Exploring the Thematic Link Between the Epigraph and the Greasy Lake Essay Example for Free

Exploring the Thematic Link Between the Epigraph and the Greasy Lake Essay The Greasy Lake seems to be influence by Bruce Springsteen Spirit in the Night. It is like used an epigraph from his song even though its not about the characters of the story. The characters and actions are completely made up. The Greasy Lake seemed to just imitate the song and take on its a free spirit. The Bad boy image in the Greasy Lake was admired and planned as the boys days continued, it was not original. We can just think about when the Greasy Lake was set not only the epigraph but also the title of the story was inspired by Bruce Springsteen Spirit in the Night. Think about it, are these boys really bad? No, they are just acting out the kind of behavior they think is bad,cool or expected of them. They read books to learn the Bad boy ways, drink cheap non- bad boy drinks and came from high class families. The nature of life was shown through the bad things that took place such as beating the guy and disrespecting the girl and being bad in order to be looked at as bad or cool. This is the narrator learned his lesson all from his actiions. The narrator, in the beginning of the story, believed himself and his friends were these tough guys but the events trhoughout the night reveals to the narrator that there is a price to be paid when trying to be bad. It was the third night of summer vacation and the narrator and his two friends, Digby and Jeff, wanted to prove they were misfits. That they were ready to be reckless and became reck. On that night they wanted to be semi- rebels, their rebellion explodes in their faces. Their actions brings them into a tougher world than they had arranged for. They beat the goy up and was about to rape his girl friend. The guy friends pulled up and the tables had turned. They ran through the woods, dived and poluted waters and floated with the real tough guy who was dead in the waters. They hid from the real tough guys because they were scared and werent bad at all. The layed low till the early morning and then the three boys started to feel a bunch of hatred or repugnance for the Bad boy life. As the end it is clear that they have had enough of being â€Å"bad. † The narrator of â€Å"Greasy Lake† matures during his risky adventure because he has different views of nature. Earlier in the story they wanted to destroy the smell of possibility and interact in all these crazy moments such as watch the girl take their clothes off, drink, smoke and listen to Rock Roll. At the end of the story these cruel likings loses their request or want for these Bad guy qualities and aspects of life. When morning arrived the narrator experienced the beauty of the natural world like it was his first time. He has a epiphany or proclamation that this was nature and in the beginning it was just a dirty, rundown lake.? This was not just for him but for his friends also. When the girls approached them at the end his friend stepped up and trned down the girls offer. The three friends had the experience of a life time that changed thm for the better.

Influences Of Greek And Roman Theatre

Influences Of Greek And Roman Theatre Desire Under the Elms published in1924 is one of Eugene ONeills American classic plays. This play is written in three parts with each part divided into four scenes. It is based of Greek mythology and Roman tragedy. The setting is farmhouse in New England in 1850s with characters Ephraim Cabot 76 year old father, Simeon and Peter sons of the first wife, Eben son of the second wife, Abbie Putnam 35 year old third wife, young girl, two farmers, the fiddler, a sheriff, and other folk from the neighboring farms. This play portrays many elements of day to day life ambiences passion, betrayal, love, lust, hate, infanticide, tragedy, haunting past, persuasion, and sacrifice for love. Hamlet is a revenge tragedy written in the line of Roman Seneca tragedy. Passion; eroticism; pomposity; persuasiveness; incest; betrayal: partners in sin who go on a redemption, tragic and strong love, forbidden desire, rebellion against a father figure, complex love and hate, sacrifice of a child, the haunting past, determinism of the characters and their inner struggle. The elm serves as a catalyst to sensing, feeling and even seeing that which is not always visible. Elm tree meaning includes strength of will and intuition. During the 18th and 19th centuries, elms were popular as ornamentals by virtue of their rapid growth and variety of foliage and forms. This popularity lasted until World War I when the consequences of hostilities, notably in Germany, and the outbreak of Dutch elm disease saw the elm slide into horticultural decline. Elm wood is valued for its interlocking grain, and consequent resistance to splitting, with significant uses in wheels, chairs and coffins. The wood is also resistant to decay when permanently wet, and hollowed trunks