedy of errors deepens here as an idle word, M'Intosh, is boosted to human status, one more erroneous conflation of words and things. 'Aeolus' is about communication, set as it is in the newspaper office. The rhetorical devices that run rampant through the episode show the dangers of one's medium going opaque on one, of language becoming windy through a fatuous obsession with its own sound. A thoughtful style strengthens, a thoughtless style weakens any signal. In 'Lestrygonians,' Bloom receives the novel's third throwaway, the advertizing handout, which he throws to the unappreciative gulls. Signals only work on their intended human receivers, as we all knew already but Joyce still needed to show. As an advertising canvasser, as we've noted, Bloom's occupation centrally concerns the sending and receiving of commercial messages, and so the cybernetic conundrums of the billboard floating on the Liffey and of HELY'S sandwichboard men go under instant analysis in Bloom's mind. 'Scylla and Charybdis,' outside the novel, may perhaps best be seen behind the prudish censors on one side and the unscrupulous copyright violators who threatened the book's successful publication on the other. Piracy we call this latter crime, unwittingly evoking a maritime metaphor of the novel as a ship on a dangerous journey. (Recall how apt it was of Wiener to name cybernetics for a Greek steersman.) In the case of Ulysses, a novel that faced and continues to face Odyssean obstacles at every stage of the journey, the metaphor is peculiarly apt. In 'Wandering Rocks,' Father Conmee furthers the cybernetic plot by posting a letter with the help of young Brunny LyNam. Boylan, meanwhile, plays the cybernetic flirt: "--May I say a word to your telephone, Missy? he asked roguishly." Stephen and Bloom, meanwhile, are both eyeing the booksellers' carts, seeking stray signals that may or may not be meant for them, 'Sirens,' for Joyce as for Homer, reminds us that some of the most beguiling signals intend us nothing but harm. Survival may come only through voluntary paralysis, as when Odysseus has himself lashed to the mast. As Bloom ties and unties his fingers with the elastic band, Joyce again shows us insulation proving an effective defense against hurtful thoughts; in this case, Bloom's thoughts of marital betrayal. 'Cyclops' has that mock-theosophic signal from the other side, reporting that the currents of abodes of the departed spirits were (quote) "equipped with every modern home comfort such as tlfn," and so on. 'Cyclops' is also where Joe Hynes reads aloud from the job application letter of one H. Rumbold, Master Barber, implicitly reiterating the need for moral discrimination in the matter of meanings received. "Still, it was a kind of communication between us." So thinks Bloom of his silent tryst with Nausicaa in the form of Gertie MacDowell. And of course: "For this relief much thanks." Successfully sent and received erotic signals gratify in this narrative quite explicitly beyond the reach of mere music or language. 'Oxen of the Sun' allows that medium of transmission, language, to turn opaque again, to foreground itself at the risk of letting meanings die undelivered. (Quote:) "The debate which ensued was in its scope and progress an epitome of the course of life." Some signals can be made to bear multiple meanings on levels of varying profundity. In 'Circe,' Bloom shows us that the recall and timing of information can be crucial to success. He remembers what he's heard about Bella Cohen's son at Oxford, and uses the information in a timely fashion to protect Stephen from harm. Judgment of what to listen to, what to remember of what one's heard, and what to repeat and when are all essential cybernetic skills. Bloom also, at episode's end, picks up an imagined signal from the imagined spirit of his son Rudy, proving that to the artistic imagination, at least, mortality is no barrier to spirit after all. (Of course, readers of Dubliners had already learned that from Michael Furey.) Its absurd pedantic deadpan notwithstanding, the 'Ithaca' episode nonetheless communicates that even the worthless crumbs of Plumtree's Potted Meat in one's bed may be read as signal. 'Eumaeus' features yet more signal degraded into noise. The newspaper account of the funeral inadvertently drops an L from the name of L. Boom. Even the mock sailor's postcard from landlocked Bolivia furthers the episode's theme of exhausted and phony meanings. In 'Penelope,' finally, communication comes once again to mean the successful transmission of spirit among bodies. The flesh assents all too indiscriminately in this episode, but Bloom is home safe, dominant at last in his wife's thoughts, his message of unprepossessing love mocked, ridiculed, travestied, and betrayed, but ultimately received, understood, and acknowledged. The style of Joyce's novel, with its access from the very first scene to Stephen's own thoughts, and then to Bloom's, and finally to Molly's, implies that no communication, no means of meaning, succeeds so well as that of the artistic imagination. When he said "Madame Bovary, c'est moi," Gustave Flaubert was teaching Joyce to disregard and ultimately to refute the supposed inscrutability and reputed inaccessibility of the Other. The lines may be down between husband and wife, they may be tottering between father and daughter, but between the author's spirit and that of his characters, le courant passe, the current flows without impedance. Any signal, like a Homeric hero, is threatened with ruin by the alluring sirens of noise. Any piece of information, or any spirit afloat in our culture, that is, faces an Odyssean battle in order to make it through. Consider the obeisance of publisher to legal power that used to appear at this novel's front gate, for instance. This NOVEL had to undergo an odyssey before coming home to our minds. The law tried to stop it, pirates tried to loot it, but the text, like its characters, came through relatively unscathed. Cybernetic messages and the obstacles to their correct transmission present one of the manifold yet parallel plots in ULYSSES -- with our own successful comprehension of the novel furnishing the happy ending to a cybernetic allegory in which character, action, and text all come through, finally, loud and clear. The book, that is, enacted a Joycean design over which Joyce himself could have had little control, for the book itself recapitulated the Odyssean journey across perilous seas. Pirates, monstrous one-eyed censors, Procrustean editors kept mangling a Protean text. And yet here it is, home free, safely harbored in our minds and in our hearts. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\CyprusHistoryOfConflict.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CYPRUS HISTORY OF THE CONFLICT Cyprus, an island in the Eastern Mediterranean, at the cross-roads of three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa - has one of the oldest histories of the world, dating back 9000 years. Its strategic position, its wealth in forests and mineral deposits, as well as its skilled craftsmen, made it the prized possession of the powers of the day. Cultural influences came from all directions - all major regional civilisations left their mark on the island, contributing to the development of a very rich and diverse cultural heritage. ANCIENT TIMES The Stone Age The first signs of human life on the island date back to c. 8500 BC during the Palaeolithic period. Evidence of human activity was found in cave dwellings near Liopetri, though it is not known whether they were just hunting parties passing through or permanent settlers. The first undisputed settlements are believed to have been established towards the end of the 8th millennium BC. Vestiges of such early communities are found all over the island, such as at Khirokitia, Kalavasos-Tenta, Apostolos Andreas- Kastros, Phrenaros, Petra tou Limniti. Neolithic Cypriots built circular houses with small undressed stones for the lower structures and sun-dried mudbricks and clay for the middle and superstructure. The Khirokitia neolithic settlement in Larnaca district stands out as a striking example of prehistoric architecture. The Neolithic settlement of Khirokitia The Bronze/ Copper Age Large copper deposits brought fame and wealth to the island and may have even given it its name. It has been documented that during the bronze age Cyprus had intense commercial relations with the main commercial and cultural centres of that time. During this period metallurgy and pottery flourished while close relations developed, particularly with Crete, which are also expressed in the Cypro-Minoan script which appeared in Cyprus around 1500 BC. Of special significance for the future of Cyprus was its colonisation around 1200 BC by Mycenaean and Achaean Greeks, a migration process that lasted for more than a century. They brought with them to the island the Hellenic language, culture and religion. Legend has it that the first Hellenes who settled in Cyprus were heroes of the Trojan war. The arrival of the Achaeans greatly influenced town planning, architecture, and pottery. Since then Cyprus has remained predominantly Greek in culture, language and population despite influences resulting from successive occupations. Iron Age More and more people from the Greek world came to live in Cyprus. They built city along the lines of the Greek ones. There were about eleven city kingdoms in all: Kourion, Paphos, Soloi, Marion, Lapithos, Salamis, Kition, Kyrenia, Amathus, and Idalion. Although Cyprus was conquered by other peoples, these city kingdoms mostly ruled themselves, paying taxes to their conquerors. The island was conquered in succession by the Assyrians, the Egyptians and the Persians (800-332 BC). The Classical Period For more than a century, Cyprus was caught in the middle of the power struggle between Greece and Persia. In the 6th century BC Persia became the dominant power and the kings of Cyprus, while being allowed to retain their autonomy, were obliged to pay tribute to the Persian King and place their military forces at his disposal. Persia's domination, however, was not maintained easily and there were several attempts tooverthrow the Persian yoke, the most significant being the Ionian revolt and an attempt by King Evagoras I of Salamis to unite all of Cyprus' city-kingdoms under him. attempts failed. The Hellenistic Period Cyprus stayed in Persian hands until Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Empire when the island became part of his huge Empire. Upon Alexander's death Cyprus fell to one of his generals, Ptolemy I, the ruler of Egypt. >From then on Cyprus, under the Ptolemies, was an integral part of the Hellenistic World until its integration with the Roman Empire in 30 BC. During this time Cyprus experienced significant cultural activity and close contacts with the city kingdoms of the Hellenic World. Cypriot athletes took part in the Olympic and Panathenian Games and the names of Cypriot sculptors are referred to at Delphi and Lemnos. The worship of Aphrodite was known throughout the region and the Temple of Goddess of Love and Beauty at Palaepaphos gathered pilgrims from all over the ancient world. The city-kingdoms of Salamis, Amathus, Paphos and others which were established at the time of Greek colonisation flourished during this period and produced magnificent pieces of architecture and sculpture which survive till our days. The Roman Period As the Ptolemaic empire declined, Cyprus came under Roman domination and was a colony in 58 BC. Romans also left their legacy on the island in the form of Roman amphitheatres, public baths, mosaics and other architectural edifices. One of the most significant events during this period was the visit to the island of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas, the latter being considered the founder of the Autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus. The Apostles travelled all across the island to Paphos where they converted the Roman governor to Christianity and so Cyprus became the first country to be ruled by a Christian. THE MIDDLE AGES The Byzantine Period The Christian civilisation was consolidated in the island during the Byzantine Period (330-1191 AD) at which time the island was an important spiritual focus. Wonderful churches and magnificent monasteries containing fine wall paintings and mosaics survive to our times and are testimony to the importance of Cyprus in the East Roman Empire. St Bartholomew, mosaic from the Kanakaria Church. 6th century AD With the emergence of Islam in the 6th and 7th centuries AD, Cyprus became an object dispute between Christendom and Islam. The Arabs, who with their repeated incursions, spread death and destruction in coastal settlements, were finally pushed away in 965 AD by Emperor Nicephorus Phocas and restored Cyprus as a province of the Byzantine Empire. The western Crusaders influenced a great deal the development of the history of Cyprus. It was Richard the Lionheart, King of England, who during the Third Crusade captured the island defeating its ruler, Isaac Comnenos in 1191. Richard tried to sell Cyprus to the Knights Templars, who nevertheless, were not able to resist the revolt of the people of Cyprus. Thus the island went back to the English King, who sold it again this time to the Frankish King of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan. The Frankish Period The rule of the Franks in Cyprus lasted until 1489 and during that time life on the island was organised on the basis of the feudal model of the West, oppression of the indigenous population being its main characteristic. The Lusignan period left numerous monuments on the island - mainly Gothic churches and mountain fortifications. During the 14th century Cyprus is an important point of contact between East and West. Within a network of contradictions, a complex cultural creation took shape both in the letters and in the arts with the pronounced seal of a variety of influences. The end of the Latin period in Cyprus came with the Venetian rule from 1489 to 1571. The Venetians held the island for its strategic position in the area of the Eastern Mediterranean on the way to the vital Silk Route to China. Venice, wished in this way to underline its prominence among the western powers of the time and attempted to keep to road to the East open despite the growing menace of the Ottomans. The Venetians also left their mark on the island's cultural heritage with their fortifications around Nicosia and Famagusta. These, built with the intention of fending off the Turks, proved inadequate and Cyprus fell to the Turks in 1571, becoming part of the Ottoman Empire. MODERN TIMES The Turkish Period Though Cyprus on the whole became less prosperous under Ottoman rule, there were certain immediate benefits. Serfdom was abolished and the rights of the Greek Orthodox Church, which had been suppressed since the Franks, were restored. However, there was very harsh rule and harsh taxation which impoverished the people, and there were continual revolts. In 1821 an attempt by Cypriots to support the Greeks in their revolt against Ottoman rule was brutally crushed, with the Archbishop being publicly hanged and many others, including three bishops, put to death. Cyprus remained under Ottoman rule until 1878 when, with the Treaty of Berlin, the Sultan in his effort to secure British support in his conflict with the Russians leased Cyprus to Great Britain. Then in 1914, following the entry of Turkey in World War I on the side of Germany, the British government annexed Cyprus and turned it into a Crown colony in 1925. In the meantime Turkey surrendered all claim on Cyprus with the Lausanne Treaty it concluded with Greece in 1923. The British Period British rule left its mark on the island's complex culture with the adoption by the people Cyprus of some of the customs of their colonial masters, the legacy of some British colonial buildings, and, most importantly, the tradition of the British administration especially in the civil service. Cypriots fought alongside the allies against fascism and nazism during World War II. The British, however, refused to keep their word and offer the island the right of self determination at the end of the war. There followed the Enosis referendum of 1950, when 96% of Greek Cypriots voted for Enosis, Union with Greece. In April 1955 the EOKA Liberation Struggle, against the colonial rulers, resulted in the granting of independence to the island on the basis of the Zurich and London Agreements of February 1959. Independence and invasion The independent Republic of Cyprus came into being in August 1960. Its first President was Archbishop Makarios. Over the first three years of independence relations between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots deteriorated, mainly as a result of flaws in the constitution which gave disproportional rights to the Turkish Cypriot community including the right to block the passing of laws. In 1963 intercommunal violence broke out following which many Turkish Cypriots withdrew to enclaves. Attempts to bring the two sides back together were made through the United Nations who sent a contingent to the island. On 15 July 1974 the Junta ruling Athens at the time organised a coup to overthrow Archbishop Makarios. A week later Turkey invaded the island, claiming this was to restore constitutional order. However, when the rightful government was restored, Turkish troops stayed on, implementing a long-held policy of partitioning the island. They went on to occupy more than a third of Cyprus, forcing 200,000 people to lose their homes and become refugees. The area under Turkish occupation unilaterally declared independence in 1983, an act condemned by the UN and other international organisations. No country in the world other than Turkey has recognised this illegal state. The political issue, despite efforts to solve it, remains virtually frozen since 1974 and the occupation of part of Cyprus by the Turkish army still continues. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Cyrano De Bergerac.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bill Beltran 02\15\97 Cyrano De Bergerac Every generation has its own heroes that display, what they believe to be, ideal characteristics. While each is different in their own way, many of these role models share similar qualities. Most tend to have courage, strength, compassion, or another respected trait, but this is not necessarily why they win the adoration of their followers. Cyrano De Bergerac is a perfect example of how many protagonists win our allegiance because his sensibilities will not be denied, because he lives life to the hilt, and because he is a victim of his surroundings. If there was ever a figure who would not be denied his sensibilities, it is Cyrano. When lovers admit, "I'd die for you," it is usually only a figure of speech. Cyrano actually crossed over enemy lines every day simply to mail love letters. He also confessed to her, "My mother made it clear that she didn't find me pleasant to look at. I had no sister. Later, I dreaded the thought of seeing mockery in the eyes of a mistress. Thanks to you I've at least had a woman's friendship, a gracious presence to soften the harsh loneliness of my life. " When Cyrano admits, "My heart always timidly hides its self behind my mind," the reader can instantly relate to this dilemma but it is the fact that Cyrano is able to overcome it that makes him a hero. Not only is Cyrano filled with emotion, but he also goes out of his way to live life to the fullest. Cyrano's introduction to the reader definitely leaves a lasting impression. Not only does he banish an actor from the theater for performing poorly, but he proceeds to recite poetry while dueling with another member of the audience. Every moment of Cyrano's life is filled with action like this. When he was informed that one hundred men were going to kill his friend, Ligniére, he was thrilled with the idea of fighting all these men at once, and, of course, he succeeded. How could anyone not love this man who takes Carpe Diem to its most extreme form? Also, Cyrano is a victim of his surroundings. This may be the one characteristic that completely wins over the reader. Cyrano's most obvious flaw is his grotesque nose, but this would not be so awful if the people around him didn't care. Knowing that he is the victim of a problem beyond his control, the reader can do nothing but sympathize with him. The epitome of this is his death. His only wish in life was to dye noble . . . by the sword, but he again he is hurt by an outside force that he had no influence over. When he says, "Fate is a great jester! I've been struck down, but from behind, in an ambush, by a lackey wielding a log! I've been consistent to the end, I've failed in everything, even in my death," the reader is completely won over. Perhaps the most impressive thing about those we follow is that they're human. Again, Cyrano De Bergerac is the perfect example of how a hero wins the adoration of his followers. By showing his intense feelings, living life to the fullest, and still remaining human, he is able to win the heart of almost any reader. Heroes have changed a lot over the years. When one looks at napoleon they are hardly reminded of John Lennon. While different generations find different qualities to be noble, there are some heroes, like Cyrano, who will be loved for all time. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Damianakes 1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Damianakes 1 Aly Damianakes March 15, 2003 #306 To Build a Fire In the story, "To Build a Fire" by Jack London a man sets out alone in the harsh Yukon Territory weather, and makes several fatal mistakes that undoubtedly lead to his downfall. These mistakes, which could have easily been avoided, were due to the man's poor judgment and stubbornness. He made many careless errors in preparation for his trek and during his journey through the Yukon. All in All the man sealed his own fate by simply being ignorant. His first mistake was going out alone under 50 below. The man had been warned that it was unwise to travel the Yukon alone in the harsh winter weather but he ignored this potentially life saving advice and continued on by himself. If he had brought a partner along with him he may have survived. When he broke through the ice patch into the sinkhole had he had a partner, his partner could have built him a fire to keep him from freezing. However, he disregarded these warnings and voyaged deeper into his own death trap. Another thing the man did wrong was removing his gloves and outerwear repeatedly. When the dog got ice in his paws the man took off his gloves to scrape out the ice. Little did he know that the moment he exposed his fingers to the cold air he began freezing them. He should have made something to cover his moth and cheeks too. The harsh, cold wind stung his cheeks and started freezing them along with his mouth and long amber beard of frozen chewing tobacco. Obviously if he had been more prepared he may have been able to survive. The most fatal mistake the man made was building the fire under a tree full of snow. If the snow hadn't fallen on the fire he would have been able to stay warm, dry off, and continue on his journey. Instead he chose to build his lifeline under a tree and proceeded to smother all hope of getting out of the Yukon alive, with snow. Had he chose a different location to build his fire the mad could have regained his strength and endure the rest of his Trek through the Yukon. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\danny glover.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Speech Communication 4.14.04 Danny Glover I went to see Danny Glover speak at the Cutler Majestic Theatre because I have always been interested in Mr. Glover's work. Before he spoke to a packed theatre full of Emerson students, the school screened a montage sequence of the familiar roles he has played in Hollywood films. The short video was interesting and helpful for the entire audience, so they could all remember the contributions Danny Glover has made to the film/television industry. Mr. Glover was rewarded with a standing ovation when he entered the stage. After what seemed minutes long of applause, he softly began his speech. For a man to give a speech in front of such a vast audience, it was necessary for Mr. Glover to be loud and charismatic; and unfortunately, he was neither. His speech topic was on race relations in the film and television industry, but all he seemed to do was recite facts from unmentioned sources and meander onto topics such as the African-American lifestyle in Boston. His speech was at times interesting, but it was mostly full of random statements and monotonous jargon. When his speech was over, I looked around to find students with puzzled looks on their faces as if they we not pleased with his performance. I asked my friend who came with me if he liked Danny Glover's speech, and he said "It was alright. I fell asleep twice, but it was alright". Any speech from a world wide celebrated actor should be more than "alright", but somehow Mr. Glover missed this time. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Dante.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The character of Dante in The Divine Comedy who descended into the inferno caused me to stop and think about this awful place. As the reader I got to take an imaginary journey with Dante to a horrible place where I do not care about going. While Dante descended into hell I plan on ascending into heaven someday. Dante had a choice to make whether or not to get back on the right path. It came down to heaven or hell - choose. I think it was willed for Dante to see this place while he was still living. By seeing hell while he was alive Dante could be sure and make the right choices to find his way back to the straight path. Being on the right path in his lifetime would ensure he would not spend eternity in such a miserable place. I believe the whole purpose of this journey into hell was to let Dante see the anguish there and choose. Perhaps this was a divine warning. In Canto 2, Beatrice, the symbol of Divine Love, an angelic spirit was sent to help aid Dante from his error and help him return back. This is purely love and compassion at its best. Sending someone into hell to rescue another person out of there. Great lengths were taken to help Dante return back to the straight way. I do not believe such action was taken if Dante was to end up in hell all along. For some reason midway in Dante's life's journey he had gone astray and at this point was searching for answers. I guess hell was as good a place to start the search as any place. Something for sure had led him astray and Dante was going to find out what it was. Strange as it may seem Dante did find the answers he was looking for in hell. Dante had entered into an awful place full of darkness and evil. Dante did not realize to return back would not be easy, the Leopard stood blocking him every turn to keep him from getting back. As a Christian I could relate to this. I am often so busy (blocked) with life that I forget about the important things as a Christian I should be doing, like reading the Bible and praying. I make plans that tomorrow I will pray or read the Bible but something tries to block me from doing so. Dante probably never imagined getting off the right path would result in a visit to such a horrible place. There was weeping, cursing, and fear surrounded the place. Frightened, Dante continued on, but the souls moaning and crying out for help never stopped. There was no help in this terrible place and certainly no hope. I think right about at that point Dante had a conscious check. He was probably willing at that point to do just about anything to get out of the inferno. I know I would have done anything to get out of there and fast. Hell probably made Dante fear judgment and to make the choice to avoid going there at all cost. There was a couple aspects that I liked and related to in this piece. Dante had a vivid imagination. He was very detailed with his vision of hell. I really liked that. What I related most to was like Dante if I go astray I can get back, there is hope. The whole scenario made me stop and think about my choices. I have a free will just like Dante to choose. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\DanteInferno.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dante's Inferno Dante Alighieri, one of the greatest poets of the Middle Ages, was born in Florence, Italy on June 5, 1265. He was born to a middle-class Florentine family. At an early age he began to write poetry and became fascinated with lyrics. During his adolescence, Dante fell in love with a beautiful girl named Beatrice Portinari. He saw her only twice but she provided much inspiration for his literary masterpieces. Her death at a young age left him grief-stricken. His first book, La Vita Nuova, was written about her. Sometime before 1294, Dante married Gemma Donati. They had four children. Dante was active in the political and military life of Florence. He entered the army as a youth and held several important positions in the Florence government during the 1290's. During his life, Florence was divided politically between Guelphs and Ghibellines. The Guelphs supported the church and liked to keep things as they were, unlike the Ghibellines. The Ghibellines were mostly supporters of the German emperor and at the time Dante was born, were relieved of their power. When this change took place, the Guelphs for whom Dante's family was associated took power. Although born into a Guelph family, Dante became more neutral later in life realizing that the church was corrupt, believing it should only be involved in spiritual affairs. At the turn of the century, Dante rose from city councilman to ambassador of Florence. His career ended in 1301 when the Black Guelph and their French allies seized control of the city. They took Dante's possessions and sentenced him to be permanently banished from Florence, threatening the death penalty upon him if he returned. Dante spent most of his time in exile writing new pieces of literature. It is believed that around 1307 he interrupts his unfinished work, Convivio, a reflection of his love poetry philosophy of the Roman tradition, to begin The Comedy (later known as The Divine Comedy). He writes a book called De Vulgari Eloquentia explaining his idea to combine a number of Italian dialects to create a new national language. In 1310 he writes De Monarchia presenting Dante's case for a one-ruler world order. Among his works, his reputation rests on his last work, The Divine Comedy. He began writing it somewhere between 1307-1314 and finished it only a short while before his death in 1321, while in exile. In this work, Dante introduces his invention of the terza rima, or three-line stanza as well as himself as a character. The Inferno is the first of three parts of Dante's epic poem, The Divine Comedy, which depicts an imaginary journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante is the hero, who loses his way in the "dark woods" and journeys to nine regions arranged around the wall of a huge funnel in nine concentric circles representing Hell. He is led by the ghost of Virgil, the Roman poet, who has come to rescue Dante from the dark forest and lead him through the realms of the afterlife. The first circle they enter is Limbo, which consists of heathen and the unbaptized, who led decent lives. The second through the fifth circles are for the lustful, gluttonous, prodigal, and wrathful. The sixth circle is where heretics are punished. The seventh circle is devoted to the punishment of violence. The eighth is devoted to those guilty of fraud and the ninth for those who betrayed others. In the last section, Satan remains imprisoned in a frozen lake. The journey is difficult and full of revelations, disappointment and questions, but they persevere. The end of their journey leads Dante and Virgil to the bottom of Hell. Lucifer is seen in all his ugliness and they are drawn towards Heaven. They emerge to the surface, rising above the ugliness of sin and journey towards their goal as they catch sight of the stars shining in the heavens. Their journey begins on Good Friday and they emerge from Hell on the day of Resurrection, Easter Sunday on the underside of the world, in the hemisphere of water at the foot of Mount Purgatory. Dante's vision expresses his personal experience, through images to convey his interpretation of the nature of human existence. He writes in the first person so the reader can identify and deeply understand the truths he wished to share about the meaning of life and man's relationship with the Creator. Dante is remembered as a great thinker and one of the most learned writers of all time. Many scholars consider his epic poem The Divine Comedy consisting of Inferno, Paradiso, and Purgatorio, among the finest works of all literature. Critics have praised it not only as magnificent poetry, but also for its wisdom and scholarly learning. Dante was a man who lived, who saw political and artistic success, and who was in love. He was also a man who was defeated, who felt danger and the humiliation of exile, and who was no stranger to the cruelty and treachery possible in people. Dante felt he was a victim of a grave injustice. He also suffered serious self-doubts, natural for a man in exile. His works reflect his experiences and attempts to answer some of life's difficult questions. In 1968, Allen Tate, a conservative thinker and a convert to Catholicism, wrote "The Unilateral Imagination; or, I too Dislike it", in his Essays of Four Decades. This critique was established from a lecture given by Tate in 1955 based on his works. An example of Dante's ability to tell so much in one single word was expressed by Tate when he cited the word "ombre" which translates "shades," to remind us of the continuity of the Christian Hell and Virgil's pagan Hades. "Shades" are referred to as three-dimensional bodies, able to feel pain as if they were alive in solid ice and immobile, yet to have the intensity of fire. If Dante had tried to touch one of them, his hand would have met no physical resistance since the shades would melt into the air. Tate stands in awe of Dante's abilities to express such a large concept or picture in so few words. He says, "I believe we all wish we had been able not only to write better poems, but poems that say much more than we have been able to say, while at the same time seeming to say less."(452) In 1953, Jacques Maritain, a French philosopher, theologian, educator, and essayist, wrote "The Three Epiphanies of Creative Intuition", in his book, Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry. He wrote about how Dante's Divine Comedy is at the same time poetry of the song, poetry of the theater, and poetry of the tale. They are the three epiphanies of poetic intuition. Maritain believes that the essence of the song appears everywhere in the Divine Comedy, but more so in Paradiso, while drama appears everywhere, especially in Purgatorio, and novel is found everywhere, but especially in the Inferno. (386-387) Maritain observes that Dante combines feelings, distinct images, and a continuous and complex narrative of a world of an adventure and destiny in the Inferno. He feels that the entire poem clearly shows, that through love, Dante knew his characters, understood their suffering, and knew his characters desires. These traits and Dante's ability to express his dream caused Maritain to believe that Dante had the eye of a genuine novelist. Ezra Pound, an American poet and critic, believes that one hears far too much about Dante's Hell, and far too little about the Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Pound wrote an essay called "Dante" in his book, The Spirit of Romance written in 1952. He explains how Hell is the state of man who has lost the good of his intelligence, a state of man dominated by his passions. (129) Pound believes that Dante's Inferno should be approached with a "sense of irony." His use of simile is carried throughout the Inferno and enhances the effect and meaning of his experience in Hell. While it is natural for man to think of Hell as a place, Pound understands it as a condition of man's mental state in life, continued after death. The tendency to see objects and qualities only in one dimension limiting and drawing the reader away from the true meaning of Dante's journey. Pound sees the Inferno as a satire on man's aimless turmoil and restlessness that continues to the root of Hell where it finds its end at the gate of Purgatory. Dante is represented as truth, intelligence, and love, and Pound generates a positive portrayal of Dante's work. Tate, Maritain, and Pound give insightful and pertinent observations of the Inferno, however, one major aspect, which was overlooked in their critiques, was the theological truths Dante uncovered on his imaginary journey through Hell. The reality of God, the Creator's love and man's choice is evidenced throughout the Inferno. On this spiritual pilgrimage, Dante has lost his way and tries to get back on the right path to gain salvation, but many temptations are faced along the way. Dante uses allegory in his story to depict these temptations or sin. In the dark wood he encounters a leopard, lion, and a she-wolf. The leopard stands for lust, the lion for pride, and the she-wolf for greed. He takes the reader through the murky, disgusting depths of Hell using very graphic, grotesque language and imagery. The poet communicates his vision well and his truth comes alive as the reader follows his spiritual search of personal salvation. Because he is the main character, Dante speaks in the first person and interprets his experience as he views sin in all its ugliness. He knows that life is a pilgrimage of the soul on its way to God, but has lost his way. The way is frighteningly real as he enters Hell and on his way he encounters many who have chosen greed or lust and turned from God. Dante realizes he must face evil (Satan) and rise toward the stars to the promise that is found in Heaven. The stars stand as a symbol of divine order and hope. Dante's relationship with God is evident in his writing, which portrays the experience of a deeply committed Christian. During the time he wrote, in the Middle Ages, this religious commitment was widely accepted and encouraged. It is this spiritual truth: that those who insist on denying God's will and die unrepentant are eternally damned unless they repent and walk in the ways of the Lord, which makes Dante's Inferno a religious and morally challenging experience. Works Cited Barbi, Michele. Life of Dante. Ed. Paul Ruggiers, Berkley-L.A.: University of California, Press, 1954. Curtius, Ernst Robert. "Dante." European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages. New York: Pantheon Books, 1953 348-379. Maritain, Jacques. "The Three Epiphanies of Creative Institution." Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry. New York: Pantheon Books, 1953 354-405. Pinsky, Robert. The Inferno of Dante. New York: Harper Collins, 1994. Pound, Ezra. "Dante." The Spirit of Romance. Norfolk: New Directions, 1968 118-165. Tate, Allen. "The Unilateral Imagination; or, I, too, Dislike It." Essays of Four Decades. Denver: The Swallow Press Inc., 1968 447-461. Vittorini, Domenico. The Age of Dante, Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1957. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\DARE essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Aurora Ginzburg Math 3/4 5/24/04 Science Homework 5/24 1. continental shelf 2. benthic environment 3. plankton 4. Desalination instead of The water cycle 5. Benthos instead of nekton 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. b 11. c 12. d 13. c 14. a 15. Because the heat increases the evaporation rate. 16. 17. They all relate to each other because they are all cotinental. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Day of the Locust.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Garcia 10/29/03 Film Disaster In Los Angeles (revision) The movies "Day of the Locust" and "Volcano," which are classified as disaster movies, can indicate that disaster is retaliation for immoral lifestyles to the inhabitants of the city of Angels. By not being careful with their everyday routines to make things safer, the people in the movies are not aware of the dangers, which inch closer and closer, until all hell breaks loose. The people who inhabit Los Angeles receive a rude awakening in both movies. Even though one of the movies creates a natural disaster and the other a "man" made disaster, they both demonstrate how the people are not responsive or prepared for something immense as what befalls them. Los Angeles is not disaster prone, though the movies show how it is inevitable, which isn't true. To begin with, The movie "Volcano," is "an apocalyptic scenario that seems to be unfolding, posing unbearable peril to the stranded protagonists". Do I see it as a form of retaliation for immoral lifestyles? Yes, In that movie, gas spews out of the sewers which is very deadly, but the people who go further into the investigation did not have a clue that what was underneath them was a volcano ready to erupt and create widespread panic. The Metro company even builds the Redline underground, not aware of what danger is underneath . In the Review, it states that "The mayhem looks like a nuclear disaster, but it all turns out to be quite manageable." The Inhabitants of Los Angeles did not meet certain requirements to regulate the problems, which came in the end to bite them in the rear end. If you do not take care of something, it will not come out perfect like you imagine it to be. In the movie "Day of the Locust", Homer Simpson is the key to the ignition that began the disaster. He would do anything for his girlfriend, Faye. "Willing to relinquish all his money for Faye's happiness, he houses her, [Faye] feeds her, clothes her, and allows himself to be abused by her to the point that Faye eventually despises him for his very spinelessness." Faye takes advantage of Homer, while Faye is too blind to see that she is hurting him inside. Homer finally one night lets it all out and takes his retaliation on some annoying kid, who actually deserves to get hurt, but not killed. Eventually the whole city sees this, and widespread chaos ensues throughout the area. Homer as well gets brutally hurt, and in a way, the whole city is hurt by this one little incident. The review states, "For no ascertainable reason, the event turns into a riot, and fighting and bloodshed are rampant, not merely within the ranks of the spectatorsm but also against the film luminaries they have come to worship." The violence grows and grows, each minute the people wanting more and more of aggression towards each other. No one would tend to Homer's problems and issues, so he kept things bottled up until he could no longer control it. People around him just left him alone, not wondering what he was capable of doing, which was create the disaster that sent the city to hell. Because of that, things would turn ugly and bloody, all over one night. Furthermore, Both disaster films relate to each other because both of them begin with something small that no one paid attention to. As time progresses, the people would soon find out that they are trapped in their own mistakes. That is when retaliation comes into play. It is like a punishment to let the inhabitants know that there are more things in life to tend to than just themselves. They need to be aware of what is going on around them, so no trouble will occur. Finally, to sum things up, revenge is obvious in both films, due to not paying the certain attention that was needed to prevent future pandemonium. With all the fighting, violence, explosions, it is hard to tame something as big as that. Los Angeles does not normally participate in disasters, yet the views of these 2 films make it seem that way. Even though the volcano eruption is not possible, it will give a visually memory of that certain place, which will lead to negative criticism by people who have never even been to Los Angeles. The people who already live in Los Angeles know that this is a nice place to inhabit, that what other people from other places think of Los Angeles is not all completely true. It is difficult to determine a place that you have never been to, which leaves them with a "foggy" view of it all. Although there are earthquakes and faults caused by the tectonic plates below and the shifting of plates, people here have adapted and grown to love Los Angeles, for all it has to offer. In conclusion, both of the movies portray revenge caused by immoral lifestyle and little effort to seek and solve the small problems which rose to create a "perilous plunge" in Los Angeles. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Day the World Turned Black.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Everyday the sun would rise and the moon would set and everybody would wake up to a new morning. Today was a special day in October, for the sun did not rise and the moon did not set and everyone woke to a full moon. During the night the sun had mysteriously vanished and this inscrutable incident enervated the most brilliant of minds . This caused aberrant behavior throughout the globe. Nevertheless there were a few vivacious individuals brave enough to find out what happened. They start their adventure by taking off in a space shuttle destined for outer space. As they reach orbit they witness the most amazing thing that any of them have ever seen. They watched the sun being sucked into nothing and something pushing it in. They change their course and follow the sun. As they get there, they realize that they are also being pulled in along with the sun and that their decision is at this point irrevocable. The funny thing was that the sun emanated no heat and that the moon started to glow much brighter than normal. It turns out that the moon was now supplying the earth with the heat that was needed to keep most happy. The sun, and both ships are now closed up in the thing and are increasing their velocity as they head for some minuscule object way in the distance. The team of explorers decide to catch the other ship but it is on the opposite side of the sun. It takes them a few days but they finally reach the other ship. The only thing that they cannot figure out is how to make contact with the other ship. They have exhausted every possibility and the only thing they have done is wasted time. They are floating in nothing, the scenery looks black and the only thing that they can see are the sun, the other ship, and the thing that they are flying towards. The ship surroundings are so amazing that they would whet your imagination beyond belief. Nevertheless, they are anxious to reach it in order to find out what it is. After doing nothing for two days they finally receive some contact with the other ship via Morse code. Using this to talk, they establish audio communication. Talking for a few hours they realize that both sides have no idea where they are headed. The only instructions that the other ship had received, were to push the sun into the hole and wait till they reach the end of the tunnel. They know that it will take them three weeks to reach their destination. Both ships have joined and all of the crew members have become friends. They party every night and have a ball, for they have nothing else to do but enjoy themselves. The ships are full of interesting anecdotes and emaciated people, for partying nonstop takes a lot out of someone. They finally reach the object and find that it is an island and that they have to deliver the sun to the center of the island. There is a controversy between the two ships and both sides debate whether to continue onward or to turn around and try to find a way back. The crew sent from earth convinced everyone to continue so that they could find out what was going on. They tie the sun up to a machine very tight and they begin the long haul. Levity has spread throughout all of the people and everyone begins to make jokes about their mishap. Days roll by and they haven't made as much progress as they expected. Their supplies are running low so they have a shortage of food and water. During the next few days the morale has picked up because they now have their destination in sight. Everyone begins to hum euphonious melodies and the people who had contempt for the rest now realize how pathetic they were and changed their attitudes. Time seemed to fly by very quickly now and before they realize it they are within a few miles of the huge complex that they have been hoping to reach for weeks now. The once amiable crew has now become an irascible one. They set down the sun and wait anxiously to see what happens next. A human comes from within the complex and thanks everyone for making the journey. He sees a few people that are unexpected, these were the members of the crew sent out to uncover the mystery. The man invites everyone inside. He starts by giving everyone a hardy meal, shower and rest from their long journey. When everyone wakes up they realize that their host has disappeared and they are trapped inside of the house. The crew from earth begins to search the building, but after hours of searching come up with nothing but a set of Christmas lights. They have all that they need to survive forever so all day everyday for two weeks they ponder their ideas. Many suggested that the sun was part of a plan to destroy the universe. Another suggested that people from other parts of the universe were trying to take over. The crew realized that their host was really a human and that the sun had something to do with the earth and its people directly. The other ideas were based on erroneous assumptions but the third was based on facts and clear thinking so must be right, therefore they concentrated on this. The host returned after three weeks and when he arrived he was bombarded by questions and more questions from all of the crew. He told everyone to calm down and he began to explain what the whole thing was about. They asked about the lights that they had found and he ignored this and continued on with his explanation. He told them that the sun was needed as a power source for something on the earth. This only confused everyone even more that they already were. Someone yelled out that they would be used for the lighting of the Christmas lights. This idea made sense so everyone accepted this without confirming it with the host. The host then got everyone's attention and told them that they were wrong. But before he could tell them the real truth he had to inform them that they would never be returning and that they would work for his for many many more years. That was when they were told that the sun was needed for Santa's sleigh because his reindeer were getting old. Yes, even the young and rambunctious Ruldolph. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Dead Man Walking Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dead Man Walking Essay "But if injury ensues, you shall give life for life, eye, for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." These words, stated from Exodus 21:23-25, are often used to justify the death penalty and serve as a purpose to make punishment fit crime. In today's society the Catholic Church teaches that capital punishment erodes respect for life, which was clearly evident in Dad Man Walking. Through Catholic beliefs, as well as viewpoints, we see how Dead Man Walking ties in with the Church's teaching. "Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this the only way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor" (Paragraph 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church). Public authority has the right to punish malefactors proportionate to the gravity of the offense, which in turn, cases of extreme gravity do result in the death penalty. "If however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person" (Paragraph 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church). Today, the United States bishops and Vatican members encourage all Christians to abolish the death penalty. The United States bishops and other Vatican members view that the abolition of capital punishment would seek to build a society committed to human life. The United States bishops said that the abolition of the death penalty would reaffirm the dignity of each person as a creature made in the image of God, practice forgiveness, and promote a compassionate society. Pope John Paul II stated that the death penalty was cruel and unnecessary. It is a sign of desperation. He also looks at how the abolition of the death penalty would reaffirm civilization in being successful in dealing with criminality. Other Vatican members "echoed the pope's views," as well as many other humanistic issues. We see how some of these teachings and views are relevant in Dead Man Walking. A film based on capital punishment, Dead Man Walking creates a disturbing and compelling picture about the death penalty and how it relates to the Catholic teaching. As Matthew Poncelet is on death row and awaiting his execution, Helen, a Catholic nun, becomes exposed to Poncelet's pain and offers love and a chance for salvation in his life. As viewers, we see that every human life is sacred, even when the individual is guilty of wrong doing, as well as we see the Christian faith being professed; that human beings are never beyond repentance or reconciliation. Yet Poncelet's crime was a case of extreme gravity, but more importantly we see that Poncelet was willing to confess to his crime and in turn became redeemed. Through Catholic beliefs and viewpoints, we see how the Catholic Church's teaching ties in with Dead Man Walking. Remember the teachings of Christ, and pray for the forgiveness of others who have injured us. The future is the true example of love and compassion. Natalee Cecil October 1, 2003 Period 5 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Deadlock.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Deadlock "Bzzz! Bzzz!" The alarm went off, and Susan Calvin rolled over. It was 6:30 in the morning, and RoboTimer(tm) had done its job admirably, waking her up to the second of the time that it had been factory-programmed. Unfortunately, it hadn't been set to the correct date, and when it announced "Saturday, December 14th! Good morning!" in a load cheery tone, she groaned out load with the realization that it was Saturday, and after that affair with the hyperdrive motor, she wanted to sleep in, since it she had just come back to earth. "I hate this stupid robot!" she yelled out loud, then suddenly closed her mouth. For Susan Calvin had just remembered that her pact with the satans, as she thought of them, known to the robotics world as the team of Powell and Donovan. She stretched, rolled out of bed, and went downstairs, wrapping a robe around her as she went, to get some coffee. "Well, since I'm already up, I might as well take a look at the rest of those Rasssjemani-Quazaric-Smith Equations and see why they were causing all those robots to go psycho," she thought. "Good thing that U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men hushed up that little incident, I'd be out of a job if the whole world, the xenophobic and primally-fearful lot of them, knew about that!" As she got out and buttered her toast, she mulled the day ahead of her in her mind. Weekends were never truly weekends for Susan Calvin, as she was forced to work for most of the weekend, with her only respite being Sunday, which she was allowed to come in an hour late for. However, she usually found herself working late into the night on Sundays, out of an artificially induced guilt that she knew was not real, but could do nothing to correct. After being driven to work (working for the company that produced every MechTaxi(tm) in existence did have some perks after all), greeting the doorman, and going up to her office, Susan Calvin was ready to look at those equations! She only needed a small period of time to warm up, and the wakeup-breakfast-come to work routine sufficed. Almost as soon as she had sat down to work, the Founder of U.S. Robots came in and said, "I need to speak with you, Calvin. There's been more reports in across the nation of those psycho robots, all of them with positronic brains built using the Rasssjemani-Quazaric-Smith Equations. We will be ruined, and drawn and quartered by the masses if we don't start hushing this up again and fix that problem!" Susan smiled at him, with an evil glint in her eye. "Junk the equations. They are obviously unstable. Why do you bother me with this? I am not even a full-time mathematician! Have completely new equations written up, not those kludges that the robots have been running on since the late nineties almost!" The Founder laughed, his white beard and flowing locks shaking slowly as his chest vibrated. "That is possibly the first joke I have heard you crack in the thirty years we have been at this company that I founded!" He paused. "It is a joke, right?" he whispered. When Susan shook her head, he simply stared at her, astonished, with a growing look of perplexity spreading across his face. "You do understand what would be entailed in the creation of an entirely new set of robotic codes, right? The hackneyed name of the last ones show by their complexity that it took a group of seven hundred men an entire year to build the codes! They are the building blocks of everything that we now know of the various fields of Robotics! You, yourself, would become useless, wit all your knowledge outdated! Rasssjemani, Quazaric, and Smith were only the principal authors of the code, all of them geniuses! There are not even three geniuses in the field of robotics alive today!" He paused for breath after this long exposition, and Susan Calvin stepped in with some comments of her own. "Calm yourself, man! I was just offering a suggestion! I have been making the same type of suggestions such as those for the last thirty years!" "If you had made suggestions such as that all the time, you would not be here after thirty years! You must be losing it, Calvin!" "I am the chief roboticist in the entire field, and you are treating me as if I know nothing at all of the field!" "You are the field, Calvin! Don't kid yourself, you are the only robopsychologist in the entire world, and a decreasingly useful one at that! Why do you think there is only one? There is no need for one even!" "Hah! You pathetic Moses imitator, you don't fool me, your entire education consists of a G.E.D.! And you were born when they still had G.E.D.s! So don't say I'm useless, I'm not trying to create the next generation of mechanical men without a college diploma!" At this the Founder left the room, swearing vengeance in his mind against all robopsychologists, then correcting himself and remembering that there was only one. Susan Calvin sat down, realizing that this day might be her last with the company that she had served so faithfully. Sadly, so called over her robotic child, Eddie, and sat all of his 400 pounds on her lap. Groaning slightly, she told him that she wasn't going to be seeing him anymore, but she would be back someday to see him again. "But Mommy! I'll miss you! And what will they do with me once you're gone? They'll junk me! Mommy, don't let them hurt me!" And he went on like this for hours, but the end of which they were both crying. "Don't worry, the only reason I'm leaving is because of some stupid man here who hates me, and won't listen to reason!" She cried, and thought of all the happy times she'd had at the factory... Then she remembered. Remembered everything. About the pact with the satans, and how she had prayed every day to be released from her job, as that was the only way she could be free forever. She got up, knocked the heavy childish robot aside, packed up her desk, and walked out. Just then, as she was walking home, something appeared in front of her. She thought she might be hallucinating, since it had been a long stressful day, until she thought of the way that the team of Donovan and Powell had come to propose the ill-fated deal to her. She goaned out "Leave me alone, please!" and fell to the ground. The now fully formed ghostly team grinned at each other, grabbed her, and carried her back to her house. Susan regained consciousness lying on her couch, to see the two men walking around her living room, critiquing her design taste. "Rather homely designes, don't you think, Powell?" "Oh stopit, you crazy redhead! She hasn't had anyone over she had to impress for the last 20 years I'd bet!" Susan reached over, and grabbed the two men from her position on the couch my the arms, and made them come closer. "Well," she asked, "what is it? My pact with you is dissolved, and I shall see robots nevermore. Goodbye." She got up to leave, and was stopped firmly by the hand of Powell, who reached out while Donovan was still getting up. "Sit down, the agreement does not release you that easily! As you recall, U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men must release you, you can't quit!" Calvin sat down and began to speak. "After today, I think that as soon as I call the office, the first message they will give me will be the date of my official retirement! You should have seen that fight I had with the Founder!" However, here she was cut off. "So, you are saying that you were the one who provoked the fight, and therefore you will not be released from your agreement!" "This is ridiculous! I did nothing of the kind!... ... ... Susan Calvin took of the helmet, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I am tired of these new virtual reality dream simulators. The private sector may just have to own up that there really is absolutely no use for mind-reading machines in commercial life. Everything is either an invasion of privacy, or it simply scares the customer. And did you see how foolish and emotional I was in that?!" She walked away from the machines, her guides in the factory arguing heatedly with her, as they showed her the new applications for mind-reading that they had extracted from the data that she had given to them from her work on finding the cause of the defect in the positronic brain of the mind-reading robot that she had worked with so many years ago, and had thought that she had killed. The End f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Dear Jazz.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dear Jazz, Hey! How have you been? It's seemed like ever since peer counseling ended we haven't talked as much. I really miss you. How are things with your Mom? I'm so glad that you guys understand each other now. I have to say, I was really worried about you after that whole piano incident, you know with Gregorie. Well I just have to say thank you for all the things you did for me and my brothers when my mom was sick. I'm so glad I have you to talk to. You know, all I ever wanted was to have a normal family, but after my dad left I knew things would never be normal. I tried to conceal my dysfunctional family life, I got really good grades, did extra activities, I mean I look normal don't I?I have to say Jazz, when you walked in to the teachers lounge that day I wanted to jump up and leave. After all you are the infamous Jazz Luther. I even told Dr.DiLeo that I wanted to quit. In the end I think you helped me with more of my problems than your problems. I am so glad that I got to share this experience with you, even though we haven't known each other for that long, I feel like I've known you forever. Thank you so much for all your support. You have been an inspiration, guardian and swim teacher to me. Watching you play piano made me want to find something that I was good at, something unexpected from me. You may not know this, but you helped me find it. Before I met you I couldn't swim, and you taught me. When you took the time to teach me how to swim it meant so much to me. Nobody has ever been that nice to me. Honestly Jazz if it weren't for you and your "save-the-day" Mother I wouldn't have made it through this. When my mom snapped that night I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't taken the time to check in with me. All my life I've been looking after everyone and I never had any time for myself. You were the first person who ever looked out for me and cared about how I felt. Jasmine Luther you are my best friend.....I have never had a friend like you. Being with you helps me learn more about myself. Over the past year I have thought so much about the time we spent together. Mom's doing great know...the psychiatrist says she's stable, and for the first time in a while, she's happy, and we're happy. I probably won't be seeing you for a while, because my dad invited me to stay with him for a while.... I think I just might go. All my love to you and your family, Antonia Dillon (Tone) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Death Cload.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2100 hours, Captain James S. Steward of the United States Air Force straps on his G-suit and goes over his mission briefings one last time. He walks out into the hanger and awaits his chariot. The SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world with it's twin turbine engines and slick black radar absorbent skin make him a flying shadow in the air. His mission, to fly a covert reconnaissance mission over Moscow, the heart of the USSR Intelligence believe that the Russians have a build up of nuclear missile silos around the capitol. With the Cuban missile crisis at hand, the United States cannot let their guard down on a sneak attack from the Communists. "Another suicide-run," says Captain Steward to his flight maintainer. "Yes, sir," replies the private. Captain Steward squeezes into his cockpit seat like a sardine in a can. Little switches, gauges, and buttons embellish the cockpit, each with a crucial part in flying the aircraft. "Ready to rock n' roll." Steward pulls the Blackbird out of the hanger like a cumbersome Oldsmobile, but only this special Oldsmobile can travel over twice the speed of sound undetected by enemy radar. With a push of the throttle the twin-turbine engines roar with authority. The bird takes flight disappearing into the night skies evanescently. The only sign that it exists is the trademark sonic boom as it passes the sound barrier. After approximately seven hours flight time and two in- flight re-fuelings, the Blackbird reaches its destination, Moscow, Russia. The thermal imaging camera, located in the bird's hull, depicts the radioactivity from nuclear silos as bright yellow and orange blobs on the terrain. The images show seas of yellow throughout Moscow. The city resembles a giant missile base up and operational. Captain Steward pulls a 180 and heads for home with sick eerie feeling in his stomach. After a long comprehensive study of the recon images, the United States order an increase in their production of their nuclear missiles to counter-attack any offensive the Russians have planned. Silos sprout like weeds throughout the United States and the President gave the order for Defcon 2. The country falls in a state of panic, as they slip one step closer to a nuclear holocaust. On the other side of the Atlantic, the USSR notices the nuclear build up in the United States. In fear of an preemptive strike, the Communist fuel and prepare their birds just in case. This pre-war act resembles a chess game; one side makes and move and the other counters it until both sides end up killing all their pieces. Both countries fall into a stalemate, waiting for the other to make the first fatal move. Tensions mount as the stand off continues for weeks. On a clear Sunday morning 0700 hours, Russian radar picks up an American U-2 spy plane just finishing a routine recon mission. The Russians take this as a national threat and a violation of their air-space. So it begins. The Russians make the first crucial move, launching twenty-four nuclear armed missles on populated cities scattered throughout America. Strategic cities like Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Dallas fall among the list of targets. American satellites pick up the launch, forcing them into Defcon 1. The United States counter- attacks with a wave of their own missiles aimed throughout Russia. The missiles take the air like a swarm of bees, with a stinger capable of killing millions within seconds upon impact. Somewhere over the Atlantic the Russian missles and the American missles pass each other by. The missiles home into their pre-determined targets with no mercy and no hesitation. The impact of a single warhead creates a tremble that measure 2.9 on the Richter scale. The blast-wave radiates hundreds of miles wiping out everything in its path. Houses and building blow over as if constructed of paper. Complete obliteration within a matter of seconds. The victims of the blast-wave do not even have the time to hear their own scream. Everyone within a hundred miles of the detention sees a flash and instantaneously they disinergrate into a meager pile of gray ashy dust. Those who did not die immediately upon impact suffer radiation poisoning. Any person within two-hundred miles of the blast suffer radiation burns so severe that the skin sizzles like bacon . Some victims sprout a third arm and mutate into un- human creatures, like teenage mutant turtles. After several hours of exposure, the victim's skin melts into a liquid state and they go into convulsions. Radiation poisoning saturates their internal organs and the body rejects them. The body's own innate instinct to flush out foreign objects causes victim to vomit their own internal organs. Moments before death the victim's eye s shrivel up like sun-baked raisons. This nuclear holocaust claims billions of lives. Both countries literally glow like a night-light from the radiation. The mushroom clouds , the only thing left, blanket the Earth. The clouds mask the Sun restricting light to reach the surface. Acid rain pours out of the radioactive clouds and eat away the O-zone layer. Ultra-violet rays bake the Earth like a microwave TV dinner. The surface temperature reaches a scorching two-hundred degrees. The polar ice poles and two-thirds of water that once cover the Earth, evaporate leaving the landscape naked. For tens of thousands of years our Earth cannot support life all because the hands of man. The upraise in humanity results in the annihilation of the human race and of the world. We created our own demise ; we created our own Doomsday. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\death of a salesman essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dream of Happiness By Kathryn Ulmer The key to happiness is often unveiled by our dreams. To unlock one's happiness, one must find the right key. However, a lock will only unlock with one key. The wrong key will not open the lock no matter how hard one tries. So the dreams of someone else cannot bring one happiness. Just as in the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy is trying to find happiness in someone else's dream. Instead of finding his own key, he makes up a reality in which he pretends to be happy. By failing to discover one's personal and realistic dreams, one cannot be truly happy with their life. Willy is often led to failure through the creation of unrealistic dreams. Willy Loman's father left him at a very young age. Since he wasn't given any as a child, Willy develops dreams and expectations that his father might have had for him. When his older brother, Ben, "walked into the jungle and [came] out, at the age of twenty-one and he was rich", Willy adopts him as a father figure because of his success. His lack of attention as a child causes Willy to create a world in which he pretend is well liked. He chooses the occupation of salesman after meeting a man by the name of Dave Singleman. Willy liked the idea that Dave could "pick up the phone and be remembered and loved by so many different people". The combination of Dave Singleman's popularity and Ben Loman's success is what Willy thinks his father's dream was for him. Willy pretends that he's good at his job and brags that he is known in all the cities he sells in. In fact, Willy does not make a lot of sales and doesn't have many friends, which makes him unhappy. Instead of accepting his talents and using them, he clings to the dream that ones friends determine ones success. He would rather "borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend" it's his salary than accept the fact that "there's more of him in that front stoop then in all the sales he ever made". He has to prove to his sons that he's good at what he does and tells his boys that he's going to be "bigger then uncle Charley! Because Charley is not well liked". However, his dreams start to take over his reality when Willy starts talking to himself to the point that "it's getting embarrassing". He has to convince himself of his success and that his dreams are right. To Willy, the ultimate success of his dream would be to have a funeral like Dave Singleman's. He thinks that his suicide would prove to his sons that he's worth something and is well liked because of the many people that would attend his funeral. The fact that there are very few people at his funeral prove how he has been living a false dream all his life and that his success was made up. The lack of his own dream has led Willy to self-destruction. With another's dreams imposed upon him, Biff cannot discover his own desires. Growing up, Biff received a lot of attention from his father. Willy saw him as everything he had wanted to be when he was young. To him, having Biff follow in his footsteps and be a success was a way to accomplish the dreams he could never succeed in. Biff took everything his father said to heart. He is told that his "personal attractiveness" and leadership skills will get him further in life than his schoolwork because "the man that creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead". He is constantly put above everyone else, especially his brother. He's told to "show him how to do it" when the Happy is cleaning the car. When Biff stole the football, Willy says that "if anyone else took that ball, there'd be an uproar". Biff understands that to mean that it's alright to steal. He plans to go to university, be a star football player and become a salesman because that's what his father wants. He never stopped to think what his own dreams were. Only with self-discovery can Biff develop and follow his own dreams. After flunking math, Biff goes to Boston to see Willy. There he finds that his father is having an affair. At this point, Biff recognizes that his father's stories of great accomplishments are lies. He doesn't want to have the same dream as Willy anymore. He realizes that it will not get him anywhere in life, although he "doesn't know what [he's] supposed to want". He tries "twenty or thirty different jobs since [he] left home" but can't seem to latch onto anything and stick with it. He has been following unrealistic dreams his whole life and now doesn't know what to do without a dream at all. It's not until he's in Bill Oliver's office that Biff realizes "what a ridiculous lie [his] whole life has been". His family made up stories about their success that weren't true. He begins the self-discovery process and finds that he likes ranching and working out doors. He comprehends that his father blew him "so full of hot air that [he] could never stand taking orders from anybody". He tries to explain to Willy that he's "a dime a dozen" yet is alright with that fact. He would rather be happy living his dream than living in a fake reality in which he pretends to be successful. Willy doesn't want to accept Biff's decision and doesn't know how he feels until he starts crying. At Willy's funeral, Biff understands that his father "had the wrong dreams". Through self-discovery, Biff was able to save himself from the same fate as his father. When one resides in a world in which one lives in someone else's dreams, one cannot find contentment. Dreams are one's own; they cannot be borrowed. All one must do to find them is look inside one's self and discover what one truly wants. With the right key, the door will be opened to a world of possibilities. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Death of a Salesman.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Willy Loman: A Man With A Dream A common idea presented in literature is the issue of the freedom of the individual in opposition to the controlling pressures of society. Willy Loman, the main character in Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller, epitomizes this type of person; one who looks to his peers and co-salesman as lesser individuals. Not only was he competitive and overbearing, but Willy Loman sought after an ideal that he could never become: the greatest salesman ever. Determined to make money, Willy became uncontrollable and somewhat insane. Through his dialogue and actions, Willy Loman portrays a character of insecurity, persistence, and unknown identity. From the very beginning of his life, Willy Loman experienced problems with his popularity and personality. His last name is a pun on a "low man." He is at the bottom of the business world as an unsuccessful salesman. In addition, his theories on life and society prove to be very degrading, not to mention influential to his mind set every day. Willy believes that being well-liked and having a personal attractiveness, together, can bring success, money, and many friends. Ironically, Willy does not have many friends and many people do not like him. With a beauty unlike others, Willy thinks that doors will open and problems will all disappear. As a salesman, Willy developed many hindrances that caused his mind to deteriorate. His life as a salesman was built on a dream that he witnessed as a child. At an early age, Willy heard of a salesman, Dave Singleman, who could make his living out of a hotel room. Singleman was very successful and when he died, people from all over the country came to his funeral. It was this ideal that Willy Loman sought after. All he ever wanted was fame, popularity, and a few friends. Unfortunately, when Willy died, not a single person went to his funeral. His life, one that was spent trying to become another person, namely Dave Singleman, was a waste as no-one even wanted to see him buried. In reflection of his career with the Wagner Company, many other problems arose that forced economic difficulties on him and his family. He was determined to live by ideals that placed him above everyone else. It was with these lies and illusions that Willy's life began to lose its' air of reality. He lost his identity, courage, and dignity throughout New England as a salesman. And as he explained often, "I have friends...They know me up and down New England." Realistically, though, Willy was not successful. He did not have friends and people did not like him in New England. "With his self-identity weakened and undermined, Willy lost his grasp of things in general." (P.P Sharma, critical analysis) He spent hours on hours dreaming of the past. Thinking of himself and his son Biff who had potential, but did not take advantage of it. Biff was Willy's inspiration as a father. He had the determination to become a great football player, not to mention make something with his life and the Loman name. However, Biff flunked math and threw all of his opportunities away. It was with these circumstances that Biff and his father began to separate. Willy always promised his sons prosperity and good-fortune, but he could not give that to him and when he lost Biff, his life became an even larger failure. In other memories and illusions, Willy often replays the moments with his brother, Ben. Specifically, the time when Willy was offered a job in Alaska; the job which would have made him an enormous amount of money haunts Willy every time he tries to sell his Wagner stockings, only to have his sales come up lame. With low sales and age, Willy decided to ask for a job in New York. And it was at this time that his company decided to stop paying by salary, but solely on commission. And for a man who cannot sell well, the loss of a salary is very detrimental to his well-being. "Although Willy is aware, maybe dimly and imperfectly, that he is not cut out for success in the world of trade and commerce, he nevertheless nurses the dream of getting the better of everybody else. And this leads him into an alienation from himself, obscuring his real identity." (P. P. Sharma, critical analysis) Willy's life would have been more satisfying had he engaged himself in more physical work that would occupy his mind. His life was situated on a dream for success and prosperity. When it never arrived, Willy spent a lot of time, just brainstorming how to make his life what he wanted it to be. Putting his family aside, Willy committed a terrible sin. In Boston, during one of his business trips, Willy cheated on his wife. He met a woman who would be very cheap for an evening, and as a boost of confidence, Willy spent the night with this low-class woman. Unfortunately, his son Biff, who was surprising his father in Boston, walked in on the two, thus causing a situation that would forever haunt Biff. His thoughts of his father as an influential salesman in New England were all lost. What appeared, instead, was the belief that his father was a loser with no potential to ever support his family. It was at this time that they their lives spread apart. Using that situation as a downfall and the many others that occurred in Willy Loman's life, it was not surprising when he killed himself. In search of happiness, Willy believed that he could give his family what they wanted if he only left the world. But, his dreams were wrong, as his family did not even care enough to go to his funeral. He died for things that he had lived for- his sons and illusions of prosperity. Ironically, though, his life was not worth the happiness of his son's. And his life was definitely not worth the sacrifice that he made for them his entire life. Willy Loman died still unsure of his status in the business world. He wanted success and money, but at the age of sixty-one, he realized that these goals would never be reached. His identity was lost and his presence on earth unknown. Willy Loman was influenced by society in that he could not overcome the pressures of selling and making money. His life long dream was happiness, but that never came either. The pressures of society killed a man who once had courage and determination. But, as his life moved further, Willy Loman lost his ability to see the world clearly. All his eyes could observe was despair and insecurity. It was through his beliefs that he decided to end his unhappiness, by ending his life. Willy Loman died a lost identity, but one that found himself for a brief period of time; long enough to end his life forever. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\death.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tom Healy Mr. Valerio AP English 12 November 18, 2003 We're Gentle, to judge Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" tell us all not to give into death. It is still thought to be natural process and an infallible foe; nevertheless we should still not give in without a struggle, even if that struggle is in vain. Thomas goes as far as to presume the state that death will bring: something far less enjoyable than life. If he did not distrust death so much, than why would he urge us to attempt to struggle in vain? The whole poem only assumes what death will bring and what it will end in life. Some do not go gently "because their words had forked no light" (5), and even though the second stanza refers to the wise man, it is still presuming that death will be the ultimate sacrifice of our inconsequential efforts. Others resist because they "sang the sun in flight, and learned, too late, they grieved it on its way," (10-11). Even if this is the most valid reason for fighting death, because one has not enjoyed the fruits of life, it is still assuming what the afterlife will offer. In general, Thomas says that we should all fight the phase into death, because death is just a mystery and judged as untrustworthy. Lu Hsun's Death is very casual and comforting to those concerning greatly with death. In the beginning, Lu Hsun lists the manifestations and the varied beliefs of the afterlife that seem to be quite significant to daily life. Most believe in spirits, and through transmigration, the soul will be reborn into another body. Then there are those who do not ponder too heavily on death, which is where the character places. The character did not devote much thought and time to death, and even when his illness was diagnosed he still refused to ponder the subject heavily. It is almost admiral, to see such a character treat death so lightly and casually. The only thoughts of death he devoted to during his last days were the trifles, which, by nature, required only little concern. The will, which he did not draw up, was almost comical. It was his only acknowledgement of death, and even in the will's contents that acknowledgement was thin-"forget me and live your own lives-if you don't, the more fools you" (269). He rejects the European traditions and ceremonies with the burial of the soon to be deaceased. He only sits upon his wicker chair and accepts this inevitable phase. Unlike Thomas' poem, the character admits he does not know what it will be like, but if "this happens only once in a lifetime, I can take it" (270). Woolf's "The Death of a Moth" is sad, yet only that because it expresses the one true constant in life: we all are subject to the same fate. Though this essay is not quite a revelation of similarity between the main character and the moth. It focuses on significance and inconsequentiality-death as well as life. The moth is a creature quite worth the pity the character dwells upon. It is a simple species unable, regardless of its efforts, to enjoy the splendor of the day. When death finally descends upon it, the main character looks with obvious sympathy, but the resilience of this quite insignificant creature inspires the character even greater than would the resilience of a more consequential life form. In general, any brief victory against this foe is inspiring, but when such a victory is unexpected, as would generally be with a moth, greater inspiration is evoked. Of course the moth inevitably dies, but what reiterates the character's passion for life is the moth's impressive battle with this titanic foe. With this pleasant and beautiful atmosphere, life would be worth struggling against, and even the lowly moth would not easily lose the life it tried so hard to enjoy. Plato's The Death of Socrates is more like Lu Hsun's with the willingness to submit to fate. Though, to contrast it with Lu Hsun and to provide the antithetical to Thomas', we have another presumption of death. Here Socrates assumes that death will provide greater aims than life will. Life is treated as harsh and unimpressive. Where Woolf reiterated her passion for life, Socrates explained that death is a cure for this horrible stage. Like Lu Hsun, Socrates mocks the classic ceremonies and traditions that the soon to be deceased face. He embarrassed those who wept during his last moments because in his own mind, he believed he would soon be in a better place, which is certainly not news one should weep over. Socrates and the character in Death both face death with acceptance. Though, in contrast to the other three works, Socrates did not have any passion reserved for life. Even though I am so willing to accept any enlightenment of any brilliant philosopher, I must say that Lu Hsun's Death presents the best way to face the inevitable. For, even though I agree with Socrates' assumption of death, I do not feel that assumptions should be valid, since nobody can truly say that death is either the beginning of a golden era, or a simple mystery that should be distrusted through prejudice alone. So then, I respect the character in Death, for not only does he admit death as inevitable, but also he admits, in his current stage, his own ignorance. It is mind evoking and creative to judge death through a philosophical and educational manner, but it proves to be unappealing to those facing death. So this casual reaction criticizing those overly distraught with this inescapable fate is most valued to me, but I shall never really know until I am facing my own end. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\DeathofASalesman.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Death of a Salesman - Willy Lomans tragedy is due more to his own flawed character than to societies flaws Advancements in science throughout this century have led to tremendous advancements in industry. Advancements in industry, however, have not always led to advancements in living. For some, society has created mass wealth. For most mass society has created a standard of living unparalled throughout histort. For Willy Loman, however, mass society has created only tremendous greif and hardship, agravated by the endless promise. For these reasons, his tragidy is due more to societies flaws than to the flaws in his own character. Willy Loman was host to many flaws and deficiencies ranging form suicidal tendencies to phychotic disorders. However, these shortcomings did not account for his tragic end, not by themselves anyway. Soviety is to blame. It was society who stripped him of his dignity, piece by piece. It was society who stripped him of his lifestyle, and his own sons who stripped him of hope. The most obvious flaw in society is greed, the desire to get ahead of the next guy. This malady is present on a national level. It is the philosophy of business and comprises the dreams of man. Sometimes, this can drive man to great things, sometimes it can drive a man to ruin. Willy was driven to the latter. (Not his own greed for he was a simple man with simple dreams, but by the greed of others.) The developers who took away the sun and gave birth to shadows, his boss who reduced him to commission and his sons which reduced him to a failure. The next largest flaw in society is a lack of compassion. This could be as a result of almost overwhelming greed, the main culprit being big business. "I'm always in a race with the junkyard! I just finished paying for the car and it's on it last legs. The refrigerator consumes belts like a goddam maniac. They time those things."(Act 2, page 73, lines 16-19) Willy's belief in this statement drew him to believe that big business lacked compassion. It is because of this that he is abandoned by Biff and disowned by Happy, left babbling in a toilet. It is this flaw which allowed him to die a slow death and played the greatest role in his eventual downfall. The third largest flaw in society (particularly American society) is the lack of a social safety net. A net which identifies people in trouble and seeks to remedy their situations. A body identifies people who are a danger to themselves and others and treats or sedates them. Couple this with a pension plan and medical care, and Willy Loman might not have met his premature end. He would have had no reason thanklessly for a company, in a capicity that was "killing" him. Instead, he could have received psychiatric help and recovered from his condition. It was the direct result of the flaws in society which led Willy to his undoing. It was the greed that was ever-pervasive around him that led to his unhappieness. It was the lack of compassion from society which allowed his unhappieness to flourish and which eventually consumed him. In the end, it was the lack of a social safety net which failed to save him from himself. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\DeathPenaltyDiscussion.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Death Penalty Discussion Is the Death Penalty Right or Wrong? The idea of putting another human to death is hard to completely fathom. The physical mechanics involved in the act of execution are easy to grasp, but the emotions involved in carrying out a death sentence on another person, regardless of how much they deserve it, is beyond my own understanding. I know it must be painful, dehumanizing, and sickening. However, this act is sometimes necessary and it is our responsibility as a society to see that it is done. Opponents of capital punishment have basically four arguments. The first is that there is a possibility of error. However, the chance that there might be an error is separate from the issue of whether the death penalty can be justified or not. If an error does occur, and an innocent person is executed, then the problem lies in the court system, not in the death penalty. Furthermore, most activities in our world, in which humans are involved, possess a possibility of injury or death. Construction, sports, driving, and air travel all offer the possibility of accidental death even though the highest levels of precautions are taken. These activities continue to take place, and continue to occasionally take human lives, because we have all decided, as a society, that the advantages outweigh the unintended loss. We have also decided that the advantages of having dangerous murderers removed from our society outweigh the losses of the offender. The second argument against capital punishment is that it is unfair in its administration. Statistics show that the poor and minorities are more likely to receive the death penalty. Once again, this is a separate issue. It can't be disputed sadly, the rich are more likely to get off with a lesser sentence, and this bias is wrong. However, this is yet another problem of our current court system. The racial and economic bias is not a valid argument against the death penalty. It is an argument against the courts and their unfair system of sentencing. The third argument is actually a rebuttal to a claim made by some supporters of the death penalty. The claim is that the threat of capital punishment reduces violent crimes. Opponents of the death penalty do not agree and have a valid argument when they say, "The claims that capital punishment reduces violent crime is inconclusive and certainly not proven." I am not refuting this accusation. In fact, statistics show that the death penalty neither lowers or raises the incidence of violent crimes. I am not a supporter of the death penalty because it might scare potential criminals into thinking twice before they murdered someone (though it would be nice if it did). I support the death penalty because it removes individuals who threaten the lives of our citizens. The fourth argument is that the length of stay on death row, with its endless appeals, delays, technicalities, and retrials, keep a person waiting for death for years on end. It is both cruel and costly. This is the least credible argument against capital punishment. The main cause of such inefficiencies is the appeals process, which allows capital cases to bounce back and forth between state and federal courts for years on end. If supporting a death row inmate for the rest their life costs less than putting them to death, and ending their financial burden on society, then the problem lies in the court system, not in the death penalty. As for the additional argument, that making a prisoner wait for years to be executed is cruel, then would not waiting for death in prison for the rest of your life be just as cruel, as in the case of life imprisonment without parole. Many Americans will tell you why they are in favor of the death penalty. It is what they deserve. It prevents them from ever murdering again. It removes the burden from taxpayers. We all live in a society with the same basic rights and guarantees. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with equal opportunities. This is the basis for our society. It is the foundation on which everything else is built upon. When someone willfully and flagrantly attacks this foundation by murdering another, robbing them of all they are, and all they will ever be, then that person can no longer be a part of this society. The only method that completely separates cold blooded murderers from our society is the death penalty. As the 20th century comes to a close, it is evident that our justice system is in need of reform. This reform will shape the future of our country, and we can not jump to quick solutions such as the elimination of the death penalty. As of now, the majority of American support the death penalty as an effective solution of punishment. Until this opinion becomes the minority, America will continue to use the this approach, and I will continue to support the death penalty. "An eye for an eye," are what some Americans would say concerning the death penalty. Supporters of the death penalty ask the question, "Why should I, an honest hardworking taxpayer, have to pay to support a murderer for the rest of their natural life? Why not execute them and save society the cost of their keep?" Many Americans believe that the death penalty is wrong. However, it seems obvious to some Americans that the death penalty is a just and proper way to handle convicted murderers. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Defense Statement.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Defense Statement Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we, the defense, have shown you that there is no reason that George did not do the right and humane thing by shooting Lenny and that he is innocent of all charges against him. I agree with the prosecution however when they say that murder is unlawful, but would you say what George Milton did was murder? He was saving a life more than taking one. Lenny was already "dead" in a sense at the point that George pulled the trigger. There were a lot of men with shotguns and hunting dogs searching for Lenny, who had absolutely NO chance of escape. For the men who worked at the farm were almost on to where Lenny was hiding and there was no time for Lenny and George to run. If Lenny were to fall in the hands of the people, he would have been tortured and killed. He would have died with the worst feeling of all in his body, hatred, and the hatred of himself. What Lenny did was wrong, but he did not understand. He was mentally handicapped. He was a very caring person, but did not realize his own strength. The men did not understand that he didn't mean to do it and were going to make sure he had a cruel death. George in a sense "saved" Lenny's life by making sure he died happily and not in the face of strangers that were hitting him and torturing him. Ladies and gentlemen, I beg you, this man is innocent. He didn't do anything wrong unless being a humanitarian is a crime. Thank you for your time. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\definition essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jeff Bagosy Ms. Wilde 10/25/02 Definition Essay Dear, Jim Miller: My name is Jeff Bagosy, I came in for a job interview last week, and I do not feel that I was given a fair chance. I was turned down for the job, because I did not have the proper education that was necessary. What you did not take into account was my experience in the field. It seems as if it did not matter how much experience I had, because I never went to college. I think that it is wrong to turn someone down for a job if you have not really seen what they are capable of doing. In my opinion, formal education is regarded too highly in most companies. I know what you are probably thinking, "This guy is just mad that he did not get the job so he is lashing out at us through this letter." That is not the reason I am writing to you today. The reason I am writing is not to make you reverse your decision but just to show you that the word education can mean much more than the definition you hold now. I hope that when I am done, you will regard other types of education in a higher manner. If you think about it, what is education really? "The knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process 1 (American Heritage Dictionary, p.784)." Nowhere in the definition does it say that it must be gained in college. What the definition is saying in simpler terms is that education is basically just acquired knowledge. Do not get me wrong, I am not trashing the education that can be gained by going to college, but I do think that grade point average or scores on tests can not accurately judge how well you will do in that field later in life. Deborah Meier, a former educator, bemoans the current thinking that the definition of being well-educated is your test score. "The skills and qualities most resistant to being measured by tests, she says - initiative, for instance, or responsibility, or critical thinking are the very skills schools should be emphasizing." (Paulson, p.14)2. I agree with the statement made by Deborah Meier, the world has started to measure a person's education by the results of test scores, and I feel that is wrong. I think that many big businesses have stereotypical views towards people like me. Just because I haven't been educated in a college does not mean I am not educated in other things for example, the computer. I have been working in front of a computer from the time I left high school. I know my way around computers and the many systems frequently used in the payroll department. I have had extensive experience with working in the payroll department throughout my life. I started to work at Rohm and Haas in the summer of 1996. At the time I started, I did not really know much about the payroll department, but I was good with computers, which helped me tremendously. The way Rohm and Haas went about hiring for the job was not by only looking at their education but also looking at their experiences as well as their knowledge of the computer and its various systems. Maybe your company should think of incorporating a system like that into your hiring process. I worked at Rohm and Haas for over 4 years until I was let go in the fall of 2000. The reason I was let go was because they were trying to eliminate costs in the company so the had to let some employees go. During those four years, I became very familiar with systems such as Microsoft excel, Microsoft office, and with SAP. These systems are the same systems used by your company. I know that your company likes to hire young students' fresh out of college because you feel they are better fit for the job because of what they learned in school. That is fine but, there is no guarantee that what they learned will help them in this particular field. Someone can read all the books you want and take all the tests they want, but when it comes down to it, true education can only be gained through practice or experience. There are many forms of education besides just going to college. Who is to say that education can only be gained in school? Other forms of education are completely overlooked when it comes to trying to get a good job. It seems as if you want to survive in life, you must conform to society's bias view of education. To look at education in this way is like having tunnel vision, focusing in on only one thing and totally disregarding everything around it. There are many different types of education, you can be educated in anything from the guitar to knowledge you have about a certain band. These are all forms of education, granted they are not taught in school but they both fulfill the definition of education. When you put a tag on education as your company does, you are only looking at one aspect of education, rather then the definition as a whole. Even if you are hiring based on education, should not you be hiring the most educated person in that field and not just the most educated in general? Jim, I am not contesting that you were wrong in your decision. I just wanted you to realize that there are many different types of education, not just schooling. Looking at education this way will make you more open minded when comes down to hiring someone else. This experience has also opened my eyes to other people's ways of thinking. It has helped me to consider other things that I had not considered before this experience. I have learned that people in this world have different views of different definitions and their meanings. We can't change this but we can open their eyes to new ways of thinking about that particular definition. I hope through this letter I have opened your eyes to the many meanings of education. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my letter I am sorry we won't get to be colleagues, but maybe it's for the best. Thank you, Jeff Bagosy Works Cited 1. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000; pg.784 2. Amanda Paulson Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor; Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Mass.; Sep 17, 2002; pg. 14 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\deleware essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Why I am applying to the study music at the University of Delaware There was a bird, on one of those beautiful afternoons, that failed to notice the sun and sang a less fair tune. On the balance of a wire in a gorgeous red coat this silent little bird refused to improve his recognized melody. Offended, perhaps by the bedlam of the cars and the pavement that had suffocated what used to be the pleasant grassy scenery, this reddish songbird remembered a time without the noise and without the stares, when peace was found without a search and the sun shined everywhere. However, a memory of such comfort failed to rouse a song from the stubborn little winged soprano. The foolish bird in his self-important manner felt that these times do not deserve his tune. So resting now on the wire without his musical profession the bird's coat grew brown. This was an ugly story of rejection and refusal that caused an innocent coat to suffer the loss of his amazing colors. Soaring off away from the wire, into the foundations of the clouds, breathing life where humans are forbidden to go, to the stars and the moonlight. Here flew the bird from the treetops to those wretched buildings alike. Finally, there I was in the passenger seat of an automobile. Staring through the window into the endless sky, I saw the bird. I knew not his history, but in his pride and vanity he raced our machine. Through streets and alleys, highways and hills, we competed in speed and flight till the bird grew bored, and flew higher into the depths where we could not follow. Then who was the victor? This bird cared not for my concerns, nor my driver's. In his unconcern, this feathered soprano was at peace while we remained fettered to our strict schedule. When this race led us to the school, the bird remained liberated. We set off to learn of chemicals and spices, how to dissect math and poetry. The songbird set off to enjoy a day of music and scenery. Our fate was to be inside, where the sun hardly struggled to shine. Was this bird, which at a time rejected the sun, more favored than I to enjoy this gentle sky? I remained in my classroom, the scenery tantalizing beyond the window. That glass, which so fragile could shatter any moment, was the strongest guard of life's array. There sat I in the classroom when the same bird on the other side of the window sat atop a branch, staring at me with its little bird eyes asking what I was doing inside. Asking if I was too afraid to break the window and jump into his river. Then my attention was turned to the subject. We were trying to understand how Sylvia Plath used assonance to arouse passion. Lightly I could hear the bird tapping on the same window that smiled its glassy smile mockingly, asking me to come outside and sing with her the tunes of those old composers. I was shaking my head, aggravated, for it was not yet my time to be free. The seats were cold, but there was still this comfort in their metal. It is where I am meant to be, not always, but for now locked into this phase. To be elsewhere could only create distrust and discomfort. Perhaps I have too easily complied with these arbitrary strictures. Still, I do not grieve, because in these places of stern conformity I shall become a dreamer of imperishable hopes. I dream of a time in liberty, when I will not wonder at the sky but fly beyond my imagination. In this metal seat my coat goes brown because of my rejection of the sun. However, red it will be when the time comes that music speaks freely and the window beside this desk becomes my ally and not my prison. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Den store gevindst.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Den store gevinst. Triviallitteraturen er skrevet til det brede publikum. Men ikke til alle. De der interesserer sig for den dybere mening med teksten og dens budskab finder ingen tilfredsstillelse i triviallitteraturen. Triviallitteratur har sin største udbredelseskilde i ugeblade og romanblade. Faktisk er det svært at opdrive triviallitteratur andre steder end her. Dermed bliver triviallitteratur læst af de, der køber disse blade. Heri regnes fortrinsvis middelaldrende kvinder, som er nået til det punkt i deres liv, hvor de ikke længere synes de er unge. Med til gruppen af Triviallitteraturlæsere hører også unge piger, der drømmer om rigdom, berømmelse og prinsen på den hvide hest. J.F. Jensen har skrevet sit syn og sin fortolkning af triviallitteratur, og derigennem vil jeg nu give min fortolkning af trivialnovellen, Den store gevinst. Ref.: Trivialnovellen er en romantisk fortælling om Karla der arbejder på en fabrik. Hun drømmer om den store lykke, som hun vil finde ved at vinde i en lodtrækning. En dag da hun kommer hjem fra arbejde møder hun en af sine naboer som hun ikke har snakket med før. Han hedder Morten og han har lige vundet i det samme spil som Karla spiller i. Han inviterer Karla ud at spise så han har en at dele sin glæde med. Da Karla kommer hjem opdager hun at hun har vundet den helt store gevinst, men hun fortæller ikke Morten om det. Nogle dage senere fortæller Morten Karla, at han havde set forkert på trækningslisten, og at han alligevel ikke havde vundet. Morten insinuerer at han ønsker en at dele sit liv med, og Karla tager imod udfordringen. Karla og Morten har nu fundet lykken sammen. Karla fortæller ikke Morten at hun har vundet, da det i deres forhold ikke betyder så meget som den lykke de nu har sammen. Overskriften Den store gevinst fører hen til Karlas løsning på problemerne. Ifølge J.F. Jensen er det hovedpersonen går og drømmer ikke den rigtige løsning på problemerne. Blot en udskydelse eller et lille pusterum. Denne løsning kalder J.F. Jensen den umiddelbare løsning, som ikke kan bruges på lang sigt. Dette karakteristiske træk ved triviallitteratur er ifølge J.F. Jensen aldrig den ægte lykke. Man finder ikke lykken i det man drømmer om. Således heller ikke i Den store gevinst. Det Karla går og drømmer om er penge. Men da hun i stedet finder Morten betyder penge ingenting. Altså var det at komme fra fattigdom til rigdom ikke lykken. Det indskydes også at det ikke er personerne der er noget galt med i novellerne, men deres forudsætninger for at blive lykkelige. Det er altså ikke Karla der ændrer sig, men derimod hendes omgivelser, som ændres da hun møder Morten. J.F. Jensen opstiller denne opbygning af triviallitteratur inddelt i tre grupper. Citat: For det første nogle problemer, for det andet nogle forudsætninger for problemerne og for det tredje nogle løsninger af problemerne. Citat slut. Overføres dette på Den store gevinst, har vi Karla i en umiddelbar disharmoni med sig selv og sine omgivelser. Dernæst præsenteres en blotlagt løsning på hendes problemer, hvori hun kan komme i fuldkommen harmoni med sig selv. Dette lykkes dog ikke til fulde og hun må stadig leve i disharmoni. Og til sidst den endelige løsning på hendes trængsler. I J.F. Jensens ånd ikke den umiddelbare løsning, (det modsatte af hendes udgangsposition / hendes drøm), men noget helt andet. Dog er der stadig problemer til. Løsningen på problemerne er stadig en flugt fra virkeligheden. Løsningerne er falske idet personerne ved at finde kærligheden sjældent kommer væk fra deres egentlige problemer. Her falder J.F. Jensens teorier og Den store gevinst lidt fra hinanden. Ifølge J.F. Jensens teori om at der tages afstand fra de egentlige problemer og det er de forkerte problemer der findes løsninger på og de egentlige stadig er der. Skulle Karla i Den store gevinst ikke have vundet de penge. Hun skulle kun have "vundet" Morten. Hvis J.F. Jensens teori skulle holde stik måtte Karla tilbage til fabrikken for stadig at have råd til at leve, men i Den store gevinst får hun både pengene til at komme væk fra fabrikken, plus hun får en ny tilværelse med Morten. Altså har Forfatteren i modsætning til de stereotype trivalnoveller tænkt lidt videre og fundet både den umiddelbare og den dybdegående løsning på Karlas problemer. Triviallitteratur dyrker læsernes problemer og hensætter dem for en stund til den verden hvor håbet om en lykkeligere tilværelse bliver opfyldt. Når læserne lider at ensomhed og erotisk kontakthunger finder de trøst i lægeromaner, og holder håbet oppe. Men triviallitteratur holder også liv i sig selv ved at fortælle, at i det er normalt at sådan nogle ting sker. Og dermed stiger håbet om en anden tilværelse, og når det ikke opfyldes er der brug for trøst fra triviallitteraturen. Dermed er cirklen sluttet og en ny generation af drømmere kan komme på banen. Triviallitteratur er jo nok kommet for at blive. Man kan bruge den forskelligt. Blot som tidsfordriv eller underholdning om man vil, men når alt kommer til alt vil nok altid fortrinsvis være de hjemmegående husmødre og andre der sukker efter forandring og spænding, som vil læse triviallitteratur. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Descartes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ How does Descartes try to extricate himself from the sceptical doubts that he has raised? Does he succeed? [All page references and quotations from the Meditations are taken from the 1995 Everyman edition] In the Meditations, Descartes embarks upon what Bernard Williams has called the project of 'Pure Enquiry' to discover certain, indubitable foundations for knowledge. By subjecting everything to doubt Descartes hoped to discover whatever was immune to it. In order to best understand how and why Descartes builds his epistemological system up from his foundations in the way that he does, it is helpful to gain an understanding of the intellectual background of the 17th century that provided the motivation for his work. We can discern three distinct influences on Descartes, three conflicting world-views that fought for prominence in his day. The first was what remained of the mediaeval scholastic philosophy, largely based on Aristotelian science and Christian theology. Descartes had been taught according to this outlook during his time at the Jesuit college La Fleché and it had an important influence on his work, as we shall see later. The second was the scepticism that had made a sudden impact on the intellectual world, mainly as a reaction to the scholastic outlook. This scepticism was strongly influenced by the work of the Pyrrhonians as handed down from antiquity by Sextus Empiricus, which claimed that, as there is never a reason to believe p that is better than a reason not to believe p, we should forget about trying to discover the nature of reality and live by appearance alone. This attitude was best exemplified in the work of Michel de Montaigne, who mockingly dismissed the attempts of theologians and scientists to understand the nature of God and the universe respectively. Descartes felt the force of sceptical arguments and, while not being sceptically disposed himself, came to believe that scepticism towards knowledge was the best way to discover what is certain: by applying sceptical doubt to all our beliefs, we can discover which of them are indubitable, and thus form an adequate foundation for knowledge. The third world-view resulted largely from the work of the new scientists; Galileo, Copernicus, Bacon et al. Science had finally begun to assert itself and shake off its dated Aristotelian prejudices. Coherent theories about the world and its place in the universe were being constructed and many of those who were aware of this work became very optimistic about the influence it could have. Descartes was a child of the scientific revolution, but felt that until sceptical concerns were dealt with, science would always have to contend with Montaigne and his cronies, standing on the sidelines and laughing at science's pretenses to knowledge. Descartes' project, then, was to use the tools of the sceptic to disprove the sceptical thesis by discovering certain knowledge that could subsequently be used as the foundation of a new science, in which knowledge about the external world was as certain as knowledge about mathematics. It was also to hammer the last nail into the coffin of scholasticism, but also, arguably, to show that God still had a vital rôle to play in the discovery of knowledge. Meditation One describes Descartes' method of doubt. By its conclusion, Descartes has seemingly subjected all of his beliefs to the strongest and most hyberbolic of doubts. He invokes the nightmarish notion of an all-powerful, malign demon who could be deceiving him in the realm of sensory experience, in his very understanding of matter and even in the simplest cases of mathematical or logical truths. The doubts may be obscure, but this is the strength of the method - the weakness of criteria for what makes a doubt reasonable means that almost anything can count as a doubt, and therefore whatever withstands doubt must be something epistemologically formidable. In Meditation Two, Descartes hits upon the indubitable principle he has been seeking. He exists, at least when he thinks he exists. The cogito (Descartes' proof of his own existence) has been the source of a great deal of discussion ever since Descartes first formulated it in the 1637 Discourse on Method, and, I believe, a great deal of misinterpretation (quite possibly as a result of Descartes' repeated contradictions of his own position in subsequent writings). Many commentators have fallen prey to the tempting interpretation of the cogito as either syllogism or enthymeme. This view holds that Descartes asserts that he is thinking, that he believes it axiomatic that 'whatever thinks must exist' and therefore that he logically concludes that he exists. This view, it seems to me, is wrong. It should be stated on no occasion, in the Meditations, does Descartes write 'I am thinking, therefore I am', nor anything directly equivalent. Rather, he says: "Doubtless, then, that I exist...and, let him deceive me as he may, he can never bring it about that I am nothing, so long as I shall be conscious that I am something. So that it must, in fine, be maintained, all things being maturely and carefully considered, that this proposition I am, I exist, is necessarily true each time it is expressed by me or conceived in my mind." (p. 80). The point here is that it is impossible to doubt the truth of the proposition 'I exist' when one utters it. It is an indubitable proposition, and one that will necessarily be presupposed in every attack of the sceptic. Descartes is not yet entitled to use syllogisms as the possibility of the malign demon is still very much alive. As an aside, Descartes himself denies that the cogito is a syllogism, although it should be mentioned that in some of the Replies to Objections he seems to assert that it is in fact a syllogism. Finally, in the Regulae ad directionem ingenii, Descartes denies the usefulness of syllogisms as a means to knowledge. I believe that, given Descartes' project, it is fair to grant him that the cogito deserves the status he bestows upon it. For can there be anything more certain than something that is so forceful and so powerful that every time it is presented to our mind we are forced to assent to it? What Descartes did here was to jiggle about the way philosophy normally approaches the construction of knowledge structures. By starting with self-knowledge, he elevates the subjective above the objective and forces his epistemology to rest upon the knowledge he has of his own self (and inadvertently sets the tone for the next 300 years of philosophy). This leaves him with a problem. He can know his own existence, that he is a thinking thing and the contents of his consciousness, but how can any of this ever lead to any knowledge of anything outside of himself? The answer is that, by itself, it can't. Descartes, in the third Meditation, attempts to prove the existence of God, defined as a being with all perfections. This proof is to be derived from his idea of a God, defined as a being with all perfections. So far, so good - Descartes examines the contents of his consciousness and discovers within it this idea, and we can allow him this. At this point, however, he introduces a whole series of scholastic principles concerning different modes of causation and reality without proper justification: "For, without doubt, those [ideas considered as images, as opposed to modes of consciousness] that represent substances are something more, and contain in themselves, so to speak, more objective reality, that is, participate by representation in higher degrees of being or perfection than those that represent only modes or accidents; and again the idea by which I conceive a God...has certainly in it more objective reality than those ideas by which finite substances are represented. Now it is manifest by the natural light that there must be at least as much reality in the efficient and total cause as in its effect; for whence can the effect draw its reality if not from its cause? And how could the cause communicate to it this reality unless it possessed it in itself?" Whence do these principles draw their indubitability? Even if we grant that it is contrary to natural reason that an effect can have greater 'reality' than its cause, that the concepts of modes and substances are coherent with Descartes' method, let alone possess the properties that he ascribes to them, then surely we can still bring the malign demon into play? Is it not possible that this all- powerful demon could bring it about that Descartes has a notion of a being with all possible perfections that he calls God? No, says Descartes, because the notion (representing something perfect) would then have more objective reality than the demon (as something evil and thus imperfect) has formal reality, and 'it is manifest by the natural light' that this is not possible. But why not? Maybe the demon has just made it seem impossible, and it seems that Descartes has no answer to this. Further problems remain. Cosmological arguments for God invoking the notion of causation have always had to contend with the problem of the cause of God. For if all events (or ideas) are caused ultimately by God, then what about God Himself? Why should He be exempt from this rule? The standard response to this is to claim that God, being omnipotent, causes Himself. One of the chief perfections that Descartes attributes to God is that of 'self-existence', that is, that His existence depends on nothing else but itself. But if we examine this idea, it seems a little confused. If God is the efficient cause of God then we are forced to ask how something that does not yet exist can cause anything. If God is the formal cause of God, i.e. it is part of the intrinsic nature of God that he exists - which seems more likely - then it seems that we have merely a reformulation of the ontological argument for God's existence from Meditation 5. It seems that Descartes may have anticipated the wealth of criticism that the causal proof of God would inspire, and so, after explaining how human error and a benevolent, non-deceiving God are compatible in Meditation Four, he produced in Meditation Five a version of the mediaeval ontological argument for God's existence. Unlike the causal argument, the ontological argument doesn't involve the covert import of any new principles. It simply purports to show that, from an analysis of his own idea of God, Descartes can show that He necessarily exists. The reasoning goes like this: I have ideas of things which have true and immutable natures. If I perceive clearly and distinctly that a property belongs to an idea's true and immutable nature, then it does actually belong to that nature. I perceive clearly and distinctly that God's true and immutable nature is that of a being with all perfections. Further, I perceive clearly and distinctly that existence is a perfection and non-existence a non- perfection. Thus existence belongs to God's true and immutable nature. God exists. One of the interesting things about this argument is that, at first sight, it does not seem to depend in any way upon anything that has been proved hitherto. It is an application of pure logic, an analysis of what we mean when we say 'God' and a inference from that analysis. Descartes explicitly says that an idea's true and immutable nature does not in any way depend upon his thinking it, and thus upon his existence. Once he has perceived clearly and distinctly that an idea's true and immutable nature consists in such-and-such, that is the case whether or not he thinks it is, or even if he exists or not. Descartes in fact recognises the primacy of the ontological argument: "although all the conclusions of the preceding Meditations were false, the existence of God would pass with me for a truth at least as certain as I ever judged any truth of mathematics to be." If this is true, which it seems to be, then this argument is only as trustworthy as the faculties which enabled us to construct it, which are the same faculties that enable us to know mathematical truths, and so it seems worthwhile to ask how, under Descartes' theory, we come to know mathematical truths. Descartes claims we perceive them clearly and distinctly. How do we know that what we perceive clearly and distinctly is true? Because God, being perfect, is no deceiver, and would not let it be the case that we could ever perceive something clearly and distinctly without it being the case. It seems then, that this proof of God, relying on the veracity of clear and distinct ideas, relies on the certain knowledge that a non-deceiving God exists. We have another proof of God, the causal proof as described in Meditation three. But apart from the patent futility of using one proof of p to construct another proof of p, on examining the causal proof of God further, we find that it, too, relies upon a methodology that can only be relied upon if the divine guarantee is present, for if this guarantee is not present, then, as I mentioned above, how can we be sure that the all-powerful demon is not exercising his malignant influence? This, of course, is the infamous Cartesian circle, first identified by Arnauld in the Fourth Objections and discussed ever since. Many philosophers have tried to get Descartes off the hook in various ways, some by denying that there is a circle and some by admitting the circularity but denying its significance. I will here briefly evaluate a few of their arguments. Some commentators have taken a passage from Descartes' reply to the Second set of Objections (Mersenne's) to indicate that Descartes is only actually interested in the psychological significance of fundamental truths. The passage is as follows: "If a conviction is so firm that that it is impossible for us ever to have any reason for doubting what we are convinced of, then there are no further questions for us to ask; we have everything we could reasonably want." Under my interpretation, this is what it is about the cogito that makes it so important for Descartes, so we cannot have any argument with the principle expressed by him in the above passage. But can it help break the circle? When we clearly and distinctly perceive something, Descartes says, fairly I think, that this perception compels our assent, that we cannot but believe it. God's rôle in the system, to these commentators, is as a guarantor of our memory regarding clarity and distinctness. In other words, once we have proved God's existence, we can happily know that any memory we have of a clear and distinct idea regarding x is true i.e. that we really did have a clear and distinct idea of x. But this does not seem satisfactory, as we still do not have a divine guarantee for the reasoning that leads us from the clear and distinct notions we originally have about God to the proof of His existence. We can give assent to the clear and distinct notions we have originally; in fact, we are compelled to give this assent when the notions are presented to our mind, but the logical steps we take from these ideas to the final proof is still subject to the evil demon because God is not yet proven. Furthermore, because these steps are needed, the memory of the original clear and distinct ideas are themselves subject to doubt because God is not yet proven. It seems that the only way either of the proofs of God could be accepted would be if we had an original clear and distinct perception of God directly presented to our mind (qualitatively similar to the cogito). But this in itself would make any future proofs redundant. Interestingly, this sounds quite similar to a divine revelation. Harry Frankfurt, in his book 'Demons, Dreamers and Madmen', has argued that what Descartes is actually looking for is a coherent, indubitable set of beliefs about the universe. Whether they are 'true' or not is irrelevant. Perfect certainty is totally compatible with absolute falsity. Our certainty may not coincide precisely with 'God's' truth, but should this matter?: "Reason...can give us certainty. It can serve to establish beliefs in which there is no risk of betrayal. This certainty is all we need and all we demand. Perhaps our certainties do not coincide with God's truth...But this divine or absolute truth, since it is outside the range of our faculties and cannot undermine our certainties, need be of no concern to us." (Frankfurt, p 184) This is almost a Kantian approach to knowledge, where we as humans only concern ourselves with the phenomena of objects as they present themselves to us, not with the objects in themselves. Can we ascribe this view to Descartes? It's tempting, given what we have said above regarding the prime importance of indubitability, but it would seem that a God presenting ideas to us in a form which doesn't correspond to reality, and then giving us a strong disposition to believe that they do correspond to reality would be a deceiving God and contrary to Descartes' notion of Him. Thus the belief set would not be coherent. Perhaps, as we do not have clear and distinct ideas of the bodies we perceive, and as the divine guarantee only extends as far as clear and distinct ideas, we are being too hasty in judging that reality is how it appears to be and if we stopped to meditate further we would see that reality is actually like something else. But aside from the fact that this seems unlikely, Descartes never seemed to envisage the possibility. So much for the Cartesian circle. Where does this leave the ontological argument, which we had only just begun to discuss? Aside from the methodological difficulties, there do seem to two further problems with it. The first has been noted by almost every student of Descartes over the years - that of the description of existence as a property. Put briefly, this objection states that existence is not a property like 'red' or 'hairy' or 'three-sided' that can be applied to a subject, and thus it makes no sense to say that existence is part of something's essence. If we assert that x is y, we are already asserting the existence of x as soon as we mention it, prior to any application of a predicate. from the beginning. In other words, to say 'x exists' is to utter a tautology and to say that 'x doesn't exist' is to contradict oneself. So how can sentences of the form 'x doesn't exist' make sense? one may well ask. It is because these sentences are shorthand for 'the idea I have of x has no corresponding reality' and it was to solve problems like this that Bertrand Russell constructed his theory of descriptions. To add existence to an idea doesn't just make it an idea with a new property, it changes it from an idea into an existent entity. Finally, if Descartes is right, there seems no reason why we cannot construct any other idea whose essence includes existence. For instance, if I conjure up the idea of 'an existent purple building that resembles the Taj Mahal', then it is the true and immutable nature of this idea that it is a building, that this building resembles the Taj Mahal, that the building is purple, and that it exists. But no such building does exist, as far as I am aware, and if it did exist, its existence would not be necessary, but contingent. This in itself is enough, I think, to show that the ontological argument is false. Once we have destroyed Descartes' proofs of the existence of God, the edifice of knowledge necessarily comes tumbling down with them, as we find that almost everything Descartes believes in is dependent on God's nature as a non-deceiver: "I remark...that the certitude of all other truths is so absolutely dependent on it, that without this knowledge it is impossible ever to know anything perfectly." (p.115) The only possible exceptions are those assent-compelling beliefs such as the cogito. Even these, however, are doubtful when we are not thinking about them, and the above passage does give weight to Edwin Curley's argument that: "Descartes would hold that the proposition "I exist" is fully certain only if the rest of the argument of the Meditations goes through. We must buy all or nothing." This is not the end of the story, though. As far as Descartes is concerned, by the end of Meditation Five, he has produced two powerful proofs of God, has a clear and distinct notion of his own self, has a criterion for truth, knows how to avoid error and is beginning to form ideas regarding our knowledge of corporeal bodies.. And so it remains only to explain why we are fully justified in believing in corporeal bodies, and also to draw the ideas of Meditation Two regarding self-knowledge to their full conclusion. Regarding the nature of corporeal bodies and our knowledge of them, it seems to me that, given his premises, the conclusions Descartes draws in Meditation Six are generally the correct ones. He again invokes the causal to argue that the ideas of bodies we have within our minds must be caused by something with at least as much formal reality as the ideas have objective reality. We could theoretically be producing these ideas, but Descartes dismisses this possibility for two reasons - firstly, that the idea of corporeality does not presuppose thought and secondly that our will seems to have no effect on what we perceive or don't perceive. (This second argument seems to me to ignore dreaming, in which what we perceive derives from us but is independent of our will). The ideas, then, could come from God, or from another being superior to us but inferior to God. But this, too, is impossible, argues Descartes, as if it were the case that God produces the ideas of bodies in us, then the very strong inclination we have towards believing that the idea-producing bodies resemble the ideas we have would be false and thus God would be allowing us to be deceived which is not permissible. The same would apply if any other being were producing these ideas. Thus, concludes Descartes, it is most likely that our ideas of corporeal bodies are actually caused by bodies resembling those ideas. We cannot be certain, however, as we cannot claim to have clear and distinct notions of everything we perceive. We can, however, claim certainty with regard to those properties of bodies which we do know with clarity and distinction; namely, size, figure (shape), position, motion, substance, duration and number (not all of these assertions are justified). Obviously we cannot claim that we know these properties for specific bodies with clarity and distinction, for to do so would leave open the question of why it is that astronomy and the senses attribute different sizes to stars. What Descartes means is that we can be sure that these primary qualities exist in bodies in the same way that they do in our ideas of bodies. This cannot be claimed for qualities such as heat, colour, taste and smell, of which our ideas are so confused and vague that we must always reserve judgement. (This conclusion is actually quite similar to the one John Locke drew fifty years later in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding.) I think we can grant this reasoning, with the caveat regarding dreaming that I noted above, and of course the other unproved reasonings that Descartes exhumes here, such as the causal principle. Furthermore, it seems to be further proof that Descartes does believe we can get to know objects in themselves to a certain extent. Finally, I turn to Descartes' argument for the distinction of mind and body. Descartes believes he has shown the mind to be better known than the body in Meditation Two. In Meditation Six he goes on to claim that, as he knows his mind and knows clearly and distinctly that its essence consists purely of thought, and that bodies' essences consist purely of extension, that he can conceive of his mind and body as existing separately. By the power of God, anything that can be clearly and distinctly conceived of as existing separately from something else can be created as existing separately. At this point, Descartes makes the apparent logical leap to claiming that the mind and body have been created separately, without justification. Most commentators agree that this is not justified, and further, that just because I can conceive of my mind existing independently of my body it does not necessarily follow that it does so. In defence of Descartes, Saul Kripke has suggested that Descartes may have anticipated a modern strand of modal logic that holds that if x=y, then L (x=y). In other words, if x is identical to y then it is necessarily identical to it. From this it follows that if it is logically possible that x and y have different properties then they are distinct. In this instance, that means that because I can clearly and distinctly conceive of my mind and body as existing separately, then they are distinct. The argument, like much modern work on identity, is too technical and involved to explore here in much depth. But suffice to say that we can clearly and distinctly conceive of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as being distinct and yet they are identical, necessarily so under Kripke's theory. It is doubtful that Kripke can come to Descartes' aid here and Descartes needs further argument to prove that the mind and the body are distinct. And so we finish our discussion of Descartes' attempts to extricate himself from the sceptical doubts he has set up for himself. As mentioned previously, the ultimate conclusion to draw regarding the success of the enterprise that Descartes set for himself must be that he failed. When the whole epistemological structure is so heavily dependent on one piece of knowledge - in this case the knowledge that God exists - then a denial of that knowledge destroys the whole structure. All that we can really grant Descartes - and this is certainly contentious - is that he can rightly claim that when a clear and distinct idea presents itself to his mind, he cannot but give his assent to this idea, and furthermore, that while this assent is being granted, the clear and distinct idea can be justly used as a foundation for knowledge. The most this gets us - and this is not a little - is the knowledge of our own existence each time we assert it. But Descartes' project should not be judged by us as a failure - the fact that he addressed topics of great and lasting interest, and provided us with a method we can both understand and utilise fruitfully, speaks for itself. Bibliography 1. Descartes, René A Discourse on Method, Meditations and Principles of Philosophy trans. John Veitch. The Everyman's Library, 1995. Descartes, René The Philosophical Writings of Descartes volume I and II ed. and trans. John Cottingham, R. Stoothoff and D. Murdoch. Cambridge, 1985. Frankfurt, Harry Demons, Dreamers and Madmen. Bobbs-Merrill, 1970. Curley, Edwin Descartes Against the Skeptics. Oxford, 1978. Vesey, Godfrey Descartes: Father of Modern Philosophy. Open University Press, 1971. Sorrell, Tom Descartes: Reason and Experience. Open University Press, 1982. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy ed. Ted Honderich. Oxford University Press, 1985. Cottingham, John Descartes. Oxford, 1986. Williams, Bernard Descartes: The Project of Pure Enquiry. Harmondsworth, 1978. Russell, Bertrand The History of Western Philosophy. George Allen and Unwin, 1961. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Devolpment of Desire.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Development of Desire The development of the male warrior, throughout literature, has a direct relationship with the development of western civilization. The attributes a warrior holds, fall respectively with the attributes that each society held as valuable. These characteristics, started by societies ideals, become the warrior's only reasons for continuing their heroics. The ideals however do change with each warrior. At the beginning we have a warrior with one mission, which later the warriors become more challenged and have to change ideas and concepts to continue. The evolution of the warriors desires becomes the complex ideals that western civilization develops over time. With this progression of civilization, from simple to complex ideals, so will the evolution of the ideals and desires of our heroes change from simple to complex. Odysseus is a man who is both strong and smart, but most known not for the brawn of his body, but the wits of his brain. A man who is loved in every country, but Trojan, and could stay where ever he chooses, his sailors knew this to be true as one bench mate to the next, "It never fails. He is welcome everywhere: hail to the captain when he goes ashore!" (Homer 166). The irony falls as Odysseus only desires his homeland. "Begin when all the rest who left behind them headlong death in battle or at sea had long ago returned, while he[ Odysseus] alone still hungered for home and wife" (Homer 1). Odysseus has many opportunities to end his journeys and start a new life. For instance, if he desired, Odysseus was able to stay with Kalypso who wanted him forever, "Her ladyship Kalypso clung to him in her sea-hollowed caves- a nymph, immortal and most beautiful, who craved him for her own" (Homer 1). Kalypso knows even though she has Odysseus in her home, he is not hers to have. "Son of Laertes, versatile Odysseus, after all these years with me, you still desire your old home? Even so I wish you well"( Homer 87). To which Odysseus replies, "...Yet, it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home..." (Homer 87). Another chance for Odysseus to start a new life is offered by the king of the Phaecians to marry his daughter and live there; "...seeing the man that you are, seeing your thoughts are my own thoughts-my daughter should be yours and you my son-in-law, if you remained. "( Homer 120). In each case, Odysseus, only wants to return to his wife Penelope, his son, and most of all his homeland. Odysseus, who endures many hardships throughout his journeys, always seemed to be one step ahead of the reader in knowing what to do to get out of a situation. The problems during the stories come not from Odysseus judgment, but the judgment of his men. This became evident more than once when his men would disobey his orders, which resulted in death or peril. To illustrate, the story of the men taking the bag from Aiolos from under the deck right when they were at the sight of their homeland: Nine days and night we sailed without event, till the tenth we raised our land. We neared it, and saw the men building fires along shore; but now weary to the bone I [Odysseus] fell into deep slumber...but while I slept the crew began to parley: silver and gold , they guessed, were in that bag....[bench mates] 'Who has gifts from Aiolos? He has. I say we ought to crack that bag, there's gold and silver, plenty, in that bag!' (Homer 166), with such greed, by opening the bag, the adverse winds are unleashed with full fury. "Then every wind roared into a hurricane; the ships went pitching west with many cries; our land lost"(Homer 166). With these trials of Odysseus, and throughout the journey, we see Odysseus spares nothing on his return home. He loses men, ships, and wealth from Troy and the gods. With all the losses he sustains over the long journey he is unmoved, for his only passion is to return home. Odysseus's biggest attribute is his personal control of emotions and events. He has many emotions throughout the story, but always exhibits control in thinking and actions. Look at the careful planning and patience when waiting for the time to kill all his suitors. Another duration, Odysseus wants to punish his men many times over for the greed and stupidity they show throughout their journeys, "My men are mutinous fools..." (Homer 146), but he controls his anger and continues on their journey back home. Odysseus, with such control, is the very model of a leader and king. Control was very valuable in Greek society. A perfect contrast to Odysseus's' control is the character Antinous. Antinous has no control over his emotions or actions, as he leads the ban of suitors, being the most brash of the suitors. Look at the anger he displaces on Odysseus during a dinner in which Odysseus is in disguise as a beggar: God what evil wind blew in this pest? Get over, stand in the passage! Nudge my table, will you? Egyptian whips are sweet to what you'll come to here, you nosing rat, making your pitch to everyone! (Homer 325). The desire of Odysseus to returning home is that of pure dedication. This is easily seen throughout the text, by the rejections he sends to all who give him gifts to stay. This dedication falls into the ideals of the Greek culture, and the belief behind community above all other ideals. Wealth, and power would be nothing without the sense of community behind the individual. A careful look into the story of The Odyssey, points out Homer's feelings of when the sense of community can be abused with the presentation of the suitors. A statement speaks of Odysseus's absolute desire to return home. When he nears Ithacas' shores which falls asleep from exhaustion, his men doom him by taking the gift from Aiolos, as mentioned previously in the text, the gloom and despair Odysseus confesses to as the thought he whispers to himself, "Roused up, despairing in that gloom, I thought: 'Should I go overside for a quick finish or clench my teeth and stay among the living?'..."(Homer 166). Such a thought does occur to our hero, but he fights to return home instead of taking the simple way out, and eventually becomes triumphant in his desire. Beowulf becomes a different type of male warrior which surfaces at a new time in civilization from The Odyssey. Written after the ancient civilizations of Greek and Rome, dawning in the hour of the dark ages. Our warrior surfaces during a time when different tribes throughout Europe were trying to keep their different identities alive. To accomplish such a feat, the warriors of this era had to have an ideal that connected them to their tribe, but ,above all, the warriors had to be menacing. The ability to scare away invasions by the rumors of their warriors is possibly how the story of Beowulf first surfaced. This is where Beowulf's size and strength become a valuable attribute to the society. He is the epitome of pure strength and power. He is also a man who is the first story in which our hero is Christian. In the stories before Beowulf, like The Odyssey and The Aenied, the stories are between men and gods on an even playing field[Earth], but different level of players. It would be like a basketball game between high school players and NBA players. No longer are the events occurring between the gods and men, instead we have the super human versus those of the evil realm. Beowulf becomes more complex as a warrior, and a character who transforms throughout the story: To you I will now put one request, Royal Scylding, Shield of South Danes, one sole favor that you will not deny me, dear lord of your people, now that I have come so far, Fastness of Warriors; that I alone may be allowed, with my loyal and determined crew of companions, to cleanse your hall Heorot As I am informed of this unlovely one is careless enough to carry no weapon, so that my lord Hygelac, my leader in war, may you take joy in me, I abjure utterly the bearing of sword or shielding yellow board in this battle! With bare hands shall I grapple with the fiend, fight to the death here, hater and hated! He who is chosen shall deliver himself to the Lord's judgment (Beowulf 64-5). He is a man of honor, and seeks that honor throughout his life. He feels that the fight shall be on even terms, of no weapons on each side. This honor is another aspect of the society of the times. The idea of honor to your allies and towns people to help them with their needs was existent to survive in these times of invasions by other tribes and hoards, and strengthening the ties leading to the forming of nation states. He is also a man of God, with this statement, "...shall deliver himself to the Lord's judgment." (65) He vows to send Grendal to God for judgment on his evil deeds on earth. Beowulf as a warrior ,has two levels to his character; an upper level, of honor and religion, and a lower level of sheer emotion and power. Of these levels of Beowulf, we see the lower level dominates his personality with power and emotion dictating his actions and speeches, but later in life, as king, relies more on his religion and honor to dictate the judgment of what is right or wrong. No longer do the gods of Rome and Greek mythology dictate what is wrong or right, with offerings to appease the gods. With the knowledge in the warrior for what is, and will be, wrong, has an effect of making Beowulf an extension of God. In all these acts of honor, Gods glory above all is sought. Sir Lancelot becomes the final touch to the evolution of the warrior. He is a warrior with all the attributes of the warriors before him. He has the skill of Odysseus with control of his emotions, thoughts, actions, and the same pure desire for something. He has the same honor, and belief in God's guidance to what is right as Beowulf believed. Before Lancelot, the warriors all battled the likes of monsters, either from the will of the gods or monsters on their own mission. Lancelot is a man who has no battles with superhuman beings or arguments with gods, but a fight within himself and the fight for his desire. A man possessed, he risks pride, reputation, body, and soul, all for the return of love from his lady Guinevere. His battles and stories are not all physical, as the previous warriors, but a mental triumph over the various tasks. Look at the ride in the cart and the battle within Lancelot to obtain the right decision on what to do: Woe that he did this, and woe that he was ashamed of the cart and so did not jump in at once, for he would later consider himself ill-fallen. Reason, which disagrees with Love, told him to refrain from climbing in and admonished and instructed him not to do or undertake anything that could bring him disgrace or reproach. Reason, which dared speak this way, spoke from his lips, but not from his heart. But Love, which was enclose in his heart, urged and commanded him to climb into the cart at once. Love achieved his desire. The knight leapt up without concern for the disgrace because this was Love's will and command (Beowulf 174). Lancelot battles between his heart and mind on what choice to make. Yet we see Love is much more powerful in his desire, or as he says, "Love achieved his desire" (174). This is not the only case of such a battle in Lancelot, and it is not always over love. This tale of honor by Lancelot, who saves a maiden who holds a deed he does not want to fulfill. Before the night is long, the maiden is attacked and pleas for help from Lancelot who thinks: God what can I do? The object of my great pursuit is no one less than the Queen Guinevere. Having embarked on this quest for her, I must follow have the heart of a hare. If cowardice gives me her heart and I follow her rule, I shall never reach my goal. I am disgraced if I stay here. Merely to have spoken of remaining brings deep shame onto me now. My heart is sad and dark... May God never have mercy on me if I speak with pride and would not rather die with honor than disgrace (de Troye 155). The story shows the honor that Lancelot has for what he believes is right by God, although he knows by saving her will only mean that he will still have to sleep with her, which he replies "The object of my great pursuit is no less than Queen Guinevere" (155). Yet his feelings of honor takes hold and he goes on to save the lady of the castle, and feels horrible for his hesitation. This sense of honor even goes above Beowulf's honor for what was Beowulf's desire. Lancelot holds it as something he must do even if it is against his desire. This is an attribute of the society of these times. The ideals of the society was that the knights would uphold honor above all other matters, even matters they disagreed with. Another aspect is this desire for courtly love with utter devotion to the admired and loved. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Lancelot is the act in which he hears of the rumor that Guinevere is dead. He becomes so sorrowful that he proclaims: ...My health is good, but you have struck me down. I am crushed, yet the sole pain I feel is the grief in my heart. This grief is an illness, indeed a fatal one, and I wish it to be fatal (de Troye 165), at this he attempts to commit suicide, and fails. This act is completely out of love for Guinevere for which he believes is over. The "great pursuit" (155) for Guinevere, he believes is over, so to than will his life perish, for his life was nothing without her there. Yet, the passion he displays is nothing short of amazing, to love so strongly to risk his own personal beliefs for that love. The last complex piece to the puzzle of the warrior, not just personal sacrifice in time, or your life, but the ideals and beliefs one holds discarded for the desire to reach what he wants. Evolution, over time, has shaped the ideas and beliefs on what the warrior holds in his journeys. That the warrior tales started with a man trying to return home, to a man sacrificing his beliefs for the love of a women. The desires of these warriors have been that of building blocks. Each one builds to the next ideal. Yet we see that all the desires were pursed with a persistence unsurpassed throughout literature and history. These men were able to fight insurmountable odds to achieve what they deemed valuable. It is the act of something no one would be able to challenge. Take the example of Lancelot and Sir Gawain, during The Knight in the Cart. Sir Gawain is praised as a noble, and a Valiant knight, while Lancelot is presented as a less knight than Gawain. Lancelot's sacrifice of his own beliefs only prove that these were acts above those of a normal person, even Sir Gawain, a higher more noble person than most, would not sacrifice as Lancelot . A perfect example of this is the cart scene in which Sir Gawain approaches the cart and sees Lancelot in the cart; "Sir Gawain galloped after the cart, and seeing the knight sitting in it, was amazed...He would certainly not climb in the cart, he said, it would be base in extreme to trade a horse for a cart" (de Troye 151), he was not ready to sacrifice the same as our hero Lancelot. These acts by Lancelot could be parallel to those of Beowulf and his physical fights and sacrifices throughout his story. Or that of Odysseus and the long journeys he had to endure to get to his homeland. The most striking aspect of these warriors is the complexity of the characters themselves. We see that the travels of Odysseus is purely for his return for home, and return to the community he loves. He has no realization that he is anything else nor does he change his outlook on life from his journeys. Odysseus stays the same from beginning to end of the story even though time has taken many years from him. The story of Beowulf has a different development over the story. We watch as Beowulf transforms from a powerful young man who will go out and fight all; Had they not seen me come home from fights where I had bound five Giants-their blood was upon me- cleaned out a nest of them? Had I not crushed on the wave sea serpents by night in narrow struggle, broken beasts? (Beowulf 64). A man all-powerful among men, and yet he changes from the mercenary, to the king, against his wishes but what the town people most desired from him. This transformation from a man who helped people, for his own pleasure and honor, to a man who becomes helper of the people, not to the people. Last we have the change of a man who risks death by fighting, and running after Guinevere and her capture's on foot, and then sacrifices his own beliefs to be next to his love. He starts out as a man possessed to save Guinevere. To a man who is controlled, willfully, by Guinevere. Take the example of the fight between Meleagant and the stopping of the first fight: ..The last words she uttered, 'To show you my gratitude, I will Lancelot to halt,' had scarcely left he lips when he would not lay a hand on his opponent or make a move, even if Meleagant were to kill him (de Troyes 162). He would not defend himself for the sake of breaking this devotion to his love! A previous line in the text points out why Lancelot would do such an action during a battle, A lover is obedient; when he is completely in love, he performs his beloved's pleasure eagerly and promptly. Thus Lancelot, who loved more than Pyramus- if love more than any man could- was compelled to comply (de Troyes 162). Such a power dominates his every thinking moment, even during the fight for his life and the life of those captured. This development of the warrior is one, close to the transformation of the King Beowulf to his people, but more complex. Whereas our hero Beowulf still sacrifices himself for his own honor and to help his people. The actions of Lancelot start as a man of individual status to one who is immersed in his devotion to the one he loves. We are to understand that these attributes and actions our warriors have, are those which each society saw as grand and wonderful that all should strive for in their society. The strong sense of the homeland to Odysseus is what the Greeks were to strive for in the building of their empire around the main homeland of Athens. We see the attributes of Beowulf as important to the dark ages and the invasions of the Franks where our most important task seen for the warrior in the culture was to defend your hoard from all intrusion, evil or human. That the sacrifice for the hoard was the most honorable thing you would ever be able to achieve in your lifetime to the hoard. Last we have Lancelot, who shows the attributes most liked during this society is that of courtly love, honor, and the devotion one gives to their soul mate, with the relinquishing of his views for that of his lady's wishes. "he performs his beloved's pleasure eagerly and promptly" (de Troyes 162). The actions are fulfilled with eagerness and promptly for the love of the person. Although each one has been similar in the way they are triumphant in there quest, and the men continue to look tough through all actions, the quality they start to show, subtly, is that of compassion and willingness to help all people, even if it circumvents their own desire temporarily. The progression of society from the time of less diversified ancient Greek culture, to the explosion of diversity in tribes and people, creating identities and forming the groundwork for nation states, the warriors desires and attributes also rose from a single idea or goal, to that of complex characters and values. Where the complexity involved the ideas of laws pertaining to all. These laws, unwritten, developed through Beowulf, and latter in The Knight in the Cart, as that of honor. Overall, the development of characters became a way of projecting the proper ideals on the society to uphold. This became the link between the warriors and the civilizations they represented. Works Cited Boyle, Doebler, Lopez-Lazaro and Wright. Hum 301. Tempe AZ. Alternative copy shop, 1996 Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Classics, 1990. Unknown. Beowulf. Trans. Michael Alexander. New York: Penguin Books, 1973. Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Classics, 1990. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Diary of HatchetBy Gary Paulsen.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ H A T C H E T By Gary Paulsen 10/01 Brian Robeson, the main character, is a very interesting kid. After the first few pages you could tell that he was strong-minded, twelve or thirteen year old kid. His parents were divorced and he spent some time with his dad. He lived far away so Brian had to take a plane. From the back of the book I knew that he gets in to a plane accident and has to survive on his own. I was surprised that the author went right to the plane wreck. I thought it would have a somewhat boring beginning like most other books I read. Brian keeps talking about how his parents got divorced and he cries every time he thinks about it. He calls it the big "secret." Brian keeps describing visions of his mom kissing some new man, not his father. You can tell that he takes the divorce very seriously and sometimes gets emotional. 10/05 In this part of the book, Jake, the pilot, has a heart attack and dies. To be honest, I, myself, have thought about what I would do if I was on plane and the pilot died. I really don't know what I would do, I don't know how to fly a plane. Luckily, Brian had been taught by Jake how to fly the plane. Brian didn't know how to land so he flew the plane into a lake. This part of the book was hard to believe, there was a lot of "coincidents." Brian showed his intellectual side when he realized that when Jake was suffering from his heart attack he turned the plane to the left. That could greatly increase the time it would take for a search party to find him. I have to admit, so far this is one of the best opening parts I have ever read. No dull pages. 10/08 After Brian crashed he was hurt pretty badly. He ad no energy so he just slept on the shore. I consider him very luckily that he did not blow up or something. After awhile he was extremely hungry. He found a gut cherry bush. He ate so many he threw up. This is another part that seems strange to me, I mean I wouldn't have clue to know how to survive in a deserted place. However, Brian did. He had seen some TV show about how to live in the wilderness. He wove together sticks to make a door for the cave he found. He tried to make a fire but he failed. Brian already got in some trouble with the wildlife, a bear chased him. I am glad that I have never had to go through what Brian is going through. It would seem impossible for me to live in the woods. 10/12 Brian was very cold. He couldn't figure out how to make a fire. There was a small animal in his cave and he through his knife that his mother gave him before he left at it and he hit the wall, it made a shower of sparks. This is where Brian's wit came into play. He put two and two together and used the sparks to make a fire. I am very impressed with the way he is handling the problems he is running into. He is showing me that he is brave. The fire kept him warm and misquotes away. It sounds like to me that Brian is starting to make a home for himself. I wonder if he is going to survive and make it home back to his family. 10/16 I noticed that Brian is starting to have physical and emotional changes. His wounds have healed and his stomach has caved in. He is going to have to get some more food or he is going to die. He made spear to catch fish in the lake. He is trying to make a bow and arrow to catch birds. I think he really misses home now. A plane flew near him and he tried to make a smoke signal but it was to late. This really depressed him. I mean think about it, he has a good chance of dying, he is hungry, basically he is miserable. After the plane didn't see him, he wanted to commit suicide. He cut his wrists, not enough to kill him and then went to sleep. When he woke up, he had dried blood all over him. He hated what he did. I think it made him a stronger person though. It made realize he is going to try his hardest to survive. I don't know how he is going to get home. 10/19 In this part of the book Brian is experiencing animals of the wild. He eats many fish and now can catch birds. To me, everything seems to be going pretty good. Things are starting to work out. He gets in a fight with a big animal. I t hurts him pretty badly. The worst possible thing happens to him. He changes everything. It makes him just want to give up. A huge storm comes over him and ruins everything. He has to start all over again. Everything he made is gone. I think that would be the point where I would give up. 10/21 All he had was his hatchet. I think the hatchet is a symbol of starting over again. That is all he had in the beginning too. Good things come out of bad things though. The storm moved part ofthe plane out of the water. He eventually makes a raft and makes a hole the plane. Inside he finds a survival pack. He eats the food and looks at all the stuff. He plays with a S.O.S. gadget. A plane picks him up and saves him. It is weird to Brian having all the stuff in the survival pack that made life so much easier. There was a gun in it, but I don't think he would of used it over the spear and bow and arrow he made. I think that using the things he made from nature is fair to the animals. It was hard for him, but he eventually learns. A gun would be unfair, it seems so barbarian even though it is modern compared to the spear and bow and arrow. I think Brian s now a man, his life has took a complete U-Turn. I have respect for him even if he is just a character in a book, he is a brave man. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Dinner with bill gates.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [The time is the late 1990's and the setting is an unidentified city in the northwest United States, in Washington. Three employees of Microsoft, the narrator, Encolpius, and his co-workers Giton and Ascyltus, have been invited to the illustrious mansion of billionaire Bill Gates, for a banquet.] It was slightly drizzling as we approached the house. We were simply amazed at it's size, it was a good quarter mile in length and equally long in width. As we approached the enormous wooden door, lights flicked on and a computer generated voice greeted us. Not knowing what to do, we waited, letting the rain soak our dinner suits. When the door was opened, we were prompted to enter by a servant. Stepping into the entrance way, our coats were taken by a different servant than the one who had opened the door. We were ushered into a nearby room, an enormous lounge of some kind furnished with an indoor volleyball court, arcade and a pool. Giton and I were simply amazed. This guy had an amusement park in his living room. There were some young boys on the volleyball court, playing a game. I couldn't help but notice a middle-ages guy, dressed in a pair of worn jeans and a sports coat, watching the game with furious intensity. I turned to the servant, our guide, I suppose, and asked him who this man was. "Oh that's Master Gates, the proprietor of this house. You'll be dining with him shortly." The servant led us through this room, past the pool and into a narrow corridor. This hallway was adorned with pictures of Bill Gates, in various characters and positions. The only one I recognized was the cover from the recent issue of Time Magazine featuring him on the cover. From here, we were led into the dining room and seated at the large dinner table. The table occupied a majority of the room, however, there was an enormous hole in the middle, obviously for a dinner show of some kind. Immediately, our glasses were filled with wine and our hands were scrubbed with rose water. I looked at Ascyltus, and he was simply amazing at the luxurious nature of the dinner. I suddenly felt underdressed but I was relieved when Bill Gates entered, wearing a different, much darker shade of jeans and a simple, red pullover. Once Bill Gates seated himself, the dozen or so people in the room all silenced themselves, waiting for this legendary man to speak. "Welcome to my home," he began, "I hope you will have an enjoyable evening." At the snap of his fingers, a rotating dais rose from the center of the room. This dais was filled with an entire orchestra and when it had finished rising, they began to play a soothing melody. We waited about five minutes and were amazed when a troop of singing busboys exited the kitchen, all carrying trays containing some of the rarest delicacies known to man. Caviar, truffles, and the sweetest meat I have ever tasted were all served has appetizers. My two companions and I indulged ourselves until a second troop of singing busboys carried our plates away. Suddenly the room was filled with a loud crash as a busboy lost footing and dropped his tray. Scrambling to save face, the busboy fell to his knees and began to scrape up the mess. All this time I had been watching the expression on Bill Gate's face. He didn't seem to mind that the busboy had ruined his luxurious carpet with half-eaten caviar; that was until he began to clean up the mess. "Get out of here you incompetent fool! You're fired and if you're not off the premises in five minutes, I'll set the dogs on you," he yelled. Two guards, appearing out of thin air grabbed the busboy and escorted him from the dining hall. At the beckoning of their master, two maids entered the room, armed with brooms and spray bottles full of cleaning implements. As they began scrubbing the mess, the three of us glared at Bill, who now appeared calm and composed. He must have seen our puzzled expressions because he quickly said, "My servants must not step out of their duties. I hired that busboy to serve food, not to clean up accidents. Had he concentrated on the task I hired him for, that tray would most likely not have been spilled." An awkward silence filled the room, however, it was quelled as the orchestra broke into another song and the singing busboys delivered another course, filet mignon served over linguini drenched in a sweet red sauce. The food was delicious, however, I was too disturbed by the evening's previous incident to finish my meal. After the singing busboys carried our plates away, Bill retired to the restroom. With Bill's absence the tension quickly dissipated. Giton, Ascyltus, and I conversed with several of the other guests about our host and the incident earlier to this evening. Our relief was short lived, however, Bill shortly returned to dinner, now sporting a pair of khakis and a light green blazer. He quickly cracked a joke about the size of his bladder and sat down. At this point, another course was served, pork from the finest pigs Bill Gates could find. We knew this because of his constant bragging. We were all getting a little sick and tired of Bill's need to gloat. Bill was an amazing man, he rose from poverty to the billionaire he is in a matter of thirty years, but he seemed insecure, always having to explain and glorify himself. Suddenly, there was a knock at the dining room door. When Bill ordered the door to be opened, two people, a man and woman, stumbled into the room, thoroughly intoxicated. I did not recognize either, but Bill seemed to know the male. "Habinnas, my good friend, have a seat," Bill greeted the newcomer. After sitting, Bill served them some of wine we were drinking. I found it kind of funny, wine was the last thing this Habinnas person needed. It was at this time Giton and Ascyltus begged me to leave, however, I was too captivated by this newcomer. He was talking to Bill about some great plan of his, to release his servants and send them off with one million dollars each. I began to once again respect Bill Gates until I discovered the reason why he was going to release them. "I want people to remember me and love me for my generosity when I am dead. I don't want to die detested and loathed like so many other billionaires," Bill whined. I was furious, Bill Gates, my boss, the man I've looked up to for years was an insecure, self-centered, man. Even in his attempt at being generous, he had his own personal interests at heart. I suddenly because very nauseous and wanted to leave immediately. By the looks on my companions faces, they wholeheartedly agreed with me. All this time, Bill Gates was rambling on about his death and going around the table, asking each person why they would miss him if he should die. Luckily for us, he faked a heart attack, fell backwards in his chair, and crumpled to the floor. All eyes were on him, who looked remarkably dead. Bill must have become irritated at the silence in the air, because he threw his head up and asked us to pretend he was dead and say nice things about him. This was just plain revolting, not something I'd expect to see at a dinner party with Bill Gates, owner of Microsoft. It was at this time my two companions and I snuck out of the dining hall and found our way to the front door. We grabbed our jackets and, taking one last look at the enormous house of this not so ideal roll model, left, exhausted and disgusted. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Discussion Topics.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ September Monthly Report / Agri-Food Research Deliverables 1. Through consultation with the Advisory group and the Report Design and Research Methodologies Consultant, validate the plan for primary research > Met on several occasions with the Methodologies Consultant, Keith Elwood and the research Advisory Group. > It was determined that we were not ready to create the specific tools for primary research o The advisory group felt this was pre-mature and that I should audit the sector for a general sense of what is going on and to get feedback from the stakeholders (Farmers, wholesalers, restaurants, educators) about what how to best approach data collection. o This was a very good choice of action; I spent the month interviewing farmers, educators, organizers, and associations to see what is happening on all levels in the sector, and learning about what means would best achieve the goals of the research. o I have a good understanding of the programs, research, and sector organizing that is happening right now in the CRD and in the province. o I also explored various approaches to methodology and research tools that might best be applied to this research. o Now that we have this information we are in the process of developing and implementing the tools and methodology for primary research. o These include surveys to the sectors, which will be followed by personal interviews with interested parties. 2. Undertake the research to establish base line market demand information on employers (retailers, wholesalers, restaurants, etc..) > Personal interviews of the above occurred in September. They will be followed up with a survey that is being developed to answer baseline questions. 3. Continue Literature Review > Lit review is ongoing Other work accomplished: > Data-base has been created for the contact list. A template can be made available for researchers in other sectors to use. Discussion Topics Septembers Research: > Some challenges that have presented themselves o Feedback from farmers and organizers interviewed in September, when presented with our research goals, suggested that other groups are doing similar work and People are feeling over researched. o However, there was general support for the research from most people I spoke to. o We need to differentiate our research, not to duplicate and to considering the busyness of those in the field how can our research be perceived as beneficial? o It is a very busy time of the year and it's very difficult to get farmers to dedicate any time to answering surveys of meeting with researchers. This busyness is across the board with box programs and restaurants. They are suggesting late October when they will have more time freed up. (September - late October = no time) > What other research is going on in this sector? o COABC / Rochelle Eisen ... learning technologies in the workplace - learning needs and gaps of BC organic farmers. A survey of farmers re: labour / learning needs / business development / value added, with the goal of setting up programs and services to fill the gaps. o Rochelle had agreed to send me the results of the survey, there are some interesting findings around perceived need for training in business or growing = 0, most don't want to expand their business, do not require labourers. o Rochelle thinks we will find much of the same is true on the island however, o She says that the island has its own unique economic and social reality & although farmers share similarities across the province, Island farmers have different issues and concerns. o Linking to information & service networks (farm extension programs, government farm development, marketing information) and understanding ways to access capital & business investment $ was the biggest need noted, o Also, web/net access and learning needs, how to use the web as a tool to make the farm business more efficient. > Need for a well planned methodology o Being a researcher I was pushing for the development of well-planned research tools and methodology to head into the field for sept. o The advisory group felt this was pre-mature and that I should audit the sector for a general sense of what is going on and to get feedback from the stakeholders (Farmers, wholesalers, restaurants, educators) about what how to best approach data collection. o This was a very good choice of action; I spent the month interviewing farmers, educators, organizers, and associations to see what is happening and where this research can fit in. o I have a good understanding of the programs, research, sector organizing that is happening right now in the CRD and in the province. o I also explored various approaches to methodology and research tools that might best be applied to this research. o Now that we have this information we are ready to create to the research tools. o FARMERS: I suggest we start by adapting the survey that was developed in the Kamloops region for CFDCTC LLMP research, (use it as a template) o It was a very successful study and there is no reason why we can't adopt a similar approach o It could be distributed as a over the phone, or in person survey and should be endorsed by SIOPA o I suggest that a well known SIOPA organizer be the interviewer in order to increase the surveys credibility and the likelihood that farmers will take the time to complete the survey. I have a potential research assistant who could do this. o Follow up in-depth taped interviews with lead researcher where it's identified that the farmer would be interested and would be able to share information that would be useful to the study o RESTAURANTS / WHOLSALERS / RETAILERS: Separate survey for restaurants distributed by Melanie Banas of Farmfolk Cityfolk. Melanie organizes Feast of Fields and is well known by the Chefs o Survey for Wholesalers and Retailers done in person with assistance of David Friend 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\diuretic FINAL essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Introduction In insects, the regulation of water balance is of critical importance in maintaining homeostasis [1]. Homeostasis is the state of relative stability of the internal environment of an organism. One of the main processes involved in the control of water balance is diuresis. Diuresis is the elimination of excess water in the form of urine. This secretion takes place within the excretory system of the insect, which includes the Malpighian tubules and the hindgut [Figure 1]. Excretion and water balance are under neuroendocrine control [2]. The hormones involved in the process of diuresis are called diuretic hormones (DH). They are responsible for stimulating the secretion of urine by the Malpighian tubules. There are three primary diuretic hormones found in insects: CRF-like diuretic hormones, kinins, and serotonin [3]. Insect diuretic hormones play key roles in the regulation of water balance. They are generally released in response to feeding, which involves a large uptake of water. This is particularly important for blood-eating insects, such as Rhodnius prolixus (blood-sucking bug) and Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito), which can consume up to 10-20X their body weight during a single meal [2]. Of the three main insect diuretic hormones, two are classified as neuropeptides (CRF-like DH and kinins) and one as a neurotransmitter (serotonin, 5-HT). All three stimulate the secretion of urine by the Malpighian tubules, but each has its own way of mediating this excretion. When presented together, these diuretic hormones can act in synergism to further enhance the process of diuresis [3]. CRF-like diuretic hormones, which are similar to the vertebrate CRF, mediate the secretion of urine through the production of cyclic AMP. These cAMP act as secondary messengers to mediate the secretion of urine by the Malpighian tubules. The CRF-like DH via cAMP, promotes the active transport of Na+ and K+ ions into the Malpighian tubule lumen. This transport of ions from the hemolymph (blood analogue for insects) to the tubule lumen is the driving force for the secretion of urine [4]. Although CRF-like DH is present in the majority of insects, each species of insects may have its own specific CRF-like DH. Some examples of CRF-like DH include: Locusta-DH in locusts, Acheta-DH in crickets, Stomoxys-DH and Musca-DH in flies, Periplaneta-DH in cockroaches, and Manduca-DH in moths. In addition, some species of insects possess two CRF-like DH, such as Manduca sexta, which has Manduca-DH I and Manduca-DH II [6]. The insect kinin family of neuropeptides is another type of diuretic hormone found in the majority of insects. Like CRF-related DH, kinins also stimulate the secretion of urine. However, unlike CRF-related DH which act via cAMP, kinins mediate the excretion of urine by increasing the levels of intracellular Ca2+[5]. Some examples of insect kinins include: leucokinins in Leucophaea maderae (cockroach), achetakinins in Acheta domesticus (cricket), and locustakinins in Locusta migratoria (locust) [7]. Unlike the other two diuretic peptides, serotonin (5-HT or 5-Hydroxytryptamine) is a neurotransmitter that functions as a hormone and is found in only some species of insects. One of these species is the blood-sucking bug, Rhodnius prolixus, which has both a CRF-like neuropeptide and serotonin. Although serotonin can stimulate urine secretion by the Malpighian tubules, it still requires a diuretic peptide (CRF-like DH or kinins) for maximal secretion [8]. When present, serotonin is the second diuretic hormone which acts synergistically with diuretic peptides to produce urine excretion [9]. Whether it involves a kinin and a CRF-like DH, or a CRF-like DH and serotonin, the synergistic control of Malpighian tubule secretion results in a number of advantages. When two diuretic hormones act together, the increase in tubule secretion is greater than the sum of their separate responses. This synergistic effect reduces the amount of diuretic hormones needed to induce the desired urine secretion [9]. This is observed in locusts, where maximal tubule secretion requires 50% of the insect's stored CRF-like DH (Locusta-DH). However, in the presence of a kinin (locustakinin), only 2.5% of the locust's stored Locusta-DH is required for maximum tubule excretion [10]. Another advantage of synergism is the speed with which tubule secretion can be turned on and off. This is because it requires only a small change in the concentration of either diuretic hormone to significantly influence tubule function [9]. Individually, each diuretic hormone has a different effect on the rate of tubule secretion. Kinins generally give a response that is 30-75% of that produced by a CRF-like DH from the same insect [11]. One effective method used to determine the rate of tubule secretion as well as the composition of that secretion is the Ramsay Assay. This assay is the main technique used to measure the effects of diuretic hormones on the fluid secretion rate of the Malpighian tubules. The Malpighian tubules arise from the midgut-hindgut junction, and they generally float freely within the abdomen cavity which is surrounded by hemolymph [Figure 1]. In the Ramsay assay, a single tubule is isolated and severed from its connection to the gut. The free-floating end of the tubule (farthest from the gut) is placed in a Ringer solution, while the severed end is put into an oil bath solution. Secretion from the severed end accumulates as a droplet in the oil bath, and this droplet is then measured to yield the fluid secretion rate. X-ray spectroscopy is then administered to identify the secreted elements of the fluid [4]. One important aspect regarding the insect excretory system is that it is coupled with the movement of ions. Tubule secretion of urine is driven by the active and/or passive transport of Na+, K+, and Cl- ions from the hemolymph into the tubule lumen. Diuretic hormones increase the rate of tubule secretion by stimulating this ion movement. CRF-like DH does this via cAMP as a secondary messenger. Kinins, on the other hand, increases intracellular Ca2+ to stimulate ion transport. Both responses have different effects on the ion transport processes and the composition of the excreted urine [4]. Through cAMP, CRF-like DH opens Na+ channels on the tubules, thereby increasing the Na+ concentration in urine. This pathway is especially significant in blood-feeding insects because blood is rich in NaCl [12]. In contrast, kinins causes the urine concentration of Na+ to fall and the K+ concentration to increase [13]. This is particularly important in plant-feeding insects such as locusts and moths, which consume a diet rich in K+ with relatively little Na+[12]. Another difference between CRF-like DH and kinins is that CRF-like DH stimulates the active transport of cations (Na+; K+) while kinins stimulate the passive transport of anions (Cl-) [4]. References: [1] Phillips, JE and J. Hanrahan. Mechanisms and control of reabsorption in insect hindgut. Advance Insect Physiology 19 (1986) 329-422. [2] Coast, G.M. Diuresis in the housefly (Musca domestica) and its control by neuropeptides. Peptides 22 (2001) 153-160. [3] O'Donnell M.J. and J.H. Spring. Modes of control of insect Malpighian tubules: synergism, antagonism, cooperation and autonomous regulation. Journal of Insect Physiology 46 (2000) 107-117. [4] Beyenbach, K.W. Mechanism and Regulation of Electrolyte Transport in Malpighian Tubules. Journal of Insect Physiology 41 (1995) 197-207. [5] Furuya, Kenji et al. Cockroach diuretic hormones: Characterization of a calcitonin-like peptide in insects. Biochemistry 97 (2000) 6469-6474. [6] Kay, I., and G.M. Coast. Isolation and characterization of a diuretic peptide from Acheta domesticus: Evidence for a family of insect diuretic peptides. Biol. Chemistry 372 (1991) 505-512. [7] Veenstra, J.A. Isolation and identification of 3 leucokinins from the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 202 (1994) 715-719. [8] Maddrell, S.H.P., and W.S. Herman. 5-Hydroxytryptamine: A second diuretic hormone in Rhodnius. Journal of Experimental Biology 156 (1991) 557-566. [9] Maddrell, S.H.P, and B.O. Gardiner. Synergism of hormones controlling epithelial fluid transport in an insect. Journal of Experimental Biology 174 (1993) 65-80. [10] Patel, M., and G.M. Coast. Evidence for the hormonal function of a CRF-related diuretic peptide (Locusta-DP) in Locusta migratoria. Journal of Experimental Biology 198 (1995) 793-804. [11] Coast, G.M., and G.M. Holman. The diuretic activity of a series of cephalomyotropic neuropeptides, the achetakinins, on isolated Malpighian tubules of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus. Journal of Insect Physiology 36 (1990) 481-488. [12] Williams, J.C. Jr., and K.W. Beyenbach. Differential effects of secretagogues on Na and K secretion in Malpighian tubules of Aedex aegypti. Journal of Comparative Physiology 149 (1983) 511-517. [13] Pannabecker, T.L., and K.W. Beyenbach. Regulation of epithelial shunt conductance by the peptide leucokinin. J. Membr. Biology. 132 (1992) 63-76. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Document Based Essay Question.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Document Based Essay Question FDR/Hoover "The test of rightfulness of our decisions must be whether we have sustained and advanced ... prosperity." These words spoken by Herbert Hoover truly exemplify the leaders of the early twentieth century. Herbert Clark Hoover was commonly known as a conservative and as a worker of miracles. He was also noted for his cool calculation as an efficiency expert. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a liberal who had a great sense of enthusiasm for his job. He showed a great amount of empathy towards his people's problem, as well as he was always willing to experiment. Herbert Hoover and Theodore Roosevelt stayed true to their political beliefs throughout the early twentieth century, however there were times when they both had to venture to the other side of the political spectrum in order to obtain the best result for the nation. Government intervention within the economy, business, and community projects was a key political issue during the times of Hoover and Roosevelt. At the time of Hoover's presidency, he believed in a laissez fair system; a hands off approach or the term commonly used "let it ride." Hoover believed that there should be little government involvement within the private enterprises owned by members of the community. However, Roosevelt believed that the government should have more control over the economy. The New Deal was an example of this. Roosevelt's New Deal programs were to relieve people out of work, make sure that businesses, as well a the economy would recover as a whole, and that American economic institutions would become reformed. Roosevelt wanted the industries to be owned by the government. Both Hoover and Roosevelt had creative ideas of overcoming a financial deficit. As a conservative, Hoover was fond of cutting taxes. He also sought to increase government spending and investment. He and his administration had this idea that everything should be controlled (federally) within Washington. On the other hand, Roosevelt wanted less government spending, as well as he questioned the possibility of raising taxes. However, Roosevelt was required to raise taxes in order to maintain and keep an equal budget throughout the depression. Roosevelt also promoted government projects such as the welfare system to help the unemployment situation with the United States. Universally, Hoover and Roosevelt were determined to fix the financial deficit that was present in the early twentieth century. Both Hoover and Roosevelt left their original political identity at times, in order to obtain the best results for their country. As stated in Document B, Hoover explains that the best way to cure the economic depression was to have government intervention within the community. He stated that the government should join and take its part within the community's programs to do its part. Due to the Great Depression, Roosevelt became somewhat of a conservative, because the federal spending increased significantly (Document F) in order to set up projects that would find people work. Equally, Hoover and Roosevelt where somewhat liberal and conservative. During their times as Presidents, Hoover and Roosevelt stood firm in what they believed in, and yet they shared common ground in how they both swayed their political positions in order to obtain the best result for their country. Hofstadter stated that Hoover "...expected to see a brilliant and expansive future, but he expected to reach it along the traditional highway. [Roosevelt's] capacity for innovation in practical measures was striking, and the New deal marked deviations in the American course; but his capacity for innovation in ideas was far more comparable." Both were men who contributed top the political tradition of America. Natalee Cecil May 30, 2003 0 Period Honors American Studies f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Does McMurphy transfer his individualistic spirit into that o.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with its meaningful message of individualism, was an extremely influential novel during the 1960's. In addition, its author, Ken Kesey, played a significant role in the development of the counterculture of the 60's; this included all people who did not conform to society's standards, experimented in drugs, and just lived their lives in an unconventional manner. Ken Kesey had many significant experiences that enabled him to create One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. As a result of his entrance into the creative writing program at Stanford University in 1959 (Ken 1), Kesey moved to Perry Lane in Menlo Park. It was there that he and other writers first experimented with psychedelic drugs. After living at Perry Lane for a while, Kesey's friend, Vik Lovell, informed him about experiments at a local V.A. hospital in which volunteers were paid to take mind-altering drugs (Wolfe 321). Kesey's experiences at the hospital were his first step towards writing Cuckoo's Nest. Upon testing the effects of the then little-known drug, LSD, "...he was in a realm of consciousness he had never dreamed of before and it was not a dream or delirium but part of his awareness (322)." This awareness caused him to believe that these psychedelic drugs could enable him to see things the way they were truly meant to be seen. After working as a test subject for the hospital, Kesey was able to get a job working as a psychiatric aide. This was the next significant factor in writing the book. "Sometimes he would go to work high on acid (LSD) (323)." By doing so, he was able to understand the pain felt by the patients on the ward. In addition, the job allowed him to examine everything that went on within the confines of the hospital. From these things, Kesey obtained exceptional insight for writing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. To make the novel seem as realistic as possible, he loosely based the characters on the personalities of people in the ward; also, his use of drugs while writing allowed him to make scenes such as Chief Bromden's (The Chief is the narrator of the story. He is a Native American who happens to be a paranoid schizophrenic.) dreams much more vivid (Ken 2). As mentioned in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, "...certain passages 3/4 like Chief Broom [Chief Bromden] in his schizophrenic fogs 3/4 [it] was true vision, a little of what you could see if you opened the doors of perception, friends (Wolfe 328). Ken Kesey's altered mental state while he wrote Cuckoo's Nest is what truly makes it unique. The novel's message of rebelling against authority was very influential to the counterculture generation of the 1960's. Kesey and his writing became a key factor in a decade filled with drugs and anti-establishment feelings. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest takes place in a mental hospital in which the patients' individuality is suppressed by the head nurse, Nurse Ratched. When a sane con-man (Randle P. McMurphy) has himself committed to avoid a prison sentence, the machine-like order that had previously existed on the ward is immediately challenged. Initially, McMurphy is a very selfish man whose only desire is to cause problems for authority figures, Nurse Ratched in particular, and to make life for himself as easy as possible. Eventually, this all changes as the battle between himself and Nurse Ratched becomes their battle for the souls of the inmates. McMurphy's struggle to "free" the other inmates is a difficult one, ultimately resulting in his own destruction; however, through his death, the other patients are able to realize their own sense of self and they escape the ward. Although McMurphy works to save all the inmates, the schizophrenic, Chief Bromden, is the main target of his attentions. The Chief is the largest, most powerful man on the ward, but is made to feel weak and inferior by staying there. Upon realizing his own value at the end of the novel, Chief Bromden participates in the mercy killing of McMurphy which allows for his own complete liberation, as well as that of the other patients. Entering the mental hospital a sane man, R.P. McMurphy only looks out for himself; however, this all changes when he realizes the permanence of his residency on the ward if he does not conform. This motivates him to begin working to save the other inmates on the ward and transfer some of his high spirit into them. His struggle to help them realize their individuality results in his own mental decay and he is ultimately destroyed. In order to make himself as comfortable as possible, McMurphy initially tries to defy authority and gain the inmates' trust for his own personal gain. He is immediately a threat to the order that Nurse Ratched has created and maintains. While there is not supposed to be gambling on the ward, one of McMurphy's first goals is to get the other patients to play cards with him for money. This is expressed when McMurphy says "...I came to this establishment...to bring you birds fun an' entertainment around the gamin' table (Ken 12)." Another way that he is able to disrupt the hospital's order is through his bold laughter. This is very disturbing because no one ever laughs in the mental hospital. The inmates are controlled and mechanized; the laughter suggests personality, which would break down this order. According to Chief Bromden, he had not hear a laugh in years (11). McMurphy makes it obvious right away that he has no intention of letting the hospital's machine-like order consume his identity. As a result off his rambunctious behavior, the inevitable battle between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched begins. During group therapy meetings, McMurphy does not let Nurse Ratched have complete control as she has had in the past and as she would like to continue. He disrupts the meetings by provoking the other patients to excitement when they make comments about their respective problems. It also infuriates Nurse Ratched when McMurphy diverts the attention directed at other patients towards himself. Also, one particular scene displaying the beginning of the battle between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy occurs when McMurphy wants to watch the World Series. He convinces the inmates to resist Nurse Ratched by watching a blank TV screen, even when she turns off the World Series (140). The things that McMurphy does early in the novel to battle Nurse Ratched are selfish and have the intention of being chaotic. Eventually, this all begins to change as McMurphy begins his struggle to help save the other inmates. He begins to conform slightly when he recognizes the power that Nurse Ratched wields; he learns that he cannot be dismissed from the hospital without Nurse Ratched saying he has been cured. However, the other inmates are not satisfied; they want him to lead a rebellion. McMurphy's rebellious nature goes from that of self-interest to that of devotion to helping the other inmates find their freedom and individuality. By doing so, he also sees a means of escape for himself. The first display of his new strategy for defying authority occurs on the fishing trip that the inmates take. This trip, which is organized by McMurphy, helps the inmates realize that they can act for themselves and returns to them some sense of self-respect. Another example of McMurphy's change from a nuisance to a savior is how he and the Chief resist Nurse Ratched in the disturbed ward (a section of the hospital for those patients who are considered the most insane or dangerous). Trying to evoke an apology from McMurphy and Chief Bromden for keeping another patient from having an enema, Nurse Ratched fails and angrily sends the two men to have electro-shock therapy. Although McMurphy is weakened by this, the Chief takes his first step towards being cured by telling the other patients of McMurphy's heroics (277). This is the first time that he has ever talked to anyone other than McMurphy. In an obvious response to McMurphy's devotion to him, the Chief starts to realize his true self. In the end, McMurphy's struggle leads to his destruction; however, he still becomes the inmates' savior. By finding McMurphy's weakness, which is his uncontrollable urge to always trick the other inmates out of their money, Nurse Ratched is able to defeat him. This is evident when McMurphy tricks the other men into not believing that the Chief could lift the control panel. As a result of this unfair bet, McMurphy wins money from the other men, but loses much of their faith in him (256-257). However, McMurphy eventually regains their trust and the inmates join him in the big party on the ward. Because the party involves breaking hospital rules, the inmates are forced into a situation in which they will have to defend themselves. This is McMurphy's final attempt at leading the inmates to their freedom. As a result of all his efforts to help them, he has become worn-out, both physically and emotionally. Taking on the responsibility for the other patients has drained McMurphy of all his vibrancy and individuality; however, it is almost as if his liveliness has been transferred into the souls of the inmates. Just as in the law of the conservation of energy (energy can neither be created nor destroyed), McMurphy's vitality must be sapped in order to give the other patients life. In effect, McMurphy has sacrificed his own sanity to make the others sane. The final conflict between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy occurs when McMurphy attacks her and reveals her sexuality by uncovering her large breasts(305). McMurphy is taken away to be given a lobotomy 3/4 a surgical operation in which a lobe of the brain, usually the frontal lobe, is cut out for the treatment of psychoses 3/4 but Nurse Ratched no longer has control over the other patients. By concealing her womanly nature, she has been able to have power over the inmates. To them, Nurse Ratched previously symbolized the cold, unfeeling, and mechanized nature of the hospital; by revealing her womanhood, this facade is destroyed and the men realize her weakness. Now, although she defeats McMurphy physically, he has actually won the battle because the other patients are able to escape. In order to ensure the Nurse's overall defeat, Chief Bromden proceeds in the mercy killing of McMurphy. His death finalizes the transference of his spirit into the other patients; consequently, this allows for the complete liberation of all the inmates. Using the Chief as the narrator of the novel, as opposed to McMurphy, allows the reader to examine McMurphy's actions as being heroic, not mere braggadocio. Chief Bromden, through his behind-the-scenes analysis of everything that occurs in the ward, is able to portray McMurphy's saga much more subtly than if McMurphy had been the narrator. By using the Chief's point of view, Kesey enables the reader to see a patient (severely weakened by the hospital's control over his individuality) eventually cured through the persistence of another patience to make him realize his true self. Because Kesey does such an effective job in creating the Chief's schizophrenic state early in the story, the reader is able to see him slowly regain his sense of identity and thus one can truly understand the significance of McMurphy's help in changing him. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest should definitely be included in a list of works of high literary merit. It's message of fighting for individuality and self-expression is portrayed with immense skill. Kesey's willingness to experiment with the revolutionary style of writing in an altered state of consciousness should be highly regarded. This novel is a symbol of the 1960's counterculture and should be considered a classic of its time. Not only were its issues important during its own decade, but many are still relevant today. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\DomesticViolence.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Domestic Violence Domestic Violence towards women is a problem in the United States that is usually over looked and almost always not noticed by Society today. Violence is defined by the Riverside Webster's Dictionary (p.755) as: 1. Physical force employed so as to damage or injure. 2. As an instance of violent action. If this is the case than why is it that so many women are beaten by loved ones each year and little or nothing is done to correct this violent and hostile situation? In this paper I will attempt to answer this question along will a slue of others which pl aque women in these war zones each day. "The battered women is pictured by most people as a small, fragile, haggard person who might once have been pretty. She has several small children, no job skills, and is economically dependent on her husband. It is frequently assumed that she is poor and from a minority group. She is accustomed to living in violence, and her fearfulness and passivity are emphasized above all. Although some battered women do fit this description, research proves it to be false stereotype.''(Walker p.18) In fact most batte red women have highly lucrative jobs such as doctors or lawyers, Corporation executives and nurses. Most are heavy set women whose assets are controlled by there husbands and cannot defend themselves physically. Battered women are found in all racial, rel igious and ethical backgrounds as well as age groups and educational levels. ''Who are battered women? If you are a women, there is a 50 percent chance it could be you!''(Walker p.19) Statistical data on battered women is difficult to find because most records are buried in medical records, domestic disturbance calls to the police or the records of social service agencies. During my research I found that characteristics in numerous c ategories for both the batterer and battered were the same. Here is a list of those categories that were the same or in a similar fashion the same for both individuals. Commonly shared characteristics between Battered and Batterer. 1. Has low self-esteem. 2. Believes all myths about battering relationships. 3. Is a traditionalist about the home, strongly believes in family unity and his or her roles in the family unit. As with the women all racial, religious, educational levels equally represent the men, cultures socioeconomic groups. "Batterers typically deny that they have a problem, although they are aware of it; and they become enraged if their women should reveal t he true situation." (Walker p.36) "Researchers Eisenberg and Micklow found 90 percent of the batterers in their study had been in the military. Twenty five percent received dishonorable discharges." (Walker p.37) These are some alarming facts and characteristics about both the battered a nd the batterer. I was unable to collect any data on the cause for this percentage of violence by men of the military. Although it being a school of violence might have some weight on the effects of this violence on women. Some of the reasoning behind the se acts of physical and mental neglect may be societies acceptance of such violence. We as a society are always calling for more violence on television in the theater and on other individuals. We pay for these sorts of entertainment, ask the government to apply force on other nations and as the saying goes "sex and violence sell." It is glorified in all forms of the media. Why do battered women stay with there significant others? The answer has many different angles; some stay for financial reasons others for the traditional reasons. The fact is that they stay, but when is enough? "After you live so many years, and you wak e up one day, and your body has just about had it, you say, 'My God, I just can't take another punch.' That's what happened to me. I just reached a point where I said, 'No more. Nothing is worth it.' I decided I would rather struggle and see if I couldn't make it, so I just up and left, and that's been it." (Langley and Levy p.111) This was the victim of spouse abuse for seventeen years. In another case a women from Maryland described her experience. "Being beaten up is the most degrading, humiliating, cr ushing kind of thing that could happen to a person." (Langley and Levy p.116) in most cases the women feel that they are the ones to blame for there battering and also apologize for being beaten. "A women's decision to stay or go to seek help or suffer in silence is often determined by the frequency of her beatings." (Langley and Levy p.122) When women do come to the end of the line and have finally worked up enough courage to do it, to leave the one she loves so dear where does she go? Well I would like to tell you that she calls for help via the police or local athorities and receives the compassion and understanding that she so deserves and needs in this time of uncertainty and doubt. But, all too often she is meet with hostility and cynicism. "Usually, the police, attorneys, prosecutors, public defenders, and even judges feel they should not get involved in so called family problems." (Langley and Levy p.153) One Detroit police officer is even quoted as saying, "there are no rewards for refereeing a family fight." (Langley and Levy p.153) One of the problems is the offense can be both criminal and civil matters. There are in fact only three states that have l aws that deal directly with spouse abuse, California, Hawaii, and Texas which make it an automatic felony for a husband to beat his wife. The system however does not work in the favor of the battered but rather in the favor of the batterer. "Assault is a crime in every state. Since wife beating is a form of assault, then wife beating is a crime in every state. In practice, however, wife beating is not treated as a crime but as a civil matter. Prosecutors deliberately look the other way even when a man adm its to wife beating." (Langley and Levy p.154) When the judicial system fails to help the abused, the abused must turn elsewhere. Places such as crisis centers, church, or shelters. But in many places there are no such places or organizations to help the abused, then the abused must depend on communi ty help as well as family and friends to help. Mostly with support groups and just by giving the abused the compassion and support once sot by the abused in the judicial system. One example of this disappointment in the system was found in the Detroit Free Press, in an article headlined " Emergency Number Still Has Kinks," reported: " near-breathless women, beaten by her husband, dialed 911 to ask for police assistance. 'Does he have a weapon?' the operator asked. " She answered he did not. "Then I am sorry. We won't be able to help you,' the operator said to the dismayed women." (Langley and Levy p.160) This lack of confidence in the judicial system in return sends women a message of desperation, fear and frustration. Many women in turn take the law into there own hands, in a study done by the U.S Department of Justice between 1987 and 1991. "Approximate ly one in four attacks involved the use of a gun or knife, according to the study. Young, black and Hispanic women were especially vulnerable, as were poor single women with low education levels who lived in inner cities. The findings were drawn from more than 400,000 interviews." The Acting Bureau Director Lawrence A. Greenfeld stated that "the number of women attacked by spouses, former spouses, boyfriends, parents or children is more than 10 times higher than the number of males attacked by such people ." It is clear to me that all of us living in this great nation need to join hands in the fight against Domestic Violence in the home, not just against women but children and men as well. But for the purpose of this paper I would like to focus mainly on the women of the American household. We as a society should take action and compose social as well as political laws to rectify this situation. There are no set standards, in fact police officers are told to not arrest in cases of domestic violence calls. The reasoning is once again the civil matter of domestic violence being a "family problem". In concluding this simply alarming and terrifyingly eye opening subject matter I would like to suggest five areas in which we as a society and human beings could help in altering the violence. Not just on women but on women, children and minorities as w ell. 1. The expression of violence is most commonly seen in the context of relationships 2. Current policies to address personal violence are outdated and superficial. 3. Violence does not effect everyone equally-it is ingrained in cultural expressions of power and inequality. 4. Prevention of violence entails on the positive in the context of the relationships, not just focusing on individual weaknesses or deviance. 5. Youth are important resources and are part of the solution. I strongly believe in these five seemingly simply and yet necessary areas. Not as a way of solving the domestic problems of society today but as a way of depleting the number of cases of domestic violence each year until a suitable set of guidelines or st andards can be developed. Works Cited U.S Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Box 6000 Rockville, Maryland 20850 David A. Wolfe Christine Wekerle Katreena Scott Alternatives to Violence Empowering Youth to Develop Healthy Relationships Sage Publications 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 Evan Stark, Ph.D., M.S.W. Anne Flitcraft, M.D. Women At Risk Domestic Violence and Women's Health Sage Publications 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 Roger Langley Richard C. Levy Wife Beating: The Silent Crisis A Sunrise Book E.P. Dutton 201 Park Avenue South New York, N.Y. 10003 Lenore E. Walker The Battered Women Harper & Row, Publishers New York, Hagerstown, San Francisco, London f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Dorko the story.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ One day, Dorko walks into a popular fast food joint for no other reason than that is where his feet took him. Taking haphazard bites from other customer's food, he crookedly makes his way to the line at a cash register. Of course, the act of getting in line was a complete accident. He stares at the menu; he stares at the employees; he stares at a man picking his pockets. "Need help?" start Dorko, "Here, it makes things a lot easier if I just hand you my wallet. Preferably with you holding a gun to my back so as to scare the dickens out of me. But of course, you would be easily caught in a crowded place like this. Would you like to go outside? We can sit around in an alley until it gets dark out. We could stage the perfect act of random violence. Where are you going? Stop running!" Dorko stood in line for about a half hour. Not because of the lunchtime rush, but he just didn't know to move forward. Finally, after a nice shove from an angry customer, Dorko had his chance at the register. "Hello, how are you doing today?" asks Dorko. "You know, it's a funny thing. I was feeling just fine, but now I want to lose my lunch," replies a bald, fat, sorry, weight impaired lady behind the counter. "Well, what will it be?" "What will what be?" "Hello? Are there any connected synapses here? Tradition says that now is the time you tell me what you would like to order. Then I respond by telling you how much money shall exchange hands and you wait for a thumb twiddling long time for us to get your food." Pointing his finger, Dorko says, "Well then I will acquire one of those, that, this, and some of these." Having lost her patience many a minute ago, the lady says, "Look dork, ..." "That's Dorko." Confusion sets in. "Look Dorko Oh, as much as I like to listen to you say completely stupid dialogue, I have a job to do. Now, assuming you can read, look at the menu behind my fat head and tell me what you would like to order. Then if you would like anything taken off the burger, you simply say, for example, 'Minus the onions, please.' Make it fast because there is now a line of about fifty six people behind you." "Thank you very much." Dorko now gets out of line, which circled the building, and found a new spot at the end. An observer would be completely dumbfounded by this act of aimless stupidity, unless this observer knew Dorko, in which this act would not in the least way surprise the person. Well, time passes and Dorko eventually makes his way to the front of the line. "Holy Heaven have mercy," thinks the register lady aloud, "he's back with a vengeance." "Hello amusingly sarcastic lady," says Dorko, "How goes things?" "Hello amusingly moronic idiot. Order or get the heck out of my place of employment." "Since my stomach's arrow is starting to point to 'E', perhaps I will commence the ordering process. Let me take a minute to think this over." Time passes without so much as a breath. Dorko seems to be having a staring contest with the back of his hand. Suddenly Dorko continues the conversation. "...58 ...59 ...60. Okay, where were we? Oh yeah, my order." Let us briefly take a couple seconds out of the main story to notice that Dorko is not wearing a watch nor does he know how to tell time. We will now proceed with the story. Sorry for the inconvenience. "...my order. Secondly, I would like a cheeseburger, minus the cheese and sardines. Finally, you can give me a couple of blits. First, you can give me a large. Well to drink I would like some syrup, with ketchup please." Shaking her head in her hands, almost in tears, the lady says, "Let me get this straight. You want a cheeseburger minus the cheese and sardines, technically a hamburger..." "No I don't like ham, take that off too. And give me eight of them." "...Okay, eight burgers (personally poisoned). Next was the couple of blits?" The lady thinks for a few seconds. "Oh, you mean BLT's. I think I'm starting to figure you out. What's two plus two?" "Green." "I knew you'd say that." The lady cheers up a bit. "For the syrup I'll just give you a Pepsi, practically the same thing. Throw in a couple packets of ketchup and that leaves us with only one problem left. A large what?" "A large what what?" "You said you wanted a large. It has to be a large something." "Thank you." The next minute or so passed in the all too familiar silence that seems to follow many of Dorko's responses. The lady stared at Dorko; Dorko stared at the lady; The lady stared at a man successfully picking Dorko's pockets. She said nothing of the incident and was actually quite happy of its occurrence. "I'll just give you a large fry," said the lady in her "I just give up" tone of voice. She pressed a couple of buttons that would seem Greek to the average person. In fact much of it was not understood by the employees either, only enough to completely screw up even the simplest of orders. "That will be $19.98." "Well, I'm pretty hungry, but I will have to wait it out. See you next year," remarks Dorko. "No, that was the price, not the ye...," started the lady, quickly realizing the uselessness of an explanation, and stopped mid-word." The lady got really mad and reached into Dorko's back pocket. Dorko just watched as the lady took a $20.00 bill out of his wallet and gave him his food. As he walked to the eating place he suddenly realized he had to go to the restroom. On his return back dorko left the buger joint for geting all about his food. When Dorko sat down in his car he felt like he was sitting on something. He got out and to his surprize there was nothing on his seat! "Well", said Dorko, "I guess it was my imagination". He got into his car and drove a mile down the road. Dorko stopped right in the middle of the road because it still was bothering him. He grabbed his back pocket and realized there was a ring in his back pocket. "How did this get her?", Dorko said (it really slipped of the lady's finger when she got his money out). Dorko liked it a lot! When he put it on his finger all of a sudden everything began to be clear to him. "Oh my!" yelled Dorko. I'm parked in the middle of the road! Dorko emediately got into his car and drove home. When he got home Dorko found three robbers taking all of his things. Dorko yelled extremely loud "STOP" peacing the ears of the robbers. Out of sheer fight the three robbers ran. Dorko was truly amazed he wondered if he was the son of Super Man or something. So, Dorko decided to change his name to Super Man Jr. and fight crime! For years Super Man Jr. stopped bad guys and sent them to jail. He loved his job and everyone loved him. He used his super psychic ability to send mopha members to jail with little or no evidence (everyone believed in Super Man Jr.). f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE In the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by R. L Stevenson, a story of mischief and selfishness occurs. It's like this, there is a man called Dr. Jekyll he doesn't like who he is so one day he thinks of a potion that makes his good part split away from his bad part. That is when Mr. Hyde comes into the picture, he is the bad part of Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Hyde likes to party have a good time and cares less about others, but Dr. Jekyll is a caring Doctor whom everybody adores and loves. Mr. Hyde gets himself into a lot of trouble in this story for example he gets a man killed and pushes down little girls for fun Mr. Utterson, a lawyer and a friend of Dr. Jekyll's, finds something peculiar about Dr. Jekyll and decides to keep a close watch on him. One day the potion stops working for Dr. Jekyll and he can't turn back into himself , he stays in the body of Mr. Hyde, the dreadful, ugly, little midget whom nobody likes. He decides to hide in his study upstairs and tells his servants that he is really sick and contagious and tells them to stay away from the study where hopefully nobody will see him. The only source of communication is the notes he writes to his servants. One day Mr. Utterson and the servant break down the door of the study to find out if it really is Dr. Jekyll in that room. To their surprise it is Mr. Hyde with a bottle of poison. He had committed suicide before they had a chance to break down the door to the study. The book ends when Mr. Utterson reads a letter which says "only to be read when Dr. Jekyll is deceased" When he opened it, it had a precise explanation of who Mr. Hyde really was and how everything happened. R L Stevenson's novel is amazing. The reason being is the explanations he uses like "the dreadful face of Hyde put shivers down my spine". Stevenson really gave me a mental picture of a beast and how Mr. Utterson must have felt the first time he saw Mr. Hyde. This novel really reminds me of the time when I was playing a game on my computer with all these monsters and images of death and hatred. I remember it being about 10:00 p.m. at night when a thunder storm broke out. I paused and felt the shivers going through my spine and out through my feet. I was horrified I immediately shut off my computer and hid under my covers. I felt like I was being attacked by some beast who had some kind of hatred for me, and took joy in it. I never played that game again, it was to real to be true. The concerns that arose from this book were: what if it was really possible to split the good and the bad, how would the world be? Would the bad be killing the good or the other way around? Would the society turn all bad and have nothing but hatred in this world? That is how I sometimes feel when I see the hatred going on in our society? Why can't we just get along with each other. It wouldn't be that hard. If there wouldn't be any racism around I estimate that there would be about 30% less hatred in this world . If I only had one wish in this world I wouldn't wish for gold or a nice car, I would wish for peace and caring in this world, because in the long run with no hatred everybody would have everything like nice cars or lot's of money Love equals sharing. Through this book I made a very important decision, I will try to be nicer to people because I really do think that it all pays off in the end. I would really recommend this novel to people who like mystery and suspense novels, I really enjoyed this novel. It is also fun to read. In a way I could compare myself to Dr. Jekyll, because I sometimes really do get tired of who I am. I wish I could be older and do what I want to do without first asking permission from my parents. I wish that I was better in math and that I could do equations in my head without any difficulties. In a way I can achieve all of that if I work harder for example on my math. In conclusion, in the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, mischief and selfishness occurs which gets a young gentleman, by the name of Mr. Jekyll, in lot's of trouble. If there would be more people like Dr. Jekyll in this world, this place would be a total disaster. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\DRAFT1Consent Form.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Consent Form for Community Adults You are being invited to participate in a study entitled ********* ***** that is being conducted by Colleen Shepherd. Colleen Shepherd is a Graduate Student in the Department of Education and Leadership Studies, Faculty of Education, at the University of Victoria. You may contact her if you have further questions by calling (250) 472-5761 or by email: colleen_shepherd@hotmail.com. As a graduate student, I am required to conduct research as part of the requirements for a degree in Leadership Studies. It is being conducted under the supervision of Dr. Carol Harris. You may contact my supervisor at 250-721-7823 or by email: harrisce@uvic.ca. This research is part of a larger study being conducted in your community by Dr. Harris called Educational Restructuring in Coastal Communities: Principles, Policies and Practices. Research of this type is important to coastal communities that have experienced a major downturn in their resource based economies. Job losses, growing unemployment and Provincial Government cuts to key social programs, are seriously straining family and community resources. During these challenging times, community schools have continued to operate breakfast and lunch programs with funding from the BC's Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). However, proposed changes to the MCFD's School Based Funding policies mean that school meal programs may be eliminated or seriously reduced in the 2003/ 2004 school year. In this context, it is important to examine the perceived significance of school meal programs to students, educators and community schools. This research will help schools to identify and articulate key issues related to school meal programs and their proposed changes, and to plan more effectively about how to respond to such changes. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceived significance of provincially funded school meal programs in two coastal community schools. My objective is to understand more fully what funded school meal programs mean to the daily lived experiences of students, educators, administrators and community support workers. You have been selected to take part in this study for your first-hand knowledge about provincially funded school meal programs in your community school, and for your direct involvement with students who access those programs, and/or their families. If you agree to voluntarily participate in this research, your participation will include a personal interview and checking over your interview transcript. Most meetings between the researcher and the participants will be on an individual basis. It is also possible that you will be invited to participate in a focus group. Should you volunteer to join a focus group it will involve a group discussion with three or more people. Focus groups allow you to share your ideas and opinions with other community members. One disadvantage of the focus group is that others hear what you say. Your identity, therefore, is no longer anonymous (that is, others know that you have taken part in the interview), nor your words confidential (that is others will hear what you have to say). For that reason focus groups will be conducted in neither anonymity nor confidentiality. Focus groups will be held at the school or at another commonly accessible meeting place in the community. Participation in this study may cause some inconvenience to you, including the time involved in conversation(s) with the researcher, and in reviewing the interview transcripts for accuracy. The conversations will take approximately 1 hour of your time, and the review of the transcripts another 1/2 hour. If you are involved in a focus group it may take up to 2.5 hours; participants will be free to leave whenever they desire. The researcher will provide healthy refreshments at all focus group sessions. The identity of participants and places will be protected by code names and all conversations will be held in strict confidence (with tapes and transcripts locked in the researcher's office filing cabinet). As a result, I do not anticipate that there will be risks to the participants. If any participant senses risk, he or she may withdraw from the study at any time, and without negative consequences of any kind. Participation in this study is completely voluntary, and participants may withdraw from the study at any time without negative consequence. If you choose to do so, and wish your data to be withdrawn as well, the data will be destroyed. That is, the information you give will not be used as data in my study unless you give your permission that it may be included. In order to assure myself that you are continuing to give your consent to participate in this research, I will ask you if you are still willing to participate in this study. All information will be held in strict confidentiality. Participants will meet with the researcher in a place of their choosing. The audio-tapes of interviews will be kept in a securely locked filing cabinet in the researcher's home. Each tape, once transcribed, will be erased. The transcripts themselves - using code names for participants - will be shredded within five years of the completion of the study. The data will be used to write a Masters Thesis for the Faculty of Education and Leadership Studies at the University of Victoria. When completed, the thesis will be housed in the University library for public viewing. Summary findings from this study will be reported directly to you, the participants, and in the university setting as a formal Thesis document and in class presentations. In addition, it is possible that findings will be disseminated at educational conferences and at scholarly meetings. In addition to being able to contact the researcher or her supervisor Dr. Carol Harris at the above phone numbers, you may verify the ethical approval of this study, or raise any concerns you might have, by contacting the Associate Vice-President, Research at the University of Victoria (250-472-4362). Your signature below indicates that you understand the above conditions of participation in this study and that you have had the opportunity to have your questions answered by the researchers. Name of Participant Signature Date A copy of this consent will be left with you, and a copy will be taken by the researcher. DRAFT ONLY 1 Page 1 of 2 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\DraftFinal3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Home Support: An Overview "Home Support" (now called "Community Health Work") refers to one aspect of Home Care--"health and social services designed to support those who are ill, disabled or dying to live at home or their residence of choice" (MacAdam). Home support complements nursing and therapeutic services, and is usually carried out by non-professionals with a range of skills and education. Such services include: personal care such as assistance with toileting (peri care), bathing, getting up and dressed, and returning to bed, housekeeping, meal preparation, laundry, assistance with shopping or errands and help with medications. Home support may also include companioning and respite for family caregivers. Policy Environment of Employment and Work in the Home Support Sector One cannot discuss the labour market for the Home Support sector without discussing the "politics" of Home Care. Decisions and policies created by government have a direct bearing on the number of home support jobs there are in the regulated system. * Both Provincial and Federal governments have created formal policies and informal practices that seek to replace acute care recovery and residential long term care with "home care", of which home support is an integral part. * There is no National Home Care policy and "Home Care" is not covered under the Canada Health Act, and so its funding through Federal Transfer Payments is not guaranteed, even though it is seen as "the future of Health Care". * Recent Provincial policies have sought to place home care as a "complement to" family care-giving. The subtext to this is an assumption that the presence of family equates with that family's ability to give care-an idea that ignores the reality for many families. Funding available for Home Care has remained static over recent years, while the population has aged and grown more frail, increasing the client load. Public funding is administered by: LongTerm Care, Ministry of Children and Families, Department of Veterans Affairs Canada, WCB, ICBC The British Columbia Ministry of Health Planning is currently engaged in an exercise to develop a 10 year "rolling" plan to ensure adequate Health Human Resource staffing. This planning includes Home Support. A History of Home Support in the Capital Region Home Support in the Capital Region began during the 1970's as a community based voluntary movement. It quickly grew in scope with community groups and individuals creating non-profit mechanisms for providing service. During the 1980's, there was a period of great expansion that saw the establishment of many local for-profit home support agencies-often arising out of the mushrooming case-load of a single freelance home support worker. It was also during this decade that credentialling of the work began with the introduction of a Provincial training curriculum. Multinational home support agencies began to move into the area about this time, and workers began a drive to unionize. Public Sector Funding was plentiful, with the Ministry of Health, through the department of Long Term Care subsidizing the provision of a wide range of services to many people. Clients were able to choose the agency that would provide their care. With financial retrenchment in the 1990's, the Ministry of Health reorganized by establishing Health Regions and Authorities throughout the province. Regionalization had the unforeseen negative effect of reducing "portability" for clients-particularly adults with physical disabilities. Now, if a young disabled adult who was receiving service in Vancouver wished to move to Victoria (for a job, or to study) s/he had to be re-assessed by the long term care office in the new authority, before being able to acquire service. In the Capital Regional District, until 2002, the health authority was the Capital Health Region, which governed a geographic area stretching north of Greater Victoria to Port Renfrew, including the Saanich Peninsula and the Southern Gulf-Islands, administered all health-related programs including home support. The CHR instituted a local "mini-regionalization" of home support services, in which every three years, agencies bid for a service contract with CHR in a particular geographical area. The contract is only awarded to agencies with certified, unionized staff. Only one agency in each area could provide service funded by CHR . Clients could no longer choose their home support agency. The number of home support agencies shrank. (exact #s coming) Around 1995, in order to reduce expenditure, CRH instituted new eligibility rules for clients and a "priority screening system" to streamline the assessment process. These innovations reduced the number of clients in the CHR from 7800 in 1995 to 3000 today. Now, it is only the "oldest old" (85+) and the most at risk who are assured of service. Many elderly people who identify themselves as needing home support are not able to access services they can afford. * Priority Screening Tool: In the early 1990's, all potential clients were referred to a case manager, who made a home visit to assess their needs and eligibility. By seeing the potential in their home, the case manager could get a clear sense of their support systems, quality of food and ability to cope with basic living tasks. The priority screening tool now in use is administered by a clerk over the phone, and awards points for various "conditions of risk". It is up to clients to clearly state their difficulties in order to achieve a high score. As the natural tendency of most people is to minimize their needs, many people who would have been found elibigible by a home visit, are screened out by the tool. This includes many people with variable conditions such as Parkinsons, and MS, as well as those with head injuries, who may misunderstand the questions put to them. * Eligibility Rules: Essentially, the definition of "need" has changed. During the early 1990's home support cleaning services were seen as "needed" to prevent more rapid deterioration of health. Since 1995 "need" has been increasingly defined in terms of risk management-prevention of falls in the bathtub, for example. The risk of eventually getting sick from living in unhygienic conditions is seen as less pressing than the risk of an immediate hip-breaking fall. Someone with the former is unlikely to get service, while someone with the latter most likely will. For this reason, the type of services offered have been reduced to personal care, help with medications and other "home nursing" tasks. Although some cleaning services are in some circumstances included as part of the personal care service, this is now defined as "risk management" cleaning-spills, bathrooms, removal ofrotting food in fridge and (sometimes) vacuuming. Such cleaning occurs as part of a whole care plan only if there is no other way of getting it done, ie.volunteers, family. Similarly, meal preparation is only provided under certain conditions. Increasingly, clients are encouraged to use alternate food services such as Meals on Wheels-an expensive option to some, such as MS clients on Disability 1. * Hours Cap: Reduction in service has also been achieved through capping the number of hours for which can client can be eligible for service per month. Currently 120 hours is the maximun allowable, except in the case of someone requiring Palliative Care in the home-these clients are eligible for 24 hour care for one month. In January of 2000 the Ministry of Health reduced the number of Health Authorities in the province. CHR was replaced by the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA), which oversees all of Vancouver Island and part of the Central Coast. VIHA currently carries a deficit of $70 Million. A Sector Defined The Home Support Marketplace: Three Sectors in One The Home Support market place can be divided into 3 sections- * public, or government funded (actually a combination of client share, based on tax returns and government subsidy) sector in which standards of service are regulated * private, unregulated sector, in which fees for service are paid directly by clients or their families. * "no service" sector in which reside people desiring home support who are unable, for various reasons, to access it. Public Sector In the Public sector, home support services are subsidized or paid outright by the Ministry of Health, through the authority of Continuing Care, administered by VIHA. Other government ministries, such as the B.C. Ministry of Children and Families and Department of Veteran's Affairs Canada, WCB and ICBC may also pay for home support services. Most clients pay a portion of the service cost, determined by income. Approx. 30% of total agency revenues are client portion. In the Capital Regional District, the cases of approximately 3000 home support clients are governed by VIHA, which carries out administration. * Clients contact a single entry point * Priority screening program calculates various risk and income factors, score on this program determines eligibility for home support services * If a client is eligible, a VIHA Case Manager visits him or her at home and determines the type and extent of service required, and then contracts with a designated home support agency to provide that service. * In some cases the Case Manager may decide that the client is eligible for the Community Supports for Independent Living program. The client then will receive a lump sum payment and negotiate his/her own contracts for service. * Client is liable for part of payment-share determined by previous year's income. Costs of care for people receiving assistance are fully subsidized. * If a client is not eligible s/he may be referred to the private sector to make his or her own arrangements. * Funding to agencies is attached to clients as billable hours. Home support is costed as an hourly fee for service. In addition to paying the community health worker for services to clients, this fee also covers a portion of salary for nurse supervisors, schedulers, and other office staff, as well as inservice training, CPP, EI, insurance and health benefits. Public Sector employers include contracted non-profit and for-profit Home Support Agencies, Supportive Living Projects, other experimental service delivery methods, and clients on the Community Supports for Independent Living (CSIL) program. Except for the CSIL clients, these are unionized workplaces, and workers must have recognized Home Support/ Resident Care Attendant training. Services provided include: - Personal care - Housecleaning: if part of care plan or care-giver respite if funded by Dept. Veteran's Affairs - Food preparation only may be offered if there is a reason (ie. mentally ill person not eating) but usually it is part of whole care plan. - Overnight childcare to families in crises - Assistance with children who have special needs - Supervised access to children. - Household management life skills, Home support Agencies bid for the VIHA contract every three years. Contract requirements are price, accessibility, safety, continuity of care. The Supportive Living projects are contracted separately, and Community Supports for Independent Living (C.S.I.L) funding goes directly to the client, who hires independently. Private Sector In the Private Sector, home support services are paid for directly by the clients or their families or, in some cases, ICBC or WCB. Although clients rejected by VIHA may be referred to a list of service providers, generally people seeking home support services from the private sector must do their own leg-work. Telephone directories, service directories such as that compiled by Seniors Serving Seniors, S.W.A.P. ,(UVIC) and other volunteer agencies, Newspaper advertisements, word of mouth and lists held by Hospital Liason nurses and other health professionals all may be examined in order to find the desired help. The Employers in this sector include for profit agencies and freelance home support workers. "No Service" Sector At present, anecdotal evidence from interviews suggests that there is a large population of potential clients who are unable to access home support services. While the size of this group is uncertain, Hollander (Evaluation of the Maintenance and Preventive Function of Home Care), reports that 532 people who were receiving home support were cut from "low level" service in 1995. 7,367 continued to receive service at that time. Since then, however, estimates indicate that numbers of clients receiving service have declined to the present level of approximately 3,000. This loose estimation suggests that a pool of about 4000 people including the "young elderly", people with MS and Parkinson's, people with care givers at home, the head injured, younger adults with disabilities and dependent children over 19 years would benefits from some form of home support-probably at the lower levels--, housekeeping, laundry, assistance with shopping or errands, and companion services. Clients-A Snapshot Clients for home support vary from very frail elderly people in their nineties, to middle aged people with chronic diseases such as MS, to adults of any age with disabilities such as paraplegia, quadriplegia, or brain injury. Clients present a mix of challenges, including hearing, sight, speech and cognitive deficits associated with ageing as well as physical disabilities. Clients currently receiving home support in the private or public sector break down as follows. A B C D E F G H I J frail 50% 90% 90% 95% 95% 100%/85% 5% 75% 10% elderly 85-90% 90% 90% 95% 95% 85% 95% 100% 50% 65% disabled 16/340 5% 2%? .5% 0 10% 0 25% 10% HIV/AIDS) 1-2% n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 10% 0 palliative 96/340 2-3clients n/a 6% 30%/95 5-10% 10-15% 10% Dementia 165/340 20%/90% n/a 0 45-50% 15%/95% 50% 10% mentally ill 1-2% 2-3clients 7% .5% 0 15-20% 0 2/45 5% In our survey of clients we came up with the following "snapshot"; 70% of those currently not receiving service felt they needed home support. 62.5% of those receiving subsidized support, felt they needed more-mostly cleaning services. Shaded areas in the table below indicate clients who feel they need more support. 100% of these wanted housecleaning services such as vacuuming, kitchen and bathroom cleaning, laundry, etc. Need for Support 37% Paying Privately 33% Subsidized Support 20% No Support 10% Both* 62.5% 70% *Receiving subsidy and paying for extra Hours per Week Needed 43% need 1-3 hours per week 20% need 3-5hours/wk 5-7 hours/wk 7-10 hours/wk Ability to Pay 48.9% can pay for support * 75% can pay $10-15/hr 25% can't pay *As this percentage includes those already paying privately, it is believed to be higher than the population at large. HOME SUPPORT SERVICES DESIRED AS REPORTED BY CLIENTS, WORKERS, COMMUNITY AGENCIES, H.S. AGENCY MANAGERS Clients, workers, directors of community client groups, managers of home support agencies and focus group participants were asked about what services and quality of service clients require. People responded as per the chart below. Clients Community Agencies Workers H.S. Managers TASKS Cleaning-vacuuming, laundry, refridgerators, stoves, kitchens and bathrooms. Companioning to Dr., shopping, appointments Food Preparation Poratable physical assistance with daily living at home (including cleaning) and in the community. Food preparation Housekeeping Yard work, home maintenance, respite, transportation, handyman, assistance to dr. appt., housekeeping, time to do extra-walks, companioning, business and dr. visits. Activation QUALITY Continuity of Worker Currently we "never know who's coming in" Time to form relationship with worker. Relaxed Pace Continuity of Worker Accessible to those not now elibigible or who have trouble accessing. Time to form relationship with worker. Relaxed Pace Continuity of Worker Relaxed Pace Continuity SERVICES Information DataBase linking clients with those needing work Affordable House-cleaning Affordable Housecleaning Database listing housing, home support agencies and freelancers available. Community Health Workers: a job profile The Nature of Community Health Work On any given day, the Community Health Worker will be required to work with clients with some form of dementia (mild to severe), clients who are dying, and clients with varying degrees of physical disability. About half of workers surveyed report working with clients who have auto-immune disease such as HIV/AIDS. There is also some likelihood of being obliged to work in situations involving drug resistant bacteria of various types. The overwhelming mass of community health work is in personal care. This means that the community health worker helps the client get up from bed, bathe or shower and dress, get ready for their day, and then, later, get ready for bed at night. Much of this work will involve heavy lifts, and single person transfer protocols. A wide range of other tasks can be required of workers as well, including respite care, helping parents with special needs children, assisting with physiotherapy, "task 2" work such as helping with medications, ostomy care and catheter care. For some Community Health Workers housecleaning is also an important part of the work. In our survey of workers, over half the respondents indicated that they do housecleaning as well, as part of the care plan. Best practices for home support suggest that care should "foster independence" of the client. This means allowing the client to do as much for him or her self as possible. Due to reductions in service hours, workers often find themselves having to rush through the care they provide. Thus, the client is deprived of opportunities for promoting independence-It's just quicker for the worker to put Mrs. Brown's sweater on for her than stand by while she does it herself. Both clients and workers are shortchanged. The client's capacity is gradually undermined, and the worker is stressed by having to provide less than optimal care. Working conditions vary greatly from home to home. Personality differences, health differences, even income differences can make two identical seeming care plans for giving a bath, in fact be completely different work experiences. Given the varied conditions of homes, equipment and the dynamics of the client's family, the Community Health Worker needs to be very flexible, able to problem solve without supervision and treat each client individually. Some workers note that, due to the isolated nature of the job, Community Health Work is actually more difficult and demanding than it's "Residential Care" counterpart. The Community Health Worker can be an important monitor of a client's state of health. Daily contact allows a worker to note gradual changes in the client's condition that could otherwise be missed. Unfortunately the current system does not take full advantage of this. Community Health Workers are not formally seen as part of the health care team around a client, and therefore are kept "out of the loop" regarding client health status and planning of care. In our survey we found that once workers are established in regular positions for more than 3 years, they show a remarkable stability-staying in the same agency for up to 20 years. The largest number of workers surveyed worked 25-30 hours per week. Most of these workers wanted more hours. Of 49 responding, 26 workers listed "helping or making a difference to people" as the thing they liked best about home support as a job. A further 17 said they liked meeting and learning from people. Of 19 "final comments" in the survey, 15 dealt with some aspect of client wellbeing. It is clear that community health workers appear to be motivated by altruism in their choice of career. Although Community Health Workers receive a training certificate, there is no industry wide set of "declared competencies", no licensing procedure or regulating body governing the sector. This contributes to a low status image for workers in this field. Jobs in Home Support: Community Health Worker 1 * "Home Support/ Resident Care Attendant" (H.S.R.C.A.) ticket not required * duties primarily cleaning * expected salary--$10/hr Community Health Worker 2 * "Home Support/ Resident Care Attendant" (H.S.R.C.A.) ticket required * personal care (toiletting, bathing, shaving, brushing teeth, hair care) * assisting with dressing * assisting with transfers from bed to chair, chair to standing * assisting with walking * meal preparation* * company for walks, assistance with shopping, visits to health clinics, etc.* * expected salary $13 (private) $15.10-$18 (bcgeu) * Private sector only. The private sector does not differentiate between Community Health worker 1 &2. Working conditions vary greatly depending on whether one is a unionized regular worker, a unionized casual worker, a non-union worker, or a freelance worker. In the Unionized sector, a newly hired worker usually begins as a Casual worker, providing service to new clients. Unionized Casual Workers: * H.S.R.C.A. certification or equivalent required. * Wage starts at $15.10 per hour * Usually work a low number of hours per week-20 or less. * Works 1-3 hr. blocks with each client, often with long breaks between clients. * Because they have no seniority, casual workers are frequently "bumped" from clients when the agency needs to protect the stability of the hours of a more senior regular worker. (When the client of a regular worker goes into hospital, the agency must find other hours to fill in for that worker-those hours come at the expense of the casual worker) If a casual worker is able to maintain 15-20 hrs/wk over a 3 month period, those hours become "regular" hours and the casual becomes a "regular". Union members note that the key for casual workers is to limit their availability hours to peak times. * Are not given advance notice of their schedule. * Show the highest turnover rate within the industry. In constant demand, they are also constantly leaving the sector due to unstable and low numbers of work- hours. Unionized regular workers: * Must have H.S.R.C.A. certification or equivalent. * Earn a good salary, starting at $15.10 per hour. * Earn seniority based upon their years of service. The more seniority a worker has, the more stable their hours of work are per week. * Are guaranteed a range of hours per week-15-20, 20-25, 25-30, 30-35, 35-40. Most workers in our survey fell into a range between 25 and 35 hours per week. * Work 1-3 hr. blocks with each client, often with long breaks between clients. * Are committed to be available for work over a ten-hour period, known as the 10 hr window. This doesn't mean that they will be paid for ten hours of work-it just means they must be available. Frequently a worker only gets 6 hours of paid work during this time. The 10 hr. window makes for a very long day for workers. * Receive advance warning of their scheduled hours. Non-union workers: * Do not always require certification. Life experience is more likely to count in getting hired. * Receive lower wages than unionized workers-usually in the $11-$13 range. * Work 1-3 hr. blocks with each client, often with long breaks between clients. Freelance Workers: Anecdote suggests that there is a pool of freelance home support workers who do a full range of tasks. The size of this population, its training, wages or working conditions are unknown. * Must make their own contacts with clients, through newspapers, notice boards, home-support lists kept by some community agencies, hospitals, etc. * Must pay their own CPP, EI, Insurance and benefits. * Can set own wages on a case-by-case basis with clients. * Can schedule their own time Values Continuity of Care: Affordable Housecleaning Home Support: Work Access And Infrastructure Unions Since the mid 1980's, Public Sector home support has been strongly unionized. Overwhelmingly BCGEU is the largest, but BCNU and UFCW are also involved. Home support agencies in the Public sector are all covered under the same master collective agreement. This agreement: * Changed the name of position from "Home Support Worker" to "Community Health Worker" * Has brought community health workers to near wage parity with residential care attendants* * Workers in theory are guaranteed a set number of hours of work per week. Staff is classified as "regular" or "casual", and workers are locked in to a range of hours per week-15-20, 20-25, 25-30, 30-35, 35-40. * Commits regular workers to be available for work during a "ten hour window" during which time they can be called and scheduled for work. This provision, intended as a way of protecting workers from split shifts and long days, and ensuring that agencies had a sufficient pool of available workers, is quite controversial as the chart below illustrates. Stakeholder Pro Con Agencies The window times can be adjusted to meet worker needs (ie. window from 3am to 1pm) to accommodate someone who only wants to work mornings. Schedulers find life easier with 10 hr. window Is making it difficult to make job attractive. Hrs. come at the same times of day -tons of workers working small numbers of hours. Staff have difficulty of adapting to 10 window Availability rules make it very difficult to hang on to casual workers. Earlier agreement gave staff more flexibility Workers Get more hours of work/see more clients The 10 hr window gives breaks between clients which help us to attend to chores and appointments. Better than having to work 12, 14 or 24 hours like in the "old days"-you know the time you are to be available. You can see one client twice in a day Makes for a very long day, contributes to burn out. Long breaks between clients in which to do nothing but wait. Having to be available for 10 hours but only getting paid for 4, 6 or 8 isn't fair. Long breaks create split shifts Doesn't leave enough work-hours for those with less seniority. Advantage is to the agency only Clients Home support workers are disempowered * Guarantees scheduling on the basis of seniority. Regular workers and workers with seniority are given preference in scheduling. If the client of a regular worker is hospitalized, the agency is committed to "make up" the lost hours to the regular worker with hours with another client. Usually this means that another worker with less seniority loses hours. It also means that the client's continuity of care is jeopardized. This seniority provision is also controversial, as the chart below indicates stakeholder Pro Con Agencies . Creates more workers going to the same clients, disrupts the clients service. It is very difficult to maintain continuity and stay within collective agreement Workers Senior workers get more consistent hours. If a worker is properly trained and professional, the quality of care should not suffer with lack of worker continuity. Workers should be interchangeable-the important consistency is in the quality of the tasks done, not the relationship. negative effects on clients-they don't necessarily get the most suitable worker not enough hours for casual or more junior workers Clients The new collective agreement has adversely affected quality of care because seniority-scheduling has made continuity uncertain. Clients never know who is coming in. "One case I know of had 200 different workers over a 11/2 year period. huge problem is getting and keeping someone who is good. old people definitely need consistency-especially those with cognitive and visual impairment. Of 50 Community Health Workers surveyed, 34 commented positively on the collective agreement, citing wages and benefits, protection of workers, seniority, job security and parity with facility wages as the main benefits. 27 negative comments about the agreement included specifics of the agreement, negative effects of seniority policies on clients and casual worker, lack of hours for casual workers, lack of flexibility, scheduling, and a lack of concern for worker well-being. The Employers Publicly Funded Agencies: a shrinking casual workforce Within the CRD, there are 7 home support agencies contracted by VIHA to provide home support services over 9 geographical areas. All agencies are unionized-BCGEU, HEU, UFCW. * 3 are non- profit societies, * 4 are for-profit companies. 2 of these are franchises for multinational chains. * Approximately 1,000 community health workers are employed by these agencies. * Client-Staff ratio is around 3-1 on average. * Charge for service $29.00/hr. Two agencies bill Housecleaning at $20/hr * Community Health worker starting salary is $15.10/hr . Two agencies pay housecleaning at a lower rate of $12.10 * For the most part, all staff do all types of work * About 33% of workers on average are casual workers Agency Regular Casual A 38% (25-30+hr.) 30%(20+hr.) 32%.( 20-35/hr) B 50%- 50% C 59% 24% D 55% 45% E 75%. 25% F 75% 25%-- * Regular workers and workers with seniority are given preference in scheduling. Worker hours and seniority may take precedence over client's wishes when it comes to scheduling services. This preference works against the interests of casual workers and the client's need for continuity of worker. * Demands for service fluctuate as clients come and go. Fluctuations cannot be predicted and so agencies find it hard to plan for recruiting and hiring. Retention of casual workers is adversely affected. * Most agencies report a shrinking payroll over the past few years, which they attribute to the reduction of client hours due to redefinition of client eligibility rules , and the scheduling demands of the collective agreement. Turnover is commonly between 8% and 10% of regular workers. Turnover of casual workers is much higher-50% at some agencies. One manager observed that "casuals leave-people who have been in 2-3 years stay" The main reasons for this is that, due to union seniority rules, casual workers cannot get enough hours. Union members suggest that part of the difficulty lies in casual workers not limiting their availability to peak hours. * Recruitment: Recruiting patterns vary greatly between agencies. Some report recruiting "constantly" or every six weeks, others report recruiting annually or only on an "as needed" basis. Recruiting is usually for casual staff or live in staff only. Recruiting procedures usually involve news ads, word of mouth, posting requirements at Camosun or the University, going through dropped off resumes. One agency recruited by providing their own training (see Training) * Qualifications Required: All staff must have the HSRCA certificate or equivalent.( Care Aide, Old Home Support, LPN, Care Aide, Old Home Support, LPN) There are only a handful of non-certificated staff. These are employees of very long standing, grandfathered from before union agreements. The single exception to this is in the Gulf Islands, where, on the smaller islands untrained people may be hired based on life skills and personality with potential to be trained. One agency has designed a test for those without up to date certificates. * Additional qualifications required: criminal record, bonding, TB check, references, experience,1st aid, Foodsafe, proven ability to communicate well (written and verbal) demonstrated ability to work without supervision, genuine desire to work well with people, flexibility. * In service Training Some agencies provide initial on site training, such as a one day orientation. Most agencies provide some type of in-service training. Each agency has a distinct client constituency determined by the locale they serve. For example, one agency in the downtown core serves many more mental health and family in crisis clients than other agencies. Agencies in rural areas have greater transportation time problems, and greater difficulty in attracting and retaining workers-particularly in remote areas such as the Gulf Islands. Agency managers listed the following as "greatest challenges" in general. * Uncertainty- it is difficult to budget and staff.a service with no waiting list, and a fluctuating demand as well as trying to provide a standard of care under funding restrictions, while costs escalate. * Agencies have responsibility but no power or control in the system. This makes juggling the needs of frailer clients and unionized workers difficult. Greatest challenges in terms of staffing were listed as follows. * An ageing workforce--50% are between 45 and 55. Going to be difficult to get trained people. * Fluctuating need, combined with inflexibility of collective agreement around scheduling. More flexibility would help with worker retention and continuity of care. * Lack of guaranteed hours for casual staff makes it difficult to get and retain trained staff when you need them. * Differences in funding from one Ministry to another can make it difficult to find live in staff. Staffing goals for the near and medium term were listed as follows: * maintain as much continuity of care as possible * to reduce turnover, schedulebest trained senior workers . Important for people to be satisfied with work * replace retiring people * educational sessions, more in services and upgrades, to make certain that there is adequate staffing to deal with holidays and meet needs of agency .more supervisors one on one with workers, in services. Projected Employers: Publicly Funded Supportive Living The goal of the supportive living model is to fill the gap between home and facility; providing housing in which expandable, flexible home support and different levels of care are built-in. It is alternative housing, not a care setting. Clients will be individuals dealing with isolation who need a range of services, including meals, cleaning and activation, andwho cannot afford to live in a private congregate care situation. Social involvement of elderly is very important. The Home Support Worker needs to be a support so that the client can be involved in the community, in social activities-the coming of the home support worker itself should not be the extent of the client's social life. In the literature Assisted Living is defined as "having on site care staff"-VIHA's approach is more flexible because there is already an infrastructure for Home Support. The care is contracted out to a home support agency and the agency does the scheduling. Continuity of care is assured. Unions have indicated a willingness to work with this model. Early projects will use existing home support infrastructure, later ones may have on-site care. (same type of worker, different employer). A projected 600-700 units over 3-5 years are planned including purpose-built stand-alone complexes and existing apartments. VIHA is currently running pilots in two purpose built residences. Luther Court: * At present, 14 apartment units out of 68 are receiving home support in a cluster-care model-number will change over time, as more residents require assistance-up to 20. Service includes expanded supports such as meals, personal care etc. * A primary worker is there all day functioning as an on site co-ordinator. This multi-tasked worker facilitates activities and group meals as well as personal care, and needs a broad skill range including-time management, activation, ability to work to promote independence to maintain client's ability and involvement in the community. * These positions are currently paid at an hourly rate, but could easily become salaried. St. Francis Manor by the Sea * A stand alone complex-12 clients share meals and common areas, have independent rooms. * There are 2 primary day- time home support positions Monday to Friday, and weekend workers-a total of 4-5 workers. VIHA is also running a pilot to explore the utility of cluster care in existing apartments through the James Bay Community Project Supportive Living Pilot * This pilot includes a mix of programs to provide safety, opportunities to socialize, meals and housekeeping/home support in existing housing stock * Home support component will consist of cluster care in high density apartment buildings and neighborhoods. The Employers: C.S.I.L. Publicly Funded Adults with Disabilities A small part of the Public sector for Home Support is the C.S.I.L. program (Community Supports for Independent Living). Under this program, clients eligible for home support (usually adults with disabilities) receive a lump sum payment from the Ministry of Health and contract for their own home support services. After establishing a business committee of 5 to assist them, they hire, train, pay and fire their home support workers privately. In some cases these arrangements contravene the labour code-for example, by requiring the worker to work for only 1 hour at a time. Also, as wages are decided by the client, workers may work more hours for less money per hour than elsewhere in the public sector. Projected Employers: Publicly Funded Personal Assistance Cooperative Society The Personal Assistance Cooperative Society, a consumer co-op, is in the developing stages. Members of this Co-op will be VIHA clients who would normally be on the C.S.I.L. program. workers will be employees, but not members of the co-op. PACS has received a small amount of funding to set up a pilot program in January 2002. * The Coop will consist of several "pods" of 6 or 9 clients. Three clients will share a worker and function as a hiring group. The workers will be familiar with the care plans of 2 or 3 clients in addition to the 3 they usually serve. This will ensure that clients have consistency of care in case of worker illness. * The clients in each pod will have a mix of needs-different hours, different care plans, to help ensure that workers will get enough hours. * PACS will guarantee worker hours, and medical and dental benefits, and will provide in-service training into the subtleties of personal assistance * Workers must have Home-Support / Residential Care Attendant tickets. * PACS hopes to offer services for a financially competitive fee. Private Agencies: a stable part time workforce Within the CRD there are 8 private home support agencies of various sizes, employing approximately 300 people. Some of these agencies are affiliated with residential care homes. These agencies, paid directly by clients, are not bound by VIHA restrictions. Accordingly, they provide a broader range of services beyond personal care-including: house-cleaning, shopping assistance, walks, errands, companionship, appointments, advocacy when families are out of town, moving, consultation with other professionals, transport , respite care, and other tasks that the public sector agencies are not permitted to do. In some cases, these private agencies work in concert with public agencies to provide additional services to subsidized clients. These agencies are mostly non-union workplaces, with the exception of one that is organized by the Christian Labour Association. * Of the four private agencies surveyed, all showed a slightly higher ratio of workers to clients-1:2 in one case. * Fees range from $ 18.50 to $22 per hour. Fees for service at three of these agencies are on a sliding scale, with housecleaning costing less per hour than personal care. (Lowest fees mentioned were $18.25/hr for companion services.) * At some agencies, home support workers are paid according to a scale of wages, depending on the work being done. For example, cleaning is paid at $10/hr, while personal care work receives $12/hr. At other agencies all work receives the same hourly rate * Lower pay than public sector agencies-.($11-$13.50/ hr.) * Workers for these agencies mostly work part-time. Agency Workers Fulltime Parttime G 12 6 ft( 35+hrs. wk) 4pt(15hrs. wk) H 20 4 fulltime, 16 part time I 35 none ft- all pt.- J 5 none all casual. * In contrast to managers of Public agencies, 3 of the four Private agency managers surveyed felt their payroll was staying the same over time, and one anticipated growth. Managers reported staff turn-over rates as very low. A typical comment was "we lost someone last year". Some of the explanations for low turn over include: * (our workers have a) different outlook. They are screened and not in it for money, * People stay a long time. Have had staff for 6-7 years. They are remarkable people-really committed. Workers tell me what they want, I try to give it to them. * They leave (to work at Public agencies) and come back because of seniority issues. They get shitty shifts * Recruitment styles vary, with some agencies "never" recuiting, and some recruiting throughout the year. Several agencies stressed that the matching of worker to client is critical. * Qualifications Required: A Home Support/Resident Care Attendant Ticket is not always required, although 3 of the 4 agency managers surveyed mentioned it as a requirement. * Other Requirements and qualifications include TB check 1st aid, criminal record check doctor ok - re lifting, life skills, instinctive basics compassion, ethics, ability to learn, other courses, palliative care, cancer regime, dementia, * In Service Training: In service training is often client specific-when hired, a worker is accompanied to site, familiarized with a buddy first couple of times. A second agency provides "introductions" of worker to client. * One of the agencies (connected with a residence) contacted provides regular in services, One encourages staff to take courses, one provides one on one client- specific briefings, one agency trains staff around the care-plan, and updates, regulates that way. Managers report the biggest challenges generally revolve around employee issues. (late, communication, time wasted, Scheduling). Biggest challenge in terms of staffing: * Trying to find right qualifications: Such a mixed bag of courses-hard to keep up which ones are good and which ones aren't. Real range in what programs turn out. * Providing a fair wage. * To get good caregivers that really care for the client. * To get good client/worker matches; try to keep continuity. Mangers report staffing goals for staffing in the near term and medium term are basically to maintain and increase staff. Training in Home Support Work Seekers All publicly funded Home Support Agencies require their staff to have received formal training. In B.C., that training is provided through the Home Support/Resident Care Attendant program. This is a dual certificate, allowing a person to work either as a Community Health Worker, or as a Resident Care. Across BC, there is a wide latitude among training programs. A student completes the Home Support portion first and can either stay to complete the Resident Care portion, or leave to work as a Community Health Worker without the Resident Care part of the certification. The complete program readies students to work primarily with frail elderly in either the home or residence setting. The course includes Personal care, peri care, bathing, transfers, meal preparation, shopping, weeks menu, palliative and Altzheimer's/ dementia. There is some focus on people with disabilities but it is not the prime focus. Emergency situations-providing emergency treatment till help arrives-is also covered. It is interesting to note that the curriculum assumes that less training is required for what many believe to be the more demanding job. Many training programs have difficulty providing adequate Home Support practicum placements to students. This is a provincially created curriculum adapted and taught by 2 educational institutions in the CRD-Sprott Shaw and Camosun College. Also, some years ago, one agency did collaborate with HRDC to conduct one training session in a successful effort to acquire staff. Sprott Shaw * Cost $ 7460.00 * Entrance requirements -gr. 12 or GED, or mature student status. * Program is 7 months long ( 4 months theory, 2 1/2 months practicum, 1 month intermediate care, 1 month extended care, 2 weeks home support) * An annual total of 60-80 students are trained in 3 or 4 intakes per year, 20 students per intake * Advisors pre-screen participants, do verbal, math and communication tests. * Most students are hired into home support at training's end (until they can get into facilities.) Camosun's program * Cost $1152.00 including ancillary fees (likely to increase) * Entrance requirements - gr. 10. * Currently runs 23 wks. * 152 full time students are trained annually in three intakes-2 are for a regular program, and a third is for ESL students. Enrollment is approx. 64 full time and 12 part time students per intake for regular, (128 FT , 24 PT annually) 24 students in the ESL program.. * A program for First Nations students has run, is awaiting funding before running again. It is slightly longer, has more built in supports for students. * 24 Part time study seats are available. If taking the whole course, it takes 1 year to complete part time. Most part-time students in this program are people with the Home Support ticket who wish to upgrade to Resident Care Attendant. * Program is primarily targetted toward the care of elderly people. * Students are on average mature (28+), usually have had other work experience (fishers, loggers, waiters, BAs) some have done personal care for relatives, or were working in the field without certification. * Camosun has no screening process. Enrollment is first come first served, provided you meet entrance requirements. Attendance at information session is encouraged, but not required. Information session discusses the home support worker's role, pay, and expectations. Staff tries to help students self-select. * There may be a short wait list, but "waited" students will be accommodated by the next intake. Training by Agencies Home Support is "certified" work, but not a licensed profession, so no governing body regulates it at present. For this reason, it is possible for Agencies to provide their own training by purchasing the published provincial curriculum from an educational institution, and hiring a qualified professional to teach. Trainees in this model must be eligible for work-place based training credits through E.I. or Income Assistance, and must be guaranteed a position after training has been successfully completed. They do not receive the certification that they would receive through an educational institution, but obtain equivalency through their agency. One agency did this in order to recruit workers. They did 2 intakes, one for EI, the other for Income Assistance. There were 14-15 each intake. JobWave did prescreen, the agency bought the provincial curriculum from Camosun and HRDC. provided training funds. EI group was 100% successful, and were all hired. 9 continue to be employed. In the IA group 3 did not complete the course and 20% were not successfully hired (didn't stay) Other Agency Run Training Agencies can build other courses that are appropriate to their clientele. One agency with a high mental health and family in crisis clientele created their own 8-10 week mental health course. Workers received a certificate on completion. The same agency also purchased a court orientation course, to be taught by a lawyer. Training of Workers Continuing education of workers is uneven and inconsistent. Because workers are "time poor" it is difficult tfor them to take time off work to learn new skills or brush up on existing ones. In-Services In service training is a very important tool for raising and maintaining skill levels for Community Health Workers, especially with the growing complexity of client needs.. Most publicly funded Home Support Agencies hold in-services monthly or semi-monthly. It is generally acknowledged that turnout tends to be low because attendance is neither paid nor mandatory. One Home Support Agency recognizes attendance at in-services by awarding "seniority hours" to workers who attend. Most agencies have seen their budgets for in-service training decline over the past few years. Further Training/Upgrading Some publicly funded agencies help workers get further training. Two agencies will pay tuition outright but not study time. One agency will pay half of tuition, another agency will help the worker to arrange training. In additon, one agency has supervisors do onsite evaluations. If further training is needed, on hand demos will be held, and the agency pays extra fees. Market Opportunity According to VIHA's most recent planning document (name?), the population in the Capital Health Region is expected to increase by approximately 15% from 335,000 to 385,000 between now and 2015. The largest percentage growth will be in the 55 to 69 year age group. The elderly population (85+ years) will continue to grow over the next ten years. The table below shows the percentages each age group is expected to make up of the general population over time. CHR Population by Age Group 0-19 20-44 45-64 65-74 75-84 85 and older 1997 22% 37% 23% 9% 7% 2% 2015 18% 30% 31% 12% 6% 3% These figures suggest that Home Support should be a growing sector, as more and more people grow to the age at which such supports and assistance are commonly needed. Unfortunately costs associated with home care and home support, while lower than acute and residential care, are still quite high, resulting in a far slower growth of services than one would expect. Never the less, opportunities do exist in niches within the sector * Affordable House Cleaning (CHW 1s): Client/client family data indicates that a number of clients who are in need of service, but not now receiving it, would be willing to pay a small sum ($10-$15 per hour) to receive it. Currently only freelancers provide those rates. * Supportive Living: Community Groups, co-ops and others could partner with builders and other sectors to create many supportive living situations. * Web-Accessible Information Bank : data on housing and home support services (workers and agencies) available. Information available for a finders fee. * Home Support Training: Educators could expand existing courser, and design and provide Regular Refresher Courses. Educators could also partner with agencies to design and co-ordinate "all agency" in service training. * An Educational Resource Databank could provide information about educational resource sharing, information on programs/courses available in the community. Sector Assets * Large number of public and private home support agencies with experience * CSIL program and other planned innovative public programs (Supportive housing) * 2 training facilities * Large number of community organizations to assess needs and guide development of innovative projects * Suitability of basic aspects of home support as entry level jobs (Community Health Worker 1) and as work in which personal interest, gentleness and supportive attitude are more important than academic qualifications or advanced English Language skills. Employment Outlook Employment opportunities at present in the public sector as it is currently structured appear to be shrinking, as funding for subsidized home support shrinks. New employment is likely to be casual or regular part time work, at least for the first 2-3 years of employment. As more of 600 supportive living units come on-stream, there will be more opportunities for employment as primary workers in purpose build accomodations and high density buildings and neighborhoods.. Opportunities in the private sector are uncertain although some private agencies appear to be expanding slightly. Working conditions in the private sector are unregulated and wages are low. The development of new programs and services, such as Affordable Housecleaning,could increase employment opportunities. Gaps in the Sector Skills Gaps * Worker skills can lapse over time., workers can get stuck in old practices. * Increasingly complex care needs of clients. Training Gaps Of Work Seekers * H.S.R.C.A.course is taught in such a way as to make the Home Support industry the "black hole", people are discouraged from working in it" * Affordable Certificate Training :low number (24 per year) of part time seats for HSRCA training. People who want to work at another job while taking the training part time, may be prevented by the relatively low number of part time seats available. * Training for cleaning standards as per "home management" module in HSRCA program. The assumption that "everybody knows how to clean" is not accurate. If one planned to work as a freelance cleaner, or as part of a cleaning network, it would be important to have certain training. Proper use of cleaning products, and the best for low toxicity/low fuming (important for people with compromised immune systems is one area of training required. Cleaning techniques, efficiency, putting things back in the right place, all require practice. * Broader Range of Topics Other subjects desired for curriculum by agency managers and clients include: course for workers providing care in assisted living situations, live in, palliative, social issues, family dynamics, brain injury, heavy lifts, and specific illnessness such as Parkinson's and MS. * Client experience is missing from HSRCA program. HSRCA program is not based on "how it is" for the client. It trains workers for the agency, not the client. It gives a baseline competency, but the client experience is missing. Problems are situation/person specific. The training gives "what works generally" , but doesn't delve into the individuality of the client * Inadequate peripheral training such as palliative and dementia Client Community Group Directors felt that this training is inadequate and "hit and miss" One respondent who gives in-service training felt that students seem overwhelmed, that too much is being covered too quickly. Of employed workers * Workers should be trained in Nursing Task 2 Tasks: Community Health Workers are not allowed to perform so called "task 2" or nursing, tasks, such as giving medications, yet for convenience sake it often makes sense that they be allowed to do them. An Agency is forced to go through a cumbersome and expensive process to clear a worker to perform task 2-s/he must be specially trained in the tasks, by a public health nurse, on a case by case basis. Even if the worker is currently performing task 2 tasks with another client, s/he must still be trained for each new client requiring that level of tasks. This system is not only costly in terms of time and money, but it is insulting in its assumption of lack of worker competence. Agency managers and workers alike suggest that something should be done about the "task 2 gap", whether that be in-service group training of workers, or the addition of task 2 protocols to the HSRCA training. 5 of 9 managers said that home support training needed to be upgraded to include "task 2" or nursing tasks. Of these 3 felt that current Home Support training had "gone as far as it can" and that Community Health Workers should be retrained and upgraded to LPN status. This would simplify the administration of providing complex care in the home. * Workers are "time poor" and cannot afford to take time off work to study: Possession of an H.S.R.C.A. ticket does not mark the pinnacle of training for a Community Health Worker. It is to the advantage of workers, agencies and clients for workers to pursue on-going training, and further specialties. Community Health Workers are "time poor", and taking additional training could put them into situations of financial hardship Of the 50 community health workers surveyed, * 39 indicated they would like to take further training. * 24 indicated that they would take more training if they could be paid for their study time. * 27 said they would take further training if their agency would contribute to the cost of fees. * 11 indicated they would like to upgrade to LPN status, * 4 indicated they would like to train as RNs. * Many other types of training were requested as well including ongoing upgrades for Foodsafe and 1st Aid, Training in Dementia and Palliative Care, Activity Aide training, physiotherapy, medications, massage and more. Support Gaps Client needs not being met: * Continuity of Service: Because Union seniority rules allow bumping of more junior workers to protect the hours of more senior workers, client well being is jeopardized. Continuity of service, having the opportunity to establish a relationship with the community health worker is extremely important to clients-especially where intimate care such as bathing and catheter care is being done. Clients note that currently they "never know who is coming in." Anecdote tells of many clients who cancelled service due to the disruption of lack of continuity. For the client to stay as independent and vital as possible, it is important that home support be conducted at a slow enough pace to allow the client to do as much for themselves as possible. * Portability: While the term portability usually means transferable from one jurisdiction to another, it can also be used to mean "including accompaniment to the larger community beyond the home. Many clients, especially younger adults with physical disabilities, require a continuum of services which provide physical assistance with everyday living. This can involve personal care attendant, homemaking, and much between. * Affordable housecleaning 100% of those clients surveyed who feel they need more home support report needing housekeeping services such as vacuuming, laundry, cleaning refrigerators and stoves, kitchens and bathrooms. Many directors of client centered community groups noted that housecleaning is not a frill, but a necessary tool to maintaining health. As one respondent noted " a client can be beautifully groomed to go out and live in filthy surroundings". Agency managers reported that they felt that clients would aloso want additional services such as yard work, home maintenance, respite, transportation, handyman, assistance business to dr. appt., time to do extra-walks, companioning and activation. * Affordable Meal Preparation People are encouraged by VIHA to use Meals on Wheels. This is expensive. Many MS clients are only on disability 1 and cannot afford M. on W. or private home support. ($20-29/hr.) Many clients have tremor which makes standing to cook impossible. * Access To Information About Available Freelance Workers: Clients who do not qualify for subsidized home support face substantial difficulty in finding alternate service providers. Several organizations have partial lists of available workers, but these are not screened. Vulnerable clients, facing this daunting task alone, may choose not to look for help, to their detriment. Other clients risk being taken advantage of by the unscrupulous. * Control/choice of care Workers * Lack of regulated staus with declared compenties. * Community Health Workers working in unsafe situations doing single heavy lifts, etc. Communication Gaps * Among Workers Who Share A Client While several workers may "share" a client, their only communication with each other is often the "communication-book" kept at the client's home. Workers have no opportunity to share face-to-face experiences, perceptions and techniques with each other. * Between Community Health Workers (Hsws) And Others In The Health Care Team-Dr., Home Care Nurse. Workers see the client more often than any other member of the health care team, and are highly aware of the client's condition over time. Their observations could be extremely useful in the planning of client care but there is no mechanism for them to be included in the team. Awareness Gaps * Attitudes About Home Support And Community Health Workers: A lot of assumptions are made about home support as a career-that it's low status, low pay, "women's work". Because much of it revolves around the home, it is work that generally goes unpaid and unaccounted for, until a crisis prevents it being done. Then it often carries a stigma. Community Health Workers report feeling unvalued (Macdonald). They are not considered to be part of the Health Care team around a client, and their observations are ignored. More..... * Attitudes About Clients. The health care system of which home support is a part still ascribes to both the "charity" and "medical" models. (Bowman 2000) These models assume incapacity and impairment on the part of the client, who is seen as a "passive recipient" who needs "fixing" rather than an active member of a work team. (the work being having a bath) This allows the work of home support to degenerate into a series of tasks to be accomplished in a set time-the client becomes an impediment to getting the task done. Barriers to Employment * Hi Incidence Of Part-Time/Casual Positions, Low Number Of Paid Hours. If one has the certification, it is relatively easy to get a job in home support. Agencies hire frequently. Getting enough hours to make a living wage, and keeping those hours long enough to develop seniority, is the problem. Few community health workers start out as regular workers. Due to fluctuating client load, most agencies either hire casual workers to fill in with "new clients", or regular workers with small numbers of hours. Seniority rules in the collective agreement work against both these types of workers, through the process of "bumping". The situation is actually worse for junior regular workers in the 20/hrs per week category. These people must not take any other work during their "ten hour window", but may not be getting enough hours to pay the bills. Many of these workers are unable to make ends meet, and leave the industry. This issue has huge ramifications for clients, as well as workers. For example, anecdote suggests that on Saltspring, only regular workers are getting hours, because of bumping. The situation is severe enough that new clients are being encouraged to enter facilities. Needs in the Sector Training Needs Of Work Seekers * Affordable Training: More Agency Directed Training Programs Although the Camosun HSRCA program costs just over $1000, this may not be affordable to some. Recipients of Income Assistance may not acquire student loans, and may be ineligible for training credits in such an academic setting. However, partnering with HRDC , the provincial government, and educational institutions (purchase of curriculum) agencies can provide such training themselves. This approach would not only bring economically marginal people into employment, but it would also help agencies to cushion themselves from fluctuations in client load. * Increased Number of Part time Seats: This would make HSRCA training more accessible to those non-certified community health workers wishing to better their situation. It would also allow people with "McJobs" an opportunity to acquire training. * Adequate Practicum Placement: * Housecleaning Training: Of Workers It is in the interests of Agencies, Clients and workers themselves that staff development be widely available. This should include: * Refresher Courses: required every two years, study time paid or partially paid by agencies ( workers shouldn't be penalized by losing work hours in order to keep current) * Existing Workshops and Courses in the Community: There are many courses and workshops of value to Community Health Workers on-going in the wider community. Some of these carry certification and some do not. Their existence is not widely known. Coordination of information about such events would be beneficial to all. (This could be paired with a general home support information database available to clients) * Shared In Services: While most agencies offer some form of in-service training, they report low attendance numbers. Also, agency budgets for training have been shrinking in recent years. It would make sense for agencies to collaborate on In-service training, by sharing costs and resource people. The training achieved through this collaboration is likely to be of higher quality. It is also likely to be able to be scheduled over a wider range of times so as to be convenient to more workers. * Agency sharing of training costs: While some agencies do share some training costs with workers for skill upgrading training, it may be wise for them to examine ways of doing this more consistently. Of Clients * Consumer "boss" training: A sizable minority of respondents to our client survey (insert #) reported feeling "taken advantage of" by their community health worker. In addition, the "lazy worker" situation discussed earlier in this paper is a real issue for some clients. Add to this the reality that HSRCA training cannot adequately include the client experience, and you have compelling reasons for the development of a "boss course"-training for clients in how to train and supervise their community health workers. Such training has been widely developed in Europe and the U.S. (Bowman, 2000) This training would also be useful to workers, as an aide to separating the individual from the tasks attached to the individual. Infrastructure Needs: Workers * Funding Mechanism: Change from "hourly task" model with funds attached to client, to a "block funding" model with funds attached to agency. This would ensure that workers work on a "caseload" basis with clients, rather than an hourly task model. This would increase continuity for worker and clients, and be a better guarantor of hours than the current system. * Worker Safety: Equipment funding from msp needed for home modifications, lifts etc * To Increase Communication: The Community Health Worker must be seen as a valuable part of the Health Care Team. While attendance at case meetings might be impractical, scheduling the client visits of Nursing Supervisors and Case managers to coincide with the presence of workers would ensure a positive flow of information In a complex household, where many workers "share" a client, one worker should be designated the "co-ordinator" to facilitate communication and organization. * To bridge the "Hi Incidence Of Part-Time/Casual Positions, Low Number Of Paid Hours. gap: Casual Workers need to be able to be on call to more than one agency. Although this has been raised in the past and rejected because of massive logistical issues, it would not be impossible to compile a casual worker's database that all agencies could use. Such a database would need to be keyed to limit calles outside a certain distance from the workers' home. * Changes to method of realizing the scheduling preference to workers with seniority. Possibly institute a "lag time" so that all parties have time and support while dealing with change. Example. "Mrs. Brown goes into hospital. Instead of Mrs. Brown losing contact with her senior worker, and the worker bumping another more junior worker, resulting in another client losing continuity and stability, institute "lag time" which would provide Mrs. Browns worker with her regular hours to spend with Mrs. Brown for a period (5 days?). While the workers tasks would change, the worker could be an invaluable assett in helping Mrs. Brown adjust to hospital routine, in helping her get to know her new care-givers and in helping the hospital staff get to know Mrs. Brown as a person. The worker could also spend that time connecting with Mrs. Brown's family or neighbors, as appropriate, to help them help Mrs. Brown in her changing situation. During the "lag time" the agency has time to find a replacement for the Mrs. Brown hours-if she is indeed truly off the client list, in a more gradual way. If "bumping" ends up being the only solution, then at least with "lag time" the transition could be managed differently allowing the "bumped" worker to introduce the senior worker, and help to maintain continuity. Infrastructure Needs: Clients * Home Support Information Database: Client Centered Community Groups and agency managers in focus group identified the need for a web-accessible information bank with data on housing and home support services and freelance workers available. To this roster could be added ongoing training programs and workshops of interest to workers in the community. This roster of items could also be divided among stakeholders. All discussions boiled down to "who co-ordinates", who could take responsibility. There are many options: * an individual entrepreneur or group of entrepreneurs could set up such a database and information service as a stand alone resource. Clients, agencies and others wishing to access information would do so on a fee for service basis. This could be organized as either a traditional business or as a co-operative. * an agency or group of agencies could add this service to their existing services. * existing community groups could add this service to their existing services. * Affordable House Cleaning: Such a service, charging no more than $15/hr. (preferably on a sliding scale according to ability to pay) would be invaluable to the community. In order to be cost effective, this would have to be a low-overhead business, especially in initial stages-perhaps sharing physical space (enough for phone and computer) with an existing agency or community organization. Such an entity could grow naturally out of the Home Support Information Database described above. E.I. and I.A. recipients could receive basic "Home Management" training and quickly be employed. Workers could be connected with additional training for those wishing to become certified Community Health Workers. Infrastructure Needs: Worker/Multistakeholder Co-op Creation of a database and cleaning service might well be the initial steps to the development of a worker /multi-stakeholder Home Support Cooperative. This writer favours a multi-stakeholder co-operative because of the nature of home support tasks-the needs and experience of the worker should not be pitted against those of the client. Even family members could become co-op members. (possibly members of the community at large who anticipate requiring home support services in the future could be members as well) There is a wealth of information about the development of such co-operatives, from the experience of the 20+year old CHCA in the Bronx, NY, to some 50 health care cooperatives in Quebec. Initial development of such a co-operative would entail the coming together of interested Community Health Workers and Clients, with a Coop facilitator to discuss cooperative principles, shared values and needs. Among things to consider would be the setting up of a foundation to allow service to client-members suffering financial difficulty. As members, workers and clients are each guaranteed certain benefits: worker benefits: * workers share price could be "worked off" over first year of employment * regular hours * good wages and benefits * "team" model-worker inputs to the team as a matter of course * cooperative run training * ongoing staff development program including subsidized training and worker mentors/ worker teachers * continuity of clientele if desired client benefits: * payment of fee for service on a sliding scale based on ability to pay * case management services * continuum of services-as a person's needs change, services grow and adapt * consistency of worker. * RESPECT, CHOICE, CONTROL,FLEXIBILITY community members * share price could be used to build fund to subsidize poorer client members * annual fees could be payed which, while community member does not need service for self would go to subsidize poorer members. when the community member becomes a client member, s/he recieves initial services at low cost to the value of fees paid. The co-op would not be dependent on any one source of funding. Income could obtained through fee-for-service payments by individuals privately, through a CSIL or other program, through Ministry of Family and Children, the Ministry of Health, Veteran Affairs or any other body. Financing & Capital Needs Pilot salaried community health workers instead of hourly waged ones. Capital Funding so that new agencies/ coops can cover client-load fluctuations "Home Support Insurance" Communication & Coordination Needs * How do you attract the right people to this industry? Start in the school systems, providing info about the field. Find positive ways of attracting people to the work, making opportunities. * "Team" Approach To Case Management: Agencies, Coops and LTC set up a so that the knowledge and perceptions of workers are not missed, and to ensure continuity of care plan etc. This team includes Nurse Supervisor, LTC Case Manager, Community Nurse, all of a client's workers . Research Objectives The purpose of this research was to: * Explore and characterize market demand, skills required, and current training opportunities in the local Home Support Sector * Identify gaps and needs in infrastructure, workforce training, preparation, or awareness, obstacles to working in the sector, and infrastructure needed to facilitate work in the sector. * Propose potential solutions for implementation by community stakeholders One of the main assumptions in this research is that market demand for home support services lies is dictated in part by existing employers in the sector and in part by potential employers, including clients and client families. Research Approach Constraints. Sector Research Advisory Committee The research involved both primary and secondary research. An annotated bibliography of the latter is appended to this report. Primary research involved formal interviews with staff from client-centered community groups, managers of home support agencies, project managers within the Capital Health Region and home support workers. Some interviews were in person, and some face to face, but all followed the same schedules, appended to this report. Both home support workers and clients/client families were surveyed. 200 Surveys were distributed to community health workers in 5 agencies. The survey covered two main areas: * Type of Work. This section asked about length of service as well as hours worked per week and tasks done. * Training. This section asked about current certification levels and needs/desires for further training. * Several open-ended questions were asked as well. A copy of the survey tool is in appended to the report as is a "Community Health Worker Report" 50 surveys were returned-a return of 25%. 48 of the surveys are from workers employed in the public sector. 330 surveys were distributed to clients and their families through community groups. 51 surveys were returned-a return of about 15%. The surveys explored two areas: * Type of Service: This section attempted to discover what type of home support service the clients were currently receiving, whether the clients felt they needed more service, and what areas they required help in * Quality of Care: Explored the nature of the client-worker relationship, and what, from the client's point of view was most important DRAFT 2--LLMP DRAFT FINAL REPORT: HOME SUPPORT SECTOR FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Drama Paper Revised 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brooks 1 Wendi Brooks Professor Maguire LIT 2110 4 March 2004 Mrs. Wright and Mr. Wrong Trifles is a play about the death of a woman's spirit. She is overpowered by her dominating husband and in the end killed him for suffocating her spirit. Glaspell characterizes male characters differently than females. The men of this play act towards their wives like any man would in 1916. The men are dominating and have very little real respect for their wives, and women in general. It is as if these men do not appreciate women's intellectual ability. In 1916, when the play was written, Glaspell opened the door to women's rights movements. This story shows how the male and female characters interact with each other and how the women are actually the ones who solve and understand the murder of Mr. Wright. The first notable quotation that illustrates my argument is when the sheriff declares "Nothing here but kitchen things" (Glaspell, 1240). He is basically implying that this area of the house wasn't worth even looking closely at, because it was only Mrs. Wright's territory in the house, and there would obviously be no evidence in this area. What they are doing here is underestimating the intelligence of this woman. The only thing they can see about the kitchen is that it is a rather mess, "Here's a nice mess" (Glaspell, 1240). They don't realize that she was a smart woman and is entirely capable of committing this murder. Brooks 2 A bit later in the story the Sheriff leaves the women downstairs to gather the few things that Mrs. Wright would need in jail. He says "I suppose anything Mrs. Peters does'll be all right. She was to take in some clothes for her, you know, a few little things. We left in such a hurry yesterday" (Glaspell, 1241). This doesn't seem too untrusting of the ladies, although directly after this the County Attorney states " Yes, but I would like to see what you take, Mrs. Peters, and keep an eye out for anything that might be of use to us" (Glaspell, 1241). He isn't as trusting, but still somewhat acknowledges that there is a slight possibility that these women could find something that would help them solve the murder case. The ladies begin looking around the kitchen and conversing about the fruit she had worked so hard on all summer that was now going to spoil. They thought of how upsetting it would be if that happened to the work they had put in themselves. They went into another room to gather Mrs. Wright's things, and Mrs. Hale asks Mrs. Peters "Do you think she did it" (Glaspell, 1242)? Mrs. Peters responds "Oh, I don't know" (Glaspell, 1242). Mrs. Hale responds "Well, I don't think she did. Asking for an apron and her little shawl. Worrying about her fruit" (Glaspell, 1242). The women are having a logical conversation about this murder. They are thinking of how her personality has changed over the past years of her marriage to Mr. Wright. They describe how she was when she was Minnie Foster "one of the town girls singing in the choir" (Glaspell, 1241). When they think of Mrs. Wright's situation on a logical, non-egotistical, businessman approach, they are able to come up with more of an answer to the murder than the men upstairs. Brooks 3 "What was needed for the case was a motive; something to show anger, or -sudden feeling" (Glaspell, 1242). Mrs. Hale points out from observation that "I don't see any signs of anger around here" (Glaspell, 1242). "You know, it seems kind of sneaking. Locking her up in town and then coming out here and trying to get her own house to turn against her" (Glaspell, 1242)! This shows that the women are looking at this entire situation with an entirely different perspective than the men. They are more open minded. The men in this story would have been wise to discern how good women are at figuring things out logically because they put emotion into it, and put themselves into the situation. At this point in the story the men are oblivious to the women and are involved in trying to solve the case by digging around upstairs to try and find some sort of evidence that Mrs. Wright killed her husband. They are pretty convinced but they know they have to have a motive in order to put her in jail. The women however, are downstairs looking at evidence of the woman's life, and the things she did everyday that would lead to evidence that she in fact murdered her husband. The see things like her quilt that she was working on, which was badly sewn near the end, indicating she was upset about something or in a very big hurry. As they continue to look around her part of the house they find a bird cage that has been broken and the dead bird that has been strangled. The ladies come to the conclusion that Mrs. Wright did this to the bird, as a way of showing how she felt. She lived in a broken home and was being slowly suffocated by her overpowering, demeaning husband. Because Mr. Wright did this to her, she decided she was going to get revenge. The ladies in this story were the ones to figure this out. The men weren't able to come up Brooks 4 with anything as good or as helpful as these ladies. By the end of the story, the men are convinced that Mrs. Wright did kill her husband, but they do not have the motive that the women are aware of, and the women don't tell them. When the men come back downstairs they see that the women have been chatting and have gathered the things to take to Mrs. Wright. The Country Attorney declares "No, Mrs. Peters doesn't need supervising. For that matter a sheriff's wife is married to the law" (Glaspell, 1246). This shows that the County Attorney has a trust in the sheriff's wife but in a way feels in no way threatened by her because he feels she isn't going to do anything sneaky or do anything too clever that would be above his knowledge. We see that the men feel completely unthreatened by their wives, and women in general. They have a certain level of respect for them, but don't believe they are on the same intellectual level as themselves. This story proves their outlook to be wrong since the ladies were very intelligent and came up with the motive the men never would have found in the "kitchen things" they so nonchalantly looked over. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Drama Paper revised.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brooks 1 Wendi Brooks Professor Maguire LIT 2110 10 Feb 2004 Mrs. Wright and Mr. Wrong Trifles is a play about the death of a woman's spirit. She is overpowered by her dominating husband and in the end killed him for suffocating her spirit. Glaspell characterizes male characters differently than females. The men of this play act towards their wives like an man would in 1916. The men are dominating and have very little real respect for their wives, and women in general do not. In 1916, when the play was written, Glaspell opened the door to women's rights movements. This story shows how the male and female characters interact with each other and how the women are actually the ones who solve and understand the murder of Mr. Wright. Glaspell does a good job at characterizing the men in this play as they really were in this time period. In the beginning of the story the Sheriff seems as though he doesn't really care about the women or the murder of Mr. Right. He tells the County Attorney when asked about the kitchen "Nothing here but kitchen things". This makes it seem like he did not even bother really looking through the kitchen carefully in order to know that there was nothing worth investigating. He assumes that because she is a woman she is being treated as though it's unimportant. That was obviously a mistake since the ladies, being meddlesome like normal women, found a very key instrument in the motivation of the murder. The County Attorney is dead set on figuring out exactly what had happened. He is probably the most professional and most determined one of them all. He knows that "what was needed for the case was a motive; something to show anger or-sudden feeling". This shows that he actually cares about solving this murder case and truly knowing who is to blame, rather than just accepting that Mrs. Wright is most likely the one to blame, so better to say she just did it without truly knowing. Mr. Hale is the one who originally found the whole mess when he entered the house to try to talk to Mr. Wright. He must have been very amazed to find his acquaintance murdered, and his wife just sitting without emotion in a rocking chair. He was basically only in the story for background on the murder because he was the one to find the scene of the crime. Other than that, he does not play a very important part in the play. The Sheriff and the County Attorney seem to have a jaded view of women and their importance to society. They sort of push the women aside as if they are not able to do this investigation or anything else other than gather the woman's belongings together, and stay in the kitchen. We see the typical stereotype where the women are meant to stay in the kitchen and do things the men tell them to be a major influence in the story. Glaspell was ahead of her time by showing how these men were smothering their wives, just as Mr. Wright did. Mrs. Wright was an outgoing woman who became disgusted by her lifestyle and decided to put an end to it. Unfortunately now she might be spending the rest of her life in jail. She made that decision though, to put herself out of the misery of being tied down and unappreciated for what she truly could have been. The story says that she used to wear pretty clothes and sing in the choir, until Mr. Wright took her life away. The Sheriff and the County Attorney were not to this extreme like Mr. Wright had been. Their wives are content and have their time to do their own business with each other. These men definitely have a serious attitude towards women that proves that they could soon be on their way to being in the same sort of marriage and household that Mr. and Mrs. Wright were. Consequently, the time period when Glaspell wrote this one act play was known for men being negative or basically indifferent towards women. It was before the women's rights movement and therefore women had not had the backbone to stand up for themselves. By portraying a strong willed woman, and someone who was sick of the suffocation by men, Glaspell opened the doors for the women's rights movement. We wouldn't be were we are today without such strong willed women. Glaspell showed these men as non-caring human beings who were only concerned about themselves, and money. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Drama Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wendi M. Brooks Professor Maguire LIT 2110 10 Feb 2004 Trifles The play Trifles was written by Susan Glaspell in 1916. This play takes place in one house, the house of Mr. and Mrs. Wright. The play opens with three men and two women entering the Wright's abandoned house. There is unfinished business everywhere you look. Dirty dishes and a loaf of bread are setting out on the counter. You can obviously tell someone left in a hurry or was taken unexpectedly. Among the three men are one of Mr. Wright's neighbors, Mr. Hale, the Sheriff, and the County Attorney. Mr. Hale's wife is one of the women present, and also the Sheriff's wife, Mrs. Peters. These people are at this house to investigate what happened in the murder of Mr. Wright. Mrs. Wright has been taken to prison and is thought to be guilty of the murder. The ladies are here with their husbands in order to gather a few things that Mrs. Wright might want or need, and the men are there to investigate the actual murder and determine who did it. Mr. Hale had come by the previous morning to speak to Mr. Wright, and that is when he found Mrs. Wright sitting in her rocking chair pleating her apron. He thought this was odd and asked to speak to Mr. Wright and then found out that he was dead. Mrs. Wright explained that someone had killed him while they were sleeping. Supposedly she is a very heavy sleeper and didn't feel or hear anything from her husband as he was being murdered. The Sheriff and the County Attorney know that something isn't right because it was their own rope that choked him, and it simply isn't believable that Mrs. Wright didn't notice her husband being murdered. The men go upstairs to try to figure out what has happened, and the women stay in the kitchen to talk and gather the things Mrs. Wright asked for. They end up finding a bird in a broken cage that has been strangled to death, in the same way Mr. Wright had died. They were amazed and started to speculate that Mrs. Wright actually killed her husband. They suspect that her reasons for killing him were because he had smothered her in their home by not letting her live a happy life. She lived in a cage, just like this bird, and she was being smothered in the same way she smothered the bird and brought it to its death. So, for killing her spirit, she decided to kill him. The men finish investigating upstairs and the women had finished gathering the items Mrs. Wright had asked for. The County Attorney decided to stay for a while and try to do a better job trying to find out what had happened, and Mrs. Peters sneakily takes the dead bird and places the box in her pocket, so that they will not find it as evidence. She knows the men are looking for some sort of firm evidence to make the judge determine that she had a reason for the crime. At this point all the men are convinced that she did kill her husband, but they know that without any sort of firm evidence, she may be let off. The women are aware of this too, and they feel sympathy for the poor woman who was cooped up in this horrible house for all these years with such a boring and smothering life. This is why they do not leave the dead bird as evidence. Glaspell characterizes the men in this play rather differently. In the beginning of the story the Sheriff seems as though he doesn't really care about this entire case. He tells the County Attorney when asked about the kitchen "Nothing here but kitchen things". This makes it seem like he almost didn't even bother really looking through the kitchen carefully in order to know there is nothing there worth investigating. That was obviously a mistake since the ladies, being meddlesome like normal women, found a very key instrument in the motivation of the murder. The County Attorney is dead set on figuring out exactly what happened. He is probably the most professional and determined one of them all. He knows that "what was needed for the case was a motive; something to show anger or-sudden feeling". This shows that he actually cares about solving this problem and truly knowing who is to blame, rather than just accepting that Mrs. Wright is most likely the one to blame, so better to say she just did it without truly knowing. Mr. Hale is the one who originally found the whole mess when he entered the house to try to talk to Mr. Wright. He must have been very amazed to find his acquaintance murdered, and his wife just sitting without emotion in a rocking chair. He was basically only in the story for background on the murder because he was the one to find it. Other than that, he doesn't play a very important part in the play. The Sheriff and the County Attorney seem to have a jaded view of women and their importance to society. They sort of push the women aside as if they aren't able to do this investigation or anything else other than get the woman's belongings together, and stay in the kitchen. It is the typical stereotype where the women are meant to stay in the kitchen and do things the men tell them to. Glaspell was ahead of her time by showing how these men were smothering their wives, just as Mr. Wright did. Mrs. Wright was an outgoing woman who became disgusted by her lifestyle and decided to put an end to it. Unfortunately now she might be spending the rest of her life in jail. She made that decision though, to put herself out of the misery of being tied down and unappreciated for what she truly could have been. It says that she used to wear pretty clothes and sing in the chore, until Mr. Wright took her life away. The Sheriff and the County Attorney were not to this extreme like Mr. Wright had been. Their wives are content and have their time to do their own business with each other. These men definitely have a serious attitude towards women that proves that they could soon be on their way to being in the same sort of marriage and household that Mr. and Mrs. Wright were. In conclusion, this time period when Glaspell wrote this one act play was known for being negative towards women. It was before the women's rights movement and therefore women hadn't had the backbone to stand up for themselves. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\DrinkingAge.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Drinking Age The drinking age is fine, if anything is should get raised. It is hard to ignore the fact that this law is broken everyday. It's the 90's all teens just want to fit in. Kids are drinking at a much younger age. Now, even 10 year olds and 11 year olds are trying to fit in with us older kids. It's amazing and sometimes funny what kids will do just to fit in with the "good" crowd. Well to some of us, that's considered the druggies and drinkers. Our parents call them the "bad" crowd with good reason. I speak from experience. Now I agree with the parents out there who worry about their kids getting into the same kind of troubles as I was in at one point in my life. I'm going to cut the bull shit and talk about the facts. Here's what parties today look like for teens. The setting, a beach or a house with no adults around to say what's wrong. The people are a bunch of teens of both sexes. The environment is any kind of drugs and or alcohol. These consists of hard liquor like Vodka and Jack Daniel's. Then there is beer with the lighter stuff like wine, wine coolers, and fuzzy navel. Teens that drive are in big trouble and are at big risk. I'm not blaming the accidents that involve drunk in just teens. Drunk drivers are of all ages. And I'm not trying to say that all teens drink either. But the ones that do and are stupid enough to say they're sober and can drive home safe. Those are the ones that put innocent citizens at risk. The drunk teens that drive are looking at getting their license provoked. They go to jail, their car gets impounded, and of course they get a DUI. At parties where teens get drunk, they can easily forget stuff. A lot of times that's where teens get pregnant. The girls don't always know their pregnant so they continue drink. This is bad for their baby. When they have unprotected sex there's the risk of diseases. All together I think it's pretty stupid to even think about changing the drinking age to 18. We already have to worry about the illegal drinkers. There will be more drinking by teens if they change the age. What's next? Changing the age to 16? Yes it makes sense that at 18 you can vote, get a job, serve your country, and drive. Why can't you drink? It will increase drunk drivers which will lead to more deaths of innocent people. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\dukha.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This picture portrays a man who is very Old therefore representing one of the Three types of suffering; according to Dukha. These are two pictures of sacrificial victims In other words they are dead. Again portraying One of the three types of suffering. This is a man in his casket at his funeral. Another victim of death. This reminded me of Ignorance one of the mental Poison according to Dukha. These men are bronzed, Therefore untouchable. Nothing can strike them Down because it cannot reach them. The man in this picture has infected wounds. He could be on the verge of death or a patient of illness. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Dune.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dune The book Dune has a science-fiction story line that associates two major themes frequently in the book. The title and the setting of the book are used to establish the bleakness and isolation of the planet Arrakis. The plot and resolution bring together the multiple factions including the emperor and the two major houses for control of the spice production. The title of the book Dune, plays a major part of the story. The planet of Arrakis where most of the novel takes place, is a desolate, isolated spot in the universe which isn't valuable for anything, but the spice. The people on the planet have it hard because of the gigantic sand dunes and the indigenous sand worms which live under the sand. The planet has no source of water on it except that of underground, which is very hard to come by. As you can see, "Water is precious there." (pg. 30) The plot of this science-fiction story deals almost entirely of the two major houses that at this time are sworn to destroy each other and the emperor. The two major houses want control of the spice on the planet of Arrakis which allows anyone who has it to fold space. Folding space means traveling anywhere in the universe without actually having to move. The House of Attreides gets destroyed by the House of Harkonnens in the fight over the spice. But on the planet of Arrakis, the local people of that world known as Fremen had had a prophecy that one day a savior would come and make peace where there was war on the planet of Arrakis. The duke's son of the House of Attreides escaped during the fight for the planet and crashed landed on the dunes where the Fremen lived. The duke's son, Paul, became their leader because of his great knowledge. He learned to control the giant sand worms and use them to his own advantage. The Fremen were determined to get rid of all the Harkonnens that ruled the world for one reason: the spice. The Fremen made an attack and ended up destroying the Harkonnens using the sand worm's help. And once again, "The Fremen had the world." (pg. 488) In the end, the title of the book had more to do with the story than anything else. The plot and resolution well summarized the story and pulled everything together. The book Dune is an interesting and unique display of imagination that shows the fight between good and evil. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Dyslexia.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dyslexia The problem that effects one out of every ten kids in the United States of America is dyslexia. Although to some people this disorder may be very noticeable, it can really sneak up on you. Most of the time kids with dyslexia aren't recognized until they are about eight or nine. The most important thing to remember is that is takes time to solve, and sometimes cannot be cured at all. Dyslexia develops during the first six months of gestation . Neurons are churned out in the brain's ventricular zone. Attached to fibers, the neurons travel to the cerebral cortex, which contains the language centers. Here they hit a barrier, stop and take their place in layers above previously deposited neurons, (which is normal). In the brains of dyslexics, how-ever, there are breaches in the barrier and the neurons enter them, leaving clumps of nerve cells called ectopias, which appear to interface with the brain's ability to receive and transmit certain messages. They are now finding that dyslexia can run in the family. If you or your other relatives have dyslexia that means that there is a chance that your own child could have it. Unlike what most people think, dyslexia is not to be blamed on the parent for negligence in teaching reading and writing. Dyslexia is not any ones fault it simply occurs when the barrier in the language center of you brain cracks. In some experiments done by the University of Montreal, they are comparing good adult readers to dyslexic adult readers. In most cases the adult dyslexics were at about the high school level. When the adult dyslexics were compared to third graders in matching sounds with letters, they scored below the eight and nine year olds that were tested. It's not just a visual problem, actually they can see the letters fine, it is more of a comparing problem. Dyslexics usually cannot spell simple words by just hearing someone speak them to them. Some of the most confusing words for them are cat and dog. Although over time the symptoms can be fine-tuned, they never go completely away. As said before dyslexia is not a disease it cannot be cured with any pill or medicine. The only cure so far is many long and slow classes of multisensory sessions. These sessions go through each letter, sound, syllable, etc. until other parts of the brain help the person to recognize the letters in another helpful way. The fact that you child may have dyslexia doesn't mean that they will be unsuccessful. Some examples of people who have to live(d) with dyslexia are people like Whoopi Goldberg who is famous for her many roles in the movie industry, another person is Albert Einstein who is famous for the theory of relativity, and Winston Churchill the former Prime Minister of England. As you can see these people were very successful and influential in their life. In conclusion I have found that children are a real threat to this disorder, especially in the United States of America. We may not have the highest illiteracy rate in the world but the children still need all the language and speech classes that they can fit in their schedule. Children usually find the ability to read very boring and unimportant. What we need to be teaching them is how much the skilled reader is important to the world around them and that they cannot do many things without being able to read. They also need to learn that they should treasure the fact that they can read, because the children of the world with dyslexia are much worse off than they are. Dyslexia is a very serious problem and needs to be researched further. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\dystopia essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tom Healy Mr. Valerio AP English 12 February 17, 2004 Brave New World: 3 Traditionally, Brave New World presents an undesirable and horrific society portraying a future quite uncomforting; this is an irrefutable fact but the depiction is ambiguous enough to establish a justifiable argument towards the antithesis. Art is abolished, and this is a terrible thing, but something must be said of the satisfaction and efficient stability of the residents of this seemingly hostile environment. A Handmaid's Tale is very clear in that it depicts its characters unhappy with the system, but this measure of reflecting the ideals of a government on the situation of its people applies to Brave New World as an advantage, for the citizens are ultimately satisfied and pleased with their lifestyle. Of course it is undeniable that this is a futuristic nightmare, and the residents may have been "programmed" to artificially condone their surroundings, but this specific interpretation does leave room for argument. The citizens of this society are pleased, at least artificially, with their world. The savage serves as a metaphor for a completely different lifestyle, which the residents view as inhuman and primitive compared to their benevolent modernism. Consider the term "mother" to serve as a chief variable for my example. This is a term regularly associated with John and with his neighbors, yet completely alien to the citizens of this world and met with contempt, discouragement, and confusion. When John's mother was dying in the hospital and John was by her bedside weeping because of the inevitable passing of a loved one, the children being conditioned for death as standard of their upbringing find John's behavior incomprehensible. These people are happy. They live in a world that has sacrificed art and science, and such a sacrifice from the reader's point of view is unbelievably fascist, but when science and art is rooted out of nature, passion, and general tendencies, than what does it matter. For ignorance is bliss, so they say. When Othello and The Tempest are torn out of memory and out of a bleeding artists' heart, who will cry for it anymore. Freedoms are limited indeed, for several generations must have suffered when such masterpieces and natural comforts where in the early phase of abandonment, but heaven on earth is the meaning of life, right? There is a justifiable sarcastic tone presented, for it is utter nonsense. What you know cannot hurt you, but it also cannot help you. Free will is the betterment of society. These contemporaries of this society notice the superficial promise of fascism as the road to eternal happiness, and the amount that is sacrificed portrays this society as an enemy to free will. All in all the main goal of Huxley was to present a dystopia, which he did well, but there is another ambiguity and interpretation to present an argument for both sides. One may say that these citizens are happy with their world, but to associate them with that world would mean to deem them computers, for this is the underlining definition of a computer: lacking free will, artificially conditioned, possessing a dead passion for the preservation of art and beauty. Humans cease to be humans when they are empty of moral choice, and this society ceases to nurture human beings, only some new species of lifeless mechanisms. The Handmaid's Tale: 2 The social order of Gilead fails to completely convert its citizens because the programming of contemporary society will never successfully contaminate their deepest passions and most sincere desires. What is left of the original human being is that which lies deep within our soul, or whatever one may call that eternal spirit, which serves as mankind's greatest power of impenetrable purity and innocence. This is proven by the natural rebellion to the social order of Gilead from the lower classes and from the higher positions such as a commander's rank. The attempt to scrape clean all which makes a human being human and transform it into some artificial code of law is a vain attempt. Even generation after generation, when memories of free will becomes nonexistent, there will still be a natural rebellion and a resilient mark of one's original lifetime. Offred serves as a contemporary of modern society. She was a mother, and can remember well the life she took for granted before this nightmare, but even conditioned and intrusively programmed by the system she still recalls memories, experiences vague feelings of love, and has a potential for sentimental attachment. In the first paragraph she has a clear memory of the gymnasium as some resource of history that hosted dances and told stories of glorious basketball games. It is nostalgia, but also forlorn memories that she praises for their alien standards compared to her world. Where lies the unconditioned parchment is in her mind, her thoughts, and her memories of a world alive not so long ago, and this is what serves to satisfy the semi-conditioned palimpsest. She clearly nurtures aspects of her former life throughout the book in a hopeless and somewhat subliminal way but the mere fact that she nurtures them means she is not completely conditioned. Even with Nick she was developing at least a potential for romantic involvement, such a variable quite unacceptable to Gilead, which further establishes her unconditioned stand. This theme can well be associated with those who in fact have experienced a life before their latter situation. Such people represent the most difficult generation to subject to this new conditioning for the older one is, the harder they find to let things go and learn new things, especially such consistent comforts such as human nature and standards of living. The first children born into this new system and born with its radical politics and fascist community will find it engraved in their memory and their nature, so perhaps any newborns do not qualify for the palimpsest theme for they are in no need of conditioning; they have nothing to be conditioned from. The commander, who invites Offred up to play scrabble and later takes her to Jezebel's, serves also as one with aspects of an original free lifetime engraved in his nature. Nick plays along and serves as a commuter between Offred and the commander but he also represents a semi-conditioned citizen. In fact, if one analyzed most of the characters in the book, they would find that there is no real person worthy enough to be called "purely conditioned", for it is a ridiculous society which harbors rebellions that would be condoned by an outside interpreter living in a free world. Gilead's social order is bleeding with representations of unpurified citizens who offer as a theme to Atwood a general palimpsest. The attempt to scrape clean the people is evident. For example, the status of clothing meant to demoralize and inspire procreation, but almost more evident than the attempt is the inability to obliterate all traces of the original lifestyle, apparent in every character and every bitter and sarcastic thought in Offred's mind. A Clockwork Orange: 2 The representation of A Clockwork Orange as a whole both supports Burgess' acclaims to original sin and presents a case in which the government intervenes with spiritual purification and consequently shifts, becoming tyrannical. Alex is at the center of this representation and he provides well to support Burgess' view on this subject as presented in the interview. Burgess believes in original sin, and denies the strive for perfection on earth, which he explains is a futile attempt and even more vain when governments try to force heavenly perfection artificially. The government in Alex's time represents the government Burgess addresses in the interview, Russia and Nazi Germany. Alex's government does in fact try to intervene with his own moral perfection, which consequently proves to be an unsuccessful attempt. Ludovico's procedure in A Clockwork Orange is a procedure of moral correction; associating specific acts of vandalism with a sickness, which physically prevents the patient to perform such acts. Now physically they may not be able to be imperfect, but if there is still a moral choice to perform these acts, as there clearly was in Alex's case for he tried to hit Joe when the time came round and he as well tried to grab the naked women during his testing, than any world beyond the material world would not see this as a correction at all. In fact, nothing has really changed within the patient. Burgess says that it is rightly impossible for a human being to be morally transformed by anyone save himself, and the closest any artificial variable, such as the government's procedure, will come to would be on a physical level that just builds a wall between the patient's criminal tendencies and society. This first point expresses the vain attempt of governmental correction, but Burgess further exploits this detail by expressing the failure for the procedure to even succeed on a physical level, for Alex wound up jumping out of a window and later being conditioned to return to his old vicious self. Alex does not truly become conditioned towards the general good structure of a human being until he personally decides to thrown down his rebellious signature and grow up. What is ironical about this is the simplicity of it all when millions of dollars and countless hours of research were spent on correcting this youth unsuccessfully and in a day's time, with such a little effort spent, he is on the road to correction. This is Burgess' influence on the book when he says that we must sort out morality for ourselves without the intervention of an intrusive government. These wacky governmental figures attempt to perfect this fallible world and in consequence only exacerbate the situation. Consider Alex, Dim, and Pete who consciously cured what society had tried very hard to condition. Pete became married, Dim, hired as a millicent, and Alex simply felt one day that he was growing up and too old for vandalism anymore. What these boys performed was all based on free will, despite the undying efforts of figures such as Mr. Deltoid and Dr. Brodsky. As apparent in A Clockwork Orange, man cannot support heaven on earth, and man does not have the ability to create a just society, which was clearly represented in the gross mistake of Ludovico's procedure to artificially contrast this theme. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Early Influences on Hucleberry Finn.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" EARLY INFLUENCES ON HUCKLEBERRY FINN Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel about a young boy's coming of age in the Missouri of the mid-1800's. The main character, Huckleberry Finn, spends much time in the novel floating down the Mississippi River on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. Before he does so, however, Huck spends some time in the fictional town of St. Petersburg where a number of people attempt to influence him. Before the novel begins, Huck Finn has led a life of absolute freedom. His drunken and often missing father has never paid much attention to him; his mother is dead and so, when the novel begins, Huck is not used to following any rules. The book's opening finds Huck living with the Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Both women are fairly old and are really somewhat incapable of raising a rebellious boy like Huck Finn. Nevertheless, they attempt to make Huck into what they believe will be a better boy. Specifically, they attempt, as Huck says, to "sivilize" him. This process includes making Huck go to school, teaching him various religious facts, and making him act in a way that the women find socially acceptable. Huck, who has never had to follow many rules in his life, finds the demands the women place upon him constraining and the life with them lonely. As a result, soon after he first moves in with them, he runs away. He soon comes back, but, even though he becomes somewhat comfortable with his new life as the months go by, Huck never really enjoys the life of manners, religion, and education that the Widow and her sister impose upon him. Huck believes he will find some freedom with Tom Sawyer. Tom is a boy of Huck's age who promises Huck and other boys of the town a life of adventure. Huck is eager to join Tom Sawyer's Gang because he feels that doing so will allow him to escape the somewhat boring life he leads with the Widow Douglas. Unfortunately, such an escape does not occur. Tom Sawyer promises much--robbing stages, murdering and ransoming people, kidnaping beautiful women--but none of this comes to pass. Huck finds out too late that Tom's adventures are imaginary: that raiding a caravan of "A-rabs" really means terrorizing young children on a Sunday school picnic, that stolen "joolry" is nothing more than turnips or rocks. Huck is disappointed that the adventures Tom promises are not real and so, along with the other members, he resigns from the gang. Another person who tries to get Huckleberry Finn to change is Pap, Huck's father. Pap is one of the most astonishing figures in all of American literature as he is completely antisocial and wishes to undo all of the civilizing effects that the Widow and Miss Watson have attempted to instill in Huck. Pap is a mess: he is unshaven; his hair is uncut and hangs like vines in front of his face; his skin, Huck says, is white like a fish's belly or like a tree toad's. Pap's savage appearance reflects his feelings as he demands that Huck quit school, stop reading, and avoid church. Huck is able to stay away from Pap for a while, but Pap kidnaps Huck three or four months after Huck starts to live with the Widow and takes him to a lonely cabin deep in the Missouri woods. Here, Huck enjoys, once again, the freedom that he had prior to the beginning of the book. He can smoke, "laze around," swear, and, in general, do what he wants to do. However, as he did with the Widow and with Tom, Huck begins to become dissatisfied with this life. Pap is "too handy with the hickory" and Huck soon realizes that he will have to escape from the cabin if he wishes to remain alive. As a result of his concern, Huck makes it appear as if he is killed in the cabin while Pap is away, and leaves to go to a remote island in the Mississippi River, Jackson's Island. It is after he leaves his father's cabin that Huck joins yet another important influence in his life: Miss Watson's slave, Jim. Prior to Huck's leaving, Jim has been a minor character in the novel--he has been shown being fooled by Tom Sawyer and telling Huck's fortune. Huck finds Jim on Jackson's Island because the slave has run away--he has overheard a conversation that he will soon be sold to New Orleans. Soon after joining Jim on Jackson's Island, Huck begins to realize that Jim has more talents and intelligence than Huck has been aware of. Jim knows "all kinds of signs" about the future, people's personalities, and weather forecasting. Huck finds this kind of information necessary as he and Jim drift down the Mississippi on a raft. As important, Huck feels a comfort with Jim that he has not felt with the other major characters in the novel. With Jim, Huck can enjoy the best aspects of his earlier influences. As does the Widow, Jim allows Huck security, but Jim is not as confining as is the Widow. Like Tom Sawyer, Jim is intelligent but his intelligence is not as intimidating or as imaginary as is Tom's. As does Pap, Jim allows Huck freedom, but he does it in a loving, rather than an uncaring, fashion. Thus, early, in their relationship on Jackson's Island, Huck says to Jim, "This is nice. I wouldn't want to be nowhere else but here." This feeling is in marked contrast with Huck's feelings concerning other people in the early part of the novel where he always is uncomfortable and wishes to leave them. At the conclusion of chapter 11 in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck and Jim are forced to leave Jackson's Island because Huck discovers that people are looking for the runaway slave. Prior to leaving, Huck tells Jim, "They're after us." Clearly, the people are after Jim, but Huck has already identified with Jim and has begun to care for him. This stated empathy shows that the two outcasts will have a successful and rewarding friendship as they drift down the river as the novel continues. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\East Of eden.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the novel , East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Catherine Ames is one of the main characters. She is introduced to the reader as a monster and as time goes on , she possesses both monster like and animal qualities. As Catherine sher gets older and wiser , she gets more evil and displays her monster and animals like characteristics. She knows she is powerful and indestructible. She has manipulated and tricked many people her life causing them to go to the extreme... death. Catherine "Cathy" shows her evilness and her moster like behavior in many scene throughout the book. Steinbeck illustrates Cathy as being a monster , "I believed there are monsters born in the world ... It is my belief that Cathy Ames was born with the tendencies, or lack of them, which drove and forced her all of her. Cathy was born with an innocent look that fooled many; she had golden blond hair, hazel eyes, a thin and dedicated nose , and a small chin to make her face look heart shaped. According to the town Cathy lived, Cathy had a scent of sweetness, but that is just what Cathy wanted the town to see and think when Cathy planned her kill; "The fire broke out... the Ames house went up like a rocket ... Enough remained of Mr. and Mrs. Ames to make sure there were two bodies ." Cathy had set the house on fire and broke into the safe to steal the family's money. As the investigators scooped the place, they noticed that the bolts stuck out and there were on keys left in the locks. They knew it was not an accident. Cathy's body was never found, but the town assumed that she died. "If it had not been for Cathy's murder, the fire and robbery might have been a coincidence. " Steinbeck, again, portrays the reader that Cathy is a monster. "when I said Cathy was a monster it seemed to me that it was so." Steinbeck is reassuring the reader that Cathy is a monster and with the evidence before and after this statement. For example, Cathy later changes her name to Kate entrains a whorehouse. While she runs the house, she takes pictures of all the important male individuals in the town to later send to their spouses and families. Cathy plans to send the pictures whether they caused trouble or not. As Cathy's character evolves, Steinbeck changes his description from a monster to an animal. "Her head jerked up and her sharp teeth fastened on his hand across the back and up into the palm near the little finger...her jaw was set and her head twisted and turned, mangling his hand the way a terrier worries a sack." Steinbeck said .Cathy's sharp teeth sunk into the man's flesh like a dog's canines would have. She tore away at the skin and twisted and turned her head to resemble a dog. "Do you think I want to be human? Look at those picture! I'd rather be an animal than a human. The physical features of Cathy are that of a human but the mental state of her resembles an animal. Although, Cathy seems to down grade and be paradoxical about herself because humans are much smarter than dog, but she says she is smarter than any normal human. She knows how to manipulated any individual without trying; like for example she said, "Uncontrolled hatred shone in Kate's eyes. She creamed , a long and shrill animal screech." Cathy, for unknow reasons has animal characteristics. This one just happens to be the screech of an animals. Steinbeck uses Cathy for suspense in his novel. You never know what she is going to do next or what she is thinking. She has more characteristics of a monster and an animal than a human. Cathy's character has no talk about being normal except for her looks. I think the only sensible thing she did in her life time was not killing Adam, her loving spouse, and committing suicide. She has not a care in the world and her only love is hatred. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Economic Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Economic Essay: Negative Factors of Privatization The basis of economics is not entirely on the study of economic trends, or on the efficient use of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants, it is also based on using this information to best meet the needs of society. If indeed this is true, the prospect of the privatization of our most important industries is counter-productive to the needs of society. It is like giving our most important social services and programs to the hands the private sector, which cares more about profits and shareholders (who provide their investment capital) than they do about the people. There are several instances both in Canada and around in the world when privatization of essential industries has been attempted, and has failed miserably to deliver the same productivity, reliability or high standards that the government usually provided. The quality of the service doesn't rise, only the prices do. With the rising prices also come higher costs to businesses as well as inferior services for workers, all signs leading to a struggling economy in the future. Due to the growing trend of privatization in Canada, it is evident our government cares more about attracting investment/business to Canada, rather than on the needs of society. The most important issue of privatization in Canada is the one that deals with health care and the issue of whether we should "clip the U.S. recipe" and switch to a private health care system. With an article from the Toronto Star ("We won't clip U.S. recipe") as well as an article from CUPE's 2002 Annual Report on Privatization, the topic of health care is indeed a controversial one. Due to a rising demand for new technology, medicine and better service, the Canadian government has to come up with a solution that doesn't involve the privatization of our health system into a two-tier health care system similar to the one in U.S. In private hospitals in the States and here in Canada, the level of service has decreased drastically despite all the extra costs consumers are forced to pay. Where does all that money go? Certainly not to reinvestment in the hospitals, as seen by 20-30% shortages in hospital beds, supplies and support staff from when it was publicly handled. It goes to the private companies charged with providing citizens health care that is supposedly more "efficient". In a two-tier health system, the public funded hospitals experience even more drastic shortages, not being able to service the needs of the population. In addition to providing poorer health care with additional costs, the private hospitals are often prone to fraud as companies scam money out of the system. These crimes only serve to drive costs up even higher. When you suddenly have to pay for health care, you'd now think twice before going to the doctor. With a price being put on people's health, people will start to deteriorate because they can't afford to go to the doctor. That means an unhealthy labour force and less productivity on the job due to inferior health. Companies suffer as a result of less supply, less investment and less profits. The economy of Canada is also affected, as foreign investors will be discouraged to move to Canada when health care is no longer publicly provided. Less foreign investment means less economic growth. While private health care systems are often the most expensive, they are also the most inefficient and unpopular. In the article "Rising power bills give consumers nasty shock" from the Globe & Mail, it shows an example of the negative effects of privatization that happened recently across Ontario when the provincial government split the energy service between public and private. With the energy being pumped out by the private sector, many people have had to pay a large increase in their hydro/electric bills over the summer, averaging 30-40% from when it was handled by the government. Before the Conservatives opened the market to private competition, electricity costs 4.3 cents a kWh. The average since May has been at 5.6 cents a kWh. There were even points during the summer in which prices skyrocketed to $1 a kwh, more than 20 times that of normal pre-competition price! On top of the inflated price of electricity, consumers are also paying additional amounts for the transmission/distribution of power, as well as a special levy to pay off the debts of the old Ontario Hydro. With the rise in prices, the service has not improved. In fact, electricity is even scarcer in the private sector due to a record low rainfall, needed for hydroelectric energy. The negative implications in the economy are seen as businesses, the largest market users of electricity are also being forced to pay more for their energy. That means more production costs for businesses and less output. With less supply, the price of consumer goods would skyrocket. Businesses would take a cut in profits, leading to less investment and even a loss of jobs. All of this is damaging to an already fragile economy. Ever since the privatization of energy in the market, we've had to pay more money for the same service, all of the profits going to the companies and their shareholders. In CUPE's annual report, the privatization of the water supply in the U.K. was discussed. Despite promises of lower costs and more efficiency, the privatization has only lead from higher costs as well as lower water quality. As of right now, the U.K. is in a drastic situation regarding the cleanliness of its water supply and over-flooding. These were never issues when the government was still in charge of the water. However, once the government handed it over to the private sector, only the companies and their stockholders have seen any good come out of it, in the form of profits and dividends. With the major increases in water bills, you would think that this revenue was used to reinvest in cleaning up the water supply. Instead, the quality of the water has worsened substantially as underground pipes continue to leak and sewage treatment plants in need of serious maintenance. However, all the funds go to the pockets of the companies while citizens are forced to live with unsanitary water conditions. The money isn't even used to clean up the water supply, or provide better quality water at cheaper prices for the consumer! Add that to the fact that a rising water table in the U.K. has lead to floods and the water issue is seriously becoming a national problem. The negative effects on the economy are even more startling. As people are forced to pay more for their own water, that means they have less money for spending. Less consumer spending leads to less economic growth. Also, unsanitary water conditions would eventually lead to degradation in health. God forbid this could lead to an incident like Walkerton, also caused by the irresponsibility of private companies. As I mentioned above, poorer health of employees leads to less productivity and less profits for businesses. When the water is contaminated, residents, tourism and businesses are driven away from the area. The people would have trouble selling the property when the water there is unsanitary. The economy of that area, like the one in Walkerton, will falter, as the population of that area would drastically decrease. There would be no businesses or consumers there. Money will have to be spent to clean up the water (through gov't loans) while the losses due to death and illness can never be replaced. All the while, the private companies and its stockholders are cleaning up from the suffering, poor water quality and degradation of health as a result of privatization of water supply. Privatization is like a plague in our society that often results in more costs and less service for the consumer, no matter what industry is being affected. Privatization, whether with hydro, health care, or water supply, has done more for the profits of faceless corporations than to the people it has served. In incidences around the world, people have suffered and economies have faltered due to the "efficiency" of privatization. Perhaps the largest casualty of privatization is due to public services and programs, which are meant to help the struggling population. It has simply meant higher costs for an inferior service. It is the private companies who benefit while others businesses, citizens and the economy as a whole that suffers. The government must stop offloading its responsibilities to a private market that cares more about dividends than people. Privatization is slowly but surely strangling the economy of labour, technology, businesses and even foreign investment. ECONOMIC ESSAY NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF PRIVATIZATION BY JUSTIN LIM AND MIKE VISCONTI TO MR. BIANCHI OCTOBER 3, 2002 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Economics essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Economics essay This essay will attempt to explain the relationships between unemployment, inflation and growth in national income and then using relevant data for France and Japan describe their economies performances stating if there is any need for government intervention. Firstly, unemployment is a potential problem to any economy and for the people unemployed themselves. Not everyone who doesn't have a job is classed as being unemployed. Children, pensioners and people who just choose to stay at home for personal reasons such looking after children are not included in the unemployment statistic. There are many different definitions for the number unemployed although the most common one which economists tend to use is 'those of working age who are without work, but who are available for work at current wage rates'. (Sloman. Pg 401 5th edition) Some of the other definitions of unemployment are as follows: * "Unemployed persons are all persons who had no employment during the reference week, were available for work, except for temporary illness, and had made specific efforts to find employment some time during the 4-week period ending with the reference week. Persons who were waiting to be recalled to a job from which they had been laid off need not have been looking for work to be classified as unemployed". (http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/meta/long_58609.htm) * "The unemployment rate is the percentage of the labour force that actively seeks work but is unable to find work at a given time. Discouraged workers-persons who are not seeking work because they believe the prospects of finding it are extremely poor-are not counted as unemployed or as part of the labour force." (http://canadianeconomy.gc.ca/english/economy/unemployment2.html) * "Percentage of employable people actively seeking work, out of the total number of employable people; determined in a monthly survey by the Bureau of Labour Statistics (website: www.bls.gov)". (http://www.moneychimp.com/glossary/unemployment_rate.htm) Numbers or percentages are used to show unemployment rates. When a percentage is used it is a percentage for the total labour force. The labour force being the people employed plus the ones unemployed. When doing official unemployment statistics there are two methods used to measure Unemployment. These are measures are known as Claimant unemployment and Standardised unemployment rates. Claimant statistics are very easy to get hold of because it is just a measure of all the people who are receiving unemployment related benefits. This method is not the most accurate and doesn't give the true level of unemployment. The reason for this is that not all the people unemployed are able to receive the benefits even though they are of a working age and available for work at current wage rates. Amongst these people are people who are seeking part time work instead of full time work. The UK government have been using Standardised unemployment rates instead of Claimant Unemployment since 1998 as it is much more accurate. It describes the measure of unemployment as "people of working age who are without work, available to start work within two weeks and actively seeking employment or waiting to take up an appointment". (Sloman. Pg 405 5th edition) This measure is good because the ILO and the OECD use the same definition for all the countries which makes it easier to compare the unemployment rates. The costs that people unemployed will be faced with will first be a financial one as the money that they were earning will be much more than the unemployment benefit if they even receive one. The next problem will be that the longer it takes them to get a job the more they will become dispirited and frustrated, which could lead to stress related illnesses. This same stress may spoil family relationships and increase domestic violence. The main cost to the economy following unemployment is the loss of output as actual output is below potential output. Unemployment will make many other peoples incomes decrease due to the following: * Unemployed people will spend less money which means government don't get enough tax revenue from national insurance, VAT and excise duties. * The lack of full employment means that firms don't make their full potential in profits. * Additional wages are lost as workers would have earned more should there have been a higher national output. The income of an economy has a lot to do with the aggregate demand, which is the total spending on goods and services made within the domestic country. 'National income is the sum of the incomes that all individuals in the economy earned in the forms of wages, interest, rents, and profits. It excludes government transfer payments and is calculated before any deductions are taken for income taxes.' (lms.thomsonelearning.com/hbcp/glossary/glossary.taf) The circular flow of income is a model which shows how national income can be increase or decrease but it doesn't show how we measure national income or out put. National output is mostly expressed as in terms of gross domestic product. (GDP) There are three different ways that can be calculated to obtain GDP. The first method is called the produced method, where the production of a firm is added up. The second method is known as the income method. This involves adding up all of the incomes from households generated from the production of goods and services. The third method is all about the expenditures necessary to purchase the nation's production. The value being sold must equal the value being produced. Inflation is all about an increase in the prices of goods and services in an economy. The rate of inflation is about 'the rate of change of prices (as indicated by a price index) calculated on a monthly or annual basis'. www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn Inflation can also be a big problem for an economy although it can be argued that the problem may be a minor one as long as wages keep up with prices which would then make no difference in living standards. Inflation can only be a minor problem if people are able to anticipate the rate of inflation and then adjust prices fully as well as incomes. Unfortunately people very rarely can predict the rate of inflation which leads to problems such as: * Redistribution- Inflation will redistribute wealth to people who own property as the value will rise rapidly during periods of inflation. People with certain savings accounts that pay rates of interest below the rate of inflation will lose value. * Uncertainty and lack of investment- A firm will not invest if they cannot predict their costs and revenues, which will reduce the rate of economic growth. * Balance of payments- When a country faces high inflation its exports will become less competitive in world markets. This then allows imports to get cheaper than home produced goods, meaning exports will fall and imports will rise. As a result of this the balance of payments may deteriorate and the exchange rates will fall. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Edgar Allan Poe.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Edgar Allan Poe How are Poe's stories rooted in the grim reality of his own life? From the beginning of his life Poe was exposed to death, disease and loss. As a young child he suffered through the death of his mother due to tuberculosis. Abandoned by their father, the Poe children were sent to various foster homes. Edgar lived with the Allan family. After a while, Poe learned that his foster mother had tuberculosis. Then there were two innocent young women who had died in Poe's life from the "red death" (TB). Poe often writes about death, especially the death of women. Poe also reflects on his life as an alcoholic by giving the male characters drunken qualities. Like Poe's many works his life is a tragic story. Many of his stories are essentially autobiographies using fictional characters to get his point across in an entertaining and grim way. Poe's works are full of truth, something people of his time weren't accustomed to. The unfamiliarity and real content was frightening to them, but for Poe his writing was all too familiar and very real. Poe is considered the "father of the detective story" why is this so? Poe's stories were the first attempt at writing a mystery novel. His works have inspired many authors to write mysteries. The first mystery Poe ever wrote was about a violent orangutan that goes on a killing streak. It wasn't genius but it was a start, a start of something big. Poe was the sole inspiration for the ever popular "Sure Luck Holmes" series, and for the Stephen King novels. He is the father of the detective story, and although he is dead, his genius lives on in the work of the inspired. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Edna The Awakwening.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Edna This is a look at "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin. When you first look at the life of Edna you think there is not much to discuss. Edna is a married woman who at first seems vaguely satisfied with her life--"she grew fond of her husband, realizing with some unaccountable satisfaction that no trace of passion or excessive and fictitious warmth colored her affection, thereby threatening its dissolution." (Chopin, 558). Edna doesn't know what she wants from life. It is evident from the way she tries to change her life to make it better, that she wants her own happiness. She refuses to stay home on Tuesdays, which she is expected to do to satisfy the social conventions of the time. She spends more time on her art. She goes to races and parties all the time. All of this doesn't seem to help her maintain happiness all the time. There were days when she was very happy without knowing why. She was happy to be alive and breathing, when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day. There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why, when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be dead or alive; when life appeared to her like a grotesque Pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation. (Chopin, 588) Edna struggled to make her life more fulfilling. Edna wanted what? Passion, excitement? She states to the Doctor, "But I don't want anything but my own way. That is wanting a good deal, of course, when you have to trample upon the lives, the hearts, the prejudices of others--but no matter--still, I shouldn't want to trample upon the little lives." (Chopin, 629). In the title of "The Awakening" I get the impression of someone waking up and deciding that their life is not what they want. Edna goes from being reasonably happy in her life to very unhappy with her life and tries to change it to make it better. The ways she goes about it are not necessarily the right ways, but at least she tries to change it to make it better. The acceptable behaviors of the time in which she lived worked against her. Edna stays married because divorce was unheard of in those days. She wants to marry Robert, but he will not because it will disgrace her to leave her husband. She exceeds the social boundaries of the day by going her own way and doing what she wants, but she is still bound by the will of others no matter what she wants. In the time period we are talking about she would have been ostracized by society if she and Robert were to be together. The only solution she sees is to commit suicide. That would not happen in this day and time either, because she would have been able to get a divorce and marry Robert with no special stigma. Edna could not get what she thought she wanted and ended up with no responsibilities. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ednas Character.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Steven Schwartz January 3, 1997 Mr. Speight Edna's Character The society of Grand Isle places many expectations on its women to belong to men and be subordinate to their children. Edna Pontellier's society, therefore, abounds with "mother-women," who "idolized their children, worshipped their husbands, and esteemed it to a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals". The characters of Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz represent what society views as the suitable and unsuitable woman figures. Mademoiselle Ratignolle as the ideal Grand Isle woman, a home-loving mother and a good wife, and Mademoiselle Reisz as the old, unmarried, childless, musician who devoted her life to music, rather than a man. Edna oscillates between the two identities until she awakens to the fact that she needs to be an individual, but encounters the resistance of society's standards to her desire. Kate Chopin carefully, though subtly, establishes that Edna does not neglect her children, but only her mother-woman image. Chopin portrays this idea by telling the reader "...Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother-woman seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle". Edna tries on one occasion to explain to Adele how she feels about her children and how she feels about herself, which greatly differs from the mother-woman image. She says: "I would give up the unessential; I would give my money; I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make it more clear; it's only something I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me." This specifically contrasts the mother-woman idea of self-sacrificing for your husband and children. Also, the "something . . . which is revealing itself" does not become completely clear to Edna herself until just before the end, when she does indeed give her life, but not her self for her children's sake. Although Edna loves her children she does not confuse her own life with theirs. Similarly to Edna's relationship with her children is that with her husband, Leonce. The Grand Isle society defines the role of wife as full devotion towards their husband and to self-sacrafice for your husband. Edna never adhered to the societies definition, even at the beginning of the novel. For example, the other ladies at Grand Isle "all declared that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world." And "Mrs. Pontellier was forced to admit she knew of none better". By using words like "forced" and "admit" Chopin illustrates Edna's true feelings towards Leonce. That she married him not because there are none better, but because there are also none worse. Edna's leaving Leonce's mansion is another important detail when considering her rebellion against the mother-woman idea. By moving to her own residence, Edna takes a colossal step towards autonomy, a direct violation of the mother-woman image. Throughout The Awakening, Edna increasingly distances herself from the image of the mother-woman, until her suicide, which serves as the total opposite of the mother-woman image. Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, the two important female subsidary characters, provide the two different identities Edna associates with. Adele serves as the perfect "mother-woman" in The Awakening, being both married and pregnant, but Edna does not follow Adele's footsteps. For Edna, Adele appears unable to perceive herself as an individual human being. She possesses no sense of herself beyond her role as wife and mother, and therefore Adele exists only in relation to her family, not in relation to herself or the world. Edna desires individuality, and the identity of a mother-woman does not provide that. In contrast to Adele Ratignolle, Mademoiselle Reisz offers Edna an alternative to the role of being yet another mother-woman. Mademoislle Reisz has in abundance the autonomy that Adele completely lacks. But Reisz's life lacks love, while Adele abounds in it. Mademoiselle Reisz's loneliness makes clear that an adequate life cannot build altogether upon autonomy. Although she has a secure sense of her own individuality and autonomy, her life lacks love, friendship, or warmth. What Edna chooses for her identity is a combination of Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz. More honest in self-awareness than Adele, more dependent on human relationships than Reisz. In The Awakening the woman's existance intertwines with her maternal nature. Edna's sense of herself as a complete person makes impossible her role of wife and mother as defined by her society; yet she discovers that her role of mother also makes impossible her continuing development as an autonomous individual. So her thoughts as she walks into the sea comment profoundly on the identity problems that women face: "She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul". Unable to have a full human existence, Edna chooses to have none at all. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\EducatingForThePerfectWorld.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Educating For The Perfect World "The hope of making (The Utopian State) would lie in culture. If people could be persuaded to read and write, not just eat and make love, there was still a chance that they might come to reason." This statement made by Arthur applies to both the society within T. H. White's novel, The Once and Future King, and to our own modern-day society. Within the society depicted in the novel, as well as in our own society, individuals who are educated and informed have open minds to reason with each other in conflicting situations, rather than make war. Through this idealistic view, proposed by T. H. White, there is the possibility of achieving a utopian state. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\elise spanish essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ EMac1207@aol.com Elise McDonald February 17, 2004 Intermediate Spanish II May Bletz El Club de la Moda Hola, me llamo Elise y soy presidente del club de la moda. Durante de [u1]reunion, nosotros[u2] hablamos sobre las tendencias más nuevas en el mundo del[u3] moda. En el[u4] primero semana, el club tuvo un[u5] discussion sobre los zapatos. Los miembros prefirieron los zapatos de tacon de cuero. Es el tipo mas popular de ellos. Muchas mujeres que llevan zapatos de moda añaden [u6] a su equi[u7]pa. Ademas, los zapatos deportivos llegan a ser más populares en ciudades grandes. La ciudad de Nueva York es un ejemplo de eso. En la ciudad, las mujera[u8]s llevan la ropa atlética. Discutimos a diseñadores nuevos. Los miembros y yo vamos a las tiendas a mirar la moda. Con los miembros del club, todos los meses nosotros vamos a la ciudad para ir a las tiendas y para comer el almuerzo. Si usted está en el club, usted puede venir a la ciudad también. Discutimos la ropa diferente en las varias tiendas. Algunas personas prefieren la moda de Ralph Lauren, mientras otras personas quieren Calvin Klein. Además, los miembros compran y discuten la ropa de muchos otros diseñadores. Me gusta ese club porque me encanta la moda. Después de mis clases, yo quiero [u9]las cosas que discuten que me interesa. Todos estudiates deben unir un club en el colegio. Es importante ser una parte de la comunidad. Los clubes ayuden [u10]los estudiantes [u11]encuentrar a personas nuevas. Hay muchos clubes importantes en Fordham. El Club de la moda no es importante a la comunidad, pero es muy divertido. 20/25 [u1]la [u2]were there men as well? [u3]agreement [u4]agr. [u5]Agr. [u6]Add: therse [u7]Word choice: collection? [u8]spelling [u9]infinitive and then direct object [u10]a [u11]infinitivo f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ElishaTerm Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Elisha By Anthony Rodriguez TERM PAPER In partial requirement for the Study Course On the Old Testament Survey Pastor David Martinez Victory Outreach International Bible Institute La Puente, CA April 2, 2002 ELISHA TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction pages 1-3 History and Background pages Elisha and Us pages Conclusion pages ELISHA Introduction Elisha is one of my favorite characters in the bible. He is the picture of a great man of God from the beginning to the end. Most people if you would ask them, what character in the bible would you have liked to have been they would probably say Abraham, Moses, Noah, or Elijah. I would have to say that Elisha is a favorite of mine because he had style. Whenever there was a problem or something came up he never panicked or lost control. The axe head fell in the water, so what. Elisha just asked where did it fall then he cut off a stick, threw it in the water and made it float. He was a man of great faith. He didn't need to see the army of chariots and horses of fire, he knew that they were there all along. Elisha just wanted his servant to see them because his faith was lacking. He also was a man of humbleness. In 1 Kings 19:21 the bible says that when Elisha was called he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant. It's been said that, "God will never give you the anointing of Elisha until you first serve Elijah". 1And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?. "Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." 1 ELISHA Introduction Why didn't Elisha just ask God for an anointing? I believe that Elisha had recognized that this was truly a man of God and understood that being a man of God that this question was actually from God. Elisha knew who this was and was happy just to be able to serve him. The bible doesn't say that Elisha went with Elijah and after he saw what Elijah was all about he decided to serve him. Elisha not only followed him, but also was able to do his work God told Elijah to 2"Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. If it is God's will for you to do something, it cannot be done without the anointing of God to do it.. The great commission is to preach the gospel to every creature and that can only be possible with the anointing of God. That anointing is here in the ministry of Victory Outreach International and every other ministry that is doing this work for the Lord. It's the same anointing that was upon Jesus and the Apostles, it's the same anointing getting passed around. Pastor Sonny received the anointing to reach the inner-cities of the world and as you can see for yourself that there was no way that he could have done it by himself. The anointing that God had placed upon Pastor Sonny was passed down to every other Pastor and Minister that has been sent out to other countries and cities worldwide. 2 ELISHA Introduction Elisha was a servant to Elijah the prophet. The name Elijah means f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\EliWhitney.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Eli Whitney Historians believe that one of the greatest pioneers in the birth of automation, American inventor, pioneer, mechanical engineer, and manufacturer Eli Whitney. Best remembered as the inventor of the cotton gin. He made his first violin when he was only 12. Eli started college when he was 23, in 1788. He left for Georgia and got his first look at cotton business. He graduated from Yale in 1792, and went to Savannah, Georgia to teach and study law. After he graduated he went south to tutor the children of a wealthy plantation owner. He taught school for five years. Eli Whitney made and sold nails during the Revolutionary war. In 1798 Eli obtained a government contract to make 10,000 muskets. In 1812 he was given another contract for 15,000 muskets .He built the first firearms factory to use mass production methods. When Eli Whitney built his first factory in 1798, he allocated a great deal of his precious resources to providing housing for his workers as well as ensuring that they were well off financially. This consideration marked his entire career as an industrialist. He wanted to "employ steady sober people,"tied to his factory and part of a community of industry. He intended to create a self-sufficient village, producing goods, and populated by well educated, happy workers,Whitneyville. He also affected the industrial development of the United States , in manufacturing muskets but most of whitney's own guns parts do not in fact interchange. Nevertheless, Eli Whitney is a figure whose history is fascinating, and whose impact in New Haven can not be overstated. He translated the concept of interchangeable parts into a manufacturing system, giving birth to the Americanmass-production concept. Whitney saw that a machine to clean the seed from cotton could make the South prosperous and make its inventor rich. He set to work at once and within days had drawn a sketch to explain his idea; 10 days later he constructed a crude model that separated fiber from seed. By 1793 he designed and constructed a machine called the cotton gin, that quickly separated cotton seed from the shortstaple cotton fiber. The first cotton gin was a wooden box that spun around a drum and picked the cotton seed with wire hooks.Cotton Gin, machine used to separate the fibers of cotton from the seeds. Before the invention of the cotton gin, seeds had to be removed from cotton fibers by hand; this labor-intensive and time-consuming process made growing and harvesting cotton uneconomical. The cotton gin allowed the seeds to be removed mechanically and rapidly from the cotton fibers, making cotton production economical and leading to dramatic growth in the United States cotton industry. This expansion contributed to an increase of slave labor in the United States. Whitney's cotton gin, also called a saw gin, consisted of a cylinder to which a number of sawlike teeth were attached. As the cylinder revolved, the teeth passed through the closely spaced ribs of a fixed comb. When cotton was fed into the gin, the teeth caught the cotton fibers and pulled them through the comb. The seeds, which were too large to pass between the ribs, were left behind,( This principle, with virtually no modifications, is still employed in modern automatic saw gins used to process the bulk of the U.S. cotton crop).After perfecting his machine he filed an application for a patent on June 20, 1793; in February 1794 he deposited a model at the Patent Office, and on March 14 he received his patent. Whitney's gin brought the South prosperity.Whitney entered into partnership with the plantation manager, Phineas Miller, to manufacture cotton gins at New Haven, Connecticut. A disastrous factory fire prevented the partners from making enough gins to meet the demand, and manufacturers throughout the South began to copy the invention.but the unwillingness of the planters to pay for its use and the ease with which the gin could be pirated put Whitney's company out of business by 1797. When Congress refused to renew the patent, which expired in 1807, Whitney concluded that 'an invention can be so valuable as to be worthless to the inventor.' He never patented his later inventions, one of which was a milling machine the other ground gravel used in road production. His genius as expressed in tools, machines, and technological ideas made the southern United States dominant in cotton production and the northern states a bastion of industry. He had one sister- Elizabeth, and two brothers- Benjamin and Josiah. In 1817 he married Henrietta Frances Edwards of Bridgeport, Connecticut. They had three daughters and one son. Eli Whitney died in 1824 of natural causes. There is a award this day which is for distinguished accomplishments in improving capability within the broad concept of orderly production. The person receiving this Award should be presently in a top management position, active personally in the development of ideas, concept of process, associated with engineering, responsible for proven concepts, with wide recognition in the area of mass production and generating greater productivity f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\eng essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jasmine Clark B8 Reflective Essay Rough Draft Although unaware, Dustin has taught me a lot throughout my life. Even though these lessons were learned through his mistakes and trials I believe they were of great benefit to me and possibly others. It was a Saturday in early-August, 2002. I was sitting on the couch with my friend when Dustin came in claiming he needed to borrow some money. I looked at him questionably and asked why he needed the money. He gave me a look, as if he were thinking I should trust him, and said I need to go get Dayton some stuff at Wal-Mart. Now we need to go back in time a little bit so you can get a better understanding of the trust issue. It all started in October of 2001 when I found out that Dustin had a drug addiction. Shortly after that he decided to go to a rehab center to try to get off the drugs, but his visit there only lasted a total of 2 nights. My parents claimed that was because he hadn't yet decided, for himself, that he wanted to quit. In November of 2001 Dustin's girlfriend Dena, who fortunately is a great person and didn't live quite the same lifestyle as Dustin, found out she was pregnant, and on June 28th, 2002 Dayton Michael Clark was born. Not wanting to make a scene in front of my friend I handed over some money trusting, and hoping, he was really going to Wal-Mart. Dustin leaped up grabbed the money and called out that he will be back shortly. Two or three hours passed and there was still no sign of him. My mom came home and I asked her if she had heard from Dustin, she said no. When Dustin finally did come home he told me he was sorry, knowing I already knew what he did with the money. That day Dustin told me that he was going to quit not only for Dayton but also for himself. To this Day Dustin has not broken his word. Dustin and Dena are getting married on March 13, 2004. Dayton is about 19 months old and has a dad he can look up to. They have an apartment in American Fork and they come over every Sunday for a family dinner. My brother is finally happy. The major lesson I learned from this experience was plainly about drug and alcohol use. I know first hand what drug users are like and I don't want to live like that. I don't want to be one who can't be trusted, who's life is controlled by a substance, and who drifts away from those they once loved and cared about most. My brother was very lucky, drugs are controlling and they are very hard to get off of. Many people aren't so lucky. I believe it's a lot easier for me to say no to drugs and alcohol because of what I saw. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\engessay letter to editor.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RE. Kobe Bryant charged with sexual assault; Bryany: "I'm innocent". July 18, 2003. Dear Brandon McGovern I have read through your " Kobe Bryant charged with sexual assault; Bryant; "I'm innocent" article, and would have to say I'm quite disappointed. You're begging statement (" in somewhat of a surprise...charged Kobe Bryant with sexual assault...") is only true because the media and people like you have described and promoted Kobe as the poster boy of the NBA, when in reality it is truly not like this. If you did your research on him or have decided to write an unbies opinion on the issue you would have discovered or printed Kobe's interaction with his teammates and his behavior on out of town trips. Kobe would not go out with the team and had a hard time being excepted by the team because he entered the league at such a young age. I don't understand why you even mentioned his absence that will be taken place from the NBA. Of course he will be taking time to prepare for one of the most important issues of his life. He shouldn't even be playing, or continues playing because he would be setting a poor example and that is not what the NBA should be promoting. And how is that a prediction of the trial? It is just opinionated blabber. And journalism is not about the author's opinions, but the facts. So please stick to your own advice, "...enough of me." : Katie Stetson. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\engl 1101 essay 3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brad Dinerstein English 1101 Mr. Manzione November 3, 2003 The Arguments of the Texas Ku Klux Klan The Texas Knights of the Ku Klux Klan use a variety of tactics to address various arguments supporting white supremacy and preservation of the white, Christian race. Their website offers various statements on the logical notion of the organization's creed, character, dilemma, and dedication. These statements use a variety of arguments that mainly appeal to the reader's character and emotion. The group tries to evoke a sense of pride in the reader's race in order to allow him or her to sympathize with their arguments. The main argument of the Texas Knights is that they are working to preserve their heritage, history, and creed. In almost every section of the site the group claims that they are not a hate group and do not discriminate against any group, race, and creed. These ridiculous disclaimers become redundant and are repeated word for word prior to ridiculous hate filled arguments. The group's main argument is that they believe they are different from other races and strive to keep and preserve their differences. Most of these arguments are based on fallacy rather than actual facts and/or concrete evidence. The main argumentative tactic for the group's basis is an appeal of character. They at various times mention that every race has a specific duty to be proud of their prospective history and heritage, regardless of its ethnic origin, and they as white Christians, are simply doing their part. A large source for their argument found in almost all aspects of their site is the fact they are working to protect their children, teach them right, and protect the future. The group claims it is their duty as adults to preserve and promote the safety and innocence of their children by educating them to "love their race, be proud of who they are, and where their roots are." I personally found this to be the most bizarre of all arguments presented by the group, being that they are in fact educating their children to be racist, and that in turn is destroying their safety and innocence as children, forcing them to believe something that comes unnatural. These arguments are appeals to character in that they argue that it is an individual's duty to have pride in their race, no matter what race that is, and to pass that pride and separation of races to future generations. The group claims that everyone has that specific duty, and they, as white Christians, are simply carrying out their duty like the rest of us should. The group argues that the preservation of one's history, even though it may be racist and separate from other cultures, is essential to the advancement of one's future. In perhaps the group's most outrageous argument, they claim that "racial separation is not a measure of hate for another race. It is a measure of love for one's own." The group argues here with the attempt to appeal to the reader's sense of patriotism, frustration, and anger. This is also shown by stating how there are those hungry and homeless in America who should be taken care of first rather than those homeless in other nations. The Texas Klansmen also make claims that attempt to appeal to the reader's sense of religion and duty as a Christian. In arguing against homosexuality they again make a superfluous argument in stating "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." To further strengthen this stupid statement, the group argues that homosexuality is an abomination before God and should not be permitted because it influences are children. This argument attempts to appeal to religious individuals who care for their children, for should seem to be a large percentage of the world's population. Claims and arguments such as these are used to appeal to the character of the reader, with the objective to convince them to believe that their arguments are right and just. Another basis of argument the Texas Klansman use is an appeal their reader's heart and emotions. These arguments present evidence, weather how illogical it may be, and use it to persuade the reader to think more carefully about certain facts and issues. For example, crime is a highlighted focus of concern in the group's platform explaining how America is the most violent nation in the world and this violence is a direct result of the pampering of criminals and who at the same time is attempting to disarm its law abiding citizens. This form of argument is used again when the Texas Klansmen allude to the Constitution of the United States. In closing their opening argument, they 'politely' ask the reader to keep in mind that everyone has the Constitutional right of free speech. They elaborate on this right by defending their "rare privilege to openly share ones point of view." They elaborate this argument of free speech even further by mentioning that this right was "given to us by people that have died to protect our freedom and the Constitution of the United States of America." This ridiculous argument not only serves to appeal to the reader's heart and emotions, but also to their false sense of patriotism, their sense of anger, and their sense of frustration. The ultimate goal of such claims is to evoke a sense of sympathy and outrage, increasing the strength and relevance of the argument to its readers. This tactic is also used a variety of times in referring to the general American public as "the Tax Payers" where their hard earn money is being used support immigrant children that are possibly going to be detrimental to both society and to the economy. This reference is again used in arguing against US support in aiding anti-American nations. In fact, the group refers to this use of the tax payers' hard earned money as "ludicrous and wasteful." No real, concrete facts are ever presented to support the arguments of the Texas Knights. Various facts are presented to support different arguments believed by the group. No facts include any real numbers or statistics, just outrageous claims and vast generalizations such as "America's public schools, colleges, and universities, have been turned into political indoctrination centers run by liberals, communist, and atheist" and "America is being transformed into a new Mexico." These statements presented as facts by the Texas Klansmen are nothing but outrageous claims with zero provided support or evidence that just makes the group's members seem ignorant and stupid. Again rather than presenting concrete evidence, the group has just made broad generalizations and presented them as facts in a persuasive and convincing manner. Perhaps the most ridiculous, but amusing arguments by the Texas Klansmen are those that are equivocations. My favorite to laugh at occurs in the group's written platform in the first line of its abortion section. It simply states "Thousands of innocent children are slaughtered each day at Baby killing centers all over the country." The group uses this half truth to emphasize their stance on abortion in attempt to further stress their views of abortion as a form of murder. The Texas Klansmen argue strongly that the faults in our society, economy, and government, are all due to the integration of race, the acceptance of homosexuality, the failure to control violence, problems in foreign policy, and the practice of policies such as affirmative action, immigration, and welfare. The group greatly attempts to appeal to both the character and the heart of the reader, trying to reach the reader with a sense of patriotism, pride, and outrage, in order for him or her to sympathize with the arguments of the group. The only problem is that the Texas Klansmen base both their arguments and position on specific issues only on fallacy rather than fact. Their arguments come out of their own corrupt and ignorant ideologies and have no real, strong pertinent evidence to base them upon. 1 Dinerstein f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\english catcher essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It is evident that most if not all teenagers face challenges through the transformation of becoming an adult. J.D Salinger describes teenage behavior such as phoniness and confusion, teenage depression and their need for attention, and their desire to protection innocents in our society. I personally agree that Salinger delivers an accurate depiction of teenagers in our society. Phony: fake; not genuine. Who is to say what is truly genuine in our society? Salinger demonstrates his view of genuine through his characters in the novel. Early into the novel Salinger portrays the main character to be very hateful towards society, and the reason he leaves his schools and public locations is because of other people and their "phoniness." He illustrates this in chapter two by saying "...I left Elkton Hills because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all" (13). Teenagers are confused along the path of life, and will change their attitudes and perspective on things depending on the situation. Salinger demonstrates that all teenagers become "phony" as a defense mechanism to be accepted. Salinger demonstrates this behavior through his characters by characterizing them as fake or phony. This reminds me of a friend of mine who is extremely entertaining when around our close group of friends. She/ he will do and say the craziest things, but when someone new is introduced she/ he becomes extremely introverted. It is not that she/ he is acting phony by acting different towards other people, but she/ he is uncertain as to how to present themselves for fear of not being accepted. This attitude is present in most teenagers, making it a natural thing rather then being phony. Secondly, Salinger describes his main character as depressed and neglected. Holden (the main character) deals with his depression by rebelling. Salinger exaggerates Holdens actions and results in a lot of trouble, and he does not seem to help himself get out of these situations. The circumstances Holden gets into, such as the prostitute problem, causes Holden to receive a lot of attention, which a lot of teenagers need. Many teenagers like to attract attention to themselves for numerous reasons. For example back in public school a few of my peers would tape bandages around their wrists, as if they had attempted suicide. This did attract attention towards them, although it was mostly negative. These young ladies fabricated depression and thought everything was grimily wrong with society. This scenario is a lot like Holdens perspective on civilization, and he is seeking attention like my former classmates in public school. Finally Salinger presents Holden to be obsessed with protecting the innocent. This conduct is human nature. It is not something that is discussed, but is a habit of society. It is more obviously shown in mothers, caring and protecting their children from the "bad" or "corrupted" in our society. Not only is it seen in mothers but also many people demonstrate protectiveness because of regretful experiences they have encountered. For instance, my older brother would sit at the back of the bus on the way to school. When I started taking the bus he would not let me sit at the back. He knew all of the things that went on at the back and was concerned that I would be "corrupted". This is remarkably like Holdens attitude towards his younger sister Phoebe. He wanted to protect her from everything vile, because his image of Phoebe was that she was as innocent as they come. In conclusion, I have provided ample proof that Salinger delivers an accurate depiction of teenagers in our society. He clearly portrays the attitude and thoughts of teenagers. He also accurately describes the phoniness that comes from confusion, the need for attention, and the potential for corruption that teen's face in everyday life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\english essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ November 2, 2003 Dear friend of STA, I have been so blessed to be a part of the Saint Thomas Aquinas community. I could not begin to tell you of my many blessings here. However, I am going to share one particular instance with you. From the eyes of a scared little freshman, I remember the when I saw my first STA mass. I was having a pretty bad day, everything seemed to go wrong and I just wanted an out. So I was glad to be going to mass but, like the attitude of most of my peer I thought church was cool mostly because you got out of class. When I was packed into the gym with the whole student and staff body of Aquinas, I was awestricken by the peaceful unity created. The way that every single person comes together to celebrate what we believe as a community creates a feeling in me that I know I am blessed to be able to participate in. The student body has so much power with their songs. They really care about what they are singing. It has so much raw emotion. Mass created a feeling within me that I will never forget. I really could feel God's presence. Now, every time we have mass it sends chills up and down my spine, when the choir sings because the singing is the most wonderful sound, and it puts my mind at ease, even when I am not in a good mood or having a good day. The mutual reverence makes mass so valuable and meaningful. For me, being able to celebrate mass whenever we want and with complete respect is what makes STA so wonderful, everyone brings together their talents to celebrate. Sincerely, Carri Prewitt Class of 05 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\English Essay2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hahn 1 Philip A. Hahn Mr. Ehling English 10 22 April 2003 The Use of Corporal Punishment in Sparta High School Corporal punishment of children is one of the most important conflicts facing our nation today. In some states, school officials are still allowed to use corporal punishment as a means of discipline. However, many states have abolished corporal punishment in schools. Years ago, corporal punishment was widely accepted; now, however, research and psychological issues have contributed to the question whether corporal punishment is actually healthy. Sparta High School should not allow corporal punishment because it is an unhealthy, outdated means of punishment which can easily be replaced with healthy alternatives. Admittedly, corporal punishment is a direct, effective way of punishment. It may produce immediate results with children. However, it makes discipline harder in the future. Corporal punishment doesn't only hurt the body physically, but it hurts the body mentally and socially. Spanking a child actually increases the child's non-compliant behavior in the future. It may trigger criminal, anti-social, violent, aggressive behavior later in life. A study of over 440 boys concluded that one out of every three boys maltreated during childhood will be almost certain to exhibit anti-social or criminal behavior as an adult. Higher levels of adult depression, psychiatric problems, and addictions can be expected outcomes of using corporal punishment. Another study shows that children who were spanked have a lower IQ when compared to children whose parents used other methods of discipline and control. Corporal punishment trains a child to use violence. Violence as a way of behaving is a learned response, and it makes it acceptable for the strong to use force against the weak. Children affected with the use of corporal punishment have an increased likelihood of becoming more aggressive towards their fellow students. Furthermore, corporal punishment can greatly hurt a child physically. Because corporal punishment involves physical abuse to the body, it is obvious that the intended minor abuse to the body can turn more serious. Boxing ears can result in a burst eardrum. Shaking can cause a concussion, whiplash, blindness, serious brain damage, or even death. Spanking can injure muscles, genitals or the spine. Hitting a child's hands can injure bones, blood vessels, joints and ligaments. It can also lead to early arthritis. These serious injuries are only a few of the serious injuries that can result. It is very obvious that minor physical abuse can lead to more serious injury to the body. Being aware of both the mental, social, and physical results of corporal punishment, school officials must turn to more healthy ways of punishment. There many disciplinary actions the school could take. Assigning suspensions, detentions, and restrictions are effective ways of punishment. These punishments are very efficient and deter students from repeating the same action in order to avoid the punishment. These punishments are effective because of the extreme physiological factors associated with them. While these are psychological punishments that affect the mind, they are most likely to affect the mind temporarily instead of permanently. In conclusion, Sparta High School should not allow the use of corporal punishment because of the physical, social, and mental damages it can bring. Many schools have realized the effects and have abolished it. While corporal punishment may serve as an effective means of punishment in the short term, it is inherently damaging in the long run. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\english term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Crystal Marte Mrs. Opromolla English 302 October 30, 2002 Romeo and Juliet has been kept alive through the many versions movies have portrayed them in. Many movies have actually used the Shakespearean dialogue in their movies. Others have just used the general idea of lovers being separated by outside opposing forces. In the 1996 version of William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet directed by Baz Luhrman, the tale was accurately portrayed through the use of Shakespearean dialogue. However, although the movie represented the dialogue accurately, there were things such as weapons, setting and culture, and innuendos of sex and drugs that were included in the movie. In the violent scenes of brawls between the Montagues and the Capulets, they use guns in the movie instead of swords. The use of guns is somewhat typical in a modern day film because audiences love violence and action in their films. In the play, however, swords were used in fights. Even though the director replaced the swords with guns, he shows the brand name of the gun which he dutifully names "Sword". "Attempting to reconcile Shakespeare's "swords" with the hip world of Verona Beach, Luhrman uses a close-up of the characters' guns to show that their brand name is "Sword" ( instead of, one might suppose, "Colt"). (The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, 421) " In the play, Verona, Italy is described as medieval setting with castles and courts. In the movie, the setting is described as a busy city by the beach. Verona, Italy is portrayed as a very distinguished city where officials of the courts lived. They used horses, lived in castles, and lived by the rule that status was everything. In the movie, the story seemed to be set in modern day California. It was hot and people walked around in open shirts or bikinis. It was called Verona Beach. There were prostitutes in the street and people carrying guns. "Baz Luhrman's Romeo+Juliet brought Shakespeare into the postmodern age" (Courtesy Twentieth Century-Fox). In contrast to the play, the movie displays certain innuendos of sexuality to capture the modern day audience. For example, during the scene of Romeo and Juliet at the balcony, Romeo uses the dialogue of the play and body language to initiate a sexual confrontation with Juliet. The scene is supposed to portray the true love vows exchanged between Romeo and Juliet on their first night of introduction. In the play, it is expressed as romantic and beautiful as Romeo uses words to win Juliet. However, in the movie, Romeo uses both words and the constant touching of Juliet's body to show her how much he "cares". Another innuendo present in the movie that caters to the modern day era is the use of drugs. In the scene where Mercutio tells the tale of Queen Mab, the movie shows him giving Romeo a small pill which goes by the name of "extacy". Soon after that scene, the audience witness Romeo "tripping" at the party hosted by the Capulet family. "Violence, murder, lust, love, poison, drugs that mimic death, it's all there says Luhrman" (Braun 1). This innuendo of drugs only appeals more to the modern day audience. In conclusion, even though the correct usage of dialogue is presented in the movie version of Romeo and Juliet, there are still some obvious contrasts to the play. Most of the differences are made on purpose to attract the attention of a modern day audience. Things such as violence with guns, sexual innuendos, and drug usage all appeal to the audiences of today. Marte 2 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\English3 txt Makeup your own title .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It was a calm sunny day in mid-January as Bob climbed into his plane to go for a late afternoon flight over the mountains. He started the engine and it gave a weak squeal as it turned over. Bob thought nothing of this as it happens when it is cold out, but it was more than he could ever know. He taxied his plane to the end of the runway and applied full power. The plane began to accelerate slowly at first but quickly gained speed, and just as fast it leaped into the air. About twenty minutes into the flight the plane gave a shudder as a strong gust of wind shoved at the small plane. In minutes the sun disappeared and snow took its place. Bob's peaceful afternoon flight had just become a nightmare. Bob attempted to turn the small plane back to the airport but the wind would not allow it. The wind had it's way with the plane until that squeal came back to haunt the young man inside. With a shudder and a bang the plane's prop stopped. Within seconds the stall horn began to blow and the plane rolled onto it's right side and plummeted to the snow covered ground. Bob awoke, not knowing how long he was out, hoping that some one had received his frantic calls for help. After a day he decided to try and hike out, he took everything he could carry. He made good distance during the day but at nightfall he knew it was over; the temperature had fallen below negative fifty mark. The rescuers sent out search parties and finally found him in his sleeping bag next to a burnt out fire. They had been looking for weeks, this is what they had expected. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\EnglishResearch Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Equality of the Sexes By Annie O'Donnell English Period 7 March 31, 2003 OUTLINE Equality of the Sexes Thesis Statement: The society still does not treat men and women equal although women have gained many more rights over the years. I. Do men and women have equal job opportunities? A. Jobs easier for women to get B. Jobs easier for men to get C. Earnings D. Employment II. Do men and women have equal rights in the home? A. Female Headed Households B. Male headed households III. Do men and women have equal rights in sports? A. Women athletes that first start out. B. Men's Advantages in sports C. Women advantages D. Women Disadvantages IV. Do men and women have equal rights to learn? A. History B. Schools C. Private schools D. Girls Catching up Do you know that the average size of a woman's brain is much smaller than the size of a man's brain? Many people seem to think of this as "proof" that women are less intelligent then men (Haughton 6-7).Since the early 1800s men and women have not been treated equally, but throughout the years, women's rights have been improving. Today men and women are still not being treated with full equal rights although women's rights are being improved. Most people agree that men and women do not have equal job opportunities. In the past women generally did not work outside of the home. Can you imagine a law stating that women were not allowed to work? During the Great Depression some governments passed laws either forbidding or strictly limiting the employment of women (8-9). When women were employed, it was often in jobs such as nurses, teachers, social workers, or other low paying jobs, or those that did not require much skill. Although women worked in factories during both world wars, they were asked to leave shortly after the wars ended, because men were in need of jobs (8-9).You might ask why there was not much employment of women in the past? Some of the reasons that men said were that females were less "intelligent", they had fewer skills, and sooner or later they had to return home to have babies or to care for their families (Peterson 18). Men had many more job opportunities than women in professional careers such as lawyers, doctors, athletes, and managers (18). Because of the limited jobs women were able to have, this made an impact on their pay. Not only have men had more career choices than women, but they also have earned more income in those careers. Did you realize that in 1995 the median income of a male who completed high school was $7,000 more than a female with the same education (Peterson 18)? Many women thought that they weren't as good as men since the pay wasn't the same, even though that was not true (18). Also in 1996 women earned 74 cents for every mans' dollar (15-16). Even though the salaries and employment of men and women have not been equal through the years, there are many more career choices and opportunities for women today. Income differences between men and women are narrowing, although still not completely equal even in 2003. Recently there was a poll taken in which 60 million women over the age of 20 are working (15-16).Today more women are employed due to factors such as rising divorce rates, postponing marriage until later in life and women are seeking fulfilling careers instead of traditional wife and mother roles of years past (15-16). Yvette Cooper, an independent newspaper writer once said "Men still do not contribute equally to housework even when their partners are in full-time work. So mothers who go out to work know they will effectively do two jobs, be exhausted and have to pay for child care"(Haughton 12-13). No one will argue that men and women do not have equal rights in the home. Recently there have been many more female-headed households, due to the increasing divorce rate, the decreasing birth-rate, the increasing of unmarried couples giving birth, and waiting for marriage (Peterson 9-10). Because of the increasing divorce rate, of the 16.6 million families in the U.S., 77% are households of women alone with kids (Haughton 13). This leaves women with much more responsibilities than men. Women have a lot of demands in their lives when they are working, raising their children alone, managing a home, including cooking and cleaning. When men divorce, they have to look after themselves and just go to work. A survey was taken in U.K. of traditional families and found that 80% of women cook versus 20% of men, 68% of women clean versus 32% of men and 84% of women wash and iron clothing versus 16% of men (12-13). Do you think this is equal? There are some situations in the home that remain unchanged between men and women. One of these issues is abuse against women. Some men feel that they should have complete control in their home and over all the people in it. Because they are stronger physically, women are still victims of domestic violence. Do you know that in the U.S. a woman is beaten every 18 minutes by her spouse or boyfriend (12-13)? Women are still struggling in the U.S. from abuse in the home. It is a fact that between 17% and 38% of all women have had a man assault them in their life (15). In most countries, it is very rare when a woman physically abuses a man. For instance, in the U.K. one in five men suffered physical abuse from a female partner (12-13). Did you know that in 1996, $2.4 million was spent on athletics programs in college for men, while only $663,000 was spent for women (Peterson 24)? There's no doubt about it that men have the advantage in college sports. However this is slowly changing due to a law called Title IX. This law forbids sex discrimination in college sports and is trying to make equal opportunities on campus for women interested in sports (24). Sports have always been dominated by men but through the decades, women have been making advances. For instance for the soccer in Britain, more than 12 million people watched the men's soccer FA (Fifa) Cup, while only 50,000 viewed the women's version (Haughton 26-27). Even in the 1992 Olympics, there were 35 countries that still had no women competitors (26-27). Although women's sports still today aren't equal to men's they have improved much over the years. Billie Jean King, a former tennis player, helped women's athletics to become popular by beating Bobby Riggs, a men's tennis star (26-27). It was called "The Battle of the Sexes" and brought a lot of media and public attention to the fact that women can compete (and win!) in sports with men. Women are also breaking athletic records every year. Swimming and horseback riding are some of the sports women are dominating men by 10% (22). Women's college basketball has never been more popular than today with thousands of spectators and fans in the stands that once were empty. However, women's professional basketball has yet to catch on and still struggles to gain network television time. To conclude, even in 2003, the rights of women are not truly equal to the rights of men, although women have made great strides over the last fifty years. No one really knows how long it will be before men and women will be equal in terms of job opportunities, salaries or athletics. We can only hope that things will continue to improve and that perhaps in my lifetime, the opportunities for men and women in all walks of live will be treated equally. Works Cited Haughton, Emma. Equality of the Sexes. Connecticut: Advision of Grolier Publishing, 1997. Peterson, Virginia. Women, New Roles in Society. Texas: Information Plus, 1998. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\EnglishStory.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ English Story Hello my name is rage, you are probably thinking just about now that who named this girl. Well I have always had that question on my mind as well. From what I remember about my childhood (which I might add is not much) is mostly living in this house with about thirty other kids that did not have parents either and we lived off our worldwide drug Elate, bread and water. I was told from the older kids that my mother dropped me off there one day she told the kids that she had been diagnosed with AIDS, and she was going to murder herself. So my best friend her name was Sky, she was one of the older kids and she took care of me for my early years. I lived there until I was about 16, then I moved in with Jeremy, my boyfriend and started a family. Anyway back to our drug Elate, you may have an idea what this drug is I have no idea if it will sill exist when you receive this letter or you may have never heard of the drug before. So let me explain. It is what I have heard that people used to call "cocaine" or something in that form. And I have also heard that people used to actually pay for this stuff, and used to go in "jail" if they were caught with it or on it. Well now a day it is completely different, we have to be on it twenty-four hours a day, seven times a week, etc. The drug Elate, it brings all the others and me such a high, and has got me through some pretty bad times in my life. You already know my mother died from it, using the needle method, and I presume my father did also; that is why we start our lives so early in this society. The older kids have prepared us that our lives only last about forty years, if we are lucky. But forty years of being high; that is the way I want to live my life. Who really like's reality in the first place. The only down sides of this drug are my nose hurts all the time and I do not really sleep, nor eat much, the drug make me feel full. It is our choice weather we want to sniff the stuff or inject it or do both. I personally switch with both methods every few months. The one thing that I do not do is share needles, that is the huge down side or injecting, some people are so stupid. Well I think I should talk about the world today that is the point of this letter. Well none of my friend's have parents; actually a few still do that are in critical condition. They have either died from heart failure or caught the AIDS disease from needles. I think sometimes when I am on a bad trip about the future and how I will not see my kids far into the future. I do get sad, but at least I know that there lives can not turn out bad, I have lived the same the same life they may live, maybe there's will be better, but maybe not. Of course I hope the best for them and will do all that I can for them while I am still around. Well I am not employed but my boyfriend is, he is employed at a factory that makes shawkers. If you do not know what shawkers are they are shoes that walk for you with mechanical little legs that move. They were just brought out a few years ago so people would not have to walk anymore. The main reason also for these shoes was because people would just walk into things and end up hurt or knocked out, so these shoes look you. Also there are no such things are "auto's" I think they were called, because people who are high can not drive properly and the population decreased vastly, after the new law passed about Elate. To sum up the law so you can understand it exactly is pretty much this, it based on age and the amount of Elate you can consume without having heart failure or anything else going wrong internally and externally. Between the ages of 1-6 they are only aloud on 10-15 mg a day this group is called LSD. From the ages of 7-11 the minimum would be 30-40 mg a day and this group is called the maryjanes. And between the ages 11-16 (18 if female) on a minimum of 70-100 mg this group is called Hero. And 16+ (18+ of girl) on 150-300 minimum mg a day this sections is called E. I am still in the Hero group because I am 17 and I have another year till I am in the E group. I have heard from people that Hero is a short form for "heroin" which used to be a drug. All other drugs were wiped out when they passed the law nobody wanted anything else but Elate. And also if you are caught without Elate in your blood you are killed on the spot. I do not understand the people that do not want to be on the drug, it gives me rushes of excitements and confidence in myself. And I see life more clearly when I am on Elate and I feel smarter. I have been with the same boyfriend since I was 11. I have known him all my life; we lived in the same home that I was brought to when I was a baby. Then later Jeremy moved out when at the age of twelve and got a job and got an apartment with a few other guys. And that is where I live now, and we are getting married there in two days. I heard from the older kids that there used to be some pre-marriage thing, well that does not exist anymore. You just get married when you want to and where you want, and there is no legal procedure anymore when you get married. Also Divorce does not exist any more in our society; people haven't had a divorce in over forty years. If you are experiencing unhappiness in your marriage you go see a councilor and they either up your dose of Elate or lower it, of either you or your husband. Who ever in the marriage is feeling the problems? I have only had two great tragedies in my lifetime that is a lot our society; most tragedy's do not hit people. One was when my best friend who's name was sky, whom I have been best friend with since I was born. About three months ago she decided that she wanted to risk her life and try a day without being high, even though this was hard to get off of it, she did it and was sober for one month. People started to catch on because Elate is delivered to your house every other morning and she would not take it. When the police found out around one and half months ago they went to her house and killed her on the spot. This was very sad to me because she was my best friend and she was like my mother, she was five years older than me and she took care of me till I was old enough to take care of myself. She had no parents either so she new what is was like. I never understood why she would want to risk her own life just to be sober. And when she told me her idea in the beginning I had no idea it would go this far, I thought she would only be sober for one or two days no more, why would you want be? The only other thing was when my first child who was named Draw; he was only one year of age. And he went to someone's doorstep and stole their Elate, and took more than he could handle for his poor little body and had died from heart failure. And at that point in my life I was only 14, so this tragedy hit me hard, and made Jeremy and I think how important our children our to us. We are different from all our friends in that way, they all have kids and dump them off in a home or out them on the streets, I believe otherwise. I have really thought about life in general lately. Especially when I take more mg of Elate, I believe that there are only three important things in my life. Elate, my boyfriend, and my children. That is all that matters to me and pretty much to every average Joe you would run into on these streets. I could never imagine those people in the old days that could live without Elate. It keeps all of us going and sane, and obviously someone realized that or it would not be what we live for. Or what some people die for. And I know that because we take Elate knowing that our lives are shortened because of it, but it is worth is every minute of it. As I said before I have know idea what your lifetime is like, or if it is exactly the same. In a way I hope It is different, because maybe by then they can find a drug that is just the same but does not do that much damage to a person, and could maybe let them live longer. You probably had no idea opening up a time capsule like this that there would be a write up, but because in our society we do not have much information about the lifetimes before us I thought I would contribute to the future, in my own little way. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\enlightenment essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kate Mabe April 13, 2004 Period 8 Le Siècle des Lumières Dans la litterature Française, le siècle des Lumières était caractérisé par les critiques des établissements anciens, comme l'église, la monarchie, et l'aristocracie. Cette période a commencé environ 1700, et a duré jusqu'à la révolution en 1789. Pendant ces années, beaucoup des idées étaient examinés et définis dans une nouvelle façon. Les gens voulaient savior et comprendre tous, et ils pensaient qu'avec le science et le raison, la possession de cette connaissance pourrait être possible. Dans la litterature de cette période, les écrivains ne se concentrent pas sur la vie future, mais plus sur la vie actuelle, et comme cette vie peut être améliorée. Les représentatifs du siècle des Lumières étaient les " philosophes. " Des philosophes ont écrit l'Encyclopedie-un dictionnaire qui a défini beaucoups des mots et idées dans une façon très révolutionnaire. Parmi de ces philosophes étaient Voltaire, Rousseau, et Beaumarchais. Voltaire est né François-Marie Arouet en 1694. Il a été instruit à Louis-le-Grand, une école Jesuit. Il aimait se moquer du gouvernement et de l'authorité, et il a été emprisonné pour ça en 1717. La, il a écrit son premier pièce de théâtre, " Oedipe. " Il a été exilé à l'Angleterre en 1726 parce qu'il a insulté un gentilhomme. Pendant son exil, il est devenu intéressé en le gouvernement et la tolérance réligieuse de l'Angleterre. Après de rétourner en France, il a été exilé encore parce qu'il a écrit de ces choses. Ses idées étaient très révolutionnaires, et ils devenaient très populaires. Quand il est mort en 1778, il était célèbre. Né en 1712, Jean-Jacques Rousseau a passé s'enfance en Suisse. En 1742, il est arrivé en France, à Paris. Dans sa philosophie, il a adressé les émotions et les passions des humains. La philosophie qui s'est concentré sur ces aspects de la vie était très nouvelle pour le temps, mais Rousseau l'a présentée et elle est devenue une partie importante du siècle des Lumières. Dans sa première philosophe, il a cru que les humains ont été innocents et pleins de bienveillance quand ils sont nés, mais la vie les a corrompu. Alors, on doit changer la société pour ne pas corrompre les gens. Mais plus tard son avi a changé, et il a cru que les humains ont été fondamentalement mauvaises. Dans son essai " Le Contrat Social, " il a écrit que le gouvernement doit faire un contrat avec le peuple pour maintenir leurs droits. Ses idées ont contribué beaucoup au siècle jusqu'à sa mort en 1778. Beaumarchais (le nom de plume de Pierre Auguste Caron) est né en 1732. Il est devenu horloger comme son père, mais il aimait les arts. Il s'est marié dans la cour du roi, et a obtenu un titre de la noblesse. Il a commencé à écire des pièces de théâtre en 1767 avec " Eugénie " mais ses premières pièces n'étaient pas très populaires. Bien qu'il soit un membre de l'aristocracie, il aimait se moquer de cette classe comme les autre écrivains de la période. Il a eu des problèmes avec l'authorité aussi-il a été accusé de la trahison parce qu'il possédait des écritures de Voltaire, qui avait été interdit. Ses pièces de théâtre les plus populaires sont " Le Mariage de Figaro " et " Le Barbier de Seville. " Les deux pièces sont aujourd'hui des opéras aussi. Les écritures de Beaumarchais sont probablement des influences sur la Révolution Française. Il est mort en 1799 à Paris. Bibliography Chew, Robin. "Voltaire: Author and Philosopher." Lucid Interactive. 8 April, 2004. . Chew, Robin. "Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Philosopher." Lucid Interactive. 9 April, 2004. . "Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais." TheatreHistory.com. 10 April, 2004. . Tackett, Timothy N. "Enlightenment, Age of." MSN Encarta. Microsoft Corporation. 7 April, 2004. . f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Environmental Defense Fund.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Environmental Defense Fund The defense fund started in 1967 and serves to link science, economics, and law to create efficient solutions to current environmental problems. The organization is a non-profit one and it hosts more than 400,000 members. Environmental Defense has for their main goal the well being of the environment, and the general protection of its air and habitat. It states that all human beings have an equal right to clean air, nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. For some action, they helped move an environmental movement by winning the ban on the pesticide DDT, and this was a representation of how a handful of individuals can reform the nation and affect the well being of the ecosystem. The Defense Fund is one of the most influential organizations out there in that it harbors numerous Ph. D scientists and economists on their staff. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Erin Brockovich.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Garcia 1 Michael Garcia Hallinger Film 10/29/03 Paper #2: Erin Brockovich The Movie "Erin Brockovich" was reviewed by several professional critics on their thoughts about the film. Even though this movie was very good, it still received some negative comments and reviews by some critics. The three professional critics I chose to critique the film are Christopher Null, MaryAnn Johanson, and Amy Taubin. By reviewing the comments by these critics, we will learn more about the film as well as my input as to how in my opinion the movie was. As you may know, the movie begins with a lady named Erin Brockovich who is struggling with money, when she one day gets a job that turns her life totally around for good. Unfortunately, not all critics are very nice, giving at times, a negative-type of review. Christopher Null writes "As a primer on the U.S. legal system, BROCKOVICH is not terribly compelling. The legal mumbo-jumbo is all there and feels accurate enough, but the heart of the movie simply doesn't rest with the details of the case, which features Pacific Gas & Electric poisoning 600 people in a small California town with chromium (and then telling them it's good for them)." Christopher doesn't feel there is any real "heart" to the film, rather just a bunch of historical stuff in one movie. This makes Erin Brokovich seem like any other court-case movie. Christopher continues by saying " While it's not a class-action lawsuit, the case has essentially the same details as A CIVIL ACTION and any number of other verdict clones, with nearly-bankrupt attorneys who risk it all on One Big Case." "ERIN BROCKOVICH is her movie. And while Albert Finney steals a bit of thunder as her grumpy boss, it's Erin's brassy, white trash, amateur investigator that makes you want to watch this movie, all 2 1/2 hours of it." Once again, This critic highlights the fact that this movie can only be like any other "clone" to lawsuit films. From his view, he makes it seem almost as if you are wasting 2 1/2 hours of your life unless you look at Erin the whole time. I know that I did not "waste" my 2 1/2 hours with that movie. Even though the movie does not completely revolve around Erin, she does help to make the movie more interesting. Another critic with her own views is MaryAnn Johanson, quite blunt, to the point at times about this movie. MaryAnn writes "Okay, I could complain about the fact that Erin, who can't pay her phone bill at one point, barely seems to wear the same outfit twice... indeed, barely seems to wear her outfits at all. (Poor thing: she doesn't seem to be able to afford a single blouse that actually covers her bra.) I could complain about the fact that Erin gets the information she needs, is able to dig up incriminating evidence against a $30 billion corporation due not to her not inconsiderable smarts but because, well, she dresses like a whore, wiggles her ass a lot, and drops ridiculous compliments to moronic men who gape at her with their jaws on the floor. I could complain that the unfortunately depressing reality that women are still judged more by their sex appeal than by their brains and abilities..." She feels the way Erin dresses in the movie changes the situations in the movie for the better, making her get things she wants with her body. Even though the real Erin Brockovich dressed kind of provocative, the movie made it seem as if she looked like a "whore", according to MaryAnn. I agree with her, but I wouldn't say that she seemed like a whore, Erin had brains, she was smart enough to use her body for good, to get what she needed. In the movie, Erin is real, she isn't some fake girly-girl in the attorney meetings, she knew what she was doing, and she was determined to win the lawsuit, even if it took doing everything by herself. MaryAnn continues by saying "The thing that I hate about Erin Brockovich (you knew I'd find something to hate, didn't you?) is its unironic attitude that all lawyers are cold-hearted, uncaring sharks. "Do you know why people think all lawyers are back-stabbing bloodsuckers?" Erin asks a lawyer at a big firm that Ed partners with when their PG&E case gets too overwhelming. The rhetorical question never gets answered, but I think I know why: because that's how movies like Erin Brockovich portray them." The stereotypes that make it seem that all lawyers are indeed "back-stabbing bloodsuckers" can come from media like that, and perhaps even through personal experiences. I definitely agree with her that the movie does answer the rhetorical question, being that media can alter, or twist things. On the lighter note, professional critic Amy Taubin adds to criticism by leaving her two cents on the movie. According to Amy, "What's pretty original about the picture is that it focuses an investigative drama based on a true story around a comic performance. Without Roberts's combination of exuberance and irony, Erin Brockovich would have been a replay of the earnest A Civil Action, in which John Travolta brings suit against a big corporation that's been dumping toxic waste in a town's water supply. Erin Brockovich has an almost identical plot, but it's closer in tone, and even politics, to Thelma and Louise. Outlaw humor is its survival tool. The originality too is what attracted me to the movie, it was very interesting because since we were recently learning about the subject about the chromium in the waters at Hinkley, it kept me focused into the movie. Even though she does say that it has a similarity to the film A Civil Action, it does indeed pack a bigger punch than that movie. Overall, In my opinion the movie Erin Brockovich was very interesting with its facts, and irony. Who would have thought that a woman like Erin would be a mulit-millionaire despite all her problems? In the beginning of the movie, you wouldn't even have thought that Erin was going to be rescued from all the disaster in her life, losing her job, being behind in bills, and getting into a car accident, she wasn't even a professional attorney, but her determination is what helped her through all the problems. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Erin college essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As I sit and stare at the prompt, an image comes to mind. I see my father screaming at my mother. I see my mother grabbing a bag that appears to be a suitcase and heading for the door. She kisses my cheek and then proceeds to do the same for my brother. As she reaches for the door handle and shuts the door behind her, my father watches with tears in his eyes. I am sure many have had different experiences which shapped their lives, but for me that experience was my parent's divorce. Though I was only six years old at the time, seeing the pain which both of my parents experienced was enough to scar me for life. The older I got, the more I began to understand the circumstances of their divorce and the true occurances. This experience not only shaped the way I view life, but the way I perceive love and marriage as well. When the divorce first occurred, I was confused and scared. My mother moved in with my soon to be step father, and I was thrown into a situation that I did not understand. Furthermore my parents shared custody of my brother and I, thus we now had two addresses. I was forced to accept this man into my life as well as his three kids. At the beginning I was accepting, but soon I learned the truth and things changed. I began to resent him and everything that belonged to him, including his children. I also resented not being able to sleep in the same bed for longer than three days, for I was having to move from house to house in the middle of the week. All of this made me long for stability, not only physical stability but emotional as well. The older I got the more this longing and resentment increased, until one day everything changed. After 11 years of living in what appeared to be a nightmare, I finally woke up and began to accept the life before me. I saw my step father for the kind and intelligent man he truly is, rather than the evil being who broke up my family. Because my life is in constant change, I have become more accepting towards change than most people who did not experince divorce. It does appear that because of this experience I have become more prone to it as well. Moreoever, the longing for physical stability is still there. I know that for the rest my life I will be searching for it and will need it in order to truly be happy. Also, I can conclude that because of this experience I can truly appreciate new occurances in life. It did have a negative impact on the way I perceive love and marriage. After seeing the pain in my father's eyes every time I mention it, reminds me of how careful i have to be with my heart. I, as well as thousands of other girls, grew up with the idea that prince charming will one day come and sweep me off my feet. After the divorce, that mentality seemed to have died, and instead was replaced with one of fear. Though I am very sensitive, I do not show my feelings too easily. I hold things inside and am reluctant to place my trust in people, especially with the people I love. It is not that I have given up on love completely, but the divorce showed me that no matter how much you love someone, they can easily fall out of love with you. Subconsciously I have placed a shield around my heart and am very reluctant to let people in. After living with this for thirteen years, one begins to accept it. I love everyone in my step family as well as my immediate family, but going through a divorce is not easy. Through this experience I have learned things that i never would have learned if my parent's would have stayed together. Not only am I happier, but parents are as well. I think we all learned that the "road to success is paved with failures". f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Escape from the Desert Island.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Desert Island Essay The bright sun pierced through my silted eyelids as I made a feeble attempt to block the burning beams of light with my shaking hand. Unsuccessful, I closed my eyes tightly, shutting out the ball of fire hanging overhead. As my senses returned in a painful blow, I raised myself up slowly, spitting out a mouthful of sand. With a quick glance, I uncovered an interesting fact. All my clothes were gone. Then it came flooding back. Back on the SS. TUNA, I had heard a low rumbling, and then the deck cracked under the force of what must have been a massive explosion. The last thing I could remember was the loud cracking of the ship's hull, and the I blacked out. The blast must have burned my clothes clean off, and threw me on to this desert island. How odd that my clothes were burned off, and I was left without a scratch. Shrugging off the many questions that my mind bombarded me with, I decided to take a tour of the island, and search for a possible means of escape. "OH SHI-!" I stopped myself short of a curse, and looked down at my aching toe. I painfully leaned over and examined the ground around my feet, discovering a 1922 Sears catalogue. Exhausted and hungry, I reached for a coconut from the only tree. I leaned against the palm tree eating the coconut and leafing through the ancient catalogue. Thinking aloud, I muttered, "Gee, I wish I had some clothes". POOF! Magically, I was in the latest fashions of 1922. Hmmm.......could it be? I flipped through the catalogue until I found what I was looking for. POOF! "Wow, I always wanted a bread box". Curious as to what else I could find, I thoroughly searched the catalogue, finding that the sports equipment and hardware sections were torn out, along with a coupon for next years catalogue. I decided that I could use the magic catalogue to get off the island........but how? BINGO! I wished for 20 tables, a kite with a VERY long string, a mattress, a belt, a bathtub and a towel. First, I clogged the bathtub drain with a towel, and laid the mattress on top, and floated it out to the coral. Next, I stacked the tables, so that they reached 60 ft. high. Standing on top of the stack, I flew the kite out to the coral, and snagged it tightly. Pulling the string taunt, I tied it around the table leg, and looped the belt around it, forming a harness. I climbed into the harness and pushed off. I slid downwards along the string for hours, till I finally neared the 10 ft. high coral. At the last second, I slid out of the harness and landed on the mattress I had previously sailed out to sea. I bounced of the mattress 15 ft. in the air, clearing the coral and appearing in front of a helicopter which was passing by. It flew over to me, and I grabbed on to the landing gear in mid-air, and was rescued without even touching the water or having to deal with the deadly shark that swam in it's dark waters. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Living in the Past and Present We all know how is feels to reminisce about the past. Raking up the fresh fallen fall leaves and jumping in them, playing hide-and-go-seek with the neighborhood friends, sled riding down the biggest hill we could find, and the first love of our lives. That first look into the other's eyes told us that we were in love. "...in the almost passionate quality of her eyes" (2128). Holding hands while walking in the park or slow dancing at the high school prom, or hearing an old song from the prom that we can remember like it was yesterday, "They had played it at a prom once and because he could not afford the luxury of proms in those days he had stood outside the gymnasium and listened" (2132). We knew that nothing would ever separate us from that love. But what we didn't realize then was that there would be many more to follow. When we come back to reality, the present strikes us. Then we always ask ourselves the same questions. Do I have enough money in the bank to pick up my prescription? Do the kids have enough money in their accounts at school so they can eat? Am I doing my job right? Am I going to be one of the ones to get laid-off? Should I settle for the person I'm seeing right now, or should I continue looking? Without realizing what is happening, we doubt ourselves every day of our lives. F. Scott Fitzgerald's stories "Winter Dreams" (2127) and "Babylon Revisited" (2143) had the main characters, Dexter and Charlie, answering a lot of questions having to do with their past, present, and future. But as they both realize, there is nothing you can do about escaping your past. I think Dexter made his biggest mistake the day he told Mr. Mortimer Jones "I don't want to caddy anymore"(2128). If only he would have caddied for Mr. Jones, he may have met Judy Jones a lot sooner and on better terms. I believe he realized his mistake when he saw Judy Jones out on the golf course..."When Dexter first saw her she was standing by the caddy house"(2128). He had fallen in love with her right then and there. After that encounter Dexter became obsessed with Judy Jones. When Dexter's "winter dreams" talked him out of staying in Lake Erminie, he found himself on the east coast of the United States going to school. He went to a more prominent college than the State University because "he wanted not association with glittering things and glittering people-he wanted the glittering things themselves"(2130). I think the reason Dexter wanted all these glittering things was to impress Judy Jones with his wealth. This way she would be more interested in him...and that's what he was hoping. When Dexter was twenty-three, he was given a guest card from an elder member of the Lake Erminie Club. While golfing with some members of the club, he spotted Judy Jones again. It had been the first time since he had quit the club, some years before, that he had seen her. He fell in love with her again. Later on in the evening while quietly lying on a raft in the lake, Judy Jones appeared again, only this time she was in her boat. She offered him an invitation to dinner the next evening and he graciously accepted. When Dexter learned that Judy Jones went for men like fish to water, he made every effort to forget about the love of his life. After borrowing "a thousand dollars from his college degree and his steady eyes, and bought a partnership in a laundry"(2130). He did well in the laundry business. "Dexter made a specialty of learning how the English washed fine woolen golf stockings without shrinking them"(2130). By the time Dexter had reached the age of twenty-seven, he owned five laundries located in different parts of the city outside of Lake Erminie. He was so obsessed with Judy Jones that after the eighteen months "it occurred to him that he could not have Judy Jones. He had to beat this into his mind but he convinced himself at last"(2137). Dexter tried to get Judy Jones out of his mind by becoming engaged to Irene Scheerer. "Irene was light haired and sweet and honorable and a little stout and she had two beaus whom she pleasantly relinquished when Dexter formally asked her to marry him"(2137). Dexter was starting to feel better with himself until he had gone to the College Club one night and Judy Jones walked in. All of his withdrawn feelings came back in a heartbeat. He had taught himself to be "cold" when it came to her until she said, "I wish you'd marry me"(2139). Dexter was going to regret, for the rest of his life, his next move. He broke the engagement off with Irene. "Nor did it matter that by his yielding he subjected himself to a deeper agony in the end and gave serious hurt to Irene Scheerer and to Irene's parents who had befriended him. In his mind and heart he knew he had finally won Judy Jones' heart. But it did not happen. Judy Jones found another man and let go of him like an autumn leaf falling from a tree. With intentions of going east to New York and selling his laundries, he changed his plans because of the U.S. going into WWI. Instead, he "handed over the management of the business to his partner and went into the first officers' training camp in late April. He was one of those young thousands who greeted the war with a certain amount of relief, welcoming the liberation from webs of tangled emotion. After returning from the war seven years later, Dexter was called upon by a man from Detroit. From this gentleman Dexter learned that Judy Jones had married a man and had children. After finding out that Judy Jones was not the beautiful woman that she once was, Dexter laid "down on his lounge in his office and looked out the window at the New York skyline into which the sun was sinking in dully lovely shades of pink and gold. The dream was gone. Something had been taken from him"(2142). "Long ago," he said, "long ago, there was something in me, but now that thing is gone. Now that thing is gone, that thing is gone. I cannot cry. I cannot care. That thing will come back no more"(2143). In this statement, I believe that Dexter lost his heart. I think he was saying that he wasn't able to care about anyone anymore. He could not love again because he wasn't able to win the love of Judy Jones. Charlie had a different past than Dexter. Charlie was able to win the love of his life, Helen. With Helen, he had a child, Honoria. But like all good things, they must to an end and that's what was happening with Helen and Charlie. He began drinking badly and they were always fighting. Helen was being unfaithful, but seemed to be having fun. Unfortunately, Helen passed away due to heart failure and Charlie was institutionalized for his drinking. Helen's sister, Marion, had custody of their daughter and Honoria was a happy nine-year-old child. It took Charlie almost a year to overcome his dependence on alcohol and his wife's death. When he came to Paris, he always made time to see his little Honoria and she was always happy to see him. She shrieked "Daddy! And flew up, struggling like a fish, into his arms. She pulled his head around by one ear and set her cheek against his"(2145). Marion and Lincoln Peters had two children of their own and lived comfortably in their home. Charlie liked their house. He knew his daughter was safe from any harm and he couldn't have asked for anyone else to take better care of Honoria than his brother-in-law and sister-in-law. But the time had come to have Honoria back with him and he knew he had his work cut out for him, especially because of his past. When "going out of the restaurant, a man and a woman unexpectedly hailed him"(2148). Charlie and Helen had many friends, but one of the couples, Lorraine and Duncan, were still the outgoing partying kind. They only had each other so they did party quite frequently. Charlie had every intention of asking Lincoln and Marion to consider giving custody of Honoria back to him. When he went to their house one evening, he said, "I suppose you know what I want to see you about-why I really came to Paris"(2149). He spoke with authority and he was sober, as he had been for over a year. "I'm awfully anxious to have a home, he continued, and I'm awfully anxious to have Honoria in it"(2149). Helen wasn't so anxious about giving up Honoria to a father who had behaved badly in the past. "When she was dying she asked me to look out for Honoria. If you hadn't been in a sanitarium then, it might have helped matters"(2150). After discussing the issue for a while, Marion got tired of it and said, "Do as you like! She's your child. I'm not the person to stand in your way"(2152). Charlie felt like a new person the next morning. He made plans for his sister to come over from America to take care of the house and he was going to see about a governess for Honoria. He went over to Lincoln and Marion's house to get Honoria when the worst thing in the world happened. The knock at the door came at wrong time. It was Duncan and Lorraine and they were in high spirits. They had been drinking and everyone in the household knew it. They were there to invite Charlie out to dinner even though Charlie had no idea on how they found the house. Charlie tried politely to tell them no, but Lorraine replied, "All right, we'll go. But I remember once when you hammered on my door at four A.M. I was enough of a good sport to give you a drink"(2155). Needless to say, Marion and Lincoln were not pleased with the unexpected guests. When Charlie called Lincoln the next day, Lincoln said, "I know this thing isn't altogether your fault, but I can't have her go to pieces thinking about it. I'm afraid we'll have to let it slide for six months; I can't take the chance of working her up to this state again"(2157). But Charlie knew one thing for sure after the phone call. "He was absolutely sure Helen wouldn't have wanted him to be so alone"(2157). I think if Fitzgerald had continued with this story, it would have had a happy ending. Charlie would have gotten his house, his sister, the governess, and most importantly, Honoria. Although Dexter and Charlie lived at different times and their predicaments fluctuated, Fitzgerald's similarities about the two of them were unremarkable. Considering he wrote "Winter Dreams" in 1922 and "Babylon Revisited" in 1951, the average reader, like me, would have thought the stories were written within a year or two of one another...not 30 years apart. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay #4.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Elizabeth Martin English1310.270 Paper # 4, Topic # 1 30 March 2004 Essay # 4 "Act for the people's benefit, trust them; leave them alone." (59) Machiavelli's government has no trust in their own people, as Lao-tzu's government puts trust within the people. A government for the people by the people is one of the best ideas anyone has ever had. When a government and/or leader bases society and its purposes of the government on the people, its order is effectively established. The obligations of the Tao leader, and their ultimate purposes along with the main work of the government would comfortably suit my living needs as compared to Machiavelli's idea of how government should be. One of Machiavelli's purposes in government is to maintain overall power, whether it is within its own government or in all the lands in general. Lao-tzu's form of government relies around the common people. As I quoted in the beginning, "Act for the people's benefit. Trust them; leave them alone," (31) this implies the government relies around the people, rather than power, war, and deception. Many aspects of the Lao-tzu government rely around the people. For instance, "I let go of the law, and people become honest. I let go of economics, and people become prosperous. I let go of religion, and people become serene." (27) Lao-tzu refers to many things in the cause and effect sense towards the happiness of the people. "Throw away peoples holiness and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times happier. Throw away morality and justice, and people will do the right thing. Throw away industry and profit and there won't be any Martin 2 thieves." (23) It seems that in Machiavellian government his people are none of his concern only war and power. One of the other main purposes of Lao-tzu's government is to have a peaceful way of life. "Peace is his highest value." (25) The Lao-tzu form of government detests weapons and violence while Machiavelli's government is centered on it. Machiavelli expresses that the princes people should be used for war and willing to fight at any time. Machiavelli's obligations as a leader, war and power, were the same as his purposes in government. One obligation of Lao-tzu is to make people feel trustworthy, and not let people be aware that their master exists because the people will think they accomplished achievements all by themselves. (23) Machiavelli's leader had to role-play, manipulate, and have strict rules. The Tao master must have the characteristics of being simple, patient, and compassionate. "Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient in with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world." (30) Those are three important obligations that the Master of Tao must fulfill to be successful and loved. In the government of Lao-tzu, the master must be successful within the people love, and fear must be acquired by the leader. Obtaining a government that is characterized by the people and for the people, is another obligation of Lao-tzu. The master of Lao-tzu's government acts as a guide to the people. Machiavelli is deceiving and just appears to do have a society for the people by the people. Machiavelli's only goal is to maintain security and appear to keep his word. The main work of the Lao-tzu government is to keep peace and happiness among the people. The actual government doesn't really do anything against the people. "The Martin 3 Tao never does anything, yet through it all things are done."(25) Lao-tzu does not to try rule the world by war or gaining power. The government must place themselves below the people, and learn how to follow them. This gives people comfort within the fact that the people who are inferior are in the same position in society. Lao-Tzu government tries to keep the taxes low so people don't go hungry and not to be too intrusive. "When taxes are high, people go hungry." (30) Instead of Machiavelli keeping peace within his people, the government tries to be in control because the government must be prepared for war at all times. The Lao-tzu form of government is governed wisely with respect towards its people and land. People have no limits on their freedoms. They have no desire to do anything wrong or harmful because they are not exposed to war and killing. In the Machiavellian government there are no freedoms, he is self-centered and unpleasant. It also seems as if there is no happiness in his society. Machiavelli is too intrusive for me. "And if men were all good, this rule would not be good; but since men are a sorry a lot and will not keep their promises to you, you likewise need not keep your to them." (21) He is full of deception, and his government is based upon war and power. Therefore, I would not want to live in a society full of deception and lies. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Guns, Germs, and Steel written by Jared Diamond and Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe both share key similarities and differences between how a civilization could be affected by outside influences. Diamond's work focuses upon the ultimate factors that lead to Eurasia's dominance over the modern world. Going back over 13,000 years Guns Germs, and Steel emphasizes that geographic factors, continental differences, and rates of diffusion lead to Eurasia's dominance over other cultures. In Things Fall Apart, evidence from Diamond's work can be seen played out on a smaller scale. A lower Nigerian tribe that is connected to several villages is dominated, and desecrated by an enlarging Christian influence. The Nigerian culture is dominated by a diffusion of the Christian religion. While, diffusion lays a common ground between these two books, the authors' intentions and values waver based upon the culture they came from. Thus, providing some different views. In Guns, Germs, and Steel Eurasia came to dominate the modern world because of the diffusion of food producing packages from the Fertile Crescent, and a few strokes of luck. "The rise of food production in the Fertile Crescent was facilitated by the Mediterranean climate favoring non-woody annuals, a large number of larger-seeded annuals, hermaphroditic self-pollinators, a high percentage of plants suitable for domestication, a high number of prized large grass seeds (e.g., barley and emmer wheat), multiple usable domestic able mammals, the early domestication of eight founder crops, etc." While the Fertile Crescent and Eurasia, were equally on the same foot geographically, the Fertile Crescent soon fell behind because the once fertile area underwent desertification, and eroded. With its advanced agriculture and land, Eurasia was then able to begin conquering other cultures, and inventing new technologies. In Things Fall Apart, the Nigerian tribe can relate the Christians that polluted their culture largely with the Eurasians in Diamond's writing. Six missionaries arrive to Mbanta and try to convert the people of the Nigerian tribe. Also, the District Commissioner of the white colonial government begins to take over and pollute the Nigerians culture because he believes he knows everything about them. The white colonial government is a lot like the conquering Eurasians, taking everything with their superior technology when the author states, "Does the white man understand our custom about land?" "How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." Although, religion was never a major factor in Eurasia's appeal to conquering territories, therefore religious diffusion didn't play a large role in Eurasia coming to dominate. The authors of these two books must have differing religious opinions. In Guns, Germs, and Steel rates of diffusion, geographic factors, and continental differences are the ultimate cause for Eurasia to become the world power. While trying to base his work off of these ultimate factors, Diamond has had to experience intensive studying with different cultures as to try and understand the reasons why Eurasia became dominant. Being a product of American societies, he has done extensive fieldwork in New Guinea, with the nomadic tribes that reside there. In an effort to extinguish any bias from his work, Diamond focuses on unapparent cultures in his writing instead of a Euro-centric viewpoint, which would solely base his conclusion off of European culture. Studying with the New Guineans allows for Diamond to come as close as possible to experiencing the nomadic life. As in Things Fall Apart, the author Chinua Achebe is Nigerian and is writing from the viewpoint of his people. Diamond and Achebe can relate in many of their experiences as they both have lived and studied in the same setting for an extended period of time. Achebe's writing is different from Diamond's because an emotional element can be seen. Because of his cultural ties to Nigeria, Achebe writes with a different tone and a more emotional point of view. Because, of his emotional attachment to his topic, Things Fall Apart, is biased in its views of Christians and white people overall. Also, it is quite possible that because Diamond a Christian himself left out religious diffusion because of its negative connotation. Making his religion out to sound like conquerors wouldn't be the most self-sufficient thing to do. Although Diamond was correct with his ultimate factor of agriculture, he purposefully left out religious diffusion and influence from his proximate factors. Achebe, whom being Nigerian, had no problem writing about the Christians as bad people who polluted his culture. Guns, Germs, and Steel and Things Fall Apart were very similar in that diffusion of some kind played a key role in developing the thesis. Although, certain bias towards religion gave the works some variation. Both authors worked to create non-biased material, and in so doing allowed for very valid arguments. Guns, Germs, and Steel provided one of the first non-euro centric works to date, and Things Fall Apart was important to world history because it showed the degradation of a nomadic culture, upon the arrival of European civilization. Jimmy Diegelmann First Quarter Book Essay: Period 3 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay 1 ENC 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jessica Patterson 592.66.4692 09.03.03 Prof. Gagnon ENC 1102 Essay #1 Summary and Synthesis Dyson vs. Turkle Although society has much influence on our values and beliefs, every individual still holds their own opinions on every issue. Take the internet for example. Today technology has advanced to the point where we are able to communicate with people all over the world on a device similar in design to a television set. Now there is a topic that has a tendency to really open some doors for debate! Two authors who take on similar viewpoints on the topic, yet contrasting ideas of expression are Esther Dyson and Sherry Turkle. They both feel the internet can be a new identity haven, yet use opposing tactics to convey their opinion. Esther Dyson wrote an essay entitled "The Anonymous Voice." In this she refers to the internet as a place for people to be anonymous. It reflects upon her life as a teenager and how she changed drastically into a vengeful young adult once she left for college, due to a lack of transitional guidance by her family. She states "Had the online world existed, I might have tried out being a teenager online and had less need to leave home - or perhaps the support from outside to stay home and change." Also, she describes the internet as a way for her to change her identity, "I might have written something untrue, just because I didn't want to be burdened with my real identity of a J. Patterson slightly dumpy fifteen year old with braces and horn-rimmed glasses." Here Dyson points out there are sometimes legitimate reasons for internet anonymity. Sherry Turkle refers to the computer as a "second self," or seeing our images in the "mirror of the machine." Her essay focuses more on the element of online life and the impact it has on identity: creating a new persona for oneself in the virtual world. She shared an example of a woman in her late thirties who recently got an account with America Online and used the fact that she could create five screen names on her account as a chance to "lay out all the moods I'm in - all the ways I want to be in different places on the system." Turkle also explains that for some people, Cyberspace is a place to "act out unresolved conflicts, to play and replay characterological difficulties on a new and exotic stage." For others, it provides an opportunity to "work through significant personal issues, to use the new materials of cybersociality to reach for new resolutions." Although these authors present a very similar concept of internet use, they both use opposing writing tactics to express their ideas. The first aspect one notices when reading an essay is the authors approach: How well did they convey their viewpoint? What type of jargon did they use? What method of writing did they portray? Each writer is different in that aspect. For instance, Dyson in "The Anonymous Voice" takes a direct and personal approach by relating her own experiences to her ideas and writing. She shares stories of when she was a young girl and how the internet has affected her life. Turkle, however, takes a more research based approach with her essay "Cyberspace and Identity." Instead of involving her own history, J. Patterson she presents researched information; which include stories of others' experiences with the internet. Every author has their own style of writing and use of language depending on the topic and what they feel will be more effective. Jargon has a significant involvement when attempting to depict ones viewpoint to a given audience. Dyson uses a proper yet less formal format of language than that of Turkle. Turkle's Jargon tends to be more "textbook", "dry", and repetitive than Dyson's. Dyson speaks to the reader as an ordinary person and relates to them with a more relaxed approach, yet proper enough to establish credibility as a writer. Turkle establishes credibility through formal presentation and literature yet chooses not to connect with the reader on a personal level. Neither of these authors are more educated or skilled than the other, they simply maintain different writing techniques. No matter what position one takes on a given topic, there will be a writing technique that appeals to them more than the other. The writer's job is to find what style coincides with their point the best. Dyson and Turkle presented equally credible works on identities on the internet with their essays "The Anonymous Voice" (Dyson) and "Cyberspace and Identities" (Turkle). Although these authors presented a very similar concept of internet use, they both incorporated different writing tactics to properly express their ideas. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay 1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Beth Keene Essay #1 7/1/04 My Inner Child I am one person, this much is apparent. With this being said, I don't feel as though I am one person. I get the distinct feeling that I am two people in one body: a little girl and a grown adult. I still carry the ability to feel as though I am a child. There are times I am still the little girl who loved to play with finger paints and molding clay. That same little girl who used to dress up her youngest brother as a baby and make her other brother playhouse. I took my baby doll clothes and my brother Nick and I took our new kitty captive in my room. We spent the better part of an hour dressing him in a blue and white stripped baby doll jumper, only to have him run off the minute we let him go. About a week later we found the jumper behind our family room couch. Apparently he did not feel as though the stripes were as sliming on him as did Nick and I. Aside from the little girl, there is the part of me that is recognized as an adult in the real world. When I hit 18 years of age, I thought it was cool I could buy cigarettes (although I will NEVER smoke in my life) and I had the ability to go to adult dance clubs, but there was still something missing. Then my 21st birthday came along. I am 21 years of age; this makes me legal to do anything. Well, almost everything legally, I still cannot rent a car but I guess that is what makes 25 just so damn special and I have many years before I qualify for Medicare. And of course we must account for all the things that are illegal to everyone alike. With becoming an adult, I am now the woman who is expected to budget out her income for bills, spending money, and food. Who knew how much someone could possibly spend in one night at a bar or how much the food you prefer costs. Now I know why Twinkies and Oreos were special treats when mom brought them home to us. What happened to those days? Mom would give me the two dollars of allowance a week and then I would spend what little money I had on candy and mom took care of the food on the table. I miss those days. Not that I am ungrateful for growing up, it definitely has its perks but a part of me misses the carefree feeling a child has. The way that when I was 10 years old I could act like an idiot in public and it did not matter. I still act like an idiot sometimes in private but that is normally within the company of good friends and they accept this as a part of whom I am. I know that eventually I can be that carefree again when I end up having my own children. I am almost positive that a main reason people have children is to relive their childhood and act like that whiny 2 year old, the random 5 year old, and the 10 year old idiot again. There is nothing that annoys me more than when individuals act immature in public settings. This can be grown men acting as though they are still in college, teenagers pitching fits to their parents as though they have regressed to 4 years of age, or grown women talking baby talk to other adult peers. An excellent example of this would be my younger brother by two years. At the age of 19, he still has the ability to throw first-rate temper tantrums in private as well as in public settings. It amazes me that the same thing he was doing to win arguments and fights at the age of 4 still works at 19 years of age. I am not saying that you are not allowed to act younger than you are, but there is a place and time for everything and public displays of immaturity are frowned upon by many people, myself being one of those individuals. I understand that me feeling like a child and frowning on individuals who act like children in public brings about a conflict of interest, but internally I have come to a compromise. The compromise is letting the little girl in me survive while still frowning on those who act immaturely in public settings. There are aspects in my life in which the little girl in me is able to come out even though I am older. I still love playing with markers. In fact, I think I am the only 21 year old who owns two packs of the 50 Crayola markers, colored glue pens, a huge box of crayons, and colored pencils. Let me specify where I own these: at college, and might I add that I also use these quite frequently. I am that girl who still does crafts for fun in her spare time. I think I am the only person over the age of 10 who doesn't teach kindergarten that owns colored feathers, googly eyes, and stencils. Let me try to paint a pretty picture for you as to just how extreme I am about crafting and allowing my inner child out to play at random times. During Thanksgiving one year, my boyfriend at the time did not attend school with me and in fact would not be coming home for the holiday. Therefore, I went out and got construction paper, those great feathers, and eyes. I proceeded to make tracings of my hand out of brown construction paper, cut them out, put eyes on the thumb part and glue feathers on the other fingers. I made him individual turkeys since he would not be able to have turkey for thanksgiving dinner. Yes, I am aware I am a geek. There are times that I cannot be both the little girl and the adult, this much I know. For one thing, it is not looked on as the "cool" thing to sit and play with markers, papers, and scissors in your free time. It is also hard to let that little girl in me come out when I am in a meeting with prospective employers, talking with my grandparents, eating dinner with my parents, or in a classroom setting. I am not able to whip out my markers and sit in my seat and color while a professor is lecturing on the importance of the Industrial Revolution on American history. This is why I have the knowledge that there is a place and time for acting certain ways. I do not act like a child when I am out in public, well maybe sometimes I do but those are only the times I have had help from one of Athens's many bars. When I am of sound mind and able to make coherent decisions, I know enough not to act the part of the little girl when around strangers in a public situation. Acting like the little girl in public settings around strangers and new acquaintances only gives me funny looks and no prospects for new friends, which in case you have not guessed, is just not stellar. I firmly believe that if you allow the inner child in you to die, the most carefree and fun loving part of you dies along with it. There is a natural rhythm to life and that is one of progressing through the years to grow spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I believe that the best people are able to balance the child they once were and the adult that they become. These people also have the innate ability to decide when and where to let the different facets shine through. So next time you are out with friends and having an intense conversation over employment opportunities and find yourself later caught in the rain while going home, jump in that puddle, giggle like a little child, and recognize who you were and how you still possess that part of you while still marveling on how far you have come in growing up to the adult you were bound to be. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay 1observation.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Adrienne Arnaut Ms. Noha Kabaji English 100/11181 Essay 1-Observation August 27, 2004 West Haven Park West Haven Park is a great place to go and relax, play or just kill some time. There are many toys to play with so it's a great place to make some memories with your children if one was so inclined. It was bright and warm with a looming humidity that would not surrender. The high noon sun tingled my skin but the sky, blue and white, carried a soothing breeze. My daughter and I occasionally visited West Haven Park, (usually when the walls in our house began to close in on us). As we approached the rounded plastic playground, Madilyn picked up speed and made a mad dash to the sun scorched sand. I quickly grabbed her and made camp and the nearest shady refuge I could find. I noticed some unsavory litter and felt obligated for the safety of my daughter to pick it up. There was a little Hispanic girl with a big red ball. Her parents were off about 10 yards, eating lunch and talking amongst themselves, paying little mind to their child's whereabouts. On the other side of the playground was a younger white woman with her two children around Madilyn's age, 11/2 years old. A little boy and slightly older girl were competing for their mother's attention on the shaking bridge. They pushed and shoved each other in an attempt for supremacy over the other child. It reminded me of my own brothers and my sibling rivalry. To the left of us where five swings squeaking and lightly swinging in the breeze. To the right of us where three toddler safety swings occupied by two chubby children who were apprehensively being swung by their dad. Off in the distance I saw a skateboarder eat pavement in the corner of my eye. I quickly glanced to see if the person was ok. He jumped up looking more embarrassed than hurt and nervously skated away. Madilyn had spent the better part of the last 15 minutes trying to climb up the bottom of the tall, spiral slide but to no avail. So I warily took her to the top so we could slide down together. On the slides perch I had a birds eye view of the whole park and onto the street. In the distance I could see a homeless man resting his worn body under the shade of the large Willow tree, his shopping cart of tattered treasures closely in his reach. The sound of the cars whizzing by the park and the smell of exhaust was inescapable and I was almost witness to a collision. Beneath us I heard the cries of a child who had fallen down and the comforting words of his mother. Laughter and gayety was all that could be heard from the far corner of the grassy field where children were playing. This was a great distraction for Madilyn as she forgot about wanting to temp the fates on the slide, and darted toward the nearby children. With her diaper bulging and her steps clumsy and unsure, she made her way through the freshly cut grass all to have her sights redirected by a passing piece of paper. I removed it from her vice grip and threw it away much to her dismay. A mother instantly knows the meaning of her children's cries and this one told me is was naptime. There were quite a few other children howling the same cry. A glance at my watch confirmed my suspicion, as it was 1:30 p.m. As I walked away, my arms full, I heard the sounds of the playground slowly fade into obscurity. West Haven Park was now only a vague reflection in my rear view mirror. There were many things to have been observed that day at the park. Sights, sounds, smells, and feelings that varied greatly were all to be found. Overall, I feel the time we spent there was pleasant and memorable, even a little embarrassing with the way she carried on. I noticed things I would have normally paid no mind to, I'm glad that I did and plan to be more observant in the future. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay 2 ENC 1102.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jessica Patterson 592.66.4692 October 14, 2003 Essay #2: Appeals Critical Response Wal-mart: Villain or Hero? "Cheap underwear. That's all Wal-mart Corp. contributes as it squeezes the life out of a community's downtown." Jo-Ann Johnston uses this quote from Albert Norman, an outspoken Wal-mart critic, to introduce her article "Who's Really the Villain?" After that first line, one would assume Johnston was also an active Wal-mart opponent. However, she uses this approach to demonstrate a completely different idea. Throughout her article Johnston uses logical as well as some emotional appeals to prove that Wal-mart really is not the villain at all. Her use of credible sources and factual evidence allow her to present a very clear and strong argument. Johnston uses the appeal of logic, or fact, to persuade the reader. For instance, she shares the true story of how residents of Greenfield, Massachusetts fought the building of Wal-mart in their community and forced Wal-mart to move to a town just down the road; Orange County. This affected Greenfield in the manner that Wal-mart would have brought 240 tax-paying jobs and increased retail traffic. The Greenfield example could be interpreted as both logical (true story, factual) and emotional (the poor community could have been helped by Wal-mart, instead resulting in many people still without a steady income). Also, Johnston introduces the idea of business competition. Many of the small businesses want to blame Wal-mart for their loss of business and forcing them to close down. However, Johnston effectively uses facts and statistics to J. Patterson prove that all a small business needs to do in order to survive Wal-mart is adapt. She quotes Robert Kahn "Because it's so huge, the best defense against Wal-mart for small-town retailers is to adapt, evolve, and create some stronghold that will make them viable and worth keeping, even in that face if new competition." In addition, Johnston includes a statement from Wayne Clark, owner of Clark's Sentry Hardware, in which he claims that he, as well as several other local merchants, survived Wal-mart's stay of fourteen years because they learned to adjust their business practices. By offering these facts and direct quotes Johnston presents a logical appeal. Jo-Ann Johnston establishes credibility with information from many credible sources, including Kenneth Stone, an economist at Iowa State University and the country's leading researcher on economic impacts of Wal-mart, who told of the possible consequences for communities that do not accept Wal-mart. She also quotes David Glass, Wal-mart President and CEO, on the outcome of a store being built in an unwanted area. She also refers to Robert Kahn, a Lafayette, California management consultant who has worked with the Wal-mart chain and publishes a newsletter called Retailing Today, to effectively prove adaptation is necessary for small businesses to survive. Furthermore, Johnston uses statistics and results from consumer report polls. Johnston's use of many credible sources enables her to establish credibility for herself and support her argument. However, Johnston's use of statistics and credible sources can also be detrimental to her case when referring to reasoning. In supporting her argument, deductive reasoning (general to specific) would be most helpful. However, Johnston uses the tactic of J. Patterson inductive reasoning, or specific to general. For instance, when attempting to prove Wal-mart would create more job opportunities in a community, Johnston fails to show the possible job loss the multi-million dollar corporation could cause. She uses statistics and unemployment rates to assist her in proving her point; however she lacks thoroughness in her research. Although this could be considered a setback, it is only minor because Johnston's main idea is adequately presented throughout her essay. The Wal-mart frenzy is a very controversial issue nationwide and people tend to approach it with many different tactics. Johnston's choice of tone and diction allow her to present her case in a very clear and direct manner. She employs proper diction in her writing, for the most part. Her informative and concerned tone allows her to relate to the reader in a more personal manner. She appears to feel passionately about the subject at hand and that alone has the potential to captivate a reader. Johnston takes full advantage of her ability to identify with her audience and uses it to help her in gaining support from the reader. Overall, Jo-Ann Johnston uses Albert Norman's statement against him. She effectively uses a logical appeal and credibility to aid her in gaining the reader's attention, and possibly persuading their opinions also. Johnston states, "The growth of the mail-order catalogs, cable TV shopping networks, specialized category stores such as Toys 'R' Us, and now, possibly, shopping via on-line computer services, all present more competition for small merchants that draw from local merchants. The only difference with Wal-mart is that it's the biggest, most identifiable source of that new and increasing competition. As a result, it has become a lightning rod for all the angst and anxiety of J. Patterson struggling shop keepers- deserved or not." Do you agree with Johnston? If so, cheap underwear could become the new fad. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Elizabeth Martin English 1310.270 Paper#2, Topic#2 02/03/2004 Essay # 2 All schools consist of standardized test in which your "intelligence" is ranked according to your test score. Not all schools are the same, but they all teach the same core curriculum. The denotative meaning of intelligence is, "the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations." (Webster's Online Dictionary) Yet, the connotative meaning differs from person to person. Who says the form of intelligence taught in school today is the only one. Why only practice and learn one form of intelligence? Altering education to best suit the theory of multiple intelligences would benefit everyone and even society. Multiple intelligences are not recognized in school or in the work force though they do "deserve special consideration" (pg. 378 para. 8) that is not always given to them. Everyone has intelligence in each form, but the degrees' of each intelligence can differ. No intelligence should be left unspoken for. Education in public schools should be changed to teach and appreciate all forms of intelligence. Some kids may excel in a form of intelligence that is not taught or appreciated. Therefore, it can leave that kid or kids with the feeling or consideration of being dumb or even stupid. Things come more naturally for some than for others. The curriculum should be based upon the many forms of intelligences not only one. The standardized test should be changed to the form of intelligence one may have. For instance each kid could take a series of musical, bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, Elizabeth Martin 2 linguistic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligence test. Even if one does poorly in the mathematical part they may still move up a grade in the linguistic part. The every day curriculum should be based upon the test. Just like in Texas school today; the curriculum is based upon the standardized Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Test (TAKS Test) formerly know as the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS Test). If you fail one part of this TAKS test in the eight grade you must remain in that grade until you reach a high enough score. The theory of multiple intelligences should be taught at a young age. It should start at Preschool and really be enforced through out Elementary school. You can look at the characteristics that come naturally to a person at a young age. One can see how they differ or may not differ as the person gets older. If the child can throw or catch a baseball the first time they touch the ball, then it would show they are in touch with their bodily-kinesthetic intelligence at a young age. This doesn't mean this kid will be a major league baseball player, but he does have a large degree of his bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. The idea of not having to succumb to one kind leaves kids with for confidence with in themselves. Kids would have more confidence starting at a young age, and not ever have to deal with being called or feeling dumb or stupid. Classes could be organized by the seven intelligences, making everyone still participate in all forms. Instead of basic math, it could be called logical-mathematical class. Each child would learn their basic math, problem solving, logical reasoning and much basic life necessities. Therefore, each child would not be singled out by their weaknesses or better attributes. The school could divide the students into class by the level they are at with the other students; not showing a child's weakness. It could kind of Elizabeth Martin 3 be like advanced or honor courses we have in school today. This leaves each student in one honor or advanced class in which the intelligence they excel in the most. When it comes a time for college, every child goes based on the intelligence that best suits them. They go apply and take the recommended test for that particular intelligence. For instance, if they are trying to get in a school that specialized in art, they would have to do a series of art test. The school accepts them on the basis of their scores, grade point averages, and community work. Much like the terms of acceptance today, but the test and school work their whole life are based on different theories. This is when they are singled out by their better attributes. All people would benefit from these new ideas. People who have problems with the typical logic, problem solving, and mathematical things would benefit from the change greatly. Even a common college student like myself would benefit for I am not a good problem solver or mathematician, yet I have the ability to learn and understand new situations. The world itself would excel and benefit if the education changed to promote all seven intelligences instead of only a couple. Society would also excel and benefit by no longer singling people out who may not be geniuses. Then each person's intelligence would be appreciated in its on way or form. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay 29 enero 04.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Gustavo Navarro Rodriguez Advanced conversation Essay I think the exercise we did last time is going to be very helpful because it will give us more fluency when we speak, plus it will give us confidence, and the most important thing of all, is that these topics imply a vocabulary not very common in a every day conversation. I also think that is very important to speak and debate about controversial topics because everybody or almost everybody speaks a little bit of English, and considering that is the most important language in the world, is better to have a more complex vocabulary & more confidence when you speak, it will not only give us an enhanced English but it will open us more possibilities in life, on the job, in the society, etc. There are certain expressions used by English speaking people that are also good to know, like for instance: "to be in someone else's shoes", "in the other hand", "the pot calling the kettle black", etc. I think this is also very important to learn, because this are expressions used daily, and we have to know the meaning of them and when must we use them. Most of the times when we go to the US, Canada, England or any other country and we look ourselves in the need of a debate, a discussion, or a normal chat we don't have the right vocabulary to do it, because we are used to speak only with the people at the counter, at the hotel, or at a taxi cab, and when we are in the need to discuss something with someone we have a lack of vocabulary and ease. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay 4 Earth.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ India is a strong example of a developing nation where, because of resentment and resistance to the social impact of economic change, fundamentalism has been strongly fed as entire cultural and religious groups have become marginalized. Patterns of resentment and resistance among these marginalized groups have led to a situation where, paradoxically, the national government is sustained by feelings and beliefs that are essentially anarchist in their view of government. Deepa Mehta directed (Cracking) Earth, taken from Bapsi Sidhwa's novel, fifty years after the partition of India. Earth is extremely contemporaneous, as it explores several relevant and pressing themes: the way in which violence is internalized; the extraordinary power of maps (interior and psychological, particularly) - the way that they are etched not only on to lands, but to bodies as well; and the issues of partition and postcolonialism - understanding cultural divisions, framing politics and identities. Earth celebrates its narrator's eighth birthday at the same time as Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru triumphantly proclaims (by radio, as heard in the film) that "India will awake to light and freedom, at the stroke of the midnight hour." Seen through the beautiful, and certainly innocent, eyes of young Lenny-baby, Earth begins by engaging us emotionally: Lenny is the baby in an affluent Parsee family, which meets in the local park every week to discuss love, relationships, the rapidly-approaching partition, and religion is incorporated as well. The focal point (from a narrative and from a filmic point of view) of these discussions is young, beautiful Shanta - Lenny's nanny. She is a Muslim, loved by both Hasan the Masseur and by the multifaceted Dil Navaz - also known as "Ice Candy Man" to Lenny. In many ways, Shanta's body is the "earth" upon which most of the love-narrative is fought. The film begins with several peaceful, beautiful images - such as the scene where Dil teaches Shanta to fly a kite on a beautiful afternoon: Lenny watches on with great admiration for her hero, Dil, as he woos Shanta with his kite-flying abilities from high atop his apartment in the Sikh section of town. But even such an innocent, pastoral scene as this one loaded with symbolism: on one level, it is very clear that - of the two women, Lenny and Shanta - young Lenny is clearly the only one truly smitten with Dil. The age gap undermines her love for him, but - more important - it foregrounds the religious gap between Dil and his "two women," a gap that will grow but wider as the movie progresses. On a much more significant level, Dil's kite-flying is tinged with competition and violence, as the two women alert him to the fact that his kite may be cut off by other kites. They tease him lightly when they point this out, but for Dil - he is obfuscated by his desire to not be upstaged, and momentarily forgets his gentle female company as he aggressively cuts off the competing kites. This is a brief glimpse of the genuine violence that will soon spill over into the movie. Earth takes pains to show the beauty of the pre-partition life (family scenes, trips to secluded locales, dinners among students and families), only to crudely destroy that peace in the second half of the film: this very cleverly depicts the tragic loss of the beauty. Earth becomes brutally serious when Dil awaits, late on Independence night, at the train station: when the train arrives from Gurdaspur district, Dil enters the train - only to find dozens upon dozens of brutally slaughtered Muslims; there is also mention of the Muslim women's breasts being excised. This is only the beginning of the sectarian strife that - today - has truly yet to cease. As Sidhwa was to say, when referencing this scene in an interview about Earth, "Ghandi's nonviolent revolution ended up costing the lives of one million Indians." And later on, he remarks that this "was the beginning of the largest and most terrible exchange of population known to history - seven million Muslims and five million Hindus and Sikhs." Even today, India has witnessed a resurgent Hindu fundamentalism that threatens to undermine the secular state created at the time of independence in 1947. Although the Indian government has attempted to adopt a policy of strict neutrality between its Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim subjects, Earth takes great pains to show the horrific communal violence that frames the rawness of the nationalistic and religious fervor in postcolonial India. Earth also demonstrates how difficult it truly is to testify to this kind of violence: how, indeed, does one document the unspeakable? After Dil has witnessed the devastating slaughter-scene on board the Amristar-Gurdaspur-Lahore train, dialogue begins to diminish in the movie, and is replaced by muted and horrified facial expressions, tears, screams, and anguish. The only respite amidst the fires, the burnings, and the slaughters, is the brief love-scene between Hasan and Shanta, where they consummate their love for one another - planning to leave immediately for Amristar. But they are a 1940s Romeo and Juliet, doomed to failure as quickly as they have united: Dil has witnessed their lovemaking, and most likely slits Hasan's throat soon after. Sadly, in the estranged idiom of the lovers can be read the tragedy's proximity with this scene; Hasan's murder lays siege to the legitimacy of a world which deprives men and women of boundless love as surely as it deprives the poor of their share in the world's wealth, and as surely as it deprives the different cultural groups in India of a peaceful commerce with futurity. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay 4 PanterHuck Finn.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Steve Lovely Essay The river and shore are totally different in this novel. The river represents freedom to Huck and Jim; the shore is where all the trouble has been. The river is a main setting in this story; a lot of the adventure in the novel has been on the river, because they are traveling on the river. They both are different in many ways. The shore is where a lot of action has been. They both are important in the story. I think this makes this story different than others. There is two main setting and they are both different and alike in many different ways. The river is where Huck and Jim feel free. Jim is actually treated equal by Huck when they are on the river. The river is where they like to be. Huck says there is no home like on a raft. He also says that you feel free, easy, and comfortable on a raft. Huck and Jim must feel free because they even like to be naked while on the river. Huck smokes while on the river also, but he never does it on shore. Jim probably wants to be on the river because he feels like he fits in; he doesn't feel like he is around slavery and racism. I think Jim and Huck bond and become closer when on the river also. When they are on shore they act differently and they pull apart. The shore is where Huck wanted to get away from in the beginning. He felt like nothing was going right. Huck was kidnapped by Pap and is held at Pap's cabin. Huck used an axe to escape and fakes his own death by killing a pig. He then is thought to be dead. There is even a reward out for Jim, because they think he killed Huck. Jim is treated badly on shore; he is a slave for Miss Watson. Huck is treated bad also, he is afraid his dad is going to come back and beat him too. The shore is where a lot of the action in the story takes place. Life on shore was bad they had to watch what they did so people wouldn't recognize them. I think life on the river is easier for Huck and Jim. They have problems everywhere they go on the shore. It seems everywhere they go on shore they are involved in problems or feuds. Life on shore is different for Jim, because the people look at Jim differently. There is also a reward out for Jim, so he has to watch what he is doing and be careful. Huck has to worry about being seen also though, because everyone thinks he is dead. In conclusion I think life on the river is better. Even though they still cause mischief on the river at times. They are more comfortable on the river and they feel as if the raft is better than a real bed. I think Huck and Jim both prefer the river because they think of it as a free place. Even though they both think of being free from different perspectives. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay 4.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jeff Bagosy Ist 110 Gerry Santoro Essay #4 Databases are systems used to find out certain things about a big list of information without going through the whole list looking for that one particular thing. Using databases they can use queries to find that information. There are many types of databases they range from simple things such as phonebooks and stretch to more complex things such as databases used in large corporations used to keep employee information and things such as pay information and history of the company. Databases are especially important in large corporations, can you imagine what business would be like without databases, businesses would be extremely hindered, because of the time it would take to find information. This is why databases although they seem to be insignificant, the world is highly dependent upon them. Although databases are helpful they are often misused. Like for example this situation, "The 13-year-old daughter of a hospital records clerk in Jacksonville, Fla., used her mother's computer during an office visit and printed out names and numbers of patients previously treated in the hospital's emergency room. According to police, she then telephoned seven people and falsely told them that they were infected by the HIV virus. One person attempted suicide after the call. Upon arrest, the girl told police the calls were just a prank.1" This is a perfect situation of Database misuse, it is important that when a company possesses a database with personal information that the make sure there is security on it, and only certain people in the company who have a need to see that information should have access. The fact of the matter is personal information shouldn't be available to anyone unless you sign a contract allowing them to see it. For example telemarketers should not be able to access your phone number unless you allow them to. Databases should be used as a tool to help and must be monitored for privacy reasons. * 1. Website: http://md.hudora.de/blog/guids/95/27/15200212031115273595.html Source: _Communications of the ACM_, Volume 38, Number 5, May 1995. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ESSAY ADMU.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ESSAY: Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person? My past experience at IJMS, my beloved school, was indeed significant in my life. I've been studying here at IJMS for about 13 years now, I've been here ever since nursery. I still remember when I was just in kindergarten 2, that was the very first time I joined a contest. It was held in our school gym, there were so many people cheering. But despite of a young age, I still managed to win the event. I won the title "Mr. Math and Science". Thanks to my parents for their never ending support. For winning the said event, I gained some experiences that in fact thought me well, I managed to develop self-confidence to myself. "I can do it!", those were the words that always comes to my mind every time I join a contest. It is here in IJMS where I've learned how to be competitive, how to handle problems, and how to be creative in my own little way. I have joined many contests/competitions in my life. Many of those led me to success but of course there are some areas where I failed. But even though I failed in some of them, I still managed to hold on to myself and try to be a better competitor. Sometimes when I lose, I even say to my fellow contestants "Sa uulitin ha". Well, that's what I love about competitions, it is when all of you try to be the best, you want to rise above all of them, sometimes you even get angry because of too much arguments with your fellow contestants, but in the end, you'll end up smiling at each other and thanking God because it's over. Whew!.. My favorite category is mathematics, ever since elementary I have learned to love numbers. I am often chosen by our class adviser to represent our class during quiz bees and other events. The most memorable contest that I entered was when I was a sophomore student, I represented our school in the field of book keeping. I only won 3rd place, but I certainly am very proud of myself. There were about 20 contestants and I was the only sophomore student around, because representatives from other schools are all senior students. But despite that they have more knowledge about book keeping than I do, I still managed to grab 3rd place. That's a big "WOW!!!" for me. The experience of exposure to various competitions was really significant to my life that has developed my self-confidence and attitude to accept the reality that in every competition, there are winners and losers. If you did not win, never feel bad about yourself. Just get up, stand up and try again and again until you succeed. Never give up! Try your best, if you fail, then try again it won't hurt. It is better to try and fail than never to try at all. -Kervin Lacsina f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay body pages.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As the majority of people recognize, young children will believe almost anything. When a child sees a cartoon character fall from the roof of a ten-story building onto solid pavement, only to get up unhurt, he or she will probably think anyone could survive a drop like that. Afterwards, as young viewers grow older, they will watch more violent, realistic shows and movies now knowing that death is real, but will still be influenced by what they see. (www.Natcath.com) Consequently, three second-grade boys almost beat a girl to death in a playground. When asked why they did it, the trio innocently answered by saying it was what the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" or the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" would have done to one to of their enemies. After this incident occurred, Canada, Norway and Sweden canceled both shows. (www.Utexas.edu) Thus, when these seemingly innocent six-year-olds grow into adults, they may become more dangerous and cause more problems in their social environment. For this reason, psychologist Jeffrey G. Johnson and his research team studied children in 707 families for 17 years. It was concluded that children who watched more than an hour of TV each day were more likely to take part in aggressive behavior later in life than those who watched less. (www.abelard.org) Furthermore, it was found that young black males (ages 16-22) who watched a violent rap music video were more likely to use violence in a conflict situation. (www.childrennow.org) Another type of violent program is professional wrestling. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has been attacked by the Parents of America Guild (POA) for years, protesting the company's blatant portrayal of extreme violence. The POA is a group of several thousand adults that object to violence on TV, radio, etc. Most POA members feel WWE should air its programs later at night, after younger viewers have gone to bed. Their protest succeeded partially. WWE's main show now airs 9:00 to 11:00 pm, but satisfaction has not been reached, as other shows are still broadcasted on earlier times and on weekends. Unfortunately, pro wrestling has been imitated for decades in playgrounds and backyards across the nation. For instance, a ten-year-old boy accidentally killed his younger sister while imitating a wrestling maneuver he saw on TV. This relationship between what children believe happens and what actually occurs must be professionally examined. (www.mediaawarenessnetwork.com) Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of TV violence and the effect it has on viewers is the "Mean World Syndrome," or MWS. The MWS is a psychological disorder that about one out of 2000 people suffer from. These victims are terrified of the world outside of their communities, homes, or in severe cases, bedrooms. Accordingly, if someone watches prime time TV each night for a month, they will see 240 people die. (MediaViolenceWebring.com) After a year of witnessing hundreds of scripted deaths, anyone would start to be traumatized, which may lead to MWS. For this reason, Vince McMahon, CEO of WWE, says that if a child's parents do not approve of what they are watching, simply turn it off. Unfortunately, using this method may be easier said than done, as children have many ways to gain TV access. Another method of control comes in the form of the "V Chip". This nickel-sized device is installed to a TV set, which blocks out all shows portraying extreme violence or sexuality. Moreover, the "V Chip" can be programmed to prevent a TV set from functioning after a specific time. Also, these options can be changed by a special remote control. (www.Utexas.com) In addition to TV shows and movies, videogames carry a portion of the blame. Nearly every videogame ever created implies the same rule: "kill or be killed". Twenty-three percent of videogames are fantasy, which almost always involves some sort of violent theme. In fact, parents of the students who injured and killed dozens of people at Columbine High School blame their violent actions on a First Person Shooter (FPS) videogame called "Doom". In summary, an FPS is a genre of videogame where a player only sees from the character's perspective. Usually, all that is visible is the character's hand holding a weapon. Although most think this is an excuse to cover up their own imprudence, it does raise some suspicions about whether or not games with over-the-top blood and gore had an affect on the two murderers. (www.mediaviolencewebring.com) Even though the level of violence has not drastically increased since the early days of "Space Invaders" or "Super Mario Brothers,"-family-friendly games with less technicalities than an electric razor-the realism has. Instead of enemies disappearing in a puff of smoke, they now die in graphic and often elaborate ways. For example, in the FPS "Perfect Dark", if a sentry is shot in the foot, he will yell, then grab his leg and limp around. If he is standing in front of a wall and is shot, a spray of blood will cascade from his body, covering the wall and flow into a pool on the floor, all the while the victim is gasping for air and cursing. If viewed by a first-grader, this can be very frightening. Additionally, one of the most popular videogames on the market today is the ultra-violent "Grand Theft Auto 3." In this game, the main character is a carjacker who runs over pedestrians, shoots law officials, and beats elderly women to death with a baseball bat! Thankfully, "Grand Theft Auto 3" was issued an "M" rating, which stands for mature. Only consumers 17 years of age or older can buy an "M"-rated game. It is the videogame rating equivalent of an R-rated film. Ironically, "M"-rated videogames are the most popular with the gaming public. (Utexas.com) Although TV is considered dangerous to those who watch more than an hour a day, it is not a product that constantly poisons a mind no matter what show is on, and not all content broadcasted can harm you. To emphasize, a boy in Wales saved his mother from drowning in a pool using a lifesaving technique he saw on "Baywatch". On the other hand, another boy in Arizona swung the family cat around over his head by its tail, mimicking the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Both are examples of pros and cons associated with a product that fifty years ago was thought to be a luxury. (www.abelard.com) Back then the majority of Americans figured TV would just be an accessory, a product that would be used once or twice in a week, then sit in a corner unplugged for the duration of the week. Yet just the opposite has happened. TV has evolved into a virtual necessity for the American population. Ninety-four percent of U.S. citizens own at least one TV set, and approximately 6 million videos are rented daily, more than double the amount of books borrowed from the public library. The average teenager watches 1,180 minutes of TV each week, which adds up to about 1,023 hours of viewing yearly! That is almost two months! Moreover, forty-nine percent of Americans say they watch too much TV, and forty-one percent have three or more TV sets in their home. To make matters worse, ninety-one percent of children polled said they felt "upset" or "scared" by what they saw on TV at one point or another. To really drive the nail into the coffin, The United States of America is the nation with the most TV viewing on Earth. (Hoffman) In short, violence carried by the media has been proven to damage the minds of the young and old alike, but it can be contained, possibly even halted. All in all, the factors mentioned vary in significance, but all point in the same direction; media violence is unquestionably a serious problem, and action must be taken to soften the blow it has on the minds of the future generation. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay limerick.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mark McCullough essay I chose to do this poem for my poetry chair because as I was looking online for poems, I noticed that all of them were to confusing. They were all really long and hard to figure out, and they were all written about something I couldn't care less about. Not that I particularly care about Satan's son's birthday, but at least I could figure the poem out. Simply there is no metaphors, no hidden meaning, and nothing serious that I will never be able to, this poem is really just about Satan and his wife planning their son's birthday party. And that is why I picked this poem. This poem has end-rhyme. The overall mood of this poem is very light, and comical. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay on Mystery.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Essay on Mystery The classic mystery story contains many key parts, and some of these are present in my novel, while some are not. I think the major and most important similarity between mine and that of a classic is the fact that they both deal with murder. Homicide. Assassinations. The ole' bump-off. Killing. Manslaughter. Anyway you look at it, both my novel and most novels from the Hounds of Baskerville to Murder on the Orient Express. My novel deals with this murder in a more dramatic sense, as a publicly loved figure and a heavily celebrated actress who has won many Oscars for her wonderful performances. I would say that my novel is untraditional in the fact that it is not a pure bred detective story, or a police procedural, nor romantic suspense nor or a gothic novel. I would say it is a mixture of detective story as the person who is seeking who killed her sister is in no way a detective, but she is the main protagonist, as a detective is. The other half of the story is a romantic suspense, as a romantic atmosphere starts to occur between Liz and Ted as she starts to realize that Ted is not the killer, and they end up as a couple right at the end of the story. To get into more detail about the mixture of these two classic and celebrated styles, I will use the sheet I was thankfully given by Ms. Milliorn to nit-pick at the details of these two styles. If I would have to pick one of the styles that my book more closely resembles it would be the detective story. The main character and protagonist is Liz, the sister of the recently slain movie star Lisa. She does in fact interrogate suspects and ferret out clues, but the difference is that she does not even recognize that she is getting some juicy clues, while the detectives do not let on that they have identified a clue, but in truth they have and already trying to use it to solve the case. Another key difference is the fact that the detective finds his criminal by a process of elimination, while Liz does none of this. The only reason they actually found the killer was the fact that he tried to kill Liz, but Ted was there to hear her screams. He came to her rescue and apprehended the killer all at the same time. What a guy! She had no clue about who had the motive, opportunity or means to kill her sis. I would explain her as a happy-go-lucky half-detective who was more lucky than happy. But, after reading through the whole paper, I have found that Clark does exhibit some glaring qualities of a classic writer. Techniques such as using several suspects, additional murders, red herrings, threats of violence were all used habitually, until it got to the point where I was sick and tired of all these different suspects and a new murder at every corner. As for the basis of the romantic suspense, I have only based this on the fact the Liz always had a love for Ted, and it could not be shown until her sister was out of the way and the killer had been found. As there is no literature that I have found which explains the term "Romantic Suspense" in layman's terms, I do not think that I should try and elaborate as if I am dead wrong on what a romantic suspense is, I will just be making a fool out of myself. Finally, I believe that all new authors are trying to get away from classic writers, and that is why authors like Clark have only shown bits and pieces of the lost art known as a classic mystery, so I believe that is why I had a little more trouble researching this topic before writing it than any other. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay Patrick Herondoc.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Art History Essay- Discussion about Patrick Heron I will be discussing Patrick Herons work. His work interests me greatly I am inspired by his use of colour, when I look at his paintings I appreciate them. I am not concerned that I might not know how they came about, or the meaning behind them. The colour and his use of mark making are what excite me. Others search for an answer in his work, and can not see how he has gained the recognition that he has. This is what I will be looking at particularly in this essay. Heron's brightly pigmented work typifies heron's love and principal concern for colour and light. Heron's work is inspired by his natural surroundings. He is interested in the juxtaposition of colour on the canvas and the subsequent interaction and interpretation of forms. In particular I was interested in a piece called 'Fourteen Discs July 20, 1963. Blocks of pure tint are arranged with delicate precision in order created harmony of form and colour. With no subject matter to disturb the visual purity of the group of different forms and colours. Although he drew his inspiration for his work from his parents, his artistic vision sprang from the work of the French modern masters, Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Bonnard, Cezanne, Valamick. I think that every artist is bound to look closely at other artists work, and that there is nothing wrong in doing so, it is a way of learning and gaining new ideas. We know that Heron was inspired by other artists, and also wrote about them. It could be said that he was doing nothing other than updating pervious work. David Anfam said, 'The artists polemical attitude toward Abstract Expressionism and color Field painting-a debate over who did what first has not helped us to see his Achievements more clearly.' (David Anfam, 1998) I can relate my view with Andrew Wilson's, who wrote about his work in 'Art Monthly.' 'I believe painting exists precisely in order to relate our subjective experience, our feelings, to our objective setting, to the world we are endlessly observing.' (Andrew Wilson, 1999) 'Heron's concern was with the transformation (and not the transcription) of the;visual reality; seen by the artist into the disposition of colour-shapes to form'space in colour.'(Andrew Wilson, 1999) David Anfam says, in disagreement with his work once more, in view of the Tate exhibition, 'There was no postmodern irony here, no heavyweight subject matter, not even a hint of concerns beyond the two-dimensional arena of the canvas itself.'(David Anfam 1998) Should he be allowed to be put on the pedestal that he is on? 