were widely used as water pipes during the medieval period in Europe. Elm trees grow inhardiness zones 2 through 6. Buy an Elm New Horizon tree from Nature Hills Nursery. Elm is thought to be the tree of old Family and family tradition. Elm is often associated with Mother and Earth Goddesses, but it wou ld be completely wrong to say that it represents a female spirit. The main aspect of Elm symbolism is strength; and in that quality it leaves behind even the most powerful trees, such as Oak, Alder or Yew. Elm strength is dark and heavy; it feeds on primary instincts rather than conscious decision. This tree is quite inert and rigid, and its power is not rash; but when Elm gets ready, its strike will completely smash an enemy. Despite such prominent warrior qualities, Elm is not always good in battle. The matter is that this tree has much too passion for classic war activity and in its anger may become totally unmanageable. It personifies a mad berserker, blinded by his rage of blood, who kills everyone on his way, even if it makes no sense. Due to this blindness Elm, though strong and active, is usually not a leader, but a follower (and a very devoted follower!). As appears from the above, Elm is not an easy tree. Nevertheless, it should not be seen as completely evil, and no other tree should either. Some of Elm spiritual qualities are very valuable. For example, rare tree can do better than Elm in defending interests of family or close group. It stands to the last, and will continues to fight even in hopeless situation. Elm loyalty is unquestionable; and it will despise everyone, who shows a sight of weakness or hesitation. Elm is good for any magic workings, which are involving strength; and it also has the ability to add stability and grounding to a spell. Elm does well in dark practices, especially in spells that can bring irreversible material damage. It is known to dull the senses and cause depression or darkness, and is often used in dealing with shadows. Keywords: strength, stability, grounding, foundation, rigid structure, darkness, pressure, blind rage, devotion, loyalty to family, dark passion, fighting to the last. In The monumental tragic consequences of the incest passion that flares between a coquettish, seductive woman and her stepson, and the romantic rhetoric both use while entrapped in their sexual ecstasy. The two infatuated lovers before, while and after they commit the sin of incest, and attempts to measure their romantic rhetoric against such incestuous lust. The two lovers incest takes place in an ominous house teeming with family tensions, intense lust, hatred, and betrayal. In Desire Under the Elms (1924), a domestic peasant tragedy set in New England, Eugene ONeill portrays the grave consequences of the tragic incestuous passion that flares between a coquettish, seductive, young woman and her stepson. Abbie Putnam, a newly widowed young woman and is now old Cabots third wife, is a wicked, lusty, and extremely beautiful woman. ONeill portrays her as a woman who has a captivating and sexy figure full of lust, Abbie is thirty-five, buxom, full of vitality with a sensual face revealing her intense lust, Her round face is pretty, but marred by its rather gross sensuality (Desire Under the Elms 335). Hartman remarks that Abbie embodies the eternal earth spirit in whom all streams of desire converge (361). Abbie is a vivacious woman who lives only on lifes physical level, and once she tries to live on the spiritual level, she destroys others and destroys herself as well. In marrying an old man, the age of her father and maybe against her will, she was plannin g to seize the farmhouse and disinherit her stepsons. It is quite ironical that both Cabot and Eben patronize the same local prostitute. Though Eben hates his father for his immorality and sensuality, he himself is immoral and corrupt. He keeps visiting a whorehouse to sleep with the same prostitute his father sleeps with. He is involved in an incestuous love affair with his stepmother and fathers a son by her, thus disgracing himself and the entire family. Eben even takes after his father in some aspects of his personality. Both are lusty, deceitful, infidel, rash, stubborn, vengeful, and arrogant. Above all they are both the victims of seething animal passions. Their conflict over the possession of both the farm and the mother, the catalyst Abbie, and the incestuous relationship between the son and his stepmother all result in a great tragedy. The stock oedipal conflict between father and son over the possession of the mother runs throughout the course of Desire Under the Elms and takes different shapes, all of which culminate in the tragic destruction of the house and its dwellers. Hartman (1961) views the incestuous love affair that unites Abbie and Eben as a tragic involvement in the mother-image (361). Hartman argues that the oedipal desire for the mother is ruinous, Desire for, and identification with, the mother can cause evil to spread (367). The influence of Greek tragedy on the content of Desire Under the Elms is clearly manifest, however such influence is charged with a mystical view of the forces at work in and through human beings (Gelb 539). In their oedipal complex- based deconstructive analysis of the play script of Desire Under the Elms Murray and Bowman (1987) argue that although the plays locale is quite American, and is spiritually and emotionally tied to the puritan society, it is deeply rooted in structures found in Greek mythology (4). Murray and Bowman maintain that Ebens desire for his stepmother does not subvert his structuring superego and therefore he becomes a victim to his unconscious oedipal complex. the play is not based solely on the Greek Hippolytus myth linking Eben with Hippolytus , Abbie with Phaedra and Cabot with Theseus, but is based on this myth along with the Freudian Oedipus complex and the Nietzschean philosophy (5). Racey classifies Desire Under the Elms as a New England domestic tragedy since the Cabot family is disintegrated in a time and place when family was supposed to be the backbone of love, solidarity and labor (5). According to Racey, The Cabots tragedy is the result of a familial structure that could not sustain their sexual and materialistic desires (5). Despite the fact that Cabot did not commit any horrible sins like those committed by his son Eben and his wife Abbie, Racey argues that Cabot is the tragic hero in the play and its main character (95). Newlyn argues that the mutual physical attraction between the son and his stepmother reflects ONeills heavy reliance on the classical myths of Oedipus and Phaedra as a raw material for his domestic farm tragedy. Cabots tragic flaw that has ultimately lead to his downfall and that of all his family members is his excessive greed for property, hypocrisy, the delusion of his faith and his lust for women. Still he remains the plays only tragic figure. Cabots New England theodicy, as Presley states, gives him a towering tragic stature and an inward reality far greater than that of any other character in the play (27). Like an Aristotelian tragic figure Cabots downfall is the result of his hubris which not only causes his destruction, but also the ruin of the lives of his sons, new wife and even his former dead wives. Cabot, as Presley notes, is materially blessed but morally dissolute, blinded by a cage of greed (25). Ephraim Cabot represents what McVeigh (1990) calls the archetype of the senex amans or ridiculous old lover figure of Roman comedy (qtd. in Saur 106). Miller (1965) states that It is Ephraims self-delusions that drive his family each to their tragic ends ONeills prolix language and describes it as a vehicle for enveloping the extravagant plots and psychological formalism that owed much to Greek drama (22), and Cohn asserts that ONeill was the first American playwright whose dialogue gave his audience a feeling of observed life rather than books read as a result of committing the horrible crimes of incest and infanticide Eben and Abbie will live forever as sexual and social outcasts. They will never be respected in the community where they live, and they will always live under the curse of the crimes they committed, for evil means and deeds always result in evil ends. It is ironical that Abbie in killing the child was thinking that she, as Ditsky puts it, was sacrificing a future generation to ensure the present sensual enjoyment with her lover (qtd. in Hays 436). To prove her genuine love for Eben and to enjoy his crimson love, Abbie murdered the child. However, she did not know that in killing the child, she would be sent to jail, and would therefore no more enjoy her present love. It is also ironical on the part of Eben when he sacrifices his own youth which he would spend in prison for Abbie mistakenly believing that in sharing the guilt with her, he would join her in prison. He failed to realize that both would be sent to different prisons and might both be hanged. Their sacrifice is hopeless and their crimes are so tragic and beyond repentance. Greek tragedy by utilizing Freudian and Jungian psychology mixing them with some elements of Greek and American mythology. love and hatred, attraction and repulsion, desire and murder, incest and faith, and softness and hardness. The two elm trees resemble evil that is haunting the Cabots homestead, and they suggest the likelihood of the coming misfortune. Evil haunts the Cabots farmhouse and tempts its dwellers to commit dreadful sins. Cabot is a sinner and though he keeps praying for God to cruse his disobedient sons, he himself is an unbeliever. The Cabots feel the presence of an evil spirit in the house, but fail to understand the mysterious nature of such a spirit. They fail to unravel the mystery that drives them to their ominous ends. Cabot can feel the curse, but does not know what it is and why it is permeating the farmhouse. Even during the merry making scene, he can feel the presence of evil dominating the entire house. Desire is part of nature which is portrayed as an abiding absolute throughout the play (Carpenter 109).The play abounds with references to nature, and the characters express their admiration of nature on several occasions. The Cabots farmhouse is towered by two elm trees that reflect the image of Ebens dead mother and the entire protective feminine spirit that hovers over and redeems the Cabot farm from its hard masculine rocks (Going 386). In this context, desire, the mother and nature are seen as one entity reflecting the three constituent elements collectively. New England was far from being stereotyped as the new Eden for the puritans, but rather it was disapprovingly depicted as a land of hypocritical faith and greed for property.

Infant Vs Believers Baptism Theology Religion Essay

Infant Vs Believers Baptism Theology Religion Essay The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible argues that baptism is a rite using water as a symbol of religious purification. The origin of Christian baptism is to be found within Judaism, and it is improbable to suggest the derivation of the Christian rite from the mystery cults. At first term baptism meant the provision of cultic purity, and then in the NT it was extended to express the complete renewal of human existence. The rite of baptism with water as a symbol of entry into the Christian community was practiced from the day of Pentecost. The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible links baptism with repentance and with the reception of the Holy Spirit. The fullest NT exposition of the meaning of baptism is to be found in the Pauline letters. Paul teaches that baptism is the means of incorporation into the Christian community, which is the body of Christ; through baptism the Spirit is received, and the barriers that divide men, whether of race or of class, are thus overcome (1 Cor. 12 :12-13). At the same time, John administered a repentance-baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Mk. 1:4) in anticipation of the baptism of Spirit and the fire that the Messiah would exercise (The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, 1962). Christian baptism is rooted in the redemptive action of Jesus. The command to baptize falls of necessity in the resurrection era, when redemption has been achieved, universal authority accorded to the risen Lord, and the mission of the church to the world begun (The Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 1989). Baptism seems to have accompanied the proclamation of the gospel from the beginning of the churchs mission. According to the Dictionary of New Testament Theology baptism is administered in the name of Jesus Christ; it is for the forgiveness of sins and with a view to the gift of the Holy Spirit. Personally for me, baptism is a very intimate topic. I was baptized, when I was an infant. Actually, everybody in my family was baptized in the early childhood. My mother is a proponent of infant baptizing, as she supposes that children should be taught about Christian living from the time they are born and during their entire life. Her argument is that we are all Gods children and there is no need to wait to become a real Christian. Parents should foster love for God and Bible in children in order to be thankful to God for His tremendous grace, generosity and love He has for us. I also see baptizing as the sign of love and repentance. Moreover, Im thankful to my parents for their decision to baptize me as an infant, as I lived my entire life with the Christian living in my mind. We need to understand the doctrine of baptism in order to live a faithful Christian life. Moreover, the understanding of the doctrine of Baptism is needed as it has a great influence in the church today. When people are baptized, they identify themselves with Christs death, burial and resurrection (Stringer, M. D., 2005). The proof for such an assumption can be seen in Romans 6:3-4: Or dont you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. So, baptism is an important rite, which signifies our new life in Jesus Christ. Moreover, we should understand infant baptizing, as this concept suggests being a Christian from the time of birth till death. Infant baptizing is the best view on the doctrine of baptism, as it provides the opportunity of faithful living in Jesus Christ from the early childhood. Infant baptism should be undertaken in order to foster love for God, faith, repentance and living by Ten Commandments in children since early childhood. There are two main views on the time, when the person should be baptized: credobaptism and paedobaptism. According to Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, credobaptism is the practice of baptizing only those who are able to make a profession of faith. Credobaptism is also called Believers baptism. Credobaptists are the proponents of the baptism by immersion. Believers baptism view in based on the assumption that baptism