'The painter's entire enterprise represents a struggle to keep alive Matisse's vision of art meant to soothe the eye and mind. The question that remains is whether Heron hasn't just reupholstered Matisse's proverbial armchair.' (David Anfam, 1998) I think that it is right for him to simply want to satisfy the excitement and talent he has with working with colour. His work entails him being inspired by the world around him, then looking at his painting and working with it compositionally and dealing with the spacial problems of his paintings without referring to his surroundings, and making it decorative. Consequently his work is appreciated by the viewers that look at it. I don't necessarily think that artwork has to have a justified meaning of how a finished product or painting came about. He believed strongly that Art is Autonomous, what mattered was the painting, not what surrounded it. Heron says he gets bored by any overtly perspectival organisation in a painting. Patrick Heron said- The square-round profiles and contours of all the rocks on the moors and cliffs are immensely powerful in their rhythms and intervals: they are visible evidence of the processes of the erosion of granite by the forces of wind and rain over many millions of years. This is the place I have lived since 1955. For years I denied any connection between this astonishingly powerful scenery and consciously non-figurative painting. (Patrick Heron, 1994) 'In 1962 he wrote: I hate all symbols in painting: I love, instead, all images, images physically reflect the physical realities of the world surrounding us: but are merely linguistic devices invented by men.' (June 1999) I think that what Heron can become inspired by so easily is a talent in itself, and that is a justification of his work. 'Colour is the utterly indispensible means for realising the various species of pictorial space. It is colour which creates illusions of depth and thereby brings about the inescapable dualism of painting on the one hand there is illusion, indeed the sensation of depth: and on the other there is the physical reality of the flat picture surface.' (Patrick Heron Space in Colour, 1953) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay Plan.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Essay Plan Poverty * Explain why government policies towards tackling poverty changed during period 1834 - 1948. Themes - War - home fit for heroes (housing), 'national efficiency debate' Franchise Extension (reforms - 1832, 1867, 1884, 1918, 1928) Legislation - 1834 (PLAA), Liberals Reforms (1905- 14), 1909 - Royal Commission, 1929 End of Poor Law, 1940s - Welfare Attitudes - Laissez-faire (early 19th century) / self-help, collectivism (early 20th century), universality (mid 20th century). Individuals - Utilitarianism, Humanitarians, Chartists, Evangelicals etc. Cost - changing to new poor law etc. Social Imperialism - International rivalry * How far do you agree that there was a major shift in the understanding of the causes of poverty during the period from 1834 - 1948? Paragraphs - Attitudes to the poor - laissez-faire, deserving/undeserving, collectivism, universality/welfare. Legislation - shows change Social Commentators Economic factors - depression, cost, unemployment, international rivalry. New Voters - was it because there was a change in attitude, or was because they wanted the voters. Education * Why was secondary education not made free for all until 1944? Themes - Legislation - 1870, 1902, 1918, 1944 (main acts) - 1833 - first grant. Religion - Rivalry and barriers - Non-Conformists vs Anglicans Social Commentators Permissive Acts Not necessary - children needed to work Elementary education not compulsory Enough provision covered by public schools Attitudes throughout Lack of professionalism - teachers Depression - Hadow - unable to use because of depression and war War - ideal state - new moral order * Explain why government's increasingly intervened in education during the years from 1834 - 1948. Themes - Legislation - 4 main acts - 1870, 1902, 1918, 1944 - 1833 - factory act (2hours schooling), 1833 - First grant, 1862 - revised; performance based funding, 1926 - Hadow War / depression - creating ideal state Social Commentators - people who put forth the acts Religious Rivalry - Anglicans vs Non - conformists, didn't get rid of this rivalry - barrier to provision Reforms - voting Liberal reforms - meals, medical inspections International Rivalry - better schools in other countries Stop children working New moral order - ideal state f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay Question Japanese.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Essay Question By Richie Doerer One major reason the Japanese were able to build one of the most successful and efficient economies is that they are some of the best educated people in the world. They have rigorous entrance exams to high school and very hard college exams. After school, many students attend after school study sessions, almost like our study buddies program. The difference between these two programs is the Japanese programs run every day for 2 or 3 hours. Another reason the Japanese are successful is that Japanese companies give incentives to their workers to keep them happy. The companies give them health plans, lifetime salaries, free housing, and programs to introduce their single employees to potential spouses. The philosophy behind this idea is that if you keep your workers happy they will perform to their best ability. They also have their workers do stretches to help them work. It sounds funny, but they are some of the most productive workers in the world. The government also will give old traditional painters a lifetime salary if they paint as a means to preserve the dying traditional art. The government also subsidizes, or economically supports, their companies. These are just a few of the reasons they are a powerful economic power. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay RA.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jennifer O. Abell Please write a brief essay based on your personal belief, attitudes, and philosophy, in response to the following questions: (Please attach on a separate sheet of paper) 1.) What characteristics will you bring to the position, and how will they enhance the overall academic and living experience for resident students? The characteristics that I will bring to this position are the personal characteristic which I embody. I will bring determination, commitment, fortitude, compassion, leadership, and ambition. I have a drive, unlike any other, for I truly know the value of making a difference in an individual's life. I will bring these characteristics, to not only enhance, but to enrich the lives of many fist year students. I will encourage them to be competitive academically, engaging socially, and understanding and respectful to all. 2.) What do you believe to be the essential function of the Resident Assistant? I believe that the essential function to being a Resident Assistant is to help the transition students make from high school to college a successful one! In addition, they also should help provide a healthy living environment for the student while they are in college. As a Resident Assistant, I will help build a community relationship with all the residents. I also feel that it is the function of the RA to help with various situations, from social to academic, to roommate conflicts, to how to deal with financial problems. A resident assistant should be a people person who cans engage anyone, and communicate effectively. 3.) What has been the most influential factor contributing to your decision to apply for this position? One of the most influential deciding factors in wanting to become a Resident Assistant, was working with and being a friend with an RA. This Resident Assistant was amazing; he went above and beyond his job description. This individual is helping to make my freshman year an unforgettable and successful one, socially and academically. This RA, though he was not my own, has helped me on countless occasions. In watching this RA, I realized what a wonderful job this was. As a result I decided to run for RSA PR chair, and that too was a deciding factor. I truly love RSA. It's so fun. I get to work with so many people. Working with people is something I enjoy tremendously. I know that when I choose my career path I will be working with people and in some capacity helping them. I want to be able to touch people lives and make a difference. I want to help inform and empower students to take advantage of opportunities that are available to them, and make their college experience be outstanding. Lastly, I am influenced through my own heart and spirit. I truly think that I will enjoy waking up everyday knowing that my purpose for the day is to make someone else's life a little easier. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay Sunflower2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The poem "Ah! Sun-Flower" by William Blake is both beautiful to the eyes and pleasant to the ears. However, its content entails much more than the name suggests. After closely reading the poem, one learns that Blake's intentions lie far into the depths of human thought of the afterlife. Specifically, Blake addresses who reaches the superior realm of existence after death. Although it remains unnamed throughout the piece, this higher plane is characterized by Blake as a positive place of light and timelessness. Through contrasting symbols of innocence and experience, Blake is able to show that it is the former that is closer to this higher realm of existence. In the first stanza of the poem, Blake presents the features that embody this higher level of life. Through the use of end rhyme, Blake determines that this is a place mainly of timelessness and light. By rhyming alternating lines, the words "time" and "clime" as well as the words "Sun" and "done" are paired and thus related to one another (1- 4). The first pair of words expresses that the "clime," or atmosphere of this other realm is characterized by timelessness (3). This is because the word "time" is used in the phrase "weary of time," suggesting a want for eternity (1). Therefore, the pairing of the two words suggests an atmosphere of perpetuity. The next pair, "Sun" and "done," indicate that this realm is a place of light (2, 4). Within the poem, "done" refers to the higher plane of the afterlife because it is where the "travellers journey" ends (4). The traveler is called so because of his voyage from the current plane of existence to the subsequent higher plane. The traveler's voyage is "done" when he or she reaches this greater level of existence (Blake 4). The "Sun," which exudes an enormous amount of light, exemplifies the illumination of the higher plane because it is used in conjunction with the word "done" (2, 4). Through the use of imagery, Blake further develops the realm's luminous qualities as well as introduces its positive attributes. Specifically, these aspects are represented by the image of the "sweet, golden clime" in reference to the higher realm's environment (3). Both the words describing the atmosphere, "sweet" and "golden," carry blissful connotations (3). The word "sweet" suggests that this is a place superior to Earth, since the Earth is a place of both sweetness and bitterness (3). The word "golden" implies that the higher plane is worthy of praise, as anything associated with the word gold is highly valued (3). However, this word also carries with it a sense of light or brightness. The color of gold is comparable to the color of the light of the sun mentioned earlier. Thus the gold further illuminates the atmosphere. While this eternal plane of light and bliss sounds appealing to all, it is only some who will reach its gates. Once establishing a description of this greater realm, Blake symbolically introduces the innocence of life. Blake presents innocence through the use of the "Youth" and the "Virgin" (5-6). By nature, both innocents lack age and the experience associated with age. Although the youth is languished "with desire" and the virgin is "shrouded in snow," neither will act on their instincts because of theses two factors (5-6). Their naïveté blinds them to the bitter side of life gained from experience while their youth shields them from the grueling affects of time and old age. Upon their deaths, the youth and the virgin "arise from their graves and aspire" for the described higher realm (7). The phrase "arise from their graves" suggests that the two innocents have died, although they are not on the same journey that the traveler is on (7). The two innocents still "aspire," or search for this higher level of existence even though they have passed from life to death (7). Therefore, even with the touch of death, the innocents cannot reach the higher plane. In contrast to the "Youth" and the "Virgin", Blake establishes that the "Sun-flower" is symbolic of human experience (1, 5 - 6). While the youth and the virgin are human in nature, the sunflower is not. However, Blake personifies the flower to create a closer relationship between the sunflower and humanity. In the first line of the poem, the sunflower is paired with the word "weary" (1). This word personifies the sunflower by giving it a human emotion. In the next line of the piece, Blake uses the pronoun "who" in reference to the sunflower (2). The two words in combination elucidate the flower's relationship to mankind. In addition, the sunflower's name suggests an innate closeness with the "Sun" beyond the capabilities of the innocents (2). The "Sun," which is a part of the higher plane, is directly contained in the sunflower's name (2). Throughout the poem, Blake establishes both that the sunflower represents those who are experienced in life and that it is closer to the higher realm by more than its name suggests. Blake initially introduces the flower as being "weary of time" (1). This implies that the sun-flower has lived for a long time and has gained the experience acquired through life and its events. In feeling exhausted by time, the sunflower yearns for timelessness. The sunflower is also "seeking" after the "sweet" atmosphere of the higher realm of existence (3). Since the sunflower is experienced, it has lived through both the positive and negative aspects of life. As a result, the Earth seems bitter and the sunflower yearns for a place only of sweetness. Not only does the sunflower yearn for blissful eternity, it also "countest the steps to the Sun" (2). The word "countest" both accentuates the sunflower's exhaustion as well as implies that the sunflower is waiting to reach this higher realm (2). In counting the steps to the sun, the sunflower is quantifying how much further it has to go until he reaches the sun, or the other realm of which it is associated with. The sunflower is experienced; it has lived through both the positive and negative aspects of life. This is primarily because the sunflower has lived for a long amount of time. As a result, it has nothing further to experience on the Earth. This is in contrast to the innocents. The innocents have lived only for a short amount of time, encountering only the positive side of life. The youth and the virgin continue to search for the higher realm even after death because they have died in their youth and innocence. In doing so, they lack the experience of life and the knowledge of time. The sunflower, who has been subjected to both innocence and experience, is weary of time because it is simply waiting to travel on its journey to eternity. By presenting the opposing entities in the different states of life (the innocence in death and the experience in life), Blake is claiming that it is only after both innocence and experience that one can reach the higher plane of existence. Blake forms the true meaning of the piece by juxtaposing images of innocence with experience. He creates the idea that the experienced being will eventually reach the desired destination because of his or her time spent on Earth and the experience gained in the process. The innocents unfortunately share a less pleasing fate due to their lack of age and experience. In asserting this bold statement about life and death, Blake addresses a question that has plagued man for almost all of time: Who will reach the utopia of the afterlife? Straying from the typical determinant of this question as a battle of good versus evil, Blake states his claim in terms of the contrasting states of the soul known as innocence and experience. Works Cited Blake, William. "Ah! Sun-flower." Songs of Innocence and Experience. New York: Oxford University Press, 1967. 43. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay Synthesis2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the fast paced world of the 21st century, it appears that the human race disregards nature as a thing of importance. Where forests and fields once stood, large cities and long highways have taken over. While most still find nature to be beautiful, the idea that nature plays an active role in the lives of individuals as well as in society is lost and gone. However, in the era of Romantic literature, the active role of nature was at a peak. Interestingly, the Romantics did not simply see one role of nature, but two opposing roles. This idea is prevalent throughout many works of the greatest Romantic authors such as Mary Shelley, William Wordsworth, Samuel T. Coleridge, and Thomas Dequincy. Within the writings of these authors one finds that nature acts as a symbol of beauty and as a healer of the emotionally distressed as well as sublime and harmful force to both the individual and society and its institutions. In doing so, nature acts as a judicator; it helps those who appreciate nature and punishes those who abuse it. In the novel Frankenstien by Mary Shelley, nature is both beautiful and healing to the lonely monster after suffering the pains of rejection by society. The monster's unnatural size and ugly appearance drives his own creator to abandon him at his birth. As a result, the monster finds his way to the woods where he first becomes accustomed to his new senses. Once his sense of sight becomes more accurate, the monster comments on the Moon, which he "fixed his eyes on...with pleasure" (Shelley 80). Thus, from the time of his birth the monster sees nature and its elements as a thing of beauty and a source of pleasure. The monster, after a period of time, makes two attempts to integrate into society, both of which times he is feared and physically attacked. Although the monster becomes angry and distraught, he is comforted by nature which has the ability to change his emotions. The monster states, "the day, which was one of the first of spring, cheered even me by the loveliness of its sunshine and the balminess of the air. I felt emotions of gentleness and pleasure, that had long appeared dead, revive within me" (Shelley 115). Therefore, when the monster has unjustifiably been physically and emotionally harmed, it is nature who is his healer. The monster had appreciated nature and its beauty; he developed his senses in the natural setting of the woods and sought refuge in the mountains when he had become an outcast of society. As a result, nature could act as the judge who grants the monster temporary tranquility. Nature's ability to heal one's distraught emotions is evident in another character in Frankenstein as well; this character is Victor Frankenstein. Throughout many instances in Victor's tale to the mariner, Victor describes instances of extreme distress and depression. It is at these times when nature restored in Victor a happy or peaceful demeanor while returning him to a functional level of living. The first time nature displays this effect on Victor is several months after the creation of the monster, a time during which Victor had fallen terribly ill out of the distress in creating the monster. Victor describes the "young buds shooting from the trees" outside his window (Shelley 41). He then states that "It was a divine spring; and the season contributed greatly to my convalescence" (Shelley 41). It is evident that Victor's positive description of the buds on the trees confirms his view of nature as physically beautiful. Furthermore, he clearly states that the spring season was a primary factor in his reestablished "cheerful" disposition (Shelley 41). Even more remarkable is nature's ability to give Victor's pained soul a sense of peacefulness even after the deaths of his brother William and close friend Justine. This is seen when Victor says, "as I gazed on the cloudless blue sky, I seemed to drink in a tranquility to which I had long been a stranger" (Shelley 129). This line embodies the power of nature to fill him with serenity at such a troubled time. Although Victor may seem unworthy of such medicine because of the unnatural monster he creates, Victor did not physically abuse or destroy nature or its natural settings. As a result, nature can provide for Victor at times when no human can. Similar to Victor Frankenstein and the monster in Frankenstein, William Wordsworth as an individual is healed by nature and its beauty in the poem "Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abby." When standing above the bank of the Wye River, Wordsworth describes the landscape before him that he had not visited in five years. The use of such words as "sweet" and "quiet" in this description conveys Wordsworth's positive regard towards nature as a symbol of beauty and tranquility (Wordsworth 4, 8). However, it is not while describing this moment that Wordsworth is healed of any distress. It is the remembrance of such natural "forms of beauty" that can instill a sense of peace within his soul when he is apart from the river bank (Wordsworth 24). Wordsworth states that he has owed these images of the bank In hours of weariness, sensations sweet, Felt in the blood and felt along the heart, And passing even into my purer mind With tranquil restoration (Wordsworth 28-31) It is clear from this line that the health of Wordsworth's heart, body, and mind can be restored simply from Nature and past images of its beauty. Since Wordsworth is a man who, in the poem has not performed any physical wrongdoings against nature, nature can fairly repress Wordsworth's weariness by filling his mind with its beautiful images. It can also act as "the nurse" and "the guide" who aids a man in need back to health (Wordsworth 110-111). Interestingly Nature can embody the role of a healer to society as well as the individual such as in Samuel T. Coleridge's "The Dungeon." In "The Dungeon," Coleridge suggests that Nature can replace the institution of the prison in reforming criminals to a stabilized and healthy human state. Although those who take on the role of the criminal have performed indecencies to society, man's condemnation will not correct their divergent ways. Instead, Coleridge argues that the "dungeon" will only further damage the criminal who is Circled with evil, till his very soul Unmoulds its essence, hopelessly deformed By sights of ever more deformity! (16-19) Thus, the dungeon, which is a lonely and dreadful place filled only with evil, will only continue to disfigure the criminal soul. However, if the criminal were to be placed in nature, he would be cured of his ways. Coleridge suggests that submerging the criminal in Nature's "sunny hues," "fair forms," and "melodies of woods, and winds, and waters" would cause the criminal to concede to nature's beauty (23-24). The power of nature's beauty would overcome the criminal's resistance to societal morality. As a result, the criminals "angry" soul will be "healed and harmonized" (Coleridge 29). Therefore, Nature can replace society's prison institutions and take on the role as healer and reformer of convicts' criminal ways. Nature can take on this role because these criminals have not physically abused or performed any wrongdoings against Nature, but only against their fellow man. In contrast to these pleasant examples of Nature, the prose piece "Confessions of an Opium Eater" demonstrates Nature as an unsightly and harmful force. This piece demonstrates Nature's role to the individual as Thomas De Quincey recounts his experience with the drug opium. During the various hallucinations and dreams he underwent while influenced by the drug, De Quincey saw horrid natural images that threatened his existence. From the beginning of his descriptions, the reader receives the immediate impression that Nature is neither calm nor beautiful. This is evident when De Quincy states that his "mind tossed, as it seemed, upon the billowy ocean, and weltered upon the weltering waves" (393 - 394). The ocean that De Quincey is submerged in is active. Instead of instilling tranquility, the swelling of the water and the jumbling of the waves places De Quincey in a state of extreme confusion. As De Quincey's wild dream descriptions continue, more harmful and unattractive scenes begin to emerge. He explains that many of his dreams contained "ugly birds, or snakes, or crocodiles" and that "the cursed crocodile became to [him] the object of more horror than all the rest." (395). While many of nature's creatures are beautiful and harmless, it is the ugly, fierce, and lethal animals that persist in haunting De Quincey. The crocodile, which generates the most distress in De Quincey, instills fear in him as he explains one look from its "leering eye" feels more like thousands of repeated looks (395). The crocodile's continuous reappearance in De Quincey's dreams is unavoidable to him because he cannot stop his addiction to opium. Since opium comes from nature, De Quincey is performing a wrongful act against nature by abusing it. Thus nature is acting as a judge in sentencing a punishment to De Quincey for his addiction by tantalizing him solely with its ugly and harmful side. A similar representation of nature to the "Confessions of an Opium Eater" is Samuel T. Coleridge's poem "Kubla Kahn" in which Natures acts harmfully against society's monarchical institution. In "Kubla Kahn," the monarchical system is represented by the king who demands a "pleasure-dome" to be built on a fertile piece of land (Coleridge 2). As a result, the land, which has been placed under restriction, fights back against the structures upon it and creates a chasm which destroys the dome. This chasm, which Coleridge describes as "savage" and from which "ceaseless turmoil [is] seething," represents a dark and violent view of nature. Coleridge describes the sacred river Alph that the dome was built near as being thrown through the chasm when he says: Amid whose swift half - intermitted burst Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail (20 - 22) This description of the river and the chasm represents nature as being forceful and harmful. This is evident in the use of the words "burst" and "vaulted." In addition, the metaphor concerning the harvester and the grain further develops the nature's power against the dome as the ease of the grain being tossed by the harvester's instrument is compared with the ease that the earth propels the rock and water from the chasm. Although this is similar to "Confessions of an Opium Eater," there is one large difference between the two. In "Kubla Kahn," the reader witnesses a transition from nature as being beautiful to being dark and sublime. In the beginning of the poem, the pleasure dome is built around such natural beauty as "gardens bright" (Coleridge 8). However, the king, who believes he has the power to limit the boundaries of nature with "walls and towers" to build the pleasure dome, feels the wrath of nature and sees its destructive side. Nature's reaction to the king represents the role of nature to society's monarchical system. The monarchy believes itself to be more powerful than nature by restricting it. However, nature, takes on the role of reminding the monarchy of the severely limited power it holds. Furthermore, nature is acting as a judicator in punishing the king for his abuse in restricting nature. Nature carries out this judgment with its ability to be sublime and harmful, and forceful. From these various works that were prominent in the Romantic period it is easy to see how nature can take on the role of the beautiful healer or of the harmful, sublime force. However, nature changes its role only when it is judicially correct to do so. This would entail a crime against nature and its physical settings. The idea of this dual role of nature is a significant point to address because it brings further insight to a topic so prevalent throughout Romantic literature as well as raises interesting questions regarding the Romantic view of religion. According to Romantic ideology, piety is said to reside within nature. As Wordsworth put it quite nicely, he lives his life by "natural piety" Wordsworth 9). In stating this, nature and religion are equated to one another as they exist on the same level in the universe. Therefore, can one conclude that the Romantics thought religion is both healing and harmful as well? 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay#5.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The problem of free will is answered in different ways by Paul Ree who is a hard determinist and C.A. Campbell who argues on the side of Libertarianism. Both philosophers raise strong arguments for there beliefs, and both perspectives hold possible truth. It is Ree's determinism however which has a stronger basis of proof and therefore offers a better answer to the question of free will. Ree states that in order for an act to be freely determined it must be able to act as an "absolute beginning". What he means by this is that it can not be the result of any prior cause. This he argues is not possible due to the law of causality, and therefore the will is not free. "The act of will is in fact preceded by a sufficient cause. Without such a cause the act of the will cannot occur; and, if the sufficient cause is present, the act of will must occur." To explain the law of causality we are given the example of a stone, that without some form of external cause such as the wind to blow it, or water and time to erode it, would stay in exactly the same state. Certainly we cannot argue that the stone could ever move on its own, without some form of proceeding cause. We are aware of this because what alters the state of a stone is external. Although at a much higher level, the same law of causality is true for Humans, it is just internal and invisible; therefore we are not aware of it and believe that we have the power to choose between two possibilities. Ree argues that although we might feel that we have the debate back and forth between something, even our small considerations for and against something are determined by past experiences and events which lead to even our questions. Because we are not always conscious of what events of the past have lead us to our present position we are under an illusion of freedom, that in reality does not exist. Ree does not deny that multiple possibilities are available to us at a given time; however he states that which possibility is realized is determined by the events of the past. It is because of this that he argues that no one can be held responsible for their actions. This concept is applied to both blame and praise. He says that we can find certain actions agreeable or disagreeable but not attributable to the individual who undertook them. By this principle society can not punish a person for retribution, but only for rehabilitation or social security. Ree believes that because people cannot control the events or path of their lives, we should be all the more responsible and caring for those members of our society who are disadvantaged or less fortunate than ourselves. Campbell's views on free will contradict Ree's determinism. He believes that humans are both free and undetermined. His proof of this argument is through what he calls "moral effect". Basically this describes a circumstance where we struggle against temptation when offered a choice between what we should do, and what we wish to do. It is this feeling of tension between duty and desire that he believes is proof that we are free to choose what path we take. If we were determined, then we would not have to refrain from doing anything, we would just do it. For a situation to be one of Moral responsibility for Campbell requires that an individual could have acted and chosen otherwise in the circumstance. He claims that it is unaffected by heredity or environmental factors, situations were these factors do come into play are defined as ones of diminished responsibility. An example of this would be someone who had served time in prison, was abused there, lost hope and upon re-entering society commits another crime. Campbell would argue in this case that the individual was not the soul author of his choices and those other factors influenced his behavior. Campbell does believe in holding individuals accountable for there actions, be it blameworthy or otherwise. This holds true even in cases of diminished responsibility, as Campbell says we are blaming the individual for there past acts which generated his current state of mind that led him to chose the current situation that he did. Campbell wants to recognize that free will can exist along with the predictability of behavior. When we compare these two perspectives Ree's arguments seem stronger than Campbell's. Basically Campbell's proof for the existence of free will is that we feel free to decide between two moral choices. However Ree accounts for this in his argument by stating the process of deciding between two factors is determined. I think we want to believe Campbell's arguments because they follow what we experience with our own senses while Ree's ideas contradict that. However outside the fact that Campbell argues what we feel, he offers no sound proof of it being true in reality. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Matt Stigliano English 2-9-04 Essay In Frankenstein, the monster essentially displays two sides. In the beginning of the book, he shows how destructive he can be, when he was killing off Victor's loved ones. As the story progresses and the monster tells his side of the story, I was able to view him as more of a compassionate and logical thinker. In the beginning of Frankenstein, the monster is created by Victor Frankenstein. Disgusted at the hideousness of the creation which he wrought, he decided to run off. From then, the monster began to develop his thoughts. He slowly becomes more hostile towards humans, as his experiences with them are awful. I was able to see the intelligence of this creature, how he only acted from his experiences. The first part of the story showed how his gruesome behavior was only a result of his would be "childhood". Later in the story, the monster confronts Victor Frankenstein. He wishes to tell him his side of the story, and out of curiosity Victor listens. The monster explains how he never realized his hideousness until recently, and that he did not want to be an outcast of society. He begged Victor to make him a significant other which would be as ugly as he, so he could live the rest of his life peacefully with someone else to be with. The monster showed his reasons for his actions when he explained why he acted the way he did. Though they didn't make his actions correct, I believe that he made good decisions from what he saw of man. When Victor decided not to make the second monster for the first one, the first monster continued his rampage on Victor's loved one's, swearing that if he could not achieve peace, his creator would not either. Victor Frankenstein created a monster in his laboratory. He believe that it was hideous and didn't deserve to live. However, Victor had created a creature with feelings of compassion, remorse, and love. I believe that the monster's actions make logical sense, and that his actions were only due to his bad early development. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Between 1525 and 1789, peasant riots and rebellions rose drastically, resulting in severe violence. These rebellions were the result of the upper class controlling and altering both economic factors and the rising power in government state. These peasants were also treated undemocratically by their seigniors, which forced the peasants to revolt against the upper class. Economic factors, the growing power in state and the poor treatment of the peasants were the main causes of the rebellions and riots during the middle ages in Europe. Another major cause, which led the peasants to rebel against the noble class and the aristocratic peoples, were economic issues. Food prices and trade were the two main economic problems that pushed the peasants to revolt against the upper class. The first threat that the peasants faced was economic in nature. The economy of the west was becoming more economically driven by exchange on international markets and industrial capitalism (DWP, 318). The late medieval economic crisis that was in part the result of the bubonic plague had a major impact on the population in Europe (DWP, 319). The growth of population following the bubonic plague effected the economy, which in turn effected the status of the peasants in society (DWP, 319). Increased labour supplies drove wages downward, while the massive growth in population increased the demand for food and therefore increased its price. Since peasants were poor and high prices meant that they could not afford the food and would starve. Agriculture was another major economic factor, which led to the riots and rebellions during the middle ages in Europe. In the article, "The German Peasants' Revolt of 1525: The Twelve," the author states in the tenth article that "we are aggrieved by the appropriation by individuals of meadows and field, which at one time belonged to a community. These we will take again into our own hands." This is saying that the seigniors took the free land from the peasants, which they used for cattle and livestock and forced them to pay a fee on the land that they used. Not only good the peasants not afford food, but eventually the peasants could not afford to pay for their own land, which was stolen from them. The peasant had to give the lord a percentage of the annual harvest, pay a fine to marry someone from outside the lord's estate and pay a fine, usually the best sheep or cow owned, to inherit property (HWS, 369). A main point to think about would be that at this time the lords are in control over the peasants. The peasant serve the lords, but in fact they cheque each other because if the peasant some how disappeared, the lord would make no profit. In fact, the peasant is in control because the peasant earns all of the money for the lord and if the peasant did not exist, the lord would not exist. Consequently, the peasants fought back against the upper class to gain back their land and to go back to the old way of society. One of the main causes during the modern period, which resulted in rebellions and riots, was the growing power of the state and government. Although very necessary, taxation was strongly opposed by the peasants during the Middle Ages in Europe (DWP, 318). During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, many wars occurred throughout Europe and every state sought to increase its tax revenue to sustain the costs of war. This meant that central bureaucracies had to be established because of the large revenue demands on the peasants (DWP, 318). The main cause of the French rebellions was the rising tax burden imposed on the peasants and the way in which it was collected (DWP, 324). These taxes increased during the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries because France was frequently at war and royal revenues had to rise to meet military costs and therefore high taxes needed to be imposed. Peasant taxpayers were well aware of this system and were disrespectful to their collectors, gabelleurs, who put a tax-farmed fee on salt sales (DWP, 324). In addition, tax issues were the main cause of the Croquants of Anguomois and Saintonge Revolt (DWP, 324). This rebellion occurred because the officials attempted to collect taxes in the month of April and the peasants did not approve of that. Most peasants argued against the new royal taxes. They believed that the taxes were the work of corrupt royal officials and that the King would grant peasants tax relief if he only knew about the dishonesty within the governmental system (DWP, 325). The main purpose of the protestant rebellions was not to change the government or state, but rather to go back to the old ways of lower taxes (DWP, 325). This was an important argument proposed by the peasants because the taxes became so high that they could not afford to pay them. It is very clear that the taxation issue became a common problem among the peasant society. One of the main issues among the Middle Ages was the way in which the peasants were being treated. Many of the authors in the article, "Peasant Violence: Rebellion and Riot in Early Modern Europe," believed that the collective violence was predominantly carried out by the lowest class of peasants. Others believed that the upper class and the noble class aggravated the peasants (DWP, 319). Although the peasants were not slaves, they were treated very poorly with little say among their communities. In the article, "Revolt of 1525: The Twelve," the first article of twelve states that, "In the future we should have power and authority so that each community should choose and appoint a pastor, and that we should have the right to depose him should he conduct himself improperly (DWP, 334)." These peasants are stating that they should have the power to appoint their own pastor, rather than having a pastor who has been appointed by another individual and who is corrupt. This allows them to depose of him if he ever acts out improperly. Peasants were required to pay double for wood because they are poor and only the upper class should have to pay low cost for lumber. Most peasants lived in extremely poor conditions. During the Middle Age period in Europe, agriculture was very vulnerable to weather conditions, blights, and pests. As a result, peasants endured a great deal of suffering from their destroyed crops (DWP, 320). These poor conditions were a direct result of the German Peasants Revolt in 1525 because peasant communities refused to work until they received better working conditions (DWP, 321). In the article, "Report of the Commission of Enquiry into the Conditions of the Peasants to the Council of State in Vienna, June 1769," the author states that "the peasants live in a condition of real slavery and that they become savage and brutalized, and cultivate the lands in their charge badly (DWP, 343)." The parents sleep on straw, the children naked on the wide shelves of earthware stoves; they never was, which promotes the spread of diseases and are no doctors to take care of them (DWP, 343). These rebellions and riots are a direct result of the poor treatment that these people received from their lords. If the peasants owned a good, strong horse, the lord would force them to sell the horse and compensate them with a horse that was injured, or not very healthy (DWP, 343). This was because the upper class believed that they deserved the best of everything and that the lower class deserved the worst. Although not a direct cause to the rebellion during the early modern period in Europe, the poor treatment that the peasants underwent was unnecessary and inappropriate. Therefore, how are people supposed to live a normal life if they live in conditions, such as the one that the peasants lived in? The answer is that they could not and that was why they rebelled against the upper class. During the modern period in Europe, the peasants rebelled against the aristocrats, and the noble class as a result of three main causes. The first cause was economic issues, which included, increased food prices, increased agricultural prices, and trade. The second cause was the rising state in power, which included the rising cost in taxes in order to compensate for the war costs. Finally, the last cause was treatment, which includes, living in impossible conditions, along with poor labour conditions and low wages. These main causes, which the upper class created, became the main causes, which forced the peasants to take violent action. In the end, the peasants never accomplished any revolutionary goals since they never had any revolutionary ideas. Early modern peasant rebellions and riots aimed not a creating something new, but rather to go back to the way society was before the chaotic period. 5 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay1].TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The goal that I have chosen is to achieve a degree in Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound. This course is very competitive, encouraging me to challenge myself and show my desire to work in this field. I specifically have selected the profession of Diagnostic Ultrasound for many good reasons. I think that this goal is suitable for me because I am dedicated, have attention to detail, and feel that I am a team player. Dedication is not a trait that is only utilized in a career. It must be an internal attribute fostered over a lifetime. I am confident that I posses the desire to succeed in this profession. This desire has been proven through many years of volunteer work; the majority of which taking place in nursing homes and hospitals. My experience has given me the opportunity to directly observe and critically evaluate working in this profession. To get the required course for Diagnostic Medial Ultrasound, I also made the decision to go back to Community College. These have all been steps in reaching my career goal. Attention to detail is one of the most important characteristics to successfully succeed in the profession of Diagnostic Ultrasound. Since I am interested in the process of Ultrasonic Waves and how they work, closely attending to my work will not only be easy but also enjoyable. I have specifically been involved in family and friends care where ultrasounds have helped in their treatment prognosis, which has made me more focused on providing accurate results when performing ultrasounds. Diagnostic Ultrasound Sonagrapher`s deal with many Health Care Providers while performing their duties. On a regular basis you may be dealing with nurses, doctors and Radiologists on duty. In the case of an emergency you may be requested in the emergency department that also requires teamwork. I have improved my performance working in a team environment through being active in sports and organizations. At a very early age I became involved in sports and continued to be active after graduating high school through local organizational groups, which has helped me to continually learn the importance of teamwork. Also, through volunteering in various sports as a coach, my leadership skills have been further developed and have had a positive impact on my life. These experiences have all shaped my life in a positive way. I am also confident that I will contribute to the profession of Diagnostic Ultrasound and make a difference in the well being of society. I have taken all of the necessary steps choosing a career, which has made an ideal candidate for the profession. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ During the period from 1700-1800, many changes occurred throughout Europe. These changes included living conditions, working conditions and the food that the Europeans ate. The major changes during this era were a direct result of the Industrial Revolution, which changed the form of labour and its implications for years to come. The labour institutions throughout Europe had negative impacts on early rural European life and the new urban lifestyles of the Industrial Revolution. Rural European lifestyles had a drastic change when the Industrial Revolution began to take its course. Living conditions for rural Europeans were very difficult, especially for young children. Many humans shared their residences with livestock, including cows and sheep (DWP, 101). Furthermore, many large animals added their body warmth to their residence in the winter, but the insects and germs infested the homes and posed serious health risks for humans (DWP, 101). It is very clear that the living conditions for rural Europeans was rough. In contrast, urban European living conditions remained normal during the early phase of the Industrial Revolution, but the main difference was the fact that the citizens were living in the cities rather than on farms. Another major part of European lifestyle was their ability to read. Most rural Europeans in the 17th and 18th centuries were illiterate or barely literate and consequently, they left very little conventional written letters (DWP, 95). Relative to the rural literacy rates, those employed in mills and mines often were illiterate (DWP, 147). Having the ability to be literate was detrimental during these times because the people could not read and write, nor could they understand why the working conditions were unacceptable. Maintaining proper health was crucial in order to survive during the rural European era. Many epidemic diseases struck all areas of Europe during this era, especially the bubonic plague, which had no cure and killed many Europeans during the 14th century (DWP, 101). Disease was very common in early modern Europe, as were famine conditions. When disease coincided with agricultural failure many Europeans would starve themselves in order to pass the disease. This was an unhealthy practice and as a result many rural Europeans died. In comparison, during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, factories were had an atmosphere build up smoke. Girls, who worked in the factories breathed this atmosphere in and as a result many had lung problems (DWP, 170). Furthermore, industrial workers would frequently consume alcohol in excess as an escape from their tedious work lives (DWP, 146). This alcohol problem resulted in many other problems within the family, but more especially, it added to the poor conditions within the industrial factories. Poor working conditions were a serious issue during the rural and urban eras. For most Europeans the type of the work changed from an agrarian style to an industrial style, the conditions itself remained the same. Source one of A statistical view of European Rural Life, portrays a typical plough, which was constructed of wood and was tied to a bull that would pull the plough through the fields (DWP, 104). It is very clear that many of these early modern farmers had little understanding of the basic principles of modern scientific farming. Furthermore, weather factors often effected European farming resulting in diminished agricultural yields (DWP, 100). Insufficient or excessive rain fall, abnormally low temperatures and any other abnormal climatic phenomena, all influenced the harvest for that year (DWP, 100). It was a major struggle for rural Europeans to depend on their harvest for survival. Poor harvest just compounded the many problems that rural Europeans faced. In contrast to the difficult agrarian working conditions, the new industrial age brought harsh factory conditions. On the other hand, industrial labour brought all those employed in the new mills, factories and mines a new style of work that will have an effect on many years to come (DWP, 145). Unfortunately, the working hours remained long and the work years was interrupted by fewer holidays because factory owners could maximize profit by using the plants and machines to their fullest (DWP, 145). Rather than the whole family working on an individual farm in the old agrarian style of work, the family moved out into the factories. Husbands endured heavy and tough labour in the textile mills, the wives remained at home to take care of the house and the children went out to work in mills with the men (DWP, 146). Labour took up so much of the family's time that little remained for other daily activities. It is very clear that the Industrial Revolution brought about many new changes in the way of work. Factories, mills, and mines allowed Europeans to escape from their rural, agrarian lifestyle and move to an urban, industrial lifestyle. Unfortunately, the poor working conditions from the agrarian style of work carried over to the industrial style of work. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ESSAY3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Institutional talk is defined as interactions between participants that are shaped and influenced by their respective institutional roles and identities in society. This type of talk often occurs in classrooms, court trials, and doctor-patient interactions. Moreover, institutional talk consists of many distinct features such as special turn-taking systems, interactional asymmetries, and so on. These distinguishable characteristics were exhibited in CNN's "Larry King Live." In observing Larry King's interview with movie star, Tom Cruise, it was evident that the television show "Larry King Live" follows the guidelines implicit in institutional talk. Just like most forms of institutional talk, CNN's "Larry King Live" places restrictions and consequences on the types of actions that are permissible during its interactions. This is emphasized in Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," in which Heritage maintains that "institutional talk generally involves special punishments on what will be treated as allowable contributions to the business at hand" (Silverman, 1997: 163). In his article, Heritage uses examples from classroom situations whereby students who talk while their teacher is speaking are punished through detention after school. These types of examples however, focus exclusively on explicit consequences for speaking out of order. This is not the case for Larry King's talk show, in which talking out of place leads to more implicit consequences rather than explicit ones. Using Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise as an example, it is evident that Cruise's freedom of speech is restricted not only by the questions that are posed to him, but by the image that he is presenting to the audience. Regardless of the nature of King's questions, Cruise must conduct himself in a manner that is both professional and personal. He must be able to discuss his family situation somewhat objectively, while projecting a warm and compassionate image to the public. His frequent pauses within sentences demonstrates his desire to shape what he wants to say in a very particular way. This is observed in turn #6, in which numerous pauses occur while Cruise attempts to talk about his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. Since this is a very publicized topic, Tom Cruise carefully takes his time so that he does not say the wrong things. Hence, it is obvious that Tom Cruise is constrained to speaking in a certain manner because he has an image and a reputation to maintain. If he does speak out of place, this might ruin his public image and thus, he will face consequences like less movie deals and money. Likewise, Larry King must also face special consequences for speaking out of context. Firstly, Larry King must make sure that the questions he puts forth are of relevance. This is seen in turn #3, in which Larry King brings up important topics about Tom Cruise, such as his new movie and his recent divorce. So this means that King must regulate his questions to those that are applicable, newsworthy, and appealing to the public audience. If he does not, King will face consequences such as decline in ratings, less money, and negative criticism. Moreover, CNN executives also in a sense control King's contributions to the interview. Obviously, Larry King is not allowed to use profanity during his interview. Doing so would anger his bosses in CNN, which could result in his job termination. Therefore, it is evident that both Larry King and Tom Cruise must restrict their speech in a particular manner or else they too must face special consequences. In addition, like most institutional interactions, CNN's "Larry King Live" adheres to a pre-allocated system of turn-taking. In speech exchange systems such as debates, court trials, religious ceremonies, and press conferences, the turn-taking organization is pre-allocated or partially pre-allocated. In Duranti's article "Conversational Exchanges," Duranti defines pre-allocation as a "system of turn-taking in which the order of speakers and the length of each party's contribution is decided in advance" (Duranti, 1997: 248). This type of turn-taking system is evident in Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise. Although Larry King does not explicitly control how long Tom Cruise speaks, King knows that his show is limited to only one hour's worth of television airtime. Thus, Larry King must decide in advance which questions to ask and which ones to leave out. In addition, King must also make sure that he is able to ask all of the questions within the fixed TV time slot. One such example is in turn #3, where King tells Cruise that first he will talk about his divorce with Nicole Kidman, and then he will subsequently discuss Cruise's new movie, "Vanilla Sky." The host, Larry King, clearly shows that he has decided in advance which question he will ask first and which he will ask next. Moreover, because King knows that he is constrained to a fixed amount of airtime, he will limit his comments to one-liners in order to give his guest, Tom Cruise, more room to speak. Turns #7, #9, #13, #17, #25, #27, and #39, are all examples of King giving one-liners in order to allow Tom Cruise to continue on talking so that they can finish within the given TV time slot. In addition, as the host, King will also eventually interrupt his guests when it is time for commercial breaks or when time has run out. Hence, this shows that there is a predetermined amount of time that the participants are allowed to speak, which results in constraints to their opportunities to talk. This is stressed in Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," where Heritage declares that pre-allocation "can be very important in studying institutional interaction because they have the potential to alter the parties' chances for action" (Silverman, 1997: 164). Furthermore, the order of speakers generally starts with Larry King asking a question, which is then followed by an answer from Tom Cruise. This pattern, where King asks the questions while Cruise answers them, continues throughout the rest of the interview. In turn #5, Larry King starts first by asking Cruise how he deals with his private life constantly being put forth in the public eye. This is then followed by turn #6, in which Cruise replies with his comments. In a sense, this means that the order of speakership is fixed in advance. As the host, King will always be the one to initiate the conversation and the one to ask the questions. In contrast, Tom Cruise, as the guest, will always follow King's lead and he will be the one answering the questions. Hence, it is clear that Larry King's talk show follows a pre-allocated system of turn-taking that is commonly present in institutional talk. Furthermore, with respect to institutional talk, "Larry King Live" involves two or more people engaging in discourse for the purpose of achieving an objective that is linked to their institutional status. This is emphasized in Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," in which Heritage states that "institutional interaction normally involves the participants in specific goal orientations which are tied to their institution relevant identities" (Silverman, 1997: 163). In Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise, Larry King has the role of the host and interviewer while Tom Cruise has the role of the guest and interviewee. The goal of the interview is determined, largely, by Larry King's role as a news talk show host. As the host, Larry King's goal is to increase the ratings of his talk show. To do so, Larry King must bring in interesting guests, such as Tom Cruise. Furthermore, King must put forth questions that are of interest to the public audience. Larry King must also try to elicit newsworthy responses from his guests in order to keep his overhearing audience fascinated. This can be seen in turn #12 and turn #13. In turn #12, Tom Cruise mentions a movie that he produced with Paula Wagner, called "The Others." This is then followed by King's comments in turn #13, where he mentions that the movie Cruise had produced also starred his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. Obviously, Larry King is bringing up Kidman's name in order to bring up the topic of Cruise's much-publicized divorce. Since the story of Tom Cruise's recent divorce with Nicole Kidman, and his subsequent, alleged, involvement with his latest co-star, Penelope Cruz, is on the receiving end of much media attention, King is trying to get Tom Cruise to discuss it with him. The public demand for information is enormous, and Larry King's responsibility is to satiate that desire so that his rating may increase. On the other hand, Tom Cruise also has specific goals tied to his institutional role. Firstly, with his new movie, "Vanilla Sky," set to be released in the coming weeks, Cruise will want to converse about his new film in order to advertise it to the watching public. In turn #12 and turn #20, Cruise purposely mentions his upcoming movie so that the public is aware of its existence. Secondly, as a media figure, a national interview basically means publicity for Tom Cruise. Cruise may want to give himself a good public image especially with all the talk surrounding his divorce and his involvement with his co-star from "Vanilla Sky." Tom Cruise may want to give his side of the story and doing this interview will allow him to do that. In turn #36, Cruise talks about how difficult the divorce has been for him but that regardless, he will always love his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. Hence, both Cruise and Larry King have specific goals that are related to their institutional identities. While King is determined to extract the facts surrounding Cruise's break-up, Cruise is concerned about the attendance for his upcoming film. Although each party brings their own agenda into the discussion, a common ground must be present in order for the interaction to be mutually beneficial to both parties. Tom Cruise is a powerful media figure, and a one-on-one interview on King's show can only boost ratings. Similarly, Cruise's willingness to speak about a very personal and trying period of his life offers him the opportunity to introduce Vanilla Sky to a large audience. Therefore, CNN's "Larry King Live" consists of participants that have exclusive goals that are interconnected with their specific institutional roles. Likewise, in regards to institutional interaction, "Larry King Live" is also talk that is context shaped. In Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," Heritage articulates that "institutional interaction is associated with inferential frameworks and procedures that are particular to specific institutional contexts" (Silverman, 1997: 164). In Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise, Larry King stays in context by talking about Tom Cruise and not himself. As the host, Larry King must remain on topic and focus the conversation on Cruise, allowing the actor to tell his story. King may supply words or briefly reiterate what Cruise is trying to say, such as in turn #9, in order to keep the flow of the interview moving smoothly. However, Larry King never attempts to focus the conversation on himself. Similarly, Tom Cruise also stays in context by realizing that he is the focus of the interview. Tom Cruise then uses this opportunity to promote his upcoming film, "Vanilla Sky," and to talk about other personal matters. In turn #24 and turn #26, Cruise goes on about how he is dealing with his problems, while King allows him to speak his mind without any major interruptions. This agreement enables both participants to converse smoothly and successfully. Therefore, it is clear that both participants converse in specific contexts related to their institutional statuses. Moreover, the talk show "Larry King Live" exhibits asymmetrical interactions that are common to other forms of institutional talk. During Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise, this interactional imbalance is clearly portrayed when King is the one controlling the direction of talk. As the host, Larry King asks all the questions while Tom Cruise, the guest, attempts to answers them all. Furthermore, King also initiates which topics are to be discussed during their interview. This can be seen in the transcript during turn #3 and turn #5. In turn #3, King introduces which issues he will discuss by telling Cruise that they will first start out by talking about Cruise's divorce with Kidman, followed by Cruise's new movie, "Vanilla Sky." Moreover, turn #5 as well as turns #19, #23, #31, and #35, are all examples of Larry King asking questions, which reiterates the fact that as the host, King is the one asking all of the questions. In addition, the subject of interactional asymmetry is further examined by Sue Fisher's article and John Heritage's article. In Heritage's article called "Conversational Analysis and Institutional Talk," Heritage states that "asymmetries of participation in institutional interactions is due to one party taking and retaining the initiative in these interactions" (Silverman, 1997: 175). From Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise, Larry King is obviously the one taking the initiative in their interaction. Similarly, in Fisher's article "Institutional Authority and the Structure of Discourse," Fisher asserts that "in institutional contexts, control resides with the institutional authority" (Fisher, 1984: 202). As stated before, King is the one establishing the topics to be explored and as well as the one putting forth all the questions asked. Hence, this shows that Larry King has more authority over his interviewees, such as Tom Cruise. After all, it is Larry King's show so it is only fitting that he has the authority over his guests. As the guest, Tom Cruise realizes that his role is to answer King's questions, and thus, he does not attempt to challenge King's authority as the host. This is apparent in turn #6 of the transcript. In turn #5, King brings up the subject of Cruise's divorce with Kidman and how it is being publicized in the media. This is followed by turn #6, where Cruise is clearly uncomfortable with talking about his divorce with Nicole Kidman. This is obvious when Cruise takes a deep breath while Larry King puts forth the question, which is then followed by multiple pauses during Cruise's reply. Nevertheless, Tom Cruise still attempts to answer the question despite being uneasy about the subject. This is a sign of Tom Cruise not challenging King's power, which results in an asymmetrical relationship. Therefore, it is apparent that CNN's "Larry King Live" possesses the interactional asymmetry found in institutional talk. Hence, this proves that Larry King's talk show is a form of institutional talk. The show clearly contains the characteristics that are found in institutional interactions. Other arguments: --> Simultaneous speech .. interruptions are a sign of asymmetrical interaction --> Turn design ... --> Sequence organization ..."is very institutional in the sense of being task-focused" (Silverman, 1997: 166). ........by Heritage ==> features of institutional interaction ... - "the topics, contributions, and order of speakership is organized from the outset in an explicit and predictable way" (Silverman, 1997: 165) In Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," - "many of these turn-taking organization work by specifically restricting one party to asking questions and another to answering them." (p.60) In Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," ... " the imbalance between the two parties is normally a product of the task the parties are engaged in " (p.60) - overhearing audience King is the authority - he is well acquainted with the business he is in ... although he might not know personal, he knows the particulars Eg. in transcript Institutional talk defines interactions between participants that are shaped and influenced by their respective institutional roles and identities in society. This type of talk often occurs in classrooms, court trials, and doctor-patient interactions. Moreover, institutional talk consists of many distinct features such as special turn-taking systems, objectives that are linked to an individual's institutional role, and interactional asymmetries. In observing Larry King's interview with movie star, Tom Cruise, it is evident that the television talk show "Larry King Live" follows the guidelines implicit in institutional talk. Similar to most forms of institutional talk, CNN's "Larry King Live" places restrictions and consequences on the types of actions that are permissible during its interactions. This is emphasized in Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," in which Heritage maintains that "institutional talk generally involves special punishments on what will be treated as allowable contributions to the business at hand" (Silverman, 1997: 163). In his article, Heritage uses the example of a classroom situation, in which students who speak during the teacher's lesson are punished with a bout of detention after school. The previous example focuses exclusively on explicit consequences for speaking out of order. This is not the case for Larry King's talk show, in which talking out of place leads to more implicit consequences rather than explicit ones. Using Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise, it is evident that Cruise's freedom of speech is restricted not only by the questions that are posed to him, but by the image that he is presenting to the audience. Regardless of the nature of King's questions, Cruise must conduct himself in a manner that is both professional and personal. He must be able to discuss his family situation somewhat objectively, while projecting a warm and compassionate image to the public. His frequent pauses, within sentences, demonstrate his desire to shape what he wants to say in a very particular way. This is observed in turn #6, in which numerous pauses appear while Cruise attempts to talk about his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. The former couple's divorce has been publicized extensively, and Tom Cruise takes his time in order to provide the best explanation for what happened. It is apparent that Tom Cruise is obligated to speak in a certain manner because he has an image and a reputation to uphold. If he does speak out of place, his public image will be adversely affected, and he may incur further consequences, such as receiving fewer movie deals and less money. Likewise, Larry King is also subject to special consequences for speaking out of context. As the host, he must ensure that the questions he puts forth are of some relevance to the topic at hand. This is seen in turn #3, in which Larry King introduces the subjects of Tom Cruise's new movie and his recent divorce. Following this opening are a series of questions, from King, that explore, in some detail, both topics. The freedom of inquiry is restricted, somewhat, to only those questions that are relevant, newsworthy, and appealing to the viewing audience. However, if King chooses to deviate from the appropriate line of questioning, he will face very real consequences, such as a decline in ratings, less money, and negative criticism. Therefore, it is evident that Larry King and Tom Cruise must shape their respective discourses in a manner that is appropriate to the talk show context, in order to avoid potential consequences. Another defining feature of institutional talk is a pre-allocated system of turn-taking. In speech exchange systems such as debates, court trials, religious ceremonies, and press conferences, the turn-taking organization is pre-allocated or partially pre-allocated. In Duranti's article "Conversational Exchanges," Duranti defines pre-allocation as a "system of turn-taking in which the order of speakers and the length of each party's contribution is decided in advance" (Duranti, 1997: 248). This pattern of turn-taking is present in Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise. While Larry King does not explicitly control how long Tom Cruise speaks, the show is limited to one hour of television air-time, and the length of Cruise's contribution is, partly, determined by the question that is presented to him. King has to decide, beforehand, which questions to ask and which ones to leave out. It is also his responsibility to make sure that he can finish his interview during the allotted time slot. One such example is in turn #3, in which King tells Cruise that they will first discuss his divorce with Kidman, and then subsequently, Cruise's latest film, "Vanilla Sky." The host, Larry King, clearly demonstrates that he has decided, in advance, the order that the interview will take. Due to the time constraint that is imposed on a television interview, King chooses to limit his contributions, beyond the actual questions, solely to very brief comments. He does this to allow Tom Cruise to finish his story during the given time slot. Turns #7, #9, #13, #17, #25, #27, and #39, are all examples of King's brevity. In addition, King will also eventually interrupt his guests for commercial breaks or when time has run out. Hence, this shows that there is a predetermined amount of time that the participants are allowed to speak, which results in constraints on their opportunities to talk. This concept is stressed in Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," where Heritage declares that pre-allocation "can be very important in studying institutional interaction because they have the potential to alter the parties' chances for action" (Silverman, 1997: 164). Furthermore, the order of speakers generally starts with Larry King asking a question, which is then followed by an answer from Tom Cruise. This pattern continues throughout the rest of the interview. In turn #5, Larry King begins by asking Cruise how he handles the fact that his private life is constantly being put forth in the public's eye. This is then followed by turn #6, in which Cruise replies with his comments. This pattern suggests that the order of speakership is fixed in advance. As the host, King will always be the one to initiate the conversation and the one to ask the questions. In contrast, Tom Cruise, as the guest, will always follow King's lead and be the one to answer the questions. Thus, it is clear that Larry King's talk show follows the pre-allocated system of turn-taking that is commonly found in institutional talk. Furthermore, with respect to institutional talk, "Larry King Live" involves two or more persons engaging in discourse for the purpose of achieving an objective that is linked to their institutional status. This is emphasized in Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," in which Heritage states that "institutional interaction normally involves the participants in specific goal orientations which are tied to their institution relevant identities" (Silverman, 1997: 163). In Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise, Larry King has the role of the host and interviewer while Tom Cruise has the role of the guest and interviewee. The goal of the interview is determined, largely, by Larry King's role as a news talk show host. As the host, Larry King's goal is to increase the ratings of his talk show. To do so, Larry King must bring in interesting guests, such as Tom Cruise, and elicit newsworthy responses from his guests in order to keep his audience intrigued. This can be seen in turn #12 and turn #13. In turn #12, Tom Cruise mentions a movie that he produced with Paula Wagner, called "The Others." This is then followed by King's comments in turn #13, in which he mentions that the movie Cruise had produced also starred his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. Larry King uses this fact to raise the topic of Cruise's much-publicized divorce. The story of Tom Cruise's recent divorce with Nicole Kidman, and his subsequent, alleged, involvement with his latest co-star, Penelope Cruz, is on the receiving end of much media attention, and King attempts to persuade Tom Cruise to discuss this incident with him. The public demand for information is enormous, and Larry King's responsibility is to satiate that desire so that his rating may increase. On the other hand, Tom Cruise also has specific goals tied to his institutional role. With a new movie, "Vanilla Sky," set to be released in the coming weeks, Cruise wants to discuss his new film, in order to advertise it to the watching public. In turn #12 and turn #20, Cruise purposely mentions his upcoming movie so that the public is aware of its existence. As well, a national interview offers Tom Cruise the opportunity to garner some positive publicity. Cruise may want to give himself a good public image, especially with all the talk surrounding his divorce and his involvement with his co-star from "Vanilla Sky." Tom Cruise may want to tell his side of the story and this interview will allow him to do so. In turn #36, Cruise talks about how difficult the divorce has been for him but that regardless, he will always love his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. Therefore, both Cruise and Larry King have specific goals that are related to their institutional identities. While King is determined to extract the facts surrounding Cruise's break-up, Cruise is concerned about the attendance for his upcoming film. Tom Cruise is a powerful media figure, and a one-on-one interview on King's show can only boost ratings. Similarly, Cruise's willingness to speak about a very personal and trying period of his life offers him an occasion to introduce Vanilla Sky to a large audience. Therefore, CNN's "Larry King Live" consists of participants that have exclusive goals that are interconnected with their specific institutional roles. Another facet of institutional talk concerns the use of subject matter that is shaped by the context of the situation. In Heritage's article "Conversation Analysis and Institutional Talk," Heritage articulates that "institutional interaction is associated with inferential frameworks and procedures that are particular to specific institutional contexts" (Silverman, 1997: 164). In Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise, King must remain on topic and focus the conversation on Cruise, allowing the actor to tell his story. King may supply words or briefly reiterate what Cruise is trying to say, such as in turn #9, in order to keep the flow of the interview moving smoothly. However, Larry King never attempts to focus the conversation on himself. Similarly, Tom Cruise also stays in context by restricting his speech to his recent divorce, and his upcoming film, "Vanilla Sky." At no point, does Cruise choose to talk about his golf game. In turn #24 and turn #26, Cruise discusses how he is working through his problems, and King allows him to speak freely on this matter without any major interruptions. The agreement to stay in context enables both participants to converse smoothly and successfully. It is clear that both participants converse in specific contexts related to their institutional statuses. Moreover, the talk show "Larry King Live" exhibits asymmetrical interactions that are common to other forms of institutional talk. During Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise, this interactional imbalance is clearly portrayed because King is the one controlling the direction of talk. As the host, Larry King asks all the questions while Tom Cruise, the guest, attempts to answers them all. Furthermore, King also initiates which topics are to be discussed during their interview. This can be seen in the transcript during turn #3 and turn #5. In turn #3, King introduces which issues they will be discussing by telling Cruise that they will begin with Cruise's divorce with Kidman, and then move into Cruise's new movie, "Vanilla Sky." Turn #5 as well as turns #19, #23, #31, and #35 exemplify the role of the host as the person who is asking all of the questions. The concept of interactional asymmetry is further examined by Sue Fisher's article and John Heritage's article. In Heritage's article called "Conversational Analysis and Institutional Talk," Heritage states that "asymmetries of participation in institutional interactions is due to one party taking and retaining the initiative in these interactions" (Silverman, 1997: 175). From Larry King's interview with Tom Cruise, Larry King is obviously the one taking the initiative in their interaction. Similarly, in Fisher's article "Institutional Authority and the Structure of Discourse," Fisher asserts that "in institutional contexts, control resides with the institutional authority" (Fisher, 1984: 202). As stated before, King is the one establishing the topics to be explored and as well as the one putting forth all the questions asked. Hence, this shows that Larry King has more authority over his interviewee. As it is Larry King's show, it is only fitting that he should have the authority over his guests. As the guest, Tom Cruise realizes that his role is to answer King's questions, and thus, he does not attempt to challenge King's authority as the host. This is apparent in turn #6 of the transcript. In turn #5, King brings up the subject of Cruise's divorce with Kidman and how it is being publicized in the media. This is followed by turn #6, where Cruise is clearly uncomfortable with talking about his divorce with Nicole Kidman. This is obvious when Cruise takes a deep breath while Larry King puts forth the question, which is then followed by multiple pauses during Cruise's reply. Nevertheless, Tom Cruise still attempts to answer the question despite being uneasy about the subject. Tom Cruise's decision not to challenge King's power results in an asymmetrical relationship. Therefore, it is apparent that CNN's "Larry King Live" possesses the interactional asymmetry found in institutional talk. "Larry King Live" exemplifies several aspects of institutional talk that are essential to this speech form. The restrictions that are imposed on allowable contributions, and the potential consequences for disobeying these rules confines the speakers to the matter at hand. The objectives that each person has for the interview can only be realized if he chooses to remain in context. Many talk shows utilize a pre-allocated system of turn-taking in order to focus the guest throughout the course of the interview, and Larry King's questions guide Tom Cruise in the direction that their interaction should take. Thus, "Larry King Live" is structured in a manner that is truly definitive of institutional talk. Bibliography Duranti, Alessandro. Linguistic Anthropology. Cambridge University Press, 1997: 245-279. Fisher, Sue. Discourse Processes, Vol. 7. 1984: 201-224. Hutchby, Ian. Discourse and Society, Vol. 7, No.4. 1996: 481-497. Hutchby, Ian & Wooffitt, Robin. Conversation Analysis: Principles, Practices, and Applications. Polity Press, 1998. Silverman, David. Qualitative Research: Theory, Method, and Practice. Sage, 1997: 161-182. LING 2430 MAJOR ASSIGNMENT Name: John Lim Student #: 204102067 Prof. Susan Ehrlich TA: Sue Levesque Tutorial Grp 8 Date: Dec.12/01 LING 2430.03 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essay5.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chyshena Coleman November 20, 2002 English 101 Essay 5 In the short article " It's 4:00 P.M. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?" by Jonathan Alter. Alter states that children who are unsupervised are the ones who are getting into the most trouble. Alter states this because parents are not taking the time to find babysitters or some type of after school activity to place their children in, until they are off from work. Parent whom work long hours should place there children in some type of supervise activity to keep close watch on their children. Parent who let there children roam the street for hours tend to not know where their at or what they are doing. Children in this case tend to have more freedom to steal, do drug, or have sex. Parents need to face the fact that children, who are under 18, should have something to take their attention off of street life. Because children tend to deal with more peer pressure than most children with something worthwhile doing. According to Alter, "children commit more crime between the hours of 2 and 8p.m." This is because parents are more focus on being at work and less likely to believe there child would do something out of hand. Parents sometimes feel that there child is responsible and can stay inside or by a friend house and watch TV. Until they come home. And in most case children under 18, take advantage of the situation. By braking rules, doing things they would every do while their parent is home. Parents jobs are important today but a child's well being is more important. Parents need to focus on their children more than there jobs because jobs come and go. And if anything was to happen to that child that child could never be replaced. Many students fail to realize that they have done something way out of hand until they are in trouble or if someone is hurt. Most children plan to have fun until that fun turns into a tragedy. Parents who work ought to sit down with there children and find out what is best for them doing there after school hours. Whether they want a baby-sitter or are in some type of after school activity. They also should lay down rules and the number one rule should be " not hang in the street with friends" until they are home to supervise them. Parents should also let their children know there are some crazy people in today's world and sometimes yours friend are not truly your friend and would try to hurt them in some way. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essay71.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Philosophy 020E 2003-2004 Seventh Essay Assignment Choose ONE of the following three news articles. Briefly summarize the current event chosen, then use one or more of the philosophers from this unit to evaluate the question of whether justice was served in the event in question. Your answer should focus less on the particular details of the case you're evaluating than upon the features of the philosophy of justice you think relevant to the case. Papers are due in class on Wednesday March 24th. 1% late penalty/day, please drop off late papers in the Philosophy Department Drop Off Box on the wall opposite TC317. Papers should be 3-4 pages, double-spaced. Remember also to submit papers to Turnitin.com. E-mail questions or concerns to me at aporter5@uwo.ca ARTICLE 1 France's Chirac seeks law banning head scarves CTV.ca News Staff Islamic head scarves and other religious insignia, such as Jewish skullcaps and large crucifixes, will be banned from public schools as early as this autumn if French President Jacques Chirac gets his way. Chirac said he will ask parliament to pass the law banning head scarves and other religious insignia. Some smaller medallions and pendants would be allowed. "Secularism is one of the great successes of the Republic," Chirac said in a televised address to the nation Wednesday. "It is a crucial element of social peace and national cohesion. We cannot let it weaken." The French president made his comments in reaction to a report last week from a French panel that agreed France should impose a law banning "obvious" religious and political symbols from public schools. The legislation is likely to pass since most lawmakers have voiced their support of the ban in the past. As well, opinion polls show the ban is supported by a large majority of French citizens -- although Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders have opposed it. France's perception of religious expression is fundamentally different from virtually any other Western nation. Public displays of religion are not seen as welcome diversity. The country strictly separates church and state, and secularism is even written into the constitution. Proponents of the law saying wearing head scarves to school threaten France's secular foundation. But religious leaders say the Muslims -- who make up about eight per cent of France's population -- should be better integrated. "A law on religious symbols in the school environment could stigmatize a whole community," said Dalil Boubakeur, president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith. Also Wednesday, Chirac rejected a commission recommendation to establish the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and the Muslim Eid el-Kabir feast as school holidays. He said French schools already had many official days off. Raheel Raza Canadian Council for Muslim Women says she's been watching developments in France and is deeply disappointed. "I saw it coming but it's absolutely bizarre, because the so-called immigrants that he's talking about are largely Algerian Muslims who were colonized by the French. And now today, he wants to colonize them again while they're living in France. These are French citizens. And I look upon this as a blatant human rights violation," she says. France has grappled with the hijab issue for nearly 15 years. It began in 1989 when two 14-year-old school girls refused to remove their head coverings. Over the years, scores of Muslim girls have been expelled for keeping their scarves. The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights says a law that would ban religious symbols violates France's international commitments to protect freedom of religion. The group added that a hijab ban would result in increased alienation and marginalization of Muslims in France. France has the largest population of Muslims in Western Europe -- an estimated five million. ARTICLE 2 Ottawa to recognize same-sex marriages Last Updated Wed, 18 Jun 2003 9:23:01 OTTAWA - Ottawa will introduce legislation to make same-sex marriages legal, while at the same time permitting churches and other religious groups to "sanctify marriage as they see it," the prime minister said Tuesday. Jean Chrétien made the announcement after a day-long cabinet retreat. It means Ottawa will not appeal two provincial court rulings allowing same-sex unions. "There is an evolution in society," Chrétien said, "but what is important to me is the freedom of the churches." To pre-empt legal challenges by the provinces, Chrétien says the legislation will be first checked out by the Supreme Court of Canada. The prime minister says the legislation will be drafted within weeks, and MPs will be free to vote their conscience when the bill is introduced. Courts in British Columbia and Quebec have made rulings in favour of same-sex marriages, but gave Ottawa time to change the law. Ontario's court ordered the definition of marriage to be changed to include gay couples. Justice Minister Martin Cauchon says the provincial rulings highlighted conflicts between two fundamental freedoms: the right of association and religious rights. Cauchon says the new legislation will allow the two rights to "cohabitate." Written by CBC News Online staff ARTICLE 3 Laws needed to ban racial profiling 'For persons profiled, the indignity is real' SUJIT CHOUDHRY SPECIAL TO THE STAR Two recent events have placed racial and ethnic profiling on the national agenda. The first is the Toronto Star's recent study of race, policing and crime. One of the Star's most provocative findings was that African Canadians were much more likely to be charged with traffic-related offences that are not apparent from external observation, such as driving with an expired licence. This evidence suggests that African Canadian drivers are being stopped at much higher rates than other drivers, which is consistent with racial profiling. The second is the decision of author Rohinton Mistry to discontinue his U.S. book tour. Mistry has accused U.S. airport security officials of routinely singling out him and his wife for additional screening, on the basis of their physical appearance. Indeed, in the aftermath of Sept. 11, some commentators proposed the routine use of ethnic and racial profiling at the border and airports. Racial and ethnic profiling is the use of race or ethnicity either as the sole factor, or as one factor among many, in a decision to detain or arrest an individual, or to subject an individual to heightened scrutiny.Profiling employs race and ethnicity as a proxy for the risk of committing criminal acts. But to profile in this way raises the serious danger of tarring an entire group with the crimes of the few, by giving rise to the myth that being a member of a certain ethnic group reflects a propensity to engage in criminal activity. For the persons who are profiled, the indignity is real. In essence, profiling requires them to establish their legitimacy to the satisfaction of state officials. The cumulative effect on individuals of bearing this burden, simply because of their looks, would be enormously damaging on their self-respect. It would also undermine fundamental principles of equal dignity and worth and respect for the presumption of innocence. Thus far, the debate over racial profiling has focused on changing law enforcement practices. However, there is a legislative option as well. In the debate surrounding the enactment of Bill C-36, the Anti-Terrorism Act, my colleague Kent Roach and I proposed that the Criminal Code be amended to include a ban on racial and ethnic profiling in both terrorism and non-terrorism related contexts. This amendment was not accepted. Given the events of the past month, it is time to reconsider this proposal, to ensure that law enforcement comports with Canada's constitutional commitments. This amendment would prohibit the use of racial and ethnic profiling by any law enforcement agent or agency. But an exception would be allowed to permit the use of race or ethnicity - in combination with other identifying factors - when the law enforcement agent is seeking to apprehend a specific suspect whose race, ethnicity, or national origin is part of the description of the suspect. Although this exception could be abused, such a use of race and ethnicity does not, in my view, amount to profiling. If racial and ethnic profiling has occurred, this amendment would allow a court to award any remedy that is appropriate and just in the circumstances, including damages, injunctions, declarations and costs. The court may also refer the matter to a human rights commission that has jurisdiction with respect to the particular law enforcement agent or agency. The involvement of human rights commissions may be critical in producing systemic reform. An example of how this may occur is the settlement of the Selwyn Peters' complaint against Canada Customs, which provides for mandatory anti-racism and cultural-diversity training for all customs officers. Finally, to strengthen compliance with the ban on profiling, this amendment would require the attorney-general of Canada and every province to publish an annual report on racial profiling. The report shall include steps taken to ensure that law enforcement officers and agencies not engage in profiling, and data that is sufficiently detailed to determine whether law enforcement agencies are engaged in racial and ethnic profiling. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\EssayFINAL.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Essay(100 Points) Write a grammatically correct essay of a minimum of five paragraphs on one of the topics we've discussed this year. 1. Is technology beneficial or hazardous to mankind? What is the perspective of three authors we've read this year? 2. Is love a constructive or destructive force? Compare and contrast the opinions of at least three authors we've read this year. 3. There are three main conflicts in Medea: a. Between husband wife. b. Between man and wife. c. Between alien and native-born citizen. Give examples of each referring to the text. 4. Write a persuasive essay on a controversial issue. Funghiface 1. conflict over slavery and slave rights leading up to the civil war. new England and north carolina 2. movement to making America more democratic 3. policies toward the native Americans 4. changes that took place in farming between 1830-1900 5. government policies for business 6. 5 things that people did to immigrants (genocide, etc) 7. results of civil war. 8. what were adv/dis of new technology (also 2nd question) 9. ad/dis of union and confederacy and strategies they used 10. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essayterminology03grayson.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Multiparagraph Essay Terminology 1. essay- a piece of writing hat gives your thoughts (commentary) about a subject. At least 4 paragraphs: introduction, 2 body paragraphs, and conclusion 2. introduction- the first paragraph in an essay. It includes the thesis, most often at the end 3. body paragraph- a middle paragraph in an essay. It develops a point you want to make that supports your thesis 4. concluding paragraph- the last paragraph in your essay. It may sum up your ideas. Your conclusion is all commentary and does not include concrete detail. It does not repeat key words 5. thesis- a sentence with a subject and opinion (also called commentary). In the intro, most often at the end. 6. pre-writing- the process of getting your concrete details down on paper before you organize your essay into paragraphs 7. concrete details(CD)- specific details that form the backbone or core of your body paragraphs. Synonyms include: facts, examples, and quotations. Include page numbers. 8. commentary(CM)- your opinion or comment about something. Synonyms include: opinion, interpretation, and reflection 9. topic sentence- the first sentence in a body paragraph. This must have a subject and opinion (CM) for the paragraph. It does the same thing for a body paragraph that the thesis does for the whole essay 10. concluding sentence- last sentence in a body paragraph it is all commentary, doesn't repeat key words 11. shaping the essay- the step that is done after pre-writing and before the first draft 12. first draft- first version of your essay, after pre- writing ( also called the rough draft) 13. final draft- the final version of your essay - it must be in ink or points will be subtracted 14. peer response- written responses and reactions to a partners paper that they might have overlooked 15. chunk- one sentence of concrete detail and two sentences of commentary 16. weaving- blending concrete details and commentary in a body paragraph 17. ratio- two parts commentary for every concrete detail 18. word counts- the minimum length per paragraph to warn a 'C' f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\essayworkcited.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thomas Peay Works Cited Asp, Carolyn. "Macbeth: ''Be Bloody, Bold, and Resolute': Tragic Action and Sexual Stereotyping in Macbeth.'" Studies in Philology 78.2 (Spring 1981): 153-169. Excerpted in Exploring Shakespeare. CD-ROM. Gale Research, 1997. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy Of Hamlet. Ed. Burton Raffel. USA: Yale University Press, Copyright 2003 By Burton Raffel. ---. "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Elements of Literature. Ed. Megan Treux et al. eds. Atlanta: Holt, 1997. 301-382. Showalter, Elaine. "Hamlet: 'Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism.'" Shakespeare and the Question of Theory. Ed. Patricia Parker and Geoffrey Hartman. Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1983. 77-94. Excerpted in Exploring Shakespeare. CD- ROM. Gale Research, 1997. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Essaywriting process.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ESSAY-WRITING PROCESS The key to a good essay is CLARITY and FOCUS. To achieve this, you need to: Say What You Are Going to Say (Thesis); Say It (Body, with Topic Sentences and supporting information); Then Say It Again (Conclusion). 1) ANALYZE THE QUESTION a) Read the question and break down its parts - what is it asking of you? (Is it asking HOW? WHY? WHAT? to DESCRIBE? to EXPLAIN? to COMPARE? Etc.) b) What are the Key / Important words? (Is it asking you to compare and contrast two things? What are these two things? What are their similarities (to compare them) and differences (to contrast them)?) c) What do you need or want to prove? For example - "To what extent are dogs better pets than cats?" can be approached by arguing for dogs as better pets (OR) cats as better pets. If you choose dogs as better pets, you should provide examples / evidence of why you hold this opinion (i.e. they are more friendly, they are more loyal, etc.) and how your evidence relates back to your thesis. However, in a "to what extent" question, there should also be some mention of reasons why people might choose the opposite opinion. 2) BRAINSTORM a) Once you have determined what the question is asking - BRAINSTORM EXAMPLES/IDEAS from the text (story). b) Brainstorm examples for both sides of question (i.e. positives and negatives, all of the possible angles to the question) ? evidence: events; what characters said, did, did not do, observations of the narrator 3) EVIDENCE a) Once you have your brainstormed list, make sure you have specific examples from the story to back up your ideas ? go through book, find quotes, page numbers for specific examples of scenes 4) THESIS - CENTRAL, CONTROLLING IDEA a) What do you want to argue as the main point/ idea of your essay? ? i.e. - do you want to argue that there are more negatives than positives, or that there are an equal amount of both, etc. 5) OUTLINE a) INTRODUCTION - Includes Thesis, opening remarks. b) BODY - 3-4 paragraphs ? Choose 3-4 examples from the novel to back up your thesis - 1 paragraph each. ? Explain WHY/HOW these scenes /quotes from the book relate to your argument / prove your case (point). ? Write TOPIC SENTENCES for each paragraph - main point of the paragraph. ? Don't forget to devote a paragraph to the other side of the argument/issue if it is called for in the question (To what extent). c) CONCLUSION ? Summarize the main points from the body of the essay and how they support your thesis. 6) ROUGH DRAFT a) Write your rough draft based on your outline. 7) EDIT Questions to keep in mind while editing: a) Correct spelling and grammar? (i.e. Verb Tense agreement? Active Voice?) b) Did I answer all elements of the question? (Key words, showed both sides of issue/opinion?) c) Do I have a clear thesis? d) Do I have clear topic sentences? e) Do I have good examples to back up my argument? f) Have I explained my points/ argued my point of view effectively and clearly? g) Have I gone off topic (digressed)? h) Are my quotes directly relevant to my points? Have I included page numbers after quotes? i) Do I have any short sentences that have ideas that go with another sentence? (Then combine them!) j) Have I used several words to describe something when one or two words will do? (Then try to use more precise / concise words). k) Does my essay follow some sort of logical order? Do I jump back and forth between ideas? 8) GOOD DRAFT - FINAL COPY a) Write your good copy with revisions!! ESSAY-WRITING PROCESS Page 2 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ethan Frome 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I believe Ethan Frome lost control of his life when his mother died. After his mother's funeral, Ethan did not want to be left alone on the farm, so he asked Zeena to stay with him. At first, Ethan enjoys her company. However, Zeena soon becomes a nuisance to Ethan, and prevents him from becoming an engineer in a large city. After being married a year, Zeena becomes sick herself, and the only time she talks to Ethan is to complain or show her discontent. After Mattie comes to the farm, Ethan does not love Zeena at all. He thinks the only pleasure she has left is to inflict pain on him. Since Zeena is a burden on Ethan, he naturally wants to improve his life. The reason he does not have control of his life is because he is married to Zeena, and he is not brave enough to go away with Mattie. The reason he is married to Zeena is because his mother died. Since Zeena is why Ethan does not have control of his life, and Ethan married her because his mother died, the point in time when Ethan lost control of his life is when his mother died. I believe Ethan could have changed the direction of his life if he had gone away from the farm to marry Mattie. The reason he did not have control of his life was because he was married to Zeena. If he would have married Mattie and left Zeena, he would not have been in the sled accident, and consequently, he would have lived a much happier life with Mattie. The second way Ethan could have changed the direction of his life is if he would have sold the farm and never have married Zeena. This would have saved him many years of problems and unhappiness. He would never have met Mattie, which means he would never have injured himself in the sled accident. If he would have lived in another town besides Starkfield, he might have been an engineer and married a woman who would treat him better than Zeena ever did. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ethan Frome.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ethan Frome, the main character in the book entitled Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, has many complex problems going on at the same time. His family has died and he has a wife that is continually sick, and the only form of happiness he has is from his wife's cousin Mattie. This, however, at times proves to be hard because of Ethan's wifes interference. Nothing seems to be going in Ethan's favor. The main theme of the book is failure, and this is shown through marrying his wife, not being able to stand up to his wife, and his involvement concerning the "smash up." The first way failure is shown in the book is through the marriage of Ethan and his wife. He married her because she had tried to help his mother recover from an illness, and once his mother died he could not bear the thought of living in the house alone. His wife was seven years his senior and always seemed to have some kind of illness. It seemed all she ever did was complain, and he resented this because it stifled his growing soul. Since his wife was continuously ill, and her cousin needed a place to stay, they took her in to help around the house. Ethan took an immediate propensity to her cousin, Mattie, because she brought a bright light upon his dismal day. He seemed to have found someone that cared for him, was always happy and could share his youth, unlike his sickly wife who always nagged him. He longed to be with Mattie, however he had loyalty to his wife. Being married to the wrong person proved to be Ethan's first failure. Ethan's second failure was not being able to stand up against his wife. His wife claimed that a new doctor said that she was extremely sick, and needed more help around the house. She told him without any discussion that Mattie had to go. Ethan could not find the words to make her alter her decision. His wife also decided that Mattie had to leave the next day itself and Ethan could not do anything about it. It was stated in the book that his wife had the upper hand in the house by the line "Now she [his wife] had mastered him [Ethan] and he obeyed her." Ethan just could not find the right things to say and it was because of his failure of not being able to stand up to his wife, he was going to lose the only thing that made him happy. Ethan's last failure was the way he modified his and Mattie's lives regarding the "smash up." He so desperately wanted to run away with Mattie, but he could not because his practical sense told him it was not feasible to do so. Mattie wanted so desperately to be with Ethan, that she suggested in order to stay together forever, was to die together. It was Ethan's job to steer into the tree with the sled so that it looked like an accidental death instead of suicide. Instead of running square into the tree, he did not hit the tree right and it did not kill either of them. Instead it just injured them , and these injuries stayed with them forever. In this way Ethan had his last failure in not exceeding to die with his love, instead he had to live with the guilt from his wife, the injured Mattie, and broken dreams. In these three ways, of marrying the wrong person, not being able to stand up to his wife, and incidents that come from the smash up, proves that the main theme of the book is failure. It seemed that everything Ethan tried to do, worked against his favor. With all the incidents that happened it seemed inevitable that his life would always be a string of failure. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Europe Since 1945 Term Paper1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ On June 28th, 1948 the Cominform, the principle symbol of Stalin's control over Eastern Europe, issued a resolution that formally expelled Yugoslavia from the assembly, citing that Yugoslavia's ruler, Josep Broz-Tito, had deviated from the correct communist line of governance. Stalin contended that Tito was guilty of flouting the "unified communist front against imperialism"1 and he also accused Tito of taking the road to nationalism.2 According to Marxist-doctrine, Yugoslavia's break from the Soviet Union and the Communist world at large defied the "impossible." The split pronounced the fact that the dogmatic faith of Marxist-Leninism failed to acknowledge that different values inherent within state leaders cannot be simply reduced to a single common denominator advertently leading to a cohesive line of governance. It is therefore unnecessary to discern whether Stalin or Tito was a Marxist heretic, for it is apparent that the true essence of Marxist-Leninism doctrine is contentious. It is necessary, however, to understand why the Soviet Union branded Yugoslavia as a threatening reactionary, renegade, and nationalist force. For within the context of these three central notions it is possible to demystify the unthinkable split between the two communist powers and the consequences of the split within Yugoslavia in the immediate years that followed. In short, Tito's apparent deviance from Communist theory, as interpreted by the USSR, underscored the tensions that existed within socialist doctrine regarding the path of its implementation.3 Ultimately, the realities of power in the political and social life of Russia and Yugoslavia revealed the fundamental tensions in communist doctrine and practice that led to the split between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Acting as General and Marshal of the Yugoslavian partisan movement during the war period, Josep Broz-Tito managed to successfully liberate the Slavic peoples from Nazi rule. The Soviets and the Yugoslavian guerilla fighters shared the same anti-fascist sentiments towards the Germans and the same skepticism towards the wartime Yugoslavian government in exile.4 Tito's Marxist beliefs cemented a relatively strong relationship with Stalin. Despite certain disputes and misunderstandings, the two leaders supported each other both directly and indirectly during the war. Thus, between the period of 1945-48 it appeared to the outer world that Tito was one of Stalin's staunchest allies. Shortly after the conclusion of the war, however, Tito began to follow policies which were independent from Moscow's in order to consolidate his power within the Balkans. Initially, after the end of World War II Tito had modeled Yugoslavia's constitution after the Soviet Union's. The constitution encouraged direct control over all state activities by the Communist party, as well as the subjugation of a federal system of government in favor of a strong central order. Tito was quick to realize, however, that Yugoslavia's ethnic and nationalist diversity would threaten the stability and efficiency of a purely central system of government. Tito understood that in order to maintain control over the Balkans he had to amalgamate and consolidate the regions that made up Yugoslavia with the hope of holding the regions together under one distinct, sovereign nation. Refusing to allow Yugoslavia to become docile to Soviet dominance, Tito began to liberalize his interpretation of Marxist-Leninism and encouraged the formation of a communist federation of constituent republics made up of political entities that existed within Yugoslavia. These republics were controlled by Tito's dictatorial powers. In short, Tito favored a federal system of communist government. Tito was able to maintain a firm grip over his country through his strong police force and his tight political grip over the Yugoslavian Communist party. He was hostile towards Moscow's foreign policy that dominated the national, political, and economical agendas of its eastern satellite states. Tito contended that internal "power, rationality, and national interest held primacy"5, over aligning Yugoslavian communism directly with the Soviet Union. Stalin felt extremely threatened by Tito's failure to submit to Soviet rule and Soviet doctrine as prescribed by Stain himself. Stalin realized that his control over the Eastern-Communist states and Russia herself relied heavily, if not totally, on the suppression of nationalist sentiments. There was no room for an equal federation of nationalities within Stalin's Soviet Union. Historically, Stalin had always dictated Soviet foreign policy in a manner that placed Russia on a Communist pedestal. Stalinist national communism "went to great lengths in its chauvinistic fixation on great Russian originality and priority."6 In light of this statement, the fact that Stalin vigorously refuted any nationalist sentiment amongst the territories of Eastern Europe that the Russians had "liberated" during the war appears to be contradictory, or at the very least problematic. Nevertheless, one may legitimately contend that this hypocrisy was the essence of Stalinist rule. Stalin understood Russia to be the father of communism; he believed that Russia was destined to provide the proper base that would see communism flourish as a worldwide government destroying the evil capitalist and bourgeois states. Consequently, Stalin did not tolerate anyone who wished to deviate from the line of communism prescribed by Russia. Yugoslavia's failure to submit to Moscow's policies ensured its expulsion from the Cominform. The spirit of Yugoslavian nationalism threatened to encourage nationalism throughout the whole communist empire. While Tito expected to be treated as an "equal" Stalin refused to offer such equality to any Communist states. Stalin had hoped that by expelling Yugoslavia from the Cominterm Tito would be forced out of power by his fellow Slavs. Stalin, however, had underestimated Tito's power within Yugoslavia. By the time of his expulsion, Tito had already managed to build Yugoslavia into an effective military entity, with a very strong and ruthless secret police. Tito's police force was, unlike other Eastern Communist states, not dominated by Moscow but controlled by Belgrade. During the war and the several years that followed Tito had managed to purge most, if not all, dissident elements within the Communist party and Yugoslavia itself. Yugoslavia, in the post war period, had also managed to maintain its own foreign policy. Tito's independent victory over the Nazis and the failure of Stalin to send troops into Yugoslavia during the latter stages of the war helped Tito to consolidate his power. Tito began to flex a political line that was distinct and separate from Stalin's political doctrine. One of the most pronounced consequences of the Cominform's decision to expel Yugoslavia from its assembly resulted in the re-alignment of Yugoslavia's Marxist-Leninist values. Without the massive external support the Soviet Union had once offered, Tito was forced to refocus his domestic policies by restructuring his internal political support. Tito also had to re-negotiate Yugoslavia's foreign policy in a manner that would gain him internal support from Yugoslavia's constituent republics and bolster his legitimacy as Yugoslavia's undisputed national leader. The ultimate result of Tito's expulsion was an extremely successful foreign policy that is best summarized by the word "nonalignment."7 After June 28th 1948, Yugoslavia became a non-aligned country. Tito's policy of nonalignment must be judged as a colossal triumph. From the viewpoint of a nation made up of a variety of ethnic and national groups, Tito's decision that Yugoslavia follow a foreign policy primarily based on nonalignment was a domestically and internationally beneficial decision, "it gave the Yugoslav state and Tito immense international stature... it appealed to a broad coalition of groups within Yugoslavia. Indeed it [was] probably... 'The only foreign policy acceptable to all factions of the [communist party], to the different republics within the Yugoslav federation and the main strata of the population.'"8 Yugoslavia's policy of nonalignment in the years following 1948 lead it towards political ties with third world nations (often socialist in nature), as well as linkages to developed Western economies. The impact of the rift between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia resulted in a variety of occurrences and events in the immediate years following 1948. One of the first, and perhaps most significant consequences of the split, was that Tito's defying attitude towards Stalin proved to be a major personal blow for the Russian leader and Russia at large. It was the first serious external challenge that the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union had ever faced, until 1948 Stalin has been considered to be the undisputed leader of world communism.9 One might also legitimately argue that Stalin's failure to eliminate the threat of Tito and the cult of Titoism, referring to Tito's reactionary policies as interpreted by Stalin, might have incidentally contributed, "to the downfall of Stalinism as a creed and a model not only in the USSR, but, above all, in the smallest East European countries...hence, Tito's physical survival proved to be a key element in the contest between him and successive Soviet leaders."10 Kremlin officials feared that Tito's renegade nature would enhance the chances of revolts in both Hungary and Poland. These two countries had significant portions of their populations who were inspired and encouraged by Tito's style of governance. In essence, Tito managed to set up a communist blueprint for action for Easter European countries who wished to reassert their political control and recover power from their Soviet counterparts. Throughout the crisis of 1948 until Stalin's death in 1953, Moscow continuously implemented a hostile diplomatic stance towards Tito and Yugoslavia with the hope of conveying to the Communist world, more specifically to the Eastern European communist states, that only through complete subordination to Moscow's rule and advice could political power be maintained and socio-economic success achieved. Communist countries throughout Europe were encouraged to rely exclusively on the Soviet Union and strongly discouraged to follow independent revolutionary action. In short, "it was not a matter of [simply] humiliating [the Yugoslavian Communist Party] that had fallen into disgrace, but the far graver matter of securing the monopoly of a leadership in the Communist world movement, the monopoly which Tito was endangering."11 Tito was lucky that his challenge towards Stalin's rule on ideological grounds did not lead him to a similar fate shared by both Trotsky and Bukharin. The issue of national sovereignty was the only ground on which Tito believed that he could legitimately, while still maintaining support within the Balkans, resist Stalin.12 By disregarding Soviet policy and embarking on a separate program of foreign policy without the support of Stalin, Tito broke a common unspoken rule of the Soviet Union's alignment structure, which proclaimed, "that a free hand in domestic affairs depended on an acceptance of Stalin's pre-eminence in international affairs."13 Although the reasons as to why Tito believed that he could implement and export a far-reaching ideological change in communist polices throughout Europe are unclear, the consequences of his action were severe. Tito's expulsion from the Cominform signaled the beginning of Stalin's campaign to smash 'Titoism', and "whip the communist parties of Eastern Europe into line and establish there a series of identical dictatorships,"14 dictatorships that Stalin could control, manipulate, and exploit in order to maintain Moscow's firm grip over the communist bloc. At the end of the day, Stalin's hope that Tito could be disgraced and ruined by propaganda and economic pressure failed. The temptation to get rid of him, however, still existed.15 Barring economic trade and amassing Soviet troops on Yugoslavia's border did little but strengthen Tito's resolute stance. It was during this stand off, that Yugoslavia realized they faced the world alone and without any friends. Therefore Tito began to follow a path of reconciliation with the Western Powers. Beginning in 1951, he started to accept western economic aid and negotiated loans and trade agreements with Britain, France, and the United States. Yugoslavia's bettering of relations with the West won her a seat on the United Nations Security Council. This honor added more stature and legitimacy to Tito's Yugoslavia. Tito defended Yugoslavia's "acceptance of Western aid - including military aid - as being necessary not only to keep Yugoslavia independent, but also as important for world defense against Soviet aggression."16 In reality, Yugoslavia's reorientation towards new successful internal socialist policies may have never taken place had Western aid not been given.17 1949 proved to be a watershed year in Yugoslavian - Western relations. What followed from Tito's conciliation with the capitalist West was several years of mutual hostility between the Soviet and Yugoslav relations. Envisioning the Soviet Union as an enemy state, Tito looked in the direction of the West for economic assistance. Tito expertly negotiated relations with Western powers without compromising Yugoslavian internal affairs.18 The Belgrade government, "was faced with an apparently insoluble problem: how to have its army equipped by a foreign power, free of charge, without conceding any bases, without even admitting a military mission to the country, and without brining itself to that Power by a treaty... the feat must [have] been unique to world history... it was reckless audacity to try it, and incredible that is succeeded."19 This accomplishment was the key to Tito's successful implementation of his foreign policy of non-alignment . It has been historically established that the initial split occurred over nationalist considerations and doctrinal differences.20 It is interesting to note that Yugoslavia's immediate reaction to their expulsion from the Cominform was to radicalize, and not liberalize, their Marxist policies. Tito and his communist cadres wanted to prove to the communist world at large that they were staunch Marxist Leninists and that any proposition to the contrary was false.21 Gradually, however, Tito began to relax his radical programs of nationalization and collectivization of Yugoslavia's industrial and agrarian sectors. Tito realized that Yugoslavia could not bear the full brunt of the Soviet economic embargo that had followed the Cominform's decision in 1948. Thus, Tito began to implement socio-economic programs distinct from the Soviet Union. A new constitution that recognized Yugoslavia's national diversity was just the beginning of sweeping political and economical reforms. After leaving the Cominform and the benefits of its membership, Tito realized that many of his party's' repressive measures, both politically and economically, were counter-productive and anachronistic. Mass collectivization of agriculture began to subside while decentralization and wider self-government followed. The government also, "relaxed its anti-church measures, permitted a degree of public criticism, limited the abuses of party officials' privileges, and took the first step towards curving the absolute powers of the secret police by introduction a new criminal code."22 None of these measures could have been carried out if Yugoslavia had remained in the politically restrictive and domineering coalition of the Cominform. Marxism was the ideological framework in which Tito's polices were legitimized. Thus, it is apparent that after the split with the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia began to develop its own type of Communist society. Disagreement arose among Yugoslav Communist leaders, since some sided with the Soviet Union in the 1948 split. These dissident elements were purged from the government and imprisoned. After Tito had allowed the republics and provinces to receive greater control over local matters, a system of self-management in the working sector of society commenced in 1950. In basic terms, this system of self-management decentralized government planning in the agricultural and industrial sectors. The central committee turned over economic responsibility to the communes and workers councils. The central authorities only outlined general economic polices rather than forcefully imposing a status quo upon all localities. This system could be interpreted as a combination of capitalist and socialist ideals. Tito, on the other hand, considered this policy to be pragmatic Marxism. The success of Yugoslavia's economic reforms reinforced the legitimacy of Tito's political program. His successes depended on his ability to be pragmatic and willing to adapt to different circumstances and popular demand, "the Yugoslav's people's desire for more personal and political freedom, more regional autonomy for the constituent Republics, and more scope for Private owner-ship and economic enterprise had to be taken into account and harnessed for social and national ends."23 To Tito, Marxism was not dogma, but a guide to action. In this context, Marxism was a framework that had to be adjusted and tweaked according to specific circumstances and local necessities. After Stalin's death in 1953 tension between Tito and the Soviet Union became a bit more relaxed. In 1955 Khrushchev took the initiative and traveled to Belgrade to mend the relationship between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Tito still maintained his policy of non-alignment and continued to be the leading speaker for the uncommitted nations of the world. Furthermore, he refused to take sides on Cold War issues. Tito's death in 1980 was considered by some to be a relief and by others to be a tragedy. There is not too much room to debate the fact that Tito successfully managed to consolidate the regions of Yugoslavia under one legitimate totalitarian government. Compared with the status of other Eastern states suppressed by Soviet rule, Yugoslavia faired extremely well both socially and economically. Although aspects of Tito's rule were quite brutal, he managed to transform the assumption that the Balkans was a region of confusion lacking proper leadership. The split that occurred in 1948 due to Yugoslavia's reactionary and nationalistic interpretation of Marxism allowed Tito to implement liberal reforms that would not have been possible while maintaining their membership in the Cominform. Tito's flexible and pragmatic nature allowed him to stay in power, survive the Soviet threat, and resist Western dominance until his death in 1980. He was a key pillar in maintaining Yugoslavian unity and economical progress. Works Cited 1) Armstrong, Hamilton, Tito and Goliath, (New York: Macmillan Co., 1955) 2) Auty, Phyllis , "Yugoslavia and the Cominform: Realignment of Foreign Policy," in Wayne S. Vucinich, ed., At the Brink of War and Peace: The Tito Stalin Split in a Historic Perspective, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1982) 3) Bass and Marbury, The Soviet-Yugoslav Controversy, 1948-58: A Documentary Record, (New York: Prospect Books, 1959) 4) Clissold, Stephan ed., Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union 1939-1973, (London: Oxford University Pres, 1975) 5) Farrell, R. Barry Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union 1948-1956, (Yale: Shoe String Press, 1956) 6) Halperin, Ernst, The Triumphant Heretic: Tito's Struggle Against Stalin, (London: Heinemann Ltd., 1958) 7) Korbonski, Andrzej, "The Impact of the Soviet-Yugoslav Rift on World Communism," in Wayne S. Vucinich, ed., At the Brink of War and Peace: The Tito Stalin Split in a Historic Perspective, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1982) 8) Swain, Geoffrey, "The Cominform: Tito's International" in The Historical Journal, Vol. 35, No. 3 (GB: Cambridge University Press, Sep., 1992) p. 642 9) Zimmerman, William, "Yugoslav Strategies of Survival 1948-1980," in Wayne S. Vucinich, ed., At the Brink of War and Peace: The Tito Stalin Split in a Historic Perspective, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1982) The Pragmatic Marxist: An analysis of the 1948 Tito-Stalin Dispute Lawrence Schouten 78898012 History 463 Dr. David J Gossen 1 Hamilton Armstrong, Tito and Goliath, (New York: Macmillan Co., 1955) p. XI 2 Ibid., p. XI 3 Bass and Marbury, The Soviet-Yugoslav Controversy, 1948-58: A Documentary Record, (New York: Prospect Books, 1959) p. XII 4 Stephen Clissold ed., Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union 1939-1973, (London: Oxford University Pres, 1975) p. 20 5 R. Barry Farrell, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union 1948-1956, (Yale: Shoe String Press, 1956) p. 1 6 Bass and Marbury, The Soviet-Yugoslav Controversy, 1948-58, p. XVI 7 William Zimmerman, "Yugoslav Strategies of Survival 1948-1980," in Wayne S. Vucinich, ed., At the Brink of War and Peace: The Tito Stalin Split in a Historic Perspective, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1982), p. 26 8 Ibid. p. 26 9 Andrzej Korbonski, "The Impact of the Soviet-Yugoslav Rift on World Communism," in Wayne S. Vucinich, ed., At the Brink of War and Peace: The Tito Stalin Split in a Historic Perspective, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1982), p. 2 10 Ibid. p. 2 11 Ernst Halperin, The Triumphant Heretic: Tito's Struggle Against Stalin, (London: Heinemann Ltd., 1958), p. 67 12 Geoffrey Swain, "The Cominform: Tito's International" in The Historical Journal, Vol. 35, No. 3 (GB: Cambridge University Press, Sep., 1992) p. 642 13 Ibid., p. 652 14 Ibid., p. 663 15 Armstrong, Tito and Goliath, p. 3 16 Phyllis Auty, "Yugoslavia and the Cominform: Realignment of Foreign Policy," in Wayne S. Vucinich, ed., At the Brink of War and Peace p. 68 17 Ibid., p. 68 18 Farrell, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, p. 3 19 Ernst Halperin, The Triumphant Heretic, p. 147 20 Armstrong, Tito and Goliath, p. 2 21 Stephen Glissold ed., Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union 1939-1973, p. 61 22 Ibid., p. 61 23 Stephen Glissold ed., Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union 1939-1973, p. 62 --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\EuropeanStudies.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ EUROPEAN STUDIES A Discuss the relative merits/demerits of an agricultural policy oriented to price reform rather than one based upon structural reorganisation "The common market shall extend to agriculture and trade in agricultural products. 'Agricultural products' means the products of the soil, of stock-farming and of fisheries and products of first-stage processing directly related to these products....The operation and development of the common market for agricultural products must be accompanied by the establishment of a common agricultural policy among the Member States" (1) >From the beginning of the European Union, EU policy has given emphasis to the agricultural sector. To this end, a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was established in 1963. (2) Provisions for this policy were made in the Treaty of Rome. The aims of this policy were to increase agricultural productivity, to ensure a fair standard of living for the agricultural community, to stabilise markets and to ensure reasonable prices for the consumer. (3) This is unusual in the context of the Treaty of Rome which provided for free trade and movement of resources. Agriculture was ill-adapted for this approach. Protection was given, not only by customs duties, but also by a variety of agricultural policies. This essay will discuss the merits and demerits of a the pre-1992 CAP with its emphasis on price reform, in comparison with the post-1992 CAP which was oriented to structural reform. It cannot be denied that there were merits of the pre-1992 price reform policy. There was a bountiful food supply with an increased variety and quantity of food. Farmer's yields increased, particularly the large farmers. Producers were protected from the external market due to community preference and, therefore, domestic agriculture could develop. There were also spin offs in food production. Although some of the policies created good returns for farmers, the demerits of said policies far outweighed any advantages they had. The core-periphery divide was widened, quantity became more important than quality and consumers had to pay higher prices. Agricultural practices caused damage to the environment and international trading relations were strained. Until 1993 the EU rarely supported farmers by paying them direct subsidies from the taxpayers. (4) Instead the 30 billion ECU (and often more) was spent in the buying up of surplus commodities at minimum official prices and was also used to pay subsidies to traders to sell surpluses on the lower-priced world markets. (5) During the 1960's the price system was devised. The first problem with price policies is that of fluctuating and differing exchange rates. "Green Money" was the first solution to be developed to counter the problem of differing exchange rates. This, however, could be manipulated by politicians to achieve different price levels in the member states than those indicated by the common price level. The lowering of the green currency towards a depreciating average rate, raised farm's price levels in the national currency. (6) This meant that while regular citizens suffered from the devaluation of the currency, farmers were protected from this trend. Also although the higher prices were an advantage for the farmer, they were a nuisance for consumers. Monetary Compensatory Amounts (MCAs) were used in the 1970's when devaluations by France and revaluations by Germany made Green Money redundant. MCAs operated as levies on the French exports and subsidies on French imports. The reverse was applied to Germany. (7) MCAs, while allowing Community trade to continue even though common pricing was never established, had more disadvantages than advantages. They allowed the real level of prices to vary from country to country. This led to the distortion of production as farmers in the countries which have strong currencies, were paid more than farmers in countries with a weak currency. MCAs are also expensive to operate. MCAs were replaced in 1979 by the European Currency Unit (ECU) as part of the European Monetary system (EMS) which had been introduced in 1978. (8) An agricultural ECU which was 14% more valuable than the ECU was introduced. Until 1993 and 1995, when adjustments were made to this, vast amounts of officials were needed every day to administer the agri-monetary system and the monetary amounts had to be changed weekly. (9) The original agricultural price policy in CAP had three main components. The first of these was the target price, which was the basis for establishing all other prices. It is meant to provide a satisfactory return for the farmer. Threshold prices are the minimum entry prices for imports (higher than EU prices for domestic products) and they also safeguard against the undercutting of target prices. An intervention price is used if the market prices fall. If surplus production occurs, the commodities are bought by intervention agencies. This maintains a minimum market price level. Variable import levies were used to bring imports up to the threshold price and export refunds were used to remove the difference between the common market price and world price. (10) Variable levies are one of the most effective protective trade policies used. They protect domestic price guarantees from being defeated by trade flows. They can sometimes generate revenues and funds for the central authority controlling the levies. They also can introduce price stability for internal markets. They have a number of disadvantages, however. The levy shrinks imports and losses to the consumer and efficiency are usually caused. Producer returns can fluctuate more wildly. They can also strain international relations as the variable levy transfers domestic demand instability onto the world market. An administrative mechanism must also be implemented to bridge the gap between the higher price guarantee and the lower international price, and this can be expensive to operate as it depends on fluctuating prices, inflation and supply/demand. (11) The first problem posed by this three-tiered agricultural policy system, is the decision as to which system of pricing should be used. A compromise must be achieved between the highest prices and the lowest prices. If the highest prices are used production would be pushed to unacceptable levels. When this policy was first introduced, it was effective in the atmosphere of the time and production levels rose. By 1968 however the first of the fundamental problems with this policy became apparent. If product prices are prevented from falling while supplies continue to increase in a competitive market place, costs will inevitably increase to meet prices and cut off the people and capital who want to become part of the industry. Price supports, therefore, increase the costs of production. The irony of this is that in order to deal with the effects of increased production costs, price supports must increase also. Although in a competitive unsupported market this process would mean lower prices for farmers and consumers, it would also mean hardship for the marginal farmer. Attempts to stop this by implementing market support policies are bound to fail however, because the forces of competition are pushed in a different direction - they are not removed. The demand for, and the price of, land and equipment will increase as farmers profits increase. The end result is that farm costs and output prices increase in tandem. This marginalises the small farmer even more. Another effect of this market support policy is that production increases as industry becomes more productive. This leads to large amounts of surpluses and therefore more subsidies are needed for these to be sold on the market. It also becomes more difficult to sell these products on a market flooded with already large amounts of these commodities The costs of the policy feed on themselves in order to increase. Any attempt to lower prices and cut costs, puts us back where we started. This is the fundamental fault with price policies in the CAP. The need for continually updating machinery and equipment for increased productivity means that much of the money intended for farmers often flows into ancillary industries and into the owners of assets who are employed in agriculture. These policies also encourage increased competition between farmers, and the large farmer usually benefits at the expense of the small farmer. Therefore these policies exacerbate the inequalities in the farming sector. The rigidity of the uniform market price does not take the differences between various areas of the farming community into account. As well as this, if there was a difference in support for Less Favoured Areas (LFAs), then the question of who should pay would be an issue of some contention. Co-responsibility levies are also an integral part of CAP's price policies. The CAP had started its life with unlimited guarantees of support, regardless of the quantities produced. This led to a massive agricultural budget. Support price decreases were introduced and this narrowed the gap between the EC price and the world market prices. This helped to reduce the EC budget and the intervention storage costs of the agricultural budget. This route was not successful for milk, however, and co-responsibility levies were introduced in 1977. (12) These were, for the most part, a success because the smaller farmer was then protected from these the full damage created by price cuts. There were also gains to the budget. The advantageous effects of the levy were muted, however, by the tendency of the Council Of Ministers to raise support prices to offset the impact of levies. In 1982 the budget costs of CAP had jumped by 11% and the price policy was once again in crisis. Intervention stocks began to climb. Generous price rewards in 1981 and 1982 meant that production levels were high and world markets became saturated. (13) Quotas were introduced in 1984 to try and force production more in line with demand. The super-levy was introduced alongside these quotas. Quotas and super-levies mean that at a wholesale level, responsibility for the super-levy is determined by the over-quota production at dairy level. This means generally that those farms who stayed within the quota would be subsidising those who over-produce. Quotas, in general, restrict imports in a given period below the amount which normally would occur. The disadvantages of quotas outweigh their advantages however. They stint the domestic market of supplies. Internal prices rise and buyers curtail their purchases. Domestic producers expand their output, however, and a glut occurs on world markets which have depressed prices for affected commodities. Quotas, although insulating the domestic market from world price changes, can also amplify domestic price swings. Despite quota introduction, surpluses remained high and the cost of maintaining the dairy policy actually increased. The quota levels agreed in 1984 were far too large and were set from 1983 production figures which were already 17% above domestic consumption. Also, as these quotas were only introduced for the dairy sector, production and surpluses in other areas continued to grow unchecked. Penalties for over-production were never really implemented and were easily avoided by raising prices and adjusting MCA rates. (14) An arable Set Aside policy was introduced in 1988. Producers can receive payment per hectare on each hectare taken out of production. Every producer must make more than a minimum area reduction of 20% to qualify. (15) This was run on a voluntary basis and farmers received compensation for the land they didn't use. Small farmers were exempted from Set Aside. The programme resulted in only a 9% reduction of EU arable area. Production also increased and intensified as farmers concentrated their resources on their remaining land. Due to the land being left fallow, the following year's production rates were high as the land was therefore more fertile. More money than ever since the price cuts was now being spent on export subsidies. Relations between the EU and its global neighbours were strained by CAP. The dictates of the CAP have led to a series of trade problems. The use of border fluctuations on world markets has placed the Community in a difficult situation. The CAP protects internal producers from external competition to some extent. Also export subsidies ensure that the world market becomes flooded with cheap commodities which undermine other global commodities. Depressed world prices occur, interspersed by periods of high rises in prices. Variable levies were used to bring import prices to a level higher than that of EU products. The Uruguay Round of world General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) negotiations concluded by agreeing a 40% average reduction of tariffs. Domestic EU support must be reduced by 20% over six years based on total Aggregate Measure of Support (AMS). All import restrictions must be converted to tariffs and reduced by 36% over six years. The volume of subsidised exports must be reduced by 21% over six years. Budgetary expenditure on export subsidies must simultaneously be reduced by 36% over six years. (16) The absolute failure of the agricultural price policy of CAP forced the EU to implement fundamental reform. CAP was producing large amounts of surpluses and was failing to support the majority of EU landholders. Support was being concentrated on 20% of the farmers who were responsible for 80% of the output. Intensive farming practices were damaging the environment. Since farmers received a subsidy per tonne produced, they intensified their farming practices to increase their output and income. Not only was this leading to surpluses and a massive EU budget, but also to the destruction of the environment. More fertilisers and pesticides were being used. There was an increase in the density of the livestock on the land. Enlargement of farms meant that the natural habitat was being destroyed and marshlands were being drained. Therefore in 1992 there was radical change from a price oriented policy to a structural policy. There was also a move from price support to direct income support. It was generally recognised that a number of structural changes were required. These included the diversion of land to other uses, the conservation and protection of the environment, the integration of structural change with regional economic development and the implementation of direct income aids. (17) This impetus for change began, however, in 1988 when the Council of Ministers approved a regulation 2052/88 which was to reform the operation of the Structural Funds as part of the European Agricultural Guarantee and Guidance Fund (EAGGF). (18) This regulation marked an important shift in structural policy from the individual farmer, to the region and rural community. The regulation set out five objectives. Objective 1 status areas are those which lag seriously behind and need major development and structural adjustment. These have a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of less than 75% of the Community average. It was hoped to improve living and working conditions, to protect the environment and to improve processing and marketing of goods. (19) Objective 5b included areas that had a high share of agricultural employment and a low income level. (20) Objective 5a was a regrouping of measures which already existed in CAP i.e. funding for farm improvements, training and social assistance for farmers. (21) A number of reform and integration programmes were introduced. Partnership was seen as the way forward and evaluation of policy success became more important. The effectiveness of these schemes is questionable however. In 1992 the MacSharry reforms were introduced. This had three main aims i.e. early retirement for farmers and farm workers, the promotion of the use of land for forestry and to promote environmentally friendly agricultural methods. Farmers are permitted to retire at 55. They must then transfer their land to another farmer and will receive a pension from the EU. 50% of the cost of the pension is paid by the EU and 50% by the national government. (Although in Objective 1 areas the EU pays 75%.) (22) When land is not needed for agriculture or is of poor quality, an afforestation programme is implemented. Maintenance fees are paid. There is a maximum eligibility of 600 hectares and therefore the policy favours small enterprises. Again, the EU pays 50% of the cost or 75% in Objective 1 areas. (23) The environment is now also seen as an important problem to be tackled. There have been attempts to reduce pollution e.g. the Nitrates Objective which tries to reduce the amount of nitrate pollution in EU waters. Extensification is encouraged to avoid the damage intensification and concentration have on the land. Long-term set-aside of 20 years has been proposed. Grants for the education and training of farmers in environmentally compatible farming have been implemented e.g. the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS) in Ireland. Organic farming is being promoted and a reduction in the amount of fertilisers and pesticides used is being encouraged. There has also been a general move towards trying to ensure that small farmers are not pushed off the land by larger farmers and discriminating agricultural policies. Diversification in rural economies is being encouraged. Integrated rural development programmes have also been implemented. Rural infrastructure has been improved. Attempts were made to improve research and development at a rural level. The EU's Structural Funds are clearly established as the key tenet of European level policy initiatives. The Fund consists of four separate funds - the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Agricultural Guarantee and Guidance Fund (EAGGF) (although only Guidance is relevant to Structural Funds) and the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG). (24) The Structural Funds are aimed at reducing regional and social disparities in the EU. Between 1989 and 194 the funds were allocated 10,000 million ECU per annum. (25) The EAGGF supports the modernisation of holdings, the processing and marketing of products and agricultural development measures and the promotion of local produce. The FIFG is responsible for the fishing fleet, aquaculture and coastal waters, fishing port facilities and the marketing of fishery and aquaculture. The ERDF is responsible for investment in infrastructure, transport, tourism, communications, environmental improvements and productive capacity. It also promotes research and development and provides advice and assistance for Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs). Finally the ESF is concerned with vocational training and counselling, giving aid to self-employed people to start up a business and education schemes in some priority areas. (26) The ERDF's responsibility lies with Objective 1,2 5b and 6 areas. It promotes the development of the Objective 1 regions who are lagging behind, helps to counteract industrial decline and helps reorganise those regions which have a low population density or whose population is leaving the rural area and migrating to urban centres. It's main objectives are to foster co-operation between the local actors of different regions with a view to the exchange of experiences through transferring knowledge and expertise and by working together. It hopes also to improve the capabilities and working methods of local and regional areas in disadvantaged regions, both economically and socially, so that the regions can meet the challenges of modern society. (27) The ESF's aim is to "raise the general standard of living by rendering the employment of workers easier and increasing their geographical and occupational mobility." (28) It targets in particular the long-term unemployed, those in danger of losing their job, young people, women, handicapped people and the socially excluded. It is governed by Objectives 3 and 4 of the Structural Funds. The ESF also supports the development of SMEs, tourism and diversification in Objective 1, 2 and 5b areas. (29) The ESF improved employment opportunities by implementing vocational guidance and vocational training courses. It also helps in job creation and wage subsidy projects. Finally, it encourages and supports technological development and research. For the period 1994-1999 the ESF will receive 33.5% of Structural funding. (30) The Guidance section of the EAGGF is involved in all agricultural structural development in the EU. It invests in and aids the modernisation of farms. It supports extensification, set aside and environmentally friendly farming practices. It also gives aid to young farmer's and offers early retirement. Aid for mountainous regions, poor ecological areas and LFAs is given. It encourages the increased use of agricultural products and agricultural materials for industry. The Guidance section essentially covers grants, mostly contributing to the multi-annual operational programmes operating under the Structural Fund Objectives 1, 2, 5a, 5b and 6. It is responsible for the protection of environmentally sensitive areas (for example intensive valley and marsh grasslands, moorland and hill and mountain areas), encouraging the reduction or abandonment of fertilises and pesticides, and maintaining or improving the upkeep of countryside features such as hedges and walls. (31) Like the EAGGF, the FIFG provides sectoral assistance which covers the whole of the European Union, corresponding to Objective 5a. Actions under the FIFG promote structural measures in the fisheries sector. It grants money to modernise fleets and to develop fish farming. It offers protection to some marine areas. It gives aid to help improve facilities at fishing ports. It helps in the promotion of products and in the processing and marketing of fishery products. (32) A number of rural initiatives have been taken to improve the structure of agriculture and therefore solve the problems which had been plaguing European agriculture for decades. A bottom-up approach has been taken i.e. local and regional initiatives are supported in preference to national initiatives. According to the Cork Declaration issued 9th November 1996:- "a rural development policy must be multi-disciplinary in concept, and multi-sectoral in application, with a clear territorial dimension...it must be based on an integrated approach, encompassing within the same legal and policy framework : agricultural adjustment and development, economic diversification - notably small and medium scale industries and rural services - the management of natural resources, the enhancement of environmental functions, and the promotion of culture, tourism and recreation." (33) A bottom-up approach is used with each interested party submitting a proposal to the EU concerning the improvements that they would like to make. There are Single Programming Documents (SPDs) for each eligible area. These identify certain strengths and weaknesses in an area. All proposals submitted must be based on a particular Priority and Measure. If possible it should also complement other priorities and measures contained in the SPD. (34) The EU will make its decision based on the proposal and its relation to the SPDs for the area. An example of such a rural development initiative is the LEADER programme. This was an EU initiative which was to assist communities develop their own areas. It was a multi-sectoral and integrated project. It's aim was to find new and innovative solutions which would help the development of rural areas and increase rural integration. LEADER 1 covered 61% of EU land area and 30% of it's population. (35) These were mainly rural areas with a high dependence on agriculture or problems with a decreasing population. Tourism and SMEs were targeted. Accommodation like B&Bs and self-catering hostels were established. This brought tourism and money into the region and boosted the local economy as well as providing employment. Small enterprises, particularly those which specialised in crafts, were given aid. For example metalwork, textiles, leather, timber and furniture. Grants were given also to modernise farms and to help farmers farm more environmentally. The profile of the recipients who accepted the aid were farmers with above average farm sizes, who were young and well-educated and had access to information and capital. (36) Almost 1,500 jobs were created. (37) Community involvement in rural areas improved immensely and a sense of local ownership was fostered. It also created an impetus towards voluntary activities and encouraged co-operation between existing statutory agencies and private agencies who had worked together under the LEADER programme. An example of one of these LEADER programmes was the West Cork LEADER. This was established in 1991 with the objective of developing the local rural economy. (38) A plan was drawn up through initiatives in key sectors like agriculture, tourism, food, crafts and fisheries. Partnership was a key element of the programme. An integrated approach was taken. To date, there have been 125 projects in this area. For example, there has been a development in Castletownbare in co-operative fishing along with the creation and addition of jobs in the processing of fish products. Diversification was promoted by the development of a herb farm in west Cork. A new heritage centre was created in Bandon and a weir project was also begun there to help generate electricity for a local residential area. (39) In the UK the EAGGF has given a total of around £145 million (excluding allocations in Objective 1 regions and under the Community Initiatives) under Objective 5a for the period 1994-99. (40) Most measures are aimed at improving competitiveness and employment, while there are also measures providing for environmental considerations and for balanced land use and employment in LFAs. The UK decided on using 63% of the funding to implement measures concerning processing and marketing. 32% has been dedicated to developing mountainous LFAs. 5% has been allocated to investments on holdings. 0.3% will be given as support for young farmers and producer groups will receive 0.1%. (41) A total of around £45 million (excluding allocations in Objective 1 regions) has been allocated to the UK by the FIFG for the period 1994-99. (42) The UK's Objective 5a SPD for fisheries concentrates on adjusting fishing effort, modernising and improving the safety of vessels, adjusting the processing industry, and developing ports. A measure for taking vessels out of service is underway for 1993-98. 7% of the fleet has currently been taken out of service and it is estimated that by the end of 1998 around 12% will have been withdrawn. (43) Can we therefore say that the post-1992 structurally oriented agricultural policy is more successful than the pre-1992 price-oriented one? There are several criticisms which can be levied against them. Objective regions came to rely heavily on the funding, and in some cases like Ireland, the increased funds represented a substantial augmentation of gross national income. Significant funding-level problems can be seen in examining the Social Fund's operation, however. While its allocation increased from 2% of 1977 expenditure, to an estimated 8% between 1994 and 1999, this is clearly insufficient to withstand the tide of unemployment in the Community. (44) The Social Fund's allocation of resources is not high enough to allow the authorities to tackle the underlying causes of unemployment. The Social Fund has been targeted at training and education and limited job creation, but fails to address the rigidities and barriers in wage markets and labour mobility. The fund's sheer lack of financial clout has meant that it has failed to redress the fact that there are currently 20 million people unemployed in the EU, with 10 million of these classed as 'long-term unemployed'. An even more scathing criticism of the lack of funding provided is that, of the several targeted Objective 3 and 4 areas which target youth and long-term unemployment, by 1993, only two had seen employment growth substantially above the EU average. (45) A further criticism is the fact that although ten thousand million ECU were allocated to the funds yearly from 1989 to 1993, and monitoring agencies were established to ensure the effective implementation of the Funds, reforms have been severely limited by the actual funding level. By 1992, only 3% of the EU's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was going into the Funds. The benefits of the new funding system have, however been crucial to several regions. Increased industrial activity, improved infrastructure, better farm structures and training of unemployed labour have all boosted regional economies around Europe. One final drawback of the Structural Funds is the notion that the Funds are "swimming against the tide" of other EU policies, and thus doomed to failure. The Guarantee section of the CAP tends to concentrate farming activity in the areas of efficient, wealthy farms, clearly against the dispersion aspiration of the Structural Funds. Given the huge commitment of funds to the Guarantee section of the CAP, the Structural Funds have clearly an uphill task to dislodge the concentration tendencies. A cursory glance at the raw data proves that the Structural Funds have not combated the problems they were created to tackle to a significant level. Twenty million people are still unemployed in the EU, and in 1990, GDP per capita in Ireland, Greece and Portugal was still 50-60% of the EU average. (Although these figures have since risen e.g. Ireland stands at 104% of the EU average). (46) While it is true that many worthwhile and indeed vital projects have been developed by the Structural Funds, the overall impact on the EU has been mitigated by a combination of planning, implementation and lack of funding difficulties. The Structural Funds were designed to reduce the tendencies towards divergence in the EU, but these largely remain, and unless an improved financial and developmental base is established, the Structural Funds will continually fail to address their targets. It cannot be denied, however, that they have had favourable effects. In the short period in which they have been in operation, (Structural Funds did not become important until 1989 and the subsequent MacSharry reforms), the Funds have been responsible for improving rural co-operation and development. Farmers are slowly becoming more environmentally aware and using environmentally-friendly practices. There has been a turnaround in internal migration patterns with the long-standing rural exodus being replaced by what has been referred to as an "urban exodus". There is increasing migration from urban centres to rural areas. This is partly due to improved conditions, services and infrastructure in rural areas. These developments and improvements have been facilitated by the Structural Funds. There has been a dramatic rise in the number in the number of commuters and an enlargement of commuting catchments. (47) There has been an increase in the number of people who choose to retire in the countryside. More importantly there has been an increased flow of working-class return-migrants. (48) That the increase in urban to rural migrations was accompanied by a parallel decline in the opposite flow, was mainly due to changing demographic factors. Traditionally the rural exodus was basically fed by small farmers and their families but now, with improving rural conditions for smaller farmers, this trend is slacking off. There has also been a rise in the average rural incomes. (49) In conclusion, this essay maintains that price policies have a wider range of destructive demerits than they have merits. It can be seen from EU agricultural policy that the way forward is seen to be through structural reorganisation. There has been a shift from a pure agricultural policy, however, to a rural policy whose two main characteristics are to help maintain a pleasant and attractive environment through adequate aids to farmers and the adoption of a bottom-up approach which will integrate rural communities. The new structurally oriented agricultural policy costs less money to operate than the former price-oriented policy and has so far been more successful. More time is required however in order to determine whether the policy is truly successful. FOOTNOTES REFERENCES (1) Various Inputs, Internet, (Telecom Eireann, 1998) "Treaty of Rome (as amended): Agriculture" (2) Josling, T.E. & Langworthy, Mark & Pearson, Scott, Options for Farm Policy in the European Community (Trade Policy Research Centre, 1981) page 2 (3) Various Inputs, op cit. "Treaty of Rome (as amended) : Agriculture" (4)Gardner, Brian, European Agriculture : Policies, Production and Trade (Routledge, London, 1996) page 30 (5) Ibid., page 31 (6) Gardner, Brian, op cit., (1996) page 47 (7) Marsh, John S. & Swanney, Pamela J., Agriculture and the European Community (George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1980) page 31 (8) Ibid. (9) Gardner, Brian, op cit. (1996) page 49 (10) Grant, Wyn, The Common Agricultural Policy (Macmillan Press Ltd., 1997) page 67 (11) Houck, James P., Elements of Agricultural Trade Policies (Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986) page 62 (12) Moyer, Josling, Agricultural Policy Reform (Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1990) page 60 (13) Ibid., page 62 (14) Gardner, Brian, op cit. (1996) page 54 (15) Burger, Kess & De Groot, Martin & Post, Jaap & Zachariasse, Vinus, Agricultural Economics and Policy : International Challenges for the Nineties (Elsevier Science Publishers B.V, 1991) page 64 (16) Various Inputs, op cit. (1998) "GATT" (17) Burger, Kess & De Groot, Martin & Post, Jaap & Zachariasse, Vinus, op cit. (1991) page 105 (18) Ibid. (19) Various Inputs, op cit. (1998) "Agriculture : Regional Policy and Cohesion" (20) Ibid. (21) Ibid. (22) Ibid. (23) Ibid. (24) Ibid., "Structural Funds" (25) Ibid. (26) Ibid. (27) Ibid., "ERDF : Aims" (28) Ibid., "ESF" (29) Ibid. (30)Ibid. (31) Ibid., "EAGGF : Aims" (32) Ibid., "FIFG : Objectives" (33) Ibid., "Cork Declaration" (34) Ibid., "Structural Funds" (35) Ibid., "LEADER Programme" (36) Ibid. (37) Ibid. (38) Ibid., "LEADER Programme : Case Study" (39) Ibid. (40) Ibid., "EAGGF : Case Study" (41) Ibid. (42) Ibid. (43) Ibid. (44) Ibid., "Structural Funds" (45) Ibid. (46) Ibid. (47) Ibid., "Cork Declaration" (48) Ibid. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bowler, Ian, Government and Agriculture : A Spatial Perspective (Longman Group Ltd., 1979) Burger, Kess & De Groot, Martin & Post, Jaap & Zachariasse, Vinus, Agricultural Economics and Policy : International Challenges for the Nineties (Elsevier Science Publishers B.V, 1991) Gardner, Brian, European Agriculture : Policies, Production and Trade (Routledge, London, 1996) Grant, Wyn, The Common Agricultural Policy (Macmillan Press Ltd., 1997) Houck, James P., Elements of Agricultural Trade Policies (Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986) Josling, T.E. & Langworthy, Mark & Pearson, Scott, Options for Farm Policy in the European Community (Trade Policy Research Centre, 1981) Marsh, John S. & Swanney, Pamela J., Agriculture and the European Community (George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1980) Matthews, Alan, The Common Agricultural Policy and the Less Developed Countries (Gill & Macmillan Ltd., 1985) Moyer, Josling, Agricultural Policy Reform (Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1990) Ockenden, Johnathan & Franklin, Michel, European Agriculture : Making the CAP Fit the Future (Pinter Publishers, London, 1995) Various Inputs, European Review of Agricultural Economics 1973 : Volume 1 1989 : Volume 16 1992 : Volume 19-1, Volume 19-3, Volume 19-4 1994 : Volume 21-2, Volume 21-3/4 (Mouton de Gruyter) Various Inputs, Internet (Telecom Eireann, 1998) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Eveline A Character Analysis.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Eveline" - Character Analysis "There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision (James)." Originally appearing in Dubliners, a compilation of vignettes by James Joyce, his short story Eveline is the tale of such an unfortunate individual. Anxious, timid, scared, perhaps even terrified -- all these describe Eveline. She is a frightened, indecisive young woman poised between her past and her future. Eveline loves her father but is fearful of him. She tries to hold onto good memories of her father, thinking "sometimes he could be very nice (Joyce 5)," but has seen what her father has done to her siblings when he would "hunt them in out of the field with his blackthorn stick (Joyce 4)." As of late she has begun to feel "herself in danger of her father's violence (Joyce 4)." Ironically, her father has "begun to threaten her and say what he'd do to her only for her dead mother's sake (Joyce 5)." Eveline wants a new life but is afraid to let go of her past. She dreams of a place where "people would treat her with respect (Joyce 4)" and when contemplating her future, hopes "to explore a new life with Frank (Joyce 5)." When, in a moment of terror she realizes that "she must escape (Joyce 6)," it seems to steel her determination to make a new home for herself elsewhere. On the other hand, she is comfortable with the "familiar objects from which she had never dreamed of being divided (Joyce 4)." She rationalizes that: "In her home anyway she had shelter and food; she had those whom she had known all her life about her (Joyce 4)." As she reflects on her past she discovers "now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life (Joyce 5)." Eveline wants to keep the deathbed pledge made to her mother but is alarmed at the prospect of sharing her mother's fate. Her mother was ill-treated in life and Eveline vows that "she would not be treated as her mother had been (Joyce 4)." She has had a life filled with hardship and chafes under "her promise to keep the home together as long as she could (Joyce 6)." When she recalls "the pitiful vision of her mother's life (Joyce 6)" she is uncertain of what to do and prays "to god to direct her, to show her what was her duty (Joyce 6)." Eveline thinks she loves Frank but is apprehensive about her future with him. She likes Frank; she thinks he "was very kind, manly, open-hearted (Joyce 5)." She wants to believe in Frank; to believe that "he would give her life, perhaps love, too (Joyce 6)." However, she is riddled with self-doubt. She questions the validity of her decision to leave. Although "she consented to go away, to leave her home (Joyce 4)," she wonders "was that wise (Joyce 4)?" She hesitates at the thought of living "in a distant unknown country (Joyce 4)." Although fear is not Eveline's constant companion, it is a common one. A companion that contributes greatly to her lack of self-confidence. A companion that gives her fate over to a wavering will. Eveline's indecision leads to a paralysis that dooms her to the fate she sought to avoid. Besides, "we know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over (Bevan)." WORK CITED Bevan, Aneurin. Observer. Dec. 1935. The Colombia Dictionary of Quotations. Colombia University Press. 1995. Microsoft Bookshelf 1996-1997 Edition. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corporation. 1996. n. pag. James, William. Principles of Psychology. vol. 1, ch. 4. 1890. The Colombia Dictionary of Quotations. Colombia University Press. 1995. Microsoft Bookshelf 1996-1997 Edition. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corporation. 1996. n. pag. Joyce, James. Eveline. Literature and the Writing Process. Eds. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, and Robert Funk. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 1996. 4-6. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Everything Ends.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jennifer stopped running through the forest after doing so for what seemed like eternity. She had no idea where she was, why she was here, or who was chasing her. All she knew was that running for so long of a time made her very hungry. Desperately, she looked around for something to eat, and her eyes settled on a tall apple tree. Jennifer picked a couple and ate them as she leaned against a maple tree while watching mother nature take its course. She could see the sun was setting through the bright red leaves of the forest trees. It was a cold October evening - so cold that she could see the white puffs of steam coming out of her mouth. Soon it would be nighttime. That meant that the temperature would fall so dramatically that she might get hypothermia. Thus, she gathered up numerous dead brown leaves among the forest floor and pushed them all over her body as she lay down on the cold black dirt. Jennifer became worried that "the man" or one of his "best friends" would find her. What would she do? She began searching for something sharp - like a twig or a stone. Her hand enclosed on a smooth metal oval-shaped rock. Then, she remembered that it was a swiss army knife which she stole from the house as she made her escape. After shrugging off practicing how to use the knife, Jennifer concluded that when the time came, she would know how to use it. Being thoroughly exhausted did not ameliorate her survival instinct. She began to become indifferent to her anxieties and needs. Finally, the silent sinister hand of sleep had stricken her. She dreamed about the past; how she got here. She relived all the major milestones that happened in her life. She dreamt that when she was in high school, her mother got into a car accident and died, in October. She dreamt her father exploding and being constantly angry, in October. She dreamt of after not being able to deal with her father, dropping out of school, in October. She dreamt of running away from home, in October. She dreamt of the termination of her career as a lounge singer after being signed by a major record company, in October. She dreamt of her first album staying at the number one slot for eight weeks, after being released in October. After she became such a big star, Jennifer decided to make up with her father. She went to her former home frequently to visit her father. Unfortunately, her father was sick. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's in October, Jennifer's father had no ideal who this adult woman who continuously showed up at his house. Jennifer loved her father, and wished that she hadn't run away. But she loved singing and making music even more. After all, she was the new rock sensation; often compared in popularity as the Beatles of her generation. Nobody could get enough of her, especially the old brown Chevrolet. Everywhere she went, a brown Chevrolet followed her. When she went on tour, a brown Chevrolet followed her bus. When she went to visit her father, a brown Chevrolet followed her. After months of this happening, Jennifer started worring that someone bad might happen to her. Then, she never saw the old brown car again. A couple of days later, she went to visit her father, as she did every Thursday night. After pounding on the door continuously, her father opened it and invited her in. Jennifer sat down on the couch as her father started to speak to her. "Who are you and what do you want? I know why you're hear. You've come to rob me." "No! It's me Dad. Remember, Jennifer. Your only daughter," she replied. "How can I have a daughter? I don't even have a wife. Get away from me! I'll call the cops." "I swear I'm your daughter. Dad, settle down. I brought you a present." Jennifer cried. "I don't want your present. It's probably a bomb." He ran to the kitchen and got out a vegetable cleaver. "Don't make me use this, " He shouted, "Just drop the bomb and we'll take care of you." "What are you talking about? Who is `We'?" "Everything's going to be fine. Just drop the bomb. This policeman will look after you." Her father continued. "What police officer?" Jennifer screamed. "Who else is here?" A man in a police outfit walked out from behind the bathroom door with a gun in his hand. He pointed the barrel at her and said, "Move and I'll shoot. Come with me." He motioned her to walk to the garage. As she walked, Jennifer saw an old brown Chevrolet parked in there. The man then blindfolded, gagged, and handcuffed Jennifer. The last thing she felt was a piece of cold metal hiting her head. She dreamt of awaking in a bedroom with the man opening her door. She dreamt about the man throwing hisself on top of her. She dreamt of her hand grasping a TV Remote and she smacked it across the man's head. She dreamt about the loud crunching sound as alarm clock met head. She dreamt about running down the stairs and finding the door. She dreamt that she took a swiss army knife as she bolted out the door. She dreamt about running forever. Jennifer awoke to the sound of a dog barking. Looking into the distance, she saw a black doberman chasing after her. Jennifer's first instinct was to run. Unfortunately, her legs locked up. Her second instinct was to fight. After remembering the swiss army knife, Jennifer reached into her pocket, took it out, and opened the blade. Meanwhile, the doberman stopped about four feet in front of her. Both man and animal were waiting for the first attack. Animal was first, and Jennifer felt her skin open up as the dog bit her. Man was second, and the dog whimpered for a second as Jennifer leapt forward and dug the knife right into the dogs eye. She stood up triumphantly, and as she did this, she felt something bite her chest. Jennifer looked down and saw blood spurting out of her chest. After glancing up and seeing the man with the gun fifty feet away, Jennifer lost the capacity to stand and so she fell to the ground. Then, the man walked up to her and said, "Did you actually think that you could escape me? You should have killed me when you had the chance." He looked around at the forest and then said, "Don't you love October? Everything ends. The birds fly south and party all night long in Miami. The animals are getting ready to sleep through the long cold night. Even I feel like I have to end things." He then pointed the barrel at Jennifer. Jennifer looked up at him and whispered, "Why me?" "Why not you?" The man shouted back at her. "Why does it even have to happen in the first place? Why do the leaves change color? Why doesn't the whole world get together and declare peace? The truth is that something makes all of us crazy. For me, it's October. Mother nature mesmerizes me by making the whole world turning shades of red, yellow, and green. Every other month, I'm just a dead brown leaf trying to fade away on the autumn floor. I wake up, go to work, come home, and go to sleep. But not in October. Everything ends in October." And with that, Jennifer saw him pull the trigger. How she loved that miserable month. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Evil and Primitivism in Man.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Evil & Primitivism in Man In the story Lord of the Flies Ralph, the democratic character, and Jack, the dictator are the most important main characters. Ralph is the voice of hope on the island, and without that, the boys would have turned to savagery much faster, and under the control of Jack. William Golding uses Ralph and his character foil, Jack, to show how civilization works and how it doesn't. Jack, the chief of the hunters, represents the hidden human passion and almost animal cruelty, and Ralph, who represents human common sense to show how civlization is. This story is an allegory. This means the character, events and setting represent deeper truths or generalizations then those suggested by the surface story. There are four main characters, and each character represents different types of people in the world. Jack is the dictator who uses force to show his thoughts and feelings. Therefore he is the destructive side of man. He is the type of person who would rather have fun and gratification over work. On the other hand Ralph is the believer in democracy and fairness. He is the voice of hope, and the responsible type of person. The boys on the island, allegorically show what the human civilization is like. Ralph stands for order and conduct of society. Each chapter begins with order, which means that Ralph has control. Ralph uses the conch to show order and the right to speak. By the end of each chapter there is no order and there is usually chaos, this shows that evil and/or fear has control, meaning Jack has control. Allegorically in the world it would be a legislative government versus a military type of government. Where Ralph is the legislative and Jack is military. The disorder caused by Jack, threatens the island and the society that Ralph has tried so hard to form. Ralph wants to have a fire, so they can be rescued, but Jack is more worried about having fun then being rescued and this is a major conflict. The fire is a symbol for hope and enlightenment, but when it gets out of control it becomes very destructive. Anything without order and control can become destructive, this is why Ralph is so important to the society. The two character foils, Ralph and Jack, have different ideas and want different things. Ralph wants huts and a signal fire. The huts which stand for civilization and the signal fire is needed to get rescued. This shows that Ralph creates and builds. On the opposite end of that is Jack. Jack wants to hunt and kill pigs and have fun. This shows primitivism. Jack is shown as a person who kills and destroys. Here is the conflict; creating and building versus killing and destroying. Ralph asks Jack what he wants: " Don't you want to be rescued? All you talk about is pig, pig, pig!" And Jack answers him and tells him what he wants: "But we want meat!" This tells us that Ralph and Jack will not settle their differences. Right from the start unity of society is threatened by the different purposes of the boys. Ralph was never comfortable with primitivism, but Jack rather enjoyed it. Ralph thinks to himself: "He would like to have a bath, a proper wallow with soap... and decided that a toothbrush would come in handy too." Ralph resists primitivism strongly but is still sucked into it. Even though he resists primitivism, he still went on a pig hunt and when he gets a stab at the pig, he becomes very proud of himself, and ends up enjoying the hunt very much. This shows that every human has an evil side. Even Ralph, who is the one who absolutely hates primitivism. The dead pilot in the tree suggests that humans have de-evolved, gone backwards in evolution. Ralph cries: "If only they could send a message to us... a sign or something." The dead pilot was the sign that the real world isn't doing any better then they were doing on the island. Jack objects to doing things that Ralph tells the whole group of the boys to do, as well he objects to Ralph's being chief. Ralph still believes in the conch, and thinks it still holds some order: "Jack! Jack! You haven't got the conch! Let me speak." Again Ralph refers to the rules: "'The rules!' shouted Ralph, 'you're breaking the rules!'" Jack replies with: "Who cares?" His reply is short and stabbing. Once Jack says this, the reader knows that there is no turning back. The conversation continues: "Because the rules are the only thing we've got!" And to end the argument about rules, Jack says: " Bollocks to the rules!..." Jack then protests to using the conch: "'Conch! Conch!' shouted Jack, 'we don't need the conch anymore.'" Ralph later thinks to himself: " The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away..." The conflict between the two of them, which was also caused by different views on the existence of a beast, culminate when Jack decides to separate from Ralph. When the groups separate, neither of them profit from it, only Ralph and Piggy realize this. Ralph's group is not big enough to keep the signal fire going, and Jack and the hunters do not have Piggy's glasses to make their own fire, to roast their pigs. Since most of the boys have lost the need for civilization and the hope of being rescued, Ralph has lost control of them. They now fear the beast, and Jack tells the boys that if they are hunters they can protect themselves from the beast. So now Jack gets control of most of the boys. Ralph loses hope: "I'm frightened. Of us. I want to go home. O god I want to go home." But Piggy was there to help him out of his slump for a bit. But when Piggy is killed, Ralph is helpless and desperate. He is alone and it seems that Ralph's common sense has entirely been defeated. There is a running theme in William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Man is savage at heart, this is shown by Ralph in the pig hunt, and always ultimately reverting back to an evil and primitive nature. This is all shown by Jack and his group of hunters when they have the pig dances, the pigs head as a scarifices and, last but not least, they turn into a group of savages. Ralph and his common sense stays almost the same throughout the book, it's Jack and his hunters who change. To end, here's a quote from David Anderson's work entitled Nostaldia for the Primates: In this book Golding succeeds in giving convincing form to which exists deep in our self-awareness. By the skill of his writing, he takes the reader step by step along the same regressive route as that traversed by the boys on the island... Our first reaction are those of 'civilized' people. But as the story continues, we find ourselves being caught up in the thrill of the hunt and the exhilarat- ion of slaughter and blood and the whole elemental feeling of the island and the sea... The backing of Golding's thesis comes not from the imaginary events on the island but from the reality of the readers response to them. Our minds turn to the outrages of our century - the slaughter of the first war , the concentration camps and atom- bombs of the second - and we realize that Golding has compelled us to acknowledge that there is in each of us a hidden recess which horrifyingly declares our complicity in torture and murder... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Evil of Isolation On The Scarlet Letter.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Evil of Isolation In the New Testament it states that "the wages of sin is death." Though the penalty of sin in The Scarlet Letter is not a termination of life, the evil of isolation can be a physically, morally, and socially tortuous event in Puritan society. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, are both victims of the cruel isolation from Puritan society on the basis of their sins. Hester wears her sin upon her breast where it stands as a constant reminder of her malfeasance. Shame and isolation strip her of all passion and femininity, leaving her a shell of her former self. Though Arthur's mark of shame is not visible, it is all the more tortuous for its absence. Shame and guilt feed upon Arthur's soul with slow malevolency. Only a combination of death and confession finally release Arthur from his torture. Though Hester's ostracism from society and the tortuous nature of her shame, Hester is stripped of all passion and humanity. Since society acknowledges Hester's sin, she becomes an exile in her own town. "All the world Ha[s] frowned on her," and Hester must bear the brunt of her shameful isolation. When Hester walks through her town "a sort of magic circle [forms] itself around her." Devoid of any social contact, save that of her daughter, Hester must endure of lonely existence. "In all her intercourse with society, save that of her daughter, there was nothing that made [Hester] feel as if she belonged to it."; therefore, she turns to herself for reflection of her shame. When Hester must walk through the town, she suffers "an agony from every footstep." Frequent suffering does not inure Hester to her inner torment; instead, the same grows" more sensitive with daily torture." Hester's ostracism from a stoic society and the burdensome nature of her shame, deprive her off life. Treated as a dangerous delinquent by society, Hester begins to question her humanity. Due to her intense suffering, "some attribute [departs] from [Hester], which had been essential to keep her a woman." Stripped of her passion and femininity, Hester is left as an iron character with a solemn manner. Hester's shame remains to haunt her until her dying day. Reverend Dimmesdale's bought with the evils of isolation is distinct from Hester's due to the fact that his sin remains a secret from the public. Tormented by his grievous sin and the duplicity of a fraudulent lifestyle, Dimmesdale's physical stature is destroyed. Arthur Dimmesdale is "a man burdened with a secret" that haunts his daily existence. The only truth that continues to give Arthur Dimmesdale a real existence "was the anguish in his inmost soul." Arthur wears "his hand over his heart" an indication of his shame eating away at his soul. In addition to the torture Dimmesdale endures from his shame, he constantly suffers from the fraudulent duplicity of his lifestyle. To his congregation, Arthur wears a mask of purity, however, Arthur realizes the blackness of his sin in private. Dimmesdale endures a constant "bitterness and agony of heart" from the "contrast between what [he] seem[s] and what [he is]" Due to his multiple lifestyles, Dimmesdale is often "bewildered as to which may be true." The sum of Dimmesdale's torment is manifested in the form of a "bodily disease," which serves to deteriorate the reverend. Dimmesdale is only able to find peace in death and confession. Revealing his sin to society, he frees himself to advance toward God's judgment. The evil of isolation of Puritan society robs Hester and Dimmesdale of their humanity, leaving them as stone monuments of shame. The isolation of Puritan society is a result of their belief that "the wages of sin is death." Only in death do Hester and Dimmesdale escape the anguish that arises from isolation. However, the infancy remains as their "only monument" after death. The destructive nature of shame is a powerful weapon. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Executive Summary for research paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Executive Summary The tobacco industry has been around for many years dating back to the 19th century. W. Duke and Sons was one of the earliest cigarette companies and was started in 1881. When cigarettes were first produced, they were blends of Turkish leaf and bright tobacco and could only be made by a trained cigarette maker at a rate of four cigarettes per minute. A man by the name of James Bonsack developed a cigarette making machine that could make 120,000 cigarettes a day. In 1890 the American Tobacco Company was founded and controlled 90% of the nations cigarette manufacturing, but in 1911 the Supreme Court ruled that they violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and forced the company to break up. From this break up the Big Four emerged and included R.J. Reynolds, Ligget and Myers, Lorillard, and American. During this time period, slow tobacco markets were a large problem. Things got to the point that the Interstate Tobacco Growers Protection Association threatened to hold all of the tobacco until the price demands were met. When World War one came, the demand for tobacco went up drastically, but after the war prices went back down. The tobacco industry would start to face many problems so changes had to be made to help deal with the problems. Advertising come on to the scene and proved to be very important to the industry. One very popular form of advertising used by American Tobacco Company was the use of baseball cards. Also slogans were adopted such as "I'd walk a mile for a camel". Figures such as Camel Joe and Marlboro Man also came into play. One of the biggest challenges the cigarette industry has faced has been the link of cigarettes to lung cancer and other diseases. In hopes of elimating the harmful effects of cigarettes companies introduced new filtered cigarettes that would try to eliminate some of the harmful effects. In lieu of this new health concern, the surgeon general ordered warnings be placed on all cigarette boxes, informing people of the dangers of cigarette smoking. Presently, companies are promoting ad campaigns to inform and prevent people from smoking. The tobacco industry is a very competitive industry despite having only a few key players. Phillip-Morris is by far the worlds leading tobacco distributor and paid $4.5b in taxes last year and is the largest single taxpayer in the country. The market values of RJ Reynolds, American Brands, and Loews Corp. are very similar. This similar market value allows then the ability to easily take over another company and increase their market value. The tobacco industry also competes with the government and the public at times. For example, no longer legal avertising in sports such as Nascar which tobacco companies were major sponsors. The only competition U.S. tobacco companies face globally is the United Kingdom. Three of the major five companies are located there. Technology has also started to be a problem for tobacco companies and created competition. Contraband companies exist that sell counterfeit cigarettes over the internet and gain major profits. Ligitmate cigarette distributors are now beginning to sell cigarettes online to keep up with the importance of internet shopping. Genetically engineered tobacco plants have also come into play that are more health friendly to smokers. The tobacco industry has a very large impact on the economy. The industry produces jobs in manufacturing and farming. The tobacco industry also spends up to $6b on advertising, while the government spends $250m a year to counteract tobacco adervertising with anti-tobacco advertising. While the tobacco industry raises a large $11b in tax funds, it does not come close to paying for the government Medicare payments to cover tobacco-related illness. Tax- payers pay $16b for Medicare. The Gross Domestic Product for the tobacco industry is $21.1b. To give you an idea on how much a tobacco company makes; In 2001 Phillip Morris' sales were $89,927m. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Executive Summary for research.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Executive Summary The tobacco industry has been around for many years dating back to the 19th century. W. Duke and Sons was one of the earliest cigarette companies and was started in 1881. When cigarettes were first produced, they were blends of Turkish leaf and bright tobacco and could only be made by a trained cigarette maker at a rate of four cigarettes per minute. A man by the name of James Bonsack developed a cigarette-making machine that could make 120,000 cigarettes a day. In 1890 the American Tobacco Company was founded and controlled 90% of the nations cigarette manufacturing, but in 1911 the Supreme Court ruled that they violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and forced the company to break up. From this break up the Big Four emerged and included R.J. Reynolds, Ligget and Myers, Lorillard, and American. During this time period, slow tobacco markets were a large problem. Things got to the point that the Interstate Tobacco Growers Protection Association threatened to hold all of the tobacco until the price demands were met. When World War one came, the demand for tobacco went up drastically, but after the war prices went back down. The tobacco industry would start to face many problems so changes had to be made to help deal with the problems. Advertising come on to the scene and proved to be very important to the industry. One very popular form of advertising used by American Tobacco Company was the use of baseball cards. Also slogans were adopted such as "I'd walk a mile for a camel". Figures such as Camel Joe and Marlboro Man also came into play. One of the biggest challenges the cigarette industry has faced has been the link of cigarettes to lung cancer and other diseases. In hopes of eliminating the harmful effects of cigarettes companies introduced new filtered cigarettes that would try to eliminate some of the harmful effects. In lieu of this new health concern, the surgeon general ordered warnings be placed on all cigarette boxes, informing people of the dangers of cigarette smoking. Presently, companies are promoting ad campaigns to inform and prevent people from smoking. The tobacco industry is a very competitive industry despite having only a few key players. Phillip-Morris is by far the worlds leading tobacco distributor and paid $4.5b in taxes last year and is the largest single taxpayer in the country. The market values of RJ Reynolds, American Brands, and Loews Corp. are very similar. This similar market value allows then the ability to easily take over another company and increase their market value. The tobacco industry also competes with the government and the public at times. For example, no longer legal advertising in sports such as Nascar which tobacco companies were major sponsors. The only competition U.S. tobacco companies face globally is the United Kingdom. Three of the major five companies are located there. Technology has also started to be a problem for tobacco companies and created competition. Contraband companies exist that sell counterfeit cigarettes over the Internet and gain major profits. Legitimate cigarette distributors are now beginning to sell cigarettes online to keep up with the importance of Internet shopping. Genetically engineered tobacco plants have also come into play that are more health friendly to smokers. The tobacco industry has a very large impact on the economy. The industry produces jobs in manufacturing and farming. The tobacco industry also spends up to $6b on advertising, while the government spends $250m a year to counteract tobacco advertising with anti-tobacco advertising. While the tobacco industry raises a large $11b in tax funds, it does not come close to paying for the government Medicare payments to cover tobacco-related illness. Tax- payers pay $16b for Medicare. The Gross Domestic Product for the tobacco industry is $21.1b. To give you an idea on how much a tobacco company makes; In 2001 Phillip Morris' sales were $89,927m. The tobacco industry is constantly changing due to a few key and major factors. Technology has made it available for people purchase cigarettes online. Internet sales open the door for minors to purchase, which is very illegal, but also bring large profits to vendors. Internet prices are also in most cases much cheaper. Genetically engineered tobacco plants are also technological advances that tobacco companies' hope will have less nicotine. Socio-Economic trends are also major factors in the changing tobacco industry. Much of society has an anti-smoking attitude, but the number of smokers has not made large decrease in recent years. The most prominent change in social trends lies with youths. Young people make up a large portion of the smoking population. This increase in youth smoking perhaps has prompted a lot of the anti-smoking campaigns. The legal environment is perhaps one of the most influential trends in the tobacco industry. Litigation risks for the industry are on the rise because of the many class action lawsuits that have been taking place. It is interesting to note that from the 1950's to 1994 the tobacco industry did not pay any damages to plaintiffs claiming death and disease from smoking. Since then only 13 cases have ended in verdicts against tobacco companies. Marketing practices have recently started to change for the tobacco industry. In 1998, a tobacco agreement was signed that changed the way cigarettes were advertised, promoted, and sold in the United States. The settlement stopped form of advertising such as t-shirts, billboards, stadium signs, and backpacks with a tobacco brand name. These were said to be directed toward youth. Minorities and women are also said to be large targets for the tobacco industry. Magazine advertisement is also another popular marketing tactic. The tobacco settlement has no bans or restrictions dealing with magazines unless the ad targets youths through promotion, advertising, or marketing. The future of the tobacco industry is very interesting. There are a lot of thing happening such as the banning of smoking in some restaurants and large price increases that could potentially have an impact on the tobacco industry. The anti-smoking campaigns will also prove to be a challenge to the industry. It will be very interesting to see how the tobacco industry deals with the challenges of the future and if the industry prospers or begins to slowing decline. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Experimental Psychology Term Paper42604.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Running head: PARENTAL PREFERENCES AND PRE-DETERMINED ATTITUDE AFFECT CHILD Parental Preferences and Pre-determined Attitude toward Family Size Affect Child's Attitude and Achievement Taylor M. Hodge Southern Methodist University Parental Preference and Pre-determined Attitude toward Family Size Affect Child's Attitude and Achievement The majority of United States residents believe that only children are at a disadvantage. Statistics such as this shows the disapproving outlook a society concludes to only children. G. Stanley Hall initially put this negative view of the only child into play. Hall asserted that being an only child was a disease unto itself (Neal, 1927). A child's motivation to succeed through certain achievements is driven on the assumption of parental approval. The parent's approval is pre-determined based variables such as the conception of a normal family size, social norms, and cultural affluence. Government laws, parent's desired economic status, and personal preferences such as the commitment and time having multiple children will cause determine the parent's conception of a normal family size. In 1979, the Republic of China implemented the one-child-per-family program in order to control the country's overpopulation. The Chinese feared the expected population of 2.1 billion by the year 2080, compared to the 1.2 billion in 2000. By 1985, 80% to 90% of Chinese couples in urban areas had responded in accordance to the family plan policy (Yang, Ollendick, Dong, Xia, & Lin, 1995). The book, The Joy Luck Club explains why Chinese parents desire to indicate their own worth through their child (Tan, 1989). Traditionally, Chinese families valued the idea of having many children such as the American families' do. Around 14% of United States children are only children. While only child families begins to increase, the focus of only children research in the United States has been around for more than half a century with over 200 studies on only children (Zheng & Colombo, 2001). Many of the articles such as the Wan, Fan, Lin, and Jing (2001) study, Yang et al. (1995) study, the Shen & Yuan (1999) study, and the Wang, Kato, Inaba, Tango, Yoshida, Kusaka, et al. (2000) study are tested in China because of the one-child-per-family law. However, results from these studies can be biased when cultural and social norms are not accounted for. The Zheng and Colombo (2001) study was based on the Snow, Jacklin, & Maccoby (1981) study that found only children exhibit more assertiveness and total social behavior when observed in a one-on-one social situation where the number of toys is limited. In 2001, Zheng and Colombo duplicated the study to find specific social behaviors amongst only versus sibling children. The results were completely different based on one factor. The Snow et al. study observation was conducted in a constrained one-on-one environment with limited variables while the Zheng and Colombo study observation took place during group-oriented free-play period (Zheng & Colombo, 2001). This sole factor showed Zheng and Colombo the difference a controlled environment can have on the results. The Zheng and Colombo (2001) study is more pertinent and rationale in larger group situations, while the Snow et al. (1981) study can be more reliable in one-on-one child encounters. The Yang et al. (1995) study found only children reported lower levels of fear, anxiety, and depression than sibling children in the Republic of China. The study was conducted in the urban area of China only, and the one-child-per-family policy was enacted and made law prior to the study. Logically, sibling children would have higher levels of fear, anxiety, and depression in urban China when they are not within the social norm and the law demands otherwise. The family with more than one child is subjected to economic sanctions as well (Yang et al., 1995). In Shen and Yuan's (1999) study the researchers agree with the illustrations of The Joy Luck Club, and go on to say that Chinese parents with one child seem to have only one chance to realize their worth through that child. Instrumental values such as leadership, self-motivation, and kindness are implemented as vehicles to accomplishment (Shen & Yuan, 1999). The Wan, Fan, Lin, and Jing (2001) study shows achievement motivation as the only significant difference in only children versus sibling children. While three grades, one, three, and five were included, only grade one yielded the results. The first grade children are the only children that were born after the Republic of China one-child-per-family provision. Parents placed a significant difference on their children when they knew that would be their only child. The parents' only descendent to carry down the bloodline. The way the child succeeded in life also proved how successful the parents were. By focusing solely on Korea, Doh and Falbo were able to yield similar results to most Chinese studies in concurrence that parental preference and attitude affect a child's attitude and achievement. The Doh and Falbo (1999) studied parental preferences such as attentiveness and overprotectiveness and compared only children versus sibling children in Korea. Mothers who said they were more attentive had less selfish, more popular, and sociable children than mothers who did not address an overly attentiveness preference (Doh & Falbo, 1999). While Chinese and Korean studies can seem irreverent, the Roberts and Blanton (2001) study was conducted in the United States and achieved similar results. The study focused on only child college students recalling their childhood. Most students agreed that pressures to succeed came from the parent's approval. The approval to produce grandchildren, demands of being the sole caretakers of their aging parents, and the sorrow that would come with losing all connection to their families of origin after their parents' death all play overwhelming negative affects on being an only child in the United States. While benefits such as a tight-knit relationship with their parents, enjoying needed time alone, and avoiding fights with siblings were mainly overlooked by the downside of being an only child (Roberts, & Blanton, 2001). The strong correlation of the literature and this study is apparent through many aspects. Parental preferences are normally in tune with the social norms and these norms change over time, and can be different culturally as well. The past literature illustrates key pattern and behavior traits parents illustrate based on changing times. The Chinese one-child-per-family provision is an example of the dramatic affect a culture and its law have on pre-determined attitudes and preferences on family size. The literature shows the positive and negative affects family size has on children while this study intertwines past data to support current hypotheses. This study would not be valid if it were not for the hundreds and hundreds of past studies, the validity and invalidity of these studies, and the topics they depict. Families come and go, but the concept of a family will forever be in time. This study pertains to each and every person that was once a child, only or sibling. Without past facts and data, the current methods and procedures would be non-existent. While history is repeated, the building block of learning from past successes and failures grows plentiful. How is a child's attitude and achievement affected by the parent's pre-determined attitude and preference on family size? This question is relevant and hits home to every human being. By understanding the reasoning and factors of why a parent's approval is so important to a child's success is only the beginning. The way a child is raised not only determines how that child will act, but how the child will parent their future children. The study of how a child's attitude and achievement is affected by parental attitude and preference on family size digs deep into the cause and affect measure and method. Is it because the child is an only child in a family among many sibling families, sociological explanations, or do parents really have this undisputed accountability and approval soundness for their child's motivation towards achievement and success? Parents have an unknowing, everlasting affect on their children and attitudes they will forever implement and carry. Method Participants Thirty children (16 male, 14 female), the children's three teachers, and the children's parents were observed for this study. The children were enrolled in a preschool program at Southern Methodist University. The children's mean age was six years. Of the 30 children, 14 were only children. Of the remaining 16 children, 10 had one sibling, 4 had two, and 2 had four. Measures/Materials A correlation design will be used to measure the sibling children and only children. The teachers filled out a ranking survey on a daily basis based on the children's social interactions and behaviors. The teachers paid special attention to dominating character traits, and observed how the children interacted with one another. There was a special section to note unusual or disturbing behavior such as children that played by themselves and children that had to be in control at all times. The parents of the children also filled out a similar daily ranking survey. The parents took into special consideration the actions and attitudes that they had throughout the day based on their feelings of having one to multiple children. Their actions were measured against their child's actions to see the similarities and differences the children had in comparison to their parents. The scale measured the response time and conditions the children had towards their parents and other individuals throughout the day. The children were also interviewed weekly to assess their behavior and how they were coping with their parent's reactions and social interaction. While it is hard to interview preschoolers this is an important step to understanding the children's reactions to the parent's attitudes and preferences. Procedures The children had three teachers watching over them throughout the day. Each teacher recorded 10 children for five days. The teachers would then rotate the next week and record 10 more children. This continued for three weeks until all three teachers had recorded all 30 students. The parents ranked their children's behavior and attitude on a daily basis for 30 days. The children were chosen based on availability and consent from the parents or legal guardians. The children were also cross-examined to make sure they were mentally stable, and capable of completing the study. The parent's recorded their children's behaviors daily for 30 days. The children's bedtime was an appropriate time to record the data in order to gather all of the necessary information needed from that day. The teachers responded to the surveys for three straight weeks excluding weekends. The children each had 15 surveys completed per child by three teachers. The children responded weekly to an interviewer who examined their actions and reactions for the week. The data that was collected was analyzed, and studied by all researchers who took part in the study. The researchers divided the sibling children versus only children surveys into two piles, and compared and contrasted the similarities and differences the two groups portrayed. Personalities tend to remain consistent within each child, and that is why additional measurement is needed. In order to break through and dig deep into the slightest change in a child's personality all the measurement that is possible should be done. Assumed behavior traits include the children to act and feel certain ways based on how the parent's act and treat their children. Children who feel they do not adequately fulfill their parent's needs will act differently than the children who feel a sense of completion in regards to their parent's actions. This study will be successful only with the utmost respect and fairness from the parents. The parent's honesty is crucial in order to achieve the desired results. Confidentiality will be overemphasized in order reassure the parent's privacy. Incentives will be offered in order to receive the most accurate data possible. The parents and children will receive sporting event tickets for the entire family, and the teacher will receive tickets for their entire family. This reiterates the need to spend quality time with the family in a fun, laid back setting. Positive and negative effects will be taken into consideration to determine how the parent's pre-determined attitude and preference regarding family size affect a child's attitude and achievement. References Doh, H., & Falbo, T. (1999). Social competence, maternal attentiveness, and overprotectiveness: Only children in Korea. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 23, 149-162. Roberts, L.C., & Blanton, P.W. (2001). I always knew mom and dad loved me best: Experiences of only children. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 57, 125-140. Shen, J., & Yuan, B. (1999). Moral values of only and sibling children in mainland China. The Journal of Psychology, 133, 115-124. Wan, C., Fan, C., Lin, G., & Jing, Q. (2001). Comparison of personality traits of only and sibling school children in Beijing. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 155, 377-388. Wang, D., Kato, N., Inaba, Y., Tango, T., Yoshida, Y., Kusaka, Y., et al. (2000). Physical and personality in Fuzhou, China: Only child vs sibling. Child: Care, Health, and Development, 26, 49-60. Yang, B., Ollendick, T.H., Dong, Q., Xia, Y., & Lin, L. (1995). Only children and children with siblings in the People's Republic of China: Levels of fear, anxiety, and depression. Child Development, 66, 1301-1311. Zheng, S., & Colombo, J. (2001). Sibling configuration and gender differences in preschool social participation. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 150, 45-50. 2 1 Parental Preference and Pre-determined Attitude 13 Parental Preference and Pre-determined Attitude f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\exploration.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Expository Writing.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Expository Writing Professor Habershaw 10.10.2003 Sometimes Support Falls Short In Richard Rodriguez's essay "The Achievement of Desire" and Alice Walker's "In Search for Our Mothers' Gardens" both Authors use quotations to further their standpoint. The two Authors use different ways of persuasion but ultimately fail to fully represent their source. It is often helpful to use a quote to support one's point; however it is important to respect the form and intent of the original author. Without reverence for the primary author, the essay loses meaning, for it is the original author where their expressed points are coming from. It is imperative for reader's everywhere to be cognizant of the level of deception that some writers use. If a reader does not recognize the misuse of a quotation from another source than it is possible that they have been fooled by the writer. In "The Achievement of Desire", Rodriguez analyzes Hoggart's theory of a "scholarship boy". Instead of citing Hoggart's definition of a scholarship boy, Rodriguez supplements his own definition and uses Hoggart to support his altered statements. Rodriguez over examines the meaning of a scholarship boy. He incorporates his own embarrassing life experiences to redefine Hoggart's term. Hoggart states: 'He becomes an expert imbiber and doler-out; his competence will vary, but will rarely be accompanied by genuine enthusiasms. He rarely feels the reality of his knowledge, of other men's thoughts and imaginings, on his own pulses....He has something of the blinkered pony about him...' (Rodriguez 666) After this quotation in the essay, Rodriguez goes into detail over his personal battles with his family and the educational system. With these references, Rodriguez makes the scholarship boy seem almost as a disorder. His tangents on his family life have no clear representation of Hoggart's scholarship boy. "My father and mother did not pass their time thinking about the cultural meanings of their experience. It was I who described their daily lives with airy ideas....If, because of my schooling, I had grown culturally separated from my parents, my education finally had given me ways of speaking and caring about that fact" (Rodriguez 670). In using Hoggart as a reference it appears that Rodriguez's point differentiates from the original author not only in definition but in tone as well. Hoggart's scholarship boy seems to be more of a clear cut analysis that's dry but to the point. "He longs for the membership he lost....He wants to go back and yet thinks he has gone beyond his class". Hoggart simply highlights what a scholarship boy does and does not do; while Rodriguez adds a personal aspect that makes his tone more melodramatic. When using another reference to support your opinion, the original author's quote should help structure your essay instead of contrast your work. Rodriguez's remarks on the scholarship boy seem to differentiate from Hoggart's definition and that creates a flaw in Rodriguez's work. Not only does it disrespect the primary author but also makes Rodriguez appear less credible. Although they differ in style and tone, Walker too misrepresents her sources. In Alice Walker's essay, she uses Virginia Woolf and Phillis Wheatley as sources to further her point about important women in the arts. In use of Woolf's quote, Walker splices information in the middle of Woolfs's statement to make her argument more clear. 'Yet genius of a sort must have existed among the working class. [Change this to "slaves" and the "wives and daughters of sharecroppers."] Now and again an Emily Bronte or a Robert Burns [change this to "a Zora Hurston or a Richard Wright"] blazes our and proves its presence' (Walker 744). Notice in the quote how Walker imposes different names within the Woolf's words to justify her point more clearly. By imposing thoughts within another writer's work proves how unrelated her source was. When quoting from Phillis Wheatley, Walker again alters the original writers work. Wheatley writes: 'The goddess comes, she moves divinely fair, Olive and laurel binds her golden hair. Wherever shines this native of the skies, Unnumber'd charms and recent graces rise [My italics]' (Walker 743). Within Wheatley's own work, Walker highlights the word golden to emphasize the one word and subsequently writes "My italics" when the quotation is finished. This use of italics on Wheatley's work is unfair because Wheatley did originally italicize the word "golden" so this creates a distortion in her own work. The difference in Rodriguez and Walker's use of quotations is that Walker literally changes what the primary author wrote, where as Rodriguez is only expanding on what his source is stating. Walker's style seems less professional and unfair to the original writer. When a writer releases a piece of work to the public it is open to interpretation but exaggeration and distortion should not be accepted. If Woolf had intended for her work to be represented as Walker did than possibly Walker's essay could be justifiable. When using an alternate source there should always be a level of respect for the author's intentions but Walker did not exactly do that and basically used Woolf and Wheatley as support for her work only. Rodriguez and Walker use different techniques to persuade their audience but ultimately both portray their source in the wrong light. Rodriguez, who takes his source and expands afterwards, seems to be a more admirable way of persuasion, where as Walker's style of inter-cutting her own thoughts within her source is shameful. If Walker waited for the quote to commence to add her opinion, her view points would seem more commendable. By consciously persuading their audience, Rodriguez and Walker are using a technique Robert Coles calls "filtering". Their reason for filtering their sources may be due to a lack of power in their argument. If they had a more influential view point then it is possible that they would not need to rely on their sources so heavily. In order to justify their statements more clearly they choose to filter their sources to persuade their readers. When an author distorts another author's intention, their level of credibility becomes a question. When a literary work is published it is open for interpretation but only to the author's acceptance. Using alternate sources in an essay is needed but as long as it connects to what the author originally intended. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Extreme Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ . Terrorism Together with organized crime and proliferation of mass destruction weapons, terrorism - and its international form in particular - pose one of the greatest threats to the entire human civilization. The global character of this dangerous phenomenon is documented by the fact that a substantial part of the world has been hit or is threatened with terrorism of political and religious nature, acts of regional or supra-national terrorist and extremist organizations and groups. Despite the immense efforts of the security agencies of all democratic states to eliminate international terrorism, around fifty to sixty countries become the venue of its acts every year. Tightening up sanctions has practically no effect. International terrorists - whose demands include change of domestic and foreign policies and legal systems, release of imprisoned terrorists or payment of ransom and guarantee of safe escape - are determined to resort to any means; nothing will deter them, they are often ready to die in suicide attacks. To thwart their planned action is therefore extremely difficult, and so is any kind of prevention. This increases the importance of the role played in this respect by the intelligence services, which collect and analyze information on the intentions and movements of terrorist organizations, groups and individuals, and makes it truly irreplaceable. In this context it is necessary to highlight the very good cooperation and communication between BIS and its partners in democratic countries. Most European and American jurisdictions define terrorism as a premeditated, planned use of violence or threat by violence, usually aimed against disinterested persons with the purpose to raise fear and use it for achieving the fulfilment of political, religious or ideological demands. Unlike organized crime, it does not directly pursue the goal of financial profit. Its concrete manifestations include bomb attacks against people and facilities, use of letter bombs, taking hostages, murders, hijacking people and planes, blackmail and threats by violence. A fertile soil for the emergence of terrorism is mostly provided by political, religious, racial, economic or social discrimination, denial of the right to self-determination, autonomy and independence. But in many cases it involves also ideological abuse of some population groups in a struggle for power and influence in a state, region or part of the world. Depending on the point of view, terrorism can be divided into domestic and international, political (seeking political, ideological and religious benefit), criminal (seeking material benefit) and psychotic (self-satisfaction of a mentally ill person). Political terrorism can be further divided into the following categories: Islamic-fundamentalist (Palestinian groups, the Near and Middle East regions), religious-ethnical (IRA, the Indian-Pakistani dispute about Kashmir, the events on the Balkans), nationalistic (ETA in Spain, the nationalists in Corsica) and subsiding left-wing terrorism (the Red Brigades and the Anti-imperialistic Cell in the FRG, the French Direct Action). Of the above-listed forms, psychotic terrorism is regarded as the least scrutable as its perpetrators are quite content with attracting attention and raising terror by their actions, which in turn brings them perverse pleasure and satisfaction. In this case the use of violence is not a means of asserting a certain demand but an end in itself. Islamic-fundamentalist terrorism, stemming from Islamic extremism, is considered to be the most dangerous. Its ideology condemns the Western political principles and system of values, and recognizes a world order based strictly on the rule of Islam as the only correct one. In the name of this ideology, Islamic fundamentalists feel justified to use violence in confronting the Western world. They increasingly strive to infiltrate the life and societies of European states. It is known, for instance, that they have tried to recruit agents from among Muslims in Bosnian refugee camps. The Balkan peninsula apparently serves as one of their marshalling grounds from where different militant groups try to cast their information and intelligence nets into Central Europe. A serious danger for Europe is represented by the activities of radical Islamic organizations. Examples include Algerian groups whose activities reflect the precarious situation in their homeland and proceed from Algeria's historical links with France. A proof to this effect is a series of terrorist attacks in France as well as the fact that strongholds of Muslim extremists from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) have been repeatedly exposed in Belgium. A major threat is also posed by the activities of other Islamic radical organizations, such as the Islamic Resistance Movement - HAMAS, Hezbollah and Gamaa al Islamiya. Another reason for concern which should not be overlooked is the emerge of a new phenomenon typical of Europe in the 1990s - namely the spread of nationalistic and ethnic conflicts which have a secondary impact on life in advanced West European countries. The level of threat to which the Czech Republic is exposed in connection with international terrorism is the subject of the chapter called "Results, findings". 2. Extremism The term extremism is routinely used to describe extremely radical views and ideologies which are hostile to democracy. Under certain circumstances, extremist currents of thought of both right and left inclinations, often highly militant, may result in quite concrete destructive - so-called subversive acts with the purpose to destabilize the state and overhrow its democratic system. Groups of extremist orientation include left-wing groupings professing communist ideology, anarcho-autonomist alliances of anarchists, members of the non-ideological autonomist movement, supporters of nationalistic and Pan-Slavic attitudes (who strive for the unification of Slavonic nations under the leadership of Great Russia), and Neo-Nazi groups calling for a racially "pure" society. The situation on the Czech extremist scene and the goals of the above-mentioned groupings are described in greater detail in the chapter entitled "Results, findings". 3. Organized crime Organized crime represents a grave global anti-civilization threat to the security and stability of states. The tremendous amount of means which it possesses helps it to inflitrate economic, financial, political and government structures and influence their decision-making, management and control mechanisms. Highly organized crime not only forms a structure governed by a strict hierarchy and its own rigorous laws, but also completely ignores state frontiers. By its very nature it exceeds the limits of morality, too: human beings are regarded as inanimate material and are treated accordingly. In its essence, organized crime is a system of superiority and exclusivity which relies on manipulation and domination, on a religion of money and power. The intelligence services of all democratic countries call organized crime their "new agenda" after the disintegration of the bi-polar world. And it needs to be stressed that the task of secret services - including BIS - is not to expose its individual, partial manifestations (organized prostitution, drug traffic, extortion, illegal migration, car thefts etc.) but in the first place to concentrate on its "macro-effects" and "macro-consequences" (its penetration into public administration, financial circles and politics). Organized criminal groups which operate in the Czech Republic are dealt with separately - with emphasis on the Russian-speaking mafias - under the heading "Results, findings" http://millat.pibc.com/ghalibcom/opinion/india.htm http://www.iips.cz/cisla/texty/komentare/radical300.html http://www.au.org/press/pr112901.htm http://www.um.dk/publikationer/fremmedsprog/English/Strategy/Egypt/egypt.2.1.3.asp f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Fahrenheit 451 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FAHRENHEIT 451 A WORLD WITH NO BOOKS Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 was an interesting Science fiction thriller that provided an odd view on the censorship of books. Not just some books, but all books. An entire distorted culture and civilization where all books are prohibited. And the penalty for being caught with books is that the books must be burned and in some cases the penalty may lead to death. In this tale of censorship and self discovery, Bradbury leads the reader through a short period in the life of the protagonist, Guy Montag. A firefighter struggling with his conscience to determine if a society without books is right. Fahrenheit 451 has an entertaining theme and plot and a well paced story line. This book combines catchy description and well thought out characters to put together a gripping story that keeps the readers attention. It is interesting to see how a once controversial topic could create such a dystopia in one place. Fahrenheit 451 had many examples of good writing techniques that made it a good novel. One technique that Bradbury did a good job of using was description. He described things specifically using outstanding similes and personifications. One example is how he mentioned the fire hose. He called it "the great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world." (Bradbury 3) This made the reader not only visualize the hose but get a feel for the mood about the firemen at that time. Another example of good description is how he described the physical appearance of the firemen. "Their charcoal hair and their soot-colored brows and their bluish-ash-smeared cheeks where they had shaven close." (32) The adjectives charcoal and soot-colored describe the color of their hair but also are words that relate to their job as a fireman. Finally, an excellent example of Bradbury's descriptive writing was when Montag pulled the trigger and set Captain Beatty on fire. "There was a hiss like a great mouthful of spittle banging a red-hot stove, a bubbling and frothing as if salt had been poured over a monstrous black snail to cause a terrible liquefaction and a boiling over of yellow foam." (117) A different aspect of writing that made Fahrenheit 451 a good story was the way he kept the book well paced. There were few dead spots in the story and few spots that pushed the storyline along too quickly. Another aspect of the story that made it enjoyable was the characters and their relations to each other. Each character brought a special part to the story that effected the plot and other characters. One of the most important characters was Clarrise. She was the teenage girl that began Montag's self realization that a world with no books was wrong. For that, Montag had a special appreciation for her. She stated that ,"Didn't firemen prevent fires rather than stoke them up and get them going." (33) Another relationship in this novel that made it good was that of Montag and Captain Beatty. Throughout most of the story had a strange fear and hatred towards Captain Beatty. When Montag started to collect books from the houses he and other firemen burned, he got extremely paranoid and edgy with Beatty. He began to see Beatty as the absolute opposite of what he wanted to become. Captain Beatty represented all of the evil in what they did to the books. He taunted Montag for wanting to change his life around. "Go ahead now you, second hand litterateur, pull the trigger." (117) This was how Montag was treated moments before he was about to end Beatty's life. In all effect, the relationships in this novel proved to be very relevant and well thought out. Fahrenheit 451 was an excellent book that would interest many different types of people. It contains a plot that brushes very close to a dystopia that could happen in our culture today. Therefore creating a unique element of suspense. Fahrenheit 451 is also a story about self discovery and change. Readers would enjoy to read through Montag's confusion with figuring out right and wrong, and avoiding a government filled with ignorance. This book proves to be packed with action, adventure and emotion. It is a science fiction tale that will surly continue to intrigue minds, young and old for generations to come. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Fahrenheit 451.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [Error] - File could not be written... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\families portraid in Roddy Doyles books.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Why do we hear so much about family these days? Perhaps it is because relationships between family members are assumed to be the prototype for all other social relations. In the novels, The Commitments, The Snapper and The Van, Roddy Doyle shows his support of the family as an institution. Each character demonstrates strength and direction within the family unit. However, when the stability of the family is threatened, each character breaks down along with the family itself. When we think of family life we associate happiness, a life of sharing memories and developing unbreakable friendships. It is easy to create a family that is make believe, we just tend to leave the ugly side of the relationship out. It may be true that there is a family that lives like the "Cleavers" in our society today, but speaking realistically every family will breakdown eventually. In an interview about his novels the author said, "I didn't set out to capture the good in every family, or bad for that matter, I just wanted to show a typical Irish family."1 Doyle's writing is real--he deals with issues that might not hit home with every reader however, they are events that confront many people every day. The Rabbitte family is used in all three novels that make up the "Barrytown Trilogy." While the times are both good and bad for the eight members of this Irish family, in some way they find a way overcome every problem that faces them. One of Doyle's strengths is his feel for personality: his characters are neither devils nor clowns, dolts nor wits, but wobble between the extremes. "They're fish gutters and mechanics, young knockabouts and unemployed workers who spend a lot of time watching T.V. drinking Guinness and jawing at the pub, trying to stave off the feelings that they are nondescript people in a nondescript world."2 The Commitments is Doyle's first full-length novel. The main character Jimmy Rabbitte, the eldest son, puts together a band. It is almost every teenager's dream, at some point, to be famous playing music in front of large groups of people. In fact, this is how this book started off. In the end, however, it turns out to be the complete opposite. Doyle captures the emotions of his characters when they are weak and leaves an impact on the reader with his humorous wit. He describes his writing as "a challenge that's the enjoyable part. To an extent, that's what happened with all my books because I've never experienced any of the subjects I write about. I used to be a ten-year old boy, but I certainly didn't watch my parents marriage disintegrate. I was never in a band, I've never been pregnant and I've never been unemployed for a day in my life."3 It is shown that Doyle has strong family values. In his writing he clearly demonstrates that if one family member falls, it effects the rest of the family. In The Commitments, throughout the entire novel, the band acts like a family. As the manager, Jimmy plays the role of the father figure and trys to keep the band reaching higher levels, together. But, as members begin to fight Jimmy finds it more difficult to keep the group together. "Now, said Jimmy-tell your Uncle Jimmy all about it. -I just. -Jimmy could see Billy thinking It's just- I hate him, Jimmy. I hate him -- I can't even sleep at nigh'"4 The drummer, Billy's leaving was because of Deco, the lead singer of the band who he couldn't face. Because they never talked, working out their problems was never accomplished. The Commitments worked as a team to reach its success but when the group was on the brink of acheiving stardom individual motives began to cause problems. When the band stopped acting like a family unit the fights broke out. "Somewhere in the quarter of an hour Jimmy had been negotiating with Dave from Eejit Records, The Commitments had broken up." Jimmy came to the conclusion that it was over. He moved on and kept his mind off the band. Success had in fact destroyed the once harmonious group. In The Snapper Doyle uses a interesting topic: pregnancy. Sharon, the eldest Rabitte daughter accidentally gets pregnant. In the end, the father turns out to be her own father's best friend. The beginning stage of her family breaking down is when she finally confronts them about her being pregnant. While the family accepts the fact that she is unmarried and pregnant, they have several fights over the identity of the child's father. Sharon is stubborn and won't reveal any names and the rest of the family is hurt and angry because it feels that it deserves to know who the father is. "Jimmy Sr got down to buisness -who was it -wha?- Oh I don't know -Ah now, jaysis -No, I do know -well , then -I'm not telling -Jimmy Sr could feel himself getting angry now".5 Whether the problem is little or big the Rabbitte family always muddles through and deals with it. Sharon had put herself in the middle of the biggest problem yet. She feels hurt and while she never wanted to put her family through pain or suffering, that that is what she was doing. At the same time, she was trying to deal with the changing of her own body and working on making herself come to terms about what she had done. In effect everybody was suffering. -Wha' kind of a house is this at all? he asked the table. -He looked at Veronica. She was deciding if she'd throw the marmalade at the twins. -A man get's up in the mornin', said Jimmy Sr.-an'-an' -Oh shut up, said Veronica.6 It is now clear that as a result of tension in the house the two parents in the family were developing a negativity against each other. It was Sharon's decision to hide the truth, but it was also up to her to become realistic and tell the truth before it tore the family apart anymore. The final novel in the trilogy is The Van. It focuses on the dad, Jimmy Sr. The fun-loving father of the Rabbitte family had been recently laid off work. So, Jimmy Sr. and his best friend, Bimbo open a portable fast-food restaurant called Bimbo's Burgers. It is located in a greasy old van that would never pass an inspection. The father's role can't be left unmentioned. Jimmy Sr. has a lot of control over his family. Throughout the series he is viewed as the descision maker, a role model and as a source of family strength. As soon as the father shows a little bit of unhappiness the rest of the family start to lose hope. Doyle once said "Friendship is something that is understood the world over, and unfortunately, so is unemployment." Doyle makes his belief clear in The Van by showing the pain that is put on the family when one bread-winner loses his job. Coming from a family whose income is not very high, unemployment could possibly be one of the worst thing to ever happen. There is no money for Christmas presents, so the kids are upset. Darren the youngest boy in the family has learned all about unemployment and welfare. One night when the family is eating Darren says something to upset his father whose reply is: "Darren, don't you forget who paid for tha' dinner in front of you, son, righ' -I know who paid for it, said Darren. -The state did."7 This reaction not only made Jimmy Sr. upset but, he came to terms with the fact that he was going nowhere and if he wanted things to get better he had better get a job soon. The Rabittes may have gone through times when they wanted to kill each other, but other times they cared. Doyle is a down-to-earth writer, he shows the way of life for many families with the use of slang in his writing and his abillity to capture humour when the times are hard. The Rabbitte family shared many bonds, they had many memories and of course many fights, but they are a family. They may be fictional but they represent a modern family. It is true that when the stability of the family is threatened, each character breaks down along with the family itself. Endnotes f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Farenheit 451.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ David Finch August 30, 1996 Civics Essay Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 forces us to envision a world that is so structured and censored fireman exist not to fight fires ,for all buildings are fireproof, but instead to burn books. Fahrenheit 451 is a horrific account of what could happen in an all too close future when society carries "political correctness" to its extreme. One of the primary characters that one meets in Fahrenheit 451 is a young girl named Clarrise has been raised to live the way things once were, in a time where people had true freedom Because of Clarrise's view of life she is branded as anti-social by her teachers and an outcast by her fellow classmates. Clarrise becomes acquainted with another main character named Guy Montag. Montag is a fireman who deep inside does not want to live a life without having to think. Montag's inner thoughts become more and more a part of him as the book progresses. Montag eventually becomes a freedom fighter of sorts when he joins a group of people who illegally hide and read books. Montag's wife Mildred on the other hand prefers not to have to think, but rather to allow others to think for her to simply say "yes I agree." Mildred is the epitome of laziness. The most complex of all the characters is the fire chief Beatty. Beatty is a man who once was educated but has now turned his back on education and works to destroy it. Beatty knows what is in books but chooses not to care, not to do anything but help the destruction of books. The loss of the characters freedom to read and to think was not an act that was forced on the people but, embraced by the people. The people loved the idea of not having to think anymore. The desire to confront issues was gradually lost by the people. Since the desire the desire to confront issues was lost people stopped doing anything that was so called "politically incorrect" so as to affend no one. After a while not confronting issues became so natural that anyone who did was considered odd and a threat. This caused laws to be made saying that no one could be different. And these laws were accepted b most. An example of this passive destruction is a comment of Mildreds' that said" Oh lets not think about that it's too painful." The people decided that they did not want to think, so they didn't. As frightful as it may seem this book is all too real. If mankind is not careful about how much "political correctness" affects our lives our world could end up identical to the world portrayed in Fahrenheit 451. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\FARM APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FARM APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS by Mary Alice Johnson Exchange is the essence of farm apprenticeships: the apprentice's assistance over a period of time in exchange for the farmer's know-how, often with room & board, a small stipend or other perks thrown in. Apprentices have been at the heart of my farm since shortly after I began farming in 1990. Over forty of them, most young and thoughtful, have spent sometimes a day, sometimes a year, but more often a few months at my farm, bringing with them new ideas, skills and energy.; Setting Up an Apprenticeship: Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF), Stewards of Irreplaceable Land (S.O.I.L.) and the Mentor Apprentice Exchange are all apprenticeship programs operating in Canada. For a fee, they match up apprentices with farmers. WWOOF-Canada tends to attract people who are travelling, staying a week or two, and whose main objectives are to meet local folks, see the country, learn different organic practices, and work with different people; about half of them come from outside Canada. Over 200 host farms have paid the $25. fee to be listed in the WWOOF-Canada booklet (available for $20.); they will exchange room and board for 4 to 6 hours of work per day. Almost half of the farms listed are in B.C., with a good number in Ontario and a few in the Maritimes; WWOOF hosts are being sought in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Newfoundland. Coordinator John Vanden Heuvel asks farmer hosts to donate between $30 and $40 if they have had volunteers during the past year. Contact: WWOOF-Canada. R.R.#2, S.18, C.9, Nelson, BC V1L 5P5, phone (250) 354-4417. S.O.I.L. apprentices can learn the skills needed to grow food organically and perhaps set up a farm of their own; in exchange for this training, they make a substantial commitment to one farmer. S.O.I.L. was started in B.C. by Morris Lamrock about seven years ago and is now run by Brenda Wenstob. Both apprentices and farmers submit a two-page application with a $10 processing fee. Possible matches are encouraged to set up a trial work period before making a commitment for the season. Most S.O.I.L. apprentices stay for 2 to 6 months, usually receiving room and board or produce and a small stipend. Contact: Stewards of Irreplaceable Land (S.O.l.L.), Brenda Wenstob, 3680 Otter Point Road, Sooke, BC V0S 1N0, (604) 642-2161. The Mentor Apprentice Exchange, founded by Heidi Priesnitz in 1994, includes apprenticeships in housing construction, publishing, sustainable technology and other areas as well as farming. Participants receive a regular newsletter and an expanding quarterly directory which currently lists between 75 and 100 contacts, balanced between potential mentors and apprentices; about 25% are farm-related, from all over Canada. Some mentors offer room and board, and some a small stipend. A one-year listing in the directory with subscription to the newsletter is $22. Subscribers can place as many listings as they wish for the fee. Contact: The Mentor Apprentice Exchange, Box 479, Wolfville, NS BOP 1X0, (902) 542-0867. Advice to Apprentices: Look for a farm with a richness of activity, plenty of varied work, and a farm family that welcomes you into a busy, active life. There are many different philosophies and approaches to farming and many different styles and temperaments among farmers; not all will be right for you. Don't be afraid to interview a farmer before making a commitment; apprenticeship is a two-way street. A farmer will put a lot more time into training a long-term apprentice than someone staying a week or two, and the tasks you are given may reflect this. Those who have made a significant commitment to a farmer may eventually be given the challenging opportunity of running the farming operation in the farmer's absence. Whether you're a short- or long-term apprentice, don't expect each work day to be full of new and interesting tasks. Much of farm work is repetitive. However, if you find yourself planting potatoes for a week solid or doing a boring task alone for hours on end, it is fair to ask the farmer for a change or possibly create a change for yourself. Similarly, if you find yourself consistently being given tasks that don't match your skills or interests, let the farmer know what your interests and skills are without exaggerating them. Work out with the farmer beforehand which tasks, if any, you can work on as your own rhythms guide you. Be forewarned though: the farmer cannot always accommodate your needs or interests. Sometimes the needs of the farm, such as the harvesting of a crop before a suspected heavy freeze, supersede those of any one person, including the farmer! It is crucial that you and the farmer have an open and honest dialogue about what the terms of the apprenticeship will entail, what you each expect to give and receive in return. In addition to learning about farming, you may also get room, board, transportation, recreational activities, a stipend, laundry facilities, or a share in the harvest. In return, you may offer the farmer a commitment for a certain length of time, a set amount of work hours per week, involvement in various farm organizations, your skills as a researcher to determine the implications of a future farm project, or a specialized skill that may or may not be directly related to farming. There is no one way to make the exchange feel fair; each situation is unique. A farmer can do much more than offer you technical advice about farming. S/he can also be a living example of what it means to have an emotional and spiritual connection with the land and a passionate respect for all life forms. This is something that you cannot learn from a textbook; it needs to be lived! Advice to farmers: The amount of energy and enthusiasm the apprentice commits to you will depend upon the amount of time you put into developing the apprenticeship program. I have had apprentices working with me since 1990, and my agreements with them and expectations of them are still evolving. It is definitely a learning process, one which is constantly having to balance the needs of the farm with the needs of the people working the farm. I have found a number of strategies that help to integrate the apprentices into life on my farm and provide me with an informed and engaged work force. I always ask for references. Before making a commitment, I find an initial farm visit and a trial day's work help me, the apprentices who are already there and would-be apprentices decide whether we can work well on my farm. I give potential apprentices a sense of the work to be done in each season of the year and tell them how many hours of work I expect from them in a week, breaking the work week down into hours for: producing income for the farm; maintaining and improving living quarters, including cooking and cleaning; farm meetings; and more formal training, including visits to other farms and meetings or lectures on sustainable agriculture. I tell them which days are market days, and which are rest and relaxation days, which days they can ask off and which not. I have developed a list of all the skills and knowledge an apprentice can learn on my farm, and I ask the apprentices which of these learning experiences appeal to them most. I go back to the list occasionally to make sure the apprentice is getting what s/he hopes to get from the experience. But while I allow apprentices time to explore personal interests on the farm, I make it clear which activities are essential for the farm to support itself. We have a weekly farm meeting to schedule visits to other farms, market and recreational events; to discuss personal schedules; and to do the walk-about. For this, we divide the farm into sections, with each person walking one section and noting what planting, irrigating, weeding, pest control and harvesting is needed; then we report back and priorize tasks for the week. I try to bring apprentices into our larger farming community by including in their schedule the Saturday farmers' market, deliveries to restaurants, work parties at other farms, farmers' meetings and writing articles for our COG chapter newsletter. Daily dialogue with my apprentices is important. I start the day talking over the tasks to be done and end by checking in on what the apprentice learned and saw that day. This is a good time to let an apprentice know that the work done is appreciated. You may need to purchase increased liability coverage in case of injury. I have not been able to get my apprentices covered under Worker's Compensation because they do not receive a salary, but I have added coverage to my insurance at no extra cost against liability if they are hurt. Accommodations are often tight when apprentices board. I set out which areas are common and which they may call their own. People's habits and sense of personal property differ. Settle matters such as visitors, pets, smoking, bedtime, laundry, transportation, bathing facilities and telephone up front before these things can become issues. Decide what farm equipment and vehicles apprentices may use and under what circumstances. Determine how much of your life you would like to share with your apprentices. You need alone time with your family as well. Opening yourself up to the opportunity to work with apprentices can be a very rewarding and enriching experience, as the exchange of knowledge and skills goes both ways. I thoroughly enjoy having apprentices come to my farm at the beginning of the season, infusing it and me with new energy and new ideas f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Fast Eddie.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fast Eddie by Rick Vallejos (Daredevil or vallejos@kdcol.com) (Comments appreciated) Where do I begin... to write down my misadventure. I would have never picked up a pen and began had it not been for my host. He's the type of fellow who tells you what to do and his partners (soldiers) make sure you did just as your told. This hideout, this fortress has more weapons than I've seen in months. There is a guard at my door this minute, put there for my protection so I was told. Yeh right! He's got a mean looking revolver with a huge bore. That's bad enough but he points it directly at my chest and waves it around when he addresses me. I can't describe the look in his eyes. I truly believe he would love to do me in. He thinks I'm an enemy and a threat to my host. I am a guest of the leader of this organization. I sit here and think of what has happened to bring me here. My mind wanders back to when I was an innocent eight year old kid. I worried more about what games to play than anything else. My mom brought us to the Mile High City after she and my dad started fighting. She thought it would be good to grow up near relatives. She never knew what was in store for us all. No one knew except the scientist and interfering generals who were developing project "UnderNet". The national/global computer network that was going to make our lives simpler by linking the regional infrastructure management computers. It made sense to have a system where electricity was diverted from one grid to another were it was needed more. Same with all the other resources of man.. fuel, water, food, and even surplus peoplepower in the form of the ten year old National Civilian Corp. If only the military hadn't been involved. They think everything has to be a part of the defense plans for our country. When the system went on-line, their supercomputers were blamed for the cold, heartless decision of the system. They were designed to keep on working through any natural or man-made disaster, including this Civil War of 2009. Most people think that the "UnderNet" planned and orchestrated the civil war. The first outbreaks were over resources. Fuel and water that was going to the big cities at the expense of the rural communities. 'The greatest good for the greatest amount of people' we were all told. Now, after three years of civil war, life is very hard. This brings us up to a week ago. My story, in my opinion, is about a kid trying to stay alive in the streets of the Mile High City. Each day a struggle for food and a safe place to sleep at night. I lost my mom at the disaster relief center set up in the city park. She was killed for the contents of her small backpack. Most of it was family keepsakes like old pictures of my grandparents and of me as a buck-naked baby. I haven't seen a relative for months. I was searching the rubble of the government buildings in the federal center on Alameda Blvd. when I found the doorway. It was buried under the exploded four-story building but I wiggled my way down to it. If I was ten pounds heavier, I would have never gotten in, but I did. The door was solid metal at least three inches thick but the explosion had split part of the door frame and I could squeeze through. I was giddy with the thought of what I might find. Nowadays, you traded for what you needed. I found a room that I was sure no others had looted. I wasn't worried about getting things out because all I would take was small items I could hide in my clothes. The street gangs would take anything larger they saw me carrying. When I got my shoulders through the split in the door frame, I crawled through into the dusty floor. It was black as coal in the room and I hadn't thought of bringing a light. That black is why the glowing red switch was so noticeable. After a minute my eyes adjusted to the dark and the dim glow of the switch lit up the area around it. I could see that it was a power control panel, a lot like the one we had at home for our old 786 computer. I felt my way over to the light. That's when I noticed the sound. A very low hum you felt as much as heard. I was surprised that this room had electricity since the building above it didn't even exist. Some parts of the city still had electricity but it was getting to be less all the time. I reached for the switch and without knowing what I was getting myself into, turned it on. Just to the left, a small computer monitor screen began to glow blue. One small word appeared in the top left. It said "Ready". Growing up in the computer age made all of this very comforting. I hadn't seen a working computer in long time. I hadn't played a computer game in at least a year. I wondered if this computer had any games. The glow of the screen helped to light the room. My eyes didn't need too much light. I looked around. In the center of the room were what seemed to be four padded columns with a seat going around each. The back wall was lined with electronic equipment and six large cases about as big as a washing machine. I recognized the columns. I had seen a special on super computers on TV. This room had four of them. The large electronic cases in the back were data storage. Huge hard drives. The wall I was at had a long counter. Above it was one shelf lined with notebooks, stacks of paper, and boxes of computer disks. I knew that these might be valuable and easy to carry. There were two other computer terminals like the one I had started. Except for the low hum and the active terminal, everything seem to be dead. I turned toward the terminal but I didn't see a keyboard. That seemed strange. I looked closer and saw that the keyboard was hidden underneath the counter on a sliding tray. I pulled it out and pushed the enter key. A textured window appeared in the center of the screen. It had a dozen icons underneath the title. The title read "Regional UnderNet" in large letters. I didn't see anything that looked like a game icon. One of the icons said System Status with a picture of a small desktop computer. I used the mouseball on the keyboard to move the arrow to this icon and clicked it on. The screen cleared and began to scroll written text showing the status of different functions. Most showed that they were not available. When the screen stopped, it read "Ready" again. I hit the enter key and got the icons back. One other icon said "Vocal Interface". That sounded interesting and I clicked it on. I heard a loud "hum" from a small speaker on the shelf above me and it spoke to me. The computer thought I was someone else. It said, "It's nice to talk to you again, it's been five hundred and thirty five days, eighteen hours, and thirty two minutes since our last visit." I cringed with fear. What had I started and would it cause trouble? I stood silent for a minute before I spoke. "Who do you think I am?", I stuttered. "How would you like me to address you?", it spoke. I had heard electronic speech before. At school, most of the CD Rom disks we used in computer lab had a lot of speech but this seemed different. It came clear and smooth from the speaker. "You can call me Vanessa, everyone else does. What do I call you?" I spoke toward the terminal thinking that the microphone must be hidden somewhere there. "Some called me "Fast Eddie" or sometimes just Eddie. You are welcome to address me however you wish. I will do my best to respond as you desire." I wasn't as worried now. It seemed that this computer would help me when I needed it and I could always turn off the red switch. One thing that all mankind learned in the last few years, you can't trust a computer too much. This one was a very advanced computer and a part of the enemy...the UnderNet. For all I knew, this could be monitored somewhere else. In some room, somewhere, the UnderNet could be aware that I just turned on the red switch. I wasn't afraid of someone showing up. I knew only someone of my small size could fit into the rubble and then find this basement room. I would hear anyone bigger trying to get in. They could trap me but I have been trapped before, and always seem to get out. I spoke out to the terminal. "What is your function, Eddie?" The speaker began to tell me about it's part in a highly classified project to monitor the activities in the western region of the UnderNet system for the National Security Administration. It was to record, analyze, and report activities of the UnderNet. The reports were to emphasize activities that seemed extraordinary and tracked anything that was related to the Department of Defense. I could see that the stories of the UnderNet were true. The government was watching parts of itself because they didn't trust each other. I was curious about the UnderNet system and why it went wrong. I spoke out loud one word, "Report!" The padded columns behind me began to softly click and clatter. It sounded like our old home computer reading the hard drive. No other lights were visible in the room. I waited for a full minute and still no response from Fast Eddie. I walked over to the boxes of software and opened them up. Inside were standard Write Once Read Many (WORM) storage disks like we used in school. They all had fancy printed labels but they weren't store-bought software. Since most had dates on them as their title, I assumed that they were reports from that date. I put the boxes back and walked around the padded columns. In the low light of the glowing monitor, I could see that this room was very clean. Not much in the way of small items that I could salvage. The speaker began to talk again. It began by saying a date about a year and a half ago. It listed off boring statistics of power consumption and allocation of resources. It was true that the cities were getting the lions share of resources. Everything was being diverted to the big cities. It even spoke of cutting off resources to the central part of Wyoming because of lack of justification. I remembered the TV news stories about ranchers attacking convoys of trucks travelling through Wyoming. I listened to the downfall of life as we knew it. Eddie talked about allocation of military forces to enforce the decisions made by the UnderNet. That included stationing full military detachments to protect the main frame computer centers, like the federal center here in Mile High. Then the report began describing the statistical probability of civil war. It was cold and unemotional about the numbers of citizens expected to be "lost". The report seldom made reference to what was happening in the eastern part of the country. Once in a while it would mention a directive or order that came from Washington that effected what was happening in this region. It made constant reference to dates. The report covered about six months when it described an administrative order that spoke of the 'greatest good for the greatest number of people' and cut off all resources to the rural parts of the west. The entire state of Nevada, except for military installations, was to be abandoned. Eastern Montana, northern Idaho, most of Utah, and eastern Colorado were all listed as "Minimal Need Areas" and were to be "de-emphasized". The body was cutting parts of itself off to save the rest. The report began describing in greater detail the events of civil disobedience. It specifically mentioned my present host. The man who was making headway organizing the rural west. It called this new army the "Sagebrush Rebels". My host had located the center of his organization just a few miles from the Mile High City. I listened closely to this part of the report since it fell so close to home for me. Everyone knew that it was the Rebels who had caused most of the destruction of the Mile High City. It was the final segment of this part of the report that stopped my heart. The computer said that my host would "continue to take instructions from this regional office of the UnderNet and assist in the completion of the goal of restructuring America". So everything was a part of the plan. Even I might have been a key piece of the puzzle. After the report completed, I loaded up my pockets with items I could carry, turned off the glowing red switch, and wiggled back up to the sunlight. I went back to my main job of finding food, keeping out of danger, and surviving. It was the computer disks that led the rebels to me. I had a hard time finding someone who wanted to trade for the disks since most people I knew didn't have much need for them. I must have talked to two dozen people about the disks. I finally got a black eye and a sore rib from a man who wanted to know where I got them from. He took the two disks I carried as samples and left me gasping for breath in an alley. Three days later I was captured by a roaming gang. I had heard they were looking for me but I had to come out of hiding to trade. They were waiting for me. I found out then that when push comes to shove, I didn't have a single friend on the streets. They all wanted to turn me in for the reward. The gang took me to this building, a good hours travel outside of the city. I was thrown into a room that was probably an office in the old days but all of the furniture was gone. Only a few cardboard boxes that I could use to hide in and shiver while I waited. One good thing happened when the door opened. A small box of food and water was left. It was the best meal I had had in months. I was finally brought before my host. I was in no condition to argue with anything they said. I was terrified and thought for sure I was as good as dead. My host sat at a wooden conference room table looking at some papers. Two aides, each clutching a notebook in their hands, stood behind him and quickly responded when he spoke. Finally one of the aides noticed me and my guards and spoke into the ear of my host. He stood up and came towards me. I couldn't read his face. It was stone cold but his eyes were alive. He ordered my guards to bring me to the end of the table and make me sit down. They immediately backed away as if they were afraid that they might be noticed along with me. My host sat down and looked at me for a moment. He then asked my name. I was so terrified that my voice sounded more like a squeak than a name. He paused and then quietly told me not to be afraid. He said that I might be of great help to him and "our" cause. "What cause?", I asked. "Your in the head office of the Sagebrush Rebellion and your my guest", he said. "I am the elected leader of the fight of the common man against the corrupt and bloated government". It sounded like a political speech when he said it. His voice even got louder like he was talking to an audience. "I had you brought here because we know of your find. We know that the computer disks you were trying to trade could have only come from one place. If I could get access to the place you found, then we might be able to salvage more data." He didn't know that the room I had found was still alive and active. He didn't know that Fast Eddie had told me all about my host. The head of the rebellion was a pawn of the UnderNet and following the plans that they developed for America. I was so confused my head hurt. I didn't know what to do. This man who sat next to me and asked me for my help was not someone I could ignore. Anyone could tell he got what he wanted, or else. If I told him of my discovery, and he got access to the active computer, who knows what that would mean. If I mentioned that I knew all about the UnderNet's involvement, it may mean my death. How could I expose the spy who lead the rebellion? I needed to know more about the situation. "What is it worth to you to know where I found the disks?". I asked. He smiled at me and asked, "What do you need, my dear? I can provide you with almost anything you could ask for." I thought for a few seconds and responded. "I need things to make my life easier. I need supplies and weapons and transportation to a safer place. I'm tired of the Mile High City and the struggle to keep alive. There must be a safer place." My host slapped both hands down on the table and said "Done! You lead us to the computer room and I'll get you what you want. My men will take you to our compound in southern Utah. That's where I go when I need to relax and feel safe. You stay in the holding room and tomorrow morning you will go with my men and me to the city. You will hold up you side of the bargain. But be warned, I don't want to waste any time tomorrow, or you will answer to me." He waved his arm and my two guards immediately took me away. One of the guards handed my a notebook and a pen and told me to spend the rest of the day writing down anything I could remember about the computer room. That brings me to now. I have sat here hiding in my cardboard boxes writing this story. Unfortunately I don't know how it will end. I have to re-examine the key points. The UnderNet was a major cause of the civil war- the civil war was killing everyone I know or have known- my host is an agent of the UnderNet- if someone could destroy the UnderNet, it might stop the war- I am a tiny little girl who normally couldn't do anything to make a difference- BUT, I have found myself in a unique position where I can make a difference by what I do. My mind spun around and I finally drifted off to sleep. I was awoken by my host just after dawn. He burst into the room with his aides following him like leaves behind a dustdevil. He had a huge grin on his face and kept saying what a great day this was going to be. I thought to myself that when he finds out that the computer is still active, it should make his whole month great. We ate hard bread and cheese. All of the rebels seemed in high spirits and were very nice to me. I began to feel more relaxed and told them what types of tools we would need to get into the room. They didn't ask for my written story. I had hidden it underneath the largest cardboard box in my holding room. We loaded into five pickup trucks and began our journey back into town. I got to ride in the cab of one of the trucks. I began to change my thinking about the rebels. They were treating me with respect and I actually had some social status with this group. Something I haven't had for a very long time. We drove on side roads around the outside of the city and came into the federal center from the southwest. We drove within a few city blocks of the crumbled building. No one bothered us, in fact, it seemed that most people ran and hid when they saw us coming. Maybe it was the two dozen armed men in the trucks. When we parked and began walking, my host chuckled and laughed with his soldiers. "I knew that the computer center had to be in a government building somewhere. The federal center is so big that I didn't know where to start." he told his men. I travelled in the center of the head group. My host ordered his men to follow my instructions as to where to go. We got to the rubble of the exploded building and I pointed to a spot where they should begin clearing a path. With the soldiers working together, they had the cement moved very quickly and could see where the door was hidden. When we got the metal door cleared, there wasn't a handle on it of any kind. There wasn't any way to open the door. Men used their long metal prybars that worked so easily on the cement to pound and pry on the door but it didn't move an inch. My host became very anxious and would yell at the men to work harder. Finally they stopped and backed off. My host grabbed me by my shoulder and pushed me toward the broken door frame. "Get inside and see if you can open the door", he ordered. I crawled through this time with a flashlight lighting the way. I stood inside the room and looked around. Nothing had changed since I had been here before. Next to the door was a lever labeled "emergency release". I grabbed it with both hands and pushed upward with all my might. When it reached a point, the door clicked and opened slightly on it's own. Instantly, my host burst through nearly knocking me over. He stood with his hands on his hips and turned to look around the room. He kept saying "Oh My God!" over and over again. Only three other men came into the room with my host. I spoke to the one standing next to me and pointed at the glowing red switch. With the additional light in the room, the switch wasn't as obvious as before. He pointed it out to my host who then got real excited. He turned to me and asked what I knew about the room. I briefly told him about turning on the switch last time and "talking to the computer". He stood and didn't say a word to me. He walked over and pushed the red switch. As before, the terminal screen turned blue and the word "Ready" appeared. I told my host to pull out the keyboard and push enter, which he did. The textured window appeared with the icon list. By this time, all the other men were crowded around me and my host looking at the terminal. I pointed to the icon that allowed the computer to speak and told everyone how I was able to listen and talk to the computer. I didn't say anything about the contents of our discussion. I decided to keep that part a secret for now. My host moved the pointer arrow to the "Vocal Interface" icon. The computer said, "It's nice to talk to you again Vanessa, it's been five days, six hours, and twenty minutes since our last visit." My host laughed out loud along with all of his men. I stood silent and tried to think as fast as I could. What to do?? My host quieted down his men with a wave of his hand and spoke, "Computer, I am here with Vanessa and I need your assistance." The computer replied, "I am here to serve you. How would you like me to address you?" My host puffed up his chest and put his hands on his hips. "I am Simon Green, leader of the Sagebrush Rebellion." The computer seemed to pause a moment. The soft clicks could be heard from the padded columns. I could tell something was going on but the others didn't seem to notice. Finally the computer spoke. "Simon Green, your presence here will allow me to finally complete our roles in the reorganization of America. The UnderNet thanks you and me for our excellent service as a part of the greater plan. You and I have done an excellent job of removing and reducing the unnecessary drain of valuable resources by the western cities. It is key to the success of the plan. We will be remembered as a key part of history. Your final orders and reward for your service will be issued to you in thirty seconds." I noticed one of the small icons flickering. It was a small digital clock counting backwards. I turned and ran out the door as fast as I could. All the men bent down to look close as the clock showed ten, then nine, eight, seven... They all stood up straight and backed off. Everyone there had one horrible thought in their minds. I didn't hear the explosion that took out most of the soldiers and sealed the computer room forever. All I listened for was the beating of my still living heart. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\FemaleGenitalMutilation.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TORTURE, NOT CULTURE (AN INSIGHT INTO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION) Female circumcision, better known as Female Genital Mutilation, is an ugly monster finally rearing its head from out of the depths of time. It can attack a girl at any age, with a little prompting from her society, and the aid of an unsuspecting human wielding the knife. Usually, it is performed from a few days after birth to puberty, but in some regions, the torture can be put off until just before marriage or the seventh month of pregnancy (Samad, 52). Women that have gone beyond the primary level of education are much less likely to fall victim to the tradition ("Men's...", 34). The average victim is illiterate and living in a poverty-stricken community where people face hunger, bad health, over-working, and unclean water ("Female...", 1714). This, however, is not always the case. As one can see in the following story of Soraya Mire, social classes create no real barriers. Soraya Mire, a 13-year-old from Mogadishu, Somolia, never knew what would happen to her the day her mother called her out of her room to go buy her some gifts. When asked why, her mother replied, "I just want to show you how much I love you." As Soraya got into the car, she wondered where the armed guards were. Being the daughter of a Somolian general, she was always escorted by guards. Despite her mother's promise of gifts, they did not stop at a store, but at a doctor's home. "This is your special day," Soraya's mother said. "Now you are to become a woman, an important woman." She was ushered into the house and strapped down to an operating table. A local anesthetic was given but it barely blunted the pain as the doctor performed the circumcision. Soraya was sent home an hour later. Soraya broke from her culture's confining bonds at the age of 18 by running away from an abusive arranged marriage. In Switzerland, she was put in a hospital emergency room with severe menstrual cramps because of the operation. Seven months later, the doctor performed reconstructive surgery on her. Now in the U.S., Soraya is a leading spokeswoman against FGM (Bell, 58). In addition to being active in the fight against FGM, she is a American filmmaker. She has come a long way. Being well-educated about the facts of FGM also brings to light the ugly truth. "It is happening on American soil," insists Soraya. Mutilations are occurring every day among innigrants and refugees in the U.S. (Brownlee, 57). Immigrants have also brought the horrifying practice to Europe, Australia, and Canada (McCarthy, 14). Normally, it is practiced in North and Central Africa ("Men's...", 34), the Middle East, and Muslim populations of Indonesia and Malaysia ("Female...", 1714). Although it seems to have taken root in Muslim and African Christian religions, there is no Koranic or Biblical backing for FGM ("Men's...", 34). Many times female circumcision is treated as a religion in itself. It can be a sacred ritual meant to be kept secret forever. As a woman told poet Mariama Barrie, "You are about to enter Society {sic}, and you must never reveal the ritual that is about to take place." (Barrie, 54). The ritualistic version of FGM is much more barbaric than the sterile doctor's world which Soraya Mire passed through. Mariama Barrie had to endure the most severe form of FGm at the tender age of ten. Mariama's torture is known as infibulation. There is also excision and sunna. Infibulation consists of the removal of the entire clitoris, the whole of the labia minora and up to 2/3 of the labia majora. The sides of the vulva are sewn or held together by long thorns. A small opening the size of the tip of a matchstick is left for the passage of menstrual blood and urine. Excision is a clitoridectomy and sometimes the removal of the labia minora; sunna is the only type that can truthfully be called circumcision. It is a subtotal clitoridectomy ("Female...", 1714). To put this in perspective, infibulation would be like cutting off a man's penis completely, cutting the testicles to the groin, and making a hole in them to have the semen siphoned out (McCarthy, 14). But still, it can get worse. The instruments that can be used to perform the operation are usually crude and dirty. they can include kitchen knives, razor blades, scissors, broken glass, and in some regions, the teeth of the midwife. Because of this, there are many dangers threatenng the victim. The most immediate danger is exsanguination: there is no record of how many girls bleed to death because of this operation ("Female...", 1715). Other physical consequences include infection, gangrene, abcesses, infertility, painful sex, difficulty in childbirth, and possibly death ("Men's...", 34). No matter how much we learn, the pain will still be the same as when the first female circumcision was performed in the fifth century, B.C. (McCarthy, 14). The number of women affected by this has risen steadily since then. The average per year is now 2 million (McCarthy, 15), and it is their "female friends, mothers, and grandmothers who urge them to lie backa nd think of traditional culture" ("Men's...", 34). The reason women are promoting this practice is because "circumcisions are often carried out by select older women, whose profession provides them witha degree of public esteem rarely enjoyed by women in male-dominated societies" (Brownlee, 58). A better, but still not logical reason for women to promote FGM is life. Soraya Mire remarks, "[It] is proof of your virginity, and men only want to marry virgins. A Sudanese woman without a husband is not only an outcast, she is likely to die of starvation because she has no way to make a living on her own." (Bell, 59) Many cultures support female circumcision because of ancient native beliefs. For example, some believe that bodies are androgynous at birth. To enter adulthood, girls "must be relieved of their male part, the clitoris" (Brownlee, 58). Others believe that the clitoris contains poison or will eventually grow to the size of a man's penis ("Female...", 1716). However, the tide is turning. Men, who probably created FGM for their benefit, are turning against it. Most men found out that prostitutes are more fun if the woman isn't in pain. It's not the best reason, but it's better than none at all ("Men's...", 34) This has been a tragic and horrifying story to tell. I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell it, but someone had to. WORKS CITED Barrie, Mariama L. "Wounds that never heal." Essence, (Mar. 1996), 54. Bell, Alison. "Worldwide women's watch." 'TEEN, (June 1996), 58-59. Brownlee, Shannon and Jennifer Seter. "In the name of ritual." U.S. News and World Report, (Feb. 7, 1994), 56-58. "Female genital mutilation." JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, (Dec. 6, 1995), 1714-1716. "FGM: A universal issue." Humanist, (Sep. 1996), 46. McCarthy, Sheryl. "Fleeing mutilation, fighting for asylum." Ms., (July 1996), 12-16. "Men's traditional culture." Economist, (Aug. 10, 1996), 34. Samad, Asha. "Afterword." Natural History, (Aug. 1996), 52-53. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\FeminismWomenEqual.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Feminism And Gender Equality In The 1990's Overall, the rights and status of women have improved considerably in the last century; however, gender equality has recently been threatened within the last decade. Blatantly sexist laws and practices are slowly being eliminated while social perceptions of "women's roles" continue to stagnate and even degrade back to traditional ideals. It is these social perceptions that challenge the evolution of women as equal on all levels. In this study, I will argue that subtle and blatant sexism continues to exist throughout educational, economic, professional and legal arenas. Women who carefully follow their expected roles may never recognize sexism as an oppressive force in their life. I find many parallels between women's experiences in the nineties with Betty Friedan's, in her essay: The Way We Were - 1949. She dealt with a society that expected women to fulfill certain roles. Those roles completely disregarded the needs of educated and motivated business women and scientific women. Actually, the subtle message that society gave was that the educated woman was actually selfish and evil. I remember in particular the searing effect on me, who once intended to be a psychologist, of a story in McCall's in December 1949 called "A Weekend with Daddy." A little girl who lives a lonely life with her mother, divorced, an intellectual know-it-all psychologist, goes to the country to spend a weekend with her father and his new wife, who is wholesome, happy, and a good cook and gardener. And there is love and laughter and growing flowers and hot clams and a gourmet cheese omelet and square dancing, and she doesn't want to go home. But, pitying her poor mother typing away all by herself in the lonesome apartment, she keeps her guilty secret that from now on she will be living for the moments when she can escape to that dream home in the country where they know "what life is all about." (See Endnote #1) I have often consulted my grandparents about their experiences, and I find their historical perspective enlightening. My grandmother was pregnant with her third child in 1949. Her work experience included: interior design and modeling women's clothes for the Sears catalog. I asked her to read the Friedan essay and let me know if she felt as moved as I was, and to share with me her experiences of sexism. Her immediate reaction was to point out that "Betty Friedan was a college educated woman and she had certain goals that never interested me." My grandmother, though growing up during a time when women had few social rights, said she didn't experience oppressive sexism in her life. However, when she describes her life accomplishments, I feel she has spent most of her life fulfilling the expected roles of women instead of pursuing goals that were mostly reserved for men. Unknowingly, her life was controlled by traditional, sexist values prevalent in her time and still prevalent in the nineties. Twenty-four years after the above article from McCall's magazine was written, the Supreme Court decided whether women should have a right to an abortion in Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113 (1973)). I believe the decision was made in favor of women's rights mostly because the court made a progressive decision to consider the woman as a human who may be motivated by other things in life than just being a mother. Justice Blackmun delivered the following opinion: Maternity, or additional offspring, may force upon the woman a distressful life and future. Psychological harm may be imminent. Mental and physical health may be taxed by child care. There is also a distress, for all concerned, associated with the unwanted child, and there is the problem of bringing a child into a family already unable, psychologically and otherwise, to care for it. In other cases, as in this one, the additional difficulties and continuing stigma of unwed motherhood may be involved. (See Endnote #2) I feel the court decision of Roe v. Wade would not have been made in 1949. Even in 1973, it was a progressive decision. The problem of abortion has existed for the entire history of this country (and beyond), but had never been addressed because discussing these issues was not socially acceptable. A culture of not discussing issues that have a profound impact on women is a culture that encourages women to be powerless. The right of abortion became a major issue. Before 1970, about a million abortions were done every year, of which only about ten thousand were legal. Perhaps a third of the women having illegal abortions - mostly poor people - had to be hospitalized for complications. How many thousands died as a result of these illegal abortions no one really knows. But the illegalization of abortion clearly worked against the poor, for the rich could manage either to have their baby or to have their abortion under safe conditions. (See Endnote #3) A critic of the women's movement would quickly remind us that women have a right to decline marriage and sex, and pursue their individual interests. However, I would argue that the social pressure women must endure if they do not conform to their expected role is unfair. The problem goes beyond social conformity and crosses into government intervention (or lack thereof). The 1980's saw the pendulum swing against the women's movement. Violent acts against women who sought abortions became common and the government was unsympathetic to the victims. There are parallels between the Southern Black's civil rights movement and the women's movement: Blacks have long been accustomed to the white government being unsympathetic to violent acts against them. During the civil rights movement, legal action seemed only to come when a white civil rights activist was killed. Women are facing similar disregard presently, and their movement is truly one for civil rights. A national campaign by the National Organization of Women began on 2 March 1984, demanding that the US Justice Department investigate anti-abortion terrorism. On 1 August federal authorities finally agreed to begin to monitor the violence. However, Federal Bureau of Investigation director, William Webster, declared that he saw no evidence of "terrorism." Only on 3 January 1985, in a pro-forma statement, did the President criticize the series of bombings as "violent anarchist acts" but he still refused to term them "terrorism." Reagan deferred to Moral Majoritarian Jerry Falwell's subsequent campaign to have fifteen million Americans wear "armbands" on 22 January 1985, "one for every legal abortion" since 1973. Falwell's anti-abortion outburst epitomized Reaganism's orientation: "We can no longer passively and quietly wait for the Supreme Court to change their mind or for Congress to pass a law." Extremism on the right was no vice, moderation no virtue. Or, as Hitler explained in Mein Kamph, "The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence." (See Endnote #4) This mentality continued on through 1989 during the Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (109 S. Ct. 3040 (1989)) case. "The Reagan Administration had urged the Supreme Court to use this case as the basis for overturning Roe v. Wade." (See Endnote #5) It is disturbing that the slow gains achieved by the women's movement are so volatile and endangered when conservative administrations gain a majority in government. To put the problem into perspective: a woman's right to have an abortion in this country did not come until 1973. Less than two decades later, the president of the United States is pushing to take that right away. It seems blatant that society is bent on putting women in their places. From the above examples, it appears American culture prefers women as non- professional, non-intellectual, homemakers and mothers. This mentality is not easily resolved, because it is introduced at a young age. Alice Brooks experienced inequality on the basis of her race and her sex. In her autobiography, A Dream Deferred, she recalls the reaction of her father when she brought up the idea of college to him: I found a scholarship for veterans' children and asked my father to sign and furnish proof that he was a veteran. He refused and told me that I was only going to get married and have babies. I needed to stay home and help my mother with her kids. My brother needed college to support a family. Not only was I not going to get any help, I was also tagged as selfish because I wanted to go to college. (See Endnote #6) This is another example of women being labeled as selfish for wanting the same opportunities as men. Alice Brooks is a very courageous woman; seemingly able to overcome any oppression she may encounter. During her presentation to our class, she said that "women who succeed in male dominated fields are never mediocre - they are extraordinary achievers." Her insight encapsulates much of the subtle sexism that exists today. I feel that no one can truly be equal in a society when only the "extraordinary achievers" are allowed to succeed out of their expected social role. This attitude of rising blatant and subtle attacks on women's civil rights is further exemplified in recent reactions to affirmative action plans. These plans have been devised to try to give women and minorities an opportunity to participate in traditionally white male dominated areas. However, we see the same trends in legal action for the use of affirmative action plans as we saw in the 1980's backlash against the Roe v. Wade decision. A few interesting points were presented in the case, Johnson v. Transportation Agency, Santa Clara (480 U.S. 616 (1987)). Mr. Paul E. Johnson filed suit against the Santa Clara County Transportation Agency when he was denied a promotion, feeling the company's affirmative action plan denied him of his civil rights. Some interesting facts were presented in this case: Specifically, 9 of the 10 Para-Professionals and 110 of the 145 Office and Clerical Workers were women. By contrast, women were only 2 of the 28 Officials and Administrators, 5 of the 58 Professionals, 12 of the 124 Technicians, none of the Skilled Crafts Workers, and 1 - who was Joyce - of the 110 Road Maintenance Workers. (See Endnote # 7) The above statistics show women have been considerably underrepresented at the Santa Clara County Transportation Agency. These numbers are not uncommon and are found throughout business. It is interesting to note the current popular perception is that affirmative action precludes white males from finding employment with companies that implement these plans. The truth is in the numbers, however. The fact that Mr. Johnson felt he was denied his civil rights because an equally qualified woman was given a promotion, instead of him, is just a small window into the subtle sexism that exists today. Most critics of affirmative action do not consider the grossly unequal numbers of men in management and professional positions. Secondly, it never seems an issue of debate that a woman may have had no other previous life opportunities in these male dominated areas. I do not intend to argue that affirmative action is good or bad, but only wish to point out that the current backlash against these programs is heavily rooted in sexism and racism. Often blatant violence or unfair acts against a group of people will cause that group to pull together and empower themselves against their oppressors. The women's movement has made large steps to eliminate many of these blatantly sexist acts in the last century. Now the real difficulty is upon us: subtle acts of sexism and the degrading social roles of women in today's conservative culture. Alice Brooks so eloquently described her experiences with inequality, stating, "the worse pain came from those little things people said or did to me." As these "little things" accumulate in the experience of a young woman, she increasingly finds herself powerless in her relationships, employment, economics, and society in general. The female child has as many goals as the male child, but statistically she is unable to realize these goals because of the obstacles that society sets in front of her. Society and media attempt to create an illusion that women have every right that men enjoy. However, women will never be equal until the day female scientists, intellectuals, professionals, military leaders, and politicians are just as accepted and encouraged to participate in all of society's arenas as males. Endnotes: 1. The Ethnic Moment, By P.L. Fetzer. Page 57 2. Constitutional Law Cases & Essays, By S. Goldman. Page 205. 3. A People's History Of The United States, By Howard Zinn. Page 499. 4. Beyond Black And White, By M. Marable. Page 40-41. 5. Constitutional Law Cases & Essays, By S. Goldman. Page 767. 6. The Ethnic Moment, By P. L. Fetzer. Page 234. 7. Constitutional Law Cases & Essays, By S. Goldman. Page 784. Bibliography: Fetzer, Philip L. The Ethnic Moment, The Search For Equality In The American Experience. New York: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 1997. Goldman, Sheldon. Constitutional Law Cases & Essays, Second Edition. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991. Marable, Manning. Beyond Black & White. New York: Verso, 1995. Zinn, Howard. A People's History of The United States. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1980. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Fiction Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wendi M. Brooks Intro to Lit Professor Maguire 11 March, 2004 Moms and their Daughters The story "Who's Irish" by Gish Jen is a story of an elderly Chinese woman , living in America, trying to help her daughter and her family raise her granddaughter Sophie. She struggles while watching Sophie grow up in this culture and wishes to discipline her the way a proper Chinese girl is raised. This brings conflict between the grandmother and her daughter, Sophie's mother. The two women argue and eventually have very little involvement in each other's lives. The idea of conflict between mother and daughter is seen in other stories. In "A Short Story" a grown woman has decided to visit her mother and step-father. She is going back to visit and she is dreading it. She even takes drugs in order to mellow herself out for this occasion. When she gets to the house she sees her mother and the step-father whom she hates. This story ends quite a lot worse than the mother and daughter not communicating or being involved in each other's lives. Instead, the daughter kills her mother, to either save her from a boring life with this horrible man, or just out of spite for a bad life. These stories both deal with relationships between mothers and daughters, even though they are very different. In "Who's Irish" the grandmother states "In China, daughter take care of mother. Here it is the other way around. Mother help daughter; mother ask, Anything else I can do? Otherwise daughter complain mother is not supportive. I tell daughter, We do not have this word in Chinese, supportive" (Jen 179). Here we see that she is struggling to become accustomed to the way American family works. In America people are selfish, and we see in this story that Natalie, the daughter, expects her mom to do as much for her as she can, and not to interfere with her way of discipline at the same time. She does not respect her mother's culture and has completely abandoned her customs and cultures. This type of mother daughter relationship we don't see. Instead both mother and daughter have issues with each other. It is more as though the daughter is angry at her mother for marrying this man, who she obviously dislikes greatly. However, the mother is dead set on defending herself and her husband by stating "I chose him" (Bowering 543). She is content in living a monotonous life of television re-runs and being her husband's maid. Donna has become tired of being the one that is cast aside for her mother to ignore her for her new husband. She isn't able to accept her mother in this role and decided to take her out of the picture all together by killing her. In "A Short Story" we do see that Donna loves her mother very much, but isn't willing, or able to adjust to the idea of her step-father. The story states "Donna wanted to be with her mother, and especially because she never wrote letters home. She did not even imagine writing "Mrs. A Jacobsen" on an envelope. She felt as if, yes, she still loved her mother, that strange older woman in polyester slacks, though they had not once spoken to each other on the telephone since Jacobsen had mounted her as his casual season's trophy" (Bowering 544). In contrast to "Who's Irish" we don't see this problem with the husband as clearly, although we do see that the grandmother has a slight issue with John because he is lazy and doesn't help support the family financially or help take care of Sophie. "Who's Irish" doesn't show this violence and anger like "A Short Story", although it does have some, where the grandmother spanks little Sophie and then hurts her with the stick while trying to get her to come out of the hole at the park. Obviously Donna lived a very depressing and messed up life in order for her to blow her mother's face off, trying to save her from her new husband. The two stories aren't very similar in the way they depict mother and daughter relationships. One shows the mother and daughter having differences and difficulties dealing with Sophie, whereas the other story shows a mother and daughter who love each other very much being torn apart because of a man. Unfortunately "A Short Story" ends very dramatically and traumatically with Donna killing her mother, most likely to save her from the life she was living. Donna then went into the woods and we think possibly killed herself. It is universally known that kids and parents have their issues and it is common for mothers and daughters to fight. These stories just happen to show extreme cases of this, where the relationships are ended. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Fifth BusinessSearch for Self Identity.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fifth Business: Search for Self Identity In Robertson Davies' novel Fifth Business, the author uses the events that occurred in Deptford as a Canadian Allusion to reveal character identity. Three characters in the novel from Deptford: Boy Staunton, Dunstan Ramsey and Paul Dempster, leave Deptford to embark on a new identity to rid of their horrid past. The three main characters of the novel, all of whom to some extent try to escape their small town background, change their identity to become people of consequence. All in some way take on a new identity. Imbedded in this transformation is the assumption that one's original self, especially one's small town origins, must be discarded before one can become significant in the world. Firstly, Paul Dempster grows up as an outcast in Deptford, his mother's 'simpleness' leading the tight social world of the town to cast out his whole family and force's Paul to leave the town and create a new image for himself. Paul runs away to the circus in his early teens because of the mental abuse he took from the town because of his mothers incident with the tramp. Dunstable comment's, "Paul was not a village favorite, and the dislike so many people felt for his mother - dislike for the queer and persistently unfortunate - they attached to the unoffending son," (Davies' 40) illustrates how the town treated Paul because of his mother's actions. Paul leaves his past because of the actions displaced by his mother and the guilt he feels because his "birth was what robbed her of her sanity," (Davies' 260) explains why Paul left Deptford. However, while Boy merely tries to ignore his Deptford past, Paul tries to create a completely new one and Paul asks Dunstan to write an autobiography that "in general terms that he was to be a child of the Baltic vastness, reared perhaps by gnomelike Lapps after the death of his explorer parents, who were probably Russians of high birth." (Davies' 231). The scenery of this autobiography seems significantly Canadian, but Paul does not want his book to represent his past life in Deptford. Therefore, Paul Dempster is a troubled child because of his mother's actions in Deptford which in turn force Paul to leave Deptford and to create a new identity for himself. Secondly, Dunstable Ramsey is haunted by the guilt of Mary Dempster over his entire life and he must create a new identity for himself. After a rock has hit Mary in the head (in a snowball thrown by Boy Staunton meant for Ramsay), and her preacher husband is crying over her, young Ramsay's only thought is that he is "Watching a 'scene', and my parents had always warned against scenes as very serious breaches of propriety." (Davies' 39) The actions of Mary bewilder Dunstan because Mary committed a serious crime in Deptford. Later in life Dunstan falls in love with his nurse named Diana who renames him after Saint Dunstan, who is "Mad about learning, terribly stiff and stern and scowly, and an absolute wizard at withstanding temptation." (Davies' 93) His new name does not replace his old identity, but rather makes him double-named and double-identified. Therefore, Dunstan changes his name to set forth on a new identity and he never forgets his Deptford past and in fact he becomes obsessed with it, particularly with Mary Dempster, mainly through guilt about his role in Mary getting hit by Boy's snowball. Thirdly, Percy Boyd Staunton is at the center of the snowball incident which is the prime mover in the action of the novel which force's Percy to allow the incident to suppress his memory and leave Deptford to create a new identity for himself. He moves to Toronto and inherits the family sugar business and drops a letter from his middle name, becoming "Boy" Staunton, and begins to build a new ruling-class identity for his renamed self. "As Ramsay explains, "he was always the quintessence of something that somebody else had recognized and defined," (Davies' 147) his new identity allows Boy to start a new life and leave Deptford in the past. Also, Boy brings with him into his new life his Deptford wife Leola, whom he tries to change into "the perfect wife for a rising young entrepreneur in sugar." (Davies' 151) She cannot lose her small-town background as well as Boy, and she falls by the wayside, eventually committing suicide. Although, Boy is the antagonist character of the novel, his new identity embraces him as one of the most powerful men in Canada, but he will always hold the guilt from the snowball incident which occurred in Deptford. To conclude, the actions that occurred in Deptford change the whole basis of the novel. Thus while Boy and Magnus have taken on new identities and tried to displace their old ones, Dunstan takes on a new identity that complements the old. All three leading characters leave Deptford to change their life, but the spirit of the little town in Southern Ontario remains with them forever. Bibliography Davies, Robertson. Fifth Business. Canada: Penguin Books, 1977. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\FightForFreedom.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fight For Freedom In 1839, Sengbe Pieh, who later became known as Cinque, was captured and taken as a slave. He his sold several times until eventually he comes into the hands of Spanish slave traders. Even though at that time, every European nation had signed treaties declaring slaves were no longer to be taken from Africa, the profits were so large that many Europeans flouted the laws. Cinque and the rest of the slaves then are loaded onto the ship and carried across the "middle passage" to Cuba where they are sold to new masters. It is there that the Africans have their names changed to conceal the fact that they were not born into slavery, but freed men and women who were kidnaped into bondage. In Cuba, fifty-three Africans board the Amistad which is bound for their owners plantation near Puerto Principe. Rations are cut due to delays, and the Africans are subjected to beatings and starvation. During a storm, Cinque uses a nail he found to work free the lock holding his iron collar on. After he frees himself, he then unlocks his comrades. Cinque then has the Africans are themselves with knives being stored in the cargo hold. Early the next morning, the Africans attack, killing all the crew and passengers except for two who they command to sail the ship back to Africa. The Spaniard did everything they could to delay the trip, hoping to attract attention from other ships. Eventually the Amistad sails into New England waters where it is captured by an American warship. The Africans are then placed in jail until the disposition is decided upon. Abolitionists take up their cause, teaching the Africans English and how to read. Spain immediately demands that the Africans be turned over so that the Africans can be tried for piracy. The U.S. courts refuse to extradite and a lengthy court battle begins. The U.S. administration backs the country of Spain while the abolitionists do everything they can to raise support for the Africans. When District Court Judge Judson determines that the Africans were to be returned to Africa, the White House and Spanish authorities immediately appeal. Eventually, the case comes before the U.S. Supreme court where John Quincy Adams joins the defense team. The Supreme Court upheld the district courts decision that the Africans were illegally enslaved, and therefore entitled to fight for their freedom; however, the U.S. administration refused to finance the trip back to Africa. The necessary money was raised by the Amistad committee and the thirty-five survivors were returned to their home country. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\final contemp essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Contemporary World History Professor Shadbash 12.6.03 The Era of Trujillo The Vásquez administration shines in Dominican history like a star amid a gathering storm. After the country's eight years of subjugation, Vásquez took care to respect the political and civil rights of the population. An upswing in the price of export commodities, combined with increased government borrowing, marks the economy. Public works projects proliferated. Santo Domingo expanded and modernized. This brief period of progress, however, ended in the resurgent maelstrom of Dominican political instability. The man who would come to occupy the eye of this political cyclone was Rafael Trujillo. Although a principled man by Dominican standards, Vásquez was also a product of long years of political infighting. In an effort to undercut his primary rival, Federico Velásquez, and to preserve power for his own followers, the president agreed in 1927 to a prolongation of his term from four to six years. There was some debatable legal basis for the move, which was approved by the Congress, but its enactment effectively invalidated the constitution of 1924 that Vásquez had previously sworn to uphold. Once the president had demonstrated his willingness to disregard constitutional procedures in the pursuit of power, some ambitious opponents decided that those procedures were no longer binding. Dominican politics returned to their pre-occupation status; the struggle among competing caudillos resumed. Trujillo occupied a strong position in this contest. The commander of the National, Trujillo came from a humble background. He had enlisted in the National Police in 1918, a time when the upper-class Dominicans, who had formerly filled the officer corps, largely refused to collaborate with the occupying forces. Trujillo harbored no such scruples. He rose quickly in the officer corps, while at the same time he built a network of allies and supporters. Unlike the more idealistic North American sponsors of the constabulary, Trujillo saw the armed force not for what it should have been--an apolitical domestic security force--but for what it was: the main source of concentrated power in the republic. Having established his power base behind the scenes, Trujillo was ready by 1930 to assume control of the country. Although elections were scheduled for May, Vásquez's extension in office cast doubt on their potential fairness. This uncertainty prompted Rafael Estrella Ureña, a political leader from Santiago, to proclaim a revolution in February. Having already struck a deal with Trujillo, Estrella marched on the capital; army forces remained in their barracks as Trujillo declared his "neutrality" in the situation. The ailing Vásquez, a victim of duplicity and betrayal, fled the capital. Estrella assumed the provisional presidency. Part of the arrangement between Estrella and Trujillo apparently involved the army commander's candidacy for president in the May elections. As events unfolded, it became clear that Trujillo would be the only candidate that the army would permit to participate; army personnel harassed and intimidated electoral officials and eliminated potential opponents. A dazed nation stood by as the new dictator announced his election with 95 percent of the vote. After his inauguration in August, and at his express request, the Congress issued an official proclamation announcing the commencement of "the Era of Trujillo." The dictator proceeded to rule the country like a feudal lord for thirty-one years. He held the office of president from 1930 to 1938 and from 1942 to 1952. During the interim periods, he exercised absolute power, while leaving the ceremonial affairs of state to puppet presidents such as his brother, Héctor Bienvenido Trujillo Molina, who occupied the National Palace from 1952 to 1960, and Joaquín Balaguer Ricardo, an intellectual and scholar who served from 1960 to 1961. Although cast in the mold of old- time caudillos such as Santana and Heureaux, Trujillo surpassed them in efficiency, rapacity, and utter ruthlessness. Like Heureaux, he maintained a highly effective secret police force that monitored (and eliminated, in some instances) opponents both at home and abroad. Armed forces personnel received generous pay and perquisites under his rule, and their ranks and equipment inventories expanded. Trujillo maintained control over the officer corps through fear, patronage, and the frequent rotation of assignments, which inhibited the development of strong personal followings. The other leading beneficiaries of the dictatorship--aside from Trujillo himself and his family--were those who associated themselves with the regime both politically and economically. The establishment of state monopolies over all major enterprises in the country brought riches to the Trujillos and their cronies through the manipulation of prices and inventories as well as the outright embezzlement of funds. Generally speaking, the quality of life improved for the average Dominican under Trujillo. Poverty persisted, but the economy expanded, the foreign debt disappeared, the currency remained stable, and the middle class expanded. Public works projects enhanced the road system and improved port facilities; airports and public buildings were constructed, the public education system grew, and illiteracy declined. These advances might well have been achieved in even greater measure under a responsive democratic government, but to Dominicans, who had no experience with such a government, the results under Trujillo were impressive. Although he never tested his personal popularity in a free election, some observers feel that Trujillo could have won a majority of the popular vote up until the final years of his dictatorship. Ideologically, Trujillo leaned toward fascism. The trappings of his personality cult (Santo Domingo was renamed Ciudad Trujillo under his rule), the size and architectural mediocrity of his building projects, and the level of repressive control exercised by the state all invited comparison with the style of his contemporaries, Hitler in Germany and Mussolini in Italy. Basically, however, Trujillo was not an ideologue, but a Dominican caudillo expanded to monstrous proportions by his absolute control of the nation's resources. His attitude toward communism tended toward peaceful coexistence until 1947, when the Cold War winds from Washington persuaded him to crack down and to outlaw the Dominican Communist Party (Partido Comunista Dominicano--PCD). As always, self-interest and the need to maintain his personal power guided Trujillo's actions. Although conspiracies--both real and imagined--against his rule preoccupied Trujillo throughout his reign, it was his adventurous foreign policy that drew the ire of other governments and led directly to his downfall. Paradoxically, his most heinous action in this arena cost him the least in terms of influence and support. In October 1937, Trujillo ordered the massacre of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic in retaliation for the discovery and execution by the Haitian government of his most valued covert agents in that country. The Dominican army slaughtered as many as 20,000 largely unarmed men, women, and children, mostly in border areas, but also in the western Cibao. News of the atrocity filtered out of the country slowly; when it reached the previously supportive administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States, Secretary of State Cordell Hull demanded internationally mediated negotiations for a settlement and indemnity. Trujillo finally agreed. The negotiations, however, fixed a ludicrously low indemnity of US$750,000, which was later reduced to US$525,000 by agreement between the two governments. Although the affair damaged Trujillo's international image, it did not result in any direct efforts by the United States or by other countries to force him from power. In later years, the Trujillo regime became increasingly isolated from the governments of other nations. This isolation compounded the dictator's paranoia, prompting him to increase his foreign interventionism. To be sure, Trujillo did have cause to resent the leaders of certain foreign nations, such as Cuba's Fidel Castro Ruz, who aided a small, abortive invasion attempt by dissident Dominicans in 1959. Trujillo, however, expressed greater concern over Venezuela's President Rómulo Betancourt (1959-64). An established and outspoken opponent of Trujillo, Betancourt had been associated with some individual Dominicans who had plotted against the dictator. Trujillo developed an obsessive personal hatred of Betancourt and supported numerous plots of Venezuelan exiles to overthrow him. This pattern of intervention led the Venezuelan government to take its case against Trujillo to the Organization of American States (OAS). This development infuriated Trujillo, who ordered his foreign agents to assassinate Betancourt. The attempt, on June 24, 1960, injured, but did not kill, the Venezuelan president. The incident inflamed world opinion against Trujillo. The members of the OAS, expressing this outrage, voted unanimously to sever diplomatic relations and to impose economic sanctions on the Dominican Republic. The firestorm surrounding the Betancourt incident provoked a review of United States policy toward the Dominican Republic by the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The United States had long tolerated Trujillo as a bulwark of stability in the Caribbean; some in Washington still saw him as a desirable counterforce to the Castro regime. Others, however, saw in Trujillo another Fulgencio Batista--the dictator Castro deposed in 1959--ripe for overthrow by radical, potentially communist, forces. Public opinion in the United States also began to run strongly against the Dominican dictatorship. In August 1960, the United States embassy in Santo Domingo was downgraded to consular level. According to journalist Bernard Diederich, Eisenhower also asked the National Security Council's Special Group (the organization responsible for approving covert operations) to consider the initiation of operations aimed at Trujillo's ouster. On May 30, 1961, Trujillo was assassinated. According to Diederich, the United States Central Intelligence Agency supplied the weapons used by the assassins. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\FINAL diuretic essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Introduction In insects, the regulation of water balance is of critical importance in maintaining homeostasis [1]. Homeostasis is the state of relative stability of the internal environment of an organism. One of the main processes involved in the control of water balance is diuresis. Diuresis is the elimination of excess water in the form of urine. This secretion takes place within the excretory system of the insect, which includes the Malpighian tubules and the hindgut [Figure 1]. Excretion and water balance are under neuroendocrine control [2]. The hormones involved in the process of diuresis are called diuretic hormones (DH). They are responsible for stimulating the secretion of urine by the Malpighian tubules. There are three primary diuretic hormones found in insects: CRF-like diuretic hormones, kinins, and serotonin [3]. Insect diuretic hormones play key roles in the regulation of water balance. They are generally released in response to feeding, which involves a large uptake of water. This is particularly important for blood-eating insects, such as Rhodnius prolixus (blood-sucking bug) and Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito), which can consume up to 10-20X their body weight during a single meal [2]. Of the three main insect diuretic hormones, two are classified as neuropeptides (CRF-like DH and kinins) and one as a neurotransmitter (serotonin, 5-HT). All three stimulate the secretion of urine by the Malpighian tubules, but each has its own way of mediating this excretion. When presented together, these diuretic hormones can act in synergism to further enhance the process of diuresis [3]. CRF-like diuretic hormones, which are similar to the vertebrate CRF, mediate the secretion of urine through the production of cyclic AMP. These cAMP act as secondary messengers to mediate the secretion of urine by the Malpighian tubules. The CRF-like DH via cAMP, promotes the active transport of Na+ and K+ ions into the Malpighian tubule lumen. This transport of ions from the hemolymph (blood analogue for insects) to the tubule lumen is the driving force for the secretion of urine [4]. Although CRF-like DH is present in the majority of insects, each species of insects may have its own specific CRF-like DH. Some examples of CRF-like DH include: Locusta-DH in locusts, Acheta-DH in crickets, Stomoxys-DH and Musca-DH in flies, Periplaneta-DH in cockroaches, and Manduca-DH in moths. In addition, some species of insects possess two CRF-like DH, such as Manduca sexta, which has Manduca-DH I and Manduca-DH II [6]. The insect kinin family of neuropeptides is another type of diuretic hormone found in the majority of insects. Like CRF-related DH, kinins also stimulate the secretion of urine. However, unlike CRF-related DH which act via cAMP, kinins mediate the excretion of urine by increasing the levels of intracellular Ca2+[5]. Some examples of insect kinins include: leucokinins in Leucophaea maderae (cockroach), achetakinins in Acheta domesticus (cricket), and locustakinins in Locusta migratoria (locust) [7]. Unlike the other two diuretic peptides, serotonin (5-HT or 5-Hydroxytryptamine) is a neurotransmitter that functions as a hormone and is found in only some species of insects. One of these species is the blood-sucking bug, Rhodnius prolixus, which has both a CRF-like neuropeptide and serotonin. Although serotonin can stimulate urine secretion by the Malpighian tubules, it still requires a diuretic peptide (CRF-like DH or kinins) for maximal secretion [8]. When present, serotonin is the second diuretic hormone which acts synergistically with diuretic peptides to produce urine excretion [9]. Whether it involves a kinin and a CRF-like DH, or a CRF-like DH and serotonin, the synergistic control of Malpighian tubule secretion results in a number of advantages. When two diuretic hormones act together, the increase in tubule secretion is greater than the sum of their separate responses. This synergistic effect reduces the amount of diuretic hormones needed to induce the desired urine secretion [9]. This is observed in locusts, where maximal tubule secretion requires 50% of the insect's stored CRF-like DH (Locusta-DH). However, in the presence of a kinin (locustakinin), only 2.5% of the locust's stored Locusta-DH is required for maximum tubule excretion [10]. Another advantage of synergism is the speed with which tubule secretion can be turned on and off. This is because it requires only a small change in the concentration of either diuretic hormone to significantly influence tubule function [9]. Individually, each diuretic hormone has a different effect on the rate of tubule secretion. Kinins generally give a response that is 30-75% of that produced by a CRF-like DH from the same insect [11]. One effective method used to determine the rate of tubule secretion as well as the composition of that secretion is the Ramsay Assay. This assay is the main technique used to measure the effects of diuretic hormones on the fluid secretion rate of the Malpighian tubules. The Malpighian tubules arise from the midgut-hindgut junction, and they generally float freely within the abdomen cavity which is surrounded by hemolymph [Figure 1]. In the Ramsay assay, a single tubule is isolated and severed from its connection to the gut. The free-floating end of the tubule (farthest from the gut) is placed in a Ringer solution, while the severed end is put into an oil bath solution. Secretion from the severed end accumulates as a droplet in the oil bath, and this droplet is then measured to yield the fluid secretion rate. X-ray spectroscopy is then administered to identify the secreted elements of the fluid [4]. One important aspect regarding the insect excretory system is that it is coupled with the movement of ions. Tubule secretion of urine is driven by the active and/or passive transport of Na+, K+, and Cl- ions from the hemolymph into the tubule lumen. Diuretic hormones increase the rate of tubule secretion by stimulating this ion movement. CRF-like DH does this via cAMP as a secondary messenger. Kinins, on the other hand, increases intracellular Ca2+ to stimulate ion transport. Both responses have different effects on the ion transport processes and the composition of the excreted urine [4]. Through cAMP, CRF-like DH opens Na+ channels on the tubules, thereby increasing the Na+ concentration in urine. This pathway is especially significant in blood-feeding insects because blood is rich in NaCl [12]. In contrast, kinins causes the urine concentration of Na+ to fall and the K+ concentration to increase [13]. This is particularly important in plant-feeding insects such as locusts and moths, which consume a diet rich in K+ with relatively little Na+[12]. Another difference between CRF-like DH and kinins is that CRF-like DH stimulates the active transport of cations (Na+; K+) while kinins stimulate the passive transport of anions (Cl-) [4]. References: [1] Phillips, JE and J. Hanrahan. Mechanisms and control of reabsorption in insect hindgut. Advance Insect Physiology 19 (1986) 329-422. [2] Coast, G.M. Diuresis in the housefly (Musca domestica) and its control by neuropeptides. Peptides 22 (2001) 153-160. [3] O'Donnell M.J. and J.H. Spring. Modes of control of insect Malpighian tubules: synergism, antagonism, cooperation and autonomous regulation. Journal of Insect Physiology 46 (2000) 107-117. [4] Beyenbach, K.W. Mechanism and Regulation of Electrolyte Transport in Malpighian Tubules. Journal of Insect Physiology 41 (1995) 197-207. [5] Furuya, Kenji et al. Cockroach diuretic hormones: Characterization of a calcitonin-like peptide in insects. Biochemistry 97 (2000) 6469-6474. [6] Kay, I., and G.M. Coast. Isolation and characterization of a diuretic peptide from Acheta domesticus: Evidence for a family of insect diuretic peptides. Biol. Chemistry 372 (1991) 505-512. [7] Veenstra, J.A. Isolation and identification of 3 leucokinins from the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 202 (1994) 715-719. [8] Maddrell, S.H.P., and W.S. Herman. 5-Hydroxytryptamine: A second diuretic hormone in Rhodnius. Journal of Experimental Biology 156 (1991) 557-566. [9] Maddrell, S.H.P, and B.O. Gardiner. Synergism of hormones controlling epithelial fluid transport in an insect. Journal of Experimental Biology 174 (1993) 65-80. [10] Patel, M., and G.M. Coast. Evidence for the hormonal function of a CRF-related diuretic peptide (Locusta-DP) in Locusta migratoria. Journal of Experimental Biology 198 (1995) 793-804. [11] Coast, G.M., and G.M. Holman. The diuretic activity of a series of cephalomyotropic neuropeptides, the achetakinins, on isolated Malpighian tubules of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus. Journal of Insect Physiology 36 (1990) 481-488. [12] Williams, J.C. Jr., and K.W. Beyenbach. Differential effects of secretagogues on Na and K secretion in Malpighian tubules of Aedex aegypti. Journal of Comparative Physiology 149 (1983) 511-517. [13] Pannabecker, T.L., and K.W. Beyenbach. Regulation of epithelial shunt conductance by the peptide leucokinin. J. Membr. Biology. 132 (1992) 63-76. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Final Exam Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Final Exam 18. The statement given below the question is true in part. To make the statement correct in whole requires that you identify the "subtest" as "performance subtests" and that these include Picture Completion and Symbol Search subtests as well. 19. The measure of cognitive ability most probably used in schools for elementary ages is the WISC-III. Each of the other measures have their own problems as an applicable measure. The Stanford-Benet IV is based on age norms and not age equivalents as most other measures and may cause confusion. The K-ABC requires its administration by a school psychologist and as such limits the application versus other tests. The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability-Revised has the drawback of being overly comprehensive in result regarding the large number of scores and profiles produced and requiring excessive time to administer the test. 20. Initially the various discrepancy analysis models for assessing possible learning disability could be broken down into three classifications; Years Below Grade Level, Expectancy Formulas and Standard Score. While each model has its proponents and advantages, each has its own identifiable problem. The Years Below Grade Level format involves subtracting the grade score from the current grade placement. If the resulting discrepancy exceeds 2 years the position for a learning disability was assumed. The problem with this analysis is that it assumes "average" grade placement and is based on grade equivalents which are not equal-interval scores. Due to these problems in the methodology, this model has fallen out of favor. Expectancy Formulas require the subtraction of 5 years from standard measure mental age. The resulting figure is the expectant grade level assumed. An achievement instrument is then used to assess the student and an analysis is done comparing the expected grade level with the assessed grade level. The major limitation is that the current achievement is in grade equivalents, and is not an equal interval score. Furthermore, this method does not consider reliability of the instruments used. The third method is the Standard Score. In this method an achievement test is administered and the standard score is subtracted from the standard score of an IQ test taken by the client. The resulting difference is then compared to the standard deviations of both tests. There are two primary problems with this methodology; this method does not take into account measurement error in either or both instruments and two, the higher the correlation between the tests the lower the reliability of the discrepancy outcome. At present none of these methods are recommended nor is there current agreement on which to use. Newer measures of ability and achievement have built in procedures for discrepancy analysis. Some of these measures come with computer programs to assist with scoring and discrepancy analysis. In the future self contained computer analysis may be the preferred method of discrepancy analysis. 21. When addressing the needs of a student who is culturally and linguistically diverse, the assessment tool needs to be in the students primary language in the first place. The instrument should be norm balanced to reflect the cultural background of the student. Students with differing cultural backgrounds have different approaches and references to questions and information presented in problems. At the same time, an instrument that is not normed, age appropriate, to the student will be useless even if it does address the student's unique cultural, ethnic and linguistic background. 22. Both intellectual performance and adaptive behavior of the subject student must be addressed to ascertain a student's current learning aptitude. When assessing the possibility of a mental retardation disability both of these factors must be addressed. A students adaptive behavior at adequate or below average coupled with average range intellectual performance may indicate either a learning or behavioral disorder. With both Intellectual performance and adaptive behavior below average, an assessment of mental retardation disability becomes a real possibility. Only with an assessment of learning aptitude can these determinations be made. 23. In both the assessment of visual and auditory perceptual abilities the physical impairment of either sight or hearing can be determined through concrete testing. The student can see or cannot see, can hear the sound or cannot hear the sound. In most instances a mechanical device can be used to effect a correction of the impairment. An assessment of educational achievement is usually compared against a norm reference group and is subjective within a projected range of reliability. 24. Assessment of perceptual abilities traditionally has been concentrated on either auditory or visual perception. Special education by definition addresses a student as a whole entity. An individual with interlocking and interrelating causes and effects. There is no one cause for a special education finding. Assessment teams need to examine the whole student, from cultural background to learning ability, to IQ, to adaptive behavior. To limit assessment of perceptual abilities to auditor or visual perception denies that other aspects of perceptual abilities may have impact on how a student may learn and function. All aspects of perceptual abilities must be explored to determine their impact on how a student processes information. 25. The most important thing that a special education teacher should be aware of is that the student or client is a human being, not a lab rat. The minute we forget that we are dealing with a living sentient being and we start treating that individual like an "it" we loose sight of the fact that we are there to serve that individual and provide assistance to them. Any assessment we administer, is only valid for that instance. The instrument provides us with a snapshot of the individual at that moment. The individual can be affected by emotional turmoil, reacting to the physical setting, misunderstanding the material or be in less than perfect physical health. All these variables effect how the individual does in the assessment. Likewise how we interpret the results will have a major bearing on what we assess the individual as being or having. All of this means that the "snapshot" of the client may have been valid at that instance. But that snapshot is not the client. The client is a living, breathing human being whose very being is as fluid and variable as all the factors influencing them. Assessment is not a concrete fact, it is an interpretation of collected information and our function is to assist and help the client, not judge them. ESE 517 12/10/02 Assessment of Mild/Moderate Disabilities David C. Pearson f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Final Thoughts Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brooks 1 Wendi M. Brooks Intro to Lit Professor Maguire 22 April, 2004 My Final Thoughts This literature class has been an enjoyable learning experience. Since we read such a large variety of dramatic literature and fictional literature as well as poetry, I really feel like I learned something and was able to gain knowledge. I am not usually one who enjoys reading or anything connected to it, but I was very open to the stories we read. I think I enjoyed it more than high school literature because we actually looked at more modern work, rather than just focusing on the classics. I was surprised and intrigued by the stories in Fiction Fix. They were different and rather "off the wall" and I liked most of them. It was also very cool to know that they were written by people just like myself. It makes the stories come to life a little more than when it is someone foreign to you. You connect more that way. When we were studying poetry, I actually found myself enjoying reading the poems. That had never happened before. I used to literally argue with my literature teacher about doing assignments for poetry because I despised it so much. I definitely will look back on this class as an eye opening experience that helped me appreciate well written literature. I chose three different works of literature that dealt with some form of love. Whether it be a professor and student relationship that was taken too far, and ends in a Brooks 2 bad situation, or an affair taking place in a foreign country, or just a crazy sexual poem, these three works all show some part of what we think of as love. The first literary work I looked at is called Oleanna and was written by Mamet. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece of drama. It is a story about a young girl, age twenty, and her college professor. She seeks help from him because she feels ignorant and wants to do better in his class. They are meeting in his office and he can tell she is extremely distressed and needs comfort, so he casually puts his arm around her in a friendly manner. She later takes offense to this action and ends up filing a report against him to the tenure committee saying he sexually harassed her. This causes him to lose his job and not be able to buy the house he was trying to buy for his family. Because of this he retaliates and ends up actually beating her. This story shows us a way that the act of love can be demented. This professor was trying to help one of his struggling students, and because he was a little too friendly he got fired and his life was ruined. I liked this story because I think I could relate to it based on the fact that I am a young female college student and I could easily be put in that type of situation at any point in my college experience. Most girls probably feel the same way I do about this story. It isn't directly related to love, but it deals with male/female relationships, which leads to love. The next literary work I chose to look at that is dealing with love is "The Lady with the Pet Dog" by Oates. It is the story of a man who travels to Yalta without his family. He is the type of man who looks at women as if they are inferior and is usually very comfortable around women. There is a new comer to the town, and she walks her dog at the same time every day and this man becomes very intrigued with her. He Brooks 3 watches her every move and eventually they begin having an affair. She is married and has a family where she is from. They have their lovely affair and then he goes home to his family and she is extremely heart broken and ends up taking a trip to see him after he finally leaves her. This story is the ultimate love story with an unhappy ending. They have this amazing fling for a short time, but it can never be anything more than that, and the woman cannot handle leaving him. This is typical of women, and I think all women can relate to this story. We can all sympathize with the poor woman who had her heart broken because she was naïve and thought it was actually going to last, when he had a family and children. I like this story because it makes me think of past relationships where I have been in the same situation as this poor woman. The last literary work I looked at is called "she being Brand" by e.e. cummings. It is about a young persons first sexual experience. I like this poem because it is so different and uses such a unique way of explaining it. It is from the perspective of the male character, as he begins having sex with this girl. All young people can relate to this topic and it is definitely a part of what we call love. The poem starts with the guy being excited and talking about this "brand new" girl. He talks about knowing she is a virgin and therefore being careful what he does, so as not to hurt her. The rest of the poem is them engaging in sexual acts, and the climax is fittingly at the end. This entire semester has been a good experience. I enjoyed this class and I would recommend you as a teacher to any of my fellow students. I like the way you teach and you really helped me become more accepting of literature and poetry especially. I am a journalism major and it is important for me to enjoy reading because I will be forced to Brooks 4 read things I may not enjoy, but I feel like I am more open minded to reading things after taking your class. Thank you for the experience and the wonderful time. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Finding Courage To Die.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Finding Courage to Die In William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" we see a young man paralyzed with grief over his father. So much so that he is believed to have gone mad. Hamlet is such a complex character that one must look deeply to find what drives him. Did he really have the courage to kill the king or was it madness? Hamlet's character will be illuminated by explaining both soliloquies and finally Hamlet himself. "To be, or not to be, that is the question," (Beaty, 1348) is one of the most famous and well known excerpts from the play "Hamlet." What most people do not realize is the significance it has in the portrayal of the character Hamlet. During this soliloquy Hamlet is debating his fate. Hamlet is asking himself whether it is more noble, in the mind, to passively accept and suffer through all the pains of life fate throws at him, or to actively destroy, in death, these numerous troubles, and ultimately end his pain. Hamlet is questioning whether it is better to live in a world where he cannot see any goodness or take his own life. Hamlet has a very intense, philosophical personality. For this reason, he cannot take his life because he does not know what happens after one dies. He is not positive of an afterlife, therefore he doesn't have the courage to end his life. "Now might I do it prat," (Beaty, 1363) is a soliloquy in which we see a shift in Hamlet's rationalization. Hamlet, as his fathers only son, is seeking revenge for his Page 2 fathers death, but is afraid that a quick death for Claudius would not be enough. Hamlet feels that waiting until Claudius is in an immoral situation would make him suffer in death because he would not be allowed to repent for his sins. During this soliloquy Hamlet is caught up in his plot for revenge and has foregone, for the moment, his plan of suicide. The contradictions in these two soliloquies sheds much needed light on Hamlet's personality. Hamlet is very outraged by the immoral actions of some of the other characters. He is deeply offended by his mothers hasty marriage to her brother-in-law and king. Hamlet begs his mother to stop being intimate with Claudius and to think more upon her late husband. This shows that Hamlet has a very clear perception of right and wrong. He also shows this characteristic by being suspicious and even hurt by his childhood friends loyalty to Claudius. Even though Hamlet is despondent over his fathers death, he keeps in mind his moral convictions and sets out to right what he sees as a wrong doing towards his father, and ultimately his family. The plays tragic ending is just more proof that Hamlet was bound by his own ethics to avenge his fathers wrongful death. Hamlet's character traits are very deeply ingrained and he does what he must to keep those traits from being exploited by what he sees as unethical people. Page 3 Works Cited Shakespear, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Beaty, Hunter, Paul. New York: W.W. Norton, 1995. 1306-1405. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\finding nemo essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kate Mabe Period 8 La Famille, Les Enfants, et " Finding Nemo " L'amour d'un père pour son fils est le sujet de " Finding Nemo, " un film animé sur Marlin, un poisson qui perd son fils Nemo et traverse la mer pour le trouver. Dans l'Ocean Pacifique, parmi des milliers de poissons, le père cherche son fils. L'ocean est vaste at plein de danger, mais le petit poisson est déterminé. C'est une tâche formidable-trouver un poisson dans le grand ocean-mais c'est aussi une chose que beaucoup des pères n'hesiteraient pas à faire. " Finding Nemo " est pour les enfants, mais les adultes peuvent l'aimer aussi. Parce que les personnages sont des poissons, le film peut attraper l'attention des enfants, et parce que dans les poissons on peut voir des emotions très vrais et très humains, le film parle aux adultes aussi. Parce que ses parents le regardent et l'aiment, les enfants l'aiment plus. " Finding Nemo " est important pour tous les âges, et surtout pur les enfants. Les adultes savent que les poissons n'ont pas des familles. Mais les enfants aiment croire que les animaux ait les vies similaire à les nôtres. Parce que " Finding Nemo " est au sujet des poissons, ils le trouvent très interessant. Marlin et son fils Nemo sont oranges et blancs, et ils nagent dans un ocean bleu et brilliant, parmi des poissons de toutes les couleurs. Ce cadre peut attraper l'attention des enfants immediatement. Et quand ils regardent les poissons, ils commençent à comprendre le nature de la famille, un leçon très important. Beaucoup des enfants, sourtout les petits garçons, peuvent identifier avec Nemo-il est jeune, energique, et un peu different que les autres parce qu'il a une nageoire faible, et son père est très protecteur. Comme les enfants d'aujourd'hui, Nemo veut un peu de liberté, et il veut être un fils de qui son père peut être fier. Parce que Marlin est très soucieux, il interdit Nemo à faire beaucoup des choses. Un jour, en essayant à prouver s'aptitude, il est attrapé par un plongeur! Il veut rétourner chez lui, mais il ne peut pas, et il pense que son père n'essayera pas à lui trouver. Il pense que Marlin a trop peur, et qu'il ne l'aime pas. Mais il n'a pas raison. Marlin fait face à beaucoup des choses épouvantables pour trouver Nemo parce qu'il l'adore avec toute sa coeur. En regardant cette histoire, les enfants peuvent comprendre le pouvoir de l'amour d'un père. Le film leur dit que les pères aiment ses fils toujours, et qu'ils ferraient n'importe quoi pour eux. Alors, " Finding Nemo " est un film que les enfants peuvent adorer, pas seulement parce qu'il est au sujet des poissons et d'un cadre interressant, mais aussi parce qu'il leur apprend un leçon très important sur la famille. Des étudies psychologiques avaient dit que les enfants regarderont plus souvent les films et les émissions que ses parents peuvent regarder avec eux. " Finding Nemo " est certainement un de ces films. Vrai, le film est animé, et il répresente les poissons qui parlent, mais les poissons sont très réalistes et très humains. Dans la figure de Marlin-dans son front ridé avec souci-on peut voir les emotions de tous les pères du monde. L'amour, le souci, la peur pour un fils-tous sont présents dans chaque movement de ses nageoires animées. Quand les adultes regardent le film, ils oblient que les choses qu'il répresente ne sont pas vraies ou possibles. Ils voient seulement un père et un fils, et ils peuvent apprendre un leçon aussi. Ils apprennent à donner à ses fils un peu de liberté. Les enfants avent besoin de découvrir le monde (ou l'ocean, s'ils sont les poissons!) pour eux-mêmes. Alors, les adultes peuvent aimer " Finding Nemo " aussi, et s'ils le regardent avec ses enfants, ses enfants l'aimeront plus. Les films comme " Finding Nemo " sont très importants, sourtout dans la famille et pour les enfants. Ce film est un bon example d'un qui apprend des leçons fundamentales dans un manier très agréable. Et les enfants d'aujourd'hui sont les adultes de demain. Beaucoup des fils qui regardent le film se le rapelleront quand ils sont les pères. C'est alors que films sur la famille, comme " Finding Nemo, " sont, peut être, les films le plus importants pour les enfants. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\firefighter essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ When Jessie told the story to her brother she was influenced by psychological factors which included egocentrism, observational learning, over regularization, reconstructive memory, and schema. Egocentrism is the inability to understand the perspective of another. As an example Jessie tells of events that happened to other kids as if they only happened to her. Observational learning is the modeling of observed behavior. As an example Jessie describes a behavior she did after watching someone at the firehouse. Over regularization is the misplacement of a rule of grammar in language use. An example would be Jessie describing the firehouse as plural. Reconstructive memory is the principle that retrieval is not perfect, and any failures can result in distortion of memories. As an example, part of Jessie's story is made up because she can't remember what really happened. A schema is a framework used to organize information. As an example of this Jessie previously believed firefighters were monsters, but after learning about them and seeing them she changed her schema. These are some of the ways Jessie could have been influenced in the telling of her story. Jimmy Diegelmann 2002 Essay #2 11/1/2009 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\First Draft DESCRIPTIVE essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Roy Akarakian April 25, 2004 7L, LeRette First Draft Of course life brings experiences and joys, but only the best ones would be remembered. Events in life now may seem insignificant, like minuscule grains from a desert, but soon enough we will learn to find the true meaning of them. However, only by retelling and reliving the past, will life become a symbol of remembrance. One of the many adventures in life, that I remember, is of my first class at soccer practice in the summer going to the second grade. It was to take place in the large fields at Westchester Park. My mother had signed me up weeks before, and was just as enthusiastic about the event as I was. She believed it would be great exercise for a young, still growing boy of my age, and would provide much excitement. I can still picture those wonderful moments... just as I arrived, with no words said, I jetted off to the coach and all of the eight or nine boys standing around. We began with the typical stretches, pulls and pushes, and of course the dreaded running, of over a quarter mile. The games had begun, our coach assigned teams amongst the students, set goal borders and commenced with lessons. He carefully observed our playing styles, and commented to each one of us on how to improve. During our match the coach joined in, adding much more to our sensational feelings. The whole act was lively and stirring as the two teams competed. Us, children, worked and played vigorously as if we were in the final match of the World Cup. Though we made mistakes, it did not stop us from improving or learning. Leaving that day was one of the hardest moments for me in this young life, yet it sparked the beginning of a new emotion. This, was the feeling of inspiration, and the true beginning for soccer. I have learned even more about life, by remembering, and "reliving" the memories. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\First Knight and Oxbow Incident.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the novel, "The Ox-Bow Incident," and the movie, "First Knight," the differences by far out weighed the similarities. Some of the more evident similarities Round Table had a set book of laws and rules that all knights must abide by, regardless of their feelings were, the characters seemed to both have a leader which they followed, Tetley in "the Ox-Bow", and King Arthur in "First Knight". Both groups seemed to follow what their so-called "leaders" said. Nobody wanted to stand up to Tetley nor King Arthur, they just did what they were told, regardless of whether or not they felt that it was moral or not. Some of the differences range from; law, their feelings toward others, and their ethics and morale. The first difference is the two groups view on the law. The Knights of the about them. Whereas, the cowboys had a set of unwritten laws, which they changed whenever there was something that they wanted to pursue. Most of them felt that the law was wrong and too slow, so they often decided to take law into their own hands and form posses. If the majority of the people believed that a certain person is guilty or not, they would act upon him/her without a fair trial. Their view of the law was that it "just gets in the way" and should be abolished all together. The Knights believed that the law was good and is there for a reason, while the cowboys felt the law was wrong and took action into their own hands. The two groups both showed a special friendship for each other, yet their friendships were based on different feelings. They were always ready for action and didn't have the time to express their friendship to others. Their friendships were almost always a temporary thing, meaning one minute they could be your best friend and the next, your worst enemy. They also didn't express their love like the Knights did. They showed their appreciation through the respect of others while the Knights expressed their feelings through trust. The Knights, on the other hand, showed a great deal of love and friendship. Their relationships were based on assurance and trust, whereas the cowboys didn't rely on anyone. The Knights were also willing to sacrifice their lives for each other, while the cowboys would let each other die. So, in comparing the relationships of the two groups, they both had strong relationships with each other, yet they were based on two totally different ideas. The last major difference between the Knights and the cowboys was one of ethics and morale. The two groups both showed a code of ethics that portrayed their moral throughout the stories. The Knights had a set of rules which they abided by and which didn't change at all in the story. On the other hand, the cowboys ethics changed often, throughout the "Oxbow." The cowboys were influenced by the thoughts and beliefs of others whereas, the Knights based their beliefs on those of King Arthur and no one else. The Knights showed a great deal of trust in each other, and one's word was especially important, while the cowboys didn't trust anything that anybody said or did. They were always looking over their shoulder, never sure when another cowboy would turn against them. The two stories, "The Ox-Bow Incident," and "First Knight," contained some similarities and many differences. Most of their differences seemed to be based on the relationship between the characters, while they were similar in the fact that they both had someone assume the role of leadership. The Knights usually acted as a group, whereas the cowboys seemed to act alone as individuals. Yet, both groups showed a sense of togetherness and community even though their beliefs and feelings were completely opposite. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\FlawsInChristianity.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Essay on the Intrinsic Flaws Inherent in Christianity Christianity is a religion in which events are claimed to have occured but which can never be proved. Those who practice it live by different morals than are preached by the most holy texts. It is an institution in which the most holy scripture is contradictory, and wherein the supreme being, by the very definition, cannot exist. Christianity is, therefore, a fundamentally flawed religion. According to the Bible, events have occured which are even more miraculous than the resurection of Jesus Christ. Events such as the stopping of the sun by Joshua (Joshua 10:12-14), the reversal of the sun's course by Isaiah (Isaiah 38:7-8) , the resurrection of the saints, and their subsequent appearance to many (Matthew 27:52-53) were witnessed by thousands of people. The stopping and reversal of the sun would have been visible worldwide. The idea that people could have witnessed these events without having been amazed by them is, quite simply, ludicrous. Other cultures having witnessed this would certainly have offered their own explanations in keeping with their own cultural and religious beliefs. Surely a society existing at the time would have documented this miraculous event. Yet nowhere have such works been found. In the instance of the resurrection of the saints, Matthew is the only person to mention this occurence in the Bible. Surely other first-century Christians would have used this as further proof of Jesus' divinty. It would fall to reason that Paul and the gospels would have mentioned it. This is not, however, the case. Nowhere else in the Bible is this mentioned or even hinted at. These events are then, at best, highly unlikely to have occured. The fact that Matthew is alone in writing of the resurrection of the saints leads us to believe that certain writers of the Bible had differing views on christianity. The christian Bible is highly contradictory, not just to modern day christian beliefs, but in and of itself. Today's society is of the belief that all people are created equal, and Christians submit that their god is of the same belief. Modern Christians believe that their god loves everyone, and that they are all equal. However, after Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree forbidden by god, this deity said to Eve "I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall be your master." (Genesis 3:16). This tells us that, according to the Christian religion, women shall naturally be dominated by men. This kind of behavior is not conducive to a being who believes in inherent equality. Women are repeadtedly treated as objects and told to be submissive in the Bible. "According to the rule observed in all the assemblies of believers, women should keep silent in such gatherings. Rather, as the law indicates, submissiveness is indicated for them. If they want to learn anything, they should ask their husbands at home. It is a disgrace when a woman speaks in the assembly." (1 Corinthians 14:34-35). "Man was not made from woman but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman but woman for man. For this reason, a woman ought to have a sign of submission on her head." (1 Corinthians 11:8-10). The Bible also permits bondage. "Slaves, male and female, you may indeed possess, provided you buy them from among neighboring the nations. You may also buy them from among the aliens who reside with you and from their children who are born and raised in their land. Such slaves you may own as chattels, and leave to your sons as their hereditary property, making them perpetual slaves." (Leviticus 25:44-46). This same Bible gives laws on the punishment of slaves. "When a man strikes his slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property." (Exodus 21:20-21) We find further examples of prejudice in Deuteronomy. In the Bible, it is stated that "No one whose testicles have been crushed or whose penis has been cut off may be admitted into the community of the Lord. No child of an incestuous or adulterous union may be admitted into the community of the Lord, nor any descendant of his even to the tenth generation." (Deuteronomy 23:2-3). Consider the first statement. If a faithful Christian were to get in an automobile accident with a resulting injury to his genitals, he would not be admitted into Heaven. The second statement is even more ridiculous than the first. An innocent child, through no fault of its own, is born a bastard. He may not be admitted into heaven. But more than that, none of his descendants may ever be admitted. These are not characteristics which are normally associated with justice and goodness. These are petty, cruel actions. This is not the only discrepancy in the christian Bible. Judah's daughter-in-law, Tamar, is said to have been a harlot (Genesis 38:24). Because of her harlotry, she became pregnant (Genesis 38:25). She had twins and named them Perez and Zerah. "These are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminibad, Amminibad was the father of Nahshon, Nahshon was the father of Salmon, Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed, Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David." (Ruth 4:18-22). Therefore David, King of Israel, was a descendant of a bastard and subsequently should not have been allowed into the community the Lord. This is a huge contradiction, as David is such an important figure in the bible. The contradiction involving David pales in comparison, however, to the one of the very definition of a supreme being. In Christianity, Christ is central in atoning for the sins of mankind. Had there been no sins of mankind, there would be no story of Christ. The nature of sin must then therefore be analysed. It is accepted by Christians that god created everything. If this is true, then this same god created evil. It is written in the Bible that god is all-knowing (1 John 3:20). God is, in effect, omniscient. If god is omniscient and creates, he then knows all possible outcomes of all possible creations of all possible universes. If he created our universe, he chose what its destiny would be. In doing so, he chose the paths of our lives. Thus, we can conclude that the universe is completely deterministic to god and, by being a creator, he cannot allow freewill to exist unless the universe is no longer predetermined to him. If this is true, then humanity is merely a collection of automotons. If this is not not true, then god cannot be omniscient.If the Christian god were omniscient, then he could foresee his own future. If this being knows its own future, he does not have the power to change it. Considering, however, that god is omnipotent, there is a major conflict with his omniscient nature. If god were able to change his future, that would mean that god would not be able to foresee when he would make sudden changes in his future and what changes would result, eliminating the possibility of his being omniscient. Therefore, these qualities cannot be held simultaneously by one being. It is important now to look at the possibility of omnipotence. The Christian god is perfectly good and omnipotent. Yet evil exists. If god is omnipotent and perfectly good, he could and would dispell evil. Three possible conclusions arise from these statements. God is perfectly good but evil exists, so he is not able to dispell evil and thus is not omnipotent. The second possible conclusion is this: that god is omnipotent but evil exists, and god is therefore not perfectly good. The last possible, and most feasible, conclusion is that god does not exist. It can easily be seen that Christianity is a religion based on falsehoods and has many intrinsic flaws. They are seen by the fact that the followers of this religion do not conduct themselves in the manner proscribed by their most holy texts. These errors reside in the facts that these same texts are contradictory, and that their very god cannot possibly exist. These errors and omissions are then covered by a vague concept: faith. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\flowers for algenon essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ IT'S BETTER TO BE HAPPY The short story "Flowers for Algenon" by Daniel Keyes is about a mentally retarded man named Charlie Gordon. Charlie is thirty-seven years old, single man who has an I.Q. of sixty-eight. He is very stable and independent. He lives on his own, pays his own rent and even with his job he still finds the time to go to adult night school. He is very motivated to learn and be "normal" like his friends. Ms. Kinnian, who is his school teacher even goes as far to say that he is the best in her class. His two best friends, Joe Carp and Frank Reilly, work in a factory with Charlie. They run the machines and Charlie sweeps the floor. Joe and Frank aren't always the nicest to Charlie they do make fun of his handicap but deep down they do have love for him. Charlie loves his job even though it's not much. He is a generally happy person and he difinatly makes the best of his situation. Ms. Kinnian decides that Charlie will be a prime candidate for an experiment in the works that will triple his I.Q. Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur are the ones who will perform the operation, which is still in clinical trial. Charlie is asked to race a mouse named Algenon who has already had the operation performed on him. The Dr. wants Charlie to race Algenon so that they have a sense of how smart the mouse actually is. The doctors use the race to determine if Charlie is the right candidate for the operation. They eventually choose Charlie to be their test subject. Charlie keeps a journal that he is supposed to write all of the progress he is making. There are many reasons I feel the operation should not be done. Some of these reasons are that Charlie is fine just the way he is, and there has not been enough prior clinical research and evidence of the operation being permanent or even being safe. The last reason is as a direct result of the operation Charlie suffers extreme physical and emotional pain. These reasons make my opinion very strong; Charlie should not have the operation. My first reason on why Charlie Gordon should not have the operation is that he is better of without it. Charlie might have a low I.Q. but he does have a job, friends, and he is for the most part happy. People can understand him and he can function in society. Why does he have to be smart, Charlie already has everything he needs? " Ms. Kinnian told that I was her bestist pupil in the adult nite school becaus I tryed the hardist and I reely wantid to lern" (march7). Most mentality-retarded people are defiant when it comes to learning, and they get aggravated with not being able to comprehend. Charlie on the other hand, already has the motivation to learn. He wants it so bad that he will do anything to become smart hence the operation, but the cons do out way the pros. Charlie found the adult night school by himself this shows he is self- sufficient, and this is also more evidence of his motivation. When Dr. Straus and Dr. Nemur asked him how he found the night school he says, " I asked pepul and sumbody told me where I shud go to read and spell good" (march 7). When I interpret this quote I think that Charlie's spelling and words are recognizable and since he has such high motivation they can only get better. Therefore, he should not have the operation. Nobody ever told him to go to night school he found it and went all by himself. Now isn't that motivation! Not only was he motivated and self sufficient in night school he also made it to work everyday. " Mr. Donnegan (Charlie's boss) said I was the best janiter he ever had because I like my job and do it good and never miss a day except my operashun" (March 28). This is a great example that Charlie is just fine without the operation. He can make it to work everyday on time and he has never even taken a sick day. That is how devoted he is to his simple job. It makes him feel important even if all he does is sweep the floor. Charlie has a social life that was developed through his job, which is where he met Joe and Frank. At times Joe and Frank might not seem like friends they even make jokes at his expense. "Then Frank Reilly said what did you do Charlie forget your keys and open your door the hard way. That made me laff. Their really my friends and they like me"(March 25). Since Charlie has a low I.Q. he doesn't really understand that they are making fun of him. This is actually a good thing because Charlie's feelings aren't hurt by what is being said about him. When Charlie needs Joe and Frank they are there. After he has the operation people make fun of him at work Joe and Frank are sentimental to all he has gone through. " Frank Reilly came over and said Charlie if anyone bothers you or trys to take advantage you call me or Joe and we will set em straight"(July 27). Even though Charlie is mentally retarded and has a low I.Q. doesn't mean he should go through with the operation. I believe Charlie shouldn't change one bit his happiness is all that counts. My Second reason for why Charlie should not have the operation is that there has not been enough prior research that the operation actually will work. Charlie will be the first human to undergo this operation. Only mice have been used so far and they haven't had enough time to find out what the long-term effects will be. Dr. Nemur says, "Remember he will be the first human beeng ever to have his intellijence tripled by surgical meens"(March 8). The doctors really don't care at this point if Charlie lives or dies. The doctors have ulterior motives; they just want to become prestige members in the science world. They manipulate Charlie and don't even do the operation in hospital. "I found out it isn't a hospitil it's a labatory"(March 28). The Dr.'s aren't looking out for Charlie's best interest. They probably don't even have the verification to perform the operation. Charlie is told that the operation might not be permanent but he is mentally retarded, how can he make the right decision to not go through with the operation. He can't even comprehend the risks. " If it works perminint they will make everybody smart all over the wurld"(March 10). This quote shows how naïve Charlie really is. Charlie has no idea of all the additional research that needs to take place before this operation could be approved to be distributed worldwide. This again shows that the doctors take advantage of Charlie he should have never made the decision on his own. Somebody should have explained all of the effects and the risks that went along with the operation. After Charlie goes through with the operation Algenon (the mouse who beat him in all of the races) starts digressing down hill and his mental ability to be smart starts to go away. "Motor activity is impaired; there is a general reduction of glandular activity; there is an accelerated loss of coordination"(June 5). Charlie is very sad because of this not only because algenon is his friend but also he knows that this will soon happen to him. If the doctor's would have waited long enough to see what the long term effects would have been on the mice this could have been prevented. This new development really scares Charlie. Now that he has gone through the operation and realized what he was before the operation the last thing he wants to do is become that again. This starts to show all of the mental anguish Charlie has to deal with now that he knows that the operation will not be permanent. Finally the most important reason Charlie should not have the operation is due to it he suffers great amounts of physical and emotional pain. Since he has had the operation he is forced to see how people treated him before. "I didn't know what to do or where to turn. Everyone was looking at me and laughing and I felt naked. I wanted to hide. I ran outside and I threw up."(April 20) This emotionally depresses Charlie, and it even makes him physically sick. If he never had gone through this operation he would have still been his happy-go-lucky self. Now he is filled with pain. This really upsets me because Ms. Kinnian and the doctors knew he was going to go through this pain and they did nothing to stop it. All they cared about was how this operation would benefit science. What about Charlie's feelings? " She (Ms.Kinnian) cried and I cried too but I wouldn't let her in because I didn't want her to laugh at me. I told her I didn't like her any more. I told her I didn't want to be smart any more"(July 25). Ms Kinnian knew that this might happen and so did the doctors, and they didn't even try to protect Charlie from this. Now, after the operation Ms. Kinnian sees all of the pain Charlie is going through. I bet she wishes she would have never took Charlie in to see Dr. Straus and Dr. Nemur. Ms. Kinnian has ruined Charlie's life. "I feel sick inside... inside my chest it feels empty like getting punched and a heartburn at the same time"(April 20). Charlie starts to go down hill. He feels horrible inside. I have felt this kind of pain before in my life, and it a pain that can't be taken away with any pain killer. Charlie is extremely depressed, and this is a feeling he has probably never experienced in his life. Everything seems to be falling apart. His once simple life is now much more complicated. Charlie has become alienated from all of the people he loves. He is different now after the operation, and since he has alienated himself he really has know one to talk to about these horrible feelings. " I am alone at Mrs. Flynn's boarding house most of the time I seldom speak to anyone" (May 18). Finally Charlie is almost at the end of his rope. He has nothing to hold on to and he even has thoughts of suicide. " Dr. Straus came to see me again... I told him to go away...I am touchy and irritable. I feel the darkness closing in. It's hard not to throw off thoughts of suicide" (June 15). This is almost the end for Charlie. Luckily he finds the strength to move forward. In Conclusion, Charlie Gordon was a great employee, student and friend before this operation. Since there wasn't enough concrete evidence that this operation would work, Charlie ended up loosing his self-dignity. He was shown what he was like before the operation and was ashamed of the person he was. He was smarter then all of the doctors and then losses it all. Charlie was a happy person before this operation. He was a simple man, and because of his low I.Q. was naive. Charlie was completely taken advantage of and he ends up suffering great emotional pain because of that. In My opinion this operation should have never been performed. Charlie was fine before the operation everyone said he was the best that he could be. There was not enough research done because look what ends up happening to poor Charlie, and there is no reason why Charlie should have ever suffered so much physical and emotional pain. What is more important to be smart or to be happy? f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\FlyingDreams.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Flying Dreams To Fly Has Been a Dream On a bright sunny day with the sky as clear as crystal glass, you peer out into the open sky to the land down below. The door opens in front of you the wind rushes into the aircraft. You step out falling freely away as if you were a bird soaring on the winds of time. You peer back to the aircraft for a brief second to see it speeding away. You feel weightless as the wind roars around you. Looking down you suddenly realize that you are falling towards the earth. Someone once said that the sky is the limit, but in skydiving the ground is the limit. Skydiving is not just a free fall and a parachute ride, but an extreme thrill of events in a short amount of time. Skydiving begins on the ground. The equipment that you use is the most important part of a successful dive. The most important piece is the parachute itself. It must be packed so that there are no knots in the lines and so that the parachute will open properly. The reserve parachute is the second most important piece of equipment. It must be packed by a Federal Aviation Administration rigger every 120 days or after the reserve parachute has been deployed. The third piece is your altimeter that is set and calibrated to altitude at ground level. Several optional pieces of equipment are a helmet, gloves and a skydiving suit. Some jumpers like to perform a pre-jump on the ground. It's most commonly called a dirt dive. They walk through the skydive on the ground while talking about what they will do on the jump and then what they will do if the jump doesn't go as planned. The Jump Master is a highly skilled skydiver. The Jump Master has over 500 skydives and licensed by the United States Parachute Association. The Jump Master is in charge of the jumper on the aircraft at all times. He notifies the jumper of the drop zone approaching by giving a one minute warning, a 30 second warning, prepare to jump, and jump signal. The Jump Master also is in charge of checking that you have put your equipment on properly. He checks to see that you have not crossed your leg straps and that your chest strap is fastened securely. Next he checks to see that your ripcord is properly in place, also checks to see that your reserve parachute card is not over the required re-pack date. After receiving the Jump Master inspection it is time for you to board the aircraft. The trip to jump altitude can be reached by airplanes, helicopters, and hot air balloons. After flying to a maximum altitude of 15,000 feet above ground level or a minimum of 3,500 feet above ground level the jumper can exit the aircraft at anytime the Jump Master signals to jump. You have been given the signal to jump. You may be jumping alone or as a group. For as many times that I have skydived. I prefer to jump alone, "It's like being on top of the world." As you exit the aircraft falling toward the earth, you're able to spin, twist, flip, turn, roll, surf, and perform an aerobatic display without the force of gravity restricting you. Glancing at your altimeter ether on your wrist or chest strap to see what altitude you're at. Your altimeter tells you when to deploy your parachute. The minimum altitude to deploy is 2,000 feet above ground level. Most jumpers begin to deploy their parachute at 2,500 feet above ground level. Finally you have reached the parachute ride. You have pulled your ripcord and have a full parachute deployed. If the main parachute had not deployed. You would have had to deploy your reserve parachute. Before pulling the reserve parachute ripcord you have to release the main parachute by pulling the cut away pillow. When the reserve parachute deployed the main parachute would release from the container and fall freely away from you. The jumper reaches up and releases the brake toggles which controls the parachute. The brake toggles were set when packing the parachute, so that the opening of the parachute would not be so rough. Now that you have a fully deployed parachute many stunts can be performed. You can stack one parachute on top another, spinning and spiraling down with colored smoke spraying from smoke cans. At about a 1,000 feet you begin your final approach to the drop zone. Most drop zones have a target about 20 feet in diameter of sand or small gravel rock to aim for. Around 10 feet above the ground you apply the brakes that flare the parachute causing you to land. Landing properly is like stepping off a ladder, nice and soft. Skydiving is not for everyone. For every time you go up and land on the ground safely you have cheated death one more time. Skydiving is a sport of many thrills that last only a few seconds. It is more complex than just a free fall and a parachute ride. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Focus List.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Schueth Focus List: Celebrity Culture & Authorship in the American Literary Market Celebrity Culture Secondary Critical Works: Adams, Bluford. E Pluribus Barnum: The Great Showman and the Making of US Popular Culture. Minneapolis: U Minnesota P. 1997. Adams traces at least three major aspects of P.T. Barnum's public career. First, he looks at the evolution of his character "Diddleum" into "P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman." Secondly, Adams sees Barnum's continual move toward a middle class, mid-brow audience as his ultimate genius, and he sees that suggested not only in Barnum's various business adventures, but also in his three major autobiographical books. Barnum, Adams argues, rewrote (or in Adam's language "rescripted") major portions of his life to suit his business interests, such as when he became the manager of the American Museum, and his autobiography moved to "endorse many of the middle-class properties" that would help support his "new role as the owner of a family-oriented amusement hall" (11). Thirdly, Adams pays considerable attention to Barnum's famous Jenny Lind tour of 1852. In his analysis, Adams argues that Lind's celebrity was appropriated from Barnum, and that all the media frenzy over the previously unknown singer boiled down to the question, "Where's Barnum?" I think that Adams's study is smart in the way he ties aspects of Barnum's public personality and business adventures to larger issues of race, class, gender, difference, amusement, and celebrity. Baker, Thomas Nelson. Sentiment and Celebrity: Nathaniel Parker Willis and the Trials of Literary Fame New York: Oxford UP. 1999. This is an in-depth study of N.P. Willis, an important yet largely forgotten figure in the 19th century. With the recent recovery work done on women authors such as Harriet Jacobs and Fanny Fern (N.P. Willis's sister), his career has attracted attention. Baker argues that Willis was "pivotal" to the "formative stages of what has been called the modern culture of celebrity" (4). Baker believes that Willis was one of the first to use the word "celebrity" in American print, and that his first "gossipy travel book," Pencilling by the Way, brought the "private experience to public account" (8). Willis was a man of many hats in the nineteenth century-a poet, a writer, an editor, a man of fashion. He even "addressed a public eager for instruction in the fine arts of aesthetic appreciation, social conduct, and personal style" (97). One of Baker's most helpful discussions was his contention that celebrity culture requires conflict-that one needs to be loved and reviled to capture the public's imagination. This book will be helpful for my dissertation, and I plan on looking more into some Willis's books. Belasco, Susan. "The Writing, Reception, and Reputation of Uncle Tom's Cabin." Elizabeth Ammons, ed., Approaches to Teaching Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. MLA, 2000. In her article, Belasco advocates contextualizing discussions of Uncle Tom's Cabin in its historical framework. Belasco suggests the value of students understanding Stowe as a "celebrity and something of a media personality by the late nineteenth century." Further, Belasco suggests situating the periodical culture of the nineteenth century, especially since "the periodical also proved to be an invaluable too for the antislavery movement" (23). To further make the history of the novel come alive for students, Belasco helpfully suggests that teachers piece together copies of the Era, the newspaper that originally ran the novel. She says, "To read Uncle Tom's Cabin column by column in issue after issue is a very different experience from reading the novel in book form, in part because one is constantly reminded of the presence of the many other voices, and speakers competing for attention on the pages of the newspapers" (25). I pieced together my own copies for a research paper during my MA program, and I found it an incredible experience. Bell, Michael Davitt. Culture, Genre, and Literary Vocation: Selected Essays on American Literature. Chicago: U Chicago P, 2001. While Bell dedicates the first part of his book to Hawthorne, his second part on literary vocation and women's writing was the most interesting and relevant to my project. Bell traces the progression of the literary market in the US to Washington Iriving and James Fenimore Cooper who "were the first Americans to find something like commercial success" (69). What strikes me as fascinating is how in the 1830s and early 1840s the literary market was "primitive and disorganized," but "By the 1850s things had changed dramatically." Equally fascinating are the numbers Bell cites, such as figures for the overall book publishing trade in 1840 at $5.5 million, and by 1850 that number more than doubled to $12.5 million. Bell follows with close readings of both Cooper's and Irving's careers, carefully noting how much each made in sales and negotiations with their publishers. Ultimately, Bell argues that both men were largely responsible for modeling what a successful career could look like in American publishing. Bell goes on to look closely at the rise of magazines and their generative effect on the market for literary work. Bell's following chapter looks closely at women writers such as Stowe, E.D.E.N. Southworth, and Fanny Fern. Much of the information in this chapter seemed familiar, yet it is helpful to see these women discussed as a group and thoughtfully explored for their contributions to the literary marketplace. Burns, Sarah. Inventing the Modern Artist: Art and Culture in Gilded Age America. New Haven: Yale UP, 1996. Burns looks at a variety of artists in the last two decades of the nineteenth century to understand the "continually contested" construction of the artist in American culture. Burns' work is perfectly situated to my own work in terms of the rise of celebrity culture and its resulting effects, even though it is not specifically her focus. Burns' central investigation centers on how cultural constructions of artists "were assembled, by whom, and for what purposes, and how the burgeoning media played an increasingly dynamic role in representing the modern artist in the public realm" (2). The role of business and its growing relationship to the art world is an especially helpful discussion, as Burns ties the pressures of aesthetics with the dangers of commodifcation. Burns uses this discussion to open up a larger discussion of the role of femininity and masculinity in the art world. While male artists were unable to be the same kind of robust men that business tycoons were because artists were dependent on other rich men, Burns argues that male artists (even while participating in cultural activities deemed feminine) were never protected by by the "overarching discourse concerning the 'natural' superiority of male intellectual and creative powers," while women artists seen as "unnatural, unsexed, repellent, barren, and offensive" (169). Burns's chapter "Performing the Self" was most directly related to celebrity culture, in which she argues that artists had had to learn "how to perform" to fit into cultural expectations of artists in "the realm of the spectacle" (222). Burns focuses on Whistler, who she believes is "a highly suggestive vehicle by which to explore the emergence, during the latter decades of the nineteenth century, of the artist as entertainer, incorporated into the nascent culture industry" (222). Because Whistler constructed his image through "key markers" (an affected costume, mannerism, and body language), Burns suggests that, "By being himself, Whistler was selling himself" (231). Much as I will argue with Cather, Whistler's friends argued that his public personae was a "decoy" that protected the private life of the artist. Burns sees Whistler as integral to our modern and postmodern understandings of artists and personalities in our culture, tying him specifically to Warhol. Braudy, Leo. The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and Its History. NY: Vintage, 1986. This is the largest and most widely respected study of fame and celebrity written. Braudy charts the growth and change in fame with Alexander the Great and works his way to the twentieth century. Braudy's study is expansive at about six hundred pages, and he seems particularly interested in identifying how Western culture shifted from the worship of the heroic figure to the worship of the famous man or woman. Braudy sees that our cultural understanding of fame and our unyielding desire to be remembered is deeply rooted in Western culture. He writes, "To be famous, goes the myth, is to rest in solitude, but without aloneness: like Achilles in his tent, sulking at Agamemnon's affront to his heroic nature" (6). Fame and its 20th century cousin, celebrity, Braudy argues, are fundamentally tied into notions of history and remembering; fame is a tangible way to cheat death, to transcend one's own life by becoming a part of history itself. Curnutt, Kirk. "Inside and Outside: Gertrude Stein on Identity, Celebrity, and Authenticity." Journal of Modern Literature. 23:2 (Winter 1999/2000): 291-308. Curnutt's essay argues that Gertrude Stein's sudden shift in the 1930s to shun her celebrity status was a successful career move that was built on shifting cultural values of Hollywood stars and the public's increasing desire for celebrities who kept their private lives private. He looks closely at Stein's lectures from the period, which details her beliefs about "inside/outside," as she termed the artist's public and private life. Curnutt looks at other writers, most notably Fitzgerald, who also used similar rhetoric in literary interviews. The most useful question Curnutt asks about the nature of literary celebrity culture is how does "writing in an age of celebrity" affect a writer's "public performance." He notes that Stein was a danger in a writer's public self because his/her audience would then consume his/her art through the lens of that public self. In this period, it seems, Stein had many of the same concerns that Cather had about celebrity culture. However, Stein's public resistance of her fame may have been a way of achieving an even greater fame. Curnutt tells the story of Stein at a Hollywood party. When Charlie Chaplin asks her how she gets as much press as she does, she tells him, "By having a small audience." I think this essay will be beneficial as I think about how Cather separated her private/public self. Cowen, Tyler. What Price Fame? Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2000. Cowen looks at the changes in term "fame" from the Greeks to our modern celebrity culture. He believes that modern fame was born out of the heroic and the cultural ideals that positioned one as a "hero." Today, he argues, "The fame of celebrities creates a collective space in which fans share their emotional and aesthetic aspirations" (6). He also argues that the commercialism of celebrity drives the mass public into a collective middle-class with shared values, and reinforces what seems to be a "natural" break between "them" and "us" (66). In line with Cather, I find Cowen's interest in the public/private issue of celebrity fascinating. He argues that, "The quest for privacy therefore is partially self-frustrating. The more a star seeks privacy, the greater the demand for information about his or her reclusive and mysterious persona" (132). While he argues that "established stars will take fewer risks" because they fear possible failure and "seek to hold onto their dominant market positions" they "become less likely to produce radical innovations" (140). I don't think this fits with Cather, who radically shifted her career with Death Comes for the Archbishop. He also importantly notes that "The Stoics, many Christian theologians, Petrarch, Dante, Milton, and Arthur Schopenhauer all questioned whether fame should be treated as an ordinary object of desire, rather than as a burden, addiction, or illusion" (150). The way Cowen spins celebrity, one can get a long historical understanding of how our cultural construction of the hero has changed, and that in many ways the movie star has become our modern hero. Donoghue, Frank. The Fame Machine: Book Reviewing and Eighteenth Century Literary Careers. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1996. Donoghue dates modern publishing and book culture to about 1750, when critics began to write on the value of books. Donoghue notes that before this, patrons paid authors to produce whatever pleased them. Writing, therefore, was not dictated by the public, but by the private taste of the individual patron. The crux of his argument is that, "In contrast to sociologists who have tended to see careers as largely self-determined by the professionals who live them out, I assert that a career is a narrative that cannot be authored entirely by its own subject. Indeed, careers worked out against a variety of powerful and often oppressive institutional constraints" (3-4). I think his point is critical in that for Cather, it was not possible to imagine a career without publicity, advertising, or photography. Those aspects of the literary market and authorship were not negotiable for a writer who wanted to live from her writing. He also spends a great deal of time writing about women's writing, and birth of the woman writer in English history. This was a helpful and fascinating book. Fishkin, Shelley Fisher. Lighting Out for the Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture. NY: Oxford UP, 1997. I loved reading this book. Fishkin creates a scholarly book that is both memoir and a deeply felt and well-argued and researched look into race in America all through the lens of Mark Twain. As she discusses the kitschy tourist traps of Twain's hometown, she reflects on Missouri's slave past, and inevitably, on our very modern problems with racism in this country. Somewhat of a celebrity figure herself, appearing on national television networks to argue for the value of Huck Finn, Fishkin shows a side to academic life that I don't think we see enough of-someone whose life's work is studying and understanding that which she is passionate about. I hope this book leads to more creative and insightful academic memoirs. Gerber, Philip. "Jolly Mrs. Yerkes is Home From Abroad: Dreiser and the Celebrity Culture." Theodore Dreiser and American Culture: New Readings. Ed. by Yoshinobu Hakutani. Newark: U of Delaware P, 2000. In this essay, Philip Gerber traces the story of Charles T. Yerkes, Jr., the prototype for Dreiser's novel The Financier. I read this novel for my last exam, and while I enjoyed it a great deal, I was surprised to know that it was a bestseller. Gerber's insightful and detailed account of Yerkes, a well-known financier and would-be public do-gooder in New York and Chicago, serves to contextualize how scandalous his rise and eventual fall from power was to all Americans. The story reads much like a soap-opera, and Dreiser's treatment of the case is in large measure kind in comparison to what really transpired between Yerkes, his first wife, and his mistress. Gerber traces notes Dreiser made throughout his journalistic career to prove that Dreiser had in mind a novel based Yerkes for decades. That Yerkes was a celebrity figure in newspapers served to add controversy to Dreiser's novel, fueling public curiosity over Dreiser's fictional treatment of the Yerkes scandal. Gerber's account of the Yerkes's scandal makes me want to reread The Financier in light of the celebrity culture Dreiser based his novel from. Giles, David. Illusions of Immortality: A Psychology of Fame and Celebrity. NY: St. Martin's P, 2000. Giles defines celebrity as a media construction that is largely a twentieth century phenomenon, a point I have a problem accepting (3-4). He argues that there is a difference between the "celebrity" and the "famous person." The latter being deserving of his/her fame. Yet, he argues, the two terms are often interchangeable: "The brutal reality of the modern age is that all famous people are treated like celebrities by the mass media, whether they be a great political figure, a worthy campaigner, an artist 'touched by genius," a serial killer, or Maureen of Driving School." (5). He sees the birth of celebrity culture founded in Rome: "Suddenly words like fama and celebritas were part of the vocabulary, and the recognition of civic honours was possible, even for someone who was not born into leadership (although the possibility of fame was still restricted to the upper classes)" (15). Fascinatingly he argues that celebrity and fame have historically served as "a way of defying death, and that the basic human desire for immortality can be realized in a symbolic sense" (44). One of the most alienating aspects of the star system is the potential loss of control, a major source of distress for celebrities: "Trying to maintain a consistent sense of 'true self' is made particularly difficult in the initial stages of fame, when the celebrity finds herself caught up in a dizzying whirl of social interaction" (88). Johanningsmeier, Charles. Fiction and the American Literary Marketplace: the Role of Newspaper Syndicates, 1860-1900. NY: Cambridge UP, 1997. An important study, since, as Johanningsmeier argues, "newspaper syndicates can no longer be overlooked by literary scholars." Johanningsmeir looks at the rise of the newspaper syndicates and the business and cultural forces that made them possible. He most notably looks at S.S. McClure's Associated Literary Press in great detail. I was fascinated by the business aspects of the newspaper syndicates, since I don't think many scholars understand just how much literary work was published in newspapers. I enjoyed Johanningsmeier's look at what the syndicate system meant to authors, who often had to construct their work to fit the requirements of the newspaper rather than their own artistic visions. Surprisingly, well known names like Henry James, Mary E. Wilkins, William Dean Howells and many others all participated in this system and valued the syndicates for steady income. Johanningsmeier also looks at the relationships between the syndicates and local newspapers, and well as the public's response to syndicated fiction. This is a helpful study that provides a needed context for the nineteenth century literary market. Kitch, Carolyn. The Girl on the Magazine Cover: The Origins of Visual Stereotypes in American Mass Media. Chapel Hill: U North Carolina P, 2001. This study looks at magazine covers from the 1890s to the 1930s and studies the changing visual representations of women. "Viewed over time," Kitch argues, the development New Woman's image in American periodicals "offers a study in iconography" (8). What is helpful here for anyone studying Cather is that Kitch uses the Ladies Home Journal for much of her analysis, as well as McClure's (however, the dates of the Ladies' Home Journal match more closely with Cather's involvement than McClure's). Kitch argues that it isn't fashion or a particular "look" that has historically and most powerfully defined American womanhood, "but rather with her location and context"(19). Therefore Kitch reads the visual landscape of various illustrations and notes how over time women move from typical feminine indoor spaces to public spaces, where she is less confined and/or metaphorically connected to historically male dominated spaces such as the outdoors or the business office. Kitch argues that illustrations in magazines held a powerful ideological space for middle-class Americans, and she believes that changing visual representations of womanhood had a powerful effect on the those women who consumed these magazines. As these images became more standard, and as magazines found success in various "looks," advertising began using such images to sell products. Kitch spends a considerable amount of time treating the Gibson Girl, first published in the Ladies' Home Journal in 1903. She connects the image and its power to race anxiety in the US, specifically showing a connection fears of Eastern European immigrants. Further, Kitch suggests that the Gibson Girl and the other "girls" who emerged in this era became class markers for poor and working-class women to model themselves after. Maland, Charles J. Chaplin and American Culture: The Evolution of a Star Image. Princeton UP, 1989. Maland looks at the rise and fall of Chaplin's career within the context of American culture. Chaplin spent almost 40 years in the US, and Maland follows his career as he grew from small notices in movie magazines to one of the biggest a most highly paid stars of his time. Maland, however, is more interested in exploring Chaplin's fall from grace, as he embraced a growing political edge to his films in the 1930s. Modern Times and The Great Dictator are discussed in detail, and his eventual problems with the US government over Chaplin's communist beliefs. What strikes me in reading this book is what a potential mine field one's celebrity can become when one actively engages in politics. While Chaplin's leftist politics were in fashion in the 1930s, he was vilified in the 1940s and 50s for the same beliefs. Rodden, John. Performing the Literary Interview: How Writers Craft Their Public Selves. Lincoln: U Nebraska P, 2001. While situated in the literary culture of the late twentieth century, Rodden's main argument that the literary interview is not a reliable "real" event but rather a public performance is extremely helpful in my work. From his own experience as an interviewer, Rodden explains that it "is not just a relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee," but rather a complex relationship that "involves other persons whose contributions are significant" (ix). Rodden argues that the interview is a place where authors develop "the rhetorical craft of self-fashioning" (1). As I was reading this, I felt as though Rodden could have situated himself in the nineteenth century, rather than at the mid-20th century. To my mind, Whitman, Twain, and Cather, (and I assume many others), strongly developed what the literary interview would look like later in the twentieth century. Instead, Rodden looks to the Hollywood interview and the strong tradition (and its value by the Academy) of the literary interview. While these are critical to the development, I think there is much more at work than these two traditions. To be fair, Rodden introduces this study as a "stimulus" to the study of the literary interview in American literature, and after reading his work, I hope that others find the critical value in re-examining nineteenth century and early twentieth century writers for their contributions to this literary genre. Scharnhorst, Gary. Bret Harte: Opening the American Literary West. U Oklahoma P, 2000. Scharnhorst's biography of Bret Harte is the first in nearly a century, and makes for a compelling case, I think, for scholars to look further into his career and legacy. While Shcharnhorst follows Harte's biography, he also is concerned with Harte's role in the literary marketplace and the development (and downfall) of his celebrity status. For a brief time, Harte was one of the highest paid and best-known American authors in the US, and his rapid rise to fame was followed by a painful downfall. Scharnhorst's study is carefully crafted, and will be a well-used resource for my dissertation. Warren, Joyce. Fanny Fern: An Independent Woman. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1992. The biography of one of the best-selling authors of the 19th century, Warren's work has once again brought the author to public attention. I was most interested in Warren's chapter, "Famous and Infamous," where she describes how Fern's fame caused "her much pain and annoyance in her personal life." As a writer who "flouted convention," she was widely seen among conservatives as "improper and unfeminine" (179). Fern's campaign for men's dress for women, her stories, and her success all made her a target for various interests, including her own family. What her story tells us is that women's place in celebrity culture is by definition a political and contested place-especially if those celebrity women do not meet culturally sanctioned guidelines of proper behavior. Madonna, for instance, is in a much similar place today. Her recent launch of her children's book, The English Rose, was controversial because only weeks before she had engaged in a very sexual performance on MTV. Primary Works Barnum, PT. Barnum's Own Story: The Autobiography of P.T. Barnum. NY: Dover, 1961. This was the most entertaining and strange book on my list. Barnum writes his life story like a Horatio Alger story, but instead of getting ahead and staying ahead, Barnum loses his fortune a few times. Most his business schemes are, in fact, concerned with recapturing his wealth. Through some of the most bizarre schemes imaginable, most notably Joice Heth, a former slave who he toured as George Washington's 160 year-old nurse, Barnum certainly takes credit for creating spectacle and celebrity in the US. Published in 1855, Barnum's first Autobiography (there were three) makes for a fascinating read aside Leaves of Grass, which also came out that year. Cather, Willa. The Song of the Lark (1915 Edition). Lincoln: Bison Books, 1978. This novel has been called her most autobiographical. Cather follows the rise of Thea Kronberg from small town girl to struggling pianist to opera singer. The novel marks one of the key places Cather works out her attitudes toward the role of the artist in an age of celebrity culture. I want to explore this novel carefully in my dissertation. ---. Obscure Destinies. NY: Knopf, 1932. A collection of three short stories:"Neighbor Rosicky, "Old Mrs. Harris", and "Two Friends." What strikes me about the book is that the title "obscure" opposes celebrity, and in looking into what is "obscure" in each of these stories means, it strikes me how personal these three stories are. In "Neighbor Rosicky," it seems that his pioneering cross-cultural generation is becoming obscured by materialism, especially to his son's who are blind to their father's own obscure life as a poor tailor in London. In "Old Mrs. Harris," three generations of women become increasingly obscure to one another in a small, cramped house. And in "Neighbor Rosicky," two friends loose sight of the value of their friendship in a clash over politics. Fern, Fanny. Ruth Hall & Other Writings. Ed. Joyce W. Warren. New Brunswich, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1986. The once forgotten novel by one of the most famous women writers of the nineteenth century centers on her thinly veiled account of her own rise to fame as a writer. Fern's conscious use of the sentimental story is key to the power of her story, as she overrides convention for the sake of survival. Ruth's venture into writing as "Floy" certainly models Parton's own career with "Fanny Fern," and her rise to celebrity suggests much about the era in general and book publishing in particular. That Fern had to begin her novel with a apologetic note that, "I do not dignify it by the name of "A novel," suggests the political minefield that Parton had to weave her way through in the 1850s as a powerful and successful woman writer. Fern is always underscoring Ruth's motherhood and couches her career and public life in terms of her children's future. Even at the end of the novel, when Ruth has made a considerable fortune, Ruth's daughter tells Mr. Walter, "We are proud of her...if she is not proud of herself. Don't you think it is too bad, Mr. Walter, that mamma won't let Katy and me tell that 'Floy' is our mother?" (209). It seems as though even while a woman can attain a great deal of fame under an assumed name, it was too dangerous for the writer to stand before her public as a political woman. Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. NY: Bantam, 1982. Franklin's Autobiography was written with the express intent to educate young men on life, business, and individualism. Franklin spends considerable time discussing various diets he tried, acquaintances who helped him, and especially his business ventures. In reading this account of his life, I can see where the Horatio Alger "rags to riches" myth was born. Certainly Franklin's own fashioning of his life mapped that American myth. Harte, Bret. "The Luck of Roaring Camp." The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales. Boston: Riverside P, 1904. A short story about a rough California mining town that is turned upside down when the town's only woman resident, a Native American prostitute, dies giving birth to her son. Fittingly, the camp of men take group responsibility for the baby, who they name Thomas Luck. The rough men transform themselves into better people as they find themselves surprisingly energized by their group fatherhood. In the final scene, the town is flash flooded and the town's roughest character dies attempting to save "The Luck," who is already dead. What strikes me about this story is the whole notion of the West's power (especially California's power) to become a place where men could show "no indication of their past lives and character." In Ruth Hall, a neighbor's husband deserts her for California, and I think I've seen this phenomenon appear in other books as well. Certainly in Huck Finn, the West is a place where identity can be continually shaped and reshaped. Opposing celebrity, the West was a place where men could escape their identities-or perhaps reach celebrity by cutting ties with their former identities. Hollywood certainly plays into this in the twentieth century with its invention of stars like Marilyn Monroe, etc. Robeson, Paul. Here I Stand. NY: Othello, 1958. According to James Woodress's biography, "The only recorded instance in which she ever sat down socially with a black was once at the Menuhins' apartment when she was invited to meet Paul Robeson" (488). She later met him again on stage at the National Institute for Arts and Letters award ceremony in 1944. Robeson's memoir looks at his career as an actor, writer and political activist. Robeson writes compellingly of his struggles as an individual and his realization that he "had a responsibility to his people who rightfully resented the traditional stereotyped portrayals of Negroes on stage and screen" (39). Robeson was an active member of the Communist Party and he describes, painfully, how he was persecuted by McCarthy. Frighteningly mirroring current events, Robeson's memoir is a powerful text that needs to be read by students. His book is strongly tied to the slave narrative and his beliefs also are strongly tied to black intellectuals such as Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, and Harriet Jacobs. Stein, Gertrude. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (1933) Stein's Autobiography takes readers inside the bohemian life of two ex-patriots living in the budding modernist movement in France and Spain. A virtual tour of celebrities of the day, Stein and Toklas played key roles in formulating a salon-like atmosphere. Twain, Mark. The Autobiography of Mark Twain. (1871) A long and sometimes rambling work, Twain's Autobiography seems to have been constructed as a lasting statement to his culture that if they wanted to know about his life, he would tell every last boring detail. Twain himself provides clues throughout the Autobiography that he is only half serious about the work's tedious contents. I haven't done any research on this, but it's my estimation that Twain was reacting against the widespread popularity of the autobiography genre. ---. "The Touchstone." This novella opens with the main character, Glennard, finding a notice in a magazine asking for letters and other information concerning a famous writer, Mrs. Aubyn. Glennard, it turns out, was a former lover interest with the author, who recently died. Unable to marry the young woman Glennard has been dating for the last two years because he is not rich, Glennard secretly sells the love letters to a publisher and quickly makes a good turn in business and marries. The book is a hit, and creates a public frenzy about the nature of the letters. At one social gathering, Glennard overhears an argument in which some believe that it was wrong to publish the intimate love letters while others argue that "A personality as big as Margaret Aubyn's belongs to the world. Such a mind is part of the general fund of through. It's the penalty of greatness-one becomes a monument historique. Posterity pays the cost of keeping one up, but on condition that one is always open to the public." Glennard, a weak man, begins to crumble under the weight of his conscious, and eventually tells his wife and endures a weakened marriage. What is ironic about the story is that Wharton's own love letters were printed in a similar fashion in the 1980s. Clearly Wharton was aware of the dangers of celebrity culture, and she was also a victim to it just as her character was after her death. 1 Schueth f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Food Festival Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ruby A. Hernandez Mrs. Muñoz-Smart Spanish III 13 May 2004 2004 International Food Festival Essay This year I had the privilege of being able to help host the International Food Festival. This has been a tradition in our school that I was happy to be involved with and was able to help make possible. When we first started working on the project I promptly signed up for the decorations committee and started making posters. I spent long and short periods making serpentines and other small decorations I even made two piñata molds so people could decorate them. Then I went to make bigger and very important decorations; the flags. I don't know how many flags I made but it I tried to make them as accurate as possible with our supplies. Closer to the time of the festival, and once the flags were done, I began to color Iris' (really good) drawings. The day of the International Food Festival I came to school with some cookies for the TOT club and Mexican rice (my favorite food) for the Spanish III class requirement for the food festival. Then I went to my first period class and after my presentation went out to the place where the food festival was going to be held. It was a cool morning with a cold breeze that made you cold, especially if you weren't wearing a sweater (like me). My friends and I began putting up decorations along the poles and walls of ground zero (festival area). All those serpientinas I had helped make were wrapped all over the poles and posters of different heritages taped along wall windows and doors. Then when lunchtime was close we were allowed to eat early and then we had lunch break. After the break we started to take out the tables where all the food was to be set on. The tables are a lot heavier than they look. We set them out and lined them along the sidewalk and in between the now decorated poles. Then we began to tear colored butcher paper and use them as table covers for the tables. After all that was done we were finally able to put our flags on the tables. We made enough (and more) flags to cover the front of every table to show just how international our food festival was. I also helped tie balloons for a while. Then we began to heat up and place food on the tables. After what seemed like no time at all people started coming out and the International Food Festival began. There was of course food and entertainment. All types of foods from cookies to tacos lined the tables and the smell of the food made your taste buds water and your stomach grumble. There was a long line that people were willing to wait in just to get food and get a taste of dishes from around the world. For entertainment we had a mariachi from Roosevelt and entertainment by the school itself that ranged from students to teachers. Being part of the food festival was a great experience. It was great seeing all the decorations I helped make all over the place. The area looked like a rainbow of color and culture not to mention the beautiful flags that lined the roof. The area was unrecognizable from it's usually boring brown colors to this lively colorful place. I was amazed and proud by the transformation and couldn't believe that I actually helped make it so nice. It's a nice memory to look back on and I hope to enjoy other festivals like this one. Only I think I'd like to enjoy it as the guest not the host because it's not to fun cleaning up and scrubbing tables afterwards. But now that I think of it, it was worth it from the work to the food. Hernandez 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\for mike.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mike, I'm writing this letter or whatever you want to call it because I want you to realize the importance of what happened on 10.17.2003. When you thought about killing yourself that day it hurt all of us real bad. We were all so worried about you and just wanted to know if you were going to be alright. Tonight the red sox lost and there is no one in the suite. I'm having trouble going to sleep because you are always here before we peace out and now it is so very empty. I'm looking over at your side of the room and it's blank and dark and it saddens me. The thought of you actually not around anymore really hurts. All this may sound a little odd but in high school I had a lot of friends but none of them could really understand or respect me like you. I actually have tears coming down my cheeks now and I know I sound like a pussy but you mean a lot to me and I want you to know that. In the film it's a wonderful life, Jimmy Stewart contemplates suicide but Clarence shows him all the things he did that changed the people around him. Don't ever forget the things you have done in the past and the things you do every day that make people happy. I can say for sure that you are an important person in the 1024 crew. I know I have only known you for 2 months but I feel I can say that you are one of the best friends I've ever had. I don't want to see you go because I know there is so much potential for the both of us. We're all in this together, don't forget that. You're my boy, and even when the shit is too much to handle, you always got me, cuz I know you would do the same. You the dude. Peace and love, Brian Bass f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Forces of Corruption in The Great Gatsby.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The theme of human corruption, its sources and consenquences, is a coomon concern among writers from Shakespeare through J.D Salinger. Some suggest that it attacks from outside, while others depict corruption occuring from within the individual. In the case if The Great Gatsby and it's protagonist's fate, Fizgerald shows both factors at work. The moral climate of the Roaring Twenties, Daisy Fay Buchanan's pernicious hold on him, and Jay Gatsby's own nature all contribute to his tragic demise. First, the loose morality of Dan Cody, Gatsby's unfortunate role model, and superficial people who flock to Gatsby's parties contribute to Gatsby's downfall. Their examples encourages Gatsby's interpretation of The American Dream- his naive belief is that money and social standing are all that matter in his quest for Daisy. The self-absorbed debetants and their drunken escorts are among those who "crash" his extravagent soirees. As Nick Carroway tells us, "People were not invited- they went there." (pg.40) Shallow, corrupt people like Jordan Baker gossip with reckless abandon about their mysterious host. Their careless, superficial attitudes and wanton behaviour represent Fizgarald's depiction of the corrupt American Dream. Another force of corruption responsible for Gatsby's fate is his obsession with a woman of Daisy's nature. Determined to marry her after returning from the war, he is blind to her shallow, cowardly nature. He is unable to see the corruptiion whick lies beyond her physical beauty, charming manner and playful banter. That she is incapable of leaving her brutal husband, Tom, of commiting herself to Gatsby despite his sacrifices, escapes him. As Nick observes, Gatsby's expectation is absuredly simple:"He only wanted her to tell him [Tom] that she never loved him." (pg.91) DAisy is not worthy of the pedestal on which she is placed. Since she is hallow at the core, so is his dream which is based on a brief flirtation, nothing more. Finally, Gatsby's own character-especially his willful obessesion-contributes to his fate. Despite his naivete about Daisy and her friends who "are rich and play polo together," he, too, has been seduced by the lure of money and fame. Unable to control his obsessive desire to have Dasiy, he cares little about the means by which he acquires the money to marry her. He associates with known criminals such as Myer Wolfsheim, apperars to be involved with bootlegging, and is rumored to have killed a man. Finally, he lies about himself and his family to enlist Nick's support of his grand quest. The means he uses to achieve his goal pervert his sacred dream. He prefers the pretty illusions he concocts to the harsh reality of the obsession he allows to corrupt his life. Gatsby's character is probably the single most important factor in the story of his life and death. But Daisy and a society which rewards corruption play a part as well. F. Scott Fizgerald's depiction of the soured American Dream dramatizes the internal and external forces at work in a modern tragedy about human potential for corruption f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ForTheWhiteMan.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For the White Man, Of the White Man, and By the White Man The American Revolution was a glorious war fought to free the American colonies from the British rule. Although we won that war, there were still many people who were not free from our rule. One people in general were the black slaves. The black people had many struggles to freedom which helped shape our American culture today. Three different periods characterized there struggles: the slaves before the Civil War, during Reconstruction, and during the civil rights movements. These three eras mark a pivotal point in the movement and advancement of the black race to social equality. During the time before the Civil War, it was not easy for slaves to organize and rebel against their slaveholders or whites in general. There were numerous laws that specifically took away slaves rights as men. Slaves also feared the whip and even death if they were to act out against their owners. The Declaration of Independence did not apply to many groups and the black race was one of those excluded groups. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness"(Primus 295). Thomas Jefferson, having slaves himself, recognized the fact that he could not free the slaves himself in that document. It was difficult enough for him to get the Declaration approved by all of the colonies in itself. In fact the last man to sign the Declaration of Independence did not do so until the year 1778. The slaves were kept in ignorance of any knowledge which might have led to their freedom. Laws forbade reading and writing for slaves. They also forbade anyone to teach a slave to read. To keep the slaves obedient, slaveholders often made an example of a slave by beating him with the cow skin, or even killing him. "He[Gore] gave Denby but few stripes; the latter broke away from him and plunged into the creek, and, standing there to the depth of his neck in water, he refused to come out at the order of the overseer; whereupon, for this refusal, Gore shot him dead!"(My Bondage and My Freedom 122). This era was definitely a period were the black people had little voice in their future and society. Most people in the north felt differently however. These people were called the abolitionists, and they were dedicated to freeing the slaves. The southern states, strongly disagreed with their views and broke away from the Union to form the Confederate states. Their division led to the Civil War, resulting in freedom for the slaves. "And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order that all persons held as slaves within said designated States and parts of States are, and henceforward shall be, free; and that the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons."(Primus 554). The Emancipation Proclamation that Lincoln wrote was a large step towards the equality of black men and women. It spurred the Reconstruction era that was so vital to black rights movement. The Reconstruction period brought new laws, giving black people the right to own land, and black men the right to vote. "The right of citizens of the of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States of by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition or servitude."(Primus 339). It was now amended in the Constitution. While the whites still found ways around these laws however, the black people were still better off than they once were. Some states enforced a Black Code, which forbade a black man the right to vote if he could not read. This was somewhat effective for the southern whites in blocking the black vote, since the blacks were forbidden to learn to read while they were enslaved. With the new black freedom, came organizations against their freedom. The KKK, or Ku Klux Klan, was responsible for many black murders. The cult would often made an example of a black man if he were very outspoken and loud. They would hang a black man in the most popular tree in town as to make sure everyone got the message. Reconstruction brought education to the blacks, but it also brought segregation. Blacks had to use separate schools, buses, and public facilities. Although use of these facilities was far better than slavery, blacks still deserved the same rights as everyone else. With ever increasing segregation, it was only a matter of time before blacks would demand equal rights, and that is what spawned the civil rights movements. The civil rights movement in the 60^?s was a major event in U.S. history for men and women, black or white. Without the Reconstruction period, however, Michigan State University might be an all black segregated school. Blacks had the right to ride in the front of the buses, drink out of the same drinking fountains, and go to school with their white neighbor. After the civil rights laws were enacted, military personnel were sometimes needed to protect the black children going to school. Affirmative action ensured fair employment practices. The civil rights movement was undeniably the pivotal point in this countries history for social equality. What our forefathers fought for in the American Revolution was freedom form British rule. The Civil War was fought mainly for the freedom of slaveowner^?s rule. At some point in between those two periods America forgot what it was like to be ruled without choice. Today, after the civil rights laws, the U.S. seems to be a more harmonious place to live. We must see that the past does not repeat itself, while we must also ensure that we are ever striving to improve our way of life. It is up to our generation to teach future generations that the basic ideals that our forefathers fought for in the American Revolution only the stepping stone to the ideals that we live by today. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\FortPillowAttack.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fort Pillow Attack THE GRAND FABRICATION It is almost as difficult to find consistent information about the incident at Fort Pillow as it is to determine the moral significance of its outcome. Scholars disagree about exactly what transpired on April 12, 1864 at Fort Pillow, when General Nathan Bedford Forrest captured the fort with his 1,500 troops and claimed numerous Union lives in the process (Wyeth 250). It became an issue of propaganda for the Union, and as a result the facts were grossly distorted. After close examination it is clear that the ³Fort Pillow Massacre² (as it became known by abolitionists) was nothing of the sort. The 1,500 troops under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest acted as men and as soldiers in their capture of Fort Pillow. It is first necessary to understand what happened in the battle before any judgment can be made. A careful study performed by Dr. John Wyeth revealed the following information: from April 9-11, 1864, troops under the command of Ben McCulloch, Tyree Harris Bell, and Brig. General James Chalmers marched non-stop to Fort Pillow to begin their assault under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Confederate sharpshooters claimed the lives of several key Union officers during the morning assault on the fort. The losses included the commanding officer Major Loinel F. Booth, and his second in command shortly after that. These losses created a complete breakdown of order and leadership among the Union troops within the fort. (251) During the morning engagement, the gun boat the New Era was continually attempting to shell the Confederate forces from the Mississippi, but with minimal success. The Union forces fought back heartily until around one o¹clock in the afternoon, when both sides slowed down. Around that time the New Era steamed out of range to cool its weapons. It had fired a total of 282 rounds, and its supplies were almost totally exhausted. During this hiatus in the firing, while Confederate troops waited for supplies that would arrive around three o¹clock, Forrestwas injured when his horse fell on him after being mortaily wounded (252). When the supplies arrived, Confederate troops under a flag of truce delivered a message from Forrest that said, ³My men have received a fresh supply of ammunition, and from their present position can easily assault and capture the fort,² (253). Forrest demanded ³the unconditional surrender of the garrison,² promising ³that you shall be treated as prisoners of war² ( 253). This agreement was refused by Major William F. Bradford using the name of Major Booth, and Forrest was left with no option but to attack (Long & Long 484). Without a word, Forrest rode to his post, and a bugle call began the charge. The soldiers stormed the fort under the cover of sharpshooter fire. The Union spent their rounds on the charging mass, and the second wave was to all intents and purposes a ³turkey shoot.² As hordes of soldiers came over the wall, a considerable number of Union lives were lost to point blank fire, an action that was deemed murder by the northern press. (255) However, it must not be forgotten that those Union troops who died were in the process of reloading their rifles. Even knowing that they were severely outnumbered, they had demanded the fight (Henry 255). By this point most of the Union officers in the fort had been killed, and the remaining troops fled the fort toward the river where they had provisions waiting . There was also a plan for the New Era to shell the Confederate troops in the fort with canister, but the shelling never happened(. Confederate troops were waiting at the bottom of the fort to prevent access to the supplies by the Union forces. With the Union flag still flying upon the fort and Union forces still firing on the run, Confederate troops claimed many more lives on the river bank. It was reported by Colonel FIRST NAME Barteau that they made a wild, crazy, scattering fight. They acted like a crowd of drunken men. They would at one moment yield and throw down their guns, and then would rush again to arms, seize their guns and renew the fire. If one squad was left as prisoners ... it would soon discover that they could not be trusted as having surrendered, for taking the first opportunity they would break lose again and engage in the contest. Some of our men were killed by Negroes who had once surrendered (256). With this type of activity, it is understandable how a superior force could claim so many casualties. However, the issue is not so clear to Civil War historians. The first and biggest problem has to do with the information that different historians base their opinions on. For example, in a historical account written by Carl Sandburg it is reported that Forrest¹s troops stood 6,000 strong. This is slightly inflated from the actual 1,500 that were present. In this same account Sandburg claims that the ³battle ended as a mob scene with wholesale lynching²(Sandburg 247). It was distorted information such as this that was used by the Union as propaganda against the South. After the incident General FIRST NAME Kilpatrick was quoted saying Forrest had ³nailed Negroes to the fences, set fire to the fences, and burned the Negroes to death²(Hurst 321). With reports like this, it is understandable why abolitionist were outraged. The Congressional Committee released a summary after the event. It stated ³that the rebels took advantage of a flag of truce to place themselves in ³position from which the more readily to charge the upon the fort²; that after the fall of the fort ³the rebels commenced in an indiscriminate slaughter sparing neither age nor sex, white or black, soldier or civilian²; that this was ³not the results passions excited by the heat of conflict, but of a policy deliberation decided upon and unhesitatingly announced²; that several of the wounded were intentionally burned to death in huts and tents about the fort; and the ³the rebels buried some of the living the dead.² (Henry 260) In the intensive studies performed by Dr. John Wyeth there were more than fifty soldiers that were present at this battle who gave sworn testimonies contradicting these findings.(260) This suggests that the Union fabricated the truth to aid in its own cause. The fact is that most of what was said about Forrest¹s unethical actions were false accusations. Testimonies from several different sources (both Union and Confederate) claim that there were no movements under the flag of truce, but that they had their positions hours before. (Henry 260) It is true that the losses were huge in this battle, but that is typical of many significantly unbalanced battles. According to Wyeth there was only one incident of force against the Union after the Union flag came down, and that resulted in an on the spot arrest . This entire incident was blown totally of proportion. It is tragic to lose even one life, but on a battle field, death is inevitable. This event became a monumental point in the war because of exaggeration and lies told by Union supporters. These lies strengthened the Union cause and further blemished the reputation of Confederate forces. Morally, there is no fault in Forrest¹s actions. Subject: Works Cited for Fort Pillow Attack paper Works Cited Henry, Robert Selph. ³First the Most²-Forrest. . New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1944. Hurst, Jack. Nathan Bedford Forrest-A Biography. New York: Alfred Knoph, 1993. Lee, Guy Carleton. The True History of the Civil War. Philadelphia: I.B. Lippincott, 1903. Long, E. B. and Barbara Long. The Civil War Day by Day-An Almanac. New York: Doubleday, 1971. Sandburg, Carl. Storm over the Land--A Profile of the Civil War. New York: Harcourt Brace: 1939. Wyeth, John Allan. That Devil Forrest -The Life of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1959. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Foxtrot.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dance History ------------------------------------------------------------------ This was the dance the Hobart College _Herald_ disgustedly called a "syncopated embrace." And the Cincinnati _Catholic Telegraph_ wrote: "The music is sensous, the embracing of partners--the female only half-dressed--is absolutely indecent; and the motions--they are such as may not be described, with any respect for propriety, in a family newspaper. Suffice it to say that there are certain houses appropriate for such dances; but those houses have been closed by law." In the 1920s, this "new style of dancing" was denounced in "family" publications as "impure, polluting, corrupting, debasing, destroying spirituality, increasing carnality," and decent folk were called upon to "raise the spiritual tone of these dreadful young people." [Holly Gallup holly@janus.la.platsol.com ] f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\frankenstein 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Frankenstein Morality. It has been questioned by people, honored by people and revered since the beginning of time. Yet even today not one person can say what is morally right. It is a matter of opinion. It was Dr.Victor Frankenstein's opinion that it was alright to create a "monster". Frankenstein's creation needed a companion. Knowing that his first creation was evil should the doctor make a second? With the knowledge at hand, to Dr.Frankenstein, it is not at all morally correct to bring another monster into the world. Looking at this probelm with his family in mind, the doctor begins his work on the second monster. The first monster threatened Frankenstein and even his family. The monster angrily said to Frankenstein, "I can make you so wretched." (pg. 162) Trying to scare Frankenstein for not creating his mate the monster resorted to threats. If the good doctor does create a companion for his first creation he may be endangering others. "The miserable monster whom I had created," (pg.152) says Victor upon looking back at his work. If there is another monster there will be twice the power and possibly twice the evil, which could hurt or kill his family. When and if Frankenstein commits the moral sin of creating another monster he may be rid of both monsters forever. "With the companion you bestow I will quit the neighbourhood of man,"(pg 142) promises the morally corrupt monster to the doctor upon the completion of his partner. When the doctor, if and when he, finished his first creation's mate there is a chance that the monsters will not keep their promise and stay in Europe envoking fear into townfolk. The good doctor, trying to act morally, destroys the monster for the good of the world. The monsters can potentially take over whatever they please. "A race of devils would be propegated,"(pg. 163) thinks Frankenstein to himself in his study. The monsters, if powerful enough, could possibly take over Europe. Frankenstein realizes that he can not possibly doom the world to benefit himself. "Shall I, in coold blood, set loose upon the earth a daemon.."(pg. 162) argues Frankenstein with his creation. It is not morally right for one person to unleash such a terror on the world to benefit only himself and his family. Frankenstein will not let any example change his mind on the point that the monster is and will always be morally corupt. Continuing on his point that the monster was too evil to duplicate, Frankenstein says, "Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness; but they confirm me in determination of not creating you a companion in vice."( pg. 163) Frankenstein will not sacrifice his morallity because of persuation from a monster. Although beholding the threat of death and misery Frankenstein held his ground and did not sacrifice his moral. When and if Frankenstein creates another monster he can not feel as if he has done the morally right thing. From creating the monster Frankenstein will some how be making people other than himself unhappy. " I consent to your demand, on your solem oath to quite Europe forever, and every other place in the neighbourhood of man,"(pg. 143) says Frankenstein as he sees the power that the two could possibly possess. The good doctor sees that with his own hands he could possibly scar the world forever. The doctor wants, if anyone, himself to be unhappy instead of all of man kind. "Begone! I do break my promise," (pg. 162) states the doctor angrily. Not thinking about himself but the world unselfishly breaks his promise to the monster. Possessing such a great mind the doctor is able to realize that a greater evil will be realesed upon the earth then upon himself. "Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness,"(pg. 162) says the doctor as he argues his point with his creation. The doctor sees that a greater and more horrible result can come from him making the second monster than not. With the knowledge at hand, to Dr.Frankenstein, it is not at all morally correct to bring another monster into the world. On the one hand if the second monster was created Frankenstein's family would be saved. By the same token the rest of the world could be forced to bow before two hideous monsters. The problem, making or not making the second monster, played heavily on Frankenstein's mind, possibly caused his brief lapse into the realm of the insane. Even though Frankenstein began his work for the good of man his experiment ended up hurting himself and his family. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Frankenstein by Mary Shelly.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Frankenstein-by Mary Shelley Victor Frankenstein has always been fascinated by nature. By the time he was in his late teens he was at a school of science. This school sparked his obsession with recreating human life. This was not an easy task because of the minuteness of the organs, etc, which forced him to design an oversized human, about eight feet tall. After many unhealthy months of labor, he finally achieved his goal. The hideous creature sat up and grinned at Victor. Victor fled immediately. When he returned to his chamber he was happy to not find the monster. Two years passed and he got a letter from his father telling him his youngest brother, William, had been murdered. He began his miserable trip back home. On the way home he saw a giant beast running from a barn. He realized this was his creation and he was the murderer. An innocent woman (framed by the Monster) and a great friend of Elizabeth (Victor¹s cousin and future wife), was executed for the murder. This devastated the family (especially Victor, who accused himself). He set of to put an end to this creation. Victor finally met up with his monster in the mountains near a glacier. Here he listened to the monster¹s story. How he studied and grew to love this family living in a cottage. He wanted so immensely to be a part of their love and smiles. He learned their language and how to write (by listening to them teach an Arabian relative). After a very long time he walked into the cottage when only the blind old man was there and tried to befriend him. He was very persuasive until the children and the woman returned. The boy attacked the Monster. He could have killed the boy, but, out of love, ran. The family soon moved leaving the Monster so incredibly depressed and heart-broken that he suddenly hated the human kind. But, most of all, he hated his creator for making in the first place. He set out to Geneva, where he know Victor lived. He was almost there when he found a little boy. He thought he could make friends with him (because of his young, unprejudiced mind) until he discovered he was the son of his hated creator. He murdered him, and took the boy¹s locket and put it in the pocket of the soon-to-be-executed woman sleeping in a barn. At the conclusion of his story he persuaded Frankenstein to create a female for him. In the middle of Victor¹s progress of making the female he stopped, realizing what could happen if he finished, and destroyed his work. This angered the Monster so greatly that he swore to make Frankenstein the most miserable person in the world. He murdered Frankenstein¹s best friend Henry Cerval, and nearly has Frankenstein executed for the murder. He waited for the wedding night of Victor and Elizabeth and murdered Elizabeth that night. Victor¹s father was so morbidly depressed soon died. The only reason Frankenstein didn¹t kill himself was out of the rage and thirst to get a bitter revenge on this evil creation. He pursued him up into the north and was, after a very long chase on dog-sleds, was nearly killed by breaking ice and rescued by a ship. He laid there and recovered from his sickness enough to tell his entire tale to Robert Walton. He quickly got very sick and eventually died. That night Frankenstein¹s monster came to see him in his death-bed. He met Walton, who hated him very much, and told him of the rage he felt, and how his objective was nearly over.. all he has to do now is kill himself. He would do this by going up to the northern-most part of the globe (where no one could see him) and set fire to his miserable self. He leapt out of the boat window onto some ice and disappeared into the darkness. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Frankenstein.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Frankenstein Morality. It has been questioned by people, honored by people and revered since the beginning of time. Yet even today not one person can say what is morally right. It is a matter of opinion. It was Dr.Victor Frankenstein's opinion that it was alright to create a "monster". Frankenstein's creation needed a companion. Knowing that his first creation was evil should the doctor make a second? With the knowledge at hand, to Dr.Frankenstein, it is not at all morally correct to bring another monster into the world. Looking at this probelm with his family in mind, the doctor begins his work on the second monster. The first monster threatened Frankenstein and even his family. The monster angrily said to Frankenstein, "I can make you so wretched." (pg. 162) Trying to scare Frankenstein for not creating his mate the monster resorted to threats. If the good doctor does create a companion for his first creation he may be endangering others. "The miserable monster whom I had created," (pg.152) says Victor upon looking back at his work. If there is another monster there will be twice the power and possibly twice the evil, which could hurt or kill his family. When and if Frankenstein commits the moral sin of creating another monster he may be rid of both monsters forever. "With the companion you bestow I will quit the neighbourhood of man,"(pg 142) promises the morally corrupt monster to the doctor upon the completion of his partner. When the doctor, if and when he, finished his first creation's mate there is a chance that the monsters will not keep their promise and stay in Europe envoking fear into townfolk. The good doctor, trying to act morally, destroys the monster for the good of the world. The monsters can potentially take over whatever they please. "A race of devils would be propegated,"(pg. 163) thinks Frankenstein to himself in his study. The monsters, if powerful enough, could possibly take over Europe. Frankenstein realizes that he can not possibly doom the world to benefit himself. "Shall I, in coold blood, set loose upon the earth a daemon.."(pg. 162) argues Frankenstein with his creation. It is not morally right for one person to unleash such a terror on the world to benefit only himself and his family. Frankenstein will not let any example change his mind on the point that the monster is and will always be morally corupt. Continuing on his point that the monster was too evil to duplicate, Frankenstein says, "Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness; but they confirm me in determination of not creating you a companion in vice."( pg. 163) Frankenstein will not sacrifice his morallity because of persuation from a monster. Although beholding the threat of death and misery Frankenstein held his ground and did not sacrifice his moral. When and if Frankenstein creates another monster he can not feel as if he has done the morally right thing. From creating the monster Frankenstein will some how be making people other than himself unhappy. " I consent to your demand, on your solem oath to quite Europe forever, and every other place in the neighbourhood of man,"(pg. 143) says Frankenstein as he sees the power that the two could possibly possess. The good doctor sees that with his own hands he could possibly scar the world forever. The doctor wants, if anyone, himself to be unhappy instead of all of man kind. "Begone! I do break my promise," (pg. 162) states the doctor angrily. Not thinking about himself but the world unselfishly breaks his promise to the monster. Possessing such a great mind the doctor is able to realize that a greater evil will be realesed upon the earth then upon himself. "Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness,"(pg. 162) says the doctor as he argues his point with his creation. The doctor sees that a greater and more horrible result can come from him making the second monster than not. With the knowledge at hand, to Dr.Frankenstein, it is not at all morally correct to bring another monster into the world. On the one hand if the second monster was created Frankenstein's family would be saved. By the same token the rest of the world could be forced to bow before two hideous monsters. The problem, making or not making the second monster, played heavily on Frankenstein's mind, possibly caused his brief lapse into the realm of the insane. Even though Frankenstein began his work for the good of man his experiment ended up hurting himself and his family. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\FraudAndAftermath.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fraud And Aftermath In his poem The Divine Comedy. The Inferno, Dante Alighieri gives his audience a clear vivid presentation of what he as a follower of the Christian religion perceives to be hell. Dante shows that human sin is punishable in various degrees of severity and that this is dependent on the nature of one^?s sinful actions. He sets forth what could very well be the most fully developed Christian understanding of justice on earth, and that is; that what we do as human beings will determine what happens to us in the event of death based on God^?s judgment. In writing his poem Dante uses symbolism, allegorism and imagery among other literary effects to place his poem analogically to life as it was during his day and age. Dante structures The Inferno around thirty four cantos. Each of these cantos marks a steady progression from the mildest to the worst of sins. The cantos depict sinners under various forms of punishment which are commensurate to the nature of their sins. Dante categorizes sin into three different categories of fraud, incontinence and violence. In canto I he mentions three animals namely , a leopard, a lion and a she-wolf. These animals act as symbolisms for the various types of sins. The sin^?s depicted in canto XVIII are symbolized by the she-wolf which acts as a symbol for the sins of fraud. The sins of fraud are placed the furthest from God in the deepest pits of hell, near Satan. In canto XVIII Dante and his guide Virgil find themselves in the eighth circle, called the Malebolge. It is in the Malebolge, that each of the kinds of simple fraud are punished in the concentric ditches. In the first ditch, Dante sees two files of naked sinners each running in opposite direction, whipped by demons. These sinners are the panderers and the seducers. Dante recognizes Venedico Caccianemico, a man he once knew. Venedico in this case is depicted as having sold his sister, Ghisola to serve the will and lust of another man, Marquis. Dante at this point uses a fellow contemporary to show what happens when one goes against the will of God and sins. Venedico betrays his family ties and his indifference in this act results in his eternal punishment of being whipped by demons. Also mentioned as having been punished is Jason, who suffers punishment for having seduced and abandoned Hypsipyle and Medea. For these two sinners Dante^?s allegory revolves around the law of retributive justice where both Venedico^?s and Jason^?s psychology^?s at the time of committing sin are tied in with the punishment of whip lashing by demons. Both sinners place their personal needs and interests above others and are now placed under the whip lashing and oppressive command of indifferent demons. Dante and Virgil move over to a bridge and below it, Dante sees the ditch of the flatterers. It is in this trench that persons who had sinned as flatterers are punished by being made to wallow in a river of human excrement from which emanates nauseating fumes. Dante recognizes Alessio Interminelli da Lucca. Allesio is smeared all over with excrement. Virgil alerts Dante of the presence of yet another sinner, Tha?s. Tha?s is punished in the same way as Alessio, but is made to alternatively rise and crouch in the river of excrement. Tha?s is punished for being a prostitute and for a flattering lie that she told while in the trade. The punishment that this two consequently suffer is the eternal stench and filth of the ditch. Tha?s in this canto perpetuates the image of ingenuine love which turns out to be a mere outlet for bodily urges and needs. From the perspective of Tha?s^? and Allesio^?s punishment we see that they both undergo the process of retributive justice. Flatterers, due to their abuse of language wallow in excrement which metaphorically symbolizes the words they used in flattering others on earth. In conclusion it can be seen that Dante views fraud as a sin that separates human beings from God^?s grace and love. Dante presents to his audience a poem that creates a better understanding of the consequences of sinful human actions. He bases The Inferno on the teachings found in the Christian religion and offers to the audience a typological reading that makes it clear that what will happen to each individual in the after life will be determined solely by one^?s actions on earth. Works Consulted Faulie, Wallace A reading of Dante^?s Inferno , The University of Chicago Press, 1981 199-123 Alighieri, Dante The Divine Comedy. Inferno, The Norton Anthology, World Masterpieces. General Ed. Maynard Mack 6th ed. W. W. Norton and Company ,1992. 1273-1423 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Friends paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chris Samanns 10-3-01 Italian Questo e il mio amico Vincenzo. Ha quindici anni. Abita a Ambler. Lui e molto intelligente. E molto bravo in informatica e storia. Anche lui e sportivo. E bravo in baseball e molto veloce. Lui e non sono alto. Lui e simpatico. Questo e la mia amica Maggie. Ha quindici anni. Abita a Ambler. Lei e intelligente ma e non sono brava in scuola. Anche lei e sportiva. E molto brava in . Lei e alta. Lei e simpatica. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Funeral.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Was there a specter at the funeral of local resident Mrs. Drablow? An unexplained sighting of a mysterious woman in black has fuelled local legends of Drablow hauntings. The late Mrs. Drablow, of Eel Marsh House, was a wealthy landowner and well known reclusive. Her funeral took place on the cold morning of November 6th at Crythin Gifford parish church. Attending the burial service were Mr Jerome, the deceased's property manager, and her young solicitor, Arthur Kipps, who had travelled from London. Towards the end of the service, on hearing a rustle in the near empty church, Mr Kipps turned and saw a mysterious female mourner. According to Mr Kipps: "She was quite alone, very erect and still and not holding a prayer book. She was dressed in deepest black, in the style of full moaning that had rather gone out of fashion." While Kipps did not get a good look at her face, partly hidden by a bonnet, he thought from her emaciated appearance she must be suffering from some terrible disease. Mr. Kipps went on to say " Not only was she extremely pale, her eyes seemed shrunken into her head." Kipps admitted he was moved that a woman who looked as if she might be at death's door her self had made the effort to attend the funeral. He noted that the enigmatic women in black disappeared after the burial. When Mr. Kipps inquired of Mr. Jerome as to her identity, the latter was deeply shocked. "I did not see a young woman," said Jerome. She reappeared moments after Jerome had told Kipps that he had seen no-one, but again was visible only to Mr. Kipps. Mr. Jerome appeared to be in a state of some agitation, doubtless perturbed to think that the Drablow Ghost might be once more manifesting itself. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\G9 Fall of Rome essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FCAs Brendan McGrath 10% Spelling, caps, end marks, commas E period 25% Explain at least 3 internal causes Mr. Schreider 25% Explain at least 3 elements of the external cause November 24, 2003 40% Analysis supported by 3 logical reasons The Fall of Rome The fall of the Roman Empire was caused by not simply one particular incident; it fell because of many events that eventually lead up to its ruin. A famous historian recently said, "Rome fell not primarily because of the barbarian invasions but because of its own inner weaknesses." This means that there were numerous reasons that were responsible for Rome's decline. There were many internal reasons that explain the fall of Rome. One reason is their social life. During the time of it's decline the families were diminishing. The rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer. Most of Rome's people were poor and because of this, they couldn't provide for their family. The fathers were responsible to provide the family with their needs, but because they were so poor, they couldn't afford the basic necessities. This caused the men to have a low self-esteem so they would usually either abandon their family or even commit suicide! This made Rome's families very dysfunctional. Many of these troubled children joined the military, which was another reason for the decline and eventual fall of the Roman civilization. Since the military had dysfunctional soldiers many problems arose. Most of these soldiers just assumed that they were good because they were a part of the "Great Roman Army", but it was quite the opposite. The army became so pitiable that at one time that the Romans even hired a group of barbarians to protect Rome from the other barbaric tribes. A third internal problem of Rome was plumbism. The Romans used aqueducts that brought the melting snow from the mountains into the empire with lead pipes. As the water was running through these pipes some of the water absorbed the lead, which gave the Romans lead poisoning when they drank the water. The rich, who were mostly the government leaders, even added more lead into the water because they thought it tasted better. This made most of Rome's leaders go insane, and that would have definitely been a contributing factor to the fall of Rome. Rome wasn't completely responsible for its collapse; there were also external reasons that affected Rome and its people. The major external reason was the Germanic Barbaric Wars. These barbarians came from northern lands, and were typically tall, fair-skinned, and had blond hair and blue eyes. They spoke an indo-European language and grunted a lot. Their weapons were crude and the men hunted a great deal. They were also incredibly vicious and aggressive, making them such good warriors. When they fought the Roman soldiers they were ruthless and to them "might makes right". They came to Rome due to the fact that every few years they would move south because they had either exhausted their hunting grounds, needed more time to grow crops or just liked the warmth, or because they were curious what lay south of them. When the barbarians saw the roman soldiers yelling and bragging to them, they didn't know what the Romans were saying, so the Barbarians attacked them. The Roman army was too weak to defeat the barbarians, therefore they lost and that was the end of the Great Roman Empire. The major cause for the decline and eventual fall of the Roman Empire was the lack of strong family bonds. Because families weren't as close as they should be, they became extremely dysfunctional. Families were not as supporting as they used to be because the father couldn't provide for them. This started a whole chain of events that lead to the downfall of Rome. The next part of the chain was in the military. When the children of the dysfunctional families were sent to the army, the army had many problems with their soldiers. Because the military had such horrible soldiers they couldn't really win a war, let alone fight in one. This lead to political problems. How could someone expect a leader to govern a country if they don't have a decent army to protect them from their enemies? Consequently, the Roman government leaders couldn't provide strong forces to defend Rome from the barbarians. These barbarians destroyed Rome systematically for about two weeks, which left Rome in ruins. Therefore, it can, in part, all be traced back to the dysfunctional families in Rome. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\G9 Odyssey Women essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brendan McGrath F Period Ms. Roth November 25, 2003 Women in The Odyssey Epic poems reflect a culture's values. The female characters in Homer's poem, The Odyssey, reflect the ancient Greek values of helpfulness, loyalty and cleverness. Athena is a character who represents helpfulness. In the beginning of the story, she offers advice to help Telemachus persuade the suitors to leave Odysseus's palace. Athena advises, "At daybreak call the islanders to assembly, and speak your will, and call the gods to witness." (page 724, lines 54 + 55). She wants to help Telemachus get the suitors out of Odysseus's palace because she knows Odysseus is still alive and cares for his son. This is only one of the many times Athena shows how helpful she can be. Through the character of Circe the important lesson of loyalty is shown. Odysseus gives into temptation and shows how he is disloyal. Odysseus is convinced by "Circe 'Loveliest of all immortals' ... to stay... and restore his heart" (page 761, in-between lines 1050 + 1055). Circe temps Odysseus to be disloyal to Penelope because he can't refuse a goddess. Circe is a temptress and because Odysseus gives into it, this leads him down into more trouble in the long run with Scylla and Charybdis. Cleverness is shown in Penelope when she tells the suitors she will choose a new husband when she finished weaving the shroud for Odysseus. Homer writes, "So everyday she wove on the great loom- but every night by torchlight she unwove it; and so for three years she deceived the Achaeans" (page 726, lines 108 - 110). This is clever of Penelope because it allows more time for Odysseus to return home without anyone knowing about it. She is clever at many times throughout the poem and that is also one of the reasons the suitors want to marry with her. This story helps reveal the false notion that women are the source of evil. Homer helps show to the people of Greece and the rest of the world that many women have some great qualities, such as helpfulness, loyalty and cleverness, and are just as good as men. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ga Tech Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thomas Peay Mrs. Mezz Period 1 August 16, 2004 One of the greatest achievements in my life was learning to scuba dive. The experiences and challenges I met were beyond anything I have ever experienced. Breathing air is such a natural part of living since we subconsciously breathe at all times. Learning to breathe and remain relaxed while scuba diving was a physical challenge as well as a mental challenge. I had to learn to remain focused, stay in control, breathe evenly, and know all procedures necessary if faced with an emergency. The first challenge I met was overcoming a fear of the unknown. My familiar surroundings on land had to take backseat to the underwater surroundings of the ocean. I mastered the skills required to breathe underwater and passed the emergency procedures while taking lessons in a pool environment. My fear of the unknown environment below the sea challenged my abilities. The tremendous sense of achievement was above and beyond any other I have felt when I let go of my fears. Another challenge I faced was the exploration of an unknown world. I have learned over my lifetime to appreciate and respect nature on land. Once I submerged below the ocean I did not know what I would find. I soon learned that there were many plants and animals that were off limits to human contact. Exploring the depths of the ocean was fun, but I was both mentally and physically challenged to monitor my air supply and depth at all times. Losing focus on the most important parts of scuba diving could lead to disaster. It was challenging to stay alert to the proper techniques while observing the beauty of the new world. Scuba diving is the most challenging experience of my life. Overcoming the fears gave me a better understanding of my capabilities in challenging situations. I can honestly say that taking that first step to learn the skills necessary to open up a new world of exploration for me was the greatest achievement in my life. I now know that I can do anything I put my mind to. Half the challenge is taking the steps to move forward with great enthusiasm and anticipation of what lies ahead. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GalatiansBible.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Paul's Letter To The Galatians A Humanities Essay That Teaches The Study of The Bible As A Historical Document PAUL'S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS: When Paul attended the Jerusalem Conference in 48 or 49, a decision was made that gentiles would be allowed to become Christians without becoming Jews first (ie. have a circumcision, and follow the Jewish Laws). Paul, being the one that defended the gentile's right to be Christians, became the apostle to the gentiles. Why would Paul, a Jew, want to be an apostle to gentiles? According to him, Jesus appeared to him in AD 32 or 36, and told him to preach the good news to the gentiles (Gal 1:16). Paul uses scripture to explain why gentiles should not be required to be circumcised, or obey Jewish Law; however, there are no direct quotes in scripture that say this. One would wonder why Paul, someone who grew-up in a "good" Jewish family, would not follow in the footsteps of Jewish Christian Missionaries, and require Christian converts to become Jews first. He certainly had to fight to have his belief accepted! In my opinion, Paul tried to follow the example of the original apostles (who knew Jesus) by "converting the multitudes." I think Paul understood human nature better than the other apostles preaching circumcision to the gentiles. Perhaps he thought that gentiles would accept Christianity more easily if it was natural to their lifestyle --I'm sure that the thought of circumcision, and strict dietary laws scared gentiles from Christianity! It seems that the "Judaziers" preached a God that was hard to please. Paul's major problem confronted in his letter to the Galatians is the preachings of the Judaziers. Apparently, men who preach circumcision and the Law had been trying to "pervert" the Galatians, and change their beliefs away from Paul's preachings (Gal 1:7). Paul is so angered that the Galatians are so easily convinced (Gal 1:6), that he actually wishes the Judaziers to mutilate themselves (Gal 5:12)! So, the letter to Galatians uses 4 specific tactics to make Galatians come back to the teachings according to Paul. Paul begins by defending his credibility as an apostle. He writes a brief autobiographical history, stressing that he once persecuted Christians, and then converted when Jesus appeared to him. Also, he tells the outcome of the Jerusalem Conference, probably to convince them that other apostles have accepted his theology. This part of the letter is a bit like a resume of qualifications. I could imagine that the Judiazers who came to Galatia after Paul, denounced him as an apostle: that he never met Jesus, and was not truly educated to be an apostle. Next, Paul writes that "obedience to the Law could not earn approval by God; approval is possible only through faith in Christ" (Perrin, pg. 184). Faith in the crucified Christ will bring righteousness, not the Law (Gal 2:21). Having circumcision will do nothing to make one better in the eyes of God. Then, Paul uses an allegory of The Two Covenants: Abraham's child of a slave woman represents Jerusalem living under the Law, and the child of the free woman represents Jerusalem being free! This tactic, along with Paul's use of familiar Jewish argument style, quoting scripture after scripture to prove a point (Gal 3), are common preaching styles; probably taught to him during whatever rabbinic training he got (perhaps when he spent time with Peter). Paul also tries to appeal to the Helenistic enthusiasm in Christianity in Gal 3:1-5. Although Paul makes some very convincing arguments in favor of his beliefs, I cannot agree with his interpretation of Christ Jesus Christianity. Compare these two quotes from New Testament Scripture (The first is by Paul in Galations. The second is a quote of Jesus in the Book of Matthew.): "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Gal 2:16) "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill .... Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.." (Matt 5: 17 & 19) Although I realize the Book of Matthew was written after Galatians, the preachings of Jesus were made before Matthew was even a Christian! Points to consider before accusing Paul of defying Jesus would be to find out if Paul had access to all the words of Jesus. The Quell was supposedly present during Paul's lifetime. It is also possible that Matthew added these words of Jesus in his book, but they may not have been true ... he has added other unproven events before. Weather Paul was aware of these words or not, he was obviously preaching a fundamentally different belief than Jesus was. Paul argues his position only up to Gal. 5:12, after that, he contradicts his preaching until 6:10, where he ends the letter. This area is full of rules/laws for the Galatians to live by. Of course, he justifies that Christians live by these laws because they "Walk in the Spirit of Christ." (Gal 5:16) If Christians are to "imitate" Jesus' actions & morals, then why should they decide to follow some, and not others? This is more evidence of Peter trying to create a "convenient" religion. The problem of acceptance of Jewish Law, I believe, is the fundamental split in Christianity. It can still be seen today: Catholicism represents Paul's view of Christianity, while Seventh Day Adventist Christians keep Jewish Law. However, if Paul had preached the Law, I don't believe that Christianity would even be present today (especially among the gentiles). He did much to advance Christianity; however, Gentile Christianity became a religion of Paul, rather than a religion of Jesus. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\gangs of rio.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass The Gangs of Rio de Janeiro 70's lil ze - ran the drug market in the slums of rio - Killed all his competitors so he could make the most profit - Bought vast amounts of weapons and supplied the children of the community with pistols - Paid off the police so he would not go to jail Carrot and knockout Ned - drug market was eliminated by lil ze - had many gun battles in the slum with lil ze and his gang - knockout ned's family was killed and anyone who was associated with him was considered an enemy by lil ze - carrot was arrested and Knockout ned was killed 80's to the present - Freddie seashore VS. Elias the madman, fought over drugs - Along with more violence in the slums of Rio, police brutality went up - In the 70's the governments philosophy was to let the gangs wipe each other out, but during the 80's and still now the government believes in strict police violence. - In 1993 72 street children, who were thought to be gang members, were killed by an "extermination squad", composed mostly of police. The attack was known as the "Candelaria Massacre". - Rio is still not safe. The slums are still violent f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Gangs.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GANGS I'm doing a report on gangs. I need to start off by saying that a lot of the stuff I'm about to say, I think is bull shit. I think this because I am in a gang and do, or did drugs. I also have to disagree with some of, no actually a lot of the stuff I am about to say. Before I babble on about gangs I have to say one thing. Not all gangs are based around Latino's and or African-American's. Nor are all the gangs from Los Angeles area, but the Barrio is in East Los Angeles. There are many different gangs around. Some consist of African-Americans, Latinos, Skinheads, Caucasians, and Asians. Some are mixed. A lot of the gangs I've heard about and are friends with, mainly consist of colored-folk. In my gang for instance, we have five Caucasians, the rest of us are either black, latino, or dark like me. However, we do not have any asians in our gang. And no, we are not racist towards hispanics. There's a gang that is called The Satanic Cult, which is into some pretty weird rituals. They consisted of animal and human sacrifices and people with brown hair were forbidden and non-caucasians. There are many different gangs. Now there's one I am familiar with, the Necronomicon, who jumped me and my homeboy (who's Latino) just because we weren't white. Another one would belong to the punks. Which I do not have a problem with. The only two punk gangs I know of, do not call themselves "Gangs" but they call themselves a crew. They call themselves CFH, (Cowboys From Hell) and the other one is the Martians. A lot of the gang members come from broken homes, or something is wrong. So the kids end up in gangs doing drugs, drinking, smoking, committing crimes, and getting into violence. Some of us consider our gang "family." Some of the gangs actually do have real families in them. There's the problem of joining gangs. I got jumped into my gang. But that's one of the most common ways. The other ways are to have sex with someone who's already in it. Or you can get walked in. Some other ways which are sick and twisted that I've heard of are; the leader holds a knife to the newcomers throat. If the leader thinks the newcomer is lying he can slit his or her throat. There's others that involve rituals and sacrifices. Teenage gang members are linked to conventional barrio life is obvious. In fact, much of the members' time is spent with the "family", at school, under the eyes of neighbors who are decidedly "square," and, sometimes, with conventional friends or dates. This linkage is usually overlooked in researchers' preoccupation with the life of the gang during the hours that it bands together. We can understand only a little bit of this interaction from what the gang members have to say about their square contacts. Retrospective data like this may reflect romanticism about the old days, ruefulness at missed opportunities to reintegrate with the conventional world, or self righteousness at having "gotten out in time." But what evidence we have indicates that the cliques of the 1950s were more closely integrated with the conventional barrio structures and norms. The cliques of the 1970s appear more remote, and faced more disapproval and more efforts at control. It is one of the strongest police and newspaper myths about these gangs that membership is "inherited," that is, passed on from father to son. But such cases are rare among either men or woman. It is true that about half of the gang members had some relative in some gang (44 percent of the men and 59 percent of the women). It is true that young members were significantly more likely than older ones to have a relative. It is true that a fraction (less than 20 percent) of the gang members came from what seem to be "gang families"-with three or more relatives in a gang in either neighborhood. Rather than "inheritance" being the norm, most relatives were brothers and cousins and uncles rather than parents. No matter what particular social network led the member to the gang, one thing is clear: the gangs' initiation procedures became far more ritualized. By the time the younger cliques were active, most of the boys and girls were "jumped" into the gang, in an initiation rite in which the recruit is tested for his/her ability to stand up in a fight. Almost none of the members of older cliques went through this ordeal. There was no initiation ritual. The gang asked prospects to join and that was it. In sum, gangs of the 1970s were less clearly adolescent groups than the gangs of the 1950s. While there were still many social routes to enter the gang, the younger cliques contained more men and women with relatives who had been gang members. And, finally, the gangs had acquired the accountrements of ritualized initiations. Girls were generally much more restricted than boys-especially girls in earlier cliques. They were asked whether parents had been "strict or easy" and whether they really enforced the rules or "just let things ride." About 60 percent said that they really did enforce the rules. Men from earlier cliques were no more likely than ones from more recent cliques to say that their parents had been strict. But 94 percent of the older women, and 72 percent of the younger ones said that their parents were strict, almost all of the older women (though only half of the younger ones) said that their parents really enforced the rules. The limitations placed on girls sound like a litany of traditionalism, of parents trying to keep their daughters from being "bad" girls. Four degrees of gang commitment have been observed in affluent gangs. While these degrees of commitment are also observed in inner-city gangs, the majority of affluent gang members currently embrace the second two degrees of commitment. Although the terms for these degrees have developed from the pop-lingo, they are useful when identifying a gang member's degree of commitment. The terms for the four degrees of commitment to a gang are: * Full-fledged * Associate * "Wanna-be" * "Hanging out" Full-fledged - This is a youth who has the highest degree of commitment to the gang activity, regardless of what type of gang activity the gang pursues. This youth is also likely to be the instigator of crimes and intimidation against those inside and outside the gang. In most affluent gangs, full-fledged members typically comprise 10% to 20% of the group. It is uncommon to find a majority to be full-fledged members. Associate - These youths have the second highest degree of commitment to the gang. Typically, these youths don't initiate the ideas to commit crimes and acts of violence, but easily become embroiled when trouble starts. These youths often like to intimidate those outside the gang, but without life-threating violence. One tactic is simply to surround others and taunt. It is common for 30%-50% of a gang to be made up of these youths. (The Grapevine, Texas case, where the majority of the youths were "associates.") Wanna-be - This slang term, first used by law enforcement, characterize youths who simply want to run along the periphery of a gang. These youths don't initiate crimes or confrontations, but are usually around when trouble breaks out, urging on their comrades or taunting the opposition. Aggression is often expressed through subtlety, rather than through a head-on confrontation. They are attracted to the visual raciness of the gang persona, but are afraid of committing violent crimes, and jumping into the foray of a fight. When they carry weapons, it is usually just for show. Hanging out - This slang term, originally coined by gangs, specifies a youth who isn't in a gang, but who likes to "hang around" gang members wherever they meet and go. Shopping malls, homes, parties, locations near a school, music shops, etc. are typical locales for "hanging." "Hanging out" can act as a magnet for gang (sometimes called "peewees") or at-risk youths who are new to a neighborhood. "Tagging" is one form of graffiti that has caught on in the last few years. It can be, but doesn't necessarily have to be, associated with a gang. Some youths "tag" on stationary objects, such as buildings and fences, while adventuresome youths do it on moving buses, trains, trucks, and cars. This can be dangerous and has resulted in a number of accidental deaths in America and Europee where youths have been run over. Interviews with taggers reveal that is a fad that underscores a crsis of identity for youths. They are desperate to be known, but in secretive way that is rebellious, while avoiding punishments. It's addictive. Most taggers are at-risk youths who are crying out for congratulatory slaps on the back from friends for the inventiveness of "tag" and the number of tags a youth is able to leave. To close and end off my report, I'd just like to say that my gang had been more of a family to me then my own family. I will admite that the drugs and drinking I did was the bad part. But I do not regret joining my gang. Infact I have to say I love One Eighty Seven. This is my "family" and they have always been there for me and we watch eachothers backs. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\gangsta shit.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Essay Writing Ceci Cravens 2.24.04 So You Wanna Be a Gangsta? THESIS: The transition from gangster to the recent embodiment of "gangsta" is a historical metaphor. CASE: The evolving image of the gangster in American film. 1st Frame: The original gangster genre to the early 70's A. Comparisons to the Western film genre B. Dealt with a crime oriented underworld C. Protagonist was generally from an ethnic background (i.e. Italy, Ireland) D. Protagonist went against the laws of American society. There was a major emphasis on non-conformity and individuality *important films include: Scarface (1932), The Godfather and Colors. 2nd Frame: The African American response to the gangster genre A. The involvement of the mob in the black communities had a major impact in terms of drug distribution and violence. B. Blaxploitation films served as a counter attack against the mafia involvement in the black community C. White America and Mafia members were always the antagonist, and were portrayed in a very sinister fashion D. Films were overdone and unrealistic *important films include: The Mack and Superfly 3rd Frame: The "G" Funk Era: A. The gangster was no longer a "gangster" but a "gangsta". Young, black male who from the streets. B. The gangster was no longer someone of vice but with class; now he was a thug, sometimes of little intelligence C. Films had political relevance against Reagan and Bush D. Boyz N' the Hood depicted the disturbing and unfair society that had been created by white power. E. Films intended to be viewed as real and shocking *important films include: Boyz N' the Hood and Menace II Society. TENSIONS: The original gangster, which represented a cunning, rebellious protagonist Vs. the Gangsta, an impoverished, young black male in the midst of drugs and urban violence. Vocab Afrocentrism- Centered or focused on Africa or African peoples, especially in relation to historical or cultural influence. Aryan-In Nazism and neo-Nazism, a non-Jewish Caucasian, especially one of Nordic type, supposed to be part of a master race. Blaxploitation- A genre of American film of the 1970s featuring African-American actors in lead roles and often having antiestablishment plots, frequently criticized for stereotypical characterization and glorification of violence. While African-American filmmakers were substantially involved in making early movies in this genre, their participation in subsequent productions was minimal. Nihilism- An extreme form of skepticism that denies all existence f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GAPS Needs .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GAPS Infrastructure Statistical Information Standardized collation or reporting of industry information Access to Finance business planning no current model no equity no sector presense STICK IN RETAIL STUFF / farmers need retail market training Retailer needs / demand What does it take to sell produce in retail? Distribution channels Sector organization / connections to retailers requests collaborative marketing delivery systems crop planning shared farming A system of cooperation for organic local growers to increase & aggregate production in order to better supply willing retailers Market / sector presence - vision DFMA Local retail presence Use of networking / Information systems links to local conventional agricultural networks & supports Land Support for farmers scaling up to value-added / secondary processing area of great economic potential / ability to replace imports with local gastronomic regions / culture market awareness / preparation / research skills and knowledge incubator kitchens training networks regulations associations only % of the farmers reported Value adde but _ % reported plans to diversify Labour costs Equipment Links to gov't ag resources Training Apprenticeship opportunity Vested interest for apprentices / training program that provide mid-long-term farming outcomes Getting people to commit to a farm / the sector is a problem f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Gatsbys Dream.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Adam Cohen English Essay #4 "Gatsby's Dream" Jay Gatsby, the central character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby symbolizes the American dream. The American dream offers faith in the possibility of a better life. Its attendant illusion is the belief that material wealth alone can bring that dream to fruition. Through Gatsby, Fitzgerald brings together both these ideas. Jay Gatsby thinks money is the answer to anything he encounters. He has the best of everything. The fanciest car, the largest house, and the finest clothes. Jay has everything except the object he most desires, Daisy. Gatsby believes he can win Daisy over with wealth, that he could achieve the ideal she stood for through his material possessions. One look at Gatsby's past and it could be seen that he was destined to get ahead in life. Mr. Gatz told Nick, "Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he's got about improving his mind? He was always great for that. He told me I et like a hog once and I beat him for it" (182). Gatsby's determination to gain a large bankroll is a huge part of the American dream. He believes that once he achieved his financial goal it would lead to a better life. In America the car is one of the greatest status symbols. Gatsby's gorgeous machine is one of the most majestic cars created. Nick's comments on the vehicle describe its luster, "...and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hatboxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes...Sitting down behind many layers of glass in a sort of leather conservatory we started towards town" (68). The use of the symbolic automobile can be seen as a demonstration of how an ideal based on materialism alone can be destructive. This was the fatal car which kills Myrtle Wilson and indirectly leads to Gatsby's death. Appearance is another important factor toward Gatsby's dream. In his quest to win Daisy's heart Gatsby chooses to wear his best outfit. "...the front door opened nervously and Gatsby in a white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold colored tie hurried in" (89). Silver and gold are the colors of wealth, Gatsby's sartorial splendor is as lavish as any of the other items he owns. Gatsby's shirts are more then just garments towards Gatsby. They are some of the many fascinating objects he possesses that were created by money. These shirts contribute towards Gatsby's vision of the American dream, that his money and belongings will create happiness for him. Another major object of Gatsby's dream was his incredible house. Jay states to Nick and Daisy, "My house looks well, doesn't it? See how the whole front of it catches the light" (95). Jay gave Nick and Daisy the grand tour of his house showing of all of his worldly possessions. Room after room, everything was shown and mentioned. At the sight of his piles and piles of shirts Daisy broke down. "They're such beautiful shirts, it makes me sad because I've never seen such--such beautiful shirts before" (98). Jay Gatsby's ideals were parallel to the typical American dream. He wants to claim his objective by the use of his assets. He thinks that his money will give him happiness in life through love and his personal belongings. Even the richest man in the world can't have everything. Material wealth could provide many things for Jay Gatsby but not the thing he most desired. Although his wealth drew Daisy closer to him, he never truly could have possessed her heart. He demanded Daisy to state that she had never loved Tom Buchanan. "Oh, you want too much!" she cried to Gatsby, "I love you now--isn't that enough? I can't help what's past. I did love him once--but I loved you too." (139-140). Jay's true love still remained with her uncaring husband, Tom. Jay Gatsby's dream was smashed when he found out that even all of his assets weren't enough to woo Daisy to him. Jay Gatsby's belief in the American dream keep him from realizing reality. He believes that if he worked hard enough and made enough money that he could have anything. He wants to perceive the world as a place where sufficient wealth would enable him to recapture and recreate the past he desired with Daisy. Gatsby began planning for his dream when he was young. This can be seen from his journal he wrote as a young man which was discovered by Mr. Gatz. His attempt to accomplish his dream with cars and shirts could not have been successful. The American dream cannot be accomplished, money is just one factor towards happiness in this world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\gender essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The author has chosen this commercial based on the belief that she thinks men and women should be treated equal. This commercial that the author will explain in the next paragraph is based on the theory that men and women are seen as unequal in society. Children who are seeing this commercial may relate that their father wouldn't know their morning routine as their mother always prepares them for school. However children who may not relate see the stereotype that fathers' are incapable of taking care of them properly. This essay is based on a commercial, from local television, which is advertising Flu Mist, the beginning of the commercial shows two children who are just getting out of bed. They ask their father, who is in a suit, "where is mom?" The father responds that she is sick today and the children put on a big smile. The commercial then goes into high speed, showing the children running around the house getting ready to go to school. While the father is brushing his teeth they try on different outfits. The father agrees that these are good clothes to wear while helping to pick out summer sneakers, he passes the children their jackets. Once the children leave the house they are shown walking by snow banks. The father is baffled as he looks at the mess. The commercial then goes to the mother who is in bed sick followed by the father who is walks into the kitchen to a mess then to the laundry room, where there are clothes everywhere and he picks the clothes up and throws them back down, in both of these situations the father has a baffled look on his face like he doesn't know how to clean. The announcer on the commercial then says: "Who would replace you if you were sick?" The stereotype in this commercial has portrayed men as being incompetent in raising their own children and completing daily household tasks, this says that without women men would not be competent to complete these skills. The commercial says that only women are capable of completing these tasks daily. The author believes that the commercial is based on the gender schema theory. A schema that is originally developed by Piaget in the plural sense of schemata. A Schemata is a network of association that organizes and guides understandings. People who use what they already know to categorize another person is called a gender schema theory. Children take the knowledge that they have already learned about gender to develop stereotypes, which can guide them in making the wrong understanding of how males and females should act in a society. (Galliano, 2003) In the above commercial the children had learned that their father did not know how to handle a morning routine and therefore had taken advantage of their mother being sick. Parents can prevent children from learning gender stereotypes by avoiding situations like this commercial where the father cannot properly take care of his children without the mother's assistance. If the father is more involved in the family routine this would be avoiding a gender stereotype that fathers' do not take part in the family routine. Many journals have supported the theory that men are portrayed as incompetent in household chores and childcare responsibilities. Many journals say that women that do not have paid jobs often do much more domestic work then do their husbands that do have paid jobs. Males that do domestic chores usually do chores that are seen as masculine such as fixing a car. Studies that were completed on women that have paid employment and how much domestic responsibilities they do compared to the domestic responsibilities that their husbands do while working were almost equal. Families who had both parents working, studies showed that fathers actually completed equal or more household responsibilities then the wives. (Carlson, 1984) Studies that have been done pay attention to what men do not do and how much women do. Few studies show what men do and women do not. Men do more outdoor chores then women do such as fixing a car or yard work. These chores are considered a man's job yet it is rarely studied why a woman does not complete these chores. Most studies that the author looked at studies why men do not do what is to be considered women jobs such as house cleaning and childcare. Studies do show that men enjoy what are considered men's work where as women dislike most chores that are considered women's work. (Kroska, 2003) In families where a father is domesticated boys are not affected by gender stereotypes, compared to a boy whose father was the primary moneymaker would learn stereotypes. Girls whose mother has paid employment does not develop gender stereotypes as a girl whose mother was a housewife. (Carlson, 1984) From a very young age society puts pressure on how children are supposed to act as girls and boys, from this children learn stereotypes. Studies that were done have shown that girls approximately 2 years old learn gender stereotypes approximately a year before young boys do. When boys learn stereotypes they do not have as much knowledge as the young girls about gender stereotyping such as a boy putting make-up on a male doll. This could be due to girls witnessing parents completing activities that are gender related more then boys do. (Poulin-Dubois, Servin, Eichstedt, Sen & Beissel) Studies have also shown that what type of gender stereotype a child will learn depends on the parents schooling and the location of where they live. (Tenebaum & Leaper, 2002) A Mother who is home with their child most of the time will teach the child the most. Studies show that father's are more concerned with stereotypes that children learn however the child usually follows the stereotypes that their mother portrays. (Tenebaum et. al) In the commercial children knew what their mother expected from them during the morning routine and knew that because it was their father that was completing the morning routine, which was unusual, they could get away with not completing their responsibilities. Society portrays men and women as having two separate skill levels. We see this in movies, television shows, commercials and magazines. The author believes that commercial's like the one the author has discussed shows the audience that society as a whole still believe that women are superior in the domestic household responsibilities and men are superior in the work force and bringing home a pay cheque, this is close minded thinking. Advertisements at times will put women down and praise men or like this commercial it will do the opposite, it will praise women and put men down. Society should be moving towards showing men and women as equals as that is what men and woman have been and obviously still are fighting for. The media world still show men, women and children that we have not evolved to be capable of seeing each other as equals so how is society as a whole supposed to develop an open mind. 1 0433418 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GenderDifference.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Gender Differences I was surprised finding out that the topic for our paper was about our feelings of belonging to the other gender. I think the title of the book "Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus" by John Gray applies to how different men and women are in their attitudes, feelings and lifestyles. This experience for me will be enjoyable for me since I have never thought what it would be like to be a female and also to hopefully give me a better insight on a few questions that have interest me about women since I was a little kid. Both, men and women, are constantly concerned about looking "good" even though they are physically different. In order to look appealing to others, men are supposed to be big, strong, and athletic, whereas women are supposed to be thin, pretty, and big-breasted. I often wonder why we put so much emphasis on the way a person looks. I think females feel more of the pressures of looking "good". In the past, I've talked to some of my girlfriends and they told me that the pressure and competition they are faced with is stressful and painful. I told them that I am not too critical when checking out girls and when it comes to seeing other males bigger or stronger than myself, that I don't feel too much pressure of trying to look better than them. I am rather more concerned of my own health and ways to improve it. I was really surprised when they told me that other girls are the ones who usually criticize or pressure them. When I was aware of this, I did notice, at times, while walking around casually with my girl friends, when they weren't looking appropriate, would get stares, hisses or comments from other females. I was even surprised when I heard my girlfriends talking about other girls right in front of me, even though most of these times I didn't notice anything wrong or different about the other girls they were talking about. From this observation, I think the pressure of always looking good would be greater if I was to be a female. I would always try to look good and to please others. Girls, I think, are faced with enormous pressures to look good. Television, for example, almost never features old, heavy, or unattractive women. Even if a character is a doctor or a scholar on television, she looks like a Playboy bunny. When it comes to sexuality, I think there is great confusion for both males and females. One contributing factor is the double standard still existing. For instance, the same girls who are pressured to having sex on a Saturday night are called "sluts" and "hoes" on Monday morning. The boys, or the "studs", who coaxed them into sex at the parties avoid them in the halls at school. Also, our society doesn't have clearly defined and universally accepted rules about sexuality. We live in a pluralistic culture with contradictory sexual paradigms. We hear diverse messages from our families, our churches, our schools and the media, and each of us must integrate these messages and arrive at some value system that makes sense to us. Another reason there is confusion is that we are taught by movies and television that sophisticated people are free and spontaneous while we are being warned that casual sex can kill us. Double binds and impossible expectation trap us. Becoming a female Asian Catholic, I think my parents and older siblings would be more protective of me. I am the youngest of 7 boys and 2 girls. I still remember times when my younger sister was my age and the trouble she sometimes faced to just go out on a date or with her friends. Sometimes she would ask me to tag along with her so my parents would think she was out with me. During these times, I remember worrying about her safety even though I am 8 years younger than she is. I can't imagine how hard it would be for me if I was a girl and the baby of the house. I would probably have to hear the words "curfew" or "be home at ten" for the first time without laughing. I would definitely remember all the times I have taken for granted such as being able to freely go out and not get in trouble, when I was a boy. Another thing I would be concerned with, if I was a girl, is sex and violence. Since females are on average smaller than males they are more prone to sexual attacks such as rape. In one of my psychology courses, I was surprised when the professor asked her students to raise their hands if they were or knew a person who has been a victim of rape and mostly all of the students, including myself, raised their hands. One thing I would do before I considered being intimate with a male is to take a self- defense course and learn to "shout, push, punch, and escape". I think it's healthy for girls to enjoy their own developing sexual responsiveness and to want to explore their sexuality, but there is no easy or established way to stop a sexual encounter. Some of my friends avoid dating and touching because they do not know how or when to draw a line in order to say stop. Not knowing how to say "no", I think, makes a female more prone to rape and violence. One of my friends had confided in me of her incident while on a field trip. Her rapist came into her tent to borrow a butterfly net held her down, choked her and raped her. The next morning she pretended it never happened. She denied the experience until a year later when she went camping with her family. She crawled into their tent and stopped breathing as memories flooded her. She told her mother what had happened and her parents reported the crime. The boy involved claimed consensual sex. After a year, it was hard to prove otherwise and she dropped the case. I felt deeply for her but without much knowledge on the subject I only could provide her comfort. I think if I was a girl and I was raped I would be emotionally scarred and fear getting pregnant and sexual transmitted diseases. I can't imagine how I would feel if I got pregnant or contracted a STD by a non-consenting partner. Both are life-changing events that would be hard to accept and understand. If I did become pregnant, I would probably consider, for the first time, having an abortion or giving the baby up for adoption, even though I am Catholic. Coming to the end of my paper, I want to bring up issues and questions that I have always wondered about and would like to be finally answered through this experience of becoming a female. First off, I would like to know what is all the fuss about PMS and are there actual syndromes such as being cranky, having cramps, and a few others not appropriate to mention at this time. I would also like to know how the feelings of having sex would be like and the truth about multiple orgasms. Also, why women talk when they are in the restroom and what they could possibly talk about. Another question I would ask is how a woman feels while pregnant and the joy of giving "actual" birth to a child. These are just a few things I am curious about. By writing this short paper, I have gained a deeper insight and appreciation on how it would feel to actually be a woman. I would like to also give credit to all the women out there for who and what they are and for what they have to go through. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\General Information.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1.0 General Information Position in the World The country that I will be describing for this particular task will be Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia is located in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia. The exact coordinates are 44 00 N, 18 00 E. Bosnia's total area is about 51,129 sq km which is about slightly smaller than West Virginia. Country Data A) Population Bosnian population has a current low of 3,964,388 (July 2002 est.) because of the ethnic cleansing and war (1992-1996). B) Gross National Product The Gross National Product of Bosnia was measured back in 1990 and it was USD $10,667,000,000. Public Dept was not available. Exports ranged from 23,271,000,000 to 23,300,000,000 and imports were at a steady 21,130,000,000. C) Major Products Bosnia has many productions that include the following; steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, and oil refining. D) Form Of Government Bosnia's government is the Emerging Federal Democratic Republic and the capital of Bosnia is Sarajevo. E) National Language Languages spoken in Bosnia include Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian. F) Language Variety spoken by the people you will meet Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian are all the same with minor accented words and imperfections. The languages are as similar as "US California" English to "US Boston" English. There are only minor variations. G) Literacy Rate The adult literacy rate % is 94.1% for males and 78.0% for women. The schools include a mandatory 8 years of primary school, 4 years in secondary school, and 4 years in universities and academies. H) Major race, ethnic and religious groups The Serb 37.1%, Bosniak 48%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.5% (2000) The term "Bosniak" has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam. The religions include Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, Protestant 4%, and other 10%. I) Strategic interest in Bosnia According to Secretary of Defense William J. Perry and his speech that was delivered on June 7, 1995 claims, "We do have a security interest in preventing the violence from spreading and from stimulating a broader European war. We do have a security interest in limiting the violence and the flow of refugees". The US had some interests but no real vital national security interests in Bosnia. 2.0 Cultural Patterns Belief System The people of Bosnia before and after the ethnic war have been sort of laid back relaxed and without the day-to-day troubles that an US American would experience throughout his day. I have heard and read numerous statements before the ethnic war that said, "No where in the world, do you work less and earn as much as in Bosnia". These statements are true. As I visited Bosnia in the summer of 2002, I noticed that people were not affected by the war at all but that they were strengthened and still believed that taking it day by day is necessary in order to feel alive. Bosnians have standard beliefs that revolve a lot around religion. They have a word called the "grehota" which basically means if you do something that makes somebody else happy, you in return will achieve happiness too because of God. There is definitely a religion based belief system in Bosnia. Value System Bosnians tend to value well being and "living" more than anybody I have ever seen. If a job is too hard, a Bosnian will first consider the effects of the job on him and his family and then take it if it suits his needs. Also, when I visited Bosnia last summer of '02, I have never seen people that love to eat as much as they do. No matter if it is breakfast or lunch, it has to look good, smell good, taste good, and be available in numerous quantities. They value family over anything and will go to any depths in order to make their families happy, even if it means sacrificing their well-being. Norms Being that Bosnians focus a lot on well being, they in also have and expect friendly characteristics from anybody they see and meet. People of Bosnia and especially kids are raised to be somewhat individual but are mostly raised to trust and rely on friendship. "Friendship is easily achieved but once it is achieved it is easily lost" -one term that I caught while talking to a guy my age during my visit in Bosnia. Appropriate behavior is expected during throughout the day for all, no matter if it is a 30-year-old man or a 10-year-old child. In both situations behaviors have to be at it's best but during family gatherings, respect to the elderly is always show and their privacy or "bubble" is never invaded, only respected. Although people have to be at their best behavior most of the time, goofiness and acting in a humorous way is usually done around teenage friends and with relatives but even then, respect is shown. 3.0 Cultural Patterns 3.1 Activity Orientation is Bosnia is very low due to the ethnic war that lasted from '92-'96. Social Relations Orientations are very high and respected due to the fact that Bosnians fit more into the collectivism dimension. Self-Orientations just like everywhere exist but are not encouraged due to the low Individualism rate. World Orientation is not a priority due to the lack of stability in Bosnia and it's slow recovery rate. 3.2 Bosnia is a very high context culture. The culture revolves around a lot of overt messages, which are easily caught and understood because they are really "loud". Bosnia definitely has more in-groups because of the lack of economic status. 3.3 Power distances in Bosnia are only shown towards the elderly and respected characters such as leaders, teachers, etc. Uncertainty avoidance is rare in Bosnia due to the fact that it is a very small country and avoidance is not necessary because the majority of people are already aware of who who is. Bosnia's Individualism-Collectivism rate scores at a low -32 while Masculinity-Femininity scores at a high of 88. 4.0 Verbal Code 4.1 Being that Bosnia was part of Yugoslavia before 1992 and the ethnic war, most of the Bosnians still speak and understand Croatian and Serbian. In fact, just like I mentioned before, Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian are alike in a lot of ways and can be understood by a Bosnian without a problem. The national language of Bosnia is still Bosnian and it is not considered a tone language. (4.4) 4.2 A sample of the written language.."sta" is pronounced "shta" and means what. Bosnians use more letters than the US alphabet and those letters are s, z, c, c ,dz. 4.3 The language is based on the Western Varian of the Shtokavian dialect and uses both Latin and Cyrillic alphabet. It is used throughout the whole country even though before the war, communism played a big deal on Bosnia and it required all people and citizens of ex. Yugoslavia to learn Russian Cyrillic. The characters are written from left to right and use the same rules that apply to the US alphabet system. 5.0 Nonverbal Code 5.1 Bosnian culture, just like Italian culture, uses a lot of hand movements and a lot of body language. Tourists should anticipate a lot of touch and voice interactions in order for the speaker (Bosnian) to prove his or her point. Bosnians tend to use a calming conversation voice, which can quickly turn into an aggressive tone when a point of passion and interest has been hit. 5.2 One can expect every citizen of Bosnia to use nonverbal communication. High-educated citizens tend to not use as much body language as the lower class citizens. 5.3 Being that Bosnians are really friendly people, the majority of the citizens that live in Bosnia do not hide their facial expressions. In fact, some of the people encourage it because it is a sign of friendliness and effort towards the speaker or listener. 5.4 Space - be ready to have it invaded. Not because people want to start arguments but only because everybody is expected to be friendly and there are no such things such as "personal bubbles". Touch - expect to be touched a lot. Not only because people need that certain touch to feel like they are important, but people will walk up to you, touch you and greet you with a lot of hugging and hand shaking. Time - time is not of the priority. Even though people have places to be and things to do, they tend to be relaxed when it comes to time. Certain dates and times are obeyed like, personal dates, dinners, appointments while certain ones are not. Voice - the volume of the voice depends upon the conversation. Sometimes people will talk quietly and calming when just randomly talking but once a sensitive and passionate subject has been achieved, people will raise voices to prove their points. Shouting and yelling is common. Silence - silence, just like in every culture is considered "golden". Even though in Bosnia, sometimes a quiet person will be asked, "hey, why are you so quiet?" His space will be invaded so that the questioner can see what is going on. 5.5 There are numerous gestures in the Bosnian culture that are appropriate for males and some that are not appropriate for females. For example, whistling for a guy is considered normal because the males, are simply calling each other. If a guy whistles at a female, then it is considered impolite because he is hinting at something. Another great example is the eyewink. It can mean several things in Bosnian culture. 1. Eye winking from a guy to a guy means, " good job" "I'm just kidding" " hinting at something". 2. Eye winking to a woman is impolite in a sexual way because it means " are you ready to get out of here" " do you want what I want?" 6.0 Typifications The socio-economic status of my hosts at this point of time is ranked at a middle class level. The ethnic war had a big effect on every class so there is not a big number of upper class status. The level of power in Bosnia is definitely ranked by class just like anywhere else, but in this case it stays forever. For example, a person famous 20 years ago, will still be considered famous and be loved. The social privileges after the ethnic war do not have any barriers in preventing one from doing what he/she wants to do. The education level of my hosts is extremely high. The Bosnian education system is much more complex than the education system in the US. Kids in the first grade are expected to be adding/subtracting, multiplying/dividing and reading, writing, and speaking in an educated manner. Every host is highly educated in the fields of math, history and writing/reading. The typical family of my hosts will consist of a husband and a wife and 1-2 kids and 3 maximum. They would have to be middle aged with usually 1 grandparent remaining and kids about 3-5 years apart. The religion of Bosnian hosts is 98% Islamic. This term has been changed to Bosniak in order to avoid confusion with the Middle Eastern Muslim. Every host plays a big role in society because society depends on the host. By this I mean is that, Bosnia is not yet stable as far as jobs and financial abilities so the society NEEDS the worker and depends on him. They do not have jobs such as outdoor activities yet because of the war, so every host that is employed or giving favors to his/her organization plays a big role within society because HE/SHE is important. 7.0 Interpersonal Relationships 7.1 Bosnian people are very friendly and welcoming people. They interact with strangers and foreigners the same way they do with their friends. When I visited Bosnia, even though I did not know many people, I was immediately accepted into the family as if I was a long lost friend. They are very friendly and will treat and act as if the stranger or foreigner is a friend that they have known for years. Hugs and touch in general is important for the typical Bosnian. It shows them that you as a foreigner or stranger are in fact anxious to meet them and that you are pleased in return. Co-workers usually are very close friends that see each other regularly outside of work and their families know each other well. The women in Bosnia have as much power as men. They are highly respected at home and in the workforce. They are not simply regarded as the "mother of my children" but they impact the society in many ways by providing high position services. Friends are very important to a Bosnian and to the whole culture. They value friendship very high, even higher than riches. Friends in Bosnia usually act like they are brothers or relatives. They do not care what belongs to them because it belongs to the other person as well. Friends are irreplaceable in a Bosnian's life. 7.2 Gift giving and receiving is only done at special occasions such as birthdays, holidays, etc. Co-workers rarely give or receive gifts from other workers. At a special multinational project dining and drinking is sometimes the case, formal diners of course. Being that women are at the same standard as men, they are included in the dinner and their opinion and presence does matter and contribute. Bosnians usually like reciprocal conversations in which they engage in conversations about relatives or friends. This helps break the ice, which in return leads to better business deals and respect. 8.0 What is Taboo? Bosnia, like the United States, has taboo behaviors and gestures that are very much alike. Impolite and childish behavior is usually a no-no with people that they meet for the first time. Close friends do act foolish from time to time but with respectable limits. Foul language and slang is never really a way to get to know the hosts even though it is used throughout Bosnia. There are numerous gestures such as the middle finger, or the whatever hand movement. Men are required to have full respect for women in Bosnia. Unacceptable behavior such as whistling as a woman walks by, talking behind somebody's back, or simply provoking somebody is taboo in Bosnia. The same rules apply to women. In a nutshell, Bosnia is very similar if not the same as the US when it comes to what's taboo and what's not. 9.0 Stereotypes Bosnians rarely stereotype because Bosnia does not have a multicultural like the US. Bosnia is predominantly all white, there is no black, Hispanic or Asian person living in Bosnia. So they do not have the developed hate against them because nobody ever interacted with any other culture other than white European and they never had any reason to hate any black or Hispanic person. They do watch the news and they develop their own definitions of people outside of Bosnia. They do on the other hand, notice how President Bush was elected and they start to question US rational thinking and its intellectuality. They have nothing against US Americans because after all, it is the United States that stopped the war after a gruesome 4-year tragedy. 10. Additional Information Bosnia is a great country not only because of its very historical location, but also because of its beautiful beaches and tourist locations. It has great history behind it such as the assassination of the Austrian archduke FRANZ FERDINAND in Sarajevo, which the capital of Bosnia in June 1914. The resulting conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungary quickly escalated into World War 1. Another great history moment is that Bosnia was the host of the Olympic games in 1984 The names Bosnia and Herzegovina refer to two separate regions: Bosnia (its name derived from the Bosna River) occupies the great majority of the republic's territory; Herzegovina is a much smaller area in the south, around the city of Mostar; its name derives from the German Herzog ("duke"), the title borne by its former rulers. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\genetic engineering essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Greg Essakow B-2 May 10, 2002 Genetic engineering is a very interesting project. Genetic engineering is when a scientist uses a certain technique to change the DNA of a living organism. DNA is commonly looked at as a blueprint. The living organism relies on the DNA for the management of the biochemical process. The way an organism turns out when it is full matured it all depends on the DNA make up of the organism. Scientist do Genetic engineering by taking a piece of the plants DNA or other knows as they take a gene from the organism. By cutting the genes from these organism scientists are learning how to customize a DNA from taking genes from other organisms. The gene that scientist takes and out it my fruit the Tomato is a fish gene which keep the tomato cold and cool. Genetic Engineering is a very complex thing but when you think about it is all very logical. They put a fish gene is a tomato why would they do that? Then you would think that that would be a bad idea but it isn't it helps the fruit and the way it grows. With the fish gene inside it keep the tomato cold even though usually tomato's frost very easily. Since tomato's have this gene inside of them it helps the farmers because therefore they tomato season will last longer because the tomato's will be able to handle the cold weather. The size of the environmental risk associated with the growing of genetically engineered crops is relative the total area cultivated. In addition, there are ecological risks associated with large-scale release that will not be detected by small-scale studies. To fully understand these risks requires knowledge of the acreage of genetically engineered crops. Another problem is antibiotic resistance marker genes. For example is a man is allergic to fish and he picks up a tomato to eat and has no idea that there is a fish gene inside the tomato and he eats it and then falls down dead what will they be able to do about that thy will get sewed and maybe worse. I think that genetic engineering is wrong in many ways. Why should scientist try and change the way a fruit taste or even if they add more protein. G-d has made the fruit the way it is for a reason and if he wanted it any other way he would have done it that way. These genes that they put in the fruits and vegetables can hurt someone. People do not all now about the genes and therefore might be allergic to them and from those genes get very ill. So I think that if they were meant to be without the extra gene then it should stay that way. BIBLIOGRAPHY Mothers for natural law What is genetic engineering? [WWW document] (2001) http://www.safe-food.org/-issue/ge.html Ifgene International forum for Genetic Engineering [WWW document] (2 / 2002) http://www.anth.org/ifgene/ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Genetic Screening Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Genetic Screening Essay As more people become aware of what medical procedures are taking place in the world, it is only natural that there will always be controversy. Lives are full of choices, and no matter what you choose there are always people who do not think that your choice was the right one to make. As more medical procedures become available there will always be the question as to whether or not it is ethical. What is genetic screening? Genetic screenings are defined as "systematic searches for persons with a specific genotype" or as "tests to identify persons who have an inherited predisposition to a certain phenotype or who are at risk of producing offspring with inherited diseases or disorders". As more and more people, begin to take an interest in the field of human genetics it is obvious that new discoveries will be made, whether it is good news or bad. With the amount of research that has been going into research regarding phenotypes and genotypes, there is no question as to whether or not there will be major improvements to our lives in the near future. With new technological advances, there is no doubt, as to whether or not we are pushing some kinds of limits. This is where the ethical controversy begins. How does genetic screening work? It is a test that works by identifying an individual that has a genetic disorder. It directly examines the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecule alone. In a gene tests a sample of a patient's DNA is tested for mutated sequences. The sample that they test can be taken from any tissue in the human body, including blood. In other types of gene tests researchers begin by designing short pieces of DNA that are referred to as probes, whose sequences are complementary to the mutated sequences. These probes will try to find their complement amongst the three billion base pairs of an individual's genome. If the mutated sequence is at hand in the patience genome, the probe will bind to it and pin the mutation. Another type of DNA testing involves comparing a sequence of DNA of a mutated patient to that of a normal version of the gene. There are many uses of genetic screenings, which can take place to help against infertility, miscarriage, stillbirths, neonatal deaths, multiple malformations, retardation in growth and development, mental illness, and mental retardation. Not only can genetic screening pinpoint these problems, it can be used to identify carriers of recessive destructive genes as well. There are also many different types of genetic testing, such as, prenatal genetic testing, neonatal genetic screening tests, and carrier screening tests, forensic testing, and susceptibility screening. Prenatal screening is done on a mother's fetus to see if there are any risks, or problems with the baby. Using genetic screening will allow parents to have some idea as to how there child will be, however if there is a problem that they have found due to prenatal screening, they may feel the need to abort the pregnancy because they feel that they could not handle a child with mutated genes. Neonatal genetic testing is done on all infants to determine rare disabilities or chemical disorders like, sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Some new test such as HIV, heart disease and cystic fibrosis are also done. Carrier screening tests are done to determine whether an individual is a carrier of a certain disease. An example of this is sickle cell tests are done on blacks to determine if they are a carrier of the disease. Forensics is the newest field to use genetic screening it is used to discover a genetic linkage between suspects and evidence discovered in criminal investigations. Test results have been presented as proof of innocence or guilt in court cases, and jury verdicts have been based on this type of genetic evidence. However, critics note that forensic laboratories often test just once, unlike research laboratories, which test many times, and that mistakes can be made. Finally, susceptibility testing is used in many workplaces to see if their employees are susceptible to different toxins in the work place and could have devastating effects later on in life. All of these procedures can e used to help people in a positive way, although there are many people who do not see this, and feel as though it is unethical. First off, by having a genetic procedure done you will be able to tell if there is something genetically wrong with you. Consider the fact that you or someone close to you was told that they have something wrong with them; this would cause fear to strike in not only the person it affects but also those close to them. In addition, genetic testing will not be able to determine the severity of the problem; it will just tell you that you have it. Many religious groups feel that genetic screening is a very bad idea because they feel that you should not alter the course of your life, everything happens for a reason. They feel that if you have the burden of a genetic mutation, its all God's way because he is the one that chooses the course of our lives. Many Christians feel that they cannot go against what God has laid out for them. The majority of researchers and ethicists agree on the importance of diagnosing a disease such as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, which strikes soon after birth and produces a short, viciously painful life characterized by severe retardation, violence and self-mutilation. If people find this information out from genetic testing, is it natural for them to abort the birth of the child. How do we know what to limit ourselves too? If you find out that your child is going to have Down syndrome, is there any reason to abort that birth? We already know that many people survive with Down syndrome, so would aborting that birth be any different from aborting the birth of a child that is male, when the parents were really hoping for a girl? The importance of the debate about what constitutes a disease is underscored by the two extensive questions that underlay the current debate, who decides whether testing is done; and what happens to that information? Clearly genetic screening is going to be done no matter what, ethical or not. The difficulty is how are we going to use it and what social limit will we set on it? There is an apparent inconsistency between the reality of genetic variability and the democratic ideal that all citizens are created equal. If each person is as equal as the next, then why do we even need genetic screening? Many people also fear a number of other ethical problems with genetic screening such as genetic discrimination. Some people may feel that people with genetic flaws, which may not show up as dysfunctions, may be denied life insurance. This is because the insurance companies know there is a flaw in your genes and do not think that they should insure you because something is quite likely happen to you. Another problem would be differential treatment, which means that employers could hire only those people whose genes indicate that they are resistant to the health hazards of the work place, which is a cheaper alternative to making the work place safe for all. Eugenics is also a problem when dealing with genetic screening. Social or political pressure could be applied to people to make childbearing decisions based on genetic information. Mating between those with valued genes may be encouraged while mating between two people with dangerous recessive traits may be prohibited. Women carrying fetuses with genetic abnormalities possibly will be encouraged to abort. The last main ethical problem with genetic screening would be genetic determinism, which is the belief that behavioral and personality characteristics, such as intellect or criminal behavior, are mostly a function of genes. Although many people feel that genetic screening is a bad thing, there are also those who think that it is a great idea. As more tests and studies become available, it is no surprise that new procedures will be available. Although not all new technologies will work to our advantage, many of them will and we need to take that risk so that in the future things will be different. Many people say that technological advances are unnatural, but then again all technology is unnatural. This means that we as humans have been carrying out "unnatural" procedures since the begging of time. If we are given the ability to find the information that genetic screening does, why not use it to our advantage. We could help to save the lives of our generation and those to come. We would also know what to expect out of life, people should not live in fear just because they have some kind of recessive trait, realistically you could be hit by a car and die today, but that does not mean we avoid going out. In conclusion, I feel that there are many mixed views towards genetic screening. However, I personally feel that the advantages out way the disadvantages. Although people think that it is unethical to use genetic screening, I think that it has great potential and could help greatly in the future. Without the tests there will be, know way to help cure some of these problems. These tests can help in many ways. Ethically, I think that it is the only was for us to advance in our technological ways. However, no matter what happens there will always be people that are upset by the decision made but there is nothing we can do about this, no one is always happy with the choices of our society. Megan C. Davis 22038 Science 10H Mr. Klassen 11/1/2009 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Geology term Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Nickel and Copper Introduction: Copper is derived from the Latin word cuprum, which means "from the island of Cyprus". Copper has been put to use for at least 11,000 years according to archaeologists. Ancient people found copper in "nuggets and masses on the surface of the Earth, adjacent to streams, in the walls of canyons" (Lugaski, 1997, n.p.). Throughout the years copper has been used to make such things as pots, pans and even some crowns and headdresses in ancient times. The use of copper spread to Asia where "cultures and religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, used copper in the creation of fantastic inlays, embossed facades on palaces and temples, and ceremonial vessels" (Jewellery Supplier, 1999, n.p.). In recent times copper has been used to make armour, weapons, bells, and ornaments. Nickel's name comes from the German word for the mineral niccolite (kupfernickel) which means "Old Nick's copper". A Swedish Chemist named Axel Fredrik is credited for the discovery of Nickel in 1751. In today's world "nickel is obtained from the mineral pentlandite" (Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility - Office of Science Education, n.d., n.p.). Ontario, Canada is the world's leading supplier of nickel. It is mined from the Sudbury region where it is believed that a meteor struck there along time ago. Chemical Properties Copper's atomic number is 29 and its chemical symbol is "Cu". Copper's natural state is a solid. The heat of fusion is 13 kJ mol-1, heat of vaporization is 304.6 kJ mol-1, and the heat of atomization is 338 kJ mol-1. Nickel's atomic number is Physical Properties Copper is a mineral that is both malleable and ductile. This means that it can be bent and shaped, whether hot or cold, without cracking and that it can be drawn out into thin wire. Copper has a metallic lustre and is opaque. Copper has no cleavage it only fractures. Pure copper is the most efficient conductor of electricity since it is second only to silver which is too expensive for this sort of use. Copper is also a good conductor of heat that makes it useful for cookware, refrigerators, and radiators. It is resistant to corrosion; however, if the air around it is often damp it will eventually become coded with "patina" which is a green film that stops all further corrosion. The melting point of copper is 1083.4 degrees Centigrade and it boils at 2567 degrees Centigrade. Nickel has a metallic, lustrous, silvery tinge to it. It is a silvery with metal with a nice polish to it. Nickel can come in a variety of forms including foil, powder, flakes, sheet, wire, mesh, and rods. Nickel has a melting point of 1453 degrees centigrade and a boiling point of 2732 degrees centigrade. Nickel is a hard mineral, it is also ductile, malleable, and is to some extent ferromagnetic. Nickel, like copper, is also a decent conductor of heat and electrical current. Nickel is a member of the transitional elements, which is made up of iron and cobalt metals. In some cases nickel compounds are considered to be dangerously toxic or carcinogenic. Picture of chateau Conditions in which the mineral/rock will occur Processes by which the mineral/rock forms and where it occurs geographically, (use the specific area on the sheet) How we use it, how it affects our environment and how it effects our economy, industrial uses also References: Ford, W.E. (1932). Dana's Textbook of Mineralogy (4th ed.). London: Chapman & Hall. Hunt, Kraus & Ramsdell. (1936). Mineralogy (3rd ed.). York: The Maple Press Company. Jewellery Supplier. (1999). Retrieved March 9, 2004, from http://www.jewelrysupplier.com/2_copper/copper_History.htm. Lugaski, Tom. (1997). Retrieved March 11, 2004, from http://www.unr.edu/sb204/geology/copper2.html. Maxwell, John A. (1968) Rock and Mineral Analysis. Ottawa: Interscience Publishers. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility - Office of Science Education. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2004 from http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele028.html. Winter, Mark. (2003). Nickel. Retrieved March 11, 2004, from http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Ni/key.html f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GeorgeOrwellResearch.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ George Orwell Research Eric Arthur Blair was born in 1903 at Motihari in British-occupied India. While growin up, he attended private schools in Sussex, Wellington and Eton. He worked at the Imperial Indian Police untill 1927 when he went to London to study the poverty stricken. He then moved to Paris where he wrote two lost novels. After he moved back to England he wrote Down and Out in Paris and London, Burmese Days, A Clergyman's Daughter and Keep the Apidistra Flying. He published all four under the psuedonym George Orwell. He then married Eileen O'Shaughnessy and wrote The Road to Wigan Pier. Orwell then joined the Army and fought in the Spanish civil war. He became a socialist revolutionary and wrote Homage to Catalonia, Coming Up for Air, and in 1943, he wrote Animal Farm. It's success ended Orwell's financial troubles forever. In 1947 and 48 despite Tuberculosis, he wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four. He died in 1950 (Williams 7-15). This essay will show and prove to you that George Orwell's life has influenced modern society a great deal. BIOGRAPHY In 1903, Eric Arthur Blair was born. Living in India until he was four, Blair and his family then moved to England and settled at Henley. At the age of eight, Blair was sent to a private school in Sussex, and he lived there, except on holidays, until he was thirteen. He went to two private secondary schools: Wellington(for one term) and Eton (for four and a half years). After Eton, Blair joined the Imperial Indian Police and was trained in Burma. He served there for nearly five years and then in 1927, while hom on leave, decided not to return. He later wrote that he had come to understand and reject the imperialism he was serving. He was struck...between hatred of the empire and rage against the native people who opposed it, and made his immediate job more difficult. Blair, on his first six months of release, traveled to the East End to research the English poor. In Spring of 1928, he took a room in a working-class district of Paris. He wrote two novels, which have been lost, as well as publishing a number of articles in French and English. He became ill with pneumonia, worked ten weeks as a dishwasher and kitchen porter, and returned to England at the end of 1929. He used his parents' home in Suffolk for writing and earned money from occasional articles and teaching. Blair then completed several versions of what was to become his first book, called, not by his choice, Down and Out in Paris and London. The book was a record of his experiences, but "If it's all the same to everybody, I would prefer [it] to be published pseudonymously". Discussing the publication of his first book with his agent, he decided on three possible pseudonyms: Keneth Miles, George Orwell and H. Lewis Allways. He favored George Orwell. The Orwell is a river in Suffolk, south of his parents' home. "George Orwell" published his first book in 1933. Down and Out... was followed by the novel Burmese Days, published first in the United States rather than in England because of his English publishers fear of it's giving offence in Burma. After Burmese Days came two more novels: A Clergyman's Daughter, published in 1935; and Keep the Apidistra Flying, published in 1936. In the Spring of 1936 he moved to Hertfordshire and married Eileen O'Shaughnessy, an Oxford graduate in English, a teacher, a journalist, and later a London graduate in psychology. Orwell's reputation at this time was based mainly on his accounts of poverty and depression. His next book, The Road to Wigan Pier was written for the Left Book Club and started his career as a political writer. Much of this book was composed of an essay on class and socialism, which was Orwell's first statement of his political possition. In July, he left for Spain to fight (and write) in the Spanish civil war. For the next two or three years, Orwell became a revolutionary socialist. When he returned from war , he wrote Homage to Catalonia and in the winter of 1938, wrote Coming Up for Air. In 1941 he wrote London Letter's and in August joined the BBC as a talks producer in the Indian Section of the Eastern Service. Later in the year, he began writing Animal Farm. It did not appear until August 1945, at the end of the war. He and his wife adopted a son in 1944, but in 1945 his wife died during an opperation. Animal Farm's success ended Orwell's financial worries that he had suffered from for twenty years. In 1946, he settled in Jura, Scottland, with his younger sister as houskeeper, though he returned to lundon for the winter. During 1947, in the early stages of renewed tuberculosis, he wrote the first drafts of Nineteen Eighty-Four. In 1948, amid several attacks, Orwell wrote the second draft. In September, 1949, he went into a hospital in London, and in October married Sonia Brownell. In January 1950, Eric Arthur Blair, aka "George Orwell", died. (Williams 7-15) WORKS In 1933, Orwell wrote Down and Out in Paris and London. This was his first book. It is the record of a young man's (most-likely Orwell's) experiences with poverty in Paris and London. It did very well for a first novel. In most ways it was a long, autobiographical essay on poverty. (Wykes 71-72) Orwell's second novel was Burmese Days. It was an account of Orwell's experiences working for the Imperial Indian Police in Burma. For fear of insulting Burma, this novel was published first in the U.S. rather than in England. (Wykes 44) His next two novels were A Clergyman's Daughter and Keep the Appidistra Flying. A Clergyman's Daughter, published in 1935, is the journey of Dorothy Hare. A journey of escape and self-exploration (Wykes 4). Keep the Apidistra Flying, published in 1936, is a novel about middle-class decline and compromise (Wykes 7). Orwell regarded these novels as failures. The Road to Wigan Pier, written for the Left Book Club in 1936 was Orwell's fourth novel. This book started Orwell's life-long career change to political writing. The first part of this book is reporting on the poor and unemployed. The second part is an essay on class and socialism, as I mentioned before. It was the first statement of Orwell's political possition. (Wykes 50-60) Homage to Catalonia, Orwell's fifth novel, completed his break with the orthodox left. It is an attempt to tell the truth about war from Orwell's point of view. The genre to which this book belongs was later defined by Orwell as the "Political book...a sort of enlarged pamphlet combining history with political critiscism". Orwell came to believe that Homage to Catalonia was the best book he had ever written. During winter in 1938, Orwell wrote his sixth novel Coming Up for Air. It is the discovery of George Bowling, that his boy-hood home has changed like everything else. It is regarded as his best novel (with the exception of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four). It illustrates in great detail, the fact that everything peacefull eventually becomes corupt. After Coming Up for Air, Orwell wrote one of his most-loved novels, Animal Farm. It is the "fairy story" of an animal revolution on the Manor Farm, The animals create a socialistic republic in which "Some animals are more equal than others" (Orwell). The book an alagorical essay on the Russian Revolution. By the end of the book the pigs disobey the laws of "Animal Farm", but as they do so, they change the laws to fit their needs. Animal Farm is a spiritual parody of the Communist Manifesto (Calder 5-20) Animal Farm was followed by Orwell's eighth and last novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Another of Orwell's best novels, 1984 is the story of Winston Smith. Smith is a member of a totalitarianist party ruled by the god-like Big Brother. There is no freedom, privacy or choice. No friendship or love. There is only love for Big Brother. It is the story of Smith's secret rebellion from the party through love, sex, free-thought and choice. It is said to be Orwell's greatest achivement (Calder 74-88). CRITISCISM This is the kind of book I like to read, where I get the truth in chapters of real life...", writes W.h> Davies about Down and Out in Paris and London. Daniel George for the tribune says, "Much of it is, I should judge, written from first-hand knowledge." Hames Farrell comments "[Orwell's] account is genuine, unexagerated and intelligent" (Meyers 39-49) About Burmese Days, an annonymus author writes, "Burmese Days, by George Orwell is symptomatic of the reaction against conventional portrayals of Burma as a land of tinkling temples bells, gentle charming Burmans, and strong silent Englishman". For the Fortnightly, G.W. Stonier observes, "Burmese Days is another novel, and I recommend it to all those who enjoy a lively hatred in fiction" (Meyers 50-57) About Orwell's next novel, A Clergyman's Daughter, Peter Quennel writes "A Clergyman's Daughter is abitious yet not entirely successfull". Michael Sayers comments "George Orwell is a popular novelist sensitive to values that most other novelists are popular for ignoring". For the Commonweal, Geoffrey Stone reports, "...in A Clergyman's Daughter, [Orwell] arranges circumstance so that the pessimistic conclusion will seem inevitable" (Meyers 58-64) "Mr. Orwell's new book, bitter almost throughout and often crude is also all about money," writes William Plomer of Keep the Apidistra Flying. Cyril Connoly, for the New Statesman and Nation, writes, "The book is the recital of [Orwell's] misfortunes interrupted by tirades against money and the spiritual evil it causes". An unsigned notice in the TImes Literary Supplement states, "If this book is persistently irritating, this is exactly what makes it worth reading; few books have enough body in them to be irratants" (Meyers 65-90) Walter Greenwood writes about The Road to Wigan Pier, "Mr. Orwell has the gift of writing vividly, of creating in the mind's eye a picture of the scene described." "Of Mr. Orwell's book, there is little to say except praise...," comments Arthur Calder-Marshall. "It takes an ugly section of British life, and it forces us to confront it for what it is," writes H.J. Laski (Meyers 91-118) "Homage to Catalonia is... a book which is at the same time a work of first-class literature and a political document of the greatest importance," reports Geoffrey Gorer. John McNair for the New Leader, writes, "There have been many books written on the Spanish civil war, but none containing so many living, first-hand experiences as this" (Meyers 119-151) "Mr. Orwell writes with hard, honest clarity and unanswering precision of feeling," states of Coming Up for Air, an unsigned notice in the Times Literary Supplement. John Cogley for the Commonweal, writes, "George Orwell, a hard man, is frankly sentimental about the world he knew as a boy". "Coming Up for Air, written in 1938, reverts to the journalistic stylo of ease and understatement, the disquietude of Burmese Days worked out of it (Meyers 152-190). "..it is aa devestating attack on Stalin and his 'betrayal' of the Russian revolution, as seen by another revolutionary," writes Cyril Connoly on Animal Farm. "The staory is very well-written, especially the Snowball episode#, which suggests that that the communist 'Trotskyite' is a conception on much the same plane as the nazi 'jew'...,"writes Northrup Frye for the Canadian Forum. Isaac Rosenfield for the Nation, writes, "George Orwell, to judge by his writing, is a man, not without imagination, who is never swept away by his imagination." Of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Fredric Warburg comments, "This is amongst the most terrifying books I have ever read". "Mr. Orwell's latest book, Nineteen Eighty-Four, can be approached either as a political argument or as an indictment of materialism cast in fictional foprm," writes Harold Nicolson. "Mr. Orwell is in every way similar to Huxley, especially in his contempt for people, in his aim of slandering man," reports Isaac Anisimov for the Pravda. CONCLUSION As you can see, George Orwell is one of the most beloved and respected authors in history. His works speak out against money, hypocrisy, poverty and injustice. His style has influenced many modern authors and will, most definetly, influence many more authors to come. WORKS CITED Calder, Jenni. Animal Farm & Nineteen Eighty-Four. Philadelphia: Milton Keynes, 1986. Meyers, Jeffery. George Orwell: The Critical Hertige. Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1975. Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1982 Williams, Raymond. Orwell. London: Raymond Williams, 1991. Wykes, David. A Preface to Orwell. New York: Longman, Inc., 1987. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GeorgeWallace.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ George Wallace Former Gov. George C. Wallace of Alabama, who built his political career on segregation and spent a tormented retirement arguing that he was not a racist in his heart, died Sunday night at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery. He was 79 and lived in Montgomery, Ala. Wallace died of respiratory and cardiac arrest at 9:49 p.m., said Dana Beyerly, a spokeswoman for Jackson Hospital in Montgomery. Wallace had been in declining health since being shot in his 1972 presidential campaign by a 21-year-old drifter named Arthur Bremer. Wallace, a Democrat who was a longtime champion of states' rights, dominated his own state for almost a generation. But his wish was to be remembered as a man who might have been president and whose campaigns for that office in 1968, 1972 and 1976 established political trends that have dominated American politics for the last quarter of the 20th century. He believed that his underdog campaigns made it possible for two other Southerners, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, to be taken seriously as presidential candidates. He also argued ceaselessly that his theme of middle-class empowerment was borrowed by Richard Nixon in 1968 and then grabbed by another Californian, Ronald Reagan, as the spine of his triumphant populist conservatism. In interviews later in his life, Wallace was always less keen to talk about his other major role in Southern history. After being elected to his first term as governor in 1962, he became the foil for the huge protests that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used to destroy segregation in public accommodations in 1963 and to secure voting rights for blacks in 1965. As a young man, Wallace came boiling out of the sun-stricken, Rebel-haunted reaches of southeast Alabama to win the governorship on his second try. He became the only Alabamian ever sworn in for four terms as governor, winning elections in 1962, 1970, 1974 and 1982. He retired at the end of his last term in January 1987. So great was his sway over Alabama that by the time he had been in office only two years, other candidates literally begged him for permission to put his slogan, "Stand Up for Alabama," on their billboards. Sens. John Sparkman and Lister Hill, New Deal veterans who were powers in Washington and the national Democratic Party, feared to contradict him in public when he vowed to plunge the state into unrelenting confrontation with the federal government over the integration of schools, buses, restrooms and public places in Alabama. It was a power built entirely on his promise to Alabama's white voting majority to continue the historic oppression of its disfranchised and largely impoverished black citizens. And it was snapshots of the peak moments of Wallace's campaign of racial oppression that burned him into the nation's consciousness as the Deep South's most forceful political brawler since Huey Long of Louisiana. First, on Jan. 14, 1963, there was his inaugural address, written by a known Ku Klux Klansman, Asa Carter. In it, Wallace promised to protect the state's "Anglo-Saxon people" from "communistic amalgamation" with blacks and ended with the line that would haunt his later efforts to enter the Democratic mainstream: "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." Wallace's next signature moment came on June 11, 1963, when he mounted his "stand in the schoolhouse door" to block two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from enrolling at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Within days, it was convincingly reported that Wallace, fearing jail for defying a federal court order, had privately promised President John Kennedy that he would step aside if first allowed to make a defiant speech. Wallace's in-state critics denounced him for a "charade" that embarrassed the state. But the cold splash of reality did not dampen his plans to use Alabama as a stepping stone to the national political arena and to the anti-Big-government speeches by which he obsessively longed to be remembered by history. Wallace talked of running for president in 1964 as a neo-Dixiecrat candidate. But he backed off when the Republican nominee, Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona, came out against the bill that later became the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Goldwater's move undercut Wallace's trademark assertion that "there's not a dime's worth of difference" between the two main parties on race. After the election, Wallace regretted his timidity because he thought Goldwater had run a campaign of comical ineptitude, and when 1968 came around, he invented a party, drafted the eccentric retired Air Force general Curtis LeMay as his running mate, and began draining away the lunch-pail vote from Nixon. One reason for his success was that Wallace always campaigned "with the tense urgency of a squirrel," in the memorable description of one biographer, Marshall Frady. Another reason was that his message worked among disaffected whites everywhere, not just in the South. Wallace's political radar had picked up signals that Rust Belt workers and urban white ethnic Americans from Boston to Baltimore felt grumpy about black students in their neighborhood schools and black competitors in the workplace. He cleaned up his language, but he used an expurgated list of demons -- liberals, Communists, the Eastern press, federal judges, "pointy-headed intellectuals" -- to tap out in code words an updated version of his fire-hardened message from the Heart of Dixie. It was race and rage. This blend of color prejudice and economic grievance appealed to enough voters to win him more than 13 percent of the popular vote and five states in the 1968 presidential election. In the 1972 race, he was running even stronger in the Democratic presidential primaries. He rattled the party's establishment with a second-place finish in Wisconsin and a rapid ascent in the polls. He also won primaries in Maryland and Michigan on May 16, but got the news in a hospital bed, having been shot and paralyzed on the day before the balloting. The injury from Bremer's bullet became a "thorn in my flesh," Wallace later said, and the truncated campaign became a thorn in his psyche. He died believing that had he not been shot, popular appeal would have forced the Democratic Party to put him on the ticket in 1972 to keep Nixon from sweeping the Sun Belt and blue-collar enclaves in the Middle West and Northeast. Wallace ran again in 1976. From the start, aides noticed that the applause dwindled once crowds saw his shiny wheelchair. Wallace noticed it, too, and in private he disputed friends who reminded him that Franklin Roosevelt had won despite crutches and wheelchair. "Yeah," Wallace told his confidant Oscar Adams, "they elected Roosevelt, but they didn't watch him on television every night getting hauled on a plane like he was half-dead." The death of Wallace's presidential dream came just before the Illinois primary, when he dropped out and endorsed a more modern Southerner with no segregationist baggage, Gov. Jimmy Carter of Georgia. Wallace wanted to be remembered for his shining moment in 1972 and the Main Street themes he brought to prominence. Dan Carter, a professor of history at Emory University and author of the most detailed Wallace biography, "The Politics of Rage," supports the claim. "It is difficult to conceive of what American politics of the 1960s, 70s and 80s would be like without George Wallace," Carter said in a 1994 interview. "I don't think there's a single issue that Nixon and Reagan talk of in terms of social issues that he doesn't get to first." In this view, Wallace's presidential campaigns prefigured, in an especially abrasive way, a large portion of the country's politics of later years. Wallace was the first major political figure in his generation to exploit the antipathy toward Washington that went on to be a prime force in politics from coast to coast. He was also surely the first in his generation to galvanize the white, working-class voters later labeled as Reagan Democrats. And he was the first nationally known politician of that generation to put such raucous emphasis on race, crime, welfare and other issues that still loom large, if less crudely, on the political landscape. After he retired as governor, Wallace used interviews to push relentlessly at the theme that he was the real inventor of Reaganism. Starting in 1979, he also undertook a campaign of apology and revisionist explanation intended to erase the word "racist" from his epitaph. He argued that his early devotion to segregation was based on his reading of the Constitution and the Bible and was misinterpreted as a racist hatred of black people. "I made a mistake in the sense that I should have clarified my position more," he said in his last term as governor. "I was never saying anything that reflected upon black people, and I'm very sorry it was taken that way." That Wallace died haunted by race is appropriate to his life story -- one of Faulknerian perversity embodying the old themes of guilt and a steady, if clumsy, Snopsian aspiration. George Corley Wallace Jr. was born on Aug. 25, 1919, in Clio, Ala., a cotton town in Barbour County, where mule-drawn wagons were as common as cars on the unpaved main street. His father was the wastrel son of a beloved local doctor. His mother, Mozelle Smith Wallace, had survived abandonment by her mother and a depressing girlhood in an Episcopal orphanage at Mobile. Like his father, George Jr. was quick with his fists and drawn to politics. Calling himself the "Barbour Bantam," he won two Golden Gloves titles while in high school. As a 15-year-old legislative page at the Capitol in Montgomery, he stood on the gold star marking the spot where Jefferson Davis was sworn as president of the Confederacy and where, by tradition, Alabama governors have taken the oath of office ever since. It was the seminal moment of his youth. Man and boy, George Wallace revered that spot, so much so that as governor he ordered state troopers to encircle it so that a visitor, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, could not put a desecrating Yankee foot atop it. It was in 1937, on the oak-shaded Tuscaloosa campus of the University of Alabama, that George Wallace began to define what he would become politically. He arrived in the same shiny suit he had worn as a page in Montgomery, but Tuscaloosa was a congenial place for poor, ambitious country boys. And by tradition, it was a virtual boot camp for future governors and senators. Young Wallace won election as president of the freshman class. He never won another student office, but his campaign to beat the fraternity machine with a coalition of independents and out-of-state students whetted his permanent taste for underdog politics. The other leitmotifs of his Alabama career -- cronyism and betrayal -- emerged at the university. He acquired the hangers-on who staffed his later efforts, and he made an unlikely, but ill-fated friendship with Frank Johnson, a handsome law student from Winston County, a Unionist stronghold in northern Alabama that seceded from Alabama when Alabama left the Union. Johnson was a Republican, Wallace an ardent New Deal Democrat. Johnson joked about someday being a federal judge and Wallace about being governor. But the big wheels on campus tended to dismiss Wallace's ambitions as comical. For in those days, too, Wallace impressed people by his frenetic energy and tireless pugnacity rather than by any inherent attractiveness. He waited tables and drove taxis and slid through law school, cramming from borrowed books. Frank Johnson's wife, Ruth, was worried by Wallace's habit of chasing innocent high school girls, although she thought him more interested in the adoration than sexual conquest. Finally in 1943, at the age of 23, he decided to marry one of his naive admirers, a 16-year-old dime store clerk named Lurleen Burns. It was wartime and Mrs. Wallace and their baby daughter, Bobbi Joe, born in 1944, followed wherever Wallace's flight training in the Army Air Forces took him. He shipped to the Mariana Islands as a flight engineer in the spring of 1945, assigned to fly bombing missions over Japan. The biographer Dan Carter found fellow crew members who remembered Wallace's barracks lectures defending segregation in Barbour County. "I don't hate them," Wallace was reported to have said. "The colored are fine in their place. But they're just like children, and it's not something that's going to change. It's written in stone." Wallace had been through nine combat missions by the time the war ended. He was discharged with a 10 percent disability for combat-induced "psychoneurosis," diagnosed after he refused orders to fly dangerous training missions when his unit returned to California after the Japanese surrender. Years later, Sen. Wayne Morse, D-Ore., disclosed Wallace's wartime psychiatric history. Wallace responded that unlike his liberal attacker, he could prove that he was 90 percent sane. After the war, Wallace began climbing up the political ladder with remarkable speed. Using his Barbour County connections, he was named an assistant to Alabama's attorney general in 1946. The next year he won election to the Alabama legislature. He allied himself with the racially moderate populist Gov. James Folsom and prevailed on Folsom to appoint him as a trustee of all-black Tuskegee Institute. As a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1948, Wallace refused to join the walkout by segregationist "Dixiecrats," a move that placed him firmly in the progressive, racially moderate wing of a state Democratic Party that still had "White Supremacy" emblazoned on its ballot emblem. After this blooding in state and national politics, Wallace settled in as an elected district judge in his home county, serving from 1953 to 1958 and all the while laying plans to run for governor in 1958. It was in the preparation of that race and its aftermath that Wallace committed two betrayals -- one personal and one political -- that blemished his reputation for life, but also gave him a generationlong stranglehold on Alabama politics. The first came after 1958, when Wallace's surprisingly strong dark-horse candidacy failed. He had followed the tolerant racial line laid down by Folsom and lost to John Patterson, whose devotion to massive resistance to court-ordered integration won him the following of the Ku Klux Klan. There were only about 5,000 Klan members, Patterson later recalled, but they helped him paper the state with campaign literature. Later, Wallace, in a quotation whose authenticity he long disputed, was recorded as saying that no one "will ever out out-nigger me again." Even if not literally true, the remark defined the strategy Wallace would use to ride to power. He started the very next year when his law school friend Frank Johnson, now a federal judge with a strong civil rights record, ordered Wallace's court to surrender voter-registration records to the United States Civil Rights Commission. Wallace denounced Johnson in public as a federal dictator, but conspired secretly to avoid being jailed on federal contempt charges by having a local grand jury surrender the records on his behalf. Johnson ruled that Wallace had used "devious means," but had nonetheless obeyed the federal court order. Never one to be embarrassed by the facts, Wallace labeled Johnson a "carpet-bagging, scalawagging liar" who wanted to mount "a second Sherman's March to the Sea." Wallace had lost a friend but gained a nickname, "The Fighting Judge," that would help make him governor in 1962 as an all-out segregationist with Klan backing. As Johnson later told the Alabama writer Frank Sikora, Wallace had also established the tactical blueprint of his career: "misleading the people of Alabama for the purpose of pursuing his political career." Wallace, of course, did not see it that way. He described himself as devoted to the economic development of his state and to advancing the causes of limited government and middle-class values in national politics. The reality was both uglier and more complicated. In his four terms as governor, Wallace saw an era of unparalleled corruption that operated through a crony system centered on his brother Gerald, a lawyer who died in 1993. With the governor's approval, Gerald Wallace and his close associate, Oscar Harper, went into business selling the state office supplies, printing, vending machines and building leases. Gerald Wallace and Harper established an asphalt company with $1,000 in capital. In a year and half, the infant company garnered more than a million dollars in state contracts. These unblushing accounts come not from political opponents, but from Harper's 1988 memoir, "Me 'n' George," regarded as one of the best guides to the inside dealing in Alabama's capital during the Wallace years. "Most people have got the wrong idea about how I made my money," Harper wrote. "They think me and Gerald are crooks." Then he added: "That ain't true. It's just that good deals kept popping up and I never was one to turn a good deal down." As this comment suggests, Wallace's first term was rowdy, even by the standards of a region that had produced Gov. Eugene Talmadge of Georgia, known as "The Wild Man from Sugar Creek." It is one of the paradoxes of Southern history that Alabama's "Fighting Judge," by trying to revive the antebellum doctrine of states' rights, instead enabled the civil rights movement to reach its high-water mark. The Birmingham demonstrations in 1963 led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Two years later the Selma march led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Despite these triumphs, it was a dangerous time for blacks and whites who supported the civil rights movement. During the Wallace years, at least 10 people died in racially motivated killings in Alabama. Wallace and his flamboyantly inept and drug-addled public safety director, Al Lingo, responded mainly by disrupting the federal investigations into crimes like the bombing that killed four little girls at the 16th Street Baptist Church on Sept. 15, 1963. Leaders of Alabama's business and educational establishment, always sensitive to the state's image, came to regard Wallace as an embarrassment. The governor himself was hurt and stunned when students at his beloved alma mater greeted him with chants of "We're No. 50," a reference to the cash-starved university's academic standing. But George Wallace was a creature of the storm who always had wind beneath his wings, and that wind was the adoration of the white farmers and factory workers and rural courthouse bosses who counted the votes and doled out patronage. They loved it when Wallace waved his cigar, flooded his food with ketchup and said that the guy pumping gas at an Alabama crossroads knew more about Communism than the State Department. When a surprisingly strong anti-Wallace faction in the legislature refused to alter the state Constitution to allow him a second term, Wallace put his ailing wife Lurleen on the ballot in 1966. She won easily in a heart-rending campaign that demonstrated the scope of his ambition. Only a few weeks before her husband announced her candidacy, Mrs. Wallace had surgery and radiation treatment for the aggressive intestinal cancer that would kill her in 1968. Political writers predicted that Alabamians would punish Wallace for his cynical use of a sick woman. But he was only shifting gears. He reclaimed the governorship in 1970 with the most flagrantly racist campaign of his career, warning that his progressive opponent, Albert Brewer, was using a black "block vote" to install a regime of federal oppression. With Wallace's clear approval, the Klan circulated fliers falsely accusing the clean-living Brewer and his wife and daughters of sexual perversions and miscegenation. It was a historic election for Alabama in two ways. First, Alabama was resisting the epochal progressive wave that swept the region in 1970 and installed New South governors like Jimmy Carter in Georgia and Reubin Askew in Florida. Secondly, Wallace openly committing himself to the presidential race track. By Wallace's reckoning, his appeal to blue-collar voters outside the South had "shaken the eyeteeth" of both major parties in 1968. Indeed, President Nixon so feared Wallace's disruptive potential in 1972 that he supplied $400,000 to Wallace's opponent in the 1970 campaign for governor. But Wallace won with his racist attacks and his invitation to Alabamians to "send them a message" by launching him toward the 1972 presidential race. For a few months, Wallace was the hottest thing going. Gone were the pomaded hair and the bargain-store threads. His stylish new wife, Cornelia Ellis Snively, a niece of former Governor Folsom, decked out Wallace in modish, wide-lapel suits and taught him to use a blow dryer. Wallace talked less about race because he could afford to. His attacks on school busing let conservative whites know where he stood. As Wallace moved toward victory in the Florida primary, Nixon himself made an anti-busing speech that was regarded as a tribute to Wallace's growing appeal. Wallace finished second behind Sen. George McGovern in the Wisconsin primary and second to former Vice President Hubert Humphrey in Indiana. Having established himself as a force in the Democratic Party, he was topping the polls in the primary campaigns of Maryland and Michigan. But on the afternoon of May 15, at an unnecessary campaign rally in Laurel, Md., Wallace overruled the Secret Service and moved into a crowd for a final round of handshaking. "Hey, George, let me shake hands with you," shouted Arthur Bremer. Frustrated in an earlier ambition to kill Nixon, Bremer, had been stalking the governor for weeks. From a range of three feet, the gunman shot Wallace three times, severing his spine and paralyzing him for life. Bremer is now in prison in Maryland, serving the 63-year sentence given him in June 1972. Although his presidential hopes ended, Wallace won two more terms as governor by appealing to white loyalty and catering to the thousands of new black voters whose franchise he had opposed. But Wallace now behaved more like a pensioner than a chief executive. The constant pain from his wound -- "the thorn in my flesh" -- limited his concentration and resulted in a dependence on methadone and other painkillers. He became pathologically jealous of his wife, Cornelia, who after a messy divorce in 1978 encountered her own problems with substance abuse. Wallace's hope to found a dynasty foundered when his son, George Jr., proved a querulous campaigner who could not progress beyond minor state offices. Wallace married again to a failed country singer named Lisa Taylor. That marriage, too, generated sour publicity before they divorced in 1987. He is survived by four children from his first marriage: his son, of Montgomery; three daughters, Lee Dye and Bobbi Jo Parsons, both of Birmingham, and Peggy Kennedy of Montgomery; two brothers, Gerald, of Montgomery, and Jack, of Eufaula, Ala.; and several grandchildren. Wallace won his last election as governor in 1982, but it was historical revision, rather than running the state, that occupied his last years. Starting in 1977, he began giving interviews in which he said that political philosophy rather than racism was the motor of his career. In a typical interview, he said: "The New York Times, the Eastern establishment newspapers never did understand that segregation wasn't about hate. I didn't hate anybody. I don't hate the man who shot me. When I was young, I used to swim and play with blacks all the time. You find more hate in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., than in all the Southern states put together." As part of his rehabilitation effort, Wallace sought meetings with civil rights figures like the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rep. John Lewis, whose beating on "Bloody Sunday" at Selma galvanzied the voting-rights crusade. Wallace made a well-publicized appearance at King's old church in Montgomery. Sometimes he even managed to use the magic words "I'm sorry." After Wallace left office in 1987, Alabamians continued to support him through a figurehead position at Troy State University. By the time he died, Republicans had taken over the governorship, and Wallace's main legacy, a statewide system of trade schools, junior colleges, and small four-year institutions, was regarded as a monument to educational waste and redundancy that a poor state could ill afford. One of his last public appearances was in the Spike Lee documentary "Four Little Girls," which tells the story of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. In his interview, Wallace insists that his best friend in the world was a black orderly. The obviously uncomfortable orderly keeps trying to walk out of the frame only to be tugged back by Wallace. In public showings, that passage of the film usually drew laughter. So ended the public career that saw Wallace move from being the most feared politician of his era to a pitiable relic. It is a career whose moral arc seemed, in retrospect, utterly predictable and utterly of a piece with the Faulknerian idea of racism's ineradicable curse. At the height of his powers, George Wallace denied any moral responsibility for the violent acts that racked his state. And in his Bible-haunted state, many insisted that a terrible judgment had been visited upon him. Brandt Ayers, the liberal editor of The Star newspaper in Anniston, put it this way: "The Governor we Alabamians knew was a man of primal passion: sincere champion of the working class, cynical manipulator of their resentments, a sorcerer summoning the beast in our nature, a man of deep insecurities, tenderness, and finally, humility." He added, "When he came to my office in 1974 campaigning for governor, I told him: 'George, you always claimed to stand up for the little man, but everybody knows that the real underdog is the black man. We stood up for him. You didn't. Why?"' He did not answer. He just looked down at his legs for what seemed a very long time." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Georgia Essay2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Publications & Writing X X X X Worked way up "Signpost" student newspaper staff (9-12) to Co-Editor (12). As Co-Editor, completely revamped newspaper into a more attractive, more entertaining and more substantive publication; raised the quality and relevance of its content; and developed and implemented new layout and design. Participated in "Wordsmith" writing competition at University of Memphis (9, 11) and Lausanne Young Writers' Symposium (11). Government Club X X X X Served as Vice-President (12). Participated in Tennessee Youth Legislature (10-11) and Tennessee Model U.N. (11, 12). In Youth Legislature, developed and passed legislation both years, one of only a handful of students to do so each year. In Model U.N., served as member of the Press Corps (11.12), writing articles to keep delegates updated throughout the Conferences. Community Service X X X X Volunteer at Ronald McDonald House (10-12). President of St, George's Day School Alumni Class of 1997 (9-12). Director of Youth Volunteers, South Main Arts Festival (11). Atria Retirement Home volunteer (10). St. George's inner-city volunteer (11). Participated in Race for the Cure (10, 11) and PKD Walk (11). Participant in in-school service program (9, 11, 12), Environment Club (10) and African-American Association (11). Theater X X Participated in Hutchison theater as time and other activities allowed. Member of the cast of the musical Beehive (9), an original play Pres de Lune (9), and the musical Return to Forbidden Planet (11). Learned to walk on stilts in Pres de Lune. Destination Imagination (DI) X X Represented Hutchison in this international creativity and problem-solving competition (9, 10). Placed first in region, first in Tennessee and 8th in the DI World Finals. Won special recognition at Regional by being awarded the DaVinci Creativity Award, which is not given every year and awarded only in response to extraordinary creativity. Bowling X X Played on school's first-ever bowling team (11). Served as team captain (12). Summer Activities Summer prior to 12 Participated in 14-day Sail Caribbean sailing and leadership program with other students from across the United States. Also, took additional academic course in Musical Theater. I want to continue to study French in college, master a third language and spend at least one semester abroad. But I'm not sure exactly what I want to major in, and that's why I seek a broad liberal arts education. I believe that learning is a collaborative experience in which the student should play just as active and important a role as the teacher. I enjoy being exposed to and considering new ideas, but I also enjoy challenging those ideas. So I intend to be a very active contributor both in the classroom and outside it, perhaps as a member of The Red and Black newspaper staff. I also plan to continue my community service involvement wherever I attend school. I grew up in the Protestant South, but my very best friend was Jewish. Her family treated me like a member of their family. When I was with them on Saturday, I went to synagogue. Over the holidays, I helped light their Hanukkah candles. Thanks to this experience, and to the guidance of my parents, I learned to be tolerant of other people and their beliefs; and to reserve my intolerance for those who do not respect the beliefs of others. Amanda Ellice Tacker 411-69-6797 Academic Interests f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GettingEven.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Getting Even "I can't believe he did that! I'll get even for what happened." Revenge. Hot blooded or cold and calculated. Everyone has had occasion to seek revenge; to retaliate for some wrong, real or perceived. For some, retaliation takes the ultimate and final form. Death. But for most people, just knowing that something was done, no matter how small, is enough to cool the desire to "get even." There are multitudes of ways to redress wrongs; however, in this paper I will just be talking of three ways satisfaction may be achieved. Due to the advent of caller id and caller return, phoning someone at all hours of the night is no longer an option. However, I knew that if I asked, a local company that leases beepers would give me the three digit prefixes for their little pagers. After I got the numbers, I started to methodically call one number after another. Sometimes I reached an inactive number, but for the most part, the number I dialed reached an active beeper. When I did, I left my victims phone number. At least a hundred people called him, wanting to know why he called them. So many messages were left on his answering machine that he didn't bother to listen to it any more when he came home from work. Another way I gained revenge was more destructive and costly to the person involved. The manager of the apartments my family and I lived in were set back away from the main road. One day the manager decided to put up a gate across the main entrance road. He used a simple chain and lock to secure it and gave a key to all the tenets. He did this without consulting anyone, or considering the consequences. After night fell, the gate was locked and the tenets would have to get out of their cars and unlock the gate by hand. If it were raining, tough. Cold? Too bad! After asking repeatedly for the gate to be removed, I finally decided on a course of action. Late one night I filled the key hole with super glue. The stuff hardened and a key couldn't be put in. The manager had to break the lock. But he just bought a new one, which I filled up again. After five more locks were ruined, he finally gave up on his idea of a locked gate. The last type of revenge I'll talk about, was more of a joke that went a little too far. When our daughter was in the hospital, our friends brought her some gifts. Among them was an egg of Silly Putty. Pretty harmless stuff really. But our little girl managed to get it everywhere. On the nurses call button, her clothes, and the carpet at home. No harm was intended, but I felt a little pay back was in order. Waiting patiently for Christmas, I had bought for their three year old hellion, the biggest and best Pla-Doh set I could find. A huge "yuck factory." I even bought extra cups of neon colored Pla-Doh. After fifteen minutes of, their daughter had managed to get that devilish stuff on the kitchen table, the floor, walls, and even in her hair! For all that, I did feel a little guilty. Also I'm a tad fearful of what form our friends' revenge might take, for our daughter is about to have another birthday. The need for revenge seems to be tied to our basic need for closure. When wronged by some clod, we feel the need to strike back. In the end, nothing changed the hurt that was caused. Very little is seldom accomplished except closure. But hot damn, didn't it feel good to "fix his wagon!" f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Gettysburg criteria essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Battle of Gettysburg: Was it a turning point in the Civil War? Richie Doerer Core 2, 2/25/04 Of all the battles of the Civil War, there is one battle that is recognized by historians as the most disturbing battle of the Civil War, the battle of Gettysburg. In a three day fight, an astonishing 51,000 soldiers were killed in total by both sides. The question is, was Gettysburg a turning point in the Civil War? Based on criteria from the Battle of Saratoga, did it influence foreign aid, support or prevent the major strategy to win the war, increase morale and efforts of one side over another, and change the adversary's actions from that point forward? Generals Lee's goal in the battle of Gettysburg was to draw the Union out in the open and out maneuver them with better leadership skills. In his arrogance he thought that since he was a better general a difference of a few thousand men wouldn't affect the outcome. But Confederate soldiers learned that there was a shoe factory nearby and since many of the men didn't have shoes, the Confederate army headed for the factory. To their surprise they ran into Union troops. It began as a skirmish, and then turned into a vicious three day fight. The last charge by the Confederates was a desperate all out attack on the Union troops on the third day of battle later known as Picket's Charge by 12,000 men. The Confederate soldiers made a line over a mile wide and marched at the Union line. The Union guns then opened fire and gouged huge holes in the line demoralizing the Confederates. In just 50 minutes 10,000 soldiers were killed. Throughout the battle General Lee was out numbered several times but failed to notice due to his ego which was too big and blocked his view of the mistakes that he made. The Battle of Gettysburg swayed the foreign aid that General Lee was hoping for since he lost miserably to the Army of the Potomac. The British were considering helping the Confederates, but due to General Lee's loss decided against it. Did the battle support or prevent the different side's strategies to win the war? For the Confederates, this was a major crisis in the strategy to win the war. They hoped to defeat the Army of the Potomac and to bring a quick end to the war. The Battle of Gettysburg served as a milestone for the Union army. They had finally defeated Lee's army and put them on the run. This definitely supported the Union's major strategy to win the war and also supported the Union's efforts over the Confederates because the Confederate troops were demoralized after that huge bloodbath. The Union troops, however, had their spirits lifted to some extent after the battle. The Battle of Gettysburg changed the Union's actions because they were on the offense and Lee had just lost a third of his army. It changed the Confederate's action because a short time later General Lee surrendered the Confederate Army. After examining the criteria put forth I have come to the conclusion that Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War. Since the Confederates lost, the Union's strategy was helped, their dedication to the war effort was aided, the aid that might have come from Britain was swayed, and the Union's actions from that point forward were affected. If this had not happened, the world as we know it could be very different in that if the Confederates hadn't surrendered shortly after the battle then the war could have raged on for much longer and might have been decided differently. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ggs essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For thousands of years, people have farmed cultivated land, and domesticated animals to survive. Although, the human species was not always capable of such a feat, and it was not until 8500 BCE this manufacturing of resources began. For a long period, hunters and gatherers were the only form of food production in the world. However, the gradual change to farming occurred due to decline in availability of animals, cultural attitudes, and increased population pressures. In the America's, food production began in 3500 BCE with the large food packages from the Fertile Crescent and independent food production such as the potato, manioc, and corn used in the Andes, and Mesoamerica. Over time, food production impacted the way civilizations developed within the Americas including their societies, culture, and attitudes. The Andes, and Mesoamerica in early America, were the first places civilization arose. Such empires as the Inca's, Aztec's, and Mayans all had established societies in these regions. In early America, hunters and gatherers were the dominant group. As the number of wild game decreased it became necessary for these societies to change their methods of food production. Also, as causality, the move to farming was necessary to meet the needs of an increasing population throughout all of the societies, that couldn't be sustained on just hunting and foraging. In early America, plants such as corn, beans, squash, potato, manioc, quinoa, and lima bean were all domesticated. Also domesticated in early America were the turkey and the dog, which provided food and working animals. The impacts of these changes in food production were drastic. Societies with stable food sources could create other jobs for people such as clergy, priests, artisans, merchants, and so forth. Also, the stable food source allowed for government to arise, and the beginning of urbanization and trade. After 2500 BCE, domestication of different species of plants and animals halted. This was due to the fact that they were limited in the available large seed grasses, domesticable animals, and that the locals began to master their local biology. One of the major impacts of the period after 2500 BCE was the arrival of suitable species such as the sweet potato from the Fertile Crescent. This accelerated food production where suitable plants were previously lacking. War began to plague this period internally. The Aztecs, Inca's, and Mayans waged war on each other for resources, and trade. Also, in this period, disease took its first victims as it decimated large societies with such diseases as smallpox, measles, flu, typhus, and the sort. Around 1000 AD the two hemispheres of the world collided. Europeans first landed in the Americas in 1000 AD by the Norse peoples. During this period advances in trading, farm production, and resource management were key, although, Europe caused problems that were irreversible. Francis Pizzaro attacked the Inca Empire in the 16th century annihilating most of the people. Also Cortez from Spain seriously damaged the Aztec society that had taken a firm hold in Mesoamerica. Food production during this period continued on the same path that had been created three thousand years before. Farming was the main source of all agriculture, while trade played important roles for economics in society as well. Only advances in technology advanced food production seriously. Over the centuries, America changed a great deal from starting as all hunter and gatherer bands to becoming the huge states, and the kleptocratic societies such as the Aztecs. Food production was continuous after its initial change to farming during 3500 BCE. Government, religion, and many other cultural properties became possible because of advances during that time period in early America. Jimmy Diegelmann Guns Germs and Steel Essay Period 3 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Giovanni+Lusanna.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Giovanni & Lusanna-by Gene Brucker In the story Giovanni and Lusanna , written and researched by Gene Brucker, there is a woman who has taken her alleged husband to court, because he has married another woman. The story is a factual account of what transpired during this court case and the remainder of Giovanni¹s life. There are several similarities between their world and ours, but for the most part we live in a totally different environment. Our standards of living have greatly improved, but more than that our society has grown more tolerant toward the people who deviate from everyday standards. The story starts out with Lusanna as a married woman who caught the eye of a wealthy young man named Giovanni. As time wore on they allegedly fell in love and enjoyed all of the pleasures of their love. It was later claimed by Lusanna that Giovanni had promised to marry her in the event of her husband¹s death. Her husband soon died a questionable death that left open the possibility of poison. Unlike today¹s world divorce was unheard of, and unacceptable. Giovanni then refused to marry her in a public wedding because his social status would be greatly hurt to marry some one in the working class of Florence. This is another example of why today¹s society is so much different from how it was when they lived. Another strange thing about their society is the open humiliation that people were subjected to. It was said that Lusanna first husband was called a ³cuckold ³ to his face. People who were said to earn money in a dirty fashion often had blood or paint thrown on their steps. These kinds of things are just not normal or permitted in today¹s world. It is true that they do sometimes occur, but the responsible party often ends up looking worse that the person they were trying to hurt. Lusanna was said to have had several lovers. She was not able to become pregnant due to medical problems. This pretty much left her free to have unprotected sex with as many lovers as she wanted. It is true that there are women today with this same type of free love attitude, but there are serious consequences in todays world that will greatly hamper such a life style. One thing that is very similar about their time and today¹s world in the fact that women will condemn each other for being guilty of immoral acts. It seemed as though many of the women in this story were aganist Lusanna because of her actions. There is no question that women in today¹s world act in a very similar manner. A difference about women in this day in age is that they have ea great deal more freedom. It was said in the book that a woman was not supposed to look a man in the eye while in public. They were with out question second class citizens. In this story Giovanni ended up having his way probably because of who he knew and what family he was a member of. In this world, no matter when or where a person lives, the upper class will always have the power. The fact is, money is power, and with the greed that is naturally built into every human, money will consistently come out on top. It is very true that there are some similarities between this time and that one, but it should be apparent that people of today¹s world have socially evolved. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GiovanniDaVerrazano.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Giovanni Da Verrazano Giovanni da Verrazano was a Florentine explorer and navigator. Although he was Italian, he was employed by the kind of France to find a passage to the Pacific Ocean. The exact date of his birth and death are not known, but historians believe that he was born in 1480, and he died in 1527. In 1524, he started on a voyage and discovered Cape Fear. He is believed to have been the first European to sight the New York Bay, but it was not explored until Henry Hudson's voyage in 1609. Verrazono also explored the North Carolina coast and he visited the Chesapeake region and then northward to Nova Scotia. In fact, he explored much of the American coast line. When Giovanni was 39, he explored more of the coast, sailing his 100-ton ship Dauphine for the French. While on this mission, he discovered a "beautiful" harbor in April and gave the name Angouleme to the island that will later be called Manhattan. But Giovanni wasn't flawless. While he was still on this journey, he mistook the large body of water to the west of the Outer Banks of North Carolina for the Pacific Ocean. A map by Sebastian Munster shows the false "Sea of Verrazano." His voyages affected all men because he discovered some important lands that are vital to us today, such as Manhattan. If he had not discovered these expanses, maybe someone else who had different intentions would have found them, and then our whole American history would be different. He could have burned the lands and sold them to Australians, but he didn't. He was responsible, and returned to the King of France with pride. He set a good example for our present day explorers. We may not be searching for new lands, but there is always a new frontier to be explored. There is not a lot written about Giovanni's personal life and his personality, but from what I have read, he seemed to be an adventurous individual who just wanted to explore and discover new lands. He may be overlooked in most of the history books, but without him, America might not be what she is today. His discoveries are so important because they paved the way for future explorations. He sighted many places, and then other explorers came after him and finished his explorations. He opened a lot of doors for other men, and he does not get the credit that he deserves. He discovered over seven areas that are part of our present day America in one trip! There are many things that we can learn from Giovanni da Verrazano. One is that you should not be afraid to try new things and to look for new adventures. Another is that you should always keep going. Once you find what you are looking for, don't stop there. Keep looking for more ways to improve your life and other lives. There will always be doors to open. Like Giovanni, you just need to know where to look. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Girls and Their Gangs.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Gun Control Fifth of July and me and my boyfriend are just sitting around watching T.V. when the phone rings. I answer the phone and here my best friend Laurie trying to tell me something through her tears. I knew it was more thana family problem because she wouldn't call me at my boyfriends if it wasn't serious. I tried to get her to calm down so I could half way understand her. I could here her say something about our good friend Jerry. I took her a few minutes but I finally understood her. Jerry had been shot earlier that day by two juviniles with handguns in search of drugs and money. Contention 1. Juvinile Crime with guns has gone up. A. Juviniles homocide with guns is tripling Congressional Record 96' ( July 24, Senate Resolution 282) "Juvinile homosides involving firearms trippled from 1980 to 1994. Ask any police chief of any major cities in this country and they will tell you the problem in violence is that how the weapons are more powerful and they are used more frequently." B. Number of other teen murders by other means has remained the same Montgomery, 96' (Knight-Ridder, July 8) "Noting that the number of gang murders by juviniles has tripled since 1980 while the number of teen murders by all other means has stayed the same." C. Black Market is a great sorce of gun trading Munsey, 96' (Christopher, March 31) "Firearms stolen from residents and gun stores are the number one outlet for for criminals. 'They are traded on the street in the brisk black-market whirl that includes drugs & cash.' state police said. D. Guns kill more teens than all diseases conbined. Neergaad, 96'(AP, July 13) "Guns kill more teen-agers than all other diseases combined. Gun related homicides & suicides are rising. Firearms send almost 40,000 americans to thier graves each year. Contention 2. Availability of guns to juvililes has gone up. A. Guns are easy to steal Munsey,'96 (Christopher, March 31) "Criminals like stolen handguns because if they are somehow recovered after a crime, they will turn up in the records only as stolen." B. Handguns are sold frequently Johnson,96' (Febuary 21, Columbia Dispatch) "People can buy handguns at gunshows, flea markets, and on the black market without a Brady Check. Criminals with half a brain will advoid the gunstores and going through the system." C. The Brady Law Johnson, 96' (Febuary 21, Columbis Dispatch) "The Brady Law which took effect Febuary 28, 1994, requires a background check during the five day waitng period before the sale of a handgun. D. Police are inadequate Jeffery Synder (The Pblic Interest, 1993) "Crime is increasing because citizen resistence & law inforcement is inadequate." Plan Plan Plank 1. The plan will be administed by the Department of Justice and all oher necessary agencies in the U.S. Plan Plank 2. Mandates A. The possession of a handgun by a juvinile will be classified as a Class 2 Misdemeanor B. Local police will be given the authority to search any juvinile suspected of carring a handgun. C. A tip reward for a gun reporting, like the Charleston "Operation Gun Stoppers" program, will be implemented nationwide. D. Any handguns possessed by juviniles will be confiscated and turned over to local police. E. Block grants will be given to the states and localities in order to hire and necessary law inforcement personnel required for plan implementaion Plan Plank 3. The proposal shall be funded by a simplification of the tax code, which will raise $250 billion over the next 5 years. Plan Plank 4. Enforcement will be through normal means Plan Plank 5. The Aff. claims legislative intent Contention 3. Gun Stoppers program will reduce juvinile crime. A. The "Gun Stoppers" progam will improve classification efforts Rueben Greenburg(Police Chief, Charleston S.C. ) The status quo Researcher , March 15, 1996 p. 229 "Under the program, if a tip leads to the confiscation of an illegal gun, the tipster gets $100 within an hour. 'We changed the situation from kids showing off their guns to one where they are afraid for anyone to even know to have the gun.' Greenburg says." In conclusion, juvinile crimes with handguns are inreasing rapidly. If we do not try to take control of this problem now, then it will most likely only get worse. The juviniles are the future of the U.S. ; let's not give them a weopon that determain the life of another. Thank You. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GL essay 4.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [Error] - File could not be written... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GLB Youth Project Personal Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As a gay man I have endured a great deal of challenges because of my minority status. Growing up in a rural community as a homosexual I have had to cope with my sexuality in a very heterosexist society. Because of my experience growing up gay in rural society I have coped with a number of obstacles that have made my developmental trajectory somewhat bumpy but ultimately has given me a more consolidated sense of my own personal identity. Related to being disadvantaged as a homosexual, I also was raised in a working class family that was incredibly dissatisfied with the state of the world and our place in it. Luckily, however, our family realized the importance of this institution and stuck together through some very difficult trials. Coming out to my parents would be included in those trials faced by my family, but as a strong unit we learned how to reframe our positions with one another; I believe such experiences has made our family stronger. Our family has also faced with a number of other obstacles such as drug and alcohol abuse as well as gambling addictions. It was the solidarity of our family that kept us going. Because of my remarkable family that I feel incredibly blessed to have been born into I was able to redefine who I am and not allow society to continue to segregate, discriminate, and marginalize me based on my sexual orientation. This has resulted in me choosing a lifestyle that is trying to make a difference for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender (GLBT) individuals in Nova Scotia. My life course has been the product of questioning all ideas presented with me and pursuing an education that would further enhance my critical awareness of the mainstream ideas GLBT face. In my essay I would like to discuss a variety of life experiences that have further developed my identity in trying to make a difference for GLBT in Nova Scotia, as well as what I am currently doing to make a difference for GLBT in Nova Scotia. I would then like to conclude with a discussion of what I would like to do for GLBT in Cape Breton when I am finished my education. Starting in high school when I revealed my sexual orientation to friends and family I became interested in pursuing avenues that would lead to a better way of life for GLBT. I decided to forgo taking courses in the sciences as suggested by my teachers, family, and peers, and instead focusing on an education that would assist me in my pursuit for a better way of life for GLBT. In order to explore what form this would take, I took courses in the humanities ranging from sociology, history, and law. I decided to participate in activities that would further open my mind to the world that I live in, which included religious education, drama, working with special needs, and working with youth in a travel group. Upon graduating from high school I realized that I would not be able to further develop my identity as a gay male in a small town as fully as I would be able to in a city. I therefore decided to move to Halifax and attend Dalhousie University. What I came to realize however, was that homophobia and heterosexism does not exist solely in small towns but is institutionalized even in progressive universities. The school refused to make accommodations for me because of my sexual orientation and decided to place me in their all-male residence even after I had a explained my uneasiness with living in a residence housed almost entirely by heterosexual men. I spent two years at Dalhousie but only three months in their residence. I believe that because of my initial experience in that residence along with an atmosphere in an already cold and heterosexist school resulted in a transfer to Mount Saint Vincent University. I am currently entering my fourth year of my Bachelor of Arts degree at the Mount. Doing a double major in psychology and sociology, I have benefited from learning material and the assistance of professors, counselors, and the Mount community at large in deciding the path that I want to take in creating better lives for GLBT living in Cape Breton. The education that I have received from MSVU has increased my appreciation for the social sciences in such a way that I do not only feel that it is important for me to learn them in my career but have grown to thoroughly enjoy learning about individuals and the society that they live in, which I am sure will translate into a love for my future job as a social worker in working with GLBT. To further my goal of gaining acceptance into a Bachelor of Social Work program I have followed the advice and support of faculty advisors and counselors and started working in the human services field. Specifically, I have been employed as a support worker with individuals who have special needs and began volunteering as a big buddy with Children's Aid. In the upcoming year I will be a member of the executive on MSVU's Mount Pride society, which encourages community development for GLBT at the Mount as well as in the Halifax Regional Municipality at large. In this past year I had to struggle with the decision of whether to assist GLBT as a social worker or as a psychologist. I came to the conclusion that GLBT need much more assistance on a systematic social level where homophobia and heterosexism penetrates the societies and communities in which they live. Clearly, many GLBT are at greater risk of experiencing a variety of intrapersonal psychological problems. Although statistics have shown that more homosexuals than heterosexuals try to commit suicide I have chosen combat the systematic problems that cause these intrapersonal psychological problems. I have stated throughout this essay that I would like to work with GLBT in Cape Breton because being from that island I am highly aware of the lack of community for GLBT resulting in their segregation, lack of support, and the barriers they face in building long lasting, satisfying romantic relationships with partners. My career goal is therefore to seek support and funding to establish a Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth Project in Cape Breton to assist in community development for GLBT. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GlobalWarming.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Essay on Global Warming Global Warming, aside from pollution is one of scientists biggest concerns. Global Warming is caused by the Greenhouse effect. There are 4 steps in the Greenhouse effect. 1-Sunlight radiates from the sun, through space, to Earth's atmosphere. 2- The sunlight enters the atmosphere and hits Earth. Some of it turns into heat energy in the form of infrared light. The heat gets absorbed by surrounding air and land, which in turn makes it warm. 3- Infrared rays, that are remitted into the atmosphere are trapped by greenhouse gases. 4- The gas then absorbs the light and is remitted back to the Earth's surface and warms it even more. Some of the naturally occurring greenhouse gases are Methane and carbon dioxide. This is the way the Earth keeps itself warm enough for humans to live on it. The only problem with this is that humans enhance the process even more. Over the past 200 years the emissions of greenhouse gases have been increasing due to the increase in technology that humans have developed (example, factories). These human-induced gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone depleting substances such as CFCs, also known as Chlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, and perfluorocarbons. These gases are generated a number of human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, waste disposal in landfills, the use of a refrigerator, numerous agricultural and industrial activities, and the cutting down of numerous forests. These human practices have already changed the chemical make up of the atmosphere. Between the pre-industrial times and today, we have seen the concentration of carbon dioxide rise 30% in some regions, in particular the northern hemisphere, human practices have increased concentrations of aerosols in atmosphere, which is a traditional form of air pollution), which tends to cool the atmosphere. With all these gases in the air, it is starting to change the Earth's climate. The temperature of the Earth's surface is as warm, if not warmer than it has been in any other century since at least 1400 AD. The temperature over the past century has risen one degree Fahrenheit over the last century. These last few decades have been the warmest this century. The sea level has risen 4 to 10 inches, and mountain glaciers world-wide have begun to retreat. It is important to recognize that with the recent warming and the other climatic changes that have been going on have not been related to one another. For example, warming has been greatest over the mid-latitude continents in the winter and spring, with some area of cooling, such as over the North Atlantic Ocean. Local and regional climate variation are not inconsistent with the existence of global warming. One recent study by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) said that unless governments do something to restrict the emissions of greenhouse gases to a lower level, global temperatures could rise 1.6 to 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100. This would represent the fastest rate of global warming since the end of the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago. With the increased warming of the Earth it could lead to catastrophic events that could endanger living things on our planet. One event is major drought all around the world. With the warming of the planet, the water on the ground would quickly evaporate causing the rivers and lakes to quickly dry up. This would lead to crops dying from lack of rain, which would lead to food prices to skyrocket, which would lead to people dying from hunger if they do not have enough money to pay the price for food. Another event that would occur from global warming is the drastic rise in sea level. As the Earth warms up, the polar ice caps will start to melt. This would put immense amounts of water into Earth's oceans. All cities along the coast would be flooded from the rise in sea level. This would cause people to move inland, and with more people inland, it would cause a shortage of space in some areas. With the coastal cities under water, this would cause a great economic strain on the rest of the cities throughout the world. Global Warming would also cause extreme weather. Thunderstorms would be more powerful than they have ever been. Tornadoes would be stronger than they normally would. With the warming of the surface it would also warm the ocean over time. This would cause hurricanes to be numerous and stronger than they have ever been. There is only one way to stop global warming before it becomes a real threat. That way is to stop emitting the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Only then will the problem of global warming be solved. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GMAT Essay Quick Tips.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GMAT Quick Tips Top Essay Tips 1. Be sure to include brief introductory and concluding paragraphs, which are consistent with each other and with the paragraphs in the body of your essay. 2. Your essay must at least appear to be well organized. Use transition words and phrases to help the reader follow the flow of your discussion. For ideas, check out the transitional devices I've used in my sample Issue essays and sample Argument essays. 3. Compose your introductory paragraph last after you've completed the rest of your essay. Why? Because you essay might evolve somewhat from your initial plan; if you've composed your introduction first, you might need to rewrite it. 4. For every point you make in a GMAT essay, always provide a reason and/or an example to support that point! 5. Pay close attention to writing mechanics, grammar, sentence construction, word usage and diction (whether you've used the right word for the right job). It doesn't matter if your essay contains brilliant ideas if you can't express them. In short: It's form over substance!! 6. It's okay to refer to yourself in your essays at your option. Just don't overdo it. Phrases such as "I think," "it is my opinion that" and "in my view" are superfluous and a waste of your typing time. 7. Don't try to impress the reader with your vocabulary. There's nothing wrong with demonstrating a strong vocabulary. Just don't overdo it; otherwise the readers will suspect that you're using big words as a smokescreen for poor content. GMAT QuickTips ..Analysis of an Issue Spend at least 3-4 minutes jotting down some points both for and against the statement. In support of every point try to think of at least one reason or example. Go for breadth, not depth. Try to cover both polar sides of the issue, and various arguments on both sides. Don't dwell on one point! (This is the #1 essay blunder committed by GMAT test-takers.) But don't try to cover everything either; otherwise, you might not have time to develop each of your ideas--with reasons and examples. Begin your Issue essay by acknowledging the complexity of the issue and by adopting a position on it. Do NOT begin your Issue essay by restating or paraphrasing the statement. (This blunder will wave a "red flag" to the GMAT readers who will assume from the outset that you lack ideas of your own.) Don't waste time thinking about what position on the issue you should adopt or what position a GMAT reader would want you to adopt. The readers don't care about your opinions; what they do care about is how persuasively you support your position with relevant reasons and examples, and how effectively you communicate your ideas. Your final paragraph should contain no more than two sentences, and should recapitulate (sum up) your argument reiterating where you stand on the issue "in the final analysis," and why. Don't introduce any new examples, reasons, or ideas in your summary paragraph. Analysis of an Issue (1 Question--30 Minutes) "The media today place too much emphasis on provocative images, and not enough emphasis on the ideas and events behind those images." To what extent do you agree or disagree with the foregoing statement? Use reasons and/or examples from your experience, observation, and/or reading to explain your viewpoint. Below is a sample response to this question. As you read the response, keep in mind:This response meets all the official criteria for a score of 6 (the highest possible score). This response is by no means the correct one. (As the official directions state: "There is no correct response.") So don't worry if, in your response, you adopted an entirely different position on the issue, or if you used entirely different examples and reasons to support that position. I didn't compose this response under timed conditions, so don't worry if yours isn't as lengthy or as polished. Take comfort: You can attain a top score of 6 with a briefer and less-polished essay. Sample Response (540 Words) Upon first glance at today's media--whether broadcast or print--it would appear that the speaker is correct. However, in my view the media's emphasis on image is largely justifiable. Moreover, the speaker understates the extent to which the media also covers the substance behind those images, as discussed below. I concede that the media today do place considerable emphasis on image. Advertisements are increasingly resorting to fast-moving, sexy, images. In fact, advertisements which provide no product information whatsoever--not even about what the product looks like or how it is to be used--are becoming increasingly common. Also, while tabloid magazines and television programs abound, intelligent discourse can be found sparingly only on public television and a few other arts and education channels, and among the stacks of scholarly journals at our libraries and at obscure websites. And, despite television's tremendous potential for airing the vital political issues of the day, the brief sound bites from our self-conscious politicians today hardly meet that potential. Whether this emphasis on image is justifiable, it is certainly understandable--at least with respect to advertising--for two reasons. First, products are becoming more and more fungible these days; consider automobiles, for instance. Since they vary little from one make to another today, marketers are forced to resort to image for product differentiation. The second reason has to do with the fact that we are becoming an increasingly busy society. In the U.S., for instance, the average work week is now over 65 hours, compared to 40 a generation ago. Meanwhile, the number of goods and services competing for our attention seems to grow exponentially. Thus, how can the growing number of businesses compete for our limited time except by resorting to attention-grabbing images? However understandable this focus on image, is it nevertheless unjustifiable, as the speaker implies? Media critics point out that undue focus on appearances and images amounts to an appeal to our emotions and our baser, prurient instincts--rather than to our intellect and reason. Taken to an extreme, argue the critics, such focus facilitates irrationality, and even sanctions demagoguery. The result is that we dissuade ourselves as a society from engaging in the sort of informed debate needed for any democracy to survive, let alone thrive. I might be convinced by the critics were the media to withhold the substance underlying the images; but they do not. Behind most newspaper headlines, magazine cover stories, and reputable Internet home pages is a wealth of substantive content; we simply need to look for it. In sum, although I wholeheartedly agree that the media should not sacrifice substance merely to get our attention, the speaker overlooks that the substance is in fact there. Besides, without substance the products, services, politicians, artists, authors, and others behind all those provocative images eventual wither. Sexy cars that are proven unsafe are redesigned or discontinued; politicians who don't follow through on promises are soon defeated; musicians who lack artistry and originality fade into oblivion; and authors without important ideas eventually lose an audience. In the final analysis, it is not the media's job to wave ideas and events in front of us; rather, it is up to us to look for them behind the hoopla and the headlines. .Here are some QuickTips for tackling the GMAT "Argument" writing task: Spend 4-5 minutes brainstorming and jotting down the logical problems you intend to identify and discuss in your essay. Then number these problems from most serious to least serious. Present them in that order in your essay. Each argument in the official test bank contains 2-4 major logical fallacies or other logical problems. (That's how the test-makers design them.) To score high you must identify and discuss each major logical problem. Here are the ones that appear most frequently among the arguments in the official test bank: . Generalizing from particulars (relying on a small number of particular cases too small to reach a reliable general conclusion) Confusing chronology with causation (because one event occurs after another, the earlier event caused the later event) Drawing an unfair analogy (ignoring relevant dissimilarities between two things when comparing them) Go for breadth, not depth. Try to cover every major logical problem with the argument. Don't dwell on one point! (This is the #1 essay blunder committed by GMAT test-takers.) As a rule of thumb you shouldn't devote more than 3 or 4 sentences to discussing any one point of your critique. Avoid Intro-itis. Do NOT begin your essay by rehashing the argument that you intend to critique. A brief introduction in which you indicate the thrust of the argument and that it is problematic for several reasons will suffice. Your time is far better spent delving directly into your critique of the argument. (Just as with the Issue essay, intro-itis will wave a "red flag" to the GMAT readers who will assume from the outset that you lack ideas of your own.) In addition to identifying each major logical problem with the argument, always discuss . what additional information is needed to better evaluate the argument, and/or what additional evidence (facts) would serve to strengthen the argument. . Include these points in your essay's final paragraph. Analysis of an Argument (1 Question--30 Minutes) The following appeared in a recent report by the Fern County planning commission: "In light of the increasing percentage of our nation's population turning to the Internet as a source of reference material, Fern County should close the ancillary branch of its public library, and convert that facility into a computer training center for use by county residents. The converted facility would fill what is certain to be a growing need among Fern residents for computer training. At the same time, since the county library's main branch already contains more volumes per resident than any other county library in the state, it will adequately serve the needs of Fern County residents. Moreover, Fern residents are sure to support this plan; after all, in nearby Mesa County only a few residents have objected to that county's plan to close all but one of its public libraries in the near future." Discuss how logically convincing you find this argument. In your discussion, you should analyze the argument's line of reasoning and use of evidence. It may be appropriate in your critique to call into question certain assumptions underlying the argument and/or to indicate what evidence might weaken or strengthen the argument. It may also be appropriate to discuss how you would alter the argument to make it more convincing and/or discuss what additional evidence, if any, would aid in evaluating the argument. . Below is a sample response to this Argument. As you read the response, keep in mind : This response meets all the official criteria for a score of 6 (the highest possible score). I didn't compose this response under timed conditions, so don't worry if yours isn't as lengthy or as polished. Take comfort: You can attain a top score of 6 with a briefer and less-polished essay. Sample Response (550 Words) In this argument the Fern County planning commission recommends converting a library into a computer-training facility. However, the committee's recommendation rests on numerous unproven, and dubious, assumptions--about the impact of Internet access on libraries, about Fern County residents, about the adequacy of the main library, and about Mesa County and its residents. As a result, the committee's argument is unconvincing at best, as discussed below. To begin with, the committee's argument rests on two unsubstantiated assumptions involving the cited national trend in Internet usage. One such assumption is that increasing use of the Internet as a reference source will necessarily result in decreased use, or demand, for public libraries. While this might be the case, the commission must provide firm evidence to substantiate this assumption; otherwise, it is equally plausible that the cited trend will actually enhance the popularity of libraries by stimulating intellectual and cultural interest. A second such assumption is that Fern residents reflect the national trend. The committee provides no substantiating evidence for this crucial assumption; lacking such evidence, it is entirely possible that Fern residents have little interest--for whatever reason--in using the Internet for this purpose, and therefore that the proposed plan is not in their best interests. Another problem with the argument involves the report's assertion that that there is certain to be a growing need in Fern County for computer training. In context, this claim appears to be based on the national trend in Internet usage. Yet even assuming Fern residents reflect this trend, it is entirely possible that Fern residents as a group are already highly proficient in using computers and the Internet. If so, Fern residents might very well prefer the status quo, and would not support the proposed plan. Yet another problem with the argument involves the fact that Fern County's main library boasts a large number of books per resident. This fact alone is scant evidence that the main branch is adequate to service county residents. The committee overlooks the possibility of a future influx of county residents. The committee also ignores that the library's value lies not just in the quantity of its books but also in the quality of its books. Thus without reliable demographic projections and detailed information about the main library's inventory vis-a-vis the needs of Fern's residents, the committee cannot convince me that the main branch alone would serve the needs of county residents. A final problem involves Mesa's plan to close all but one library. We are not informed whether Mesa residents are yet aware of the County's plan. Even if the plan has been made public, the fact that it has met little opposition does not necessarily mean that residents as a whole support the plan. Perhaps Mesa residents as a group are not inclined to voice their opinions. Or perhaps as a group they are far less concerned about library access--for whatever reason--than Fern residents are. In sum, the argument is unconvincing as it stands. To strengthen it, rather than relying on a dubious analogy between Fern and Mesa counties, the commission should provide better evidence--perhaps by way of a countywide survey--that Fern residents will increasingly use the Internet as a substitute for the ancillary library branch, and that they would benefit from a new computer-training center. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\godfather essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Essay Writing Ceci Cravens 3.21.04 From War Hero to the King of the Underworld: Michael Corleone's Image and stereotype in The Godfather The Italian mafia and all that it glorifies have been scrutinized through film since the beginning of the twentieth-century. The images that the masses have come to know and accept as the Italian mafia were created from the beginning stereotypes in Italy. Even before many Italians arrived in the United States, it was understood that in the old country there was a calculated system of families that thrived off organized crime. When they immigrated to America that stigma stuck to the Italian's image. In Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, the stereotypes of wealth and violence help perpetuate many of the blatant images of the Italian mafia. Throughout the film there are many obvious stereotypes. For one, there is the actual look of the gangster. The pin-striped suit, the expensive jewelry and the heavy Italian accent are all presented in the duration of the film. However these stereotypes did not originate from The Godfather, but from gangster films of the 20's and 30's like Scarface (1932). In these films the characters are very similar to those in The Godfather in the way they dress, speak and behave, but Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather is the epitome of all the stereotypes of the Italian mob. The protagonist of The Godfather is Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), a decorated war veteran with honor and principles who slowly finds himself descending into the mafia limelight after a coup against his father. In this film the stereotype of an Italian mobster creates the image and identity of Michael Corleone, which the public then finds believable. Michael's conformity into the Italian mafia is caused by the pressures from both the corrupt outside world and the fast, gaudy lifestyle of his family. Jessica Hagedorn, a screenwriter and novelist writes in her essay "Asian Women in Film: No Luck, No Joy": As I was growing up in the Philippines in the 1950's, my fertile imagination was colonized by thoroughly American fantasies (355). As how Hagedorn explains, Michael is a victim of the American dream ideology of the 1950's. This theory of starting over and rising to the top of a capital empire helped and hurt many people during this time period. Michael, being a war hero, wanted to come home to a society of peace where everyone lived a very average, communal life. What he experienced when he arrived was something he did not expect. At one point in the wedding scene Don Corleone (Michael's father and mob boss) confronts his son on why he is wearing a military uniform. MICHAEL I fought for my country. It was my choice. DON CORLEONE And now, what do you choose to do? MICHAEL I'm going to finish school DON CORLEONE Good. When you are finished, come and talk to me. I have hopes for you. The Godfather is a film that questions the brutality of absolute power. Michael, who is pressured from everywhere by figures of heavy authority struggles to find his identity and finally confides in his family; the mafia. In the second half of the film the audience witnesses the dramatic transformation of Michael Corleone. After his father is attacked by a rival family, Michael decides to run the family business while his father recovers from the bloody diatribe. At this point Michael adopts many of the images that the masses associate with the Italian mafia. Since he is in a position of great power, Michael must act as though he is harsh and heartless. He starts wearing pin-stripped suits, a classy hat and even carries himself in a more-tough, adamant manner. All these changes he makes are to further reaffirm his corrupt colleagues in the government into believing Michael is confident enough to run the business. In actuality, the changes he makes only distance himself further from being accepted by society. In his essay "So You Wanna Be a Gangsta?" Todd Boyd, a professor at the University of Southern California's film school states: And though their desire, being heavily influenced by the discourse of an 'American Dream,' was to ultimately be fully assimilated into American society, the achievement of this desire was revealed to be at the cost of losing their ethnic and cultural heritage (345). Ultimately, the pressure from the outside world against Michael Corleone forces him into a dissident lifestyle; thus creating the image of a "gangster" persona. In a scene where Don Corleone is lying on his deathbed, he talks to Michael about what he has become. MICHAEL Then why have I become a man like you? DON CORLEONE You are like me, we refuse to be fools, to be puppets dancing on a string pulled by other men. I hoped the time for guns and killing and massacres was over. That was my misfortune. That was your misfortune. I was hunted on the streets of Corleone when I was twelve years old because of who my father was. I had no choice. At this point, Michael understands his personality change into what his father knew what would happen a long time ago. Don Corleone saw himself within Michael and knew that one day Michael would be the next Don. Throughout the film many stereotypes of family, traditions and violence arise. Besides the many stereotypes, there are many overt images of Italian mobsters in the film. With all of this said, do the stereotypes of the brutal underworld and the gaudy images of themselves accurately portray the Italian-American mafia in The Godfather? The full descent into the Italian ethnicity is evident in The Godfather. Todd Boyd, on The Godfather writes: It is Francis Ford Coppola's argument that such oppression forced these Italian immigrants into a subversive lifestyle and economy....Borrowing from their own cultural tradition, some of these new Americans used the underground economy as a vital means of sustenance in the face of ethnic, religious, and cultural oppression (345). The level of detail Coppola creates in this film allows the old stereotypes of Italians to regenerate and foster stereotypical images of themselves as hard-fisted, greased up gangsters. With these constant images throughout the film, Michael lies in the center being the epitome of the stereotype creating the image. Before he was involved with the family, he thought, dressed, and acted differently; but now that he has fully immersed himself into the mafia he carries along the image of an Italian gangster, just like the rest of his family. When Michael goes to Las Vegas to meet with his older brother Fredo about the gambling business, he says one simple line that fully explains his own transformation: FREDO Mike, you sure about Moe selling. He never mentioned it to me and he loves the business. MICHAEL I'll make him an offer he can't refuse. Before those words were only used by his father (which meant his father would threaten their clients life until they agreed), but now they are used by Michael indicating that he is using the methods his father used. That simple line is very ironic because when Michael returned home from the war he swore he would never be like his father, but here he is in Las Vegas using the words his father used many times in matters of business. When many people watch gangster films like The Godfather they are witnessing what may be their only base of judgment of the Italian mafia. In all honesty, not that many people know or have met a mafia member, so their image of an Italian mobster is purely generated by Hollywood filmmakers. When the masses watch these films they are witnessing the image and the stereotype being created right before them. In the common viewers eye a gangster is someone who dresses in suits, acts violently and talks with an uneducated accent; but in actuality many of these images and stereotypes may not be true. In order for the public to understand this Italian subculture, the filmmakers have to make generalizations and from these generalizations come the image and the stereotype. These depictions of how the mafia took actions into their own hands may be similar to how the actual mafia behaves, but a lot of the brutal actions found in The Godfather could definitely be exaggerated; and from these bluffs comes the imprinted vision of image and stereotype. The character of Michael Corleone is so vital to the core of this film, but not only for the storyline, but for him to be an example how the stereotype of his own people transformed him into the image of what we have all come to accept as the Italian mafia. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\godfather works cited.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Works Cited Boyd, Todd. "So You Wanna Be a Gangsta?". Signs of Life: In the USA. Bedfor/St. Martin's. Boston, 2003 Hagedorn, Jessica. "Asian Women in Film: No Joy, No Luck". Signs of Life: In the USA. Bedfor/St. Martin's. Boston, 2003 Puzo, Mario and Coppola, Francis Ford. The Godfather. 1972. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Good VS Evil In Huckleberry Finn.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ On important theme within The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn is the struggle between good and evil as experienced when Huck's personal sense of truth and justice come in conflict with the values of society around him. These occurrences happen often within the novel, and usually Huck chooses the truly moral deed. One such instance occurs when Huckleberry realizes that he is helping a runaway slave. His moral dilemma is such that he is uncertain whether he should or should not turn this slave, named Jim, over to the authorities. Society tells him that he is aided a criminal, and that is against the law. However, he has grown quite attached to Jim, and is beginning to realize that Jim is a really good person. He would also never hurt him. This illustrates the concept and symbolism of Jim's freedom and societies influence on Huck. At one point, Huck convinces himself that the nest opportunity he receives, he will turn Jim in, and clear his conscience. The opportunity became available when slave hunters meet them on the river. Huck had an absolutely perfect chance to turn him over. However, he made up a story that his father was sick and needed help and asked the slave hunters for help. They immediately assumed that his father had smallpox, and he wanted nothing to do with Huck or his father. Thus, he had saved Jim, and actually felt good about it. Further along in the book, Jim becomes a slave again. Huckleberry, with the aid of Tom Sawyer, free's Jim. Once again, Jim's escape and freedom are more important to Huck than societies viewpoint. The river is also important. The river is symbolic of freedom. It is also symbolic of good. When Jim and Huck are rafting down the river, they are free of society. They have no laws. This is not to say that they are lawless, however, the laws they obey are there own. This is in direct contrast to being on land, where society reigns supreme. Land is evil. This contrast also seems to make the river a character in itself. It's at time's calm and relaxed, and at other times fast and dangerous, and sometimes foggy and confusing. However, it's always moving. Always taking Huck and Jim to new adventures, and to new places. It is their backbone. So you see, that the concepts of escape and freedom within the book and the ways in which these concepts are symbolized are extremely important. They not only define what this book really is about, they single-handedly make the book worth re f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Grandpa.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GRANDPA By Eddy Arevalo We were going to Las Vegas for vacation. I was looking foward to having a lot of fun there. When we finally got to Las Vegas,it felt like an oven jacked up all the way. When we got to the room it felt like when you open a refrigerator. Then we went to see all the major attractions, like Cesar's Palace, this was one of my favorites because when you go inside the roof looks like the sky inside of a building. I also took some pictures in front of the hotel near the water fountain. The MGM Grand was my second favorite because when you go inside it this thing were you go in and walk around and see the play Wizard of Oz. I also liked thePyramid because outside the is this image of a persons face that appears on the splashing water. That image was all done with Lazers. Las Vegas is a nice place to see a lot of cool hotels and sites. Then it was even better because it was at night and all the hotels were lit up. It looked like it was Christmas everyday there. Every single hotel was lit up of all different pictures. We had fun seeing that but it was time to go back to the hotel room. When we got back the front desk informed us that somebody had called from San Fransisco. We all had an idea of what it was about. My mom and grandma were both sobbing. They were crying in way that didn't show. My dad and I felt very sad even though we didn't know my grandpa very well. Before we had gone to Las Vegas we sat down with my aunt and my mom said " if anything happened to my grandpa to call us at the hotel room." When we heard that they had called we were all sweating as if it was raining right above us. When we called back it seemed like an eternity. My mom called, you could hear every button that she punched in. We also could hear the ringing from the call. Finally, my aunt picked up and started talking to my mom about how they called from Lima, Peru saying that my grandpa was waiting to die until they got there. So that same night we called Hertz and said that we had to get back to San Fransico and we were going to leave the car tomorrow. There was a big fit because my dad had already paid for three days but we only used it one day. And my dad couldn't get his money back. The same night they called from San Fransisco we called United Airlines saying that we needed to go on an emergency flight to San Fransisco. They told us that they didn't have flight until 6:45 at night. After we got everything settled we had to go to sleep so that we could get up early to go to the airport. I think that no one slept except for me and I only slept for a few hours. I was listening to my parents conversation about who was going to Peru to see my grandpa before he passes away. I was thinking how the situation was going to be solved. My dad said "I can't go because someone has to stay with Eddy."I can go with Teresa (my aunt)." My grandma said "I don't know if I could go because of my high blood pressure." Before they made their final decision they thought that I would go with my mom and aunt because my grandma has high blood pressure. Finally my mom said "I will go with Teresa and my mom." I would stay with my dad and they would go because I had seen him that same year when I was at Peru. When I woke up the next morning at 5:38 in the morning, my parents were all ready to go. My parents looked like people who hadn't slept for a few days. Since the earliest flight we could go on was at 6:45 P.M. we had excepted. We gathered up all our luggage and threw it into the Taxi like it was a piece of cloth. We went to the airport as early as we could to see if anybody would trade tickets with us. We asked a nice couple with their two kids if they could please trade tickets with us. We explained the situation to them so they would trade, and they said yes. We left Las Vegas as fast as we could. We couldn't wait until the captain said buckle up for take-off. In the plane I felt that my stomach was growling at me. We were also thinking of what to do once we got to San Fransico. The plane landed in San Fransico at 8:49. When we got out of the plane we ran down the stairs to get all the luggage. It seemed like we ran faster then Micheal Johnson.After we got our luggage we called for the first taxi we spotted. In the taxi I felt like I was never going to get to our house. I mostly wanted my mom,grandma, and aunt to get together and discuss. I felt scared of what was going to happen. Finally, 54 minutes later, we got to our house and my mom and grandma started talking to my aunt. They were talking about how they would pay for the trip so quickly. Luckily, my mom and dad knew a man that work for Aerolinas Argentina and could get some emergency tickets for us so that we could leave that same week. My aunt agreed with that. Then my grandma started to tell my aunt that she shouldn't get too mad or depressed or her blood pressure would go up. My aunt said to not worry that everything was going to be okay, my aunt was trying to calm down my grandma over the phone.Tears were rolling down their cheeks like an open faucet. The next day they were off to Peru in the first airplane that left. The next week my grandpa passed away. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Grapes of Wrath 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The book Grapes of Wrath tells about the dust Bowl people's troubles they had coming to California. It tell about the Joad's trip from Oklahoma to California. There are twelve people in the Joad family. The one person that stood out the most between thee family was Ma. Ma's great strength, and smart thinking is what keeps the Joad family together and going. Ma's strong suites are shown through out the book. Nancy Reagan once said, "A women is like a tea bag-only in hot water do you realize how strong she is." I don't know how Nancy Reagan did this but she described Ma Joad to you exactly. The first time that Ma's strength was showed was when grandma died. She lied to an inspector telling him, "We got a sick ol' lady. We got to get her to a doctor. We can't wait." The inspector bought the story and let them pass on their way to California. Even then Ma didn't tell the family that grandma was dead, instead she laid there next grandma's dead carpus until they got to California. "She looked over the valley and said , Grandma's dead." She keeps the family together when they want to split up. The first time that this was showed in the book when they pulled over to help the Wilsons with the car. Tom suggested that him and Casey stay and fix the car while the rest of the family go's on to Bakersfield and that they would meet them there. Ma then let out her fury, she held up a tire iron and demanded that they all stick together and that they will go to Bakersfield together. Ma is also very smart. Her common sense is a higher then the rest of the family's. When Tom gets hit under the eye by a officer Ma devises a plan to get Tom out of that government camp. She says, "We'll put one mattress on the bottom, an' then Tom gets quick there, an we take another mattress an' sort of fold it so it make a cave." She really puts her foot down with what she wants to do and it works to perfection. In this story there was one person who had a job the whole time. That person was Ma. She had to keep the family together and going. She did get paid for this, not with money but with the love that she receives from her family. W. Somerset Maugham once wrote, "A women will always sacrifice herself if you give her the opportunity. It is her favorite form of self-indulgence." This was from The Circle. This quote describes Ma to the fullest. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men Character Study.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The American Novelist, John Steinbeck was a powerful writer of dramatic stories about good versus bad. His own views on writing were that not only should a writer make the story sound good but also the story written should teach a lesson. In fact, Steinbeck focused many of his novels, not on average literary themes rather he tended to relay messages about the many hard truths of life in The United States. Upon winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 the Swedish academy introduced him by saying "He had no mind to be an unoffending comforter and entertainer. Instead, the topics he chose were serious and denunciatory..." This serious focus was not exempt from his two works "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men". "The Grapes of Wrath" has been recognized by many as "the greatest novel in American History" and it remains among the archetypes of American culture. Although "Of Mice and Men" may not have received as much fanfare as the other it is still a great classic that was recently made into a motion picture. The focus of "The Grapes of Wrath" Is one family, the Joads, who has been kicked off their Oklahoma farm and forced to move to California to look for work. The story has historical significance as it is true that many families were forced, in the same way as the Joads, to leave their homes to look for work during the depression. It is in this fact that one can see how Steinbeck's intention in "The grapes of Wrath" was to depict the hardships people went through during an actual event in American history. Perhaps the most solemn message in this novel was the poor treatment of the dispossessed families as they reached California. In "Of Mice and Men" the reader is presented with a story that takes place in the same setting of "The Grapes of Wrath" This story details the hardships of two traveling companions while they are working at a ranch in California. The common thread between these two novels is not necessarily the plot or the setting rather, it is the way in which Steinbeck relays his message. That is to say that, although both novels carry different story lines they both portray hard truths about human suffering. Steinbeck reveals these truths through his depiction of characters. In each story it seems that the characters were crafted by Steinbeck in a bias manner so as to emphasize the overall message of the book. It is quite obvious that all of Steinbeck's characters are either good or bad. Steinbeck himself said "as with all retold tales that are in people's heart's there are only good and bad things and black and white things and no in-between anywhere" In both novels the dispossessed characters are good and well intentioned and the wealthy people are brutal and mean. This of course is done to make the situation seem all that more hard on the dispossessed characters. In "The Grapes of Wrath" the character of young Tom Joad is a prime example of how bias Steinbeck's portrayal was. With a quick glance at the history of Tom's life one would say that he is not really the good guy. Yet after reading "The Grapes of Wrath" the reader feels sorry for Tom and all of his faults are justified because of his situation. Likewise, the characters of Ma and the preacher, Jim Casey do not fit their traditional roles but, again, their actions are justified by Steinbeck. In the same way, the book "Of Mice and Men" portrays two men (Lennie and George) running from the law, looking for work. Lennie is a mentally handicap person who brings most of the trouble to the pair. Yet, despite all of his downsides the reader is made to feel sorry for him. George is portrayed in a good way until the end of the book where he kills Lennie, and even then the reader feels for George because of the predicament he is in. The rest of the characters in both novels are the rich and powerful. In "The grapes of Wrath" these rich people were not even given names and Steinbeck's dislike for them is obvious. This fact truly illustrates the message he is trying to get across . In "Of mice and Men" the boss and his son Curley are portrayed as the bad guys. Note: This is only my introduction unfortunately due to some extenuating circumstances I have not had enough time to do a complete rough draft. My plan is to characterize the characters in light of Steinbeck's bias portrayals and illustrate how the technique he used was effective in getting his point across. My next four points or paragraphs will be: 1.) Description of Tom Joad how he was bad yet good in the sense that his actions were bad but his cause was for the better. 2.) Description of Ma and the preacher, how they were characterized out of their traditional roles and how their straying form the norm was justified and helped relay to the reader the desperation of the family's situation. 3.) The roles of Lennie and George, how they were outcasts and Lennie killed a women yet the reader felt sorry for them both because they were on the opposite side of a greater injustice. 4.) Portrait of the rich and powerful. How Steinbeck's ignorance of not giving them names proved he did not like them. Every time they came up in the story they were doing something bad. And my conclusion. Hopefully I will get a chance to see you today, I have third period prep so I will look for you and we could chat. Thanx. "The Grapes of Wrath", "Of Mice and Men" Character Study Max Raffoul ENG OAC March 3, 1997 Mr. Chevallier f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Grapes Of Wrath Awakening Of Tom Joad.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Awakening Of Tom Joad Grapes of Wraith by John Steinbeck portrayed the awakening of a man's conscience dealing with his troubling trials throughout the novel. The character that goes through this monumental change is Tom Joad, son of two tenant farmers from Oklahoma. Tom's conscience was changed from a loner who cared nothing about the people to a hardy leader of them. He first looked after his family on their trip that evolved into including the impoverished migrant farmers in California. At the beginning of the novel Tom Joad has just been paroled after spending four years in a state prison. He stops at a roadside cafe looking for a ride when he sees a truck with a "No Riders" sticker on it. Tom's conversation with this trucker is his first witness to the suppression of an honest working man by the larger more wealthy corporations since his release from prison. The trucker tries to socialize with him at this point but Tom is too absorbed into his own interest in keeping to himself. Arriving at his house with Jim Casey, Tom visits the abandoned house with one corner having been knocked in by a tractor. His family had been compelled to leave their land through repossession by the large corporations another example in Tom's life how the larger are trying to control the less fortunate. This land had been his family's source of pride and livelihood throughout his life with them and it's loss was the first sizable impact on Tom's conscience that would lead him to an awakening. After visiting the land the Joad family had lived on for many years Tom and Jim traveled to his uncle John's house nearby. There Tom meets his family as they are making preparations to leave for California. Tom's family has already sold off every valuable possession they own while living under cramped conditions on old and soiled mattresses in a house not built to accommodate the size of the entire family. Tom realizes that a family cannot survive under these destitute conditions unless they cling together as one unit. Because of this realization Tom becomes protective of his family, leaving casting off portions of his selfishness for the betterment of his relatives. Tom's final awakening comes when he meets Jim Casy for the final time outside a work camp in the midst of a strike. There Jim Casy tells Tom that the only way the worker's can obtain law and order as well as, fair wages, is to unite all the migrant workers together and fight against the larger controlling companies. The statement is driven home when he witnesses Jim Casy's passive resistance in response to the threatened violence by the cops. As the police advance on Jim Casy he yells towards them, " Listen, you fellas don' know what you're doin'. You're helpin' to starve kids." moments before his head is brutally crushed by a pick handle. Enraged by the actions unfolded before him Tom grabs a pick handle and clubs one of the officers to death before hastily fleeing from the scene. This event finally made possible the awakening of Tom Joad. He recognized that if a common man were to ever get a fair chance to live their life, they would be forced to do so under a united cause. Tom's awakening came slowly as he struggled to understand the toils of needing, not only to care for his family but organize the migrant workers into a force where they can achieve fair rights. During the final chapters of the novel Tom recognizes the importance of Jim Casy's work to unify the people bringing about a final awakening of his conscience. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\grapes of wrath.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ February 28, 1997 The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's live under. The novel tells of one families migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The Joad family had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. They had to uproot and set adrift because tractors were rapidly industrializing their farms. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loans. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California. How they survive the cruelty of the land owners that take advantage of them, their poverty and willingness to work. The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck's adoration of the land, his simple hatred of corruption resulting from materialism (money) and his abiding faith in the common people to overcome the hostile environment. The novel opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage. The novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by nature. The theme is one of man verses a hostile environment. His body destroyed but s spirit is not broken. The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel from the turtle at the begging to the rain at the end. As each symbol is presented through the novel they show examples of the good and the bad things that exist within the novel. The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described as covering everything, smothering the life out of 2 anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of the erosion of the lives of the people. The dust is synonymous with "deadness". The land is ruined, way of life (farming) gone, people uprooted an forced to leave. Secondly, the dust stands for profiteering banks in the background that squeeze the life out of the land by forcing the people off the land. The soil, the people (farmers) have been drained of life and are exploited. The last rain fell on the red and gray county of Oklahoma in early May. The weeds became a dark green to protect themselves from the sun's unyielding rays...The wind grew stronger, uprooting the weakened corn, and the air became so filled with dust that the stars were not visible at night. (Chp 1) As the chapter continues, a turtle, which appears and reappears several times early in the novel, can be seen to stand for survival, a driving life force in all of mankind that cannot be beaten by nature or man. The turtle represents a hope that the trip to the west is survivable by the farmer migrants (Joad family). The turtle further represents the migrants struggles against nature/man by overcoming every obstacle he encounters: the red ant in his path, the truck driver who tries to run over him, being captured in Tom Joad's jacket. The driver of the truck works for a large company, who tries to stop the migrants from going west. when the driver attempts to hit the turtle it is another example of the big, powerful guy trying to flatten or kill the little guy. Everything the turtle encounters tries it's best to stop the turtle from making its westerly journey. Steadily the turtle advances on, ironically to the southwest, the direction of the migration of 3 people. The turtle is described as being lasting, ancient, old and wise: horny head, yellowed toenails, indestructible high dome of a shell, humorous old eyes. (Chp 1) The diver of the truck, the red ant and Tom Joad's jacket are all symbolic of nature and man that try to stop the turtle from continuing his journey westward to the promise land. The turtle helps to develope the theme by showing its struggle against life; comparing it with the Joad struggle against man. The grapes seem to symbolize both bitterness and copiousness. Grandpa, the oldest member of the Joad family, talks of the grapes as symbols of plenty. All his descriptions of what he is going to do with the grapes in California suggest contentment , freedom, the goal for which the Joad family strive for: "I'm gonna let the juice run down ma face, bath in the dammed grapes" (Chp 4). The grapes are talked about by Grandpa to help elaborate the theme by showing that no matter how nice everything seems in California, the truth is that their beauty is only skin deep, in their souls they are rotten. The rotten core verses the beautiful appearance. The willow tree that is located on the Joad's farm represents the Joad family. The willow described as being immovable and never bending to the wind or dust. The Joad family does not want to move, they prefer to stay on the land they have planted their roots on, much the same as the willow. The willow contributes to the theme by showing the unwillingness of the people to be removed from their land by the banks. The latter represents the force making them leave their homes. Both of these symbols help contribute to the theme by showing a struggle between each other. The tree struggles against nature in much the same way that the Joad family struggles against the Bank and large companies. 4 The rain that comes at the end of the novel symbolizes several things. Rain in which is excessive, in a certain way fulfills a cycle of the dust which is also excessive. In a way, nature has restored a balance and has initiated a new growth cycle. This ties in with other examples of the rebirth idea in the ending, much in the way the Joad family will grow again. The rain contributes to the theme by showing the cycle of nature that give a conclusion tot he novel by showing that life is a pattern of birth and death. The rain is another example of mature against man, the rain comes and floods the living quarters of the Joads. The Joads try to stop the flood of their home but yet are forced back when nature drops tree causing a flood of water to ruin their home forcing them to move. In opposite way rain can be helpful to give life to plants that need it to live. Depending on which extreme the rain is in, it can be harmful or helpful. This is true for man as well. Man can become both extremes , bad or good, depending on his choosing. Throughout the novel, there are several symbols used to develop the theme of man verses a hostile environment. Each symbol used in the novel show examples of both extremes. Some represent man, that struggles against the environment, others paint a clear picture of the feelings of the migrants. As each symbol is presented chronologically through the novel, they come together at the end to paint a clear picture of the conditions, treatments and feelings the people (migrants) as they make there journey through the novel to the West. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Great Gatsby Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is considered a novel that embodies America in the 1920s. In it, the narrator, Nick Carroway, helps his neighbor Jay Gatsby reunite with Daisy Buchanan, with whom he has been in love with since 5 years before, during World War I. The affair between the two fails, however, and ends in Gatsby being shot and killed. The reason that this was inevitable is that Gatsby created a fantasy so thoroughly that he became part of it, and he fell with it when reality came crashing down. The basis of all of this is Gatsby's obsession with Daisy and with meeting her. He did not want to deal with the reality that confronted him upon returning from the war. Fortunately, he had "an extraordinary gift, a romantic readiness," and he found in Daisy someone to focus this on. She is perfection to him, something for which he can strive, so he puts all of his energy into finding her again. He uses his inherited money to travel around the country, searching; when he runs out, he goes into the drug business, then oil, then liquor. He clips out articles about Daisy from every newspaper he can find; he buys a huge, romantic house that he hopes will merit her approval. The parties that he throws every night in hopes that she will come become almost famous for their extravagance and the variety of people that come. A result of this is that Gatsby creates an illusion around himself, also. His past is shrouded in mystery and speculation: some favorites of the party-goers' theories on why he is so free and generous with his resources are that he once killed a man and that he was a German spy during the war. He does nothing to discourage these rumours; rather, he often adds to them. He lets people believe that he was an Oxford man and that his money was inherited from his father, when in fact he only attended Oxford for a short time and his money all came from outside his family. Jay Gatsby is not even is real name, but part of the illusion of his identity; his real name is James Gatz. This involved deception does result in a meeting with Daisy. After years of staring at the green ight at the end of her dock like a symbol of all of his yearning, he arranges for a meeting at Nick's house. Gatsby of course tries to make it perfect, hiring men to cut Nick's lawm and decorate his house with flowers, and "unexpectedly" showing up after Daisy's arrival. At this first reunion Gatsby is childishly nervous and embarrassed. He has decorated his house with lights, and he takes her on a tour of it. When later she does come to one of his parties and he detects that she is not enjoying herself, he discontinues them. Gatsby, however, cannot plan for reality. While he and Daisy are driving in his car, Daisy accidentally hits Myrtle Wilson, a woman who lives above a service station in New York. Her husband, George, thinking that Gatsby was driving, comes and shoots him in the pool. This, however, is merely symbolic of reality crashing down on what Gatsby had created. Firstly, his fantasy could not have ever worked because Daisy is not perfect. She is instead more like her husbad, Tom: reckless and spontaneous. In fact, Daisy was probably planning on leaving with Tom anyway. He had suspected her and Gatsby's affair and found out about his bootlegging operation. This darker side of him is what primarily destroyed her illusion about Gatsby. He, on the other hand, probably still believed in her to the end; the knowledge that Daisy was leaving with Tom would have ha devastating effects perhaps equal to even his murder. This hopefulness was the basis of what made Gatsby great and why the novel was so representative of the 1920s. The American attitude was one of hopes and dreams and the illusions created fromt hem. And oftentimes the meeting with reality had tragic consequences as it did with Gatsby. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Great Gatsby.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The American Dream, as it arose in the Colonial period and developed in the nineteenth century, was based on the assumption that each person, no matter what his origins, could succeed in life on the sole basis of his or her own skill and effort. The dream was embodied in the ideal of the self-made man, just as it was embodied in Fitzgerald's own family by his grandfather, P. F. McQuillan. Fitzgerald's novel takes its place among other novels whose insights into the nature of the American dream have not affected the artistic form of the novel itself. The Great Gatsby serves as Fitzgerald's critique of the American dream. The Great Gatsby embodies a criticism of America and the American experience, more radical than any other author has attempted. The theme of the novel is the destruction of the American dream during the 1920s, a period when the vulgar pursuit of material happiness has corrupted the old values that gave substance to the dream. The characters are Midwesterners who have come East in pursuit of this new dream of money, fame, success, glamour, and excitement. Tom and Daisy must have a huge house, a stable of polo ponies, and friends in Europe. Gatsby must have his enormous mansion before he can feel confident enough to try to win Daisy. Fitzgerald does not criticize the American dream itself but the corruption of that dream. What was once for Ben Franklin or Thomas Jefferson a belief in self-reliance and hard work has become what Nick Carraway calls " . . . the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty." The energy that might have gone into the pursuit of noble goals has been channeled into the pursuit of power and pleasure, and a very showy, but fundamentally empty form of success. Fitzgerald's critique of the American dream is developed through certain dominant images and symbols. Fitzgerald uses the green light as a symbol of hope, money, and jealousy. Hope signifies the center of the dream, but jealousy and lure of money pollute it. Gatsby is a noble man whose vision is fouled by his dream because he remains in a "wonder" at Daisy's presence throughout the novel. He is unable to see the carelessness and self-centeredness of Daisy whose "foul dust" destroys him. Fitzgerald also uses the contrasting images of the East and Midwest to develop his critique. The East denotes the place where the corruption of the American dream has occurred. Finally, at the end of the novel, Nick decides to move back West. Nick learns that this place of dishonesty, lack or morale, and lack of values is not the place for him. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Scott F. Fitzgerald gives some severest criticism of the American dream ever written. That dream has been destroyed and polluted by the pursuit of material success. Fitzgerald is successfully able to identify the deficiencies of the American vision itself. Fitzgerald shows that the secret of life happiness is to fulfill the American dream purely and faithfully. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Great Quotes by the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Atticus Respectful of other people Talking about Bob Ewell spitting in his face): "I wish Bob Ewell wouldn't chew tobacco." Page 220 Chapter 23 Responding to Jem talking about Mrs. Dubose not being a lady: "She was. She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go and read to her. I wanted you to see something about her-I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of seeing courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see through it no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholding to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew." Page 116 Chapter 11 Talking to Scout: Atticus turned his head and pinned me to the wall with his good eye. His voice was deadly: "First, apologize to your aunt." Page 138 Chapter 14 Talking to Jem: "Mr. Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but he is still a man. Every mob in every little Southern town is always made up of people you know- doesn't say much for the, does it?" Page 160 Chapter 16 Determined Talking to Scout: "Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one's mine I guess. You might here some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep your fists down." Page 80 Chapter 9 Talking to Scout: "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and win." Page 80 Chapter 9 Talking to Calpurnia: Atticus' eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a moment. "Tell them I'm very grateful," he said. "Tell them- tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard...." Page 216 Chapter 22 Talking to Calpurnia: Atticus' eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a moment. "Tell them I'm very grateful," he said. "Tell them- tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard...." Page 216 Chapter 22 Clever Talking to Mayella Ewell: "You're becoming suddenly clear at this point. A while ago you couldn't remember too well, could you?" Page 189 Chapter 18 Talking to Scout: "Most people are (nice), when you finally see them." Page 284 Chapter 31 Talking to Scout: "I never went to school," he said, "but I have a feeling that if you tell Miss Caroline we read every night she'll get after me, and I wouldn't want her after me." Page 36 Chapter 3 Atticus: "I guess Tom was tired of taking white men's chances, and preffered to take his own." Page 238 Chapter 24 Doing: "Atticus was speaking easily, with the kind of detachment he used then he dictated a letter." Page 205 Chapter 21 Jem Child-like Jem (talking to Atticus about Mrs. Dubose): "A lady?" "After all those things she said about you, a lady?" Page 116 Chapter 11 Jem (saying to Scout): "I swear Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl it's mortifyin'." Page 42 Chapter 4 Jem (talking to the Reverend): "It's o.k.,Reverend, she doesn't understand it." Page 175 Chapter 17 Protective Jem (Bob Ewell is attacking them): "Run Scout! Run! Run!" Page 264 Chapter 27 Jem (talking to Scout about Atticus): "Let's don't pester him, he'll know when it's time." Page 75 Chapter 7 Jem (talking to Scout): "I reckon if he wanted us to know it, he'da told us. If he was proud of it he'da told us." Page 109 Chapter 9 Scout Curious Scout (talking to Jem): "The thing about it is, our kind of folks don't like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don't like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks." I told Jem if that was so, then why didn't Tom's jury, made up of folks like the Cunninghams aquit Tom to spite the Ewells?" Page 229 Chapter 23 Scout (saying to Jem): "...Jem, how can you (the people in the town) hate Hitler so bad an' turn around and be ugly about folks right at home-" Page 249 Chapter 26 Scout (talking to Miss Maudie): "Nome, I mean the folks on our street are all old. Jem and me's the only children around here. Mrs Dubose is close on to a hundred and Miss Rachel's old and so are you and Atticus." Page 94 Chapter 10 Scout (talking): "I'm scared.."Scared about Atticus. Somebody might hurt him." Page 149 Chapter 15 Tom Boy Scout (doing): "With this in mind, I faced Cecil Jacobs in the school yard next day: "You're gonna take that back boy?" Page Unknown Scout (doing): "Presently I picked up a comb from Jem's dresser and ran its teeth along the edge." Page 136 Chapter 13 Scout (remembering): Before the first morning was over, Miss Caroline Fisher, our teacher, hauled me up to the front of the room and patted the palm of my hand with a ruler, then made me stand in the corner until noon. Page 20 Chapter 2 Scout (thinking) Miss Maudie on a jury would be impressive. I thought of old Mrs. Dubose in her whell chair-"Stop that rapping, John Taylor, I want to ask this man something." Perhaps our forefathers were wise. Page 224 Chapter 23 Friendly/Witty Scout talking to Boo Radley: "Won't you have a seat Mr. Arthur? This rocking chair is nice and comfortable." Page 274 Chapter 30 Scout (observing and thinking): "Miss Maudie's hand closed tightly on mine, and I said nothing. It's warmth was enough." Page 238 Chapter 24 Scout (saying to Dill): "Keep on- I reckon he even sent you a mounted police uniform! That'n never showed up, did it? You just keep on telling 'em, son-" Page 52 Chapter 5 Scout (saying to Jem): "I forgot my shoes, they're back behind the stage." Page 262 Chapter 28 Tom Robinson Charatable Talking to Atticus about not getting paid: "No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it." Unknown Talking to Mr. Gilmer: "I was just tryin' to help her out, suh." Page 199 Chapter 19 Talking to Atticus about going by the Ewells: "Why, yes suh, I'd tip m'hat when I'd go by, and one day she asked me to come inside..." Page 193 Chapter 19 Honest Talking to Atticus about the fight he was in and getting cut: "Yes suh, a little, not enough to hurt. You see, I-" Page 193 Chapter 19 Talking to Atticus about Mayella: "I didn't wanta be ugly, I didn't wanta push her or nothin'." Page 197 Chapter 19 Talking to Mr. Gilmer: "I don't say she's lyin', Mr. Gilmer, I say she's mistaken in her mind." Page 200 Chapter 19 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Grecian Urn.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Word Is Worth a Thousand Pictures? Shakespeare's sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?") and Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn" were written with a common purpose in mind; to immortalize the subjects of their poems by writing them down in verses for people to read for generations to come. By doing so, both of the poets are preserving the beauty of the subjects, which are the young friend of Shakespeare and Keats' "Grecian Urn." Beginning with Sonnet 18, and continuing here and there throughout the first major grouping of sonnets, Shakespeare approaches the problem of mutability and the effects of time upon his beloved friend in a different fashion. Instead of addressing the problem of old age, he emphasises his friend's attributes: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate... (lines 1-2)" Though time and death work together to rob man, and particularly the friend, of his youth and beauty putting ugly wrinkles in his face and finally causing his death, the friend's beauty can be made immortal in spite of the ravages of time and death. Shakespeare asserts that his poetry will survive the destructive effects and, since the subject of this poetry is his friend's beauty, it will immortalize his beloved friend's beauty. The poet can make the young man immortal in his verse f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Greenhouse.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ While working at the brand new Mischels Greenhouse I found out it was different from any other job I ever had. It was one of the most responsible jobs so far of my life. Four thousand lives were almost totally in my exchange sisters, Tanya, and my hands. By us watering them daily. Because it was so hot out-side, the greenhouse was stifling. Watering mums was a very tedious job be-cause it was repetitious. I started daily at 9 A.M. my whole day consisted of taking care of Forty thousand mums. They sat on top of many benchtops col-lecting sun and, heat rays waiting for us to water them. After watering them, John, (My boss), would go behind me and pull flowers. Which means picking out the best plants. Then Tanya and I would pick them up and put them on a rack 5x5 and then shrink wrap them. Shrink-wrapping was mainly my job throughout the day. I would load an 8 foot tall rack then I would wrap the rack full of mums so the mums would not fall off. Then I would take the palette jack and pick up the rack, and load it into the Ford truck. Loading is hard because I have to make sure they go all the way to the back and to the side of the truck. It can't be one inch off otherwise it could hurt the plants (They could rub together) and the racks wouldn't fit side by side. It's a endless cycle, day after day, until all the mums are gone. When the mums are all gone, it's a glorious feel of relief. All the benches had to be cleaned to get ready for poinsettias. Tanya went back to Belarus to live with her real family so I asked my friends if any of them wanted to help and only one said yes. I told my boss and a week later my friend was working with me It was my job to "show him the ropes" with the poinsettias. After he got the hang of things it was smooth sailing, to load poinsetias. We did eve-rything the same as the mums except we put eight plants in a cardboard box. Then loaded the truck box by box. The old Ford could hold nineteen hundred twenty plants which is a lot of work when we had to load each plant one by one. All the poinsetias are gone now, so we start with geraniums again. I have no idea how to start those. When I started working at Mischels Greenhouse, The geraniums were already grown. I guess I will learn all over again. I wonder if Tanya will be back to help me. But that's another story... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Grendel.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Grendel is an unhappy soul in John Gardner's book "Grendel", because he feels useless in society and doesn't want to accept his given role. Throughout this whole book Grendel feels he has no friend in the outside word and no one to except him besides his own mother. He doesn't want to except his role in society which is to be the Great Destroyer. Man creates a huge problem in Grendel's life and has had a major effect on the way he lives with man. Grendel is unhappy in many ways. He wants to be accepted by man but never knew why he was always shunned out of there society. Grendel in the beginning never set out to hurt man just understand him. When Grendel shows up the first time in the mead hall he yells "Mercy! Peace!" But no one even gives him a chance when he walks in holding a dead body and using it for protection against the drunken men swinging axes and swords at him. Grendel dose not understand this as he says "they were doomed, I knew, and I was glad." showing the hope for destruction of the human race. In Grendel's eyes humans are going to destroy themselves and he will be glad when it happens. Grendel is very lonely in the world of man. He has only one person close to him and that is his mother. She cares for Grendel but just with the natural motherly instincts which Grendel sees as mechanical. Grendel doesn't understand, "Why can't I have someone to talk to?" as the world starts to look darker in his eyes. Animals of all sorts are enemies of his because they don't understand him. Grendel is more superior Grendel's role in society is to be the great destroyer. The Dragon tells Grendel this " You improve them, my boy! ... You stimulate them!" but Grendel dose not want to except it. HE want to be part of the humanistic world. He want a different role in society. This makes Grendel very unhappy that he cannot be accepted. The Dragon puts a spell on Grendel that lets weapons not harm him. At first he dose not like this because he thinks that the fun of destroying men would be to easy at this point. He starts to grow into this though and plays his role as the great destroyer. This book shows how Grendel put up with man and learned to adapt to the humanistic ways of life. It took him a while to adapt but he did find it fun to reck the humans world. Since he was not excepted he would have to take the role of the great destroyer at the end of the story. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Growers survey discussion results .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Organic Agri-Food Growers Survey Results and discussion Your Business 1. What is the status of your organic operation? 2 transitional 5 / 1-3 year transitional 12 certified organic 2. Please rate the importance of these factors in your decision to be an organic farmer (1 unimportant, 2 somewhat important, 3 important, 4 very important, 5 extremely important) INSERT RANKING TABLE HERE In order of importance / number of growers (of 19) who rated the following as extremely important motivating factors High ranking Quality of life / enjoyment of farming 14 To provide good food for self and family 11 Create sustainable local food source 11 Practicing ecological sustainability 11 Moderate ranking Concern about genetic modification 6 To earn an income 6 Promoting public awareness of local organic 5 Low ranking To establish a niche business market 3 Keeping family tradition Very low 2 To grasp an investment opportunity / business case 1 Comments: Unlike the statistics commonly connected to conventional agriculture, organic growers in our sample group rated "keeping family farming tradition - generational aspects of farming very low on the scale of motivating factors for choosing organic farming. Only 6 / 19 growers reported that their parents had been involved in agriculture. 50 % reported that their Grandparents or Great grandparents were involved So what is enticing people to choose organic growing as a career? Not surprisingly income earning potential was not at the top of the list! Many of the local organic growers are choosing to farm based on social values and personal health. INSERT QUOTE FROM R JEHN & T FRASER ARTICLE REGARDIN HEALTH. The n number one ranked reason for entering the organic growing sector was the quality of life that it affords. Next in line was the motivation to provide a healthy food source for self and family, creating a sustainable local food source, and concern for environmental sustainability. All of these issues are directly related to "HEALTH". Health values appear to be a critical motivating factor for CRD small-scale organic farmers as overall economics are unfavorable Growers have told us that they made a conscious choice to enter the sector sometimes leaving behind established careers, in fact 11 / 18 ( %) of the farmers we surveyed began farming when they were 35 or older. Of these, 7 / 11 (%) went straight into organic agriculture. 3. Are you aware of any current market / growth opportunities for organic agriculture and food in the CRD? 15 / 18 reported yes ... most organic farmers are well aware of the growing market opportunities in the Victoria region 4. Would you like to expand your organic operation? 16 / 18 answered yes 5. do you plan to increase your production of current products or services within the next 3 years? 100% answered yes ... If yes how do you plan to do it? 11 / 18 increasing production during the season 12 / 18 expanding into winter crops 9 / 18 greenhouse growing 1 / 18 other ... tree crops & wild crafting 6. Do you plan to diversify your organic agricultural operation products within the next 3 years? 1 / 18 unsure 3 / 18 no 14 / 18 yes they will diversify ... If yes how do you plan to diversify? 6 / 18 plan to start new crops or move into new livestock 3 / 18 plan to engage or and develop some element of organic agricultural education as part of their business ***** 0 reported agri-tourism ******** 12 / 18 diversifying into processed food / value-added production (6 / 18 reported that they plan to diversify by means of two or more of the above areas) 7. Please describe the major barriers that stand in the way of expanding / diversifying your operation? business training money , capital, energy capital for equipment and business development, ownership of affordable land, lack of organic growing experience, time to learn & develop skill + time to get work done no barriers just lead time to plan access to land & capital farming is mostly an individual effort, access to government and related resources is low physical, logistical & financial barriers Need for man / woman power Need for labour, my own physical limitations, need for more land Land tenure obstruction, local government by laws that make subsistence agriculture and agroforestry illegal workload, labour, time limitations access to land and equipment having to get certified at a high cost passes the cost on to the consumer Need of an approved kitchen on site access to land access to land, aging body lack of capital, unsure if retailers will "buy locally" they can get it cheaper from California for cheaper 8. What percentage of your operation is Value-added food processing? 7 reported 0% 5 reported 5% or less 4 reported 10% 2 reported 30% (both were salad mixes) Average VAFP = 9. Reporting on land total owned acres reported 214.90 11 / 18 organic operations reported owning land of these 5 reported owning 5 or less acres 2 reported acreage between 5 & 10 2 reported acreage between 10 & 15 1 reported over 38 acres the remaining total is heavily weighted by one large farm that holds 115 acres total owned cultivated acres reported 55 The total goes down significantly when looking strictly at acreage under cultivation. This indicates that there may be land available to expand onto depending on it's soil quality etc... It also indicates that organic farming is generally an intensive small scale activity due to the heavy human labour requirements, cost of labour, the lack of conventional inputs, and the diversity of the crops. 5 / 11 reported 1- 3 acres under cultivation (small is significant in organic farming) 4 / 11 reported 4-5 acres 1 reported 8 1 reported 18 A recent business plan developed by a group of seasoned organic growers proves that acre of organic land on the Sannich peninsula can yield $25 000 in annual income total leased acres 13 total leased cultivated acres 12.5 6 / 18 reported leasing land the cultivated leases that were reported were mostly very small parcels 3 @ 1 acre or less 2 between 2 & 5 acres 1 @ 6 acres (again small is beautiful) total shared acres 23 total shared cultivated acres 5 only two growers reported sharing land acres in cultivation: 2 acres & 3 acres 10. Please explain any barriers that you face in accessing land for farming we have access to free land to farm but cannot build a home on the land capital / no equity, farm business not accepted as viable shared tenure is illegal in bc capital neighboring property's trees shading out sunlight good accessible land is hard to find in Sooke area even thru LLAFF. Land owners only willing to give short term leases. Can't afford to buy land at this time Time, need for labour, expense lack of capital to purchase land, land is expensive 11. How does your present land situation impact on your long term farm plan? farming the land allows me to pay off the property& to continue improving the property value hesitant to put too much time, sweat, energy into land that we do not own we can farm long term insufficient land to earn livelihood solely from farming owning land affords some expansion and diversification potential I vet the land so I can't make any long term plans I can't expand much more without clearing land adequate for now, with equipment that I have I can't farm more land I am limited to annual crops which require more labour than perennial crops and afford lower prices than crops such as berries. BC situation temp .. I don't plan long term it has limited my potential to grow more 12. How many acres, if any of arable land do you have, but do not use for agriculture? Total of 36.5 acres 13. do you plan to expand onto this landing the next three years? 9 growers reported uncultivated arable land 4 / 9 reported plans to expand onto this land 14. How many additional acres, if any, are you planning to purchase, lease or share in the next 3 years? A Total of 22 additional acres is being sought Of these, 2 farms hope to add 10 acres each & 2 farms hope to add 1 acre each Support for Expansion & Diversification 15. Insert chart Top ranking supports: A larger farm pool of appropriately trained workers This category was rated very high importance to growers (12 / 18 - % ranked importance 4-5) Capital to access appropriate technology 50% Government financial assistance programs for small - mid sized businesses 50% Research & development focused on organic growing 50% All other supports ranked low on importance This is an area where a number of gaps are apparent: a) Growers are saying that they do not need support for business planning skills but at the same time they do need capital. However, the lenders are telling us that business planning is an essential missing element Growers who hope to gain access to capital in equity poor situations need to present strong and well proven business plans (reference finance notes) Retailers are also telling us that the growers need to develop their business skills b) The fact that this group does not feel they need support accessing the market indicates tat the supply is spoken for at the farm gate or not far beyond via direct marketing farmers markets, bow programs. Retail markets that exist outside of this require volumes and levels of organization and infrastructure that does not exist at this point in the CRD c) No interest in co-operative form of organizing and resource sharing was shown. This may partly be due to a general lack of knowledge and understanding about what a co-op is. Interviews with growers uncovered a general distaste for structured organization. This seemed to stem from fears that it could lead to large-scale industrialization & cooptation of the sector by outside interests, marketing board style regulators. Many growers did not have an understanding of the shared ownership principles of co-ops, the self- help aspects. Growers feared loosing profits to a middle-man / broker. Many growers operate in informal cooperatives already. Many growers appreciate the direct marketing aspects of their small operations. d) Although overall access to land is a barrier to accessing the sector, it was not the key stumbling block to expansion / diversification ... most growers explained that they would have a hard time increasing their production on the land they already have due to lack of time & skilled labour. Capital for improvements and equipment such as greenhouses and tractors was also a barriers to expansion. e) Many growers did not know what community development finance was and this likely impacted the low score on this question. However, in a focus group that was held after the surveys had been completed, CDF was explained and many of the growers expressed interest and excitement in the possibilities that CDF present to their grassroots industry Marketing your Organic and Transitional produce and foods 39. Please ? your methods for marketing your organic produce / processed foods Top 4 methods box program / csa 14 / 18 (77%) farm gate 11 / 18 (61%) farmers market 11 / 18 (61%) small retailer 11/ 18 (61%) restaurant 10/ 18 (55%) u-pick 3 / 18 (16%) wholesaler 3 / 18 (16%) large retailer 4 / 18 (22%) A majority of the CRD organic growers sell their produce through direct farm marketing, at the farm gate, organic produce box programs, community supported agriculture, and local farmers markets. Some of the growers also sell their produce to small retailers and local restaurants. INSERT TABLE 95% of the growers surveyed engage in 3 or more methods of marketing Very few CRD growers currently market to wholesalers or large retailers CRD organic growers f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\GSK Spirit research proposal 10904.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 November 2009 Ms Helen O'Connor Organisation Development Consultant GlaxoSmithKline Australia 1061 Mountain Highway Boronia VIC 3155 Dear Helen, Re: GSK Spirit Program - Review Further to our recent discussions regarding gaining feedback from your employees with a view to recommending improvements for the GSK Spirit Program, I have detailed below our thoughts on the proposed process along with some alternative options for your consideration. The total project will take approximately 4 weeks using our Performance Improvement Model (as detailed below). The outcome of the project will be a comprehensive document detailing all recommendations and resources involved to achieve improvements to the current program. Stage One Initial meetings with various GSK management and program sponsors to clearly define and understand what business outcomes and related employee behaviours the program(s) are to drive. Stage Two A mixture of stakeholder research (i.e. program participants, program administrators) and the provision of available historical program data including Participation levels, research, communication and information processes. The employee research will be undertaken by way of group discussions and in-depth interviews. Stage Three Meeting with program sponsor(s) to define and agree on revised success measures. Stage Four Use information and understanding gained throughout stages 1 - 3 to define program improvements. This would be presented and discussed with relevant internal stakeholders. Stage Five Refine the recommended program design and present final program description document for approval. The final document would include pricing for program management, events, rewards and production of communication materials. Alternatives for Consideration Depending on GSK's resources and budgets, Accumulate can undertake different levels of involvement in the process. 1. Accumulate to undertake complete program review including recommending program improvements as detailed above. Allow $9,600 plus GST (plus interstate travel at cost) 2. Accumulate to conduct and report on focus group discussions with a. Broad spread of Participants b. Management. Groups would be held in both Boronia & Ermington therefore a total of 4 groups held over 2 days. Allow $4,500 plus GST (plus interstate travel at cost) Helen, I trust this provides you with sufficient information to make your decision, however please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further explanation. Yours Sincerely Mark Mark Hillebrand Director Client Services f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\gullivers travels 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Although it appears simple and straightforward on the surface, a mere travelogue intended solely for the amusement of children, Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, proves, upon closer examination, to be a critical and insightful work satirizing the political and social systems of eighteenth-century England. Through frequent and successful employment of irony, ambiguity and symbolism, Swift makes comments addressing such specific topics as current political controversies as well as such universal concerns as the moral degeneration of man. While he incorporates them subtly early in the novel, these observations and criticisms eventually progress to a point where they may shock or offend even the most unsuspecting reader. In order to witness this evolution of presentation, one need only observe the development of the work's central character, Captain Lemuel Gulliver, as Swift has designed his novel in such a way that, as his aspersions harshen and intensify, so do Gulliver's actions and attitudes. For instance, in book one, "A Voyage to Lilliput", when Gulliver finds himself lost in a world one-twelfth the size of his own, he proves himself to be quite naive and impressionable. Although he is simply too large to perceive them in detail, Gulliver judges the country's inhabitants he meets to be as perfect and innocent as their toylike appearances. He refers to the Lilliputian emperor, a being not even six inches high, as "His Imperial Majesty" and blindly agrees to perform any demanded service, even though he could easily overpower the tiny nation. It is only after his services have been exploited and himself banished that Gulliver realizes how cruel and deceitful the Lilliputians truly are and his personality begins to transform. In book two, "A Voyage to Brobdingnag", Gulliver faces quite an opposite situation, for in this world everything is twelve times its expected size. Somewhat hardened by his unfavorable experiences on Lilliput, Gulliver approaches the Brobdingnagians from the outset with some degree of suspicion and contempt. Although it is apparent to the reader that this particular race is far more benevolent and trustworthy than its predecessor, Gulliver bestows upon it a great deal more criticism and disrespect. He demonstrates his hypocrisy, for instance, when he expresses his revulsion at the sight of the Brobdingnagians' physical imperfections but never attributes his ability to see their defects in such detail to his own diminutive size. Furthermore, it becomes obvious that his dissatisfaction relates directly to his inferiority among these colossal beings. Gulliver himself admits, how vain an attempt it is for a man to endeavor doing himself honour among those who are out of all degree of equality or com- parison with him. In essence, he is beginning to shed his role of observer and become personally involved in the moral controversies he observes. In the same way, Swift, who devotes much of his satire in the first two books of Gulliver's Travels to social and political conditions, begins at the close of part two to discuss and criticize situations in which he is personally at fault. By the end of book four, both Gulliver and the direction of Swift's novel have been utterly transformed. In this part, titled "A Voyage to the Houyhnhnms", Gulliver becomes trapped in a world where horses represent civilization and reason, while men, indignantly referred to as Yahoos, run wild, savage and ignorant. As the horses, called Houyhnhnms, make him realize how truly corrupt his untruthful and immoral race of human beings is, Gulliver learns to love their virtuous society while gradually beginning to abhor his own. Just as Swift denounces the state of society outright, by depicting men as offensive, irrational beasts, Gulliver assumes a similar stance, declaring himself a shamed and spiteful misanthropist. When he finally returns home after his adventures, he discovers that he cannot endure the company of other humans, he cannot even bear to look at his own reflection, knowing what degeneration it represents. Notably, however, neither Swift nor Gulliver leave the novel without exercising that one attribute they believe man to possess, his capacity for self-understanding and change. While Swift proposes his constructive criticism throughout the story in the form of irony and satire, Gulliver himself offers a solution to his situation at the close of the novel. He realizes that there is little he can do about being human; he simply must learn to live with himself. To achieve this, he suggests looking in a mirror as often as possible, not only so that he might learn to bear the sight of his own person but also so that he may be constantly reminded of those shortcomings he seeks so desperately to overcome. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Gullivers Travels.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Gulliver's Travels February 27, 1996 As a seemingly wise and educated man, throughout the novel Gulliver's Tarvels, the narrator cleverly gains the reader's respect as a thinking and observant individual. With this position in mind, the comments and ideas that Gulliver inflicts upon those reading about his journeys certainly have their own identity as they coincide with his beliefs and statements on the state of humanity and civilization in particular. Everywhere Gulliver goes, he seems to comment on the good and bad points of the people he encounters. Sometimes, he finds a civilization that he can find virtues within, but he also encounters peoples and places which truly diusgust him in their manner of operation and civility. Overall, Swift gives Gulliver a generally negative and cynical attitude towards the manner in which his current day English counterparts behaved cleverly disguised in the subtext of his encounters with other nations that either contrasted the way they lived, or mirrored unflatteringly his contemporaries lifestyles. In Gulliver's first voyage to Lilliput, his role as the town giant not only put into perspective the selfishness and unrelenting need for power of the human race, but also opened his eyes to the untrusting and ungrateful nature of those aforementioned. When he first arrived in their land, the Lilliputians opted to tie him up, giving him no freedom, which he luckily did not object to. Then, once they had developed a somewhat symbiotic realationship with him, Gulliver was basically forced to abide to their whims and fancies, and ultimately to be their tool in war. At any time, Gulliver could have escaped their grasp, but instead, he opted to stay and observe and oblige to their customs. He was a very agreeable guest. He did tricks for them, he saved their princess from her burning castle, he defeated their mortal enemies, and all he was rewarded with was their spite and mistrust. From the start, no matter how cordial and well-behaved he was, there was little trust bestopwed upon him by the people that bound him to their home. Also, Gulliver explains the rediculous manner in which one becomes accredited in their society. "For as to that infamous practice of acquiring great Employment by dancing on the Ropes, or Badges of Favor and Distinction by leaping over sticks, and creeping under them; the reader is to observe, that they were first introduced by the Grand father or the Emperor now reigning; and grew to the present Height, by the gradual increase of Party and Faction." This rediculous means of self-validation seems strickingly similar to some of the methods with which people will resort to in our societies, where personal achievment and values are secondary to their outward appearance, ability to impress, and skills totally unnessesary to the job described. Gulliver's description of their government, way of life, and logic patterns reflected either his grievances with or his innability to comprehend the manner in which many decisions, traditions, and wyas of living developed in our own society. He also, though, pointed out some redeeming values which he found in their way of living such as their innability to accept fraud, and their total separation of purity of smut, through reward and punishment. When it came down to it though, the Lilliputian's lack of trust towards their giant helper ruined their chances of him staying, and Gulliver was forced to leave. He found their hospiatlity to be great, but only at a severe stress to their own resources. At this point, some very strong assertions have been made about humanity, but we must go farther into the story to draw any real conclusions. Although there wasn't much said in this section of the book, the second voyage to Brobdignag put Gulliver in a very compromising situation which made him simply the pawn of social commentary by Swift. The people of Brobdignag treated Gulliver in an almost rediculous manner. They put him in a cage like we do with rodents, and were truly simple in their ideas. "The Learning of this People is very defective; consiting only in Morality, History, Poetry, and Mathematicks; wherin they must be allowed to excel. But, the last of these is wholly applied to what may be useful in Life; to the Improvement of Agriculture and all Mechanical arts; so that among us it would be little esteemed. And as to ideas, Entitites, Abstractions ands Transcendentals, I could never drive the least Conception into their heads." This situation made Gulliver see a people totally preoccupied with their own ideas, and showed their ignorance of possibly better ideas simply becvause they refused to acknowledge the possible validity of a little man's ideas. It is this attribute of human thought patterns that many times allows us to miss the fine details in life, overlooking them as trivial. When venturing in Laputa, Gulliver was thougholy disgusted by the adamant ways of the inhabitants there. Their obsession with the very specifics of their life not only put Gulliver off, but made him realize the follies of all those like them. Their oblivion to the obvious tendencies life engulfs made a great impression on him, seeing their wives totally confounded by the male inhabitants fetish with the workings that they had managed to contrive somehow. Not only did these people behave strangely, but their odd manner of acting had affected their outward appearance, transforming them into convuluted, wretched creatures. Their focus on Mathematicks and Musick were not viewed as unattractive traits, but their narrow-mindedness, and absense of thought on other subjects alarmed him, as he saw the reprocutions of such a lifestyle. In Balnibari, the people there also had a very distorted manner of living. Their beurocratic, innefficient machine of experiments, improvements, and theories appalled Gulliver as he saw the degradation in society that occured as a result of it. Both of these lands, although on somewhat opposite ends of the spectrum belonged to the same family of false maxims to live by. Both systems showcased many of the problems our own societies can face. If we ignore problems we have, that can make us worse, but if we try to fix every imperfection, no matter how rediculous-seeming, we would be totally engulfed by the process. In Gulliver's last voyage to the land of the Houyhnhnms, there was by far the most demonstrative of comparisons to our society, or should I say, contrasts. When he met those people, animals that we know as horses, he was shocked by their wisdom, sensibility, and kindness. On the other hand, the Yahoos, most closely related to humans as we know them were vile, uneducated, badly-behaved creatures. This reversal of roles demonstrated the shotty treatment we have for lower creatures, even though they have many traits that could be described as positive that we easily overlook. When Gulliver returns to England, he is disgusted not only by the sight, smell, and actions of the people there, but he cant even stand his own family. It is this fact that clearly shows how aweful and pitiful the human race would seem if one had the opporotunity to step back and take an honest, unobstructed view of it. Throuighout Guliver's Travels, Swift uses anecdotes told through Gulliver's eyes to demonstrate the vices and virtues associated with the way we live. No matter where he was, he was able to see enviable aspects of their society, and to demean the parts of their life that were silly, illogical, and offensive. From each experience he grasped a stronger understanding of what it meant to run a government, how Power and prestige could corrupt, and how false logic could corrup a community. Not only a powerful social commentary, Gulliver's Travels teaches us an important lesson about what we must keep important in our lives. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Hamlet essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Josh Winterberger March 29, 2004 English Hamlet Essay In this essay I am comparing the production of the Ethan Hawk version of Hamlet and the Mel Gibson version. This is basically a comparison of the book or the more traditional Mel Gibson version with the non traditional more modern version which was the Ethan Hawk version. First we will talk about the traditional version of the movie which is basically talking about the book because they are very alike. Here is a brief summary of this version to show u how it is. This version is where it starts with soldiers changing the guard outside of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. The new guards have brought along a man named Horatio because they claim to have seen a ghost. Horatio is doubtful of their story until the ghost actually appears. Then they tell Hamlet about what they have seen. Then King Claudius, who is Hamlet's uncle and who assumed the throne after Hamlet's father died, is in the castle. He has recently married Queen Gertrude, who is Hamlet's mother and the widow to Old Hamlet. Claudius finally turns his attention to Hamlet, who is standing in black robes of mourning for his father. He tells Hamlet that it is unnatural for a man to mourn for such a long period of time. Later, Laertes is finishing his packing and is also giving his sister Ophelia some brotherly advice before he leaves. He warns her to watch out for Hamlet whom he has seen wooing her. Laertes tells Ophelia to ignore Hamlet's overtures towards her until he is made king, at which point if he still wants to marry her then she should consent. Later when hamlet was waiting for the ghost it appears and stops and turns to Hamlet. He tells Hamlet that he is the ghost of Old Hamlet, who has come to tell his son the truth about how he died. He tells Hamlet that he was sitting in the garden one day, asleep in his chair, when Claudius came up to him and poured poison into his ear. Once Hamlet hears this information the rest of the story he is basically plotting to kill Claudius for what he did. This summary was the way the book and the traditional movie were portrayed. Personally I like that version much better for a couple reasons. The first reason was that the first ever experience I had with this story was when we read it and I enjoyed it very much. So then when we watched the traditional version it was similar to the book so I really enjoyed it. Then finally when we watched the non traditional version or the more modern one it just seemed so different and I really didn't like it. Just seeing the actors in the old traditional surroundings makes it seem like your reading the book and it's just a whole lot better. Personally I can't stand watching the non traditional version because it is the one that's more modern and it put the characters in today's world and it's just not the same. The thing I hate the most is when your hear them speak like they do and when they are reciting the line and speaking with the accent because it goes well with the original but when they are in the modern version the just all sound horrible and it makes it hard to watch. Another thing that goes with the modern version just seeming out of place was that even the outfits and costumes of the actors just seemed to go better with the traditional version. In conclusion after comparing the more traditional/ book version of the story and the non traditional version I believe that the traditional version was so much better. I think that the Mel Gibson version was great and I would recommend it to anyone. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Hamlet.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ John Sampson DC English Mr. Knodel February 3, 2004 Essay # 1 In the play Hamlet, written and directed by William Shakespeare, there is a question over the character of the Ghost. In this play the Ghost could be taken as some sort of mirage of Hamlet's imagination, or it could be seen as a true character of this play. In the following paragraphs I will state my side on which I believe what this Ghost really is. In the beginning of this play characters Marcellus, Barnardo, and Horatio talk about this figure that "...'tis but our fantasy..." (Act I, Scene I, Line 23) according to Horatio. They are all skeptical until it suddenly appears in the middle of Barnardo's story of the sightings of this figure. The figure's presence is made known by Marcellus when he interrupts Barnardo saying, "Peace, break thee off. Look where it comes again." (Act I, Scene I, Line 40) Barnardo responds to Marcellus by stating, "In the same figure like the king that's dead." (Act I, Scene I, Line 41) In this little scene three characters of this play have all seen and confirmed the sighting of this figure, and one of them has even put a recently deceased body to the figure. That body would be that of Hamlet's father who died not too long ago. Obviously since three characters have spotted this figure, it surely cannot be just an illusion of our imagination. This figure appears to the three men again acting as if it would like to communicate with the men or at least Horatio believes it to be that way telling us, " If thou hast any sound or use of voice, Speak to me." (Act I, Scene I, Lines 128-129) This also tells us that the figure now wants to communicate in some way to men, showing us that it has a mind of its own. It soon leaves after hearing the cock crowing for morning. After this last sighting Horatio goes over to Hamlet and tells him of this sighting, and the gets Hamlet to come with them one night hoping that it will appear again. To their intense anticipation it does show up again and this time does stay, also apparently beckoning only for Hamlet or so Horatio tells us by stating, "It beckons you to go away with it, As if it some impartment did desire To you alone." (Act I, Scene IV, Lines 58-60) Hamlet finally decides to follow it into the woods, just the two of them. In this next scene the Ghost reveals its true self to Hamlet, "I am thy father's spirit..." (Act I, Scene V, Line 9) Here proves that even though the Ghost may be lying, it in itself is a true character because it is the spirit of a character that died before the start of this play. The Ghost also asks something of Hamlet to, "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." (Act I, Scene V, Line 24) And from this statement, the rest of the play is made off of this scene. This Ghost has all the characteristics to serve as a real character in the play, not a subconscious version of Hamlet himself. The ghost appears to more than one person, the ghost talks, and the ghost asks Hamlet for revenge. The Ghost is one of the main reasons for Hamlet's actions from here on out in the remainder of the play. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Hamley was not looney toones.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hamlet was indeed a very sane man. He was only feigning madness to further his own plans for revenge. His words were so cleverly constructed that others will perceive him as mad. It is this consistent cleverness that is the ultimate evidence of his complete sanity. Can a mad person be so clever? No, a mad person cannot. Hamlet is sane and brilliant. After Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus see the ghost, Hamlet tells Horatio that he is going to "feign madness". If Horatio is to notice Hamlet acting strange it is because he is putting on an act. "How strange or odd some'er I bear myself/(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/To put an antic disposition on)/That you, at such times seeing, never shall,/With arms encumbered thus, or this headshake ,/Or by pronouncing of some doutful phrase,/As "Well,well,we know," or "We could an if we/would,"/Or "If we list to speak," or "There be an if they/might,"/Or such ambiguous giving-out, to note/That you know of me-this do swear,/(I,v,190-201).Hamlet states that from this point forward I may act weird but to ignore my acts of madness for they are just that, acts, and are in no way a sign of true madness. Only a sane and rational person could devise such a plan as to act insane to convince others that he is insane when he actually has complete control over his psyche. Hamlet only acts mad when he is in the presence of certain characters. When he is around Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern he acts completely irrational. When Hamlet is around Horatio, Bernardo, Fransico, the players, and the gravediggers Hamlet acts completely sane. When Hamlet and Polonius meet in II,ii Hamlet calls Polonius a fishmonger and makes strange conversation with him. In IV,iii Hamlet refuses to tell Claudius were he has hidden the body of Polonius and goes on about how Polonius is at supper. When Hamlet encounters Gertrude in her closet, an unusual place, in III,iv. He yells at his own mother. In II,i Hamlet enters Ophelia's closet, a highly unusual act, he is dressed badly, and acts very strange towards her. Claudius and Polonius set up a clandestine meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia in III,i. Ophelia then tries to return some gifts that Hamlet gave to her and Hamlet claims that he did not give her any gifts and that he never loved her at all. During the play in III,ii Hamlet sexually harasses Ophelia in front of the entire audience of the play. In IV,ii Hamlet refuses to tell Rosencratz and Guildenstern where he has hidden the body of Polonius. Hamlet has Rosencratz and Guildenstern, two people that used to be his friends, put to death in England. On all occasions when Hamlet is in contact with Horatio, Bernardo, Fransico, the players and the grave diggers Hamlet acts like a completely normal person under complete control of his psyche. Only a person that was truly sane and had a definite purpose behind a feigned madness could pull off such believable acts of feigned madness. Even Claudius and Polonius believe that Hamlet is not insane. "Love? His affections do not that way tend/Nor what he spake, though it lacked form a little,/Was not like madness. There's something in his soul/O'er which his melancholy sits on brood/And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose" (III,i,176-180). Claudius states Hamlet's emotions are not from love. What he does is not like madness, but it has a higher purpose. Hamlet knows something is amuck and that he is going to set things right. His madness is part of a plan that he has which is about to be hatched. "Though this be madness, yet there is/method in't" (II,ii,223-224). This occurs when Polonius and Hamlet are talking and Hamlet is acting unusual and Polonius clearly states that he believes that there appears to be a reason behind Hamlet's actions and that they are logical in nature. Shakespear gives a definite example of someone who has definitely gone mad in the play Hamlet. Ophelia is definitely crazy. After being rejected by Hamlet and the Death of her father she just could not handle it anymore. She went around dancing, singing about death, erratic behavior, and ultimately her "death". She just could not handle everything that had happened to her and gave up. On the other hand Hamlet is not crazy, he has complete control over his psyche. Hamlet tells his mother that he is not mad. "That I essentially am not in madness/ But mad in craft" (III,iv,209-210). Hamlet states, that he is not crazy in a sense that he has lost it completely and gone totally insane, but crazy like a fox. He has a plan to avenge his father's murder. Hamlet is not mad. Everything he does has a purpose to it. He is out to avenge his father's murder. The facts that support this argument are Hamlet tells Horatio that he is going to feign madness, Hamlet only acts mad in front of certain characters. Claudius and Polonius believe that Hamlet is not mad but that there is a purpose behind his madness, Shakespear gives an example of a truly mad person, and that Hamlet tells his mother that he is not crazy. These facts prove beyond a doubt that Hamlet had complete control of psyche at all times throughout the play. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Harriet The Spy Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Harriet The Spy Essay In book 2 I think Harriet has mixed feelings. She is often rude, cruel, and impatient. Even through that she is still old Harriet. She even tries to apologize to Sport and Janie!! Harriet is very impatient with Dr. Wagner. When she goes to his office she thinks about what his office looks like. A closet full of games, a couch, and a spinet. When he gives Harriet a notebook she starts writing like there's no tomorrow. FUNNIEST NOSE I'VE EVER SEEN. RUNS RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE OF HIS FACE. HE REMINDS ME SOMEWHAT OF PINKY WHITEHEAD BUT NOT AS REPULSIVE. HE HAS RED HAIR AND FUNNY TEATH. THEY ARE SORT OF YELLOW AND LONG. THIS OFFICE SMELLS OF CIGARS AND CHALK. I BET HE PLAYS WITH THOSE TOYS AFTER EVERYONE LEAVES. When Harriet tries to appoligize to sport and Janie disaster strikes. She makes Janie spill some king of liquid by startling her. When Sport's turn comes Harriet is more nervious then before. At his house Sport is very happy because his father is getting one of his books published. Harriet "Becomes very mean" and wants to do mean things to everyone. MARION HAWTHORINE: FROGS. PUT ONE IN HER DESK. A SNAKE WOULD BE BETTER. RACHEL HENNESSY: HER FATHER. ASK HER WHERE HE WENT. LAURA PETERS: HER HAIR. CUT IT OFF. OR MAKE A BALD SPOT. PINKY WHITEHEAD: MEAN LOOKS. THAT'S ALL HE NEADS. CARRIE ANDREWS: TELL HER FATHER SOMETHING TERRIBLE ABOUT HER WHICH IS A LIE. BETH ELLEN HANSEN: HATES TO BE HIT. HIT HER. JANIE : BREAK HER LITTLE FINGER. SPORT: CALL HIM A SISSY AND TELL EVERYONE HE READS COOKBOOKS. BOY WITH THE PURPLE SOCKS: ?? That is what Harriet writes in her notebook. I think Harriet should have been less mean to her friends event though they were mean to her. Well it's a shame we can't take someones "mean gene" and replace it. Or can we? I know one thing's for sure Harriet is Harriet and that will never change! The End f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Harrison Bergeron.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In "Harrison Bergeron" Kurt Vonnegut depicts a society in which everyone is mentally, physically, and socially equal. Throughout the history of our country, Americans have sought racial, gender, and socio-economic equality. On paper such a society seems ideal. Through the story one might infer that Vonnegut views the concept of total equality as ludicrous. Equality can be interpreted many ways. One point of view is the American belief that everybody should be treated equally and another view is the one represented in the story that everybody is equal. I completely agree with Mr. Vonnegut's view of the perfect society as being absurd. Having everybody equal looks fantastic in planning but it would never work out that way. If the government was allowed to impose handicaps on the naturally gifted, how could civilization ever make advancements? The great thinkers would not be able to envision new ideas because of the mental handicap radios they had to wear in their ears. Technology would come to a stand still with the gifted not being able to finish a complete thought because of the sharp sounds produced by the mental handicaps. With the handicaps imposed there would not the breakthroughs that are needed to improve the population's way of life. Suppose someone did not have the ability to invent the automobile. It would be difficult to commute to school or work. Imagine if you had to walk to work every day no matter how bad the weather is. Now-a-days people complain about having to simply walk out to their car in the morning and wait for it to warm up. Many jobs would have never been created if there were not any cars. Without technological advancements, the economy would also come to a stand still. If new goods and services were not being produced, the economy could not survive. Monopolies would eventually form and eliminate competition because new and improved products would not be replacing the old and obsolete products. The formation of these monopolies brings the nation one step closer to communism. When you look at it, the perfect society is what Russia was looking to achieve before they realized it could not work. The price of products will continually increase while the quality of the products continues to diminish without competition. This is not the only area where competition will disappear. With the limitations imposed on the gifted athletes by the physical handicaps, sports too would disappear. The superb athletes would not be able to display their abilities because they were weighed down by sash-weights and bags of birdshot. Try to picture Barry Sanders attempting to run through a hole in the offensive line while wearing sixty pounds of weights around his neck. It would be impossible. If the naturally athletic citizens were brought down to the level of the average person there would not be any point of even playing a sport. Thus eliminating sports altogether. Kurt Vonnegut's views might be a little exaggerated, but that is what he intended. He used satire in attempt to reform the belief that the perfect society can be obtained. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Hawthornes Pride of Intellect.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hawthorns Pride of Intellect Many of Hawthorne's characters wrap themselves in a pride of intellect. The characters become victims of their pride and consequently suffer. Goodman Brown, from "Young Goodman Brown" and Hooper, from "The Minister's Black Veil" are two characters that suffer from a pride of intellect. Their pride causes them similar problems and they end up living similar lives, although they came from different backgrounds. Hooper and Goodman Brown both become isolated from society. Hooper had a revelation, and he feels that he truly understands human nature and sin. However, he believes that he is above everybody else because he has this understanding. This is what causes the major separation between Hooper and society. After Hooper dawns the veil he can no longer function or act as a normal person, because of this feeling of superiority. His perception of an ultimate human isolation leaves him the man most isolated in what Hawthorne describes as that saddest of all prisons, his own heart . . . "(The Minister's Black Veil,228). The veil affects all parts of his life, his fiance leaves him and he can no longer relate to his congregation the same way. "As a result of wearing the veil, Hooper becomes a man apart, isolated from love and sympathy, suspected and even feared by his congregation"(Minister's Black Veil, 228). Goodman Brown suffers the same fate because he also has a feeling of superiority over the rest of the village. He attains this feeling after he sees all the people that he though were good and pure participating in satanic rituals in the forest. He looses all faith in the community and feels as though he is above them because he was able to resist the devil. The lack or trust trusting that Goodman Brown had separated him from the community because he was a strong Puritan and felt as though he could not associate devil worshipers. "Brown, despairing and embittered, belongs neither to the Devil's party nor to the only other life-sustaining cause he knows--that of the Puritan faith and the Puritan community"(Levy,119). Hooper and Goodman Brown's pride of intellect cause them to loose a loved one and their kind and loving nature. Hooper drives his fiance Elizabeth away by wearing the veil. Elizabeth sees how Hooper is separating himself and it scares her away from their purposed marriage. "Hooper's fiancee, seems at first unawed by the veil. To her it is merely a cloth that hides the face she most delights to see. But, like a sudden twilight in the air, Elizabeth suddenly senses the unapproachable inner isolation of the man who wears it, and its' terrors fall upon her, too"(The Minister's Black Veil,228). As a result of Hooper pride, he looses his loving and kind nature. "Hooper is shunned and even feared by the others in their times of health and happiness"(The Minister's Black Veil,228). He concentrates so much on the negative aspects of people that he refuses to see the good in them. "He makes the dark side of people the whole truth of human existence. His own kind and loving nature is lost for all"(The Minister's Black Veil,228). Goodman Brown also looses someone very close to him. He separates himself from his wife Faith. This is a result of Goodman Brown's pride. He felt so strongly that he was the only innocent person that he could not trust anybody else including Faith, his apparently religiously devote wife. When Goodman Brown saw Faith in the forest (Hawthorne, 178) she became just like the other townsman. "He now knows that Faith's voice has been mingled with the other familiar tones, heard daily at Salem village"(Levy,118). Goodman Brown's loving nature is also lost due to his pride. He becomes separates himself so much that he can no longer hold a loving relationship with Faith like he did early in the story(Hawthorne,165). Hooper from "The Minister's Black Veil" and Goodman Brown from "Young Goodman Brown" both suffer similar fates from their pride of intellect. It caused them to be drastically separated from society, and to loose loved ones and their loving nature. Their pride of intellect changed their whole lives. It can be seen as a cloak that the characters try to wrap themselves in to escape human nature and mankind. It is obvious that the characters did not consider or were not aware of the penalties of their intellectual pride. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\health essay #2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Throughout a lifetime people face different issues. A country itself faces different issues. Some people have no one to face those issues with and have no one to run to when faced with a problem. In this movie f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Health Essay 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Annie O'Donnell Health-5 December 5, 2003 The media has a huge affect on how teenagers act, think, eat, dress and much more, but is this influence always a good one? Sometimes it can be very misleading and harmful especially the media's model of sexual behavior. The example of sexual behavior portrayed in our media often leads to problems in real life, like higher risks of getting sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, eating disorders, and the lack respect towards women. The media often says that sex is cool, but never do they mention any of the harmful consequences of it. AIDs and HIV contracted from having unprotected sex is one of the most common killer diseases throughout the world and there is no cure yet to be found. Many people are unaware of how deadly this disease is and how commonly it spreads. Also since sex is portrayed in our media so much, many kids are having sex at a younger age and contracting HIV earlier. Not only do they contract HIV but many kids are getting sexually transmitted infections (S.T.I.) such as gonoria, syphilis, and chlamydia. It is true that one out of four sexually active teens has an S.T.I. Tall, beautiful, skinny models are what the media promote as the perfect image and what all girls should look like. This puts a lot of pressure on young teen girls because they feel that is what they should look like. While models average at about 5'10 and 110 pounds, the average woman is about 5'5 and 145 pounds. This causes eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia. The media also says that being sexy is "in" and that everybody should act and look like Christina Aguilera or Brittany Spears. Girls will often interpret this information that if they are sexy then they will get guys, but it isn't always necessarily true. Lastly, the media has diminished the respect toward women with offensive and demeaning pictures and songs. For example in this rap song named "Hoes" by Ludacris, he says "You doin ho activities, With ho tendencies, Hoes are your friends, hoes are your enemies, With ho energy to do whacha do, Blew whacha blew, Screw whacha screw". He refers to women as things with no feelings at all. This is just one of the many different songs that discriminate women and treat them in a lesser way. In conclusion, you can see that the media's model of sexual behavior creates problems such as diseases, eating disorders, and the lack of respect towards women. I hope that some day the media can portray a more positive influence to teenagers throughout the world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Health Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Annie O'Donnell Health-5 December 5, 2003 The media has a huge affect on how teenagers act, think, eat, dress and much more, but is this influence always a good one? Sometimes it can be very misleading and harmful especially the media's model of sexual behavior. The example of sexual behavior portrayed in our media often leads to problems like higher risks of getting sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, eating disorders, and the lack respect towards women. The media often says that sex is cool, but never do they mention any of the harmful outcomes of it. AIDs and HIV contracted from having unprotected sex are one of the most common killer diseases throughout the world and there is no cure yet to be found. Many people are unaware of how deadly this disease is and how commonly it spreads. Also since sex is portrayed in our media so much, many kids are having sex at a younger age and contracting HIV earlier. Not only do they contract HIV but many kids are getting sexually transmitted illnesses (S.T.I.) such as Gonoria, Syphilis, and Chlamydia. It is true that one out of four sexually active teens has an S.T.I. Tall, beautiful, skinny models are what the media promote as the perfect image and what all girls should look like. This puts a lot of pressure on young teen girls because they feel that is what they should look like. While models average at about 5'10 and 110 pounds, the average woman is about 5'5 and 145 pounds. This causes eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia. The media also says that being sexy is "in" and that everybody should act like Christina Aguilera or Brittany Spears. Girls will often interpret this information that if they are sexy then they will get guys, but it isn't always necessarily true. Lastly, the media has diminished the respect toward women with offensive and demeaning pictures and songs. For example in this rap song named "Hoes" by Ludacris, he says "You doin ho activities, With ho tendencies, Hoes are your friends, hoes are your enemies, With ho energy to do whacha do, Blew whacha blew, Screw whacha screw". He refers to women as things with no feelings at all. This is just one of the many different songs that discriminate women and treat them in a lesser way. In conclusion, you can see that the media's model of sexual behavior creates problems such as diseases, eating disorders, and the lack of respect towards women. I hope that some day the media can portray a positive influence to teenagers throughout the world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\heisenberg bore essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Stephanie Gilkenson 12 / 3 / 03 Movie summary - Heisenberg + Bore paper period 6 My Summary and personal belief Of the Movie This movie appealed to me in more then one various ways. It told of many positive things such as strong friendship, passion of Science, and love for a human being and how strong that bond can be. But it also told of many negative ideas such as war, dishonesty, and hate. It told of the Nazis. Its telling changed the way I look at the world scientifically. The story seemed to be based in around the 1920 and continues on past that. It tells a story of to men, Neil's bore and _______ Heisenberg. Bore was born and raised in Denmark and Heisenberg was born and raised in Germany. They were close friends even though Bore was much older then Heisenberg. They began to have a father son relationship will discovering so much together. These two men were amazing scientist. While there friendship was progressing so was the rise of the Nazis, which is negative for Bore since he is Jewish. The Nazis soon took over Denmark and the two men lost touch for a very long time. Heisenberg cares about Germany so much he will work with who ever is in control at the time. Unfortunately the Nazis were in full control. The Nazis hated the Jewish citizens. They sent many Jewish scientists away. That was one of the biggest mistakes they could have made since they would need these scientist in the future. Bore loves Heisenberg but also loves his country. He can and will not go against them. These to men are split down the middle loving there country but also loving there strong friendship. Heisenberg decides to take a very big risk and come and visit bore and his wife. Bores wife is a very intelligent woman. She begins asking questions about the arrival of Heisenberg. Asking is he thinks he's coming to talk about fusion and the making of the atomic bomb. He disagrees and states no one is worrying about that. She quickly replies then why is everyone studying it? She has a very valid point. Heisenberg comes to Denmark being followed and very highly watched. Everyone is wondering why he is going to speak to the enemy after all this time? Many things are discussed while they are there but the true meaning of the coming of Heisenberg was never actually discovered. It is still a mystery today. All we no is some of the things discussed such as Heisenberg asking Bore if he new anything about the Americas making an atomic bomb? Bore seems to know nothing of that sort. Bore suddenly jumps to the conclusion that he wants to make an atomic bomb and give it to Hitler. Later on in the movie Bore recognizes that was not his meaning of travel. Then why did he come. No one knows that is a mystery till this very day. The question I'm here to answer is why did Heisenberg go to Denmark during a war when they are both against one other? Personally I think it was to try to get information out of Bore. He was probably being pressured greatly by the government since Heisenberg was asking mysterious questions such as the making of the atomic bomb in the Americas. I think this because of the fact that he had been lying about many other things. I don't think that he went ahead and made the calculations of the atomic bomb because of the strong friendship they help. But I do think he did go there to get information just didn't become successful. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\helping Scott.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dear Scott, There was a first draft to this letter but I've changed my mind and I don't want what I said I did. No you cannot ever read it. Not ever. Things have to change. You have to be willing to change. I have come to the conclusion that the reason you did and continue to do stupid things...is that you are not coming from a good place. I do the things I do because I have been bouncing off the negative things that you do. If you get angry at what I am going to say it is because you know I'm right. You are going to get grief counseling, you are going to do it for your mom (she would want you to be happy), you are going to do it for me, but most importantly you are going to do it for yourself. You know you hate the way you feel. I am so serious Scott. I have cried endlessly over this whole thing. What we have done to each other. But imagine how good it would feel to feel better, be happy again. No one is telling you to let go of your memories or anything else pertaining to your mom, but the anger is getting kicked out the door along with bitterness and lack of confidence. You are so smart and so beautiful inside and out. I have never seen anything like you in all my life and I've been around a hell of a lot longer then you think. Everyone's solution is to break up but that would leave me upset and you alone because yes you do need me. Please take this seriously don't throw it into the bottom of your bag. This all the energy I have left and If it doesn't work then nothing will because we cannot go on this way. I won't do it. Here are a list of possible..... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Here I go with my lyrical stunt.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Here I go with my lyrical stunt Shit we got it goin on tonight Cuz just like my humor We was smoking a blunt Listen here Im about to appear My flowin is so hot That u are gunna shead a tear Lend me an ear Especially u bitch cuz u like it in the rear have no fear the lyrical savior is here with a special flow that i present to u tonight im sexy like oprah but I know how to read and write shit my rhymes are tight all my friends are white life is like a constant fight between wrong and right I wana do another sesh I know a crackhead We call him desh My rhymes always mesh Together No matter the weather We stick together Like barabra walters And leather Now that's tasty f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Heros Epic.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hero's Epic In the course of time, many heroes have made their name and many stories have been written to proclaim their greatness. However, none as captivating as Beowulf. This Anglo-Saxon epic demonstrates it's power with beautiful language, usage of kennings, metaphors, similes, and alliteration. Also, it gives wondrous supernatural beings as in God, and even of powerful creatures as Grendel. On the other hand, it has human struggles and afflictions. The very first element that is discovered by reading this epic is the lofty language that is used. Although, having read only and excerpt, the writing is as glorious as the story itself. Alliteration usage and can easily recognized in line 33, "He found them sprawled in sleep, suspecting nothing..." which demonstrates the "s" sound. Another example of alliteration at work using the "p" sound is line 160, "From my prince, no permission from my people for your landing here." Metaphors provide a distinct characteristic as in line 30 describing terror as "darkness had dropped." Line 128 when sailing across the sea, describing the seas "beating" on the sand. There are few similes but one that stands out most in line 133. "The ship foamed through the sea like a bird..." Using like to describe the similarity of the bird and how the ship traveled across the sea. Probably the most important element of language are the kennings which describe something simple so indirectly. Line 241 describes darkness or night by stating how the moon hangs. Also line 325 describes Grendel in two different kennings as one form of evil. Every hero has their way of fighting evil or protecting from it. In order to fight a supernatural being, one must have a superhuman power which brings us to another characteristic of epic poetry. The very first supernatural being described is the almighty God in lines 7-3 in the beginning. God is definitely been a supernatural being because of his ability and powers that he possesses. He is mostly associated with the Earth's origin and it's inhibitors. Monsters are also form of supernatural being. In this epic Grendel provokes death and cannibalizes human without thought but also enjoying it. What makes him so powerful is his appetite for people and how he acquires it. Without doubt the most obvious superhuman character must be Beowulf. Most recognized by inhuman strength and bravery. Human's greatest fear or enemy is death but Beowulf is not intimidated by death which proves him to be superhuman and uncommon among our race. In a heroic epic poem, the most important element must as always and sometimes is the hero himself or herself. To be classified as a hero, one of the most important characteristic that must be included is devotion to duty and have a worth cause. Beowulf proves his nobility by venturing across the sea to fight evil bringing honor for his King Higlac. As noticed, in the section "The Coming of Beowulf" he (Beowulf) has mentioned his king more than once, not owning all the bravery to himself. Beowulf is devoted to his duty by immediately adjusting the problem, but without a doubt, his travels were all for a worthy cause which is to kill evil and end suffering. Having all there elements mentioned, Beowulf holds true to it's title as a heroic epic poem. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\hhd essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Greg Essakow Mrs.Cohen Jewish Law High Holiday services mean a lot to me and my family. We are all very strong believers of tradition and every year we go to services no matter what. I have a lot of access to High Holiday services because my family always goes. I come from a very traditional Jewish background. My family and I take high holidays pretty seriously. Provides me with what I need for a spiritual cleansing. It gives me and opportunity to pray with my community and also to prey by myself. It gives me a chance to get to a spiritual high when I am praying just between me and Go-d. It gives me a feeling of thankfulness and happiness. It makes me feel that I am ok, and someone is watching whatever I do. Although I go to temple on high holidays, I still get all my business done too. Like a couple weekends ago on Rosh Hashanah I had a very important soccer game to participate in, so I went to the game and after I went to temple to pray with my family and community. I make a personal connection with G-d when I am singing the shmah during high holidays, I feel like it is just me and G-d talking. By going to synagogue it helps me connect best with G-d. It would be going to top of the French Alps and singing the Shmah and thinking about the nature and how beautiful everything is. I will be thanking G-d for creating such a beautiful place for us to live in will repenting for all the wrong doings I have committed. With the fresh air blowing in your face, watching the sunrise, thinking why you did what you did and how can you improve, that's would be my ultimate spiritual high, a way to cleanse my soul and thank G-d for everything he does for me and everyone that surrounds me. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\History of Pete Dalberg Family.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ History of Pete Dalberg Family By Jesse G. More This is Jesse G. More presenting a history of the Dalberg family starting with my Grandparents Pete and Ingaborg Dalberg. Both of my grandparents were born in Apple Bowl Sweden in the province of Dollernaw. Dollernaw is the province that is close to the Norwegian boarder that is in timber country. Pete was born in 1858 he died in 1943 at the age of 85. My Grandmother, Ingaborg was born in 1856 and died in 1944 at the age of 88. Pete actually was born a twin but the girl baby was under developed and born dead. His Mother had a total of 11 babies but only 6 possibly 7 survived. Some were born dead. Some may have lived only to infancy. Pete had 5 sisters. Pete and his 5 sisters all came to America. According to one tape I have, that my mother gave me. She said that the oldest child stayed in Sweden. I am not sure. Yet on another tape my Mother said that he had 5 sisters and no brothers that were living. There may have been one who stayed in Sweden, the oldest. Now I do not remember all the first names of his sisters. Terry Johnson Rierson came to America first. She actually was sent for by her husband who lived in Wisconsin working in a mill. They were married in Wisconsin. After he died and she had come to Idaho she then married Rierson. Anna Dalberg, Emma Swanson then two sisters who were married to Andersons. One was married the wife of John August Anderson, and one was married to John N. Anderson. John N. Anderson was the father of Sam, victor and Florence. One of their names was Breda. Which of the Anderson's I don't know but one was actually named Breda. Now with the exception of Mrs. Johnson or Reierson my Grandfather helped to bring all of them to America. He also brought his own parents to America and helped them get land according to my mother. He actually traded some land that he had in another place or the one up on the hill above Bear Creek which was the old Taylor place. That is were they lived after they came to America until they died. My Great Grandmother was also named Anna and she lived until 1912 and died at the age of 83. My Great Grandfather L. M. Dalberg or Lars or Lewis Dalberg, and my father was named after him. He died in 1911 at the age of 84. Inagaborg had 5 or 6 sisters and brothers but only one other sister came to America all the rest of her family stayed in Sweden. The only one that came was Christina one of her younger sisters and I believe Ingaborg was probably the oldest child in the family. Christina Thompson was my Grandmother and she was Ingaborgs sister. One brother of Ingaborgs married the widow of Ed Danielsons father. Ed Danielsons father was a professional skater. He fell through the ice and was drowned. They actually saw him swimming under the ice. He couldn't find the hole and he drowned when Ed was only about a year old. His mother married my Grandmothers brother and, they had I believe 4 children. When our Grandparents were married Grandpa was 23 and Grandma was 25. She was not quite 2 years older than my Grandfather. At one time when I was staying with my Grandmother at Bear Creek she told me a story about when they were engaged. It seems in Sweden, at that time, when a couple became engaged the man had to leave and be gone for 6 months. They couldn't even see each other for 6 month's. So when Pete and Ingaborg became engaged Pete had to leave that particular village. So he went to another village about 40 miles away. Also they could not communicate for 6 months. When the 6 months was up she expected him to come back. He didn't arrive until three days later. She told me, at the time, She said, "I thought he doesn't want me any more", but when he finally arrived they were married. Pete worked in the woods and around saw mills in Sweden. He could do almost anything around a saw mill. Also when he was in Sweden, and before he was married he served in the Swedish army for a year, he was 21 at the time. While he was in the army there was an officer whom he admired. Now later on I don't know when this happened but one time this officer carried our Grandmother, Ingaborg, over a mile from a cabin where they were snow bound and without fuel for heat. He carried her for over a mile on his back and she even had some frostbite feet. They feel that this saved her life. The officers name was Dalberg without an H. When my Grandfather came to America he took that name. He wanted to get away from the Swedish the Scandinavian custom of taking the fathers first name and adding a son to it. Now his name would have been Larson because his father's name was Lars or Lewis. But he decided that when he entered this country that he would take the Swedish name of the officer Dalberg and that is how we have our name today. My father was born on November 15, 1928. My fathers name was Lewis and did not have a middle name (Lewis Dalberg). His brother Pete was born just about 15 months later. Now Pete was only 22 months old when our Grandfather left for America. The reason he left Sweden at that particular time was because there were hard times in Sweden. In Sweden you could not own land only the Nobel's or the King owned land. All the land was in the name of the King or the Nobels. My Grandfather heard you could get free land in America. More than anything else the wanted land of his own. His sister and her husband were living in Wisconsin and he was working in a mill. Now my Grandfather borrowed money from them to come to America. Now he went to Wisconsin and he worked in a mill for a while until he earned enough money to send for my Grandmother and my father and his brother. My grandmother almost did not come because she did not want to leave her father. Her mother had died earlier. She didn't want to leave her father and her other brothers and sisters because she knew that she may never return to Sweden. She delayed almost another year after she received her ticket as she didn't want to come alone. Finally she agreed to come if somebody would come with her. So her sister Christina, my Grandfather's sister Emma who later became a Swanson agreed to come with her. Now according to my mother, Anna Dalberg may have also come on that ship with them. But if she would have come with them, at that time, she also would have had a child with her. My Dad in his tape didn't mention anything about another child being with them on that ship coming over so it may not have been Anna it may have been one of his other sisters. But it seems that Anna Dalberg had a child and when Dalberg wanted to leave Sweden the minister wouldn't let him leave Sweden until he married her and then later he didn't want to bring her over. So she may have come on the same ship as my Grandmother. My Dad said that he and Pete really had a great time on the ship. They would run into the toilets and pull the chain pull and hear the water swish through. My Grandmother was always cautioning them because she was afraid that they would wash overboard. Now the two younger women Christina who later became Christina Thompson and Emma had a great time. There would be music and dancing on the ship, and there were quite few young single men, on board so the two young women danced and had a great time. Now when I heard this a few years ago I was really surprised because Christina Thompson, when she was older, when I knew her, if there was any music or dancing going on oh she thought that was a sin. So I thought it was rather funny that this would happen. Now the ship landed in Baltimore and it got hung up on a sand bar. It seems that the captain of the ship didn't want to pay someone to steer the ship and of course Chesapeake Bay is very unpredictable. The ship got hung up on a sandbar and was stuck for 24 hours. They had to get tug boats to push it off when the tides were higher. My Grandmother thought surely that they would sink there right then and there. But they got off the ship all right and they took the train to Minnesota. Pete Dalberg by this time was in Minnesota, and he was managing a farm in Minnesota. So they took the train to Minnesota and they stayed there about another year. As I said before one of things my Grandfather wanted more than anything else was to own land. It seems that land was opening up in Northern Idaho and by the time he was in this country maybe 2 or 3 years he could file on a homestead. Now when he entered this country he had declared his intention to become a citizen. Two years later he had to sign some more papers. When the time was for him to go he and Doldrin left Minnesota and went to Idaho and they filed on homesteads at that time close to one another and they helped each other build log cabins. So my Grandfather then sent for his family. By this time another child was born, Anna. Anna was the first one born in America. She was born in Minnesota and she was only about 4 months old when they came to Idaho. So they left Minnesota by train for Idaho. It was Grandma, Dad, Pete, Anna and also Emma Swanson and possibly Anna Daldrin and children. They arrived in Moscow and went to Bear Creek by wagon and they all lived in that one room log cabin which was close to the stream that ran by and also big trees up to the cabin. Very little of the land at that time had been cleared. I don't know how long they lived in that cabin but I don't think it was too long until a house was built. This first house that was built was a little closer to the creek than the house that we knew. Then later the house that we knew was built which was a big 2 story house. Of course it never had any electricity while we were there. My Grandparents lived on that land until they died. My grandfather first arrived at what we know as Bear Creek in 1888. Or late 1888 at some time. The family would have arrived there in late 1889. Emma was the first one born at Bear Creek and she was born in 1889. A little over a year later Bill was born in 1891. Hilma was born in 1892. After Hilma there was another daughter born Ester. I don't know when she was born but she died when she was a year and a half old of scarlet fever. She is buried in that cemetery up by Bear Creek. Hjolmer the youngest was born in 1897 December 30, 1897. Pete was about 14 when he died of typhoid fever. Pete was very determined young man and wanted to be considered an adult and felt he could work like any man. He would work even when he wasn't feeling well. This time he worked until he couldn't get out of bed. My Dad and Pete had taken a load of lumber to Uniontown about 35 or 40 miles away with a horse and wagon. On the way back on a very warm summer day. They stopped at a spring near what is now Joel to get a drink of water. Evidently the water was contaminated. My Dad did have a mild case of typhoid fever first but got over it and Pete came down with it. When they finally got a doctor for him it was too late. Now he worked until he couldn't even get out of bed. Now when he was seemingly better our Grandmother thought she was being good to him fed him some solid food that he shouldn't have had. He got worse and soon after died. Our Grandparents then had a total of 8 children. Two of them didn't reach adulthood. Here is somewhat of a rundown of their children. My Dad Lewis P. Dalberg was the oldest in the family. He married Ida C. Thompson in 1907. Loel was born in 1908 and passed away in 1980. Loel was born at Bear Creek and Loel was 71 years of age when he died. Virgil was born in 1911 and he now lives in Oroville California. After Virgil we had a sister Loraine and was born about 1913 in Deary. She died in a tragic accident in Deary and died at about the age of 11 months. When she tried to get off a bed and caught her head in a bottom railing, smothered and also broke her neck. This was a very tragic accident and my Mother had a very difficult time emotionally getting over it. Fortunately our sister Marshland was born about a year later in 1915 in Deary and now lives in Libby Montana. Rowland was born in January of 1918 and died in 1985. During world war II Rowland was a fighter pilot. He had 59 missions when he was shot down in, Auckind Germany, and was a prisoner of war in Germany for 7 months. He was pretty badly shot up which probably contributed to his early demise. I Donald was born on Christmas day in Deary. That particular day as always we had reunions at my grandparents. My Mother during that day told my Dad, "you better take me home". So I was born about 9:30 or 10:00 that night on Christmas day. My mother, to build my ego a little bit told me that was the best Christmas present she ever had. Well I almost didn't make it past a year and a half old. When I was a year and a half old my mother took me to a neighbor lady's house. The two ladies were talking in the kitchen and I went into the living room and crawled up on the living room table. There was a saucer of fly poison there and I tasted it. It tasted good so I drank it all. Just as I was setting the saucer down my mother came in checking on me and she immediately knew what I did. She rushed me home and started throwing water on my face and everything else to try to keep me awake. Tried everything else to get me to heave it up and I wouldn't. She sent Marshland to get the doctor it was about a half hour before Dr. Faust arrived and he worked with me for a long time he pumped my stomach and finally he told my mother he said, "I better give him some pretty strong medicine to counter act the poison". He said, "this medicine is so strong it will probably effect the joints in my feet and probably stunt my growth some." He didn't dare not give me the medicine. So I was given the medicine and he stayed with me for about 3 hours. Finally after 3 hours I was on the floor again playing and he said, "now he will be all right". But it actually did affect my growth some and did effect the joints in my feet. But anyway I survived fortunately for me. Alberta was born in 1923 in Troy and now lives in Aliment Colorado. My Mother, who recently celebrated her 96 birthday lives with her there. One other full term baby was born dead in 1924. They named that baby Merle and it is buried up in that cemetery up in Bear Creek. My Dad when he was 20 years old went up in the hills above Clarkia above Grandmother and Grandfather mountain and he squatted on what later became a homestead. But he couldn't file on it then because it wasn't even set up for homesteading. But later on he did file on that homestead. He and a man by the name of Coolberg. They filed on a homestead there. Well when Loel was about 2 1/2 or 3 months old my Dad actually took my Mother on that homestead. When they were in Clarkia, waiting to go, they stayed at an inn overnight. A man looked and mad mention to another man he said, "that baby doll isn't going to stay up there very long". Well when she stayed all summer and stayed until it was almost to late to come out because of bad weather. They came back through Clarkia, why he said, "I didn't think that baby doll would ever make it". Well that shows a little bit the determination of my Mother. Later on my Dad had a lawsuit ( you can hear in the other tape) but they were able to save his homestead. Later he sold his whitepine timber to the Dollar Lumber Company and they logged it off and my Dad was thinking later of logging the cedar poles. Now he had from 3-5 million feet of virgin whitepine timber on his homestead. Today that would really be worth a fortune. But he only got about $7500 for the white pine timber on his land. He and Coolberg actually sold together. Dad because of a big bluff only had about 120 acres whereas Coolberg had 160 acres even though there was really more whitepine timber on my Dads homestead Coolberg got more of the money. That was kind the way my dad was. Sometimes he was a little bit too much that way other people were able to take advantage of it. He wanted to be so fair that sometimes he wasn't fair to himself. After they sold the homestead and after the whitepine timber had been logged off my Dad was going to log off the cedar poles. He said there was as many cedar poles on that land as there was whitepine timber. But before he could do that a big fire went through and just destroyed everything. It appears that they had built a nice log plume from the top of the hill down into Marble Creek or Homestead Creek about quarter of a mile long. And somehow the fire started in that log plume. Somebody put to much and got fire too close to it and burned everything out. So the homestead was worthless and my Dad had to let it go back for taxes. But anyway after the homestead my Dad had a store in Deary he also worked in a store in Bovil for awhile and then later on he moved to Troy and had a store in Troy until 1928. In 1928 we moved to Nez perce we lived there for a year and a half, then we moved to Garfield and lived there for year and a half and came back to Troy. Now the Nez Perce adventure cost my Dad probably around 15 or 20 thousand dollars. He had a forged contract that they gave him and he couldn't get out of it without a law suit. He couldn't afford a lawsuit at that particular time. So from that point on he had to work very hard. My Dad only had about a 5th grade education but he was self educated. He would read everything and he could converse on just about any subject. He also could not only read and write Swedish but also English as well. He worked very hard in elequition to rid himself of a Swedish accent. I learned when I was in the army in the south pacific just what a learned man he was he would write me letters and everyone of them had some information there and I was utterly surprised and amazed at the knowledge he had. My Mother also was a very determined person she was totally and wholly dedicated to her family and she would sacrifice almost anything for us, believe me. Now in her later years she is enjoying somebody else waiting on her and helping her which she certainly deserves. When we moved back to Troy in 1931 my Dad worked in the butcher shop for Ted Thompson and Simon Hagen. Later when Simon left Dad was out of work and even worked for the WPA for a while and all of us lived on $30 dollars month for about 6 months. My Dad and Loel would even go out and cut wood and sell the wood for maybe even a $1.00 to $1.25 a cord and could only cut about one cord a day. Later on my Dad worked at the Troy Mercantile in the butcher shop. When the war broke out and they started building Faragut my Dad went up to Faragut and worked up there first of all filing saws and then worked in the kitchen cutting meats in the kitchen. Later he came back and worked in Moscow. My folks had moved to Moscow by that time. Dad worked for Randelman till he was about 75 years of age. Of course he only worked part time but he still worked. Every Christmas he would make 200- 300 pounds of potatoskard. Everybody around loved Dads potatoescard. He made it with the best material. So he really knew the formula for making that potatoescard. Dad died in 1964 at the age of 81 and as I said my Mother is still living and just recently celebrated her 96th birthday. Now the rest of the families I don't know as much about and some of you will have to fill in some of these things about your own Mother and Father on your own. Anna I believe was the next one who was married and she married Frank Hayes and lived in Bovil. Merle was born in 1911 and is now deceased. Erma was born about 1914 or 1915 and lives in Spokane Washington. Anna divorced Frank Hayes and moved to Spokane when Merle was in high school. Merle actually lived with us for a year when we were in Nez Perce Idaho. Later Anna married Joe Colverson and had a daughter, Donna Colverson born about 1930 Donna is now deceased. One time when Anna was actually staying at Bear Creek Donna was about 8 years of age. She was going to make some candy on the kitchen stove. The fire was out. She was going to start it with some kerosene. She went out on the porch and got gasoline by accident didn't know it. She threw it on the fire and it fused right out at her and caught her dress on fire, and she screamed. Anna was up stairs and how she got down stairs and out of the bedroom before Donna could get out the front door I don't know. Anna got her down wrapped a blanket around her and got the fire out. Donna was very badly burned. Merle happened to be there at the time. So they took her to Moscow to the hospital. She almost died in the hospital in Moscow. They really didn't know how to take care of her there and they finally transferred her to Spokane to a burn center. She was in that burn center for I believe 9 months or almost a year. They had to give her some pretty strong medicine or she would of died. That caused her later on to develop somewhat of a dependency on some of those pain killers. Donna was married 3 times and she died of cancer in her late 40's. Anna was married for the third time and lived outside of Troy. She married a man quite younger than her Brant Gunderson. I believe she was happiest with him but she died when she was 78 and it wasn't long afterwards Brant died because he seemed to lose interest in life after she died. Emma married Simon Hagon in 1910 they had 2 children. Eveylon was born in 1911 and Luette was born in 1919. Eveylon lives in Clarkston Washington and Luett lives in Lewiston Idaho. There is a little story about Emma when she was small. It seems that Emma use to walk in her sleep and Grandma was always worried that Emma would get out side an the coyotes would get her. The coyotes would howl every night. Well one night she heard the coyotes howling very close. She thought she even heard a wolf howling. She went into check the bed and there were three of the kids that were sleeping crossways. She couldn't see Emma. She woke up my Grandfather and I think my Dad and they went out looking for Emma and they couldn't find her. They went out calling Emma and Grandmother thought that surely the coyote or the wolves had gotten Emma. Then somebody went to check the bed and there Emma had kind a fallen down in the middle of the bed and the other two kids were practically on top of her and Grandma didn't see her. Boy Grandma was relieved. Well Emma was a very fun loving person and she would joke with her nieces and nephews. She use to joke with me. Sometimes my Mother would get a little angry with her cause she would say, "you better look out cause the boogie man will get you." Sometimes Emma would tell me that and when I would go home I would look under the bed for the boogie man. But she use to love to go out in the woods and go Huckelberrying. She past a way in 1980 at the age of 89. Her husband Simon had a heart condition and past away in 1936. He was only in his 40's when he past away. Well from 1936-1980 somebody would always tell Emma, "Emma you need to find another man". Well she never even looked twice at another man because Simon was her love and that was it. Bill was in his late 20's when he married a widow Ida Hawkinson Olson. She had two sons Harald who was 12 who now lives in Spokane Washington and Leonard who was 6 and now lives in Utah when they were married. But Bill thought of them as his children. just like anybody else. Bill just recently past away while living with a step grandchild, Sandra Miller, out of Spokane. His wife Ida past away a few years ago. Bill was a carpenter and built several houses in Moscow and Lewiston. Sometimes they would build a house from scratch. They would build a foundation and maybe one room and live in that room until the rest of the house was finished. I remember one time visiting Ida said, "I wish that just once I could live in a house, a completed house, just once in my lifetime". Well they did later on, but both of them were what you call pack rats. If one was good enough they had to have two of everything. So they had all sorts of gadgets and all sort of things around the house all the time. But Ida just loved to have people come and sometimes when you'd come she would say, "I wish I knew you were coming I would of baked a cake", and then she would put out a spread you wouldn't believe. But she past away in 1980 at the age of 87. Now Bill was 95 when she past away just this year. This is 1986 by the way. Bill was also a landscape painter. Many of you have pictures in your homes I don't have one. Also he use to go around and collect rocks and various other things. I know one time we visited him he had a whole shed filled with different kinds of rocks, garnets and various tools and things. My wife Fran would of loved to have some, but he wouldn't offer. He was a great kidder. I remember that when we lived in a house in Troy when I was about 6 or 7 years old he lived with us and helped to remodel our house. He would kid with me at night and he would go do his paintings and various other things. They tell a story when Loel was a little kid they had gone out and caught some fish and one was a pretty good size and one was small well when they went to eat (they had been cooked). Well Bill took the big one and Loel said, "you big pig you took the big fish. He said, "which one would you of taken if you got to chose first" and he said, "I would of taken the small one. Loel said, " well that is the one you got isn't it"? That was the way Bill was he was always thinking. Even I visited him last fall and he was always thinking. He was thinking about prices and various other things. In 1928 he actually invented a ball point pen. It was rather large. It was a cylindrical type of thing. In 1967 when we visited them that ball point still worked, but he never developed it. He had a mind that was thinking but allot of times he didn't carry out what he wanted to do. Hilma married Ed Danielson whose mother had married Grandma Dalberg's brother in Sweden after Ed's father had been drown in a skating accident when Ed was an infant. So Ed's half brother and sisters were cousins to Hilma and my Dad and your Dad and so forth. Ed was 20 when he came to America and came to Bear Creek. He worked with my Dad in the woods and various other things. My Dad even played a trick on him one time and got him to put snuff up his nose and it almost gagged him. Hilma and Ed were married in about in 1913 or 1914 and Vivian was born about in 1915. Later Vivian developed rheumatic fever and developed a serious heart condition and died of dropsy about in 1935. Right after Ed and Hilma were married they lived in Elk River. Ed was working in a mill there as a mill right. The first month they were married Hilma ran up a grocery bill of $90.00 and Ed was only making $135.00 a month. Well when he got the bill he told her I think you better go back home and ask your mother to teach you to cook. Well Hilma all of her life was rather generous and sometimes rather inclined to be a little extravagant. Ed was making $200 a month when other people were making $100 a month so they had the money to spend. But after Ed worked for the Nyberg construction company for many years as a trouble shooter, he retired and came back to bear Bear Creek. Well he worked at mills and various other things around there. Ed was at times a heavy drinker and later on (at first Hilma was not) after Vivian died she kind a lost her will and she sometimes drank rather heavily. She was the only one of Grandma and Grandpa 's children that developed a drinking habit. Because they had seen what it had done to their father. I'll tell you more about that later on. But Hilma past away at the age of 65 from throat cancer. and as I said she really never got over their daughter Vivians early death. Ed was 84 when he past away. Hjolmer married Petre Slind in early 1917. Lavern was born in 1917 in Deary. Marjorie was born in 1919 in Deary, in fact Marjorie was born just a week before I was born in December of 1919. Glen was born in 1923 in Deary. Glen died of a hear attack in 1984. Glen was very badly wounded in Europe in Normandy in 1944 he was the only one in his squad who came back alive. He had a bullet go through his chest and lodge in his lung and it went between two arteries. The doctor said later that even he couldn't have placed that bullet. It was just miracle that it hadn't severed one of those arteries and he bled to death. He was in the hospital for quite awhile and was discharged and came home. He worked for the post office until he retired. Alan or Jr. was born in 1933 in Deary. By the way Laverne and Jr. and Marjorie you will have to fill in allot of the event that I don't know about and allot about your life history in your own. Now Hjolmer was a very good baseball player and played on the Deary town team even into his late 40's now if he had the schooling and some additional training he could have played professional baseball. Some say he was good enough to make the majors. I think I watched him play once when Deary played Helmer at a 4th of July celebration and he hit the home run that won the game for Deary. Now when Hjolmer was about 10 or 11 my Mother and Father were married and lived at Bear Creek for awhile. There is one story that Hjolmer had a broad brimmed hat that Grandma made him wear and she didn't like it so he put the hat over a hot can and burned the brim off. Grandma then took and cut off the rest of the brim and made him wear it. You can imagine how funny he looked. Also one year when he was suppose to go to school. They only wen f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Hitler term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hitler: The Rise of Evil Adolf Hitler has been regarded throughout history to many as the monstrosity of evil. He tried to control the world; to carry out the prophecy of the Third Reich there must be control for one-thousand years. He has said to have been an extremely prolific and hypnotic speaker, yet his everyday communication skills faltered. There have been many theories proposed as to why he became the way he was. The main reason was the way he was raised. Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau, Austria. He was the son of Alois Schickelgruber and Klara. His father was a customs official, illegimate by birth and was described as a very strict man. His mother was extremely loving and devoting towards him; the complete opposite of Hitler's father. Beginning at the age of three Hitler moved around quit a few times. Along the way his sister, Paula, and brother, Edmond, were born, to make six children total in the family. With a family of six children it became difficult to provide for all of them, especially to give them the proper attention, as one could imagine. It is there that his mother spoiled him, most likely to lessen the feeling of being left out. The family's next move is what next inspired Hitler to move in a new direction. The family moved into a home across from a large Benedictine monastery. The monastery's coat of arms most interesting feature was that it was a swastika, which later would come into play for Hitler's career as a fascist dictator. Hitler's dream at that time was to enter priesthood; presumably to escape from the problems he had at home with his father, who was known to beat him regularly. This possibly led to his next newfound talent. Around the turn of the century Hitler's artistic talents rose to the surface. HE did so well in school that he became eligible to either attend the university preparatory "gymnasium" or the technical/scientific Realschule. Because the Realschule had courses in drawing, Hit respected his father's decision to place him in the Realschule. This school ended up not going well for him and he failed terribly. Hitler's father died in 1906 due to suffering a pleural hemorrhage. Hitler also suffered from lung infections, which were the reason for him to quit school at the age of sixteen, also along with the fact that he had poor school work. From there he went to Vienna to apply to a prestigious art school there, from which he was turned away. The family's health took a turn for the worst when his mother developed terminal breast cancer. She was operated upon and went through extremely painful treatments with no avail; she died on December 21, 1907. The doctor who tried to save her was of Jewish descent. After his mother died, Hitler became somewhat of a transient, wandering penniless around Vienna by 1909. He slept anywhere with a roof, be it a bar, flophouse, or homeless shelter, which were financed by Jewish philanthropists. This is the period in which his prejudices about Jews, interests in politics, and debating skill were developed. As one may now see, Hitler had a very black and dangerously failing life while he was growing up. His actions that came later could possibly be blamed upon this bleak childhood. His anger and aggression could have been developed from his father's abusive personality, his need for love from his doting mother, and his need for power could be blamed upon the fact that he was such a failure at most everything he did. That possibility gave him the strength to overcome and feel a sense of control in his life. The most interesting thing is that he turned his back on the Jews, just because they had something he could never have, which was self-confidence. The only thing he had in common with the Jews was the drive to succeed. Hitler just took that drive in a different direction, into his rise of a brooding malovent dictator. Works Cited: Grobman, Gary. "Adolf Hitler." The Holocaust: A guide for Teachers. 2001. Remember.org. 20 May 2003. . McKenna, Stephanie. "Hitler's Youth." Hitler's Women and Youth. 2002. Dickenson.edu. 21 May 2003. . Arendt, Hannah. Origins of Totalitarianism. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1968. Hitler: The Rise of Evil. Dir. Cornelius Schnauber. Alliance Atlantis, 2003. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Hmmmm.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hmmmm Almost every day of my life I am bombarded with concepts that are sometimes so incredible, my jaw drops and I am left in dazed wonderment. Sometimes the things I learn are so "out there" that I ask myself "why?" Three things that I always felt were inexplicable was the rise of the neo-Nazi party in Germany. The "I'm the victim" mentality of incarcerated inmates. And finally, why many people won't accept responsibility for their actions. Firstly, one of the worst things that ever happened to Germany was the rise of the Nazi political party. The Nazi's brought out the worst of humanities aspects in a culture that is normally very friendly and open. So why are the new Nazi's being allowed to rise in the political structure? Haven't the German people learned from the past? In today's world, no culture can subscribe to isolationism; also, it's been shown that all cultures have something to offer, that there are bright, articulate people in every part of the world. Secondly, I have found that most of the inmates I've encountered are victims, at least in their own minds. The usual excuses are "It's not my fault I had to steal, I didn't have any job skills" and "everyone is against me." It is never the individual's fault that he or she was involved some kind of criminal activity. If the so-called "victims of the state" acted in a sensible manner and as adults, they never would have been incarcerated. The simple truth is, if one acts in a delinquent manner, no matter of social standing, one will be treated accordingly. Finally, the most incomprehensible idea I've encountered is that many people won't accept responsibility for their actions; it is always someone's fault, but never one's own. The plain fact is, if I want to be regarded as a mature adult, I must take the punishment for anything I might do. But in the world today, it seems that putting the blame on someone else is a regular past-time. "He makes me crazy!" "She pushed me over the edge." "If only she had stopped, I never would have done that." Since when have others controlled the way a person acts in such ways as those listed? Instead people should say "I let him get me upset." "I allowed my temper get away from me." And "I granted her the power to control me." Outside influences will create situations that I may not be able to control, but I will accept the responsibility for the actions I perform. That is what being an adult is about. There will always be influences in my life that will stupify me. The important thing is that even if I can't control what is going on with those events, I can control how I act, for I am the "master of my ship." Whoever can't, might as well never leave his or her home. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Holden Caufield.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Holden Caufield was a high school student at a boy's academy by the name of Pency Prep. He feels as though he had fought the world and lost, everyone is against him and that little can bring him joy. He had lost his innocence, and saw himself as a "catcher in the rye", trying to save children from his fate. Holden is quite the eccentric individual. I say this because of the incident with Sally Hayes where he proclaims his love for her and how they should run off together. The reason this makes him an eccentric is, he hates her and in his own words "Sally you're a pain in the ___!" Holden Caufield has many bad qualities including one of his favorite pastimes getting rip-roaring drunk. A good example of this is one of the many bar scenes when he gets quite drunk and asks the waiter to complement the singer. This is a show of his drunkenness because the singer is awful or at least the thought so before he started drinking. This is one among a plethora of bad habits like smoking, cursing, and being extremely cynical (everyone is a phony). Holden is by far not all bad, inside he is moral and generous. There are very clear examples of these good qualities. He had some moral sense because when "bought" the prostitute Sunny for a throw he could not go threw with it, so he paid her anyway and sent her away from him. Holden was charitable when he gave a considerably large donation of twenty dollars to the two nuns. This action was nothing other than an act of pure kindness. Holden Caufield has a foil or an opposite in the story, The Catcher in the Rye. This person is his younger sister, Phoebe. She has a positive outlook on life, while Holden hated it and thought he was doomed. She was his "ray of hope" in life and she was the only thing that brought them true joy. Phoebe was also the only person Holden knew who was not a phony about life and being happy (Sally Hayes). Holden Caufeild seems to change and evolve throughout the book. In the beginning, he is said to be very irresponsible for reasons like forgetting the foils for fencing at the subway or for getting kicked out of school. Later, he Holden seems to become nicer, by giving twenty dollars to the nuns. He also develops the ides of being a catcher in the rye, protecting children from the outside world, and from losing their innocence. I enjoyed this book greatly and I find that Holden Caufield's life story is not that far fetched. Holden is seen by most as just another flunkie, but he is much more than that and I hope my paper has proved this fact. This book has stirred much controversy in its time (as many good books do), but I believe it is just true to life showing the workings of a single teenagers mind. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\HolisticMedicine.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Holistic Medicine Millions of people around the world are living with pain that could be prevented with the use of alternative therapies. As a result many of these people use harmful or ineffective drugs and surgeries in an attempt to cure their ailments. With a steady schedule of massage therapy, acupuncture, and healthy foods, people can lead a healthy and invigorating life without drugs or surgery. During the time of the ancient Roman gladiators, massage therapy was used to treat everything from headaches to sports injures on them. Today massage therapy is widely recognized as a sensible alternative to traditional medicine, in that it relieves pain and soreness otherwise helped by taking pills or other medicines. Massage can help everyone, including premature infants according to USA Weekend, "premature infants who get regular massages in the hospital gain more weight and leave the hospital sooner then unmassaged babies"(McNichol,22). I firmly believe that massage therapy is one of the best preventative measures that a person can take to avoid most medical problems involved with aging, physical exertion, and the stress of everyday life. Some doctors agree by saying, "If you have a massage every week, you will have 2/3 less illness" (H. Gruenn, M.D.). There are many different types of massage therapy including relaxing Swedish massage for relieving stress, sports massage for treating sports related injuries, and therapeutic massage to name a few. Relaxing Swedish massage is one of the most effective ways to deal with that invisible killer, stress. By applying smooth gentle stokes or other non-invasive massage techniques, the Swedish massage practitioner can relieve the client of the every day stresses of life that can be fatal if not dealt with. In sports massage, the use of more advanced massage techniques can relieve athletes of lactic acid and other wastes that accumulate in the muscles due to exertion. Other therapeutic massage techniques such as Neuromuscular, Myofascal, and Lymphatic drainage can aid in the recovery of injured clients. Another form of alternative therapy is the ancient Chinese healing art of acupuncture. Acupuncture was first experimented within the First Imperial Medical College of China during the Sui Dynasty in 589 AD. "In Chinese medicine, and therefore in acupuncture, health is determined by a persons ability to maintain a balanced and harmonious internal environment."(Mills pg. 8). This theory of internal harmony is expressed through the principles of Ying and Yang and it's five separate phases: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Internal harmony is also based on the uninterrupted flow of the "Qi", or vitality. The Qi is responsible for all of the body's spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical processes. The Qi flows up and down channels of the body called "Jingluo", or meridians. Twelve particular meridians run up and down the body in a continuous circuit connecting the internal organs of the body known as "Zangfu". If the acupuncturist knows the correct point along the meridians, the Qi's flow may be returned to normal by using the needle. I have experienced acupuncture first hand and I do believe it is an effective tool for relieving pain and diseases that effect the body. Overall, the basic principle of acupuncture and all of Chinese medicine is to restore the balance of Ying and Yang. Acupuncture works best in conduction with massage therapy and a good diet of healthy foods. How many times did your mother have to tell you to eat your vegetables? "In fact, scientists say that a little more attention to our diets might slash the death rate for heart disease by seventy percent."(Michaud,28). As a result of all the junk food in the world, clogged arteries, overburdened hearts, stone filled gall bladders, ruined livers, and many other chemical enemies are eating away at our health. As the well known saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", because apples and other fruits can lower cholesterol, prevent gallstones, and protect against certain cancers. Dr. Neil Stone, M.D., says "It's important to eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables" (Wild,29). Among other healthy fruits there are apricots that combat constipation and bananas that heal ulcers and prevent strokes. Experts state that, "Fortunately, bananas are the overwhelming fruit snack of Americans. Americans have increased the consumption of the fruit by about 30 percent over the past couple of decades"(Michaud, 38). Vegetables such as beans lower cholesterol and can even control appetite. Berries may also prevent certain cancers and also battle arthritis and urinary tract infections. Carrots and cherries may also help lower cholesterol levels that can result in heart attacks. Many other tasty entrees such as fish and other meats may prevent iron deficiency anemia and even memory loss. Meats can also bolster the immune system to fight diseases and keep people out of the hospital. Any of these foods combined with a drink of calcium enriched milk or an artery clearing citrus drink will improve your health dramatically. The junk food companies will say that their products are low-fat or light on the calories, but who are they kidding? They just want to sell their product and could care less about the health of the world. Sometimes it is hard to resist the temptation of a freshly baked batch of cookies or a bag of salty potato chips on Super Bowl Sunday, but the only one responsible for your health is you. There are many other ways to avoid common health problems that can send people straight to the hospital for surgery. Other alternative therapies like chiropractic care and aromatherapy are also great ways to keep people healthy. It is important to inform people of the many preventative measures in alternative therapy that could improve the people of the world's health dramatically. Thousands of people die every year due to the side effects of prescription medicine and surgeries that go wrong. No one in the history of massage therapy or acupuncture has died from the application of these therapies. Too many people decide that the application of these therapies is a waste of money or frivolous, but when it comes to the doctor prescribing medicine or surgeries that pose a threat to health, people take this seriously. Some doctors, the ones who truly care for your health, will recommend alternative therapies before dangerous medical procedures, but there are many medical doctors out there who have dollar signs in their eyes and will recommend expensive and sometimes unnecessary surgeries and medicine just to make their pockets thicker. Do yourself a favor, look into alternative therapies or ask your doctor about them, the future of your health may depend on it. WORKS CITED Michaud, Ellen. "Healing Foods." The Complete Book of Natural and Medicinal Cures. Rodale Press Inc., 1994. Mills, Simon M.A., and Finado, Stephen J. Ph.D. Alternatives in Healing. Marshall Editions Ltd., 1988. Fritz, Sandy. Mosby's Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage. Mosby-Year Book Inc., 1995. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\HomelessinAmerica.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Homeless in America " I never imagined that I would be homeless." Although I have read this statement made over and over again, the facts behind it remain astonishing. The facts are that there are millions of homeless in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing had lead people to live on the streets. Many of the homeless are women that have become divorced or have left home because of physical abuse. These women have no education because they have not been given the chance to go and get the education that it takes nowadays to get the job, so they are forced to live on the streets. They have no family to help them and they are left with no other choice. People with mental illnesses also become homeless quite often. These people are incapable of handling the stress of living on their own. These people get kicked out of their homes and are to ashamed to go to their families because of their illness, so we see them on the streets struggling to stay warm. Teenage mothers are also forced to live on the streets because their families will not help them. The fathers are not there and that forces them to live on the streets. So they must resort to prostitution to pay for the food that their young ones need to stay alive. There are many other people that become homeless for many different reasons. Some of these people can not help becoming homeless. Some of these people are the illegal immigrants that come here from other places to get a better life but end up not having enough money to make it in this hard world that we live in. Teenage runaways have different reasons for leaving home but all have the same reason for becoming homeless. They simply just do not have enough money. Others are drug and alcohol abusers and disabled people. With this list of people there must be some way that we can help these people. There has been many programs that have been available to help these homeless, but only have only succeeded in the short run and have failed in the long run. There has been homeless in America ever since the colonial times and not much progress has been made in the 200 plus years in helping these people. We have adopted programs such as FDR's New Deal in which the government produced more jobs that took little skill, and made these jobs available to the poor. Social Security, which is not welfare, was adopted and is still going. It is where you pay into it while you work and when you for some reason become unable to work you will have this money. HUD housing has been available also to the homeless and the poor. We also have AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) and Welfare which gives federal money to homeless and poor and helps them get back on their feet. But these programs seem more to help the poor with homes and not the poor without homes. We must think of ways to help the poor without homes - the homeless. There are many shelters were the homeless can go to get out of the cold and sleep on a cot instead of a bench or the hard ground, but families sometimes find it dangerous to sleep there in fear that the few possessions that they do own will be stolen. We should make these places safer for the homeless, and set up programs within these shelters that will help the homeless find jobs and homes. We could have the vacant apartment buildings opened and have the homeless stay there so that they have an address to get their selves a job. We could take some of the money that we are using to set up these little shelters, and set up larger ones in the cities that need them the most. We could all volunteer a little of our time to serve dinners to these people and to help build homes for the homeless. We could give a little of our money to those who have none. A little of our time will go a long way. Homelessness is a big problem in our country today, but there are very few programs set up to help them. We all need to work together to help those less fortunate because you would want someone to help you if you where in that position, so we should do our best to help them f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\HondaMarketingStrategy.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Marketing of Honda motorcycles in the USA The American Honda Motor Company was established as a subsidiary by Honda in 1959. During the 1960's the type of motorcycles brought by Americans underwent a major change. Motorcycle registrations increased by over 800,000 in five years from 1960. In the early 60's the major competitors were Haley - Davidson of U.S.A, BSA, Triumph and Norton of the UK and Motto - Guzzi of Italy. Harley-Davidson had the largest market share with sales in 1959 totalling a6.6 million dollars. Many of the motorcycles produced were large and bulky and this led to the image of the motorcycle rider as being one who wore a leather jacket and went out to cause trouble. The Boston Consulting Group ( BCG ) report was initiated by the British government to study the decline in British motorcycle companies around the world, especially in the USA where sales had dropped from 49% in 1959 to 9% in 1973. The two key factors the report identified was the market share loss and profitability declines an the scale economy disadvantages in technology, distribution, and manufacturing. The BCG report showed that success of the Japanese manufacturers started with the growth of their own domestic markets. The high production for domestic demand led to Honda experiencing economies of scale as the cost of producing motorbikes declined with the level of output. This provided Honda to achieve a highly competitive cost position which they used to penetrate into the US market. " The basic philosophy of the Japanese manufacture is that high volumes per model provide the potential for high productivity as a result of using capital intensive and highly automated techniques. Their marketing strategies are therefore directed towards developing these high model volumes, hence the careful attention that we have observed them giving to growth and market share." (BCG p.59 ). The report goes on to show how Honda built up engineering competencies through the innovation of Mr Honda. The company also moved away from other companies who relied upon distributors to sell their bikes when the company set up its headquarters in the west coast of America. The BCG found that the motorcycles available before Honda entered the market were for limited group of people such as the police, army etc. But Honda had a "policy of selling, not primarily to confirmed motorcyclists but rather to members of the general public who had never before given a second thought to a motorcycle"( SP p.116 ). The small, lightweight Honda Supercub sold at under 250 dollars compared to the bigger American or British machines which were retailing at around 1000 to 1500 dollars. In 1960 Honda's research team comprised of around 700 designer and engineer staff compared to the 100 or so employed by their competitors showing the value which the company placed on innovation. Production per man-year was 159 units in 1962, a figure not reached by Harley-Davidson until 1974. Honda was following a strategy of developing region by region. Over a period of four to five years they moved from the west coast of America to the east coast. The report showed the emphasis which Honda paid to advertising when the company spent heavily on the advertising theme " you meet the nicest people on a Honda" thereby disassociating themselves from the rowdy, hell's angels type of people. Essentially the BCG is portraying Honda as a firm dedicated to being a low cost producer, utilising its dominant position in Japan to force entry into the U.S market, redefining that market by putting up the nicest people image and exploiting its comparative advantage via aggressive advertising and pricing. Pascale tends to disagree on many points of the BCG report. The report suggests that there was a smooth entry into the U.S market which led to an instant success. Pascale argues that Honda entered the American market at the end of the motorcycle trade season showing their impotence to carry out research in the new market. As they entered the market at the wrong time sales were not as good as they should have been and any success was not going to be instantaneous. Pascale also criticises the assumption that Honda was superior to other competitors in productivity. He says that Honda was successful in Japan with productivity but circumstances indicate that the company was not superior. The lack of funding from the ministry of finance and the ploughing back of profits into inventory meant they had a tight budget to follow. The BCG report shows that Honda had a smooth policy of developing region by region, moving from the west to the east. Pascale response is that this is partly true but reminds that Hondas advertising was still in Los Angeles in 1963, four years after setting up their subsidiary. The report to the British government showed that Honda had a deliberate strategy of disassociating themselves from the hells angels type of people by following the nicest people advertisement policy. Pascale shows that this was not an intentional move since there were disputes within the company with the director of sales eventually persuading to management against their better judgement. The BCG report found Honda pushed into the U.S market with small lightweight motorbikes. However Pascale says this is again not true. He argues the intended strategy was one of promoting the larger 250cc and 350cc as Honda felt that this was what the market wanted since Americans liked all things large. The bikes were unreliable which led to the promotion of the supercubs. These bikes salvaged the reputation of the company. An idea which hardly came from an inspired idea but one of desperation. Overall Pascale gives the impression that it was through an incidental sequence of events which led to Honda gaining a strong hold in the U.S market, mainly through the unexpected discovery of a large untapped segment of the market while at the same time trying to retain the interest of the current market. The criticism made by Pascale can be further analysed by looking at the strengths of the Honda company. The strengths of Honda start with the roles which the founders played. Honda was an inventive genius with a large ego and a volatile temperament. His main concerns were not about the profitability of the company or its products, but rather to show his innovative ability by producing better engines. Fujisawa on the other hand thought about the financial section of the company and how to market the ideas. He often challenged Honda to come up with better engines. By specialising in their own abilities the two of them were able to pool together resources and function effectively as a team. Another strength was the way the company utilised its market position. Strengths in design advantages and production methods meant they were able to increases sales in Japan even though there was no organisation within the company. Once there was a large enough demand for its products, mainly the supercub, Honda both in Japan and in America, moved from a sale on consignment basis to one that required cash on delivery. This seemed a very risky decision to make at the time but within three years they had changed the pattern within the motorcycle industry by shifting the power relationship from the dealer to the manufacturer. Mr Honda had cultivated a "success against all odds" culture into the company. This was tested when he sent two executives to the U.S with no strategy other than to see if they could sell something. The weaknesses within an organisation can become irrelevant if the strategy is strong and there is good leadership. An element of luck also helped Honda follow an emerging strategy. Restrictions placed on funds by the government for the U.S venture forced Honda to take an alternative route. If they had all the funds necessary they may well have gone through the normal distribution channels. Honda entered the us market right at the end of the motorcycle trade season. When leaking oil and clutch problems occurred on their bikes it did not affect Honda as hard as it would have had they entered in the beginning of the season. Also people noticing the Supercubs led the company to produce a bike which was not at first supported by senior management. The success of Honda was not the result of senior management coming up with all the answers. In fact senior executives in most Japanese manufacturing companies do not take their strategic positions too seriously. Salesman, cleaners and those working on the manufacturing floor all contribute to the company is run and thereby influence its strategic position. It is this ability of an organisation to move ideas from the tom to the bottom and back again in continuos dialogue that the company values the greatest. As a conclusion it is necessary to consider the theoretical side of Hondas strategy and see whether the company was in fact following a model. The first model is the Andrew's model. Andrew came up with the idea that there were two stages to corporate strategy, formulation and implementation. Formulation involved looking at the market, competitors and resources and formulating a corporate strategy which would be implemented throughout each process of the organisational structure. This model was also supported by Porter. This is how the BCG saw Honda, as a corporation, who had looked at the market, formulated a strategy to cope with the environment and competition pressures and implemented it, making all Hondas plans and activities deliberate. The second model known as the emergent strategy portrays a different image to the Andrews model and shows how Pascale viewed Honda. The model shows a realised strategy made up from a an intended strategy together with an emergent strategy which is not planned but emerges in relation to activities within the environment. Pascale seemed to think that in Hondas case a substantial proportion or the companies corporate strategy was emergent and less was actually intended strategy. The actual strategy followed by Honda is likely to be a combination of both. BIBLIOGRAPHY Minzburg, H. & Quinn, J.B. ( 1991), The strategy Process. Prentice hall. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Honduras.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Honduras ^ÓSu bandera es una lampara en el firmamento.^Ô Es un secion del ^ÓHimno Nacional,^Ô es el himno nacional de personas en Honduras. Honduras es el secundo grande paiz en todos de Americanos Centro. Pero, es estimas muy pobre. Honduras es ^ÓBanana Rpublica^Ô tipico, porque bananas son los importas grandes en Honduras. Turismo en el pais tropical de Honduras tenga potencial grande. Honduras tenga playas magnificas y agua caliente. Honduras son primer traer a atencion de Europa en 1502 durante el cuartoy final viaje de Christopher Columbus. El exclamacion ^ÓGracios a Dios!^Ô (en ingles traduce ^Óthanks to God.^Ô). ^ÓGracias a Dios^Ô es eel nombre de una cuidad en Honduras. Espana son interesanteen Honduras, porque del oro y plato. Espanol es la lengua oficial y hablas de todas las personas en Honduras. Ingles es halblastede unos pocos perrsonas en el norte. Los Americanos Nativo tengo^? tocaste son lenguas. Las personas en Honduras son Cathlico Roman, pero Protestente tenga un poco un minore. Mucho de pablacion es Mestizo. El otro son negros y blancos. Las politicas en Honduras es el mismo en Estados Unidos, donde las personas elegen un presidente para cuatros anos. Son dos grupos politcos, un grupo nacional y grupo liberal. Honduras es dividir en diez y ocho, son dividir en unas municipalities. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Honors FYS Essay 21.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Christina Bosilkovski Page # 1 Nature's Instructive Power Have you ever been walking in the woods or along a deserted beach when you suddenly receive some sort of enlightening epiphany? Where does this inspiration come from? It comes from nature, my friend. Nature has the power to reveal to us the mysteries of the universe, helping us to better understand our relationships with the environment, its creatures and even ourselves. Scott Sanders's "Settling Down," William Cronon's "Getting Back to the Wrong Nature," Ursula LeGuin's "May's Lion," and Aldo Leopold's "Thinking Like a Mountain" explore the other-worldly benefits humans reap from nature, proving nature to be a source of enlightenment and revelation. Thus, nature, as a center for learning and enlightenment, must be protected from human exploitation out of respect for its abilities to instruct and guide us. Sanders's "Settling Down" reflects the instructive capabilities of nature as the narrator gives an account of his enlightening experience watching a hurricane from his front porch, describing its spiritual, human and ecological implications. Sitting on his porch, Sanders "dissolve[s]" (34) into the wind, feeling as if he has become part of the wind and satisfying his curiosity. So incredible is this hurricane to him that he refers to it as a "tremendous power.... a god" (34). Hence, he believes in the superior abilities of nature to overpower us and humble us, illustrating just how powerless and insignificant humans really are, despite how supreme we boast ourselves to be. Sanders then backflashes to the story of the Miller family, a family he knew as a boy; despite all the natural disasters and misfortunes that befell their farm, the Millers refused to Christina Bosilkovski Page # 2 abandon their home. We can receive inspiration from this story about the value (not just monetary value) of a place in which someone has invested so much time, love and effort; it becomes the place to which one is rooted, or attached to by more than just legal or financial concerns. Sanders, furthermore, suggests that this rootedness of place in a sort of "reveren[t]...deep attentiveness to forces much greater than our own" (35) may bring the miracles of salvation (35). This language is loaded with spiritual or religious diction, giving us hope that we can attain the spiritual paradise of heaven by learning from nature, further emphasized by the image relating God as a circle to a respect for your own sacred, rooted place (37). This image depicts God as a circle whose center is everywhere, since God is everywhere at all times; thus, one can reach enlightenment anywhere, as long as he is rooted to the spot. Moreover, Sanders points out the instructive capacity of nature in helping us learn about human values and ecological awareness. After expressing his admiration of the determination and perseverance of the Millers, Sanders notes, "...most human achievements worth admiring are the result of such devotion" (35). This sound advice expresses the value of determination and perseverance and the fruitful benefits they may produce, given due time; for instance, we believe in putting forth effort, time and money into obtaining a complete education in hopes that we will reap sizable benefits in the future (i.e. high-paying job, nice cars, etc.). Sanders also correlates the value of rootedness and commitment to a place to human recklessness in our relationships with both other humans and with the environment. Expressing concern in our tendency as a Christina Bosilkovski Page # 3 nation to relinquish responsibility and ignore our failures by simply moving on to something or somewhere else, Sanders underscores the importance of sticking to one place and working through our problems as the solution to several seemingly unconnected problems of our society. For example, our alarmingly high divorce rate can be in part attributed to the impatient "quick-fix" attitude of our nation. If a solution in not close and within plain sight, we tend to abandon the effort completely. Such is our attitude towards nature also. As soon as we've exhausted the utility or resources of a certain area, we irresponsibly move on to destroy a new area instead of restoring vitality to the one we have leached. Hence, we can learn to accept responsibility for our actions, which may remedy many of our society's problems. Likewise, Cronon's "Getting Back to the Wrong Nature" demonstrates the instructive role of nature as a source of revelations to humans. Although Cronon argues that the nature we have today is just a creation of human society, he claims there is much we can still learn from wilderness. Cronon believes that humans must accept a sense of belonging to the wilderness, and, in so doing, humans can receive a notion of what an "ethical, sustainable, honorable" human role in the environment is. We must view ourselves as part of the wilderness to encourage a responsible attitude towards the environment and to remind ourselves that the whole world does not revolve around the needs and wants of humans (78). Hence, by renouncing the "set of bipolar moral scales" (78) of anthropocentrism we have established and by perceiving ourselves as part of wilderness, we can receive a sense of responsibility and duty towards that of which we Christina Bosilkovski Page # 4 are a part, similar to Sanders' concept of the acceptance of responsibility as the solution to many of our society's problems. Once we accept the wilderness as part of our "home" (78), we can recognize the impact of our actions on all that surrounds us; further, it can help us appreciate the wildness of that which we do not term "wild," such as a tree on a street corner. Since wilderness can, therefore, be found anywhere, much like the meaning behind Sanders' image of God as a circle, we can experience it everywhere, inspiring a "critical self-consciousness in all of our action" (79) as we realize that all of our actions as humans have their impact on something somewhere. Like Sanders, Cronon extends his conception of nature's revelations to a spiritual and moral level. Cronon's call for the union of the human world with the world of wilderness will not only foster environmental awareness, but also help us succeed at "the unending task of struggling to live rightly in the world" (79). Thus, it offers hope of salvation, while lighting the correct moral path or attitude that must be followed in order to attain it. Moreover, LeGuin's "May's Lion" narrates a farmwoman's encounter with a lion both on a realistic level and a fictional level, demonstrating similar revelations nature has made to the human world. While the fictional account seems perhaps somewhat too embellished or idealistic, it helps convey across the significance of a closeness to nature and the benefits we may receive from this union. In the fictional account, when the sick lion comes so near Rains End's house, the narrator speculates that the sick lion may have come so near them because he is "spiritually moved to act strangely" (311). Hence, he implies that humans are not the only ones with emotions and souls, but that animals too Christina Bosilkovski Page # 5 can act beyond the primitive level; furthermore, the narrator wonders that perhaps the lion is a messenger sent to deliver revelations from some greater force (311). Thus, the narrator perceives the lion, sent by an other-worldly power, as a possible source of enlightening information yet unknown to humans. Heaven-sent angels, for instance, are most closely associated with the idea of other-worldly messengers, delivering messages of hope and inspirational guidance. The narrator depicts the lion's death as a gift brought to May in order that she may be enlightened by it, but that despite man's interference with this gift when the police came and shot the lion, May still benefited from this encounter when she "followed the lion where he went, years ago now" (313), implicating that May was reunited with the lion in heaven when she died. Thus, LeGuin even breaks new ground in suggesting that not only do animals have souls, but that they may also go to heaven too. Leopold's "Thinking Like a Mountain" also delves into the revelations nature imparts unto us, teaching us the importance of ecological awareness and the foolishness of our anthropocentric attitude. The narrator describes how after watching a wolf that he shoots die, his perceptions of his place in the world and how he thinks of nature change. He contrasts the anthropocentric human mode of thinking with the mountain's nature-centered mode of thinking. He relates how he ambitiously rushes forward to kill the wolf, believing that the fewer wolves in the world, the better off humans would be. Yet, after seeing the "fierce green fire d[ie] in her eyes" (138), he realizes the error in his system of beliefs. He learns that what may seem better for humans in the short-term may have harmful effects on the environment (i.e. populations that are typically preyed on by wolves may increase dramatically if wolves are extirpated, causing other problems by disturbing the ecological balance), which is why the mountain disagrees with the narrator's former human-centered views (139). Leopold concludes by suggesting that there is hidden meaning in the wolf's howl: salvation may lie in wildness (141). Hence, as in the other three narratives, nature offers us hope of salvation if only we can learn the lessons it can teach us. Thus, nature has much to offer us in terms of guidance and salvation, if only we are open-minded and perceptive enough to receive this instruction. So, is there indeed a balance that is beneficial to both humans and to nature that can allow both to coexist without ruining the other? If humans can learn from nature's lessons, not only would our relationship with the environment improve but so would our social problems overall. There is a balance- however delicate it may be- that allows humans to obtain what they need of nature's resources while encouraging environmental prosperity and responsibility. Whether we pick up on and follow nature's hints is up to us. . f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\HOOKED ON EBONICS.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 15 Feb 97 dayz: Today's Lesson: Hooked on Ebonics: 15 Feb 97 dayz: Today's Lesson: Hooked on Ebonics: Leroy is a 20 year old 9th grader. This be Leroy's homework assignment. He must use each vocabulary word in a sentence. Foreclose: If I pay alimony this month, I'll have no money foreclose. Rectum: I once had two cadillacs, but my ol' lady rectum. Hotel: I gave my girlfriend the crabs and the hotel everyone. Disappointment: My parole officer tol me if I miss disappointment, they gonna send me back to the big house. Penis: I went to da doctor and he handed me a cup and said penis. Israel: Alonso tried to sell me a Rolex. I said, man that looks fake. He said "bullshit" that watch Israel. Catacomb: Don King was at the fight the other night, man somebody oughta give dat catacomb. Undermine: There is a fine lookin hoe living in the apartment undermine. Acoustic: When I was liddle, my uncle bought me acoustic and took me to da pool hall. Iraq: When I got to da pool hall, I tol my uncle Iraq, you break. Stain: My mother-in-law stopped by and I axed her" Do you plan on stain for dinner" Seldom: My cousin gave me two tickets to the Nicks game, so I seldom. Honor: At the rape trial, the Judge axed my buddy who be honor first. Odyssey: I tol my brother, you odyssey the tits on that hoe. Axe: The policeman wanted to axe me some questions. Tripoli: I was gonna buy my ol' lady a bra for her birthday, but I couldn't find a Tripoli. Fortify: I asked the hoe how much? She said "fortify" Income: I just got in bed with da hoe and income my wife. Leroy is a 20 year old 9th grader. This be Leroy's homework assignment. He must use each vocabulary word in a sentence. Foreclose: If I pay alimony this month, I'll have no money foreclose. Rectum: I once had two cadillacs, but my ol' lady rectum. Hotel: I gave my girlfriend the crabs and the hotel everyone. Disappointment: My parole officer tol me if I miss disappointment, they gonna send me back to the big house. Penis: I went to da doctor and he handed me a cup and said penis. Israel: Alonso tried to sell me a Rolex. I said, man that looks fake. He said "bullshit" that watch Israel. Catacomb: Don King was at the fight the other night, man somebody oughta give dat catacomb. Undermine: There is a fine lookin hoe living in the apartment undermine. Acoustic: When I was liddle, my uncle bought me acoustic and took me to da pool hall. Iraq: When I got to da pool hall, I tol my uncle Iraq, you break. Stain: My mother-in-law stopped by and I axed her" Do you plan on stain for dinner" Seldom: My cousin gave me two tickets to the Nicks game, so I seldom. Honor: At the rape trial, the Judge axed my buddy who be honor first. Odyssey: I tol my brother, you odyssey the tits on that hoe. Axe: The policeman wanted to axe me some questions. Tripoli: I was gonna buy my ol' lady a bra for her birthday, but I couldn't find a Tripoli. Fortify: I asked the hoe how much? She said "fortify" Income: I just got in bed with da hoe and income my wife. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Hope.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hope Hope: What do you guys hope for? I hope that the Dodgers win. I hope I do okay on the finals. I hope the teacher doesn^?t catch me. You may hope in a lot of things, I know I do, but God says to hope in Him. Everything you go through, weather good or bad, you should put your hope in God. He will see you through. The bible mentions the word HOPE about 159 times. So I think He was trying to get something across to us. And that^?s to just hope in the Lord! Even Now as we talk about the end times and the beast and the anti-christ. This shows that we need to have hope as others may take the mark or submit to satan. This stuff that Pastor Matt is telling us the Battle of Armageddon, 1000 years, final reign, It^?s pretty confusing, at least to me. God^?s not telling us to memorize weather it^?s gonna happen in 7 years or a millennium. You really don^?t need to know exactly what^?s going to happen. Just believe, have faith, Hope in God through the times where most people will lose this hope. I guess what I^?m trying to say is just to have HOPE. Daily I hope for little unimportant things or Even major stuff. The name of our church is New Hope. That we have a New Hope in Christ. As compared to an old hope. Did we ever have an old hope? So anyways just hope in God in every thing and He^?ll see you through it. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\How Biff shows Irresponsiblility in The Death of a Sailsman.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Have you ever felt as if you do not know what to do with your life? Everyone does sometimes, but certain people are like that their whole life. These people are irresponsible and depend on others to survive. In "Death of a Salesman", Biff is one of these people. He is irresponsible because he depends on Happy, depends on Willy, and does not know what to do for a living. Biff looks up on Happy as an example of good life. It seems to him that Happy's life is stable and successful. Even though this is not true, Biff lets it bother him. He wants Happy to get him a job in New York so they could work together. This shows some of his dependency and irresponsibility. Biff does not seem as if he could live on his own successfully. This disappoints both Happy and Willy. But this is not the only problem Biff has. Biff also depends on Willy to get him through life. Willy's low morals cause Biff to think it's all right to concentrate on football when he was in high school. Biff does not think he has to work in school. When he flunks math, he does not know what to do and once again turns to Willy. Now Biff cannot go to college and since he has been concentrating on football, he has little or no skills at anything else. He depends on Willy's support to help him. But since Willy's expectations of Biff are not met, Biff does not receive the help he needs and moves off on his own. This leaves Biff to find a goal in life and reach it. Finally, Biff does not know what to do for a living. He is constantly moving around, unsure of what to do next. This may be because of his uncertainty of a future. Biff has never held a steady job. Because of this, he has never held a steady home. This shows a lot of irresponsibility. Until he knows what he wants to do, Biff cannot settle down and become an adult. This inconsistency in employment makes Biff irresponsible. So far in Biff's life, he has not accomplished anything. He depends on Happy and Willy, and does not know what to do for a living. He realizes that he has wasted his life and has to find something besides football to succeed in. With Happy becoming tired of his antics and Willy on the verge of a breakdown, Biff is now on his own and has to become responsible. Maybe next time you don't know what to do with your life, you'll think a little harder. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\How Phreaks Anarchist the KKK and SWP compare to Big Broth.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Many organizations today are considered bad or "evil". Groups like the Ku Klux Klan, The Anarchy Organization, Supreme White Power, which are Skinheads and Neo-Nazis, and Phreaks are a few of these groups. These groups all have one thing in common......they somehow break the law. The Ku Klux Klan "terrorized public officials in efforts to drive them from office and blacks in general to prevent them from voting and holding office." ( Microsoft Encarta 1995 Ku Klux Klan) The "Klansmen" flogged, mutilated, or murdered their victims. Supreme White Power (SWP) or "skin heads" are somewhat like the Ku Klux Klan. The skin head groups are more local rather than the Ku Klux Klan, who all have one leader. The Anarchy Organization is totally against government. Their main idea is to be free. The reason why this organization is considered "evil" is because of bombings and activities like that from certain anarchists. Phreaks are hackers, but they don't just specialize in computers. They are also into phones and electronic things that they can rip off. As you will later see, this organization and our government strongly resemble 1984's government and the Brotherhood. The Ku Klux Klan people haven't gotten out of the idea the black people and other foreigners are evil, which they call, "alien outsiders". These "outsiders" are "all non-Protestants, aliens, liberals, trade unionists and striking workers". (Microsoft Encarta 1995) Their traditions have been pasted down from generation to generation since 1865. Lately, Klansmen have been running for office and other government jobs like that. Although the Ku Klux Klan and the Brotherhood have nothing really outstandingly in common, they are both considered evil by their society which are the U.S. government and the Party. The Ku Klux Klan is not fighting to make things better, nor are they doing anything constructive. In the Brotherhood they are out to make life better for all. The Anarchy Organization's purpose, according to Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, is to abolish "established order using violent ways". Basically anarchists are out to overthrow any law. In The Anarchy Organization's page they summarize what they are after and what they want. They call themselves "artists fighting infections f capital plague-machine society and the assault of free minds." (The Anarchy Organization, page one) "TAO fights now for our lives, our minds, and our planet." (The Anarchy Organization, page two.) These people are not doing anything now to fight for their cause. Like in 1984, if these people surface, government will quickly shut these people up and try and cover up. Anarchists have begun to think and have chosen to rebel against their government. Perhaps everyone else has been brainwashed into thinking that government is the best. Members of the Brotherhood think, remember, and know something is not right with their society. Just like the anarchists see all the laws being broken and rights violated. there is a new bill that simply wants to have censorship on the internet so you cannot access anything "bad". This violates the 1st Amendment which gives us the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but this bill some how even made it to court. In 1984, people against The Party saw that the quantity of food distributed was becoming less. The Party stated, while talking about chocolate, something that now they'll be giving more chocolate to each family. This was obviously a lie when last week the quantity was more. In the Brotherhood they believed in truth and letting people live life as they want to live it, just like The Anarchy Organization. Supreme White Power has over 30 different major organizations. "The members of these groups have one big thing in common: they hate members of racial, ethnic or religious groups that are not the same as their own." (White supremacy on the rise by Mike Harpin) The main people targeted of hatred and violence are Jewish people, Hispanics, Asians, blacks and people who are Catholic Christians. The more well-known groups are the Ku Klux Klan, the Neo-Nazis, and the Skinheads. The reason why the Ku Klux Klan is separate from the Neo-Nazis and the Skinheads is because the Ku Klux Klan's hatred and violence is aimed more towards blacks rather than the Neo-Nazis and the Skinheads, whose hatred is aimed more towards the Jewish people. The Neo-Nazis, sometimes called White Aryan Resistance, is a group that follows under Adolph Hitler's philosophies, which targets Jewish people. Unlike the Ku Klux Klan, the Skinheads do not join because they believe in the cause. Many join the "gang" to feel apart of something because they feel that they do not belong anywhere else. "Then others join because they like looking "different"." (White Supremacy on the Rise. by Mike Harpin) You can spot a Skinhead by their style. This style or "uniform" includes fatigues, flight jackets, suspenders that hang down, and steel-toed boots or Doc Martens. The most obvious thing about one is their shaved head. These people stand out purposely. Unlike the Brotherhood, they don't have to be afraid of government. The thing these Skinheads or Neo-Nazis fear are racial groups that will and do fight back. The Skinheads say they aren't afraid of anything, but when you have groups and tons of people out to kill you, you should be afraid. In 1984, the Brotherhood could not march around and protest like some Skinheads do. The Skinheads and Neo-Nazis do not target government like the Brotherhood does. Either way, they are both hated by society. It seems reasonable to hate the White Supremacy groups because all they do is cause trouble, anger, and pain, which most people do not want. In the Brotherhood they believe in letting people choose what religion or what they want to do with their life. Phreaks are hackers. They are a group of people from around the world that love to hack others computers and systems. Many people believe that these "hackers" only cause trouble and hurt people. When in fact many Phreaks go around and improve systems. They write programs and all sorts of things for the public to enjoy. They may break into bank's computers, but they do not always take something. One Phreak was bragging about how he got into a bank's computer and saw "all those numbers". When he was asked, "how much did you take?". His reply was, " none". Phreaks get satisfaction from knowing they can beat security. Every year different groups of Phreaks get together and hack the world. A couple times they played with NASA's temperature control, air port's times, and power plant's settings. No harm was caused though. The reason why powerful Phreaks are hated by government is because they can control a lot of their computers and systems. Many of the popular Phreaks have connections into agencies like the Secret Service, NSA, etc. and can get all sorts of information. The Secret Service has been making threats to these people and magazines. Magazines like "Phrack" and "2600", are constantly being harassed because of what they put in their magazine. One of the writers for Phrack, Emmanuel Goldstein, was getting phone calls from anonymous people, threating to shut them down because they know too much or it could be because of their ideas about government. Their ideas are almost the same as the anarchists. In many phreak's home pages, they have a link to various anarchy pages. The difference between the phreaks and the anarchist is that many phreaks like to play around with government things, instead of trying to get rid of government. They need something to hack into that would be a challenge. The threats of shutting down the magazines or anything of that sort directly violates the 1st Amendment. The freedom of speech. Emmanuel Goldstein is not this person's real name. The name coincidentally comes from 1984. Its obvious that Emmanuel Goldstein thinks of himself as the Emmanuel Goldstein of 1984. In 1984, the author pushes you towards believing that the Party members are the bad guys and the Brotherhood as the good guys. If you thought of the Brotherhood as good, why would the Phreaks be bad? Phreaks and anarchists see society and government the same way, but Phreaks only go half way with government. They want to get rid of many laws, but they do not want "chaos". A difference between the Brotherhood and Phreaks is the way they are treated. If someone was caught being a part of the Brotherhood, the Party would make a big deal about it. The way Phreaks are treated is: "What?" The Phreaks that do cause trouble are locked away quietly. This might be done because our government has something to hide. And when the police say they have caught the best hacker in the world, its to make them look good. There is no best hacker because there are many specialties and the best hackers do not get caught. Both organizations expose how bad and what our government is doing. The simple presence of the Brotherhood says that many people see a problem in their government. Some Phreaks have posted secret messages, de-coded on the internet, showing what is happening in different government agencies. Phreaks have not opened security to the public, they were allowed to by their rights. Some of these groups are considered bad, but the choice is up to the individual. Our government seems to be moving towards a 1984 society, where you are not free at all. The Bill of Rights is here to protect us from someone higher hurting us, but the US Government seems to violate these rights. We the people should not let this happen. 1984 does a good job illustrating what might happen if we do not stop this bill passing madness. We have already begun to see the slow process of government taking over. It's just a warning to us all. Bibliography 1. "Ku Klux Klan," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wangnails Corporation. 2. White Supremacy on the Rise. By Mike Harpin 3. Traditional Skinheads vs. Non-Traditional Skinheads. By Anonymous 4. The Anarchy Organization on-line by ????? (no name was given) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\How the use of the diary form narrative is beneficial to the .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ How the use of the diary form narrative is beneficial to the novel Dracula. Bram Stoker, being the creative and intellectual writer himself, wrote the novel Dracula in the diary form of narrative. This was a good choice of how to write the novel since it was very beneficial to the plot of Dracula. Examples of how the diary form is beneficial to Dracula is seen in his writing and book. One of the greatest benefits of the diary narrative is that the reader is allowed see, and feel the emotional hearts and souls of the emotional characters. This is great because when a character is not feeling too great and is trying hide something, the reader knows this, and therefore the reader knows everything that is happening; nothing is being hidden from the reader. An example of this happening is when Mina is at the insane asylum and is worried sick about something happening to Jonathan Harker. Mina hides all that she feels when Jonathan Harker is near her. All that Mina is feeling is written by herself, and what, how she is feeling is ready for a reader to examine because they are able to see her diary. If Mina's diary was not open to the reader, or if Someone was telling of what he or she saw, the observation could be false and the reader would lose valuable information that would be valuable to the whole plot of the book. Some things that can be noticed about the diary form is that different views of the same thing can be expressed by many different people; all in first person view. Then, along with that, there are extensive and very detailed descriptions about a thing, or person that is being described. In the novel, this is seen as Jonathan Harker is traveling and he describes almost everything, he does, eat, sees, etc. Another use of the diary form is that Bram Stoker can have people "talk to themselves." So if the person who is writing in his or her diary, that person can make notes to him/herself writing "I must ask the Count about this." So by "talking to him/her own self" in this manner, he is writing it down and they do not in any way make it so that they seem strange in front of public. The good thing about using the diary to write is that it can be used interchangeably with periodicals and letters being written or read by a person. In the same way as in a diary, extensive descriptions and large emotional feelings can be expressed and felt by the reader. Also, during the usage of letters, two people conversing will and can be written out in dialog form; because of this, the two people, while talking, will not have to switch tenses after a couple of sentences. When the newspaper form is used, the reader can see what is happening and will be able to think for themselves and they will not have to have the book, or someone in the book explain what they are reading to them. So in other words, if a newspaper is written in the book, the reader will have the freedom to think, derive, and draw their own conclusions from the article being read. When the diary form is used, many things can go on at once. So one person can be talking or writing about something, and then someone else can also be telling about what is happening somewhere else. An example is where Mina finishes writing a journal entry and then all of a sudden, a new story of Dr. Van Helsing and his patient comes in through a new start of a diary. A great thing that is controlled wonderfully with the diary form is time. Time, which normally cannot be changed or moved around can be taken back through time for things that need to happen when the diary form of narrative is used. For instance, after Lucy had written what was happening to her when her mother passed away, the story went back in time for another important matter to take place. When, there are different people of different places, they can be identified by how they act and how they talk. If, Bram Stoker did not use the diary form narrative, this would not be possible because if one person was telling the whole story, the reader would see and hear what the person telling the story heard and wrote down. So using, the diary, Bram Stoker could make the reader "see" exactly how a person was talking and acting through the written dialects. In the novel Dracula, all the diaries, of all the individuals come together and in the end, become one powerful, combination of descriptions, facts, that represents a group as a whole and the reader can feel as if they are part of the group and read, and think along with the characters. Another thing dealing with the diary form is quick referencing. The reader, if needed, can easily flip back through the book to look for something that he needs or wants. The diary form is great! It lets a reader feel, and see how characters interpret things themselves. The form lets dialogues take place, it lets many people altogether tell a story in first person, and it lets a reader be able to see densely detailed scenes through a person that isn't being a fool talking to him or her self. The diary form of narrative is basically a form of writing that lets a huge possibility of good ways to write into a good book. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\huck fin essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ David T. Yancey Mrs. McGuire American Studies 2 February 2004 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic novel and one of my personal favorites. It tells the story of a young boy named Huckleberry Finn during the 1880s in a small town called St. Petersburg, Missouri. One night he fakes his death and leaves town to get away from his alcoholic father and most of civilization. While he is gone, he runs into Jim, Miss Watson's slave, who escaped for fear of being sold. They have many exciting adventures together throughout the whole book. There are many different opinions about the ending of this novel. According to Thomas Gullason, author of "The Fatal Ending of Huck Finn," "The purpose of the last several chapters of the novel is to ridicule Tom's romantic vision." Some say that it was simply ineffective. I believe that the ending of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is effective because it is the logical outcome of Huck's adventures. In other words, when Huck says "Let's go for howling adventures amongst the Injuns, over in the territory," (Twain 231) he is expressing his rejection of society and the civilization of his day. One of the most important aspects of the end of this wonderful novel was Huck's decision to run away from home and Tom and Huck must part. At that point the "adventures" turn into real-life happenings. For instance, when Huck and Jim discover the wrecked Walter Scott, Huck gets on the boat to have an "adventure," and he overhears two robbers threatening to kill the third so that he won't "tell." Huck begins to take the robbers boat but then stops because he realizes that he could become one of these despicable creatures, so he gets his own raft and goes to shore to find help. At first Huck sees this as an adventure, but then he realizes that this has to do with a real- life murder, not a game he and Tom made up because they were bored. Another example is the feud between the Sheperdsons and the Grangerfords. One day Huck was introduced to the Grangerfords and became good friends with Buck, one of the children. Huck fabricated an elaborate story about how he was orphaned as a child. One afternoon after church one of Colonel Grangerford's slaves leads Huck deep into the woods where he funds Jim. In the woods, Huck finds Buck and his sister in a gunfight with some Shepardsons and both Buck and his sister are killed. Just another one of Huck's adventures that turns into a real- life ordeal. Other examples of make-believe becoming reality are the antics of the duke and the dauphin. When Tom and Huck and their friends made up games in St. Petersburg that had to do with taking people's money or hurting people in any way, they had no intention of actually doing it. But that's exactly what the duke and the dauphin are all about. In chapters fourteen and fifteen, they pretend to be the brothers of the recently deceased Peter Wilks in order to "inherit" around 6,000 dollars. They also go from town to town shamming people into paying too much for tickets for an entirely too brief comical performance that they put on. Yet another instance of stark reality intruding upon playfulness is in chapter 21 when Huck went through a small town in Arkansas to find an old drunk man on a horse. "Boggs comes a-tearing along on his horse, whooping and yelling like an Injun." (Twain 112) He was yelling at a man named Colonel Sherburn, who gave Boggs a warning, and then when Boggs wouldn't be quiet, Sherburn shot him dead. The most striking development at the conclusion of the book is Huck's transition from romantic to realist. At the beginning of the novel, he and Tom would make up crazy games that had to do with kidnapping and robbing people. Huck would go right along with it. However, there was always a small trace of realism in Huck because when Tom would come up with a scenario that was a little too extravagant, Huck would be the one to say "this couldn't happen," or "that is impossible." Huck would also go along with all of Jim's superstitious behavior such as the ox hair ball because, according to Frances Brownell, author of "The Role of Jim in Huckleberry Finn," "Jim's personality is strongly influenced by his faith in superstition, especially evil omens." The one instance that completely changed Huck into a realist came at the end of the book when they were trying to get Jim out of the slave quarters at the Phelps's plantation. It was a fairly simple process to free Jim, but Tom had to make it into an elaborate scheme. Huck decided to go along with it at first, but when Tom was shot in the leg while pulling a pointless stunt, Huck was overcome with reality as the ridiculous threatened to become tragedy. However, he could not entirely shake his romantic nature. At the end of the novel Huck could be heard talking of exploring the west. In summary, Huck determines he must reject civilization and he does so with good reason. All of the violence, the bloodshed, the racism, the fraud, and the hypocrisy that he encounters in nineteenth century civilization forces him to conclude that life in organized society is not for him. Works Cited 1. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2000. 2. Gullason, Thomas. "The Fatal Ending of Huckleberry Finn." American Literature 39(1957): 86-91. Rpt. in Adventures of Huck Finn: An Annotated Text, Backgrounds, Sources, and Criticism. Ed. Scully Bradley, Richmond Beatty, and E. Hudson Long. New York: Norton, 1961. 357-61. 3. Brownell, Frances V. "The Role of Jim in Huckleberry Finn," Boston Studies in English, Vol. 1, 74-83. EXPLORING NOVELS. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Yancey 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Huck Finn Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Julia Cole Period 3 March 26, 2004 Huck Finn: Out-Of-Class Paper Huckleberry Finn is considered to be one of our literature's great comic novels; yet many of the events are not funny at all. Some events are even horrifying. Compared to a novel that was meant to be comical as opposed to this tragic, I believe the author imposed irony for better enjoyment. Within chapter five, a section on how Pa does not want Huck to learn to read, nether the less even go near a school is quite odd. We would like to think that all parents are looking out for their children and want what is best for them. In this case, not only does Pa not want his son to read, but when he realizes that he knows how, forbids and scolds him for going near a school. Compared to a comic relief, you would expect the idea of wanting what is best for your child to be a cliché; but in this case I believe the author is using irony to cover it up. Maybe in fact Pa does want what is best for Huck, it is just he does not know how to express it and can only go by what he knows how to do. To cover up his emotions and show only the opposite of the truth. The reason for a story such as this to be written in a comical tone, was probably because the author, Mark Twain, felt it would be better to understand and digest if it were to be seen and heard in a funny tone. Things found to bring laughter seems to be enjoyed my most everyone. So just like funny songs, television shows, and movies; the author probably felt that this story would be more enjoyed if the writing technique were to be funny and different than what was normally expected. Another example of a tragic incident turned funny would have to be in chapter twenty-one. The Colonel decides to kill a man named Boggs, whom he does not even know. Boggs is a drunk who tends to insult everyone. It just so happens this day he decides to insult the Colonel. The Colonel tells Boggs he will only put up with the insults until one o'clock that afternoon and if another word should come from Boggs' mouth then he would kill him. Sure enough Boggs was killed by the Colonel on the spot. Boggs' daughter comes out and tries to save her father, but fails. Humor is used to portray death this time. The reason for this was to make people see and realize that death does not always have to be a sad serious issue. Although the situation in the story was un called for, the author meant it to bring laughter and at the same time send a message and make it easier for people to read without feeling such guilt. Yet at the same time enjoy the story for the humor and laughs it brought. Issues and situations mentions with in the story, I do not think were meant to disrespect anyone or anything. The way it was written was not meant to mock the tragic incidents, but to merely bring it out in a new perspective. The purpose for using humor was to make it light but at the same time make it enjoyable and more interesting for readers and an audience to enjoy. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Huck Finn Essays.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Huck Finn Essays By: Lisa Barnes Hour 1 American Lit I 5/22/01 In the book Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain deals with three different themes throughout the story. He uses these themes to show you the growth and development not only in a young boy in but also society as a whole. The themes shown all through this book include: conflict between society and individuals, Huck's death and rebirth, and loneliness and isolation. Conflict between society and individuals, was something that could be found anywhere in this story. One situation that comes to the mind right away is the way that everyone looked upon the African Americans as a whole. At the beginning of this story Huck and Tom Sawyer decided to play a trick on Jim, (who happens to be a slave) and use Jim's strong belief in superstitions against him. They decided to tie him up and tell him that witches came, all the while both children are laughing at what they had done to this "stupid" slave. Another thing that comes to my mind is just the fact that Huck had to lie everywhere they went in order for Jim not to be taken away and sent back to Miss Watson. Even until the end Huck was lying to society to keep Jim with him and get him to freedom. Those two examples, best illustrate the conflict between society and individuals in this story. The death and rebirth of Huck is another theme that is shown in this book. Through the entire book Huck grows not only physically but mentally as well. I think the death that Twain was showing was in the beginning of the story when Huck seemed to be so unhappy and things only got worse for him. After being unhappy but grateful for Miss Watson and Widow Douglas, Huck is taken away and goes to live with his father. The way that his father treated him when they were together was horrible and Huck might have been better off dead. I think that is where Huck died on the inside, he lost hope of ever getting away for his Pap. I think his rebirth was when he was on his journey, the minute he got away was when his rebirth began. On this trip he would not only learn to fend for himself but also, he would become a new person completely. Huck's death and rebirth was an important theme in this book. Loneliness and isolation is the third theme of this book, and one in which I feel is hard to find inner mix in the story. The loneliness I feel that is shown in this book would be Huck's overall feeling about live. His father was a drunk and he had to be taken in by a new family. I think that when Huck is with his Pap in the cabin is when the loneliness is the strongest for Huck. Day in and day out he was left all alone and locked in a cabin, and sometimes he was locked up for days, only to find his Pap would come home drunk and usually became abusive to his son. Isolation I think is a little bit harder to find in this book, I guess the one situation that sticks out most in my mind right now would be all the times when Jim was left by himself, waiting for Huck to come back. I think that, even though it was never really said, that Jim had to have felt isolated by his color. Because of this he would have to stay behind on their raft, while Huck went out into the towns. There is no doubt in my mind that he didn't feel this isolation and wish he could change it or do something about it. Although not as strong of a theme as the first two, I still can see this theme in Huckleberry Finn. After reading this book I feel that Mark Twain was concerned with these issues because they were important issues of the time of this book. The isolation, and conflict that there was for blacks, I think was big deal to Twain, not only because they were important at the time, but because it was something that was not right and should have never taken place. I think he wants us to see the wrong in doing such things in hopes that we can change what will happen in the future and not to have history repeat itself. I think that Huck's death and rebirth is important because he was showing how Huck changed his views on life and the people around him for the better. I think that the loneliness also ties in with isolation and conflict because it was also something that was felt by most blacks and once again was something that should not have taken place. This is why I feel that Mark Twain chose these themes for his book. Overall I think that Twain, showed his themes throughout this book wonderfully. He got his point across and somehow ended up with a great adventure story. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Huck Finn.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Setting : A rainy night, Jim and Huck find a cave to stay in for the night. Jim caught some fish for dinner. Huck: Gee Jim, dis fish be tastin mighty fine. Jim: I knows it, I's catched dem fish and cooked it good. Huck starts choking on a fish bone and Jim gives him the hymlic to get it out. He gets it out. Huck: Damned bones, Thanks Jim you saved my life. Jim: No problem Huck, I been yer friend fer along time. Huck: I knows it Jim. You's been a good friend to me. Jim: Huck! You's know it a bad omen te chock upon one of dem der fish bones. Huck: Noo, Ya just kidden me, I never hear dat befo Jim. Jim: Yesiree, Dat be da truth, wees gotta break da bad luck wit some good. Huck: How we goin ta do dat Jim. You's just gotta help me. Jim: Don'tcha worry I already gots us a plan. Huck: C'mon Jim tell me what it is. Jim: O.K. Huck first ding in da morning wes gotta set us some traps and catch us a rabbit. Once we catch da rabbit we have to kill it and cut off one of it's feet so that you could carry it around for good luck. Den after we do dat we could eat da rabbit fer breakfast. Huck: I thought you's did dat wit cats feet Jim. Jim: No Huck dats crazy its wit rabbits feet. You gotta carry it in your pocket or wear it around yer neck for da good luck. Huck: I gets it know Jim da good luck cancels out da bad luck. Jim: Dats right Huck yous got it know! The Next Morning Huck: Hey Jim, Hey Jim, Wake up wes gotta go find us a rabbit. Jim: all right Huck We gots to make us a trap go Git some sticks and vines. Huck: All right Jim I'll be right back wit dem fer you to help me. They build a trap And catch a rabbit Huck: Hey Jim wes caught one let's kill it and cut of it foot. Jim: O.K. Huck slow down a little bit so ya don't hurt your self. Huck: It's dead and I got it's foot know my bad luck is goin ta be all gone and I'll be safe fer ever know. % f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Huck Finns Use of the Tall Tale.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Zach Hunt January 9, 1997 Period 3 Mrs. Gillham Huck Finn's Use of the Tall Tale In Mark Twain's timeless American classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the narrator often finds himself in undesirable situations. These situations, which are far- fetched even for the nineteenth-century, provide much humor to the novel and demonstrate Huck's cunning. Huck's adept use of the tall tale becomes a survival tool on this adventure. In the novel, Huck sees lies as more of a practical solution to problems than as a moral dilemma. He rationalizes that he has "never seen anybody but lied, one time or another" (1). Unlike the lawless adventurer of the frontier, Huck does not use his knack for selfish purposes. He, instead, uses his lies strictly as a means of escaping misfortune and never for his own profit. At one point in the story, Huck uses his skill to fabricate a story that keeps a skiff of slave-hunters away from Jim: " 'Well, there's five niggers run off to-night, up yonder above the head of the bend. Is your man white or black?'...'He's white' " (110). Huck's tall tales are used for the survival of both Huck and Jim, and Jim knows this. Huck's stories are usually believed, but even when doubted, he manages to change his fib just enough to make it believable. An example of this is when he is caught as a stow-away on a raft and his original story is not believed by the crew: "Now, looky-here, you're scared, and so you talk wild. Honest, now, do you live in a scowl, or is it a lie?" (106). Huck then changes his story just enough to make it believable, displaying his unique ability to adjust his tale to within the parameters of believability. Throughout the novel Huck fools many intelligent people. His youth gives him a mask of innocence, that people don't want to disbelieve. Stretching the truth comes naturally to Huck Finn. Although his lies may seem to show a lack of good ethics, it is the lies themselves that truly show his virtue. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Hucks Struggle Between Morals.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Huck's Struggle Between Morals In the novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, the protagonist, Huck, undergoes a series of developmental changes in his character. He is often torn between the ideas of society and those of his friends. This can all be very confusing for a boy who is about 14 years old. Huck also has a drunken pap who doesn't care at all for him. Huck is then forced to live with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. Throughout the story we see Huck represent the morals of the innocent prevailing over those of society. In his "adventures," he learns the meaning of true friendship and what's really important in life. In the story, Huck makes the decision to escape from his "family." This is a decision that goes against the morals of Huck's society, church and state. Children aren't supposed to run away from their parents. Also, his decision to help Jim escape goes against the same morals. In his "adventurous" escape down the Mississippi, he begins to feel truly free. This is a feeling that is contrasted acutely of society's "oppression" of freedom, basically when he is on land. In Jim's and Huck's escape, they are able to build their trust and friendship for each other. However, at the same time he must leave behind societies ways... getting "sivilized, money, and "family." Along Jim's and Huck's "adventure," they have many conversations along the way. These conversations consist about their freedom, money, and superstition. In the story, they both have their own opinions about various things, like Solomon. "'Well, but he was the wisest man, anyway; because the widow she told me so, her own self.' 'I doan' k'yer what de widder say, he warn't no wise man nuther. He has some er de dad-fetchedes' ways I ever see. Does you know 'bout dat chile dat he 'uz gwyne to chop in two?' 'Yes, the widow told me all about it.' 'Well, den! Warn' dat de beatenes' notion in de worl'? You jus' take en look at it a minute. Dah's de stump, dah-dat's one er de women! heah's you-dat's de yuther one; I's Sollermun; en dish yer dollar bill's de chile. Bofe un you claims it. What does I do? Does I shin aroun' mongs' de neighbors en fine out which un you de bill do b'long to, en han' it over to de right one, all safe en soun, de way dat anybody dat had any gumption would? No; I take en whack de bill in two, en give half it to you, en de yuther to de yuther women. Dat's de way Sollermum was gwyne to do wid de chile. Now I want to ast you; what's de use er dat half a billl?-can't buy noth'n wid it. En what use is a half a chile? I wouldn' give a dern for a million un um.'" As you can see from this dialogue between them, they had a distinct contrast in thinking. Huckleberry, being the young and innocent boy, believes and conforms to the ideas of Miss Watson and others of the dominant white society. Huck would believe just about anything that comes out of a white person's mouth, and argue it against the words of a "nigger." Jim on the other hand was much older and a lot smarter, for he could think for himself. Jim knows better than to go with the ideas and beliefs of society, which are wrong. Such a conversation leads to a very strong point made by Twain in its own irony; the story shows of how the white people are dominant over the blacks, but yet they couldn't think for themselves. Whereas, on the other hand, the oppressed "niggers" are thinking things through using logic, instead of simply conforming to what others think. Jim later goes on to talk about superstition, which totally goes against the society in which Huck was raised. "God" was the almighty and made everything and controlled everything; that's what Huck was raised to believe. However, on the other hand, Jim was able to not correspond to the ways of the church, but made his own beliefs. Jim even had ideas about signs and stuff. "'Ef you got hairy arms en a hairy breas', it's a sign dat you's a-gwyne to be rich. Well, dey's some use in a sign like dat, 'kase it's so fur ahead. You see, maybe you's go to be po' a long time fust,en so you might git discourage' en kill yo'sef 'f you didn't know by de sign dat you gwyne to be rich bymeby.' 'Have you got hiary arms and a hairy breast, Jim?' 'What's de use to ax dat question? Don't you see I has?' 'Well, are you rich?' 'No, but I ben rich wunst, and gwyne to be rich ag'in. Wunst I had foteen dollars, but I tuck to specalat'n', en got busted out." Huck was more easily convinced about Jim's story this time, because there were no "white" signs like it. He had no argument from his society that said otherwise, so he believed Jim. This conversation shows the vulnerability of a youth with innocence. Such a youth takes on the beliefs of others and defends them as his own. Furthermore, if there had been an even more ridiculous story acquired from the words of a white man, Huck would in no way have believed Jim. Such actions of a "whiteboy" shows the assumptive and gullible attitudes of a very conforming society. In conclusion, Huck's "adventure" was filled with many decisions, decisions which were very revealing to the reader of the attitudes of the time. He showed us many good decisions against the morals of society, such as escaping from his pappy, escaping the ideas of society to start new ones of his own, and to leave the worries of money behind him. However, at the same time, he makes bad decisions against his society. Huck had left his "family" and avoided getting "sivilized." In his quest for true "freedom," Huck was able to grow considerably and mature, yet, he was still not mature enough to formulate ideas of his own. Nonetheless, no matter how Huck's ideas and morals change, he will always remain a true friend to Jim. Adventurous or not, this book was great in showing that the white's weren't always right and blacks could also be great in many respects. Huck's Struggle Between Morals In the novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, the protagonist, Huck, undergoes a series of developmental changes in his character. He is often torn between the ideas of society and those of his friends. This can all be very confusing for a boy who is about 14 years old. Huck also has a drunken pap who doesn't care at all for him. Huck is then forced to live with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. Throughout the story we see Huck represent the morals of the innocent prevailing over those of society. In his "adventures," he learns the meaning of true friendship and what's really important in life. In the story, Huck makes the decision to escape from his "family." This is a decision that goes against the morals of Huck's society, church and state. Children aren't supposed to run away from their parents. Also, his decision to help Jim escape goes against the same morals. In his "adventurous" escape down the Mississippi, he begins to feel truly free. This is a feeling that is contrasted acutely of society's "oppression" of freedom, basically when he is on land. In Jim's and Huck's escape, they are able to build their trust and friendship for each other. However, at the same time he must leave behind societies ways... getting "sivilized, money, and "family." Along Jim's and Huck's "adventure," they have many conversations along the way. These conversations consist about their freedom, money, and superstition. In the story, they both have their own opinions about various things, like Solomon. "'Well, but he was the wisest man, anyway; because the widow she told me so, her own self.' 'I doan' k'yer what de widder say, he warn't no wise man nuther. He has some er de dad-fetchedes' ways I ever see. Does you know 'bout dat chile dat he 'uz gwyne to chop in two?' 'Yes, the widow told me all about it.' 'Well, den! Warn' dat de beatenes' notion in de worl'? You jus' take en look at it a minute. Dah's de stump, dah-dat's one er de women! heah's you-dat's de yuther one; I's Sollermun; en dish yer dollar bill's de chile. Bofe un you claims it. What does I do? Does I shin aroun' mongs' de neighbors en fine out which un you de bill do b'long to, en han' it over to de right one, all safe en soun, de way dat anybody dat had any gumption would? No; I take en whack de bill in two, en give half it to you, en de yuther to de yuther women. Dat's de way Sollermum was gwyne to do wid de chile. Now I want to ast you; what's de use er dat half a billl?-can't buy noth'n wid it. En what use is a half a chile? I wouldn' give a dern for a million un um.'" As you can see from this dialogue between them, they had a distinct contrast in thinking. Huckleberry, being the young and innocent boy, believes and conforms to the ideas of Miss Watson and others of the dominant white society. Huck would believe just about anything that comes out of a white person's mouth, and argue it against the words of a "nigger." Jim on the other hand was much older and a lot smarter, for he could think for himself. Jim knows better than to go with the ideas and beliefs of society, which are wrong. Such a conversation leads to a very strong point made by Twain in its own irony; the story shows of how the white people are dominant over the blacks, but yet they couldn't think for themselves. Whereas, on the other hand, the oppressed "niggers" are thinking things through using logic, instead of simply conforming to what others think. Jim later goes on to talk about superstition, which totally goes against the society in which Huck was raised. "God" was the almighty and made everything and controlled everything; that's what Huck was raised to believe. However, on the other hand, Jim was able to not correspond to the ways of the church, but made his own beliefs. Jim even had ideas about signs and stuff. "'Ef you got hairy arms en a hairy breas', it's a sign dat you's a-gwyne to be rich. Well, dey's some use in a sign like dat, 'kase it's so fur ahead. You see, maybe you's go to be po' a long time fust,en so you might git discourage' en kill yo'sef 'f you didn't know by de sign dat you gwyne to be rich bymeby.' 'Have you got hiary arms and a hairy breast, Jim?' 'What's de use to ax dat question? Don't you see I has?' 'Well, are you rich?' 'No, but I ben rich wunst, and gwyne to be rich ag'in. Wunst I had foteen dollars, but I tuck to specalat'n', en got busted out." Huck was more easily convinced about Jim's story this time, because there were no "white" signs like it. He had no argument from his society that said otherwise, so he believed Jim. This conversation shows the vulnerability of a youth with innocence. Such a youth takes on the beliefs of others and defends them as his own. Furthermore, if there had been an even more ridiculous story acquired from the words of a white man, Huck would in no way have believed Jim. Such actions of a "whiteboy" shows the assumptive and gullible attitudes of a very conforming society. In conclusion, Huck's "adventure" was filled with many decisions, decisions which were very revealing to the reader of the attitudes of the time. He showed us many good decisions against the morals of society, such as escaping from his pappy, escaping the ideas of society to start new ones of his own, and to leave the worries of money behind him. However, at the same time, he makes bad decisions against his society. Huck had left his "family" and avoided getting "sivilized." In his quest for true "freedom," Huck was able to grow considerably and mature, yet, he was still not mature enough to formulate ideas of his own. Nonetheless, no matter how Huck's ideas and morals change, he will always remain a true friend to Jim. Adventurous or not, this book was great in showing that the white's weren't always right and blacks could also be great in many respects. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Human Flaws of Orgon in Tartuffee.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The play "Tartuffe", by Moliere, is a work that was created to show people a flaw in their human nature. There are two characters who portray the main flaw presented in the play. Both Madame Pernelle and Orgon are blinded to the farces of Tartuffe and must be coaxed into believing the truth. The fact that Orgon and Madame Pernelle are too weak to see the truth is the main driving force throughout the play. The most obvious weakness shared between Orgon and Madame Pernelle is gullibility. The trait of gullibility can be seen as a family trait as suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" : "His mother shares his capacity for self-delusion even after Tartuffe has been found out ("We cannot always judge by what we see")" (Weals). Orgon believes because Tartuffe claims to be a man of God he should put everything he has into Tartuffe's hands. He proves how much he believes this after Damis tells him that Tartuffe was flirting with Elmire. From this accusation Orgon replies to Damis: "I disinherit you; an empty purse / Is all you'll get from me - except my curse!" (III, vii , 68). Madame Pernelle shows the family trait that she shares with her son when she states: "He's a fine man, and should be listened to."(I, i ,44), while speaking of Tartuffe. Although they share this trait throughout the play, Orgon's eyes are finally opened at the end of the play while his mother is still held by the farce of Tartuffe. Although Tartuffe is portrayed as the main character of the play, Orgon is the character who should really be paid attention to the most. As suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" audiences who concentrate on the character who titles the work may miss the author's point: "...vitriol and spleen vented on one man suggests that Moliere's satire of Orgon, nevermind Tartuffe, was steeped in truth." (Smaje). Orgon is the character who represents the weakness in human nature. This weakness is shown throughout the play. Orgon is so willing to entrust everything he has into the care of Tartuffe. He places Tartuffe above the well being of his family. When he returns from his trip and asks Cleante how the household was while he was gone, Cleante tells him that his wife had been very sick. Orgon's odd response is, "Ah. And Tartuffe?". When he hears that Tartuffe has been eating, sleeping, and generally living well Orgon retorts with another peculiar response, "Poor fellow!" (I, iv , 10). Orgon demands that Mariane give up Valere and marry Tartuffe. This again shows how Tartuffe has taken over due to Orgon's weakness.: That's wisely said, my Daughter. Say of him then, That he's the very worthiest of men, And that you're fond of him, and would rejoice In being his wife, if that should be my choice. Well? (II, ii, 15) This is obviously not what Mariane wants but Orgon continues to demand that she obey him. Although Madame Pernelle is seen as gullible, she is consistent. At the beginning of the play she is ridicules her family and compares them to Tartuffe. She shows how much she is taken by him in this phrase: "Whatever he reproves deserves reproof. / He's out to save your souls, and all of you / Must love him, as my son would have you do." (I, i , 52). Near the end of the play when Orgon finally admits that he was wrong Madame Pernelle still will not believe Tartuffe is not who he pretends to be. She consistently defends the innocence of Tartuffe when she says: "No, my son, I'll never bring / My self to think him guilty of such a thing." (V, iii, 17) The flaw of weakness is the major driving force in the play. With out this flaw Tartuffe would have no one on which to practice his conniving ways. Both Orgon and Madame Pernelle are crucial characters to make this play work. Although Tartuffe carries the title of this play, it is well suited to focus more attention on Orgon and Madame Pernelle and their human weakness. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Cititation: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Works Cited Moliere, Jean-Baptise Poquelin. "Tartuffe." The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995. 307 -356. Smaje, Andrew. "Director's Notes". Internet Address: http://www.keighley.ac.uk:80/bpft/shows/dir-note/tartuffe.htm . Weales, Gerald. "Orgon's Box". Internet Address: http://libertynet.org:80/~forum/feb2996/08tartuffe.feb2996.html. Photo credits: http://www.istos.net.gr:80/html/theater/htm.erga/ergo027.htm . http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~selene/photo.html . ............................. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Human Intent and the Aftermath of It.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Human Intent and the Aftermath of It Washington Irving, in writing "The Devil and Tom Walker", and Stephen Vincent Benet, in writing "The Devil and Daniel Webster" illustrate to the reader the consequences of man's desire for material wealth and how a person's motivation for a relationship with the devil affects the outcome of the "deal". In these two different, yet surprisingly similar narratives, the authors present their beliefs about human intent and motive. In "The Devil and Tom Walker", the story is seen of a stingy man and his nagging wife who "...were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other" (128). In the story, one sees a man make a deal with the devil, who in the story is known as "Old Scratch", for the sole purpose of personal gain. Tom Walker, seeing only the possible wealth that he could achieve, bargains with the devil and finally reaches an agreement which he sees to be fair. Tom does not see the danger present in bargaining with such a powerful force for so little gain. There is a note of humor present in the narrative, which adds to the sense of danger that is present making deals that one does not intend to keep. Commenting on the story, Larry L. Stevens notes that "This tale,..., comically presents the results of valuing the dollar above all else." This story does a very good job of conveying a message to the reader about human values. In the story Tom is seen as a very self-centered man who cares only for himself and his own well being. He is not even phased when he discovers the remains of his wife hanging in a apron in a tree; "Tom consoled himself for the loss of his property with the loss of his wife" (132). Tom is portrayed in the story as being typical of many of the citizens who lived in the town, many of who's names Old Scratch had carved into the bark of a tree near the Indian Fort. When the devil shows Tom a tree for a greedy townsperson, he fails to see that he is very much like that tree when he "looked in the direction that the stranger pointed and beheld one of the great trees, fair and flourishing without, but rotten at the core" (130). As time passes after Tom has made his deal with the devil, and he is working as a usurer in Boston, squeezing every last cent out of the unlucky speculators that walked through his door, Tom begins to wonder whether he made the right choice when he dealt with Old Scratch: "He thought with regret on the bargain he had made with his black friend, and set his wits to work to cheat him out of the conditions" (134). Tom's decision to attempt to cheat the devil becomes his downfall. Tom now begins a routine of attending a Church service and praying loudly for everyone to hear, and he outfits himself with two Bibles which he thinks will protect him to the end. In a great irony Irving tells of how Tom will put down his Bible for a few minutes while he forecloses a mortgage of some poor borrower, and the resumes his reading when he is finished. Stevens recognized this irony and noted that "Irving has a keen eye for the ironies and contradictions of human behavior." Irving presents the reader with the difficulty that can arise when intentions are based solely on personal gain. In the story, one sees how Tom Walker's actions contradict each other in their meaning and purpose. It is seen in the story how Tom walker would show his devotion to the Church and to God, when he was truly only trying to protect himself from when the devil came to collect what was due. Stevens summarized Tom's actions by noting that "...the tale clearly satirizes those who make a public show of devotion while retaining meanness of spirit". Irving does a very good job of demonstrating the ill consequences that can and most likely will be a result of man's lack of caring, and possibly ignorance. Had Tom Walker thought upon the deal more thoroughly, instead of jumping right into it, he most likely would not have suffered the terrible outcome of the deal. If he had realized that the wealth that he would achieve would be useless to him in the end, he would probably be living in his old house, unhappy and without a wife, but at least he would have had his dignity, for he could know that he did not sink to such lows as to give up his soul for a few years of unhappy wealth. The humor present in the tale does help to add a bit of liveliness to the narrative, keeping it from being completely dreary and having a melancholy-like mood. "While the selling of one's soul and the inhumane consequences of greed are significant, they become subjects for laughter through Irving's character portrayals and his use of ironic understatement", insightfully noted Stevens of this, one of Irving's finest works. In "The Devil and Daniel Webster", the reader learns the story of an extremely unlucky New England farmer named Jabez Stone, who like Tom Walker, makes a deal with the devil for personal gain. In the narrative, Jabez is frustrated with the illness of his wife, the condition of his animals, and his unproductive crops. Jabez inadvertently summons the devil and makes a deal with him, stipulating that Jabez would have great success in all his undertakings, and that in seven years time, he would relinquish his soul to the devil, known in this story as "Scratch" or "Mr. Scratch". However when the time comes for Jabez to give the devil what is legally his, he manages to bargain for a three year extension. When that time is almost over, Jabez employs the services of the notes speaker Daniel Webster, who, in the end, wins for Jabez stone his freedom and makes the devil put in writing that no New Hampshireman will be bothered by him again until "doomsday". There is one striking difference present between the two stories, and it is a very significant factor when analyzing the outcome of each character's separate bargains. That is the intentions that each one had when they made their deals. In "The Devil and Tom Walker", Tom Walker bargains with the devil strictly for personal gain, without considering the needs of others. He does not see how his miserly ways are ruining him and he suffers severe consequences because of it. In "The Devil and Daniel Webster", Jabez Stone signs a contract with the devil to save his family from starvation. He was thinking of others when he signed the contract, and not himself. That is what leads to Webster's strong point for his defense of Jabez Stone, "Then he turned to Jabez Stone...an ordinary man who'd had hard luck and wanted to change it. And, because he'd wanted to change it, now he was going to be punished for all eternity" (641). The story is truly a credit to the true Daniel Webster, as David Peck eloquently noted: "The story tapped America's love for folklore and legend,..., it re-created the story of a genuine American hero." A "genuine American hero" is what Webster is truly portrayed as in this narrative. Peck also noted that "The story is praise not only for Daniel Webster, however, but also for his country, for the two are inextricably intertwined." This story also hints to the fact even though people may seem to be cruel and hard on the outside, they can be truly caring and compassionate. The political and spiritual lessons to be learned from "The Devil and Daniel Webster" are those which are very important to the existence and survival of every human being alive today. Both "The Devil and Tom Walker" and "The Devil and Daniel Webster" both are beautifully written masterpieces of American literature that will undoubtedly be cherished for generations of readers to come. This beauty comes from each authors uniquely different American heritage which adds a certain flavor to each of the works. This is all summed up by Edward Wagenknecht in his "Washington Irving: Moderation Displayed", in reference to the book in which "The Devil and Tom Walker" was published: "'The Devil and Tom Walker' is,..., the finest narrative in this part of the book". Works Cited Adventures in American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996. Benet, Stephen Vincent. "The Devil and Daniel Webster". in Adventures in American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996. 635-643. Discovering Authors. Macintosh. CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993. Irving, Washington. "The Devil and Tom Walker". in Adventures in American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996. 128-135. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989. Peck, David. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989. 575-578. Stewart, Larry L. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989. 579-581. Wagenknecht, Edward. "Washington Irving: Moderation Displayed". Oxford UP. 1962. 233. in Discovering Authors. Macintosh. CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993. 3. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\If At First You Dont Succeed .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If At First You Don't Succeed "Eureka!" Sam excitedly exclaimed. "I've done it! I'm set for life and my happiness is assured. With this new invention I'll be honored for my brilliance, and I might even win the nobel prize!" he chirped ecstatically. Sam was a chicken, the great great great grandson of the Not-So-Great Chixken Little, who, in case the reader is ignorant, was the chick who thought the sky was falling and got everyone eaten by a crafty old fox [SIC]. Sam was a well built chicken, quite muscular in fact, and extremely inventive, but, unfortunately, he had no brains when it came to reality. His motto was: " If at first you don't succeed, try, try again," and he would never give up even if there was no way he could win. To this very day he still has an annual football game against a childhood friend, Bono, who is a prize winning, full grown bull. (In case the reader hasn't discovered it, after every game, Sam has a visit to the hospital where he is an infamous character, continually joked about by the nurses and doctors who work there.) *** "You may see Mr. Monty now, sir," the secretary informed Sam. He nervously eyed the door in front of him. The big, bold lettering stated: MR. JP MONTY EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT Doubts about his ability to make a good impression entered his mind, but Sam immediatly gathered himself together, glanced back at the sheep secretary, and entered the room. THe stately pig sat behind a magnificently carved oak desk in the most luxurious office Sam had ever seen. A plush oriental rug covered the floor from wall to wall, and paintings, pictures, and diplomas adorned the brightly colored walls. Extremely expensive ornaments were conspicuously displayed, spreading a DO-Not-Touch atmosphere around the room. But the room was nothing compared to the pig lounged in the sleek, black, leather chair. He was not fat, he was immense, he had one of those stomachs that literally hung over his waistband. His four chins wiggled like Jell-O as he turned his chubby head to face Sam. "Yeees," Mr. JP Monty stated suggestively. " Sir, this is your lucky day! I am the esteemed architect of the greatest invention of all time, and I have picked you, to invest in it. This will certainly earn you enormous profits ince the public gets ahold of my wonderful creation. What do you say sir? Are you with me or not? I know that if you decide to endorse my idea, then you will be greatly rewarded in the future, " Sam stopped, out of breath as he waited for an answer. " Well it might be helpful to know what I've invested in before I risk unknown numbers of bushals of grain to produce the afore-mentioned product." " Oh it will definitly be worth it Mr. Monty, sir, it will, it will, it will!" Sam quickly and enthusiastically informed the famous business man before him. A silence that seemed to last forever to the amateur inventor enveloped the room. "Well, what is it young man?" JP inquired impatiently. " What is what?" Sam asked. " Your supposedly great invention." The pig shot back, obviously annoyed. "Oh, yessir, I'm sorry sir," stuttered Sam," I'll tell you now sir. It is artificially flavored grass... you know, for cattle." " Artificially flavored GRASS!?!?" "Yessir. It comes in cherry, lime, apple, chocolate, and rasberry. It's actually quite tasty. Even I, enjoy the vast array of flavors. Also, there is no end to the possibility of expansion of the product. We could always produce low-fat, more fiber, and more flavors. Isn't it an incredible idea sir? I have some here if..." Sam's voice trailed off, and his face fell as he peered at Mr. Monty. " Are you all right sir?" The pig sat absolutely still and silent, as if in serious shock. "Sir, is my idea bad?" Mr. Monty's expression suddenly changed to an animated happiness Sam had never seen before. " No, no my boy! It's a stupendous idea!" He pressed a button on his desk. " Miss Steward, notify my managers immediatly. I want them here precisly when the first star appears in the sky, not a moment later or they know the consequences. Type it up and relay the information instantly. Go!" His hoof left the button and he turned to Sam again. "My boy, you've got yourself one enthusiastic endorser. By the way, what is your name boy?" "Little, sir, Sam Little." *** Sam leaned against the chair's back, in his office and sighed. It had been one of the most tiresome and busy months of his life. Everyone wanted artificial grass. It was a fad among the calves. The adults enjoyed it too. Orders poured in like rain during a monsson, and his new company, Arto-Grass was thriving. But Sam was not happy. He had thought the bushals of grain would be enough to satisfy him, but he didn't want to deal with the responsibility of owning a company. "I'm too young to be stuck in an office already." He said to himself. "You are precisely right, Mr. Little, Preeecisely right." A low smooth voice agreed. " Who are you?" Sam curiously inquired of the fox that stood before him. " My name is E.Q. Exon Esq., but my friends call me Esquire. I will consider you a friend , so please, call me Esquire." The fox turned his head slightly to the right and seemed to be studying Sam for his reaction to the introduction. ""Okay, Esquire. What did you come to see me for?" Sam's curiosity about the walking mystery before him was aroused, and he wanted to know as much as possible about the only interesting thing that had happened to him all month. " Since you are my friend, Mr. Little, I came to warn you. I have heard, from sources that I'm afraid are not at my disposal to reveal, so don't ask, that your company is going to suddenly turn around and go down the tube. Once the new idea has soaked in., the cattle are going to lose interest, and are already losing interest in Arto-Grass. Again, since I am your friend, I decided to buy the company for four bushals of grain, a bargain for a company that is about to go bankrupt. I'll give youu until this time tomorrow to decide. I warn you- this company is not worth one bushal, let alone four. I'm only offering that much because you are my friend. Goodbye." Esquire turned away and slowly and deliberately left the room. " Esquire, wait!" Sam declared. " I don't want to lose everything I have earned. Please take my business. I'll sign it over to you right now if you want?" Sam took out a piece of paper and quickly scribbled something down and signed it. " Here Esquire, sign this too and we've got a deal." The fox took the paper and signed it. A malicious grin flashed across his face and Sam cowered beneath his stare. " YOu fool," laughed the fox, " You imbecile! Now I own the fastest growing company known to all of Animalkingdom. Now get out of here before I eat you for dinner ! Sam ran, half-flying, from the room with terror. Mr. E.Q. Exon EsQ's thundering laughter pursued him to the street. Tears pured down Sam's face as he realized what he had done. *** A few weeks later, Sam smiled. He had it this time. Baths for cats. Just what society would want. He would rise in fame , once again. Ha, ha! Nothing could stop Sam! After all, "If at first you fon't succeed..." *** Moral of the story: " If at first you don't succeed... " can be carried too far. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Imagery In Jane Eyre.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jane Eyre tells the story of a woman progressing on the path towards acceptance. Throughout her journey, Jane comes across many obstacles. Male dominance proves to be the biggest obstacle at each stop of Jane's journey: Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution, Thornfield Manor, Moor House, and Ferndean Manor. Through the progression of the story, Jane slowly learns how to understand and control her repression. I will be analyzing Janes stops at Thornfield Manor and Moor House for this is where she met the two most important men in her life. The easiest way to compare and contrast Rochester and St. John Rivers is by examining when and under what circumstances these two gentlemen come into contact with Jane. \par \tab It is at Thornfield Manor that Jane first encounters Mr. Rochester. While living at Thornfield, Rochester demands undivided attention from the servants, Jane included. He needs to be in control of every aspect of his life, and he needs to feel superior to all of those around him. Jane de cides to accept his control and she concedes to him by calling him sir, even after they begin to have an intimate relationship. At one point, she even goes so far as to excuse herself for thinking. She says, "I was thinking, sir (you will excuse the idea; \par it was involuntary), I was thinking of Hercules and Samson with their charmers" (p.289). This statement possibly begins to suggests Janes unsatisfaction with Rochester's position of complete dominance in their relationship. To Jane, Rochester embodies the idea of love which she has so long been denied of. As I stated earlier, the whole movie is about Janes journey towards acceptance, by herself and by others. It is this journey which persuades her to move on when she finds Rochester's physical and material love unacceptable. \par \tab Jane's next stop on her journey is Moor House. Here, she meets St. John Rivers, her cousin. Unlike Rochester, St. John is portrayed as the ultimate sacrificer, willing to do anything for others, no matter how undesirable the task might be. St. John also expects this sacrifice from Jane, and she must decide whether to accept his proposal. At this point in her journey, Jane understands that her search for herself can not be accomplished without real love. She denies St. John's marriage proposal by saying, "I have a woman's heart, but not where you are concerned; for you I only have a comrade's constancy; a fellow soldier's frankness, fidelity, fraternity. . .nothing more." (p.433). She knows real love can not be given to her by St. John and she must continue on her journey. She must continue towards her destiny rendezvous with Rochester\par \tab Ferndean Manor is the final stop in Jane's journey. Once again, Rochester appears as the dominant figure, although his air of superiority has become greatly reduced due to the accident. Due to his ailments he is n ow completely dependent on those around him, a situation which humbles him. A new man results in this change, and in him, Jane finds her real, spiritual and physical love. She says, "\par All my heart is yours, sir: it belongs to you; and with you it would remain, were fate to exile the rest of me from your presence forever" (p.469). Rochester no longer demands people to act inferior around him to boost his eg o. he is finally at a point in his life where he demands an equal partner. He does not try to contai n Jane; he sets her free. He says, "Miss Eyre, I repeat it, you can leave me" (p.468). She does not leave him though. Rochester embodies the perfect balance between the physical and th e spiritual, the natural and graceful, intellectual and physical beauty, and love and servitude. These were feelings that were not present with St. John. Jane is now able to find her true abilities and her balance. \par \tab Jane makes many stops on her journey for happiness and equality but the two most important sto ps I feel are with St. John and Rochester. It is through the experiences with these two gentlemen that Jane learns many of her life lessons. Through her experiences with these two gentlemen she is able understand and realize qualities in herself and others. With each experience she has with these gentlemen, she learns how to confront her past repression, which in turn leads to her own growth. \par \par \par \par \par \par \par }{\plain \ul Essay 6\par Symbolism In Jane Eyre \par }{\plain \par Charlotte Bronte employs symbolism in many interesting ways. Symbolism is used in Jane Eyre to illustrate dangerous realities that Jane herself could not see. Symbolism drags the reader deeper into the story as well as bringing to attention points that otherwise might not be noticed. \par }\pard \fi144\sl480\tx0\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\tx10080 {\plain \tab A moment of particular symbolic importance to me was when lightning strikes the chestnut tree in the orchard on the evening of Janes engagement to Rochester. The tree splits into two and bursts into flames. Bronte uses this lightning strike to show the turmultuous nature of the relationship, the troubles and perils that lay ahead for the two. Bronte also uses this image to foreshadow the transformations that will occur in Jane and Rochester. The eventu\par }\pard \sl480\tx0\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\tx10080 {\plain al success of the relationship can be seen as the roots of the tree, solid and unharmed planted deep in the ground. Vivid symbolism of fire serves to create the passionate nature of the work, and drag the reader deeper into t he narrative. "Fiery iron" and "blackness and burning" are both used to illustrate Jane's emotions at this point. Visions of fire also link Jane to Bertha. Both characters are repeatedly involved with fire, especially in regards to Rochester. T his can be seen with the physical presence of fire in the case of Bertha or with the fiery passion that Jane has for Rochester.Fire is used to describe many aspects of Rochesters life. The early days of his marriage, the bedroom blaze which Jane saves Rochester from, the language that both Rochester and Jane use in describing their emotions towards each other , and in the final fire that destroys Thornfield Hall, cripples Rochester, and kills Bertha. The image of fire possibly symbolizes the death and rebirth of both Rochester and Jane. \par \tab Since the passionate love that Rochester and Jane first held was sinful, it was accompanied by images of fire and burning possibly symbolizing Hell. \par }\pard \fi144\sl480\tx0\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\tx10080 {\plain \tab After Jane leaves Thornfield, and her "burning" desires for Rochester are no longer openly present, the next and fina l image of fire occurs. In the fire that destroyed Thornfield, Rochester proved his worthiness to Jane by attempting to save Bertha from the blaze. This represents a great turning point in Rochesters life. He is no longer the self involved tyrant that he used to be. His heroic action indicates that he has quenched his "burning" passions regarding Jane and Bertha. Shortly after the fire, Jane and Rochester reunite and each prove to be reborn, Jane having undergone her own final period of personal and spiritual growth, and Rochester having faced his inner demons. \par }\pard \sl480\tx0\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\tx10080 {\plain \tab Bronte uses many techniques to bring about emotions in the reader. Her use of metaphors is particularly powerful. Although this is imagery and not symbolism it still makes a strong point about the characters and about Brontes writing style. In this exa mple a metaphor is used to compare Janes intense happiness and simultaneous confusion with the tossing and uncertain voyage of a ship. Jane slips from joy to insecurity and back, just as one might \par toss back and forth in a turbulent sea . "I regained my couch, but never thought of sleep. Till morning dawned, I was tossed on a buoyant but unquiet sea, where billows of trouble rolled under surges of joy. I thought sometimes I saw beyond its wild waters \par a shore, sweet as the hills of Beulah; and now and then a refreshing gale wakened by hope, bore my spirit triumphantly towards the bourne; but I could not reach it, even in fancy, a counteracting breeze blew off land, and continually drove me back. Sense w ould resist delirium, judgment would warn passion" ( 133). This passage makes very clear Jane's love for Rochester and also that the match would be a good one (according to Bronte) \par \tab Symbolism was a very important tool for the Victorian writer. Through the use of symbolism a writer is able to convey certain feelings and emotions to the reader. The writer is also able to write about things that possibly are not acceptable to write about in an open manner. Through the use of symbolism we are able to relate and to feel for the protagonist on a deeper level. It is through the use of symbolism that a book can truely come alive for the reader.\par }} f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\In An Oldsters Mind.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In An Oldster's Mind Crowd and noise always interrupt my mind in the TV room. I desire someone to take me back to my private room. I want to be alone and think about my personal things. I appreciate that a nurse helping me to go back my room. Along the hallway, I look straight forward and do nothing like a plant. What factor causes the plant to move? I turn my head as if I have seen my friend, a close friend passing my wheelchair. What I see at the back actually is a nurse who is frightened by my active and rare movement. When I look back again, the nurse has a already fallen onto the floor. Screaming and nervousness spread out all over the floor. Bang! The door close behind me. Staring at the mirror, I used to count the number of wrinkles on my forehead. They remind me the number of inerasable past events that I had involved in. Rapidly, I climb on the bed. Bed is my lovely place. I call it, the gymnasium. I used to roll on my bed. Whenever my mind cannot function or do not know what should do next, I would roll, roll and roll. This time is unusual because my head is crashing the fence of the bed. It is not much painful. The crash stops me rolling but starts me getting recall of my friend, Angus. At a time, my brain is working like a computer loading an enormous file. A picture is appearing - a guy is walking towards me and gives me his saber. The saber is sharp and shiny, it reflects an intensive light to my eyes. My eyes shutter reluctantly. I see my school, my night school. I am glad that this recall is not being erased. I remember that Angus sat beside me. "Do your best. You are new to this subject. Everything here is brand new to you. Don't worry. Just try your best." Angus held up his head by his hand and murmured. His eyes were staring on the page of a novel, but I knew he was talking to me. In my class Angus was the only one who retook the course. Everyday I attended the course because I would get the mark of attendance. The teacher's voice was gradually fading out until no words I could hear. Everyday the whole course started and finished like that. At home I used to turn on the radio. Loneliness was my hatred. The louder the radio, the more it comforted me. Reluctantly, I heard a personal story from the radio. The voice of the caller seemed to be familiar, but what was the purpose to figure it out. I didn't care the other people. My mind was full of my own anxiety. "... Suicide is not a method to get your answer. Find your answer in the real life," the host said. The caller shared his unsatisfactory throughout the air without taking a breath. The host did nothing to him with his talented mouth. The caller spoke restlessly within a few minutes. Impatiently, the host was trying to stop his speech, "Since it is the time for the commercial, our conversation is threatening to terminate right now. Thanks for your call, Angus." The radio was still on in my room but I was on the street. I was cycling to the park, where once I saw Angus sitting on an unique block of rock. That time his hand was holding a barbecue fork pointing to the fish in the pond, seemed like preparing for his dinner. Next day, anytime I met him, I could see a heavy book in his hand. In the course, I knew he hadn't brought his textbook but in his hand was the unknown book. My curiosity led me into asking him about the book. He murmured and introduced it, "I love this book. There are many past cases of killings, kidnappings, suicides and that kind of excitement." "You are preparing for out English independent study project, right?" "No. I am preparing for kidnapping a girl." "Stop joking. How about discussing your plan with me. Ha ha." I giggled as I turned my head to the professor. "I'm not kidding," he responded conscientiously. Since the time I had not paid attention to what he said, I thought he just wanted the lesson's time to pass quickly. I hadn't seen Angus for a week. One days a person with a sunglasses patted my shoulder when I was waiting for the bus after the class. "You are joining my plan?" he murmured. "What plan?" I had no idea what he was talking about. "Where have you been? Did you drop the course?" "I got a girl in my basement. She is ill. I need money to get medication." "Bring me to the girl." I stared at him with my suspicious eyes. Going down the stair to the basement, I could hear the sobbing of the girl. Under the flame of the candle light I recognized her. She was my neighbour, Rebecca. Her eyes were swollen and I thought she could not see my face. When I touched her, she shrank at the corner, trembling. What were the consequences if releasing the girl right now or if keeping her in the basement a few more days. These two questions were flashing in my brain alternately. "The coming Saturday I will come over here and decide what to do," I ordered Angus. "Make sure you leave her enough clothing and give her proper meals." I had thought about what that stupid thing we were doing all the time. In that overnight to get done our group project. That night, I lied on my bed in the basement and Angus went outside for a walk. I had thought and wondered why Rebecca had never hit the locked door or screamed raucously for help. I got up tip-toed into her room, unlocked the door, searching something I could get the answer from, took out her stuff and locked the door. Among her stuff, I found a diary. I read it over page by page immorally. After reading, all her secrets and feelings were exposed to my mind. I was going to talk to her the next morning. "Are you OK? I want to talk to you," With my mask on, I unlocked the door. I could see her mouth open like trying to say something but then closed. "I know your name is Rebecca. I am sorry about... I have read your diary." "You read my diary! Read, read, read. Everybody read it. My da read it; my ma read it. Do I need to explain what 'personal stuff' means?" "Sorry, sorry. My evil mind has controlled me to do that. It is not an excuse. I am just wondering why you have never screamed for help." My hidden face turned red. "You got the answer, right?" She sobbed. I got closer to her and tried hard to settle her fluctuant mood down. "Come out. Don't get close to her!" Angus yelled and was juggling his saber. After the door was locked, he commanded me not to speak to Rebecca again. His conscientious behaviour frightened me. I knew he was not joking that time. However, I had talked to her regardless of Angus' recommendation. I was beginning to realize her as days went by. I knew why she had never screamed for help because she knew it was useless in a room in the basement. I knew why she hated her parents because they had never given her freedom and were always overly exact on everything. I wanted to help her, released her. Angus had asked me few times if I ever talked to Rebecca. He had been suspecting me if I would betray him. Unfortunately, once when Angus rushed down to the basement, I was talking to her. That time he had his gun in his hand and also yelled, "I told you to leave her alone. You! Spy! Tie her hands at the back." "Take it easy! Angus, give me the gun. It is no use to point that gun to us. Everything would be OK," I tried to persuade him. "I ... I also don't want to kidnap her but I have heard her cursing her parents. I hate her. I hate her not to cherish her parents. How about me? Where are my parents? They passed away in a car accident." He put the gun into his mouth and fired. Everything has passed. After the kidnapping, Rebecca lived with her parents in a small country. Two years ago I got the message of her death. Now I am old. I still don't know what an orphanage feels and don't have a desire to find it out. I only enjoys sitting on my wheel-chair. I get nothing to do. Nothing I can recall, except the suicide. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\in love and war.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lauren Clarke ENG 3A, period 1 Journal: Movie Review March 22, 2000 In Love and War During WWII, Ernest Hemingway was wounded carrying an injured soldier across the battlefield. His heroic actions landed him under the care of the women at the Red Cross. He had a bullet in the side of his leg right up near the knee. To make matters worse he got Gan Greene and was very close to getting his leg amputated. Luckily enough he met Agnes, a nurse who insisted she could find an ulterior way to save him from amputation or death. Barely focusing on how she cured him, the attention was definitely brought to the love story between the two. During Ernest's recovery he fell madly in love with 'Aggie' as he liked to call her. She was eight years older and was reluctant to have the feelings she was having. Ernie was young and gorgeous, very passionate about everything. A talented young writer with a great deal of pride. When the war ended the went their separate ways promising to write and meet again back in the United States, the would wed and live happily ever after. Or so Ernie thought. Agnes had other plans in mind. After they parted, Aggie met a wealthy doctor with breathtaking land in Venice. He asked for her hand in marriage soon after he met her. Agnes wrote Ernie in the States and told him about this request, she broke it to him that she was not coming back to him and there would be no wedding for them. He was terribly upset and moved out to his cottage. He stayed there for eight months until Agnes finally showed up at his doorstep. She told him there was no wedding, she could not marry the doctor because she did not love the doctor she loved him. "I love you," she said. He ignored her and stared off into the trees, then onto the lake. Agnes sighed and slowly walked to the end of the porch. She looked back at Ernie one last time. "I will love you until the day I die" with those words Agnes turned and headed up into the hills and away from the cottage, away from the lake, her dreams, her life, Ernie. He lowered his head not even turning around to catch a glimpse of her as she walk away. Ernest and Agnes never saw each other ever again. He married four times and then killed himself. Some say he could live with the pain anymore and gave up. She married once but never really loved anyone the way she loved him. His pride got in the way of his happiness and he lived with the anger and sadness all his life. Brilliant man though he went on to be a worldly renowned author writing the famous novel Farewell to Arms. Love stories barely ever have great endings. They are either to fake or not possible. This story was enormously sad, I cried of course. I think that it wasn't necessary for it to end that way. He had too much pride and he should have swallowed it and taken her back. Although she shouldn't have abandoned him in the first place. As a hopeless romantic might I add that they could have at least had a passionate kiss before parting? Her being swept away on some train, you know the cheese ball gooey stuff. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\In Short.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN SHORT It all started not so long ago. In fact, though I can't be completely sure about it, I think it was only five months ago. My name is Jeff Washburn and I am a surgeon. Not that long ago my life under went a huge change. Unfortunately a huge misfortune had to take place first. Not that long ago, I had a terrible thing happen to me. A misfortune led to my being expelled from the hospital and my medical license being revoked. Two patients died on me. I might have gotten away with only one but the board of directors are good at finding patterns. Don't get me wrong, I want these people to die. I just happened to be drunk at the time. Now I drink even more just to soften the constant hangover. The hearing were probably the worst part of whole ordeal. Three weeks of being put in the spotlight. Every inch of my life was put under a big magnifying glass. Every mistake I made in the last fourteen years was read bunch of know-nothings who sit and pretend to run a hospital. The mistakes weren't very frequent, at least, not until I started to drink. I suppose you want to know the reason I started to drink. Well, I mess up big time during a triple bypass and killed a patient. That's when the drinking started and the drinking lead to the death of another patient. Now I drink even more and remember even less which means its working. About a month ago I left England, which is where I worked, and moved here to a small fishing island off the coast of France. There is no doctor on the island so they welcomed me, sort of. I scare them I suppose. They're afraid they might catch me when I'm to drunk to work properly. But now things are different. About three weeks ago I had a big wake-up call. I was sitting in my normal Sunday drunken stupor when a man was brought in to my office. This man had been seriously injured by gun shot wounds. Apparently he had be found in the ocean by a group of fishermen. I knew that I could not perform the necessary surgery in my present condition. I bandaged him up and stooped the major bleeding. Then I took two hours and did all I could to dry out. With my condition a little better I performed the most delicate surgery of my life. For another hour I scrubbed at the wound in his head. Cleaning it as best I could. One wrong stroke and it would be all over. Any evidence of intoxication still left in me disappeared at that point more out of fear then need. Once his head was cleaned I made a small incision and attempted to remove the bullet that was lodged inside. I then closed up the wound. From there it was touch and go. He had a fifty percent chance of living. For the next two weeks I tried my best to stay sober. When I couldn't stay sober I at least cut down the amount I drunk. Then one day he woke up. We started a small conversation in which I asked him his name. Amnesia. He had amnesia. I tried to help him remember anything I could about his old life. And in some respects we made some progress. I thought it was finally time for him to leave. I gave him whatever money I could muster up and he went off in search of his life. It wasn't till after he left that I realized I had not taken one drink since he woke up. And ever since I have been sober. It stuck me then that some people can have a very big effect on other people. Since he left I was rehired by the hospital. I am doing pretty good for my self and I just hope my former patient is finding what he was searching for. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\In The Heat Of The Night.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Response Journal: 1 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Corpse (noun) - A deceased being. Vocabulary Sentence: When they arrived, Jane screamed, she was the first one to notice, the corpse laying on the ground. Response: This was a very interesting first chapter to this book, that really tells a lot. It starts off in a small town called Wells. You can tell Wells, is a small town, by the way only one officer is used to patrol the city in the evening, if it had been a big town like Vancouver, a whole bunch of officers would have been patrolling the city. Well it starts off, with Sam Wood doing his night patrol, checking out the neighbourhoods, and making sure everything was calm. When Sam is about to finish his last part of his route, he sees a object laying in the middle of the road. When he takes a closer look, he sees it is the corpse of Mr. Mantoli, a file celebrity of the town who was to conduct the big music festival for the town. I liked the way everything was going nice and calm in the chapter, then all of a sudden, wham! A murder pops out of nowhere. I think this book promises to be a good read, with a lot of surprises. ============================================================================= Response Journal: 2 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Misdialed (adjective) - to dial the wrong telephone number. Vocabulary Sentence: The blind man screamed in frustration, as he once again Misdialed the phone number. Response: They finally find a suspect for the murderer of Mr. Mantoli. The suspect is a black man who was caught in the towns railway station. The man was loaded with money. He was well dressed with freshly ironed pants. The police thought that a black man couldn't possibly make that much money so they suspected that the wallet of Mantoli had to have been stolen by this man, too bad that Officer Sam Wood didn't look at the identification. This must have been a really bad time for black people in America. This man who was arrested turned out to be a policeman himself, who was working in Pasadena, California. If this would have happened in real life, I can only imagine the embarrassment of the police officer, Sam Wood, after he found out he had arrested a cop! I think that this story is going to be a rough ride for Virgil Tibbs, because of the way everyone is treating him. I think if Virgil has to face racism through out what ever ordeal he goes through, (I am making this guess because of the fact that I think Virgil is the main character) he is going to crack and retaliate at whoever is making him mad, after all he is only human. ========================== Response Journal: 3 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Fraternal (adjective) - friendly, brotherly. Vocabulary Sentence: This will be the first meeting of the Disco Dudes, a fraternal club of disco dancers. Response: We have now confirmed that the black suspect found at the train station was indeed an officer in Pasadena California. Of course the officers were shocked about this. They thought that the blacks couldn't get decent jobs anywhere, especially a job as a police officer! They are pretty choked about this incident and the whole department thinks badly of the situation. They returned Mr. Tibbs back to the train station and let him go back to where he had to go. As this was happening the another officer caught a man by the name of Harvey Oberst who was found with the wallet of the deceased Mr. Mantoli. He is their number one suspect now and it looks as though he did it. He has been in trouble before for petty robbery and he has been known to hang out with the sixteen year old girl Delores Purdy. I really think this man is the one who killed the Mantoli, I mean how else would he be carrying the dead guys wallet?!? If my little idea is true, then the story would be over by now so this can't be the guy committed the homicide. This novel is becoming more interesting than I originally thought it would be. ========================================= Response Journal: 4 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Ambidextrous (adjective) - using both hands with equal ease. Vocabulary Sentence: The man was telling me that it took him four years of hard work to become ambidextrous, I think I am going to start practising to be ambidextrous. Then I will be cool. Response: At this point in the story Virgil gets called back from being kicked out of the station and has breakfast with the chief. Sam Wood got Mr. Endicott to identify the body of Mr. Mantoli. When they were finished he wanted to speak to the chief about the incident. The man named Harvey Oberst was acquitted because the person who struck the deceased was right handed. When Mr. Endicott was talking to the chief about the murder, Virgil jumped in and started to tell a whole bunch of things about the murder to Endicott. Then when Endicott left, the Chief Gillepsie blasted Virgil for opening his big black mouth. I think that was uncalled for and that the chief might be involved in the whole murder situation, or at least not wanting to let people see that he was jumping to conclusions. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about the chief, he is getting to act a bit strange. That would also explain for how much he yelled at Virgil for blabbing information to people. I really think that this chief is the one who murdered the Maestro. But what would be the motive? Uh-oh, this novel is starting to get me thinking 2:-) =============================== Response Journal: 5 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Panorama (noun) - a view from every direction. Vocabulary Sentence: I looked over the panorama, it was beautiful. Response: I thought it was hilarious the way the chief kicks out our hero, Virgil, and ends up begging for him to come back. The mayor over there called up the Pasadena department and insisted Virgil stay until the case was over. I think Chief Gillespie and the mayor are both involved in some sort of tricky scheme. My suspicions are starting to rise again about the chief committing the murder. But there is absolutely no motive for him at all. To me, the chief seems like the type of person that would perform such an act. I also think that Mantoli's daughter has something to do with it. She sounded a bit suspicious to me. But why would she kill her own dad? Virgil is quite the investigator, he notices details. Those are the sort of things that let you solve murders. If the town was bigger, this wouldn't have been such a big deal. I think that is why the author described the size of the town so well at the beginning of the book. Now I am really starting to like this novel. I wonder if their is a movie out? I would like to see it! I can't wait to find out who really killed Mantoli! ============================ Response Journal: 6 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Downgrade (noun) - A slope, a decline. Downward. Vocabulary Sentence: Mark, raced down the downgrade on his brand new skiis. Response: Now, Virgil finally gets to ask some questions about the murder to Harvey Oberst. He knows little about it and he seems to be clear of all charges so they will let him go now. The killer is still at large and he could strike again at any time. That night when Sam wood was patrolling the town he caught a man trying to get out of town. I think this man could also be a suspect because why would he want to leave town at such an hour. The man was in no condition to be out driving either. The man was out on his way to Atlanta to find a new parade conductor to fill in for Mr. Mantoli. But why is the guy going at such a time, that is what I think is wrong with the situation. This chapter was quite hard to write about because so little happened in it. I think that there will be another murder within the novel. There will need to be something for us to cling onto for more suspense. The last two chapters have seemed to be pretty boring. I thought that they had too little action to them. If I were the author I would make another murder in the story to really get the reader going. I think a totally surprise ending for this story would be if we found out Virgil was the one who committed the murders! Holy Moly! Would that be an ending to a novel or what? ============================= Response 7 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Astonishing (adjective) - Breath taking, beautiful. Very surprising. Vocabulary Sentence: Jane's mouth started watering at the site of the astonishing buffet. Response: In this chapter, Chief Gillespie interviews a man at the hotel. The man said that their was a guy named Kaufmann that came into the hotel at around the time of the murder. The man had a stain on his pants and his only excuse was that, "He was unwise while eating his cherry pie." That could explain for the red stuff on his pants. This man was later released on account of not being guilty. Then they caught another suspect by the name of Mr. Gottschalk. He was in town, passing by at around the time of the murder. He has no sufficient alibi, as far as we know, to prove this though. He was in the town of Wells because he was on his way to the Cape Kennedy Centre. He decided to take his car because he was going to go on a week long vacation with his wife, Mrs. Gottschalk. He was supposedly driving in the night because he didn't want to drive in the extreme heat of the day so he decided to go in the cooler part of the day, night time. In the end, the fact of the matter was that the police didn't have him there by the law, he wasn't made clear of that in the beginning of the interview. One thing that I have noticed is that the author always leaves a big clue at the end of each chapter. That's good stuff, because now I am going to have my eyes peeled when I get to ends of chapters. ======================== Response Journal: 8 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Outskirt (noun) - The outer part of a town, far from the center of the town. Vocabulary Sentence: The house was located in the lonley outskirts of the town. Response: Once again, Virgil does a very smart thing. He went to a black reverend and talked to him about the murder. They talked about the murder and how the youth group could help find out who murdered the man. The reverend said that it was a small miracle that a black man didn't do the murder. This once again goes to show the racial factor of the story, (just incase you didn't know there was one to begin with 2:-). The reverend had a great idea, he could send all the youth group out to look for firewood for the church. The weapon had to be a piece of wood about the size of firewood. This way if the found the piece used by the killer, the could pin it to the man who did it. This in my opinion is a very smart thing to do, but there is a lot of wood out there. I think that the reason that Virgil is trying so hard to find out the murderer is that he wants to show the police that a black men can be just as good at things as white men. If this is the case I can only imagine the pressure he must be under. After he left the reverend's place, he went on the patrol with Sam. As they were going along the route, Sam started to feel like a suspect in the murder. When they were going along, Sam would snap at Virgil for asking so many questions. This is a side of Sam that we have not seen yet. Why is Sam so defensive? ========================= Response Journal: 9 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Wearily (adjective) - worn out of strength, endurance, and freshness. Vocabulary Sentence: "Ahh, Captain! I can't dance no more! I have danced all night long! I cannot feel me legs! Please have mercy, Captain!" Said Ezekiel wearily to his captain. Response: We sure got a lot of stuff going on now! The main thing is that our friend and hero: Virgil Tibbs found the weapon used to kill Mr. Mantoli. As this was happening, Sam Wood was being put in the slammer for the murder of the man. The murder was not done by Sam, as pointed out by Virgil. The reason they thought that the officer did the crime was that he had installed the rest of his six hundred dollar mortgage payment all in one go. The money had to have come from somewhere, but where? The police think that the money was stolen from the deceased, and then used to pay off the mortgage. That would be a good plan to get the money, seeing as how this old man always carried lots of cash. It has been made clear that the chief is a bit scarred of the people who sent him the note about Virgil, that is why he has Sam in the jail because he is desperate to solve the case and get Virgil out of the town. The note was probably sent by the members of the council. Why do they think so badly of Virgil if he is doing so much good for the case? That is why I think that the killer had to be on the council. ===================== Response Journal: 10 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Captivating (adjective) - To attract by special charm or art. Vocabulary Sentence: The way the girl could sing proved mighty captivating. Response: As we near the end of the novel, quite a few things occur. The first thing is that a man named Mr. Purdy came into the police department and told the people a very shocking story. This mans daughter was in the mid stages of her pregnancy and she had obviously been with a man. The father was complaining about how she was seduced and the girl said the offender was the one and only Mr. Wood! This put another burden on the chiefs shoulders, knowing that Sam was guilty. He was looking for one solid piece of evidence that Sam was innocent. But the piece of the puzzle he wanted so badly was not there. Poor old Sam must have been in the pits for the whole day. Then the daughter of Mr. Mantoli came in and talked to Sam about the murder. Sam said that he was innocent of the murder charges. She then told him to look her in the eyes and tell her that he didn't do it. Now that he passed that test he became more happy. But as fast as those happy thoughts came, they then disappeared. He knew that he still had one more charge on his hands. I don't think that Sam could have done it, but we will see what happens in the end now won't we? ========================== Response Journal: 11 In The Heat Of The Night Vocabulary Word: Distinctive (adjective) - Special characteristics of an object or being. Vocabulary Sentence: I new it was him by his distinctive high pitched voice. Response: The last two chapters all come together will Ralph, that's right Ralph, the night guy at the dinning place being the murderer! What an ending! I am very glad that Officer Sam Wood, the one and only was out of the line of fire and found not guilty for the murder of Mantoli. This books was one of the coolest books I have ever read. I can't wait to see the movie version of it. The only thing about watching the movie is that is now will limit my imagination, and set a preset for all the characters in the novel. So now what I thought of the characters, what they looked like, what they sounded like, and how they acted like will be set. That kind of sucks, but it is cool none the less. I know that this novel is old, but darn is it not cool! I didn't think books this old would be so cool. The author did a really neato spartific job! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ind term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kati Enamorado October 18, 2003 MAN 3025 Dr. Stephen Covey: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Dr. Stephen Covey has earned millions of dollars with his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People; in his book Dr. Covey develops a model by which he believes people can become effective. In addition to his book Covey also conducts seminars about how to develop these habits. Many commercial, private, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies promote Covey's philosophy and use the model he developed in training. Covey's book is not only a self-help guide to achieving success but peace and happiness as well. Coveys, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, have proven to move employees progressively on a continuum from dependence to independence to interdependence. First, Covey recommends taking the time to listen to yourself (habits 1-3) in order to identify your own core values and goals. This step makes it possible for you to behave exactly as you believe the person you wish to be would behave, because it allows you to consult your own values and goals before acting. Thus you act only in ways that are consistent with those values and goals. This step should be repeated regularly as time passes and circumstances change. Second, Covey recommends listening to others (habits 4-6) in order to become aware of the values and goals of others. This enables you to find common ground and thus maintain productive relationships with them. Third, (habit 7) Covey recommends regularly seeking to improve and reinforce yourself in ways that are important to you. Covey's seven habits are: 1. Be proactive-Foster courage to take risks and accept new challenges to achieve goals. 2. Begin with the end in mind-Brings projects to completion and unites teams and organizations under a shared vision, mission, and purpose. 3. Put first things first-getting the most important things done first and encourages direct effectiveness. 4. Think win/win-Encourages conflict resolution and helps individuals seek mutual benefit, increasing group momentum. 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood-Helps people understand problems, resulting in targeted solutions; and promotes better communications, leading to successful problem-solving. 6. Synergize-Ensures greater "buy-in" from team members and leverages the diversity of individuals to increase levels of success 7. Sharpen the saw-Promotes continuous improvements and safeguards against "burn-out" and subsequent non-productivity. Under Covey's model, my personal strongest habit would be to put first things first. By managing both a job and school I have learned how to prioritize my time and give myself enough time to complete each assignment. In order to keep track of assignment, meetings, and special events I use an agenda to help organize my day. By planning ahead I have been able to maintain a stable job and good grades. I have learned how to make the most of my time by reducing time spent on things that are urgent but unimportant and devote more time to what is more important but not necessarily urgent. The problem however with being self-sufficient and learning how to manage my own time comes in when working in a team. Unfortunately, I forget that not everyone works on my time and my plans this in turn creates a problem when working in a group and trying to get everyone to work as a well oiled machine. It is not to say that I am a bad team member however I do believe that I work harder then others to get everything that needs to be done accomplished in a timely manner. Working in a team gets to be aggravating because not everyone works at their maximum potential and like to ride off of other people's thunder. To salvage my relationship with team members, the best thing that I can do is have a little more faith in them and hope that in the end they will come through. Regrettably I have not had good experience will working with team therefore I am a little apprehensive every time I am called upon to be in a group. On the other hand working in a group helps to create a solution/ design or approach better than either party could have produced individually. As a plan of action, the logical thing would be to assign team member with specific duties and create deadlines which must be met, only then will we truly achieve the level of success which Stephan Covey's model for success outlines. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Intellegence.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jon Smith Period 8 English 12 February 12, 1997 Intellegence It all started in the interesting city of New York. The smog ridden streets were filled with people. On a quiet little street corner, there was a small shop owned by Harvey Goldstein. Mr. Goldstein was a well-to-do merchant. He traded in all sorts of imports, and was generally a moral man. He did not buy goods from sweatshops nor did he ever cheat a customer. At 1:31 P.M. on May 15, 1996, he stepped out of his shop on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to meet a man who dealt in Asian silk screens downtown. He had been listening to traffic radio AM 530 and, deciding that traffic was too heavy, planned to take the subway. Goldstein was a smart man, very smart, who had built his store and his fortune out of blood, toil, tears, and sweat. Goldstein was also an upstanding member of the Jewish community whom everybody loved, but he never did anything extra, out of the ordinary, for anyone but himself. On the other side of town there was a new arrival to the city. This man's name was Running Bear. He was an American Indian who had gone to New York to seek his fortune; however, he soon fell upon hard times. He had lived a life of monetary deprivation on the plains of Colorado, and had proceeded to New York by Amtrak with only a dollar and a dream. Things did not go as planned, though; he could not find a job and had taken to panhandling and sleeping in the streets. His dreams, no doubt influenced by the fumes coming up from the sewer, were of money. A good man who only wanted to work and make a decent living, he had gone to the welfare office a few blocks north of Goldstein's shop. He was sent to the employment office downtown, and decided to take the subway. No doubt, the welfare officials and social workers sent him away with a sad shrug and a sigh. They knew he was a simple man. The two men saw each other waiting for the same train downtown. Interestingly enough, they were the only two waiting for the subway car, as a terrorist group had threatened to bomb a train and New Yorkers had generally taken the threat seriously. They looked at each other briefly, sized one another up, and got on the train. While on the train, Running Bear began fiddling with a hatchet; tossing it up in the air over and over again in boredom. Mr. Goldstein was staring at a quarter moving around on the ground debating whether or not he should pick it up. Just as Mr. Goldstein reached down to pick up the quarter, Running Bear dropped his hatched on the ground. Both of them took at a glance at the other; just then an explosion rocked the tracks. The Islamic militants had not been bluffing this time. Each man died without knowing exactly what had happened to him and both of the men's thoughts had been of money. Goldstein was thinking about refinancing his mortgage and taking a loan out on the equity in his car in order to purchase new inventory and make a solid profit. Running Bear had been thinking of how nice it would be to find a suitcase full of hundred-dollar bills. The men both arrived at the gates of heaven. St. Peter, following his superiors' orders, knew that he needed these men to fill the quotas for the new affirmative-action plan put into place; what better than a Native American and a Jew to place into spots that would have previously been occupied by only Christians. St. Peter knew that these men weren't actually qualified for entrance into heaven, but he devised a plan to help. "Running Bear" he said, "you were a hard-working guy, and you never did anything wrong. However, you never did anything right either. I think, however, that this fault was due to the fact that you had no money. Therefore, I am going to send you back to Earth to live for five years. There, you will have a chance to show me how you would act without worrying about material corruption. See, I'm granting you one wish before you return, and I am sure you will use this wish to remedy your former problems." "I wish for a million dollars." said Running Bear without thinking. "So be it." said St. Peter, and Running Bear returned to Earth with his suitcase of cash. Next, he pulled Goldstein's file. "Well, Mr. Goldstein," he said, "you were certainly a moral man. However, you never did anything out of the ordinary. You were always straightforward, but you never gave anything back. You never saved anybody's life or did community service. Therefore, I am going to send you back to Earth for five years to attempt to correct these circumstances. You, of course, have one wish as well." Goldstein thought for a while. Running Bear had gotten the money the easy way and had abandoned any sense of work ethic. Goldstein thought that he would teach him a lesson and help out the community at the same time. Thus he would gain his salvation. "Give me the knowledge to earn a million dollars." With this wish Goldstein could earn a million dollars a million times over instead of only having a set amount. "A very wise wish," exclaimed St. Peter, and he granted the wish. Goldstein then proceeded back to Earth. There he decided to teach running bear his lesson. Mr. Goldstein used his knowledge on Running Bear; he got him extremely drunk and was able to swindle away the Native American's money. The next morning Running Bear Realized what had happened and went to reclaim his money. "You will end up in hell for this," Said Running Bear. "And I will no longer be accepted because I will have to go work or beg again and will not have time to serve." Goldstein smiled. "You should have been more wise in your decision. All is not lost. You, see, I'm not pocketing your money. I'm going to invest it in a social service center on the Upper East side to help people train and find employment." "You'll still go to hell for casting me out on the street." said the Indian. "Not so fast," Goldstein said. "I have plans for you. You say you need a little money, and don't mind working, yes? But at the same time you need to perform some good deeds to achieve salvation. Here's what I'll do. You'll be the head social worker at the new institution. That way, you'll get a small salary and a big chance to help people with whom you've shared a common plight. Both of our problems will be solved. I'm sorry I didn't ask you for the money, but you wouldn't have given it to me; instead you would have let someone else swindle you and you would have gone to hell. So I decided to use the most powerful weapon in the world." "You are very wise, sir," said Running Bear "but what is the most powerful weapon in the world? Knives? Guns?" "No. Intelligence." Intelligence can be the most powerful and benevolent force in the world when used correctly. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Internship Term Paper42604.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I secured an internship for the spring semester of 2004 at Dallas Fan Fares. Little did I know what that would entail. Dallas Fan Fares is an event planning company that specializes in business functions and sporting events. I was able to design over twenty travel documents, which included two luggage tags, two emergency notification cards, a pocket itinerary, and a wallet cover. I was lucky enough to be able to have basically all the creative freedom I could ask for. They would give me most of the information, and leave the rest up to me. I would mainly go to corbis or look at the pictures that were already on file. However, as the semester went on, I began to branch out and realize that it would impress my boss and other associates if I thought outside of the box. I began to go to certain websites and pick pictures that were relevant. I would usually use a couple of pictures, and format them in a way that brought the whole concept together. I can remember in detail one exact time where Laura Robertson who was head over Sunny Wheeler, who I reported to, asked me to design a notebook cover for the training manual. Since Dallas Fan Fares is an event planning company I chose to download numerous beautiful locations and use that as a border to a scenic picture of the skyline of Dallas since that is where Dallas Fan Fares is located. The other ladies at Dallas Fan Fares were more than impressed by the creativity to go a step further. I wish that I were able to remain at Dallas Fan Fares and continue to work. My father is very adamant that I chose a job where I receive some sort of income, especially I will remain in Dallas this summer. This job also taught me how to be persistent. I had no idea how hard it is to work from ten to five only on Mondays and Fridays. I can not imagine working everyday from nine until five. How redundant that sounds. I then began to think of how to make work fun. The whole concept of work is not about making money. I do not understand how someone can go through life working everyday, spending the majority of their life being somewhere they do not want to be, and doing things they do not like. Dallas Fan Fares taught me how important it is to maintain valuable and respectful relationships with your co-workers. I am a people person, but I had no idea how much you rely on your co-workers for motivational support to accomplish a certain task or to just get through the day. Especially when it comes to event planning, you can not rely on a single person to complete the task. You must work as a team, and I learned exceptional teamwork skills through interning at Dallas Fan Fares. This was an experience that I have heard about, but only through actually getting out into the world and experiencing first-hand what I've been taught, do I realize the effectiveness of an internship. 3 1 Taylor Hodge April 26, 2004 Dr. Patricia A. Alvey Advertising Internship Term Paper f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Interview with Brian Hughes Kildara Farms.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Interview with Brian Hughes Kildara Farms Food equals our first line of health Seasonal eating / biological rational Equipment & appropriate technology as a key issue Get producers specializing / increase production volume / growing for the market / co-op - contracts with buyers Microclimate niches / land niches Goal = self sustainable agricultural community Encouraging new farmers by creating a market through cooperative marketing Encouraging transition to organic f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Interview with Patrick Zanichelli.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Interview with Patrick Zanichelli Zanichelli's Garlic Profile of a grower: survivalist individualist vulnerable to mother nature out of the box A gap exists between traditional agricultural science (Agrologists) & the small-scale traditional/organic farming community. There seems to be little relationship between these two groups GAPS: The small farmer does not know where he fits in The system is fragmented & there are few links There is no readily recognizable relationships or longitudinal commitments between small organic farmers & Department of Agriculture, Universities, researchers, environment sector Short sited vision no long-term plan in the market place / No 5-10 year plan Too many farm factions What we need: Working partnerships with relation to - public policy - agricultural policy - health policy / health connections = cost effective savings - multiplier effect - environmental sustainability Research - an inventory of BC's overall agricultural sustainability - organic food production capacity - state of environmental ecology & biodiversity - a look at what is working in other regions and countries Long-term Vision for the organic sector - Where do we (organic sector) want to be? - What does it take to get there? Increased Sector Identification / leading edge team - integration - systems analysis - a voice to liase with gov't / policy making & educational community - growers should be part of the process - government protocols need to be inclusive regardless of size of farm operation f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Into The Wild Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chuck Conary English 12 Period 5 Into the Wild Essay Chris McCandless (or Alexander Supertramp) was about as non-conformist as one can be. Throughout Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris displayed many non-conformist characteristics and attitudes. He was so non-conformist that I don't even think that he let society impact him in any way. He did things his own way, without any consideration for if it went along with society. Chris McCandless didn't like money, at all, he was quite anti-social, and didn't show much interest in women, and he didn't think an education was actually worth anything. I don't quite understand what Chris had against money. He was quite irrational about it if you ask me. He even went so far as to take all of the money he had at one point, put it in a little pile, and burn it. I assume he just didn't like the fact that society could attach a monetary value to things. He figured he wouldn't need money on his journey. Contrary to this however, he did hold various jobs along the way, even one at a McDonalds. It was difficult to follow his logic, if in fact there was any. Throughout High School, Chris didn't seem to show much interest in the opposite sex. He wasn't homosexual; he simply had other things to keep his mind occupied. For many people, high school is all about dating and having a social life, but it wasn't this way for Chris. Despite not believing in the value of an education, he was quite dedicated to his studies. Chris McCandless also didn't think that a formal education was of any use. He was very reluctant to go to college after High School, and even after he finished college, he decided not to continue his education. He was quite an intelligent person, and he could have gone on to do many things. After he graduated college, he donated the 25,000 that was in his college trust fund to OXFAM, an organization to stop world hunger (I find it somewhat ironic that he eventually starved to death) The only way that society influenced Chris McCandless, is that it gave him a guide of what not to do. Everything he did was simply for the purpose of being non-conformist. He risked his life, and died simply because he didn't want to go along with society. His attempts at being non-conformist were quite indicative of mental illness. I think that modern pharmaceuticals could have saved this mans life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\intro.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Whitney Sundby March, 2002 Introduction and Outline I. Today, when one hears the word "Viking", one is inspired to think of bloodshed, warfare, looting, and raids. Somewhere in the many centuries that have passed since the Vikings flourished, the broader meaning of the word "Viking" has been clouded over by the myths and legends, which surround their history. The Vikings were, in fact, much more than just a group of unmerciful raiders-they have a very long, interesting history. One would expect that the meaning of the name "Viking" would have something to do with the words "savage" or "bloodthirsty". However, the literal meaning of the word translates into something like "kings of the sea" or "people of the sea". What did the Vikings accomplish in order to be considered 'peoples of sea'? This civilization may have been looked upon in apprehension for its raiding and pillaging, but the Vikings were also known for their magnificent shipbuilding and navigational skills. Their homeland was Scandinavia, which includes modern-day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, a region of Europe situated perfectly near the Atlantic Ocean for exploration to places such as Iceland, Greenland, and even North America by sea. The sea was the Vikings' way to the outside world, and therefore they mastered techniques of building marvelous ships, which Europeans could not boast about at the time or even for centuries afterward. II. Brief History a. The background of the Vikings b. Origin c. Achievements III. Exploration a. Short History b. Leif Ericson, Eric the Red c. Vinland, America IV. Shipbuilding a. Techniques b. Design of the Ship c. Artwork; Woodcarving d. Importance of the Ships to the Vikings V. Navigation a. Navigational Skills b. Techniques c. Instruments/Tools d. Use of astronomy, oceanography VI. Conclusion f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Invitation.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jan. 30, 1997 Eric Tang 97 Benson Street 2nd Floor Albany, NY 12203 USA Mr. and Mrs. Qifan Tang School of Management Fudan University Shanghai, P.R. China 200433 Dear parents, It has been almost seven years when I last saw mother in Shanghai. I miss you very much. As you know, I am graduating from the State University of New York at Albany this May. I would like to invite you to attend my graduation ceremony. Of course, I understand that father is always busy with his teaching and research duties. If he can not find the time, then I wish at least mother can come to Albany for a short stay. I would like to go sightseeing with her. In this letter I have enclosed my bank statement and a status letter from my school to confirm my enrollment here at University at Albany. Please present these documents to the U.S. consulate. I look forward to hearing from you. Love, Eric Tang [Enclosure]: 1. Status letter from Office of International Student Services 2. Bank statement f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Is Huck finn too mature .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Is Huck Finn too Mature? Huck Finn knows more than a fourteen year old boy could possibly know. He has the maturity level of one in their twenties at least. Huck's knowledge and decisions in certain situations in the book exceed the intelligence in general fourteen year old boys. When Samuel Clemens wrote this book, he was well into his mature adult years. Huckleberry Finn represents the adventurous, free spirited life that we all would like to have led in our childhood years. Clemens wrote this book with the frame of mind of a fourteen year old. Huck Finn is Twain's dreams and childhood ambitions come to life. On Huck's adventure he encounters alot of different views of society. He experiences the restrictions of the company in which he surrounds himself. This knowledge that Huck get's first hand ultimately ends with Huck's mature decision to oppose the views of society and risks going to hell for his friendship with Jim. This is a very mature and noble decision for a boy of Huck's age to make. It is also noticeable that Huck is unlike other boys of his age with the introduction of Tom Sawyer. Tom is always thinking of amazing plans and activities. In contrast, Huck's ideas are sensible and well thought out. This fact shows that Twain made his own character superior in a way to the others, giving him a practical edge on situations. Huck is definitely superior to other boys of his age, but it may not be just his intelligence. Also, Huck has a tendency to confide in the way things are rather than looking for a deeper meaning. This aspect of Huck's character allows him to express his own system of values which seem to give him an edge on other fourteen year old boys. Whatever the reason, Huckleberry is definitely advanced in life. In this book, it is noticeable that Twain has given the narrator all of the major and necessary attributes needed by an adventurous boy. Huck has no religion to keep him from doing what he feels is necessary. He has family that cares about him or his well-being. He has seen many views of society and has decided that he does not want anything to do with it. He prefers the freedom of the wilderness to the restrictions of society. Huck has his own set of morals and values to govern his life. He also has perhaps the most needed quality of all. Huck has the ability to adjust to any situation, and to adjust to almost any surroundings. The situation with Jim and the rattlesnake is surprising to the reader. It is one of the three specific situations in the book where Huck makes a decision without thinking it through. Huck forgets that a rattlesnakes mate always curls around its dead partner. This turns out to have bad result when Jim is bitten by the snake which was not at all Huck's intent. Twain may have put that case in the book to show that Huck is not always right and is capable of making bad decisions. At this point, it is likely that Twain realized how good Huck was turning out to be, and therefore had him make a mistake. Not just a mistake, but a mistake that went against one of his main morals, which was to be kind to others. The second trick played on Jim will be the last immature and childish thing that Huck does before the end of the book. Huck lies to Jim and tells him that they were never separated on the river. Jim finally realizes that Huck is lying to him, and then becomes extremely upset. It is at this point that Huck understands his need for Jim's friendship and, sees Jim's dedication to him. Huck's next action shows that he does not care about societies views and does an act that would never be accepted by his society. "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger: but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterward, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd' `a' knowed it would make him feel that way." During Huck's time spent with the Grangerford and Shepherdson families he sees an view of society that he has never faced. Huck does not understand why people are fighting to the point of death when they fail to remember the original reason for the feud. Huck's common sense allow him to judge the situation, seeing through the shallow ideas that keep the feud going. Huck is eventually shocked at the notion that boys his age are trying to kill each other. Huck's true advancements to other boys of his age come out in his dealings with Buck Grangerford. Huck forgets his name and must be smooth enough to devise a way where Buck would spell it for him. This episode displays Huck's understanding of people and his ability to put it to use. This is probably a feature that Twain would have liked to have had in his childhood years. Huck Finn has more knowledge and maturity than any boy of his age at that time. His individuality and failure to agree to society often make it seem to the reader that he is well beyond his years. Twain wrote this book with never having accomplished his childhood dreams and wishes. It is likely that Twain realized how advanced Huck was turning out to be, and therefore had him make a few acts which were performed without the use of common sense. Huckleberry Finn is the image of an adventurous boy with nothing to hold him back from doing what he wants. He is what Samuel Clemens hoped to be as a child, and regretted not having had these experiences to carry through adulthood. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Islamic food essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Islamic food is very delicious but it is so complicated to make it eatable according to the Islamic laws. To eat Islamic there are many rituals or traditions that you must go through first. They have forbidden foods to eat, certain methods of eating, they have names for foods that are eatable or not such as Halal and Haram, and they have a certain way to slaughter animals. Muslims have many foods that they can eat but also have many foods that are forbidden to eat. A mayate is any creature that has not been slaughtered according to Islamic law. Anything that they eat must be clean from clean machines, and they aren't allowed to eat blood, faeces, and a piece of flesh cut from a living animal. Occasionally the Muslims can get around the laws like it is ok to eat Gelatin if it is mixed into another substance. Another food that you can't eat is rennet which is Muslims is also not allowed to eat cheese if it has fatty parts but if it doesn't then it is pure. Deadly poisons are not allowed because anything harmful to yourself. Muslims have very good manner because of the many methods of eating that they have. A couple customs of theirs are that you can only eat with three fingers no less no more, you must eat everything on your plate, don't take food that is in front of another person, and also eat small quantities at a time and chew with your mouth close. These customs mean a lot to the Muslim people and if these methods are no done correctly the host or hostess will get very offended. Some other rules most Islamic people follow are that you must spend time at the table with your guest, must eat with your right hand, you are not allowed to lick your fingers, and to be respectful you must wash your hands before and after dinner, and you are considered a rude person if you stare at someone while they are eating. Most of the time your host or hostess should start eating before their guest and finish eating after their guest it is tradition. In their religion you must pray to G-d before and after meals and you must clean you teeth and pick up left over that fell outside of the sufra which is the eating area. In Islam there are certain foods that they are not allowed to eat and they call that food Haram. Haram means not permitted. Some products that are Haram are animals that are not slaughtered correctly, and pig, dog, donkey, or carnivores. Other products that are Haram are animals killed by clubbing to the head or attacked by another animal. Some other animals that have canine teeth are also Haram such as monkeys, cats, lion and they also are not allowed to eat frogs, crocodile's, and turtles. These foods that are Haram are usually dirty or unclean animals. They are also many foods that Muslims can eat but to a certain extent. Halal means permitted or allowed. This is what they call food that they are allowed to eat. For foods or drinks to be Halal it must be approved by the Islamic dietary laws as in the Quaran. To be Halal the animal has to be slaughtered correctly. To slaughtered and animal to be Halal the area must be clean according to the Islamic law before anything takes place. Only certain live animals and birds can be slaughtered. The slaughter must be done manually using a stainless steal knife. After you slaughter the animal you must clean the knife. Animals have to be completely dead before being skinned. The rest of the laws for the food to be Halal are quiet simple, one rule is that no Halal food can have one ingredient that is Haram. Everything used to slaughter an animal must be clean according to Islamic law. Any kind of Halal substance is not allowed to come into contact with any kind of Haram substances. Some foods are ok but the other parts of it aren't, you are not allowed to eat clay in the religion, they are equivalent to a chick-pea, and you are also not allowed to eat soil, earth, or sand. Yet you are still allowed to eat stones, wood, and metals. Another substance you can not eat or drink is blood. Blood is forbidden to drink lick or imbibe in anyway. You can eat most parts that come from the animals you slaughter except a few, such as male reproductions organ, tentacles, spleen, Faeces, bladder, the gall bladder, placenta,vulva, vein extended from the neck to tail, spinal chord, glands, pineal body, and, the pupils. You can't eat these parts of the animals because they are not clean. Not only does the food have many restrictions so does the things they drink. One drink that is against all Islamic traditions is alcohol. If you but any kind of alcohol on a table of foods the food is turned into Haram. If they want to drink and eat at the same time the food must be at a separate table to the drinks. One drink that they have no laws against and that is very famous in Islam is Barley juice because it doesn't cause any intoxication. This drink is prescribed by doctors to treat certain maladies. You have some many laws around eating but the best part of it all is going to an Islamic restraint and actually eating the food. Dinners at restaurants are usually cooked from recipes from a period source. In these cookbooks there are many recipes for relishes and dips. A few dishes that they make are Badinjan Muhassa, coked dish of lentils, Hais, Hulwa, and syrup of Lemon. For desserts they serve wonderful and delicious pastries and sweets. At these restaurants the food is very well priced you pay $450 for only 250 people. Those are some great prices. The laws of eating can get quiet complicated but through it all the food sounds delicious. The laws of Haram, Halal, slaughtering the animals correctly are all beliefs of the Muslims and thank G-d. These are why the laws are there so that the food will be great, delicious, healthy, and clean. The food is also very well priced so don't worry about that either. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\It is amazing how one can be touched and influenced just by .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mirza Jahic 7-22-2003 Humi 16 Pin# 2406 Innocence and Ignorance, the true Blessing It is amazing how one can be touched and influenced just by going to a museum and observing different artworks by random artists and their perspective of the world and their perspective of life itself. I decided to visit the San Jose Museum of Art on the 11th of July, which was a Friday afternoon with the desire to be enlightened by art being that I have never visited an Art museum before. The name of the exhibit that fascinated me the most and that I decided to write about is Tino Rodriguez's "The Darkening Garden: Tino Rodriguez" also known as "El Jardín al Anochecer". Tino was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico where the art of the Catholic Churches captivated his attention forever. The particular piece that I will be writing about is called "Erase una Vez (Once Upon a Time)" and was painted in 1997 by Tino Rodriguez. The approximate size of this specific piece of art is 6 x 6 inches with oil and rhinestones on wood. I chose to talk about Tino Rodriguez's "Erase una Vez" for a number of reasons. As I walked into Tino Rodriguez's gallery I was first mystified by that particular painting and as to why a grown man would wear a veil on top of his head (curiosity is a curse!!!). This in return attracted me to it and I had to examine it and also find an answer to it. I first came up with numerous theories as to what Tino was trying to say with the painting but none of it really made sense until I noticed two particular things. First, I was unaware that Tino Rodriguez was a gay man and that it must have been a real struggle to grow up in a Mexican family of six boys and three girls and truly express his thoughts and feelings towards the society. This, to me signified that Tino Rodriguez is not ashamed but rather proud and that this particular painting, including many of his other pieces of art, were all strong, self-reflection papers with Tino's imagination and experiences acting upon it hand in hand. Second, I noticed the name and the short description of the painting. It was "Once upon a time". This struck me extremely hard and I was captivated by it automatically. I came to a conclusion about the painting and I put it in a sentence that I had to write down as I was observing the piece of art. I wrote down the following; the innocence and ignorance of the past is a gift, a blessing that one loses over time. This applies to Tino's painting in a great way and I will try and explain in the following paragraph. Tino as a kid did not have to deal with society as he does today. Everything around him did not have an impact on him; rather it sort of passed him by without affecting him as it does the majority of young kids throughout the world. This painting was speaking to me and giving me all sorts of miscellaneous ideas. I asked myself if having knowledge is a blessing or a curse. The same idea I think applies to Tino when he was painting "Erase una Vez". He portrayed himself as an innocent boy, without knowledge of the wild, mysterious world, thinking to himself that being who you are is good, when in reality, it can be quiet bad. Besides the fact that this painting spoke to me in a way that no other painting really has, another great strength of it is Tino's fanciful imagination and colors that he uses throughout his paintings. "Erase una Vez" is simple, yet filled with dreams and real issues that have to do with human sexuality and the sexual suffering that he went trough. He states that "I am fascinated by the complexity of human sexuality, transformation, longing and transgression" which in return tells me that being ignorant is being innocent and that being innocent is a blessing. The smooth strokes of his paintings and the way he brings out certain parts of himself by darkening some of the portions of his self-portrait such as the cheeks, the forehead, the neck and the background is truly a gift and also a reason as to why I was fascinated by "Erase una Vez". The way that his colors re-act with his self-portraits are absolutely amazing and by this I mean that it does not matter if there is sadness, suffering, pain, happiness, bliss or anything of that extent, Tino continues to use brilliant and extreme color in his paintings to show the inner beauty of it all. His strength is the mystification and it is protected by his use of colors. The way that he painted his self-portrait is amazing because as I looked at it, the eyes captivated me and I could see the sorrow because of the rejection. It's as if he was really looking at me and telling me his story of pain and suffering. Another reason why Tino's art in general attracts me is because he combines the dream world and the illusion with the reality and the suffering from within. Most of his paintings, exactly like "Erase una Vez" are painted in a way where they do not scare the observer, but rather softly present the cold fact of reality, sort of a watered-down version of a reality check. Needless to say, the cold facts of the world and reality in general are interpreted by Tino and painted in an imaginary world asking "what if or why not"? "Erase una Vez" means "Once Upon a Time" which can only mean that Tino is depressed about the fact that the world is not how he expected it to be. It is cruel and disturbing but the peace can be found when fighting fears with imagination and/or dreams. Only his eyes can tell the suffering and the pain that he had to grow up with; the rejection, the humiliation, and the fears that he had to conquer. I came to a few conclusions regarding the interpretation of Tino Rodriguez's "Erase una Vez" and about his style in general. The portrait of himself in a veil symbolizes the innocence of a kid. There is no guilt, no shame, and no jealousy, absolutely nothing is bothering a young heart or mind. This painting truly struck a soft spot with me because if one really thinks about the point that Tino is trying to make about a child's perspective of the world and the cruel intentions of the society and the adult that has to live and interact within it, one is truly cursed for eternity. Tino is simply using his imagination to portray a world of innocence in his dream world. This in return brings me to a sentence that I thought of as I was observing this innocent painting, in a low lit room that has no significance in a world full of other fatal attractions. I thought to myself, being ignorant is being innocent and being innocent is a being blessed. But then I asked myself, what is being blessed? Is it to be enlightened or just to be plain happy? Does it really even matter in a world full of pain and suffering? The answer lies in the beginning of it all, the only true blessing that one ever owns, the past. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\italian outline.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Essay Writing Ceci Cravens 2.26.04 CASE: Stereotypes of the Italian Mafia in America FRAMES: Engle, Omi, Hagedorn, Boyd STRUCTURE: THESIS QUESTION: Is the Italian-American mafia stereotyped in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather? CASE QUOTES BONASERA America has made my fortune I raised my daughter in the American fashion; I gave her freedom, but taught her never to dishonor her family. She found a boy friend,not an Italian. MICHAEL Once upon a time, about fifteen years ago some people wanted to take over my father's olive oil business. They had Al Capone send some men in from Chicago to kill my father, and they almost did. My Father sent Luca Brasi after them. He tied the two Capone men hand and foot, and stuffed small bath towels into their mouths. Then he took an ax, and chopped one man's feet off... LUCA (with difficulty)Don Corleone...I am honored, and grateful...that you invited me to Engle "Immigration, of course, is the overwhelming fact in American history"(739). "No nation on Earth has so deeply embedded in its social consciousness the imagery of passage from one social identity to another..." (739). Omi "Since pop culture deals with the symbolic realm of social life, the images which it creates, represents, and disseminates contribute to the overall racial climate" (558). "Racial beliefs account for and explain variations in 'human nature'" (559). Hagedorn "The lines between movies and real life are blurred" (363). "When there are characters who look like us represented in a movie in a movie, we have also learned to view between the lines, or to add what is missing. For many of us, this way of watching has always been a necessity. We fill in the gaps" (363). Boyd *on the godfather "The chieftain from Kansas City....African American ghetto communities" (345). your home...on the wedding day of your...daughter. May their first child...be a masculine child. I pledge my never ending loyalty. HAGEN The action is narcotics. Sollozzo has contacts in Turkey for the poppy, in Sicily for the plants to process down to morphine or up to heroin. Also he has access to this country. He's coming to us for financial help, and some sort of immunity from the law. For that we get a piece of the action, I couldn't find out how much. Sollozzo is vouched for by the Tattaglia family, and they may have a piece of the action. They call Sollozzo the Turk. He's spent a lot of time in Turkey and is suppose to have a Turkish wife and kids. He's supposed to be very quick with the knife, or was, when he was younger. Only in matters of business and with some reasonable complaint. Also he has an American wife and three children and he is a good family man. "Corleone's ascension to power is complicated by his inability to fully surmount this societal obstacle, at least at this point in the film, and by extension that point in American history-the early 1950's" (345). f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\James Wescott essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Aug. 12, 2002 Dear James, Thanks for sending me the two draft introductory paragraphs for your college applications essays. I have shared them with some of my colleagues and want to give you our consensus comments. Regarding topics, the only concern we have with the introduction to "an issue of international concern and its importance to you" is that many students will decide to use the 9/11 and related terrorism subject this year. We are not saying not to use it but it is important that you differentiate yours from all the others - remember that college admissions officers who read your essays will also read many others. You want yours to stand out. Rather than state well known facts - "the most disturbing display of terrorism is located in the Middle East. Jerusalem has become a battleground for terrorism" -make sure that you focus on how Middle Eastern terrorism has impacted you and/or your thinking. Similarly, you should get to your point sooner about Nathan Hale's famous last words since everyone knows who he was and what he said. Why do his words have importance to you? How have they changed or impacted you? Focus on your reactions/perceptions rather than reciting well-know facts. Does that make sense to you? When revealing what is important to you, it is often useful to describe a personal event or situation that you experienced and to relate that event to a broader topic. Be as specific and descriptive as possible because it will allow you to present yourself as a unique individual. Your terrorism essay has some very interesting themes that you can develop - why do you believe that the suicide bombers exhibit shameful reasoning? How do their beliefs in an afterlife differ from yours? What other situations can you think of where some were influenced by others who were afraid to do something for themselves? Has this ever happened to you or people you know? How have Nathan Hale's words driven you to succeed? Give examples! How have they made you humble? (I'm not sure what you mean by your last sentence). Who do you have in mind when you say those who contribute a great deal but do not get recognized? I haven't considered grammar/vocabulary in this preliminary review because at this point it is more important to focus on what you are saying vs how. So continue to develop these ideas and send me more refined versions when you are ready. Call me if you have any questions. All the best, f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Jane Crawford finds out about living for herself.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Everybody has to find out about living for themselves Janie Crawford evolving selfhood through three marriages. Fair-skinned, long haired, dreamy as a child, Janie grows up expecting better treatment than she gets. Living life as one man's mules or another man's adornment. Janie is one black woman who does not have to live in lost sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, for Janie has learned "two things everybody's got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh themselves." Janie Crawford is better off at the end of the noval Their Eyes Were Watching God. Janie is confused when she was a young woman. The noval explains her life as a young girl. Her mother left her when she was really young. Janie never met her. Her grandmother explains that her master rapped her, "Den, one night ah heard de big funs boomin' lak thunder. It kept up all night. And de next morin' Ah could see uh big ship at a distance and a great stirrin' round. So Ah wrapped mah way on down to de landin'. The men was all in blue, and Ah heard people say Sherman was comin' to meet de boats in Savannah, and all of us slaves was free. So Ah run got mah baby and got in quotation wid people and found a place Ah could stay." Grandmother was wanting to make a school teacher out of Janie's mother. Janie found out that a school teacher rapped her mother so she never met her father either. Janie's mother was seventeen, when she was pregnant with Janie. After Janie was born, Janie's mother took to drinking a lot. Janie's grandmother raised Janie since she was born, grandmother says "Maybe it wasn't much, but Ah done de best Ah kin by you. Ah raked and scraped and bought dis lil piece uh land so you wouldn't have to stay in de white folk's yard and tuck yo' head befor' other chillun at school." When Janie turned sixteen years of age, her childhood had ended with a kiss from a boy named Johnny Taylor. Grandmother wanted to see her married at once but Janie did not understand what was going on. Janie did not feel love for this man or any man at this time but grandmother explains that she is not going to be around forever and she wants to protect her from harm and danger. Janie's life as a young person was a hardship she did not understand what purpose in life she has and she does not understand what love is. Janie dreams marriage will bring her love. Logon is a man wanting to marry Janie. Janie had no chance to know things, so she had to ask. "Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of the unmated? Did marriage compel love like the sun the day?" After Grandmother's talks and Janie's own conjectures she made a sort of comfort for herself. She came to the conclusion that she would love Logon after they were married. "I saw no other way for it to come about, but Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so. Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant. It was just so." Janie felt glad for a moment in her life she felt that for then it wouldn't seem so destructive and moldy. She would not be lonely anymore. Janie married Logan in Nanny's parlor. Janie felt lonesome when she went to Logan's house "It was a lonesome place like a stump in the middle of the woods where nobody had ever been. The house was absent of flavor, too. But anyhow Janie went on inside to wait for love to begin." After two months have gone by Janie had to reconsider her marriage with Logon. "Janie waited a bloom time, and a green time and an orange time. Nevertheless, when the pollen again gilded the sun and sifted down on the world she began to stand around the gate and expect things." She did not know exactly what to expect. "Janie knew that God tore down the old world every evening and built a new one by sun-up." Janie knew now that marriage did not make love. Her Grandmother dies and leave Janie to explore life for herself. Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman. Janie's marriage with Logan is falling apart. Before long Janie noticed that Logan had stopped doing what he used to do to her. He had stopped playing with her long black hair. He said "If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh tote it inside. Mah fust wife never bothered me 'bout choppin' no wood nohow. She'd grab dat axe and sling chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten." One morning Logan has to go to Lake City to see a man about a mule. Janie had started noticing how beautiful it is outside and went outside. Janie had been outside for a long time when she heard a whistling coming down the road who she later found out his name was Joe Starks. Janie and Joe starting talking and she found out that he was aiming to go down to the new part of Florida. He later decided he needed a rest so it would do him good to rest a week or so. Every day after that they managed to meet. They would talk about when Joe would become a big ruler of things. He spoke for change and chance. Still Janie hung back. The memory of Nanny was still powerful and strong. Joe says "Janie, if you think Ah aims to tole you off and make a dog outa you, youse wrong. Ah wants to make a wife outa you." Janie debated the matter that night in bed. That morning Janie hurried out of the front gate and turned south. She thought that even if Joe was not there waiting for her, the change was bound to do her good. After she came, their Joe Starks was waiting for her with a hired rig. He was a very solemn and helped her to the seat beside him. With him on it, it sat like some high, ruling chair. She thought "From now on until death she was going to have flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything. A bee for her bloom. Her old thoughts were going to come in handy now, but new words would have to be made and said to fit them." Joe and Janie were married before sundown, just like Joe had told her. Janie starts a new life with Joe Starks hoping to find love. Janie understands that she is an independent person it's she that makes her not her husband that makes her. On the train the day after they got, married Joe did not make many speeches with rhymes to her, but he bought her the best things the butcher had, like apples and a glass lantern full of candies. Mostly he talked about plans for the town when he got there. Janie liked the looks of Joe. Joe and Janie go to the new down and they noticed it was a major disappointment. People thought that Janie was Joe's daughter because of the age difference. Joe wanted to be a big voice in this town. Life went on in Eatonville and Joe bought some more land for the town. People were impressed about Joe. They astonished Janie to see the money Jody had spent for the land come back to him so fast. Later ten new families bought lots and moved to town in six weeks. It seemed all too big and rushing for Janie to keep track of. Joe had a store built for him, before it had a complete roof there where canned goods piled on the floor and was selling so much he didn't have time to go off on his talking tours. The people of Eatonville have liked him so much they decided to make him mayor. Janie was talking to Joe "Joe, it jus' looks lak it keeps us some way we ain't natural wid one 'nother. You'se always off talkin' and fixin' things, and Ah feel lak Ah'm jus' makin' time. Hope it soon gits over. Joe says "Over, Janie? I god, Ah ain't even started good. ah told you in de very first beginnin' dat Ah aimed tuh be uh big voice. You oughta be glad, 'cause dat makes uh big woman outa you." Janie soon began to feel the impact of awe and envy against her sensibilities. "The wife of the Mayor was not just another woman as she has supposed. She slept with authority and so she was part of it in the town mind." Janie started to think the inside state of her marriage. She was not petal-open anymore with Joe. She was twenty-four and seven year's marriage when she knew. She found that out one day when Joe had slapped her face in the kitchen. Joe had got really badly sick and died. Janie never loved him, and the first thing she did when he died was to get ride of the embargoes he had put on her like him wanting her always to have her hair up. Janie is finally starting to understand who she is and she understands what independency means. Janie is going to do things her way not her grandmother's way. After Joe Starks death Janie spent six months or more grieving about him. She would dress in black and after awhile she dressed in white. One most of the town went to a ball game so the store was very slow. A man came into the store and asked for some cigarettes. Janie later found out that his name is Virgibil Woods whom everybody called Tea Cake. This man did not want to go to the game. He asked Janie if she wanted to play checkers but she did not know how because nobody has ever taught her. Tea Cake showed her how to play checkers. Janie felt good for the first time, she did not understand what this feeling was "Janie found herself flowing inside. Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it natural for her to play." Janie looked at Tea Cake and like what she saw "Janied looked him over and got little thrills from every one of his good points. Those full, lazy eyes with the lashed curling sharply away like drawn scimitars. The lean, over-padded shoulders and narrow waist." Tea Cake came back a week later for some snub. Tea Cake told Janie that he loved her "Ah didn't aim tuh let on tuh you 'bout it, leastways not right away, but Ah ruther be shot wid tacks than fuh you tuh act wid me lak you is right now. You got me in de go-long" Tea Cake was twelve years younger then Janie, Janie told him "Aw, Tea Cake, you just say dat tuhnight because de fish and corn bread tasted sort of good. Tomorrow yo' mind would change." Tea Cake disagreed to the comment and Janie said that she would love to hear what he thought of her in the morning. Teak Cake came back two days later to tell Janie his thoughts about her. Janie was starting to feel what love really is "Janie awoke next moring by feeling Tea Cake almost kissing her breath away. Holding her and caressing her as if he feared she might escaped his grasp and fly away." After found days Tea Cake returned to her Janie adored him and hated him while she felt how could he make me suffer so much by not being here. Janie and Tea Cake were to be married. Janie's first dream has come true. She has finally felt love. Janie's first love was her last love. Tea Cake was a gambling man. He played dice, cards, or anything in which there was a stake. At first Janie was afraid Tea Cake was going to leave her because she had twelve hundred dollars and it was missing she thought he took it and left her. Tea Cake came back and said that "Ah don't blame yuh but it wasn't lak you think." Tea Cake had promised that he would pay back every dime with his gambling and he did. Janie felt really wanted for the first time Tea Cake wanted her to participate in everything that he did. Tea Cake taught her how to shoot and hunt, play cards, anything that he did he wanted her to do. Tea Cake missed her when he was working in the fields so he came back and sees her throughout the day. Janie finally went to work in the fields with him so they would be together always. Janie and Tea Cake moved to the Everglades. Everything in the Everglades was big and new for Janie. Janie learned what it felt like to be jealous "A little chunky girl took to picking a play out of Tea Cake in the fields and in the quarters. If he said anything at all, she'd take the opposite side and hit him or shove him and run away to make him chase her." Janie thought that Tea Caked loved this women and not her Tea Cake said "New, never did, and you know it too. Ah didn't want her. Mrs. Turner was a person that did not like black people and she thought that it was such a sin for Janie to be married with a person so black. Mrs. Turner wanted to introduce Janie to her brother, Janie did not want that, she had no feelings for Mr. Turner. When Mrs. Turner's brother came and Mrs. Turner brought him to be introduced to Janie. When that happened Tea Cake had a brainstorm and before the week was over he whipped Janie "Not because of her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him. Being able to whip her reassured him in possession." Later there were a hurricane coming and Janie and Tea Cake decided to ride it out. The hurricane we much more then they had expected "Tea Cake touched Janie and said, "Ah reckon you wish you had of stayed in yo' big house 'way from such as dis, don't you?" Tea Cake was the only love Janie has ever had. After the hurricane has passed many, repair and work up was due. Three weeks or so Tea Cake started getting really sick. During the storm a Wild Dog and got rabbis bit Tea Cake in the face. Tea Cake started getting delusional about things, the doctor wanted Janie to sleep by herself. Tea Cake could not drink water and he was dieing. One day Tea Cake started wondering why Janie was leaving, he did not understand that she was going to the doctors to find if there was. Janie really started to worry about the well being of her life. Tea Cake was confused about everything and he got a gun and aimed it at Janie. There were only three bullets in the gun and he pulled the trigger three times on an empty chamber. Janie shot and killed Tea Cake in self defense. Her first love was out of her life forever. Janie is better off at the end of the noval Their Eyes Were Watching God then at the beginning. When Janie was a young girl she was confused about many things. Although her grandmother told her that marriage will bring her love Janie finds out for herself that love must come first. Logan treats her as property not as a wife. Janie understands that you are what you make your self to be nobody else makes who you are. Janie figures out that she must do what she feels she must do not what her grandmother wants her to do. Janie felt love for the first time with Tea Cake and when Tea Cake was gone so was her last love. Janie experiences a lot throughout the noval but the greatest thing she has achieved is that she knows who she is. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Jane Eyre essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jessica Haber Due: January 29, 2001 English 9-Mr. O'Toole In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre Bertha Mason and Jane Eyre share various attributes in their characters: passion, restlessness, and a will to follow their nature. Later in the novel Jane sees Bertha's burning passionate nature and it warns her that she will only become the maniac that Bertha has if she follows her passion and her temptation for her one love Mr. Rochester. In this way, Bertha and Jane serve as doubles for one another how are described with passion and fire, how their moods are reflected through nature, and how Bertha serves as a warning for what Jane's passion, like Bertha's own, could become. Throughout the book Jane is described even from when she was young girl as "such a picture of passion" (p.12). Being passionate in the Victorian Era was associated with not being pleasant and useful, these attributes were looked for to be married which was the ultimate goal of any Victorian woman. But Jane was trying to escape the typical Victorian women's life, which is why she did not conceal her passion. "I have seen what a fire-spirit you can be when you are indignant. You glowed in the cool moonlight last night." (p.392), Rochester describes her. Her passion for Rochester is so strong that it takes over her mind and makes her go insane as she says, "'I am insane--quite insane' with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs." (p.475) This passion made her become "more restless than ever...I could not sit still, nor even remain in the house..."(p.414) Jane's fiery passion led her to insanity of which she could not. It was her nature of which she says should not be kept all bottled up inside a women, "they need to exercise for their faculties, and field for their efforts as much as their brother's do." (p.115) So Jane exercised her passionate nature for everyone to notice. Alike to Jane, Bertha has a passionate nature too. At Jane's first sight her appearance was described as "the fiery eye glared upon me-she thrust up her candle close to my face...I was aware of her lurid visage flamed over mine..."(p.425) Bertha is described with the same fire as Jane is. Bertha's passion has affected her in worse ways than Jane's has. Bertha's passion leads her to such insanity that she has fits and tantrums like when she bit her brother, Mason. Rochester describes Bertha: "on all fours, it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal..."(p.425), "a fanatic with burning eternity" (p.461). She is a maniac because she cannot control her fitful passion like Jane refuses keep her passion inside of her. Their natures are full of passion and fire, which they allow the whole world to see flaming. Nature reflects Jane and Bertha's moods. Because they reveal their own nature it is reflected through the nature in the settings of the novel, unlike any of the other women in the book. When Jane is overcome with happiness the day after Rochester confesses his love for her the weather is depicted as "A brilliant June morning had succeeded to the tempest of the night...Nature must be gladsome when I was so happy."(p.384) This also occurs when Jane's feeling of passion for Rochester takes over her actions making her very restless, her passion is described by the nature around her, "loud as the wind blew, near and deep as the thunder crashed, fierce and frequent as the lightening gleamed, cataract-like as the rain fell during a storm of two hours' duration."(p.383). As Jane's passion was described with fierce thunder and rain so is Bertha's. As Rochester discovers Bertha's passion is leading her to madness "the storm broke, streamed, thundered, blazed..."(p.462). Both of their passions through nature depicted as fierce and damaging. Though both natures described in this way Jane doesn't become mad and violent as Bertha does, she sees herself in Bertha and knows she must leave what has been giving her this fiery passion, her love Mr. Rochester. Bertha's madness serves as a warning for Jane's developing passion. Jane says, "I could not help it: the restlessness was in my nature; it agitated me to pain sometimes."(p.114) As it was in both of their natures, but Jane knew she must resist the temptations of her passion before she became insane as Bertha was. "Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do... and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they out to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex. When thus alone I not infrequently heard Grace Poole's laugh, the same peal, the same low, slow ha! ha!" (p.115) Grace Poole's laugh though, was not really Grace Poole. Jane was told it was Grace Poole's to hide Bertha's identity so it was really Bertha who laughed after this description of the role of women. They should be able to experience what men experience: freedom. In several instances as well as this, Bertha would laugh as a reminder of how this passionate nature drove her to madness. The laugh symbolized a warning for Jane to escape this passion of temptation that is taking over her mind leading her to what could be Bertha's state. Bertha also serves as a warning to Jane a few nights before her wedding day. Jane was dreaming one night, "the rain pelted me, I was burdened with the charge of a little child, a very small creature, too young and feeble to walk, and which shivered cold in my arms and wailed piteously in my ear." (p.421) The child symbolizes the fitful passion that Jane had when she was a child that caused her to have tantrums as she had in the red room of Gateshed and as Bertha has locked up in her room. That same passion was developing now which is why it was making her go "insane" as she said. At the moment the dream ended Jane woke up to Bertha, "it removed my veil from its gaunt head, rent it into two parts, and flinging both on the floor trampled on them."(p.442). Bertha ripping the veil into two was a warning that Jane's fitful passion from when she was a young girl that was reoccurring now could result in Bertha's fitful passion as a woman. This reminded Jane to resist the temptations of her passion and not to be Rochester's mistress when she couldn't be his wife because of Bertha whom ashamed as he was, he was married to. In Bertha Jane saw what could become of her so she strongly resisted what she wanted the most. If Jane and Bertha weren't doubles of one another then Jane would not have seen herself in Bertha and the consequence of her passion's temptations. This would result in madness of Jane and would not make Jane the hero that forced herself out of the typical role of women in the Victorian Era. Jane found her passionate nature in Bertha and used Bertha as a warning of what may have become of her. Jane refused to conceal her passion and refused for it to make her a victim. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Janies Great Identity Search.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, there are many lessons on a person's search for identity. Janie's search for identity throughout this book is very visible. It has to do with her search for a name, and freedom for herself. As she goes through life her search takes many turns for the worse and a few for the better, but in the end she finds her true identity. Through her marriages with Logan, Joe, then Tea Cake she figures out what is for her and how she wants to live. So in the end, she is where she wants to be. In Janie's early life she lived with her grandmother, Nanny. Nanny and Janie were pretty well off and had the privilege to live in the yard of white folks. While Janie was growing up she played with the white children. While she was in this stage, she was faced with much criticism and was called many names, so many that everyone started calling her alphabet, "'cause so many people had done named me different names." Soon she started piecing together what she knew of her odd identity. Then one day she saw herself in a photograph and noticed that she looked different, that she had dark skin, and she said, "before Ah seen de picture Ah thought Ah wuz just like de rest." From this point, Janie fell into somewhat of a downward spiral, setting her off of the path toward finding her own identity in society. Finally when she was older Nanny saw her doing somethings under the pear tree that she thought were unacceptable. Nanny quickly arranged a marriage between Janie and a well-off local man, Logan Killicks. In this marriage Janie resisted. She felt as if she was losing her freedom was well as her identity, she wasn't Janie anymore she was now Mrs. Logan Killicks, and she was somewhat obligated to do what he wanted. Not long into this marriage, Janie has had enough, and when the chance to go away with a smooth, romantic man, she takes the chance. The man Janie left Logan for was named Joe Starks. Joe was a smart man who started his own town, Eatonville. In the beginning of her relationship with, Joe, she felt loved, something she never really felt while she had been with Logan. At first, when she ran away with Joe, she felt as if she was finding her new identity, but all there was for her to find was a great maze not always heading her toward her new identity. While she was with Joe she felt as if she had a position of subservience to Joe, he did not see her as an equal. When Joe was nominated to be mayor, and the people wanted to hear from Mrs. Mayor Starks, Joe said, "mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout speech-makin'." What he was saying was that Janie wasn't there for her smarts, she was there to be his wife, to beat for the show, to run the store and the post office, and most of all to be Mrs. Mayor Starks. Throughout this marriage Janie as though she was losing more and more of her identity and freedom in this marriage. By the end of the marriage, she did not have her kitchen and house work that she loved to do, and she had lost her name. After the timely demise of Joe, another man came into Janie's life, Vergible Woods, a.k.a. Tea Cake. He was an unpretentious man without the status of high class, unlike Logan and Joe. He was just what Janie had wanted. Tea Cake gave Janie the freedom to do whatever she wanted. He allowed her to play checkers and talk to whom ever she wanted. The name issue arose again in this relationship. When Janie was with Tea Cake most of the people called her "Janie." By this time she had finally found her identity. She was just an average person who wanted freedom and who didn't always like having complete security. In her marriage to Tea Cake, Janie finally had peace and love. She wanted to do most of whatever Tea Cake was doing. She did not feel any obligation to work with Tea Cake, she just wanted to. So when she returned to Eatonville in her overalls, she had inside of her, true inner happiness and knowledge of her identity. In this novel, Zora Neale Hurston shows many points on her view of a woman's place in America in the twentieth century. One of the points that she makes is that women need to search for their independent identity. That women should not settle for a simple life of being put down and controlled by men. If women are dissatisfied in a marriage they need to move on toward the things that do satisfy them. She is also stating that women in the twentieth century can hold their own in life. They should become equals of men in work, because they are not the stupid weaklings that should be forced to fill a roll of subservience to men. Finally her last comment about women's place in America in the twentieth century is that women can be independent and don't have to lose their identity when they get married. Janie had a hard time finding her identity. Through her childhood, her marriage to Logan, then Joe, and then finally Tea Cake, Janie has always hoped to have an identity independent of anyone else. Hurston's model for twentieth century women is a very defined model. One which holds freedom, an identity, and an equal level of stature to men, all of which Janie strived to have. Overall Janie's end identity is one that many women in the twentieth century strive to behold. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Janies Struggle To Find Her Voice.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Janie Crawford, the main character of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, strives to find her own voice throughout the novel and, in my opinion, she succeeds even though it takes her over thirty years to do it. Each one of her husbands has a different effect on her ability to find that voice. Janie discovers her will to find her voice when she is living with Logan. Since she did not marry him for love, tensions arise as time moves on and Logan begins to order her around. But Janie is young and her will has not yet been broken. She has enough strength to say "No" and to leave him by running away with Joe. At this point, Janie has found a part of her voice, which is her not willing to be like a slave in her husband's hands. After Janie marries Joe, I think that she discovers that he is not the person she thought he was. He tells her what to do the same way Logan did, just a little bit more delicately by saying that it is not a woman's job to do whatever he does not want her to do. Throughout her twenty years of life with Joe, Janie loses her self-consciousness because she becomes like a little kid being told what to do by an adult, Joe. She does it without even questioning herself, which is why I think that she loses the part of her voice that she has discovered by running away from Logan. At times, she has enough courage to say no to Joe, but he always has something to say back that discourages Janie from continuing her argument. But, in my opinion, Janie does not lose her will to find herself and it might have even become stronger because the reader can see that Janie is not happy with the way things are now and that she will probably want to change them in the future. When Joe dies and Janie marries Tea Cake, she feels free because even though Tea Cake asks for her opinion when he does something and cares about her. Since this is Janie's first marriage where she actually loves her husband, she feels free and discovers many new things in life that she has not noticed before. She becomes more sociable, wants to go places with Tea Cake, enjoys working with other people, and likes shooting game. Although she never shot a rifle before, she becomes a better shooter that Tea Cake, and he respects her for that, which allows Janie to get back her self-respect which she had lost while being with her previous husbands. In a way, Janie's spiritual awakening begins when she lives with Tea Cake. As the reader can see, Janie has a hard life where she has to struggle in order not to become inferior to her husbands. She succeeds when she is with Tea Cake, which also marks the time when her inner voice starts to awaken. But not until after Tea Cake's death does she realize that she has understood her place in life, or in other words, she has found her voice. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\jayds essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ No Smoking in Restaurants, Bars or Public Areas! There are 3,000 deaths are caused every year because of second hand smoke? Smoking in restaurants, bars or public areas should not be alowed. This law would enable more people to go to restaurants because they wouldn't have to worry about smelling the smoke while they ate or they wouldn't have to choose non- smoking or smoking. This would also help the 3,000 deaths a year drop tremendously. With this law enforced all restaurants, bars and public areas would have no smoking allowed whether they would like it or not. If people would smoke in the area then they would be kicked out for the dayand fined 100 dollars. Two-thirds of the smoke from a burning cigarrette is not inhaled by the smoker but goes into the surrounding air? Secondhand smoke has twice as much nicotine and tar as the smoke that smokers' inhale. It also has five times the carbon monoxide. Out of the 4,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke, fifty cause cancer. Children have higher risks from secondhand smoke because their lungs are still in the process of growing. Secondhand smoke causes asthma or makes asthma worse. Even if people have never touched a cigarette, people still can get cancer and other deadly diseases. Secondhand smoke also makes allergies worse, so by having people smoke in the community they put other people in danger. You can find all this information at davehitt.com/facts/epa.html, zoot2.com and www.health.ri.gov/disease/tobacco/secondhandsmoke.htm. There is no reason for allowing people to smoke in public areas. By smoking it hurts themsleves and others, so everyone should just help prevent it by not alowing it.Secondhand smoke can cause eye, nose and throat irritation. It can also cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea, coughing and wheezing. Secondhand smoke can seriously intensify symptoms in people with allergies or asthma. Long term exposure causes heart disease and cancer. Even smokers breathe in second hand smoke, in addition to the smoke they inhale directly thye give off smoke to others. Secondhand smoke causes cancer by chemicals in second hand smoke going inside your body directly causing cancer. Other chemicals help the cancer get started. while other chemicals speed up its development. Some damage the body's natural cleaning systems so that toxic substances can enter and remain in the body. Secondhand smoke also increases risk of death from heart disease by 20 to 30 percent for non-smokers married to smokers. This law would help by cutting secondhand smoking deaths in half. This law is safe and will be healthy for anybody. These are the facts.Just remember how bad secondhand smoke is and what this law can do by not letting smokers smoke in restaurants, bars and public areas. Secondhand smoke causes 3,000 deaths every year and causes many deadly diseases. This law will help cut back the deaths related to emphysema, lung cancer and heart disease. This law will also help children and adults with asthma and allergy problems. Now people will not have to worry about smokers smoking while they are eating or in public areas. Second hand smoke is very unhealthy and life threatening, so by not alowing smoking in restaurants, bars and public areas this will help our community be healthy. No smoking in resturants is safe and healthy and there is no reason not to have this law. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Jems Journal.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dan Latham Jem's Journal Chapter 4 - I think at times my sister, Scout can be disgusting. I came home from a long day at school. I found Scout on the porch chewing a wad of gum. I knew it was gum because she had it in her mouth for a long time and plus I could see it in her mouth. So just like any normal brother would do, I told her not to eat things you find and she said that she didn't find it on the ground but rather in a tree. I put an expression on my face that clearly communicated to her that I didn't think she was funny. I also growled at her. She told my like an innocent girl that it was sticking in a tree on the way home from school. I really didn't care about where she got it from I just wanted that disgusting piece of trash out of her mouth immediately before she caught some germs. I told Scout to spit it out immediately. She was actually pretty obedient and spit the gum out. She told me that she had been chewing it all afternoon and that if she wasn't dead and didn't feel sick. She was obviously mad at me for ruining her chewing enjoyment but I didn't want her getting sick because knowing Atticus, I'd be the one who would have to take care of her and that wouldn't go over to well with me since I know I could have stopped her from getting sick. I think I yelled at her and said that isn't she supposed to know that she isn't allowed even near those trees. We all know about that weird guy Boo Radley and we know that property is off limits. I told her that she would probably get killed if she were caught. She said in defense that I touched the house once. This was a clear reference to Boo Radley's house but I ignored her comment and told her that it was different. I also ordered her to go and use some mouth wash to get rid of the germs that she collected from that stick of gum she just spit out. She wasn't pleased that I just ordered her to wash her mouth out and told me in defense that washing her mouth out will dissolve the taste in her mouth but I still didn't care. I wanted her to wash her mouth out so I told her that I would tell Calpurnia about how she found some gum in a tree near Boo Radley's house. I guess she didn't really want to risk a tangle with Calpurnia so she did as I told her. Chapter 7 - Scout asked me about what went on last night and I decided to tell her. I told her that after we heard the gun shot and ran I got my pants caught on the fence. I tried to get them unhooked but I was too freaked out but that gun shot and I feared for my life so I left the pants behind. The next morning my father, Attaicus told me to go get the pants and so I did but this is the part that was really spooky. I told Scout that the pants weren't like the way that I left them. They were folded neatly across the fence and the hole that I made from my struggle with the fence was mended. But it wasn't mended like a woman would mend it. I mean it wasn't neat and all perfect but it actually looked like that kind of sewing job that I would do. It seemed like someone was reading my mind but if no one over there knows me then how could they know was I was thinking. I think that by the expression on her face, I could tell that Scout was equally as mystified by the events that have taken place over the past two days. First was find some strange objects near Boo Radley's tree and then I find that my pants which were ripped by a fence while I was running from a gun shot from some strange shadow have been sewed to my satisfaction. We weren't sure what to do next but I was beginning to think that those items that were left in the tree were some how meant for us. I don't know how or who is doing it but I think the answers all lie within the Radley house hold. Chapter 5 - I was scared and I think my father made it worse. After Scout, Dill and I went to the Radley house to give Boo Radley the letter we made, we heard a gun shot. All of us ran as fast as we could but I stupidly got my pants caught on the fence. I had to think quick and so and split second decision making, I decided to ditch my pants. I ran as fast as I could and we reached our house. I rang the door bell many times and that got Atticus pretty upset. He wanted to know what was going on. He asked me what I was doing and I replied to him that I was innocently doing nothing and ended it with a "sir." He didn't buy it and said he didn't want any lying going on and he said, "tell me." That was my cue to spill the beans to my father. I didn't want to lie but I didn't want to tell him everything. I said that we were trying to give him something. I was hoping my father wouldn't pry any deeper into the topic of conversation. But he did. He asked me what it was we were trying to give Boo Radley. And I told him it was just a letter. He asked me to let him see it. I gave him the filthy piece of paper and Atticus tried to read it. He asked why we wanted Boo to come out and this was a question that I could answer that wouldn't make us look guilty. I told him that we were hoping he might like us and that we were just trying to make friends with him. As usual, he didn't buy it. My father grew very stern and it drained all the blood from my face. He said, "Son, I'm going to tell you something and tell you one time: stop tormenting that man." He turned to Scout and Dill. "That goes for the other two of you." Chapter 6 - I think those final days before Dill left were the best. We asked Atticus if we could go over to Miss Rachel's pond and he said we could. Me, Dill and Scout leaped over the low wall that separated her driveway from ours. I whistled and Dill responded. I looked around and noticed that the wind was hardly blowing. I informed my friends of the same thing telling them that the wind wasn't blowing hard. Then I noticed a gigantic moon was rising behind Miss Rachel's pecan trees. I told my sister and friend that the moon looked gigantic. But to them it only made things look hotter than they really were. I noticed that Dill was making a cigarette out of the things he had and then he challenged me. He asked if I'd cross the part that I was pointing to. I noticed that Dill was almost done with his cigarette and I wanted to change the subject so I told him not to smoke his cigarette because he'd stink up this side of town. I told Dill that we would definitely miss him and I knew that went double for Scout. Dill stretched out and asked if we all would like to go for a walk. We replied that it sounded great and we told him that we would. But I asked Dill where should we go. He pointed in a southerly direction. I said, "okay," but Scout protested and Dill replied, "you don't have to come, Angel May." I thought it was kind of cute but Dill wanted to leave now because our time with him was numbered and we wanted to spend as much time as possible with him but we didn't want to get in trouble like we seem to be pretty good at which is why Scout is probably going to protest to our little "walk." Chapter 2 - I remember the days when Dill wasn't around and Attaicus sent me and Scout to school. We were learning about cows and Scout didn't like the idea too much. That didn't matter because we had to learn and plus cows are a big part of Maycomb County. She told me that she really didn't want to know about cows and I told her that I had to learn about the Dewy Decimal System. Our teacher was Miss Caroline and we had students of all ages in our school. I remember when Miss Caroline asked about the little Cunnigham boy. She didn't know at the time that the Cunningham's are too proud to take money from anyone and Scout told her that it would be useless to try and give him something when he couldn't return it. She just thought that idea was silly but the Cunningham boy didn't take any money for lunch. I don't think in that particular year that Miss Caroline liked Scout too much. She found out that Scout could read and that Atticus taught us both that and she also found out that Scout was very smart. One time that year, Scout asked me if I could write something for her and I told her that we don't write like in the first grade, we print. She didn't like my sarcasm too much but I helped her out anyway like any big brother would do. Scout had a grudge with Calpurnia, our new black maid. I told Scout that we go home for lunch and she liked that idea because that meant that Calpurnia had to make her whatever she wanted. I also told her that the kids who bring lunch keep it on their desks. This is the point of the Walter Cunningham incident. Miss Caroline also calls Scout, Jean Louise, which is her real name but no one calls her that. Not even Atticus. Scout, that same day, asked me what entailment was. I told her its when you get your tail caught in a crack. She got the humor that I was trying to get across to her but as usual, I was joking around and she was completely serious. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Jobies Furman Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Furman's Essay In 200-400 words, describe your educational goals, your reasons for transferring and your interest in Furman University. I plan to receive a strong education throughout the rest of my college years in the business field. Marketing is of particular interest to me, as is music. I am presently minoring in music and plan to continue along that vain. With the education that I receive I hope to acquire a position in sales and marketing at a renowned company. I believe Furman University is the type of university that will provide me with the tools to assist me in attaining this goal. I currently attend the University of Vermont, which is a fairly large sized university, with large lecture classes. I feel that a smaller sized school, with smaller class sizes, will be more suitable for me. This would enrich my educational experience because my focus, as well as the professor/student relationship, will improve substantially. I feel that Furman University is also in a better location for me than the University of Vermont. Burlington, VT feels quite isolated. The freezing temperatures, as well as the lengthy winter, made it very uncomfortable to walk around a very large campus. I am also an avid golfer and I feel that the environment at Furman would be provide me this outlet when I am in need of a break from my studies. I would appreciate your consideration for transfer into your prestigious university in order to assist me in attaining my goals. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Joels Dream.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ JOEL'S DREAM Joel was sitting in the airport lounge, sipping his mineral water, when the tanoy came on," BA flight two-six-one to Milan is now boarding. Please make your way to departure gate three, Thank you." " That's me! See you later Shaz, I'll phone you when I get there !" " See you Joel, hope everything goes okay!" After exchanging kisses, Joel picked up his bags and heads off through the Departures corridor and to the plane. Joel was possibly the best talent to come out of Scotland for years. He could play football with such style and skill, this was why he had been offered the most lucrative deal for a Scottish player ever. AC Milan, arguably the greatest team in the world had offered him a deal which would see him earn more than £40000 a week. This would make him the highest paid player in Europe and accelerate him to the top of world football. He was due to meet the manager on Monday to discuss the terms of his contract and if all went well he would sign for Milan and fulfill his dream of being a star footballer and also make his wife Sharon very very happy. Sharon was a gold digger and was after Joel for his money, but she did stick by him, they had been married for two years and if Joel got the contract Sharon would be able to move to Milan and have everything and have everything she desired. So obviously she was very determined to see this deal go through. After arriving at the hotel Joel settles in and unpacks before going to the Milan training camp to meet the players and his (hopefully) new manager, Roberto Ravelli. " Hello! I'm Erigo I will be your guide while you are in Italy. I'm sorry if my English is no good but I am still getting lessons. Anyway welcome to Italy!! Anywhere you want to go I will take you." " Oh thanks but I just want to meet the players then go back to the hotel and get some rest." " I understand it has been a long flight and you need to rest." " Yeah maybe we can go somewhere tomorrow or something!" said Joel who was getting a bit bored of talking and just wanted to get home and sleep. " OK then it's a date," replied Erigo." But I've been instructed to take you on a tour of the stadium before you go!" " Can't we do this tomorrow?" Said Joel tiredly. " No I'm sorry I must do as I have been instructed. " Okay but lets make it quick." After his tour Joel went back to his hotel for some well needed sleep. As he was lying there he began to drift away into a dream, thinking about the stadium he had been in barely an hour ago and the players he had just met. His dream of being a professional football player was so close to coming true and Joel was overjoyed about it, so much so that he barely got a wink of sleep that night. The next morning Joel was up really early to meet Erigo at 8:00pm before driving to Milan's stadium, newly named the 'San Siro Stadium', for his meeting with the manager and the board. The managers office was massive, as Joel stepped inside he was stunned. Trophies filled the room on all sides. There was a massive marble desk in the middle of all these trophies and sitting at the desk was the manager, Roberto Ravelli and sat next to him were the ten members of the AC Milan Board, including the Chairman multi-millionaire Geirmund Zeige. These people were legends to him. He had never been so excited in his life. " Ah, Joel please sit down," said Mr. Ravelli invitingly. " Thanks," replied Joel, who was still partly in shock. "I'll make this quick," said Mr. Ravelli," I've made you a very good offer and I hope that you will agree to play for us." " Em what? So do I just sign?" " Well I'll finalize things today and you'll have your medical tomorrow afternoon, but, enough of this business talk. Tonight is celebration time! I've organized a party with all the players tonight and I would be delighted if you could attend!" asked Mr. Zeige. " Yes I'd be delighted to!" replied Joel. " Okay then I'll see you at the club suite at about seven o'clock. Is that okay with you?" " I'll be there Mr. Zeige," said Joel. " It was nice to meet you Joel and I hope we can become better acquainted at the party tonight." " Yeah me too Mr. Zeige. Bye Mr. Ravelli, I'll see you at the party tonight." " Yes bye Joel," said Mr. Ravelli. Joel went back to his hotel filled with excitement and he couldn't wait to get to the party to meet more of his team mates. In fact he was so eager that he was ready a full half hour before Erigo arrived with the car. When they got there the party had just started and Joel went around and started to get to know his team mates better. " Hi, my name's Joel pleased to meet you!" " Yeah I know, I'm Marco, and this is Jurgen." " Pleased to meet you," said Joel," I hope I'll be playing with you soon." " Yeah me too," replied Marco. " Hey Jurgen," whispered Marco. " Yeah," replied Jurgen. " I can't stand this anymore- all this about Joel. If he signs what's going to happen to me, I'll be dropped and I'll have to play for the reserves and I don't want that to happen." " Hey how do you know he'll take your place? How do you know he wont take my place?" " Yeah!" replied Jurgen," Well we'll have to do something about it wont we," " Well what can we do?" " This happened a few years back, this guy came and he was going to sign and take my place so I spiked his drink and when he took his medical it showed up and the manager got him charged!" " Do you think that'll work?" " It did the last time," " OK! You go and get the stuff while I go and get our friend Joel a drink." " Okay," said Marco. Marco turned and walked off while Jurgen went to get Joel a drink. Soon after Marco returned with the drugs Joel collapsed and was taken to hospital. Hours later Joel awoke and was greeted by his doctor. " Ah Joel your awake. Look I've had to call your manager you know that don't you?" " Why? What's wrong with me?" asked Joel. " We've found traces of drugs in your system!" " What!!" shrieked Joel," But how can there be? I don't take drugs!" " Well their in your system and there's nothing anyone can do about. Your manager should be here soon but for now I recommend that you get some more sleep!" " No way I don't take drugs!" said Joel to himself as the doctor walked away. Soon after Mr. Ravelli and Mr. Zeige arrived and, after consulting the doctor, came over to talk to Joel," Hi Joel, I've just been speaking to your doctor, it seems you like to experiment with drugs!" " No Mr. Ravelli it's not like that! I honestly don't know how the drugs got there but I promise you I didn't know anything about it." Begged Joel. " Well do you honestly think we can believe you?" said Mr. Ravelli. " Look I really don't know how it happened!" " Joel, I don't know about you but if one of your, soon to be, players showed up in hospital with drugs in their system what would you think?" " Oh please Mr. Ravelli!" " Look Joel you must understand that I am going to have to put in a report to the Italian FA about this and I wouldn't be surprised if they handed you a worldwide ban!!" " What!! How can you be thinking about worldwide bans, I didn't do anything!" pleaded Joel," Somebody must have spiked my drink at the party!" " Well IF it was, it wasn't any of my players." " How do you know?" said Joel angrily," It probably was one of your players they're animals!" " How dare you insult my team! Mr. Zeige I recommend that we press ahead and file our report," said Mr. Ravelli," You never know we might be lucky enough to get this idiot a lifetime ban or maybe a worldwide ban!" " Look please Mr. Ravelli I didn't mean it like that," begged Joel. " It's too late for apologies now." It was too late for anything now.... THE END f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\John Grisham term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kara Barrepski Ms. Morrow English II 19 May 2004 John Grisham: Life and Writing John Grisham is one of America's best-selling author, he said one day, "I started thinking that it would be nice to have a novel sitting on my desk, something I could point to and say, 'Yeah, I wrote that'" (Authors 97). Grisham's life has influenced his fourteen back-to-back best-sellers (Authors 96). His books have been influenced by his previous job as a lawyer; his settings, the places he lived or visited; and there were also many other influences. Most of Grisham's books were influenced by his previous job as a lawyer. Grisham started off being a tax attorney, but then changed to criminal law. Soon he grew tired of this field too and switched to civil law. He won a lot of cases in this field but eventually lost interest in it too (Authors 96). Even though Grisham was no longer a lawyer, courtroom drama was a main topic in most of his books. Grisham's first book, A Time to Kill was influenced by a trial he attended. He witnessed, a girl testifying against a man that raped her. Grisham couldn't stop thinking about this case, and he wanted to know what would happen if the girl's father had actually killed his daughter's rapist (Authors 97). It took Grisham 3 years to write his first novel. He would get into work very early to write for an hour or two until work started (Current 222). Grisham wrote many other books that were influenced by his law experience. The Firm was about a man named Mitchell McDeere, a new lawyer fresh out of Harvard Law School, gets himself into trouble with the curiosity of his new firm. Since he becomes so curious his firm and the authorities ask McDeere to work as a spy within his firm (Authors 98). Another legal thriller called the Pelican Brief was about an attractive female law student named Darby Shaw. Throughout the book Darby is trying to figure out a theory as to why people commit crimes. This eventually got Darby into a lot of trouble with the law firm that were responsible for all the killings. Even though she still courageously continues explore her theory, she finds herself scared for her life from this firm (Authors 99). The Runaway Jury is about a man, who smoked a lot, for about 30 years, and died. Then, his wife decided to sue several large tobacco companies. The defending tobacco company hires a man, Rankin Fitch, to try to persuade the jury to acquit them of the crime that they are accused of. However Rankin is soon challenged by Nicholas Easter who is on the jury. Easter has a stronger influence on the jury than Fitch does. The Summons is a book about a law teacher who receives a letter from his nearly dead father just after a traumatic divorce. The letter requests him to come to claim millions of dollars that he left to him (Author 103). Most of Grisham's books were about "disenchanted attorneys who are bucking the establishment" (Ferranti 42) and courtroom drama. Mostly all of Grisham's books were set in a Southern town or in Brazil. Since Grisham grew up in the south most of his books were set there (Current 221). The Runaway Jury, The Summons, and A Time to Kill were all set in a town on the Mississippi Gulf (Authors 100). A Time to Kill was set in the fictional town of Ford County, Mississippi (Current 222). The Painted House was set in the Arkansas Delta, where Grisham was born. It is about one harvest season narrated by a boy whose father and grandfather are both cotton farmers (Authors 102). Grisham also had one novel, The Testament, which was set in Brazil. It was about a man living in Brazil searching for his spirit. It was easy for him to write about Brazil because he traveled there often to do mission work for the poor by building houses, and because of this he knows a lot about the country (Authors 101). As well as his law experience and settings, Grisham's novels had many other influenced. The Firm was inspired by the Writers Digest. One day, he found guidelines in it on how to make his book better (Authors 97). Personal experience also plays a big part in a lot of Grisham's novels (Ferranti 42). A Painted House was Grisham's first book not about lawyers. This book was about the fictional life of a seven year old boy. Grisham says the boy is very much like him, but the story is not quite the same (Authors 100). Grisham says that he couldn't write a novel that would embarrass him in front of his children who would read his books when they get older. This means that there is no sex, profanity, or violence in any of his books (Ferranti, 43). Grisham said his childhood and different people also influenced his writing. When he was a child he didn't watch much television because his mother didn't like it. In effect, Grisham turned to books and was taught to read earlier and spent most of his time doing so (Academy 3). Because of his love for books at an early age, this made him become a writer later in life. Another person who helped inspire Grisham was his twelfth grade English teacher. She made his class read a lot of good books written by mostly American writers. This was when he figured out his favorite authors. His most favorite was John Stienbeck. Stienbeck was also an inspiration to Grisham. He once said that he would "love to be able to write this clearly" (Academy 4). In conclusion, there were many events, people, and experiences that influenced what Grisham wrote about in his books. Grisham worked as a lawyer for many years and this caused him to write many court room drama based novels. Grisham lived in the south for his whole life, and he also visited Brazil, this impacted the settings of his novels greatly. John Grisham: Life and Writing Thesis statement: John Grisham's life has influenced his fourteen back-to-back best-sellers. I. Previous job II. Settings III. Other Works Cited "John Grisham." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 47. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2003. Ferranti, Jennifer. "Grisham's Law." The Saturday Evening Post March/April 1997 42-45. Judith Graham, ed. Current Biography Yearbook, New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1993. "John Grisham." Academy of Achievement. 1995. 1 May 2004 Barrepski 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\John Keats.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ John Keat's poems, On First Looking into Chapman's Homer, and On Seeing the Elgin Marbles for the First Time, express an irresistible, poetical imagination. They convey a sense of atmosphere to the reader. In comparison they exemplify his intense love of beauty. The connection between these two poems is not so much in subject, but the feeling of awe. Both these poems show more emotion and amazement in the experience of discovering something new. Keats looked with eyes of wonder at new adventures and expressed them verbally with delicacy and reserve. In the poem On First Looking into Chapman's Homer, the description of his experiences overflows with youth and excitement. But as the poem continues the writing is toned down to convey the most important and meaningful experience. Keats describes how after traveling in lands of gold, and seeing many great states and kingdoms, he never truly realized the wonders of these things until reading Chapman's translation of Homer. Crossing many western islands bards have sung about, he never was able to comprehend their true serene nature until reading man's wondrous words. This narration explains that though these were sights well visited , their beauty and Keats imagination kept them alive. Having read Chapman's translation til dawn with his teacher, he was so moved he wrote this his first great poem and mailed it by ten A.M. that day. In On Seeing the Elgin Marbles for the First Time, the description of his experiences overflows with depression and experience. As the poem continues you see his sad point of view has faded . It gives it a familiarity that hides its true serene character. He describes how his spirit is weak (mortality) and his wonderful memories have faded in his mind due to worries and unrest at his coming death. It should be said death does play a key role in this poem and is the main reason behind all his dreariness and heavy heart. His self-pity masks the appreciation that he was granted this length of time to even experience them. Having viewed these time worn memorials of Grecian skill, in this poem he expressed the indescribable feelings of wonder . In comparison Keats expresses similarities in his concreteness of description in which all the senses combine to give the total comprehension of an experience (new or old). He writes with an intense delight at the sheer existence of things outside himself, and seems to lose himself in his own mortality and the identification of the object he contemplates. His imagination is unleashed on the works of poetry and art that so amazed him. Keats style of poetry speaks of truth in beauty. His motto is captured in a line of his own poetry -"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Journal.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This week I read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I read from page 1 to 353. The book starts off with Ender getting his monitor off. A monitor is something that they but on the back of these peoples necks to see if they are a good candidate to be a general to fight the buggers. The buggers are aliens. Well, since he is not monitored anymore people who have always wanted to fight him can now fight them. He ends up winning all of the fights and he goes home. As it turns out taking off his monitor was a test to see how he would handle people that fight him. A general then explains that he want to send Ender to battle school so he can learn how to fight in space. Ender decides to go. When he gets there he finds out that it is very tough. He ends up killing 2 kids and breaking count less numbers of bones in the 4 years that he is there. While he is there he plays a virtual reality game. When he beats the game the computer makes up a place called the end of the world. There are some very disturbing things here. Eventually Ender graduates battle school (2 years earlier that anybody has ever graduated, he's a genius.) He then goes to command school were he learns how to control fleets of star ships. They put him in a simulator and he is given many missions to fly. Then one day his inspectors say that today is his final mission before they grade him. He up agents a whole planet and a vast number of ships. He ends up winning by using a secret weapon on the planet that blows it up. When he finishes the battle he realizes that everyone is cheering behind him. When he asks why they tell him that all of his missions were real ones against the buggers and that he had just destroyed all of the buggers. My favorite character in this book is Ender. He is my favorite character for many reasons. One reason is that he is really smart. He has a photographic memory and he has a 200 IQ. He also could out smart adults when he was 5. Another reason why I like him is because he likes to play video games. He says that they make him even smarter. Another reasons why I like Ender is because he doesn't let people take advantage of him. My least favorite character in this book would have to be Peter Wiggin. I despise him for a few reasons. First off because he is a jerk. He always beats up Ender and Valentine. He does this because he always needs to be in control. Another reason why I don't like peter is because he is just as smart as Ender but he uses his smarts for evil purposes. He once skinned a squirrel with out killing it so he could watch it die. Another reason why I don't like him is because even after Ender saves the world he still doesn't give Ender any respect. My favorite part in this book is when Ender defeats the buggers. This is my favorite part for 3 reasons. One, because the buggers have been destroying mankind since the year 2034. Two, Because they are ruthless killers. Finally because they have been abducting humans since 1940. They would freeze them in tubs or cut them open. My least favorite part in this book is when they take the monitor off Ender. I dislike this part for a few reasons. First off is because it is a very painful process. It has been in the back of kids necks since they were 4 and they are taking it out when they are 6. They end up having to knock him out in order to remove it. Another reasons is because after he gets the monitor taken off he gets beet up. Another reasons is because everyone hates Ender because when they take off your monitor that means you didn't make it to the battle school when infact he did make it. We'll, I loved this book! I read the whole thing in less than a week. You should read it, especially if you like vivid descriptions. I got to go. See you later. Sincerely, f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Jude the Obscure.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jude the Obscure In Hardy's Jude the Obscure, Hardy shows his views on religion and commitment to the Church which were said to have declined in the latter years of his life. (Ingham, xxvii) Throughout the book Hardy displays his feeling that religion is something that people use in order to satisfy themselves by giving their lives' meaning. One instance in which Hardy clearly displays this is when he writes, "It had been the yearning of his heart to find something to anchor on, to cling to." (Ingham, 94) In order to bring out this point Hardy chooses to create Jude as an orphan and has him come from obscure origins. By doing this he creates a character who is looking for something to give him an identity. As a result of his relationship with Mr. Phillotson (who leaves for Christminster in order to become ordained), he finds religion and feels that he can use it to help him gain an identity. Hardy feels that people should shy away from their old ways of thinking and begin to form new opinions of their own. He feels that people should not just blindly follow religion without deciding for themselves that this is what they want. People should not be as Jude who becomes obsessed with religion simply because his mentor Phillotson felt this way. One of the major reasons that causes Hardy to have these views is that he feels religion leads to hypocrisy. He feels that man has many desires that go against the laws of religion, and these desires lead man to feel very hypocritical. These feelings of hypocrisy then cause man to have many inner conflicts that lead to many problems. This negativity towards religion is seen both through symbols in the book and in the plot itself. The symbols that convey this message are the name Jude, which is an allusion to Judas Iscariot who was a traitor to Jesus. The name Jude can also be a reference to the wandering Jew. The second symbol is Christminster. Christminster symbolizes a world in which Jude sees how remarkable the Church is, but it is a place that exists only in Jude's imagination. Another symbol that we encounter is that of Samson who is symbolic of man going after women that are forbidden to him. We also encounter a reference to Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, which is used to question God by asking why the righteous suffer. Finally, the job Jude chooses is also symbolic of the anti-religious attitude that is shown. The negativity towards religion is first revealed in the name Jude. Jude is an allusion to Judas Iscariot. Judas betrayed Jesus to his enemy for thirty pieces of silver. He identified Jesus to the soldiers by kissing him, and this is what led to Jesus's death. He later returned the money he received to kill Jesus and then went off and killed himself. Jude's life seems to contain many similarities to Judas's life. When Jude was in his younger years he had strong feelings towards religion. Jude began to move away from God as his life progressed. This occurred when he started to feel the guilt that arose from his feelings for Sue. These feelings of guilt caused Jude to move away from the Church and "betray" God, as he states, "The Church is no more to me." (Ingham, 221) By making the comparison to Judas, Hardy is conveying to us the message that religion causes one to feel very unsure of oneself. Judas's life is filled with uncertainty; at first he is very religious and spends much time with Jesus. He then abruptly betrays Jesus for a mere thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. He is very unsure of himself and it is the hypocrisy that seems to eat away at him until he can longer take it, and as a result he ends up killing himself. Jude is very unsure of himself when it comes to religion, mirroring Judas. At first, he wants to be ordained, but, only because he wants to follow in the footsteps of his mentor Phillotson. He then is no longer able to keep his religious views because he can not live with the fact that they go against his deepest desires to be with Sue. As with Judas, religion causes Jude to act very hypocritically. Jude wanted to be religious, yet at the same time he wanted to remain together with Sue. Finally, Jude can longer cope with all these feelings of guilt and confusion and he is forced to leave the Church. Thus we see that religion causes someone to be very confused and act in a very hypocritical manner. Hardy feels that these feelings are not necessary and could be avoided by avoiding religion. Had Jude and Sue not fallen into the "trap" of religion, it is very probable that the whole story would have been different, and would have ended on much brighter note. Had Jude and Sue not had the conflict of religion they would have been able to marry each other without having any guilty feelings. They also would have been able to avert any ill feelings that the towns' people had felt towards them. The word Jude can mean the wandering Jew. By calling the main character of the book Jude, Hardy is making a reference to a group of people who believe in God and are classified as wandering. By using this allusion Hardy is trying to convey to us that the path of religion is not one that has a true destination, but rather it is one of fallacy that leaves people wandering. Hardy further illustrates this point by making Jude a "wanderer." Jude is a wanderer both literally and figuratively. Literally we see him wandering from place to place to find work, and figuratively we see him searching for his own identity. We encounter a negativity towards religion by the town called Christminster. Christminster can be broken down into Christ and minister. At first, Christminster is symbolic of a place that is supposed to be wonderful like the world of the Church. It is likened to the Church by the phrases in which Hardy uses to describe it. He writes that Jude sees Christminster as "the city of the light," in fact it is seen as "a place he had likened to the new Jerusalem," the city of redemption. (Ingham, 85) These biblical references lead us to make a religious connection between the Church and Christminster. Christminster is also seen as a place where he hopes to fulfill all his hopes and dreams. "From the beginning, Jude sees in Christminster and its university the image of an attainable ideal world. His desire for this ideal vision involves a rejection of reality. For his own sporadically controlled, partially understood world, he substitutes the image of an ideal unified, stable, and understandable one." (Bloom, 193) However, this wonderful world exists only in Jude's imagination. He does this in order to escape his complicated reality. Hardy is trying to tell us that we should not fall into the same predicament as Jude; we should not allow ourselves to run after religion as an escape to our problems because it will only lead to hardships. We see Hardy's message as Jude encounters many major rejections in Christminster; included in these are his not getting into any of the colleges he desired to attend and his love Sue leaving him for Phillotson. Here we see that the two major goals that Jude had hoped to achieve in Christminster both remained unfulfilled. What Hardy is trying to tell us is that at in many instances religion may seem to be the path to take. However, after one delves deep into the meaning of religion he finds, as Jude does in Christminster, that while it may seem great from a distance, it is actually just filled with many letdowns. Thus, the view on religion is: it seems to be the "light" we should follow, but, it is actually only an illusion. Hardy shows that Jude's desire to go to Christminster and dedicate himself to the church stemmed from his admiration of Phillotson. By saying this, Hardy is telling us that it was not Jude's own true wish be a part of the Church, but rather he was just following someone there. He then realizes that with his true feelings he can not continue to follow the Church because it would be hypocritical. What Jude is realizing is that one must choose his own path and should not feel compelled to follow God, if he does not come to the conclusion himself. When Jude an Arabella go walking together, they stop at an inn to drink tea. At this time Hardy makes mention of the picture on the wall. The hanging picture is of Samson and Delilah. Samson, although a fighter for his nation, was not someone who strictly adhered to the laws of religion. Samson showed his lack of adhesion to the laws of the bible by sleeping with three forbidden women. This is very similar to Jude who is going after the "forbidden woman" (forbidden because she is his cousin). Samson is thus a symbol of one going against the proper views of the bible, as Jude. By bringing up Samson at such a time Hardy is trying to tell us something. He is trying to tell us that even though one of the great heroes of the bible has gone and committed sin with forbidden women, he was still able to become a hero. Hardy therefore brings this to our attention to show us that religion is not necessary in order for one to lead a successful life. By making this reference Hardy is trying to make Jude into a tragic hero. This is done through the mention of Samson. Hardy is saying that as Samson Jude is also a hero. While Samson was a hero because of his strength and ability to triumph in battle, Jude is a hero because he has the strength to fight against what society deems to be acceptable (the ways of the Church). Jude is not swayed like most by what others feel he should do, but rather he is a fighter. Hardy compares Jude to Jesus in many instances, one of which is when Jude is angry at Sue for marrying Phillotson. This comparison is brought up when Jude and Sue are talking about which inn to go to, in order to avoid being seen by others. Here we have Jude intending to commit adultery with Sue and we have Hardy comparing him to Jesus. Although in the end of the seen Jude and Sue do not end up sleeping with each other, at the time the comparison to Jesus is made, it is Jude's intention to sleep with Sue. "You simply mean that you flirted outrageously with him, poor old chap, and then to make reparation, married him, though you tortured yourself to death by doing it." "Well-if you will put it brutally!--it was like that-that and the scandal together-and you concealing from me what you have told me before!" He could see that she was distressed and tearful at his criticisms, and soothed her saying, "There, dear; don't mind! Crucify me if you will! You know you are the world to me, whatever you do!" (Hardy, 216) In this instance Hardy's negative views towards religion are seen. We encounter Jude and Sue arguing about her feelings for Phillotson. Once Jude realizes that he has caused Sue to feel bad he immediately tries to comfort her. Here Hardy compares Jude to Jesus by having him say "crucify me if you will." This phrase is very f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Judgement.