should be given: 1) to all those who have learned repentance and amendment of life; 2) who believe truly that their sins are taken away by Christ; 3) to all those who walk in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and wish to be buried with him in death, so that they may be resurrected with him; 4) to all those who with this significance request baptism of us and demand it for themselves (Baptist Roots: a Reader in the Theology of a Christian People, 1999.). Moreover, the proponents of believers baptism argue that there is no direct evidence in the NT for the bapti sm of infants. Moreover, during the time of the NT only adults were baptized, when they showed their faith and repentance. Moreover, the proponents of believers baptizing argue that linguistically the word baptism means immersion and indirectly implies that baptism is not for infants. Another argument in favor of believers baptism is that whenever baptisms are recorded, the text always specifies that the baptized come up out of the water, again demonstrating baptism by immersion (Wright, D. F. et all, 2009). Moreover, in Romans 6:3-4 and Colossians 2:12 baptism pictures the believers death to the old life and regeneration and conversion to newness of life. The proponents of believers baptizing argue that being plunged under the water and raised up from the water symbolizes the spiritual reality, a reality that is only possible for believers who are trusting in Christ and indwelt by the Spirit. According to Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, paedobaptism is the practice of baptizing infants. The first explicit reference to infant baptism in Christian history is that made by Irenaeus, about A.D. 180, who speaks of all who through Christ are born again to God, infants and children and boys and youths and old men, born again to God being a technical phrase meaning baptism (Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 1989). The belief that the apostles commanded the baptism of infants as well as of responsible persons is attested as early as Origen (3rd century A.D.), and apart from some notable exceptions it became the unquestioned conviction of Christendom until the present century. The proponents of the paedobaptism argue that despite the lack of direct evidence of the infant baptism in the NT, the indirect evidence of infant baptism can be read in various lines of the NT. The proponents of infant baptism argue that baptism in the NT is closely related to the circumcisio n in the OT. J. Jeremias has argued that Paul may have been instrumental in thus putting forward baptism as the Christian equivalent of Jewish circumcision (Colossians 2:11-12). Moreover, the argument for infant baptism states that the NT has a lot of evidence for household baptism and according to the evidence found in Stauffer, in the contemporary use of the word household young children were specifically included (Wright, D. F. et all, 2009). I am the proponent of infant baptizing, as I see this type of baptizing more reasonable within the Christian theology. I suppose that people should be baptized as infants, so that they can become Christians, be taught about faith, love and repentance, and in order to give them an opportunity to live a consistent Christian life. The most influential argument for infant baptism is the relationship between the circumcision in the OT and the baptism in the NT. In order to understand, how these sacraments relate, we should conduct a deep analysis. The Scripture teaches that baptism signifies the forgiveness and purification from sins, and spiritual resurrection. The Scripture also says that we are baptized in Jesus Christ. Moreover, baptism is seal with which we witness that the Lord is our God and that we are His people. The OT says that the Lord wants to be Abrahams God and God of his descendant by giving the covenant of circumcision. Moreover, the Lord says that He wants to see Abraham to be in wholeness and immaculacy. Here we can see that death and resurrection are implied in circumcision. So, the circumcision is the same as baptism, as they both include the promise of the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection after the death. Jesus Christ is the basis for both circumcision and baptism, as He represents the fulfillment of the Promise. Now the conclusion can be made that everything what belongs to circumcision, belongs to baptism as well (except the visual rite). The Lord demands the circumcision of the infants in Genesis 17:12: For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner-those who are not your offspring. So, thanks to the established relationship between circumcision and baptism it is reasonable to suggest, that the circumcision of the infants relate to infant baptism. Another argument for infant baptism can be derived from Luke 18:15-16, where Jesus states: let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. If Jesus allows infants to come to Him, in such a way he allows