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Judgement People can often be treated and judged in a less than equal manner before people even know the true nature of the person, such as the way that the Finch children think that Boo Radley is some kind of a monster. Or the way people call Atticus Finch is called a nigger-lover. One of my most favorite quotations is that of Martin Luther King Junior. "I have a dream, that one day my children will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." People should make judgements of the person's character, not by their appearance, race, religion, sexuality, and morals. One of the main focuses of the book is the Finch children trying to get Boo Radley next door to come out of his house. To them he is a mean monstrous person. But for some reason they seem to think that tormenting him is the best way to occupy their time. In fact, to the whole town the Radley family are mean people that kept to them selves. "There goes the meanest man ever God blew breath into," said Calpurnia (page 12). This shows how mean people can be just by judging others by their outsides. What gives these people the right to make these kind of conclusions without ever even meeting the person(s). Later in the book the Finch children find presents hidden in a tree next to the Radley place. They can't figure out who would set these nice gifts out for them. Later they find out that is Boo Radley. He is just trying to be nice and other people won't accept his original approach on life. At one point in the book the children decide to go up onto the porch to try and get a peak inside the window. Then they see Mr. Radley inside with a shotgun and they ran away. Jem got her pants ripped off on a fence and returned later to retrieve them and she found them mended and laying over the fence. Another example of how nice the Radley's are is when it was shivering cold outside someone places a blanket over Scout's shoulders. Only later does she realize that the act was performed by the mysterious Boo Radley. I have just given multiple examples straight from the book of how the personalities of the person can be radically different from their appearance. That leads back to my thesis of judging people by their character not their outer shell. One more maddening incident in the book that made me just furious when I read it was when people started calling Atticus Finch a nigger-lover. When I think of the Nazi Holocaust, and slavery in the U.S. in the 1800's, I just get an anger built up inside of me. I don't see how people can hate a group of people because of their religion or race. Back to the Atticus Finch incident, there is nothing wrong with defending someone you think is guilty and there is no reason to believe that they're guilty just because of the color of their skin. Why must people use the term nigger-lover is someone is helping out a black person. Why must people make it their business, and why must they get into something that has nothing to do with them. They don't even know the real truth. In conclusion, people make me sick. There is no reason why there should be any kind of racial or religious kind of discrimination. This book is a perfect example of discriminating people based upon their outer shell. I liked this book and it should be read by all so that everyone can understand the horrors of discrimination, past and present. JUDGMENT James Brager English 10 Mr. Frye March 12, 1997 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Julius Caesar Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Julius Caesar Essay In the Play "The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar" power corrupts along the play. Different conflicts occur along the way too. I am going to tell the ways power corrupts during the play. I will also tell how all these conflicts go with story along the way. At the beginning of Julius Caesar two characters Marullus and Flavius are talking about Julius and that he is coming to the capitol and also how he is going to be given the crown. The first place power corrupts is when Casca one of the main characters doesn't think the crown should be given to Caesar. So Casca comes up with a bizarre idea. His plan is to kill Caesar so Casca himself can get the crown. At this point Caesar has refused the crown two times. Before he gets asked the last final time Casca gets to work. Casca tries to persuade all the conspirators to be on his side along with Brutus Caesar's best friend until now. Brutus got dragged in when Casca offered him money. So now he has the conspirators on his side along with Brutus. At this point everyone thinks that Caesar is a bad leader because of Casca's speech that he told everyone to persuade them. Power corrupts here because now that Casca gave his speech all of the power is on his side. After the people go on Casca and Brutus's side and kill Caesar power corrupts again. Now two other characters that are on Caesar's side give there speech to try to win the people back for revenge for killing him. So they give there speeches and they tell them truth on why they killed Caesar in the first place. So now in the middle of act 5 there is a war going on and this is when power corrupts the most. Casca and Brutus are running away from the power of the people. Before they get to the city of Philippi Brutus sees the ghost of Caesar that tells him that he is waiting in Philippi. Even though they leave Cassius's army and Antony go after them to get revenge for killing Caesar. When they get to them the war of power begins. This is the power of Julius. Now everyone is practically fighting for Caesar. The war gets brutal and people start killing themselves for sorrow. The first one give there life is Cassius. The next to die is Titinius who is killed by Messala. The most important death of all is the death of Brutus. Brutus kills himself for the power of Caesar. He feels sorry for killing him so he kills himself. Another reason that could have motivated him to do this is that they were probably losing the war. So he decided to give up to the great power of the angry people. I hope this essay has given you the idea of how power corrupts in this play. If you choose to read or have already read the play I hope you get the same idea as I do. Which is that somebody with more power can take over a lot of things like friendship. This power is happening in our everyday life. Maybe this will make you think why this happens and how you can change it. To conclude my essay I want you to think if this power didn't occur would the world be different? That concludes my essay, and think about that question. Teague Sivertson Per. 2 11/1/2009 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Junior Term Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thousands of people all over the world suffer daily from cancer. As technology improves, medical advances are made to prolong the life of cancer patients at all costs. Treatments such as chemotherapy and radiology have become increasingly accepted as the normal care for cancer. While technology concentrates on treating the cancer and remedying the scientific effects that it has on the human body, research on alternative medicine is finding ways and remedies to treat the patient. Often traditional doctors will prescribe any form of treatment to help eliminate the cancer at all costs, no matter what the side effect may be. Alternative medicine not only treats the cancer, but it helps the mind, body, and spirit of the person suffering from cancer. An important element in the fight against cancer is an improved quality of life. An enhanced quality of life is being able to actively participate in everyday as well as out of the ordinary activities with minimal pain and suffering. Patients with a positive quality of life are much more able to successfully cope with the harsh realities that accompany cancer. Alternative therapies help to aide in enhancing the quality of life for cancer patients. There are numerous alternative therapies available, some of which include: herbal medicines, acupuncture, and healing techniques using the power of the mind. The administration of these techniques will provide cancer patients with another choice as to how he or she wants to deal with the cancer. When coupled with daily doses of medication, alternative forms of healing offer an enhanced quality of life for patients suffering from cancer. For patients suffering from cancer, it is almost impossible to live a productive life without the use of regular medication. Prescription drugs are often capable of causing more discomfort to the patient then actually doing them any good. Alternative healing through the administration of herbal medicine provides relief form some of the uncomfortable factors, such as nausea, that cancer patients have to deal with, as well as providing a boost to the immune system, while reducing the risk of side effects that would be caused by their pharmaceutical counterparts. There are many known herbal medicines that remedy nausea, but ginger is known to be the most effective. The effective ingredients in ginger are found in the root or "rhizome". A study was conducted in 32 women, experiencing severe nausea were "assigned to receive...250 mg of ginger...four times daily for four days" (www.ahealthyme.com). As a result, "Twenty-eight of the 32 ginger treated patients had improvement in symptoms" (www.ahealthyme.com). Nausea is a major struggle for cancer patients. The study shows that ginger is a safe and healthy alternative to over the counter medicines. The ability to relieve the cancer patient of the plague of nausea, even if it is just for a couple of hours, will drastically enhances the quality of life for those patients. Due to the natural properties of ginger, patients are more inclined to try it because it will not "pollute" the body like many other synthetic drugs. Natural medicine also gives the patient a feeling of beating the system by allowing them to reach outside the boundaries of traditional medical practices. The feeling of control helps boost the spirits and, as a result, improves the patient quality of life. Herbal medicines such as garlic, ginseng, and Echinacea are also effective in boosting the immune system in cancer patients. Research shows that garlic "stimulates the body's immune system, boosting the killing ability of natural of natural killer cells and increasing microphage activity" (http://ephnet1.niehs.nih.gov). With a boosted immune system, the body is energized and better equipped to fight any infection or virus that the cancer may have acquired. Garlic has even been found to help fight the cancer itself. For example, female rats with mammary tumors were given dietary garlic and "found that dietary garlic administered in powder form caused significant delays in the onset of first mammary tumors and reduced the final number of tumors" (http://ephnet1.niehs.nih.gov). This is what all cancer patients hope and long for. By taking this alternative medicine, they are taking an active role in helping their bodies fight off cancer. This gives the patient hope, and according to David Simon, M.D., medical director from the Chopra Center for Well-being, "Hope is an essential aspect of life" (Simon, 240). Hope is one of the most important keys to enhancing the quality of life for someone who is suffering from cancer. Ginseng not only helps boost the immune system, but also more importantly is responsible for reducing stress and treating depression. Ginseng works by strengthening "the hormonal system...and...regulating hormone levels and other biological functions" (Hobbs, 25). It is only natural that patients dealing with cancer are prone to high levels of stress. Their stressed state often leads to depression (Simon, 32). Through the use of ginseng the patient gains a renewed spirit and the ability to function without stress. "Ginseng has long been a popular remedy in Eastern medicine; ... and is used as a mood enhancer, stress reducer, and aphrodisiac" (http://ephnet1.niehs.nih.gov). Ginseng is a healthy and safe way for cancer patients to get a little boost from nature to make the process of healing a little easier. Echinacea is another immune system booster. Echinacea is an herbal supplement "designed to bolster our natural defenses against infectious agents, as well as cancer" (Carper, 108). With a boosted immune system, most cancer patients are better equipped to deal with onsets of other medical complications. This gives most patients confidence, which aides in enhancing his or her quality of life. The use of natural herbal remedies in safe doses is a pure and healthy way for cancer patients to help his or herself improve their quality of life. Herbal medicines do not contain the negative associations that often accompany prescriptions drugs. This reduces anxiety and effectively enhances the quality of life for cancer patients. Another alternative form of healing is acupuncture, which helps to relieve the "all-consuming" (Siegel, 174) chronic pain that often causes the migraine headaches that cancer patients usually experience, therefore enhancing the quality of life. Although acupuncture has not been proven to directly fight cancer, this form of alternative healing is an effective technique to remedy side affects that the cancer will cause. During the acupuncture treatment, needles are stuck in specific parts of the body in order to "stimulate the flow of healing energy" (Stewart, 89). Modern acupuncture is a slightly modified form of the ancient Chinese medicine practices that have been administered for centuries in China and other eastern countries. " The ancient Chinese believed that the body has various channels, through which Ch'i flows" (Stewart, 88). Ch'i is the "energy flow" which the body uses to heal itself. The human body has been carefully mapped out, and a trained doctor can easily locate the spots for pain and headaches. Many people become anxious at the thought of the needles, but according to a doctor in Chicago, "I've never had anyone complain of pain or discomfort from acupuncture treatment" (Stewart, 93). Acupuncture is an appropriate alternative remedy for cancer patients, because it does not inject any chemicals into the body that could cause a negative reaction. When having the acupuncture treatment, the patient will experience "a tingling feeling, usually followed by relief from any pain they had been suffering" (Stewart, 92). The ability to become relieved of the pain without the possible side effects form prescription drugs is a miracle in itself for patients suffering from cancer. Acupuncture does not treat the cancer, it treats symptoms related to and caused by the cancer eliminating or even lessening the pain. This ultimately enhances the quality of life for the patients. Even though acupuncture is still undergoing extensive studies, it has been proven in one article that "of 24 studies found that the typical clinical trial showed a 70 percent efficacy" (Murray, 89). This highly effective treatment provides a safe way for cancer patients to rid their bodies of the pain that plagues them. Due to the pain reduction, cancer patients are able to live a healthier life. As a result, most patients are able to engage in the simple every day activities free of pain and pain-related anxiety. Acupuncture is an effective alternative source of healing for patients suffering from cancer because it offers a painless procedure for getting rid of chronic pain and migraine headaches. It does this without the administration of potentially harmful medication, therefore reducing the risk of side effects. Due to this fact the patient is able to undergo treatment with minimal stress. This stimulates a positive attitude and allows for a greatly enhanced quality of life. The mind is a very powerful tool when dealing with the healing process. Often, patients suffering from cancer will unconsciously let their mind lapse into a negative mode, which deters the healing process, therefore taking away from their quality of life. The ability to condition the mind to maintain a positive outlook while strengthening its ability to control the body not only enhances the quality of life for cancer patients, but enables them to live longer. Conditioning the mind through support groups, self-hypnosis, and biofeedback will drastically improve the patient's outlook on their disease that in effect will enhance their quality of life. Support groups allow cancer patients to condition their mind by finding their own reason for living through listening, sharing, and interacting with people in their same condition. For example, doctor David Spiegel, M.D. conducted an experiment in which eighty-six women suffering from breast cancer were randomly separated into two groups. Each group received the same traditional medical care prescribed for cancer patients, i.e. radiation, chemotherapy, and medication, although the second group met religiously once a week in a support session (Moyers, 68). The data concluded that the women who attended the support groups, "reported less depression, anxiety, and pain than those in the other group" (Moyers, 68). Support groups condition the mind by allowing the patients to release any negative energy, which would otherwise be detrimental to the healing process. Support groups teach the patients how to clear their minds and focus their energy on finding their motivation for living. This, in effect, improves their quality of life. In addition, Spiegel's study showed that "those who took part in the group psychotherapy had lived twice as long...as the group that received only standard medical care" (Moyers, 68). Support groups condition the mind to accept the condition of the patient, allow the patient to express their feelings, and encourage the patient to rely on others for guidance. Support groups permit patients to practice communicating their thoughts and feelings with a conditioned mind. The group leaders, as well as the other patients, are the coaches who provide instruction and encouragement. After regularly attending support groups, the mind of cancer patients is like a well trained solider, fully prepared to fight in a battle for life. With a clear, able mind and a renewed spirit, patients are better equipped handle the bends in the road to recovery. In addition to support groups, the skill of self-hypnosis enables the cancer patient to focus his or her mind on something other than the disease in order to reduce the feeling of pain that accompanies cancer. For example, to get rid of pain, the patient focuses on something else, removing the sensation of pain from their thoughts and therefore out of their feeling. Dr. Spiegel also tested self-hypnosis in a controlled environment using patients with breast cancer. The results conclude "over the initial year, women in the control group sample reported that their pain had doubled- from two to four on a ten point scale. But the group that was trained in self-hypnosis reported a slight decrease in pain, so that by the end of the year their average pain ratings were less than two" (Moyers, 159). By conditioning the mind to relieve the body of pain, self-hypnosis directly enhances the quality of life for the patient dealing with cancer. Dr. Spiegel further concludes that one has to "pay attention to pain for it to hurt. You can lessen the pain by...turning up the attention you pay to other signals in your body or other thoughts or images" (Moyers, 159). Self-hypnosis gives the patient an active role in the healing process, which makes them feel like they are doing something productive to help themselves instead of waiting for help for other sources. This provides the patient with a feeling of accomplishment and self-worth that brightens their attitude and improves their quality of life. Furthermore, conditioning the mind through biofeedback enables the patient to take control of a situation that is otherwise out of their control. When a person is faced with the reality that they have to live with cancer for what might become the rest of their life, it is easy to lose hope, because one thinks that the situation is completely out of their control. "Biofeedback directs or manipulates physiological responses which we normally allow to proceed at their own pace" (Rosenfield, 263). With biofeedback, the mind can be trained to control how the body reacts to certain situations. For example, if the cancer patient is suffering from nausea due to a medication, he or she can be trained to concentrate on the nausea, then eliminate it from his or her body. This enables the patients to get relief and resume a feeling of normality. The difference between self-hypnosis and biofeedback is that during biofeedback the patient is making a conscious effort to rid the body of the ailment, rather than focusing on something outside the body. Biofeedback gives the patient a greater feeling of control because the patient recognizes what is making him or her uncomfortable, and then conquering it through the power of the conditioned mind. Biofeedback is a healing technique designed so that "your wish is your brain's command" (Rosenfield, 263). The feeling of control adds to their quality of life while empowering the cancer patients to continue living. Conditioning the mind clearly enhances the quality of life for the cancer patients. Actively participating in the conditioning process gives the patients satisfaction and motivation for further improvement. Involvement in the healing process keeps their mind off the cancer and on a more positive outlook. Releasing the negative energy and harnessing the positive energy is the key to enhancing the quality of life for patients suffering from cancer. As technology continues to produce greater advancements in the treatment of cancer, alternative therapies will continue to provide the patient the care he or she needs to maintain an enhanced quality of life. Even though many of these techniques have been around for centuries, they are just recently becoming widely accepted. With an improved quality of life, most cancer patients are able to face their difficulties with a positive and renewed spirit. It is unclear to the world whether a cure for cancer will ever be discovered, but one thing is for sure, as long as people are able to grow natural herbs, and use the healing powers of the mind, cancer patients will have the opportunities of living a life of enhanced quality. Outline Thesis: When coupled with daily doses of medication, alternative forms of healing offer an enhanced quality of life for patients suffering from cancer. I. For patients suffering from cancer, it is almost impossible to live a productive life without the use of regular medication. A. There are many herbal medicines that remedy nausea, but ginger is known as the most effective. B. Herbal medicines such as garlic, ginseng, and Echinacea are also effective in boosting the immune system in cancer patients. 1. Garlic 2. Ginseng 3. Echinacea II. Another alternative form of healing is acupuncture, which helps to relieve "all consuming" (Siegel, 174) chronic pain that often causes migraine headaches; an ailment that cancer patients often suffer from, therefore enhancing his or her quality of life. A. An explanation of the process of acupuncture B. An explanation of what the patient goes through when undergoing acupuncture III. The mind is another very important tool when dealing with the healing process. A. Support groups B. Self- hypnosis C. Biofeedback Works Cited 1. A Healthy Me. 15. Nov. 2001. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc. 10 Feb. 2002.< http://ahealthyme.com/article/bellhowell/101529970.html> 2. Carper, Jean. Miracle Cures: Dramatic New Scientific Discoveries Revealing the Healing Powers of Herbs, Vitamins, and Other Natural Remedies. New York: HarperCollins Publishers,1997 3. Hobbs, Christopher. The Ginsengs: A User's Guide. Santa Cruz: Botanica Press, 1996 4. Moyers, Bill. Healing and The Mind. New York: Doubleday, 1979 5. Murray, Michael T., N.D., and Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D. An Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. Rocklin: Prima Publishing, 1993 6. "NIEHS NEWS." Medical Herbs: NTP Extracts the Facts. 29 Nov. 1999.10 Feb. 2002. 7. Rosenfield, Isadore, M.D. Dr. Rosenfield's Guide to Alternative Medicine: What Works, What Doesn't-And What's Right For You. New York: Random House, 1996 8. Siegel, Bernie S., M.D. Love, Medicine, and Miracles: Lessons Learned About Self-Healing From A Surgeon's Experience With Exceptional Patients. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1986 9. Siegel, Mary-Ellen, M.S.W. The Cancer Patient's Handbook: Everything You Need to Know About Today's Care and Treatment. New York: Walker and Company, 1986 10. Simon, David, M.D. Return to Wholeness: Embracing Body, Mind, and Spirit in the Face of Cancer. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999 11. Stewart, Gail. Alternative Healing: Opposing Views. Great Mysteries. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1990 Alternative Therapies For Cancer Patients Michelle Cotter March 1, 2002 English Teacher: Ms. Clyde Content Aide: Ms. Bowmen f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Jurassic Park 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Crichton, a master of suspense, has created a novel for your imagination. This book involves prehistoric animals and plants from the Jurassic era. Steven Spielberg took on this book, as a movie project to add to his collection of visually mastered Science-Fiction motion pictures. Both the movie and the book have captured the imagination of people around the world. In this paper, it will show the similarities and differences for the first third of these two superb creations. One of the similarities of both the movie and the book is the construction accident. The movie and the book's opening scenes show some Jurassic Park workers loading a dinosaur into a maximum security cage. The dinosaur grabbed a hold of one of the workers causing chaos throughout the worksite. The construction worker was drawn in by the dinosaur and never returned. After this "construction accident," the worker's family was suing Jurassic Park for a sizable sum of money. The family sent out a lawyer to the island to see if the park is safe, and if its the cause for their relative's death. The book tells stories that the movie doesn't show. One of those is about a little girl. The little girl is vacationing with her parents when she goes off by herself exploring. She was looking for animals for her class, when she stumbles upon a lizard. She starts to get closer, when the lizard attacks her. The little girl starts to scream and cry until her parents come running to get her. At the sight of the adults, the lizard ran off. The girl's parents rush her to the nearest hospital. There, she is treated for serious scratches and incisions to her body. Later on, she tried to describe what the lizard looked like, but no one believed her because the description sounded nothing like any known species of lizards. She drew a picture of what she remembered the lizard looking like. Meanwhile, back at the sight where she had been attacked, a man was looking for a lizard matching her description. He saw a Howler monkey finishing his meal. The man recognized the tail and shot the monkey, so he could retrieve the remains of the lizard. The man brought the remains of the lizard to the doctor who sought out the treatment to the little girl. The doctor had no idea on what the lizard could be. She took an X-ray of the remaining section of the tail, and sent the X-ray and the picture the little girl drew to Dr. Alan Grant. Dr. Grant is a Paleontologist who was currently working on a site. Dr. Grant took a look at the pictures and immediately knew that in fact it was not a lizard, yet a dinosaur. As to jinxing the dinosaur thought, Mr. John Hammond came to visit Dr. Grant. Mr. Hammond has been funding Dr. Grant's research and developments for thousands of dollars. Mr. Hammond wanted Dr., Grant to come to his park and to consider endorsing it. Mr. Hammond also invited Ellie Sattler to come along for the weekend. Ellie is a Palenbotanist who was working with Dr. Grant. This is where the book and the movie rejoin. Dr. Grant and Ellie are flown to Isle Nubar along with Ian Malcom a Chaotition and Hammond's two grandchildren Lex and Tim. Dr. Grant and Ellie along with Malcom, Lex, Tim and the lawyer Gennaro tour the park. At the beginning of the tour some things start going wrong. The dinosaurs aren't coming out when they are suppose to, another dinosaur is sick, only to start a sting of problems off. That is where my section ends and the second third picks up. If you haven't seen Jurassic Park the movie or read Jurassic Park the book, I highly suggest you do. A master of suspense and the leader of visual effects meeting, is sure to be a winning team. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Jurassic Park.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Crichton, in his outstandingly exciting science fiction novel, Jurassic Park, has put together a suspenseful, compelling, riveting, frightening, realistic, thrilling, and scientifically informative world, combining sophisticated biotechnology with prehistoric legend, blending the past, present, and the future, and a terrifying nightmares of science run wild, packed with humans and genetically engineered dinosaurs, including mesmerizing, fast paced action. It is a world where the reader where the reader decides what is happening in the book. If the reader enjoys fast-paced science fiction, the reader will certainly enjoy the fascinating world of Jurassic Park. All of the different characters in this world, share different feelings of action, reactions, thrill, nervousness, and their beliefs. Ian Malcolm, a very knowledgeable mathematician, decides to go to the island of Isla Nublar to observe the biological preserve that a company named In-Gen has created for the world to see at a price. Malcolm always had doubts about this world of total chaos. Everyone thought that the world of Jurassic Park, is a world of new state of the art technology and entertainment. Until everything goes wrong. The electric fences stopped working, and the dinosaurs escaped. Ian Malcolm's opinion of this world is that it won't survive, or the humans won't survive. The world has survived everything until now, it will surely survive the dinosaurs once more. But us, the humans are the ones that may not survive. "Our planet is four and a half billion years old. There has been life on this planet for nearly that long. Three point eight billion. The first bacteria. And later, the first multi-cellular animals, and the first complex creatures, in the sea, on the land.... Great dynasties of creatures arising, flourishing, dying away..., mountain ranges thrust up and eroded away, cometary impacts, volcanic eruptions, oceans rising and falling, whole continents moving.... Endless, constant and violent change.... The planet has survived everything in it's time. It will certainly survive us." (p. 367-368) He had many opinions like the above that all lead to the chaos theory. The chaos theory is based on non-linear geometry. It is used to determine the unexplained changes of the world and other matter. It is a series of equations that are used to calculate and explain things that happen without a logical explanation. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Kate Chopins The Awakening.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Portrayal of the character Edna Her foils Setting- feminist mvment, etc. Style Intended to help the reader understand the character of Edna her actual beliefs external/internal influences Tone Helping the style, the tone also helps the reader understand the rest of the characters Mr. Pontlierre (Critical Essay quote) Mademoiselle (Speech about bird with strong wings. V. Conclusion Edna Pontlierre experiences a theme of self-discovery throughout the entire novel of Kate Chopin's "The Awakening. Within Edna's travel through self discovery, Chopin successfully uses tone, style, and content to help the reader understand a person challenging the beliefs of a naïve society at the beginning of the twentieth century. Chopin's style and tone essentially helps the reader understand the character of Edna and what her surrounding influences are. The tone and style also helps the audience understand the rest of the characters throughout the novel. The entire content is relevant to the time frame it was written, expressing ideas of the forthcoming feminist movement and creating an awareness of what was happening to the women of the early nineteenth century. When "The Awakening" was first published, its popularity wasn't that of modern day. In fact, it was widely rejected for years. Within the context, it is considered a very liberal book from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The ideas expressed within the content concern the women's movement and an individual woman searching for who she really is. Ross C. Murfin in his critical essay "The New Historicism and the Awakening", shows how Chopin uses the entity of the hand to relate to both the entire women's issue and Edna Pontlierre's self exploration: "Chopin uses hands to raise the issues of women, property, self-possession, and value. Women like Adele Ratignolle, represented by their perfectly pale or gloved hands, are signs mainly of their husbands wealth, and therefor of what Stange calls 'surplus value'. By insisting on supporting herself with her own hands [through art] and having control of her own property [the place she moved in to and her inheritance], Edna seeks to come into ownership of a self that is more than a mere ornament. ...She seeks to possess herself" (p 197). Within in the content, Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle represent foils to Edna. Mademoiselle represents a single woman that everyone dislikes who Edna typically confides in. Adele Ratignolle contrasts Edna because she "dutifully plays the social role of 'mother-woman'". The reader learns how Edna contrasts and transcends throughout the entire novel. From her refusal to sacrifice herself for her children in the beginning of the novel to her moving into her own house towards the end of the novel, the reader is effectively aware of the realities that face the women of the early twentieth century individually and as a society. Chopin's style in "The Awakening" is intended to help the audience understand the character of Edna and the dilemmas that she faces as a married woman and individual in the nineteen hundreds. For instance, the beginning of the novel reveals to the audience a scene showing what type of person Mr. Pontlierre is while showing what type of society everyone is living in at the time. At an exclusive resort outside New Orleans, Edna arrives back from the beach meeting her husband. "You are burnt beyond all recognition" he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage." (p 7 The Awakening). Within the context, Edna exists as an asset to her husband. She is considered a piece of property and it is this particular scene where Edna begins to question her life and continues to throughout the novel. Chopin's style of showing the audience these realities are expressed through the characters to show the relevance between Edna and the literal reality in which women lived during the early nineteen hundreds. Tone, like style, helps the reader understand the characters and what they represent. It helps Chopin to express her concerns of the world through the characters. As in the example given in the beginning of the book when Edna is arriving back from the beach, the reader gets a first impression of Mr. Pontlierre in his tone, representing that he is a very possessive man of his wife and that this is accepted in their society. Mademoiselle's first impression to Edna, despite what Edna hears about her, is that of a wise, compassionate, friendly woman. Mademoiselle's tone supports these qualities, and it ultimately helps Edna to decide what she wants to do with her life. Mademoiselle gives advice through an analogy of a bird, showing how one must have strong wings to survive, endure, and make it through its journey. The tone of all the characters helps to express Chopin's beliefs and what the characters represent. The tone, style, and content of Chopin's "The Awakening" not only helps the reader to understand the characters and their literary qualities, but the relevancy of these characters to problems plaguing society such as the feminist movement. Chopin's technique addresses' the problems of women as a whole while showing individual dilemmas faced by women in the 1900's. "The Awakening" is effective in conveying these ideas and has successfully used style, tone, and content to prove these ideas. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Katys College Essay UMD.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3911 Villa Rd NW Rochester, MN 55901 February 20, 2003 Mr. Dan Tomhave Admissions, Office of University of Minnesota Duluth Solon Campus Center 23 1117 University Drive Duluth, MN 55812-3000 Dear Mr. Tomhave, I want my academic experience to be a diverse and positive one. I believe that attending UMD will present me with the opportunities to excel artistically, academically and socially. I look forward to making new friends and meeting interesting people to learn with and from. I like the idea of a state university that offers well-established graphic design and art education programs. I hope to take a variety of art classes that will help me improve and expand upon my artistic abilities. I also look forward to taking a variety of other liberal arts classes to build a strong foundation for my higher education. Duluth's location on beautiful Lake Superior is appealing to me. I love the outdoors, skiing, and hiking. If accepted to UMD, I would enjoy spending my spare time exploring my new surroundings. `. I hope to graduate in four years with the educational background and experience to be successful in my chosen career field. Enclosed, please find an updated transcript from my highschool. Sincerely, Katy Jasmin ? Page 2 November 1, 2009 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Katys College Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I want my academic experience to be a diverse and positive one. I believe that attending SMU will present me with the opportunities to excel artistically, academically and socially. I look forward to making new friends and meeting interesting people to learn with and from. I like the idea of a small, private school close to home that offers well-established graphic design and art education programs. Because of my interest in art, many of my friends and teachers recommended SMU to me. I hope to take variety of art classes to help me improve and expand upon my artistic abilities. I also look forward to taking a variety of other liberal arts classes to build a strong foundation for my higher education. I am a Christian, and enjoy being active in my church community. I will look for opportunities to be involved in Winona's Christian outreach. My faith in God is at the core of who I am, and I pray He will continue guide me in my career endeavors. Winona's location in the beautiful bluff country of Southeastern Minnesota is appealing to me. I love the outdoors, skiing, and hiking. I intend to use my spare time exploring my surroundings. I hope to graduate in four years with the educational background and experience to be successful in my chosen career field. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\kid in closet.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wolfgang knew about his father's past. It wasn't talked about much, but when it was, Wolfgang's mouth would perspire saliva and he would swallow it with fear. His past scared him, scared him so much one time while listening a small puddle began to form around his left leg. His father had never hit him or anything. His friends, they all got the belt, slap across the butt. Wolfgang tried to explain to them the stories, but they all thought he had it easy. The stories consisted of a kid, a non descriptive child. Wolfgang guessed it was supposed to be his dad. The stories were of the same idea, of a kid being bad and getting punished for it. But they weren't your butt slapping punishments like all the other kids got. They were kids locked away in basements for the rats to eat, getting sold on the street to dirty men, things to the degree only the grotesque mind could imagine such a horror. But when Wolfgang was really menacing or his dad was drunk he would tell the story of the kid in the closet. The kid in the closet story scared Wolfgang so much he wouldn't dare get near one. The night had fallen and the dealers came out just after dusk, so Wolfgang moved his toys from the corner and walked up the apartment stairs. As his little twelve year old legs climbed the steps, he had to pass the bums that lay cold on the steps with their bottles of liquor. Once to the top of the staircase he passed a late dealer, and headed toward his home. As Wolfgang reached to the door it swung open nearly swiping off his arm. "What the hell do you think your doing out this late?" It was his father, again in a drunken state. "Get your ass in here!" he grabbed Wolfgang by the ear and pulled in him. "You know what use to happen to me when I was a kid?" he asked. "Not the closet, please no." Wolfgang pleaded with him. He didn't want to hear it one more time, or not ever again. " Oh you want to hear about the kid in the closet?" he took time to say it with ease and in such a matter that it scared Wolfgang so much he began to beg. "No, no, please, please don't, anything, whip me like the other boys, anything." He couldn't hold back the tears. Wolfgang's crying only worsened the scene and his father picked him up by his ear. " Your going to live it!" he said rather calming, but just loud enough to over power Wolfgang's crying. Wolfgang wiggled and weaved in and out like a worm in his father's hands, but the grip was to strong and before he could get away he was in the closet darkness. The atmosphere caved in on him fast. His crying became whimpers and soon the whimpers became silence. Wolfgang sat and listened. At first there was only the sound of his father's movements, but then the front door opened and closed and he knew he was alone. His little hands patted the rough carpet base of the closet, getting a sense for where things were; he sat back against the wall. With nothing to do and still quite frightened Wolfgang began to play with his hands. Each finger was a different person and they embarked on talking to him. 'Why are we in here?' his finger asked him. "He locked us in, cause he got mad." Wolfgang answered directly to the finger. "Our we going to get out?" Asked another. Wolf shrugged his shoulders. The fingers began to chat among themselves while Wolfgang watched and tried to listen. But soon he fell asleep in the mist of things and he joined the darkness of the closet. Sometime later Wolfgang began to awake. As he opened his eyes, he could feel the lashes on his eye lids brush up to his brow, but he could not see anything. He closed them and tried again. There was an absence of color. Blackness lye in the closet and Wolfgang bewildered, tried to figure if he was awake or a sleep, dreaming. He brought his once chattering fingers to his face. "Am I awake?" Wolfgang asked them all directly. Unconfident about receiving an answer. There was a noise from the darkness that still entrapped him. Wolfgang knew it was threatening and didn't answer. He just sat lost in the closet night. Still thinking about the noise that now seemed to echo in his ears, Wolfgang moved back from the wall of the closet and knocked into a box that he hadn't felt when he first examined the tight room. He reached his little hands out and felt the edges and rubbed the sides with his index finger. It was an elegant box, with patterns of velvet flowers and design. An aroma drifted from the box, perfume his mother wore. Wolfgang remembered it from when he was just a child. Then there was another threatening grumble, but this time from inside the box. "Mom? Mommy, is that you?" he asked, unfrightend about the second noise. Wolfgang sat there in a moment of silence waiting. Without warning the box opened. Light filled the closet, allowing Wolfgang to see. And though the light was blinding, Wolfgang looked straight into it. All the way down to it's source, a tiny pebble. Wolfgang reached out into the light and began slowly moving in on the pebble but his hands refused and he could not mange to get them near. "Why won't you let me touch my mother?" he asked them all. They only tighten into a fist and grumbled with his question. "Why? Why?" he continued. Then with restraint from the other fingers one, one finger broke free from the grip and spoke. "Don't Wolfgang, it's not your mother. It's no for you. Stay away. There's danger in that light." "The light let's me see," Wolfgang said, "it makes me feel free." "Don't" just as the finger last breath carried the fading word Wolfgang forced his hand open and reached into the box. That morning Wolfgang's father went to the closet door and stopped to think about the night before. He had must of gotten drunk again. "Poor boy," he thought, "I'll take him out to ice cream to make up for things. Wolfgang?" he opened the closet door. "Wolfgang, wake up boy, let's go for ice cream." There was no response in the dark closet. " Wolfgang you mad at me?" His father opened the door more, letting in the outside light. There in the closet corner sat Wolfgang . Frozen stiff, red dripping from his childish grin, staring into his fathers lock box he used to put his gun in. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\kim entrance essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Learning experiences shape our lives, teach us many things, and create our personalities. Experiences have enriched my life, giving me knowledge to use in future familiarities. My best learning experience, although difficult, taught me responsibility, good morals, and determination. One of my mom's last requests was that I finish my education. Watching her pass away was devastating. Her request for me to go to college replayed in my mind, teaching me determination. Her strength during this time was contagious, giving me the ability to be strong. Her personality was reflected upon in hard work and taught me good ethics. I am thankful for the knowledge I have gained from my mother. I was most inspired by the nurse who was there when my mom died. He taught me many things as well. He was a noble worker. He taught consideration and empathy, which eased our bad experience. My mother's death was my worst experience. It was my hardest learning experience. I am thankful for my experiences, as they have taught me many things. They will shape my future. This knowledge will help me to reach my goals, significantly to finish my education. Learning is an important part of life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Kings Short Stories.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Reaper's Image This story is about two men who were transporting an antique mirrow from the first floor of an old museum to the fifth. Their names were Spangler and Carlin. This mirror had a history of being haunted, and some people would look into the mirror and see a hooded figure standing behind them. This figure was presumed to be Death, and whenever someone would see this figure they were never seen again. Carlin spends the whole story trying to convice Spangler that this is really true, but Spangler just calls Carlin crazy. Finally, near the end of the story, Spangler looks in the mirror and sees a dark inperfection in the corner, which he mistakes for friction tape. When Carlin tells him that there is no friction tape on the mirror, Spangler becomes sick and leaves for the bathroom. The story ends with Carlin waiting for Spangler to return. I thought that this story was very good, because it started off really slow and worked it's way into a really interesting plot. I liked the end because it never really finished, it left the ending up to the reader. This seems to be a common theme in a lot of Stephen King's stories. He likes to leave the reader in suspense, and keep them wondering. Here There Be Tygers This story is about a little boy named Charles who is in elementary school. He has to go to the bathrrom really bad, but he is afraid to ask because the teacher does not like him. Finally the teacher sees him squirming and asks him if he needs to use the restroom. He says yes and is very embarassed in front of the class, so he leaves quickly. When he steps into the bathroom, he sees a tiger lying in the corner, and it looks hungry. He goes back outside and sits there for a while wondering what he should do. His friend Kenny finally comes up to him because his teacher noticed that he was gone a long time. Charles tells him that there is a tiger in the bathroom, but Kenny does not believe him. Kenny goes into the bathroom and does not come back out. Then even later, his teacher comes and starts yelling at him. She goes into the bathroom and she doesn't come back out either. The story ends with Charles coming back to class and reading a story about a rodeo. This is another story that ends really abruptly. It was strange because after knowing that his friend and his teacher were both killed by a tiger, he goes back to class and begins reading his book. I thought that this was a decent story, although I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the others. The one part that I did find interesting though, was the fact that it never really explained why a tiger would be lingering in a bathroom anyway. I like that about these short stories, they never really make a lot of sense. Cain Rose Up This story is about a guy named Garrish who had just finished finals in college and was preparing to go home. His friend and him had taken the test just minutes before the story began, and both of them felt as if they had not done a good job. Garrish was a 4.0 student, never doing bad in anything. His room was always organized and it seemed as though he had his entire life together. But the night before the final, Garrish went down and got his gun and hid it in his dorm room. After the test, he sits up in his room and begins shooting people with the idea that if you don't eat the world, the world eats you. The story ends with Garrish shooting people, and a bunch of Garrish's friends standing outside his door, and they all think he killed himself. This was a really odd story. It starts off really normal, with Garrish speaking with his classmates about a test that they just took. He goes to his room like everything is normal, and then all of a sudden he begins quoting Cain and shooting people from his window. A very odd story, if not somewhat disturbing, much like most of his other short stories. The Wedding Gig This story is about a man who was in a jazz group of five musicians. One day while they are playing in their usual club, a ganster comes in and pulls aside the main character. The gangster Mike Scollay asks the main character if he and his band will play for the wedding of his sister. He will pay two hundred dollars for this, which was a lot of money in the 1930's. When asked what the catch is, Scollay proceeds to tell him that his sister is extremely fat, and she is marrying an Italian while she is Irish. Scollay warns him that he hates it when people laugh, so the main character tells the band this before they go to the wedding. At the wedding everything was going fine until about 8pm, when someone from a rival gang of Greeks came in and delivered a message from the boss. He said that this marriage was a joke, and everyone laughed at his sister. Scollay runs out and gets killed by the Greeks waiting outside. Then the story moves into the future, where it turns out that the over wieght sister became a crime boss and was responsible for the death of theGreek boss, and overturned two other rival gangs. This was the one story that was really different from the other ones. He wrote this story in a more understandable fashion. I think that the main theme to this story was revenge, because after recieving ridicule and having her brother killed, she goes on a killing rampage and gets back at all the people that crossed her at one point in time or another. Morning Deliveries This story is about a sick twisted milkman who enjoys savotaging the items that he delivers to peoples houses. This story is different because it kept describing very minute details, such as the ant finding food, or the squirell finding some material for a nest. This milkman seems perfectly normal, but as the story progressing he starts putting tarantulas in chocolate milk and poisonous gases inside "empty" milk bottles. This story was very strange and confused me. This story was extremely strange and somewhat disturbing. It didn't make any sense to me, and out of the blue some psychotic milkman is dropping tarantulas in peoples chocolate milk. This story is a perfect example of Stephen King's sick, yet very interesting mind. It was really odd, but I thought it was a decent play short story. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Kingston essay 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jenny Saville, one of Britains most celebrated artists. Whose work carries a strong Political message. She knows exactly how confrontational she is being. She makes Onlookers feel uncomfortable. She works on the perception that we believe our body is six foot wide, when it isn't. Jenny has caught on to this feeling that women only consider themselves attractive if we can form to a certain kind of shape. She's managed to create something so powerful that you have an emotional connection. Jenny says that it is not a campaign to say that fat is okay or fat should be accepted, its just there are difficulties to being a certain size. We always have an agenda which comes from the media, especially fashion magazines, that says we should look a certain way. Sergio Miller says, 'Jenny Saville's massive nudes aren't a tour-de-force by a young painter, they raise important issues of how we view the female form. (Sergio Miller 1994) Jenny Saville's paintings of female nudes invoke the history of easel painting while betraying her fascination with the squeaky clean work of fashion and beauty as conveyed through photographs. (David Brittain, Dec 1994-1995) 'Plan' 1993' has contours refer to the marks made prior to liposuction. Sergio Miller says 'Even without this formal device to reinforce the three-dimensional, the paint work alone represents an almost thermal definition of the naked body. Density, pressure and temperature are as accurately described as on a weather map. If Saville was simply to be engaging visual force in support of political correctness, we might acknowledge the skill but pass on the message. But she does more. Consciously, she has added another voice to the long debate on the role of female Nudes in western art. (Sergio Miller, 1994) 'Propped' 1992 portrays a huge women incongruously perched on a tiny pedestal. Her hands claw at enormous thighs as though wishing to tear the meat from the bone. The painting is deliberately ambiguous. Saville neither invites scorn nor begs for bearance. We can not take pity. David Cohen argues through out his entire article in Modern Painters (spring 1994) why did Charles Saatchi choose to support an artist who was so new. Since having artists such as Daminan Hirst and Francis Bacon, he believes 'being in the Saatchi collection is almost damaging.' (David Cohen 1994) We live in a time now where painting isn't appreciated. "This century, have changed the nature of artistic production in such a way as to work against, for example, a painter lavishing time and effort on a major statement. Instead, there is a concentration on flooding the market with works that are merely saleable. High production is essential and unless an artist paints superficially, or in long series of variations on a theme, he won't make and adequate living. (Sergio Miller, 1994) 'It will never be in the forefront of art again.' 'It is 'painting' and the words are Jenny Saville's'. 'So many people think that the time is over for painting,' she continues with a grin of resignation, 'and I have to admit that I've got doubts too.' (Jenny Saville1997-1998) Her source material is significant, the way she can look at a photograph taken by Glen Luchford, and turn it into a painting. When David Brittain interviewed Jenny he asked- 'Photography is a very different medium from painting. What advantages does each have over the other?' Jenny-'I think that photographs were applicable to what I wanted to achieve. I've got a real passion for paint, I am interested in the body and painting flesh. I feel more in touch with painting, I don't feel quite as in touch with photograph.' (David Brittain 1994-1995) Because Jenny is so disheartened by this it might be the end of the painting tradition as we know it. Which I think is a dishonor. Jenny- 'Some people today dismiss your work solely on the basis that it is painting. It's difficult to retain your confidence surrounded by so many doubters and negative pressures.' (Jenny Saville 1997-1998) Sergio Miller says, 'She is likely to be looked upon as a dinosaur stoically refusing to accept that bad painting is the equal of good.' (Sergio Miller 1994) She will no doubt be recorded in history for her work exhibited in the Saatchi, but will she ever change her subject matter? Miller also says 'I believe her when she tells me she has no career ambitions except to be able to paint better.' (Sergio Miller 1994) She admires Sargent's painting but thinks that his subjects unworthy of such a talent. Clearly, she is a person of natural good taste with a social conscience. I think her work is powerful, but not enough to change women's minds and how they think of beauty. Because I think that the ideal has got so deep within us that it is very hard to shift. Jenny admits that she like anyone else reads beauty magazines and becomes seduced like anyone else. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Korean War Origin of Korean War.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Origin of Korean War Origins of Korean War Korean War started on the 25th June 1950, but do you know how and why it happened? When someone mentions the Korean War, everyone knows that it was a civil war between the North and the South Korea. But, do you know the origin of how it actually got started? There are lot of things that happened, before the North Koreans decided to cross over the 38th parallel. Korean civil war was just a small part of the whole war. The war also included more then just Koreans. What people don't know is that there were other countries that took a huge part in the start of the Korean War such as Japan, China, Russia, and United States. In the nineteenth century, Korea was just a small peasant society that paid tribute to the Chinese. This small Korean society was nothing more then a part of an inward-looking pre-capitalist Chinese world (MacDonald 3). But when the Russia and Japanese imperialism made a huge effect on the China, Korea was able to come out of its isolation. By the end of the century, Korea had become a prize in a three-way contest between China, Russia and Japan. In 1894, Japan defeated China, thus eliminating them from the contest. Then in 1905, Japan defeated Russia, making them the dominant power in Korea. In 1910, Japan took over Korea and made them into a Japanese colony. As soon as Korea became a Japanese colony, Korea became the Japans expansion into the Northeast Asia. Though Japan tried to pursue a program of modernization, Japans rule was generally unpopular. This created a Korean group called KPG. KPG was a Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai in 1921. This was a self-constructed group that later came to be known as the main source of resistance to Japanese rule in 1930. Man named Kim Il Sung was one of the members of the KPG who stood out amongst the rest. He later becomes the president of North Korea. After struggling for forty years as a Japanese colony, Korea now had to struggle as a pawn in the newly created Cold War (Hastings 25). The Americans decided to land troops to occupy Korea at the end of the war as soon as they found out that the Russia was interested in overtaking the Korea as their sphere of interest. A Soviet Unions occupying Korea would create and entirely new strategic situation in the Far East. Though Pentagon decided that interest towards Korea was not going to be a long-term interest to the US, their view changed drastically within three weeks. Washington's view of both the desirability and feasibility to deny at least a small part of Korea changed. On August 10, 1945, dropping of the Nagasaki bomb finalized the participation of the US occupation in Korea. Unexpected by the United States, Soviet Union agreed to accept the 38th parallel as their limit of advance(Hastings 27). Russia and United States met in Potsdam and decided that it would be for the best if they were to accept the surrender of the Japanese forces in Korea by dividing the country at the 38th parallel. This event took place during the summer of 1945. As in Europe, 38th parallel became permanent, violating the US and Russia's sphere of interest. Russia and the US tried to define the parameters of change, only to find out that they both supported the different sides. While Russia took the left, US took the alliance with the right. This placed the conservatives in control of the security device that was granted by the defeated Japanese. Russia accepted the Japanese surrender in August, and United States accepted the Japanese surrender in September. Through this, Korea had unexpectedly found themselves separated. North Korea was now set up to work as an satellite state for China and South Korea was to become a free nation prepared by the United States. By the year of 1950, the North Korea People's Army was trained and equipped by the Soviet Union. North Koreans were now heavily trained and now had an aggressive military force. They were well equipped with Russian small arms, artillery, armor, and propeller-driven fighter aircraft(Knox 3). By 1950 the balance power was moved drastically towards the North Koreans, making the South Koreans in a venerable situations. In late spring of that year, the North Koreans had 150 Russian-built T34 tanks, the South Koreans had no tanks; the North Koreans had three types of artillery, the South Koreans one, and in actual numbers of divisional artillery pieces, the NKPA(North Korean People's Army) exceeded the ROK(Republic of Korea) Army three to one; the North Koreans had a small tactical air force, the South Koreans had none; the North Koreans had seven full-strength combat divisions, the South Koreans four; the North Koreans had 89,000assault troops, the South Koreans 65,000(Knox 4). North Korea decided to unify Korea by direct military action hoping that United States would not interfere. North Korea felt that United States would have too much too lose by interfering, so they went and decided to confront South Korea. During the period of June 15th through the 20th , North Koreas secretly moved close to the 38th parallel with seven infantry divisions, one armored brigade, one separate infantry regiment, one motorcycle regiment, and one border constabulary brigade(Knox 4). North Korean Forces invaded Republic of Korea territory at 4 AM crossing the 38th parallel in the city of Onjin area, Kaesong area, and Chunchon area. North Korean forces consisted of seven divisions and five brigades, with an air force of 100-150 Soviet-made planes. The main attack was down the Pochon-Uijongbu-Seoul corridor(Knox 5). North Korean tanks participated in the operation, closing in on Chunchon. By 9 AM, city of Kaesong was caputred with some ten North Korean tanks participating in the operation. From the nature of the attack and the manner in which it was launched, it constituted an all-out offensive against the Republic of Korea. When the North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel on the 25th of June, it was more then just a struggle amongst Koreans. It was actually a clash between Russia and the United States. When a man named Kim Il Sung, a communist leader of North Korea led north Korean troops across the 38th parallel, it was a bloody Sunday for the South Koreans. This war lasted until the year of 1953, finally coming to an end with the General Mark W. Clark signing the armistice "with a heavy heart." Korean War wasn't just a war that between the North Korea and the South Korea. There were many different influenced that led to the crossing of the 38th parallel by the North Koreans. When you break down the Korean War and see it for what it actually is, you can have a better understanding of what happened that let to the crossing of the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950. Though the actual civil war only lasted for 3 years, you have to take into account that it was the territorial fight against the other counties such as Japan, China, Soviet Union and United states that led to the civil war on the June 25, 1950. The whole war took from late 18th century to the mid 19th century. Korea basically became a target and a victim of the geographical and territorial reasons of the other countries. Word Count: 1234 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\LA Essay Outline.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ March 19, 2002 Matthieu Lazarow LA Essay Outline Introduction: As in all Shakespearian tragedies, several of the characters are evil at the heart, particularly Lady Macbeth in the play "Macbeth". - Introduction to three main points: o Actions o Determination o Deceives people 1st Body Paragraph: Greed and desire can often lead a person, such as Lady Macbeth, to go to great lengths and extreme actions to attain what they want. - Similar to the witches - Fainting at discovery of the death of Duncan - Idea to kill the king 2nd Body Paragraph: The determination which Lady Macbeth not only led to her becoming queen, but inevitably to her death and insanity. - Planning of how to go about the murder - Putting the dagger back - 3rd Body Paragraph: Without her immense ability to be able to deceive all of the characters into trusting her and her husband was what helped them murder successfully. - Telling the guest that all is alright at their dinner - Pretending to be the friend of the King - Conclusion Paragraph: Lady Macbeth's actions, determination, and ability to deceive those whom she befriended, led to her happiness as Queen with her husband Macbeth, but eventually led to he unfortunate downfall when she went crazy and died. - Reiteration of points Works Consulted: Bloom, Harold. "William Shakespeare's Macbeth". Chelsea House Publishers, New York: 1987. Brown, R. J. "Shakespeare: The Tragedy of Macbeth". Edward Arnold Ltd, London: 1963. "Lady Macbeth's Character in Macbeth". http://www.essaybank.co.uk/free_course work/68.html. 2001. (March 18, 2002). Macrae, Alasdair. "Character File: Lady Macbeth". http://www.rgsw.org.uk/english/ gcse/macbeth/ 4224.htm, 1999. (March 18, 2002). Riedel, Jennifer. "The Witches' influence on Macbeth". http://www.engl.uvic.ca/Faculty /MBHomePage/ISShakespeare/Resources/Witches/Witches.html. 1996. (March 18, 2002). Shakespeare, William. "Macbeth" f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Last Proma Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The phrase - "They all crossed into forbidden territory. They all tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved and how. And how much." - is repeated throughout the novel. Discuss its force and its multiple meanings in the narrative. This is a massive question - one which affects every character in The God of Small Things. That is to say, every character in some way crosses, or transgresses, a boundary of some sort. This, of course, is necessarily a cursory glance at the "forbidden transgressions" of most of the novel's dominant figures. The God of Small Things is, in many ways, a meditation on the kinds of violence that get imposed when boundaries are crossed. Baby Kochamma, Ammu, Velutha, Chacko, Margaret, Sophie Mol, Rahel, Estha - all of them suffer at least a dislocation, and, in some cases, an internal or external violence. Ammu "tampers with the laws" from the outset (of both the novel and her life, at twenty-seven years of age) by marrying Pappachi, a charming alcoholic, but a terrible husband and father. Of course, Ammu "didn't pretend to be in love with him. She just weighed the odds and accepted. She thought that anything, anyone at all, would be better than returning to Ayemenem. She wrote to her parents informing them of her decision. They didn't reply." (39). Worse, Ammu is seen partially through the glinting, vicious eyes of Baby Kochamma, the "incumbent baby grandaunt" (44). She resents Ammu along religious boundaries - Ammu has produced two "Half-Hindu Hybrids whom no self-respecting Syrian Christian would ever marry" (44) - but also because Ammu quarrels with the "fate of the wretched Man-less woman" (45), a fate that Kochamma outwardly claims to be untouched by. Ammu quarrels with this fate, we discover as the novel gathers tremendous speed, by taking on an Untouchable (Velutha) as a lover. He is, in many ways, the silent surrogate father to the twins; nevertheless, Ammu's "biologically-designed dance" (317) with Velutha imbricates her in the severe systemic discrimination that the novel so powerfully laments. Ammu ends up exiled, from her children, from herself, from her biological potential, and dies very alone. Baby Kochamma refuses to cross into forbidden territory. She is a liminal figure in the novel, always hovering on the edges of the narrative, manipulating and stroking Velutha while Mamacchi casts him into oblivion, and then spitting poisonously all over him. She has a deep understanding and fear for the way in which religion and sexuality are intertwined. She loves and fails to win Father Mulligan as a younger woman, and is only happy when he dies, because - "if anything, she possessed him in death in a way that she never had while she was alive. At least her memory of him was hers. Wholly hers. Savagely, fiercely, hers" (282). Desire infiltrates her body, and almost makes it burst from the inside out. She, above all, tampers with the laws that lay down who should be loved and how. She "loves" white Sophie Mol because she is "Other" to Ammu's children. Herself a product of a hybrid union, Sophie is used as a beating-stick by Kochamma: a stick that beats alienation and the intensified feeling of otherness into the twins, both victims of erasure: one of them "Quietness," the other "Emptiness" (311). Sophie Mol is apparently "more loved" than the twins - of particularly great concern to Rahel, who is told earlier on (by means of a stern admonition from her Ammu) that a child is possibly loved just a little less whenever they anger their parent. Chacko, the twins' uncle, is (or was) a Rhodes Scholar in Oxford who meets Margaret, a café waitress at the time of their meeting. Chacko has crossed into a forbidden white territory, but the novel takes pains to say that he is deeply uncomfortable with his Ayemenem roots; he more clearly identifies himself with White, educated, English life. He reaches Margaret through his laughter, and thus forces an average woman (in her mind) to love herself more than she did before she met him. But Chacko, too, is a hybrid figure, a "tortured Marxist....at war with an impossible, incurable Romantic" (232), and crosses the forbidden territory (as did his sister) of marriage without parental consent (or knowledge, in his case). Inevitably, the marriage itself suffers the ultimate Marxist fate, in that the seeds of its destruction were sowed in its inception. Margaret turns to Joe (who we really only know as a "Joe-shaped Hole in the Universe"), himself a clichéd Englishman, and the opposite of Chacko, in that he is "Steady. Solvent. Thin" (235). But Chacko and Margaret produce Sophie (Mol), and then they separate, and then Joe dies, and then (understanding that this is the distillation of a novel) Margaret and Sophie Mol cross into the forbidden territory of Ameyemenem - the forbiddenness felt financially ("Margaret Kochamma broke her term deposit and bought two airline tickets, London-Bombay-Kochin" [238]) and medically (Margaret brings every preventative medicine possible, but she cannot immunize against drowning. Appropriately, The God of Small Things is concluded by two love-scenes of intense forbidenness, one because it implies incest, the other because it crosses heavily stratified class (caste) boundaries. When the twins share one another at the end, it is clear that "what they shared that night was not happiness, but hideous grief" (311). Arundhati Roy follows that last statement with the title quote to this paper. Only now (repeated on multiple occasions in the novel), the statement about their breaking the Love Laws is at least bitterly ironic, and - more to the point - is heavily weighted with all the implications of the destructiveness of class, sexual, and religious divisions. Estha is called "Quietness" in this scene and Rahel "Emptiness." In brief, Estha's quietness is brought about by his original crossing into the forbidden territory of the OrangeLemondrink Man's slimy parlor at Abhilash Talkies. Rahel suffers emptiness in her eyes as a married woman in Washington; she suffers vast inner violation as Estha is "deported" deported by train at novel's end; she has the fuzzy moth that flutters around her heart, nibbling away at its perimeter, every time the woman who is "Of one blood" (312) seems to love her a little less. The last scene is one where all the other boundaries get transgressed: Velutha literally crosses the waters from the History House (a brilliant postmodern and postcolonial trope) to the riverbank, to - for the first time in the novel - move beyond the boundaries of how someone should be loved. For the lovers, there is simply "Naaley" : tomorrow. Though Chappu Thamburan (the Lord of Rubbish and spider who conceals himself) outlives Velutha, there is a deep, moving, and profound sadness in the estranged idiom of the lovers: a verbal and physical dance that suggests both the tragedy's rootedness in its era and the imprint of its commerce with futurity. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ldj essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ David T. Yancey Mrs. McGuire American Studies 26 August 2003 The tragedy Long Day's Journey Into Night, a play written by Eugene O'Neill, tells the story of a small middle class family in the early nineteenth century. All of the characters have numerous tragic flaws that eventually lead to the family's collapse. The man of the family, James Tyrone, is an extremely frugal individual that is consumed with pride. His wife, Mary, suffers from a morphine addiction acquired from long term medication after a painful childbirth, and is in denial. The eldest son, Jamie, was ejected from several different schools and is without a job due to his lack of motivation. The fourth and youngest member of the family, Edmund, suffers from Tuberculosis. As a result of his excessive pride and his parsimonious ways, James Tyrone is the main cause for the disintegration of the family. One of James Tyrone's prime tragic flaws was his obsession with thrift. Everyone in his family tried to keep him from being so frugal, his son Jamie even said (talking about taking Edmund to a sanatorium), "Well, for God's sake, pick out a good place and not some cheap dump!" When James originally found out that Edmund was sick, he took Edmund to an inexpensive doctor that was incompetent. If he would have spent a bit more and gotten a qualified doctor, Edmund's sickness would not have been as so severe. Also, throughout the book, the family complains about the poor condition of their house, saying that it is "a summer dump in a place she (Mary) hates and you've refused even to spend money to make this look decent." Clearly if James Tyrone would have been a little bit less economical, Edmund would not be as sick and the family would be a lot happier. Another one of Mr. Tyrone's' tragic flaws is his hubris, or excessive pride. Though self pride can be healthy, in James' case it injured him profoundly. Instead of accepting his family's problems and dealing with them directly, James chose to ignore them and either forgot about his family's many problems by getting drunk frequently or blocked them out of his mind. For instance, James's wife, Mary, had a constant battle with an addiction to morphine. Though James sent her to a rehabilitation clinic to help her get rid of her problem, they were never fully put to rest and she continued her abusive habits throughout the play. Rather than try to stop his wife's downfall, James refused to accept the problem and knowingly allowed her to use the addictive pain reliever. I think that if James would have just "swallowed his pride" and actually addressed his wife's problem and helped her stop, she could have overcome her addiction and become a constructive force in her family. As a result of his excessive pride and parsimonious ways, James Tyrone is the main cause for the disintegration of the family. If he were to remedy these flaws early in the play, he could have helped or maybe even prevented two of the most important problems in the play, Edmund's sickness and Mary's addiction. If he were a little less miserly, he could have paid for better healthcare for his son. If James would have been less prideful, he could have helped defeat Mary's heartbreaking addiction, but then, of course, Eugene O'Neill's play would not then be a masterpiece of tragedy. Works Cited O'Neill, Eugene. Long Day's Journey Into Night. Yale University: Yale University press, 1956. Yancey f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Le Cafard et Bob.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Il etait une fois, il y a une femme qui s'apple Mme Metaux. Elle est une bonne femme, et tout le temps elle est jolie, est grand. Mais, une jour, elle morir! C'est terible pour tout le monde, mais pas pour sa fils! Pourquoi, vous ditez? Parsque, elle etatait TRES RICHE, et il (Qui s'apple le Bob) recu l'inherentance de son mere! Et il est heureux, jusque une jour, il rencontrait un cafard. A l'instant ou il va presse le cafard, le cafard commence parler! Il dit "Ne me presse pas! Je vais donne le trois souhaits a vous!!" Le Bob dit "Vraimrnt reellement? Wow! C'est incrioxable!" Le Bob et le cafard s'accoutument bein. Jusque une jour, le cafard demande quelque choose. Il dit "Donne a moi le nouriture d'un roi!" Mais, le Bob dit que il n'avais pas le nouriture d'un roi! Le cafard dit encore. "Donne a moi le nouriture d'un roi, ou je tueait vous!" Le Bob dit "Donne a moi le trois souhaits premier!" "D'accord, mais une moment...", dit le cafard, nerveuxsement. Il oblie les trois souhaits! Mais, un cafard est un creature de son mode, et il debarque dans une mission trouver trois souhaits! Il pense que il y a des souhaits dans les astres, danc il commence constuire une soucoupe volante. (Naturellement!) Il prendait dix ans de construction de finir, mais il etait complete! Apres, il (le cafard) rentre dans le soucoup volante, et preparer pour decollage! Il lances les moteurs, et il etait bas! Dans l'espace, il chercerait pour trois souhaits, mais il y n'a pas de souhaits dans notre system de solar! Il veux peu checher dans une autre system de solar! Il checatiat pour 120 ans, mais il ne trouvait pas un seul souhait. Le couer de lui etait cassait. Il se suicidait, et les deu de les cafards dit a le Bob "Parsque cette cafard montait le dedication de garder le promise de lui, je vais donne le trois souhaits a vous." Et le Bob dit "Merci, le deu de les cafards!" Et le deu quiterait. Le Bob dit, "Gosh, je me souhaits que le cafard n'est pas mort!",et POOF! Ici c'est le cafard! Ils embrassissent. Et ils continuissient a vivre heurxesemant pour tout les temps. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Le Fusil.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ L'histoire "Le fusil" est ecrit d'un point de vue exterieur. Il decrit la vie d'un couple qui ont un "grand amour use par les annees". La femme dans l'histoire est tres belle, elle est decrit comme une "femme-fleur". Elle est tres devouee a son mari et n'a presque jamais des pensees egoiste. C'est montre quand elle depasse ses desirs personel du bracelet pour acheter les tranches de jambon, pour satisfaire les desirs physique de son mari. Elle devient obsedde par un bracelet d'or qui est un des evenements qui commence la desaffection de la femme vers son mari, a cause qu'elle ne pense qu'a ca.. Son mari est dans la cinquantaine, decrit comme " l'homme qui n'a pas reussi". Il est tres egoiste et faire ce qu'il veut, souvent en oubliant sa femme. Il est un reveur et commence souvent les projets extraordinaires ,meme fou, qui ne sont pas realise.la femme deient tres lasse d'ectouter les plans pas reussi de son mari, une autre situation qui s'acvcumulent a la desaffection. M. Dubois est l'employeur de l'homme, qui est etonne quand l'homme utilise sa prime pour acheter un fusil. Il est pris par la beaute physique et morale de la femme. Quand ils vont en vacances, elle devient plus frustre par l'ignorance de son mari vers ses pensees et besoins. Elle le decrit simplement comme "un bon mangeur et bon dormeur". L'evenement pronominal, c'est quand il achete le fusil, completement aveugle aux desirs de sa femme. Tout ces evenements s'accumulent et cres une sorte de double personalite pour la femme. Elle change de son attitude altruistique et fait quelque chose pour elle-meme, notamment le meurtre de son mari. Le fusil et le bracelet representent le theme symbolique de l'histoire. Le fusil represente le masculiniteet le cruelte pendant que le bracelet represente la femininiteet la beaute.Ils sont similaires en fait que les deux representent l'egoisme. La representation la plus importante c'est que le fusil est l'objet utilise dans le meurtre et le bracelet est partie de l'accumulation des motife pour le meurtre. Comme jure, je pense que je l'aurais juge coupable. La premiere raison c'est qu'elle a pris la vie d'un autre humain, et il n'y a pas beaucuop d'excuses pour ca. Deuxieme, il y avait d'autres facons qu'elle pourrait echapper la vie frustrante avec son mari, comme le divorce. Dans l'histoire elle est juge non coupable a cause que c'etait un accident , mais elle savait comment utilise le fusil parce que M. dubois l'a explique. Le defense ne peut pas faire l'argument qu' elle etait "une autre personne", parce que meme s'elle avait deux personalites, ses pensees morale seront encore intacte. C'est comme arguer que l'ivresse est une bonne excuse pour le viol. En tout, l'histoire est plein de problemes personels et emotionels. C'est difficile a decider qui est plus en faut, l'un qui cause la peine emotionelle, ou celle qui cause la peine physique. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\leo tolstoy reberth by deathDeath of Ivan Ilyich.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Leo Tolstoy was a great humanist. Evolution of human character was a subject of his close attention. The main personage of the story "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" is ordinary official who conduct his life according to a strict social code, never deviating from what was rule d by society, by his pleasure, by materialistic motives, but never by conscience. His contact with his wife and children was limited and shallow because he didn't find pleasure in this. His life satisfied him when he was healthy, but when he faced with death his loneliness overwhelmed him. After the accident which starts his long dying Ivan Ilyich realized that his life, though he has been successful and has always done the proper things, is all false. He understood that his life was meaningless. As his illness progressed, Ivan Ilyich felt increasingly the need to be loved. Only in front of death he knew what real feeling is. Ivan Ilyich felt real empathy and pity from peasant Gerasim and son Vasya. His moral misery was worse than physical. The result of this was that Ivan Ilyich in dying became the individual that he never was in his typical life. He understood that his notion about his decent and helpfulness was just illusion. He felt as if he were being squeezed down into a black hole and there at the bottom was light. This metaphor serves as image of physical death and spiritual rebirth. His death gave birth to new consciousness. He suddenly perceived that man's essential life belongs to the spirit and well-being is achieved through loving of people. He asked forgiveness of his family for his sins and welcomed death... This moral transformation makes real end of his unreal life. As a moralist Tolstoy would like to play attention of Russian intelligentsia how badly they live, how they waste their talents, strengths, and capabilities. He called on moral self-improvement. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Les Mis‚rables.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Les Misérables 1. Resumé: Cet histoire représente un problème sociale de France durant les années de 1800. La pauvreté entre les roturiers étaient énorme. Le système de justice étaient en défaut et pénalisaient les pauvres. Mais, dans ce mauvais climat social, il y avait aussi des personnes qui étaient différents. Valjean était une personne avec une haute moralité. L'histoire revolves autour de lui et ses efforts à supporter la moralité et la justice , durant s' échappant la loi, qui voulait lui poursuivre. Il a promis à Fantine qu'il va s'occuper de sa fille, Cossette. Jusqu'aux ses derniers jours de sa vie, il a jamais cassé sa promesse. Il y avait un policier, Javert, qui croyait en justice, mais à la fin, il s'est suicidé parce qu'il s'est allé contre ses principes. Il y avait des révolutionnaires, qui sont morts pour la cause des pauvres. La fille, Éponine a sacrifié sa vie pour Marius, l'homme qu'elle aimait, mais qui aimait Cossette et pas Éponine. Marius at Cossette sont les romantiques de cet histoire, qui nous donnent un climat amoureux entre la confusion, la pauvreté et la haine. 2. Les Thémes: Cet histoire revolve autour de deux thémes, le rêve et le suicide. Premièrement, l'histoire revolve autour des vies et rêves de toutes les types de personnes. Valjean avait un rêve d'avoir une vie normale. Il avait un rêve de satisfaire la promesse qu'il a fait à Fantine de s'occuper de sa fille, Cossette. Les roturiers avaient un rêve de vivre une plus mieux vie, qui veut dire, pas si pauvre qu'ils étaient. Les révolutionnaires avaient un rêve d'améliorer le destin des pauvres. Javert avait un rêve de finalement attraper Valjean et de lui faire punir. Éponine avait un rêve d'épouser Marius. Son rêve est detruit quand elle découvert que Marius aime Cossettes et pas elle. De tous les rêves, Valjean se semblait comme le plus noble et le plus mieux. Il devait s'échapper de la loi et Javert toute sa vie, mais, il a jamais arrêté de chercher pour son rêve, qui était d'avoir une vie normale et de faire le plus mieux de la vie de Cossette. Son rêve pour le mieux de Cossette, lui prend derrière les lignes des révolutionnaires, où il sauve la vie de Marius. Il risque sa vie pour prendre Marius loin du danger. Il est attrapé par Javert, mais plaide pour la vie de Marius, pas pour soi-même. Il promet de retourner. Le coeur noble de Valjean émouvoit Javert. Il lui laisse partir. Javert se suicide à cause que ses rêves d'être un policier loyal sont detruits par ses actions. Cet histoire nous représente que même durant les épreuves et le désespoir, c'est le rêve pour le bon et le mieux vie, qui nous fait bouger. Nous rêvons pour un mieux futur et rêve que nos problèmes vont prendre fin. Pas beaucoup de nous réusissons. Mais, c'est le rêve, qui nous fait essayer et continuer. Nos rêves, aussi nous aident à être les plus mieux personnes et aident à construire une plus meilleure societé. Le deuxième thême est le suicide et la souffrance. Javert était un policier. Il était loyal, sincère et aimait la loi. Il a toujours pensé que les gens qui transgressé la loi était des criminels. Ces criminels doivent être prosecutés par la loi et puni. Son simple esprit, n'était pas capable de trouver la justification pour les situations différentes, quand la loi n'est pas appliqué. Il ne pourrait pas comprendre qu'une personne peut être bonne et aussi transgresser la loi. Il a poursuivi Valjean toute sa vie, parce qu'il considerait Valjean comme un criminel. Il a vu la bonne personne qui était Valjean, mais il ne le pourrait pas comprendre et l'accepter. Finalement, quand Javert devait laisser partir Valjean, il a transgressé ses principes. Il n'était pas possible pour Javert d'accepter qu'il a transgressé la loi. Il, Javert, peut seulement soutenir la loi, pas la transgresser. Alors, son seul recours était de prendre sa vie. Il s'est suicidé, parce qu'il ne peut pas accepté qu'il est maintenant un criminel, à cause qu'il a, soi-même trangressé la loi. Ça c'est une problème complexe pour Javert. Il est le protecteur da la loi. Alors, il ne peut pas la transgresser. Il ne comprenait pas que la loi elle-même peut être fausse. Il doit utiliser sa tête et pas son coeur pour interprêté la loi. Javert ne pourrait plus prendre à se faire face à sa décision, qu'il a fait par suivre son coeur. À Javert, ça c'est une grosse faiblesse et une déloyalté à la loi. Ces principes était plus forts que sa vie. Ce carartère nous représente le conflit que tout de nous autres souffrent entre les décisions qu'on fasse de notre tête et coeur. Les décisions logiques qui sont fait avec la tête n'est pas toujours correctes et humaines. La vie demande des décisions fait par le coeur quelques fois, qui ne supportent pas l'esprit logical, mais qui sont nécessaire parce que tout le monde et humain et on vivent ensemble dans une société. 3. Genre de livre: Ce livre est un livre d'aventure fictif. Quoique, l'histoire est basé sur les gros événements d'après l'époque Napoleonatique. C'est un roman d'aventure parce qu'il est tellement mouvementé. Comme j'avais déjà expliqué, tout l'histoire est basé sur les choses que les révolutionnaires ont fait pour avoir de l'égalité. Si ils faisaient rien, Victor Hugo n'aurait pas avoir la chance d'écrire une classique comme celle-ci. Aussi, c'est fictif parce que, rien de ce livre est actuellement arrivé. Tout ça est venu de la tête de Victor Hugo. 4. Impression Personnelle: Cet histoire semble d'avoir une thème eternelle. Les souffrances, confusions, injustice et la vie des pauvres, semblent d'avoir jamais changé. Le contexte et l'ère ont changé entre le cadre de l'histoire et aujourd'hui, mais avec les modéfications, le même histoire peur être repété comme la vérité en beaucoup de pays de notre monde maintenant. Valjean a été persécuté toute sa vie pour voler un miche de pain. Il a essayé et a réussit de créer l'espoir et l'amour tout autour de lui. Il a donné sa vie pour les autres et pour la promesse qu'il a jamais brisé. Il était original en pensant, un révolutionnaire des idées et actes. D'autre part, Javert était un bureaucrate, avec la loyauté à la loi et le roi, qui avait rien d'originalité, et qui s'est suicidé quand il devait briser la loi. Les autres caractères représentaient une large classe de personne, qui travaillaient fort et espéraient, et les autres qui étaient corrompues et volaient. Je suis imprisionnée par l'auteur et ses perspicacités remarquables dans la société, qu'il a représenté si admirablement. Il nous a représenté que la bonne toujours gagne. Les souffrances de Valjean n'ont pas diminué son but pour faire le mieux des autres. La société a toujours des gens qui ne sont pas bons, mais ils vont périr devant les idéals forts et les bons actes. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\lg 3 english essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Terrorism By: Chantal J Kyffin September. 11,th 2001 two planes crashed into the two tallest buildings in New York City, the twin towers. This was an act of terrorism on Americans. To terrorize is to reduce to a state of terror. Did Iraq accomplish what they came to accomplish? Yes, they did. Since 9:11 Americans have been completely terrorized, the shadow of terrorism has become a part of daily life in America. Weather they know it or not Americans have become victims of terrorism. Americans have handicapped there personal freedom, privacy, and control. After 9:11, many Americans felt and still feel they have given up to much security to fight terrorism. The cost Americans have to pay through gaining personal security has been, loss of personal freedom and civil rights. Laura W. Murphy a Lawyer from Washington State says, "Americans have been permanently re programmed to hold the fear of Terrorism true just below the surface, waiting for a trigger." She's right. Taking shoes, coats, belts and flashing I.D. cards to the 49,000 screeners at National Airports is de- humanizing. The ways the American government has tried to improve America's security has set off terror in Americans. The screening at airports, surveillance powers, and at schools and work obstacles such as barricades and metal detectors are now a reality. Another new act of higher security is the U.S.A. Patriot Act. They demanded Congress to give the justice department more powers to combat terrorists by being able to search any suspect's residence privately and secretly if felt needed. This is a complete threat to civil rights. It is very clear Americans are living in a place with constant terror alerts. American citizens feel they have given up to much for security. Who is to blame? Bush and his administration as well as the American government are. Bush and his administration are using fear of terrorism to justify privacy and freedom. This is a means of control over Americans. They cover what they really want "control" with a justification system. For example General John Ashcroft part of Bushes administration says, "The first responsibility of government is to provide the security that "preserves" the lives and liberty of people." Higher security does not "preserve" the lives and liberty of people. Security has spread more terror in Americans, is that "preserving?" If anything security has made people feel less secure, than secure, because the government and Bush are giving Americans something to be terrorized about, "Terrorism" and Ashcroft who defended higher security systems also stated that "No major attack has occurred on American soil since September. 11,th / 01 thanks to higher security" this statement makes a statement. There has been no act of terror since Sept 11, and Americans are still fighting "The War on Terrorism" by killing thousands of innocent people in Iraq. According to Bush the "War on Terrorism" ( "War on Terrorism" is supposed to stop terrorism, not create terrorism) is apparently working. Bush and his administration have managed to kill terrorists (few proven to be terrorists) around the world, along with thousands of innocent humans. So ask yourself, who are the terrorists now? Why is it O.K. for Bush to say it's "The War on Terrorism?" because it's an excuse for creating war that isn't even being fought back or retaliated against by Iraq. It's not the "War on Terrorism" it's the "War on Power." According to America's top foreign priority policy the main focus is "The War on Terrorism" there way of fighting the "War on Terrorism" is to expand "Democracy" and help generate "Prosperity" in the Middle East. This is unbelievable. Saying they want to expand "Democracy" goes against the grain of Democracy altogether. Democracy is social equality, a government that is controlled and shared by its entire people. For Bush and the government to say they are "peace keeping" and being heroic while killing thousands of innocent people to reinforce "Democracy" is controlling and not Democratic. Bush and his administration use the term "The War on Terrorism" to make it justifiable to Americans, but it's the opposite. It's the act of Terrorism. The undeniable truth is that while Bush and his administration are convincing Americans they must "fight back," terrorism and make Iraq a better place by spreading Democracy, they themselves are being the terrorists. They are doing what they do best, controlling others. They are not fighting against terrorism there is no terrorism to fight just like Ashcroft said, "No major attack has occurred on American soil since sept.11/01. Is Iraq fighting back against America? No. So why is America still fighting? Because America is controlling (I am referring to the government, along with Bush and his administration not the people of America (citizens) and by killing innocent people and spreading terror in Iraq America will eventually take control over Iraq, and there people will give up there freedom and give into America's commands. Iraq will not be the only country to give up control to America they may be the first, but not the last. In conclusion, American's have been terrorized. The reality is the cause of the terrorism is not other foreign countries. That is just what the American government and Bush want American's to feed into and they have. So while American's fear for there lives over terrorism they are truly handicapping there own freedom. The very freedom to live every moment of every day freely, rather than fearing what may or may not happen. American's are also losing there freedom and control over the things in life they can actually change. They are forgetting about the real things that affect every single individual. There is poverty, economic struggles, and unfair justice and job issues. These things are a part of everyday life and affect every single person. Yet Americans have got themselves so caught up in "Anti Terrorism" that they are slowly losing control over what they actually have control over. By the time America finally realizes that all this time they have been hiding and fighting against terrorism it will be too late. To late to gain control, because Bush and the government will have full control over Americans, Iraq and what ever other countries are on Bushes "which country should I take control over today?" to do list. When this happens and it has already started it will be the beginning of the end for American's and by the time American's do finally realize they have something to fear......themselves, it will be too late. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Life After the Crash.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Life After the Crash The bombs went off like it was the fourth of the july, except this time there was nothing to celebrate, nothing to be smile about; the world was over. A few hours before the apocalypse I hijacked an airplane only to realize there was no one on board. I did my best to get the plane off the airstrip and into the free sky. On my ascent I realized I was leaving the world for good, never to set foot on mother earth again. What a relief to know that I would never have to work anymore, pay taxes, worry about my ex-wife, take care of the dog. It was bittersweet. Once I reached a constant elevation I ran to the back of the cabin and slowly opened the emergency door so I could jump into what was left of the world. I lifted the lever and the door burst open as yellow and red particles rushed throughout the plane. The blast from the wind was so strong that it knocked me over and I quickly grabbed onto the side of the wall before the air sucked me out. As I gained strength to stand up I stared out the window and witnessed the bombs exploding in a hauntingly beautiful massacre. A blinding light seemed to go off on a beat, every three seconds; and in those explosions were millions of people dying at that very moment. I was witnessing what people had been prophesizing for centuries; the end of it all. I wanted to jump but something made me stay. Watching the apocalypse right before my eyes was the most glorious thing in my entire life. I had to hold on. I clenched my fingers as tight as possible against the wall and stared for what seemed like an eternity. From the cockpit I heard a warning sound so I rushed back to the cockpit and f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Linking Land grants resources.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Linking Land and Future Farmers Victoria, B.C. Resources Available to Members Partnership Planning Package A 9-page booklet on planning a formal relationship between a landowner and a farmer using the land. A joint planning process between the farmer and landowner is necessary to make a successful, long-term match. To assist this process, the booklet raises questions which will help set your goals and ten specific issues you will need to think about. A short outline of three common legal formats for land related relationships is also given. This booklet does not provide legal or tax advice. Education Grants LLAFF has some funds available to help make it possible for members with limited finances to increase their farming skills through formal education. Education Grants can fund up to 75% of the cost of tuition or conference/workshop fees. The number and amount of education grants will depend on the number of applications received each year. To apply, send a cover letter describing in detail the course, workshop, etc. you would like assistance with, and how it will benefit your farming skills. You will be expected to provide receipts from your experience as well. The deadlines for receiving applications each year are Jan 31st and July 31st. Grants/Loans LLAFF may be able to provide small loans or grants (up to $250) for farmers in need of critical financial assistance. These loans/grants may be used for acquiring materials like tools, fertilizers, and seeds. If the terms of the agreement are met, the money given becomes a grant; if the terms are not met, the money becomes a loan and must be re-paid. New Farmer Start-Up Grant Intended to help new farmers become established. The farmer agrees to continue farming for the community for 36 months after the time of the loan. Seasoned Farmer Loan/Grant To be eligible, the farmer must have been producing food for the community for at least 36 months.Application forms are available on request. Deadlines for applications are Jan 31st and July 31st of each year. Tool Lending Library The Tool Lending Library is a tool-lending service provided to members of LLAFF and SIOPA to help members share resources and save money. The Library, based on the Saanich Peninsula, contains an assortment of tools both small and large which can be loaned out for a short period of time at no cost. More information about the Tool Lending Library... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Linking Land tool lib.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Linking Land and Future Farmers Victoria, B.C. The Tool Lending Library a project of Linking Land and Future Farmers and the South Island Organic Producer's Association Thanks to generous support from the VanCity Community Partnership Grant Program, the Island Chef Collaborative, Cafe Brio, and Seedy Saturday. The Tool Lending Library is a tool-lending service provided to members of LLAFF and SIOPA to help members share resources and save money. The Library, based on the Saanich Peninsula (north of Victoria, B.C.), contains an assortment of tools both small and large which can be loaned out for a short period of time at no cost. The Tool Lending Library was started in 2000 with the vision of helping organic farmers work more efficiently. Farmers have a long tradition of sharing tools in their communities. We felt that the library would be an important community resource where everyone could give input into the purchasing of tools, and everyone could benefit from having high quality, specialty tools for a variety of jobs. A local retailer has agreed to house our tools and oversee the process of signing tools. To become a member of the Tool Lending Library, you must be a member of either LLAFF or SIOPA. All library users are required to purchase a $15.00 member credit before borrowing tools. This fee is refundable and fines (if any) and fees for gas will be withdrawn from this credit. Tools are leant out for a maximum period of 4 days. By joining the library you are helping to run the tool lending system. All members should bear this in mind when borrowing tools so that things keep running smoothly. When a member of the Tool Lending Library wants to borrow a tool, they call the Tool Voice Mail to check on the status of the tool, and if the tool is free, you leave a message for other members with time and location details of the tool that you have rented out. We hope that those of you farming in the Greater Victoria area will consider becoming a user of the Tool Lending Library! The more members we have, the more and better tools that we can afford to purchase for everyone's use. For more information, please call the Tool Lending Library at (250) 361-1747 (mailbox 3). Some of the tools included in the Tool Lending Library are: fruit pickers flame weeder broad fork pH meter soil blockers weedeater wheelbarrow shovels, hoes, and rakes with more to come! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Listening to Women Being a Man Lessons in Freedom and Love.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Milkman Dead becomes a man by learning to respect and to listen to women. In the first part of the novel, he emulates his father, by being deaf to women's wisdom and women's needs, and casually disrespecting the women he should most respect. He chooses to stray from his father's example and leaves town to obtain his inheritance and to become a self-defined man. From Circe, a witch figure, he is inspired to be reciprocal, and through his struggle for equality with men and then with women, he begins to find his inheritance, which is knowing what it is to fly, not gold. At the end, he acts with kindness and reciprocity with Pilate, learning from her wisdom and accepting his responsibilities to women at last. By accepting his true inheritance from women, he becomes a man, who loves and respects women, who knows he can fly but also knows his responsibilties. In the first part of the novel, Milkman is his father's son, a child taught to ignore the wisdom of women. Even when he is 31, he still needs "both his father and his aunt to get him off" the scrapes he gets into. Milkman considers himself Macon, Jr., calling himself by that name, and believing that he cannot act independently (120). The first lesson his father teaches him is that ownership is everything, and that women's knowledge (specifically, Pilate's knowledge) is not useful "in this world" (55). He is blind to the Pilate's wisdom. When Pilate tell Reba's lover that women's love is to be respected, he learns nothing (94). In the same episode, he begins his incestuous affair with Hagar, leaving her 14 years later when his desire for her wanes. Milkman's experience with Hagar is analogous to his experience with his mother, and serves to "[stretch] his carefree boyhood out for thrifty-one years" (98). Hagar calls him into a room, unbuttons her blouse and smiles (92), just as his mother did (13). Milkman's desire for his mother's milk disappears before she stops milking him, and when Freddie discovers the situation and notes the inappropriateness, she is left without this comfort. Similarly, Milkman ends the affair with Hagar when he loses the desire for her and recognizes that this affair with his cousin is not socially approved, leaving Hagar coldly and consciously, with money and a letter of gratitude. He is as deaf to the needs of women and as imperiously self-righteous as his father, who abandons his wife when he believes she loves her father too much. Macon teaches his son well the art of "pissing" on women. As Pilate attempts to awaken Macon to the inappropriateness of taking a dead man's gold and to their father's ghostly message, he urinates, enjoying the idea of "life, safety, and luxury" resulting from the gold (170). In his unnatural act, taking a man's life, he has become deaf to his past and to Pilate. Though Milkman urinates on his sister by accident, his act has the same implications as his father's. By inertia, he assumes his father's attitude toward women, placing them in the periphery of his mind, though they are the center and the source of his life. Pilate and Ruth saved him from his father's attempts at abortion, and his female relatives have done all of the work of raising him. He spies on his mother, he feels the same "lazy righteousness" as that which leads him to disrespect Hagar's claim to her rights in their relationship (120). He attempts to steal from Pilate, his aunt, in order to follow his father's instructions and to obtain the inheritance he feels will make him a man. At the end of part 1, his sister Magalene attempts to awaken his sensibilities to this through her diatribe on the effects of his blindness to his sisters' autonomy and their contributions to his well-being (215). He follows her advice, and leaves, not only her room, but the town and the identity he has been molded into by his father. Milkman leaves to get the gold which he believes is his inheritance, feeling that this will allow him freedom from his family, which he equates with the freedom to at last become a man. He tells Guitar, "I don't want to be my old man's office boy no more" (221-2). His fruitless attempt to gain his inheritance as his father advises him, by stealing from Pilate, inspires him to try his own way of finding his inheritance, and therefore, his manhood. He quickly learns that to obtain this inheritance, he must listen to women as he never has before. Circe is the first woman who he listens to and treats with reciprocity. At first glance, he is overcome by the idea that she is a witch (241). Women who kept alive the knowledge of their ancestors were considered witches in the patriarchal, Christian culture. Circe has been the midwife in most of the townspeople's births, and is so ancient that she is believed to be dead. She is knowledgeable, and he learns that must take her seriously to find his inheritance. Circe tells Milkman, "You don't listen to people" (247), and he begins to truly listen to her and treat her as an equal. She informs him of the last known location of his grandfather's bones, of his grandmother's name, and of where in Virginia the family originated (243-5). Milkman has his first urge for reciprocity with her, and she tells him that he has unwittingly already returned the favor with his company and his news of Macon and Pilate (248). Milkman must learn to treat other men as equals before he can treat women as equals. For a boy brought up in an atmosphere of blind bourgeois elitism, the road to equal relationships is difficult. He attempts to repay a man for a ride and a coke, only to realize that this is offensive to the man's dignity (255). He learns real kindness when he helps an old man with a crate who gives him information (256). However, in Shalimar, the home of his ancestors, he must relearn the significance of others' dignity. He receives a cold reception because of his careless showiness, and must then pass initiation rituals to be allowed equal status in the town. Through his gradual lessons in reciprocal relationships with men, he is prepared for equality with women. With Sweet, he gives as well as receives loving gestures, learning at last that others, no matter sex or status, deserve his sacrifices (285). The initiations include a hunt that leaves Milkman alone to ponder his life. Challenged to join the men in a hunt in which he has nothing but himself on which he can rely, he begins taking his identity and his relationships seriously. He realizes that humans are responsible for each other, that his family's dependence on him is natural At last he discovers that Hagar's homicidal urge is justifiable: "if a stranger could try to kill him, surely Hagar, who knew him and whom he'd thrown away like a wad of chewing gum after the flavor was gone ‹ she had a right to kill him too" (276-7). Milkman learns what it means to be human when he is left with only that: "out here ... all a man had was what he was born with, or has learned to use" (277). Finding his own identity, he realizes the right others have to demand responsibility from him. At last, he can receive the knowledge of his ancestors through discussions with a woman who at first seems shallow and lacking in knowledge, and through the songs of children. Susan Byrd appears to be full of empty gossip (292), but by listening to her and then to the children's game, he learns that she does have a story to share (302). He returns to her and learns the real story (320-4). He learns men can fly, and begins to understand the responsibilties that come with this knoweledge. This is the inheritance that makes him a man. How do this makes him a man? At last, he can return to Pilate some of the history she has bequeathed him. He can give her peace by adding to her history of herself. Her beloved granddaughter has been sacrificed to him, and this is the only way he can make amends. Pilate does not only release him because she is overcome by this new understanding of her past, but because he has learned to be a man. He accepts the box of Hagar's hair, a reminder that "you can't fly off and leave a body" as he abandoned Hagar (334). With this act, he ritualistically accepts his inheritiance of responsibilty for others, specifically the women in his life. As Pilate dies, he sings for her, an act of kindness, signifying a new paradigm in his relationships with women. She tells him,"I wish I'd a knowed more people. I would of loved 'em all" (336), reinforcing the significance of kindness and responsibility. He realizes that she can fly, but that she also embraces responsibility for others: "Without ever leaving the ground, she could fly" (336). He learns from her the meaning of true freedom, which includes responsiblity. Macon Dead, a partriach, leaves his son an inheritance of imperious indifference to women's knowledge and needs. Milkman realizes that he is not yet a man, and tries, first through his father's and then through his own way, to find the missing inheritance that will set him free. To get the inheritance, he must listen to women, which necessitates relationships of reciprocity with men and with women. His inheritance, knowledge of his ancestors, helps him to create a relationship of reciporical kindness with the matriach of his family, who gives him another inheritance, the burden of responsibility to others. In Toni Morrison's novel, Song of Solomon, Milkman becomes a man by choosing to respect and learn from women. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\lit essay changes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Corrina Kirby American Literature March 15, 2004 Ms. Sawick Moving On: An essay about changes from the novel I read this month This month, I read a book called The Dead Circus by John Kaye. This is a novel describing the chaotic era of the 60's in Hollywood. The main character, Gene Burk, went through a lot of changes as he dealt with the death of his wife, Alice Larson. As Gene works to take his mind off his loved one's death, he discovers more about his past and the past of his friends and family. As most novels have a main character that changes and develops as a person, The Dead Circus also holds this quality. Though the plot can be described as confusing, complicated, and explicit, it is obvious that by the end of the book, Gene Burk has become a person who is ready to move on and make something out of his life. The protagonist of the novel, as I mentioned before, is a man named Gene Burk. Gene Burk is an ex-cop who formerly worked on the mystery case of how rockabilly star, Bobby Fuller, died. Gene was engaged to a woman named Alice Larson before she died in a plane crash. His life was also conflicted by his alcoholic brother, his confused father, his deserting mother, and his former career. Since the tragic plane crash that changed his life, Gene desperately tries to distract himself from his state of depression. He attempts to solve the case he never solved, about how Bobby Fuller died and why. Like most people who have lost someone they love, Gene tries to take himself away from the place where he can do nothing but tremble over his lost love. Gene throws himself into the case, devoting all of his time and energy into questioning people who had been a part of Bobby Fullers life. As Gene works to solve the case he begins to discover more about Alice's past, he is able to connect with who she was and the enclosed parts of her that were never revealed. When Gene finds Alice's diary, he is surprised at the feelings he has. "Gene knew he didn't know everything about Alice's past, he was just surprised to realize that none of her past made him feel any differently about her, it just made him love her more." In this quote you can see how much Alice meant to Gene and also how much he was willing to keep her memory positive. Gene shows how hard it is to stop loving someone but that your life does go on. After Alice's death, he goes back to something that interested him before he met Alice. He goes back to solving mysteries and finding a deeper meaning to events that take place everyday. Each day that he gets closer to figuring out the case he finds out something new about his past and the past of people around him. He doesn't struggle to forget Alice; he just struggles to keep his memory of her happy. As Gene investigates the death of Bobby Fuller, he starts meeting a lot of people and finding a lot of instances that are having more and more to do with the Manson murders. This part of the book makes you really think about how this would help anyone cope with death. He discovers another Alice, a woman who was indirectly a large part of Alice's life and a large past of the Manson murders. The 'Other Alice' shows Gene that covering your past is not a disrespectful thing to do; she shows him that he can live a new life without forgetting his love for his fiancée. The other Alice teaches him that all he needs to do is "keep her in his heart." Throughout the book, Gene has a lot of flashbacks to his early childhood, his teens, and his days as a cop. Gene seems to find out more about the large web of crime that existed during this time period in Hollywood. Everyone seems to be connected and everyone seems to be constantly doing illegal things. Though Gene does not find out who killed Bobby Fuller, he becomes able to grasp the reasons why Fuller may have killed himself. The main thing he realizes is that even if you don't solve the case, the understanding you find is reason enough for all the effort you put into solving it. This holds true for Gene's relationship with Alice, even if she's gone the point isn't to grieve over her, but to keep her memory alive as the person Gene knew and loved. In my life, I have never really lost someone I loved. I had a dear babysitter of mine die and a lovely dog but I have never really experienced the feeling of picturing your life with someone and then having it suddenly shatter. I think that change is a scary but necessary thing and that everything happens for a reason. Though I can't directly relate to what Gene is going through, I can relate to change and beginning a whole new life. I also agree with the other Alice's opinions and I share the same beliefs that when someone dies it is not necessary to forget them but to move on with your life, keeping their memory positive and strong. In conclusion, Gene Burk went through a difficult and important change throughout this book. He learned that life isn't about finding the bad guy; it is about discovering what happens inside people and what their inner motives are. Life is about learning to live and love and cope with the decisions you make everyday, not stress over the ones that bring you down. Though this book involved many characters and showed growth in almost every one, Gene Burk was both the protagonist of the story and the one that went through the most significant change. He learned how to continue living his life after he lost someone, that the more you love someone, the stronger your memory will be. The more he thinks about Alice in a positive way, the easier it will be to move on. And that's what it is all about, being able to move on. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\lit essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Natalie Murphy September 11 2003 American Lit. Per. 4 Hester has just given birth to her new daughter Pearl and is going through public humiliation, but does she let her towns people put her down and loose the little pride she still has? Not at all Hester may have many people upset with her right now but the decision she made is a courageous one. The first reason being that she didn't take the chance of winning people over. She also relied on her faith to keep her strong. The third reason why this was a wise choice is because, this person she has committed adultery with could be the man she had recently fallen in love with. If most people were put into the situation Hester was in they would most likely have given into the crowd and admitted to who her mystery man was. She is now being forced to wear the letter "A" this will allow her to be picked out of a crowd if she is even ever a lot to be in public again and yet she still manages to smile at a man in the crowd and hold her baby close to her because it's the only thing she has to call her own. Whether Hester knew the people would not treat her any better if she told the truth or not she still knew what she thought was right and stuck by it. At this time no matter what your religious beliefs may be they were strong and you didn't even consider going against them. These beliefs were also the law therefore you were only getting yourself into worse circumstances. In Gods eyes everyone should be treated equally and it is not up to us to judge one another it is his decision to decide what we are guilty of. The town where this is all taking place is a very close group of people both physically and spiritually. The fact that the father of this child is her minister may sound as if it only makes the situation worse but I feel that it explains a lot because if this is someone that she has been looking up to for so many years then how couldn't she trust him into thinking that this was good and loving situation. Is Hester truly in love? Maybe at this point in the story we can not decide where her and this man stand but we are able to see that she has given us no reason not to believe that she has been an extremely lonely person for the time that her husband has yet to return. Hester was a firm believer in her religion and if she didn't think what she was doing was simply the work of God then I don't think she would have committed such a serious sin. Why would anyone want to be hated by so many if they didn't really believe it was for the right reasons in the end? After getting this far in the book I think Hester will end up being a great person to admire because she has proven that you need to stand up for what you think is right and not allow the people around you to influence your choice. She has definitely chosen the right path to follow and even though she may have made a few decisions that the church may disagree with she made them for the right reason and I think will raise her child if given the chance to the best that she can. She will only move forward in her journey of faith. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Lobito.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lobito Not once is there a boring moment in my house! That's because of my dog Lobito. Unlike other families that have a human sometimes being the clown of their family, in my family my dog Lobito is the clown. He has got to be the funniest dog alive. From his jealousy fits, and his way of picking fights with the rest of the dogs to his no stop playing with his stuffed animals. Well the best place to start would be by describing his way of fighting with other dogs. He's straight out of one of those movies where there saying " hold me back". No matter how big the dog is he will challenge him. This would be great if he actually followed through with his threat but he doesn't. He has this funny habit that when were holding him back from another dog, his bark starts getting louder. While holding him back he tends to pull and yank hard, and almost say "let me at him". The funny part is when we actually do let him go, he's surprised we let him go , and gives us this look like hey hold me back! Another thing that goes along with his fighting techniques, are his day dream desires of being a security dog. We have this one dog named Pinto that Lobito hates with all his heart. Being that Pinto is alot older and bigger than Lobbito , Lobito never dares raise a bark at Pinto. But don't ever tell Pinto to go outside the house, because as soon as Lobito hears the words "Pinto outside", hell breaks loose. Lobito will come tearing around the corner like if he heard Puppy Chow was going to be on sale. He starts barking and yelping right behind Pinto with an occasional nip at his tail. At the same time while this is all going on he tends to give us a look that says how am I doing? Well that's not the worst part, the worst part is when it comes to his jealousy. It could be said that Lobito has this idea that he's number one, and he's got this idea for everything that happens to him. Due to this idea of his we make it a point not to pet any other dog besides him while he's around, and if we accidentally do pet another dog he makes it clear to us he's upset with us by growling. We never let him catch us petting another dog! He'll come right up to us, and cut in-between the dog were petting . He'll then start barking at the other dog to leave. This is an everyday thing , and if by any chance we don't pet him, he'll let us know he's upset with us. He'll put us on ignore mode for the rest of the day. If this happens we don't even bother calling out his name because he'll never come. Another big part of his jealousy act is when someone brings a baby into the house. He starts the biggest and loudest barking his lungs will permit. We actually have to lock him in a room due to the fact that were scared he'll bite the baby out of jealousy. He'll be barking and snarling at the door for as long as he's locked in there. He's got his paw marks all over the inside of the door from scratching so much to get out. This isn't the worst of it. It's when we actually do let him out that is. He goes around the house sniffing everything in site, and after that he puts everyone on ignore mode. He'll eventually gives us permission to pet him, and kiss up to him, but not before he shows us his feelings were hurt. And last but not least, Lobitos world famous stuffed toy collection. This is his pride and joy. He has about ten stuffed toys scattered around the house. In the front and back yard, under beds and even in the bathroom. Each one slobbered to perfection! This is where our trick to make him happy comes in. If we really want Lobito to like us, we just add a piece to his collection. He tends to play with his new animals for days, and carries them around in his mouth everywhere he goes. He shows off his his new toy by taking it to us so we can play with him. He has this thing of playing fetch with his stuffed animals, except it's not a good idea of playing in the house. He tends not to see objects in his way while fetching his stuffed animals at lighting speed. People are not considered an obstacle for Lobito if he's after his toys, he'll just run over us! He even cares less about tables or lamps. So with the examples I've stated Lobito in more than one way could be considered the clown of the family. From his Comedy style of fighting with other dogs by acting out the one liner hold me back, to his fits of jealousy when a baby comes around, or his world famous stuffed toy collection. But to me and my family he is considered much more than just a clown ,he is considered part of the family. Lobito Not once is there a boring moment in my house! That's because of my dog Lobito. Unlike other families that have a human sometimes being the clown of their family, in my family my dog Lobito is the clown. He has got to be the funniest dog alive. From his jealousy fits, and his way of picking fights with the rest of the dogs to his no stop playing with his stuffed animals. Well the best place to start would be by describing his way of fighting with other dogs. He's straight out of one of those movies where there saying " hold me back". No matter how big the dog is he will challenge him. This would be great if he actually followed through with his threat but he doesn't. He has this funny habit that when were holding him back from another dog, his bark starts getting louder. While holding him back he tends to pull and yank hard, and almost say "let me at him". The funny part is when we actually do let him go, he's surprised we let him go , and gives us this look like hey hold me back! Another thing that goes along with his fighting techniques, are his day dream desires of being a security dog. We have this one dog named Pinto that Lobito hates with all his heart. Being that Pinto is alot older and bigger than Lobbito , Lobito never dares raise a bark at Pinto. But don't ever tell Pinto to go outside the house, because as soon as Lobito hears the words "Pinto outside", hell breaks loose. Lobito will come tearing around the corner like if he heard Puppy Chow was going to be on sale. He starts barking and yelping right behind Pinto with an occasional nip at his tail. At the same time while this is all going on he tends to give us a look that says how am I doing? Well that's not the worst part, the worst part is when it comes to his jealousy. It could be said that Lobito has this idea that he's number one, and he's got this idea for everything that happens to him. Due to this idea of his we make it a point not to pet any other dog besides him while he's around, and if we accidentally do pet another dog he makes it clear to us he's upset with us by growling. We never let him catch us petting another dog! He'll come right up to us, and cut in-between the dog were petting . He'll then start barking at the other dog to leave. This is an everyday thing , and if by any chance we don't pet him, he'll let us know he's upset with us. He'll put us on ignore mode for the rest of the day. If this happens we don't even bother calling out his name because he'll never come. Another big part of his jealousy act is when someone brings a baby into the house. He starts the biggest and loudest barking his lungs will permit. We actually have to lock him in a room due to the fact that were scared he'll bite the baby out of jealousy. He'll be barking and snarling at the door for as long as he's locked in there. He's got his paw marks all over the inside of the door from scratching so much to get out. This isn't the worst of it. It's when we actually do let him out that is. He goes around the house sniffing everything in site, and after that he puts everyone on ignore mode. He'll eventually gives us permission to pet him, and kiss up to him, but not before he shows us his feelings were hurt. And last but not least, Lobitos world famous stuffed toy collection. This is his pride and joy. He has about ten stuffed toys scattered around the house. In the front and back yard, under beds and even in the bathroom. Each one slobbered to perfection! This is where our trick to make him happy comes in. If we really want Lobito to like us, we just add a piece to his collection. He tends to play with his new animals for days, and carries them around in his mouth everywhere he goes. He shows off his his new toy by taking it to us so we can play with him. He has this thing of playing fetch with his stuffed animals, except it's not a good idea of playing in the house. He tends not to see objects in his way while fetching his stuffed animals at lighting speed. People are not considered an obstacle for Lobito if he's after his toys, he'll just run over us! He even cares less about tables or lamps. So with the examples I've stated Lobito in more than one way could be considered the clown of the family. From his Comedy style of fighting with other dogs by acting out the one liner hold me back, to his fits of jealousy when a baby comes around, or his world famous stuffed toy collection. But to me and my family he is considered much more than just a clown ,he is considered part of the family. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\London essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Taylor Hersh Statement of Goals For several years now I have kept a book of quotes and sayings that inspire me. When I am faced with a difficult choice or challenge, I often refer to my book for motivation. Recently I have been feeling as though my life has become slightly mundane, and somewhat generic. I hardly have anything to complain about, but I haven't been able to shake the feeling that there is something more for me out there than the routine I obediently follow everyday of my life. With this on my mind, I decided to open my inspiration book to a random page, and to apply that quote or saying to my life. The quote I opened to was by Anthony Robbins, and it read, "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." That is when it clicked in my head that I was ready to do something different with my life, even if it was a temporary change, I just needed to stop being so safe and to start making my life more interesting. I realized that great things aren't just going to happen to me, I have to make them happen. When I first heard that students in my major, Communication Design, had the opportunity to study abroad in London everything just came together in my mind. This was the perfect opportunity for me to venture out into the world and escape the monotonous lifestyle that has been holding me back. I have lived in one of New York's five boroughs my entire life, and I am beginning to feel extremely sheltered when I say that. I happen to love New York, and I am proud to be from here, but I am also aware that there are so many other places in the world to explore. I feel like never experiencing another culture, another environment, or another lifestyle is completely limiting myself from all the world has to offer. I also think that living in another country will give me a better understanding and appreciation of my own country. The advantages of studying abroad are endless for me. I think getting a different perspective on life and how things work will not only better me in my career, but will also better me as a person. Nothing in life is one-sided, so seeing things from only one side seems pretty limited. Although this opportunity would definitely give me a competitive edge in my field, it is not something I would do just to put on my resume. I think this is the perfect time in my life for me to jump at an opportunity like this. As a student, I am not yet burdened with overwhelming responsibilities that would hold me back from such an opportunity. Once I graduate and begin my career, traveling will be very hard to find time for, unless I am fortunate enough to travel with my job. This is probably the only time in my life when I will be able to just pack my things and move to another city, on the other side of the world, for four months. I can't allow a chance like this to slip right by me. I am also very interested in their way of teaching. From what I understand their style of education is very different from ours. Their learning environment is much more individualized, which I think would add to the personal rewards an experience like this can give. I have worked very hard at my education my entire life. I take pride in my accomplishments, and put my all into everything I do. I always ask, if you are going to do something, why not do it right? It is a waste of energy to do anything half-heartedly, in my opinion. That is why I must put everything I have into jumping at this amazing opportunity I've been given. The timing couldn't be better, the location couldn't be more incredible, and my desire couldn't be stronger. I truly hope this dream becomes a reality. If it does I will absolutely make the very best of it. I would use this experience to learn so much about so many things, including myself. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Lonely.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It was a quiet night. No cars driving by, honking their horns. No sounds of little kids yelling. No dogs barking. Just peaceful and quiet. A gentle breeze blew with an occasional smell of spring in it. The air was just right, cool and fresh. Keith sat on his favorite porch rocking chair. He was just relaxing and gathering his thoughts. He liked to think. He liked to think. He thought about his dreams, he thought about his life and how it was going. He thought about his dog and how it used to be a playful puppy full of energy. It sure grew up fast. Keith thought about a girl he once fell in love with. He should probably get married before he turned thirty. Who knows maybe he'll never get married. As Keith sat there, now thinking about his new, red truck, he noticed his shoe was untied. He stretched down to retie it and saw a small card beside his foot. Funny, he hadn't noticed it there before. Maybe it blew up in the breeze. Yes that's what happened, the wind had blown it there when he was off in dreamland. Oh well, he thought and then he picked it up. The card had printing on it. It simply read, "go look in your mail box". Keith gave out a small chuckle and thought about his mailbox. Was someone joking around with him? It was probably that pesky neighbor boy, James. He was always coming up with something new and unusual to try out on his neighbors. "What the hell", Keith said aloud. He then stood up and walked over to his mailbox and opened it up. "Yep, another card", he said. The same small, black print on it too. Except this card said something just a little different. As Keith ran to his back yard where his dog house was, all he could think of was what the card had said in his mailbox. "YOUR dog is DEAD". Keith suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He could see blood. The dog house, which he had just painted a nice fresh coat of white, was now covered with red, blotchy stains. Blood everywhere. Who could have done such a deed? The golden retriever that Keith had loved so much and raised for four years now lay dead. There was hardly anything left of it. Its legs had been ripped completely off and were thrown around the yard. Its head was nailed to the front of the dog house. The body of his favorite and only pet was cut wide open and staked to the ground like some kind of science dissection. Is this really happening, he thought. He then leaned over and vomited up everything he had. He let it all go, then sat and cried for his dog and all the pain it must have went through. Keith realized that the mouth of the dog had something in it. Another damned piece of paper. He snatched it out with anger and read it slowly. The paper had some blood stains on it and had been wrinkled by the dogs still sharp teeth. But it was still readable. It said, "Fools follow clues, and you are no fool". A few days later Keith got a call from the police which informed him that their where no finger prints found except his own and not to worry about it. They said it was probably some sick prank played buy some punk kids. Keith agreed and hung up the phone. He was still shaken up buy the notes and his deceased dog, but he was doing better. He had cleaned up the mess, burried his dog, and hauled his dog house to a trash pile. He decided that a country drive would do him some good. He needed to get out anyway. He also definitely needed a wife now. He might lose his sanity if things like this kept happening to him. He went outside and smelled the air. It smelled good. Someone was barbecuing nearby. His mouth watered. He loved barbecued anything. Keith got in his new truck and turned the key. The truck didn't start. Keith frowned and thought that usually new trucks start when they are less than a week old. That dealer was going to here about this one. Yes sir. He didn't like him much anyway. The man was very loud and persuasive. He also smelled like a pine tree air freshener. Keith popped the hood of his truck and walked around to have a look. Most trucks don't start due to a dead battery or fuel flooding in the carburetor. But this problem was different than that. On top of his new engine was another piece of paper and where his battery had once been was the head of his dog he had buried a few days earlier. Keith grabbed the note and ran inside. He read it aloud and it said, "You better run far away because you only have a few minutes before your house blows up". Sure enough Keith smelled gas. He ran out of the house and to the neighbor's house. As soon as he got to the door his house blew apart. Why was this happening to him? Who was responsible for this madness? Why in the hell would someone go to such extreme trouble? This was not the work of some kids gone rebel, that was for sure. He used the phone and called the police. They arrived and took the dog head in for inspection and examination. Again there was no fingerprints or no clues to be found. The next day, Keith went back and replaced the battery in his truck and drove out of town. He was still dumbfounded. He had no house and no dog. His favorite chair was destroyed also. "What a loss", he thought. This must all be a bad dream and he was going to get away for a while. Keith didn't get very far. About half a mile just out of town, his truck quit running. He looked at his gas gage and it was empty. It shouldn't have been but now it was. He started laughing. He laughed for a long while and then got out of his truck. He walked back to town and went up to what was left of his house. What was this? His rocking chair wasn't destroyed after all. It was a little burnt and crispy but it still looked functional. He sat down in it just to think. He thought of his life and how he should get married soon. He was going to be thirty years old next year. He thought of his dog. He loved that thing. He thought of his note cards and how he a written those neat little notes to himself. He thought of the police and how foolish they were for looking for clues. He thought of the loud car dealer and the letter he was going to write to him about the trouble his truck was giving him. He didn't need to tell him that he had cut his own gas line shortly after he blew up his own house and killed his favorite dog. He thought of the cool, fresh breeze and the smell of barbecue. He loved barbecue. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Long Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Long Essay Explain what you hope to gain from attending the conference and how you will contribute to the program I was nine years old when George Bush II was sworn as president of the United States. I did not really understand what was going on, but while I was watching on television, I fantasized about attending an inaugural event and sharing the excitement of the day. By attending the Junior Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference I will achieve my life long dream of seeing the president of my country being sworn into office. I hope to learn what it takes to be a leader in charge of a powerful country like the U.S.A. I want to understand the role of the president and the qualities that are needed for the job. I expect to get a good understanding of the electoral process and the reason why a vote matter. I hope to gain more leadership skills by studying the leadership of the U.S presidents. As a participant to the conference, I will bring my life experience as a Haitian American student living in Miami. I will come prepared to learn and to proudly represent my community. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\lord if the flies essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Nicki Alpern 9/1/03 Honors English II The character Ralph is realistic, independent and civil in this novel. In the Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Ralph must do many things for his own survival and the survival of the other boys on the island. I think the obstacles he has to overcome make up his character throughout the book. A character's personality can be changed when he/she is put in certain positions, such as when Jack's group was hunting for him, Ralph had to choose between survival and being civil. Even though Ralph joined Jack's group at one point when they murdered Simon, I feel he still remained the civilized, realistic and independent person he is. Ralph's character is very realistic in this book. He's always the one to bring reality to the island when it is greatly needed for the boys. For example, he was the only boy who believed that his father would find him and they would eventually be rescued. This is realistic because he knew that people would find out the plane crashed and come looking for them. Another important factor is that he didn't believe in the beast. Ralph knew there's no such thing as a beast and that it didn't exist. He realized that there had to be a sensible reason for the boys to believe that there was a beast living in the forest. Ralph also knew certain things must be done for them to survive on the island without adults, like building shelters, keeping clean, and having a set leadership and government. The other boys didn't think logically about what needed to get completed every day in order for everyone to live a somewhat reasonable life. Besides being realistic, Ralph is a very independent person in this novel. He demonstrates his independence in many parts of the Lord of the Flies which shows how self-sufficient Ralph really is. One example that proves his independence is when he is the first boy to step up to become leader. Even though Piggy was the boy to put him in that position, Ralph already had his mind set on his leadership role and what he wanted to get accomplished. This proves he is self-sufficient because he immediately knew what rules to make up without other people telling him what to do. Another example is how Ralph doesn't choose to become barbaric and join in with the hysteria of Jack's tribe. For the most part he stayed on his own side even when he was the only person left in his group. He doesn't get involved with the original bloodlust of the boys injuring Rodger because he knows it is wrong and savage-like. He also doesn't join Jack's tribe when everyone else is convinced to, Ralph sticks to his original plan without his friends and stays by himself. This shows he doesn't usually give in to peer pressure and can survive on his own rules. Most importantly, Ralph was a very civil person. He knew what was right and what was wrong. As the first leader, he set civil rules to live on the island. These rules were the basic rules for living on their own and getting along. He decided that the person talking must be holding the conch; this made everyone calm so only one person could talk at a time and there was no chaos. Unlike many other characters, Ralph was nice and helpful to the younger children and didn't beat them or act savagely towards them. This demonstrates his civilized character by proving he always tried to do the right thing. He also attempted to make sure everything was completed, like building the shelters and keeping a signal fire to increase the chance of getting rescued. These rules kept the boys civilized until their animal instincts took over and Ralph couldn't do anything to stop them. Ralph's characteristics make up many of the events in the story. His realistic, civilized, and independent nature constructs the book's plot. This keeps the war between savage and civilized instincts going on and if it wasn't for Ralph's rules and original plan I don't think any of the boys would have survived the first week. All of his actions directly prove that his character is independent, realistic, and civilized. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Lord of the Flies 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ben Sherry Civilization 9/10/96 Lord of the Flies Response There were a lot of underlying reasons to why the boys' civilization failed in the book The Lord of The Flies. They had many problems with each other because the group was split up among friends. One group would go out and do one thing, while the other group would do another. This led to many more problems, such as deciding and agreeing on a leader, who would do what jobs, and most importantly, which of the boys would become the leader of the crew. Futhermore, the boys all seem to dislike Jack and Roger. This will make it extremely hard for either of them to stop singing. Like my father. So, that eliminates them from the picture. Simon and Rex don't seem to be helping much, and When all the boys met each other on the island, they all had their own separate friends. The choir boys stuck together, the littluns stuck together, Sam and Eric stuck together, and Piggy and Ralph stayed close by each other. Unless everyone can work together as a team, everyone will begin fighting. This is exactly what happened. When they decided on a leader (Ralph) Jack hated it. He wanted to be leader and thought he was the best for the job. Already he had started to rebel. He wouldn't do what Ralph said, and tried to get everyone to disobey him. If the boys do not work together on anything, it's never going to work. While Jack and others were rebelling, Ralph was trying his best to keep the island together. One example of how not working together hurt their the civilization severely was, when they were building the shelters. Everyone was supposed to help, but only two people (Ralph and Simon) could honestly say they helped build all the houses. The first house looked great with everyone helping to make it. The second house looked okay but some people forgot about their jobs and wandered off. But the third house was no more than a horrible shack considering only two people worked on it. These were the kind of things that killed the boys' civilization. Later on in the novel, Jack put his rebellion into full force. He got everyone except Simon, Ralph, and Piggy to join his group which lived elsewhere on the island. By the end, Jack's gang had turned savage, and Ralph was the only one left to defend against them. Luckily he didn't die, but he came pretty close to it. Working together benefits everyone; working separately accomplishes little. If the boys had been able to agree on a leader and establish order, their civilization would have prospered. This however was not the case, and their civilization failed. Lack od discipline can mean a lot to a bunch of young boys starting a civilization. Iknow I woul;d have plenty of trooble doing it f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Lord of the Flies 3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The venturesome novel, Lord of the Flies, is an enchanting, audacious account that depicts the defects of society as the incorrigible nature of individuals when they are immature and without an overlooking authority. The author of the novel, William Golding, was born in Britain, which accounts for the English, cultured characters in the novel. After studying science at Oxford University for two years, he changed his emphasis as a major to English literature. When World War II broke out in 1939, Golding served in the Royal Navy for five years. The atrocities he witnessed changed his view about mankind's essential nature. He came to believe that there was a very dark and evil side to man, which accounts for the savage nature of the children in the novel. He said, "The war was unlike any other fought in Europe. It taught us not fighting, politics, or the follies of nationalism, but about the given nature of man." After the war he returned to teaching and wrote his first novel, Lord of the Flies, which was finally accepted for publication in 1954. In 1983, the novel received the Noble Prize and the statement, "[His] books are very entertaining and exciting. . . . They have aroused an unusually great interest in professional literary critics (who find) deep strata of ambiguity and complication in Golding's work. . . ." (Noble Prize committee) Some conceived the novel as bombastic and didactic. Kenneth Rexroth stated in the Atlantic, "Golding's novels are rigged.. . . The boys never come alive as real boys. . . ." Other critics see him as the greatest English writer of our time. In the Critical Quarterly in 1960, C.B. Cox deemed Lord of the Flies as "probably the most important novel to be published. . . in the 1950's." The setting of the novel takes place on an island in the Pacific Ocean. The author never actually locates the island in the real world or states the exact time period. The author does state that the plane carrying the children had been shot down in a nuclear war, so the time period must be after the making and the use of nuclear weapons. Even though the location of the island is not definite, the author vividly describes the setting. Golding tells us that the island is tropical and shaped like a boat. At the low end are the jungle and the orchards, which rise up to the treeless and rocky mountain ridge. The beach, called the scar, is near the warm water lagoon. On the scar, where the boys hold their meetings, is a "natural platform of fallen trees." Far away is the fruit orchards which supply the boys with food. Inland from the lagoon is the jungle with pig trails and hanging vines. The island has a mountain that Ralph, Simon, and Jack climb, and from which they are able to see the terrain. Finally, there is the castle at the other end of the island, which rises a hundred feet above the sea and becomes Jack's headquarters. Golding gives us a very strong sense of place, and the setting shapes the story's direction. At the outset the boys view the island as a paradise because it is lush and abundant with food. As the fear of the beast grows, however, it becomes a hell in which fire and fear prevail. Even though Golding does not clearly state the setting, a mental picture of the island is depicted throughout the novel. The plot of the story begins when a group of British students' plane is shot down, and they crash on a tropical island. Ralph and Piggy are the first characters introduced, and they find a white conch shell. Ralph blows on the conch, and the other boys appear. Among them are Jack, Sam, Eric, Simon, and many other boys who are never given names. The group elects Ralph as their leader. When the conch calls again, they talk about a small boy's fear of a snakelike beast in the woods. Is there really such a beast? The boys can not agree. Ralph convinces everyone that they need a fire for a signal in case a ship passes the island, but the boys find it hard work keeping the fire going. Jack decides he no longer wants to be part of Ralph's group because he would rather hunt than worry about keeping the fire burning. He leaves with everyone except Ralph, Piggy, Sam, Eric, and Simon. In spite of their growing terror of the imagined beast, Jack leads his hunters into the jungle for the slaying of pigs. They place a pig's head on a stake, much like a primitive offering to the unknown beast. Then Simon wanders into the woods alone, has a seizure, and talks to the pig's head. In Simon's hallucination the head becomes the "Lord of the Flies". Then Simon, terrified and sickened, starts back to where the other boys are to tell them that the beast is a dead man who parachuted onto the island. When Simon appears, the boys kill him, mistaking him for the beast. The next night Jack and two hunters attack Ralph and Piggy and steal Piggy's glasses. Piggy and Ralph go to Jack to get back Piggy's glasses. Then the hunters hurl a giant boulder over a ledge, which demolishes the conch and kills Piggy. The next day Jack's tribe hunts Ralph. While running from the hunters, Ralph stumbles onto the beach and falls at the feet of an army officer. They are finally rescued, but Ralph can only weep "for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy." (p.184) The protagonist in the story is Ralph, a tall, blond twelve year old. He is the first character Golding introduces in the novel. He blows on the conch shell to call the first assembly, and the boys elect him the leader. Ralph states, " I'm the chief then." (p.21) Ralph is respected by all the boys until Jack becomes a separate leader of the hunters. Ralph is physically strong and brave, and he depicts this when he leads explorations, looks for the beast, and tries to escape from Jack's tribe. Ralph becomes friendly with Piggy, and the two of them refuse to adopt the new, less structured way of life that most the boys on the island experience. Both of them are very firm in their belief of organization and civilization, and they are the only ones not to succumb to Jack's savage ways. Ralph tries to play his leadership role the same way an adult would, but he struggles to maintain order. He constantly urges the boys to keep the fire burning, and he always hopes to be rescued. When Jack lets the fire go out, Ralph becomes irate and says to jack, "You let the fire out." (p.63) Ralph makes sure that shelters are built and maintained, people deposit their wastes correctly, and that the coconuts are always full with water. Ralph, the appointed leader, enforces civilization but struggles to maintain it. The antagonist in the novel is Jack, a tall, thin, red-headed boy. He appears in the novel as the leader of the boys' choir. During the first blowing of the conch and the first assembly, Jack loses the election for chief. He and Ralph, the protagonist, initially are amiable, and their relationship and attitudes remain almost the same. They both agree on the need of fire, shelters, and meat. Jack voluntarily takes charge of the hunting. Initially, he is not very successful, but with the help of his hunters, they are able to kill pigs. At first Jack and his hunters do what they are asked, but as time goes on, they start to participate in different activities and neglect those needed for the sake of the boys' salvation. They start painting their faces when hunting and become obsessed with killing. At this point the conflict between Ralph and Jack climaxes, and the structure of life on the island breaks down. Jack and his hunters form a tribe of savage boys on the far side of the island. Most of the boys follow Jack because they relish the idea of meat and fun but despise the idea of doing work with Ralph. Over a period of time, all the boys become a member of Jack's tribe expect Piggy and Ralph. Jack becomes chief of his hunters, and they respect him like a god. He and his tribe kill Simon because they mistake him for the beast, and they kill Piggy by hitting him with a boulder. With no respect for human lives, Jack and his tribe hunt Ralph. While running after Ralph, an army officer confronts them, and they are rescued. Jack, the leader of the savage hunters, is the antagonist to Ralph and civilization. One of the many themes in the novel is that man is savage at heart, and he always ultimately reverts back to an evil and primitive nature. Contrary to the belief that man is innocent and society evil, the novels shows that laws, rules, policemen, and schools are necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in line. Golding depicts the reality of this theme when the confusion in the novel finally leads to a manhunt for Ralph. The reader realizes that despite the strong sense of British character and civility that has been instilled in the youth throughout their lives, the boys backpedal and show the underlying savage side existent in all humans. If a group of well-conditioned school boys can ultimately wind up committing various extreme travesties, one can imagine what adults, leaders of society, are capable of doing under the pressures of trying to maintain world relations. When Golding wrote the novel, he said he was "striving to move behind the conventional matter of the contemporary novel to a view of what man, or pre-man, is like when the facade of civilized behavior falls away." In a questionnaire Golding stated, "The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical of respectable." The main conflict in the novel is an internal struggle between man and his basic or inner nature. Realizing there are no adults, laws, rules, or authorities, the boys in the novel reside to their inner nature. This struggle that occurs within each boy creates a plethora of distinct conflicts. One contention derived from this conflict is an internal conflict between man and his imagination. The barbarous nature of the hunters put a pig's head on a stake as an offering to the beast. In Simon's internal, imaginary conflict, this head talks to him. This hallucination leads to his death. Man verses man, an external conflict, is another conflict derived from the contention between man and his basic nature. Because Jack and his tribe convert to their basic nature, it creates a conflict between the savage, Jack and his hunters, and the ones trying to keep order, Ralph and Piggy. This conflict becomes very intense and even results in death. This struggle brings about the stealing of the Piggy's glasses, the death of Piggy, and the manhunt for R f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Lord of the Flies 4.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The venturesome novel, Lord of the Flies, is an enchanting, audacious account that depicts the defects of society as the incorrigible nature of individuals when they are immature and without an overlooking authority. The author of the novel, William Golding, was born in Britain, which accounts for the English, cultured characters in the novel. After studying science at Oxford University for two years, he changed his emphasis as a major to English literature. When World War II broke out in 1939, Golding served in the Royal Navy for five years. The atrocities he witnessed changed his view about mankind's essential nature. He came to believe that there was a very dark and evil side to man, which accounts for the savage nature of the children in the novel. He said, "The war was unlike any other fought in Europe. It taught us not fighting, politics, or the follies of nationalism, but about the given nature of man." After the war he returned to teaching and wrote his first novel, Lord of the Flies, which was finally accepted for publication in 1954. In 1983, the novel received the Noble Prize and the statement, "[His] books are very entertaining and exciting. . . . They have aroused an unusually great interest in professional literary critics (who find) deep strata of ambiguity and complication in Golding's work. . . ." (Noble Prize committee) Some conceived the novel as bombastic and didactic. Kenneth Rexroth stated in the Atlantic, "Golding's novels are rigged.. . . The boys never come alive as real boys. . . ." Other critics see him as the greatest English writer of our time. In the Critical Quarterly in 1960, C.B. Cox deemed Lord of the Flies as "probably the most important novel to be published. . . in the 1950's." The setting of the novel takes place on an island in the Pacific Ocean. The author never actually locates the island in the real world or states the exact time period. The author does state that the plane carrying the children had been shot down in a nuclear war, so the time period must be after the making and the use of nuclear weapons. Even though the location of the island is not definite, the author vividly describes the setting. Golding tells us that the island is tropical and shaped like a boat. At the low end are the jungle and the orchards, which rise up to the treeless and rocky mountain ridge. The beach, called the scar, is near the warm water lagoon. On the scar, where the boys hold their meetings, is a "natural platform of fallen trees." Far away is the fruit orchards which supply the boys with food. Inland from the lagoon is the jungle with pig trails and hanging vines. The island has a mountain that Ralph, Simon, and Jack climb, and from which they are able to see the terrain. Finally, there is the castle at the other end of the island, which rises a hundred feet above the sea and becomes Jack's headquarters. Golding gives us a very strong sense of place, and the setting shapes the story's direction. At the outset the boys view the island as a paradise because it is lush and abundant with food. As the fear of the beast grows, however, it becomes a hell in which fire and fear prevail. Even though Golding does not clearly state the setting, a mental picture of the island is depicted throughout the novel. The plot of the story begins when a group of British students' plane is shot down, and they crash on a tropical island. Ralph and Piggy are the first characters introduced, and they find a white conch shell. Ralph blows on the conch, and the other boys appear. Among them are Jack, Sam, Eric, Simon, and many other boys who are never given names. The group elects Ralph as their leader. When the conch calls again, they talk about a small boy's fear of a snakelike beast in the woods. Is there really such a beast? The boys can not agree. Ralph convinces everyone that they need a fire for a signal in case a ship passes the island, but the boys find it hard work keeping the fire going. Jack decides he no longer wants to be part of Ralph's group because he would rather hunt than worry about keeping the fire burning. He leaves with everyone except Ralph, Piggy, Sam, Eric, and Simon. In spite of their growing terror of the imagined beast, Jack leads his hunters into the jungle for the slaying of pigs. They place a pig's head on a stake, much like a primitive offering to the unknown beast. Then Simon wanders into the woods alone, has a seizure, and talks to the pig's head. In Simon's hallucination the head becomes the "Lord of the Flies". Then Simon, terrified and sickened, starts back to where the other boys are to tell them that the beast is a dead man who parachuted onto the island. When Simon appears, the boys kill him, mistaking him for the beast. The next night Jack and two hunters attack Ralph and Piggy and steal Piggy's glasses. Piggy and Ralph go to Jack to get back Piggy's glasses. Then t f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\lord of the flies essay 1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Our Second Day Stranded On This Island August 5th 1939 It is the beginning of our second day on the island. Yes it is an island, jack and I climbed a fairly large rock and we saw ourselves surrounded by water. No parents in site. We are beginning to sweat and realize how hot it is out. I best figured that we must start building a fire on top of the mountain, so if any ships went by we could signal to them we needed help. Every one of us went to the top of the mountain and looked around for what we could use. Right below us on the opposite side there was a layer of forest. Jack called together his choir group and they were the first ones to go down and start gathering wood. Even the little ones carried small sticks up the path. Everyone was working to build the pile of wood except for Piggy. Piggy has started to get on my nerves. He does nothing but complain and is too lazy help out. Everyone was having trouble getting the wood up the mountain. It seemed that every piece we grabbed would break up into a million pieces because it was so rotten. The two twin boys, Sam and Eric, were the first ones to get a log that would work for the fire. Many of the little ones lost interest in pushing these logs up the hill, so they ran off and tried to look for more fruit trees on the island. Finally the pile was complete. I looked at Jack and we both thought at the same time, how are we going to get it lit. We called to everyone else and asked if they had any matches. Boys started blurting out ways to get the fire started, "Rub two sticks together," a boy shouted. Then Piggy casually slumped out of the forest. Asked him for some matches, but he didn't have any. Then Jack came up with a brilliant idea. "His specs!" He shouted. Before Piggy could answer we all surrounded him and grabbed his glasses off his head. I sort of felt bad for him in a way. Jack handed me the glasses and I pushed Piggy out of the way of the sun. I moved the glasses back and fourth until finally a flame appeared, it spread thru the pile of wood in seconds. "More wood!" I screamed at them. The fire had almost devoured everything. We discovered that putting green leaves on the fire made it smoke a lot more. We decided to save all the green leaves until we saw a ship pass by. I held a meeting and appointed everyone a job. Jack and his choir were going to be the hunters while the rest of us made a shelter. Piggy started rambling on about how no one listens to him. Then he looked up on the mountain, the fire was growing bigger and bigger. We had put half the island up in flames. Sincerely, Ralph f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Lord of the Flies.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Lord of the Flies The world had witnessed the atrocities of World War II and began to examine the defects of their social ethics. Man's purity and innocence was gone. Man's ability to remain civilized was faltering. This change of attitude was extremely evident in the literature of the age. Writers, who through the use of clever symbolism, mocked the tragedy of man's fate. One such writer was William Golding. An author who has seen the destruction of war and despises its inevitable return. Through the use of innocent and untainted children, Golding illustrates how man is doomed by his own instinct. The novel is called Lord of the Flies, and is of extreme importance to help reconstruct the current wave of revolutionary ideas that swept the twentieth-century generation. Lord of the Flies portrays the belief of the age that man is in a constant struggle between darkness and light, the defects of human nature, and a philosophical pessimism that seals the fate of man. Golding's work are, due to their rigid structure and style, are interpreted in many different ways. Its unique style is different from the contemporary thought and therefor open for criticism. The struggle between darkness and light is a major theme in all the works of William Golding. Strong examples of this are found throughout Lord of the Flies. The most obvious is the struggle between Ralph and Jack. The characters themselves have been heavily influenced by the war. Ralph is the representative of Democracy. Elected as the leader he and Piggy his companion keep order and maintain a civilized government. The strength of Ralph's character was supported by the power of World War II. Jack, on the other hand, represents authoritarianism. He rules as a dictator and is the exact opposite of Ralph. Jack is exemplifying the Hitler's and Mussolini's of the world. He is what the world fears and yet follows. This struggle is born at the very beginning and escalates till the very end. The struggle in the book is a negative outlook on life in the future. One other example is the debate over the existence of the beast. The idea of a beast brings all into a state of chaotic excitement in which Ralph and Piggy lose control. Ralph and especially Piggy try to convince everyone that there is no such thing as a beast to maintain order. Jack and his choir of hunters do all to win support of the hunt and in doing so he becomes an advocate for evil. This struggle between good and evil is a fairly clear picture of the way this post-war generation viewed man and his journey through life. This is done through Golding's masterful use of allegory. Therefor making it enjoyable for all readers. Golding himself stated that the purpose of the novel was to trace the defects of society back "to the many defects of human society." The use of children is an extremely effective way of making the purpose understandable to readers of all generations. "The idea of placing boys alone on an island, and letting them work out archetypal patterns of human society, is a brilliant technical device, with a simple coherence which is easily understood by a modern audience." (Cox 163) This quote by C.B. Cox gives us the reason why this novel has survived so long and is so well respected. The children are left to react in ways that will test how close they will resemble modern civilization. The group at first tries to assemble a type of demcratic government in which Ralph is elected leader. At this instant we see something that is most important. That is the reluctance of Jack to become the leader. He and his choir singers, which are dressed in black to symbolize evil, are immediately separated from the group and labeled as hunters. This gives Jack some piece of power and like the dictators of the 1930's he insists he receive more. The hunter party is Golding's triumph in giving the first glimpse of human savagery through the hunter party. As the hunter party grows in numbers the hunters have a great thirst for blood and death. This is how the beast is first seen. They become more savage and soon begin to paint their faces to show how fierce they are. The whole time Ralph and Piggy the only rational thinkers have become the greatest enemy of the party. They begin to make chants and dances and do all to destroy any order. When Piggy is killed we see the end of rational thinking and the complete collapse of mankind's strength to remain civilized at all costs. Man has become savage and has shown a terrifying glimpse into the future of Democracy. The defect of man is revered to as the beast. The thing the boys were all running away from was what they became and it was lead by the representation of Satan himself, the red haired Jack. At certain stages in the story Golding deliberately makes us forget that these are only young children. Their drama and conflict typify the inevitable overthrow of all attempts to impose a permanent civilization on the instincts of man. Golding along with many of the writers of the time gave pessimistic endings not only to their books but to life in general. They showed society in a sort of downward decent which could not be stopped because it is in our nature. The savagery of man is used through the use of the hunters. The pessimism is viewed through the ending. The ending has been interpreted in many ways but most contain the same ideas. The idea that there is no hope or mankind. The story takes place in the near future during an atomic war. The children were being transported away from Britain. The world had already started to become savage and as many people in the generation said " If world war three is atomic bombs than world war four is sticks and clubs." Obviously the idea of human nature and savagery were in fact very prominent. Golding uses an excellent idea for the end of this story. The naval officer comes to rescue the children from their war with Ralph and are suprised to find how savage the "English" boys were acting. At this point we see Ralph begin to cry not for being saved but for mankind. " The naval officer, who comes to rescue them...His trim cruiser, the sub-machine gun, his white drill, epaulettes, revolver and row of gilt buttons, are only more sophisticated substitutes for the war-paint and sticks of Jack and his followers. He too is chasing men in order to kill, and the dirty children mock the absurd civilized attempt to hide the power of evil. And so when Ralph weeps for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the death of his true wise friend, Piggy, he weeps for all the human race." (Cox 164) Such a tragic view of the future of mankind and their nature is a perfect window for people to understand how the impact of the war made the world rethink its ethics and how life was thought of as a punishment in the extreme sense and that there was no hope for the future except fear. This view has since changed but not greatly as one would imagine. The basic ideas are still their and modern society may still relate to this novel. The interpretation may not be exact but from now on mankind will always weep for " the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and" the most disturbing" for all the human race." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Love Essay final.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Annie O'Donnell English Period 3 January 2004 Love; more than just a word "With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls; for stony limits cannot hold love can do, that dares love attempt, therefore thy kinsmen are not stop me." (page 796, lines 66-69) When people hear the title Romeo and Juliet they often think of a famous couple who are the centerpiece of a tragic love story. But was the relationship between these two "star crossed lovers" true love or just infatuation? What is the real meaning of love? Webster's Dictionary defines the word love as a strong passionate feeling one person has for another, but can the dictionary always be such a reliable source? Afterall the dictionary has never felt or experienced love before. To me love is so much more than just a simple four letter word. Most people would say everyone has their own unique definition of love. My definition of love encompasses many things. I believe that love can be whatever you want it to be. Love can be an expression, a feeling, or an attachment towards something or someone. I think love is loyalty, and honesty. It can be forgiveness. I believe love is sincere and it can open up your heart in a different way. I think love is fondness and care. It can be a way of life, something to live for. I think it is joyful, it pulls you up when you are down, puts a smile to your face when you are sad. I believe love is personal and individual, a hobby or an interest. I think love is life. Not only are there several meanings of love, but also many different types. Not all love pertains to the typical boyfriend, girlfriend, and marriage love. I know at age 14, that I have love in my life, but not love as if I am ready to get married tomorrow. There are so many different types of love, like love from a child to their parent, love towards a sibling. There is love to cousins, aunts, uncles, and love to friends. I think love for your family is based upon continuous love you have for them. Even though you may not always get along with each family member, you will always love them no matter what. I believe that love towards friends is when you enjoy being around them and that there is some characteristic of theirs that is appealing to you. The nurse and Juliet had a very strong loving relationship throughout the play, one that is said to be stronger than Juliet had with her own parents. Since the nurse had been raising Juliet from the time when she was very little, she knew Juliet inside and out. "'Tis since the earthquake now eleven years; and she saws weaned (I shall never forget it) of all the days of the year, upon that day, For I had laid wormwood to my dug" (pg 748, lines 23-26). It seemed that Juliet and the Nurse were more than just friends; instead it seemed that they were like family. Maybe Juliet had a stronger relationship with the Nurse than she did with Romeo because the love shared between Juliet and Romeo was much different. Is infatuation and love the same thing? In my opinion, I feel that these two words are very different. I believe that love is much more serious and deep, while infatuation is merely a crush or an obsession for someone. Sadly these two feelings can be easily misunderstood and mistaken for one another because both are so intense. In the society it seems that some people may think that they are in love when, but in reality they are just in a first time crush. Although, sometimes infatuation can develop into love, on the other hand, it can sometimes do the complete opposite, where it can make you realize that the relationship is not based upon love at all. Sometimes in seems that two people aren't even in a relationship for love or infatuation; instead the relationship is based upon looks and a physical attraction. Love at first sight is also a different type of love. Many people think love at first sight is very rare, something that usually only happens in the movies, books or on television, but not in real life. Based on your opinion and experience about love, you can argue whether or not the relationship shared between Romeo and Juliet was just infatuation, genuine love, or maybe love at first sight. Because love at first sight is so rare and only happens at unusual times, I feel that Romeo and Juliet's relationship was only infatuation. I think that they rushed into their relationship too fast and that it was just an intense form of infatuation. I believe that true love often takes time to grow and develop into deep love. Because the story ends at Romeo and Juliet's deaths, we will never really distinguish whether their relationship and love would have grown or not. "Marry my child, early next Thursday morn, the fallant, young, and noble, gentleman, the county Paris at Saint Peter's Church, shall happily make thee there a joyful bride." (page 812, lines 113-116). In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, it was very clear that the Capulets decision for Juliet's marriage to Prince Paris may have been one of the reasons of why Romeo and Juliet rushed into their marriage, but this same problem can often happen in real life as well. In life, it appears that sometimes there are certain insecurities that a people have, that drive them to get married even if the love connection isn't there yet. In some cases young women who have hopes to someday have and raise a family as a result will rush into a marriage, simply because they want to settle down and raise kids earlier in life. Also seeing as our society is dominated by mainly couples, many people might feel pressured that they need to be with someone just to be like everyone else. Despite what I have written on my opinion towards love, the true understanding of love is between two people and cannot really be judged by others. Looking from the outside in, it can be easy to pass judgments and opinions about love, but in reality it is hard for any person to judge the level of love between two others. Love is a very personal and subjective feeling. I believe that no two people can define love the same way. Romeo and Juliet are just characters in a play whose lives and love can reflect real life tragedies. We may never know for sure whether their love was genuine or merely an intense infatuation, but it is interesting to speculate on them as if they were real. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\LOVE ESSAY.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Annie O'Donnell English Period 3 Romeo and Juliet Essay: Were Romeo and Juliet really in love? "With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls; for stony limits cannot hold love can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop me." (pg 796 lines 66-69) When people hear the title "Romeo and Juliet" they often think of a famous couple who are the centerpiece of a tragic love story. The story line is very well known yet basic; boy meets girl, they fall in love but then all their troubles begin because their families don't get along. From the moment they meet, the central question becomes can this couple live happily ever after and will their love overcome all the problems that surround them. Is it true love or just an intense infatuation for both of them? Webster's dictionary describes love as a strong usually passionate feeling one person has for another. But to me, love is so much more than just a simple four letter word defined in a dictionary. Most people would say everyone has their own definition of love. My definition of love is so many different things. I think that love can be whatever you want it to be. It is an expression. It is a feeling. It is attachment towards something. It is devotion. Love is loyalty. It is truth, and honesty. It is forgiveness. Love is fondness and care. It is a way of life, something to live for. Pulls you up, when you are down. It puts a smile to your face. It is personal and individual. Love is life. It can be a hobby or an interest. These different aspects of love seem to be so simple and in such a positive manner, but how can love sometimes create such a negative atmosphere with chaos and distraught? When Romeo and Juliet took their lives for one another, it didn't necessarily create the "picture perfect" situation in Verona. In the minds of Romeo and Juliet they might define love based upon an attraction. Define it as a struggle. Define it as a solution or an escape from their problems. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Love Has Nothing To Do With It.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ What's Love Got to Do With It In Pride and Predjuice life is not all fun and games. There are many pressures in life: mothers with high expectations for a good marriage and a girl's own expectation of what life and hopefully marriage will be like. Charlotte Lucas is the oldest daughter in a large family, she is not the most beautiful girl, and she is twenty-seven, well beyond the marrying age. Charlotte is Elizabeth Bennett's best friend and Mr. Collins, the man Charlotte finally marries, is Elizabeth's cousin. Charlotte Lucas will marry to solidify her life, not because she loves, for many people are unkind about her ability to marry well; thus after her marriage to Mr. Collins, she spends all of her time avoiding him. Charlotte knows that even though she wants to marry more than anything in the world, she does not expect love to come about; thus, she decides that it is probably even better if you don't know a thing at all about the person you are marrying. While Charlotte is speaking to Elizabeth about her sister, she expressed her opinion as to Jane Bennet's relationship towards a gentleman. She says it is probably better not to study a person because you would probably know as much after twelve months as if she married him the next day. Charlotte even goes as far as to say that "it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life" (p.21). Charlotte considered Mr. Collins "neither sensible nor agreeable" but since marriage had always been her goal in life, "at the age of twenty-seven, with having never been handsome, she felt all the good luck of it" (p.107). Charlotte is speaking to Elizabeth on her marriage to Mr. Collins, "I am not romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins' character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state" (p.110). Charlotte is optimistic in entering her marriage even though Elizabeth is not. The people associated with Charlotte, even her dear friends, have little expectation for Charlotte's marrying well. While Mrs. Benett is speaking to Mr. Bingley the subject of Charlotte Lucas comes up and Mrs. Bennet can not help but to comment about Charlotte's beauty, "...but you must own she is very plain. Lady Lucas has often said so..." (p.39). Even good-natured Jane, Elizabeth's sister, has something to say about Charlotte's marriage to Mr. Collins. Jane argues that Mr. Collins is respectable and that Charlotte is from a large family and is not exceptionally wealthy. She also states that Charlotte, "may feel something like regard and esteem for our cousin" (p.117). Elizabeth taking the opposite point of view on the issue says, "Mr. Collins is a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man;" then continued to list reasons as to why, "the woman who marries him [Mr. Collins] cannot have a proper way of thinking" (p. 117). Charlotte, having gone into her marriage with Mr. Collins with her eyes open, puts most of her energy into avoiding her husband. Charlotte finding herself now having to deal with her husband makes her quarters in the lesser part of their house, leaving the more attractive part to her husband so he will spend more time there (p. 144). Also, Charlotte and Mr. Collins take walks every morning, which Charlotte walked considerably fast in order to leave Mr. Collins to every view, "with a minuteness which left beauty entirely behind" (p.134). Elizabeth, while visiting Charlotte, observed another way in which Carlotte tolerated her husband, her observation was, "Her home and her housekeeping, her parish and her poultry, and all their dependent concerns, have not yet lost their charms" (p.183). Charlotte neither being pretty nor wealthy has compensated for her husband's annoying traits in many ways. In a time when most girl's goals were to get married, Charlotte achieved her goals. Even though she may not love, not even like her husband, she is happy because she will not be a spinster. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Loveandwaressay2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mark A Cox Huma 1301-003 Downey 3-5-03 Essay II: All is Fair and Love and War, or is it? Since the beginning of time, there have been two things that have been a part of civilization, love and war. Sure the way each is conducted has changed dramatically through the years but each still hold an enormous part of our hearts and minds in their wake. If one looks back in history and even to today, love and war are two aspects of life that go together. The Battle of Troy was fought over the love of a woman. In World War II, America went to war because of the love for country and for those lost at Pearl Harbor. All is, in fact, fair in love and war. Several reasons support this theory, including the way war is waged, how love is won, and how each is intertwined together. Love is a gentle and caring part of our lives, but it can be a very disheartening part of our existence as well. There were many rules for love, the way is was to be conducted, and how a lover's heart was to be won. Some of these rules are defined in The Art of Courtly Love. This book defines how class in society can be a determinant in how one wins the heart of another. For example, it lays out how one from a certain class level should approach and go about winning the heart of someone of a lower or higher class in society. For example, it is easier for a man of noble stature to win the heart of a woman of the middle class because of his stature and respectability. While it is quite a feat for a man of the middle class to approach and obtain the love of a woman of higher stature, because of the fact that the woman is of higher rank in the society in the world and it would be more of a disgrace for her to drop down into the lower ranks of society to find a lover. Yes, true, there were rules for how to obtain that love, but, in fact, they were more guidelines to follow by, instead of strictly enforced rules. By any means a man could win the love of a woman, but the most common way was through words. All of this seemed to be out of the reach of Dante when he wrote La Vita Nuova. The rules seemed to not apply to him for he never approached the woman he was madly in love with, Beatrice. He only wrote poems and sonnets of her that reflected on how true his love was to her beautiful form and features. He proclaimed his love for Beatrice at nine years old, a rather young age by today's standards, but still he was madly in love with her from that day forth. His own mind even toyed with him while he was very ill. He had a dream about Beatrice dying and it seemed so real that he woke up with tears in his eyes and it left him in grief even though it was only a dream. That truly proclaims the power of what love can do to a person. One part of Dante's story was when Beatrice smiled at Dante and it absolutely drove him crazy, he feel even deeper in love with her and at this point is when he started writing sonnets and poems in her name. All of this because of a smile. All of these points prove that there is no fairness in love, it controls one's heart, emotions, and, sometimes, even well-being. According to The Art of Courtly Love, it can control how one would go about living their life in the pursuit of love. A person would go out of their own way in order to please a lover, sometimes guilt from betraying a lover can drive a person in deep depression, and even death because of love is not a far reaching idea. Going into love one must know that the boundaries in how love is conducted are endless. Love is fair because all lovers never know what will happen between them and their lover, so each must expected the unexpected. Some of these same arguments can be made about war. War does, in fact, have rules that are simply to be used as guidelines, but there are many instances throughout history that show how these guidelines don't have to be followed. For example, innocent people are not supposed to die in war, but in the attack on Hiroshima by the United States thousands of innocent victims were killed, in order to shorten the war and cause less casualties. Was that bombing fair? Probably not, but no one will ever know how many lives those bombs saved because what happen was something that had to be done in the eyes of United States politicians. The fact that is was something that many looked upon as something that had to be done makes this a fair gesture. Two books give us great examples of how fair war can be. The Book of Joshua in The Holy Bible gives us a perfect example of how war has no boundaries, therefore, making everything fair. During the course of this book the Lord gives Joshua rules of how to fight war in order to gain The Promised Land for the Israelites. He orders Joshua to kill all inhabitants "...with the edge of the sword" (Joshua 6:21; KJV) of every city that he conquers, including woman and children, and to burn each city. This was done all because Joshua said that the Lord had ordered it. Today these same rules would be considered unfair but during this time period it was perfectly natural to follow the commands of a higher being. These seemingly heinous acts give a perfect example why war has no boundaries and anything in war is truly fair. Sun Tzu's The Art of War is another book that proves that war is fair in all of its activities. Sure one could focus on the fact that the whole book is about the guidelines by which one should follow in order to achieve victory in a battle, but the book does comment on deception. It states that "All warfare is based on deception."(Art of War; 66). If all warfare is based on deception then cheating and lying could be determined as deception and would be considered fair in battle. If deception is fair as well as killing innocent victims is fair then there is not much more one can say to prove that war and how it is conducted is fair. There is one more aspect that can be used to prove that all is fair in love and war. It is that love and war go together. Truly if you think about it love and war go hand in hand, in fact, most of the time you don't have one without the other. For example, if one refers to all of the different religious wars that have taken place throughout history, The Crusades, the battle for The Promised Land, etc., these battles were all fought because of the followers love for their God. This can even be brought in today's world where Islamic groups have attacked many different innocent victims claiming that it is a jihad, or holy war. If one would keep track of the things that this holy warriors have done then they could realize that there is no end to what happens in these attacks and wars, which are conducted on behalf of the love these Islamists have for there god. This may not be the same type of love that is common place but it is in fact referred to in Symposium and Phaedrus as agape love. It is the love one holds for that higher being in their life. Another type of love that can be used to compare love and war is phillio/a, or brotherly love, which is also spoken of in Symposium and Phaedrus. People would not join the respective armies of their countries if they did not feel a sense of love for their country and the people in it. If there were no soldiers then there would in fact be no war in the world. These are definitely two ways that love and war are intertwined together. If each is intertwined and all in love is fair then, by these guidelines, all in war must also be fair and vice versa. As one can read there are several different reasons why all is fair in love and war. The reasons range from loving and the way it is conducted to war and the deception that is used to achieve victory in war. Since love and war are intertwined because several different causes, what is true for one might possibly be true for the other. Love and war are two of the hardest to explain aspects of life and that may be why all that is done in love and war is truly fair. Bibliography and Works Cited "Book of Joshua"; Holy Bible; King James Version;Nashville,Tn.; Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1972. Tzu, Sun; The Art of War; Trans. Samuel B. Griffin. New York: Oxford University Press, 1963. Plato; Symposium and Phaedrus; New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Alighieri, Dante ;La Vita Nuova; Trans. Dante Gabriel Rossetti; New York: Dover Publications, 2001. Capellanus, Andreas; The Art of Courtly Love; Trans. John Jay Parry; New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1941. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\LylJC.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ You think you know a person. You think you know them, right up until the day they come out and tell you about all their deep, dark secrets and this whole other life they've been leading that you never even knew about. At least, that was the case with my good friend, Lyle Lawrence Kingly. My name, for the information of the curious, is Niles Jameson. I knew Lyle Kingly for a good many years and was actually an associate of his for a short time. We eventually went our separate ways, I pursuing my career of choice, he pursuing his. I still think he was just a little too young to go into the private investigation business, but we called it 'creative differences' and left it at that. We stayed friends, however, and tried to remain in touch. So I was surprised, rather pleasantly, the day I received an overseas long-distance call from Africa. It was Lyle, calling to see how I'd been, what I was doing, that sort of thing. Then suddenly his voice took on a more serious tone. "Niles, you have to come here. I may need your help." "What is it, Lyle? What's wrong?" "I can't tell you over the phone." He whispered. "It's too important. You have to be here." "In Africa?" I said in disbelief. "Yes, here. It's that important." "But Lyle--" "I'm an animal over here!" He hissed into the phone. "I can't tell you any more. I don't dare. Please, Niles, don't tell anyone what happens when you get here, or anything about this phone call. It means my life, Niles, and it could mean my death." I caught the nearest plane out to Africa. I was worried about my friend. If I had to go to Africa to hear it, I knew it had to be important. I stopped at his unreasonably small office in the city, but he wasn't there. This meant, unfortunately, that I had to drive fifty miles out of the city to his house. I was relieved when I saw his face answer the door. We sat down and talked for a while, he fixed me a light snack, let me rest off some of the effects of jetlag. We talked for a good long time before I finally asked him. "Lyle, why did you make me come all the way out here?" "You have family secrets, don't you, Niles?" I did. "Secrets that you wouldn't tell anyone but those you trusted?" Yes. "Well, I've got one of those secrets, a dangerous one." "What is it?" I said to him quietly. And then he told me. "Niles, you've heard the stories, the ones they always tell at Halloween -- about people who change into animals?" "Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with you, Lyle." "Niles, I-- I find that the direct approach works best." "WHAT! Lyle, what are you talking about?" "I -- I'm a lycanthrope." "You're a what?" "A lycanthrope." "A -- A--" "A lycanthrope." I was beginning to fear for not only my friend's life, but for his sanity. "A-- A lycanthrope. You're a lycanthrope." "Yes." "Like a werewolf." "No -- not a werewolf. But a shape-shifter nonetheless." I decided to play along, whatever his game was. "OK then. Well, what are you?" "You know, I could tell you, but then you probably wouldn't believe me. I'm sure you already think something about me, that I'm crazy or something, right? Am I right, Niles?" I shifted uncomfortably. "Look, Lyle, the last I knew, people do not change into animals." "Niles, please don't make me do this the hard way." "Uh -- What's the hard way?" "The hard way is that I prove it to you." I usually try to be as open-minded as possible to all things, so I said to him, "All right, then." "You want me to prove it to you?" As he made this daring challenge, his eyes started to take on a wild look in them. "Prove it to me." He sighed, with an exasperated expression on his face. "I hate it when people won't take me seriously." And he did prove it to me. He changed into a beast, right in front of my eyes. I stood there, in shock, and before I could do anything else, I heard it... A low growl. The animal crouched into a springing position and, with a snarl, leapt upon me. I was on the floor, paralyzed with shock and fright, as he stood over me. I could feel the beast's weight pressing on me as two huge forepaws stood on my shoulders, paws which had the dexterity of human hands. He brought his face right down to mine, and as I stared up into round, animal eyes, he spoke. He said to me, in a ragged, snarling voice, "Now do you believe me?" I could not answer him. I quivered on the floor, and said; "W-- What are you?" "The same thing I always was." He responded in that ragged voice. "Your friend." He got up off of me and, just as suddenly as he had transformed, changed back into a human form. It was Lyle, standing there as though nothing had happened. I slowly got up and faced him. "How did this happen?" "It didn't just happen, Niles." He responded sarcastically. "I've always been this way. All my life. The only person it's new to is you." He sat back down at the table where we had been talking just a short while ago. Nervously, I joined him. "What kind of creature are you, Lyle?" He smiled ruefully. "I was wondering when you'd ask." He said. "I'm not even a typical lycanthrope. I'm a crossbreed, between two species. For years, I didn't even know what to call myself." "Call yourself what?" I asked in slight astonishment. "Oh, that's simple, Niles. I'm a Caline." "A Caline." I said, and I paused. "Um, Lyle... What's a Caline?" "It's the name I finally came up with, to call myself." He said. "It stands for half- canine, half-feline. You put them both together, you wind up with 'caline'. Which, unfortunately, I am." "A Caline," I said. "Half-dog, half-cat -- Lyle, what are you talking about? That's impossible!" He shot me a look. "Well, you're talking to the world's only one, as far as I know of, Niles." "Well, what-- When did all this happen?" "Like I said, I've been this way all my life. It has to do with my -- well, questionable parentage." "Your parents? What does this have to do with your parents?" "Everything. My father was a werewolf from the States, and my mother was a were-lion from over here." "A were-li--" "Yes, Niles, a were-lion. It would take a while to explain. Just accept what I'm telling you for the moment. Anyway, dad came over here on a vacation some years ago. I don't know all the specifics, but sometime during then he met my mother, and somehow they fell in love with each other. Dad eventually moved to Africa so they could be together. They married on human terms, and after several months together, Mom finally told him they needed to have 'a little talk'. To this day, neither one of them knows who was more surprised." I just sat quietly, trying to absorb it all. He continued. "I grew up knowing about my parents, expecting the change... But I never knew how I would turn out, what I would be. Not even Mom or Dad knew what to expect, since no one knew what would happen if such two different species bred before. But when I finally did start to change, I was still loved and understood. I also grew up listening to a lot of arguments. Not real fights, you know, but one constant argument: Mom wanted to stay at home, but Dad couldn't stand the hot climate. A few times he did actually move back, but they just couldn't stand to stay apart. The last I knew, Dad was still living here together with Mom, but I can't be sure. I haven't called in a while." "Is there anything else?" I asked, astonished. "Oh, yes. I'm not a werewolf, not a were-lion, but a werebeast nonetheless. I'm a Caline. So my worst troubles occurred when I tried to find the two species I was a hybrid from. You have no idea how hard it was for a crossbreed like me. The first group of werewolves I came across wanted nothing to do with me. That particular pack wasn't a perfect example of the whole species, though, and I do have a couple of friends on that side. Were-lions, however, are a much rarer breed, and I had to ask my mother how I could find a pride. The were-lions were much more accepting of me, I suppose because I take more after my mother. But anyone I met from that side always seemed unnerved by me. I suppose they just couldn't get around those inherent canine characteristics." "Anywhere I went, whatever species I tried to associate with, I was rejected," Lyle continued. "I was tolerated, refused, harassed, and ignored, but never accepted. One time I almost lost an ear in a fight with a were-tiger who said he 'didn't like my attitude'. I just suppose no one could accept the idea of me being a Caline." "What happened?" I asked, too absorbed in the discussion. "Hmmm?" "With you -- and the were-tiger?" "Oh, I got away without incident." "Oh," I said. "I suppose the idea of such two different species being successfully bred together didn't come off too well." "Exactly." Lyle added. "You're not going to believe this, Niles, but the most accepting group of my situation has been you humans." "Really?" I was astounded. Then I thought of something. "Um, Lyle, how many people have you told all this to?" "Only my closest friends, Niles, the people I know I can trust." "Ah." Well, I was glad to know I was in that circle of people. "My looks are no help, either." "Your looks--" "You saw me." "Well, I didn't see very much of you while you were in my face." "Oh." And he changed again, so I could get a better look at him. He was basically lionlike in appearance, but with a distinctly canine accent to his features. His fur was a strange, off-white shade, a color that gave way to a stark white underbelly. His sable-black, glossy mane framed his face and flowed down his neck, hiding all but the tips of his two pointed ears. His hands and feet were now four huge, padded paws. He turned and looked at me with round eyes that were neither canine nor feline, but beyond description. They were almost aglow, with a look of wildness in them that was as frightening as it was fascinating. But I could see what would have astounded a human and caused a werebeast to judge him, what was probably the greatest problem with his appearance; The same sable shag that comprised his mane also covered his tail. But I didn't really concentrate on his features as much as I did on him. For right then, I just stood there with my mouth open, staring at him in awe. "Lyle--" He shot me a glance out of his round, animal eyes. "Lyle, you're beautiful." He spoke. "You just tell that to all the other species." I could understand the words, but his voice sounded like paper that had gone through a shredder. And I couldn't help noticing the four, deadly-sharp fangs that flashed in his mouth as he talked. "What's it like... Being a Caline, I mean?" He answered again, in that ragged voice. "Believe it or not, Niles, it's actually got a few good points. I couldn't list too many of them offhand, though. Um... Ah, yes!" His eyes lit up. "Well, for example, I seem to have a greater sensory acuity than most other werebeasts. I tend to notice things that either of my parent species would ordinarily miss." "It's the strangest thing, being able both to howl and to roar." He sighed, glanced at me, and continued talking. "However, I do have trouble unsheathing and retracting my claws." From each forepaw came five razorlike claws that could rip a man to shreds in seconds. Was Lyle trying to make me nervous? "Every time I get them into one position, I have such difficulty getting them into the other," he said, withdrawing the deathly blades. I had been looking at the structure of his paws for quite some time, and soon I noticed something. "What about your thumb -- dewclaw -- whatever?" "I was just getting to that," Lyle said, delighted that I had asked. "It's just another one of nature's ways of dealing with the human-animal connection." Lyle held out a paw for me to see. One of the joints in his hand -- paw -- moved, and a fifth digit equivalent to a thumb seemed to me to appear out of nowhere. It was furry, and padded, and equipped at the end with a retractable talon, just as all the others, but now it was in a roughly human position. Lyle, standing on three legs, reached up and, seizing one of the thin-stemmed glasses from the dinner table, held it with his five clawed appendages as accurately as if his padded paw had been a human hand. He then began to twirl it around more deftly than most humans could have. Needless to say, I was very impressed. He set the delicate glass back on the table and turned the paw toward me again. The dewclaw moved back into place, conveniently out of the way. I then realized that it had not just appeared, but had been there all along. This joint, I realized, made it very convenient for werebeasts to get around. Just then, Lyle let out a chuckle that sounded more like a snarl. "I just can't believe what you said, Niles. Me-- beautiful." I looked at his smile, and I saw the huge ivory daggers in his mouth again. And I remembered the reputation werebeasts have involving humans. "Lyle?" "Yes?" "Have you ever... Killed anyone?" He looked me dead straight in the eyes. "Once." I stood there, shocked, horrified. Lyle should have been the one surprised by the question, astounded that I could even ask such a thing. I had expected him to say something like, 'Niles, of course not!', or 'What are you talking about?', or 'You know I would never do such a thing'. I expected him to say anything, anything but what he had said. He's killed someone before, I thought. He could kill me... With white and shaking hand I reached out to steady myself on the back of a chair. Lyle pulled the chair out, and helped me sit down. I looked up at him and said, "Lyle -- how could you? Of all the people, you're not the type..." Of course, by then I realized I was talking to someone who had just been telling me about a whole other side to his life that I knew nothing about. I had no idea what type he really was. Lyle put his hand on my shoulder. "Niles, I'm sorry. I forgot you'd have taken it this hard. I should have explained to you first. You see, in my profession, I have a tendency to accumulate quite a few enemies. The very nature of the business -- sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, as it were -- can get some people really mad at you really quick. Private investigation has painted a bull's eye on me, Niles, and there are plenty of people who want to take shots. This one man, the man I killed, had plenty of reason to hate me. I was directly responsible for getting about 20 of his friends sent to prison for illegal-arms trading. I nearly got him, too, and if it weren't for a legal technicality, a well-placed loophole, he'd still be alive today -- and rotting in prison where he belonged. He took out a hit on me; he put a $20,000 price tag on my head. That didn't work out too well. After all, how would you know that this strange-looking animal is the same person you're getting paid a sweet amount of money to put a bullet through? I just had to stay a beast until they gave up looking for me. When that happened, the guy took his $20 grand back and went out looking for me himself. He found me passing through an old abandoned warehouse in the city. He had me cornered in there, I couldn't get out. He was holding a gun on me, Niles, and he was about to shoot. I didn't have any other choice. He didn't even know what got him. One quick bite to the jugular and it was all over. He didn't suffer. I'm not that kind of person." Suddenly, I was beginning to see Lyle in a whole new light. He had killed in self- defense; he was no murderer. "Nobody ever found his body either. I was too upset at the time to notice, but actually, he tasted pretty good." "WHAT! You ate the guy? You ate the guy?" "Well, Niles, I don't often follow the family history, but eating your enemies is a time-honored werebeast tradition." Lyle spoke. "Really, Niles, I'm not all that sure you understand." "I understand what you told me. But I still can't believe you actually ate that guy." I shuddered at the thought. "Believe whatever you want, it's still the truth." He responded. "At least I'm not like some other werebeasts which I could all too easily name. Besides, you act as if you still don't understand me. You're sitting there, fidgeting, looking at me like any second I'm about to jump up and eat you. You're treating me like I'm some kind of wild animal." "Aren't you?" "Oh. Well -- yes." Without knowing it, I had caught Lyle off-guard and thrown him and emotional curve. But I continued nevertheless. "You're making it very hard for me not to act that way. After all, you have the qualities of some of the world's most vicious -- and successful -- predators, you have better senses than I could even hope to imagine, you killed a man--" "Would you kill, to save your own life?" "Well, I--" "The question is no different when applied to a human. It's just because I'm a werebeast that it has a little different twist." "You do have a point, but Lyle--" "I'm one of the good guys, Niles. Think about it. 'Private Investigator'. Why would I devote myself so much to helping humans?" "Because humans were the only ones who accepted you?" Lyle beamed. "Now you're catching on!" He said. "You were right. Humans were the only ones who accepted me for what I was, as you are learning to do, Niles. The human world was the only one where I was treated without bias or disdain. But still, let me tell you about one of my cases, just to make sure you understand." "One of your cases..." "Yes! You wouldn't believe how much help it is to be what I am, particularly when it comes to my cases. I get some pretty weird ones. In fact, some I wouldn't even be able to solve if I were just a human. I could tell you..." "Well then, by all means, go ahead." "Really? Well, okay, let me think of one... One morning, I was at my desk when this woman walks into my office. She was dressed all in red, just like she had come straight out of some old detective movie from the 40s. Really weird, really spooky stuff, to say the least. She said she had come to me because she was worried about her husband. He worked for an oil company, and she thought that might have something to do with what was going on with him. Her husband had been doing strange things, working with suspicious people she didn't know, barely even coming back home. Nobody else could find him. So she turned to me. There must be good money in oil. She looked rich. I remember she was wearing a white fox on her shoulders. She must have forgotten it, because she left it there and didn't come back for it. If there's one thing I share with other werebeasts, it's an absolute hatred for cruelty to and mistreatment of animals. So, after I'd torn the awful thing to shreds and disposed of it, I started working on her case." So saying, he began his story. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\macbeth essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jessica Haber English 9: Mr. O'Toole Appearance Vs. Reality "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (1.1.12) is the infamous line that begins Shakespeare's Macbeth. This line highlights the relationship between one's appearance and the reality of their nature. In this play the connection between appearance and reality is paradoxical; what appears in one a way in reality may not be that way. Throughout the play Shakespeare uses paradoxes to show the connection between appearance and reality. He writes, "God's benison go with you and with those/ That would make good of bad and friends of foes." (2.4.55-56). His paradoxical words convey there is no relationship between one's appearance and their reality; it is as if reality and appearance are complete opposites. Shakespeare uses character's deception to prove his theory on appearance and reality. In the first act of the play it is discovered that the Thane of Cawdor has been a traitor to Scotland. Duncan is deceived by the Thane's false appearance: No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest. Go, pronounce his present Death, and with his formal title greet Macbeth. (1.3.73-74) Once again Duncan makes the mistake of judging by appearance and gives the title to Macbeth. Now Macbeth the next Thane of Cawdor's appearance will deceive him, which was Macbeth's intention. Lady Macbeth instructs him: "Look like th' innocent flower/but be the serpent under't." (1.6.76-77). By using the serpent there is a biblical reference to the deceiving serpent that tricked Eve to eat the apple causing original sin. The serpent did not appear to Eve as being harmful just as Macbeth did not appear to Duncan as harmful, but just as the serpent did Macbeth had a destructive nature that was concealed by his false face and dishonest words. Duncan continues: "There's no art/To find the mind's construction in the face." (1.6.76-77) There was no way that Duncan could have seen through Macbeth's honorable appearance to his vaulting ambition that would kill anyone for the crown. His appearance deceived his destructive nature. Shakespeare also uses language of borrowed clothes to convey Macbeth's unfitness for his title. As the nobles learn of Macbeth's nature they realize that his title was based on his appearance and not on his reality. To be king one had to be honorable, trustworthy, and good natured which was what Macbeth's appearance conveyed, but his nature was the exact opposite: ruthless and immoral. The noble Angus replies, "Now does he feel his title/Hang loose upon him, like a giant's robe/Upon a dwarfish thief." His title was too great for the absence of greatness that he had. His appearance was deserving of his title, but his reality lacked all the greatness that his appearance carried. Macbeth's had a title, an honor, and a life all riding on his appearance. When his reality was discovered he lost all that he had. His appearance deceived all for sometime, but in the end his reality came out. Macbeth's appearance was paradoixical to his reality. He seemed fair, but in reality was foul natured. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Macbeth.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MACBETH Macbeth is presented as a mature man of definitely established character, successful in certain fields of activity and enjoying an enviable reputation. We must not conclude, there, that all his volitions and actions are predictable; Macbeth's character, like any other man's at a given moment, is what is being made out of potentialities plus environment, and no one, not even Macbeth himself, can know all his inordinate self- love whose actions are discovered to be-and no doubt have been for a long time- determined mainly by an inordinate desire for some temporal or mutable good. Macbeth is actuated in his conduct mainly by an inordinate desire for worldly honors; his delight lies primarily in buying golden opinions from all sorts of people. But we must not, therefore, deny him an entirely human complexity of motives. For example, his fighting in Duncan's service is magnificent and courageous, and his evident joy in it is traceable in art to the natural pleasure which accompanies the explosive expenditure of prodigious physical energy and the euphoria which follows. He also rejoices no doubt in the success which crowns his efforts in battle - and so on. He may even conceived of the proper motive which should energize back of his great deed: The service and the loyalty I owe, In doing it, pays itself. But while he destroys the king's enemies, such motives work but dimly at best and are obscured in his consciousness by more vigorous urges. In the main, as we have said, his nature violently demands rewards: he fights valiantly in order that he may be reported in such terms a "valour's minion" and "Bellona's bridegroom"' he values success because it brings spectacular fame and new titles and royal favor heaped upon him in public. Now so long as these mutable goods are at all commensurate with his inordinate desires - and such is the case, up until he covets the kingship - Macbeth remains an honorable gentleman. He is not a criminal; he has no criminal tendencies. But once permit his self- love to demand a satisfaction which cannot be honorably attained, and he is likely to grasp any dishonorable means to that end which may be safely employed. In other words, Macbeth has much of natural good in him unimpaired; environment has conspired with his nature to make him upright in all his dealings with those about him. But moral goodness in him is undeveloped and indeed still rudimentary, for his voluntary acts are scarcely brought into harmony with ultimate end. As he returns from victorious battle, puffed up with self-love which demands ever-increasing recognition of his greatness, the demonic forces of evil-symbolized by the Weird Sisters-suggest to his inordinate imagination the splendid prospect of attaining now the greatest mutable good he has ever desired. These demons in the guise of witches cannot read his inmost thoughts, but from observation of facial expression and other bodily manifestations they surmise with comparative accuracy what passions drive him and what dark desires await their fostering. Realizing that he wishes the kingdom, they prophesy that he shall be king. They cannot thus compel his will to evil; but they do arouse his passions and stir up a vehement and inordinate apprehension of the imagination, which so perverts the judgment of reason that it leads his will toward choosing means to the desired temporal good. Indeed his imagination and passions are so vivid under this evil impulse from without that "nothing is but what is not"; and his reason is so impeded that he judges, "These solicitings cannot be evil, cannot be good." Still, he is provided with so much natural good that he is able to control the apprehensions of his inordinate imagination and decides to take no step involving crime. His autonomous decision not to commit murder, however, is not in any sense based upon moral grounds. No doubt he normally shrinks from the unnaturalness of regicide; but he so far ignores ultimate ends that, if he could perform the deed and escape its consequences here upon this bank and shoal of time, he'ld jump the life to come. Without denying him still a complexity of motives - as kinsman and subject he may possibly experience some slight shade of unmixed loyalty to the King under his roof-we may even say that the consequences which he fears are not at all inward and spiritual, It is to be doubted whether he has ever so far considered the possible effects of crime and evil upon the human soul-his later discovery of horrible ravages produced by evil in his own spirit constitutes part of the tragedy. Hi is mainly concerned, as we might expect, with consequences involving the loss of mutable goods which he already possesses and values highly. After the murder of Duncan, the natural good in him compels the acknowledgment that, in committing the unnatural act, he has filed his mind and has given his eternal jewel, the soul, into the possession of those demonic forces which are the enemy of mankind. He recognizes that the acts of conscience which torture him are really expressions of that outraged natural law, which inevitably reduced him as individual to the essentially human. This is the inescapable bond that keeps him pale, and this is the law of his own natural from whose exactions of devastating penalties he seeks release: Come, seeling night... And with thy bloody and invisible hand Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond Which keeps me pale. He conceives that quick escape from the accusations of conscience may possibly be effected by utter extirpation of the precepts of natural law deposited in his nature. And he imagines that the execution of more bloody deeds will serve his purpose. Accordingly, then, in the interest of personal safety and in order to destroy the essential humanity in himself, he instigates the murder of Banquo. But he gains no satisfying peace because his conscience still obliges him to recognize the negative quality of evil and the barren results of wicked action. The individual who once prized mutable goods in the form of respect and admiration from those about him, now discovers that even such evanescent satisfactions are denied him: And that which should accompany old age, As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have; but, in their stead, Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath, Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not. But the man is conscious of a profound abstraction of something far more precious that temporal goods. His being has shrunk to such little measure that he has lost his former sensitiveness to good and evil; he has supped so full with horrors and the disposition of evil is so fixed in him that nothing can start him. His conscience is numbed so that he escapes the domination of fears, and such a consummation may indeed be called a sort of peace. But it is not entirely what expected or desires. Back of his tragic volitions is the ineradicable urge toward that supreme contentment which accompanies and rewards fully actuated being; the peace which he attains is psychologically a callousness to pain and spiritually a partial insensibility to the evidences of diminished being. His peace is the doubtful calm of utter negativity, where nothing matters. This spectacle of spiritual deterioration carried to the point of imminent dissolution arouses in us, however, a curious feeling of exaltation. For even after the external and internal forces of evil have done their worst, Macbeth remains essentially human and his conscience continues to witness the diminution of his being. That is to say, there is still left necessarily some natural good in him; sin cannot completely deprive him of his rational nature, which is the root of his inescapable inclination to virtue. We do not need Hecate to tell us that he is but a wayward son, spiteful and wrathful, who, as other do, loves for his own ends. This is apparent throughout the drama; he never sins because, like the Weird Sisters, he loves evil for its own sake; and whatever he does is inevitably in pursuance of some apparent good, even though that apparent good is only temporal of nothing more that escape from a present evil. At the end, in spite of shattered nerves and extreme distraction of mind, the individual passes out still adhering admirably to his code of personal courage, and the man's conscience still clearly admonishes that he has done evil. Moreover, he never quite loses completely the liberty of free choice, which is the supreme bonum naturae of mankind.But since a wholly free act is one in accordance with reason, in proportion as his reason is more and more blinded by inordinate apprehension of the imagination and passions of the sensitive appetite, his volitions become less and less free. And this accounts for our feeling, toward the end of the drama, that his actions are almost entirely determined and that some fatality is compelling him to his doom. This compulsion is in no sense from without-though theologians may at will interpret it so-as if some god, like Zeus in Greek tragedy, were dealing out punishment for the breaking of divine law. It is generated rather from within, and it is not merely a psychological phenomenon. Precepts of the natural law-imprints of the eternal law- deposited in his nature have been violated, irrational acts have established habits tending to further irrationality, and one of the penalties exacted is dire impairment of the liberty of free choice. Thus the Fate which broods over Macbeth may be identified with that disposition inherent in created things, in this case the fundamental motive principle of human action, by which providence knits all things in their proper order. Macbeth cannot escape entirely from his proper order; he must inevitably remain essentially human. The substance of Macbeth's personality is that out of which tragic heroes are fashioned; it is endowed by the dramatist with an astonishing abundance and variety of potentialities. And it is upon the development of these potentialities that the artist lavishes the full energies of his creative powers. Under the influence of swiftly altering environment which continually furnishes or elicts new experiences and under the impact of passions constantly shifting and mounting in intensity, the dramatic individual grows, expands, developes to the point where, at the end of the drama, he looms upon the mind as a titanic personality infinitely richer that at the beginning. This dramatic personality in its manifold stages of actuation in as artistic creation. In essence Macbeth, like all other men, is inevitably bound to his humanity; the reason of order, as we have seen, determines his inescapable relationship to the natural and eternal law, compels inclination toward his proper act and end but provides him with a will capable of free choice, and obliges his discernment of good and evil. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\MacbethAristotelian Trajedy.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kim Blair Per.5 Interpretive Test Macbeth-Aristotelian Tragedy? The definition of tragedy in an excerpt from Aristotle's "Poetics" is the re-creation, complete within itself, of an important moral action. The relevance of Aristotle's Poetics to Shakespeare's play Macbeth defines the making of a dramatic tragedy and presents the general principles of the construction of this genre. Aristotle's attention throughout most of his Poetics is directed towards the requirements and expectations of the plot. Plot, 'the soul of tragedy', Aristotle says, must, be an imitation of a noble and complete action. In Macbeth, Shakespear provides a complete action, that is it has what Aristotle identifies as a beginning, a middle, and an end. These divisible sections must, and do in the case of Macbeth, meet the criterion of their respective placement. In an excerpt from Aristotle's "Poetics" it states: "The separate parts into which tragedy is divided are: Prologue, Episode, Exodus, Choric songs, this last being divided into Parodos and Stasimon. The prologos is that entire part of a tragedy which precedes the Parodos of the Chorus. The Episode is that entire part of a tragedy which is between complete choric songs. The Exodos is that entire part of a tragedy which has no choric song after it. Of the Choric part the Parodos is the first undivided utterance of the Chorus." Shakespeare follows this precise arrangement of parts to tell his story of Macbeth. Macbeth is divided into five acts. It contains a Prologue, Episode, Exodus, Parodos and Stasimon, but is the only one of Shakespeares plays that does not include Choric songs. This does not dismiss Macbeth as a tragedy in the Aristotelian sense, because it still follows Aristotle's fundamental component of a plot. That the arrangement of actions and episodes arrange themselves into a 'causally connected', seamless whole. The ideal arrangement of action into a plot is: Exposition, Inciting Action, Rising Action, Turning Point(Climax), Falling Action, and Denouement. Macbeth follows each of these steps while introducing a new question every moment that keeps our interest. That is called dramatic tension, a very important part of a tragedy: to keep the audiences attention at all times. To make Macbeth's plot a complete action, according to Aristotle, the story must contain an activating circumstance, a disclosure, and a reversal of action. The activating circumstance in Macbeth is the three witches. Macbeth and Banqou meet three witches that posses supernatural powers and predict the two men's futures. It is part of the wicked sisters' role in the play to act as the forces of fate. These hags lead Macbeth on to destroy himself. Their predictions are temptations of Macbeth's. They never tell Macbeth he has to do anything, and nothing the witches did forced him to commit the murderous acts he did. But their prophecies stimulated his desire for kingship and intensified his ambition which is the characteristic that led to his downfall. The disclosure is the point in the play in which the audience finds out something they did not know before, that enables them to put the pieces of the tragedy together. It's the point of realization. In Act V scene 1, Lady Macbeth is found sleep walking muttering the lines of reassurance she gave her husband after they murder of Duncan and Banqou, "What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to accompt?"(lines 40-42) and "I tell you yet again, Banqou's buried" (lines 66-67). The plot of the tragedy unfolded for the audience in that scene and it becomes apparent that it was Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's own evil actions that destroyed themselves. The last guideline of an Aristotelian complete action is the reversal of action. This occurs when Macduff kills Macbeth. Throughout the play Macbeth, driven by his corrupt ambition, went after what he desired most. Even subjecting himself to evil sins, but it is at the very end where his own ambition kills him. Macbeth's life ends in the same way he took the other lives, through murder and deception. Stated above, Aristotle says, the plot of a Tragedy must be an imitation of a noble and complete action. Macbeth follows Aristotle's expectations of a complete action. Shakespeare's Macbeth also contains a noble and moral action that creates the foundation of the plot. Whether Shakespeare provides a nobel action, however, is an issue of the culture of his time. Macbeth was written during the Elizabethan age where ambition was highly regarded. Ambition was and is a pious and admirable quality, one of nobility. So essentially the imitation of action, the plot, of Macbeth is one of a nobel and complete action. In accordance with Aristotle's expectations of a Tragedy, containing a nobel and complete action, irony is one of the most important elements when imitating an action. In Shakespeare's Macbeth there are many ironic statements regarding the action of murder due to Macbeth's hamartia (tragic flaw), which is his ambition. Macbeth's hamartia (ambition) encouraged by Lady Macbeth resulted in her death and when Macbeth hears of her death his words are inspired by grief and despair and full of irony. He calls life a pathetic, strutting actor briefly on a stage, and then says: "It is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/ Signifying nothing" Act V, scene v, lines 26-28. Macbeth's speech says that life is meaningless, but the play as a whole says just the opposite. Macbeth's utter despair at that moment is a result of his evil deeds. The very fact that he and Lady Macbeth are punished for their wickedness is proof of a higher good which gives meaning to life. In Macbeth the action of murder and ambition are often referred to in an ironic manner (shown above) but what draws this play so close to Aristotle's definition of a tragedy is Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony. Integral to Aristotle's notion of tragedy was its stylistic component: its diction. Aristotle stated that tragedies are to be written in elevated, non- everyday language to alert the audience to the seriousness of what they are about to see. Dramatic irony is a very poignant example of this theory. Dramatic irony is present when the audience knows something the characters, or some of the characters, do not, this involves the audience and draws their attention. When Duncan and his party arrive at Macbeth's castle, they are unaware of the wicked plans that are being made. Their lighthearted, joking mood is ironic to us, because we know what they are really walking into. The scene-by-scene analysis for Act I scene vi, details the use of dramatic irony when Duncan realizes that Lord Macbeth isn't there to greet him, which is very discourteous but still treats Macbeth with great admiration, "Conduct me to mine host: we lone him highly/And shall conduct our graces toward him." Meanwhile Macbeth is plotting King Duncans murder. Dramatic irony enriches the last act of the play. Macbeth has become a monster, but he's also become a pathetic figure. His desperation is obvious. Ten thousand troops are on their way to over throw him; his own troops are deserting. And he places his confidence in the weird sisters- the hags whose suggestion that he would be king got him into this disaster! We can see that he is doomed, but he cannot. He fights on, talking about his "charmed life." His failure (or refusal) to see what is obvious to us makes the end of the play much more powerful than it would be otherwise. Aristotle further states that the noble and complete action must be an imitation of fearful and pitiable incidents. It is important to define fearful and pitiable action in Aristotle's own words before continuing to support a later point. Aristotle states; "A perfect tragedy should be arranged not on the simple but on the complex plan. It should imitate actions which excite pity and fear, this being the distinctive mark of tragic imitation. It follows that the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity, for this moves neither pity no fear; it merely shocks us. Nor that of a bad man passing from adversity to prosperity, for nothing can be more alien to me spirit of tragedy; it possesses no tragic quality, it neither satisfies the moral sense, no calls forth pity or fear. Nor should the downfall of the utter villain be exhibited. A plot of this kind would doubtless, satisfy the moral sense, but it would inspire neither pity no fear, for pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune, and fear by the misfortune of a person like ourselves. Such an event, therefore, will be neither pitiful nor terrible. There remains, then, the character between these two extremes-that of a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty. He must be one who is highly renowned and prosperous..." According to Aristotle, the expectation of a tragedy consists of the arousal of the emotions of pity and terror in the audience. He also states that "pity and fear are related to action and character." We have already detailed the correlations between the plot(action) in Macbeth and Aristotle's "Poetics", now, we must determine if the character Macbeth is a tragic hero according to Aristotle's "The Essential Nature of Tragedy". In Aristotle's "Poetics" he describes the attributes of a tragic hero. In the excerpt above it mentions "...the character between these two extremes...". Basically a good man of elevated stature: if he's evil, his fall won't be pitiable or tragic. If he's a commoner, his fall won't be grand enough. The figure of Macbeth seems to resemble this position. In the beginning of the play there is strong evidence that Macbeth is a good man. In Act I, Scene ii his courage is highly praised. The bloody soldier obviously admires his captain, and Duncan is moved when he is told of Macbeth's exploits. Shown in such diction as "brave Macbeth" and "noble Macbeth". One of the essential natures of a tragic hero according to Aristotle's definition of tragedy is the Reversal of Fortune. The hero must undergo a change of fortune from prosperity (emotional and/or material) to adversity. This reversal is also known as a tragic fall. Aristotle continues, this reversal must come about not by chance or as deserved retribution for evil deeds, but from some hamartia, variously translated as 'error in judgment' or 'tragic flaw': that is, some aspect of the hero's character that in itself is praiseworthy--but in excess, destructive. Macbeth gains sympathy from the audience due to his demeanor in the beginning of the play. He relates to the listeners from his reaction to the witc f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\MACHIAVELLIS VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MACHIAVELLI'S VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE In The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli presents a view of governing a state that is drastically different from that of humanists of his time. Machiavelli believes the ruling Prince should be the sole authority determining every aspect of the state and put in effect a policy which would serve his best interests. These interests were gaining, maintaining, and expanding his political power.1 His understanding of human nature was a complete contradiction of what humanists believed and taught. Machiavelli strongly promoted a secular society and felt morality was not necessary but in fact stood in the way of an effectively governed principality.2 Though in come cases Machiavelli's suggestions seem harsh and immoral one must remember that these views were derived out of concern Italy's unstable political condition.3 Though humanists of Machiavelli's time believed that an individual had much to offer to the well being of the state, Machiavelli was quick to mock human nature. Humanists believed that "An individual only 'grows to maturity- both intellectually and morally- through participation' in the life of the state."4 Machiavelli generally distrusted citizens, stating that "...in time of adversity, when the state is in need of it's citizens there are few to be found."5 Machiavelli further goes on to question the loyalty of the citizens and advises the Prince that "...because men a wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need keep your word to them."6 However, Machiavelli did not feel that a Prince should mistreat the citizens. This suggestion once again to serve the Prince's best interests. If a prince can not be both feared and loved, Machiavelli suggests, it would be better for him to be feared bey the citizens within his own principality. He makes the generalization that men are, "...ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit; while you treat them well they are yours."7 He characterizes men as being self centered and not willing to act in the best interest of the state,"[and when the prince] is in danger they turn against [him]."8 Machiavelli reinforces the prince's need to be feared by stating: Men worry less about doing an injury to one who makes himself loved than to one who makes himself feared. The bond of love is one which men, wretched creatures they are, break when it is to their advantage to do so; but fear is strengthened by a dread of punishment which is always effective.9 In order to win honor, Machaivelli suggests that a prince must be readily willing to deceive the citizens. One way is to "...show his esteem for talent actively encouraging the able and honouring those who excel in their professions...so that they can go peaceably about their business."10 By encouraging citizens to excel at their professions he would also be encouraging them to "...increase the prosperity of the their state."11 These measures, though carried out in deception, would bring the prince honor and trust amongst the citizens, especially those who were in the best positions to oppose him. Machiavelli postulates that a prince must also deceive those who attempt to flatter him. [In] choosing wise men for his government and allowing those the freedom to speak the truth to him, and then only concerning matters on which he asks their opinion, and nothing else. But he should also question them toughly and listen to what they say; then he should make up his own mind.12 Since each person will only advice the prince in accord to his own interests, the prince must act on his own accord. Machiavelli discourages action to taken otherwise "...since men will always do badly by [the prince] unless they are forced to be virtuous."13 Machiavelli actively promoted a secular form of politics. He laid aside the Medieval conception "of the state as a necessary creation for humankinds spiritual, material, and social well-being."14 In such a state,"[a] ruler was justified in his exercise of political power only if it contributed to the common good of the people he served, [and] the ethical side of a princes activity...ought to [be] based on Christian moral principles...."15 Machiavelli believed a secular form of government to be a more realistic type. His views were to the benefit of the prince, in helping him maintain power rather than to serve to the well being of the citizens. Machiavelli promoted his belief by stating: The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among those who are not virtuous. Therefore, if a prince wants to maintain his rule he must learn not to be so virtuous, and to make use of this or not according to need.16 Machiavelli's was that, "God does not want to do everything Himself, and take away from us our free will and our share of glory which belongs us."17 Having studied and experienced Italy's political situation, Machiavelli derived these views. He felt that his suggestions would provide a frame work for a future prince of Italy to bring about political stability. Machiavelli writes: Italy is waiting to see who can be the one to heal her wounds, put and end to the sacking of Lombardy, to extortion in the Kingdom and in Tuscany, and cleanse those sores which have been festering so long. See how Italy beseeches God to send someone to save her from those barbarous cruelties and outrages; see how eager and willing the country is to follow a banner, if someone will raise it.18 Although Italy had become the center of intellectual, artistic and cultural development, Machiavelli did not feel these qualities would help in securing Italy's political future. His opinion was that Italy required a leader who could have complete control over Italy's citizens and institutions. One way of maintaining control of was to institute a secular form of government. This would allow the prince to govern without being morally bound. Machiavelli's view of human nature was not in accord to that of humanists who felt that an individual could greatly contribute to the well being of the society. Machiavelli, however felt that people generally tended to work for their own best interests and gave little obligation to the well being of the state. Although Machiavelli doubted that this form of government could ever be established it did appear several years after he wrote The Prince. Machiavelli has become to be regarded as "the founder of modern day, secular politics."19 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Major essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." ~ Dallas Trade Mart, 1963 Last year I was selected by my peers to act as a costume/fashion captain for our annual Red and Gold theatrical production, which is put on entirely by the young women of Rosary High School. During the three-month preparation process I feel that I demonstrated initiative and leadership skills when I was placed in the position of having to choose between my popularity and the integrity of my design product. I discovered a side of myself that was much stronger than I had ever realized. The situation unfolds like this. I designed, created, budgeted, prepared and sewed thirty fairy costumes for a choral number. My products were nearly complete when I received a phone call from a superior student advisor who requested help. This student knew that my previous year's costumes had won for best overall design, that my current costumes were almost complete, and that I had a quick eye for creativity and design. Her request was to take a few pieces from some of my costumes and create watered down ensembles for the entire drama cast, which would entail about ten new versions of the same design. No, I did not laugh in her face. Instead, I asked her why my design should be compromised along with the team's entire production just to cover for her failure to complete the assignment. I discovered my own strength in that I have always tried to give one-hundred percent effort to any project assigned. Quality must come first. Also, I stood up for my own design to save it from being altered, which in turn preserved the integrity of the production. Our team did go on to win the 2002 annual Red and Gold Competition. My refusal to compromise was unpopular with some, but believing in my design and the integral part it would play in the production was worth the scorn. I was a little weak in the sense that I was too harsh with the student advisor, and should have made my "no" a little softer. However, I did spend several hours with that same student advisor, giving her guidelines, suggestions and ideas for her own costumes. Working together not only resulted in better costuming but also renewed our team spirit. There is a secret to leadership - one must be willing to work with others and their abilities, not trying to change them or wishing they were someone or something different. I learned that a leadership role is not as glorious as it sounds, but that it teaches us things about others and ourselves that may not otherwise have been learned. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\man in a bathtub.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bathtub andrea vilar Johnny woke up, shivered, put on his robe over his sweats, got back got back under the covers and went to sleep. Two hours later, the alarm by the TV woke up a still chilly Johnny Black. Johnny turned on the shower and used the plug from the kitchen sink to fill the bathtub up. He got in, turned the water up till it was a little more than warm, then lay down under the hot, pounding stream from the shower head. The water always seemed to cool off by the time it hit the tub -- maybe because of the cool air in the room. Well, soon the room would warm up as it filled with the hot water vapor pouring out of the glass shower. Johnny put his hands under his head and lay back all the way so the water filled his ears. Now he heard the shower hitting the water in the tub from underwater. Everything seemed a lot quieter now. Johnny felt tired and dizzy and glad to be motionless, resting, quiet. Everything felt perfect. The water landing was still a little warm, but the water filling the tub was the perfect temperature. Johnny couldn't think how he could be happier -- maybe if he didn't have to go to work in an hour, but right now that seemed a long way off. Johnny closed his eyes and rested peacefully, slipping in and out of a half dream of floating through warm liquid clouds. Suddenly, Johnny felt very cold. Something was wrong. He was no longer tired, but he couldn't tell why. As he opened his eyes, he became aware of the fact that the temperature around him was much cooler than it had been a moment ago -- not cold, but not the perfect, dreamy bath he had gotten used to. As soon as he started to look around, his mind absorbed exactly what was wrong. It had been hours since he had closed his eyes. The bathtub had overflowed a long time ago and the bathroom floor was flooded! The carpets were soggy, and the room had a stuffy smell to it. Somehow, Johnny felt in no hurry to do anything. It was clear that this had gone on so long that a few more minutes wouldn't hurt anything. John gazed up at the bathroom window, a skylight he had built himself years ago.There it stood, miles above his head. Johnny suspected it was about noon. He could feel how pruned his hands were, with wrinkles all over. He could hear scratching on the outside of the glass. He must not have closed the door to the bathroom all the way because now his cat was sitting on the toilet, apparently trying to get into the flooded tub. John had a vague thought about how cats weren't supposed to like water as he watched the blurry shape of the cat through the fogged up shower curtain, then he closed his eyes again. Now, it was definitely colder. Without even opening his eyes, Johnny could see that it was now dark. No light passed through his eyelids at all. He could feel the cool evening air on his face, but for some reason the bath water had gotten warmer. Johnny had been hungry in his sleep, but now that feeling was beginning to pass. He felt curious, as though there was something he needed to think about, but he couldn't focus on what. He felt exhausted, unable to move or even open his eyes. He could hear the cat actually meowing from somewhere outside the tub, probably wanting to be fed, but there was nothing he could do for her. He wondered how long the hot water would last. He wondered about the damage to the carpeting in the apartment. He wished he could see the sunshine through the skylight. He thought back to his dream about the clouds, and about how warm he had felt then, and how warm he felt now, and how unhappy he had been when he thought he had to go to work, and how relieved he was to find out that he had been able to avoid it, and how peaceful he felt right now. Then, slowly, without opening his eyes, Johnny suddenly became aware that he was floating through the clouds again. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Manager Essayintramurals.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bryan Reissman March 17, 2004 Manager Essay Being a manager requires a lot of work and dedication. There are also many other requirements that are included in being a manager. One of the major requirements is leadership. Being a leader reflects your actions and it will get people to respect you. These are qualities that I have and do the best I can to show, not just to other employees, but also to friends and family. People will listen to what you have to say and follow you because of the respect that they show you. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mark Twains Masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mark Twain and his masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ________ A Research Paper Presented to Mr. Neil of Chula Vista High School ________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for English 10 Honors/Gate ________ By: Id #: 937228 May 16, 1996 Outline I. Samuel Clemens A. Who he is B. Where he was born C. Family II. How Samuel came to be Mark Twain A. His working life B. First writings III. The Adventures of Huck Finn A. Story Plot 1. The outside of the book 2. The inside of the book B. Critics of the book. 1.Characterization IV. Samuel Clemens Downfall A. Family Life 1.Deaths B. Money Problems 1. Bankruptcy 2. Move to Europe C. His comeback D. His death V. Effects of Twain's stories A. How he affected his era B. How the era affected his writings VI. Conclusion A. My feelings B. End notes C. Bibliography Samuel Clemens was an American writer and humorist who's best work is shown by broad social satire, realism of place and language, and memorable characters. Clemens was born November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. His family moved to Hannibal, Mississippi when he was four. There he received a public school education. Samuel Clemens was a difficult child, given to mischief and mis adventure. He barely escaped drowning on nine separate occasions. His fathers death was a calamity in which Samuel was not prepared for. Albert Bigelow Paine, Clemens official biographer, offers the following glimpse of the young Clemens "The boy Sam was fairly broken down. Remorse, which always dealt with him unsparingly, laid a heavy hand on him now. Wildness, disobedience, indifference to his fathers wishes, all were remembered; a hundred things, in themselves trifling, became ghastly and heart-wringing in the knowledge that could never be undone. Seeing his grief, his mother took him by the hand and led him into where his father lay." "It's all right, Sammy," she said. "What's done is done, and it does not matter to him anymore; but here by the side of him now I want you to promise to me-" He turned, his eyes streaming with tears, and flung himself into her arms. "I will promise anything ," he sobbed, "if you won't make me go to school! Anything! His mother held him for a moment, thinking, then she said: "No, Sammy; you need not go to school anymore. Only promise to be a better boy. Promise not to break my heart." After his fathers death, Clemens got a hold of two Hannibal printers, and in 1851 began setting type and contributing articles to his brothers newspaper, The Hannibal Journal. After leaving his first job he took his printers and became a journeyman printer in Keokuk, Iowa, New York City, Philadelphia, and other cities, and then a steamboat pilot until the break out of the American Civil War which brought end to traveling on the river. After a failed attempt at silver mining in 1862 he became a reporter on the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada, and later in 1863 began signing his articles with the pseudonym "Mark Twain," a Mississippi River phrase meaning two fathoms deep. After the move to San Francisco in 1864, Twain met the writers Artmeus Ward and Bret Harte, who encouraged him on his work. In 1865 Twain rewrote a tail he heard in the California gold fields and within months the author and the story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," had become a national sensation. In later years Twain visited Europe and the Holy Lands which he wrote about in the book, "The Innocents Abroad," which was published in 1869. This book discussed those aspects of the Old World culture which impress American tourists. 1870 is the year in which he married his loving wife Olivia Langdon. After a short time in Buffalo the newlywed couple moved to Hartford, Connecticut. In the years between 1870 and 1880 much of Twains best work was written. The book Roughing It recalls his early experiences as a minor and a journalist; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a book celebrating boyhood in a town on the Mississippi River, was published in 1867; A Tramp Abroad, published in 1880, describes a walking trip through the Black Forest of Germany and the Swiss Alps. Along with four other books, Twain wrote his adventurous masterpiece, the sequel to Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which was published in 1884. This was the first of his books to deal with childhood and the Mississippi River Valley in which himself had grown-up. It took Twain seven years to write the book and it initially met mixed receptions, rejected in some places as "rough, coarse and inelegant. . . more suited to the slums then to intelligent, respectable people."But in his lifetime, Huckleberry Finn became the most remunerative of all his works, and has since been called an American classic. "This book was praised by T.S. Eliot, celebrated by Ernest Hemingway, and recommended by thousands of high-school reading teachers." Twain's best novel now holds the burden of much criticism that the work itself threatens to become lost amid the almost endless volume devoted to its explication. There is no question that Huckleberry Finn has become "one of the central documents of American culture.""A book that can delight both fourteen-year-olds and P.2 graduate professors of literature is rare indeed, and we should give it careful attention." We should not take an exaggerated reverence to this book. Twain himself, who devoted so much of his time and energy into his book, would find it ironic if we did so. The setting of this novel is in the Mississippi River Valley, "forty to fifty years ago" according to the original tittle page of 1885. This story was told by Huck. "Huck has been living with the widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson, an experience that has left him feeling "all cramped up." Accustomed to being "free and easy," he cannot abide life within this well-regulated household, where he is expected to sit up straight, do his homework, and pray to a God he cannot see." Huck is always looking for adventure. "All I wanted was to go somewheres [SIC]," he tells us, "all I wanted was a change. I warn't [SIC] particular." Huck believes that his abusive father is dead so it is a surprise to him that his father is waiting for him when he came back to the house. His father wants money which had come to Huck at the end of Tom Sawyer. He claims his son and brings him to a remote cabin in the woods. He suffers from delirium tremens and in one of there many physical fights, Hucks father comes at him with a knife. Realizing that he cannot live with his father anymore he fakes his death and takes a canoe to Jackson Island." There he meets a runaway slave named Jim and they begin a series of adventures on the Mississippi River. The whole story is based around the part where Jim is captured and then Huck meets Tom Sawyer. They free Jim and then there is no real ending to the story. It ends with a quote that Huck is saying, "To light out for the Territory. . . because Aunt Sally is going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it. I been there before." Many readers are disappointed that the novel ended this way. They wanted Jim and Huck to become some kind of heroes and they live happily ever after but, it didn't, and that is why it has raised such bad criticism. Bernard DeVoto complained that "in the whole reach of the English novel there is no more abrupt or chilling descent." More recent critics have dismissed the conclusion as a "travesty" and "a failure of nerve." As Walter Blair has explained, P.3 "The chief crimes are against characterization: Jim, whom the reader and Huck have come to love and admire, becomes a victim of meaningless torture, a cartoon. Huck, who has fought against codes of civilization, follows one of the silliest of them." On the other hand many well known critics, most notably T.S. Eliot, have tried to defend the conclusion saying that it has "a certain aptness" that lets Twain restate his primary goal in another key and beat his way back from inicipent tragedy to the comic resolution called for in the original conception of the story. But this approach emphasizes the structure of the novel, and structure is a big part, but it is also a mechanical part of the story. "Robert Miller believes that the conclusion can be defended in the very area where it seems the most vulnerable, characterization. If the final chapters of the novel seem to divest both Huck and Jim of their dignity, it is because Twain never intended them to be perceived as "a community of saints." The widespread dissatisfaction with the novel's resolution may well spring from the fact that modern readers may take Huck and Jim too seriously. If we take a look at them throughout the novel we see that they are "attractive but imperfect." Some people don't recognize the limitations of these characters so they might seem them as super heroes. But they aren't, they are just regular people. Huck is a skeptic, as shown by his disregard for Miss Watson's vision of Providence and his unwillingness to accept Tom Sawyer's lies for instance, Tom over exaggerates a normal Sunday picnic into being a crowd of Spaniards, Arabs, and elephants. Huck believes in things he can see and touch which makes him shrewder then most of the adults in the novel. He is also very superstitious as in the part of the novel when he gets upset after he accidentally kills a spider. He thinks that it will bring him bad luck. Or when he sees nothing funny in Jim's beliefs of witches. Huck is also very honest but, he does lie a lot. These lies can't really be called lies though because of there transparency. For example when he dresses up like a girl to try and get some local news. When he is confronted by Buck he can't even remember his assumed name. Jim is a very loving caring person, an example of this would be when Jim thought P.4 that Huck had drowned and became very mournful. Then Huck found his way back to the raft and found Jim asleep, so the next morning Huck said that he had never left the raft. After Jim found out about this little practical joke he said, "When I got all wore out wid work, en wid de callin' for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos' broke bekase you wuz los', en I didn' k'yer no mo' what become er me en de raf'. En when I wake up en fine you back agin', all safe en soun', de tears come en I could a got down on my knees en kiss' yo' foot I's so thankful. En all you wuz thinkin 'bout wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wis a lie. Dat truck dah is trash; en trash is what people is dat put dirt on de head er dey fren's en makes 'em ashamed."[SIC] At this point Huck realizes that Jim is a person with feelings also and he can be hurt just like anybody else. After this moment Huck never tells a lie or plays a practical joke on Jim throughout the rest of the story. Twain's work during the 1890s and the 1900s is marked by growing pessimism from the result of his business reverses and later the deaths of his wife and his two daughters. Twain also invested in a automatic printing machine but, this failed and he lost money. He then had to file for bankruptcy. Do to the fact of the money problems and the death of his family Twain moved to Europe. There he kept writing but, his writings weren't funny. He talked about the way the world stinks and how everybody is corrupt. No novels Twain wrote in this period even came close to Huck Finn but, some of the best works are Pudd'nhead Wilson. Another of his writings is the Personal Recollections of Joan Arc, a sentimental biography. Through these novels he was able to make a comeback and able to live wealthy again until his death in New York City on April 21, 1910. Twain raised his voice in protest at a time when American life was dominated by the materialism and corruption of the so called Gilded-Age following the civil war. His writings were inspired by the unconventional west. One of America's most important writers, Twain is renowned as a humorist, but his literary reputation also rests on his P.5 realistic use of dialects and the vernacular, especially of the Mississippi River Valley, realistic characters and scenes makes his stories that much better. Through Twain's novel he was able to express what he felt. The reason that he wrote some of the novels so well is because that he lived his writing. Twain lived in the deep south so therefore he used settings that contained the deep south. Many of the things in which Huck did in the story relates to what Twain did or wanted to do as a young child. Twain must have like his childhood somewhat for him to reflect back on it through his stories and to also use humor in it. He thought his life as a child was funny. I believed that Twain was a very good writer. All of his adventurous books are loved by millions of young children and adults. Twain was a great writer when he was living and even a better one when he died. I wonder if there is anything really deep about the books Twain wrote or if they were just written for the pure reason for entertainment? I believe that this book represents an on going struggle that will never be resolved. According to Roger Salomon, "Both Huck and Jim are related to the demigods of the river, to the barbarous primitivism of the Negro, and beyond that to the archetypal primitives of the Golden Age, instinctively good, uncorrupted by reason, living close to nature and more influenced by its portents then by the conventions of civilization." I believe that Salomon is looking for something that is just not there. I don't think that Twain is trying to make some real deep point about Huck and Jim. Salomon perceives these people as cave men. He is trying to tell us that this story is about the beginning of life. He is looking too hard. Mark Twain has been a famous writer for a long time and he will always be looked back on as one of the best American writers not just of his time but, through out history. If you read one of his books I wouldn't recommend reading it for some deep meaning because I do bot believe that you will find one. Just read for the fun of it. P.6 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Marlowe.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe: what did he contribute to English literature and how is his writing reflective of the style of the times? Christopher Marlowe contributed greatly to English literature. He developed a new metre which has become one of the most popular in English literary history, and he revitalised a dying form of English drama. His short life was apparently violent and the m an himself was supposedly of a volatile temperament, yet he managed to write some of the most delicate and beautiful works on record. His writing is representative of the spirit of the Elizabethan literature in his attitude towards religion, his choice of writing style and in the metre that he used. Christopher Marlowe was born in 1564 the son of a Canterbury shoemaker and was an exact contemporary of Shakespeare. He was educated at the King's School, Canterbury, and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He became a BA in 1584 and a MA in 1587. He seem s to have been of a violent nature and was often in trouble with the law. He made many trips to the continent during his short lifetime and it has been suggested that these visits were related to espionage. In 1589 he was involved in a street brawl which resulted in a man's death. An injunction was brought against him three years later by the constable of Shoreditch in relation to that death. In 1592 he was deported from the Netherlands after attempting to issue forged gold coins. On the 30th of May 1593 he was killed by Ingram Frizer in a Deptford tavern after a quarrel over the bill. He was only 29 years old. During the middle ages, culture and government were influenced greatly by the Church of Rome. The Reformation of Henry VIII (1529-39), and the break of ties with that church meant that the monarch was now supreme governor. This altered the whole balance of political and religious life, and, consequently, was the balance of literature, art and thought. The literature of Elizabethan England was based on the crown. This period of literature (1558-1625) is outstanding because of its range of interests and vi tality of language. Drama was the chief form of Elizabethan art because there was an influx of writers trying to emulate speech in their writing, and because of the suddenly expanded vocabulary writers were using (most of these new words came from foreign languages). Marlowe's plays comprise The Tragedy of Dido, Queen of Carthage (possibly with some collaboration from Nashe), Tamburlaine parts one and two, The Jew of Malta, Edward II, Dr. Faustus and The Massacre at Paris. Up to the time of Tamburlaine, written in 15 87-8, there had been a few so-called tragedies. Of these, the best known is Gorboduc, first played in 1561, and apparently popular enough to justify its printing a few years later, although the play was "a lifeless performance, with no character of enough vitality to stand out from the ruck of the rest of the pasteboards." With Tamburlaine, Marlowe swept the Elizabethan audiences off their feet. The Jew of Malta, written after Tamburlaine, begins very strongly, with the main character a commanding figure of the same calibre as Tamburlaine, and the characterisation is better rounded than Tamburlaine's. Sadly the play comes to pieces after the sec ond act, and it has been speculated that another less talented author revised the ending. Edward II is unexpected in that the main character is a neurotic weakling, instead of a dominant figure like Henry V. Even though the characterisation is clumsy, it is yet a dramatist's treatment, and one can see that Marlowe has moved towards creating a more developed character. Marlowe thus breathed new life into English tragedy, and paved the way for the greatest English dramatist, Shakespeare. It is quite possible that without Marlowe's contribution to English tragedy, Shakespeare would never have at tempted such an unpopular style and he would not be canonised as he is today. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is surely the pinnacle of Marlowe's achievement. The subject no doubt appealed to Marlowe. In no other play of his, nor in the majority of English literature, is there a scene to match the passionate and tragic inte nsity of Faustus' last hour on earth. Faustus used to be placed as the play immediately following Tamburlaine, yet a discovery by Dr. F. S. Boas led to the conclusion that the play cannot be dated before 1592. This was because the English translation of the German Faustbuch was not published until 1592, and though it is possible that Marlowe saw the manuscript before publication, the evidence suggests that Dr. Faustus was written after Edward II. This would mean that instead of making a massive jump in quality from Tamburlaine and The Jew of Malta to Dr. Faustus, and then reverting back to Edward II, Marlowe wrote Tamburlaine and The Jew and felt that he had not really set his genius and so casts back to the type of these earlier plays and far surpasses them in dramatic poetry. Faustus tells of a man who sells his soul to Satan in return for twenty-four years of knowledge and power. The protagonist, Dr. John Faustus, instead of sharing his gift with others, fritters his years away until the in last scene he realises the grave m istakes he has made. The scenes where Faustus uses his power for practical jokes are in stark contrast to those where something meaningful happens to him. There are three places in the play where Marlowe's genius can be seen illuminated by perfection of m etre and rhetoric; the scene where Faustus conjures up Mephistopheles, the scene in which he speaks to Helen of Troy and Faustus' last hour on Earth. It has been suggested by some that Marlowe only wrote these three scenes and the rest was added by someon e else. However these are probably the same people who think Marlowe and Shakespeare are the same man. Even so, these scenes were unmatched in their word play and metre until Shakespeare. This play is timeless because its subject matter is still interest ing today and because the force of Marlowe's conviction cannot help but invoke emotions in even the most soulless of critics. Possibly Marlowe's greatest gift to English literature was his metre. Marlowe was the real creator of the most famous, most versatile and noblest of English measure, the unrhymed decasyllabic (ten syllables) line called blank verse. Blank verse or iambic pentameter as it is known was first used twenty or so years before Marlowe, however it was intolerably monotonous. The metre comes from the Greek Iambic trimeter, which was a twelve-syllable line with six feet. The experimenters were perceptive enough to see that the more slowly moving English language would require five feet instead of six. The result was such lifeless pieces as this from Gorboduc: Your lasting age shall be their longer stay, For cares of kings, that rule as you have ruled, For public wealth and not for private joy, Do waste man's life, and hasten crooked age, With furrowed face and with enfeebled limbs, To draw on creeping death a swifter pace. They two yet young shall bear the parted reign With greater ease, than one, now old, alone, Can wield the whole, for whom much harder is With lessened strength the double weight to bear. This piece is unbelievably tedious, and without a sensitive ear like Marlowe's, blank verse would never have been the great measure that it is. What Marlowe did was to revise the internal structure of the single line. In some lines he substituted an iamb (- / ) for a spondee (- - ), a tribrach (/ / / ) or a dactyl (- / / ) in certain feet, which made each line more interesting and versatile. Als o, while having a few lines strictly conform to the norm, he created lines with four, three even two groups of sounds. By using these devices, Marlowe transformed blank verse from a stiff and monotonous to a varied and flexible metre, as can be seen in Fa ustus' invocation to Helen: Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships? And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?- Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.- The first line is regular, with five feet and five stresses. The second has the same number of stresses, but the grouping of the words is irregular. Whereas the third is completely irregular. It is Marlowe's greatest gift to English literature that he ma naged to develop a metre which gave the author more creative freedom than any other before or since. Marlowe's writing is reflective of the spirit of the Elizabethan age in a number of ways. His subject matter and characters in his plays often question the validity of the church. He has been criticised for being an atheist, for example he was accused of blasphemy in his portrayal of Helen in Dr. Faustus She is seen as a goddess who has the power to cleanse Faustus' soul, even though God cannot. She is more powerful than the virgin Mary, and the fact that Marlowe presents the proposition that God is inca pable of redeeming Faustus' soul farther aggravated the church. This new thinking about the church is part of the spirit of the Elizabethan age due to King Henry VIII's reformation. In many Elizabethan plays, the main character is a merchant of some sort, due to the rise in power of these middle class businessmen. This can be seen in many plays of Shakespeare, as well as Marlowe's The Rich Jew of Malta. Also the protagonists in Mar lowe's plays are often similar to Everyman, particularly Dr. Faustus, except that these characters are individuals, and not mankind in general, in that the character learns something which is important to the audience as well. The Everyman plays were writ ten shortly before Marlowe's birth, and again this re-characterisation by Marlowe is a reflection of the spirit of the times in his works. Lastly, the fact that Marlowe used iambic pentameter, as well as having drama as his writing style is representative of the Elizabethan age. Although these were contributions to English literature, Marlowe really set the trend for this age, and many cont emporaries of his used these techniques. In that sense, one of Marlowe's contributions to English literature was that he defined a lot of the aspects of Elizabethan literature. Marlowe's revolutionary use of literature is both representative of the age, a s well as a contribution to English literature. Marlowe contributed greatly to English literature. His works are excellent on their own; though he also revitalised the tragedy as well as developing blank verse, one of the most beautiful, flexible and versatile of metres. His work is representative of the spirit of the Elizabethan age in that Marlowe used drama as his chief form of writing, his subject matters were demonstrative of this age, for example the loss of belief in the church, and he wrote in iambic pentameter which became very popular before the end of this age. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\MartinHeidegger.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Martin Heidegger Note: The main work from which text was drawn is "The Question Concerning Technology" by Martin Heidegger. Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher, who developed existential phenomenology and has been widely regarded as the most original 20th-century philosopher. His works include complicated essays such as "An introduction to Metaphysics" and "The Question Concerning Technology." In his essay "The Question Concerning Technology," Heidegger attempts to create several intricate arguments regarding technology and the significance of information. One prominent theme in this essay is the idea and meaning of info rmation. Heidegger presents his thoughts by searching for the roots of the ideas behind information. He includes many references to German, Greek and Latin vocabulary to better explain his ideas. In order to fully understand the meaning and significance of informa tion, one must be educated as to the accurate definitions of some basic vocabulary regarding information. The first word that is significant to the idea of information that Heidegger explains to the reader is "episteme." Episteme in basic translation can be defined as "knowledge." "(Episteme is a term)... for knowing in the widest sense... (it) means to be entirely at home with something, to understand and be expert in it. Such knowing provides an opening up. As an opening it up it is a revealing." This leads to the next expression, "alethia." Alethia is used by Heidegger the same way it was defined by the ancient Greeks; "revealing." This same word is translated by the Romans to "veritas." Again, "veritas" in English is used to mean "truth" which can be unde rstood as "correctness and representation." It is in this change, due to translation of ideas, that Heidegger notices some inconsistencies. Information is an often misused term in Heidegger's opinion. As previously noted, the translation from one language to another can often turn true definitions of words askew, and this can cause serious problems with larger concepts of technology and an id ea of "enframing" (gestell). Gestell is a German word whose direct translation means "enframing." The idea of enframing is also quite prevalent in this essay. "We now name that challenging claim which gathers man thither to order the self-revealing as standing-reserve: "ge-stell" (enframing). We dare to use this word in a sense that has been thoroughly unfamiliar up to now. According to ordinary usage, the word Gestell (frame) means some kind of apparatus, e.g., a bookrack. Gestell is also the name for a skeleton. And the employment of the word Gestell(enframing) that is now required of us seems equally eerie, not to speak of the arbitrariness with which words of a mature language are so misused." Heidegger "Enframing means the gathering together of that setting-upon that sets man upon man, i.e., challenges him to bring forth, to reveal the real, in the mode of ordering, as standing reserve. Enframing means that way of revealing that holds sway in the essenc e of modern technology and that it is itself nothing technological." Heidegger is portraying the idea that gestell is not a tangible object but more of a concept, a way of classifying. Although it may seem possible to step away from this "gestell" it is i mpossible. Regardless of outside influences there is still the underlying revelation that occurs through gestell. In the idea of gestell lies the idea of information. Information is indebted (aion) to enframing (gestell), just as enframing is indebted (ai on) to revealing (alethia). Alethia is then indebted (aion) to knowledge (episteme). These cycles of indebtedness are recognized by Heidegger and are called the four causes. the causa materialis, the material, the matter out of which, for example, a silver chalice is made. the causa formalis, the form, the shape into which the material enters. the causa finalis, the end, for example, the sacrificial rite to which the chalice required is determined as to its form and matter the causa efficiens, which brings about the effect that is the finished, actual chalice, in this instance, the silversmith. The significance of these four causes becomes more readily apparent when the definition of indebtedness is further understood. The basic idea of indebtedness and of being responsible is often misinterpreted. Again, Heidegger introduces terminology that wi ll better describe what is meant by indebtedness and responsibility. "Poiesis" literally means "bringing-forth" and this is the definition that Heidegger intended when describing the four causes. Heidegger recognizes that the "causa finalis " is brought f orth by a combination of other causes and is incapable of "repaying" the debt that is produced. It simply exists. "Bringing-forth brings out of concealment into unconcealment. Bringing forth comes to pass only insofar as something concealed comes into unc oncealment." Poiesis is rooted in the word "alethia" (which was previously mentioned.) This ever cyclical concept about information was one of the main features of Heidegger's work in "The Question Concerning Technology." Each idea is linked to another which joins other ideas to produce a web of thoughts and ideas. The whole of any piece is not as significant as the sum of the parts. Every part, whether it be as simple as an idea on making a silver chalice or as complicated as the essence of technology, is not viewed upon alone and this idea of many parts being inseparable is noted by Marti n Heidegger. As to if he agrees that this is a good thing, the answer would be no. He thinks that in order to find the place of an object or notion, one must be completely separate from it and view it from a completely unbiased viewpoint. This would be im possible. Human falibility creates gestell (enframing) that links and associates all ideas together. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\MartyPelletier.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Marty Pelletier Channels of Identification When we see stories on the news of children murdering each other, what must we think in terms of responsibility and which influences contributed to the decisions which left four children and a teacher dead? Who is responsible? How do we as individuals make decisions? What in our culture influences our behavior and impacts our value systems? More specifically, what exactly does it mean to be influenced? I have chosen television as my focus because I feel it is the most successful media in terms of sculpting social values and, therefore, social relations. The examination of the television industry, with an emphasis on communication (through perception and subsequent identification), yields answers to these questions that are so essential to understanding core sociological themes. I will first discuss how the process of acculturation produces the human need to create a personal identity every second, and the inherent implications of the role of communication toward this goal of self-identification. I will examine why television fits this human need so perfectly, as it presents an incredibly safe place to identify without being judged in return. Television is notorious for its ability to create and alter our concept of reality, but how did it become such a powerful influence? Which human cultural need produced such a demand for a medium that can be passively consulted for clues to our personal identities? What is the nature of the interaction that people have with television? The act of watching television highlights a number of phenomena that explain the culture of television. The key players are the programs on TV and the viewers, the latter creating a need for the former. After all, television would have no place in a world with no viewers. Television is a profound clue in to the inter-workings of the larger culture, as well as to the nature of human behavior, in that it reflects our weaknesses and goals, and the extremely exploitive nature of power. ^ÓCommunication is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed^Ô. This process is enabled by the fact that communication is necessary for human survival. The very nature of humans as a social animal accounts for such a need to communicate. The media^?s ability to influence the individual and serve as a cultural resource is the result of the individual^?s incessant search for identity, which established a permanent niche for television in society. In other words, it was our need to be influenced, to have a resource of clues as to our identity, which made television an authority in values and ideas about reality. TV is important because we as humans need to identify ourselves everyday and it is an easy and safe way to reinforce what you want to see. It is a basis for interpreting and defining our environment, about which we are constantly having to learn and adjust. I will argue that inherent to human social relations is the need to identify oneself in the moment in order to know how to respond. All living organisms have a fundamental need to interpret their environment in order to survive, and to do so as efficiently as possible. This raises the issue of why humans have such a need to find identity in sources outside of the self. The answer lies in the fact that humans do not have instincts, meaning that we do not have the luxury of having access to predetermined responses to stimuli within the environment. As such, we have to scan and consult our environment (culture) to learn a system of responses that appeals to us individually. Orchestrated by the ^Óself^Ô, our perceptual data from our five senses is filtered and interpreted based on how we need to see the world. Every second we are efficiently interpreting only the necessary stimuli that must be responded to according to our self-created investments. This is the reason you have not felt your feet in your shoes until just now, there was no reason to. In a very real sense, we are controlled by our investments in that it is in our investments that we make or break our identities. Where we look then, what we listen to is almost chosen for us (and yet somehow by us) as we are driven to create an identity every moment based on the brain^?s incredible need to efficiently respond to its perceptions. We take clues from family, educators, role models, peers, and the media, among others. Television was designed in such a way that it is easy for us to consult it for quick answers about who we want to be, what appropriate behavior is, how we want our society to view us, how we want to spend our time. This is a critical aspect to TV^?s ability to impact us. It takes very little energy for us to turn on the TV, it allows us to forget about the stress in our own life, it does not require that we speak with anyone or have to defend our ideals, it is optimistic in that it convinces us that we can always be prettier, richer, better, and always more accepted by others, only with the help of their products of course. My intention in purposing this thesis of self-identification as the basis of all communication is to show where the relationship between perceiver and perceived truly lies, as this will show where responsibility rests. I will demonstrate why TV is so appealing to our impressionable nature, and why it is so potentially dangerous. I say potentially because I will simultaneously argue that it is the perceiver that ultimately must react to the message, and that although accountable for her reaction, she is not necessarily in control. This idea that humans are accountable for their perceptions while not being in control of them may seem awkward or even conflicting, yet it is evidenced in this theory of self. This theory is instrumental in illustrating the process of perceiving, and thus the formation of values, because it reflects how and why humans allow their mass media to affect them. It is in the way in which we perceive an event, a commercial, or a conversation that determines what we think about it, and therefore whether to invest energy in it. The real question is what determines how we perceive, how much influence is taken, how much is forced? Television is an authority in social values because we invest so heavily in its messages. In other words, people have assigned to television the role of educator, informant, and mentor through our reliance upon it for clues. Commercials serve to tell us what products, attitudes, and behaviors we need to be socially acceptable, and characters model the lives that we ought to lead. Through these means television sculpts our ideas of success, health, beauty, happiness, love, and morality, of which these productions avow to be an authority. However, it must be acknowledged that viewers are those that truly make TV an authority in social relations and ideals. The producers simply live up to such responsibility. The initial step in television^?s ability to influence us is its capacity to hold our attention in the first place, long enough to impact us and leave a lasting impression. Television has long been a greater source of entertainment than books or lasting conversations about life. We turn to it and dedicate more time to watching than we do to any other leisure activities. It is from these large proportions of invested time that television derives its power as a primary influence. Furthermore, the viewing of television is a ^Ósafe^Ô activity because we are not judged as we view, no one knows what reaction we have to what we see is in the privacy of our own mind; whereas with speaking we have to risk having our ideas refuted. The second step in television^?s success in influencing us is through its array of programs, messages, and realities, which ensures that everyone will find something that speaks to them and provides some sort of desirable feedback. Television is a powerful invention in that it allows channels to human identity. Satellite TV, (soon DHTV) and comprehensive cable programs present hundreds of channels with individual programming that have the power to captivate anyone, regardless of background or belief. This makes it easy to identify. Producers are able, furthermore, to determine in which ways we identify with the messages through Nielson ratings and product sales, and continually reinforce whatever values or messages that sells. This selling of attention makes billionaires of certain CEOs and immediately raises questions of responsibility, morality, and where exactly free-will lies in a society so structured in conformity. Producers of programs and advertising are well aware of the competition they have with other sources for clues as to identity. Being the quickest, easiest, and least expensive product through which values and answers are communicated is an asset that makes it so influential. This is why millions of dollars are offered per episode to a comedian living in New York City for playing the part of a comedian living in NYC. Conglomerates of businesses, thousands of jobs, all rest on product sales. Americans have become so addicted to finding our personal identity in consumerism that Jerry Seinfeld has become extremely influential to our economy. Is it too late? Are we already so conditioned to need to be influenced by the same messages that we can^?t see it? Are corporations already so invested in their own growth that to take their ^Ócustomers^Ô well being in to account would be bankruptcy? A perfect example is the Tobacco Industry. They are so incredibly invested in their worldwide distribution of nicotine that they knowingly target children, heighten nicotine levels, and then lie about its addictive nature and ability to kill if used properly. They were not born evil, I believe they have just learned to identify themselves by not looking at the consequences of their actions. This would be pretty easy with billions of dollars to spend and a true belief that one is simply offering a product for sale, as a public service almost. Smoking cigarettes is another perfect example of how the ^Óself^Ô needs to find identity. The act of inhaling cigarette smoke is incredibly dangerous to one^?s body and yet I feel that is exactly why kids do it. They know its not healthy, they smoke because it^?s not healthy. Smoking started out as a social activity but as it became a ^Ódirty habit^Ô, suddenly it was attractive to anyone who wanted to rebel or make a statement, namely teenagers. They smoke because it^?s cool and important to claim your independence as a teenager. What better way than to show that they can successfully ingest one of the most harmful substances known to man. The recent uproar and court cases over tobacco, I believe, only gives kids more reason to smoke as they see how easy it is to find identity in what others believe is bad. That is why they snuck that first cigarette in the first place. What are the implications of all individuals needing to find their own identity and a society so attached to its products? Are we growing in our consumerist need to find our^Ôselves^Ô or will this trend result in an intense rebellion when the cards are finally laid on the table and everyone sees the true relationship of a commidified culture to it^?s need to identify? To what extent does conformity promote a stable society and at what point does it limit its possibilities? What responsibility do corporations have in sending messages that could easily harm social relations, such as the beauty myth, or the problem of drinking and driving? What freedoms are granted by our Amendments and further reinforced by our government^?s subsidizations? What is my responsibility? I hope to attack these questions, based on the above assumptions, in my next paper. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\mass comunication research pescom.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pesquisa em comunicaç?o - Professor Augusto Resenha do texto 04 - A Mass Comunication Research e seus desdobramentos (31 a 35) - In SANTAELLA, Lucia. Comunicaç?o e Pesquisa. A pesquisa norte americana sobre comunicaç?o tem seu desenvolvimento em três épocas. 1900 - 1940. Tem como pesquisador chave a figura do cientista político Harold D. Lasswell que desenvolve o modelo de comunicaç?o de massa em cima da análise quantitativa das mensagens, e na percepç?o dos papéis do comunicador e do destinatário que encontram - se isolados, independente das relaç?es sociais e culturais. 1940 - 1965. Traz a consolidaç?o da ciência da comunicaç?o, de um lado sustentada nas pesquisas do psicólogo Carl Hovland, e do outro, pela pesquisa do sociólogo Lazarsfeld. 1965 - 1988. Onde a característica primordial da área estava no alargado aspecto de suas perspectivas. Dividiu-se também em três, as fontes de influência para essa pesquisa. 1) - A identificaç?o dessas pesquisas com o estudo dos meios de comunicaç?o de massa, (MCM). 2) - A preocupaç?o com o papel do MC pública na vida social e política. 3) - O desenvolvimento das praticas profissionais dentro e através das disciplinas das ciências sociais. Os primeiros estudos abordavam globalmente o mass mídia sem diferenciar as diversidades existentes entre os vários meios de comunicaç?o. Calçada na vis?o de uma sociedade que responde cegamente aos estímulos do meio, gerando um efeito direto e indiferenciado sobre indivíduos isolados, a chamada teoria Hipodérmica. A audiência seria indefesa e passiva. O segundo pilar que dava sustentaç?o a esse tipo de pesquisa era a convicç?o a cerca da instantaniedade e da inviabilidade do efeito das mass mídia sobre as massas. Mais tarde a persuas?o superou a abordagem hipodérmica, com duas facetas: a Empírica e a Funcional. A concepç?o de causa - efeito na abordagem da persuas?o é a mesma da teoria hipodérmica, porém dentro de um quadro mais complexo. A primeira parte desses estudos se orienta em relaç?o às características dos destinatários, como o interesse em obter informaç?o, a exposiç?o seletiva provocada pelas atitudes já existentes, a interpretaç?o e memorizaç?o seletivas. A segunda coordenada tem relaç?o direta com a organizaç?o e qualidade em que as mensagens persuasivas s?o desenvolvidas, com a credibilidade do comunicador, a ordem da argumentaç?o e explicitaç?o das conclus?es. A teoria dos Efeitos Limitada e o modelo two step flow, estudam a relaç?o dos indivíduos e os meios de comunicaç?o de massa. A) - A maneira diferenciada que cada público processa e interpreta a mensagem gerada pela comunicaç?o de massa. B) - A eficácia das mensagens só pode ser absorvida se analisadas em um contexto social. Os meios de comunicaç?o n?o influenciam diretamente o publico, mas o influenciam pela mediaç?o de grupo ou de lideres que retomam ou n?o as mensagens da mídia, havendo um fluxo de influência da mídia sobre os lideres e destes sobre opini?es. A comunicaç?o de massa deixou de ser vista como emissor mecanicista e imediatista de estimulo e resposta. E tornou evidente, na pesquisa a complexidade dos elementos que entram em jogo na relaç?o entre emissor, mensagem e destinatário. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\matts essay on women.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Matt O'Neal A Different View (A Woman's View) One fact that is becoming more and more apparent in society is that women are progressing in every aspect of social status but yet Paglia believes women should grow in responsibility toward their vulnerability in a rape situation. However Paglia's discussion about rape is putting all the blame upon women and not on the men who are carrying out this act. I believe that Paglia is right in her comments toward realizing reality and holding oneself accountable for their actions but her remarks toward women's blame of being raped is somewhat abrasive toward women. Her aspect of feminism claims to be the fuel that will drive women to rise or even exceed the plateau of male competence. I believe through her view of what a women should be, the female population could become stronger and more responsible. The goal of Paglia's feminism is a goal that women can and are going to reach. Women have come so far in the last century and are progressing each day. For example, on June 4, 1919 women's suffrage was approved, and now women are in congress and running for high political positions. Women's income is continually growing as we progress into a more women dominant society. More women are going to college and getting better jobs. Women are starting to excel in almost everything they do. For instance, The Professional Golf Association is known for hosting the best players in the world. Men compete all year round in different climates and on different continents. This tour has never had a female competitor. This has never happened because in the game of golf the different association, such as the LPGA, the Champions tour, and the PGA are classified differently by age, gender, and of course length of the golf course. The longest and toughest courses are held for the men. The different associations choose different courses that properly fit the player's skills and talent. For the women in the LPGA the courses are much shorter than that of the PGA due to the fact that the men can out distance the women in their shot taking. However, in 2003 Annika Sorrenstam became the first women to enter into a PGA tour event, the Bank of America Colonial. Annika received many different criticisms from reporters and some from the players in the field about her just trying to hog the media's attention but these accusations only inspired her game. The courage and persistent hours of hard work that were put forth for Annika Sorrenstam to take on this monumental challenge were attributes that Paglia describes in her idea of what a women should be. Annika undoubtedly showed the world after shooting a first round of a 1 over par 71 that she could not only compete with the best men in the world but beat a few as well. Paglia's form of female toughness is definitely something Annika and is what all women should strive to posses. Women in today's society are wearing higher skirts and dressing more provocatively. They dress this way probably expecting less attention than they receive but they must realize that the enticing outfits may draw much notice from the male community. Sexual power is one of women's best weapons. Receptionist, hostess, bartender, and waitress are only some of a few jobs in today's world that are clearly being taken over by women and the major contributing factor to this is sex appeal. Yet Feminists are blind to this aspect and just insist on criticizing men for being sex driven, testosterone based Neanderthals. They say women are miss-treated in the work place and not given fair opportunities for jobs. This statement seems comical to me due to the fact that women are getting jobs that men are not simply because the job calls for a women's physique. Women are starting to notice that sexual power can make a strong influence in the work place. I don't know how some feminists are still calling men inconsiderate for looking at women when there are simply more job openings for women based on their appearance then there are for men. Feminist sometimes overlook that women use the idea that men are sex driven to their advantage in the work place. Some may even think that if they look sexier or more provocative then their income may be more generous from the male community. She defines rape as a man feeling inferior to a woman and thus having to rape her in order to get what he wants emotionally and physically. She perceives rape as a risk factor that a woman receives from getting involved with a man. Rape is compared to the action of gambling or driving a car. Paglia describes rape to be similar to walking into a dark alley and coming out bruised and scared. I believe there are many different levels of rape. The level is assessed from how aggressive and how the act of rape is carried out. A woman may be raped forcefully or be raped while she is in a distorted state of mind. The man may have slipped a drug in her drink in which case it is called date rape. If a woman is passed out and is taken advantage of sexually then the man has raped her. In most forms of rape the male is the contributing factor that plays the major role in this law breaking sin. Paglia does not concentrate any of her emotion of the deserving blame toward the male but instead criticizes the female for not knowing the proper precaution that would have save her from the man. Even though the women must face the fact that she has been raped, she should not feel that it was her fault that it happened. Paglia's brand of feminism promotes the self aware and self controlled woman. A woman going to a party and knowing she will be drinking must acknowledge the risk of her being taken advantage of. Her type of feminism suggests that a woman should not act out of fear or terror of being raped but out of the realization that it might happen to them. Women must realize that men are usually physically stronger than them and depending on the situation; there is a likelihood that rape may happen to them. Women tend to be disgusted at this idea but it is their responsibility now, in this time of sexual liberation, it is her job to make herself physically fit, so that that she can fight off the man as best she can. She needs to be alert in her own mind to any potential danger and to give clear signals as to what her wishes are concerning men. If she does not want to be out of control of the situation, she should not get drunk and be in a private area with a man she does not know. The contemporary feminists view rape as a totally devastating psychological experience and believe that a pain-free world is achievable, but Paglia wants the women to accept the fact, but it might happen and that rape does not destroy you forever. Women have grown in today's world where they can compete and rise to defend themselves against men who oppress them. Women should not view themselves as weak and frail due from the man's psychological hold on them originating to the past. Women have become stronger and more resourceful and are stopping the sympathy for each other and using men's characteristics to help them succeed in everyday life. Paglia views the women as being at fault for letting her actions lead to rape. Although her words are harsh and abrasive, a woman who can stand up to rape and put it behind them is a woman who can accomplish great things. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\mauritz essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Patrick O'Donnell September 23, 2003 Mr. Mauritz American History Europe held indisputable interest in expansion and exploration of new land for many various reasons. Early on it was for the trade of riches, sugars, spices and silks. Also new routes to lead to these trades, but alternate routes were needed to overcome monopolies. Plus new land for expanding territory, and empire in a new kingdom meant more overall land, and more land was in essence equal to power. With advances in technology throughout this long era of exploration and settlement the quest for these things became easier as time went on. Colonization was lead by Spain and Portugal, in search of riches and trade routes primarily. It was then followed by England and French and many others who left for various reasons. It's these reasons that will be discussed. These three key developments of religion, politics and economics lead to a surge in colonization and expansion in North America and settlements altogether. The idea of coming to an untamed land, where rules and regulations are non existent motivated and inspired people of England and bordering nations to take the harsh voyage to the new land in hopes of developing a better faith. With the reforms of John Calvin, the Puritans grew tired of the incomplete reformation of the English Church. From here many migrated to North America, where they hoped to conclude such a reformation. The Puritans were motivated by what they thought the Church of England was failing at. They voiced discontent with the corrupted practices from Rome, and thought that they should all together abolish bishops. This caused the Puritans to leave, and create a pure state. This led to Pilgrims and other Puritan like groups to leave to in hopes for reformation elsewhere. This effected there willingness to leave for hopes that religion would be truer to what they hoped in England and they left with inspiration for the new world. People that were oppressed in England, losing jobs, homes, and money to taxes and other reforms from government types, were in search of a way to gain land, or homes. This search brought them to America. Much like the Pilgrims who left in quest of religious freedom from England, many people left in hopes of discovering new land. With tons of untamed land waiting for people, it was easy to come join colonies and gain land. In the colonies they exercised the new land by cultivating it much more than possible in England. They used the natural resources depending on where they settled, and depending on the land, they sent exports and made money and word came back to England, and this led to economic opportunity for the people who wanted to travel and do the work. The need for job's demanded people for work, and guaranteed them with pay. With the joint stock company, and the Virginia Company and others like that, the Europeans who came here in search of land for homes and a new start, in essence got what they needed. The new colonies flourished with the trade and exports and imports. The people in England needed imports from the colonies, and lots of them. The colonies put out many exports, and expanded their resources and economy. The economic value of land was vastly important. If a colony settled on fertile land, and was able to produce cash crops from it, the money could be rewarding for everyone who worked the land. This gave all a chance, and required no skill, except manual hard labor. This was inspiring to many and made them flock for land and a new economic opportunity. It is these three key traits that caused a migration from Europe and in particular to North America and to New England. Although there are many others, it seems that these three of religious freedom, land, and economic opportunity it possessed the most weight for causing people to come to the new land. Over a widespread time many people came over and settled down in New England and the south to start a new lifestyle. O'Donnell 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Maxim 12.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Expository Writing Essay 1.2 Maxim is a magazine that simply exits to exhibit a couple things. Rock n' roll, sports, video games, advertisements for products the subscribers cannot afford and a lot of girls. Let's be real, you don't buy Maxim for their thought provoking articles or their posh stance on fashion. You buy Maxim to look at hot chicks. The picture I chose displays a very attractive model with small shorts and a bikini top. She is sitting on top of a very expensive, yellow Porsche with a hose that's spraying water everywhere. There is a caption that reads "she tried squeezing it tighter, but it kept on spurting." Above her head there is a title that says "How to do everything better." Just like in any medium, the photographer is using a filter on this picture. He is using a short filter because the photograph centers on the model and not any of the surroundings. If the photographer were to use a long filter the photograph would have to entail a different camera angle so that the picture's emphasis was not on the model. The photographer uses this filter to emphasize the attractive nature of this model. Even more than just the emphasis on the model as a whole, the photographer is focusing the most on her breasts because they are literally in the center of the picture. The Picture only shows half of the car so it is unknown what else is behind the model. The photographer filtered it this way so that all he ready cares about is the model. Being a photographer myself, I can see the photographer used the "rule of thirds" so everything else in the picture is meaningless except the woman's breasts. The "rule of thirds" is a photographic technique that allows the photographer to divide the picture in to different sections allowing one area to stand out. Many things in Maxim are simply there to sell products, jobs, ideas and lifestyles and this photograph goes along with that mindset. In the background the model is sitting on top of a very expensive Porsche. Having an expensive car in the background furthers the exploitation of sex and luxury. The photographer is trying to make the reader feel that if they bought this car than possibly they could get an attractive woman as well. Also, the irony that the model is focused on more heavily than the car shows the true intentions of the magazine. If the same photo shoot was taken for Road and Track or Car and Driver the focus would be on the car and not the model. The picture does not say anything about the model, size, speed or performance of the car but only the hot yellow color and the Porsche tag on the front. From a social standpoint, the picture is only concerned with issues of beauty and image and this superficiality can be harmful to the masses. When you analyze in detail this photograph it can disgust you, but unfortunately these images are commonplace in American pop culture today. The emphasis on the model's breasts proves to the reader that this is what mainstream culture wants you to believe in and honor. In an actuality, the real emphasis should be on the model's character or her opinion on social issues but of course, it's America and we rely on what sells. So for now, boobs will work. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\maya lin memorial.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mirza Jahic 7-22-03 HUMI 16 Pin # 2406 Maya Lin: A strong clear voice assignment I cannot figure out what would be harder to bear and live trough, being rejected for my idea or opinion of the world that I live in today or being given a chance to actually prove and build my architect piece. Maya Lin was given a chance like this and she as a matter of fact did go trough numerous amounts of rejection, oppression, racist remarks and other cold comments that have been uttered by the oppressionists. The Vietnam Memorial was built in the Constitution Gardens in Washington, D.C., through private donations from the public, and dedicated in 1982. Even though the money was there, there was still a great task of choosing the perfect architect to build a piece that would reflect and relate to all of U.S Americans that have fallen during this horrible war. Maya Lin, an Asian-American was considered to be a horrible choice for this particular task not because of her lack of experience but because she was "Asian". She was selected because of her true feelings towards the men and women that were killed or MIA during this war. She expressed deep emotions towards them and her design or preview of the actual piece was simple yet full of words and amazement. Even though there was a lot of controversy like for example a Vietnam vet mentioned that this piece looks like a giant black scar slashed upon the United States. Every time I look at the Vietnam War memorial I get a sense of relief that sort of flows trough my body. It is amazing how a architected piece like this can have such huge influence on me and even on individuals such as the vets or other people involved directly or indirectly to the war. A piece like this is simply amazing because the simplicity of the piece is what gives it character, makes it strong and carries its message across, not the obvious signs and plaques that are supposed to signify a certain something, but that something can never be found. Simplicity is key when dealing with a great amount of people because beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The Vietnam War Memorial signifies and carries different messages for each and every one of us. For me, even though it does not have anything to do with the Vietnam war, the memorial affected me on a level far beyond anybody that did not have to go trough the things that I went trough. I look at the list of names and I ask myself, why? Why did so many innocent people have to die because they were trying to prevent a cause not worthy of even a bad man's life? It's amazing how the government can persuade people or masses to think the way that they want them to. They are able to hypnotize the men to go and risk their lives and be proud of the fact that they will inevitably lose their lives for one reason or other. Another great design by Maya Lin was the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama that remembers the people who shaped the struggle for civil rights in America. Constructed of black granite, a thin stream of water gently flows over the names inscribed in the face of the monument. After I saw the actual piece on the video tape provided by Mrs. Bresnan I thought to myself that this is simply amazing. How an artist can give herself to a certain architect piece similar to this. Maya Lin is willing to go a 100% and beyond to inform herself, to predict and to emphasize memory and the beauty that lies within it, the conquered past as I like to call it. She is constantly trying to open the gates of true perspective on the situations that individuals had to live trough with nothing in future but more suffering and pain. She greatly portrays this in every one of her architect pieces. The significance of the Vietnam War Memorial and any memorial that Maya Lin was responsible for is that it is in its simplest form. The simplicity of these memorials is what matters the most. She carried this over into her other works like for example the "Topographic Landscape", "Avalanche", "Wave field" and of course the "Vietnam War Memorial". Maya Lin is truly a hero in the eyes of every soldier alive or dead, every African American that struggled for his or her rights, every human being that ever fought for something that is righteously theirs not by any law but by the code of humanity, the code that everyone of us is meant to live life by according to their standards and not by anybodies rules, segregations or codes, but simply because everyone of us is the same within, we are all human and Maya Lin greatly portrays this in every one of her architect pieces by simply saying we are all one and by saying preserve the memory of the fallen and loved ones because the future lies in the past, not the present. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mayor of Casterbridge Chapter 2 5.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chapter 2 1/2 Henchard made his way into the town of Casterbridge, penniless, depressed, and entirely ignorant of what he might do to sustain himself. He didn't much care for himself now, knowing the deed he had done. It was out of season for hay-trussing, and he had not been able to find work at that task even when it was at the height of its demand. He was faced with finding another occupation. But what can a man who has no skills other than hay trussing do? He walked down the main street of the town, stopping at every shop and inn to offer his services. As each establishment turned him away, quoting no need for general labor, especially from a migrant like him, something altogether strange happened in Henchard. Rather than becoming more depressed, he became more determined. He resolved that he would find work in this town, simply to spite the people who had turned him away. He also felt he owed it to himself to try and pick up the pieces of his shattered life in case Susan should ever find him again, despite the slim chance of that ever happening. Though he had his faults, Henchard was strong-minded when he decided to be. At the next several doors, Henchard was very stubborn. When he would at first be refused, he would insist upon a chance to prove his worthiness by performing some task for the shopkeeper. Most simply refused, but at some places it got him in the door to speak as best he could on his own behalf. It was near the end of the street that one shopkeeper agreed to take on Henchard's services, but only after he had insisted on delivering a package for the man to a customer across town. When he returned, the shopkeeper offered to pay him for his general labor, but at a rate that was far below anything necessary to subsist upon. Henchard, though disappointed, argued the value of his ability to work with a determination he had never known before. He argued long and hard, with smart and clever thought and speech, managing to gain many concessions from the man. He failed, however, to gain much overall in the way of salary from the shopkeeper in this negotiation, for the man simply had nothing more to give. He managed to negotiate a salary that would allow him to survive, but barely. It was as Henchard moved to shake on the deal when a patron of the shop spoke up. "Wait," he said, "I can see you are worth much more than that to me. I am in need of one who can act as a salesman, and you have just proven your ability to sell yourself. Come to work for me." The man was a businessman of the highest repute in Casterbridge, and had no son to succeed him in his business. As he grew old, he had begun to look for one whom he could take under his wing, and Henchard's determination and negotiating skill that had caught his eye. So Henchard agreed, and the man taught him the ways of business, sending Henchard on the road to success. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Media Over Mind.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Expository Writing Professor Habershaw 11.24.03 Media Over Mind When communicating to the masses, there are many different opinions as to which is the best way to influence the general public. In persuading one's audience, there are multiple factors to take into consideration. Issues such as culture, education, and the media are influential in forming information for the general society. In Mary Louise Pratt's "Arts of the Contact Zone", the author describes how a cultural collision potentially creates a powerful learning process for both societies. As defined by Pratt a contact zone is: Social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other, often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power, such as colonialism, slavery, or their aftermaths as they are lived out in many parts of the world today (Pratt 607). Another interpretation as to the most important way of mass communication has been heard through the works of Paulo Freire. Freire believes that "the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits" (Freire 260). He terms this form of education as "banking". In banking, Freire assumes that students are forced to comprehend only what their teacher tells them and that all other information is wrong. He states "the teacher is the subject of the learning process, while the pupils are mere objects" (Freire 261). Freire sees the teacher as an over powering force that the students have no choice but to acknowledge. In his argument, Freire tries to have the reader acknowledge their own victimizations of banking, and conform them into an alternative mind-state over education. Through his essay, Freire contradicts his own point. While trying to tell the reader they have been banked, he is, ultimately, banking the reader to his own viewpoint. The other form of how knowledge and information is transferred and presented to the world is through heavy use of the media. In Robert Coles's essay "The Tradition: Fact and Fiction", the author makes his case by stating that, no matter what, there will always be a "filter" in the media to persuade the general audience. A filter is a way of slanting an opinion so the masses will agree with the intended understanding. Of all the forms of persuasion, I believe Coles view to be the most significant and influential in swaying the general public. No matter what form of persuasion, it is important to be mindful of how and why the author, filmmaker, newscaster, etc. is doing so. Today, in a society where news and information are so highly regarded, it is necessary to be able to grasp and comprehend only what is essential to your own view point. Being able to make useful judgments, instead of relying on the rhetoric of others can be helpful in searching for the truth. Through filtering and persuasion the truth can be hindered or ignored, and that is why it is imperative to everyone in America, a member of the free world, to accept there is a biased opinion in any form of mass communication and decipher what can and cannot be accepted as fact. In Coles's essay, the author makes the statement: The heart of the matter for someone doing documentary work is the pursuit of what James Agee called 'human actuality'?rendering and representing for others what has been witnessed, heard, overheard, or sensed. Fact is 'the quality of being actual,' hence Agee's concern with actuality (Coles, 176). The author is cognizant of how the media persuades the general public. Coles sees how it is literally impossible to be factual all the time. In media, it is not actually being factual but the closest representation of the fact. Through severe images and harsh words, the media has the power to alter and convince the public into ideas and notions that they, themselves, might not truly believe. Just like any photograph, book, magazine article or any other item of non-fiction media, there will always be a bias. Many influences make it impossible to accurately depict reality including perception and a persona. "In shaping an article or a book, the writer can add factors and variables in two directions: social and cultural and historical on the one hand, individual or idiosyncratic on the other" (Coles, 177). In one film in particular, Bowling for Columbine, director Michael Moore uses a "long" filter to make a powerful statement about gun control with a grand social standpoint. A long filter uses persuasion through a large social scope. Considering that the film is classified as a "documentary," it is actually less of a document and more of a visual essay. Throughout the film, Moore doesn't want the viewer to think about anything pro-gun; he wants the audience only to see and hear what he feels will support his point of view. Therefore, he edits his film accordingly. In many scenes, Moore uses controlling footage scored with emotional, tear-jerking music in order to trick his audience into believing how Moore, himself, truly feels about gun control. In one scene in particular, Moore uses actual footage from the Columbine massacre mixed with a sad guitar solo in the background. The information in the scene is factual, but the way of presentation creates a melodramatic mood. Moore is aware that by using thematic music and disturbing images, the general public will feel the emotions that they might not truly believe. It has been scientifically proven that moving images has a profound impact on the human brain. In conjunction with sound, a film can have quite an effect on the human's mind. Throughout history many societies have accepted this fact, and used the media as a way of brainwashing their society. In Nazi Germany, Hitler requested propaganda films like Triumph of the Will and Jud Süss to be made to show the power of the Nazi party. Many Germans under the Nazi regime were oblivious to the slighted information given by the government, and who is to say the American government isn't doing the same right now? Is there really anyway of knowing if our own society is brainwashing our thoughts as we speak? In Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, the protagonist (Alex) experiences the full effect of brainwashing by society. The main character commits a series of crimes and is thrown in jail. Upon release he is sent to a special scientific laboratory where they try to cure him of his evils. The scientists' theory is that if they forcefully subject Alex to hours of excruciating images scored to a commanding piece of music (Beethoven's 9th Symphony) than the patient will eventually be so persuaded by what he is witnessing that he will believe whatever the scientists tell him. In the film, the protagonist accounts how the experiment is progressing: "Alex: So far the first film, was a very good professional piece of cine.... The sounds were real horroshow, you could slooshie the screams and moans very realistic.... It was beautiful. It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen. Now all the time I was watching this, I was beginning to get very aware of like not feeling all that well. But I tried to forget this concentrating on the next film which jumped right away on a young devotchka who was being given the old in-out, in-out. First by one malchick, then another, then another. When it came to the sixth or seventh malchick leering and smecking and going into it, I began to feel really sick. But I could not shut my glassies and even if I tried to move my glassballs about, I still not get out of the line of fire of the picture. Dr.Brodsky: Very soon now the drug will cause the subject to experience a deathlike paralysis together with deep feelings of terror and helplessness. One of our earlier test subjects described it as being like death. A sense of stifling and drowning. And it is during this period that we have found the subject will make his most rewarding associations between his catastrophic experience and involvement with the violence he sees" (Kubrick). What Alex is experiencing is similar to how society controls the media in America; obviously not to the same extreme, but there is a connection. The information in society is guided through a couple mediums including film, radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and literature. Through film and television, the media tries to forcefully convert and subject the American public to striking images. It can be seen on the nightly news or through a film like Bowling for Columbine. The people who posses this power of mass communication are aware of their ability to brainwash the public and do so in a way that distorts the truth. Whatever form of persuasion, whether it be through banking, cultural collision or mass media, the truth will always be altered to best suit the author or filmmaker's purpose. As throughout history and in the film A Clockwork Orange it can be seen that heavy use of visuals combined with audio can have a profound impact on the psyche of a human being. It is our responsibility as a citizen to be aware of the false and slanted information that is fed to us daily. If there is no recognition of subliminal messages and/or filtering in the media than our perception of truth and reality has solely been the product of what others tell us. Using the banking concept or cultural collision as ways to impact society are undeniably influential, but overall, the use of media to persuade the masses is the most powerful. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Melville.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Reflection On Melville's Accomplishments Brad Jones Ms Carman Period 6 American Literature Mellville "As an author Melville both courted failure and scorned success."(pg. 613, A Companion to Melville Studies). How many famous legends in time have existed to know no fame. How many remarkable artist have lived and died never receiving due credit for there work. Herman Melville is clearly an artist of words. Herman Melville is certainly a prodigy when it comes to writing. Herman Melville never received hardly any credit for any of his works. Melville wrote such novels as Moby-Dick, and Billy Budd. Melville wrote about things that he knew about. He wrote about his own experiences. The one thing that he loved, and knew the most about was whaling. Herman Melville was born in 1819, the son of Allan and Maria Melville. He was one of a Family of eight children - four boys and four girls - who was raised comfortably in a nice neighborhood in New York City. Herman Melville came from a famous blood line out of Albany, NY. Melville's grandfather, General Peter Gansevoort, was a hero. Even though the General died six years before Melville was born, Melville still put him in his book, Pierre. On the outer side of the blood line there was Major Melville. The Major was a wealthy Boston merchant who was one of the famous "Mohawks" who boarded the ship of the East India Company that night of 1773, and dumped the cargo in to the Boston Harbor. Later Major Melville became the Naval Officer of The Port of Boston, a post given to him by Gorge Washington. It is like the two blood lines fitted together perfectly to create Herman Melville. Herman had the strength of the General, and the crazy hart of the Major. Herman Melville was "hardly more than a boy" when he ran out to sea after his fathers death. A young Melville sighed up as a boy on the St. Lawrence to Liverpool and back to New York. Many of the events that show up in Melville's Redburn are actuarial events that happened of his first voyage. After returning home and finding his mothers family fortune gone, Melville decided to take a journey over land this time to the Mississippi river to visit his Uncle Thomas. Through out all of Melville's work the image of inland landscapes, of farms, prairies, rivers, lakes, and forest recur as a counterpoint to the barren sea. Also in Moby-Dick Melville tells how he was a "Vagabond" on the Erie Canal, which was the way Melville returned. Melville wrote that it was not the lakes or forest that sank in as much as the "oceanic vastness and the swell of the one and in the wide, slow, watery restlessness,"(pg. Arving), of the prairies. Some even think of the novel, Pierre, as a "A prairie in print, wanting the flowers and freshness of the savanah, but all most equally puzzling to find a way through it." (Pg. 1, On Melville.) About a year latter Melville signed up as foremasthand on the whaler Acushnet, which set sail on the third of January, 1841, that set sail from New Bedford. Many events of his voyage directly correspond with those in his novel, Typee. Melville set up residence in the Taipi-Vai valley, which he called Typee. He and a friend, named Toby Green, struck out on one day's leave to the interior of the island. Melville got sick and had to live with a tribe of savages that he found for a month or so. All this time, Toby had gone to try to get help but was unsuccessful. After a long month of waiting for Toby, Melville decided to try to escape, and was successful. Melville illustrated all of these events that happened in his novel Typee. But "Typee is a work of the imagination, not sober history, and one constantly crosses in it the invisible line between "fact" and the life of the fancy and memory."(pg. 61, Arvin) After Melville's escape he sighed up on a ship called Lucy Ann. Melville still had a bad leg from his experiences with the natives. This journey was a short one but none the lass eventful. The journey was full of different changes in command and mutiny. These events on the , Lucy Ann, Melville put in to a book he named Omoo. This journey ended in Tahiti. After a while in Tahiti, Melville decided to join the crew of the Charles and Henry. When the Charles and Henry got to the Hawaiian island of Maui the Captain Coleman discharged him. The events on the Charles and Henry were also to be put in to text. Melville put this leg of his journey in a novel named Mardi, which Hawthorn described as, "With depths here and there that compel a man to swim for his life."(Hawthorn) A month after Melville's arrival in Hawaii, Melville signed on as a crew member in the US Navy, on board the United States. He sailed on her for fourteen months. On board the United States Melville got to see Lama, "the city of king's," which Melville called, "the strangest, saddest impression on Melville than anything Melville would ever see again. It also probably made a bigger effect in all of his writing than any of the rest of his whaling cruises. Melville never wrote about what ever happened in Lima, the way that he wrote about the cruises he took around the Southern Pacific Islands, but it is apparent in all of his works and letter that Lima made a greater impression. "Lima was a city in whose whiteness and beauty was a latent horror."(Pg. 71, Arving) Melville began to think "the world's one Lima." Melville's homeward voyage on the United States, which Melville started to call the Never-Sink, became the situation where Melville made a new friendship with a sailing mate named Jack Chase. This friend for one voyage didn't no it but was to become the model character, for one of Melville's greatest works, Billy Budd, fifty years latter. Also this last voyage home was Melville's last days at sea. "Young as he was-he was only in his mid-twenties-a long period lay before him during which his life would be quite peculiarly an inward one."(pg. 121, Arving) Between the ages of eighteen to twenty-one Melville had gone through enough experiences to supply him for a lifetime of novels and works. "Melville's tales and sketches are a remarkable achievement. That he could do so much in those four years seems to me astonishing."(Pg. 271, A Companion to Melville Studies). From these experiences Melville wrote many works, just to name a few famous ones; are first Redburn, then Typee, Omoo, Moby-Dick, Mardi, and White-Jacket. Also from these experiences Melville began to write travel narrative. "Into the short space of four or five years Melville had crammed more "experience," more sheer activity, more roughing of it, than all but a few modern authors."(pg. 121, Arving) Melville had written seven books in the seven years following is arrival home. Also, one of those book was one of the "highest order." It is truly amazing that after all that he had been through in his voyages, Melville still had enough in him to write seven consecutive excellent novels. Melville's unexpected sudden success as an author surprised not only the literary society, but also Melville just as much. This success also threw him into the literary society. Melville had longed for some literate companionship in his time away from home. In Melville's New York home he built an excellent library of contemporary writers and old books. No book before Melville's time compares in form with Moby-Dick. It is a work of art that has simply amazes literary scholars sense it first was published. In Melville's time most had absolutely no idea of what to think. One of the keys to Melville's structure is that from the beginning to the end of the voyage of the Pequod we are reminded over and over again that the voyage us fated to a catastrophe. The meaning of Moby-Dick is so involved and complex that very few critics would agree upon a single interpretation of any events or symbolism in the novel. Many critics suggest that the meaning of Moby-Dick is a way to show the meaning of the universe as opposed to mans desire to see only one meaning in any one thing. He shows this by showing that man's eyes are located so that he is always focusing upon one single object. Where as the whales eyes are on opposite sides of his head. So that the whale can focus on two different objects at any time. Another example of this idea is the coffin - Life-buoy motif. This single object is first an coffin for Queequeg, then becomes a canoe, storage chest, a work of art and religion, then a life-buoy which save Ishmael's life. Thus one should not put one meaning in to an object, for that person could find much more use if they stay open minded. "How long, when Melville settled down to write his "whaling voyage," the conception of Moby-Dick been present to his mind it is impossible to say."(Pg. 143, Arving). In the way that Melville wrote his first stories, one after another for seven years, just after he had arrived home should make one wonder. It would probably make one wonder whether when he arrived home all of what he had gone through had just exploded on to paper. Or that in his time at sea he had actually thought up all of these books and when he got home he was finally able to just put them down on paper. "The spectacle of Melville composing Moby-Dick is the spectacle of an artist working at the very height of his creativeness and confidence, like a great athlete who has reached, and only just reached, his optimum in age, in physical vigor, in trained agility."(Pg. 217, Arving). This is a good comparison. Take for example Joe Montana. Montana hit his prime age in the Super Bowl and was unquestionably the best quarterback ever at that time. But after a few injuries and a few more years added to his life even the great Montana started to die in football. Even though he wasn't what he was before a time he could come out and just for that night prove he really is the best. The same thing happened to Melville. Melville was pouring out great books for a few years, and then he wrote Moby-Dick. Moby-Dick is also unquestionably one of the great novels of all time. Melville put every thing he had into Moby-Dick. Then after Moby-Dick Melville started to slowdown a little. Not that he died completely but he wasn't putting out books like his first few years as an author. He still would write something just spectacular every once in a while. "Melville's text in particular are like another of his most famous images - the coffin lifebuoy that empress such opposites as life and death."(Pg. 516, A Companion to Melville Studies). Melville had his own way of writing. Who else but Captain Ahab would have said of the Great White Whale "he tasks me, he heaps me"? Who but a true artiest such as Melville would have invented his own verbs? "That is what a great writer is, a person who creates a new language."(Pg. 562, A Companion to Melville Studies). In the first four or five years Melville wrote almost out of "dejection." Melville was not as readily excepted in America as he was in England, or the rest of Europe. Melville drew only a little criticism in America, but most all of it was extremely positive. Melville was not one to write of the good in life. Rather he tended to write of the negatives. Nowhere will one find this more obvious than in Pierre. "Pierre itself, taken as a whole and considered in strictly literary ground, is one of the most painfully ill-conditioned books ever to be produced by a first-rate mind."(Pg. 219, Arving). After Melville had written Pierre, he had lost all of his "confidence in both man and nature, he had lost his sense of the tragic."(Pg. 251, Arving) This way of thought he lost by the time he composed The Confidence Man. what took it's place was an "obsession with littleness and falsity."(Pg. 252, Arving) Melville wrote The Confidence Man when he was in his mid-thirties, and was to lead the other thirty-five years in much the same state. "The image of brightness and darkness, repeated with habitual frequency in Melville's writings."(pg. 607, A Companion to Melville Studies). The novel The Confidence Man was really the last good novel Melville was to write until his dying days. Melville would continue to write poems, such as Clarel, Battle-Pieces, John Marr, and Timoleon, but had no real great accomplishments. Melville was to slowly die out until he finished one last manuscript, which occupied the final months of life. This manuscript was that of Billy Budd. That manuscript Melville got published but never new of it success, because he was to die on September, 28th of 1891, quietly in his bed, and "would be gratified to know that his death went all but unregarded by the world."(Pg. 292, Arving). For the last thirty-five years after Melville's, The Confidence Man. Melville had led a quiet unremembered life. After his death all that was written was a small obituary in the New York Times. "In 1938 Herman Melville had been dead for forty-seven years. He had died in obscurity and for 3 decades until the publication of Ramon Weavers biography in 1921 he was known until to a small but growing group of academics and bibliophiles."(Pg. 1, James Brarbour) Melville's work was not even found until 1920, and Billy Budd wasn't even published until 1924. Melville's greatest accomplishment was no doubt his walling excursions in the Southern Pacific. This is more than apparent enough in all of his writings. Of most of his works, most were in junction with his experiences in the Southern Pacific. The saddest thing about it all is that he died not even knowing of his own accomplishments. Melville' death was some what like a coffin floating amongst the waves in the sea, to be picked up latter. Arvin, Newton. Herman Melville. Toronto: William Sloane Associates, 1950. Bloom, Harold. Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. New York, New Haven, Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Budd, Louis J.; & Cody, Edwin H. On Melville. Durham, & London: Duke University Press., 1988. Deedy, John. "Where Melville Wrote." The New York Times, (April 25, 1976). Funke, Luis. "The Theater: 'Billy Budd.' " The New York Times, (Feb. 28, 1959). (Unknown). "Herman Melville." The New York Times, (Oct. 2, 1891). Lidman, David. "Herman Melville & Moby Dick." The New York Times, (Jan. 18, 1970). McSweeney, Kerry. Moby-dick. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1986. Miller, James E. Jr. A Readers Guide to Herman Melville. New York: Octagon Books, 1980. Murry, John Middleton. "Herman Melville, Who Could Not Surpass Him Self." The New York Times, (June 13, 1926). f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Merchant of Venice.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -The Merchant of Venice- "Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is still relevant today because it deals with issues which still affect us. Show how two of those issues are discussed in the play." Throughout the play a distinction is made between how things appear on the outside and how they are in reality, or on the inside. The issue of appearance versus reality is demonstrated in varied ways, mainly by the use of real-life situations. The first representation of this is Shylock's generosity with his money and eagerness to make friends with Antonio when he says, "I say, to buy his favour, I extend this friendship," when all he wants is to take a pound of Antonio's flesh and end his life, "If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him." Shylock pretends to want to be friends with Antonio, but only wants revenge against the Jew-hater. The choosing of the three caskets is used as the main explanation of appearance versus reality. The suitor of Portia must choose either a gold, silver or lead casket, where the right choice will allow the suitor to marry her. The Prince of Morocco, on choosing the beautiful gold casket with the inscription, "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire," sees the message, "All that glisters is not gold," and is thus turned away by Portia. The Prince of Arragon, on choosing the silver casket with, "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves," receives a fool's head, and is told that that is what he deserves. Bassanio however, on correctly choosing the lead casket with the inscription, "Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath," says, "The world is still (constantly) deceived with ornament." He chooses the lead casket so as not to be fooled by the dull appearance, and receives the beautiful Portia and all her wealth who, in reality, contrasts with the ugly lead. The two princes, however, were deceived by the ornament of the gold and silver caskets. Another way that Shakespeare discusses appearance versus reality is with the use of Portia and Nerissa in disguise, plotting to take Bassanio's ring, the former dressed as a Doctor of Law and the latter as a Clerk. They save Antonio and Bassanio from their problem with Shylock, and Portia (Doctor of Law) asks for Bassanio's ring because she knew he had promised, "When this ring parts from this finger, then parts life from hence." Bassanio, after some encouragement from Antonio, reluctantly parts with his ring. When they arrive home, Portia pretends to be angry at Bassanio for losing the ring but then explains what has happened and forgives him. Bassanio was deceived by appearance of Portia as a Doctor of Law and her apparent good intentions to take the ring as a payment for her services. The issue of racial discrimination is mainly displayed through Shylock, a Jew who is proud of his religion. The play was written at a time when there was much fear, distrust and ill-feeling against the Jews, and therefore Shylock experiences much discrimination, chiefly from Antonio. Jews were banned from most occupations and were there for usurers (lenders of money in exchange for interest on the loan). This only made Christians hate Jews even more, because usury was a practice looked down upon in those days. Antonio believes that the only true faith is Christianity, and he constantly tries to convert Shylock to Christianity. As Shylock conceals his feelings about Antonio, he finally reveals his true feelings to Salerio when talking about the taking of a pound of Antonio's flesh in his bond, "If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies, and what's his reason? I am a Jew." Shylock has been abused so much by Antonio that all he wants is revenge against Antonio, "And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction." The discussion of racial discrimination reaches a climax when Shylock says, "Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?" In this, he makes a comparison between Jews, a rejected minority, and Christians, an accepted social class. He shows that Jews, Christians, and all people are equal. The issues of appearance versus reality and racial discrimination are surely two issues which are still relevant today. They are discussed mainly through the characters' interactions with one another throughout the play. Appearance versus reality is explored when Shylock pretends to be Antonio's friend, with the choosing of the caskets, and when Portia and Nerissa go to court in disguise to help out Antonio and Bassanio. Racial discrimination is shown in depth with the confrontations of Antonio and Shylock. Overall 'The Merchant Of Venice' explores both appearance versus reality and racial prejudice, which are two issues that still hold importance in present-day society. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\MesoamericanEssay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Some of the earliest Mesoamerican cultures included the Olmecs, the Mayas, and the Aztecs. The Olmecs lived near the Gulf of Mexico, in "swampy, lowland river valleys." Water drains made out of stone, hieroglyphic writings, and a calendar, were a few of their achievements. The Mayas lived in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico today. Their priests were extremely good mathematicians and astronomers. They developed a system of mathematics with 20 as the base, accurate calendars, and were the first Native Americans that developed a writing system. The Aztecs lived in Central Mexico. They were a very advance civilization with a network of canals, bridges, and causeways. Some of their achievements included chinampas, artificial floating islands used for farming, and a calendar. The Olmecs, the Mayas, and the Aztecs, all considered religion very important; the Olmecs, with their human body/jaguar face, god, the Mayas with their rain god, Chac, and the Aztecs, with their sun god, Huitzilopochtli. All three of them believed that their gods controlled their crops, and that they must please these gods in order to prevent any natural disaster. The Mayas and Aztecs even preformed human sacrifices, to keep their gods pleased. The Aztecs used the male prisoners of war for this practice. All three of these Mesoamerican people had some art form such as jade carvings, figurines, carved stone murals, pottery, etc., on which these gods were depicted. Two other similarities between these three civilizations is the use of a calendar, which they used to predict eclipses, schedule religious ceremonies, and determine when to plant/harvest crops, and go off to war, (more so the Mayas and the Aztecs), and they all had some form of writing system. The governmental structures of the three civilizations were different; the Olmecs had some sort of division of labor, the Mayas had city-states and kingdoms, linked by political ties, culture, and trade, which were not unified into a single empire, and the Aztecs had a huge empire whose people were organized into a hierarchy, with an emperor at the top. Another major difference between them was their farming methods. The Olmecs used the slash-and-burn farming method, in which they would clear the land by the cutting down and burning of trees, this would then enrich the soil. After awhile the soil would become exhausted, and the whole process would be executed on a fresh piece of land. The Mayas also used this method, but they mainly farmed on plots that were surrounded by canals. The Aztecs on the other hand had little farming land, so they made, chinampas, artificial floating islands, made out of mud on rafts, which they farmed on. Three of the earliest Mesoamerican cultures, the Olmecs, the Mayas, and the Aztecs, had many similarities, and also some differences. They all lived in different locations, had different forms of government, used different farming methods, and each group worshiped a different god. However, all of the groups thought that religion was extremely important, and that they must keep their god pleased or trouble would come their way. Similar achievements included a calendar and some form of a writing system. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\miami essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ashley Martin 101-68-2065 Attending a Catholic High School, I am required to take religion classes for all four years. However, senior year we are able to choose two religion courses of our choice. I chose Death and Dying because it seemed the most interesting. I heard from previous seniors that it is the most influential course that they have ever taken. Although, I really did not believe them that much, I decided to take it anyway. Little did I know at that time, how this class would change me, for the first time I was able to freely communicate with girls who share the same or different experiences as me. I am a very shy, quiet girl who does not like to show a lot of emotion to my peers. I tend to hold back everything inside and keep to myself. However, taking Death and Dying has completely opened me up to my peers, and to myself. I am able to discuss personal issues with my teacher and classmates because I feel a connection and a sense of communication. Previously, I would always dread going to religion class, but now I look forward to it. I am always curious about what we are going to discuss and what personal experiences are going to be shared. I cannot really say that I feel this way about other classes that I take. This class allows me to be myself, and I feel extremely comfortable talking about personal issues. One day in class, I was sharing a personal experience with my classmates and I began to cry. At first I was embarrassed to cry in front of everyone, but then I was proud that I was able to talk openly about emotional subjects with my classmates. I strongly feel that this class has really helped me to be more open with my emotions and my peers. I think that this class will help me later in life to be more understanding with others. I know that the things I learn from this class will be carried on with me forever, and I can pass them on to others. I think that Death and Dying has opened my eyes to reality, and I think that it will help to improve my skills of personal and professional communication. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\midterm english essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Interpretations By: Lily Salvio-Shaker Within a Poem there is always controversy about interpretation one may accuse the poet to have made as the significance and purpose. There are some poems which people have an especially hard time analyzing because of vague descriptions or vague plots. By analyzing, I mean coming to terms with the meaning of the poem as an issue or real life situation. Not all analyses are the same, but with no analysis, there is no poem... or is there? In this essay I will consider three poems by three different poets. "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke is a poem of which there are many interpretations, as well as plots each of which can be analyzed in different ways. There is "This Is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams which is simple and plain, and doesn't appear to raise any meaning, issue, or life changing effect. Finally I will discuss "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson, in which there is a plot, including an ending, and not only does it have a plot with an ending, but also raises a real life issue: that appearance and emotion can be completely disconnected. These interpretations leave a mark in your mind, images that not even the poet him or her self can erase with the truth. Then again, what is the truth? What makes an interpretation true of false? What is the purpose of a poem? Is it for you to interpret the poem how you imagine it to be, or is the truth of a poem straight from the poets mind? This essay is purely based on interpretation: the wording of a poem compared to the images we configure in our mind. "My Papa's Waltz" describes a man waltzing with his child, although it is not merely about one thing; it raises many questions. One person may believe that this poem is about a drunken old man abusing his child, while some one else may interpret this as a father who is a little tipsy waltzing with his child, in a pleasant, but exciting way. Consider this stanza. "The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle." The image of the battered knuckle suggests the possibility of violence, which can lead towards an image of an abusive father. The poem continues. "We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf;" These two lines show signs of a father playfully dancing with his child. These stanza's lead to different interpretations that the reader may embrace. "This Is Just to Say" is about someone who has "eaten the plums that were in the ice box" and is asking for forgiveness although "they were delicious, so sweet, and so cold." There is much controversy about whether this is a poem, letter, or statement. Although it flows as do many poems, does it have meaning? Does this poem make the reader feel pain or anguish, happiness or excitement? The interpretation one makes of this poem is much more a question than an image. The question is, is "This Is Just to Say" a poem? Coleridge wrote, "For poetry is the blossom and the fragrance of all human knowledge, human thoughts, human passions, emotions, language." When you read this poem you feel no emotion, just the same feeling with which you started. "This is just to say" shows no passion, no emotion, no intriguing language. Therefore I would not consider "This Is Just to Say a poem, at least not in coleridge's sense. "Richard Cory" is very straight forward and has clear imagery. Edwin Arlington Robinson gives the reader all the information needed to come to a conclusion and a judgment about the characters introduced in the poem. "Richard Cory" shows the reaction people had to his walking down town. "Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman sole to crown, Clear favored, and imperially slim." Within this stanza it shows that people were amazed by Richard Cory. He was a gentleman; he was wealthy and good looking. But by the end of the poem there is a whole different light, a whole different view. "So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without meat, and cursed the bread; And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head." This shows that not even the wealthiest, most good looking, gentlemanly people are always happy. Appearance and success are very different from one's emotional state. This interpretation is very clear and well known to the reader. The language of this poem allows the reader to not only be aware of generalizations, and appearance, but one's emotion. Interpretations come from one's way of analyzing, not only poetry, but from thoughts and situations. Within these three poems, there are different types of interpretations. "My Papa's Waltz" allows the conflicting interpretations, of happiness, and abuse. "This Is Just to Say" does not provoke much interpretation but rather raises the question whether it is or is not a poem. In "Richard Cory" the description of the man does not require much interpretation, but the significance of the suicide is open to much interpretation. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\migrant essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ruby A. Hernandez Biographical Essay Migrant Leadership Institute Autobiographical Essay I am Ruby A. Hernandez. I was born on December 28, 1987 in Dinuba, Ca. I am the oldest child and daughter of Pedro Hernandez and Maria Hernandez. I have two younger brothers, Jesse 14, and Julio 10 and a young sister named Michelle 4. Ruby Hernandez 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\mike dat essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The life I have been blessed with has given me an opportunity to have time for volunteerism, for my family and friends and for the numerous activities with which I so enjoy being involved. Achieving this balance in my life, I believe equipped me to be the best person I can be thus enabling me to have a more positive affect on others. Some of the young native children marching through the streets of Chimbote, Peru in protest against narcotics took a detour through the parish hall of the church in which I was inventorying the much needed medical supplies. The children knew of my church group's mission, being most grateful for our coming from the land of opportunity to help them in their poverty stricken city. As I knelt down with my fellow church members to hug the children, I witnessed in their eyes a sense of hope that is difficult to put into words. The feeling of self satisfaction and gratification that I felt by being given the opportunity to work with these beautiful, ever hopeful children was overwhelming. I had never felt like I had more purpose for being on earth than I had that day. After about the twelfth straight hour of being on my feet inside the University of Florida's O'Connell Center, I was starting to doubt whether or not I would be able to stand for another twenty hours. Soon afterwards, a little girl accompanied by her mother and father took the stage of the O'Connell Center. Both parents were brought to tears as they thanked all of the Dance Marathon participants for helping raise money for Children's Miracle Network. This organization provides Shand's hospital in Gainesville, Florida with much needed funds to purchase state of the art medical equipment required to provide their daughter as well as thousands of children throughout the state with the best technology has to offer to help these brave children beat the odds against life threatening and crippling diseases. In an attempt to make sure each participant raised as much money as possible for this very worthy cause, I watched my fellow Marathoners encourage one another to give his all. Being part of such a goal oriented, community service team made it easier to remain standing , shuffling to various tunes for the remaining twenty hours. When the MC announced that the 2004 Dance Marathon Team had raised approximately $250,000, what a grand feeling I felt knowing my small contribution of chairing one of the Marathon's subcommittees, as well as dancing in the marathon for over 32 hours straight aided in the success of this fundraiser. During my freshman and sophomore year in college, I volunteered to work with children at an alternative elementary school designed for students who had been removed from their regular school due to behavioral and emotional problems. When assigning me the child I would mentor, the Principal told me he hoped I was up for a challenge because this particular fourth grader had not lasted long with past mentors. Another words, he was giving me an excuse to not feel responsible or surprised if I could not relate to the child or help him improve. This warning of a possible unconquerable challenge, made me even more determined to get through to this young boy. In all honesty, I had never been around such an unsocial, rudely behaved child, and initially I felt extremely tested in my attempts to help this student improve his study habits and behavior. However, I found myself appreciating all the ways I had heard my mother tell how sometimes she just tricked some of her 170 plus sixth graders into learning. By putting some of her techniques into place, I was able gain this child's confidence. The young student eventually was able to return to his regular elementary school. For the accomplishments I achieved with this young child, I received the Mentor of the Year Award. I appreciated the award but not nearly as much as the gratification I experienced from overcoming the challenge of getting this boy back on the track to success. Although volunteering in various areas has provided me with opportunities and challenges that have shaped my life, my family's encouraging me to lead a very active life style has also had a great influence on my life choices that have also greatly shaped my life.. I have had the chance to ski down the slopes of Colorado and scuba dive in the clear waters of Belize. Being part of a very outdoor oriented family, I have gained a great passion for participating in a variety of sports even if it means being humbled by having my 75 year - old grandfather always coming in with a lower score than I on the golf course. But then I get to shine when I get to play a pickup basketball game ,shoot a game of pool with friends, participate in soccer intramurals, buddy dive with my brother as he spears his first fish or just be the hero as I put together toys for my two much younger brothers' and cousins' at birthdays and Christmas. These are just a few other areas in my life that make me feel like life could not get much better. Having been an avid cross country runner in high school, I often pushed myself physically to the limits--- a little too much at times causing me to seek treatment for knee and leg injuries. Due to conversations I had with my orthopedist concerning the proactive style of treatment he prescribed , plus discussing with him the different cases he treats throughout his typical day, I became more intrigued with the mechanism and caring of the human body . When I entered college , I initially I wanted to be a sports medicine doctor, so I continued to shadow multiple physicians as I had in high school, volunteered at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola and Shand's Hospital in Gainesville, and worked on research in ??????_______________.. However in the summer of 2003, I volunteered at the Operative Dentistry Clinic at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida . Even though I have two uncles who are dentist and a cousin who is an oral surgeon, I never really thought of becoming a dentist. Through interactions I experienced with the dental students and the dental patients, I discovered the work of a dentist to be very fulfilling and of great interest to me. The cordial atmosphere , the personal interaction I observed, plus being given the opportunity for hands on experience, opened my eyes to a path I had never considered. After working at the Dental Clinic in Gainesville, I took every opportunity I could to further expose myself to the profession of dentistry . I began to shadow and converse with numerous dentists and dental specialists. These experiences reinforced and validated my very positive impression of the dental profession. Shadowing and speaking with these varied dentist made me even more committed to becoming a dentist. Each day a dentist goes to work, he or she gets to enjoy the self-fulfilling purpose of improving someone's quality of life in a unique manner. A dentist has the opportunity to tackle a variety of different patient scenarios of treatment throughout the day making his/her work day very challenging and interesting. Each dentist I visited attended his patients on a very personal and caring level. Being part of this well respected professional group , known for being well respected by their patients and their community, would be very self fulfilling for me. . Finally, a dentist's work allows her/him a flexible schedule allowing him to achieve a balance in his life. A schedule that allows one to pursue a life outside of work to volunteer in one's community , to enjoy various activities and to enjoy quality time with family and friends.. From what I have observed whether it was a pediatric dentist spending several minutes coaxing a nervous child into a chair , an orthodontist as he rotated among his many patients positioned in a well -organized office allowing him to comfortably maneuver from patient to patient, or watching an endodontist perform a root canal, everyone of these dentist entered his/her office with a smile an his face and ended the day existed his office with the same positive grin.. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\mind body weekness.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Mind, Music, and Behavior abstract The main purpose of the paper is to investigate and present the relationship between the mind, music, and human behavior. For this purpose, research is presented on previous works and studies that link music with the mind. Based on this research, music increases neurotransmitter levels. Soft or mellow music has a tendency to promote tranquillity, while music with tempo sometimes distracts. Human memories can be cued by music, and music can promote improved learning. The brain is a two and a quarter pound piece of living organic tissue that controls the human nervous system. Music is a collection of sound waves that propagate through the air, and has varying frequencies and tones following a discernible order. Yet we all recognize the significance of the brain beyond its physical function. Our minds are the essence of what we are. The brain enigmatically stores memories, and lets people experience such things as emotion, sensations, and thoughts. In the same sense, music is more than just a collection of vibrations. This leads to the question of how does music affect the mind, and in addition, how does music affect human behavior? The reader might ask why such a question should be relevant. If more is known about the psychological and neurophysiological effects of music on the human mind, then the possibilities of this knowledge are unbounded. Music can be used to treat social and behavioral problems in people with disabilities. The use of music in the classroom might enhance or weaken a student's work characteristics. Therefore, whether the influence of music is positive or negative, much needs to be explored about the link between the mind and music. Physiologically, the brain receives information about sound waves from the ear through the auditory nerve. This information is then processed by the brain and analyzed for the juxtaposition of melody and rhythm. The mixture of melody and rhythm is what we commonly refer to as music. However, our minds interpret this auditory information as more than just sound signals; somehow, we are able to differentiate between certain types of music, and develop preferences for these different types. Yet, what are the ways in which the effects of music manifest themselves? First, there are particular biochemical responses in the human body to music. Research shows that college students, when listening to music, have more galvanic skin response peaks, as opposed to when they were not listening to music. This research also indicates a significant decrease of norepinephrine levels in students while they listen to "preferred" music. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter that arbitrates chemical communication in the sympathetic nervous system of the human body. The release of this neurotransmitter, as a consequence of a function of the brain, results in an increased heart rate and heightened blood pressure. Therefore, the decrease of norepinephrine in these college students results in a more "relaxed" state. This could suggest that favored or pleasant music somehow affects the mind, resulting in the relaxing of the body. Another research project, undertaken at the Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, focuses on the effects of music on the mind using electroencephalograms (EEG). An electroencephalograph is a medical instrument that is capable of showing the electrical activity of the brain by measuring electrical potentials on the scalp. In this experiment, volunteers were exposed to silence, music, white noise (simulated hiss), and then silence. The result of this experiment coincides with the previous findings. The volunteers all reported feeling a calming sensation. However, the researches did not attribute the lowered tension to reduced neurotransmitter levels. While listening to music, "many of the subjects reported that they felt pleasantly relaxed or comfortable... Music may evoke more organized mental activities which result in subjectively comfortable feelings." The white noise in the experiment produced an even greater effect; the volunteers were so relaxed that many felt drowsy and soporific. This sleepy effect can be explained by the monotonous characteristics of white noise, in contrast to the variations in tone and melody of normal music. Furthermore, the researchers found, based on the EEGs, that while listening to music, the volunteers maintained a higher consciousness than when they were exposed to silence or white noise. What this experiment shows is that there is a change in the mental state of people while listening to music; that is, music has certain psychophysiological effects on humans. Along with these psychophysiological effects, music has an impact on memory as well. In one experiment, words were presented to test subjects, while either classical music, jazz music, or no music played in the background. When the test subjects were asked to repeat the words a few days later, either the same music or a different background was present. The researcher noticed a "facilitative effect of providing the same [musical] context." Similar research has been done on CDM. CDM stands for context-dependent memory, which is the principle that "changing the context or environment in which material was originally learned causes some of that material to be forgotten." A group of scientists tested college undergraduates by asking the students to rate the pleasantness of a sequence of words, while they listened to a certain type of music. Afterwards, they were asked to recall these words. The results indicate that the students were able to recall the sequence more successfully if the same musical piece was playing. Furthermore, the researchers found that if the music played during the recall had a different tempo than the original music, then there was a lowered ability to recall the words. These results are also supported by a supplementary investigation, where it was shown that a musical piece can facilitate learning and recall. Perhaps a common manifestation of this phenomenon is when you remember the jingles in commercials. A test conducted at the University of Washington demonstrated that brand names were more easily recalled when they were presented in the form of a musical tune, instead of just spoken. Hence, this is a consistent example of one relationship between music and memory. Now that there is a quasi-established link between the human mind and music, what are some of the ways that music affects human behavior? Fortunately, there is a considerable amount of research available that indicates how humans function while being subjected to music. A group of specialists at the University of Connecticut studied how people communicate with each other while background music was present. A hundred and four students were paired off and put into rooms with either different types of background music playing, or no music playing. In the rooms, these students were asked to perform some problem solving tasks that required conversation between them. After five minutes, the subjects were asked to rate their conversations. Of the students who heard background music, almost all reported "significantly higher satisfaction [with communication] than those in the no-music condition." The different types of music also affected the students. The researchers noted that the students who listened to fast music had differently paced conversations than those who listened to slow music. The volunteers who listened to major mode music performed notably better than those who listened to music of minor mode. Thus, not only does music affect the way humans converse, but different classes of music influence people in different ways. A further way in which music has an impact on our behavior can be witnessed in something as conventional as walking! A recent investigation into the effects of music on walking distance was performed at Ursinus College. Volunteers were asked to walk for ninety seconds. The study showed that, "music significantly influenced distance walked." The conclusion reached by the scientists in this instance contradicts the previous results. Instead of "raising the consciousness" of the mind, the researchers hypothesized that the music interfered with or distracted the minds of the test subjects. A related study concurs with this finding. In this case, college students were asked to complete two hundred and twenty hand-eye coordination problems while listening to different types of music. It was found that the rhythm and loudness of the background music interfered with the attention span of the students. These last two studies seem to refute the findings of the other research; but in a sense, all the studies correlate a modification of behavior caused by the presence of music. The next reasonable step is to ask how this modification of behavior or affect of music on the mind can be harnessed. One major field that may benefit from music's affect on the mind is education. As a matter of fact, it has been shown that by exposing students in a classroom to music, the musical exposure enhances class achievement. A research performed at Glassboro State College indicated that when music was played in a certain psychology class for twenty minutes each day, the music "stimulated the human alpha and beta brain waves," resulting in the attainment of "significantly higher mean scores on examinations than those who were not exposed to the music." In addition, music can also be used to aid in the education of mentally handicapped students. In a school district in Prescott, Arizona, music was added to the academic environment of special education students. This resulted in an increase in performance, especially in the area of mathematics. Thus, it has been established that there is a link between music and the mind or human behavior. There still, however, remains a great deal of research that needs to be done in order for us to comprehend the why and how. This is a substantial challenge, considering that not much is know about the mysteries of the brain itself, let alone how it is affected by auditory impulse. It should also be noted that although the studies presented show certain effects of music, in each study there are exceptions. Some people show no signs of altered behavior or any other effects of music. There are even some studies where a majority of the subjects show no known measurable effects of music. Nonetheless there is a great potential for this topic of the music and the mind. If we understand how human beings are effected by music, we can alter how human beings learn and behave, as simply as by turning on the radio. References Balch, William R., Kelley Bowman, and Lauri A. Mohler. (1992). "Music-dependent Memory in Immediate and Delayed Word Recall." Memory and Cognition, 20, pp. 21-28. Becker, Nancy, Catherine Chambliss, Cathy Marsh, and Roberta Monetmayor. (1995). "Effects of Mellow and Frenetic Music and Stimulating and Relaxing Scents on Walking by Seniors." Perceptual Motor Skills, 80, pp. 411-415. Blood, Deborah J., and Stephen J. Ferriss. (1993). "Effects of Background Music on Anxiety, Satisfaction with Communication, and Productivity." Psychological Reports, 72, pp. 171-177. McLaughlin, T. F., and J. L. Helm. (1993). "Use of Contingent Music to Increase Academic Performance of Middle-School Students." Psychological Reports, 72, p. 658. Ogata, Shigeki. (1995). "Human EEG Responses to Classical Music and Simulated White Noise: Effects of a Musical Loudness Component on Consciousness." Perceptual Motor Skills, 80, pp. 779-790. Perrewe, Pamela L., and Richard W. Mizerski. (1987). "Effect of Music on Perceptions of Task Characteristics." Perceptual Motor Skills, 65, pp. 165-166. Russel, P. A. (1987). "Memory for Music: A Study of Musical and Listener Factors." The British Journal of Psychology, 78, pp. 335-347. Schreiber, Elliott H. (1988). "Influence of Music on College Students' Achievement." Perceptual Motor Skills, 66, p. 338. Smith, S. M. (1985). "Background Music and Context Dependent Memory." American Journal of Psychology, 6, pp. 591-603 Sogin, David W. (1988). "Effects of Three Different Musical Styles of Background Music on Coding by College-Age Students." Perceptual Motor Skills, 67, pp. 275-280. Vanderark, Sherman D., and Daniel Ely. (1993). "Cortisol, Biochemical, and Galvanic Skin Responses to Music Stimuli of Different Preference Values by College Students in Biology and Music." Perceptual Motor Skills, 77, pp. 227-234. Wallace, Wanda T. (1994). "Memory for Music: Effect of Melody on Recall of Text." Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20, pp. 1471-1485. Yalch, Richard F. (1991). "Memory in a Jingle Jungle: Music as a Mnemonic Device in Communicating Advertising Slogans." Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, pp. 268-275. Microsoft Bookshelf 1995. CD-ROM. United States: Columbia University Press, 1995 Microsoft Encarta 1995. CD-ROM. United States: Columbia University Press, 1995 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\mindbody essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The question of the mind-body problem often challenges the balance of science and philosophy in our most mysterious and yet central aspects, our own minds. This essay will explore these very issues and examine whether Thomas Nagel's objections to the reduction theory are valid, and how if at all his explanation answers the mind-body problem. It has been argued that the mind and the brain are correlated in such a way that the experiences of the mind are a result of activities within the physical brain. This implies that without a brain or working physical body, the mind would not exist. This argument can be furthered to state that the experiences of the mind can be reduced to mental processes.1 This is the basic argument of "reductionism" which Thomas Nagel objects to in his article What Is It Like to Be a Bat? He breaks the mind down into two categories; the subjective and objective.2 The subjective mind is connected to our consciousness, and inner processes, which he describes as what it feels like to be a certain organism. The objective mind which can be externally experienced or understood includes the physiological structure of the brain. Thomas Nagel examines the mind and brain of a Bat to argue that the reduction theory can not be true. He states that although we as humans can understand the intricate physical details of a Bat's brain we can not know what it would feel like to experience a physical environment the way they do. Through our own scientific discovery we know that Bats do not have visual perception. They send sound waves out into their atmosphere bay making a high pitched squeeking sound by sensing how the bounce back to them they determine distance, size, shape and movement. We can easily understand this concept however it is hardly within the human realm of imagination to understand how it must feel to experience the world through the perception of a Bat.3 Thomas Nagel reverses this example to argue that no amount of scientific evidence about our own perception can shed light onto the feeling of experiencing the world through a human mind. "This bears directly on the mind-body problem. For if the facts of experience - facts about what it feels like for the experiencing organism - are accessible only from one point of view, then it is a mystery how the true character of experience could be reveled in the physical condition of the organism."4 Thomas Nagel does not make an argument for the dualist or the physicalist. He merely argues that as it stands the physicalist perspective can not be true due to a limited viewpoint. Because he does not take a strong position it is difficult to develop an opposing one. I agree with Nagel's perspective that the mind can not be reduced to the purely physical level. I feel that it would not be possible to ignore the "subjective mind" because I have an aspect to myself which reacts based on what I feel at an emotional, not physical level. This aspect of me is what sets me apart from all others with the same basic physiological systems. In contrast the idea that a spiritual aspect of me could be sustained without the physical one is also equally improbable. I agree with the arguments presented by Thomas Nagel. In conclusion, the arguments presented in Thomas Nagel's "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" are valid, and disprove the possibility of reducing the mind to a purely physical level it does not answer the mind-body question, or present us with even another possibility for its solution. 1 Nagel, Thomas What Is It Like to Be a Bat? (Broadview Press, 2002) 478. 2 ibid 3 ibid 4 ibid --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mirza Jahic essay1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mirza Jahic Professor Deck EWRT 1B:62z 10-19-2003 Respect From Within She was too pretty, too good for the city of Mayville but the oppression of African-Americans during this period forbade her to take control of her life and realize the dreams she had. She had two options in her cruel and desperate life. In a nutshell, one option was to polish silver for no money or turn to prostitution for somewhat a decent buck but at the cost of losing respect and dignity. The poem starts off describing an innocent, young and beautiful girl with the sky being the limit. Unfortunately, as the poem progresses, one learns that because she is colored, her beauty and her youth will only get her that far. There are restrictions thrown upon her. The poem is describing a waste of natural gift. Basically what I mean by this is that all of the gifts that she was given upon birth are restricted by the white man. She is working for a white woman for little pay and if the church refuses to mention your name, you know that you have officially screwed up. Two particular choices of words were rejection of the church folk and acceptance of the white men (summarized into one) and then the start of the third paragraph where Hughes mentions the streets and their knowledge about a different Ruby Brown. What we have here is a switch that went from complete innocence and ignorance to complete guilt and/or shame. The turning point would definitely be at the end of paragraph two, where two very important questions were asked, but unfortunately left unanswered. This goes to show me that he did not want them answered because maybe of shame, embarrassment or some kind of preparation or smooth transition into what he was going to say next. We have to keep in mind that these occurrences happened during the peak of the Harlem Resistance and that Hughes was highly motivated by it if not only it. I think that this was sort of a Hughes artistic literal propaganda that he was trying to portray to aid the black community. She is rejected by everybody except for the white men, which as kindly put in the poem are "Habitués of the high shuttered houses" in the bottoms. She gets more money now but where is the happiness and self-respect? She was looking for answers in all the wrong places. She was a confused young woman with no pride and Hughes is trying to show this and say, do not let the white man take over, be proud of who you are, no matter where you are, because it does not rain everyday and happiness will be achieved sooner or later. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mirza Jahic essay1correct.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mirza Jahic Professor Deck EWRT 1B:62z 10-19-2003 Respect From Within In Langston Hughes' poem "Ruby Brown," the title character was too pretty, too good for the city of Mayville but the oppression of African-Americans during this period forbade her to take control of her life and realize the dreams she had. She had two options in her cruel and desperate life. In a nutshell, one option was to polish silver for no money or turn to prostitution for somewhat a decent buck but at the cost of losing respect and dignity. The poem starts off describing an innocent, young and beautiful girl with the sky being the limit. Unfortunately, as the poem progresses, one learns that because she is colored, her beauty and her youth will only get her that far. There are restrictions thrown upon her. The poem is describing a waste of natural gift. Basically what I mean by this is that all of the gifts that she was given upon birth are restricted by the white man. She is working for a white woman for little pay and if the church refuses to mention your name, you know that you have officially screwed up. Two particular choices of words were rejection of the church folk and acceptance of the white men (summarized into one) and then the start of the third paragraph where Hughes mentions the streets and their knowledge about a different Ruby Brown. What we have here is a switch that went from complete innocence and ignorance to complete guilt and/or shame. The turning point would definitely be at the end of paragraph two, where two very important questions were asked, but unfortunately left unanswered. This goes to show me that he did not want them answered because maybe of shame, embarrassment or some kind of preparation or smooth transition into what he was going to say next. We have to keep in mind that these occurrences happened during the peak of the Harlem Resistance and that Hughes was highly motivated by it if not only it.[How so - give some specific themes that play out in this poem] I think that this was sort of a Hughes artistic literal propaganda that he was trying to portray to aid the black community. She is rejected by everybody except for the white men, which as kindly put in the poem are "Habitués of the high shuttered houses" in the bottoms. She gets more money now but where is the happiness and self-respect? She was looking for answers in all the wrong places. She was a confused young woman with no pride and Hughes is trying to show this and say, do not let the white man take over, be proud of who you are, no matter where you are, because it does not rain everyday and happiness will be achieved sooner or later. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mirza Jahic Essay3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mirza Jahic Professor Deck EWRT 1B:62z 11/09/2003 The Precious Gift Called Life My purpose for the examination and analysis of the fairy tale Frau Trude and my re-write of that particular fairy tale, is to explain my obsession with it and second, to inform and maybe even educate readers by using my knowledge and experience as a "young person" to relate this particular story to people all ages, who need help or just want to be inspired just as much as I was. Pretty much every fairy tale ever written is intended for a lesson or simply a tool to help parents or any individual who is continuously trying to become oriented and find his/her way or simply deal with the kids who just won't listen. Now if you are a parent or a confused, misguided individual (not pointing fingers here) I think that I might be able to help you out by...well, read on and I might tell you. The name of the fairy tale Frau Trude is by itself, somewhat frightening. Fairy tales, legends or stories in general, in my opinion, are more exciting and an individual tends to focus more IF the story is somewhat frightening or has a twist to it. It imprints itself in the memory of the reader and clings on forever, not on a conscious level but on a deep subliminally unconscious level that acts sort of as a guide throughout the life of an individual. This particular fairy tale has both, it's scary and it has a twist - a very education twist (in my eyes at least). We deal with the girl (the main character) her parents (which we assume are two people), Frau Trude, 3 men and of course, the devil. This fairy tale is definitely educational but the beauty of it is that the moral of the story or the education part that I've mentioned above, is in fact in the eyes of the reader him/her self. The story begins with a struggle between the girl and her parents. Keep in mind that this story is packed with metaphors and subliminal messages but not to worry, as I will in detail describe every one of them. The writer specifies this and wants the reader to know this for a fact by making it obvious by including hints such as "...she did not obey them (parents)...obstinate...,...inquisitive..." (Hunt 1) and of course making the reader aware that the girl is stubborn and curious, such as any kid...especially a problematic one (not always but we will assume for the sake of this fairy tale). She does not listen to the parents, similar to most of the kids these days and continues to visit Frau Trude, like she intended. After arriving she mentions that she saw "a black man on your steps. That was a collier. Then I saw a green man. That was a huntsman. After that I saw a blood-red man. That was a butcher" (Hunt 1). She is judging on her own, without experience or advice from her parents and as she approaches Frau Trude she says"...saw not you, but, as I verily believe, the devil himself" (Hunt 1), at this point she realized what she had done. She had thought and wanted to find out for herself, she judged wrong and as any child, inappropriately causing her this troubling situation. Frau Trude, the mean woman that she truly was, changed the little girl into "a block of wood" (Hunt 1), with it meaning usually stupid or intellectually challenged, and threw the girl (or the piece of wood) into the fire. The fairy tale ends perfect in my opinion. We see that Frau Trude is cold, cold as in cold hearted, evil, and we get this from the statement "warmed herself by it" (Hunt 1). The line that bought it all home was when Frau Trude said "that shines bright for once" (Hunt 1) and this basically means that the girl finally did what she was expected or supposed to do and that is...shine bright. That story honestly did strike a sensitive spot with me, which is unusual because I am not usually affected by fairy tales. The following is my "edited" story of the fairy tale above. There was once a young boy inexperienced in the game of life who thought that he could take on the whole world by himself, without the aid or support from anybody but himself. The boy was brought up with the usual aspects of loneliness, conquering, achieving and implanted statements into his head, never to give up regardless of the situation. Young and stupid, was he called by his family because of his quick ways of getting into trouble, never listening to advice of the elderly that have been trough the same as he is going trough right now. His parents told him not to hang out on the east side of San Jose, his parents told him not to hang around the gangs that roam that area, but his obstinacy and his stupidity were his weaknesses. One day he went to a party hosted by those gangs, curious of what will go on and ignoring his parents' advice, he declined into a point of no return. He saw a girl that was sixteen and pregnant, smoking and drinking. He saw a boy, thirteen years old, holding a gun from his older brother and cursing like a sailor. He saw a gun, pointed...but at what...next thing he saw was smoke and blood, the next thing...darkness. Maybe it was for the better; maybe it was for worse...18 years old, boy your life in front of you, now gone. You should have listened... Works Cited * Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret Hunt (London: George Bell, 1884), 1:11-20. * Trans. Hunt, Margaret, 22 March 2002, f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mirza Jahic Research paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mirza Jahic Professor Deck EWRT 1B:62z 12/04/03 The struggle against the omnipotent society The Harlem Renaissance can in fact be compared to the Hip Hop phenomenon of the 1980's-2000 due to the fundamental fact that both of them were built upon oppression and due to the fact that they both acted against the ominous restrictions which in return increased the impact that they inevitably had on the American culture and society that could not repress the originality, the truth, and eventually the credit that was long due of and to both the Harlem Renaissance and the Hip Hop phenomenon. In order to correctly differentiate or find similarities between the hip-hop phenomenon and the Harlem Renaissance, we have to understand the intricate history that lies in the heart of this cultural and societal oppression and because I am the omnipotent figure in this case, which evidently puts me in power of doing anything from providing false information to leading the reader on and because this is a sensitive subject that I can relate to, I will try to relate and accurately represent both cases of similarity and difference that the Hip-Hop phenomenon and the Harlem Renaissance share. The history of the Harlem Renaissance is delicate because the beauty of its uprising lies within the masses and/or the crowd that is being invisibly oppressed and controlled by this unknown ominous power. Similar to a particular quote that Moody writes mentions The Harlem Renaissance, or The New Negro Movement in its wake, was initiated by an advantage-less, yet potent generation of resilient souls" (Moody 1) The Harlem Renaissance was in fact, a creativity and culture shock outburst that exploded for the better from 1920-1930 that claimed a piece of its culture and uplifted it beyond pride and beyond respect and evidently took it to a level of extreme significance that eventually led to the Hip-Hop phenomenon and that ultimately changed the American society and its culture. During the period of 1920-1930's America experienced an uprising of new talents in fields predominately owned and controlled by the omnipotent white America. This of course would not last, because sooner or later, an iconoclastic crowd would rise against this invisible force and take what is intrinsically theirs. During this era numerous black artists emerged in fields ranging from poetry to music. As Gloria Fiero mentions in her book "the quest for racial equality and search for self-identity among African-Americans inspired an upsurge of creative expression in the arts" (Fiero 97) A great example is Langston Hughes, who I will eventually touch upon as my essay progresses and "His opus speaks that does not for Hughes the man, but for the race as a whole." (Poets of the Harlem Renaissance and After 1) This era also goes on to become classified as "The New Negro Movement" (James 1) which demonstrated a new goal for the black community that focused not on adapting to the American culture but on the resurrection of the African American culture and to move forward using the new unprecedented way. Hip-Hop developed under similar if not the same circumstances as the Harlem Renaissance. Once again, the creativity of the oppressed individuals, that were coincidently located at the same location that the Harlem Renaissance took place, were experimenting with a new form of self-expression. The Hip-Hop phenomena started gaining recognition in the late '70s and began to be used as a communication tool and produce material portraying how the omnipotent American society impacts the daily life of a maim black man and under what circumstances are struggles dealt with on a daily basis. The Hip-Hop phenomenon was similar to the Harlem Renaissance in ways that it had the same fundamental beliefs about the corrupt system and that it believed in self-expression using new found tools, which relates to W.E.B Du Bois statement that Blacks could not achieve social equality by emulating white ideals and that blacks should join together and separate themselves from the whites and start their own businesses and industries to advance themselves economically, socially and culturally. This rational thought of or during the Harlem Renaissance was in fact, used in the Hip-Hop phenomena when Jam Master J and Run DMC "broke down the barriers for hip-hop, being the first rap group to get played on MTV and one of the first black artists that the network gave airtime to" (Strong 1) this inevitably took Hip-Hop to the next level using exactly the elaborated detail and thought of the Harlem Renaissance. Considering the targeted audience in the Hip-Hop phenomena and also during the Harlem Renaissance, we eventually stumble upon slight differences. The Harlem Renaissance and the cultural expansion could only be achieved by using literal terms and actions. By this I mean purely scholastic and educational because anything less was considered barbaric and uncivilized. What we get is scintillated poets and teachers such as Langston Hughes and W.E.B Du Bois trying to evolve and get the message of oppression across using the way similar to which Du Bois first disagreed to. Regardless of his comments of a black individual not being able to achieve social equality by emulating white ideas, he nonetheless followed the path of, it contradicting his statements. We stumble upon a difference between Hip-Hop and the Harlem Renaissance not because of coincidence but because there were no other options at the time. Similar to what Hip-Hop did for the culture and entertainment industry today, the Harlem Renaissance played its part in aiding blacks in the quest for meaning which in return led to the glory of finding their own ideal. Hip-Hop, unlike the Harlem Renaissance was not invented or used to unite with white ideals or even used to comfort it, rather it was used as a cultural expansion or an iconoclastic measure to further the cause and the affect black individuals have upon the omnipotent American society. The Harlem Renaissance unlike the Hip-Hop phenomena can be classified as being pacifist because of the continuous use of white ideals whereas Hip-Hop had no hope and was built upon the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance and enforced with the views, propaganda, and contempt of a society not fit for them and because opposition is more often bad then good, with Hip-Hop it did the opposite of bad and it "has transcended beyond just music. It has become a lifestyle and/or a culture for people worldwide." (Reese 1) As I read trough the article "The Cultural Renaissance that could be Hip-Hop" I noticed a quote that caught my eye. The story slowly progresses from the relationship of the Harlem Renaissance towards the Hip-Hop phenomena and suddenly mentions "Our issues needed a custom-resolve-one that had to be owned by us." (Moody 3) This got me to think about the nostalgic behavior of the black people during the Harlem Renaissance and also the Hip-Hop phenomena. Who am I and what gives me the right as a white man to argue the nuisance of the struggles of that particular fundamental dictum? The reason I wrote that opinionated sentence is related to the interview or radio discussion that was conducted on Jan. 31, 2002, which was a day before Hughes' 100th birthday. One statement that caught my immediate attention was the comment that was uttered by Al Young, poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter and professor of Creative Writing at SJSU in which he states "Rappers are the only ones speaking and spreading the truth because they don't have anything to lose" (Young). I like to consider myself a pantheist yet it still does not give me the right when suddenly that particular quote made me realize another strong similarity between the two and that is the despair and the desire to be affiliated with a particular invention of a kind to simply be respected as their recognized ownership. The artists during this time were in fact iconoclastic which was of course at this time unprecedented, with the exception of some women during the Harlem Renaissance era, who carelessly decided that their African-American culture is nugatory and simply "Passed" as white but that is not the point that I am trying to elaborate on. The artists during the Harlem Renaissance shared a common ground in a way that they wanted to be intrinsic and similar to what the quote mentioned, "Owe something that is rightfully theirs" (Moody 3). I came to a conclusion that the beliefs were always fundamentally the same; the only major difference is the era that these messages were delivered. People living during these times were not omnipotent; in fact they had no bond holding them together and no achievement to call their own. The reason why the Hip-Hop phenomenon took the culture to the next level is because of its nuance, its variation and its iconoclast characters that had nothing to lose and thus "hip hop became a pervasive element of popular culture" (Ranck 1) Both the Hip-Hop phenomenon and the Harlem Renaissance had a great impact on our society ranging from entertainment, to educational related changes, even to proper (not always) portrayal and respect. With Bakari Kitwana identifying blacks with this particular quote, "blacks born between 1965 and 1984 as belonging to the "hip-hop generation" (Kitwana), the conclusion that I inevitably came to is from a pantheistical point of view and focused primarily on the similarity rather than the difference due to the fact that it is nugatory to regard for the difference between the Harlem Renaissance and the Hip-Hop phenomena because major differences do not exist and it ranges from minor details such as time and the way of the presentation (i.e. more formal and scholastic during the Harlem Renaissance) I previously came to a conclusion stating that the Hip-Hop phenomenon and the Harlem Renaissance have numerous similarities due to the fact that they are built upon the same fundamental principles and share common values. To argue the case of similarity and try to differentiate is unprecedented and unnecessary because just as the Harlem Renaissance acted as a helper and/or mentor towards the Hip-Hop phenomenon, the Hip-Hop phenomenon set out on its own mission to finish where the Harlem Renaissance evidently left off, by inventing a style filled with anger and despair to lead the black culture to a new level that they can call their own, inevitably changing society, the world, and the future to come. Works Cited Fiero, K. Gloria. The Humanistic Tradition, Book 6. New York: McGraw-Hill, (2002) James, Winston. Barnard Columbia College, Politics, Culture, and the New Negro Movement, 1900-1930 November 28, 2001 Kitwana, Bakari. The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture. New York: BasicCivitas Books, April 29, 2003 "KQED", Langston Hughes, Radio Broadcast by Michael Krasny, Guests Al Young, Will Power, and Anthony Dawahare. KQED, Northern California, CA. Thu, January 31, 2002, 10:00am Moody, Dahaomine. Rithm & Blues, Volume 1, Issue 3, May 1999 "The Cultural Renaissance that could be Hip-Hop" http://www.rithm.com/show.cgi/feature1/1999-05 Ranck, John. Classified Hip-Hop or I wanna blow up like Marilyn Monroe's skirt Hip Hop Bibliography, November 8, 2003, http://web.simmons.edu/~morrow/hiphopbib.html Reese, R. "From the Fringe: Hip Hop Culture and Ethnic Relations," Popular Culture Review, volume XI, no.2, summer 2000. Strong, Nolan. All Hip-Hop.com, All Hip Hop News, 30 Oct. 2002 http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=1302 The Academy of American Poets. Poets.org. 1997-2003 http://www.poets.org/exh/Exhibit.cfm?prmID=7 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mirza Jahic.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mirza Jahic Humi 16 8/3/03 Pin # 2406 Urinetown, a cold true review of today "Urinetown, not the place, the musical" as mentioned in the opening act pretty much secured me to the seat throughout the whole show. I was extremely curious as to how a musical will be performed because I never really attended one and greatly anticipated the actual laughs and experience that past viewers and critics so openly uttered and commented. Making it a little more interesting is the fact that I had to sit right next to Mrs. Bresnan herself, (god forbid I fall asleep during this play, oh my God, would I fail the class or what) making me twice as aware of the musical and open to change. Nonetheless, after experiencing the opening act with the beautiful lighting and group singing I was immediately captured and remained so until the end of the show. About the musical...well, where do I start? My explanation of it will never be as valuable and memorable as actually experiencing it first hand. It was quite an experience, that and Mrs. Bresnan offering mints to everybody around her. Humor aside, I finally understood why critics were raving about this musical. It was extremely well performed, the lighting was great, the costumes were amazing, and the plot was well, unusual., yet attractive. Urinetown decided to suppress seriousness and emphasize humor to bring out the point from within. I think that this was a great idea. Humor tends to relax the individual and pretty much open him/her to change. The content of this musical was as entertaining as it was educational, in a funky, twisted way. Well, at least that's what I caught the drift off. The reason I say educational is because Urinetown is trying to inform the people of basically the bad side of Capitalism ( this by the way is in a nutshell and I will explain it in detail as I progress). A state where money pretty much buys off anything and anyone like for example Senator Fipp that was involved with Caldwell B. Cladwell, the evil master mind that actually made a living out of charging people to pee, hence the name Urinetown. Why is Urinetown so successful? It involves corruption, suffering, and huge differences in ownership and financial standing between the rich and the poor. I wonder why this musical is so successful then. It is because we can relate to it and why do we relate to it? Simple, because this is the cold fact about the world that we live in today, only watered down with humor so it doesn't seem as bad. But I think every individual caught the glimpse of it as they left the theater and decided to think and chat about it afterwards. The cold fact of the capitalistic world today, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The cold fact of the world today, that money can pretty much buy anything the mind desires if not absolutely everything. The plot of Urinetown was easy to follow and laid out nicely over a period of time. All the scenes were very well performed and executed precisely with great passion, as if this plot sort of affected everybody personally and with great might. The plot of a nation or a group of people organizing and coming together to face the dictator or evil mastermind and end this sad world that they live in now and offer a change, a change that the people agree on and a change that will benefit the nation or groups of people as a whole, not the individual with the most influence and power. Who would know that the actual evil mastermind Mr. Cladwell did the people a favor and was working for himself as well as for the people by regulating the flow of the dirty water and ensuring clean drinking water for every individual, even if there was a price behind "free urination" as I like to call it, he nonetheless gave the people what they needed, not what they wanted. Even though the plot was the suffering and pain that the individuals just like me and you had to go trough, their uprising and eventually how they overcame and achieved control over "free urination", that to me was the real plot even though the government might be bad in some instances and might not always bow down to the people's needs, they sort of act as a law or barrier, a separation that keeps us from the inevitable sad fact, which is premature death or extinction. If the government gave in to every single demand, there would be no organization and no peace, because just like in the play, if the people unite, only then are they strong enough to face anything in their path. The play ended in a sad and ironic way. The people were disgusted with the fact that they had to pay to pee and eventually organized to overcome the evil Mr. Cladwell, which in return led all of them to death. This brings me to the quote that goes "You can't live with them, you can't live without them", even though this was aimed at women, it also applies to the corrupt and over controlling government in today's society. The character conflict was surprising because I really did not expect the main character, Bobby Strong to die or be dropped from the building as it happened in the play. At least he died informed and in love, knowing that he was living in Urinetown all along. I came to this musical thinking that the conflict will be overcome and that the boy would get the girl, well, the girl did not get the boy and the conflict only escaladed into a bigger conflict. The dialogue was extremely well written as well as performed. All of the characters had clear voices and great singing talent. Bobby Strong and Hope Cladwell were my favorite singing choices. Another fact that I noticed is that the characters were acting in a "now" timeframe, sort of acting as if this could happen any day or perhaps is already happening. The language was thus, exactly as we speak it today, which emphasized my statement above; that this could happen any day or is perhaps already happening. The stage set, the lightning and the colors were extremely well matched. The stage set had a poor look to it, somewhat as if it was located in some ghetto. A lot of brown and black was used to emphasize the actual situation of the individuals living in Urinetown. I loved the poor lightning effects that signified the dramatic experiences that people living in Urinetown had to go trough. The switch between the actual Urinetown "relief wall" and Mr. Cladwell's office was done nicely and really organized by using the other face of the wall, and by sort of making it a little more futuristic and sort of richer by turning on the big, tall lights on the main wall. This in return gave more lightning to Mr. Cladwell's office that added to the flavor of modernism and power quite a bit. Now, this part is what I enjoyed quite a bit. The make up, the accessories used and of course the gestures that were silently uttered with body language are what I was fascinated with. The costumes were organized and appropriately fitted throughout the proper scenes, meaning that the costumes did not create a distraction but rather worked with the plot to state the point of a particular scene. The music, ahhhh the music... This is a department where I am proud to say I really enjoyed. All of the characters like for example, Bobby Strong or Hope Caldwell had beautiful voices and mixed together with the orchestra which by the way was extravagant makes for a great musical. "You're in Urinetown...the place that we call Urinetown!!!" The song where all of the characters were singing about Urinetown seriously gave me goose bumps as it was really touching and extremely well performed. Urinetown was a great experience showing the bad side of capitalism, the state where money can pretty much buy anything that the heart or mind desires. Urinetown is a world where greed and corruption rule the innocent masses of the poor and where the rich eventually develop an idea to charge the people to pee. It is a true story to a certain extent that was watered down with humor so that our current situation does not appear so gruesome to us, but in reality we are all hypnotized by the fortune 500 to act, buy, speak, and pretty much do whatever they want us to because who are we to oppose the rich, right? Well, Urinetown shows a crowd gathering and organizing and eventually uprising against the rich and corrupted to stop the violence and to give the people what they are entitled to by law, unless of course money overrides law, similar to what we have in Urinetown. So if nothing is what it seems, what is the point of living in a horrible place like Urinetown? I saw a bit of it between Bobby Strong and Hope Cladwell. You can torture us, you can deprive us of every single thing that makes us human, you can kill and slaughter but you will never kill the love that we share between each other, similar to what Bobby and Hope had. Their love is what kept them strong, what kept them motivated and what in return made them overcome. There is something worth living for in this world, besides being successful and owning materialistic property and that is something that is pure and that money cannot and will not ever be able to buy, and that is simply...love. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mitochondrial Eve Theory Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mitochondrial Eve Theory By: Courtney Whisler The genetic common denominator of the Asian and Zimbabwe races is theorized to come from the original "African Eve." By means of Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) comparison it has been proven that mtDNA, is inherited by offspring only through mother. "Eve" gave birth to a generation that had offspring that inherited similar DNA codes and physical characteristics, but mixed with different males' DNA. After long periods of time a community formed from this first group of descendants. Due to basic needs, they migrated from Africa to explore new areas, introducing environmental factors which influenced their species and presented opportunities to disperse new genetic material at large. A cell's nucleus contains DNA; also inside the cell, an organelle called the mitochondria, have mtDNA. This organelle produces chemical and energy reactions within the cell and can have mutations just like DNA. At conception a sperm meets an egg, but detaches its tail when entering, thus making the females' mtDNA the only mitochondria inherited. Furthermore, these genetic discoveries by scientists Vincent Sarich and Alan Wilson have linked females from different racial backgrounds to an ancient mitochondrial similarity of a black woman indigenous to Africa. These two researchers with the University of California at Berkeley sampled DNA from present day Africa. These samples show more diversity in DNA than any other continent in the world, which supports the theory that people have lived there longer than anywhere else in genetic history. For a species to continue its existence for the future it must reproduce. Obviously "Eve" had many children, and children's DNA content is supported. These offspring contained such specific advantages for survival over the rest of the population that the recessive traits were weeded out. Paleoanthropologists conclude that "Eve" lived with around 12,000 of her kind, says Roberta Cann and her team of colleagues that Homo sapiens existed at least 200,000 years ago, making it very possible for her to have had relations with many men, and having different children with differing DNA. No speculations have been made that "Eve" was a baby-machine, or that her children would have all been female. But, what scientists who study this theory do explain is that "Eve's" children were not necessarily numerous, but their DNA prepared them and gave advantages with what natural selection (Darwin's theory) had in store for their kind. This also suggests the survival of the fittest influenced the success of mtDNA being passed on. As the number of descendants matured and had offspring, the community became over crowded. Due to three mannerisms of mankind, curiosity, satisfaction of physical needs, and claiming territory, these people migrated for new lands. Each of "Eve's" migrating descendants who survived environmental challenges passed on this original mtDNA that they had received from her. In conclusion, the "African Eve" is the ancient relative to every human. Her relatives roamed the Earth and passed on the dominant DNA and remnants of linking of mtDNA. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\mocking bird essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD ESSAY In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird there are three characters that are considered to be mocking birds. If you are not familiar with the term mocking bird it means someone who does something good and someone else looks down on him or her or hurts them. The three characters that play this role in the story are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch. One of the mocking birds in the story is one of the main characters. His name is Atticus Finch. He is a mocking bird for one main reason in the book. He plays a attorney who defends a black man which nobody is suppose to do in that time of history. He does it anyway. While he is trying to defend this man for supposedly raping Mayella Ewell, white people like him are treating him like he is a bad man when he is trying to help this poor innocent black man who was trying to help a white girl for free. The main reason he is a mocking bird is because he is a very nice man who is trying to win a case for a poor black man so he doesn't go to prison and killed. Another mocking bird in the book is a man named Tom Robinson who is convicted of raping Mrs. Mayella Ewell. His attorney who defends in the story is Atticus Finch. Tom is a poor black man who minds his own business until this one afternoon Mayella asks him to do some work for her. As he does the work Mayella jumps on him because she has a thing for him. Then her dad Bob Ewell sees her with him and tells the police and then he goes on trial. When he is on trial judge Taylor says "Did you rape miss Mayella Ewell" and Tom said, "I did not suh" and he also says he did not harm her in any way to the judge. Even though he says he did not rape her neither harm her in any way he is still guilty as charged. After he is guilty of raping Mayella that is a lie and then he goes to jail where he makes the biggest mistake of all. He tries to escape the prison by jumping over a fence but instead of getting away the guard's shoot him several times. Instead of shooting him to stop him of getting away they just kill him intentionally. So in this case he is a mocking bird for helping Mayella and then trying to free himself. One last mocking bird in the story is Mr. Boo Radley. This man minds his own business in the day inside his house and comes outside at night. This one night he helps Atticus's kids when they are coming home from school on Halloween night. He tries to help them when Bob Ewell is trying to stab Mr. Finch's kids, but then from out of nowhere Boo comes and defends them. While he tries to free the kids from getting hurt Bob falls to the ground and accidentally falls on his knife that he had. So now Boo is being convicted of killing Bob when it wasn't his fault. Boo is a mocking bird basically because he is looked at as a bad man when all he was doing helping the kids and one bad accident occurs. To conclude this essay I would like to say that people get treated like their bad people when they help other people or try to be nice and then some people think its not right. So basically these characters are very good examples of what mocking birds are if you didn't already know. Maybe this essay might have made you interested in the book and now you want to read it and you should because it teaches readers a lesson. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Morality and Gatsby.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Morality and Gatsby Morality is a very controversial issue. That is one of the reasons what people are interested in reading about it. Morality can lead to many questions essentially it can lead to the question between right and wrong. In The Great Gatsby Nick Carraway is faced with a constant struggle between right and wrong. Truth is an issue of morality. "It all happened in a minute but it seemed to me that she wanted to speak to us, thought we were somebody she knew." (Fitzgerald 151) Daisy and Gatsby tried to hide the fact that they hit and killed Myrtle Wilson while driving home from New York. Nick Carraway, however, knew the truth and had to decide if he was going to help hide the truth or let Daisy and Gatsby suffer the consequences. "I don't think that anybody saw us but of course I can't be sure." (Fitzgerald 151). Gatsby felt that he could hide the car and with it he could hide the truth. The truth is that Myrtle Wilson was killed and Daisy and Gatsby are the ones to blame. They cannot hide that truth. The friendship between Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway is a questionable one and full of doubt. "He had seen me several times and had intended to call on me long before but a peculiar combination of circumstances had prevented it-signed Jay Gatsby." (Fitzgerald 45-46) The two had lived next door to each other for awhile however, they had never associated. Therefore, along with the invitation to the party there was some suspicion. Jay Gatsby is a very wealthy man. Nick Carraway, although he lives in West Egg, is not wealthy nor elegant. The two are certainly opposites. Gatsby and Carraway are bound to take advantage of each other. In The Great Gatsby morality is often put to the test. In the book, as well as real life, there are consequences that follow the actions that are taken. Morality differs from person to person. However, there is one thing that is the same. Morality is a judgment call determined by each person, there are no set rules. WORKS CITED 1. Fitzgerald, Scott F. The Great Gatsby. Simon and Schuster, New York. 1925 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\MoreAPP essays.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Community Leadership Essay I believe that during my life, I have always strived to be the best I can be, and to lead. I believe I am a leader in two main facets. First and foremost, I believe that I am a leader by example. I believe that through my community involvement, I have been a 'man for others'. Since grade 7 I have been volunteering. I started out doing small things like tutoring. In grade 8, I continued tutoring, but started volunteering at my neighborhood senior's home. I did over 20 hours that year. I continued volunteering there until grade 11, doing about 1.5 hours a week. . In the mean time, I also spent time helping the mentally handicapped. I worked for L'Arche of Winnipeg, staying overnight on weekends, once a month. In grade 11, I started volunteering with the YMCA. I taught swimming lessons at their downtown center every Saturday. I eventually got a job there, but I continued to volunteer. Currently, I am volunteering at the Rose and Max Rady Community Centre. I am helping out organizing activities for the mentally handicapped. In addition, I am also a 'leisure buddy'. I believe there are other, less tangible ways where I lead by example. In school, I always do my best, and try to get high marks. At parties or when I am out with my friends, I always try to be inclusive. When I am playing soccer, or doing my swimming, I almost always go all out. When there is a group project, I am always trying to motivate the group to finish the work early. I feel that through these activities I am a maturing leader by example. I also feel that I am a leader in a different way. I believe that I lead in my day-to-day life. For example, I lead the school newspaper, being the editor. I am leading the school play production, being one of the assitant directors. I feel that I lead the debate team, in organizing out of province tournaments. I believe I lead my soccer team as captain. I have also participated in a lot of conferences and tournaments. For example, I attended the 2001 National Commonwealth Forum, where we discussed solutions to the spread of the AIDS empidemic. I will also be participating in the Southern Ontario UN council and the Ottawa UN council. I have also participated in many National Debate Tournaments, where controversial resolutions are discussed. All in all, I believe that I am a leader. I hope to continue to do my best, helping society and lead others to do the same. In the future, my goal is to continue being a leader. I hope to make a macroscopic difference in the world. I hope to become a politician and better the world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mosquito Coast.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Mosquito Coast depicts the story of an unstable, antisocial individual whose unsubstantiable paranoia causes him to dramatically alter the courses of his and other peoples lives. The mans continual fear of a nuclear invasion by an irate, immoral country eventually this man to move himself and his family to a remote jungle area of Honduras where he planned to establish a utopian society of his own design. Some themes that are conveyed through this story are the ability of split-second decisions to dramatically alter anybody's life, and the inability of certain individuals to be able to mentally handle the stressful life of western civilization. Allie Foxx highly opposed the style of life which had developed in the United States. He believed religions to be useless, and our government to be corrupted, continually drawing the unwanted attention of other countries tactile missiles. He saw t.v. and mainstream life as a form of mental poison. He strictly raised his children to incorporate the same mental attitude which he held. He saw himself as the last real man alive. The combination of all these delusions eventually prompted him to relocate himself and his family to a different country altogether, where he whatever lifestyle he so desired. Charley is the thirteen year old son of Allie. He is naive to the practices of modern society because of his fathers continual and insisted sheltering from the evils of everyday life. He is very impressionable and sees his father as the most brilliant man on earth. Jerry is the ten year old younger brother of Charley. He enjoys bettering his brother, and cutting him down. He puts on a guise of valiant bravery, yet inside he is merely a frightened child. Although he immensely respects his brother he is unable to relate these emotions for he views them as feminine. The story begins on a farm in Massachusetts, but quickly shifts to the primitive, remote jungles of Honduras. It all takes place during the early nineteen-eighties. The setting corresponds well with the time period and the main character. This period showed many leaps in technological advancement, which Allie refused to be a part of. He instead chose to live a simple, sheltered life. And the remotes of Honduras was essential in attaining this type of lifestyle. The dialogue of the natives in the story combined with the effects of the harsh jungle environment make the author sound as if he knows much of the style of life which is typical to the poverty stricken natives of South America. He also seemed fascinated by the effects that unforgiving nature can have on a group of people. This story does an effective job of immediately fascinating you with the unusual attitude of Allie Foxx, and from that point it never lets your attention waver. It also is effective at stimulating emotions as you read. It shows you unusual situations and encourages you to think of how you would handle such a situation. The story also helps you understand why some people think the way they do, although it seems so unrealistic and idiotic to you or I. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Motifs involved in the play King Lear by Shakespeare.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Motifs in the play "King Lear" by Shakespeare Shakespeare uses many motifs to expand on the themes of the story. His most-used motif revolves around filial responsibility. Each of the two plots contains characters who betray their fathers. Goneril and Regan flatter their father, King Lear, and then betray him. The drastic change that occurred in their attidtude towards their father is clearly evident through Goneril's speech before: "Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter; Dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty; Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare; No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour; As much as child e'er loved, or father found; A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable; Beyond all manner of so much I love you." (Act I, Sc i, Ln 57-63) and after she had been allotted one half of the kingdom: "'Tis his own blame; hath put himself from rest, And must needs taste his folly." (Act II, Sc ii, Ln 289-290) They both were interested only in getting Lear's land, and used any means necessary to get it. Edmund, in the other plot of the play, deceives his father in order to gain his favor. Edmund, the Earl of Gloucester's bastard son, tells his father that Edgar, Gloucester's legitimate son, is plotting to ruin Gloucester. This causes the Earl to banish Edgar and give his title and land to Edmund. The ironic misuse of power used by the Earl of Gloucester shows up in both plots. Gloucester punishes Edgar and later finds that Edmund was the one taking advantage of him. Similarly, Regan and Goneril gain Lear's favor, while Cordelia is left 'dowerless' and banished from the kingdom. In the end, though, Cordelia saves Lear from the betrayal of Goneril and Regan. Shakespeare develops these major motifs with supporting motifs. He describes how revenge can affect families and create problems for the characters. He also uses the senility associated with old age to justify the irrational actions of both Gloucester and Lear. Gloucester, deceived by Edmund, becomes paranoid of Edgar. Lear is portrayed as senile form the beginning when he splits his kingdom between his daughters. He becomes so engrossed by Goneril's and Regan's flattery that when Cordelia refused to cater to his wishes, he banishes her in a fit of rage. Using the various motifs, Shakespeare makes many thematic statements about filial responsibility. Without scrutiny, many children will become overtaken by greed and attempt to get their parents' wealth by any means. Some children will remain good at heart, but it is difficult to predict which children will honor their parents. This is shown in both plots of the story, with King Lear and Gloucester trusting, and being deceived by, the "bad seeds." Lear learns of his troubles after both Goneril and Regan throw him out, but Gloucester understands the betrayal of Edmund much later. The other major theme in King Lear deals with appearances. Shakespeare states, as he does in many of his plays, that appearances can be deceiving. Many people put up false fronts in order to get what they want, including Regan's and Goneril's flattery. Once again, one must be careful not to fall victim to others' false actions. Shakespeare emphasizes the need to think about actions that may have serious consequences, and not to rush into anything. Irrational behavior and gullibility cause many of the problems and conflicts in King Lear. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\My Golden Age.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Many people have their own Golden Ages. It is like a dream that a person would like to live out. Many of these dreams tend to be similar to a utopia, or a perfect world. Due to the fact that their Golden Age is a perfect world, most of these dreams are a little bit on the unrealistic side. Most of them never come true. However, I am not so picky. I would make the best attempt to make my life the best it could be, and also knowing that it could come true, and still be on the realistic side. You have to understand that when people come up with their own Golden Age, he/she usually takes their life and alters it to a stage where there is no similarity between reality, and their utopia. I would do something a little bit different. You see, I would take my pre-existing life, and just make changes to that. If I were to come up with my own Golden Age, this is what I would do. I would start with my present standing in life. That would be a tenth grade student in high school. Then to make it dream like, I would analyze to see what I could do to make my life better. I would find out what things were important to me at that time and what things I could change to make my future life better. For example, I would probably start out with school, since that is very important to most people at my age. There are pretty much two things that are important to kids around my age, the social aspect and the academic aspect. I would not change my personality, but I would rather like to be friends and get to know other people I don't know now. Maybe it would be neat to be the King my senior year. Also, because I am turning sixteen real soon, I would have this really neat car that not many other people had. Than the next thing I would do would be to adjust my grades, so that I would graduate a valedictorian. Then would probably wish to be an athletic star so I could play on any team I wanted. All of this would lead up to me graduating very successfully. Since I was so successful, I would be able to attend any university I wanted. I would not worry about paying for anything because I would have a full ride scholarship. Than I would pass college with flying colors, playing for the team, and having a lot of fun in my free time. Now, I would be ready to take the next step in my life. Getting a job. I would probably open up my own business so I could work for myself, and have my company be a very internationally known and successful. I would just pretty much live the rest of my life doing the things I like to do best. Also, because I am making so much money, more than I would know what to do with, I would give as much as I could to charity. Then I would like to die a wealthy and prosperous man knowing that I gave to the needy as well. It would be comforting to watch my kids grow up similarly to the way I did. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\My Tao.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ My Tao (I think that's the title) I assume if I am supposed to write about what my happy reality would be, where there is nothing that could ruin it, or shall I say nobody that could ruin it, I would start with fruit, lots of fruit. Acres of strawberries, raspberries, and tons of cantaloupe trees. Do cantaloupes grow on trees? ...They do now. I would have amazingly sexy men serve me fruit in golden dishes. Pizza would be served hot without grease. Beaver tales would be known world wide so everybody could taste them not just Canadians and tourists. The ones I love would feel no pain, nor would I. We would go on learning but no longer crying. I would have a library like the one in Beauty and the Beast, but even better. Piles of books about everything there is to think about that doesn't bore me to death. I want clouds for pillows, fur without bugs for a bed. Lots of cats, twelve to be exact, that don't stink and would never break expensive crystal ornaments. My house would be white, and big, but not too big. I would have beautiful trees, and a lake not far from my backyard. I would go to school and not have to face, close-minded, judgmental people who say they hate you before they even speak to you. Mothers would not abandon they're children, fathers would stick around as well. It would rain only when I was outside fighting with the one I love, so we would see what we were fighting about was stupid, while water pours all over us as we make up. I would laugh, he would laugh and the cold would never hit. Just that warm fuzzy feeling. There would be no such thing as a man who uses women, or beats them, or takes them for granted. They could not say harsh things that would make a women cry. They would be manly but gentle, lay subtle hints about how much they love us. They would except that we aren't perfect and love us more because they now know there aren't either. I can only imagine how it would feel to have so much money your biggest expense was how much you would give to what third world country, but you would not have to because no countries would be pour. When I got married it would be outside and the weather would be so perfect. Lots of flowers, roses, daffodils, violets, snap dragons, lilies and buttercups. Ooooh buttercups, chocolate, there would be an everlasting supply of chocolate, but I would never get fat. Magazines would stop telling us how beautiful we could be and start telling us, we already are. No one would steal, and they wouldn't have to, to survive. No murderers, people would die peacefully. Heaven would be all that one would expect it to be and more. Happiness, the complete sense of bliss, would be enjoyed by everyone not just me. No one wants to be happy by themselves. All of these things would be great, something a genie in a bottle could do but with one exception of course...you cannot bring people back form the dead nor can you make the ones you want, want you back just as much. There are things in this world that are made impossible for a purpose but the things are not made impossible should be easy for all to reach. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\My thoughts on SMALL SCALE.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ August 8, 2001 Colleen Shepherd Keep it Small Stupid BC's Small-scale cottage industries are close to the pulse and the heart of its people. It seems that cultural innovation begins right there at the grass roots where average people are forced to be creative and diversify in order to survive. But small-scale innovations go beyond mere survival, to capture the context, the desires and the values of BC's people at this present moment in history. In a word, they capture our cultural heartbeat. Recent downward shifts in BC's large-scale primary resource sectors has caused exhausted and resource depleted industry players to finally recognize the economic potential of what is going on at the more innovative and diversified grass roots level. There is a very real risk that they will attempt to appropriate the activities away from the cottage industry, learn about them, specialize in them, and politicize them so as to justifiably regulate all activities associated with them. Next will come massive expansion into niche markets in the name of fiscal responsibility, global efficiency and free trade and the market economy. In fact, at this present time the small-scale food and agriculture industry including the organic sector, and the secondary value-added and specialized processing sectors are at risk of the above measures as global markets for commodity foods and processed goods become saturated. The secondary / value-added forest manufacturing and technology sectors are also at risk of immediate appropriation as high cost commodity mill operations are shutting down due to shifts in the global production and supply of wood resulting in decreased access to markets. Add to this poor sector planning which has resulted in loss of BC's once competitive edge due to specialization in primary volume extraction with no forethought of shifting market demands, changing forest tenure and regulatory policies, inefficient use of technologies, higher cost of wood and unsustainable economic and ecological practices. This is what's left of the profit driven, unsustainable, resource depleted kingdom known as BC. In the recent report Technology and the BC Forest Products Sector, Ernst and Young theoretically discard BC's once viable primary forest industry in favor of the secondary value-added sector that has been laying its foundations just recently in the province. They quickly move in to boldly proclaim that, "to be globally competitive, BC's secondary wood products industry needs to move beyond the 'cottage industry' stage of development and achieve large-scale, long production runs of standardized products for export markets." This statement will alarm anyone who is concerned with more then the bottom line of a multinational corporation's pocketbook and shareholder loyalty. British Columbians' are witnessing the insidious proliferation of so-called free market economy values into virtually every aspect our lives. Appropriation of our cottage industries not only factors out all potential for building a sustainable provincial economic infrastructure but also, by virtue of its monolithic scale negates the value of cultural preservation. In fact it appropriates BC culture and dumps it into a faceless nameless monoculture soup ... it's about as exciting as a vat of well bleached pulp. The Small-scale BC wood industry is just now becoming viable thanks to the hard work of local visionaries, and no thanks to the massive primary forest firms who until now have paid no mind to the efforts of small mill operators, or specialized craftspeople. The strength and potential of the industry comes in part from a unique mix of cultural and geographic identity. The potential market of our secondary, value-added products is inextricably linked to the land and people who produce them. To massively scale up, and regulate BC's small scale value-added industry would be to strip it of the very value that had been added. One can just imagine how tantalizing this emerging sector has become to an aging and exhausted forest industry facing eminent demise. As a province in desperate need of restructuring we need to recognize this danger and plan for action to protect our cultural resources from appropriation and to keep them under the management and control of our local communities. At this very present time recommendations are being made about how large forest firms can develop BC Forest Sector Value Added Chain Opportunities in order to maximize profits and expand production by "furthering levels of automation, perhaps robotics technology, to provide significant increments of value-added per employee." (Ernst & Young, 1998) Essentially this amounts to unsustainable large-scale misuse of cultural knowledge and human capacity at the expense of our communities who are trying to diversify and survive. In close, Ernst & Young claim, "further manufactured, margin-added technologies can provide better overall profits for the sector. They can extend the economic life cycle of BC's major export commodity products for many decades to come." Sure, many decades of unsustainable mass extraction of timber for commodity markets under the guise of adding value along with the eminent loss of BC's cottage industry? No thanks. An unofficial critique: Ernst & Young Forestry Group, 'Technology and the BC Forest Products Sector', Summery Document, An Evaluation of the Impact of technology in the BC Forest Products Sector, Undertaken on behalf of the Science Council of BC and the BC Forest Products Research Network Forum, Vancouver BC 1998 DRAFT RAMBLINGS: An Unofficial Critique f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mythic Heros.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ When I think about mythic heroes, for many years the first name that came to mind was Sinbad: Sinbad the sailor. In his days as an adventurer, he went on seven fantastic voyages which earned him fame for the rest of his life. Yet, now in retrospect, I no longer consider him to be the great adventurer that I saw him as in my childhood. On his seven voyages, Sinbad encountered every obstacle one could possibly think of. He and his crew met up with: a fish so large, many mistook it for an island, an island where rocs (enormous birds (their eggs were often mistaken for buildings)) still lived, cannibals, giants, and even herds of angry elephants. On each and everyone one of his famed voyages, he was shipwrecked, alone, and faced with some hideous danger. On each and everyone, he overcame the odds, destroyed his foes, and returned home with riches beyond the imagination. As a child, the stories of Sinbad's voyages were wildly entertaining. In each one, there was adventure, danger, money, and the hero always came home in one piece. Now that I look back at the stories, there are some parts of Sinbad's fantastic tales that bother me. First of all, Sinbad never set out in search of adventure. These amazing things just seemed to always happen to him. He normally set out as a merchant, carrying goods from one exotic land to another. Yet, on each of these trips, something incredible happened to him and his crew, resulting in a dead crew and a fantastic story for Sinbad the sailor. Secondly, all of Sinbad's great adventures occurred sequentially. In other words, he went immediately from one adventure to another without so much as a nap in between. This man never had a quiet boat ride in the entire span of time in which his adventures took place. Another interesting point is the manner in which Sinbad always left and returned to his home port in Baghdad. All seven times, he left with a full crew and carrying the goods of a local merchant. Yet all seven times he returned, he was alone, the crew having died in the early part of the respective adventure. All seven times, he returned without the goods that he was to take to market, but he often returned with new riches from the island where he was stranded (and of course, kept them for himself). This leads me to believe that maybe his crew didn't die in the shipwrecks or some other accident after all. Sinbad was a mythic hero; a hero for everyone with a love for adventure. But now, I tend to think that Sinbad the sailor may not have been the great adventure that he has been made out to be. Maybe there is more to the tale of Sinbad than we know. Maybe something was lost in the translation from Arabic. Maybe parts of the story vanished over the years. Who knows? Either way, I don't think we are getting the whole story of Sinbad the sailor. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Mythological Heroes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mythological Heroes The subject of mythology deals mainly with the notion of battle, or good versus evil. In this struggle many individuals are singled out for either the evil they cause, or from the good they bring to people. When you mention heroes in mythology, there are two distinct names that a majority of people bring up, those names are Achilles and Hercules. Achilles was born to King Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. Soon after Achilles was born his mother dipped him in the River Styx, she was told, by doing this, that the water would make every part of his body that it touched invincible. Little did she know that the one part of his heel which he was held by would not touch the water. When Achilles mother found out about the war in Troy between the Greeks and the Trojans she did not want her son to fight because she knew that he would eventually be killed there. The way that she tried to prevent him from going into the army was to hide him among the women of the court so that he could not be persuaded by his close friend Odysseus to join the Greek forces. While trying to find Achilles, Odysseus easily spotted him among the women, and persuaded him to join the Greek army. After many years of battle with the Trojan forces, Achilles ended up in a famed duel with Trojan hero Hector, over the slaying of Achilles close friend Patroclus. After killing Hector, Achilles tied his dead body behind a chariot and dragged around the walls of Troy seven times to show his hatred and anger towards the Trojans and their hero. Shortly after the famed battle, Achilles was killed when he was struck, with a poisonous arrow, in the one small spot on his heel which was vulnerable. The arrow was fired by the Trojan prince Paris and was guided by the sun god Apollo. Hercules was the strongest and swiftest man ever to walk the earth. As the son of Zeus and mortal woman Alcmene, Hercules was destined to be a hero. This destiny was shown before he was one year old. Enraged at his affair with a mortal woman, Zeus' wife Hera set out on a plot to kill Hercules. One night after Alcmene put her children to bed, Hercules' twin brother Iphicles was awoken by two huge serpents that were sent by Hera to kill the son of Zeus. When Hercules awoke he grasped the two snakes in order to play with them, and squeezed the life right out of them. When Alcmene awoke to see what all the commotion was about, she was amazed at the sight of her infant son holding two snakes that he had killed with his bare hands. When Hercules grew to manhood, he married and had six sons, and again fell victim to Hera's hatred towards him. What Hera did was send a fit of madness upon Hercules who mistook his wife and children for enemies and killed them. When his sanity returned he realised what he had done he shut himself up from the world for a long time. After a long time in seclusion Hercules finally emerged and went to the Oracle of Delphi to beg for punishment for his crime. Hercules was sent to King Eurystheus and told that the king would assign a punishment to Hercules. The punishment was to perform twelve nearly impossible tasks which are known as the twelve labours of Hercules. The first of these tasks was to kill and skin the Nemean Lion, whose skin could not be punctured by any weapon. His second labour was to kill the Hydra of Lerna which had numerous heads, one of which was immortal. Every time one of the mortal heads was cut off two or three new heads would grow in its place. The third of his tasks was go to the Ceryneian Hill and capture a beautiful bronze-hoofed hind without spilling one drop of its blood. For his fourth task Hercules was to capture alive a huge wild boar which often killed humans and lived on Mount Erymanthus. The fifth task assigned to Hercules was to clean the filth of many years out of the stables of King Augeias of Elis. The sixth labour of the great Greek hero was to get rid of a flock of birds which resided in the Stymphalian Marsh. The birds had long straight bronze beaks, sharp bronze claws, and a taste for human flesh. For his next labour, Hercules was to capture the wild bull of Crete. For the eighth task Hercules was to bring King Eurystheus the mares of the King Diometes. These mares were fed human flesh for food. The ninth labour Hercules was to perform was to go to the tribe of the feared Amazon women and steal the golden girdle of Hippolyta, the Amazon queen. Hercules tenth task was to bring King Eurystheus the cattle of Geryon. Geryon was the owner of the cattle and he split above the waist into three bodies which were difficult to defeat. Hercules' eleventh task was to try and find the Garden of Hesperides and fetch the fruit from the golden apple tree, this was difficult for him because he had no idea where the Garden of Hesperides was. For his twelfth and final labour Hercules was venture the most feared place on earth, the realm of Hades, and bring up the three-headed watchdog Cerberus. After spending nearly his entire life completing the twelve labours, Hercules decided to settle down and he married the fair maiden Deianeira. When Deianeira was captured by a centaur named Nessus, Hercules shot the centaur with a poisoned arrow. With the centaur's dying breath he gave Deianeira a vial of his poisoned blood telling her she could use it to rekindle Hercules' love for her if it ever faded. One day when she felt that his lovewas fading, she made him a robe that was dipped in the blood. When Hercules received the gift from his wife he was overjoyed and put it on, almost immediately his skin started to burn and he caught on fire. Knowing his death was near he called his servants to bring him a funeral pyre which he placed himself on. As the pyre burned it was carried up to Mount Olympus where he became the god of strength. Each of these heroes have at least one thing that separate them from regular men, something that is special about them. For Achilles it is his invulnerability and his incredible courage that make him a great Greek hero. For Hercules it is his god-like strength, and his luck of being the son of the king of the gods. Each of these Greek heroes was destined to be great at a very early age. Just after Achilles was born he was dipped in the River Styx by his mother which made him invincible. In the case of Hercules, his heroic effort was shown when he was less than one year old when he saved himself and his brother from two deadly serpents. Both of these warriors fought great battles and suffered tremendous hardships, neither of them were perfect, they both had their faults. In the case of Achilles, during the Trojan War, in the middle of battle his favourite slavegirl was taken away from him and instead of continuing to battle, he stayed in his tent and sulked until his close friend ,Patroclus, was killed. For Hercules, his temper was his weak spot, it could be easily become deadly if he was told to do something that he did not want to do. One thing that both men possess a great deal of is courage. Neither of these great heroes would back down to any challenge or battle that would come before them, no matter how hard the battle may be both of these great men would die trying. Out of all the many stories told about mythology, the stories of thesetwo great men will never be forgotten. Both of these men conquered hardships, and turmoil. They overcame all of these ailments to conquer their task and fulfil their goal, qualities which could regard them as two of the greatest heroes of all time. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Name of the Rose essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I Until then I had thought each book spoke of things, human or divine, that lie outside books. Now I realized that not infrequently books speak of books: it is as if they spoke among themselves. In the light of this reflection, the library seemed all the more disturbing to me. It was then the place of a long, centuries-old murmuring, an imperceptible dialogue between one parchment and another, a living thing, a receptacle of powers not to be ruled by a human mind, a treasure of secrets emanated by many minds, surviving the death of those who had produced them or had been their conveyors. (The Name of the Rose, 286) Comedy affords us the opportunity to explore how the world might look and feel with the dead weight of predominance and probability lifted from its shoulders. Whereas tragedy is preoccupied with the annihilation of the potential by the actual, comedy is leveled at the (pitifully) remote horizon of what could be, rather than absorbed in the immediate oppression of what is. The primary focus in comedy is to represent the surrender of the predominant to the possible, the victory of human benevolence over the rigid stratifications of historical actuality. Comedy dramatizes the utopian within the historical. It allows us to dream of our release from history's constraints by providing us with provisional images, embedded in easily identifiable and thus more persuasive forms, of what such a utopian realization might feel and look like. However, comedy never allows us to lose our grasp on the real world's intransigence; rather, as Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose takes pains to caution us, the journey from the lives we tolerate to an ending of the dead weight of historical prevalence has yet to be completed. Brother William of Baskervilles would agree with all of this: indeed, his final words at the end of his first day at the abbey form a sort of synopsis for the notion of the utopian locked inside the confinements of historical actuality and authority. "Because," he says to his sidekick Adso, "learning does not consist only of knowing what we must or we can do, but also of knowing what we could do and perhaps should not do" (97). The Name of the Rose takes place in the Middle Ages (1327, to be exact), a time when the Bible is thought to be the quintessential, authoritative text - against whose word all writing, and its relative quantity of truth, is measured. This biblical authority is premised on the existence of an established, divinely imparted meaning and the potential for a retrieval of that very meaning. To people like William the Franciscan ex-Inquisitor, and to someone such as Russian polymath Mikhail Bakhtin, the dogmatic auctoritas pursued by absolutist interpreters of the Scriptures suggests a closed and stratified ideology that bars freedom of thought. In Rabelais and His World, Bakhtin condemns the ideology behind religious absolutism by suggesting that it is devoted only to "terror, dogmatism, reverence, and piety" (19). What he values instead is the Rabelaisian carnivalization of literature: the sociolinguistic fun-fair where, as in the medieval festival or carnival, a rigidly hierarchical social order which ordinarily demands deference, sobriety, and strict obedience to authority temporarily gives way to raucous rituals of inversion: young boys are crowned for a day as bishops and carried through the streets in mock religious processions; kings act like the populace; carnival "is revolution (or revolution is carnival): kings are decapitated (that is, lowered, made inferior) and the crowd is crowned."1 This paper deals with the presence of comedy and the carnivalesque in The Name of the Rose; it looks at four very important figures, four men who all are deeply affected by the language and the structure of comedy and by the presence of the carnivalesque in their lexicon, in their epistemologies, and in their unconscious. We will start with Salvatore, a Rabelaisian (or even Shakespearean) fool, whose physical appearance and language are both carnivalesque; we will find Brother William and his Moriarty-like opponent, Jorge of Burgos, in the very lengthy middle section - where comedy will be, in a series of bitter arguments, portrayed both as the ultimate subversive poison to the authority of the Bible and as the utopian ideal locked within the bonds of history; finally, we will talk with young Adso of Melk - or, more precisely, we will let him tell us how the blank slate of his mind has been affected by the many words, sights, smells, and sensations of his seven days at the monastery. If we are lucky, Adso will also share his dreams with us: the carnival that is his unconscious is too overwhelming and too full of signifiers for him to keep it a secret from us. We will see what happens when the authorized and unauthorized transgressions of the norms are brought to a bloody and fiery head after just one week at a northern Italian monastery. II (Salvatore) We will then show how the ridiculousness of speech is born from the misunderstandings of similar words for different things and different words for similar things, from garrulity and repetition, from play on words, from diminutives, from errors of pronunciation, and from barbarisms. (Aristotle, [from the missing] 2nd Book of the Poetics, also p. 468 in The Name of the Rose) The first physical description that we get of Salvatore is also the description of his peculiar "language": his "speech was somehow like his face, put together with pieces from other people's faces, or like some precious reliquaries I have seen....fabricated from the shards of other holy objects" (47). In many ways, Salvatore foregrounds the vision of the novel that houses him. Certainly he is a curiously amphibious creature, dwelling in a borderland between the world of the story and yet outside of it, too. He is not attached to any particular identity, mode of language, or point of view. If he is a fool-like figure, by his very presence in the text (in Bakhtin's words) " he makes strange the world of social conventionality." For, he is invested with "the right to be 'other' in this world, the right not to make common cause with any single one of the existing categories that life makes available."2 Admittedly, Bakhtin is talking about the role of a Shakespearean fool, here; clearly, he has very little "right" to be "other" or "different" in The Name of the Rose. But Salvatore is important to us precisely because he is not important to anyone in the novel. He is written off, at a stroke, as a vulgar, leering, winking, lubricious grotesque - the vulgar cellarer's (Remigio di Varagine) lackey and purveyor of tricks and charms! He is important, though, because his gratuitous flights of verbal bricolage and manic-digressive equivocations expose the fluid, unfixable nature of language, and therefore the instability of the structures of meaning which encode and stand in for the conventions of contemporary life. At the end of his conversation with Ubertino, William seems slightly perturbed by the fact that Salvatore often mutters the word "Penitenziagite" (64). A hybridization of Latin, Spanish, and Italian, Salvatore's word is, we are told, probably a subconscious formation in his mind. William is automatically suspicious (and later on, his suspicions are proven to be somewhat correct - Salvatore is guiltily referring to his master and soon-to-be denounced heretic, Remigio); but Ubertino undercuts William's suspicions when he says that "the sickness of the abbey is something else: seek it among those who know too much, not in those who know nothing. Don't build a castle of suspicions on one word" (64). Later on, Severinus eerily echoes Ubertino's advice when he remarks, "the line between poison and medicine is very fine; the Greeks used the word 'pharmacon' for both" (108). This equivocal image neatly and subtly foregrounds the comedy debate that will soak through the remaining pages of the novel: comedy seems to be a cure for some and a poison for others in The Name of the Rose. In his very well-written Umberto Eco and the Open Text, Peter Bondanella points out that William's mistakes and his failure to understand the events in the monastery are based upon a misconception about language. Language does not necessarily refer to something in the outside world, something concrete that stands in a one-to-one relationship to the word which is a sign; language may be metareferential and refer to itself, just as Eco's The Name of the Rose is both a novel and a book that refers to and is made up of many other novels. (119) Later on, Bondanella points out that Eco "had come to realize that the semiotic principle of unlimited semiosis can also imply an expansion of human liberty" (125). And to the last critical reference (for now), Eco - in Carnival! - says that "humor is always, if not metalinguistic, metasemiotic: through verbal language or some other sign system it casts in doubt other cultural codes" (8). Salvatore's language, and the way its authority is undermined, is a necessary beginning to a paper that discusses the subversive effect that comedy has in "making the truth laugh" (491). Because human experience is linguistically structured, yet the various structures of language possess no logical connection with any independent reality, the human mind can never claim authority over any reality other than that determined by its local form of life. Salvatore's lexicon, like carnival, resists order, closure and the sacrosanct. But it (and he) is important. When Salvatore generously offers Adso an oil lamp to take to William, Adso enquires why Salvatore would proffer such a gift to him; Salvatore responds, in his heteroglossic way, "Sais pas, moi....Peut-etre your magister wants to go in dark place esta noche" (220). Because we laugh a little bit as he speaks, we perhaps forget that Salvatore is well aware of the snooping that William and Adso are about to do; Salvatore is a little too big for the world of this novel, particularly because his unauthorized language amuses us so much that we question the authority of words (the Word) at the same time as we laugh at the truths he conceals and unravels. III (William and Jorge) Fear prophets, Adso, and those prepared to die for the truth, for as a rule they make many others die with them, often before them, at times instead of them. Jorge did a diabolical thing because he loved his truth so lewdly that he dared anything in order to destroy falsehood. Jorge feared the second book of Aristotle because it perhaps really did teach how to distort the face of every truth, so that we could not become slaves of our ghosts. Perhaps the mission of those who love mankind is to make people laugh at the truth, to make truth laugh, because the only truth lies in learning to free ourselves from insane passion for the truth. (The Name of the Rose, 491) If The Name of the Rose exploits the special freedom associated with comedy to turn the Medieval world upside down, it does so only to reinforce the rationale for keeping it the right way up. Similarly, the presence of the carnivalesque (in dreams, in texts, in language), the saturnalian reversal of social roles, does not have to threaten the social order in any way; in fact, the temporary overturning of authority can in fact serve to consolidate the social order. This seems to be a very abridged synopsis of William's feelings about the effect that comedy can have in the clerical realm. But Jorge would disagree: he would agree that, yes - at the close of the "Carnival," kings remain kings and clowns clowns; however, what is dramatically altered is our perception of the stratified structure of society. But that is precisely the point that William seeks to illuminate for the blind Jorge: comedy should not overturn, upset, destroy the social and religious order; but it definitely should make us question that authority, because that empowers the individual and because - actually - it makes us appreciate the need for (at the very least) a certain kind of authority. Moreover "books," says William, "are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we mustn't ask ourselves what it says but what it means, a precept that the commentators of the holy books had very clearly in mind" (316). In her very interesting article on sexuality and the plurality of meaning in Shakespearean comedy, Catherine Belsey discusses the necessary freedom to enter and yet exit logic (as well): To fix meaning, to arrest its process and deny its plurality, is in effect to confine what is possible to what is. Conversely, to disrupt this fixity is to glimpse alternative possibilities....New meanings release the possibility of new practices.3 Soon after he and William have seen the tongue-blackened corpse of Berengar, Adso begins to discover the truth behind such a (Belsey's) remark. He notes: I had always believed logic was a universal weapon, and now I realized how its validity depended upon the way it was employed. Further, since I had been with my master I had become aware, and was to become even more aware in the days that followed, that logic could be especially useful when you entered it but then left it. (262) But certainly the most important part of this discussion on William and Jorge must necessarily center around three texts: the Coena Cypriani, and Aristotle's second book in the Poetics, and on The Revelation to John in the New Testament. Jorge is deeply threatened by the first two, and endlessly quotes the latter throughout the novel, first as a warning, then ultimately as a weapon. The Coena Cypriani is a burlesque representation based upon the subversion of topical situations of the Scriptures; however, it can only be enjoyed as a comic transgression if one takes the Scriptures seriously. Jorge's fear that the monks may discover the Coena remains a puzzling mystery, long after one has finished reading the novel. Naturally, we understand - on the surface - why Jorge fears the subversion of comedy. But seeing comedy in, and the carnivalization of, the Scriptural writings is an authorized transgression of the norms: in this sense, comedy and carnival represent paramount examples of law enforcement - they remind us of the existence of the rule. In Umberto Eco and the Open Text, Bondanella brilliantly points out that ...because The Name of the Rose is ultimately about freedom, about tolerance, and about respect for difference, it is appropriate that the lost book William seeks and Jorge conceals is Aristotle's treatise on comedy. Comedy, as Jorge of Burgos quite rightly understands, is always....a subversive force undermining authority and customs. It is mankind's best and sometimes only protection against fanaticism of all sorts. (125) William acknowledges that our perception of reality changes from moment to moment; Jorge, on the other hand, stresses the priority of fixed abstract principles over concrete experience, and he is convinced that the single a priori thought system that is biblical authority should govern both belief and investigation of belief. As the novel progresses, Adso's ideology makes a significant shift when he realizes that one is always and necessarily engaged in reality, thereby at once transforming it while being transformed oneself. He is, in fact, already grasping this truth early on in the novel when he describes William as a man "moved...solely by the desire for the truth, and by the suspicion...that the truth was not what was appearing to him at any given moment" (14). Later, William rightly points out that "Aristotle himself had spoken of witticisms and plays on words as instruments better to reveal the truth, and hence laughter could not be such a bad thing if it could become a vehicle for the truth" (111). The discussion on William and Jorge is not complete without a brief word or two about how the detective and the murderer both use false systems of reasoning to arrive at the truth. Much of this essay is devoted to pointing out the many false systems of reasoning that dominate Jorge's ideology. But interestingly, William - too - arrives at his "truth" (for the detective, obviously, this means the solution of the crime) through a system of faulty reasoning. When William is propounding his solution to the crime (Poirot-like) to Jorge, he says: "I conceived a false pattern to interpret the moves of the guilty man, and the guilty man fell in with it. And it was this same false pattern that put me on your trail" (470). On the next page, Jorge rebuts: "I cannot follow you....You are proud to show me how, following the dictates of your reason, you arrived at me, and yet you have shown me you arrived here by following a false reasoning. What do you mean to tell me?" (471). What William is truly demonstrating is that life is not patterned after the logical rules of detective fiction; and, by admitting that he has been an utter failure as the "master detective," William is clearly underlining how dangerous it is to interpret the order of the cosmos in a certain way. In the same way that Plato's allegory of the Cave represents the search for the highest Truth, the journey to the world of seeing and of light in no way represents the Truth itself. Of course, this is not just a discussion about truth itself; it serves as a subtle metaphor for comedy as well. The structure of comedy is closely akin to a search for truth: comedy deflates the hegemonical structure(s) of epistemology and reasoning only to demonstrate, however, that the structure is necessary though flawed. Jorge cannot see this; indeed, William asks him why he is frightened by laughter: "You cannot eliminate laughter by eliminating the book" (473), William correctly observes. But Jorge has two gnawing fears: first, he says, "laughter frees the villein from fear of the Devil, because in the feast of fools the Devil also appears poor and foolish, and therefore controllable. But this book could teach that freeing oneself of the fear of the Devil is wisdom" (474); then, he anticipates Jacques Derrida by several centuries when he voices his second major fear. "On the day when the Philosopher's word would justify the marginal jests of the debauched imagination," Jorge hisses, "or when what has been marginal would leap to the center, every trace of the center would be lost" (475). The best and last word on these two goes to Eco, himself, who - in his essay entitled "The Myth of Superman," captures the essence of all of this: truth, our expectations of the truth, the deflation of reality, and the pleasure derived from upholding a traditionally-received point of view. (Try to picture Jorge consuming the book at the end of the novel, and you will have it): The device of iteration is one on which certain escape mechanisms are founded, particularly the types realized in television commercials: one distractedly watches the playing out of a sketch, then focuses one's attention on the punch line that reappears at the end of the episode. It is precisely on this foreseen and awaited reappearance that our modest but irrefutable pleasure is based. This attitude does not belong only to the television spectator. The reader of detective stories can easily make an honest self-analysis to establish the modalities that explain his "consuming" them. First, from the beginning the reading of a traditional detective story presumes the enjoyment of following a scheme: from the crime to the discovery and the resolution through a chain of deductions. (873) IV (Adso) And this morning, in your sleeping mind, there returned the memory of a kind of comedy in which, albeit with other intentions, the world is described upside down. You inserted into that work your most recent memories, your anxieties, your fears. From the marginalia of Adelmo you went on to relive a great carnival where everything seems to proceed in the wrong direction, and yet, as in the Coena, each does what he really did in life. And finally you asked yourself, in the dream, which world is the false one, and what it means to walk head down. Your dream no longer distinguished what is down and what is up, where life is and where death. Your dream cast doubt on the teachings you have received. (The Name of the Rose, 437-8) We will finally focus on the great dream that Adso has after Terce on his sixth day at the abbey. In his dream, he cannot understand whether he is "in hell or in such a paradise as Salvatore might have conceived" (427); in his dream, Jorge laughs uproariously (428), the abbot reminds Adso of the riddle over the door to the Finis Africae ("Age primum et septimum de quatuor") (429), Jesus has blackened fingers as he hands out pages of books (431); the abbot pouts because nobody has brought him any gifts (431), but then is kicked and battered about by his monks (434), and so on. Adso's dream turns upside down the hierarchies of social and religious power: all fixed positions and settled assumptions are destabilized and laid open to dispute. Adso's experience of assimilating a discordant plurality of positions in his dream actually fosters a leveling mode of perception for him. He reacts to his dream by remarking that "one can also dream of books, and therefore dream of dreams" (437). This partially echoes and answers an earlier, astute remark that Adso makes about William: "I had the impression that William was not at all interested in the truth, which is nothing but the adjustment between the thing and the intellect. On the contrary, he amused himself by imagining how many possibilities were possible" (306) (William later says "All is possible" [456]). Eco's multivocal carnivalesque cuts across all lived divisions of class and gender, breaking down the barriers of language and ideology which protract their dominion. The escalating confusions of Adso's dream suggest that the identities of those in power are more plural, discontinuous and volatile than the official definitions and approved models can afford to admit. Indeed, by means of the many tropes present in Adso's dreams, this particular version of comedy undoubtedly undermines the fixed assumptions that Adso had previously held about apostolic and all other forms of authority. There can be no doubt that Adso's dream is a direct reproduction of the many images that his impressionable mind has half-digested in such a short time. There can be possibly no more influential a series of pictures than those contained in Adelmo's psalter. Here, in full, is Adso's reaction reproduced. The most fascinating part of his reaction is italicized (italics mine), demonstrating that his subconscious is already forming a polemic, a subversive truth that he will painfully uncover over the next six days and sixty or seventy years of his life: This was a psalter in whose margins was delineated a world reversed with respect to the one to which our senses have accustomed us. As if at the border of a discourse that is by definition the discourse of truth, there proceeded, closely linked to it, through wondrous allusions in aenigmate, a discourse of falsehood on a topsy-turvy universe, in which dogs flee before the hare, and deer hunt the lion. (76) V The good of a book lies in its being read. A book is made up of signs that speak of other signs, which in their turn speak of things. Without an eye to read them, a book contains signs that produce no concepts: therefore it is dumb. This library was perhaps born to save the books it houses, but now it lives to bury them. This is why it has become a sink of iniquity. The cellarer says he betrayed. So has Benno. He has betrayed. (The Name of the Rose, 396) The Book of Revelation was later assumed to be a prophecy of the future troubles of the Church, which left commentators on it free to identify its sinister images of Antichrist and Great Whore with whatever they were most afraid of in their day.4 Jorge of Burgos is deeply afraid of humor (far more than he is of carnival, even), because humor provides us with a picture of the utopian within the historical; it undermines limits from the outside; most important, rather than promising us liberation, humor actually reminds us of the presence of "the laws" that we feel we have very little reason to obey. Carnival, too, is able to demystify the dominant ideology, but always within the context of being allowed and authorized to do so by the dominant authority of the time. Perhaps William of Baskervilles is a sort of postmodern detective: an interpreter of signs, signifiers, and signifieds, trapped inside the habit of a Franciscan monk. The Name of the Rose is variously described as a postmodern text, precisely because it is "all about" patterns of meaning where truth is encoded in between the lines (the subtext) of hegemonical, clerical authority. The monks die because they want access to the particular truth that is comedy; Salvatore is exiled from the world of the novel before he has even entered: but this is only because he is polysemantic and therefore a threat - he, more than anyone, if at all, is the embodiment of the word made flesh. William and Jorge try to murder each other over words; powerful words, but merely words, all the same. Adso knows, in old age, that there is no postmodern world view, nor the possibility of one. The postmodern paradigm is ironically subversive of all paradigms, because it knows that reality - as we conceive it - is fluid, temporal, local, and without foundation. The only power we have is to laugh at the instability of the world, and of the world and word meanings, and to find solace in the fact that we can name all the roses in the gardens of our everyday world. Umberto Eco, Carnival! (Chapter 1 - "Frames of Comic Freedom"), Berlin; New York; Amsterdam: Mouton Publishers, 1984 (pp.1-9) 2 Both from Mikhail Bakhtin, The Dialogic Imagination (Austin, Texas and London, 1981), pp.404, 162. 3 Catherine Belsey, "Disrupting sexual difference: meaning and gender in the comedies", in Alternative Shakespeares, ed. John Drakakis (London, 1985), pp.166-7. 4 I borrow this appropriate formulation from Northrop Frye in his Great Code. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\narrative essay 2nd draft.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Danielle Bishop Bishop 1 February 13, 2003 LA 1, Period 2 Narrative Essay 2nd Draft My Graduation Assembly My graduation assembly, on June 6, 2002, was one of the saddest moments of my life and a huge step also. It took place in our (St. Matthew) church. During this assembly, on graduation day, all of the classes give each individual a gift of appreciation and good luck. My eighth grade class sat on the front steps with all the girls on one side and the boys on the other. We were all in our uniforms, with tears running down them, for the last time ever. During this assembly all my girlfriends and I sat on the steps saying to ourselves, "I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry" when truth be told we knew we would. As each teacher stepped up to present their classes gifts it was hard to say goodbye to them because half of the teachers we had grown up with for our many years at St. Matthew. Many of the women teachers cried as well as our mothers sitting in the pews. None of the boys cried, which was to be expected, but they would always look down the row of steps at us girls and say, "Wow, the girls are really crying". As the kindergarten class stepped up to present it was extremely hard because we had spent a lot of time that year with the kindergartners and it was difficult to part with those adorable, young faces. As for the teacher, Ms. Prepotente, it was more difficult since we grew up with her every step of grade school. Most of us had a feeling of loss of childhood by leaving this kindergarten class. We weren't close this way with any of the Bishop 2 other classes, but when second grade came up it was tough because it wasn't the students, but the song they sang. Each year Ms. McClosky has her students sing the same song to the graduating class about being friends forever. None of us thought we'd cry during the song since we have heard it so many times, but wouldn't you know it, we did. The other teacher it was most difficult to say goodbye to was the fourth grade teacher, Ms. Herber, who we had for sixth grade her very first year at St. Matthew. She cried as she presented her class as so did we. We all had so much fun in her classroom no matter what we did, so we felt like the entertainment would never be the same as it was in that sixth grade classroom. As each class passed out their gifts we girls were all crying and saying, "I'm not leaving this class, its too hard and it hurts too much, I'm not leaving". It hurt so much to leave a class like ours, so tied together and everyone got along wonderfully. In those split moments it seemed like it was only a few days ago we were in kindergarten saying goodbye to mommy. Then here we were starting a new journey of being a teenager in a different place with new people we didn't know. In that short period of time, so much flashed before our eyes that we didn't want to leave. By the end of the assembly all the boys came over and gave us all hugs saying, "It's going to be alright, everything will be fine." When in that moment nothing was fine. We were leaving our friends we had had for nine years. At that point all of us were so scared to move onto high school, but we knew we'd be alright as long as we had our friends supporting us. This assembly really showed our class how close we were and how important friendships really are. It showed us how much we cared for one another and how we were Bishop 3 all supporting one another through this change of schools and of life. We knew we were growing up fast and nothing could change that. I don't think the assembly could've turned out any better or worse. The assembly was a great time for goodbyes and I enjoyed it a lot. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\narrative essay final draft.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Danielle Bishop Bishop 1 February 14, 2003 LA 1, Period 2 Narrative Essay Final Draft My Graduation Assembly My graduation assembly, on June 6, 2002, was one of the saddest moments of my life and a huge step as well. It took place in our (St. Matthew) church. During this assembly, on graduation day, all of the classes give each individual a gift of appreciation and good luck. My eighth grade class sat on the front steps with great appreciation. All the girls on one side and the boys sat on the other. We were all dressed in our uniforms for the last time with tears running down our faces. During this assembly all my girlfriends and I sat on the steps saying to ourselves, "I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry" when truth be told, we knew we would. As each teacher stepped up to present their class's gifts it was hard to say goodbye to them because half of the teachers we had grown up with for all our years at St. Matthew. Many of the women teachers cried as well as our mothers sitting in the pews. None of the boys cried, which was to be expected, but they would always look down the row at us girls and say, "Wow, the girls are really crying." As the kindergarten class stepped up to present it was extremely emotional because we had spent a lot of time that year with the kindergartners and it was difficult to part with those adorable, young, innocent faces who didn't understand why we were all crying. As for the teacher, Ms. Prepotente, it was more difficult since we grew up with her every step of grade school. Most of us had a feeling of loss of childhood by leaving Bishop 2 this kindergarten class. We weren't close this way with any of the other classes, but when second grade came up it was tough because of the depressing song they sang. Each year Ms. McClosky has her students sing the same song to the graduating class about being friends forever. None of us thought we'd cry during the song since we have heard it so many times, but wouldn't you know it, we did. The other teacher it was most difficult to say goodbye to was the fourth grade teacher, Ms. Herber. We had her for sixth grade her very first year at St. Matthew. She cried as she presented her class, as so did we. We all had so much fun in her classroom no matter what we did, so we felt like the entertainment would never be the same as it was in that sixth grade classroom. As each class passed out their gifts we girls were all crying and saying, "I'm not leaving this class, its too hard and it hurts too much, I can't leave." It hurt so much to leave a class like ours, so tied together and everyone got along wonderfully. In that one hour it seemed like it was only a few days ago we were in kindergarten saying goodbye to our mommies. Then here we were starting a new journey of being a teenager in a different, bigger place with new people we didn't know. In that short period of time, so much flashed before our eyes that we didn't realize how important they were to us. By the end of the assembly all the boys came over and gave us all hugs, like they were our brothers, saying, "It's going to be alright, everything will be fine." When in that moment nothing was fine. We were leaving our friends we had had for nine years. At that point all of us were so scared to move onto high school, but we knew we'd be alright as long as we had our friend's support. Bishop 3 The assembly really showed our class how close we were and how important friendships really are. It showed us how much we cared for one another and how we were all supporting one another through this change of schools and of life. We knew we were growing up fast and nothing could change that. I don't think the assembly could've turned out any better or worse. The assembly was a great time for goodbyes and I enjoyed it a lot. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Nelkin 6870 Term Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As the world continues to expand into a global marketplace, business between corporations of different nations and engaging in foreign investment have both become extremely prevalent. Due to this increased involvement in international markets, currency markets have also taken on a greater importance. As currency markets have grown over the years and as companies have begun to take a greater interest in involvement outside of their individual nation, ways to protect against the added risks involved with international trade have come about. One of the largest risks that emerges out of doing business away from home is the introduction of foreign exchange rate risk, which involves the potential depreciation of one's own currency relative to the currency of one's customers or producers. In order to provide a method of protection from these risks, currency derivates were developed. Currency derivatives take several forms, including forward contracts, futures contracts, option contracts, swap contracts or even hybrids of two of these, such as futures option contracts or swaptions. Each of these derivatives offers its own set of advantages and disadvantages relative to the others, and therefore each one has certain scenarios where it is the best choice. In general there are two categories an investor in derivatives can fall into; they are either a hedger or a speculator. "Hedgers use currency derivatives to reduce the risk of international trade" (Hopper, 3). These are primarily corporations that engage in business outside of their home country and are faced with potential risks associated with exchange rates. The other group of investors is known as speculators. "Speculators use derivatives to increase substantially the potential return on their investments" (3). Hedgers and speculators or an investor who is a combination of the two make up the majority of investors in the currency derivatives market. The pricing of currency derivatives is a topic that is important to both of these types of investors and is a question that in some cases is still being debated today. This paper will discuss the different types of currency derivatives, who the primary users of each derivative are, how and when they should ideally be used, the advantages and disadvantages involved with each type, and the different pricing methods used for each of them. The first and simplest type of currency derivative is a forward contract. "A forward contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of currency at a predetermined dollar price on a specific date in the future" (4). Forward contracts are used in order to set up a specific purchase or sale in the future at a price at which will be acceptable based upon the information that one has today. Forward contracts are agreements that are made in what is called the "over-the-counter" market, meaning that they are individualized contracts that are unregulated and specific to each instance. The nature of a forward contract makes it a very illiquid asset, and because of this characteristic, these contracts are very rarely entered into by individuals or speculators. Forward contracts are primarily used by larger institutions in order to protect future earnings and eliminate exchange rate risk. "Forwards reduce the risk of loss by locking in the future exchange rate" (4). Forward contracts are not always guaranteed to be beneficial. If the exchange rate moves against the investor who is long in the contract, then the investor will face losses from the forward contract. However, seeing as forwards are typically used as devices for hedging, these losses will be counteracted by gains in the investment they were intended to protect. "Another problem with forward contracts is that they involve potentially large credit risk" (4). Since these contracts are not exchange traded and are unregulated there is no clearinghouse to ensure payment, creating a default or credit risk. In most instances, those who engage in forward contracts are not likely to default, for they are usually companies and the counterparties who involve themselves in the contract are quite often banks who require deposits; however, the nature of a forward contract still leaves the possibility of default as a potential risk. As a derivative, forward contracts provide an easily customized opportunity for hedging against exchange rate risk, which provides users with an opportunity that cannot be found in other standardized currency derivatives. Another type of currency derivative is a futures contract, which is very similar to a forward contract, but has several key differences. Like a forward contract, a futures contract involves a promise to buy or sell a currency at a specified price at a certain date in the future. However, "futures contracts, unlike forward contracts, are traded on organized exchanges" (5). This quality of a futures contract gives it a characteristic that makes it much more attractive than a futures contract, liquidity. Since they are traded on an exchange, futures contracts do not have the same default risk that forward contracts have, for the exchange acts as a clearinghouse for the contract and can ensure its fulfillment. In addition to being exchange traded, another "difference is that profits or losses from holding a futures contract are realized and paid out at the end of the day" (5). This process is called being marked to market, and makes the returns on futures contracts seem very different from those of a forward contract. Futures contracts are commonly used in a similar manner to forwards; they are used for hedging by corporations who are afraid of exchange rate risk. The key issue that comes into play when trying to enter into a currency futures contract is how is should be valued. Most futures contracts are for commodities and in these instances "theoretical futures prices of carry commodities are based on the cash-and-carry model" (Bell, 69); however, with currency futures, there is no underlying asset, so the model does not apply exactly. When looking at the cost-of-carry model, "in addition to interest cost, models of commodity futures pricing include storage and convenience costs" (McAleer, 278). In order to adapt this model, the storage and convenience costs must be removed and "the carrying costs are essentially domestic and foreign risk-free rates of interest" (278). Black's model is the standard cost-of-carry hypothesis applied to currency futures; however, "Black's discussion is correct only when the interest rate is constant over time" (Doffou, 566). In a study of the risk premium and cost-of-carry hypotheses for currency futures contracts, the results of the study provided "substantial support for the cost-of-carry hypothesis" (McAleer, 287). Although the cost-of-carry hypothesis that was put forth by Black is one of the most widely used and many believe it to be adequately accurate, several other methods of pricing futures contracts also exist. "Sundaresan provides a valuation of futures contracts in a general equilibrium framework where futures prices depend on the preferences of the agents in the economy" (Doffou, 566). This model differs from the Black model in two main aspects. First, it is based on a general equilibrium, while the Black's cost-of-carry formula values futures contracts in a partial equilibrium. Second, Sundaresan's model bases futures contracts prices on the preferences of agents in the economy, while the Black model is based upon the costs involved with holding the asset over a certain period. Another well known economist, Fama, presented a model based upon risk premiums. "Fama argued that, under market efficiency and rational expectations, the forward (futures) exchange rate is equal to the expected future spot rate plus a risk premium" (McAleer, 278). In comparison to the previous models presented, the model put forth by Fama can be likened to the Black model by intuitively comparing the risk premium to the domestic and foreign interest rate; however, typically when valuation is done, the risk premium is typically understood to be the return above the risk-free rate. Fama's model can also be easily tied to Sundaresan's model, for the preferences of the agents in the economy when valuing the futures contract could most certainly be associated with the risk premium they demand above the expected future spot rate. The simplest of all methods for the valuation of futures contracts comes from Thomas, who argues that "if the spot price is a random walk, then today's spot price is the best predictor of the futures spot price" (Bell, 69). In this argument, Thomas essentially states that there is no pattern to currency futures prices, for they are random, and therefore the only information that exists in order to predict the price in the future is the exchange rate today. If Thomas's assumption is correct, then a trader should buy whenever the futures price falls below the spot price and sell whenever the futures price rises above the spot price. In contrast with Thomas's base idea, a study of mean aversion and return predictability in currency futures declares that "in a market with heterogeneous participants including rational traders and uninformed noise traders, asset prices may reflect irrational bubbles or fads resulting in the violation of the random walk hypothesis" (Elyasiani, 9). The idea behind the random walk hypothesis is that prices are completely random, so if traders no longer engage in the random trading they supposedly typically take part in and begin to follow a fad, they create a bubble that will cause the random walk hypothesis to no longer be acceptable. Another model that has been studied in order to estimate futures prices involves the application of cointegration theory. "The basic insight into cointegration analysis is that, although many economic series are nonstationary, groups of such nonstationary variables may move together in the long run" (McAleer, 279). The application of cointegration theory would look for long run relationships that can be found between the spot prices and currency futures prices. "The presence of such cointegrating relationships has been observed in financial futures markets" (279). Although the idea of a continuous long term pattern that provides adequate predictive ability as to currency futures prices would be very useful, the long term nature of the data and general unpredictability of the currency futures markets that comes out of the large number of driving forces involved, cause the use of cointegration theory to price currency futures to seem inadequate. Although there are numerous methods available for the pricing of futures, the Black model still remains the most widely used and taught of them all. The principles involved with futures contract pricing using the Black model seem the most logical and most applicable. Another source of its acceptability may come from its relation to the pricing models we use for other derivatives also, for it is based on the same principles and uses the same concepts as commodity futures pricing and ideologically resembles other pricing models. A third type of commonly used currency derivative is the option. "A currency option gives its holder the right, but not the obligation, to take a position on a specific quantity of foreign currency at a prearranged price on or before the date the option expires" (Hopper, 7). In essence, a currency option acts exactly like a stock option except that rather than having a strike price at which the underlying asset, the stock, can be bought or sold, a currency option has a set exchange rate at which the foreign currency can be traded. "A currency option is a kind of currency insurance: the option insures against unfavorable exchange rate movements, so that the maximum loss one can experience is the premium paid for the option" (7). In this aspect, a currency option acts exactly like a hedge in order to ensure that a specific desired exchange rate is at least met. Currency options are seemingly more often used as speculative devices than the other currency derivatives. It has been shown that "information-based trading explains more of the trading volume in currency options on the US dollar/British pound exchange rate than hedging" (Sarwar, 698). This may be due to the nature of options themselves, for many other derivatives are more concrete contracts requiring possible future commitments and payments, while an option contract is exactly that, an option. The nature of currency options contracts is also responsible for the fact that "currency options are more attractive to informed trades than are the currency markets owing to the higher leverage available in the options market" (683). As with futures contracts, options are not simple to price, for it is difficult to put a value on what the opportunity to do something is worth. One model that is used in pricing currency options is the Garman-Kohlhagen model. This model is "actually only an adaptation of the ordinary Black-Scholes model for stock options" (Ekvall, 41). In the Garman-Kohlhagen (modified Black-Scholes) model, the spot exchange rate simply replaces the stock price and the foreign interest rate is included as an additional variable. However, it is important to note that "a number of studies have, in fact, provided evidence on mispricing of currency options by the Garman-Kohlhagen model" (41). In several models that incorporated stochastic interest rates and jump processes, there was little change in the predicted price; therefore "stochastic volatility option pricing models have been developed to allow for the impact of changing volatility on option prices" (266). One such option pricing model that diverges from the modified Black-Scholes model is Heston's stochastic volatility model. "The stochastic volatility option pricing models attempt to improve the pricing of options by allowing for a non-zero skewness and for higher kurtosis than is allowable in the log-normal distribution of the Black-Scholes model" (Krehbiel, 267). In a study on empirical performance of alternative pricing models of currency options, the modified Black-Scholes model and Heston's stochastic volatility model were compared in several respects. First of all, the study inquired into the effect of variable interest rates which are a source of pricing errors in the modified Black-Scholes model. The study concluded that "the stochastic volatility process of the model may have captured the impact of variable interest rates on currency option prices" (286). This conclusion comes from the nonexistence of interest rate differential bias found in the data and correlates with the conjecture from the Nobel Prize winning economist, Merton, that "the stochastic volatilities result in part from variable interest rates" (286). A second dimension that was explored in the study was the existence of pricing biases in the option pricing models. In the area of pricing biases, the stochastic volatility model once again proved to be more accurate than the modified Black-Scholes model. "The only bias that exists for the stochastic volatility model in the aggregate sample is the moneyness bias. In contrast, the prices for the modified Black-Scholes model exhibits the moneyness bias, volatility bias and the interest rate differential bias" (289). The third area which the study delved into was the pricing performance. This section was examined using regression tests of the degree of association between the actual prices and model-based prices. As it turned out, "the Black-Scholes model with daily-revised volatilities is somewhat better than the stochastic volatility model in predicting the actual option prices" (283). The results of the study showed that the two models were fairly equal across the aggregate sample and that "the main advantage of the stochastic volatility model over the modified Black-Scholes model for the present sample of options is in eliminating some of the well-known pricing biases of the Black-Scholes model" (289). When compared to other currency derivatives, options have their strong and weak points. "In contrast to a forward contract, [one] can benefit from favorable movements in the exchange rate when using options" (Hopper, 4). This result comes from the fact that in a forward contract the investor is already committed to an exchange rate, while with a currency option, an investor will receive the difference between the options exchange rate and the real exchange rate. More importantly, the decision to use currency options is more directly related to the decision of using futures contracts than to forwards. In most instances, currency futures are the main competitor of currency options. In deciding which currency derivative to use, one must take into consideration the goal trying to be achieved along with the level of risk and return one wants to receive. As a tool intended for hedging by corporations, "the empirical results indicate that currency futures contracts serve as a better hedging instrument than currency options" (Hsin, 706). The conclusion drawn from these results though may also be skewed. A problem with comparing the hedging effectiveness of an option with that of a futures contract is that "as options are designed to eliminate extreme downside risk, which is one-sided, comparisons based upon variance which is a two-sided risk measure, are biased against options" (Lien, 160). Volatility is the primary source of risk measurement in financial markets, and therefore a fair comparison of currency futures contracts and currency option contracts is very difficult to achieve. It is also important to take into account the costs associated with each derivative when choosing one over the other. "Corporate managers prefer to hedge the downside risk using futures rather than options, citing the large transaction cost in option trading as the main reason" (160). The preference of the corporate managers to avoid the large transaction cost is intelligent, for "upon taking into account the transaction cost, futures have a larger excess return per unit than options" (160). Based upon the evidence of options effectiveness in eliminating risk in relation to cost, options do not seem to be the ideal instrument to hedge with in most situations. Actually, "the only situation in which options outperform futures occurs when the individual hedger is optimistic and not too concerned about large losses" (168-169). In such a scenario, the trader is not a hedger, but essentially a speculator. When one is not attempting to achieve gains in such a manner, the trader becomes a hybrid between a hedger and a speculator. Due to this evidence, it seems safe to conclude that futures are far more effective instruments for hedging, while options are more attractive and provide greater opportunity for speculation. In addition to forwards, futures and options, another newer form of derivative that exists is a swap contract. A swap contract involves the exchanging of payment streams between participants and has often been referred to as a portfolio of forward contracts. Swaps can take two primary forms, interest rate swaps and currency swaps. Currency swaps are based upon exchange rates, while interest rate swaps are typically derived from LIBOR, the London interbank offered rate. Both of these two forms are used to protect from similar risk factors, but they do so in their respective manners. When looking at the potential uses of a currency swap contract, the nature of the contract in itself clearly predisposes it to be used primarily for hedging. First of all, it is designed to facilitate the exchange of future cash flows between currencies, which is not an activity conducive to speculation. Secondly, a currency swap contract is a derivative that takes place on far too large of a scale for almost any speculator. In addition to the standard version, swap contracts can also take different forms that are know as exotic swaps: such as a collapsible swap, which a firm can cancel if interest rates turn against it or quanto swaps, which let firms get a floating payment in another currency. Swap contracts, like forward contracts, are traded over-the-counter, making them easy to specialize to one's particular needs, but once again, like forward contracts, because swap contracts are not traded on an exchange, they face a default risk. When discussing the risks involved with swaps, several advantages and disadvantages come to mind. When trying to calculate the risk of a swap, it is important to remember that "the interaction of foreign exchange risk and default risk is crucial to credit risk assessments for a currency swap" (Usmen, 44). Swaps typically have very low credit risk; this aspect of a swap is due to the fact that "the notional amount is not at risk [therefore] a $1 billion swap has less credit risk than a $1 billion bond or loan." (Haubrich, Page Number). In most cases, default risk is also very low because the "Interest Rate and Currency Exchange Agreement issued by the International Swap Dealer's Association contains a provision that makes the defaulting party liable for full payment of amounts due under contract, as well as for additional compensation to cover the future loss of the other party, as long as it is solvent" (Usmen, 48). This provision helps to eliminate a great deal of default risk and essentially makes nonpayment "indistinguishable from closing out the contract or marking to market" (48). Swap contracts can be used for a number of different purposes. Some of the uses of swap contracts include, "managing the balance sheet and matching asset and liability cash flows, obtaining finer terms in raising new finance, restructuring the balance sheet around existing asset and liability structures, exploiting arbitrage opportunities, or separating risks to enable more effective risk management of the individual risk components" (Helliar, 65). Swaps can also be used at a national level in order to protect a country. "China and Malaysia signed a $1.5 billion currency swap agreement...[and] China has also signed currency swap deal with South Korea, Thailand, and Japan to make foreign-exchange reserves available at short notice to a country facing a rapid deterioration in its balance of payments and whose currency is under attack" (Anonymous, 30). The use of swaps to protect oneself from risk in international trade is vast and effective, from a small business to the protection of a national economy. Since a swap is more straightforward agreement between two parties with specified payment levels and light risk, and because swaps have unique method of application compared other derivatives, such as being used to denominate profits and costs in the same currency, there is far less disagreement about the proper method to value a swap contract. There are two basic methods for finding the value of a swap contract. "The market value of a currency swap is found by assessing the present value of the prospective cash flows in each of the respective currencies" (Kawaller, 46). A swap contract is also known as a portfolio of forward contracts and therefore it makes sense that "an alternative method of valuing a swap contract is to treat it as the sum of a series of forward rate agreements" (Gupta, 243). Both of the two methods for valuation of a swap contract are simple and to the point, without any disagreements about any variables, and therefore they are much simpler to choose between and use. In comparison to other derivatives, swaps occupy a unique niche that the others cannot quite emulate; however, the use of swaps does overlap with the use of other derivatives on some occasions. As concluded earlier, options contracts are used more often for speculation, while swap contracts are designed primarily for hedging; therefore, a comparison of the two would not be useful or effective. On the other hand, futures and forward contracts both serve similar functions to swap contracts and therefore can be compared. Although swap contracts are very similar to forward contracts, there is one key difference, their length. "Currency swaps are superior to forwards and futures for hedging medium and long-term exposures and eliminate the rolling over of forward contracts" (Evans, Page Number). In addition to being able to hedge effectively for longer periods of time, currency swaps also have the advantage of being able to "protect users from the risk of changes in the spreads between forward and spot exchange rates" (Same Page Number). The ability to provide the additional protection from the risk of the spreads expanding or contraction is a characteristic exclusive to a swap contract. One of the key differences between futures and forward contracts also creates an additional advantage for a swap contract. Since a swap contract is actually a series of forward contracts, and because futures contracts are marked-to-market daily, this difference between futures and forwards creates a convexity bias in swap contracts. "The price-yield relationship for the short swap position exhibits positive convexity; i.e. the price increases more when yields falls than the price falls when yields rise" (Gupta, 244). One final key relationship between swap contracts and futures contracts is explained in an analysis of swaps and the Eurocurrency futures markets. "The Eurocurrency futures markets and the interest rate swap markets are intimately linked to each other" (240). This conclusion is supported by the logic that traders who are involved in swap positions almost always use the Eurocurrency futures market to create a hedge. In relation to other derivatives, swaps are a more effective and safer method of hedging when it comes to large-scale and long-term international cash flows. Conclusion.... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Neolithic Park.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Neolithic Park A Short Story composed by: Reagan B Honors English II Mrs. Coultas - 3 August 16, 1993 "Thanks for that update, Bob," said the aged anchor person. His voice was rough and deep, as though he had been to sea recently and had taken home a throat lined with thick salt water. He sounded too serious, but friendly enough to be a local newscaster for a maximum audience of perhaps 20,000 bored stiff eyes. "And now we have a related story about the new sporting goods store here in Sidney. Nan Johnstone is there live. Nan?" "Yes, Phil. Thanks." Nan was an aged person as well, who doubled as the station's investigative reporter and local happening's person. Her voice was about as clear as Phil's. It sounded nasal and rusty, as though she had been talking her whole life and was about ready to give it up for good. "I'm here at what is now officially the largest hunting and fishing goods store in the world. Cabela's will be opening tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock, and the management is expecting nearly half the population of Sidney to show up for the grand opening event. In the past few nights, we have been bringing you related stories because of the incredible economic impact that Cabela's will have and already has had in our area. As you know, 2,000 people out of the Sidney area's 10,000 are already employed by Cabela's. That number is, of course, expected to rise in the months and years to come. The story we bring you tonight concerns the last step in completion of the 400 acre store and surrounding grounds. Today, over 700 stuffed animals arrived from an eminent taxidermist in northern California, and crews were immediately sent to work arranging 300 of the stuffed beasts in a brilliant display against the dividing wall in the center of the store. They let me take a sneak preview of the arrangement earlier, and it is incredible. Even if you're not planning to purchase anything tomorrow, the animals make it worth your trip. One may find the other 400 creatures on display throughout the store. They will be shown either one at a time with tape-recorded sounds of them and their habitat or they will be shown in groups. The main exhibit is arranged between the tents on display and the clothing section, and although pictures are not yet allowed from within the store, postcards will be available from any of the cash registers or from other points around Cabela's. We hope to see you all there tomorrow. Goodnight." "Thank you, Nan. We'll be there. It looks like it is going to be a very nice grand opening tomorrow at Cabela's. And speaking of very nice, here is Scott with the weather update." "Thanks, Phil. It was a beautiful day today, and tomorrow, at least until about six o'clock, we can expect the same. Tomorrow evening, there will be a severe thunderstorm warning, as well as a tornado warning for the Sidney area. The conditions look to me like we could have a tornado come right through town, but let's keep our fingers crossed until then . . . " The TV screen abruptly went blank via the remote control on the other side of the room. A young man, about sixteen, sat in a large, brown chair on the far side of the room, mechanically flipping the remote control over and over in his hands. He stood to about six feet tall and was about average weight. "I think we're going to go over there about four o'clock tomorrow." He spoke in a clear, intelligible, resonant voice. The tone suggested maturity of character and a quiet, serious disposition. "That's fine, Brian. Just let me know if you need a ride out there," said his mother, a woman of about forty. "I don't think I'll be able to go tomorrow myself, but maybe I'll stop by the next day or the day after that. Just let me know what your plans are." "OK, mom. I'll let you know. Goodnight, now." "Goodnight." Brian stood up from his chair and walked into his bedroom, where he immediately picked up the phone and dialed Chris's number. "Chris? Hey, what's up?" "Hey, Bri. Not much." Chris's voice was higher than Brian's, and did not sound as mature or as intelligent. At first impression, one would see Chris as very outgoing, yet possibly even too gregarious. "You hear anything about tomorrow?" "That's what I was calling you about." "Huh-Huh... That's cool." Chris attempted an impression of Beavis and Butthead, but he did not sound even remotely like either of the two annoying cartoon characters. "Well, I guess we'll go over to that Cabela's place tomorrow, pick up some girls, man . . . Huh-Huh . . . That would be cool." "Dude, give it up. What girls could we possibly find at Cabela's tomorrow that we haven't known our whole lives? Your options are pretty limited when you're living in a city of 8,000, Chris." "Why, you're quite the pessimist today. But anyway, there's no use in arguing with you. I guess we aughta head up there about five o'clock or so. Eh?" "Sure. Sounds good. I'll pick you up around then." "Oo! Gonna get picked up in Brian's parentmobile . . . yes! Huh-huh; anyway, though, see you then. Later." "See you tomorrow." After the evening's lengthy activities, Brian discernibly resolved to turn in for the night, and, after informing his mother of his plans for the next day, did so. The following morning was a pleasant one. The air had the sweet scent of creation, and the only audible tones were those of Mother Nature. Contrary to the meteorologist's dismal forecast for the evening, the day looked as if it would turn out to be enjoyable after all. The morning passed by quickly for Brian, and, as suddenly as he had woken up, the Time that Flies had taken him to the late afternoon. Brian approached his parents sitting in the dining room, visiting. "Well, I suppose I'll be seeing you all about eleven or so. By the way, you mind if I take the car?" He directed the first comment to his mother, who appeared to be the type who worried about details until she made herself sick with distress. The question, though, was directed at his father, who was sitting opposite his mother. With one fleeting glance, anyone could tell that Brian's father was most definitely the figure with the authority. He possessed a casual, confident demeanor, and when he looked up from his newspaper to say "sure" to Brian, his statement was indubitably irrevocable. "Just be careful, honey." His mother, though, still received an opportunity to do her arduous duty of worrying. "Will do. I'll see you all later." As Brian walked out of the front door, he was met by the vulgar sight of a '77 Oldsmobile station wagon, otherwise known as the 'parentmobile'. "Huh . . . I sure do wish I had a job so that I could have money for a car." He spoke out loud, to no one in particular. "Oh, well, I suppose I'll have to live with this thing until then." Brian sat in the driver's seat while he began to figure how many weeks he thought it would take him until he could save enough money for a decent car. Still figuring, he put the car in drive and headed for Chris's house. When he arrived, Chris was waiting by the door, and as he approached the station wagon, Brian could see him jokingly mouthing the word 'parentmobile'. "At least I'm sixteen." Silence filled the car for a moment, until Chris broke in with "Huh-Huh . . . that's cool." Once again, his impression had failed miserably. "You're getting better at that, you know." "Thanks for the encouragement. Oh, by the way, you need to pick up Nancy and Sarah from Sarah's house." "Nancy and Sarah? Oh, you mean the Nancy and Sarah a year older than us. Where do they live?" "Oak street." "Thanks for telling me so soon so that I have to turn around to go back and get them. No, really, I appreciate it." "No prob. Anything I can do to make you late." "Nancy and Sarah, huh? I don't think I know them too well. You?" "No, but I've talked to them in school a few times before. We're all in the same Latin class. Brian still seemed to be confused about the two, and after deciding that he was most likely thinking of someone else, Chris attempted to correct the situation. "You know, Nancy. She's pretty smart and has the long, light brown hair?" "Oh, yeah. She's, well, the less attractive one." "She's still not bad." "But Sarah, on the other hand, is incredible." Brian shook his head slowly and looked off in to the distance. It was obvious that he liked at least what he had seen of her. To Brian, Sarah was one of the people he had had a crush on ever since he had first seen her in the halls of school. Considering the fact that Brian would never have had the nerve to approach her on his own, he had thought that nothing would ever develop between them. Suddenly, though, his hopes had become remarkably more reasonable. "Incredibly stupid, you mean." "Do you mean she's not book smart, or are you saying that she just doesn't know what's going on?" "Well, she makes pretty good grades, but she's the most gullible person I've ever talked to. Oh, and, by the way, if she asks, my '69 Corvette is still in the shop." Brian once again shook his head, only this time he had a knowing smile on his face instead of a faraway look. "Don't you mean your '15 Vette, Chris?" he said through his quiet laughter. "I get it. Turn at the next street. Nancy's house is the third one on the right." "All right," he said, as he pulled the old, beat-up station wagon to the front of the Victorian-style white picket fence, "You can run up there and get them." As Brian watched Chris approach the front door, it seemed as if he were trying to process a hundred thoughts at once. "What should I say?" "What if I embarrass myself?" He then remembered his mother, who he always told worried too much, and he forced himself to stop his mental self-torture. He thought to himself, "OK, I just have to take it cool. If I just act myself, they won't even think about the car." Brian had always tried to make sure that no one knew he was an excessive worrier with a self-esteem problem, but he still tended to worry to himself quite a bit. Brian watched as the girl whom he had secretly liked ever since he could remember approached the door. With a pained look on his face, Brian then managed to endure the seemingly endless two minutes it took from the time they answered the door until the time they stepped into the car. Nancy was the first to speak as they entered the car. "Hi. I'm Nancy." "Hello, Nancy. I'm Brian." An awkward silence followed his introduction, and Brian could think of nothing else to say, but, "Sorry about the car. I know it's a piece." And then, after another pause, "It's my parents'." "Hey, you have nothing to be sorry about. At least it has wheels and runs. That's better than I have." Somehow, the words seemed to make Brian feel more at ease. At first, he thought it might be because they had some kind of connection between their personalities. On second thought, though, he decided that Nancy was probably just one of those people who has a natural gift for relating to others. "So . . . " Nancy attempted to make polite conversation as the others had once again ceased communication. "I know that we both know Chris from Latin, but I don't think either of us have ever really met you before, Brian. This is Sarah." "Hi, Sarah. Chris has told me so much about you." "Was it good or bad?" Sarah had an incredibly pleasant voice. Brian thought to himself that it was as pure, clear, and sweet as a mountain stream. He knew the words should have been sarcastic from anyone else, but she somehow made them sound so genuine. Brian decided he would investigate not only her reply, but also Chris' accusation of her gullibility. "Definitely bad, Sarah. You should have heard what he was saying." "Chris!" Her articulation had changed from polite to angry, but to Brian, the sound of her voice was still wonderful. "I thought I could trust you!" Brian quickly decided it would be best for him to break in to prevent any further damage. "Sarah, it's OK. I was just kidding. I thought that you were as well when you asked. Believe me, I haven't heard anything out of him about you except for compliments." "Really?" "Of course." Brian realized that Sarah genuinely was extremely naive. He decided that it was in his best interests to change subjects. "So, I hear Cabela's is still hiring some in-store employees. They hire at sixteen, too." Nancy was the first to voice her opinion at this. "I've been thinking about applying, but I'm not sure if it will fit in to my schedule with all the tough classes I'm taking this year. Speaking of Cabela's; according to that sign, we just entered Cabela's land." "Cabela's land?" asked Brian, "This place really must be as big as I hear. I can just barely see the parking lot from here." "Why do you think they would put the largest hunting and fishing goods store in the world in Sidney, Nebraska, of all places? I mean, come on, all 8,000 of us would have to buy something from here every day just for them to stay in business." Chris, for the most part, wasn't a cynic, but occasionally he enjoyed arguing. "Your mom works there, doesn't she, Nancy? Has she ever said anything about why they built it here?" "Well, from what I can tell, they do most of their business from the mail-order magazine. They probably decided to put the main distributor's headquarters here because Nebraska's kind of in the middle of the United States. They'll get more interstate business than business from Kearney and us." "Gee, thanks for that in-depth analysis of my shallow question, Nancy." "Anytime," she returned. It seemed strange to Brian how quickly Nancy had changed tones from very friendly, outgoing, and seemingly at a constant temporary loss for words to overly analytical and rattling words off like an accomplished debater. He could not seem to tell whether she was trying to be funny by her answer to Chris' question or if she were simply the type who not only makes quick changes of style, but also overanalyzes everything. "Look at the horses!" Brian had become so captivated with Sarah that he barely noticed the childish way in which she had pronounced 'horses' with a long 'e' at the end. "Uh . . . Huh-Huh. Horses are cool," Chris broke in. "Okay. You all ready? Good, let's go," Brian said. As they stepped out of the car and approached the front row of glass doors, a man in a white tuxedo reached for the door handle and swung it wide open, allowing the group to pass into an outdoorsman's paradise. The scene in the center of the store was incredible. A seventy foot high mountain sat atop a huge square, each side measuring about 120 feet. Around the outside of the square were various plaques, each describing one or more animals on display. Three snow white mountain goats stood on the top of the mountain, just above ice sickels hanging threateningly from the rocks. A howling coyote sat about halfway between the top and bottom of the mountain. Below it were two elk, a huge brown bear standing on two feet, two small deer, two huge moose, a panther, and a rabbit being chased by a fox. Above the entire scene hung a flock of large birds, each spanning about five and a half feet from wing to wing. Along the left side of the store stood three immense tanks of fish that were surrounded by tons of hooks, lures, poles, reels, and small bass boats. Behind the fishing accessories were dozens of isles of various outdoor clothing items. In the middle of the clothes stood two imminent grizzly bears, each about seven feet high. Behind the clothes was a door with a sign over it. The sign read, "Coming Soon: The Discount Cave." Next to 'The Discount Cave' stood the 'Something for Everyone' gift shop. Most of its occupants were women and smaller children. As far as the group could tell, with the exception of the small deli, the 'Something for Everyone' shop was the only place in the entire store that had nothing to do with hunting, fishing, or camping. Along the right side of the store stood more isles of hunting and camping clothes, as well as an assortment of heavy dress shirts with Cabela's logos on them. Rows of bows and arrows sat behind the shirts, and behind archer's heaven was the hunting section. The selection of hunting equipment was perhaps the most impressive Brian had ever seen. Nearly fifty yards of large guns sat behind the employees' counter, just waiting to be bought. The handguns sat idlely in the glass counters. People strolled along the counter, stopping periodically to peer at a hunting weapon that took hold of their interest. Unorganized boxes of ammunition and bird calls had been dispersed among the vacant remaining shelves. To the far left, another animal exhibit was visible. This one comprised a single, heinous looking tiger. A large, arched sign with the word 'Africa' on it in red letters towered above the tiger. The placement, backdrop, atmosphere, and overall look of the scene created an exceedingly ominous effect. The group had somehow been separated into pairs, and Brian found himself walking along rows of duck calls near the tiger display with Nancy. "That tiger looks a little bit too real." Brian looked at the tiger's lifelike posture and knowing eyes in amazement as he thought to himself. "No kidding, Brian. That's spooky." Nancy, too, stared at the tiger's viscous eyes. "I wonder how they make all of these dead animals look so alive." "Yeah, I know what you mean." As the two passed the tiger, they felt as if it was still staring at them, thinking of what a nice meal they would make. "That's strange. I wonder if that thing makes everyone feel that way." "No, it's probably just us." Nancy's soft giggle seemed to magically release much of Brian's silent anxiety. "We're just paranoid." "I guess so . . . Hey, look at that room." Brian pointed at a large room in which guns and knives sat against the wall and hung from the wall in separate glass containers. The sign above the large pillars that represented the doorway read 'Antique Weapons of the Early 1900's and of the Civil War'. Although no one was permitted entrance, Brian spotted American Indian hatchets, assorted muskets, and even a chair attached to a large machine that looked to be from World War I as he stood in the doorway. "Interesting stuff, but why don't we go catch up with Chris and Sarah?" On the other side of the antique weapons room stood Chris and Sarah, both staring in amazement at a stream of crystal clear water falling elegantly from strategically placed rocks in the middle of a large pool of water. In the water, large goldfish swam casually, not seeming to mind the concrete siding. Chipmunks scurried along the outside rocks, stopping once in a while to beg for food from onlookers. Chris removed a quarter from his pocket and placed it into a vending machine entitled 'Squirrel food'. He received a handful of peanuts that Sarah and he managed to feed to the large rodents as they passed by. "This is beautiful," said Sarah. "Uh . . . Huh-Huh. Squirrels are cool. Feeding squirrels is kick a- . . . " Brian managed to thump Chris on the head as he and Nancy approached the waterfall and Chris and Sarah. "We went into a tent over there that we wanted you two to see." Sarah spoke with enthusiasm and a wide smile on her face to the rest of group, and then skipped off in the direction of the tents. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Brian quickly followed Sarah, who had already settled herself in a large, six-man tent. As Chris stepped in, he darted his eyes from side to side, examining the every aspect of the tent. "Whew . . . this must be three times as big as my dad's tent." "Probably because this is a six-man tent, and his is a two-man," added Brian. "Good point. Hey, somebody shut the door." As the rest of the foursome talked blase, Nancy reached behind her to zip up the flap of lycra material that was the front door. "So, I hear there's a tornado warning for tonight," said Brian. "The weatherman claimed that it could possibly hit Sidney, or maybe even hit Cabela's." "As did I, mon frére," added Nancy. "You know, I can't hear a thing out of this tent. It must be completely noiseproof." Chris, the most knowledgeable about camping equipment in the group, interjected, "The purpose of the design is to keep all of the rain out, but, as it turns out, keeping the water out happens to also keep the noise out. I like it better this way, but my dad bought the one that doesn't keep all of the rain out. He says that it's dangerous to not be able to hear animals or other invaders in the night." "I suppose that if there was a fire in the building ten minutes ago, we wouldn't have known about it until too late." At Brian's comment, each looked at the other, and Nancy opened a corner of the door to hear the reassuring sound of the outside world. Nancy leaned over toward Brian and whispered in his ear, "Make up some crazy story, and tell it to Sarah to see if she'll believe you." As Nancy leaned back, Brian began his tale. "Nancy and I were just talking about something that happened while we weren't with you two. We had gone over to look at the main exhibit when Nancy noticed something strange. One of the larger birds' wings was twitching. I don't mean it had been caught in a gust of air, either. After a while, it seemed as if the entire bird had started to move. We decided not to stick around, but we did overhear some people talking about it later. They said that one of the people who works here took the bird down and took it back into an employees only room. Of course we don't know the exact scenario, but my best guess would be that whoever stuffed the birds didn't do a very good job. He probably just froze them and shipped them. So be careful, Sarah, when you walk over by the birds." The amazed look on Sarah's face was enough to make anyone laugh. Chris nearly accepted the invitation, but he managed to cover his mouth and turn the oncoming laugh into a cough. Sarah, with a frightened, confused look on her face, blankly uttered the single word, "Really?" The entire situation was more than the rest of the group could take, though. The three of them burst out laughing all at once, at Sarah's expense. After laughing for a few seconds, Brian said, "No . . . we're just kidding, Sarah. That wouldn't really happen." After the laughter had subsided, Nancy noticed that they had been sitting in the tent for nearly an hour, and it was now after eight o'clock. "Hey, you all. We probably should be getting out now. Somebody must be waiting for us." Nancy once again reached behind her to unzip the door, but this time no piercing noise of jostling customers was heard. Instead, the noise had been replaced by complete and utter silence. The four looked at each other without saying a word, ultimately making the silence even more magnified. Brian was the first to break the silence. "I think we should leave now, guys." "That's probably a good idea," said Nancy. With worried glances, the entire group made their way out of the tent. They were greeted on the outside by nothing but unequivocal darkness and silence. Without a word they made their way toward the front door. Nancy reached the row of tall, glass doors before the others and attempted to push one open. Her efforts, though, were useless. Every one of the doors had been locked from the inside as well as from the outside. "They're all locked." "So let's break them down!" Chris, in his panic, grabbed a lamp from the desk and hurled it at the huge pane of glass. The small, ceramic lamp smashed as it hit the door, leaving nothing but shards of pottery on the floor. Nancy broke in to the situation, trying to calm everyone down. "Come on, you guys. There's no point in panicking! There obviously has to be either someone else in the store who would have a key or a much easier escape route. I mean, look what you would have done by breaking the glass. Not only would you most likely end up having to pay for it, but also it wouldn't help us get out. There's an iron fence no more than thirty yards from here, and it goes straight up to the overhang in the front of the building, in case you didn't notice. All you would have done is let the rain in here." Brian quickly broke in with, "The rain! Everyone must have been evacuated because of a tornado. They said it would come right through here. It was probably on a path for the Cabela's building, and they told everybody to leave and to take shelter in their basements. Oh, no; it seems as if we were just talking about how it could be dangerous not to be able to hear outside the tent." "We were." "Thanks, Chris. I know that." Nancy attempted to take control of the situation at this point. "Come on! We have to find a way out before the storm gets worse! Okay, Brian, you and Sarah go over by the deli and into the employees only room. Look for windows, doors, or anything else that would give us a chance of getting out. Chris and I are going to look around the main area for stuff that we could use to build a ladder to get to those windows near the ceiling." "Okay, we'll be back. Come on, Brian." As they began walking toward the back of the building, Brian realized that they were headed for the evil looking tiger that had frightened Nancy and him earlier. "Come on, Sarah, let's go this way. We'll look over in the deli, first." Brian climbed onto the deli counter and jumped over it as Sarah found the swinging door and casually walked through it. "There's the door to the back. We'll go in there and look around for a door or a window or something, and then we'll look somewhere else if we can't find anything." Brian slowly opened the door that led to the back of the deli, and then peered inside. "Okay, let's go. I'll look for a light." The room was large, and, for the most part, empty. "I can't see anything but the outline of . . . maybe . . . a table or something." "Okay. I found a switch box here." Brian flipped quite a few switches before he finally found one that illuminated the room. The new light was greeted by a scream from Sarah who immediately ran for the door. "Wait, what is it?" Then Brian saw what must have scared her so badly. On the table laid a large bird that looked almost exactly like one of the birds hanging from the ceiling over the main exhibit. Brian's story must have made her considerably apprehensive. "Well, I don't see anything of use in here. You?" "No. Let's get out of here." The nervousness in Sarah's voice made Brian anxious as well. "I should stop believing people so easily. But I always worry about what people will think about me if I don't believe what they say." "I don't know what to tell you. If what they're talking about couldn't possibly happen, just don't believe it." During the conversation, Brian failed to realize that he was leading them into the hallway with the Africa exhibit and the sinister tiger. As they approached it, Brian could see nothing but two small red dots through the darkness. He sensed danger as he grew nearer and nearer the ferocious animal. As they passed, though, the impending peril withdrew. In the employees only room, they discovered nothing but a large, neon 'EXIT' sign with no door underneath. The other two had about the same amount of luck. "I think we should just give it up and stay here for the night. What do you think, Chris?" Nancy spoke as if she were weary after losing a hard fought battle. "Unless Brian and Sarah found something, which I somehow doubt, I think we're just wasting our energy trying to get to those windows. Oh, there they are, now. Did you two have any luck?" Chris yelled to the other two, and the echoing sent chills up the spines of each of them. As Brian and Sarah approached, Brian began to speak. "Okay, here's the deal. You two are going to go back to one of the tents and sit tight while Chris and I try to bust open the switch box to get some light in here. I think the darkness is just making everything worse for everyone." At this, Nancy and Sarah headed for the tents while Chris and Brian walked toward the hunting gear. "Grab that scope and break the glass, Chris." Chris broke the glass to the handguns, and, to their surprise, no alarm sounded. He then reached in through the broken glass and picked up two weapons. "I'll go look for some ammunition," said Chris. "Yeah, good idea. I'll get one of those big knives from the other end of the counter." After getting two boxes of ammo for the two guns, Chris walked to where Brian stood, near the large, locked metal box that held all of the light switches. "Try shooting the lock from the side, Chris. Just make sure you don't mess up the circuitry." Chris loaded the weapon with six bullets and fired two directly at the lock on the right side of the box. The bullets had absolutely no effect on the lock. Each of the two bullets bounced back as Brian realized there was no way to even make a dent in the steel with such a low-powered weapon. He knew that it was no use to try to break in. The only way they could possibly turn the lights on was to find a key to open the box. Suddenly, a small, scratching sound was heard from the other side of the counter. "Did you hear something?" "Yeah," said Chris, "I'll go check it out." Chris looked over the edge of the counter to see a small, white rabbit sitting against the wood of the counter. It moved its head from side to side and then took a small hop forward, causing the same scratching sound. Brian no f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\New American Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I learned the history. I knew the names. I knew the events that took place. Vasco da Gamma and the Cape of Good Hope, the Ivory Coast, and, of course, the infamous slave trade. I remember sitting on a wooden school bench as my teacher recounted stories of the slave trade. He told of how prisoners of war were sold to the white man in return for guns, powder, and gold in the midst of civil wars. He told of brothers selling sisters, sisters selling brothers, and fathers selling sons and daughters, when in essence, they were selling their own souls. African history can be so frightening to a fourth grader. I was young and innocent.** I was also naive, but those childhood attributes began to fade as I grew up. I gained more of an understanding of what had gone on and why. I realized that times had changed, and that the people, traditions and customs of our cultures had evolved as well.** I immigrated to Texas from Uganda to live with my father in 1987. The move came as a culture shock. To a 12 year old from the lush tropical landscapes of the Nile valley, America was an amazing mass of concrete and steel. It was an assault on my senses. Where I was accustomed to grass, trees, and cultural homogeneity, I was now faced with concrete, skyscrapers, and a rainbow's worth of "new" people and the whisper of the valley winds muffled by the constant hum of traffic on LBJ Freeway in Northern Texas. The night sky was robbed of its twinkled brilliance and in its place was the incessant blinking of turn signals and the muted glow of streetlights. America was very different for me back then; but now it has become a place I can call home. The bulk of my "cultural acclimation" took place in Junior High and High School, where I came in contact with a variety of cultures, made friends, and dug into the American way of life for the long haul. I can't say that it was the best of times, because they were not. For me high school in America was a very lonely, confusing experience. I found myself without a social safety net, without a group of peers with whom I shared a common bond. I was not particularly welcome in the black community. Other than being the subject of ridicule, I never felt that I had much in common with the black population in America. I found it odd that I had nothing in common with the American black population other than the color of my skin. I found out later that it was because I lacked the inborn animosity** too harsh If reviewed by a different audience, revise to something like bias** towards white people that had been perpetuated through generations of the black experience. I got to feel the ghostly itch of the social scars branded by the slave trade of so many years ago, and later aggravated by the civil rights movement. I lacked the Angry Black Male (with a chip on his shoulder) perspective. My accent set me apart from the local vernacular, ostracized me the moment that I opened my mouth. It took me a while to settle into friendships; I felt marooned on this empty island of life with no one to turn to. But instead of fighting for acceptance, I decided that it was better to just be myself. I was in a new country with plenty of chances to define myself on my own terms. I became a member of several extra-curricular clubs and organizations, bent on taking full advantage of my right to do so. I gained experience and exposure to the American democratic process by running for Student Council, as Secretary. I later expanded my political participation by joining the Young Republicans. We held meetings to discuss local and national election proceedings, often debating the very issues hotly debated in the National Presidential Campaigns of 1992. At UNT, I joined the Progressive Black Student Organization, partly as an initiative to actively participate in the black community. I decided to discard my fears and get more comfortable with where I was. In time, I also grew accustomed to my new family. I learned to call my new siblings true brothers and sisters, I learned to play with them and most importantly, I learned to trust them. We went to school together, suffered the same disappointments, and relished the same joys. We cried, we laughed, and we yelled and screamed together. They were family, where everything begins and ends: one sister; seven half-sisters, five half-brothers; two stepbrothers, and two stepsisters. Seventeen. There were varied interests and a collage of temperaments; they were the proverbial mosaic of physical and spiritual existence. To an outsider, it's the modern-day clan, the extended family motif gone awry. To me, it's a legion of peers, my own private fan club. They push, they prod, they interfere and intervene; but most of all, they inspire. Their diverse geographical distribution is also a plus. Culturally, I never lose sight of where I have been. My brother, Isaiah, in Uganda, is a constant reminder of where I am from, while James here in Dallas reminds me of where I am headed. Interestingly, my siblings serve as my creative triggers, often surfacing in many of my creative and artistic endeavors. As an artist, I have used my family as a creative pulse in many of my projects. After a trip to Uganda one year during my undergraduate studies, I organized an exhibit with a world-renowned commercial photographer, Stewart Charles Cohen. The exhibit, held in celebration of African-American History Month, was held at UNT's Art Building. It was a photographic, collaborative success that highlighted the cultural wealth of the people of Africa. In effort, it was meant to elevate the culture beyond the Hollywood-generated image of an AIDS and hunger-stricken continent, full of wild animals. It was my exercise of the freedom of speech. I finally felt the freedom to freely express my opinion, undeterred and uncensored. One student reviewed the show, stating that [my] "photographs heavily emphasized the people and cultures in Africa...The people are seen by Teddy to have a new found sense of hope.... He has respect for the 'true' African culture that is not manufactured by product and entertainment marketers...." Featured, were images taken of my siblings and other family members in Uganda. Some of the imagery centered around the remnants of war, particularly the devastation created in the wake of Uganda's infamous dictator, Idi Amin. Such a show would not have happened during his rule. It felt good to have the freedom to contribute creatively to the enhancement of African culture. My family also played a huge role in my collegiate and post-collegiate athletics successes. As a student athlete, I competed to succeed both on the field and in the classroom. I was recruited and awarded an athletic scholarship by the University of North Texas. It was a huge accomplishment for me, because I entered my senior year of High School resigned to the fact that I would have to get a full-time job and go to school part time. Armed with a scholarship, I entered my freshman semester with a sense of accomplishment. It was a challenge, juggling my academic obligations alongside a heavy training schedule. After a jittery first year, I began to excel both academically and athletically. I received several awards and recognitions for my efforts. I was named Male Scholar Athlete and received the John D. Muchison, Sr. Scholarship, two years in a row. I also managed to get on the Dean's List for four semesters. Meanwhile, on the fields of competition, I took on the challenge of the decathlon on the UNT track team because I felt untested with just doing the hurdles and high jump. The combined events competition offered a far greater challenge, thus a greater reward in personal satisfaction. Once I got used to the rigorous training schedule of the new event, I broke the school's decathlon record that had stood for five years. I set my sights higher by going after Uganda's national decathlon record. The crux of Uganda's athletes is centered on long distance running. Facilities are unavailable to support a multi-disciplinary event like the decathlon, so it was a blessing to train in the United States. I knew it was a goal that would take me a few years past graduation to accomplish. In order to achieve my goal, I had to balance several priorities: working, training, the rigors of competition, and family obligations. What proved to be most difficult to handle was the psychological torture that I had to endure after suffering relentless season-ending injuries. Three years in a row, my season was cut short because of devastating injuries that ranged from pulled muscles, to sore tendons and repeated strained hamstrings. My confidence took a beating as well. This year's season performance was a welcome confidence builder. After nine attempts at finishing a decathlon injury free, I broke the Ugandan National record in June and participated in the All-Africa Games in Nigeria this summer. I was able to finish both competitions and without a hint of injury. **Closing paragraph need to restate you're thesis** Question: Please write in essay form about your experience as a new American. Indicate, if appropriate, the role of family and other institutions in bringing you to the position you now hold. Also indicate what activities you have undertaken that might give evidence of creativity, accomplishment, and commitment to the values expressed in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\New Education and Class Size Essay pg2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 Stephanie DiTomaso The most important group that a large class size can affect is the students. Youth is the way of the future. Everyone wants to try and succeed in life and become all they can be, but sometimes objects can get in the way. I know that sometimes I cannot work properly in an environment where there are too many kids in a class. The reason is that there are too many distractions and interruptions, which can cause me to feel stressed. I have found that larger group sizes have a tremendous impact on student achievement. Student's academic engagement can increase, as the instructional group size diminishes. This means that students are coming to class and being more involved in school. Small class sizes enhance safety, discipline and order for the students. The most important aspect, in my opinion, is having smaller class sizes where more independence can occur. This means that there is more of an opportunity that a student will succeed. It also means that many students will feel more comfortable and start to ask more questions, which is the best way to learn and become intelligent. The only thing I would like to see is that more teachers be hired to cope with the increasing enrollment. Although having a smaller class size would be the best for everyone, there is just not enough money in education to give grounds for smaller class sizes. I know throughout the years of my education, I would have accomplished more, if there were fewer students in my class. I am happy to enroll in a college next year, which will have less people in a class, than a university that can go up to over a hundred students. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\New Essay pg1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Life is Short Stephanie DiTomaso, 12-1, Block: A September 26, 2003 Assignment 1.1 Life can pass anyone by within the snap of a finger. I myself have witnessed that life has a tremendous way of fooling me into believing that it seems to be long. Now I am in my last year of high school, and I realize how fast my life has gone and how fast it will continue to go. When I was a little girl, I thought it would take me forever to reach where I am today. I turned seventeen in May and getting to this age seemed like a long journey, but in actual fact it went by quicker than I expected. I believe that my life has gone by so fast because I am constantly distracted and focused by my present life and future. I am either worrying about my homework one minute or thinking about how I am going to present myself at school the next day. There seems to always be something constantly going on in my mind. There is never a moment in my life where my mind is just still. I believe that life is so short, because people are all busy thinking about what they have to do next, so that before they know it years have gone by. I am always looking at my calendar and worrying about the next day. This makes it difficult for me to take time and enjoy the day. Like myself and many others, I am too obsessed with my everyday schedule. Now I often think to myself how much time I have wasted worrying and stressing over nothing. My whole life has just flashed before my very eyes. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\New Essay pg2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 Stephanie DiTomaso Sometimes I worry about turning thirty or forty and what my life will be like. The reason is simple; when I turn that certain age, I will not be able to do the things I could do when I was younger. So as I get older, I know that my attitude on my life will change. For example, when I turn thirty I know my way of looking at things will have changed as compared to when I was in my twenties. So instead of being preoccupied with twenty or thirty years from now, I should focus on each present day as it comes. No wonder my life has gone by so fast. I am already thinking about turning thirty, and I haven't even finished high school. It has come to my attention that life will not be over at any age. Age is just a number. Life only ends when death begins. If I could just sit back and take the time to experience living like there is no tomorrow, maybe life would not seem so short. I have to remember that this is not a dress rehearsal and this is not a practice round; this is real life. This is my real life. There is only one chance and when there is only one chance the best must be made out of it. I should at least try to make the best out of life and be happy. I know that God would like everyone to be happy. There is only one shot in this game, may the world make the crowning event with it. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Nick in the Great Gatsby.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Nick versus Gatsby Mainframe computers analyze information and present it so that the observer is able to make accurate observations. In The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator, Nick Carraway, tells a story in which Jay Gatsby tries to attain happiness through wealth. Even though the novel is titled after Gatsby, Nick, just as a mainframe computer, analyzes the actions of others and presents the story so that the reader can comprehend the theme. Throughout the novel, Nick is the vehicle used to gather all of the pieces together to learn about Gatsby. Nick is a one of a kind in the novel. He also is the only character that changes in the novel from the beginning to the end. Nick is the literary device that is employed to learn about Gatsby, which ultimately tells the theme of the story. Throughout the novel, flashbacks are inserted, courtesy of Nick, to reveal piece by piece about the mysterious Gatsby. Nick patches the pieces of the puzzle together regarding Gatsby's past and lack of a future. Nick is like the box of a puzzle; the puzzle is impossible to put together without it. Without Nick, the reader's opinion of Gatsby would be drastically different. The reader's opinion would be swayed by the idea that Gatsby becomes rich via bootlegging alcohol and counterfeiting bonds. Nick persuades the observer that Gatsby is "...worth the whole damn bunch (rich class) put together"(162). Even though Gatsby aspires to be part of the upper echelon, he, fortunately, is different from them. Nick also analyzes Gatsby's behavior in order to provide the reader with details and a summary of the great man. At the end of the novel, Nick comments on Gatsby's life by stating that "(Gatsby) had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him"(189). Without Nick, Gatsby's true colors would not be shown and his behavior would be left not pondered. His presence from the beginning to the end of the novel is imperative. Nick's uniqueness parallels his importance in the novel. Nick is very unique and different from all of the other characters in The Great Gatsby. Most of the characters symbolize reckless people during the "rip roaring twenties" that only want to be in the "fast lane" and do not give a damn about others. Nick sticks out of this crowd like a "sore thumb". Geographically, Nick was raised in the "friendly" middle-east, while the book takes place in the "snobby" east. Tom, which is a representative of the rich, casually has an affair with Mrytle while with Daisy. On the other hand, Nick does not get involved with Jordan extensively because he has not broken relations with his old girlfriend in Chicago. He promises himself that "there (is) a vague understanding that (has) to be tactfully broken off before I (am) free"(p64). As a result of Nick's and the other character's differing values, he is considered an outsider. Only several times is Nick invited to rich gatherings. When he is "partying" with the rich, he resents the fact that they merely drink and gossip. Nick's uniqueness is probably best illustrated by Gatsby's funeral. Even though Nick knew Gatsby the least amount of time of all of his friends, he is one of the only participants at the funeral. Klipspringer, one of Gatsby's friends, symbolizes the morals of the rich by stating that he cares more about his own tennis shoes, than attending Gatsby's funeral. Another one of Gatsby's "friends" cannot attend the funeral because he is "tied up in some very important business and cannot get mixed up in this thing now"(174). Nick is totally different than everyone else, which ultimately puts him in the spotlight. Since he is exposed, it becomes obvious that his character changes. Unlike any other character in the novel, Nick undergoes a change from the beginning to the end. Even the "Great Gatsby" stays the same still believing he will obtain Daisy and happiness with the acquisition of money. The society accepts that Jordan, Nick's new girlfriend, cheats in golf and society even accepts affairs-the ultimate dishonesty in relationships. At the beginning of the story, Nick tries to become part of the rich society by accepting Jordan's dishonesty. He rationalizes that "it made no difference to me. Dishonesty in a women is a thing you never blame deeply-I was casually sorry, and then I forgot"(p63). He also "chums" around with Tom and Mrytle to tries to fit in at their parties. Nick also believes that Gatsby is a fake, unlike the Buchanans. As the novel progresses, Nick learns and changes. When Mrytle and Gatsby die, Tom and Daisy symbolically take a trip to Europe. This portrays the idea that the rich buy out of trouble and their carelessness. Nick comments that "(The rich) (are) careless people, Tom and Daisy-they (smash) up things and creatures and then (retreat) back into their money or their vast carelessness... and let other people clean up the mess they had made"(187-188). He finally realizes how selfish and irresponsible the rich are. As an example, Nick is disgusted at the fact that Jordan feels no remorse for the Mrtyle's death and is only worried about dinner. Nick's opinion of Gatsby changes as well. He realizes that Gatsby is too worthy a man to have an empty funeral. Therefore Nick promises to the late Gatsby "Just trust me and I'll get somebody for you-" (172). Throughout the novel, Nick is instrumental as voice that tells the reader about Gatsby. He is "both within and without", never really assimilating like the rich. Most importantly, Nick is the only character in the novel that changes. Nick Carraway is the main character of the novel. Without Nick, the important allegorical message would not be illustrated: Money cannot buy love, friends, and family. It is a fake form of security! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\nicks online essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Nick Howard Essay Writing The example of language that I chose to elaborate on is that of the online world- possibly one of the most influential and commonly used interfaces in our country. Interestingly enough, the terms and steps taken to get "online" can be interpreted as a metaphor for human society and human interaction in general. For instance, the concept of establishing a "connection" is in essence one of the most valuable skills attainable in the overall scheme of social relations. In life, connections can get us everything from valuable job offers to free trips to Disney Land; the possibilities are only bound by our own perseverance. An online connection follows much the same trend-it serves as an intermediary to the luxuries of the internet. After this connection is established, once again, all that is holding us back is the extent of our imagination. In short, the internet seems best defined as an intangible utopia, one which mirrors the opportunities and prospects that await us in our actual lives. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Night Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lauren Hogler English 10 Period 4 March 31, 2004 Night Elie Weizel's novel, Night, is about his hardships and experiences while living in several concentration camps during World War II. The word "night" is a very significant one in his life, because ever since he first set foot in a concentration camp, his life became one long night. "Night" is a motif in the story, it can mean many things and is used in different ways throughout the book to describe situations, people, his feelings, or actual night. According to Weizel, "night" could describe just about any situation that happened during his time in concentration camps, and even after he was freed. Night is a metaphor for his entire life after being sent to the camps. "Never shall I forget that night, the first night in the camp, which has turned my life into one long night...Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever" (pg. 32) are quotes from the book, in which he is describing his first day at Birkenau, after witnessing children and babies being burned in pits. Soon thereafter, he would not allow himself to have feelings. He became numb and just felt dark and cold inside, he could only think about himself in order to survive, and everyone else was the same way. People who were sent to concentration camps were probably constantly filled with fear of death or pain, or being separated from family and friends. They too went through the feelings of life being one long night, not being able to tell what day it was, not knowing where their families are, or if they were even alive anymore. Winter months at the camps were by far the hardest of all. Temperatures were frigid, people did not get enough to eat, and did not have proper clothing. "The days were short, and the nights had become almost unbearable." (pg. 73) Again, Weizel uses the word night, but to describe actual night. Night will always be in Elie Weizel's mind because of the tragic things he had to go through, just because of his religion. He will forever have to live with the memories of life in concentration camps, and the long night that his life became. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ninties Love Story.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Nineties Love Story Once there were two people named Marsha and Leroy. They were madly in love with each other and there personalities were exactly alike. Marsha and Leroy were absolutely perfect for each other except for two characteristics about each of them. Marsha had a rather wealthy family and there neighborhood was on the East Side of Atlanta. Leroy had no money at all and he lived in the projects on the West Side of Atlanta. The problem wasn't that Marsha didn't want to go out with someone who wasn't as financially stable as she was, or that Leroy was ashamed of where he lived. It was that a few years before they knew each other they both got in gangs, Leroy got in a gang from the west side and Marsha got in gang on the east side. These gangs where rival and if anyone of there gang friends found out about there friendship both of them would be shot. Neither Marsha or Leroy would ever sleep at night because they would spend their nights deriving up plans so that they could either get out of there gang without being killed or a way that they could see each other without being caught by either one of their gangs. They never got to see each other because Leroy didn't have a phone and neither one of them had cars. Finally Leroy had to see and be with Marsha so he snuck out of his apartment stole a car and drove it to the neighborhood where Marsha lived. He stood up by her room and threw rocks up at her bedroom window until she looked out and said "boy how you trippin down there trying to through rocks up at this window know in I is fast sleep" then she wiped the sleep from her eyes and saw that the person throwing rocks at her window was Leroy. When she noticed that the person she was yelling at was Leroy she yelled with excitement "hey, what are you doing here, I'll be down in a second." She ran down the stairs and right as she came through the front door she got shot right in the head with a 9mm by one of the Leroy's fellow gangsters. He didn't know that they had followed him to Marsha's house. Leroy was filled with both anger and sadness at the same time because the only reason he had for living was gone because Marsha was dead. So the next morning he got up took one of his guns from under his bed and went around where all of the other gang members where, and as each of them would wank up he would shoot them in the head just like they did to Marsha. Soon after he was done with his killing spree he used the last bullet on himself. He kneeled down on the ground put the gun in his mouth and killed himself "Curt Cobain Style". f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\No More Laughing for Paddy.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Yer Name Here Poetry/Fiction Paddy Clarke No More Laughing for Paddy Roddy Doyle's Paddy Clarke HA HA HA was a beautifully written book. It perfectly captures the mind of a ten year old boy in Ireland during the mid-1960's. Paddy Clarke, the young boy who Doyle uses to enter the mind of a ten year old, is a boy who most can relate to. The book explores most aspects of life through the eyes of Paddy. Doyle takes us through childhood and childhood's end. Doyle is able to seize the complexities of life, but at the same time simplify them enough for ten year old. Everything is a mystery or an adventure to Paddy and his friends. From taking over construction sites to receiving polio check-ups. However not everything is a game to Paddy. His parents lack of compatibility troubles Paddy and his brother Sinbad greatly. The intensity of his parents arguments accelerate as the book goes on. At times Paddy feels he can stop them, at one point he considers himself a "referee" in the fights. "I didn't know what I'd do. If I was there he wouldn't do it again, that was all."(p.191) He ends up contemplating who he would want to win. He comes to the conclusion that he would want his mom to win because she does so much for him, however his father is his father and he loves him. Sinbad reacts differently to his parents fighting. He doesn't try to intervene or stop them. In fact he closes up, he implodes emotionally. He cuts himself off from everyone. During one of their parents arguments Paddy tries to talk to Sinbad, but Sinbad shuts himself off. ""Sinbad?" He didn't answer. He wasn't asleep though, I knew the breathing. I could hear him listening. I didn't move. I didn't want him to think I was going to get him." (p.222) This drama did not effect me as much as the daily life. The fights I could not relate to. I had never experienced arguments of such high caliber. But inevitably I had experienced the life of a ten year old. I could relate to Paddy's reactions to certain situations at school. For instance when Paddy and his grade are in line to receive check- ups a joke is made and Paddy says, " I laughed harder than I had to. We all did" (p.144). Doyle was able to allow me to not just be a reader but an actor. He was able to make me believe that I was part of Paddy Clarke. Just the way the book was set up brought me closer to the days of being ten. The book was formatted like Paddy's mind. Jumping from thought to thought and scene to scene. This low attention span was what really brought me in to Doyle's world. I believe that this book won the Booker Prize because of the way the book is able to avoid sentiment but touch on the important aspects of being ten. Doyle is able to take the life of a young boy and make it interesting, humorous, and most of all meaningful. It touches on subjects of life that adults still have trouble conquering. "Why do people not like each other?" is a question Paddy poses in the book. What seems to be a simple question asked in an innocent way, is actually a question that has stumped many. It may seem redundant, but the true reason the book is so powerful is how all the elements are put together to form this masterpiece. Not many books allow the reader to feel like you are one of the characters. The most puzzling part of the book is the title. Paddy Clarke HA HA HA appears to simple enough but it is loaded with meaning. The title is only used once in the book and it is on the second to last page. "Paddy Clarke, Paddy Clarke has no da. Ha ha ha!" The book deals with Paddy shedding his childhood ways and taking on the responsibilities of adulthood. A significant part of how the title is placed in the book is the line right after it. Paddy says," I didn't listen to them. They were only kids." Earlier in the book Paddy was often making fun of other kids. He was convinced his family was perfect. But now when things are not so perfect and Paddy is forced to step up as man of the house, he crosses over the line into adulthood. Instead of retaliating like he would have done earlier in the book, Paddy simply does the mature thing and ignores them. The key phrase is "does the mature thing". Finally Paddy has shed the coat of childhood. And to back this thesis up even further on the last page of the book Paddy sees his father after a long period of his parents being separated. He address him with a handshake and a" how are you?". To me this truly defined his maturity. Roddy Doyle truly touched me through Paddy Clarke. Very seldomly do you get to finish a book with such a sense of fulfillment, but yet a yearning for more. It is a feeling that is seldom used. Doyle was able to stir up memories, thoughts, opinions, and emotions I had forgot I had. He was able to bring me back to the good old days of innocence and exploration, he was able to make me ten again. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\NotesfromArchPhoto.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Notes on Photographs at the Archive 8.27.03 Cather photos in Cather's 1902 scrapbook from her trip to France: Snap shots show cather grouped with friends, posing outside of buildings One in particular where she is posed on a rock her right hand extended, looking off to her left. Whit blouse, long skirt, hat. Photograph of Cather by Chester Cathedral (?) Cather is staring off to the right , with the building behind her. Foliage in foreground-sharp spears. Opening image, Cather wears a wool hat, on steamer with little girl. Cut into oval shape, with cather tilting her head and giving a faint, dimpled smile to the photographer. An exciting look for her-a great opening image to begin this scrapbook. Philip L. and Helen Cather Southwick Collection Nicholas Muray/NY portrait...cape w/ flower-like desingn on shoulders, metallic-lloking blouse. Cather sitting at small talbe with mall notebook/book? In jacket. Rinehart Marsden Omaha Looks like a painted background. Very soft -looking picture. Snaps of Cather in same tie by the ocean, with dark coat-looks like velvet, hand in pocket. Hat. Charles Cather was photographed in 1870 at G.W. Davis, Washington D.C. and Richmond VA Check cather children's names: James Cather JA Bulkley RCElsie Cather Wegmann's Studio, Blue Hill Picture of Helen: typewritten on back: Willa and I were experimenting with indoor photography and this is a result. Cather & two young nieces at Chavez statue-the meeting snap picture & inspiration for novelJune 14, 1926 George P. Cather, Bradbrook photo 1892-Board of country supervisors Geo. P. Cather Taken in Winchester VA Sept. 17, 1866, 19 yrs. Old George had his picture taken throughout his life, in various cities-Boston in 1890...Baltimore in 1906 Next time look at boxes 17-19 George Cather Ray Collection. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Odysseus is not a Hero.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Odysseus Is Not A Hero A hero is ³a man noted for his special achievements² according to the dictionary, but if you ask most people what a hero is, you will get the same general response. They will probably say ³someone who does something for other people out of the goodness of his heart.² Odysseus, who is the main character of the book ³The Odyssey² written by Homer, would fit the dictionary¹s definition of a hero; but if you go deeper, looking at what people feel a hero is, he doesn¹t even come close. In the book, Odysseus does nothing out of the goodness of his heart. Even if Odysseus fought in the Trojan War, he is not a hero because he is self-centered and ignorant to other people¹s values and needs. There are multiple examples of Odysseus being self-centered, such as not taking people¹s advice. Odysseus was given advice from Circe that said not to try to fight Scylla even when she takes six of your men, but Odysseus tried to fight her and he lost three more men than the six he already lost. He also neglected to take the advice from his crew member, Eurylochus. Eurylochus told Odysseus not to send men to see what was on Circe¹s island and because he sent them anyway, they ended up being turned into pigs. Odysseus also neglects other people¹s lives when he takes action; such as when he tried to fight Scylla after strictly being told not to. Because of this ignorant action, he lost three more men on top of the other six. He also sacrificed men when he waited at the Cyclops¹ home for ³gifts.² Odysseus was very self-centered where real heroes are not. Odysseus also lacks the part of the hero profile which includes having a good heart. Odysseus definitely does not have this because he kills people without giving them a chance. Odysseus killed every one of the suitors in cold blood when most of them didn¹t commit a crime suitable for the death penalty. He also killed all of the maids who were raped by the suitors as if the had a choice in the matter. Odysseus also doesn¹t care about his crew members. When Elpenor fell off the roof at Circe¹s house, Odysseus didn¹t even bother to bury him. He doesn¹t support up for his crew members either. At the Cyclops' house he didn¹t try to defend his crew members who ended up being killed and eaten. Being cold-hearted definitely is not a characteristic of a hero. Being disloyal is not characteristic of a hero, but Odysseus was. While he was on his journey, Odysseus had affairs with other women. When he stayed at Calypso¹s Island, he had multiple encounters with her despite his marriage to Penelope. He also had multiple encounters with Circe when he stayed at her island for a year¹s time. While Odysseus was being disloyal, his wife , Penelope, stayed completely loyal despite the suitors urging her hand in marriage. She still stayed loyal even when Odysseus was thought to be dead. Therefore, Odysseus had no reason to be disloyal to his loving wife. Disloyalty surely doesn¹t belong on a hero¹s record. Although a war hero, Odysseus is not a hero in other respects. This is so because he is self-centered which is clear because he doesn¹t value other people¹s lives. He also is cold-hearted which is proved by his unlawful killing and his lack of support for his crew members. As well, he lacks the loyalty of a true hero as shown by his affairs with other women even though his wife remained faithful. A hero is someone who does something for other people out of the goodness of his heart, Odysseus clearly is not this. Outline I) Introduction A) The average definition for a hero B) What Odysseus is like compared to the definition C) Odysseus isn¹t a hero II) Odysseus is self centered A) He doesn¹t take people¹s advice 1) Circe¹s advice about Scylla 2) Eurylochus¹s advice about Circe B) He doesn¹t Consider other people¹s lives 1) Got crew members killed at Scylla because he tried to fight her. 2) Got crew members killed at Cyclops¹ because he was being greedy. III) Odysseus is cold-hearted A) He kills people without giving them a chance 1) Suitors 2) Disloyal maids B) He doesn¹t care about people 1) Elpenor didn¹t get buried 2) Doesn¹t try to prevent deaths of crew members IV) Odysseus is disloyal A) He had affairs with other women 1) Calypso 2) Circe B) Wife didn¹t betray him 1) with suitors 2) even though he was thought to be dead V) Conclusion A) Odysseus is self-centered B) Odysseus is cold-hearted C) Odysseus is disloyal f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Odysseus.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Golden Sock Years after Odysseus came from his twenty year trip, Odysseus began to feel restless; he wanted to go on an adventure. He knew that his wife, Penelope would not agree to his decision to go seek the long stolen, "golden sock". To many people, this may be any ordinary sock, but to Ithica, it was different. It was the sock worn on the first person to set foot on the land of Ithica. Odysseus finally decided to go on the journey to seek the "golden sock." He snuck away leaving Penelope a note telling where he is, and what he wants to do. Him, and his hundred crew men went all the way to the Gibralter strait where he was turned around by Charybdis' funnel, and stranded on the peninsula of Hubble. He picked his best men to search the beautiful island. "Men, our objective here is to find the long gone, "golden sock". We have traveled hundreds of miles already, and we still have not come close to finding the "golden sock". I want you to look at the feet of every man on this island, hoping to see the "golden sock". This may not be easy, and we may have to fight, so I want every man to be ready to go to war," Odysseus claimed. Odysseus and his men came to a cave and were directly surrounded. They got ready to fight, but the people were only trying to find out if they were friendly or hostile. The people were called the Takol Klan. They invited Odysseus and his men for the verrano feast. The Takol Klan, that greeted them, seemed to overly excited to Odysseus. "Hey, do two of you want to come and help us set up for tomorrow's feast," Taboli said. "Sure, Odysseus, Ankortipo and I are going to go with these friendly hosts," said Amtiphorus. "Go ahead, you two, but watch your back; we don't know these people, they might have the holy, golden sock," said Odysseus. Odysseus gathered all of his men, and told them, that their main task was to look at all the men's feet, trying to seek the "golden sock". Odysseus followed the soldiers to the sitting room, and a mammoth of a beast was sitting on the couch watching T.V. He stood up and introduced himself. "My people call me Cyclops, and you can see why, I am the leader of this tribe." "My name is Odysseus, my men call me Odysseus, but you can call me Master." "Welcome Master. Will you join me for dinner in my private quarter?" asked Cyclops. "Sorry Cyclops, I would like my men to be present during my dinner," said Odysseus. "No problem Master, that can be arranged." Half an hour later, Odysseus and his men were called to the dinner table. They ate quickly shrugging off any conversation starting questions. After their feast, Odysseus left the room with Cyclops and asked where his two crew members were. Cyclops replied, "what do you think we had for dinner today?" Odysseus gagged and leapt for the Cyclop's throat. Warriors came to the rescue and attempted to kill Odysseus. Odysseus ran back to the dinner table and roused his men to fight. They fought all night and half of the crew were killed. All of the Takol were lying motionless in their own pools of blood. Except for Cyclops who shook with spasms on the ground after Odysseus stomped on his head and tore out his eye. "Come on men, let us search all the dead people to see if one is wearing the golden sock," said Odysseus. "But the men are under a pool of blood," said on of Odysseus' men. "Swim under, and check. I don't care what you men do as long as you check every man for the golden sock," said Odysseus. The men searched for hours, and did not find anything. So, Odysseus and his crew headed out of the peninsula of Hubble and were sailing home when a storm broke out sending them through the portal of time, or the Girbralter straight. He ended up in calm water, and they sailed through many, many moons. Finally, they arrived in a place where there were many, many tall shiny mountains thrusting up into the sky. Odysseus tried talking to some of the natives, he asked them what this place was called. They told him Florida dude, USA." They had never heard each others dialects before so they both ran after answering. Odysseus ran to his ship and the native ran to the Florida Post. The editor of the Florida Post was enthralled; he immediately sent the story to the printers. Meanwhile, a crowd gathered around Odysseus' ships to see the so-called cavemen. All the news channels were live from the center of all the excitement. In the crowd was a murderer, cold blooded murderer, but nobody knew it. To him murder was like sex; it was addicting and you had to do it in more than one place, and to more than one person. He is a physic vampire; he sucks all the energy from a person and they eventually die from this. His next targets were Odysseus and his crew. Each night they found on crew member missing until the final confrontation between the monster called Tom Psyche and Odysseus. They fough all day and all night runnign between the city and the ship. Tom had more stamina and endurance than Odysseus, so naturally... the Psycher jumper from the ship's crow's nest onto Odysseus' back. Odysseus managed to get Tom off his back, then twisting Tom Psycher head off. He took off Tom Psycher shoes finding the "golden sock." The Florida State Police arrived, witnessing Odysseus stripping the "golden sock" from Tom. Odysseus began to run towards his ship, instructing the captain of his crew to leave Florida. The State police gave Odysseus a warning, and began to fire at him, and at his crew. He managed to dodge the bullets, and make it successfully on to the ship. They sailed off into the Atlantic Ocean. They sailed for many, many moons, and were still clueless of to where they were. They had finally spotted land, when a storm broke out sending them back through the portal of time, sending them to the peninsula of Hubble. They sailed back the Straight of Gibralter, finally reaching their homeland, Ithica. Thousands of Ithican's were out their waiting to touch the "golden sock", and that they did. And from that day on, the people of Ithica lived happily ever after. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\of Mice & Men John Stienbeck overview.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Of Mice and Men Mini-Critique John Steinbeck was born in Salinas California on February 27, 1902. His mother was a school teacher in the public school in Salinas. Steinbeck grew up in the beautiful Salinas Valley which furnished most of the material for his novels. His mother read to him, at an early age, famous literature of the world which planted a seed in his imagination. He entered Stanford in 1920, remaining there until 1925 but never graduating. In 1930 Steinbeck married Carol Henning. Steinbeck died in 1968. After college, Steinbeck moved to New York, where he worked briefly for the old New York American newspaper and helped with the construction of Madison Square Garden. His first book, Cup of Gold (1929), appeared two months before the stock market crash and sold about fifteen hundred copies. Steinbeck returned to California, living in migrant worker camps to furnish inspiration for writing novels that described the problems and stresses of the times. Of Mice and Men takes place during the great depression in the Salinas Valley, California. It is a story about two farm-hands, George Milton and his large retarded friend, Lennie Small. George and Lennie are on their way to a farm that has harvesting jobs available. While camped along side a river George and Lennie talk about their dreams of someday owning a farm with rabbits for Lennie to take care of. The next day George convinces the farm boss to hire Lennie and him. Lennie¹s Love for feeling soft things becomes a problem when he is playing with a puppy and accidentally kills it. The wife of Curley, the boss¹s son, comes into the barn to talk to Lennie. The climax comes when Curley¹s wife lets Lennie feel her hair, but he strokes it too hard and she becomes scared. Lennie holds her tightly to keep her from screaming and ends up breaking her neck. The resolution of the story happens when George shoots Lennie through the back of the head. George does this for Lennie¹s own good. The main theme of the story is that, no matter how lowly on the social scale, everyone has the unalienable right to pursue their individual dreams. While the value of friendship is another strong point that comes through in the book. Magill, Frank N. ³Of Mice and Men² Masterpieces of American Literature. Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. ³[Of Mice and Men] is perhaps the finest expression of the writers lifelong sympathy for abused common people.² Roberts, James L. Cliffs Notes on Steinbeck¹s Of Mice and Men. Lincon, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Inc., 1966. ³Part of Steinbeck¹s greatness lies in his ability to capture [the] tone of basic reality.² Of Mice and Men is based solely on the events that transpired in the Salinas Valley during the great depression. The story accurately shows what life was like among most people just trying to survive. John Steinbeck actually lived as a migrant worker during the depression, this is how he managed to so truthfully portray the lives of the people who were simply striving to make their lives better. Works Cited Author Background Hart, James D. ³Steinbeck, John² The Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press, 1983. Salzman, Jack ³Steinbeck, John² The Cambridge Book of American Literature. Cambridge University Press. Plot Analysis Magill, Frank N. ³Of Mice and Men² Masterpieces of American Literature. Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. Roberts, James L. Cliffs Notes on Steinbeck¹s Of Mice and Men. Lincon, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Inc., 1966. Criticisms Magill, Frank N. ³Of Mice and Men² Masterpieces of American Literature. Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. Roberts, James L. Cliffs Notes on Steinbeck¹s Of Mice and Men. Lincon, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Inc., 1966. Historical Perspective ³Depressions and Recessions² The Book of Knowledge. Grollier Incorporated, 1993. ³United States of America, The: History² Colliers Encyclopedia. MacMillan Educational Company, 1990. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Of Mice and Men 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is the story of two simple farm hands, Lennie Small, who incidentally, really isn't very small, and his better half, George Milton, on their quest to have "a place of their own," with plenty of furry bunnies, of course. Sound strange? Read on to get clued in. The book opens along the banks of the Salinas River a few miles south of Soledad, California. Everything is calm and beautiful, and nature is alive. The trees are green and fresh, lizards are skittering along, rabbits sit on the sand. There are no people in the scene. Suddenly, the calm is broken. Trouble is in the air. Animals begin to scatter. Two men have arrived on the scene, and the environment seems troubled by their presence. For a moment the scene becomes "lifeless." Then in walk George and Lennie. Lennie, a large, retarded, big man who has the mind of a little child, and who loves to pet soft, pretty things, and George, a little man, who has assumed the responsibility of taking care of his simpleminded friend Lennie, are walking on their way to apply for a harvesting job on a nearby farm. The two had been traveling together for quite some time now, which was very rare, because most farm workers rarely have companions, but George and Lennie have been together ever since Lennie's Aunt had passed away, and Lennie began to follow George around everywhere. Instead of hurrying to the farm that night, they stop by a stream to camp in the open, and they'll arrive at work the next morning. Why? Well, Lennie isn't very bright. George didn't want him to blow the job opportunity. The logic between waiting until morning until going to work was, that way, all the other farm hands would be out working, thus they'd have a better chance of getting the job, since Lennie wouldn't have to confront to many people, which can easily make him "confused." During that evening, George had to take a dead mouse away from Lennie, who had been hoarding it because he liked to pet it. George tried to teach simpleminded Lennie that you don't pet dead things, but Lennie had a hard time remembering. George is aware that Lennie has difficulty remembering things, so he has to remind him every time that they went for a job not to say anything, and to let him do the talking. He also stresses the importance that Lennie returns to the particular place and hide in the stream or bushes if gets in any trouble, which plays an important role later on in the story. Also in the forest, we here the story of living "off the fatta' the land," for the first time. They dreamed of one day having a place of their very own, in which Lennie could tend to as many bunnies as he would like. Lennie was apparently obsessed with this dream, because all throughout the book, he nags George to repeat the story over and over, like a child. The next morning during the job interview, the boss of the farm becomes suspicous when George answers every question for Lennie. George told him of the situation, how he isn't very smart, but he makes sure the boss realizes that he is an excellent worker. The boss is a little suspicious, and believes that George is taking advantage of Lennie, so he had to lie, and he told the boss that they were cousins, in order to get rid of any suspicion. Then they were hired. That night in the bunkhouse, which is were Lennie and George were staying, there is a conflict over whether or not the old dog which Candy, an old crippled farm hand, owned should be killed or not, because it smelled so terrible. After much argument, Candy agrees to let Carlson, another farm hand, kill the old dog. After making sure that the dog had his head turned, Carlson shot him. Candy later regrets letting someone else shoot his own dog like that, and wishes he would have put him out of his misery himself. This is foreshadowing an event that takes place with Lennie and George later in the book... Later that night, after the old dog had been killed, Candy realized that he to would soon be old and unwanted like the dog was, so, wanting to have companions, he decided to join Lennie and George in their dream of having their own place, where they could all be together. This becomes an important theme throughout the book, the idea that all people have dreams, and also that fact that all people need companionship to get along. Meanwhile, Curley, the arrogant son of the boss, who likes to try and pick on bigger people that he is, was trying to find his wife, and he couldn't find her anywhere. When he walked into the bunkhouse and saw Lennie grinning, about the dream of the place that they would one day have, of course, he began to hit him, thinking that Lennie was grinning towards him. Lennie did nothing for self defense until George told him to. He then, almost mechanically, reached out and crushed Curley's hand, with no apparent difficulty at all. This gets Curley all steamed, and would eventually push him over the edge later in the book... That weekend, everyone is in town but Lennie, Candy, and Crooks, who is a Negro stable keeper who keeps to himself, and has no friends. After being really rude towards Lennie when he tried to walk into his quarters of the bunkhouse, he saw that Lennie was generally friendly, and let he and Candy in. They talked about their dream of their own place, and Crooks decided he'd like to join them. He said he'd work for his keep. They all agreed on it, and now Crooks too was in on the deal, that is, until Curley's wife, who is also just as lonely as the farm workers, is bored and comes in and begins to harass him, and he realizes that he really has no hope of these things really happening. The next day, Lennie receive's a puppy after begging George, but accidentally kills it by playing too hard with the puppy. Curley's wife, who is really bored, sees what he is hiding, and tries to talk to him about it, explaining that it was okay, it was only a "mutt." After she discovers his obsession with petting things, she lets him pet her soft hair. He enjoys it, but doesn't know how to be gentle, and pets it to hard. She struggles to get loose, but he held her closer. When she tried to yell, he held her even tighter, because he was tensing up, afraid that he had done something bad, and if anyone found out about it (he wasn't even supposed to be talking with her in the first place), he'd get in big trouble, and not get to tend to the bunnies one day, which was his big goal in life. Knowing this, and not knowing what to do, he grasped her tighter and tighter, until his strength had snapped her neck, leaving her dead. He was all confused, and afraid. He knew this was bad. Luckily, he remembered to run to the forest and hide if he was in trouble, so he did. When Candy discovered her body, they new immediately that it was Lennie. Curley, was furious, and in addition to this, he was already mad about Lennie crushing his hand, so he ordered that all the men go with him to find Lennie and kill him. George was concerned for his friend, so, while he stalled, he stole Carlson's gun so he wouldn't have it to go after Lennie with. Then he ran ahead of the gang to the forest to check on Lennie. Meanwhile, Lennie was seeing strange things. He saw a huge image of his Aunt, and she was scolding him for messing things up, and always being a hassle for George. Then he saw the image of a large rabbit. The rabbit told him that George would beet him, and that he'd never be able to take care of the rabbits. Lennie, having complete faith in his good friend George, denied all this, saying that George would never do such a thing. After a little while, George showed up, and Lennie was relieved. He told Lennie that everything would be alright. But not even George could deny that Lennie had done something very wrong this time. While Lennie had George repeat the story of the place that they would one day have, and Lennie's back was turned, he pulled out the gun and shot Lennie, killing him. The rest of the workers then caught up and congratulated him for his doings. Why had George killed his dear friend Lennie? Well, think back to when Candy had to part with his dog, and he let Carlson do it for him. This was the same type of situation, but George decided that he'd rather put Lennie out of his misery himself rather that see him mutilated by the vengeful Curley. It was mainly for his own good, and at least he died happily, thinking of his long life dream. But George had sacrificed his companion, and he too, like the other farm hands, would now have to live a life alone in misery, with nobody who cares for him. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\of mice and men.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Of Mice and Men "Of Mice and Men", by John Steinbeck, is composed of four major themes. These themes are the value of dreams and goals, moral responsibility, social injustice, and the bond of friendship and loyalty. The value of dreams and goals are that they provide hope and the desire to keep going in life, rather than laying down to die. When Lennie is feeling depressed in the woods he asks George to tell him about the "dream farm" again. This is the farm that Geore and Lennie hope to own someday. Even though this dream seems almost impossible at the time it still generates enough hope to keep Lennie and George going. When George starts talking bout it Lennie gets all excited and happy and so does George. Another example of the power of dreams is when Candy over hears George and Lennie's "dream farm" and becomes a part of the dream. Candy goes from a depressed sad additude to a cheerful excited one. He now has hope of doing something and it came from the "dream farm". A final example of the value of dreams and goals is when Crooks hears of the farm. Crooks is a lonely black man who has no future, but when he starts to think of how he can be a part of the dream he also gets happy and excited, until his dream is crushed. Many people of good character have to honor certin moral responibilites. George is bond by his own moral to take care care of Lennie. No one makes him do it, he just does it because it feel like the right thing to do. Candy felt like he neglected his moral responibility to shoot his own dog. Candy felt real bad inside because it was his job to shoot his dog but instead Carlson shot him. This shows that when a person goes against what is moraly right to them , they hate themselves for it. At the end of the story George is forced, out of moral, to shoot Lennie. It was the right thing to do, and even though it almost killed George inside to kill his best friend, he still did it. Social injustice is when a person or a goup of people feel they are better than people who are different by race, inteligence, age, sex, or other differences. Curley is rude and mean toward Lennie for the sole reason that Lennie is a big guy. Curely dosn't like big guys so he singles out Lennie and attacks him. Another good example of social injustice is Crooks. Crooks has to be alone all the time because he is black. When Crooks tells Miss Curley to leave his room Miss Curley threatens that she can get him linched. This reduces Crooks to a big pile of nothing and crushes Crooks dreams of going to the "dream farm". Crooks only responds with a series of "yes mam" 's then becomes beyond depressed. The power that one person can end another's life with a single lie without and evidence is a prime example of social injustice. A final example of social injustice is Candy being old. He is treated old and useless, if he stuck up for Crooks about the Miss Curley lie no one would believe him. Miss Curley laughs at Lennie, Crooks, and Candy because to her they are all below her. The bond of friendship and loyalty is a force that keep people looking out for each other, rather than themselves. When Lennie is getting beat up by Curley and Lennie, Lennie wasn't fighting back because he was being loyal to George's request for him not to make trouble. George sees lennie getting beat up and tells Lennie to fight back out of friendship. When Crooks starts telling Lennie that George might die or get hurt Lennie gets mad. He feel that someone, Crooks, might hurt his friend and almost fights Crooks to defend his friend. Candy shows loyalty when he tells Miss Curley that he would stick up on Crooks behalf if she tried to lie and yell rape. Steinbeck used these four themes to show what problems America was faceing at the time. A time of racial injustice, loss morals, tainted loyalties, lost hope and smashed dreams. The people needed their eyes opened to what is important to everyone as a whole rather than to one. In the battle to rise up in the world, people rarely care who is on the bottom and why they are there. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Old Man By the Sea.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sea "The great DiMaggio is himself again!"(21), in Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Old Man and the Sea, which takes place near Havana, Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, a very old, unlucky, fisherman sets out for the big catch. The great DiMaggio is seamed throughout the novel to symbolize the old man and his struggle to catch the big fish, yet also he poses as a role model for Santiago (the old man). The old man is using the great DiMaggio for a role model. At a certain point in the struggle to catch this great fish, the old man begins to cramp up in his left hand, do to the fish pulling so strenuously on the line. Where as the great DiMaggio (during this time) is struggling with a bone spurn his ankle, yet still continues to play baseball, and plays well. The old man looks at DiMaggio as a role model in the sense that if DiMaggio can play with a bone spur in his ankle and tough things out, then he will work around his cramp and continue to fight the fish, as would the great DiMaggio. This is what the old man thought, "Do you believe the great DiMaggio would stay with a fish as long as I will stay with this one? I am sure he would and more since he young and strong. Also his father was a fisherman. But would the bone spur hurt him too much?"(68). "But I must have confidence and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly, even with a bone spur in his heel"(68), this particular quote from the old man shows that the image of Joe DiMaggio works in fulfilling its role in the old man's challenge of catching the fish. When thinking of the great DiMaggio, the old man remembers to give himself more confidence, and in doing so thinks back to his younger years when he was referred to as the champion because of an arm wrestling match. This gave the old man more strength and will to push on and fight the fish until he wins. Also this image of DiMaggio reminds him he must be very strategical, and do everything right, despite any cramps in his hand. There is hard evidence that shows that DiMaggio symbolizes the old man. Previously Joe DiMaggio had been struggling in his profession of baseball, due to a bone spur in his heel. The whole team struggled because DiMaggio was the main hope to the Yankee's team. Now in the case of the old man, who had previously struggled to catch a fish because of his newly developed unluckiness, struggles in his life because he has not caught a fish and in turn, has no money to buy the necessities for life. Well as soon as DiMaggio picked up his game and started to play at a whole new level, the old man hooked into a great big marlin, and started a fight that would change his life. Not to mention the fact that DiMaggio played outstanding even though he suffered from a bone spur in his heel. As did the old man out struggle and out think the fish even though he suffered from a temporary cramp in his left hand. All of this shows how DiMaggio "is" the old man "The great DiMaggio is himself again"(21). In conclusion to Hemingway's novel, The Old Man and the Sea, the great DiMaggio is most definitely a symbol of the old man himself, and his struggle to catch a fish. Also DiMaggio poses as a role model for the old man. Within this paper there were great facts from the novel to prove that my thesis is indeed strong, and something to think about. But one could ask himself, "Is it possible to take a model figure, such as the great DiMaggio, and use him in such a way to give yourself courage, confidence, and strength to succeed in your goals?" The old man would tell you so, and so would I! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\olymipic essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jordan Stolle The Olympics are a great time for countries to some together for healthful competition. Many countries such as Japan, America, and Kazakhstan, which all have completely different cultures and religions all learn to work with each other. If our governments or rulers could work this way then the world would be a much better place. Attacks such as September 11th wouldn't occur any longer. The opening ceremonies to the Olympics have all different cultures walk in holding their flag peacefully and also carrying the Olympic flag. Many countries come together and some even combine as one. The Olympics are not only sports competition, but they are a great way of earning friendships and making peace. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Once And Future King Analytical Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Once And Future King Analytical Paper Sir Lancelot's intense desire to perform heroic deeds was brought on by his lack of confidence and insecurity. His childhood was spent in seclusion, training for a job desired only to escape the hellish life that his hideous face would otherwise hold in store for him. Lancelot's adulthood was spent trying to overcompensate for this ugliness by performing Herculean feats and good deeds. And the twilight years of his life were spent in remorse for the bad things he had done. Although held up to almost godlike stature in T.H. White's novel The Once And Future King, Lancelot was truly the most human character of them all. Lancelot's childhood was spent sequestered, training to be a knight in order to escape from his ugliness and give him something to be proud of. Lancelot wanted to be a knight because he felt that he was a depraved, lubricious soul. His hideously twisted visage was a sure sign to him that deep in his inner self he was an evil person. Night and day he brooded over his ugliness, his malfeasance. "The boy thought that there was something wrong with him. All through his life - even when he was a great man with the world at his feet - he was to feel this gap: something at the bottom of his heart of which he was aware, and ashamed, but which he did not understand."(p.315) As a result of this fear of himself, Lancelot trained to become a knight. The knighthood, a bastion of chivalry and nobleness, would be the only way to counter his immoral soul. Secondly, Lancelot lived a baneful existence as a boy. He was kept away from all the other children and spent his every waking hour with a fiery old man in a single room, learning to fight, joust, and fence. This may seem extreme to some, but for Lancelot, it was all he had. "Three years may seem a long time for a boy to spend in one room,...unless you realize from the start that...this rather sullen and unsatisfactory child, with the ugly face, did not disclose to anybody that he was living on dreams and prayers."(p.320) While this single-minded seclusion would make him a great knight, it also kept him alone. He had no childhood friends, nobody to relate to, nobody to tell him that he was a good person. Consequently, his misgivings about himself took a firm root. Finally, Lancelot was filled with terrible, hateful thoughts toward himself and his face. The only job he could succeed in would be the knighthood, a profession in which a man is measured not by his looks, but by his strength. He was clinging to the dream that he would be able to become the best of them all and conquer his fears. Lancelot worked for a goal that he had to attain in order to prove to himself that he was not impure. He wished to become a heroic miracle worker. "He supported himself mainly on daydreams. He wanted to be the best knight in the world..., and he wanted one other thing which was still possible in those days. He wanted, through his purity and excellence, to be able to perform an ordinary miracle..."(p.323) Lancelot had to prove to himself that he was not evil. He knew that only the pure of heart could work miracles. If he could be pure and work miracles, then he would know that any inherent evilness he might have had would be taken away, and he would have nothing to be insecure about. In conclusion, Lancelot's childhood was a seedbed for his wretched self-image, but also a seedbed for his skills. Indeed, if he had not been so unconfident, he would not have worked as hard as he did, because the only reason he wanted to be a knight was to show that he was more than just a repugnant, vile-looking ape. Although his body grew since his childhood days, the adult Lancelot was still concerned with trying to overcompensate for his feelings of insecurity. When he became an adult, Lancelot did indeed become a great knight. He was the strongest in the land, and the noblest. Yet he still thought that he had not done enough. He was still trying to overcompensate. He tried to be the best, and tried almost too hard. From childhood, he had worked toward this goal. "'I had spent all my childhood, when I might have been chasing butterflies, learning to be your best knight. Afterwards I was wicked, but I had one thing. I used to feel so proud, inside myself, because I knew that I was top of the averages. It was a base feeling, I know. But I had nothing else to be proud of.'"(p.463) In this statement we learn definitively that Lancelot was only proud of his deeds. He was proud not of himself, not of his thoughts, but of his deeds. We must ask why this pride? It seems the only true answer is that Lancelot was ugly. He thought that his ugliness stemmed from an inherent evilness, so he could not be proud of himself. He could only take pride in his deeds, for they were the only truly good things that he had, and once they were gone there was nothing left. Another example is Lancelot's affair with Guenever. In the beginning of their love, Lancelot felt badly about it. He felt that their relationship was making him impure, and so he went out to be a hero. Lancelot thought that his inclinations toward Guenever were coming from his evil soul. These thoughts added to his insecurity and compounded his belief that he was a sinner with no hope of redemption except by his good works. So he went forth to go questing, hoping that the good deeds he would do would balance out his impurity and flagitiousness. Finally, Lancelot flat out states that the only reason why he performed great deeds was to make up for his troubled soul. "'You see, Arthur, I had a lot of troubles on my mind which being a famous fighter seemed to make up for, a little, and when that was gone it felt as if there was nothing left to me.'"(p.463) This proves that the reason Lancelot was so keen on being a champion was to make up for his troubles. He felt that his good deeds would counteract his malfeasant nature. All in all, Lancelot's golden years were spent trying to contain his insecure spirit by being a Superman and failing, for supermen are found only on the pages for comic books, and not in real life. When Lancelot was in the final stages of his life, he still could not lose his uncertainty, his self-depreciating mentality. For example, when he killed Gareth and Gaheris, he could not admit that it was an accident. Instead, he put the blame directly on his own shoulders. He blamed it on his wickedness. "He was in his customary religious misery. 'It was my fault. You are right that it was unlike me. It was my fault, my fault, my grievous fault.'"(p.589) In the preceding quotation, Lancelot denigrates himself as he always does. He thought that he had subconsciously wantereams. He wanted to be the best knight in the world..., and he wanted one other thing which was still possible in those days. He wanted, through his purity and excellence, to be able to perform an ordinary miracle..."(p.323) Lancelot had to pstakes up to his demonic soul. With every mistake comes the realization that he is imperfect, and will no longer be able to perform miracles, which just makes him more insecure. Another example comes before Mordred seizes control of the kingdom. Lancelot, Arthur, and Guenever are together in a room, and Arthur is about to talk about the time when he drowned all the baby boys. Arthur asks them not to blame him, and Lancelot says, "'We are not in a position to blame people, King.'"(p.546) This quote, pure and simple, shows Lancelot's base feelings about himself. He feels that he has been an evil person in his life, and that he is not qualified to blame Arthur for anything. In other words, he feels that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Lancelot cannot understand that the good deeds he has done cancel out his supposedly wicked nature. A final example comes again from the Gareth/Gaheris affair. While reflecting on what he has done, Lancelot condemns not only himself, but the whole human race in a scathing soliloquy. "'I killed him...because he refused to wear his armour against me. What horrible creatures humans are. If we see a flower as we walk through the fields, we lop off its head with a stick. That is how Gareth has gone.'" As we have seen so many times, Lancelot has a very heavy heart. He is guilty about his terrible mistake, and chalks it up to his wickedness. He then condemns the whole human race, judging them all to be murderous tyrants. Seeing as how he is a member of the human race, he is condemning himself as well. He cannot find solace in the good deeds he has done. He prefers to dwell on the negative aspects instead. He is insecure, unconfident that he could ever overcome his negative inclinations and do good works. In conclusion, During Lancelot's older years, instead of finding joy and comfort in his good deeds of the past, he can only see his evilness and his insecurity about himself. Lancelot longed all of his life to be a hero as a result of his insecurity. He always thought that he did not measure up to what he should be. He always considered himself a failure. His childhood was spent dreaming about what he must do to overcome his fears, his adulthood was spent counterbalancing those fears several times over, and his later years were spent reflecting on what a bad person he had been. He always considered himself a failure. He was set in his idea that his ugliness made him evil, and that he could never be good. Lancelot lived his entire life under these assumptions. He could never see what a truly good man he was. Lancelot always considered himself the Ill-Made Knight. What he failed to realize was that he was a man, a mortal man. Knights are men, with frailties and failings like everybody else. If he could have realized how much alike he was with the others, then he would have seen that he was not the Ill-Made Knight, but truly the Well-Made Knight. Alas, though, his vision was only skin deep. For if he could have known how much his need to succeed had helped other people, if he had known how much better he really was than everyone else, then he would have finally come to the conclusion that his homeliness was not a curse, but a blessing. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\One Sick Christmas.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jay June 1/5/96 One Sick Christmas "Hurry up Joe! It's 10:15, your fifteen minutes late!" Claire screamed from outside the dressing room with a hint of a New York Accent. Claire was Santa's helper at the mall. "I'm coming!" Joe yelled back. "Stupid kids, I hate kids." Joe mumbled to himself while getting himself dressed. Joe was the Santa at the local mall. Since Joe had just been released from the mental institution for insanity, the cost of the institution wiped him out of money so he needed the job badly. When the job was offered to him he had to take it. Joe was a scrawny man. Not your usual Santa Clause. He had no rosy cheeks or round belly, he didn't have the hearty laugh nor real white hair. His ribs poked out of his skin and his stomach looked like an empty cave. His eyes were pushed into his head way more than most people, the dark rings circling his made his eyes look like they were going to pop out any second. The bones of his cheeks showed through his dry, pale skin making him look like a zombie. "Let's go now!!" Claire screeched at the top of her lungs. Claire meant this time. Quickly, Joe stumbled out of the dressing room in a clumsy fashion. Looking like he had just chugged a couple of kegs, dragged his oversized Santa coat and pants with him hopping they wouldn't fall down and left the dressing room. Joe and Claire walked toward where Santa's hut was while watching a crowd gather around it. "Ya know Claire," Joe said, "I really hate my job." "Really," replied Claire in a sarcastic tone, "Who doesn't hate little brats crawling around on your lap." Joe sat down in his special Santa chair and waited for the first child to come forward. The fist kid was about five yrs. old. Joe thought he was disgusting. The child was wearing cuarteroy overalls with a white turtleneck underneath. The cuarteroys had crusty stains of peanut butter all down the front of his navy blue overalls. Making a revolting contrast between colors. The turtleneck seemed to have lost its whiteness a long time ago. It was imbedded with red pasta sauce and olive chunks glued to the sauce. His face wasn't very attractive either. On his left cheek a piece of spagetti attached to his skin dangled and dried mucus flaked off his upper lip. Joe leaned back in remorse wishing this was all a long terrifying dream. The kid hopped on his lap and in a happy voice said, "Hi Mr. Santa Clause, can I tell you what I want for Christmas?" "Ya sure kid, go ahead." Joe replied. As the child dragged on about his stupid toys and things he wanted, Joe thought about something else, his revenge. Revenge to get back at all these little punks who have annoyed him ever since he got the job. He wanted revenge..........badly. Joe had an idea. "Hey kid, can you shut-up for a second." Joe sternly asked. "Okay" The child answered. "Since I think you're my favorite kid of all," Joe praised, " I'm going to give you a special present." " What!?!? Tell me! Tell me!!" The kid excitedly asked. "Something you'd never guess." Joe answered " Just come with me after all the kids are gone." Joe pushed the kid off his lap before he could answer and the next kid jumped on his lap. Joe quickly finished talking to the rest of disgusting, impatient kids, and turned to see if the kid in the navy blue overalls was still waiting. The kid stood next to Joe with a selfish, happy, but disgustingly wide grin attached to his face, stretching from ear to ear. " Ya ready?" Asked Joe. "Yippee!" The child screamed. "I'm going to get a present! I'm going to get a present! I'm going to......." "Shut-up kid!" Joe yelled becoming very impatient and irritated. "Now let's go." Joe led the brat into his dressing room and told him to sit by the closet as Joe shut the door. Joe opened a drawer and pulled out the surprise. A few minutes later Claire walked into the dressing room, but stopped dead in her tracks. She screamed. It was too late, Joe had gotten his revenge. In Joe's hand was a knife, soaked in blood that was dripping in a rhythmic pattern to the floor. And on the floor was a child laying in a pool of blood. His navy blue overalls were stained to the color maroon from the blood and a piece of spagetti dangled from his left cheek. you may have the honor of taking the copyright into your own hands.-Jay June f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\One strange trip.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jeff Ebersole 4/16/97 D3 2nd hour One Strange Trip One day while lost in the vast woodlands of Scotland, I came upon a pop machine, I had no money, and because of my strong moral values, I felt I could not force it open with a stick or break it with a rock, because that was wrong. As I sat there leaning against it, I pondered how I could get a refreshing can of pop. I got up and looked around to find a coin or a bill that someone might have left or lost. After five or six hours I gave up, no one had dropped anything that I could find. By this time it was now nightfall, so I slept leaning against this oasis. While asleep, I had a wonderful dream of this pop machine. I dreamed that it opened up and asked me to indulge in a cold refreshing drink. Another dream I had was where every five minutes the machine gave me a can from now until eternity. When I awoke I jumped up and turned around to see if any of the dreams were true. I quickly saw that they were not. I decided that I could not leave this place until I had enjoyed a can of pop. By the 3rd day, I had to scout for food and water because I was feeling malnourished. As I walked around I found a snack machine the kind with many divine foods inside such as candy bar and chips, but still no way to eat them. I stayed here until morning trying to rig a transport of some sort for it. I cut a tree down and made 4 wheels and eventually a cart to support the machine and than to transport the machine to the other. This was such a great task, I forgot about my hunger. By dusk I had arrived back at the pop machine. As I set the candy machine next to the pop machine, my hunger came back even stronger than before Once again, I knew I could not break into the machine to eat, again my strong moral values. So I went out again in search of food and water. As my walk progressed I found a stream and I took a drink and ate many fish, then thought that I should of cooked them first. On my way back, I got lost and had to sleep under a foreign tree and try to find my way home at day break. As I tried to find my way home, I found another machine. It was one with pre-made sandwiches. As I looked at it, a sign on it read "Sandwiches made fresh every morning". I thought about this and thought maybe the person who stocks the machine might have dropped some money. I looked, but again as before found none. I built this one a trailer and moved it to the others after I found my way back. While I went to sleep leaning against the machines I thought about how I could fool the machines into giving me food. I thought about making coins or bills to confuse the machine. I thought about this for several hours and I decided to attempt to use leaves to buy a pop. I looked around for a leaf that had texture and size that was comparable to that of a dollar bill. I set out on a long trek to locate a leaf that fit my profile. As I was gathering leaves I found a change machine so I built another cart and took it to the others. I tried my leaves in the pop machine, one after another. I have about 5 leaves left when my mind started to think that this would not work. But I kept trying -- 4 left, no pop, 3 left, no pop, 2 left, no pop, one left, Oh my goodness, it worked. It accepted by leaf. The read out said not enough credit use exact change; credit 25 cents; add 25 cents now. "What" I yelled. How is that only a quarter, it accepted it as a bill. To say the least I was mad. I pressed the coin release. It didn't work, now I was really mad. I took off running to find the tree where I got the first leaf, finally I found it. I took a leaf that looked like the other one and headed back. Because I was running so fast, I tripped and fell. While laying there gathering my strength to get back up, I saw a gum-ball machine so of course I had to take it to the others, but this was much easier because I could carry it. I hurried back and put the leaf into the pop machine, only to see the LED read out again say Credit 25 cents and 25 cents more. I hadn't seen a piece of paper taped to it that read "Sorry about your quarter, but I only had one and I was dying for a drink:. I was so mad I could kill this man. But there was no sign of him. I ran for another leaf, got it and ran back on the way back I found a cash machine this disturbed me because I had left my cash card with my money, but I took the machine anyway. I put the leaf in the machine it clicked and I pushed Mountain Dew button, the can fell bounced off the front bumper then rested neatly in the tray. I pulled it out looked at it, felt it, thought about it. Then I opened it. I smelled it, and drank it. This night was different, I felt very nourished, I was refreshed. I slept great. When I awoke, I went for leaves and bought a candy bar and a pop. Around lunch I heard a whistling sound. As I listened, it got louder and more clear, soon a skirted man approached. "Hello," he stated in a Scottish accent. "Nice skirt," I replied. "It's a kilt!" he bellowed. "Whatever!," I told him, and mumbled, "to each his own" to myself. We visited for awhile about the sky and how blue it was, then about how brown the dirt was. I offered him a pop and he said that he would buy it so I let him. As we talked, I asked him how to get out of the woods he said he didn't know he had been lost for about 3 years now and has just been wandering around. As we spoke, we heard what sounded like a truck, it was a truck. A man wearing a Pepsi shirt got out and walked up to the machine and opened it. I asked him if he would give me a ride to the next town. He said no riders were permitted. I looked at the skirted man then we looked at the Pepsi man, looked back at each other then be both leapt to our feet and strangled the Pepsi man. We both hit him and then I tied him up. We both bought a pop and a sandwich with the Pepsi mans money. We walked to this truck and drove off. When we got the next town we both went our different ways, and here I am today, and Him, I think he plays Willie on the Simpsons. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Operational definitions.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ HRDC Agri-Food Research Operational Definitions For the purpose of this study: The term "Organic" will represent farm produce and processed food that is organically certified or in transition to organic certification. The term "Specialty" will represent food that is grown and processed locally for local consumption. DRAFT f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ophelia.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ophelia (1) Ophelia and I had some of the best summers a couple of kids could ever have. She drowned in my pool last summer, and (2) no one has been in it since. (3) The pool became this empty, aquarium shaped hole is as much of a pool as those dinky plastic ones we just loved to swim in when we were all four years old (4). Ophelia was never particularly nice to anyone; she wasn't exactly a social butterfly. (5) After it happened no one really wondered why and how, they assumed it was an accident. (6) It was almost as if they didn't even care, that made me so angry. I know that couldn't have been the case, it just wasn't possible people wouldn't react to a child my age dying. The memories come flooding back every season. The pool and its watery surface shows not the expression of my face when I stared in (7), but of the distorted face I displayed at the sight of her body in the water. (8) At the time I did nothing but stare. I unconsciously gaped at her body, stunned and shocked (9). I was barely alive and mostly numb at that point. Her hair drifting in the ripples resembled a piece of lost seaweed floating peacefully, rolling over top of every minor wave. (10) Her arms and legs floated there like an unbothered jumping jack. (11) Ophelia had moods, disturbing mind lapses, where she would be your best friend one second and the other would shut everybody and everything out. She could have been a little nicer to me, not so angry and cynical all the time I wish this and that and the next thing I know I had wished away who she was completely out of my mind. I'm an awful person, I know. Ophelia and I had an understanding; I would love her unconditionally because she was beautiful. (12) In return she would love me because she didn't like anyone else enough to keep them around, I was her only friend. We had fights all the time; we let our ugly words spill off the end of our tongues, like pickle juice. (13) Pickles were our favorite thing to eat. (14) We would eat pickles but then spit out the juice, we never liked its sour and pungent aftertaste. How metaphorical, the hate in our mouths was signified by the bitterness on our tongues, Hmm. My mother took pity on me and never (15) bought me pickles from then on; she knew I couldn't bare the sight of them let alone the taste. (16) Floating beneath my eyelids when I closed them was Ophelia's face. Shadows graying the streets would resemble her figure. Reminders of her haunted my every thought for so long. I could never look at another girl without finding something about her; Ophelia did better. She had these characteristics I never saw in anyone else, little idiosyncrasies she tried to hide. (17) She imagined penguins all over the place all the time, an obsession almost. Her idiosyncrasies were unbelievable, like biting her nails to a painful pink rim. I will never forget who she was. I will never forget how much I loved her. But most of all I resent anyone who feels they can replace my love for her. My one true love sunken beneath the earth, and resting at my feet. (18) I can still feel her cold hands, rapped around my neck; I would shudder at the frost but willingly hold her back. (19) I would squeeze her so tightly, oppressing her anger and replacing it with comfort. I saw her in my dreams last night; she looked angelic, absolutely stunning. Oddly enough I was in the bathroom, standing motionlessly in front of the mirror. I had a dinky towel knotted (20) around my waist. My pitiable body dripping wet beads upon the shiny tiled floor. Surrounded in little puddles, I looked up to see my eyes staring back at me so intrusively. (21) 'Why are you so pathetic' my eyes yelled at me. (22) "I'm so sorry, I am so sorry." All I could do was stutter my apologies for being so pathetic. Obsessed with my black angel that left me some time ago. As I stared into the mirror, I was suddenly fixated onto a figure in the room (24). I saw Ophelia (23) she brushed the bathtub curtain aside and stepped onto the tiled floor. The room illuminated and she shimmered brilliantly "Hello Adrian" Her voice, exactly as I remembered it. Low, deep and ever so sharp. I could not respond I was scared, I was embarrassed. After all this time I've waited to see her and it occurs while I'm standing in front of the mirror like a dork in heels. The eerie light capturing my every puny muscle. "Adrian, say hello back, do not be rude to me." "Ophelia, you...I...I...I love you." I some how managed to say the first and foremost important thing I could ever say to her. (24) "Adrian, you must listen to me. Watch my lips recite to you." Her face was pale, she resembled a porcelain doll. So perfect and pure, but with the touch of mystery. She spoke again: " There are some things you have to believe and some things that you have to dream. I am one of them. I will only ever exist in your memory, in your dreams, but what you must believe is that this is not the end. My leaving is not the end."(25) "Tell me you love me Ophy, tell me you wish to return to where I am" Tears began to run across my face. 'I do love you Adrian, that is why you have to move on. Please. Love again, breath again, feel again.' (26) With those words my lovely Ophelia swept into the shower stall and I fell to my knees. "WHY, is this my punishment, and if so for what?" (27) I cried to wall I cried to my eyes again. I cried to the dead spider curled up in the corner of the room, I cried and screamed at the toilet, I cried and screamed at the ground, the tiles. (28) Finally I no longer wished to cry anymore. Enough tears, enough misery. I stood up, and realized my feet ached painfully. The morning after my dream, I was watching something I never thought I would ever see. As peered out into the yard, my eyes welled up with tears once again. I held myself as I watched my father refill the pool. After all this time, all this suffering, I felt a little new, a little better. A thought ran across my mind; perhaps I would go for a morning swim. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Oppression.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Oppression In the two novels, Master Harold...and the boys and the boys, and Like Water for Chocolate, there are many symbolic similarities. In both books there are acts where individuals strongly oppressed, or discriminated against. Although the individuals are being oppressed for different reasons their emotions are shattered deeply. In Athol Fugard's book Master Harold and the boys, an older man is discriminated against by a younger child only because the older man is black and the child is white. In Laura Esquivel's book Like water for chocolate, a girl by the name of "Tita" is oppressed by her own mother because of the soul reason of being the youngest child, therefore lying in her destiny to serve her mother till death, and being unable to decide her own destiny. However in both cases there are signs of rebellion, and protestation, even though both novels do not end the same end the same, both Sam and Tita get their point across. Hally is a young white boy living in Africa, it is safe to say that he was raised by a black man by the name of Sam. Now Hally is starting to grow up and he is noticing things which he did not notice when he was younger. He realized that where he lives white people have certain rights over black people. Hally owns a cafe and he has got two black men working for him, one of which is Sam. Hally walks in one morning and finds Willie and Sam dancing, preparing for a dance contest. "Hally- Think you stand a chance. Act your bloody age! (Hurls the rag at Willie) Cut out the nonsense now and get on with your work. And you too, Sam. Sop fooling around " (Athol Fugard, Master Harold and the boys 18). Hally criticizes Sam by asking him sarcastically if he really thinks that he is good enough to win a dancing contest. Hally screams at Willie and Sam for making a mistake, this is ironic because Willie and Sam are in their forties while Hally is not even a teenager yet. Hally has power over Sam and Willie because of their difference in skin color. Tita falls deeply in love with a man by the name of Pedro. Pedro asks Tita to get married, she would love to marry Pedro but she knows that her destiny is to take care of her mother till death. Tita will confront her mother and ask her permission to marry the man he loves. "If he intends to ask for your hand, tell him not to bother. He'll be wasting his time and mine too. You know perfectly well that being the youngest daughter means you have to take care of me until the day I die" (Laura Esquivel, Like Water for chocolate 10). Tita loves Pedro dearly and would love to marry him, but her mother refuses to grant her permission because she is the youngest daughter and her task in life being to take care of her mother till death. Sam is like a father figure to Hally but yet he doesn't respect him, because of the color of his skin. "Hally- Don't turn your back on me! I haven't finished talking (He grabs Sam by the arm and tries to make him turn around. Sam reacts with a flash of anger" (54). Hally does not respect Sam, he not only orders him around but becomes violent when Sam does not listen to him. He treats Sam like a dog. Mama Elena refuses to let her youngest daughter get married, to make the situation worse she Pedro and his dad show up at the ranch to ask permission from mama Elena to get married to Tita. Mama Elena refuses to approve on the marriage of her youngest daughter. "But if you really want Pedro to get married, allow me to suggest my daughter Rosaura, who's just two years older than Tits. She is one hundred percent available, and ready for marriage" (13). Not only does mama Elena disapprove the marriage of Pedro and Tita but she offers Rosaura, which is an older daughter. Hally is not grateful for what Sam has done for him in life. He understands that Sam cannot do anything to him, because he is white and Sam is black. Hally therefor Hally takes advantage of this, by degrading Sam whenever he can. "Hally- (quietly) Sam.. (Sam stops and looks expectantly at the boy. Hally spits in his face. A long and heartfelt groan from Willie. For a few seconds Sam doesn't move)" (56). The worse act of discrimination one person can possibly do to another, is spitting in one's face. This is extremely degrading. Mama Elena sets up a marriage between the man that Tita loves and her sister Roraura. Tita is extremely depressed. "I won't stand for disobedience, Mama Elena told her, nor am I going to allow you to ruin your sister's wedding, with your acting like a victim. You're in charge of all the preparations starting now, and don't ever let me catch you with a single tear or even a long face, do you hear?" (27). Not only does mama Elena approve the marriage between Rosaura and Pedro, but she also holds Tita responsible for the preparations of the marriage of her sister. Hally- Think you stand a chance" (Athol Fugard, Master Harold and the boys 9). Sam shows sign of rebellion against Hally. He is tired of being picked on and spoken down to just because of the color of his skin. "Hally-(Pause as Hally looks for something to say) To begin with, why don't you also start calling me Master Harold, like Willie" (54). Sam proves appoint to Hally and Hally does not know how to reply so he relies on the fact that he is on a higher rank and asks Sam to call him Master Harold, instead if Hally. This proves the power trip which Hally is going through. Sam is an old friend as well as a father figure, and know Sam has got to put the word "Master" in front of his name, to demonstrate to himself, Hally, and everyone else how Hally is at a higher level than Sam. "Sam- (Quietly and very carefully) If you make me say it once, I'll never call you anything else again"(54). This is the only sign of rebellion that Sam shows. He lets Hally know that he is against it, and threatens to not call him anything else. At this point Sam realizes that Hally has grown up and changed. Tita rebels against the ghost of mama Elena. The Ghost shows up to tell Tita that what she is doing is wrong. "See what you've done now? You and Pedro are Shameless. If you don't want blood to flow in this house, go where you can't do any harm to anybody, before it's too late. The one who should be going is you. I'm tired of your tormenting me. Leave me in peace once and for all. Once and for all, leave me alone; I won't put up with you! I've always hated you! Tita had said the magic words that would make Mama Elena disappear forever"(199). (199). After all this time Tita finally stands up against her mother, and puts her in her place. She chooses to fight back instead of just remaining quiet and obeying her mom's orders. Throughout the novels Like Water for Chocolate, and Mater Harold...and the boys, Tita and Sam experience discrimination. The difference between them were that after Sam protested, he was still treated the same, were as when Tita rebelled, she was set free. The ad thing about all this is that, Sam's example is what happens in the real world. Maybe people can learn from these novels and stop discriminating people because they were born in class were they are expected to do perform only certain roles in society, or obey certain people. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ordinary People essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brennen Morejohn Period 6 Ordinary People essay. The novel Ordinary People is a story of a family going through a hardship of being a dysfunctional family. The story focuses in on Calvin and Conrad who are the father and son and also the main characters of the story. The story switches off with the two different characters through out the book so you can get inside each characters mind to better understand each persons perspective. Conrad starts the book off and has just came back from a mental hospital for trying to kill himself with by cutting his wrists. In the book you discover that he holds in his anger and emotions to mask he true feeling. At first in the story you can see how he bottles up his emotions and almost breaks down until he comes to senses with himself and his father. "When you let yourself feel, all you feel is lousy." Conrad blames himself for the death of his brother Buck. "Did I abandon them, or did they abandon me?" Conrad thinks of this when he remembers when the boat tipped over in the storm. He goes to a psychiatrist who needles at him until one day when Conrad gets angry and upset and has an imaginary fight with his dead brother which gets the load off his chest. 'The hell! You never get tired, not before me, you don't! You tell me not to get tired, you tell me to hang on, and then you let go!' 'I couldn't help it. Well, screw you, then!'" Calvin, Conrad's father, has always lead himself to think that after Conrad came back from the hospital that " Everything is alright." Calvin also had a drinking problem "because drinking helps..., deadening the pain". Calvin used alcohol to hide his problems because he was afraid they were their. He questions himself as if he's a good father or not. The more he starts to realize the conflicts around him, he also realize what his marriage is. He sees Beth's true side Beth, is the mother of Conrad and Cal's wife. Beth has a super-ego and is always to busy trying to be the role-model women. She has over self control and denies emotions invested in people. "She had not cried at the funeral.... She and Conrad had been strong and calm throughout." She has to be a perfectionist and worked herself up beyond common sense so she can be a winner in her social life. "Everything had to be perfect, never mind the impossible hardship it worked on her, on them all." I myself have had similar experiences that related to those in the story of Ordinary People. I can understand how how Conrad and Calvin would feel given their situation because I just had a best friend come back from a mental hospital for saying he was going to kill himself. Going through a mental institution has changed the atmosphere inside his house, and the relationship with his family. When something serious such as killing yourself happens to someone close, it can really open your eyes to what might be going on in their minds and help you understand them more. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Origins of Progressivism.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Origins of Progressivism I. The Origins of Progressivism A. A Spirit of Reform in the late 1800's 1. Henry George believed that poverty could be eliminated by using land productively by everyone. Also taxing the nonproductive more than the productive. 2. Edward Bellamy believed that the government should create a trust to take care of the needs of the people rather than profit. 3. Many groups wanted change for the majority of people such as the socialist, the union members and members of municipal or city government levels. 4. Municipal reforms in the late 1800's and early 1900's that gave cities limited self-rule rather than state rule are known as Home Rule. B. Progressivism Takes Hold 1. Progressivism aspects of reform from many programs and other movements. 2. Because they were afraid of losing their high standard of living, progressives' were afraid of revolution. 3. Progressives believed that the government should play a bigger role in regulating transportation and utilities. 4. Develop better social welfare programs. 5. The suffrage movement became a big issue among women. 6. Child labor laws as well as many other things were brought about by government regulations. C. Progressive Methods 1. Journalist also helped create support by alerting the public to wrong doing or muckrakers. 2. Investigating the issue then publicizing the results putting pressure on legislators to take action is known as Systematic manner. D. Florence Kelley 1. Kelley was recommended for investigating the labor conditions around Chicago. 2. Kelley earned a law degree so that she could prosecute violators of child labor laws as well as regulations in sweatshops. 3. Kelley believed in municipal reforms after a political favor placed another inspector in her place. 4. 1899 National Consumers League was organized (NCL) II. Progressivism: Its Legislative Impacts A. Urban Reform 1. Reform began mostly at the city level 2. Some machine politicians worked with reformers to improve voter registration, city services, established health programs and enforced tenant codes. 3. By 1915 two out of three cities owned utilities. 4. Welfare services were put into effect. 5. Hazen Pingree put in parks, baths, and put into effect a work-relief program. B. Reforms at the State Level 1. Progressive governors also got involved with the movement. 2. LaFollette brought about a direct primary in which voters elect nominees for upcoming elections. 3. Employers and employees negotiating differences as well as workers accident insurance became major reforms in the work place. 4. The Supreme Court said that it was illegal to set maximum hours for workers because it violated the individuals right to make a contract with the employer - 1905 Lochner vs. New York. 5. The Supreme Court upheld a decision that limited women's work hours to 10 hours per day - 1905 Muller vs. Oregon. 6. The National Child Labor Committee convinced about 30 states to abolish Child Labor by 1907 . 7. In 1912 minimum wage for women and children was put into effect in Massachusetts. 8. Women were replaced with men because they would work longer for less wages 9. Women's push for voting rights was stifled by the belief that females are physically weaker. D. Reforms at the Federal Level 1. The United Mine Workers called a strike lasting until Teddy Roosevelt insisted that both sides submit to arbitration - May, 1902. 2. A process in which an impartial third party decides on a legally binding solution is known as arbitration. 3. Teddy Roosevelt threatened to use the army to take over the mines if the owners didn't accept the agreement. 4. "Square Deal" reduced miner's hours from 10 to 9 and gave the miners a 10% raise while not officially recognizing the minor's union. 5. The Hepburn Act authorized the IEC to limit rates if the shippers complained them unfair - 1906. 6. The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act required accurate labeling of ingredients, strict sanitary conditions, and a rating system for meats - 1906. 7. Holding companies are corporations that hold the stocks and bonds of numerous companies thus achieving a monopoly. 8. John Muir and John Wesley Powell urged congress, in 1872, to establish Yellow Stone as the United States first national park. 9. Yosemite in California became a national park in 1890. 10. A National Reclamation Act (1902) aimed at planning and developing irrigation projects aroused controversy between city residents and farmers over use or water. 11. 1912 the United States government set up a Children's Bureau within the Department of Labor. 12. Women's Bureau was also established in 1920. 13. Mary Anderson and Julia Lathrop were the first women Bureau heads in the federal government. 14. Prohibition was thought to protect society from poverty and violence associated with drinking. 15. Women's support for prohibition caused brewery and liquor interests to oppose women's suffrage. 16. Prohibition became the 18th amendment in 1919 until its repeal in 1933. III. Progressivism: Its Impact on National Politics A. The Presidency After Roosevelt 1. Teddy Roosevelt hand picked William Howard Taft as the next Republican presidential nominee. 2. On the Democratic Side William Jennings Bryan also ran (for the third time) 3. Taft won the election and promised to carry on the progressive movement. 4. A rebel movement arose because Taft wouldn't lower the tariffs on imports. 5. Gifford Pinchot opposed Taft's agreement to allow several million acres of Alaskan public lands that had rich deposits of coal be sold by Richard A. Ballinger. Pinchot was fired. 6. Upset House Republicans rebelled against Taft and joined Democrats in initiating an investigation into Ballinger's actions-he eventually resigned. 7. Rebels took action against the Republican old guard who blocked much reform legislation. 8. Rebels changed the committee's membership by making it elective and excluding the powerful. House Speaker, Joseph Cannon, a republican reform opponent. 9. Teddy Roosevelt began speaking out about the need for more federal regulations of business, welfare legislation, and progressive reforms such as stronger work place protections for women and children, income and inheritance taxes, direct primaries, and the initiative , referendum, and recall. This was called New Nationalism. 10. Taft supported the Mahn-Elkins Act(1910) that placed telephone and telegraph rates under control of the Interstate Commerce Commission rather than big business. B. The Election of 1912 1. The progressive party was formed after Teddy Roosevelt's supporters walked out of the RNC when Taft accused Teddy Roosevelt of fraud. They became known as the Bull Moose Party. 2. Bull Moose Party's platform included tariff reduction, women suffrage, more regulation of business, an end to child labor, an eight-hour work day, a federal worker's compensation system, and the popular election of senators. 3. Teddy Roosevelt and Hiram Johnson ran a vigorous campaign. 4. A four way election 5. Four men sought presidency in 1912. Wilson-Democrats, Taft-Republicans, Eugene Debs-Socialist, and Roosevelt-Bull Moose Party. 6. Wilson ran on a reform platform too, but unlike Roosevelt, he criticized both big business and big government. 7. Wilson, calling this policy New Freedom, promised to enforce antitrust laws without threatening free economic competition. 8. The Democrats won over both Houses of Congress. 9. Wilson created a Federal Trade Commission in 1914 to be sure business complied with federal trade regulations. 10. Also in 1914 the Clayton Antitrust Act spelled out specific activities big businesses couldn't do in restraint of trade-strengthening United States antitrust laws. 11. The Clayton Antitrust Act exempted union's activities from antitrust lawsuits unless they led to "irreparable injury to property." 12. Wilson lowered tariffs and instituted major financial reforms. 13. 1913 Wilson helped establish the Federal Reserve System. 14. The Federal Reserve System let banks borrow money to meet short-term demands, helping to prevent bank failures. 15. Wilson also established the Federal Farm Loan Board (1916). 16. Wilson opposed women's suffrage because his platform had not approved it. 17. A Controversial Appointment 18. Wilson nominated a progressive lawyer named Louis D. Brandeis to the Supreme Court in 1916. 19. Named "the peoples' lawyer" Brandeis had fought for many public causes without pay. 20. Brandeis, being Jewish caused many problems as well as his "radical" approach to reform. 21. Brandeis' appointment to the Supreme Court marked the peak of progressive reform at the federal level. 22. Wilson was reelected in 1916. C. The Legacy of Progressive Reform 1. A Limited View of Progress 2. The African Americans of this era felt that progressives weren't doing enough to concern themselves with race relations during this time. 3. 1912 Roosevelt refused to seat the southern African American delegates for fear of alienating white southern progressives. 4. Some supporters of women's suffrage did so only to double the "white vote" in the United States and exclude the African Americans. 5. African Americans fell further behind because of their smaller population and the effectiveness of voting restrictions in the South. 6. Progressives also focused on cities leaving out tenant and migrant farmers and non-unionized workers in general. 7. Some progressives supported immigration restrictions and literacy test. 8. Progressives also supported the imperialistic adventures of the day. 9. They believed in "civilizing" under-developed nations, no matter what the residents of those nations wanted. 10. The End of the Progressive Coalition 11. August 1914, a war broke out in Europe 12. Americans worried how long they could stay uninvolved in the conflict. 13. By 1916, the reform spirit had ended whit the exception of women's suffrage. IV. Suffrage at Last: A Turning Point in History A. Suffrage at the Turn of the Century 1. In August 1920, Tennessee had to make a huge decision, whether or not to ratify the 19th amendment. 2. Carrie Chapman Catt directed the lobbying effort for the "suffs". 3. The National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was established. 4. Women's Rights 5. Women had won many rights. Married women could buy, sell and will property. 6. Myra Bradwell of Chicago was denied a state license to practice law in 1869. She appealed to the Supreme Court where her denial was upheld. (Bradwell vs. Illinois 1873). 7. By 1900's women were becoming more involved in unions, picketing, voluntary organizations, and getting arrested. 8. The Opposition Mobilizes 9. Anti-suffragists made two arguments: a. women were powerful enough without voting b. giving women the vote would blur the distinction between the sexes and make women seem more masculine. 10. Anti-suffragists said that women would quickly establish prohibition. B. Suffragist Strategies 1. Suffragists followed two paths toward their goals: a. pressing for a constitutional amendment b. encouraging states to approve women's suffrage. 2. In 1878 Congress adopted the wording of suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony in the "Anthony Amendment". 3. The Anthony Amendment didn't resurface until 1913. 4. The movement heats up in the 1910's 5. The suffrage movement was becoming more widely accepted in the 1900's. 6. Carrie Chapman Catt- Systematized NAWSA techniques. 7. Alice Paul formed the Congressional Union (CU). 8. A collision over strategy 9. Different strategies caused the suffrage movement to be torn into two. 10. The CU wanted an all-out national campaign for the constitutional amendment. 11. The NAWSA felt that the CU was premature in some of their actions. 12. Catt's "winning plan" was to work full time to get congress to propose the federal amendment. 13. By 1917 NAWSA had over 2 million members. 14. In the fall of 1917 New York finally passed the amendment. 15. Impact of the war 16. The United states entered WWI in April 1917 17. Women took over jobs that men left behind as well as volunteering for other jobs. 18. Congress adopted the 18th amendment. C. The Final Victory for Suffrage 1. 1918 Congress proposed the suffrage amendment. 2. Ratification 3. Harry Burn of Tennessee was the tie breaking vote in Tennessee's legislature. 4. Burn voted "yes" because his mother had written to them saying to vote "yes" for her. 5. The speaker tried to stall the bill by reconsidering it. 6. On August 24, Tennessee's governor signed the suffrage bill. 7. On August 26, the 19th amendment was ratified. 8. A hard-won victory 9. Women's suffrage wasn't totally given to them. They fought for their right to vote. 10. The ratification of the 19th amendment marked the last major reform of the progressive era and was the turning point in American History. Word Count: 2041 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ort essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [Error] - File could not be written... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Osborne research.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/sep1999/look-s14.shtml An inarticulate hope Look Back in Anger by John Osborne Playing at the Royal National Theatre, London through September 18 By Paul Bond 14 September 1999 Osborne and the writers who followed him were looking at the working class or the lower middle class, struggling with their existence in bedsits or terraces. Kenneth Tynan, who referred to the play's "instinctive leftishness" in his Observer review, wrote in a piece on "The Angry Young Movement" that Jimmy Porter "represented the dismay of many young Britons ... who came of age under a Socialist government, yet found, when they went out into the world, that the class system was still mysteriously intact." There remains somewhere at the play's core, even if it cannot be explained, hope. There remains a belief that somehow people can survive the worst and perhaps even overcome it; a belief in humanity, and the possibility of a way forward. http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc75.html John Osborne When George Devine placed a notice in The Stage in 1956, Osborne decided to submit one of his plays, Look Back in Anger. Not only was his play produced, but it is considered by many critics to be the turning point in postwar British theatre. Osborne's protagonist, Jimmy Porter, captured the angry and rebellious nature of the postwar generation, a dispossessed lot who were clearly unhappy with things as they were in the decades following World War II. Jimmy Porter came to represent an entire generation of "angry young men." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Othello.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OTHELLO FINAL PAPER 2. Discuss the techniques Iago used to manipulate others Through out the play of Othello Iago used many techniques to get what he wanted and one way or another he some how all most always got what he wanted. His techniques were that of an everyday sneaky, conniving bad guy, who always got people to trust him, except the person that was closest to him. But the main overall techniques he used were; 1)He gained the trust of people. Which was the number one technique, and from gaining their trust he could branch off form that and then he could manipulate the people he was playing into thinking that he was on their side even when he might be on the opposite side. Another thing that he could do to people was to, from gaining their trust and making then think that he was on their side he could manipulate them and make them turn on each other. The other technique that he used which didn't nearly play a role as large as the first technique but was important was he was always very careful, in being discovered and by covering his tracks. He knew how to take care of things in precarious situation. There was in my own personal opinion one more technique, and that was that he knew how to use all his options and could use his wits and cunningness. Iago's number one technique was his ability to make people trust him. He had just about everyone spun in Iago's web. Rodrigo, Othello, Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia, and etc. And he got every one of them to trust him, although he still hadn't got Emilia into his web fully. She still had suspicions about him. He could gain the trust of people as if it was nothing to him. He always when talking to that certain person said that he was on their side, making a false trust that the person believed, and therefore trusted him. Now most of the people he did this to it worked on. Such as Cassio calling him "Honest Iago" and when Cassio got in that fight with Rodrigo, he believed that Iago was the only good, honest man on his side, even though he was the one who set him up. By getting him drunk through his other technique of being cunning. Ok so now that he gets the trust of people he can work with that, he would make everyone he came in contact with feel as if he was on their side. He could manipulate their minds, tell them false things. Such as who's the bad guy, who's planing against them, and when he was talking to Othello who was cheating on who. Such a lady named Desdemona, who was supposedly cheating on a guy whom he once fired. And that was all accomplished through one guy named Iago. He got Cassio fired, got the hanky that Othello gave to Des. in Cassio's possession, and convinced Othello that Cassio was cheating with his wife Desdemona. Now that he could do all that with out anyone but his wife finding out, he must have had some good techniques. He had from the very beginning known what he wanted. He wanted revenge from Othello for not getting the job, and Cassio for getting the job. And for whoever gets caught in the middle of his web oh well, too bad. In his work he got what he wanted, and all by using his techniques, so they do work. He got everything accomplished but one thing didn't tun out as he wanted and that was that he got caught. Now for the other technique that he used that was that he knew how to cover his tracks, and try to make sure that he wouldn't be caught. Even though he did it took them a very long time. He did this by being very careful. He did things such as when Brabantio was outside talking and hearing news about his daughter, he could see Rod. but there was another voice, talking and telling him about Othello his daughter Des. and how Othello got her through witchcraft. Now by not showing his face he could run over to Othello pretend to tell him some false information and then have Bra. walking up the street and not know that it was Iago telling him that information. Then later on when there was a fight and Rod. was hurt he was about to spill all and tell about Iago's hidden agenda, Iago killed him ending the threat that his wildcard Rod. might get him in trouble, and he killed him when he was on the ground and no one was looking. So he therefore was covering his back and making sure he wouldn't be caught. The next technique that he used was that he knew how to use all his options he could use all the tools in his grasp. Such as using the slow wit of Rod. and exploiting that to get him to do things, like give him money. He had his wits, his cunningness, and his use to exploit people. Ok so those were the techniques that Iago used to manipulate others. Although we only read about him gaining Cassio in his web I'm sure he might have used other techniques to get the trust of the others. So the techniques that he used were to gain their trust, then branch off that. Another one was that he knew how to cover his tracks, and the last one was that he knew how to use all his options. So Iago accomplished all his tasks with those simple techniques. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Our Journey to Earth.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Our Journey to Earth Today we journeyed to a distant planet known as "Earth." The main life form on this planet are humans, an organized group of emotional and vivacious individuals. Our crew traveled to a large building the humans named a "Library." This structure contains lots of information of the human's existence. During our mission we found a large assortment of writings which we could not translate, but we also unearthed pictures of humanoids in many activities they share with one another. The humans appear to be spirited and well-groomed and have established a successful civilization. We encountered a picture of humans with long, white sticks of some sort, sticking from their aperture on the front. The humans labeled these sticks "cigarettes" and appear to be happy and carefree when they are "smoking" them. In this illustration, there seems to be two species of mankind: males and females. The males seem to be physically superior and raw. The females appear to be sexy, seducing, and physically prepared. There also seems to be a strong sexual attraction between the two species. The setting in this picture is very relaxing and seems to be a place of excitement for the jovial humans. Cigarettes appear to be a source of absolute happiness. Another source of satisfaction for the humanoids are bottles of alcohol which seem to bring smiles to dispirited individuals. This picture that I'm looking at now has some type of amphibious creature saying the same word "Budweiser". This small creature is in the middle of a large humanoid gathering, where females are sitting on the laps of males, and everyone seems joyful. Everyone has their forelimbs risen, holding drinks, and there appears to be three females for every male. The location of the gathering is in a large structure on the edge of a very large body of water. As I look through the library, another ad catches my eye with the title of "Olympics". Humans in this picture seem to be having some type of competition. It includes many small pictures of these humans in different events. There is a picture of a humanoid dressed in colorful clothing and throwing some sort of large stick. I'm not too sure if this is some sort of organized army, because another small picture shows a very large male holding device that appears to cause the male to strain. There is also a small picture of many females moving through water. The last small event displays a physically built male tossing a steel ball. There are colorful rings underneath the title which brings some type of symbolic meaning to the picture, that we can't seem to distinguish. Another page in these "magazines" shows a female laying out near a large body of water with a bottle in her hand. The woman looks very seducing to a male alien such as myself. She is showing most of her skin and is rubbing herself with liquid from the container. Her body captures the sunlight and the large bodies of water seem to rise high in the air. The females have large features on her chest that I can't seem to interpret, because they are covered. If all women on earth look like this, life must be great for the males. The final picture shows two old males of great importance. One can distinguish their importance because they are on the cover of the magazine and are pointing at one another. It appears harsh words are being expressed toward each other. They are both wearing a long band from their upper appendage that hangs and gives a very formal appearance. I believe he is the humanoid's leader, because he has one striking feature: the top of his head is covered with white hair. No other males in the pictures contain this white substance which displays their authority. By observing the pictures of these humanoids and their activities I believe I have learned a lot about their lives. I believe the humans lived carefree lives and did not experience worries that we the members of the Planet Xernon encounter. I admire their ability to be carefree and live lives I can only dream of. If only I could translate these writings I could learn more about these magnificent beings. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\outline for research paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Outline for Paper 1. "Do you believe that life does end, or may end, at death? Everyone who believes that death may be the end should read the following essay from cover to cover. It represents a serious attempt to identify what may be a critical flaw in the foundation of many modern philosophies. It will help those who study Nihilism, Rationalism, Humanism, Agnosticism, and Existentialism, recognize questions that are probably already on their minds. It will address essential questions that you need to seek answers for. We will suggest that, whether they realize and admit it or not, anyone who does not believe in an "afterlife" is necessarily a 'nihilist'" (Davis, 17). "I'm not sure if there is life after this mess" (Garland, 56) What one of the operatives in the film is saying is basically a nihilist statement. That statement can be summarized by the frame quote I am using here. I feel that 28 Days Later is very nihilistic in theory because of the whole pessimistic, philosophical attitude toward the end of the world. 2. "Please note that for 'time' we adopt the common temporal measure that is derived in special relativity from physical state evolution, the 'time' that we see measured by the hands of our analog watches. We will see that this "time" is not present in general relativity, and that a temporal variable is probably not a fundamental part of the universe. When we refer to 'time' we are using a popular convention for describing the causal order of sequential events, however we believe that the underlying reality is much more complex. We refer to clocks and the time they measure because they are familiar and comfortable, that does not mean that we accept the general belief that what they measure has an independent reality" (Stevens, 66). "If you think about it, humans have only been around for a blink of an eye. So when we all die out, that is a turn back to normality" (Garland, 89). The theory of time being irrelative is established in 28 Days Later. When the whole world is in catastrophe, time seems to be of little importance. I want to make a point about how meaningless time really is and how we do not need our system of calculating time to define anything, which is essentially another nihilist philosophy. 3. "We don't need a government, we are animals, we should be able to survive on our own by whatever means necessary" (Luc-Besson, 169). "JIM Where is the government? STEVE There is no government, everybody's dead! JIM What do you mean there is no government? There is always a government!"(Garland,32) These quotes will be perfect for analyzing the human beings reliability on one another. Is it really necessary for humans to live with each other in order to survive? Do we need a government? These anarchist/nihilist ideas will be great to apply to the context of 28 Days Later because this film deals with all these ideas and questions about our society. 4. "It's survival at it's best; human nature; a disease" (Niccol,167). You know what I see? I see people killing people; and I saw that the day before yesterday and the day before that and all of my life. It's just people killing people (Garland 95). This great quote from Gattaca will work well with the quote from 28 Days Later because they both deal with the idea of humans being almost in a sense a virus or an illness that spreads. This will be helpful when I talk about human nature and then possibly connect this to Darwinism. 5. "A hybrid of a George A. Romero genre thriller via Kubrickian morality tale with a turgid taste of black humor mix into a highly intoxicating cocktail of lurid emotionally fused melodrama. A rare treat: horror movie and social fable intertwined" (Yulin, 653). A highlighted these three parts because they all are essential to proving my theses. George A. Romero- I highlighted this cult horror filmmaker because he was the one who inspired Alex Garland and Danny Boyle to make 28 Days Later. Romero revolutionized the zombie film genre when he made such classics as Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. Kubrickian- In allusion to Stanley Kubrick, one the great directors of all time, who has made such classics as Full Metal Jacket and 2001: A Space odyssey. For any film to be coined "Kubrickian" is quite an honor. Horror movie + Social fable intertwined- This is the perfect way to describe this film. The fear of the end of the world has always been a social fable and Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later is simply a thought provoking rendition. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\outline for soc 151 term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thesis statement in the first paragraph. What is the main thesis or argument that you are building your paper around. This paper will argue that size only affects organizational structure in terms of..."). We want you to be able to analyze and synthesize the readings. What are the points of comparison you are making between the different authors? Wants to see an understanding of the readings. Make a connection to the course. What is the link or connection of the two readings? How do they relate to the course? Number 10 Just because bureaucracy is found everywhere does not mean it is the most suitable choice. (Williamson argument?) Edwards 1. WHEN TO USE BUREAUCRACY a. Bureaucratic control is good for the social structure of the workplace 2. ALTERNATIVE TO BUREAUCRACY 3. WHEN TO USE ALTERNATIVE a. Technical and simple are preferred for ... 4. This differs from Weber's views because... o 1st Para for Edwards o -Its similarities to Weber o -Bureaucratic control is good for ... * Creating consistency in policies throughout organization * USE MAUREEN AS EXAMPLE of simple control not being up to par * Increased control for non production workers * Use Stanley as example * Job mobility through internal labor markets * Use Fred as Example of technical control o 2nd Para for Edwards o -Its differences from Weber- informal and charismatic * Discipline is arbitrary o -Simple control one of the first methods of organizing firms to be used. o Used for small more personal firms. Where the boss exercises his or her rights personally o As the firm grows larger, simple control becomes outdated (pg415 2nd Para) * Leads into technical o 3rd Para for Edwards o -Its differences from Weber embedded in the physical structure rather then the social structure of bureaucracy o -Technical control is just as "dehumanized" as Weber's bureaucracy o Creates incredible boost in efficiency and productivity o Workers don't like it o Sets the stage for bureaucracy o 4th Para for Edwards o When is technical and simple more likely to be used? * Simple is used effectively in small business sector (SECONDARY MARKET) * Technical control is used in large organizations in the mass production industries (SUBORDINATE MARKET) * Bureaucratic control would be lost in a small business. Too many rules for not enough employees will suffocate a small firm, and send them running to the simpler days of simple control. o Conclusion at end or after Edwards) o -How and why is it different from other reading? o -What are points of opposition and comparison (analysis of them) o -How do they both connect to the course? o Each reading focuses on organizations being rational or cultural systems with control as a segment. Within each type of control direction, evaluation, and discipline are equally applied. The link between Edwards and Kunda is definitely the types of control. Each serves as an appropriate alternative to bureaucratic organizations under specific settings and circumstances. Whether it is simple, technical, bureaucratic, or normative all are able to coexist. o -What is the link between the two readings? * CONTROL o 1st Para for Williamson o -Its similarities to Weber * Both are based on social structure, however normative control emphasizes socializing values and ideals. It gets people to want to do for the organization. Normative conrtrol operates through commitment, identification,and satisfaction. Each element is a motivational factor that perpetuates normative control. o -Normative control is sufficient in... * How is this different from bureaucratic * It is mental * Bureaucratic is social * Forms loyalty * Bureaucratic forms individualism * f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Overview of the 60`s.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Overview of the 60`s Many social changes that were addressed in the 1960s are still the issues being confronted today. the '60s was a decade of social and political upheaval. in spite of all the turmoil, there were some positive results: the civil rights revolution, john f. Kennedy's bold vision of a new frontier, and the breathtaking advances in space, helped bring about progress and prosperity. however, much was negative: student and anti-war protest movements, political assassinations, and ghetto riots excited american people and resulted in lack of respect for authority and the law. The decade began under the shadow of the cold war with the soviet union, which was aggravated by the u-2 incident, the berlin wall, and the cuban missile crisis, along with the space race with the ussr. The decade ended under the shadow of the viet nam war, which deeply divided americans and their allies and damaged the country's self-confidence and sense of purpose. Even if you weren't alive during the '60s, you know what they meant when they said, "tune in, turn on, drop out." you know why the nation celebrates Martin luther king, jr.'s birthday. all of the social issues are reflected in today's society: the civil rights movement, the student movement, space exploration, the sexual revolution, the environment, medicine and health, and fun and fashion. The Civil Rights Movement The momentum of the previous decade's civil rights gains led by rev. Martin luther king, jr. carried over into the 1960s. but for most blacks, the tangible results were minimal. only a minuscule percentage of black children actually attended integrated schools, and in the south, "jim crow" practices barred blacks from jobs and public places. New groups and goals were formed, new tactics devised, to push forward for full equality. as often as not, white resistance resulted in violence. this violence spilled across tv screens nationwide. the average, neutral american, after seeing his/her tv screen, turned into a civil rights supporter. Black unity and white support continued to grow. in 1962, with the first large-scale public protest against racial discrimination, rev. Martin luther king, jr. Gave a dramatic and inspirational speech in washington, d.c. After a long march of thousands to the capital. the possibility of riot and bloodshed was always there, but the marchers took that chance so that they could accept the responsibilities of first class citizens. "the negro," King said in this speech, "lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity and finds himself an exile in his own land." King continued stolidly: "it would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the negro. this sweltering summer of the negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality." when King came to the end of his prepared text, he swept right on into an exhibition of impromptu oratory that was catching, dramatic, and inspirational. "I have a dream," King cried out. the crowd began cheering, but King, never pausing, brought silence as he continued, "i have a dream that one day on the red hills of georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." "I have a dream," he went on, relentlessly shouting down the thunderous swell of applause, "that even the state of mississippi, a state sweltering with people's injustices, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have dream," cried King for the last time, "that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Everyone agreed the march was a success and they wanted action now but, now remained a long way off. president kennedy was never able to mobilize sufficient support to pass a civil rights bill with teeth over the opposition of segregationist southern members of congress. but after his assassination, President Johnson, drawing on the Kennedy legacy and on the press coverage of civil rights marches and protests, succeeded where Kennedy had failed. However, by the summer of 1964, the black revolution had created its own crisis of disappointed expectations. rioting by urban blacks was to be a feature of every "long, hot, summer" of the mid-1960s. In 1965, King and other black leaders wanted to push beyond social integration, now guaranteed under the previous year's civil rights law, to political rights, mainly southern blacks' rights to register and vote. King picked a tough alabama town to tackle: selma, where only 1% of eligible black voters were registered to vote. the violence, the march, the excitement all contributed to the passage of the second landmark civil rights act of the decade. even though there was horrendous violence, rev. king announced that as a "matter of conscience and in an attempt to arouse the deepest concern of the nation," he was "compelled" to lead another march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The four-day, 54-mile march started on the afternoon of Sunday, March 21, 1965, with some 3500 marchers led by two nobel prizewinners, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. And ralph bunche, then u.n. Under secretary for special political affairs. in the march, whites, negroes, clergymen and beatniks, old and young, walked side by side. president johnson made sure they had plenty of protection this time with 1000 military police, 1900 federalized alabama national guardsmen, and platoons of u.s. Marshals and FBI men. When the marchers reached the capital of alabama, they were to have presented a petition to then governor george wallace protesting voting discrimination. however, when they arrived, the governor's aides came out and said, "the capital is closed today." About this same time, the term, "black power" was coming into use. it was meant to infer long-submerged racial pride in negroes. Martin luther king, jr. Specifically sought to rebut the evangelists of black power. "it is absolutely necessary for the negro to gain power, but the term black power is unfortunate, because it tends to give the impression of black nationalism. we must never seek power exclusively for the negro, but the sharing of power with white people," he said. Unfortunately, the thing that really moved the civil rights movement along significantly was the murder of rev. Martin luther king, jr. In late 1965. cruelty replaced harmony with nightmarish suddenness. rioting mobs in the negro suburb of watts, california, pillaged, burned and killed, while 500 policemen and 5000 national guardsmen struggled in vain to contain their fury. hour after hour, the toll mounted: 27 dead at the week's end, nearly 600 injured, 1700 arrested, and property damage well over $100 million. The good that came out of all of this, is that thousands of negroes were flocking to register in the nine counties in alabama, louisiana, and mississippi where the government posted federal examiners to uphold the voting law. in four days, 6,998 negro voters were added to the rolls in counties where there had previously been only 3,857. In that time of sorrow and guilt when King was murdered, there was an opening for peace between the races that might otherwise never have presented itself. president johnson pleaded, "i ask every citizen to reject the blind violence that has struck dr. King." he went on to say that to bring meaning to his death, we must be determined to strike forcefully at the consciences of all americans in order to wrest from tragedy and trauma, the will to make a better society. The Student Movement Americans who were young in the 1960s influenced the course of the decade as no group had before. the motto of the time was "don't trust anyone over 30." another, "tell it like it is," conveyed a real mistrust of what they considered adult deviousness. Youthful americans were outraged by the intolerance of their universities, racial inequality, social injustice, the vietnam war, and the economic and political constraints of everyday life and work. one group that formed during this time was s.d.s. (students for a democratic society). opposed to "imperialism," racism, and oppression, the s.d.s. found the american university guilty of all three. they did do some good at the beginning like organizing northern ghetto dwellers in projects such as chicago's jobs or income, now (join). but the viet nam war led to a change in their tactics. they became an independent radical force against society. the deluge of disorders made it harder and harder for most americans to keep events in perspective. they tended to forget that most of the nation's 6,700,000 collegians were studying hard at school and not causing trouble. an underlying pattern emerged in the american university. The university suddenly became a political arena. the students wanted to address the national problems of war, race, and poverty. as a result, the university lost some of its neutrality. students created a new u.s. institution: the political university. However, another element among youths was also emerging. They were called hippies. this movement marked another response to the decade as the young experimented with music, clothes, drugs, and a "counter-culture" lifestyle. in 1967, hippies preached altruism and mysticism, honesty, joy and nonviolence. they had a child-like fascination for beads, blossoms, and bells, strobe lights, ear-shattering music, exotic clothing and erotic slogans. they wanted to profess "flower power" and love. they were predominantly white, middle-class, educated youths, ranging in age from 17 to 25. Perhaps the most striking thing about the hippie phenomenon, is the way it touched the imagination of the "straight" society. hippie slang entered common usage and spiced american humor. boutiques sprang up in urban and suburban areas to sell the "psychedelic" color clothes and designs that resembled art nouveau. A major development in the hippie world was the "rural community," where nature-loving hippie "tribesmen" escaped the commercialism of the cities in an attempt to build a society outside of society. another development was the illicit use of drugs, creating the slogan, "tune in, turn on, drop out." "better living through chemistry" was another advertising slogan that was a sly joke to the young, but a real worry f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Palestinian Liberation Organization.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Palestinian Liberation Organization 1. Can the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) justifiably claim to be 'the sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.'? The PLO was set up in 1964 by an Arab League decision in response to growing signs of Palestinian unrest. The Palestinians desired to reclaim the lands occupied by Israel, which they felt belonged to them, as said in the Bible. In 1964 the Arab states created the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). While it was supposed to represent the Palestinians, in reality it represented the views of President Nasser of Egypt, who guided the formation of the PLO. Its first leader made wild and irresponsible threats to drive Israelis into the sea, and had little support among Palestinians for he was seen as a puppet of the Egyptians. In the 1960s Palestinian students began to form their own organizations independent of control by Arab governments (although the Syrians, Libyans, and Iraqis continued to fund and control particular groups). Yasser Arafat founded an independent Palestinian-run party called Fatah. He is said to have the backing, for most of the recent past, of about 80% of the Palestinian people. The position of the Arab governments was that a PLO under Arab League supervision would be the best way of satisfying the demands made by an emerging Palestinian national consciousness. Also, it was felt that through such an organization Arab governments could control Palestinian political activities. Ten years after its founding, the PLO was raised to the status of government. And in 1988, the PLO's status was to be raised again, this time to a state in exile. After several negotiations, Arafat became a Terrorist leader and administrator of self-rule in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In the 1967 Six Day War, the Arab armies did very badly against Israel, losing 67,000 square kilometres of land. Palestinians came to believe that if they were ever to have their land, they would have to do it themselves. After the 1967 war, the situation changed drastically. The resistance activities of various guerrilla organizations, in particular the Al-Fatah and the PFLP, gained the increasing support of the Palestinians. With Arafat at the helm from 1969 and a resistance-oriented leadership, the PLO was more effective and played a central role in mobilizing the Palestinians and in expanding its basis of support both at the local and international level. The PLO became an umbrella organization for the various guerrilla groups. This increase in support was made possible because of the Al-Fatah's ability to access to the growing numbers of volunteers from refugee camps which were freshly swollen due to the 1967 war. Most of these refugees suffered the frustration of having been displaced twice in a lifetime. This generated, especially among the young, a mood of defiance, as they were ready to question the credibility of the idea of relying on Arab governments to liberate Palestine. Furthermore, as a consequence of the war a large proportion of the Palestinian community became territorially united. This brought the possibility of direct interaction between the various sections of the Palestinian community that had previously remained isolated from each other. On the other hand, the inability of the PLO's conservative leadership to promote any effective resistance operations culminated in the eventual transfer of power to the armed-struggle orientated guerrilla organizations. Thus initially, the PLO had a broad base of support and represented the desires of the majority of the Palestinian people. The origins of the Al-Fatah can be traced back to the mid-1950s to a group of Palestinians that had neither relinquished their national identity nor their belief in the necessity of liberating Palestine via Palestinian means, rather than relying on other Arab states. Yet, throughout the 1950s the attitude of the Palestinians remained largely skeptical if not uncommitted to Al-Faith's ideology. It was in the 1960s that the situation began to change, enabling Al-Fatah to expand its organizational structure and base. Under the leadership of Arafat, Al-Fatah pursued an ideology which simply stresses the nationalist struggle to liberate Palestine without dwelling too deeply on any theoretical speculations about the nature and form of the future Palestinian society. This tactic was essential in gaining support against other movements, and aided the rise of Al-Fatah to become the dominating faction within the PLO. Militarily, the PLO has a broad base of human resources for recruitment, almost half a million. The PLO has established across-the-board conscription for all the Palestinian men between the ages of 18 and 30. As a result, the PLO is able to maintain three military forces. It could be said then that physically, it did indeed represent a cross-section of the population. However, even if they were significant in number, these lower-level members were not politically potent, and did not have their voices heard. Arafat continued on his policies, tending to brush aside differing opinions, leaving many disenchanted with his autocratic rule. Even before the PLO was declared a state in 1988, it functioned much like one. This was reflected in much of the powers it possessed. The PLO has been able to exert what amounts to sovereign powers over the Palestinian people in war situations. The PLO represented the Palestinians in wars with Jordan and Lebanon, and during various incursions into Israel. The PLO also exercises extradition powers, as on many occasions Arab governments have turned over to the PLO Palestinians charged with criminal activities. They were tried and sentenced by the PLO judicial system. In these ways, it was supposed to represent the people. But various problems within the PLO undermined its legitimacy as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. Arafat's ascendancy to power on the Palestinian issue had naturally provoked rivals to try the same tack in their own interest. As a result, maintenance of his supremacy within the PLO became Arafat's full time preoccupation. Far from laying the basis for secular or democratic institutions that one day might serve as a nation, Arafat recruited Sumni Muslims like himself into a body known as Fatah, loyal to him on confessional lines. Unity itself was a mere appearance, a show for the sake of recovering honour. Far from uniting behind the Palestinian cause as words might indicate, every Arab state in practice discriminated against Palestinians living in its midst and had differing slants upon the PLO. This was due to its nature as an umbrella organization, the PLO comprises a number of resistance organizations. These organizations entered the PLO as groups retaining their ideological and organizational identity. Consequently, PLO institutions are structured to reflect proportional representation of each organization in addition to the few independent members. This has turned PLO politics into coalition politics. The flux of events between 1967 and 1982 offered Palestinians several chances to demonstrate en masse in favour of the PLO, if they had been so inclined. But they refrained, not due to fatalism or cowardice, but because they may be willing to pay lip service to Arafat, not much more than that. Whether Palestinians outside the Occupied Territories would in fact accept the legitimacy of the PLO as their representative was put to test in Jordan in 1970. Jordanian frontiers were the result of British map-making, which left half of the country's inhabitants Palestinian by origin. The rapid financing and arming by Arab power holders of Arafat's mercenaries offered these Palestinians in Jordan a chance to repudiate King Hussein and declare themselves nationalists for the new cause. Unexpectantly, Arafat's power challenge threatened to replace King Hussein with a PLO state in Jordan. After 18 months, while tensions were running high, the PFLP hijacked international airliners, three of which were brought at gunpoint to Jordan. Taking advantage of this anarchic jockeying between rival Palestinian groups, King Hussein ordered his army to subjugate the whole movement. Palestinians in Jordan and on the West Bank gave evidence of their real feelings by denouncing the PLO and PFLP activists to the authorities and occasionally even helping to round them up. David Pryce-Jones observed that "wherever they live, they observe for themselves that the PLO is a means to enrichment and aggrandizement for the unscrupulous few, but death and destruction for everyone else". Everywhere Palestinians have little alternative but to cling to this identity, as they continue to seek what freedom they can from power holders of different identity. In Syria, any Palestinian who attempted to form some independent grouping would be seen as a dangerous conspirator and summarily disposed of. This left many with no choice but to remain silent. Fatah itself was split by power struggles initiated by a growing number of young Fatah activists who were trying to gain positions of power in local society, in the process challenging the older generation of Fatah leaders. They felt entitled to positions in the structures Arafat was trying to create. The newest generation of people not only refuse to be cajoled or coerced, but also have acquired political organizing and networking skills in neighbourhoods, refugee camps, Israeli jails, and above all, in the political bodies created during the Intifada (uprising). The problem of factionalism has plagued the PLO from its formation. However, instead of adopting a policy of inclusion to accommodate the general goals of the people, he excluded not only the opposition but also the local Palestinians who had acted as his proxies before his return. He had promised he would be the leader of all Palestinians, but acted only like the President of his trusted lieutenants. Instead of speaking of tolerance and political pluralism, he spoke of respect for his authority. On top of this, Arafat's leadership was questioned. Arafat was criticized for filling his posts with loyalists whose professional qualifications are below average and whose reputations are tarnished. Other appointments brought more and more Palestinians to the conclusion that Arafat was mired in the past, and that he would continue to follow the policy plans he had formed long ago. The Chairman's primacy within the PLO had been seriously compromised as a result of the secret negotiations that had led to the September 13, 1993 agreement with the Rabin government. The relationship with the masses that the charismatic Arafat had enjoyed was diminished by the concessions he made to Israel. In modern day politics, he still remains a symbol of Palestinian nationalism, as does the PLO. But he faces much opposition. On the left various socialist groups think Arafat is too close to business and banking interests and too willing to negotiate with Israel or cooperate with America. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is one of these. It is led by George Habash, a Christian doctor. It opposes any negotiations. On the right some Islamic groups feel the PLO is too willing to cooperate with socialists and is too willing to negotiate with Israel. They feel there should be a united Palestine where Jews could live but which would not be governed by Jews. The largest of these groups is called HAMAS, the Islamic Resistance Movement. Several Palestinian radicals have their own military organizations. Abu Nidal is one of these. He is bitterly and violently opposed to the PLO for what he sees as its moderate positions. He has carried out airplane bombings and attacks on civilians and has tried to assassinate Arafat. He opposes any negotiation with Israel. He is probably funded by Iraq. In the latest turn of events, Yasser Arafat has decided to scrap the anti-Israeli section of the PLO charter calling for its destruction. Some have said that this is due to Israeli pressure in the peace process, which demanded the change before new talks and settlements. Shimon Peres has called it the "most important ideological change of the century", but it is sure to upset the Islamic fundamentalists, and those in the PLO who desire a completely pro-PLO solution. While there is so much contention and opposition to PLO decisions, the PLO cannot be called the sole representative of the Palestinian people, although it has a large following. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. David Pryce-Jones: The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs Harper Perennial, New York, 1991 2. Peter Calrocovessi: World Politics since 1945 (5th Ed) Longman Group, New York, 1987 3. Kamal Kirisai: The PLO and World Politics Frances Pinter, London, 1986 4. Muhammad Muslih : Arafat's Dilemma Mr Kwok's notes f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Panama Canal.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Panama Canal In 1825, a group of American businesspeople announced the formation of a canal building company, with interests in constructing a canal system across the Isthmus. This project was to take place in an area now called Panama. The endeavor was filled with controversy. Though the canal itself was not built until the early 1900's every step toward the building and ownership, was saturated with difficulty. Walter LaFeber illustrates the dilemmas in a historical analysis. In his work he states five questions that address the significance of the Panama Canal to United States. This paper will discuss the historical perspective of the book's author, address pertinent three questions and give a critique of LaFeber's work, The Panama Canal. For proper historical analysis one must understand the importance of the Canal. The Panama Canal and the Canal Zone (the immediate area surrounding the Canal) are important areas used for trade. Even before the canal was built there were to large ports on both sides of the Isthmus. Large amounts of cargo passed through the Isthmus by a railroad that connected the two ports. The most important cargo was the gold mined in California before the transcontinental railroad was completed in the United States. It has strategic significance because of its location, acting as a gateway connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This allows for rapid naval deployment between fleets in either ocean. These two facets make the Panama Canal very important in the region. LaFeber notes that Panamanian nationalism played a large role in the creation of the canal and, consequently, the cause for the area's constant instability. The first expression occurred in the late 1800's with Panamanian struggle for independence from Columbia. The United States eager to build the canal, and control its operation, used and backed Panamanian nationalist. During the Roosevelt administration, not only did the United States manipulate factors isolating Panama from other world powers through the Monroe Doctrine; but it committed troops aiding the revolutionaries against another sovereign state. The reason this is a surprise is because the Roosevelt administration normally held a position favoring stability. The United States had no legal right to use force against Columbia. Nationalism came back to haunt the United States. With the treaty signed and a 99-year lease given to the United States, the Canal was built. Since then, the United States has varied on its stance of ownership and the principles of sovereignty concerning the Canal. The ever persistent debate of who owns the Canal and who should have sovereign control over it, has not been solved. The United States has occasionally attempted to "claim" the Canal zone through various methods such as military occupation, exclusion of Panamanians for important jobs in Canal operations and even through the customary aspect of international law. However, each time the Panamanians have managed to maintain claim to the Canal despite the United State's imperialistic posturing to get it. The most recent and notorious of the United States' attempts to annex the Canal Zone was during the Reagan administration. President Reagan said that the Canal Zone could be equated as a sovereign territory equal to that of Alaska. The question here is, was he correct? LaFeber points out that, "the United States does not own the Zone or enjoy all sovereign rights in it." He uses the treaty of 1936 in Article III that states, "The Canal Zone is the territory of the Republic of Panama under the jurisdiction of the United States." The entire topic was summed up neatly by Ellsworth Bunker, a negotiator in the region, when he said, "We bought Louisiana; we bought Alaska. In Panama we bought not territory, but rights." A second important question, is the Canal a vital interest to the United States? LaFeber gives three points suggesting that it is not. First, the importance of the Canal decreased after 1974, because of the end of the Vietnam War and all related military traffic ceased. Second, is the age of the antique machinery dating back to 1914. Inevitably the machinery will need to be replaced. Lastly, the size of the new tankers and cargo ships. The capacity of the canal is too small to handle such a large amount of tonnage. These are viable factors; however, the first argument is concerning whether a war is taking place. It is circumstantial in providing a solid reason for increased traffic through the Zone. This can easily change through and emergence of a new conflict or trading habits of other countries. Thirdly, why have the Panamanians insisted on assuming total control of the Canal. The Panamanians are making millions of dollars annually and the United States run the Canal efficiently. LaFeber points in the direction of economics as the principal factor and nationalism as secondary. The Panamanians fear the amount of reliance they have on U.S. investments. The fear is enhanced by the large dependence of their national economy on MNC's, American banks and mining companies. LaFeber continues saying that Panamanians find it difficult to cross the Zone because of check points and resent their country being split in half. Continuing he asserts that perhaps if the Panamanians were to have complete control the Zone the amount of revenue would increase. Panamanians could also develop spinoff industries such as drydocks and ship building creating an increase in profits. Walter LaFeber develops a persuasive argument for the interpretation of historical events surrounding the creation of the Panama Canal. As is consistent with other LaFeber's works, his research and fact finding technique in The Panama Canal is complete if not exhaustive. He presents an objective outlook on issues surrounding the Canal. He uses a historical approach in presenting his contribution to a subject that is lacking in information and scholarly examination. In conclusion, this paper has addressed the historical perspective that the author of the book used. A discussion also included three important questions concerning the Canal, its importance and the relationship between the United States and Panama. Furthermore, this paper examines the effectiveness and usefulness of LaFeber's, The Panama Canal. Word Count: 1008 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Parking Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jennifer Yoon 2nd Hour English 11 Mr.Gorkowski Parking Problem at EK Are you like me when you seem to get to school around 7:30am and by the time you get to the east wing parking lots, it's packed? Obviously you would end up parking in the freshman campus or band lot, getting a parking violation, and most likely being late to your class. Not every student tries to get here extra early if there's no need. We all paid to get a parking sticker beginning of the school year, its not right if they rung out of spots in one wing, make us go to the other and blame us for being late. Actually coming into school is a hassle; lights, traffic, speed bumps, all play into it. The stubborn security guards can prevent this if they just chilled out a little. Why are our ideas and feelings uncalled? The security and administration needs to give us more say or a little more slack at times. Not all students behave the same way. The elders just single us out saying we are the troublemakers and big mouths in society. They make it seem like we don't listen and that we don't know. We need to stop this non-sense. We need to be able to have a say in what goes on around here. We get penalized for being late when the reason a lot of time is getting in the lot and finding a spot. So what do you plan to do about it? You should know by now! You are going to help me change things around here. We need to get things to come our way. We need to be able to come to school without worrying about parking spots, because we are coming to school to study and learn, not here to be worry about where to park. So are you with me? If we could change things for our own benefit, everyone would be able to park where they want to in the morning. I mean we pay to park, and so they should know how many people could fir in each wing and maybe say the first to pay the first to drive to school and also can put in the fact that the upperclassmen get first dibs, because more and more sophomores are driving to school. Seriously, lets solve this problem together to make everybody feel better. Please join me by signing this petition that will be sent to our principle, Mr.Beel. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\pearl essay .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Pearl Essay Sometimes you really want something, but you don't want what comes with it. In the book The Pearl by John Steinbeck, Kino really wanted wealth but didn't want what came with it. Sometimes things you want absolutely you don't need or want at all. One thing that wealth brought Kino was harm to his family. Some men were tracking Kino with guns hunting for the pearl. They shot at Kino's baby half-heartedly thinking it was a coyote. "And in the surface of the pearl he saw Cyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot off" (page 89). This shows that he lost his only son for wealth. He lost one of the most important things in his life for lifeless money. This he definitely didn't want. Kino was always on the alert since he found the pearl. Now he never took a break to relax or admire the sea like he loved to do before the pearl. "The music of evil of the enemy sounded but it was faint and weak." (Page 27) He was always looking, waiting for something bad to happen to the pearl that he now jumps at the smallest things. Kino probably didn't want to have to kill people to keep his wealth. Wealth isn't worth lives. A man attacked Kino, so he had to defend himself. "A dead man in the path and Kino's knife dark bladed" (pages 60-61). Since Kino had to kill a man to keep his wealth, now his life can never be the same. He and his family were attacked for money. People's lives are in jeopardy because of some petty wealth. Also who in their right mind wants people attacking them. In conclusion he would have had a better quality of life with the pearl but who would want money if it came at such a horrid price. In real life today sometimes you want a better job but can't handle the work and responsibility that comes with it. So sometimes what you think you really want you don't want at all. Miranda Cooper Iroquois Humanities December 10, 2002 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Pearl Prequel.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It was a dark and stormy night ... no that's not it. It was a beautiful sunny day ... not it either. Could it be uhh... On that rainy day when the sea would not quit, the sky growled and men shuttered in their huts. That's it !! Well now that I seem to temporarily regained my memory Ill tell you the story of that horrible season of the oyster conference. What's that you don't know what the oyster conference is! You see it is a time when the oysters of the world gather together in their respective clans and decide who shall carry the pearl of power. These pearls are no ordinary pearls. They were not made by an oyster but were forged by the pillar. This pillar was the giver of power before the pestilence of man arrived. Now the pillar does not exist due to the carelessness of man. To keep order among the oysters they gathered all the pearls forged by the pillar and cursed them so that if man found one in the leader oyster it would destroy the finder and find its way back to the sea. This conference I told you about is a great as well as horrible experience for all the oysters. Triumph and defeat lurks around all corners. The contending oysters must run the test and those standing at the end must do it again until one oyster stands. This was the first time in history that more than three tests had to be run. It came down to Chuck the clan favorite and Tinagel the outcast. Finally with a little cheating and a lot of dishonesty Chuck took the pearl to gain its power till the coming year when he would relinquish control of the pearl. Tintagel knew this fact but was jealous and devised a plan to steal the pearl by poisoning Chuck. The next few days Tintagel spent carefully gathering all the equipment and materials he'd need to complete his plan. Then after his materials were gathered he mixed and organized them in perfect blend. He had them delivered to Chuck and unknowingly took the poison. There was but a single fact overlooked by Tintagel and that was the power of the pearl. Instead of killing Chuck it made him diseased and mentally insane. He starts to disconnect himself from reality. Oysters begin to fear him. Perturbed by what he has done Tintagel leaves the colony which means certain death and is never heard from again. Meanwhile back at the farm ma's killin off da injuns OOPS there I go again just a sec. KAY.... back to our regularly scheduled story. Chuck ends up all alone. By the end of his life no goes near him and no one will until his year is up. What's that another man to pick us up an mutilate us oysters. We never did a thing to you before. Why. The clan of oysters gather in their hiding spots but Chuck is just sitting there. The clan tries to war him but its too late and a few minutes later his sorry carcass is discarded back to the sea. The PEARL is missing. The clan soon is discomforted by this knowledge and wonder if the curse is true. Fast Forward to the end of the Pearl by that boring guy who people think is great because a few over-educated chuckle heads say so(john stienbeck). The oysters are still wondering about how to get the pearl back when Poof there it is in their midst. No one asks any questions and the pearl is kept buried until Chucks term is finished and his successor is found. Okay so it wasn't much of a story but hey this is just a start. I got no moral or even a thrill out of writing it but hey it was defiantly a writing experience not to be missed. It taught me to stick with it even if you didn't want to do the project in any remote way. I hope you found my writing style to your liking and subscribe for future installments of prequels to boring books. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Pen Pals.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Forward: This story was written based on the X-Files characters created by Chris Carter and Ten Thirteen productions. In no way this story is being used to infringe or defame these characters or the X-Files television series. The story is based on my speculation of what happened to Agent Fox Mulder's sister when she was a child. According to the writers of the X-Files, this story has no affiliation to what really happened to Samantha Mulder when she was a child, as no one really knows the whole story. As the series unfolds, we will hopefully learn more about what happens. I have submitted my story to the writers & producers of the X-Files via the Internet in hopes they will use my story in a future episode. This story is also available over the Internet on my home page so others can view it at their leisure. The idea for this story has been in the back of my mind before I was assigned this project. I have always loved the X-Files since it premiered and within the past year, I have submitted my stories, ideas, and suggestions to the writers of the X-Files. Unfortunately, none of my ideas have been selected. Lots of activity regarding the X-Files goes on over the Internet, and through discussions are where I get a lot of my ideas for the stories that I write. =============================================== June 8th, 1996 6:58pm- Washington, DC, Scully's Apartment Dana Scully arrived home to find a package sitting in the hallway outside her door. Curious, she picked it up and tucked it under her arm while she let herself into the apartment. Once inside, she set the box wrapped in brown paper down on her dining table and left it there while she hung up her coat and kicked off her high heels. Mulder would be coming over later to discuss the case they were currently working on, but until then, she wanted to relax. She made herself a cup of hot coffee and carried both it and the package with her over to the sofa. She noticed that her mother's return address was on the label. I wonder what this could be? She didn't say she was going to be sending me anything. Dana set her tea down and ripped the paper open. Inside she found a rather old, very familiar shoebox with an envelope taped to the top. She opened the envelope and read the letter her mother had enclosed. Dear Dana, I found this when I was going through some boxes in the attic and almost threw it away, but was afraid you would kill me if I disposed of it without consulting you, considering how important some of this stuff was to you as a girl. So, I decided to send it to you and let you dispose of it as you see fit. Here's hoping that it will bring back pleasant memories for you. Love, Mom Smiling at some of the memories the box did evoke, Dana reverently lifted the lid. It was filled with smudged envelopes with the name "Danni" scribbled on them in a child's handwriting. Danni had been her nickname in elementary school, a name she had gotten through a pen-pal program between her class and a third grade class somewhere in New England. Dana had complained that her pen pal had a boy's name, and from the moment said pen pal first heard about it, she had insisted on calling her Danni, so they would be even. The envelope on the top was the last one she had received. A sad smile crept over her face as she remembered what had brought a stop to their correspondence... October 7th, 1971 11:30am - New Ridge Elementary School, Ithaca Naval Base Danni was excited. It was pen pal day, and she was expecting a letter from Sammie. These two girls had become closer than any of the other pen pals in the two classes because they were so much alike. Sammie's dad worked for the government, and Danni's was in the Navy. They both had older brothers, though Danni also had another brother and a sister. And both of them LOVED reading fairy tales and ghost stories, though neither of them believed in fairies or ghosts. Of course, there were differences between them too, but that just served as fodder for conversation. Sammie's family didn't go to church, so she had been eagerly awaiting Danni's account of her first Holy Communion, which she had just sent to her in the last letter. And then there was the fact that Sammie's parents had been fighting a lot lately. She was scared they were going to get divorced, and Danni was the only one of her friends she had told about it. Because of their closeness, Danni looked forward to pen pal day for the whole month. Just recently the two girls had discussed exchanging photos when school pictures came out, and maybe even talking their parents into finding a way for them to meet in person. Danni couldn't wait to see if Sammie had thought of anything. The children clustered around Miss Reynolds as she entered the room with the box full of letters and began handing them out. Danni was right at her knee, since Sammie's was almost always on top. But something was wrong. She could tell from the way Miss Reynolds had looked at her when she pushed through the crowd of other kids. There was a strange sadness in her eyes, as if she was thinking about something she didn't want to be thinking about. Finally, all the letters had been distributed but one, which Danni knew had to be Sammie's since she was the only one left. But she didn't like the way Miss Reynolds kept looking at her so pityingly. What was wrong? Was Sammie hurt. The teacher pulled her aside. "Dana..." she handed her the envelope with a somber sigh. "I'm afraid this is the last letter you will be receiving for a while." The little girl frowned. "But, why? Did something happen to Sammie?" Miss Reynolds nodded reluctantly. "I'm afraid so. Dana...Sammie has been kidnapped. Her family is searching for her, but--God, I hate to tell you this-they don't have much hope." Danni fell back against the back of her seat, stunned. Her pen pal had been kidnapped! Even though she had been told that it was babyish for a nine-year old to cry, she couldn't help it. The tears came out of their own accord. "I'm sorry, Dana. I know how close you two were." "I'll pray...every...day that...they find her," she managed to gasp out between sobs. Almost crying herself, the teacher put her arms around the girl and held her until the weeping subsided. "You do that, honey," she whispered softly. "It's all any of us can do for her now." June 8th, 1996 7:16pm- Washington, DC, Scully's Apartment Blinking back the tears that had resurfaced with the memory, Dana opened the last letter she had received from her pen pal and began to re-read it. Suddenly, she froze as one part unexpectedly caught her eye. "He says the girls have started calling him 'Foxy' at school. Dad teases him about it, saying that he should be flattered, but he hates it. He told me that when he grows up, he's not going to let anyone call him by his first name. Except me, of course, because I'm his sister." Oh, my God... she thought to herself, stunned. Because she hadn't read the letters in so long, she had never made the connection before now. But now, the name that was always signed at the bottom of the letters came back to her in a rush, without even looking at it--Sammie Mulder. As if she were once again the little girl learning that her pen pal had disappeared, Dana began to cry, holding her face in her hands. The agony Mulder had gone through all those years looking for his sister took on a more awful reality in the light of this new revelation. The doorbell rang. Forcing herself to regain control, Scully wiped her face and went to answer it, still clutching the letter tightly in one hand. The first thing Mulder saw when she opened the door was that she had been crying, and crying hard. His face instantly expressed his concern. "Scully, what's wrong?" She couldn't answer, and her hand shook as she held out the letter to him. He took it, and his eyes filled with pain as he recognized the handwriting. Then, the meaning of the envelope he held in his hands sank in, and he glanced up at his partner in surprise. "You were Danni?" he asked softly, amazed. Dana nodded. "My mom sent me the letters so that I could decide what to do with them. I hadn't looked at them in years, never made the connection... until now." "Oh, God." He had never imagined that she shared his keenest loss with him in this way, and all he could do was wrap his arms around her and let her cry, while his own tears fell into her hair. When they were both calmer, Dana pulled away and walked over to the box. Picking it up, she brought it back over to where he was still standing just inside the door. "I know we have business to discuss, Mulder, but I thought that first, you might like to read some of these." It wasn't often that Fox Mulder was given an opportunity to see something new about his beloved sister, and his eyes filled with tears again at the suggestion. "Yeah, Scully," he replied softly. "I would love to." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\personal essay 1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jessica Haber October 1, 2000 O'Toole- Eng. 9 The Last Day My counselor shakes me by my shoulder softly like she has done every morning for the past two months. My eyes peer open as I shiver in my sheets, it's a frigid lightless morning. This will be the last time I wake up with my 11 best friends. I give each one a long stare, up and down, trying to capture their uniqueness and beauty so that I may remember it in the ten months to come. I step on the cold, wooden floor; it feels like walking on ice, it's slippery and creeks while I walk to my cubby. The cubby is empty except for the clothes that I am wearing home, it used to be filled with white shirts and green shorts, my camp colors. I leave the bunk with some of my friends that are also going back to New York City. As I walk out the swinging door slams with a bang- it hits me, it's over. I look back at the tan bunk with the wooden plaque that reads "sugarloaf", my home for two months. I walk on the rocky path down to the buses. The stones on the path are all unique, some pointy, and some smooth, they are all gray. The color fits the mood of the day. I walk down the path one foot after another, as slowly as possible trying to delay my departure. As I walk snapshots of my summer fill my mind and I almost begin to laugh at the funny ones, but then my countenance falls once again because I realize I won't be able to have those fun memories ever again. I reach the buses, they look lined up like people waiting to be executed. The air is filled with the screams of sobs and you can almost taste the salty tears in the air. I feel like I am being ripped away from the one place that gives me security, like a baby to its blanket. I run over to my friends, their faces are dim, they don't shed the light they once used to, the bulb is burning out. Tears start to drizzle down my face, each one for a different reason of why I don't want to leave. I hug my friends as if I am holding on for dear life, I feel as if when I let go I will die. Someone grabs me from behind and pushes me on to the bus, pushing my shoulders, forcing me to go in to the place I least want to be. The bus feels like a jail, I am secluded from everything that brings me happiness. I look out the window, my friends standing in a line waving and sobbing. I am so jealous that they are still together. My tears are now pouring down my face like the rain in a hurricane, and my voice is yelling like the gusts of wind. I feel like someone is ripping my heart out. I can't catch my breath, I am wheezing. The bus starts to pull away and I start to bang on the windows. Each one of my friends in the line becomes farther away until I cannot see them anymore. We drive down the dirt road that I had once run with my friends on. We pass the tennis courts, land sports fields, and archery targets each one reminding me of a different memory. Now I look back at the place my heart is so attached to and realize a part of me is missing. It's that feeling of frustration when you've lost something you love and you can't find it anywhere. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Personal Observations.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Adam Hughes Communication Theory Personal Observations September 8th, 2004 As I sat down to write this brief essay on my observations, I found it difficult to concentrate while at the computer because I kept looking at my buddy list on instant messenger, seeing which of my friends were online at the time. Then, that gave me an interesting thought; why is it that I cannot simply just focus while on my computer instead of trying to waste time by chatting with my friends? The answer, I realized, is that my generation has been conditioned to using the computer as a means of communication And the media has seized the opportunity to catapult on our popular communication Channel by trying to program us with as much unnecessary information as they wish. For years now, I personally have used the internet to chat since junior high, and its just become a natural habit that I do without hesitation everyday, sometimes for hours. Advertising companies and various media outlets have obviously realized this trend, because on my buddy list there are ads for upcoming movies, and websites to go to, to sell one product or another. Its become second nature nowadays, it doesn't even phase me to see these advertisements on my personal screen, without even asking for them. These recurring patterns that I see everyday are just another example of how the media tries to influence practically our every move in order to make a profit or push some type of hidden agenda that they are trying to convey. These patterns tell me that our society is dominated by the media, unsafe wherever we go from being influenced one way or another, whether it be right wing for President Bush or the liberal media trying to push John Kerry, nothing is sacred anymore, nothing is truly fair and evenly balanced. This is truly a shame because there are just so many different ways that the media can get to us nowadays, and they know it too, whether its on billboards, television, radio, anything and everything is accessible. And eventually, the more the advertisements and agenda pushing media wants to convince us, the more likely we are to cave in to their wishes, whether or not we even know it. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Personal Response expos.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Personal Response By: Brian Bass In High School I never had the opportunity to write a paper like this. For the most part I'm used to writing research papers and other non-sense. This paper was a lot more unique and interesting. Being a film major, it is important to be able to view films and then analyze them. This project is the perfect movement towards learning how to master that well. I admit that my writing can be confusing and un-organized but by writing papers like these I hope to change that statement. It is so much easier and enjoyable to write a paper about something that is meaningful and important like this film rather than a very dry research paper. For future papers to come, I hope they are as interesting and meaningful as the topic of this paper. Hopefully in this class we will stray away from dull material and focus more on pop-culture/ current events in our writing but my primary motive to be in Expository Writing is to become a better writer. So whatever the topic may be, I am willing to do it as long as I am improving my writing skills. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\personel essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alex Jones short essay 8-4 I was waiting in my dad's car listening to the radio when I heard screaming. I looked outside and two men walking on the other side of the street are dragging a boy with them. He was yelling for help. One of the men looks down at him and asks him if he wants any candy. The boy keeps on yelling. I sink into my chair in fear that they might see me. I look up and see that they had passed. My dad gets in the car and I am silent. We turn down a street and see the men and the boy. My dad doesn't notice them and I just stare at them. This event has had a very strong impact on me. I consider this was my "loss of innocence" because I realized that there are mean people who would do this and hurt you. This has greatly influenced me. I've always thought of things I could have done to help. If something like this ever happens to me again I would do all that I could to help. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\persuasive essay 0102.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Persuasive Essay You go to bed pulling the covers over you, laying your head on soft pillows, then suddenly you're laying on a dry rocky surface, thousands of little stones. Suddenly a hungry, fanged animal comes out of nowhere and chases you. I will show you other reasons shelter is not only a comfort; it's a need, from Island Of The Blue Dolphins early human history and current events. Karanah, the main character in Island Of The Blue Dolphins is marooned on an island with vicious wild dogs. The village where she used to live was just bad memories. So she has to find a safe place. "It was flat on top and wide enough for me to stretch out. Also it was so high from the ground that I did not need to fear the wild dog while I was sleeping." (p. 57) she finds a shelter where she escapes from bad memories and troubles. Plus it protects her from her enemies. I studied the life of early humans and realized that like today early humans did many activities in their shelters. I learned this from a Message From Ancient Days that archaeologists found the foundation of Homo erectus hut. "Stone flakes were scattered all around the area. Those flakes flew off as people chipped rocks into tools. A second stone in another corner of the hut probably served as a cutting board for meat." (p.107) This quote proves that people feel safe enough in their shelter to do many activities like making tools and cooking. What would you do without a place to go and be alone and protect your food and stuff? Do you have pets? Don't you think they would steal your food if they had the chance? The shelter in this case is the fridge, which protects my food from my cats. So some people don't have fridges so their food can be stolen or could spoil. Without shelter for their food people could die. You might say food and water are more important. But if there's no food and water you can always move to another shelter. It doesn't matter who you are you still need shelter to survive, be safe and be happy. Miranda Cooper Class 6-301 01/06/02 Page 2 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\persuasive essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Many high schools across Canada have a well developed rugby program. PEI, the smallest province in Canada has eight mens and eight womens 'AA' teams along with a developing 'A' team that play every spring. High School starts the training process by teaching the students in the A program; by the time the students graduate, most have played in the AA league and learned to play the game well. From the end of high school forward, there are no quality leagues to continue developing young rugby players. In each region of Canada, a number of universities have a rugby team playing under the school names and colors. UPEI is involved in a Maritime league along with three New Brunswick teams and four Nova Scotia teams. Each fall, the NB/PEI teams play a short, six game schedule as do the Nova Scotia teams. After the season, the best Nova Scotia team plays the best NB/PEI team for the Maritime championship; the winner of the game gets no recognition after the win, and goes nowhere to persue further glory. Nobody knows who won the game, and nobody cares because it is just a club league. I myself play in the league and I don't even know who won the final game because of lack of advertising. So, to improve rugby in Canada, all university club teams should be classified as varsity. One very big reason why men's university rugby in Canada should be AUS, is that women's rugby IS already an AUS sport. Across the country, women's rugby is an AUS sport and gets all of the benefits that go along with it. There is no logical reason why a university should have a men's and a women's team of the same sport, and have only the women playing under Atlantic University Sport. In each university that has rugby, the men's and women's teams relate to one another just like soccer, volleyball, or basketball; however, in rugby when it comes to gametime, the women play for national rankings while the men play for fun. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\PersuasiveEssay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Persuasive Essay Greatness and marvel have always come from those striving to do the impossible. From Martin Luther King Jr. to Mother Teresa, the world's greatest heroes are those who overcame the odds to "dream the impossible dream" of a country free from racism or comfort for the diseased. Don Quixote, the knight of the Woeful Countenance from Dale Wasserman's play and novel "Man of La Mancha", dared to stand up to the face of what people believed to be "absurd" and bring justice to this unbearable world. In Quixote's journey of knighthood to right the wrongs of the world, he strove do that which is seemingly impossible, in a physical, emotional and interpersonal way. Quixote's impossible dream of an "ideal" world inspired the hearts of those around him and gave them hope. The knight-errant fought not only against the evil of the "Great Enchanter", but also against the limitations of reality. The only way to reach something greater than the norm is to have the courage to first "attempt the absurd to obtain the impossible". The idea of a knight often brings about images of strong, armor-clad men that have strong, unbridled ferocity in battle. To the contrary of this image would be Don Quixote, a frail old man with not much more time in this world. Yet despite ridicule from the muleteers, Aldonza and even his own family, Don Quixote continued to fight as the knights did well over 1000 years ago. As Quixote sallied forth, little did he know that "so soon shall he engage in brave, unequal combat" (Wasserman 13). With this battle cry, Don Quixote charged, lance in hand, to battle the evil windmill (or in his ideal world, the evil ogre, Matagoger). While many would think that this old man is insane for doing battle with an object, be it one that is much larger and more solid than he, it is just further proof of how Quixote strived to obtain the impossible. Even against insurmountable odds, Don Quixote fought and achieved goals that were physically "impossible". When Quixote fought and defeated the muleteers, a group of young men stronger than he, it further showed how his attempt at what many people thought to be absurd was indeed possible. Quixote overcame the odds and achieved goals that were thought to be physically impossible for an old man. In his proclamation, Quixote went on a journey "for a holy endeavor is now to begin, and virtue should triumph at last!" (Wasserman 12). Using historical reference, Quixote compared his journey to that of the Crusaders, knights who fought to protect the church from heathens and "took the cross" to battle. While the crusaders fought for what is good, so too did Don Quixote. However, Don Quixote's physical strength could not have come be it not for his strong beliefs of virtue, chivalry and idealism. In Quixote's short journey through knighthood, he not only attained the impossible physically, but emotionally as well. His firmly rooted ideals of doing good in the world are what gave him the strength to overcome all the odds. Through his words and through his actions, Quixote gave hope to those around him. Perhaps even greater than his accomplishments as a knight would be his ability to change the people around him. When Quixote first met Aldonza, she was a whore, a kitchen slut, who hated men, hated those around her and even hated herself. In a song detailing the pain she has lived through her whole life, she says, "I do not like the life I live" (Wasserman 20). Having suffered and being taken advantage of her whole life, Aldonza had lost all hope for men and for herself. When Quixote came along and called her to be his "lady fair", she gradually began to realize the beauty within herself. Unlike all the other people she had met her life, Don Quixote was able to see the true beauty within her. Through Quixote's actions and words, he was able to let Aldonza feel a sense of self worth, a sense of hope and meaning in her life. To a person who had given up all hope on their life, Quixote achieved the impossible and allowed Aldonza to realize a sense of beauty and self worth within her. This "impossible" transformation is most prominent when Aldonza says, "My name is Dulcinea" (Wasserman 81). The play of Don Quixote also gave hope to the prisoners, many of which were locked up for life. As it did for Aldonza, the prisoners were given a sense that nothing is "impossible", that there is still hope for them even in the confines of their dark cells. Often enough, people mistake idealism as running away from that which is true. Those who are cynical and skeptical, like the Duke was, believe that reality should be faced and taken for what it is, not what it could be. In short, it means that "dreaming the impossible dream" is unrealistic; it is an idealism that has no existence or substance. To strive for that which is impossible will only result in disappointment when you realize the futility of your efforts. When Dr. Carrasco (the realist of the play) masquerades as the Knight of the Mirrors and enters into the world of Don Quixote, he is intent on showing him reality. As the mirrors converge upon Quixote, he is forced to face reality, the impossible and ideal dream he once believed now shattered like a broken mirror. Look in the mirror and see things as they really are. Look what sees thou Don Quixote? A gallant knight? Naught but an aging fool! (Wasserman 69) To strive for that which is impossible, even if it is in an ideal world, is the only way to make things better. People may choose to face reality but really all they are doing is giving up on themselves and the potential they have. In my opinion, to take life as it is and face reality will only lead to the limitation of possibilities. Those who attempt the absurd are the only ones capable of doing that which is impossible. To face reality doesn't only mean to accept reality, but to constantly strive to make it better. Those who are great have faced reality, and the suffering that inevitably comes along with it. However, they didn't just face reality and live with it, they went the extra mile and tried to make things better. Don Quixote was one of these people whom had the bravery and courage to face against all odds and fight to do the impossible. In Quixote's very own creed, he tells of this "impossible dream". To dream the impossible dream, To fight the unbeatable foe, To bear with unbearable sorrow, To run where the brave not go. (Wasserman 49) With Quixote's idealism to strive for that which is impossible, he was able to do what others couldn't. Quixote was able to face reality, see its despairs, and make an ideal world in which to make it better. For those that accept reality, that which is impossible only serve as barriers to life instead of opportunities for change. In the ideals of Quixote's world, that which is impossible is that which is beyond the limits of imagination. "Only those who attempt the absurd are the ones capable of doing the impossible". Don Quixote exemplified this quote in his journey of knighthood. Through his actions and words, the knight errant always strived to do that which is seemingly impossible. The idealism Quixote had allowed him to see everything as being possible. From a physical, emotional and interpersonal aspect, he did just that. Quixote was able to surpass the impossibilities, the barriers that had been imposed upon him and overcome all the odds. In his quest to battle the evils of the world, he battled the ignorance and cynicism of facing reality and accepting it for what it is. Quixote showed the world that that which is impossible can be attained, if we are willing to face reality and make it better. In his journey, Quixote inspired those around him, and gave them hope that the hurdles can be overcome. Don Quixote was truly a great man, one who inspired others into believing that indeed nothing is impossible in this world. If one has the courage to face reality and still attempt the absurd, even against all odds, only they are capable of the impossible. Bibliography Wasserman, Dale. Man of La Mancha: A Musical Play. New York: Random House, 1965. "TO DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM" TO ACTUALLY WRITE A GOOD ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY BASED ON THE MUSICAL PLAY, MAN OF LA MANCHA By Justin Lim To Mrs. Dunlop March 27, 2002 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Petit Prince Test Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ V. Rédaction : Le Renard donne un secret au Petit Prince, " Il est très simple : on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. " Qu'est-ce que c'est le sens du mot, " apprivoiser " ? Est-ce que cet ont bouge ton cour et ton esprit ? Le Renard lui demande pour d'être apprivoisé du Prince. Après le prince apprivoise le Renard, qu'est-ce que c'est que l'expérience astreint le Petit Prince ouvert l'esprit à et voir ? Une chose très simple mais très complexes en même temps ? (Rappelez-vous à employer de riche vocabulaire, des temps variés, des conjonctions, transitions, etc.) ( points) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ph.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ph.D. Students to contact. Lori Utecht Debra Seivert Patricia Brennan Jana Bouma Matt Hokum Elizabeth Turner Steve Shively John Anders Jennifer Bradley Holly Hassel Devon Niebling f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\PHIL 116 Term Paper Notes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alternative 1: Buffy renders an unqualified opinion on Vampire's financials without forcing Vampire to book her suggested adjustments Person Effect Intensity Duration Probability Totals Buffy Get caught, Not get caught (85) units 30 units 840 hrs 336 hrs 25% 75% (17850) unit/hrs [(85)x840x.25] 7,560 unit/hrs [30x336x.75] Spike Get caught Not get caught (90) units 60 840 hrs 504 hrs 25% 75% (18,900) unit/hrs [(90)x840x.25] 22,680 unit/hrs [60x504x.75] Total Utility (6510) unit/hrs Alternative 2: Buffy refuses to render a clean opinion unless Vampire books her suggested adjustments Person Effect Intensity Duration Probability Totals Buffy Buffy loses the Vampire account (55) units 504 hrs 100% (27720) unit/hrs [(55)x504] Spike Spike fires BGWX has his auditors 20 units 168 hrs 100% 3360 unit/hrs [20 x 168] Total Utility (24360) unit/hrs UTILITARIANISM 1,110 words f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\phil term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ R. Wesley Haynes PHIL 1275, S04 Term Paper Word Count: 1813 My aim in this paper is to show that the issues of abortion, euthanasia, cross-burning, and affirmative action, are important moral issues as well as important legal issues. The latter part of this claim will be supported by using various U.S. Supreme Court opinions. There have been many moral arguments in relation to the case concerning abortion. Sally Markowitz, a professor of philosophy as well as an advocate for feminism and abortion rights, argues that abortion is morally permissible if women find themselves facing unwanted pregnancies in a society in which they suffer discrimination and experience inequality. She rejects the idea of an autonomy defense, but endorses her idea of an egalitarian society. She also implements what she calls the Impermissible Sacrifice Principle which states that when one group in a society is systematically oppressed by another, it is impermissible to require the oppressed group to make sacrifices that will exacerbate or perpetuate this oppression. The ISP allows for the demonstration of solidarity with other oppressed groups by resting the case for abortion on the same principle that might block a policy requiring the poor rather than the rich to bear the tax burden. In her abortion argument, Markowitz also supplemented the ISP with the Feminist Proviso where women are, as a group, sexually oppressed by men. She feels as though the Impermissible Sacrifice Principle and the Feminist Proviso justify abortion together on demand for women because they live in a sexist society. Sally Markowitz had shown that the above issue is important morally by using the perspectival approach to moral philosophy. She implemented the social matrix to have a stronger argument. She included the social dynamic of gender in order to prove the point of view in her argument. Another philosopher, Don Marquis, has set out an argument for the serious presumptive wrongness of abortion subject to the assumption that the moral permissibility of abortion stands or falls on the moral status of the fetus. He defends his view by stating that fetuses have the same moral status as do adult persons. If the same reason that makes killing an adult immoral, it would deprive that person of a future and therefore supports the conclusion that there is a strong presumption that any abortion is morally impermissible. In addition to his argument against abortion, Marquis sheds light on the possibility of another life form from planet "X." He says that if there is another life form on a different planet, then they would have a future like ours. Since they have a future like ours, it would be wrong to kill them. Therefore the theory is opposed to the claim that only life that is biologically human has any moral worth. Unlike Sally Markowitz, Don Marquis did not endorse the perspectival approach to moral philosophy. However, he did use the abstract approach to moral philosophy to prove his argument was one that had great moral importance. In his argument, he abstracted the "real" moral issues of abortion as far as possible from the supposedly irrelevant and the social matrix from which they emerged, such as his idea of beings from planet "X." The issue of abortion gained much national attention when a pregnant single woman (using the alias Roe) brought a class action challenging the constitutionality of the Texas criminal abortion laws, which proscribe attempting an abortion except on medical advice for the purpose of saving the mother's life. This Supreme Court case was known as Roe et al. v. Wade. In this case, the court found the Texas criminal abortion laws to be in conflict with the fourteenth amendment and particularly a woman's right to privacy, therefore allowing the aborting of fetuses in the quickening, or first trimester pregnancies. This in turn showed that the issue of abortion is very important legally. Euthanasia, the deliberate killing of an innocent person, is another morally important, as well as legally important issue. Dan Brock feels as though the moral permissibility of euthanasia would be good because it would respect the self-determination of competent patients who want it, polls have shown that a majority of Americans feel it should be legalized, patients who are in great pain and are dying should be allowed to have a choice, and finally, if death has been accepted by a person, it is often more humane to end life quickly and peacefully. These good consequences are followed by the bad as well. Dr. Brock says some of the bad consequences could be a weakening of society's commitment to provide optimal health care to the dying, it would threaten the progress made in securing rights of patients to refuse life-sustaining treatment, and finally, if you give someone the choice to end their life, it could make them worse off then they originally were. Dan Brock was able to show the moral importance in this case by using the Socratic method of asking questions about the issue which led to more questions and answers, before the best possible conclusion could be reached. In the landmark Supreme Court case of Washington v. Glucksburg, it was found that the ban on physician assisted suicide offended the 14th amendment and that the "liberty" of the due process clause did not include a right to commit suicide, therefore it was asserted that there was no right for a physician assisted suicide and has been justified by the due process clause of the amendment. In another Supreme Court case pertaining to euthanasia, Quill v. Vacco (1996), it was found that New York permits a competent person to refuse life-sustaining treatment and that refusal of such treatment is essentially the same thing as physician assisted suicide, so therefore New York's ban on assisted suicide ban violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. However, the court held that anyone could refuse medical treatment and that no one is permitted to assist in suicide, therefore neither New York's ban on assisted suicide or statutes permitting refusal of medical treatment are in violation of the U.S. Constitution. By reaching the U.S. Supreme Court level, it was clear that the issue of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia are important legal issues. Recently the issue of cross-burning has come about. It is a hate crime in which the persons responsible for the crime build a cross and burn it on the property of someone in order to intimidate them, usually a black person(s). Cross-burning crimes have been committed all over the United States including Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia. The morality of this issue is important because there have been debates on both sides of the argument. Some people, such as the Ku Klux Klan, feel as though it should be allowed because of the freedom of speech. At the same time, there are those who feel as though it is wrong to burn crosses because of the intimidation purposes it may have. In the landmark case of Virginia v. Black et al, respondents were convicted separately of violating a Virginia statute that makes it a felony for anyone with the intent of intimidating a person or group, to burn a cross on the property of another, a highway or other public place. It also specifies that any such cross burning will be prima facie evidence of intent to intimidate a person or group. While burning a cross does not inevitably convey a message of intimidation, often the cross burner intends that the recipients of the message fear for their lives. When a cross burning is used to intimidate, few if any messages are more powerful. When the cross-burning issue reached Supreme Court level, it helped to get everyone's attention, therefore making it a very important legal issue. One of the most recent issues concerning morality as well as legality is that of affirmative action. The morality of affirmative action is just as important as the above mentioned issues. There are many who feel as though everyone should have the same rights and privileges as everyone else. They think that special treatment should be given to no one, unless there is a physical or mental disability present. There are also the people who feel as though minority groups have been looked down upon and are oppressed, therefore they should be given these special treatments and rewarded for the pain and strife they endure because there are being oppressed. In the Supreme Court case of Gratz v. Bollinger Justice Powell's opinion of race being used as a factor in admissions might in some cases serve as a compelling government interest, as argued in the Bakke case. The Supreme Court found the admissions policy of University of Michigan's LSA was in violation of the equal protection clause because it was not equally tailored because it automatically awarded one fifth of the total points needed for admission who were found to be an underrepresented minority. In a similar case which involved a female seeking admission to the University of Michigan School of Law (Grutter v. Bollinger). The plaintiff argued that she was discriminated against because race was a predominant factor in the law school admissions process. The Supreme Court found the law school admissions not in violation of the equal protection clause when it was found that race was a factor in the admissions process, but was not a predominant factor. Both of the issues dealing with affirmative action reached the Supreme Court level, even though one was decided in favor while the other was decided against. This proved the important legality of the affirmative action issue. Binding precedent has been used in almost all the Supreme Court cases. Through the number of cases tried by the Supreme Court, there have been many ties between various cases concerning judgments based on the U.S. Constitution. One of the main Supreme Court cases that were looked at during the semester in which binding precedent was really looked at was Grutter v. Bollinger. A previous case, Bakke which was about a medical school applicant who was denied admission based on the standards used by the admissions department, was used to help in deciding the case of Grutter, which was a case also concerned with admissions requirements and standards. In conclusion, the issues of abortion, euthanasia, cross-burning, and affirmative action, are important moral issues as well as important legal issues. Many approaches to moral philosophy such as the perspectival approach which implements the ideas of the social matrix, the abstract approach that takes the "real" moral issues as far as possible from the supposedly irrelevant and the details of the social matrix from which they emerged, and the Socratic method were used to show the moral importance of each of the above issues. The legal importances of each of the issues were shown through the various Supreme Court cases mentioned in each of the arguments. 2 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Phil116 Term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brandi Caldwell April 23, 2004 Phil 116 Section # Philosophy is a study that focuses on inquiring into moral issues and how moral decisions are made. Typically philosophers deal with consequentialist versus non-consequentialist theories. Consequentialism has three versions Egoism, Altruism, and Utilitarianism. These three forms differ from each other because they look at different perspectives. Egoism focuses solely on the benefits of the person taking the action. On the other hand, Altruism excludes the costs and benefits of the person acting, and only considers others maximum utility. Both Egoism and Altruism differ from Utilitarianism because Utilitarianism takes everyone into consideration for determining the morality of an act. For the purpose of this paper we will only focus on Utilitarianism. "Utilitarianism is a consequentialist ethical theory (S&H Pg17i)." It is consequentialist because it determines an action's morality based on the consequences of that action. It is ethical because it is concerned with humans and their actions. Utilitarianism deals a lot with the cost benefit analysis, and how benefits and harms are calculated. The main goal of utilitarianism is to make decisions based on long-term outcome and the determination of morality in a situation. Utilitarianists follow the Principles of Utility. "An action is morally right if and only if the balance of benefit to harm calculated by taking everyone affected into consideration is greater than the balance of benefit to harm resulting from any alternative act (S&H Pg17)." Hedonistic Act Utilitarianism is one of the three major utilitarian value theories. "Hedonistic act Utilitarianism claim that pleasure is the only intrinsically good thing (S&H Pg19)." Intrinsic goodness is something that is not a means to an end, but has importance by just being. Sonevenbos and Humber discuss Jeremy Bentham's seven criteria for determining the level of pleasure used to measure intrinsic value. Out of the seven, intensity, duration, and probability will be outlined for the Buffy Case scenario. Bentham formed an equation that all alternatives to an action should go through to determine the maximum utility. Basically, numbers are assigned to the duration of the pleasure, the intensity of the pleasure, and the probability of that action being successful. These figures multiplied together form the total utility. The purpose of the "hedonistic calculus (S&H Pg 20)" is to determine which of all the alternatives has the highest utility. A Utilitarian would analyze Buffy's situation using the fours steps of hedonistic act utilitarianism. First, he or she would "set out all the relevant alternative acts that are open to him or her (S&H pg 17)." For this case Buffy going either with or against Spike are the only alternatives available. Secondly, Buffy and Spike will be listed as the only individuals "who will be affected by the alternative courses of action (S&H pg17)." The third step is to assess how Buffy and Spike will be affected by both alternatives. It is necessary to compute the balance of benefit to harm for both players. For the first alternative, Buffy's intensity and duration under getting caught were selected based on her losing her job and all the money she would gain from Vampire. She has a much higher unit of intensity compared to not getting caught because of the consequences. On the other hand, Spike's numbers were higher than Buffy's because it being his company acting as the key player in manipulating the books, he stands to be in more trouble than Buffy's company. Moreover, he also stands to gain more from not being caught. Thus, his numbers are significantly higher than Buffy's on that affect. In the second alternative Buffy's numbers are much higher than Spike's because he will win either way. If Buffy does not go with his idea, he will simply move his business elsewhere. Therefore, Buffy has high numbers because of the business and money she will lose. Now that all possible situations have been analyzed, the final step is to simply determine numerically which results in the greatest total of balance of benefit to harm. Once intensity, duration and probability are calculated, it is determined that from a Utilitarian viewpoint Buffy should give into Spike and render an unqualified opinion on Vampire's financials without forcing Vampire to book her suggestion adjustments. Kantianism is an ethical theory arguing that the intentions behind an action determine the morality of said action rather than the consequence. Kant believed every action has a maxim, a basis of every action. He also believed in the "ethics of duty rather than the ethics of consequences (Bowie pg 4)". Therefore, he takes an opposite view of Utilitarianism. Since Kant views judging morality by the intentions, he adopts the principle of an imperative. An imperative is a command, or general suggestion of behavior. There are two types of imperatives Hypothetical and Categorical Imperatives. A Hypothetical Imperative is when "you want to do X so you do Y. (Bowie pg4)," whereas, Categorical Imperative is a command that you have to obey no matter what. The Formulation of Universal Law, the Formulation of Humanity, and the Formulation of the Kingdom of Ends are of Categorical Imperative. Kant believed that "only human beings can follow laws of their own choosing because they are the only creatures that are free, and it is fact that we are free that enables us to be rational and moral. (Bowie pg 4ii)" Because of this Kant focuses his arguments on following the formulations of Categorical Imperatives. In reference to the Buffy situation, a Kantian theorist would apply either the universalizability test or the respect for persons test. Because a Kantian believes in people having intrinsic value through free will, a respect for persons test is appropriate because it judges if an action if violating a human's intrinsic value. Also an universalizability test determines whether you can universalize the maxim of your action without committing yourself to a logical or practical contradiction. Therefore, Buffy's maxim is to save her largest account by following Spike's lead, and present an unqualified report of Vampire's financials. However, this maxim does not stand up once it is universalized. If everyone in the world were to cheat just to make more money, no one would ever be trusted. Therefore, Buffy's scenario of giving in to Spike does not pass, and is deemed immoral. Also, because the actions are a means to an end, they fail the respect for persons test. Buffy is being used by Spike and Vampire to help them create more instrumental value. That is directly violating Buffy's intrinsic value because she should not be used for such. Thus, a Kantian theorist would conclude that Buffy refuse to render a clean opinion unless Vampire books her suggested adjustments. i Snoeyenbos, Milton and James Humber. "Utilitarianism and Business Ethics." A Companion to Business Ethics, ed. Robert Frederick, 17-29. Malden, Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers, Inc. 1999 ii Bowie, Norman. "A Kantian Approach to Business Ethics." A Comparison to Business Ehtics, ed. Robert Frederick, 3-16. Malden, Massachussets, Blackwell Publishers, Inc. 1999 --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Pierre Trudeau.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pierre Trudeau Pierre Trudeau, former Prime Minister of Canada, was once described as "A French Canadian proud of his identity and culture, yet a biting critic of French-Canadian society, determined to destroy its mythology and illusions". He has also been identified as "A staunch, upholder of provincial autonomy holding the justice portfolio in the federal government". Such cumulative appraisal and observation made by past fellow bureaucrat provides high testimonial for the ex-Democratic Socialist. This critique will establish and dispute the prime directives that Trudeau had advocated in his own book written during the years 1965 to 1967. The compilation of political essays featured in his book deal with the diverse complexities of social, cultural and economical issues that were predominant in Canadian politics during the mid 1960's. However, throughout my readings I was also able to discover the fundamental principles that Trudeau would advocate in order to establish a strong and productive influence in Canadian politics. Born in 1921, Trudeau entered the world in a bilingual/bicultural home located in the heart of Montreal, Quebec. His acceptance into the University of Montreal would mark the beginning of his adventures into the Canadian political spectrum. Early in his life, Trudeau had become somewhat anti-clerical and possessed communist ideologies which were considered radical at the time. Graduating from prestigious institutions such as Harvard and The School of Economics in England, Turdeau returned to Canada in 1949 and resumed his social science endeavors. At this time in Quebec, the province was experiencing tremendous cultural and political differences with the rest of the country. The Union Nationale had taken possession of political matters in Quebec and was steadily dismantling the socialist essence imposed on the province by the Federal government. The current Prime Minister, Maurice Duplessis, found himself battling a religious nationalist movement that corrupted the very fabric of political stability in Quebec. The Duplessis faction maintained their conservative approach towards political reform but failed to sway the majority of the population into alleviating with the demands of the Canadian government. The citizens of Quebec revered their clerical sector as holding 'utmost importance' towards preserving French cultural values and this did not correlate with the Federal government's policies and ideals. Francophones were under the impression that their own Federal government had set out to crush and assimilate what had remained of their illustrious heritage in order to accommodate economic and political tranquility. Trudeau himself had decided to join the nationalist uprising with his advocation of provincial autonomy. Ultimately, he and other skilled social scientists attempted to bring down the Duplessis party in 1949, but failed miserably in their efforts. Duplessis buckled underneath the continuous pressure of French patriotism and was rewarded for his inept idleness by winning his fourth consecutive election in 1956. Although nothing of significance had been accomplished, Quebec has solidified its temporary presence in confederation at such a time. This prompted Trudeau to involve himself in provincial diplomacy as he would engage in several media projects that would voice his displeasure and disapproval with the ongoing cultural predicament in Canada (this included a syndicated newspaper firm, live radio programs). "If, in the last analysis, we continually identify Catholicism with conservatism and patriotism with immobility, we will lose by default that which is in play between all cultures...". By literally encouraging a liberal, left-wing revolution in his province, Trudeau believed that Democracy must come before Ideology. Gradually, his disposition would attract many politicians and advocates of Socialism, and thus it allowed him to radiate his ideology onto the populace of Quebec. Trudeau makes it clear in his book that during the early years of the Duplessis government, he was a staunch admirer of provincial autonomy, but with the archaic sequence of events following the conflicts that arouse between Federal and Provincial matters in Quebec, he had taken a stance on Federalism that involved security, economic prosperity and centralized authority. It wasn't until 1963 when the newly appointed Premier of Quebec, Rene Levesque, warned that there must be a new Canada within five years or Quebec will quit confederation. It was not until 1965 that a man named Pierre Trudeau entered politics. It is at this point in his anthology that I was able to surmise the radical and unorthodox political convictions that the soon-to-be Prime Minister would incorporate into Canada. His thesis is focused around pertinent issues which demanded attention at the time. After he elaborates on the importance of Federalism and how it is associated with Quebec, the reader begins to interpret the resolutions he offers and then finds himself comprehending the dilemma that French Canadians face in Canada. In the wake of a constitutional referendum, such knowledge can be viewed as ironically significant. A defender of civil rights and freedoms, Trudeau, even as a teenager, was adamantly opposed to supporting any political theory based on ethnic tendencies; he makes this clear on an essay in the book entitled: "Quebec and the Constitutional Problem". He was convinced that not only the divided jurisdiction of a federal state helped protect the liberty of its citizens but also that in fact the economic, social and cultural goods of Quebec can best be achieved with a Canadian federal state. It seemed that an archetypal Trudeau Federal infrastructure would be one where each level of government would function on its own jurisdiction. In doing so, Trudeau would voice his admiration for the Bill of Rights and how he would concentrate on developing a Federal government for the individual. It was not until 1962 that Trudeau actually began defending Federalism for what it represented to the average labourer, but the fact that Quebec seemed to convert provincial autonomy into an absolute forced him to reconsider his political stance. Joining the struggling Liberal party in 1965, his only coinciding proposition with that of his party was the advocation of an open Federal system. Nonetheless, it marked the beginning of a political career that would take him to the heights of power in his dominion. "My political action, or my theory - insomuch as I can be said to have one - can be expressed very simply: create counter- weights". The measure of a man can be traced to his ideological convictions, and in doing so, I have only started to realize the prominent role that Trudeau has played in Canadian politics. He was heralded as a radical, somewhat of a usurper and definitely a socialist mogul, but what was clear about Trudeau was his respect and admiration for liberties of the common man and how they were preserved from the clutches of Federal policies. This respect would not be replaced at any cost during his tenure and as he forecasted the ensuing constitutional dilemma with a very impartial, non-partisan outlook, he would primarily concentrate on two factors (economic and linguistic) which offered practical conclusions without chaotic implications. Trudeau envisioned himself in power, speculating two choices he would offer to Quebec; full sovereignty or maximized integration into the American continent. But what Trudeau avoided treading upon was the infringement of state policies on the individual's rights and freedoms. Many members of the Federal government believed that Trudeau did not speak on behalf of French Canadians but that he substituted their cultural plight with his own theories. This generated the following response: "If the party does not agree with my opponents, it can repudiate me; if my constituents do not, they can elect someone else". Trudeau maintains that he dedicated his anthology in order for others to understand the problems that French Canadians faced in terms of cultural progress, and I am compelled to conclude that his involvement with the Federal regime may have saved the country for twenty years...unfortunately, he was unable to complete the affirmation of his ideology into the French Canadian scope and thus Canada today is contemplating the outcome of another constitutional referendum. His failure to absolve the constitution of any future repercussions with the masses should not be viewed as a political error, but as an ideological truth which he exhibited since 1965 (the addition of the "notwithstanding" clause). Trudeau's book covers an immense amount of historical and idealistic content. Published in 1965, it is fascinating to read and discover how intently and closely he would follow his ideologies as he would eventually ascend to the position of Prime Minister. His reliability would be questionable at the time (based on limited experience as a politician) but the fact that he had submerged himself into a field which required innovative and pragmatic thought led me to believe that his Federalist stance would eventually be justified in Canadian history. With a superlative writing style, his use of vocabulary and terminology aided the reader in understanding his convictions. Not even this reader expected such a barrage of political jargon. Recent events in Canada have somewhat curtailed the ambience dealing with this critique in respects to the opinions exhibited on behalf of the author and reviewer. Trudeau takes obvious pride in his ideological perspective of multicultural Canada, and in doing so one might expect a partisan, biased array of resolutions. This, however, is not the case. This book leaves room for educational prowess without any noticeable weaknesses. Federalism and the French Canadians is an insightful, ideological anthology that could be found especially useful to other politics students who wish to examine the importance of cultural and social values in a country missing a stable political doctrine (and perhaps a leader, no less). f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Plato Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Zach Furlow 167-64-4409 Hist 101 Essay Rough Draft The social status of women in ancient Greece was a very limited one to say the least. In an era where women were little better than domestic slaves, there were few supporters of any kind of equality for them. One of these supporters, surprisingly, was none other than the great philosopher Plato. His great discourse of a perfect government in Republic contains arguments for the political equality of women rarely exhibited until modern times. In the Greek society of Plato's time, women had few if any rights. They were expected to be subservient to the will of their husbands and fulfill the role of house hold manager. A woman in ancient Greece was typically always under the control or protection of a man. In childhood, she was the ward of her father (or whichever of her male relatives headed the household), later she was the servant of her husband. As a widow she would be under the protection of her son. Marriages often involved elaborate dowries and bride gifts, rendering the value of a bride into something measured with cattle, land, or money. In short, a woman's life was dictated to her by a man. Compare this harsh existence with the ideas put forth by Plato in the Republic. Plato, in typical fashion, builds his argument that women are as capable as men to be rulers in society. He, through Socrates in the dialogue, first compares the apparent weaknesses of women to men and how women (and men) each have individual strengths and talents. Plato uses this obviously leading dialogue to make the point, "Then the woman has equally with the man the qualities which make a guardian..." (Rogers, 139). With this statement Plato makes illustrates his view that women can also hold the position of his "Guardian" of the state. He then uses the same argument to show that women should hold an equal social role, "... the same education which makes a man a good guardian will make a woman a good guardian..." (Rogers. 140). This differs from opinion of his time which restricted the schooling and education of women. However, at the end of his dialogue, Plato almost make a two-thousand year leap into the future and anticipates modern communism with some rather bizarre ideas about true equality, almost to the exclusion of the individual. In a sense he backtracks on his equality for women stance by proposing that, "...the wives of these guardians are to be common (in the communal sense), and their children also common..." (Rogers 141). Aside from the obvious strangeness of this idea, it seems to cast the role of women back to that of the traditional child-bearing servants. Plato realizes that carrying equality to this level may be a tough idea to sell. He compares it to a "great wave" and something that will be "very much disputed (Rogers, 141). He speaks of it as something which, although he believes it to be a good idea, is probably impossible to achieve. Oddly enough, Plato seems to have been unable to convince even his own students of his views regarding sexual equality. However, his own teacher, Socrates, was a known homosexual so maybe Plato's views can be seen as a surprise as well. Aristotle, Plato's most famous disciple, had exactly the opposite view regarding women. He believed a man to be inherently a better leader than a woman, "... the male is by nature fitter for command than the female..." (Rogers, 146). He blatantly says that a woman should be obedient to the will of her husband. He takes a rather harsh view of it even comparing the relationship to that of master and a slave. Indeed, ancient Greece was not a particularly favorable place for a woman to live in. The prevailing attitudes of expected subservience and repression were highly ingrained and even championed by some of the great thinkers of the time. Some though like Plato had different views and proposed a more equal status for the other half of their society. While his ideas may not have been perfect or even practical at the time, they were a definite improvement over the prevailing attitudes. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Plato EssayFinal Draft.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Zach Furlow 167-64-4409 Hist 101 An Essay On Plato's Views of Gender Equality The social status of women in ancient Greece was a very limited one to say the least. In an era where women were little better than domestic slaves, there were few supporters of any kind of equality for them. One of these rare supporters, surprisingly, was none other than the great philosopher Plato. His great discourse of a perfect government, the Republic, contains arguments for the political equality of women rarely exhibited until modern times. In the Greek society of Plato's time, women had few, if any, rights. They were expected to be subservient to the will of their husbands and fulfill the role of household manager. A woman in ancient Greece was typically always under the control or protection of a man. In childhood, she was the ward of her father (or whichever of her male relatives headed the household), later she was the servant of her husband. As a widow she would be under the protection of her son. Marriages often involved elaborate dowries and bride gifts, rendering the value of a bride into something measured with cattle, land, or money. In short, a woman's life was dictated to her by a man. Compare this harsh existence with the ideas put forth by Plato in the Republic. Plato, in typical fashion, builds his argument that women are as capable as men to be rulers in society. He, through Socrates in the dialogue, first compares the apparent weaknesses of women to men and how women (and men) each have individual strengths and talents. Plato uses this obviously leading dialogue to make the point, "Then the woman has equally with the man the qualities which make a guardian..." (Rogers, 139). With this statement Plato makes illustrates his view that women can also hold the position of his "Guardian" , a powerful voting citizen of the state. He then uses the same argument to show that women should hold an equal social role, "... the same education which makes a man a good guardian will make a woman a good guardian..." (Rogers. 140). This differs from opinion of his time which restricted the schooling and education of women. However, at the end of his dialogue, Plato almost makes a two-thousand year leap into the future and anticipates modern communalism with some rather bizarre ideas about true equality, almost to the exclusion of the individual. In a sense he backtracks on his equality for women stance by proposing that, "...the wives of these guardians are to be common (in the communal sense), and their children also common..." (Rogers 141). Aside from the obvious strangeness of this idea, it seems to cast the role of women back to that of the traditional child-bearing servants. Plato realizes that carrying equality to this level may be a tough idea to sell. He compares it to a "great wave" and something that will be "very much disputed" (Rogers, 141). He speaks of it as something which, although he believes it to be a good idea, is probably impossible to achieve. Oddly enough, Plato seems to have been unable to convince even his own students of his views regarding sexual equality. However, his own teacher, Socrates, was a known homosexual so maybe Plato's views can be seen as a surprise as well. Aristotle, Plato's most famous disciple, had exactly the opposite view regarding women. He believed a man to be inherently a better leader than a woman, "... the male is by nature fitter for command than the female..." (Rogers, 146). Aristotle blatantly says that a woman should be obedient to the will of her husband. He takes a rather harsh view of it even comparing the relationship to that of a master and a slave. Indeed, ancient Greece was not a particularly favorable place for a woman to live in. The prevailing attitudes of expected subservience and repression were highly ingrained and even championed by some of the great thinkers of the time. Some though like Plato had different views and proposed a more equal status for the other half of their society. While his ideas may not have been perfect or even practical at the time, they were a definite improvement over the prevailing attitudes. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Plato.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Plato LIFE Plato was born to an aristocratic family in Athens, Greece. When he was a child his father, Ariston, who was believed to be descended from the early kings of Athens died, and his mother, Perictione married Pyrilampes. As a young man Plato was always interested in political leadership and eventually became a disciple of Socrates. He followed his philosophy and his dialectical style, which is believed to be the search for truth through questions, answers, and additional questions. After witnessing the death of Socrates at the hands of the Athenian democracy in 399 B.C., Plato left Athens and continued to travel to Italy, Sicily, and Egypt. (Internet) In 387 B.C. Plato founded the Academy in Athens otherwise known as the first European university. The Academy provided a wide range of curriculum including subjects such as astronomy, biology, philosophy, political theory, and mathematics. Aristotle was the Academy's most outstanding student. (Internet) The internal affairs of the academy ruled the next 20 years of Plato's life and he wrote nothing. Many Greek youths were attracted to the new school. Plato then went to Syracuse to supervise the education of the ruling prince. Plato was not certain about the success of this adventure although he felt he could not refuse this opportunity of putting his ideas to a test. It did not work out for Plato and he returned to Athens in 360 B.C. He then devoted himself to teaching and lecturing at the Academy. He died at age 80 in Athens in 348 B.C. Before his death Plato completed the Sophist, the Politicus, the Philebus, the Timaeus and finally the Laws. (Internet) DIALOGUES The Symposium is the most widely read of Plato's dialogues with the exception of the Republic and it is with good reason. It's literary merit is outstanding with philosophical and psychological sources (Allen) ANAYA--2 THE EARLY DIALOGUES In the early dialogues Socrates always played the leading roll. In all of them, Plato was trying to keep the spirit of Socrates alive. There are also early dialogues that portray Socrates in whimsical moods but always with a serious purpose. (Allen) The Republic was the most revealing of all Plato's early writings. Plato believed that one could not seriously construct a political theory without a metaphysics. Therefore, we find an outline of human life as it should be lived according to nature. (Allen) THE LATER DIALOGUES In the later dialogues Soctates does not always play the leading role. He does not enter into the conversation of Laws. More interest was shown in the possibilities of politics. Law and legal government were stressed and it greatly influenced Aristotle. It is clear that in later years Plato became more aware of the difficulties in attempting to combine science with government. Plato's main interest at the end of his life was to guide human effort as indicated in his last dialogues, the Laws. (Allen) Many students of the Academy were reaching into positions of power in the Greek world. Plato planned a trilogy at the end of his life, the Timaeus, the Critias, and the Hermoncrates. (Allen) THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE Plato's theory of knowledge can be found in the myth of the cave. The myth describes people chained within a cave. The only images they see are the shadows of objects and animals held in front of a fire that is behind them that reflects on the cave walls in front of them. That is all they had ever seen so that is what they believe to be real. One day a man escaped the cave and went outside. With the sun he saw what was real in the world and realized all he ever saw were just shadows. He went back to the men in the cave and told them all this. He told them that they ANAYA--3 too could see the outside if they broke free of their chains but they didn't believe him. The environment of the cave to Plato symbolizes the physical world of appearances. Escaping into the sun-filled world means the transition into the real world that is full and perfect being the world of forms, which is the proper object of knowledge. (Hare p.39) NATURE OF FORMS The theory of Forms may be understood best in terms of mathematical entities. This theory was his way of explaining how the same universal term can refer to so many particular things or events. An individual is human to the extent that they resemble or participate. In the Form "humanness" if "humanness" is defined in terms of being a rational animal and human being to the extent that he or she is rational. An object is beautiful to the extent that it participates in the Idea, or Form of beauty. Everything in the world of space and time is, what it is by virtue of it's resemblance to, or participation in, it's universal Form. The supreme Form is the Form of Good, which like the sun in the myth of the cave, illuminates all the other ideas. The theory of Forms is intended to explain how one comes to know and also how things have come to be the way that they are. (Internet) ETHICS Plato's ethical theory rests on the assumption that virtue is knowledge and can be taught, which has to be understood in terms of his theory of Forms. One of his famous arguments is that to "know the good is to do the good". Along with that he states that anyone who behaves immorally does so out of ignorance. He also says that a truly happy person is a moral person and they become individuals and always desire their own happiness. They always desire to do that which is moral. (Dolan p.76) ANAYA--4 TRUTH Plato illustrates truth by telling the well-known story of Gyges. Gyges one day stumbled upon a chasm in the opening of the earth after a heavy rainfall. He came upon a horse made of bronze which had a door on the side of it. He opened it up and saw the body of a man of superhuman stature, wearing a gold ring. He took the ring off the finger of the body and placed it upon his own. He later realized that if he turned the bezel of the ring inwards in the direction of the palm of his hand he would become invisible. He would use the ring to his advantage many a time. He would kill off anyone that stood in his way and he got whatever he wanted without anyone suspecting him. He even quickly rose to be the King of Lydia. Now, think of the same ring in the hands of a wise man. He would not consider that it would give him the right to do wrong any more than if it did not belong to him. For to act secretly is not what a good man aims at, it is what he wants to do to act rightly. (Grant 172,173) WORKS Plato's writings were in dialogue form. The earliest collection of Plato's work includes 35 dialogues and 13 letters. It is still disputed if some of them are authentic or not. The works of Plato can be split up into 3 groups. The earliest dialogues represent his attempt to communicate the philosophy and style of Socrates, many of the dialogues take the same for of the writings from him. (Internet) PLATO'S ACHIEVEMENTS Plato's actual achievements in his field was great. He had a greater claim than anyone else to be called the founder of philosophy. What is unique about Plato is the progress towards a much tougher, more precise logical and metaphysical theory, a moral philosophy and a philosophy of language. Through discussion and criticism, they shaped the entire future of philosophy. (Hare) ANAYA--5 Plato's development of the topic "The one and the many" sought an explanation of the variety of things on reason. The search started with the question "What were their origins" and "What are they all made of ". Scientists went on asking this question and answering it. Plato grasped the truth that understanding is different from science and just as imporant. (Hare) INTERVIEW One of Plato's most famous ideas is the idea that the world is a rational place and that we are all here for a reason. People are good because they want to be good not because they will be punished if they are not and rewarded if they are. Plato works from top to bottom with his philosophy as opposed to bottom to top. It is shown by his work that you do not run into as many problems doing it the reverse way that he does. Rationality is used to eliminate the feeling in a person. It is the complete opposite of emotion, rationality is used in all views. Emotion causes more problems because none of the acts such as hate, love, murder, lust, fear....are rational. This idea of reason usually conflicts with the ideas of the bible but in Plato's case the views were quite similar. Art is a form that is not looked upon as highly in society as rationality because there is so much emotion put into it. One of the best examples is love love is not a rational thought and with art love is expressed a lot throughout important pieces. "Rational thought" is known to be able to start government and lifestyles, although not all lifestyles can be controlled. Take for instance an alcoholic is an alcoholic because they are not being rational and it is not that they can't stop drinking it is that they don't have enough willpower to stop. It all comes down to lack of control and lack of reason. Most of what we do is not based on rational thought and even though we know that it should be we too do not have the willpower to change our lifestyles around. First of all, we wouldn't be able to survive because it would mean getting rid of all emotional thoughts and feelings and that is close to impossible. Second to live like that would seem so far out and unreal that no one would even try to attempt it. No one can live life without love, lust, hate, and ANAYA--6 fear they are things that every human being is born with and will die with. Plato always presumed that rational was good, and right, but to us in this world rational is impossible. (Swanson) BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, R.E. The Dialogues of Plato, Volume II. London: Yale University Press Publisher, 1991. Grant, Michael. Cicero, Selected Works. Blatimore: Penguin Books Publisher, 1960. Dolan, John P. The Essentials Erasmus. New York: The new American Library Publisher, 1964 Internet. Plato (circa 428-C.-347 B.C) Plato Page. http://www.connect.net/ron/plato.html. Hare, R.M. Plato. London: Oxford University Press, 1892 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Playground of the Gods.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Playground of The Gods Cathy Spellman's, The Playground of The Gods is an exuberant novel which deals with murder in a remote tropical paradise but can further be read as an illustration of man's ignorance and invasion of nature. "Do it big, or stay in bed."( Larry Kelly). These are words that Thoros Gagarian lives by. He is one of the wealthiest men in the world and when picking his private paradise, only one place on earth could serve his needs and fantasies. This place is Mora Utu-The playground of the Gods-a green jewel in the placid blue expanse of the South Pacific, the most luxurious and seductive private preserve anywhere on the planet. Once his prized-possession has been found, Thoros immediately ships the island natives to a different island and brings in his construction crews to hurriedly build his paradise in order to have it ready for a celebratory visit by 12 of his close friends. In the introduction to the story, Cathy Spellman makes clear the notion that the protagonist, Thoros Gagarian views himself as an indestructible god. Her descriptions of his haste purchase of his Island paradise shows a man for whom their is no boundaries. His arrogance is further displayed in his building of his compound. Spellman's voice of reason comes from a spiritual Mexican couple who are Thoros's servants. They not only warn but predict of many consequences to the ignorance to which nature is being shown. "Nature will not permit alteration on such a scale."(Emilio, 114). However, these warnings are ignored by the men who do not appreciate a bizarre servant couple speaking of things which money can't buy and power can't control. This is when Spellman's utilization of irony comes into the picture. A member of the party catches a tropical fever, yet he can't be cured because the tree which possesses the antidote was destroyed in the creation of the facility. This is followed by a serendipitous chain of events which is climaxed when an immense typhoon hits the island and takes two of its visitors as its sacrifices. "In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments, there are consequences."(Ingersoll). This statement indicates the underlying theme of the novel. Man's ignorance regarding nature is a fatuous fault, for which he will have to face the consequences. Whether it be in the near future, or impending on him till the moment where he realizes that his ignorance has not come without its price. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Plot summary of Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man opens with a prologue describing the main character in time after the begining of the body of the book. In the prologue, Ellison tells of the main characters invisibility. It is not a physical invisiblity, but rther he is not recognised, and therefore persieved, by the world at large. This is coupled with the fact that he is constantly trying to be someone else, other than himself, creates for his a complete loss of identity, and he becomes a man without a soul. The story begins with the main character being forced to partisipate in an archaic and animalistic free-for-all in order for him to be allowed to give his speach that will determine wheather he will be accepted to the 'college'. He is accepted and goes through two of his years at the college uneventfully. He is ejected from the school during his junior year when the trustee who ws in his care while visiting the school fell ill and is taken to a local bar to get some alchohol. He is given seven letter of what he suposes to be recomendation to give to people in New York. He moves to Harlem and delivers the letters. He finds out that these letters were not recomenation but rather advisments against hiring him. The seventh reciever of a letter gives him a job in a paint factory. He does not derform well there and evetually causes he own dismissal by ignoring hes work and getting knoked out by an explosion that is his fault. He joins a black power group called The Brotherhood and is sent out to spread the word of the group. He meets a man named Clfton, his first real freind, and clifon is shot by a police officer. He speaks at Clifton's funeral and the Brotherhood does not like what he says. he befriens a middle aged white woman whao flirs with him a good bit. one night while with her is is asked to come to Harlem and come a riot that is occering. A rival of the Brotherhood, Ras the Exhorter, sees him there and and starts chasing him. While in the subway he, quite literally, runs into Mr. Norton, the trustee from the college that had the fainting spell. When he asks Mr. Norton if he remembers him Mr. Norton says no. Then he begins lghing histerically at Mr. Norton. The book ends with hi realization that he is not his own man and completely invisble to all. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Poes Cask of Amontillado.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO PARANÁ Curitiba, 8 de outubro de 1996 Curso: Letras - Inglês / Noturno Disciplina: Literatura Norte Americana I Aluno: Anderson José Nogueira TASK: To write a summary theme of Poe's "The Cask Of Amontillado" One of the main themes of Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado is revenge. In this summary theme I intend to demonstrate how dramatic irony is used all along the short story as a way of reminding us the true intentions of the character who vowed revenge. Firstly I will make a brief summary of the short story: the story is supposed to happen more than a hundred years ago ( it was first published in 1846 ) during Italian Carnival festivities. The main character, a man called Montressor, feels terribly ofended, even insulted by a friend named Fortunato, and firmly decides to take this friend's life. In order to achieve his aim, Montressor elaborates a plan which consists basicaly of two steps: first, to take Fortunato to the catacombs of the Montressors, and second, to arrest Fortunato down there forever. Irony first appears in Fortunato's name, once we are made aware, in the second paragraph, that he is going to be killed, but it ( the irony ) continues present during all the short story as something to call our attention to what is really happening. In the second paragraph Montressor states that in spite of his decision of killing Fortunato, he continued smiling in his face ( Fortunato's ), but he adds: "...and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation." So, when they meet each other they behaved as always, but now Montressor's smile had another meaning for himself. Certain evening, " during the supreme madness of carnival season...", Montressor meets his "friend" Fortunato and Montressor is very kind, even affectionate towards him. He greets Fortunato... "My dear Fortunato, you are luckly met..." . The reader that knows Montressor's real intentions notices here that this greeting has another meaning, different from what it would mean if we did not know about Montressor's plan. Once we are aware of Montressor's intentions, we perceive that the real meaning of the sentence could be something like MY ODIOUS ENEMY FORTUNATO, IT IS BAD LUCK FOR YOU HAVING MET ME, for instance. Here, the irony dresses itself with a bitter taste of sadist disguised angry. However, there are passages in which is impossible to assure that Montressor was using irony in his speech. For example, in the passage that Fortunato says- "Enough (...), the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough." and Montressor replies- "True-true,...", we can not be sure that Montressor said that because he knew Fortunato was going to die by a different cause. Perhaps Montressor said that without thinking that he himself would be the cause of Fortunato's death, or at least the agent to cause it. Another very interesting passage in which there is explicit or implicit irony is when the two men talk about Montressors' arms. In this case the irony has meaning by itself. It is not a sentence said dubiously, but an object that has its own unique meaning. The Montressors' arms consisted of a image of someone's foot treading a rampant serpent whose fangs were imbedded in the heel. And the motto was Nemo me impune lacessit that means no one insults me with impunity. Fortunato does not know that everything symbolized in Montressors' arms is going to happen to him. He is the "foot" that is going to be bit by the revengeful "Montressor's fangs". It is another reminding of what is the real Montressor's purpose in taking Fortunato to the catacombs. All these examples demontrate how Edgar Allan Poe uses dramatic irony in his short story to call the readers' attention to the double meaning of words, and for extension, as one of Poe's favourite motifs, the duplicity of human nature. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Poetry essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Beveridge, Chris Ms. Paine English 3C, Period 1 5/28/2002 An Ancient People Langston Hughes, born in 1902 and died in 1967, wrote some of the most well know works during the Harlem Renaissance. His poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," is one his writings from this time period. The poem, if literally interpreted is about rivers, but it holds a much deeper meaning to a trained eye and an empathetic soul. The literal portion of the poem uses some common literary devices, such as repetition. This is shown in lines one and ten, "I've known rivers." It is also apparent with "My soul has grown deep like the rivers" in lines four and twelve. This repetition adds a crucial overall meaning to the poem, both the blatant and the subliminal. The author wrote in a more profound meaning into this work though. Telling of how Black people have played a key role throughout history. Such as in Egypt shown "I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it", line six. It also states that they were there from the very beginning, in the Cradle of Humanity, given in line five with "I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young." Showing this is what the true meaning of the poem is about. In addition to being around since the beginning, Hughes also show that the Negro people have seen the biggest changes through out all history. A major situation they watched, and were the main subject of, was slavery; represented in line eight, "...the singing of the Mississippi..." with the Mississippi River being a symbol of slavery. The Beveridge 2 changed they (Negros) witnessed was the "freeing" of the slaves, this can be interpreted from line seven "and I've seen its (the Mississippi River) muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset." The sunset could be the ending of slavery and the "golden bosom" is the new age that may in sue from their new gained "freedom." It is with the combination of simple poetic devices and an extremely deep inner meaning, that "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," was one of Langston Hughes' better known poems. Not only being one of his well known works, it is a very good example of the writings that came out of the Harlem Renaissance. So then, if poetry speaks to the soul, then no work from the time could ever fall upon deaf ears. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Pol sci 1 term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Minh Ong Pol. Sci. 1 To me, the invasion of Iraq country was an unnecessary action and a mistake that the Bush's Administration has done. It was a lie that the Iraq government had weapon of mass destruction because there has been no signs of it; however, the Bush's Administration based on this lie to start the war in Iraq. For this false cause, over 450 U.S. troops have sacrificed, and lots of military equipments have been destroyed. Many innocent civilians have been killed in Iraq. Despite the increasing of national debt, Bush's Administration still request $400 billion for military expense, which is 40% of national GDP. Therefore, the war in Iraq should be ended immediately. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Pornography Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ One evening as I peered aimlessly around my room, a poster of two 'lesbians' holding each other in the nude, kissing, caught my eye in a way that I had never realized before. My roommate and I had purchased the poster at the beginning of the year in order to "spice up" our room a little bit. During the first few weeks, it worked as an ice breaker between my roommate and I, and the other residents on the floor. "Damn, those girls are hot." "Why can't more women be like those two?" These were all common responses we received from our new neighbors during the first few weeks of school. Before this encounter, I had never thought about the ramifications of this poster, and how it reflected on our society in such a negative way. I simply looked at the poster as many other men who did not take in the serious matter of female pornography would; as nice "eye candy". But as I continued to analyze this poster on my boring and lonely night, I realized that these women were being paid large amounts of money by corporations to expose their bodies to the world. Pornographic material such as "Playboy" and "Hustler" are sold by the millions each day, while women continue to pose naked and men continue to give money in support of lude behavior that turns into millions and millions of dollars in profit to corporations. By allowing women to continue posing for pornographic material in exchange for money, our society portrays as whole that they have zero respect for women and that women have zero regard or respect for themselves. The continuation of female pornography, whether mild or extreme, reflects the sole problems our country faces; Greed and Disrespect and Passiveness towards anything that doesn't affect a member of our society in the present. These three attributes in which American society posses, form a triangle of unhealthy behavior that allows pornography (which is just one prime example of American image-demeaning activities) to continue running successfully and profitably. Until this triangle is broken, Greedy corporations will continue to make profit off of male's perverseness and passiveness towards ethics and women's lack of self respect. The pornography world has done anything but slow down in the past ten years. In 2003 alone, Play Boy revenues were raised by 11%, grossing 22 millions dollars in profit, without ever raising the prices of their magazines and online subscriptions. The "Playboy" channel has already had their stock's value increased by 8% in 2004 alone. Playboy Executive, John Routh stated that he only expects sales to grow as the year goes on. This shows that our society is continuing to play right into the pornography corporation's scheme. As long as they can take advantage of women's want for money and lack of self-respect, they can count on men buying pornography without thinking about the negative example it shows towards their respect for women. The men who run these multi-million dollar corporations are not the only ones happy with the money made from selling pornography. Sources say that women can make anywhere from $350 dollars an hour to $1,000 dollars an hour when working for larger corporations like Playboy and Hustler. An average fulltime model/porn star can bring in anywhere from $30,000 dollars to $200,000 per year, while our teachers in society, a tool our society needs more than anything, make a starting income of $25,000 a year- which is $5,000 less than the starting wages for women in pornography. What does this say about our society? Teachers are one of the core ingredients for generations of human beings to continue being educated, while porn stars display raunchiness and classlessness; and continue to be paid more. This example of passiveness and failure to recognize and act on what is ethical and right is slowly leading to the downfall or America's image and eventually to the downfall of society as a whole. The mass production and sales of pornography in our society today reflects the carelessness of all parties involved, as well as the pure greed that male corporation's owners hold. One can not be happy with themselves if they don't hold any self-respect for who they are. Self-respect encompasses the ability to care for yourself. Can a women honestly say that she has 100 percent self respect when she can drive down the road and see her three-quarter naked body displayed on a billboard? Does a women display self respect when she sees a picture of her naked body in the hands of a thirty-five year old male walking down the street in the form of a magazine? Women working in the porn industry lack self respect in the fact that they're willing to put a price on love and intimacy, rather than saving their body for the ones they really love As women pose for magazines and movies such as Play Boy and Hustler, they continually let off the image that they have no regard for an ethical life, their bodies, or their families. When attempting to portray an intelligent and mature image on our society, men equally fail to help out the cause. Thousands of pornographic magazines and movies are purchased daily by men, who only think about themselves, and not the example that they set for their children and for their society. When a male purchases a pornographic magazine, he is saying that he doesn't care that thousands of women pose nude to make their yearly incomes. He is saying that he doesn't care if women hold a poor self-image of themselves. Generally, he is saying that the male society is could care less about the female population and anything other than what is taking place in the present moment. As women continue to expose their bodies and men continue to purchase this material, which is all organized and run by corporations, it shows that all classes in society, whether is be lower, middle or upper class is careless to what is right, and will continue to allow corporations to manipulate them, as long as whatever present need or want is fulfilled. Corporations have manipulated and taken advantage of the weaknesses and faults of our society for years, on many different terms; the pornography industry is just one prime example. Corporations do so in the pornography business by manipulating male's minds in a perverse way. They take advantage of men's hormones, and their sex drive, and make massive amounts of money by doing so. Corporations do not think of the perverse and dimwitted image pornography reflects on our society, all they see is the dollar signs in their eyes through a mirror. Pornography is successful in our society today because of all the "present time" advantages that it holds. Non-self-respecting women make their money and careless men get their cheap pleasure while greedy corporations make millions of dollars. The Triangle of greed, carelessness and lack of self-respect holds strong as the vicious connection that it is. This affect infests our society in many ways other than extreme pornography. Mild pornography is used by a number of companies today who simply use sex appeal to sell other products, such as clothing, alcohol and cigarettes. With the advertising schemes that companies have devised, in every direction you look you can view a sexual add or a sexual picture that plays on a man or women's sex drive in order to get them to buy a product. Yes, this is just another way to sell a product, but by doing so, people don't understand that they're putting images on billboards of mostly-naked women for children to clearly view. As a young child or even an impressionable adolescent, kids develop opinions and views on their own. If they see naked women every five miles on the highway, the impressions they can pick up must be anything but beneficial as to how the future of our society views a woman. Again, our society only hurts ourselves by allowing greedy corporations to continue going about advertising in a way that flaunts women's scantily clad bodies. Today, our country's pornography industry is booming, while the image of our society is ruined day by day with every magazine sold and every dollar put into the bank by Hugh Heffner, the owner and CEO of Playboy. Our society, has painted an image of itself as a raunchy, greedy society that will do anything for money. Women will continue to expose their bodies to the people of our country as long as they're paid the right amount of money and as long as our laws allow them to do so. Men will continue to support this behavior by purchasing on instinct and not thinking of the deeper consequences of porn in our society. And of course, corporations will continue to bank on men and women's carelessness, as long as men keep dishing out money and women continue to not show any respect for themselves. The ridding of pornography as a whole will not change the symbolic image of "greed" that our society possesses, but it will act as a large step to gaining back the respect every citizen in our country should condone while helping change the image of perverseness and dead-headedness in which Americans in today's society portray to all outsiders. But until our society finally comes to the realization that pornography is wrong and that it's hurting our society in so many ways, we will be looked upon as a herd of cattle, falling for every trick in the book that is thrown our way by the corporations who could care less about the respect for women, who could care less about 12 year old kids being exposed to nudity, and who could care less about the self respect of women and men across the country. Our society portrays an image of greed, carelessness and lack of self-respect, - not the image of caring for their people who make this country possible. For this horrible image that our society has created to end, men and women as a whole must realize that respect for themselves and one-another is a gift that the greedy pornography world's money and cheap pleasures can never overcome. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Positraction.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Positraction It was a cold night and Roger Katmandoo ( a 89 year old man) sat on his front porch. His rocking chair squeeked as he rocked back and forth. Right then a pair of hedlights came on and were shining right in Mr. Katmandoo's eyes. The headlights came closer towards Roger as the car's engine screamed. The car was right at the curb, and it keep going right up into Roger's yard. " Shit" he yelled as the red 67' Courger drove through his well kept lawn. "Jesus Palamesus" He hollared "U gonna die U sack of shit" Then the car stoped and flashed A gun out the winder as Roger pulled up a loose board in the floor of the porch and grabbed his machine gun. " Youin's best be gett'n out a here" he bluffed "or I will have to kick your little punk asses" Then th ecar speed off leav'n positraction tire marks all in Mr. Katmandoo's yard. Then when the car was half in the street and half in Roger's yard they all yelled "Hey Fuck-o" and speed off. "You little bastards callin me a buck-o" Roger yelled as his hudge buck teeth bit his bottom lip " I'll kick your ass". Then Roger jumped In his shit brown FORD truck and started the engine (well I mean tried to start the engine because he had to pull start it). Then he speed out of his driveway and took off with smoke coming from the tires (and from under the hood). He caught up with the Cougar and started hanging out the window trying to hit the car but he couldn't hold the steering wheel and do bash the car at the same time. So he got THE CLUB out from underneath his seat and put it on the steering wheel. So he got the Baseball bat and started hanging out the window hitting the car. The guy in the Cougar started swirved and Roger fell out of his car and flew underneath the wheel of the Cougar while he was yelling "I'll kick your ass" and crunched Roger leaving blood and guts all over the freeway. But Roger's skull stuck into the Cougar's hub cap. The cougar spun out of controll and flipped then hit the gaurd rail and went fling accross the freeway into oncoming traffic. And uuhh oh here comes the undertaker's truck full of dead bodies. The truck smashes into the car sending it flying into the air again only this time it explodes in the air and the people's bodies who were in the car go whirling into a pile with all of the undertaker's bodys that are scattered all over the place. Cars on the freeway are just crunching the bodys. As this happenns U can hear all of the body's bones breaking. And also it makes the cars wreck. One car has a body on it's hood and it's still just cruising around. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Postmodern final essay notes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ * His comedies create opportunities to explore the world might look and feel with the dead weight of prevalence and probability lifted from its shoulders. Tragedy is preoccupied with the destruction of the potential by the actual, of the more desirable forms living might take by the forces currently conspiring to obstruct their realization. His comic gaze is leveled at the remote horizon of what could be, rather than absorbed in the immediate tyranny of what is. The primary concern in comedy is to dramatize the surrender of the prevailing to the possible, the triumph of benevolent human desires over the harsh constraints of historical actuality. * If this novel exploits the special freedom of carnival to turn the Medieval world upside down, it does so only to reinforce the rationale for keeping it the right way up; "Just as a saturnalian reversal of social roles need not threaten the social structure, but can serve instead to consolidate it, so a temporary, playful reversal of sexual roles can renew the meaning of the normal relation."1 * Yes....at the close of the Carnival, kings remain kings, and clowns clowns; but what is dramatically altered is our perception of the stratified structure of society. * With these Carnivalesque dreams, we are entering a licensed temporal period, a liminal dream-time, during which we may expect the reverse of what officially passes for normal to prevail. Hierarchies of social and sexual power may be turned upside down or leveled, sexual identities transformed and confused, and all fixed positions and settled assumptions destabilized and laid open to dispute. * By diverting our attention across a range of conflicting selves and standpoints, comedy strives to free us from the reductive grip of a single attitude or interest. Its covert mission is to release all the positions it dramatizes into dialogic solution, and thus divest it of the authority each might exercise alone over our conception of the world. The experience of assimilating a discordant plurality of theatrical voices fosters a leveling mode of perception. Eco's multivocal Carnivalesque cuts across the lived divisions of class and gender, breaking down the barriers of language and ideology which protract their dominion. * Salvatore: does he foreground the vision of the play that happens to house him? Certainly he is a curiously amphibious creature, dwelling in a borderland at once within the world of the story and yet outside it, watching with the eyes of the audience. He is fettered to no fixed identity, social position, mode of language or point of view. He prefers to slip opportunistically from one provisional attitude to another, inventing himself afresh to each new encounter - in order to deflate whatever mental or emotional pose confronts him at the moment. The value of the fool, as Bakhtin points out while discussing his role in early modern narrative, is that by his very presence in the text "he makes strange the world of social conventionality." For the fool is invested with "the right to be 'other' in this world, the right not to make common cause with any single one of the existing categories that life makes available."2 * The escalating androgynous confusions of Adso's dreams suggest that sexual identity is more plural, discontinuous and volatile than the official definitions and approved models can afford to admit......By means of the many tropes present in Adso's dreams, this version of comedy disrupts the system of differences on which sexual stereotyping depends. "By calling in question that set of relations between terms which proposes as inevitable an antithesis between masculine and feminine, men and women, it strikes at the very basis of patriarchy, unfixing the assumptions and categories which legitimate it, and holding out the possibility of sexualities unbridled by these reductive, disabling distinctions."3 * "To fix meaning, to arrest its process and deny its plurality, is in effect to confine what is possible to what is. Conversely, to disrupt this fixity is to glimpse alternative possibilities...New meanings release the possibility of new practices."4 * The novel's gratuitous flights of verbal fancy and manic-digressive equivocation expose the fluid, unfixable nature of language, and hence the instability of the structures of meaning which encode and perpetuate the conventions of contemporary life. * As Feste, Olivia's self-confessed "corrupter of words" (3.1.36), remarks in Twelfth Night, "A sentence is but a chev'ril glove to a good wit. How quickly the wrong side may be turn'd outward!" "Nay, that's certain," replies Viola, "They that dally nicely with words may quickly make them wanton" (3.1. 11-15). The quip neatly captures the promiscuous, ungovernable disposition of both language and sexuality, of meaning and desire alike. (Link to #7) * Comedy dramatizes the utopian within the historical. It excites our hope that these dreams of release from history's coercions might one day be realized, by giving us provisional images, lodged in recognizable and thus more persuasive forms, of what such a realization might look and feel like. But our sense of the real world's intransigence is never allowed to dissolve into an escapist delusion of fantasies vicariously fulfilled. On the contrary, as this novel takes pains to caution us, the bridges between the lives we tolerate and a truly happy ending of historical struggle in genuine community have yet to be completed. 1 C. L. Barber, Shakespeare's Festive Comedy (Princeton, N.J., 1959) p.245. 2 Mikhail Bakhtin, The Dialogic Imagination (Austin, Texas and London, 1981), pp. 404, 162 3 Catherine Belsey, "Disrupting sexual difference: meaning and gender in the comedies", in Alternative Shakespeares, ed. Drakakis, pp. 190, 167. 4 Belsey, "Disrupting sexual difference", pp. 166-7, 190. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Postmodernist Ideas.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ About 600 words Postmodernist Ideas Barthelme's "The School" is the first postmodernist story I have ever read. When I read it for the first time, my lips formed a bitter smile. In my imagination, postmodernist stories differed from the classical ones in the arrangement of the ideas and in the standard that postmodernists reject society. True, "The School" does differ in composition, for example the absence of introduction, but though it sounds somewhat comical, it does also have an incorporated pessimism that makes me reflect on the story. I think this pessimism is the cause that postmodernists reject society. The notion of rejection comes in the story through the death cases. It seems strange why Barthelme uses the notion death in his story, but I think the reason is that this is the best way to stress that every living thing is losing its importance. Hopeless pessimism interweaves with the idea of rejection, and I find them together everywhere, in every death case. For Barthelme, what is lost is unrecoverable. Pessimism, mostly expressed in taking death naturally, spreads uniformly all over the story, from the first paragraph about the orange trees to the last when the new gerbil enters the classroom. In this school, where the children are supposed to receive education, everything dies. The fish, the salamander, and the orange trees die though children take much care of them. The teacher is pessimistic although life goes on and a new gerbil walks in the school. Edgar says that "life is that which gives meaning to life," but still this does not change that Edgar knew that the puppy would die in two weeks. He had seen worse when some parents died in a car accident and when two children died while playing with each other in a dangerous place. What else, but pessimism, could one expect in an environment where every living thing, including children, is dying? Death's dominance in the story shows again that society, which presumably should foster the growth of the future individuals (i.e. children), destroys their very existence. By the end of the story, it is easy to understand that death is the destiny of the children as well, because it would be impossible for them to live in an environment (commonly known as 'society') where parents (symbol of wisdom) die. It is impossible to live in an environment where the teacher himself is aware that whatever living creature, like the puppy for example, that enters the school (a social institution) will eventually cease to exist. At this point, I become certain that "The School" is a demonstration that pessimism drives postmodernists. As Barthelme stresses in the second to last paragraph, death is a close companion of life. The very adjacency of death with the kids, who do as well symbolise life as they are at the very beginning of it, proves my point. The writer seems, besides other things, to question the very nature of existence. One should remember the closing paragraph where the kids ask the teacher whether death gives meaning to life. The answer he gives is that life is what gives meaning to life. One could justly ask: why is the story full of images of death then? Because the story seems to be a sketch of the society, which by breeding death (death in the symbolical sense: death of the ideas, joy, identity) prompts the postmodernists to reject it. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Potsalvia essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Potsalvia, located just above the equator, is a prime example of a country that could be prosperous in the future. The climate is mostly warm, considering Potsalvia is located close to the equator, but in the mountainous areas, Potsalvia is cooler. There are many topographical features located on Potsalvia. This includes mountains, rivers, lakes, grasslands, evergreen and deciduous trees. The main raw materials that Potsalvia harvests are wood, iron, coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugar cane, citrus, cocoa, and beef. Potsalvia also produces steel and chemicals. All these different resources help us produce more exports that bring in more money for our country and help other countries who lack these specific items. The government in Potsalvia rules in favor of what is good for the country, not necessarily what the people want for the country. We will have a voting system that allows our citizens to choose who will run their country. Also a strict criteria to become any type of leader in Potsalvia. We will give government grants to companies and schools when it is absolutely necessary to have money in order to keep a stable economy and country. Every business has to sign a contract saying that they will practice all the rights we have created. Minimum wage will be $13.50 a week, with a 5-cent increase every eight months. Every worker is entitled to a lunch and two breaks every workday. Also every worker will get 14 paid sick days and 2 weeks paid vacation. Sexual harassment and racial discrimination will not be tolerated. If there is an issue the company cannot handle, it will be brought to a higher power, the Business Court. Government will control the cleanliness of the building, give loans to companies with low rates and provide schooling for employees in need of further learning in order to complete the job more productively. The government can control some parts of the company if the company is not doing well. The government can also exercise surprise checkups on the company to see if the advancement of the company is prosperous. The main goal of the government will be to acquire as many business contacts as possible. Providing trade ports and trading conventions will bring more lenders from around the world to Potsalvia. Supplying the country and possible business contacts with transportation shows that Potsalvia is serious about business expansion. The government will set a broad example of what should be done in the certain business, however the business can change things with the approval of the government. The government will provide information like the market price, availability, and need or want for the item to the businesses of Potsalvia to further aid the business. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Power of Light Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ :)*The Power of Light*:) :)By: Steph*Thomas:) The Power of Light is a non-fiction story written by Isaac Bashevis Singer. The Power of Light is about 2 teenages hiding in the ruins during World War 2. A 14 year old boy named David and a 16 year old girl named Rebecca. Both of their parents died in the war. So they are trying to survive on their own. Ever couple days David goes out to find some food. This one day David went out looking for food and when he got back he had found lots of food and a surprise. This surprise changed Rebecca and David's life. This surprise was a Hanukkah candle. A candle isn't very big to look at but it could have a huge purpose in someone's life. Sometimes a person needs some type of reassurance that everything will turn out all right. In the story the candle was the motivation that changed Rebecca's attitude towards leaving the ruins. It gave them the strength and hope that they were going to be okay. That they would have a bright and happy future when they reached freedom in the forest. The Power of Light is a very strong and bold statement. In a sense you could say something insignificant as light can change a persons life forever. There are different ways for people to get power. The power of light is like saying a person has the strength to control his/her own destiny. One small thing like the power of light can change the way a person looks at his/her own life. The candle was a strong symbol of Rebecca and David's life. When David gave the candle to Rebecca it made her open her eyes and realize that they still had a chance to survive. It made Rebecca feel alive again and gave her hope. The candle encouraged Rebecca to get on with her life and to do what she needs to do to survive. Rebecca said that if it wasn't for the power of the candle they wouldn't be where they are today. The Power of Light was a story that was dramatic and heroic at the same time. It showed how people can be encouraged by something as insignificant as a candle. The candle was a symbol of hope, life and a future for Rebecca and David. It is amazing how something so small can mean so much to an individual. The candle was the light in the tunnel. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Prejudice In Maycomb.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Prejudice in Maycomb Two major people in To Kill A Mockingbird are prejudged; Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. One man is the victim of prejudice; Atticus Finch. These men are mockingbirds. For a mockingbird has never hurt anyone, and neither has Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, nor Tom Robinson. . Boo Radley is prejudged because he chooses to stay in his domicile. While Tom Robinson is prejudged because of his color. Atticus Finch becomes a victim of prejudice due to his valiancy to help a innocent black man; Tom Robinson. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson and prejudged; but because prejudice is so inclusive, even those who help the "mockingbirds", Atticus, become victims of prejudice. Maycomb people gossip about Boo Radley because he chooses to stay in his house, while Tom Robinson is stereotyped by Maycomb because of his skin color. Rumors are spread about these men because most of Maycomb is guilty of prejudice. Boo Radley is generally gossiped about by Miss Stephanie Crawford. Miss Stephanie recounts to Jem about rumors spread about Boo Radley. "So Jem received much of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford..."( Lee, TKAM 11 ). Miss Stephanie explains a erroneous rumor about Boo. "As Mr. Radley passes by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent's leg..." ( 11 ). Tom Robinson is prejudged by many people, some include: Scout, Mr. Gilmer, and Bob Ewell. For example, when Scout says, "Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro" (199). Maycomb people are the sin of all prejudice in Maycomb. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are mockingbirds. Both of these men are victims of prejudice. To take advantage of these men would be a sin, just as it would to kill a mockingbird. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy...that's why it's a sin to kill a Powers 2 mockingbird (90)." Tom Robinson is taken advantage of by the Ewell family. Tom had nothing against anybody, especially the Ewells'. He would help Mayella with her chores, and the part of it that made him a mockingbird, is that he did not want anything in return. " Were u paid for these services...No suh, not after she offered to give me a nickel the first time (191)." What makes Boo Radley a mockingbird is that he has never really never hurt anybody, he minds his own business while watching over his children. The Ewell family and many other people in Maycomb have sinned, distinctively Bob Ewell, because they took advantage and prejudged to innocent men; Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. People who help the mockingbirds also become victims of prejudice. Atticus Finch tries to defend Tom, but in doing so, Atticus becomes a victim of prejudice. People in Maycomb lose respect for Atticus because he is defending a black man. In Maycomb it was erroneous to defend a black man against a white. Atticus is also gossiped about, essentially by Mrs. Merriweather. "I tell u there are some misguided people in this town...folks who thinks they're doing right...not for me to say who...but all they did was stir 'em up (232). " Therefore, those who help the people that are prejudged, become victims of prejudice. Many people in Maycomb prejudge Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. In TKAM , Harper Lee shows how wide spread prejudice is, using from Atticus standpoint to an Tom Robinson and Boo Radley standpoint. Tom and Boo are not given a chance. Tom died because he was not given a chance, because of his skin color, and also because that he was prejudged. He was convicted guilty of murder, and ended up shot. Tom was a mockingbird though, because he showed intrepidity. Boo was not given a chance neither. Boo is hated for not coming out of his house, but Boo had the intrepidity to watch over his children and save their lives. Courage to help the "mockingbirds" is really what conquers prejudice. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\pressure essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Justin Comages English 2 Dr, Gibbons Cheating, Our Fault or Theirs Cheating is bad, right? Then why is it that nearly 90% of students have probably cheated in their lives? Most children learn at a young age that cheating is a bad thing, yet somewhere in their futures these children will cheat on something. Stress! It's a killer, the main reason why we see tons of cheating in high school as oppose to elementary school is stress. The elementary student is usually at a very low risk of stress. When your 10 years old the biggest heart jerker that you'll probably experience on any given day is what's for lunch. While the average high school teenager has, appearance, the opposite sex, parents, peers, and not to be overlooked, colleges as a bag full of stressors. It's easy to see how a 10 year old and a 17 year old may have different levels of stress. In the March edition of Time magazine, Amanda Ripley wrote " Beating the Bubble Test". She touches on the new No Child Left Behind law, which states that starting with first graders on, children will have to pass efficiency tests to advance to the next grade. This is a bad way to approach our educational problems in my opinion, all this will do is create more stress at an earlier age. Students are all ready faced with pressures from parents, their peers, and for high school students the dreaded acceptance letters that await them. That sick feeling in your stomach when your walking home or to the car after you just got your first 'F' is one that will never go away. Not because of the "F', I got a couple more of those down the road, but that feeling of having to tell your parents, that's what did it. "Mom, dad I need to tell you something", were the hardest words you've ever had to say up till then. The pressures set on a child by their parents isn't the same as any other pressure. The feeling of pressure your parents bestow upon you comes in a " I let them down state". It hurts children a lot more than you would think to let their parents down, especially if the parent child relationship is strong. Parents want nothing more for their children than to see them succeed. All parents know that the key to a successful life now relies on education. Your parents know this, and that's why they pressure you so much on getting good grades. The bad thing though is that they may not know how much stress you are experiencing outside of their arms, and too much stress causes you to find stress relievers. A great stress reliever for high school students when it comes to grades is cheating. How good do you feel when you get an "A"? Well imagine having that feeling a whole day before you even took the test, that's what a cheater feels like if they're good and they do it right. That natural drive to please your parents is one that every child strives to meet. That's how the "parental push", which I like to call it can hurt an overly stressed out child. Cheatings bad, that's what your parents will always say when you ask them about it, but do they know they might be a huge factor causing you to do it? Being the creepy dumb kid might be the biggest fear for an unpopular student at any age. We all know how that goes the guys pick on him, the girls laugh at him, and never make conversation. The low whispers of "there goes Timmy", can be heard all around him. It's a sad place that no student want to be, the dumber children will try and fit in by doing something good, this is usually sports. The athlete will always be accepted by the "in" crowd, if they're good at what they do. The smart kids might let the popular ones cheat off of them just to make sure they're accepted. A nerd whose friends with the star player won't get picked on much, just because of that one friend. Let's not forget though, that giving the answers to someone, although maybe not as bad as getting the answers from someone, is still cheating. This small group of answer givers is what makes the statistics rise just a little. Cheating for most students is the easy way out, and I'm not going to lie, I've taken before. That huge test, or that tiny quiz all require studying, and let's face most kids don't. That's why whenever they have the chance, most students cheat. I mean that's got to be an angry situation when you write a paper or take a test and a cheater gets a better grade than you. You know you can't tell or you'll get made fun of, or even worse beaten up, so you hold that anger in until the next test. You're probably saying why the next test, because that's when instead of studying you find the way to cheat, and for some odd reason when the tests get handed back and yours has a big "A" at the top you don't feel bad at all. Instead you feel like "Okay I'm playing the game now, and I just did pretty good". The reason why you did this is the competitive force that's makes everyone try to be better than the next. It's why average is never good enough, that force is what makes an average player good and a good player great. No one wants to be last not even in academics. " The dumb kid" is someone nobody wants to be. "We are sorry to inform you that you do not meet our academic requirements." This is how some college rejection letters begin, and the thought of every application you sent out returning with this heading can cause a lot of stress. The college acceptance is just as important as life and death to some high school students. These kids are the ones who work their tails off all throughout high school, because they know bad grades means no college. The pressure to perform is just as demanding on these kids as the pressure to win the game is on the star athlete. The smartest kids at your school were probably identified somewhere around the end of the10th grade. The geniuses as I liked to call them were looked at to get "A's" on everything. The class would look every time once these kids got their scores back, not to see the "A", but hope to see a "C" or worse. It's a cruel world out there and yes some people root against the favored party, and unfortunately that party is the geniuses when it comes to the classroom. The pressures they have are more than I could ever imagine when it comes to academics. College is expected of them, so this time is magnified for them not so much in sense of will they go, but more as to where they'll go. All student are faced with the college decisions, not just getting in, but moving out, of the house that is. Some kids can't handle the thought of leaving home, I'm not one of them, but I know kids who are attending junior college at home, because they were scared to leave. All this stress leads us to change, and for some that change may be cheating. Cheating can help the "C" student pull their averages to "B" in a last ditch effort to get into college. By this time it's usually too late, but it sure doesn't stop them. And the biggest change may come in the form of "senioritis". This is where a lot of students get into trouble, smart kids stop going to class and use cheating as a means to keep their G.P.A's up. This change come from not a year of stress, but the four years that have built up. Granted that stress may have only led to one cut, but the relief and freedom you feel is what leads to more and more. And the only way to maintain your grades once this happens is to cheat! Now you can see how this long term stress is a bad thing, and all that occurs because of it. In conclusion, our parents, peers, and pressure from colleges may want relook at cheating as our way of slacking off, and instead see a desperate attempt to cope. The may reason for this essay is to show you how stress hurts us, and that by starting stress at the 1st grade level instead of the 9th grade level will cause much more damage than we think. I understand that George W. Bush is trying to create a disciplined academic basis which will keep our educational system from slacking, but at the same time I don't think he sees the people it's affecting. The kids, they are the future and if we have a society of stressed out people all day, what do you think is going to happen. I said it earlier in the essay, and I'll say it again, they'll look to relieve the stress. My guess is that this stress reliever will be a whole lot worse than cheating. Kids make mistakes, and cheating is one of them, but adults make mistakes too. Drugs, alcohol, guns, violence, and ultimately war will all be ways I think the stress will try to be relieved. Work Cited Ripley, Amanda. "Beating the Bubble Test." Time March 2, 2004 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\privacy essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ David T. Yancey Mrs. McGuire American Studies 13 October 2003 The Right to Privacy E-mail and instant messaging surveillance is a pervasively controversial issue. Should the Government have the right to read people's "private" emails and instant messages? There are many different opinions on this subject. My opinion is that if a person is not suspected of criminal or other activity that may endanger the health or safety of others, the government should not be have access to his electronic communications. Once an email leaves one's computer, it travels from the originating host computer to the destination of the mail. It passes through several other hosts on its way. Administrators of these other hosts can easily look into the mail. If a piece of mail bounces because it can't reach it's intended computer destination, a copy is made of the message and the originating host can read the addresses and the contents of the email. Not only can these hosts read the mail, employers can read the mail sent on company computers, and it can be seized by law enforcement officials. Employers read employees' emails for two main reasons: to make sure the workers are being productive, and to ensure the safety of the company. There are many potentially positive uses of email monitoring, but there is a dark side to email surveillance that could result in serious erosion or privacy rights. Last year, over 900 million instant messages were sent a day and it has been projected that by 2004, people will send over seven billion messages a day. Instant messaging is another method of communication that is easily monitored by parents, employers, or law enforcement agencies. From the perspective of the employee or user of the instant message program, it is regarded as a private way to communicate using online technology. Since you have to type in a password to access to your "screen name," it helps to reassure the user that the messages are not readily accessible by others. Much like emails, the monitoring of instant messages can be affective in ensuring the safety of businesses and families, however, the ability of employers or other officials to read peoples messages can be easily abused. The U.S.A. Patriot Act was enacted after the attacks on September 11, 2001, and gives the government more authority to track telephone and email communications and eavesdrop on them. Views on this topic vary widely due to its sensitive nature. My view is that the act permits the government investigators too much discretion. It even allows the federal government to detain non- U.S. citizens suspected of terrorist activity for up to seven days without specific charges. This act constitutes a form of spying but is defended as necessary for national security. I think that it is good for employers and government agencies to monitor email and text messaging conversations¸ but only when coupled with adequate legal protection. The U.S.A. Patriot Act can help keep us safe, but we must be ever vigilant to guard against unacceptable invasion of our privacy. David Yancey 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Problems with a happy ending.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I looked at my father and he looked at me. "Why did you do it?" he asked. I burst out in anger, "Why can't I do it?" Red with rage, he slapped me hard. I touched my burning cheek, staring hard at him, whose face was turned away from mine. Then I noticed my mother sobbing beside him. I softened as my feelings overpowered me. I had never been slapped before. My parents had never tried to understand me and neglected me, like I was a child they had never wanted. They paid attention to me only when I asked for something and I got almost everything, except their love. They were always busy with work and I often reasoned with myself that they were doing this for a good life for me. It was hard to believe that. I let out a sob of frustration, tears of sadness running down my cheeks. Being the richest among my friends, I showered them with gifts, a small price to pay for their constant companionship. However, they were troublemakers who tried to involve me with their misdeeds. I always managed to escape, being the innocent one, until now. They had convinced me to take my first cigarette and policemen nearby caught us. I could not escape because of the cigarette's strong smell. It was a small offence to my friends, a big one to my parents and an eye opener for me. My father was raged, my mother was crying, and I saw that they actually cared about my doings. They were concerned for me after all. With a hint of tears in his eyes, my father turned to my weeping figure and asked once again, in a warm voice, "Why did you do it?" As I began to reveal my feelings, my mother hugged me and healed where it hurt the most. I guess I did it to get their assurance of love for me. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\promotion management term paper1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Daniel Reese Dr. Scott C. Helzer Mar3323 - t/h 6:45 McDonalds: Attempt to roll out adult happy meals. Mc Donald's has been practicing mass media advertising since it's beginnings over a half-century ago. Their attempt to target international markets while dominating the U.S.'s domestic market has been a realm of success. Since fast food has been growing highly among adults who don't have time to eat-in, it's unhealthy ingredients have been detrimental to the health and well being of America's adult population. The original happy meal practiced some basic sales promotion strategies by offering some added value for children including a novelty and creative packaging techniques. The external analysis of McDonalds' target markets includes mainly children which have formed a strong association with their symbolic brand advertising. Their use of the happy meal was an unconditioned stimulus to children nationwide when they saw the familiar golden arches. Thus, the children would force their parents or drivers to enter a McDonalds drive through or restaurant to elicit a conditioned response. McDonald's new attempt to target the health-conscious minds of adult consumers means understanding their physiological needs in regards to Maslov's Hierarchy of Needs. Since food is needed to sustain life, McDonalds is a useful source to facilitate the basic level of this sector of primary human needs. While the U.S.'s adult population leads to more health conscious alternatives to eating, McDonalds strikes back with its adult happy meals. The added novelty includes an exercise booklet and pedometer along with a healthy ensemble of menu items in the meal. Due to the success of the original happy meal, people will generally have an association with the perception of brand equity and support this healthy initiative approach. The symbolic golden arches and household name will stimulate the adult consumer's consciousness for cognitive thoughts. The source of the communication for the marketing campaign of the new adult happy meal is Oprah Winfre's personal trainer, Bob Green. Bob Green will then serve as a favorably familiar source bolster for America's adults. His credibility and ability to represent the campaign will strongly support their media campaign by grasping the interests of adults nationwide. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Prospectus.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Schueth 2/11/04 Dissertation Prospectus "You're too popular to escape it:" Willa Cather & Celebrity Culture Cultural critics such as Tyler Cowen have recently argued that twentieth-century "fame-seeking, celebrity, and fandom are deeply rooted" within American culture and as a consequence, have had an enormous impact on the production of art and the construction of private and public identities. Cowen argues that celebrity has become "the ideological and intellectual fabric of modern capitalism," and as such, celebrity culture is a particularly suggestive lens for cultural criticism, since celebrity culture intersects a wide range of cultural sites, providing for a multi-layered, complex analysis. This dissertation proposes to build on studies of celebrity culture by analyzing Willa Cather's career and texts as they show her negotiation with celebrity culture, the literary marketplace, and the media. By charting the cultural growth of celebrity, this project will explore Cather's sustained interest in celebrity culture demonstrated by her imaginative and intellectual working out of specific issues of notoriety/fame within her work. Further, as I work through each chapter, I will work in contemporary and historical writers to contextualize Cather's negotiation with celebrity culture. As a part of this exploration I will pay special attention to wider issues of women in the literary marketplace, middle-brow and high-brow audiences and the textual and visual construction and presentation of the modern "personality" figure. Critical aspects of race and class will, as necessary and relevant, fold into my analysis. Born in 1873, Cather's world-view was situated within late Victorian culture, and her life follows the emergence of modernism as well as a host of technologies that reshaped the landscape of media and role of the public person within that media. Cather's childhood experiences at the Red Cloud Opera House (biographer James Woodress says that "it was the one place in town that held the most attraction for Cather .... the memory of plays and light operas there was golden" (58)), her performances in theatrical productions in Red Cloud and at the University of Nebraska, and her drama criticism for the Lincoln Journal and Courier newspapers in the 1890s are compelling evidence that Cather was highly engaged with the celebrity culture around her well before her emergence as an aspiring editor-writer. In particular, Cather was interested in the role of art and the artist in a world increasingly geared to an "economy of fame," as Tyler Cowen puts it, which rests on the commodification of the individual artist into product and image (8). The increasing pressures artists faced due to the blurring lines between public and private life especially caught Cather's attention. Particularly, this theme of private/public critically informs her fiction while simultaneously defining a major aspect of her own negotiation with celebrity culture. The dissertation will argue that Cather's experiences in her celebrity culture are evident throughout her fiction. Each chapter will be grounded in a specific historical moment from Cather's career and will trace her response to that experience. Specifically, I will break Cather's career into three broad time frames representative of her work and attitudes toward celebrity: the early "apprenticeship phase (1900-~1918); the early to mid 1920s, when Cather became a celebrity figure (1922-1927); and the late years (1935-death). Chapter 1: Whitman Chapter 2: The Troll Garden & Alexander's Bridge: Reinterpreting Cather Through Celebrity Culture This chapter will argue that Cather's early works, The Troll Garden (1905) and Alexander's Bridge (1912), are primarily concerned with issues of art and celebrity and that in these works, celebrity culture emerges as a critical theme. Each story in The Troll Garden addresses celebrity culture from various points of view, and engages such themes as the role of the artist in a commercial marketplace; the allure of the "star," stage, and the artistic performance to individual lives; and the ways in which celebrity culture complicates the role of art and the artist. The collection is remarkable for its kaleidoscopic look at celebrity culture as Cather shifts her perspective on celebrity from story to story-in whole, a sustained and thoughtful exploration of her celebrity culture. Cather's first novel, Alexander's Bridge (1912), also directly addresses issues of celebrity culture. Cather signals this early in the novel when she writes that, "There were other bridge-builders in the world, certainly, but it was always Alexander's picture that the Sunday Supplement men wanted" (10) making Alexander's "reputation . . . as the saying is, popular" (36). Cather's interest in the fictional Alexander's career as a celebrity figure gave her the scope to imaginatively process issues of celebrity culture that she had seen first-hand at McClure's magazine. Cather understood the paradox at work for artists within the celebrity culture. The artist who strove for widespread recognition and a greater financial independence as a form of "freeing" one's time, also invited in the demands of the celebrity: interviews, sales pressures, and a demand to please the public; Alexander had "expected success would bring him freedom and power; but it had brought only power that was in itself another kid of restraint" (37). Chapter 3: Imagining Celebrity: Cather's Ghostwritten Autobiographies This chapter investigates Cather's two ghostwritten biographies of celebrity figures and traces how her insights into celebrity may have played a key role in the later development of her narrator figures in major novels. The first biography, The Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy and the History of Christian Science (serialization: 1907-08; book: 1909), was Cather's "first lengthy assignment at McClure's" (xvii), and, as David Stouck has noted, "The central interest of the narrative is in Mary Baker Eddy's unflagging struggle to achieve fame and power and in the psychological roots of her unique personality." With her second project, My Autobiography (1914), Cather herself takes on the persona figure as she writes in S.S. McClure's voice. In assembling the pieces of McClure's life, Cather configures his rags to riches story as she simultaneously takes up "her most thinly veiled autobiography" in The Song of the Lark. At issue in these works is celebrity culture itself, including the public's fascination with the public person, the thorny process of researching and writing another person's life for public consumption, and the difficulty of separating the public identity from the private, etc. I will argue that these celebrity-driven issues form the lens through which Cather constructs her unique outsider narrator figures in My Antonia, A Lost Lady, and My Mortal Enemy. These are figures fascinated by the life of another, and each one struggles to understand and "get at" the central mystery-the secret of self-that drives its subjects. This construction allows Cather to deepen her intellectual conversations with these critical themes of fascination and secret selves, as well as mirrors her own negotiation with these issues. Chapter 4: From Bank Street to Main Street: Cather, the Press, & Regional Identity This chapter will examine how Cather constructed her public identity/reputation/biography in her early interviews, and I will build on a conference paper I recently wrote on how Cather used Sarah Orne Jewett to build a sense of regional identity as a writer. In that paper I argue that Cather consciously bypassed celebrated male Western writers such as Owen Wister, Frank Norris, and Stephen Crane to build a literary identity through Jewett's literary celebrity as a regional writer. To flesh out this argument, I will contrast Cather with Edith Wharton's construction of her literary self. Since Cather was often compared with Wharton in popular a celebrity-driven magazines such as Vanity Fair, the contrast between these two writers and their construction of their strikingly different public literary selves will shed light on how women writers contended with celebrity culture as they worked to shape their public identities. Chapter 5: The Problems of Renown: Cather Responds to Celebrity Culture This uses as a starting point Cather's 1923 Pulitzer Prize as a site of inquiry for both Cather's position as a literary celebrity in American culture and her response to that celebrity in her later fiction, especially in The Professor's House and My Mortal Enemy. To provide context for Cather's award and the critical response to the award, I will discuss the politics of literary awards in the early 20th century. (I have done much of this work in a previous conference paper.) I also want to show how the issues Cather faces as a celebrity writer show up with increasing sophistication in her fiction. For example, in The Professor's House, the Professor faces the legacy and fame of his brilliant former student; and in so doing, he must also face the material success connected to Tom Outland's fame. In My Mortal Enemy, Cather uses the framework of a fairytale to showcase the downfall the Driscolls; from evening parties with Modjeska and other well-known celebrities to the bareness of cheap apartment dwellings, the novel suggests the fragile line between celebrity and obscurity. Chapter 6: Picturing Cather: The Iconic Cather This chapter has been drafted for my exam, and I am currently working with Sue to substantially revise it. My revision will narrow in on Cather's photographs, and take out some of the historical context. Chapter 7: Drowning in Celebrity: Cather, Warner Brothers, and Lucy Gayheart This chapter will use my previous work on the 1934 filmed version of A Lost Lady to discuss Cather's relationship to her public, especially how her name became a marketable product in the 1930s. Building on this work, I will argue that her next novel, Lucy Gayheart, is a dark response to her status as a celebrity. I will explore how Lucy Gayheart can be read as Cather's interpretation of a sentimental novel, a highly popular form of fiction and certainly the genre of the 1934 filmed version of the screenplay for A Lost Lady. Cather's response to her celebrity culture can be read through Clement Sebastian's drowning. The event becomes the primary metaphor around which Cather constructs her statements on artists in a celebrity-driven society, since it was the James Mockford, the "white" skinned, "somewhat rubbery" accompanist, who "fastened himself to his companion with a strangle-hold and dragged him down"(57; 138). Further, Lucy Gayheart's plot mirrors The Song of the Lark in striking ways, but Lucy's life becomes a foil to Thea's rise to fame, and she is literally pulled under by her superficial romantic fascination with Sebastian. Chapter 8: From Celebrity to Classic: Cather's Late Years This last chapter will center on Cather's final years-years that some critics and biographers term her "reclusive" years. This chapter will question that belief, and situate Cather as a popular writer who is constructing a long-lasting legacy in her final years. Of primary concern is how does someone outlast "celebrity"? In a culture full of writers, actors, and other public personalities who take on short-lived public importance only to fade in a matter of months or years into obscurity, how does one secure a more permanent place within this celebrity culture? I will especially look at her construction of the Autograph Editions, her book of essays on literature and writing, Not Under Forty, and her selection of public appearances. Also, I want to pay special attention to the marketing of Sappirha and the Slave Girl, which, to my mind, is one of the most sophisticated campaigns of her literary career. For example, the book was featured prominently in the Book of the Month Club catalog. Further, letters recently given to the UNL Archives suggest Cather's continual negotiation with celebrity culture. In a remarkable 1936 letter to Cather, Alfred Knopf tells Cather to consider turning down a lecture. He writes: I am writing despite your word, because my thoughts on the subject seem at the moment to be quite clear. What I'm afraid of is that you'll have to turn out to be just a very disagreeable swollen-headed beast or just simply everybody's sweetheart. It's a horrible choice, but you're too popular to escape it. Knopf's letter not only suggests the pressures of Cather's public renown, but also shows her continual negotiation with her public profile-the very problems Cather forecasted in Alexander's Bridge decades earlier. Further, this letter highlights Knopf's personal engagement and commitment to Cather, one he took on with great care and sensitivity. Conclusion: The final conclusion of the dissertation will suggest the complexity of Cather's handling of her career, especially in comparison with other writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, who fell out of fame at the end of his career. New Chapter Ideas: ----A Backward Glance: Edith Wharton & Autobiography ----African American woman? Hopkins 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\psyc term paper documents.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ryan Kasdin December 19, 2002 Gay Adoption 1. "Gay Families Go Mainstream". Advocate, 10/1/2002 Issue 873, p13, 1p 2. "LGBT News and Views from Around the World". Lesbian News, Oct2002, Vol. 28 Issue 3, p22, 1/2p 3. "If Our Son is Happy, What Else Matters?" Newsweek, 9/16/2002, Vol. 140 Issue 12, p12, 1p, 1c 4. "Co-parent adoptions from same-sex couples: From loophole to law". Families in Society; New York; May/Jun 1999; Jill M Crawford; 5. "Examining social workers' placement recommendations of children with gay and lesbian adoptive parents". Families in Society; New York; Sep/Oct 2000; Scott D Ryan; f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Psych 111 Term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ James McDonald Self-Analysis of my Behavior Psychology 111 Fall 2001 Professor Voss Introduction: This paper is a description, and analysis of my behavior according to my interpretation of the six major perspectives of psychology. The psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanist, sociocultural, and biological perspectives have all at one time been the leading school of psychology and are constantly being argued upon. I don't claim to know which one is right but I do understand the basis of each. Throughout this paper I will explain my personality, and behaviors according to each perspective. The Psychodynamic Perspective: Premise 1:According to the psychodynamic theories personality is a result of resolution or non-resolution of childhood conflicts according to the developmental stages. When I was very young my parents were in the middle of separating. My mother had a lot of stress and probably did not have the time or energy to hold me to often. I think a result of this is a certain feeling of anxiety I get when people touch me or they speak to me very close to my face. This has always been a problem with me mainly with strangers or people I don't trust very well. Premise 2:As a child in elementary school I had many friends and later on these friends started their own group that did not include me. I started hearing from other friend's bad things that my former friends were saying about me. I have recently noticed that whenever a friend I have now is angry with me I start to feel nervous that they will turn my other friends against me even though I know it would never happen. I try to do my best to stay on the good side of these friends whom I am not angry with. I think that if I would have confronted my childhood friends about this conflict instead of listening to what they said from other people I might have saved myself from that behavior. The Behavioral Perspective: Premise 1:Personality is the result of learned behaviors from classical and operant conditioning according the behavioral perspective. Most of my life I have collected comic books and as a child I would go to comic shops with comic book style art in the windows of the shop. I now notice that when I see that style of artwork on music album covers, television, or billboards I immediately start thinking of comic books. Premise 2:A couple of years ago I was helping a friend of mine cleans out his backyard and reached into a pile of wood and as I lifted the wood up I felt something crawling on me. As I looked down I noticed three really big spiders on my hand. I instantly dropped the wood and tried to get the spiders off me. I now have a problem reaching into woodpiles. The woodpile is the stimulus, picking it up is the response, and the spiders were the consequence. The Cognitive Perspective: Premise 1:Personality is the result of mental interpretations of the social environment via cognitive constructs, observational learning, and specific situations. An example of this in my life and personality had a lot to do with the restaurant I work in. As I was learning to cook all the entrees on our menu I was told to stand and watch people who has been working there a long time to see exactly how they do it. I now do everything exactly how I learned it that first time as a result of observational learning. Premise 2:Another example of this is from watching my brother. At any given time he is a quiet person but during sports games he gets very loud and animate. I have noticed that I now react the same way. I will yell and scream and get genuinely angry if things are not going my way in any given sporting event. The Humanistic Perspective: Premise 1:According to humanist's personality is formed by the urge to grow constructively via phenomenology, holism, and self-actualization. I have a problem with always worrying about my future and becoming self-actualized. This is most evident with my career. I am constantly worried about my career choices and feel like I am running out of time to become self-actualized almost to the point of anxiety. Premise 2:This also goes for the so-called normal life. There are many times when I feel like I am running out of time to become independent and supportive of my self. I am only 19 but sometimes feel like I should be completely self-actualized. The Sociocultural Perspective: Premise 1:The sociocultural perspective says that events around me and in history affect my personality. I feel that the events on September 11th really affected who I am and what I care about. Before the events of September 11th I had no respect for police officers or firemen. I now look at these workers and have a new found respect for them that will definitely be noticeable in the way I act. Premise 2:Also these events have made me very angry with the people from the Middle East. I was angry for a couple of days and then I realized that is no way to live so I did something I would never have done before and I has a conversation with an Arab-American and asked questions about him, his religion, and his culture. Without the events of September I would have never done that. The Biological Perspective: Premise 1:This perspective put s the emphasis on biological reasons for behavior. Through my whole life I have been constantly told about how bad my temper is. I think it is a result of biological traits from my father and brothers. When any one of my brothers, my father, or I get angry we all react in the same way. I believe this is a result of biological traits. Premise 2:I have always been very quiet in large crowds of people especially people I don't know. The rest of my family is the same way. I personally don't believe that is a coincidence. Conclusion: Personally I think all these events have affected me along with numerous others. I believe that everything around and in a person including biological traits shape a person into their personality and behaviors. All the events I have mentioned in this paper have strongly affected my life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Psych term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lauren Coursen 12/1/03 PS 101 Prof. Bopp Humor Me Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done." One's self is composed of a set of characteristics distinctive to each person (3). Humor is said to be one of the most important characteristics in a person's personality in that it helps develop quick relationships to others through a common communication skill that most everyone possesses. As the relationship progresses past the acquaintance stage, humor is used less as deeper connections form (5). Humor cuts through the barriers of labels, status needs, and similar roadblocks experienced by the human condition and is constant in most peoples self actions (3). Humor has been a part of my personality and interactions with my environment since I was in grade school. I've used humor to make friends, lighten heavy moods, and communicate with people whom I have fewer traits in common with. There are various explanations as to why humor is used, but three specific theories will be discussed in this paper: Superiority, Incongruent, and Psychoanalytical theories of laughter. Laughter, as a science, dates back to the first documented philosophical writings by such minds as Plato, Aristotle, and Hobbes, although they sometimes shared similar and opposing views. Plato described his view of laughter as a powerful means of disrupting the state from its duties, instead of an enjoyable past time shared between people (2). In Plato's Republic, he suggests the abolishment of all literature that describes God's involved with or overtaken by laughter, as he believes that it's a bad influence on the young minds in the country (2). In Philebus, Plato mentions that what makes a person laugh is devious, and only done so to spite or poke fun at another as a means of making yourself feel more powerful (2). He believes that laughter is associated with both pleasure and pain. There is such pleasure in the feeling of laughing over ones course of bad events, but there is such pain in the satisfaction of putting another's misfortunes up for jest (2). Aristotle took a similar, yet opposing view of laughter. Aristotle believe that laughter is an ugly practice involved with the distorting of views of others, but was understood not to cause pain (2). His view differed from that of Plato in that he believed laughter in small doses was an acceptable thing, but to be careful of overdoing it, because "those who go into excess in making fun appear to be buffoons and vulgar" (2). Thomas Hobbes agrees with Aristotle and Plato that laughter is a thing that is used in the putting down of others for ones lifting up. Hobbes takes up a position in most of his writings that there is a constant struggle for power among humans, so it is not surprising to hear him award laughter to the winner (2). In Human Nature, Hobbes perceives laughter as a "sudden glory arising from some sudden conception of some eminence in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly" (4). The three philosophers previously described, all similar in their stances on the value of laughter in society and interpersonally, fall under the superiority theory. The Superiority Theory suggests that laughter is a means of making oneself feel superior by playing on the past misfortunes, mistakes, or foolishness made by others or by one's own (4). In my life, I do not use laughter as a means of making myself feel superior. As a child, many kids use ridicule and "making fun of" as a way of getting attention and bullying other children. For some children who don't get enough attention at home, or security in themselves from their peers, they must rely on this outlet to produce a feeling of well-being and superiority among the other children. Most children, including the ones whom used this form of humor growing up, mature out of this stage as childhood progresses in to adolescents, realizing this is immoral and not the way society views laughter. The closest I would come to using laughter in a negative way would be my use of sarcasm in many situations. Most friends close enough, and even new acquaintances are able to distinguish my sarcastic remarks from my serious ones. Plato, Aristotle, and Hobbes paid more attention to the outcome of the laughter and the consequences it held, rather than to the mechanism by which it worked (1). Schopenhauer developed the Incongruity Theory that states that laughter occurs out of the mismatching of a physical perception and an abstract representation of some thing, person, or action (2). It is when this disparity among perceptions is discovered, laughter then results (2). Kant had similar findings and contributions to the Incongruity Theory started by Schopenhauer. Kant described laughter as "an affection arising from the sudden transformation of a strained expectation in to nothing" (4). When a situation is viewed as particularly stressful and serious, and then is suddenly viewed from an outside perspective, usually something extreme and unbelievable, the original stressful situation disappears and the expected stress emminates in the form of a humorous moment (4). This theory of humor is one I often use in stressful situations to try to find the "silver lining" in order to create a lighthearted mood both for others and myself. When faced with a stressful or serious circumstance, I often try to take a step back out of the picture and view the situation as one of little or no importance. This allows me to create a humor about the stress that I have been dealing with and rationalize as how to handle the situation. After this is accomplished, I am usually able to laugh or at least smile at the over exaggeration used in this particular circumstance. This technique is not only useful on myself, but also on my peers and my family. It is very helpful to crack lighthearted jokes on a situation that someone finds very stressful to try to ease the mood. However, there is always a time and a place to find humor in a situation, and some situations just don't have any at all. The Psychoanalytical Theory developed by Freud classifies amusement in to three categories: jokes, the comic, and humor (4). Freud thought that excess of psychic energy that was no longer needed for some other function was then expelled in the form of laughter. Jokes, in Freud's eyes, made use of a number of cognitive techniques such as displacement, condensation, and unification. The use of these three mechanisms briefly allows the person to express unconscious aggressive and sexual impulses, that otherwise become repressed, but are allowed to escape in the socially acceptable form of laughter (4). The last term Freud uses to explore mirth is humor. Humor is seen in a situation in which a person would normally experience fear, sadness, or anger. In this case, the negative emotion is then perceived as an amusing situation, providing an altered view and consequently avoiding a negative emotion (4). Some of the humor that I use in my daily life and dealings with peers, acquaintances, family, etc. comes from emotions and anger that has been repressed and even displaced from events that happened in my childhood. Being teased a lot as a child by having people poke fun at me has caused me to repress this anger and negative emotions and express them in a way that will draw people to me. These negative emotions that once ruined moments in my childhood and caused me difficulty in making friends and finding a social setting have actually been a big help in my adolescent years in forming close relationships, as well as, fast friendships. My sense of humor causes people to want to be in my company due to my witty nature and my happy moods. In conclusion, humor has been studied by some of the most famous philosophers of our time who have since developed famous theories, which are still taught and idolized today. Most of today's psychologist's views on humor stem from one of the three theories discussed above. Humor has been proven to be one of the most common building blocks among humans, communication tools, and means of channeling free energy and anger. Humor has been a very big part of my childhood, adolescents, and my upcoming adult life. I use it everyday to form relationships, acquaintances, strengthen bonds, and relieve stress and pent up anger. Not only does my humor benefit myself, but works to create a happy mood to all those in my surroundings. References 1. Lefcourt, Herbert M. Humor: The Psychology of Living Buoyantly. Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers. New York: 2001. 2. Provine, Robert R. Laughter: A Scientific Investigation. Viking Press. New York: 2000. 3. Richman, Joseph. Humor and Creative Life Styles. American Journal of Psychotherapy. New York: 2001. Vol. 55, Iss. 3; pg 420, 9 pgs. 4. Ruch, Willibald. The Sense of Humor: Explorations of a Personality Characteristic. Muton de Gruyter Publishing-Berlin. New York: 1998. 5. Wanzer, Melissa Bekelja, Booth-Butterfield, Melanie, Booth-Butterfield, Steve. Communication Quarterly. University Park: Winter 1996. Vol. 44, Iss 1; pg. 42, 10 pgs. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Psychoactive Drugsresearch.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Psychoactive Drugs: Drugs that affect the mind. Some basic concepts... Drug Abuse: Instances in which individuals take drugs purely to change their moods & experience impaired behavior or social functioning as a result. Dependence: Strong need for a particular drug & inability to function without it. Physiological Dependence: Strong urges to continue using a drug based on organic factors such as changes in metabolism. Psychological Dependence: Strong desires to continue using a drug even though it is not physiologically addicting. Tolerance: Habituation to a drug, causing a larger & larger dose to be required to produce effects of the same magnitude. Cross Tolerance: Increased tolerance for one drug that develops as a result of taking another drug. Three Categories of Psychotropic Drugs Anti-anxiety drugs /Depressants/Opiates: Drugs that reduce activity in the nervous system & therefore slow many bodily & cognitive processes. Opiates are drugs that induce a dreamy relaxed state. Examples include: Barbiturates: Tranquillizers/Sleeping Pills Alcohol Opium Heroin Morphine Codeine Stimulants: Drugs that increase activity in the nervous system. Examples include: Nicotine Caffeine Cocaine-Crack Amphetamines MDMA-Ecstasy Hallucinogens: Drugs that generate hallucinations for which there are no external stimuli. Examples include: Marijuana-Hashish PCP Mescaline LSD Group Presentation Your group will give a brief overview of the Psychoactive Drug that has been selected for you. You must give us a basic understanding of the drug as well as some examples of that type of drug. You should cover items such as: source of the drug, why people use the drug, how addictive is the drug, what are the short/long term effects of the drug, what does a person have to do to get off the drug,...these are just a few suggestions. Your group must function as a group! All must commit to the same amount of work. You will be given a group as well as an individual grade. The way you present the material is up to you. All information given out may be used on a future exam. Role Playing is Encouraged! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Psychology Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Psychology Essay To treat a woman, of 28 years who complains of feelings of constant fear, under the biological paradigm it would be necessary to go through a systematic desensitization. Considering the woman was probably experiencing a phobic reaction to something in the evening, which related to salt. This woman's problems can be classified in either the first or fourth axis in the DSM-IV, which are the "nine major clinical syndromes" and the "psychosocial and environmental problems". An MRI or magnetic resonance imaging could image the structure of a person's brain to help classify their disorder. It also possible that the woman under the biological theory of depression has underlying genetic factors that lead to her constant fears. To treat this woman, she would be given small portions of salty foods and induced to gradual light changes in a virtual reality under psychiatrist supervision. Antidepressant drugs could be prescribed to the woman, so that certain neurotransmitters that may be believed to cause her fear could be increased to a normal level. If this woman was having any delusions or hallucinations she could be classified as a schizophrenic and treated accordingly with phenothiazines. The diathesis stress theory of schizophrenia says that some people have a genetic predisposition that interacts with life stressors to result in the onset and development of schizophrenia. To treat a woman, of 28 years who complains of feelings of constant fear, under the cognitive paradigm it would be necessary to go through some form of psychotherapy or cognitive-behavior therapy. To begin these treatments insight therapy could be used to help the patient find possible solutions to their problems. Although moral therapy isn't as popular as it was in the 1800's it is still a viable solution. Also before treatment taking a meta-anaylsis would provide the statistics to hopefully classify the woman under the DSM-IV where it would then be possible to use medical therapy, psychoactive drugs, to treat her. Gender roles could also play a large role when it comes to this woman's disorder as many characteristics of women attribute to a higher rate of disorders, especially personality disorders. No treatment could be given to this woman until she was properly classified. When treatment starts counseling psychologists would probably make the most process when it comes to cognitive techniques, as they are better suited to work with people's minds. To treat a woman, of 28 years who complains of feelings of constant fear, under the psychodynamic paradigm it would be necessary to go through some form of insight therapy. Psychoanalysis could be the cause for this woman's fears. Free association would encourage the clients to talk about any thoughts or images in their heads. The treatment of this woman could be hindered by resistance, reluctance to work through feelings. Also, eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing could be used as a treatment of this woman's fears. One last psychodynamic treatment is the short-term dynamic psychotherapy, which is a shortened version of psychoanalysis, which assumes that symptoms are signs of more basic underlying problems, that transference needs to be worked out and that client's behaviors need to be interpreted. All of these treatments are only viable after classification under the DSM-IV axis 1 and 4. Jimmy Diegelmann 11/1/2009 Period 4 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\PU essay marist.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Everyone perform various roles in their lives. In my life, there are two roles that I do which makes me unique from my peers. I am a transfer student and an outstanding tennis player. My role as a student is quite challenging. Prior to attending Bayonne High School last year, I lived in Egypt for 13 years. The transition from Egypt to the United States has been really difficult at times but overall a very good learning experience for me. Differences in items such as the language, tradition and school system forces me to work much harder to fit in with everyone. Since moving back to the United States, I have put more emphasis on my education. It would be expected that I would enter into an ESL program because of being away from the United States for so long. On the contrary, in my junior year I took regular courses and in the following year I took more advanced courses such as physics and precalculus. Due to continous hard work, consistency and determination, I have managed to succeed in becoming one of the top students in my classes at Bayonne High School. Although I love almost every sport, I find tennis the most enjoyable and rewarding sport. It gives me the ability to express myself in a very creative way. It also has opened many doors and has allowed me to meet new people from various backgrounds. Since moving back to the United States, I have put more emphasis on my tennis. Currently I play number One singles in my high school and I also play competitively in the United State Tennis Association (USTA). I played first singles at my high school and I went undefeated. This included playing top players outside my conference. Also, I have been named the first singles player in Hudson County for the 2002 as well as the 2003 scholastic year. I am currently ranked 28th in the Eastern Tennis Association (ETA). Presently, I am working with a coach to improve all aspects of my tennis game. It is important that I find an intercollegiate tennis program that will enable me to continue improving my tennis game. This is one of the reasons why I would love to attend your school. There is no doubt that the transition had been quite a struggle. I have come to a conclusion on how firmly I can stand when tough situations is around. I consider myself unique from my peers because I managed to be successful both academically and athletically which required an extreme organization of time. Through this transition, I have experienced life in many different ways in which I realize that it has prepared me for college life quite well. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Quest for Love.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The Quest For Love" In many novels in J.D. Salinger's library of books, there is a recurring theme of the loss of innocence of children, the falling and the confusions of childhood, and many other ideas that apply to the ideas of adolescence and the life of the average teenager growing up. Many of his themes occur in a short period of time in a child's life that affects him/her in a very profound and significant way. The idea of love is also a major theme that arises in many of his characters and that indicates the character of the individual. He uses love in the context of being a device that is used to protect and to care for people who need protecting and caring. In the novel, Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, love is used by a character, Holden Caulfield, who struggles desperately to find a certain somebody or anyone to allocate his love to, but realizes finally, that this love is not necessarily expressed through saving "the children in the rye" from the time of trial, but actually caring for them and being their friends, during the time of trial. The quest of finding the true love of people is an ongoing dilemma in the lives of many people all throughout the world. The constant need for love is overwhelming, and the tragedy of this great world is the fact that some people do not find the proper love that they deserve. Holden Caulfield is a perfect example of the striving to acquire a love sought all throughout his life. According to this quote, "He is simply expressing an innocence incapable of genuine hatred. Holden does not suffer from the inability to love, but does despair of finding a place to bestow his love" (Heiserman and Miller 30), Holden Caulfield has the need for allocating his cornucopia of love for people. His quest is very simple. He wants to do good. As compared to tragic heroes in the past, "Holden seeks Virtue second to Love. He wants to be good. When the little children are playing in the rye-field on the cliff top, Holden wants to be the one who catches them before they fall off the cliff. He is not driven toward honor or courage. He is not driven toward the love of woman. Holden is driven toward love of his fellowman...." (Heiserman and Miller 25). In other words, he is not a tragic hero, but rather a misfortuned hero that struggles to find a person to give his love to. There is nothing tragic about his life. Holden also seeks circularity in his life. According to this quote, "I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth. I don't know why. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all. God, I wish you could've been there" (Salinger 213), Holden revels in the virtues of softness of the edges, a roundness that can't hurt anyone. He finds a comfort in the circular motions of the carousel. "All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she might fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them" (Salinger 211). This illustrates the pure innocence of children, and the gold rings portray a sort of round goal that children seek and reach for. This quote is later on in the story and the true symbolism is realized toward the end of the novel. Holden also seeks the truth from people in general, reaching for the one theme left in the world, innocence. One kind of bitter truth he does not seek is phoniness. In this, he means the people losing innocence or people who already lost innocence, or has "fallen from the cliff". He is led to believe from his early years that adulthood is a form of fake maturity. That is why he seeks to find adolescents, to catch them from falling into the kind of fake maturity that they are destined for. He seeks children, free of impurities. At Phoebe's school, "....I saw something that drove me crazy. Somebody'd written 'Fuck You' on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other kids would see it, and how they'd wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirt kid would tell them-all cockeyed, naturally-what it meant, and how they'd all think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days" (Salinger 201). He realizes then, that innocence is a very hard part of one's soul to save. This eventually leads him to his final realizations. Holden has a few aspects and thoughts that help him to appease him slightly of the thirst for love. "In childhood he had what he is now seeking- non-phoniness, truth, innocence. He can find it now only in Phoebe and in his dead brother Allie's baseball mitt, in a red hunting cap and the tender little nuns" (Heiserman and Miller 26). Phoebe is a hope that Holden holds in his heart. Her childish innocence gives him a true and pure outlook that lets him feel secure in her presence. Also, the memories of his long dead brother, Allie, remain in his mind, giving him comfort in the thoughts of the totally innocent nature of his little brother who was so wrongly murdered by the unfair deadliness of cancer. The only material remaining to remind Holden of him, apparently, is a baseball mitt. He cherishes this glove and even makes a whole composition on it. It is the only true memory of his brother. A red hunting cap is very symbolic in Holden's life in the novel. According to this quote, "I got pretty soaking wet, especially my neck and my pants. My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way, but I got soaked anyway. I didn't care, though" (Salinger 213), it is his only protection from the weather. It is symbolic of a constant in his constantly changing life. It is something definite that cannot be stripped of him. The tender nuns who Holden encounters are symbolic of true naïveté and helplessness. They always appear to be outside, collecting money. They are the quintessence of love, being sent forth by God to love, and chosen to guide the stray and to help the hopeless. These various aspects of Holden's life give him a comfort immeasurable to him. They somehow give him a reason to live, literally. Holden's quest of finding a pure and innocent adolescence to give his love drives him to dreaming of being a "catcher in the rye". This dream is of saving children who are falling off a cliff of a rye field. This symbolizes the need for Holden to care for children and to save them from the loss of innocence. In his narratives, Holden reveals many individuals who need catching, and many that have already fallen. He went to the house of an old teacher, Mr. Spencer, "....But I just couldn't hang around there any longer, the way we were on opposite sides of the pole, and the way he kept missing the bed whenever he chucked something at it, and his sad old bathrobe with his chest showing, and that grippy smell of Vicks Nose Drops all over the place" (Salinger 15), and he was sickened by his appearance. The depressing ambiance of the room, along with the sheer rotting-outlook of the room just plain disgusts Holden. This is the first realization of the fact that adulthood made Mr. Spencer the way he is today. Holden wonders how it would be different for these various people if someone had loved them through their innocence. These thoughts eventually lead him to the yearning to be a catcher in the rye. Another child that has fallen, and still is falling is a neighbor of Holden's, Old Robert Ackley. He has horrible hygiene and an annoying curiosity, in that "He started walking around the room, very slow and all, the way he always did, picking up your personal stuff off your desk and chiffonier. He always picked up our personal stuff and looked at it. Boy, could that get on your nerves sometimes" (Salinger 20). This is the first symbolism of an elder having supremacy over him. It is just another depressing sight of adulthood. Holden believes that if there had been someone to catch such stray children from the rye, their lives would be somewhat different. Another character in Holden's life that has fallen from the cliff, Ward Stradlater, is his own roommate. Stradlater is an older individual than Holden and is more mature in certain aspects. Holden constantly describes him as "sexy". "I kept thinking of Jane, and about Stradlater having a date with her and all. It made me so nervous I nearly went crazy. I already told you what a sexy bastard Stradlater was" (Salinger 34). This illustrates the sexual maturity of Stradlater. Later, Holden tries to experience his own heightening of sexual maturity with a prostitute, but he realizes that he is not ready for it. He is not ready to fall off of that specific cliff just yet. Stradlater is also a very conceited individual. In a conversation, Holden addresses a thought of Jane, "'....If she'd known (about Stradlater's "sexiness"), she probably would've signed out for nine thirty in the morning.' 'Goddam right,' Stradlater said. You couldn't rile him too easily. He was too conceited." (Salinger 34). This is still another example of an adult's egotism and a possible success if he was caught at an earlier age. There is, finally, another example that personifies the sheer existence of a troubled soul, who has fallen way past a cliff, but into the deep, engulfing abyss!! This character is Old Maurice, a pimp, ready to con anyone, manipulate anyone, and do any impure act possible to anyone. Holden, with his ignorant foolishness, accepts a con for him to sleep with one of Old Maurice's prostitutes. Later, Holden realizes that he is being conned out of an extra five dollars. When he argues about the money, Old Maurice, with his own sense of superiority beats up on poor, innocent, little Holden. Holden retaliates, "I was so damn mad and nervous and all. 'You're a dirty moron,' I said. 'You're a stupid chiseling moron, and in about two years you'll be one of those scraggy guys that come up to you on the street and ask for a dime for coffee" (Salinger 103). This is when Old Maurice's ego starts to bleed and he beats up on Holden much more. Old Maurice is the quintessence of a bully, having fallen off a cliff at an early age, probably having been beaten at home, having lost his innocence too early, and many other phony adult symptoms. Holden realizes that Old Maurice is not too different from Stradlater, who also beat him senseless in another meeting. These are examples of a lack of love through their adolescent years. Finally, there is one aspect in Holden's life that pushes him over the cliff of realization, giving him a new light of seeing the many contours of his life. This theme was suggested in an earlier passage in Phoebe's school, Holden's old school, where there is a certain profanity that is unacceptible to younger children. Holden tries desperately to rub off the word, and eventually succeeds in doing so. However, this leads him to an insignificant realization of the futility of trying to rub off all the curses in the world, or "catching children in the rye". Later, at a museum, he experiences a double dose of disgusting nausea. "That's the whole trouble. You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is but once you get there, when you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up and write 'Fuck You' right under your nose" (Salinger 203). He catches a glimpse of this phrase carved into a monument inside the museum. The museum that he depends on to be sacred and always pure, turns out to have such a horrid word!! Also, the word is carved into the stone, so it is actually impossible for Holden to actually rub it out. This scene, with Holden nearly fainting and nauseated, is the turning point of Holden's life, bringing an end to the dream of being the "catcher in the rye". It gives him a sharp and bitter realization that everyone in the world can not be caught, and it is futile to try to catch a child from the cliff of adult maturity. Holden Caulfield is a very concerned and caring individual, thrust into a world of "phoniness" and "adult immaturity". This world gives him a pressure so great that he does not know how to react to the various aspects of his life. He feels an overwhelming urge to love people, seek others' love, and to care for people that do not have the love that he has. This leads to his dream of being a "catcher in the rye". However, as his life progresses, many occurences drive him to a state of confusion and mental turmoil. He does not know how to handle the radical changes in his life. The harsh realizations in theses few days of his life give him a new perspective in his once secure world. He realizes that caring, not catching, is needed in the preservation of innocence. Catching some children in the rye merely saves a select number of individuals, for a little period of time. It is Holden's realization that children are destined to fall from innocence and it is futile for him to try to change it otherwise. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Racing Along Walls.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Hey Joe, hand me the 3/16" socket," I mumbled into the underside of my car. I felt a nudge in my ribs as my friend, Joe, handed me the socket I asked for. Matching the ends of the hexagonal shaped socket with the stub on my wrench, I pushed the two together. A loud click signaled the two ends of the socket and wrench fit perfectly. Reluctantly, I went to work tightening the chassis of my car. I felt overwhelmed by the number of lugs I would have to check and tighten. It took me almost a half an hour to completely tighten each bolt and there were still eight more to go. To add to my frustration, the sun was starting to set which forced me to use an inadequate electrical lamp to illuminate my garage at home. Joe, was working on his own car in the garage space next to mine. He was inspecting and cleaning the outside of his white 1993 Honda Civic SI. He had a soft cloth in one hand and a spray bottle of wax in the other. The hand with the soft cloth would wipe for ten seconds followed by the "sqshhh sqshhh" of the spray bottle. Always being the meticulous one, he continued his wipe and spray cycle for many hours to make sure his car was immaculate. As I turned one of the bolts clockwise to tighten it, I felt a sharp, searing pain on the upper portion of my hand. Instinctively, I swore, forgetting all the lessons on good manners my parents had taught me. I brought my hand up to inspect the wound but the darkness of the garage, the setting sun, and the little remaining light my car blocked made it so I couldn't see my hand at all. As I climbed out from underneath the car, I noticed that I was leaving a trail of thick, dark, drops with my movements. I carelessly wiped off the dripping blood on my shirt and looked at the length and depth of the cut in my hand. "Oh man! Joe check out this cut. I'm going to love this scar! It will make my hand look more manly. Oh yeah! But my hand hurts really bad." I happily exclaimed. The cut ran the whole length of my hand. Luckily, it was the top of my hand that was cut and not the palm side of it, so I knew I didn't get any important veins that would make me bleed to death. It was another scar I could add to my body giving me more of a masculine look which was always a plus with the ladies. Grabbing the towel I had used earlier to wipe off my sweat, I wrapped my hand to stop the bleeding and continued on my work not knowing that this first injury would foreshadow future events. "Hey, I just checked your roll cage, and it's a lot more solid than mine. Is the roll cage on my car tight enough or do we have to take it to a welding shop before they close?" asked Joe. "It'll be fine. Plus I seriously doubt you'll need it. If you're really worried about it, I think the roll cage bolts use a 22 mm. socket so go tighten it." I replied in the middle of tightening another chassis bolt. It was July and we were preparing our cars for the Battle of the Imports the next day. "Battle", as most people that attended the event preferred to call it, was the largest import drag racing event in the country. The event was scheduled four times every year at the Los Angeles Raceway. Although the event was meant for all import cars, Japanese cars dominated the race. My car, a black 1994 Acura Integra GSR was a common site there along with some other Japanese sport compacts, such as Joe's Honda Civic. Many people have the impression that a racing event full of small engine, Japanese, compacts would be a race full of slow cars, that is not the case. Most cars at Battle, including mine, have modifications that make them extremely quick cars putting the large displacement American cars to shame. Take, for example, my modified Acura Integra GSR with Turbo VTEC makes around 325 horsepower with a small 1.8 liter engine while a modified Ford Mustang makes 400 horsepower with a large 5.0 liter engine. Even though the Ford Mustang makes more horsepower, it is also much heavier because of its thicker steel and larger engine, so in a race, my car would win by quite a distance. My car and most Japanese imports weigh less because they have smaller engines and thinner metal. In some areas, the metal is so thin that what should be small accidents often end up more severe. It was not to my knowledge that the thin metal that Honda, Acura, Nissan, and Toyota use in their cars would affect Joe and I the next day. I finished tightening the last of the chassis bolts and started checking the exhaust hookups while I was still underneath the car. The bolt connection from the exhaust pipe to the muffler was a bit loose, but a quick flick of the wrist with my wrench fixed the problem. I climbed out from underneath the car and got into the passenger seat to check the roll cage. The roll cage is a series of light, durable, metal bars that bolted on to the chassis of the car. If my car flipped or if I hit a wall while racing, I would be able to walk away from the wreck unscathed because of the bars strengthening the body of the car. However, the chances of such a catastrophe were small and I was very confident and at times arrogant about my excellent driving skills. Joe was even more arrogant and confident than I was at his driving skills, and it was true that Joe was probably a better driver than I was. We both reluctantly installed roll cages because of regulations set by the race directors for all cars that could run a quarter mile in 11.99 seconds or less which was the category our cars would be in. After checking the connections of the roll cage bars, I did a final inspection of the car to make sure I did not forget anything. My friend had also just finished taking care of his car so we decided to take our cars out for some practice on gear shifting and clutching. We took our cars to a large deserted parking lot we always went to to practice and did a couple runs against each other to make sure both cars were running in top condition. We then returned to my house to finish preparing for the race. I took my plastic racing helmet adorned with many racing stickers and emblems and placed it in my trunk. I fished out my torque wrench and hydraulic lift from the spider webbed corner of the garage. The lift and wrench would be needed later to change the tires there. Two sets of drag slicks went into my trunk. We would mount the slicks at the track replacing the two front tires. They offered much better grip than normal street tires on a dry track and would improve our racing times and speed significantly. We brought along a pair of fire suits because of their flame retarding capabilities. They would make up our "race suits." The directors of the race required a fire suit for quick cars in case they catch fire so that injuries from fires would not cause any fatalities. "Dude, I'm hecka nervous," Joe complained. "What if I break my axle tomorrow? What if my car catches fire? What if I screw up my starts in front of 16,000 people? And of those 16,000 I know there's a pretty girl in the stands for me. How can I be a studly pimp when I make a total fool of myself? Just think, pretty girls all coming in groups to watch guys race. I mean I'm nervous enough with the 16,000 people watching me make a complete fool of myself but all those chicks too! And to add to it, those aren't any plain old fine chicks, they're Irvine girls! Did you hear me? They are Irvine..." "Look shut up!" I replied in frustration at my friends sudden outburst of hormones as if the Hoover Dam that blocked his testosterone broke. "You're not going to screw up badly if you screw up at all. Who cares about the girls up there. Save them for later. When you're done racing than you go up into the stands and get your groove on. When you're on the track only five things exist: you, the track, the starting lights, the finish line, and you're opponent. The 16,000 people in the stands don't exist. There are no fine Irvine girls waiting to meet a cute guy. If you just chill I'm sure you'll do fine. If you get distracted and don't pay attention than you're screwed. Got it?" "Yeah you're right," Joe replied reluctantly. Although he had stated his acquiescence with what I had said, his voice did not resemble the voice of someone in agreement. It sounded more like Joe was still thinking with his hormones and not his brain. His mind was still replaying scenes with girls scantily clad in tight summer clothing four sizes too small to reveal their feminine shapes. He only agreed with me to humor my impatience. "It's eight o'clock. Let's go upstairs and get some sleep." I said. "I can't sleep now. It's too early and I'm still nervous. I can't sleep when I'm nervous." "Well just lay down and eventually you'll fall asleep. Remember, we need to get up at 3 A.M. tomorrow morning so we can make it to LA on time." We went up to my room that was reminiscent of a junkyard with garbage, dirty and clean clothing, underwear, car magazines, and CD's strewn across what was once a nice, plush, tan colored carpet. It's amazing how worn out carpet could get in my room after only two years. All the other rooms still had the fresh-out-of-the-factory smell that we incorporate with new carpet. The walls were a barren desert of off-white. I never really believed in hanging up posters; or to put it frankly I was always too lazy to hang any posters up. Besides the mess on the floor, there were only five things in my room: my stereo, computer, bed, desk, and closet. Of course my closet remained empty because the ground had taken over its job making it hard for me to find a nice clear place where Joe could sleep. I cleared a small area of my floor to accommodate my friend. I felt lucky that I could sleep on my bed because the insects had found the "jungle" on my ground to be a favorable environment to their survival. Joe would be their full course meal for the night. It surprised me that I was able to fall asleep so easily. My friend on the other hand, claimed that he fell asleep at twelve o'clock in the morning. Unfortunately, we were taking two cars and not one so he could not have taken a nap while I drove. I had a feeling that morning that Joe would be too exhausted to race and make good decisions but dismissed them as just my wild imagination. We had two choices of routes to take to LA We could either take 101 South the whole way or take Highway Five. Highway Five was an unanimous decision because of its four lanes and long, straight, stretches to accelerate on. Being that we were practically the only ones on the freeway, both of us took our cars up to 160 miles per hour without the fear of running into other traffic. The trip to the Los Angeles Raceway was pretty uneventful. We arrived early so my friend proposed that we wait in the parking lot so he could take a nap. The doors to the track opened at nine. The track was setup in an arena like fashion with the seats surrounding the oval shaped track. Whenever there was a straight stretch of at least a half mile, there would be lights setup at the beginning of the stretch and large, scoreboard-like, towers with digital numbers at the end of the stretch. These two landmarks indicated where the quarter mile drags would be. In all, there were five areas of the track set up for the event. Since the track was still virtually empty at nine thirty, I took advantage of my time by stripping out my rear seat and passenger seat to save weight. The hood, trunk, and rear bumper came off next. Every pound made a difference so every racer attempted to lighten their cars as much as possible. Some go so far that they replace the windshield and windows with lighter plexiglass. I raised up the car with the hydraulic lifts I brought and swapped out the rims I had on my car with the racing slicks I had brought. With the car still raised, I went underneath the car and disconnected my exhaust pipes after the downpipe from the motor. This would allow a better flowing exhaust with less restriction, a must for turbo cars and good for another 20 extra horsepower. I also decided to take a little risk by raising the compression of the turbo from 1 bar to 1.5 bar which would give me an additional 90 horses. I crossed my fingers and prayed that my car would be able to handle the extra boost. When a car is boosted beyond its limit, the engine usually detonates leaving it unusable. By this time, Joe had also started preparing his car in much the same fashion that I had done. I decided to wait for him to finish so we could go check in. By ten, both of us started racing on the track. My first run was against Joe since both of us signed up together at the same time. We lined up at the starting lights and staged our cars flush with each other. The starting lights went yellow, yellow, yellow, green with a 0.500 second interval between each light. By the third yellow, the squeal of our slicks filled the air as both of us revved our engines and side stepped the clutch. By the time the green light lighted, we were both off in a streak of a black blur next to a white blur. My left hand fought the steering wheel, my right hand went through the gears, my right foot was standing on the gas pedal, and my left foot was modulating the clutch between a gear shift. Racing required the whole body to coordinate with each other. The coordination and the intense slam-you-back-into-your-seat pull of the turbos are probably the factors that give racing its appeal. I lost the race by three hundredths of a second. The time it took him to speed down the quarter mile was 11.64 seconds at 123 miles per hour, while my time was 11.67 seconds at 129 miles per hour. I should have had a much faster time because my speed was higher than his, but he probably shifted gears better than I did. By 10:30 the stands were nearly filled. It looked like there were more than the projected 16,000 people attending. Most of the people there were young like ourselves and enthusiastic about cars. The first run was the only time we would race against each other that day. We each had different schedules of people we would race against. After my fourth run, I decided to take a break, mainly to eat, but also to meet new people. I bought a hamburger and drink to satiate my developing hunger. There was a girl that caught my eye. Her dark, tan, skin and wide, puppy dog like, eyes gave her the Filipino look. Unlike the other women that looked trashy, her clothing was modest and in good taste. I was thinking of ways to approach her and what to say without sounding stupid when I heard a loud crunch of metal hitting concrete that caught my attention. I looked down at the race tracks and saw a white Civic crushed against the wall. Crowds of people had started gathering around the car as if a car crash was good entertainment to them. In fact, the crowd was so thick that I could not get to my friend and pull him out of the wreck. Luckily, Joe crawled out of his car unassisted and the medics were able to force their way through. They lightly rolled him onto a stretcher, taking special care to keep his back unmoved. An ambulance arrived and took Joe to the hospital. Joe broke his right clavicle, right knee, and right elbow. He also broke the tendon in his right ankle. As for his car, he no longer has that one. Insurance declared it a complete wreck and bought him another Civic. The whole right side of his wrecked car was gone. Joe and I frequently discuss the events that led up to his accident now that he has fully recovered. I told Joe that I thought he was not paying attention when he was racing and probably checking out some girl in the stands. Joe disagrees and says his tires overspun and his hand slipped on the steering wheel. However, we both agree that the roll cage fell apart because of his loose bolts and that if the roll cage had been tightened, Joe probably could have walked away from the accident. We both agree that the weak body of Japanese cars also had some play in his injuries. I believe his helmet saved his life because his head had hit the windshield and caused it to shatter. His high level of testosterone and ego makes him think that his head was hard enough that he did not need the helmet. Despite the accident, we both still yearn to return to the track. There is no point in dwelling in fear and stop doing what we both found to be the most enjoyable activity in our lives. Next time, we will be more careful and hopefully we will also pay better attention when racing. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Raisin in the SunWalter Younger.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From day one Walter had one thing on his mind and one thing only; himself. But things started to change once many variables started coming into effect. Walter starts to change and chagnes for the good of the family. Walter is an ambitious man. He has always wanted to be a rich man, but his dreams have been shot down by his family. No one believes in him. Only he does. This is wny he is the way he is. He is selfish. Always me me me. He lost all the money his family and his mother had intrusted him with. He was always thinking about himself and he lost all his money by giving it to a man who he trusted. But the man ran off with the money. But Walter finally changes. Luckily his mother and saved enough money for a house. But they were going to live in a white neighborhood and the whites did not like that. They offered him a great deal of money not to move there. But Walter, who finally thought about his family's happiness turned down the money and finally became a man. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\randj pictorial essay quotes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Act II Scene IV Page 113 Line 48 "The slip man, the slip! Can you not conceive?" Stated by Mercutio to Romeo This particular quote caught my eye when we were reading about Mercutio, Benvolio and Tybalt, The Prince of Cats. They were speaking of where Romeo was when all of a sudden, he showed up. Considering Mercutio's wit, the line was a perfect way to set the scene on a comical note and to get on the subject of where Romeo had been the previous night. I particularly favour this quote above all others because it was very clever and made me laugh. It draws you in and gives you a different view of Romeo from Mercutio's eyes. When doing so, you see a sort of fool, a man that is rather dumb. I enjoy how with only few words, Mercutio can lower Romeo to that point. Act I Scene II Page 33 Line 54 "Not mad, but bound more than a madman is;" Stated by Romeo to Benvolio After finding out that Rosaline does not return his love, Romeo is in a dull mood. He wishes to be alone and to reflect on how he could have wronged her. Romeo's family therefore qualms about him greatly and sends Benvolio to find him and what is wrong with him. Madmen in Elizabethan times were put into straight jackets, so when he says he is bound more than a madman is, his spirit is tied up inside of him and he does not feel as though he can subsist or be free ever again. It is stated as such to allow the audience to know how he is feeling at the time. I fancy this extract because it is a clever way for Romeo to convey himself. Instead of just saying he is gloomy, he uses a kind of metaphor to show Benvolio how he suffers. Act III Scene I Page 145 Line 53-4 "Men's eyes were made to look, and let them gaze; I will not budge for no man's pleasure, I." Stated by Mercutio to Tybalt This excerpt is taking place during an argument between Mercutio and Tybalt. They are speaking of Romeo and Mercutio knows that Tybalt wishes to fight with Romeo and says that he will fight in his place. Benvolio tries to break up the quarrelling by reminding them of the threats made by the Prince toward any more peace disturbers. He reminds them of the many eyes that watch them. Mercutio, however, states that he does not care of the eyes that watch nor will he stop to satisfy them. I prefer this quote because it again shows us Mercutio's wit and his way of showing people how he feels. He tells us there that he knows that eyes are watching him but yet he is ignorant enough to ignore this and keep on with his nattering. I like this because it tells us of the way Mercutio really is. Act I Scene V Page 67 Line 95-6 "My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." Stated by Romeo to Juliet In the first scene that we see Romeo and Juliet together, Romeo uses his charm to reel her in. This metaphor can be used as imagery, where we see Romeo's lips being bright pink or red and perked up ready to kiss Juliet. When they are first speaking at the masquerade, Romeo utters these words to his love and then again uses keeps using his metaphor to obtain a sweet kiss from his lady fair. I have a preference for this quote because of the romance that is within it. I am partial to the way that Romeo can use words to charm the ladies and does it well. He uses lots of metaphors and personification when speaking of his feelings and this I admire. Act II Scene VI Page 135 Line 30-1 "Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, Brags of his substance, not of ornament." Stated by Juliet to Romeo The basic theme behind this play is love. The kind of love that Romeo and Juliet had was too deep for even words to express. Although Romeo and Juliet did express themselves with much sentiment, the love that they really felt was never truly expressed through their words. Before the marriage, there is a discussion between Romeo and Juliet to show the true love felt between them. It was said to let the audience know that Juliet knows that her love is unfathomable. I favour this passage due to the truth behind it. When love is bottomless enough, it cannot be put into words. It is a feeling that cannot be described. I think that this citation states the main theme behind the play very well. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\raves.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ There have been so many nights were I layed there silent and still. Gazing at the glow in the dark stars on my ceiling, barely breathing on my bed. They sometimes turned into beatles and spiders crawling on my walls. I was so blazed all day long, during the night and the few moments I slept. Something had to be done, those discusting slef pittying moments, I would cry and scratch my arms or cut off my hair. I felt like an outcast and no one would let me belong. The darkness hid me from those revealing lights, that picked out my scars and faults. I suffered from the thoughts of being ignored, I would scream and scream and no one could here, and if they could, no one responded, ever. Monday I would slack off at school, go to Jack's house after school, smoke up and pass out as soon as I reached my bed at home. Tuesday, same thing, all the way through till Thursday. Friday however, changed a little bit. A group of us would take a "black bus", those are the buses that have painted black windows so you can't see where you were going. We would get dropped off infront of an abondaned warehouse. From the outside you could hear the techno music, the thumping, that felt like drums beating inseide your head. WE were dressed up in this awful get up, black plastic pants, barely there tube tops, leopard print of course. We danced till three or two in the morning I think. Obviously we didn't actually know what time it was I would stumble into my house f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ray Bradburys Something Wicked This Way Comes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ David Glasgo Modules 15-16 Dec 20, 1996 Someone knows your secret dream, that one great wish that you would pay anything for. That person suddenly makes your dream come true - before you learn the price you have to pay. Ray Bradbury's, Something Wicked This Way Comes, is a chilling and suspenseful thriller, making a boy's secret dream come true right before his own eyes and that of his friend's too. The story in this book continually jumps back and forth between three characters; two which are always together and the other the library janitor and father of the one. Bradbury's style keeps the book flowing smoothly throughout all of his hopping and skipping around. He seems to be a mastermind of writing as the story develops before your eyes and you get drawn in never wanting to leave, until the book is over and you know the ending. I felt like I was sitting right there on the clouds watching all of this take place. Bradbury pulls you into the book and makes it "our place, too." All of this starts off quite interesting. It is October, the month of Halloween, and in this strange year Halloween came early. A lightning rod salesman, come to the town predicting a humongous storm that is coming this way. The clouds speak their own words, telling the same. Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, neighbors and best friends, one born a minute before October thirtieth and one born a minute after October thirtieth, both lay there in Jim's front yard. The salesman stopped and told them that the storm was coming and it was coming for them. One of their houses would get struck by lightning and who was to say which one. "This," said the salesman, "is the one." He had been talking about Jim's house, his was the one to get struck. Will's father, a janitor for the town library, knew the storm was coming too. He had never sensed one quite like this, so fierce and strong. As the kids arrived to get their books, he smiled and whispered, "Just a storm, nothing but a storm." He helped Will and Jim get their books then sent them home quickly and then followed soon after. Both Jim and Will, and Will's father had seen the signs of the carnival to come, but in the month of October. Either way the boys were excited. That night the train came at three in the morning. Jim and will both heard it and both sat up at the same time. They opened their windows looked at each other and then looked at the train out of town. They asked themselves why three in the morning and why that strange music knowing the other was doing the same. They both got dressed and raced out to the hilltop above the field to watch them set up and see what they both sensed was wrong. The clouds of the sky dropped in low so that they couldn't see. When they rose again the skeleton frame was already set up. They could only see one person, the rest were on the train. As they watched, poles of the tent started pulling the clouds onto them and spinning them into canvas to form the top and sides of the tent. This just couldn't be. They got up and ran as fast as they could home. As they were running the finally realized what was wrong with the music. It was being played backwards, but there was no one playing the calliope that was putting forth the music. Will's father saw the two shadows running back towards the houses as he walked home. He had heard the music too through the open window of the library. "Three in the morning, thought Charles Halloway, seated on the edge of his bed. Why did the train come at that hour?" This book is a very good one even if you don't like adventure or fantasies. It keeps you interested in the book at all times and it reads very smoothly. I suggest this to all kinds of people to read. Every girl should try at least one of Ray Bradbury's books to see if you like his style. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\raymond carver.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Have you ever had that eerie feeling in the back of your mind that something just is not right? It is as if there is some unknown reason that a situation has a different meaning then what is obvious. This feeling is the disguised backbone of Raymond Carver's story, "Boxes". In this story the son seems to be experiencing this feeling as his mother decides to move again. There are gaps in the story line which shows that the son's dialog does not match up with his thoughts throughout the situation. These gaps highlight a hidden theme that associates the son's feelings about his mother moving with her death. One of the reasons the son unconsciously believes he will never see his mother again, is because his mother mentions more than once in the story that she would like to die. These gaps in the story where the mother mentions dying in the same scenes that have to do with her moving associates her moving with her death. One instance that she mentions dying is where she is complaining about the weather in Longview: "I mean it, honey. I don't want to see this place again except from my coffin. I hate this g.d. place. I don't know why I moved here. I wish I could just die and get it over with" (p. 413). I do not think the son believes she really wants to die but she puts the idea of her dying in his subconscious. There is a gap at that point that is up to the reader to figure out. The gap is widened farther in that same scene. The son remembers thinking about a man working on a power line. The man leaned out supported only by a safety belt and the son thought about if the man fell. The son is still on the phone with his mother: "I didn't have any idea what I was going to say next. I had to say something. But I was filled with unworthy feelings, thoughts no son should admit to. 'You're my mother,' I said finally. 'What can I do to help?'" (p. 413). What were these thoughts? Why doesn't the narrator tell us? The son cannot help being affected by these powerful words of his mother. This gap in the story is important because the son is thinking about how that man working on the pole could easily die if his safety belt does not hold. At this point he also has unmentionable thoughts about his mother. Because of this gap, the reader can assume that these thoughts concern his mother dying. Because his mother mentions death, he starts thinking about her dying which continues through the rest of the story. There were apparent gaps again later in the story when her son becomes upset when discussing her moving and his mother says: "I wish I could die and get out of everyone's way". (p. 421) Again she brings up the topic of her dying. We do not know why he was upset or exactly why she wants to die but we find it is connected to her moving back to California. What is also important is that she says this in response to him getting upset. If for some reason he never saw her again, it would stay with his conscious that she had felt this way because of his actions. At the last dinner that the son eats with his mother, it really hits him that she is leaving. He realizes he cannot stop her and that this may be the last time he sees her: "I understand that after she leaves I'm probably never going to see her again" (p. 421). This passage opens up the son's mind to us because if he believed that she was just moving then he would not be convinced that he would never see her again. The gap caused by this passage shows that the son thinks he will never see her again even though she is supposedly just moving. The son is convinced by the scene where his mother leaves: "Two days later, early in the morning. I say good-bye to mother for what may be the last time" (p. 422). For the son, this is a very powerful moment. It is like watching someone die, without being able to do anything about it. His mother has made up her mind and he cannot do anything to change it. It is not as if he consciously knows he will never see her again; in that case he could tell her why she can not leave. It is just an awful gut feeling. This gut feeling is less obvious in other scenes of the story which make it more important. As the mother leaves that morning for her trip back to California, the son notices her appearance: My mother holds my arm as I walk her down the steps to the driveway and open the car door for her. She is wearing white slacks and a white blouse and white sandals. Her hair is pulled back and tied with a scarf. That's white, too. The white color the mother is wearing signifies heaven. Angels and God are always known to wear white and so it is associated with heaven. The narrator includes this because it associates her leaving with going to heaven. Still, the son does not know for sure that he will never see her again, it is just an eerie feeling which we are aware of because of the gaps in the story. These hidden meanings in the story which come from the gaps, make up the true meaning of "Boxes". The character's dialog indirectly tells us what they are thinking. The part of the story when Jill, the son's wife, supports the mother's decision, clearly shows the relation between the mother's moving with her death: "I hope you have a safe trip back and you find the place you're looking for at the end of the road" (p. 418) We, as readers, are supposed to believe that Jill meant at the end of her road trip but, we are also supposed to recognize this as a reference to the mother's death from Carver. These gaps in the story are not careless errors by the author. Raymond Carver placed these in the story on purpose to give the reader a sense of seeing what is not there. By leaving gaps we get a similar feeling to the son in the story. We realize that the reason he will probably never see her again after she moves is because Carver leads us to know that her moving is associated with her death. Without the narrator ever saying "The son will never see his mother again because she is going to die", we still get that from the text. This fits with Carver's style of writing because the reader can never tell until the end of the story what the meaning is. In the case of "Boxes", the reader must read through the story and pick up on these gaps and what they mean before piecing together what Carver is trying to accomplish. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Reader Response to Canterbury Tales.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In his prologue, Geoffrey Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are involved in this fictional journey and who will tell the tales. One of the more interesting of the characters included in this introductory section is the Knight. Chaucer initially refers to the Knight as "a most distinguished man" and, indeed, his sketch of the Knight is highly complimentary. In this essay, I will contrast Chaucer's ideal Knight with its modern equivalent. The Knight, Chaucer tells us, possessed good horses, "but he was not gaily dressed". Indeed, the Knight is dressed in a common shirt "much stained" by where his armor had left its mark. In other words, Chaucer is telling us that the Knight has just arrived home from service and is in such a hurry to go on his pilgrimage that he has not even paused before embarking on it to change his clothes. Additionally, the Knight has led a very busy life as his fighting career has taken him to a great many places. He has seen military service in Egypt, Lithuania, Prussia, Russia, Spain, North Africa, and Asia Minor where he always "won the highest honor". Amazingly, even though he has had a very successful and busy career, he remains an extremely humble man: indeed, Chaucer maintains that he is meek "as a maiden". Moreover, Chaucer claims the Knight has never said a rude remark to anyone in his entire life. Clearly, the Knight possesses an outstanding character, and Chaucer gives to the Knight perhaps one of the most flattering descriptions in the General Prologue than any other character. His Knight can do no wrong: he is an outstanding warrior who has fought for the 'true faith' (according to Chaucer) on three continents. In the midst of all this, however, Chaucer's Knight remains modest and polite. Thus we see him as the embodiment of the traditional chivalric code: bold and fearless on the battlefield, devout and courteous off it. Apart from the moral message contained in the story, perhaps this tale of Chaucer's is of even further interest to modern-day readers. In our twentieth-century America, we would like to think that we simply don't have enough people in our society who we can liken to Chaucer's Knight. Perhaps we are under the impression that our modern society does not breed such virtuous people as existed in Chaucer's time. We remember that Chaucer's work represented one of the few sources of literature available to the people of England in the latter half of the fourteenth century; The Canturbury Tales was indeed a precursory form of mass media during its time. I pose that the essence of Chaucer's Knight was no more real in his day than it is today, and he was simply giving the people an ideal character to admire. He never intended his fictional star to be interpreted as a reality, and he was only giving his readers what they wanted. Today, our mass media delivers the same package and on a grander and even more fictional scale than ever before. Through television, movies, and books, we are constantly exposed to fabricated personas of what we should be, and how we should act. As a further example, during America's altercation with Iraq in 1991, the concept of the modest but effective soldier captured the imagination of the country. Indeed, this nation's journalists in many ways attempted to make General H. Norman Schwarzkopf a sort of latter-day Knight. He was made to appear as a fearless leader who really was just a regular guy under the uniform. It would be pleasant to think that a person with the traits of Chaucer's Knight could really exist in the twentieth-century. However, I argue that it is unlikely that people such as Chacucer's Knight lived and breathed even during Chaucer's time. As he does with all of his characters, Chaucer is producing a stereotype in creating the persona of such an ideal man. Chaucer, in describing the Knight, is depicting a chivalric ideal when, in fact, the history books that speak of the Middle Ages demonstrate that this model was rarely ever manifested in actual conduct. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\reading essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Greg Essakow Mr.Barasch February 17, 2003 Mishnah Can You Read? One day this young man by the name of Greg Essakow went to a school in a far away country named Switzerland. He was now old enough to go to school. He was very excited and was looking forward to learning how to read and to meet lots of new friends. He got to school and walked into class and sat down and began to learn how to read. Everyone around him was learning to read and he was the only one in the whole class that couldn't read. He was very upset about this and began to cry. The teacher came over and asked him what was wrong? The little boy said I can't read and everyone else can. The boy was afraid that everyone was going to make fun of him. After a few weeks he still couldn't read. The kids began to make fun of him and started to call him names. He was so upset he wouldn't want to come to school. He tried so hard to learn how to read and yet he still couldn't get the hang of it. The next year had come and he had a new teacher this teacher was a very nice and smart man and the little boy thought this year will be the won that he would learn how to read. As the year begun everyone still made fun of the little boy that he couldn't read and they would call him dumb and stupid and the boy would always cry. After a few days the teacher began to tutor the little boy and teach him how to read. The teacher tried everything but the boy couldn't learn how to read. The one day the teacher decided that he was going to try something new. He tried by painting the letters on a piece of canvas. This was helping the little boy learn. After a few months of learning like this Greg was a perfect reader and everyone wanted to read as well as him. He was so happy that he could read and now that he could read nobody made fun of him and he had lots of fun reading and being at school because he know had friends to read with. This young man is me Greg Essakow and now I am in eight grade and I love to read. Reading is very good to learn and it will help you in life even if it takes a while to get you will eventually get it. Reading is very hard and it might make you frustrated but you must try and try until you get it right. You shouldn't let anything stand in your way as long as you want to read you can read no matter what anyone says. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Realism In The Great Gatsby.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby has been labelled a masterpiece, and perhaps even one of the greatest novels of all time. In order to be revered as a classic, a novel must have one or more qualities that place it above the rest. One of The Great Gatsby's best qualities is Fitzgerald's incredible use of realism. This realism is evident in the development of plot, setting, and characters throughout the novel. The Great Gatsby is well known for its deeply entangled plots and sub-plots. At first Fitzgerald used realism to develop these plots by choosing plots that would be beleivable to readers. For example, the main plot of "The American Dream" (Jay Gatsby's dream of becoming rich and succesfull in order to impress Daisy) is easily believable and is still a quite common dream today. Smaller plots, such as Tom Buchanans affair with Myrtle, are also very realistic and are a common occurrence in every day life. From here Fitzerald deepened the story by using realism to entangle these plots. Fitzgerald then grew apon these plots by making them all have realistic outcomes (such as Gatsby's demise), rather than your typical story book endings. It is mostly thanks to Fitzgerald's descriptive, poetic style of writing that allows him to realistically portray the many plots of The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald's realistic construction and development of plot is extremely dependant apon the setting of the novel in which it take place. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses realism to clearly depict the setting of the Great Gatsby. This incredible use of realism could be mostly due to the fact that Fitzgerald lived during the time of the novel, and by using great detail, he was able to reproduce his interpretation of the 1920's. At this time the Great War (WW1) had just ended and the United States was becoming as dominant world power. The novel takes place during the summer in New York as Nick Carraway has just moved to persue a career in the bond business. This is a very realistic setting because just after World War 1 the eastern United States were flourishing with people and business. As depicted in The Great Gatsby, during the 1920's jazz music was all the rage. Large, fancy homes and big parties (such as Gatsby's) were also quite popular. Fitzgerald realistically demonstrates the inexistence of the middle class at that time. For example the contrast between Tom Buchanan and Mr. Wilson shows vast difference between the upper and lower classes. The exact geographical location of the novel does not exist, but Fitzgerald does a great job in using realism to convince the reader of the setting. No matter how significant realism is to the setting of The Great Gatsby, perhaps the most important use of realism comes through Fitzgerald's development of characters throughout the novel. In the Great Gatsby, as in any novel, the characters are the basis of the novel from which the plots revolve around. Fitzgerald uses realism to ensure that all the characters in the novel are belivable in both their history and interactions with each other. An prime example of this would be Daisy. Her history of having a succesful family, and being the center of attention deeply influences her character into being self-centered and dependant on wealth, making her character belivable to readers. From here Fitzgerald was able to manipulate the characters This convinces the the reader of genuinity of each individual and therefore makes the whole story seem more realistic. Throughout the novel plot was deepened through the entangling of many realistic sub-plots, setting was clearly illustrated using plenty of detail, and the characters were develloped to be as beleivable and genuine as possible. In the end it is the realistic recognition of life's imperfections that give The Great Gatsby its continuing appeal. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Rebbecca Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Texts show us how experience often changes people. 'Rebecca', a novel written by Daphne Du Maurier illustrates this point. Throughout the engrossing story, the characters experience much and as a result, the characters undergo both temporary and life-altering changes to their thoughts, beliefs and behaviour. In the beginning of the novel, the narrator is the insecure, shy and inexperienced paid companion of Mrs. Van Hopper. However, when she marries Maxim De Winter her life totally changes. She enters a new and unknown world as she becomes part of the elite class of society. She also has to cope with the many responsibilities and expectations imposed on her as the wife of the famous Maxim De Winter. This experience changes her into a worldly, more confident woman, but however this is a gradual development. For example, early in the novel, the narrator has unrealistic romantic fantasies of her and Maxim. However, after Maxim's blasé marriage proposal the reality of the situation begins to dawn on her : 'And he went on eating his marmalade as though everything were natural. In books men knelt to women, and it was moonlight. Not at breakfast, not like this.' Here Mrs. De Winter changes with this experience. Her ideas of love which are based on works of fiction, are quashed when her romantic expectations remain unfulfilled. Although her unblemished perception of love begins to crumble in this instance, later it is rebuilt by the love that she and Maxim share. On the other hand, Maxim's experience with the narrator is somewhat different. In the beginning of the novel, he seeks no romantic involvement but seeks companionship. The experience of close communication with another human being, after his self-imposed isolation after Rebecca's death, changes Maxim. When Maxim takes the narrator for a drive in his car, he tells her of Manderley, the sun setting and the nearby sea. At this moment, Manderley is the most precious thing to him in the entire world, and he chooses to share this with the narrator. This time spent with the Mrs. De Winter changes him. He realises that he needed companionship and perhaps unconditional love, both of which could be attained by marrying the narrator. In 'Rebecca', these two characters share a major life-altering experience. Maxim confesses to Mrs. De Winter that he had murdered Rebecca, and that Rebecca had not died accidentally in a boating accident as she was led to believe. She learns that Maxim did not idolise Rebecca but despised her. These facts initially send Mrs. De Winter into shock, but afterwards she feels relieved. This wave of relief overrides the fact that Maxim is a murderer. She now feels free of Rebecca's legacy; Maxim loves her and no-one else. After his confession, Mrs. De Winter says : 'It would not be I, I, I any longer; it would be we, it would be us.' The change in thought and behaviour because of this experience has been great. Maxim's reaction to his own confession differs slightly from his wife's. After he tells the narrator his darkest secret, he begins to express his feelings and overall he communicates more intimately with his wife. With his biggest vulnerability now exposed, Maxim now feels free to love her. After telling Mrs. De Winter that he is a murderer, Maxim's change in behaviour is definitely noticeable : 'I love you so much,' he whispered. 'So much.' This is what I have wanted him to say every day and every night ... now he is saying it at last.' Here Maxim has changed for the better. His dark and brooding nature is now balanced by the love which he has for his wife. The novel 'Rebecca' shows us how experience often changes people. The reader follows the narrator's evolvement from an insecure, shy girl to one who is confident, strong and loving. The author also shows Maxim's internal struggle against 'darkness' and his overcoming of it through finding love. By the end of the novel, Maxim is a caring and loving person, a contrast to the moody, brooding character portrayed in the first half of the novel. These developments have only occurred because of the harsh experiences that both characters have encountered. Now they appear to be stronger people for it. In conclusion, texts do show us that experience often changes people. This is so because literature reflects reality. Conditioning is inescapable as our experiences mould us into the people that we are today. (725 words) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Receipt for net detective.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Receipt for Net DetectiveDate:01/17/2002 OrderID:00ND200201176041362 Product:Net Detective Delivery Method:Download Amount:29.00 Personal Dat aName:Lee P. Montgomery Address:2020 Kniest St. City:DubuqueStateIAZip52001Country:USA Payment InfoPayment Type:Online Credit CardAccount:5463********7592(Exp:08/03) Your Billing Statement will show a charge from CTP.You will need a serial number to access this product, please keep this in a safe place. Serial Number: GA3M-DK6F-H6EV-4VTQ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Redo Essay 3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ John Sampson Mr. Knodel DC English 16 February 2004 Procrastination There is the typical high school student sitting at home looking at his/her homework, thinking to themselves, "Why do this now when he/she has all day tomorrow to do it?" It is a great plan at the time, but as soon as it's time to do it, he/she has lost all the time he/she needed for that certain assignment and while bothering other people since he/she had wasted his/her time they could have used for that assignment. This could cost the student in the end. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the title character of Hamlet Prince of Denmark thought that he had plenty of time to do carry out his plan, but in the end putting it off led to his eventual destruction and death. Hamlet's procrastination caused Polonius and Laertes to have untimely deaths, caused him to truly go mad, and finally caused him to have his own untimely death. Hamlet's procrastination caused two characters, Polonius and Laertes, to have untimely deaths. The play and everything would have been over if Hamlet would have just killed Claudius, but apparently it wasn't right to kill him because he rationalizes that since, "now [he] is a-prayin, / And now [he would] do't. And so [he] goes to heaven." (3.3.73-4) The first man to go in the play is Polonius. He deserved to die for spying on Hamlet and telling the King what he was doing, but he wouldn't have died had Hamlet already killed Claudius because Polonius told Claudius about Hamlet going to talk to Gertrude, but if Claudius was dead there would be not purpose on spying on Hamlet. Laertes dies in a fight with Hamlet toward the end of the play. This fight wouldn't have happened if Hamlet didn't get sent away for he being a danger to Claudius. These things are ways of showing how the deaths could have been avoided and how they are untimely. Hamlet's procrastination caused Hamlet to really go mad. After the Ghost told him about the murder of his father, Hamlet told himself, " As I perchance hereafter shall think meet / To put an antic disposition on" (1.5.174-5). This plan of his worked well right away because everybody thought he was mad for other reasons such as not being able to see Ophelia, according to Polonius; or because of his mother's quick marriage to Claudius, according to Gertrude. It went well and he got what he wanted, the chance to kill the King, but wait he didn't kill him. He put it off because of inner thoughts. As the play goes on these inner thoughts start to get to him and acting mad is just second nature to him. He suddenly is back in love with Ophelia when she dies when he told her that he was never in love with her, he kills Polonius from behind a curtain because he thought it was the King (he would like to kill the king without seeing the man's face, but he wouldn't kill him because he was praying? Usually it is manly to kill someone one face to face, not behind his/her back), and he just makes stupid excuses for doing the things he is doing. After Hamlet got to Claudius the first time, he didn't have any reason to keep on the antic disposition because the King knew now why Hamlet was acting the way he was, but he still did. He decided to keep this antic disposition on possible for a plan to fall back on if things when wrong, but as he keeps it on the worse his mental status gets. There is no purpose for it anymore. Hamlet's procrastination finally leads to the untimely death of him. Hamlet had his chance to kill Claudius, but instead he let the King go to kill him another time. This was a mistake because this gave the king adequate time to conspire against Hamlet and bring Laertes into the picture by being his to go to man and in doing so this happens to Hamlet: Thou art slain; No med'cine in the world can do thee good. In thee there is not half an hour's life. The treacherous instrument is in thy hand, Unbated and envenomed. (5.2.296-300) This is the scene where the King sharpened and put poison on Laertes rapier so that he would kill Hamlet with one shot. So you see if Hamlet would have already kill the King, the King wouldn't have had adequate time to do this to Laertes' rapier and Laertes wouldn't have put the slowly fatal blow to Hamlet. This is the big one because Hamlet's own revenge took so long that it also in turn took his life. In conclusion Hamlet's procrastination had a lot of unnecessary deaths, caused a problem mentally for Hamlet, and also took his own life. All of these things could have been avoided had he only not procrastinated. Procrastination is only the start of a set of problems waiting to happen. It could just start out as a simple assignment given to you by your English teacher, but if things keep going the way they are going, you could end up being in a lot more trouble than you could ever imagine as life went on. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. A. R. Braunmuller. New York: Penguin Books, 2001 Sampson 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\reflections.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Expository Writing Professor Habershaw 12.9.03 Reflections This semester I feel my writing has truly improved. When I first started writing essays, they were very choppy and had poor structure. One of the big problems I had was breaking up my sentences so that my writing sounded my fluid. At first, with my beginning essays not much changed, but after my first major essay I think I adapted to my professor's remarks. Sometimes I have trouble going into detail and supporting my bold statements and throughout the course I learned to add more detail. The majority of the problem is I assume the reader already knows what I'm talking about, so I don't discuss my topic into full detail, but I realized no matter what I must always fully extend my ideas to whomever is reading my essay. Overall I feel the class has been very influential towards my writing. Obviously I'm not the best writer, but I feel I have learned ways to fully extend my ideas onto paper, whereas before, my writing was very scattered. My last essay was probably my best work, but it was my best not just because it was the accumulation of all my writing experience, but that it had a great interest in the topic. It is so much easier and appealing when I am writing about something that interests me. For some of the essays in expository writing I could care less about the subject matter, so it was difficult to be fully motivated to write about the subject. Maybe for future classes there should be more essays directed to issues within society and the media. In general I am quite pleased with the class. Despite waking up at seven-thirty for class, I really enjoyed my professor's sense of humor and style of teaching. The class was boring at times (but most classes are), but I feel in the long run I learned a lot of important ways of improving my writing, and that was the intention of the class; so it worked right? 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\reflective essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jordan Hersh 4/27/04 English 102 Dr. Zeleike Reflective Essay: An Analysis of My Writing My writing has grown and improved tremendously since I first set foot on the University of Arizona campus. During my first semester, in English 101, I learned how to draft and write an essay that presents my main points in a very organized and concise manner. During my second semester, while in English 102, I started to develop better methods of writing a thesis, using short statements about the main points that I wanted to argue in my paper. In high school, the introductions to my papers were jumbled and disorganized, while my thesis was always three main points that I would discuss in the body of my essay. The first thesis that I wrote for my English 101 class was, "The yellow wallpaper is an important symbol in showing the speaker's view of women's role in society, and, at the same time, reflecting the woman's mental instability." This is a very bland, boring, and unoriginal way to present the argument, as well as ungrammatical. I felt that over the course of the next seven months, the theses that I was writing became much more precise and interesting to the audience. The theses that I have created for my English 102 class have been much more intricate and have introduced my argument, but without giving away my main points. I can now create a well thought out thesis to any topic because I have been prepared this year to consistently approach any subject in the same way. I feel that my ability to write introductions has improved tremendously, making my writing style and essays much more interesting and creative. I have always tried to insert humorous references in my writing, whether I am writing an English paper or a short skit. I started writing humorous skits or dialogues when I was in middle school. For my seventh grade talent show, I wrote a skit that lampooned the entire faculty of my school. The reaction of the audience was very positive, and this encouraged me to write more humorous stories and skits. I have written many speeches that I presented to the student body during my time in high school, in all of which I successfully made my audience laugh, while teaching them at the same time. I feel that this year I have had the opportunity to make humorous statements in some of my papers that encouraged the reader to laugh, but at the same time I was able to teach or persuade through my humor. I found that when I write freely about past experiences, I usually apply a lot of the rules that I have learned in English classes, which helps me to overcome some of the things I struggle with, such as grammar rules and wordiness. Writing has always been part of my life. Writing has become somewhat of a burden to me since it has become mandatory in so many different classes, but I have been writing for pleasure for years. In the fourth grade I wrote a fictional story about a magic toilet and submitted it to a local short story contest. Weeks later I was told that I had won a fifty dollar check for my work, and that it was one of the best stories the judges had read in a long time. Since then, writing has become more than just a mandatory task to me, even though I do not enjoy writing term papers all of the time. Writing has been a source of expression for me ever since I was very young. I can see myself doing some form of writing for a profession, maybe writing for a monthly magazine, or for a television show. Writing and trying to develop into a better writer has been something I have wished to achieve, and now that this school year is coming to a close, I feel that I have made a lot of process in becoming a more mature, intelligent writer. Throughout this year, my process in writing an essay has improved dramatically. I had never organized an argument, nor created a brainstorm or an outline before entering college. I usually just had an idea, started typing, and would see what would end up on the paper. I always lost track of my main ideas, strayed from my thesis in the body paragraphs, and even wrote paragraphs that had very little to do with my topic. Although I started writing this year without outlines or preconceived thoughts, I quickly learned that my papers were receiving low grades because of my unorganized content and my tendency to stray away from the main arguments. I started to develop ways to become more organized before I would write, helping me to write my body paragraphs with more focus on the main topic, and this also contributed to the coherency of my overall argument. During the end of the semester in English 101, I learned how to brainstorm before I would write an essay. I would spend about twenty minutes brainstorming about everything I knew about my topic, and then I would spend another twenty minutes writing a brief outline for each paragraph in my essay. This really helped me to focus and to write much better papers in English 102. I was able to take a subject like baseball bats and brainstorm about everything that I knew about them, creating six different ideas and a body paragraph for each idea. In my outlines, I would map out my main ideas, my opening sentences, and a good way to close each paragraph in my outlines. My writing process has improved tremendously throughout the school year, and because of my new tactics and my organization, my overall writing quality has been the best that I have ever done. Throughout my time as a writer, I have been characterized as someone who writes very freely and openly. I feel that my writing style is unlike that of many others. I tend to write very quickly and rapidly, but always with my main ideas in the back of my head. I feel the exercise that we did in class, where I compared myself to the Tasmanian Devil, was a very accurate way to describe myself as a writer. I write whatever comes into my head, and when some ideas appear, I write them down very quickly, and usually my sentences are jumbled and scrambled. This can be analogous to when the Tasmanian Devil goes through his spinning motion. I find myself as a very insightful writer who effectively communicates my humor through my writing, whether it is my own personal writing or schoolwork. Throughout my time at the University of Arizona, I have learned and developed many key skills that have improved my writing from good to excellent. I feel that I have grown and developed a great deal as a writer, and am now more able to write in a professional manner. I have mastered how to write an introduction and a thesis, while also changing my writing process to a more organized fashion. I feel that this year my overall writing has improved one hundred ten percent because I have been able to evaluate my writing, recognize my flaws, and work hard to fix them. In my eyes, this has improved my writing tremendously. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Reflexive Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Reflective Essay By: Lily Salvio-Shaker The most important thing I have learned so far in world cultures is the clarification of such horrific history. This clarification does not allow excuses, nor does it allow us to forget such behaviors: rather it causes us to remember and to be aware. We have also had the opportunity to approach such guilty crimes, from different points of views. Although to even consider defending someone who believed in such segregation, racism, and violence seems nearly impossible, we have been able to see apartheid believers reasoning, while we feel it is unjust. We have seen movies that took place during the time of apartheid and after apartheid. We have seen the violence that occurred, read quotes both from apartheid leader and freedom speakers, and we have read articles. We have also seen evidence of apartheid segregation in the form of handouts, such as "Facts on South Africa," which shows the difference in the privileges of whites, coloreds, Africans, and Indians. In world cultures class I have noticed that everything we have learned so far is connected in one way or another. For example, I never thought that the Ladakh modernization would have any involvement with apartheid in South Africa. The Ladakh culture and way of living, was taken away from the Ladakhi's with no permission; this goes for the South Africans as well. South Africa was taken away, not only by land from the Dutch and English, but by freedom. The South Africans' way of life was stolen from them. Everything we have learned earlier in the year has lead us to apartheid. When we learned about the Ladakh culture, I was impressed with their way of life. When we learned about the modernization of Ladakh I was angry and disappointed. Now when I look back at it, although it is still very unfortunate that the Ladakh culture has been modernized, its nothing compared to so many other things in the world. Then again being in a little tiff with a friend is nothing compared to so many things that go on in the world. So what is nothing; what is something? I think this is what it all comes down to, importance. What one person may believe has no impact whatsoever, another person could very easily be convinced has an enormous impact. This brings us to another question; what is importance? Importance is all about perspective and that's what has caused such horrific incidences in the past. Everyone believes their way is best, their way is smartest. This is the flaw in freedom of speech. What if what you are saying is racist, stereotypical, violent, and/or all together unjust? Is it okay to state it? Yes. Is it okay to state it in my opinion? No. But in this persons mind, is it okay? Yes. Why? Because they believe it is true and correct. If everyone just allowed themselves to see other points of view rather than just thinking about what could benefit themselves, maybe, just maybe, all of this violence would not have occurred in the first place. In our class we have had the opportunity to see other people's points of view. Because of discussions in class I have changed my mind numerous times about beliefs I've had on different situations. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Regional.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Schueth University of Nebraska-Lincoln Humanities Conference, Nov. 2003 New Title Fanny Fern's novel Ruth Hall (1855) tells the story of a widowed mother of two, who, in order to save herself and her children from the depths of poverty, becomes a highly successful newspaper columnist under the non de plume of "Floy." Toward the end of the novel, after Floy has become a critical and popular success, a publisher describes Floy as "elastic, strong, brave, loving...fiery, yet soft" and ends with the punctuated conclusion that she is "a bundle of contradictions!" (180). Fanny Fern (Sara Payson Willis) knew well how a woman writer like Floy could be labeled as much since Ruth Hall was largely based by Fanny Fern's own career in the literary marketplace. For professional women writers of the nineteenth century, personal and public identity manifested itself into "a bundle of contradictions" since women like Fern (and others such as E.D.E.N. Southworth, Frances E.W. Harper, and Lydia Maria Childe, to name a few) often commanded high prices for their work and regularly produced bestselling books, but many times, as in this case with Ruth Hall, these women had to rest their literary ambitions on the welfare of her children or through the morals of True Womanhood. For all their success, these women commanded almost no lasting critical respect. Twentieth century women writers also met with such contradictions and writers such as Edith Wharton and Willa Cather had to carefully craft their public personas in an order to thwart nineteenth-century stereotypes that women "authoresses" were merely second-rate artists. Further, the growth of celebrity culture added to an increased interest in the private lives of writers, and, as Barbara Hochman notes, "many publications catered to the reading publics wish to 'know' authors by providing new modes of access to them" (27). The ways in which Wharton and Cather responded to those cultural pressures varies greatly from those writers of the previous century, and indeed, a study of Wharton's and Cather's public and private personas showcases the power of both class and region in building a literary project at the turn of the century. As women writers in a field still dominated by male critics and writers, Wharton and Cather had to negotiate their own "bundle of contradictions" as they worked out their public and private identities as women novelists. In this chapter, I will explore how Wharton and Cather constructed their public/private personas in terms of self-fashioning themselves as professional and regional writers. As a woman of the upper class, Edith Wharton, like most women of her class, was certainly not raised to be a writer-and most certainly not a professional writer. "In the eyes of our provincial society," Wharton recounts in her autobiography A Backward Glance, "authorship was sill regarded as something between a black art and a form of manual labour," (69). Wharton further frames herself in her autobiography as child who was an "omnivorous reader," and who followed the "many prohibitions" in reading material her mother "imposed" on her (65). For this, Wharton says that she grew up reading only the "essentials," which translates into a long list of classic male writers and, critically, only a few women: Mrs. Heman and Mrs. Browning (66), Mrs. Beecher Stowe ("who was so 'common' yet so successful) (68), and the Brontës ("who shrank in agony from being suspected of successful novel writing") (69). Wharton notes that she was "forbidden" to read the "lesser novelists of the day," what can only be interpreted as a subtle hint to contemporary women novelists of her day who were producing much of the best-selling fiction. Finishing her chapter, "Little Girl," Wharton reflects on her "dream of a literary career," that "faded into unreality" because "I had never even seen [a writer] in the flesh!" (76). Indeed, when Wharton, critics, and other writers frame public images of Wharton in magazines and journals, she is framed around a masculine tradition of writing rather than a feminine tradition. As mentioned above, Wharton rarely cited women writers besides women such as Jane Austin, and she never cites contemporary novelists at all, besides at rare intervals to showcase her own mastery over "second rate" sentimentalists. Early critics, too, constructed Wharton as a different kind of woman writer, she was "misleading," as one critic wrote in The Nation (Oct. 30, 1913: 404). In this case, that amounts to a combination of Wharton's "breeding" and her "gentlemanlike" style. While touting her writing as such, The Nation reviewer says that she is nevertheless "strongly feminine" made interesting through its "hint of contradiction." Even constructed in a space between masculine and feminine writing, Wharton is nevertheless a "nervous, cultivated American woman," whose writing is limited as "an extremely clever performer" (404). Wharton's first major publication was The Decoration of Houses, which she co-authored with Codman. With it, Wharton set up what would be a major aspect of her public identity, her expertise on high forms of cultural knowledge. Part Martha Stewart part historian, Wharton continued to publish works such as Italian Villas and Their Gardens (1904), one year before she would find critical and best-selling success with The House of Mirth. Find House of Mirth discussions??? Advertising??? Further, Wharton's continued success came from her publicly touted friendship with Henry James. While critics were quick to see Wharton's literary connections to James even before she became close friends with him, Wharton's career was largely mapped out as a Jamesian protégé. When it came time for Cather to publicize her new novel, O Pioneers! in 1912, she had to work out critical issues of marketing both her authorial self and the book to an increasingly sophisticated American book-buying public. After Cather's self-proclaimed failure with her first novel, Alexander's Bridge, the success and marketing of her new, and potentially risky, Nebraska novel would be critical for her career. Cather's years as an editor at McClure's magazine made her "more sharply aware," as Janis Stout puts it, "of both literary fashion and the ways in which fiction got itself published" (89). With this in mind, Cather's marketing of her first Nebraska novel (including the important necessity of writing her authorial self into the marketing) set a tone that would largely characterize her public reputation (and her later celebrity status). She may have been asking whether her success with the new novel would allow her to continue writing, especially with S.S. McClure's earlier warning that she could not pull off a successful professional writing career. In this paper I will explore Cather's early newspaper interviews in which she positions her authorial self as a regional writer, arguing specifically that through these interviews she modernizes and complicates former literary understandings of regional writing in general and western regionalism in particular. One of the most notable aspects of Cather's early interviews is the way she consistently refers to Sarah Orne Jewett as her literary mentor. While Sharon O'Brien and Marilee Lindemann have made much of the Jewett-Cather relationship, both concentrate on Cather's preface to a collection of Jewett's work. Cather's use of Jewett's name and literary reputation in this preface was, arguably, different than her use of Jewett's name some twelve years earlier. By 1925 Cather was sure of her literary powers-in fact, she was at the height of her creative output, producing One of Ours, for which she won the Pulitzer prize, A Lost Lady, The Professor's House, and would soon begin her masterpiece, Death Comes For the Archbishop. If we move back in time to 1912 and in the immediate years following, Cather's future lay uncertain, and her use of Jewett's name and literary reputation introduced Cather's own name in connection to a respectable American literary tradition of New England regionalism. Cather met Jewett through Annie Fields in 1908 in Boston while Cather was researching a series of articles on Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, for McClure's magazine (Stout 98). As one of the most well-known and respected "local color" writers of the late nineteenth century, Jewett was one of many successful women writers (Freeman, Cooke, etc.) who commanded the public's attention and filled the pages of magazines. By the turn of the century, however, the success of these local colorists diminished; as Donna M. Campbell explains, the rise of male naturalist writers such as Dreiser, Crane, and Norris were a part of "a backlash against what was perceived as feminine domination of audience and literature alike" (47). While Cather did not like many of these local color writers (most of whom were women), she did admire Jewett's work (O'Brien 335). During their brief relationship before Jewett's death in 1909, Jewett urged Cather to abandon her attempts at writing Jamesian fiction and rely on her own life experience for subject matter. While Cather ignored Jewett's advice and wrote Alexandar's Bridge, she did begin to write about her memories of Nebraska in O Pioneers! Cather's interviews during this period closely mirror those Jewett gave years earlier in which Jewett discusses her technique of writing from her early life experiences and her deep connection to the New England landscape. In one circa 1900 interview, Jewett tells of following her physician father about "silently, like an undemanding little dog," to various patients "whom he used to visit in lonely inland farms or on the sea-coast in York and Wells" collecting, unconsciously, all of the details of "the country interiors." "Now," Jewett said in her interview, "as I write my sketches of country life, I remember again and again the wise things he said and the sights he made me see" (Famous Authors 47). Throughout Jewett's discussions of her writing, she underscores the lived experience of the places and memories that inspired her fiction in order to show the "authentic" experience behind her fiction. In 1913, while promoting her new novel, O Pioneers!, Cather began to invoke Jewett's name and discuss Jewett's effect on her own writing. In fact, Cather dedicates the novel to Jewett "in whose beautiful and delicate work there is the perfection that endures." In one interview, after calling Mark Twain, Henry James and Sarah Orne Jewett the "great ones" when asked to name her favorite American writers, Cather relates finding a Jewett letter "among some of her papers in South Berwick after her death." Cather then goes on to quote a line from Jewett's letter: "Ah, it is things like that, which haunt the mind for years, and at last write themselves down, that belong, whether little or great, to literature." In her interview, Cather points to Jewett's honesty, "that earnest endeavor to tell truly the thing that haunts the mind," that she most values about her work. In showing Jewett's literary influence on her own writing, Cather later states in the same interview that with O Pioneers! she "tried to tell the story of the people as truthfully and simply as if I were telling it to her by word of mouth" (Bohlke ) Cather's use of Jewett's name and literary heritage becomes a common strategy for the emerging writer in her interviews throughout the teens. In a 1919 interview for the Chicago Daily News, Cather quotes Jewett as telling her to "Write it as it is, don't try to make it like this or that. You cant' do it in anybo[d]y's else[s] way-you will have to make it your own. If the way happens to be new, don't let that frighten you. Don't' try to write the kind of stories that this or that magazine wants-write the truth and let them take it or leave it" (Bohlke 18). In naming Jewett throughout her interviews, Cather claims a link to Jewett's legacy of regionalism. Yet, as a western writer, Cather's claim to a New England tradition suggests a complexity and depth to her construction. That one of the most well-known and respected New England writers like Jewett could become friends with and influence a new writer from the Nebraska plains upsets easy notions of what defines "regional." Building her name on Jewett's literary legacy instead of other notable popular western writers like Owen Wister, Frank Norris, or Stephen Crane, she bypasses the male western literary tradition for her own sense of regional/literary identity. In addition to mentioning Jewett's influence in her early interviews, Cather constructs her authorial self by developing a picture of her Nebraska childhood throughout these interviews. She often over-simplifies her childhood to interviewers, reducing her experience to what L. Brent Bohlke has noted as a "romantic vision" of her life that often featured her "riding recklessly across the Nebraska plains" on ponies to the extant that "it would seem that even Cather herself began to believe" these stories (xxii). Another way to interpret Cather's "romantic vision" is through Scott McCloud's term amplification through simplification, in which complex qualities are simplified to their most basic, one-dimensional shape. The simplified state, McCloud argues through the example of a photographic face simplified into a happy face, allows for readers to absorb themselves into the story, or, in the case of the happy face, the generalized shape of the face allows the viewer to imagine the face in any number of ways, and hence it's possible meanings become amplified (McCloud ). So, then, in a similar way, Cather's mythic rendition of her Nebraska childhood allows readers the space to imaginatively invent Cather. While her generalizations about immigrant women, pony rides, and other experiences with her natural surroundings gave readers a much different conception of the West than dime-store westerns, her stories also have a bareness that allows readers to imaginatively engage in her Nebraska childhood experiences. Cather's repetition of this story, as Bohlke notes, further amplifies her story, reinforcing her Nebraska ties and her self-construction as a western writer (xxii). That is, Cather's authority to write about the west lie in her childhood experiences. Yet even while Cather builds herself as a Nebraskan, her interviews also dislocate her from Nebraska. In the Webster County Argus, for example, an anonymous writer notes, Naturally we were especially pleased when last Friday Miss Willa Cather, whose address is New York City, but who is at home in Red Cloud, New York, London, Paris or any other city on earth in which she happens to be, called at this office for that reason. Miss Cather is enjoying a several weeks' visit with her parents... (Oct. 29th, 1921; Bohlke 26) What is especially noteworthy in these newspaper interviews with Cather is her ability to occupy a multitude of authorial identities: a transplanted Virginian, an urban New York writer, an international traveler, and a Nebraskan. While Cather's focus on her childhood in Nebraska may have served to underscore her authenticity as a western writer, much in Jewett's tradition, it also served to obfuscate the other half of her life in the east, her New York life-an urban life very much unlike that of her Nebraska novels. Yet, as these interviews show, readers were made well aware of her New York address. Unlike Jewett, who said in one interview that, "I was born here . . . and I hope to die here" (Famous Authors 46), Cather constructs herself in such a way that she does not tie herself to living in Nebraska even as she claims that identity. This complex stance on her Nebraska/urban identity is taken up in a 1921 interview, in which Cather states that she "will have it distinctly understood that she is not an eastern, western, northern or southern writer, but first and foremost a Nebraskan." The article explains that, When questioned as to why she considered herself a Nebraskan after so many years abroad and in the east, she replied, "Because my father and mother sill live in Nebraska. They have lived here for 30 odd years, and because I came to Nebraska when I was 8 and lived her until I finished college at 19, and the years from 8 to 15 are the formative period of a writer's life, when he unconsciously gathers basic material. (Omaha Bee 29 Oct. 1921; Bohke 31). While western writing has a history of transplanted writers, making their careers writing about their non-native west (Owen Wister, for example), Cather was from the West and she made her living writing about the West from the East. To construct a sense of authenticity, she underscores her family ties to the state. As she claims in one interview, "my grandparents were among the real pioneers" (emphasis added; Philadelphia Record 10 Aug. 1913; Bohlke 11). In yet another interview, Cather, while in France, claims that "she is skeptical about remaining there, for as she recalled Paris last autumn, when the leaves were turning yellow on the cottonwoods along the boulevards, she said she would sit by the Seine and feel weepy and homesick for the Republican valley" (Omaha Bee Oct. 29 1921). The play Cather makes between the cultural cache of "taking up an apartment in Paris," and her "homesickness" for Red Cloud, reveals how she could map out a complex range of geographies for herself. She is able to live the life of a successful writer, traveling to exotic locations to relax, but in connecting the Seine to the Republican valley, she shows how she remains loyal to her Nebraska roots. Even in early Cather novels we can chart a geographical pull away from Nebraska. While working on O Pioneers!, for example, Cather's trip to the Southwest had a deep impact on her sense of place. David Stouck has noted that there is a "uncommon degree" of autobiography in Cather's fiction, and so, not surprisingly, in Cather's next novel, The Song of the Lark, Thea's most powerful awakening moment does not occur in Nebraska, but rather in Panther Canyon. In the Introduction to My Antonia, we are told that Jim Burden, again like Cather herself, is a displaced Nebraskan living in New York but still retains "those big Western dreams" that make for a "quiet drama . . . in one's brain" (xi). Even as she tried to construct herself as a Nebraskan in her interviews, the displaced characters we find in her novels reflect her own complex relationship to Nebraska, her urban lifestyle, and her sense of place. Judith Fetterley and Marjorie Pryse have recently argued that that a complex relationship to place has been the norm, rather than the exception, for women's regional writing. They say that, These writers both in their fictions and in their own biographies frequently move back and forth between urban and rural/"regional" places; while cosmopolitan attitudes might assume clear barriers between the modernizing life of the cities and the presumptively pre-modern world of the regions, for the writers themselves and in their regionalist texts, these barriers become permeable and transitive. (5) Certainly for Cather, while she skirted around her New York life in interviews, her readers gained a sense of this "permeable and transitive" space as they followed Cather throughout many geographies. While this paper is not looking at how Cather's readers and critics were responding to her literary self-fashioning, two key literary figures of this time period stand out in their response to Cather's relationship to place. F. Scott Fitzergerald remarked in the 1919 volume of The Men Who Make Our Novels, that, "the writer, if he has any aspirations toward art, should try to convey the feel of his scenes, places and peoples directly-as Conrad does, as a few Americans (notably Willa Cather) are already trying to do" (167). That Fitzgerald positions Cather in the same breath as Conrad suggests that he saw her not as a mere "regional" writer, but as a serious writer using place to develop American fiction. Further, Sinclair Lewis told an Omaha audience in 1921 that, Willa Sibert Cather is greater than General Pershing; she is incomparably greater than William Jennings Bryan. She is Nebraska's foremost citizen because through her stories she has made the outside world know Nebraska as no one else has done. (Omaha World Herald 10 April, 1921) That these prominent and popular writers of the time saw Cather as a successful model of a modern writer connecting herself not only to place, but to a tradition of great literature, shows that her early self-fashioning was, in many ways, successful. Certainly both writers were trying to do the same, and as Fitzgerald's comment suggests, Cather was leading the way toward a new American literary tradition. While Cather's construction of her authorial self as western writer in the time period between O Pioneers! and My Antonia was largely successful, she faced increasing problems as some critics railed against her portrayal of World War I France in One of Ours. Hemingway's famous reaction to the novel, that Cather lifted her war scenes from Birth of a Nation and "Catherized" it, suggests that while Cather could write seriously about the Nebraska landscape, she transgressed her boundaries when writing about war (Woodress 333). Cather's successful self-construction as a Nebraska writer ultimately limited her ability to move her subject matter and authorial self into new directions. Her identity as a Nebraskan feminized her in connection to the land, and to take up a masculine space-as Hemingway's remark powerfully shows-was to transgress upon male writing. As the politics of the literary landscape shifted in the 1920s, the context and success of Cather's authorial identity created problems for her. Yet he controversy surrounding her Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours opened her up to a much broader audience and consequently, her subsequent novel, A Lost Lady, was a critical and popular success. So, while Cather was, in some ways, limited by her Nebraska childhood identity and subject matter, it did not hinder her finding a broad readership and later, taking dramatic risks with Death Comes for the Archbishop and Shadows on the Rock. While I think that Cather tried to build a complexity into her regional identity by trying to create a more complex, kaleidoscopic view of regionalism, her image ultimately became simplified by her readers and critics as a Nebraska writer. For Cather, her own literary self-fashioning was much like her relationship to the land itself, as she said of Nebraska in one early interview, it was "the happiness and the curse of my life." Works Cited Baldman, Charles C. The Men Who Make Our Novels. NY: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1924. Campbell, Donna M. Resisting Regionalism: Gender and Naturalism in American Fiction, 1885-1915. Athens: Ohio UP, 1997. Bohlke, L. Brent, ed. Willa Cather in Person: Interviews, Speeches, and Letters. Lincoln: U Nebraska P, 1986. Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Lincoln, U Nebraska P, 1994. ---.The Song of the Lark. Lincoln, U Nebraska P, 1972. ---. Willa Cather in Person: Interviews, Speeches, and Letters. L. Brent Bohlke ed. Lincoln, U Nebraska P, 1986. Gordon, George [Crittenton, Charles Baldwin]. The Men Who Make Our Novels. NY: Moffat, Yard & Co., 1919. Fetterly, Judith and Marjorie Pryse. Writing Out of Place: Regionalism, Women, and American Culture. Urbana: U Chicago P, 2003. Harkinks, E.F. Famous Authors (Women). Boston: L.C. Page, 1901. Lindemann, Marilee. Willa Cather: Queering America. NY: Columbia UP, 1999. O"Brien, Sharon. Willa Cather: The Emerging Voice. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1987. Stout, Janis. Willa Cather: The Writer and Her World. Charlottesville: U Virginina P, 2000. Woodress, James. Willa Cather: A Literary Life. Lincoln, U Nebraska P, 1987. ?Omaha World Herald Article in Archives 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Released From the Grip of What He Carried Freedom From His C.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "They dreamed of freedom birds. At night, on guard, staring into the dark, they were carried away by jumbo jets. They felt the rush of takeoff. Gone! They yelled. (286). "Freedom bird" an appropriate term for the jumbo jets that take the soldiers from their tour because it gives them the freedom from what has been holding them back. Throughout the story, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross has his mind everywhere but on his infantry he is supposed to be leading on the tour. The story shows how even the smallest memory, letter, or picture can draw anyone from reality. It shows several men's struggle to overcome their predisposed conscience and deal with reality. It has become one of the most common occurrences in any war. Grandfathers, uncles, and even brothers have told how they would recall as they were fighting, they themselves carried the unnecessary on a tour. The seemingly innocent picture, the numerous letters sent, and even thoughts of what it was like to be home, all of a loved one is now shown to have an impact. As seen with Jimmy Cross, some men even went to a profound obsession. As mentioned early in the work, Jimmy Cross carries letters and two pictures from a friend named Martha. The story tells how "he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters and photos, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending, he would imagine romantic camping trips..." (275). One picture is a black and white picture of Martha standing against a brick wall. It is told how Martha has an apparent neutral look to her, and Cross can't help but notice the shadow of the person taking the picture. Cross knows she has boyfriends, knows she is closer to men other than himself. The other picture that Cross has is one of Martha clipped from a yearbook. It is a shot of Martha playing volleyball for her school. In the picture, Martha is "bent horizontal to the floor, reaching, the palms of her hands in sharp focus...the expression on her face taut and competitive" (276). The usual glance at a picture isn't enough for this man. It becomes an obsession for him to do this every night, sometimes he "licks the envelopes knowing that her tongue touched the paper" (275). O'Brien gives the impression that Cross has the deepest thoughts for Martha throughout the story. He mentions on numerous occasions that Cross is thinking about her, and imagining being with her. Cross remembers back to when he touched her knee in a theater, but pulling it away when he felt uncomfortable when Martha gives m a certain look. When Cross receives the stone that Martha picked up on the Jersey shore, he daydreams that he "wondered how...the Jersey shore line was when Martha saw the pebble and bent down to pick it up...imagining her bare feet" (278). In the letter that accompanied the pebble, Martha mentions that she picked up the pebble from where the water and the land meet where it has a "separate but together quality" (278). Cross is not the only man who carries strange objects to deal with the war and the absence of home. One guy in the infantry carries not only his normal gear and necessities is Ted Lavender. He carries "six or seven ounces of premium dope...and tranquilizers" (276). The story depicts Lavender as the type of person who is always taking some form of drug in order to deal with the war. Lavender's fate is met when he "pops off a tranquilizer and goes off to pee" then he "was shot in the head on the way back of the head on his way back from peeing" (280). Kiowa, another member of the infantry, carries not only hatchet with which he cuts off a thumb of an enemy. Harry Dobbins carried his girlfriend's panties around his neck, and Dave Jansen carried ear plugs. Throughout the story, Cross' thoughts switch back and forth between real life, daydreams, and thoughts of Martha. The story starts out telling of who Martha is, how he feels for her, and what he would do for her. Next, the tone moves to what soldiers carry on tour. O'Brien tells how much certain items weigh and what they are used for.. It is as if Cross can't help but to think of this woman when he gets bored of the war. Cross even believes that it is his fault for the death of one of his men. Cross felt that it was because of his daydreaming that Ted Lavender died. After Lavender died, Cross began to think about his actions. He realized that throughout the war, he spent his time dreaming of a woman he hardly knew. How she herself had no special feelings for Cross and she was just writing to him because she felt a responsibility to. Although seemingly reaching out to him, she in fact had no deep feeling for him. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, in the end, realized the mistakes he's made. He sees that he has unknowingly threatened the lives of the men he is responsible for, and has been lead on by Martha. He realizes that he has held on the his memories of her, and her letters only to have memories of home with him while he is so from form it. He realizes that this notion of having Martha to think about is slowing him down, and he needs to get on with his job. Cross "crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha's letters. Then he burned the two photographs" (287). By burning his material memories of Martha, Cross "frees" himself of what has holding him down from working to his full potential. He has nothing to stop and look at or read, but he does have his thoughts of Martha. "Briefly in the rain, Lieutenant Cross saw Martha's gray eyes gazing back at him...It was very sad...The things men carried inside...he almost nodded at her, but he didn't" (287). This is the turning point in the story. This is where Cross gets on with his tour. This is where Lieutenant Cross started to "remind himself that his job is to lead" and he will "dispense of all love: it was not now a factor" (288). O'Brien's use of the term "freedom birds" is appropriate when referring to the jets that take troops away because it carries them away, far away from where they don't want to be. Late in the story, Cross realizes what his affixation to Martha has cost him and his men. He want's to rid himself of the burden, but can't. When Cross finally rids himself of the burden, he is ready to march on, he is ready to do his job. Cross "feels the rush of takeoff. Gone!" (286). f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Religion in Jane Eyre.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Religion in Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte addresses the theme of Religion in the novel Jane Eyre using many characters as symbols. Bronte states, "Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion"(preface v). In Jane Eyre, Bronte supports the theme that customary actions are not always moral through the conventional personalities of Mrs. Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and St. John Rivers. The novel begins in Gateshead Hall when Jane must stay away from her aunt and cousins because she does not know how to speak pleasantly to them. Mrs. Reed, possesses a higher standing in society. Due to Jane's lower class standing, Mrs. Reed treats Jane as an outcast. As Bessie and Miss Abbot drag Jane to the "red room" a most scary room for a child, she is told by Miss Abbot: "No; you are less than a servant for you do nothing for your keep"(14).She must stay in the red room after she retaliates to the attack John Reed makes upon her, her obnoxious cousin. John tells Jane "mamma says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not live here with gentlemen's children like us and eat the same meals that we do, and wear clothes at our mama's expense"(12). She receives no love or approval from her family. The only form of love that she does have is the doll she clings to at night when she sleeps. Mrs. Reed is a conventional woman who believes that her class standing sets her to be superior, and therefore better than a member of her own family. As a result of Jane's tantrums, quick temper, and lack of self- control, society classifies her as an immoral person. She speaks up for her herself when she knows she is not supposed to, and her family believes that she acts more like a "rebel" than a young woman. Her spontaneous and violent actions go against conventionality and she must suffer for being so free-spirited. Miss Abbot believes: "God will punish her: He might strike her in the midst of her tantrums"; (15). Jane's tantrums are not customary or acceptable, so during those precise moments of her tantrums, she is especially susceptible to God's punishment. Miss Abbot constantly reminds Jane that she is wicked, she needs to repent, and she is especially dependent on prayer. The Reed children, in contrast, are treated completely opposite. Although John Reed is cruel and vicious to Jane, he receives no type of warning that God will punish him. The novel proceeds to Lowood, a school designed to educate and care for orphaned children. Mrs. Reed decides to send Jane there after the doctor, Mr. Lloyd, advises her that Jane should attend school. Mrs. Reed is glad to be rid of Jane and asks Jane not to wake the family the day of her departure. Jane arrives at Lowood and observes the behavior of the students. They are "all with plain locks combed from their faces, not a curl visible; in brown dresses, made high, and surrounded by a narrow tucker about the throat"(49). The day is long and all students must wake up at dawn and read the Bible for hours at a time. One day, Miss Temple serves the children cheese in order to compensate for their burnt porridge. Mr. Brocklehurst, the self-righteous leader of Lowood, tells Miss Temple: "You are aware that my plan in bringing up these girls, is not to accustom them to luxury and indulgence, but to render them, hardy, patient, and self-denying"(65). Mr. Brocklehurst stresses the importance of plain clothing and humility. The acts performed by Mr. Brocklehurst are even more hypocritical when one compares them to the acts of Helen Burns. She serves as a role model to Jane and states: "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despite fullly use you"(60). Bronte uses Helen's beliefs as a contrast to the conventional and self-righteous actions of Mr. Brocklehurst. Life continues at Lowood and the children trudge to Brocklebridge Church daily in the freezing cold without proper clothing. The long walks coupled with the lack of food at Lowood lead to an outbreak of typhus. During this outbreak, Helen dies and she states "I count the hours till that eventful one arrives which shall restore me to him, reveal him to me"(114). Here, Bronte emphasizes the point that Helen dies happy and clings to her religious beliefs. The outbreak of typhus leads authorities to examine the school. They discover the awful conditions the students of Lowood live in. "And the discovery produced a result mortifying to Mr. Brocklehurst, but beneficial to the institution"(116). Mr. Brocklehurst is punished for his actions. He no longer may run the institution on his own. He is a self-righteous man who confused the ideals of Religion with suffering. Jane blossoms at Lowood and acquires many new skills. Mr. Brocklehurst was not able to fulfill his desires to change his students at Lowood into servants and sufferers because others gained authority over him. Bronte's views that "self-righteousness is not religion" are supported through the actions of Mr. Brocklehurst. The novel then proceeds to Thornfield, where Jane meets Mr. Rochester. She falls in love with him after some time, but she leaves him when she finds out that he would commit an act of bigamy if he marries her. Jane ends up with the Rivers family. Jane meets a very enthusiastic religious man, St. John, who devotes his life to performing religious acts. Jane states, "He was comparatively seldom at home: a large proportion of his time appeared devoted to visiting the sick and poor among the scattered population of his parish"(353). As a clergyman, St. John Rivers performs all of the duties that society expects of him, he visits the poor, he takes care of the sick, and he plans to take mission trips. If St. John believes that the society will perceive a mission trip to India as a beneficial thing, then he will go to India. All of his actions are planned and traditional and as a result, St. John takes no personal satisfaction in the work that he does. As Jane learns about St. John, she realizes that he is similar to Mr. Brocklehurst, she seems to get a hint of distrust in him. St. John Rivers is also a hypocrite. He preaches the news of God, as a missionary, but he simultaneously commits a very sacrilegious act. He tries to force Jane to marry him when he states: "and do not forget if you reject it, (the proposal) it is not me you deny, but God"(411). St. John focuses his life on the acts of Religion and is not a happy person and is not easily able to lead a satisfactory life. Like Mr. Brocklehurst, he confuses the idea of conventionality with morality. The novel ends when Jane marries Mr. Rochester, who establishes a firmer grasp on religion. He has overcome many handicaps throughout the novel. He once believed that he had to lavish individuals with gifts in order to show his love for them. When the novel ends, Rochester has changed his value system and no longer places an extreme emphasis on physical things, he confesses his sins to God. He does not confuse morality with conventionality as St. John and Mr. Brocklehurst have. He knows that in order to maintain a relationship with God, he does not have to travel to church in the freezing cold. Bronte uses Mr.Rochester as a contrast to Mrs. Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and St. John Rivers. Mr. Rochester changes his conventional ways, and then is able to live a more moral and happy life. The characters Mrs. Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and St. John lead their lives in conventional and self-righteous ways and Bronte portrays them to be corrupt. This idea supports the main theme in JaneEyre, "Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion". f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\research board 1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ What happens in an earthquake when building foundations are forced to move? Buildings will topple over when their foundations don't remain stable. • 3 Buildings of different height (represented by stacked slinkys) • Building foundations (represented by sandpaper) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\research board 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. Buildings are placed on foundation. 2. Quakes of varied magnitudes are simulated 3. Results are photographed and recorded f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Research Notes Interview Log .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kildara Farms - Friday Sept 7th Dave Friend (414-0308) / cell (704-6602) / Brian (655-3093) / Alastair Craighead I really enjoyed being on the farm, feeling balanced would like to spend more time on the land ... maybe there is a way ... volunteer Brian is willing to come "on board" available Wednesday afternoons. Advisory group feels that the baseline should include information from farmers & farm organizations about - the bottom line $$ future outlook / labour potential: > number of farms in CRD ( organic & non) > type of Farms > acreage > crop types > winter-summer > how many people those farms currently employ > cost of employment > general estimated cost analysis = capital investment / cost of production (inputs, energy & labour) / revenue generated > who is willing to grow more? Retailers: > $ volume of organic and local > changes over the last few years > / do you feel there a market and why? > willingness to support and promote local > barriers / what stands in the way of buying local > what is their experience with local producers in regard to supply and reliability? > what would it take for them to buy local? > Do you see long term potential for lacal food? > What do you think are the main reasons for people going local? Farm gaps: > appropriate technology - equipment to scale that would make work more efficient > skilled labour pool / specialized to the diversity of organics > sharing equipment and labour General market shifts toward buying local & organic: > Consumer willing to pay > Retailer willing to promote local > Health / food safety > Sustainability - 1.00 worth of food grown in the community translates (multiplier/spin offs) into a value of 10.00 / warehouse, grower, retailer, delivery > Food is first line of health > Every 1 cal of food energy travels 1500 miles on average / takes 8 cal of energy to ... 1 cal Farmer concerns: > Organization/infrastructure = mono-cropping To do: > Get transcripts for CFAX and Simply organics interviews of taped copies / Focus on Women llff interview (Kathleen) > Get Shanti's contact info from Brian - Pender Island Salsa (ask about growth) > Write a letter to Brian asking about access to certification info > Write up a blurb to put in IOPA, SIOPA, ING, Farmfolk - Cityfolk > Dave needs to get Farmfolk Cityfolk on board > Ask about Life Cycles September 10, 2001 Spent 2 hours with Dave this evening in fruitful discussion, which I taped. We mostly discussed what is current in education and training. We also discussed joint research meetings with retailers, especially those with whom Dave has good contact. Next time we meet (Monday evening) we will be putting together sector specific questionnaires for retailers and educators etc. We discussed BC Ag- Awareness & Ag in the Classroom with Lindsee Babineau 604-556-3088, Harry Burton (I think he has a listservice), Mary Alice & Camosun, David Stott and Capital Families 478-1122, I will be attending the Small agricultural forum in Kamloops / contact Shirley O Culver - 1-800-877-2950 sculver@cfdc.bc.ca (Kamloops Ag-forum) www.cfdc.bc.ca study small scale ag, Agricultural Census Statistics can be accessed for demographic info September 13, 2001 Today was a really productive day on the farm! Am = meeting with Keith Elwood at CEDCO regarding research methodology. Keith really helped me to gain a clearer perspective on the project and its deliverables. He is going to sum up our conversation in an e-mail. We discussed that a comprehensive statistical baseline is not the practical and user friendly approach that is intended. Rather there will be a six-page max sector overview in which we will set up a market demand sector activity type of thing. I likely have enough information at this point to write that piece right now! I will be focusing on the deliverable questions including finding out how many people are currently employed in the sector and where the sector wants to go and what it will take them to get there. What are the skill requirements? What do farmers need? What do people wanting to get into the sector need? I went to visit Michelle Nicholson at Open Learning this morning as well. Open learning is housed under the Min of Education / Min of Advanced Education Umbrella. However, for a short while (about three months) they were moved under the MAFF. During this time there was a forum hosted by MAFF that was attended by various developers and organizations from BC Communities. The forum was intended to determine if there was a need for education, skills and training in the agricultural sector. The answer was yes and as a result MAFF set about to loosely inventory the community needs in the sector. In the end they came up with 13 areas where skills development was deemed necessary. The Open Learning Agency helped MAFF to pare this down to six areas of focus and they (OLA) put in proposals to do the work, which were accepted. The areas are: 1. Small Scale Food Processing 2. Agriculture 11 / replacement school kits 3. Integrated Pest Management 4. Landscape Inspection 5. Agricultural Human Resource Management 6. Pesticide Sprayer Tune Ups The programs that are currently being developed are very multimedia web based with built in online mentor capability, video case studies and hands on, as well as classroom time. They are targeted for Science 10, Social 11, and CAP 11/12. The kits are only about five lessons each and are a supplement rather then an entire course. They will be piloted in two schools in the winter. The small Scale program will be targeted to Community Collages and a pilot will be getting underway in January. Scott Crawford Island Farmers Alliance is considering sponsoring a film on marketing the product things such as setting up displays that are attractive and labeling etc... The MAFF Contact that will likely prove to be very important is John Schildoth, Director of Trade Competition Branch 808 Douglas - 387-7183 johnschildroth@gems9.gov.bc.ca, I want to talk with him because he may be able to give me permission to use the needs assessments that MAFF put together. The other contact - Darlene Monkman at the Min Education, there is an agricultural conference in April of 2002 in Victoria, BC Ag-Awarness is putting together Digital Media films regarding the 1. the Economics of Agriculture and 2. the Environmental Aspects of Agriculture. What struck me about the class work was that the kids would be actually learning how to splice genes and the fundamental of genetic modification. However, one of the courses looks at the ethics of GM and other environmental impacts as well as the pros and cons of organic farming. This said, it needs to be clear that in my opinion the curriculum development is very mainstream and may not fit well (make sense) in many aspects with the small niche ag / organic ag sector. This is were a gap may and indeed does exist. Education and training that considers the specialized focus of non-gmo, pesticide free, appropriate technology of niche farming. Farming with a health and social justice aspect to consider. Katleen Gibson from Farmfolk Cityfolk returned my call today and is very interested in the study and being part of the advisory group. Michelle from Open learning has agreed to be on the Advisory Group but will not be able to attend meetings until December. Chef Robert Maheu called me today about the taste of gold where I am volunteering for the Island Chef's Association. He is going to connect me with the Restaurant Association Executive Director ... I am going to meet with her and ask her to be on the advisory group. This is the group: I will be working at the Feast of fields on Sunday. Coast Capital - Rising Tide IOPA - Kildara Farm Open Learning Farmfolk Cityfolk Thrifty Foods Victoria Restaurant Association A thought ... I should include CEDTAP and other development Finance and infrastructure on my contact list. We need to determine what role if any they would have in this research. Also I got my hands on some very interesting reports in the sector today. I have updated my files and report binders. One binder will be for clippings and reports, one for logistical stuff, correspondence records, research log etc, and a file for magazines and journals. I am going to hire someone to do the more tedious work of plugging in data base info and the annotated bibliography etc... Sandra Mark has someone in mind for this. September 14, 2001 Here is my idea for the day. What about developing some cross-sectoral focus groups? We could hold 4 groups two in the Greater Victoria area, Sooke and Salt Spring. Retailers, Educators, Farmers, Urban Farmers, Restaurants, Food Policy Groups, Organic Associations, BC Small Scale Food Processors, MAFF - round table of stakeholders. Using the Sandra Mark style of sticky participation. Methodology: 1. individual interviews 2. focus groups 3. Survey data preparation materials for each tool. I want to personally interview all the retailers, and educators as well as including them in the focus groups. Plus I can write some case studies to take an in-depth look. I already have a great deal of back up material for sector overview. I want to get an idea of how many people are employed in the sector and what the future potential is for expansion in the labour market. September 17, 2001 Tonight Dave and I met once again (about two hours), to plan for the collection of primary research data. We decided to target a select number of retailers, restaurants, foodbox programs and producers with guided questions and planned meetings. The intention is to get a good solid base of where the sector is, where it envisions itself in ten years, and what it will take to get there. The data collected will go towards the baseline study and will be a starting point for the focus groups. The following are the hopeful participants inpart one of the study: Retailers > Thrifty Foods - Alex Campbell > Capers Community Market - Nancy Barbour > Life Style Market - Ryan / Carmine > Market on Yates - Ernie Skinner > Growing Circle Food Co-op / Salt Spring Island Food Box Programs > Fresh Picks - Brent & Gerami Hammond > Share Organics - Susan Tychie > Kildara - Brian Hughes Restaurants > Sooke Harbor House - Sinclair Philip > Malaht Mountain Inn - Lyn Noseworthy > Zambris - Peter Zambri > Brio Producers > John Allard > Brian Hughes > Ron Pither > Metchosin / Japanese farmer / Mary Alice Johnson > Salt Spring / Dan Jason / Lisa Lloyd / Organizations > Life Cycles - Linda Geggie > Farmfolk Cityfolk - Mara Jernigan > Capital families - David Stott September 18, 2001 Meeting with Kathleen Gibson September 21, 2001 Contacted COABC / Rochelle Eisen / regarding their research under "Learning Technologies in the Workplace" an HRDC project for which they are hoping to acquire funding for phase two. Rochelle has undertaken a learning needs and labour assessment survey of the certified organic members in BC. It is very important that we Lifecycles Entrepreneurship Program Located at: 527 Michigan Street, Victoria, B.C. What is it? The Entrepreneurship Program provides the tools and support for eight youth to develop business plans and start up businesses in the Agri-food sector. The businesses include: market gardening (organic); vermiculture/worm composting; organic seeds; organic sourdough bread; and an edible landscape business. How the program works The program has been designed to combine general business skills with individualized business development support. It includes: 2 week Enterprise Development Orientation; ongoing support from mentors experience in the participant's field of interest; 40 hours hands on work with mentors; weekly one on one meetings with the Project Coordinator for personal support, business counselling and guidance; weekly group meetings for peer support; continued business planning/management workshops; guest speakers; ongoing follow-up from Lifecycles. Contact: Tim Ewanchuk 383-5800 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Research Paper Outline.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Research Paper Outline Death Row-Aurguementative Paper Background Info Cite specific sources State your intent-why you feel the way you do (against the death penalty) Argue the opposing (the reasons why there is a death penalty) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\research paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Missy Buser Trish Dougherty English 103 12 December 2001 Recognizing, Treating, and Curing Hypochondria Hypochondria is an actual disease. There are many different definitions for the diagnosis and each are similar in whole. The subject; however, can be approached in many different ways. Psychiatrist Berney Goodman, writes, "Hypochondria is an emotional disorder involving unremitting fears of illness and somatization symptoms that last for more than six months and cause significant disability" (34). Hypochondria is much more psychological and people who suffer from don't realize the disease is, as many may inaccurately describe it, "all in their heads." Hypochondria is a medically recognized disease that people of all ages need to be aware of in order to avoid it, treat it, and eventually cure it. Many people do not categorize hypochondria as an illness or a disease and have a derogatory attitude toward it. Most people have been irritated by someone who they know is faking sick. It is not easy to feel for hypochondriacs when some people just categorize them as "liars" or "fakers." Carla Cantor, author of Phantom Illness, gives an example of such a belief, "Hypochondriacs are thought to be the self-centered complainers who believe they are ill when they are not and who reject all help that doctors try to provide" (ix). Most physicians have come to the realization that hypochondria is a disease, but maybe not for their kind of practice. Hypochondriacs show many obvious symptoms. They usually are always frightened of major diseases such as AIDS, cancer, or multiple sclerosis and use typical body sensations as major symptoms of a fatal disease. They will go to their parents or doctors complaining that their legs feel numb and that they believe they are getting multiple sclerosis. These are only typical body sensations that average people daily. In an article in Health titled "How To Cure a Hypochondriac," Deborah Franklin states, "Hypochondriacs don't necessarily feel worse than the rest of us; instead, they have a misguided conception of what it means to be healthy. In short, hypochondriacs believe that good health is completely symptom free, and anybody with vaguely uncomfortable sensations is, by definition, sick" (26). This is why many doctors have such a derogatory attitude towards these patients. Carla Cantor states, "Doctors find it frustrating to provide the repeated reassurance these patients crave, and many do not consider them to be truly troubled or medically ill" (ix). Such patients will arrive at their doctor's office complaining of a headache and they have already come to the conclusion that it is a brain tumor. Despite the reassuring advice the physician may give, the patient will not be convinced, and will continue to visit an entire line of doctors until he/she is. Melissa Woycechowsky, a recovered hypochondriac, commented on her realizations of her illness, "There's really nothing one can say to appease someone who is irrational and convinced that they have a serious disease" (Campbell 193). Hypochondria has many similarities, and may be derived from, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The diseases have similar roots and have similar symptoms. Vladan Starcevic, who wrote an article in the American Journal of Psychotherapy about the relationship between hypochondria and OCD states, "Hypochondriasis would be conceived of as a more pervasive and more incapacitating form of the same or closely related underlying psychopathology" (348). This is not necessarily saying that one disease is worse than the other; they are very closely related. Melissa Woycechowsky gives a personal memory, "hypochondria has some similarities to OCD, so one thing I did was constantly check myself for lumps. And if you start feeling for lumps in any part of your body, sooner or later, you are going to find them" (Campbell 192). Hypochondria's symptoms and the symptoms of OCD patients are very similar; however, they are not the only similarity. If there is a medicine that treats OCD, and hypochondria is so similar, the conclusion can be made that there's a way to treat hypochondria as well. Authors Dean McKay and Fugen Neziroglu prove this: "techniques aimed at reducing OCD problems may be used in treating hypochondria" (4). This is more proof that hypochondria is an actual disease that anyone could be diagnosed with. There are a variety of characteristics that hypochondriacs can have. Excessive doctor visits is an obvious one. Something that many people don't know about hypochondriacs is that they don't just make these illnesses up or overhear people talking about them. That can be the case, but hypochondriacs so their research. Many have been known to sit up nights researching any disease that fits their "symptoms." They'll eventually set their mind on just one, probably the most fatal, decide they have it, and become hysterical and paranoid. Benedict Carey, author of the article "The Mind of a Hypochondriac" in Health, states, "the purebred hypochondriac is more often an intelligent, sensitive, and highly suggestible person who's simply confounded by the modern-day barrage of complex, often conflicting health information" (85). Hypochondriacs seek reassurance, whether they're going to be reassured or not, from more than just physicians. Many people will go to their family members and friends to seek reassurance. This could tie into the fact that many people fake sick to get attention from their loved ones, however, faking sick and hypochondria are not the same thing. Hypochondriacs are hypersensitive to bodily complaints. They will create the smallest sensation and project it to people that it is the most severe pain they've ever felt. They also can create many sensations just by emotionally working themselves up about it. If they convince themselves they're having severe stomach pains and stress their emotions and bodies about it, chances are they will start to feel a little queasy. Melissa Woycechowsky, a recovered hypochondriac tells about an experience: I became convinced that I was HIV positive, even though I wasn't. I knew I hadn't put myself at risk because I always used condoms and had never taken IV drugs. But I started to believe that there were other ways HIV could be transmitted. [...] I also called three different hotlines and took free HIV tests at a clinic five times. The tests, of course, always came back negative. (Campbell 190) As someone who has treated and cured her disease, the silliness of it is almost too obvious to her. The trick is getting hypochondriacs psychologically treated so they can realize just how nonexistent their diseases and symptoms really are. There are many interesting facts about hypochondria that very few people know. This disease, as mentioned before is mostly psychological. Therefore, even if there is a medication that treats the disease, it must be accompanied by therapy for the disease to be cured. That is why trips to the doctor don't do hypochondriacs all that much good, if any. Benedict Carey in an article in Health magazine, writes, "While a visit to the doctor reassures the merely anxious and even the temporarily obsessed, for the hypochondriac it provides only the short-lived comfort that a cocktail brings to an alcoholic" (85). Hypochondriacs rarely believe their physicians when they tell them that there's nothing wrong with them: "When they hear there's nothing wrong or that a test is negative, they ask, 'Are you sure Doc? Are you sure?'" (Carey 85). This is a familiar topic. One fact that may not be so familiar is that hypochondria begins in young adulthood. Faking sick begins at a much younger age, but full-blown hypochondria takes a little more life experience. Since the disease is so much more psychological, the symptoms that show fear of disease come after childhood. Another interesting fact about hypochondria is that it can be a direct result of stress. During exam weeks or the night before a big test, most students can have incredibly high stress levels and can cause themselves to become ill. Some may get headaches and/or stomach aches. Many of times these symptoms can come from lack of sleep, but the combination of that and stress can definitely cause students to worry themselves sick, literally. Knowing that, it is no surprise that stress can trigger hypochondria. Many diseases can be more common among one sex over the other. In this case hypochondria is equal among both males and females. Many hypochondriacs reported having traumatic experiences in their childhood, or had overprotective parents. Traumatic experiences for children, such as abuse, cause them to think that there's always something wrong with them. In an article in the American Journal of Psychiatry, written by a group of doctors and therapists, states, Hypochondriacal adults recall more childhood trauma than do nonhypochondriacal patients, even after sociodemographic differences are controlled for. They also recall more childhood illness, although they are not currently more medically sick" (Barsky 397). Children are usually not diagnosed as hypochondriacs at that stage in their lives; however, symptoms may start to show. One sign that the child may become a hypochondriac at a later age is when they fake sick as young children relatively often. Normal children tell a fib to stay home once in a while, but there are the few that are more often "sick" then at school, these may be the future hypochondriacs, or simply the future slackers of the world. Most often the symptoms become worse as the child gets older. In the article in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the authors state, "Significantly more hypochondriacal patients reported being sick as children and missing school for health reasons [...]" (Barsky 397). The other end of this is when the paranoia does not come from the children, but from the parents. Overprotective parents can cause children to have many more worries than a normal child should ever have by babying them or sheltering them too much from the world. Parents keeping their children out of the sun for fear of sunburn, or out of playing in the snow for fear of frostbite are not doing their children any favors. By keeping children from doing things normal children do, parents are sending them a message of constant worry. In the Harvard mental Health Letter, Aurthur J. Barsky states, "Some students of hypochondriacal attitudes and symptoms believe these conditions develop when parents are overprotective and over responsive to a child's physical complaints" (7). Children of such parents will most likely be overprotective parents as well, continuing the cycle. It is imperative for people of all ages to be aware of the causes and symptoms of hypochondria. It is important for young people to recognize the symptoms of the disease so they can keep their compulsions and stress under control. It is important for parents to recognize the symptoms for two reasons: they must be cautious and recognize if their child is faking sick often, and they must watch themselves to insure that they are not sheltering or worrying there children too much. Teachers must be aware of the symptoms to determine which students are actually ill, which are the "fakers" or "slackers," and which could be diagnosed hypochondriacs. More and more people are developing this disease as years go by. Benedict Carey writes, "[...] the incidence of psychosomatic illness-real if harmless symptoms wrought by an overactive imagination-is apparently at an all time high" (82). It is just as important for doctors to recognize hypochondria as an actual disease so that they know to recommend such patients to a psychiatrist instead of sending them to another doctor, in which case they'll just keep going from physician to physician, not solving anything. Most doctors can recognize a hypochondriac in their first discussion with the patient. Carey states, "[...] a third of doctors think that more than half the patients they see arrive with psychosomatic symptoms; physically, they're just fine" (82). Most people are not aware of the differences between fakers and hypochondriacs; they are very hard to distinguish. Recently, doctors have become more aware and have taken the proper actions by recommending the patients to a therapist, and have taken the proper attitudes by treating them as diagnosed patients of an actual illness-it just won't be the one they came in for. Hypochondria is a diagnosable disease. Hypochondria is when people misinterpret normal body sensations for symptoms of deadly diseases. They get it into their minds that they have aids, tumors, multiple sclerosis, and many other diseases they do research on. Hypochondriacs don't just fake sick; they actually believe they have severe illnesses. The fact of the matter, and what hypochondriacs need to learn, is: "that perfectly healthy people get aches and pains all the time" (Franklin 26). Hypochondriacs don't need physicians, they can be treated with medicine, but it must be accompanied by therapy. The derogatory attitude many people have about the disease has come from years of impatience, frustration, and annoyance. Parents, teachers, doctors, and just average people hate dealing with and being around people who always believe they are sick. More recently, as people have begun to learn more about the disease, they have leaned towards the other extreme. Deborah Franklin, in an article in Health magazine writes, "Pity the hypochondriacs of the world. They're rejected by doctors who fail to find anything medically amiss, and patronized by psychiatrists, who tell them their ailments are all in their head" (26). There is a happy medium. Hypochondria is a difficult disease to deal with because the people who have it think they need physical help, when they actually need mental help even more. It's hard to convince a hypochondriac that their real disease isn't cancer or aids but that it's hypochondria. The bottom-line; however, is that: "Hypochondriacs-those self-centered complainers who pester physicians with imaginary ailments-really are ill, researchers report" (Curing Hypochondria 37). This disease cannot be ignored, or it will spread, just as any contagious disease would. People need to recognize hypochondria for what it is, a diagnosable disease that needs to be cured, and only people's awareness and understanding can do that. Work Cited Barsky, Aurthur J., Carol Wood. "Hypochondriasis and Childhood Trauma." Harvard Mental Health Letter (January 1995): 7. Barsky, Aurthur J., M.D., Carol Wood, M.D., Maria C. Barnette, B.A., and Paul D. Cleary, Ph.D. "Histories of Childhood Trauma in Adult Hypochondrial Patients." American Journal of Psychiatry 151:3 (March 1994): 397-401. Campbell, Sarah, Mary Ann Marshal. "I Convinced Myself I Was Dying." Cosmopolitan (October 2001): 190-192. Cantor, Carla, Brian A. Fallon, M.D. Phantom Illness. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996. Carey, Benedict. "The Mind of a Hypochondriac: Did you ever suspect your headache was really a brain tumor?" Health (October 1996): 82-86. "Curing Hypochondria." Futurist (January/February 1997): 37. Franklin, Deborah, Laura Fraser. "How To Cure Hypochondria." Health (October 1993): 26-28. Goodman, M.D., Berney. When the Body Speaks its Mind. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1994. McKay, Dean, Fugen Neziroglu. "Illness Fixation Responds to Modified OCD Treatment." Psychology Letter (April 1995): 1-3. Starcevic, Vladan. "Relationship Between Hpochondriasis and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: Close Relatives Separated by Nosological Schemes?" American Journal of Psychotherapy (July 1990): 340-348. 1 Buser f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\researchpapersampletitlepage1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MGT 111/Industry Research Project S-03 Title Page Layout Sample The title page should be set up with the following layout and formatting: Auto Industry - 1* Bumpy Road Ahead: An examination of the American Auto Industry + Team 6B MGT 111 April 9, 2003 Submitted by: Andy Anderson, Becky Bernstein, Chad Carpenter, Darcy Davis *The short title and page number should appear on each page, including the title page, in the upper right corner. + The full title should appear again, centered, at the top of the second page. Headings and subheadings throughout should be centered and boldfaced. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\researchprojects03instructions1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MGT 111/Prof. Schloemer MGT 111, INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESSS Instructions for INDUSTRY/COMPANY RESEARCH PROJECT S-03 1. What is the major goal of this project? The goal of this project is to learn about an industry of your choosing and the companies that represent that industry. Working as a team, you will research and report on the history, structure, management and marketing practices of an industry chosen from suggested lists provided to you in the space below. You will examine the business environment in which your industry operates and report on the economic, social, and political trends that affect your target industry. If your team decides to research an industry not on any of the suggested lists, check with your instructor. 2. What else may be gotten out of this project? Other objectives of this exercise have direct application to the business world and are as follows: * To broaden your knowledge of business by connecting what you read in a textbook to real-world industries and companies you're familiar with. * To learn/improve your basic library research skills, and to become familiar with the business literature. * To hone your writing skills, especially the ability to condense information effectively. * To build team skills: subordinating personal desires to maximize team effort. * Improve your organizational and time management skills. 3. What are the end products of this project, and when are they due? * There are two end products to this project: * (a) a 20-25- page written report on your industry, and * (b) a 15-minute oral report/PowerPoint presentation to the class on your team's findings. * Progress reports are due during week 8 and 12, and are highlighted in your syllabus/course calendar. The final written report is due at classtime on Wednesday. April 9. * Oral reports will begin on Friday, April 11. Two teams will present about every other class day after that, until all eight teams have presented. The presentation order is based on your randomly-assigned team number. 4. How are the teams formed? * Approximately five students will be assigned to a team, balanced for age, experience, and gender as well as possible. * Your instructor will provide additional guidance on how to build an effective team, especially on things like getting started with a diverse group of individuals, how to distribute roles and responsibilities within the group; setting agreed-upon goals and norms, etc. 5. What industry should you choose? Which companies? * There are literally dozens of industries to choose from, such as the apparel industry (teen clothing, athletic shoes, etc.); entertainment industry (movies, radio, television); manufacturing industry (planes, boats, automobiles); restaurant industry (pizza, fast food); healthcare industry (HMO's, hospital, home care); etc., etc. * There are also a variety of other sources/web sites that provide an alphabetical list of various industries from which to choose. A recommended source is Hoover's Online at http://www.hoovers.com/industry/list * In any case, a starting point should be to find out what interests you. If you enjoy movies and/or TV, for example, you might want to investigate the Entertainment/Motion Picture industry or the Entertainment/Television broadcasting industry. If you like cars, you might want to look at the Manufacturing/automobile industry. Like to eat? Look into the Restaurant industry. You get the idea. In almost every case, you will want to narrow it down, for example, Restaurant - Fast Food - Pizza industry. * Still another approach is to consider those industries that play such a vital role in our lives, or that are currently in the news, such as the pharmaceutical, tobacco, or financial services industry. * Be careful not to pick too narrow an industry, that is, one that might sound interesting but which is difficult to research. Best to pick one that is regularly written about in major publications like Business Week or the Wall Street Journal. Check with your instructor first! * Once you select an industry, it will not be long before you have also identified the biggest or most influential companies that are associated with that industry. While the focus of your research information should be on the entire industry, looking at individual companies is a good way to compare and contrast the various aspects of business we study, such as the industry's overall economic impact, competitive structure, and marketing practices. 6. Analyzing an industry: how should you focus your research? Before you begin your research into the individual areas described below, you should first read the appropriate portion of the Nickels text to gain the necessary academic background to the subject matter. Applicable text references are included with each section. Note: The structure of this project is patterned after one developed by Syracuse University in their SOM 122 Team Project, and used with permission. * Part I, Industry History. Here is where you will introduce your reader to the industry you have chosen, and describe briefly what impact this industry has on our lives. By describing its history, you will identify those issues that have been strategically important to it. You need not cover every historical detail. Some industries are very old, e.g., automobile manufacturing; while others have a relatively short history, e.g., computer game industry. However, you should at least address the following: * How was the industry created? * What was occurring at the time? * How has this industry changed over time? * What challenges and issues has the industry faced over the years? * How has the industry responded to these challenges? * Text reference: N/A * Part II, Basic description and competitive structure of your industry. Here is where you describe in general terms the industry as it exists today. (See Nickels text, Chapters 3 and 5.) * Is it highly competitive, with many companies vying for market share, e.g., fast food industry? Is it dominated by a handful of similar firms, such as the PC industry? Or is dominated by a small number of key corporations, such as the tobacco industry? * How has globalization affected this industry? What are some of the challenges faced and opportunities presented to this industry by overseas operations, if applicable? * Remember to not confine your description of an entire industry by just listing the top two or three companies in it. You should also mention some of the lesser known companies as well. * Part III, Economic impact of your target industry. Assess the overall economic impact of this industry. What impact does it have on our Gross Domestic Product, or GDP? (Nickel, Chapter 2) How much, in US dollars, does this industry take in each year? What other industries are impacted by the fortunes (or misfortunes) of your subject industry? More importantly, what are the trends? Are the companies within this industry becoming more or less profitable? All of them or just a dominant few? By examining annual reports put out by the various corporations, as well as articles by numerous independent business and financial sources, you can get a general idea of revenue, debt, cash position, and profitability. (Nickels, Chapters 18-20) * Part IV, Analyze the forces that influence the strategies and profit potential of your industry (Nickels, Chapter 1). Focus on the trends in the following areas: * Technological change. How is changing technology affecting how companies within this industry do business? What has been the impact of these changes? * Resource availability, both natural/material as well as human. What are the critical resources? How available are they. What role does organized labor (labor unions) play in affecting the strategies and profit potential of this industry? * Socio-economic trends. What has been the impact of changes in demographics, i.e., population shifts, aging of society, diversity, etc.? What about changes in our lifestyles? How has your target industry been affected (good or bad) by societal trends such as the rise of single-parent families, the growing economic strength of minority groups, the anti-smoking (and now anti-fast food) mood of society, the widening of the income gap between rich and poor, etc. * The legal environment. To what extent is your industry affected by changing local, state, and/or federal legislation? Toward greater or lesser government regulation? To what extent is this industry affected by expiring patents (ex: pharmaceutical industry); pirating or copyright infringement (ex: entertainment industry); product liability litigation (ex: tobacco industry and others)? * Part V, Analyze marketing trends and practices within your industry. How would you describe the major customer groups, i.e., what would a demographic or psychographic profile of the target market (s) look like? How are consumer tastes changing? What has been the economic impact of these changing consumer buying trends? (Nickels, Ch 13) * By viewing your industry as a whole, and comparing and contrasting the leading major companies within this industry, you will discover fascinating differences and similarities in their approach to the so-called 4-P marketing mix of product, price, placement, and promotion: * Products. How are products typically developed within this industry? What are their tangible and intangible aspects? Do they require a long lead time of research, development, and market testing, such as pharmaceuticals or some emerging technology; or are the products more traditional and unchanging, such as the beer industry? How important is branding and packaging? (Nickels, Ch 14) * Pricing. What kind of pricing strategies are employed within this industry? How do different companies use pricing strategies to reach different target markets of consumers? (Nickels, Ch 14) * Placement or Distribution: How are products typically distributed? What are the roles of different intermediaries (middlemen) in the supply chain of this industry? (Why, for example, can you buy a PC direct from the manufacturer, but not an automobile?). What impact have changes in product distribution had on productivity and profitability in this industry? (Nickels, Ch 15) * Promotion. In what ways does this industry promote its products or services? Does it rely on an even mix of advertising, personal selling, sales promotions, and publicity to sell its products, or does it emphasize certain ones over others? (Nickels, Ch 16) * Part VI, Industry future and recommendations. Here, in the final section of your paper, is where you may begin to write in the first person. You can step away from the professionally detached, third person style of reporting in Sections I through V and bring in your own opinions, biases, and conclusions. Based on what your team has learned, your paper should address the following: * What are the biggest opportunities for financial success, and how can the industry best capitalize on them? * What are the biggest threats, and how can the industry avoid or minimize them? * What recommendations would you gave for anyone contemplating investing large sums of money in this industry, or in the companies you highlighted? Which company or companies would you invest in? Which ones would you avoid? Why? 7. What are the mechanical requirements for the written paper? What should your completed paper look like? * Length: The main body or your paper should be between 20 and 25 pages. This does not include such things like the cover sheet, table of contents (TOC), executive summary, works cited page, or an appendix, if you have one). * Division of your paper: * Title page - see attached example. * Table of Contents (TOC): Major sections and their page number should be listed. * Executive summary: First page of report after your TOC. The executive summary should be approximately 10% of the length of the main body of paper. If your paper is 25 pages long, your executive summary should be about 2 - 21/2 pages. * Body of paper : Consists of an introduction and overview, the main body with its various sections, including any in-text charts and graphs, and your conclusion/recommendations. You should boldface your various sections and sub-sections to make your paper more readable. * Works-cited page. See below on how to properly cite your references. * Appendix. An appendix is not required, but may be used if you have supplementary information you feel would enhance your research by not taking up space in the main body of your paper. Examples might be large charts, graphs, diagrams, photos, etc. * Preferred word processor: Microsoft Word * Typeface: Arial or Times Roman 12. 8. What is the purpose of the oral presentation? The oral presentation will accomplish two goals: It will give you the opportunity to share what you have learned with your classmates, and it will give you the opportunity to demonstrate your oral communicative skills. On the day of presentation, your team should be prepared to cover the following topics : * What is your industry, and why is it interesting? * Describe to your classmates three or four major findings of your research that you found to be of particular interest or importance. * Conclude with a statement about the future of your industry in terms of its profitability and/or investment opportunities. 9. What are the requirements for the oral presentation of your research? When the teams are formed, each team will have a number corresponding to your MGT 111 section, i.e., 1A, 3C, 7D, etc. This number will not only help identify your team when emailing back and forth, but will also be the speaking order for the oral presentations. Team presentations will begin on November 15, the same day the written project is due. Two teams per class per class day will present. Rules on the presentation follow. * Plan your presentation using PowerPoint. Put your briefing on a disk and bring the disk with you on the day you will present. If possible, times will be made available to reserve the classroom for practice before November 15. * Briefing should last no more than 15 minutes, leaving 5 minutes for Q&A. * All members of the team must have a speaking role, although times per speaker can be determined by the team. Dress professionally, as if you were going to a job interview. 10. Quality and source of your research information. The primary source of information for this paper should be mainstream business periodicals and newspapers, such as Business Week, Inc.. Forbes, Fast Company, Fortune, Money, The Wall Street Journal, Barrons's, New York Times (or other major newspaper) business or financial section, Entrepreneur Magazine, etc. At least 75% of your sources must be from these or similar business publications, most of which are available at King Library and/or on line. * When using King Library (www.lib.muohio.edu) go to the ABI Inform database (#1 on the list of data bases under the business section), where you will find over 1300 journal titles, most with a business slant. * Note: The Nickels text should be consulted first, insofar as it provides good background for your subject area. The text, then, may be used as one of your sources as well. * Unacceptable or discouraged sources: Encyclopedias and author-less Internet sources, other than primary sources that are on line. Business books may be used, but I discourage them - simply not enough time for this paper, which is due in several weeks. Personal interviews are acceptable and encouraged, if the person being interviewed can be considered an "expert." If in doubt about any of your sources, check with the instructor. Bottom line: if your information source doesn't have a name, do not use it! * Number of sources: No maximum limit, that is, if you use a source, list it. It is considered a form of plagiarism to list sources that are not actually used. As for a minimum number of sources, use a minimum of fifteen (15) different outside sources in a mix of periodicals, newspapers, company reports, and personal interviews. 11. DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS A. Documentation style guidelines: All information obtained from another source must be properly documented to avoid accusation of plagiarism. While various documentation styles are in use, I recommend the style used by the Modern Language Association (MLA). A complete description of the MLA style can be found in various commercial publications or in the library; however, two important features of this style will be covered below: (1) citing information in the body of your report, and (2) preparing the works cited page. B. Citing your information sources: Material that is borrowed, whether it be a direct quote or a paraphrased idea, must be documented "within the text by a brief parenthetical reference that directs the reader to the full citation in the list of works cited" (Trimmer, 1-2) * Note that you should cite, in parentheses, the author's last name (Trimmer) and the page number(s) immediately following a direct quote or at the end of a paragraph if you got the main idea from another. * As an alternate method, where you have already used the author's name in a sentence, you can just put the page number in parentheses. EXAMPLE: "According to MLA documentation expert Joseph Trimmer, you should use a parenthetical reference to document your sources (13)." C. Works cited page. All sources that you cited in your paper in the manner described above should be numbered and listed in alphabetical order on the back page under the heading WORKS CITED. This is where you list, in alphabetical order, the complete information on the works you have used. A separate bibliography is therefore not required for this paper. Use the following examples as a guideline to prepare your works cited page: * Books: Use author's last name, first name. Book title underlined. City of publication: Publishing company, publishing date. EXAMPLE: Nickels, William, Janet McHugh, and Susan McHugh. Understanding Business. Chicago: Irwin Press, 1996. * Periodicals: Use author's last name, first name. "Article title in quotation marks." Periodical title underlined, Date: inclusive pages. EXAMPLE: Reingold, Jennifer. "Corporate America goes to school." Business Week, 20 October 1997: 66-72. * CD-ROMs, online database, computer networks: Use author's last name, first name. Publication for printed source or printed analogue (i.e., "Article title." Periodical title date: inclusive pages). Title of database. Publication medium (e.g., CD ROM, online database). Name of vendor or computer service. Electronic publication date, or date of access. EXAMPLE: Smith, Eugene. "Multi-level marketing opportunities." Business Week Online. AOL. 10 September 1997. 12. Writing style and team organization: * Except as noted for your conclusion, your paper should be written in a straight-forward, third-person, professional-sounding manner. Avoid use of first-person editorials or conversational tone. Except for your summary, conclusions, and any recommendations, I am more interested in your ability to distill the information gathered from experts rather than personal opinion. That's what research is all about! Your personal opinions and/or recommendation (as appropriate) should surface only in the conclusion to your research paper. * Experience has shown that team organization and discipline are the keys to success. All team members should be involved in researching simultaneously articles on each section of your paper. In other words, everyone should be looking for articles on marketing trends, or history, or economic impact. Allow everyone a set period of time to come up with articles on the subject being researched, pool your articles, and select the ones you want to use. Then go on to the next section and do the same thing. The temptation will be just the opposite, i.e., assign the history section to Jason, the economic impact to Michelle, the marketing section to Scott, etc., and then have Emily put it all together. Don't do this! You will end up with a disjointed group paper, rather than a quality team product where everyone has an understanding of the overall industry. It's okay if one person is assigned the task of putting a section together, but all members should have done the research of articles for that section. * Keep me informed. If you have procedural questions or problems with a team member, let me know right away! The best way to do this is to email me with the results of your meetings, using the opportunity to ask any question you would have asked me had I been there. There's little I can do about a problem team member if you wait until the project is due before informing me. * Good luck with your research project! 2 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Response to Why I Hate The Celestine Prophecy.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. More popular than The Bridges of Madison County, more philosophical than Socrates, and it rivals onlu R.L. Stein's Fear Street series in bad writing. It's a "novel of ideas" says Kenneth Moyle in his very critical essay "Why I Hate the Celestine Prophecy." "A novel of ideas;" that's a good phrase for this "novel." I read it twice during this assignment: the first time I thought he had great ideas and themes to live by; the second time I still thought he had great ideas, but a terrible way of presenting them. Moyle says "...for all intents and purposes, this is not a novel but rather a New-Age manifesto..." That just about sums it up. This is a great book for someone looking for direction and conflict resolution. However, if you're looking for a book with depth and literary merit, you'd be better off with Danielle Steele. First of all, Redfield's characters are more two-dimentional and unbelieveable than Barbie paper dolls. "The characters...are featureless mouthpiecesfor the monotone authorial voice," says Moyle. A major problem I had with reading The Celestine Prophecy was keeping track of who was who; the characters have little or no distinction between them, and it was a bit confusing because he keeps encountering the same people in different situations. Another thig is Redfield repeats himself and the insights, and I'm assuming he does it on purpose but it gets monotonous. Moyle calls it "considerate," but I think it's just plain repetative. The only way I got complete understanding was to make notes and think about it a LONG TIME. "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown aside with great force," says Dorothy Parker. I don't feel that strongly about The Celestine Prophecy. "I think there is indeed something to this book," as says Moyle. I think the insights may actually have something to them. I know that our energies (positive and negative) affect other people, things, and situations. The insights helped me put it into a clearer perspective. Another thing that helped me is the insight about control dramas. Although I don't really see myself in any that Redfield talked about, I now realize that I do have one that I need to get out of. Despite the poor writing and chracterization, this book helped me to realize all of the love around me, and how to be a more positive person. I think Redfield's ideas are great, but if he wanted to write an adventure, he should have gotten some help. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Review Thomas Cahills How the Irish Saved Civilization.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thomas Cahill opens his story describing Rome's fall, "For as the Roman Empire fell, as all through Europe matted, unwashed barbarians descended on the Roman cities, looting artifacts and burning books, the Irish who were just learning to read and write, took up the just labor of copying all of western literature - everything they could get their hands on. These scribes then served as conduits through which Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian cultures were transmitted to the tribes of Europe, newly settled amid the rubble and ruined vineyards of the civilization they had overwhelmed." (Cahill, p.3) The theme of this book is that the scribes did something unique, they saved civilization, not the masses of people, but literature, the content of "classical civilization." (Cahill, p. 58) One reads of the time from Rome's fall to medieval times learning through the stories of the characters, most notable Augustine and Patrick. Augustine, his faith based on Roman Chrisitanity, "looked into his own heart and found the anguish of each individual." (Cahill, p. 115) Patrick, the slave turned Christian, escapes only to return to convert the Irish. He was the first missionary to the barbarians beyond Greco-Roman law "who looked into the hearts of others." (Cahill, p. 115) Cahill notes Ireland is the only land where Christianity is introduced without violence - there were no murdered Irish martyrs. (Cahill, p. 151) He discusses the growth of monasteries in Ireland and their eventual spread to Iona and beyond by Columcille and his "White Martyr" followers. (Cahill, pp. 171-184) Growth continues as Columbanus establishes the first Italo-Irish monastery where monks continue to pray and copy. Between these two men Irish monasteries were established in England, Scotland, Italy, France and beyond. Historically the Irish are not credited with a major role in this time period and Cahill attempts to prove the society/culture of this time has its roots in Ireland. He states, "Ireland, at peace and copying, stood in the position to become Europe's publisher." The Saxons had blocked routes to the English mainland. A new, illiterate Europe was rising from Roman ruins... Ireland would reconnect Europe with its own past by way of Ireland's scribal hands. (Cahill, 183) These monasteries become centers for learning, presumable the predecessor of modern universities. I have two favorite parts to this book, first, the contrast Cahill makes between Augustine and Patrick. I am catholic, from birth, and I never really thought of Augustine in the manner Cahill portrays him, the dark versus bright side of Chrisitanity. Augustine becomes self-conscious, "the man who cried I..." (Cahill, p/ 39) He wanted truth. We see the classical world through him. Patrick on the otherhand is a Christian convert, an escaped slave, who returns to Ireland to save it. He brings the Roman alphabet and Roman literature with him. He also brings a more personal faith with him that pagan Ireland eventually accepts. Hungry for knowledge faith and literacy essentially become one. My other favorite part was the stories of the early Irish war heroes that became possessed by warp-spasm, particularly Cuchulainn. Cahill uses exerpts form The Tain to illustrate how they lived in fear of their mythological creatures, lived in fear of dying, and used alcohol, particularly beer, to drink the fears away, Patrick became the alternative. (Cahill, pp. 83-85) I enjoyed this book immensely, probably because I am three fourths Irish myself. It probably makes me prejudiced. I do feel he was biased in his views but I don't think that there is an author who isn't biased in his or her viewpoint. Cahill, obviously Irish himself, is no worse than the others. Read the Times Picayune, or listen to TV news for an example. His bias (and pride) is evidenced when he writes, "Latin literature would almost surely have been lost without the Irish, and illiterate Europe would hardly have developed its great national literatures without the example of the Irish, the first vernacular literature to be written down. Beyond that, there would have perished in the west not only literacy but all the habits of mind that encourage thought." (Cahill, p.193) Cahill notes that the Hebrew bible would have been saved by the Jewish people and the Greek literature was preserved by the Byzantines. He acknowledges that literature may have survived elsewhere but it is only a momentary aside in his story ... after all, his point is that THE IRISH saved civilization. You've got to love the Irish - especially this time of year! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\revised painting.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lauren Clarke EWC 3A. Period 2 Weekly Assignment #5 Oct 17th 1999 The Sea Fairies In the intense heat of the night they awaken. Their silent footsteps, embossed in the sand, singing, dancing and engaging in their nightly ritual. Holding hands and laughing gaily. Some are perched upon the stone arch together, playing their flutes, offering a pleasant rendition to their favorite melody. They float upon the rocks as if they were as soft as cloud. Little babies dance freely in the air, showering the elderly fairies with childish amusement. The sea in the background crashes to the shore, waves pouring foamy white bubbles upon the beach quilted with pale sand. Arising from the sea are streams of mist, fragrant with the scent of salt blended with nocturnal air. The moon calmly watches his children undulate beneath his eyes, through the haze of the sky. His dancers are the essence of purity and the babies the heart of the undeveloped. The sand between their toes massages their muscular feet as they flee across the shore. Their bodies consist of glimmering skin and excessive muscle, the result of nightly dancing. The wind blows freely through their swaying bodies, tousling their hair and misplacing their barely visible garmets. They illuminate the midnight sky with their glowing spirits, provoking the earth to fancy the tingle of their feet on his chest. The Sea Fairies are the soul of the night and the echo of the resting heavens. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\revision essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jeff Bagosy Ms. Wilde 11/3/02 Revision essay Dear Jeff Bagosy, I am writing in response to your letter. It seems as if our views on education are somewhat different. As I look at education as gained in school, you see it as something totally different. I understand where you are coming from and I agree with you that education can be gained outside of formal schooling. What you seem to be blind to is the experience that can be gained in school. Along with knowledge school can give kids experience through things such as labs and internships. We here at Johnson and Nolan believe in hiring kids straight out of college. We feel that the knowledge they have combined with experience they have gained will be more beneficial to our company in the long run. I am not disagreeing with you about your definition of the word education; I just want you to realize the reasoning behind our decision. Maybe both of our definitions, are correct but the kind of education we need to look for here is a person with a background as well as some experience. As you stated yourself education should not stand to mean just one thing it can mean a variety of things. The way the definition is used most effectively is when all aspects of the definition are incorporated. Your experience at this position was outstanding however we need a person that will be able to move into various places in our company rather than just payroll. You remind me of myself somewhat when I was younger. I had a plethora of experience in the field I was trying to enter. But I was always passed over when it came down to hiring for the higher positions. It always seemed as though the company would look at the person with the higher education. So when I went back to school and got my masters degree, many new opportunities began to arise. I know it seems as if many companies hold stereotypical views towards those who have not had formal education in that particular field. This is due mainly to the fact that companies have it set in their minds that the formally educated are more qualified for the job than those who haven't attended college. So in a way you are right, society has it set in their mind that attending school will make you more educated. Although it is true in many situations, it is not true for all situations. We may be swayed by the thinking of society sometimes, but the fact is that the person with the most education will most likely be the one that attended college. In your letter you defined education as, "the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process." 1 (American Heritage Dictionary, p.784). This definition basically says that education is knowledge gained through some sort of process. One process through which knowledge can be gained is through schooling. This definition can mean different things depending on how you look at it. You also said that test scores and grade point averages can not dictate how that person will do in that particular field. Although this might be true in some situations, it is a good indicator to us of the potential that person has to perform well. Grade point averages and test scores can indicate the work ethic of that person. Our company is not biased towards anyone who has not attended college. We do however look for the person who is best fit to help our company. You seem to think that our company doesn't look at experience when hiring for a job. We do consider experience when we hire but we feel that experience gained in school is more beneficial in the long run than on the job training. Do not get me wrong, I'm sure you learned a great deal while working at Rohm and Haas. But we feel someone we hire right out of school will pick up the job in a short time and will be more versatile in years to come. Duke University claims to have "courses, which range from the liberal arts to physical education, from the purely academic to the practical for both personal enrichment and career development."(Duke Website)2 Schools do not just give you information you can not use later in life. All the Knowledge you gain, is taught specifically to help you later on in life. This is the reason we look to kids with college education. They not only have experience but also, they will not be hard to train. Jeff, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that your definition of education is wrong. I am just saying that we hire the person that we feel will best satisfy the position we are looking for. Your letter helped me to understand this situation through another person's eyes. After reading your letter, I could relate to your situation because I too was once in that same situation. Don't get discouraged because you didn't get this job, your education and knowledge of the payroll department will get you a job somewhere. If you are really looking to get a top job somewhere, maybe you can take some classes related to the field you are trying to get into. This might help the employers to realize that not only does this person have experience; he has education in the field too. The benefits of formal education might seem somewhat insignificant to you right now, but it will help you out in the long run. Education can be looked at in many different ways, as you have seen through our two conflicting views, but the simple fact is that formal education is more beneficial that on the job training because you have knowledge to go along with the experience. I am sorry we couldn't find room for you in our company but thank you for helping us to see education in a different light. Thank you, Jim Miller 1. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000; pg.784 2. http://www.hr.duke.edu/benefits/education/continuing_ed.htm f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Rhonda Goes Fishing by Pete Putnam.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rhonda Goes Fishing Uncle Marcus comes rapping on your bedroom door one Saturday morning. Says he got a can full of worms and your cane pole, just like old times. Unc, what you better have is some coffee! He flashes a bright red thermos from behind his back. Gotcha, girl! You're surprised unt Ruby's in the car. Sick or not, woman love to fish your uncle says proudly. In the back of his ol' Cadillac you sway to gospel on the radio drinking black coffee like it's Kool-Aid. You even get your favorite spot on Ford Lake. Ruby in her lawn chair smoking steady watching her bobber like it was her own heart out there beating in the water. Marcus has got on his ol' ugly lucky lucky fishing hat an unlit cigar dangling from his lips like a fat worm. You're still fighting sleep but like the feel of that old cool cane pole in your hands. Still, nothin but blue gills til your bobber disappears and you feel the hit all the way up your arms. Marcus bounds over, and Ruby gets there too somehow. You all know it's something special. When that big ol' catfish first flashes you could almsot kiss his prickly lips. Uncle Marchus nets it, Aunt Ruby's already talkin about frying it up good, and for the first time in about a year you're not tired you're not tired one bit. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Rime of The Ancient Mariner.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is wrote in a way that the reader is expected to temporarily allow him or herself to believe it to be able to understand it. The poem itself is about a Mariner who is telling his tale of sin and forgiveness by God to a man referred to as the "Wedding Guest." The Mariner is supposedly responsible for the death of all of the crew on his ship because of his killing of a creature which was to bring them the wind that they needed to put power into the sails of the ship. The whole point of the poem is to encourage or convince the reader to believe the tale that Coleridge tells. Coleridge wrote the poem as a means to induce the reader with what he calls a "willing suspension of disbelief." The poem is written in such a way that the reader is expected to willingly decide to temporarily believe the almost unbelievable story. The reason a person is to make sure that he or she believes it temporarily to be true is because the Mariner in the story is trying to get the point of forgiveness from God across to the reader and if the reader chooses not to believe the story behind the poem then they will not understand the effect of the point of the tale. Coleridge's main point in writing the story was to get people to understand forgiveness by understanding the poem. The Mariner in the poem is telling his tale to a "Wedding Guest" who has no choice but to listen and to believe. The "Wedding Guest" in the poem represents "everyman" in the sense that "everyone" is to be at the marriage of the Mariner to life. That is, the reader is to follow, live, and participate with the idea of the poem. Coleridge tells of a Mariner on a ship who makes a sin against God and therefore is cursed. This curse, the killing of an Albatross - one of God's creatures, costs the entire crew on the ship their lives yet he lives so that he can realize what he has done and be given a chance to ask forgiveness for his sin. The deaths occurred when a ship was sited and on it two women like figures were playing dice and life won the Mariner and death got the crew. Until he began to pray and ask for forgiveness the crew's souls couldn't enter Heaven but one he did the curse was broken, his life was saved, and Angels came down from Heaven and took the crew's souls with them. He had become a saved man. The whole point of the story becomes clear in the following lines. "Farewell, farewell! but this I tell To thee, thou Wedding Guest! He prayeth well, who loveth well Both man and bird and beast. "He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all." The Mariner, whose eye is bright, Whose beard with age is hoar, Is gone: and now the Wedding Guest Turned from the bridegroom's door. He went like one that hath been stunned, And is of sense forlorn: A sadder and a wiser man, He rose the morrow morn. (610-625) In these closing lines Coleridge basically sums up the whole poem. Here he is telling the "Wedding Guest" all about how to live a good life with God and to respect all things that God creates (which is everything). The Mariner is doing his teaching of what he learned on his voyage in these lines. It tells how the "Wedding Guest" left after hearing the entire Mariner's tale and left a wiser man. What this meant is that he left understanding the Mariner's words and learned from the Mariner's mistakes. The Mariner had done his job in retelling his tale. Coleridge did a good job of writing the poem in a way that the reader would be forced to temporarily believe it without even realizing it. In a certain sense you could say that through the tale he placed the "fear of God" in people that made them more likely to believe the story. When people are fearful of something they have more of a tendency to fall prey to something and Coleridge takes advantage of this in getting his point across. The poem is written in a brilliant way that can curve the reader to think in whatever manner Coleridge wants them to. The poem was written to try to get people to temporarily believe a story that would not normally be believable and it does just that. Coleridge wanted people to understand the Mariner and to be able to relate to him and to understand him. He conveyed his point of religion to the reader by making the reader subconsciously fall prey to the images and thoughts he instilled in their minds. The poem for the most part does as Coleridge intended and gets the reader to atleast understand and believe the tale that the Mariner has to tell. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\rolemodel essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Danielle Bishop LA 2, Period 4 Alokolaro November 12, 2003 Three Influential People in My Life Every now and then one finds a person who has that quality of being able to make someone laugh over anything. He/She has that way about them where they don't try to be funny, it just happens naturally. With this funny trait also comes a reliable trait as well. I find that with many of the people I know who are naturally funny are very reliable also. Three role models, who carry this trait I admire, are my parents Lynne and Mark, my sister Melanie, and my best friend Stephanie. My mom and dad are role models to me because I can rely on them everyday. They tell me everyday that they would do anything for me. For example, if I needed something for a project late at night they would take me to the store to get it. They have loved and cared for me my entire life. My parents try their best to show me how to be a better person. For example, sometimes during the day, at home, I use a tone of voice that is unneeded and they correct me on it in a respectful, non-hypocritical way, which usually works at settling me down. My dad always makes me laugh and even just his laugh makes me laugh. Whenever we watch a great comedy show, like Friends or Will and Grace, he always laughs. Usually my dad only laughs at really funny things so when he laughs it means whatever was said was hysterical. When it comes to my mom, however, I'm laughing at her, but it's all in good fun and she always laughs with me so I know my laughing at her isn't rude. My dad and particularly my mom help me out with my problems whether it is school, sports, or social problems. I have never been afraid to talk to them. I can tell them anything and they always find a positive out look on it. My parents have given me more than I could ever ask for and I admire them for all they do. Another role model of mine is my sister, Melanie, because she helps me with everything. Although she doesn't live with us at home anymore she still is close enough to help me in all situations. For example, when I need help in school and my parents can't help me, she's always there. She is probably my biggest role model because my life almost exemplifies hers. She also went to Blanchet and of course had her share of problems so she usually understands when I have a problem. She and I laugh with each other all the time now because we are getting closer in maturity and we understand each other better. She was my volleyball coach this year as well. We had a great understanding of each other this year and got along well. I look up to her knowledge of the game and trust with every piece of advice she gave me. She always has a solution to problems and her advice always works. I trust her with everything and I know she'd never let me down. She and I are very close to each other. We look alike in some ways but we think alike even more. We always laugh at this because sometimes we read each others mind of what were thinking. For example, one night we were watching television and out of random we both started singing this song at the exact same time. We started laughing in horror because the song we were singing wasn't relevant to anything we were watching. I love her to death and she will always be a main person I look up to. My best friend, Stephanie, although only knowing her for a year and a half, has definitely become one of my heroes because she has always stuck by me. She is a second sister to me and it seems like I've known her forever. I tell her everything, my secrets, my stories, pretty much my life. She knows everything there is to know about being my role model. Stephanie is so sweet and has never let me down. We laugh at the dumbest things sometimes but it's still funny, especially when we both laugh at it together. She has always supportive of me. She has a great out-look on life and lives it to the fullest. We are at each others houses almost every weekend. We think so much alike and we have the exact same opinions on just about everything. For example, when talking about sports, such as the World Series, we always think back to it and comment on the same things. Stephanie and I scare each other sometimes with how much we are alike. She is my twin in every way possible and she will be my best friend for life. My three role models, my parents, my sister Melanie, and my best friend Stephanie will continue to have a positive effect on my life for all time. Some of them have had this effect for 15 years and others for only a year but it's still just as important to me. These people make me who I am today and make me want to strive for more in life. Without them I would be lost in this world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\romanticism essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kate Mabe 18/5/04 Period 8 Le Romanticisme et le Réalisme Le Romanticisme était un mouvement dans la litterature Française, et aussi dans tous les arts, dans le dix-neuvième siècle. Pendant la révolution, beaucoup de gens voulaient violer les régles strictes qui existaient dans l'art en France. Dans la litterature, les écrivains et dramaturges ont arrêté de utiliser la structure soutenue. Cette litterature est characterisé quelquefois par les personnages très exagérés et les intrigues dramatiques. Les écrivains de cette période avaient tendance à être très idéalistes-quelquefois ils sont accusés d'être un peu irréalistes aussi. Les représentatifs du Romanticisme dans la musique et dans l'art visuel étaient les impressionistes. Les écrivains du Romanticisme n'avaient pas un nom, mais son style est exprimé dans les oeuvres d'écrivains comme Victor Hugo. Victor Hugo est né en 1802 à Besancon. Son père était commandant. Il a commencé à écrire quand il était très jeune, et quand il avait 30 ans il était déjà célèbre pour sa poésie. Hugo était parmi les écrivains qui entreprennaient le mouvement littéraire Romantique. Ces écrivains s'appelaient " la jeune France. " Il a été élu pour représentir le Paris dans l'assemblée législative, mais pour ses idées démocratiques il a été exilé par Louis Napoléon. Furieux, il a écrit " Napoléon le Petit, " une brochure politique qui a critiqué l'empereur. Il a publie son roman le plus populaire, Les Miserables, en 1862. Cet roman, et aussi son roman Notre-Dame de Paris, sont devenus célèbres, et alors Hugo est devenu célèbre aussi. Il est mort en 1885, à Paris. Le Réalisme est un mouvement dans les arts qui a suivi le Romanticisme. Il y avait des gens qui n'aimaient pas l'absence de régles et structure qui définait le Romanticisme. Ils sont devenus les Réalistes, qui ont essayé de dépeindre la vie vraie dans ses oeuvres. Une écriture réaliste est un peu pessimiste, et elle n'a pas une fin heureuse ou des personnages qui sont très exagérés. Les personnages réalistes sont comparable aux gens normales, et ses vies sont familières et souvent tristes. Les auteurs réalistes étaient extrêmement logiques et rationnels. Le Réalisme est souvent associé avec un autre mouvement du temps-le Naturelisme. Cet mouvement (nommé par Emile Zola) se concentrait sur la réalité de la vie aussi. Parmi les représentatifs littéraires de cette période sont Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, et Guy de Maupassant. Honoré de Balzac est né en 1799 à Tours dans une famille bourgeoise. Ses parents étaient Bernard-François et Anne-Charlotte Balssa. Balzac a passé son enfance dans une famille d'accueil, et il est retourné à ses parents quand il avait quatre ans. Il a étudié la loi à la Sorbonne, mais en 1819 il a dit qu'il voulait devenir écrivain. Il n'avait pas du succès jusqu'à eviron 1829, quand il avait 30 ans. Dans cette année, il a publie La Dernier Chouan. Aussi dans cette année, son père est mort. Son écriture est devenue plus populaire, et sa vie est devenue meilleure. Il aimait la vie-il buvait et mangeait beaucoup et avait des liaisons. Il avait une correspondance avec Eveline Hanska, une dame polonaise avec laquelle il s'est marié en 1850. Mais Balzac était malade, et en août de la même année il est mort à Paris. La plus populaire de ses oeuvres aujourd'hui est probablement La Comédie Humaine. Né à Rouen en 1821, Gustave Flaubert était un garçon fragile qui était souvent malade. Son père était medecin, et il avait une soeur et un frère. Il aimait écrire quand il était très jeune. En 1844, il a été diagnostiqué avec l'épilepsie, et il a dû quitter l'école. Deux ans plus tard, son père est mort et il a hérité sa propriété et beaucoup de son argent. Cet héritage a permis à Flaubert de se concentrer sur son écriture, et il a commencé d'écrire son premier roman, Madame Bovary, qui a critiqué la vie de la bourgeoisie. Parce que ce roman a discuté du adultère, des gens a cru qu'il était immoral. Flaubert a été poursuivit, mais en 1857 il a été acquitté. Il ne s'est jamais marié, mais il avait beaucoup de liaisons avec des femmes. Cettes liaisons ont commencé avec Louise Colet, qui était poète. Il écrivait toute sa vie, et avait beaucoup de succès, mais il avait aussi des problèmes financiers. Il es mort à Croisset en 1880. Guy de Maupassant est né en 1850 dans une famille avec des ancêtres nobles. Il a gradit en Normandie, et quand il avait 20 ans en 1869 il a servi dans l'armée. Après son retour à Paris, il a commencé d'écrire. Il était un ami de Gustave Flaubert, et il a été poussé par le style de cet écrivain. Maupassant était ministre des affaires maritime et ministre de l'éducation, mais il n'aimait pas son travaille. En 1880, il a publi Les Soirées de Medan, une anthologie dans laquelle on peut trouver " Boule de Suif, " l'histoire de Maupassant qui est peut-être la plus célèbre. En 1883, son premier roman, Une Vie, a été publi. Il a écrit beaucoup de romans et histoires, et plus tard dans sa vie il a commencé d'écrire les histoires d'épouvantes. Parce qu'il avait eu la syphilis, il a développé un trouble mental. Il est mort en 1892 dans un asile. Bibliography Bates, Alfred. "The Rise of Romanticism." TheatreHistory.com. . "Biography of Victor Hugo." Sacklunch.net. . Brians, Paul. "Realism and Naturalism." . "Guy de Maupassant." Books and Writers, Amazon.com. . "Honoré de Balzac." Books and Writers, Amazon.com. . Jensen, Susan. "Classic Authors: Gustave Flaubert." Classic Literature. . f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\SakeOfBelonging.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Human Desire to "fit in" Just for the Sake of Belonging Two common ways of handling a situation are either to do so according to one¹s own personal needs and desires with no specific regard to other people, or one can base a decision on how it will be viewed by others. The vast majority of people fall on the side of being worried about what others are saying and thinking. Both good and bad can come from living this way, but it has seemed to remain constant throughout history. People have a natural desire to belong, and to fit in with a certain group. No matter what group an individual chooses, that individual almost always is forced sacrifice a part of them self in order to seem more a part of things. People in this world seem to need companionship and are often too weak to stand alone. As a result, they stand together in what ever group they are best suited to. It is a point of interest to many of the people who have stopped to think about this fact. The idea that people live according to how others will perceive then has been established as the rule, not the exception. The real question now lies in the reasons for this way of life. It was hypothesized by C.S. Lewis that this desire to belong and to fit in is a natural human characteristic. He believed that people have an instinctive drive to belong, in the same sort of way species reproduce. It is possible that his theory of instinctive necessity is accurate, and humans are as a whole are week and scared when they are faced with solitude. The old adage ³there is safety in numbers² is appropriate in this topic. Often in this world terrible things happen because people group up and commit unspeakable acts, then take shelter in the numbers of those involved. The Annual Freaknik ³celebration² is the perfect example. Thousands of individuals crowd the streets of Atlanta and pillage the city for a weekend, all the while they show no respect for the laws or the residents of the city. This can be directly related to the issue of people doing things to be a part of the group. If these people were asked individually why they did these terrible things, for the most part they would respond by saying ³everyone else is doing it²². This could be translated to ³I am just trying to be a part of things². In this particular example those involved sacrifice any sense of morals or upbringing that they might have had. ³Everybody is doing it². This sentence has ruined thousands of lives. It could could be the worst four word combination in the English language. People have been convinced to begin drug use, drunk driving, cliff jumping, and countless other unwise activities. The reason behind this is clear, the human necessity to fit in and to seem cool is often to strong to compete with. A person could have the world and all of its riches, but with out someone to share it with, that person would be totally alone. People need each other. This is a fact of the world, and it will never change. This need is a natural desire that is found every where in every person with very few exceptions. It is true that trouble can brew and awful things can happen because of these groups, but the advantages associated far out weigh the costs. These groups that people form between themselves often serve as shelter for the lonely, for this reason it is natural for people to go far out their way if necessary to belong a particular crowd. As a result the opinion of others is crucial part of life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\sams essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Cyclical Theory in first para. Internal causes of Rome's decline can be found in social, economic, and military problems. An example of a social problem were corrupt governors and tax collectors. Slaves took over the jobs of poorer citizens. The rich became richer but the poor became poorer. This unemployment, which led to social poverty, then led to low self esteem in the citizens. then led to low self esteem in the citizens. Many men that could not provide for their families killed themselves, used drugs, or deserted their families. One of many economic problems within the empire was poor farming techniques. Soil erosion and minerals in the soil became depleted. Prosperity declined. Business became slack which, in turn, led to more unemployment. High government taxes incited revolts against the government. The only strength Rome had left in its military was in its name and reputation. The Roman Empire was too vast to control. The army could not be raised, supplied or reinforced. The government hired Barbarians to protect the empire from other invading Barbarians. These internal problems in Rome contributed to the decline of Rome. Rome's external problems were primarily the invading Teutonic Barbarians. The Barbarians were a tall, fair- skinned, illiterate tribe. They spoke an Indo-European language. The Barbarians were nomadic tribes and every few years they would move south from lands to the northeast. They would move south for food (animals), warmth and adventure. The men in the tribe would hunt and fight and the women would cook, make clothes, and take care of the family. External problems such as this added to the eventual fall of Rome.would hunt and fight and the women would cook, make clothes, and take care of the family. External problems such as this added to the eventual fall of Rome. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Santiago as a Hemmingway Code Hero in The Old Man and The Sea.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mueller 1 Ross Mueller Mr. Harocopos AP. English 11 29 September 1996 An Anylization of Santiago as a Hemmingway Code Hero in The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway had a specific type of character in each and every one of his works of literature. These characters were called the Hemingway Code Heroes. Hemingway Code Heros followed a strict code of behaviors which allowed them to live their life to the fullest. These Heros lived simple lives without all the luxuries that others had. They concentrate on the problem at hand and do not get swayed by outside events. Avoiding intense personal relationships allows the Hero to stay focused. In The Old Man And The Sea, Santiago is considered the Hemingway Code Hero for many reasons. Santiago lived an extremely simple life, the life of a fisherman. Although sometimes he wished for some of the modern conveniences others had, he was able to do without them. Other fishermen had radios to pass the time while all Santiago had were his thoughts and sometimes the boy. The old man asked for the help of no one, for he did fine without the others. Santiago learned how to make due with the supplies that he had. On the boat while he is battling the mighty fish, he is able to deal with limited food and drink. He realizes he may be out at sea for a long time, so he rationalizes his supplies. Santiago copes with what he has. The sail on his boat is torn and tattered, consisting of countless rags stitched together. Mueller 2 Although a nicer sail would have been nice he knew that he could get by with the one he has. Santiago displayed a great deal of grace while under the pressure of catching his great adversary. While battling the marlin he always keeps his eye on the goal, and figures out new ways to get through the tight spots. Even when it seem that all hope is lost, he continues to persevere, so he may achieve his goal. When he is out at sea his hands cramp, and it looks as if he has to give up the fish, but he decides to stick with it in a hope that he may strive through the area of difficulty. His hands finally free up and he continues on his mission, just glad that he did not give up. Sharks attack the marlin on his voyage back to his small town, he works his hardest to keep them away. Santiago finds unique ways to keep them away. He makes a spear out of his knife, a paddle, and some cloth. When that breaks, he then uses the other paddle as a club to beat the sharks away. When food is low, the old man figures out ways to get more without losing his marlin. He sets up another rig while still concentrating on the task at hand. Santiago's relationships with others never go into deep personal information, they always stay friendly and never get intimate. His relationship with the boy is one of great importance in The Old Man And The Sea. Their relationship is a great friendship which has grown over years. The old man was the first person to ever go fishing with the boy. He was a teacher to Manolin, and showed him everything he knew. The boy would occasionally bring the old man food when he returned if he had not caught anything that day. Santiago read to the boy about baseball. Manolin enjoyed this immensely. He enjoyed being in the old man's company for he cared for this man because he was always kind to him. The boy prepared the old man's bait some of the time. They both offered each other the best of company. While out at sea Santiago is constantlywishing the boy was there to talk to or to help with the mighty fish. Santiago does not have relationships with any of the other fishermen, Mueller 3 outside of polite conversation. His perseverence to catch his prey implicates the importance of his relationship with it. Santiago's humility in The Old Man And The Sea should be an example for all to follow. He fishes to be a fisherman. His goal was not to catch a huge fish. It was to fish and try to catch a fish of any size. He did not pride himself on catching the fish. He did not go running to tell the other fishermen of the town about it, he just went home and fell asleep. Landing the fish did not matter to the old man only to get it as far as the side of the boat. The Old Man And The Sea portrays Hemingway Code Heros to their fullest potential. As Heros they try their hardest to persevere under pressure and achieve the goal in front of them. They show the characteristics of a stoic, working hard in the hardest of situations. Hemingway Code Heros are very rare in real life, but in fiction they survive, setting good examples for all. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Saturdays no school essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alante K. Blacher November 17, 2003 Why We Shouldn't Have School on Saturdays School on Saturdays is an awful idea because we have enough school during the week. We need Saturday to have a break from studying. We need to be able to do other things like go out with our parents, have some time with our families, visit our friends, practice playing my trombone and lots of other things. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\scholarship essay for comp.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ashley Svec 2/13/04 Des Moines Women's Club What are your future plans and goals? My future plans begin as many high school seniors do. I am planning to go to a four-year college, Wartburg. I will be majoring in Music Therapy and Music Education. Music is my passion and it always has been. I recently discovered Music Therapy and I love it. I think it is one of the most important occupations out there. I have always been one to help people, and Music Therapy/Music Education is a perfect way to continue helping others, using the thing I love most, music. Music has played an important part in my life. I have come to find that music has a huge impact on people. Music can make people move who never thought they would move a muscle again. Music is a powerful tool and if I can help people using music, then I will do it with no regrets. I never saw myself as a psychiatrist, but a teacher. Now I can do both with music. I can share my passion for music with others and show them the great impact it can have. I'm sure many other people have the same sort of dream I have. I decided last summer how I wanted my life to play out. I decided what I wanted to happen in my life professionally and personally. I want to be married by the age of 26 and have at least one child by 30. My family life is, and will continue to be, an important part of my life. I have always pictured myself as a person who does everything for everyone. I keep myself busy constantly, and I imagine it will be no different when I am on my own. That was my personal life plans/goals, now here is my professional. I want to go to Wartburg for the four years, and six months of internship to start everything out. I would then want to either work full time somewhere teaching and on the side doing some music therapy, or maybe the other way around. I don't quite have it all figured out, but who can? After maybe two or three years, I want to own my own private practice and be able to do Music Therapy on my time with a little teaching on the side. I would like to stay in Iowa, but I may end up moving somewhere to get a good job. Now, who knows if this will all play out, but these are my goals. My future plans and goals are very planned out. Whether they happen or not, we will see. I understand that everything is not going to happen as planned and that is the beauty of it all. You never know what life will give you or for that matter, not give you. This is what I hope happens in my life, and I will do the best I can to see that it happens. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Scholarship essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A family is a sense of belonging and companionship. They are always there to pick me up when I fall and push me to achieve greatness. Getting through struggles and hardships brings us closer together and strengthens our friendship. They are a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand, words of wisdom, and an ample supply of love that anyone would need. My family has grown closer over the years through the many battles we have met. In moving to a new town, we have all had to start our lives all over again; whether it is a new job or making new friends. Luckily, we help one another work through the problem so overcoming it is not as difficult as it would be doing it all alone. They have supported me in playing soccer and in making new friends, and I owe all my achievements to their perseverance in helping me. They are also supporting me with the struggle of getting into and going to college, which is a major step for me. Although there are still disagreements and hardships, we all have an understanding of one another and share the knowledge of what going through a hard time feels like. (no transition) My family is always there for me through the good times and bad. I don't know what I would do if I lost one of them; it's as if a piece of me would go along with them. I would do anything for them and I know they would do the same for me. I am who I am today because of them, and that makes me ever more grateful for my family. Although imperfect and occasionally dysfunctional, I would not change my family for anything; they are close to perfect for me.? Look at the tense and see if they are all the same f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\self eval last.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Self Evaluation Brian Bass Media Over Mind Thesis: Of all the forms of persuasion, I believe Coles view to be the most significant and influential in swaying the general public Structure: I defined the different forms of persuasion, then I stated that coles's method was the best and then incorporated aspects of society and film and how they relate to persuasive mass media. Strength: I liked my comparisons to historical events as well as to the present day media. I enjoyed writing about A clockwork orange as well, because it is one of my favorite films. Happy: It made me happy analyzing the effect of mass media on society and how we are all in a sense brainwashed. Weakness: My weakness was lack of continuity in my writing. Although I feel my work flows it probably won't make as much sense when you read it. Dissatisfied: I wish my work could flow more and have better word usage (ironic isn't it). One more time: I would have more in depth analysis and I would have my essay flow more. Rating: 4.0 because obviously this paper isn't perfect but I think it might be my best work yet. I felt way more interested and ready to write this paper than on any other paper, so I think that helped. It's great to be finished writing these damn papers! Thanks for being a chill teacher, you the man Professor Habershaw! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\self eval rachel.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Essay Writing Ceci Cravens 2.8.04 Peer Evaluation Dear Rachel: Thesis: The package Victoria's secret presents is highly desired and above all, ultra sexy. Case: young blond picture Spring fling Frames: Hebdig, Coward and Veblen Your tone and cynicism in this piece were spot on. With all the garbage that victoria's secret puts out, your essay was a nice combatant. The paragraph on page three that discusses victoria's secret on the web may be a little trivial to the rest of your argument but that is up to you. I found your opening paragraph to be the most intruiging and humorous as well. Overall your thesis fitted well with your frames and it the actual flow of your essay was captivating. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Self Evaluation 32.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Self Evaluation Name: Brian Bass Title of Essay: Jacobs, Pratt and the "Contact Zone" Thesis/Motive: Despite the differences to Pratt's work, writing within the context of a contact zone, Jacobs displays a powerful piece of literature Structure: I started with a definition of a contact zone followed by my thesis and motive, then the body paragraphs for support and concluded with a compare/contrast between Pratt and Jacobs. Strength: My strength in the essay was the analysis of how Jacobs's contact zone was different that Pratt's and how Jacobs's zone was an important autoethnographic text. Parts you were happy with: I liked some parts of my analysis of an autoenthnographic text and a contact zone. Weakness: My weaknesses included ...... -not enough support on bold statements - page length - stronger thesis Dissatisfied: I feel like I wrote everything that I had to say but it wasn't 6-8 pages so I which it was a page longer, even though I feel if I were to write anymore it would be way too repetitive. More time: I would develop my comparison of Pratt and Jacobs in more detail so the essay had more length. Rank: 3.9 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Seperate Peace essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thesis: The five main characters in John Knowles' A Separate Peace represent social stereotypes, according to some people. In his book A Separate Peace, John Knowles represents jocks with Phineas, a character who believes that sports are the key to life. Phineas is more of a sportsman than a jock. Real jocks only care about winning, Phineas makes sure it's not possible for anyone to win or lose. Chet Douglas is an exaggerated prep, just like Phineas is an exaggerated jock. He is obsessed with learning just for the sake of learning. No real hardcore prep thinks that way! Chet Douglas lives in his own educational world. He's so absorbed in this alternate reality in which Calculus has a justified existence that he forgets what the school is trying to teach him, and actually goes out and seeks more academia than what the school is already shoving down his and everyone else's throat. The standard prep is only concerned with being on the top of the Honor Roll, so that everybody's parents can marvel at how smart (s)he is. There is one character that fits into no stereotype. "Leper" Lepillier is an individualist. Individualists are people who don't conform to social norms just for the sake of being accepted by others. Real individualists are not those people with blue and green hair you see on talk shows. Those people conform to a subculture, something that was less common during World War II. The real individualists of the world are quickly disappearing, as conformity becomes more popular. I haven't met any real individualists, so I can't say whether or not Knowles exaggerates Lepillier's lack of stereotype. In modern society, there is pressure on individualists to conform to the most prominent subculture in the local area (I think). Those who fail to conform become outcasts, like the character Quackenbush. Outcasts are ridiculed so that they see themselves as inferior to everyone. In the book, Quackenbush tries desperately to find someone who he is not inferior to, and starts a fight with Gene. While outcasts are created in the same way as Quackenbush, he reacts much differently to being an outcast than most outcasts do. To the standard outcast, everyone is the target, eventually, not just a few inferior people. Some people are self-obsessed. Gene would be a good example if he was real. Gene is overly obsessed with his own emotions, this is why we have to put up with all his garbage throughout the book. He is the type who would step over his own mother (or shake his best friend off of a tree) to get what he wants. Since the time when this book takes place, new groups of people called subcultures have formed. Each subculture has its own social norms. They are like a society within a society, and segregate the people even more than these five basic types of people did back in Knowles' time. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\serg.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lauren Clarke ENG 3A, period 1 .Topic: Free Choice October 11, 1999 One Night, One Morning and a Cornfield It was Sunday night, sometime between the hours of seven and eight, I was dwelling motionlessly on my couch. I was contemplating removing myself from the couch potato position and find the converter to switch from Felicity's heart wrenching life decisions, blah blah blah, to some great source of entertainment like VIP. When suddenly the phone rang, my close friend Ally was on the verge of a breakdown and was in serious clubbing mode. My night of vedging at home munching on reeces pieces had ended up with me taking the bus to Barhaven to get ready for a night on the town. I wasn't really pumped to go out so I figured Ally would lend me a nice shirt to make me feel good and in exciting mood, as cool clothes normally do. Me thinking she would lend this to me is a natural assumption; one friend giving after receiving...... of course she tried it on afterwards and decided she wanted to wear it and was not about to change her mind. This made me angry, however I got it in the end so lets' move on to the juicy good stuff. It was nine thirty and our taxi had arrived. What seemed like minutes later we found ourselves outside "On Tap" in the rain. The line up was so long, so we decided to go to "The Factory" instead. We waited in line there for all of five minutes before we went in and started our night. Earlier in the evening Ally had told her friends (if your definition of three really hot guys just "friends") that we would meet them at "The Factory". We chilled upstairs, where it was cooler and there was no sweaty bodies dancing everywhere. Ally danced with her flame Andrew and I danced with Steve, whom I found really cute. It was nearing two thirty and we were all kind of bored of this scene. We gathered outside and headed for one of the guys house. Who owns a hot tub, indoors? Score! Ally and I changed from our skinny pants and shiny shirts, into big shorts and huge t-shirts to chill in the hot tub. Me, Ally and the guys sat in the hot tub and drank Sauvignon Blanc out of wine glasses for at least two hours. Ally decided to go to sleep, minutes after Andrew did, how convenient, so there I was with two gorgeous guys, their skin shining with sweat from the steam rising, off the heated water. I was alone with Steve now because every body else went to bed. We talked together, by ourselves in dark steamy room with giggles from the white wine. We talked about everything, the tension for some reason was growing by the minute, how could ones heart not be racing in this type of situation. Mark, the host of the night said that six o'clock would be a good time for me and Ally to leave seeing how his parents would be awakening within hours. Steve, my hot tub partner said that he would drive us where we wanted to go. We all got in Steve's car and headed for Denny's, the twenty-four hour restaurant. This place was made for hung over people strolling out of the bars at five o'clock. Me and and Steve sat on one side of the table. Ally on the other. He was beginning to grow on me faster then I would have liked seeing how I was previously involved with someone else for quiet a while. We drank coffee for an hour and a half and then decided maybe it was time to move out. It was now seven o'clock, and we were headed for Manotick for a reason still unknown to us. We drove down a path in the middle of a cornfield and parked. Ally tipped back her chair from the front seat; Steve exited the car and entered the back seat where I was sitting. It was getting hard for me to breath he was so cute, so not my type, so sitting right beside me. I laid down my head on his lap; body heat was needed at this hour, with us freezing in his little Toyota. He put his hand on my hip and gently stroked my hair. He took my hand, gently entwined his fingers with mine. I didn't know what I felt but I wasn't about to get involved with someone I had known for eight hours, but he was so yummy. We laid in the back of the car together with Ally in the front seat for about an hour. Finally we decided to go out for breakfast, our stomachs aching for food for hours. As we pulled into the driveway of the Caddy Shack, our choice of restaurant. We ate the gross food and left pretty quickly, our opinions of the place were diminishing rapidly. Back in the car again we headed for Ally's house to drop her off. Approaching nine thirty it was now only Steve and me in the car, headed for my house. We didn't really talk that much. We were so tired and I think he was feeling somewhat rejected from my behavior in the car. I kind of let him know I wasn't interested in stupid flings. Steve had a history of being a huge player and I was a one man only kind of girl. I thanked him when we got to my house for everything, coming with me and Ally to keep us safe, driving us around, and generally having a great time on 'our little adventure' as Steve; liked to call it. I will never forget that night/morning. I liked not really knowing what I was doing, it was exciting to be with guys I barely knew. I could act exactly like myself and it seemed as though that impressed them enough. I don't know what will happen with Steve and me; I'm not ready for a relationship right now. Which is probably a good thing seeing how he wasn't really known for that. Nevertheless I know when somebody is interested in me and he was a prime example. I can't say I regret flirting with Steve but I do regret not really discussing anything. Like why we spent every moment together since I met him at the club till the end of the night. I guess I've come to the conclusion that it was an adventure in my life that is better left unexplained. ????The journey in between what you once were and what you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place.???? Barbara De Angelis f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Settings of Jane Eyre.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Settings of Jane Eyre Throughout Jane Eyre, as Jane herself moves from one physical location to another, the settings in which she finds herself vary considerably. Bronte makes the most of this necessity by carefully arranging those settings to match the differing circumstances Jane finds herself in at each. As Jane grows older and her hopes and dreams change, the settings she finds herself in are perfectly attuned to her state of mind, but her circumstances are always defined by the walls, real and figurative, around her. As a young girl, she is essentially trapped in Gateshead. This sprawling house is almost her whole world. Jane has been here for most of her ten years. Her life as a child is sharply defined by the walls of the house. She is not made to feel wanted within them and continues throughout the novel to associate Gateshead with the emotional trauma of growing up under its "hostile roof with a desperate and embittered heart." Gateshead, the first setting is a very nice house, though not much of a home. As she is constantly reminded by John Reed, Jane is merely a dependent here. When she finally leaves for Lowood, as she remembers later, it is with a "sense of outlawry and almost of reprobation." Lowood is after all an institution where the orphan inmates or students go to learn. Whereas at Gateshead her physical needs were more than adequately met, while her emotional needs were ignored. Here Jane finds people who will love her and treat her with respect. Miss Temple and Helen Burns are quite probably the first people to make Jane feel important since Mr. Reed died. Except for Sunday services, the girls of Lowood never leave the confines of those walls. At Lowood, Jane learns that knowledge is the key to power. By learning, Jane earns greater respect and eventually, she becomes a teacher there, a position of relative power, all the more so compared to what she left behind at Gateshead. Jane stays inside the walls of Lowood for eight years. She has learned a great deal but all she finds for herself, when she does finally decide to leave, is "a new servitude." The idea that she might be free in an unbounded world is not yet part of her experience -- in a sense, it never will be. Once again, Jane changes setting and circumstance and into a world that is completely new to her experience. Thornfield is in the open country and Jane is free from restrictions on her movements. Jane has always lived within confining walls and even as a teacher at Lowood had to get permission to leave. She is still confined, in a sense, but now she is living with relative freedom, but as she will discover later, Jane is not equipped to live utterly free. Jane is an adult but to live she must be employed. . After Mr. Rochester arrives, Jane feels it is finally time to have a family of her own, but unwittingly, Jane becomes Mr. Rochester's mistress, not his wife. With that in mind Jane decides to leave Thornfield even though Rochester tries desperately to convince Jane to stay. At her stay at Thornfield, Jane learns what it feels like to be needed, by both Adele and Edward Rochester. What she finds next is that, in the free world which she often only could dream of, she is incapable of surviving totally independent. At Thornfield, or even Gateshead, she had the financial support to make mistakes as forgetting money without to much a consequence. The world outside those walls is not so forgiving. She resolves to live with Nature, but the next day she is found "pale and bare". She quickly ends up a common beggar, eating food given to her because "t' pig doesn't want it." Guided by a unknown forces, she stumbles upon Moor House and is taken in. Soon she regains her health and is allowed to stay. The companionship of Mary and Diana is perhaps the best suited to her intellect and temperament than any she has had before and the walls that she finds herself within are attractive. At Moor House, Jane is exposed to a way of living she had never quite seen before and, having seen the reality of the world she had previously only imagined. She then takes a job as a teacher -- the only skill she truly has. She finds another home, and again it suits her prospects. The cottage is "a little room with white-washed walls and a sanded floor" and a bed to sleep in. Here at Moor house is where Jane learns what it is to be an independent woman. Of course the twenty thousand pounds from John Eyre's inheritance doesn't hurt. In the final setting of the book at Ferndean, this is the place at where Jane will settle down. At the ends she concludes at Ferndean where she has now been cast into the role of a mother and from here so concludes the book. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Shape and Form.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The story of The Metamorphosis is one that is very subtle and very delicate. Kafka wrote in a fashion that would allow a reader to interpret the story in a way that may be different each time it is read. From the beginning, we see that a young, hard working, man, Gregor, has turned into a bug, and as the story continues, one can see that he was much more than an insect. What else could he be? Even after his death, it is obvious that Gregor was there for a cause. His family depended on him for their happiness. The purpose for his existence was to serve his family. His mother and father created him and were the driving force behind his physical change. There was a lack of communication that existed throughout the story that revealed how unappreciated they were of Gregor and his sister, who was on her way towards becoming like her brother. Gregor was very important to the family's welfare. At first he was the only working member of the family, and his job was very important; the whole future of Gregor and his family depended on it (p.84). For so long he wanted to quit his work, because he wasn't happy with it. But he said to himself, " Besides, I have to provide for my parents and my sister. (pp. 82-83)." He felt that his family was too dependent of him. When Gregor wouldnt let anyone in his room in fear that they would be horrified by his condition, he thought that his family was harassing him because he was in danger of losing his job, and because the chief would begin harassing his parents again for the old debts" (p. 76). At this point, everyone was angry and wanted him to get up for work. All that mattered to the family was what Gregor was able to provide. After his secret of change to an insect was discovered, they realized that he was no longer of any use to the family, and he was unappreciated in every way. He didn't have his job and no longer had anything to offer. "The house soon started to fall apart; the household was reduced more and more "(p. 113). Gregor was now a problem for he had no function in the family. They locked him up, imprisoning him by not allowing him out of his room. Slowly, his possessions were removed, and for some time no one bothered to clean his room, the cleaning of his room could not have been more hastily done. "Streaks of dirt stretched along the walls, here and there lay balls of dust and filth." (pp. 114-115). Anything that was not needed for the moment was simply thrown into Gregors room. They couldn't see beyond the obvious. To them he was only a bug and not Gregor. For this reason, they simply did not show him the respect that he deserved. Understanding Gregor was something that his parents failed to do. Even before his metamorphosis, there was a communication problem within the family. When Gregor first speaks to answer his mother, he didn't recognize his own voice. Kafka explains: "Gregor had a shock as he heard his own voice answering hers, unmistakably his own voice, it was true, but with a persistent horrible twittering squeak behind it like an undertone, that left the words in their clear shape only for the first moment and then rose up reverberating round them to destroy their sense, so that one could not be sure one had heard them rightly" (p. 70). As awful as he sounded, his mother did not recognize the difference in his voice, suggesting that they didn't speak often. Nothing changed after his metamorphosis, however, and the family continued to misunderstand Gregor. They failed to realize that, even as a bug, Gregor was still there and that he could understand everything they had to say. Many times he tried to show his loyalty, "but the more humbly he bent his head his father only stamped on the floor the more loudly (p. 86)." His sister, whom Gregor trusted most, even tried to convince his parents that Gregor is no longer with them. "My dear parents, she said, things cant go on like this. I wont utter my brothers same in the presence of this creature, and so all I say is: we must try to get rid of it (p. 124)." Gregor was not to be accepted for who he was. After some time, his family still hadn't got used to him. "He realized how repulsive the sight of him still was to her, and that it was bound to go on being repulsive (p. 99)." Gregor's condition resulted from the abuse that he took from his family, and he was much more wise because of it. He had gotten used to his change and actually enjoyed being a bug. " He especially liked hanging from the ceiling" (p. 100). And all the talk of him made him think more. He came to the conclusion that he was better off as a bug and did not want things to go back to the way they were. He was often haunted by the idea that the next time the door opened "he would take the family's affairs in hand again just as he used to do" (p. 114). He thought more logically as a bug and was tired of everyone depending on him. Gregor was not the only person affected in this story. His parents started to abuse his sister in the same way. Their son's unemployment forced her to get a job. She was then helping to support the family as Gregor once did. After he died, her mother and father both noticed something at almost the same time. They saw how grown up she had become and that it was time for her to find a husband and, in a way, marry another Gregor. He was the hindrance of the family's happiness, even after he died. "With the new jobs they had found, Gregor's death was likely to lead to better things later on (p. 132)," because they no longer deal with the problem of keeping him and hiding him from strangers. Each time the subject of Gregor came up, they would mention how useless he was. He was only good when he could provide for the family and so was never really appreciated for who he was. The fact that they didn't communicate well before Gregor's metamorphosis made it even harder to find him behind the mask of a giant insect in which they had created. His sister was making a change of her own also. Early in his metamorphosis "Gregor would stretch his legs and try to get comfortable" (p. 71). The same stretch is duplicated by his sister when she, too, sprang to her feet and stretched her body. She would be going through a similar change. The parents were the reason why the both of them turned out the way they did. Their total interest towards living a comfortable life made them unable to see what was happening with Gregor. Despite all his effort, they failed to realize that part of that insect that they had treated so cruelly was actually their son. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\she is dead.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ She is dead. She does not appear physically but haunts mentally. She is Codi and Hallie's mother Alice, the late wife of Homero Noline. Throughout the novel Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver Alice impacted the characters, action, and theme(s). When Alice passed away she took part of Homer with her. What she left was a misfit of time and circumstance; an emotionally distraught and distant man who attempted to resemble a father but veered more towards the tin man. Homero existed beyond his wife as only a page out of an instruction manual, the one with the caution statement. Homero's delicate heart decided that the only way to endure Alice's death was to flush any remembrance or resemblance of her out of his fortified technical realm which throughout the novel becomes increasingly skewed. Kingsolver pushes home this idea by omitting Alice from any of Homer's frequent flashbacks which are usually mishaps from the past involving his daughters. These incidents are his only recollection of his daughters' estranged childhood in which he strained to create slippery and unmothered women. Homer's fear of becoming attached to anything which reminded him of Alice resulted in an unorthodox childhood for Hallie and Codi. Homero was more of a child mechanic than a father. Retaining only his technical aptitude after Alice died all he could do was provide his kids with orthopedic shoes and the correct medicine. When not fixing Codi or Hallie's present or future ailments Homero took photographs of natural objects and slyly transformed them into man- made devices by doing what he seemed to be best at, distorting images. Codi, similar to her father mentally blocked out her past. Her childhood remained within her as only a series of stained and misplaced memories. Codi attempted to follow in her father's emulsion lined footprints, fixing every one of life's problems with an internal wrench. By approaching life from behind this falsified image Codi managed to distance herself from everything and everyone who could have hurt her. One aspect of life and time in which Codi was bred to be distanced from is the past. As Codi grew older she began wondering about her family's past. Homer basically told her they had no past. So with no past and no identity, Codi lived, searching for security and stability through a mother figure. Everywhere Codi went she managed to find a mother figure. Whether it be a man or a woman friend or even Hallie, Codi hid herself in other's security. This search for stability is catalyzed by the lack of a mother in Codi's childhood. The lack of maternal instinct in Codi left her with no sense of direction, therefore; she searched aimlessly for years, for herself. When Codi returns to her childhood home in Grace, Arizona she discovers she does have a past, both in her lifetime and prior to it. Contrary to what Homero told her, her original family was from Grace, her roots were there. The absence of Alice lays down a theme for the novel: you must return to your roots to find your identity. This is feasible because Codi had to come back to her family's origin and her mother's resting place to finally find her self. Throughout the novel Animal Dreams there is an invisible presence which effects the characters, action, and theme. The reason why this presence is so dramatic and forceful is the fact that it is a spiritual presence, one which we will never meet. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Ship Outline.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Shoot the teacher.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SHOOT THE TEACHER By: David Belbin During the couple of days that pass in this book, lots of things happen. A boy in his mid teens becomes to heavy a burden for his mother to carry. She kicks him out. Her divorced husband gets to take care of Adam. Adam and his father, who Adam calles Simon, move to a new place with a new school where Simon is a teacher. The very first day they're involved in a shooting. But there is more to come! Three people are shot and killed in only a few days. There are many theories of hwo comitted the killings. Simon is the main suspect, however he's found innocent. Instead the find that the murderer is Adam's only friend Naomi, who was the stepdaughter of the first victim. Adam is in the beginning of the book a rebellious young man. The typical teenager in revolt. He's growing his hair long, refusing to go to school and talking back to his mother. He seemes to calm down quite a bit though in just a few days. As a matter of fact, as soon they arrive at the new school, Adam seemes to be more mature and calm. Maybe that's because he doesn't have any friends in the new school, maybe because he feels inferior being the new kid and outsider that he is. Adam's relationship to his father seemes to vary a lot. At first Adam looks at his father as if he was a perfect stranger.And he has all rights to do that since they practicly hadn't seen each other att all since Adam was born. Then some kind of a father-son friendship evolves, but I get the feeling that it's only because they feel they have to. When Simon is accused of murder, Adam starts to hate him. Perhaps stop caring about it, is a better way of describing Adam's feelings towards his dad. The author used a technique with many enviromental descriptions. He didn't use a lot of fancy words, probably because it is a youth book. I am amazed by the number of times the author used the verb shrug. At least once every other page. The plot is well written so that you can't tell who the murderer is until the very last page, or at least the last chapter. I usually don't like this kind of books. Actually I don't like books at all. I enyojed this one though. Once I got started reading it, I could hardly put it down. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Short Answer Essays pg.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Short Answer Essays pg. 886 #17-27 17. Breathing occurs as air enters the external nares. This cavity is divided by the nasal septum. Air then travels down the pharynx, the passageway for air. Air then goes down the larynx to the trachea and then the right and left bronchus into the bronchioles and alveoli. The alveoli are the sight for gas exchange. 18. The trachea is supported by hyaline cartilage rings, which like its walls. The cartilage rings prevent the trachea from collapsing and keep airflow constant despite pressure changes. A layer of smooth muscle fibers connects the open posterior parts of the cartilage rings. Since this portion of the tracheal wall is soft, the esophagus can expand anterioryly as food is swallowed. 19. As a boy matures during puberty, his larynx enlarges and his vocal chords become longer and thicker. This causes the vocal chords to vibrate and the voice becomes deeper. 20. The thoracic cage that tends to pull the thorax outward and enlarge the lungs causes the elasticity of the chest wall. The passageways in the lungs are for blood to pass through to get oxygen through the heart. 21. When inspiration occurs, the intercostals muscles in the ribs contract and the diaphragm descends so that the rib cage rises. Therefore, the thoracic volume increases and pressure decreases. The lungs stretch and air flows into the lungs. During expiration, muscles relax and thoracic volume decreases and pressure increases and gas rushes out. 22. Gas exchange occurs with simple diffusion across the respiratory membrane. The oxygen passes from the alveolus into the blood, and carbon dioxide leaves the blood to enter the gas-filled alveoli. The walls of the alveoli are very thin and therefore allow ready diffusion of gases. 23. Airway resistance peaks in the medium sized bronchi and then declines shortly after as the total cross sectional area of the airway increases rapidly. Lung compliance is the ease with which lungs can be expanded also known as their detensibility. Surface tension is the unequal attraction, which produces a state of tension at the liquid surface. 24. The minute respiratory volume is the tidal, inspiratory reserve, and residual volume. It is the amount of air that can be inspired forcefully beyond the tidal volume. Alveolar ventilation rate is a better index of effective ventilation. This is because it takes into account the volume of air wasted in dead space areas and measures the flow of fresh gases. 25. Dalton's law of partial pressure states that the total pressure excreted by a mixture of gases is the sum of pressures exerted independently by each gas in the mixture. Henry's Law, on the other hand, states that when a mixture of gases is in contact with a liquid, each gas will dissolve in the liquid in proportion to its partial pressure. 26. Hyperventilation is a rapid breathing pattern, which enhances the alveolar ventilation and quickly flushes carbon dioxide out of the blood. This process increases blood pH. 27. If a person was a smoker in their life, there is an 80% chance that the individual will acquire lung cancer in their old age. This can often prove fatal. Asthma is also quite prevalent. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\short essay 1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jeff Bagosy IST 110 Group 2 Authentication of online materials This day in age with the many technologies available online it becomes very difficult for one to decipher factual information from information that is not right at all. However there are a few ways in which this information can be validated so that you can get an idea of where this information is coming from. The first way this should be done is to check the author of the website if there is no author that should be your first sign that something isn't right with that particular site. Check to see if the website provides any credibility for the author of the website, for example if the web article is about some sort of health issue look to see if the author is a doctor or not. Also you should check to see if the website provides a date when this website is published, as well as a date when it was last updated, because out of date information can sometimes be just as bad as wrong information. After you have done all this make sure you check if the author of the website has listed a works cited or has provided a link to where his information can be verified. If after checking all of this if you still can not get a good read on the validity of the information that you are accessing, you should check to see if the information provided on the website is free from misspellings and grammatical errors. By doing this you can get a good read on how relevant the information is. A highly respected doctor for example, would not publish something on the web that has misspellings and grammatical errors in his work. Works cited: http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/features/jump/0,24331,2138353,00.html http://www.workcare.com/Archive/News_Art_2003_Feb28.htm f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\short essay 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jeff Bagosy Ist 110 Group #2 9/17/03 Short essay #2 In 1968 a man named Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse, a device that in today's computer world is almost a necessity. In fact Douglas Engelbart's invention was way ahead of its time. The mouse was not really put into use until 1984 when Macintosh began to incorporate it into their system. Yeah sure you can always use the keyboard to navigate but do you really have time to be navigating like that when you can just move the mouse and click. The mouse began to become more and more important in computers as time went on. When more interactive operating systems of the likes of windows came out the mouse soon took over as the major navigation tool in the world of computers. I don't know about you but I couldn't even think of not having a mouse to use. The truth is this is the way most people think. Imagine if after using a mouse for as long as you have been and then just having it taken away from you and you were left with only a keyboard. We wouldn't know where to start. We don't realize how intricate the mouse is because we've had it for so long. As we look at the advancement of the It field we must look no further than the mouse. Just think If we never had the mouse how long it would've taken for everything to get accomplished and we may not have been able to move ahead in the world of computers as fast as we have without it. The Great Idea Finder, Douglas Englebart; Sept 18th, 2003 http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/story044.htm The Great Idea Finder, Douglas Englebart; Sept 18th, 2003 http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/engelbart.htm f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\short essay p 115.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alex Jones Short essay I think that the sludge test is a good way to assess my progress in science. I first filtered the sludge that was given to us in hot water. That separated the solids from the liquids. Then I filtered all the sludge in cold water. I boiled a portion of the sludge that made it through the filter in a dish. Then I took another portion of the sludge and boiled it in a test tube with boiling chips. I collected gas in another test tube that cooled the gas into its liquid form. I switched the test tube that collected the gas when sludge reached its boiling point. I then found all the characteristic properties of the different liquids. This shows that the sludge test is a good way to assess my progress in science because I was able to separate many different substances. In the test I used all the skills and techniques that we have learned. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\short essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ On May 19, 2004, I was inducted member of the Lafayette Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society based on scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship. On June 2, 2004, I received the Language Arts Award grade 7 Advance 2nd place. For the academic year 2003-2004 I made the Superior Honor Roll for all grading periods. On June 2nd, 2004, I also received a medal from the DYFit club (drug free youth in town) for community service and participation at events promoting freedom from drugs. Some of my personal activities are: drums, poetry, drawing and singing. I like to design clothes. When I am not in school I interact with youth in the neighborhood and we do the right thing. Occasionally, I will do community clean ups and visit an elderly center with my neighbor. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Short Story Essay dilusion and diception.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Short Story Essay Not only are these characters victims of appearance, but are victims of delusion and deception. Not only do these judgments on appearance cause delusion towards one self, but causes altered deception towards others. When I say deception towards others, I mean judgments that are false about an unknown character. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Short Story Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Short Story Essay I noticed that i enjoyed most of the storys not only for the obvious reasons such as good charactors, mood, and imagery but also because of writing style and fluency. I noticed some storys I enjoyed reading even thought nothing in it really interested me too much, while other storys that were about topics I usally enjoy reading about I had to put down because I would end up going over every sentence two or three times each. So on that note I belive the most important part of writing is making it fluent and easy to read. The three storys I will compare and contrast are: "The Jade Peony", "Horses of the Night", and "The Masqe of the Red Death." I intend to fine wether o not the author of these storys was sucessful in making it readable in the sence of comprehanceability and fluency. The first story i will be discussing is called "The Jade Peony" by Wayson Choy. I did not enjoy what this story was about nor did I enjoy reading it. Luckly it was short, If It wasnt I doubt i would have made it throught the whole thing. The main problem with this story was the inconsistance of the sentences, some sentences were too long while others were very short. The only way to truly fix this story would be to re-write it. The second story I chose to write about is called "Horses of the Night" by Margaret Laurence. I did enjoy reading this short story dipite the fact it seem to jump around alot; it would talk about somthing fairly in-depth then just suddenly jump to a different subject or time-era of the story. The author seem to show very good writing ability however so I think perhaps she did this on purpose either just for somthing different or maybe to give you a break from what she was currently writing about. And finally the third and personal favourite story i chose to include in this paper is called "The Masqe of the Red Death." This story is nice and easy to read even though it uses fairly large words and complex sentences. This story just happens to be writen by one of my favourite writers aswell: Edgar Allen Poe. I enjoyed this story mainly because like i said it was easy to read and it was actually challenging to figure out, like much of Poe's work. The fluency of the story gave you time to just think of what he ment by it. As you can probibly see the short storys seem to very when it comes to writing fluency and writing structure when it comes to this paticular short story book. One may dissagree with some of my opinions toward these storys but i think to the average novice reader like myself these opinions will stay fairly consistant. This Has Been Spawned To You From The Head Of: Nathan Smith. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Short Story.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lang. Arts Rich Goldman Short Story per.7 ³ You have entered the United States government mainframe. Please enter your password,² says the computer. ³ Thank you, Mr. Smith.² ³ The file of Henry O¹Brien is being loaded. Please stand by.² ³ File loaded, and deleted Mr. Smith.² For Henry O¹Brien, breaking into other computers is his hobby and life. Ever since the computer age (the twenty-first century), Henry O¹Brien has been a computer artist. There isn¹t a computer he can¹t break into, even government mainframes. The only problem for him is that in his society if he is found hacking, he¹ll be banished. This is why Henry and other hackers like him must be very careful. The man they fear most is a federal agent named Mr.Smith who was known for catching hackers like Henry. Henry¹s society is run by computers and robots. Computers do everything from ordering out food to being a thinking, personal secretary. Robots do everything else the computer can¹t do from cooking dinner to helping kids with homework. The only flaw to this society is that people like Henry can tap into and control the computers, robots and other electronics. ³ Thank you, Mr. Smith,² replies the computer. ³ The file of Henry O¹Brien has been deleted. Please enter another file.² ³ Computer, how and when was this file deleted?² asks Mr. Smith. ³ The file was deleted at 11:58 pm today by an outside computer. Would you like me to trace the command?² asks the computer. ³ Hey maybe this new program will actually work,² says Mr. Smith ³ The command came from 8546 Macintosh Road.² ³ At last, I think we caught ourselves a hacker!² Shortly after, Henry was breaking into a television¹s circuits for fun and was switching the channels which probably caused confusion among the viewers. Suddenly, the door slams open, and fifteen men come in with assault rifles pointed at him. ³ Put your hands in the air, now!² screams one of the men. ³ So Henry, what are you up to, breaking into the CIA?² asks Mr.Smith jokingly. ³ Either way, you won¹t be hacking for a while because you won¹t have a computer after you¹re banished!² After being taken to the government building by the soldiers, Henry is questioned by officers and sentenced without trial to be banished from society. All records of his life are to be deleted. ³ How can you do this? I didn¹t even have a trial,² shouts Henry. ³ We don¹t want this thing blown up anymore than it already is,² says Mr.Smith. ³ You will be exiled tomorrow at 1:00 pm. Have a nice day Henry.² ³ I swear if its the last thing I do, I¹m going to destroy all the technology, so you¹ll wish you never messed with Henry O¹ Brien!² ³ Put him in his cell. I want five guards there around the clock!² The next day at 1:00 pm, Henry is taken by five soldiers with guns into a van. Henry has no idea where they were taking him. He has no idea whether he is to be murdered or g-d knows what. Then the van stops, and the doors open. ³ Put your hands where I can see them!² shouts a soldier. Henry got out of the van with his hands over his head and is ordered to kneel. He does so knowing his life was probably about to end. He heard the cocking of the gun and closes his eyes. Just then gun shots fly. When he opens his eyes, he sees the soldiers lying on the ground. He looks up and can¹t believe it. On a nearby hill, stands Henry¹s old friend Joe McDonald. ³ How did you know they were taking me here?² yells Henry. ³ The stupid government made a file of what they were doing with you. It was a good thing I found it. They were about to put it on disc, and then I would have never known,² replies Joe. ³ Well I¹m glad you did, but now I got some business to attend to.² ³ First come back to my place. After all, I did save your life.² ³ Okay, maybe I can do my business on your computer.² At Joe¹s place, Henry and Joe enjoy some drinks and talk about old memories. ³ So what¹s this business you¹re talking about?² asks Joe ³ I know you may not agree with what I want to do, but I don¹t care. I vowed to destroy the society¹s technology. There would be no more robots, computers, and other electronic things. Society needs to put more responsibility on humans. ³ Now that you mention it, I have to agree with you. I remember when humans had responsibilities.² ³ Let me in on what your doing. I¹m sure I could help,² says Joe. ³ Okay, but its my mission,² warns Henry. ³ All right,² responds Joe. After drinks, Henry and Joe go to Joe¹s computer and open the Peco Energy mainframe and into their electricity controls. This was the hard part. To get in to the controls they had to know ten, ten digit passwords. Fortunately, Joe has a new code cracker which finds the code in two minutes. They are in! Now they can control the electricity in the society and shut down the computers. ³ Once we punch in the command, people will have responsibilities and hacking will be over.² said Henry. ³ There will be no more machines to do their work.² ³ Are you sure you want to sacrifice hacking?² asks Joe. ³ Yes,² Henry says emphatically. Then Henry punched in the command and hits enter. A few seconds later the lights go out. The computer shuts off, and there is silence. ³ It is over.² f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Shrek essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In this essay, I am going to analyze the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad, and write about how the filmmakers use different presentational devices to create an unusual fairy tale. Skrek and Lord Farquaad do not play typical fairy tale roles. The ogre, Shrek is more like a prince and Lord Farquaad is more like an ogre. The use of the camera helps us to see the charaters in a certain way and to understand their emotions. In traditional fairy tales the prince would be the good guy and the ogre would be the bad guy. The giant in 'Jack in the Bean Stock' is scary, big and threatens to kill and eat Jack. The prince in 'Snow White' and 'The Seven Dwarves' is kind, loving and gentle. He is the hero of the story. Language is an important device, and I am going to write about how language can create the impression of good and evil in both characters, and in films. The film, Shrek, opens with a picture of a book and Shrek getting ready for the day in his swamp. At the beginning of the story his voice is pleasant and you immediately like him. There is also humor. In a conventional fairy tale the ogre would be mean. As a viewer we are surprised to like the ogre, Shrek. This opening suggests that there will be many more surprises. When the storybook characters arrive Shrek is mean and tries to frighten the storybook characters and get rid of them. He was the traditional idea people feel about ogres and said old sayings such as, "I'm going to grind your bones to make soup"1. The storybook characters are not afraid, they come to Shrek for advice and help. Shrek tries to appear mean but you immediately see how kind he can be. When Donkey approaches, Shrek roars at him and tries to intimidate him. Donkey is not frightened and wants to be friends with Shrek. Donkey sees that Shrek has a good soul and even though Shrek tries to frighten Donkey, Donkey only laughs at him. Donkey is smart and determined, he pesters Shrek to be his friend and won't go away. Finally Shrek gives in and becomes friends with Donkey. The mice tease Shrek, this seems funny because they are so small and he is so big. The mice and the donkey suggest that Shrek is not a mean cold hearted ogre. They suggest that Shrek is not a mean cold hearted ogre. They suggest he may look and sound mean but that is not how he is inside. Shrek and Donkey visit Duloe, to try to reclaim Shrek's swamp from Lord Farquaad. Donkey thinks that Shrek is too kind and should not have to ask for the swamp as the swamp belongs to him anyway. Donkey tells Shrek to be mean and intimidating. He tells him to demand the swamp back and scare the people. Shrek and Donkey begin a riot. Shrek says "let's settle this over a pint"2 and pushes over the barrels and begins fighting with the knights. This rough behavior shows Shrek will defend himself and for those he cares about. When Shrek breaks into the castle to rescue Princess Fiona, he acts like an ogre when he greets the princess. Shrek does not act like a traditional Prince when he meets the princess. He does not kiss her and is rough, telling her to hurry up. The princess suggests that Shrek act more like a prince and have better manners. Although Shrek appears violent, when we learn that he has failed to slay the dragon because Shrek sees that the dragon likes Donkey and realizes that although the dragon looks mean and scray, he must have some good inside him. At the beginning of the film Shrek tries to threaten the characters, Donkey and Princess Fiona are not intimidated by Shrek or his appearance. He tries to make them frightened by reminding them that he is an ogre. Although Shrek is an ogre he acts more like a conventional prince. In contrast to Shrek, Lord Farquaad is cruel. He watches the torture of the ginger bread man's buttons, making him feel bad, then throws him in the garbage. Lord Farquaad is greedy, mean and cruel. We can see this by how he treats others and we know he only wants to marry the princess so he can become king. Lord Farquaad is all set to marry Princess Fiona, until he sees that when the sun set's she turns into an ugly ogre. Lord Farquaad speaks to her in a cruel way, and he orders his knights to 'get that out of my sight.' Lord Farquaad calls off the wedding, but he still proclaims himself King. Lord Farquaad is deceptive because he should only become the king if he marries Fiona. It is clear that Lord Farquaad does not love the Princess, but agrees to marriage because he wants to become king. When the director is making a film it is important that he/she uses a variety of camera angles to create certain effects. At the beginning of the film, Shrek scares the storybook characters away. He appears as a traditional ogre in the beginning when he talks to the fairy tale people. As the movie goes on we can see how unconventional the ogre Shrek is. The close-up makes Shrek seem large and the others small. Close-up shots are also useful for focusing the viewer's attention on the characters emotions. The close-up camera shots of Princess Fiona and Shrek smiling shows their human qualities. Everyone looks better when they smile. Tension is created when Lord Farquaad is introduced. Instead of focusing on his face, the camera shows how small he is and what a big head he has compared to his body. This suggests he thinks he is great and can have and do anything he wants. When Shrek visits Lord Farquaad's castle, the camera mover from ground level upwards to reveal his tower. This is called a high angle shot. It is useful because it makes Lord Farquaad seem large and powerful, and Shrek and Donkey appear small and weak. Low angle shots are effectively used because they show Lord Farquaad looking down on Shrek and Donkey. Mid angle shot's are used when Shrek and Donkey are relaxing together, and when Shrek cooked Princess Fiona a meal. These shots show both of the characters at the same time and have the effect of making them equal and showing friendship. Sometimes, a character's back is shown rather than their face. This is used to suggest isolation from other characters. For example when Princess Fiona leaves Shrek and goes inside, she is hiding and wants to be alone. Shrek walks away from Donkey, showing he wants to end their friendship. Presentational devices are also used to influence the viewer, and to make them see a particular character in a certain way. The story begins in Shrek's swamp. The swamp looks very basic and does not have many quality things. The swamp looks lonely and isolated just how you would expect an ogre to live. Donkey runs away and finds himself in Shrek's swamp. Shrek does not hurt Donkey but it does take a while for them to become friends. Lord Farquaad lives in a castle but it does not seem like a traditional castle, full of splendor and happiness. We see the ginger bread man being tortured. When we first meet Shrek, it is obvious that he is supposed to look like an ogre because he lives in a modest camp, his bad breath and poor hygiene habits, like pulling wax out of his ears to make a candle. He bathes in the mud and uses toothpaste that he squeezes out of a leaf plant. Lord Farquaad seems like a typical Lord. He wears expensive looking clothes, has a nice horse, and if he marries a princess he will become king. He lives in a castle and is surrounded by nice things. Lighting is used to persuade the viewer to think of a character in certain way. When Princess Fiona leaves Shrek, Shrek sits with his back to the camera and stares at the moon. Darkness is used here to create a feeling of gloom and sadness. The images of light are used throughout fully too. Shrek and Princess Fiona are often pictured walking through meadows, this creates the feeling of happiness and relaxation. The brilliant light at the end of the film suggests that Shrek and the Princess live happily ever after. When we first meet Lord Farquaad, and the hooded figure, there is marching music this makes the viewer feel that he is powerful. The loud organ suggests something is about to happen. The lyrics in the songs throughout the movie convey messages. One song called "I'm a Believer" explains how important it is to be open minded and not judge people by how they look. When Shrek overhears the conversation between Donkey and Princess Fiona, he misinterprets the conversation, at this moment the music is slow and suggests a sad mood. The song about broken dreams and promises is how Shrek feels when he overhears the conversation between Donkey and Princess Fiona. The effect of having Donkey and the dragon crying shows us friendships can be formed by anyone. Donkey is an important character in the film, as he helps us to understand the character of Shrek. When Donkey refuses to listen to Shrek, ignores the 'Beware of ogre' sign, and follows him back to the swamp he is showing us Shrek is approachable. Donkey turned the tournament scene into a comedy by his good natured behavior and making good natured jokes while they were fighting the knights. The tournament scene shows that if you push Shrek, he will defend himself. Shrek and Donkey are friends, they depend on each other and even though Shrek appears to find Donkey annoying he also seems to like having Donkey around. Donkey shows us Shrek's good qualities of friendship and caring. After analyzing the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad, I have come to the conclusion that although Shrek looks like a traditional fairy ogre he is more like a typical prince. Shrek rescues the princess, falls in love and has meaningful friendships. Shrek is kind and considerate of other people's feelings throughout the movie. Although Lord Farquaad looks like a Prince, his actions suggest he is evil. Lord Farquaad is very mean, he tortures the ginger bread man, steals Shrek's swamp, makes his knights put there lives on the line, turns Princess Fiona down when he finds out she has an ugly side, and claims to be king even though he did not marry Fiona. The story of Shrek uses presentational devices to reverse our expectations, so that by the end of the film Shrek, although he is the ogre seems like a prince and Lord Farquaad, although he is a Lord, seems more like an evil mean ogre. When we see Lord Farquaad in his castle instead of being surrounded by pleasant images, it shows him torturing the ginger bread man and showing how mean spirited he really is. Perhaps the message of the story is that you can not judge a book by its cover. It is interesting how the filmmaker did not make the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad fit into traditional roles. The other characters in the movie, Donkey and Princess Fiona help us to understand the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad and that they are not what they look like. 1 Shrek. Dir. Andre Adamson Vicky Jensen with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz. DreamWorks, 2002. 2 Shrek. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Siddhartha Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Siddhartha Essay When you take a journey, do you know what it will turn your life into? Do you know what will happen to you along the way? Do you know for sure that it will make you a better person, or for that matter, a worse person? Well, Siddhartha, a young man takes a journey that will forever change his life. He makes choices that later on he will regret, and others he will be very happy he made them. In this essay, I will sum up his journey and the key points that followed along inside of it. I will tell you what the consequences were for his actions, and whom he was with and loved. You will now find out what Siddhartha's journey changed his life into. I think the first significant milestone in the beginning of Siddhartha's journey is when he leaves home with Govinda and becomes a Samana. Siddhartha grew up as a Brahmin, considering he was a Brahmin's son. He had everything he's ever wanted, but then at an early stage in his life, he realizes he is not happy and does not want to grow up in the environment that he and his family members live in. Knowing that he wanted more from his life just goods and other than possessions, he asks his dad for his approval to leave the house. Although he says no at first, he is soon to realize that Siddhartha needs to find his own path. Siddhartha and Govinda successfully catch up with the Samanas the next morning and join them on their journey. From the Samanas, Siddhartha figures out how to think, fast, and wait. These attributes are very important to him. By joining the Samanas, Siddhartha planned to "Conquer Self, the greatest secret" (11). He believes that after he rids himself of "thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow", (11) he will be able to "experience pure thought" (11). After being a Samana for three years Siddhartha doesn't think he is taking the right path for him, and leaves to go on yet another journey. The passage "what is meditation? What is abandonment of the body? What is fasting? ... It's only a flight from Self, a temporary escape" (13), explains that he does not believe in that being a Samana is helping him, or will help him, accomplish his goal and that he should move on. This milestone seems important because it gives Siddhartha perspective on what he wants to become and achieve. Another huge milestone for Siddhartha is when he meets Kamala. She informs him that he needs "fine clothes, fine shoes, and money" in order for her to teach him. She then introduces him to the merchant, Kamaswami. Kamaswami gives Siddhartha a job and also a place to stay. He is also taught by Kamala, the "ways of a woman." At the beginning, Siddhartha is kind and doesn't let the wealth overpower him. But as time goes on, Siddhartha's facial expressions were often turning into those of the rich peoples, "expressions of discontent, of sickliness, of displeasure, of idleness, of loveliness" (63). This passage explains how Siddhartha let loose of his morals and let the "pleasures of the world overtake him." Siddhartha then began gambling and demanding money from leisurely paying debtors. On one fine day, he looked in the mirror and realized how shallow his life had become over this course of time. So that night he had a dream about "the rare songbird Kamala kept in a small golden cage." It was about this bird he had dreamt about before. This bird, which most of the time sang in the morning, became silent, and as this action astonished him, he looked in the cage and the bird had passed. As he threw the bird on the road, he felt like he had gotten rid of "all that was good and of value in himself" (66). This dream symbolized what his life had turned into and made him realize that a part of him had died. This dream helped him grasp that his goal was no longer "pure thought and salvation," but of "riches and possessions." So the next morning Siddhartha left in search of a new path. I believe that this milestone is imperative because at first it creates a side of Siddhartha that is based upon possessions and desires, but it helps him realize that in order to reach nirvana he has to start over as a child with "no knowledge or wealth." I believe that the last highlight in Siddhartha's life is when he goes to live with the wonderful ferryman. As Siddhartha looks into the river about to take his own life, he hears the "one word: Om." That one word gives him the mighty courage to carry on and he then remembers the ferryman, Vasudeva, who helped him cross the river to Kamala's town. Siddhartha searches for the ferryman and when he finds him, Vasudeva invites him to be his guest. Siddhartha learns from the river that there is no such thing as time and he tells Vasudeva his knowledge about what he has previously learned. One day a group of monks were passing by and with them was Kamala and her son. She was resting under a tree when a snake bit her, leaving the son with Siddhartha. His son was "accustomed to a different life and to a different nest" (96) and one day ran off. The passage "how can I part from him, give me time yet, my dear friend. I am trying to reach his heart," (97) explains that even though Siddhartha realized that his son wasn't happy and the lifestyle he lived was troubling him, he still tried as best as he could. At first Siddhartha is crushed by the disappearance of his son, but one-day when he looked into the river he saw the face of his father and after looking deeper he sees Kamala and Govinda. He had finally reached nirvana and reached his final goal. Do you now know what might happen to you, and the consequences you might have to face during your life long expedition? Do you know what or whom you might turn into? Well, you should recognize it now. After reading this you should have some idea of that bumps and bruises you might run into during your journeys. Hopefully you might not have as many as young Siddhartha did; but those bumps and bruises may help you later on in life and to become a bigger and stronger person, maybe not physically, but mentally as well. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\sidome.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kira Vilanova FR 301/Pendergrass Composition 4 14 novembre 1996 "SIDONIE" "Sidonie" est un intéréssant mélange de l'amour et de l'infidelité. Cette histoire, écrite par Myriam Warner-Vieyra, rend compte de la courte et inquiète vie de Sidonie, une femme qui est originaire de la Guadeloupe mais qui habite en France. Au début de l'histoire, Septime est présenté, qui peut être le protagoniste de l'histoire si Sidonie n'avait pas une vie si compliqueé. Septime est le frère de Sidonie, notre femme, et ils sont venus de la Guadeloupe, une petite ile dans les Caraïbes, près de la cote du Vénézuéla. Dans les premiers paragraphes de cette histoire, Septime pense à son anfance, à la Guadeloupe, et nous nous rendons compte à quel style de vie lui et sa soeur appartennaient. Quand Sidonie avait près de quinze ans, leur mère est morte et elle choisit de quitter l'école pour permettre à Septime de continuer ses études. Après quelques années, Septime a pu mettre assez d'argent de coté pour aller en France avec sa soeur et chercher une meilleur vie. C'est ici où le calvaire de Sidonie a commencé. En arrivant en France, Sidonie a eu un accident de voiture qui lui a laissé les deux jambes paralysées. Le conducteur de la voiture, Bernard, a decidé un peu après de se marier avec Sidonie. L'action de se marier avec une handicappée a posé une question pour la famille: Est-ce que le fait que Bernard se sente coupable l'ait decidé à se marier? L'histoire n'approfondit pas beaucoup ce thème et, pour moi, c'est la clé pour dèchiffrer la cause de la souffrance qui a tourmentée Sidonie. Pour analyser la situation de Sidonie, il faut comprendre que, du moins à mon avis, elle était une femme qui a decidé de se conformer à sa vie. Après avoir eu un accident si terrible qui a vraiment changé sa vie complètement, peut être qu'elle a pensé que sa vie était terminée. Je crois que parce qu'elle était paralysée, elle avait decidé qu'il serait impossible de trouver, par exemple, un autre mari, un homme qui l'aime vraiment. J'ai basé mon argument sur le comportement de Bernard. Bernard était un homme qui avait une vie en dehors de sa maison. Il avait une famille établie (sa femme) et sa cousine Yolène qui s'occupait de la maison pour aider Sidonie. C'était une vie parfaite! Il ne devait se préoccuper de rien, mais ici se présente le problème: Yolène était enceinte de Bernard et bizarrement ils ne trouvent pa ça mal. Par moi, c'est terrible! Cet evénèment a beaucoup affecté Sidonie -évidemment- et a été le début de sa fin. Sidonie était furieuse avec Bernard, et pensait que Yolène, qu'elle cosiderait son amie, l'avait trahit. A ce moment, Septime et sa femme Nicaise entrent pour essayer d'améliorer la situation. On peut se rendre compte de l'importance que Sidonie avait dans la vie de son frère. Bien que Sidonie ne se soit pas calmée, son frère lui a donné des conseils: Il lui a dit qu'il serait mieux d'accepter l'enfant, que l'enfant lui donnerait joie, spécialement parce que Sidonie ne pouvait pas avoir des enfants propres. Encore, nous rencontrons l'attitude de conformité. Mon impression est que tous ceux qui entourent Sidonie voulent l'aider, mais ils prennent le mauvais chemin pour faire sans doute le bien. A la fin de l'histoire, Sidonie, hystèrique, a sectionné le pénis de son mari avec un couteau de cuisine et puis, s'est suicidée. Après avoir analysée la vie de Sidonie, on réalise qu'elle vivait sur son nuage, coupée de la réalité jusqu'au jour où tout a basculé et qu'elle a decidé de mettre fin à sa vie. 609 mots. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Sir Baldric and thhe Evil Threshmit.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sir. Baldric and The Evil Threshmit It was a frigid night at Rockland Palace. The wind blew hard, and howled out of the night, as the rain beat down on Sir. Morgan as he stood outside the castle walls. He had just returned with the news from King Crenshaw. Suddenly from the dark of the night came Threshmite, the great enemy of man. The description of the beast given by the churl , who stood witness to Sir Morgan's dismemberment, was that of a giant, man eating firs snorting, three headed savage warthog gargoyle. As the lightening flashed, and the thunder clapped, the it reared it's center head up, and gave a fell glare into the eyes of the helpless peasant, who was frozen in a horrified Position. It took nearly five hours, and the help of the resident magician to get that out of him. He is as skittish as a hind , afraid to venture out of the castle walls, or even let down the drawbridge, for fear of becoming Threashmis' next meal. King Lenson grieved deeply over his departed friend. He then asked for volunteers to hunt down the scatheful beast. The reaction to his request was pathetic, not a man stood. It seemed as though King Lenson's valiant knights were nothing more than a flock of recreants. At last Sir. Baldric stepped forward, he had risen to the occasion, proving true to his troth. He was truly a stalwart knight. Early the next morning Baldric awakened, in preparation for his endeavor. He dressed himself with care, methodically arranging his raiment. As he pulled his hauberk over his head, and sweeping shoulders the lady of the castle mad her way gently into the room. She helped him finish dressing, and when he went to leave the room she made a tryst between herself and Sir Baldric. They would meet in the church before he left. She softly kissed his cheek, and departed. He went to the arms room, and took down his sword from it's place on the wall. It shone bright in the morning bask. It was whet after every use and now ready for action. He saddled his horse, and went to go meet with lady Lenson in the church. He found her in the last pew, dolorous and weeping. She begged him not to go, so he pledged his mission in her honor. He was bound by heart, and soul to seek and destroy Threshmiter. The king sent him out on his way, and told Sir Baldric he would return victorious. So he rode across the grassy knolls into the black forest. He crossed the deep crags of Keystone, and the red river of evil. Through the valley of death, and beyond. All the way braving the wolves, trolls, bears, and all of the other savage creatures across the countryside. Alas in mid January he came across some fewments, (Droppings of the beast pursued), and knew he was near Treshmit. He began to set up camp, and while doing this he began to think about home. He thought how he missed his warm feather bed, the merry evensongs he sang around the fire with his friends, and most of all he missed Lady Lenson. He was tired of stetting up camp every night in a new place, building the palisade, and waking with the sun covered with hoarfrost. He was nearing the end of his journey, an would be home soon, but for now he must rest. He slept lightly, and awoke early, broke down camp, and headed out. He came across a great cave, and upon hearing the snorting, and smacking he knew it was in the middle of a meal. Sir. Baldric sunk up from behind the monster, and out on a slight overhang above Threshmit. He gathered his thoughts, grasped the helve of his sword, and came down in the center of the beast's neck, severing it's spinal column. He then took the haft of his dagger and ripped open the leathery skin of the beast's throat, sending a bath of blood through the cave. He had fell Threshmit, and completed his mission, never sundering from the task at hand. Baldric took out the beast's heart as proof of his success, and headed for home. His journey home took nearly three weeks, but upon his arrival at Rockland he was greeted warmly by all. They all gave boon to him, and there was a gathering of the citizens of Rockland in Sir. Baldric's honor. The King, and his knights were seated on the dais, Baldric in the seat of honor. He was declared by the King as the noblest knight of the court, and given a red silk girdle as a symbol of his courage. He thanked them all, and while the men made merry, and drank, he slipped away with Lady Lenson into his feather bed. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Sixth Essay Assignment.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The proposed circumstance for this essay asks us to examine based on moral principles whether a mother should chose to have all her children die at the hands of a Nazi, or if she herself should chose one to kill, and in doing so spare the life of herself and her other two children. This question immediately made me think of Held and her Feminist Principles. If the basic moral principles of the issue were to be examined the first conclusion that can be drawn is that it is morally wrong for one person to take the life of another. This is a basic fact that is agreed upon by society, and proven so by our legal system. We punish those who murder with a life of imprisonment, and in some cases death. It is also arguable that its would be morally wrong for a Mother to chose one child over her others. It would be the view of society that an individual who was capable of picking one child to die, and carrying out that murder is in some form a monster, who has something at fault in their character to be capable of such a horrific action. Based on this factual examination of the circumstance if this Mother were to act solely on the basis of moral justice she would accept no part in murder. The Nazi who killed her children would bear the burden of this evil act. However this was not my first instinct of the correct and moral action taken in this circumstance. My first thought was that the Mother would make the ultimate sacrifice for her children and kill one so that the others could have a chance at a life. Her actions themselves would become moral due to the reasons forcing them to take place. This conflict represents what Carol Gilligan defined as women's interpretation of their moral responsibility in terms of there relationships with others. The example of 'the dying husband' which examines the ethics of care versus the ethics of justice can be related to the Nazi example. The dying husband example sited a wife who was faced with the moral dilemma of steeling medicine so that she might save the life of her husband. The result of this example was that a majority of men viewed the Wife's steeling of as immoral, while a majority of women viewed it as the opposite. I believe that the same principles can be applied to the Nazi example. Although the action of murder taken by an individual is morally wrong, when taken into the context of a mother who might save the life of two of her children it becomes her duty to do so. I agree with Held who rejects the rule based logic of morality suggested by Kant or Mill's Utilitarianism. Suggestions of a moral duty to adhere to certain rules do not apply to true morality. Held's ideals of feminist principles to apply actions to certain situations is more effective in reaching a moral truth than applying an abstract principle. Although the individual action, such a murder can be agreed upon as wrong it can not be denied that in certain circumstances not murdering would be wrong. Human morality should be defined by the restraints of a situation, and justified not only by the rules of what is right and wrong, but also by judgment of whether it would be wrong to chose the "right thing". In this example I believe it would be immoral for the mother to allow all of her children to die, when she has the power to sacrifice and save the lives of two. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Slavery Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Throughout the history of world there have been many documented cases of oppression and violence that one country or one race has forces upon another. Although the notion of slavery is thought to be gone from today's world, there are still numerous countries that force individuals to work against their will for little or no rewards. A massive area to studying and view slavery took place in the United States from the early seventieth century up to the American civil war, which ended slavery, in the middle nineteenth century. The driving force behind slavery was the demand for cheap labour, and the slave owners and slave traders were determined to obtain it. The exploitation of their slaves, which were to be from Africa, was a huge business throughout North America. The business that was so profitable for the slave owners and slave traders played havoc for the slaves from Africa as families were divided and relationships were broken. After slavery was abolished it was not easily forgotten and the discrimination of the black population would stop in some areas of the United States. The hate and anger from oppressing white minority would continue and would expand into different areas and social groups well to present day. With information taken from Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and a narrative Memories of Childhood's Slavery Days written by Annie L. Burton this paper will examine the life styles and views that slaves possessed during slavery and what life was like for them after gaining their freedom. The literature that was covered, in both the novel and narrative, gave great insight to the situation that slaves were faced with. To a further extent the material provided not only a slave's view but both pieces of material were from a woman's perspective. The following critique will deal with the two pieces of literature and examine the content of both. The work by Jacobs details the life a young black girl who in the early stages of her life, although being a slave, was not subjected to the cruel treatment from her owner as so many other slaves would be. Her compassion for her owner is a rarity, as for most slaves the relationship with their master's is one of complete obedience while harboring anger within them. The following illustrates the feelings that Linda, the young slave girl, had for her mistress "As I saw the cheek grow paler, and the eye more glassy, how earnestly I prayed that she might live! I loved her; for she had been like a mother to me."1 Linda's life would change dramatically after the death of her mistress; her life now would no longer be as joyful and happy as she was to be traded to another slave owner. For Burton who is writing about herself, named Annie in the narrative, her childhood is placed in a time of change as it is during the civil war. Burton's description of her surroundings, to a certain extent, seems to be of confusion with both black and white races having difficulty coming to grips with the new world that they live in. The old way of life in the south is no longer the norm and the future can no longer be predicted as it was before. For Burton her future seems to be filled with opportunity and becoming a figure of success for she no longer had the oppression of slavery to deal with, or so she believed to be the case. Throughout Jacobs's work her main character Linda is constantly dealing with challenges and horrible treatment from her master. His despicable treatment of her is heightened as Linda matures and becomes a young woman. It would be her darkest period of her life and would continue for the rest of her time on the plantation. Jacobs's message is clearly understood with No pen can give an adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery. The slave girl is reared in an atmosphere of licentiousness and fear. The lash and foul talk of her master and his sons are her teachers. When she is fourteen of fifteen, her owner, or his sons, of the overseer, or perhaps all of them, begin to bribe her with presents. If these fail to accomplish their purpose, she is whipped or starved into submission to their will. She may have religious principles inculcated by some pious mother or grandmother, or some good mistress; she may have a lover, whose good opinion and peace of mind are dear to her heart; or the profligate men who have power over her may be exceedingly odious to her. But resistance is hopeless.2 For Linda there is little to nothing that she can do to prevent this treatment, although she receives comforting words from loved ones around her there is nothing that they can do to keep Linda out of harms way; she must take this burden on alone. Jacobs's description is compelling to the reader and leaves the notion of just how appalling the situation was for a young slave girl. For Burton her young life was mostly filled with aiding her family and listening to her mother's words of advice on how to live in the new world. For Burton, although she did receive punishment on the plantation, her life as a youth would be considered much better than most. As she matured into a young woman she did not receive the abuses from her master as now she and the rest of the slaves were free. Burton does however relay the message that while she was on the plantation women slaves were still given awful treatment "If no children were born within a year or so, the wife was sold."3 Burton's years of a young woman also involved her meeting her first love and the struggles that consisted with trying to be with him. While in the end they did end being together and getting married, all would come apart with his death early into their marriage. With his death Burton had much to ponder about what her next action should be, she knew that her family still needed her aid and thus she went north, as she was now inclined to do so, for work and money. Coming back to Jacobs's work the next section of the book illustrates to the reader just the type of perseverance mentality that Jacobs's, or in the book Linda, possessed. Being pushed and driven into a corner by her master Jacobs is left with some distressing choices on what she is to do. She now has two young children, neither of which were her master's and this enraged to a further extent. Jacobs knows though that she will not last on the plantation and thus she begins to investigate methods for her escape. It is in this section that Jacobs character is brought forth and the reader is shown just how determined and hateful Jacobs was towards her master. Having attempted escaped several times without success, Jacobs goes into hiding and she will stay in hiding for seven years, most of which will be in a small cramped corner of her grandmother's house. The conditions of this hideaway were horrendous and Jacobs is faced with the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter, the space to only lie on her back and constant darkness. After seven years lying on her back Jacobs is finally given an opportunity to escape and although she feels betrayal for leaving her children she knows that she must. This time she is successful and makes it to the north and to Philadelphia harbour with the aid of both black and white races. In both pieces of work the endings detail the lives of both women broken away from their original bondage of slavery and in charge of their own lives. For Jacobs the journey has been a long and she has finally broken away from her connections to the south and is able to know that her children will have the opportunity to live in an improved era. For Burton she is working at educating herself and obtaining the knowledge that she would need to prosper in the north. Her stay in school would be cut short due to illness but for Burton the amount of time that she did gain would allow her to do more than she had ever thought possible. Although life is not easy for either of these women both know, especially Jacobs, just how fortunate they are to be out of the south and free from slavery. The lives of each of the slave characters can be investigated even further and similarities and differences can be associated with each individual. The following will begin look deeper into each girls struggle, the majority will come from Harriet Jacobs as her situation was to a higher degree of suffrage on the plantation and after her escape. The paper will also look at what the end of slavery did the black population in the south and also what it did the white population and emphasize on the slave owners themselves. With the end of slavery in the south and former slaves being able to leave the plantations as they pleased gave the slave owners much distress as now they their world had unfolded all around them. Many slave owners felt that they were helping the slaves by allowing them to stay on their plantations and look after them. Some of the owners felt that the slaves would not be able to survive on their own and that they had always treated their slaves with kindness and care. In Burton's work just this view is shown O my God, what shall we do? "I presume," he said, "we shall have to put our boys to work and hire help." "But", she said, "what will the niggers do if they are free, Why, they will starve if we don't keep them." "Oh, well." he said, "let the wander, if they will not stay with their owners. I don't doubt that many owners have been good to their slaves, and they would rather remain with their owners than wander about without home or country."4 Many slave owners being raised by their father's, who would have been slave owners, felt that this method of living was the only way to live. Even taking to a religious peak, some slave owners felt that it was the white mans responsibility to keep the black minority underneath him and felt that this was helping them. By providing shelter and food, the slave owners held the message that they were to care for the black slaves and this method of control was the appropriate way to do so. For slave women who were to grow up on a plantation their main purpose was to produce more slaves for their owners. Jacobs depicts this with "Women are considered of no value, unless the continually increase their owner's stock."5 Being a women slave put you at the lowest pecking order on the plantation. Women lived in constant fear from all those who had authority over her, which on the plantation would have been the majority except for children and other slave men who were helpless to defend their women from their owner's attacks. These slave women had great determination and spirit among them and in the case of Jacobs her will is presented in the following I had my secret hopes; but I must fight my battle alone. I had a woman's pride, and a mother's love for my children; and I resolved that out of the darkness of this hour a brighter dawn should rise for them. My master had power and law on his side; I had a determined will. There is might in each.6 There were times in the life of Jacobs and for other slave women that wished for death to take them out of their surroundings. That only through death would they be free from the master's control and they could be rid of the abusive both physically and mentally. There are many references to death in Jacobs's work and how she prayed for God to take her out his place. She is felt this "I suffered in consequence of this treatment; but I begged my friends to let me die, rather than send for the doctor. There was nothing I dreaded so much as his presence. My life was spared; and I was for the sake of my little ones. Had it not been for these ties to life, I should have been glad to be released by death."7 Some women such as Jacobs would have rather paid the ultimate sacrifice and given up their lives than to stay on their plantation. The conditions under slavery were at the utmost of degradation and for some women there was no relief except for death. After slavery was over many women found relief in coming together, from Jacobs view "There are no bonds so strong as which are formed by suffering together."8 These women would come to depend on one another for they knew that these women were ones that could be trusted and helpful in times of need. For the slave women the belief that once slavery was over they would be able to begin to live their lives free from oppression and be able to thrive was held by the majority of them. This would not be case however, even in the places such as the northern states that all the southern slave women had heard so much about. There was no guarantee for them that they could go anywhere in the United States and prosper. For many slave women such as Jacobs and Burton their lives were consisted of constant movement is search of new and better jobs. For Jacobs the feeling of being truly free was hard to believe even as she escaped from her horrible south past and made it to the north. Her message is obtained through "What a disgrace to a city calling itself free, that inhabitants guiltless of offence, and seeking to perform their duties conscientiously, should be condemned to live in such incessant fear, and have nowhere to turn for protection!."9 These former slave women were still faced with oppression, all be it to a smaller degree, and still very subjected to the white race influence even in the northern states. For slavery had been such a massive part of the southern states and throughout the United States it was not easily erased from still attaining influence after it was over. This history of the United States is filled with much success and violence in its formation. For the slaves that were unfortunate enough to have been placed onto the plantations and felt the abuse from the slave owners there is little that can to compensate for their treatment. Through their awful treatment they still survived and became rich in culture and found strength one another. Their misfortune will give guidance to the black and white races of today and will never allow for such an act of cruelty to take place in the United States. The movement now should be to abolish all types of slavery throughout the world and with the messages that were conveyed through Harriet Jacobs and Annie L. Burton hopefully soon all countries will realize their messages and put a halt to the mistreatment and oppression being forced upon other minorities. 1 Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. (New York: Dover Publications Incorporated, 2001), 10. 2 Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. (New York: Dover Publications Incorporated, 2001), 45-46. 3 Annie L. Burton, Memories of Childhood's Slavery Days, November 2000, (4 December 2003). 4 Annie L. Burton, Memories of Childhood's Slavery Days, November 2000, (4 December 2003). 5 Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. (New York: Dover Publications Incorporated, 2001), 44 6 Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. (New York: Dover Publications Incorporated, 2001), 73 7 Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. (New York: Dover Publications Incorporated, 2001), 67 8 Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. (New York: Dover Publications Incorporated, 2001), 140 9 Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. (New York: Dover Publications Incorporated, 2001), 156 --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\SLU essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kunal Gandhi St. Louis University Application Essay Inspiration comes to people in many different forms. From Beethoven to Newton to Einstein, inspiration is the source of humankind's genius. Because of it, our society has been able to progress so rapidly. The youth of today, including myself, have always been told to have role models. Throughout history, there are so many people that I can look up to who have taught me some sort of life lesson. But the person who has inspired me the most is not of the typical barnyard standard of politicians, religious figures, scientists, etc. The man, who has inspired me the most, especially throughout my high school years, is Phil Jackson, former head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. I look up to Phil mainly because of his spirituality, and his demeanor on and off the basketball court. Phil has always been considered "odd" for his religious beliefs. Brought up in a conservative Protestant home, he considers himself a Zen Christian, which combines both beliefs of Christianity and Zen Buddhism. He has always believed in taking the "middle path", and living life in the moment, and to not dwell on the past or future. His philosophy greatly helped to alleviate the stress that any high school student endures during the four year ritual of homework, tests, and biting and scratching for every single last point to obtain that ever-so-sweet "A" grade. I learned very quickly that stressing over every single assignment can quickly lead to chest pains. I had to learn how to sometimes just accept certain aspects of life, and to go with the flow. There are certain things in my life that I have no control over. I should not try to change things that which I have no power over. At the end of my sophomore year, I realized that I was not enjoying school like almost every other student seemed to be. I looked at school as drudgery, an endless cycle of torture. Now, I look at high school as the source of hundreds of priceless memories and friendships, many of which I will cherish forever. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to learn such a great deal of information. As my four years of high school draw to a unforeseen closure, I look back upon my years spent at high school as the greatest time of my life thus far. Even though I know I could have done so much better academically, I now realize that my potential is just waiting to be maximized at college. Like my role model, Phil Jackson, I do not have any regrets about what I have and have not done at school. I look forward to attending college, and I am just trying to enjoy the moment. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\soc 150 essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sociology 150 Section #27 Comparison and Contrast of Conflict Organization Theories There are many views from many scholars about conflict theories of organizations. Those scholars include Karl Marx, Richard Edwards, and Randall Collins. All three have different views and different opinions on conflict theories of organizations. Furthermore, theorist Max Weber has both similar and contrasting views about those theories. Therefore, the focus of this paper will be on the similarities and differences of Max Weber's views to those of Marx, Edwards and Collins. Weber's ideas of impersonal order and material rewards are similar to those of Edwards and Collins respectively. However, Weber's idea of domination is in total contrast with that of Marx. There are many definitions of bureaucracy. However, Weber believes that, "experience tends universally to show that the purely technical point of view is from a superior to any other form in precision, in stability, in the stringency of its discipline, and its reliability" (pg. 223). In addition, Weber has six main characteristics of bureaucracy. However, Mr. Kaplan has condensed those six characteristics into four. According to Mr. Kaplan, the four characteristics of bureaucracy are, "hierarchy of authority, salaried careers, specialization and technical qualifications, and written rules" (lec. slide 69). Marx's seminal thinking of capitalism led him to develop what he calls the classical model. Marx believes that "how we produce our means of subsistence determines our way of life, which determines our consciousness" (lec. slide 6). He calls this idea economic determinism. The two parts to Marx's classical model is the economic substructure and the societal superstructure. The economic substructure consists of the forces/means of production, which are the tools, technology, and knowledge at the disposal of people to produce. Marx feels that, "class is determined by the relationship to the means of production" (lec. slide 8). The owners are those who own the forces/means of production and expropriate the lion's share of surplus, which is known as exploitation. The workers are those that get exploited and get nothing. In contrast, Marx believes that the societal superstructure is how people relate to each other in the use of tools, technology, and knowledge. Some parts of the superstructure include the political state, religion, family, education, and media. If you are an owner, you use the superstructure to maintain your status quo, and to promote false consciences and class-consciousness among the workers. According to Marx, "ideology is the deliberate falsification and distortion of reality" (lec. slide 13). The main function of those involved in the superstructure is to ideologically indoctrinate the masses by creating a false consciousness. From the above statements, we see that there are obvious differences from Weber's ideas to Marx's ideals of domination and control. First, Marx believes that workers are unwise, and that there is no chance for them to be dominating, because they are distorted of reality as a result of ideology. However, Weber sees differently. According to Weber, "Domination is the probability that certain specific commands will be obeyed by a given group of persons" (pg. 212). Furthermore, Weber states, "every genuine form of domination implies a minimum of voluntary compliance, that is, an interest in obedience" (pg. 212). All these ideas impede the conception that workers volunteer and comply. Noticeably, Weber and Marx's views on this matter are totally contrary. Marx says that the owners are dominate because the workers are unwise and have a false consciousness, and they don't know any other way. On the other hand, Weber denotes that in order for owners to be dominate, that the workers must have a minimum of voluntary compliance, and an interest in obedience. This means that the workers have some kind of choice. Edwards's three types of control are simple, technical, and bureaucratic. According to Edwards, "Control is the ability of capitalist and/or managers to obtain desired work behavior from workers" (pg. 17). Simple control is small, personal, and arbitrary. Technical control is controlled through machinery. As a result, this type of control creates impersonal contact between owners and workers. Bureaucratic control is all about rules. Edwards believe that increased bureaucratic control leads to alienation of workers. Also, because you focus more on rules, you loose insight on the focus of the business. The above ideas imply that each type of control has different characteristics and results due to their different elements. In this situation, Edwards believes that impersonal order is due to technical control through machinery. And when you have more machines to simplify skills, there is a high level of impersonal contact with the workers from the owners. However, Weber believes that not only the workers are subject to impersonal order, but the owners are also subject to impersonal order. He states that, "The typical person in authority, the 'superior,' is himself subject to an impersonal order by orienting his actions to it in his own dispositions and commands" (pg. 217). This contrast Edwards view that only workers are subject to impersonal order. Collins three types of control are coercion, material rewards, and normative control. According to Collins, "an organization is a network of interpersonal influences . . . fundamental to influence are the sanctions available and applied; people attempting to get certain things for themselves using other people as the means" (lec. slide 48). Coercion is using force as a means of control. It results in dull compliance and passive resistance. According to Collins, "Coercion is involved in almost every organization, but in differing degrees, it is most implicit in any organization that has property, since that is ultimately upheld by the state; and it is lacking only in pure voluntary associations without property" (pg. 292). Material rewards ties pay to performance. Normative control gets into the hearts and minds of the workers. Normative control "identifies with the organization by giving orders in its name and proving loyalty to get authority" (lec. slide 50). As with Edwards, Collins three types of control have different characteristics and results depending on their elements. In this instance, Collins and Weber have similar ideas when it comes to material rewards. Collins believe that you will get compliance from workers only to the extent that rewards are linked to behavior, "Which results in an acquisitive mentality, greater materialism, and the manipulation of the system of management" (lec. slide 50). Similarly, Weber believes, "Loyalty may be hypocritically simulated by individuals or by whole groups on purely opportunistic grounds, or carried out in practice for reasons of material self-interest" (pg. 214). Both Collins and Weber believe that loyalty and compliance from workers is based on material rewards. In summary, although Marx, Edwards, and Collins does a great job in proving their views on conflict theories of organizations, nevertheless, I believe Weber's bureaucracy is the best. Having rules leads to increased standardization. This encourages one to "keep turning the wheel," instead of constantly trying to keep "re-inventing the wheel!" Brandi Caldwell Page 1 11/1/2009 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Soc 151 Term Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brandi Caldwell Sociology 151 June 2, 2004 Section Weber's analysis is filled with overwhelming support for bureaucracy. His standpoint is that bureaucracy has "purely technical superiority over any other form of organization (H page21)." This position of bureaucracy exudes a somewhat unreal optimism. Weber faces opposition because yes, bureaucracy is as the only way. In fact, Edwards and Kunda offer alternatives to bureaucracy. They do, however, acknowledge bureaucracy as a key part in formal organization, but they also present other elements that are contributing factors. Edwards outright say that "each type of control (simple, technical, and bureaucratic) represents alternate methods of organizing work; so long as uneven development produces disparate circumstances, alternate methods will coexist (H page 415)." This paper will present these alternatives and compare them to the ideals of Weber's bureaucracy. Thus, establishing an argument and validity for the alternatives. Weber designs his arguments for bureaucracy around authority and the right to it. Therefore, making bureaucracy a perfect solution for him. In contrast, Edwards presents an earlier form of organization used. Simple control is an alternative to bureaucratic control in the small-business sector. Simple control is not based on authority or structure. In fact it is small, charismatic, informal, and personal. Edwards describes simple control as one of the first methods of organizing firms. The managers under simple control "exercised power personally, intervening in the labor process often to bully and threaten them, reward good performance, and generally act as despots, benevolent or otherwise (H page 413-414)." Because managers have control with out any structure, the discipline in simple control is often arbitrary, unsystematic, and idiosyncratic. Also, because simple control is embedded in small firms, it is unable to meet the coordination needs of complex or large scales of production. Thus, as the firm grows larger, simple control become more and more outdated. Although, simple control has striking limitations, it is still considered an important alternative to bureaucratic control in the small-business sector where it is still used today. The limitations of simple control "have produced a second type of work organization... in large firms work is subject to technical control (H page 415)." Technical control is seen as an important alternative to bureaucratic organization because it is a system of control that maximizes the physical based possibilities for achieving efficiency. It emerged from the problems of simple control, with employers trying to subject production workers to more strict control. "Internally technical control turned the tide of conflict... externally the system strengthened the employer's hands by expanding the number of potential substitute workers (H page 414-415)." Technical control differs from Weber's bureaucracy because it is embedded in the physical structure rather then the social structure. Technical control is evaluated simply and personally whereas; bureaucratic control is evaluated formally and impersonally. Furthermore, it involves the entire production process. Because technical control is based on the physical production side, it serves as an alternative to bureaucratic control in a continuous flow production. Its limitations may not be suitable for all industries. Therefore, in industries where a balance of social structure and physical structure are required, employees are unhappy. Typically, their unhappiness leads to the establishment of unions and later the adoption of bureaucratic control. In a bureaucracy, rules are what define the roles and responsibilities of the people in its system. Both Weber and Edwards agree that a written rule is one of the most important characteristics of bureaucracy. It is a rule bound and worker bound system. In order to have legal authority over workers, in a bureaucracy, the owners must have some kind of consistent system of rules. This is where bureaucracy comes in. Embedded in the social structure and social relations of the workplace, bureaucracy evolved from the mistakes of simple and physical control. Edwards describes bureaucracy as the "institutionalization of hierarchical power (H page 415)." Within this definition solves the problems of inconsistency by establishing a structure that applies to supervisors and workers, production jobs and non-production jobs. Bureaucratic control also increases job mobility though internal labor markets. It is apparent that bureaucratic control is among the most important systems of organization. However, there are limitations for it as well. Increases in bureaucratic control leads to alienation of workers. With a specified minimum level of acceptable performance, many employees know the amount of work to still be secure. Therefore, they have no motivation to work beyond that minimum point. Also, bureaucracy is inflexible in its rules and costs a lot in downturns. However, it still represents the majority of big businesses in a capitalist society. According to Edward's the alternatives to bureaucratic organizations will coexist with each other. This is possible through Edwards segmented labor markets. The secondary, subordinate primary, and independent primary markets each have a control that is commonly used within the market segment. The secondary market is the "preserve of casual labor (H page 416)." It includes jobs that are low skill, nonunion manufacturing, and service. Also, the secondary market has a "lack of worker rights or elaborate employer imposed work structures (H page 416)." Therefore, under these circumstances simple control is the alternative used most commonly. The subordinate primary market offers jobs are "better paying than secondary employment, and they generally involve long-term, stable work with prospects for advancement and some job guarantees (H page 417)." The large group of jobs within the subordinate primary market includes production type positions. Under these circumstances technical control is used. The independent primary market "differ from the subordinate primary jobs in that they typically involve general, rather than firm-specific, skill (H page 418)." Like the subordinate primary market, the jobs are offer stability and security, but the average level of pay is higher. Under these circumstances Edwards points out that bureaucracy would be most commonly used. Gideon Kunda explores the cultural aspect of organizations. His alternative to bureaucratic organizations is with normative control. "Normative control is the attempt to elicit and direct the required efforts of members by controlling the underlying experiences, thoughts, and feelings that guide their actions (H page 356)." Gideon's ideals of normative control are similar to Weber's bureaucracy in that both are based on social structure; however, normative control emphasizes socializing values and ideals. Normative control gets people to want to do for the company; whereas, bureaucratic control pushes workers to pursue their self interest individually. Normative control operates through commitment, identification, and satisfaction. Normative control, if accomplished offers "increased freedom and autonomy rather than tyranny, creativity rather than conformity (H page 357)." Each element is a motivational factor that perpetuates normative control. However, while normative control is effectively an employers dream, it requires considerable investment of resources and time. The rituals performed in normative control are symbolic to the specific organization. Some may include training workshops, speeches, meeting, parties, and presentations, but each are worthless unless the employee experiences "role embracement (H page 365)." Role embracement is generally "submitting to the company's definition of one's self. Such submission, however, is typically presented as a form of voluntary exchange with the company (H page 366)." Kunda identifies factors that lead many employees to submit themselves and voluntarily embrace their roles. For example, company's treating employees well helps to gain role embracement. On the other hand, it is not always simple to get all employees under normative control. Sometimes rituals alone cannot get it done. Therefore, normative control should not be used alone because the human brain is never a guarantee. However, when working effectively, normative control includes all the strengths and advantages of bureaucratic control, as well as new strengths mentioned above. Normative control seems to be the next step up from bureaucratic control. Therefore, it serves as an appropriate alternative. Each reading relates to the sociology of organizations because they all attempt to understand how organizations are ran, and which way is better. These readings focus on organizations being rational or cultural systems with control as a segment. The control element in each reading connects them all to the overall theme of the course: the formality of organizations and how they get that way. Within each type of control direction, evaluation, and discipline are equally applied. The link between Edwards and Kunda is definitely the types of control. Each serves as an appropriate alternative to bureaucratic organizations under specific settings and circumstances. Whether it is simple, technical, bureaucratic, or normative all are able to coexist. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\social essay dec03.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Multinationalists 1. IMF et WB sont des multinationalists qui donne de l'argent au pays en developpement mais avec cela ils doit privatiser les services. * Donne des gros prets au pays pour leur aider a developper * Ils dit au pays qu'ils doit privatiser les compagnies, mettre moins d'argent dans les services sociaux et augementer leurs exports * Privatisation mene a les plus hautes prix et de mauvaise qualiter de service. * Des compagnies " pour profit " souvent arrete service au regions rurals parce qu'ils ne sont pas profitables * les prix augement alors les pauvres ne peux pas les " afford " * en 2000, le IMF a menacer le ancien republique soviet d'arreter leurs prets si'ils ne privatisait pas leur industries agricoles * quand Mozambique a privatiser leur reserve d'eau, le WB ont les donner " debt relief " 2. tiomin resources veut miner pour titanium en kenya. Detruire l'environement et les fermes. * 402 km sur le côte de kenya a un ecosystem fragile avec des animaux en danger * tiomin veut l'utiliser pour miner le titanium * les mines vont detruire tout la vegitation * 10 000 de kenyans vive sur cette terre * les fermiers deverait vendre leur terre pour le prix de tiomin, ils n'ont pas d'avocats pour negocier les prix * les gens qui ne possed pas la terre legalement ne recoivent rien * le projet va employer 170 a 200 personnes * les port pour exporter le titanium va tuer tout la vie marine au long du cote 3. UNICEF essay de eduquer les filles pour aider dans le long terme * Les filles plus eduquer vont marrier plus tard dans leur vie at avoir moins d'enfants * Education est la meilleur defense contre HIV/AIDS * Les filles sans education sont plus vunerable a abus, exploitation et maladies * UNICEF travaille en 158 pays pour eduquer les enfants * Plus d'education, meilleur emploi qui aide l'econo. 4. ACDI ensure que les gens en pays de developpement ont de nourriture et protegere contre les maladies en forme de finnancer des programmes. * plus de 800millions de personnes qui n'ont pas accès à de la nourriture en quantité suffisante et de bonne qualité. * Pour atteindre ce but, nous assurons le financement de programmes pilotés par les pays, qui portent sur les causes évitables de mort et d'incapacités telles une alimentation inadéquate, micronutriments et les maladies * En Tanzania, ACDI support developpement democratique, encourage des reformes dans lee secteur priver et ameliorer l'acces d'education, partculierement pour les filles * En Uganda, ACDI support les programs de santer st nutrition, droits humains et bonne gouverneance. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Songs essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Song Wang 11/25/02 Period 3 Ms. Manganelli The Scalding Melting Pot America has long been regarded as a melting pot of cultures, a rainbow of ethnicities, the paradigm of ethnic tolerance. The nation has achieved this colorful spectrum of races through hundreds of years of immigration laws that encouraged one and all to flock into the borders, laws that are ongoing to this day. However, in modern day times, those very same laws are admitting an exceedingly large number of immigrants every single day. This mass immigration is severely undermining the national interests and it is imperative that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) decrease the number of allowable legal immigrants. In general, the INS sets quotas for allowable number of incoming legal immigrants for each country and only grants visas to that number of immigrants. However, as the current quotas stand, the overflow of immigrants are overcrowding the nation, rapidly consuming government funds via welfare, and creating detrimental competition in the job market. The large number and brisk rate of incoming immigrants is leading to rapid population explosion. In the census of 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau recorded a population of 281,421,906. According to the Bureau, if there the immigration rate was at zero, then in 50 years, at the year 2050, the population of the nation would be only 337 million. However, with immigration at its current rate, the 2050 projected population skyrockets to a significantly higher 404 million. Thus, within 50 years, immigrants alone will account for a population increase of roughly 67 million people. Even worse, the mass majority of the immigrants tend to flock to the crowded cities and the more populous states, where overpopulation is already a severe issue. The INS Statistics Division states that in every year for the past thirty years, over 2/3 of the immigrants ended up in one of five heavily populated states: California, New York, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, and Illinois. Even more frightening, the Division estimates the metropolises of New York and Los Angeles each receive nearly 100,000 immigrants annually. Thus, due to the excessive amount of immigrants, the most crowded American states and metropolises are being further overfilled with hundreds of thousands of new arrivals per year. In addition, immigrants rapidly consume government funds through the welfare program of the United States. It should come as no great surprise that most immigrants that come to the United States are poor; they seek to find a better living within America's strong economy. In essence, by importing immigrants, the nation is simply importing the poverty of other nations. Consequently, a disproportionately large percentage of immigrants wind up spending valuable taxpayers' money by utilizing the country's welfare program. The Federation for American Immigration Reform estimated that a massive 21.2% of all immigrants are on welfare, while the welfare usage rate of native citizens is significantly less at 14.8%. Also, the problem is further compounded by the fact that not only are immigrants more likely to be welfare users, but immigrants who use welfare also tend to receive a larger payments because of their greater poverty. Therefore, by bring in such numerous amounts of immigrants, the American government is left with a welfare bill of several billion dollars, that eventually gets passed down to the hardworking taxpayers of the United States. In short, millions of immigrants in America today are leeching off welfare for their sustenance and consequently, are depleting precious government funds that could be better used. Lastly, incoming immigrant workers cause fierce competition in the job market, resulting in harmful effects. Immigrants obviously need jobs in order to support themselves, but to obtain jobs they compete in the already tight job market with the native citizens of the country. Consequently, by the simple laws of supply and demand, more available workers results in lower wages, since more of something results in depreciation of their worth. The end result is that native citizens lose a large percentage of their incomes and are forced to work for a significantly smaller salary. Even worse, sometimes the immigrants not only lower the wages, but also displace the jobs of Americans entirely. In general, the immigrants are always the ones that are willing to work for less, and when the number of jobs are limited, the native citizens who refuse to work for substandard wages are the ones who lose their jobs. The Federation for American Immigration Reform estimates that 1,880,000 American workers are displaced annually due to immigration, and their welfare costs add up to over $15 billion each year. In essence, the American job market is being unnecessarily destroyed by the overwhelming number of annual immigrants. The rapid immigration rate that currently exists has destructive effects on the nation and must be decreased immediately. As it stands, immigration is currently overpopulating the nation, resulting in taxpayers being forced to pay for immigrants' welfare costs, and devastating the job market of America. However, the American individual is not powerless in this situation and truly can help towards the reduction of immigrants. One can help the cause by writing letters to the Congress, holding a demonstration, starting a local group, or simply just spreading the word to a friend or two. Once enough people are informed about the issue and demonstrate their discontent, the government will realize the way that the American public feels about the situation and will make the appropriate changes in immigration policies. With effort, the American public can convince the government to reduce the annual immigration from over a million to a more beneficial 200,000 to 300,000 immigrants. The path to less immigration and a healthier nation is open to the United States, but the question is, will it be taken? Works Cited Federation for American Immigration Reform. FAIR: Federation for American Immigration Reform. 22 Nov. 2002. 25 Nov. 2002. Immigration and Naturalization Service. The INS Online. 25 Nov. 2002. 25 Nov. 2002. U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Census Bureau. 25 Nov. 2002. 25 Nov. 2002. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\SOSC 1740 Essay Framework.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ By Justin To Nadia Feb. 9, 2004 Essay Framework: Trade and Development in NAFTA The Impact of Trade Dependency and Uneven Development in Mexico and Canada as a Result of NAFTA Mexico Theme: Trade dependency is experienced by weaker nations in the world market - Foreign Direct Investment in maquiladora factories in the free-trade sectors of Mexico are all owned by foreign investors (i.e. The Volkswagen factory) and that is where all the profits go. The only thing that Mexico provides is cheap labour and poor standards to increase company profit, while most of the materials are also handled by foreign companies. The worse part is that there is no "technology transfer" given to the Mexicans. They are never given the knowledge and the "know-how" to someday start their own factories and assembly lines. (Rosenberg, Free Trade Fix) - Without the aforementioned "technology transfer", AICs will forever be relegated to relying on cheap manufacturing and agriculture as a means of trade. With the low value of commodity goods on the markets these days, that means these poor countries will never have a chance to climb up the ladder (Rosenberg, Free Trade Fix) - The U.S. grant preferences to a few poor countries but since these preferences typically divert trade away from non-preferred countries, they pitch poor nations against one another (Bhagwati, Trading for Development) Theme: Trade dependency and multilateral organizations' SAPs harmfully affect weaker nation's ability to control its economic growth, evenly distribute its income and strive for economic/developmental goals - Multilateral organizations like the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the WB (World Bank) make loans to impoverished countries like Mexico. These loans often have strings attached in the form of SAPs (structural adjustment programs) that force Mexico to open their markets, privatize their industries, deregulate government programs, etc. (Rosenberg, Free Trade Fix) - Mexico wanted to decree that any factories that were set up there had to buy their parts from Mexican companies (as opposed to foreign companies) but this was ruled illegal by the WTO (Rosenberg, Free Trade Fix) - In the trade meeting in Doha, the WTO (controlled by the AICs) used the strategy of backroom intimidation, bribery and non-transparency to destroy the united front that the poor countries had put up (Bello, Learning from Doha) Theme: Globalization and multilateral organizations work in favour of AICs (advanced industrial countries) and "stacks the deck" against developing countries. There is a double standard as the rich countries are imposing restrictions on poor countries while breaking these restrictions themselves - In Puebla, Mexico, many Mexican corn farmers are losing their only form of income and being forced to leave their lands because they simply can't compete in the world market. Since the IMF/WB imposed the opening of markets in Mexico, a flood of subsidized corn from the United States has driven these small Mexican farmers out of business. The Mexican government is banned from giving out subsides of any kind yet the American government is free to give subsidies to its own farmers! (Rosenberg, Free Trade Fix) and (Beatty, Do As We Say, Not as We Do) - Developed countries like the States have adopted protectionist policies and put up trade barriers and high tariffs while at the same time telling poor countries not to do so. This allows American goods to go into their markets while their goods face stiff tariffs in these developed countries. (Bhagwati, Trading for Development) and (Beatty, Do As We Say, Not as We Do) - While Mexican farmers are suffering due to crashing commodity prices and the flood of subsidized U.S. corn, the States' agribusinesses are making record profits. These campesinos are being forced from their land to make way for large MNC's and their plantations (Kees, NAFTA bad for Family Farmers) Canada Theme: Trade dependency is experienced by weaker nations in the world market - Like Mexico, a majority of Canada's trade is dependent of that of U.S. In fact, 80% of our exports go straight to the States! While this may sound encouraging, this is only because all trading nations export the majority of their goods to the States (which has a large demand market). In actuality, Canada's share of U.S. merchandise imports is lower than it was in 1988, before free trade. (Stanford, NAFTA @ 10) - Though Canada was seen to have improved technologically since the implementation of NAFTA, our high-tech industries (which are vital to modern economic success) have struggled. Basic goods (like resources and raw industrial goods) still account for more than half of our exports (if you think about it, our exports are not that much different from that of Mexico's) (Stanford, NAFTA @ 10) - Canada's share of global foreign direct investment has plummeted under free trade, while the U.S. share is growing (Stanford, NAFTA @ 10) - Free trade was supposed to increase productivity by converging with the U.S., but instead our productivity has fallen another 10% behind the States (Stanford, NAFTA @ 10) - In Canada, falling commodity prices meant the decline of farm incomes for Canadian farmers by 19%, even though their exports have doubled! (Kees, NAFTA bad for Family Farmers) Theme: Trade dependency and multilateral organizations' SAPs harmfully affect weaker nation's ability to control its economic growth, evenly distribute its income and strive for economic/developmental goals - Though Canada is a developed country, we are also a "post-modern state" that is following the trend of a borderless world created by globalization. The powers of the state are eroding and with it is its ability to implement the Keynesian policy of the provision of social welfare programs. Little by little, Canada's social programs are facing cost cutbacks and many government services are being privatized. (Clarkson, Multi-Level State) - With this, the Canadian government no longer had the capacity to sustain the Fordist labour market compromise that had stabilized union-management relations for many years (Clarkson, Multi-Level State) - With the erosion of the social safety net and the adoption of neoliberal policies, there is no more support system that Canada's poor families can rely on. The key pillars of social infrastructure are crumbling and it is Canada's poor, especially the growing number of poor children, that suffer as a result (Yourk, Canadian Children Go Hungry) - Income inequality has risen in Canada so now the gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider and wider (Yourk, Canadian Children Go Hungry) Theme: Globalization and multilateral organizations work in favour of AICs (advanced industrial countries) and "stacks the deck" against developing countries. There is a double standard as the rich countries are imposing restrictions on poor countries while breaking these restrictions themselves - Even though Canada is an advanced industrial country, we are still prone to a double standard in being in such close proximity to the world hegemon. One dispute that has yet to be properly resolved is the softwood lumber dispute, in which the U.S. wanted the Canadian government to stop giving subsidies to our highly important logging industry, yet they give subsidies to their own industries! Now, the U.S. has put trade barriers and tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, which is strictly forbidden in the concept of free trade. The U.S. is earning billions of dollars in countervail (tariffs applied to subsidized goods) and the NAFTA dispute council is powerless to stop it (Stanford, NAFTA @ 10) - The NAFTA agreement also gave unprecedented power to MNC's in the form of Chapter 11, whereby corporations could sue governments over hypothetical lost profits and get paid in damages! The Canadian government has been charged with up to $5 billion in lawsuit damages, yet this controversial clause is still intact in NAFTA (Stanford, NAFTA @ 10) - Despite all the problems that NAFTA has caused in Canada, the Canadian government is still viewing it as a "resounding success". In fact, they encourage the expansion of NAFTA into all of Latin America through the creation of the FTAA (Free Trade Agreement of the Americas). Thus, the Canadian government is also in support of the "Fast Track" authority being debated in the States, in which the President could negotiate free trade agreements without discussion from the legislature. This debate on "Fast Track" could be seen as a debate on globalization itself (Oxley and Schneitz, Globalization Derailed) Journal Article Points- (Journal of Labour Studies, Cormier and Targ, Globalization and the North American Worker) - The negative effects of globalization have appeared, albeit in different degrees, in both developing (Mexico) and developed (Canada, U.S.) countries - Neoliberalism requires a greater role of markets, an eroding role of the state, deregulation of economies, the cutting of public spending and the privatization of public institutions - When Mexico joined NAFTA they internally downsized government, sold about 1000 state-owned enterprises to private investors, privatized community-owned farmland and opened its doors to manufacturers and multilateral organizations from developed countries - Most of the U.S. imports that go towards Mexico consist of intra-corporate transfers and not open market consumption items (in other words, work formerly done in U.S. plants for U.S. MNCs is now being done in Mexico) - There has been the relocation of thousands of manufacturing facilities from the U.S. to Mexico, especially in the maquiladora zone along the border. The primary motivation for this relocation is the low costs of labour (low wages and limited benefits) in Mexico - The ratio of real average hourly compensation in Mexico is about one-tenth what it is in the U.S. and Canada (average compensation for production workers is $17.70 in the U.S., $16.66 in Canada and $1.54 in Mexico!) - Poverty in Mexico is widespread. Under neoliberal reforms, real average incomes of Mexican workers declined by 76%. An estimated 40 million people (40% of the population) live in poverty, while 25% live in extreme poverty. - Inequality has increased in Mexico as every decile of Mexican society lost shares in their national income, while the top decile was the only one to increase their shares - There have been many effects of NAFTA felt in Canada and the States as well. In both cases, the relocation of manufacturing facilities to Mexico has led to deindustrialization. A major consequence of deindustrialization is the loss of high-quality jobs (high wages, good benefits, unionized) in favour of more low-quality jobs (low wages, part-time, no benefits, no unions). This has happened very much in the States and Canada as well, as part-time jobs contribute little to the economy - With less unionization in Canada (as well as U.S. and Mexico), workers have little bargaining power with their employers. In fact, conditions have worsened as companies simply threaten to shut down operations and move to Mexico if their demands aren't met by the employees - Free trade has reduced worker's incomes and aggravated growth in poverty and income inequality to reduce the standard of living of workers in all 3 countries. This also puts the political power in the hands of a rich, elite few - Inequality also exists in Canada, but the loss in share of national income fell mostly to the middle class (2nd, 3rd and 4th decile) while the poorest gained very little and the richest decile once again gained the most Essay Outline Thesis When NAFTA was first established between the United States, Canada and Mexico, there were very optimistic views about the benefits of free trade to all three countries. Now, a decade after it was first created, the results of NAFTA are in and they are not encouraging. While NAFTA has stimulated much more trade within North America, its costs far outweigh its benefits. The effects of NAFTA on trade, social development and double standards have created a host of problems not only in Mexico, but Canada as well. The dependency on trade, the erosion of social programs and the hypocrisy of developed countries (like the U.S.) have made things worse for Mexico and Canada than they were before NAFTA was implemented. Now, with the U.S. proposing to expand NAFTA to all of Latin America, the citizens of all three countries must learn from the mistakes of NAFTA before it spreads to the rest of the world. Paragraph 1: Under NAFTA, both Canada and Mexico have become dependent on trade with the United States. As a result of this, the U.S. has been able to come up with terms of trade that benefits them at the expense of Canadian, and especially, Mexican workers. - Mexico will always just be a place where countries like the U.S. can relocate their cheap manufacturing (intra-corporate transfers) due to the low cost of labour (low wages, no benefits). This is especially evident in the maquiladora sectors - While lots of manufacturing is done in Mexico, most of the parts are distributed by foreign companies and Mexicans only provide the labour. Thus, the money does not stay in Mexico but goes back to foreign countries. What's even worse, Mexicans don't have the proper technological know-how (called technology transfer) to one day start their own factories - Without "technology transfer", Mexico will always be a cheap manufacturing area and a primarily agricultural country, never able to climb the technological ladder needed to advance an economy - Like Mexico, a majority of Canada's trade is dependent on U.S., with over 80% of our exports going there. This is primarily because Canada, a bit like Mexico, is a resource economy with over half of our exports being natural resources. Canada's high-tech sector is struggling, and that is why it is not a major player out of all the other developed countries. - The majority of Canada's imports from the States consist of finished manufactured goods. This is how the chain works. Canada exports the natural resources and imports the finished product, usually at a higher price - Ever since NAFTA was implemented, Canada's productivity and share of FDI (foreign direct investment) have fallen in relation to the U.S. - For both Canada and Mexico, falling commodity prices have made it that much harder for Canadian farmers and especially Mexican campesinos to make a profit Paragraph 2: This trade dependency coupled with multilateral organization's SAPs in Mexico and neoliberal policies in Canada, have hampered social development. - Multilateral organizations like the IMF and WB make loans to impoverished countries like Mexico. In exchange for these loans (which have to paid back with a lot of interest), Mexico had to implement SAPs (structural adjustment programs) that included things like devaluing their peso, privatizing their public services, deregulating their economy, opening up their markets to foreign investment and reducing the role of the state (while increasing the role of the markets) - As a result of this dismantling of the social safety net, poverty is widespread in Mexico, and inequality has risen sharply - The ratio of average hourly compensation in Mexico is one-tenth what it is in Canada and the U.S. - In the maquiladora factories in Mexico, Mexicans wanted to decree that any factories set up in Mexico had to buy Mexican parts. Of course, NAFTA and the multilateral organizations viewed this as illegal and wouldn't allow it - Unlike Mexico, Canada is a developed country that doesn't need loans from multilateral organizations. Due to NAFTA, however, we are also being convinced to support neoliberal policies by dismantling the welfare state. Like Mexico, Canada now has policies that reduce the role of the state, deregulation of the economy, the cutting of social spending (in an effort to balance the budget) and privatizing many of Canada's public services - With the erosion of the social safety net, many of Canada's poor (especially children) no longer have the social assistance they rely on - Unionization in both Canada and Mexico has decreased dramatically so that less and less workers are part of union. Without a union, workers have little bargaining power with their employers, especially when they threaten to shut the company down and move to Mexico - Inequality and poverty have also risen in Canada, similar to Mexico. Standard of living in both countries is down as well. Paragraph 3: The forces of globalization and multilateral organizations work in favour for the United States and "stack the deck" against developing countries. The double standards set by the United States are apparent in both Mexico and the United States - In Mexico, Mexican corn farmers are losing their incomes and being forced to move off their land because of the introduction of subsidized American corn on the market. Ever since Mexico has opened up its markets, a flood of subsidized agriculture has driven the price for corn down, so much so that these campesinos can no longer make a living off of it. The Mexican government is banned from providing subsidies to their own farmers, yet the U.S. government gives 20% subsidies to their farmers! - Not only in agriculture but in normal trade as well, the U.S. is hypocritical. The U.S. has adopted protectionist policies by putting up tariffs and trade barriers, yet the multilateral organizations (which are controlled by only the most developed countries) don't allow poor countries like Mexico to do so. What this does is allow American goods to come to Mexico, but Mexican goods face strict tariffs in the United States! How is that free trade? - All developed countries (a most recent example is East Asia) became wealthy by protecting their own industries, yet Mexico and other LDCs aren't allowed to do this. How will they ever become developed? - With the crashing of commodity prices, Mexican farmers are being kicked out of their land in order to make way for agricultural MNC's, which are making record profits! - Even though Canada is an advanced industrial country, we are getting "stiffed" by the United States and multilateral organizations like Mexico. A controversial issue is that of softwood lumber between the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. has put trade barriers on Canadian softwood lumber, claiming that it is unfairly subsidized! It has adopted protectionist policies to protect its own lumber industries yet it puts tariffs against Canadians for trying to do the same thing. The U.S. is earning billions in countervail due to these tariffs - Also, the Chapter 11 clause in NAFTA allows corporations to sue governments for hypothetical lost profits! The Canadian government has already been sued for over $5 billion in damages from U.S. corporations yet Chapter 11 is still part of NAFTA - Even though NAFTA has created many problems for Canada (in regards to trade and social development), the Canadian and Mexican governments claim NAFTA as a resounding success. Along with the U.S., both countries are supporting the passing of the Fast Track authority that would eventually lead to the creation of the FTAA (Free Trade Agreement of the Americas) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Sounds from the Sea.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lauren Clarke Sounds from the Sea Amongst the Gap sweaters and club Monaco cotton shirts, the tight mohair attire and maryjanes is where we lay our seen. The second cafeteria table on the right from the front doors sits the jocks and the preps, of course together. They sit there every day, hum Backstreet boy's tunes, file their nails, gossip and think about what they are going to wear the next day and discuss it. The girls nibbling on salads, giggling and revealing their teeth that were previously vasolined so no lips stick would smudge on their teeth. The guys scarf down hamburgers after their quick trip to Burger King in their trucks. They huddle together laughing and doing a little friendly teasing. The most gorgeous one of them all, the stud that the grade nine and ten girls swoon over when he flexes his biceps, speaks up over the other voices. Getting their attention for his hilarious joke; trust me it is so funny, just ask him he'll tell you. " Hey guys check this out!" He blows into the bottle generating a low horn noise. "BRrrrrmmp.... sounds from the sea" he says. "Arrgh Arggh" his goofy noise resembles a seagull, he then proceeds to make wind-blowing noises. The table roars in laughter, the guy's role up their designer sleeves, the girls toss their hair and gaze at him in desire. They stand up and head to the washroom for a touch up. After applying their Clinique lipsticks, they return to the table and continue picking at their salads. The day before this one they were cracking up about his hamburger box-dancing act to Greek music. That one was but one of his jokes using left over garbage they leave on the cafeteria table instead of throwing it away themselves. This gang perhaps envied, perhaps pitied, the beauty queens and the super studs bonding over garbage jokes and talking about the up coming hockey playoff party at Blake's. The Dental Floss King Hunched over his sweater, he threads a patch onto his black hooded pullover. His Ronald Macdonald red shoes match astonishingly well with his green hospital pants. He seems somewhat oblivious to his careless hairstyle and goofy smile. His hands are busily sewing the dental floss weaving in and out of the patch. His friends sit around him and watch, "why do you use dental floss" They question him. He stands up proudly addressing the benched students and recites a speech on the strength of dental floss. He sits back down when he finished his monologue and continues on his task. That day I saw him wearing his finished patched sweater, on his way downstairs. He usually hangs out with an odd fellow or two. The girls swarming around him honoring his great worldly intelligence resemble a Sarah McLaughlin type gone bad. They converse over how much life sucks and strum on their guitars and then add lyrics. Eventually adding perhaps a tambourine. They read books and sit in odd places amongst the school. Normally scowling at those who walk buy, judging then on their outer appearance, being as hypocritical as they say we are. Knowing it all, because for some reason they are so much wiser yet are learning at the same level and same grade. Perhaps a trip to the oracle would be in our best interest, so we could be just like them; unhappy and critical. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\sources for CRM term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ocpa/94Guides/Trials/Valid/, 1 http://www.jfw.org.uk/BWS.HTM 1 http://www.divorcenet.com/or/or-art02.html 1< http://www.divorcenet.com/or/or-art02.html f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\South Asian Lit Essay 1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 7. Mahasweta, in "The Author in Conversation," concludes by saying that "Our double task is to resist 'development' actively and to learn to love" (xxii). In a similar vein, the story "Pterodactyl" ends with a meditation on "love." What is this love? Why does Mahasweta emphasize such a term? Is she calling for some sort of politics of love? Do you find the terms of love useful here? Problematic? Mahasweta Devi's revelation of the abyss that divides how people could live from the lives they are doomed by their time to endure receives a very compelling account in her "Pterodactyl, Puran Sahay, and Pirtha." Mahasweta takes pains, throughout her story, to show how the tribals in Pirtha are clearly subject positions within the cultural dominant. The pathos of the story is derived from the protagonist's (Puran Sahay) dawning understanding of a horrible parallel: the tribals have experienced the same cultural marginalization at the hands of their educated Indian government that Indians as a whole had always received from the British. "Love," as finally understood by Puran, is a longing for a time when such terms as "tribal" and "civilized" will not be seen as preconstituted, but rather acknowledged as the social productions that they are. Mahasweta emphasizes "love" because she wishes to illuminate the cultural divide that has been yet widened by such constructs as "modernity," "progress," and "advancement." "Too little can be known," Mahasweta laments, about the destruction of a people that do not appear to be loved (in the universal sense): indeed, the tribal wants human recognition, respect, because he or she is the child of an ancient civilization. In what a death farce we are enthralled as we turn them into beggars, who are nowhere implicated in Indian education, development, science, industry, agriculture, technology. They remain spectators. India marches toward the twenty-first century. (177) This is said with not a little touch of bitterness. Bikhia, the young man who has painted the pterodactyl on the cave-wall, is in many ways the representative for the tribals of Pirtha. There is great solemnity, calm, and acceptance of self in Bikhia. He is, in many ways, a critical mirror for Puran - himself a product of the 'outside world' of is education, security, and privilege. But Puran discovers, in the end, that he is essentially and irrevocably fragmented and incapable of the full occupation of self. This is highlighted by his repeated avowal that he is utterly incapable of communicating with the pterodactyl. Hence Puran represents 'civilized' India, unfettered and unfixed of identity because of its incapacity to love its history. Indeed, there is a dark and subtle hint in the subtext of this story that civilized India finds even greater freedom from the bonds of colonization by ignoring its most ancient past. Indeed, this story demonstrates that the "other" is no longer a theoretical concept but groups and peoples written out of history, subjected to slavery, insult, famine, mystification. But Mahasweta refuses to romanticize the 'other' that are the tribal groups. In the same way that Bikhia is truly capable of loving the pterodactyl - understanding, in other words, the significance of his position within history - Mahasweta points out that the tribals should have been loved "beyond reason for a long time" (195). But, she cites, "for a few thousand years we haven't loved them, respected them....we have never had a real exchange with them, it could have enriched us" (195). Thus, in refusing to romanticize the 'other' that are the tribal groups, Mahasweta tactfully manages to avoid the snares by which post-colonial discourse often seems to get itself entangled. Rather than calling for a politics of love, she is celebrating Agape: spiritual love, in other words. A connection can only be made if we understand the tribals' relationship with their ancestry, their home, their foundations. Mahasweta's love not only comprehends the tribals' need to resist development (as she writes in her preface), but the greater implication behind this story is that "postcolonial," "independent" Indians have forgotten the true meaning of home and ancestry. There is, then, a greater metaphor at the heart of "Pterodactyl". Perhaps the most primal instinct for a person, a group, or a country that has just managed to break free of tremendous repression is to forget. Clearly, the treatment that the tribals continue to receive is a strong reminder for postcolonial Indians of their recent past. And photographs, documentaries, videos that engender sympathy from volunteer organizations are of no consequence to the tribals. True love comes from recognition, not from avoidance. "Is it possible to fight aggression, plunder, exploitation...with the uncontaminated value-system" (120) of the tribals, Harisharan asks early on in the story. The pterodactyl is a link to the past, and this makes it all the more important to grasp that the tribals should not be robbed of "the supernatural...when the present time has given them nothing" (178). Western liberalism would prefer, particularly in these hysterical times, to be anything but itself. Post-colonial discourse can fall into that trap as well. This is why Mahasweta's "Pterodactyl" serves as a subtle indictment of civilized, advancing India, while addressing the needs of its perilously forgotten past. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\South Asian Lit Essay 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The construction of a national political community in India has always been undermined by the absence of homogenous social foundations within its separate nation states. "Public identity" has never ceased to be polysemous; this plurality is grounded in religion, ethnicity, caste, language, gender, and culture. Partha Chatterjee defines "inner" and "outer" as a separation of the social space into ghar and bahir, the home and the world (120).1 The world, domain where material interests are foregrounded, is also associated with the domain of the male. The home is "unaffected by the profane activities of the material world - and woman is its representation. And so one gets an identification of social roles by gender to correspond with the separation of the social space into ghar and bahir" (120). It is of course important to understand that these binaries (male/female; outer/inner) are meant to segregate the colonizing culture from the colonized culture. In fact, argues Chatterjee, "the more nationalism engaged in its contest with the colonial power in the outer domain of politics, the more it insisted on displaying the marks of 'essential' cultural difference so as to keep out the colonizer from that inner domain of national life and to proclaim its sovereignty over it" (26). The material/spiritual dichotomy is therefore of paramount importance to the nationalist ideology. Ghare Baire (The Home and the World), Satyajit Ray's 1984 film, subtly but accurately gets to the heart of the material/spiritual dichotomy in 1916 India. The signification of this dichotomy is foregrounded in the character of Bimala: a young bride at once trapped between the received (yet stultifying) inner world of her marital chamber, and the symbolically alien (yet possibly promising) outer world of the outer apartments. Bimala's evolution (through the progress of the film) raises, above all, the question of how identity is articulated and constituted. Even from the outset of the film, Bimala's Western-educated husband (Nikhil) is constantly bombarding her with images of what an Indian woman is and is not. Sundip, the man who awaits Bimala at the threshold of the outer world, finds enormous political self-constitution by appropriating his idealization of the historical (past) into his polemic for contemporary India. The difficulty for the nationalist movement is that it has to make a demand for identity based upon difference. How, in other words, does one articulate opposition to Colonialism without replicating it, or creating the categories of "other"? In Ghare Baire, the solution to this riddle appears to be located in the complete rejection and destruction of any product that is not Indian-made. But this act, in and of itself, is a hegemonical replication of the Colonial means of maintaining control - and therefore only undermines the legitimacy of the act.2 How is this significant to the treatment of gender and the role of women in anti-colonial, nationalist India? Returning to Chatterjee for a moment, he demonstrates that an "analysis of the nationalist construction of women....shows how, in the confrontation between colonialist and nationalist discourses, the dichotomies of spiritual/material, home/world, feminine/masculine, while enabling the production of a nationalist discourse which is different from that of colonialism, nonetheless remains trapped within its framework of false essentialisms" (134). In other words, the nationalist movement is constructing itself against the paternalistic ideology that draws upon the status of women in colonial society to justify forms of rule. And yet, Ghare Baire clearly points out, both Bimala's relationship to Nikhil and Sundip are negotiated within a patriarchal structure. On the one hand, Bimala's intensifying relationship with Sundip represents the universal Indian woman coming into nationhood. Yet, by tale's end, it seems apparent that Sundip seeks only power, money, and security (how much more patriarchal could those values be?!) - and, in many ways, he attains all of these through his manipulation of a woman who has been almost entirely sequestered from men up to this point in her young life. Bimala willingly gives her husband's money to Sundip "for the cause"; yet we soon learn that Sundip plans to reappropriate a portion of that for himself. This not only ironically undercuts Bimala's "contribution" in her role as woman emerging into nationalism, but also darkly provides - in the corruption of Sundip's character - a larger discourse on the severely divisive corruption of Colonialism, itself. On the other hand, Bimala's relationship with Nikhil illuminates the way in which a woman would have to receive (patriarchal) authorization from her husband if she wanted to come into the nationalist struggle. This prerequisite authorization is a miniature replication of Colonial rule, and is also a reminder of the way in which it (Colonial rule) establishes binaries of difference. On a different level, Sundip seems genuinely surprised (yet happy) that a woman wants to join the Swadeshi movement. But we are greatly misled if we believe that his happiness arises from the signification of the act (the rarity, at that time at least, of a woman being a possible Voice for others). Rather, the film gradually reduces Bimala's original signification as a potentially significant activist to a hesitant (yet intuitive!) advisor, to the role of negotiator with her husband (negotiating Sundip's point of view), then to a means of emotional support, and finally to the role of money-lender. Fittingly, the film ends on a symbolically somber note - as young, richly and darkly-clad Bimala rocks sadly on her verandah, and is slowly transfigured into the simply, plainly, and white-clad widow. Bimala's literal reduction as a figure caught between identities and her symbolic reduction from wife to widow embeds the utopian possibility of a homogenous national identity within the ever-constraining patriarchal grip of divide and rule Colonial India. 1 All Chatterjee quotes incorporated in this essay are taken from The Nation and Its Fragments. 2 Perhaps Sundip senses this, thus explaining his rather hypocritical consumption of foreign cigarettes! --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\South Asian Lit Essay 3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie creates a place of belonging through the acts of his narrator's imagination. Romanticizing the Bombay of his childhood, Rushdie is in many ways restoring the past to himself. In other ways, he is clearly haunted by the sense of loss that he feels - this sense of loss is further dramatized by his inability to fully understand, to fully grasp, what has been lost in the diasporic framework of his life. It is through Saleem Sinai, the story's narrator, that - on the one hand - we are presented with an individual account of the diasporic identity; while, on the other hand, Saleem's history is also the history of a diasporic nation in its making. Saleem's story is multivocal and metronomic: it therefore "sounds" distinctly oral, as opposed to sounding "written." In this way, of course, Rushdie is reminding us that history itself is very much an amalgamation of fictions. Memory is important for the diasporic subject: it is as much their romanticized connection with their homeland as it is the moth-eaten sheet that partitions off and visibly segregates them from their new, imagined homeland. Fittingly, at the end of Book Two, Saleem is brained by a flying spittoon; on the one hand, this appears to liberate him from his past. But for Saleem to lose his memory is, in effect, to lose his identity. Memory prevents the postcolonial subject from forgetting their historical and social space - a space that has been created, however, through a disruption of history. In one way, the "chutnification" of Rushdie's narrative and narrated subjects in Midnight's Children has an international and cosmopolitan sensibility attached to it: it remembers Indian history through the use of tropes. In another way, it (chutnification) is related to the way in which memory can be used in a high modernist text - thus reconciling how we think about "tradition" within modernity. But it also creates a specific kind of linguistic consciousness: it positions the writer as the constant translator, the speaker with forked tongues. This form of hybridization within the text is a central trope of both colonial and postcolonial writing. Hence there is a migration and diaspora constantly re-occurring within the authorial voice: this crucially makes the reader an active truth-interpreter, as opposed to a passive observer, of narrative events. Saleem believes that "nobody from Bombay should be without a basic film vocabulary" (33): he is familiar with the conventions of Bollywood, and he appropriates these conventions in the construction of his narrative and in the manipulation of action in the novel. At times, the narrative camera provides the closest of close-ups; at other times, the reader seems to be at a very distant remove from the action. The most effective image that links the "cinematography" of the novel to the question of diasporic identity occurs at the very beginning of the chapter titled "All-India Radio." Rushdie is driving home the fact that, while we can - to a certain degree - see where we have come from, we are utterly incapable of locating ourselves in the present or positioning ourselves in the future. The closer we get to the present, the more fragmented and grainy our perspective becomes. After all, says Saleem, reality is a question of perspective; the further you get from the past, the more concrete and plausible it seems - but as you approach the present, it inevitably seems more and more incredible. Suppose yourself in a large cinema, sitting at first in the back row, and gradually moving up, row by row, until your nose is almost pressed against the screen. Gradually the stars' faces dissolve into dancing grain; tiny details assume grotesque proportions; the illusion dissolves - or rather, it becomes clear that the illusion itself is reality...(165-6) The filmic gaze of Midnight's Children often manages to blur the divisions between the perceived reality that the reader constructs for him/herself and the supposedly factual/historical account of the (controlling) narrator. The ambiguity of these contrasting viewpoints not only forces the Western reader to acknowledge their own biases, but it also frees the Westerner to admit that they cannot begin to comprehend the tight-rope walk that is embodied within the diasporic identity. Put another way, the further one distances oneself from any pattern of thinking that attempts to grasp the diasporic struggle, the more lucidly they believe their grasp of the dichotomy. But to actually come close to it, to envision what it really means, what it feels like to be caught between cultures, is to finally realize (ironically) one's true distance from the struggle. Midnight's Children compels us to probe beyond simple moralism; it compels us to analyze the attitudes which could trap such an individual as Saleem in the predicament of history itself. Saleem's tragedy is to find himself stranded back in time, far from the foreshadowed future that is secured by the novel's utopian subtext. Saleem is as fragmentary in "death" (in that all characters "die" at the end of the novel) as the novel is itself; and Saleem - a fully hybridized text - can and does fall between the postmodern, heteroglossic extreme on the one hand, and the (postcolonial) nationally specific viewpoint on the other. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\SPAWN.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Creative Writing The spawn knelt in the shadows of the corner. His iridescent eyes searching the dark for his prey. A prey he knew very well, almost too well. From the end of the stone corridor the spawn's ear picked out a single disturbance. From behind the mask a man's mouth twisted in a smile and a thought of satisfaction crossed his mind. Rising to his feet the spawn walked defiantly down the corridor. His armoured boots making no sound on the cold floor. A heart that beat no blood, pounded within the unnatural armour of the spawn. At last his mission was drawing to a close and so too would this endless torture. The one being responsible for his spawning would now ultimately reach its death. The door was close now, and the spawn's soulless eyes peered into the room from the doors barred window. Standing over a bench stood a man. An old man, gnarled with age and working on an intricate machine. To a mortal man the sight would appear ludicrous. An old, befuddled man could hardly attract the attention of such a powerful warrior. But to the spawns eyes, he only saw the truth. He didn't see the lines of age which covered the man's face. Nor did he see the disfigured spine which pushed the man's back into a painful composure. But he did see the beast within. To the spawn, what stood in the other room had no dimensions, it glittered with a warrior's sweat and had an evil which protruded off its hide like poisonous spines. This creature had roamed the aeons sending multitudes of innocent 'children' to nothingness before their time. In ages past it was known as Ra, god of the sun, then it was known as Xeues. Only a thousand years ago they called him a Dragon, and now, he was known as a scientist. Figure heads for the world, able to control the elements to their wishes. But today, it was time for the creature to end its cultivation of evil on earth. One man who the beast had killed had refused to die. By sheer power of will he had re-spawned to become the 'Spawn', and now, after centuries of silent following had finally decided that enough was enough! Kicking open the barred door the Spawn raised his hell blade in a warriors salute and cried, "Your time is up beast! Never again will you commit crimes against humanity! With this sword I commit your body to the flames!" The spawn's sword glowed with a magical flare and the spawn leapt forward, raising the mighty weapon above his head. The old man turned his head, his eyes grew dark, quickly turning black to match the colour of his soul. The beast within was anxious to react. However, the old man's body was too slow, years had aged his weary muscles. The spawn's weapon dug deep into the silken cloth on the old mans chest and struck the heart, the soul and the beast. At once a huge gaping hole appeared in the fabric of space, and the 'stuff' which holds all things together grabbed the beast and ripped it into the mouth of the porthole. With a whining scream the gateway to the other side slammed shut and the Spawn stood quietly over the empty husk of the old scientist. His life goal and mission over, the spawn's soul began it's transmutation to the heavens. Within a matter of minutes all that remained in the room, was an old man lying beside a pile of rusty old armour and a blackened, silver sword. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\SPC personal goals essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Cara Band September 5, 2002 SPC 325 Personal Goals Essay I believe learning how to speak in front of people is always a learning process. No matter how many speech classes one takes, or speeches given, there is always room for improvement and each experience is just that, a learning experience. I have actually taken a speech class in high school; however, even being in class this past week, I have already learned new aspects to the art of public speaking. I know most people say they like to talk, but it's actually something I love to do. Because of this, I would like for it to eventually be an aspect of my profession, therefore I want to truly learn how to do it well. I believe I can articulate my ideas so that other people can clearly understand the points I am trying to get across. Therefore, I am not only taking this course because it's a requirement, but I also believe it will be extremely beneficial for me in the future. Although, I think speaking in public is a quality that everyone should learn to conquer, for the truth is, speaking in public is number one on the list of things that Americans fear most. The art of public speaking is something that could enhance the daily lives of all individuals. I believe that I have a lot of good aspects to my public speaking, however I think that there is always room for improvement in all areas. For me personally, the topic on which I am speaking I believe either makes or breaks the speech for me. If I am speaking about something that I am compassionate about, I usually captivate my audience with a hook or personality quirk. However, if the topic is not something that I particularly enjoy, perhaps I could learn to 'act' a little more and somehow still entertainment my audience while informing them as well. This is something I would like to learn how to do a little bit better. Another aspect that I think I have to work on is the diction of my voice. However, this is not just for public speaking. I tend to drag my words out, or my tone of voice will be very distinct when I end my sentences. Not to mention, I can also tend to have a strong Jersey accent, this I could definitely work on. Perhaps hearing myself in the videotape, after I cringe, I can hear how bad my voice sounds and maybe I will be able to improve on this. Other aspects besides my delivery of the speech that I could work on, is making the whole speech flow. I am usually pretty good about this, however if the topic is difficult and it's hard to break the body up into sections, this can also be a difficult task. If there is too much information I am trying to get across to the audience, sometimes I have a hard time deciding what is important and what just needs to be eliminated or even just combined with another topic. I think that it's important that no matter where you are in the speech, there is continuity and organization so that you know what you're speaking about, and therefore, more importantly, your audience can also follow along with you. Lastly, because I do like to talk a lot, I always feel like I have so much to say, this goes back to realizing which aspects are important, and which ones I should cut out. Because of this, I can tend to talk fast and in doing so I can mumble my words and people won't always catch what I'm saying. These are a few aspects that I can most definitely improve on. In addition, I am positive that there are many more aspects that I could use improvement on. I am looking forward to having others critique my speeches, and even watching myself so I can enhance my art of public speaking. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Spec Farmer flyer.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Community Promise: A Local Labour Market Study the study The Community Promise is a local labour market study being undertaken by CEDCO Victoria (the Community Economic Development Corporation).through funding by Human Resource Development Canada. The study looks at both opportunities and barriers to finding or creating work in five sectors chosen by the community. the sectors The sectors are: * organic food * construction * home support * crafts, and * the environment Each sector has its own Advisory Group, made up of industry and community representatives. Working with a team of researchers, the advisory groups are helping to guide the work of their study collecting the data Participation in the research is entirely voluntary. All data collection and analysis under the Community Promise study are conducted under strict privacy guidelines. Our research teams need participants who are looking for work or workers in each of these sectors. For information about participating, please call Vanessa Hammond or Lynne Markell at CEDCO Victoria: 1 250-360-0852 business@cedco.bc.ca the results CEDCO will produce five reports, identifying for each sector: * the work opportunities, * the skills required, * the barriers people face, * the training needed, * training programs currently available, and * the gaps. The study will be a catalyst for action. Community groups, employers, training and employment organizations, government agencies and individuals seeking work will have input to the report and access to the final product. By enhancing work opportunities in our community, CEDCO Victoria is helping to relieve poverty and encourage participation in our local economy. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\sr essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Nicki Alpern Summer Reading Essay H English I have never felt the pressure to live up to the expectations of my parents because they don't give me expectations to live up to. They just encourage me to do my best and always try my hardest. I feel that this way I am not stressed and overwhelmed to complete a task such as homework. I set my own goals and try as much as I can to achieve them. This way I do things for myself and not for the sake of my parents. However my parents are always there to give me words of encouragement and to give me help if I need it. I think this relieves some of the pressure because I am not being pushed by someone else, I am only pushing myself. I do feel pressure from myself since I want to accomplish the goal I have set. It helps me to know that I'm trying to achieve these goals because I want to, not because my parents told me to. I feel enough pressure from myself to be driven to complete a task or accomplish my goal so my parents know they don't need to pressure me. They do ask me if all my work is completed and they make sure I try my hardest, but they don't stress how they want me to do so because they know I can do it myself. The outcome of this method is successful whether it comes to schoolwork, after school activities, or just cleaning my room. My parents respect my choices and I have gained their trust by making the right decisions. They know that whatever the outcome is I tried my best and gave 100 percent. I feel that this way the outcome of certain things helps me become independent so I can complete something by myself. I also feel this way my parents and I don't fight as much because they aren't constantly pushing me. A simple reminder to complete my work or clean my room is enough for me to know what I have to get done. This technique has helped me adjust to the fact that soon, when I'm in college my parents won't be there to inform me to finish my work. Of course they are always there to give me advice and help me when I need it. My parents feel that teaching me to try my best in everything is one of the most important things I can learn. They know I listen to what they have to say so they don't need to strictly enforce their guidelines. My Mom and Dad also know that with the outcome of any situation I tried my hardest and that's enough for them. I will never forget what they have taught me and I thank them for the way they parent me, because this was pressure is relieved and I am not as stressed. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\SS ESSAY.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Matt Aldini 1\20\04 Essay Per-5 Three religions or Philosophies that have influenced how people lived are Animism, Christianity, and Confucianism. Each religion has their own beliefs and originated from different parts of the world. This religion Animism influenced how people lived. The region this religion is practiced in is Africa and Asia. A belief of Animism is everything in nature has a spirit. This affected people because they showed that they worshiped their ancestors. The second religion that influenced how people lived is Christianity. This religion is practiced all around the world and most people believe in this religion. This religion is mostly practiced in Palestine; Christianity was also born in Palestine. A belief of this religion is that all people that have served well in their religion go to heaven after death, which is known a better life. The people were being affected by this religion because they would not sin. The last religion that influenced how people lived is Confucianism. Confucianism is practiced all around the world also; one of the places is China. People who practice Confucianism believe in the Sacred Text "Analects". The people followed their social order so therefore that's how they were affected. In conclusion, the three religions influenced how people lived because of its laws they followed. Every unique religion has its own laws to follow by. That is why Animism, Christianity, and Confucianism influences peoples life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\stalker essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Danielle Bishop Alokolaro LA 2, Period 4 March 1, 2004 Swimming Struggles Sixty four year old Eleanor Chesterfield was sitting at her coffee table in her church clothes having a look of remorse on her face. While thinking, she saw a little girl in her swim team sweats and it reminded her of a past struggle. This struggle brought about some memories Eleanor didn't want to remember, but knew they were a part of her life that would last till her death. Eleanor is four and a half years old. Riding her tricycle one day, her dad asks her if she wants to learn how to swim, since summer is quickly approaching. At first Eleanor was hesitant because she knew that in a pool people could die. However, wanting to be like her big sister, she decided to try it out. Her dad was very pleased and got her in a class the next day. The next day had arrived and Eleanor was ready to go to class. She put on her little swimsuit, with her flowers and ruffles, and jumped into the pool even before the teachers knew her name. The teachers were very excited to work with someone who is as eager as them to swim. Throughout that whole lesson, Eleanor was doing exceedingly well and it was the most fun thing she's done. Many weeks had passed of Eleanor loving each and every day of lessons, but soon that would change. The following week of lessons was rapidly approaching and Eleanor was more terrified than she'd ever been. The next swim lesson was going to be focused in the deep end. Eleanor had never been in the deep end before and she was scared at the fact that she could drown. That first day of deep end lessons was a very emotional one for the whole class. Everyone was crying because Eleanor had told them, they could all drown in the deep end and die. Although they were crying and scared they knew they had to do this to be good swimmers. Eleanor shocker herself and swam without the teacher's help in the deep end. She was very excited and thrilled to be able to swim in the deep end now. Throughout the next seven years, she swam almost everyday. One afternoon, deciding that the pool was getting boring, she went to the Lake for a swim. After going out to where the water was about thirty feet deep, she looked back at how far out she was and started hyperventilating. She started drowning and trying to yell but couldn't because she was having difficulty breathing. Her family was back at shore and found it suspicious that they could not see her anymore. Four and a half minutes had passed. When they finally realized that she must be under the water, they rushed a boat out there and pulled her out of the water, she was unconscious. They had trouble reviving her, but soon did. Bringing her to shore, her pulse was off and on. She soon got to the emergency room and they took many tests on her. After many hours of long testing, the doctors concluded that her brain has a dysfunction and would not be able to swim as often or as strenuous anymore. Eleanor was crushed about this news because she was one of the few who could have made it big in swimming. Now her dreams were crushed. She never swam again. These memories are not some of her good memories, they bring bad thoughts. Seeing this swimmer in the café made her remember one of her biggest regrets in life; swimming out in the lake too deep. She would never forgive herself for letting her dreams go too far down the deep end. Putting on her sun hat, while leaving the café, she decided to take a stroll down to that lake once more and leave her regrets behind her. Bishop 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Star Wars Trilogy.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Star Wars Trilogy The First of the three part series, Star Wars, is the tale of a band of heros who team together for the good of the universe and the money. The story begins as Princess Leia is held hostage by the Galactic empire in order to crush the rebellion against them. During the attack on Leia's ship two droids, R2-D2 and C-P30, escape through an escape pod. They landed on a foreign planet and were captured and sold to their new master Luke Skywalker. The Empire chases the droids because they have a secret map detailing the whereabouts of the rebel base. As the empire searches for the map they destroy Luke's home. With no where to go R2-D2 leads Luke to Old Ben. One of the last Jedi Nights Ben takes Luke and the droids across the universe to The planet Orion on search of help. They meet Han Solo and Chewbacca who have a ship to get them there. At this time in an attempt to get the co- ordinates for the Rebel base from the Princess Darth Vader, A leader of the Empire, Destroy Orion with there new space station the Death Star. As Luke and Han Aboard the Falcon get near the old planet they are caught by the Death Star. Once in side they escape there captors and seek to escape the Death star. While doing this they find Leia and free her. Ben also find his long time student turned evil, Darth Vader, and fights to the death. Vader wins but Ben spirit remains with Luke. The others escape but the Empire has already found the location of the rebel base and are on their way to destroy it. The heros flee to the rebel base to warn them and a last ditch attempt to destroy the Death Star is made. Luke is chased by Vader and Solo comes to the rescue. Luke destroys the Death star and wins. The Second movie, The Empire Strikes Back, sees the return of all the characters from the previous movie. The rebel base is now on an ice planet. The Empire again attacks and the rebels flee. Leia, Solo, Chewie and the Droids find them selves stranded in the Falcon from the others and Luke heads out to find Yoda, Bens Master, and learn the force. The Falcon lands in a mining colony run by Lando Calrision. There they are caught by the Empire in an Attempt to catch Luke and turn him to the Dark Side. Luke has found Yoda and has a vision that his friends are in danger. He goes to save them against Yoda's warning and not knowing of the trap. Solo is frozen and sent to Jabba the hut who he owes money. The others escape. Luke and Vader fight. Vader frustrated that Luke won't change cuts off his arm and jumps out to the waste shoot. There he hangs on to his life as he waits for the others to rescue him. While heading back to the rebel fleet Vader telepathically contacts Luke And tells him he is his Father. The Third Part, The Return Of the Jedi, starts as Leia,, Luke, Chewie, Lando and the droids head of to rescue Han. After a Battle they kill Jabber and rescue Han. During this time Luke shows us his new skills. The others return to the fleet but Luke and R2-D2 go to Yoda. Once there luke sees Yoda die and is told that his father is Darth Vader and he has a sister, Leia. He then returns to the fleet who have dicovered the Empire has a new Death Star and the rebel will attempt to destroy it. To destroy the Death Star first they must destroys its shelds from the Endor Moon. Luke, Leia, Han Chewie and the Droids laed a team to do this. Lando takes the Falcon for the asult on the Death Star. While on the endor moon They are caputred by ewoks. They make friends with them and help them to fight the Empire. Luke tells Leia they are related and about Vader and surrenders himself to fight his dad and become a Jedi. Luke goes up to the Death str and is confronted by the Emperor. Luke fights Vader but this tme he wins and cuts off his arm. Now knowing that he has lost the Emperor starts to kill Luke but Vader kills him to save his son. The other destroy the shield then the death star and Luke escapes leaving his father behind to finish dieing on the Death Star. The final scence shows all the main characters together with The Ghost of Yoda, Ben and Anikin Skywalker (Vader before he turned to evil) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\stefani.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Essay Writing Ceci Cravens 3.16.04 Dear Kristen: First, let me say I like your paper a lot. I really like your tone and the flow of the paper. While those things are fine, in the beginning of the paper there is a decently sized biography of Gwen Stefani that can be shortened down. You used some good quotes and then backed them out very well in this paper. The quote from Hagedorn on page 2 is very compelling and the comments that follow it are intriguing. I especially liked the quote you used by the NAACP about the male dominated music industry. As many people witness it everyday, not that many people fully acknowledge it and your comments help bring that awareness. Overall, you should be very pleased with your essay. I would just make a few minor adjustments and you should be fine. You go girl. Brian Bass f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Steinbeck Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ruby A. Hernandez Mr. Cardillo English 9/10 H 22 March 2004 In two of John Steinbeck's novels, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, there are many differences and similarities. The novels tell about people with problems and what they are doing to get through them or how they are solving them. The thing that is noticeable in both of these novels is Steinbeck's writing style. In John Steinbeck's novels The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men there are many writing style similarities and differences. Among the similarities and differences are the novels' diction, figurative language, tone and mood, themes, and their connections to their historical period. The first writing style element that is important is diction. The diction was similar in The Grapes of Wrath to that of Of Mice and Men in the way things were projected. Steinbeck didn't change the way he told the story because his wording was the same. He used the same common language to describe the events that were happening. This made the novels easy to understand and read. For example, both of them begin with a simple but vivid description of the setting at the beginning of each book that tells you where the setting is and makes his writing style unique. The second writing style element that is both similar and different in both books is figurative language. The figurative language is similar in the way that in both books the characters are compared to animals with similes and metaphors. For example in Of Mice and Men Lennie is compared to a bear because of his great size, "Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the water arose in little splashes; rings widened across the pool to the other side and came back again"(3). In The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck describes the chants of a song to that of sounds made by wolves, "Male and female voices had been one tone, but now in the middle of a response one woman's went up and up in a wailing cry, wild and fierce, like the cry of a beast; and a deeper woman's voice rose up beside it, a baying voice, and a man's voice traveled up the scale in the howl of a wolf," (212). Steinbeck uses the figurative language in both books to better describe how the character are physically or to better describe their actions. Steinbeck also uses figurative language differently in one of the two texts. In The Grapes of Wrath he uses figurative language in order to describe whole situations or to give life to objects. In example of how he describes whole situations is how he describes what's happening to the country during the migration to California during the Great Depression, "Ever see one a them Gila monsters take hold, mister? Grabs hold, an' you chop him in two an' his head hangs on. Chop him at the neck an' his head hangs on. Got to take a screw-driver an' pry his head apart to git him loose. An' while he's layin' there, poison is drippin' into the hole he's made with his teeth,"(129). The character who describes this, Casy, is trying to explain to a man how what's happening to the country and them is worse than anything and how it will not let go. The other way Steinbeck uses figurative language is to describe objects, "Cars limping along 66 like wounded things, panting and struggling. Too hot, loose connections, loose bearings, rattling bodies," (122). His descriptions in The Grapes of Wrath are different from those of Of Mice and Men because there was more opportunity and more places to add them accordingly to the story than there were in Of Mice and Men. A third element Hernandez 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Story Manifest Function.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In a land far far away and long ago there was an abundance on game animals until hunters came and slaughtered animal after animal to sell to near by restaurants for profit. Time passed and many became rich but the once abundant forests were now some how empty and game-less. Something had to be done! That's when mayor, John Enviro Mental the II of New Brunswick decided he would ban the listing of game animals on the menus at near by restaurants to stop the pilfering of the land. He chose the menu ban because he still wanted for there to be hunting but not hunting for profit. He brought his proposal before the city council where it met resistance, but being the accomplish politician he was, he knew a bribe would get them into a passing the law kinda mood. Some of the Manifest functions John saw was the preservation of game that would be brought about if he could stop hunting for profit by taking the game off the menus at the near by restaurants. However latent functions occurred with the passing of the law, the amount of people who suffered food poisoning from the meat cooked at the restaurants went down. However latent dysfunction's occurred, somewhere ville, their neighbor to the east, who's economy was propelled by their firearms and ammunition industry suddenly had no customers, and promptly went bankrupt. A wave of unemployment and bitterness swept through the town, and the people became angry at what the foolish mayor of New Brunswick had done to their city! Back in New Brunswick things weren't so good either, people who once made their living by hunting, were now living in squalor. They were forced to turn to a life of crime and mug people on the street to get money so they could eat ! With the recent crime wave that struck the city the mayor was losing popularity and the town began to turn against him. People in desperation for a solution began to get crazy ideas like burning down city hall or hanging the mayor. Well when the people of Somewhere ville moved to New Brunswick looking for a job they also brought their ideas of revolution. 3 Months after the bill was passed the mayors house was burned in the middle of the night. He came out of his burning house to a angry mob. The angry mob promptly hung him from the tree in his front yard. Overall manifest functions: To reduce the taking of game from depleted forests. Overall latent functions: Reduced food poisoning from under cooked meat. Overall latent dysfunction's: Crime, unemployment, the mayors unfortunate death. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Stranger.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ copyright, by Pierre Palmer I. Biographical Insights A. Albert Camus' cultures consist of being a novelist, literature and short story writer of many books. He wrote an essay on the state of Muslims in Algeria, causing him to lose his job and he moved to Paris. Albert Camus also joined the French resistance against the Nazis and became an editor of "Combat", an underground newspaper. He was dissatisfied with the editorial of the Board and left the underground newspaper. B. Albert Camus, son of a working-class family, was born in Algeria in 1913, in an extreme poverty area. He spent the early years of his life in North Africa, where he worked at various jobs in the weather bureau, in an automobile-accessory firm, in a shipping company to help pay for his courses at the University of Algiers. Albert Camus then started journalism as a career. He finished early schooling, majoring in philosophy with a goal to teach. He was married to Simone in 1934 and divorced in 1936. C. The factor that influenced Albert Camus was his parents, who were a working class family. He was determined to make a better life for himself by getting an education and preparing himself to go to college. The fact that he lived in North Africa, he wrote lots of fiction books, dealing with moral problems of universal importance. 1. I think Albert's prospective in life was to just be able to write books for people that actually would deal with the reality and difficulty of people facing everyday life. Also, the difficulty of people facing life without the comfort of believing in God or just having moral standards. 2. He most likely to weave into his writing the ideal of setting moral standards and placing the comfort that an individual would need to have in facing difficulty in his life. He would also set a goal by facing any problems that may exist in every day living and by placing God into your life, no matter what the situation might look like, bad or good, you will always come through it. II. Characters A. The plot concerns a man, an apparently ordinary man, who, without any real compelling reason, commits a murder, and his apparently insensitive reaction to it. This isn't because he is without feelings, but because he is beginning to realize that life isn't everything that he had previously thought it to be. This series of events starts with he death of his mother, and although he loved her, he finds he does not experience much genuine regret at her death, and refuses to pretend he does, just for the sake of appearances. So one thing leads to another, and this man, Meursault, reaches the point where he only seems truly content when he is close to nature. The irony is that the actual act of murder was apparently brought on by the oppressive, irresistible force of another of nature's forces and it caused him to be executed. B. The changes that takes place in Meursault personality is when his mother dies and he realizes that he has no one that is close to him that he could talk to, even though his mother was in a senior citizen home. When his mother died, everyone asked him how did he feel. He said that he felt the same way like the other day. Inside of him, he really felt like crying, but he just didn't show it. I think that was one of the many things he had to face in his life and the fact that he had other problems that made him frustrated that he had to deal with. C. The two characters that played a part in Meursault life are Marie and Raymond. Marie played the role as being Meursault's girlfriend. She was a positive influenced in Meursault's life. She comforted him when he was going through hard times when his mother died. She was there for him and gave him support. Raymond was Meursault's best friend. Raymond lived up the hall from Meursault's apartment. Raymond was a considerate person and I believed the character he played was positive. Although, his downfall was that he was always causing some type of trouble, which could have made in character to also be negative in a way. He was nice to Meursault. D. The conflicts that Meursault experience was he dislike Arabs and he was faced with the problem. He expressed resentment and anger against the Arab. The problem was so strong and forceful in him that the only way he felt that he could deal with it was by taking this person life. He felt that this was the way he could resolved the situation of hatred that he had for this person. Also, the fact that he was faced with a murder charge and imprisonment. III. Representative Passage on Imagery and Figurative Language " When I went outside, the sun was up. Above the hills that separate Marengo from the sea, the sky was streaked with red. And wind coming over the hills that brought the smell of salt with it." A. The sensory details that the author uses that makes us feel like we are actually at the beach. The sensory is called the seance of smell because the author said the wind coming over the hills that brought the smell of the salt with it. B. The simile that the author use in this paragraph was when he is talking about the sky was streaked with red, but I think the author is trying to say that the white clouds with the blue sky looks like the sky is red like blood. IV. Symbolism / Allusions " That's all for today, Monsieur Antichrist." " Specking very quickly and passionately, he told me that he believed in God, that it was his conviction that no man was so guilty that God would not forgive him, but in order for that to happened a man must repent and in so doing become like a child whose heart is open and ready to embrace all". A. The people in this short quote is Monsieur as the judge is talking to him. The judge don't think Monsieur believe in Jesus because Monsieur is always talking about how he does not care about anything and he rather just be in jail where he belongs. B. The quote that I think the author is trying to carry out through the story is the second quote I wrote down, because the author is saying that you need to repent and ask for forgiveness to God. Monsieur lawyer keeps telling him about Jesus and telling Monsieur that he needs to forget about the wrong things that he did in life and repent to God, but Monsieur being big headed is not going to listen because he think what he did is wrong and he should pay the price for what he did. C. The allusion that Albert Camus is trying to get at, is that people believed in antichrist and Albert is trying to say that if you do something wrong in life you can always repent and ask God for forgiveness. V. Representative Passage on Tone and Author's Philosophy " After a short time silence, he stood up and told me that he wanted to help me, that I interested him, and that, with God's help, he would do something for me." A. I think this passage tell us about the author prospective because he is telling us that if you ask for help and if you want the help it will happened. So what I am trying to say is that I if you are not a Christian and you have a friend that believe in Jesus and if you don't believe in Jesus you have to listen to your friend to understand what is going on so you can accept Jesus. B. The aspects of his philosophy that I can pick out is that Albert Camus had to believe in Jesus because I don't think he would write a book talking about killing and Jesus at the same time, getting some moral purpose from this book. The thing that I can infer from this passage is that he is telling Meursault that he needs to listen to what every God has planned for him in prison or out of prison. VI. Evaluation A. The influence this book had on my attitude and belief is that you should never feel that you have to kill anyone because you do not like them for what ever reason it might be. I feel that you should talk through things before coming up with a conclusion of causing a fight or killing. This book really did not have a big impact on my belief because I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savor. B. I think the author goals in this book was to try to seek through to the non-believers and to seek the people that is having a hard time in life. The reason why I say this is because the way he went to jail and got caught and by his lawyer telling him he need to ask for forgiveness and repent to God. To me, it sounds like Albert is trying to get people's attention. C. Albert Camus did successfully achieve his goal because I know for a fact that I would never do anything like killing somebody because what every you do wrong in the sight of the law you are always going to get caught and also God knows everything you do. The author achieve his goal in this book by reaching the readers and to overcome the evil that society might cause a person to do and to face up the difficult situation no matter what it is. D. This book is very significant with it topics because it talks about every thing a person would go through in life. Like one thing that is really important in life is God and it talk about God in this book that I read. It make a person think that you cannot do wrong and get away with it. It make you realize that you have to face up to the situation that is wrong and deal with it. The book make you think that anger is not the way that a person should hold in him. Although, a person might look all right on the outside, it is what on the inside of that person that may cause him to have a difficult time in life. This book is not much different what I feel people today experience in society. There are a lot of violent in the world today and lots of people with resentment and anger towards one another. "The Stranger" Author: Albert Camus Pierre Palmer English II. Period #5 Date: 10/4/9 I. Biographical Insights A. Albert Camus' cultures consist of being a novelist, literature and short story writer of many books. He wrote an essay on the state of Muslims in Algeria, causing him to lose his job and he moved to Paris. Albert Camus also joined the French resistance against the Nazis and became an editor of "Combat", an underground newspaper. He was dissatisfied with the editorial of the Board and left the underground newspaper. B. Albert Camus, son of a working-class family, was born in Algeria in 1913, in an extreme poverty area. He spent the early years of his life in North Africa, where he worked at various jobs in the weather bureau, in an automobile-accessory firm, in a shipping company to help pay for his courses at the University of Algiers. Albert Camus then started journalism as a career. He finished early schooling, majoring in philosophy with a goal to teach. He was married to Simone in 1934 and divorced in 1936. C. The factor that influenced Albert Camus was his parents, who were a working class family. He was determined to make a better life for himself by getting an education and preparing himself to go to college. The fact that he lived in North Africa, he wrote lots of fiction books, dealing with moral problems of universal importance. 1. I think Albert's prospective in life was to just be able to write books for people that actually would deal with the reality and difficulty of people facing everyday life. Also, the difficulty of people facing life without the comfort of believing in God or just having moral standards. 2. He most likely to weave into his writing the ideal of setting moral standards and placing the comfort that an individual would need to have in facing difficulty in his life. He would also set a goal by facing any problems that may exist in every day living and by placing God into your life, no matter what the situation might look like, bad or good, you will always come through it. II. Characters A. The plot concerns a man, an apparently ordinary man, who, without any real compelling reason, commits a murder, and his apparently insensitive reaction to it. This isn't because he is without feelings, but because he is beginning to realize that life isn't everything that he had previously thought it to be. This series of events starts with he death of his mother, and although he loved her, he finds he does not experience much genuine regret at her death, and refuses to pretend he does, just for the sake of appearances. So one thing leads to another, and this man, Meursault, reaches the point where he only seems truly content when he is close to nature. The irony is that the actual act of murder was apparently brought on by the oppressive, irresistible force of another of nature's forces and it caused him to be executed. B. The changes that takes place in Meursault personality is when his mother dies and he realizes that he has no one that is close to him that he could talk to, even though his mother was in a senior citizen home. When his mother died, everyone asked him how did he feel. He said that he felt the same way like the other day. Inside of him, he really felt like crying, but he just didn't show it. I think that was one of the many things he had to face in his life and the fact that he had other problems that made him frustrated that he had to deal with. C. The two characters that played a part in Meursault life are Marie and Raymond. Marie played the role as being Meursault's girlfriend. She was a positive influenced in Meursault's life. She comforted him when he was going through hard times when his mother died. She was there for him and gave him support. Raymond was Meursault's best friend. Raymond lived up the hall from Meursault's apartment. Raymond was a considerate person and I believed the character he played was positive. Although, his downfall was that he was always causing some type of trouble, which could have made in character to also be negative in a way. He was nice to Meursault. D. The conflicts that Meursault experience was he dislike Arabs and he was faced with the problem. He expressed resentment and anger against the Arab. The problem was so strong and forceful in him that the only way he felt that he could deal with it was by taking this person life. He felt that this was the way he could resolved the situation of hatred that he had for this person. Also, the fact that he was faced with a murder charge and imprisonment. III. Representative Passage on Imagery and Figurative Language " When I went outside, the sun was up. Above the hills that separate Marengo from the sea, the sky was streaked with red. And wind coming over the hills that brought the smell of salt with it." A. The sensory details that the author uses that makes us feel like we are actually at the beach. The sensory is called the seance of smell because the author said the wind coming over the hills that brought the smell of the salt with it. B. The simile that the author use in this paragraph was when he is talking about the sky was streaked with red, but I think the author is trying to say that the white clouds with the blue sky looks like the sky is red like blood. IV. Symbolism / Allusions " That's all for today, Monsieur Antichrist." " Specking very quickly and passionately, he told me that he believed in God, that it was his conviction that no man was so guilty that God would not forgive him, but in order for that to happened a man must repent and in so doing become like a child whose heart is open and ready to embrace all". A. The people in this short quote is Monsieur as the judge is talking to him. The judge don't think Monsieur believe in Jesus because Monsieur is always talking about how he does not care about anything and he rather just be in jail where he belongs. B. The quote that I think the author is trying to carry out through the story is the second quote I wrote down, because the author is saying that you need to repent and ask for forgiveness to God. Monsieur lawyer keeps telling him about Jesus and telling Monsieur that he needs to forget about the wrong things that he did in life and repent to God, but Monsieur being big headed is not going to listen because he think what he did is wrong and he should pay the price for what he did. C. The allusion that Albert Camus is trying to get at, is that people believed in antichrist and Albert is trying to say that if you do something wrong in life you can always repent and ask God for forgiveness. V. Representative Passage on Tone and Author's Philosophy " After a short time silence, he stood up and told me that he wanted to help me, that I interested him, and that, with God's help, he would do something for me." A. I think this passage tell us about the author prospective because he is telling us that if you ask for help and if you want the help it will happened. So what I am trying to say is that I if you are not a Christian and you have a friend that believe in Jesus and if you don't believe in Jesus you have to listen to your friend to understand what is going on so you can accept Jesus. B. The aspects of his philosophy that I can pick out is that Albert Camus had to believe in Jesus because I don't think he would write a book talking about killing and Jesus at the same time, getting some moral purpose from this book. The thing that I can infer from this passage is that he is telling Meursault that he needs to listen to what every God has planned for him in prison or out of prison. VI. Evaluation A. The influence this book had on my attitude and belief is that you should never feel that you have to kill anyone because you do not like them for what ever reason it might be. I feel that you should talk through things before coming up with a conclusion of causing a fight or killing. This book really did not have a big impact on my belief because I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savor. B. I think the author goals in this book was to try to seek through to the non-believers and to seek the people that is having a hard time in life. The reason why I say this is because the way he went to jail and got caught and by his lawyer telling him he need to ask for forgiveness and repent to God. To me, it sounds like Albert is trying to get people's attention. C. Albert Camus did successfully achieve his goal because I know for a fact that I would never do anything like killing somebody because what every you do wrong in the sight of the law you are always going to get caught and also God knows everything you do. The author achieve his goal in this book by reaching the readers and to overcome the evil that society might cause a person to do and to face up the difficult situation no matter what it is. D. This book is very significant with it topics because it talks about every thing a person would go through in life. Like one thing that is really important in life is God and it talk about God in this book that I read. It make a person think that you cannot do wrong and get away with it. It make you realize that you have to face up to the situation that is wrong and deal with it. The book make you think that anger is not the way that a person should hold in him. Although, a person might look all right on the outside, it is what on the inside of that person that may cause him to have a difficult time in life. This book is not much different what I feel people today experience in society. There are a lot of violent in the world today and lots of people with resentment and anger towards one another. "The Stranger" Author: Albert Camus Pierre Palmer English II. Period #5 Date: 10/4/9 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Streinbeck & Characterization.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ What is depth, and what does it mean? Depth is the extent, the intensity, depth is a distinct level of detail. When someone talks about depth of characterization, they are talking about the level of intensity that someone is using in order to describe a character. John Ernst Steinbeck, in The Pearl, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath describes many of his main characters in great depth. Steinbeck and Characterization What is depth, and what does it mean? Depth is the extent, the intensity, depth is a distinct level of detail. When someone talks about depth of characterization, they are talking about the level of intensity that someone is using in order to describe a character. John Ernst Steinbeck, in The Pearl, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath describes many of his main characters in great depth. In Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, a story of two traveling laborers who are on their way to a job loading barley at a California ranch. The two most important characters in the novel are George Milton and Lennie Small. They are ordinary workmen, moving from town to town and job to job, but they symbolize much more than that. Their names give us our first hints about them. One of Steinbeck's favorite books when he was growing up was Paradise Lost by John Milton. In this long poem, Milton describes the beginnings of evil in the world. He tells of Lucifer's fall from heaven and the creation of hell. He also describes Adam and Eve's fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. By giving George the last name of Milton, Steinbeck seems to be showing that he is an example of fallen man, someone who is doomed to loneliness and who wants to return to the Garden of Eden. Perhaps this is why George is always talking about having his own place and living "off the fat of the land," as Adam and Eve did before their fall. Lennie is anything but small physically. He is a big man who is often described with animal images. In the opening scene of the book his hands are called paws and he snorts like a horse (Steinbeck, Mice 3). Yet Lennie is small on brains and on responsibility. Someone has always taken care of Lennie and done his thinking and talking for him. First his Aunt Clara looked after him, and now George does. He is like a child, a term George uses several times in describing Lennie to Slim. Lennie has a child's short attention span and tendency to hang onto one idea stubbornly--the rabbits he will get to tend. He is innocent and "has no meanness in him." In a sense, Lennie and George are both small men. They will never be famous or amount to anything great. Even their dream is a modest one. The ranch George is thinking about costs only $600. They will have just a few chickens and pigs and, of course, rabbits(Steinbeck, Mice 56). They will not have to work real hard. George and Lennie are practically opposites in the way they look and in their personalities. George is described as small and quick with sharp features. Lennie is described as big, slow witted, and shapeless of face. George can comfortably fit into the ranch hands' world. He plays horseshoes with the others and goes along to the whorehouse on Saturday night. Lennie plays instead with his puppy in the barn and spends Saturday night in Crooks' room with the other outcasts - Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife. Yet it is very difficult to look at George and Lennie separately. Over and over, under Lennie's prompting, George explains that their uniqueness lies in the fact that they are together. As Lennie says (repeating George's words): "But not us! An' why? Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why." It is said that Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, has written that each person has two sides - the ego and the id. The ego is the person's thinking side, the leader figure within him or her. The id is the physical side of the person, the body and senses. George is obviously the leader of the two men; he does all of their thinking. He remembers the things that must be remembered and instructs Lennie about them. Lennie, on the other hand, is all body. He "thinks" with his senses. The most important parts of Lennie's body are his hands. He likes to touch soft things, and he does so without thinking. That's why he keeps getting into trouble. Lennie crushes Curley's hand with his hand, and breaks the necks of his puppy and Curley's wife when his hands get the better of him. It is interesting to note that Lennie gets in trouble only when George is not around. Steinbeck seems to be saying that a body without a mind controlling it can easily get carried away. A person must be a balance of ego and id. Another way to look at George and Lennie is scientifically. Remember that Steinbeck was also a marine biologist. An important biological relationship is symbiosis. Many times in nature two different kinds of plants or animals live in what is called a symbiotic relationship. That means each one needs the other in order to live. George and Lennie need each other in the same way. It is obvious why Lennie needs George. George does his thinking for him and tries to keep him out of trouble. But why does George need Lennie? Lennie is more than just George's companion who keeps him from being lonely. Lennie makes George special. As George says to Slim in Chapter 3, "Lennie made me seem God damn smart alongside of him...." He adds, "I ain't got no people. I seen the guys that go around on ranches alone. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time they get mean." George tells Lennie that he could have so much fun without him, going into town and maybe spending his money in a whorehouse. But if he did these things he would be just like all the other nobodies on the ranch. Lennie forces George to keep repeating the vision of the future farm. George seems bored or annoyed each time he begins to tell the story, but soon he gets more excited himself. Lennie's enthusiasm keeps the vision fresh and alive. When George spots Curley's wife's body in the barn, he says, "I'll work my month an' I'll take my fifty bucks an' I'll stay all night in some lousy cat house...." George knows he will be just another ranch hand without Lennie. One other way that Steinbeck hints at George's need for Lennie is that whenever George is in the bunk house without Lennie around, he plays solitaire. George is basically a loner without Lennie. So Lennie is right then when he says that George takes care of him, and he takes care of George. There is a third way to look at the relationship of the two men - a biblical way. Remember that the Bible was also a very important influence on Steinbeck's writing. George and Lennie's story has some strong echoes of the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis. Do you remember that story? Cain draws Abel into a field and kills him. When God asks where Abel is, Cain replies, "Am I my brother's keeper?" George is not really Lennie's brother, but he is the closest thing to family that Lennie has. George is clearly Lennie's keeper. He also is Lennie's killer. According to the Bible, after Cain kills Abel, he is forced to wander the earth alone as a fugitive, longing for Eden but never getting there. George too will be a lonely wanderer who no longer has his vision of a garden and paradise without Lennie. In The Pearl, a story about a poor Indian fisherman, Kino who lives on the Gulf of California with his wife, Juana and his infant son, Coyotito. They live in a simple hut and depend on nature for survival. Despite the poverty, Kino is happy, honest, and hardworking.He is a dignified pearl diver who works hard to support his family (Steinbeck, Pearl 21). He is a simple and natural being who functions well in the traditional ways of the village. Kino is conscious of his poverty and knows that money could buy things that he lacks. He hopes to find a pearl that will guarantee him future peace. Like most human beings, he wants to get ahead. Kino depends on nature for his income. When the waters are rough, he cannot go diving. When the sun sets, his workday ends. The discovery of a great pearl changes Kino's life. The man who usually hears the "Song of the Family" - the harmonious, soothing message that all is well in life - begins to hear the voice of suspicion, the sounds of danger - the "Song of Evil." This song is really a powerful internal voice that he hears when danger arises, which links him to his ancestors as a sort of built - in protection against death. It is Steinbeck's poetic way of referring to Kino's survival instinct. On the other hand, Kino's intelligence and growth in social awareness help him realize that he and other Indians have been exploited by the rich and powerful. At first, instinctively, he senses the danger with the doctor and pearl buyers, but it is only after his brutal encounter with the trackers that he becomes aware of the extent of this exploitation. He comes to realize that human beings will kill in order to gain money and power. As Kino moves away from his natural habitat, he becomes isolated. With the pearl in hand, he marches toward the city - a symbolic move toward a more complex civilization - in his belief that he can deal with "civilized" people. He lays claim to the benefits of civilization - power, money, an education for Coyotito - but soon realizes, when pursued by the trackers, that he is a victim of the very society in which he hopes to earn a profit. Some readers believe that Kino brings about his own downfall by going against the forces of nature. Kino loses more than his social innocence in the novel. He learns that he, too, can kill to protect his chance for wealth and power. Some readers point out that Kino is the exploited but innocent man who loses his innocence when he tries to venture beyond his social boundaries. Others see Kino as the symbol of an honest, hard - working man destroyed by greed. Still others see him as a man unable to escape his fate. Kinos, wife Juana is another important character who is immediately pointed out in the first chapter of The Pearl. She is a loving and devoted wife, the stabilizing force in Kino's life. At first you may see her simply as subservient. But Juana has great inner strength and determination. For example, when Coyotito is bitten by the scorpion, Juana acts immediately and sucks out the poison. She also insists that they see the doctor - an unheard of event in the village. Juana has a strong survival instinct where her family is concerned. When the doctor refuses to treat the baby, Kino responds by ineffectually punching the gate; Juana puts a seaweed poultice on the baby's shoulder. She responds with the same kind of direct action when she decides that the pearl is a threat to her family. She tries to throw it back in the sea. In away of categorizing what each character represents, it can be said t f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\student 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [Error] - File could not be written... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Successes & Failures of Lieutenant Hornblower from C S Fores.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ C.S. Forester's Lieutenant Hornblower In the novel Lieutenant Hornblower there were a few scenes were Hornblower was a success and a few were he was a failure. In my opinion the first success of Hornblower was when he used all the cannons on one side of the ship to free them from the mud holding the ship. Another success was when Hornblower suggested a landing attack on Samana Bay. The commanding officer agreed with his suggestion, and they put together a landing party. Hornblower had the whole attack planed and the coordinates marked. His surprise attack on the Spanish at Samana proved to be a success. Once the fort was taken over he was successful in firing red hot shot at enemy ships, even without ever using that technique before. Then when the negotiation with the Spanish took place he had a brilliant idea to mount a nine pound cannon at the upper end of the peninsula to prevent the Spanish from escaping. This enabled them to turn down the terms of the proposal that the Spanish wanted and get what they wanted without giving anything to the Spanish. These achievements made by Hornblower is what later earned him the command of the Retribution, although his command of the Retribution did not come until later when the war started again. Hornblower had also had a few failures that hindered his successes. Among these was when Hornblower was using the red hot shot to sink enemy ships. This was both a success and failure. It was a failure because after heating the shot for a considerably long period of time the shot began to deform. This deformity of the shot wouldn't allow it to fit into the cannon. Hornblower realized his mistake after one of the shots wouldn't fit into the cannon. This slowed their operation down but didn't cause a defeat to them. The situation with Hornblower gambling is mostly in my opinion a success but it could also be a failure. The way I think it would be a failure is that he lost a lot of his money and couldn't afford some necessities. Hornblower also won a considerable amount of money and his playing Whist with Parry led to the confirming of his command of the Retribution. I feel these examples show both the success and failure of Lieutenant Hornblower throughout the novel. His success lead him to commander of Retribution and his failures were small and didn't have great effect on his outcome. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\sucky essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Amanda Gray September 26th 2001 Constrictions of Democracy Worldwide, and throughout history, people have developed diverse opinions, norms and ideologies. Ideologies satisfy matters of self-interest, purpose of life, survival, interpretation of the past and present, and a goal for the future. They have a strong emotional appeal and provide a simple picture of the world. A community achieves its collective goals, however, through a government which makes laws, interprets them and carries them out. In today's modern society, as average people are sweeping the planet with power and influence, democracy is emerging as a means for control and government to fall to the hands of the masses. For the first time in history more than half of the world exists as democracy. Although this is extremely momentous, democracy is not a new idea. Democracy flourished in fifth century b.c. Athens, when every class of citizens took an active part in political life. In the world of this new millenium, as countries grow continuously more multicultural, citizens look to democracy as the best way to secure unity in diversity. Unity in society is manifested by the acknowledgment of common interests and values, co-operation, participation in government processes, and a general willingness to conform to decisions resulting from the interaction of competing interests and opinions. Unity is preserved because of the knowledge that the democratic process gives opportunities for changes in policy. Democracy is a process of government characterized by freedom of opportunity for all individuals and groups to influence, if they can, the course of governmental action and by organizational arrangements which provide for the making of final policy decisions by officials chosen for limited terms of service, and therefore replaceable from time to time, by an electorate composed of people able to meet liberal voting qualifications. Democracy is supported by four pillars, which are the pre-eminence of law, an informed citizenry, an active, participating citizenry and respect of basic rights and liberties. Governments are instituted to people to protect their inherent and inalienable rights, such as freedoms of speech, expression, press, religion, assembly, association and fair trial. Widespread demands for equality, however, result in intervention in the lives of individuals. Since this inevitably results in a loss of liberty, democratic government may threaten the liberty which it is supposed to protect. Should democracy place limits on basic human rights and liberties? One opinion clearly states that limits must be placed in order to prevent chaos and anarchy. An opposing view states that everyone's freedom must be preserved at all costs. J.S. Mill held the view that democracy is a preventative of excessive intervention in the affairs of individuals. This states that freedoms are created by democracy. Thomas Jefferson believed that, "all men are created equal ... with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." He implied that no limits should be placed on these certain rights within democracy. Some extremists believe that we must fight for our freedoms, because democratic techniques merely conceal the reality of oppressive rule by few, or oligarchy. It can clearly be seem, however, that democracy should place limits on basic human rights and liberties to provide the most freedom and safety for the greatest amount of citizens. Freedom of speech, expression, and freedom of the press are basic rights that are tainted with controversy, within democracy. Freedom of speech and expression directs any democracy. This freedom is relied on to encourage debate and vote, assembly and protest, worship and justice for all. Before people can govern themselves, they must be free to express themselves. For an open exchange of ideas and opinions, truth will eventually win out over falsehood, other values will be understood, compromise can be viewed, and progress will soon be reached. Democratic governments do not control, dictate or judge the content of written and verbal speech. In cases where the news media or other organizations abuse freedom of speech with information which is false, irresponsible or in bad taste, the government does nothing. Citizens in a democratic society defend this right out of conviction that, in the end, open debate will lead to greater truth and wiser public actions than if speech and dissent are suppressed. Adequate sources of information are necessary in a democracy. Freedom of the press contributes to the conveyance of information to the general public. Dependable sources of information are needed to combat the spread of misinformation. When the mass media becomes money oriented, the public is manipulated by very effective propaganda techniques. For the last four decades, there has been controversy in Canada and the United States over bans on cigarette advertising. While smoking is legal, cigarette advertising is clearly misleading. Smoking is the number one cause of premature, preventable death and disease in our society. The whole purpose of cigarette advertising is to make people forget that central fact, by conveying youth, vitality and fun. It is hard for people to believe that the government would allow unlimited advertising of a product that kills over 450,000 people each year and is more addictive than heroin. Tobacco companies and mass media industries who make profit from cigarette advertising argue against bans because they believe they have the right to free speech. People should be allowed to say what they want, print what they want and read what they want. Opposing groups feel that cigarette advertising should be banned because the society would be a better, healthier place if everyone stopped smoking. Society would have less of a medical burden because less people would die from lung cancer and emphysema if every stopped smoking. This position also sympathizes with Judao-Christian values, which consider life of ultimate importance. This can be seen in laws to protect people from the dangers of themselves such as seatbelt, helmet, and suicide laws. It can be clearly seen, however, that smoking advertisements are an expression of an opinion. The opinion can not be debated properly within the democracy because the opposing statements cannot be heard with an equal voice. The government and anti-smoking activist groups do not have enough money to create an effective antismoking campaign to combat tobacco propaganda in the spirit of open democracy. Therefore a limit must be placed on freedom of speech that allows only the amount of freedom that can be effectively debated. In Canada, James Keegstra, the mayor of Eckville, Alberta, taught his social studies students that the holocaust had never occurred and a Jewish conspiracy had manipulated history for hundreds of years. After twenty years, he was discovered and lost his position as mayor and teacher in 1982. Keegstra argues that freedom of speech is guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He also argued that his teachings were not slander, since he believed what he said to be true. The government argued that there was a possibility that his statements could promote violence toward a certain group. They were also concerned that he was misusing his position of power. It can be clearly seen that, although Keegstra was justified in speaking what he believed, it was uncalled for in an environment in which it could not be properly debated. In the classroom, he was the ultimate authority and therefore his opinion was not democratically challenged. The government removed him from his positions using the law instead of their right to free speech. The problem could have been solved through open debate, during which the clear evidence and facts that support the holocaust would have crumbled Keegstra's position, leading to a more progressive truth and a better understanding of the world and each other. Freedom of speech should be limited to situations and environments in which opinions can be democratically debated to establish an acceptable truth. The right to privacy is a highly unpublicized basic liberty that is taken for granted in most of the Criminal Code of Canada. Section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that "Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure". The Privacy Act of Canada states that "the purpose of this Act is to extend the present laws of Canada that protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by a government institution and not provide individuals with a tight of access to that information." The importance of the right of the public to private communications is one which has been consistently recognized by both the courts and the parliaments. Privacy is essential for the well being of the individual. The restraints imposed on police to pry into the lives of citizens goes to the essence of democracy. Any invasion of the right to privacy in violation of the charter is serious. A right to privacy cannot always defeat the effective enforcement of laws designed for the public good. Conversely, a right to privacy cannot unduly be sacrificed to advance the prosecution of a crime. All challenges must begin by recognizing the larger context framed by seeking a balance between these vital interests in democracy. When two hijacked planed crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, the democratic right to privacy was threatened in all the democracies of North America. The aim of the terrorists, in fact, may have been to cause the freedoms of democracy to be restricted, threatening the very theology of democracy. This is probable since the "Attack on Democracy" was directed by democracy's ideological extremist enemy. As predicted, security in North American airports has been dramatically increased. If this personal search reaches the point where it is deemed unreasonable, the democracy has limited the basic right to privacy. The government also monitors phone calls and flags key words, that might point to terrorist activity. There have been expulsions from America On Line internet chat rooms for joking mentions of bombs in private sessions. Some citizens are outraged by this limit of privacy as well as speech. There are mentions in government of national identification cards, video surveillance and facial recognition. Many democratic citizens find these measures to be a blatant limit of the basic right to privacy. Others are pushing for more measures to be taken, since they are scared of chemical and biological weapons, cyber-terrorism, nuclear devices, vehicles of terror, such as aircraft, and eco-terrorism. It is obvious that a balance must be reached within the democracy. The government must protect the safety of its citizens, without vandalizing their basic democratic right to privacy. The government must increase the security of the state, and make sure not to unreasonable seize citizens, or extract personal information. These measures would threaten the idea of democracy and edge society towards dictatorship. The right to freedom of religion is a very heated issue within democracy. Freedom of religion, or of conscience, means that no person should be required to profess any religion or other belief against his or her desires. Additionally, no one should be punished or penalized in any way when one chooses one religion over another or decided against religion. The democratic state recognizes that a person's religious faith is a profoundly personal matter. The government must step in, however, when the religious beliefs or rituals of a certain group threaten the safety of other citizens. In 1962, in British Columbia, 68 members of the Dukabor sect known as the "Sons of Freedom" which included "Bill the Mad Bomber" found themselves confined to the federal prison near Agassis in the Municipality of Kent for bombing, arson and similar sins of commission. They believed that God had empowered the to do such things, but unfortunately, more secular powers had not received the same message and decided to have them confined. The rest of the members of the sect moved to the outside of the prison and caused panic. The Government passed a bylaw banning the sect from Kent on the grounds that these people were "addicted to nudism, arson and the illegal use of dynamite and explosive devices". The Dukabors opposed this on the grounds of freedom to practice their religion, which required these acts. The government felt that the sect's activities created danger and uneasiness and threatened the safety of the majority of citizens. It can be seen that the government must limit and regulate the activities defined by religion, in order to promote the safety and well being of the majority. Democracy must place limits on basic rights and liberties to provide the most freedom and safety for the greatest amount of citizens. Freedom of speech and freedom of press must be limited to environments and situations in which the information can be debated to establish a higher truth. The right to privacy must also be restricted to and extent to provide safety during times of paranoia, and to ensure the continuation of a democratic nation. Freedom of religion must also be limited to activities that promote the safety of others. In nations all over the globe, the citizens have the terrible power to make these extravagant decisions to better societies and humanity. They must make these decisions in order to uphold their incredible ability to make their own choices and shape their world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Sudden.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Instant I'll always remember Instant. That was the nickname the men had tacked onto the muscled giant that wielded the M60 in my unit. "Instant" was short for "Instant Death." And I'll always remember the first time I saw Instant in action. I was a new Lieutenant assigned to Vietnam. Back then, the Army didn't try to develop any "team spirit" within the corps; men were rotated frequently before any friendships developed. Consequently, my men were a group of strangers united only by the need to survive. They were eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds with the eyes of old men. My first real assignment was to check a tiny hamlet, Dien Hoa. Army Intelligence believed the Viet Cong were operating from Dien Hoa. Our job was to determine if that was correct. We rode in an olive-drab chopper. The whooping blades of the helicopter give us a little relief from the relentless heat of 'Nam; the blades cut the thick, humid air and pushed a breeze downward over the passenger compartment. Soon, we circled the landing zone. The LZ looked cold. There's only one way to find out if it is really cold, I thought as I double checked my M16. If no one zapped us when we entered, it was cold. If they did, it wasn't. "Lock and load," I yelled. The helicopter circled low and slowed down until it almost hovered four feet from the ground. The door gunner mashed the spade grips on his .30 caliber M60 machine gun. The gun spewed bullets over the field below us. It was time to jump off the skids while we skimmed above the surface of the lush, green valley. My stomach felt like it was turning wrong-side-out. We dropped into the grass, stumbling under heavy packs and the weight of ammo and weapons. I wondered about snakes and hoped the groan I mad when I hit the ground was drowned by the noise of the helicopters. Though the helicopter gunner continued firing into the heavy growth to the north of them, there was no return fire. We were safe for the moment. "OK," I yelled signaling with my hands the way you're not supposed to. Hand signals are a good way to mark yourself as the leader. It's just the thing enemy snipers watch for. But few of my twenty-seven men could hear me over the roar and firing of the helicopters. I had no choice. "Move out. On the double," I ordered. The choppers lifted. We were on our own. The soldiers started with the usual complaining but then grew strangely quiet. They knew we had to move quickly to leave the dangerously-exposed LZ. The helicopters were lost in the distance; the only sounds were the usual clanking of equipment and water sloshing in canteens. It took nearly an hour to walk through the grassland and occasional wooded section of the valley to the heavy jungle area at the foot of the hills. Our speed slowed while we went up the slight incline and wove through the ever thickening vegetation. At the ridge which overlooked Dien Hoa, we halted while I inspected the village below them with my binoculars. I searched for a warning sign, some hint of danger. Old men, women, and children, with a few water buffalo, milled around; everything appeared normal. But I knew that just because an area "looked" business-as-usual it meant nothing in Vietnam. "Call headquarters," I told my radio man as I lowered my binoculars. Moments later, he had reached headquarters with his radio. I took the phone piece and let my commander know what the situation was. As expected, we were ordered to continue toward the village. I gave the radio phone-piece to the radioman, put my helmet back onto my head, and stood. "Sergeant," I said. "Yes, Sir," Sergeant Nelson answered. The burley, middle-aged trooper squinted at me. His face was wrinkles, sunburn, and peeling skin. "We got bunched up on our way up," I said. "Be sure they keep spaced apart." Sergeant Nelson nodded. I didn't have to tell him that it would be essential to keep spaced in case of an ambush. I hoped the new guys would take his orders seriously. As the Sergeant crept down the line inspecting and giving last minute instructions, I wiped the sweat from my brow with a dirty hand. Your hands never stay clean for long in Vietnam and you never quit sweating. I wondered how I would hold up in actual combat. Eventually we were ready. "Saddle up," I said, hoping no one noticed the slight quiver in my voice. There were two trails leading into Dien Hoa from our side of the village. I didn't choose to take the most direct footpath down. We would have been too exposed on it. I felt certain it would lead to an ambush or booby traps if some of the villagers were Viet Cong. I ordered the men off the ridge and into the jungle area overshadowing the village. Though it was dangerous to do, we had to stick to the trail; the vegetation was too dense to allow us to approach the village from another route without making a huge detour. We walked into the shade of the thick canopy which gave some relief from the noondays heat. It was a sharp contrast to the hot grassy plane. The smell of wet dirt and rotting vegetation created the feeling of being in an entirely different place and time, rather than just a few kilometers from our LZ. Halfway down the slope, Jerry, the point man suddenly dropped and signaled a halt. I passed the order down the line with the same hand signal then pushed by the three grunts ahead of me and crept forward to crouch beside Jerry. "What's up?" I whispered. "Charlie," Jerry said in a low, hoarse voice. I crawled by the soldier and looked down the trail. There, perhaps forty yards ahead of us, was a group of black-pajamaed Viet Cong. They laughed and smoked. They sat on a log alongside the path, their AK-47s carelessly rested against a palm. As I watched, the Cong were joined by four similarly dressed comrades. Jerry and I dropped back from the guerrillas' sight. I used hand signals and whispered commands to position my men on the high side of the trail. We crept through the vegetation still wet from the mornings dew. I again momentarily wondered about snakes, then forgot them while I fought my way through the vines and dense growth. I had ordered them not to fire until the M60 gunner Instant did. And Instant was not to shoot until I gave the go ahead. I stationed myself next to him and Evens, the short, mousy private who served as Instants ammunition carrier. Instant crouched in the brush; he wore a flack jacket without a shirt under it, exposing his muscled arms. The Viet Cong on the trail acted like they owned the place. They made enough racket and jabbering to be heard for miles. The guerrillas' lack of discipline was astonishing; I hoped we could take advantage of their carelessness. Moments that seemed to stretch to eternity passed, then six VC rounded the turn of the path. They walked into the kill zone of the ambush, continuing to talk loudly, completely oblivious to the danger. Each had his AK-47 balanced over his shoulder with the rifles butt behind him while he carried the firearm by its barrel. There was jabbering and laughter on the trail behind the six; I let the first group continued toward our trap. I watched. Four more men and two women rounded the angle of the trail. One woman wore a hat, the other woman and the men had rags on their heads; all wore black pajamas with sandals. All but one. He stuck out from the others. He walked like a soldier and wore a tan uniform and green "safari hat" of the North Vietnamese Army. Unlike his comrades, he carried an old Russian SKS rifle. Headquarters would be glad if we got that guy, I thought. They were always trying to trace the connections between the North and South. Too, the NVA might have documents on him from which US Intelligence could get useful information. I hunkered down wondering if additional VC or NVA would stumble into our trap. Things were going to be tricky; if I waited too long, the first Cong would be out of the kill zone. I listened a moment for others; I could hear nobody else. It was time. I tapped Instants steel helmet. There was a nearly inaudible click as Instant released the safety on the M60 machine gun. Then all hell broke loose. I blinked at the loud thumping of the M60. With each burst, it threw a golden shower of brass into my line of vision. I strained to see through the thin blue smoke that escaped from the flash hider of the machine guns barrel. The low-toned explosions of the M60 were joined by a higher-pitched ca-whacking chorus of M16 rifles. The twelve people on the trail jerked and danced to the cruel music. They were chopped down before they could take any action or even ready their weapons. "Cease fire," I yelled. Two young soldiers continued to shoot although the VC were down and obviously dead. I swore under my breath, need to work on fire discipline. The last few shots ended. Sergeant Nelson screamed and cursed the two privates for wasting ammunition. We rose to stare at the bodies sprawled across the footpath below us. The Sergeant quit chewing the two soldiers' butts and the jungle was quiet. Even the sounds of insects were absent. Only the whispers of my men and the smell of gunpowder hanging in the air explained what had transpired. I signaled several of my troops to quit gawking at the bodies and return to their positions so each end of the trail would be secure. Sergeant Nelson inspected the bloody corpses for documents. I ambled back toward the point, surprised at the elation I experienced after my initial taste of combat. As I neared Jerry, I saw a flash of movement behind the palms and bushes that screened the trails bend. More Viet Cong. Jerry stood on the path, oblivious to the black forms running toward him. "Watch out!" I hollered. I crouched instinctively. I brought my M16 up and snapped off its safety. Jerry noticed my performance. The GI twirled and dived back into the brush with a crash. I saw a muzzle flash. The only way to see a muzzle flash in daylight is to be gazing down a barrel. The bullet narrowly missed me as it sped by with a crack. Six Viet Cong raced around the corner of the trail. Their firearms blazed on full automatic. I returned the fire, knocking one into the brush. Their shots kicked up plumes of earth on the trail next to me and shattered the canteen on my belt. The VC leaped into the greenery off the track. I scrambled to leave the trail myself. I could hear my men thrashing in the undergrowth behind me; but no one was shooting for fear of hitting me or Jerry. Everything grew quiet. I searched the brush for a sign of Charlies presence. Then I realized that the VC had leaped into the same area where Jerry hidden. All hell's going to break loose if that's what happened, I thought to myself. Sure enough, there was a flurry of shooting. AK-47s and an M16 barked in the scrub ahead of me. Ignoring the stray bullets cracking in the air, I rose up to a crouch to witness the outcome, my carbine at the ready. As I watched, three of the Cong bolted out of the brush. They crossed the trail and dashed into the vegetation on the opposite side of the path before I could zap them. Two more of the enemy followed them; one limped badly. The second staggered, blood spurting from a wound on his neck. The two crossed the trail; my men finally started shooting. American bullets kicked up the sodden path around the VC. The first VC dropped like a limp rag doll. The other sprawled, his feet sticking out of the brush onto the trail. After the flurry of shooting, there was a lull. Most of my men had exhausted the rounds in their magazines. They paused to place new magazines into their M16s. AK-47s initiated a din of their own to fill the silence. AK bullets cracked next to my head. I scrambled to place a palm between me and the VC and then realized that I was hearing the blast of a rifle from the knoll above me. I spun and discharged my weapon toward the sound. I caught a glimpse of a black figure. The man jerked and fell as I drew a bead on him. Half his face was blown away. More gun shots came from the hill as well as from the bend of the pathway; I cursed myself. I had permitted us to be caught in a flanking movement. There was little I could have done to prevent it, but I was furious for not anticipating it all the same. Crouching down, I flipped the switch on my rifle to full auto. I kept the tree to my back so I'd be screened from the Cong on the trail. Rising slightly from the foliage, I squeezed off a barrage of slugs toward where the shooting came from the slope above. I dropped to the ground. There wasn't time to fire again. A hail of bullets answered my shots, cracking as they passed above my head; other bullets dug up the damp soil and growth. I crawled, hidden in the vegetation, and tried to withdraw from the spot from which I'd fired. I scooted on my hands and knees. Someone was thrashing toward me. I froze. My finger tightened on the trigger. Then I relaxed. I could see the olive green of a US uniform. It was Jerry! The soldier crawled to me. Despite the fear in his eyes, he smiled grimly as he hugged the ground. A trickle of blood was coming from a small wound on Jerrys upper left arm. His lower ear lobe was also bleeding where it had been nicked by a bullet or possibly a splinter kicked up by a near miss. The shooting stopped. I crawled forward and peeked through the thick brush that screened the trail. I could barely discern the black forms of two Cong who were crawling along the trail ten yards from us. I dropped the nearly empty magazine from my carbine while I watched the enemy soldiers. I rolled over and drew a full magazine from my pouch and slipped it silently into my rifle. My gun was still set on full auto. I wiped the sweat from my right eye. Rising to a crouch, I shot into the foliage at the two guerrillas. One of the guerrillas twitched spasmodically, then fell flat, my bullets gnawing at his body. The second, a young girl, spun over firing her AK skyward, then abruptly slumped. As I dropped into the growth beside the point man, Jerry opened up with his M16. I peered through the foliage where Jerry fired. Several more Cong were sprinting toward us. The VC discharged their AKs blindly at the sound of our rifles. I emptied the rest of my magazine at them. All four of the Cong were hit. They collapsed on the trail, out of view. Now AK-47 bullets again rained on us from close range. The hill just over us was lit up with gunfire. Jerry and I plunged into the undergrowth, leaves and twigs from the trees overhead dropped on us. The moist dirt exploded with the impact of bullets. The noise of the gunfire was accompanied by a wet, slapping sound, like a water melon being struck by a hammer. I glanced at Jerry. His face was staring with unfocused eyes. His face was blank, emotionless, his spirit drained from it. A large gaping hole in his temple oozed blood; the leaves behind him were matted with his blood and brains. I looked away and closed my eyes. As a Lieutenant, I knew I was responsible for my soldiers. Forget Jerry, I told myself. Save the rest of your men from this predicament. But how? I'm too far from away to give orders. As close as the Cong are would make movement suicidal... Another barrage of bullets chewed into the dirt around me. I lay still, playing dead, praying that the next bullet wouldn't be the one to kill me. After a few tense moments, the thumping of bullets so close to my body stopped. Lying motionless for an eternity, I listened to the battle. I couldn't believe I hadn't been hit even though the VC shooting at me had been quite close. I heard the Cong approaching through the vegetation. I rolled over, jerked a grime-covered grenade from the side of my magazine pouch, and pulled the pin. I tossed the grenade toward the rustling sound. The blast that came seconds later was accompanied by a scream. On target, I thought. I instantly flung two more grenades. As I listened, my M-79 grenadier started firing and the larger explosions of his shells reverberated from the knoll above me. Above the sounds of exploding grenades and the shots from the AK-47s, I could discern the staccato firing of an M60 along with the renewed fire of an M16. I quickly snapped a new magazine into my and looked over the grass to see what was happening. I saw Instant. He was standing, firing his M60, oblivious to the incoming AK-47 bullets that were cutting through the brush and around him. He fired up the hill toward the Cong. With each string he shot, he took steps up the slope. His cowering ammunition handler scampered behind him with spare ammo, his M16 rifle playing a counterpoint to Instants weapon. As I watched, I learned how Instant had obtained his name. Bits of palms shattered under the M60s fire. Here and there, Cong shrieked, cut down by the invisible blade. Burst after burst spilled brass out the side of the weapon as Instant directed his bullets at the Cong. But it'll only be a matter of time before they slaughter him, I told myself. They murdered Jerry. Damn it, they're not going to waste Instant. Acting on my anger, I jumped up and pulled the trigger on my carbine, and fired the Cong up the ridge. "Come on!" I ordered a private I saw cowering in a clump of rubber trees. After a moments hesitation, he jumped up and joined me, his eyes wide with fear. We sprinted up the hill, exposed. But we didn't care. Run, aim, shoot. Sergeant Nelson stood up. He yelled and cursed those cowering around him. One by one they rose and joined the mad charge up the steep incline. We continued, stumbling, hurdling through the thick vegetation, and screaming like demented souls. The firing of the AKs petered out. We darted through the foliage to the top of the ridge in our spontaneous charge. At the crest of the slope, the plants became sparse. We overlooked what had once been terraced farmland on the opposite downward slope. In the sparse scrub, we could also see the retreating VC. They were bounding like scared black rabbits. From our vantage point, the VC were totally exposed below us. We launched a hasty barrage after the enemy. Then we realized our opportunity. The Cong had no cover close by. We proceeded to take careful aim, savoring shots the way a hunter might when he made ready to bag a prized buck. We made careful, deliberate shots. One after another, the black, running forms crumpled. With a final flurry of shooting, only a lone Charlie managed to escape into the grove of trees below. The bodies of the VC dotted the open hillside. Sporadic last shots ended the lives of the few wounded who continued to stir below us. Complete silence reigned for a few moments, then Blake yelled an obscenity at the last Cong who had eluded us. Silence. "We did it," I simply said, my words falling flat. A weak cheer went down the line; one man dropped to his knees and cried. Even though we'd all felt as good as dead, we realized we had won. Afterward, waiting with the wounded and dead for dustoff, I thought about the firefight. Instants selfless deed had saved our skins. It was little wonder the men had so much respect for the soldier. I studied him for a moment. He sat by himself beneath a tree, carefully cleaning his M60 like a mother washing a baby. He wore a bandage over his right eye and a second on his arm; except for those minor wounds, he had managed to come through the fight uninjured. And he'd shown a green lieutenant and his men what true bravery was. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Suicide in Chinatown.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Suicide in Chinatown There was a normal afternoon in Chinatown. Everybody was really interested in Silvester Stalone's new action movie that was being played for the first time this weekend. Delta Force was the movie. Stalone was acting as a very famous cop. He became popular because one year before he killed all a group of terrorists that was planning to put a bomb in the Empire State Building. Now he is fighting against some bank robbers. The critics and also the public were complaining about the violence that the film shows. The critics said that too much blood and fights would incite a bad behavior from the public. Because of all these complaints the public opinion was discussing the possibility of cut of some parts of the movie or even stop playing it. During the 8:00pm movie session, one fact worked to decide quickly the situation... There were many couples in the movie theater and during one of the most violent part of the film, a couple stood up and pulled out two gun machines that were in a suitcase. They were, apparently, a normal couple. The blond man using beard was wearing sport clothes. He was carrying a medium black and white suitcase, from where they pulled the gun. The woman was also young, may be working to 20 or 22 years old. She was wearing shorts and a red shirt. She was the most nervous and she was the one who ordered everybody to line on the floor and picked the guys as hostages. When they ordered the hostages to line on the floor, one girl escaped from the place and called the police. The couple didn't ask for anything special. They just began to scream saying that they had the power and wanted the public attention. Five minutes after the girl escape from the cinema, the police arrived. There were more than fifteen police cars around the cinema, nobody could escape. The sergeant got out of the car and began to negotiate with the couple, trying to release the hostages safely. The sergeant asked how could he finish the situation and the couple asked for a TV team to record something very important to them. The sergeant permitted the CNN team to go into the movie theater but, for doing it, he asked the couple to release the half part of the hostages that were there. The guy accepted and when the CNN team went into the cinema he released seventy-five people. When the CNN group began to record the place, the couple put their weapons on their own head and shot themselves. At this moment, everybody became in panic. The police officers invaded the place and calmed the people that were there. The 911 doctors tried to save the couple but the bullets in their head were too much to them. When the police was removing the dead body, a cop found a letter in the man's pocket that was telling that they loved too much each other but because their parents didn't like the romance they decided to die like Romeo and Juliet but in a Silvester Stalone's stile. All this incident worked for stop the cinemas playing the movie. The court decided that all the cinemas that were playing "Delta Force" had to change the film in exhibition. In additional, the couple's parents sued the movie producers using the argument that they incited violence with this movie. At the moment we don't know the judge results. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\summer essay 1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Navarro 1 Valerie Navarro Professor Stevens English 1A 22 June 2004 The Influence of Race Children sometimes wonder why their parents don't allow them to play with certain kids. As the children begin to grow up, they take what their parents told them as kids into consideration when meeting new people. Then those teens only hang out with only certain type of individuals. The type of people that he or she has encircled themselves with. That leaves them with a sense of security and trust in people who are just like that person. Many people judge others by using gossip or merely by looking at them, but first impressions are the biggest impact made when first meeting people. That is why only people of the same race stay together. They believe that staying together as a whole will keep them safe and strong. As Judith Ortiz Cofer states "The extended family and church structure could provide a young woman with a circle of safety in her small pueblo on the island; if a man 'wronged' a girl, every one would close in to save her family honor"(251). Children are influenced early in age and it is vital that they learn who is there for them all the time and who will only be there for so long. In the end race does matter who you are and whom you socialize with. People prefer to surround themselves with others in the same race because they are more familiar with the culture. Traditional parents prefer for their children to be around kids of the same nationality. Parents are very protective about their children and even more worried about Navarro 2 the type of kids they hang around at an early age. They want to see their kid become successful in everything that they do therefore, if they associate themselves with the wrong group it all leads to trouble. Judith Ortiz Cofer writes in an essay called " The Myth of The Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria", "As a girl, I was kept under strict surveillance by my parents, since my virtue and modestly were, by their cultural equation, the same as their honor"(249). Children don't realize that they have done anything bad, until their parents have yelled at them. For example, an African American boy, who sells drugs, asks a white boy, who just got out of rehab, and if he wants any drugs. The white boy obviously refuses, to stay clean, but it was a tempting offer to accept the drugs. If the white boy had taken the drugs then that would have ruined any chance of him having a successful life. He would have relied on the drugs as a safety net. That would have made his parents so disappointed in him causing more emotional pain that he might channel somewhere else. Allowing the right type of kids to befriend a child will only help allow the child to pursue a healthy and fruitful life. Children should also only befriend those of the same race because affiliating with the wrong people can cause lifetime consequences. There are so many teenage girls are pregnant for the wrong reasons and at the wrong times in their lives. Teenage girls that are less advantaged and don't have the right influences or support in their lives are the ones who usually end up pregnant. These girls don't go to school or have any education at all because of the area that they live in. This also means that there are particular races in that one community that could cause others to be influenced by their actions. If the teenager were to get out of that neighborhood that is full of different races and put in a Navarro 3 places where everyone is the same race, there wouldn't be an worry about what will happen with the child. That is because the same type of attitude would surround the child that will allow them to change and have a better life outside the one that only gave them one option in life. The influence of friends affects the type of races that young teens include in their lives. Friends can play such a big role in anyone's life. Their ambitions in life and their viewpoints of others affect the people that they meet. The attitudes of those friends can also rub off and cause either good or bad things to happen. There are some friends that will never allow the people around them to get into any trouble. Then again there are some friends that all they do is rebel and get into trouble. For example, a Filipino girl is walking in school and bumps into a Hispanic girl that she used to be friends with when they were younger. The Filipino girl sees what she has done with her life and doesn't bother to say hi to her. The Filipino girl knew she would get herself in a lot of trouble if she were to start talking to her again because the friends that she has now are all Filipino. The only types of people that she hangs around with are Filipino's. She wouldn't risk the fact that her Filipino friends are more reliable than one Hispanic. Other times classmates can cause other students to be isolated from the entire crowd. Classmates are not always considered friends. There can be some really nasty kids that say awful things to their own peers. For Example, each and every child dresses differently. Sometimes it's due to their economic status or a cultural belief, but if any one that looks like they are outside the "normal" look then they are judged about it. Children Navarro 4 stick to what they know and if they see someone who looks different, they would stay away from them and stay with the type of people who they do know. As Cofer states " The way our teacher and classmates looked at us that day in school was just a taste of the cultural clash that awaited us in the real world, where prospective employers and men on the street would often misinterpret out tight skirts and jingling bracelets as a 'come-on'" (250). Teenagers are constantly bombarded by the values and ideas from important influences in their lives. Teenagers are very vulnerable to what other people have to say about them. Parents and relatives advise teenagers that they have to be careful about the type of people they decide to associate with. Also to take into consideration the race they are too. Then the teenager no longer has to worry about their parents or relatives getting made at them. That is because the teen has done what they have said. Boyfriends and girlfriends also play a very big role in a teens life. There are some boys or girls that have strong beliefs about who they associate with. For example a white couple could out to eat for lunch. The girl goes to the bathroom and when she returns she finds her boyfriend talking to a very attractive African American girl. The girlfriend becomes very jealous and asks why are you talking to a black girl. She then gives a long lecture on how blacks are good for nothing and that he is not allowed to talk to anyone that is not white. The girlfriend has always been surrounded by one type of race and that is whites. She would want to see her boyfriend talking to anyone else besides the people in their own race. The girl is obviously looking out for her boyfriend and protecting him from being associated with someone who could potentially ruin his life if put in the wrong situation. As Barbara Navarro 5 Tuchman states in the essay "'This is the End of the World': The Black Death", "Human behavior is timeless"(284). Although being around many different ethnicities provides a broader knowledge of different beliefs and cultures, one rather surround themselves with others from the same culture with the same beliefs. People are comfortable knowing that the individuals that they around have the same way of viewing life. Filipinos can be very religious at times. Most Filipinos follow Catholicism and Filipinos are a race that doesn't like change. They prefer to stay with the same race because they can understand where each Filipino is coming from. There isn't any doubt about a person if you know where they came from. Filipinos even judge each other because of where their parents are from and how they were brought up. The culture is very strict and parents can be very straight forward and that why Filipinos don't question each other. They know that they have all been brought practically the same way and can trust each other's instincts. It is all about knowing and not questioning someone of the same race and has the same beliefs. Individuals favor to be around others within the same race because they are familiar with the culture. People are more likely to be themselves when they are around people of the same race. They feel more comfortable with who they are and don't have to explain what they mean sometimes because they would understand where that person is coming from. Race is such a big factor when meeting people. Everyone judges someone because they belong to a particular race. That is true because most races end up having relationships with the same race. Filipinos with Filipinos and Hispanics with Hispanics it Navarro 6 all makes sense to be with the same race because of culture and beliefs and a better understanding of each other. Navarro 7 Work Citied Cofer, Ortiz Judith, "The Myth of the Latin Woman: I just met a Girl named Maria", New York:McGraw-Hill,1982. Tuchman, Barbara, "'This is the End of the World: The Black Death'", New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982. Valerie Navarro Professor Stevens Outline 21 June 2004 Thesis: People prefer to surround themselves with others in the same race because they are more familiar with that culture. I. Traditional parents prefer for their children to be around the same race. a. Parents are very protective about who their children hang out with. b. Children can't take responsibility for themselves so their parents make sure they are headed in the right directions. II. The influence of friends affects the type of races that kids hang around. a. The attitudes of other kids can rub off and can cause bad behavior. b. Kids that are certain races can promote usage of drugs and not drive to complete their education. III. Children are constantly bombarded by the values and ideas from important influences in their lives. a. Boyfriend and girlfriends play a big role about the people they hang around. b. Relatives also can influence kids to only be around a certain type of race. IV. Although being around many different ethnicities provide a broader knowledge of the different beliefs and cultures, one rather surround themselves with other in the same race with the same beliefs. a. Religion plays a very big role in the type of people we meet. b. People are just more comfortable knowing where that person they are talking to is coming from. Conclusion: restate thesis f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\summer essay 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Navarro 1 Valerie Navarro Professor Stevens English 1A 29 June 2004 Role Models Many teenage girls want to look as beautiful as Hilary Duff or Lindsey Lohan, two of the many most gorgeous girls in the celebrity world. Teenage girls want to mimic the hairstyles that they have, clothes that they wear and even the lingo that they speak. Teen celebrities have such a big impact on kids their very own age. Some girls may not have self-esteem or confidence, so they turn to being like someone else to avoid who they can become. Parents also play a big role when teen girls want to look like someone else. Parents want to keep their child happy and sometimes looking pretty can come at the expense of their credit cards and checkbooks. In every school no matter what age or grade there will always be girl that they want to be like. Those girls will grow up and still have to go to school with that same girl. Influences aren't all teen celebrities, but most of the time that is who they look up to the most in their younger years. Teen girls have this perception that they should perfect all the time, but being the person that they are will have bigger rewards. Teenage girls are influenced the most by other young celebrity girls because they want to look just as beautiful as they do. Many teenage girls try to gain self-esteem by duplicating the look of teen celebrities. Picture perfect faces are what every teen girl wants to impress her peers. They feel that they need to match up to the beauty of famous teen girls. Looking like a teen Navarro 2 supermodel can give anyone a push in self-confidence, but there is a lot more than makeup and half dresses. Teen girls sometimes don't have the right role models to show them that looking like someone else won't cover up the person inside. Many teen girls go through traumatic episodes when trying to look perfect. Other teen girls bring down the values and morals of their peers when they see that looks are what will get through life. They feel this way because these girls are constantly looking into mirrors and getting everything that they want. For example, a plain girl, very conservative looking, spends all her time doing homework and extra curricular activities, but doesn't have a social life. Another girl, beautiful and the envy of every girl in school, does minimal homework and has a big social group. The plain girl stops her homework for a while because she tries to be as popular as the other girl, but in the end her looks didn't matter. She was a great person and she didn't need all that makeup to fit in. Many people accepted her for who she is and not how beautiful she looked like. People are rewarded for things that they are good at. As stated in Maya Angelou's essay "Graduation", "My work alone had awarded me a top place and I was going to be one of the first called in the graduation ceremony"(121). The feeling of achievement is worth more than having someone shallow become trying to become their buddies. Image shows only what teen girls want to see, but it's really all about the person inside that counts the most. The first thing a girl worries about in the morning is how she going to look. Particular decisions that refers to which the type of clothes she is going to wear or even the type of lip-gloss she is going to put on. All these little factors even early Navarro 3 in the morning can make a good day a bad one. As stated in Margaret Atwood's essay, "The female body is made up of transparent plastic and lights up when you plug it in, You press a button to illuminate the different systems"(216). Image is just like any materialistic thing it is great when its new, and then pushed aside when only a week old. Appearance will only last for so long, and then what was once popular will be put aside. Fashion is also a big factor to a girl's image. Clothes, make-up and shoes can be extremely expensive. All the money that is spent trying to dress like a movie star can be put into a more beneficial cause for their future. A lot of those types of girls don't look at their futures. For a typical example, the most popular girl gets into a great college where there will be handsome boys. Another girl that doesn't have such a great social life, but she also gets into the college she chooses. Soon there will be a ten-year reunion and they cross paths while talking to classmates. The popular girl is married with an expensive ring on her finger and gains a lot weight from having children. She looks nothing like she did ten years ago. The other girl went from an ugly ducking to a beautiful swan. She has a great career and a beautiful, so she blows everyone away with her stunning looks. This shows that trying to look like some else can only bring do much attention in life. People in the real world aren't only looking for beauty, but the whole package of body, brains and beauty As stated in Robert Coles essay "I Listen to my Parents and I wonder What They Believe", "As a human being whose parents were kind and decent to her, she was inclined to be thoughtful and sensitive with respects to others, no matter what their work or position in society"(439). Looking nice doesn't always come with a Navarro 4 price. Those teen girls that want to go to the extreme are the ones who go too far to be beautiful. A great personality will express to others how to be comfortable with whom they are. Changing to try to become someone else will only prevent that girl from ever having real friends or a real relationship. Numerous times in a day at least one teenage girl will look into a mirror and dislike the way that they look and the girls are convinced they have to have an appearance just like those girls in the teen magazines. In the eyes of teenage girl there is always something wrong with the way that they look. In the movie "Mean Girls", those girls stand in the front of the mirror criticizing the features that they can only see. They are beautiful teen girls and still they find something that is wrong with them. Those picture perfect girls set a standard that so many girls want to fill. Teen girls see that they are so beautiful and once they look at themselves, they are not content with the body they have or the way their face is structured. These teen girls don't understand the meaning of inner beauty. There are many other ways to improve the way someone looks like. There is a lot of self-motivation that is involved in order to achieve their goal. Just like any goal it will not be easy to accomplish there will be obstacles. Exercising and eating healthy are sensible ways to improve anyone's looks. Patience is also a big factor when wanting to look a particular way. Tolerating the pain and finding way to have enough energy can be the hardest tasks in this sort of process. Mirrors can be the biggest liars, but it can also be the only way to realize that nothing is wrong is wrong with the way someone looks like. Navarro 5 Parental figures also play a big role in a teen girl's life because it is the morals and values that they learn from their parents to become a genuine person. In any instance a child will be influenced by the attitude and actions of their biggest influences, their parents. A normal family that goes out their way to have something nice shows the importance of money. Money is always a problem either rich or poor. Families today will never be secure with the amount they have. Buying unnecessary items can become very expensive. Celebrities spend thousands of dollars rearranging their faces to look absolutely perfect. Everyday people who spend their whole lives working spend all their money to get the same surgeries, then after a few month wonder why it didn't work as well as they thought it would. This is no way to show children, let alone teen girls, the value of being the person they are at that moment. Parents should be there to show their kids that they were born with only one face and to not change the way that face looks like to try to be someone else. As also stated in Robert Coles essay "I Listen to my Parents and I Wonder What They Believe", "Yes, it is time for us parents to look more closely at what ideas our children have about the world; and it would be well to do so before they become teenagers and young adults and begin to remind us, as often as happens, of how little attention we did pay to their moral development"(441). Although looking like a movie star will give a teen girl her fifteen minutes of popularity, there is more to people than just looks. Looks are only temporary; it will only last as long as it can. People's images change throughout a year or throughout a lifetime. Navarro 6 There isn't just one way someone can look, but that is not what the real world looks for. Teen girls have this perception that since everything in high school was so easy for them that it will be just as easy for them to succeed in college, in life. Life is not that easy. The last thing that any college student wants to worry about is the way that they look like. Possibly those teen girls haven't been taught the value of non-materialistic things. Trends are changing just as fast as the menus are in popular restaurants. Majority of America's population is normal. There are only a certain amount that are celebrities and those chosen few have the biggest influence to the normal people in America. The celebrities also know that they have a big impact and always try to keep thing on a positive note. The biggest influence in a teenage girls life is teen celebrities because they want to look as picture perfect as they do. Looks are becoming the most important thing to a teen girl. They don't understand the meaning behind inner beauty. There is not nothing wrong with improving the way that one looks like, but completely changing their life to fit a celebrities is not a sensible way to pursue anyone's life. Teen girls dislike the way that they look more and more each day because they are comparing themselves with those girls from the teen magazines. There is a lot more that dyed hair and too much makeup. These girls need to have role model that will help them accept the beauty they have, not the beauty they can have. Navarro 7 Work Cited Angelou, Maya, "Graduation", New York:McGraw-Hill,1982. Atwood, Margaret, "The Female Body", New York:McGraw-Hill,1982. Coles, Robert, "I Listen to my Parents and I Wonder What They Believe", New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982 Valerie Navarro Professor Stevens English 1 A 29 June 2004 Outline Thesis: Teenage girls are influences the most my other young celebrity girls because they want to look as beautiful as they do. I. Many teens are girls try to gain self-esteem by duplicating the look of teen celebrities. II. Image shows only what teen girls want to see, but it's really all about the person inside that counts the most. III. Numerous times in a day teenage girls will dislike the way they look and are convinced that the girls in the teen magazines is the image they should imitate. IV. Parental figures also play a big role in a teen girl's like because it the morals and values that they learn from their parents to become a genuine person. V. Although looking like a movie star will give a teenage girl her fifteen minutes popularity, there is more to people that just looks. VI. Conclusion: restate thesis f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\summer essay 3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Navarro 1 Valerie Navarro Professor Stevens English 1A 12 July 2004 A Life with Three Marriages In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Hurston, marriage plays a big role in the story. The main character, Janie, get married three times in her lifetime. Janie is a very attractive woman and practically can get who she wants, but she is looking for a special somebody. Most people get married once, but Janie just couldn't find the right person to spend the rest of her life with. Janie uses a peach tree as her symbol for a perfect man. Janie lives a life of uncertainty. She wishes to be married to her peach tree, but she cannot seem to run into him. Janie isn't afraid of waiting for her ideal husband. Janie goes from marriage to marriage trying to find not only the perfect soul mate, but she also wanted to find herself. Janie had a hard time trying to be who she really is when she had her grandmother choosing her husband for her. Janie's mother and grandmother had such a difficult life. Janie has her grandmother to take care of her, but she cannot do that forever. Janie's grandmother pushed Janie to limits because she wanted Janie to have a life that wasn't like her own or her mother's. The theme of this story is love comes with compromise and honesty in a relationship. Marriage promises change, but it will remain loveless without equality and respect. Janie's first marriage with Logan Killicks fails because Logan and her grandmother neglect to display any respect for what Janie wants out of a marriage. Navarro 2 Janie's grandmother's selfish act contributed to the marriage because she forces Janie to marry Logan for the sake of her own comforts rather than Janie's. As stated in the book, "So you don't want to marry off decent like, do yuh? You just wants to hug and kiss and feel around with the first one man and then another, huh? You want me to suck the same sorrow yo' mama did, eh? Mah ole head ain't gray enough. Mah back ain't bowed enough to suit yuh!"(13-4). This quote shows how much her grandmother doesn't want her to have the marriage she wants. Janie wants the hugs and the kisses, which is what makes her dream marriage seem so incredible. Janie wants to marry because she loves that person, she doesn't want to marry out of convenience. Janie's grandmother lived in a time where love didn't exist and that is what makes her push Janie to marry Logan. During those times it was hard to find a marriage between African American women that contained love. Logan further aggravates the marriage because he expects Janie to show her appreciation for what he has done for her. Logan feels that he does Janie a huge favor by marrying her, but in all actuality, Janie is miserable. Logan has no respect for Janie's feelings. Although Logan tries to be polite to her there is no sincerity in what he does because he just doesn't care. Again Logan feels he's doing Janie a favor. As Boston Globe staff member, Renee Graham, writes about an interview by Valerie Boyd, she reveals that Hurston writes from experience, "She often worked as a maid and may have endured an abusive common-law marriage to a man who, Boyd posits, may have provided bitter inspiration for the cruel Logan Killicks in "Their Eyes Were Watching Navarro 3 God." (Hurston, who married not wisely but often, officially had three husbands. Writes Boyd, "Zora was afraid that matrimony would only widen her hips and narrow her life."). In the beginning of their marriage Logan tried being nice to her, but Janie acted ungrateful. As Logan tells Janie, "Ah thought you would 'preciate good treatment. Thought Ah'd take and make somethin' outta yuh. You think youse white folk be de way you act"(30). When Logan realizes the way that she is acting he doesn't tolerate her behavior. Logan threatens to Janie as stated in the book, " Ah'll take holt uh dat axe and come in dere and kill yuh!"(30). At this time Janie cannot longer stand her marriage with Logan. Even after seeking advice from her grandmother, nothing can stop Janie from running out the door and into a new marriage. Janie's second marriage to Joe Starks lacks respect and equality. Janie leaves Logan Killicks for Joe Starks. Janie feels that Joe may be her real peach tree, but after many years of being married to Joe, she soon realizes she is no more than a trophy wife to him. Janie is by Joe's side mainly for the purpose to improve his image in Eatonville. Joe puts Janie on a pedestal and that is not what she wants. Janie wants to be equal Joe, but he doesn't see that the major of Eatonville's wife should be the same as everyone else. Joe also feels that way with himself. He feels he has full control over Janie's life and can tell her what to do whenever and wherever he pleases. Joe lacks respect for Janie because he does not allow her to be an individual, but rather treats Janie as someone with not thoughts and ideas. As stated in the book, "Aw naw they don't. They just think they's thinkin'. When Ah see one thing Ah understand ten. You see ten things and don't Navarro 4 understand one"(71). In this quote Joe makes Janie feel so stupid. Joe just like Logan doesn't care for Janie's feelings. Janie one again realizes what a big mess she has gotten into. As Joe talks down to Janie she still keeps her mouth shut, but from that moment on their marriage will be loveless. As stated in the foreword, "While the rest of us in the room struggled to find our voices, Alice Walker rose and claimed hers, insisting passionately that woman did not have to speak when men thought they should, that they would choose when and where they wish to speak because while women had found their own voices, they also knew when it was better not to use it"(xiv). This quoted shows how Janie learned to keep her mouth shut because if she didn't her knew she will be beaten. The bedroom where they both would spend wonderful night together ended after Joe degrades Janie, but Janie also finds herself in another violent relationship. As articulated in the book, "She wasn't petal-open anymore with him. She was twenty-four and seven years married when she knew. She found that out one day when he slapped her face in the kitchen"(71). Joe pushes her to be someone she isn't, just like Janie's grandmother pushed into a marriage she didn't want to be in. Joe also humiliates Janie in front of the whole town by not allowing her to say what she feels. When Joe arrives to the town soon to be called Eatonville, he is immediately elected major. Joe was the only one to show any belief to see that town become something. When everyone in Eatonville cheers for the election of Joe Starks as their mayor, they ask to hear from the mayor's wife, but unfortunately Joe spoke against Janie speaking to the crowd. As pronounced in the book, "Thank yuh fuh yo' Navarro 5 compliments, but mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout speech-makin'. Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home"(43). Joe humiliates Janie and does not care about how she feels. Joe wants to contain Janie in a box to prevent Janie from socializing. Joe feels that she doesn't need to talk to the people in the town. He thinks that she is better than that, yet he wont even let her speak her mind in her own home. Janie's third marriage to Tea Cake is in contrast with the other two marriages because she felt a sense of equality. Janie finally reaches her goal to obtain a marriage filled with love and respect, but this marriage too doesn't last long. Janie has more freedom to speak her mind to Tea Cake in their marriage. As articulated in the book, "Looka heah, Tea Cake, if you ever go off on me and have a good time lak dat and then come back tellin' me how nice Ah is, Ah specks tuh kill you dead. You heah me?"(124). Janie has more power in her marriage to Tea Cake then she did with Logan and Joe. When Janie starts to feel a sense of achievement, she almost believes that she has found her peach tree. There is one scene that illustrates the equality in Janie and Tea Cake marriage and that is when the play checkers together. As shown in the book, "He set it up and began to show her and she found herself glowing inside. Somebody wanted her to play somebody thought it was natural for her to play. That was even nice."(95-6). Although Janie still had her doubt about her marriage, it is evident that their marriage is based on equality. A marriage has no real foundation without equality and respect. Janie tried trying gaining the equality and respect out of three marriages and only one seemed to show any Navarro 6 of those aspects. Janie tired searching for her peach tree, but all she was left with was very little self-motivation and many years feeling lonely. Janie avoided from following the same footsteps as her mother and grandmother. Janie wants to find her perfect husband has she had the patience to go through three marriages to get it. In the process of finding her ideal husband Janie found herself. She feels she has more control over what she wants in her life. While arguing with her grandmother, Logan, Joe, and Tea Cake, Janie still prevails as a stronger and wiser person. Janie wants love in a relationship and she had to compromise by going through three marriages and by being honest with herself to know when that person isn't her peach tree. Navarro 7 Work Citied Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York:J.B. Lippincott, Inc, 1990 (xiv, 13-4,30,43,71,95-6,124) Hurston, Zora Neale. "Foreword." Mary Helen Washington. New York: J.B. Lippincott, Inc, 1990. (xiv) Graham, Renee. "Biography Unwraps 'Lost Years' of writer Zora Neale Hurston: (Third Edition)." Boston Globe 6 Jan. 2003, Third Edition. B.6 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\summer essay 4.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Navarro 1 Valerie Navarro Professor Stevens English 1A 22 July 2004 Educating Everybody Education plays a major role in America. Children receiving a good education are important for their future. The No Child Left Behind Act by George W. Bush helps support kindergarten to high school. This act allows kids to seek help for their work. Sometimes children have a hard time asking for help when trying to figure out a problem. Children feel that they are not good enough in school and never figures out the problem. The act helps students to not be afraid to ask for help. Children don't feel they are being left behind or not efficient enough to keep up with their classmates. The No Child Left Behind Act not only supports the students trying to receive a good quality education, but the act also helps parents to be with their child to provide more of a support device. This support device will assist students to keep trying and improve parent involvement. This is what is called proven methods. Methods that have helps students and parents to assist each other through the tough times in school. School can be very frustrating to some students. Peer pressure and other distractions don't allow students to stay focused. The No Child Left Behind Act provides resources and funding for school to help students to improve their skills. The No Child Left Behind Act helps children to improve what they already know and provides them with a better understanding of the material. Some students have an Navarro 2 easy time getting through school, but others just have a difficult time, with or with out help. The No Child Left Behind Act expands the subjects that the student is talented in and offer as much help as need to develop a better understanding of the subject(s) the student has difficulty in. As stated on ED.Gov website, "Reading programs are an example: No Child Left Behind supports scientifically based reading instruction programs in the early grades under the new Reading First program and in preschool under the new Early Reading First program. Funds are available to help teachers strengthen current skills and gain new ones in effective reading instructional techniques". Many schools are now offering more reading and math support help. This quote explains the benefit to current and future teachers. Children need their freedom to express themselves, but they all need to be monitored closely to make sure that they are getting a good education. Parents in today's society are either careless about what happens to their children or they care enough to pay attention to their child's homework everyday. Simple checks on homework and helping with any questions their child may have will put the child on the right path. Sometimes parents use the excuse that they do not have time or they have work to finish, but what parents do not understand is that the little time that they spend with their child now will benefit them for a lifetime. Children, even teens, need attention. Parents can provide teens with a confidence boost to encourage their child to always do their best. Parents have many more choices when deciding the best education for their child. Private schools aren't always the best place for a child to receive education. Public schools have great educations and extra curricular activities. The No Child Left Behind Navarro 3 Act helps parents to know what their child is proficient at and what the child needs more improvement in. when knowing what the child needs more improvement in can help the child to be proud of a subject that they can excel in. As stated in the ED.Gov website, "Supplemental Educational Services are additional academic instruction designed to increase the academic achievement of students in low-performing schools. Services must be provided outside of the regular school day and may include academic assistance such as tutoring, remediation, and other educational interventions". The is quote is stating that schools are creating more and more programs after school to help students to improve and get help in subjects that they don't understand. After school programs with peer tutoring can show a big improvement in a students work. This doesn't only apply to high school, but it applies to elementary. Younger students have a hard time saying they need help. Teachers are there, but some students can be shy. Asking a teacher or an authority figure for help may be difficult, but in middle school and high school peer tutoring can help students not only make new friends, but to learn from those friends. Help is not a bad thing to ask for. Independence can wait until the students have careers. The No Child Left Behind Act helps legalize school support systems. The act helps provide funding for schools to create these programs and to make available schools supplies to the students. Schools supplies like books and pencils are not always available to students. These supplies and many more things need for these students are not there ready for them to use. Parents have to buy supplies for their kids because the school cannot afford to buy them. The California budget cuts have put many Navarro 4 students young and old in a struggle to find money. College students have to pay for their tuition and younger students have to pay for paint supplies. Many parents have a problem with paying for the paint supplies and other just do not mind, but either way those supplies should be available. The No Child Left Behind Act helped to create one of many programs. One proven study has come up with the READ 180. This program helps students that are reading at a higher level to be able to be in a higher-level class. As stated in PR Newswire, " READ 180 is based on scientifically proven principles, offering intensive intervention for students in grades 3 through 12 who are reading at the elementary and middle school level. Students receive daily, intensive and individualized reading instruction for 90 minutes through data-driven technology, high interest reading materials and ongoing assessment tools that are implemented in special READ 180 classrooms. The unique set-up includes 5-7 computers, a comfortable library area for independent reading, and an area for small group instruction". This quote explains the process students that have higher-level reading abilities to read a higher-level. Some people may say that separating students into different type of classes based on their reading level, they will oppose to it, but allowing the students to not feel out of place by putting them in an environment where they can feel the same as anyone else does not harm the student. The student can challenge himself or herself with reading that will allow them to expand their way of thinking. Many try very hard to build skills to understanding very difficult pieces of literature. These young students have an ability to surpass their academic ability. Embracing a skill is better than not allowing to challenge Navarro 5 the students mind. Proven methods are there to help the parents to choose the right path for their child. As Chris Chocola from the South Bend Tribune, Indiana stated, " We have a good first step in President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. I support the Act because it provides higher levels of accountability, greater flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents and an emphasis on proven teaching methods". This quote shows that the No Child Left Behind Act has accomplished a lot ever since being proposed. Although many educators believe that the No Child Left Behind Act takes time away from their daily curriculum, the act provides children, parents, and schools with a lot of educational support. Teacher may criticize the No Child Left Behind Act because they spend a lot of time into creating a lesson plan and when standardized testing comes along all that time spent on those lessons plans are put to waste. The standardized testing helps students to prove to the school that the teachers a doing their jobs. Children need all the help that they can receive. That does not mean that they are slow or not proficient enough, but the help from tutors creates an environment that the student can feel comfortable in. Students are able to improve their skills to become smarter not to show off to their friends, but to benefit them in their future. The proven methods to help students to increase the level of challenge in their daily educational classes provide much more that just test results. The No Child Left Behind Act helps the students in all age groups to improve their reading and writing skills. The students will help their school receive funding to have more school supplies readily available. Navarro 6 Work Cited United States Department of Education. ED.Gov. Proven Methods United States Department of Education. ED.Gov Chocola, Chris South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind.: Oct 9, 2002. pg. 1 Chocola, Chris South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind.: Oct 9, 2002. pg. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Summer of the Monkeys.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OUTLINE Topic: Jay Berry Purpose: To identify the nature of the force of the conflict which Jay Berry encounters, and indicate how they help or hinder Jay Berry the protagonist in Wilson Rawls novel Summer of the Monkeys Thesis: Before Jay Berry succeeds his goal he encounters many conflicts that both hinder and help him through his amazing adventure. I. Inner Forces A. Help- personality traits 1. Determination 2. Confidence II. B. Hinder 1. Fear 2. Over confidence III. Outer Forces A. Help- other people 1. Grandpa 2. Old Rowdy IV. B. Hinder 1. Monkeys 2. Environment SUMMER OF THE MONKEYS "It is every boys dream to own a pony and a .22" those were the exact words that motivated Jay Berry to realize his goal of catching Jimbo and the rest of the escaped circus monkeys. In Wilson Rawls novel Summer of the Monkeys Jay Berry Lee encounters many obstacles in his way of succeeding his goal. Before Jay Berry succeeds his goal, he encounters many conflicts that both hinder and help him through his amazing journey. The first inner force that helps Jay Berry along his journey is his incredible determination. Jay Berry displays his determination many times throughout the novel. For Jay Berry to succeed his goals of bringing the highly intelligent circus monkeys home he has to have a great deal of determination. He shows an example of this when he fails to succeed his first few times out, but he never gives up, and has the same motivation the next time he tries to catch the monkeys. Another inner force that helps him on his way is his confidence. For anybody to achieve a certain goal they have to feel confident about what they are trying to achieve. Jay Berry is always confident about his new scheme to catch those extraordinary circus monkeys. Jay Berry displays this when his Grandfather comes up with another brilliant idea, and he is so confident that he will catch the monkeys with the latest plot on catching the monkeys. It is very important to have confidence and to feel good about what you are doing, and Jay Berry is one of those confident people who never let a minor setback bring them down. Everyone has many goals they set for them selves, and for every goal that is made, there is always an inner forces that hinder you along your journey. Two of the inner forces that hinder Jay Berry is his fear of the monkeys and over confidence. There is not one person in the world who does not have a fear of something, whether it may be a fear of heights or snakes. After that incident with Jay Berry, Old Rowdy and the monkeys where the monkeys took it to Jay Berry and Rowdy, Jay Berry has developed a certain fear of the monkeys. This particular fear of the monkeys hinders Jay Berry slightly because of the monkeys "leader" Jimbo. Jimbo is an intimidating monkey who enjoys making a fool out of Jay Berry, Jay Berry is reluctant to get to close to Jimbo because he does not want to be made a fool of by some monkeys. The second inner force that hindered Jay Berry is his over confidence, one may not think too much confidence is a bad thing but it could turn out to be disastrous. Since Jay Berry has a great deal of confidence in catching the monkeys, it is easy for him to get too cocky. An example of this is when Jay Berry sees the monkeys drinking the alcohol and he does not think to much of it. Then in inedible happened, he got drunk off the alcohol and yet again gets made a fool by Jimbo. These are two examples that hindered Jay Berry throughout the novel and it is also a problem for many people to deal with. Everyone has outer forces that help them to succeed their goals and these are some of the many that helped Jay Berry. One of the most important outer forces that helped Jay Berry through his adventure was his Grandpa. He was always the one that Jay Berry can talk to when he needs help with his monkey catching, and like most Grandpa's he said all of the right things. Another significant thing that his Grandpa did for him was make him decide to give up his dreams and pay for daisy's crippled leg. Another outer force that Jay Berry could depend upon was his trusty dog Old Rowdy. Of course Old Rowdy can't speak but Jay Berry felt that Rowdy could really understand him and his feelings. Jay Berry felt secure telling Rowdy things and knowing know one else would find out. This was, if not the most significant outer force that helped Jay Berry along his incredible journey. Finally, there is a always is a bad thing when there's a good thing. Some of the outer forces that were aligned against Jay Berry's success was of course the monkeys, and the natural environment played a big part in hindering Jay Berry. The monkeys were the main protagonists aligned against Jay Berry. The monkeys hindered Jay Berry with their intellectual abilities and also their physical attributes. Jay Berry did not know what he was going up against when he took on the challenge of catching the escaped circus monkeys. They outsmarted Jay Berry many times making Jay Berry looking like a buffoon. Also the monkeys physical capabilities are far more superior than Jay Berry's, also you will not see Jay Berry jumping from tree to tree. Another outer force that hindered Jay Berry was the environment. The sycamore trees are much too tall for Jay Berry to climb, and the bottoms are very unstable. Summer of the Monkeys written by Wilson Rawls displays many inner and outer forces either help or hindering Jay Berry. In the end Jay Berry was struck by a surprise when the whole family got what they wished for in the magical fairy ring that Daisy found. The peak of Jay Berry's success is when he got a chance to run with Daisy through the fields, and also got his pony and .22. A lesson is to be learned from Jay Berry's wonderful experience, if you do what's best and not just what you want, you might just get both as an even greater reward. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Superstition.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Superstistion, a word that is often used to explain bad luck, misfortune, the super natural, and the world that is not known. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, superstion playe an important role that resurfaces several times throughout the book. A belief that a hair ball can tell the future, a loaf of bread containing quicksilver can point out a dead carcass, and touching a snake skin with bare hands will give you the worst bad luck, are all examples of some of the superstitons found in the book. "Miss Watson's nigger, Jim, had a hairball as big as your fist, which had been took out of the fourth stomach of an ox, and he used to do magic with it. He said there was a spirit inside of it and it knowed everything." This quote, taken from chapter four of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a great example of how superstitius the people of the time were. The hairball's signifigance to the novel is seen in both the characters of Jim and Huck. Jim is an uneducated slave who does not have much knowledge. He is very ignorant and is easy to beleive things things. Not only does his beleif that this hairball has magic spirits, he is also fooled by Huck many times during the novel. You would think because of him being an uneducated slave, and Huck being the white boy who has had some schooling, that their beleifs in this superstitous hairball would differ. This is not true as seen when Huck is the one that comes to Jim for the powers of the Hairball. Huck wanted to know what his father, Pap, was going to do. Huck had found out earlier that Pap was back in Town. Both Huck and Jim are very superstisoius as most of the people were then. There was not a lot of the modern technologies that we have today to prove many superstitions false. The hairball really does not tell Huck anything that he really already did not know. It only told him that his father did not know what to do. It only told him general things such as, you are going to get hurt ,but then you will get better. This episode with the hairball shows that even though Huck has some sort of an education, he and Jim may be more similar than either one would admit. Another superstition that most all of the people then beleived had to do with a loaf of bread and some quicksilver. "I only had a bite to eat. Well, then I happened to think how they always put quicksilver in loaves of bread and float them off, beacuse they always go right to the drownded carcass." Luckkily for this superstition a loaf of bread happened to float right by him, and he had breakfast. Since the bread did in dead float to him, mabey the old belief had some truth in it. After all, he was really supposed to be dead and the bread did seek him out. This episode furth illustrated the point that most all of the people were superstitous. The whole town beleived the loaves would find the body. Again, they had no way of knowing why it would work or why it would not. If you put enough loaves of bread out there, one of them is bound to find a cracass somewhere. Huck finding the bread really helped move the novel along. If he had not been able to get the bread to eat, he might have left the shore in seek of food. If this had happened there would never have been a seen where he sees all of town on the steambote seearching for his dead body. A fianl point to this episode it the widow and here parying. During most of the book, Huck did not beleive praying did much of anyhting at all. After all, he had prayed for many things in the past and never got them. This time he though mabey there accually wa soemthing to the praying of the widow. "I says, now I reckon the widow f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\SURE essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I have always seen myself as a rocket engineer. The idea of making my own rocket or spacecraft was the fire to my childhood imagination. And now, the fire has grown into seeking knowledge, exploring and conquering the unknown. That my major strength in high school and beyond has been science especially mathematics, has made my choice to pursue a career in aerospace engineering easier. The happiest day of my life was the day I got admitted to Illinois Institute of Technology as an aerospace engineering major with a President's scholarship. My interests are in the twin fields of design of aerospace vehicles and fluid mechanics. Determining potential forces and consequently designing the structural parts of an aerospace vehicle creatively, using given specifications, engineering estimations and appropriate engineering materials is a chief form of interest. Fluid mechanics, especially numerical fluid dynamics and applications involving aerodynamic flow also interest me greatly. SURE provides me with an excellent platform to showcase my creative skills and research interests. I want to be part of developing cutting edge technology, undertaking critical experiments in the laboratory and also meet renowned professors in my profession. I believe it would be an ideal setting to showcase my initiative and leadership skills. Experience at the program would help me place myself in comparison to my peers. It would also introduce me to successful professionals in my field, whom I can look upon as examples as well as enhance my professional contacts. The educational training will also help me enhance my professional skills and ethics to an optimum level so that I am well-prepared to attend graduate school. It is my dream to dedicate my life to the field of aerospace engineering and to be able to contribute significantly would be my biggest achievement. Given the opportunity to join this unique program, I vow to make full use of the resources and the facilities available and produce work at my scientific and innovative best. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Swifts Real Argument 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Swift's Real Argument God only knows from whence came Freud's theory of penis envy, but one of his more tame theories, that of "reverse psychology", may have its roots in the satire of the late Jonathan Swift. I do not mean to assert that Swift employed or was at all familiar with that style of persuasion, but his style is certainly comparable. Reverse psychology (as I chose to define it for this paper) means taking arguments that affirm an issue to such a degree that they seem absurd, and thus oppose the issue. Swift, in "An Argument [Against] The Abolishing Of Christianity In England" stands up for Christianity, and based on the absurdity of his defense, he inadvertently desecrates it. He sets up a fictitious society in which Christianity is disregarded and disdained, but nominal Christianity remains. The author writes to defend this nominal Christianity from abolition. The arguments that the author uses, which are common knowledge in his time, if applied to Christianity in Swift's time would be quite dangerous allegations. Indeed, the reasons that Swift gives for the preservation of the fictitious Christianity are exactly what he sees wrong with the Christianity practiced in his time. By applying Swift's satirical argument for the preservation of this fictitious religion to that which was currently practiced, Swift asserts that their Christianity served ulterior motives, both for the government and for the people. If we are to prove that the government was using religion for selfish purposes, we must be sure that it was not serving its intended purpose, the assurance of the moral sanctity of its policies. This is quite evident in the author's comment that if real Christianity was revived, it would be, "destroy at one blow all the wit and half the learning of the kingdom; to break the entire frame and constitution of things[.]" This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christianity has no influence on the government's current policies. It even seems as if the government established Church isn't completely rooted in Christianity, as the author weakly suggests that, "[A]bolishing Christianity may perhaps bring the church into danger." The ways that the government actually uses Christianity are completely selfish. One such purpose is the consolation of allies, "among whom, for we ought to know, it may be the custom of the country to believe a God." He later goes on to suggest the abolition of Christianity in peace-time in order to avoid the loss of allies. It also seems as if the government uses Christianity to pacify the commoners. Although Swift sarcastically interjects, "Not that I [agree] with those who hold religion to have been the intervention of politicians to keep the lower part of the world in awe," he also says that religion is, "[O]f singular use for the common people." In other instances, the government does not use, but certainly benefits from Christianity. In several ways Christianity is a buffer from dissension, in that it takes a blow that might have instead landed on government. Many of the reasons that the author's opposition has given for abolishing Christianity deals with the settlement of unrest that comes from religious disputes. One such example they give is that if Christianity were abolished, there would be no more persecution of "blasphemers". Swift answers that these people are naturally inclined to rebel against establishments. Therefore, if the church, their favorite object of rebellion, was taken away, they would resort to rebelling against the government. This statement suggests that ,"deorum offensa diis curae" (offenses against the gods are the god's business). If applied to the English government, it accuses them of only punishing "blasphemers" in the interest of protecting the government. Another argument that the author counters is that upon the fall of Christianity, Protestants and other dissenters would be able to again join in communion with the Catholic church. To this, the author retorts that while this may take away one reason for dissension, "spirit of opposition" would still remain. Thus, when these Protestants found themselves unhappily thrust back into the fold, they would simply find another area in which to dissent, and this time it may be an important area like government. While reaffirming the government's selfish motives, this accuses the Protestants of separating from the Catholic church not because of moral differences, but in order to quench their desire to rebel. Another unity that the author's opposition predicted would come from Christianity's fall would that of political and religious parties. Swift answers that these parties used religious differences as an excuse to argue, and that, if necessary, they would find any number of other matters to argue about. One very lilliputian example that he gives is that of two Italian factions that spawned from a dispute over the color of some ribbons. The author asserts that, much like the Protestants, these parties used religion as an excuse to fulfill their selfish desire to argue. Like the politicians, the people also have disposed of Christianity as far as letting influence their actions. The Christianity then practiced has no relation to real Christianity, "[S]uch as used in primitive times", "to have an influence upon men's beliefs and actions." Apparently, even belief in a god, "is more than is required of us" (Christians). Also, "[B]y an entire change in the methods of education," "the young gentlemen who are now on the scene seem to have not the least tincture of [virtue, honor, etc.]." This new generation, while not believing in the morals associated Christianity, still gain from their existence. While they disobey the laws associated with these morals, Swift asserts that breaking the rule wouldn't be nearly as fun if it wasn't considered wrong. The people also value church for selfish reasons. As Swift explains, church is many things for many people, none of which include spiritual fulfillment. For social butterflies, church is the perfect place to hob-knob or show off your latest outfit. For the businessman, "where more meetings for business?", "where more bargains driven of all sorts?" Finally, for the insomniac, "where so many conveniences or enticements to sleep?" These statements apply more directly than any others in the article to the high church of England. All of the things that Swift says about this fictional religion would be very strong words if applied to the Church of England. It might be readily conceived by the innocent reader that Swift was an enemy of the church in his time. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Swift was involved in the church and politics all his life, often in the position of supporting political and religious factions. While this could be used to counter my thesis that Swift was criticizing the establishment, it can just as easily support it. Swift obviously didn't hate government or the church, on the contrary, it was his love of these things that led him to point out the injustices that were scarring them. Like a mother scolding her child, Swift finds fault in his beloved church, only that he may edify it. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Swifts Real Argument.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Swift's Real Argument God only knows from whence came Freud's theory of penis envy, but one of his more tame theories, that of "reverse psychology", may have its roots in the satire of the late Jonathan Swift. I do not mean to assert that Swift employed or was at all familiar with that style of persuasion, but his style is certainly comparable. Reverse psychology (as I chose to define it for this paper) means taking arguments that affirm an issue to such a degree that they seem absurd, and thus oppose the issue. Swift, in "An Argument [Against] The Abolishing Of Christianity In England" stands up for Christianity, and based on the absurdity of his defense, he inadvertently desecrates it. He sets up a fictitious society in which Christianity is disregarded and disdained, but nominal Christianity remains. The author writes to defend this nominal Christianity from abolition. The arguments that the author uses, which are common knowledge in his time, if applied to Christianity in Swift's time would be quite dangerous allegations. Indeed, the reasons that Swift gives for the preservation of the fictitious Christianity are exactly what he sees wrong with the Christianity practiced in his time. By applying Swift's satirical argument for the preservation of this fictitious religion to that which was currently practiced, Swift asserts that their Christianity served ulterior motives, both for the government and for the people. If we are to prove that the government was using religion for selfish purposes, we must be sure that it was not serving its intended purpose, the assurance of the moral sanctity of its policies. This is quite evident in the author's comment that if real Christianity was revived, it would be, "destroy at one blow all the wit and half the learning of the kingdom; to break the entire frame and constitution of things[.]" This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christianity has no influence on the government's current policies. It even seems as if the government established Church isn't completely rooted in Christianity, as the author weakly suggests that, "[A]bolishing Christianity may perhaps bring the church into danger." The ways that the government actually uses Christianity are completely selfish. One such purpose is the consolation of allies, "among whom, for we ought to know, it may be the custom of the country to believe a God." He later goes on to suggest the abolition of Christianity in peace-time in order to avoid the loss of allies. It also seems as if the government uses Christianity to pacify the commoners. Although Swift sarcastically interjects, "Not that I [agree] with those who hold religion to have been the intervention of politicians to keep the lower part of the world in awe," he also says that religion is, "[O]f singular use for the common people." In other instances, the government does not use, but certainly benefits from Christianity. In several ways Christianity is a buffer from dissension, in that it takes a blow that might have instead landed on government. Many of the reasons that the author's opposition has given for abolishing Christianity deals with the settlement of unrest that comes from religious disputes. One such example they give is that if Christianity were abolished, there would be no more persecution of "blasphemers". Swift answers that these people are naturally inclined to rebel against establishments. Therefore, if the church, their favorite object of rebellion, was taken away, they would resort to rebelling against the government. This statement suggests that ,"deorum offensa diis curae" (offenses against the gods are the god's business). If applied to the English government, it accuses them of only punishing "blasphemers" in the interest of protecting the government. Another argument that the author counters is that upon the fall of Christianity, Protestants and other dissenters would be able to again join in communion with the Catholic church. To this, the author retorts that while this may take away one reason for dissension, "spirit of opposition" would still remain. Thus, when these Protestants found themselves unhappily thrust back into the fold, they would simply find another area in which to dissent, and this time it may be an important area like government. While reaffirming the government's selfish motives, this accuses the Protestants of separating from the Catholic church not because of moral differences, but in order to quench their desire to rebel. Another unity that the author's opposition predicted would come from Christianity's fall would that of political and religious parties. Swift answers that these parties used religious differences as an excuse to argue, and that, if necessary, they would find any number of other matters to argue about. One very lilliputian example that he gives is that of two Italian factions that spawned from a dispute over the color of some ribbons. The author asserts that, much like the Protestants, these parties used religion as an excuse to fulfill their selfish desire to argue. Like the politicians, the people also have disposed of Christianity as far as letting influence their actions. The Christianity then practiced has no relation to real Christianity, "[S]uch as used in primitive times", "to have an influence upon men's beliefs and actions." Apparently, even belief in a god, "is more than is required of us" (Christians). Also, "[B]y an entire change in the methods of education," "the young gentlemen who are now on the scene seem to have not the least tincture of [virtue, honor, etc.]." This new generation, while not believing in the morals associated Christianity, still gain from their existence. While they disobey the laws associated with these morals, Swift asserts that breaking the rule wouldn't be nearly as fun if it wasn't considered wrong. The people also value church for selfish reasons. As Swift explains, church is many things for many people, none of which include spiritual fulfillment. For social butterflies, church is the perfect place to hob-knob or show off your latest outfit. For the businessman, "where more meetings for business?", "where more bargains driven of all sorts?" Finally, for the insomniac, "where so many conveniences or enticements to sleep?" These statements apply more directly than any others in the article to the high church of England. All of the things that Swift says about this fictional religion would be very strong words if applied to the Church of England. It might be readily conceived by the innocent reader that Swift was an enemy of the church in his time. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Swift was involved in the church and politics all his life, often in the position of supporting political and religious factions. While this could be used to counter my thesis that Swift was criticizing the establishment, it can just as easily support it. Swift obviously didn't hate government or the church, on the contrary, it was his love of these things that led him to point out the injustices that were scarring them. Like a mother scolding her child, Swift finds fault in his beloved church, only that he may edify it. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\swingers essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass Expository Writing Professor Habershaw October, 6 2003 Swingers and Me I've always had trouble with women. From the early days in middle school where I would "go out" with a girl, which entailed nothing sexual except possibly a peck on the cheek. After two weeks of feeling uncomfortable, the relationship would be over and I would sulk for weeks to come. In the beginning of high school I had trouble meeting girls and fully understanding their intentions. In my later years at High School I had a couple girlfriends but only one meant something to me. After we broke up I was miserable and in the back of my mind I felt there was some way of winning her back. In the beginning scene of the film Swingers, the two main characters (Mike and Rob) have a heart to heart conversation about Mike's recent ex-girlfriend. "MIKE: And what if I don't want to give up on her? ROB: You don't call. MIKE: But you said I shouldn't call if I wanted to give up on her. MIKE: So what's the difference? ROB: The only difference between giving up and not giving up is if you take her back when she wants to come back. See, you can't do anything to make her want to come back. You can only do things to make her not want to come back. MIKE: So the only difference is if I forget about her or pretend to forget about her. ROB: Right. MIKE: Well that sucks MIKE: So it's almost a retroactive decision. So I could, like, let's say, forget about her and when she comes back make like I just pretended to forget about her. ROB: Right...or more likely the opposite. MIKE: Right... Wait, what do you mean? ROB:I mean first you'll pretend not to care, not call - whatever, and then, eventually, you really won't care. MIKE: Unless she comes back first. ROB: Ah, see, that's the thing. Somehow they don't come back until you really don't care anymore. MIKE:There's the rub. ROB: There's the rub" (Swingers). This quote relates to when I was dumped by my girlfriend in high school and afterwards I could not take the rejection. I had long, drawn out conversations with my friends about how I planned on getting back with her but in actuality the only way to get over the situation was to forget the girl and move on. After weeks of listening to Radiohead and other depressing music I came to the conclusion as to why I was so hurt by my ex-girlfriend. More than the actual feelings of losing my ex-girlfriend, I felt the real reason why I was so depressed was the emotion of loss in general and the pain of never regaining it back. I had forgotten about the girl over time but the feeling of not having someone at all hurt me. The reason as to why I felt this way was more psychological than I expected. To me the girl was gone but the feeling of loss almost became a separate entity that led to a quiet compulsion within my head. As Mike escapes this emotion in Swingers by branching out and meeting new girls, I did the same. In the conversation that Mike and Rob have in the picture relates to my life more than just the subject matter. Their relaxed speech is similar to how I talk to my friends about issues with women. The almost compulsive nature that Mike represents in this scene is similar to how I have acted in the past. Often I find myself in question of what I should do about a situation with a girl. I will consult my friends and ask them worrisome questions like "should I call her back?" or "do you honestly think she's interested?". That level of insecurity is what connects the character Mike to my own life. The other character in the scene, Rob, represents the character that I am not. Rob is the man with advice and experience. He lacks in depth emotion but in turn receives pleasure from women whenever he wants. To me, it is hard to trust women because they can lead you to believe many things but in the end they will leave you. Rob is conscience of a woman's capacity to manipulate and strays away from that and in turn gets what every man wants; sex. In general, I see my relationships through the eyes of Mike. A caring, emotional guy who over analyzes everything. His care for others ultimately causes confusion and problems, for it is rarely in the interest of women to be attracted to a man with genuine feelings. Once I told myself that I had overcome my rejection I decided to meet new girls, whether it was through parties or school. I had multiple one night stands but in the back of my head I still longed for my ex-girlfriend. The only true solution to getting rid of the pain that I felt was through progression of time. As time went by the less I thought about her until finally she was just a memory. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Symbol Use Within Two Short Stories.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Symbol Use Within Two Short Stories The authors, Shirley Jackson and Nathaniel Hawthorne, both frequently use symbols within their stories "The Lottery" and "Young Goodman Brown." Symbols are utilized as an enhancement tool to stress the theme of each story. Hawthorne uses names and objects to enhance the theme, and Jackson mainly utilizes names to stress the theme, although she does have one object as a symbol of great importance to the theme. The stories both contain symbols describing evil. The majority of Hawthorne's symbols describe religion (both good and evil), but Jackson's symbols reflect the evil nature within society as a whole. There exists symbolic acts in each story. The short stories both share the use of symbols, but the symbols are used to express different thoughts in ones mind while reading them. The stories "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Lottery" both use names as symbols. Hawthorne uses the names Young Goodman Brown and Faith to portray nice, descent people. The name Faith alone implies a faithful and Christian individual as stated "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named," (211). Jackson uses the name Mr. Graves throughout her story, he is the coordinator of the lottery. She needs not give any explanation to the name, as it speaks for itself (a symbol of death). Various other names are used as symbols within each story, however, these mentioned are the most significant names to the theme. The stories each contain names, objects, and acts as important symbols. Hawthorne uses the names to stress good people, but relies heavily on objects to portray Satanism. The object of obvious Satanism is the staff (a cane) mentioned throughout the story. It is clearly identified when the old traveler throws it down in the sentence "it assumed life, being one of the rods which its owner had formerly lent to the Egyptian Magi" (215). According to the Bible. sorcerers with magic powers change their rods into serpents. Jackson uses the black box throughout her story as a symbol of tradition not to be changed as stated "Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done" (249). The fact it is an old black wore out box puts evil thoughts in ones mind while reading the story. The symbolic objects in each story differ, Hawthorne's are to show Satanism, rather than the evil in people as Jackson's shows. The stories each contain symbolic acts. The devil's comments during his sermon such as "Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness" (220) is a clear symbolic act of Satanism, although Satanism is never mentioned by the author. Jackson uses symbolic acts to stress the evil in mankind. An example is Mrs. Delacroix, a friend of Tessie's, chooses a large rock to throw "Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands" (254). Additionally evil in people is clearly proven in the statement "The children had stones already, and someone gave little Davey Hutchinson a few pebbles" (254). One finds it not only hard to believe the children would participate, but her son participating in his own mother's death too, makes this an incredible symbolic act of evil. Symbolic acts play a major role to the theme of each story although they are used to express different meanings. The two short stories, "Young Goodman Brown and "The Lottery", are very similar regarding the importance of symbols to each. The meaning of the symbols, whether names, objects, or acts, are different. Symbols are important in each story to define the theme. Close observation of the symbols within each story proves to one their importance. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown" Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. 211-220 Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery" Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia 6th ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. 248-254 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Symbolism in Camus The Plague.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For the first essay for Integrative Studies 300 I would like to write on the Camus work, The Plague. Since Albert Camus has a philosophical view unlike that of many western writers, the book can serve as an excellent reflection on an unpopular view of life, living, and death. Life without a god poses many ironies; Camus attempts to satisfy those ironies. By using many examples of symbolism, Camus conveys his own philosophy in a certain way so that his characters are subject to his personal ideals and morals. Camus believes there is no god, and essentially that human beings need to be responsible for their own lives, happiness, and decency. Through the eyes of all of his characters, the author answers questions like: "Why be optimistic?", "Why be moral?", "Why live if we are just going to die?", and "Why hope?". Camus contends that there are human values that are good in themselves; it is just good to be moral. In this essay I plan to connect the characters, symbolism, and my personal feelings and values with this idea. Such evidence as people being good to a neighbor in time of need or people volunteering to adopt a family for the holidays are many times based on a desire to simply do something good, not a necessarily a desire to please a god or receive a reward. Finally, without a god (or even with a god for that matter) Camus says that we need to be responsible and create our own hope. By looking carefully at the characters in the book, I plan to also show Camus' press for responsibility among the people. The ultimate goal of this essay is to make prominent Camus philosophical views of a godless world in which the people hold the responsibility of living a moral and hope-filled life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Symbolism in Huckleberry Finn.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Questions 1. Compare and Contrast Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Although Tom and Hucklberry Finn have many things in common and are very good friends, they also live a life of two totally different lifestyles. Tom, who is a dreamer, lives a life out of romantic novels, and can be amusing and exasperating at the same time. He lives a life out of drama and brings out his imagination in a realistic way. He is amusing when showing his understanding of what he has read and he loves to replay what has happened He is a leader and is idolized by many including Huck. Huck, much different than Tom, does not engage in the fantasies that Tom does and has little interest in them. He is more interested in what is happening right now and what is going on in his life in the present. He is always practical and natural, exhibiting good common sense except in rare episodes like the part about the snake bite. He sees Tom's wide reading and vivid imagination as something that sets him on top of himself. He often thinks about how Tom would have enjoyed doing some difficult feet that he has just performed. Although he gets annoyed by Tom's daydreams sometimes he goes along with them because he believes that Tom is someone that is on top of him. 2. Huck Finn's relationship with Jim changes as the story progresses. Analyze how and why the relationship changes, supporting your answer with at least three examples from the story. Jim, a slave owned by Miss Watson, is a very interesting character in the book. He seems like a person who is filled with superstitions but later down the river we learn about his fine attributes like his unselfishness and his love for Huck. Because he is more than a stereotypical slave, Huck and Jim throughout the book develop a very loyal friendship and become very good friends. Jim, who acts like a father figure towards Huck because no one else is there for him., is important to the plot because he gives Huck a reason to travel on the river. Because Jim is a runaway slave, it is necessary for Huck to keep quiet in times like for instance when Huck lies to them men about him being in the raft, instead telling them that his ill "pap" is in the raft. Huck does whatever he can to keep his word that " he will not tell on Jim." When Huck hears that Jim is jubilant at the thought of escape, and also that Jim plans to steal is necessary, his own children out of slavery, he is horrified at this and shocked at his own part in such an "immoral" undertaking. Not only a plot device, Jim is also the person who brings Huck to a series of important moral decisions throughout the book.. As they travel more and more into the their adventure, you can see a stronger and stronger bond growing between the two. They rely on each other and are both an essential part to their lives. 3. Analyze the significance of the Mississippi River in the novel. The Mississippi represents a place of good. Huck and Jim, find their freedom while traveling down the river. It is a pace where they do not have to worry about the evil of society. It is a place where they can drawback from society and just relax. " It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big river, laying on our backs looking at the stars..." As they travel down the river, Huck and Jim develop a loyal friendship that is very great. The river is a place out of society where the two can get away and enjoy their freedom. 4. By using examples from the plot and characters in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, explain Mark Twain's view of society and religion. The conflict between society and individual becomes a controlling theme throughout the novel. At first, Huck mentions how the Widow Douglas wants to "civilize" him, but in contrast, Huck wants to escape and be " free and satisfied." Huck encounters varying aspects, attitudes, and restrictions of society and he much rather prefers his individual freedom. Even when living with his "pap" he enjoys it much better than living in regular society because he does not like living in regular schedules; going to school, waking up at the same time. He prefers doing this out of the ordinary society. Huck Finn is an allegory about good and evil. Huck represents the forces of good, and most of the people he meets represent evil. Society seems like a place that is holding you back, and the river seems like a place where there are no worries. He sees all his freedom while his time on the river and enjoys it there. The Mississippi River is a god that provides both beauty and terror. Huck represents makind's need to retreat from the real world and to take in the pleasures of religion. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Symbollism in The Scarlett Letter.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ British Literature Matt Gordon 9-22-96 Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter Symbolism in literature is the deepness and hidden meaning in a piece of work. It is often used to represent a moral or religious belief or value. Without symbolism literature is just a bunch of meaningless words on paper. The most symbolic piece of work in American Literature is Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne's use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter is one of the most significant contributions to the rise of American Literature. Much of Hawthorne's symbolism is very hard to find but several symbols are also obvious. In the first chapter Hawthorne describes the prison as "the black flower of civilized society". The prison represents the crime and punishment that was incorporated in the early Puritan life. He also contrasts the prison with the tombstone at the end of the novel by suggesting that crime and punishment bring about the end of civilized life. In the same chapter he describes the overgrown vegetation of weeds around the prison. The weeds symbolize how corrupt civilization really is. He also points out a positive symbol, the wild rose bush. This represents the blossoming of good out of the darkness of all civilized life. The most important symbol which is carried throughout the novel is undoubtedly the scarlet letter A. It initially symbolizes the immoral act of adultery but by the end of the novel the "A" has hidden much more meaning than that. The "A" appears in many other places than on the chest of Hester Prynne. It is seen on the armor breastplate at Governor Bellingham's mansion. At night while Dimmesdale is standing on the scaffold he sees a bright red letter A in the sky. While Pearl is playing near the bay shore she arranges some grass in the form of an A on her own breast. But one of the most important A's is one the spectators see burnt on Dimmesdale's chest. The letter A also has a variety of meanings. Originally standing for the sin of adultery it has a different meaning for each character. The Puritan community considers the letter a mark of just punishment. Hester sees the letter as a symbol of unjust humiliation. Dimmesdale sees the A as a reminder of his own guilt. Chillingworth sees the A as a quest for revenge to find the adulterer. Pearl is very curious of the letter and sees it as a great mystery. The A also stands for "Angel" when it is seen in the sky on the night of Governor Winthrop's death. Symbolism shows the greatness of an author's ability to supply meaning to his work. It also shows the pride an author takes in his work. Nathaniel Hawthorne's use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter shows his greatness to produce a novel of the highest possible caliber. These are the reasons why Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is American Literature's most famous symbolic novel ever to be written. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\syracuse resume.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thomas Healy 617 Whitman Dr, Turnersville, NJ 08012 (856)232-0689 thomashhen@yahoo.com S.S: 141-94-8463 Piano, Music Theory/Composition Freshmen applicant Previous music study: 1) Music Theory 1, Mr. Corigliano, one school year 2) AP Music Theory II, Mr. Clayton/Mr. Hall, one semester 3) Mixed Chorus, Mr. Corigliano/ Ms. Dickinson, three years 4) Studied at home before any professional training 5) Patti Greenburg (private piano teacher), less than one year 6) Raffi Bessalyn (private piano teacher (Rowan University)), less than one year Repertoire: 1) Czerny: The School of Velocity 2) Hanon: The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises 3) Chopin: Nocturne in E minor (Chopin Nocturnes for the Piano), Polonaise in C# minor, Waltz in A minor 4) Haydn: Sonata in D Major, Haydn Sonatas for the piano Book I 5) Beethoven: Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata 6) Mozart: Sonata K.545, Sonatina Album 7) Friedrich Kuhlau: Sonatina Op. 20, No.3 8) Bach: Invention 8, 4, 1, Prelude and Fugue XXI in Bb Major, The Well-Tempered Clavier f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\table of age.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Table describing age demographics: c-1 # of years in organic ag c-2 # of years in ag c-3 age c-4 age when began farming c-5 is organic farming your main occupation? c-6 do you have a secondary occ + to farm income? c-7 % of income earning time on farm c-8 % of income earned on farm 11 of 18 started farming when they were 35 or older (of the 11 / 7 went straight into organic agriculture the rest transitioned later) 50% of the growers surveyed went directly into organic agriculture 98% report that organic farming is their primary occupation 11/18 report that they bring in off farm income through a secondary occupation 8 / 18 report that they spend 100% of their income earning time on the farm 10 / 18 farmers want to derive a greater percentage of their income from their farm work however only 4 report that they derive 100% or their income from the farm other income in the way of investment & savings, retirement income rrsps, spouses income this age data reflects the fact that people are making a conscious choice to shift into an organic lifestyle mid career might indicated the stability that is required to set out into farming, money in the bank, RRSP, equity etc... 5 6 50 44 Y N 100% 100% 100% 1 1 29 & 36 O 28 &35 Y Y 60% 40% 90% 14 14 40 O 26 Y Y wifes teaching income 100% 80% 80% 11 16 48 32 Y Y Organic course instructor 90% 90% 90% 1 1 30 O 29 Y Y 75% 25% 75% 12 12 60 O 48 Y N 100% 15% 30% 11 16 41 25 Y N 100% 100% 100% 6 16 52 C-T 36 Y N 100% 100% 100% 15 17 58 41 Y Y teaching organic farming 95% 25% 90% 12 40 60 C-T 20 Y Y 50% 50% 100% 23 23 b 5 5 40 O 35 Y Y 100% 10% 100% 10 10 55 O 45 Y N 100% 100% 100% 6 6 52 O 46 N Y 50% 5% 10% 2 2 58 O 56 Y Y 80% 10% 40% 2 3 29 26 Y Y 80% 80% 100% 15 15 50 O 35 Y N 100% 25% 25% 1 8 60 52 y y 90% 90% 100% f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Tap Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Amanda Gray Grade 8 Tap February 3, 2002 THE DEPTH OF THE GILBERT TAP SYLLABUS Internationally, Al Gilbert Graded Dance Examinations, have a wide and far-reaching scope. The Gilbert tap syllabus has touched the lives of a wide variety of people, for many years. The Gilbert Syllabus has become a closely integrated part of tap, and its levels, from Primary to Grade Eight are universal tap monuments. From Primary to Grade Eight, each level builds on knowledge and technique from the previous levels, while remaining a separate and complete entity. In Primary, exercises introduce basic steps such as shuffle, hop, toe back, step, ballchange, dig and marches. These elements are done slowly, with many holds. This allows beginning dancers to carefully execute new movements, and gives them the opportunity to concentrate, between each movement. The slow tempo also helps young dancers who have not developed acute fine motor skills. The marching exercise gives students an opportunity to move around the room and change their focus. Interesting exercises such as Boogie Woogie and the Flash Trick Step add excitement and satisfaction for students. The division of Primary Tap into Level One and Level Two makes the exam short and tidy, and well within the attention span of young people. This avoids frustration. In Tap 1, students review many exercises from Primary. The new exercises introduce elements such as the Irish, jump, gallop, balance, cha cha cha, skips, sways and turns. These elements require a little bit more co-ordination than the Primary exercises, and a previous Primary foundation. Students get used to faster tempos gradually through progressive exercises such as shuffle step, which is done at three different speeds. Exercises such as Quarter Turns and Half Turns and Runs, introduce students to basic turns in an easy straightforward manner. In Tap 2, simple exercises involving shuffles, hops, and ballchanges are done at faster tempos, and holds are eliminated for greater fluency and definition. Elements such as the Buffalo, flap, Charleston, sugars, waltz clog time step and Maxie Ford are introduced. Many steps are put together in combinations for greater memory and sequential training. In Tap 3, shuffles are done in one count and in three directions, and flaps are combined with heel drops, front and back. Cramp rolls, military cramp rolls, Susie-Q's, Lindy, and shim sham are introduced. These steps develop refinement of feet and sound. Paddle, chaine and pique turns develop the spot action. Mambo steps and soft-shoe essence introduce students to different dance styles. Students learn time steps with single, double and triple breaks. In Tap 4, exercises introduce the scuff, riff and stomp, which develop shading and sound quality in the feet. Turns across the floor co-ordinate spotting action and foot co-ordination. In Tap 5, students execute sophisticated shuffles with patterns and arms. Students are taught advanced steps such as pickups, pull backs, and wings in a straightforward manner. Complex turns and timesteps challenge the memory and exercises such as shim sham and military step explore different styles. In Tap 6, fast shuffles include crossing shuffles, scuffles and riffles. Pirouette breaks show overall dancer refinement. Difficult pickups, pullbacks, wings and drawbacks are integrated into turns and combinations. Pendulum and swap wings are added. Outside, inside and barrel roll turns are emphasized. In Tap 7, Barre is eliminated and students begin in the center, executing complicated combinations of shuffles, heels, ballchanges and flaps, which develop strength and memory. In Tap 8, an elaborate shuffle variation develops acute rhythm and timing. Fast nerve tap pirouettes develop speed and accuracy. Echappe pullbacks and wings, double wings, echo wings, triple wings, toe stand wings and shuffle wings develop mastery of prodigious tap skill. Long variations develop superior mental capacity. The Gilbert Tap Syllabus has many strengths. The great variety of styles of music that complement the many styles of steps create a strong, unified and colorful syllabus. Latin music complements mambos and cha cha cha's, while marches emphasize military cramp rolls and march steps. Lyrical pieces of music add grace to some turns and waltzed. The Gilbert Syllabus also divides work into barre, center and turns across the floor for clarity and precision. The routines are perfect for development of sequential memory skills and genuine performance quality. They give students a chance to demonstrate the skills of their level in a flashy entertaining manner. The Gilbert Syllabus also leaves the styling of arms to the discretion of teachers and students so that individuality can be addressed. This also prevents the syllabus from becoming outdated or stylized, because teachers and students can add arms which reflect the style and time era. The Gilbert Tap Syllabus does not have very many weaknesses. One weakness, however, is the fact that the syllabus does not include some newer styles such as Hip Hop or street tap, because it is completely set. This is not usually a problem, however, because the syllabus provides dancers with a strong foundation and most students find it easy to adjust to changing styles. The Gilbert Tap Syllabus can have many benefits on a personal level. It can help to improve mental capacity of memory, speed and organization. Learning and executing complex steps with accurate timing and order can really organize the mind and leave one feeling revitalized. It can provide simple enjoyment and exercise and can lead to improved self-confidence and satisfaction and personal fulfillment. The feeling of accomplishment one can achieve from learning a new step or perfecting a difficult step can be amazing. The Gilbert Syllabus also can provide a personal education from the historical merit of the authentic music choices and authentic step names. The Syllabus can leave one with a greater awareness of history. It can also benefit one through musical training. Students learn to count bars of music, and learn about time signature and intricate rhythms. This musical knowledge is an extreme benefit when combined with the increased musicality one can achieve by working through the syllabus. The syllabus can also provide personal benefits by exposing individuals to a large, friendly dance community. The Dance Spectacular tribute to Al Gilbert in 1994 gave a great deal of personal fulfillment and fun to many individuals. The Gilbert Syllabus has many merits as a teaching and learning tool. Because of the wide range of levels, it can be taught to any age category and any ability level. The syllabus is designed to accommodate the enthusiasm, as well as the lack of attention span of small children. It accommodates the growing skill and maturity of older children, and can even be used to teach beginning adults and senior citizens, because of its straightforward, un-biased manner. People of all age groups and ability levels can achieve satisfaction in a level that is tight for them. The questions asked during each exam help students and teachers to focus on the important aspects of each level and to learn in an organized, constructive manner. The syllabus is also straightforward and easy to understand as a teaching and learning tool, due to the availability of notes, music tapes and tapes with instructional voice. The Gilbert Syllabus makes it easy for teachers to separate classes by providing minimum ages for each level. This minimizes controversy over the placement of students. The syllabus is an effective teaching tool because it provides guidelines for order and etiquette. Students are required to effectively organize themselves into lines and patterns during exams. They are also required to exercise courtesy towards the examiner or teacher by bowing and saying "Thank you". The Gilbert Tap Syllabus is an extremely efficient tap syllabus, which helps teachers and students to progress through many constructive levels to gain personal benefits. It brings the art of tap to an international level and has touched the lives of a variety of people worldwide. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\TASK2 821 MOTIVATION ESSAY.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Motivation Robyn Shadlyn An ongoing issue for teachers is motivating their students in a positive and constructive way. Teachers have to be certain that their students are equally being motivated and challenged enough in order to stay on track. This is a difficult task for the teacher considering that every student learns differently and every student is diverse in their own ways. Strategies in the classroom such as using intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and taking into account outside factors that can influence a student's motivation helps to make motivating the students easier. "In the formal world of the classroom, teachers hold an extreme position of power" (Vialle, Lysaght,Verenikina, p. 136). With this said students look up to their teachers and expect the teacher to guide and encourage them in a constructive manner and lead then towards a positive outcome. Student motivation naturally has to do with students' desire to participate in the learning process. But it also concerns the reasons or goals that underlie their involvement or noninvolvement in academic activities. Although students may be equally motivated to perform a task, the sources of their motivation may differ. "A growing body of evidence suggests that when students are intrinsically motivated they tend to employ strategies that demand more effort and that enable them to process information more deeply extrinsic rewards, on the other hand, should be used with caution, for they have the potential for decreasing existing intrinsic motivation" (http://cse.unl.edu/~mbeerman/psych97-1/cabela.html). I feel that a student who is intrinsically motivated undertakes an activity for there own sake, for the enjoyment that it provides, the learning it permits, or the feelings of accomplishment it evokes. On the other hand an extrinsically motivated student performs in order to obtain some sort of reward or avoid some punishment external to the activity itself, such as grades, stickers, or teacher approval. Most children, as they work through their years of school do, in fact, find areas of study they genuinely enjoy. These areas are different for different people. The general problem of matching individual interests to a fixed curriculum is one that is impossible to solve. People obviously have different backgrounds, beliefs, and goals. What is relevant for one will not be relevant to another. Of course, we can force something to be relevant to students and we can put it on the test, but this only makes it have the appearance of significance, it does not make it interesting. This is why some children have a hard time being motivation. If we extrinsically motivate students all the time by offering rewards for every time they answer a question right or for every time they do some thing well they will begin to think that every good deed they do deserves a reward or that they will only do things if a reward is involved. "Students who are naturally curious when faced with an extrinsic reward do generate questions, but those questions have little to do with the content the teacher wishes to convey. Instead the questions are of the nature of: "How can I bend the rules to win the game?" or "What's the least amount of effort I can put in and still satisfy the teacher?" (http://www.engines4ed.org/hyperbook/nodes/NODE-148-pg.html). A lot of what I have just talked about "stresses that students should frequently experience reinforcement or rewards for their achievements. Prior achievement affects motivation by providing students with information about the effectiveness of their problem solving skills. According to Albert Bandura, this contributes to a sense of self-efficacy, or the conviction that one can successfully do what is necessary to produce a particular outcome" (Biehler/Snowman, p. 420). I believe that self-efficacy enhances motivation in students and contributes to their achievement. Self-efficacy is a feeling that one can successfully achieve a particular outcome, which should always be made prevalent in the classroom. It is a teacher's duty to make sure that all students feel as if they are able to accomplish anything. They should be made to feel that what they start will always have a positive outcome as long as they try their best. The best why for a teacher to do this is through positive reinforcement, make a systematic effort to sustain the students interest, try to make lack of effort seem unappealing and urge students to select short-term and long-term goals. I have a strong opinion on motivation and the child's home environment. When a parent encourages discussion with their child the child becomes aware of what is going on in the world and develops a sense of curiosity about the world around them and becomes interested in different types of information. "Children's home environment shapes the initial constellation of attitudes they develop toward learning. When parents nurture their children's natural curiosity about the world by welcoming their questions, encouraging exploration, and familiarizing them with resources that can enlarge their world, they are giving their children the message that learning is worthwhile and frequently fun and satisfying" (http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed370200.html). When the child is in the classroom they will view themselves of competent people and will be more willing to pursue tasks that involve a challenge. With this said they are more motivated when it comes to taking risks in the classroom and asking questions, they are more intrinsically motivated. A teacher's attitude and personality may also influence a student's motivation. "If you admired or had a crush on an elementary school teacher, you were probably eager to earn that teachers approval by performing well in class. If you disliked or feared a teacher you may have lost all interest in learning and simply endured school until the end of the year" (Biehler/Snowman, p. 387). I know that on my practicum in Fiji my students came to school motivated each day to learn something new. I do believe that it had a lot to do with the way in which I was passionate about what I was teaching. I think it also had a lot to do with the students taking a liking to me. This was because I was a fresh new face that was full of new things for them to do and learn. When a teacher gives a positive vibe towards their class it encourages the children to want to work hard for that teacher and make them proud. In turn the student becomes motivated without any type of reward that is offered to them. "Carmen sat in a rocking chair in the literacy center reading. When she finished her book she sat up, raised the book over her head, and exclaimed out loud, "This is such a lovely, beautiful story. It makes me feel so good inside, I think I'll read it again." She settled back into the rocking chair and continued reading. Orville Prescott, the noted book reviewer, wrote that few children learn to love books themselves. Someone must lure them into the wonderful world of the written word. Someone must show them the way (Morrow, 2004). If us as teachers teach students to read and write and they have no desire to do so we have not accomplished anything "It is time for us to focus on motivation as well as skills, since motivation to read and write and literacy ability go hand in hand. They must be nurtured simultaneously (Morrow, 2004). Teachers need to make reading and writing stimulating and not make it a chore. Reading to students with enthusiasm and inspiring questions will teach the students that reading and writing is fun and interesting. I know that when I listened to my prac teacher read a story to the class their eyes were glued to the book and could not wait to hear what was coming next. They all wanted to get a book and start reading it just like their teacher did. I feel that this was because the teacher created a literacy rich environment. What I mean by this is that all the walls were covered in great things to read which really stimulated the student's curiosity about reading and writing. "Motivated readers and writers initiate and sustain literacy activities, and they choose to read and write for pleasure and for information. We have found from research that classrooms providing children with access to materials, choice, challenge, and collaborative experiences are motivating" (Morrow, 2004). When researching the topic on motivation I came across "achievement goal theory of achievement motivation". It is said that there are three types of achievement goals, task-oriented, performance-oriented and work avoidant-oriented. Students who "strive and work for task-oriented goals are doing so because they want to improve their competence and/or increase their understanding. They gain positive feelings from success, knowing that they have mastered what they want to learn" (Barry and King, p. 517). These students seek out something that they are interested in learning and work towards their full potential to accomplish their task. They are task-oriented because they have a thirst for knowledge and they base their standards about learning on what they set out as their goal. Students who "strive and work for performance-oriented goals are doing so because they want to demonstrate their ability or competence or to gain fine impressions of their abilities compared to the efforts and performances of others" (Barry and King, p. 518). An example of this could be a student accomplishment in a task is derived from doing better than others on a test or in the playground. Students who are "work-oriented endeavor to complete work in the classrooms with a minimum of effort" (Barry and King, p. 519). It is said that these students are trying to avoid failure, expressing their dislike of school work or handling personal pressure experienced in classroom work tasks. They believe that hard work does not lead to success, which explains their lack of motivation. School success to these students means managing to avoid school work. This relationship between teaching and the teacher's learning does not benefit the teacher alone, but it benefits the students in many different concrete ways. First, "the teacher who is also a learner will better understand and sympathize with the difficulties students encounter in their learning, and therefore better modify the presentation of the material" (http://biology.georgefox.edu/BioChem%20web/chemfiles/meverest/pot/node1.html). Second, "as time goes on, the learning teacher will have better and better mastery of the material which will almost certainly result in better teaching". The teacher who does not have strong command of the material will likely leave the students more confused than they were before the lesson or class started. Finally, "the enthusiasm of the teacher who loves to learn will be evident to the students". When the students see the degree to which the teacher finds enjoyment in the material, they too will be motivated toward learning. Refrences Barry, K and King, L. (1998) 'Beginning Teaching and Beyond'. Third Edition, Social Science Press, Australia. Biehler, R and Snowman, J. (1982) 'Psychology Applied To Teaching'. Forth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Morrow, L. (2004) 'Motivation: The forgotten factor'. Pro Quest Document 623765401, Vol 21, Iss 5; pg 6, 1pgs. Vialle, W, Lysaght, P and Verenikina, I. (2000) 'Handbook on Child Development'. Social Science Press, Australia. http://cse.unl.edu/~mbeerman/psych97-1/cabela.html http://www.engines4ed.org/hyperbook/nodes/NODE-148- pg.html http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed370200.html http://biology.georgefox.edu/BioChem%20web/chemfiles/meverest/pot/node1.html Motivation Task # 2 By: Robyn Shadlyn 2638162 EDGC 821: Understanding Learning B For: Florance Due: Wednesday September 1, 2004 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Teaching essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This paper is going to discuss two Early Childhood Educators who are important in acknowledging the development in children. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky theories are what the Constructivist Model is based on. The author has chosen to discuss Piaget and Vygotsky as we will see in this paper that these two men have very similar ideas with Piaget developing the foundation of Cognitive Development and Vygotsky expanded on Piaget's theories and developing his own theories. The Constructivist Model that Piaget and Vygotsky's theories are based on is an education program that believes children are always learning. The curriculum is based on children experiencing an activity and learning from it. Children might go on an outing to a farm and the teacher will use this outing in the classroom to teach the children about science, math and English. This type of school focuses on a child's physical, mental, emotional and cognitive abilities. The Constructivist model realizes that not all children learn at the same pace so the curriculum is set up so children can learn on an individual basis or in small groups depending on the cognitive level they are at. (Brewer, 2004) Piaget was an experimenter and theorist in developmental psychology and human intelligence. Piaget developed an interest in psychology at a young age as his mother had mental health issues. Piaget followed his interests and numerous jobs in the psychology field before settling as the Chair of Philosophy at the University where he was to teach philosophy, psychology and sociology. Piaget got married and start having his own children. As Piaget children grew up, Piaget and his wife began to observe the reaction of their own children in different situations, which is how Piaget developed his best theories. Piaget developed theories that are now known as the foundation of what develop mentalists base their theories. This was said by http://fats.cns.muskingum.edu Piaget developed many theories by observing and experimenting with children. Piaget believed that all children go through similar stages and that none are skipped, this he considered to be the "Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development". Piaget had four stages of cognitive development which included "The sensorimotor stage (birth-2years)" this is Piaget's first stage and infants are relying on behavioral schemes to understand their surroundings. Within this stage Piaget said that babies develops "object permanence" which is when the child can't see an object but still knows that the object exists; "The preoperational stage (2-7years)" the child begin to think with their imagination; "The concrete operational stage (7-11 years)" children start to think with factual logic; "The formal operational stage (11-beyond)" children can think with logic that they can or can't see. (Inhelder, Chipman & Zwingmann, 1976) Piaget thought that for a child to move onto the next stage they would need to develop the right amount and type of schemata's. Schemata's were what Piaget believed to be cognitive structures that described the environment and guided the person's reaction. Piaget believed there were three forms of these and they were Behavioral, Symbolic and Operational and these help a person determine their environment behaviorally, mentally and logically. Piaget believed that there were four functions that allowed the schemata to be modified over a lifetime that are: Organization- the child learns new and harder schemata's; Assimilation- child learns new information and tries to relate it to pre-existing information; Accommodation- children process the new information with the already existing information and Adaptation- children are exploring their environment and they are adapting this new information into their schemata's. (Borich and Tombari). Within all of Piaget's observations he noticed that children learn a lot from their peers. Children act differently when engaging, arguing or sharing ideas with their peers compared to how they would act if they were with adults. Piaget said that children would satisfy their own needs by interacting in these situations with a peer that was at the same cognitive level. This child would be learning social skills and how to share with their peers. Piaget thought that educators should focus on social and emotional issues as well as teaching mentally. (Gallagher & Easley, 1978) The reason I chose Piaget was because some of the techniques he proposed were interesting. Piaget was studying children in the early 1900's and at this time he proposed that we need to look at the relationships between children and other children and children and their parents, he noticed that one side always is telling the other side what to do and the lesser side can only agree, Piaget believed that everyone should be equal in order to have respect for each other (De Lisi, 2002), nearly 100 years later we are still trying to solve bullying among children and adults. Piaget had a lot of good ideas when describing how to teach children cognitively. First of all Piaget's theory of Cognitive development is said to have been one of the most influential theories developed. Piaget has uncovered the unknown for researchers to build upon today. Piaget believed in constructivism and this is still being incorporated into newer theories of infant development. Piaget made everyone believe that to teach children we need to look at how we are teaching through a child's point of view, he said children are curious and they need to learn from the environments they are in, by asking questions instead of being told information. Piaget also stated that not all children are going to learn the same material at the same time and described how different children may learn at a slower or faster pace than others, he said curriculum should be taught to fit individuals or small groups based on learning ability. Above all Piaget asked questions that researchers are still trying to find the answer to today. However Piaget did believe that all children learn the same thing around the same time universally. Vygotsky disputed this fact and said that all cultures learn different materials according to what the culture feels is important at a specific age. (Schaffer, Wood & Willoughby, 2002) Vygotsky who graduated with a law degree became involved in psychology research years after graduating. Vygotsky continued doing research following some of the theories that Piaget developed. Vygotsky expanded on Piaget theories and in the process developed his own theories. Vygotsky died at a young age and his ideas were hidden until after the war was over. His theories were then translated from Russian. Vygotsky developed the "Sociocultural Theory" that is the theory that all children learn from a guide who is more educated then they are. Vygotsky also developed the "Zone of Proximal Development", he said this was the activity that children couldn't complete on their own, they could accomplish with help from another person more cognitively advanced then themselves. (Hung & Nichani, 2002) Vygotsky also developed a lot of good theories, that are still being used and researchers are still building on these theories. We have to wonder if Vygotsky didn't die at such a young age what theories he might have developed. Vygotsky's theories were of great interest to read and study, the theories that he developed should be a part of what school systems are based on today. In comparison Piaget and Vygotsky theories were based on the same ideas but were also very different like in these examples. Piaget and Vygotsky stressed active rather than passive learning. Students in Piaget's classroom would spend most of the day independently discovering their own activities. In Vygotsky classrooms teachers would give students hints to the answer and eventually give less hints so that peers were helping each other figure out the answer. Piaget and Vygotsky both noticed through observation that children would talk to themselves while playing. Piaget called this "egocentric speech". Vygotsky expanded on Piaget's theory and thought that children tend to talk to themselves while trying to solve a problem, Vygotsky called this "private speech" and he thought that children that did this were more organized and efficient. Vygotsky also that as children get older their "private speech" lessen from full sentences to one word and eventually all they do is move their lips. The difference that was noticed most was that Vygotsky thought it was important for children to have a lot of interaction with adults while learning about culture and internalizing knowledge and Piaget thought that peer were important as they promote a social aspect in a child's life. (Shaffer, Wood and Willoughby) In conclusion, this essay has given a brief description of Piaget and Vygotsky's theories. This essay has proven how both Piaget and Vygotsky were important to understanding the cognitive development of children. Piaget and Vygotsky had similar views on how children should develop but there approach in teaching the children this varied considerably. REFERENCES McCarthy Gallagher, J., & Easley Jr., J.A. (1978). Knowledge and Development: Piaget and education. (Volume 2). New York, N.Y.: Plenum Press. Inhelder, B., Chipman, H.& Zwingmann, C. (1976). Piaget and his school: A reader in developmental psychology. New York, N.Y.: Springer-Verlag Borich, Gary, D. & Tombari, Martin L.(1997). Educational Psychology: A contemporary approach. New York, N.Y.: Longman. Shaffer, David R., Wood, Eileen & Willoughby, Teena. (2002). Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence. Scarborough, ON: Nelson. Brewer, Jo Ann. (2004). Introduction to Early Childhood Education: Preschool Through Primary Grades. (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. De Lisi, Richard. (2002). From marbles to instant messenger & TM;: Implications of Piaget's ideas about peer learning. Theory into Practice, 41 (1), 5-14. Hung, David & Nichani, Maish Ramlol. (2002). Bringing communities of practice into schools: Implications for instructional technologies from Vygotskian perspectives. International Journal of Instructional Media 29 (2), 171-183. http://fates.cns.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/vygotsky.htm http://fates.cns.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/piaget.htm f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Team B Term Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rehabilitation Services In a Correctional Facility and Their Effectiveness Learning Team B Joe Mahaffey Anj Weeks Russ Wigfall Essentials of College Writing Mrs. Schmid June 14, 2003 Abstract With the different types of rehabilitation services provided in the Division of Corrections today, and the numerous funds allocated for these programs, a couple of questions have arisen. Is privatization a better source of maintaining offenders? Is rehabilitation in a private facility better than rehabilitation in the Division of Corrections? Why is the Division of Corrections more effective when it comes to training and rehabilitation services such as, school and vocational training? For instance, is there a reason why states feel that the Division of Corrections is better suited not only for housing, but also for training offenders? Money is granted yearly for educational and training purposes in the Division of Corrections. What are some of the statistics and sources that provide society with evidence that the rehabilitation of offenders through the DOC is working? Are the certificates provided at the completion of these rehabilitation services; and the vocational training able to be used, once an offender is released and if so, how are they utilized? When it comes to convicted young offenders in the Division of Corrections, why are these offenders housed together? Since there is mandated school, and psychological treatment for these young offenders, how does the system best suit the needed rehabilitation and training methods for these offenders. We will discuss how long a young offender is actually incarcerated; programs and group therapy that would help rehabilitate such a young offender. After all, we are talking about offenders that are charged as adults and are between the ages of 14 yr old to 21 years of age. We will also discuss whether these offenders work and if so how, when state law mandates they will attend and be educated up to at least the 11th grade. Do the state laws provide a window of unrecognized opportunity to these offenders housed in the DOC or does the fact that an inmate is encouraged to work in privatization, decrease the rehabilitation and vocational opportunities of an offender. Rehabilitation Services In a Correctional Facility and Their Effectiveness What types of rehabilitation is necessary to treat offenders in prison? What is the effectiveness of these programs? These two questions will be discussed and answered in this paper. Learning Team B will also show information on recidivism, which relates directly to the rehabilitation and effectiveness of the programs. We will show that the effectiveness differs from state to state. Who does the responsibility of teaching these programs fall on? This is just another question to be answered. This lesson will pertain to juveniles, but will relate to adult cases also. Correctional Facilities, both state and private has been the rehabilitation services for our criminal offenders. It has been said that the rehabilitation services in all Correctional Facilities are not effective. That statement is not a fact; moreover, evidence is present to refute the statement. Rehabilitation services offerings vary from state to state, especially in regard to juveniles, but the programs themselves must be managed properly to be fully effective. The type of rehabilitative services available depends on the institution and the types of inmates that are housed. Many different types of programs are offered, and many are effective. Areas that need to be addressed or offered for inmate rehabilitation are drug and alcohol treatment, sexual treatment, counseling, educational assessment, needs assessment and self-help programs. There may be other areas of rehabilitative services needed and this list certainly does not cover them all. Among all juvenile correctional facilities in the nation, thirty-seven percent provided on-site substance abuse treatment to their residents (2002). There are very few criminals are arrested, placed in a Penal Institution, and never had a problem with alcohol or illegal drugs. Most hardcore offenders, enter with multiple drug problems. Many of their charges were related to fulfilling the desire to use drugs. Once in prison, every inmate has to go through a series of test. In addition to that, a psychologist, who is trained and experienced, would evaluate each member. This is a process to determine what caused their downfall. Whatever the diagnosis determined, at that time, they would receive the proper treatment in order to correct the problem. Inmates are introduced to rehabilitation opportunities that may not been accessible to them in the uncontrolled environment. Both, State and Private facilities have on staff, Chaplaincy Services. These services provide inmates of all faith groups with reasonable and equitable opportunities to pursue religious beliefs and practices, within the constraints of budgetary limitations and consistent with the security and orderly running of the institutions. The Chaplains are very personal, giving the inmates comfort as they share personal problems, concerns, or thoughts. Once the Chaplain has evaluated and individual that wants some assistance, he or she would convey that information to the proper branch within the institution. As a part of the rehabilitation process, as we mentioned earlier, is the Psychology department. This department is one of the most comprehensive services offered to prison inmates. Psychology programs are designed to address a wide range of inmate needs, from drug abuse treatment to anger management. The programs are effective, and the programs staff will assist the inmates who want to make positive changes in their behavior. These criminal offenders learn skills while incarcerated, which prepares them for successful re-entry into their communities upon release. This aspect will give them self confident, which most drug abusers lack, and allow them to find jobs, and live a normal life. Dealing with juveniles that have been incarcerated is a tough job. We must rehabilitate youthful offenders and not just punish them. Offender's behavior must also be changed. The effectiveness of incarceration as a strategy for reducing violent crime is limited. Research has shown that for many youth, the experience of serving time in a large detention center actually increases the likelihood that they will commit violent crimes again in the future (Noguera, n.d.). Little emphasis, if any, is placed on rehabilitation while youth are in custody, or on re-entry programs when they return to their communities. According to the California Youth Authority's (CYA) conservative measures, fifty-five to sixty percent of juvenile convicts return to prison within two years after their release (Noguera, n.d.). Producing a change in the behavior of a significant number of youthful inmates is unlikely because most of the detention centers are tough, violent places. This makes it difficult to effectively rehabilitate offenders. Many juvenile convicts are compelled to contend with this pervasive violence much of which is due to widespread gang activity. Effectiveness of rehabilitation for offenders also falls onto the prison officials, who are unable to control violence within these facilities. When staff cannot control the inmates, rehabilitation is also effected. Controlling criminal behavior can be a tough job, but it is not out of reach. We must be able to control inmate behavior, rehabilitate, and be able to release an offender back to society with good odds that they will not return to prison. When offenders cannot be rehabilitated, public fear of them, committing violent crimes are kept at a high level. Another form of rehabilitation is the opportunity for inmates to work in certain job areas. This type of rehabilitation can prepare an offender for release from prison and prepare them for a certain job skill. Mississippi is just one state that allows and offers this type of rehabilitation. Mississippi developed the Mississippi Prison Industries Act in 1990, which provided inmates with useful activities that can lead to meaningful employment after release in order to assist in reducing the return of inmates to the system (1994). The Mississippi Prison Industries Act sets requirements of the prison industries to operate in an economic and efficient manner, and for program outcome and effectiveness. This program has not been effective as of yet. The underlying reason that the prison industries program has not been effective in rehabilitating inmates is the Department of Corrections lack of guidance and its failure to comply with legal requirements (1994). In 1991, Magnolia State Enterprises, Inc. (MSE) was incorporated to provide the prison industries activities to meet the act's mission, and in February of 1991, MSE assumed responsibility from DOC for business operations. Under the act, DOC remains responsible for the program's mission toward inmate rehabilitation and post-release job placement. The MSE has not been effective in rehabilitation of inmates due to a lack of strong direction from its board of director's, and lack of strong written goals, objectives, plans, or comprehensive policies. It is nearly impossible to be effective when a person or group does not have the support of their supervisors. Other reasons for being non-effective included finances, lack of a master plan, not using state bidding rights on the purchase of materials, low job placement of offenders after their release from prison, and not offering classroom training to offenders, among other items. Mississippi does not stand-alone in this problem area of rehabilitation. Iowa has had the same problem. Many inmates apply and accept jobs with Iowa Prison Industries for the only reason of having something to do, not to learn a vocation. When jobs are filled with these types of inmate thoughts and intention, rehabilitation cannot be effective, simply because the inmate really does not want to learn the job. The type of rehabilitation services currently used by the Division of Correction's and the Maryland Correctional Training Center has been submitted by Anj Weeks. Anj notes that registered addiction counselors teach the classes and groups. Drug treatment court provides Maryland district court and Maryland City Circuit Judge with a sentencing option of nonviolent offenders other than incarceration (n.d.). Eligible and interested offenders are eligible for one diversion from prosecution, or probation. All participants sign a behavior Agreement with the court before admission to Drug Treatment. Several studies of this programs graduates conducted by the Maryland Division of Correction reveled encouraging results. The same source reveals that fifty-four offenders have graduated from treatment court programs since March of 1995, and none has been rearrested. Ninety-two percent have not had any subsequent drug or alcohol use, eighty-three percent maintained a stable residence, and fifty percent are enrolled in after care programs (n.d.). One other form of rehabilitation that is used in the state of Maryland is called the Young Offenders Program. This program is specifically for offenders under the age of twenty-one years old (n.d.). All young offenders are housed together in one housing unit. Maryland's young offenders attend mandatory school daily. Due to the severity of the sentence, some young offenders attend an institutional program called Patuxent institution, as sentenced by the court judge. Another aspect to the rehabilitation services that is instrumental to the criminal offenders is the impressive Drug Abuse Treatment Program, according to Ray. The drug abuse strategy deals with several components; they are drug abuse education, non-residential drug abuse counseling services, residential drug abuse treatment programs, and community-based transitional services programs. They are evaluated periodically, and given drug test to document the compliance. Ray, State Trooper, Florida State Patrol, believes that the success rate of this treatment is continuing to rise. Another one of our team member's is an employee of the Iowa Department of Corrections. Joe Mahaffey is a Correctional Officer for the Newton Correctional Facility, and currently works for the Correctional Release Center at this facility. Joe has been able to point out a few of the rehabilitative services that are currently being used in his facility. Rehabilitative services currently used in the state of Iowa may differ from facility to facility. The types of rehabilitative services used at the Newton Correctional Facility, to be known as NCF, and the Correctional Release Center, to be known as CRC, are used in direct relation to the offenders needs. Rehabilitative services include, but are not limited to drug and alcohol rehabilitation, anger management, cognitive courses, relationship courses, marriage counseling, psychiatric counseling, role-playing and team playing concepts. The CRC has a Repeat Violator Program, RVP, currently in use. The RVP program is a program in which an offender is sentenced to, by a judge, in a last ditch effort to prevent an offender of committing recidivism. Recidivism is when a parolee or probationer continues to commit crimes and is sent back to serve a sentence in prison. Recidivism, in the state of Iowa is somewhere around thirty-two percent. The RVP program employs all of the rehabilitative services as stated in the last paragraph. These violators are treated in a very military manner. They are dressed in red medical scrubs, live together in two dorms, are woke up at five thirty in the morning, escorted wherever they go, attend mandated classes, and have many strict rules to abide by. Repeat violators can have their regular crimes and sentences exhaunerated or reduced and placed on probation by completing the RVP program. These violators also have the opportunity to drop from the program. Should this be the case, they are placed in full restraints, including waist chains, handcuffs, and leg irons and taken to the medium security prison, which is just up the hill. Once this happens, the offender will go to a probation revocation hearing and have his probation revoked, and the offender will then serve his original sentence, in an actual prison setting. Many of these violators are in this program in order to stay out of prison. It is in their best interest to complete the program and return to society fully rehabilitated, and not contribute to the problems of recidivism. Most inmates know that this is a one shot deal, and the next time they get into trouble with the law they are headed to prison. Conclusion As you can tell, rehabilitative services and their effectiveness vary from state to state and facility to facility. The Department of Corrections must continue their rehabilitative efforts to change the thoughts and actions of adult and juvenile offenders. Juvenile offenders that have been around crime, drugs or alcohols when they we young, will need to have their behavior corrected. If juvenile behavior cannot be corrected, we will soon find them in prisons as adults. As the research in this paper pointed out, the experience of serving time in a large detention center actually increases the likelihood that they will commit violent crimes again in the future. Incarcerated youths with disabilities may be housed in jails, detention facilities, group homes for young offenders, adult or juvenile prisons, camps, ranches, private programs, or treatment facilities. These facilities are made available to ensure proper treatment for the youth offenders. Youths with disabilities exhibit certain cognitive, behavioral, and personality deficits that predispose them to delinquent behavior. The young mentally challenge offenders are more likely to commit violent acts, use marijuana and alcohol, and experience problems with school discipline. Because they are so young, it is crucial to the staff to assist them in overcoming the issues that they experience. The school educations within these facilities, for the youth offenders, are very advanced, and are in sequence with the school board. The system is designed to work, which the success rate speaks for itself. Programs need to be evaluated and re-evaluated on a continuous basis to ensure the effectiveness. Offenders must be tracked and followed up with when they are released back to society. This follow up will give the corrections departments a good idea of how the rehabilitative services are effective. According to the information submitted by Anj, the state of Maryland has an effective program in force. Recidivism rates must continue to drop to prevent the public from being scared and the prisons from being overcrowded, as they are today. Rehabilitation and the effectiveness of these programs is the only way that we can combat future crimes of offenders. References (1994). The Mississippi Legislature: The Joint Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, Report # 309, Performance Audit of Magnolia State Enterprises and the Prison Industries Program. Retrieved from: http://www.peer.state.ms.us/309.html (2002). Drug and Alcohol Services Information: Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Juvenile Correction Facilities. Retrieved from: http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/2k2/YouthJusticeTX/YouthJusticeTX.htm Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (n.d.) Multiple intelligence's. Retrieved June 4, 2003, from: http://www.dpscs.state.md.us /young offenders programs Multiple Intelligence's. (n.d.) Retrieved June 4, 2003, from: http://www.dpsc.state.md/cops.com Multiple Intelligence's. (n.d.) Treatment of Liaison Unit. Retrieved June 4, 2003, from: http://www.dpscs.state.md.us/dp/tlunit.shtml Noguera, P. (n.d.). Responding to youthful violence: Why getting tough hasn't worked. In Motion Magazine. Retrieved June 1, 2003 from http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/pedro4.html. . 1 Rehabilitation f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\term paper .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thalamus The Role of the Thalamus Shannon Taggart Psyc1106, Section EB Professor Stange March 10, 2004 The Role of the Thalamus The human brain is a very complex and elaborate organ. There are presently countless ongoing studies that are attempting to map out this intricate system. The task is quite complicated due to the numerous components that are a part of the brains composition. One aspect of the brain that is of much interest is the thalamus. The thalamus is a structure located at top of the brain stem in the central core of the brain (Santrock & Mitterer, 2004). Scientists are confident that the thalamus' main function is to sort received information and send it to the appropriate areas within the brain for further interpretation and absorption. However, a number of studies have shown that distributing the obtained information is not the thalamus' exclusive purpose. In fact it has been hypothesized that the thalamus is involved in numerous tasks such as perceiving pain as well as influencing the onset and treatment of diseases and disorders, for instance epilepsy. Pain is a universal sensation; however it occurs in an infinite variety of intensities. Many individuals worldwide are unfamiliar with the process in which the sensation of 'pain' is perceived. Santrock and Mitterer (2004) define pain as the sensation that warns the individual of damage occurring to our bodies (Santrock & Mitterer, 2004). These pain messages are transmitted in one of two manners. The first is what Santrock and Mitterer (2004) term the 'slow pathway'. In this pathway, pain information travels through the limbic system and eventually arrives to the cerebral cortex. At this point one is able to sense 'pain'. The second method is named the 'fast pathway'. In this method fibres connect directly to the thalamus and are then sent directly to the cerebral cortex. The fast pathway is the fastest and most efficient system in the forewarning process (Beatty, 2001). In Holden's (2003) study he scanned the brains of a randomly selected sample while heating a spot on their legs. The vast majority of the participants indicated that the temperature caused some form of discomfort or pain. When the brain scans were examined it was noted that all members demonstrated similarities. Each brain scan consistently displayed an activation of the thalamus (Holden, 2003). A similar study performed by Davis, Pope and Mikulis (2002) confirmed that pain sensations such as the prickle sensation, as noted in their study and other stimuli causing pain such as temperature, stimulate the thalamus (Davis, Pope & Mikulis, 2002). Scientists and psychologists alike are confident in concluding that the thalamus has a significant role in the process of perceiving the sensation of pain. It has also been noted that the thalamus is involved in the initiation of an array of disorders. One disease in particular is epilepsy. This syndrome involves patients who are subject to frequent seizures. Numerous investigations have indicated that the thalamus has a significant involvement in the maintenance and the severity of the seizures. In Bertram, Mangan, Zhang, Scott and Williamson's (2001) study they used rat models and simulated a seizure. In observing the brain activity, the most consistently noted region of involvement was the thalamus. They also acknowledged that the manipulation of the thalamus influences the onset of seizures but it can also be used to decrease and control the amount of seizures. Hodaie, Wennberg, Dostrovsky and Lozano's (2002) research furthered Bertram, Mangan, Zhang, Scott and Williamson's (2001) hypothesis. Through the use of deep-brain stimulation of the anterior thalamus in epileptic patients, they noted a statistically significant decrease in the patients' seizure frequency. In their investigation they recognized that the nucleus of the anterior thalamus increased in metabolic activity during a seizure. In using high-frequency deep-brain stimulation of the anterior thalamus the increase of metabolic activity can be decreased. In calming this activity the frequency of seizures is significantly reduced (Hodaie, Wennberg, Dostrovsky and Lozano, 2002). Due to their study as well as many other similar investigations deep-brain stimulation of the anterior thalamus has become a potential therapy for the control of epilepsy. However, some researchers have realized that there is no certainty that the deep-brain stimulation of the thalamus is the definite cause of the decrease in seizures. As it is uncertain whether it is the lesions of the thalamus that are created while inserting the electrodes that causes the decreases the rate of seizures or whether it is in fact the deep-brain stimulation. As researchers continue to investigate this question they remain confident that in one form or another it is the manipulation of the thalamus that has the considerable impact on the onset and treatment of seizures (Malshima, Ozaki, Okita, Yamago, Kakishita, Moriwaki & Roger, 2001). In summary the exact purpose of the thalamus is an unsolved mystery however researchers are continually linking the thalamus to many new roles. Currently the thalamus plays an important part in many things such as perceiving things such as pain to even the onset and treatment of disorders such as epilepsy. As studies continue to take place additional involvements of the thalamus will be determined. References Bertran, H., Mangan, P., Zhang, D., Scott, C., Williamson, J. (2001). The midline thalamus: alterations and a potential role in the limbic epilepsy. Epilepsia, 42(8), 967. Retrieved February 22nd, 2004 from http://www.epnet.com Beatty, J. (2001). Principles of neurosciences. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. Davis, K., Pope, G., Crawley, A. & Mikulis, D. (2002). Neural correlates of prickle sensation: a percept-related fMRI study. Nature neuroscience, 5(11), 1121-1123. Retrieved February 22nd, 2004 from http://www.epnet.com Hodie, M., Wennberg, R., Dostovsky, J., & Lozano, A. (2002). Chronic anterior thalamus stimulation for intractable epilepsy. Epilepsia, 43(6), 603-608. Retrieved February 22nd, 2004 from http://www.epnet.com Holden, C. (2003). What does 'ouch!' mean? Science now, 3(4), 2. Retrieved February 22nd, 2004 from http://www.epnet.com Malshima, S., Ozaki, F., Okita, R., Yamago, H., Kakishita, K., Moriwaki, H., Roger, P. (2001). Transient crossed aphasia and persistent amnesia after thalamic haemorrhage. Brain Injury, 15(10), 927. February 22nd, 2004 from http://www.epnet.com Santrock, J. & Mitterer, J. (2004). Psychology. Toronto, Ontario : McGraw-Hill Ryerson. The role of the thalamus 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Term Paper 1tempo.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Question: Why didn't socialism make long lasting gains among the working class during the Gilded Age? Socialism failed to make long lasting gains among the Gilded Age working class because the dominant economic philosophy was capitalism, the blame for labor related violence was firmly placed upon the socialists and the socialism was unable to effectively establish itself with in the expanding American nation. The time period, labeled The Gilded Age, is said to extend from approximately 1865 to 1901 (Boardman 4). After the failures of Reconstruction, Americans seemed even more enamored of material values. They were tired of sacrifice, eager to act for themselves. They professed to strongly believe in a government policy of non-interference, or laissez faire (Gharity and Carnes 468). Labor unions were formed by people who sought to improve working conditions. Some people resisted employers and the government violently; socialists were held responsible for these outbursts. As the unions continued to run into dead ends and socialist ideas began to wither, new European ideas found their way into American minds and proved more appealing to the American people. In 1873 the well known author Mark Twain and the new novelist Charles Dudley Warner published a novel titled The Gilded Age. The novel emphasized the speculation, greed and lack of moral scruples in the nation's political and business life (Boardman 4). The term Gilded was used as an adjective used to describe the pretentious appearance displayed by the owners of monopolies and other industrial organizations concerning the time period. Socialism is the belief that the government should manage the production and distribution of goods. It is commonly associated with Marxism. In 1877 there was a Marxist Socialist Labor Party formed. Laurence Gronlund made the first attempt to express Marx's ideas to Americans and argued against capitalism but did not believe in the necessity of violence. Others were more radical. The leading voice of the Socialist Labor Party, Daniel De Leon, went so far as to harshly criticize the labor unions and insist that workers must join the party and adopt socialism to better themselves (Gharity and Carnes 517). Howard Zinn tells of how the Socialist Labor party was formed in 1877. It was tiny but had some influence in organizing unions among foreign workers. Clubs and newspapers were organized and put out. In Zinn there is an excerpt from an anarchist manifesto drawn up in 1883, "?All laws are directed against the working people? Even the school serves only the purpose of furnishing the offspring of the wealthy with those qualities necessary to uphold their domination. The children of the poor get scarcely a formal elementary training, and this, too is mainly directed to such branches as tend to producing prejudices, arrogance, and servility; in short, want of sense. The Church finally seeks to make complete idiots out of the mass and to make them forgo the paradise on earth by promising a fictitious heaven. The capitalist press, on the other hand, takes care of the confusion of spirits in public life? The workers can therefore expect no help from any capitalistic party in their struggle against the existing system. They must achieve their liberation by their own efforts. As in former times, a privileged class never surrenders its tyranny, neither can it be expected that the capitalists of this age will give up their rulership without being forced to do it?". (268). Many of these radicals were being spread around the United States during the Gilded Age, but many Americans were unwilling to except such extremities. The people favored the laissez fair idea and were not looking to change their beliefs. Although workers wanted minimum wage and 8 hour workdays they preferred the proposal that such rights might be obtained through legislation rather than strikes which seemed to lead to armed conflict. Adam Smith was an economist who proposed in 1776 the concept of laissez fair. The theory was that business would be self motivated to produce improved goods at low prices when government regulation was alien to the prevailing economic, scientific, and religious beliefs of the late 19th century. American industrialists found these ideas charming even though they were still accepting of high protective tariffs and federal subsidies (Newman and Schmalbach 339). The history of America shows that they went to great lengths to avoid being ruled by a monarch. The American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are all examples of this shared feeling. The free-market economy was working, in the eyes of most there was no reason to convert to the concept of a government controlled economy. Labor unions were formed as a means to bargain with employers for higher wages and shorter working days. Men were starving and jobless. In a September 7, 1875, letter to the National Labor Tribune, an unemployed mechanic described his year long search for work and the rejection he faced. "Twelve Months Ago, left penniless by misfortune, I started from New York in search of employment? During this year I have transversed seventeen states and obtained in that time six weeks' work. I have faced starvation; been months at a time without a bed, when the thermometer was 30 degrees below zero. Last winter I slept in the woods, and while honestly seeking employment I have been two and three days without food. When, in God's name, I asked for something to keep body and soul together, I have been repulsed as a "tramp and a vagabond"." (Gutman 1:546) Many labor unions had common goals but their methods of achieving them varied. They looked to achieve 8 hour work days and minimum wages for the workers. The National Labor Union is known as the first attempt to organize all workers in all states. There had been other specialized unions for skilled workers. The National Labor Union accepted both skilled and unskilled workers and both agricultural and industrial workers. Founded in 1866 by 1868 it had 640,000 members. This organization had special programs in which they hoped to attain: equal rights for women and blacks, monetary reform and worker cooperatives. They lost support after the depression of 1873 and the strikes of 1877. The Knights of Labor were a second labor union which began originally in 1869 in secret so as to avoid detection by employers. In 1881 the leader Terence Powderly made it public. Membership was open to all workers including African Americans and women. In addition to the National Labor Unions reforms they sought the abolition of child labor, trusts and monopolies, and sought settlement through arbitration as opposed to strikes. Their membership peaked at 730,000 in 1886, but declined rapidly after violence turned the public against unions. On the other hand, the American Federation of Labor concentrated on attaining practical economic goals and was founded in 1886. It was lead by Samuel Gompers from 1886 to 1924. Their goals matched those of other unions but instead of strikes they recommended walk-outs and negotiation of new contracts to be done through collective bargaining. In 1901 they were the nation's largest union (Newman and Schmalbach 343- 345). This passive method of seeking reform was heavily supported by the public. Socialist ideas still lingered in Unions. At the end of the Gilded Age and the beginning of the Progressive Era an openly ant capitalist union was formed, the Industrial Workers of the World. (Gharity and Carnes 604) Men joined together and often walked-out on employers in protest. At a rally called on July 23, Albert Parsons, a printer and a leader of the Workingmen's Party, addressed ten thousand striking Chicago workers and their supporters. Parson's speech evoked widely held republican ideals; his opening image of a "grand army of starvation" recalls the victorious Union Army in the Civil War - the Grand Army of the Republic. "We are assembled as the great army of starvation. Fellow workers, let us recollect that in this great republic that has been handed down to us by our forefathers from 1776, that while we have the republic we still have hope. A mighty spirit is animating the hearts of the American people today. When I say the American people I mean the backbone of the country - the men who till the soil, guide the machine, who weave the material and cover the backs of civilized men? [We] have demanded of those in possession of the means of production?that they be not allowed to turn us upon the earth as vagrants and tramps? We have come together this evening, if it is possible, to find the means by which the great gloom that now hangs over our republic can be lifted and once more the rays of happiness can be shed on the face of this broad land (Gutman 1:556). Not all talks were peaceful though, some strikes and resistance ended in unfortunate extreme violence. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 occurred at a time of economic depression when railroad companies cut wages to reduce costs. Strikes on Baltimore and Ohio Railroad quickly spread across 11 states and shut down 2/3 of the country's rail trackage. Fighting broke out and federal troops were called in to end labor violence. More than 100 people were killed. Some employers improved wages and working conditions, but others took to finding ways to bust working organizations. Zinn writes that 'In 1877, working people learned they were not united enough, not powerful enough, to defeat the combination of private capital and government power."(251). In Chicago, May4 1886, 80,000 members of the Knights of Labor held a meeting at Haymarket Square concerning a strike for the desired 8 hour work day. Also at the meeting were close to 200 anarchists who advocated violence in order to overthrow the government. When police attempted to break up the meeting a bomb was thrown and killed 7 police officers. The culprit was never found but eight anarchists were tried and seven were sentenced to death. Americans who heard the news came to the conclusion that the union movement was radical and violent. The Knights from another loss in membership after they were blamed for the incident. As discontent for labor unions grew the power held by management to prevail in industrial disputes continued. New methods of strikebreaking arose in the 1890s. In 1982 Henry Clay Frick, the manager of Andrew Carnegie's Steel plant near Pittsburgh, cut wages nearly 20%. He then used private guards and strikebreaker's to defeat walkout after 5 months. This set the union back in the steel industry until the New Deal in the 1930s. This was called the Homestead Strike. The Pullman Strike was very alarming to conservatives. Pullman manufactured railroad sleeping cars. In 1894 he made a general cut in wages and fired the leader's of the worker's delegation that came to bargain with him. The workers appeal to Eugene V. Debs who recommends a boycott on Pullman cars. Railroad transportation across the country was tied up. In support of Pullman railroad owners link his cars to mail trains. The boycott continued and the federal court offered an injunction for the interference with mail and ordered boycott to end. Deb and other union leaders continued the boycott and were jailed. The strike ended. Debs turns to socialism believing that radical means are necessary to achieve results. The labor unions lost a lot of support because they were unable to control the strikers and prevent violent outbursts. Instead they were slowly cut down by the public who believed they were spreading violence. People also turned to new ideas, such as Freud, as the Gilded Age became the Progressive Era (Gharity and Carnes 604). The labor unions also lost support because the people looked beyond socialism to the frontier. Stanley Aronowitz discusses Frederick Jackson Turner's published paper The Significance of the Frontier in American History, and mentions Turner's idea that in 1894 world capitalism was being severely tried. He notes "the workers were not silent: in Western Europe Marxists and anarchists were successfully establishing their leadership within the working class, and there was a dramatic growth of socialist and trade union movements in all Western capitalist countries". The American working class, according to Turner, did not associate itself with the revolutionary doctrines because of its vast internal expanse (137-138). There is always the feeling that socialism never went away. Peter Drucker believes the American system has actually become the "decentralized market of socialism". He claims that socialism came to America neither through the ballot box nor through the class struggle let alone a revolutionary uprising, but by General Motors and their pension fund. Although socialism as a party failed some of its basic principles were accepted and passed down until the pension fund was founded. A lot of effort was put into the Socialist movements during the Gilded Age. They were unsuccessful in gaining quick support because the American people were already using the concept of free-market economy and rather than change the economy they just wanted to get paid enough to thrive in it. Then there were the violent uprisings blamed on the unions even when there was no direct proof. In the Haymarket Rebellion they never found out who threw the bomb but the people still blamed the unions. After that socialism gradually faded. The United States was to vast a country for it to cause an uprising and the people were satisfied with the achievement of the eight hour work day through peaceful negotiations. They had just fought a civil war, they didn't want anymore violence. Works Cited Aronowitz, Stanley. False promises: The Shaping of American Working Class Consciousness. New York: McGraw Hill, 1973. Boardman, Fon W. America and the Gilded Age: 1876 - 1900. New York: Walck, 1972 Drucker, Peter Ferdinand. How Pension Fund Socialism came to America. New York: Harper and Row, 1976. Garraty, John Arthur, and Mark C. Carnes. The American Nation: a History of the United States. 10th ed. New York: Longman, 2000 Levine, Bruce, et al. Who Built America? : working people and the nation's economy, politics, culture, and society. vol.1 New York: Pantheon Books, 1989 Newman, John J, and John M. Schmalbach. United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination (Revised Edition). New York: Amsco School Publications, 2004. Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Term Paper Covello Time.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Part 1. 1. In Covello's time, boys often dropped out of school to help support their families: "as always , the family always came before other considerations." Compare and contrast the current situation as depicted in Michelle fine's article on dropouts. Do we have a comparable situation now? What has changed? What is the same? According to Corvello, one of the main reasons boys dropped out of high school was because of financial reasons and obligations to the family. Once a boy reached a certain age, he was expected to share the responsibilities of helping the family out. Even though Covello seemed to be a good student, his parents never encouraged him to stay in school. Once Covello decided to leave school to go to work to help his family out, no one was going to try to stop him. "My parents were by this time so far removed from my multitudinous world that they no longer question my decisions. If I wanted to leave school now it was affair. No one would interfere especially if it was to help the family out." Pp. 99 In Michelle Fine's article, the reasons for students dropping our of high school seems to be similar . However, there are many other reasons why students are dropping out of schools. The dropout rate seems to be on the rise today. Here is some of the other reasons why students are continuing to drop out of school. Some students leave because of the negative appraisal of the relation of schooling to getting a job or a job with a decent income. Many others leave school without any immediate crisis. These students leave because they are surrounded by poverty and unemployment, may have experienced failure in school and have been held back at sometime. These students may experience low self-esteem and sees no hope . Without any kind of encouragement and motivation to stay in school the students will become dropouts. We also have the students who are constantly failing classes and can't seem to get promoted to the next grade. This group of students will be discharged from the school by the system. Teenage pregnancy is also a reason why students are leaving school. This issue also needs to be addressed. And we also have the students who still dropout because of economic and social obligations to families. If we want to encourage our students to stay in school and lower the dropout rate, "we must work to remove the blinders built of stereotypes, monocultural instructional methodologies, ignorance, social distance, biased research and 2 racism." Programs must be implemented to help our students. We have to show our that we care and are willing to help them. 2. What is the same and what is different for immigrant children from Covello's time and from our time? How do schools today "Americanize" students. Immigrant children had to find ways to adjust to the American culture "Americanization meant giving up the native tongue" The children had to find ways to learn the English and adjust to the school system. The American culture and values were thrown at them. They were expected to conform to the new school system with little help and much difficulty. The American teachers even went as far as changing the spelling of the names of the children to make it easier for teachers to pronounce. However, today, the situation may seem better because schools are now implementing more programs to help students adjust to the new school system. Many schools now have bilingual and English as a second language programs to help students with the language barrier. The school system now has social workers and other supportive staff on hand to help immigrant children and parents deal with any specific problems they may encounter while adjusting to the American culture. 3. On page ll7, Covello speaks of the "Vital importance of language in double orientation - to family and community - of the immigrant child." What does he mean by this double orientation? What are some of the main school issues for English Language Learners? This is the situation where the parents or older members of the immigrant families never learned the English language and always spoke Italian . At home, the children spoke the native language of the family because the parents never learned to speak English or learned enough to help with their job. Many of these parents had no contact with the outside world. They kept to themselves or just stayed within the neighborhood. These parents were just trying to survive in this new land and had no plans of adopting the new culture. " This new land was not very hospitable. The "little Italys" that formed in various urban centers were responses, forms of accommodation to the harsh condition, a social -cultural refuge in which immigrants tried to recreate as much as possible of 3 the old world. " p. 31 The immigrant children had to look to each other for help and support to deal with the problems at school. English language learners have to deal with the adjustment of learning and speaking the new language. It is not easy learning and using a new language especially when this language is going to become your standard language. Part II. 4. In what ways does teacher Betty challenge the ideas about working class schools as outlined in Jean Anyon's article (pp.127-156)? According to Jean Anyon, students in working class schools are not expected to make any kind of progress or succeed in school. The teachers thought of these children as being lazy and not able to learn anything. On the other hand, teacher Betty challenged the ideas of the working class schools by believing in her students and working with them. Betty did not think of her students as being lazy or could not learn. She adopted the attitude that with help and hard work the students will be able to make great progress. Betty knew that it was not going to be easy but she was going to try and work with her students and did not let them give up. Teacher Betty respected her students and gained the respect of her student. She also taught her students to respect each other. She had a different attitude towards her students and showed them love and affection. She was able to relate to and understand the needs of her students. She built a nourishing and creative environment for her students to learn in. She gave all of her students a chance to learn and achieve. 5. Would you say that her classroom reproduces the class stratification of the community, or does it work to transform existing social relationships? Use vocabulary from the mini-lecture on social class (October 6th ). Give specific examples to support your claim and analyze them. Teacher Betty appeared not to be thinking of her students as working class or any kind of class. She seemed to teach her students to be first class students and work to the best of their ability. Betty is trying to enforce in her students that if they work hard and do their best, they can excel. She is helping them to believe in themselves and not believe that they are lazy or any negative attitude. She seems to give all of her pupils the same chance to achieve. She does not look down on any of her students or ignore any of them . Every one in Betty's class gets the same motivation and is encouraged to produce and perform to the best of their abilities. She teaches her children a sense of self and community. By using the Global project, she is giving her students a chance to connect with other parts of world through difference and empathy. Students are also learning about other cultures. I believe that teacher Betty is working to transform social relations of the community because of the curriculum she is using. Betty is not just trying to repeat the cycle of social stratification. By teaching her students about others culture, she is trying to encourage them to look outside of their community and see what is going on in the world. Betty is also preparing her students to achieve academic excellence by being able to work in projects and actually acquire knowledge. she is preparing her class for grade promotion. she is not just keeping them busy and passing time in the class like the other teachers in the working class schools. She does not use the hidden curriculum in her classroom. 6.. What values are being transmitted through the curriculum that Betty is teaching? what sort of citizens does she want her students to be? In what way do these values conflict with or reproduce the dominant US values that we have discussed in class? Give specific examples. Betty seemed to be teaching her students how to be responsible people in the community. Betty wants her student to become good productive citizens of the community. She is teaching them the values of working together in a group. This will lead to a notion of community sharing and empathy. The pupils were being taught how to work together as a group no matter if they cultures were different or not. Betty was teaching them how to accept each other and work together. To learn about each other culture and respect each other culture. Betty also expected them to be high achievers with goals and objectives for the future. Betty encouraged her students to work hard and have a high self-esteem of themselves. She wanted them to be proud of their achievements and move up the social ladder. One of Betty's major objectives is "students built community and developed a sense of trust and mutual respect for each other and their individual differences." She does not want her students to be portrayed as being lazy or cannot learn. She wants them to be treated as unique individuals who can learn and acquire knowledge like any of the other children in the elite schools with the right kind of teachers and help. She stressed support and community . She feels this from of support leads students to a sense of what it means to be a moral human being. 7. In the article by Ray Rist (pp.176-202) he talks about how the teacher affected student achievement through her behavior. How do you think Betty is affecting student achievement? What specific behavior account for this. Betty is affecting student achievement by being affectionate, devoted and caring about what happened to her pupils and her school district. Betty seemed to be a committed teacher. Many of her students are Hispanic. Betty is also Hispanic and speaks English and Spanish fluently. She is able to relate to and understand the need of her students. She builds self-esteem in her students. This is the class creed which the class recited each morning. "Today is a new day, Today I believe in myself. I respect others and I care about my friends. Today I will work hard to learn all I can learn. I am intelligent, I am wonderful, I know I am very special, I'm glad I'm here and I'm going to make today a great day". The above creed helped students to build self-esteem, confidence and respect for each other . Betty students developed a sense of belonging. She made them feel that they can achieve and be successful. Betty students were able to be creative and cooperative in the classroom. Pauline Connell Midterm Due: October 27,2003 TAL 801 Dr. Kathleen Kesson ` 6. Would you say her that classroom reproduces the class stratification of the community, or does it works to transform existing social relationships? Use vocabulary from the mini-lecture on social class (October 6th) Give specific examples to support your claim and analyze them. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Term Paper Cover References.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Term Paper: Review of The Description and Examination of Religious Beliefs By Emile Durkheim Michael Gillis SOAN 4414 Classical Sociological & Anthropological Theory Dr. J. Tharamangalam December 9, 2003 References Durkheim, E. (1995). The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York, NY: The Free Press. Hawkins, M. J. (1979). Comte, Durkheim, and the sociology of primitive religion. Sociological Review, 27, 429-446. Lukes, S. (1973). The sociology of religion II. Émile Durkheim, His Life and Work : a Historical and Critical Study (pp. 450-477). London, England: Allen Lane Penguin Press. McGee, J. R. & Warms, R. L. (2000). The cosmological system of totemism and the idea of class. Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History (pp. 94-104). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Orru, M. & Wang, A. (1992). Durkheim, Religion, and Buddhism. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 31, 47-61. Runciman, W. G. (1969). The sociological explanation of 'religious' beliefs. Archives Europeennes De Sociologie, 10, 149-191. Thompson, K. (1982). Religion and knowledge - the elementary forms of religious life. Key Sociologists: Emile Durkheim (pp. 121-144). Sussex, England: Ellis Horwood Ltd. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Term Paper Format Guide.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Term Project Format Guide The following is the sequential order of the components of your project paper and includes details and suggestions. You are encouraged to use your creativity, and thus you are presented only a minimum of general requirements to follow. You are encouraged to use graphics, artwork, charts, etc. as you feel appropriate to make your paper as professional looking as possible. If you have any questions or need clarification, please feel free to inquire. My last words of wisdom: "Don't Wait Until the Last Few Days to Complete Your Paper". Time is something you will be short on if you procrastinate. You must submit your finished papers, both the individual and group portions, to me via WebCT e-mail by the deadlines given. The papers must be submitted as a Word document file and must follow the specified file naming conventions: (First name initial than last name or group id)_(course id)_termpaper Note: No spaces Examples: jkleban_Man3025VD_termpaper (for individual portion of paper) group_B_Man3025VD_termpaper (for group portion of paper) I am looking forward to reading some super papers! Title Page (See Sample Below) General Topic "Focused Topic" Statement of Purpose (See Sample Below) Centered on the second page and alone immediately after title page Executive Summary This is a summary of the essential points of your paper. Short and to the point! Not a conclusion or recommendation, these are separate parts of the main paper itself. See "WRITING THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY" Web Site. Table of Contents with page numbers listed Body of Report must use headers for ease in reading and tracking of data. A good example is the format of most textbooks. Remember, keep the reader in mind and make it easy to follow. Conclusions and Recommendations Citations throughout the body as needed including page numbers where appropriate. Also, if the data you are referring to can be found on web include and/or hyperlink it in the body of the report itself so I can just "click" on it and see your sources. Make sure the citation and reference system utilized is consistent throughout your paper; I have no preference to the system you use. Use the system you are most familiar and comfortable using. Web Site Citations need to be very specific! References At Least 5, 3 Non-Web based. It is suggested that you use FIU library journals and indices of which you have remote access via the net. Appendices: I suggest you add any pertinent data that supports the body of your paper, as you deem necessary. I must approve any deviations from the above in writing and a copy must be attached to your paper immediately after the executive summary. (Page down to see the samples mentioned above) Stephen R. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People "The Role Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Plays in Relationship Building and Improved Business Communications" by Group A John Doe Susan Smith for Professor Jack Kleban Man 3025-VD Nov 22, 2003 Statement of Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the application of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People assists today's business managers in improving their interpersonal and communication skills in building business relationships that result in enhancing team-based organizations. Note: This is the exact Statement of Purpose and may not be changed in any manner without specific written prior approval from the instructor! Executive Summary: Note: It is strongly recommended that you research the content of "Executive Summaries" to be sure to complete this requirement satisfactorily. This portion is a large part of the paper grade and needs to be a summary of the entire paper condensed to no more than 2 pages. Table of Contents: page DXDXDXD.................................................................. 1 JJJHJHJH.................................................................... 3 LMLMLMLMLML...(Use Headers in your paper and here)..... 4 JBJBJJBJ..................................................................... 5 Conclusion..............................................etc. NOTES: The page numbers on the above pages (sample) have been omitted but MUST appear on your papers. "DXDXDXD" would be an example of the header that needs to be in the body of the report. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\term paper good one.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Paul Doghramji The Rise and fall of the Mayan Civilization The Mayan Empire was a very mysterious civilization of people who, even today, puzzle the minds of the greatest researchers. This ancient civilization took root in the Yucatan Peninsula as a border and a part of Mesoamerica. The Yucatan Peninsula is on the southwestern portion of the Gulf of Mexico, which at that time was part of Mesoamerica. The Mayan Civilization evolved over many periods of time before its eventual downfall. The Mayans began their evolutionary process in the middle Pre-Classic period. They evolved over many periods after the Pre-Classic period, such as the Lithic, Archaic, Classic, Terminal Classic, Post-Classic, and the Post-Conquest periods. These periods, during which the Mayans evolved, began at about 300 AD and ended at around 900AD. There were two periods that were the most important in Mayan evolution, the Classic and Post-Classic periods. These periods were the most important because the Mayans disappeared at the end of the Classic and then reappeared to continue their rule in the Post-Classic period. The Mayan Civilization was influenced most by two other civilizations, the Olmecs and the Aztecs. The Olmecs and the Aztecs both conquered the Mayans and during their rule of the Mayans they taught them a great many things. For example, the Olmecs and Aztecs made the Mayans take part in religious ceremonies, which influenced the Mayan's religion greatly. They also taught the Mayans new skills, such as architecture, crafts, and building, that they used to advance their civilization. The Mayans used many kinds of government to rule their empire. Typically, kings of other conquering civilizations ruled the Mayans. The kings that ruled the Mayan Civilization during the Classic Period were dressed like a deity of their civilization because the ruler was considered to be the highest in power, and therefore had to have a godly portrayal. In the Late Classic period the Mayans had city-states that controlled territories. These city-states in turn had secondary, tertiary, and quaternary towns. The Mayan Civilization had many rulers that conquered them and did many great things to influence and advance their civilization. One example of this is the Palenque dynasty and King Copan's dynasty. King K'uk B'alam was the founder of the Palenque dynasty. Hanab Pakal and his son, Han B'alam, governed the city of Palenque. The ones that ruled the Mayan Civilization in the Classic period made many contributions to the Mayan civilization. Jaguar the Great and Bird Jaguar the Great brought the city of Yaxchilan to prominence. Cowac Sky defeated the rule of the Copan dynasty and created a monument at Quiriguia. However even though many contributions were made to the Mayan civilization in the Classic period, the southern dynasties that ruled the Mayans were coming closer to their end. In the Post-Classic period other lands started to gain more power in military and in other ways as well. The Mayan states of the Yucatan started to get jealous of the increased power of the other lands. As a result of the states' jealousy, the Mayans were very eager to go to war with the other lands. And when they fought the other lands, they had increased their power so much that they were effortlessly victorious over these Yucatan states. After the Yucatan states lost the war against the other lands, the southern dynastic rule of the Mayan Civilization ended and the Mayans were on their own. The Mayan Civilization's disappearance is one of the most puzzling mysteries to researchers today. The Mayans' mysteriously disappeared in the Classic period, which obviously ended that period of Mayan rule. They then mysteriously came back and repopulated the Yucatan. Researchers today do not know the cause of this strange disappearance and reappearance of the Mayans, which is why it is one of the unsolved mysteries of our time. There are many known reasons for the decline and disappearance of the Mayan Civilization during the Classic period, such as population growth and increased scale of kingdoms. The Yucatan began to get overpopulated during the Classic period and eventually there was no more room on the Yucatan Peninsula for more people. As a result of the overpopulation, the markets had to produce more food. In other words, as more people came in, the demand for more food grew. As a result, the agriculture demands could not be fulfilled because, since the overpopulation took up almost all of the Yucatan Peninsula, there was no more room to grow food, and they were unable to fulfill the highly increasing demands for food. Several other factors are also thought to have contributed to the demise of this civilization. First, earthquakes occurred then, which destroyed their villages. Second, religious and superstitious beliefs contributed to the Mayan's decline. Third, there were increased demands for agriculture the soil became exhausted and dry, and soon there were epidemic diseases that rapidly spread throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, killing many Mayans. The overpopulation and agricultural growth were resulted from the Mayan rulers' ambitions that they had. The Mayan population began to decrease since there was not enough food for all the people. Most died of starvation and malnutrition, and thus the population decreased. This population decline also led to the decline of the Mayans' royal institutions, which meant general and political decline of the Classic Mayan government. It is also believed that foreign civilizations conquering the Mayans and invading their empire also contributed to the Mayan Civilization's decline. The civilizations that invaded the Mayans are unknown, but some archeologists think that the invaders may have been from the Putun Civilization. However, this is just a hunch and it is not proven to be true. Even though the foreign invasions helped in leading to the decline of the Mayan civilization, the latter may have been reformed by the conquering civilizations. It is known, however, that the foreign invaders traveled from the gulf coast and destroyed the last Mayan cities, such as Tikal. The Mayans experienced a drought during the Classic period, which left their soil exhausted and dry. As a result of this drought, the soil was not good to be planted, and this led to the shortage of agriculture. This drought was occurred because the Mayans had the lowest rainfall levels that they have ever had in history. Many Mayan cities far from rivers were destroyed early, but cities close to rivers were able to survive for a while longer; however these were soon destroyed from the drought as well. The Mayan cities started to be abandoned over a hundred years of time. There is no definite reason or exact proven explanation of how or why the Mayans mysteriously disappeared and abandoned the Yucatan Peninsula during the Classic period. As a result of all the problems that took place during the Classic period, the Mayans just abandoned their cities and disappeared leaving no trace of where they went. This disappearance ended the Classic period, and they eventually repopulated the Yucatan Peninsula in the Post-Classic period. Some archeologists believe that foreign invaders caused the Mayan collapse from Mexico. When the Mayans repopulated the Yucatan Peninsula in the Post-Classic Period, they became a less powerful part of Mesoamerica because of all the things they missed over the years that they disappeared. How or why the Mayans repopulated the Yucatan in the Post-Classic period is not certain. In the late Classic period there was warfare in the southern lowlands, but not all cities of the Yucatan Peninsula. During the Post-Classic period there were Spanish invaders that conquered the Mayans. These Spanish invaders were called the Toltecs of Tula. The Toltecs created their capital in the Mayan empire at Chichen Itza, which is in the northern region of the Yucatan Peninsula. The Mayan Empire ruled very well in the Classic and Post-Classic periods and needed some things to be able to rule well. The main Mayan kingdom split up into smaller states and each individual state had its own theocracy. The Classic period was known as a golden age for the Mayan Civilization. During the Transition period the Mayans got out of Spanish rule, but lowland rulers put themselves in office in the early Classic period. The Mayans had ruler cults that ruled their civilization, however they did not rule as well as the Mayan kingdoms did. During the rule of the Mayan ruler cults, the Mayans experienced much warfare, and as a result of the continuous warfare, the ruler cults were abandoned. In the Post-Classic period the Toltec Empire ruled the Mayans. The Toltecs were good rulers because they taught the Mayans many new things that improved their empire and they also adopted the Mayan's culture. The Toltecs got rid of the old Mayan order because some native princes were incorporated with the new power structure. The phase in which the Toltecs took over the Mayans in the Yucatan Peninsula was called the punk phase. The invading Spaniards soon conquered the Toltec-Mayans. The Mayans caught smallpox from the invading Spaniards that conquered the Mayans, which weakened the empire greatly. The Mayan Empire declined in the Post-Classic period for many reasons. The total Maya system collapsed because of non-ecological, ecological, and long-term economical causes. Some dangerous ecological causes of the Mayan decline are earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions. These destroyed the Mayan villages completely leaving nothing. Some catastrophic ecological causes that were extremely dangerous are climactic changes and the rapidly spreading epidemic diseases that killed many of the Mayan people. Some non-ecological causes of the Mayan Empire's decline are the collapse of trade networks and ideological pathology. Some long-term economical causes of the decline are degradation of the agricultural landscape through human activity. The Mayan Civilization may have collapsed in the Post-Classic period because of peasant revolts, internal warfare, foreign invasions, and disruptions of trade networks. They also declined as a result of the Spanish conquests that bought internal warfare to the Yucatan Peninsula. In the Post-Conquest period the Spanish conquerors defeated the Aztecs and then went to the southern Yucatan where they took over the Mayan Empire. The Spanish conquerors defeated the Mayans by conquering them, which ended the Mayan rule in the Yucatan Peninsula. After the Spanish conquered them, the Mayans were completely destroyed and the Spanish conquerors lived on in their new Yucatan home. However, some Mayan people are still living today, proud remnants of a long lost civilization that was rich in culture, religion, and architecture. 2 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\term paper Nicholas the II and his effects on the Russian Revolution of 1917.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jessica Haber February 16, 2001 Mrs. Liem- pd. F Tsar Nicholas II and his effects on the Russian Revolution of 1917 As Nicholas came into power in 1894, Russia was enjoying a mild industrial boom, thanks to Sergius Witte, the current prime minister's policies. But the world price of grain had dropped and the discontent among the peasantry was growing. Nicholas was reigning in a time when political controversy was sparking under the noses of the imperial family. Socialist movements and thoughts of revolt were on the minds of many quietly planning out the best time to strike. Nicholas was untrained as a statesman and inept to take on the responsibilities of being the supreme power in Russia. Because of his inaptitude and inadequate decisions and inability to change with the times he paved the path for revolution. This revolution in 1917 led to the end of his family's dynasty, the end of the autocracy in Russia. 1613, this year marked the beginning of a powerful family of rulers who would solely rule Russia for the next four centuries. This family was the Romanovs, the Tsars of Russia from 1613 to 1917. In Russia, the Tsar was seen as the ultimate power in a country where the citizens had no rights. He was deified, he was worshipped, he was glorified. As one Russian citizen said, "The Tsar is both Tsar and god, he was everything, you could do no further". The last Tsar of this powerful Romanov dynasty was Nicholas II, son of Alexander II and Marie. In Nicholas's early years his life was a sheltered one. He was the oldest of four sons, although by a series of mishaps, he did not have the support which brothers could give a reigning monarch. Nicholas's brothers consisted of Alexander who had died at infancy. The next was George who was Nicholas's companion throughout his boyhood, it was often said that you could hear Nicholas laughing at George's jokes. Unfortunately, George developed tuberculosis and was sent to live in the mountains of Caucasus. The youngest brother was Michael, ten years younger than Nicholas, who never became a serious companion to the Tsar. Although the family lived in a 900-room palace, they lived a very simplistic lifestyle. The children woke in the morning, washed their faces, ate a porridge breakfast, and then got dressed in peasant clothes. Nicholas received a well-rounded education. He spoke French, German, and English. He was very good at history, rode beautifully, danced gracefully, and had an excellent shot. At nineteen, Nicholas commanded a squadron of Horse Guards and went with them to Krasnoe Selo, a great military camp outside of St. Petersburg. One thing was missing from his education, the knowledge of being a statesman. In these beginning years of his life Nicholas was not raised as if he were going to be the next Tsar of Russia. All of Nicholas's childhood he was treated as an adolescent by his mother. She pampered him, looked over him and advised him on what decisions to make. Because of his mother's treatment he lacked the maturity and experience to make his own decisions well. His father refused to teach him the work of being a statesman. He felt that he lacked maturity, but his mother prevented him from being mature. Nicholas was not ready to be Tsar of Russia because he was trained only as a soldier and not as a statesman. Nicholas himself even knew that he wasn't ready to be Tsar. The day his father, Alexander II died he said, "My god, my god, what a day. My head is spinning, I don't know how to be a Tsar, I have no idea about the business of ruling, I have no idea how to talk to the ministers." 1 As quickly as Nicholas realized he was not fit to be Tsar, so did the rest of Russia. He already was losing the faith of his people and officials. His own ministers talked of how he was incapable of making decisions to rule in his empire. Sergius Witte said of Nicholas that he was, "A ruler who cannot be trusted, who approves today what he will reject tomorrow, is incapable of steering the ship of the state." Many members of the intelligentsia were hopeful that Nicholas II would follow the liberal path of Alexander II, but the Prince of Wales told Lord Carrington that he was disturbed by the young man's slavish adherence to his father's autocratic ideas and fierce prejudices, and his total lack of worldly sense.2 Carrington replied back that revolution was inevitable. The Prince snapped back that nothing was inevitable if the Tsar would move with the times. The Russian people began to sense that the Tsar had too much power in their society. They had no rights, no way of expressing their grievances. Nicholas however, refused to move with the times, he would only make decisions that he thought his father would have approved, regardless of what he thought was right. He rejected the mildest form of representative government as a 'senseless dream'3 and declared that he would 'maintain for the good of the whole nation the principle of absolute autocracy as firmly and strongly as his late lamented father.4' The citizens wanted representation that he would not grant to them. From that moment on every liberal person in Russia joined in battle against him to receive what they thought should be theirs: rights and representation. Nicholas because of the Boxer rebellion in 1900 had a pretext for occupying all of Manchuria, which he did against the advice of his ministers. This upset the Japanese, who had their eye on Tokyo. Nicholas could have reached an agreement with Tokyo by promising to remain within the boundaries of Manchuria and by recognizing Japan's rule in Korea. Instead of trying to keep peace in 1903 he personally authorized the infantry of Russian troops into Northern Korea and the exploitation of timber concession near the Youu River. By 1904 Russia and Japan were at war. Everyone thought Russia would win, but the Japanese inflicted heavy losses upon the Russian army, and Russia's disorganization and corruption became strongly apparent. "This country [Russia] has no real government," said the British Charge d' Affaires in 1904, he further continued: Each Minister acts on his own, doing as much damage as possible to the other Ministers...It is a curious state of things. There is an Emperor, a religious madman almost- without a statesman, or even a council-surrounded by a legion of Grand Dukes-thirty-five of them and not one of them at war this moment, with a few priests and priestly women behind them. No middle class; an aristocracy ruined and absolutely without influence, an underpaid bureaucracy living, of necessity, on corruption. Beneath this, about 100 million of people gradually becoming poorer and poorer as they bear all the burden of taxation, drafted into the army in thousands...4 In 1902 the government's lack of attention to the people stirred up two large parties. The first were the social democrats that embraced Marxism and concentrated on their propaganda to the factory workers. This party because of quarreling between Lenin and Plenkanov split into two groups the Melsheviks and Bolsheviks. The second group, the S.R.'s, worked to provoke peasant uprisings advocating a socialist society. Their goals were to carry out "the will of the people". In January a strike broke out in the Putilov engineering works in St. Petersburg and spread rapidly to other factories. Father Gapon, who led the union, was forced with the choice of relinquishing his job or taking positive action. He decided to lead a peaceful demonstration of the workers to the Winter Palace to petition the Tsar. The petition called for an 8-hour day, freedom of speech and religion, and an amnesty for political prisoners. He had prepared it with the S.R.'s and 135,00 signatures. Nicholas had been informed of the demonstration the night before but chose not to be present to receive the document, instead he left the responsibility of receiving the document to the St. Petersburg police. When the mob started to approach the palace the police opened fire, two to four thousand people were killed and wounded. This day was known as Bloody Sunday. As a result of Bloody Sunday an unprecedented number of strikes paralyzed Russian government. Street demonstrations struck at the heart of the autocracy. The people were beginning to realize that they all had something in common: they wanted rights in their society. With this common goal they worked together to slowly grasp the unlimited power of the Tsar. The perfect time was approaching for the people of Russia to make their revolt. The military had lost a series of battles: in August of 1904 at Turenchen, in April in Maio-Yang, in December at Port Aurther, and in May of 1905 the emperor dispatched the Baltic fleet in to the far east and it was annihilated in the Battle of Tsushmia. The whole empire was disaffected and losing great faith in the decisions of their Tsar. The people clearly did take advantage of these conditions. By mid-October the country was in strike: factories closed down, trains came to a halt, in St. Petersburg electric lights went out and food deliveries ceased. Peasants raided estates, burning the houses, stealing cattle. These events were not enough for the Tsar to grant the workers better conditions; therefore, the Russians took greater measures to change the empire. Leon Trotzky, a Marxist formatted a council representing the workers. This council threatened to shut down every factory that did not shut. Nicholas was still not moved when practically forced to grant rights to his citizens. It was as if he was blind to their needs. Finally, Sergius Witte, Russia's Prime Minister, was moved by the uproar and implored Nicholas to give Russia a constitution. Sergius Witte wrote this constitution called the 1905 Manifesto, which instilled several new rights for the people: "civil freedoms granted to the population, including real personal inviolability, freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and association...Participation in the Duma will be granted to those classes of the population which are at present deprived of voting powers...It is established as an unshakeable rule that no law can come into force without its approval by the State Duma and representatives of the people.5" Because of the Russian citizens' new grasp of power revolutionaries saw power slipping from their hands and began to instigate pogroms. Nicholas did not give Witte's policies sufficient time to help the situation in Russia and told him to write a second document, which was called the Fundamental Laws, relegate all the powers recently given to the Duma. One law read: "To the Emperor all Russians belongs the supreme autocratic power.6" With this document released he asked for Witte's resignation. Witte was the only Prime Minister that Nicholas had who worked to help the people and to prolong his reign as Tsar. With Witte's resignation he replaced him with a new Prime Minister, Goremykin. The Duma that Witte had instated only lasted two months. When the Duma proposed ideas such as universal suffrage, land reforms, release of political prisoners, and a pledge to appoint ministers Nicholas was appalled by the lack of respect the Duma had for the Tsar. He would still not grant any of their requests. Goremykin then stepped down and a new Prime Minister, Stolypin was put into command. Stolypin was greatly admired by the Tsar; Nicholas wrote to his mother, "I cannot tell you how much I have come to like and respect this man7." Stolypin was able to find a medium between the Tsars autocratic ideas and the people's needs. He restored the October Manifesto, but also closely watched over the Duma. In the third Duma Stolypin abolished universal suffrage and put most of the power in the gentry. Under Stolypin's leadership the country was calm, finally the Tsar had a Prime Minister who helped the people of his country and whose commands he could also agree with. Nicholas should have done everything he could to keep Stolypin as Prime Minister, but he began to let others interfere with the state of Russia. By 1905 it was certain that Alexis, Nicholas's son, had hemophilia. The wife of the Grand Duke, cousin to the Tsar, brought an illiterate holy man to the family. He was renown for his healing powers and was brought to the Imperial family in order to soothe the child, relieve his pain, and put him to sleep. He carried out his job well and the family became dependent on him for the health of their son. Nicholas said, "He [Rasputin] is just a good, religious, simple-minded Russian. When in trouble or assailed by doubts I like to have a talk with him, and invariably feel at peace with myself afterwards.8" Not only was Rasputin a "miracle worker", he was dirty, foul smelling, drunken, and lascivious. But the Imperial family refused to hear a harsh word spoken about Rasputin as they were becoming even more reliant on him. Alexandra believed that Rasputin was her personal emissary from God to her. He held a great deal of importance in her mind. In 1911 the police investigated Rasputin's quarters and sent a shocking report to Nicholas, but the Tsar dismissed it on behalf of the Tsarina. Stolypin was so disgusted by Rasputin and the accounts discovered about him by the police he forced himself out of St. Petersburg. Nicholas once again lost a valuable Prime Minister on behalf of his slavish decisions. He gave up Stolypin for Rasputin. He gave up the man who built his government for the man who would destroy it. In 1910 industrial unrest was once again growing. In 1910 there were 222 strikes, in 1914 between January and July, over 4000. The country discovered Alexis's illness in 1912 when he almost died. With a call to Rasputin his pain was eased. Winning all of Alexandra's faith now, she began not to only turn to him for her son, but to instruct the Emperor how to run his empire. In 1914 six revolutionaries from Bosnia who were encouraged by the Russian military upon orders of the Imperial Staff in St. Petersburg threw a bomb on the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian thrown. Austria was well aware that the terrorist activities were spurred on by Russia's government and Tsar. Now Russia and Austria faced each other at war. Within the first month of the war the army ran out of ammunition. "It was Romanov tradition to go to war in a hopeless sea of inefficiently and corruption, to spill oceans of blood, to endure the humiliation of defeat, yet to remain through sheer size, massively intact.9" During the first twelve months of the war the number of casualties-dead, wounded, and prisoner- came to 3,800,000 men. While Nicholas was away Alexandra began to refer to Rasputin as 'Our Friend' and judged everyone's goodness and capacity by their attitude toward Rasputin. The only Russian people who had trust in Rasputin were the Tsar and Tsarina. Since they trusted him, the Russian people had no trust in the Tsar and Tsarina for choosing to give such a despicable man so much power. They had no trust in the government. Even Nicholas's cousin the Grand Duke despised him. When Rasputin asked the Grand Duke to visit the army he replied, "Yes do come. I will hang you." When Alexandra heard of this she wrote to Nicholas "I have absolutely no faith in the Grand Duke- I know him to be far from clever"; on July 16, 1915, "and having gone against a man of God, his work can't be blessed or his advice good...' "Nobody knows who is Emperor now...It is though the Grand Duke Nicholas settles all"; on June 17, 1915, "Ah my Nicky, things are not as they ought to be and therefore the Grand Duke keeps you near to have a hold over you." This criticism went on until in August of 1915 the Emperor made another mistake and relieved the Grand Duke of his functions and took over the command of the army himself. Nicholas's Council of state was appalled. 8 of the 13 ministers sent a joint letter proposing their resignation, but the Tsar commanded them to remain in their positions. The ministers became servants to the Empress for all purposes because Nicholas was living at the army headquarters. The Empress continued to put forth Rasputin's recommendations; she wrote to her husband, "I don't like the choice of Minister of War, Polivanov. Is he not our Friend's enemy?10" Rasputin held his own court, demoting anyone who offended, rewarding anyone who pleased. In the next eight months Russia had four Prime Ministers, five ministers of interior, four of agriculture, and three of war. Nicholas protested, "Occasionally you must agree that our Friend's ideas are sometimes odd...complaints come from everywhere.11" People all over were losing faith in Nicholas for allowing Rasputin to have so much power. "After the middle of 1915, the fairly honorable and efficient group who formed the top of the bureaucratic pyramid degenerated into a rapidly changing succession of the appointees of Rasputin,12" said Michael Florinsky. Nicholas did realize that matters in his country were not running smoothly on behalf of Rasputin's advice. But still Nicholas did not take the power out of Rasputin's hands. J.B.S. Haldane, a Britizh geneticist said, "Rasputin took the empire by stopping the bleeding of the Tsarvich.13" This was the biggest mistake that the Tsar could have made. Conditions worsened in Russia under the rule of Alexandra and Rasputin. Nicholas's own family members came to him one by one and begged him to grant Russia a constitutional government for the people were irate under Alix and Rasputin's rule. He still would not listen. On December 2 Prince Felix Yusupov decided to take matters into his own hands and kill the 'dark forces' that were destroying Russia's monarchy. One night they secretly poisoned Rasputin and dumped his body into the Neva. By December 16 the Russian army was facing total collapse. The casualties including dead, wounded, and prisoners, came to nearly 8,000,000-over half the total. The corruption, incompetence, and abysmal lack of leadership of Nicholas were responsible for a large proportion of these figures. Now Russia was losing trust in Nicholas's army leadership skills as well. With the unreliable government in Russia and very poor decisions by Nicholas in the army there was a shortage of food and fuel. The army had taken fifteen million men off the farms; the railway system had never been more than barely adequate; and now in a month of bitter cold, twelve hundred locomotives froze and burst. The inadequate supplies of flour, coal, and wood were decreasing into virtually nothing. On March 8, 1917 the people suddenly fired. People smashed their way into shops and helped themselves. The revolution had begun. This marked the end of Nicholas's dynasty. His poor decisions had led him to the corruption of his own rule. On March 14, Nicholas the II was forced to abdicate by the former President of the Duma, Rodzianko. He first abdicated in the name of his son, but when the separation of the boy was pointed out, his brother Michael. For the next sixteen months the Imperial family was constantly moved around. First under house arrest at Tsarskoye Selo, then as Lenin and Trotsky returned to Russia they moved the family to Siberia. Finally in May 1918 they moved into the Ipatiev House in Ekaterninburg. Here shortly after midnight on July 16, they were woken, asked to dress, and come to the basement. There they were asked to wait, but all that came was a Cheka squad carrying revolvers who said, "Your relations have tried to save you. They have failed and now we must shoot you." This was the death the last Tsar, Nicholas II and his family. This was the death of the Romanov dynasty. Although what happened to him was tragic it was his own mistakes that led to the ruin of his autocracy. He was too afraid of his wife to revoke the powers given to her and Rasputin when they were misused. He was power hungry and did not let the people have a Duma from the beginning of his reign and grant them any heights of freedom. He lost too many good Prime Ministers based on his inability to make them happy or see that they were helping him. Most of all, he couldn't look at the consequences of his decisions and see how they would affect the empire. Because of all this Nicholas II allowed the autocracy of Russia to slip from his hands and go down with a bad name. All of Russia held the same view as from the start: Nicholas the II was never fit to be Tsar. 1 A & E home video, Nicholas and Alexandra. Granada Television Ltd: 1995. 2 Cowles, Virginia, The Romanovs. Great Britain: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1971, p. 244 3 Cowles, Virginia, The Romanovs. Great Britain: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1971, p. 244 4 The Letters and Friendships Sir Cecil Spring Rice. Constable: London, 1929. 5 Polnoe sobranie zokanov Roissiiskoi Imperii, 3rd series, vol. XXV/I, no. 26803 URL: http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dml0www/octmanif.html /octmanif.html 6 Cowles, Virginia, The Romanovs. Great Britain: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1971, p. 256 7 Cowles, Virginia, The Romanovs. Great Britain: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1971, p. 256 8 Massie, Robert K., Nicholas and Alexandra. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1967, p. 189 9 Cowles, Virginia, The Romanovs. Great Britain: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1971, p. 268 10 Cowles, Virginia, The Romanovs. Great Britain: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1971, p. 270 11 Cowles, Virginia, The Romanovs. Great Britain: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1971, p. 270 12 Florinsky, Micheal, The End of the Russian Empire. Collier books: New York, 1961. 13 Massie, Robert K., Nicholas and Alexandra. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1967, p. 189 --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Term Paper Stephen Covey.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Man 3025 Term Paper Assignment "Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" Dr. Stephen Covey has developed a model by which he believes people can become highly effective. The program he has developed has been utilized in training by many organizations, commercial, private, governmental agencies. The list also includes many of Americas Fortune 500 Companies. The purpose of this project is to: 1. Introduce the 7 Habits as presented by Dr. Covey. 2. Cause "introspection", on an individual basis, as to where one is on her/his private and public victories. 3. To present an opportunity to work in a "virtual group" as a member of a "virtual team." Assignment Specifics - Individual Portion of Project: You need to research Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and complete the following assignment: 1. List Covey's Seven Habits in their proper sequential order. 2. Select the one habit you feel that you are strongest at, and explain why you believe this to be. 3. Select the habit you feel that you are weakest at, and explain why you believe this to be. 4. Present a short plan of action on what you can do to improve on your weakest habit as described in #3 above. Suggestion: To enhance your grade, it is highly recommended that you refer to the handout "Food for Thought." Assignment Specifics - Group Portion of Project: The group portion of this project will be graded on both an individual and group basis. You need to take an active part in all group work and must submit a "Group Evaluation Form" at the end of the project. Refer to the syllabus for grading details. As a group you are to submit a single paper with the following topic and statement of purpose: Stephen R. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People "The Role Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Plays in Relationship Building and Improved Business Communications" The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the application of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People assists today's business managers in improving their interpersonal and communication skills in building business relationships that result in enhancing team-based organizations. A format for this paper is provided under separate cover and will supply you with the required layout/format to follow and leaves room for individual group creativity. The answer to the very popular question of "how long does the paper need to be" is best answered by stating that it needs to be long enough to satisfy the above given statement of purpose; no longer, no shorter. The writing style of the paper needs to be a very professional, "tight" business style where wordiness is definitely not a plus. You are also encouraged to use your creativity in your groups approach in achieving the papers goal. Use of graphics, models, PowerPoint attachments, appendices, etc. is strongly encouraged. To get you started, the following is a partial result of a Google Search on 3/17/2003: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671708635?vi=glance www.chimaeraconsulting.com/covey.htm www.bainvestor.com/Seven-habits-effectiveness-Covey.html www.wujs.org.il/activist/leadership/briefings/covey.shtml www.leaderu.com/cl-institute/habits/habtoc.html www.bmpcoe.org/bestpractices/internal/ccad/ccad_32.html www.c3i.osd.mil/bpr/bprcd/5102.htm http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/proceedings/verbyla/paper.html http://www.watchman.org/lds/coveyparadigmsuccess.htm http://www.asahq.org/Newsletters/1998/03_98/WhatsNew_0398.html http://www.tks.buffalo.edu/~scomings/Sgc/seven.html http://www.profitadvisors.com/7habitlist.shtml GOOD SUMMARY? 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Term Paper Works Cited.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chelsea Foley Works Cited 1) Barnes, Kevin. The World Around Us. New York: Princeton Press, 1992 2) "Cars of the Future." World Encyclopedias, 2002 ed. 3) "Columbus as a Sailor." http://www.fordham.edu/Columbus (12 December 2003) 4) Frank, Pauline. "Diseases of Man." Encyclopedia Americana, 2001 ed. 5) Littman, Jonathan. The Beautiful Game. New York: Avon Books. 1999 6) Smith, Helen and Jones, Frank. "The Life of Judge Dean." Time October 1997: 37 7) We can't wait any Longer. Class Handout. New York: U.S. Printing Office, 2002 8) Wilson, Susan. "Making the right Decision." http://education.com/decisions/database3/htm (14 November 2003) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\term paper!.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The United States had only recently ended the Civil War, before the citizens were ready to wage another war on a different front. Instead of fighting over states' rights and slavery, new questions arose regarding labor and workplace control. The owners had become obsessed with profit maximization, and in order to increase revenue, they had to make changes to the workplace that was oftentimes detrimental to the workers. Laborers countered that movement with unions to collectively fight back in order to maintain their livelihood. But the owners were relentless. Labor organizations were forced to develop new strategies to increase worker autonomy in the face of strict employer opposition. During the late 19th century, businesses were expanding and concentrating capital, to be more profitable. Industrial engineers were hired to create efficient means of production, which usually meant that jobs became simplified so that many employees lost their power of knowledge and, subsequently, their leverage over their employers. As the employers gained knowledge of the production process, management's control over the workplace increased. In response, workers tried to maintain workplace control though the use of teams, stints, and worker's codes of conduct. But employers countered these employee actions with more task specialization and mechanization. Workplace policies specifically countered the employees' strategies. More foremen were hired to control production and create production quotas. The owners created their own workplace rules, but their rules were official and there were serious consequences for breaking them. Jobs became classified as skilled, semi-skilled, or unskilled labor depending on the amount of training necessary for a worker to learn their task. Employees viewed these changes as an attack on skill, because skill was no longer an asset, it was a gift bestowed to each employee from their employer. All that workers were left with was their physical labor, which does not give them much strength in the battle against their employers for workplace control. Workers would spontaneously and sporadically strike with mixed results. They formed local trade unions like the Knights of St. Crispin to fight back but manufacturers in Lynn "destroyed the Crispin price agreement" (Blewett 199). Eventually in 1878, a strike by the Knights of Crispin created more problems and ended the movement. All of these relatively small endeavors proved ineffective because they were isolated incidents. Owners were able to bring in strikebreakers and use police forces to break up these relatively small strikes. There was little community support until the Railroad Strike of 1877. The depression had nearly halted railroad production, which devastated the lives of many railroad workers. When wages were slashed and layoffs began, workers struck in West Virginia, which sparked violent strikes across the nation. In East St. Louis, all freight traffic was halted, mobs shutdown critical railroad lines like the Baltimore & Ohio line. The Strike of 1877 grew into a general walkout, when iron and brickyard workers struck alongside the railyard hands (Schneirov 75). The strikers were part of the local communities, so the militias and police forces were reluctant to break up strikers so the walkout continued to shutdown a critical transportation method. A national crisis emerged and brought attention to the labor question. Labor organizers realized that the key to the railroad strike's success was that all workers participated, instead of a single local union or even a single trade. Beforehand, manufacturers used the workers' desperation for any sort of job to accept low wages; there was no unifying force, if there was a strike, factory owners could bring in prison labor, immigrants, or find desperate individuals that needed money. It was not that these people wanted to undermine each other, but the manufacturers gave them little choice. After the events of 1877, a new innovative organization called the Knights of Labor, emerged out of secrecy, as a specific response to big business power. This organization was not a labor union, and did not exclude those that belonged to labor unions. In fact, many people were members of both. The Knights of Labor believed in achieving the long-term goals of a "cooperative commonwealth," through solidarity, boycotts, arbitration, standardization and nonviolence. To create solidarity, the Knights of Labor was an inclusive organization, which allowed both skilled and unskilled workers to join. They followed the maxim, "An injury of one, is concern of all." This slogan motivated all workers, skilled and unskilled, in all crafts, to collectively fight back against their owners together. The Knights of Labor's also responded to decreased workplace control with nonviolent arbitration. They were willing to confront owners to peacefully bargain. In different areas of the country, the Knights of Labor developed differently in order to deal with the specific problems of the region. In Essex County, Massachusetts, the workers' primary problems were low wages, competition with country shops and disrespect towards women in the workplace. The owners "regarded labor as a commodity to be purchased at the lowest possible cost. Market forces would set the price of labor by the law of supply and demand" (Blewett 147). Because laborers were seen as a commodity and not people, they were exploited, like the blacks had been exploited during slavery. The owners would not feel compassion to an object, so they tried to reach their own profit goals. In addition, the owners would build new factories outside of the industrialized cities in order to undercut the wages the "high" wages paid in Lynn. As a response, the Knights of Labor organized a strike in the Kimball Brothers factories in Maine and Massachusetts. The entire operation was shut down and the Lynn Shoe and Leather Association, which was composed of manufacturers, unanimously voted to accept the joint board of arbitration. This agreement prevented future confrontations, by having both groups pledge to never strike or lockout workers. Furthermore, manufacturers agreed to never blacklist Knights of Labor members and to avoid hiring workers that the Knights of Labor felt were obnoxious to the organization. The Knights of Labor were also able to construct a new wage list that included higher wages for women (Blewett 240). The Knights of Labor were able to successfully combat the shoe bosses and tackle the issues pertinent to the region. The owners were prejudiced against the women shoe workers so the women had lower wages and increased hours, but the Knights of Labor allowed women workers to join the organization by forming a local union called The Lady's Stitchers Union; the women could help themselves earn respect in the workplace through the support of a national organization. By allowing women to enter the unions, the Knights of Labor was able to increase solidarity. Consequently, the larger and stronger force was more effective in confronting the owners to raise wages and create job stability. Just like the workers in Massachusetts, Chicago workers also struggled against strong employers that were determined to control the workplace. The owners expected employees to work very long shifts for very little money. They were able to lower wages because of increased factory mechanization, which lowered job skill level and thus, increased job competition because immigrant, convict and child labor all became qualified to perform the tasks. In one such incident, a new non-union superintendent at the Bridgeport's Union Iron and Steel plant, tried to introduce a twelve-hour work shift for the blast-furnacemen, like the shifts in the North Chicago rolling mills. But the superintendent would not match the wages paid to the North Chicago rolling mill workers. The blast-furnacemen struck, and the Knights of Labor quickly helped resolve the situation because of their ideology. The Knights of Labor counseled the strikers to avoid violence, and united them with other plant workers. A compromise was then reached, which included the twelve-hour workday, but also gave the workers longer work breaks and a wages increase. Eventually, the Knights of Labor were even able to replace the non-union superintendent with a union-Knight (Schneirov 112). Furthermore, one of the most important aspects of that situation was that the skilled labor portion of the plant - The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers - accepted the blast-furnacemen into their union. The Knights of Labor were uniting the labor movement. Labor union's organizational structures were changing to be inclusive, so skilled and unskilled laborers were joining together to control the workplace. The Knights of Labor's solidarity strategy was promising. Workers felt compelled to support one another because they were both workers. Just the thought of defeating an owner was motivation enough to facilitate sympathy strikes. In Chicago there was "a strike by a body of skilled workmen not for an increase of wages, not because any reduction in wages, not because of any disagreement about hours of rules, nor because any grievance on their own, but because of a sentimental and sympathetic feeling for another class of workmen" (Schneirov 128-129). Workers united together to combat the oppressive owners. This was successful because communities supported strikers, and the other workers in the area became reluctant to break the strike. Moreover, the boycott was also used effectively for some time. During a streetcar worker strike, the Knights of Labor announced a boycott of the streetcar company. The President of the Trades and Labor Assembly stated that, "he did not believe there was a man or woman on the West Side but would rather walk twenty miles than ride with a scab" (Schneirov 124). As a result, the company was forced concede to the striker's demands. The workers were a community that could not be broken and thus, the owners were forced to make concessions. Unfortunately, the Knights of Labor was too ideological to be successful and in the "Great Upheaval" of 1886, the organization's power declined. Their belief that "An injury of one, is concern of all" was impossible to support. There were too many strikes for the Knights of Labor to assist. Then, after the Haymarket Affair, in which, the Knights of Labor accused the anarchists, who were working class citizens, of throwing a bomb into a crowd, the organization appeared hypocritical. They did not support those not involved with big business like they were expected to. Most workers also became disillusioned with the Knights of Labor's long-term goal of the "cooperative commonwealth," they wanted to focus on short-term goals like higher wages and shorter workdays. And then, when the Knights of Labor backed down against railroad tycoon Jay Gould, the organization lost a lot of credibility. Coinciding with these events, was a rise of trade unionists, who felt that the idea of solidarity did not protect the vulnerable unskilled laborers, and jeopardized the skilled laborers' jobs as well. As a result, a new umbrella craft union was created: The American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL had an industrial and economic strategy that entailed employer cooperation. Political power could not be achieved until economic strength existed; so the AFL avoided political strategies while it tried to help workers improve their financial status. This focus on short-term goals satisfied more people than the Knights of Labor's long-term objectives. In the AFL, autonomy remained with the individual trade unions, rather than in a national assembly like the Knights of Labor. But it was an exclusive club; only trade unionists were allowed to join. The AFL practiced "business unionism," which meant that the union was organized like the opposition. Unions began to collect dues to pay a fulltime staff, and support striking workers. The AFL strove to create trade agreements with the employers that would recognize the unions and their legality to represent the employees collectively. To prevent over-competition and depressed wages, the AFL fought for "closed shops" that would give the union input into the hiring and firing of employees, and give the union the right to distribute jobs. Immigrants, convicts and children would not be able to take jobs and break strikes, because the union, who authorized strikes, also authorized the hiring of new employees. To deter criticism from the AFL's exclusiveness, the organization promoted minimum wages and other benefits for unskilled workers in order to maintain solidarity. The AFL's strategies of nonviolence and arbitration, as a response to owner opposition, were highlighted in March of 1890. Instead of a general strike, the AFL chose the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, who were considered the strongest trade union, to represent all unions. It was believed that "for the carpenters the prime issue was not the winning of shorter hours but union recognition in the form of a joint arbitration committee, for the union realized that only a stable trade agreement would enable them to generalize throughout the industry" (Schneirov 305). The owners gladly accepted arbitration over the dangerous strike and the union received a trade agreement. Although this was not a direct solution to the difficulties the owners caused, it was a critical step to achieving union goals. The American Federation of Labor quickly became the prominent labor umbrella that covered and protected many local craft unions. In Chicago, the AFL was critical to the worker's effort to control the workplace. The owners caused serious problems, because they prevented the unions from regulating the labor market, which led to increased division of labor and mechanization (Schneirov 312). Until the AFL began promoting the union label, the labor unions had nothing of value to offer the owners. The label went along with the AFL's belief in cooperation and was only issued to owners that supported the unions. People chose where to shop by looking for union labels, so it became an important advertising technique. The Cigar Markers International Union used the label to create an alliance with the owners and give the union more leverage in negotiations. Now the Cigar Makers union could regulate the labor market to increase worker job stability. In Essex County, the Boot and Shoe Worker Union, one of the largest AFL unions, used the typical AFL methods to overcome the employer's opposition (Blewett 317). In order to cooperate with employers and achieve the BSWU's goals, "the union negotiated ten label contracts in the city and twelve more in Haverhill" (Blewett 298). As the war raged on between the employers and their employees, new organizations were constantly creating and implementing new strategies to return workplace control to the laborers. The Knights of Labor used the methods with the most promise to combat management, and later, the AFL built on the Knights of Labor's success, even though the organizations have seemingly opposite philosophies. The AFL managed to survive because of its effective organizational strategies such as "business unionism," trade agreements, and the closed shop. In fact, although the labor question has yet to be fully answered, the AFL still exists and is one of the primary government lobbyists for labor unions. Some of the AFL's goals, like a minimum wage system, were enacted, and in the Erdman Act, AFL unions were legalized. Even though the 19th century ended, the struggle to dominate the workplace and control working conditions did not. Robert Rosenson ILRCB 100.04 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [Error] - File could not be written... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Term Paper42604.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Effects of the Conflict Theory on Imprisonment Taylor Murphy Hodge Social Problems 3300 Dr. Curtis Whitehead The United States held 1,860,520 inmates in 1999. That was an increase of 58,333 from 1998 meaning an increase of 1,122 inmates a week. Locking up adult men against their will, in circumstances which take them away from normal personal and sexual relationships and home, family, and community responsibilities, and throw them together with a large numbers of other similar adults, might be thought of as a pretty good recipe for the manufacture of trouble all on its own. Whenever you surround someone with rules that are supposed to govern virtually every aspect of their lives, but which are applied inconsistently from prison to prison is an example of how to make someone go from unhappy to violent. Racial disparity in imprisonment is a problem. African Americans are much more likely than whites to be imprisoned for crimes. Overpopulation has now become a problem in many of the prisons in the United States. Conflict theories focus on the degree of minority threat to the political dominance of whites as a primary cause of racial discrimination in the legal process. Discrimination is most likely in communities and regions where the minority population is largest, and thus, presents the most serious political threat. If imprisonment disparity reflects racial discrimination, this predicts that imprisonment disparity will be highest in those regions where minority percentage is highest. The Bureau of Justice Statistics from the United States Department of Justice reported that black men and women were at least seven times more likely than white men or women and two times more likely than Hispanic men or women to have been in prison or jail. This goes on to say that most likely the prisons with the majority of inmates being minorities are located in urban areas and cities were they felt outnumbered and were treated like a minority. Of course these minority inmates came from a poor income or social standing amongst the majority of the population in their area. There are three aspects of the legal process that afford white defendants less severe punishments than blacks, even among persons committing similar types of crime. First of all, racial discrimination may occur overtly in legal decisions, with judges and other officials often granting white defendants more favorable dispositions than blacks. Depending on where the trial takes place, the odds are in favor of the majority of the jury being white. As stated above, most minorities live in urban cities where the majority of the population is white. Secondly, class biases enter into the legal processing of cases in terms of the economic resources needed to mount an effective criminal defense. For example, Kleck, who wrote many papers on the treatment of minorities in the administration of criminal justice, argues that the American legal system openly permits differing economic resources to be used in mounting a criminal defense, and such differences render legal advantages in avoiding conviction or obtaining lenient sentences if convicted. The jury will know before the sentence what this person on trial has contributed to society, or will contribute to society. Innocent until proven guilty has taken on a new name amongst the attorneys defending potential criminals. Juries are more likely to give a lenient sentence to a person they know is valuable to society regardless of the crime committed. Finally, racial discrimination in legal processing is produced by organizational or institutional aspects of criminal justice that have the unintended effect of ensuring that minority defendants receive less favorable dispositions than whites. Bernstein, Kelly, and Doyle report that court personnel who are given organizational limits on the number of persons who can be processed, may unintentionally target minority defendants for processing. Under certain conditions of prison crowding, officials may accord highest priority to imprisoning offenders whose behavior conflicts most with the norms enforced by the agencies and to the prisoners who fit traditional stereotypes of serious criminals, that is, violent black offenders. The Bureau of Justice Statistics from the United States Department of Justice also report that as early as 1998 state prisons were operating at thirteen to twenty-two percent over capacity, while Federal prisons were twenty-seven percent over capacity. The stratification theory describes punishment as institutional mechanisms used by dominant social classes to control and regulate populations that threaten political or economic hegemony. The stratification theory attributes disparity in imprisonment to differences in the legal system's treatment of white and minority defendants. In terms of discrimination against minority defendants, reasoning that while minorities may commit a large share of serious and violent crimes, the legal system may compound the problem by imposing more severe sanctions on minorities than on whites committing similar types of offenses. As John Fitzgerald Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." This phrase brings to mind the amount of pressure that is put onto a jury in deciding the fate of a potential criminal. Aside from the actual incident lies an aurora of complex and entangling details of background information, assumed discrimination, and potential jury bias. It would be interesting to know exactly how much an all-white jury would have already categorized an African-American before trial even began, of course, trying to do what is best for the United States of America. While blacks and other racial minorities constitute a relatively small share of the general population, they make up a very large share of the federal and state prison populations. Bridges and Crutchfield report that in 1982, African Americans made up twelve percent of the United States population and forty-eight percent of the prison population. Overpopulation and racial disparity are immense problems within our prison systems. A solution to this problem is not as easy as it looks. The mindsets of many Americans would need to be altered. Many Americans whether they know or not, are extremely racist when it comes to preconceived notions and views that they had been raised up to believe. Luckily, the American people have a great deal of say in deciding the fate of criminals. However, the luxury of democracy is only as good as the people make it. Americans must be informed and educated to think on their own, and set aside all partial assumptions on race and equality. It is so detrimentally important to teach Americans at an early age to receive an education based on morality, character, and a state of being equal. No longer can people assume the family to teach between right and wrong. Too many Americans assume the family structure will instill all the needed valuable knowledge required to operate effectively in society. Education is not over-rated, and a solution to both overpopulation and racial disparity lies in educating the minority along with the majority about what it means to a person of character. A person who would treat others as they would want to be treated. 2 1 Taylor Hodge April 26, 2004 Social Problems 3300 Dr. Curtis Whitehead f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Terms List.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Terms List Test#1 HIS 1101 Australopithecus: 2-4 mil. years ago, still very apelike, used tools Home Erectus: 100,000-1.5 mil years ago, upright all the time, arched feet, more support Homo sapien sapien: Neanderthal: 100,000-30,000, advanced thought, take care of wounded, more advanced tools. Paleolithic: Neolithic Pleistocene Extinction: Possibly caused by Bushmen Kalahari Inuit Skara Brae: community w/ specialization of labor, houses built into hills with common areas and tunnels. Orkney Islands: Skara Brae location. 1850: Skara Brae is discovered. Pottery Grinding Stones Clovis Point 2500B.C.E.: Skara Brae is founded Glaciers Food preservation Heavenly Husband China Huang He Yellow River Jenne-Jeno Mali Tigris and Euphrates River Agriculture Banpo Dapenkeng Yaqui: ant people w/ magical powers Navaho Iroquois Cherokee Catal Huyuk: Jericho Anno Dominae Economic stratification Language Anthropocene Flood Stories Hammurabi's Code The Tanak The Old Testament Epic of Gilgamesh Cuneiform 1795-1750 BCE Sumerians Babylon Ziggurat The White Temple Uruk Nation State Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia Land between the rivers: Mesopotamia J.R. McNeill: William McNeill What Drives History Labor Metropolitan Web Fire Africa Tools Creation Stories Myth South America Selah Corn Maize Beans Rice Grain Iraq Domestic animals Yangzi Valley Buffalo Jumps Whaling Australia Tsetse flies Sleeping sickness Nile-Indus Corridor Nile River Chariots Bureaucratic empires Menes Nomadic Hunter gathering Alphabetic writing Phoenician Greeks Athens Sparta Phalanx The Polis Minoan Knossos Karma Caste Mohenjo Daro Harappa Polytheism Monotheism Ramesses Howard Carter: discovered Tut's tomb Tutankhamen Akhenaten: monotheistic Hyksos Khufu Hieroglyphic f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Thanksgiving essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanksgiving is like having a new sibling added to the family; it makes you feel thankful to have him or her. There are so many things for which I am thankful for this thanksgiving season. There are people and things that mean a lot to me. I am also grateful for doctors and their inventions. My family means a lot to me: my mom, my dad, my sister, and my dog. My dog is so cute; his name is Chaos. I am so happy to have friends like Michelle, Justin, Amanda, Jenny, and more. I am so fortunate to have teachers. If no one had any teachers, everyone would be stupid and not know anything. There are many things that mean a lot to me in this world. One of them is food and water. If I did not have food and water I would die. I also love a virtual pet site called Neopets. I have been playing for two years now. Neopets is something that I can look forward to be there for me everyday. I am very grateful to have a telephone. You probably think I am silly, but if I did not have a telephone, how could my family and I get help if we needed it? Doctors play a big role in our lifestyle. I am so excited that there are so many great medicines in America today. Everyday doctors are coming out with even better ones. There is no better place to have proper medical care than a hospital. I am so lucky that there are a number of good hospitals located near me. There are so many great doctors today that help take care of us. Without doctors, people wouldn't live such long lives. Those are some of the things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. I am grateful for the people and things that mean a lot to me. I am also thankful for doctors and their inventions. There are always going to be people who are luckier than you, and those who you are luckier than, but just remember how lucky you are. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The 3 Horizontally Enhanced Pigs.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The 3 Horizontally Enhanced Pigs Once upon a time there lived three pigs. Together they owned a very popular restaurant, ³Pork Boys.² Each of the pigs made different burgers for different people. The first pig, Hamm was trying to watch his weight so he made Veggie Burgers. The secound pig named Pork Chop made his burger with special High protein cheese and fat free thousand island dressing. The third pig, Bacon, made the grease burger with three slabs of beef, four pieces of(turkey) bacon, five different cheeses, super fat secret sauce, grease on the side, and your choice of any bun except whole wheat. ³Flash!!! This just in. There have been reports of Richard Simons sightings in the area so head for high grounds and hide your oldies cassetes. This is not a test, I repeat not a test.² ³Hamm, lock the doors!² ³ I¹m on it Bacon.² Bamm! Bamm! He was there, Richard Simons pounding on the window, ³Let me in folks and together we can get rid of those stormy thunder thighs.² ³Leader of the Pack.² All of the sudden the customers began to dance to the hypnotic music. Hamm tried to fend it (Ricard Simons) off with his Veggie Burger but than he realized that the Burger was not Fatty enough so he to began to dance. Pork Chop in fear of his life lobed his burger into the beasts mouth. ³High protien cheese and non-fat dressing can not harm me. Ha, Ha, Ha!² Pork Chop then was thrown into the trance and uncontrolably began to dance the watusi. Is this the end of the line for the pigs? Will the pigs be covered in a blanket of exercise instead of panecake... But wait look over there could it be, yes it is Big Bacon Boy! ³Baa Baa Baa,² a trumpet sounded in the background. ³Ha, Ha Richard it is the end of the line for you. You are not wanted in this town or anywhere else for that matter so it is my duty to destroy you.² Big Bacon Boy than launched his Grease Burger in the mouth of the Beast. Richard than stunned by the fat cried out in agony. ³Here Richard, take a taste of my chocolate malt machine gun!² Rat-tat-tat-tat! ³No I am fattening up,² Ricard Simons moaned. ³Just when I had a perfect size 34 waist.² After that day the pigs of the town lived without fear. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Advancement Of Science In Brave New World.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Christy Campbell Mrs. Doig Eng OAC 2 16 May, 1996 The Advancement Of Science In Brave New World When thinking of progress, most people think of advances in the scientific fields, believing that most discoveries and technologies are beneficial to society. Are these advances as beneficial as most people think? In the novel Brave New World, the author Aldous Huxley, warns readers that scientific advances can be a threat to society. This is particularly evident in the fields of biology, technology and psychology. According to Huxley, "The theme of Brave New World is not the advancement of science as such; it is the advancement of science as it affects human individuals"(Huxley CLC 79 290). One scientific advance of which Huxley warns readers of is that in biology. In the setting of Brave New World, henceforth referred to as the reservation, the mass production of humans is accomplished with the Bokanovsky process. In this process, human beings are genetically engineered in laboratories. "... a bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide. From eight to ninety-six buds, and every bud will grow into a perfectly formed embryo, and every embryo into a full sized adult"(Huxley Brave New World 4). One of the threats of this genetic breeding is that no family structures exist on the reservation. Instead, humans are raised in conditioning centres. R.T. Oerton points out that "Present knowledge indicates, for instance, that a child cannot be deprived of parents or parent figures, as were the children in Brave New World, without suffering lasting pathological damage to his personality."(Oerton CLC 7 308). Another threat that the Bokanovsky process poses to society is that life is not highly valued. "Murder kills only the individual and, after all what is an individual? With a sweeping gesture he [Mr. Foster, director of hatcheries and conditioning] indicated the rows of microscopes, the test-tubes, the incubators. We can make a new one with the greatest ease-as many as we like"(Huxley Brave New World 133). Human life holds no value because it can be easily replaced through the Bokanovsky process. Furthermore, Bokanovsky's method of mass production prevents individuality, as on the reservation, all people are cloned. Starting from the time of decanting, each embryo is genetically cloned to fall into one of the various social classes. Within each social class, all members are cloned to be intellectually and physically equivalent. Biological technology helps to achieve this equality by genetically shaping the minds of society. In Brave New World , one's intelligence depends on the amount of alcohol injected into their embryo. For example, one of the lower classes in society, Epsilons, have quite a high amount of alcohol injected in the decanting process. Mental faculty, therefore, is predestined from the moment of cloning. By creating a world where humans are mass produced, Brave New World demonstrates that advances in biology can be dangerous if used without regard for the well being of the human race. According to Huxley, advances in technology can also be a threat to society. In Brave New World, everything is completely mechanized, eliminating the need for creativity and imagination. Huxley warns us against mechanization, arguing "the machine dehumanizes men by demanding mechanical efficiency of them"(Hillegas 114). Man's creativity is replaced with mundane tasks, because machines are able to do much of the work . The occupations available for people on the reservation, consist of repetitive mechanical operations. In Brave New World, leisure activities are dominated by technology. The primary source of entertainment is the "feelies," a type of movie theatre in which all the senses are artificially created. Instead of feeling the emotions portrayed on screen, the audience absorbs stimulated sensations. These stimulations prevent them from free thought, which threatens society by denying people from experiencing their own creativity and imagination. Furthermore, technology affects entertainment by being incorporated into all games of play. Games consist of advanced technological apparatus, and low organization, creating very superficial entertainment. According to Huxley, this frustrates one of humanity's vital needs to be creative. "Men no longer amuse themselves creatively but sit passively amused by mechanical devices"(Hillegas 115). Among technological advances, one danger Huxley warns of is the advance in pharmacology. In Brave New World, an artificial form of happiness is present in a drug called soma. Soma propels the user into a hallucinatory dream world, providing relief from negativity, allowing constant happiness People are rewarded for work by receiving rations of soma. The soma ration varies according to the social classes, with the lowest classes receiving the least, and the highest classes receiving the greatest. Society is conditioned to believe that "One cubic centimetre cures ten gloomy sentiments"(Huxley Brave New World 53). This reasoning deceives the user into believing that soma is a cure-all remedy. Since soma has no side effects, it can be a threat to society because people may be drugged into a hallucinatory dream world twenty-four hours a day. It could be used as a drug not to escape the pressures of life, but to escape life itself. Similar to biology, technology can be a danger to society if used without regard for the welfare of mankind. Finally, the most dangerous of all scientific advancements Huxley warns of, is the progress in psychology. In Brave New World, every person is conditioned. The first conditioning technique used is subliminal training. This type of psychology is utilized to program ideas into individual's minds by a method called hypnopaedia. Hypnopaedia consists of repetitious messages that play over a loudspeaker during sleep. These repetitions are composed of socially accepted morals and values. "All conditioning aims at making people like their unescapable social destiny."(Huxley Brave New World 13). This limits individuals from exploring life and developing their idea of happiness when "happiness" is already predetermined in their minds. According to Huxley, his "...chief strategy was to show that the conditioned happiness of Brave New World cuts men off from deep experience, keeps them from being human."(Hillegas 118). Direct stimulation is used as another conditioning technique. On the reservation, society is conditioned against love, nature, literature, and other forms of expression that are naturally desired by man. To condition babies against nature and literature, they are mildly shocked while encountering books and flowers placed before them. Therefore, this direct stimulation causes them to have an instinctive hatred of flowers and books. According to reservation controllers, "A love of nature keeps no factories busy"(Huxley Brave New World 19). Morals and values, which normally through the growing up process can be discovered on their own, are brainwashed into society's minds. This direct stimulation is harmful to society as it prevents people from deciding upon their own morals and values. Another form of conditioning in Brave New World deals with death. From the early age of eighteen months, children are exposed to death while playing with toys and eating candy. Thus resulting in an eternal association between happiness and death. Death conditioning can be dangerous to society as children become unable to distinguish between good and evil. In addition, sexual conditioning is present in Brave New World. From a very young age, sexual play is normal and encouraged in everyone. Together, hundreds of children play sexual games in the nude. Also, more than one sexual partner is encouraged, resulting in the absence of committed relationships. This absence of committed relationship creates a world without deep feelings of human affection. Society is conditioned to believe "Everyone belongs to everyone else"(Huxley Brave New World 35). Unfortunately, these psychological advancements cause the reservation to be a world without individual thought. Each person is conditioned into a life, which is believed to be most advantageous for them. Thomas D. Clareson points out that "The Brave New World is mindless... it's citizens are 'nice tame animals'..."(Huxley, DISC). The conditioning methods in Brave New World take away all freedom of choice and decision in society. The society depicted in Brave New World is to many, a frightening one. Though, it may be more of a reality than is presently thought. Society must ensure that science is changing to suit human needs, rather than changing the human race to suit science. With the increasing progress in biology, technology and psychology, this may be an impossible feat to overcome. The world may one day be without individuality, emotions or free thought. In Brave New World, the scientific advances show to be a threat to society, where "One could of course, exist. . ." though, "... One could not-in the fullest sense of the word-live in it."(Wright 87). f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn Critique .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Critical Biography Mark Twain, the pseudonym of Samuel Clemens, was, as a literary writer, a genius. His use of numerous literary devices throughout the novel are quite unique. Examples of them would be, irony; "Here was a nigger, which I had as good as helped to run away, coming right out and saying that he would steal his children - children that belonged to someone that had done me no harm." p. 88; and colloquial enunciation; I ast 'm if dey 'uz gwyne to grab a young white genlman's propaty, en git a hidin for it?" p. 112 Samuel Clemens was a very controversial writer in his time. Although he was fiercely criticized, he was among the first writers to incorporate views other than that of a reverential main character into his stories, and he was also a primary user of colloquial enunciation. Plot Synopsis The plot is, as the title suggests, about the adventures of an unruly and carefree boy named Huckleberry Finn. The novel depicts the 1900's southern social climate in a manner that is not only satirical, but psychoanalytically intuitive. In it, Huck, as he is commonly known, runs away with a slave named Jim. As they travel along the Mississippi river, in the southern region of the United States, they undergo many extraordinary adventures. Analysis One of the most predominant themes in this novel is that of deception. Deception, in one form or another, is used with an avid consistency throughout the story. Two personifications of deception were the characters, King and Duke. They were "entrepreneurs" of deception (which is a polite way of saying hustlers). Samuel Clemens writes about them so ingeniously, that after a while the reader is able to understand the true nature of these tricksters, and that most of what they utter is either fabrication or a twisted truth. "I'd been selling an article to take tartar of the teeth-and it does take it off, too, and generally the enamel along with it." p. 121 Samuel Clemens is contradictory in the way in which he utilizes deception. He makes Huckleberry Finn deceive everybody into thinking that Huck was killed in a fire. This is an example in which deception is brought out as a good thing. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The American Dream.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pesaresi 1 Julia Pesaresi Burns 3rd Period Pre-Ap English 20 February 96 Solitude and Isolation: Three of Hawthorne's works Solitude and isolation are immense, powerful, and overcoming feelings. They possess the ability to destroy a person's life by overwhelming it with gloom and darkness. Isolate is defined: to place or keep by itself, separate from others (Webster 381). Solitude is "the state of being alone" (Webster 655). Nathaniel Hawthorne uses these themes of solitude and isolation for the characters in several of his works. "Hawthorne is interested only in those beings, of exceptional temperament or destiny, who are alone in the world..." (Discovering Authors). Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Goodman Brown, and Beatrice Rappaccini are all persons "whom some crime or misunderstood virtue, or misfortune, has set them by themselves or in a worse companionship of solitude (Discovering Authors). Hawthorne devoted many stories to isolated characters - one's who stand alone with no one to look to for love or support. "For Hawthorne, this condition of moral and social isolation is the worst evil that can befall a man" (Adams 73). Each of the characters above are separated from Pesaresi 2 the world because of some sin or evil. Their separation is a painful, devastating feelings. The themes of solitude and isolation are depicted in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, "Young Goodman Brown, "and "Rappaccini's Daughter." At the age of four, Nathaniel Hawthorne's father died, devastating his mother and destroying his family forever. He later recalls how his mother and sisters would "take their meals in their rooms, and my mother has eaten alone ever since my father's death" (Martin 10). Naturally, Hawthorne's mother's isolated life contributed to his personal solitude and to his stories of solitude. Although he never reached the point she did, his life too became one of separation and loneliness. When he was nine, a severe foot injury reduced his physical activity for almost two years and excluded him from many activities with other children. Soon after the recovery, his family moved to an isolated area in Raymond, Maine. It is here that he picked up his first "accursed habits of solitude" (Martin 3). On his relationship with his mother, Hawthorne said: I loved my mother, but there has been , ever since my boyhood, a sort of coldness of intercourse between us, such is apt to come between persons of strong feelings, if they are not managed rightly (Martin 11). Pesaresi 3 Hawthorne never had a strong, healthy family life. However, his lonely childhood was only the beginning to the many solitude years he would experience. 1825-1837 have traditionally been termed the years of solitude in Hawthorne's life. During this time, he is described as having "a sombre, half-disappointed spirit" (Newman 127). However, "These years were solitary to an unusual degree, but not in the sense of a hermit's deliberate withdrawal from the world" (Stewart 27). Hawthorne used this time to write several of his stories. "His chief object was to master the writer's difficult art - something which cannot be done in the hubbub of social activity" (Stewart 27). "His household being made up of strong- attached yet reticent people each of whom maintained a well- developed sense of solitude, thus gave Nathaniel the privacy that he required" (Martin 11). Therefore, he kept to himself spending "many lonely and despondent hours in the chamber where fame was won" (Stewart 37). By 1838, Hawthorne had created forty-four tales and one novel. In 1837, he became engaged to Sophia Peabody. At this point, his life of loneliness left him; he felt invigorated and alive for the first time. In one of his many letters to her, he wrote "And sometimes (for I had no wife Pesaresi 4 then to keep my heart warm) it seemed as if I were already in the grave, with only life enough to be chilled and benumbed (Martin 15). Hawthorne realized how isolated his life had become from the world. Sophia helped to pull him out of this solitary period. The adulteress act of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, in The Scarlet Letter, forces the two to live in isolation for the rest of their lives. "Hester and Dimmesdale sin and are isolated by that sin" (Ringe 90). Hester Prynne, "alone and independent by decree..." (Martin 118), spends all her time in her tiny home with only her baby, Pearl. After the first scaffold scene, both Hester and Dimmesdale "begin to work out their penance in isolation" (Ringe 90). Hester feels so guilty and sinful that she wants to be away from the world. "[She] becomes absorbed with a morbid meddling of conscience, and continues to focus her attention on self when she feels that none is so guilty as she" (Ringe 90). The scarlet letter "A" that she must wear, makes her "...an outcast from social joy forever (Stoddard 8). However, this "[shame, despair, and solitude] made her strong and taught her much amiss" (Martin 21). Being on her own teaches Hester a great deal. unfortunately, "the price of her new intelligence...is isolation" (Ringe 91). Through this Pesaresi 5 isolation from the community, Hester acquires an intellect which enables her to look at human institutions with a fresh point of view (Ringe 91). She becomes more caring and helps by "...performing small services for [the community]..." (Lewis 21). Hester's only friend is Dimmesdale, whom she can no longer be with. She is completely alone with no friends or companions. She has been living on the "outskirts of town," attempting to cling to the community by performing small services for it (Lewis 21), though: In all her intercourse with society, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied...that she was banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere... (Arvin 13). The community's "social ostracism made her into a type of moral solitude" (Levin 22). Hester Prynne becomes a lonely woman, isolated from everyone. Her overwhelming sense of guilt forces her to live in a world full of darkness and gloom. "It is Dimmesdale whom secretly tortures" (Doren 15). Arthur Dimmesdale through the seven years, stood a witness of Hester's misery and solitude. He watches Hester's public Pesaresi 6 isolation while suffering from his own privately. Dimmesdale silently torturing inside, engages in "heterodox modes of self- punishment" (Abele 47). "[He] suffers in complete isolation, for the sin is all within him..." (Ringe 90). He is miserable and lives in complete solitude, rarely leaving his home. He "becomes suspicious of all mankind and seeks reasons for his keeping silent" (Ringe 90). He deliberately isolates himself from the town for fear that someone will find out about his sinful life. He is "a prisoner in the dungeon of his own heart" (Brodhead 162). Revealing himself would release his fear of recognition, thus would rid him of his isolation. Unfortunately, he chooses solitude rather than having to consistently facing the people to make him feel less guilty. Dimmesdale becomes a sad, tortured, miserable man until he confesses, then dies. "Young Goodman Brown" is a story of a decent man who is transformed into a "stern, a darkly meditative, a distrustful man..." (Bunge 11). He sees visions of evil in the forest that devastate him permanently. "Brown turns away [from the meeting] at the last moment because he does not want to confess his evil. Ironically, his exemplary behavior produces a life of isolation and gloom" (Bunge 11). He quickly concludes that there is "no good on earth" (Martin 87). He spends the rest of his life Pesaresi 7 isolated from the town and even his wife. He "...shrinks away from the minister, wonders what god Deacon is praying to, snatches a child from Goody Cloyse, and passes his wife, Faith,...without saying a word" (Adams 72). Brown can no longer distinguish good from evil. He trusts no one, and hates everyone. "...he is forever blind to the world as it normally presents itself" (Martin 81). Things that were once ordinary and plain are now suspicious. The vision "turns his world inside out and compels him to live and die in a gloom born of his inverted sense of moral reality" (Martin 87). The most immediately apparent reason for Brown's final state of mind is that he has been required to face and acknowledge the evil in himself and others, including his young wife, so as to be able to recognize the good, and has failed the test" (Adams 72). Admitting that even his innocent wife, Faith, is sinful is too much for Brown to accept. After the meeting, he is so dumbfounded by the fact that all are evil that is "condemns him to a lifetime of faithfulness" (Levy 118). The book is "about Brown's doubt, his discovery of the possibility of universal evil" (Martin 81). He becomes a distrustful, miserable man until his death. In "Rappaccini's Daughter," Beatrice Rappaccini has been Pesaresi 8 impregnated with poison since her birth. This poison, deadly to all others, is like her sister. unfortunately, because it is deadly, she too becomes harmful. This means she must remain within the walls of her garden with the poisonous plant. "A very large concern of the tale is that Beatrice is imprisoned" (Martin 88). This imprisonment results in her being cut from "most...human relationships" (Benzo 142). Giovanni, the one person who meets and falls in love with Beatrice, describes in her face a look of "desolate separation" (Benzo 145). Both being in the garden and filled with poison causes her to live a life of complete solitude and isolation. "This isolation...causes Beatrice her greatest sorrow" (Benzo 142). "Beatrice is toxic: ...flowers wither in her hand and lizards and insects die when exposed to her breath" (Bunge 68). Contact with other humans will cause the other person to become poisoned also - as Giovanni did. Rappaccini laughed at Giovanni, "he now stands apart from common man as thou dost, Beatrice..., from ordinary women (Martin 91). Beatrice is a lonely and deadly woman who wants so desperately to be "normal." Beatrice's greatest wish is to have love. She would "fain be loved not feared" (Martin 97). She is presented as a "trapped and poisonous [woman] who...needs a special kind of redemption: a Pesaresi 9 prisoner in the garden, her body nourished by poison, she...belongs to God in spirit; her spirit indeed craves love as its daily food" (Martin 88). Beatrice wants to be loved, and she wants to have friends. She wants to share joyous feelings with someone. Growing up with only her scientist father, she is completely alone. Unlike Hawthorne's other characters, Beatrice hates her isolation. She wants to be with other people, with love, with happiness. Unfortunately, she never receives any of her wishes because she is a sad, but poisonous and deadly creature. The themes of solitude and isolation are depicted in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, "Young Goodman Brown," and "Rappaccini's Daughter." The definition of solitude is "the state of being alone" (Webster 655). To isolate is to "keep by itself, separate from others" (Webster 381). In his early life, Hawthorne's mother lived a completely separate, isolated life. At times, Hawthorne would "scarcely see her in three months" (Martin 10). He quickly picked up her lonely habits. As a child, he was often separated from others. During the solitary years, he devoted all of his time to writing using only the most isolated and solitude characters. "[Hawthorne's] men and women are no egotists to whom isolation is a delight; they suffer from Pesaresi 10 it, they try in vain to come out of the shadow and sit down with the rest of the world in the sunshine" (Discovering Authors). Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Goodman Brown, and Beatrice Rappaccini "belong to his exhibit of lonely men, of outcasts, of 'isolatoes' is Melville's word" (Abele 12). Hawthorne's abundant use of solitude characters and stories comes from all his experiences of isolation. Having an isolated mother and being a writer, it is not so unusual for him to have lived such a separate life. "The life of a serious writer is likely to be in a large part lonely" (Stewart 37). The lonely Nathaniel Hawthorne creates his greatest works using two familiar themes - solitude and isolation. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The appeal of Socialism.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Appeal of Socialism During the late 1800's and early 1900's hundreds of thousands of European immigrants migrated to the United States of America. They had aspirations of success, prosperity and their own conception of the American Dream. The majority of the immigrants believed that their lives would completely change for the better and the new world would bring nothing but happiness. Advertisements that appeared in Europe offered a bright future and economic stability to these naive and hopeful people. Jobs with excellent wages and working conditions, prime safety, and other benefits seemed like a chance in a lifetime to these struggling foreigners. Little did these people know that what they would confront would be the complete antithesis of what they dreamed of. The enormous rush of European immigrants encountered a lack of jobs. Those who were lucky enough to find employment wound up in factories, steel mills, or in the meat packing industry. Jurgis Rudkus was one fo these dissapointed immigrants. A sweeper in slaughter house, he experienced the horrendous conditions which laborers encountered Along with these nightmarish working conditions, they worked for nominal wages, inflexible and long hours, in an atmosphere where worker safety had no persuasion. Early on, there was no one for these immigrants to turn to, so many suffered immensely. Jurgis would later learn of worker unions and other groups to support the labor force, but the early years of his Americanized life were filled, with sliced fingers, unemployment and overall a depressing and painful "new start". Sinclair, has shown in a dramatic style the hardships and obastacles which Jurgis and fellow workers had to endure. He made the workers sound so helpless and the condtions so greusome, that the reader almost wants a way out for Jurgis. Sinclair's The Jungle is a "subliminal" form of propaganda for Socialism. At a time in our nations history where the rich were very wealthy, and the poor were peniless, Sinclair's portrayal of socialism in regards to the laborer is very appealing to a jobless, hungry, indigent man. Sinclair's vision of socialism, wasn't as flawless and beneficial as it seemed. Although it gave the workers some motivation to work as well as the could it was an attempt to commonize the working class. The Marxist theory of communism stemmed from the ideologies displayed by socialism. The masses of the population were controlled by a small elite. Sinclair was a believer in socialism, and Jurgis was a member of the party. But fortunately for today's working force, the concept and potential threat of socialism was stifled before it could make a permanent mark of American society. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler In the novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Mordecai Richler punishes Duddy for his wrongs against others in several ways. Each punishment fits the crime, and there is an irony about each one. The three punishments inflicted on Duddy at the end of the novel are the loss of Simcha's love, the loss of his friends, and the absence of any funds to build on his property. The loss of Simcha's love is a devastating blow for Duddy. This is evident when Duddy confronts Yvette and asks her, " Why did you go to my grandfather? Of all the people in the world, he's the only one" (Richler, 1959, 313). Duddy did everything he could to get this land because his grandfather said that 'A man without land is nobody'. Duddy, in his own mind, did it all for Simcha, to earn his love and respect and in the end, he had neither. The loss of Simcha's love did not happen for nothing. It happened because of the way in which Duddy had gone about acquiring his land. Yvette told Simcha, and Simcha did not approve. He was, in fact, extremely disappointed with Duddy. His disappointment is shown when he tells Duddy, I can see what you have planned for me, Duddel. You'll be good to me. You'd give me everything I wanted. and that would settle your conscience when you went out to swindle others. (Richler 1959, 312) The betrayal of Yvette, her speaking to Simcha, and the loss of hers and Virgil's friendships also punishes Duddy. They are the only two people in the world who ever loved him for himself, and didn't want anything but his love in return. In the loss of their friendships, Duddy is being punished for his rotten treatment of other people, even his only friends. Duddy may not even know what he has lost, but he will one day, when he misses having someone to share his accomplishments and failures with, like he has had up until now. The loss of things human is not the only punishment inflicted on Duddy. He also ends up without money left to build anything on the land he has purchased. This is punishment for all the low down, underhanded things he had to do to get the money to buy the land. The irony of this is after doing everything imaginable to get his money, such as attempted blackmail, selling his uncle Benjy's belongings, and stealing from Virgil, he still ends up with just an empty piece of land, and no capital to manage to do anything with it. This is a punishment to Duddy because he now has to put his dreams, the hotel and kids Camp, on hold for a while, maybe even forever. Thus, Duddy has gotten his just reward for all the sins he has committed. Each one was with reason and hopefully he will eventually see the reasons and understand why things happened the way they did. Maybe he will even learn something in the process. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Awakening.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The title, The Awakening, implies that a rebirth from a stupor into self-awareness is something good. One would expect that someone who was once sleeping is better off and can see more clearly when he is fully awake. But this expectation is exactly opposite to Edna's condition. She is not awake. She is eventually drawn by the sea and drowns herself. She was deceived. Edna fails to see that the connection of a mother to her children is far more important than the enjoyment of a passion which experience has taught her. By the title of this book, Chopin is glorifying Edna's fatal situation. Edna does not exist and never will. It is useless and perhaps dangerous to make judgments about these characters. Assuming that their situations and the outcomes of their behavior are applicable to our own lives is risky. Her characters are fictional. The combinations of their actions and outcomes are entirely an invention of Kate Chopin reflecting what she wants to teach her readers. If Chopin has successfully convinced a reader that the characters are real or that they could be real, the reader is likely to apply what he has learned from this fable in his or her own life. With these assumptions in mind, one must apply the task of figuring out what she wants people to believe and how to behave as a result of reading her book. Edna, whose husband has held her like a piece of furniture, a piece of personal property, suddenly becomes aware she is a human being. Leonce certainly errs if he only values his wife as a piece of furniture. There is nothing wrong if he believes her to be his most prized possession. The difficulty is that Edna does not look at him in this way. They should have appraised each other's value with mutual respect. I would recommend this book to others. It was well written and did not try to cover up the truth about the life of a woman in an extra-marital affair. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Bell Jar.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The book starts with the setting in New York as the main character is pondering the execution of the Rosenbergs. Esther the main character is in New York because of contest held by a fashion magazine. While in New York Esther tells about her life by the encounters she's had. She is a college student and is in the honors courses. The whole trip to New York had messed up Esters way of thinking. For example before she went to New York she had planed to finish college and become a poet or English professor, but now she had no idea. When Esther returned home she became very depressed. She wanted to disregard the whole New York experience by taking a exclusive summer writing course. Only the best of the best writers had been able to be excepted to this class and Esther was sure she had made it until her mother had told her she was not accepted. This was what pushed Esther over the edge. She became more and more obsessed about how she would kill herself and planed it out carefully. When the time came she just couldn't do it. So she began to preoccupied herself by thinking of other ways of death. She couldn't sleep or read this bothered her because she loved to read. Finally she went to see a doctor who gave her shock treatments. This made Esther even worse an so she slipped even deeper into her depressed state. She knew the bell jar was almost completely apon her and there was nothing she could do to prevent the suffocation of her own life. She knew there was something very wrong and neither her family or herself had no idea how to help prevent this and it made her wish for death. Finally she did it, she plotted a scheme to end the torture of her insanity. "The silence drew off, baring the pebbles and shells and all the tatty wreckage of my life." This way she thought she could escape the madness inside herself and this made her happy. So she did it and her family knew then she needed help so they with the help of a rich lady put her in a facility that could help her. Esther did get help and became sane again through special help and a good doctor who gained Esthers trust. Sylvia Plath's life is the basis for this intriguing book. She was born in Massachusetts 1932. In August of 1950 her first publication was "And Summer Will Not Come Again," this was in Seventeen magazine. Another publication was in the Christian Science Monitor this was a poem "Bitter Strawberries." In September 1950 Sylvia went to Smith College (the largest woman's college in the world). Just like in the book she won a contest to go to New York. In June of 1955 she graduated from college and soon after at Cambridge University she met her husband. Ted Hughes who was a poet married Sylvia in London in spring of 1957. Later Sylvia became a instructor at Smith College in the English department. In April of 1960 thier first child was born and Sylvia's book of poetry was accepted for fall publication by William Heinemann Limited. In January of 1962 their second child was born. In 1962 the "Bell Jar" was published and in 1963 she ended her life. The Bell Jar had descended again she wrote in her journal. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Big Scoop.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hello, my name is Jack Williams. I am a reporter you have been hearing a lot about and this is how I gathered my information for my article on "Computers, Hacking, And USA's Citizens" that has been causing so much uproar in many states and even in the government. Recently, people have claimed that I fantasized everything in the report and that I should work in the fiction field in stead of journalism, so here is the exact way I received my information for my story. I will start from the top and I will try not to miss a detail so you can fully understand me. It was the first Friday of July and it was like any typical midsummer evening at 6:00pm. The sun was still out shining down, just turning red for sunset. It was not especially hot, but it was still tee-shirt weather. I walked down the rather clean street towards the Citicorp building, thinking excitedly about what was going to happen at the meeting and about what information I could receive from this expierence. It was not long before I was standing in front of the modern Citicorp building. The building exterior consisted of mainly large glass windows which provided a very vivid reflection of the neighboring buildings, almost camouflaging its presence on the block. I thought of how the buildings appearence is suiting for what is happening inside at that moment. I casually walked into the revolving glass doors that stood at the base of the building. There were plenty of stores to my left and right. They ranged from candy stores selling snickers bars and almond joy to fast food restaurants selling burgers and french fries and all of the had people inside of them, spending the money they just withdrew from the nearby ATM machines and the tellers upstairs. It was the tipical gimick to make people spend their money, let them have easy access to it, so it was nothing surprising to me. I continued to walk towards the back of the building looking at all the stores to my sides until I reached the very back of the building, right in front of Barnes & Nobles. I saw a crowd of people standing there, all of mixed ages and nationality. None were alike. These were not the normal people you would picture as vivid computer lovers or people who liked to hack. People exchanged disks everywhere in sight. There were all types of people sharing information about everything from the latest computer security weakness or newest computer virii to what new programs were released today. Forty year old men and women in suits and ties standing, talking, and exchanging information with kids age ten to fifteen who were dressed in skater outfits. In other places people from foreign countries spoke with Americans overlooking their differences. They all shared the same interest in hacking and computer technology. They live in their own world where dollars mean nothing and disks mean everything. I casually walked into the crowd towards a man who seemed rather interesting to me. He was a tall man, about 30. The man was wearing Levis jeans, a clean white tee-shirt that said "duh?" in large straight black letters, and a large red and black side bag full of printed papers. He handed me some paper and told me in a semi-happy voice to take a look at that and that it would explain everything. I threw the paper into my bag saying to my self that this guy belongs in a mental institution if he actually believed that one piece of paper could explain the whole hacker world and I walked on to the other side of the room. There was a kid standing there in the normal baggy pants and tee shirt working on a toshiba laptop. Wanting to get the information I needed for my story, I walked over to the kid and asked him what he was up to and to my surprise he asked me in a deep voice if I was affiliated with any law enforcement agencies such as the F.B.I. or the C.I.A.. I said to myself why would I be with a law enforcement agency, but to get information, I tried to play it out very casually and said told him no, but if I was, I don't think I would tell him. He said to me that by law, I would be required to tell him the truth on that question if I was a member of a law enforcement agency. I was shocked becuase I did not know about that. He asked me again if I was a member of a law enforcement agency, and I replied that I wasn't. He said that he didn't think I was but he is always better safe than sorry. At this point I thought this guy was off the wall crazy or a really well informed kid, but again I reminded myself about the story I was writing. I asked him what he was doing in a nonchalant voice and his response astounded me. He said he was trying to hack a computer server. It was not so much the idea of hacking a server, because I knew everyone in the meeting was looking to do that or to learn how to do that, but it was the way he said it. The way it flowed was as if it was nothing special, nothing that did not happen everyday. This kid seemed to be my story standing live in front of me. I played as what hackers, phreakers (people who play with telephone companies), and software pirates call a lamer, which is someone who is a complete computer idiot or knows very little. I asked him if he tried to break into computer systems often and he replied everyday and that he was usually successful on all of them. He just continued typing his unix commands which went way over my computer training. I figured that he was entranced enough with his hacking that I would be able to ask him a few more questions. I proceeded to ask him about how many American kids and adult like to hack and or phreak, what percentage of hackers were kids and how many were adults and the like. The responses were astounding and I checked with other people on these answers and they turned out to be frighteningly correct. When I asked him, why hackers do what they do, he grabbed my bag and pulled out the paper the man had given me earlier and rudely said that I should read that and leave him alone. I could tell that I had outlived my short welcome being a lamer, so off I went into a secluded corner and read the document which the man had given me. It was written by a hacker called the mentor just a few days before he was sentenced to a jail term, I believe it was a fifty year term so he entitled it The Mentor's Last Words. It told me about what goes on in a hacker's mind and why they do it. It also showed me what hackers really are; they are not really criminals, at least not all of them. They are curious and seek knowledge. According to them and this document the true hacker never destroys, just looks. That is the essence of the United States Hacker. He is neither male nor female. He does not age nor does he have a nationality. People must realize most of these people will never meet anywhere except in a virtual chat room and will never hear each others voice. They have no choice but to judge people by what they do and not what they look like or by their age. The Citizen's view of hackers is completely distorted. All you see is what the government wants you to see and by know even the most sheltered of American citizens know how deranged the governemt can be. We are afraid of hackers becuase we don't understand them and I don't blame you becuase that is human nature to fear what you can not explain. What my article was trying to present was the truth about hackers because the amount that you know is a joke, plain and simple. This is where I received my story from. Yes it is depressing that more and more people like to hack and phreak, but in a way, it is also good. Now quite frankly I don't care if you believe me or not and probably if you do believe me you will say you don't because you are scared to believe me, but that is a battle I can't put to words as a story nor can I fight it for you. So, having finished my explanation, I say good night and thank you for coming and listening. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Big Sleep essay notes.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Big Sleep - essay notes * In The Hound of the Baskervilles and in The Big Sleep the act of detection repeats the criminal act and so the story of detection is also the story of the crime. The detective's "murder" of the criminal, whether in the figurative or literal sense, is a final repetition that purges the community and the narrative of deviant forces to establish a new equilibrium signaled by the silence of the discourse. * Whereas the classical detective story presupposes the certainty of a correct reading, hard-boiled detective stories "are caught up in the uncertainties of the activity of interpretation itself, for which a final and valid result may be imagined but can never be confidently predicted" (Most 350). * When, at the end, the detective, Marlowe, does not turn in the murderer, Carmen Sternwood. Instead, Marlowe suggests that she be taken away, and he offers to hide both her role in Rusty Regan's death and her whereabouts from the police. Also at the end of the novel, Eddie Mars, a racketeer and the center of a network of crime and municipal corruption, emerges unscathed. * Unlike the classical detective novel, The Big Sleep concluded by rejecting the fiction of a world so ordered that the elimination of a single individual (the murderer) is all that is needed to restore the social order. The discovery pf the truth behind the crime does no good whatsoever, for guilt cannot be localized in a corrupt society. The novel ends not with the detective's triumph but with his realization of his own impotence. Marlowe cannot bring Mars to justice and, instead, makes himself a party to the crime by lying to General Sternwood - an act of deception that protects the network of corruption Marlowe has uncovered. * Chandler is unable to accept a simple and determinate reading of society and, by extension, of narrative in general. For him, any ending is only a temporary respite in a continuing struggle against forces of disruption and corruption that forever evade attempts to have patterns of order imposed upon them. * When trust disappears, or when these same mechanisms of law and order show themselves to be unworthy of the public trust, a new kind of literature emerges that realigns the matrix of criminal, detective, judge, and jury. The instruments of justice are therefore perceived as ineffectual or corrupt and so the detective takes on their functions with limited or, perhaps, no success. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Black Cat.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Throughout the opening paragraph of "The Black Cat," the reader is introduced to a narrator who, because of his grotesque actions, has become mentally deranged and very untrustworthy, " . . . my very senses reject their own evidence." The narration of this story is in the first person, which would lead you to believe the narrator could be trusted to relate to you the true events of the story, but this is false. The narrator in this story is unreliable due to his horrid state of mind and body. The narrator cannot be relied upon to show the reader the true events of the story, these events have to be interpreted and the reader must come to his own conclusion as to what really happened. The reader is shown in the opening paragraph that he should not trust the narrator to deliver the true events of the story. The narrator admits throughout the story that his bad habits, namely alcoholism, lead to his irrational state of mind. His alcoholism was the root of his downfall. While intoxicated, the narrator mutilated his favourite pet, Pluto, causing the cat to become terrified of his master. The alienation of his cat gave the narrator even more cause to become mentally unstable. The hanging of his cat shows how the narrator has become obsessed with doing evil things for the sake of their evilness. This evilness is linked to his alcoholism. The narrator was most-likely in a drunken state when he hung his cat, which only infuriated his temper. This separation of friends had a huge effect on the narrator's deadly temper. His temper is such that anything that slightly annoyed him caused him to go into fits of rage. The fits of rage which occupy the narrator for much of the story are all linked to his pet cats. He points out that he was an animal lover in his younger days and the feeling was carried through into his maturity. His love for animals ended here. His alcoholism had driven him to avoid his animals or, when he encountered them, to physically harm them for the reason that they were there. The narrator's pet cat's were the exceptions. He held his temper back from his cats because of his love for them. This feeling disappears after time and the cats become the subject of his worst fits of rage. After each violent act upon his cats, the narrator did feel remorse at his actions. This feeling also disappears over time and, as it disappeared, his rage grew. The narrator seems to have had the feeling that they (the animals) must pay for what they have done. Tiny scratches upon the narrators hand necessitated Pluto losing an eye. He also seems to be upset that his cats love him and want to be around him. He felt he should be the one to love them and they should not be allowed to love. This is shown through his annoyance at their constant presence around him. He must be the one in control, and be able to make other things do what he wants. The fits of rage which he encountered are finally brought to a culmination when his wife stops his attempted murder of their new cat. The narrator is so mad at his wife that he takes the worst possible action. He kills her. The murder of his wife seems to be the real end for the narrator. He feels little guilt for his actions, "The guilt of my dark deed disturbed me little." The reason for his lack of guilt is that he does not believe he has done anything wrong. His conscience has become so deteriorated that nothing seems to affect him anymore. When an outsider looks at the events of the story, it is obvious that the narrator is untrustworthy. The alcoholism, which affects the narrator for much of his adult life can be seen as the root of his problems. The alcoholism leads to other problems in his life, such as his horrible fits of rage, and his utter disliking of his once prized pets. In his mentally deranged state, the narrator cannot be trusted to deliver the true events of the story. Therefore the reader must take it upon himself to interpret the events of the story and come up with his own conclusion as to what really happened, and why they happened. . f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Blind Assassin Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Katie Marier 1 ENG 4U1 Mrs. Fraser April 5, 2004 A Cold Journey Through Life Itself Iris Chase, soon to be Iris Griffen, was an intelligent and mature girl who, through her experience of death of her mother and father early in life, her forced marriage at such a young age, and the peculiar death of her younger sister and best friend Laura, she twists and turns into a bitter, jealous woman who has many secrets to unleash. Iris Griffen, a once outstanding member of society whose family had a prominent role in their town, "Also I ought to warn Richard, at his office: he would wish to have a statement of grief prepared" (Atwood, 5) Port Ticonderoga reflects on her past during this romantic, mysterious story. Port Ticonderoga was where she and her sister Laura had grown up. "This middle-sized town is situated at the junction of the Louveteau River and the Jogues River and is noted for stones and other things " (627). Iris was quite intelligent and mature for a young girl. "[Iris] preferred... those stories about other lands or even other planets" (191). She had a keen sense of life and was essentially "in charge" of Laura. She was Laura's elder sister and took that role seriously. "When Laura was asleep, [Iris] did not have to cheer her up" (173). Iris was a very smart young lady and was never really respected for it. She was the oldest child, so it was necessary and expected of her to be neat, tidy, well groomed, and intellectually advanced. Iris, compared to her sister Laura, was far more clever and K.Marier 2 sharp. Laura was a drifty thinker. She was always thinking of further reasons to dissect some sort of problem. She was a naive and gullible little youngster. Compared to Reenie, the family's caretaker, Iris was just a child. She had no understanding of the real world, because of her sheltered, unharmed life. However, this is in all probability her juvenile attitude. Ms. Chase, throughout her young life, had experienced some major tribulation. After the death of her mother, Iris was heart-broken, however had Reenie to help her through her difficulty. Furthermore, after a reputation-hindering photograph of Laura and Iris was taken with a suspicious man at a company picnic, the girls' lives were altered. "Perhaps Alex Thomas was (after all) what other people accused him of being: a spy of some kind" (277). After weeks or perhaps months of hiding Alex Thomas in their attic, Alex left and the burden was lifted off of the girls' shoulders. The death of her mother made more opportunities for Iris and her father to talk about business and the Button Factory that had been in their family for decades. The Button Factory was losing business because of the war, which left Mr. Chase wondering if there would be enough money for Iris and Laura following his death; after all, the girls had not been properly educated at great lengths. Therefore, for financial reasons Iris had to be married to a very wealthy businessman in the town. Richard E. Griffen was 35 years old, 17 years older than Iris herself. Iris did not fully understand the difficulty of marriage, especially at such a youthful age. The marriage had become quite unpleasant for Iris once Richard started to force himself upon her, causing her great pain. The trips the wealthy family K.Marier 3 took and the money they received was not enough for Iris to wish to remain with her husband. After having a baby with Richard, Iris was told that her sister Laura was diagnosed with "delusions" and was sent far away to a clinic. Laura and her sister did not speak for months, which were reasonably difficult for Iris, since Laura had been her best friend, in many ways, since they were infantile. After the birth of Aimee (Richard and Iris' daughter) Iris was advised, by Laura, after her stay at the Bella Vista Clinic, that Richard had sent Laura away to receive an abortion, to terminate the pregnancy caused by Richard himself. Within a couple of days after discovering that her husband, Richard had raped and impregnated her younger sister Laura, Iris was stricken with supplementary information: Ten days after the war ended, [Iris'] sister Laura drove a car off a bridge. The bridge was being repaired: she went right through the Danger sign. The car fell a hundred feet into the ravine, smashing through the treetops feathery with new leaves, then burst into flames and rolled down into the shallow creek at the bottom. Chunks of the bridge fell on top of it. Nothing much was left of her but charred smithereens. (3) This information was given to Iris, she was made aware that they had suspected it a suicide "They'd said Laura had turned the car sharply and deliberately, and had plunged off the bridge with no more fuss than stepping off a curb." (3) This, being the news that would push Iris over the edge, completed her decision to take Aimee and move far away. K.Marier 4 I'd already done some preliminary, surreptitious packing...my clothes, though by no means all of them; some things for Aimee, though by no means all of those either. I got what I could into the steamer trunk...and into the matching suitcase...then, the next day, it was easy for me to go off to Union Station in a taxi with Aimee, each of us with only an overnight case, and none the wiser. Richard, who was still a well-known man in the city, did not want the press, to hear of the crisis and so did not make a great deal of commotion when he received the letter from Iris stating that there was no way he could get his hands on Aimee and if he tried that Iris would " create a very, very large scandal, as [she] would also do should he fail to meet [her] financial requests" (630). Winifred Griffen Prior, Iris' evil sister-in-law had been able to steal Aimee away, because before Richard's death, he had signed saying Winifred had custody of her. This tragedy left Iris, alone and troubled. She went on with the rest of her life for years, until Aimee fell down a flight of stairs, most likely drug related, and left her daughter Sabrina alone. Iris tried to take custody of Sabrina, however Winifred acquired custody first. Iris now 82 years old and not well, "...it makes my heart beat harder. I notice this with malice. I shouldn't put my heart to such tests, now that I've been informed of its imperfections" (61) is living back in Port Ticonderoga, just down the street from Reenie's daughter, Myra. Myra and her husband Walter take care of Iris in her old age and they seem to bring out her bitterness towards life and modernized culture. K.Marier 5 Iris, throughout the novel is writing the story, which in turn becomes the story of her life, of which she is writing for Sabrina. For Sabrina to know where she came from and who she came from. Iris wanted, or possible needed Sabrina to understand the aspects of her life. She told Sabrina about her aunt Laura, her mother Aimee and her grandmother, Iris herself. However, Iris concludes to Sabrina, that Richard was not her biological grandfather. Iris, yes had conceived Aimee, however, not with Richard. A small love triangle was held responsible for the birth of her mother, which was darkly frowned upon by society back in the 1930's when it had taken place. However, Sabrina was affectionately notified that she was indeed greatly loved by the part of her family that she belonged to. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Book Report on The Power and The Glory by Graham Greene.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene Book report by Allen Rabinovich It is the story-teller's task to elicit sympathy and a measure of understanding for those who lie outside the boundaries of State Approval. Graham Greene One day I gave The Power and the Glory to... a native of Mexico who had lived through the worst persecutions... She confessed that your descriptions were so vivid, your priest so real, that she found herself praying for him at Mass. I understand how she felt. Last year, on a trip through Mexico, I found myself peering into mud huts, through village streets, and across impassible mountain ranges, half-believing that I would glimpse a dim figure stumbling in the rain on his way to the border. There is no greater tribute possible to your creation of this character - he lives. An excerpt from the letter of Californian Catholic teacher to Graham Greene, 1960 I In a particular Mexican state the Church had been outlawed and the priests had to go underground by the threat of being shot. After several months from the governor's office appeared a news, that there was still one priest, Father Montez, who was moving from village to village working on the Church by administering the sacraments, listening confessions and saying masses. A young lieutenant of police, and ardent revolutionist and an anti-clerical, asked his chief to let him search for the priest who, as the authorities understood it, was guilty of treason. Two photographs were pasted up together in police station. One was the picture of an American bank robber who killed several police officers in Texas; the other was that of the priest. No one noticed the irony, including the young lieutenant, who was more interested in arresting the priest. When the officer received permission to look for Father Montez, the priest was already in the village, where he came to get aboard the boat that would take him in the city Vera Cruz and safety. In the village he met Mr. Tench, old dentist who wanted somebody to speak English with. But before Father Montez could get aboard the boat news came to him that an Indian woman was dying several miles inland. True to the call, the priest sat on the mule and went to administer the last rites to the dying woman, even though he realized that he might not find another ship to carry him to safety. There was one other priest in the region, Father Jose. But Father Jose was so coward, that he renounced the church up to the point of taking a wife, a shrewish old woman. The authorities paid no attention to him at all, for they felt, and rightly so, that the priest who had renounced his vows was a shame to the Church. After completing his mission, Father Montez came back to the coast, where he spent the night in a banana warehouse. The English manager on the plantation allowed him to hide there. The following day, hoping to find safety from the police and from the revolutionary party of Red Shirts, he went further. As he traveled, he thought of his own past and of himself as a poor example of the priesthood. He considered himself a "whiskey priest", a cleric who would do almost anything for a drink of spirits. Thinking himself a weak man and a poor priest, he was still determined to carry on the work for the Church as long as he could, not because he wanted to be a martyr, but because he knew nothing else to do. After twelve hours of travel he reached the village where his one-time mistress and his child lived. The woman took him for a night, and the following morning he said a mass to the villagers. Before he could escape the police entered the village. Marcia spoke with him as her husband, and his child, a little girl of seven years old, named him as her father. In that manner he escaped. Meanwhile the police decided to use a new tactic in searching him. As they passed through each village the took a hostage. When a certain time passed without the appearance of father Montez, a hostage was shot. In that way the lieutenant of police hoped to persuade the people to betray their priest. After the police had left the village without discovering him, Father Montez took his mule and went on his way. He traveled northward to escape the police and, if possible, to make his way temporarily into another state. Some hours after leaving the village, Father Montez met with a mestizo who joined him. Before long the half-breed discovered that Father Montez was the priest for whom the police were searching. He promised that he, a good Catholic, would not betray the secret, but Father Montez was afraid that the promised reward of seven hundred pesos would be too much for a patience of the poor man. When they reached a town , however, it was Father Montez own weakness which put him into the hands of the police. He wanted to have some liquor, the selling of which was against the law. He tried to buy some illegally, but his possession of the contraband was discovered by one of the revolutionary Red Shirts, who raised a cry about this. Tracked down by a police, the priest was caught and placed in the prison. Fortunately, the police didn't recognize him, but since he had no money he was kept in jail to work and thus to pay the fine. The lieutenant of police who was searching for him unexpectedly did father Montez a good thing. Seeing the old man working about the prison, the lieutenant stopped to talk with him. The priest said he was a vagrant who had no home of his own. The lieutenant, feeling sorry for the old fellow, released him and gave him a present of five pesos. Leaving town, Father Montez started out across the country to find a place of temporary safety. After traveling for some time, he met an Indian woman who could speak only a few words of Spanish. She wanted to make him understand that something was wrong with her child. He went with her and found that the baby had been shot; his immediate guess was that the American bandit had done the deed. After making rites over the child, Father Montez continued his flight. He went into the next state, where he was given sanctuary by a German plantation owner. After resting a few days, he planned to go to a city and there tell about his problems to his bishop. Before he could leave, however, he was found by the mestizo, who said that the American bandit, a Catholic, was dying and needed the priest. Father Montez answered the call, even though he was sure he was being led into trap. The bandit was really dying, but he was in the state from which Father Montez had just escaped. With him was a party of police, waiting for the priest's appearance in order to arrest him. Immediately after the bandit's death the police took Father Montez . He was taken back to the capital of the state and accused in treason. Then he was found guilty and sentenced to be shot. The lieutenant of the police, who felt sorry in a way for the old priest, tried to persuade the renegade Father Jose to hear Father Montez' last confession, but Father Jose, who feared the authorities, refused. Father Montez was led out and shot. But the lieutenant of police had not succeeded in removing the Church's influence; in the evening of the day on which father Montez died another priest made his way, in secret, into the town where the execution had taken place. II. The events of the book take place in one of the Mexican states, somewhere in the Tabasco region. Historically the time of the plot is 1930's. As the book shows, this historical period was very difficult for the country, because it was the time of "great reforms", i. e. the time of passage from the monarchism to communism. The beginning of this reforms was the Mexican revolution, which took place in 1910. Also the book tells a lot about the climate of Mexico. It is very hot and dry. The landscape, like one on the cover, is very typical for Mexico. III. The Power and The Glory, first published more than fifty years ago in a modest English edition of 3,500 copies, is Graham Greene's masterpiece, his most popular book. Based upon less than two months spent in Mexico in March and April of 1938, the novel of Greene is his "least English", containing only a few minor English characters. And when I read it I completely agreed with the Catholic teacher (I found the excerpt of the letter, which I placed as an epigraph in the beginning of my report, in periodical literature before I finished reading the book) who wrote to Graham Greene - "descriptions were so vivid, your priest is so real" - I felt that characters were real. I've never been in Mexico, and I can't say were these events and descriptions of them true or false, but I can say that they are very realistic. The novel reflects the author's interest in Mexico and his experience as a resident of that country. A Mexican priest in 1978 told to Greene's biographer, Norman Sherry: "As a Mexican I traveled in those regions. The first three paragraphs, where he gives you camera shots of the place, why it is astounding. You are in the place". Greene's reality showed me the Mexico, than I've never seen before. But the most interesting thing, from my point of view is that the story occurred many times in many places before and after the appearance of the book. As an example I can take the country, where I was born - Russian revolution in 1917 resulted the same persecution of priests and Church. Greene deals masterfully with the mystery of the God, with people's beliefs. In The Power and the Glory Greene illustrates God's kindness as it defies the violent, atheistic government through the faith of his flawed, but still faithful people. And as the communism begins to spread all over the world, Greene's book assures the reader that there is a God, who will never leave us, and the evil will never win him. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Breakdown of Community Ray Oldenburg Ishmael Reed.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WR 121 Paper #2 The Breakdown of Community In Ray Oldenburg's "The Problem of Place in America" and Ishmael Reed's "My Neighborhood" the authors express thier dissatisfaction with the community. Oldenburg focuses on the lack of a "third place" and the effects of consumerism on the suburbs, while Reed recalls his experience with prejudice communities. Their aim is to identify problems in our society that they find to be a problem. Although neither of these authors offer solutions, the fact that these problems are addressed is enough. Some basic similarities between these two authors is they are both attempting to identify problems in our society today. There are many that are ailing our society at this time, yet I agree with them in their deductions. It seems that they have addressed two of the main ills today, prejudice and consumerism. These keep our communities from becoming unified. Fear is one of the prevalent themes in both essays. In Oldenburg's essay the suburbanite fears the unknown, his neighbors. People feel threatened by the size of the communities and they do not know anyone. These is due partly to consumerism, which keeps people indoors. Reed was feared because of the color of his skin. Dogs would bark at him as he walked by, cops would enter his own home to harass him, people would yell racial slurs, and he was even watched closely to make sure that he did not abduct a child off the street. These fears are a result of the media and our society telling us to fear certain types of people. Television often portrays the black man as a dope dealing slander who hangs out on corners with a forty of "Old E." Soon people begin to believe all that they hear and begin to discriminate against others. One glaring difference in the two authors essays is that they both address the same problem yet they touch on differing aspects. Oldenburg talks about the deterioration of the suburbs. One reason is that there is no third place. This is where we come to grips with our lives, relax, and reflect. This could be a community center, a secluded spot in the woods, or a coffee shop at the corner. The problem is that these places simply do not exist in the suburbs. One must get in their car, use gas, and drive to a place of meeting. This means planning out the whole rendezvous point in advance and making sure that the person you want to meet can be there. Consumerism also keeps the community from talking with one another. The television, video games, and stereo equipment make us want to stay inside, thus ignoring our surroundings. Soon we have thousands of houses with no people that really know eachother because they are busy attending to a screen. Ishmael Reed talks about the various communities he lived in, and how each one varied in its level of prejudice. Part of his problems were due to the fact that his skin was black. People were often cold to him and he was treated badly because he is a black man. However, he finds the ideal neighborhood in Oakland. His neighbors all look out for one another and care about what happens in their area. Also, the people often meet at thier houses to have dinner and talk. He says that it was the ideal community where the people act human. Now, while Reed is recalling a past experience of his, Oldenburg is simply stating facts and observations. Neither of these are direct warnings yet they attempt to make us aware of common problems in today's society. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the cask of amontillado.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Itzkowitz, David 11/26/96 period 1 At precisely 10:30 A.M. I got a call from a Mr. Machiano saying while renovating a palazzo his men found the bones of a human. When I got to the scene one of his employees showed me to the bones. The clothes were still on the carcass. I asked Mr. Machiano how the body was discovered, "My men were knocking down the walls and one of them found a skeleton with its clothes on, and that's when I called you." I asked whom he bought the palace from. "A man I would say in his early eighties, named Montresor." I then left to learn about this person.. I found out that he is living with a cousin right near his old home. I decided to stop by and ask him a few questions hoping he will remember or know something. After about an hour of getting "I do not know. What are you talking about? Please leave." I realized this was a waste of time and decided to go. Later that night while eating dinner I decided the next morning I would go back to the crime scene to check for clues. The next morning I called Mr. Machiano and asked him to meet me at the palazzo. As I approached the body I began to feel a little queasy from last night's dinner but luckily I brought some herbal tea to help soothe my stomach. Anyway, I began to search the ground around the body hoping to find some clues. I noticed a gold bracelet on the ground near the body, and it read Montrsor. I decided to do a little more research on this man. I went to the station and asked the secretary to show me the file on any person missing for more than 20 years. The list only had about five people on it with a brief description. There was a man by the name of Fortunato on it who has been missing for about 50 years. He was last seen wearing a motley. I then put two and two together and after some investigation, I found out that the carcass was indeed Fortunato. Later that afternoon I decided to visit Mrs. Fortunato. She took the news pretty well, but I guess she had a feeling he was dead She said "The last time I saw him was fifty years ago during carnival season." I went back to Montresor's house and told him that "Next to Fortunato's body was a gold bracelet with your name on it." He still claimed to have nothing to do with the murder and had no idea how his bracelet got near the body. "It must have fallen off and sunk into the mortar." When I said that I could sense his nervousness. I asked him if he was okay, then I heard him mumble something. I asked him to say that louder I could not quite hear that. He said "I killed him, and I do not even regret it." He kept the murder a secret all these years because he did not want to go to jail. "Now you are definitely going to jail." I felt kind of bad bringing an eighty year old person to jail, but I had no choice. Epilogue Four years later Montresor died. The Trumpino Towers was completed and a big success! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Catcher and The Rye.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rachel LaRoche English 10-D Book Review December 14, 1996 The Catcher In The Rye The Catcher In The Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, is a fictional novel that was first published in 1965. The novel takes place in New York City and in Pennsylvania over a duration of four days. This novel tells the story of an emotionally disturbed teenager who has been kicked out of a boarding school. The story is told from the point of view of a teenager who is the narrator of the story. The main character in this novel is Holden Caulfield. He is sixteen years old and serves as the narrator of this novel. Holden does not like anybody or anything around him. He is an emotionally troubled kid and has many problems with his life. Phoebe is Holden's little sister. She is ten years old and lives at home with their parents. Phoebe really admires and loves her big brother, Holden. This novel begins when Holden is in a mental hospital in California. The novel is a flashback of the events over a time period of four days. The flashback starts off when Holden gets kicked out of his boarding school, Pency Prep, because he is failing most of his classes. Holden decides to go into New York City for a couple of days until his parents will be expecting him home for Christmas vacation. Holden goes to bars and meets with friends during this time. On the third night, Holden decides to go and visit his sister, Phoebe. Phoebe is one of the only people that Holden actually loves. Holden talks LaRoche 2 to Phoebe about his life being a failure. He is trying to understand life and his place in the world. Holden decides that he wants to go see Mr. Antolini, an old teacher, to help him get a better understanding of his life. At Mr. Antolini's home, Holden discusses many of the problems that he is facing. Mr. Antolini tells Holden that he has to learn not to hate everyone around him. He has to learn to love people. Holden is told that he has to think about his future. He has to decide when he is going to start to take life seriously and apply himself in school. Holden's conversation with Mr. Antolini is the climax of the novel. This is the point of the novel when Holden starts to listen and understand his problems. He realizes that it is time he put his life back on the right track. The next day, Holden returns home to his family. Holden is taken directly to a mental hospital in California. The hospital is where Holden is before the flashback. Holden was a very true-to-life character. Holden's problems are similar to many teenagers of today. A lot of teenagers do not know what they want in life just like Holden. Holden has many problems in school similar to the probelms other kids have in school. Mr. Antolini says to Holden, "Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now." (189). His statement is an example that shows that Holden is not the only person in the world with these problems. Their problems might not be as severe as Holden's, but they are similar. Many teenagers don't know what they want to do in the future just like Holden. Holden is a very true-to-life character, because his problems relate to the problems of many young people today. LaRoche 3 The reader of this novel might dislike some of the actions and find them to be unrealistic. It is unrealistic that a sixteen year old kid would go to New York City for four days by himself with no one worrying about where he is. In real life, most kids would not have the money to go into New York City for four days. A normal school would contact the parents if the child was expelled. Therefore, the parents will know that the kid is coming home and the kid will not be able to go off on his own for four days without supervision. This novel had some actions in it that just would not happen in real life. In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading this novel. I can relate a lot of the problems that Holden was facing to people that I know. This novel kept my attention, because I wanted to know what was going to happen to Holden. The author probably wrote this novel to relate some of the problems that he had in life with the problems of people reading this book. The author was attempting to impress upon his readers that it is okay to not know what you want in life when you are young. I believe that he was successful, because he made me believe that it is okay for me not to know what I want to do in life. This novel was very well written, and I would give it an eight on a ten point scale. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Catcher In the Rye discuss why holden is a phony as the .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Catcher in the Rye Holden is just as phony and hollow as the people whom he criticizes. Holden's main problem is that he practically does not even view himself as part of the human race. He either believes himself to be either inferior or superior to the "rest of us." Thoughout the novel certain instances occur that lead us to believe that Holden has a serious problem in seeing himself as normal. He spends an awful lot of time reflecting upon apperances. Worrying too much about how the people around him seem to be, and yet at times not even thinking of how he is coming off. He fabricates such personalities as Jim Steele who is 22 and has a little encounter with a hooker in the begining of chapter 13. This Jim guy was sopposed to be this highly sexually experienced nonchalant casa-nova. When he really quotes himself to be as follows: "Caufield and his magic violin, boy. It's corny I realize, but it isn't too corny. I wouldn't mind being pretty good at that stuff. Half the time, if you really want to know the truth, when I'm horsing around with a girl, I have a helluva lot of trouble just finding what I'm looking for, for God's sake, if you know what I mean." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Catcher in the Rye.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The theme that the world has an outward appearance that seems fair and perfect but really they're as Holden put it "phonies." This is shown countless amount of times in his journey through New York and even before he left. The setting is in the 1950's; so I'm pretty sure that he didn't encounter any transvestites, lesbians, or anything that extreme of phoniest. Or on the other hand he could have liked them for being as Elmemson said a "none conformist." But I doubt it, he seemed to like kids more than anything. And his job, as he felt, was to protect them in their innocents; of which I will talk about in my second theme. The first example that stands out in my mind is the scene with Stradlater in the "can." If you remember Stradlater was getting ready for his other date while Holden watched him. "Stradlater was a secret slob" in public he always looked good and got all the girls but in fact he was a slob. His razor that made him look so good was "rusty as hell and full on lather and hair and crap." This proves that he is a slob to "never clean it or anything." If you think about it that's even worst than Old Ackley. At least Ackley knew that he had a problem, that he need to do something about his face; but Stradlater thought that he was a great guy. He actually thought that there was nothing wrong with never washing his razor. I think that what mad, Holden so made Stradlater was perpetrating in other word being "phony" every time he went out all GQ after using that filthy razor. Another instance is when he calls that girl in New York, Faith Cavendish, that Eddie Birdsell had brought to a dance at Princeton. Anyway he called her and she almost went off until Holden drooped Eddie's name. Then all of a sudden "she was getting friendly as hell." The same person said "if you think I enjoy bein' woke up in the middle-" was "getting an english accent all of a sudden." I think Holden caught her with her faade down. When she first picked up the phone she was mad as anybody else would be in her shoes. But as soon as she processed "Eddie Birdsell from Princeton" she became so amicable. She most of thought that a friend of Eddie, from Princeton, most have been rich or at lest well off. Faith was all ready to hook up with him for a date until she asked "Where ya callin' from? Where ya at now, anyways?" And "in a phone booth" was the wrong answer. When he said that she new he had no money and from that point on she had no time to meet up any more. This is a good example of the phoniest that Holden will talk about all through book. Oh and one I almost missed it is a little before the conversation with Faith it is a very important event. When J.D. Salinger had Holden look about of the window I think it was a big simile, of which I think about more in theme number 3, of the theme of the book. I'm sure Holden didn't ride all the way to New York to pick a run down hotel. So I take it when he drove up it probably looked good on the outside. He even "took it off [referring to the red hunting hat] before I checked inI didn't want to look like a screwball or something." So we can assume it was nice, or at lest on the outside. Salinger even throw Holden foreshadowed a little in the line "I didn't know then that the goddam hotel was full of perverts and morons." The first guy he saw out his room window "took out all these women's clothes, and put them on." Then he started walking around like a women, smoking a cigarette, and looking in the mirror. And now I guest I have to take back my sentence about transvestites in the opening paragraph. Second he saw a couple squiring water and "they were in hysterics the whole time," a little strange. You see the outside of the hotel represents what society is or tries to be, all nice and neat. And the people acting silly in the rooms are what we a really like. Im not saying we are all perverts but we all have two different personalities; one outside and one inside closed doors. Since I'm will into the second page and it's past my bed time or at lest it feels like it is this is the last one for this theme. The one I had in mind is the one the date he had with Sally. From the jump she was phony. Holden had already talked to her dad and told him how it was, but she still asked how it was. Holden when call her "quite a little phony," she even sounded phony through the book with lines like "I'd love to grand." And when they got through with the play on the Lunts it didn't get any better. They ran into this guy that Sally knew and both of their phoniest began to shine. "You've though that they hadn't seen each other for twenty years" they probably even hugged and kissed checks and all. And the funny thing is that "they probably met each other only once." And from that point on they went on a quest to outname the other. "They both kept thinking of places as fast as they could" trying to get the upper-hand in a game of illusion. They both were trying to, I guest, show they are more popular than the other by making it seem like they known all these places and people, when in actuality they were two big phonies. The next Theme of this story that I want to talk about is the significance of the novel's title. First of all I have to say why the book was entitle as it was "The Catcher in the Rye." The title of the book is a mystery all the way until chapter 21 when he sneaked back home to see Phoebe. When Phoebe fronted him about getting kicked out of school again saying "you don't like anything" Holden was forced to come up with something he would enjoy to be or do. After minutes of pondering Holden said "I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all." He just wanted to save the little innocent kids from falling. The kids I think represent the innocents of the young just playing and when they fall off the cliff they discover the world. He wants to protect them and keep them pure will. All through the story Salinger used Holden as the catcher on the rye to protect or try to protect the innocents of kids. The biggest and most memorial of this protection is when he went to Phoebe elementary school to talk to her before he had to leave. Anyway he saw the word fuck you on the hall walls and "it drove him dam near crazy." He couldn't stand the idea that Phoebe or her friend had seen that on the wall. If they saw it they would wonder and eventually "some dirty kid would tell them" and they would know the cruel the world thus falling in the rye. As his duty as the catcher in the rye Holden tried to erase the first one that was on the walls, but later said "it's hopeless anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the fuck you signs in the world. Its impossible." Now I think the word tragedy goes right there. If the job that Holden is set out to do is inevitable then it's a tragedy. Salinger illustrates a full blown tragedy with a 15 year old boy; it sounds a lot like the classic we read last year Romeo and Juliet. A young boy, even the same age, is placed in a no win situation. The next one I just thought about is the time Holden got a snow ball off the window cell. This has nothing to go with protecting but it is about purity. Holden got some show from off the window pan and he "started to throw it" but after looking out at the scene he decides not to. He said he stared it throw it at a car and fire hydrogen but they looked "too nice and white." Holden is consumed with finding and protecting purity, and when he found something pure he didn"t want to disturb it. But it's strange how he used the words "nice and white," I know that the snow was white but is there something more there. White is often associated with pure and even holiness. He may be comparing it to a holy site; because he does ask Ackley about joining later in the book. You never know. Theme number three is going to be a discussing about Salinger and his symbolism. Salinger is a master of the subtle symbolism. He lays his symbols so subtle that most of the time they're not even found or addressed even by a commentary over the book. I really enjoyed reading and rereading this book to find embedding symbols. I think that's what made it so good. A very important character that is referred to all throgh the story by Holden is Allie. Allie is Holder's younger brother who died of leukemia when he was just thirteen. Holden loved his brother more than anything and when he died he punched out all the windows in the garage. He said that "my hand still hurts me once in a while." This is symbolic of the love he had and still has for his little brother; he even quotes latter that "you don't stop loving someone because they die" proving that he still cares for him. He may even think he had something to do with his death or he caused it. Sometimes little kids think stuff like that. Holden also says that " I can't make a real fist any more-not a tight one." If his fist represents his love for his brother or his heart than maybe he can't love again. When he meet up with Sally he said he felt like marring her than he discards it by saying "I don't even like her much." Holden is afraid to love again because of the way his heart and fist was broken by Allie. Another symbol is his own sister Phoebe. First you must understand that Phoebe came from the Greek word meaning Sun. Holden is lost in the world and feels that everything is "phony." Phoebe is his symbol of hope in the world. All Holden needs is hope. Just as the sun comes out and shines it's beautiful color and truth to the world to nurrshish and feed the plant; so did Phoebe come with her innocent hands saving Holden from the world. "The first thing I did when I got off at Penn station, I went into this phone booth." Holden first started to call his brother but then he thought of his sitter Phoebe, then he whet on about her and how she wouldn't mind being woke up. All through the book he will think about call and eventually sneak home just to see her. This shows he sees her as his only light in this world of phonies hint the name Phoebe Greek for sun. I read a very interesting point in a book review about The Catcher in the Rye that explains the Holden behavior all through the book. In short it said his activities "describes a developing nervous breakdown." And if you think of the symptoms you would a agree. Unexplained depression, show countless time in the story as "I felt depressed as hell." And the why that Salinger keep using the world depressed, not bad or mellow but depressed he may have been hinting at it. Impulsive spending, that is obvious through the fact he only had "3 dollars and some change" after just 2 days in New York. Erratic behavior, example is Holden just jumping up and put Stradlater in a "half Nelson." All of this is prior to his eventual f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The changes in the narratots view of sonny.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Changes in the Narrator's View of Sonny Can one know another's thoughts? Through dialogue, actions, and events, the thoughts and views of a man of whom we know not even a name are shown. The man is the narrator of "Sonny's Blues" and his thoughts we are shown are those directed towards his brother. Over the course of the story, there are three major stages or phases that the narrator goes through, in which his thoughts about his brother change. We see that those stages of thought vary greatly over the narrator's life, from confusion about his brother to understanding. Each phase brings different views of his own responsibility toward his brother, his brother's manhood, and his brother's sense of reality. Through out the story, three of the narrator's view are changed, the first of which is Sonny's manhood. During the first phase, early in the story, the narrator showed that he viewed Sonny as a child. "I was beginning to realize that I'd never seen him so upset before... [and decided this was] one of those things kids go through and that I shouldn't make it seem important."(49) This quote is an example of how the narrator viewed his brother. He not only thought Sonny acted as a kid, but was also too young to be planning a future or career. "He still wasn't a man yet, he was still a child, and they had to watch out for him in all kinds of ways."(51) The narrator decided that he would plan Sonny's future and when Sonny rebelled, the narrator saw it as yet another childish action. Another way in which the narrator's overall view changed was his view on whether Sonny's idea of reality was sound. Still in the first phase, the narrator often presents his view of reality and when Sonny rejects it, the narrator feels Sonny is being unreasonable. For instance, "'Well Sonny,' I said, gently, "you know people can't always do exactly what they want to do-' 'No I don't think that,' said Sonny, surprising me."(49) Actually, Sonny understood life much more clearly than the narrator, but the narrator did not realize that then. He thought that perhaps Sonny was just too young or too high on drugs to understand what life was about. Finally, the third view changed was the narrator's responsibility towards Sonny. Before the brothers' mother died, the narrator promised he would take it upon himself to take care of Sonny should the mother die. The narrator viewed Sonny as a responsibility he had. Because of the promise made to his mother, he felt he owed it to his mother to take care of Sonny. Therefore, whenever he did something for Sonny it was because his mother had wanted him to, not because he cared about Sonny. As soon as taking care of Sonny stopped working with his schedule, he sent him to his mother-in-law's house. During the story, however, a long separation brought the narrator into his second stage of thinking, and changed his views of Sonny. The narrator recognized that Sonny wasn't just a kid any more. Sonny had been in the Navy and had been living on his own for some time. Yet he didn't see him as a man either. "He was a man by then, of course, but I wasn't willing to see it."(52) He saw Sonny as a teenager of sorts. Sonny dressed strangely, became family with strange friends, and listened to still stranger music." In the narrator's eyes, Sonny foolishly thought he knew everything. Even though the narrator's views on Sonny's manhood changed, during the second stage his feelings about Sonny's sense of reality didn't. When he saw Sonny after Sonny's stay in the Navy, the narrator still viewed Sonny as if he were on drugs. "He carried himself, loose and dreamlike all the time, ...and his music seemed to be merely an excuse for the life he led. It sounded just that weird and disordered."(52) He thought that Sonny had been driven even farther from reality than before. He thought that Sonny's view of reality was so distorted that he might as well have been dead. Unlike his views on Sonny's sanity, when his views on Sonny's manhood changed so he thought, did his responsibility toward Sonny. He began fighting regularly with Sonny, "Then [Sonny] stood up and he told me not to worry about him anymore in life, that as he was dead as far as I was concerned."(52) During this time in which the narrator thought Sonny was acting as a teenager he forsook his promise all together. The narrator did not communicate with his brother at all for some time. During this time of no communication, he felt that he could do nothing more and could not be held responsible for what happened to Sonny. As the story nears completion, a single event brings the narrator out of the second phase and into his third phase. It is in this final pahse that the narrator obtains a true understanding of Sonny. The death of the narrator's daughter Grace was so devastating to the narrator that he said, "My trouble made his real"(53). The narrator finally felt the pain and despair that had plagued his brother for so long. It was at that moment that the narrator found himself understanding Sonny's manhood. He was on the same level as his brother, and he was finally seeing his brother as he truly was. When the narrator felt these feelings he saw that Sonny was just a man that was steeped in despair and deserved respect. All of the narrator's views did not change at once. He had already come to accept Sonny as a man before his views of Sonny's sanity changed. As he listened to Sonny's emotional playing, he came to the realization that Sonny had always understood what life was about. He listened to the playing and recognized it as more than merely music. Through his mentioning the cup of trembling, the cup that hold the anger of the Lord, he shows he understands what Sonny has been through. He finally knew that Sonny's songs, Sonny's blues weren't weird or disordered but were actually a way to freedom. Finally, during the third phase, the narrator finally started caring about Sonny instead of try to care for Sonny. He no longer saw him as just something to be taken care of, he finally began to see him as a brother. He became sensitive to what offended Sonny and took caution to avoid them. He was willing to be interested in what Sonny interested in. Finally, he was willing to sit and listen to Sonny instead of telling him how to run his life. All of these were drastic changes from when their mother had first died and improved the brothers' relationship. Through out the story it is as if the narrator is descending a stair well. Each stage that the narrator goes through is another flight of stairs and each flight of stairs he descends brings him closer to an understanding of Sonny. The narrator descended one flight and it changed his views one way, another flight and his views changed again. During the whole ordeal he can see Sonny, yet his views of Sonny are distorted or blurred. After each stage he believes his new view is the correct one, however it is not until he reaches the ground that he gets a true idea of what Sonny is like. It is then that he brings himself down to Sonny's level and begins seeing Sonny as an equal. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Chase.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Chase from the view of the chased Leaving the jewelry store at a rather accelerated pace, a common, plain-clothed man with a parcel tucked under his arm jumped into his white, slightly dirtied Ford Bronco. He then hurriedly concealed the package under the front passenger seat making certain to prevent it from being seen from people passing by. He then tore out of the parking lot attempting to avoid drawing attention to himself or his accompanying bundle. He knew it would only be a matter of minutes before the police would be on his trail and he couldn't have them catching him so he would have to make certain he covered all his tracks and make it as difficult as he could for his pursuants as he could. For starters he had to dispose of this car and acquire his new transportation; a new model Corvette conveniently located in a pre-arranged spot just behind the rail road tracks near Market St. at I-15. Efficiently he removed all traceable evidence of his existence from the Bronco. Now heading in the opposite direction he was originally going, he and his package continued the chase already in progress. Entering onto the interstate he planned on obtaining a very large lead on his pursuists furthering his immunity from an almost inevitable prison cell, where he almost certainly would end up if apprehended. At this very quick speed he increased his lead and put himself out of danger. After half an hour, he exited in a conspicuous place where his hide-out was located. "They'll never catch me in here," he thought. Getting out of the car, he cautiously made sure no one was looking as he took his package into his hide-out. Opening it he realized he'd been bugged. They had placed a small tracking device inside one of the rings he'd stolen. "How could they possibly have uncovered my meticulously, elaborate plan. No one even had a clue about the details . . . except for Thomas. Darn that rotten, selfish feign. How dare he get greedy and sell out on me." He reasons that with little time to spare, he'd be better off cutting his losses by leaving the package of jewels behind and trying to escape and save his own butt. Running out to his car he sees the police cars turning off the exit. "Ah!, there's no time, I'd better make a run for it!" He trots off into the trees while police get out of their cars and start chasing him through the wooded obstacle course. He feels his heart beat at such a rate that it nearly popped right out of his chest. "They're closing in, what am I going to do?" As his breaths grow fainter he starts losing his distance and before he knew it they had him on the ground and in no time had his hands cuffed, and with no energy left to fight, he quickly surrendered giving no resistance whatsoever. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Chicken.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Chicken by DaPimp Sarah lived on a small farm in Ohio in 1959. She was nine years old, had brown hair and green eyes. Her mother raised chickens to eat and would sell the eggs. One day Sarah's mother gave Sarah her very own chicken to raise. Sarah named the chicken Maryanne. Sarah couldn't wait for Maryanne to start laying eggs because Sarah wanted to sell the eggs and buy a necklace that she had been wanting for just about a year now. She found some wood, some chicken wire, a hammer, and nails laying around the farm and she built Maryanne a small chicken coup. Maryanne could eat in her mother's chicken pen but Sarah wanted her to lay her eggs in the coup that she had built. Sarah would let Maryanne out in her mother's chicken pen during the day and lock her in the coup at night. Maryanne wouldn't be too lonely because Sarah had built her coup right next to her mother's chicken coup. There was a garden on the farm that Sarah's family used for canning their own food and Sarah's job was to pick the bugs off of the beans, tomatoes, and cabbage. She would take the bugs and put them into an old Mason jar. When the jar was full of bugs, she took them to Maryanne's coup and fed the bugs to her as a special treat. She also fed Maryanne laying mash which was supposed to help her lay eggs and keep her healthy. One morning Sarah went to her mothers chicken coup to feed and water the chickens and she saw some hens sitting on their nests and they wouldn't get up to eat or drink. She went into the house and told her mother that some of her hens were sick because they wouldn't get off the nests. Her mother just smiled and went with Sarah to tend to the sick hens. When they got to the chicken coup, Sarah's mother told her that the hens weren't sick. She told Sarah that the hens were laying eggs now and that they wouldn't leave the nests very much until the eggs had hatched. Sarah went back to the house and got a basket to put her mothers eggs in. After they had pushed the hens over and removed their eggs, Sarah looked in Maryanne's coup and she wasn't there. She looked all over the place but Maryanne wasn't anywhere. Sarah's mother told her that maybe her chicken was eaten by a Fox during the night. Sarah looked all around the chicken pen area for Fox tracks but couldn't find any. After breakfast, Sarah looked again but still Maryanne was nowhere to be found. When Sarah and her mother went to lock the chickens up for the night, she saw Maryanne with the rest of the chickens eating her mash. Sarah and her mother just scratched their heads in wonder. Where could Maryanne have been hiding all day? Three months had passed since Sarah's mother had given her Maryanne and Sarah was beginning to wonder why her mothers chickens were laying eggs and hers wasn't. Maryanne hadn't laid one egg and Sarah wanted that egg money really bad. Maryanne kept hiding for a couple of more weeks, and Sarah would find her at different times in the chicken pen eating with the other hens. Maryanne never sat on any nests and she didn't lay any eggs. Sarah heard her dad tell her mother that they might as well cook Maryanne because she wasn't laying any eggs and she was costing them money by eating the chicken mash . This really worried Sarah because she knew how much that her dad liked "Chicken and Dumplings". Sarah got up very early the next day. She had to find Maryanne before her dad did. Her plan was to hide Maryanne and sneak her some mash to eat. Sarah looked all over but Maryanne was once again, nowhere to be found. Sarah started to cry now. All that work to build the coup and all the special attention that she gave Maryanne and this was all she got in return. I hope a Fox did get her, thought Sarah, then she started crying even more... Sarah finally gave up the search and was getting very hungry. She started back to the house to eat breakfast when she noticed something moving over by the barn. It was Maryanne and walking behind Maryanne was nine little baby chicks. She ran to the house to tell her mother and father. They all went out to the barn and her dad found Maryanne's nest near the feedbag. Sarah's dad bought the baby chicks from her and Sarah rushed down to the store and bought the necklace that she had been wanting for over a year. Maryanne was allowed to raise her chicks and she didn't get cooked. Sarah's father found the hole in the fence that Maryanne had been escaping through and patched it up. Maryanne ended up being the best egg layer on the farm. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Comparative Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Comparative Essay During the period of 1450 to 1750 un-free labor systems could be found dispersed globally as a means of agricultural production. These systems differed significantly in some areas while also sharing similar traits. The government that upheld the system, conditions of the slaves and serfs, and the amount of freedom the nobility held over the slaves influenced these systems differences and similarities. Distinctively, the North American Slavery system and the Russian Serfdom system can be compared to each other through these factors. The North American Slavery system began in the United States as blacks were shipped to the country and worked as indentured servants, much like the Russian serfs. This similarity didn't last, and by the end of the 17th century there was a clear distinction between black slaves, and Russian serfs. In 1662 legislation was passed to make blacks servants for life. By 1750, the North American Slavery system was in full swing. In the United States, the government was divided upon the issue of slavery, which in turn sparked the civil war. Also, slave owner's had increasing degrees of control over their slaves. Under the plantation system gang labor was the typical form of employment. Overseers were harsh, and brutality was common. Slaves could own no property unless allowed by a slave master, and rape of a female slave was not considered a crime except as it represented trespassing on another's property. Slaves could not present evidence in court against whites. Housing, food, and clothing were of poor quality and seldom exceeded what was considered minimally necessary to maintain the desired level of work. Owners reinforced submissive behavior not so much by positive rewards as by punishment of those who did not work hard enough. The slaves of the United States on many occasions did try to escape the bondage in which they were held. The Underground Railroad for example was one of the most prominent paths used by the slaves to get to the North where they weren't subjugated as bad as in the American South. The Russian Serfdom system shared many of the attributes held by the early North American Slavery system. The serfs weren't completely slaves, but conditions were quite bad, as the government and nobles kept the peasants down with an iron fist until the Tsar Alexander II. Over 90% of the people in Russia were serfs, who took heed to the nobles and government. In 1649 the act of serfdom became hereditary and peasants born into serfdom could not rise above it. In Russia, conditions were bad, but couldn't compare to the conditions of North American slavery. Serfs still held the ability to manage their own villages, although they were subject to taxation, could not own property, and after 1669 lost the ability to move their home. These arduous conditions caused the peasants to rebel on occasion. The Pugachev Rebellion of the 1770's was the largest of these rebellions, although Catherine the Great put it down within relatively short period. The onerous conditions of the un-free labor systems can be seen on different levels between North American slavery and Russian serfdom. The Russian serfs were quite similar to the North American slaves in terms of the amount of freedom the nobility held over the slaves. Also, over time the nobility took greater advantage of the slaves in both North America and Russia, until the leadership ended the period. While similar in some aspects, many differences impacted the course of each of these un-free labor systems, including government approval and conditions of the slaves. Jimmy Diegelmann 11/1/09 Period 3 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Competitors.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Competitors As thousands of people poured into the rectangular shaped stadium for what was being called, "the event of the century" , the participants readied themselves for the hardships they would surely suffer from the games. After a long grueling season of intense bodily torture this would by the final chapter of confrontations. Out of the 275 original members of the DFS leagues infant year, only 20 remained. These men and women were not only hardened on the outside, but on the inside as well for they had long since learned the weaknesses that emotions bring. Everyone one present in the cubical that was called a dressing room knew that as soon as the capacity crowd of 300,000 had settled, they would no longer be comrades brought together by the common bond that friendship makes but enemies of the battle field each one jockeying for the upper hand. As the referee announced there was half an hour left before game time, a few players huddled together to say a quick prayer while others gathered around the head coach for a final word of advice. One of the competitors listening to this advice was Matt Williams or "The Destroyer", as he was known by the crowd. He was a powerfully built young man who was in the possession of deep opaline eyes, nightmarish black hair, and a ruddy complexion. Feared by all for his ruthless behavior, Matt had joined the DFS league after being courtmarshaled by the army for striking the commanding officer of his platoon. Why he was even near the coach was a mystery to him because most of the coaches words fell on unhearing ears. Matt guessed he was just nervous. Who wouldn't be. Looking up, Matt saw that the coach had left and it was time to enter the field. Strapping on his helmet and the rest of his gear, he took a deep breath, focused his thoughts, and ran out onto the field joining the rest of the players. The roar of the crowd sounded as if a tsunami was breaking on the beach and the ground felt as if it were pulsating with a life of its own. He never remembered these feelings before but he simply shrugged off the thought as he faintly heard the sound of the referee's whistle. Suddenly, the sound of the crowd was replaced by e reverberating silence that was deafening in Matt's ears. Going into a defensive crouch, Matt circled the nearest foe to him. Jumping with raised spear, he warded off the first blow positioning his spear into a counter-attack position. Throwing it with deadly precision Matt was rewarded by the sickening thud of a lifeless body hitting the ground. As he hurried to retrieve his spear, Matt remembered a phrase the coach had said just before he left. "This will be a fight to the finish so be prepared!". Since this was the year 2071, that was no lie because last year, hyperbole's went out of style and gladiators came back in. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Count of Crow.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Count of Crow's Nest Reproduced from Virginia Faulkner, ed, Willa Cather's Collected Short Fiction 1892-1912. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1970, 449-71. Crow's Nest was an overcrowded boarding house on West Side, overcrowded because there one could obtain shelter and sustenance of a respectable nature cheaper than anywhere else in ante-Columbian Chicago.* Of course the real name of the place was not Crow's Nest; it had, indeed, a very euphuistic name; but a boarder once called it Crow's Nest, and the rest felt the fitness of the title, so after that the name clung to it. The cost of existing had been reduced to its minimum there, and it was for that reason that Harold Buchanan found the Count de Koch among the guests of the house. Buchanan himself was there from the same cause, a cause responsible for most of the disagreeable things in this world. For Buchanan was just out of college, an honor man of whom great things were expected, and was waiting about Chicago to find a drive wheel to which to apply his undisputed genius. He found this waiting to see what one is good for one of the most trying tasks allotted to the sons of men. He hung about studios, publishing houses and concert halls hunting a medium, an opportunity. He knew that he was gifted in more ways than one, but he knew equally well that he was painfully immature, and that between him and success of any kind lay an indefinable, intangible something which only time could dispose of. Once it had been a question of which of several professions he should concentrate his energies upon; now the problem was to find any one in which he could gain the slightest foothold. When he had begun his search it was a quest of the marvelous, of the pot of fairy gold at the rainbow's end; but now it was a quest for gold of another sort, just the ordinary prosaic gold of the work-a-day world that will buy a man his dinner and a coat to his back. In the meantime, among the tragic disillusionments of his first hazard of fortune, Buchanan had to live, and this he did at Crow's Nest because existence was much simplified there, almost reduced to first principles, and one could dine in a sack coat and still hold up his head with assurance among his fellow men. So there he had his study, where he began pictures and tragedies that were never completed, and wrote comic operas that were never produced, and hated humanity as only a nervous sensitive man in a crowded boarding house can hate it. The rooms above his were occupied by a prima donna who practiced incessantly, a thin, pale, unhappy-looking woman with dark rings under her eyes, whose strength and salary were spent in endeavoring to force her voice up to a note which forever eluded her. On his left lived a discontented man bearded like a lion, who had intended to be a novelist and had ended by becoming a very ordinary reviewer, putting the reproach of his failure entirely upon a dull and unappreciative public. The occupants of the house were mostly people of this sort, who had come short of their own expectations and thought that the world had treated them badly and that the time was out of joint. The atmosphere of failure and that peculiar rancor which it begets seemed to have settled down over the place. It seemed to have entered into the very walls; it was in the close reception room with its gloomy hangings, clammy wall paper, hard sofas and bad pictures. It was in the old grand piano, with the worn yellow keys that clicked like castanets as they gave out their wavering, tinny treble notes in an ineffectual staccato. It was in the long, dark dining room, where the gas was burning all day, in the reluctant chairs that were always dismembering themselves under one, in the inevitable wan chromo of the sad-eyed Cenci who is daily martyred anew at the bands of relentless copyists, in the very clock above the sideboard whose despairing, hopeless hands never reached the hour at the proper time, and which always struck plaintively, long after all the other clocks were through. The prima donna sneered at the chilly style of the great Australian soprano** who was singing for a thousand dollars a night down at the Auditorium, the reviewer declared that literature had stopped with Thackeray, the art student railed day and night against all pictures but his own. Buchanan sometimes wondered if this were a dark prophecy of his own future. Perhaps he, too, would some day be old and poor and disappointed, would have touched that wall which marks the limitations of men's lives, and would hate the name of a successful man as the dwarfs of the underworld hated the giants in the golden groves of Asgard. He felt it would be better to contrive to get capsized in the lake some night. Could there be any greater degradation than to learn to hate an art and its exponents merely because one had failed in it himself? He fervently hoped that some happy accident would carry him off before he reached that stage. Day after day he sat down in that dining room that was so conducive to pessimistic reflection, with the same distasteful people: The blonde stenographer who giggled so that she often had to leave the table, the cadaverous art student who talked of originating a new school of landscape painting, and who meantime taught clay modeling in a design school to defray his modest expenses at the Nest, the reviewer, the prima donna, the languid old widow who wore lilacs in her false front and coquetted with the fat man with the ear trumpet. She had, in days gone by, made coy overtures to Buchanan and the surly reviewer, but as they were more than unresponsive and would have none of her, she now devoted herself exclusively to the deaf man, though undoubtedly ear trumpets are an impediment to coquetry. But as the deaf man could not hear her at all, he stood it very well. He might also be short sighted, Buchanan reflected. In all that vista of faces, there were some twenty in all, there was but one which was not unpleasant; that of the courtly old gentleman who ate alone at a small table at the end of the dining room. He was only there at dinner, his breakfast and luncheon were always sent to his room. He had no acquaintances in the house and spoke to no one, yet every one knew that he was Paul, Count de Koch, and during breakfast and luncheon hours he and his possible history had furnished the pièce de résistance of conversation for some months. In that absorbing theme even the decadence of French art and English letters and the execution of the Australian soprano were forgotten. The stenographer called attention to the fact that his coat was of a prehistoric cut, though she acknowledged its fit was above criticism. The widow had learned from the landlady that he shaved himself and blacked his own boots. She was certain he had been a desperately wicked man and lost all his money at Monte Carlo, for unless Counts were very reprehensible indeed they were always rich. This scrutinizing gossip about a courteous and defenseless old gentleman was the most harassing of all Buchanan's table trials, and it savored altogether too much of the treatment of Père Goriot in Madame Vanquar's "Pension Bourgeoise." He was always glad at dinner when the Count's presence put a stop at least to audible queries, and his calm patrician face again made its strange contrast with the sordid unhappy ones about him. His clear gray eyes, his slight erect figure, and white, tapering hands seemed quite as anomalous there as his name. That gentlemanly figure made life at Crow's Nest possible to Buchanan; it was like seeing a Vandyke portrait in the gallery of daubs. The Count's whole conduct, like his person, was simple, dignified and artistic. It was a cause for much indignation among the boarders, particularly so in the case of the widow and prima donna, that he met no one. Yet his manner was never one of superiority, simply of amiable and dignified reserve. He might at all times have stood the scrutiny of a court drawing room, yet he was perfectly unostentatious and unconscious. There was something regal about his gestures. When he held back the swinging door for the hurried maid with her groaning tray of dishes, you half expected to see the Empress Eugenie and her train sweep through, or gay old Ludwig with his padded calves and painted cheeks and enormous wig, his troupe of poets and dancers behind him. He drank his pale California claret as if it were Madeira of one of those priceless vintages of the last century. In his college days Buchanan had been a good deal among well-bred people, but he had never seen any one so quietly and faultlessly correct. Sometimes he met him walking by the Lake Shore, and he thought he would have noticed his carriage and walk among a thousand. In watching him that phrase of Lang's, "A gentleman among canaille ," constantly occurred to him. One of the saddest defects of that ponderous machinery which we call society is the impenetrable wall which is built up between personalities; one of the saddest of our finite weaknesses is our incapacity to recognize and know and claim the people who are made for us. Every day we pass men who want us and whom we bitterly need, unknowing, unthinking, as friends pass each other at a masked ball: pursuing the tinkle of the harlequin's bells, not knowing that under the friar's hood is the camaraderie they seek. Following persistently the fluttering hem of the priestly gown, never dreaming that the heart of gold is under the spangled corsage of Folly there, sitting tired out on the stairway. It seems as if there ought to be a floor manager to arrange these things for us. However, given a close proximity and continue it long enough, and the right people will find each other out as certainly as the satellites know their proper suns. It was impossible that, in such a place as Crow's Nest, Buchanan's relations to the Count should continue the same as those of the other boarders. It was impossible that the Count should not notice that one respectful glance that was neither curious nor vulgar, only frankly interested and appreciative. One evening as Buchanan sat in the reception room reading a volume of Gautier's romances while waiting for the dinner that was always late, he glanced up and detected the Count looking over his shoulder. "I must ask your pardon for my seeming discourtesy, but one so seldom sees those delightful romances read in this country, that for the moment I quite forgot myself. And as I caught the title 'La Morte Amoureuse,' an old favorite of mine, I could scarcely refrain from glancing a second time." Buchanan decided that since chance had thrown this opportunity in his way, he had a right to make the most of it. He closed the book and turned, smiling. "I am only too glad to meet some one who is familiar with it. I have met the idea before, it has been imitated in English, I think." "Ah, yes, doubtless. Many of those things have been imitated in English, but-" He shrugged his shoulders expressively. "Yes, I understand your hiatus. These things are quite impossible in English, especially the one we are speaking of. Some way we haven't the feeling for absolute and specific beauty of diction. We have no sense for the aroma of words as they have. We are never content with the effect of material beauty alone, we are always looking for something else. Of course we lose by it, it is like always thinking about one's dinner when one is invited out." The Count nodded. "Yes, you look for the definite, whereas the domain of pure art is always the indefinite. You want the fact under the illusion, whereas the illusion is in itself the most wonderful of facts. It is a mistake not to be content with perfection and not find its sermon sufficient. As opposed to chaos, harmony was the original good, the first created virtue. And of course a great production of art must be the perfection of harmony. Even in the grotesque the harmony of the whole must be there. To be impervious to this indicates a certain bluntness toward the finer spiritual laws." "And yet," said Buchanan, "we have been accustomed to look at all this as quite the opposite of spiritual. Our standpoint is certainly rather inconsistent, but I believe it is honest enough." The Count smiled. "Certainly. It is a question of whether you want your sermon in a flower or in a Greek word, in poetry or in prose, whether you want the formula of goodness or goodness itself. So many of your authors write formulae. There was, however, one of your littérateurs who knew the distinction, even if he was something of a charlatan in using it. Poe surpassed even Gautier in using some effects of that character," pointing to the book in Buchanan's hand. "Perhaps under happier circumstances he might have done so in all. You had there a true stylist who knew the value of an effect; a master of single and graceful conceptions, who was content to leave them as such, unexplained and without apology." "Perhaps that is the reason we say he was crazy," said Buchanan, sadly. "Perhaps," said the Count as he lighted his cigar. "I hope to have the pleasure of discussing this again with you. You have read 'Fortunio'? No? When you have read 'Fortunio' I will wish to see you." He smiled and went out for his wintery walk on the Lake Shore. After that Buchanan met the Count frequently, in the hallway, on the veranda, on his walks. They always had some conversation during these encounters, but their remarks were generally of a very casual nature. Buchanan felt some hesitancy about pushing the acquaintance lest he should exhaust it too soon. His tendency had always lain that way. In his intemperate youth he had plunged hotheaded and rapacious into friendship after friendship, giving more than any one cared to receive and exacting more than any one had leisure to give, only to reach that almost inevitable point where, independent of any volition of his own, the impetus slackened and stopped, the wells of sweet water were dry and the cisterns were broken. These promising oases that flourish among monotonous humanity dry up so quickly, most of them. They are verdant to us but a night. There are so few minds that are fitted to race side by side, to wrestle and rejoice together, even unto the paean. And after all that is the base of affinities, that mental brotherhood. The glamour of every other passion and enthusiasm fades like the brilliance of an afterglow, leaving shadow and chill and a nameless ennui. One evening Buchanan stopped the Count in the hall. "May I trouble you for a moment, sir? A friend of mine who is something of a bibliomaniac has sent me from Munich a copy of Rabelais stamped with the Bavarian arms. There is an autograph on the fly leaf, indeed, two of them, and he suspects that one of them may be Ludwig's." The Count adjusted his eye glasses and looked thoughtfully at the faded writing: "Lola M.," and further down the page, "Ludwig."*** "You have certainly every reason for such a supposition. Ludwig was one of the few monarchs who really cared enough for books to put his name and in one Lola Montez' name, too, for that matter. However, in these autographs one can never tell. If you will step upstairs with me we can soon assure ourselves." "O, I did not mean to trouble you; you were just going out, were you not?" "It was nothing of importance, nothing that I would not gladly abandon for the prospect of your company." Buchanan followed him up the stuffy stairway and down the narrow hall. He was conscious of a subdued thrill of quickened curiosity upon entering the Count's apartments. But as his host lit the gas one covert glance about him told him that he need not exercise rigid surveillance over his eyes. Beyond a number of books and pictures, portraits, most of them, there was little to distinguish the room from the ordinary furnished apartment. There was the usual faded moquette carpet, the same cheap rugs and the inevitable shiny oak furniture. The silver fittings of the writing table, engraved with a crest and monogram, were the only suggestions of the rank of the occupant. "Be seated there, on the divan, and I will find a signature I know to be authentic. We will compare them." As he spoke he tugged at the unwilling drawers of a chiffonier in the corner. "This furniture," he remarked apologetically, "partakes somewhat of the sullen nature of the house. There, we have it at last." He lifted from the drawer a small steel chest and placed it upon the table. After opening it with a key attached to his watchguard, he drew out a pile of papers and began sorting them. Buchanan watched curiously the various documents as they passed through his hands. Some of them were on parchment and suggested venerable histories, some of them were encased in modern envelopes, and some were on tinted note paper with heavily embossed monograms, suggesting histories equally alluring if less venerable. If those notes could speak the import of their contents, what a roar of guttural bassos, soaring sopranos, and impassioned contraltos and tenors there would be! And would the dominant note of the chorus be of Ares or Eros, he wondered? He was aroused from his speculations by the Count's slight exclamation when he found the paper he was hunting for. He unfolded a stiff sheet of note paper, and then folding it back so that only the signature was visible, sat down beside his guest. The signature, "Ludwig W.," stood out clearly from the paper he held. "Not Ludwig's, evidently," said the Count, "now we will look as to the other. I am sorry to say we have that, too." He opened the other paper he held, and folded it as he had done the first. The signature in this case was simply "Lola." "They seem to be identical. I fancied as much. It was Madame Montez' custom to take whatever she wanted from the royal library, and she seldom troubled herself to return it. The second name is only another evidence of her inordinate vanity, and they are too numerous to be of especial interest. I must apologize for showing you the signatures in this singularly unsatisfactory manner, but the contents of these communications were strictly personal, and, of course, were not addressed to me. I remember very little of the reign of the first Ludwig myself. There are a number of names among those papers that might interest you, if you care to see them and will omit the body of the documents. They are, many of them, papers that should never have been written at all. Such things are inevitable in very old families, though I could never understand their motive for preserving them. There is only one way to handle such things, and that is with absolute and unvarying care. To show them even to an appreciative friend is a form of blackmail. I dislike the responsibility of knowing their contents myself. I have not read any of them for years." "And yet you, too, keep them?" "Certainly, inbred tradition, I suppose. I have often intended to destroy them, but I have always deferred the actual doing of it. Since they have enabled me to be of some service to you, I am glad I have delayed the holocaust." The conventional ring of the last remark seemed to politely close all further serious discussion of the subject. Buchanan checked the question he had already mentally uttered, and taking a chair by the table, looked at the signatures his host selected. They were names that consumed him with an overwhelming curiosity and made his ears tingle and his checks burn; single names, most of them, those single names that Balzac said made the observer dream. As the Count took another package of documents from the box his fingers caught a small gold chain attached to some metallic object that rang sharply against the sides of the box as he lifted his hand. "The iron cross!" cried Buchanan involuntarily, with a quick inward breath. "Yes, it is one that I won on the field of Gravelotte years ago. It is my only contribution to this box. I have been a very ordinary man, Mr. Buchanan. In families like ours there must be some men who neither make nor break, but try to keep things together. That my efforts in that direction were somewhat futile was not entirely my fault. I had two brothers who bore the title before me; they were both talented men, and when my turn came there was very little left to save." "I fancied you had been more of a student than a man of affairs." "Student is too grave a word. I have always read; at one time I thought that of itself gave one a sufficient purpose, but like other things it fails one at last, at least the living interest of it. At present I am only a survivor. Here, where every one plays for some stake, I realize how nearly extinct is the class to which I belong, and that I am a sort of survival of the unfit, with no duty but to keep an escutcheon that is only a name and a sword that the world no longer needs. An old pagan back in Julian's time who still clung to a despoiled Olympus and a vain philosophy, dead as its own abstruse syllogisms, might have felt as I do when the new faith, throbbing with potentialities, was coming in. The life of my own father seems to be as far away as the lives of the ancient emperors. It is not a pleasant thing to be the last of one's kind. The tedium vitae descends heavily upon one." As the Count was speaking, they heard a ripple of loud laughter on the stairs and a rustle of draperies in the hall, and a tall blonde woman, dressed in a tight-fitting tailor-made gown, with a pair of long lavender gloves lying jauntily over her shoulder, entered and bowed graciously to the Count. "Bon soir, mon père , I was not aware you had company." There was in her voice that peculiarly hard throat tone that stage people so often use in conversation. "Mr. Buchanan, my daughter, Helena." Buchanan bowed and muttered a greeting, uncertain by just what title he should address her. "No Countess, if you please, Mr. Buchanan. Just plain Helena de Koch. Titles are out of date, and more than absurd in our case. I come from a rehearsal of a concert where I sing for money, attired in a ready-made gown, botched over by a tailor, to visit my respected parent in a fourth-rate lodging house, and you call me Countess! Could anything be more innately funny? Titles only go in comic opera now. I have often tried to persuade my father to content himself with Paul de Koch." The Count smiled. "My name was not mine to make, Helena, and I am not at all ashamed of it." The young lady's keen but rather indifferent eyes had dwelt on Buchanan but a moment, but he felt as though he had been inspected by a drill sergeant, and that no detail of his person or attire had escaped her. She glanced at the table and then at the Count. "So you have decided to become practical at last?" A shade of extreme annoyance swept quickly over the Count's face. He replied stiffly. "I have merely been showing Mr. Buchanan an autograph he wished to see." "O, so that is all! I might have known it. People do not recover from a mania in a day." She laughed rather unpleasantly and turned graciously to Buchanan. "Have you persuaded him to show you any of them? The contents are much more interesting than the autographs, rather side lights on history, you know." Her eyelid drooped a little with an insinuating glance, just enough to suggest a wink that did not come to pass, but he felt strangely repelled by even the suggestion. It must have been the connection that made it so objectionable, he reflected. She seemed to cheapen the Count and all his surroundings. "No, my interest goes no further than the autographs." "A polite prevarication, I imagine. You will have to get more in the shadow if you hide the curiosity in your eyes. I don't blame you, he found me reading them once, and all the old Koch temper came out. I never knew he had it until then. Our tempers and our title are the only remnants of our former glory. The one is quite as ridiculous as the other, since we have no one to get angry at but each other. Poverty has no right to indignation at all. I speak respectfully even to a cabman. Papa shows his superiority by having no cabman at all." "I think neither of you need do anything at all to show that," said Buchanan, politely. "O, come, you are all like impressarios, you Americans, and the further West one goes the worse it is. I never saw a manager who could resist a title; I only use mine on such occasions." Buchanan saw that his host looked ill at ease, so he endeavored to change the subject. "You sing, I believe?" "O, yes, in oratorio and concert. Cher papa will not hear of the opera. Oratorio seems to be the special retreat of decayed gentility. I don't believe in those distinctions myself; I have found that a title dating from the foundation of the Empire does not buy one a spring bonnet, and that one of the oldest names in Europe will not keep one in gloves. One of your clever Frenchmen said there is nothing in the world but money, the gallows excepted. But His Excellency here never quotes that. Papa is an aristocrat, while I am bourgeoise to the tips of my fingers." She waved her highly polished nails toward Buchanan. He thought that she could not have summarized herself better. The instinctive dislike he had always felt for her had been steadily growing into an aversion since she entered the room. It was by no means the first time he had seen her, she was almost a familiar figure about the boarding house, and often came to dine with the Count. Her florid coloring and elaborately blonde hair might have been said to be a general expression of her style. Under that yellow bang was a low straight forehead, and straight brows from behind which looked out a pair of blue eyes, large and full but utterly without depth, and cold as icicles, which seemed to be continually estimating the pecuniary value of the world. The cheeks were full and the chill decided in spite of its dimple. The upper lip was full and short and the nostril spare. They were scarcely the features one would expect to find in the descendant of an ancient house, seeming more accidental than formed by any perpetuated tendencies of blood. Her hands were broad and plump like her wrists. Mademoiselle was on almost familiar terms with the landlady of Crow's Nest, and Buchanan fancied that she was responsible for the bits of gossip concerning the Count that floated about the house and were daily rehearsed by the languid widow. The widow had gone so far as to darkly express her doubts as to this effulgent blonde being the Count's daughter at all, and Buchanan had been guilty of rather hoping that she was right. It would be rather less of a reflection on the Count, he thought. But tonight's conversation left him no room for doubt, and in watching the contrast between her full, florid countenance and the chastened face across the table, he wondered if the materialists of this world were always hale and full-fed, while the idealists were pale and gray as the shadows that kept them company. But one did not find time to muse much about anything in Mademoiselle de Koch's presence. "By the way, cher papa , you are coming tomorrow night to hear me sing that waltz song of Arditti's?" "Certainly, if you wish, but I am not fond of that style of music." "O, certainly not, that's not to be expected or hoped for, nothing but mossbacks. But, seriously, one cannot sing Mendelssohn or Haydn forever, and all the modern classics are so abominably difficult," said Mademoiselle, beginning to draw on her gloves, which Buchanan noticed were several sizes too small and required a great deal of coaxing. Indeed everything that Mademoiselle wore fit her closely. She was of that peculiar type of blonde loveliness which impresses one as being always on the verge of embonpoint , and its possessor seems always to be in a state of nervous apprehension lest she should cross the dead line and openly and fearlessly be called stout. At this juncture a gentle knock was heard at the door, and Mademoiselle remarked carelessly, "That's only Tony. Come in!" A gentleman entered and bowed humbly to Mademoiselle. He was a little tenor whom Buchanan remembered having seen before, and whose mild dark eyes and swarthy skin had given him a pretext to adopt an Italian stage name. He was a slight, narrow chested man and [had] a receding chin and a generally "professional" and foreign air which was unmistakably cultivated. "A charming evening, Count. Chicago weather is so seldom genial in the winter." After presenting him to Buchanan the Count answered him, "I have not been out, but it seems so here." "Doubtless, in Mademoiselle's society. But you are busy?" He glanced inquiringly at Mademoiselle. Buchanan fancied that the question was addressed to her rather than to the Count, and thought he intercepted an answering glance. "Not at all, we were merely amusing ourselves. Must you leave us already?" "I think Mademoiselle has another rehearsal. You know what it means to presume to keep pace with an art, eternal vigilance. There is no rest for the weary in our profession-not, at least, in this world." This was said with a weighty sincerity that almost provoked a smile from Buchanan. There are two words which no Chicago singer can talk ten minutes without using: "art" and "Chicago," and this gentleman had already indulged in both. "O, yes, we must be gone to practice the despised Arditti. Come tomorrow night if you can. Tony here will give you tickets. And if Mr. Buchanan should have nothing better to do, pray bring him with you." Buchanan assured her that he could have nothing more agreeable at any rate, and would be delighted to go. She took possession of the tenor and departed. II Harold Buchanan accompanied the Count next evening, and his impressions of Mademoiselle Helena de Koch were only intensified. She sang floridly and with that peculiar confidence which always seems to attend uncertain execution. She had a peculiar trick of just seeming to catch a note by the skirts and then falling back from it, just touching it, as it were, but totally unable to sustain it. More than that, her very unconsciousness of this showed that she had absolutely no musical sense. Buchanan was inclined to think that, next to her coarse disappreciation of her father, her singing was rather the worst feature about her. To sing badly and not to have perception enough to know it was such a bad index of one's mental and aesthetic constitution. After the concert they went up on the stage to see her, and she came forward to meet them, accompanied by the tenor, and greeted them graciously, bearing her blushing honors quite as thick upon her as if she had sung well. "It was nice of you to come. Did you catch my eye?" "I am still glowing with the pleasure of thinking I did so, but I was afraid perhaps it was only a delusion. One so often goes about puffed up over favors that were meant for the fellow back of him." "O, I hoped mine were more intelligible than that. But now you shall be rewarded for your patience. Tony and I are going to have a little supper down at Kingsley's, and you must come, just us, you know. Papa may come to chaperone us, if it is not too late for him." The Count hastily excused himself, and indeed he must have been very dense to have accepted such a hostile invitation, even from his own daughter. But Buchanan had already bowed his acceptance, and felt that it was too late to retreat. Reluctantly he accompanied Mademoiselle and the silent tenor, and saw the Count depart alone. And yet, he reflected, this merciful intervention would relieve him from the awkward necessity of discussing the concert with his friend. When they were seated at Kingsley's and had given their orders, it struck him that Mademoiselle had some purpose in bringing him, for it soon became obvious that the tenor's charms were of that nature which one usually prefers to enjoy alone. What this might be, however, did not at once appear. She discussed current music and light opera in quite an amiable and disinterested manner, and for a time contented herself with this. "You are a journalist, I believe, Mr. Buchanan?" "Scarcely, yet. That is one of the many things I would like to be." "You are a Chicago man, at any rate?" inquired the tenor. "Well, one of the queer things about Chicago is that no one is really a native. I have lived here a good deal, off and on. My father used to be in business here before I went East to school. Just at present I want to get into something, and I think that lightning is about as likely to strike one here as any where." "More likely! Chicago is the place for young talent. I have found so. They want new blood and new ideas. Success comes sooner and more directly here than elsewhere in your profession as in my own. I would rather sing to a Chicago audience than any other, and I think I have been before most of the best ones in this country." When the taciturn gentleman spoke at all it was of one all-important theme. Indeed, do tenors ever talk of anything else? Art et moi; L'art, c'est moi! "O, Tony here takes things too seriously. 'Life is a plaything, life is a toy!' You have sung that often enough to believe it a little by this time. By the way, Mr. Buchanan, have you been down to hear the threadbare Robin Hood? O, no, I never go; there are no light operas worth hearing except those of the Viennese. Think of that odious waltz song, ta, ta, ta-ta-te, ta; ta-ta-te, ta, ta, ta!" Buchanan looked apprehensively about at the other supper parties in the room, and wished she would not sing so loud. But she went merrily on. "I can endure everything American except American music, and the less said of it the better. By the way, don't you think I have taken to your language rather kindly? Of course I learned English when I was a child, but I had to learn American after arriving, and I assure you that is quite another language." "I was just thinking that you were quite wonderful in that respect. I should never know you were not one of us; you have all the sermo familiaris even to our local touches." "O yes, I went at your slang as conscientiously as if it were grammar. That is the characteristic part of a language, anyway." When their order arrived, the drift of the talk changed. "You see a good deal of papa, Mr. Buchanan?" "Not half so much as I want to." "I am glad you like him; he is very lonely and has those antiquated class notions about mixing up with people." "I have always felt that and have been a little bit backward. I don't want to seem to intrude." "O, you need never be afraid of that; he likes you immensely. We've heard lots about you, haven't we, Tony?" "Most enthusiastic and flattering accounts," responded that gentleman, looking up a moment from his lobster. We have thought about suggesting something, Mr. Buchanan, that might be immensely to your advantage. You are a young literary man, waiting to make a hit like all the rest of us. Now let me tell you something; if you can work papa, your fame is ready made for you." "Well, if I could find any fame of that variety, I would be willing to pay pretty dearly for it. I had about decided that the virgin article was not lying about in very extensive deposits." "Well, it is, just in chunks, inside of that box you saw the other night. He has hundreds of papers there that would turn the court history of Europe for the last century upside down. I know whereof I speak. His friends have urged him to publish them for the last twenty years, and I-but, of course, men never listen to their daughters. Of course he wouldn't care to edit them himself, his everlasting name, you know. But you are a practical literary man and know what fin de siècle taste demands, and if you could sort of combine forces, I have an idea it would be a great thing for both of you." "But," protested Buchanan, "your father assured me those documents were of a wholly private nature." "Of course they are. That's the sort of history that goes now-a-days. It's the sort of thing that sells and that people read, 'something spicy,' they call it. You could edit them with historical notes to give tone to the thing, you know. Of course you would have to overcome innumerable scruples on papa's part. Go at it in the name of art and history and all that. He is unyielding in his notions about such things, but if there is any living man who can do it, you are the man!" She had quite forgotten now the calm indifference of her first method of attack; her lips were set and her eyes biting keen. Buchanan could not help noticing how she leaned forward and how tightly she held her fork. Evidently this plan was not a new one. There was a purpose in those hard eyes that could not be new. He shifted his position slightly. "I would rather you would leave me and my interests out of the question, Miss de Koch, though don't think I don't appreciate your kindness in thinking of me. If there is anything in the papers themselves to justify their publication, why does your father object to it?" "O, he considers people's feelings-much they've ever considered ours! Of course it would make big scandals all over Europe, and no end of a fuss. There would be answers, denials, refutations; the national museums would be ransacked for counter-proofs. That one book would bring out a dozen. Just think of it, a grand wholesale exposé of all the courts of Europe, hailing from image-breaking Chicago! It's your chance of fame, young man, and as for money, we'd all be throwing it at the birdies in six months." She had dropped the pass word of the conspiracy. Buchanan began to feel less at sea. "Of course there would be grave considerations attending the publication of such matter." "Not a bit of it. This is an age of disillusionment. William Tell was a myth, Josephine only a Creole coquette, and Shakespeare wasn't Shakespeare at all. This generation wants to get at the bottom of things. Now it's not the man who can invent a romance, but the man who can explode one who holds the winning card," she touched him lightly on the shoulder. "It's a good deal as you say, undoubtedly. But I doubt the dignity, or even the decency of it." She put her glass down impatiently. "That all may be, but when we are in Rome we must be either Romans or provincials. You must give the people what they want. Really, now, don't you like to get a tip on those old figurehead guys yourself, just to get even with them by shaking them off their pedestals a little? They were all very common clay like the rest of us." Buchanan leaned back in his chair and decided to gain time and measure, if he could, the depth of the conspiracy sprung upon him. Mademoiselle was aglow with excitement, and even her gentleman-in-waiting had forgotten his supper, and his mild eyes were flashing with the first animation he had displayed. "Well," he said, amused in spite of himself, "I have often thought I should like to get behind the scenes in history and see how all the great effects were really produced. How the tragic buskin is worn to make men look taller than they are, by what wires the angels are carried up to their apotheosis, and where the unfortunates go when they disappear through the trap. It would be a satisfaction to know just how often simpletons are cast for heroic parts, and great men for trivial ones, how often Hamlet and the grave digger ought to change places. I have even thought I would like to go into the dressing-room, and see just how the conventional historic puppets were made up; see the real head under the powdered wig and the real cheek under the rouge. And yet I am not anxious to be wholly disillusioned. If Caesar without his toga would not be Caesar, I would rather stay down in the orchestra chairs. I don't care to read a history of Napoleon written by his valet." "Come, you know all this is moonshine. Nobody believes those things now-a-days. The more you take the halo from those fellows, the more popular you make them. A new scandal about Napoleon gives him a new lease of life. It revives the interest. Who would ever know anything about Rousseau, if it wasn't for his 'Confessions'? That keeps him popular; even my hairdresser reads it." "Of course it is something to have immortality among hairdressers." "It's very much better than having none at all, and being on the shelf all around. You are a young man with your mark to make, and you've got to meet the world on its own ground and give it what it wants, or it'll have none of you. If you take the people's money, you ought to cater to their tastes, that's fair enough. You cannot afford to be an old fogy, you have too much future. You see where it has put papa. Do you want to be stranded in Crow's Nest all your life, say fifty years of it? Chances to take the world by the horns do not occur every day; if you let them go by, you have a good long time for reflection, a lifetime, generally. One chance for one man, you know." "I know that only too well, but I can't see that this is in any sense my chance. It's wholly your father's affair." "Make it yours. Let's get to something definite; don't let him put you off with high sounding words; they aren't in the modern vocabulary and don't mean anything. Now you'll take up this matter? There is only one man in a thousand I would speak to openly in this way, but I have every faith in your ability. When things become definite, if papa is elusive about the business features of it, you and I can arrange that together." Buchanan crumpled his napkin and threw it on the table. "I am sorry, but I am afraid that you have misplaced your confidence; that is, you have expected too much of me. I am not an enterprising man, or a very practical one; if I were I would already have some legitimate occupation. I seem to be rather another case of the round block versus the square hole, and decidedly I can't fit into this. I could never propose such a thing to your father. If he ever speaks to me on the subject I will be frank enough, I promise you, but further than that I cannot pledge myself. Moreover, I doubt my own ability to either gauge the popular taste or fill its demands." Mademoiselle's amiability at once disappeared, and she took no pains to conceal the fact that she considered him both ungracious and ungrateful, though she vented her displeasure principally upon her dusky minion, the tenor, who was struggling with her rubbers. From the dogged look on his face, Buchanan imagined that that silent gentleman would one day avenge the tyrannies of his apprenticeship. Feeling very much as though he had obtained a supper under false pretenses, he said good night. As he lit his cigar in the street, and faced the cold wet wind that blew in from the lake, he muttered to himself, "Of all mercenary creatures! it's loathsome enough in a man, but in a woman--bah, it's positively reptilian! I don't believe she has a drop of the old man's blood in her body." III Some way his very aversion to the daughter drew Buchanan's sympathies more than ever to the Count. He found himself in the evening instinctively pausing at the Count's door, and when he went out to hear music or to see a play he felt more at ease when the Count was with him. He was of that temperament which quickly learns to depend on others. During their talks and rambles about the theatres he learned a good deal of the Count's history. Not directly, as the old gentleman seldom talked about himself, but in scrappy fragments that he mentally sorted and expanded into a biography. He learned how Paul had been born in the Winter Palace at St. Petersburg, where his father had superintended the education of the Czar Nicholas' sons. He had been considered rather dull socially in his youth, and had been kept in the background in a military school at Leipsic, while his two elder brothers spent his substance and amassed colossal debts in a manner that demonstrated their social talents to the world. After a good deal of reckless living, William had been killed in a duel about some vague diplomatic matter, and Nicholas by some accident at the races. When Paul at last came in to his shorn and parceled patrimony, he did something that established all the charges of imbecility that had been made against him; he sold the Koch estates and paid the Koch debts, the first time they had been paid in three centuries. By such an unheard of proceeding he at once lost caste in the diplomatic circles of the continent. To part with his family estates, to sell the home of the Counts de Koch to pay tradespeople and laborers, it was really more than well conducted society could be expected to condone. So Paul drifted to America, not until after the death of his wife, though of his wife he never spoke except formally. When he considered the daughter, Buchanan could not wonder at his reticence. The man's quiet charm, his distinctive fineness of life and thought meant a great deal to a young man like Buchanan. They helped him to keep his standards and his tastes clean at a despondent age when that is sometimes difficult to do. It was certainly a strange thing to find this instinctive autocrat, this type of an effete nobility in that city of all cities, in Chicago, where the Present and the Practical are apotheosized and paid divine honors. But, then, what can one not find in Chicago? He never stepped, without feeling the contrast, from the hurried world of barter and trade into the quiet of that little room where memories and souvenirs of other times and another world were kept hidden, as, in the days of their far captivity in the city of Baal, the Jews kept the sacred vessels of their pillaged temple. One night, as he was indulging in his reprehensible habit of reading in bed, Buchanan heard a hurried knock at his door. At his bidding the Count entered. He was still in street dress, hat in hand, pale and in evident excitement. His hair was disordered and his forehead shone with moisture. He would not sit down, but went straight up to the bed and grasped Buchanan's hand. Buchanan felt that his was trembling and cold. "My friend," he spoke thickly, "I need you tonight, the letters... the box... it is gone." "The box? O, yes, the steel chest, but how, where, what do you mean?" "When I came to my rooms tonight, I opened the drawer of the chiffonier. It was a most unusual thing, it must have been instinct, those letters are the only things left to watch. They should have been in a vault, I know, but I kept delaying. When I opened the drawer they were gone." "This is serious. What can you do?" "I must go out at once. You have retired and I would not disturb you for any trivial matter, but this-this is the honor of my family! Great God! The descendants of those people are living in Europe today, living honorably and bearing great names. You hear me? Those letters must not get abroad. They would shake men's faith in God and make them curse their mothers." Buchanan was already dressing. Suddenly he stopped short and dropped his shoe on the floor. Who knew where you kept them? Do you suspect any one who was interested?" The Count's voice was almost inaudible as he answered, "I think, Mr. Buchanan, we must first go to my daughter's rooms. It is with regret and shame that I drag you into this; it is terrible enough for me." He stood with his eyes downcast, like one in bitter shame. Buchanan had never noticed that he was so old a man before. He felt that nothing could be said that would not be more than superfluous. When he finished dressing, the Count remarked, "Put on your ulster, it is cold." They went softly downstairs and hailed a cab. During the drive the Count said nothing. Buchanan could see by the flash of the street lights as they passed them that his head was sunk on his breast. Only once he broke the silence by a sort of despairing groan. Buchanan guessed that some memory which bore immediately upon the grief of the moment had suddenly arisen before him. Perhaps it was one of those casual actions which we scatter so recklessly in our youth, and which, grown monstrous like the creature of Frankenstein, rise up to shame us in our age and spread desolation which we are powerless to check. When they reached the house, Buchanan saw that the windows of the third floor were lighted, while the rest of the house was in darkness. It was easy to guess on which floor Mademoiselle de Koch resided. After repeated ringing, a sleepy servant maid opened the door. The Count asked no questions, but simply gave his name and passed upstairs, while the maid gathered her disheveled robes about her and stumbled down the hallway. The knock at Mademoiselle de Koch's door was greeted by a cheerful "Entrez!" The open door revealed Mademoiselle attired in a traveling dress with a pile of letters on the desk before her, and a pen in her hand. A half packed valise lay open on the bed, and her trunks were strapped as though for sudden departure. On seeing her visitors she gave a start of surprise, followed by a knowing glance, and then was quite at her ease. She would make a good defence, Buchanan suspected. "Ah, it is you, cher papa , and you have brought company. Well, it is not exactly a conventional hour, but you are always welcome. I am delighted, Mr. Buchanan. Papa's chaperonage is certainly sufficient, even at three in the morning, so be seated." The Count closed the door and met her. "Helena, you know why I have come and what you must do. There is no need of expletives." "Not for you, perhaps, but I insist upon an explanation. What do you mean? I am at your service, as always, but I do not understand." "This scene is disgraceful enough. I will allow you to spare yourself any explanations. I want the letters you took from my room. I will have them so make no ado about it." "You speak to me, sir, as though I were a chambermaid; you accuse me of taking your letters. What letters? I did not know you had correspondence so delicate now. Fie, papa! D'Albert said you were in your dotage ten years ago, but I have done you the honor to think him mistaken. Please do not altogether destroy my faith in you, I have so few illusions left at best." The sneer in that last sentence made Buchanan shiver as with a chill. "I have not come to bandy words with you, Helena, nor to sermonize. You have never known what honor means. That is a distinction which cannot be taught. Don't try to act with me. I will take what I have come for, and leave you to your own felicitous philosophy of life, which I thank God is not mine. Give me the key of your trunk." "Really, Your Excellency, this is quite too much. I shall do nothing of the sort. Come back tomorrow and I will do anything within reason. At present you are simply insane with anger, after the charming manner of your house." "Then in just three minutes Mr. Buchanan will call an officer." She started visibly, "You would not dare, pride-if nothing else-" "I have no pride but the honor of my house. Quick, there is a law which can touch even you. Law was made for such as you." The man of pale reflection was no more. This was the man of the iron cross who had led the charge on the field of Gravelotte. Slowly, sullenly, she reached for her purse, and biting her lips handed him the key. "Now, Mr. Buchanan, if you will assist me." He went quickly and deftly to the bottom of the trunk, almost without disturbing the clothing, and drew out the box, wrapped in numberless undergarments. After opening it and assuring himself as to the contents, he closed the trunk and Buchanan strapped it up. Mademoiselle, who had returned to her seat and was making a pretense of writing, dropped her pen with a fierce exclamation. "What is this honor you are always ranting about? Is it to leave your daughter to pick up her living as she may, to whine about beasts of managers, and go begging for fourth-rate engagements, when you might have supported her by the sale of a few scandalous letters? A fine sort of code to make all this racket about! Fine words will not conceal ugly facts. The Count straightened himself as under a blow, "Stop! since you will drag out this whole ugly matter; you know that if you would have lived as I have had to live there would have been enough. As long as there was a picture, a vase, a jewel left, you know where they went. You took until there was no more to take. I simply have nothing but the pension. Even now my home is open to you, but I cannot keep you in yours. Will you never understand, I simply have no money! You know why I came here and why I must die here. When there was money what use did you make of it? Why is it that neither of us will ever dare to show our faces on the Continent again, that we tremble at the name of a continental newspaper? You remember that heading in Figaro ? It will stare me in my grave! 'Adventuress!' Great God, it was true!" His voice broke, and his white head sank on his breast in an attitude of abject shame and anguish. Buchanan put his hand before his eyes to shut out the sight of it. But again that rasping pitiless woman's voice broke on his ear. "And who began it all, by selling my inheritance over my head? Was it yours to sell?" The Count spoke quietly now and his voice was steady. "For the moment you brought back the old shame, and I almost pitied you and myself again. Generally I simply forget it; you have exhausted my power to suffer. I never feel. Helena, there is nothing I can say to you, for we have no language in common. Words do not mean the same to us. Good night." She sprang from her seat and stood with clenched hands. "Those papers do not belong to you. They are ancient history, and they belong to the world!" "They are the follies of men, and they belong to God," said the Count as he closed the door. As they reached the cab he spoke heavily, "It was ungenerous of me to drag you into this, but I did not feel equal to it alone." "I think that good friends need not explain why they need each other, even if they know themselves," said Buchanan gently. When they were in the cab he felt as though he ought to speak of something. He was afraid that perhaps the Count had not noticed it. "Miss de Koch's trunks were packed. Is she going away?" The Count sighed wearily and leaned back in his seat, speaking so low that Buchanan had to lean forward to catch his words above the rumble of the cab. "Yes, I saw. It is probably an elopement-the tenor. But I am helpless. I have no money. What she said was true enough; I am no more successful as a father than I was as a nobleman. And I have been mad enough to wish that I had sons! It is a terrible thing, this degeneration of great families. You are very happy to see nothing of it here. The rot begins inside and is hidden for a time, but it demonstrates itself even physically at last. My ancestors had the frames of giants, field marshals and generals, all of them. We were all dwarfs, exhausted physically from the first, frayed ends of the strands of a great skein. Even my father was a slight man, always ill. My brothers were men of no principle, but they at least preserved the traditions. Nicholas was killed at the races, like a common jockey. In me it showed itself in my marriage. Before that the men of our house had at least chosen gentlewomen as their wives; they acknowledged the obligation. But this, even I never thought it would come to this. My mother would have starved with my father, begged in the streets, even lived at Crow's Nest, but she would never have thought of this. The possibility would never have occurred to her. I am the last of them. Helena will hardly choose a domestic career. Our little comedy is over, it is time the lights were out; the fifth act has dragged out too long. I am in haste to give back to the earth this blood I carry and free the world from it. In it is inherent failure, germinal weakness, madness, and chaos. When all sense of honor dies utterly out of an old stock, there is nothing left but annihilation. It should be buried deep, deep as they bury victims of a plague, blotted out like the forgotten dynasties of history." * The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 was officially known as the World's Columbian Exposition. ** Nellie Melba (1861-1931), Australian opera star. *** Lola Montez, mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, controlled the Bavarian government in 1847. She was ousted by Austrian and Jesuit influences in 1848, and King Ludwig abdicated in favor of his son the same year. First published in Home Monthly , VI (September, October, 1896), 9-11; 12-13, 22-23. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Count of Monte Cristo by: Alexandre Dumas The Story of Edmond Dantès, the Sailor, who Becomes the Rich & Powerful Count of Monte Cristo and Takes Revenge on all his Enemies. Chesky Hoffman June 17, 1996 Dr. Goodale In this essay I will show how Edmond Dantès punishes his four enemies with relation to their specific ambitions. Edmond is sent to jail due to his enemies' jealousy. After he escapes he becomes rich and powerful and gets back at them. Before I relate to you how Dantès gets back at his enemies I would like to familiarize you with the story. The story describes the life of its main character Edmond Dantès. He is promoted to captain of his ship. This promotion ignites the jealousy of his fellow shipmate Danglars. Dantès is then falsely accused of being a Bonapartist. This means he sides with Napoleon Bonaparte and is committing treason against his own king. He is sent to a prison called the Château d'If. The Château d'If was surrounded by water and was known as a place of no return. When Dantès escapes, he takes revenge against his four enemies who conspired against him to send him to prison, in the manner of an eye for and eye. These four conspirators are Danglars, Caderousse, Fernand Mondago, and Villefort. In order to take revenge on his four enemies, Dantès uses a variety of names and disguises. The main new identity he uses for himself is The Count of Monte Cristo. Danglars, as mentioned above, was the Count's shipmate when his name was still Edmond Dantès. When Edmond went to jail, Danglars ran away and became very rich. Caderousse was a tailor. He was also the Count's father's landlord and once the count was sent to prison, Caderousse allowed Dantès' father to starve to death. Fernand Mondago was in love with the count's fiancee Mercédès. When the Count was sent to jail Fernand married her on the pretext that the count would not return. These three enemies all got together one night and were all responsible for writing an incriminating letter about the Count to his fourth enemy, Monsieur De Villefort, who was the city's temporary prosecutor at the time. He was responsible for the actual sending of the Count to prison. After the Count escaped from prison, he discovered that all his enemies had moved to Paris. He became acquainted with people from that city and eventually moved there so that he could have his revenge. The revenge taken on Danglars matches the crime which he committed toward the Count. When Danglars wrote the incriminating letter about the Count, calling him a Bonapartist, his intention was to get the Count's position as Captain of the ship for himself. This shows how power hungry he was. In order for the Count to take proper revenge on this man, he recalled Danglars's great lust for power and decided to gradually diminish Danglars' wealth. This in turn made Danglars lose his reputation as a good banker. As a result, Danglars had to run away from the embarrassment of losing all of his power and high stature. We see the same concept of 'an eye for and eye' played out in the Count's revenge toward Caderousse. When the Count escaped from jail he remembered what a love for money Caderousse had. Therefore he brought Caderousse a diamond. When an appraiser came to Caderousse's house, he paid for the diamond and then stayed for the night. In middle of the night Caderousse killed the appraiser and took both the diamond and the money paid for it. He was caught and sentenced to hard labor in prison. The Count chose this form of revenge because he knew that Caderousse could not resist the temptation of extra money. The Count punished him in this fashion because Caderousse took away all the money that Dantès left for his father. This loss of money caused Dantès' father to starve to death. The Count understood Caderousse's greed and punished him through it. The Count took revenge on Fernand Mondego by causing his wife Mercédès and son Albert to leave home. To do this, the Count introduced Albert to Danglars's daughter. The couple became engaged. A few days before the wedding was to take place, Danglars asked the Count for information about Fernand. The Count told him to send a letter to where Fernand worked as guard for the Ali Pasha. When Danglars received a reply to his letter, the news spread quickly that Fernand was a traitor and let the enemy become victorious. The Pasha entrusted Fernand with his wife and daughter. Fernand sold them indirectly to the Count. The main point of this punishment was to make Mercédès and Albert leave Fernand. This punishment relates to Fernand's ambitions because the Count thought about how back in Marseilles Fernand took away his family (Mercédès and his father). In getting his revenge, the Count causes Fernand to lose his family. Villefort was a loyalist, His father was a Bonapartist. He was always trying to get the favor of the King so that he could get an even higher position. One way to accomplish this task was to find Bonapartists and put them in jail. Villefort sent the Count to jail only because the latter knew that Villefort's father was a Bonapartist. When he sent the Count to prison he thought he was covering up his secret about his father for good by burying the Count in the Château d'If. Then the Count reappeared. In his revenge toward Villefort, the Count uncovered a secret which Villefort thought was literally buried many years ago. The Count discovered the secret of an illegitimate child which had been born of a union between Villefort and Madame Danglars. Villefort had buried the child alive, but someone had rescued him. The Count of Monte Cristo disgraced Villefort by revealing the secret of his illegitimate child to the public. This method of revenge was symbolic. Villefort thought he had buried the disgrace of his dead son forever. He also thought he had "buried" the secret of his father, the Bonapartist, by sending Edmond Dantès, the one who knew his secret, to the Château d'If. Edmond came back from the dead as did Villefort's son. We see from this story that it is not wise to take revenge. It is up to G-d to decide what each person deserves. In our story, a man named Edmond Dantès thought it wise to take revenge on his enemies. He took revenge on each person in a way that related to the way they originally conspired against him. However, at the end, instead of feeling good about himself, he felt confused. On the one hand he got back at his enemies, but on the other hand, he lost the affection of Mercédès, whom he loved. He then recognized that if a person does take revenge into his own hands, G-d now has a way of punishing him. Edmond Dantès ruined everyone who hurt him and in the process, he ruined himself. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Crash.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ........ as Jesse stumbled down the stairs, he could hear the weeping and he knew that something had gone wrong. He cried out, "what's going on?" "Jesse this is officer Potter, and he would like to talk to you," wept his grandmother. "What's the problem officer?' mumbled Jesse half asleep, rubbing his eyes. "Well, Jesse I don't know how to tell you this, but this morning on I-43 your dad was in a very terrible accident. He was hit by a semi truck heading south on the interstate. And when we arrived upon the scene, your father was found dead." Stammered the nervous rookie cop. "Oh God, oh God, who did this?...........how did?.......why?.... .............. I have to get out of here." Cried Jesse with a face full of tears. "Jesse come back here!" Sobbed his grandmother. Jesse then took off, and he told no one where he was going. So now there is a grandmother weeping, a nervous rookie cop, and an upset missing teenager; what is the family to do now. They just lost their dad, and son, and now his child has taken off. Talk about a nightmare of a morning. After Jesse took off his grandmother sat there on the couch, clutching the work shirt of her dead son crying, "Oh Edward, Oh Edward." The cries echoed through the empty house as the grandmother sat there in tears. "How could this have happened?" Thought Jesse to himself, "he was just in Green Bay and now he's dead. Who did this? They will get theirs." The only thing that kept Jesse going was his hatred. He had to devise a plan to get back at the person who did this. The only thing he could think of was to repay blood for blood. Jesse didn't know the exact details of the accident, but when he found out he erupted into a fit of rage. "So the driver of the semi fell asleep behind the wheel, huh? I tell you what, he better not fall asleep tonight. There is one pissed of kid coming for him." As Jesse sat at home devising a plan to pay back 'blood for blood', his grandmother is planning out the arrangements for the funeral. Jesse's plan sounds so simple and fool proof that even a child could pull this off. His idea was to wait until about 1 o'clock in the morning and break into his house and deal with him in an inhumane manner. All through his life Jesse had a fascination with torture. So for this situation he would bring out the art of Chinese torture. Chinese torture is when small blades are used and little cuts are made on the body, and the person bleeds to death in enormous pain. Time passes by and it is about the hour of 12 o'clock, Jesse begins to make his way to the murder's house, and thoughts of his dad go racing through his mind. On the way there he breaks down into a tremendous sob. He gets very short of breath and his face is soaking wet from the cascade of tears running down his face; all of a sudden, he sees the truck driver's house. His sobbing stops instantly and a look of hatred flashes across his face, just like some one hit a switch. At this time he had no feelings, his heart was made of stone, he had to do what he set out to do, KILL! As he walked through the field near by, he could hear a dog barking in the distance near the man's house. Jesse, on a mission, ignored the warning signs of the dog and continued on. As he crawled through the window into the living room, he could hear the victim snoring in the bedroom. He entered the darkened room, gun in hand, and hit the switch. "Wake the hell up!" Roared out Jesse in the blinding light. "So now how does it feel to be helpless, and knowing that you are about to die." "Who are you? Whimpered the semi driver. "You killed my dad you bastard! And a gun shot rang through the empty house. The shot grazed the left leg of the truck driver, leaving him in total shock. He was over come by the pain and he passed out on the bed, this allowed Jesse to tie him down to start the torture. As Jesse made the first slit in the truck drivers side, it sent his victim screaming in pain. "What the fuck, why are you doing this? Groaned the truck driver. "So you can feel the pain that you gave me, and the pain you caused my dad before he died. So I am going to enjoy this cause right now it's the only thing that makes me feel good, and boy am I having fun right now." Slit by slit, the truck driver wailed out in pain, until the moans became faint, slower..............slower....................softer......................softer................................ until they stopped. All that is left is a bloody mess and no traces of who did it. A smile cracked Jesse's face as he left the room, and as he strolled out of the house you could hear him mumble, "I hope you rot in Hell!" f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The crucible The characters.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Crucible: Characters Chetan Patel The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller that was first produced in 1953, is based on the true story of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Miller wrote the play to parallel the situations in the mid-twentieth century of Alger Hiss, Owen Latimore, Julius and Ethel Rosenburg, and Senator McCarthy, if only suggestively. (Warshow 116) Some characters in the play have specific agendas carried out by their accusations, and the fact that the play is based on historical truth makes it even more intriguing. The characters in this play are simple, common people. The accused are charged and convicted of a crime that is impossible to prove. The following witchcraft hysteria takes place in one of America's wholesome, theocratic towns, which makes the miscarriage of justice such a mystery even today. The reasons the villains select the people they do for condemnation are both simple and clear. All of the accusers have ulterior motives, such as revenge, greed, and covering up their own behavior. Many of the accusers have meddled in witchcraft themselves, and are therefore doubly to be distrusted. (Warshow 116) The court convicts the victims on the most absurd testimony, and the reader has to wonder how the judges and the townspeople could let such a charade continue. The leading character of the play is John Proctor, a man who often serves as the only voice of reason in the play. He had an affair with Abigail Williams, who later charges his wife with witchcraft. Proctor is seemingly the only person who can see through the children's accusations. The reader sees him as one of the more "modern" figures in the trials because he is hardheaded, skeptical, and a voice of common sense. He thinks the girls can be cured of their "spells" with a good whipping. (Warshow 114) At the end of the play, Proctor has to make a choice. He can either confess to a crime he is innocent of to save himself from execution, or die proclaiming his innocence. He ends up choosing death because a false confession would mean implicating other accused people, including Rebecca Nurse. (Rovere 2632) Proctor feels she is good and pure, unlike his adulterous self, and does not want to tarnish her good name and the names of his other innocent friends by implicating them. (Warshow 117) By choosing death, Proctor takes the high road and becomes a true tragic hero. The reader feels that his punishment is unjust (especially since the crime of witchcraft is imagined and unprovable.) Because the trials take place in a Christian, American town, the reader must then wonder if anything like this could happen in his or her own time. This is particularly true of people who saw the play when it first came out, in the era of McCarthyism. Ann and Thomas Putnam are two instigators of the witchcraft hysteria in the play. Ann Putnam is the one who first plants the idea that Betty is bewitched. Her motivation for lying is obvious; she needs to cover up her own behavior. After all, she had sent her daughter to Tituba to conjure up the dead in order to find out what happened to her dead babies. She can't have it said that she, a Christian woman, practices the pagan art with a slave from Barbados, or that her daughter's illness is her fault because she sent her to participate in the black art, so she blames others. (Warshow 113) Revenge is another motive of hers. Tituba's tricks led her to the conclusion that her babies were murdered while under the care of a midwife, Goody Osburn. Osburn is later accused of witchcraft. Ann Putnam's husband also influences her. (Rovere 2632) Thomas Putman had nominated his wife's brother-in-law, James Bayley, to be the minister of Salem. He was qualified and the people voted him in, but a faction stopped his acceptance. Thomas Putnam felt superior to most people in the village, and was angry that they rejected his choice for minister. He was also involved in a land dispute with Francis Nurse, whose wife Rebecca is accused of witchcraft. This is detailed in the movie Three Sovereigns for Sarah, which shows basically the same story as the play. Many people died because of Thomas Putnam's land hunger. The Putnams, driven by their need for revenge and their greed, contributed to the huge travesty of justice that was the Salem Witch Trails. The motive of Abigail Williams is equally easy to decipher. Abigail is the ringleader of the group of girls who testify in court against those accused of witchcraft. She and John Proctor had an affair previously, when she worked as a servant in his home, and she obviously does not want it to be over. She says to him, "I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near! Or did I dream that? It's she [Elizabeth] that put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!" (Miller 20) Elizabeth, Proctor's wife, had fired Abigail as their servant because she suspected the affair. Clearly, Abigail despises her. She tells Proctor, "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her!" (Miller 21) Abigail is obviously furious with Elizabeth because she feels Elizabeth has cut off her relationship with John and soiled her reputation in the village. Abigail uses the witchcraft mess to get back at Elizabeth. Of course, Elizabeth Proctor is charged with witchcraft. In 1692, the real historical Abigail Williams was about eleven years old. Why, then, does Arthur Miller decide to make her a young woman of eighteen or nineteen for this play? He does this in order to invent an adulterous relationship between Abigail and John Proctor. This relationship motivates her denunciation of John and Elizabeth Proctor. This offers an easily theatrical motive for one of his characters. (Warshow 114) It also makes Abigail seem like a cold, calculated adult. This is more like an element of twentieth century entertainment than of a theocracy in 1692, but Miller has to appeal to his audience to make the play popular in 1953. The rest of the girls in the play, including Susanna Walcott, Mercy Lewis, Mary Warren, and Betty Parris, are all covering up for their own actions. Abigail herself admits that they were dancing in the woods, and Parris says they were naked. The girls had been asking the slave, Tituba, to conjure spells, and Parris finds out about it. He says, "And what shall I say to them? That my daughter and my niece I discovered dancing like heathen in the forest?" (Miller 7) And then, "My own household is discovered to be the very center of some obscene practice. Abominations are done in the forest--" (Miller 8) The children know that they are going to be punished for their behavior, and they make up the stories that they were bewitched to place the blame elsewhere. When greedy people like the Putnams start encouraging them, it becomes easier to lie and they begin to enjoy all the attention and power they hold. They are probably also afraid of Abigail. After a while, she makes it impossible for the other girls to retract their accusations. When Mary Warren tries to tell the truth, Abigail accuses her of witchcraft, too. The girls find themselves stuck in a trap of their own making, and in the witchcraft game until the end. (Rovere 2632) Reverend Samuel Parris allows the witchcraft hysteria to go on because it helps him. At the beginning of the play he asks Abigail, "Do you understand that I have many enemies? There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit. Do you understand that?" Everyone in the town did not receive Parris well, and he feels like he has "fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people" to him. (Miller 9) The witchcraft charade unites the people of the town to him. In this time of spiritual crisis, they look to their minister for guidance and support. Parris is now getting the following he never had before. It is for this selfish reason that he allows the witch hunt to continue, even though he knows it is not valid. (Warshow 117) The characters in The Crucible are interesting and easy to read. The victims of the witch trails are innocent, spiritual people who are wronged because of their accusers' greed, vengefulness, and need to cover up for their own actions. The deep involvement of the accusers, especially Abigail, and the lengths they will go to in order to continue their charade make the play absorbing and haunting. Works Cited Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Toronto: Bantam, 1959. Rovere, Richard. "Arthur Miller's Conscience." 1957. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Warshow, Robert. "The Liberal Conscience in "The Crucible." 1962. Ed. Robert W. Corrigan. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1969. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Dark House.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Story e - The dark house by Tom-Inge Earlier today, John and I were taking a walk in the outskirts of the town, when we saw an old house on top of a hill. I wanted to take a closer look at it, but John looked a little spooked, and mumbled something about not wanting to go there. I convinced him that there was nothing to be afraid of, it's just an old house which haven't been occupied for a while, though I wasn't sure whether someone really was living there. We walked up the driveway, up to the house. It was huge. The place looked deserted, the grass wasn't mowed for ages, and everything was a mess. John chew nails like crazy, but I still wanted to check this place out. The door was made of wood, and looked like it could fall apart any minute. I tried to turn the door knob, but it fell off as soon as I touched it. The knob rolled down the steps and kept on rolling down the driveway, and stopped by the fence. That didn't make John feel any better at all. He looked like he had seen a ghost. I took a deep breath, and pushed the door. It wouldn't budge an inch. "Help me out", I said, but John kept chewing his nails. God knows why, there was nothing to be scared of. Or was it? I took a step backwards, and then kicked the door. It slowly slid open, and I went inside. "Wow! What a huge mansion we've got here!" John took a peek into the house, but didn't dare go inside. There was a huge hall in the middle of the house, with staircases to my left and right. I went right ahead, towards a glass door in front of me. It wasn't locked, so I carefully turned the knob, and the door opened. Suddenly I felt someone touch my shoulder. I turned around immediately to see, but there was nobody there. "Probably just my imagination", I said to myself, and went on into the room. It was a lounge, with some impressive furniture, antiques and other objects. It was a lot to look at, and I yelled for John. He didn't reply, so I went to check on him. All I found outside the house was a shoe, and his necklace. I couldn't quite understand what was going on. If he'd run away, at least he'd taken his belongings with him. The door slammed shut behind me, and my heart stopped for a second or two. I turned, and again there was nobody there. All I could hear, was the breeze in the trees nearby, and a helicopter flying over the town. I admit I was a bit spooked myself now, and felt like running away, but I was fascinated by this old house, and wanted to explore it. I turned around and went inside again, the door wasn't locked this time. I went up the staircase, and into a bedroom. I should never have done that. On the bed lay John, without his shoe or necklace, completely pale in his face, dead. I started crying, wishing that we'd never entered this house in the first place. A cold breeze made me stop crying, and to swear revenge upon whoever that did this to my friend. Outside the room I spotted something floating in the air, in the hall. It was transparent, I could see through it. It floated closer to me, and I started running away, down the stairs and towards the door leading outside. But it was locked. "I'm doomed", I thought, and stood still. As I looked to my left, I saw a window, big enough for me to climb through. I ran over there, knowing that the floating thing was following me. The window was in a kitchen, and in one corner I saw a little white furry thing with long ears. I looked behind me, the floating thing had stopped in the hall. I picked up the bunny, but when it turned around, I could see its long, bloodstained teeth, and its red eyes, staring at me. I couldn't move, I panicked. The bunny jumped and bit my arm, my god it was painful, and the blood started running, dripping on the floor. I kicked the bunny, it flew towards the hall, and then I broke the window with my shoe. But something kept me back. I had sworn revenge, so I couldn't leave this house until I had eliminated the creature which had killed John. I turned, the bunny came running towards me, and I grabbed a knife to fight it off with. I waved the knife around, trying to stab the bunny to death, and managed to do so after having been bit way too many times in my legs. The kitchen didn't contain any form of bandages, so I started searching around the house, carrying the bloody knife with me. At last I found the bathroom, and some bandages to put on my wounds, but suddenly someone turned off the lights. I got terrified, and walked around as blind as a bat. I felt someone touching me again, and ran as fast as I could in a random direction, until I hit my head in something and fainted. When I woke up again, I felt pain in my right leg. When I looked, I saw the furry little white thing chewing on my leg. I grabbed a pot plant, and smashed it into the rabbit, which fell lifeless to the floor. I picked up the rabbit, and walked towards a railing. I was now in the hall, and I saw the floating thing downstairs, near the kitchen. The bunny started to move, and I quickly threw it over the railing. It hit the thing down there, and they melted together into a green slimy mass. The green stuff began crawling up the staircase, and towards me. My feet ached so much, I couldn't run, so I picked up my knife from the floor and prepared to fight it. I slashed the knife into the monster, but nothing happened. I tried several times, but of no use. I climbed over the railing, and lowered myself by my arms down to the floor below. The green mass followed. I walked towards the kitchen, but it was hard to see anything in the dark. Some light came in through the windows, though. I searched the room roughly, and found a fork, a bottle, some broken glass which I cut my finger on, and a flashlight. I turned on the flashlight and looked around. I found some kerosene, and put it in the empty bottle I found, and then tore a piece of cloth from my shirt and stuffed into the bottle. The Molotov cocktail was ready for use. I lurched upon the creature, and when I was close enough, I lit the cloth with my lighter, and threw the cocktail at the green slime. The monster burned for quite a while, and soon it was nothing left but ashes. I went up to the bedroom where John was, and I fainted when I saw him get out of bed all by himself. When I awakened, I noticed that I was lying on the ground outside the house. John said that we'd better get as far away from this house as possible. I tried to get on my feet, but I just fell on the ground again. John helped me get to the railway station, and bought me a ticket. He had to go home, so he couldn't join me. Now I am sitting here in a couch, riding as far away from that spooky place as I can, but my legs are still aching. And what is that furry little creature in the corner of the couch? f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Development of Irony In The Necklace.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Development of Irony in "The Necklace" by Kimberly Ednie Mrs. Connolly ENC 1102 M-W-F 9:00AM Short Story Essay January 29, 1997 The Development of Irony in "The Necklace" Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" is situational irony written in 1884. The story was written in a time when there were very distinct social classes primarily determined by one's birth. It is about a woman who can not come to terms with her position in the middle class. Although she knows she can not escape her class, she refuses to accept it gracefully. It is through Matilde that Maupassant develops the story's irony. This is reflected through Matilde's daydreaming, which only serves to torment her, the loss of the necklace borrowed for show, which only worsens their economic position, and finally, their unnecessary sacrifice. The irony begins with Matilde's frequent daydreaming. She is a beautiful and charming woman who feels "herself destined for all delicacies and luxuries" (4). Fate, however, placed her among the middle class where life was very simple. For her, the only means to a more affluent class was through her imagination. She dreams of "large silent anterooms, expensive silks and of achievement and fame that would make her the envy of all other women" (4). What she fails to realize is that these daydreams only make her more dissatisfied with her real life. As a result, she becomes more focused on what she does not have rather than what she does have. Contributing to the irony is the borrowed necklace. Matilde's husband brings a coveted dinner invitation home, and her first reaction is concern for appearances. She tells her husband that they can not possibly go because she has "nothing to wear" (5). Her husband agrees to buy her a new dress. This, however, is not enough for Matilde; she needs jewelry. She explains that, without jewelry, she will appear "shabby in the company of rich women" (6). In her quest to present herself as a wealthy woman, she decided to borrow a "superb diamond necklace" (6) from a friend. Unfortunately, upon arriving home, Matilde noticed that the necklace was lost. When the necklace can not be found, Matilde and her husband have no choice but to replace it. As a result, Matilde's desire to appear part of the upper class has only succeeded in making them part of a lower one. Without a doubt, the most ironic part of the story is the Loisel's unnecessary sacrifice. The Loisel's decide to replace the necklace without telling the owner of its loss. "In a shop in the Palias-Royal, they found a necklace that seemed to them exactly like the one they were looking for" (8). They secure the thirty-six thousand for the necklace from Mr. Loisel's inheritance and in the form of loans. They struggle and live in poverty for ten years to pay off the necklace. By now, Matilde looks old. "She had become the strong, hard, and rude woman of poor households" (9). Matilde is walking along the Champs-Elysees when she encounters the friend who loaned her the necklace. Her friend is shocked when Matilde finally tells her about the necklace. It is then that Matilde learns that the necklace her and her husband toiled to replace was only costume jewelry. Even among the rich there are apprearances to keep up. Maupassant, through irony, shows us that in pursuit of wealth or status it is easy to forget what one already has to appreciate. Also, appearances are just that, no matter what class you belong to. Because Matilde did not understand this, desire to rise above the middle class was replaced with a desire to merely rise above poverty. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Diviners How does Morags past influence Piques life.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ How does Morag's past influence Pique's life Michael Lo Pique is the inheritor of French-Indian and Scottish-Canadian roots. She is raised her mother in Canada and England. However, her growth is affected by Morag's life style and Morag's past life. There are three events in Morag's past that affects Pique's life. Morag moves away from Christie when she goes to college and she rarely comes back to Manawake, "Going to Winnipeg this fall. To college. And I'm never coming back." She does not seem care for her stepparents. In certain respects the parent-child relationship between Morag and Pique resembles the one between Christie, the Scavenger, "You've never had somebody tell you mother was crazy between she lived out her alone and wrote dirty books and had kooky people coming out from the city to visit?" (P.446) And both, in different ways, attempt to deny their parents. At one point, Pique, having run away from home, ends up in a mental hospital in Toronto after "a bad trip", "Can't you see I despair you? Can't you see I want you to go away? You aren't my mother. I haven't got a mother." (P.111) Furthermore, Morag does not get married with Jules. When her husband is Brooke Skelton, she has a sexual relationship with Jules and gets pregnant. Later, Pique is aware that Jules is her father. Pique has an idea about why she is different from the others because a typical family should have a mother and a father, but she comes from a single parent family. When Pique first meets her father she is at about five years old. Jules sings a song to Pique which she finds fascinating and meaningful to her. Pique, at 18, is more mature than her mother at the same age. She loves her father very much and wants to live with him, however, Morag does not approve that Pique should stay with Jules, "Why did you have me?" "For your own satisfaction, yes. You never thought of him or of me." We are aware that Pique needs care and love from both of her parents because Morag cannot fulfill Pique's desire. She runs away in search of what she thinks she is missing all along, which she, herself is not sure what it is. Later on, she dates Dan McRaith, who is a husband of Bridie. They have a abnormal friendship between them. As we know Dan Scranton and Gord are boyfriends of Pique. It is coincidental with Morag's boyfriend first name is also Dan. These two individuals occurs in Morag and Pique's life as their names are the same. We do not know whether Pique has the intention to be a girlfriend of Dan Scranton? However, we can deduce that Pique is doing the same things as Morag's past. In conclusion, Pique is made up of the conflicts of her parents with their separate origins and cultures. She remains mysterious to Morag and she is closer in her heritage to Jules. Like both parents, she has no feeling of belonging to any particular group of people. She is divided by her parents because of her mixed blood. Pique's dilemma shows that her problem is not simple, nor is it a solution: "what really happened", she does not belong because she has not yet found her own individual place. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Dot Game Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Dot Game Essay Kevin DeVore It would be very hard to live life as if it were the dot game. It would be possible to get by for awhile but eventually you would get caught. My group was very lucky though. We had several non dots and only kicked out a few people we didn't trust. It is one thing to kick someone out of a game but it would be much harder in real life. In real life you would have no clue who is telling the truth and who is trying to get you into trouble. To live this life would be a life of constant paranoia, never knowing the truth from a lie. That is no way to live. In order to succeed and live in a society liken this you would need to live a lie. If you worked for the government you would live to make other people suffer. In turn you would receive nothing but the guilt of all the lives you've ruined. If you didn't do your job your life would be made miserable by the government. So your existence would just be to destroy the lives of others so you could breathe and feel guilt. No one should live a life of lies; it would just be a waste. In my group we could read people very well because we know them, we've gone to school together for many years. But in real life you don't know people or how their minds work. Someone could be alone and in serious need of a companion, but he would be turned away by others, or by chance be picked up by the government. Or someone who seemed normal and got with your group would end up being an infiltrator, a spy, and he would turn you in. You would have to constantly be on the watch for odd behavior. You would have to look for anything out of the ordinary. Yet people are make mistakes and eventually someone will find a way to get to you. Someone will pretend to be your friend and get close to you, then they would turn you in. Over all living like the dot game would b a life of paranoia and lies. People shouldn't live that way it's not what we are meant for. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\THE DRIVE.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Driving through the dessert can be wearisome, fatiguing and all the things that you dread in a long drive. Not this trip, it was the new beginning, I was on my way to find myself. I had 14 hours to contemplate the reasons I was doing this. My friends said I was nuts, family said I was stupid. Let's see, nuts and stupid, um, O.K. I guess everyone has their own opinion. Its not really what I wanted to hear, but I could see their point. Yuma, Arizona, my hometown, lived there for 10 years, graduated from high school, had lots of friends, had a great job, but one crucial element was missing, I just wasn't happy there. Everyone, including my family, (who by the way, all moved back south), said I had everything going for me. I, on the other hand, did not feel that way. There were hundreds of reasons why I should have stayed, carried on, but it only took a few significant reasons to abandon my so called perfect life in Yuma, Arizona. I remember driving, looking out of the window at the mountains and clay colored rocks. I realized just how beautiful it all was. Again, my thoughts turned back to my life. The man I thought I would end up sharing my so-called perfect life with. I could see his face, remember his smile, hear him laugh. Jim and I were great friends for a long while. Almost a whole year, until I began to actually feel something stronger. I had never been in love before and it had been an overwhelming feeling. At a party, I had too much to drink and on the way home blurted out how I had felt. He smiled and drove me home. The next day he came by my house and sat me down and told me he had felt the same way. It began. Two wonderful years, of now loving my best friend. It wasn't always wonderful, we had our bad moments, but I was the happiest I could ever remember. Jim was still in the Army, it was time for him to decide whether to re-enlist for another 3 years or get out, be a civilian. He decided to get out. Jim was a very private person. It was hard for him to share himself with anyone, even me. I respected that, and gave him his privacy. But I never realized that meant that he would leave Yuma and leave without me. I never told him how I felt and he never discussed his feelings with me. Our last week together was the best. We stayed up all night and gazed at the stars and went into the dessert and watched the sunrise. Those times I will never forget. The day came, we got up and I drove him to the Phoenix airport. The drive seemed endless. We kissed goodbye, and he was gone. I drove back to Yuma, and went to work. I had been employed by the Federal Government, a Civil Servant is what we were called. My job description was Computer Information Specialist. Which simply meant that I created programs for divisions on a military installation. My last assignment was to create a program for the communication division. I worked intensely on this program. Logging in around 25 hours overtime, and 3 months of work. Three days before my big presentation, that was to be given to the division head, I was informed that a commercial program had been purchased for $32,000.00! I could not believe it. I was devastated. What a bad 2 months I had had. I stopped by the store and got a bottle of Tequila. I remember the shattered feeling I had. I cried for the first time. I sat in my driveway sobbing. I just realized that Jim had gone and would not be back. I felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on my chest and I was trapped. I was hoping the Tequila would give me strength to release myself. I woke up the next mourning on the living room floor a red magic marker was in my very sticky hand.. Lemon peels were scattered all over the room, and there was a mound of salt where the salt shaker had spilled. I was laying on a map of the U.S. and a bright red circle around the city of Sacramento, CA. I did not go to work that day. I slept and cried. and slept. When I did go to work I handed in my resignation. I drove down to the Ryder truck rental shop and rented a truck with a hitch to pull my Nissan. I went around to see all my friends and bid them farewell, most offered to help me load the truck. We had a farewell party that night. I could not believe my whole house fit in that Ryder truck. Phoned my family and got a lecture on the way life deals cards and all that stuff , you know the stuff parents tells their kids when they think they are making a big mistake. Sacramento here I come. The mourning I left was a nice March day.. A nice day to start a new life in a new town. A nice March day to take a drive in the dessert. A nice day to vow never to drink tequila again. Driving through the dessert can be wearisome, fatiguing and all the things that you dread in a long drive. Not this trip, it was the new beginning, I was on my way to find myself. I had 14 hours to contemplate the reasons I was doing this. My friends said I was nuts, family said I was stupid. Let's see, nuts and stupid, um, O.K. I guess everyone has their own opinion. Its not really what I wanted to hear, but I could see their point. Yuma, Arizona, my hometown, lived there for 10 years, graduated from high school, had lots of friends, had a great job, but one crucial element was missing, I just wasn't happy there. Everyone, including my family, (who by the way, all moved back south), said I had everything going for me. I, on the other hand, did not feel that way. There were hundreds of reasons why I should have stayed, carried on, but it only took a few significant reasons to abandon my so called perfect life in Yuma, Arizona. I remember driving, looking out of the window at the mountains and clay colored rocks. I realized just how beautiful it all was. Again, my thoughts turned back to my life. The man I thought I would end up sharing my so-called perfect life with. I could see his face, remember his smile, hear him laugh. Jim and I were great friends for a long while. Almost a whole year, until I began to actually feel something stronger. I had never been in love before and it had been an overwhelming feeling. At a party, I had too much to drink and on the way home blurted out how I had felt. He smiled and drove me home. The next day he came by my house and sat me down and told me he had felt the same way. It began. Two wonderful years, of now loving my best friend. It wasn't always wonderful, we had our bad moments, but I was the happiest I could ever remember. Jim was still in the Army, it was time for him to decide whether to re-enlist for another 3 years or get out, be a civilian. He decided to get out. Jim was a very private person. It was hard for him to share himself with anyone, even me. I respected that, and gave him his privacy. But I never realized that meant that he would leave Yuma and leave without me. I never told him how I felt and he never discussed his feelings with me. Our last week together was the best. We stayed up all night and gazed at the stars and went into the dessert and watched the sunrise. Those times I will never forget. The day came, we got up and I drove him to the Phoenix airport. The drive seemed endless. We kissed goodbye, and he was gone. I drove back to Yuma, and went to work. I had been employed by the Federal Government, a Civil Servant is what we were called. My job description was Computer Information Specialist. Which simply meant that I created programs for divisions on a military installation. My last assignment was to create a program for the communication division. I worked intensely on this program. Logging in around 25 hours overtime, and 3 months of work. Three days before my big presentation, that was to be given to the division head, I was informed that a commercial program had been purchased for $32,000.00! I could not believe it. I was devastated. What a bad 2 months I had had. I stopped by the store and got a bottle of Tequila. I remember the shattered feeling I had. I cried for the first time. I sat in my driveway sobbing. I just realized that Jim had gone and would not be back. I felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on my chest and I was trapped. I was hoping the Tequila would give me strength to release myself. I woke up the next mourning on the living room floor a red magic marker was in my very sticky hand.. Lemon peels were scattered all over the room, and there was a mound of salt where the salt shaker had spilled. I was laying on a map of the U.S. and a bright red circle around the city of Sacramento, CA. I did not go to work that day. I slept and cried. and slept. When I did go to work I handed in my resignation. I drove down to the Ryder truck rental shop and rented a truck with a hitch to pull my Nissan. I went around to see all my friends and bid them farewell, most offered to help me load the truck. We had a farewell party that night. I could not believe my whole house fit in that Ryder truck. Phoned my family and got a lecture on the way life deals cards and all that stuff , you know the stuff parents tells their kids when they think they are making a big mistake. Sacramento here I come. The mourning I left was a nice March day.. A nice day to start a new life in a new town. A nice March day to take a drive in the dessert. A nice day to vow never to drink tequila again. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Evil of Fear.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, the strict Puritan community of Salem is bombarded with the hysteria of witchcraft. It starts when five young girls of Salem are caught dancing in the forest. Instead as mere children playing, this behavior is viewed upon by the Puritans as the work of the devil. As the hysteria builds momentum, more and more accusations radiate. Reverend Hale, a well known expert on witches, is brought into Salem to 'cleanse' the town of it's evil. At the beginning of the play, Hale leads the onslaught of punishment for the accused; but by the end, he radically changes his views, denouncing the court and its proceedings. At first, Hale believes that the witch trials are necessary, and stands by them unconditionally. When he first comes to town, he concludes that Satan is at work. "And I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown face!" (p.39) Hale shows his strong abhorrence toward evil. He is willing to follow the church's authority to do anything to put a stop to it. While he is talking to Abigail, a girl who was caught dancing in the forest, he yells, "You cannot evade me..." (p.43) Hale expects to find evidence of witchcraft. This expectation leads him to early, not fully thought out conclusions. Hale is determined to end the alignments these witches have with the Devil, and he knows the court is too. Later, Hale's views on the courts change and he becomes less obedient to it's decisions. When the judge finds out that John Proctor, an accused witch, plows on the Sabbath, he becomes disgusted; but Hale questions his authority. "Your Honor, I cannot think that you may judge the man on such evidence." (p.78) Hale is slowly starting to see how much authority the judges have that they do not deserve. He is becoming doubtful in their decisions. Hale, seeing the danger Mr. Proctor is facing, begs, "In God's name, sir, stop here; send him home and let him come again with a lawyer-" (p.85) Hale realizes the lack of representation that Mr. Proctor has. He does not want to see an innocent man be put in jail, or even worse, hanged. Hale is starting to lose his alliance with the courts. Finally, Hale becomes convinced that the trials are wrong, and he wants to end them. When he is counseling Elizabeth Proctor, he pleads, "Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own." (p.110) He knows that he has played a major role in the trials by instigating them. He does not want her to allow this mistake to continue, so he begs her to confess to the charges. When the Judge does not listen to Hale's request to end the trials, He exclaims, "I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court!" (p.101) Hale knows the grave error these trials have caused, possibly innocent people being hanged. He does not want his name to be part of it. Hale willfully declares himself against the court. The Puritan's strict way of life, and the rules the religion places on it's society, leads to the fear that evil is thriving in Salem. Reverend Hale is caught in the middle, and while he thinks he is helping the Community with their problems, he is actually making them worse. Eventually, he discovers his terrible mistakes, but by then, it is too late. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Fall Of The Smurfs.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Fall of the Smurfs I had hated Smurfs for the longest time. Their little blue forms annoyed me so, and their high-pitched voices made me want to smash the TV. So when I decided that I was going to take over their little village and make the Smurfs pay for what they had d one, I was going to go prepared. I bought an RV and outfitted it specially for the invasion. I anticipated being gone for several months, so the RV was well stocked with food and other supplies. As my main mission was to take over the Smurf village, I carried with me a number of nets and Smurf traps, all designed to exacting specifications, for the Smurfs were not stupid, and would avoid any ordinary traps. I also had a "playroom" and a well-stocked laboratory, where I would perform my experiments on my unwilling blue subjects. One side of the RV was lined with cages, each of which could hold two Smurfs comfortably. I set out on the first day of spring. The Smurfs are most active in the spring, when they run around smelling flowers and playing in the fields and generally being nuisances. I drove all day until I reached the borders of Smurfland. A little wooden gate, decorated with flowers and leaves, denoted the entrance to that happy place. I got down from the RV and kicked it over, smashing it with my foot. I then got my net and a heavy canvas bag and went out, looking for signs of Smurf. I found my first Smurf almost immediately. He was looking at his reflection in a puddle and whistling the Smurf's theme song. He was so stupid, he never even noticed me coming up behind him. I got close enough and whipped the net over his blue form. "Hey, why'd you do that?" "Shut up, you little blue creep", I walked up and looked down on him. He stared up at me indignantly, putting his blue hands at his hips. I knelt down, got my hand under the net, and ripped off that little white diaper thing all of the Smurfs wear. There he was, naked as sin, his little blue dick hanging out. His hands went down to cover himself, which I took as an opportunity to give him a good sharp thunk on the nose. As is well known, that will knock a Smurf out for about a minute. I took that opportunity to stuff him in the bag and carry him back to the RV. I put him in the cage and put a padlock on it, since Smurfs are well known for their escape abilities. I then went back out to continue the search. Hunting was good. By the time night fell, I had captured five Smurfs. One of them was the hated Handy Smurf, the others were just your average stupid Smurf. I took Handy out of his cage, holding him firmly so that he didn't squirm away. "Hey stop that, you can't do that!" "I can do whatever I want, you little prick", I popped him in a large glass bottle that he couldn't climb out of. He was still naked, as were all the other Smurfs, and he covered up his genitals with his hands again. "So what's your name?" "Handy Smurf." "How old are you?" "In Smurf years?" "Yes." "Twenty-three." "Get your hands up." "What?" "Get your hands up, you blue bastard." I reached in and thumped him on the head. His hands flew up to rub his head, which was when I grabbed them, put them behind his back, and tied them with a twisty-tie. His little blue dick was semi-hard, which I noted in my lab book. "Why Handy Smurf, you have a hard-on", I said. He blushed a darker shade of blue, but said nothing. His erection, though, grew even harder and longer, which is to say about an inch long. "So Handy Smurf, have you ever fucked Smurfette?" "Have I ever done what?" "Have you ever...smurfed her?" "Gosh...we Smurfs would never do that!" "Why not, Handy?" "Because Papa Smurf would get very mad at us. No one has ever smurfed Smurfette, its against the law." "So...don't you want to do it though?" He didn't answer, but he looked very uncertain. I had what I wanted though, so I put him back in his cage. I took each Smurf out in turn, questioning them the same way I had questioned Handy Smurf. All of them seemed shocked when I suggested they could have their way with Smurfette, though they all seemed interested in the idea. One Smurf, though, refused to answer any questions. I named him Stubborn Smurf. He ran all around the bottle, yelling, "Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf!" I got sick of this behavior after awhile, so I decided to teach the other Smurfs a lesson. I took Stubborn out and put him in a small vacuum chamber that I had on a rolling cart in the lab. The door had a large window, so the other Smurfs could look in. I rolled it over so the other Smurfs could see inside and started evacuating the air. I had a microphone inside the tank, so I could hear Stubborn Smurf. I expected to hear his little screams, but all he kept saying was, "Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf!" He ran in circles, dashing himself against the walls of the vacuum chamber. The other Smurfs yelled encouragement, but Stubborn couldn't hear them. I was almost starting to think the Smurfs could live in a vacuum, when I heard a loud pop, like a balloon. I looked in and saw a thick blue liquid dripping down the window. "What did you do with Stubborn?" yelled Handy, his nose pressed against the bars. "I killed him, Handy. Stubborn Smurf is dead...he's never coming back." "But you can't kill a Smurf...that's not nice!" "Shut up Handy, or you're next." I grabbed a glass of cold water and doused him with it. "Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf!" "I could see he was scared. That was good, it was my first step towards conquering the entire Smurf village. I went to my room, the cries of "Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf" echoing in my ears. II The next day dawned clear and sunny. I got up, made a cup of coffee, and went into the lab. All four Smurfs were asleep. I drew a cup of cold water and threw it on Handy Smurf. He sputtered awake and said, "Who did that?" "Me, you little ingrate." I ran the cup over the bars on the other cages, waking up the other Smurfs. They woke up, joyous smiles on their little blue faces. "Are you going to let us go today?" they asked, their eyes bright with promise and hope. "No...none of you are ever going to go free. In fact, you'll probably be working in a Smurf mine by the end of the spring." "No we won't we won't let you, " they said in unison. Handy said, "We'll tell Papa Smurf on you!" "I'm going to kill Papa Smurf, in front of the entire Smurf village, Handy. Then you can be the new leader of the Smurfs. How would you like that? And then, I'll even let you smurf Smurfette." I could tell he was interested. "No...I can't do that!" "Why not Handy, I know you want to." "No I don't!" "Yes you do Handy...your little dick is getting hard again." "No it isn't...leave me alone...or I'll tell Papa Smurf on you!" Handy started sobbing. "Why won't you let us go...we want to go smell flowers, play in the fields, gather nuts for the village." The others started sobbing too. "Stop sobbing, Handy, or I'll put another Smurf in the vacuum chamber." "NO...don't kill another Smurf...they're my friends!" "Someday Handy...you'll be killing them yourself, just to have a chance to smurf Smurfette." "No I won't...I never will and you can't make me!" "Yes I can and I will, Handy. So now, I'm going to go and catch more Smurfs." I left them sobbing and crying for Papa Smurf. III By the time the sun went down, I had caught three more Smurfs. One was Brainy Smurf. I took away their clothes, of course, and I took away Brainy Smurf's little horn-rimmed glasses and smashed them under my heel. I then put Brainy in with Handy. Handy went over and hugged Brainy, which got them another dousing with cold water. I wanted to start bringing them away from their touchy-feely emotional state, break them down to the point where they'd be fighting with each other. I then put five Smurfs in a cage, which was barely large enough to hold them all. I rolled a TV/VCR in front of the cage and popped in a special tape. I had taken some video of Smurfette a while back and digitally altered it so that Smurfette was doing some really naughty thing s to herself. It started out with her putting her little blue hand up her little skirt. I had also added some sound effects, so the caged Smurfs could clearly hear Smurfette's moans of "Smurf me, oh please smurf me!" The five Smurfs in the cage had hug e erections (for a Smurf) and were soon running their hands over their erect shafts. When Smurfette started screaming, "I'm smurfing, I'm smurfing!", all five of them exploded in unison, blue Smurf juice spraying all over their hands and each other as they chanted loudly, "Smurf me, smurf me." I picked out one of the five and threw him into the vacuum chamber. Soon I heard the Smurf running around yelling for Papa Smurf, pleading for Papa Smurf to come save him. I had no intention of killing this Smurf though, not just yet, so I left him there the entire night, isolated from his Smurf buddies. The other Smurfs started sobbing too, especially when I turned out all of the lights (Smurfs hate the dark). It had been another good day, but tomorrow was to begin my assault on the Smurf village. IV I disdained subtlety, so in the morning I just started driving the RV right over the Smurf's fields, running over their grains and strawberries and blueberries and all of the Smurf's food supplies. A couple of times I actually got to run over some Smurfs that didn't get out of the way in time. Once, one Smurf managed to hang on to the fender for awhile, yelling for Papa Smurf, but soon he went under the wheels as well. I heard the pop as they rolled over his little blue head, the last cry of "Oh my Smurf" sounding out over the roar of the engine. While I drove, the other Smurfs were in the back watching the Smurfette tape over and over again. Their little blue dicks were raw from so much beating off. Handy and Brainy were trying to ignore it, but I knew it wouldn't be long before they succumbed as well and started beating off to the video. I stopped for lunch and went into the back of the RV. All of the Smurfs except for Handy and Brainy were watching the tape, even the one in the vacuum chamber was beating his little blue dick. I reached over and turned off the VCR. "Turn it back on, please please turn it back on!" they said in unison, their blue cocks at half-staff. "I'll turn it on if you'll do one thing for me, my Smurfs." "What do you want us to do?" one of them said, his hand running absently over his blue dick. "I want you to kill the Smurf in the vacuum chamber there. Kill him, and I'll give you a whole new Smurfette video to watch." "No no we won't do it", they all said. But their cocks were saying yes. I put a new tape in and started it up. This one showed Smurfette taking a shower in the nude this time, soap bubbles covering her private parts as she moaned for smurfing. Their cocks sprang to life and they started beating off furiously, all together. I turned off the tape, reached in and picked up the Smurf in the vacuum chamber and put him in the cage with the other four. The four Smurfs had lust-crazed looks in their eyes. "Kill him for me...and I'll let you watch the rest of the video." The sight was incredible. All four Smurfs, their eyes glazed over from twelve hours of continuous video watching, surrounded Bottle Smurf, as I had come to call him. He yelled at the top of his lungs for Papa Smurf, but no one could save him as they pr essed in closer. Suddenly all four Smurfs closed in on Bottle and begin pummeling him with their little blue fists. "Help me, Handy", he yelled, but Handy Smurf could do nothing but sob. I noticed that the erections of all four Smurfs grew when they st arted in on Bottle Smurf. When one of the Smurfs, possessed by lust for Smurfette, tore Bottle Smurf's little tail off, showering the other three with Smurf vital juices, he came explosively, setting off the other three Smurfs. The cage was soon splatte red with Smurf juices of all kinds, as the four Smurfs in their lust literally tore Bottle Smurf limb from limb. I heard a last cry for Papa Smurf before all fell silent. I turned the TV back on and started the tape back up, and was instantly rewarded b y the sounds of Smurfs whacking off. I connected a hose to the sink and sprayed the cage off, washing away the last remnants of Bottle Smurf. The other four Smurfs didn't even notice, as they were engrossed by the sight of Smurfette running bare-ass naked through a field of clover. Soon the chant began..."Smurf me, smurf me...", as they watched with rapt attention. I noticed Handy and Brainy were watching now as well (Brainy couldn't see much, but it was enough), their hands absently stroking their ne ther regions. Leaving them to their video, I picked up my net and bag and a 9 mm Glock and went out the door of the RV. I had parked the RV in the middle of a Smurf potato farm. Three Smurfs were waiting about ten feet away. One had a rake, which was the first time I had ever seen one carry something that could hurt me. The others didn't carry anything. I decided I was going to be careful. "Why did you park that in the middle of my farm, I was going to pick potatoes today," the Smurf with the rake whined. I named him Farmer Smurf. "Because I wanted to, Farmer Smurf." "Well, you'd better leave or I'll tell Papa Smurf on you!" "Fuck Papa Smurf!" I targeted the one to the right of Farmer Smurf and fired. The bullet impacted him in the gut and passed through. Pieces of Smurf flew through the air. "Help me Papa Smurf," were his last words as he dropped to the ground face firs t, bouncing on his bulbous blue nose before he was silenced forever. "Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf!" the other two yelled and started running back towards the Smurf village. I started after them, my much longer stride catching me up after only a few seconds. I slipped the net over Farmer Smurf and bonked him on the nose, knocking him out. I let the other Smurf get about twenty yards away. He thought I had given up, the idiot, and started walking and whistling the Smurf's theme song. I fired. The hollow point bullet smashed into the back of his head, and sent Smurf brains (which are blue as well) about twenty feet out the front. He was one dead Smurf. I took Farmer Smurf back to the RV and put him in with Handy and Brainy. The other Smurfs were still watching the video and I noticed that in the cage with the four Smurfs , one Smurf had gotten behind another Smurf and was whacking that Smurf's dick off for him. "So you all want to go out and smurf with Smurfette," I asked. "Yes we do!" they all said in unison, except for Farmer and Handy. "Good. Before I let you do that though, there's one thing I want you to do for me, my Smurfs." "What do you want, sir!" they all said. "I want you to go out and bring me Papa Smurf...alive. If you do that, I'll let you see another video, and then I'll let you all smurf Smurfette." Handy Smurf had not said a word during all of this, but suddenly he got up and went to the bars of his cage and said, "Don't do it, Smurfs...think of the village, our Smurf homes!" "It's too late, Handy, they've gone over." "No, they haven't. All they need is love and affection and..." "Sex, Handy. They need sex." I grabbed Farmer by his little blue tail and dangled him above their cage. He struggled but it was no use. "If you don't bring back Papa Smurf, this is what will happen to you." I opened the door to the microwave and threw Farmer in head first. "Ouch!" he said, as he pressed his nose against the glass window in the door. "Help me, Handy, help me!" I set the microwave on high and turned it on. He pounded at the door with his little blue fists, crying for another Smurf to save him, but no Smurf could. Handy and Brainy were sobbing, but the other Smurfs had totally blank expressions on their little blue faces. It only took about a minute. Suddenly, Farmer Smurf burst into flames, he became a Smurf fireball! I opened the door and he leaped out, running in circles, yelling, "Put me out, put me out Smurfs." He did this for about thirty seconds before he let out a final cry of "Oh my Smurf!" and exploded into a pile of dust and ash. I noted that in the lab book. "Farmer!" Handy cried. "Why did you kill Farmer Smurf, he was my friend!" "Because I wanted to, Handy." "Why are you so mean to us? We never hurt you!" "Because I want to be, Handy. In fact, I might kill all the Smurfs but you. You'd be the only Smurf left in the whole world. You'd never see another Smurf again, Handy. I'd keep you in a cage and make you watch videos of the Smurfs playing and smelli ng flowers. Then I'd make you watch videos of the luscious Smurfette. You'll never smurf her, Handy, unless you do what I say." "No...please don't hurt any more Smurfs!" "Too late, Handy, you had your chance." I took Brainy Smurf out of Handy's cage and put him in another one, isolating Handy Smurf. He rolled into a ball and started sobbing, "Smurf me...oh Smurfs." Every other Smurf stared blankly into space, waiting for my command. "Ok Smurfs, I want you to do one thing for me. Bring Papa Smurf to me...alive. Do that, my Smurfs, and I'll let you watch another Smurfette video." "Hooray!" they all said, eager to be at their task. They crowded at the doors of their cages, ready to go and find Papa Smurf for me. I let out all of the Smurfs except Handy and Brainy. Opening the door to the RV, they trooped out, blank expressions on their faces, whistling the Smurf's theme song. I had attached a small camera to the cap of one of the Smurfs, so I was able to see what they were doing. I turned a monitor on to watch the proceedings. The four Smurfs ran towards the village, still n aked, of course. Several Smurfs were out and about and looked at the quartet as they ran into the village. One Smurf ran towards the group, obviously recognizing one of them, but they walked right past him. He started running alongside. I had a microp hone mounted on the camera so I could also hear what was going on. "Builder Smurf, want to go smurfing on the lake tonight?" the newcomer asked. "Must get Papa Smurf", they all said together. "But...but Papa Smurf's asleep, you can't go wake him up.!" "Must get Papa Smurf so we can smurf Smurfette." "Hey, we can't smurf with Smurfette, that's against the law." I had also put a small speaker inside the ear of one of the Smurfs. I picked up a microphone and said, "Kill that Smurf for me." "Hey...what happened to your clothes, Papa Smurf is...no stay away...help me help me Papaaa..." The monitor showed my Smurfs attacking the other Smurf. I saw Builder Smurf tear the other Smurf's little blue tail off, which prompted a new cry for help, but none came, and soon the ground was covered with Smurf parts and Smurf vital juices. My Smurf s started towards the house on the hill, the house of Papa Smurf. They got to the gate and swarmed over. Papa Smurf was already waiting, having heard the commotion outside. "My Smurfs, what is wrong? Why aren't you wearing any clothes?" "You must come with us, Papa Smurf." "Where are we going?" "We have to take you to our leader. Then we can smurf Smurfette." "What...you know that's against the law, my Smurfs. And I'm your leader...what's happened...hey, let go of me Smurfs!" My Smurfs had hoisted Papa Smurf on their shoulders. He struggled, but he was an old Smurf, and he was no match for four young Smurfs. They ran down the hill and begin walking through the Smurf village. They had reached the outskirts when a voice call ed out, "Where are you taking Papa Smurf?" It was Smurfette. She had on a little blue dress with flowers. The four Smurfs stopped and turned as one towards her. "Smurfette, come with us while we take Papa Smurf to our leader. Then we'll smurf you!" they all said. "No!" She sounded terrified. "We can't smurf, you know that. Put Papa Smurf down and I'll make you some tea and cookies." I took hold of the microphone and said, "Bring Papa Smurf to me, now!" "Must take Papa Smurf, " they said as one. "But we'll be back for you later, Smurfette! We're going to smurf you all night long!" I didn't know if she noticed, but each Smurf had an enormous erection. They jogged on past carrying Papa Smurf while S murfette ran inside her little house and closed the door. Not that it mattered, I could open it for my Smurfs if they needed it. It only took a few minutes before I heard some little knocks. It was my Smurfs, and they carried with them the leader of the entire Smurf village, Papa Smurf. "Ah, Papa Smurf, so glad you could join us, " I said, picking him up. "Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf, you've come to rescue us," Handy Smurf said from his cage. He got a dousing of cold water for that. He went into a corner and started sobbing again. "Let go of me, and all of my Smurfs." "I don't think so, Papa Smurf." I opened one of the cages and threw him in. "You see, I'm going to take over as the leader of the Smurfs. More like a dictatorship, I guess. Anyway, all of the Smurfs will be mining gold for me soon, Papa Smurf. You c an either continue to lead peacefully, or die in front of all of your Smurfs. The choice is yours." Behind me, all four of my Smurfs had gone back into their cage. I popped in another tape. This time, it showed Smurfette being smurfed by a 3D-Studio generated Smurf. It was all fake, of course, but the sounds were real enough for my Smurfs. All four were beating off together. Handy and Brainy were watching as well, and I noticed their Smurf dicks were getting hard too. "Don't watch, my Smurfs, he's trying to brainwash you!" Papa Smurf said loudly. That got him a first dousing with cold water. On the screen, Smurfette was getting it from behind. "Ohhh, make me smurfffffffffffff!" she screamed and this time every Smurf but Papa Smurf flooded his hand with Smurf juice. Then Smurfette turned around and took her Smurf lover's tool deep inside her mouth, slurping lustfully. "Oh...suck on my smurf Smurfette," the voice came from the lover's lips as he thrust in and out of Smurfette's mouth. "And besides, Papa Smurf...if you don't cooperate, this is what will happen to every Smurf." I grabbed Handy out of his cage and with one swift motion, tore off his little blue tail. Smurf vital juices sprayed out as Handy let out a yelp and begin call ing for Papa Smurf to save his miserable little existence. I wasn't ready to get rid of Handy just yet, so I took a piece of duct tape and slapped it over the place where his tail had once been, and threw him in with Papa Smurf. Handy went over to Papa Smurf for a hug, which quickly got both of them a cold-water dousing. Handy started bawling like a baby when I wouldn't let him get his hug from Papa Smurf, but I didn't care. He tried twice more, but each time he got a glass of ice-cold water in the fa ce for his troubles. "Pleaseee...I need a hugggg!" he cried, his little blue face buried in his hands. "Shut up Handy, or I'll throw your Papa Smurf in the vacuum chamber." "Pleaseeee...Papa Smurffffffff!" "Why won't you let me hug Handy Smurf...he's hurt," Papa Smurf cried. He tried to get closer to Handy, who was rolled up in a corner sobbing his eyes out, but all that got him was another glass of cold water on top of Handy Smurf. "Because I don't want you to hug anyone, Papa Smurf. No Smurf will ever hug another Smurf again, unless it's like my friends in the cage there." I pointed to the cage, where my Smurfs had formed a daisy-chain, each Smurf whacking off the Smurf in front of him, all chanting, "Smurf me, smurf me." "Please let me and all my Smurfs go...I'll give you all the gold in the village," Papa Smurf said, tears starting to well up in his eyes. I think he was starting to see that I was no Gargomel. "Shut up, Papa Smurf." I grabbed him and put him in a metal box. The box only had two tiny airholes, so there was almost no light going inside. I went to bed, Handy still sobbing as he sat in the corner of his cage, and my Smurfs still beating each ot her off. V The next day I woke up and decided to teach Papa Smurf a lesson. I took him out of the box and put him back in the cage with Handy, only this time he didn't go over to try and give him a hug. Handy was fast asleep, so I solved that by rattling my coffe e cup against the bars. He woke up, saw where he was at, and started sobbing again. He was such a stupid Smurf. I then grabbed Brainy out of his cage and placed him on the lab table, telling him to stay put. After seeing what had happened to other Smu rfs who had disobeyed me, he probably figured this was not the time nor the place to stage an escape. "You know, Papa Smurf...I've often wondered what would happen to a Smurf exposed to very cold temperatures...after all, I don't think you get snow in the Smurf village. Well, let's find out." I grabbed a pair of tongs from a drawer. Brainy started to get up and run, but I was too quick for him, and got the tongs around his little blue head. I held him firmly in one hand while I unscrewed the top of a large, thermos-like apparatus with the other. "This is a container of liquid nitrogen...let's see wh at happens to Brainy, shall we." With one swift motion and a last cry of Papa Smurf, I plunged Brainy into the thermos. "Help me Papa Smuuurrrrf," were the last words of Brainy Smurf, as the liquid nitrogen boiled around him. I waited several minutes, then brought him back out. He was a Smurfcicle, as the liquid nitrogen had frozen him through and through. "I'm going to do this to one Smurf every hour, Papa Smurf, unless you do what I say." I banged the tongs against the edge of the table. Brainy Smurf shattered into about a hundred pieces. "Brainy!" Papa Smurf cried as pieces of his friend tinkled on the floor like shards of glass. "I love the sound of dead Smurf in the morning", as I got up to search for more victims. VI By nightfall I had collected three more Smurfs to add to my prisoners. One was the Poetry Smurf, he went into the cage with Handy and Papa Smurf. The other two went into the cage with the other four to watch the Smurfette video. It wasn't long before they were starting to stroke their Smurf dicks. Poetry Smurf, on the other hand, started in almost immediatley: "Why have you put us All in this cage When we could be out Gathering parsely and sage" Smurfs are so happy Joyous and free As soon as you know us I''m sure you'll agree" "Shut up, Poet." I said as I thumped him on the head and stripped him of his clothes. Handy was rubbing the spot where his tail had once been and with Papa Smurf in the same cage, was trying to ignore the Smurfette video. I looked outside and saw a num ber of Smurfs gathering outside the RV, there must have been twenty Smurfs out there. Unfortunatley, Smurfette was nowhere to be seen. I would attend to her later, though, right now I was going to go out and bag as many Smurfs as I could. Grabbing my G lock, a large net, and a little can of lighter fluid, I stepped outside to meet the Smurfs. "Hello there, Smurfs," I said. "It's a fine day to go Smurfing, wouldn't you say?" One Smurf came to the front and stood about five feet away from me, the others held back. "Where do you have Papa Smurf?" he asked, his little voice trembling in fear. "I have him inside. But you don't have to worry about Papa Smurf, I'm your new leader now." "No you aren't!" they all said in unison. "We only follow the great Papa Smurf...there's no other Smurf like him!" "La-da-da-da-de-da....la-la-la-la-la", they whistled. I whipped out the net just as they finished and threw it over the group, catching about twelve Smurfs. Eight managed to evade the net and go running towards the village, calling for Papa Smurf. Five never made it, as they couldn't outrun a bullet. When I was done, Smurf parts littered the outskirts of the Smurf village. Just for fu n, I took shots at some of their buildings, blasting them and the Smurfs inside them apart in an orgy of destruction that the Smurfs had never seen. Soon Smurfs were running all over the streets, calling for Papa Smurf, yelling "Oh my Smurf" when another one of their homes was destroyed. I walked over and found one Smurf that hadn't been killed outright, though he was missing a leg and his little blue tail. I picked him up and brought him over to the RV. The Smurfs under the net had been trying to get out, but there was no way they would be able to, the net was too heavy. I tossed the injured Smurf to the ground and sprayed him with lighter fluid. "Ouuuccchhhhh...please help me Papa Smurf, it hurrrts." As the Smurfs watched, I stuck a match and lit the injured Smurf ablaze. He got up on one foot and tried to hop to the village and the house of Papa Smurf, but he succumbed quickly to the flames, and in thirty seconds blew up in an explosion similar to the one that had taken Farmer Smurf. The Smurf s under the net started sobbing and crying. I went and picked up another injured Smurf, tossed him about twenty feet in the air, and plugged him with a bullet from the Glock. Smurf parts flew everywhere as the Smurf blew apart from the force of the bullet. I then grabbed one from under the net and pulled off his little blue tail. He cried out for Papa Smurf to help him as Smurf vital juices sprayed out from where his tail had once been, but f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Fear of Science.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Fear of Science To live in the today's world is to be surrounded by the products of science. For it is science that gave our society color television, the bottle of aspirin, and the polyester shirt. Thus, science has greatly enhanced our society; yet, our society are still afraid of the effect of science. This fear of science can be traced back to the nineteenth century where scientist had to be secretative in experimenting with science. Although science did wonders in the nineteenth century, many people feared science and its effects because of the uncertainty results of science. Our thrist for science can be traced back through many decades. However, the nineteenth century society felt that science was a great investment towards a better life. This investment in science gave the nineteenth century society the discovery of light waves and radio waves, the electric motors, the first photograph and telephone, and the first publication of the periodic table. Science also caused an uproar in society when Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, which became the scientific basis for the study of the evolution of humans. Many people in the nineteenth century detested Darwin's theory of the evolution of man because it went against their religion, which believed that God created the world. Science, soon, developed the big bang theory, which states that earth was created by the attraction of atoms. The nineteenth century society was afraid of science because it contradicted their beliefs, and was afraid that the results of science would lead to the destruction of mankind. Thus, the study of science was limited because of fear of its effects. The fear of the effects of science was expressed in literature. Novels like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Time Machine, and Frankenstein showed the dangers of science and that science would soon lead to the destruction of mankind. The novel Frankenstein is about a man name Victor Frankenstein who wanted to tamper with life and death by "exploring unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation." (Frankenstein, pg.40) He acquired the knowledge of science when he attended the university of Ingolstadt, and once the knowledge of science was gained, Frankenstein went to his secret laboratory to create a creature with gigantic stature. At first, Frankenstein had doubts about creating a human being; however, with "the improvement which every day takes place in science and mechanics, [he] was encouraged to hope [his] present attempts would at least lay the foundation of future success." (Frankenstein, pg.47) Once Frankenstein created his human being, his dream was vanished because he had accomplished his dream. His dream of creating a human being soon turned into a nightmare. For Frankenstein created a monster who had no identity, and was willing to murder all of Frankenstein's loved ones if Frankenstein did not create another female creature. Victor Frankenstein refused to create another female monster to accompany his monster. Thus, the monster felt that he had no choice but to take away Frankenstein's family, just to show how Victor Frankenstein would feel being alone in the world. The murder of William Frankenstein (Victor's younger brother) caused Victor to believe that his own creature had murdered his younger brother because "nothing in human shape could have destroyed that fair child." (Frankenstein, pg.74) Frankenstein knew from then on that he had "turned loose into the world a depraved wretch, whose delight was in carnage and misery." (Frankenstein, pg.74) Frankenstein's monster caused "the death of William, the execution of Justine (a servant of the Frankenstein since childhood, who was framed by Frankenstein's monster), the murder of Clerval (Frankenstein's closes friend since childhood) and lastly [Victor's] wife (Elizabeth Lavenza)." (Frankenstein, pg.213) Frankenstein not only blamed the murders of his loved ones on his monster, he blamed himself for creating the monster. Throughout Frankenstein, the words "friend, monster, daemon, vile insect, enemy, and abhorred devil" were used by Frankenstein to describe the monster which he had created. In a way, the monster is protrayed as science and Frankenstein's fear of and hatred towards the monster or science is expressed throught Frankenstein. Thus, Frankenstein is a novel which proved to society that science is dangerous. That, we should not tamper with life using science since it will only lead to disaster. Another novel which expressed society's hatred and fear of science through literature is the Time Machine. The story is about a Time Traveller who believed that there was no difference between Time and any of the three dimensions of space except that the consciousness of a human being moves along Time in a single direction from the beginning to the end of his or her life. He secretly experimented with his theory by building a machine that could travel in any direction through Space and Time. Like Frankenstein, in the Time Machine, the Time Traveller had doubts about his creation of the time machine, for, he knew that the time machine could destroy him. When he did succeed in time travelling, his machine was stolen by the Morlocks, and he was afraid that he would be stuck in an unknown world forever, he expressed that his invention of the time machine was useless. As he says, The thought of the years I had spent in study and toil to get into the future age, and now my passion and anxiety to get out of it. I had made myself the most complicated and the most hopeless trap that a man devised. (Time Machine, pg.48) H.G Wells's Time Machine gave the nineteenth century society an insight into what the future holds, and shared that people should be afraid of the effects of science because science could end one's life. The Time traveller in Time Machine returned to tell his adventures which none of his friends believed. Thus, he was so determine to bring back proof, that he went to the future. However, during his second journey in time, the Time traveller "just vanished three years ago, and as everybody knows now, he has never returned." (Time Machine pg.117) In the Time Machine, the effect of science caused the Time traveller to be captured within Time. Thus, the creation of the Time machine caused the disappearance of a human being which led people to fear science because it could lead to the destruction of hunmanity. Another novel in which the immense interest in science led to the death of a human being and provoked its readers to fear the effect of science in the nineteenth century is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Basically the novel is about a doctor name Henry Jekyll who wanted to expriment (using science) with the theory that every man has a dual personality, that there will always be an evil side and good side of a person. In proving his theory, Dr. Jekyll mixed up a potion using chemicals that would break the chain of good and evil. The evil side, Edward Hyde, could enjoy all the wicked pleasures and execute all of Dr. Jekyll's angry, and vengeful wishes, yet, Dr. Jekyll does not have to be afraid of his conscience. Since Mr. Hyde was pure evil and was affected by science, Stevenson tells his readers that science is evil through Hyde's actions, and through the characters like Utterson whose descriptions of Hyde is immense horrifying. As he says, Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish; he gave an impression of deformity without any namable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, ..., and he spoke with a husky whispering and somewhat broken voice, ...God bless methe man seems hardly human! (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde pg.20) Like Frankenstein, the words "evil, satan, and devilish" were all used to describe Mr. Hyde. Thus, the point which Stevenson might be getting across to his reader in the nineteenth century is that science is evil and satanic, which everyone in the society should be afraid of. The nineteenth century society was not the only society that is afraid of science. Even now, our society is afraid of the effects of science. Take for instance the creation of nuclear energy plants around the world. These nuclear energy plants can do wonders to our society; however, many people are afraid of the fact that if there was an accident in the plant the whole nuclear plant would blow up. This accident in the nuclear plants can eliminate many cities around them. Science makes the destruction of humanity possible. For instance, the nuclear atom bomb which was fired on Hiroshima by the U.S.A caused many deaths and mutants resulted in the surviving generations of the bomb. Movies like Jurassic Park display the dangers of science, and the money wasted in building a park that is filled with danger. Thus, like the nineteenth century society, our fear about science have not died out. Although science enchanced the nineteenth century, it (science) was feared by many because of its uncertain effects. According to Chemistry Today, "science is a human activity which is directed towards gaining new knowledge about the composition and the functioning of matter, both living and nonliving." (Chemistry Today, pg.2) In other words, science is justified if a single "new fact (appears) and adds a brick to the bright temple of human knowledge." Because science is so extensive and its effect is uncertain, mankind will always fear science. After all, our thrist for science can led to the destruction of mankind f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the first murder.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tom Healy Is Cain alone responsible for Abel's death or must God, Adam and Eve, and even Abel take some of the blame. In my belief, the foundation of mankind is complete free will that creates an immense independency from God and other human beings. Cain had complete free will, and therefore he is alone responsible for Abel's death. To belief that God should take some of the blame is to admit that humans alone are not worthy enough or even intelligent enough to escape the basic principals of sin. So if god was blameworthy, than humans are free to act against God's wishes because of our impurity and incivility, with no account to the gift of free will and with no fear of punishment or grace. Does Cain's punishment fit his crime? His punishment does not seem to fit his crime all too well, because in one aspect one could see it as a positive effect because of his offspring and his success in exile. So therefore we can understand God as merciful, willing to allow such crimes to be forgiven in such a way that Cain received protection and a bountiful legacy. If God is not merciful than there could be another aspect, in which Cain was not completely blameworthy of his crime and his sins rest in a sense of predestination. Though in my opinion, to accordance with the question above, God was ultimately merciful rather than understanding to this being. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The ghost and me.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Ghost and his soul Nowhere, a place to live a life so full of destruction that time never seems to take place a bleaching of disaster reaches out of the hole of hell to seize any frightful body a whispering ghost sits upon a rotted out log stump to tell a tale never told before the beast was the soul of the darkened phantom that roved the area in hate upon a midmorning rain a beast no more mere than the size of a 2000 pound bolder prowled to feast was his mind set and to another animal a battle of might's that can scream of blood striding at six feet with long dry stiff hair saturated in pride of his prays blood a main so laid out of perfection for a feeling from a looker standing behind away from death eyes so filled with flames being able to make any normal filled creature faint of fright time strolled on while this evil beast lurked and tamed his mind full of desirable thoughts a forest all still while this time moved on and all around nothing lived as use to greed of pride tempted this evil beast so unbearably often his fall could become reality quite all around while the beast roamed his territory by choosing victims for their blood the scent on tree bases and earth's crust soaked in his prays gore for victory his blood never shed touching air but when the forest all became one against him the whisper of fate has neared while ending the fright from everyone's wits alone no one stands to be fearless and earth was lost deadening their dreadful spirit's to care never about life on account of being annihilated by his fellow tribes and the wilderness f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The gift of the magi a continuation.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE GIFT OF THE MAGI It was one week from Della's 30th birthday and Jim didn't have enough money to buy her a present. "Well," Jim thought, "if I don't have a watch then why should I have a chain for one?" So, he sold his watch chain in order to have money for Della's present. "Now, what do I buy Della?" he asked himself. "I think I'll go to the flea market and look for something, because one little rusty old chain won't buy me very much," Jim stated as he started riding his bicycle to the market. At the market Jim found many things, some very pretty and expensive, some very pretty and cheap, and some just plain ugly things that had been there awhile and always would be until they were finally thrown away. "Omigosh, is that DDDDeeDDDe...?" Jim stuttered in astonishment. Was what he had seen real? Or was he just jumping to conclusions? Was that really the hair that Della had sold just 2 years ago? It was, and Jim thought that Della would maybe like it back, so he bought it for 2 cents and he was so happy and he thought he had the best present anyone could ever give their girlfriend. "Now," Jim thought, "will this be a useful gift, and I don't mean in a few years, this time I want to get it right," So Jim thought for two days straight. Finally he came up with an idea, "I'll make it into a wig, a girl can never have to many wigs." So he went to the wig shop, which usually only made those white braided wigs that all the important men wore, but the wigmaker made an exception because Jim was a good friend and after all, it was for a girls birthday. The wigmaker asked, "Are you sure Della will like this present, I mean it is rather odd, and Della's hair has already grown twice as long as this. But don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be rude, I mean, well I think I'll just get started on this wig right away, okay, bye." So Jim left, thinking that the wigmaker was a little out of his mind that day. The next day, which was the day before Della's birthday, the wigmaker called Jim. "Hello, Umm, did you want this wig dyed, or left red? And also, I can't make a wig that fits unless Della's head is measured, what will you do to find out without arousing her suspicions?" Jim answered uncertainly, "Well I guess I'll just have to that's all, and of course not, Don't you dare dye that beautiful color of hair, it's the prettiest I've ever seen." The wigmaker replied, " Okay, but I still need to know her head size very soon in order to finish the hat, are you sure you like that color?" "I'm not stupid, what I say I want is what I want. Now, I will bring the measurements over as soon as I get them," Jim replied rudely. "Della," Jim replied, breathless from running all the way to the store and back to buy a tape measure, "I need to get your measurements for something, could you come here?" Della obeys thinking maybe a new dress as a present. "What measurements do you need, honey?" Della answered in her sweetest voice. Jim said "I need to get your head size for something, that's all." "Well, Okay, " Della replied surprised at first, and then realized that she must be getting a hat for her birthday. Later at the wig shop. "There, it's all finished; do you like it Jim?" asked the wigmaker. Jim said, "It's great, don't you think? You don't look to sure about it?" The wigmaker replied, lying, "It's great, after all it's the thought that counts, right?." "Sure thing Phil, well, gotta go, tomorrow's Della's birthday, are you going to be there?" "Sure Jim, I'll be there." Said the wigmaker. It is Della's birthday, all of Jim and Della's friends are at their home, and she begins to open presents. She will be opening Jim's present first. "I wonder what it could be?" Della claims, quite ecstatically. She unties the ribbon, carefully undoes the golden wrapping paper, opens the box, and slowly takes out the tissue paper, piece by piece. "I'm really exited," she says as the first piece floats to the floor. "I can hardly wait, I know it will be great," she says as the second tissue is lifted up. "This is the last one, it's it's ......... it's a wig!!!" Della shouts loudly and upset. "It is just a piece of filthy old hair, worse yet it's someone else's who could have germs. How dare you, you, you" Jim shouts back, in order to be heard by the roaring of Della, "My sweet, it's your very own hair, the hair in which you cut off to buy me a Christmas present, doesn't that mean anything to you? And besides, I thought it was the thought that counted." But Della was to upset to listen to reason. She shouted at him, "I hate you, I really hate you. How dare you give me a worthless rag, get away from me, I never want to see you again, I'm packing and leaving tomorrow!" As she finished speaking she ran into her bedroom, locked the door, and dropped onto her bed, crying her eyes out. Della left the next day, not even saying goodbye to Jim. Jim was heartbroken. He moved away out of shame for being so dum. For the next 30 years he kept the wig, which had been thrown back in his face by his beloved, and he mourned his loss. He vowed that if he could ever se Della again, he could make up for his stupidity. It is 34 years after Della left Jim. Jim had previously been traveling the country, and eventually settled in Della's home town, hoping that someday she too would return. Lucky for him, she did return, for her 64th birthday. She wanted to spend it with her brother, David, and his family. David and Jim had been friends ever since they met when Della and Jim started seeing each other. David is how Jim had been keeping tabs on where Della was. By now, Della was old, gray, with short ugly hair. On Della's birthday, Jim showed up, with the wig hiding in a box. Della opened the door and froze, stunned. "Jim, it, it's been so long, why are you here?" Della asked shakily. Jim replied, "Well, I have never forgotten you Della, and I still love you and hope you could forgive me." "Actually, I shouldn't have been as cruel to you as I was, but still, that was a dum move," Della said. Jim stated apologetically, "It was a stupid present then, but would you take it now? It kinda fits the situation better don't you think? But I am not implying that you look ugly now, If I gave you this I wouldn't want you to wear it if your just around me if you didn't want, because I don't think you've changed one bit." Jim says, taking the box from behind him and handing it to Della. She opens it, and it's the old wig, but cleaned and groomed of course. Della stutters, "I, I, I don't know what to say. I love it, and it's true with me also. I have never loved anyone else but you." Jim asks, "Della, will you marry me?" "Yes, oh yes, of course I will marry you." Della says as she puts on the old wig. Della and Jim lived happily ever after, until 2 years later when they both died together in a terrible car crash. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Gift.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In "The Gift" by Louise GlÜck, the little boy is calling oggie, oggie, at his front door. This could mean several things, first we would have to look at clues. The poem states that the mother is praying to GOD. One could infer that the boys dog died and he is calling without reward to his lost friend. Therefore the most logical response would be that the boy was in fact calling for his dead dog. In the opening paragraph I stated what I thought the main idea for the poem was. But that does not mean that is the only message implied. The child also was calling for oggie, oggie, but in fact every once in a while a dog did stop by and the mom pointed this fact out and said she hoped the boy would not call this an accident. That could mean that the boys dog never died but ran away, and that god sent the dog back to them. Another thing that could have meaning in this poem would be that the boy could be calling for a friend to play with because he is unpopular with the other children. And "the beast that always cam to him could be a bully. That could in fact be the real meaning. The child at the screen door might just be a metaphor and what the child is really doing is calling for someone to help him because he is ill. But yet all he does is become peace- fully sicker. And the mom is praying for him to get better and hopes that one day true health will come back to this youth. Or in shorter terms, The Gift of life. Those were my guesses, or hypothesis of what the real meaning to The Gift were. And I don't care how silly they may have sounded but those are what I think the meanings were. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Giver.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Giver a Critique by: The purpose of this book was to show us a possible version of a "Utopia". It was a fantasy oriented book, that was suppose to make you think about the possibilities for the future. The setting is a supposedly perfect society where everyone is taken care of and no one is different. The author Lois Lowry does a fine job portraying this supposedly "ideal" society. This book began with a description of sameness and release the two general principles the society functions on. It then continues while Jonas (the main character) waits to receive his assignment in the community. Waiting to find out what his assignment is, and what it entails doing are rises in action. The climax is when the plan to escape the society is being conceived and the actual escape itself. The falling action is when he is escaping from the search planes and trying to keep himself and Gabriel alive. The ending is when he feels triumph at the top of the hill and then sleds down it to his new family, his first memory that belongs to him. There were many characters in this book the main one being Jonas. Jonas is a child in this supposed "Utopia" who ends up with the most important assignment of all the "Receiver of Memory". The Receiver holds all the memories of the whole community so the community does not have to be bothered with feelings and the emotional baggage that comes with them. Jonas's trainer the "Giver" is a old man who passes the memories on to Jonas and eventually thinks of the plan to escape. The Giver also adopts Jonas and Rosemary as his own kids in a way. He had a previous "Receiver" named Rosemary who applied for and received release. Release is the term for death in this community. So when Rosemary was released her memories went back to the community. Jonas and the Giver were talking about this when the Giver got the idea of how to get Jonas away from the community and get the community back its emotions and feelings. Gabriel was a another influential character he was a baby staying with Jonas's family till he was ready to be given to a family unit. He was scheduled for release however and this convinced Jonas what he had to do. Which was to escape with Gabriel and get away from the community. His father was a nurturer and one day Jonas wanted to see a release so the Giver showed his father releasing a newborn twin because he was lighter and having two identical people walking around would be too confusing. After Jonas saw his father murder the young newborn he was very distraught and the next day he learned of Gabriels scheduled release and since Jonas had become attached to Gabriel he decided he must leave. These were the main characters in this story. The theme of this book was the idea of sameness and how we would most likely react to it and what it would be like. The book is based in this fictional society where everyone is provided for, everything is the same. The old are killed after a certain age and the young are too if they do not gain enough weight or sleep normal. The word love is a defined a sloppy and imprecise word. Differences are frowned upon and being the same as everyone else is encouraged. The laws are strict and no one dares disobey them. This book portrayed what could possibly happen if we give the government too much authority. My evaluation of this book was that Lowry accurately portrayed a certain kind of "Utopia". A "Utopia" that might not be that far off in the future. He used foreshadowing to keep the reader at the edge of his or her seat. The title was intriguing as well as accurate. This book was a real eye opener and really made you think of the possibilities for tomorrow. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Glass Menagerie.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rich Spadaccini Fifth Period March 31, 1996 The Glass Menagerie "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams shows the struggle of two people to fit into society, Tom and Laura, and how society wouldn't accept them. They were the dreamers that were unjustly kept out and you may even go as far as to say persecuted into staying out and aloof like the other dreamers which are forced to become outcasts and not contribute to the actions of all. Tom and Laura, the two dreamers, were pushed by their mom, Amanda, to her frame of mind and the thoughts of a hard working society. They both stumbled on the fire escape which served as a gateway, physically and mentally. Tom had the problem of fitting in at the warehouse were he worked, because is the warehouse really a place for someone like him and his mind rebelled. Lastly you can see how society forced them to change and Laura to lose her status in order to fit in with Jim and that's shown by the horn breaking. Tom then realizes that and leaves which causes him to change too. Tennessee Williams artfully depicted this. The fire escape. A downtrodden red thing off the sides of buildings showing societies ineffectual escape from itself. In this case it served as a passageway between the real world and the dream one that Laura and Tom were living in at home. Both somehow stumbled both physically and mentally. When Laura said "I'm all right. I slipped but I'm all right"(47). She was trying to pass to the real world to do a real job and couldn't because of societies "inability" to accept her and her ways. She wasn't strong enough to make the trip by herself, but needed the moral support of the other dreamer in the area, which was Tom who came running out. Tom is the one who stumbles mentally in his inability to look at the escape, which would be his way out of the place. He was always losing his strength while out there smoking and looking out into the world. Recognizing the sounds and trying to connect but unable to. He was forced away and unable to bring up the strength inside himself to go out and leave and to stay strong as a dreamer. Forced by society to use it as a gateway instead of just keeping it the same and just a mode of transportation to go down. Every night you hear Tom say, "I'm going to the movies" (42). He uses that as an escape of the imagination which is what made him a dreamer. As long as he went to the movies and stayed away from seeing and experiencing he could still dream. He wants to see them in person and adventure out but that would be what society wants him to do. Tom is probably content or made to seem content with the movies and sees his impending doom in being a dreamer so he becomes obsessed with trying to escape it. With "Yes, Movies! Look..... I'm tired of movies and I'm about to move"(79). Tom tells Jim of his plans to leave and see what he needs to, but Jim cannot realize the scope of the problem. In the warehouse, for Tom and the school for Laura were the places in which dreamers do not fit in. Everyone is thinking of advancing themselves and the "American Dream" in the same breath. Tom was in the warehouse and it wasn't a place for him. He attempted to rein in his wishes but was unable to do it. He still had to sneak off and write poems to show his thoughts. "He knew of .... on poems"(68), Was what Tom was saying towards Jim. Jim was one who didn't care of what others did but just wanted to become one of the people who could fulfill the "American dream". Laura, like tom snuck off to hiding places to dream and remember what it was like. Instead of going to the business school she snuck off to the menagerie and the museum, both places where dreaming is recommended, the only sanctuary for them in society. She, like Tom was living in a dream but was unable to be as focused as he was so she "Went to the art museum.....the tropical flowers"(33), showing she had to back up her strength by skipping a killer of dreamers for one that strengthens her resolve but it is shown to be not enough and changes. When Jim broke the horn on the unicorn showed the change of Laura from being the unicorn to a normal horse who can fit in. Since Tom was so close he felt the break and the fact that another dreamer had been changed by the rules of society and could not stand away any more. Jim had brought Laura over to his way of thinking and that of the American society. In "Make him feel less---freakish!, Now he will feel more at home with the other horses, the ones that don't have horns..."(104). Laura was that horse and felt freakish in her actions and wanted to fit in with the other horses. That's the meaning of that speech. she was broken to the American dream and then Tom felt that his ground was being invaded and got defensive. He soon left upon realizing that he was changing to Amanda's way of thinking, so he left. upon his leaving he lost his dreaming ability anyway. It was ironic how he no longer dreamed because he felt he was seeing the dreams in real life, as society had again forced him out. As you can see Tom and Laura were dreamers which were unaccepted into society. Laura lost her dreaming when the unicorn lost it's horn and tom then lost his upon doing the first thing he had dreamed about because he stayed that way and didn't dream about going any higher. Ultimately Tennessee Wiliiams message was that society was rigid and it forced those which did not fit the mold to change into a from which was acceptable. That we killed the dreamers and are till doing it at an even younger age. We have to Accept them with open arms if ever we are able to make it far into the future and survive. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Good Earth 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pearl S. Buck shows her readers the many faces of Wang Lung in her book, The Good Earth. Wang Lung is a rice farmer who gains all his wealth through the land. He struggles to move from poverty to a well respected wealthy man. Wang Lungs character portrays a man's unselfishness, determination, and loyalty towards his family and friends. Wang Lung's caring and generous nature towards his family and friends make him a well- liked person. During the drought Wang Lung feeds the family members first and leaves what little is left for himself. Though it is hard, Wang Lung manages to survive the drought. He feeds the family small portions of rice which are left over from the season. When the food runs out and the furniture and equipment are sold, Wang Lung decides to make a harsh decision. He decides to lock up and move south. There he hopes to find food and money for his family. After a 100 mile train ride, they end up in the south. Wang Lung is delighted to find rice for only a penny. While Wang Lung uses the ricksha to make money for rice, the family eats and begins to regain strength. When all is well, Wang Lung returns home to start his life all over. Also during the drought Wang Lung spares food and money for his uncle, uncles's wife and their son. The uncle is a poor old gambler who would rather gamble his money away than to spend it on his family. During the drought he shows up in Wang Lung's fields begging for money. At first Wang Lung refuses to dish out money to his uncle. After a time of arguementing Wang Lung finally gives in. He states " 'It is cutting my flesh out to give to him and for nothing except that we are of a blood' ".(46) Wang Lung is upset that he had to give money to his uncle. Wang Lung didn't have to give to his uncle, but by doing so he kept peace with his him. Wang Lung's persistence to succeed carries him to a higher level in life. With such an attitude he is determined to regain his wealth after the drought. On the way home from down south, Wang Lung used the gold he had taken from the man in the Great House to buy things for the land. He bought seeds to plant and a new beast to plow the fields. Wang Lung figures this will give him what he needs to work again in the fields. Wang Lung did all he could to make his land be a success. By doing so he made money, and money meant more land. Wang Lung puts all extra money either back into the land or spends it to benefit his children. If Wang Lung is going to buy new land he wants one of his kids to be literate. He decides to send two of his boys to school so he will have someone to go with him to the merchants to sell his goods. Wang lung wants to have a scholar in the family. In addition to sending them to school he makes sure they are dressed nice and well mannered. The children later grow up to be smart, kniving men. Though it may not work, Wang Lung tries his best to get the most out of his children. No matter what situation Wang Lung is in, he makes sure he stays faithful to his family members. When O-Lan, his wife, wants to sell the young fool's life for food and money, Wang Lung stops her and will hear nothing of it. While O-lan thinks this, Wang Lung says to her he would rather live down here than have to sell one of his kids. He feels this will not solve the problem and they will regret it in the long run. Wang Lung was sure his wife didn't sell the fool, therefore keeping him loyal to his family. During the grandfather's life, Wang Lung makes sure he is fed and looked upon by someone. Pearl S. Buck states that the old man is "...half blind and almost wholly deaf, and there was no need of speech with him except to ask to be fed or to be brought a cup of warm tea."(120). For this reason, he is in need of someone to be a nurse to him. The old man is not able to live on his own, therefore Wang Lung is sure that there is always someone there to look after his father. Pearl S. Buck elucidates the character of Wang Lung in many ways. She gives him a wide array of personalities that the reader can dictate into a unique man. Through his experiences with Lotus to his wealthieness as a Great Man, Buck draws a mental picture of it all in the book, The Good Earth. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Good Earth.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wang Lung was the son of a peasant farmer. When it came for him to marry, his father chose a slave girl from the house of Hwang who was hardworking. O-lan, Wang Lung's wife was a good wife for Wang Lung. She did not waste anything, and made items such as shoes for the family so Wang Lung could save his money for other things.. She worked endlessly for Wang Lung and his father, and even helped Wang Lung plow the field. One day while helping on the field, O-lan went inside and bore their first child. Luckily, it was a boy. Girls at that time were always slaves, or married to other family's sons. They named him Nung Wen. Before leaving the house of Hwang earlier, O-lan promised to bring their first child to pay respects to the house. That year, the harvest was good, so Wang Lung bought new clothes for O-lan, the baby, and himself. After paying their respects, Wang Lung made a deal with the house of Hwang and bought a plot of good land just outside the house. One year later, another boy was born and was named Nung En. Wang Lung's third child was a disaster. Not only was it a girl, but she was born retarded. That summer, a drought hit the area where Wang Lung lived, and it did not rain for months. There was little harvest, and soon all of the wheat was gone. Starving, Wang Lung had his ox killed for food, but could not bear to watch because the beast had been so faithful to him. Not having any money, Wang Lung sold the furniture in his house for a few silver pieces. His fourth child was born in the drought, and was born dead. The family was forced to move South to find food, so with the money he made from selling the furniture, Wang Lung paid train fare to go down south. On the train, Wang Lung spent some more money to buy material so they could build a hut when they reached the city. At the city, they built their hut, and discovered a kitchen where for almost no money at all, a person could eat all of the rice they wanted. Wang Lung bought enough rice for his family, and they ate it heartily. Now, Wang Lung needed money again, so the next day he rented a ricksha to transport the rich around the city for money, and O-lan and the children begged for money. After paying the rent for the ricksha, Wang Lung did not make a lot, but it was enough to support his family for another day or so. They did this all through the winter, each day earning just enough money to make it to the next. One day, after the rich men left, soldiers came in and fought with the enemy that was approaching them. The poor took advantage of this, and raided the rich man's house. O-lan, knowing the ways of the rich, found a secret stash of expensive jewels, and Wang Lung got a handful of gold after threatening a rich man who was hiding. With this money, Wang Lung returned home with his family. When Wang Lung got back, he repaired his home which was damaged by weather. Within the next six years, Wang Lung bought much more land from the house of Hwang, his first two sons began attending school, and he hired seven men to work the land including a neighbor Ching, and O-lan had borne him twins, a boy, and a girl. Wang Lung also discovered that O-lan had hidden a pouch full of expensive jewels from him that she found in the rich man's house. When Wang Lung found the jewels, he took them all from her except for two pearls that O-lan liked. So the men worked well until there was a great flood. All of the land was flooded and could not be farmed. It was then that his uncle, his uncle's wife, and son came to live with Wang Lung. During this flood, the neighbor's houses were robbed, but Wang Lung's house was not. He found out that his uncle was second to the chief of the robbers. Knowing this, Wang Lung was forced to let his uncle's family live with him, or he would be robbed or even murdered. Not being able to farm, Wang Lung began visiting the city for entertainment. He discovered a tea shop where he fell in love with a woman named The Lotus Flower. After a month of seeing Lotus, he bought her from the tea shop and took her home as a concubine. O-lan did not like this, but Wang Lung would not let Lotus live anywhere else, so he built a courtyard with adjacent rooms for Lotus to live in. The courtyard had a small pool, and Wang Lung bought only expensive foods for his Lotus. When Wang Lung found out that his older son was seeing Lotus when he was away, he decided to have him married to a grain merchant's daughter. The wedding took place, and shortly afterwards, O-lan died of a stomach illness, and soon afterwards, Wang Lung's father died. Wang Lung then apprenticed his younger son to the grain merchant Liu, and his youngest daughter was betrothed to Liu's young son. Thinking of a way to get rid of his uncle and his wife, he persuaded them to start smoking opium that he had paid for. Once they became addicted, they were too busy with the drug to bother Wang Lung. But, his uncle's son did not take the opium, and began to annoy Wang Lung's older son's wife by talking dirty and walking around with his robe open. Seeing this, Nung Wen became very angry and Wang Lung rented a portion of the house of Hwang. The uncle and his wife were left in the country with their opium, and the uncle's son left to join the army. When Ching died, Wang Lung stopped farming and rented out his land, hoping that his youngest son would tend the land, but when he took a girl that his youngest son liked, his youngest son ran away from home and joined the army. When Wang Lung's death came near, he moved back to the country to be with his land. He brought only his slave Pear Blossom, that his youngest son loved, and his first daughter that was simple. One day as he was looking at the fields with his sons, he heard them talking about how they were going to spend their inheritance and what they would do with the money they would make from selling the land. Wang Lung cried out that they must never sell the land because only with land could they be sure of earning a living. But Wang Lung did not see his sons look at each other over his head and grin. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Great Gastby.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In today society, many people like to follow the current. They want to catch the wave. Which mean, it does not matter if things were good or bad, right or wrong, they just follow and do them without any thinking. Therefore, there are not too many people would like to be a normal, thoughtful nor neutral person. However, in the novel, The Great Gatsby, by Scott Fitzgerald, one of the character name is Nike Carroway, he was the good and neutral narrator. It was because, in the novel, he analyzed all of the things with regard to accuracy of observation. In The Great Gatsby, when Mr.Gatsby told Vick he wanted to return the past over again with his lover- Daisy, Nike Carroway warned him to give it up, because it was impossible. Unforturately, Mr.Gatsby was not believe it. So at the end, Mr.Gatsby's dream still had not came true because Daisy did not break up with Tom and go with him. It can be seen in the last chapter on the novel, when Gatsby was murder, Daisy went to somewhere else with her husband, and did not go to Gatsby's funeray. I called up Daisy half and hour after we found him, called her instinctively and without hersitation. But she and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them. Therefore, Nike Carroway's analysis was right by these clear observation. However, Nike Carroway is a good narrator, he sees everything happen and does not trust everybody easily. So during the people discuss about something at a time, he does not believe it is true. After he proves it, he will accept the truth. Moreover, when Nike went to Gatsby's party, there is a drunk lady telling everyone Gatsby killed a man before. Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once. Also, there is one more lady said that Gatsby was a German spy: It is more that he was a German spy during the war. Nike heard it, but when Nike had a chance to have a lunch with Gatsby, he told Nike, he was an Oxford man and show him that fought in World War One. Then Nike knew Gatsby was not a German Spy nor a murderer. Furthermore, at the end of the novel, when Daisy drove Gatsby's car and killed Mrs.Wilson in a car accident, Nike's first though Gatsby killed Mrs.Wilson. But after Gatsby told him all of the things at that moment, then Nike was thinking and discuss between Gatsby and Tom's speaking, and make his own conclusion. Therefore, Nike was a thoughtful man and his is not afraid to face anything around him. By these facts, he had a clear mind and reliable in his observations, so it can make people believe Nike Carroways was a neutral and clear mind narrator of this novel, because this can be seen in Nike's personality. In the novel, Nike was also a neutral narrator too becasue he is the narrator who described everything clearly and accurately. He was trustful because he described everything without any personal point of view; By the way, throughout the whole story, he didn't defenses for any characters nor put any of his self-feeling in it. That's why he is a character who strived for neutrality. On the other hand, when Mr.Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy will leave Tom because she loves Tom no more, it's full of fire's atomsphere and emotion. " I've got something to tell you, old sport- " began Gatsby. But Daisy guessed at his intention. " Please don't!" she interrupted helplessly." Please let's all go home. Why don't we all go home?" " That's a good idea." I got up. " Come on, Tom. Nobody wants a drink." " I want to know what Mr.Gatsby has to tell me." " Your wife doesn't love you," said Gatsby. "She's never loved you. She loves me." At that time, if Nike was not in a neutral position, he must help Gatsby or Tom. But, he did not join in the argument between Gatsby and Tom. He just put himself in a corner, keeping quiet and see whatelse would happened in page 131 to page 135. Therefore, we can see that Nike was a neutral man and a narrator who just care on the truth observation for sure in here. It is so clear that Nike was a trustful man, so, by his unjustice information, and his truthful and accurate observation, the reader were sure that he is standing on neutral position, and the person who does not follow other people. By his Fantastic personality - does not believe everything nor what most other people said easily, it shows that Nike can standing on neutral position truly because of his knowledge and clever. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Great Gatsby 9.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Great Gatsby Doesn't it always seem as though rich and famous people, such as actors and actresses, are larger-than-life and virtually impossible to touch, almost as if they were a fantasy? In The Great Gatsby, set in two tremendously wealthy communities, East Egg and West Egg, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays Jay Gatsby as a Romantic, larger-than-life, figure by setting him apart from the common person. Fitzgerald sets Gatsby in a fantasy world that, based on illusion, is of his own making. Gatsby's possessions start to this illusion. He lives in an extremely lavish mansion. "It is a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden." (5) It models an extravagant castle with a European style. Indoors it has "Marie Antoinette music-rooms and restoration salons." (92) There is even a "Merton College Library, paneled with imported carved English oak and thousands of volumes of books." (45) There is even a private beach on his property. He also has his own personal hydroplane. Gatsby also drives a highly imaginative, "circus wagon", car that "everybody had seen. It is a rich cream color with nickel and has a three-noted horn." (64) It has a "monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes, supper-boxes, tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of windshields and a green leather conservatory." (64) Amidst Gatsby's possessions, he develops his personal self. His physical self appearance sets him apart form the other characters. His smile is the type "that comes across four or five times in life. One of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it." (48) He has a collection of tailored shirts from England. They are described as "shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel." He has shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple-green and lavender and faint orange, with monograms of Indian blue." (93) Gatsby wears a unique "gorgeous pink rag of a suit" that sets him apart as a "bright spot." (154) Gatsby's mannerisms are different too. He gives the "strong impression that he picks his words with care." Gatsby is an "elegant young roughneck whose elaborate formality of speech just misses being absurd." (48) Gatsby also has a particularly distinct phrase which is "old sport." Further, at his parties he stands apart from the other people. Unlike everyone else, he does not drink any alcohol. Also, there are no young ladies that lay their head on his shoulder and he doesn't dance. During his parties he either sits alone or stands on his balcony alone, apart from everyone else. Gatsby even creates himself a false personal history that is unlike anyone else's in order to give him the appearance of having old money. He says that he is the son of a wealthy family in the Middle West, San Francisco, and he was educated at Oxford. Supposedly after his family had all died he "lived like a young rajah in all the capitals of Europe collecting jewels, hunting big game, painting and doing things for himself." (66) During the war he was apparently a promoted major that every Allied government gave a decoration to." (66) However, the medal he received seemed to be either fake or borrowed. The fantasy world that Fitzgerald gives Jay Gatsby also concludes with parties that are practically like movie-like productions. These parties are so fantastic that they last from Friday nights to Monday mornings. His house and garden is decorated with thousands of colored lights, "enough to make a Christmas tree of his enormous garden." (39) "Buffet tables are garnished with glistening hors-d'oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold." (40) He has famous singers that entertain his guests whom are the most well known and richest people. There is an orchestra with "oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos and low and high drums." (40) People do not even have to be invited to come to his parties. Car loads of people arrive at his celebrations. Movie directors, actresses and many celebrities attend his extravaganzas. All these things make his parties well known by everyone. Apart from the fantasy world of Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald also invest his quest with a religious motif. The author portrays him as a worshipper of his "holy" love, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby made a covenant reminiscent to Daisy of the Old Testament when he climbed to her and kissed her. The promise is that he will be with her again. He climbs the sidewalk blocks that "form a ladder and mount to a secret place above the trees" that can be connected to Jacob's Ladder to heaven "and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder." (112) He devotes his life to trying to get Daisy back into his life by first becoming rich and then by getting her attention with his possessions and parties. He even builds his house directly across the bay and facing the Buchanan's house. Gatsby is also likened to a chivalric knight. His outrageous car may be paralleled to a great white horse of a knight. His quest for Daisy is identical to the quest of medieval knights who sought the Holy Grail. At night he stands out in front of his house with his "arms stretched out" toward Daisy's green dock light. (21) Comparable to a knight's vigil, Gatsby also stays at Daisy's window all night staring at the light trying to protect her from Tom and watching over her. Fitzgerald also likens him to other romantic figures in history that were larger-than-life. One of these was Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was an exorbitant person who did many remarkable things during his life. He is a person in history that seems make-believe because he was so prestigious. Gatsby is also compared to Hoppalong Cassidy. Both Hoppalong and Gatsby were trying to improve their selves. Gatsby evens has a schedule and "general resolves" that he followed. Hoppalong is remembered to this day because he was a fantasy character like Gatsby. Because of the portrayal of Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby he is seen as a larger-than-life Romantic figure. Word Count: 1060 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Great Gatsby Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ English III-Reynolds Bobby Sugitachi 4-01-04 5* The Great Gatsby- Rough Draft The 1920's in American history signifies a great revolution that embodied the spirit of changing social ideas. With the rise of bootlegging, a consequence of Prohibition, a national movement of disobedience was born that would engulf the entire Jazz Age culture. The most notable novel of the time was The Great Gatsby which was written by the Jazz Age author Francis Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby follows the main character Nick and his relationship among his rich and powerful acquaintances. As the novel progresses a crisis becomes apparent in the character of Jay Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby the color green and the color white symbolize two ideas that helped shape the character of the Jazz Age. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the color green to portray hope for the American Dream in the Jazz Age. Towards the end of chapter one, a passage reads," Involuntarily I glanced seaward and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished."(p.21-22) Before the crisis becomes apparent, Gatsby was a firm believer in the allure of the green light. His dream of once again being with Daisy was full of optimism and was very much alive. Fitzgerald's final words on the color green reads," I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock... his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him."(p.182) Gatsby continued to believe in his American Dream of being with Daisy until his untimely death. Fitzgerald, through Nick's commentary, expresses his opinion that the American Dream was a thing of the past, and was killed off with the rise of the Jazz Age. The color green, a representation of the 1920's hopes and dreams, first appears as an attainable goal for Gatsby, but it becomes apparent that he could no longer attain his goal as the novel comes to a close. The color white is used by Fitzgerald to represent the preservation of the moral spirit in Jazz Age America. A passage reads," The only stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white..." (p.8) Daisy is the one person who is associated with the color white. The preservation of morals during a time of corruption and law breaking stays alive in the spirit of Daisy. When Nick talks to Daisy he says," You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy." (p.13) In a time where prohibition is at its height, and underground liquor sales and speakeasies are at their height, Daisy is the one that does not drink alcohol. Daisy, when compared to everyone else, is the true moral standard for her time. Daisy, the counterpart for the color white and the symbol for moral preservation, is the only person in The Great Gatsby who maintains their moral character. The Great Gatsby was the most popular novel of the Roaring Twenties for its depiction of the craziness Jazz Age. As the twenties gave way to liquor and unrest, many people, such as Gatsby, tried to believe that the American Dream was still alive. The colors of green and white only represent the loss of the American dream and the insignificance of moral standards during that era. Even though Fitzgerald believed many of the old ideas were thrown into the social background, he did not believe that the ideas were completely dead. Even though Gatsby's idea of the American Dream and the green light were dead, they continued on in Nick's character just as the color white continued to live on in Daisy f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Great Gatsby The Question of Nick Carraways Integrity.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Essay on "The Great Gatsby" : the Question of Nick Carraway's Integrity In pursuing relationships, we come to know people only step by step. Unfortunately, as our knowledge of others' deepens, we often move from enchantment to disenchantment. Initially we overlook flaws or wish them away; only later do we realize peril of this course. In the novel "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the journey from delight to disappointment may be seen in the narrator, Nick Carraway. Moving from initial interest to romantic allure to moral repugnance, Nick's relationship with Jordan Baker traces a painfully familiar, all-to-human arc. Nick's initial interest in Jordan is mainly for her looks and charm. Upon first sight of her at the Buchanan's mansion, he is at once drawn to her appearance. He Notes her body "extended full length" on the divan, her fluttering lips, and her quaintly tipped chin. He observes the lamp light that "glinted along the paper as she turned a page with a flutter of slender muscles in her arms." He is willing to overlook her gossipy chatter about Tom's extra-marital affair, and is instead beguiled by her dry witticisms and her apparent simple sunniness: "Time for this good girl to go to bed," she says. When Daisy begins her matchmaking of Nick and Jordan, we sense that she is only leading where Nick's interest is already taking him. It is Jordan, then, who makes Nick feel comfortable at Gatsby's party, as we sense what Nick senses: they're becoming a romantic couple. As they drive home a summer house-party, Nick notes her dishonesty but forgives it, attributing it to her understandable need to get by in a man's world. She praises his lack of carelessness, tells him directly "I like you"--and he is smitten, After Jordan tells him the tale of Gatsby and Daisy's past, Nick feels a "heady excitement" because she has taken him into her confidence. Attracted by her "universal skepticism" and under the influence of his own loneliness, Nick-- overlooking this time her "wan, scornful mouth"--seals their romance by planted a kiss on Jordan's lips. But the attraction can't last and is, by summer's end, replaced by repugnance. The smallest of details, at first, heralds this falling-apart: "Jordan's fingers, powdered with white over their tan, rested for a moment in mine." Here Fitzgerald has dropped a subtle hint that their liaison is to be the matter of only a moment, and that Jordan's "integrity" may be a matter of mere cosmetics. But it is Jordan's failure to feel the gravity of the real falling-apart--among Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby--that most rankles Nick, and he reacts with disgust when she invites him in for a nightcap amid all the emotional wreckage, then complains the next day of his refusal. But Jordan's worst action, in Nick's eyes, is her failure to stay on at Daisy and Tom's when Daisy needs her. The betrayal is far worse than moving a golf ball, because it is deeply personal. In the end, with a rueful acceptance of what seemed "meant to be" but was not, Nick sees that, while Jordan may excite his interest and passion, the excitement pales in the light of her lack of "the fundamental decencies." Though it has been Nick's first impulse to reserve judgments about her, in the end he cannot: the limit of his tolerance defines him. In letting go of Jordan because of her lack of integrity, Nick has held fast to his. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Great Gatsby.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the world people try to hide things from each other but one way or another they find out what they are hiding. In the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the secrecy and deceit practiced by Jay, Daisy, and Myrtle leads to inevitable tragedy when the truths are revealed. Jay failed to realize that if you tell a lie most of the time they tend to come to a boil and burst. For example, "My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations."....pg.2 why did he have to lie when he knew that if they really got to know him they would find out the truth. Jay gave everyone the impression that he was this kind of rich-snobbish guy. Who knows why. It is not always good to lie. In Jay's case when it came down to them finding out the truth they didn't know whether he was telling the truth or lying. So it was hard for them to believe what he was saying. Daisy was another who would lie because she thought it would keep happiness. The way she lied was different from Jay. She lied to keep the person she thought was the love of her life, Tom happy. Daisy's relationship with TOm was quite unusual. Tom was having an affair with Myrtle and Daisy really wanted to be with Tom, but not really because she only did it because she thought she had to. Daisy was really in love with Jay but because she felt like she had to be in love with Tom she would make up lies to keep them together. Tom pretty much felt the same way or he thought Daisy really liked him so he didn't want to break her heart. But for them it didn't really work out well. If they would of told each other their feelings and wouldn't of held them back from each other they could of discussed their personnal situations and they might of had a nice seperation. But since they chose to keep things back from each other and lie to each other everything went terrible. For instance when the story about Jay and Daisy was coming out she still wanted to keep it a secret so she said "Please let's all go home. Why don't we all go home?"...pg.131 it was coming out but she was still trying to keep things back from Tom. What Daisy failed to understand was the lying was not helping at this point at all. In this conversation Daisy continued lying saying "Why- how could I love him-possibly?"....pg. 132 when she knew she loved him. The largest of all lies was the Myrtle and Tom affair because everyone in the story seemed to evolved around this issue. Alot of people didn't really catch what was going on. Until Mr. Wilson found out, Myrtle's husband. He loved her alot and he did not want to let her go so he locked her in the closet and said "She's going to stay there till the day after to-morrow, and then we're going to move away." ....pg.137 this is the kind of punishment she recieved after she lied but he wasn't going to let her go. He was going to keep her locked up until he got ready to move because she always talked about moving. Otherwise she was going to try to run away with Tom. In the meantime Mrs. Wilson (Myrtle) is screaming through the closet "Beat Me!"....pg. 138 as if he was the one in the wrong not her. In conclusion none of these lies were kept going for along time. Jay eventually told the truth and got together with Daisy. Myrtle was ran over by Gatsby's car and Mr. Wilson commited suicide. But lies always tend to collapse. The secrecy and deceit that was practiced by all of these individuals all collapsed and the truth was revealed f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Hidden Life of Dogs.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Book Review "The Hidden Life of Dogs" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas The Hidden Life Of Dogs was written by Elizabeth Thomas who is currently well know and highly re-spected for her books. Elizabeth Thomas was born in America and currently lives in New Hampshire. This is a book that is unlike any book ever written as it takes the perspective from a different angle. It was first published in the United States in 1993 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Elizabeth has written five books, all bestsellers. It is evident that her success is due to her intense research as she has travelled the world while writing her books. With international success, Elizabeth plans to continue her career that currently seems to be skyrocketing. "The Hidden Life Of Dogs" was not just any book. Clearly there was much more effort involved. Beginning with an introductory character, Misha who was a Husky, began the book well. This book tried to get the idea across that humans knew only very little about dogs and their patterns. After intense observations on Misha, some ideas were brought up. How did the dog know how to cross a highway on its own? How did its navigational skills work? How was it that this dog knew exactly where it was and could travel through different cities without becoming lost and other dogs couldn't? Continuing on to bringing in other dogs Elizabeth was studying, she pointed out that some had skills that others did not. Misha was clearly able to navigate himself but when with another dog, he would become lost. After careful observation it was seen that the other dog could easily loose track of where she was and mislead Misha. Another interesting topic covered is how dogs behave with each other. How they achieve their social status, why some dogs don't become accepted and how they react to each other. By comparing the dogs with the wolves and dingoes some of the dogs' actions become clearer, but there is one thing a dog really wants and that is to be with others, and to love their owner. It was explained how a dog defended a bird and mouse in a cage from another excited dog in the same house. Likely explanations for this could be because the older dog felt that the peace was not being maintained or perhaps he knew that the mouse and bird were his master's belongings and he should protect them. The book goes on to explaining what occurs between the dogs when they mate, why some dogs kill their litter and many other topics. The conclusion is quite brief, Elizabeth explains what happens to her dogs, how a dog feels when her best mate dies and the relationship her dogs had with the wolves and coyotes and their interactions. Each single chapter of this book brings up a new issue and investigates it. The interest is maintained throughout the book purely because of the fascinating information given about this species, information that had not been studied before. The author also wrote in a clear cut way, giving a solid and adequate description of everything and then moving on to new parts, not making it boring. Very few illustrations are used in the book, only one in the beginning of each chapter. Illustrations in this book would have little use as there is no way of really describing every action made by the dogs. Instead of illustrating, the book kept the text clear, not making it confusing but easy to understand and illustrate in the mind. In general, the book was at an excellent standard, very easy to read, not too long and no major confusions. These small details made the book enjoyable to read as well as being useful information. The book's purpose, to give humans better knowledge about our close friend, did just that. It achieved to show that the dog can be misunderstood for being stupid when really it knows much more than we think it does. Clearly many tiring and endless hours have been put in to make this book a success and how it was done is really amazing. Elizabeth looked after more than twenty dogs, spent all her spare time observing them, walking with them until she saw why they did what they did. The hidden life of dogs was a great book that would keep any reader at any age occupied and entertained. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The High Waymen.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Highwayman Their journey to London was not a long one, but in the night, it was a treacherous one. A rolling fog covered the land, one couldn't see twenty feet ahead, but in the still, quiet night, sound carried for a mile. They began their trek in the early evening, the sun had yet to dip below the horizon. The passengers needed in London, could not wait for the next morning. The stage driver was the best to be found, his fee large, but his experience was priceless. He was accompanied by another man with a large rifle. The Rifleman had keen eyes and his ears were at attention, listening over the horses for oncoming riders; for the Highwaymen who prayed on the stages. Long after the sun had set, not a sound had been heard over the consistent clip-clop of the horses. Their hooves hit the dirt road, broadcasting a message for nearly a mile of the nearing prey. The sound alerting all the nearby predators to keep a good watch, to be ready, for the prize will soon be in their grasp. The fog, like a blanket spreading it self out on the land, concealed all stars, the only light was from a lantern suspended above the stage driver. The passengers nervous, expecting to hear shots fired. The jumped at every bump in the road that the wheels struck. Clutching their baggage close, they prayed that the night would pass quickly. The Highwayman, alerted to the approaching stage, was hidden by the road, and concealed by the fog, he was not yet able to discern the light from the quickly approaching lantern. Clutching his pistol, his only weapon, he planned to take all the that he desired from the stage. His family was at home, sitting by the fire. His late night occupation provided their home, food and clothing. During the day he works in a stable for the nearby English noble. Feeding and grooming their horses, only he knows the stable well enough to "barrow " a horse. Not every night, but often enough for his family to live better than most. Passing through a small wooded area, the stage continued at its rapid pace, the horses sweating, pulling the large stage coach and its five passengers. The Rifleman, ever intent, tenses, telling the driver to push the animals even harder. The two horses, running as fast as they can, try to comply, but they gain no speed. The passengers, jumping at every bump in the road, wishing the ride over, holding fast to the coach, expecting any minute for the stage to roll on its side. They were waiting for the Highwayman to strike. Behind a wall of fog that hides him from the stage, not making a sound, he waits. He is waiting for the right moment to ride forth. He knows that quickly he will see the light and the stage that brings it. And then they will be able to see him. His rifle is ready in his arms, ready to rise to his shoulder, take aim, and fire. The lantern throws ghostly shadows as the coach rushes by the surrounding trees. The experienced eyes of the Rifleman, watching everything as it flies by, waits for that movement, that shape, that does not belong. He listens to the sound of air rushing past, the sound of the horses, listening to their hooves as they strike ground and gulp for air in the night. He listens for the sound that does not meld with the others, the of beat of a third horse. He can see the light now, his anticipation building, his heart beating, over powering the sound of the stage, smothering the sounds of the horses pulling it. His pistol ready, in his shaking hand. His other hand holds the reigns, his feet ready to propel the horse onward, to overtake the stage. Waiting for the right moment, waiting to strike. The Rifleman waits, scanning the forest as it streaks past, his nerves building a lump in his throat. The Highwayman can now see the stage in its entirety. The Rifleman ready, will see him. Now is the time to strike. He is surprised at the speed of the coach, the cargo must be must be important. The passengers pray that they complete the trip, curse the driver for the speed. Not knowing of the dangers out side, clutching to each other, they sit on the floor of the coach. Scared, they wait for the hellish ride to end. Kicking his horse, he bursts from his hiding place, flying toward the coach, his pistol raised, ready to fire. He banks from left to right as he intercepts the stage. The Rifleman raises his weapon, looks down the long barrel at the approaching Highwayman. Tracking left to right and aiming at the Highwayman, he glances at his pistol, then he centers his rifle on the Highwayman, and hesitates, knowing that he has only one shot. Though the pistol at his side reassures him, because should he miss, he is not out of the game. The Highwayman takes aim with his pistol. He looks down the barrel at the Rifleman, his weapon pointing back at him. He rides straight, aims, and fires. The bench explodes next to the Rifleman as a bullet drives it self in to the stage, closely missing him. He continues aiming at the bandit, looks him in the eye, breathes out, holds his breath, and fires. The Highwayman does not feel the bullet enter his chest, so much as the force knocking him off his horse. He crashes to the ground, his horse riding away in to the night. He lays there dying, breathing in his last breaths, says a silent good bye to his family, and the air escapes from his lungs, never to return. The passengers huddling on the floor of the stage. The gun shots scaring them so much, they fear the worst. They begin saying goodbye to each other and to their loved ones, as death is imminent. The stage continues. The stage breaks through the forest on to the plains. The fog lifting, they can see the light of the soon to rise sun, though day is still hours a way. London is not far, they have completed their journey. The driver slows the horses to a gallop. The Rifleman sinks back in the bench, spent. The game is over. The passengers begin cheering that they have not been killed, and that they have reached London unhurt. Relieved and exhausted, they collapse on their benches. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy", by Douglas Noel Adams Douglas Noel Adams has successfully tried to show us another aspect of our daily-life routine. By using many cynical elements, he creates extremely funny situations which represent much deeper aspects. The destruction of Earth in order to create Inner-Galactic Highways as the definition of Earth in the universe encyclopedia both represent the smallness of human-beings, contrary to their original conception. Furthermore, the alien breeds are not perfect at all, many aspects of their actions represent a similar action which is often taken by humans: The destruction of earth without an announcement, is an equivalent of the house-destruction of Ford Perfect, one of the story's heroes, with out announcing him, both are explained by the governments as actions for the welfare of the population at the cost of suffer for a single person or for a relatively small group of persons. Adams uses every opportunity to attack the ignorance of humankind, especially the bureaucracy of the government, wherever they are, even if they are of alien breeds. In conclusion, "The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy", besides being funny, gives us a very special snapshot at the inner-world of Adams, and makes us think of what we have taken obvious, in a different way. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Hobbit 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Title: The Hobbit Author: J.R.R. Tolkien Setting: The setting of the story takes place in the lands of Wilderland. It is through Wilderland that the hobbit and the dwarves travel to retrieve their lost treasure. As they move on through Wilderland, they encounter different people and different problems, making it more of an adventure. Characters: protagonists: Bilbo Baggins- he is the main character of story. The tiny hobbit is convinced by the great wizard Gandalf to undertake a long journey with thirteen dwarves to help them retrieve their lost treasure. Bilbo, at first, seems to be of no use to the dwarfs, almost getting them killed by the giant trolls. Eventually he shows his value to dwarves by saving them numerous times from death and imprisonment. Thorin- He is the most important dwarf. His father was the king under the mountain of Lonely Mountain. After the fall of his kingdom, the treasure that belonged to his father was lost to the evil dragon Smaug. He leads the other twelve dwarfs in hopes of regaining the treasure and his kingdom. Gandalf- He is the great wizard who helped organize the adventure. At first he travels with the dwarves and the hobbit but leaves them because he has other business to attend to. Beorn- is a large man who can change shapes into other animals. He lives by himself in large house with animals who he can speak to. He helps the dwarves and the hobbit after they have escaped from the goblins. He later joins them in the Battle of the Five Armies to help defeat the goblins and and the wargs. Bard- He is the man who slays Smaug and becomes the new master of the town where the men dwell on Long Lake. antagonists: the trolls (Bert, Tom, Bill)- they capture the dwarves and Bilbo with the intention of eating them. They are saved when Gandalf creates confusion between them (the trolls) allowing the adventurers to escape. Goblins- they also capture the adventurers but not before Thorin could kill the Great Goblin and then escape. This caused them to pursue the group and their anger towards them led to the cause the Battle of the Five Armies. Smaug- He is the evil dragon who takes over Lonely Mountain and all its gold within it. He is stirred from his sleep by Bilbo and while trying to destroy the town on the river, he is killed by Bard. Exposition: The general situation is revealed by the narrator who tells the story in the third person. The narrator makes direct comments usually explaining parts of the story that won't be made clear until later in the novel. Maps show the lands in which the group of adventurers is traveling. Type of Conflict: there is a person vs. person conflict between the dwarves and Bilbo at the beginning of the story. It is gradually resolved after Bilbo proves his usefulness to them. There is also a person vs. person struggle between the adventurers and just about everyone else they encounter in their travels (trolls, goblins, spiders, and Smaug), including some who would later become their allies (wood elves, and the men). Inciting Incident: This occurs after Gandalf introduces the thirteen dwarves to Bilbo. He convinces Bilbo to undertake a journey with them knowing that Bilbo will be of much use to them later on in their travels. Turning Point: After Bilbo escaped from Gollum and the Goblins, the dwarves had new found respect in Bilbo. They began to listen to his suggestions and follow his actions. Their respect in him helped Bilbo find worth in himself. Climax: The climax of the novel comes at the Battle of the Five Armies. Here the dwarves, wood elves,and men join in fighting against the goblins and their allies. Resolution:occurs after Thorin dies and and his cousin Dain is crowned king. All the goblins of the land have mostly vanished and each of the separate groups live in peace and unity. Plot Summary: After the inciting incident, the group comes upon three trolls who capture them but are later turned to stone when Gandalf confuses them, causing them to stay outside when the sun comes up, turning them into stone. After seeking refuge in a cave, they are captured by the goblins but escape after some of the goblins are killed including the Great Goblin. While fleeing the goblin tunnels, Bilbo is left behind and he meets up with Gollum. This is where he finds the magic ring and uses it to escape the Goblin tunnels and Gollum himself. That incident resulted in the turning point of the novel. The goblins quickly tracked down the travelers and almost killed them but the eagles had came to their rescue carrying them far from the goblins. They sought refuge in the house of Beorn where they rested and then replenished their supplies. While traveling the group was captured by the giant spiders. Bilbo used his ring to help his friends escape but not before Thorin was captured by the wood elves. Later the rest of the group (except for Bilbo) was also captured by the wood elves. He once again used his magic ring to free all the dwarves and devised a plan to help them escape. Each of the travelers were fitted into a barrel (except for Bilbo) a floated down the river. There the group was nursed back to health by the lake men and began the trip to Lonely Mountain to reclaim the kingdom and the treasure. After they reached there they encountered Smaug. He would be later slain by Bard when he tried to destroy the town. News of the treasure reached far and wide and the wood elves and the men went to try to claim it. This led to a conflict which almost led to battle. Before the dwarves and the wood elves and men could fight though, the goblins, wargs, and wolves attacked them. The next incident is the climax which is followed by the resolution. Bilbo returns home to his hobbit hole after more than a year of traveling and adventure. Reaction: I thought that the novel was one of the best novels I've ever read. It was suspenseful yet entertaining. I would definitely recommend this book to others. The combination of magic, personal triumph, and adventure made it great to read. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the hobbit.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolken Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, one of a race of short, timid creatures who live in cozy tunnels and who prefer to keep their lives ordered and predictable. One day, he unexpectedly finds himself playing host to Gandalf the wizard and thirteen dwarves. The dwarves, with Gandalf's help, plan to travel to the Lonely Mountain to recover the treasure that a dragon named Smaug stole from their people long ago. Gandalf has selected Bilbo to be their burglar. The dwarves are not too happy with the wizard's choice, especially when Bilbo faints at the first talk of danger. But Gandalf insists there is more to the little hobbit than meets the eye. Bilbo himself is not sure that he is happy about being chosen burglar. But a part of him does yearn for adventure, and so one spring morning he finds himself setting out for Lonely Mountain with Gandalf and the thirteen dwarves. He does not prove very helpful at first. But then something happens that changes Bilbo's life. He finds a magic ring that makes him invisible, and has several opportunities to use it to rescue the dwarves from danger and imprisonment. They become quite impressed by him, and even rely on him, just as Gandalf foretold. Bilbo and the dwarves finally reach Lonely Mountain, the home of Smaug the dragon. The dwarves send Bilbo down a secret passage to the dragon's lair. Bilbo has more confidence in himself now and not only steals a cup, but manages to hold his own in a conversation with the wily Smaug (not an easy thing to do).Furious that someone has dared steal a piece of his treasure, Smaug attacks the mountainside where the dwarves have their camp. Then he flies toward Lake-town, to punish the inhabitants for helping the dwarves. The people of Lake-town run at the sight of Smaug, but one man, Bard, holds his ground. He kills the dragon with his last arrow and escapes before Smaug falls, smashing the town. Believing the dwarves are dead, an army of men, led by Bard, and an army of elves march toward the Lonely Mountain to divide the treasure. They find to their surprise that the dwarves are still alive. Bard, because he killed the dragon, claims his rightful share of the treasure. When the dwarves refuse to surrender it, the army besieges the mountain. Bilbo tries to end the dispute by stealing the Arkenstone, the piece of treasure most valued by the leader of the dwarves. He gives the jewel to Bard, hoping it can be used to force the dwarves to negotiate. Bilbo's bravery wins him praise from all but the dwarves, who are furious with him. When more dwarves arrive from the north, they are determined to fight. Just as war begins to break out, an army of goblins and wild wolves attack. The dwarves, elves, and men forget their differences and join together to keep from being killed. Help comesat the time of greatest need, and the goblins are defeated. Bilbo finds that he's a hero, honored by men and elves and even given a share of the treasure. But he's had enough of adventure and sets off for home with Gandalf. Once there, he finds that his house and furnishings are being auctioned off, since everyone believed him dead. Finally, everything is straightened out and he is able to settle down again into his old, comfortable life. Although from then on, he is considered eccentric by his neighbors, he continues his friendship with elves and dwarves and the wizard, happily recounting his tales to any who will listen. Themes are quite evident throughout the story of The Hobbit and some of them were more significant than others. The question of determinism is only hinted at in the last chapter of The Hobbit, when Gandalf suggests to Bilbo that his adventures may have been completed for some higher purpose. In The Hobbit the evils of possessiveness can be easily seen. The hobbits are corrupted by their desire for treasure, and their greed almost leads to war with men and elves. The main theme that prevails in this Tolken novel is the on going struggle between the elite and the plebeians. This can be seen most clearly in The Hobbit. They are weak and often foolish, yet capable of great acts of heroism that amaze even the very wise and the such as when Bilbo stole the possessions of Smaug. The Hobbit was a epic novel written by the greatest author of his time. The Hobbit falls in the series of books that include The Lord of the Rings and have a full book conclusion to the trilogy called The Simacurilium. The way that Tolken writes his book is a way that brings forth the fealing that it is being read to aloud and the reader is acctually along side Gandalf due to the use of vivid words and different literary techniques. The novels are quite worth reading and a one is promised that they shall not get bored with Gandalf and all his wondrous adventures. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The HotZone.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Book Report: The Hot Zone by Richard Preston In October of l989, Macaque monkeys, housed at the Reston Primate Quarantine Unit in Reston, Virginia, began dying from a mysterious disease at an alarming rate. The monkeys, imported from the Philippines, were to be sold as laboratory animals. Twenty-nine of a shipment of one hundred died within a month. Dan Dalgard, the veterinarian who cared for the monkeys, feared they were dying from Simian Hemorrhagic Fever, a disease lethal to monkeys but harmless to humans. Dr. Dalgard decided to enlist the aid of the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) to help diagnose the case. On November 28th, Dr. Peter Jahlring of the Institute was in his lab testing a virus culture from the monkeys. Much to his horror, the blood tested positive for the deadly Ebola Zaire virus. Ebola Zaire is the most lethal of all strains of Ebola. It is so lethal that nine out of ten of its victims die. Later, the geniuses at USAMRIID found out that it wasn't Zaire, ! but a new strain of Ebola, which they named Ebola Reston. This was added to the list of strains: Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, and now, Reston. These are all level-four hot viruses. That means there are no vaccines and there are no cures for these killers. In 1976 Ebola climbed out of its primordial hiding place in the jungles of Africa, and in two outbreaks in Zaire and Sudan wiped out six hundred people. But the virus had never been seen outside of Africa and the consequences of having the virus in a busy suburb of Washington DC is too terrifying to contemplate. Theoretically, an airborne strain of Ebola could emerge and circle the world in about six weeks. Ebola virus victims usually "crash and bleed," a military term which literally means the virus attacks every organ of the body and transforms every part of the body into a digested slime of virus particles. A big point that Preston wanted to get across was the fact that the public thinks that the HIV virus is quite possibly the most horrible virus on Earth, when no one takes into mind the effects and death of the victims of Ebola. Preston shows how Ebola and Marburg (a close relative of Ebola) is one hundred times more contagious, one hundred times as lethal, and one hundr! ed times as fast as HIV. "Ebola does in ten days what it takes HIV ten years to accomplish," wrote Richard Preston. The virus, though, has a hard time spreading, because the victims usually die before contact with a widespread amount of civilians. If there were to be another outbreak in North America, the results would be unspeakable. Upon reading The Hot Zone, one could easily believe that this compelling yet terrifying story sprang from the imaginations of Stephen King or Michael Crichton. But the frightening truth is that the events actually occurred and that "could-be-catastrophe" was avoided by the combined heroic efforts of various men and women from USAMRIID and the Center for Disease Control. Preston writes compassionately and admiringly of the doctors, virologists and epidemiologists who are the real-life Indiana Jones' of the virus trail. Some like Dr. Joe McCormick, Karl Johnson, and CJ Peters spent years tracking down deadly viruses in the jungles of South America and Africa, some narrowly escaping death. Their work is filled with courage, brilliance and sometimes petty rivalries. Others, like Dr. Nancy Jaax have lived rather conventional lives, aside from the fact that they don a space suit and work with highly lethal viruses on a regular basis. Preston has written a fast-paced and fascinating novel of medical panic. His gripping narrative is filled with horrifying and gore-filled descriptions and tension-building plot turns. From depictions of events at a Belgian Hospital in Africa to the nerve-racking laboratory scenes in Virginia, he is adept at keeping the reader riveted. At the conclusion the reader is left with the chilling and fact based haunting after thought "what if?" f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The House of the Seven Gables1.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The House of the Seven Gables THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES By Nathaniel Hawthorne "The House of the Seven Gables" is a romantic novel set in a grand and rustic, old house with seven gables in New England town. The story opens with its history, beginning in the 1690's, when witch-hunting was rampant. Afterwards, it revolves around the course of one summer in the 1850's. At his housewarming party, Colonel Pyncheon, the socially noted owner of the house was mysteriously found dead in one of the rooms. Although he was highly esteemed for his wealth and high position, legend has it that he usurped the land on which his house stood from a poor fellow named Matthew Maule. Maule was a nobody. Furthermore, he was rumored to be practicing witchcraft. For this, he was hanged and it was rumored that Pyncheon was responsible for it because he wanted the land for himself. However, his social prominence and Maule's infamy allowed him to get away with the crime smoothly. Before Maule died though, cursed him saying, "God will give him blood to drink." For years, the Pyncheon-Maule dispute carried on. The long line of Pyncheons struggled to keep the land from their rivals. Though they succeeded in this, their greed became their own undoing. Alice Pyncheon dies because her father, Gervayse, allowed her to be hypnotized by a Maule also named Matthew, because he believed him when he said that he needed Alice's mind to find a the hidden Pyncheon treasure. Clifford Pyncheon was another victim of the greed of his cousin Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon. He framed him and sent him to prison for killing their uncle so that he could have the Pyncheon fortune to himself. However, after many years, the once talked-about mansion was eventually forgotten, and the story focuses on the time when Hepzibah Pyncheon, an old and lonely spinster inhabited it. She was often feared for the scowl on her face that was actually only the result of a chronic squint due to her poor eyesight. Proud and without talent for practical matters, she is a symbol of decaying aristocracy. She grieves for her beloved brother, Clifford, who was framed and imprisoned. She had a boarder named Holgrave. He is an attractive and imtellectual young man with modern views and notions. He preaches about social reform to Hepzibah and Phoebe. When her money was running out, Hepzibah was forced to open little bakeshop in the front gable of the house and abandon her illusion of aristocracy. This only adds to her misery until her young niece, Phoebe, comes from the country to live with her in the house. Like a ray of sunshine, she lights up the house with her beauty, simplicity, and free-spiritedness After 30 years in prison, Hepzibah's brother, Clifford, is released and comes home to the house of seven gables. He has a love for beauty but the years of seclusion had drawn out the life from him and he became bitter and spiritless. Then he develops a special bond with Phoebe. Despite the complexity of his personality, she understood him. A frequent visitor was Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon. He resembled his ancestor, the colonel physically and in his greed and pretentiousness as well. Yet, he pretends to be good-natured and amiable. He insists that Clifford possessed the knowledge about a hidden Pyncheon fortune. However, the truth of the matter is that Clifford has long since forgotten the secret. One day , Judge Jaffrey comes again, looking for Clifford. He manages to force Hepzibah to let him see her brother and she goes up to fetch him. He is not in his room and when she comes back to tell the judge, she finds him dead. And Clifford is standing beside him. Afraid that he would be accused of murder again, Clifford flees, bringing Hepzibah along. In their absence, Holgrave and Phoebe fall in love. Eventually, it was discovered that Jaffrey's death was a result of a stroke, and everything is cleared and resolved. Clifford and Hepzibah return and Holgrave asks Phoebe to marry him. She agrees and he discloses that he is a descendant of Matthew Maule. The secret treasure turned out to be the deed of the territory, which was now useless. It was hidden inside a vault concealed by the painting of the colonel which hung on the wall of the house eversince it was built. Hepzibah, Clifford, Phoebe, and Holgrave all decide to leave the house and live in the country, where they inherited an estate from Judge Jaffrey. And that was the end of the Pyncheon - Maule dispute. The story presents us with several themes. Firstly, that the sins of the forefathers are passed on to the next generations, and they become branded for life. Although one cannot undo what have already been done, he can still strive to break the curse, and free himself from the spiral of sin. Secondly, man cannot live alone. Isolation can draw out life from a being. Clifford and Hepzibah who had been living n seclusion for many years had become bitter and lifeless, but when they were re-united and Phoebe came into their lives, they became alive again. Third, man should not be divided by social classes. Hawthorne was obviously against aristocracy for he preaches through Holgrave that wanting to be above the rest leads to isolation and division. Lastly, Hawthorne tells us not to be deceived by appearances. "Do not judge a book by its cover", as it is commonly said. The judge's beatific smile is as misleading as Hepzibah's scowl. The themes of the story present valuable lessons relevant even today. Hawthorne's style of writing is very relaxed and personal. By using the present tense, one feels as if he were within the story as it unfolds before him. With this, one particularly feels the relevance of the irony of his novel today. He plays up the novel by embellishing it with mischief like the disappearing skeleton hand and ghost who plays the harpsichord. He also filled with symbolism. For instance, the withered with odd markings symbolize the fading eminence and odd traits of the Pyncheon family. The organ grinder and the little figures in his box represent the concept of individualism --- each figure, dancing to the same tune accomplish nothing. The image of the cracked porcelain vase hurled at the granite column represents Clifford, in all his frailty versus Jaffrey, to whom he does not stand a chance against. The house itself symbolizes the human heart. It may be stone-cold but when warmed with love (Phoebe), it will blossom. Word Count: 1096 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Importance of Socail Research.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Cassie Janiszewski Social Problems 26 August 2004 The Importance of Social Research 1. What does Babbie mean when he says that "things are not what they seem" when we read about controversial issues such as welfare? I think that Babbie is saying here that people go by what they hear. We don't really take the time to actually research the issue. We go by either what the T.V, media, or magazines say. In today's society this is where we get all our information on controversial topics. I think that the media influence us as a society a lot. We base all of our opinions by what we see or hear on the media. We as a society need to start looking deeper into the topic of welfare before we just assume the facts. We need to dig deeper than what's just on the surface and what we observe. Resembling what Babbie says " we can't solve our social problem until we understand how they come about." I believe this is a totally true statement in that we just assume things before we know all the facts. 2. Many people believe that welfare has become an intergenerational way of life. What data does Babbie present that challenges suck beliefs? Babbie challenges this belief with all of his statistics. Although I think that welfare has become a way of life Bobbie's research shows that its not always true. Many people in the world take advantage of welfare but they are not fully dependent on it. According to researchers " About one-fourth of the 5,000 families received welfare benefits at least once. However, only 8.7 percent of the families were ever dependent on welfare for more than half their income." This just goes to show that assuming what you hear is not always right. We must research topics such as welfare before we draw conclusions. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Inferno.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It is the quintessence of monotony: a mountain chain of stucco that lies atop fallow lots the size of kitchen magnets. Welcome to suburbia. I effortlessly enter my pervious pastel palace, but the voyage to my room is an uphill battle; it is quite an insurmountable quest. The trek to my cell consists of a frozen spiral staircase. It is not smooth and slippery, though, but rocky and perilous. The portal lies beyond the staircase... I force my way through the abrasive forcefield of forbiddance. The shrieks of my tearing flesh are subdued by the overpowering silence of the room. Words are mouthed, but not spoken. They do not exist. This cubicle of torment does not allow language, the embodiment of opposition. As I step into my room, I notice all colors of the spectrum for a fraction of a second, then they appear red. Countless pictures adorn the walls; they are all of one person. I know her, but who is she? Her eyes are dark and enigmatic. I can see the sadness in her eyes. Her eyes. They lack the luminescence of the youthful character they portray. Her glances pierce through my being like light through glass. The carpet is a sea of scorn. It stabs my feet with its blades of contempt. The walls of mockery laugh at me as I foolishly try to climb them to rid myself of its presence. Yet there is no escape. I have inflicted more pain upon myself. Nothing is soft in here; everything is jagged. My un-sanded wooden dresser rests on the right side of the doorway. Figures of dancers with invisible partners lie atop the uneven surface. They seem to move slowly across the dresser, like seaweed drifting aimlessly across the sea. My unpleasant and discomforting bed of stone rests in the center of the room. It is not the usual shape of a bed. Rather, it seems as if it were molded to fit my body alone. Is there no solace? The closet stands only two feet away from the front of the bed. Inside is a world of death and destruction. My clothes are victims of either neglect or overuse. My shoes, an array of black, sit near the foot of the closet. They too are innocent victims of negligence or abuse. They are casualties of an reckless spirit. The stench of decay creeps from my nose into my mouth. I lick my lips in disgust of this new taste. As I look about the room, I notice the mirror above the dresser. It is warped and misleading. Gazing into the mirror, I see more than just my body. I see a being crying out because of the agony of distortion. She can not be heard. A deluge of darkness overtakes my bedroom. My eyes are suddenly fixed on a beam of light. The radio that rests to the left of my dresser has a light that indicates power. It beckons me, but I am restrained by the dark angels in my bedroom. They always appear when I long for anything. They are with me, in my room, for eternity. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Inn from Hell.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Inn From Hell It all started on a dark a stormy night just outside of the Paris city limits at about 11:00 P.M. when Doctor Bleed and his assistant checked into the old run down inn. You see the weather was so bad that they could not even make it all the way over to Spain so they had to stop. They walked in with thier clothes soaked from the rainfall, when they first walked in they realized that there was nobody at the desk to wait on them so they just took it upon themselves to get a room for the night. That was thier first mistake. As they walked up the creeky stairs they peered around every corner looking for an open room so they could relax in peace. When the end of the hall grew near they both spotted an open room with a light on in it and both of the beds with all of the blankets all folded up nice and neat, almost as if they were expecting us to arrive that evening. Without even thinking about anything else they both entered the room and agreed that it was probably too late to go wake up the inn keeper so they would just go down and pay him in the morning. After removing the soaking wet clothes they put on thier night clothes and not even five minuites after hopping into bed they were both asleep. That was thier next mistake. Now like most people Doctor Bleed just had to get his drink of water in the middle of the night or or or .......Well thats funny I dont think that he has ever not had his refreshing drink of water in the middle of the night. Oh well, I sure hope he gets it. Like normally the Doctor woke up at about 2:00 A.M., now with the doctor not knowing the house he just took off in any old direction which he should not have done because he did not know what he was about to get himself into. As the doctor roamed the inn he started to swear like a mad man because he still could not find any water. He thought to himself "What kind of an Inn is this". He would soon find out. Just then The doctor spotted what appeared to be a bathroom with the lights on, he would be sure to find some water in there. As he looked around the bathroom for the faucet he heard this soft chant coming from another room across the hall. It almost sounded like the Theme Song from "Barney", he caustiosly tip toed across the hall desperatly hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever is making that horrible noise. He opened the door and there standing right in front of him dancing around and singing songs like a fairy was a huge purple dinosaur. Right away the Dinosaur spotted the doctor and grabbed him by the arm and attempted to get him to dance to the theme song from "Barney". Scared to death from the words of the horrible song he decked the dinosaur straight in the left eye, that gave the doctor time to run. As he ran he could hear the dinosaur clodding behind him repeating the words "Come back! All I want to do is sing my song". Quickly looking for a place to hide the Doctor Dove into the laundry room and watched the giant purple dinosaur jog past him, A sign of relief the Doctor thought to himself, or maybe not because right when he turned around he saw a strange man doing his laundry. The Doctor decided to go closer for a better look at the man, as he peered over his shoulder he saw that it was "PEE WEE" Herman!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh no the Doctor has ran into that moron with his very own playhouse and talking furniture, the doctor knew he had to get out of there fast. Before he could get out of the room "Pee Wee" pulled out a gun and made the doctor sit down and watch old reruns of his show which was a total flop. After watching just one of the episodes the doctor pinched himself just to make sure that this was no dream, And what do you know it wasnt. Now the doctor was still craving that drink of water that he wanted over an hour ago, and this moron showing him the movies was not helping one bit. Then the doctor began to change....HE WAS GETTING BIGGER....HE TURNED BLACK......and the next thing he knew he was wearing boxer shorts that said Tyson on them. His hands turned into boxing gloves and wasting no time he jabbed "Pee Wee" right in the gut leaving him laying in aftershock. Now it was payback time for that purple threat to the world "Barney". The doctor found "Barney" in the exact same place as before and doing the exact same thing as before, Acting like a fairy! The doctor dove right on top of the purple friek and hog tied him with his very own tail, but that wasnt enough for the doctor so he began kicking the dinosaur everywhere. With every kick he shouted "And this one is for teaching my kids to sing your stupid song 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. As the doctor paused he spotted a glass of water that "Barney" had been drinking on so the doctor walked over and chugged every drop in the glass, I mean it wasnt like "Barney" was going to be wanting anymore. About 20 seconds after he drank the water he began to morph back into his previous form, now after all that work the doctor decided to go right to bed and deal with the mess in the morning. Now the doctor would never have to worry about bad dreams again, that being because he was his own bad dream, and with that in mind he closed his eyes and had a wonderful rest. The next morning doctor Bleed's assistant woke him up early so they wouldnt have to pay the inn keeper, obviously the assistant did not even realize anything that went on last night. Oh well the doctor didnt really feel like telling anybody anyway. As they drove away the doctor saw that there was a full moon last night.......COINCEDENCD I THINK NOT!!!!!! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\THE IR.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ KJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHKJGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG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f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Jungle.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Jungle The novel ' The Jungle' by Upton Sinclair took place in the 1900's the main character in this book is Jurgis Rudkis and his dynamic change to Socialism. He started out as a young and strong man looking for the "american dream." He left Lithuania in hope of starting a family and a cordial Life. The beginning of this book starts at the wedding of Jurgis and Ona Lukoszaite which I believe symbolizes that they are starting a new life for themselves and it is starting out with happiness and a bond. They live in Packington their first day the get jobs quite easily still supporting the idea that things are going well. Jurgis was a hard working and good willed man in the beginning suprisingly he even liked his job at the killing beds. The conditions there were horrible, there was no concern for workers because if one would quit then the industries would go down to the docks and hire another immigrant who would work for nothing . That' s where union's came in but they were also corrupt and could be counterstriked by industries. So that's where the Socialist Party came in and what I believe the central theme is. It was a worker's political party a party that realized the only way to change things was to control the Government. I also believe this book was written for people to know about all the unjustice's that were commited at this time through the money hungry politicians and industrial giant's and how immigrants where exploited along with their families and used by the "system" of waste and replace. Since there was such a steady flow of unskilled workers coming into the country employers didn't have to worry about the needs of their workers. Jurgis and his family expierienced this world of unjustice drastically. Eventually they get a house, which causes them all to get a job to afford it, but they can still manage. Antanas who is Jurgis's father soon dies from tuberculosis. Winter comes and is hard for anyone who isn't prepared the conditions at the yards is now at it's worst so when juris is approached to join the union he doesn't hesitate and soon the whole family is in the union. In the summer Ona is pregnant and names it Antanas after Jurgis' father. Ona is forced to goto work without recovering because her income is needed. This takes a drastic toll on her health. Jurgis then sprains his ankle at work but, turns out to be a pulled tendon and keep him out of work for almost 3 months this was extremely hard on the family because he was a very critical income. During his time recovering he sees that everything is coming apart and him and his family might not make it. Ona has suffered a great deal from the weather and conditions at the plants. The following spring Jurgis is able to work again so he hunts for a job since his old one is lost because again the companies don't care about their workers and if they can't make it to work cause they are hurt then the company claims no liability and finds someone to take your job. Kristofaros one of Elzbieta's two crippled son dies of a bad sausage that he had eaten earlier in the day. Jurgis finally gets a job at a unhealthy and wretched fertilizer plant, he copes with this job by giving into drinking to help him forget about some of his problems. Winter comes again and the all must work extremely hard because of the Holidays. After a snowstorm one day Ona doesn't return home from work so in panic Jurgis goes out and looks for her but couldn't find her so he waits at her job and when she returns the day he asks where she was and she said she couldn't make it home in the weather so she stayed at a friends house and Jurgis understands and forgets about it. It happened again one day and Jurgis goes to the friends house but finds that she is not there and never was so he came home and demanded to know where she had been so she tells him Connor leader of the loading gang made her have an affair with him or all the women would lose their jobs. Enraged Jurgis finds Connor at the plant and attacks him which lead him to the police station he gets a 30 day sentence which is going to be terrible on the family. In Jail Jurgis meets a man named Jack Duane and gives him his address. Stanislovas visits him in jail to get money and tell him of the news of the family all is bad. When he finally gets out he finds out that they lost the house and are staying in the attic of the widow Jukniene's house. When he gets there Ona is in the middle of delivery and they send Jurgis out to get a midwife because they can not afford a doctor. He returns with the midwife and then leaves again to goto a saloon will Ona is giving birth when he returns he finds that the baby didn't make it and Ona is dying. Jurgis can't cope with her death and feels very lonely and I believe this is when his character starts to become dynamic in the morning he gets money and goes to the saloon. The next day he goes to look for a job and realizes he can't get a job because he is now blacklisted. He then gets a job at harvester works after a week he loses the job he is at the point of giving up but he realizes he has a son and keeps going. He then gets a job at a steel mill, it's very far away so he stay's there during the week and comes home on the weekends. He gets hurt at his job and can't work for several days which gives him a good time to spend with his son. He goes back to work and start making plans for the future, when one day he comes home and finds that Antanas has drowned in a puddle. I believe this is the climax of the story when Jurgis feels how could society allow this to happen and how he has nothing left. When he stows away on a train he tries to leave his past behind he has nothing left and he doesn't have to worry about anyone but himself now, which allows him to think clearly. He gets offf in the country and goes from farmhouse to farmhouse getting food and shelter during this time h is free to think freely and recover from his time in the city. When winter starts to approach he leaves the country and heads back to Chicago, he gets a job digging tunnels, he broke his arm a couple of weeks later and goes to the hospital when he gets out he lost the room he was renting and is once again out on the streets. After spending what little money he has at saloons. One day he was begging and met a rich man who was drunk and managed to get a hundred dollar bill by mistake but kept it anyway. When he tried to get change for it at a bar the bartender on gave him change for a dollar, the bartender wouldn't give it back so Jurgis attacked which one again landed him in jail. He met Duane there again and decided to join Duane after his sentence because he doesn't have a family to worry about anymore. While in jail he goes through a big change he sees the world as something different then what he used to see it as like there is isn't much hope and u have to do for yourself. Jurgis learns all about crime and schemes that are going on in the city, he goes along on some of them and makes money through robberies. He then gets a job trying to get people to vote for the republicans and buy votes which he did sucessfully. Jurgis still having the job at the packing plant goes to work as a scab during a strike he soon gets put in charge of the killing beds. One night he was drinking and he stumbled upon Connor he again attacked him and went to jail. He calls upon a friend to bail him out and finds out that Connor is good friends with Scully so he has to get out of town and he does. Giving his so called friend all his money to get out of jail Jurgis has no money left and wanders into a political rally for the socialist party for heat and shelter. Trying to stay awake so he won't be kicked out, he fell asleep, and was kicked out from there he goes looking for Marji, Ona's cousin. When he finds her it's in a brothel and is raided by the police as soon as he gets there so he goes to the police station with Marji and while in jail he spends time thinking of the past tragedies and how he left his family behind. He appears in court the next day and is dismissed. They return the house and Marji tells him about her life now, that she is now addicted to morphine and is a prostitute while they eat lunch. After lunch Jurgis goes to find Elzbieta. He can't face her without a job though so he goes to the political hall that kicked him out before to think about the things that had happened and what Elzbieta would think about him leaving but he falls asleep again and is woken by a woman who tells him he should pay attention what the speaker was saying. He starts to listen to the speaker closely and finding himself agreeing with him. The speaker talks about the men, woman, and children that where exploited and used by industries and how his party the socialist will make sure this doesn't happen again and again in the future. He reaches out to the blue-collar workers who made this society and have no voice in this city and society where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Jurgis felt like he was renewed in life and once again he believed his dreams could be met. After the meeting he goes searching for the speaker who he talks to for a little then is given to the speaker's friend Ostrinski they go to his house and tell each other about their lives. Ostrinski explains the beliefs and goals of the socialist party to Jurgis very carefully he also learns about the Beef Trust and how it works in its corrupt ways and how the socialist party can stop them. He finally faces Elzbieta and explains to her the socialists point of view. He then gets a job as a porter that he got from the owner of the hotel who is also an active socialist named Hinds. His hotel is the center of socialist actions and also the place where Jurgis learns about the socialist party. He starts reading the 'Appeal to Reason' a kind of political newspaper to discourage other political parties. He now also hands this weekly paper out. He tries to get Marji to quit her job at the brothel but she wouldn't listen so jurgis just forgets about it and he starts thinking about what changes he can make in his life for the better. Before the election Jurgis goes to an important meeting in which he was invited to, there was a magazine editor there who jurgis thought he would probably have to tell hi slife story as a working man to support socialist views. He goes and finds the main speakers are an evangelist named Lucas and the editor Schliemann they go on about what the socialist party believes in and how things should be, after the meeting Jurgis felt like a new beginning and the socialist's barely lost in the election which was a huge victory for them and a loss for wage-slavery. Word Count: 2046 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Juror.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I have sustained some of the most appalling trials of this century. Over me I have felt distress, bleakness, sorrow. However none of them were as smashing as Annie's. Have you ever heard about Annie? Oh yes Annie Laird, one of the most kind jurors I have ever met. In George Dawes Greens The Juror, He sumarized the events and, thoroughly explained the pain and anguish Annie had to go through. The woe in which her life revolved after mentioning those lousy words ¨I need a little excitement in my life ¨1, well, if Annie needed to add a touch of excitement to her life she should have tried Disneyland not jury duty. What I am about to air is what happened in our little run with the mob. Truly that has a bit of foul humor because I can't run. If you keep on reading you will understand the risks of serving for jury duty ¨Who will protect you?¨2 Before I met her, Annie was an unadorned artiste who had just transferred out of Manhattan and into the country. To a small cottage by a lake. Her child, Oliver, who loved to ride his bike, moved in as well. I have to say that when I met Annie for the first time it was as Juror N° 224. She was a sparkling maid. Who would have thought a rotten soul such as the teacher would try to harm her? I confess that her recoil in the following days impressed me. This time the trial was against Louie Boffano. He was the head of the mob. He and his right hand The Teacher were as bad as they come. The case was the murders of Salvadore Riggio and his grandson. Mr. Boffano was being accused of ordering them. By this time Annie and I already knew the teacher, but we acknowledged him as Zach Lyde. He had a very piquant approach toward Annie; he bought three of her artworks for twelve thousand dollars each. Nevertheless, how were we to imagine that he was part of the mob? By the time that night had come, Zach Lyde was having dinner at Annie's house. Oliver stayed at a friend's house; Juliet's house. Then came those frightful words from the teacher ¨Annie, listen to me now, you're in danger and your son is in danger¨3 After this, disaster struck Annie's life. From this moment on Annie would feel disquietude and distress. Her house was bugged, her friend's house was bugged, and she could not tell anyone. All she had to do was to induce the other jurors to say just two words: ¨not guilty¨4 Annie's life was miserable; whomever she told would be put in grievous peril. The teacher was listening in, on everything they were saying. During the trial Annie tried everything to drop out of it. However who could she talk to? Even the judge could be on their side. The teacher often made his point clear to Annie. He would usually kill someone to show her she would be next if she slipped. Annie implemented all her swaying powers to manipulate the jury. At the end, and I heard it clearly, came these exact words: ¨As to count one in the indictment, murder in the second degree, do you find the defendant guilty or not Guilty? Not Guilty ¨5 Well now the trial was over, but Zach wasn't altogether ready to let Annie go. After Slavko Czernyk, the detective engaged in the follow-up of the teacher, had died, it came to the authorities that something wrong was going on. This became Annie's opportunity. She spoke to Zach and during their conversation she taped him saying ¨I might discard old Louie¨6 She subsequently took it to Boffano, who was bloody mad about the subject and wanted the teacher killed. Wrong idea Annie; what were you thinking? The teacher got word of Annie's betrayal and blew up Boffano's car, killing him and his associates. He also murdered Juliet and made it look like suicide. Annie just then understood where he was going next; he was after Oliver. But how could he get to Oliver if he was in Guatemala, where she took him for his own safety. Then a call; told her that the teacher knew her son was in Guatemala; she had to save him. The chase was on... It was a long chase involving planes, cars and about ten dead people. At last the teacher had done it; he had found Oliver. Though Annie strived to get there first, it was he who had done it. At least that was what he thought. As intelligent as he was, he never imagined that Annie would be there, waiting for him. When the teacher was about to shoot Oliver, Annie ¨came out of the dark, like she was made of it ¨7 and shot him to death. I must go now. It is time to start a new trial, meet a new juror, and live a new adventure. I must say before I go that I am very happy to have met Annie, and to have carried her on top of me. For those of you who don't know who I am, you just might be sitting on me right now. ¨Isn't it ironic?¨8 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Labours of Mendevolin.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE LABOURS OF MENDEVOLIN ACT I SCENE I (HIGH PRIEST on stage right. Enter MENDEVOLIN stage left. HIGH PRIEST crosses to centre stage to meet MENDEVOLIN there.) MENDEVOLIN: High Priest Marchand! HIGH PRIEST: Ahh Mendevolin, it is such a pleasure to see you again. MENDEVOLIN: Let's disperse with the pleasantries. Take me to my father. HIGH PRIEST: There are things you must know Mendevolin. Your father has not been well. He has been slowly passing away for the last few months. This is why we have sent for you. MENDEVOLIN: He hinted at that in his letter. I came as soon as I could. How long do we have? HIGH PRIEST: Not long, he's on his death bed. I've been using my healing powers to keep him alive for the last week and a half. We have been waiting for your arrival. MENDEVOLIN: Why didn't he say anything before I left? HIGH PRIEST: He's a proud man, it took him months to even ask for my assistance. I'm sure that he wouldn't want his only son to have felt obligated to care for him. He respects you a great deal and is proud to see you out working magic as he once did. MENDEVOLIN: As much work as it may have been, it wouldn't have seemed a burden, because it would have been spent with my father. Now it's too late. Please take me to him now so that I might spend these last few moments of his life with him. HIGH PRIEST: Come with me. He's resting in the basement of the church, you'll have to make it quick, he doesn't have much longer. (HIGH PRIEST and MENDEVOLIN exit stage right.) ACT I SCENE II (MENDEVOLIN'S father lies on bed center stage. MENDEVOLIN enters stage left and approaches his father.) MENDEVOLIN: I came as soon as I heard. I'm sorry it took so----- FATHER: Don't worry, what's important is that you're here now. I have some news that is going to shock you. It concerns your lineage and a burden which has been placed upon this family. In regards to your lineage, I should tell you that....ahhhhh.....oh yes,lineage Your great-great-great....well he was a great guy. A thousand years ago, an elven mage of whom you are a descendant, cast---- MENDEVOLIN: What!!!!???? We're of elven descent, why did you never tell me? In 54 years, I would've thought that you could've mentioned it once! FATHER: (Coughs) ......quiet, do you want to hear this or not? (silence) OK, good. As I was saying.....what was I saying.....oh yes. Elven ancestry......an elven member of our family gathered together a contingent of powerful mages from across the land nearly a thousand years ago in an effort to repress the ultimate evil which threatened to sweep over the land. That terrible beast known as Terresquay once rampaged across the land, but with the help of his fellow mages, Thraltes of the Brook....did I mention he's an ancestor of ours? MENDEVOLIN: Yes you did, please.....? FATHER: Right, right. Well, Thraltes of the Brook and his band of mages collaborated on what has proven to be the most powerful spell cast in millenia. Using the wax from the Contusion bees----- MENDEVOLIN: Contusion Bees!? FATHER: Yes, I didn't tell you about those either? MENDEVOLIN: No, no you didn't. FATHER: Well then....the Contusion bees are located on the Contusion Islands, their wax was used to create the candle----- MENDEVOLIN: Father, it would help if I had some specifics. (father coughs) tell me more about the Contusion bees. How big are they, why is their wax so special and where are the Contusion Islands FATHER: All in good time my son. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted..... (pause) the wax of the Contusion bees was used in making the candle which serves as the focal point for the spell which has forced Terresquay from our realm. The legendary Contusion bees were selected as the source for the wax due to its incredible longevity. Once you have gathered the wax, forge a candle from it, take it to the diamond mountain range and place it on the pedestal between the twin volcanoes.The contusion bees are incredibly small, but don't doubt their deadliness for a second. They produce wax only once every 1000 years and the time for gathering the wax is at hand. I was hoping to do it myself, but (coughing fit).....look in the chest (gestures towards chest at head of bed) take what is in there, it will help you in your journey. You must also find Leon of Sylvanus, his companion Spruce and Pardudious. MENDEVOLIN: (looking up from the chest holding the flyswatters) Who are those people and what are these.....thingies? (pause) Father? (pause, checks for life signs, finding none bows his head in solemnity closes his father's eyes and turns to leave)(exit stage left) ACT I SCENE III NARRATOR: After leaving his father's side and notifying the High Priest of his father's passing, Mendevolin set forth in search of the adventurers his father had spoken of. His first stop, The Tavern, because everyone knows that all good adventurers eventually go to The Tavern. (enter LEON and SPRUCE stage right, sit at table downstage right-center, they adlib conversation until the entrance of MENDEVOLIN stage right who approaches them) MENDEVOLIN: Excuse me sir, madam. I noticed you sitting here and I wondered if I could join you for a moment? LEON: Why certainly (motions towards empty chair) there's always room for one more. Can I offer you a glass of wine? MENDEVOLIN: No thank-you, that's quite alright. Actually, I'm presently embarking on an important journey, I'm afraid I don't really have time to drink right now. In fact, what I really was wondering, was if you may have any information that you would be willing to share with me in regards to either Leon of Sylvanus, Spruce of Elfheim or Pardudious whose title, I'm not familiar with. SPRUCE: Yeah, I'm Spruce (LEON shoots SPRUCE a menacing glare) and this is Leon LEON: (yelling) What are you thinking telling a perfect stranger asking for information on us that we are those whom he seeks!? Do you not know anything of the parels of an adventuring life!? (draws his pistol, points it at MENDEVOLIN's head) Who knows what this man wants us for, he could be an assassain sent by either an enemy of your father's or someone who wants my head! SPRUCE: (turning to MENDEVOLIN, faking whisper) There's more than a couple after his head, I'm sure. (snickers) MENDEVOLIN: (looking uncomfortable, appearing to chose his words carefully) I'm sure there can't be that many people who want your head......(speeding up) and if there are I'm sorry to hear it. In any case, I'm not an assassain. LEON: Well then who are you, and what do you want with us? MENDEVOLIN: I am Mendevolin, a powerful wild mage. I have been entrusted with the task of renewing a millenia old spell used to repress the ultimate evil, Terresquay. My quest involves a journey to the Contusion Islands where I must procure the wax of the Contusion bees which is only produced every 1000 years. From that wax I must form a candle and place it on a pedestal in the diamond mountain range. SPRUCE: (aside to LEON) And you talk about me giving away too much information. MEDEVOLIN: (looks at the pair then continues) My father, on his death bed, told me that you may be of some help, will you join me? LEON: A dangerous quest, involving Islands that only told of in legend, bees that are probably larger than I am, not to mention this ultimate evil thing. Why should I go with you, what am I going to get out of this? Look old man, I'm perfectly happy here, minding my own business and drinking my wine. MENDEVOLIN: (Stands) First of all, the bees are not larger than you, in fact, they're not even as large as normal bees. Secondly, I have faith in my father, he wouldn't have sent me on this quest if it couldn't be completed. Therefore, the Contusion Islands must exist. Thirdly, you're mistaken in believing that this is a choice I'm presenting you with. You must come, if you're not with me then the spell I'm trying to renew will fizzle and the world will be thrown into darkness and chaos. (LEON leans back comfortably in chair and places feet on table, folding hands behind head and glares at MENDEVOLIN) SPRUCE: Don't me such a stick in the mud, it's an adventure, we're at The Tavern, don't you know what comes next? First, we make friends with him. Then, we agree to join him, pay the barkeep, sign this (pulls out contract), and we go merrily on our way. MENDEVOLIN: Ok. Spruce, will you be my friend? SPRUCE: Yeah, will you be mine? MENDEVOLIN: Sure. Will you join me? SPRUCE: You bet! (snaps fingers, BARKEEP enters stage left, SPRUCE pays BARKEEP, exit BARKEEP stage left) Barkeep's paid, now all that's left is this. MENDEVOLIN: (signs contract, SPRUCE signs contract) Leon? LEON: Alright fine, I'll sign your stupid contract,(signs contract) heck I'll even pretend to be your friend, I will even join your stupid quest... but only on one condition. I take orders from nobody especialy washed-up old has-beens like you. I'll do what I want when I want and if you don't like it tough! MENDEVOLIN: I don't care what you do on your own time but you're on contract now and until this adventure is done you're working for me and do as I say, understand? LEON: Yeah, I understand, (angrily gritting his teeth)(aside) I understand perfectly. (Exit ALL stage right) ACT II SCENE I (Enter LOWELL stage left, obviously lost) LOWELL: Where in the name of chaos am I? I should've been there a long time ago. (LOWELL continues his searching) DEREK: (offstage) BORK!!!!!!!!! (as DEREK yells bork, LOWELL drops to the ground, throws map offstage left. DEREK charges onto the stage, jumps over LOWELL, sumersaults, sits up and takes in his surroundings) LOWELL: (yelling) What do you think you're doing man! What are you doing attacking me? I didn't do nothin'! (whiny) Leave me alone! Why does everyone always pick on me? Is it because I'm different, is it because I smell (checks himself). Look, I'm sorry if I offended you in any way, in any event, it was purely accidental. Please, don't hurt me, just let me be on my way. DEREK: (stares)......(looking for the right words) I'm.....ummm.....sorry.....ahh.....I didn't see you there. You haven't offended me, you don't need to worry about that. As for attacking you, that would involve control over my body, which moments ago I didn't have. LOWELL: Then you didn't want to fight me? DEREK: (appears confused) No. I'm not sure what I wanted to do. LOWELL: What do you mean? DEREK: Well, I don't know who you are, or where I am. One second, I'm performing routinescouting operations for the king in the village of Verge, next thing I know, I'm in the middle of these woods, flying through the air and when I sit up, I see you. By the way, who are you? LOWELL: Well, my mother always told me not to tell my name to strange people, they might be trying to kidnap me. So I'm not telling... DEREK: (shocked) Well, since you appear as lost as I am, it might be to our advantage to join together. Besides, it's always better to travel with company. LOWELL: Ah ha, that's where you're wrong, I'm not lost, I've got my map (holds up empty hand). (sad look, looks at DEREK) My name is Lowell. DEREK: I am Derek Arcane. Now that we're aquainted, I'm sure that with a little luck, we'll be able to reach our destinations. Will you join me then? LOWELL: (sobbing) my map, my beautiful map, gone. (LOWELL continues muttering as he leaves offstage right, DEREK follows, attempting to console him.) ACT II SCENE II (Enter SPRUCE followed by MEDEVOLIN and LEON stage right) MENDEVOLIN: (while entering) Spruce, are you sure that you know where you're going? SPRUCE: Trust me (gives MENDEVOLIN big smile) I've lived my whole life in foests. LEON: I can't believe you conned me into this. Some fun this is turning out to be, I'm marching through a forest, I am soaked, there are bugs crawling in places I can't mention to the children (points to audience), and to top it all off, you've probably never been in this forest have you?! That would just be the icing on the cake. C'mon Spruce (sarcasm) have you ever been in this forest?! May as well tell me, my day can't get any worse. SPRUCE: Well no, actually I've never been in this forest. But, they're all the same aren't they? Once you've been in one, you've been in them all. All you have to know, is how to read what the forest is telling you. You have to look for things like animal trails, moss growth, and listen for the songs of the birds. They'll tell you all you need to know. MENDEVOLIN: Do you know how to find these things and interpret what they say? SPRUCE: No, but if I did, I know those things would help.(big smile at MENDEVOLIN) MENDEVOLIN: Do you at least know roughly where we are? SPRUCE: Yes. We're about a half day's walk east from Elfheim. There's bound to be someone there who knows this Pardudious character. If he's any kind of adventurer, he'll be known at The Tavern. MENDEVOLIN: Well then, let's pick up the pace, it's going to be a long journey, 3 months to go as far south as you can, and then as far north as you possibly can, is really pushing it. LEON: Yes, I agree. We've been wandering through this forest for a day and half, I would kill for the chance to be back in civilization. I bet the reason you've never been in this forest before is because you've never found anyone stupid enough to come with you before. Let's go, my feet are starting to hurt. (crosses upstage left towards offstage) (enter LOWELL and DEREK stage left, running into LEON) LEON: Geez Spruce, it's too bad you didn't run into these two dunderheads before you dragged us into this forest, seems they would've been willing to come with you. LOWELL: Oh, excuse me. (LOWELL walks past LEON and continues walking towards stage right) DEREK: Lowell, where are you going? LOWELL: Well, we've got to find some other people to help us get out of......oh..... (approaches MENDEVOLIN, shakes his hand) my name is Lowell. DEREK: Don't mind my friend, he's a little (makes crazy sign). My name is Derek Arcane, I've just recently found myself in these woods and I'm trying to make it back to civilization, if you could point us in the direction of the nearest town, it would be greatly appreciated. MENDEVOLIN: We are headed there ourselves in fact. You're welcome to join us if you wish. My name is Mendevolin, this is Spruce (points) and this is Leon (points). We are presently searching for someone named Pardudious so that we may begin our journey towards the contusion islands. You wouldn't happen to know where we might find him would you? The things my father gave me said that he may live behind a waterfall. DEREK: You mean find IT don't you? ALL: IT? DEREK: Yes, Pardudious is a boat, a magical flying ship. LEON: (skepticism) A magic flying ship? Why should we believe you? We're on a quest involving some ultimate evil. Who's to say you aren't....one of his minions? (LEON draws his pistol and aims at DEREK) LOWELL: My friend is in trouble, oh lord of chaos, show us now the power of randomness, and cause the next shot from that boomstick to go awry and miss its intended target. Honour your humble servant's plea. LOWELL: (aside) And on the off chance that the lord of chaos is unavailable for a small miracle, at this time I will proceed to beat both combantants senseless with whatever heavy, blunt objects that may be at hand, in your mercy. DEREK: (pulls out cross from under tunic) If I was a minion of evil, would I be wearing this? LEON: No, I suppose not. SPRUCE: C'mon Leon, put the gun away. We can't be fighting with each other, we have a ship to find and a mission to complete. LOWELL: Yeah, this'll be cool! A flying ship, wow! We'll be flying above everything, I'll be able to see all my friends, and wave hi to th---- LEON: Just shut up will you? I want to get going before it's already too late. LOWELL: Sorry, I'll just be over here (walks away from group and sits down on stage, head down) MENDEVOLIN: Well if it can help us get to the Contusion Islands quickly, I'm all for it. We're on a very tight timeline and every little bit will help. (turns to LEON) Now, in future Leon, you can take some of your own advice and keep your mouth shut unless you have something important to say. We have to work together. Everyone has the right to make suggestions, we just can't tell people to shut up all the time. You're not the only one with ideas worth listening to. In fact, I'm not sure that you've had one good idea yet, and still you shoot down everyone else. Keep your ego under control and your mouth shut. LEON: (aside) I can't wait for an opportunity to shoot you down.... LOWELL: (Jumps up) Wait a minute!.....I mean, ummm, excuse me. We can't leave yet. LEON: (sighs) Why can't we go now? LOWELL: We haven't signed a contract yet. Does anyone have one? MENDEVOLIN: Yes, right here (pulls out contract, LOWELL and DEREK sign it) SPRUCE: Ok, well if everything's in order, we can be on our way. (everyone leaves down the stairs stage left and out the side door except LEON. LEON lingers on stage, pulls out pistol, admires it and shoots blank towards stage door.) NOTE: Mendevolin must leave last (before Leon) ACT II SCENE III (ALL enter stage right side door) MENDEVOLIN: Lives behind the waterfall, Lives behind the waterfall. That doesn't even make sense anymore. SPRUCE: What'cha got? (Smile at MENDEVOLIN) MENDEVOLIN: Just something my father gave me before he passed away. He told me about this quest, said I should find Pardudious and gave me this (holds up scroll), what's written can't be accurate though. Since Pardudious is not a person, he can't possibly live behind a waterfall. LEON: Let me see that. (MENDEVOLIN hands scroll LEON. LEON looks at it) Just looks like gibberish to me. LOWELL: People said that we were crazy to build a castle on a swamp, but we did, and it sunk into a swamp. So, we built a second castle, and it sunk too. So we built a third castle, it was burned, pillaged and fell to the ground, and then it sunk into the swamp. So we built a fourth castle and it's standing, it's the strongest castle in all the lands. But father, I don't want the castle, I want, I want.....No no no, there'll be no singing while I'm still here, stop the music, stop it right now, I won't......oh excuse me (sits on stairs stage right). (ALL are staring at LOWELL by the end of the speech) SPRUCE: No Leon, that was gibberish. DEREK: (DEREK comes down stairs stage left, walks towards group) Well, it's there alright. Now all we have to do is find a way to get it past the flow of the water, any suggestions? MENDEVOLIN: Derek, my good friend, how did you know to look there? DEREK: Easy, just take a look at the scroll MENDEVOLIN: (MENDEVOLIN looks at scroll again) Ok, perhaps it would help if I knew what I was looking for. DEREK: Not that side, turn it over. (MENDEVOLIN turns scroll over) See, there it is. LEON: Hmmmm, you would've thought that a powerful mage like yourself would have known to check both sides of a scroll. I'm just glad it wasn't a spell scroll you were reading from, that would have certainly been disasterous. Though it wouldn't surprise me to find out you've done it once or twice. (this catches MENDEVOLIN's attention) LOWELL: (snaps to attention) Check for fine print, check for fine print! ALL: What!? LEON: For the love of god, somebody slap a muzzle on the boy! (MENDEVOLIN takes offence and marches angrily towards LEON. LEON forces the scroll on SPRUCE who steps aside and looks at it. LEON takes a defensive stance) LOWELL: (aside) My god is bound to look favourably upon me! It seems everywhere I go, I cause chaos! They say they're powerful mages, but they have no idea of the power that is weilded by the followers of chaos! If they start something, we're really going to see a show. (LOWELL begins preparing for a battle) SPRUCE: Well, would ya' look at this! Fine Print! ALL: Shut Up! SPRUCE: No, I'm serious. Listen: "If through the water your path does lay, just quote Fat Albert, say 'Hey', 'Hey', 'Hey'" (As words are spoken, curtains open to reveal boat behind. ALL are unaware of what happened, adlibbing conversation about words) MENDEVOLIN: (turning around) That's Pardudious (everyone stops talking, turns around) Not very impressive is it? I've known orcs to ride around in better. DEREK: It may not look like much, but it's powers are beyond your comprehension and my imagination. LEON: Beyond their comprehension maybe. Beyond mine, I beg to differ. Now, show me the way to the controls and I'll have us out of here in no time. (ALL head towards ship except LOWELL who lingers for a moment) LOWELL: I just want everyone to know that I get airsick. ACT III SCENE I (enter ALL from stage left) MENDEVOLIN: Well, we're here. DEREK: Short trip, you'd think that it'd be a lot harder to get to an Island that most people don't even think exists. LEON: (checking his wrist hourglass) Yeah, we've only been travelling an hour. MENDEVOLIN: Now, I have a few things here that my father told me would help us. I realize you may wonder of the usefulness of the items I am about to give you but I have confidence, my father would not have given them to me were they not going to be helpful. (MENDEVOLIN pulls forth the flyswatters from his sack) LOWELL: Wow! You've got some of those.....Thingies! LEON: What manner of insuperior weapon are those? I bet you couldn't even kill a fly with them! MENDEVOLIN: Well....ummm..... LOWELL: You mean you never heard the legend? SPRUCE: Legend??? LOWELL: Yeah, the legend of the tailor that killed seven giants with one of these! (LOWELL then proceeds to sword fight with flyswatter. ALL stare at him)....sorry. (LOWELL sits down like before) SPRUCE: Well, if you can kill giants with one of these things, you'll have no problem killing a few little bees right? (murmurs of consent) MENDEVOLIN: Right then. Has everyone been armed with a......(looks at LOWELL) LOWELL: Thingy. MENDEVOLIN: Right! With a THINGY! (everyone awkwardly holds up flyswatters except for LOWELL and MENDEVOLIN)OK! To the Bees! ALL: TO THE BEES! (exit ALL stage right) ACT III SCENE II (enter ALL stage left) MENDEVOLIN: Where is the hive.....it's supposed to be here. AHEM. I'm sure, it's right around here somewhere.(hive pops out behind front curtain stage right on stick) thankyou. DEREK: Look, I see it, over there (points at hive) LOWELL: Hit it with your shovel Leon! LEON: My what? LOWELL: Your shovel. (shovel flies in from offstage right. LEON catches shovel and looks at it, and unimpressed, hands it to LOWELL, he turns from others, telling story in aside like state) I remember my mom used to go out and find hives just so that she could whack them with her shovel.(LOWELL turns back to group) I thought everyone whacked hives with shovels? SRPUCE: Shovel, you don't use a shovel, you use a pitchfork. (Pitchfork comes from offstage right, SPRUCE catches it) LOWELL: What do you mean! Pitchfork, are you nuts? Shovel! SPRUCE: Pitchfork! LOWELL: Shovel! (LOWELL and SPRUCE repeat several times. Spruce wins by pointing the pitchfork at LOWELL) LOWELL: Ok, ok, pitchfork.(LOWELL sits down with shovel across lap) LEON: Oh, enough of this. This tomfoolery has gone on long enough. (LEON pulls out pistol and aims at hive. Changes his mind and aims at person holding hive offstage. LEON shoots, hive falls, sound of person offstage falling down dead) (after hive falls, ALL pull out their thingies. They fight valiantly while 'flight of the bumblebee' plays in the backround. Fight lasts for about 15-20 seconds. It appears hopeless) MENDEVOLIN: Run Away!!!!!! (everyone repeating 'run away' as they move upstage left) (when all arive, SPRUCE pulls out sandwhich from bag and begins to eat it) MENDEVOLIN: (astonished) Spruce, what are you doing? This is no time for a picnic. Put that away we need to come up with a strategy. LOWELL: (sniffing) Is that peanut butter and honey? SPRUCE: Yeah, want some? LOWELL: Sure, I'd love some, I haven't eaten anything since we started this adventure. SPRUCE: We've only been adventuring together for an hour and a half. DEREK: Wait a minute. That's it! Give me that (grabbing sandwhich from LOWELL. LOWELL whimpers and "sits down") I'll be back in a sec. (DEREK move towards hive and places sandwhich near hive then retreats. Once bees have taken bait about 15 sec. DEREK moves back to hive and retrieves wax.) Got it! (looks over shoulder, bees chase 'flight of the bumblebee' plays again) (exit ALL stage left) ACT III SCENE III NARRATOR: Mendevolin and his party set forth for the twin volcanoes hidden deep within the diamond mountain range. With the candle now formed, our heroes are now ready to face the terrible evil that lies ahead. (enter ALL , MENDEVOLIN first, stage right. MENDEVOLIN noticing the candle stops suddenly, rest of the party runs him over. everyone falls on MENDEVOLIN and candle breaks.) Well, almost ready. MENDEVOLIN: (realizing the candle is broken) Oh this is just perfect. Everything I have ever done, I have screwed up somehow.(MENDEVOLIN is in his own little world) I failed as a tailor, (enter EVIL MAGE stage left) I can't cast magic worth a damn, (ALL but MENDEVOLIN see EVIL MAGE and creep away in fear) and now this! (gestures at broken candle and breaks down crying) EVIL MAGE: (approaches MENDEVOLIN, places hand on shoulder) There, there. It will all be over very soon. (EVIL MAGE licks fingers and puts out candle) There, was that really so bad. (EVIL MAGE laughter) THE END f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The last of the Mohicans.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The story The Last Of The Mohicans takes place in eastern Canada and in the area of modern New York State. This area is also called the St.Lawernce Low Lands. The book takes place in the year 1757 during the third year of the colonial wars between England and France. The books main character is about a man named Hawkeye who is a white man but his parents were killed and he was raised by a mohican man named Chingachgook. In the book Hawkeye helps a English soldier named Duncan who is escorting the two daughters of a English General Named Munro to Fort William Henry. Hawkeye Takes them to the Fort will it is under attack. Then the fort is captured by the French and everyone in the fort must leave. While they are leaving they are attacked by a band of Indians led by A Indian chief named Magua. During the battle Hawkeye escapees With Cora and Alice. The Cora and Alice are captured by Magua. Then Hawkeye and Uncas go after them and Cora and Uncas are killed. Chingachgook and Uncas are the only Mohicans left and when Uncas dies Chingachgook is the last one giving the book its title. The main character of the book is Hawkeye. Hawkeye is described as having a big head and narrow shoulders. His arms are long and skinny and he has small hands. He also has thin legs which are very long. Hawkeye is much like a Metis Because he is white and educated but raised an Indian. Hawkeye at first does not want to get involved in the war he only wants to go and trap and make some money. He only wants to take them to the fort but then he falls in love and he stays. In the book Hawkeye faces a big challenge. Munro's daughters are taken hostage by a ruthless Indian chief named Magua. Hawkeye tries saving them but Cora is killed. During the battle his adopted brother Uncas is killed. Then Chingachgook says the Mohican seed is will not be carried on to another generation but Hawkeye tells him that it will because he is Mohican at heart. The most interesting part of the book was the last battle on the rocks. The battles are the easiest to understand. They are also the most exciting they also make Hawkeye a hero type figure because he is a good fighter. Love is a major theme in the book. Hawkeye and Uncas fight for their loves. In this fight Uncas and Cora die. James Fenimore Cooper brings the issues of Indian and European relations and how the coming of the white people changed the Indians way of live forever. The Last Of The Mohican is written in the Philosophic Mode because the book deals with Hawkeye and his relations with the people around him. It also brings in death and how he deals with it. The book in a way is a part of our history because it teaches how live was then and how our Country was formed. The book is to entertain and to inform. It entertains because all of the characters are fictional. Everything else like the places, the wars are all real. It shows people what life was like back then. If I was to recommend this book to someone else I would tell to see if they could find a edited version that was written our modern day English. The novel is old and in some places it can be tough to understand. But overall the book is entertaining and fun to read. Anyone interested in our past or who enjoys action \ adventure books will enjoy the book. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Life and Hard Times of Grantly Marshall.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The Life and Hard Times of Grantly Marshall" Could anyone imagine having no money, few friends, and no chance to succeed in life? Well, for one individual this situation is all too real. Grantly Reed Marshall, a 18-year-old high school student from Franklin Square, Ohio, had big dreams but little money. Grantly had reached a crucial time in his life. He desperately wanted to attend college. Grantly's siblings were much smarter than he was, as were his parents. None of his classmates expected Grantly to amount to anything, but this made him more determined. Grantly's family was very different. They had one light bulb in their entire house. Grantly got his name when his mother read the book Childbirth Without Pain, by Dr. Grantly Reed. His father ran for president in 1928 under the Communist Party. During this period in his life when they usually excluded him from the other kids, and was the poorest he would ever be, Grantly wanted most of all to go to college. The best things Grantly knew how to do was act and recite poetry. He would memorize poetry with more than twenty stanzas in a week and recite them to anyone who would listen to him speak. Finally, with scholarships, student aid and multiple jobs Grantly fulfilled his dream of attending college. Majoring in theater Grantly graduated Kent State University in 1972 with honors. After he graduated, Grantly did act in local theaters for a few weeks and then decided to do to the Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Just weeks before he was to leave Grantly's father fell ill and died shortly there after. Grantly knew his father would want him to go to the Olympics anyway so off he went to Germany. Because he was such a passionate speaker Grantly could speak many languages and had no problems in Europe. A few people Grantly did know and was friends with began to wonder about him after the Summer Games ended and he did not return. Then, one day Gary Johnson, one of Grantly's only friend's received a phone call. It was none other than Grantly. It ended up that Grantly loved Germany and he got a job as a German Postal Worker. Gary had many more long talks with Grantly. These talks did not cost either of them a cent because Grantly always called from the post office. This did make Gary cautious but, they were never caught. Grantly, once again started acting and reciting poetry. People began to notice how good he was and Grantly began to make friends with more important people in Munich. Grantly then got the opportunity to produce a play entitled "The Sleuth." It was a huge hit throughout the city. Grantly then began to get more opportunities to produce plays. Soon Grantly Reed Marshal was the most sought after play producer in Munich. For his 20th high school reunion Grantly came back to the states. He was dared by a few students to memorize and recite the poem "Casey at the Bat" at the next night's reception. Grantly went to the library that afternoon and with a copy of the poem walked the streets trying to embed the words im his mind.Grantly received a standing ovation as he coolly stepped up to the microphone. Without anything to rely on but his memory, he stood before the audience and recited the poem with but one flaw. Everyone agreed Granlty had done quite a bot for himself. He started by acting in small plays and now he produced them with a budget over one million dollars. Not a sole their could disagree that poor, Grantly Reed Marshall was the richest man their. Not for his money, but for what he had the most of, a good personality. By Graham T. Sobotka f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Lord of the Flies.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The adventure novel, The Lord of the Flies, was an epic tale that depicted the different facets of the human spirit. It was written by William Golding in the 1950's and recieved many awards. Idt was declared the "Outstanding Novel of the Year" by E.M. Forrester. The author did in no wat mean for this story to be biographical, but Mr. Golding depicted well the many different aspect of human nature. The book has been described as "provacative, vivid and enthralling," but Time and Tide said it best when they wrote, "It is not only a first-rate adventure story but a parable of our times." The novel took place on an island probably somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. This can be inferred because of the fact that the boys are British and that they arrived on the island by way of a plane cradsh. The story also occurred during wartime. The story begins when a group of British boys crash on an uninhabited island. In the beginning they area all unruly and unmorginized. Finally, a boy by the nakme of Ralph decides to take charge and call a meeting. The boys declare him "chief" and then begin to follow his lead. Ralph is also assisted by another lad by the name of Piggy. The group of boys were getting along fine until Jack Merridew, a boy who wanted to be "chief" instead, decided to go his own way. He disobeyed Ralph and did things his own way. He was to preoccupied witdh his own whims to do the act that was most important on the island, which was to keep the signal going so they could be rescued. Finally, Jack went against Ralph and declared that if any of the other boys wanted to have "fun," which meant acting like savages, that they should follow him. The boys splot up into two groups and then havoc insued. Jacks group went around hunting and being barbaric while the others tried to get rescued. In the end Jack had gotten all the boys except Ralph to run around loke wild animals. Then when Jack got tired of dealing with Ralph, he convinced wveryone to try and kill him. By then however, a navy ship had come an they could never get around to the nasty deed. There was more than one antagonist in the story, The Lord of the Flies. They were Ralph, Piggy, and all the other boys who tried to sustain order and law on the island. To begin with, Ralph was the "first" chief on the island. In the beginning, he was the one who tdook charge of the group okf boys and called them to order. He tried to organize a strategy dto get off the island and make all the boys understand why it was he was doing what he was doing. Piggy was basically Ralph's "right-hand" man. He was probably the mkore natural leader, but since he did not possess the confidence to stand up alone, he did all he wanted to do "through" Ralph. These boys were the antagonists because they desperately tried to get off the island and tried not to let anyone or anything get in their way. The antagonist in the story in the story was Jack Merridew. He was the boy in the story who openly showed his dislike for the procedures Ralph was taking as chief of the island. He continually disobeyed Ralph and eventually broke off and went his own direction. In turn, many of the boys followed Jack and his "savage philosophy." Jack and these boys started their own "tribe" and ended up causing more problems than they solved. He also prevented Ralph from being an effective leader by basically taking away all his power. When the other boys saw how much "fun" Jack was having they all left Ralph and followed every action Jacck took. When the boys left, Rallph did not have many boys helping him, dtherefore, he could not accomploish the simple taske of keeping the signal fire going. The theme of the novel was the fact that even the most avid attempts to be civilized will be squandeered by the savage nature of the human spirit. The group of boys were stranded on the island with almost no chance of survival and persevered through it all. One of the most sensible boys, Ralph, eeven tried to organize the group and get them to follow his instructions. He had them gbuild shelters and construct a smoke signal that would run throughout the day. In the beginning the group carried these instructions out, but then anarchy overtook them. Jack Merridew proceeded to disregard all of Ralph's instructions and followed his own whims and fancies. His plan while he was on the island was to hunt and have "fun." He did not realize that his savage nature was beginning to surface and by the time he did realize this it was too late, the way of life had consumed him. The author attempts to show the reader that people must overcome their own basic faults before they can live in active, productove, and functioning society. "The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of juman natrue." -William Golding. In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, the main conflict was between Ralph and Jack. The two boyks comkpletely differed in their approach on what to do while stranded on the island. This brought about many confrontations that further increased the animosity between them. "Jack stood up as he said this, the bloodied knife in his hand. The two boys faced each other. There was the brilliant world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill; and there was the world of longing and baffled commonsense." - pg. 71. There was was also the conflict between the boys and the actual island. The boys were flung into a place which was a mystery to them and through all adversity persevered and survived in the most trying of circumsstances. There were no adults on the island, so the boys were forced to organize themselves and their actions. Until savagery overtook them in the end, the boys did an excellent job, considering the circumstances, of coordinating their actions and surviving while on the island. They had sufficiently fed themselves with the fruit that was available and had a ready supply of drinking water when it was needed. The two previously discussed conflicts were both external and a combination of "Man versus Another" and "Man versus Nature." The novel, The Lord of the Flies, contains many literary devices used to enhance the reader's grasp on the novels concepts. "The coral was scribbled in the sea as though a giant had bewnt down to reproduce the shape o the island in a flowing chalk line but tired before he had finished." - pg. 29. This passage is comparing the coral reef in the ocean to the unfinished scribblings of a giant and is a good example of a simile because it using the word "as." "The breezes that on the lagoon had chased their tails like kittens were finding their way across the platform and into the forest." - pg. 34. This statement is saying that the breezes on the lagoon were reocurring like kittens chasing their own tails and is another good example of a simile. " ...whole limbs yielded passionately to the yellow flames that poured upwards and shook a great beardof flame twenty feet in the air." - pg. 41. This quote is saying that limbs of trees "yielded" to flames and since tree limbs cannot perform this human quality consciensly, this is an example of personification. "When these breezes reached the platform the palm fronds would whisper winged things in the shade." - pg. 15. Once again, this sentence is implying that the palm fronds were whispering, and since a plant cannot perform this act this is another example of personification. "Suddenly Piggy was a bubble with decorous excitement." - pg. 15. This statement furhter clarifies what Piggy looked like in the reader's mind so this is an example of imagery. " ...the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist." - pg. 181. This excerpt also clearly states what the conch looked like so this is an example of imagery. "`There "`Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!' said the head. `You knew didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?'" - pg. 143. This is what "The Lord of the Flies" said to Simon while he was in the forest. The "Lord" meant that it was funny how the boys thought that the Beast was an animal that they could hunt and kill when it was really their own human thoughts and desires. How the whole time they were looking for something up on the mountain when all they had to do was look at themselves. It is important to the message of the story because it the first instance where the author reveals and one of the boys realizes what the group is really up against. Mr. Golding shows the reader that the following sequence of events will depict the darkest sides of each of the boys and that they will have to overcome themselves in order to have any chance at survival. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Lost World 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Lost World Michael Crichton Bantam Books I read Michael Crichton's The Lost World. (tm) In the following paragraphs, I will not only explain the book, but also give my critique of it. I will also give a paragraph that was probably the best paragraph in the book, in my opinion. The book starts out with Ian Malcolm, a mathematician who had already had an experience with live dinosaurs a couple of years ago on another island. He has pretty much blocked that experience from his mind. Anyway, it also talks about a man named Doctor Levine. This man talks at a lecture that Malcolm is watching about the theory of there being a lost world, an island, undiscovered, that has extinct animals on it, particularly dinosaurs. Malcolm dismisses this idea saying that is the dumbest thing he ever heard. After the lecture, Levine talks to Malcolm to help him in finding this "Lost World." Malcolm again dismisses him. After a couple weeks of Levine nagging him, he sort of gets more into the idea, and starts to believe it. Levine Narrows it down to one island, Isla Sorna, and just leaves without telling anyone. Two of Levine's students, Kelly and Arby, get worried when he wasn't there to teach their class, because they were supposed to go on a field trip with him that day. They go to a guy named Doctor Thorne, a guy that was making specialized equipment for their trip. He said that he didn't know what was going on. They contact Malcolm and they go to Levine's apartment. They go to his computer room and see all this stuff on the wall about site B. They go onto the computer and Arby gets all this stuff about site B on it. Malcolm then finds out that the island that Levine went to was Isla Sorna. They plan this whole trip to go there, just Malcolm, Thorne, and Thorne's assistant, Eddie. They also call a woman named Sarah Harding, a scientist in Africa, to come with them. She had to take a flight in a while, she was too far to just go with them. They told the kids that they couldn't go. They leave for a helicopter with a specialized explorer, and two trailers, with a lot of equipment. On the way there, Thorne gets a call from Arby saying good luck. They get to the island and search for Levine, with this device they have, the find him and go back to the trailer. Before the go back, you find out that that Kelly and Arby hid in a compartment in the trailer. They find a computer and get into the system and find that there are camera's all around the islands. Sarah Harding tries to find a way to the island, but can't, until she finds a boat going there. The People on the boat, Dodgson, King, and Baselton. They have plans to go to the island and steal some eggs. Sarah doesn't know this and goes for the ride. On the way there, Dodgson pushes her off the boat. She swims to a cave and gets on the island. Meanwhile, Levine, Thorne, and Eddie erect a high hide. This protects them from the dinosaurs. They had a close encounter with Parasaurs when a whole herd of them went past the high hide. They didn't notice it though. Later on, Arby sees someone on the screen. Its Sarah. They go to pick her up. Dodgson, King, and Baselton are stealing eggs. The get to the T-Rex's nest, the expect the T-Rex to not be able to see as long as they don't move. Malcolm says that they are misinformed and in the chase, Baselton and King Die, and Dodgson gets away and is chased by these small dinosaurs into this shed, and he falls asleep. During that chase, Levine and Eddie were at the nest, and Eddie saw a hurt baby T-Rex. Levine tells him to shoot it, but instead, Eddie brings it back to the trailer. Ian and Sarah try to heal it while everyone else goes back to the high hide. While they are mending it's broken arm, the parents come back for it. They keep bashing the trailer until they figure out what they are after, the baby. They give back the baby, and the dinosaurs seem to stop the beating of the trailer. They bring the baby a little bit into the woods, and they then come back to beat the trailer again. They hit it closer and closer to the cliff, until half of it is hanging off the cliff, only being held by the connector. They realize that they have to get to the top part of the trailer. They make it up. Just then, Thorne comes in the jeep and the dinosaurs stop to protect their baby. They then go back to the nest. Malcolm is very hurt and takes some morphine for the pain, Sarah just has a gash on her fore head and a couple of bumps and bruises, but that's it. There is now less than five hours until the return helicopter comes. Meanwhile, Levine, Eddie, Kelly, and Arby are at the high hide. They see that Malcolm and Sarah made it. Suddenly, Levine sees some raptors in the distance, coming towards the high hide. They almost go straight by, until one of them smelled a candy wrapper. The find the high hide, and they start to attack it. They knock off Arby and Eddie. Arby gets into a cage they had set up at the bottom, but Eddie is killed. The key is still in the lock of the cage, so Arby tries to lock it, he does, but he drops the key and a raptor gets it. The raptors rip the cage off and push it down the hill. Thorne, Levine, and Malcolm go after Arby and Kelly and Sarah go after the raptor with the key. Sarah drives the motorcycle and Kelly is sitting behind her. Kelly has to shoot the raptor and does it on like her third try. They get the key and fine the others who got Arby back. They go to the worker village to rest and to try to find gas for the jeep. The raptors that were chasing them mysteriously stopped before the worker village. They mend Arby while Thorne goes out to find gas somewhere. He goes around back into a shed with these barrels in it. They were all empty. He then heard breathing, but he didn't see anything. Suddenly, the lights went on inside the house and he saw 2 figures standing there, changing their colors, chameleon dinosaurs. Inside, Levine also saw that they were chameleon dinosaurs and told Sarah. Sarah and Levine went outside with flashlights and waved them around at the dinosaurs, who couldn't adapt to the rapid changing, and ran away. They went inside and Thorne mentioned the other car, and that it would be good if it still worked, and then remembered that there was a switchboard that would fix the car. Sarah goes there and sees about 50 dinosaurs around the jeep. She climbs onto a tree branch so that she could get over them and onto the jeep, she misses the jeep and goes under it. Meanwhile, Dodgson wakes up, and finds Diego's, Levine's guide who dies within the first hour on the island, and open's it, he finds a 2-way radio and hears Sarah and Thorne talking. He goes to where Sarah is and ends up hiding under the car with her. The dinosaurs disappear because a T-Rex is coming. Sarah pushes Dodgson out and the T-Rex takes Dodgson and leaves, letting Sarah get the jeep going, she goes straight to the Helicopter landing sight and is too late, so she didn't get to tell him to wait so she could get the others. She starts to go back. Meanwhile, at the house, Levine figures out why the raptors stopped. It was because of the chameleon dinosaurs, but now that it was morning, the chameleon dinosaurs weren't a threat, so the raptors would come to the house. His theory was right, and Thorne and Levine end up holding the door shut while the raptors try to get in from all ways. Kelly is on the computer trying to find a way off the island when she sees all the graphics on the screen and knows that the cord to the computer must go through the floor, which must have enough room for a repairman to get through, so they all go through there and when they get out, the see Sarah and head for the boathouse. They get there and see a boat in there. They take the boat off the island, and go home. I think the only weakness of the book is that it is too much like the first book, Jurassic Park. (tm) The characters have similar strengths and weaknesses, two kids, etc. I also thing that there are numerous strengths to the book. It was very compelling, and some nights I'd be up until stupid hours in the morning reading it because I couldn't put it down. It was a thrilling book. It kept you wanting more. A particular passage which impressed me was PP 422 & 423, Chapter Exit, the whole chapter. I particularly liked this chapter because it sort of turned the table on humans. We always think we are superior to every other animal in the world, always taking them for granted, killing them and eating them. The T-Rex brings Dodgson back to the nest for the babies to eat, sort of like when a bird brings a worm home for its babies, only we're the worms. In conclusion, I really liked this book, it is my favorite book now. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. No matter what they are interested in. I didn't read Jurassic Park, (tm) but I am definitely going to, and I can't wait to see the Lost World (tm) on the big screen. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Lost World.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Lost World by Michael Crichton is a great science fiction novel about a group of scientists of different fields that go on an expedition to an island to bring back a rich and stubborn scientist from a test expedition that he cared about more than his life. The "lost world" is an island off the coast of Costa Rica called Isla Sorna on which a company named InGen (Short for International Genetics Corps.), genetically engineered and contrived dinosaurs which were extinct since 65 million years. This island was used as an incubator for the dinosaurs before they were shipped to another island close by called Isla Nublar. Isla Nublar was leased by InGen for a biological preserve for tourists to see the dinosaurs at a certain cost. After a tremendous tragedy at Isla Nublar, the company went bankrupt and destroyed Isla Nublar. They did not bother to mess with Isla Sorna because of publicity reasons. For six years no one knew about this lost world. Many times there were cases of large unknown animals at Costa Rica, but no one found out what they actually were or where they had come from. A rich scientist named Dr. Richard Levine performed research on some of these animals and found some clues which led him to the lost island. He set out on a test expedition with his colleague to find out exactly if he was on the right island. He missed his boat back home to the states. So, he called his friend, Dr. Thorne with his satellite phone and left a message asking him to come down to the island and get on with the expedition. Dr. Thorne, Ian Malcolm, Dr. Sarah Harding , and two kids that sneaked in with them, went to the island to rescue Dr. Levine and explore the behaviors of the dinosaurs on the island. When they get to the island, they find out that they aren't the only ones that were looking for dinosaurs. Three men led by Dodgson from another genetics company called Biosyn, were also there, looking for dinosaurs to open up their own theme park. Many things go wrong on the island. Some of the people get too close to the dinosaurs and they get into trouble, Sarah Harding takes a baby from the Tyrannasaurus's nest because it looked sick and the mother comes looking for her baby. This island was lost by InGen for six years, and it was the only place in the world that time had passed by. Since 65 million years, the dinosaurs have been extinct. Now, on this island, real live dinosaurs are the rulers of this lost world. This lost world was found by the humans that went on this unusual expedition and found themselves in the middle of "a bird's nest." If no one had ever "found" this world of chaos, then many people would have been happier. The paleontologists will lose their jobs because they won't have to dig for bones anymore. The museums would go bankrupt because everyone would see the real dinosaurs rather than their bones. But many new jobs would also be created. Many rich companies would create major theme parks featuring "The Hopping Compy." There would be extra expeditions to the island by people who would kidnap some dinosaurs to breed their own. There would also be many lives lost because of the preciousness of the Tyrannasaurus Rex and the Velociraptor. If some of these dinosaurs escaped, they would terrorize human existence. Then once again, the world would be ruled by the maximum ferocious dinosaurs. The lost world which was bound to be found , would have been better if it didn't even exist. Many lives would have been saved. The possibility of chaos in the world would not have existed. The human race would have been saved. The "lost world" should have remained lost. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Luck of Slavery.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Luck of Slavery The Luck of Slavery Samuel Beckett's pessimistic attitude about the existence of man lead him to write one of the best contemporary plays known to the twentieth century. Even with its bland unchanging set, clown-like characters, and seemingly meaningless theme, Waiting for Godot, arouses the awareness of human tragedy through characters' tragic flaws. Charles Lyons feels, "a character's attitude of the space in which he lives, shows a range of detail marking economic status, social classification, and psychology" (Lyons 19). Beckett uses the character, Lucky, as a metaphor for Man. Using physical, mental, and social blemishes, Lucky exemplifies Becketts idea that universal man is a slave to his own being. First Lucky symbolizes man's slavery in a physical sense. Lucky has a master that instructs him where to go and what to do. Lucky is physically tied with a rope to his master, but in a sense is also tied to him by fear of being alone. Lucky is asked by two tramps to dance, but refuses. Lucky only dances at his master command. Lucky is also a slave to weakness. When Lucky does finally dance, he shuffles chaotically. Ramona Cormier and Janis Pallister describe Lucky's movements as "stiff" and "ungraceful". They believe it is because "he is use to being loaded down with burdens...his body is unable to move freely" (Cormier and Pallister 13). Brooks feel that age gas "diminished Lucky's dance to a few ineffectual, spasmodic memories of a past ritual" (Brooks 294). Lucky calls his dance "the net" (Beckett, Act I 27). It is ironical that Lucky does not escapes the net that restricts him from being independent. The last physical characteristic of slavery that Lucky exemplifies is, slavery to dumbness. His dumbness does not signify a change, but a "manifestation", since he could not speak freely until called upon (Metman 122). Thus Lucky is drawn closer to bondage-now not by choice, but by necessity. Their relationship becomes symbiotic. Just as man communally needs man to help get through rough times, Lucky needs his master to communicate for him. The next blemish that contributes to the slavery of Lucky is his mentality. Lucky is not capable of functioning on average human mental capacities. According to Eva Metman, "Lucky allows his master to organize his life for him" (Metman 122). This makes life easier to bear because Lucky can escape the burden and consequence surrounded by decision making. Beckett portrays Lucky as a lunatic too dumb to speak or even think for himself. When Lucky finally does speak, on command, he "stutters" and "repeats" incoherently, according to Ramona Cormier and Janis Pallister. They also feel Lucky's "disorganized sentence fragments is symbolic of the mental deterioration of man" (Cormier and Pallister 9). In addition, Iser believes, "the repetition emphasizes [Lucky's] unawareness of problems" (Iser 253). Lucky's ideas are distorted from lack of identity. He can not be his own person, thus, the broken-record-like speech symbolizes his broken spirit. Man tends to waddle through life pretending that his mental being is somewhat tainted in order to divert problems and avoid circumstance. Finally, Beckett's universal man is conveyed through the social status Lucky upholds. Lucky is below animal level. He is referred to several times as "pig" and "hog". Lucky even takes on characteristics of an animal, such as, "panting" and "trembling" (Fletcher 243). Rosette Lamont says, " more dog-like than human, [Lucky] responds to the cracking of a whip he himself carries between his teeth until his master has need of it". She also feels "bent under his weight of burden [Lucky] resembles an ass, the most humble and useful of all creatures" (Lamont 207-208). Lucky caters to his master's needs, while ignoring his own. This is symbolic of man catering to the government's needs of taxes or religion's needs of tithes, while ignoring his own family's needs. Lucky is mere property owned by the head of his government, his god, his master. Ramona Cormier and Janis Pallister implies, "[Lucky's] role was grounded by habit and inertia...once these roles have been established, there is no way to reverse them" (Cormier and Pallister 15). In Act I, Lucky had a chance to free himself from his bondage. He does not because his life has become habit. Man is slave to the social classes he, himself, created. Brooks revels that even though he is dumb and "loaded down with sand, [Lucky] nevertheless leads his blind master" (Brooks 298). Man attempts, daily, to upgrade from lower class to middle class and middle class to upper class. John Keats said it best when he said, "how is it that man on earth should roam and lead a life of woe, but not forsake his rugged path." Carey and Robets say that "if one depends entirely on the society in which one lives, it is impossible to stand against that society without defeat" (Carey and Roberts 15). Man strives to get out of the rut and the dog-eat-dog world in which man lives, but with minute success. Ultimately, Lucky is a mere metaphor of man. The tragic flaws of Lucky only reinstate the tragic flaws of man. Lucky has no sense of his own identity, but lives according to the laws of his master. Like Lucky, man is physically weak and ineffectual compared to the forces of nature. Man is mortal and dies. Man's mentality is thought to be above the animals, however, man displays the primal instincts of killing, stealing, and greed. What man has is not good enough, man always wants more under the classification of society. Finally, man is a slave of his own being because he chooses to be dominated. Man prefers to follow the crowd and change with the times, even if it means loosing morale. Fear, love, habit, and mere instinct cause man to want to be controlled. Men obey governmental laws out of fear, wives obey their husbands out of love, and children obey their parents out of instinct. Obedience and submissiveness is a expectation of our society. It is a genuine desire that is embedded in man from the dawn of creation and will abide within us all until the end of time. Slavery is what sustains man's civility. Without physical slavery, man never dies. Without mental slavery, man becomes too smart for his own good. Without social slavery, man is doomed to a life of solitude. If man did not submit to some cause, the world would live in anarchy and chaos. Bibliography Brooks, C. "The Mythic Pattern in Waiting for Godot." Modern Drama 9 (1966/67) 292- 299. Carey, Gary, and James Roberts, eds. Beckett's Waiting for Godot, Endgame, & Other Plays. Cliffs Notes, Inc. Nebraska: 1995. Cousineu, Thomas. Waiting for Godot: Form in Movement. Boston: Twaune, 1990. Cromier, Romona.,and Janis L. Pallister. Waiting for Death. Alabama: U of Alabama Press, 1979. Duckworth, Colin. Angels of Darkness: Dramatic Effect in Beckett and Ionesco. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1792. Fletcher, Beryl S., and John Fletcher. A Student's Guide to the Plays of Samuel Beckett. Boston: Faber and Faber, 1985. Fletcher, J. "Action and Play in Beckett's Theater." Modern Drama 9 (1966/67) 242-246. Iser, W. "Beckett's Dramatic Language." Modern Drama 9 (1966/67) 251-259. Kenner, Hugh. A Reader's Guide to Samuel Beckett. New York: Farar, Straus, and Giroux, 1983. Lamont, Rosette. "Beckett's Metaphysics of Choiceless Awareness." Samuel Beckett Now. Ed. Melvin J. Friedman. Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1975. Lyons, Charles R. Samuel Beckett. New York: Grove Press, 1983. Metman, Eva. "Reflections on Samuel Beckett's Plays." Samuel Beckett: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Martin Esslin. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1965. Works Cited Brooks, C. "The Mythic Pattern in Waiting for Godot." Modern Drama 9 (1966/67) 292- 299. Carey, Gary, and James Roberts, eds. Beckett's Waiting for Godot, Endgame, & Other Plays. Cliffs Notes, Inc. Nebraska: 1995. Cromier, Romona.,and Janis L. Pallister. Waiting for Death. Alabama: U of Alabama Press, 1979. Fletcher, J. "Action and Play in Beckett's Theater." Modern Drama 9 (1966/67) 242-246. Iser, W. "Beckett's Dramatic Language." Modern Drama 9 (1966/67) 251-259. Lamont, Rosette. "Beckett's Metaphysics of Choiceless Awareness." Samuel Beckett Now. Ed. Melvin J. Friedman. Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1975. 199-217. Lyons, Charles R. Samuel Beckett. New York: Grove Press, 1983. Metman, Eva. "Reflections on Samuel Beckett's Plays." Samuel Beckett: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Martin Esslin. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1965 Word Count: 1388 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\THE MASK.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Holocaust Report Draft 1 Imagine back to when the Nazis were in control of Germany. Only the Jews are in trouble, right? Wrong. Various religions were persecuted during the Nazi era, and the Jehovah's Witnesses were among them. The Jehovah's Witnesses religion was started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A man named Charles Taze Russel (1852-1916) first started the organization under the name International Bible Students Association in the 1870s. The group's purpose was to find God's true word that has been hidden by many false teachings. In the 1890s, they sent missionaries to Germany to seek converts. In 1931, the International Bible Students Association was changed to the Jehovah's Witnesses under Russel's successor Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1869-1942). They got this name from the prophet Isaiah who said in the Bible (43:12) "You are my witnesses, and I am God," Nazis persecuted Jehovah's Witnesses from 1933-1945. The group was officially outlawed on April 1, 1935. After that point, they faced nearly total persecution. Witnesses were thrown in jail and concentration camps if the refused to join the army or continue to carry out religious meetings. Witnesses were a minority group in Germany at the time. Only 20,000 Germans were Jehovah's Witnesses in the early 1930s, when the total population of Germany was 65 million. That is only about 3% of all Germans. The popular religions were Catholic and Protestant. Today, the Jehovah's Witnesses have members in more than 200 nations after only around 125 years of being. Right now there are five million door-to-door preachers from 69,558 congregations in 229 nations. Witnesses have many beliefs. They get them from the Old and New testaments of the Bible. They believe that Jesus Christ is not God himself, but the son of God. They do not pledge allegiance to anybody but God. They do this because they believe that they are citizens of Jehovah's Kingdom. They will not fight for any nation for they are troops in Jehovah's military. Witnesses also believe in a theory called Millenialism. This says that earth will be under the heavenly rule of Christ for 1,000 years and then there will be the battle of Armageddon (end of the world). Witnesses are devoted to carrying out their religion. They meet in churches called Kingdom Halls. They spend as much time as possible preaching door-to-door. Door-to-door preachers are called publishers. Books are published in more than 100 languages in over 200 nations. Jehovah's Witnesses were denounced in Germany for various reasons. Nazis hated the fact that they would not give them allegiance. Witnesses would not raise their hands in the "Heil Hitler" salute. As the Nazis were at war, it did not please them to have people refusing to join the army. The group's ties to America and Judaism contribute fuel for the Nazi's hate of them. Their belief of Millenialism was not popular with the Nazis. Witnesses were persecuted even before being nationally banned. German authorities marked their conduct as illegal peddling. Bans were made on Jehovah's Witnesses books. Some were arrested for defying Nazi bans. This resulted in loss of their jobs, unemployment, social welfare, and pension benefits. The persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses was different from other groups. Over 40 other groups received the same punishments, but none like they were (except the Jews). Witnesses, unlike the Jews, Sinti, and Roma, were persecuted for their beliefs not their racial background. Hitler became Chancellor in April of 1933. Within four months, Witnesses were banned from much of the country. Persecution definitely became much greater when he came to power. Witnesses still did continue meeting outside of the law, though. Witnesses attempted to fight the persecution. In October of 1934, they sent a letter to the German government that explained their harmlessness and what they believed in. This did not have any affect. Witnesses could escape persecution in a very simple manner. They could tell the Nazis that they did not hold their religious beliefs any more and they would be out of harm's way. Very few did this though, and they refused this offer of freedom with great strength. Children of Witnesses were also treated horribly. Teachers at school would chastise them not doing the "Heil Hitler" salute or singing songs that represented Germany. Other kids at school taunted and beat them up. Principals kicked them out of their schools. Authorities tore families apart by taking the children away and sending them to reform schools, orphanages, or to another family to be brought up with Nazi beliefs. Many witnesses were jailed. Many continued to meet, pray, and make converts while in jail or concentration camps. By 1939, around 6,000 Witnesses were imprisoned. In all the Nazi days, about 10,000 Witnesses were imprisoned, mainly from Germany. It is guessed that from 2,500 to 5,000 Witnesses were killed in captivity. At least 200 men were killed because of German War Court rulings for not joining the army. Jehovah's Witnesses were wrongly persecuted by the Nazi regime. Will this cruelty ever happen again? Make sure it does not by thinking things through. Always try to find good reasoning behind what you believe in. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the metamorphosis.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kafka wrote "The Metamorphosis" in 1912, taking three weeks to compose the story. While he had expressed earlier satisfaction with the work, he later found it to be flawed, even calling the ending "unreadable." But whatever his own opinion may have been, the short story has become one of the most popularly read and analyzed works of twentieth-century literature. Isolation and alienation are at the heart of this surreal story of a man transformed overnight into a kind of beetle. In contrast to much of Kafka's fiction, "The Metamorphosis" has not a sense of incompleteness. It is formally structured into three Roman-numbered parts, with each section having its own climax. A number of themes run through the story, but at the center are the familial relationships fundamentally affected by the great change in the story's protagonist, Gregor Samsa (Lawson 27). While the father-son relationship in the story appears to be a central theme, the relationship between Gregor and his sister Grete is perhaps the most unique. It is Grete, after all, with whom the metamorphosed Gregor has any rapport, suggesting the Kafka intended to lend at least some significance to their relationship. Grete's significance is found in her changing relationship with her brother. It is Grete's changing actions, feelings, and speech toward her brother, coupled with her accession to womanhood, that seem to parallel Gregor's own metamorphosis. This change represents her metamorphosis form adolescence into adulthood but at the same time it marks the final demise of Gregor. Thus a certain symmetry is to be found in "The Metamorphosis": while Gregor falls in the midst of despair, Grete ascends to a self-sufficient, sexual woman. It is Grete who initially tries conscientiously to do whatever she can for Gregor. She attempts to find out what he eats, to make him feel comfortable, and to anticipate his desires. Grete, in an act of goodwill and love toward Gregor, "brought him a wide assortment of things, all spread out on old newspaper: old, half-rotten vegetables; bones left over from the evening meal, caked with congealed white sauce; some raisins and almonds; a piece of cheese, which two days before Gregor had declared inedible; a plain slice of bread, a slice of bread and butter, and one with butter and salt" (p. 24). Besides being the only member of the family still willing to face Gregor daily, she is also the family representative of Gregor, in a sense, to a mother who doesn't understand and a father who is hostile and opposing. The father is physically violent toward his metamorphosed Gregor, pushing him through a door in Part I: "...when from behind his father gave him a strong push which was literally a deliverance and he flew far into the room, bleeding freely" (p. 20). Grete appears to concentrate on protecting Gregor from this antagonistic father and an indecisive mother. In Part II, when Grete leads her mother into Gregor's room for the first time, we see the strange way in which Grete has become both the expert and the caretaker of Gregor's affairs (Nabokov 271). She convinces her mother that it is best to remove all of the furniture from his room. Kafka attributes her actions partly to an adolescent zest: "Another factor which might have been also the enthusiastic temperament of an adolescent girl, which seeks to indulge itself on every opportunity and which now tempted Grete to exaggerate the horror of her brother's circumstances in order that she might do all the more for him" (p. 34). The change in Grete's attitudes and actions toward Gregor probably fully begin in Part II, during the scene where Gregor struggles over to the window and leans against the panes to look outside. Grete, seemingly beginning to forget the Gregor still has human feelings and sensitivities, rudely opens the window and voices her disgust at the distasteful odor of his den. Moreover, she doesn't bother to hide her feelings when she sees him. One day, about a month after Gregor's metamorphosis, "when there was surely no reason for her to be still startled at his appearance, she came a little earlier than usual and found him gazing out of the window...she jumped back as if in alarm and banged the door shut; a stranger might well have thought he had been lying in wait for her there meaning to bite her" (p. 30). Against her mounting insensitivity is Gregor's poignant selflessness (Nabokov 270). In a marvelous display of feeling and compassion for his sister and her feelings, he expends four hours of labor to carry a sheet on his back to the couch to hide himself from her sight, thus sparing her the disgust of looking at him. As Grete's behavior begins to change, Grete begins to slide closer and closer to his demise. At the end of Part II, Gregor's father has completed his rise to power. Initially weak and enfeebled, the father is now "standing there in fine shape; dressed in a smart blue uniform with gold buttons, such as bank messengers wear; his strong double chin bulged over the stiff high collar of his jacket...his onetime tangled white hair had become combed flat on either side of a shining and carefully exact parting" (p. 38). It is at this point that the father begins to pelt Gregor with small red apples, one of them embedding in his flesh at great pain: "Gregor wanted to drag himself forward, as if this startling incredible pain could be left behind him" (p. 39). Of course, Gregor finds he cannot leave the pain behind him, and begins his slide towards death. Gregor's reaction to the violin playing episode is the climax and symbol of Grete's metamorphosis and Gregor's demise (Lawson 33). The boarders are extremely interested in hearing her play an impromptu recital. She begins to play the violin, and Gregor, his transformation into beetlehood nearly complete, finds himself drawn to the music, putting aside any human feelings of consideration for others: "He felt as if the way were opening before him to the unknown nourishment he craved...He felt hardly any surprise at his growing lack of consideration of others" (p. 48). So inconsiderate and oblivious is he to others, that he begins a dangerous trek towards the living room: "And in spite of his condition, no shame deterred him from advancing a little over the spotless floor of the living room" (p. 49). Initially, nobody is aware of him, but soon the middle lodger sees him and becomes inflamed. He announces to Grete and the mother - spitting on the floor no less - that he can no longer live there due to the disgusting conditions. Here Grete's betrayal of her brother is final and absolute. Grete, in this scene, reaches the plateau of her metamorphosis into an enemy of Gregor, and is left only to change physically and advance in her womanhood. While she tries to salvage the situation by hastily making the boarders' beds, the violin clangs to the floor, symbolizing her rejection of Gregor and her rapport with him (Lawson 33). At this point she dissociates the name of her brother from the insect when addressing her parents: "We must try to get rid of it. It will be the death of both of you, I can see that coming" (p. 51). And later, "It has to go" (p. 52). Gregor is no longer "he," but "it." She sees the complete disappearance of Gregor the human and the complete rise of the beetle. "How can this be Gregor? If this were Gregor, he would have realized long ago that human beings can't live with such a creature, and he'd have gone away on his own accord" (p. 52). Grete condemns Gregor to death when she urgently locks him into his own room, crying "At last" (p. 53) to her parents as she turns the key in the lock. Even in death, Gregor retains tender feelings for his family: "He thought of his family with tenderness and love. The decision that he must disappear was one that he held to even more strongly than his sister" (p. 55). Grete's betrayal was just one more emotional trauma Gregor had to face. Gregor's death stands in contrast to the final image of "The Metamorphosis". Grete has now undergone her transformation into womanhood. She wakes up to find her body has bloomed in the wake of Gregor's disappearance (Thiher 44). Kafka's endings begs no questions: "It struck both Mr. and Mrs. Samsa, almost at the same moment, as they became aware of their daughters increasing vivacity, that in spite of all the sorrow of recent times, which had made her cheeks pale, she had bloomed into a pretty girl with a good figure" (p. 58). Grete has emerged from her adolescence into her young adult role in the real world (Lawson 34). Thus, her parents tacitly agree that "it would soon be time to find a good husband for her" (p. 58). Grete's metamorphosis into womanhood can be contrasted with the mother's lack of a similar transformation. She remains less antagonistic than the father, sometimes more insightful than the sister, but altogether unsure of herself and eager to please and indulge her husband. In many ways, she stands as a caricature of a housewife and promises to remain that way even if the Samsas are fewer in number and forever changed (Lawson 35). There is a final irony to note in the contrast between Gregor's demise and Grete's awakening. While Grete has developed into an animal whose sexual passage into womanhood needs no language to express its fulfillment, Gregor was the animal whose condition begs the words to explain it. Kafka begins "The Metamorphosis" by remarking that Gregor's transformation is "no dream" whereas Grete's accession to female sexuality is described as the family's "new dreams." Possibly this is Kafka's ultimate irony - that nightmares express lost human reality better than dreams do of animal satisfactions (Thiher 44). Grete Samsa's changing actions, feelings, and speech toward her brother, coupled with her accession to womanhood, parallel Gregor's own metamorphosis. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Millers Tale.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Miller's Tale This is a true tale of me and my life, or at least for a short while. The day had started out so well, you see I had become somewhat of a owner of women. I was interested in this becomes because of the free jobs that came with it. You see because of my gorgeous looks the women had trouble seeing past it to the real man in my pants, I mean in me. So why not just become an owner of women to sell to others for nightly jobs and such and reap the benefits of it all. So like I said, the day had gone perfectly until one of my women came down with a sudden case of the backdoor trots. He, he the ol' hag almost released her load of dung on one of my customers, so I had to get her and take her back home. When I got to the man's house I entered in grand fashion by showing how I could open the door with my head. Oh well, that didn't go over as planned but it scared my woman so bad she finally did just let it go. Then, after cleaning it up we were on our way out and back to home sweet home. When we arrived I got some great news that made the whole squirts issue fall back to the back of my mind. I got word that the King wanted one of my women to get it on with him. So soon I got the prettiest woman I had. She had blond hair and a nice set on her, if I do say so myself. She all of her teeth except for three but in this time that's not bad. I soon put on my Sunday best and headed straight for the castle in which to meet the King himself. We came in the back just as told and soon were met by three guards dressed in black and silver. They said to me, " Wait here, the girl goes with us." Well, I'll be damned if I'm going to let these people not let me see the King! When I asked they said, "Sorry but the King won't allow it." Well, what could I do? Absolutely nothing is right. The King sure is a bum when it comes to privacy and such. I sat outside the back entrance to the castle for almost an hour. I was almost to the point of sleep when I heard the door open. She came out with a bit of a smile on her face. We soon departed from the castle, she said nothing the whole way home. I kept asking her if something happened in there that she wanted to tell me. Once, we reached my house she began to laugh. I was intrigued by this so I said, " What is wrong with you?" She began to tell about the King's short comings. I soon also began to laugh at this and went to the bar down the way. I entered the bar in grand fashion as usual. The door was especially hard for some reason but maybe it was just me. No matter, I began to drink with my buddy from down the way by the name of Everett. I told him of my day and then he bought me a beer, then another, than another. I soon began to wonder why he was being so giving to me, but he was good friend and I thought nothing of it. The night pushed on and finally, I was so drunk I stole the money off the man beside me to pay for some of my drinks and then staggered out and to my house which was a few blocks down the road. The next morning I awoke to the sound of a rooster and a man laughing wildly outside my door. It was ol' Jethrow and his pet rooster Cleetis. He greeted me by saying, " Is it true, does the King have a small one?" I replied with, " What in God's name are you talking about?" Last night at the bar you told everyone that one of your women said that the King was a little short of the mark. "You're joking, right?" "'Fraid not," he said. Well, at that moment in time I thought I had only two choices. Either I could leave my business and the house or stay and face the wrath of the King. Well, the day passed on with more and more questions about the King and his whatever you would like to call it. I decided I'm a man, a very big man at that so I decided to stay and face the King. Hours and hours went by and no word from the King. I thought I was in the clear but as soon as I had thought such a thought, someone began to knock at the door. I went in a sort of slow pace to get the door. Then, I opened the door and there stood seven knights and the King. At once I knocked the first one down with the use of my head, then the next two with a swift kick to their families' jewels. Three down and four to go. Next, I jumped upon one and rammed my fist into his face, but soon after this the other three grabbed me and held me tight to where I couldn't get away. The King stood before me and looked me over. After a while, he told the knights to release me and for me to step back inside. The King soon followed and we sat at my table in the kitchen. He told me of a deal to sort the matter out. He would have a woman for free anytime he requested or I could have my jewels in a jar. Gladly, I took the offer and he parted with his knights and all was well. In the end I figured that the moral was to not to run your mouth unless you're a pimp. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the Ministers Black Veil.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ " The Minister's Black Veil Essay Father Hooper wears a black veil over his eyes and nose, never revealing the reason of the veil to a soul. At times the sexton would insinuate a reason behind the veil but never revealing the answer to the mystery. Father Hooper is a very imaginative and creative individual to innovate the idea of wearing a black veil to express an idea. He is angry towards the response of the veil to his parishioners, since they treated him differently with the veil compared to without it. Most of the parishioners are clueless to why he wears it and some try to imagine why he would ever want to wear it, but there are only ideas and arguments to why a minister would wear it. One of the reasons behind the veil might be secret sin. Father Hooper might have committed a very bad sin which he does not want to unveil to anyone. Instead of not telling anyone the sin he shows it clearly on his face with the aid of a black veil. This black veil might relieve tension in his body that has accumulated due to his sin. In the story, Father Hooper says that everyone wears a black veil, meaning that everyone commits secret sins without revealing them to anyone. If you do not express your secret sin you would be keeping stress and tension locked up inside you, but if you express it, the stress and tension will be relieved. Another reason behind the veil might be sorrow. Deep, dark sorrow for someone or yourself might be expressed and shown with the help of a black veil. By wearing the black veil for eternity, you are exhibiting great love and sorrow for someone or yourself. If the black veil was removed, the sorrow and love would be dead. This might be how Reverend Hooper expressed the veil. Father Hooper might have also used the veil as a friend and a device to test Elizabeth's love for him. The black veil might have given Mr. Hooper friendship if he was lonely and without a mate. He could test Elizabeth to see if an object would come between them and their love. The Reverend told her if she was his, the black veil would then be removed. If she was not his, the black veil would stay on his face and be his friend for eternity. The black veil came between Elizabeth and Father Hooper, causing him to wear it for eternity. The author Nathaniel Hawthorne shows how one symbol can be interpreted into many ways and lead to many sub-topics. He does not give the reason behind the black veil because he wants the readers to use their imagination and think of their own reason behind the veil. Although Father Hooper never answered the mystery of the veil, there are many theories behind it. I could not think of one theory for the black veil without thinking of others, therefore I listed all three of my theories. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Monkeys Paw.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE MONKEY'S PAW By (author) W.W.Jacobs The mystery of the Monkey's Paw is a cleverly thought out short story. This story had three main parts. These parts were the first wish, the second wish, and the third wish. The first wish was the only tragic wish that was granted. Mr.White, his son Herbert, and an old man were sitting around playing chess. There was a knock at the door and Mr. White answered it to let the man in. His name was Sergeant-Major Morris. He sat down in the seat nearest the fire, and after several glasses of whiskey he began to talk. He talked about some of his war experiences, and then of India. His last story was about a magical mummified monkey's paw. The sergeant-major tells the family that the old dried out monkey's paw has a spell put on it by an old fakir. The story continues and then Mr.White and the sergeant-major trade. Later Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds. A man comes and visits the Whites telling them that their son Herbert had been killed, and then he gibes them 200 pounds. The consequence of Mr. Whites first wish is the main reason he uses a second and third wish. Mr. White did not want to use a second wish but his wife insisted that they wish their son back to life. Mr. White wishes his son back to life, but nothing happens so they go to sleep. They are sleeping when they hear a knocking sound at their front door. Mrs. White goes downstairs to answer the door even though Mr. White told her not to answer the door. Mrs. White approached the door while Mr. White looked for the monkey's paw. At the very moment Mr. White unlocked the door Mr. White found the monkey's paw and made his third and final wish. Just as he made his wish the knocking stopped, and his wife opened the door. What was the last wish? The author never really says, but one can assume that he wished he had never made his second wish. The end of the story is open and leaves you to come up with an end of your own. In conclusion, the story line was well written and cleverly thought out. With the three wishes as the main parts of the story; the author was able to lead you one way and then suddenly change direction. I think that using a monkey's paw instead of a lamp was creative, and that people appreciate something different every now and then. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The most dangerous game.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Most Dangerous Game Have you ever had feelings about something that later changed? In "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Conel, I will show how one character changes his opinion about something after he has experienced it himself. Almost all of us have said "Oh that's easy" or "I could do that any day!" and then find out that the task is harder then it looked. In a summary, "The Most Dangerous Game" is a story about a man named Rainsford whom gets stranded on an island with a crazed general. This general is named General Zaroff. Rainsford was an excellent hunter who wrote many books about hunting. General Zaroff was a fan of Rainsford's books, so he immediately knew who Rainsford was when he found him. General Zaroff let Rainsford in and treated him to good food and plenty of rest. Zaroff was talking to Rainsford about hunting, and then Zaroff explained his passion, he hunted humans because animals were no challenge. Rainsford did not like this and tried to avoid Zaroff. Soon after this, Zaroff gave Rainsford a choice, it was either Zaroff would hunt Rainsford for three days or Rainsford will get whipped in the dungeon of Zaroff's home until he agrees to be hunted. Unwillingly, Rainsford picks to go hunting and hopes to survive the three days. If he did live, he would be set free with money and new clothing, so Zaroff says.... On the hunting trip, Rainsford successfully avoids Zaroff for three days by hiding and setting up traps, then he pretends to go to sea by freeing the boats. Finally, he sneaks into Zaroff's room and hides there until Zaroff arrives. Eventually, he confronts Zaroff and fights him to his death. After that, Rainsford gets the best night sleep he has ever had. I feel that Richard Conel tried to express a feeling of change within the character's mind. Before Rainsford was ever hunted, he was cruel to animals. He would hunt them just for the fun of killing them. Rainsford had no sympathy for animals before he encountered Zaroff. During the middle of the story, Rainsford becomes the next prey of General Zaroff. Due to the stress and the feelings of fear, I think Rainsford might have changed his mind about animals and how they feel. After this event, I know that Rainsford has now become sorry for his ideas about animals and how they should be treated. I know that Rainsford is a dynamic character because of his ability to positively change his feelings. I think you sometimes need a tragic event to finally change a stubborn person's mind. In conclusion, I feel that the author, Richard Conel, tried to show how people could change by experiencing different situations. Rainsford, after becoming the hunted prey himself, corrected his faults and formed new opinions about hunting and standing up for the rights of animals. Rainsford is an excellent role model for positive change! f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Nightmare.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It all began one day when I was over my friend Susan's house. Her parents had just left for vacation to Texas, leaving her home by herself. I was allowed to stay that weekend while her parents were away. Susan and I were sitting down eating when she got a call from the house where a new family just moved into. The Smith's had asked her to babysit for them. They said it was all right if I came too. They wanted us to come over about six that evening. When we got over there Mrs. Smith introduced her two year old daughter named Julie to us. Mr. and Mrs. Smith didn't leave right away because they wanted Julie to get to know us better. Mrs. Smith told Susan and I that Julie could stay up until 8:00 P.M.. She also told us she had been having problems with her telephone. There must have been something wrong with the connection because when it rang there would be no one on the other end. Someone was coming tomorrow to take a look at it. Mr. and Mrs. Smith informed us that they would be a little late coming home because it was their anniversary and they had a long night planned. We told them to have a nice time and they both grabbed their coats and left. Julie started crying just as they closed the door. We gave her a bottle and put her down to watch some TV. Then the phone rang and Susan and I looked at each other, seeing who was going to answer it. I answered the phone but no one was there. I said hello again, but still no answer. All I could hear was someone breathing heavily. It was loud, gasping, and very frightening. I said hello again and heard a faint, masculine voice. As I began to tremble, the voice whispered, "I'm coming." All of a sudden the lights went out. Susan, Julie and I let out a loud shriek. I ran over to Susan and Julie and hid my head. Susan started laughing and told me it was probably because of the storm outside. We both looked out the window when a bolt of lighting struck across the sky. Julie began to cry and we comforted her and told her it would be all right. Susan was going to go down into the basement to find the fuse box so she could turn the lights back on. It was time for Julie to go to bed so I grabbed a flashlight and we went up stairs. I tucked her in and read her a short story. All of a sudden I heard a loud screech. I jumped up and ran down into the basement where Susan was. I hurried down the basement steps where I saw Susan's still body laying on the floor and her head on top of the fuse box. I froze with astonishment, when I saw written on the wall with blood "YOUR NEXT." As fast as I could, without thinking, I ran up the steps frantically. I got up the steps trembling and locked the basement door behind me. I ran up into Julie's room to get her so we could leave the house. I looked in her room and she was gone from her bed. I heard foot steps coming from the basement. I called Julie's name a few times, but with no answer, I thought he had already got to her. I picked up the phone to call the police but the line was dead. I didn't know what to do so I went to the kitchen to get a knife. There weren't any kitchen utensils since they had recently moved in and weren't finished unpacking yet. I saw a small pocket knife on the counter, grabbed it and headed toward the front door. I thought the best thing to do was to get out of the house as quickly as possible. As I crept past the steps I noticed a low crying coming from Julie's room. It sounded like Julie so I dashed up to her room and heard it again. It was coming from her closet. As I opened the door I saw Julie huddled in the corner of the closet crying. I picked her up and carefully ran to the front door. Feeling a little relieved that Julie wasn't hurt, I tried opening the front door but something was holding me back. Someone from the other end was holding the door. I looked out the window horrified at what I saw. It was a tall man with dark hair, and an unshaven, frightful face. He looked as though he was thirty. I knew he was after me so I raced to the back door knowing he would follow. The back door was unlocked so I took Julie and ran into the woods. When I thought I got far enough away from the house I put Julie down and told her everything would be fine. Just when I thought he was gone I heard the rustling of leaves and heavy breathing. I took Julie's hand and was as frightened as ever. We ran as fast as we could trying not to look behind us. Julie kept tripping over rocks so I picked her up. When my arms got too tired to carry her any longer I stopped. I looked back hoping he wasn't there. When I saw the man coming closer to me I put Julie down and pulled out my pocket knife. He didn't seem alarmed. He then pulled out a large butcher knife from behind his back. Then all I could think about was seeing Susan laying dead in the basement. I stepped backward holding Julie's hand. Julie let out a huge shriek which startled me, leading me to trip over a rock behind me. I got up quickly as the man started chasing me again. When I went to turn around to start running again there was a huge cliff in front of me. I lost my balance and fell right off the edge. I felt myself falling in the air looking down at what I might hit. Just then I woke up in my bed with sweat dripping from my head and realized it was all just a nightmare. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Number One Hit man.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Healing Process This is a brief psychological overview of the healing process. The image of healing is best described by Gloria Vanderbilt in "A Mother's Story" when she talks of breaking the invisible unbreakable glass bubble which enclosed her that kept her always anticipating loss with echoes of all past losses. She wrote, for example (Page 3),"Some of us are born with a sense of loss there from the beginning, and it pervades us throughout our lives. Loss, as defined, as deprivation, can be interpreted as being born into a world that does not include a nurturing mother and father. We are captured in an unbreakable glass bubble, undetected by others, and are forever seeking ways to break out, for if we can, surely we will find and touch that which we are missing". This concept of healing was also described by Philip Berman in "If It Is Not Good Make It So" as changing positively from the unhappy attitude of(Page 48) "we never got the habit of happiness as others know it. It was always as if we were waiting for something better or worse to happen". Psychological theory of change suggest it is possible to heal, to break out of the glass bubble, to develop the attitude of happiness. For example, in "The Process of Change: Variations on a Theme by Virginia Satir says on Page 89 that "successful change-making turns out to involve struggle, necessitating skill, tenacity and perspective". The struggle occurs when a foreign element produces chaos until a new integration occurs which results in a new status quo. Kurt Lewin echoed this view in saying that an old attitude has to unfreeze, the person experiments, a new attitude develops and a refreezing occurs. Janis and Prochasky suggest a person starts in relative complacency, is presented with challenging information, the person evaluates the new challenge to habit or policy and reviews alternate policies to create a new policy or return to the original one, The psychological theories focus on perspective and rational thought. The significance of the therapist is in giving a new perspective and in aiding self-esteem in order to break down resistance to change. Otherwise, Satir suggests people are likely to revert to their trance like state of automatic thought and previous habits. Maslow (1991), on the other hand, theorized that inherent in each human is a self-actualizing instinct. This was "not merely a matter of fulfilling one's own particular talents; it also involves actualizing those potentialities that one has as a human being" The key for Maslow in engaging in this process was that of openness. People must be (Page 117) "receptive and responsive to information from the world and from themselves. They do not repress or ignore uncomfortable facts and problems and their view of these facts and problems is not distorted by wishes, fears, past experiences or prejudices". This freshness of perspective permits spontaneity, creativity which then promotes growth. Growth is perceived as being open to one's self and to others which leads to empathy. Maslow felt that the purpose of therapy with its "unconditional positive regard" was to lead the person to such growth and that the result would be love, courage, creativeness, kindness and altruism. Breaking the old habits was the key. Page 127 "To the extent that one is open, one rises above the level of an automaton and becomes more of a creative, autonomous subject. And by these means, openness helps give us a sense that our lives are rewarding". Most psychologists seem to feel therapy is paramount in the process of change. Schoen, says for example,(Page 52) that before therapy "we are walled off in ourselves, often with evident obstinacy, at the same time, we may puff ourselves up, with obvious arrogance. We are in pain". He theorizes that there is a miracle in therapy. He says (page 53) that the act of appreciating the person actually produces a chemical change that permits a freedom of the soul to stop defending all the conditions that maintain it in its pain. "The new creation is a flexible ego that can be new, fresh and express passion and compassion from the place of a new variableness in existence" (Page 54). Morrow and Smith describe the healing process as strengthening the person to move beyond mere survival to wholeness and empowerment, from managing helplessness and being overwhelmed by threatening and dangerous feelings to problem focused strategies.(Page 32). Therapy permits the therapist to understand that the "profusion of dysfunctional symptoms really can be seen as rational and reasonable coping strategies". Bugental discusses that therapy is useful in showing how we all imprison ourselves. He theorizes that when this recognition is deeply experienced, "the world is already beginning to change-because the crippling element in these definitions is the belief that they are and can be the only way one sees them.."(Page 27) He says we cripple ourselves by making us into objects and forgetting our subjectivity. In therapy we learn to recognize and respect our needs, emotions, anticipations, apprehensions and our sense of concern. But we learn not to be dominated by them. We learn the frightening quality of relationships, that of the lack of control adds to the richness of relationships. We learn to invest in life and that relinquishment can be a sign of something right not necessarily something that has gone wrong. We learn that laws and mores are not absolutes but open to constant revision as we are to do with our inner selves. Psychology seems to share the ideas that a person in emotional pain is stuck in a self made prison which can be escaped through unconditional positive regard and a fresh perspective. What isn't clear is how rational thought combined with 'love' enters the person's heart and soul. Bibliography Bugental James,F.T. "Lessons Clients Teach Therapists", J. of Humanistic Psychology Vol.31 No. 3 Summer 1991 Mittleman Willard "Maslow's Study of Self-Actualiztion: A Reinterpretation" Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Vol. 31 No.1, Winter 1991 Pages 114-135 Morrow Susan L. and Smith Mary Lee,"Survival Coping by Sexual Abuse Survivors", Journal of Counseling Psychology 1995 Vol 42, No.1, pages 24-33. ? "The Process of Change:Variations on a Theme by Virginia Satir", J. of Humanistic Psychology, Vol. 34 No.3, Summer, 1994 Pages 87-110. Schoen Stephen MD "Psychotherapy as Sacred Ground", J. of Humanistic Psychology, Vol 31 No.1, Winter 1991 Pages 51-55 Vanderbilt Gloria, "A Mother's Story", Alfred A. Knopf, N. Y. 1996 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the odyssey and the pearl.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Loyalty to another person or to a cause may be an admirable trait, but it can lead to either positive or negative consequences. In Homer's epic The Odyssey and John Steinbeck's novel The Pearl there are characters that show great examples of this trait. Penelope in The Odyssey and Juana in The Pearl are the most obvious, although there are many. Penelope stayed loyal to Odysseus while he was on his twenty-year journey and Juana stayed by her husband through his time of distress. Penelope stayed loyal to Odysseus while he was on his twenty-year journey. To ward off suitors that were beckoning for her hand, she made them a promise that as soon as she finished weaving a gift for her father, she would take one of their hands in marriage. Nightly, unbeknownst to the suitors, she would unravel her work, so that she could remain faithful to Odysseus. Also, Penelope promised her hand to the suitor who could meet a test. Penelope's test was to string Odysseus' bow and then shoot an arrow through the eye of twelve ax handles. Penelope knew that only Odysseus could accomplish this task. By doing this, she avoided having to marry one of the suitors. Staying loyal to Odysseus brought about positive consequences to Penelope. She was reunited with her beloved husband Odysseus. Kino's wife Juana stayed by her husband through his time of distress. Although it was her belief that the pearl was an omen of evil, she loyally stayed at her husband's side. Juana remained loyal to Kino even after he had savagely beaten her. She knew that she had brought it upon herself and it was her place to accept the beating. Also, Juana vowed not to leave her husband's side when he decided to flee from the town after murdering one of the townspeople. She made the treacherous journey with her husband across a desert trying to outrun the men that pursued them. Negative consequences were the outcome of Juana's loyalty to Kino. Her loyalty caused her to lose all that was common and dear to her, including her only child. Loyalty to another person or to a cause may be an admirable trait, but it can lead to either positive or negative consequences. Penelope stayed loyal to Odysseus while he was on his twenty-year journey and Juana stayed by her husband through his time of distress. Penelope refused to remarry while Odysseus was on his long absence, and Juana never left Kino's side. Loyalty is a trait found in most humans, and if used in moderation can have very positive consequences. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The old man and the sea essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Christine Petrus The Old Man and The Sea Essay Born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1899, Ernest Hemingway the author of The Old Man and The Sea. This book is about an old Cuban fisherman and how he struggles to try to succeed in catching a Marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. The book has been a huge success and in 1954 won the noble prize for literature. Hemingway's idea of a hero is someone who many not necessarily win a struggle, but shows "grace under pressure". Throughout the book he shows "grace under pressure" by showing his strength, bravery, and knowledge. One indication of the old man's "grace under pressure" is bravery. Through out the book there are many different examples of his bravery. One is when he decides to go further out into the sea without his friend Manolin. And when he had cramps in his hand he still decided to stay out there." He said. "I feel a pain in my hand" And the fish takes him out far, far out into the Gulf without Manolin, the young boy. Another example of "grace under pressure" that is shown in the book is Santiago's strength. There are many examples shown of the mans strength. When Santiago is trying to ketch the fish and he is thinking what if the fish new that it was fighting against an old man. " He is wonderful and strange and who knows how old he is, he thought" (pg.48). And another example of Santiago's strength is when he doesn't know where he is in the Gulf. He said, "A man is never lost at sea" (pg.89). That's showing that he has a lot of strength in him self. Knowledge was clearly shown in The Old Man and The Sea. And shows "Grace under pressure". One example of Santiago's knowledge is when in the begging he is showing Manolin tricks." But he can catch a great fish due to his resolution and tricks" (pg.25). And he was smart to stay on that boat even though there wasn't the best weather ever while he was gone, it was good for him to do that and stay on the boat instead of going home. "Grace under pressure" in Hemingway's mind is someone who many not necessarily win a struggle, but shows "grace under pressure". Throughout the book "grace under pressure" shows struggle, bravery, and knowledge. I found that his struggle, bravery, and knowledge were shown the most throughout the book. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Old.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Matt Shouse English 132 House The Old Authors use many tactics to reveal a character's personality. In the short story, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, Hemingway exposes the attributes of his characters through narration and dialogue. The older waiter's characteristics are exhibited through the waiters' conversations and the observations the narrator makes. The author cleverly associates the older waiter with the old man. This connection gives the audience a clear understanding of the loneliness and old age the waiter faces. The older waiter in Hemingway's story identifies with the old man. This is evident through the statements he makes to the younger waiter. In the begining of the work the younger waiter is complaining about the old man staying at the cafe. The older waiter takes up for the old man by explaining that the old man, "stays up because he likes it" (Hemingway 160). This is the initial time that the older waiter indicates that he identifies with the old man's feelings. This identification becomes more apparent farther in the work. For instance, the older waiter categorizes himself as being one, "of those who likes to stay late at the cafe"(Hemingway 161). With this declaration, the older waiter places himself in the same group as the old man. Hemingway's comparison of the old man and the waiter becomes unmistakable through the words of the older waiter. Loneliness and old age are the common bonds that the older waiter shares with the old man. This is manifested through the dialogue between the two waiters. For example, when the younger waiter boasts about his youth and confidence, the older waiter jealously replies, "I have never had confidence and I am not young"(Hemingway 161). The older waiter goes on further to illustrate that all he has is work. The older waiter later displays his loneliness through his compassion for the old man and others like himself. For instance, when the younger waiter remarks that he wishes to go home for the night, the older waiter says, "I am reluctant to close up because there may be some one who needs the cafe" (Hemingway 161). Through the author's comparison of the old man and the older waiter, he reveals the waiter's loneliness and desire for youth. The narration communicates the personality of the older waiter. For example, the narrator depicts the old waiter as, "not dressed to go home"(Hemingway 161). The author is implying that the older waiter will be in search of a drinking area, much like the cafe, after the cafe closes. Similar to the old man, the older waiter does not want to go home. Later in the story, the older waiter is at a bar drinking. The narrator mentions that, "it is too late at night for conversation" (Hemingway 162). This image reminds the reader of the old man sitting silently alone at the cafe. Again the audience sees the old man's loneliness illustrated in the older waiter. The connection attaching the old man to the older waiter enabled the reader to recognize the waiter's loneliness and broken spirit. The conversations between the two waiters also discloses many of the older waiters' temperaments. Hemingway reveals his character through speech and statements by the narrator. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Outsiders 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jess Martin the Theme of The Outsiders (English) Human Nature The Outsiders, an enthralling tale by S.E. Hinton, is an excellent story about the hardships and triumphs experienced by the Greasers and the Socs, two rival gangs. This novel suggests the stories¹ content because the Greasers are a gang of social outcasts and misfits. This novel¹s theme is very specific; people, no matter what their social background, strive for the same goals and experience the same disappointments. This novel shows this theme throughout a detailed story line. The fictional novel is set in a moderate-size city, possibly near Texas, in the late 1960¹s. Ponyboy, the main character, lives with his brothers as a greaser. One day Ponyboy and Johnny, Ponyboy¹s best friend, get jumped by a group of Socs. The Socs start to drown Ponyboy in a fountain. Johnny, realizing they might kill Ponyboy, kills Bob, one of the Socs with his switchblade. Johnny and Ponyboy run to a fellow Greaser, Dally, who is always in trouble with the law. Dally helps them by giving them some money, a gun, and a place to hide. They hide in a church outside of town for a week until Dally says it¹s okay to come out. They go out to eat and when they get back to the church they find it burning. When they see that there are kids inside and the fire could have been started by their cigarettes, they run inside to save the kids. Johnny and Dally are hurt in the fire and taken to the hospital. They are hailed as heroes in the local paper. Dally breaks out of the hospital to fight in a rumble against the Socs. While the Greasers beat the Socs, Johnny dies in the hospital. When Dally finds out he goes out and robs a grocery store. When the cops pull up he pulls out an empty gun so the cops shoot him. The theme of this novel is that all people are set back at times and they all want the same basic things. This theme is expressed in the novel several times. Disappointments are shown when Bob dies and the Socs grieve for him, when Ponyboy¹s parents die and they are upset, and when Johnny dies and it disturbs the Greasers. It is shown that the Greasers and Socs strive for the same goals when Darry, Ponyboy¹s older brother, tells him that he should succeed in school and make something of himself, and Bob is always trying to make his father happy with him. These examples show that all people, Soc, Greaser, or whatever, all strive to achieve the same goals and encounter the same disappointments. The theme that all people experience the same disappointments and strive for the same goals is also depicted in modern times. All people want to have a good job, make a lot of money, and live a good life. Everyone also encounters hardships throughout their life. Their car can break down, their loved ones can die, and they can run out of money. As you can see, this theme is important not only in The Outsiders, but in everyday life as well. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Outsiders.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In literature, a character often changes from the beginning to middle and to the end of a novel. In the novel The Outsiders, Ponyboy and Johnny undergo many changes. Ponyboy is an honor roll student and a good athlete in track. Pony also thought that his older brother Darry hated him because he was too strict with him. But when Pony's best friend Johnny died of injury from the church fire, Pony began to be in denial about Johnny's death. He started to drop grades and fail classes, He became scatter minded. When he read Johnny's note to him, he got over it and wrote a book for an English essay, and he found out that Darry really did love him. Johnny was a quiet, scared and abandoned teenager, yet when he was with the gang he felt happiness and forgot all his troubles. But when he saved the five children from the burning church, for the first time in his life he felt like a real hero. When he was in the hospital for his broken back and his burns he died from serious critical condition. He was made a hero to many and always remained in the memory of the gang. As you can see, change affects characters in literature in many different ways. Ponyboy got over Johnny's death and wrote an essay for English. Johnny became bolder, not scared, and lost his life do to injury. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Pardoners TaleChacers Use of Irony to Criticize the Ch.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Nearly every aspect of the Pardoner's tale is ironic. Irony exists within the story itself and in the relationship between the Pardoner and the story. The ending of the story presents a good message despite the Pardoner's devious intentions to swindle money from the other pilgrims. By using irony in the Pardoner's tale, Chaucer effectively criticizes the church system. The irony begins as soon as the Pardoner starts his prologue. He tells the other pilgrims that his sermons reflect how money is the root of all evils, "radix malorum est cupiditas." He actually preaches against his own problems and sins. Pardoners who took money in return for forgiveness were supposed to use the the money for charity, but he, like many other Pardoner's in his time, used the money for his own satisfaction. He even admits to his greed. "And thus I preach against the very vice I make my living out of avarice."(p. 259) The Pardoner makes a mockery of the entire church by fabricating stories about his phony relics. Chaucer shows how the Church is so corrupt, that even a Pardoner who admits to his evil ways, can still cheat the people out of their money. The Pardoner begins his story by condemning the common sins of society such as drinking and gluttony. The irony of his criticism lies in the fact that he has been drinking himself, and that he is an admitted glutton. There are also many ironic elements of the stor itself. The rioters in his story, vow to set out and slay Death. In doing so, they promise to fight and die for each other. There are two ironies in their mission. First, Death is hardly a being that can be killed. Second, the three drunken fighters pledge to die for each other, but in reality they kill each other. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The pathetic life of Walter Mitty.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ wALTER mITTY'S PATHETIC LIFE Walter Mitty was a pathetic character because he had no self confidence. He had to make up stuff to be what he wanted. He also let his wife order him around. His self confidence was so low that he was afraid to stand up for himself. He automaticly assumed everyone was putting him down. He didn't even try to do things for himself-parking his own car. He didn't have much confidence in himself. He daydreamed all the time about what he wanted to be because he didn't have a very exiteing life. He dreamed he was a doctor, pilot, convict, etc. On acount of his boring life he dreamed of having a realy exiting life. His wife made him do things that he did not think were necessary, but he did them anyway because he was afraid to stand up for himself. She made him wear his boots and gloves and told him not to sit in a certain chair in the hotel. Overall Mitty has no self confidence about himself or the way other people look at him. He lets his wife order him around. It is because of these things that he makes up a world were he can be the superhero. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Pearl 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Pearl As Kino and Juana walked hand in hand back to their brush house the song of evil hung over them like a shadow. For they could not understand why their pearl , this beautiful wonderful pearl that was supposed to bring them so much happiness wasn't worth nearly as much as they had expected. When they arrived at the brush house Kino sat in a corner while Juana placed Coyotito down in his crib for a nap. Kino again raised his pearl out in front of him. On it's shiny surface he could see the images that he had once seen before starting slowly to diminish. But Kino with a adamant look on his face refused to give up. We will go to the capital city and get all that we deserve for this pearl. We have waited long enough he told Juana. She heard his voice and she knew better then to argue, she knew he was determined. The next morning Kino awoke early. He turned to awaken Juana. He told her to pack the essentials, he wanted to get an early start to the city. Juana awoke without a fuss. As Juana started to pack she thought about Coyotito. She told Kino that it might be dangerous traveling that long of a distance. Kino told her to bring him to the house of his brother Juan Tomas. She did and Juan Tomas and his wife Apolonia said that they would gladly take care of him. She thanked them and went back to Kino. He had just finished packing. He then grabbed a few corn cakes and they started on their long journey. As they arrived in the city they had found that it had almost entirely changed. The streets were more crowded, the stores were getting more business, and all in all was more modern. Kino walked up to a young looking man and asked where the pearl buyers were located. The man didn't answer he just walked away. Kino thought that this particularly strange. Back at La Paz anyone would have been glad to give Kino directions. Juana told Kino that she would try and that maybe she would get directions. Juana went up to an older man and she asked him the directions to the pearl buyers. She continued to tell him about the pearl, how her husband had this big and exquisite pearl. Then he did something she never expected him to do, pull out a rifle turned to Kino and demanded the pearl. But Kino was confused. Because of his lack of knowledge he thought this man wanted to trade pearl for rifle. Kino told him he was going to get much more then just a rifle. Then Kino started telling him about all that he saw in the pearl. How he was going to get new cloths and so on. But the man was not amused. He thought it was some sort of joke or smart remark. He pointed the gun at Kino and Juana and told them to go with him into an alley, over past one of the more popular stores. Kino and Juana walked in front while the man followed. In that alley way the story ended. It was said that Kino was shot and Juana had only minor injuries. Only one more thing was said that the music of evil from that day forth forever lingered in Juana's mind. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Pearl 3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Pearl The plot- The Pearl starts off with a poor family that runs into a problem. The problem is that their son Coyotito got bit by a posinous snake and they need money so that the doctor will treat him. Kino, the father, went out to find a pearl so that they would have enough money to get Coyotito to the doctor. The pivoting point in the story is when Kino finds the pearl of all pearls , the pearl he finds is huge. The whole town finds out about Kino's findings, he starts to since an evil feeling comeing from people and the pearl. When it comes to seling the pearl Kino can't sell it in his town because all the pearl buyers are working for the same person so they try to cheat Kino, but he doesn't sell the pearl. He then tries to go to the city to sell the pearl but before he can go he is attacked by someone trying to steal the pearl from Kino, Kino had to defend his self by stabbing and killing the attacker. So he has to flee the town because there are trackers comeing after him, his wife, Juana insist on going with him so they flee up to a mountain to get away from the trackers. There were three trackers , two on foot, one on horse with a rifle. Kino decided to attack them while they were sleeping, so when he attacked them Kino first tried to get the man on horse, in the struggle Kino killed the trackers but his son was killed by a bullet. Kino then threw the pearl away. Kino is a determined man , and he does what he thinks is right, like on selling the pearl to the towns pearl buyers. He has a small mustache and short black hair. Juana, kino's wife has long black hair and smart. A conflict in the story is when Kino had a choice between selling the pearl to the pearl dealers in his town or to sell it some place else. Alothough the towns people thought Kino should have sold the pearl to the dealer for the little amount he offered Kino, but Kino did what he thought was right and did not sell the pearl. I thought the pearl was a good story. There were some parts in the story that I got bored of reading because it wasn't keeping my interest. Most of the book was good, I thought that is showed how people in real life act when they have the chance to get some money. Like how the doctor wouldn't treat Coyotito until he found out that Kino had found the pearl, and even then he had tricked Kino. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the pearl 4.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ the pearl by john steinback The novella The Pearl is a story about greed , corruption, and good against evil. The story starts out with a poor indian pearl diver named Kino, who lives on the Baja penninsula . He lives with his wife Jauna and there son Coyotito. they live a simple life until coyotito is stung by a scorpion. Kino takes the baby to the rich doctor who will not treat him because they are poor. So Kino gets into his boat to find a pearl. He finds a pearl "the size of a seagull egg" , and they think there trouble is over. conclusion: Kino and Jauna ultimatly have to go to the capital to trade their pearl in. Some trackers follow them to get the pearl. What insues is a chase through the mountains ending up with the death of Coyotito. Finally , they come back home and destroy the pearl forever. thoughts: this book has a good message about greed and humans. It tells us it is human nature to want what someone else has. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Pearl.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In John Steinbeck's The Pearl, a destitute pearl diver finds a giant pearl with which he hopes to buy peace and happiness for his family. Instead, he learns that the valuable pearl can not buy happiness but only destroy his simple life. Throughout the fable, there is a constant theme woven through the characters and setting which encompasses the struggle among social classes to become successful. Steinbeck, a novelist known for his realistic depictions of life, portrays this motif through Kino, the doctor, Coyotito, and the town of La Paz. John Earnst Steinbeck, author of The Pearl and many other stories, was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. Both his father, who ran a flour mill, and his mother, a teacher, encouraged him to write once they saw his early interest in literature. Steinbeck began his career by writing articles for his school newspaper and by taking classes at Stanford University. At the same time, he worked at a local ranch where he witnessed the harsh treatment of migrant workers. These underpriveleged laborers later served as the inspiration for many of his novels, including The Grapes of Wrath. The Pearl, another inspiration from his past, originated from a legend about the misfortunes of a poor boy who found a giant pearl that was told to Steinbeck while on a trip to Mexico. Kino, the protagonist in The Pearl, is an honest pearl diver that discovers the sacrifices that come with the struggle for success. He dreams of the education the pearl could provide for his son, but the pearl also makes Kino more suspicious of the peaceful villagers around him. At one point, he tries to sell the pearl in order to pay for a doctor Coyotito needs, but the pearl buyers only try to cheat him of the success he feels he deserves. Then Kino tries to leave the town, but his fear only causes him to shoot Coyotito accidentally. Finally, Kino returns to La Paz and throws the pearl into the sea. Kino, a symbol of hard work and ambition, is destroyed by his dreams of a better life. The town doctor also demonstrates how the struggle for success can corrupt people. This "healer" is more interested in money than the welfare of others. While drinking expensive tea out of tiny china cups, he sits in his large white house and dreams of returning to Paris. When Juana comes to ask if he will treat Coyotito's scorpion sting, he promptly sends her promptly away. However, when news of Kino's discovery reaches the doctor, he rushes to the family's grass hut. Once there, he makes Coyotito sick so that he may cure the infant and squeeze a portion of the pearl's wealth from the family. This disgraceful doctor represents the arrogance of the powerful towards the powerless. Coyotito, though only an infant, is also a very important symbol of the struggle for success. An innocent victim of greed, he knows nothing more comforting than the simple life he spends in his wooden crib and in his mother's arms. Yet, the pearl and the possibilities it offers threaten and eventually take his life. Because of his poverty, he is refused treatment for a scorpion sting, and beacuse of his fimily's wealth he is made sick by a greedy doctor. Finally, the pearl costs little Coyotito his life when Kino accidentally thinks his eyes are those of trackers coming to take the pearl. Even the town of La Paz gives evidence of the strife that costs the life of a child. Located on the coast of Mexico, most of the Indians in this town are merely fishermen trying to feed their families. These people are constantly taken advantage of by traders that come. Unfortunately, they can do nothing, or their families will lose business. For the people, there is a struggle each day just to make ends meet. However, their grass and mud huts clash with the stone and plaster city of the rich. It is through the city of stone and plaster that Juana must boldly journey through to ask the doctor for help. The huts battle to enter the boundaries of the rich, just as Kino fights the boundaries of social stratification. Through the struggles that Kino faces, he reveals the conflicts between the rich and the poor. Coyotito teaches the reader how innocent bystanders can suffer, and the doctor shows what type of people could do such a thing. Through these characters and the town of La Paz, Steinbeck informs his reader that wealth and happiness do not always come together, and that being wealthy does not mean everything. Most importantly, he shows that the struggle to become successful can destroy one's initial dreams. Kino finally realizes the worthlessness of the pearl after Coyotito's death and as Steinbeck writes: "And in the surface of the pearl he saw Coyotito laying in the cave with his head shot away. And the pearl was ugly; it was gray, like a malignant growth...And Kino drew back his arm and flung the pearl with all his might." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Person Behind The Mask.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE PERSON BEHIND THE MASK It had all begun when he was a little boy. One year a circus had come to town. In the morning a big parade was held in main street. He could see the clowns walking around making people laugh. He would watch the clowns` faces as they walked by. The big noses and the funny walks made him feel happy. It was poor times, and his father was out of work. His family couldn't afford any material benefits, but each year his father collected enough money so that he could take his son to the circus. Hand in hand they would walk to the circus, just a couple of blocks away. He would have a big smile on his face, because it was the only time he would feel better than his friends. For a whole year he would dream of the clowns in the circus ring. Imagine their grimace, funny walks and pranks on each other. The tight- rope walker and the elephants were amusing, but they weren't the highlight. He was certain; He would be a clown when he became older. After many years, he changed town and started on a career as an accountant in a big company. Nobody knew him better than by name, and nobody cared. He just sat there behind his desk, working, day after day, week after week. He was an "every chief's dream." But he was also a lonely man with no friends who would say; "How are we today?" His colleagues envied him, so they froze him out. He could see the guys meet in a corner. Whispering and giving him looks. He tried to be a pal, but they didn't want him to. He was the average guy, with average pay and an average apartment. But he wasn't miserable. Of course he'd like some friends and a girlfriend to talk with, but since he didn't have any, he thought it was the way it was supposed to be. His job was to earn money and sit behind his desk smiling to everybody. Since nobody cared, they didn't know about his hobby. For a few years ago, a dream of his had fulfilled when he got a week to prove his ability as a clown in the town's circus. He had been a great success in his evaluation period, and was hired at once. Each night he would become the clown "Baltasar". The salary was lousy, but he didn't do it for money. Just the looks on the children's faces was enough for him. In the ring he would blow a trumpet and kick the other clowns` bottom. Then he would be one of the guys. Late every evening he would return to his home, satisfied and tired. A big smile would cover his face when he went to sleep, knowing that everybody liked him. The next day, he pretended as if nothing had happened. He would sit as usual with a big smile on his face, and as usual nobody cared. Then one day one of his colleagues in the company suggested for the others that they would make an outing to the circus, not knowing that he was a clown there. When he realised that they weren't going to invite him, he just said to himself; "Well, well. Perhaps another time..." The evening they were going to the show, he was supposed to be "Baltasar". Like normal he became a great success with everybody laughing of him, including the company's employees. The very next day, his colleagues were whispering behind his back as normal. But they were also talking about the magnificent clown they had seen at the circus. He felt very flattered, but that didn't help him since they didn't know about him and "Baltasar". A week later, the circus manager called for "Baltasar". The company, which he worked for, wanted to hire "Baltasar" to entertain in a party. Totally certain of the fact that he wasn't going to be invited, he accepted. "Maybe this will be my final chance to show them", he thought to himself. At the party he started to do his usual trickery, and he became a great success. But he didn't dare to take his mask of, to show his colleagues. Then suddenly in an act, he lost his mask. And just as sudden they went quiet. Not a sound could be heard. Everybody was staring at him, wondering if it could be the dull man from the office. They slowly started to realise that after all he wasn't such a boring man. They had been mistaken and willing to give him a fresh start. From that time on, his life started blooming. He became one of the guys and continued to work in the company. He never left his hobby- job as a clown. It was the passion of his life.... f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Pit and The Pendulm.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allen Poe The movie "The pit and the Pendulum" was nothing at all like the book. The movie started out as a man walked along the ocean to enter a huge castle. His sister had moved there when she married Dom Madena, but now she was dead. The castle was used to torture Catholics during the Inquisition. Dom Madena believes that the castle has an atmosphere of torture thick with death, and that led to the death of his sister. The doctor said she died of fright. They buried her in a tomb below the castle. As child Dom Madena saw his father torture and kill his father's brother and his own wife. He accused them of adultery. His father didn't torture his mother to death, he buried her alive. Dom Madena thought that he buried his wife alive. Then one night someone was playing the harpsichord just like his wife did. Another time a servant heard his wife whispering to her. Then one night someone trashed her room. Dom Madena, also called Nicholas, heard his wife calling him. He went through a secret passageway until he entered the room of all the torturing devices. He goes to his wife grave, which they dug up to prove she was dead, and she popped out of her grave. She chased him through the dungeon until they met with the doctor. Then Nicholas fainted, and his wife, who never really died, told him that it was all scheme. She and the doctor were having an affair. He chased the doctor and he fell into a pit and died. He stuck his wife in a torture machine out of sight and gagged her. Then her brother came down. Nicholas seized him and put him on table below a razor sharp pendulum. Right as it was cutting his shirt two servants busted in and threw Nicholas into the pit with the doctor and saved him. This movie, I think anyway, was a very poor interpretation of the short story. In the story none every commits adultery or is buried alive. A man, or woman for all I know, was stuck in a dungeon which he was tortured in many ways. None died in the book, but in the movie three people died. The book had one character where the movie had seven or eight. The story line in the book of a suffering catholic being tortured to death was altered to make a script for a movie. The only likeness was when the two men were almost killed by the falling pendulum, but saved at the last minute either by others or themselves. In the end of the book the walls of iron are heated and start to push together. But right before the person dies a French general grabs him because Toledo was just taken by the French. The pit in the book was a hole in the middle of the cell. The captive almost fell in it when the room was pitch black. When the walls were caving in he could of chose the pit or the hot iron walls. The pit is supposed to be the ultimate death in the dungeon and the captive doesn't want to die in it. The movie and the story were so different that if I watched the movie and read the story without knowing the name of either I would say they had nothing at all in common. I definitely wouldn't know they were written by the same author. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Pitiful Prufrock.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Pitiful Prufrock T.S. Elliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," is a melancholy poem of one man's frustrated search to find the meaning of his existence. The speaker's strong use of imagery contributes to the poems theme of communion and loneliness. The Poem begins with an invitation from Prufrock to follow him through his self-examination. The imagery of this invitation begins with a startling simile, "Let us go then you and I/ When the evening is spread out against the sky/ Like a patient etherised upon a table." This simile literally describes the evening sky, but functions on another level. Prufrock's description of the "etherised" evening indicates an altering of perception, and an altering of time, which creates a dreamlike quality throughout the poem. This dreamlike quality is supported throughout the poem with the "yellow fog" that contributes to the slowed-down-etherised feeling of the poem. Time and perception are effectively "etherised" in this poem. It is almost as if the poem is a suspended moment of realization of one man's life, "spread out against the sky". The imagery of the patient represents Prufrock's self-examination. Furthermore, the imagery of the "etherised patient" denotes a person waiting for treatment. It seems this treatment will be Prufrock's examination of himself and his life. Prufrock repeats his invitation and asks the reader to follow him through a cold and lonely setting that seems to be the Prufrock's domain. The imagery of the journey through the city is described as pointed to lead the reader (and more accurately Prufrock) to an overwhelming question. Prufrock's description of the urban city is quite dreary: " Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,/ The muttering retreats/ Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels/ And sawdust restaurants with oyster shells;/ Streets that follow like a tedious argument/ Of insidious intent." This is the lonely setting that Prufrock lives out his meager existence. This city is suspended under the same anesthesia that spreads the evening like an "etherised patient." Prufrock moves his attention from the city to his final destination; "the room the women come and go/ Speaking of Michealangelo." This couplet contrasts with the previous urban landscape and adds anticipation to the ominous tension surrounding the event. This line also is about time. The couplet suggests that Prufrock has been around to see these women "come and go," implying Prufrock has been situated in the high societal environment for some time. The line also implies that while others have come and gone from the social circles Prufrock is a part of; Prufrock has stayed stagnating. On the way, Prufrock deliberates on whether he can find value in the cold superficial environment, and ask the overwhelming question, "Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?". He feels if he can muster the courage to ask the question, he may at last find value in his life: "would it have been worth while/ To have bitten off the matter with a smile,? To have squeezed the universe into a ball." Ultimately, he fails at both tasks. Throughout the poem, the themes of time's passage and age continue to illustrate the unhappiness of Prufrock's life. Prufrock reveals the measured out portions of life he has lived: "I have measured out my life in coffee spoons." This phrase shows Prufrock's inability to seize the day. He also employs subtle devices, such as thinning hair and resulting bald spot, as indicators of age and the importance he feels now that he is past his prime: "Time to turn back and descend the stair,/ With a bald spot in the middle of my hair--/ (They will say: 'How his hair is growing thin')" This shows Prufrock's fear of being laughed at. Furthermore, this line shows Prufrock's desire to "disturb the universe," and his fear that he will be scoffed at for not acting his proper age. When he speaks of time it is in a contradictory fashion. On one hand, he feels a sense of urgency as he travels to the party, because must decide if he will ask his question. Yet, while he agonizes over whether to attempt a change in his life, he tells us time is plentiful, explaining "there will be time for you and time for me/ And time yet for a hundred indecisions / And for a hundred visions and revisions/ Before taking of the toast and tea" This seems to be Prufrock trying to escape his conviction of asking the question through rationalization. Prufrock's growing indifference towards his sophisticated social circle, where time is suspended, reflect his aging weariness. Ironically, he has catered to the proprieties of high society for years, and remains unaware of how time has ingrained the same emptiness into his own nature: "For I have known them all already, known them all/ I know the voices with a dying fall/ And I have known the eyes already, known them all/ And I have known the arms already, known them all" In this line, Prufrock shows that he is part of the societal circle, and has shared the shallowness of living he finds repulsive in his peers.. Prufrock understands the his inability to "disturb the universe" when he considers how he will approach his intended romantic interest, but realizes his leisurely way of life has left him ill-prepared to deal with the responsibilities that accompany change: "I should have been a pair of ragged claws/ Scuttling across the floors of silent seas." Not Surprisingly, after declining to "dare disturb the universe," he becomes resigned to his unchanging fate in superficial, sophisticated style. He imagines himself walking along a perfect beach, wearing fine "white flannel trousers," He has not lost or gained anything, the labor of his decision has added up to nothing of consequence. Prufrock talks compulsively of the party scene, but actually speaks to no one. Even as the scene unfolds in his mind, he is rendered practically speechless by the scrutiny of the cultured society matrons as they "fix" their gazes upon him: "The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,/ And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,/ Then how should I begin?" From this line, we see that Prufrock is reduced to a bug under the scrutiny of his peers; there approval pins him down and renders him unable to ask his question. He is tense and excited at the prospect of his question changing his life , but knows he will feel horribly self-conscious , and it frightens him. He is certain if he asks his question and reveals his feelings, he will not be understood. Surely, he would be made the fool. He decides it is not worth the effort after all: "I am no prophet-and here's no great matter;/ I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,/ And I have seen the eternal footman hold my coat, and snicker,/ And in short I was afraid." In this line, Prufrock's fears betray his desires. He knows the approval he covets comes from a frivolous, futile, class of people. He has heard them talk for years and knows only fashion, appearance, art, and style are deemed worthy of discussion. In fact, he listened so long he can't hear there voices anymore. He can only hear "voices dying with a dying fall," not unlike the indistinguishable hum of music playing in another room. But this is fine with him, because he and his world are once again at a comfortable place. Finally and permanently, Prufrock accepts that he will never be a prophet like Lazarus or a prince like Hamlet, and he slips into the safety of a fantasy world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Present.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Present Theme: Greed and stupidity. "Mysterious Fires Breaking out Across Prince Rupert, British Colombia"--John Reeves "I can't believe there is another one" read surprised Henry Peters. "That must be 5 houses in the last 2 months. Why would anyone do such a vapid thing?" "Dad, they don't even know if someone is setting them yet!" "Oh Billy, wake up and smell the smoke. Fires like that just don't start themselves." Billy knew that as he was walking away, but since he was the cause of all the fires he did not want anyone to know. He felt ashamed that the only way he could make money was to set fires and then get called in to the fire station as a part time worker. He had no other way to make money for his girlfriend and her Christmas present. He tried to keep living this life for as long as he could but he was not sure how long he could keep it up. If he were to ever be caught Lord only knows how long he would be locked away for. Coming from a small town nobody was used to all the buzz going around. It made Billy nervous. That was all everyone talked about on the small shaded streets of Prince Rupert. "Billy, Billy!" Henry yelled. Snapping out of his dream world Billy relied "What?" "Go down town and pick up some eggs would ya?" "Yeah sure Dad." As he walked down the street Billy pondered if he was really doing the right thing. He had convinced himself that since Christmas was the time for giving and he was just getting a little extra cash so he could give some more to his girlfriend; he was doing the right thing. As he looked around the normal hang out spots like the barber shop, he noticed the grim look on all the old-timers and could not really put two and two together to figure out what was going on. He saw the peoples' faces drop lower and lower. No, he thought it isn't me, I have nothing to do with it. He finally made it to the store where he saw old Jim Hubley. "Hey Jim, got a dozen eggs for my old man?" Asked the immature boy. "Yeah in the back fridge." Said Jim with a very sad look on his face. "What's the problem Jim?" "Haven't you noticed all the sadness going around the town Billy? Its supposed to be Christmas time and there are now so many people with out a house. How is that supposed to be happy and cheerful?" "Yeah, uh, I was thinking the same thing." Said the very surprised boy. Billy was still convinced that he was doing the right thing. It wasn't really his fault that they had nothing and besides he needed the money more than they did. Walking home he saw a couple people including What looked to be like a father, mother and two sons. They were standing inside a porch of the liquor store. He wondered to himself what they could be doing. Then he saw the sign "Please support the needy." He wondered to himself if they could have been one of the families that he had made homeless. But, if he was making them homeless then it was his fault. He could not worry about that now though, he had to pull off one of his biggest jobs, the MaCellar mansion. He knew that if he were to be called in for this one that he would get more than an eight hour job. He noticed the same thing on the way home. Everywhere he looked things seemed to be too gloomy for what was supposed to be a fun and happy time. Still he kept walking towards his house not even thinking that it might be his fault and that Christmas is not really a time to take from others so that you can give to someone. "Got your eggs dad." "Yeah just put em in the fridge, I'll make the bread later." "Why didn't I just buy the bread dad?" "Times are getting hard son and I can't really afford that much. Would I ever hate to be one of those people without a house around these times." "I know what you mean. You should see everyone around town, there so depressed dad." "Yeah well so am I son. Can you imagine what it would be like to not have a house on Christmas?" Still, Billy was determined to make one more person homeless just so he could give the best Christmas present to his girlfriend. He would have to pull it off soon though, Christmas was just around the corner. Maybe it would be tomorrow night. He approached the mansion planing to burn it to the ground. Everything seemed fine and it did not even look as if there was anybody home. That would make his job ten times easier. He bent down to start the fire on the side of the house when he saw a dog run by him. He thought he would be caught for sure this time, then a small boy came around the corner. The boy looked puzzled. At that moment eighteen Christmas' flashed by Billy's eyes in about 5 seconds. He could remember all the times that he ran down the stairs to rip open the presents. Then the little boy ran back around the corner. Billy took off through the woods quicker than he had ever run before, he did not know what else to do. Feeling that he was doing the right thing he went to the police station and gave back all the money that he had made from the fires. He also turned himself in. "Billy do you know what this means?" Asked the chief of police Sergeant Bilks. "No, what's gonna happen to me?" "Well Billy depending on what the jury's gonna say, you could face capital punishment. But until then I'm afraid were gonna have to keep you in a cell." "But officer that's not fair." Pleaded Billy. "Sorry Billy, sometimes life's not fair." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Quest.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ - NARRATIVE ESSAY - - THE QUEST - Feeling quite tired and hungry, my friend and I entered the food court of the Everett Mall. Looking around, I decided that I was going to get some Chinese food. I turned to my friend and told him, he said that he would too. We then made our way over to the Chinese food counter. Upon arriving, I realized a possible problem; we only had Canadian money. I walked up to the woman at the counter, and asked her if they accepted Canadian money there. "No, sorry, we only accept American money," she responded. I asked if there was anyplace in the mall that I could exchange my money, more specifically, a bank. She thought for a moment or two, then said, "Uhhh, there's an ATM by the door over there." Feeling a little frustrated, I explained to her that an ATM would not suffice. I needed a bank, with a teller, so I could exchange my money. She looked down and thought about this for a few moments, then ever so slowly, she brought her head up with a dumb look on her face and said, "The telephones are around the corner over there." Dumbfounded by the stupidity of this woman, my friend and turned around and walked away, laughing. When we were out of earshot, in a mocking tone, I said to my friend, "Hi, I'm an American, I'm a dumb-ass!" With that defeat behind us, we continued on our quest for some American money. Eventually, by wandering aimlessly about the mall, we managed to find an information desk. I walked up to the woman behind the desk, and said, "Hi, would I possibly be able to exchange my Canadian money for some American money?" With a really confused look on her face she responded with, "What do you mean?" I reached into my pocket, and pulled out my twenty dollar bill. Waving it in her face, I repeated the question. It took a few seconds, but she finally seemed to figure out what I was saying. "No, but you can exchange your money at the service desk upstairs in Thrifty's." Finally, we were making some progress, only one problem, we'd never been here before. We had no idea where to find Thrifty's. "Where would that be," I asked her. "Thrifty's? Oh, that's right next to Payless Drugs," was her response. "Oh, gee thanks, that's allot of help," I said sarcastically as I walked away. So, my friend and I spent the next ten minutes wandering the mall in search for Thrifty's or a map of the mall. We finally spotted a sign at the far end of the hallway that read 'Thrifty's'. When we saw this, we started to make our way towards it. When we got to the entrance of the store, we saw what we believe to be the only mall map in the building. We made our way to the escalator and went upstairs. From the top of the escalator we could see a large sign that read 'service' hanging above a desk. We walked to the desk, and once again I posed my now tedious question. "Oh, sorry, you have to go to the service desk to do that," was her response. My friend and I, in unison, looked up at the large 'Service' sign. "Isn't this the service desk?" I asked. With a very derogatory tone, she answered with a simple, no. I said to her, "So if this isn't the service desk, do you think that you could possibly tell me where I might be able to find it?" She seemed to be a little taken aback by this comment and it took her a little while to recover. After this pause, she said, "Well, the service desk is located in the Hallmark card section." Getting a little frustrated, in a very touchy tone, I said, "Oh, Do you think you could possibly tell me where I could find this?" "Well, basically, if you were to walk straight through that wall over there, you'd be right there," she said dumbly. Taken aback by the stupidity of yet another American, my friend and I turned and walked away. Before we got out of earshot, my friend loudly said to obviously not just me, "I guess those Americans have super powers or something, because the last time I checked, us Canadians couldn't walk through walls. What about you?" "I don't know," I said, "I guess they must." we spent a few more minutes walking around trying to find this Hallmark section. We finally found it, and walked up to the service counter. Once again, I asked the same old question that I'd been asking for what seemed like hours now. And surprisingly enough, the response was, "Uh, ya, let me just check the exchange rate first." A little surprised, I figured that she must be a Canadian, especially when she recognized my twenty dollar bill. When I finally got my American money, a pultry fourteen dollars for my twenty Canadian, I heard my friend say, "Whoah, you guys need new money, maybe with a little color in it." We then turned and left. We were now on a new quest, this time for some lunch. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Real Sucker.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Geoff Karanasos Sucker CARSON McCULLERS December 12, 1996 Many Different experiences in a child's life help form the personality and attitude he or she will adopt later in life. One such example of this is a fictional character named Sucker. This young boy really admired his cousin Pete, whom he lived with. Sucker was just an innocent child who would believe anything Pete said. The more Sucker admired Pete, the more Pete resented Sucker. This went on until Pete met a girl. Pete was so happy that he didn't mind Sucker's admiration toward him. Sucker became a bright enthusiastic child who loved being around Pete. He was so happy that he didn't want anything to change. After Pete got dumped, he turned all of his frustrations toward Sucker. Sucker then treated Pete the way Pete treated him - like a nobody. Sucker's real name is Richard. He got the name "Sucker" from being so gullible. One time he jumped off his garage roof with an open umbrella because Pete told him he would float down to the ground. It turned out all that happened was Sucker got a busted knee. Sucker was like any child his age. He talked to himself when he was alone, he would fight off gangsters and also pretend he was a cowboy. He was a healthy kid but he kept to himself mostly. When Pete met Maybelle Watts this had an immediate effect on Sucker because Pete was actually treating him nicely. Sucker was flamboyant, talkative and always had a smile on his face when Pete was around. One time when the two of them went to bed they had a long talk. Pete even took Sucker to a movie with him. "You're a swell kid, Sucker," said Pete. Being so close to Pete made Sucker feel wonderful. When Pete found out that Maybelle was using him, he took out all of his frustrations on the most defenseless person he knew - Sucker. When Sucker asked what was wrong Pete exploded all of his emotions on him. Sucker defended himself the only way he had left. He became very angry and cold toward Pete. Sucker became very independent and started hanging around with a bunch of friends. Pete was intimidated by the hatred in Sucker's eyes whenever he looked at him. Sucker didn't seem like a "sucker" anymore. Through all of these ways Sucker responded to Pete's actions the last one had the most effect. Sucker chose to shut Pete out of his life so he wouldn't have to put up with him anymore. Pete now understands that you should never take people you love for granted because you just might lose them forever. "-Sometime the look in his eyes made me almost believe that if Sucker could he would kill me." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Red Death vs AIDS.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Red Death Vs. Aids If I were to compare "The Masque of the Red Death" to a movie, I would compare it to the HBO special on aids, "And The Band Played On". Both the story and the movie dealt with a disease which in their appropriate times were (and is ) considered to be an "evil" disease. During the eighteen-hundreds the red plague was a major concern to society. To many people of the time it was considered "evil" . In Edgar Allen Poe's "Masque of the Red Death" Poe uses a representation of the "evil red death" to strike horror in the hearts of his readers. Prince Prospero and his company very much underestimated the power of the Red Death, by thinking that because they were of a higher class, the Red Death could not harm them. This has been many people's way of thinking throughout the ages. In the movie "And the Band Played On" the disease of AIDS was just being dealt with, and like the people of the eighteenth century people's mentality was that "it just can't happen to them", and it turns out that it comes back to "haunt them". In conclusion I feel that in both cases that I have mentioned above, the type of fear was psychological because fatal diseases like the Red Death and AIDS have always been a horror to many people throughout the ages. Also, both stories show that a fatal disease can happen to anyone, even we may fall a victim to an "evil disease". f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Satire of Johnathan Swift Revealed.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ During the eighteenth century there was an incredible upheaval of commercialization in London, England. As a result, English society underwent significant, "changes in attitude and thought", in an attempt to obtain the dignity and splendor of royalty and the upper class (McKendrick,2). As a result, English society held themselves in very high regards, feeling that they were the elite society of mankind. In his novel, Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift satirizes this English society in many ways. In the novel, Swift uses metaphors to reveal his disapproval of English society. Through graphic representations of the body and it's functions, Swift reveals to the reader that grandeur is merely an illusion, a facade behind which English society of his time attempted to hide from reality. On his first voyage, Swift places Gulliver in a land of miniature people where his giant size is meant as a metaphor for his superiority over the Lilliputians, thus representing English society's belief in superiority over all other cultures. Yet, despite his belief in superiority, Swift shows that Gulliver is not as great as he imagines when the forces of nature call upon him to relieve himself. Gulliver comments to the reader that before hand he, "was under great difficulties between urgency and shame", and after the deed says that he felt, "guilty of so uncleanly an action" (Norton,2051). By revealing to the reader Gulliver's shame in carrying out a basic function of life, Swift comments on the self imposed supremacy of English society. By humbling their representative, the author implies that despite the belief of the English to be the most civilized and refined society, they are still human beings who are slaves to the same forces as every other human being regardless of culture or race. On the second voyage, Swift turns the tables on Gulliver and places him among a race of giant people, the Brobdingnagians, where Gulliver is viewed as the inferior. Due to his miniature size, Gulliver is able to examine the human body in a much more detailed manner. Upon witnessing the undressing of the Maids of Honor, Gulliver expresses his aversion to their naked bodies. They were, "very far from being a tempting sight", and gave him, "any other emotions than those of horror and disgust", because of the acuteness to which he was able to observe their, "course and uneven [skin], so variously colored" (Norton,2104). Gulliver also talks of their moles, "here and there as broad as a trencher, and hairs hanging from (them) thicker than pack-threads" (Norton,2104). Earlier in the novel, upon witnessing the suckling of a baby, Gulliver tells the reader that upon seeing the woman's breast he, "[reflected] upon the fair skins of [his] English ladies, who appear so beautiful... only because they are of [his] own size" (Norton,2088). In showing Gulliver's disgust at the sight of such prestigious and beautiful women of Brobdingnag, Swift again comments on English society through a graphic portrayal of the human body. Swift uses the Maids of Honor as a metaphor to comment on the women of England, whom, among eighteenth century English society, were believed to be the most beautiful of all the world. Showing that despite their apparent beauty, they are not perfect, and suffer the same flaws and imperfections of appearance as any other women. At one point during Gulliver's stay in Brobdingnag, Swift comments almost directly on his distaste for the self imposed supremacy of English society over all other cultures. It happens when the King of the land, his Majesty, comments on, "how contemptible a thing was human grandeur, which could be mimicked by such diminutive insects as [Gulliver]"(Norton,2097). Here, Swift bluntly criticizes the attitude of English society for considering themselves to be so high in rank and eminence, by implying that even the smallest and least civilized creature could assume such a high degree of superiority. Gulliver's Travels is a satirical novel of the eighteenth century English society, a society with superficial ideas of grandeur and nobility. Through clever representations, Jonathan Swift successfully humbles this society's pride and human vanity. He reveals the flaws it their thinking by reducing them to what they are, human beings, which, like any other group of human beings is able to do, have merely adopted a superficial self righteous attitude. In doing so, Swift makes a broader statement about mankind today. Despite all the self acclaimed advances in civilization and technology, we are still merely human; suffering from the same forces and flaws, impulses and imperfections as everyone else. Works Cited McKendrick, Neil. Brewer, John. Plumb, J.H. The Birth of a Consumer Society, Indiana Universtiy Press, Great Britan, 1982. Swift, Jonathan. "Gulliver's Travels". Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th Ed. M.H. Abrams, vol.1, New York: Norton, 1986. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Scaffolds Power.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Scaffold's Power Recurring events show great significance and elucidate the truth beneath appearances. In The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne chooses the scaffold scenes to show powerful differences and similarities. Each scaffold scene foreshadows the next and brings greater understanding of the novel. By beginning with the first, continuing with the middle, and ending with the last platform scene, we can gain a better understanding of this masterpiece. At the beginning of the book, Hester is brought out with Pearl to stand on the scaffold. Here the scarlet letter is revealed to all. Reverend Dimmesdale, Pearl's Father, is already raised up on a platform to the same height as Hester and Pearl; and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's lost husband, arrives, stands below and questions the proceedings. As Hester endures her suffering, Dimmesdale is told to beseech the woman to confess. It was said "So powerful seemed the ministers appeal that the people could not believe but that Hester Prynne would speak out the guilty name." His powerful speech shows Dimmesdale's need to confess. This scene sets the stage for the next two scenes. A few years later the event is again repeated. It is very similar to the other and helps us understand the torment of Dimmesdale. As before the tortured Reverend Dimmesdale goes first on to the platform. He seeks a confession of his sins a second time by calling out into the night. He then sees Hester and Pearl coming down the street from the governor's house. As before, they are asked to go up on the scaffold and be with the minister. At this time Pearl questions the minister if he will do this at noontide and he answers no. He once again is too much of a coward to confess out in the open. The similarities continue with a revelation of another scarlet letter. Up in the sky a scarlet "A" shines forth. Roger Chillingworth arrives and tells the minister to get down from the scaffold. Chillingworth pleads for this so that he can still torment the reverend. As the two men leave, the scene ends and leaves us with additional information. It foreshadows a bigger and more powerful scaffold scene. The last scaffold scene is the most important and greatest event in the novel. It starts with the end of Dimmesdale's great election speech. When he is finished, he grows weak and limps towards the scaffold. He can no longer bear the burden of his sins. He again asks Hester and Pearl to join him. Chillingworth begs the minister not to do this, but the reverend thanks God for leading him to a place where he could escape from the leech. Helped by Hester and Pearl he climbs the scaffold and confesses. One last time a new scarlet lettter is supposedly revealed on his chest. This voluntary confession makes this time unique. As the scene ends Dimmesdale again leaves Hester and Pearl; but this time, it is forever into the after life. These three important events in the novel have great significance. The first one signifies love. Hester had such strong love that she would not make Dimmesdale go through what she was going through. The second scaffold scene signifies cowardice. The reverend was suffering much and yet would not relieve his suffering through confession. The ending event signifies bravery. Even though he didn't have to confess, Dimmesdale did. The Scarlet Letter's recurring event was very potent. It gave new aspects and meanings to the story that were integral to the book's power. Truth overcomes deception. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Scarlet Ibis.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brotherhood can either be "the state or quality of being a brother, or an association of men united in a common interest, work, etc., as a fraternity." That statement says that someone really does not need to have another sibling to be a brother. Friends can act like brothers, or people in a fraternity can be brothers. I am in DeMolay and all the other members are considered my brothers. We all work together to accomplish things, and we never let people down. Brothers are people who get along with other people. In "The Scarlet Ibis," Doodle refers to his older brother quite often. The remarks he makes helps show that brotherhood is the main theme of the story. When Doodle was up on the loft looking at a casket, his brother explained to him that the casket was made for him, Doodle. His brother told Doodle that he will not help him down unless he touches it. Doodle then said that he was not going to touch it, and his brother told him that he will leave him by himself unless he touches it. Doodle's next remark is, "Don't leave me Brother." That shows how Doodle loved his brother, and that he did not want to be separated from him. (By the way, Doodle does touch the casket). Another example is at the end of the story when Doodle and his brother were running to the house during a thunderstorm. Doodle's brother was far ahead and just let his brother behind like he did not care about him. Doodle's brother then hears Doodle scream, "Brother, Brother, don't leave me! Don't leave me!" Doodle's brother kept on running until he became too tired to run. He stopped and waited for Doodle, but nobody came. He then ran back and found Doodle under a bush. Doodle was dead. This shows how selfish and mean Doodle's brother was to Doodle. He worked Doodle hard just so friends would not make fun of him. Doodle's brother was not a good brother at all. If Doodle's brother cared for Doodle, he would not have left him behind. Doodle would have probably made it inside if Doodle's brother ran with him at Doodle's pace. Instead, Doodle's brother ran so fast that Doodle felt like he had to run that fast, too. Doodle's body could not take anymore and Doodle passed away. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Scarlet Letter 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subject: English/History --Review of "The Scarlet Letter" The Scarlet Letter Adultery, betrayal, promiscuity, subterfuge, and intrigue, all of which would make an excellent coming attraction on the Hollywood scene and probably a pretty good book. Add Puritan ideals and writing styles, making it long, drawn out, tedious, wearisome, sleep inducing, insipidly asinine, and the end result is The Scarlet Letter. Despite all these things it is considered a classic and was a statement of the era. The Scarlet Letter is a wonderful and not so traditional example of the good versus evil theme. What makes this a unique instance of good versus evil is that either side could be considered either one. Hester could very easily have been deduced as evil, or the "bad guy," as she was by the townspeople. That is, she was convicted of adultery, a horrible sin of the time, but maybe not even seen as criminal today. As for punishment, a sentence to wear a scarlet "A" upon her chest, it would hardly be considered a burden or extreme sentence in present day. Or Hester can be seen as rebelling against a society where she was forced into a loveless marriage and hence she would be the "good guy," or girl, as the case may be. Also the townspeople, the magistrates, and Chillingworth, Hester's true husband, can be seen in both lights. Either they can be perceived as just upholding the law -she committed a crime, they enforce the law. On the other hand are they going to extreme measures such as wanting to take Pearl, Hester's daughter, away just because Hester has deviated from the norm, all to enforce an unjust law that does not even apply to this situation? Although the subjects of the novel do apply to important issues in history and could have had influences on the time period, they were not great. During the times and in the Puritan community this did not have a large affect on anything. Sure, they did not want anyone committing adultery, most were killed if convicted, but it was not something that upset their way of living in any permanent manner. To an individual or group who was battling something backward in the Puritan society, as were many things, this would have been an inspirational book and possibly a revelation. In short, this book could have been exceptional; it had all the elements of a superb book. Unfortunately, Hawthorne found himself a rather large thesaurus and added a bunch of mindless prattle that mellowed out the high points of the book and expanded on the low points. In many chapters all he manages to accomplish is to update the lives of characters, mostly with irrelevant drivel. Also by expanding on the symbolism of the scarlet letter umpteenth times he wears it out so that the reader wants nothing more to do with a dumb "A" on some woman's chest hundreds of years ago. Other than that, great book. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Scarlet Letter.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The Scarlet Letter" was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1828. "The Scarlet Letter" portrayed the punishment suffered by two individuals who committed adultery in a Puritan society and their struggle to deal with their sins. Throughout the novel Hawthorne uses Pearl to serve as a constant reminder to Hester and Dimmesdale of their sin. Pearl is also used by Hawthorne to force Hester to do what is needed to bring her to salvation. Pearl is first introduced into "The Scarlet Letter" as an infant, when Hester is on the scaffold. Pearl appears again at the age of three and again at the age of seven. Pearl is described by Hawthorne as having "perfect shape," "natural dexterity," "vigor," and "native grace." Hawthorne also refers to Pearl as an "imp," or "elf-child." Hawthorne? purpose for Pearl is to serve as a passive reminder of the sin committed by Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl? roll as a passive reminder of Hester? sin aides in the punishment of Hester. The scarlet letter on her mother? bosom was one of the first things that Pearl notices about Hester. Even as a child Pearl touched and teased the scarlet letter on Hester? bosom. As Pearl grows older her questions and actions greatly increase the amount of torment upon Hester. In chapter fifteen she teases Hester by making the letter A out of seaweed. During the forest walk Pearl observes to Hester "the sunshine does not love you..it is afraid of something on your bosom." Pearl also serves as a symbol of sin to Reverend Dimmesdale. Pearl consistently wants recognition from Dimmesdale, which is the very thing that Dimmesdale fears most, but ironically must do to save his soul. In the second scaffold scene Pearl asks Dimmesdale, "Wilt thou stand here with mother and me, to-morrow noontide?" When the minister refuses she asks the same question again demanding a specific time. In the forest she again asks Dimmesdale to come back to town with her and Hester hand in hand. These questions that Pearl asks are constantly requesting Dimmesdale to do what he fears most and servers as a constant reminder to Dimmesdale. Pearl? roll as a reminder of Hester? sin proved to be a greater punishment than the piece of cloth that lays on Hester? breast. Pearl proved to be a reminder of Hester? sin during the forest scene. When Hester called for Pearl to come to her and Dimmesdale, Pearl, seeing that the scarlet letter was no longer on her mothers bosom cried out and forced Hester to put the letter back on her breast thus forcing Hester to accept her sin, and preventing Hester from escaping the letter of her punishment. Pearl? main purpose in "The Scarlet Letter" is to serve as a reminder to Hester and Dimmesdale of their sins. Ultimately Pearl was the one who led Hester to salvation. "Had they taken her from me, I would have willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man? book too, and that with my own blood." Pearl does not know that when she asks Dimmesdale to go into town with them hand in hand, it is the very thing that he must do to save his soul. Finally, in the final scaffold scene Dimmesdale does what he must and confesses of his sins. After this, Pearl? purpose in the story is completed. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Search.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I used to work for the F.B.I., in the Portland office. It was my childhood dream to be the one who gets the bad guy. My fiftieth birthday was in just three months. I had a wife and three children, still do, and the same job I'd had since my graduation from Quantico. We were living just outside Portland. My oldest son, John jr., was in his third year at Washington. The twins were high school seniors at this time and my pride and joy, daddy's little girls. Carolyn and I had celebrated our twenty-fifth anniversary, that's the silver one I think, the previous Thursday night. That warm July morning, I dressed for work as I had every other. Black socks and slacks, a pin striped white dress shirt, and a black jacket. I slipped on my loafers but was lost in the search for my tie. Coffee stained and still unwashed, I found it laying on the laundry room floor. I swore to myself to let Carolyn know about that. I walked into John's empty room, knowing he owned some ties. It was just as he had left it, I guess, because I'd never really gone in his room. I picked the red one he wore in his graduation pictures and slipped it over my head. I stepped into the bathroom, combed back my whitening hair, and left for the office. The early morning sun shone in through the broken blinds that I noticed hadn't been replaced as I asked. I looked over the pile of paperwork awaiting me. "Why the hell do I gotta do all these damn reports?" "Actually, you don't, not today." I turned to see a man much like myself, but older and with his piece on. He was a little taller, but with the same sagging features and large belly of my body. "I've come here to give you something new." With that, I was handed a thick manila folder. It felt like it contained a video cassette. "All you need is in there, including my card. This is top priority, Agent Caulsworth. You will report to me on the hour with your progress. The paperwork here will wait." The man turned and left. Outside, I heard a jet-copter quietly lift off. Funny I hadn't heard it land. I poured out the contents of the folder, the federal statement, a case history, vid cassette, and a dossier. The card that fell to the floor read 'Federal Marshall Wilson R. Franklin'. He was from the Boise office. "Must be real important for him to come all the way out here." Steve Menschke was my oldest friend at the office, and a fine agent. I'd known him since our days at Quantico. "An hour's flight out here, even in that thing." He went on while I began to read the dossier. At quarter till nine, I called a full meeting, all department heads. "We seem to have ourselves a little situation here. I know you are all familiar with that case in the papers, the Dean Brown thing. This S.O.B. killed not only the Portland mayor, but two of his security, in case you are unfamiliar with all this. He used to work for the mayor's office. The court sentenced him just two days ago, life without parole. I guess he didn't like the decision, because Mr. Brown escaped last night in transfer to the Oregon State Penitentiary. His whereabouts are presently unknown and I have been instructed to find him. As of now, the entire department will concentrate on this situation, all others suspended. This is the video, courtroom and escape." I shut off the lights and pressed play. A small thin man, caucasian and under 5'10'', entered the courtroom. He wore a wrinkled suit, dark blue with a white kerchief. His hair was slicked back, still wet and he was unshaven. He wore no expression, as if he were dead. The judge spoke slowly, pausing for breath as she read the sentence. After the announcement, the defendant simply rose and extended his hands so he could be detained. Still the face of the small figure on the screen did not change. He was hand-cuffed and led away. The scene abruptly shifted to the penitentiary grounds. A line of orange clad men, heads low, lurched forward into the penn. Another group of like dressed men filed out, toward a waiting bus. In a flash, a man jumped from one line to the other and boarded the bus. Then the screen went blank. I played the end back in slow-motion, pointing him out. Steve flicked the lights on. "He escaped unnoticed. As you could tell, he was not chained at the ankles, allowing this move. One guard monitoring the cameras, he just wasn't watching. The bus' destination was Portland. It arrived on time, the prisoners released. This tape wasn't found until after he was gone so the state is helpless. That puts the ball in our court. As always, we get the clean up job. Menschke, you will head one of three groups, as will Hendricks. I have the third, here. Be ready to move in an hour." As they assembled, I returned to my office and read the dossier again. Dean Brown had lived through hell. He had a psychiatric history full of problems. His parents abused him sexually, but he didn't admit it till he had grown and left. He overcame that, fixed his life. He had the standard wife and two kids, an accounting job, the whole schmeer. One day, they cross the street and a pickup streaks from a standstill at the light. Smashed right into them. Killed everyone but him and the son and sped away. Brown was submitted after the hospital, the boy went to the grandparents. He escaped the institution and committed the murders. Waited for trial five months, it took a week to convict him. Life was upside down in less than a year. Reading this, I felt for the guy. Aside from the killings, he was clean. Never even a traffic violation, then this. It didn't make sense, and I got an uneasy feeling in my gut. "Hey, John, I'm ready to move. I got two choppers lined up but no destination. Where to, boss?" "Steve, I don't know about this guy, there's something not right here. I don't know what he's doing. I want you to read this." He took the papers, kicked back to read and I left the room. "Hendricks, is your party ready? You're heading for Washington, Menschke will go south. There's no way this guy is heading east. We've got him, its just a matter of time. I'm giving you full jurisdiction, take what you need. Just make sure the border is tighter than your asshole this time. I still haven't forgotten the last time I put you in command. I'm trusting you with this, don't make me kill you." "Yeah, I got it Caulsworth. Just you back off too!" I returned to my office, Steve still reading. "What do you think?" "Both of you are nuts. Hendricks? Come on, you know he won't find the guy. Especially not this one. Brown is not dumb. He could do anything. He might be in a Portland hotel or on a fishing boat by now, there's no way to know. He's too smart to get back into his life, he's a runner." "Get on the horn to Thompson in California, he'll give full assistance. Cut offs at the border and in the bay area. Go with whatever you feel, you know you've got full j.d., just find this guy for me. I've got ops here and I'll let you know about anything that arises. I'll also crunch some figures, give you any new leads. Now get going, I'm on an hourly check-in. Hell, I already gotta call him. I'll buzz you." Steve was already out the door when I finished talking. I lifted the receiver and began to dial the number on the card. I heard the ring on the other end over the engines roaring outside. Steve and Hendricks were moving out. "This is Franklin." "Yeah, this is Caulsworth, in Portland." I explained the situation to him, though he didn't seem interested anymore. Just grunted and sighed as I spoke. "I'm heading up to see the parents, get some insight. I'll miss the next two calls, but wouldn't have anything to check in with anyway." Franklin grunted again and hung up. The air whipped through my hair, tangling it, as the helicopter warmed its engines. When I was in, the pilot gave me a nod then looked to the ground crew and we lifted off. I hadn't been flown in a helicopter for over five years and the effects were taking their toll on my stomach. My ears ached, the rhythmic thump of the blades louder than I remembered. Once we left the city's limits, I began to enjoy the flight. We skipped over the pine forest, an endless field of green. I had forgotten the world outside my office and I began to wish I was home. The sunlight created a glare as it passed through the plastic window of my door, but I could still see the treetops speeding beneath me. Watching the scenery pass, I failed to notice the time. The fog-covered Seattle skyline lay before me in no time. The streets were slick and shiny black, the rain having subsided. Agent Hill, of the Seattle department, drove me out to see Brown's parents. The fresh scent of rain filled my nostrils and my thoughts again drifted toward home. It was cool, about sixty-five degrees with an overcast sky. It was a short drive, only ten minutes. We arrived at a homey, two level house at the back of a cul-de-sac that looked like all the others in the neighborhood. I stepped out of the car and hurried up the drive through the fine mist. The doorbell played a bar of a song I couldn't quite recall the name of. After a moment, I heard the metallic click of the locks being undone and the door opened to reveal a small boy, his eyes on the floor. He looked a lot like John jr. when he was seven. His dark hair was combed over his forehead, shading his eyes from view. He was slight in stature and held his left arm still and tense, grasping the knob with his right. In a quiet voice, barely audible, he invited me in. Then the boy ran inside and up the stairs. The small front room reminded me of my parents' house, flowered curtains and brown furniture. It smelled of moth balls and potpourri. A large wooden television with a small screen stood across from the couch. I seated myself in the worn recliner, humming the tune the doorbell played. After a few minutes, an old man came down the stairs, leaning on his cane. He adjusted his glasses, coughed twice, and shook his cane at me. "What are you doing in my house? Get out now!" He wore a tan sweater, unbuttoned, over his white tee shirt. He adjusted the belt on his trousers, pulled them up. "Sir, I am John Caulsworth, Federal agent. I am here to ask you a few questions, if you please. It won't take long." At the top of the stairs, hidden by a shadow, I saw the boy and pointed. "Your boy let me in." With that, the boy receded back into the shadows. The old man poked me with his cane. "Get out of my chair and I'll talk with you." I seated myself on the couch. "Mr. Brown, I have to ask some questions about Dean. How recently have you seen him?" "Not since he moved out. Damn him. His mother worries about Dean so. He lost custody of his boy and we still haven't heard from him. " He scratched his chin, then his neck. "He loved that boy, still should. He hasn't even tried to see Davey. Do you know where he is? Why do you have to bother me about my pain?" I began to respond, but Mr. Brown cut back in. "I can't talk about this, it hurts. Please leave now." He did not stand when I rose to leave. I closed the door behind me and Hill started the car. "Hendricks, this is Caulsworth, I'm coming down to join your party. I have a feeling Brown is coming this way. Did you secure the border?" I barely heard him reply over the fury of the blades above me. I shut off the phone. Damn Hendricks. It was past one and Brown had plenty of time to have made it across the border. Hendricks let him by. I'd have to deal with him later. It was time to find Dean Brown. The helicopter set down at the Washington border, at the weight scales. I ran out from beneath the whirling blades and met Hendricks. Down the road, I saw the line of cars and trucks, each awaiting inspection before passing into Washington. In the southbound lane, the cars sped by. Inside I dialed the number of Steve's mobile. I asked if there were any developments; there weren't. I hung up and dialed Boise. Franklin was not in. "Hendricks, get over here." I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. "I have a feeling he's gotten by you. He's got to be in Washington by now, so call back the border guards. Concentrate our forces in the state. Meet me outside in five, after you spread the word." The helicopter blades were still turning, the engines cooling. I climbed in and sat in the copilot's seat. Hendricks came out shortly after, looked around, finally spotted me. I opened the door. "What do you want?" "You're driving, get in!" As we lifted off, I looked at my watch. Quarter after two. At least nightfall wasn't for another six or seven hours. After that, we'd have to wait for morning. Clouds were blocking most of the sunlight and my skin cooled. It was silent for ten to twenty minutes. Then Hendricks spoke up. "John?" "What?" "Why do you get on my ass like that? What the hell did I do?" I tried to find the words, but couldn't. "You don't do things like I like. Hendricks, You always have to get in my face, to do your own thing. That does not help the team, it doesn't help us succeed. I'm gonna put you up for transfer: either California or Nevada." He turned to me, mouth agape. "What? Why? You have got to give me another chance!" He sighed, looked ahead again and began to scream. I lurched forward when the chopper sharply jolted, hitting my head on something. I felt as if I were falling and everything went black. I could tell I was laying face down. I kept my eyes closed and tried to feel all my body. My skin was chilled and I could feel my damp clothes sticking to my body. The scent of pine overwhelmed my nose and I tasted blood. I lifted my head and opened my eyes. Night had fallen but I knew I was laying in a thick evergreen forest. Stars shone from behind the thick canopy of the forest. I tried to get up, but fell in pain. My left arm and side felt like they were on fire. I rolled over in the brush and did a situp. I glanced at my shoulder to see my jacket and shirt were shredded and replaced by a sheet of blood. My fingers slipped under my left arm for a feel. It felt like jelly in a plastic bag might. My shirt and jacket barely clung to me, torn down the left side. My tie twisted around my neck and hung behind me. I worked my way onto my knees, noted my legs were fine. It occurred to me that I was supposed to be airborne. I slowly stood and turned to see the wreckage of a helicopter. Behind it, trees were toppled and the ground had a wide gash in it. I stumbled around the smaller debris toward the frame. The metal was bent and broken. Amid this maze, I saw the slumping form of Hendricks, his back to me. I could not reach him and tried calling his name. He did not respond. I walked around to the other side, knelt to peer inside. A thin slice of metal stabbed into his chest. His eyes and mouth were still open in mid-scream. I sat to think. All I wanted was to make it home. I knew the chopper had a first aid kit and a crash kit. Walking slowly among the ruins, I found parts of the crash kit. Armed now with a flashlight and flare gun, I searched for the first aid. I found the broken plastic case protruding from beneath the frame. The contents were undoubtedly underneath also or inside. Either way, I had no help. Still dizzy, I fell to the ground and leaned on the frame, winced in pain. I withdrew the gun from my side and pointed it skyward. The flare shot out bright orange and it was bright as day for a moment. I watched it arc over the trees and fade as it fell. Sparks flew as it crashed into the soft ground. The flashlight's beam bounced around the newly made clearing. It bounded off glass fragments, twisted metal, and broken lumber. The beam stopped on a scrap of material hanging from a treebranch. It looked like a shirt, but I was the only person around. I rose and walked over to the tree, inspecting the garment. I grabbed the size medium white tee, soiled with mud and torn on the sleeves and pocketed it. Surveying the clearing more, I found some kindling and a set of footprints too small to be my own. They led into the forest, up the slope. By their depth at the toe and the slide at the end of each step, I could tell the person left in a hurry. I had been heading up the slope almost an hour when my legs began to scream for a break. I stopped, hunched over in pain. Breathing came heavily, each attempt a hot knife in my chest. My head was spinning and I felt my side again, found fresh blood still pumping. My tie slipped over my head and into my front pocket. I removed the tee from my back pocket, tore it in two, and wrapped my body with it. Tears filled my eyes as I staggered. The soft earth caught me forgivingly. I remained there for a while, I'm not sure how long because it felt so good. I lifted myself, knowing I had to go on. I knew the footprints would lead me to safety or to Dean Brown. Either way, my path lay along theirs. I struggled against the terrain and my body to go on for hours. The shirt had stopped my bleeding and the fog in my mind cleared. Clear headed, the pain intensified. My vision was blurred by tears and I had a hard time finding my way through the dark. I stumbled over countless rocks, fallen trees, and other impediments along the way. I never lost the prints, though. I'm not sure when it was, probably early morning, I fell over a rock into a clearing. It was about twenty feet across, lit by the light of the now visible half moon. At the other end stood a pile of dirt and rocks. I noticed a specific dark spot. It was not a shadow, but a hole. I followed the trail across the clearing and it led me to the hole. I knelt, trying to see inside. It was about three feet across, probably an old fox's burrow. I circled the mound slowly searching for continuation of the trail, thinking the person might have walked over the burrow to throw off followers. I returned to the mouth of the opening and dropped to my knees. I started in head first. The passage was tight and painful, jagged stone scraping my already abused body. I paused, my heart racing and dizzy from straining to see in the pitch black. My body grew warmer as I went deeper into the hole. About ten feet in, my fingers felt thin, dry stalks of straw on the floor. I crawled further in, until my knees felt the same. I lifted myself into a kneeling position and pushed the button on the flashlight. A man was curled up in the corner. The light woke him and he shot up, eyes blinking. The absence of his shirt revealed his pale white skin, criss-crossed with crimson lines. His hair was no longer slicked back and his face now showed the emotion of fear, but I could still see it was Dean Brown. I backed myself up to the mouth of the hole, held the flashlight at him like a sword. "I've been looking for you, Dean." I set the flashlight down beside me and pulled out the flare gun with caution. "Just stay calm, I am not going to try anything, look at me." I kept it pointed at him, but relaxed a little. "Why did you run, Dean, why are you here?" His brown eyes were wide, unblinking in an intense stare. "Who are you?" "I am John Caulsworth, a federal agent. I was assigned to find you and bring you in. What happened?" "The bastards deserved to die!" Tears came to his eyes, his face red as a stoplight. He sniffled and the words tumbled out in a rush. "They ran us over, I barely got him out of the way. It was the mayor's security. As his accountant, I discovered he was corrupt and refused to bury it. He fired me on the spot." He shuddered and took a breath. "They could have just taken me, but left me instead. I couldn't let him live after that. He stole my life! And I can't let you stop me." Brown let go of his tension, and sat down. "I've got to get my son and you're not going to get in my way, nothing will." I looked again into his eyes, swollen and wet as a boxer's. "I broke out for my son, I need to save him." "Save him? What do you mean?" "I know he is in my parents' custody. They're beating him, just like me. I almost died, I can't let that happen to Davey. He's all I've got left." Brown held out a picture from his pocket. "He's what I live for and this is all I have of him. I can't let him hurt again." I set the flare gun aside and accepted the photo. A man lay in a hospital bed, bandaged and casted. Beside him stood a young boy, on crutches. They were holding hands and each managed a smile. The photo was torn on the top corners, a crease down the middle. The back read 'My only son'. He grabbed it back from me. "I'm barely hanging on here, and without Davey I'm not alive. My family was the only thing that mattered to me, and he's all that's left." I reached into my pocket and withdrew the tie. Mud concealed the red fabric. I tried to think of John. My mind strained to see his face, hear his voice. A tear rolled down my cheek and fell off my chin onto the tie. I loosened the knot and slipped it back over my head. With my sleeve, I wiped my face. I lifted the flashlight, switched it off and tossed it to him. "Take it." I turned away and started back into the world. Hendricks' team found me a few miles west of the hole. They airlifted me to the Olympia hospital. I was treated for a broken clavicle and shoulder blade, along with my ribs. The tissue damage to my back and side was extensive and I have little use of either. After two days they released me. The next day, I received a call from Franklin, in Boise. I was commended by him for putting myself on the line. He granted me early retirement, and a bonus for being injured. He asked if I might know anything about the disappearance of David Brown from his grandparents' house in the middle of the night. I told him I did not. I bid him farewell, hung up, and dialed John's number at school. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Shining.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Shining The story take place in Colorado and begins with Jack Torrence, going to a place by the name of "The Overlook Hotel" to be the caretaker over the winter month's, because of coast of keeping a twenty-five mile road, in which it take to get to the hotel open, because of all the snow. To get the job as the caretaker of the hotel, he would be alone for five months, and have free food, and also free stay at the hotel, all Jack has to do is mantiance and handyman work around the hotel. He arrives for the interview and meets Lloyd (the manager of the Overlook Hotel) they discuss certain duties and jobs that will be needed around the hotel, and then Lloyd brings up a certain account that happened a couple of years back at the hotel, about a man that murdered his family from what you call "cabin fever" caused by seclusion and away from everything. Jack is stuned by what he hears and then quickly say's something to the effect of not having to worry about something like that happening, and that he needed the months off to get started on a book he was writing. Lloyd decides to let him have the job, and asked him to come back the next day. The next day Danny (his son) and wife Wendy and Jack left for the hotel. They arrive and get there bags dropped off, it is the last day the hotel is open for the season, and people are checking out, and workers cleaning up, so they can leave for the spring. Jack and Wendy goto meet up with Lloyd, and Danny leaves for the game room. Lloyd takes them around the hotel to look around and get a feel of were they will be staying, and shows them their rooms. They stop and meet up with the head cook Dick Hallorann, Lloyd ask Dick to show Wendy and Danny around the Kitchen as he takes Jack to see the rest of the hotel. Dick Hallorann goes threw the kitchen and shows Wendy what to do, and what to use, etc... all threw this time of the tour Dick keeps on using a mind signal, a voice to communicate, at first Danny does not realize it, but then as the tour wraps up, the family meets back up, and Dick offers Danny some ice cream as Lloyd takes Wendy and Jack to another part of the hotel. As Danny is eatting his ice cream, Dick is talking to him, and then talks about, what he was doing during the tour how, he could communicate with him without even talking, there are few people who have this gift and some dont even know they have it, he said its called "the shining". A couple weeks later after adapting to living in this hotel, life is good and they are happy for once, he has plenty of space to move around and lots of time to start writing his book, but he is drained of idea's. Danny starts to see things as he walks around the halls of the hotel, not real things images in his mind, horrible and frightning things, though he had no knowledge of what happened in the hotel years before. A couple of more weeks set in and Jack started seeing things, such as people who werent really there. All this time Jack has been losing his mind due to cabin fever. One day Wendy stepped into his writting room to see what he had been typing, and there was a stack of papers that read things like "all work and no play makes Jack insane" and other things to effect on the papers, Wendy then panics and notices he has changed, and has totally lost his mind. Jack starts to see people and talk's with them, as if they were really there. Dick away on leave for the winter, starts to worry about the family and try's to phone them, no luck, so he gets the police to try to use the radio, then there was no luck there either. Jack's mind starts to wear away, and he starts to totally lose it. Dick Hallorann decides to go back to the Overlook and see if the family is danger, because he picked up signals of that, threw "the shining" from Danny. Wendy decides to look for Jack because he didnt come back the following night, so she goes around looking for him in the hotel with a bat, and then confronts him as she was looking threw his writing, and then he talks to here about doing something with Danny, and he follows her up some stairs and she swings the bat a couple times, as he says he was going to kill her and knocks him down the stairs, and then drags him into the kitchen and locks him up in the freezer. The next morning he leaves the freezer and grabs an axe and goes to Their bedroom Danny got out and ran outside, and Wendy could not get out so she used the knife and stabbed Jack when he broke down the door with an axe, and Wenday ran past him, Jack then Goes downstairs and finds Dick Hallorann and Jack stabs him with the axe and kills him, after that he goes running after Danny and Wendy outside and Then couldnt find them, and after being wounded and tired he fell down and froze to death. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ English 102 Essay #1 "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" In Ernest Hemingway's story, "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," Francis Macomber, according to Hemingway, is a very unhappy man because of his cowardly display after facing a wounded lion and because of his inability to stand up to his wife. However, Francis Macomber regains his happiness and bravery while out hunting buffalo; unfortunately, it is short lived. Francis Macomber is a man in his mid-thirties, "very tall, very well built...and considered handsome." He excelles at court games and has quite a number of big-game fishing records, yet, this morning he "has just shown himself to be a coward." The ordeal started the night before when Francis was awakened by the sound of a lion roaring, which frightened him for the rest of he night. In the early morning Francis, Margot (his wife) and their guide Robert Wilson go out to hunt for this lion. After coming upon the lion, Francis shoots three times, hitting it twice and only wounding it. The wounded lion went trotting off into the tall grass, hiding and waiting for the hunters to come after him. Before the men go in after the lion, Macomber sat, "sweating under his arms, his mouth dry, his stomach hollow feeling, wanting to find the courage to tell Wilson to go on and finish off the lion without him." As the men enter the tall grass, the lion came charging at them. The next thing he knows, Macomber is "running wildly, in panic in the open, running towards the stream." Wilson finishes the lion off with two shots from his rifle. Unfortunately for Francis, his wife has seen the whole ordeal. Later that night, as Macomber lies on his cot, he knew "it was neither all over nor was it the beginning. It was exactly as it happened...and he was miserably ashamed of it." About three o' clock in the morning, Francis was awoken suddenly, "frightened in a dream of the bloody-headed lion standing over him." As Francis looks over at his wife's cot, he notices that it is empty and stays awake until she returns. A couple of hours later, Margot returns to the tent and Francis begins to question her of her whereabouts. Margot's only reply is that "she went out for a breath of fresh air." Francis, however, knows that Margot went over to Wilson's tent and slept with him. Even with this knowledge, "Margot was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce her and Macomber had too much money for Margot to leave him." Later that morning, Francis Macomber has extreme hatred towards Wilson, making his hostilities known in the tone of his voice. It is this hostility that begins the new life of Francis Macomber. Later that day, the three of them, along with the gun bearers, go hunting for buffalo, and if is this hostility that helps Francis in the hunt. As they get into the car and drive off, Wilson is hoping that Francis "doesn't take a notion to blow the back of his head off." After driving around for awhile, not saying a word to each other, they come upon three large buffaloes. Francis and Wilson both jump from the car and started shooting. Francis shoots two bulls but the third one is too far ahead. They both jump back into the car to chase after it. When they come upon the third bull, they both jump out and shoot. The bullet from Francis's rifle drops the bull to it's knees. Macomber now feels "a drunken elation." Macomber and Wilson walk to where they drop the bull to finish it off. Macomber lifts his rifle and "aimed carefully at the center of the huge, jerking, rage-driven neck and shot." Macomber "never felt so good." As the three of them sit talking and drinking, one of the gun bearers approaches and tells Wilson that the first bull has gotten up and gone into the bushes. Unlike the incident with the lion, Macomber "felt wholly without fear. Instead of fear he had a feeling of definite elation." As the men entered into the bushes, Macomber "felt his heart pounding and his mouth was dry again, but it was excitement not fear." As the bull came out charging, the men started shooting. Macomber, aiming at the nostrils, was hitting the horns. As he took aim again, "he felt a sudden white-hot flash explode inside of his head and that was all he ever felt." Margot Macomber has shot her husband in the back of the head, killing him instantly. After covering up Francis's body, Wilson walks over to the car where Margot is crying. "That was a pretty thing to do.' he said in a toneless voice. 'He would have left you too.'" Francis Macomber's short lived, happy life is ended tragically by an accidental shot to the head by a bullet from the rifle held by his wife. Perhaps Margot shot her husband, fearing a divorce, because of his new found bravery. Whatever the answer is, Francis Macomber had a short happy life before he died. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Soul of Jean Valjean.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jean Valjean was an alluring hero of Les Miserables for many reasons, one of which was his drastic conversion from a miserable criminal into a heroic, peaceful man. Jean Valjean seems like a three dimensional character at first. But deep inside his emotions he shows a defined viewpoint on life making him a flat character. One of the most compassionate things he did was guarding Cossette and treating her as if she were his own daughter. He is the main character, therefore there would essentially be no plot without him. His several journeys span across a length of twenty years. He is an extremely strong man. Sometimes his strength was a burden put upon him. His charisma and superhuman qualities make his character a figment of romanticism. Valjean was born a decent human being. Unfortunately he was born into poverty, which forced him to steal in order to survive. After getting caught stealing a loaf of bread he was imprisoned. A few years later he is caught after escaping, he is then sent to the galleys for 19 years. He later escapes from there to goto a town where he was not wanted. Still a criminal he steals some silverware from a kind priest who gave him shelter. When caught, the police ask the priest if Jean stole the silverware. To everyone's surprise the priest said it was a gift this started his conversion toward a good life. After this he tried to live a peaceful life. He started a new factory in a new town employing several. Then a man in a city nearby was arrested under the name Jean Valjean. Jean was faced with a tough choice. Rather than letting the other man take the wrap for him, he chose to admit his identity to save the innocent man. Later, he rescued Cossette from her harsh life with the Thenardiers. He acted as her father while she grew up. Throughout these years. Jean was faced with obstacles that made him choose between right and wrong. He always chose the right path. From this Jean expressed that he only saw right and wrong, black and white, which made him two dimensional. His life was lead one way, his personality proved to respond one way, and his relevance to the story was set out in one way. This way was the way that things were done justly in his mind. His relevence to the entire structure of the story set aside from being the main character was crucial. He was portrayed as both the hero and the miserable. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Story of the Little Pigs Three.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Story of the Little pigs Three 1. Upon a time there lived a homely hog woman, and her three straplings. They lived in a bare brush hut in the forest, and they did live in squalor, and they were tortured by many hooligans and wild beasts. 2. On one day, a wolf came to pester forsooth. And he did huff and he did blow, and he did blow yon pighut down. The hog woman did send her young into the wilderness to escape the beast, and they did so. Thus the wolf did eat the poor hog woman. 3. Thus the three pigs were sent into the world to fend hunger, and thirst, and cold. The pig of lineage closest to the hag pig, did set himself apart from his brother and went his merry way. The next oldest pig set himself apart from his next of kin, and went on his own way. The youngest pig did build a hut of grass. The middle child did make a hut of sticks, and he could be seen in the distance carrying a fagot across his back. The third and oldest pig did build a house of bricks for he did know much about architecture. 4. The wolf did look upon these happenings with slavering jowls, and dripping snout. How did resolve to blow down these lodgings and gobble the inhabitants on the morrow. And on that morn, he blew upon the hut of straw, and he did gobble the pig into quivering chunks. Then he went to the house that beheld the second pig, And he did blow it down, and he did devour the pigeon inside. When he got to the third house, the Great Pig Snortimer was awaiting him. This was the last and oldest pig, and he did wield a great Claymore sword. With one chop the pig did lop off the head of the evil wolf, and blood did steam and there was much rejoicing. Then the remains of digested pig did ooze out of the cut. The Great Pig Snortimer did apply healing herbs to the chunks of pig, and the pigs were restored, and there was much rejoicing. 5. Thus the pigs did wallow and rejoice in the blood of the wolf, and they did rest in the house of the Great Pig Snortimer for the rest of their days. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Subjectivity of the Character Safie in Frankenstein.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Subjectivity of the Character "Safie" in Frankenstein Even though she is only mentioned in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for a relatively brief period, the character, Safie, is very interesting as she is unique from the other characters in that her subjectivity is more clearly dependent on her religion and the culture of her nation. Contrasts can be made between the Orient and the European society which attempts to interpret it. Often, this creates stereotypes such as western feminists that have viewed "third-world" women as "ignorant, poor, uneducated, tradition-bound, religious, domesticated, family oriented, (and) victimized"(Mohanty 290). Of course, some of these things could also have said of European women of the time period, although noone would argue the point since Oriental women were viewed as being more oppressed. Strong contrasts can also be made in relation to the differences between Safie's development as a foreign character and her subjectivity as a female character in relation to those of the other female characters of the book. While the other female characters lack depth into how their religion and culture affect them, Safie's religion and Arabian culture sculpt her into a subject with feminist qualities juxtaposed against her fulfillment of European domestic ideology. Many theorists, such as Benveniste who said, "Consciousness of self [or subjectivity] is only possible if it is experienced by contrast," argue that one's subjectivity can only exist in their relation to the Other(85). The subject's relation this "Other" depends on which aspect is being examined. For example, when dealing with gender, it would be the relationship between Man and Woman and when dealing with nationality it would be the relationship between Native and Foreigner. Thus, the character of Safie was defined in terms of her relationship to those around her. In the Turkish society, her role would have been to fulfill positions of lesser rank, such as a daughter to her father or a woman in relation to the dominant men, and when in Europe, as a foreign Turk in relation to native Europeans. These relationships, however, were significantly affected by the teachings her Christian Arab mother instilled in her. Her mother "taught her to aspire to higher powers of intellect, and an independence of spirit" which in either Turkish or European society, though more so in Turkish society, were in discord with the standard position and femininity of women. Both societies viewed women as having a "natural" tendency to be unassuming and docile and, in addition, it would be considered unfeminine to seek something more than their domestic role. Safie does not go to the extent of wishing for something more than a prescribed domestic role, she merely preferred the European version of that role. This role apparently differs from the Arabian role primarily in that the European society which she longed to join was associated with the Christian religion and practices that she has been taught to adore and which would be forbidden in the Arabian society. In desiring the European role and wishing to marry a Christian, she does not break the apparent confines of her feminine role but the confines of her Arabian culture. By believing in the qualities expressed by her mother, and by displaying them in her venture to violate her father's will to find Felix, she shows that her subjectivity was not based on the opposition of women versus empowered men, as might seem the norm, but was instead more distinctly based on the opposition of religiously submissive women in her culture versus the Christian woman, inspired by the freedom she experienced before being seized by the Turks, that her mother was. Safie's affinity for the Christian religion is best shown in her revulsion at the prospect of returning to the Turkish land and her desire to marry a Christian and remain in Europe. In addition to the her unique religious point of view, Safie was also influenced by her Arabian culture but, however, Shelley does not go into much depth this aspect of Safie and stops at only a superficial, prejudiced description of the Turks. In fact, there are Eurocentric biases against the Turks throughout the portion of the book dealing with Safie. In order to examine why Mary Shelley included such biases in her work, one must first acknowledge the distinct possibility that as she wrote Frankenstein, she carried with her some prejudices of the Orient. This argument is supported by Edward Said's statement: For if it is true that no production of knowledge can ever ignore or disclaim its author's involvement as a human subject in (their) own circumstances, then it must also be true that for a European... studying the Orient there can be no disclaiming the main circumstances of (their) actuality: that (they come) up against the Orient as a European... first , as an individual second(Said 306). Thus, Mary Shelley's somewhat slanted portrayal of Safie and her father is not only unintentional, but a symptom of "ethnocentric universalism", or having a single, stereotypical view of an entire community(Mohanty 290). When extended to Western views of the East, this view is more specifically referred to as "Orientalism." Orientalism is defined as "a way of coming to terms with the Orient that is based on the Orient's special place in European Western experience" which "has less to do with the Orient than it does with (the Western) world"(Said 303, 307). These biases, apparently inherent to many European writers, are most prominently displayed in the role of Safie's father who is depicted as traitorous and oppressive. This ethnocentrically is best shown when his command to his daughter is unfairly termed a "tyrannical mandate"(Shelley 110). Although the command can easily be considered unjust in its betrayal of the life indebted vow made to Felix, it cannot be considered more oppressive than a European's command to his daughter. Oppressive commands from European men are sure to have happened since a European father's position in his family is relatively absolute in that they are the head of the household and in that society, none within the household have greater authority. The ratio of power between men and women is more slanted in Turkish society as is evident in the existence of harems and the fact that women have the possibility of achieving societal rank and ownership of property in European society and it is for these reasons, as well as her religious conflictions, that Safie feels Turkish life to be oppressive. The Turkish father's exercise of control over his daughter is not the simply a Turkish practice as Mary Shelley implies it to be. This Orientalist view of the Turks is much like the stereotypical story of the "noble" European rescuing an Arabian damsel from the harem of the "evil" Turkish tyrant and then claiming her as his. Thus delivering her from one, Orientalistic, form of servitude to another, more "proper" and European, form of servitude. Of course, Safie breaks from this stereotype in her almost feminist "rescue" of herself. This ethnocentrism does, however, help increase the contrast between Safie's subjectivity with that of other Arabian women, making her more distinctly feminist, as well as more European in her distaste for some Arabian ways and thereby a more suitable wife for Felix. Safie felt that what her father was doing was wrong and, in acting on these beliefs to satisfy her and Felix's happiness, she performed the most feminist act in the book and thus, was the most feminist subject. Some might also consider her feminist for her era simply by her rebelling against and eventually disobeying and abandoning her father. But as was previously mentioned, Safie was "almost" a feminist in that she was merely more feminist than the other female characters. Both Justine and especially Elizabeth were typically feminine, meaning that they fitted and fulfilled the stereotypical "iconic femininity" which includes being a nurturing, domestic of ideal beauty and grace which must be protected by the dominant man. As they fulfilled this role, they were strictly non-feminist as feminist roles gravitate towards breaking such roles and, in fact, sometimes attempt to define themselves outside of men. Though Safie comes closer than either Justine or Elizabeth, she does not fulfill the feminist role, but rather supports the "iconic feminine" role less completely than the others. She has feminist aspects, shown in her efforts to maintain her "independence of spirit" by remaining in Europe and by, more obviously, rebelling against her father and the authoritative role he represents. But, since she does not rebel against her domestic role and, in fact, rushes to it with Felix, she is primarily a slightly non-feminist role among heavily non-feminist roles. Some critical readers might say that there is an apparent conflict between the independent nature instilled in her by her mother versus the oppressive nature of either European or Arabian society, or enlightenment and domestic ideology. However, the issue of the apparent conflict is resolved when realizing that the independence her mother gave her was directed against the Arabian society they were forced to live in. There was no evidence that her mother instilled any preconceived notions of rebelling against the male dominated society in general, especially the Christian European society which Safie had come to appreciate. Though Safie was from an Middle Eastern culture, her mother's adherence to a Christian belief system influenced Safie's subjectivity and caused her to experience feelings more consistent with those of European women than Middle Eastern. In addition to this ideology, her mother also instilled a grain of feminist subjectivity which prompted her to resist the strong subjectivity put upon her by the phallogocentric, male dominated society in which she lived, encountered both in Turkey and Europe. However, this resistance was in the form of religious preference and her willingness to eventually disobey and rebel against her father's wishes and did not take shape in common occurrence. She subscribed to the socially common doctrine of women's domestic position and norms of femininity. In fact, she was, in a manner, willingly given as property to Felix, supporting what Irigaray referred to as "women on the market." Although her father promised her to Felix without asking her, when she learned of the deal she did not react aversely to it but in fact "exhibited towards him the simplest and tenderest affection"(Shelley 109). As for her feminine subjectivity, her beauty, manner, and poise, combined with the male society's reaction to her, placed her as typically feminine even though some might view her slight resistance and willingness to venture forth in order to find her man as "a masculine energy and enterprise lacking in the novel's other women"(Smith 283). In conclusion, through her mother's teachings, she was able to gain a slightly different subjectivity than might have otherwise occurred as society, attempted to mold her to fit its place for her. And this role differed from the other female examples given in the work in her strong motivation to achieve her desired European role, which was more similar to the other female roles in the book in that it fulfilled the domestic ideology of the European society. The society itself was phallogocentric and, by nature, riddled with its own subjectivity, such as the Orientalism inherent in Europe, which attempted to examine the Orient which had "a brute reality obviously greater than anything that could be said about them in the West"(Said 304). Works Cited Beneviste, Emile. "Subjectivity in Language." Course Reader. 83-88 Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses." Course Reader. 289-300 Said, Edward W. "Introduction to Orientalism." Course Reader. 303-312 Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. Johanna M. Smith. Boston: Bedford Books, 1992 Smith, Johanna M. "'Cooped Up': Feminine Domesticity in Frankenstein." Bedford Books, 1992 270-285 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Subtle Humor of Jane Austen.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Subtle Humor of Pride and Prejudice Of all the novels that Jane Austen has written, critics consider Pride and Prejudice to be the most comical. Humor can be found everywhere in the book; in it's character descriptions, imagery, but mostly in it's conversations between characters. Her novels were not only her way of entertaining people but it was also a way to express her opinions and views on what surrounded her and affected her. Her novels were like editorials. Austen uses a variety of comic techniques to express her own view on characters, both in her book and in her society that she lived in. We, the readers are often the object of her ridicule, and Austen makes the readers view themselves in a way which makes it easy for the reader to laugh at themselves. She introduces caricatures and character foils to further show how ridiculous a character may be. Pride and Prejudice has many character foils to exaggerate a characters faults or traits. Austen also uses irony quite often to inform the readers on her own personal opinions. The comic techniques caricatures, irony, and satire, not only helped to provide humor for Austen's readers, but they also helped Austen to give her own personal opinion on public matters. When an action is exaggerated on stage by an actor, it becomes all the more noticeable to the audience. An author can exaggerate a character in order to make fun of them. Austen exaggerates many of her characters and therefore makes caricatures of them in order to emphasize their ridiculousness. Mrs. Bennet is such a character. Her extremely unpleasant manner and reactions causes readers to delight in the situations which Mrs. Bennet places herself into. Mrs. Bennet's harsh tongue and simple mind causes the reader to laugh, because it is so exaggerated that the reader thinks that such a person cannot exist. Mr. Collins is another exaggerated character in the novel. But would such characters seem humorous without somebody to react to them? Not at all. Such exaggeration works only when you place them besides another character who seems very real. Mrs. Bennet is placed besides her husband to make her look all the more ridiculous and Mr. Collins, when placed especially by Elizabeth, seems to be unbelievable at times. His proposal to Elizabeth would not be as humorous without Eliza's reaction and response to him. Therefore, caricature, the exaggeration of character is an essential tool to Austen as means of portraying irony in the novel. Irony is an excellent way for authors to combine wit and drama at the same time. It works well in many parts of Pride and Prejudice. Irony can be found in the gradual revelation of Darcy and Elizabeth's feelings for each other. It provides humor for the readers, yet at the same time, it revolves around the basic plot of the story. It is a great balance between ironic dialogue and movement towards the scenes in the climax of the novel, when the relationship is developed. Another great example of her ironic wit can be found in the first chapter of the novel, when Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Bennet discuss the new tenant of Netherfield Park, Mr. Bingley. Every sentence of that conversation can come back to the opening line of the novel: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." (p.1) Now for this sentence, Mrs. Bennet begins by giving one definition of 'universally', while Mr. Bennet gives another. "Is he married or single?" "Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune of four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!" "How so? how can it affect them?" "My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them." "Is that his design in settling here?" "Design! nonsense, how can you talk so!" (p.2) Mr.Bennet's conversation is quite ironic and very satirical, because of his extreme politeness and playful innocence, which in result, upset Mrs. Bennet. That provides humor for the reader as a result of her dramatic character. Mrs. Bennet's character is not ironic in the least, but it is the blending of both characters that bring about the irony. Such foils points out to the readers the ridiculousness of human nature. Pride in Prejudice is also very rich in satire. Satire, in it's simplest form, is a "wit, irony, or sarcasm, used for the purpose of exposing or discrediting vice or folly". Satire is commonly used for many reasons, including ridiculing public opinion. Austen disapproves of the way that public opinion always considers itself to be above all other opinions. She demonstrates the arrogance of public opinion in the matter with Darcy and the ball. Darcy "drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien; and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared that he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley."(p.7) The reasons which cause the ladies to consider him much handsomer than Mr. Bingley is because his income is much more handsome as well. Public opinion considers Darcy to be a great man, simply on account of his large income. However, once public opinion hears of Darcy's pride and supposed arrogance, it immediately states that it knew Mr. Darcy was a horrible man, and that it always assumed so. Elizabeth, throughout the majority of the novel, follows public opinion on the view of Darcy. She's simply a sheep, following the rest of the herd. Austen demonstrates that public opinion is so quick to change minds that it often develops an opinion without informing itself of all the details or facts. This becomes, to the readers, something to laugh at, although most readers do follow public opinion, one way or another. The great display caricatures, character foils, irony, and satire of provides humor for Austen's readers. Many of the characters that Austen writes about are often subjects of ridicule. The characters and situations that Austen enjoys satirizing were real for her in her time as well. However, the ultimate irony falls on us, Austen's readers, who laugh at Austen's characters. We are the characters in the novel to Jane Austen. We recognize ourselves in the characters that Austen enjoys criticizing. It's that recognization of ourselves that we laugh at and what we find amusing is the fact that Austen makes us view ourselves this way. We laugh at our own faults. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Symbolism of the Setting in Hills Like White Elephants.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In Ernest Hemingway's story "Hills Like White Elephants" an American couple is sitting at a table in a train station in Spain. They are discussing beer, travel, and whether or not to have an abortion. The train station and its surroundings are symbolic in this story. The station itself represents the choice on whether or not to have the abortion. There is a set of tracks on either side of the station, each representing one of the choices. On one side of the station, the tracks run through a lush, green landscape full of grainfields and trees. A wide river runs lazily in the foreground of some tall mountains. It is almost like a paradise. This side of the station symbolizes the choice of going through with the abortion. As it is now they travel all around the world, drinking and staying in hotels, and seeing all the beautiful places in the world. They have no responsibilities or schedules in their life. With an abortion, they could continue their party- and fun-filled, although meaningless existence. The other side of the station is dry and barren of plantlife. The ground looks as if there has been no rain for quite some time. There are hills in the distance that have a whitish color as the sun radiates on them. The woman said, "They look like white elephants."(343) White elephants are known to symbolize unexpected gifts, which is certainly what the baby would be should they choose not to have the abortion. The barrenness of the land refers the tame life--settling down and having the responsibilities of parenthood--that they would have to start living when the baby came; a life that would be duller but would have a purpose. The bead curtain represents the fact that once they choose a side, to have the baby or not, they cannot change their minds and then switch sides. Once the decision has been made, it will affect their lives forever. The man wants to have the abortion so they can continue to have the luxuries they enjoy now. On the other hand, the woman is tired of the wilder life and wants the baby and to settle down. Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants" Literature and the Writing Process. Eds. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 1996. 343-46. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Tale of Me and Summer Reading.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE TALE OF ME AND SUMMER READING It was a bright, hot summer day when it all happened. I could have been sitting at the beach or swimming. Although that was not the case. I had to actually put effort into something, to actually think , to actually well, read. I went upstairs to find the summer reading list. I looked through pile after pile of school computer printouts but still no luck of that little reading list. I began to get frustrated and decided the best thing to do now would be to take a break, and that is exactly what I did. I got into my bathing suit and went for a nice swim. I was swimming for about an hour when all of a sudden I got this thirst for a nice cool beverage. Thoughts began to flow through my mind about how quenching and replenishing that glass of coke would taste. This caused me to immediately jump out of the pool and run in for a drink. As I took a cup from the cabinet I saw in the reflection of the glass a blue sheet on the refrigerator. I immediately turned around and there I saw under a magnet, on the refrigerator, the summer reading list! I wanted to start reading as soon as possible. Although I wanted to see how many books I could read that were on the summer reading list but would not have to go to the library to get a hold of. My mother is a big book reader so I checked her collection and I found one. "The Terminal Man" By: Michael Crichton. To my surprise I actually enjoyed reading this book. I don't like reading that much, I rather watch a movie. This book however was different. It was really suspenseful and hard to put down. I know my story sounds really convincing but I will prove to you any way that I read this book by giving you a quick summary of the novel. Harry Benson, the main character, is a 31 year old computer scientist. About 4 years back he got into a car accident and got brain damage which causes him mental seizures. What happens during these seizures is that he goes on a violent rampage for seven or so hours and then all of a sudden wakes up from this seizure and does not know what has happened or what he has done. Harry is admitted to Universal Hospital, the doctors plan to implant electrodes into his brain to shock the part of his brain that causes the seizure right before it happens. Well to make a long story short. Harry escaped from the hospital, figures out how to make himself get these pleasurable shocks minutes a part, and continues to get these violent rampages. Dr. Ross, his doctor finds Harry in the computer room of the hospital and shoots and kills him in self-defense. The next book I read was "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding. This book I also enjoyed. I thought Jack's tribe was a little to violent for their age, I mean they dropped a rock on Piggy's head and killed him. The kids who killed him were only 10 years old and some of the kids who tried to kill Ralph were even younger. This novel itself was a little too long for me but I put up with it. I am not sure how long you wanted this paper to be and I am running out of space so I will tell you what I thought was bad about this novel to prove I read it. I thought it was a little unrealistic how these children immediatly took control of the island and got organized. If that was me I would have been shivering, cold, and scared, thinking how I would either get eaten by some wild animal or, die of old age. That was really the only part of the novel I thought wasn't realistic. The rest seemed pretty believable. This was a good book and would recommend it to others. The last book I read I started the week before school. "Night" By: Eli Wiesel. This was the most boring 30 pages I have ever read in my life and I could not finish it! The novel just dragged on and I just couldn't read a chapter without thinking of something else. I am sorry I did not read this, I am sure it is a great book. Just a little to boring for me. This concludes my story about my summer reading experience and what books I did and did not read. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the tempest 1st page.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass September 15, 2003 Tittle Throughout history the interaction between civilized people and native islanders has caused confusion and turmoil for both cultures. In William Shakespeare's The Tempest the character Caliban is portrayed as a savage, dingy beast who is enslaved by the westerner, Prospero. Through Prospero's ownership, Caliban is viewed as a lesser being. Shakespeare's depiction of Caliban is purposely created to project the unfair status of the Caribbean people. In the beginning of the play, before Caliban even enters, Prospero talks about Caliban as he were just a grain of sand on the island. "Dull thing, I say so; he, that Caliban, whom now I keep in service" (Shakespeare, Act 2 Scene 1). Prospero's tone toward Caliban is condescending and rude. "Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage, Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like A thing most brutish, I endow'd thy purposes With words that made them known: but thy vile race, Though thou didst learn, had that in't which good natures Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou Deservedly confin'd into this rock, who hadst Deserv'd more than a prison" (Shakespeare, Act 2 Scene 1). Prospero feels that since he has taught Caliban to speak in a civilized language that he owes him a life of service. Caliban's relation to Prospero is symbolic and ironic. The symbolism lies in the historical connection between the play and the Colonizers of Shakespeare's time. Prospero symbolizes the western power dominating an island and its inhabitants; while Caliban is the islander who is forcefully controlled by the western power. The Ironic relationship of Prospero and Caliban is that Prospero, who has the supreme control of the island, knows less about the island itself than Caliban. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the tempest essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass September 15, 2003 Caribbean Imagination Professor Flora Gonzalez A Wrongful Depiction Throughout history, the interaction between civilized people and native islanders has caused confusion and turmoil for cultures. In The Tempest, William Shakespeare portrays the character Caliban as a savage, horrid beast and as the slave of the Westerner, Prospero. Through Prospero's ownership, Shakespeare views Caliban as a lesser being. Prospero symbolizes the Western power dominating an island and its inhabitants; while Caliban represents the islander who is forcefully controlled by the Westerner. On the surface, Shakespeare's interpretation of Caliban seems racist and stereotypical but underneath, Caliban represents the falsified image of the Caribbean people. Caliban's relation to Prospero embodies symbolism and irony. The Ironic relationship of Prospero and Caliban is that Prospero, who has the supreme control of the island, knows less about the island itself than Caliban. Originally, Caliban was owned by another authoritative figure, Sycorax, but Prospero freed him from Sycorax's control and enslaved Caliban for his own uses. With the ability to manipulate the weather, induce sleep and instantly create pain, Prospero has an almost godlike ego that the colonizers at the time felt as well. The symbolism in this play lies in Prospero's control of the island. The over powering attitude that Prospero exhibits, symbolizes the white man's conquest over other cultures. The concept of one man being more powerful than another stands as a contributing factor for the immoral relationship between Prospero and Caliban. Caliban represents the indigenous islander who cannot escape the brutality of his master. Often in the play, Caliban makes remarks against Prospero's exploitation of the island. "All the charms Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you! For I am all the subjects that you have, Which first was mine own king; and here you sty me In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me The rest o' th' island" (Shakespeare 1.2). In the beginning of the play, before Caliban even enters, Prospero talks about Caliban in a very patronizing tone: "Dull thing, I say so; he, that Caliban, whom now I keep in service" (2.1). Prospero's attitude toward Caliban seems condescending and rude: "Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage, Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like A thing most brutish, I endow'd thy purposes With words that made them known: but thy vile race, Though thou didst learn, had that in't which good natures Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou Deservedly confin'd into this rock, who hadst Deserv'd more than a prison" (2.1). Not only does Prospero abuse his power against the native Caliban but also against his own daughter, Miranda, and the indigenous spirit Ariel. One unusual side of Caliban Shakespeare uses to highlight the primal side of Caliban is the sexual tension between Miranda and Caliban. To tempt Caliban, Prospero brings around Miranda and keeps her at a distance so Caliban cannot touch her. This temptation that Prospero creates between the three characters shows the lack of respect Prospero gives to his daughter and Caliban. Prospero's other servant Ariel, a beautiful spirit of the island, has the ability to sing, enchant and play with air, hence the name Ariel. The distinction between Caliban and Ariel involves the overall appearance and duties that they serve. Caliban's appearance seems coarse and barbaric while Ariel appears shiny, glittery and gaudy. The aesthetics of Ariel express the important resources that the Western conquerors came to find, such as gold and natural resources for their Empire. On the opposite spectrum, Caliban represents what the conquerors actually found. In the eyes of the Westerner, the attraction of the Caribbean is not the people who inhabit the island but the beautiful landscape and the tranquil atmosphere. If the conquerors came to the island with interests in the Caribs' culture, possibly Caliban wouldn't have depicted the way he was. Despite their differences, Ariel and Caliban exist as slaves on the island to serve Prospero's attempt at a society. In order to keep both Ariel and Caliban from not escaping, Prospero punishes both characters, but in separate ways. Magically given pains by Prospero, Caliban has trouble moving about. The severity of his pains entitles Caliban to curse and fret throughout the play. "For every trifle are they set upon me: Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me, And after bite me; then like hedge-hogs which Lie tumbling in my bare-foot way, and mount Their pricks at my foot-fall; sometime am I All wound with adders, who with cloven tongues Do hiss me into madness" (2.2). The author emphasizes that Caliban envisions the way Western civilization pictured people of the Caribbean at the time. People of the West inaccurately imagined the Caribbean people as monsters and deformed beasts. Shakespeare's image of Caliban as a beastly, savage was done intentionally. In Christopher Columbus's Diarorio de Navagacion he writes, "He learned also that far from the place there were men with one eye and others with dogs' muzzles, who ate human beings" (Retamar 6). The creative depiction by Columbus; reflects how Shakespeare wanted the reader to see Caliban. Through the duration of the play there lies a running theme of nature versus art (art being man's advancement of technology) and how the two conflict in a changing society. Nature, represented by Caliban is always in conflict with Art, the Westerners. The Art being presented in this play involves Prospero's creations with magic and the arrival of the new ships. For many of the indigenous people, witnessing a vessel land on a beach was breathtaking and haunting. In ways Caliban loathes what Prospero has done to the island but he always has a level of respect for what Prospero has created. "No, pray thee.- [Aside] I must obey. His art is of such power, It would control my dam's god, Setebos, And make a vassal of him" (1.2). Caliban exemplifies Nature by pertaining to earthly deeds such as gathering wood. Also, Caliban actually lives on the island so he relates much closer to nature than the Westerners. The collision of these two symbols creates problems like slavery and warfare. At the time of Colonization the mix of these two ways of life resulted in many of the problems the Caribbean and other nations face today When the Western nations first interacted with the native islanders they were referred to as cannibals. "Cannibal-has been perpetuated in the eyes of Europeans above all as a defamation" (Retamar 6). In Rosario Ferre's poem "Coming Up the Archipelago", the writer states "The words Carib and cannibal have the same root: anyone from the archipelago knows that. Speaking in tongues is one of our skills. We love to suck the bone to get to the marrow and imbibe the strength" (12). Although the Europeans use the word in a derogatory manner, cannibal, to the Caribbean people means a person who soaks in culture all around them. Since the Caribs have witnessed so many different people; westerners, Arabs, Africans and various other islanders, it seems there are no other options but to cannibalize all the different cultures around them. Caliban's ability to learn, speak and reason from Prospero is Shakespeare's example of cultural cannibalism. Caliban reinforces the idea of grasping on to whatever outsiders impose onto the Caribs. In the play, Caliban is often labeled an animal or something less of a human. Shakespeare creates a complex analysis of the western's perception of the Caribs through these offensive terms. To the westerner the only distinction between an animal and Caliban, is that the islander can speak an accepted language. In this context, Shakespeare feels in order to be accepted in society, one must subscribe to the language and customs of that regime. Despite that Ariel lives as a servant of Prospero, Ariel is looked upon differently and Shakespeare deliberately does this to make a claim about the westerners' greedy intentions. Caliban is viewed as a beast that serves only for laborious uses; such as: picking up firewood or collecting food. While Ariel represents the true treasure of the Caribbean isles. The complexity of colonization has created an almost withdrawal to the oppressed people of the islands. Fernandez Retamar, a well respected Cuban writer, claims: "For it is the colonizer who brings us together, who reveals the profound similarities existing above and beyond our secondary differences. The colonizer's version explains to us that owing to the Caribs' irremediable bestiality, there was no alternative to their extermination" (Retamar, 7). This primal ownership can be seen with Caliban when he was first owned by Sycorax and followed by Prospero's possession. After meeting Stephano and Trinculo, Caliban again tries to become their possession. William Shakespeare never traveled to the Caribbean Island's so his visualization of what Caliban should be appears to be based on the assumptions and literary documents of his time. Influences like Montaigne's "Of Cannibals" written in 1603 may have given Shakespeare ideas for Caliban. "Because if in Montaigne-in this case, as an unquestionable literary source for Shakespeare" (Retamar 8). Considered to be the most respected playwright, Shakespeare purposely displays Caliban in an important way. "What has happened in simply that in depicting Caliban, Shakespeare, an implacable realist, here takes the other option of the emerging bourgeois world" (8). On the outside, the physical appearance given by Shakespeare seems to present itself as stereotypical of the images represented by other authors of his time. The part animal, part human aspect of Caliban represents the way people envision how and islander appears physically, but what Shakespeare does by having Caliban speak is transforming a creature of horrible appearance into a real person with thoughts and human emotions. In a way, William Shakespeare to me seems almost as a soothsayer of the problems the Caribbean people faced and currently are troubled with at this present time. The brutal depiction and social status of Caliban are all warning signs of how slavery and condescension are problematic. In the end of the play, Caliban rises above his master and defies him. This plotline challenges the reader's expectations and in result makes the slave the conqueror. This unusual but most important plotline conveys how Shakespeare saw Caliban as something more than a creature. One of the primary motives in writing is to persuade the reader into believing whatever the author intends. Shakespeare intended for the reader to see a Carib in a new light by the end of the play. Not as some savage animal but as a character who had true emotions just like the reader would. In addition, the closing scene may have been a future warning for revolution and destruction against the colonizers of the world. In many ways, Caliban appears horrid and ugly but internally Caliban represents a beautiful person who has emotions and character just like all people in the Caribbean and no matter how the Europeans at the time depicted the Caribs; they are people of true beauty. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The TempestBringing it all Together.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bringing it all together The Epilogue of the Tempest by William Shakespeare is an excellent -- if not the best -- example of Shakespeare's brilliance. In 20 lines Shakespeare is able to write an excellent ending to his play, while speaking through his characters about Shakespeare's own life and career. Even more amazingly, he seemlessly ties the two together. In the context of the story Prospero's monologue makes perfect sense. He has lost his magical power, so his "charms are o'erthrown, and what strength [Prospero] have's [his] own, which is most faint." He is now "confined" on the Island, for his other choice would be to go to Naples and reclaim his dukedom, but he doesn't want to do that because he has already "pardoned the deceiver" who took his position many years ago. Prospero then says something a little strange, but it makes sense in the context of the story, he ask us to "release [him] from [his] bands with the help of your good hands." In other words, clap so that the sails of the boats his friends are riding in will be safely returned and Prospero can be "relieved by prayer" of the audience. All of what Prospero has said is very nice cute, but the most interesting part of this monologue is what Shakespeare himself is saying. "Now that my charms are all o'erthrown, and what strength I have's mine own" means, now my plays are over, and it's no longer my characters speaking. The "Island" or stage Shakespeare is on is now "bare" and it is time for "you" the audience to release Shakespeare and his actors from this play with the "help of [y]our good hands." Shakespeare was not only being released for the performance of the play, he was being release from his career as a playwright. But there are more reasons to clap besides the obvious reason that the play is over, Shakespeare could not allow his final play to be bad, his project "was to please." He reiterates this point by saying "and my ending is despair unless I be relieved by prayer", or the clapping of the audience and it frees "all faults" and allows Shakespeare to indulge the clapping and joy of the audience. Finally, after we seperate the two different perspectives, we can step back and see how Shakespeare magically works them together. The first such pun is on the word "faint", in the third line. Prospero uses faint to describe his strength, but Shakespeare makes it a pun on the pun he is making! Let me explain, faint means light (amoung other things), which means light hearted, or fun. As if you thought this wasn't confusing enough already, you could put a pun on the pun on the pun! Again, let me explain, faint can also mean hard to see, like the pun on the pun! That might be pushing it a little, though. The thing about Shakespeare is anything is possible. Another, less obvious but more significant double meaning is on the word "please" on line 13. Prospero is literally saying his goal was to make the people on the Island happy, Shakespeare is saying his goal was to please his audience. Shakespeare was without a doubt is one of the greatest authors of all time, this Epilogue clearly shows us that. >>>>>this paper is not exactly polished, but there is A LOT of good interpretation, A quality, even at the college level<<<<< f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Theme of Londons To build a fire.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Theme of Jack London's To Build a Fire The significance of the words "dying and death" in Jack London's 1910 novel, "To Build a Fire" continuously expresses the man's dwindling warmth and bad luck in his journey along the Yukon trail to meet "the boys" at camp. London associates dying with the man's diminishing ability to stay warm in the frigid Alaskan climate. The main characters predicament slowly worsens one level at a time finally resulting in death. The narrator informs the reader that "the man" lacks personal experience traveling in the Yukon terrain. The old-timer warned the man about the harsh realities of the Klondike. The confident main character thinks of the old-timer at Sulphur Creek as "womanish." Along the trail, "the man" falls into a hidden spring and attempts to build a fire to dry his socks and warm himself. With his wet feet quickly growing numb, he realizes he has only one chance to successfully build a fire or face the harsh realities of the Yukon at one-hundred nine degrees below freezing. Falling snow from a tree blots out the fire and the character realizes "he had just heard his own sentence of death." Jack London introduces death to the reader in this scene. The man realizes "a second fire must be built without fail." The man's mind begins to run wild with thoughts of insecurity and death when the second fire fails. He recollects the story of a man who kills a steer to stay warm and envisions himself killing his dog and crawling into the carcass to warm up so he can build a fire to save himself. London writes, "a certain fear of death, dull and oppressive, came to him." As the man slowly freezes, he realizes he is in serious trouble and can no longer make excuses for himself. Acknowledging he "would never get to the camp and would soon be stiff and dead," he tries to clear this morbid thought from his mind by running down the trail in a last ditch effort to pump blood through his extremities. The climax of the story describes "the man" picturing "his body completely frozen on the trail." He falls into the snow thinking, "he is bound to freeze anyway and freezing was not as bad as people thought. There were a lot worse ways to die." The man drowsed off into "the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known." The dog looked on creeping closer, filling his nostrils with the "scent of death." London's portrayal of the man does not initially give the reader the theme of dying, but slowly develops the theme as the story develops. The story doesn't mention death until the last several pages. The main character changes from an enthusiastic pioneer to a sad and desperate man. The conclusion of the story portrays the man accepting his fate and understands the old-timer at Sulphur Creek had been right; "no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below." Typically, short stories written in the early 1900's often conclude the story with a death or tragedy. London's story is no exception. This story follows the pattern by illustrating events leading up to and including death. Thesis Statement- The significance of the words "dying and death" in Jack London's 1910 novel, "To Build a Fire" continuously expresses the man's dwindling warmth and bad luck in his journey along the Yukon trail to meet "the boys" at camp. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Theme of Prejudice in To Kill A Mocking Bird.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The theme of prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird is much more than just a case of black and white. The entire novel is about prejudice in it's many forms, the most prominent case of prejudice is the racism and hate between the blacks and whites. The whole town of Maycomb is based on stereotypes of it's inhabitants, that are passed down from generation to generation. Rumors run rampid and very little truth is usually in them. "So Jem received most of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford, a neighbor scold, she said she knew the whole thing. According to Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr.Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities." (Chapter 1, page 11) I don't see how you can't expect to have prejudice in a small town like that, after all isolation is a major factor in why prejudice and racism arise. "Men hate each other because they fear each other, and they fear each other because they don't know each other, and they don't know each other because they are often separated from each other. " -Martin Luther King The stereotypes in this novel are fairly common but the fact that they are accepted and used so openly in public is what astonishes me. I think people in the community, even if they do disagree with what is being said or done, they will say or do nothing because they are afraid of going against the majority of the community and become a victim of prejudice themselves. Atticus was one of the few who actually stopped and listened to himself without being biased by the views and opinions of the rest of the town. He then had the courage to stand up and take prejudice himself for trying to correct the prejudice against a black man, and prove his innocence. "Scout, you aren't old enough to understand some things yet, but there's been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't do much about defending this man. It's a peculiar case-it won't come to trial until summer session. John Taylor was kind enough to give us a postponement..." "If you shouldn't be defendin' him, then why are you doin' it?" "For a number of reasons," said Atticus. "The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again." (Chapter 9, page 75) I think Harper Lee did an excellent job of portraying a small town and gave a convincing sense of community and the way small towns are. The prejudice in Maycomb was your typical kind which was based on ignorance. The meaning of prejudice is Pre-Judge, which is when you pass judgement on something or someone without having a good reason, therefore almost all prejudice is based on ignorance. Racism is much the same because your passing judgement on the color of the person's skin and not the person themselves. In the story To Kill a Mocking Bird the prejudice was part of the town because everyone was judged by their last name or where they come from or their background. "I rose graciously on Walter's behalf: "Ah-Miss Caroline?" "What is it, Jean Louise?" "Miss Caroline, he's a Cunningham." I sat back down. "What, Jean Louise?" I thought I had made things sufficiently clear. It was clear enough to the rest of us: Walter Cunningham was sitting there lying his head off. He didn't forget his lunch, he didn't have any. He had none today nor would he have any tomorrow or the next day. He had probably never seen three quarters together at the same time in his life. I tried again: "Walter's one of the Cunninghams, Miss Caroline." "I beg your pardon, Jean Louise?" "That's okay, ma'am, you'll get to know all the county folks after a while. The Cunninghams never took anything they can't pay back-no church baskets... " (Chapter 2, page 20) That quote isn't really prejudice, but it shows how stereotypical the town is and how it's residents consider it common knowledge that all Cunninghams are dirt poor and don't take charity. There are many different forms of prejudice and I think Harper Lee did a pretty good job of incorporating most of them into her novel. the most common form of prejudice is prejudice against people of another race or religion. In other words racism. Another type of prejudice is against people that are from a different place then you. For instance in the novel Jem and Dill got into a little argument about which county was better, the people from Maycomb, or the people from Meridian. "But Dill got him the third day, when he told Jem that folks in Meridian certainly weren't as afraid as the folks in Maycomb, that he'd never seen such scary folks as the ones in Maycomb. (Chapter 1, page 13) Prejudice is often referred to as the regular "disease" of small towns. Prejudice is born when people form an idea that someone with a different color skin, sexual orientation, background, accent, style, actually anything that makes them different, makes them less equal or inferior. In big cities prejudice is still a problem, but doesn't compare to what's in a small town. In a big city people are in contact with other people that are different than themselves, and they begin to realize that they are no better or no worse than anyone else. I think Harper Lee showed how evil prejudice is during the scene with the lynch mob at the county jail. The lynch mob had power and confidence because they were in a group and had each other to convince themselves that what they were doing was acceptable and the right thing to do. When Scout came in and tried to talk to Mr. Cunningham she reminded him that he was an individual and he felt guilty after seeing her innocence. The prejudice in this story was mostly about blacks and whites, but the other forms of prejudice are just as bad and just as common. It's horrible because if you don't follow the social norms of the environment your in then your in constant conflict with everyone else. Being too bizarre and strange for your environment is just as bad as staying out of sight and cutting off contact with everyone else because then people will gossip and rumor about your life to compensate for not knowing. This is shown in the case of Boo Radley. Just because Boo wanted to be left alone and not be bothered he became the focal point for all the rumors and the gossip of the town. "Wonder what he looks like?" said Dill. Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained - If you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time." (Chapter 1, Page 13) Prejudice is a vicious cycle that is passed down from generation to generation and is very hard to stop unless people are willing and want to cooperate. I think that to overcome prejudice people have to start getting off the band-wagon and listen to their own conscience, and then have the courage to act on their own feelings. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Time Machine.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells Two more books by H.G. Wells are: "The War OF THE WORLDS" "THE INVISIBLE MAN" The major characters were the following: The Time Traveler - He inventived the time machine and traveled through time Filby - Was very argumentitive, but a very close friend of the Time Traveler. The Eloi - Arace of sweet, innocent and child like people. Weena - She was one of the Eloi The Morlocks - They were a race of cannibals who raised the Eloi, like cattle for food. In the beginning of the story the Time Traveler, Filby and some fo their friends were talking about space and time dimension. He showed them a working model of the time machine and gave them a demonstration. When theyleft the Time Traveler went ito his labto get into his time machine. He stepped into the time machine sat down. He slowly pushed the lever forward to go ahed in time, as he got used to the controls he went faster. Through a window he saw he saw everything happening faster and a dial told him the date. The mannequin in the window also showed him the changing times. As he traveled through time he slowed down to take a closer look at the changes that were taking place, but he never left his lab. Finally hestoped when he saw a White Sphinx with wings that made it look like it was hovering. He stopped to fasted and the time machine fell on its' side and he had to pull it up by a bar onit's side. He was walking through a forest with trees filled with fruit, until he came to a large round building. Inside the bulding there was nothing but tables with bowls of fruit on them. He went utside to a riverthere he save Weena from drowning, this was his first encounter with the Eloi. The Eloi were simpel people who were dependent on the Morlocks for food and clothing. When he returned to the White Spinx his time machine was gone. The Time traveler saw that there were tracks on the ground, made by his time machine. At this time he noticed the tracks led behind the bronze doorsof the Sphinx which was actually a gateway to the Morlocks subterranean city. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Transcendence of frogs and ourangatangs.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Transcendence Of Frogs and Ourang-Outangs "Hop-Frog!, I will make a man of you." In Edgar Allen Poe's short story "Hop Frog," the title character Hop-Frog is able to transcend the limitations of his physical body, in ways the King and his seven ministers are unable. "Hop-Frog" has multiple examples of the transcendence of man, and the inability of man to transcend. The most prominent of these points are: 1. By overcoming the limitations of his, Hop-Frog's, physical body he is able to transcend into a greater existence than his biology would allow. 2. By the King and his ministers discounting of Hop-Frog due to his disfigurement and their inability to acknowledge his transcendence, they are fated to never have the chance to transcend. 3. By the use of symbolism in "Hop-Frog," Poe reinforces the actions of the characters and strengthens the representations of their transcendence, or lack there of. Each of these of these three points coalesce to bring the significance of the transcendence of man, or the lack there of, into a focused view. Hop-Frog, the title character in Edgar Allen Poe's "Hop-Frog," is able to transcend the limitations of his physical body. Biologically Hop-Frog is nothing more than a freak of nature. Hop-Frog is a dwarf. His means of locomotion was that of an "interjectional gait---- something between a leap and a wiggle,"(482) and this motion was only afforded to him through "great pain and difficulty." Hop-frog's teeth are "large, powerful, and repulsive."(484) His arms, not in balance with his body, have a "prodigious power."(482) His arms so over compensated for his body he "resembled a squirrel, or a small monkey, more than a frog."(482) His ability to tolerate wine is nonexistent. The story states that Hop-Frog is from "some barbarous region."(482) For the King, Hop-Frog is a "triplicate treasure"(482) for the king to laugh at. If a man is no greater than his biological make up, then Hop-Frog is a freak, and limited to his body. Hop-Frog proves this is not true. By using his arms Hop-Frog is able to do astounding acrobatic feats. Hop-Frog is able to overcome the effect that drink had on him and is able to remain calm and formulate a plan of revenge when Trippetta is struck and wine is thrown in her face. Hop-Frog even breaks the stereotypical mold of a beautiful hero. Hop-Frog is able to find a love with Trippetta, a love that transcends his physical makeup. Hop-Frog saves the girl, has his revenge, escapes unharmed to his homeland, and in an ironic twist of fate is able to have the last laugh at the King's expense. Hop-Frog is an example of a transcendent male, one who is able to go beyond his biological makeup and becomes something greater. The King and his seven ministers are all healthy, albeit fat, strong men with little or no disabilities the reader is informed of. Their only weakness according to the author was that for "jest."(481) It the King's and his minister's predisposition to joking, and their inability to see in others any measure of transcendence are doomed to failure. The fact that the King and his ministers call him "Hop-Frog" and not his given name, thereby not acknowledging his existence, further reinforces the fact that they see him as nothing more than an object to laugh at. The fact that the King continually forces Hop-Frog to drink wine even though the King knows the effect it has on him. The King, unable able to recognize Hop-Frog's transcendence, has no idea as Hop-Frog lays the ground work for the King and his ministers death through a "carefully planned and enacted setup."(1089) The King is only Able to see that Hop-Frog is laughing, and since the King's weakness is a "good Jest"(481), he is unable to see the motives behind the actions. When the King allows for no weapons at the gathering, and entrusts the keys to the locked doors to Hop-Frog, the King and his ministers are again unable conceive of any transcendence in Hop-Frog. The King and his ministers are, up until the moment of their inevitable death, still not cognoscente of their fate, they "were convulsed with laughter,"(486) and ignorant to the events that were to succeed. It is the King's and his minister's predisposition to jokes, and their inability to acknowledge Hop-Frog's transcendence from the limitations of his body, the fact that he is more than just the sum total of his parts, that dooms them to their fate. "Hop-Frog!, I will make a man of you,"(484) is the King's ultimate admission of his inability to acknowledge Hop-Frog's transcendence, by not acknowledging that Hop-Frog is biologically a man, the King is blind to the fact that Hop-Frog can be more than a man biologically. In "Hop-Frog," Poe makes use of extensive symbolism to enhance the transcendence of Hop-Frog and the inability of the King to recognize the fact. The opening description of the king is that he would have "preferred Rabelias' 'Gargantua'," a giant king with a great capacity for food and drink, indicating a great lack of control and animal desires. When the mythical king is hungry or thirsty he eats or drinks, and when the King in the story wants a jest he has one. Both kings react without consequence, and both kings constrained by their animal urges and desires, are nothing more than the biological limits of their bodies. Another strong symbol, is that of Hop-Frogs choice of costume for the King and His Ministers. By choosing ourang-outangs Hop-Frog represents the King and his ministers as "basal beasts,"(331) with no conscience. He, Hop-Frog, shows them to be animals that have a thought, lust or desire and act upon it accordingly without care to the repercussions that it might have on others. The chains that Hop-Frog ties around their bodies is a representation of the fact that the King and his ministers, will never be able to transcend the "bestial bodies"(331) they inhabit. Hop-Frog's final words as he is about to leave, "... this is my last jest,"(487) is a vocalization by Hop-Frog that he has now transcended the limitations of his body and indicates that he is going to go forward from there. The most profound use of symbolism is when Hop-Frog escapes through the "roof of the saloon."(487) The act itself represents Hop-Frogs ability to transcend his body. The saloon represents his body, and the escape a symbolic representation that Hop-Frog has surpassed his biological limitations. Edgar Allen Poe's Hop-Frog contains many examples of the transcendence of man and the inability of others to acknowledge. The main character, Hop-Frog, is able to overcome the effect that drink has on him, finds love, and manages to be more than his biological makeup. Hop-Frog is able to transcend the limitations of his physical body, and is able to become something greater than biological makeup. The King and his seven ministers are unable or are unwilling to acknowledge Hop-Frog's transcendence and in so doing they doom themselves to an inevitable fate. Also, through the use of symbolism, Poe is able to "strengthen his imagery"(1091) of Hop-Frog's transcendence and the King and his seven ministers inability to transcend and recognize transcendence in others. Works Cited Hall, Donald, and Stephen Spendler. Concise Encyclopedia of English and American Poets and Poetry. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1963. 1084-1092. Hart, James D. Oxford Companion to American Literature. 5TH Ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983. 323-336. Poe, Edgar Allen. "Hop Frog". The Bedford Introduction To Literature Ed. Michael Meyer. 3RD Ed. Boston: St. Martin's Press, 1996. 481-487. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Trip to Halawa Valley.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Trip to Halawa Valley By: Jay Babson "The Trip to Halawa Valley," is a short story written by Lynne Sharon Schwartz. The story is about a son succeeding and getting married in Hawaii, and the reunification of his divorced parents. The parents become the main focus of the story when the son suggests that they go on a trip to Halawa Valley. In this story Schwartz is trying to show people that once you make a decision it is very hard to turn back on that decision. With all the characters, except for the briefly mentioned newlyweds, Schwartz shows how decisions made by a person or a couple are hard to turn back on. An example of this is Paul's parents. Lois and Jim are brought back together in Hawaii, and try to rekindle their love for each other. After their trip though, they realize it can not be done, and part in their own separate ways. Schwartz does a very good job of showing the reader the experience she is trying to convey. She does this by using a couple different characters throughout the story. The main ones she uses are the parents, and that is the very obvious example. A few other examples are not as clear, but they do show how decisions are an important factor in life and once made are very hard to turn around. Using Paul's brother Anthony, Schwartz shows that once he made the decision to join the Hare Krishnas there was no turning back, even if that meant not communicating with his parents anymore. Schwartz also uses Paul's other brother Eric. When Eric announced that he was gay, his parents had to make the tough decision to either support or not support his choice in sexuality. Schwartz develops the characters very fast, but in doing so makes the story move faster. Throughout the story the characters are being developed through the thoughts of both Lois and Jim. They talk about their kids and how one of them died at age 11 due to a brain tumor. Schwartz also makes Lois develop Jim, and Jim develop Lois. She does this by making them reminisce about their past together. The conflict in this short story is between the parents of Paul. They both do not know whether or not to get back together. Throughout the story they both hint at getting back together, and once they even made love. After they did though, Lois realized that she was wrong in making love to him and that they could never get back together. Schwartz uses their unsuccessful attempts at reaching Halawa Valley as a comparison to the relationship. This is done by showing how the two attempts at reaching the valley failed, and h f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Unforgetable Man.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Derek Achterfeldt Eng 101 10/14/96 Remembered Event Revision The Unforgettable Man Being an orderly at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital was a fun job that required a strong heart. The hospital was a great place for me to experience the beauty of life and the unwanted death of humans. Throughout my year of employment at the Community Hospital, I was able to enjoy my work by interacting with many kinds of interesting patients. Without the hospital, I would have never imagined to be carrying on conversations with most of these people. Aiding curses required many long exhilarating hours of work each day, but I loved experiencing the daily recovery of patients, in which I was able to be some part. The night of August sixth became a different story. Just as my shift was coming to a normal close, a nurse¹s call light from one of the patient¹s rooms had illuminated. On one of my many repetitive walks down from the station to a patient¹s room, I had nothing else on my mind except for my evening plans with friends. I was extremely happy that this would surely be the last call light I would be answering that shift. As I entered the room, a crying relative came yelling at me. ³He is going, something happened, do something, do something now!², demanded the distressed lady standing right at the bed side. I had seen this man before, although I had never spoken to him. I had know idea that he was not in a stable health. ³All right, all right,² I replied in frustration, not knowing exactly what to do first. I looked at the 84 year old overweight male patient. He appeared very pale with his brown colored eyes half shut looking desperately at me for some sort of help. My mind was becoming blank, as I could not believe what I was about to experience. In training we were told this could happen from time, to time, but I never thought with me. We were also told how to deal with the death of a patient, although I never thought I would be a part in this type of situation. Regardless, I could not think straight. I could not move as I started to panic. I looked around before I noticed that I was the only help available. I became scared. I then all at once, ran out of the room, screaming for help to any one that would be able to hear me, ³Code Blue, Code Blue, room 219 now!² Running back into the room, I stepped behind the bed and pulled the call light on again. The high pitched sound was louder than ever. I stood there waiting, it seemed forever not knowing exactly what I should be doing. The young lady relative was looking at me expecting that I would bring this man back to life. I wanted to do just that, but I did not know exactly how. Finally, two registered nurses and then a third came veering into the room. ³What¹s happening?,² the first nurse exclaimed. ³The man just stopped breathing,² I announced to every one. I reported to the nurses that I was unable to find a pulse and the patient¹s respiration rate could not be seen. As I backed off two nurses came racing up to the patient trying to locate a pulse. ³Nothing, nothing,² a nurse concluded as two of them began performing CPR. Within five extremely long minutes, the oldest nurse whispered, ³It¹s too late.² Right on the spot, the nurse had pronounced the patient dead. I could not believe this scene was actually taking place. For the first time I saw a human die right in front of my own eyes. The death to me did not sink in my head, until a nurse ordered me to call the funeral home, while she would be talking to the family. When I hung up the phone I was again in the room alone with a corpse who seemed to just stare at me. The room now seemed to carry a different indescribable scent that I will never forget. Nurse Jane then walked in the room. She wanted me to clean the body before the coroner would arrive. Before cleaning the body, I first had to remove the IV line out of patient¹s left arm. Removing the IV itself was an experience. I did not imagine that a dead person would still bleed. Being unprepared for the stream of blood, a puddle splashed out onto the spotless, white tile floor. I grabbed a towel immediately and began applying pressure to the IV site. After a few minutes, I tried sticking a band-aide on the cut, but blood still came gushing out. I was about to remove the oxygen tubing from the patient¹s nose when I felt that this man was still alive and watching me. I became extremely nervous. It looked as he was analyzing our hospital procedures. I started trembling as I removed the bloody towel off the bed. His eyes were still half shut as I tried to avoid any eye contact. In my mind I was telling myself that this man was just sleeping and not to worry. Ten minuets later, a coroner arrived pushing in an old black stretcher. He asked me to help him lift the body up with the under sheets onto a hard board. The coroner then hid the body under a thick vinyl plastic sheet. When the body was removed from the room I was still not at ease. I felt that maybe I should have done more, or done something differently. This was the first time I have ever had an experience with a dead body on the job. Hospital workers always say, you encounter many, but your first one is always the unforgettable. After experiencing this event, I spent a lot of time with myself thinking. Thinking about how precious life really is. I began to think of how important it is for me to experience everything that I want to, for one day I would run out of time. Life and death became more than just words to me. They had a special meaning with a lot of motivation behind them. From that day on I have spent more time spelling flowers and having fun, because I know one day I will not be able to. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The use of clothing in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching Go.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Uses of Clothing in the Novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston In the novel Their Eyes were watching God Zora Neale Hurston portrays a woman named Janie's search for love and freedom. Janie, throughout the novel, bounces through three different marriages, with a brief stint at being a widow in between. Throughout these episodes, Hurston uses Janie`s clothing as a visual bookmark of where Janie is in her search for true love and how she is being influenced by those around her. Janie's first article of clothing is an apron that she wears while married to Logan Killiks as a hard working sixteen year old. Logan, who Janie describes as looking like "an `ol skullhead in de grave yard," (pg. 13) marries Janie to fulfill the role laid down by Janie's grandmother, a mule. Janie goes along with this for nearly a year, until change comes walking down the road in the form of Joe Starks. Joe is a "citified, stylish man with a hat set at an angle that didn't belong in those parts," and he wants to take Janie away. Joe's dream is to become "big man" and pleads Janie to take part in his dreams of the future. He proposes marriage to her, and arranges a rendezvous at the bottom of the road at sunup the next morning. Janie is torn because Jody "does not represent sun-up pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke of the far horizon....The memory of Nanny was still strong." (pg. 28) When Janie decides to leave the next morning for, if nothing else, a healthy change, she looks down and sees the apron which has stood for all the things she has had to do for Logan," and flung it on a small bush beside the road. Then she walked on, picking flowers and making a bouquet." (pg. 31) When Janie threw the apron on the bush, it represented a major change in Janie's life, and a progression from Logan. Janie is continuing her search for true love, although she knows already that Jody is not the perfect fulfillment of her dream, and how she has been affected by Jody already. Life with Jody was a disappointment from the beginning of their marriage. As soon as they arrived in the sleepy burg of Eatonville, Jody was trying to gain power and clout in the town, and had a clear image of where he wanted Janie in that equasion. Jodie built the town's first store, and soon had Janie working in "exalted" position of shopkeeper. After one incident where one of the store regulars was witnessed by Jody feeling Janie's luxurious hair without her knowledge, Jody, overcome by jealousy, forced her to wear her glorious tresses in a head rag, like those worn by old women with hair that really needed to be kept in a head rag. This head rag came to typify their whole marriage, with Jody's selfish appearance loving demands taking precedence over Janie's needs and dreams. Obviously Janie had not found true love with Jody either, for soon their marriage broke down into a silent stalemate. After dying a broken man, Janie faced life as a young and well off widow. The head rag through the "Jody" period of her life clearly showed her position is her search for love and how she was influenced by those around. After Jody died, Janie began to be the object of the "aims" of other men, mainly because of her dollar value. Janie dismisses most of these claims, but eventually a man named Tea Cake came along, and brought another phase of her life into swing. "She couldn't make him look like just another man to her. He looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee in blossom--a pear tree in blossom in the spring. he seemed to be crushing the scent out of the world with his footsteps. Crushing aromatic herbs with every step he took. he was a glance from God." (pg. 102) When the author uses words like these to describe the thoughts of Janie towards Tea Cake, the conclusion can be safely made that Janie was well down the path to love with tea Cake. And travel that path she does. It is now that Janie changes her attire from the garments of widowhood to something a little brighter. ""Folks seen you out in colors and dey thinks you ain't payin' de right amount of respect tuh yo' dead husband." "Ah ain't greivin so why do I hafta mourn? Tea Cake Love me in blue, so Ah wears it. Jody ain't never in his life picked out no color for me. De worl' picked out black and white for mournin', Joe didn't. So Ah wasn't wearin it for him. Ah was wearin it fo' the rest of y'all."" (pg. 107-108) In this passage, Janie clearly moves on from Jody by shedding the husk of mourning black and emerging wearing a blue dress and in love. Tea Cake represents the first man who truly appreciates Janie for who she is, and enjoys her for herself. Every other Significant Other in her life previously has tried to shape her into a mold; Logan into the role of the housewife or mule, and Jody as an accessory, much like an ottoman. With Tea Cake, Janie experiences true love and self expression, both of which are symbolized by the blue dress. Eventually, Janie and Tea Cake get married and move away, down "on the muck" in the "'glades." There, Janie and Tea Cake have a house which is a "magnet, the unauthorized center of the "job."" There, many gather to have fun and gamble. "Sometimes Janie would think of the old days in the store and the big white house and laugh to herself. What if Eatonville could see her now in her blue denim overalls and heavy shoes?" (pg. 127) This passage is a slice of Janie's new life on the muck, but is catalogs her change of clothes again into blue denim overalls and heavy shoes. This type of clothing was practical for working on the muck, so she wore them. At this time she began to work with Tea Cake in the fields because Tea Cake couldn't bear to spend a whole day without her. Janie goes along willingly because "It's mo' nicer than sittin round these quarters all day. Clerkin in dat store was hard, but heah, we ain't got nothin to do but work and come home and love." (pg. 127) This passage is almost a summary of their time on the muck, for it was full of love and hard work. This whole time can be summarized by the blue denim overalls and heavy shoes, for they represented Janie's relationship with Tea Cake and showed that she had found true love and it was blind. All of Janie's clothes represent her search for true love and her relationships with those around her. When you look around, that is true most of the time in the real world, too. We all wear our clothes a silent messengers, and Hurston used this tool clearly and well in her novel. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Use of Setting in Tim OBriens The Story of the Song Tr.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Where does the story of Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong take place? Upon reading the story, one would first assume that it takes place in Vietnam. Upon further examination, however, it becomes quite evident that it really takes place inside Rat Kiley's head. This isn't to declare the story false; instead, one should examine the influence and literary freedom that Rat flexes upon the truth. "For Rat Kiley... facts were formed by sensation, not the other way around." (101) The story occurs in two separate but equally chaotic places: Vietnam, and Rat's head. The story intertwines between the two settings, and in order to completely grasp the idea behind them, one must first recognize, then separate and analyze the two settings. Upon the first reading of this work, the reader finds himself dropping into the story of a seemingly misplaced girl in Vietnam. The role of Rat Kiley seems somewhat minor and irrelevant. Upon the second and third times through, however, his role as the storyteller stands out. It becomes more evident that he holds Mary Anne with the highest regard. He romanticizes her relationship with the war. He is so amazed with the fact that a girl can be seduced by the lure of the wilderness that he begins to talk about her with the listeners as if she were the attractive girl from school that everyone knows but nobody dates. " 'You know...I loved her. Mary Anne made you think about those girls back home, how clean and innocent they all are.' " (123) Rat is pushing his views upon the listener. He is shaping how the story is seen. The reader sees "triple-canopied jungle, mountains unfolding into higher mountains, ravines and gorges and fast-moving rivers and waterfalls and exotic butterflies and steep cliffs and smoky little hamlets and great valleys of bamboo and elephant grass." (103) The actual reality of the situation is added by the narrator, as extrapolated from Rat: that they were in an almost completely indefensible situation. Had somebody cared enough to take control of the little base, there would be no resistance. Rat wanted to let the reader know his opinion on the citizens of the Viet Cong, how he wants the listener to think of them. "Mary Anne asked, 'They're human beings, aren't they? Like everybody else?' Fossie nodded. He loved her." (107) Rat lets us know that he thinks the VC are less then human. Why did Fossie nod, in Rat's opinion? Not because he thought Fossie felt she was right, but because he loved her. Because Rat feels that the VC are subhuman, part of the jungle, he sees Fossie's nod as a patronizing nod to an unknowing inductee to the jungle. Rat, at every turn, tries to "make [the truth] burn so hot that you would feel exactly what he felt." (101) Rat makes the reader constantly want to love Vietnam, to love the intricacies of the jungle, to love the trill of danger and imminent threat of death. " 'It's like trying to tell somebody what chocolate tastes like.' " (123) The audience gets a somewhat gentle reminder from Mitchell Sanders, as he declares " 'Or shit.' " (123) "But Rat Kiley couldn't help it. He wanted to bracket the full range of meaning." (116) Rat wants to inject within the reader a love similar to his toward Mary Anne. He wants the reader to want to become one with the jungle. He wants the reader to understand that there is a base human connection with nature, and that one doesn't have to be a man to feel it. It isn't about man vs. woman, it's about humans vs. nature. Everybody comes in without a clue. They get their view on the future and humanity raped away by the deflowering of reality in the jungle. They begin to understand what matters and what doesn't. On it's superficial level, Song Tra Bong is about a story. This story takes place within a character. Rat "had a tendency to stop now and then, interrupting the flow, inserting little clarifications or bits of analysis and personal opinion." (116) Rat molded the view of the story. He shows the reader what Rat deems important, and he constantly adds his own twist to it all. As he said, he loved her. He is going to put her on a pedestal for the world to view and appreciate. On the top, the character (at this level, the only one that matters) is the setting. Just as Vietnam had it's oddities and tendencies, Rat's mind had it's own pockmarked landscape with it's own jungles and rain forests. Now that one has identified the skew of the stained glass window the story is viewed the through, one can begin to fully appreciate what happened to Mary Anne, and the conflict she encounters. She finds herself torn between the civilized world which has her long time love, and the uncivilized world, Vietnam where she can exist in her purest form. There is a slow transition, as she appears in preppy clothes, and she moves to "the habits of the bush. No cosmetics, no fingernail filing. She stopped wearing jewelry, cut her hair short and wrapped it in a dark green bandanna." (109) She finishes in a bizarre fashion, wearing her culottes, pink sweater, and tongue necklace. "She had crossed to the other side. She was part of the land." (125) How does this happen? What makes this girl who has everything she wants give it all up to live like an animal? Mary Anne finally shed the illusions of grandeur from home and decided she wanted to be a woman of the bush. It all starts with natural curiosity. Mary Anne wants to understand the ways of war. She wants to understand it's people. However, she inexplicably finds herself out on ambush with the Green Berets. "The Endorphins start to flow, and the adrenaline, and you hold your breath and creep quietly through the moonlit nightscapes; you become intimate with danger; you're in touch with the far side of yourself, as though it's another hemisphere." (123) She is beginning to become seduced by her basic human instincts, the ones that say "Organized society is bad. Self dependency is good. One should live within the wilderness. One should wear a necklace of tongues." Being set in Vietnam, such a recognizable word, one so synonymous with war, the irony of the situation leaps off the pages. Here is a man who has been in-country for a decent amount of time. By bringing his girlfriend over, he is bringing into the fray somebody who has no idea of the dangers of the bush, somebody who, being a girl, and according to modern and past military policy, shouldn't have been there. He should be the one who, in relation to her, understands the war. However, this doesn't hold true. She becomes the understanding and wise one, as she exclaims "You hide in this little fortress, behind wire and sandbags, and you don't know what's out there or what it's all about or how it feels to really live in it." (121) A month earlier, he could have told her the exact same thing to prevent her from becoming so intimate with the country, it's inhabitants, and the war itself. At it's base level, the inner core of Song Tra Bong, the interaction between setting and character is immense. So immense, in fact, that the setting itself becomes a character, interacting with the other characters, causing conflict. At it's base level, Song Tra Bong is about the land, and maturing to return to innocence. It's about evolving so one can devolve. It's about returning to the land, and it's about the land seducing people to return to it. " 'Sometimes I want to eat this place. Vietnam. I want to swallow the whole country - the dirt, the death - I just want to eat it and have it there inside me. ... I feel close to myself.' " (121) Mary Anne now knows who she is. She has found her calling. In Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, setting is paramount. If one were to take this story and place it in New York City, it would be laughed at. As Mary Anne said, " 'You can't feel like [this] anywhere else.' " (121) The story takes place in two places. On one level, it takes place in the heart of the jungle, deep in Vietnam. On this level, the setting plays such an important role that it becomes a character. It seduces Mary Anne, and it talks to her. The story also takes place in the heart of Rat Kiley. On this level, the character influences the story in such a way that he becomes the top level setting. In the end, " '...it wasn't all that complicated. The girl joined the zoo. One more animal - end of story.' " (117) But as Mitchell Sanders not-so-gently tells Rat " ' Yeah, fine. But tell it right.' " (117), the reader must also try to read it right. If the different settings are identified, separated and analyzed, then the true idea behind the story comes out. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Vikings.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ e Possible Topics Discovery of North America Origin of the Vikings Burial Customs Ship graves Cremation Royal Burials Wagon Burials Viking Life Ancestry and population Economic activities Family life Religion Cultural life and recreation Shipbuilding and Navigation Vikings as shipbuilders Vikings as navigators Warfare Battle strategy and tactics Weapons and armor Exploration and Conquest Norweigan Vikings Danish Vikings Swedish Vikings Viking Influence Effect on Scandanavia Effect on Iceland Vinland (region of North America Vikings discovered) Leif Ericson (leader of the band of explorers who discovered America) Eric the Red (discovered Greenland; Leif Ericson's father) Norway (Viking Age) Possible Thesis Questions Did the geography of Scandanavia affect the Viking's warring economy? Why were Viking ships well suited for warfare? Why did the Vikings come to North America? How did the establishment of Normandy by the Vikings affect the history of France and England? What was a ship grave and why were they used? Why did the Vikings raid religious buildings such as churches and monasteries? What were the conditions that led to the Viking movement our of Scandanavia? f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the wanderer.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tom Healy Mr. Valerio AP English 12 March 3, 2004 "The Wanderer" is an Anglo-Saxon poem about a lonely wanderer hopelessly alleviating his woes in the posthumous period of his fallen lord. Characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon period, the poem portrays themes of fraternity and loyalty, allegiance and the tradition of a warrior's passing. Imagery of the warrior, "the byrny-clad warrior, / The prince in his splendor" (86/87) comes traditional as well as communal gatherings of thanes and kings: "he dreams of the hall-men. / The dealing of treasure, the days of his youth. / When his lord bade welcome to wassail and feast." (30-33). The death of a king, as assumed to be the rank of the fallen kin, is a traditional subject matter for Anglo-Saxon culture; being a warlike culture they feature battle as a daily test of ability centered around the protection and allegiance to one's king. The poem itself is centered on a very lonely and lamentable atmosphere. Cold, bitter, forlorn, the wanderer himself roams in scenery similar to his emotional weariness, and these themes of solitude are addressed consistently by the imagery and the personal reflection of the wanderer. The atmosphere is dreary and interpreted by the speaker "Beholding gray stretches of tossing sea. / Sea-birds bathing, with wings outspread, / While hailstorms darken, and driving snow." (40-43). The setting is hardly a solace for the wanderer's weary heart but it is clear that the imagery in not intended to be a natural reflection of a traditional day but a symbolic reflection of the wanderer's inner torment; harborer of the sage's lament. The style of the poem has the necessary elements of an Anglo-Saxon poem. The Caesura splitting apart two half-lines and in phrases such as "Homeless and helpless he fled from fate." (5) you have the necessary alliteration to organize the content of the poem. The poem also reflects elements of an Elegy. An Elegy, defined as a poem about the passing of life and the eternal lament of the main character, reveals itself in the cold aura of the imagery and the main subject of the poem itself: sadness of a deceased kinsman. Elements of an Ubi Sunt, another specific form of Anglo-Saxon poetry, are evident in "The Wanderer" for its nostalgic memories of feasts in the meadhalls and "Even in slumber sorrow assaileth. / And, dreaming he claspeth his dear lord again." (35/36). The sage, as characterized as the speaker of the poem, regrets when he "Fettered my feelings, far from my kin," (19). His physical and emotional exile consume the better part of his days, which once upon a time were spent in comfort with happy lords and plentiful comrades. The imagery is most suitable, but what should be noted is its more crucial importance in this specific poem, for what makes him a wanderer is the vast scenery of seas, shores, halls, earth, night, day, which are all apparent in the poem. Descriptive though they are, what is more essential is the variety that characterizes the character as a wanderer indifferent to his surroundings due to inner turmoil. So the imagery is subtle, yet plentiful. The other speaker, the narrator, adds his little footnote of the "happy man who seeketh for mercy / From his heavenly Father, our fortress and strength." (107/108) which comes unexpected for its offer of hope and romantic faith but perhaps serves more as a pitiable solace for the wanderer. It is a reflection of weariness and emotional cruelties that bitterly immortalize the wanderer and his forlorn exile. Immortal woe and restlessness relentlessly encompass the wanderer of this Anglo-Saxon poem. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Wave.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Wave I have to prove my point to Principal Owen's. I can still make this work, I'm sure I can. Over the past week I have shown these kids what it was like to be equal. I can end this experiment, these kids just have to know what they are doing is wrong and it must be stopped. The only problem will be to get help from members that are not in the Wave. Maybe Laurie and David can help me teach these kids a lesson. How can I do it? First I have to get all the Wave members into the one place, put them in the auditorium. I will have to organize the meeting in the morning, that is if I still have a job at Gordon High. What will I do though, I have to show them that what they are doing is wrong and they should stop before someone gets killed. HITLER, he would be the perfect example of doing the wrong thing. Well, he was only responsible for millions of deaths of innocent men, women, children. He particularly hated Jews. The only thing wrong is how will I show them that they are becoming similar to one of the evil dictators ever. I could show them the dead, massacred bodies of the innocent Jews. I would show them a movie of Hitler and his Nazi's to show these students what they are becoming. I will tell them all that they would make great Nazi's. I mean, look at it, how close did they come to World War Three happening in the extreme. That would make me the new age Hitler and I can't and won't let that happen. Well, that is what I will do, I will stop this immature stupidity and end this. It has to work, if so I will probably have no job and soon after that no life, It has to end tomorrow. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Wind in His Sail.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Wind in His Sail "Ahh, there's no wind today," sighed Cobi as he tacked his sail around and headed for the shore. Cobi was a sailor. Cobi wasn't a typical sailor, Cobi was a National Championship winning sailor. A sailor who thrived on high winds and rough seas, who has accomplished everything there is to accomplish in Canadian sailing. He is the envy of every young sailor and child. They wish, aspire, and dream to be like Cobi. "Hii Cooobiii," wines Julie. Julie just happened to be standing on the dock of the Yacht Club as Cobi tied his luminous, new, nine-thousand dollar boat to its mooring. Julie, was just one part of Cobi's large female entourage, who followed and prayed on his every move and breath. Cobi Jones was not only very skilled in the nautical art of sailing, he was the most popular, the best looking, and even one of the smartest kids in school. "Hi Julie," moaned Cobi in reply, "what are you doing here?" A shocked, but smiling Julie answered, "Just came to see ya." "Well visiting hours are over," Cobi uttered as he pushed past Julie and trekked up the rocky shore to his home. His home! His home was a picturesque array of hand-crafted pillars and intricate woodwork that beautified even the aesthetic sandy ocean beach that encompassed it. As always, after sailing practise, he was greeted by a honk and a wave from his father returning from work. His father was a partner in Jones, Jefferson, and Deveau, the most successful law firm in Nova Scotia. He was able to fund Cobi's sailing career from the start, and his money played a very large role in Cobi's sailing success and popularity. Other than Cobi's majestic surroundings, Cobi led a typical eighteen year-old after school life. He ate, did homework, spoke to his many friends the phone, and then fell asleep with a remote control in his grip. This evening wasn't an exception. The following day at school, Cobi was greeted by all of his friends and sailing cohorts and he sauntered to his first class. The greetings ranged from "Hey man", to "What's up", and to the simple "Hi". Cobi habitually responded with a mumbled "Yo." Sometime after an insightful, and invigorating lecture from his favourite English teacher Dr. Noble, he ran into his friend and sailing crewman Greg. "Hey man, what're ya doin' after school today?" asked Cobi. "Nothin' man, it's too messy out. That hurricane's gonna hit tonight you know," replied Greg. "I know man, that's why I asked" "You don't wanna go sailin' do ya?" "Yeah man, the winds lately haven't been much of a challenge for me, eh." "I don't know man?" "Ahh c'mon, you're coming to my party tonight aren't ya." "Yeah" "Well, we can go for a sail, then to the party" "All right" "Cool, meet at the club at 4:00. We're takin' the Laser" "What!?! Okay," sighed Greg as he made his way to his last class. At the Yacht Club, the forty-five knot winds were drubbing the Dangerous Seas warning signs into the clubhouse as the two young sailors began to rig their boat of a mere fourteen feet. The boys rigged their boat quickly and set sail. Cobi was the helmsman and hence, called all the commands. Greg responded with needle-point precision. They tacked, gybed, and heeled in complete unison. If anyone else had had the craze of mind or desire of body to be on the water that night they would have found their sailing awe-inspiring. But the strong forty-five knot winds briskly became Herculean fifty-five knot winds that no one could sustain. Then, the foreseen occurred, a quick change of wind direction came about and toppled the great Cobi's boat and threw the two into the cold and bitter ocean. Greg was hit with the boom as the boat slammed onto the ocean's surface, he was knocked unconscious and drowned. "Ahhh, nooo. Why did I come out here tonight? Greg!! Ahhh..." exclaimed Cobi. Weeping, Cobi frantically moved to right the battered boat. He succeed but the boat was well out of his reach and it was impossible for him to swim to it in the high seas. Then another gust of mighty wind came and flipped the boat driving the mast of the boat through the abdomen of the struggling sailor. The boat soon sank with the slain sailor in tow. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Witching Hour.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Title: The Witching Hour Author: Anne Rice Copyright Date: 1990 Number of Page Read: 1043 Three main elements classify the genre: Gothic, Mystery, and Romance. I classify Gothic novels as stories pertaining to a dismal atmosphere, such as Edgar Allan Poe's literature. . Lovers who unlock thirteen generation's of Mayfair family secrets and incest; discovering that their intervention becomes a more complex-intertwining destiny. Our Antagonist Michael Curry, a 48-year old Irish man who had lost himself in a world in which he had accomplished his dreams, experienced his emotional pain, and yet he felt empty. Michael approached the rocks of the bay, thought of his life and emptiness, then he slipped and fell to his fatal doom in the sea. Found by a woman known as Rowan Mayfair , he discovered that he was dead for over an hour as he rested in the hospital. Michael also discovered that he had received the gift of seeing images by using his hands to touch objects, and that he chose to come back. He was burdened by the images and the vision after his death, that he had a purpose, that he was sent for a reason. Something that had to do with a doorway, and the number thirteen. After isolation from the press of the burden of his powers, he found himself wanting to go back on the deck of the boat where he was rescued. He wanted to talk to the woman who rescued him, for he thought that she would let him touch the boat to recover images that night. He discovered that this neurosurgeon, Dr. Rowan Mayfair, was the veritable love of his life. After he discovered how much he deeply loved Rowan, he began to reminisce the images of his purpose; that certain elements and images of his childhood hinted him to return to the house he had been fascinated with in New Orleans as a child. Another major character of the story, Englishmen Aaron Lightner, was a part of an archaic organization known as the "Talamasca". Aaron studied a family called the Mayfairs in New Orleans, because his organization had believed the Mayfairs to be witches. He devoted his life to the history of the Mayfair witches, and his organization had compiled a history of the Mayfairs since the days of the 17th century inquisition in Europe. As he watched Michael and Rowan from the corners of darkness, he intervened their lives to enlighten their knowledge of Rowan's family history-and its dangerous potential. Rowan did not know a single thing of her family history, as she was left in the dark her whole life by her aunt Ellie who became her legal guardian the day she was born.. After her notification from a family member that her mother died, this gave her permission to learn her family history and go to New Orleans where her family resided to mourn her catatonic mother's death. This also gave her signs of coincidence with Michael's life and hers. Rowan then learned of her family's meaning and history, and her life started to make more sense as she got involved. Her passion to heal the wounded, her sixth sense to stop the wounds of the sick, and her dangerous potential to kill without knowing it...or does she? These three main characters learn of the history, the scandals, the incest, the beauty, and the apparition. The apparition is the Protagonist of the story, and goes by the name of "Lasher". Lasher destroys everything that was established between Michael and Rowan, and he is a character that seduces the Mayfair's into his need to be human. He had been with the Mayfairs for thirteen generations, and was summoned by an ancestor of Rowan's named Suzanne. Lasher, an ignorant being who learned over the generations of human nature to educate himself in this new realm. He eventually enlightened Rowan of his past, his intentions and his knowledge, for she had the gift to see him after his mother's death. But she was warned of this being by Aaron's knowledge, her new-found immensely grown family, and Michael, who studied with the Talamasca when Aaron came into his life. The being is seductive, and after letting Lasher come between Michael and her, Lasher destroys their child, and spawns himself into this fetal organism to be human based on his new knowledge fed to him by our times. Rowan was the door, the thirteenth witch. It's complex, as I'll explain below. The outcome, was that Rowan was not as powerful as she thought, for she lost the two things she loved the most, by the evil contrived intentions of this being and her weakness. There are many elements that I've interpreted from the book. I would like to quote the antagonist Michael Curry's interpretations, as his interpretation is one of the pieces: (p. 1037) "...for ours is the power and the glory, because we are capable of visions and ideas which are ultimately stronger and more enduring than we are. If any revelation awaits us at all, it must be as good as our ideals and out best philosophy. For surely nature must embrace the visible and invisible, and it couldn't fall short on us.". What this story really is, is the power of creation, the power of knowledge, understanding the barrier between the most abstract ideas and science. Perhaps there is a thin barrier between the abstract mythology and science. Lasher, a ghost, one would assume that this book would deal with archaic atheism, good and evil. But it's not focused on that, the focus is the sign of our times today. Lasher was a being, a representation of the force of ignorance. Lasher learned and picked up the knowledge of what the Mayfair witches knew and experienced throughout the 300 years of its existence. But as you know the 20th century has created miracles, things that were unimaginable 100 years ago. Lasher was a being whose existence seemed to interact with humans upon the summoning of Suzanne Mayfair. Hence, his knowledge began with the ignorance of science, and it was a time of atheistic beliefs dominating civilization. He knew nothing, of how he was created, why he was there, and was ignorant of communication. But as the time of the Catholic power died, and the Enlightenment came, Lasher began to see things changing, progressing into an enlightenment and the possibility that he may become flesh and learn of himself. The 20th century, things imaginable centuries ago would be seen as magical, just as how we see mythology and atheism as magical-it's unexplained. This book is about the very thin line between the abstract and science, that science is the true reliance. As a prime example to think about, examine this; it was established this century that human cloning was impossible, but yet we have found ourselves that this theory has been defeated. Human cloning is as possible as any other scientific discovery, and it shows you that any day, something new can be discovered, something that possesses the ability to defy archaic magic and belief of gods, and other undiscovered territories. What if one day, you woke up and heard on the radio that the energy of souls had been discovered as tiny particles smaller than quirks that were linked together with incredible scientific explanations? That scientific and computational technology allows us to answer age-old questions. Indeed, it was no coincidence that Lasher chose Rowan's destiny to become a neurosurgeon. This book is certainly about the thin barrier between the archaic age-old questions and science. Because of human being's ability to create, maybe we can finally identify ourselves as the gods. Think about it. I would like to quote Lasher's words, he talks of this interpretation of mine briefly: (p. 934) "Why couldn't anyone do it before me? Julien was powerful." "Knowledge Rowan. Julien was born to soon...that is the key; that is what enables you to be the doorway. The knowledge of your era was unimaginable even to Julien, who saw in his time inventions that seemed purely magical. Could Julien have foreseen a heart opened on an operating table? A child conceived in a test tube? No. And there will come after you those whose knowledge is great enough even to define what I am." This book is a fantastic read, the story of each generation from 1689-1989 kept me up until six in the morning often. The characters are beautifully crafted by Anne Rice, yet the story and plot were sometimes set aside because of the vivid development of each individual character throughout the book. I've already read several novels from this author, and this novel earned it's position with a high mark. It's intuitive, mysterious, logical, and enlightening. But the sad ending of Rowan's strength depleting from her loss from this "evil" Lasher, causes the book to develop into its next novel "Lasher". Anne Rice gives the reader the ability to see the world through different eyes, besides, are philosophical beliefs revolve around perception and perspective. I wish to continue this saga with "Lasher", although I am going to take a brake from Rice, and I'm in the process of choosing between "Exit to Eden" (John Steinbeck) and something from Edgar Allan Poe. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The World of Uncle Tom and Company.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bibliographical Data: Uncle Tom's Cabin Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. 446 pages. Published by Bantam Books First published in 1851-52. It has never gone out of print. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote this novel during the time of the debates that lead to the Civil War and near the time of the Compromise of 1850. The book provides a defiant protest against the social and political conditions of that era. The division between the northern industrial states and the southern agrarian states was very prominent and apparent. There was fierce competition between them. This lead to differing viewpoints about slavery. The competition helped the South justify it and gave the North reason to denounce it. Information like this is not provided by the author because her target audience at the time she wrote the story was living through these conflicts. To make up for this, I would suggest that before reading this work you have at least a minimal knowledge of the aspects of slavery and its geographical distribution in early America. Also, it is important to have basic understanding of the Christian faith and its two major kinds of believers at the time. There were those who believed that all were equal and that all had souls that were to be treated with compassion, and those who argued that God had created them superior to all blacks. Keep in mind that Mrs. Stowe was living through all of what is in her story. So while providing social, political, and religious commentary, she also spatters her work with racism and subtle bigotry that would not be found in most modern writing. Uncle Tom's Cabin is a novel about how trust in God can conquer great obstacles, including the pain of slavery. The main character shows this to us through the story of his life. He is a gentle, pious slave who has been promised freedom but is sold by his kind master to a hardened and unfeeling trader. Separated from those who he loves, he is forced to be submitted to a cruelty that only his trust in the Lord can carry him through. Despite his own suffering he brings hope to others, always trusting and believing in his own eternal life granted to him by Jesus Christ. Suffused throughout is brilliant commentary on the world Stowe is depicting. The author creates vivid, complete images of all the characters' opinions, appearances, and backgrounds. Because of this, we quickly feel either compassion or hate for all the players in this story. In addition, Stowe creates brilliant dialogue that draws us into the interactions between characters. While some might find the speech of certain characters hard to read, the author does an excellent job of showing us exactly what the characters are thinking and feeling through their speech. "'I think so, Mas'r ' said Tom; 'the poor crittur's sick and feeble; 'twould be downright cruel, and it's what I never will do, raising my hand agin any one here, I never shall,- I'll die first!'" (pg. 355) Along with this, the book is written with a style that is uncommon now. The story is told in third person but the author often speaks to both the reader and the characters in a very personal manner. Sometimes she addresses you as one would a dear friend. "In such a case you write your wife, and send messages to your children..." (pg. 142) This creates a feeling of involvement in the story that one does not often find when reading. These are some of the positive aspects of the book that make it a spiritual, intellectual and entertaining experience. Uncle Tom's Cabin explores the many facets of mankind's relations to other humans. With her penetrating writing, the author drives us to ask many questions of ourselves: What side would we be on in the issue of slavery? How would we feel growing up in a home that owned slaves? How would we interact and treat members of the black race? Along with these provocative ideas, Stowe constantly laces her writing with political, social, and religious commentary. This commentary is remarkable for her time. Slaves were finally given human qualities and emotions. First printed in 1851, the novel forced many people of this time to stop and really think about the issues surrounding slavery, as we must also do today in regard to racism and hate toward any race or minority. Today, Stowe's words are just as applicable as when they were first composed. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the writing styles of 2 prominent british science fiction aut.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The writing styles of 2 prominent british science fiction authors "Science fiction is one of the more secluded parade grounds where private fantasy and public event meet. They call it entertainment". (Aldiss Billion 1) This quote is interpreted to mean that, in the genre of science fiction there is a fusion of fantasy and reality. It is this combination of two opposites that produces the novel categorized today as science fiction. There is one aspect of science fiction that separates it from any other genre. Science fiction can be written as fantasy one day, and read as scientific fact the next. Jules Verne has written about man setting foot on the moon. When read by its original readers the idea of space travel was not a reality. It is now common knowledge that man has walked on the moon, and when this novel is read today no longer is space travel considered to be imaginary. Skillful science fiction novelists brilliantly blend fantasy with reality, composing a very fine line between the two perceptions. When reading, one sometimes does not even realize when the author makes the transition from a plausible concept to a ludicrous one. Science fiction is a relatively new term. Novels were first categorized this way towards the close of the 1920's. This word was first utilized in short stories that appeared in the pulp magazines, of the era. The phrase "science fiction" was considered an enhancement of the term scientifiction. However several British novels were categorized as scientific romances before the 1920's. (Aldiss Trillion 27) Before Frankenstein the only forms of science fiction were "the plays of Aristophanes or some Myrenaean fragment concerning the flight to the sun on a goose's back." (Aldiss Billion 2) In these fantasies there is no blend of reality and fantasy, it is pure fantasy. There is no one story that is accepted to be the first science fiction tale. Science fiction as perceived today originated with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. (Aldiss Trillion 18) Mary Shelley was the wife of the famous British poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley and daughter of Mary Wollenstonecraft. She was born in 1797 and her mother died soon after birth. Mary Wollenstonecraft married her husband at the age of fifteen. She produced her most famous novel entitled Frankenstein at the age of nineteen. It was published in 1818. (Ash 178) The origin of the novel came to Shelley in a dream, in which she says she saw "the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy half vital motion" (Bleiler 6) The story starts with several letters written by Captain Walton to his sister. Walton has been navigating the Arctic ocean when he observes a sledge being pushed by a gigantic body. The day after the crew saves Victor Frankenstein from Geneva from a similar sledge. After Victor has recuperated, he recounts his tale to Walton. This account is the largest section of the book. The novel also includes six chapters of the creature explaining his life. (Bleiler 5) Mary's style of narration appears to be very puzzling. However the first reader's of Frankenstein were very familiar with this style of narration. (Aldiss Billion 21) Shelley brilliantly includes how the monster feels. She analyzes the monster psychologically. "One of Frankenstein's greatest merits is that its tale of exterior adventure and misfortune is always accompanied by a psychological depth." (Aldiss Billion 25) Throughout the story the readers main interest revolves around Frankenstein's creation. The creature is never given a name, it was referred to in the story as "creature," "daemon," or "monster." For this reason Frankenstein has been thought to be the monster, when he was the creator. One everlasting fascination of the novel are its ambiguities, Frankenstein is never seen throwing the switch to give his creation life. The language of the novel makes it very easy to confuse the two main roles and believe that Frankenstein is the creature. Shelley also frequently describes Victor Frankenstein as if he were the monster. "We... restored him to animation...As soon as he showed signs of life we wrapped him up in blankets. I often feared that his suffering had deprived him of understanding... He is generally melancholy and despairing...." This is not Shelley describing the monster, but Shelley describing Victor. (Aldiss Trillion 42) Mary structured much of the book around intelligence. Victor Frankenstein is not the only character in the novel searching for knowledge, throughout the book Walton and the monster are also looking for enlightenment. (Bleiler 7) "The monster, product of guilty knowledge, threatens the world with evil progeny." (Bleiler 7) Frankenstein is yet another work of science fiction which was not thought to be realistically possible by most people until recently. This is an excerpt from criticism of science fiction authors, written just 15 years ago "Even today, when our diet is the unlikely, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein seems extremely far fetched, how much more so must it have appeared on publication in 1818." (Bleiler 3) Mary Shelly was one of the few that thought it might be possible to give life to an inanimate creature. "The event on which this fiction is founded has been supposed, by Dr. Darwin and some of the physiological writers of Germany as not of impossible occurrence."(Shelley xxvii) Today with the advancements recently made with cloning, it almost seems possible to create a life form from inanimate objects. Because scientists are able to clone a sheep, monkey, and theoretically a human, it makes it seem very plausible that a work of fiction, such as Frankenstein might eventually become reality. "The attention psychoanalysis has drawn to the few but powerful archetypal figures in the psyche paved a way for the acceptance of diverse arts-surrealism, photography, cinema, and science fiction, where aliens, robots, spaceships, planets, and so on act as counters in a complex mental game. A character landing on the moon can be a symbol of conquest, of fulfillment, or of alienation, depending on context. Writers perhaps understand this more readily than mainstream critics, who do not always distinguish between characters and personages. Wells had the new language off from the start." (Aldiss Trillion 117) Herbert George Wells was born in the suburbs of London in a place called Bromley. After failed attempts at being a tailor's and chemist's apprentice he won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science. He studied there for about one year. Wells then tried to become a teacher, but failed. It was as a last resort when he turned toward a writing profession in which he enjoyed overnight success. (Ash 204) Wells originated many commonly used science fictional ideas. He was the first writer to ever use evolution as a way to look back in time, as well as forward. In his novel entitled The Grisly Folk Wells tells the story of mankind struggling against the primitive Neanderthals. He also wrote a book called A Story of the Stone Age. Wells was the first to look far into the worlds past as well as its future. (Aldiss Trillion 120) Wells had three main qualities that made him the literary success that he was. He was an inquiring person and searched for knowledge in all of his stories. Wells also had the natural ability to observe the world the way it is, with no prejudices or biased opinions. He also avoided writing lead characters in any one of his novels. This did not permit the reader to identify with the person and accept anything offered. (Aldiss Trillion 120) War of the Worlds was first published in 1897. It is the story of Martian invaders that landed on earth. It is told by an Englishman who observes the invaders moving in on London, while the army is doing everything they can to hold them off. London is quickly evacuated before the invaders die, they were killed by common microbes. Wells does not reveal the Martians appearance until over halfway into the book. When they are seen, they are horrific looking. (Aldiss Trillion 121) "They were, I now saw, the most unearthly creatures it is possible to conceive. They were huge round bodies-or rather, heads-about for feet in diameter, each body having in front of it a face. This face had no nostrils-indeed the Martians do not seem to have any sense of smell, but it had a pair of very large dark-coloured eyes, and just beneath this a kind of fleshy beak. In the back of this head or body-I scarcely know how to speak of it-was a single tight tympanic surface, since known to be anatomically an ear, though it must have been almost useless in our denser air. In a group round the mouth were sixteen slender, almost whip-like tentacles, arranged in two bunches of eight each." (Wells 111) Wells used three standards to produce The War of the Worlds. He writes about the present day. While the reader recognizes the time as his own, he is being trained to except the far fetched appearance of what follows. (Aldiss Trillion 122) This is the method Wells uses to create the fine line between fantasy and reality that was discussed earlier in this report. Secondly, he incorporates the newer scientific discoveries into his work, such as the theory of evolution, and microorganisms. Lastly he creates a society like todays that welcomes criticism of itself and of mankind. (Aldiss Trillion 122) "Wells spoke of two kinds of thinking, directed and undirected thought. In The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1931), Wells talks in chapter two of directed thought as something which enters philosophy with Plato and which defines the scientific aspect of modern civilization. Undirected thought is a sort of muzzy version of thinking, imaginative play, almost what we would call a hypnoid state." (Aldiss Trillion 121) "Wells's writing moves gradually from undirected to directed thought. From a fiction capable of ironic and ambivalent tolerances to a functional fiction directed towards proof and prediction." (Aldiss Trillion 121) Science fiction is not classified as an entity. It is the similar writing accomplishments of many men and women, which for handiness we categorize these authors under the label of science fiction. Many authors resent the classification; many take pride in it. (Aldiss Trillion 20) Science fiction is considered to be one of the great literary successes of the later half twentieth century. Like authors of any other genre, science fiction writers are considered to be artists. (Aldiss Trillion 13) It is clear that Wells and Shelly should be considered more then just good writers of their time. They should be considered brilliant artists that have created many masterpieces. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Yellow Wallpaper A womans struggle .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ {\rtf1\ansi \deff0{\fonttbl {\f0\froman Times New;}}{\colortbl \red0\green0\blue0;} {\stylesheet{\fs20 \snext0 Normal;} }\margl1440\margr1440\ftnbj\ftnrestart \sectd \sbknone\headery1440\endnhere {\header \pard \qr\sl0 {\plain \chpgn \par}} {\plain \tab \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \tab Pregnancy and childbirth are very emotional times in a woman's life and many women suffer from the "baby blues." The innocent nickname for postpartum depression is deceptive because it down plays the severity of this condition. Although she was not formally diagnosed with postpartum depression, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) developed a severe depression after the birth of her only child (Kennedy et. al. 424). Unfortunately, she was treated by Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, who forbade her to write and prescribed only bed rest and quiet for recovery (Kennedy et al. 424). Her condition only worsened and ultimately resulted in divorce (Kennedy and Gioia 424). Gilman's literary indictment of Dr. Mitchell's ineffective treatment came to life in the story "The Yellow Wallpaper." On the surface, this gothic tale seems only to relate one woman's struggle with mental illness, but because Guilman was a prominent feminist and social thinker she incorporated themes of women's rights and the poor relationships between husbands and wives (Kennedy and Gioia 424). Guilman cleverly manipulates the setting to support her themes and set the eerie mood.\par }{\plain \tab Upon first reading "The Yellow Wallpaper," the reader may see the relationship between the narrator and her husband John as caring, but with examination one will find that the narrator is repeatedly belittled and demeaned by her husband. On first arriving at the vacation home John chooses the old attic nursery against his wife's wishes and laughs at her when she complains about the wallpaper (Kennedy et al. 424,425). In Charlotte Bronte's novel }{\plain \ul Jane Eyre}{\plain , Mr. Rodchester uses his attic to keep his insane wife hidden from the rest of the world. John's actions can easily be interpreted with the same malice. The narrator's insistence that John is a caring and loving husband draws special attention to the true meanings behind his word's and actions. Would a man deeply concerned for his wife's mental state constantly leave her alone to tend after patients with "serious" conditions (Kennedy et al. 426)? Any time John speaks to his wife, he uses the third person voice or refers to her as "little girl" or some other term of endearment (Kennedy and Gioia 430,431). He never uses her name, therefore he never really recognizes her as a person nor an equal. This dialog can easily be compares to one between a parent and his child. Because the room was an old nursery this idea is strongly enforced. Hance, there is no oddity in the fact that the narrator comes to think of herself as a child (Twentieth 111). She comments on the fact that the children tore the wallpaper and later admits to doing it herself (Kennedy et al. 426,428). Her regression is also demonstrated by her comparison of her present room with the bedroom of her childhood (Kennedy and Gioia 427,428).\par }{\plain \tab The underlying theme of woman's rights emanates from every part of "The Yellow Wallpaper." In an essay by Elaine R. Hedges, she points out how the wallpaper symbolized the gross lack of women' rights (Short 119). The yellow "smooches" that Jennie finds on the clothes of the narrator and her husband, symbolize the stain that this social situation leaves on everything it touches (Short 120). Though she tries to break free of the overwhelming oppression she suffers, she says the pattern, "slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples on you (Kennedy et al. 431)." The intensity of frustration the narrator feels is further described when she describes the designs in the pattern: "(They) suddenly commit suicide - plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard-of contradictions (Kennedy et al. 429)." Hedges also suggests that the wallpaper symbolizes the way men view women (Short 120). The "absurd, unblinking eyes" in the wallpaper indicate the lack of intelligence women have in the perception of men (Kennedy et al. 427). The hallucination of the creeping woman that the narrator sees symbolizes the domination that women bear. As the creeping woman violently shakes the bars of the pattern, so too does the author struggle to gain her own identity and break free of the imprisonment of her domination (Short 120). Jennie, the contended and quiet sister who wishes for no "better profession," is the epitome of what the narrator is struggling against. Though ultimately she is broken by insanity, the narrator never gives up and triumphantly creeps over her husband at the end.\par }{\plain \tab The setting of "The Yellow Wallpaper" is vital to uncovering the meanings hidden underneath the surface. Because she is being forced to stay in the attic of the old house, she is also being kept, figuratively, in the "attic" of her mind (Twentieth 111). The distance in the relationship of the narrator and her husband is portrayed in the necessity for two beds (Kennedy et al. 425). Bechelard goes so far as to say that the house can be seen as a small version of the world and the social problems that burden it (Twentieth 110). Upon close scrutiny of the setting and small detail that the narrator relates, one begins to question the innocence of the quaint "vacation home." While describing her room and surroundings, she makes the reader suspicious when she mentions barred windows and nailed down beds, but the gate at the top of the stairs and rings on the wall go beyond suspicion (Kennedy and Gioia 426,429). Could the rings possibly be manacle rings, like the kind doctors used to chain mental patients? Could that "yellow" smell be the foul smell of urine? The mental institutions of old where not very sanitary. These facts make one wonder if the narrator's "loving" husband institutionalized her.\par }{\plain \tab "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, was written to protest the treatments of Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, but contains much more than one expects. The short story \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain not only studies the complications within a marital relationship, it examines a woman's struggle with mental illness and the hardships of inequality between the sexes. The setting plays an important role to strengthen the themes and also makes the reader question the innocence and simplicity of what is related to him.\par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \tab \tab \tab \tab \tab Works Cited\par }{\plain \par Bronte, Charlotte. }{\plain \ul Jane Eyre}{\plain . New York: Signet Classic, 1960\par }{\plain Kennedy, X.J. and Dan Gioia. }{\plain \ul Literature: an Introduction to Fiction, poetry, and Drama}{\plain . Sixth \tab Edition. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers Inc., 1995.\par }{\plain \ul Twentieth Century Literary Criticism}{\plain . Vol. 9. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1983.\par }{\plain Hodges, Elaine R. }{\plain \ul Short Story Criticism}{\plain . Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993.\par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }{\plain \par }} f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Yellow Wallpaper What The Hell .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ What The Hell???? The Yellow Wallpaper does nothing but confuse me. It seems to be about a high strung, mentally ill woman who is obsessed with rotting wallpaper. This yellow wallpaper obsesses her so much that she begins to distrust everyone, even her husband. She is terrified that someone will take her wallpaper or find out more about it than she knows. One point I found interesting is that she sees a woman behind bars trying to get out in the pattern of the wallpaper. This might be the only thing in this story that made sense to me. The pattern with the woman seems to be related to the way she is being treated by her husband, John. John is very protective of her wife because she is in all reality a very sick woman. She feels trapped because of this and the way she sees the paper must be an indication. She stays up late at night and hours on end during the day to stare at worthless, tattered, yellow wallpaper. This story really bored me to death. All I could think of was, "when is this story going to be over?" I remember having a highly active imagination as a child but this is ridiculous. She sees mushrooms sprouting and women shaking bars and she's a middle aged woman. The last time I ever saw anything close to that was when I was 10 years old and I saw G.I.Joe's crawling up and down my walls at night. I don't understand this woman behavior nor have I ever experienced anyone in real life who acted this way. John's wife is not an abused woman. She is actually well taken care of and loved by her husband, John. The author, Charlotte Gilman must have some point to get across. However the fact is I don't get it. The most eerie thing about the story though is that it sounds and reads just like a story from Edgar Allan Poe. Even though I did not get the hidden meaning in the story I enjoyed it nonetheless. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\The Yellow Wallpaper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper is a commentary on the male oppression of women in a patriarchal society. However, the story itself presents an interesting look at one woman's struggle to deal with both physical and mental confinement. This theme is particularly thought-provoking when read in today's context where individual freedom is one of our most cherished rights. This analysis will focus on two primary issues: 1) the many vivid images Gilman uses to illustrate the physical and symbolic confinement the narrator endures during her illness; and 2) the overall effect of, and her reaction to, this confinement. The Yellow Wallpaper begins with the narrator's description of the physically confining elements surrounding her. The story is cast in an isolated hereditary estate, set back from the road and located three miles from town. The property boasts protective hedges that surround the garden, walls that surround the estate, and locked gates which guarantee seclusion. Even the connecting garden represents confinement, with box-bordered paths and grape-covered arbors. This isolation motif continues within the mansion itself. Although she preferred the downstairs room with roses all over the windows that opened on the piazza, the narrator finds herself relegated to an out of the way dungeon-like nursery on the second floor, appropriately equipped with "rings and things" in the walls. Windows in each direction provide glimpses of the garden, arbors, bushes, and trees. The bay is visible, as is a private wharf that adjoins the estate. These views reinforce isolationism; they can be seen from the room, but not touched or experienced. There is a gate at the head of the stairs, presumably to keep the children contained in their play area. Additionally, the bed is immovable as it has been nailed to the floor. It is here that the narrator secretly describes her slow decent into madness. Although the physical confinement drains the narrator's strength and will, the mental and emotional confinement symbolized in the story play an important role in her ultimate fall into dementia. By being forced to be her own company, she is confined within her mind. Likewise, part of the narrator's mental confinement stems from her recognition of her physical confinement. The depression the narrator has experienced associated with child bearing is mentally confining as well. Specifically, she cannot control her emotions or manage her guilt over her inability to care for her child. These structures of confinement contribute to the rapid degeneration of her faculties. As the wife of a prominent physician in the late nineteenth century, the narrator's assumption of the typical female role illustrates one aspect of the symbolic confinement present within both the story and the society. She is subservient and deferential to her husband John who enjoys the power traditionally associated with his sex and additional authority afforded him by his status as a doctor. Jean Kennard notes, "By keeping her underemployed and isolated, John effectively ensures his wife's dependence on him" (81). John's control over his wife is typical of the control most men had over women in the late nineteenth century. He decides everything on her behalf, including what room she will stay in and who she will be allowed to see. He diagnoses her postpartum depression as a "temporary nervous depression--a slight hysterical tendency" and in doing so, diminishes her complaints and demeans her individuality. His prescribed treatment is worse than the disease; every hour is scheduled, she is forbidden to write, told what to think, and prohibited from acting as mother to her child. John's behavior illustrates his covert efforts to control his wife as well. He looks to the narrator's brother, who is also a physician, to validate his diagnosis and prescribed cure, making it even more difficult for the narrator to challenge the prescription herself. He repeatedly diminishes her by laughing at her and not taking her grievances seriously. The narrator complains "John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him." John's contempt for his wife's ideas is blatant; he refers to her as a "little girl," and when she requests that she be moved to a different room downstairs, he "took [her] in his arms and called [her] a blessed little goose, and said he would go down to the cellar, if [she] wished, and have it whitewashed into the bargain." That he is only willing to move her into the basement, instead of allowing her a room of her choice, epitomizes his domineering personality. As the woman descends into madness, she notices that the pattern in the wallpaper "becomes bars" in the moonlight and that "the woman behind it is as plain as can be." Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar assert that the woman behind the wallpaper is the narrator's doppelg nger (10). This woman is symbolic of the narrator's own confinement by the patriarchal society she lives in. Moreover, we see that the wallpaper is a metaphor of her fractured mental state. She describes the chaotic pattern that will follow ". . . the lame uncertain curves for a little distance. . . suddenly committing suicide--plunging off at outrageous angles, destroying themselves in unheard of contradictions," alluding to her own, and society's, eventual destruction in the absence of enlightened change. Furthermore, the narrator acknowledges that she is representative of most women of her time with the statement "I think there are a great many women [behind the paper]." The effect of John's oppression on the narrator is severe. At the climax of her insanity she writes that she can see the woman from behind the wallpaper pattern "out of every one of my windows!" The narrator continues: It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping, and most women do not creep by daylight. I see her on that long road under the trees, creeping along, and when a carriage comes she hides under the blackberry vines. I don't blame her a bit. It must be very humiliating to be caught creeping by daylight! That evening the narrator noticed the woman in the pattern begin to crawl and shake the wallpaper in an effort to break free from it, just as she would like to break free from the confines and restrictions imposed on her by society and her husband John. In her diary she describes helping the woman tear down the paper: "I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled . . . ." Most of the paper was removed the next day while the narrator watched many women creeping around in the street. At the end of the story the narrator has surprised John, who has come home from work to find her creeping around the room. She proclaims "I've got out at last, in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!" Although the reader might pity the narrator's inability to challenge John's authority, one must view the events of the story within the context of the 1860's. At this time, socitey would not tolerate such assertiveness from women. Moreover, the tragic story ends with a paradox. By definition, one who is mentally ill is not healthy. However, the narrator finds freedom, and apparently health, by rejecting an insane society and loosing her identity to the wallpaper. In contrast, the reader concludes the narrator is now confined by her insanity, and cannot be free. Works Cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." English 2307. Comp. Jane Bell. n.p., c.1996. 3-7. Kennard, Jean. "Convention Coverage or How to Read Your Own Life." Charlotte Perkins Gilman: The Woman and Her Work. Ed. Sheryl Meyering. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1989. 75-94. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\the yellow wallpapera journey into insanity.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Yellow Wallpaper - Journey into Insanity In "The Yellow Wallpaper", by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the dominant/submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression into insanity. Flawed human nature seems to play a great role in her breakdown. Her husband, a noted physician, is unwilling to admit that there might really be something wrong with his wife. This same attitude is seen in her brother, who is also a physician. While this attitude, and the actions taken because of it, certainly contributed to her breakdown; it seems to me that there is a rebellious spirit in her. Perhaps unconsciously she seems determined to prove them wrong. As the story begins, the woman -- whose name we never learn -- tells of her depression and how it is dismissed by her husband and brother. "You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? If a physician of high standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression -- a slight hysterical * * * * * Roberts 2 tendency -- what is one to do?" (Gilman 193). These two men -- both doctors -- seem completely unable to admit that there might be more to her condition than than just stress and a slight nervous condition. Even when a summer in the country and weeks of bed-rest don't help, her husband refuses to accept that she may have a real problem. Throughout the story there are examples of the dominant - submissive relationship. She is virtually imprisoned in her bedroom, supposedly to allow her to rest and recover her health. She is forbidden to work, "So I . . . am absolutely forbidden to "work" until I am well again." (Gilman 193). She is not even supposed to write: "There comes John, and I must put this away -- he hates to have me write a word." (Gilman 194). She has no say in the location or decor of the room she is virtually imprisoned in: "I don't like our room a bit. I wanted . . . But John would not hear of it." (Gilman 193). She can't have visitors: "It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work. . . but he says he would as soon put fireworks in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now." (Gilman 196). Probably in large part because of her oppression, she continues to decline. "I don't feel as if it was worthwhile to turn my hand over for anything. . ." (Gilman 197). It seems that her husband is oblivious to her declining conditon, since he never admits she has a real problem until * * * * * Roberts 3 the end of the story -- at which time he fainted. John could have obtained council from someone less personally involved in her case, but the only help he seeks was for the house and baby. He obtains a nanny to watch over the children while he was away at work each day: "It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby." (Gilman 195). And he had his sister Jennie take care of the house. "She is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper." (Gilman 196). He does talk of taking her to an expert: "John says if I don't pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall." But she took that as a threat since he was even more domineering than her husband and brother. Not only does he fail to get her help, but by keeping her virtually a prisoner in a room with nauseating wallpaper and very little to occupy her mind, let alone offer any kind of mental stimulation, he almost forces her to dwell on her problem. Prison is supposed to be depressing, and she is pretty close to being a prisoner. Perhaps if she had been allowed to come and go and do as she pleased her depression might have lifted: "I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me." (Gilman 195). It seems that just being able to tell someone how she really felt would have eased her depression, but John won't hear of it. The lack of an outlet caused the depression to worsen: ". . . I must say what I feel and * * * * * Roberts 4 think in some way -- it is such a relief! But the effort is getting to be greater than the relief." (Gilman 198). Meanwhile her reaction is to seek to prove him wrong. "John is a physician, and perhaps . . . perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster. You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?" (Gilman 193). It seems to me that while putting on an appearance of submission she was frequently rebelling against her husband's orders. She writes when there is nobody around to see her, she tries to move her bed, but always keeps an eye open for someone comming. This is obvious throughout the story. It also seems to me that, probably because of his oppressive behaviour, she wants to drive her husband away. "John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. I am glad my case is not serious!" (Gilman 195). As her breakdown approaches she actually locks him out of her room: "I have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path. I don't want to go out, and I don't want to have anybody come in, till John comes. I want to astonish him." (Gilman 203). I see no reason for this other than to force him to see that he was wrong, and, since she knew he couldn't tolerate hysteria, to drive him away. Works Cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." 1892. The New England Magazine. Reprinted in "Lives & Moments - An Introduction to Short Fiction" by Hans Ostrom. Hold, Orlando, FL 1991. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Their Common Enemy.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THEIR COMMON ENEMY It is known that a number of students dislike school. School is a big topic of conversation in every student¹s life. Some students enjoy the work but most talk about how horrible it is. Take a random group of students; have an open discussion on school work and you will find that students will be agreeing with each other about how stressed they are. The students found a common enemy and it brought them closer because they could talk bad about school and agree with each other. Just like the students who bond when talking about schoolwork, Linda and Willy from Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, bond when they discuss money. ³Well it makes 70 dollars and some pennies, That¹s very good (35).² Linda says this to Willy after she found out that his pay wasn¹t as expected. Whenever they talk about paying their mortgage they seem to compromise and have a healthy conversation. Usually when they talk about other important issues, they end up arguing because Willy has a short temper. ³You shouldn¹t have criticized him, Willy, especially after he just got off the train. You mustn¹t lose your temper with him (15).² Willy has no shame because he will talk about anyone and not care. Talking about their mortgage helps them to stay together by agreeing with one another. Whenever the topic comes up, their moods totally change and even though they might not know it; they act as if paying their mortgage is their favorite thing to discuss. ³WILLY: ŒWell, that¹s a great thing. To weather a twenty-five year mortgage is ------ .¹ LINDA: ŒIt¹s and accomplishment.¹ (73).² When they are almost done paying they are very happy and even Willy makes a comment; but he stops himself from expressing his true feelings. Why? Why does Willy prevent himself from being happy with the good things that he has in his life? He tries to live a life that doesn¹t exist and ends up agonizing. He should just enjoy what he already has and work with it. What ends up happening is that Willy becomes his own enemy so it¹s not about the mortgage or money anymore. He is the enemy and Linda, Biff and Happy are the one¹s that come together to help Willy be content. ³LINDA: ŒHe¹s dying Biff.¹ BIFF: ŒWhy is he dying?¹ LINDA: ŒHe¹s been trying to kill himself.¹ (58)² Linda and Biff come together even more because of Willy trying to commit suicide. Willy is destroying himself because he is too much of a dreamer. Linda talks to Willy realistically and tries to break up his dreams. If Willy was to keep waiting for the dreams he would go insane. Linda knows this and explains to him that his dreams will never come true. She cares too much about her kids, herself and Willy to let him waste his life. Biff and Happy are constantly talking to him and making him feel important. They try distracting him from dreaming. Linda, Biff and Happy all talk about, and agree with what to do to help Willy. Willy is the common enemy that brings Linda, Biff and Happy together and to be trustworthy of each other, which in turn allows Willy¹s fall to be softer. Being close makes Willy¹s possible death a little easier because they can support each other rather than blame each other. This family is a classic case of finding a common enemy and working with it to come together. The common enemy started out to be money, but that was a disguise for the real enemy - Willy. The student¹s enemy being school could bring them together and potentially find a way to resolve their common problem. Linda, Biff and Happy bond with each other to help Willy stop dreaming, and appreciate his life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\They All Carried Ghosts .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "They all carried ghosts..." "The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien, contains many references to "possessions of character." Many things Lt. Cross carries were carried by all, including: military equipment, stationery, photographs, diseases, food, the land of Vietnam itself, their lives, and even more. O'Brien highlights these along with special things that Lt. Jimmy Cross carries. He, thus, reveals something of what Cross values. Belongings reflect his character and thoughts. "Grief, terror, love, longing--these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight." Lt. Jimmy Cross carries letters and a pebble from Martha, a girl whom he cares about greatly, but she does not share the same emotions for him. He carries these things to remind him of her, of his feelings for her. At the end of every day he ritually unwraps them and reads them. These letters are light in weight, only ten ounces, but prove to be a heavy burden. Above all, he carries the responsibility for the lives of his men. He is dreaming when Lavender is shot, and so he blames himself for it. Lavender's death was something which "He would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war." He does not always pay attention to what is most important, his men. Lt. Jimmy Cross burns all of Martha's letters at the end of the story, trying to forget her, to erase the memory. Still, he carries her in his mind along with the haunting memory that she was not involved. Martha is just a part of the technicalities now, he bids her farewell in his mind and decides to rid himself of the pebble. He is past his days of dreaming and hoping. Everything that Lt. Cross carries has more physical weight than those letters, but none were more of a burden to him. Everything that Jimmy Cross carries bears more physical weight than the letters. Nothing, however, seems to be nearly as much of a burden. Cross is an ignorant young man going into the war. Lavender's death and everything going on around him opens his eyes to the immediate dangers. What he has, both inside and outside, have kept him from realizing this. "His obligation was not to be loved but to lead." f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Things fall apart.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Okonkwo, the main character of Things fall apart, by Chinua Achebe. And Charles Foster Kane of Orson Welles Citizen Kane, both have value systems that are incongruous with their cultures. Thus allowing them to be defeated by society. These are two men with a great need for recognition. Their need for something that was extinguished long ago. Okonkwos struggle to prove his greatness in the face of those who knew his father. Charles Foster Kane's void that must be filled. The relentless pursuit of respect, power. Okonkwo must conquer the image of weakness inside him and his fear of powerlessness. Both characters feel that their material possessions can earn them the respect they "deserve". Charles Foster Kane is in search for something more simple than respect, he seeks his life. The path that should have been followed was dramatically altered, and his life took a completely new direction. " I could have been a great man" he explains, if he only had the chance. The pride of these men who have no faults in their own minds, but struggle to erase the faults they know others can find. This essay will convey the value systems of each character in their culture and the cinematic and literary techniques used to magnify their presence in the works. Charles foster Kane was a child that was very fond of his mother, as seen in the first scene of the young characters life. Charles' father did not seem to have any attachment to his son. Appearing quite ignorant, we can detect the lack of a father figure in Charles' life. This first scene is recounted in the journal of Mr. Thatcher. The man that took the young boy away, and sent him to live in schools around the world. For the rest of his academic life. In this scene the protagonist receives a gift from Mr. Thatcher wishing him a merry Christmas. And cuts directly to a happy new year, some ten years later. Suggesting conveniently, the lack of a meaningful childhood. This editing technique carries the viewer quickly through time, to the beginning of Charles' idealism. The films plot is separated into flashbacks of the important people in Kane's life. Each flashback is in sequence with the events of his life. The nature of each flashback is consistent with the narrators opinion. The first flashback is that of Mr. Thatcher's. He was the only person involved in Charles' pre-adult life. Although not greatly involved, his presence is purely in the area of financial aspects. Bernstein's flashback focuses on a very positive and successful part of Kane's life. Which is concordant to Bernstein's idolization of Charles. Jed Leiland's flashback is centered on Kane's downfall, and so on. Throughout these recollections we slowly gather evidence with which to judge Kane. This evidence along with the cinematic techniques used, create a perfectly clear perception of the character's inner conflicts. The first occurrence Charles' selfish pride is depicted in a group of cuts with his new wife Emily. The first shot is of Emily being complimented by the charming young Kane. The lighting in the seen is focused on her and she looks quite beautiful. In the shots that follow, we observe as their marriage slowly dissolves. In the last shot of the scene, they are sitting at opposite sides of the table, Emily reading the chronicle in very casual attire. This scene is the beginning of Charles' eventual failure. His reactions are so vague we begin to wonder is it his egotism or does he really not care. He then decides to run for governor of the state. He tries to be as big as the man in the picture behind him, he struggles to be what he fears he cannot. Kane is then blackmailed by his opponent, and given two options. Once again Kane displays his pride and self-centeredness by choosing to stay with his mistress. He embarrasses himself, his wife and child, and Susan Alexander. Kane's decision is one which is seen as very unusual according to the culture in the film. However he feels that he can use Susan the "singer" to relinquish his public appearance. Charles has a great need to fulfill a void in his life. There are many more occurrences in the film that support our judgments of Charles Foster Kane. He forces Susan to become a singer, even though she does not want to be, or has not enough talent to be. To the point of her attempted suicide. He even goes as far as physically assaulting her. This is Charles Foster Kane, the man who cannot love, even himself. Therefore he seeks the love of others. As the film proceeds Kane image is portrayed in darker and darker scenes. Till finally he is reduced to a old man living alone, "in the greatest monument a man ever built to himself ": Xanadu. Kane is a man who believes in many things but cannot retain any of his beliefs. He "fights for the working man", for a week perhaps. He stated his "principles" but forgot them almost immediately. He found love but lost it soon after. Charles Kane only believed in himself Okonkwo is a man of great strength and wealth. His values revolve around his need for esteem from the members of the clan. He displays animosity and disdain towards his father, and actively seeks to create a new set of values t live his own life by. Like Kane his childhood passes quickly. He makes several references to what he was able to do "at that age", as if he were a working independent adult at birth. Okonkwo considers his son Nwoye lazy, and a "women" and makes no attempt to develop a relationship between them. He loves his daughter Ezinma, but still wishes she were a boy, instead of accepting her as she is. When he follows her mother through the forest with the priestess, he reveals his dedication to his family, but he continues to keep them at arms length, because to show love in a sentimental way is to display weakness. The clan is evidently a peaceful community, and on the surface Okonkwo's family unit is seen as flourishing. The most overt example of Okonkwo's inexcusable brutality is the abuse of his wife during peace-week. When to hurt anyone would be reprehensible to any member of the clan during this holy period, Okonkwo does not think twice. When he realizes that what he has done is wrong, he continues and takes out his gun as well. To members of his community he always shows respect, because he wants to further his position in society. Yet within his family unit, he respects only himself. His second display of animosity is when he participates in the killing of Ikemefuna. He knows that he loves the boy and that is why he feels that he must participate in the killing to show his courage. It does not impress the members of the clan, especially because he was told not to take part. Because of this we know that he is really quite insecure. It is evident that he is judged by the rest of his clan because his best friend Obierika tells him his opinion. Obierika is Okonkwo's only guidance. Although Okonkwo's father was lazy and in debt, he was very well liked and had many friends. Okonkwo is not the leader he would like to be. Like Kane he wishes he was, but only by his methods. Okonkwo's extremism led him to his death, but it could have saved his tribe from their eventual extinction. He wanted to fight, but he was to weak to do it on his own. Both works of art described their characters in great detail, by use of cinematic and literary techniques. The film and the book, allowed us to judge the characters according to their cultures, and not our own. Both Kane and Okonkwo were very strong and determined men. They wanted something very badly and spent most of their lives trying to obtain it. In the end they both give up. Kane realizes what he missed and he knows what led him to this lifestyle. He fails and will never regain what it is he lost. "Rosebud" and the house in the snow. A symbol of the life he had, the one taken away from him. Kane stated early in the film: "I always choked on that silver spoon". The only love he had he lost. Okonkwo's life deteriorated completely. Whether some aspects were out of his control, he blames it on his Chi. What must be understood is that your Chi is you, it is your conscience and your inner self. Okonkwo gave up his battle because he knew that no one would follow him. Each character paved the way to their misfortune, and suffered greatly because of their beliefs. In both works things fall apart. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Thoughts in regard to Malcolm X.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thoughts in regard to Malcolm X (Autobiography of Malcolm X) Names: Malcolm Little - Born just as a child, not black nor white nor yellow nor red Detroit Red - Troubled times which led him to selling drugs, stealing, and eventually prison Malcolm X - Found Nation of Islam and expanded his vocabulary. Belief in "back to Africa" philosophy and anti-integration sentiment el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz - Succession from Nation of Islam, founding of Muslim Mosque Inc. and Organization of Afro-American Unity, travels throughout Europe, Africa, and Mecca, belief that all white men are not evil, true study of Islam f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\through the tunnel essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Greg Essakow October 11, 2002 Mr.Condon Siskiyous Jerry's Perceptions on His Surroundings In Doris Lessing's "Through the Tunnel" Jerry has many perspectives about all his surroundings. Jerry was a very shy person on the outside but inside he is a very mischievous young boy. When Jerry is swimming down by the rocks and he sees those boys he want to go and make friends with them but he is to afraid to be turned down or made fun of, for example he does try to make a little effort with the boys. He was very nervous around the boys like it says in the book, "In a minute, he had swum in and was on the rocks beside them, smiling with a desperate, nervous supplication."(Page 42) He was making a big effort to make friends with the boys just he didn't have the courage to do it. He also has many other perspectives on his surroundings, like his mother f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Title Page Abstract Term Paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Running head: Prevalence of Depression in Pain and Diseases Prevalence of Depression in Pain, Obesity, and Diabetes Mellitus Taylor M. Hodge Southern Methodist University Abstract Depression is driven by pain, and the level of income and education alter the affect pain will have on depression. Head pains such as migraines and headaches are primary targets for pain to offset depression. Comorbid pain is more common in women than in men due to the fact that certain pain syndromes are only available to women, and the prevalence of depression is higher in women than in men. Eighteen million individuals suffer from chronic pain. The cause of depression is due to the amount of pain an individual suffers. Women tend to have a higher frequency of episodes of pain than men do. Theories such as cutting the flow of pain through the body to numb the sensation of pain have been taken into consideration. Over 60% of the adult population is overweight. Obesity is a disease that attracts depression immensely. Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among individuals. Diabetes mellitus is the 6th leading cause of death in the US. Type 2 diabetes results in weight gain, and increases the odds of contracting depression. 338,000 individuals die from type 1 and 2 diabetes every year, thus increasing depression due to fear of death. 1 Prevalence of Depression f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\TKM essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Maria Zilberman - A3 Literacy is a vital skill. Those who are literate are viewed as more potent and capable people. Therefore, to be successful one needs to have the fundamental abilities to read and write. The more proficient these skills are the more knowledgeable a person appears. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird literacy gives power to three characters: Atticus, Calpurnia, and Scout. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\To build A fire 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Significance of Words Dying and Death in "To Build a Fire" Dying and Death in "To Build a Fire" The significance of the words "dying and death" in Jack London's 1910 novel, "To Build a Fire" continuously expresses the man's dwindling warmth and bad luck in his journey along the Yukon trail to meet "the boys" at camp. London associates dying with the man's diminishing ability to stay warm in the frigid Alaskan climate. The main characters predicament slowly worsens one level at a time finally resulting in death. The narrator informs the reader "the man" lacks personal experience travelling in the Yukon terrain. The old-timer warned the man about the harsh realities of the Klondike. The confident main character thinks of the old-timer at Sulphur Creek as "womanish." Along the trail, "the man" falls into a hidden spring and attempts to build a fire to dry his socks and warm himself. With his wet feet quickly growing numb, he realizes he has only one chance to successfully build a fire or face the harsh realities of the Yukon at one-hundred nine degrees below freezing. Falling snow from a tree blots out the fire and the character realizes "he had just heard his own sentence of death." Jack London introduces death to the reader in this scene. The man realizes "a second fire must be built without fail." The man's mind begins to run wild with thoughts of insecurity and death when the second fire fails. He recollects the story of a man who kills a steer to stay warm and envisions himself killing his dog and crawling into the carcass to warm up so he can build a fire to save himself. London writes, "a certain fear of death, dull and oppressive, came to him." As the man slowly freezes, he realizes he is in serious trouble and can no longer make excuses for himself. Acknowledging he "would never get to the camp and would soon be stiff and dead," he tries to clear this morbid thought from his mind by running down the trail in a last ditch effort to pump blood through his extremities. The climax of the story describes "the man" picturing "his body completely frozen on the trail." He falls into the snow thinking, "he is bound to freeze anyway and freezing was not as bad as people thought. There were a lot worse ways to die." The man drowsed off into "the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known." The dog looked on creeping closer, filling his nostrils with the "scent of death." London's portrayal of the man does not initially give the reader the theme of dying, but slowly develops the theme as the story develops. The story doesn't mention death until the last several pages. The main character changes from an enthusiastic pioneer to a sad and desperate man. The conclusion of the story portrays the man accepting his fate and understands the old-timer at Sulphur Creek had been right; "no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below." Typically, short stories written in the early 1900's often conclude the story with a death or tragedy. London's story is no exception. This story follows the pattern by illustrating events leading up to and including death. Thesis Statement- The significance of the words "dying and death" in Jack London's 1910 novel, "To Build a Fire" continuously expresses the man's dwindling warmth and bad luck in his journey along the Yukon trail to meet "the boys" at camp. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\To Build a Fire.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "To Build a Fire" How many times have you seen birds flying south for the winter? They do not read somewhere or use some computer to know that they must fly to survive. In Jack London's "To Build a Fire", we see how that mans intelligence is sometimes foolish. The man, who is walking in seventy-five degrees below zero weather, lets his learned behavior override his instinct. Therefore, he dies. London's theme is that no matter how intelligent society becomes, we as a species should never discard our basic instincts. In the beginning of the tale we see that the man realizes it is cold, but only sees this as a fact and not a danger. The man spit on the ground to test how cold it was. His test taught him that it was colder than he had first thought, but he never thought of that as a danger only as a reality. "That there should be anything more to it than that was a thought that never entered his head" (119). To many times modern man plods along oblivious to the reality that lies one moment or misstep away (Votleler 272). The man sees that he is feeling the effects of the cold more and more as he goes along, but more than ever he pushes on. Several times he comments that the cold is making his hands and feet numbed, and frostbite is killing his cheeks. He thinks "What were frosted cheek? A bit painful, that was all. . ." (120). Again he chose to ignore an instinct that would have saved him. The dog, on the other hand, although guided by his learned behavior still retains his instincts. The dog follows the man throughout his ill faded journey, but after the man perishes he relies upon his instincts to survive. This is witnessed in the last paragraph by the statement "Then it turned and trotted up the trail in the direction of the camp it knew, where there were other food providers and fire providers" (129). The theme of London's "To Build a Fire" is how we should all take heed to modern knowledge and learned behavior has its benefits, but our primal instincts should never have ignored. The man in the story had lots of knowledge but neglected to pay attention to his "sixth sense." The dog on the other hand, followed as long as he could but then let his instincts carry him to safety. We can never have enough knowledge to replace the survival skill that nature has provided us. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\To Kill A Mocking Bird 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Coming of Age (Jeremy Finch) The coming of age of Jem, Jeremy Finch, is shown in many ways through out the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. He changes socially. He changes mentally. His feelings change emotionally. He also changes to become more of an adult figure. Another way he changes is that he changes physically. Jem changes through out the book socially by the way he starts having better feelings toward other people. There are many times when Jem start feeling bad for other people in the story, like when him and scout get in a fight but even though their mad at each other he still is grow up enough to know that he should say "Night, Scout." There are also many other incidents, like when he goes out and teaches Dill how to swim. Jem also goes through some bad social change when he turns "twelve. He is difficult to live with, inconsistent, and moody."(115). These are only a few of the things that Jem does to show that he is growing up in his social ways. Mental change is another type of change that Jem goes through. Jem start to think like an adult as he gets older in the book. He shows it at the trial of Tim Robinson when the jury is in the jury room and he starts to talk to Reverend Sykes. He starts saying thing about the trial and Reverend Sykes ask him not to talk like that in front of Scout. Which shows that he knows what he is talking about.(see page 208-209). There is also the time when he had to go and read to Mrs. Dubose which he later finds out about her drug addiction which he fully understands. So those are ways he changes mentally. Jem changes physically in many ways in the story. His hair stuck up behind and down in front, and I wondered if it would it would ever look like a man's-maybe if he shaved it off and started over, his hair would grow back neatly in place. His eyebrows were becoming heavier, and I noticed a new slimness about his body. He was growing taller.(225) There was also when Jem tried to show Scout his hair on his chest which shows him growing up physically.(see page225) So these things show how he changes physically to become more of a man as he hits puberty. Another change that Jem goes through is his feeling toward himself and how he starts to feel better about himself. When he gets home one day from school he shows that he is all confident about making the football team and how happy he is to be old enough to play. But even though he doesn't get to play he still remains happy with just being the waterboy and just being able to be there watching. During the trial "It was Jem's turn to cry." which shows that he was not afraid to just let his feeling be show even though most people wouldn't have.(212) So these show that Jem can feel good about himself and also feel bad but he can still let it out if he has to. One of the most important change that Jem goes through is taking and adult role in Scouts life. He walks her to the school play and he protects her from Bob Ewell when he tries to kill them. This is the main one because if Jem did try and stop Ewell Scout could have died and it would have show that Jem didn't really have an adult role. Also another reason is when Jem tells Dill that he shouldn't touch Boo's house because if Boo kills him no one will be around to keep an eye on Scout.(13) As you can see those where all ways that Jem shows his coming of age in the book To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. By changing socially he becomes more likable. By changing emotionally with himself he becomes more confident. By changing mentally he starts to under stand more compicated things that before he would have never knew about. By changing physically he becomes more of a man and is more older. And finally by changing to be more of an adult to his sister he becomes more aware of what an adult has to face. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\To Kill a Mocking Bird.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mariusz Jakimik Jakimik 1 Miss Rende English ENG3A-05 March 11, 1997 From the time people are born, until they die, it is only a natural thing to want to keep learning about their life and to figure out why they were put on this earth. From the very beginning of life, babies want to touch and experience everything around them. Throughout the novel, Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell, Brian O'Connal has found himself with a tremendous hunger to discover the real meaning of life. Clearly, then, Brian always searches for new ways to learn about the world he lives in. One of the things that Brian shows an interest in is God. Brian really wants to meet Him, not knowing that God is something that cannot be seen, for He is a spirit. Brian would say "Lets go over to his place"(7). Throughout the novel, Brian seems to be looking for God. He has his own image of God in his mind, thinking that "God rides the vacuum cleaner"(31). Brian learns the truth about God from different people like his parents, Saint Sammy, Mr. Hislop, his grandma, and his friends. He discovers that God is everywhere and in everyone, but He cannot be seen. Furthermore, Brian is very much interested, like many other children his age, about where living things come from. Being as young as he was, he always thought that God delivered babies. After Brian witnessed his very first birth, that of a rabbit, he became very confused and curious about what and how it happened. Brian had a very uncomfortable conversation with his dad, Gerald O'Connal, about where babies come from: Remember I told you the pigeon grows inside the egg, the mother lays the egg, and it hatches?...They don't with rabbits. Rabbits are different. The father Jakimik 2 plants a seed in the mother and the baby grows from it. When it's time, they come out. Is that what he is doing when... Yes Spalpeen, that's what he is doing.(161-162) This fascinated Brian very much. Unquestionably, everything that is born and lives, must eventually die. Death is an unavoidable fact of life, and cannot be escaped. The deaths in the novel start out from not very significant, to the very shocking ones. Brian was becoming aware of death but was not influenced very much from such deaths like the gopher, the rabbits and Mr. and Mrs. Wong. After his dog Jappy's death, Brian realizes how fragile life is. It was a complete shock to him when his dad suddenly died. Brian did not know what to feel. It was as if Brian's life was over, and he felt lost and lonely without his father. Brian learned that "People were forever born, people forever died, and never were again. Fathers died, and sons were born. The prairie was forever, with its wind whispering for man, but for Brian's father-never."(239) Thus, Brian begins to realize that the world is full of strange and unexplained things. Brian does not know why the two headed calf was born, so he concluded that it must have been God's mistake. The runt pig was another abnormal experience for Brian. He felt sorry for it and wondered why such things are born, and he did not want Ab to kill it. "You can't kill my runt pig"(216), he said. Furthermore, Brian wanted to get to know the Young Ben better, because he felt a special connection to him. It was as though they had Jakimik 3 something in common. Brian felt that he could learn something from the Young Ben, something nobody else could teach him. Saint Sammy was another mysterious buy to Brian that teaches him about God. Saint Sammy was an outcast in town because he claimed that he knew God personally and had a special connection with Him. Throughout the novel, Brian satisfies his need to understand life more by experiencing many different situations. He learns that life is very complicated and hard to comprehend. He becomes aware of God looking over us, he also learned how wonderful birth is, and how sudden and tragic death is. Brian really understood that birth is the exact opposite of death. He had seen the circle of life turn right before him, and life and death were now familiar to him. Life is full of unexplained events, but everything happens for a reason. Even though Brian witnessed all this, it is only human nature to want to keep learning about life and what it has to offer. Works Cited Mitchell, W.O, Who Has Seen the Wind Toronto, Ontario: Macmillan Canada, 1947 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\To Kill a Mockingbird 2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ To kill a mockingbird "Select a novel studied by you where at least one of the principal characters is a young person. Discuss what you consider to be the most important influence in the novel in helping that young person to develop." Jean-Louise Finch (Scout) is the main character in Harper Lee's "To kill a mockingbird". She is a young girl who matures in the course of the novel. The most important influence in her development is clearly her father, Atticus. Unlike almost all other adults in Scout's environment, he is not in any way prejudiced against the black population of Maycomb, a small American town in the 1930's in which all the novel's happenings take place. He tries to instill his beliefs of the equality of all people in his daughter and his son, Jem, in many discussions, he for instance states that whenever a white man cheats a black man, the white man is "trash". He is very modest, which is shown in an incident in which he is asked to shoot a mad dog, which he manages to do with one precise shot, yet he never told his children of his great talent for marksmanship, and does not go hunting because he thinks it gives him an unfair advantage over other living things. The main event of the novel is a trial, in which Atticus is the defendant's lawyer, against a black man who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman. Atticus does his best to prove Tom Robinson's innocence, to a degree where any objective jury would surely have found him not guilty, but it sentences him to death, as it is expected to do by the general populace. Prior to the trial, Scout and Jem are mocked by other children at school, which have been told by their parents that Atticus will defend the offending black man. Simply bearing this, as Atticus tells them to, instead of retaliating it physically, which would have been a much more childlike behaviour, is also a learning experience for them both. Towards the end of the novel, Atticus's belief in the good in mankind is shattered, namely when the allegedly raped girl's father, Bob Ewell, tries to murder Jem and Scout. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\To Kill a Mockingbird 3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The story, To Kill a Mockingbird is a very fine novel which exemplifies the life in the south and the human rights and values given to everybody. The book especially took the case of prejudice to a serious extreme. From the title, a mockingbird through the eyes of Harper Lee, is a person who has fallen victim to vicious stereotypes. The title To Kill a Mockingbird explains itself quite clearly in the end of the novel when Tom Robinson, one of the mockingbirds, is killed due to the stereotypes dumped upon him. Often, the use of stereotypes just breaks down the real truth of a person. When stereotypes of Boo are used, the truth is often obscured. "You'll get killed if you touch that tree"(pg 38) This quote reveals that the two siblings felt that Boo was a harmful person because of false rumors. Stereotypes are easily picked up, and used to horrible extreme when a large majority of people use them. This was the case with Scout and Jem when they picked up on the stereotypes going around the neighborhood about Boo. "When I got there, my breeches were all folded and sewn up"(pg 63) When Boo sewed Jem's breeches together, this was a sign from Boo to let the children realize what a kind and pleasant man he really was. Also, Boo was considerate enough to save Jem from a couple of whippings, because after all, if Atticus were to see the torn pants he would have known Jem was the culprit in the Radley's yard. "You were so busy looking at the fire, you didn't notice Boo behind you"(pg 76) This was also a symbol which Boo shared to let the kids slowly realize the truth about him, that he was an innocuous caring person hiding behind a fading shadow. Boo just wanted to be seen as the real him instead of the horrid stereotypes which deformed his image. Misconceptions are results of prejudice in Jehovah's Witnesses' case. When they come strolling up people's street, the first reactions to the neighborhood is to lock the door. They lock their doors because they hear the jokes and prejudice against Jehovah's Witness which puts the thought in people's minds that Jehovah's Witness is just a joke. On the other hand, many are already faithful followers to their own religion and don't want to waste the time listening to a mini sermon. Often times, Jehovah's Witness are ridiculed by members of other religions. When this occurs, members of the Jehovah's Witness feel uneasy about their religion, which lowers their self-esteem. Being prejudice towards a religion isn't very thoughtful considering that the Jehovah's Witness try their hardest to be faithful, while people mock at them just for being a member of the Jehovah's Witness. Furthermore, in people's minds, they feel that Jehovah's Witness are fanatic about converting peoples religion. This is just a false stereotype about Jehovah's Witness which is the basis of prejudice towards Jehovah's Witness, that they are all "crazy about converting people." These misconceptions are unfair, in that they are just out there to spread the word of their god, but are being mocked while they do. Homeless people often fall victim to prejudice which makes them mockingbirds. In the streets, they are avoided practically by everybody in sight. These actions are due to stereotypes about them, such as they're all dirty and dangerous which is totally false. When they are avoided due to these cruel misconceptions, they don't have the chance to prove themselves as being a part of the society from where they are banned, which is highly unfortunate. In society, people are rude and mean to the homeless because of the prejudice surrounding them. These harsh acts are typical of people when they encounter a difference between themselves and some on else. When rudeness is the result of prejudice, the reason for being rude is that the person is a coward and must show his/her fear in anger. This is so because most people can not face the fact that people are different in a society like ours.. A lot of times, homeless people keep to themselves. The reason to this act is due to their fearful feelings towards the human society. They fear that if they try to come out of their of their own little society, we will mock and treat them as entirely unwanted guests which is probably true. Misconceptions and stereotypes often lead up to prejudice. In order for us to stop creating mockingbirds, we must all look at things from every angle and have an open mind, without which, you are doomed to be tainted by the world's obviousness. Remembering this, you will find out that "most people are nice... when you finally meet them.."(pg 284) f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\To Kill A Mockingbird Courage.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Courage In the novel, "To Kill A Mockingbird", we were presented with several displays of courage. Some of the courage in the novel were displays of physical courage. However, physical courage was not the only type displayed, we also saw examples of moral courage. I saw several examples of physical courage in this excellent novel. One example of courage however insignificant to me or you is Jem's courage to run up to the Radley's house, now to me or you that is nothing but to a young child that has grown up not knowing this person it was a physical challenge to overcome. Also another display of courage was the courage shown by the men in the Finch neighborhood when Miss Maudie's house caught fire, they cared not that they might get hurt when they ran into her house to retrieve her belongings. Another example of physical courage was that of Atticus standing up against a mob. The last example of courage was Arthur Radley fighting Bob Ewell and saving the children. In the novel we saw several example of moral courage. In my opinion this is the best type of courage because it shows the character of person. The first display of this courage was Mr. Cunnigham's constant payment of his debt to Atticus; he had the courage to take something into this neighborhood. The next display of moral courage was when Jem despite his misgivings constantly went to Ms. Dubose's house and read to her. The next display of moral courage was Atticus's decision to defend Tom Robinson in court and instead of just walking in and walking out he tried his best to help him get out. There was also Heck Tate's moral courage at the end of the book, his courage to keep Arthur Radley from being a spectacle. In short this book has many different displays of immense courage both in the physical sense and in the moral sense. I also feel that had it not been for these shows of courage this book would not have won the Pulitzer Prize it did win. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\tofthes essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rachel Gentilucci English/ pd.3 5/4/04 Feminist Criticism- The Taming of the Shrew In the play The Taming of the Shrew by, William Shakespeare, there are a lot of sexist remarks and feminist criticism that comes into effect from the beginning to the end of the play. The main character, Kate, is usually the one that all of the sexist remarks and actions are directed towards. This very reason is why feminist criticism comes into effect many times throughout the book. Many times throughout this play, language is used to show that women are inferior to men. Bianca and Kate are two sisters who are the main focus of the suitors' interests in the play. Petruccio and Lurencio finally win Kate and Bianca over but it takes "taming" and money to get them. The fact that women had to be tamed and paid for showed that women were like objects that are bought and not loved. In the play Lucentio says, "'tis a wonder, by your leave, she will be tamed so" (5, 2, 194).The fact that women had to be tamed, is sexist and discriminated against women. In the play, the main character, Bianca, was bet on by many men to see who would win her over. This form of picking a spouse is very degrading to women and discriminating. It is treating women like objects and showing that love was not involved in the marital process during that time. Shakespeare describes the payment of wives when Hortensio says, "Yea, and to marry her, if her dowry please" (1, 2, 183). This is stating that he will marry her if the amount of money he offers is enough for her father to approve their marriage. A wife should not be priced, she should be priceless and it classifies women based on how much they are worth rather then how great their personality is or how nice and loving they are. Finally, Katharine is considered "tamed" when she starts agreeing with her husband and laughing when he wants her to, treating her like a puppet. This is shown when Petruchio says, "worse and worse. She will not come! O, vile, intolerable, not to be endured! Sirrah Grumio, go to your mistress. Say I command her to come to me." (5, 2, 91-94). This is showing that it is absurd for a woman to think for herself and not do what her husband says. All of these examples show that this play and in some ways Shakespeare, is sexist. The Taming of the Shrew is a play that describes all the problems and troubles with women that are not perfect, like Kate. In this day and age, Kate might have an attractive, hard to get personality that could draw guys to her instead of push them away. Shakespeare has created the stereotype of house wife that should obey her husbands every command. But, this is not the way that is it anymore. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Tom Sawyer.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tom Sawyer was a boy, not one of the sort that you read about in good books, but a little devil, never malicious and always at some trick, and in the course of years he engaged in a multitude, all of which are here recorded in Twain's style. He had special aversions for church, Sunday school, pious people, devout conversation and the company of his sedate but good old aunt. In spite of his efforts to escape from such inflictions he had to suffer them once in a while, but in his efforts to get some diversion on such occasions he more than once made lively sensations. Too lazy to get his Sunday school lessons, he managed by sharp trading to buy up a lot of the tickets given to the best pupils, and when a distinguished visitor came the children were requested to step forward with their tickets so that the one who had the most should receive the prize. To the astonishment of all Tom Sawyer was the hero, and, after a great time had been made over him, the visitor thought Tom should have a chance to show his learning, so he asked him who were the first two of the twelve Apostles to follow Jesus, it being presumed that the prize boy knew such things perfectly, for the lesson of the term had been in the study of the four Gospels. Tom felt the necessity of giving some answer, and his was "David and Goliath," to the surprise of the visitor, the consternation of the head teacher and the amusement of the school. When Tom went to church he took a large snapping bug (which has a grip like a crab) with him, and it got hold of a church-going dog, which rushed around the building and howled in a manner highly unbecoming to the place. When he was sick his aunt gave him pain-killer, and when she went out he gave a dose to the cat, which squawled, rushed around like mad, upsetting everything, and then jumped through the window, breaking a pane of glass in the way. Aunt Polly hearing the disturbance and finding the cause, scolded Tom for being so cruel to the cat, but Tom said she had compelled him to take pain-killer when he protested, and he had not given it to pussy till she came and begged for a taste when she saw him pour it into a spoon. He went to school, and got into trouble on account of a little girl--both about ten years old. Having read about the romantic life of pirates, Tom and two companions of the same age stole a little raft, on which they floated a few miles on the Mississippi to a small uninhabited island, where they remained three days, while their relatives mourned their supposed death by drowning, and when they were discovered and brought back there was great rejoicing, and Tom was looked at by other little boys as a wonderful hero, and he put on awful airs on account of the sensation he made. What we have told here is merely part of the outline of the story; the chief merit is in the filling in, which is full of humorous and acute delineation of the follies, superstitions and peculiarities of boys, girls and older people. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Tragic Heroes Willy Lomans Fall.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ #2) Discuss Willy Loman as a tragic hero: Based your understanding of what being a hero means. You are, of course, free to differ with the designation. No one has a perfect life. Everyone has conflicts that they must face sooner or later. The ways in which people deal with these personal conflicts can differ as much as the people themselves. Some insist on ignoring the problem as long as possible, while some attack the problem to get it out of the way. Willy Lowman's technique in Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, leads to very severe consequences. Willy never really does anything to help the situation, he just escapes into the past, whether intentionally or not, to happier times were problems were scarce. He uses this escape as if it were a narcotic, and as the play progresses, the reader learns that it can be a dangerous drug, because of it's addictiveness and it's deadliness. The first time Willy is seen lapsing off into the past is when he encounters Biff after arriving home. The conversation between Willy and Linda reflects Willy's disappointment in Biff and what he has become, which is, for the most part, a bum. After failing to deal adequately with his feelings, he escapes into a time when things were better for his family. It is not uncommon for one to think of better times at low points in their life in order to cheer themselves up so that they are able to deal with the problems they encounter, but Willy Lowman takes it one step further. His refusal to accept reality is so strong that in his mind he is transported back in time to relive one of the happier days of his life. It was a time when no one argued, Willy and Linda were younger, the financial situation was less of a burden, and Biff and Happy enthusiastically welcomed their father back home from a long road trip. Willy's need for the "drug" is satiated and he is reassured that everything will turn out okay, and the family will soon be as happy as it was in the good old days. The next flashback occurs during a discussion between Willy and Linda. Willy is depressed about his inability to make enough money to support his family, his looks, his personality and the success of his friend and neighbor, Charley. "My God if business doesn't pick up , I don't know what I'm gonna do!" is the comment made by Willy after Linda figures the difference between the family's income and their expenses. Before Linda has a chance to offer any words of consolation Willy blurts out "I'm Fat. I'm very--foolish to look at, Linda". In doing this he has depressed himself so much that he is visited by a woman with whom he is having an affair. The woman's purpose in this point of the play is to cheer him up. She raises his spirits by telling him how funny and loveable he is, saying "You do make me laugh....And I think you're a wonderful man.". And when he is reassured of his attractiveness and competence, the woman disappears, her purpose being fulfilled. Once again the drug has come to the rescue, postponing Willy's having to actually do something about his problem. The next day, when Willy is fired after initially going to ask his boss to be relocated is when the next journey into the past occurs. The point of the play during which this episode takes place is so dramatic that willy seeks a big hit of the flashback drug. Such a big hit in fact, that he is transported back to what was probably the happiest day of his life. Biff was going to play in Ebbets field in the All-Scholastic Championship game in front of thousands of people. Willy couldn't be prouder of his two popular sons who at the time had everything going for them and seemed destined to live great, important lives, much more so than the "liked, but not well liked" boy next door, Bernard. Willy's dependency on the "drug" is becoming greater by the hour, at this rate, he cannot remain sane for much longer. Too much of anything, even a good thing, can quickly become a bad thing. Evidence of this statement is seen during Willy's next flashback, when the drug he has been using for so long to avoid his problems backfires, giving him a "bad trip", quite possibly a side effect of overuse. This time he is brought back to one of the most disturbing moments in his life. It's the day that Biff had discovered his father's mistress while visiting him on one of his trips to ask him to come back home and negotiate with his math teacher to give him the four points he needed to pass math and graduate high school. This scene gives the reader a chance to fully understand the tension between Willy and Biff, and why things can never be the same. Throughout the play, the present has been full of misfortune for the most part, while the opposite is true for the past. The reader is left to wonder when the turning point occurred. What was the earth-shattering event that threw the entire Lowman family into a state of such constant tension? Now that event is revealed and Willy is out of good memories to return to. With the last hit of Willy's supply of the drug spent, what next? The comparison between Willy's voyages into the past and the use of a narcotic is so perceptible because of it's verity. When Willy's feeling down, or life seems just too tedious and insignificant, or when things just aren't going his way, why not take a hit of the old miracle drug, memories. The way he overuses his vivid imagination is sad because the only thing it's good for is enabling Willy to go through one more day of his piteous life, full of bitterness, confusion, depression, false hopefulness, and a feeling of love which he is trying very hard to express to his sons who seem reluctant to accept it.  f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\train spotting.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass 11.9.2003 Reflections on Trainspotting Trainspotting, directed by Danny Boyle is the story of Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) who falls into the dregs of heroin addiction in Scotland. At many times throughout the film, Renton tries to eliminate himself from the drug culture but fails. His friends cannot help because they are in the same circumstances, if not worse. Renton's parents try to aid in saving his life, but like many drug addicts, ignores the reality and severity of his decisions and disregards his kin. After being hospitalized for an overdose, Renton moves to London to detach himself from his ill-fated past. In London he starts a new career and a promising life. When he returns to Scotland he is confronted by his drug buddies and is convinced by them to push a large sum of heroin for one last time. On the expedition to sell the drugs, Renton finds himself in the bathroom of a bus shooting heroin. It seems the powerful grasp of heroin has overwhelmed his mind and body once again. For many drug users, addiction is a cycle that may go away at times, but ultimately, will appear again. Once the transaction is complete, Renton and his drug associates walk away with a large sum of money. The night after, when everyone is asleep, Renton takes the money and leaves; never to return. He finally realizes the false, sickening life he had led and made an oath to move on. Renton states: "The truth is that I'm a bad person, but that's going to change, I'm going to change. This is the last of this sort of thing. I'm cleaning up and I'm moving on, going straight and choosing life (Hodge 1996). In October I was caught smoking marijuana in my dorm room. In some ways I can see the connection between Trainspotting in my own life. Marijuana has made me lazy, at times depressed, but most of all, addicted. Drugs can make you feel like nothing else is important, similar to how Renton felt. "I chose not to choose life: I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who need reasons when you've got heroin?" (Hodge 1996). Just how Renton struggled with false promises of sobriety, I have done the same. It is not until something of importance happens when one can realize the blinding chasm of drug addiction. When I was caught by my RA, I realized that my abuse of marijuana had clearly crossed the line from recreation to addiction. With the awakening of my consequences, I had to inform my parents about my drug habits and at that moment I could see my problems for what they really were. Being at school that has so much to offer, doing drugs is more than just a waste of money and time, but it is purely taking your future and throwing it in the trashcan. Just how Mark Renton finally broke free form the drug society and started over, I am doing the same. I'm choosing life. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\trainspotting.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Trainspotting A Novel By Irvine Welsh Trainspotting is a captivating story of the random events that occur during a critical time in a group of Scottish junkies¹ lives. Irvine Welsh illustrates the confusion, anger and turmoil many heroin addicts are subjected to and what happens once they try to quit. The story is centered around Mark Renton, an ordinary twenty-two year old who was raised by a loving mother and father. He has two brothers: one was catatonic and the other was an overachiever. Through court-mandated therapy he was told he envied his parents and resented his older brother. This was what contributed to Rents (what his friends call him) starting to use heroin. Bit by bit the reader is introduced to Rents¹ friends, cousins, friends¹ of friends, parents, friends¹ parents, the list goes on. Anyone with relevance to the life of Mark Renton, the reader meets sooner or later. Everyone in Rents¹ life is messed up or gets that way somehow. His friend Begbie, for example, is an unhappy little man. He feels he has to make himself seem tough by surrounding himself with ³friends² who do nothing but boost his ego by letting Begbie put them down. Aside from being on and off heroin, his good friend Danny Murphy, or Spud (as everyone calls him) is a habitual thief. His friend Simone is nicknamed Sick Boy for good reasons. When he is high he hears voices in his head willing him to do evil things. He likes to shoot dogs as their masters are taking them for a walk, and he enjoys using women for nothing but sex.. Rents¹ date on occasion, Hazel, was abused by her father when she was young, and she chooses to shoot up to solve her problems. Rab McLaughlin, or Second Prize, drinks himself into oblivion every chance he gets. Davie, a cousin of Renton¹s has recently become HIV positive from a girl who was raped by a psychopath. Davie chooses to take revenge on him by pretending to kill the only thing he ever loved, an illegitimate child the psycho fathered but is no longer allowed to see. Tommy, Davie¹s and Rent¹s friend, was the only one of the group who was completely normal. He even had a beautiful girlfriend that made him the envy of many of his friends. But when the two of them broke up, he became the most wasted on heroin of the whole lot. Throughout the story Rents is on a rollercoaster of highs and lows; trying to kick his habit and being so wasted he doesnt care about anyone or anything There is no intricate plot to this story; just small bits and pieces that give the reader insights into each characters¹ life. There are amusing anecdotes and deep thoughts to contemplate all on one page. The author does a great job conveying his feelings, through the characters, to the reader. It takes a while to adjust to the dialect the story is written in. Also, in some parts it is hard to know who is speaking as almost every chapter is written in first person, with different characters speaking to the reader. The complex plot is that there is no plot, the meaningful theme is that there is no theme; it is just one boy¹s struggles with himself, the people around him, and a hard, cruel world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Transformation Into Adulthood.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Transformation Into Adulthood In William Faulkner's story, "Barn Burning", we find a young man who struggles with the relationship he has with his father. We see Sarty, the young man, develop into an adult while dealing with the many crude actions and ways of Abner, his father. We see Sarty as a puzzled youth who faces the questions of faithfulness to his father or faithfulness to himself and the society he lives in. His struggle dealing with the reactions which are caused by his father's acts result in him thinking more for himself as the story progresses. Faulkner uses many instances to display the developing of Sarty's conscience as the theme of the story "Barn Burning." Three instances in which we can see the developing of a conscience in the story are the ways that Sarty compliments and admires his father, the language he uses when describing his father, and the way he obeys his father throughout the story. The first instance in which we can see a transition from childhood to adulthood in Sarty's life is in the way he compliments his father. Sarty admires his father very much and wishes that things could change for the better throughout the story. At the beginning of the story he speaks of how his fathers "...wolflike independence..."(145) causes his family to depend on almost no one. He believes that they live on their own because of his fathers drive for survival. When Sarty mentions the way his father commands his sisters to clean a rug with force "...though never raising his voice..."(148), it shows how he sees his father as strict, but not overly demanding. He seems to begin to feel dissent towards his father for the way he exercises his authority in the household. As we near the end of the Taylor-2 story, Sarty's compliments become sparse and have a different tone surrounding them. After running from the burning barn, he spoke of his dad in an almost heroic sense. He wanted everyone to remember his dad as a brave man, "He was in the war."(154) and should be known for it, not burning barns. He seems to care about, but not condone his father and his actions. Another instance where we see a transition is in the language he uses when describing his father. At the beginning of the story he spoke as a child watching and looking at the things around him. He said that an enemy of his fathers was "...our enemy..."(147) and spoke with the loyalty of a lamb, never knowing that it could stray from the flock. Near the middle of the story, we can see the tone of his speech change. Sarty shows change when he asks his father if he "...want[s] to ride now?"(149) when they are leaving deSpain's house. He seems to have the courage to ask his dad certain things, not fearing the consequences. At the end of the story, the language Sarty uses becomes clearer and more independent. As he runs from the deSpain's house, like a child, he cries for Abner saying, "Pap! Pap!"(154), but when he stops and recalls the event, he says, like an adult, "Father! Father!"(154). He shows his development through these examples of his speech. The last instance where he shows us that he is developing a conscience is in the way he obeys his father. Sarty seems to do anything his father says at the begging of the story. When Sarty is called to stand at his fathers trial, he says that his father "...aims for me to lie and I will have to do hit."(144). He is totally loyal at the beginning of the story, but as the tale progresses, we see his obedience weaken. After the cleaning of the rug, we see Sarty's father ask if he has "...put the cutter [horse] back in the strait stock..."(150) and we find that Sarty disobeys his father for the first time when he says "No sir."(150). Taylor-3 He begins to have a say in things in a slight way. But near the end of the story, his mind totally decides for itself when he was told to stay at home. He told his mother to "Lemme go."(153). He seems willing to go to any length to disobey his father for the purpose of serving justice now. After reading about Faulkner's transitional phases of the compliments, speech, and loyalty of Sarty, we can see the change from childhood to adulthood or from a person of innocence into a person with a conscience in Sarty. Faulkner gradually develops Sarty into a man of his own deeds throughout the story. Sarty has to finally realize that blood is not always thicker than water. Faulkner's story symbolizes the way in which society works today. If one individual is doing wrong, you must overlook the relationship you have with him and look at the wrong deeds he is doing. If you happen to face your fears and set strait the wrong, in the end, the good will always prevail. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\trial essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Amanda Seibald The Trial Question #9 Kafka's novel The Trial has persisted as one of the greatest works of literature of the 20th century, but why so? It is impossible to pinpoint precisely why Kafka's novel has remained renowned throughout all these years, so why has it? Perhaps it is the cliffhanger, the unfinished story. Or maybe it's the struggles that Joseph K. encounters with the law and the court or even the mockery of the Austro-Hungarian bureaucracy. Despite what the reason may be, the fact of the matter is that The Trial has endured as such a great piece of literature for so many years. To me, what accounts for the novel's perpetual appeal is that the meaning of the story is everything but clear. Uncertainty floods the pages of the book, for the reader is forever unsure of what is real and true and what is not. The story can be told through several points of view; though written in the third person it can easily be told in the first. What was Kafka trying to tell the reader? Did he manipulate real life experiences to elicit specific feelings from the readers or did he tell things how they really were? No one will ever know why Kafka wrote the way he did and what his driving force was. For example, we don't know if the doorkeeper speaks the truth, or does he? What about Joseph's encounter with the chaplain? What happens after that? As readers, we desperately want to know goes on. Kafka leaves many situations like these open-ended and leaves room for interpretation. I think it is exactly that; the fact that anything could have happened to Kafka on his journey through the unknown, lures people into the story. The Trial was written in the early 1900s and was then neglected for some mysterious reason. Kafka continued on other projects, leaving this particular novel unfinished. That in itself is an ambiguity that readers want to unveil. When a person can't have something, he or she tends to want it even more. Likewise, the readers want to understand the story of Joseph K. simply because there is no definite answer or story. The unfinished novel leaves ends open to interpretation and is perhaps, in fact is probably, one of the main reasons that accounts for the perpetual appeal of Kafka's The Trial. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\trujillo essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Brian Bass 12.6.03 The Era of Trujillo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo came from a humble family in the Dominican Republic. At the age of 18 he enlisted in the National Army where he quickly rose through the military ranks. In 1930, Trujillo ran for the presidency of the Dominican Republic. His political agenda at the time was to reform education, health care and the struggling Dominican economy. Surprisingly, he won with 95% of the popular vote, but some say that those numbers aren't correct due to Trujillo's level of corruption in the government. Once he was elected President, many changes happened within the Dominican government. The rise of military presence within the country shocked many. Trujillo's style of government was similar to Mussolini's fascist Italy. Freedom of speech and opposition towards the government did not exist during his reign. Trujillo had secret camps in the countryside where he would take anti-Trujillo supporters and make them work long hours with little food or sleep. Although, most people who opposed his regime were either jailed or killed. In October 1937, Trujillo ordered the massacre of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic in retaliation for the discovery and execution by the Haitian government of his most valued covert agents in that country. The Dominican army slaughtered as many as 20,000 largely unarmed men, women, and children. In 1960 Trujillo tried to assassinate Venezuelan President Rómulo Betancourt. The OAS (organization of American States) found out about the coupe and held economic sanctions against the Dominican Republic. After the assassination attempt on the Venezuelan president the United States started to see Trujillo as a threat. Originally the United States saw Trujillo as a symbol of strength in the Caribbean, but after the fall of Fugencio Batista (dictator of Cuba) and the rise of communism in Cuba, the United States feared that Trujillo would be overthrown by Dominican Communists. On May 30, 1961 Trujillo was assassinated and it is speculated that the CIA supplied the weapons. Many believe the orders for execution were sent out directly from Eisenhower. At the height of the Cold War, The United States could not tolerate another communist threat in the region, and nor could the Dominican people. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\trujillo info.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "the era of Trujillo" He rose quickly in the officer corps, while at the same time he built a network of allies and supporters. 95 percent of the vote He held the office of president from 1930 to 1938 and from 1942 to 1952. he maintained a highly effective secret police force that monitored (and eliminated, in some instances) opponents both at home and abroad. The establishment of state monopolies over all major enterprises in the country brought riches to the Trujillos and their cronies through the manipulation of prices and inventories as well as the outright embezzlement of funds. Trujillo leaned toward fascism. Santo Domingo was renamed Ciudad Trujillo under his rule Level of power and force over the state was comparable to Hitler or Mussolini Trujillo had camps in the country side where he would take anyone who opposed the government and make them work for long hours with little food. In October 1937, Trujillo ordered the massacre of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic in retaliation for the discovery and execution by the Haitian government of his most valued covert agents in that country. The Dominican army slaughtered as many as 20,000 largely unarmed men, women, and children In 1960 Trujillo tried to assassinate Venezuelan President Rómulo Betancourt. The OAS (organization of American States) found out about the coupe and held economic sanctions against the Dominican Republic. After the assassination attempt on the Venezuelan president the United States started to see Trujillo as a threat. Originally the United States saw Trujillo as a symbol of strength in the Caribbean, but after the fall of Fugencio Batista (dictator of cuba) and the rise of communism in Cuba, the United States feared that Trujillo would be overthrown by Dominican Communists. on May 30, 1961 Trujillo was assassinated and it is speculated that the CIA supplied the weapons. Referenced: http://reference.allrefer.com/country-guide-study/dominican-republic http://countrystudy.com/dominican-republic f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Tulane Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ My bowling career started out as a lark. When I saw the poster announcing "Bowling Tryouts," I saw an easy way to earn the Physical Education credits that I needed to graduate. I was hardly known for my athletic prowess, and all of the team manager positions were already taken. Besides, why sit on the sidelines when I could bask in the limelight of stardom? So I decided to take the plunge. I signed up for my first ever varsity sport as a member of Hutchison's first ever bowling team in the first year that bowling was recognized as an official high school sport in Tennessee. I became a bowling pioneer. My strategy was simple and very calculated: I'd bowl a few frames for a few months for a couple of years and let the pins fall where they may. What I didn't expect was how much I would come to enjoy it - the satisfaction of converting a 3-10 split, the pressure of needing a tenth frame strike to pull out the win, the pure fun of team competition - and that there was an athlete in me after all. I was an immediate contributor because I was one of the only girls on the team who had ever seen the inside of a bowling alley. After all, we represent a small, private, all-girls school. The very concept of renting shoes that others had worn was appalling to most of my teammates. Because of my experience, I was thrust into a position of leadership from the outset, the dim bulb in an array of broken light fixtures. Our first practice made it clear that I was in similar company: everyone was there just to earn their PE credits, hopefully without even breaking a fingernail. But a funny thing happened as the season progressed: we started to think of ourselves as a real bowling team. Although we never won a single match my junior year, we did reach one of our key team goals: qualifying for the State Tournament in Smyrna, Tennessee. Admittedly, we were optimistic about our chances, because the top three teams from each region qualify for State, and there were only two other teams in our region. However, we didn't let the certainty of our place in the State Tournament diminish our resolve. We bowled our hearts out, and soon found ourselves not even needing bumpers to keep our balls from gravitating toward the gutters. The State Tournament was everything that we had imagined and more: 36,000 square feet of bowling paradise, including bleachers brought in to accommodate the hundreds of spectators and mullets as far as the eye could see. We didn't let the fact that we would be facing the finest bowlers in all of Tennessee shake us. We weren't even annoyed that our school had so little faith in us that they didn't even bother making overnight accommodations for us for the two-day tournament. Once again, we bowled our hearts out. Once again, we experienced the agony of defeat. This time, however, we knew that we had lost to the very best. Our season of dreams had come to an end. This year we're building on the foundation we laid in our inaugural season. I'm captain of the team now, and we've actually won a couple of matches already. Unfortunately, our place in the state tournament is no longer secure, as three additional teams vie to take away the spotlight that shined on us last year. But last year we were just a bunch of high school girls looking to pick up some PE credits. This year, we're bowlers. We've breathed the rarified atmosphere of the state championships, and we're hungry to get there again. As I write, we are awaiting the final pin count that will determine our post-season destiny this year. Life's experiences are important in part for what we learn from them. Now, every time I pick up my bowling ball I'm reminded of the many things that I've learned from being a member of the Hutchison bowling team. I've come to better appreciate the importance of being open to new adventures and ready to embrace the unknown. I've learned not to scoff at the pursuits of others, no matter how eccentric they may be: one person's soggy bowl of cereal may be another person's "Breakfast of Champions." I've discovered the sheer delight of unanticipated rewards. And I've come to realize how important it is to step outside one's comfort zone from time to time in order to get the most out of life, one of the many reasons that I am now applying to Tulane. Sometimes life's most rewarding experiences come in unexpected packages. One of mine came in the form of a bowling ball. I'm not one to grow attached to material possessions; and a bowling ball is hardly the nicest or the most valuable thing I'll ever own. But, believe it or not, I learned a lot about life and about myself as a member of my high school bowling team, and I wouldn't trade it for all of the basketball or volleyball or soccer letters in the world. Amanda Ellice Tacker 411-69-6797 Essay f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\UGA Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sometimes life's best experiences come in unexpected packages. One of mine came in the form of a bowling ball. My bowling career started out as a lark, an easy way to earn the PE credits that I needed to graduate. Besides, why sit on the sidelines when I could bask in the limelight of stardom? So I took the plunge. I signed up for my first ever varsity sport as a member of Hutchison's first ever bowling team. My strategy was simple: I'd bowl a few frames for a few months and let the pins fall where they may. What I didn't expect was how much I would enjoy it - the satisfaction of converting a 3-10 split, the pressure of needing a tenth frame strike to pull out the win - and that there was an athlete in me after all. Because I was one of the only girls on the team who had ever seen the inside of a bowling alley, I was thrust into a position of leadership from the outset, the dim bulb in an array of broken light fixtures. Our first practice made it clear that, like me, everyone was there just to earn PE credits, hopefully without even breaking a fingernail. But a funny thing happened as the season progressed: we started to think of ourselves as a real bowling team. Although we never won a single match my junior year, we qualified for the State Tournament because the top three teams from each region qualify for State, and there were only two other teams in our region. Despite our questionable pedigree, we bowled our hearts out at State. Once again we experienced the agony of defeat. This time, however, we knew that we had lost to the very best. Our season of dreams had come to an end. This year I'm bowling again. I'm captain of the team now, and we've actually won a couple of matches. Unfortunately, our place in the state tournament is no longer secure, as three new schools fielded bowling teams this year. As I write, we are awaiting the final pin count that will determine our post-season destiny. Life's experiences are important in part for what we learn from them. I learned a lot about life and about myself as a member of my high school bowling team. I better appreciate the importance of being open to new adventures. I've learned not to scoff at the pursuits of others: one person's soggy bowl of cereal may be another person's "Breakfast of Champions." I've discovered the sheer delight of unanticipated rewards. And I've come to realize how important it is to step outside one's comfort zone from time to time in order to get the most out of life. Like I said, I learned a lot about life and about myself as a member of my high school bowling team. And I wouldn't trade it for all of the basketball or volleyball or soccer letters in the world. UGA Essay Amanda Ellice Tacker 411-69-6797 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\UNC Essay Short Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Eric Edward Rooney Short Essay I strongly believe that if I end up attending UNC, my learning experiences will not be limited to the classroom. Although my professors will be able to provide me with a plethora of information, I believe that I will learn many of my most meaningful lessons from my fellow classmates. These individuals will undoubtedly have an everlasting impact upon my life, and I can only hope that I will make a life-long impression upon them as well. One way I plan on making an impression upon the lives' of my fellow students is by sharing my favorite pieces of writing with them. Although I would expose my classmates to an extensive collection of literature, I would strongly stress one classical work of fiction in particular. While it may not have quite the toughest reading level or be very complex in nature, I believe that The Little Engine that Could is one of the most inspirational pieces of literature that an individual could read. No matter who we are, and no matter what our educational background may be, we can all learn something from that little engine. The little engine teaches us to believe in ourselves, and to never give up. These are lessons that will surface throughout our lifetime, whether it be during our childhood, college experience or even in the real world. I hope that this book will teach my fellow classmates the importance of believing in one's self and that they shouldn't give up simply because a task poses a challenge. As the little engine displayed, a little bit of self-confidence can carry us a long way in our attempts to perform tasks that we never believed imaginable. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\UND Honors Scholarship.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Qualities that I hold that would qualify me for a scholarship are many. One that I am proud of is my ability to keep a 3.8 + Cum. GPA throughout my entire high school career. This ability of mine has also made me eligible for the National Honors Society, in which I was inducted in April of 2003. Also usually senior years are for students to take it easy, get the classes that are easy for you to graduate with honors. I decided to get a head start on college by taking three Dual Credit classes including: English, Anatomy and Physiology, and Calculus, and I am doing quite well holding high B's in each of them for a first semester grade. Another quality of mine is leadership. At the beginning of the year I was crowned Homecoming King for my class. This shows that I have had to have some effect on people for them to pick me as their king. Everybody in my school basically knows everyone. Walking through the halls I treat all underclassmen with respect and dignity. I have created good friendships with many people in our school for that reason. Another quality of leadership I have is that I will be on my second year as Captain for my baseball team this spring. Also I have held honorary Captainships on our football and basketball teams this past fall and this winter. This shows that fellow players on my baseball team have chosen me for one of their captains because they believe in me and believe that I will lead their team in a good manner. For basketball and football, the coaches were the ones that chose others and I to be honorary captains; this shows that they also see the leadership quality in me. These are the qualities of me that qualify me for this scholarship. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Under Age Drinking.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Under Age Drinking It's a Saturday night, and the bars are packed. People are inside having a few, or more than a few, drinks. A select few are really drunk or passed out. Now lets step outside and take a look at a different type of drinking, drinking at an early age. High school and junior high kids are at a party drinking. Like the adults, some are just having a few, but quite a few are having more than that and are stumbling around. These kids have been given the idea that drinking is something that adults do, and we all know that kids can't wait to be grown up. Thus, they drink, figuring that if they can at least do what adults do then they will be grown up, in a way. This is how our society works. Enough with the philosophy of it. Now I would like to talk about the effects that early age drinking can have on a person. I grew up in a town that has the most bars per capata in the state of Montana and is in the top ten in the United States. This has a huge effect on under age drinkers. The bars card at the door and as long as your 18 your in. And since the bouncers will stamp nearly anyone they know or like the number of kids is always high. It dosn't help that Dillon is a college town and ther are many under age college kids there. Now lets imagine another party where kids are drinking. The bonfire is roaring, Bubba just decided that singeing everyone's eyebrows off by throwing some gasoline on the fire would be fun. Of course nobody thought that this was very funny except for Bubba. Bubba is not the only teenage person at this party who has had a few to many. There are a lot of under age kids who are just plain drunk. This is a regular kind of party in my hometown, everyone goes out and drinks to get drunk. The sad thing is, that these kind of parties happen a lot of time twice a week expecially during the spring. All this partying catches up with these young peolpe. They don't get jobs because they are too tired from partying all night or all weekend long. Thier grades start slipping. The worst effect, however has to be the addiction to alcohol. I've seen freshman who drink all the time because they feel they can't live without their alcohol. Of course you have to realize that this is a worst case scenario. I also know kids who drink just a little, they know their limits, and don't try to break them. Now here's another worst case scenario. A college kid has been studying for a few hours, you can feel the boredom in the room. He decides to take a few minutes off and cracks open a beer to relieve the tension. The only problem is that he doesn't stop there. He decides to have a few more, then after finishing a couple more he calls up his buddies and the go out and drink some more. He wakes up in his room on his floor or in someone else's room, thinking he must have passed out. He has a really bad hangover and decides to sleep it off. He wakes up quite a bit later, and in the room next to him you can here his long string of profanities. I guess he remembered the big test he is suppose to take. He crams in what material he can in what little time he has, knowing he won't be able to learn it all. He takes the test and knows he failed, this the fifth test he has failed so far and his GPA is way below par. Two days later he gets a letter saying that he is out of school for breaking academic probation, again this is a worst case scenario. My last scenario is a person at around thirty or forty. You can see an old beat-up pickup drive in and park in front of one of the bars. He walks into the bar, a half-an-hour later he stumbles out and heads to another bar. Two hours later, and a twelve pack more, he stumbles his way out of the second bar. He walks to his pickup opens the door and tries to climb in but is to drunk. He finally gets in and passes out in his pickup. He wakes up the next morning hung over, just like the last three mornings. Except today is different, today he feels a pain in his stomach, not to harsh but it can be felt. He continues to drink and the pain just seems to get worse. After a while the pain has become so intense he has to go see a doctor. He comes out with some bad news finding out that he has Pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is a type of alcoholic poisoning, and as he has found out one cannot drink any more alcohol with this disease. This is one of the harshest diseases that goes along with the consumption of alcohol. In my hometown there are at least five or six examples of this, one the English teacher I had just last year. He was forced to retire before this year. Another man who has recently acquired it didn't amount to anything before he got it. He couldn't keep a job for more than a couple of weeks and the money he did earn didn't go to anything besides more alcohol, spending nearly every night at the bars. No one means to end up being addicted to alcohol but for many different reasons people find more and more excuses to drink and finally become addicted. Alcohol has become a major problem in our society whether it be teenagers or even adults. Alcohol laws and alcohol awareness programs can only go so far I feel it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to take the matter into our own hands and make the right choices. Under Age Drinking: The Problems It Creates f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Unexpected Horizons.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Unexpected Horizons Wow! I love going deep sea fishing on our boat. I was excited when my dad had asked me if I wanted to go this weekend. We departed that Saturday morning after almost a week of sheer anticipation, our destination, Port Canaveral, home of of some of the best fishing on the east coast of Florida. The sea is a very dangerous place when riled by a storm, even a mild one, so we always made sure the day would be at least close to perfect before we ventured out into the blue darkness of the open sea. My dad and I had seen the destruction careless boaters could get themselves into, and we did our best to avoid it. That Saturday, though, looked as if it were a perfect offshore fishing day. The sky was clear as glass, with a couple straggling cirrus clouds, but nothing worth paying attention to, and above that, the fish were supposedly hitting offshore. All-in-all, the long awaited perfect fishing day had come, at least in our minds it had. In the meantime, my dad backed the boat into the salty murky water as I got the boat ready for our day long journey. I set the navigation system to a favorite fishing spot of ours which was about twenty-five miles out called the Pelican Flats. We headed out on the gently, quiet, rolling blue monster's back as our twenty-two foot vessel handled the one to two foot ocean swells with sheer ease. Finally, after an hour long haul, and fifteen fishing minutes later, we ran into our first sign of action. "Fish on starboard!!" screamed my younger brother. "Fish on stern, grab 'em!", bellowed by dad from the steering wheel. Instinctly, my brother and I had quickly grabbed the poles as the line screamed off and the tips bent almost to the water. Soon enough, both of us had fish on, very large fish from the feel. About half an hour of sweat and a good workout, we finally got the fish to give up their fight for life. That was the first time we had ever encountered a double hook-up, which happens when two fish of a considerable size are hooked simultaneously, and it happened in less than fifteen minutes. We ended up fishing for about four more hours and landed an incredible number of large fish, and we wanted more. The three of us scanned the surface for more action, and found nothing of interest but what looked like a storm cloud moving towards us at an unknown velocity about fifteen miles north of us, so we decided to start heading in towards shore. About half an hour later and about seven teen miles out, still not enough to see land, we realized that the storm had actually been moving toward us, almost intercepting our course toward the port. Without any doubt we'd pass it before it crossed our path, we proceeded onward in the same direction. "Damn, I'd hate to get stuck in that storm", we said to each other as we watched the lightning and complete darkness of it as it overtook about a five mile radius of ocean surface. But as we watched this awesome sight from a short, but safe distance, we realized that it was moving a lot faster than we were. From that point on our confidence level started diminishing and our fears of the ocean started escalating, we weren't going to get by this storm. My dad punched the 200 horsepower motor and our hearts and adrenaline were pumping incredibly. Soon the storm had yet engulfed us in it's fury and rage. The light turned to utter blackness, the sunshine turned to pelting rain and a light show courtesy of the lightning bolts flashing at least every five seconds, the one to two foot swells had turned into an entourage of seven to eight foot white caps which our boat was incapable of handling, and more importantly, our confidence from a good day of fishing had turned into a handful of desperate pleas for help. The rain had been so harsh and plentiful that I could barely look up to see what was happening to our boat, or more significantly, our lives. Less than a minute later, I couldn't see any light at all, except when the electricity showed it's presence, which was close to nonstop. All three of us were scared, confused, and desperate, which is a bad combination of feelings in this situation. Our first reaction was to radio for help, so my dad frantically grabbed the CB from the radio, but all for not. The beating the boat was taking had managed to snap our marine radio antenna in two, limiting our communication methods to only flares and a whistle, both of which were useless in this kind of weather. Someone would have to be near us for those methods to work, and any sane person would have been miles from "our" storm. Also, our navigation systems were not working. It was displaying to us that we were thirty-five miles out and heading east, which we knew to be wrong. We were still about 12 miles out and heading in toward land, but we didn't know where on land we were heading. Our chances of defeating this mighty beast had slimmed greatly, and the storm was putting a beating on our bodies, our boat, and our overall morale. After fifteen minutes of complete horror, our navigation devices started working. The fact that we actually knew exactly which way to head had taken some of the evilness away from this sadistic act of treachery we had gotten ourselves into. Our cries of despair had turned to sighs of relief when the fringe of the storm had passed over our heads. The car ride home was very quiet. The only thing I inferred from the trip home was that we wouldn't be visiting the infamous Pelican Flats any more. The next day, my dad put our boat up for sale, and, ironically, we hadn't been out of sight of land for about six months. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\UnferthBeowulf Grendel.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Unferth, the same martyr John Gardner introduces the reader of Grendel to an intimate side of Unferth unseen in the epic poem Beowulf. In Grendel we behold what a pathetic, sniveling wimp Unferth has become. In Beowulf all that we see is a jealous bastard. Why did Gardner make the character of Unferth so different from the original depiction? He didn't. The only change in Unferth from Beowulf to Grendel is his realistic characterization in Grendel. After the drunken Danes give Beowulf his warm welcome, Unferth unleashes his anger in an attack on Beowulf. This petty proclamation which points out Beowulf's not- so triumphant swimming contest with Brecca, shows the reader (or listener) that Unferth is nothing more than a spineless bastard. In Grendel we find that Unferth's bitterness is well founded. John Gardner shows Unferth as the most pathetic man to ever call himself a hero. Unferth is degraded once in the apple battle (he was beat by flying fruit for god's sake!!!) and then again in the cave. In the cave Unferth begs Grendel to take his life but Grendel gives him fate worse than death. Grendel leaves him alive and impotent. Unferth knows that he cannot kill Grendel yet he cannot be a martyr to Herot either. All during the first year of Grendel's siege, the smell of apples fresh in the air, Unferth tries to be the Grendel's martyr. Oh the heroic Unferth who died trying to save the people of Herot. Unfortunately he never got to die, not even dressed up as a goat, a pig or an elderly women. This continuing life of impotence lead Unferth to an immense sense of bitterness. Poor Unferth to be at a beast's mercy for twelve years only to have Beowulf disembowel Grendel in one night. On the beach as Beowulf is about detach mama's head from her body, Unferth gives Beowulf his sword in a touching moment of peace between Beowulf and Unferth. Well that is not quite right. This touching moment is Unferth's last attempt at contributing to his beloved Herot. If he can't kill the beast at least his sword can. Unferth is reaching for martyrdom. Unferth never redeems himself as a hero no matter how unselfish or heroic he was as he handed over his beloved sword. Unferth would never be a hero again. His one chance of "inner heroism" was gone when Grendel refused take his life in the cave. Unferth is the same man in both novels, there is no doubt about that. The strands of similarity are to thick to ignore. He is dying to be a martyr in both Grendel and Beowulf. The only difference between Grendel's Unferth and Beowulf's Unferth is the detail and depth to which his character is taken. John Gardner brought a relatively small character from Beowulf , and made him the second most defined character in Grendel. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Unhappy Meal.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Unhappy Meal Creative Writing Paper One Aaron lit a Basic brand cigarette as Amir pulled his beat up 1976 snot green Chevy Nova into the crowded parking lot of the McDonalds on Route 1 in Saugus, Massachusetts. He always seemed to do this to himself; lighting cigarettes when he'd just have to snipe them out on the bottom of his tattered army boot. He put his pointer finger to his head and pantomimed shooting himself. Amir glanced at him uneasily, then scanned the lot for an open space. Aaron drew hard on his cigarette, filling his lungs with as much smoke as possible. He needed to get as much nicotine as time allowed. He shut his eyes, flicked his tongue against his sterling silver lip ring, spinning it in the hole. It hurt a little. "Probably fuckin' infected," Aaron chuckled, thinking of the night he pierced it himself, using only a heated up safety pin and a bottle of Smirnov vodka for a pain killer. Amir pulled into a handicap spot. "You can't park here," Aaron said. "Sure I can," Amir replied. Aaron studied the face of the Bosnian Immigrant. Amir had fought for two years in the war against the Serbs. His face was remarkably pleasant, although his eyes looked as if they belonged to a forty year old man and not a seventeen year old boy. His tan skin and wide smile seemed out of place when one took in Amir's mohawk and torn black t-shirt. "It's a handicap spot." "Exactly," Amir said with a smirk. "I got you in my car, and you're a retard." "Fuck you," Aaron said, "I'll blast you Sylvester Stallone style." Amir burst into hysterical laughter. "You watch too much television." Aaron shrugged and slowly exhaled through his nose, decorated with a silver hoop ring through his septum (also self-pinned). He caught sight of himself in the rearview mirror. He felt cold. His eyes were alert, almost piercing. Around those fiery, stabbing eyes were lines of sadness, although he was also only seventeen. His hair was bleached blonde and messy --Johnny Rotten messy. His face was long and thin, a result of many days of not eating, either because he had no money for food or because he simply forgot to eat. He was menacing, with his facial piercings and angry eyes, but there was something about his mouth, a kind of innocent smirk that gave hint of something real within his hard, rough punk rock shell. Amir got out of the car slowly, stretching out his arms. Aaron caught glimpse of something wild and almost ancient in Amir's eyes. He got out, too, and tossed his cigarette. Aaron slammed the Nova's door. "Let's go get some meat." "Cow Burger." Amir said, gingerly placing his hands in his pockets. Aaron looked through the window. Sitting at a table was a family of four. That looks like my father, he thought, and tried to forget about the many beatings and harsh words he endured over the last seventeen years. "Amir, it says no dogs allowed. You'll have to wait here." "Eat me," Amir said and opened the door. Aaron shoved past him playfully, and was hit by the overpowering stench of fried, greasy food sizzling under heat lamps. His mouth watered. Behind him he heard the click of Amir's Doc Martin boots, and the jingle of the chain, safety pin, and padlock belt that the Bosnian wore. He felt all the customers' eyes on them, felt the disdain in their uneasy stares. He sent it back, and shuffled through the line. Amir was silent behind him, unusual behavior for his normally talkative friend. Aaron ordered a #4 extra value meal, supersized, and pulled a few wrinkled bills out of the pockets of his torn army pants. Chuck Norris Action Pants, he called them. This was all the money he had, change left over from the 30 pack of coors he bought with his last paycheck as a paperboy in Lynn. Aaron hated that job. He would walk down the street and pretend he was some kind of Terminator robot, blowing up houses and cars with bionic missile attachments. They threw his food on a tray as the pimply faced girl behind the register totalled his order. He paid, and was pleases to discover he still had enough money for another pack of generic cigarettes. Aaron took his tray and Amir moved up to the register. In the back room, the french fry machine beeped endlessly. "God that sounds like the air raid siren!" Amir said grimly. Aaron surveyed the dining area for a seat. Behind him, Amir started screaming chaotically, "Mutha Fuck FUCK FUCK!" Aaron laughed. "Amir, what the hell..." His face, mind, and words all froze as Amir pulled a pistol from his pocket. "Fuck you bastards!" Amir fired, and Aaron saw in slow motion as the bullet ripped the pimply girls left cheek off her face. She fell gurgling and twitching. "Just like a movie," Aaron said aloud, as he watched Amir unload the pistol's clip into the middle aged manager. Somethin in his mind couldn't see this as real. Amir leaped over the counter and pistol whipped the deep frier attendant, and then shoved his victim's face into the hot grease. Aaron dropped his tray as Amir disappeared behind the packaged burger rack. He could hear screaming followed by more gunshots. Customers crawled to the door, whimpering like maimed animals. Aaron caught sight of the man who resembled his father, trying to get his family out the door. Aaron pulled out his switchblade, and thinking of Steven Seagal's dramatic knife fight at the end of Under Siege, rushed towards them. He didn't stop stabbing, even when he felt the man's blood splash into his face. Amir emerged from the smoking hell he created, covered in gore, his gun in his twitching hand. He pointed and fired, killing the rest of the family of four. As he reloaded, Aaron threw his knife like Woody Harrelson did in Natural Born Killers. Amir fired again, and Aaron felt a bullet rip through his kneecap. He turned and saw Amir level the gun. "Wait!" Aaron cried as the gun went off. Behind him he heard f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Unintentional Findings.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 One can find their place in society much the same way as Stephen did. Unintentionally he went back and forth between extremes until he found his own preference. Figuring out what one wants to do with their life can be confusing, especially since there are so many opportunities in the world, but giving each a chance and finding one that suits one's personality and attitude is the best thing to do. Many people think Stephen went from one extreme, wanting prostitutes, to another extreme, a life of celibacy as a priest, were done on purpose, on course to finding his own happy medium. The same people might also say Stephen purposely chose a happy medium as not to subject himself to either extreme; being in the middle lets him experience a little of both extremes. Different people might say that his oblique search for his place in society was brought on from when he was very young with his artistic vision. He looked at things differently then others boys around him and he knew that. He always had extra questions about the simplest of matters and constantly thought about what was wrong and right and how it lead to double-standards. This is seen when he is asked if he kisses his mother at night. No matter what his answer is he still gets laughed at and this remains in thoughts for a while. His artistic vision can probably reflect his incessant habit of always having an opposing opinion to his schoolmates even if it was something small such as who he thought the greatest writer was. 2 In his school Stephen seemed to be told how he was supposed to think and do things and in turn saw his family unable to follow the strict Catholicism taught in his school. This guided him in his decision for his future plans since he felt he was isolated from others because of the way he thought and did things. When looking at his decision for where he fit in society one should not ignore the fact that his family life had an impact on his choice. Had Stephen not been so sensitive it would not have bothered him so much how little he gained emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually from the Irish nationalism surrounding him and his religious background. To begin his life as an artist, his final decision concerning his place in society he realizes he cannot stay in the environment where he is seen as anti-social instead of artistic. He chooses to leave his homeland of Ireland and go to the Continent and find his artistic soul where it would be accepted. When one wants to find their place in society, one should look at the process Stephen went through, from his struggle with his religion in school and the start of his isolation from his family. Stephen's outcome was just to be happy and if that meant leaving home find a soul than one should take his strong individuality as an example. Unintentional Findings EN 102 Honors February 12, 1997 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\UtopiaSir Thomas More.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thomas More's use of dialogue in "Utopia" is not only practical but masterly layed out as well. The text itself is divided into two parts. The first , called "Book One", describes the English society of the fifteenth century with such perfection that it shows many complex sides of the interpretted structure with such clarity and form that the reader is given the freedom for interpretation as well. This flexibility clearly illustrates More's request for discussion and point of view from this reader. In one concise, artistic paragraph, More clearly illustrates his proposition of the problems people possess within a capitalist society and the fault of the structure itself; clearly showing More's point of view for "Book One". If More attempted to get anything across to the people of England it was this: Take a barren year of failed harvests, when many thousands of men have been carried off by hunger. If at the end of the famine the barns of the rich were searched. I dare say positively enough grain would be found in them to have saved the lives of all those who died from starvation and disease, if it had been divided equally among them. Nobody really need have suffered from a bad harvest at all. So easily might men get the necessities of life if that cursed money, which is supposed to provide access to them, were not in fact the chief barrier to our getting what we need to live. Even the rich, I'm sure, understand this. They must know that it's better to have enough of what we really need than an abundance of superfluities, much better to escape from our many present troubles than to be burdened with great masses of wealth. And in fact I have no doubt that every man's perception of where his true interest lies, along with with the authority of Christ our Saviour..... would long ago have brought the whole world to adopt Utopian laws, if it were not for one single monster, the prime plague and begetter of all others---I mean pride. (More, pg.83) For one to fully realize the significance of this virtueous paragraph they first must remember the time period it was written; more so now that we are in the twentieth century dominated by capitalism. Before More accounts for his rhetorical, socialist society of "Book Two" in detail, he strengthens his idea of communism by pre-establishing the problems of England in "Book One". This measurement makes one see the strengths and weaknesses between the two; as well as, their similarities. It is difficult to title Utopia as a socialist, communist society, in as much, it is just as valid to argue that Utopia is as opressive as the England described in "Book One". If Utopia is a truely socialist state, then one can see that opression is unescapable in either society. Either way, it just shows the absurdity to claim either of these as an utopian commonwealth. However, it is clear that More's attempt was to make Utopia an egalitarian society for the better of the people as whole. His description of the institutions Utopia is so prescise and well formatted that it is difficult to see any flaws other than the ones that were out of his control. More, just as anyone, was a slave of the society he lived in. No matter how hard More tried to escape it, his morals and values were still derived from the society he lived in. This is why one must look at Utopia as a society designed only to better the people of the capitalist England. It is absurd to look at Utopia as a perfect state, in as much, the knowledge which was true to More would interfear with many areas within the society of Utopia; More's faith, his ignorance of the evolving future, and the societies outside of Utopia described in "Book Two" would make the society of Utopia a paradox. The strength of it all, is that More amazingly knew his socialist state was not perfect; even for the society of England: ...though he is a man of unquestioned learning, and highly experienced in the ways of the world, I cannot agree with everything he said. Yet I confess there are many things in the Commonwealth of Utopia that I wish our own country would imitate----though I don't really expect it will (More, pg. 85) In correlation to both societies described in "Utopia", with both opressing the people within it, controlling their knowledge and way of life, it is clear that utopia is impossible to reach as long as human kind is confined to any institution. The difference between the two societies is seen when one looks at where this opression stems from. England's capitalist society is structured in such a way that it allows the people within it to opress or be opressed by each other. In Utopia the oppression is derived not from the people but from the structure itself. Therefore, a capitalist societies' structure allows more freedom for the people than the egalitarian society; thus, ironically, it is argueable to state that capitalism is more socialist than socialism. The problem of a capitalist society stems not from its' structure but from the people within it. In contrast, the people of the socialist society are all equal; yet, what makes this possible is the structures' control over the people. Both societies have strengths and weaknesses. Untill humankind can be resocialized losing the terms power, greed , and pride from our vocabulary, will there be terms like opression and freedom in it as well. The only possibillity for this, is if humankind is confined within a similar society as described by More called Utopia; then evolve into a society with the same structural freedoms like capitalism. Therfore, for the capitalist England of the fifteenth century, More's society in "Book Two" was not his ideal utopian state; but a path leading towards it. As you can see, More's liturary dialogue called "Utopia", as stressed through out this essay, is not an attempt to illustrate an utopian society, and would be a parodox if done so. I think one get's this false interpretation through the title of the text and the name of his socialist imaginary state with perfect political, social, conditions or constitution."(pg.395) It also states that "Utopia" is derived from the Greek words "no place". If More had this definition in mind it would clarify the a majority of the ambiguities within the context of the text, also illustrating even more of the opression More faced in England; as well as, his fear of it. More's "Utopia was done in such a way to enlighten the people of England about their opressing capitalist society. Instead of leaving the reader with a sense of hopelessness, he gives an alternative society; not to make the reader interpret it as an ideal society to want over England's, but make one realize the possibility of change. It is aimed to make one contemplate on the weaknesses and strengths of their own society and how to go about changing it to better the common wealth of their people as a whole f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Vanderbilt Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ My bowling career started out as a lark. When I saw the poster announcing "Bowling Tryouts," I saw an easy way to earn the Physical Education credits that I needed to graduate. I was hardly known for my athletic prowess, and all of the team manager positions were already taken. Besides, why sit on the sidelines when I could bask in the limelight of stardom? So I decided to take the plunge. I signed up for my first ever varsity sport as a member of Hutchison's first ever bowling team in the first year that bowling was recognized as an official high school sport in Tennessee. I became a bowling pioneer. My strategy was simple and very calculated: I'd bowl a few frames for a few months for a couple of years and let the pins fall where they may. What I didn't expect was how much I would come to enjoy it - the satisfaction of converting a 3-10 split, the pressure of needing a tenth frame strike to pull out the win, the pure fun of team competition - and that there was an athlete in me after all. I was an immediate contributor because I was one of the only girls on the team who had ever seen the inside of a bowling alley. After all, we represent a small, private, all-girls school. The very concept of renting shoes that others had worn was appalling to most of my teammates. Because of my experience, I was thrust into a position of leadership from the outset, the dim bulb in an array of broken light fixtures. Our first practice made it clear that I was in similar company: everyone was there just to earn their PE credits, hopefully without even breaking a fingernail. But a funny thing happened as the season progressed: we started to think of ourselves as a real bowling team. Although we never won a single match my junior year, we did reach one of our key team goals: qualifying for the State Tournament in Smyrna, Tennessee. Admittedly, we were optimistic about our chances, because the top three teams from each region qualify for State, and there were only two other teams in our region. However, we didn't let the certainty of our place in the State Tournament diminish our resolve. We bowled our hearts out, and soon found ourselves not even needing bumpers to keep our balls from gravitating toward the gutters. The State Tournament was everything that we had imagined and more: 36,000 square feet of bowling paradise, including bleachers brought in to accommodate the hundreds of spectators and mullets as far as the eye could see. We didn't let the fact that we would be facing the finest bowlers in all of Tennessee shake us. We weren't even annoyed that our school had so little faith in us that they didn't even bother making overnight accommodations for us for the two-day tournament. Once again, we bowled our hearts out. Once again, we experienced the agony of defeat. This time, however, we knew that we had lost to the very best. Our season of dreams had come to an end. This year we're building on the foundation we laid in our inaugural season. I'm captain of the team now, and we've actually won a couple of matches already. Unfortunately, our place in the state tournament is no longer secure, as three additional teams vie to take away the spotlight that shined on us last year. But last year we were just a bunch of high school girls looking to pick up some PE credits. This year, we're bowlers. We've breathed the rarified atmosphere of the state championships, and we're hungry to get there again. As I write, we are awaiting the final pin count that will determine our post-season destiny this year. Life's experiences are important in part for what we learn from them. Now, every time I pick up my bowling ball I'm reminded of the many things that I've learned from being a member of the Hutchison bowling team. I've come to better appreciate the importance of being open to new adventures and ready to embrace the unknown. I've learned not to scoff at the pursuits of others, no matter how eccentric they may be: one person's soggy bowl of cereal may be another person's "Breakfast of Champions." I've discovered the sheer delight of unanticipated rewards. And I've come to realize how important it is to step outside one's comfort zone from time to time in order to get the most out of life, one of the many reasons that I am now applying to Vanderbilt. Sometimes life's most rewarding experiences come in unexpected packages. One of mine came in the form of a bowling ball. I'm not one to grow attached to material possessions; and a bowling ball is hardly the nicest or the most valuable thing I'll ever own. But, believe it or not, I learned a lot about life and about myself as a member of my high school bowling team, and I wouldn't trade it for all of the basketball or volleyball or soccer letters in the world. Amanda Ellice Tacker 411-69-6797 Personal Essay f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Vanderbilt Essay2.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If I have my way, I will travel the world and either do great things or write about them. I want to use my four years at Vanderbilt to explore my interests and help make that future possible. I have a strong interest in foreign language and culture. I took five years of Honors/AP French in high school, so I know that I want to continue to study French in college. I also want to master a third language and spend at least one semester abroad. But I'm not sure exactly what I want to do with my language education, what I want to use it for, and that's where the rest of my college education comes in. I'm interested in so many different things right now. I really like the problem solving and the abstract thinking of mathematics. I've loved participating in Model U.N. and Youth Legislature conferences in high school, so I'm looking forward to exploring the social sciences in college. And writing may be my strongest suit of all. Obviously, what I want and need is a strong liberal arts education, not only to help me chart a more specific course for my life, but also to help prepare me for whatever opportunities may come my way. Amanda Ellice Tacker 411-69-6797 Academic Interests f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Vanderbilt Essay3.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It's never really been a matter of whether or not I would apply to Vanderbilt but more a matter of where else I might apply. My father went to Vanderbilt (A&S '75) and my sister is a freshman at VU this year (A&S '06). So the question becomes do I want to spread my wings distance-wise more than they did? I know I would love being a student at Vanderbilt. My father loved it, and we visited often as I was growing up. My sister loves Vanderbilt, too. I've visited her several times this fall and can really see myself as a student there. I know that Vanderbilt offers the strong and challenging liberal arts curriculum that I want. I value the national and international diversity of the student body and the faculty. I love the prospect of going to school in a major metropolitan area like Nashville. What I like perhaps the most about Vanderbilt is the balance I see in the lives of the students that I know there: on the one hand, they are bright and highly motivated; on the other hand, they slide comfortably into the weekend. And what other school combines a student - faculty ratio of 9:1 with a student-squirrel ratio of 1:3? I seem to be the most independent of my siblings; so, among other choices, I'm toying with the idea of going clear across the country to Stanford University, the Vanderbilt of the West. But as I contemplate what I really want to do, I'm beginning to realize that I don't have to travel 2000 miles away from home in order to truly spread my wings. Amanda Ellice Tacker 411-69-6797 Why Vanderbilt? f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\vic essay nov 14 2002.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We need to help South Florida by not polluting the environment. Air pollution and pollution can destroy South Florida. People get very sick from air pollution. Studies show that when cars factories, and airplanes let out exhaust, people breathe it in and then they get sick. The ecosystem gets destroyed from pollution. When we kill animals from pollution, the animal's population goes down, but plant populations go up. This unbalances the food chain and the ecosystem. Also, animals sometimes accidentally drink polluted water, which kills them. When people litter or put bad liquids in lakes or rivers, animals drink from it. They get it into their systems and it kills them. People also accidentally drink polluted water and get killed. When people put bad liquids on the floor, it sinks into the ground water. When we go to get the water, we drink it and die. If we don't stop polluting, it can harm the environment. That's why we need to convince people to stop polluting. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\vikiiing.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\vikiing.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Viking Outline.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\violence and corruption in a clockwork orange.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Violence and Corruption in A Clockwork Orange Alex, the fifteen year old narrator of Anthony Burgess's novel, A Clockwork Orange, lives in a society where violence reigns. This novel has a very direct nature, and is often blunt to the point of offense, but this makes it more powerful and helps to further its point. This point is that everyone is out for themselves, whether they be the police, government or citizens of this society. In this book, the police can be just as violent as Alex and his droogs, or gang. In fact, by the end of the novel, his droogs have themselves become the police. The police have no qualms about beating people almost to the point of death as they do with Alex both at the beginning, "...they all had a turn, bouncing me from one to the other like some very weak bloody ball...and fisting me in the yarbles and the [mouth] and the belly and dealing out kicks...I [was] sick...on the floor..." (70) and at the end of the book for no other reason than they feel like it. "...It was all panting and thudding against this like background of whirring farm engines..." (150) There seems to be no difference between the people being beaten by streets punks such as Alex and the police, who are supposed to protect them. The novel begins with the police doing little to protect the citizens, for how else could a fifteen year old kid and three of his friends rule the streets? They also seem to relish beating Alex for the reason that they don't get to do it often. However, by the third part of this book, crime is almost non-existent, but the police are far more brutal. Neither of these scenarios is the better of the two. In fact the cops are not out to help the people, they only want to serve themselves. Alex, during his first beating, confesses and hands his droogs to the police, but the police do nothing to capture them. The reason the people are so afraid "...then a bolt drawn, then the door open an inch or so..." (19-20) is that they have to be, since no one else seems to care about their well being. The government is not much better. These corrupted individuals are only out for themselves. They are in power, like it, and want to stay there as long as possible. To achieve this end they will both tell the people what they want and then do it for them. One example of this deals with crime. The citizens of this society are fed up with it so the government gets rid of it using brutal corrupt cops. "The way that had been cleaned up, there being no longer any dirty, ballooning slovos..." (132) Since the People are not seeing the crimes of the police, they believe that the government is protecting them and so are appeased. Another example of this deal more directly with Alex. The citizens want everyone to be good and peaceful. The government to show this take away a person's free will to be bad. Thus the citizenry believe the criminals have been reformed when in truth they have only been forced to do good, as they did with Alex. Then when the people realize they prefer free will, the government gives this back to Alex. The government is at the top and they like it there so they will do anything to stay there. Thought the government and the police are both very cruel to the people this does not mean that the people themselves are good. This is shown in many ways. One such way is that the police were once common citizens themselves so it follows that their behavior is that of the people. Another example of this involves one of Alex's former victims. At the beginning of the book, Alex and his droogs attack an old man carrying books. When Alex is released, this same old man beats him in revenge. "...starting to deal me malenky weak [hits in my stomach]..." (144) The prey becomes the predator. This shows that given a chance, even those who are supposed to be "good" will stoop to the level of the street punk. Another example of this is shown with the people who eventually try to help Alex. F. Alexander, the writer of the book A Clockwork Orange from whence the novel is named, does help Alex only for his own ends, and even harms Alex "...I could [hear] music coming out of the wall, real gromky, and it had dragged me out of my bit of sleep..." (166-167) if he thinks that will help his cause more. These are just a few examples of how the people are just as corrupt as the government. Everyone in this novel is violent, from the cops to the government to the old men who spend their days in the library. However, Alex's and other criminals, such as Pete, one of Alex's former droogs, are in many ways better than the other members of this society because they "grow up." They grow tired of the violence and decide to settle down and start families. This is something the citizens, police and government never learn. A young woman defends herself by beating Alex at the beginning of the novel, and an old man beats him at the end. The government change him one way at the beginning, and still not satisfied, change him again at the end. The police beat him at the beginning and the end. Even Alex's social worker spits on him. However, maybe we see hope for the future with the true change in Alex at the end of the novel. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\violence.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ England wanted to control the colonies. Their plan was to gain power over America so they would be able to tax the colonists. In an attempt to get money, from the colonies, England passed several acts, the Stamp Act and the Quartering Act. The Quartering Act stated that the colonists had to provide food and shelter for the royal troops. The Stamp Act required the colonists to buy a stamp when they purchased certain items. The Stamp Act angered everyone because it hit everyone's pocketbook. Colonists acted strongly and quickly, the Stamp Act was later repealed. Even though England had failed with the Stamp Act they continued trying to gain control and tax the colonies. Parliament passed the Townshend Acts in 1767 which taxed paint, glass, lead, paper, and tea. Customs Officials were granted documents, or writs of assistance, to enforce the act. These documents, issued by a court, allowed them to go into privet homes and businesses without reasonable suspicions to look for smuggled goods, at any time! In response, many groups started their own special boycotts. The Daughters of Liberty, a group organized by woman, held public spinning bees, where they made Americana cloth. Paper, paint, and cloth were all made by the colonists. A sense of unity was created with the help of the boycott. The colonists' boycott of British goods paid off. In 1770 the British government repealed the Townshend taxes on paint, paper, glass, and lead. The only item that still had a Townshend tax was tea. This news calmed most colonists. However, not everyone was happy, this was far from over. The colonists stood their ground and fought for what they believed they deserved. To be free! Free from England's rule, free from their taxes, and free to start their new world, America. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Vision.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Literary analysis: Vision Out of the Corner of One Eye. The main character of "Vision out of the Corner of One Eye ", a short story by Luisa Valezuela, goes through a complete one hundred-eighty degree change over the course of the story. In the beginning of the story, the main character is completely distraught. A man on the bus continues to fondle her, but rather than call attention to him she would rather save face for him. She hates the situation but she wants to believe he's a good person so she begins to make excuses for him: "maybe he didn't do it on purpose" or "maybe his right hand didn't know what his left hand was up to". All the while trusting , and having her trust broken. The second phase the main character went through was the attempt to flee. When she finally tried wiggling out of his reach it just gives him a better angle to touch her. As she moved away, he was right there. She was like a fox hunted by wild dogs. No matter where she went, she was trapped. The final phase was getting even. She figured she would put her hand on his butt and show him how it felt to molested. It turns out, she got more than the satisfaction of revenge, but also his wallet. The main character has lots of moral and emotional choices to make. Though in the beginning she wants nothing more than to put the incident behind her, by the end she ironically throws all of her morals out the window and steals the man's wallet. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\visual essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rules cannot diminish love. Nor can they inflame it. One's home may not always be where you were born to be, but where you have loved to be. A country is not an accurate representation of a person, nor is a person an accurate representation of a country. Differences in opinion, religion, nationality, or sexuality still stand together against evil, but nothing will accompany evil but ego. One's undying love of something keeps one alive and allows one to push against the forces of the world, however desolating and discouraging the unattainability or loss of the beloved may be. The five statements that I wrote encompass three themes in Captain Corelli's Mandolin: love, and what it can do to a person; differences, and what they can do to a community; and evil, and what it can do to the world. In this novel, it is shown that love is not affected by rules of society, or promises made. Pelagia is bound to marry Mandras, and yet her love of Antonio becomes apparent, even though he is considered to be an invader, and a foreigner. There are also many instances of unrequited love bringing about bravery and determination. Carlos Guercio, who is in love with Antonio, willingly saves his life during the slaughter of the Italians, and also risked much to save his past love before he came to the island. Antonio and Pelagia's love for one another pushed them to fight against the cruelty and repression that followed their separation. They continued to thrive under all circumstances many years later. I felt that the differences in opinion in the village on the island were a key theme in the book. While many of the men argued different forms of government, they all stood together against the tyranny of the Nazis. While the villagers hated the Italians, they fought against the Germans with them all the same. The main form of evil in this book was the Nazis. However, the Fascists were also a large problem in the novel as well, although they did not mention much effect on the villagers. The evil was strengthened by people who wanted nothing other than for themselves, and became to full of power from this surging force to know what they were really doing. There was also a prominent theme of patriotism and nationality in this novel. Many judgments of people were based on race, but nearing the end of the war, we discover that many of these people's loyalties have changed. The three main themes encountered in this novel all reflect an aspect of love or humanity. Both these topics become prominent in times of world upheaval, when men are brought to question society. The five quotations I have chosen I believe accurately represent the novel. There are two quotations based directly upon the main plot, which is the romance between Corelli and Pelagia. One explains the reflection Corelli has on their love, and his experiences in Greece. This was particularly important because after Corelli left, Pelagia allowed herself to feel sad from the memories they had had, and had not followed Corelli's advice, while Corelli was not bitter about his losses. The second quotation I chose was said by Pelagia's grandson. It reflects Corelli's role in Pelagia's life after he returned to Italy. The last excerpt on love was said by Iannis, Pelagia's father. It is his explanation of what happened between him and his deceased wife, and what he hopes will happen with Corelli and Pelagia. I have featured two quotations on the war, because there were many conflicts that arose from the war during the novel. The first explains what the Greeks and Italians thought of the war leaders, and the second what they thought of war and of each other. Both of these quotations reflect on the irritation the people had with their violent and oppressed society. My visual representation of the novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin depicts a scene towards the end of the novel where Corelli has been smuggled off the island in a boat, and Pelagia stands on the beach looking out after him and realizes that she may never see him again. Pelagia is beautiful, and yet inexorably lonely, the sadness in her features shows in her character more and more as she ages. This is a key scene in the novel because it is the end of her romance with Corelli, and the beginning of her life without him. This is when she begins to feel a desertion of her home country, and throughout her life alone, she begins to despise the land and its people. The scene in the background is a scene of one of the many beaches that are the backdrop of the story. The sun is setting on her romance, and she begins to feel the cold dark oppression of the war and its complications. The planes coming up on the horizon in the top right corner symbolize the danger that is always just ahead for the unsuspecting community in the novel. The war scenes on the bottom of the visual are placed there to represent the inescapable root conflict that is the base for all the others. The mandolin, named "Antonia" belonged to Captain Corelli, and was left with Pelagia after he returned to Italy. Placed in the center, it symbolizes the beauty that was found during the war, the new friendships that were made, the old bonds that were tightened, the new hope that was found, and the love that was inflamed. Etched into the top of the mandolin is a map of Greece, which has the texture of the ocean. This represents the setting of the novel, as well as the other hardships the island has endured throughout history. By placing it on the mandolin, a symbol of beauty in times of suffering, it symbolizes a chance for rebirth and revival of the country. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\vostok program.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tom Healy Mrs. Carpinelli Astronomy October 30, 2003 Vostok The Soviet Space Program, Vostok, was designed to be the first manned spacecraft, and therefore introducing the first man in space. Vostok I succeeded in orbiting the earth on April 12, 1961, and the first man in space was Yuri Gagarin. The vehicle used for the Vostok program consisted of two models. The first model was a reentry capsule while the second part was an instrument model. The spacecraft was both designed to take pictures with a camera in orbit and be able to maintain a passenger. The problems during this flight were very limited but what did occur was the "race to space" notion between Russia and the United States. The six manned Vostok spacecrafts proved the Russian sophistication in space travel, which led to a quicker development of America's own space endeavors. Another accomplishment of the Vostok program was Vostok 6, which introduced the first woman in space. Valentina Tereshkova went into orbit on June 16, 1963. The Vostok program was the first program to send a group of men and a woman into space, and the Russians first did this. All six missions were successful and experienced no immense difficulties that would heed their main accomplishments. The most famous man to mention who is responsible for the Vostok program would be Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov, who received permission after a lengthy debate of this mission in 1958. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Voting.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ To Vote or Not to Vote? or Lucky to be an American. Every year around elections, we hear the endless diatribe about the importance of voting. Stand up and be counted! Your vote matters! Together we CAN make a difference! Yawn. I would venture to say, more people in the US have been turned off by all those, "Let me save you from yourself", lectures than by any actual effort it takes to go out, register and vote. Give us a real reason to care, right? Let's face it, we are a nation of rebels, that's how we all got here in the first place. If we are supposed to do something, we probably won't, and vice versa. It's this kind of fierce independence that keeps us off public transportation, deliberately spending half our waking lives in traffic jams, cursing our fellow man. Don't tell us what to do, we can make all of our own mistakes, thank you very much...kind of like those, "Don't smoke, it's very bad for you", speeches most of us got when we were teenagers. I don't know about you, but I practically had to die of bronchial pneumonia before I finally got that point, and all by myself I might add. Now I am a mother of two, in my forties, and still feeling a bit rebellious. Why? I still have no idea. Grudgingly, I have to admit much of the advice my mother threw my way when I was a kid managed to stick to my Teflon, like burned on bacon fat. No matter how hard I tried to scrape it off, it pretty much stuck for the long haul. But my mother's advice was a little different. She didn't share warm, fuzzy tales full of old fashioned values. Nor did she embellish upon the hardships of living through the depression like my father did, "Do you have any idea how far I had to walk to school?" "I only got three dollars a week, so count your lucky stars for that lousy minimum wage job"! No. The stories my mother told were about life under a dictatorship in the Middle East, where people often disappeared in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. There was no due process, no trials, no voting. If you spoke up against the "Powers that be", you died; it was as simple as that. If you were unfortunate enough to be born a woman, you might have been considered someone's chattel; to be bought, sold, traded, abused, even murdered. You didn't pick your husband, and you certainly didn't pick your leaders. Human life had (and still has) no value in that part of the world. Thankfully, my mother was born into an educated family that had the means and desire to give her a life full of choices, so they sent her to the United States just after the big war to get a college degree. My mother never forgot how it was to grow up in the Middle East, and she never let me forget how lucky I am to be American. She often reminded me as Americans we have the freedom to say, "I don't like this", and do something about it, without worrying about disappearing in the middle of the night. Terrorism is on everyone's mind these days. Sometimes it comes from the outside, but more often than not, it's right in your own back yard. A politician who has an agenda to represent only the rich, themselves, or special interests other than the taxpayer is a terrorist in their own right. They might not kill you (let's hope), but they can steal your money, and restrict your freedom. So at great risk of sounding like my mother, I am going to remind you to appreciate your right as an American to say, "I don't like this", and do something about it. Know who is running for office, and what they stand for. America is the greatest country in the world, but it's going to take a little effort to keep it that way. Debora V. Mawji 403 Wateroak Wynd Sunset Beach, NC, 28468 (910) 579-4714 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\War Poetry essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ War Poetry Many poems are concerned with a sense of loss or deep sadness at a particular event. The poem 'Dulce et decorum est' by Wilfred Owen deals with both loss and deep sadness. Immediately in the poem there are very strong images being used throughout the poem and this shows the sadness from the very start. Figures of speech are used to bring out these images and make them stronger. The meaning of 'Dulce et decorum est' is -"it is sweet and honourable". This makes you think that it will be a poem encouraging war, but as soon as you start to read the poem you realise that it is the complete opposite. The simile's that are used in the first verse give strong images such as: "like old beggars under sacks" and "coughing like hags". These are used to describe the way in which the soldiers were walking. They show that they were extremely tired and ill. In the first verse it gives you an idea of the poor conditions the soldiers had to cope with using statements like: "many had lost their boots but limped on, blood-shod". The first verse is said with a slow rhythm, which greatly emphasises the sadness of what is being said and makes the horrific images stand out. In the second verse the rhythm speeds up as the situation changes giving a more frantic feel. The images are still all there though from lines like: "Gas! Gas! Quick, boys" - an ecstasy of fumbling" and "As under a green sea, I saw him drowning". St the start of this verse there is someone warning of gas and is calling the soldiers "boys" adding to the horrific pictures as it shows that they are young, then going on to tell of the death of one of these "boys" when they he can't get his mask on. Powerful images are used to describe this event like: "He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning". This line has great effect as it gives you the picture of someone drowning but you know there is only gas so the words "choking" and "drowning" show that it is the effect the gas is having on him and he is having a slow, painful death. This quote uses alliteration and onomatopoeia in the last few words, which adds to the effect of the already powerful words. Wilfred Owen keeps using words like "we" or "I" showing that these things happened to him personally and such horrible ways of dying and suffering really happened to these soldiers he talks of. Even small words like these are very important in the poem as they show the real-ness of the events. The third verse is the longest of the three and this moves onto talking to the civilians, the people at home or even the generals, basically the people who sent them to fight, as it sounds quite angry. To show this he uses phrases such as: "If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace Behind the wagon that we fling him in." He keeps starting of a line with "if you could" as if he's saying, you all say that war is great but look what it does to us. It talks of what the man looks like in the wagon and it is quite tragic as you realise how many men actually died like this or in a similarly horrible way. This verse greatly emphasises the feeling of loss that people suffered and even though Wilfred Owen is only talking about one man you know that there were many others just like him. Two of the most effective similes that are used to describe the dead man in the verse are: "His hanging face, like a devils sick of sin" and "Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile" These two alone present a very strong picture in your mind of what the man looks like just lying there and within all the other images surrounding thee lines there is a very clear and horrid image of one man's horrific death knowing there were many others like it. The third verse ends in a very simple yet extremely effective way: "The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori." The words "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" mean - it is sweet and honourable to die for one's country. These two lines sum up the whole poem saying that this phrase is a complete lie and there is no way this could be true after what he had seen and been through. Wilfred Owen has put across to the reader the emotions of loss and deep sadness in very effective ways using figures of speech combined with strong imagery to describe the horrific-ness of war. The change of rhythm is also very effective as it conveys different emotions in different situations as they change. The poem deals with very strong emotions and for Wilfred Owen to write such powerful poems his emotions must have been even stronger. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\ward essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ward Rooney Honors 10-8 Mr. Howie January 19, 2004 The Few, The Proud, The People Named Ward The beaver, a warden, Heinz, Ashley and creepy are some of the things thought of when people hear the name Ward. Some of these views are parallel thoughts while others are off the wall. The association of Ward, the beaver, comes from the classic television series, Heinz Ward, the professional football player is a person people recall when they hear my name, or a warden coming from the English origin meaning, guard, all of these links somewhat make sense. Dandelion, Ashley, the color silver and even the number 6 are just some abstract ideas people associate with my name. When I think of my name I naturally think of my father and myself. I was named after my father, who received the name from his mother's maiden name. I despised my name for years. It angered and bothered me that I was the only one in my class without a normal name such as David or Michael. My brother, Eric, had a normal name and I felt that I got stuck with Ward. It was not until the day I told my grandmother about how I wanted to change my name that I began to appreciate the name. My grandmother said she actually was glad I was named Ward and not my brother because she felt it takes a certain character to pull off my name and she did not want to hear any more nonsense about me hating my name. I immediately knew exactly what she was saying and from then on I had an appreciation for my name and learned it came with honor not disgrace. I feel honored to be named after my father and hope to live up to the expectations that came with my name. I hope not only to fulfill the shoes of my father but to surpass him and bring honor to the name. The food people think of when they think of Ward is peas, Ward is thought of as a rabbit, silver, and one that would be stupid. I hope by some sort of major accomplishments by not only myself but with my future son that I will name Ward; that Ward will be thought of as filet mignon, a lion, platinum and one of equal intelligence to Einstein. Ward would be a name that one will be honored to have. Unfortunately, I have never met anyone besides my father with the name Ward. However, I imagine that they would be a person with a stern and strong character and share the same views as myself. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\warfare.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Waterlily.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Waterlily by Ella Cara Deloria Mn. History 2-3-97 Waterlily is a book based on the events that happen within a particular Dakota Indian family's life. Not only does it depict the affairs of blue Bird's life and her family, but it documents the rituals and culture of the Dakota people. With illustrative words and graphic details, the incidences within the story can be visualized and understood. The story begins with the occurrences that take place with a certain individual, Blue Bird. Blue Bird is traveling with a camp of Dakotas and is carrying a baby while doing so. While on the path, Blue Bird feels it is time to have her baby and went off into the trees to have her baby. Seeing how beautiful her baby was Blue Bird exclaimed, "How beautiful you are! As beautiful as the waterlillies. You to are a waterlily, my waterlily." (p. 6). Blue Bird ends up marrying a man, Star Elk, whom doesn't favor her grandmother very much. Star Elk is a lazy, jealous man who is sub-standard in Dakota male value. He demonstrates this effectively when he "throws away his wife" (p. 16) at a victory dance. Men weren't suppose to publicly display emotion in Dakota tradition. After being publicly humiliated, Blue Bird, her grandmother and Waterlily luckily and happily ran into their family's tiyospaye. The reason why it was so fortunate is because Blue Birds parents and brothers were killed one day when Blue Bird was about fourteen. They were taken in and made to feel at home. Along with finding their family, Blue Bird also met her new husband, Rainbow. Rainbow was a good provider, hard worker and a widow who had a son. Little Chief. Together, Rainbow and Blue Bird would have two more children. One of the major customs that was most interesting was that of the Sun Dance. Here, Dakota men would fast and dance continuously. If any requests from the men to the Gods were made, the men paid back their request at this time. It was truly a dance of thanks and praise for their most fortunate gifts. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Week 3 osler and gould essay style.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Week 3 Historical Essay Style by Medical Authors Osler and Gould I wish I had read Gould's Prefatory and Introductory prior to last week's assigned reading from his "Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine." It's as if someone's turned on the light of understanding, and I finally comprehend what he's talking about...or at least understand where he's coming from. In the Prefatory and Introductory, Gould supplies a comprehensive insight to the purpose of the text - a collection of some of the most anomalous, abnormal and bizarre medical curiosities. In this sufficient introduction, he indicates the curiousness regarding the fact that a collection of these types of medical oddities hadn't previously been assembled. This is odd, according to Gould, due to the overwhelming interest in this topic thus leading him to the conclusion that this interest surely would have brought about an earlier compilation of such information. Gould stated "truly it has been said, facts are stranger than fiction" statement. And his statement of "persistently dominant interest," I felt, juxtaposed the flurry of "Reality TV" shows that have exploded across the networks as of late. It seems to be human nature to want to submerge ourselves in these "reality" based scenarios, which are often times seemingly anything but realistic. His justification for these articles to serve as more than entertainment or an answer key to sheer curiosity is felt in his statement explaining that clinicians and investigators need a source as such for reference. This benchmark of sorts can be used to when investigating their particular cases. They can compare their findings with those therein Gould's anthology and determine if a similar instance has been documented. Gould recognizes the suspicion present when reading these tales of ancient philosophers, however he advises their acceptance should be evident as is that for modern cases. From this statement, and moving into his example about how Pare's ideas could be either well or poorly received, depending on the topic of discussion, he briefly explores the concept of credibility or "ethos." He continues to correlate this battle of old-time versus new medicine by adding that honesty is underlying in both, and that although extreme and bizarre, the credibility is present in both. Continuing with the subject of journalist's burden of credibility, which still exists very much still today, Gould states the journalist's responsibility ceases assuming they've cited a reputable authors and sources. And I believe this still holds true today. In the spirit of a true author, Gould provides somewhat of a full disclosure, identifying that modifications were made to some extent for certain reasons. He is sure to include that while tremendous effort were made to ensure the integrity of the information, that there is a possibility errors are present. He continues by soliciting his readers' critiques, comments and suggestions. I appreciate this type of honesty. Finally, he recognizes the efforts of various contributors, which, as we examined in the Ethical Issues class, is of the utmost importance. Giving credit where credit is due is essential. Looking at Gould's sales pitch...or article in the Philadelphia Medical Journal, I felt as if I was being approached by a Girl Scout selling me cookies. His effort is valiant, tugging on the patriotic strings of the readers. He isn't shy, clearly stating his opinion of this journal and how it's subscription is cheaper than that of its competitors. He identifies a vision of a limitless future-visualizing a 100-page weekly journal (far more than the current length of the time) adequately serving a profession of medical "men." I suppose there were no medical women at the time! And for a mere $3.00 per annum, I must admit, I would have broke down and bought a subscription. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Wendis Antigone Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wendi M. Brooks Core I 9-29-03 Antigone Antigone is a tragic story of death and heroines. It begins with Antigone and her sister Ismene talking about burying their dead brother, Polynices. Polynices and their other brother, Eteocles were supposed to rule Thebes after their father, Oedipus died. They were each supposed to rule in succession for one year, but Eteocles refused to step down from the throne. Polynices marched on Thebes with a band of men, and was defeated. However, Both Polynices and Eteocles were killed. This made Creon, their uncle, ruler of Thebes. Creon had a very strict rule that said that any intruders that come into Thebes trying to fight or defeat anyone, would not be given a proper burial. "No burial of any kind. No wailing, no public tears." (line 28) Therefore, Polynices wasn't given a proper burial. Antigone and Ismene were very upset about this because it is a disgrace to their family reputation. They knew their father had died in a disgraceful way and that their family reputation was only going to get worse if they let their brother go unburied. Antigone decided she was going to bury him herself. Ismene declares "...we must obey this order, even if it hurts us more...I'll obey the men in charge..." (line 64, 67) She is advising her not to, and told her that she would not take part in this illegal act. So, Antigone did it by herself. After Creon found out that she was the one that did this, he told her that her punishment was death, and Antigone was willing to accept that. Her fiancé, Creon's son, tried to pursued him not to kill her, but he wasn't successful. She was sentenced to death. I will focus on both Creon and Antigone's reasons and excuses for their actions. I think they both have good legitimate reasons for what they do. Brooks 2 This story is focused on the conflict between the two main characters, Creon and Antigone. Some would say that Creon is a horrible ruler. I disagree. He had his rules and he stuck to them. Polynices should have known this rule, and therefore knew what the consequences of his actions were going to be. The reason he wasn't willing to give Polynices a proper burial was for his invasion of Thebes and his attack on his brother. In the play he justifies this punishment by saying that he has to be strong and strict in order to keep his rule over Thebes. If he were to let some people break the rules and get away with it, then others would do it, and it wouldn't be fair. Antigone is presenting an example of civil disobedience by burying her brother and accepting the consequences. She is most definitely a righteous martyr, although she could have warned her brother of the consequences so that he wouldn't have invaded Thebes and then lost his right to a proper burial. All she wants is her brother to be looked highly on by the gods, and she knows this won't happen if he doesn't get buried. She cares about her brother and the rest of her family, as well as their reputation. There could very well be an element of self destructiveness in her effort to help her brother get buried. Throughout the play she seems completely willing to give up her own life to give help to her brother. And that she does. She is sentenced to death by Creon. Her fiancé attempted to convince Creon not to kill her, but it didn't work, and she was killed. A person's duty to society differs from culture to culture. In this play we don't see too many references to how the citizens are supposed to fulfill duty to their society. Antigone felt that it was her duty to society to bury her brother, and not let him be left unburied. In Pericles' funeral speech we see more of a distinct description of how to behave, and what duties there are to society. For example when it states "we do not feel Brooks 3 called upon to be angry with our neighbor for doing what he likes, or even to indulge in those injurious looks which cannot fail to be offensive although they inflict no positive penalty." (Pericles' Funeral Speech) In this quote we see Pericles somewhat telling the citizens how to act. Antigone probably would have agreed with Pericles. She was all for supporting her society and those that lived in it. She would have liked to live where Pericles did, where everything had order and it also seemed to be much more relaxed. In conclusion, the main characters in this play are both justified in some sense for their actions. If I were in either of their positions I most likely would have done the exact same thing they did. I would not stand to see my brother become a disgrace to the gods. If I were ruler, I would definitely put my foot down and stick to the rules I had put into place. Granted he didn't have sympathy for Antigone or the rest of her family, he was only being a good ruler by upholding the laws of the land. So, in my mind they are both justified for their actions. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\What Goes Around Comes Around.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ What Goes Around Comes Around In his story "The Black Cat," Edgar Allan Poe dramatizes his experience with madness, and challenges the readers suspension of disbelief by using imagery in describing the plot and characters. Poe uses foreshadowing to describe the scenes of sanity versus insanity. He writes "for the most wild yet homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor illicit belief. Yet mad I am not- and surely do I not dream," alerts the reader about a forthcoming story that will test the boundaries of reality and fiction. The author asserts his belief of the activities described in the story when he states "to-morrow I die, and to-day I would unburden my soul"(80). Poe describes his affectionate temperament of his character when he writes "my tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of my companions"(80). He also characterizes his animal friends as "unselfish" and their love as "self-sacrificing" illustrating to the readers his devotion to them for their companionship. The author uses foreshadowing in the statement "we had birds, goldfish, a fine dog, a rabbit, a small monkey, and a cat"(80). The use of italics hints to the reader of upcoming events about the cat that peaks interest and anticipation. Poe also describes a touch foreshadowing and suspension of disbelief when he illustrates his wives response to the cat when he writes "all black cats are witches in disguise, not that she was ever serious upon this point-and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than it happened, just now, to be remembered"(80). Poe expresses his early attachment to the cat and dramatizes the character changes he experiences when he writes "our friendship lasted, in this manner, for several years, during which my general temperament and character-through instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance-had (I blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for the worse"(81). He warns the reader of new events in a cynical tone and implies the beginning of the madness he denies. Poe first illustrates this madness when he uses imagery to describe the brutal scene with the cat when he writes "I took from my waistcoat-pocket a pen knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket!" The author describes his emotional and physical state of being during the unthinkable act as "I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity"(81). He describes the morning aftereffect of his actions when he states "when reason returned with the morning-when I had slept off the fumes of the night's debauch-I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse, for the crime of which I had been guilty; but it was, at best, a feeble and equivocable feeling, and the soul remained untouched"(81). Now Poe implies to the readers that he has truly crossed over into madness by brutally attacking the animal and feeling little or no remorse. Next Poe dramatizes his change in character even further when he writes "and then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of PERVERSENESS,"(81) which once again alerts the reader of new events so shocking that reading forward becomes an essentiality. The author illustrates a scene so outrageous that the reader has to go beyond the suspension of disbelief they have agreed to participate in. He writes "One morning, in cold blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree;-hung it with tears streaming from my eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart;-hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offense;-hung it because I knew that in so I was committing a sin-a deadly sin that would jeopardize my immortal soul as to place it-if such a thing were possible- even beyond the reach of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God"(81-82). Now the reader has crossed over the line of reality versus fiction. The author continues to illustrate the inconceivable story when he describes the scene after the fire that destroyed every part of the house except the one wall that was still standing. Poe writes "I approached and saw, as if graven in bas-relief upon the white surface the figure of a gigantic cat and there was a rope around the animals neck,"(82) leading the readers to join the madness and believe that this was the same cat that Poe had savagely destroyed earlier that same day. The author describes his need to replace the animal in order to feel peace and after doing so, he finds himself once again feeling a abhorrence toward the animal. He writes "but gradually-very gradually- I came to look upon it with unutterable loathing, and to flee silently from its odious presence, as from the breath of a pestance"(83). Poe uses imagery to describes his disgust with the cat when he states "that like Pluto, it also had been deprived of one of its eyes,"(83) he now wanted to destroy this animal as well. Poe illustrates the change of character he has experience since the beginning of the story only now he has gone beyond the madness that has consumed him many times. He writes "evil thoughts becomes my sole intimates-the darkest and most evil of thoughts"(84). The author uses more imagery when he writes the final abominable act of evil. Poe confesses to the reader about the murder of his wife when he states "goaded by the interference into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the ax in her brain"(84). He explains how he disposes of the body in detail and describes the relief he feels when he writes "I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul"(85). Poe informs the reader of his little remorse when he states" my happiness was supreme, and the guilt of my dark deed disturbed me but little"(85). The author leads the reader to the final plateau of suspension when he dramatizes the conclusion of the story. He explains the sounds he heard in detail when the mystery unfolds regarding the missing cat he had not seen or heard from since the murder. He writes "like the sobbing of a child, and then quickly swelling into one long, loud, and continuous scream, utterly anomalous and inhuman-a howl-a wailing shriek, half of horror and half of triumph, such as might have arisen only out of hell, conjointly from the throats of the damned in their agony and the demons that exult in the damnation"(85). Poes use of descriptive details allows the reader to feel the horrifying experience of a man who believed he was free from the evil of madness. Poe ends the story after utilizing every inch of suspension of disbelief the reader can afford. He sums up the plot of the story when he writes "the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman," (85) implying that the cat had induced the same torture on him that he had brought on the first cat. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\What Makes Those XMen So Darn Great .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Why Does Zach Like Those So Much? Zach Dotsey English 101 Section 30 12 December, 1996 Third and Final Draft When many people hear about the X-Men, they think of a silly kid's comic book, but that is not so. X-Men, actually most comic books in general, are a unique blend of two classic art forms; drawings, sometimes even paintings, and storytelling. A comic artist must be able to convey the right mood and feeling for his or her art. They must also be able to fluidly tell a story and fit it all in the allotted number of pages. The stories often probe deep into the human psyche, questioning what is right and what is wrong or showing human frailty. That is not all. In a series like the X-Men, where there are at least a few hundred characters, past and present, leading and supporting, even dead and alive, the writer must keep track of a character's experiences and their personality. They must also keep track of continuity, making sure they don't contradict past events. This last rule is only loosely followed sometimes. All in all, a long, ongoing story can be like a soap opera. My favorite example of this is "The Summers Family," Which goes a little something like this: There are two brothers, Scott and Alex Summers, who were orphaned as children when they were pushed from a plane being attacked by an advanced alien race. Their mother died but their father went on to become a space pirate. Later, Scott falls in love with Jean Grey, who becomes an omnipotent primal force, the Phoenix, who commits suicide to save the universe from herself. Meanwhile, a bad guy has made a clone of Jean named Maddie, who marries Scott. They have a baby, Nathan. Jean returns from the dead, not actually having been the Phoenix, but actually a body template. Scott leaves his family and joins a team of super heroes with Jean and some other old friends. Well, Maddie becomes a bad guy and apparently dies. Later, the baby, Nate, is infected by another bad guy with an incurable virus, so he's sent 2000 years into the future where he grows up then comes back to help fight the good fight. Nate was brought into the future by a group of people pulled together by his "older sister." His older sister is Rachel, who was born in an alternate timeline where almost all the good guys were dead. Her parents were Scott and the real Jean. She came back to prevent her time from ever happening and ended up about 2000 years in the future because a friend was stuck traveling about in the time stream. Meanwhile Alex feels that he cannot live up to Scott's standards so he constantly tries to escape his shadow. He gets brainwashed into being a bad guy, recovers to lead a group of good guys, and gets brainwashed again. Great family history, no? Oh yes, there may be another brother around somewhere. The X-Men are all mutants, Homo Sapien Superior, the next evolutionary step for human beings, a minority group of people with a genetic quirk, an "X-Factor" that grants them extraordinary powers. Some are blessings, like the ability to control the weather or to fly. Some are curses, such as the ability to blast uncontrollably strong beams of force from the eyes. Blessed or cursed, mutants are a group of people who are feared for their differences. Some mutants strike back against humanity in a harmful manner. One group who attacks regular humans is the Acolytes, formerly lead by the X-Men's oldest enemy, Magneto. They have attacked hospitals and orphanages just to "cleanse the genepool." Some strive to bridge the gap between mutant and human. These are the X-Men, a group of mutants, formed by Professor Charles Xavier, the world's strongest telepath, "sworn to protect a world that fears and hates them." The X-Men comics are not just about prejudice either. They tackle many social issues, such as abortion and AIDS. The original team of X-Men consisted of five teen-agers and Xavier (Professor X). These were not as popular as other titles of the times such as Superman, Batman, Spiderman, The Fantastic Four, and The Avengers. The early stories were basically about a supergroup that went around facing super bad guys and some prejudice now and then. After sixty-odd issues, X-Men started just reprinting old stories. This went on for about thirty issues when the book was going to be canceled. The X-Men were saved by the creative team of Dave Cockrum, John Byrne, and Terry Austin with Giant Sized X-Men #1. Giant Sized X-Men #1 introduced an "all-new, all-different X-Men." This boasted in a new team of mutants. The new team of X-Men was multi-racial and multi-national, whereas the original team was a bunch of white American kids. It was also a very radical team, considering the time period (the late seventies). Since the book was scheduled to be canceled, the creators decided to be a little bit radical in their approach to this dying comic book. The person who took over field command was Storm, an African native. Think of that, a black woman leading a superhero comic book team, a role she usurped from a young white male (Cyclops). It was quite a change from the norm. There was also a young Russian, Colossus, during a time when Russians were taboo in America. The others in the team were Wolverine, a Canadian, whose violent nature was very different from the "boy scout types" like Superman. There were also Sunfire from Japan, Banshee from Ireland, Nightcrawler (no, he is not a worm) from Germany, and Thunderbird, an Apache Indian. One thing that made this group of X-Men stand out was that on the first mission for the new team, issue #95, they killed off Thunderbird, an extremely new and radical thing. About 40 issues later they killed off one of the large mainstay characters, Jean Grey, who was a founding member. Of course, as I explained earlier, she came back a few years later, but it was a really big thing at the time. That X-Men team went on many adventures, saved galaxies and all reality, and built up a huge supporting cast, paving the way for spin-off books. A current list of X-Men books includes the following titles; Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force (originally New Mutants), Excalibur, Generation X, X-Man, Wolverine, Cable, and Deadpool, not to mention a lot of four issue limited series titles. So, you may be asking, where does all the social stuff come in? Well, it started coming into play early on, with the first group of X-Men. People began to realize what it could mean to have people being born with great super powers. They began to feel afraid and obsolete. One man, Dr. Bolivar Trask, played on these fears and built giant robots to capture and control mutants. I believe this was around issue #15. They were called Sentinels and have been a recurring problem for they X-Men. This parallels to the United States government taking action against other groups of people they did not understand, such as the Indians forced onto reservations, or the blacks that were oppressed with laws until very recently. Another government action was the Mutant Registration Act, which required mutants to check in with the government to the government could keep tabs on them. One storyline dealing with racism is called "Days of Future Past" (which I recently bought for a total of $21, one issue is even autographed by the artist). This story illustrates a consequence of racism out of control. In it, the Sentinels are programmed to protect humans from all mutants. The Sentinels figure that the best way to do that is by taking over the humans. In the end, all the heroes are dead and the Sentinels prepare to launch an attack on the rest of the world to save it from the mutant menace just as Europe is about to launch nuclear missiles at the conquered North America to keep the Sentinels away. The world is a nightmare where people are killed or shipped to concentration camps for being born a little differently from most others, when racism wins out over reason. Another template of a society gone mad with racism is shown in the island country of Genosha. At one time Genosha was a thriving country, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. It seemed perfect, everyone seemed happy. But things are not always as they seem. Genosha was secretly taken care of by mutates, mutants who were made to be subordinate through mindwiping techniques. The whole country, even the transportation systems like the railroads, were run off mutate energy. All the low jobs were given to the mutates, who didn't even have mind enough to speak in protest. Eventually the X-Men helped to free the mutates, but, after failing to live peacefully together, a civil war broke out, leaving the once prosperous nation in ruins. The normal humans are not the only people guilty of racism in X-Men. The first villain ever fought by the X-Men was Magneto, a mutant who sought to rule over the mutants and crush humanity for being inferior. After being defeated time and again and even switching sides once, Magneto decided to gather up mutants and live off of Earth and away from humans on an orbital space station called Avalon. It was eventually blown up and Magneto lost his memory then joined the X-Men again. Magneto mirrors many things tried by minorities in America. His attempts to fight back are like the Black Panthers and some Indian tribes. His separationist views are like some of what Malcolm X thought. Then there is the inevitable attempt to fit in, which seems to work as a temporary, surface fix. Another group who struck back out of fear was the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, lead by Magneto, then Mystique, and now Havok. Mystique's Brotherhood was even more militant in some ways than Magneto was. They attempted an assassination of a presidential candidate which, if successful, would have set the Days of Future Past storyline into actuality. They were as much, if not even more like the Indians and Black Panthers than Magneto (until they became a government sanctioned group in return for full pardons). Havok's group is too new to assess right now. Social organizations have also been involved in the racial issues, as they often were long ago. There have been two prime examples of this. One was a story called God Loves, Man Kills, where the preacher tells his clergy that mutants, having strange powers, are all hellspawn and condones hunting them down and killing them to keep the threat away and to put a little chlorine in the gene pool. This is like the Ku Klux Klan or a racist church one may hear about in movies or television shows. The other example is also a church but it shows a school of more open thought. In this church, the preacher recognizes that some of these mutants use their powers to help others and they should not be prejudged. The X-Men are even compared to angels in this story. This shows the organizations, such as churches, that are open to people, no matter who they are. As said earlier, the X-Men don't revolve only around prejudice, but they battle other social injustices as well. One is the fear inspired by the Legacy Virus. This is a disease that attacks a mutant's genetic structure and eats it away, much like the AIDS virus attacks and destroys a person's immune system. The X-Men have already lost some close friends to this disease. At first it was thought that only mutants could get the virus, like it was once thought that only homosexuals or drug users could get AIDS. Then a friend of the X-Men, genetic researcher Moira MacTaggert, a normal human, contracted the disease and panic spread like wild fire. Now all of the sudden every Tom, Dick, and Harry is afraid of catching "that Mutie disease." For a while, as I remember, people thought one could catch AIDS by being near an infected person. That is how people see the Legacy Virus: get near a mutant and you'll catch that non-curable disease they all have. Another issue the mighty mutants have confronted is abortion. Is it right to prevent a life if it is known that the baby will have what is essentially a birth defect? In one storyline in X-Factor a doctor discovers a way to tell if a fetus will be a mutant or not. This information can be passed along to the parents who can decide if they want a mutant baby or not. In the end, Wolfsbane, a conservative Scottish Catholic lass, destroys all the research information the doctor has, preventing mutant abortions. Currently, anti-mutant hysteria is at an all time high. An ultra-powerful combination of Professor X and Magneto took control of an army of Sentinels and programmed them to round up super-powered people and destroy New York City. This amalgamated being, called Onslaught, decided he would get rid of all normal people and then decided to just kill everybody. To destroy him, Earth's popular heroes, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, sacrificed themselves. Most people view it in this way: a mutant killed all of their favorite heroes so mutants are all evil. It also did not help the mutant cause that a popular anti-mutant presidential candidate was killed on live television by an as-of-now unknown mutant. No, mutants are not riding high on America's popularity list. The X-Men are popular outside comic books also. There is a cartoon and a comic spin off of the cartoon, since it is geared towards younger people. As Philip always points out, there is an X-Men ravioli out there. Clothing, shoes, video games, toys, dolls, Pez dispensers, shoestrings, you name it, the X-Men are likely to have it. So why do I like the X-Men so much? It is a combination of a lot of things. Great stories, characters you can get attached to, beautiful art, a different perspective (everybody loves Superman, but nobody loves mutants), and social relevance. What else could make a better escapist's world? Not only all that, but they are everywhere you turn. And now, a few of the Professor Xavier, founder of the X-Men, telepath Magneto, first enemy of the X-Men, one-time leader, now a team mate, ability to manipulate magnetic fields Cyclops, first and leader of the X-Man, Phoenix's husband, fires uncontrollable optic beams Phoenix, Cyclops' wife, founding X-Man, telekinesis (can move objects with thoughts) and telepathy Beast, founding X-Man, super strong and intelligent, hand-like feet Archangel, founding X-Man, originally had feathered wings, but they were ripped off and later replaced Iceman, founding X-Man, can turn into ice and manipulate nearby temperature Storm, leader of second team of X-Men, manipulates weather Wolverine, most well-known X-Man, has bone claws and the ability to heal extremely fast, had indestructible metal laced bones and claws until Magneto sucked them out of him Nightcrawler, now leads Excalibur, ability to teleport Colossus, now with Excalibur, body transforms into an organic steel, also super strong Jubilee, now with Generation X, formerly Wolverine's sidekick, ability to produce "fireworks" Cable, son of Cyclops and a clone of Phoenix, leads X-Force, telepathy and telekinesis There are many, many other mutants, but these are a few pretty important ones. Freak. Flatscan. Deadend. Genejoke. Mutie. Words. Powerful words meant to distance... to demean... to destroy the havens of self respect we each carry and nurture within us. Seeing past their differences, humans and mutants share a common, unbreakable bond. Underneath all the "words"... we are related. We are all family. -Professor Charles Francis Xavier, Uncanny X-Men #294 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Whats Love Got to do With It .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ What's Love Got to Do With It In Pride and Predjuice life is not all fun and games. There are many pressures in life: mothers with high expectations for a good marriage and a girl's own expectation of what life and hopefully marriage will be like. Charlotte Lucas is the oldest daughter in a large family, she is not the most beautiful girl, and she is twenty-seven, well beyond the marrying age. Charlotte is Elizabeth Bennett's best friend and Mr. Collins, the man Charlotte finally marries, is Elizabeth's cousin. Charlotte Lucas will marry to solidify her life, not because she loves, for many people are unkind about her ability to marry well; thus after her marriage to Mr. Collins, she spends all of her time avoiding him. Charlotte knows that even though she wants to marry more than anything in the world, she does not expect love to come about; thus, she decides that it is probably even better if you don't know a thing at all about the person you are marrying. While Charlotte is speaking to Elizabeth about her sister, she expressed her opinion as to Jane Bennet's relationship towards a gentleman. She says it is probably better not to study a person because you would probably know as much after twelve months as if she married him the next day. Charlotte even goes as far as to say that "it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life" (p.21). Charlotte considered Mr. Collins "neither sensible nor agreeable" but since marriage had always been her goal in life, "at the age of twenty-seven, with having never been handsome, she felt all the good luck of it" (p.107). Charlotte is speaking to Elizabeth on her marriage to Mr. Collins, "I am not romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins' character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state" (p.110). Charlotte is optimistic in entering her marriage even though Elizabeth is not. The people associated with Charlotte, even her dear friends, have little expectation for Charlotte's marrying well. While Mrs. Benett is speaking to Mr. Bingley the subject of Charlotte Lucas comes up and Mrs. Bennet can not help but to comment about Charlotte's beauty, "...but you must own she is very plain. Lady Lucas has often said so..." (p.39). Even good-natured Jane, Elizabeth's sister, has something to say about Charlotte's marriage to Mr. Collins. Jane argues that Mr. Collins is respectable and that Charlotte is from a large family and is not exceptionally wealthy. She also states that Charlotte, "may feel something like regard and esteem for our cousin" (p.117). Elizabeth taking the opposite point of view on the issue says, "Mr. Collins is a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man;" then continued to list reasons as to why, "the woman who marries him [Mr. Collins] cannot have a proper way of thinking" (p. 117). Charlotte, having gone into her marriage with Mr. Collins with her eyes open, puts most of her energy into avoiding her husband. Charlotte finding herself now having to deal with her husband makes her quarters in the lesser part of their house, leaving the more attractive part to her husband so he will spend more time there (p. 144). Also, Charlotte and Mr. Collins take walks every morning, which Charlotte walked considerably fast in order to leave Mr. Collins to every view, "with a minuteness which left beauty entirely behind" (p.134). Elizabeth, while visiting Charlotte, observed another way in which Carlotte tolerated her husband, her observation was, "Her home and her housekeeping, her parish and her poultry, and all their dependent concerns, have not yet lost their charms" (p.183). Charlotte neither being pretty nor wealthy has compensated for her husband's annoying traits in many ways. In a time when most girl's goals were to get married, Charlotte achieved her goals. Even though she may not love, not even like her husband, she is happy because she will not be a spinster. Austin, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Copyright 1813. Nal Penguin Inc., New York, NY f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\When I was a Kid.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ When I was a kid we left the dirty streets of Brooklyn, New York for the quieter suburban streets of Connecticut. We moved into a large house in Norwalk, Connecticut. Norwalk is the sort of town that dreams of being a big city but will always be just another small port on the Connecticut coastline. Like out of some horror story, the south side of town offers plenty of frightening images: ghettos, drug dealers, prostitutes, graffiti, and even young urban professionals. The south end was a popular place to work, but when the day ended, these young men and woman got into their BMWs, Porsches, and other toys and drove to safe ground. Most found their way to surrounding towns: Westport, Wilton, New Canaan, and others. Other people, like my parents, crossed town through East Norwalk to our home in the northern end of town. Sometimes I would hear my father boast to far off relatives that we lived in a nice residential neighborhood (otherwise known as "the good area") In most horror stories, as the hero approaches some haunted house (or some other terror) you can shout, "Don't go in there! Stay away!" People moving into Norwalk have no such luck; they move into the charming town without a clue of it's underlying sickness and disagreeable citizens. One of my first discoveries was the river that passed through the middle of town. I was only a kid, maybe ten, when I started fishing by the edge of the river. It wasn't easy finding the perfect location; this was a place where I would want to be alone, a place to get away from the unhappiness that would spread like fire through my home on occasion. This time away was possibly the most important thing to me then. When I turned eleven years old, one of my favorite gifts was a large book. When the moment was right, I ran upstairs to my bedroom, opened the book, and found the word "fish." The brown book, Funk and Wagnals (the name made me giggle), defined the word: to catch or try to catch fish. to try to get something in an artful or indirect manner. To me, good old Funky Wagnails couldn't be further from the truth; the true meaning of fishing. It wasn't about hunting fish or about rods and reels or fishing lines. No, it had nothing to do with that. Fishing was a time, not an action. When I climbed the hill, crossed the path everyone else followed, and finally reached the surging river my spirit soared. I was no longer little Steven Stepleman, son of Leonard (a tough man who "gave you a shot" for "your own good"), brother of Howard (an even tougher, bigger man who played football and everyone expected to get a sports scholarship), the baby to Ellen (a loving but timid woman who swore that it was a busy schedule that made Len sometimes mean, but I knew better). No, I was none of these people. I was Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, The Fonz in Happy Days, or Roger Staubach throwing a touchdown pass for the Dallas Cowboys. I was all of these people and more, rarely catching fish, but always fishing. Back at home my mother was usually busy in the kitchen. My mother, a large woman, seemed to enjoy cooking. She let us believe that lie, the truth was that she enjoyed eating. Mom wasn't simply fat, wasn't just overweight, chubby, hefty, plump, or any other word one would choose. She was huge. Her weight did fluctuate, of course. At times she would lose twenty or thirty pounds and we would all be proud of her and then she would start to put it back on. Although she was occasionally aware of her ominous size, she usually ignored it. These were times where she would come face to face with the dark shadow her weight had cast on her life. Like when we would go to the movies and she would be uncomfortable in the small theater seats. Sometimes people would stare at her as she tried to casually manipulate herself into her chair. There was the time she had gotten into a crowded elevator and saw the small sign by the doors, 1000 pounds maximum, and worried that she and the unfortunate people riding with her were going to plunge to their deaths. So, although she was acutely aware of her size, she usually pushed these thoughts away. It wasn't until years later that she took off most of the excess weight after a scare in the hospital. My father was a distant man who was usually preoccupied with his career. We rarely spent time alone. Sometimes, when my father could find time with me, we would play football, baseball, and other sports. There weren't many times that we played together alone. My brother always seemed to be involved. Eventually, my father and I developed a pretty good relationship; he hung out with my older brother and I got to watch. Once, we were watching the "Outer Limits" or "The Twilight Zone" while my mother quietly read a magazine. She folded her Life magazine, put it down, and began to knit by the fireplace. My mother and I noticed that my father had been drinking beer that night. He had a pretty good buzz going. She looked back to her knitting and I looked to my television. The room was silent except for a few creepy sound effects from the TV. Outside we could hear a dog barking and crickets cricketing. Just as things became too quiet my father bellowed, "How can you watch this crap? That stupid thing looks fake!" I stared blankly at my father, not knowing what to say. I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn't. I wanted to shout, "Of course it looks fake! Of course its crap! That's the fun of it you stupid ass! That slimy, oozing, fake thing is going to make me sleep with the lights on tonight like a baby! Sure it's fake, sure it's crap, but I wish it would tear off your head like it's doing to that poor guy right now!" But I didn't say these things; I couldn't say these things. Instead, I said some vague comment about how scary the show was. My father's red eyes, which were growing redder by the second, looked at me. He reached, without looking, and grabbed another beer. After he gulped down half the can, he spoke. "That's scary? I'll tell you what scary is, kid." As I said, I think daddy had one too many drinks. "Scared is not being able to pay the mortgage. Scared is trying to support a family. Scared is knowing some lunatic is raping woman and your wife could be next. " He took a deep sigh. "Don't tell me about scared, kid, you don't know the half of it." My eyes became red like my father's and my face felt hot. I wasn't angry; I was beyond that. I was desperately trying to hold back tears. Thankfully, my tears didn't come then ("I'll give you something to cry about," he would have said). It wasn't until later that I would be crying. Later that night, after my favorite cop show, I went to bed. As I lay in bed, I did a quick check: flashlight next to my bed, closet door open (with the light on inside), baseball bat within reach. I was prepared for any creature of the night, except maybe werewolves, but it wasn't a full moon. And, if a hand reached up from under my bed, my feet were covered with my blanket - so what could happen? Smiling, I looked up and saw my father's shadow in the door. Daddy looked very tired. "Sorry, kid, no lights. I'm not working for the electric company, " he said (but his words were slurred and it sounded more like, sssury, keed, no lice. I'm not wurkin for tha lectric companee) My powers of debate weren't quite as skillful then. I said, "But dad..." "No buts, " (no busss) he spat at me. He turned off the lights and left. Tears came for me then. I looked out the window and cried. Some sickening, diseased, murderous creature was going to appear any minute. Any minute now. I watched and waited. I fell asleep with tears that night, and always thinking: any minute now... any minute now. To the outside world, we had an ideal life in an ideal town. Yet what went on after dark (in both) scared the heck out of me. Sometimes, as I drive through that horrid little town, past our hideous old house, I try to push away the bad memories and remember the good times. Often I will drive near the river and park my car. I walk through the trees and over the hill to my secret fishing place and relive my favorite childhood times. Times when I ran as fast I could, away from my father's smacks and shouts of cruelty. Times when I was a Viking, a musketeer, a pirate, a detective, an astronaut, and anything else I wanted to be. When I finally became old enough to move away, I spent some of my moving day at that fishing spot. As the sun beamed brightly across the sky, the birds sang and chirped. In some indirect manner, I knew everything was different now, a new cycle of life beginning. And, as I sat fishing, thoughts of a better life danced in my mind. I sat, rarely catching fish, but surely fishing. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\White Fang.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ White Fang by Jack London "White Fang" starts out with 2 men and a group of 6 sled dogs traveling across the Arctic with a dead man in a coffin. This group was followed by a pack of famished wolves. Each night a female half wolf half dog would seduce a dog away and allow the pack to kill him. This killing of the dogs lasted until there were 3 dogs remaining. One man tried to save a 4th dog that was being killed by the wolves and ended up getting killed also. From then on the wolves closed in on the camp of the remaining man and 2 dogs. Just as the fire, that was keeping the wolves away, on the camp burned low a rescue party came and saved the man and the 2 dogs from being eaten. After departing the pack came upon a 800 lb. bull moose. From there the pack split up to mate 3 wolves followed the half wolf half dog or the she-wolf. The 3 wolves fought and One-eye, a old fighting wolf, won and won the rights to the she-wolf. The she-wolf gave birth to 5 wolf pups. The only one to survive was a spunky cub named White Fang. White Fang became a pet of the Indians. He moved with the Indians everywhere they traveled, yet he still heard the call of the wild. They cherished him as he became a great fighter, fighting dogs. He became wise and learned many tricks. His value to them was priceless except a man named Beauty Smith found a way to buy him through liquor. Beauty Smith used White Fang as a valuable fighter. He arranged fights and took in bets on them. White Fang whipped everybody he fought until he fought a pitbull. The pitbull had White Fang by the neck and was slowly going in to open the jugular. Then a man named Weedon Scott punched Beauty Smith and pried the pitbull's teeth off of White Fang's neck. Scott started to love White Fang and pet him. White Fang was afraid at first that Scott would hurt him. White Fang came to love Scott. White Fang even got sick and wouldn't eat when Scott left once. Scott was going to leave a second time but White White Fang jumped through a window and Scott took him with him to his home in the Sierra Vista. Scott's dad was a judge and a man named Jim Hall was going to kill Judge Scott. White Fang sensed a intruder in the house and killed him. White Fang was shot but recovered and lived the rest of his days in the Sierra Vista. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Whos in the Wall .TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Who's in the Wall? Ursula McIntyre At precisely 10:30 A.M. I got a call from a Mr. Machiano saying that while renovating a palace his men found the bones of what seamed to be a human body. When I got to the scene one of his men showed me to the corps. It had dirty, out-of-date clothes draped upon its remains with a piece a rope beside it. I asked Mr. Machiano how the body was discovered. "My men were knocking down a wall and one of them found a skeleton with a motlry on, and that's when I called you." I asked whom he bought the palace from. "A man I would say in his early eighties, named Montresor." I then left to learn about this person.. I found out that he was living with a cousin right near his old home. I decided to stop by and ask him a few questions hoping he would remember or know something. After about an hour of getting "I do not know. What are you talking about? Please leave." I realized this was a waste of time and decided to go. The next morning I called Mr. Machiano and asked him to meet me at the palace. As I approached the area where the body was found I began to feel a little queasy. I searched the ground around the body hoping to find some clues. I noticed the sparkle of metal pertruding from the ground. I picked it up and saw it was a gold and diamond ID bracelet with the name Montresor inscribed on it. I decided to do a little more research on this man. I went to the station and asked the secretary to show me the file on any person missing for more than 20 years. The list only had about five people on it with a brief description. There was a man by the name of Fortunato on it who has been missing for about 50 years. He was last seen wearing a motley. I then put two and two together and after some investigation, I found out that the remains were indeed Fortunato. Later that afternoon I decided to visit Mrs. Fortunato. She took the news pretty well, she had suspected he was dead. "The last time I saw him was fifty years ago during carnival season." I went back to Montresor's house and told him that next to Fortunato's body was a gold bracelet with his name on it. He still insisted he had had nothing to do with the murder and had no idea how his bracelet gotten near the body. "It must have fallen off and sunk into the mortar." I told him that I could sense his nervousness and asked him if he was okay, then I heard him mumble something. I asked, then told him to say it louder. I could not quite hear him. "I killed him, and I don't even regret it. He was dirty man who worked at the local carnival. He found out that I was cheating on my wife and told me that if I didn't give him $50,000 he would tell her. He would have ruined my life so I ruined his instead. He got his $50,000, I stuffed his carcass in to the wall with a diamond and gold bracelet on his wrist with my name on it. He would always remember why and by whom he was killed then. What a perfect plan, what a perfect, prefect plan. My wife never found out. To make it even better, on that very wall I HUNG a picture my myself. I was hung in a picture, he was hung in a wall." Montresor was convicted of 1st degree murder and sentenced to death. His final words were, " I'm an old man ready to die but are you a young woman ready to live with killing me? I could kill well and with pride. How about you?" f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Will essay final draft.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Will Hartless ENG-2301.09 April 16, 2004 Dr. Wall In the story the Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character Gilgamesh is a young king who is very oppressive to his people. During the story Gilgamesh meets a person named Enkidn, who becomes his best friend. Enkidu's relationship with Gilgamesh helped him changed his life forever. I too can relate to Gilgamesh through a relationship I had with a friend named Sparklyn. Many situations in my relationship with my friend have changed my life and helped me understand what happens in the Epic. When I read and learn more about Gilgamesh, I seem to find some type of similarities with him. At the beginning of the story Gilgamesh knows that he is the greatest king on earth and the strongest super-human that exists. At one point in time when I was a senior in high school, I felt kind of the same way. I was one of the most popular people at my school, not to mention, someone who thought they could get away with anything. I truly believed at one point I was invincible. Even though I did bend the rules and take my one to do things through school. I still completed tasks and duties like Gilgamesh. It wasn't until later on in my senior year did I meet my special friend. But unlike Gilgamesh and Enkidu, there wasn't a furious situation going on and we didn't have to fight to become friends. We actually just ran into each other at a friend's house and started chatting because we had seen each other before. I've also always wondered if Sparklyn was sent to me from someone, like Enkidu was sent to Gilgamesh to help him. At the time I met Sparklyn, it was getting closer to my high school graduation. At my school it seemed that the further along the year went the more out of control the seniors got. My graduating class had already been giving the title as one of the worst classes in years to come through Parkland High School. So some of my antics and attitude of being invincible only added to the problems. I truly believe that the timing when my relationship started with Sparklyn was meant for the same reason Enkidu was sent to Gilgamesh. My thinking process at that time was indeed like Gigalmesh. I only cared about myself and material things. I also had to live up to my senior superlative title of "life of the party". Looking back on that time now, I think I was living in a reality world where the only thing to think about was how to have as much fun as possible before graduation. Oh, how can I forget the senior beach week trip everyone cared so much about. I think that's as far into the future as my mind thought at that time. But, that was before I met Sparklyn. After talking to her at a few social gatherings, I invited her to a senior skip day party I was throwing at a friend's house. I knew that she was only a junior and didn't attend my school; I made sure she was invited. The following week the party was going on good until the school's police officers decided to make an unwelcome visit. The police wanted to take names of everyone who was there and arrest whoever was in charge of the party. I panicked because I didn't drive and had no ride away from the house. The next person I see coming through the back door is Sparklyn, and she offered to take me home. On the way to my house we talked about how hungry we were, so I offered to take her out to eat. I really got to know her and for some reason I paid her so much attention over dinner. Later that night she called to thank me again and we talked until 3am in the morning. After that one night she began to call me all the time. Since we didn't go to the same school and I worked everyday, we only got to speak to each other late at night. Now I know I should have been studying or sleeping then, but my classes were very easy at that time and I had never had homework. Also with talking on the phone late at night, she kept me occupied so I couldn't be out causing trouble and doing things I shouldn't on a school night. Even on the weekends I started to go out with her and sometimes just hangout at my house. Now that was very unusual for me because I was a person who had to be at the hot spot every night and also I had to make sure that everyone knew where the party was. But for some reason when I was around her I was relaxed and very interested in learning about her. Sparklyn was unlike anyone else I had ever met before. She paid me so much attention, but it was unlike the attention I received from everyone else because she didn't care about how cool I was at my school or even about the car I drove. Sparklyn was interested in learning about me and I in turn, learned so much from her. I really enjoyed learning about her heritage because she is an African American female and I am a white male who grew up in a predominately whit are of Richmond Virginia. I began to notice that I was learning lessons of life right from one of my friends. Just like when Enkidu teaches Gilgamesh things that are important to know about life. One of the best lessons I learned from her was about how to treat people and not to stereotype them. My friends and I would sometimes make fun of someone because of what they looked like and also we wouldn't talk to people because maybe something they were wearing or the brand of clothes they had on. I believe I had a problem before with this issue. Sparklyn really didn't teach me anything, I just learned from her behavior. She has many different variaties of friends, not just one group of people she hangs around with. When I began to meet different people and got to know them I learned that each of them was very interesting. Sparklyn was very involved in drama and dancing at her school. With her being involved in drama and dancing she had some friends at first I though were very weird and I probably would have ever spoke to them if it wasn't for her. After meeting them I found some of her weird friends' not so weird and very caring people. I think that not judging people and being open to meet everyone is one of the best lessons I ever learned from my relationship with Sparklyn. During her junior year, Sparklyn began to look into where she would be attending college. I on the other hand didn't think too much of it and thought that I would enroll wherever I might be living the next fall. At that point I knew I had slacked off enough to where I was not getting in to a college I really wanted to go to. I t also was getting late in the year and I was running into the application deadlines of many other colleges. But with Sparklyn's interest in colleges, I began to feed off of it and started to figure out where I was going to go and how I was going to get there. With out her influence I might have just kept working after high school and not pursued college. Then I wouldn't be here today having to the opportunity to writ this paper and further my education. In conclusion, I believe that with my experiences of my outlook of life changing, my openness to get to know people, and my drive towards furthering my education that all came from my relationship with Sparklyn can be relate dwell to the relationship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. With Gilgamesh being changed for the positive like me, is one reason why I find the meaning of the story easy to understand. I would also like to add that when reading a historical epic such as "The Epic of Gilgamesh" you need dig deep inside your self, and you will find this epic and others like it not only as reading material, but life lesson teaching tools you can learn from. 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Womens Images in Managment of Grief and A Pair of Tickets.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Both Management of Grief and A Pair of Tickets were written by women and about women. Authors were able to portray an image of women which differs from the traditional, stereotypical literary image of feeble and delicate creatures who needed to be cared for. Women in these stories were faced with horrible tragedies, but the determining element in their experience was not so much what happened to them but how they took it. After reading first few pages of Management of Grief one may see Shaila as "traditional" Indian woman who due to her upbringing was not even comfortable enough with her own husband: "I was too much the well brought up woman. I was so well brought up I never felt comfortable calling my husband by his first name" (Mukherjee 537). For a person who grew up in North American society this revelation may seem to come from an oppressed female, but later on in the story we learn that protagonist could stand up for herself and for other women, like in the airport incident. There again we were reminded of the way she was brought up: "Once upon a time we were well brought up women; we were dutiful wives who kept our heads veiled, our voices shy and sweet" (543). Only this time the statement is ironic. Shaila's actions show us that she is far from the voiceless, week female she was brought up to be. Shaila was not responsible for her own heredity. She could not control much of her environment in which she was brought up, but she had the power and internal strength to face the life with her individual rejoinder. She admits to being "trapped between worlds" (543), and we can feel the internal struggle between "traditional" and "rebellious" tendencies. It seems that Shaila does not realize herself that "rebellious" part already won over. The last indication of victory was the poem of love she wrote to her husband in the hospital : "Finally he'll know my feelings for him"(541). The fact that she never told her husband about her feelings bothered Shaila. She brought it up right after she found out about the accident, which indicates that this was on her mind for some time. She broke the tradition of not revealing and admitting to the feelings of love thus indicating that she disagreed with that tradition. A woman lost two sons and a husband in one day. Her world was shattered, all the dreams and hopes gone; but she still finds enough strength to comfort other people. It was pointed out many times in the story that everybody perceived Shaila as a very strong person: "All the people said, Mrs. Bhave is the strongest person of all" (539). Men, women and youth saw her as a role model, they rely on her for emotional support. Even when she experienced "descending" of her husband she was told that she must alone finish what they've started together. (544). Was that her realization that she is capable of surviving on her own and doing alone things which before were done by both her and her husband? Shaila came back to Canada, admitting that she was indeed capable of doing so, even though she did not have a job or career (545). She managed her finances with the help of a lawyer, became politically involved (547). On the outside it seemed that she went through the stages of grieving successfully. The feelings of pain and sorrow are concealed within, she deals with them in her own way, courageously alone. A Pair of Tickets introduced another example of female courage and strength. Intelligent and educated woman who went through horrors of war period lost her family and was forced to give up the greatest possession of all - her twin daughters. She moved to a different country, acquired a new family but never did she stop searching for her daughters. As soon as correspondence between China and US was allowed again mother began her search (Tan 169). Every year until her death she wrote to different people (170) trying to find her twins. At the same time she was able to care for her new daughter and husband. Because of mothers determination families were reunited, sisters found each other. She, like Shaila, chose to deal with her grief alone and like her she've never given up hope. Even her own husband did not know that she was searching for the lost daughters (169). One may say that she kept silent because of fear that nobody from her own family would support her, but was it the case? Or did she want to protect her loved once from her pain and grief? It is the later that seems more likely to occur indicating the inner strength of the mother who could go through unfolding, many leveled process of grief alone. They were from different generations and different cultural backgrounds. Although they both had their individual life stories, there was a connecting link between them. They were women, strong and brave, who reached the depth of despair and lived through it. They were mothers, who harbored in their hearts eternal feeling of grief and pain for their lost children, shielding it from the outside world, showing that being a woman isn't the easiest thing in the world. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\woolf essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kate Mabe Mrs. Achenbach AP English 11 19 August 2003 Virginia Woolf-A Comparison of Meals Upon comparison, Virginia Woolf's descriptions of dinners in a men's college and a women's college hardly seem to be accounts of experiences at the same university. The differences between the two meals are profound, and Woolf's writing techniques in each suggest that she was quite fortunate as a woman to attend the meal in the men's college. Through Woolf's treatment of description, narrative structure, and general word choice in both passages, it is apparent that in her time female students were given a good deal less respect than male students, and were not considered worthy of the intellectual attention men were given. The fact that the men's dinner was much more enjoyable than the women's is made obvious upon reading the first sentences of both passages. Woolf begins the description of the men's dinner with a proper introduction, already complimenting the experience with long, elaborately constructed sentences. By describing the food even though, as she writes, "It is part of the novelist's convention not to mention soup and salmon and ducklings..." she pays it a high compliment, suggesting that even though it was not necessarily the highlight of the meal, it was too wonderful not to be mentioned. On the other hand, Woolf begins her description of the women's dinner with the simple phrase "Here was my soup." She then follows it with a series of short, choppy, unelaborated sentences that inform the reader simply of the dry facts and no more. She does not bother with an introduction, as though the experience did not merit that much attention. She mentions that "far from being spring it was in fact an evening in October," which gives the feeling of a chilly, grey, miserable situation. From the start, the reader is made aware that while the male scholars were fed a feast, full of splendor and magnificence, the women simply had dinner, and that was that. This reveals the lack of respect and dignity female students must have received in this time period. The middle of each passage is taken by a description of the food in both meals, which further confirms the seemingly lesser importance of the women's college. Woolf describes the food at the men's dinner beautifully, with connotation that is pleasing to the senses, using phrases like "retinue of sauces and salads," "sprouts, foliated as rosebuds but more succulent," and "wreathed in napkins." Simply with her use of words, Woolf endlessly compliments the food, as if it is the best meal she ever had. This is a stark contrast to the other passage's description of the food, which gives off many negative connotations, and does not go into greater detail than is absolutely necessary. Woolf compares the beef to the "rumps of cattle in a muddy market" and uses words like "yellowed," "cheapening," and "stringy," which certainly do not give a pleasing picture. And after the men's dinner there is great intellectual discussion and comfort, while after the women's dinner, they leave. The women's meals were obviously not given as much attention as the men's. By using contrast in word choice to describe the food, Woolf allows the reader to understand how much more enjoyable the men's meal was when compared to the women's. Through Woolf's construction of sentences, level of attention to the subject, and use of language, she effectively portrays through simple meal descriptions the idea that the female scholars of her day were not nearly as respected as the men. Mabe 1 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Work cited 28 days.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Work's Cited Agnes, Michael. Webster's New World Dictionary. Wiley publishing. Cleveland: July, 2003. Garland, Alex. 28 Days Later. 20th Century Fox, 2002. Pratt, Alan. Nihilism. International Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 26 June 2001. Savinar, Matthew. The Oil Age is Over. Routledge. London: 1 April, 2003. Veith, Walter. The Genesis Conflict: Putting the Pieces Together. Cape Town Press. Cape Town: 3 April, 1995. Wachowski, Andy and Larry. The Matrix. Warner Brothers, 1999. Woods, Ryan. "Scary as Hell". 7 March 2002. http://www.imdb.com f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Works Cited abercrombie.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Works Cited Abercrombie & Fitch (2003-2004). New Albany: Abercrombie & Fitch. Hebdige, Dick. Subculture: The Meaning of Style, England: Routledge (1979) pp. 104. Hine, Thomas. What's in a Package, cited in class by Ceci Cravens f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Works Cited Eng2 research.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Works Cited For English 2 Research Paper Costanzo, Mark. Just Revenge: Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty. St. Martin's Press: New York, 1997. Trombley, Stephen. The Execution Protocol: Inside America's Capital Punishment Industry. Crown Publishers: New York, 1992. Sarat, Austin. When The State Kills. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 2001. Cabana, Donald A. Death At Midnight: The Confessions of an Executioner. Northeastern University Press: Boston, 1996. Solotaroff, Ivan. The Last Face You'll Ever See: The Private Life of the American Death Penalty. HarperCollins: New York, 2001. Dicks, Shirley. They're Going to Kill My Son. New Horizon Press: Far Hills, New Jersey, 1992. Prejean, Helen. Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. Random House: New York, 1993. Mello, Michael. The Wrong Man: A True Story of Innocence on Death Row. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, 2001. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Works Cited for enlgish term paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Works Cited Bloom, Harold."Biography of Tennessee Williams." Bloom's Major Dramatists. Harold Bloom. Broomall: Chelsea House Publishers, 2000.11-13. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Dir. Richard Brooks. Perf. Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. MGM, 1958. Crandell, George W. "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Tennessee Williams: A Guide to Research and Performance. Phillip C. Kolin. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. 109-125. Falk, Signi. Tennessee Williams. Syliva E. Bowman. Second Ed. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1978. Hale, Allean. "Early Williams: The Making of a Playwright." The Cambridge Companion to Tennessee Williams. Matthew C. Roudané. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. 11-28. The Glass Menagerie. Dir. Irving Rapper. Perf. Jane Wyman and Kirk Douglas. MGM, 1950. Vannatta, Dennis. Tennessee Williams: A Study of the Short Fiction. Stephanie Corcoran. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1988. Williams, Tennessee. Sweet Bird of Youth. New York: Two Rivers Enterprises, Inc., 1959. Williams, Tennesse. "A Street Car Named Desire." The Norton Introduction to Literature. Eighth Ed. Eds. Jerome Beaty et el. New York: Norton, 2001. 2071-2138. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Works Cited for essay 2 expos.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Works Cited Rodriguez, Richard. "The Achievement of Desire." Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Ed. David Bartholomae, Anthony Petroksy. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2002. 652-670. Walker, Alice. "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens." Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Ed. David Bartholomae, Anthony Petroksy. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2002. 739-747. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Works Cited poetry paper.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Works Cited Robert Frost Biographical Information: http://www.ketzle.com/frost/frostbio.htm f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Works Cited research.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Costanzo, Mark. Just Revenge: Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty. New York: St. Martin's, 1997. Trombley, Stephen. The Execution Protocol: Inside America's Capital Punishment Industry. New York: Crown, 1992. Sarat, Austin. When The State Kills. Princeton: Princeton University, 2001. Cabana, Donald A. Death At Midnight: The Confessions of an Executioner. Boston: Northeastern University, 1996. Solotaroff, Ivan. The Last Face You'll Ever See: The Private Life of the American Death Penalty. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. Dicks, Shirley. They're Going to Kill My Son. Far Hills, New Jersey: New Horizon, 1992. Prejean, Helen. Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. New York: Random House, 1993. Mello, Michael. The Wrong Man: A True Story of Innocence on Death Row. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2001. Introduction The Death Penalty. Death Penalty Information Center. 5 Mar. 2004. . f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\world issues persuasive essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The True Reasons As To Why Poverty Exists It is often overwhelming for people when they hear about all the problems that plague third world or "developing" countries today. People are aware about all the poverty, exploitation, environmental degradation, corruption and conflict that ravage these countries without knowing the reason WHY these problems exist. How come these problems don't take place in first world or "developed" countries? How come poverty, pollution, corruption and conflict are not rampant here in the streets of Markham as they are in Peru? The answer is simple. Through corporate-controlled mediums like agents of the global economic system (IMF, WTO, WB, NAFTA), people are lead to believe that the problem of poverty exists in the lifestyles of the third world and that globalization is the only means to the "development" of these countries. What is often neglected is the fact that the problems of these countries were created from economic forces such as colonization, and only worsened through globalization to now include increasing inequality, hunger, corruption, and loss of culture, exploitation, and environmental degradation as well. Many centuries ago, the colonization of countries served only to benefit the colonial powers while exploiting the land, labour, economy, resources, culture and indigenous peoples of the colonies. This trend continues today in the form of globalization, where multinational corporations and global economic agents are continuing to destroy the population and environment in the name of "progress". It is obvious to address the problem of poverty in the third world. To find the true reasons as to why poverty exists, we must look back in time to find the true root of the problem. Poverty has existed in civilization for as long as humans have remained greedy and concerned with their own personal gain. If there is one main cause, however, that attributed most to the conditions of the third world today; it would definitely be the history of colonization. Colonialism succeeded not only in benefiting the motherland, but also in exploiting the land, resources and economies of the countries they colonized. Most people, however, are unaware as to what colonization is or the lasting impact it's had on third world countries, even today. Proponents of the global economic system would lead you to believe that the causes of poverty, pollution, underdevelopment, etc. lie within the third world, not within some antiquated system as colonization, which hasn't been around for over a century. People who live in developed countries ignorantly believe that poverty exists in the third world because the people there lack the money, capital, education and work skills to get out of their rut. They assume that these "savages" are too lazy and lack the traditional western values (where profit is everything) to ever get out of poverty. When you ask people on the street why poverty exists in third world countries, you are likely to hear answers like "The government is corrupt", "The geographical conditions/climate make it difficult" or one of the many reasons given above. While all of these factors do contribute to the pathetic state of third world countries, they are not the true roots of the problem. With the exception of the geographical conditions/climate (which can't be helped), all of these reasons are effects of one single cause; that cause is colonization. Colonization dominated the world's economic system for more than 4 centuries, its lasting impact felt even today from a political, social, environmental and economic standpoint. Colonization started in the mid-15th century when Europeans sought easier trade between Southeast Asia, China and India. Many European countries (namely Spain, Portugal and Britain) began to set up colonies in Africa, Asia, North/South America, India and Australia. To prevent conflict between colonizers over land disputes, the Treaty of Tordesillas was created. While it may have benefited the colonizers, it did not take into account the rights of any of the indigenous people in the colonies. The fact that this treaty totally ignored the rights of all the people affected by it indicates the central belief of colonialism - that the colonies existed only to meet the needs of colonizers. (Wallace, Historical Colonialism Past and Present)i The central dogma within colonialism is that the labour, land and resources in the colonies would only serve to benefit the mother country. It didn't matter whether or not it destroyed the livelihood and culture of these colonies. Just how were these colonies exploited? When colonies were first created prior to the Industrial Revolution, they were mainly used as a source of products and resources not normally available in the motherland. After the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of the mercantile system, however, colonies were no longer seen as a source for raw materials but also as a captive market for the manufactured goods produced in the mother country. A prime example of how colonizers ravaged the economies of the colonies could be seen with India's cotton industry. India, a colony under Britain, had once been a major producer and exporter of cotton. The economy of India prospered under its cotton industry, even forcing Britain to put a duty on Indian cotton to protect its own textile industries. To prevent competition, Britain forced the destruction of India's cotton industry. The result was that by the middle of the 1800's, India no longer exported cotton textiles and, in fact, imported one-quarter of all the cotton clothing produced in Britain. (Wallace, Historical Colonialism Past and Present)ii This was just one of many examples in which, to protect its own interests, the colonizers exploited the economy of the colonies. The rigid system of mercantilism and colonization prevented the colony from operating in its own economic interests. It was not allowed to sell its own resources to the highest bidder since all trade had to be done with the motherland. In some cases, like the one above, a country's entire livelihood was destroyed for the benefit of the colonizers. This is just one of the many impacts of colonization that can still be felt today. Colonialism in the past is what leads to the human rights, economic and environmental abuses still seen in third world countries today. Colonization has also lead to the destruction of land tenure practices. All of the shared land of the colonies were turned into private properties owned by a wealthy few. Many of the poor no longer had any land to call their own and were forced to work in the plantations of the elite, planting cash crops for export to the motherland rather than desperately needed food for the country's starving population. The local population was pushed off their native land. These dispossessed farmers were then used as cheap labour on the plantations and other industries. This practice was widespread in Africa and South America. (Bernstein, The Impacts of Colonization)iii In addition to the labour exploitation, many of the concession companies opened up by the colonizers paid little, if any, attention to the environment due to the lack of environmental laws and regulations. As a result, much of the resources in these countries have been plundered and the environment left in ruin. Colonial mining, forestry and agricultural and manufacturing developments paid little attention to their projects' environmental impacts. As a result, environmental problems, like the ones that continue to plague Presidio Hill, Brazil, still occur in these colonies, many years after their independence. (Luksic, Colonialism and the Environment)iv Colonizers also had many other lasting impacts on the native population and environment of the colonies they took over. Native languages and cultures were displaced as colonizers forcibly imposed their political systems, beliefs, language and culture amongst the indigenous peoples. Due to these impositions, many former colonies today have no recollection of their native culture, heritage or identity. As you can see, colonization in the past has had lasting negative impacts on the colonies and people today. Their exploitation of the people, economy, land and resources is what brought problems like poverty, pollution, human rights abuses and conflict still present today. Though colonialism is long gone and few colonies exist today, a new type of economic force is taking its place. This new economic force is what is now known as globalization. Globalization is a term that is often used in our present society today. When you watch a speech by George W. Bush or news coverage on free trade, then you have most likely heard about globalization and the positive effects it has had on the economy today. You could've just as easily heard other words like neoliberalism, or conventional modernization theory. It doesn't matter; all three terms mean the same thing; the exploitation of third world countries through a new type of colonizers; transnational corporations. Globalization is repeating the same mistakes that colonization did so many years ago, except on a much more rapid rate on a wider scale. Supporters of globalization and modern economic theory, however, would tell you something completely different. Corporations, government and the media would claim that it is through globalization that these poor countries have developed and increased their GDP. Due to the trickle-down theory, this increased wealth for the elite would eventually trickle down to the poor in the form of tax revenue and investment dollars. Thus, there would be development that would benefit all. By following these policies and guidelines set by first world countries, there should be no reason that third world countries can't modernize, invest in capital and go up the same development path that all developed countries went through. While this may be good and true in theory, it does not work as well in real life. In reality, globalization has only worsened the living conditions (standard of living) and quality of life of the people residing there. What good is an increase in a country's GDP if all the profits go to the hands of a few wealthy elite while the rest of the country continues to starve? The trickle-down theory, long the backbone of the world's current economic policies, is simply an inefficient and ineffective way of addressing the problems of poverty, pollution, etc. that are rampant in third world countries. While the wealth may trickle down from the rich to the poor, the real questions are "What amount of this 'trickling down' do the poor actually receive?" and "When, if ever, do they actually get it?" How acceptable is a development strategy which allocates almost all of the world's wealth to the rich few, increasing their per capital wealth by $270 per year, while increasing the income of the poorer half by less than $7 a year? (Unknown, "Trickle-Down" Theory)v The quote above sums up the results of the trickle-down theory; very little actually trickles down to the poor after a long period of time. By giving all of the money to the rich to "invest", that pretty much means they get to keep more money. Due to trickle-down, the rich were able to increase their profits by $270/year while the poor only get $7 per year. Wasn't the trickle-down theory supposed to help the poor people? Why can't we use this money to simply invest in foreign aid, education and other long-term projects that will truly benefit the poor in the long run? It is obvious that the trickle-down theory does not benefit the poor people and thus should be changed. If there's one thing that the "trickle-down theory" has succeeded in doing, it has increased the income gap between the richest people and the poorest. Now the richest 20 percent of the world's population receives 83% of the world's income, while the poorest 60% of the world receive just 5.6% of the world's income" (Danaher, Seven Arguments For Reforming the World Economy)vi The numbers above show the income difference between the richest 20% compared to that of the rest. It's almost overwhelming. One fifth of the world's population (which includes you and I) own 80% of the world's resources! There is a HUGE gap between the rich and the poor. How can we expect poor countries to ever progressively develop when the first-world countries own the majority of the income, resources and capital? What's even more frightening is the fact that the situation isn't getting any better. On the contrary, it is getting worse and worse as time goes by. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening at an uncontrollable rate, similar to the spread of a cancerous cell. The data shows that during a period of major growth in world trade, global inequality got significantly worse; the ratio between the richest 20% and poorest 20% of the world population went from 30:1 in 1960 to 59:1 in 1989. In 1997, it skyrocketed once again to a level of 74:1! (Danaher, Seven Arguments For Reforming the World Economy)vii As the numbers show, the gap between the rich and the poor is growing at an alarming rate. As long as the trickle-down theory continues to be the core economic theory behind globalization, inequality and poverty will always exist. Though globalization has brought about many positive effects, like competitive free trade, lower prices and an international market, its negative effects far outweigh any benefits it brings about. The disadvantages of globalization could best be summed up in this quote from an online NGO (non-governmental organization). Critics say that the chaotic matter in which market forces have scaled up the global level has unleashed a destructive whirlwind that treats workers callously, serves too often to further impoverish the poor at the expense of the rich, and wreaks vast amounts of environmental destruction. Its side effects are equally horrific, ranging from the spread of AIDS and drug abuse to the creation of a world monoculture that destroys local traditions and squelches diversity. (Unknown, Perspective: The Exigencies of Globalization)viii Knowing all of this, how can people still believe so strongly in the power of globalization? It may benefit the wealthy elite, but it does so at the expense of human rights and the environment. Just how does globalization do this you ask? Through global economic agents and the neoliberal economic policies they enforce on third world countries. Globalization and conventional modernization theory is implemented through the use of global financial institutions such as the IMF (International Monetary Fund), WTO (World Trade Organization, WB (World Bank), and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). These organizations, along with transnational corporations, enforce the theories of globalization and neoliberalism to poor countries in an effort to help them "develop". By following the 5 neoliberal policies, they claim that a country can rapidly experience economic growth that will eventually "trickle-down" to all. While we've already proven the massive deficiencies with the trickle-down theory, it is through these 5 neoliberal policies and the institutions listed above that globalization wreaks havoc in third world countries. These global economic agents, working alongside corporations and the government is destroying the population, environment and economies of the countries they are supposed to "aid". They further stack the deck against third world countries, making it impossible for them to ever get out of debt or ever get any real justice in the world. The first, and perhaps most notorious, organization would be the IMF, who works in conjunction with the WB to aid poorer countries by giving them loans for investment. In exchange for these loans, these countries must sign a contract to implement SAPs (Structural Adjustment Programs). The governments of these third world countries, already impoverished and in massive debt due to colonization and globalization must now sign an agreement to implement SAP policies similar to that of neoliberal economic policies. The World Bank and IMF argue that SAPs are necessary to bring a developing country from a crisis to economic recovery and growth. They believe that economic growth, driven by foreign investment, is the key to development. This includes cutting government spending on social programs, increasing exports, devaluing the currency, raising interest rates, opening the market to free trade and privatizing government enterprises. Sound familiar? These SAP guidelines are very similar to the 5 neoliberal economic policies of free trade, privatization, cutting social spending, deregulation and corporate tax cuts. While adopting these policies may be the quickest way to increase a country's exports and GDP, they absolutely destroy its social programs. One example is the SAP guideline of cutting government spending on social programs. At this rate, social programs like subsidized housing, nutrition, welfare, unemployment insurance, pensions, etc. will be abolished to make the way for corporate tax cuts and investment. Would you put a price on social programs that benefit all of society? When the IMF implemented its SAPs into Mexico it was expecting rapid economic growth. I chose Mexico as a prime example because it was globalization's "model student". It did everything that the IMF asked it to, including implementing free trade, privatizing its industries and cutting back on social spending. What the SAPs have done is cut or abolish most of Mexico's social programs to a point where many people lack the proper necessities to even survive. In almost every social sector - health, nutrition, housing, education - virtually all of the key indicators show deterioration over the last 15 years that the IMF has been in Mexico. (Global Exchange, How the IMF and the WB Undermine Democracy and Erode Human Rights)ix What's even worse is that the people in poverty are more dependent on these social programs than anyone else. If they experience funding cutbacks or are taken away altogether, what will happen to all the people that rely on them? In Mexico, the state of social programs has become so bad that every social sector has deteriorated. It's so bad that in the "Maquiladora" areas of Mexico (the free trade zones), the people living in overcrowded conditions lack clean drinking water! Is this what development is? Along with cutting public spending, the IMF SAPs also encourage the privatization of government-controlled services such as health care, education, hydro, electricity, and other essential services. If these services are taken from the government, which serves in the interest of the people, and put in the hands of corporations, which serves only for its own profits, then it is obvious that these services won't work for the benefit of the general public. All privatization does is allow corporations to cut corners and strive for personal profit at the expense of good service. Using the example of Mexico, the IMF's "model student", again, the government allowed the privatization of the country's profitable phone system, Telmex. While it promised to lower rates and provide better service, it did just the opposite. In fact, privatization has lead to an increase in the rate of local calls from 16 pesos per minute to 115 pesos per minute! That's an almost eight-fold increase in rates! While rates have lowered since then, they haven't dropped to the promised levels. In a 1992 report, the World Bank admitted that 'the privatization of Telmex, along with its attendant price-tax regulatory regime, has the result of taxing consumers - a rather diffuse, unorganized group - and then distributing the gains among more well-defined groups, shareholders, employees, and the government. (Global Exchange, How the IMF and the WB Undermine Democracy and Erode Human Rights)x Even the World Bank admitted that the privatization of Telmex has only benefited the wealthy elite, in the form of tax cuts and increased profit margins, while the consumers (the general public) deal with increased prices. It's obvious that the privatization of Telmex has yet to benefit the people or make do on any of its promises. Instead, it has given more profit to the corporations and the private sectors. In addition to cuts in social programs and privatization, the IMF/WB also opens up the country's markets to free trade and global competition. What this means is the elimination not only of trade barriers and tariffs, but also that of government subsidies. In Mexico, a country dependent on its agricultural industry, the entrance into NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement, between U.S., Canada and Mexico) has spelled disaster for the country's small farmers. With the IMF's elimination of government subsidies for the country's staple crop, corn, many Mexican farmers have suffered a great deal with free trade. In recent years since the implementation of NAFTA, a flood of subsidized US corn has caused a 45 percent decrease in the prices Mexican corn farmers receive for their commodity. This has pushed millions of farmers off their land and into the urban ghettoes or toward the US. And yet - because of the monopolistic control of the Mexican corn processing industry - consumer prices have not gone down. (Global Exchange, Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas)xi Ever since Mexico has opened up its markets to free trade and NAFTA (and soon enough, the FTAA), many small farmers have been unable to compete with large U.S. agribusiness corporations. With free trade and the elimination of subsidies, Mexican farmers simply can't compete with the subsidized corn of the U.S. How is it fair that the Mexican government is forced to eliminate support for its small farmers while the U.S. is able to give subsidies to its agribusiness corporations to stimulate overproduction? Free trade can never be fair when a double standard is set that destroys the livelihood of Mexican farmers for the profits of corporations. NAFTA and free trade have also succeeded in costing jobs in North America as well. Free trade has brought about the destruction of worker rights and unions, as corporations threaten to move operations down south to Mexico, where labour is much cheaper. The implementation of free trade and NAFTA also bring about more negative effects, including environmental destruction and human rights abuses. Through the SAP guideline of deregulation of environmental/labour laws to attract foreign investment, poor countries like Mexico are losing their land and labour rights. Deregulation and/or abolition of government regulations means that corporations can pretty much pollute as much they want or ignore the rights of their workers without fear of repercussion. With free trade implemented into these countries, many corporations are free to move their operations there. In Mexico's case, many logging companies have moved there because of the lack of environmental/human rights regulations. Illegal practices, such as clear cutting (which is very destructive to the environment) have ravaged the environment and landscape of Mexico. In the Mexican state of Guerrero, 40 percent of the forests have been lost in the last 8 years since NAFTA was implemented, and massive clear cutting has lead to soil erosion and habitat destruction. (Global Exchange, Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas)xii Due to the SAPs and the implementation of free trade, the Mexican environment has been devastated. With all the logging and clear cutting, many of Mexico's forests and landscape was destroyed to the point where they could no longer support life. This story is typical of the effects of neoliberal economic policies. In order to attract more foreign investment, environmental regulations had to be put aside. In essence, its allowed corporations to come into these countries plunder all its resources, pollute as much as they like and leave. The same thing goes for human rights regulation. Since the IMF/WB came into Mexico and implemented NAFTA, child labour and other dangerous, low-paying jobs have emerged due to the massive poverty. In Mexico, people are so desperate for money that they will take any job, no matter how dangerous or difficult, for very little income. Often times in these jobs, their rights are exploited. They are barely paid enough to survive, work in horrid conditions and have no benefits. There are no such things as unions in Mexico, and jobs can be easily taken away and given to the next desperate worker. With the deregulation of labour rights, workers are treated inhumanely, just like animals. Knowing all the damage that these institutions cause to third world countries, how can they continue to get away with such atrocities? The answer is the WTO. The World Trade Organization was created by developed countries to oversee and settle trade disputes around the world. They would normally be the legislative and judicial body of trade, enforcing trade rules and making sure such atrocities like the ones listed above would never take place. The WTO, however, is controlled by corporations that support these institutions and their neoliberal economic policies. Since its inception in 1995, the WTO has done nothing but promote the agenda of transnational corporations above the interests of local communities, working families and the environment. The WTO is not a democratic, transparent institution, but its policies impact all aspects of society and the planet. The WTO rules are written for and by corporations with inside access to the negotiations. For example, the U.S. Trade Representative relies on its 17 Industry Sector Advisory Committees to provide input into trade negotiations. (Global Exchange, Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the WTO)xiii The WTO is controlled by the corporations and serves only their interests. It is common sense to realize that the WTO will always rule in favour of its "bosses", at the expense of social programs, local peoples, and environmental/human rights. The trade dispute council is comprised of right-wing politicians and trade representatives who care more about development than they do about social justice. Globalization is implemented to third world countries through institutions like the IMF/WB, NAFTA and the WTO. It allows corporations and developed countries to take control of third world countries for their own interests, similar to the principles of colonialism. They loan money to desperate countries, charge an obscene amount in interest (which can probably never be repaid) in exchange for the implementation of SAPs. These SAPs destroy third world countries while benefiting the developed ones. These corporations never have to take responsibility for their actions because the trade authority is also controlled by them. It is similar to the hockey game analogy, where the deck is stacked against the opposing team (the third world countries). No matter how much progress they make, they will never be able to get out of poverty; they will never be able to win the hockey game. Injustices and atrocities occur in our world everyday. Though the general public is kept unaware of this (mostly through the media), many organizations (mostly non-governmental) strive to expose the truth of the world outside Toronto. The problems of poverty, inequality, environmental degradation and human rights abuses in third world countries can be attributed to one source; the colonization and exploitation of these countries for the benefit of the motherland. These problems continue to exist today through globalization and the dominant (and false) economic concept of the trickle-down theory, which further increases income inequality. The spread of globalization is facilitated through financial institutions like the IMF/WB, NAFTA and WTO in conjunction with transnational corporations, which implement neoliberal economic policies through use of structural adjustment programs. These SAPs further destroy social programs, the environment and human rights. Globalization is giving more power to corporations at the expense of the rest of the world, and is the true cause to poverty in the third world. We now know the roots of poverty and why it continues even today. Its how we use this newfound information that's important. If people ever hope to change things in this world, to fight against such inequalities, then they must be ready to act. Everyday, there are rallies, protests and conventions where people gather around together, united against a global economic system that serves the interests of corporations only. You may ask what difference one person can make against such powerful forces like the governments, corporations and financial institutions that seemingly control the world? The answer is to voice your opinion and protest against it. The largest barriers are not these corporations or institutions, it is doing nothing and remaining ignorant. If we all stand up together to protest, we CAN make a difference against such insurmountable odds. Our words and our minds are all we have, but if used properly, they are more powerful than any other weapon known to man. i Wallace, Clark. Historical Colonialism Past and Present. Global Connections: Canadian and World Issues Textbook. P. 173. 6/9/2003 ii Wallace, Clark. Historical Colonialism Past and Present. Global Connections: Canadian and World Issues Textbook. P. 175. 6/9/2003 iii Bernstein, Ronald. The Impact of Colonization. www.hri.ca/tribune/view/Article. 2/12/2001 iv Luksic, Jennifer. Colonialism and the Environment. www.rainforestrelief.org/newsnotes/brazil.htm. 6/9/2002 v Unknown. Trickle-Down Theory. Handout in Mrs. Orsi's Class. 5/12/2003 vi Danaher, Kevin. Seven Arguments For Reforming The World Economy. http://globalexchange.org/economy/econ101/sevenArguments.html. 5/21/2003 vii Danaher, Kevin. Seven Arguments For Reforming The World Economy. http://globalexchange.org/economy/econ101/sevenArguments.html. 5/21/2003 viii Unknown. Perspective: The Exigencies of Globalization. Online Newsletter of the Baha'I International Community. www.onecountry.org/perspectives/globalization. 6/9/2003 ix Global Exchange. How the IMF and the WB Undermine Democracy and Erode Human Rights. http://globalexchange.org/wbimf/imfwbReport2001.html. 2/21/2003 x Global Exchange. How the IMF and the WB Undermine Democracy and Erode Human Rights. http://globalexchange.org/wbimf/imfwbReport2001.html. 2/21/2003 xi Global Exchange. Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas. http://globalexchage.org/naftaftaa/ftaanaftaReport2001.html. 2/16/2003 xii Global Exchange. Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas. http://globalexchage.org/naftaftaa/ftaanaftaReport2001.html. 2/16/2003 xiii Global Exchange. Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas. http://globalexchange.org/economly/rulemakers/topTenReasons.html. 2/2/2003 --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Write a short essay describing confederal.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Write a short essay describing confederal, federal, and unitary governments. Define each system, and explain how it works. Point out similarities and differences among the systems. Give an example of each system. Worth 50 points: 10-Intro & Conclusion 10-Confederal Paragraph 10-Federal Paragraph 10-Unitary Paragraph 10-Style, grammar, mechanics, neatness, spelling, written in ink or typed. **Use your own thoughts and words!!!!** Rough draft-10 points Revisions/Improvements/Turned in with Final Draft-10 points f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Writing the Grant Proposal.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WRITING THE GRANT PROPOSAL The Basic Components of a Proposal There are eight basic components to creating a solid proposal package: (1) the proposal summary; (2) introduction of organization; (3) the problem statement (or needs assessment); (4) project objectives; (5) project methods or design; (6) project evaluation; (7) future funding; and (8) the project budget. The following will provide an overview of these components. The Proposal Summary: Outline of Project Goals The proposal summary outlines the proposed project and should appear at the beginning of the proposal. It could be in the form of a cover letter or a separate page, but should definitely be brief - no longer than two or three paragraphs. The summary would be most useful if it were prepared after the proposal has been developed in order to encompass all the key summary points necessary to communicate the objectives of the project. It is this document that becomes the cornerstone of your proposal, and the initial impression it gives will be critical to the success of your venture. In many cases, the summary will be the first part of the proposal package seen by agency officials and very possibly could be the only part of the package that is carefully reviewed before the decision is made to consider the project any further. The applicant must select a fundable project which can be supported in view of the local need. Alternatives, in the absence of Federal support, should be pointed out. The influence of the project both during and after the project period should be explained. The consequences of the project as a result of funding should be highlighted. Introduction: Presenting a Credible Applicant or Organization The applicant should gather data about its organization from all available sources. Most proposals require a description of an applicant's organization to describe its past and present operations. Some features to consider are: * A brief biography of board members and key staff members. * The organization's goals, philosophy, track record with other grantors, and any success stories. * The data should be relevant to the goals of the Federal grantor agency and should establish the applicant's credibility. The Problem Statement: Stating the Purpose at Hand The problem statement (or needs assessment) is a key element of a proposal that makes a clear, concise, and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed. The best way to collect information about the problem is to conduct and document both a formal and informal needs assessment for a program in the target or service area. The information provided should be both factual and directly related to the problem addressed by the proposal. Areas to document are: * The purpose for developing the proposal. * The beneficiaries -- who are they and how will they benefit. * The social and economic costs to be affected. * The nature of the problem (provide as much hard evidence as possible). * How the applicant organization came to realize the problem exists, and what is currently being done about the problem. * The remaining alternatives available when funding has been exhausted. Explain what will happen to the project and the impending implications. * Most importantly, the specific manner through which problems might be solved. Review the resources needed, considering how they will be used and to what end. There is a considerable body of literature on the exact assessment techniques to be used. Any local, regional, or State government planning office, or local university offering course work in planning and evaluation techniques should be able to provide excellent background references. Types of data that may be collected include: historical, geographic, quantitative, factual, statistical, and philosophical information, as well as studies completed by colleges, and literature searches from public or university libraries. Local colleges or universities which have a department or section related to the proposal topic may help determine if there is interest in developing a student or faculty project to conduct a needs assessment. It may be helpful to include examples of the findings for highlighting in the proposal. Project Objectives: Goals and Desired Outcome Program objectives refer to specific activities in a proposal. It is necessary to identify all objectives related to the goals to be reached, and the methods to be employed to achieve the stated objectives. Consider quantities or things measurable and refer to a problem statement and the outcome of proposed activities when developing a well-stated objective. The figures used should be verifiable. Remember, if the proposal is funded, the stated objectives will probably be used to evaluate program progress, so be realistic. There is literature available to help identify and write program objectives. Program Methods and Program Design: A Plan of Action The program design refers to how the project is expected to work and solve the stated problem. Sketch out the following: The activities to occur along with the related resources and staff needed to operate the project (inputs). A flow chart of the organizational features of the project. Describe how the parts interrelate, where personnel will be needed, and what they are expected to do. Identify the kinds of facilities, transportation, and support services required (throughputs). Explain what will be achieved through 1 and 2 above (outputs); i.e., plan for measurable results. Project staff may be required to produce evidence of program performance through an examination of stated objectives during either a site visit by the Federal grantor agency and or grant reviews, which may involve peer review committees. It may be useful to devise a diagram of the program design. For example, draw a three-column block. Each column is headed by one of the parts (inputs, throughputs and outputs), and on the left (next to the first column) specific program features should be identified (i.e., implementation, staffing, procurement, and systems development). In the grid, specify something about the program design, for example, assume the first column is labeled inputs and the first row is labeled staff. On the grid one might specify under inputs five nurses to operate a child care unit. The throughput might be to maintain charts, counsel the children, and set up a daily routine; outputs might be to discharge 25 healthy children per week. This type of procedure will help to conceptualize both the scope and detail of the project. Wherever possible, justify in the narrative the course of action taken. The most economical method should be used that does not compromise or sacrifice project quality. The financial expenses associated with performance of the project will later become points of negotiation with the Federal program staff. If everything is not carefully justified in writing in the proposal, after negotiation with the Federal grantor agencies, the approved project may resemble less of the original concept. Carefully consider the pressures of the proposed implementation, that is, the time and money needed to acquire each part of the plan. A Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) chart could be useful and supportive in justifying some proposals. Highlight the innovative features of the proposal, which could be considered distinct from other proposals under consideration. Whenever possible, use appendices to provide details, supplementary data, references, and information requiring in-depth analysis. These types of data, although supportive of the proposal, if included in the body of the design, could detract from its readability. Appendices provide the proposal reader with immediate access to details if and when clarification of an idea, sequence or conclusion is required. Time tables, work plans, schedules, activities, methodologies, legal papers, personal vitae, letters of support, and endorsements are examples of appendices. Evaluation: Product and Process Analysis The evaluation component is two-fold: (1) product evaluation; and (2) process evaluation. Product evaluation addresses results that can be attributed to the project, as well as the extent to which the project has satisfied its desired objectives. Process evaluation addresses how the project was conducted, in terms of consistency with the stated plan of action and the effectiveness of the various activities within the plan. Most Federal agencies now require some form of program evaluation among grantees. The requirements of the proposed project should be explored carefully. Evaluations may be conducted by an internal staff member, an evaluation firm or both. The applicant should state the amount of time needed to evaluate, how the feedback will be distributed among the proposed staff, and a schedule for review and comment for this type of communication. Evaluation designs may start at the beginning, middle or end of a project, but the applicant should specify a start-up time. It is practical to submit an evaluation design at the start of a project for two reasons: 1. Convincing evaluations require the collection of appropriate data before and during program operations; and, 2. If the evaluation design cannot be prepared at the outset then a critical review of the program design may be advisable. Even if the evaluation design has to be revised as the project progresses, it is much easier and cheaper to modify a good design. If the problem is not well defined and carefully analyzed for cause and effect relationships then a good evaluation design may be difficult to achieve. Sometimes a pilot study is needed to begin the identification of facts and relationships. Often a thorough literature search may be sufficient. Evaluation requires both coordination and agreement among program decision makers (if known). Above all, the Federal grantor agency's requirements should be highlighted in the evaluation design. Also, Federal grantor agencies may require specific evaluation techniques such as designated data formats (an existing information collection system) or they may offer financial inducements for voluntary participation in a national evaluation study. The applicant should ask specifically about these points. Also, consult the Criteria For Selecting Proposals section of the Catalog program description to determine the exact evaluation methods to be required for the program if funded. Future Funding: Long-Term Project Planning Describe a plan for continuation beyond the grant period, and/or the availability of other resources necessary to implement the grant. Discuss maintenance and future program funding if program is for construction activity. Account for other needed expenditures if program includes purchase of equipment. The Proposal Budget: Planning the Budget Funding levels in Federal assistance programs change yearly. It is useful to review the appropriations over the past several years to try to project future funding levels (see Financial Information section of the Catalog program description). However, it is safer to never anticipate that the income from the grant will be the sole support for the project. This consideration should be given to the overall budget requirements, and in particular, to budget line items most subject to inflationary pressures. Restraint is important in determining inflationary cost projections (avoid padding budget line items), but attempt to anticipate possible future increases. Some vulnerable budget areas are: utilities, rental of buildings and equipment, salary increases, food, telephones, insurance, and transportation. Budget adjustments are sometimes made after the grant award, but this can be a lengthy process. Be certain that implementation, continuation and phase-down costs can be met. Consider costs associated with leases, evaluation systems, hard/soft match requirements, audits, development, implementation and maintenance of information and accounting systems, and other long-term financial commitments. A well-prepared budget justifies all expenses and is consistent with the proposal narrative. Some areas in need of an evaluation for consistency are: (1) the salaries in the proposal in relation to those of the applicant organization should be similar; (2) if new staff persons are being hired, additional space and equipment should be considered, as necessary; (3) if the budget calls for an equipment purchase, it should be the type allowed by the grantor agency; (4) if additional space is rented, the increase in insurance should be supported; (5) if an indirect cost rate applies to the proposal, the division between direct and indirect costs should not be in conflict, and the aggregate budget totals should refer directly to the approved formula; and (6) if matching costs are required, the contributions to the matching fund should be taken out of the budget unless otherwise specified in the application instructions. It is very important to become familiar with Government-wide circular requirements. The Catalog identifies in the program description section (as information is provided from the agencies) the particular circulars applicable to a Federal program, and summarizes coordination of Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Programs" requirements in Appendix I. The applicant should thoroughly review the appropriate circulars since they are essential in determining items such as cost principles and conforming with Government guidelines for Federal domestic assistance. (c) Copyright Envision Corporation. 2002. All rights reserved. Protected by the copyright laws of the United States & Canada and by international treaties. IT IS ILLEGAL AND STRICTLY PROHIBITED TO DISTRIBUTE, PUBLISH, OFFER FOR SALE, LICENSE OR SUBLICENSE, GIVE OR DISCLOSE TO ANY OTHER PARTY, THIS PRODUCT IN HARD COPY OR DIGITAL FORM. ALL OFFENDERS WILL BE SUED IN A COURT OF LAW. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Michael Duncan ENG. 111 T/TH 9:30 am ³... it is no delusion. There is an Unpardonable Sin!² , a quote by Ethan Brand that is at the root of many stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthornes gloomy, dark style of writing is an emphasis on his theme of evil at societies heart. Writing about what he knew Hawthorne described the puritan society in different periods of time and defined different characters but all connected through his style. The stories that exemplify the diversity of Hawthornes writing are ³ Young Goodman Brown² , ³ Ethan Brand² , and ³The Birthmark² . Having read these stories it is possible to become engrossed in the darkness that is portrayed and none is better than ³ Young Goodman Brown² . Young Goodman Brown, the character, is first introduced to us in the clearing of Salem village and we learn that he has faith in the goodness of the village and Faith for his companion as well. The people that we meet in Salem village in the first few paragraphs are just Goodman and Faith. These two characters are very important to understand for their surface characters or illusional characters. It is soon learned that Goodman Brown is not such a good man and later Faith shows us just as much false character. Goodman and Faith are not the only characters that are not all they seem to be. We come to meet more characters in the short story that are superficial as is the village itself. Goodman Brown leaves the bright, warm, goodness of his village to make a journey in the woods to meet a stranger. A good place to meet a stranger would be these surrounding woods of Salem for it is here that described by Nathaniel Hawthorne that ³He had taken a dreary road,darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind.² and like the scheming mind of an evil person the dark woods leads one down the wrong pathway. The woods are not an allusion as was the village, the woods are exactly what they seem to be therefore the characters met inside the woods will be as shady as the woods themselves. Leading Goodman Brown to his despair is the first character, the stranger. The stranger is much older than the Goodman but the two converse easily and both understand each other even though they talk around Goodmans evil purpose. It is this easy conversation that Hawthorne writes to us about Goodmans evil. Though Goodman Brown believes himself to be alone in his journey down the trail the stranger tells him that it is a beaten path and has been taken even by his father. So does the world that has been built up around Goodman Brown begin to crumble and with the first blow he is set up for more devastation into the world of the devil. ³ Wickedness or not, I have a very general acquaintance here in New England.² The devilish stranger explains how even the noblest of people have an evil in their character and those who hide are those who are trusted the most. Many of these characters that the stranger knows are companions of the Goodman and these are Goody Cloyce ,the Deacon, the other patriots of Salem, and even his own wife Faith who he sees worshiping in the woods behind a hazy fire. By telling the story of a devil worshiping town in Salem, which is already known for its witch scare, Hawthorne tries to convey his beliefs that in all of humanity there can and is evil. For those who believe themselves to be good are not and those who do not are. ³ Ethan Brand² is a different sort of story that will take place in the side of a mountain where a man and his son and one particular a llimekiln stoaker enter the scene. Visualized to us by Hawthorne Bartram and his son are sitting by the kiln, Bartram the steady worker burns limestone and talks to his son about Ethan Brand. Ethan Brand is a mystery and is representative of the people who are not understood or who may be the outcasts of society. Ethan Brand was a mystery to his townspeople who by leaving the daily routine of life and discontinuing the collective society was branded an outcast and maybe even evil. Hawthorne tries to tell the reader through the words of the character Ethan Brand about the unpardonable sins in the world. ³ what need have I of the Devil? I have left him behind me, on my track. It is with such halfway sinners as you that he busies himself. Fear not because I open the door. I do but act by old custom, and am going to trim your fire, like a lime-burner, as I was once.² by this one statement Ethan Brand decides that he is not a pawn of the devil as thought to be. The characters that Nathaniel Hawthorne writes about in this story are on the opposite side of the good and evil idealism. These characters are not worshiping the Devil as those in ³ Young Goodman Brown² but are just as devilish in their track of thought. Both ,described by Hawthorne, are small towns and the thinking is small as well. This small thinking connects them and I believe that Hawthorne meant the group opposed to the individual are the devils pawns. Though the main characters in the stories believe themselves to be evil somehow Hawthorne portrays them to have the most humanity of any of the characters. ³ There are many such lime- kilns in that tract of country, for the purpose of burning white marble which composes a large part of the substance of the hills. Some of them, built years ago, and long deserted, with weeds growing in the vacant round of the interior...² setting the scene for the Devils advocates Hawthorne writes about the hills of the limekilns. The vivid details of the characters surroundings shapes the characters themselves and we read about them both to help understand Hawthornes idea of evil in humanity. Overall in the description of both these the reader can visualize how a person can be evil. Evil is at the root of the story in ³ The Birthmark² for it is here that Hawthorne writes about the most sinful character. In all of the seven deadly sins committed by man; the deadliest of all is pride. Priding ones self is terrible but carrying this vanity to another can be deadly. After reading ³ The Birthmark² the character Aylmer finds for himself that pride costed him dearly, he lost his lovely wife. Aylmer is representative of the sin pride. Hawthorne describes the character in such a way that Aylmer portrays himself as Godlike. The character Aylmer is evil because according to Hawthorne ³ He had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weaned from them by any second passion.². Is this the possible pride that leads a man to be considered evil? Yes, according to evidence in the story Hamthorne makes the character Aylmer in human by taking away his passion for his wife and having it replaced by passion for only his work. Hawthorne describes Aylmers preoccupation with perfecting his wifes beauty in the story when writing ³ At all the seasons which should have been their happiest, he invariably and without intending it, nay, in spite of a purpose to the contrary reverted to this one disastrous topic.² . Through this text the author creates a character that we may see into in order to reveal the one tracked mind. Pride is the ultimate goal for Aylmar; he intends to make a prize of his wife by trying to make her extraordinary person and alleviating any blemishes. His wife Georgianais the innocent victim in the story because she must follow her husbands wishes. Hawthorne once again writing in his time period made traditional characters of society and these people were in an average class; henceforth keeping traditional good and evil characters as in many fiction stories. Hawthorne has created a couple who are the examples of good and evil; Georgiana has the mark of innocence upon her and Aylmer carries delusions of grandeur. Georgiana is admired for her beauty by the publics eye and Aylmer is envied by the same. Hawthorne tells us outright that the two are not happy but what must be understood is that because Aylmer is unhappy with her birthmark , ³ My peerless bride, it is successful! You are perfect!, ...dearest Aylmer, I am dying.² , pays the ultimate price for perfection. Nathaniel Hawthorne is a world renowned writer for his many skills but especially for his vivid descriptions of gloom and darkness. These skills define his writing and have an affect on the reader of astonishment. The dark gloomy writing that Hawthorne portrays in all of these stories give an insight to the evil of normal people and how it has fatal potential. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\WRT 205explanation essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Cara Band WRT 205 April 9, 2003 In the first article, I was a little throw off with whether or not the author was an expert on the subject of Cannibalism in Asia. The author had a lot of knowledge; however from the writing it is not very clear how they could have found some of their research. The reason for this is because cannibalism is an extremely awkward topic and I am not sure that most people that went through that experience would actually give that much information on such a gruesome topic. Quotes like "Some people vomited as they attempted to eat..." are extremely graphic, and the only way that the author would be able to give that information to her reader would be if they actually experience the act first hand, or they interviewed a primary source. In addition to those facts, perhaps scientists or confirmed some aspects as well. For instance, it was also stated that "the liquids inside the cranium were eaten to quench thirst..." and it continues to say how the organs were boiled in order to be eaten. Perhaps someone who was there did not state this, but it was later discovered by experts that these are in fact the actions that took place at that time. Some other ways it was evident that research was done was by encompassing the culture as a whole. When an author generalizes a particular culture, it is inevitably easier to write about when not having to make distinctions between individuals. I saw this done a lot through out Linh Kieu Ngo's piece. For instance, a pretty general statement is that "ritual cannibalism among South American Indians often serves as revenge for the dead." Now perhaps she could get away with this because she used the word often, but it is highly unlikely that that is truly the case for every single South American Indian. In the next excerpt of writing in The Disney Girl I believe that the knowledge and research the writer has is more literarily based, because that is obviously the topic with which they are writing. Besides speaking of Snow White or Cinderella, Janet Walker also sites other texts that the movies were based on. For instance, with reference to Cinderella she claims that Antonio Fraser portrays a "larger historical pattern" in his novel The Weaker Vessel. The author must have also looked up statistics and aspects like that because she also states that Disney broke box office records. In addition, I'm not sure if some things are true facts that have been stated by Disney or they are simply the claims of the author. In addition, if you do think that the author is about to make a claim of her own, she then always states something along the lines of, according to so and so, and gives a quote of that person. When in reality, the reader has no idea who that person is, why she is quoting them, and what credibility they actually do have. Lastly, Of Joy and Sadness was perhaps the piece that I could most relate to the forms of research exemplified. Pelayo clearly states doctor's names and implements their quotes appropriately. The author gives definitions explaining what it is they're speaking about generally, and then gets more detailed and specific so the reader can easily follow the logic. Facts are sited all through out the paper, so it is evident that ideas aren't the author's of the entire paper, therefore, it makes it more credible that the facts that are being presented are worth the reader's while. Throughout, the author interprets the research and does also make claims of his own; however, it is easier for the reader to see where they developed from because the thought process is evident throughout the entire essay. I think this author did a great job of researching and organized his thoughts very articulately so this was clearly evident to the reader. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\WRT 205Final Research Essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Cara Band WRT 205 Fairytale Come True Every little girl has dreams of becoming a princess; of having a life of ball gowns, romance, parties and of finding her own prince charming. Everyone has their own conceptions of a fairy-tale come true, and Hollywood has banked on those dreams and conceptualized the notion of there being royalty among us, in such recent films as The Princess Diaries, and has glamorized the Princess in all types of film and media outlets. In each Disney movie that young children hold so dear, there is a beautiful Princess who in some capacity has overcome some sort of hardship to live glamorously in their royal lives. The idea that there is royalty among us is one that we hold fast to. The idea that little girls everywhere could grow up to become princesses themselves is not in vain. Growing up in America, in a society that does not have a monarchy, there is an intense fascination with all those things royal. For one American woman, Grace Patricia Kelly, the dream of royalty was a fairy-tale that came true. In American history there is one woman in each generation who is so renowned that little girls everywhere strived to become like her. There are few women in history that truly encompass all those ideals that one might denote as characteristics of a princess, and truly, Grace Kelly did become one. Although, contrary to popular stereotypes, this Princess was actually raised in a wealthy Irish-Catholic family in Philadelphia and died a tragic death as well. Princess Grace lived a remarkable and enviable life. For women everywhere, Princess Grace was a woman whose life others strove to emulate. From an enchanting movie star, to a real-life princess, Princess Grace's life was the type of fairy-tale that story-tellers never get tired of telling. Before I go into depth on the person Grace Kelly was and how the events in her life made her the person she was and how the world perceived her, I think it's important to know some background facts. Grace Patricia Kelly was born on November 12, 1928 in Philadelphia, PA. She was raised in an Irish-Catholic home. Her mother taught athletics at the University of Pennsylvania, she was in fact their first woman instructor in that field. To this day, her mother is still considered an outstanding figure in the civic affairs of the city of Philadelphia. Grace's father, John, won his place as a "self-made" man. He made millions in the construction industry. His brother's successes were much more like Grace's. Walter, was actually a top vaudeville entertainer of his day, and later did motion pictures. Grace's other uncle, George, was a successful actor and developed one act Broadway successes, even winning a Pulitzer Prize. Grace was one of four children; her personality was the least extroverted. For her education, Grace attended a Catholic school and left New York in 1947 to study at the Academy of Dramatic Art. She began her career modeling and after she then appeared in a Broadway play in 1949 and then continued to work in television, then eventually on cinema. She starred in many films such as High Society, High Noon, Mogambo, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and many other prominent films of the century. After winning the Oscar for her performance in The Country Girl in 1954, Grace was invited to represent the United States at the Cannes Film Festival. While in Cannes, the magazine Paris Match arranged a meeting between Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco, there the match of the century was made. The wedding took place in the midst of unimaginable chaos with seven thousand guests and fifteen hundred journalists. On April 19, 1956, the once small American girl from PA became Son Altesse Serenissime la Princesse Grace-Patricia de Monaco. She ended her film career, made strives in organizations such as the Red Cross, and had three children respectively, Albert, Caroline, and Stephanie, before her unfortunate passing in the early fall of 1982. There are many misconceptions about events that took place in Kelly's life. In doing a lot of research on this woman, I found that I truly had to be aware of the sources I was using. The reason being for this is that many of them had essentially different stories to tell, or perhaps conveniently added or omitted controversial information. For example, in one source online it stated that "she began modeling and had an affair with her drama teacher, which her parents promptly forbade." Furthermore, "Kelly made her professional acting debut at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania, where she appeared in a revival of her Uncle George Kelly's comedy Torch Bearers." Now essentially, to put it bluntly, what this author is saying is that Grace Kelly slept with her drama teacher, and that she could have made her acting career debut only because it was her Uncle's production. This kind of information to someone who regarded Grace Kelly very highly would be a cause to now see her in a much dimmer light. The truth of the matter is that I am no expert. Even with extensive research, unless I had an interview with someone who truly is an authority on Grace Kelly's life, then there really is no way to know whether or not some things that are said are true, and what connotations the authors even had when they wrote them. Also quite possible is that people could interpret information differently than the writer anticipated. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\WW1 essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kendal Dudek January 14, 2003 BLOCK America's Patience and War Patience can only last so long, especially when the patience is running out because one has had enough. For example, As much as the United States wanted to stay neutral during World War I, they could only tolerate so much. America thought there was no reason to join either sides, and plus they didn't have a clue on who would win. By setting an example of peace to the world, America stuck with their choice of staying neutral. Little by little, the Germans pushed America to their limit, causing them to go to war. Incidents such as submarine warfare, Wilson being reelected, and the Zimmermann note all led to the "sinking" of America's patience, causing them to enter the war. As the WWI progressed, Great Britain began to make more use of their naval strength by setting up blockades along the coast of Germany to prevent weapons and other military goods from getting through. This led to the starvation of about 750,000 Germans. In response, Germany set up a submarine blockade, which meant any ship found in the water around Britain, would be sunk without any warning. With Great Britain being one of America's allies, when the worst disaster occurred, the sinking of the Lusitania, the American opinion toward Germany became very negative. The sinking of the Lusitania killed 1,198 people, including 128 Americans.. Now with Germans actually taking American lives away, America became very angry with Germany. Americans felt that they should not have to sit and watch their people being killed when this was an European war, one in which they agreed to stay neutral. This thought led America one step closer to entering war, but still America waited. After a very long election, a year later, in 1916, the man that "kept us out of war'', Woodrow Wilson, was reelected. It was then that Wilson tried to end the war by attempting to get both sides of the war to agree on terms in which they would be willing to stop fighting for. This meant that the fighting would end, and there would be no winner. However, Wilson's plan also meant that all nations would join in a League of Peace to sustain international peace and cooperation. Germany did not agree but instead felt they had a good chance to take over Great Britain by going back to their original plan of submarine warfare. German announced that they would be sinking all ships in British waters, whether they were enemies or neutral. Wilson was shocked that the German would now start to sink their ships, the government and him knew that their country was gradually moving closer to entering the war, but made the decision to continue on waiting. After Wilson failed to gain peace, British agents gained possession of a secret telegram from the Germans to the Mexicans. This telegram questioned Mexico if they would form an alliance with Germany, promising that if war with the U.S. broke out, that Germany would protect and support Mexico. Now with Germany turning against America by sinking their ships and trying to get other countries against America, this telegram added to all the reasons the U.S. needed to take part in the war. Wilson and his country had no choice but to take action. It was now that America felt they needed to enter the war in order to obtain a better future in regards to their peace and freedom. America's patience year by year was slowly "sinking", especially with Germany keeping a close eye on them. With the U.S. on their way to war, the major events in which pushed them into war would not be forgotten. The submarine warfare, the reelection of Wilson, and the Zimmerman note are left in the history of America's cause for going to war. RUBRIC: Quality of Introduction 0 1 2 3 4 Attention-Getter, Background Information, Thesis, Preview Support of Thesis 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Evidence relates to and supports thesis, Examples are strong, specific, and relevant Organization/Conventions 0 1 2 3 4 5 Logical Sequence, Transitions, Sentence Fluency, Grammar, Word Choices, Conclusion, etc. Total: _______ /20 f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Young Goodman Brown and Rappacinis Daughter.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Young Goodman Brown And Rappacini's Daughter 2001words In Puritan Massachusetts the key word was suspicion. In order to be accepted, by the community, you had to be a member of the "elect," destined for a spot in the eternity of heaven. In order to be member of this elite group of "selected" individuals you had to be free of sin and evil. It goes without saying, that you could never be caught conjuring the devil, as is illustrated by the horrors of the infamous Salem witch trials. In Young Goodman Brown, and Rappacini's Daughter Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays two different ways of soliciting or being solicited by the devil. The final scenes in both of these stories although similar in nature, are actually conflicting in essence, and show the two adverse ways in which people and evil can become one. In Young Goodman Brown, the protagonist, Goodman Brown goes off on a typical search for the devil. The devil is associated with darkness and terror, a creature only to be sought after while enveloped in the darkness of the night. As Goodman Brown himself replies to Faith's longing for him to wait until morning to embark on his journey, "My journey needst be done twixt now and sunrise" (611). Goodman Brown knows exactly what he is going to look for, he is searching for evil. He goes to the forest to do his deed and "he had taken a dreary road darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest" to get there(611). Goodman Brown is willingly seeking the devil, and Hawthorne is throwing in all the stereotypes. This entire search for the devil is portrayed as being very ugly. What then is pretty? In Young Goodman Brown beauty equals inherent goodness, or Faith. Young Goodman Brown separates from this righteousness, for evil. From the beginning, he was leaving, at least for the time being, Faith behind. "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the soft ribbons of her cap" (610). The beauty of faith and her pink ribbons are left behind, his intentions are obvious. In Rappacini's Daughter Giovanni does none of this. He never went out searching for the devil, all he wanted to do was study in Padua. The devil was not obvious to Giovanni, it went after him, and he did not even know it. Giovanni's first glimpse of the "devil's lair" is considerably different of that of Goodman Brown. Instead of a dreary, dark forest, Giovanni saw Eden. "Water which continued to gush and sparkle into the sunbeams as cheerfully as ever. A little gurgling sound ascended to the young man's window, and made him feel as if the fountain were an immortal spirit that sung its song unceasingly and without heeding the vicissitudes around it." (628). Instead of his first human encounter being with a devilish man with slithering snake on his staff, Giovanni met the beautiful Beatrice (614). Beatrice was as beautiful as the devil was ugly. Giovanni glanced into the garden and "Soon there emerged from under a sculptured portal the figure of a young girl, arrayed with as much richness of taste as the most splendid of flowers, beautiful as the day, and with a bloom so deep and vivid that one shade more would have been too much. She looked redundant with life, health, and energy" (629). In Rappacini's Daughter instead of beauty equaling faith, it equals the Devil, or the evil that Beatrice really represented. This is not as clear cut as Young Goodman Brown. There in order to "be with the devil" you had to go searching for him/her. In Rappacini's Daughter, however, the Devil came to Giovanni. Furthermore he came in the form of a beautiful woman...a frightening concept. Young Goodman Brown is told in the first person narrative. It is therefore from one persons point of view. It is a warning of what could happen to you if you stray from probity, and your moral ideals. All the decisions were clearly made by Brown himself, and his plight can be avoided. Rappacini's Daughter, however, is told in the a third person narrative. It is not from one person's point of view, it is a universal problem which has consequences for the entire human race. The devil does not always look as he is supposed to, and is not easily recognizable. He can enthrall you with splendor, rather than trap you with terror . The devil can get you anyway he wants, he has agents to do his bidding. As Beatrice mournfully explains to Giovanni "But my father,- he has united us in this fearful sympathy" (644). The story is called Rappacini's Daughter event though Beatrice seems to be a functioning individual. Should not the story be called Beatrice? No. Giovanni was tricked as he thought Beatrice was "a tender warmth of girlish womanhood. She was human" (638). All Beatrice really represents is Rappacini's, or the devil's messenger sent to trap the good, unsuspecting Giovanni, an unavoidable fate. Young Goodman Brown certainly knew the difference between faith and evil. He, however, wanted the best of both worlds to remain intact. In fact he promises himself that "after this night I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven" (611). All he wants is this one night of evil, and then he will return to the faith, and cling onto his wife. Brown wants to keep faith and evil as two separate distinct entities. Giovanni, however realizes that they are not two separate things, and that you must choose one or the other, as he says about Beatrice "whatever mist of evil might see to have gathered over her, the real Beatrice was a heavenly angel" (643). Giovanni knew that Beatrice could not be both good and bad so he was trying to decipher what exactly she was. Similarly with Rappacini's garden there are aspects which point in each direction. Originally Giovanni had thought of the plants as beautiful, until he realized that they were in actuality poison. They had to be one or the other, there could not be independent elements of both within the garden. That is why Giovanni had to know whether Beatrice's breath was poison or beauty. He had to know which path she had chosen. Brown, however, until the very end wanted to keep good and evil as two perpetual different entities and options. As Brown was looking up in the forest where he was deciding his fate he saw at first what he wanted. Brown looked up and saw that "The blue sky was still visible, except directly overhead, where this black mass of cloud was sweeping swiftly northward" (615). To Brown this was perfect he could still see his faith but the black clouds, evil, had temporarily moved in for a quick but exciting storm. Only when the "dark cloud swept away, leaving the clear and silent sky above...and something fluttered lightly down through the air...and beheld a pink ribbon" did he realize that he was mistaken (614). The clouds had left, but the ribbons had fallen from the clouds. Evil had already started over taking faith, they were intertwined and one had to be the victor. Goodman Brown wanted to connect with the devil from the beginning. He did not want to make a complete break from faith, yet he wanted just to experience a little of Satan's wonderful pleasures. He was going after the devil who was painted so viciously in his catechism. The devil which was worshipped at midnight, in the forest surrounded, by blazing pines. The devil he was brought up despising. Brown came into the final confrontation with Faith from a forest "which was peopled by frightful sounds, the creaking of trees and the howling of wild beasts", yet he still heard "church bells tolling in the distance" (615). He wanted both but he could have only one, and on this night nothing was keeping him from the lore of the devil. Goodman Brown stepped forth from his doubts, he "stepped out of the shadow of the trees and approached the congregation with whom he felt a loathful brotherhood by the sympathy of all that was wicked in his heart" (617). Brown wanted to be evil now, but to be good later. His encounter with Faith at the end illustrated this need precisely. "And there they stood the only pair, as it seemed, who were yet hesitating on the verge of wickedness in this dark world" (618). Goodman Brown did not know whether he should commit himself, as well as his Faith to a life of evil, or if they should both flee from the altar to the arms of faith. Yet Brown continued in his desire for two separate distinct beings in Faith and evil. For now he wanted the evil, therefore he beseeched Faith crying- "Faith! Faith!... , look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one" (618). Brown thought he had done it. He thought that he had achieved one night of evil while sustaining his life of peace. All too soon however, it became clear that his choice of evil was the only one he would have, as " He would often awaken at midnight and shrink from the bosom of Faith...for his dying hour was gloom" (619). This last scene was the portrayal Goodman Brown's choice of evil and the devil, over faith and his wife. Giovanni had no thoughts the likes of Goodman Brown, so his confrontation with his lover represents something entirely different. Giovanni knew that good and evil could not survive side by side. He had decided to try and save Beatrice, and himself, from evil. Giovanni thought "might there not still be a hope of his returning within the limits of ordinary nature, and leading Beatrice, the redeemed Beatrice, by the hand" (644)? He had no intention of killing Beatrice. He himself offered to drink the potion with Beatrice as he says "Shall we not quaff it together, and thus be purified from evil" (645)? Surely if he knew that the potion was poison he would not have offered to drink it. Giovanni did the opposite of what Goodman Brown did in his final confrontation. Giovanni chose good over evil yet, "as poison had been life, the antidote was death", and he too had to give up his love, his Faith, but through no flaw of his own. Goodman Brown was not an evil person, just a misguided one. He felt that his life would not be complete unless he saw things from both sides of the spectrum. Brown, however did not want to give up the "good" life for this one minute of evil. In Puritan society that, one flirtation with the Devil can cost you everything. Young Goodman Brown abandoned Faith at the altar and deserved his punishment. For what, however, did Giovanni deserve his cruel fate? After all he had been made eternally evil by Beatrice, who was now dead, rather than good, which was Giovanni's goal for her. Besides Baglioni himself states to Giovanni that "I tell thee, my poor Giovanni, that Rappacini has a scientific interest in thee. Though hast fallen into fearful hands" (635). The devil was coming after Giovanni, it was not his fault. The last seen in Young Goodman Brown shows the generic search for the devil, and Goodman Brown is supposed to be used as "what not to do" example for the righteous Puritans. Yet the last seen in Rappacini's Daughter is completely different. It portrays a man who had to endure great sorrow through no apparent flaw of his own. This, however, is not the case. Rather in this last confrontation Hawthorne is pointing out a reason for the demise of Giovanni, and at the same time rebuking the always nosy, and homiletic Puritans. Giovanni got in trouble for being too meddlesome. He had to know whether Beatrice was good or evil, and that brought about his downfall. f:\12000 essays\miscellaneous (970)\Youth culture essay.TXT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 'In the understanding zeal to depict the kids as creative agents rather than manipulated dummies, this often plays down the extent to which changes in youth culture are manufactured changes, dictated by consumer society' (Thornton:1995). Relate this quote to the current social, cultural, technological and economic scene. In shall begin by asking what youth culture is, I will also be explaining what a sub-culture is. What influences youth culture. My essay with follow the structure of the four main points Technological, Social, cultural, and economic scene. I will look at these points in depth. I will argue for and against 'manipulated dummies' and 'creative agents' My broad definition of Youth culture is, a unified group of people which have similarities and common likes and dislikes, this distinguishes them in a significant way from other members of society and social groups. Parsons (1942) described youth culture as a single cultural system characteristic of youth in a modernising world. (Ref youth culture identify in the post mod world) After the post war 1945 youth culture was on the agenda. Youth began to be addressed by fashion and music industry. Manufactures saw a huge market. Youth culture became a definitive era. First I will relate the question to today's technological scene. The youth of today are exposed to a wide range of technological influences. Mobile phones, advertising, computers, internet, magazines. Communication is very fast. Explain the mods.. During the dates etc. Technology was far less advanced. Visual graphics were of low production values, for example, disco club flyers were simple in design graphics, the hand drawing was very much valued, it showed authentic practice and had a personal touch. Today's flyers have become more commercial, competition between clubs has increased, as clubs have become a multimillion pound industry. There is a huge demand for flyers and original design talent. As a result production levels have risen, helped by advances in Desk-Top publishing. Black and white hand drawn flyers have almost become extinct. The flyer must translate this into an 'image' in order to distinguish the night and entice an audience to go. Youth are far more interactive currently. Mobile phones for example allow anyone to become reachable from anywhere. We are able to contact one another twenty-four hours a day. Mobile phone manufactures have networks contract to suit every person. There are many different advertising techniques to tackle every live style. For example a potentially large money making market is in the disco clubs. Such as `Fabric' in London, `Pasha' features sister club nights all over Europe, and `Cream' another London based club which tours throughout the country. All of these clubs have been successful in identifying their own marketing devices and brand identities. With help through sponsorship with large corporate companies. The club night `Renaissance' unutilised company's money like Silk Cut cigarettes and Calvin Klein and mobile phone companies, to enable successful club nights and generate thousands of pounds. This could been seen as immoral and club nights becoming more about the consumerism than being part of a culture. Yet today's clubbing youth are participating in a culture yet there is still a fluid mixture of people, interested in a night of good music and not fundamentally about consuming. Technology allows us to consume at with very little effort. We can purchase over the Internet and then items are delivered to us. Manufactures making it so easy for us is one explanation as to how consumerism has risen to such an extent. Branded clubs like Ministry of Sound enables us to purchase compilation CD's online. Can we say that youth are manipulated dummies through the media. It is almost impossible to avoid the media and influential advertising. 'Media are motivated by corporate agendas like generating sensational copy to keep up high sales or maintaining their image as a family orientated public service. In other words, media react to phenomena which don't actually threaten them, and youth cultures (unlike, say, monopolies and merges commission inquiries) are one such subject.' ( Thornton P167) I think youth use the media to shape themselves as much as they bla bla All the time youth are receiving opposing media outlets for example prime time television chart shows verses late night narrow casts. So it is essential before considering if the media shape youth culture to view how youth depict subcultures. 'Niche media like the music press construct subcultures as much as they document them' (Thornton 116) and 'National mass media, such as tabloids develop youth movements as much as they distort them.' Without the media intervention it would be hard to imagine a British youth movement. Marketer realise that youth repeatedly have respect for adult orientated programming than for shows made specifically for their age group. For example the fashion market advertise clothes on 'SMTV Live' a show aimed at teenagers featuring latest pop groups, fashion and young presenters. Marketers are also aware that the audience they market fashion at may also be watching 'Richard and Judy' a show aimed at mainly middle-aged women. Secondly I will consider social influences such as social groups, musical groups, films, icons. The mods would go to coffee shops to socialise. They would mainly revolve there socialising at weekends. The Vespa, becoming the largest connotation attributed to the 'the mods' allowed them to travel around England. Brighton was one of the favourite place of meeting. Where they would congregate and `pose' often against the 'Rockers' who appropriated the motor bike to communicate a sub culture. Today Jamie Oliver, a famous celebrity chef who dominates huge media coverage, and is the face of Sainsbury's brand image. He has once again quoted from past youth culture, be seen to drive a customised vespa, to broaden his self image. I may not overlook the fact it may indeed have been Sainsburys idea to implicate this image. Oliver is filmed on his vespa in a Sainsburys advert. A large majority of Sainsburys custom is aged forty to fifty this of course included the generation of the mods, and is associated with authenticity and brand loyalty. This is only one example of how every current `trend' finds a way of selling itself. Youth's `Creative agents' originate an idea, it may be a way of wearing an item of clothing or an appropriation of a single product. Manufactures then almost instantaneously sell that particular idea back to youth. For example the 'hand made jean skirt' may have simply originated from an art college or an unrecognised fashion student. Moments later consumers were able to buy the same idea from mainstream shops such as `Top Shop' at a higher price than it would in fact take the agent to construct the skirt by them self. Youth culture today is constantly recycling the past. Youth todays try to mark out appropriated `territory' in localities. They focus around key occasions of social interaction: the weekend , the disco, the bank-holiday trip, the night out in the 'centre' the 'standing about doing nothing', the week day evening. Instead of developing a large youth culture movement, youth today becomes more fragmented and less of an identity category. In this argument I would agree that today the circulation of the creative ideas and the actual production along with consumerism is so much faster than early youth culture. Thirdly Economic After the war, new ranges of commodities and comercial lesuire facilities were provided to absorb the surplus cash, which for the first time in working class history youth had to spend on itself. This enabled youth to construct its own immaculate identities. Later through history as Dick Hebdige explains. `By the mid sixties youth culture had become largely a matter of commodity selection of emphatically stated taste preferences'. ( Hebdige p30hidingin light) I can relate this to current youth. Manufactured pop groups are invented which are predonamtly about endorsing products upon youth teenagers to produce more spending of the teenager's pocket money. It could be argued that the type of music the `Mods' were spending money, `The Who', `Beatles', `Small faces' was because of the quality of music. Rather than the impact of `hype' which is so much a consequence of the amount of money which is spent on music today. For example the teenage pop group `S Club 7' are a seven person pop group, with a personality to appeal to a range of teenage personalities. There is more merchandise of `S Club 7' items than actual songs written. The Spice girls were and example to which extent money can be made from 'mass hype' More than likely they would have a job, which earned them a satisfactory wage. 'Most commentators would agree on certain basic themes: that a mod was predominately working class-male dominated and centred around obsessive clothes-consciousness, which involved a fascination with American and continental styles.'(Henbige p110) Lastly I will consider the cultural influences. I will concentrate on how music, and fashion are heavily influenced by culture. During the period of the `Mods' the fashion mimicked by the Italians. Smooth crop hair, neat white Italian shirt, the Italian scooter. The `mods' would also wear the Ben Sherman shirt which was the American influence. Today's fashion is still taken from European culture. One example would be the brand `Diesel' originating and still in production from Italy. At a time of current Post-modernism youth are more hesitate about the future were as the during the sixty's the `mods' ,`Rockers' and `Hippies' were excited about the future. The media is constantly today protraying a 'safe future' for example the phone company Orange has a slogan 'The futures bright the futures Orange' The media are fundamental to the process of popular distinction, because media consumption is a primary leisure activity and because they are leading disseminators of culture.