infant baptism as this is the sign of our communication and connection with Jesus Christ. The opponents of infant baptism argue that Jesus Christ invited grown up children but mistakenly called them infants, as He asked them to come to Him. However, this argument is disproved, as the Scripture refers infants to the children, who should be carried in the arms. So, in these verse we should understand the verb to come in the meaning of the verb to approach. Another argument against infant baptism is that Luke 18:15-16 says that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (infants) but not to these (infants). However, this argument is easily and logically disproven, as Jesuss reason for allowing infants to approach Him is that t he kingdom of God belongs to them. This verse should be interpreted as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ for the kingdom of God belongs to these and such as these. The passage of Luke 18:15-17 is crucial to the understanding of infant baptism. Luke 18:15 : People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. According to Clarkes Commentary, it was a common custom among the Jews to lay their hands on the heads of those whom they blessed, or for whom they prayed. This seems to have been done by way of dedication or consecration to God the person being considered as the sacred property of God even after. Often God added a testimony of his approbation, by communicating some extraordinary influence on the Holy Spirit. This rite has been long practiced among Christians, when persons are appointed to any sacred office. However, the consecration of children to God has grown out of use. The second part of the verse can be interpreted from the view that the disciples rebuked the parents, as they considered infants too young to receive good. Luke 18:16-17: But Jesus called the child ren to him and said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. This verse shows that Christ loves infants simplicity and innocence. According to Clarkes Commentary, Jesus has sanctified infants very age by passing through it himself the holy Jesus was once a little child. Moreover, Jesuss emphasis on the big part of the kingdom of God composed of such should be taken literally; and only those who resemble little children should be received into it. According to Commentary on the Whole Bible, in these two verses our Lord meant to inform us, that seeing grown people must become childlike in order to be capable of the Kingdom of God, therefore they should not hinder infants from coming to Him, and therefore He took up and blessed the infants themselves. All in all Jesus words about little children provide an example of the attitude essential for receiving Gods grace. Childlike qualities such as trust, openness, and the absence of holier-than-thou attitudes are presented in this view. This shows that Jesus had compassion even on infants too young to understand the difference between right and wrong (The Expositors Bible Commentary, 1984). This passage indirectly bears on question of infant baptism. The major argument of the opponents of infant baptism is the fact that people should be baptized after conscious understanding of the responsibility they take. Moreover, they argue that people should be baptized after they acknowledge their faith. However, the opponents of infant baptism argue that leaving an infant until the time, when he/she will acknowledge his/her faith, means leaving the infants to be the children of Adam for a period of time. We experience death in Adam, because of the original sin. However, Jesus allows infants to approach Him, which means He wants to establish connection with them in order to revive them (Luke 18:15-16). Infant baptizing is the best view on the doctrine of baptism, as it provides the opportunity of faithful living in Jesus Christ from the early childhood. The NT indirectly supports infant baptism. As baptism is the same as circumcision (except the visual rite), then infant baptism is allowed and appreciated by God (Colossians 2:11-12; Acts 16:33). Moreover, Luke 18:15-16 proves that Jesus Christ allowed infant baptism, by calling the infants to approach Him. The baptism of household, which is mentioned all over the NT, implicitly means infant baptizing, as in the contemporary use of the word household young children were specifically included. The doctrine of infant baptism perfectly fits in other related doctrines: the doctrine of circumcision, the doctrine of faith, the doctrine of repentance, the doctrine of forgiveness and the doctrine of resurrection. It doesnt really contradict with any of these doctrines. The doctrine of circumcision is very similar to the doctrine of infant baptism, as the basis for them is Jesus Christ, who is seen as the fulfillment of the Promise. The doctrine of faith, repentance, forgiveness and resurrection perfectly fits in the definition of infant baptism: infants are baptized to be forgiven for sins, purified and be spiritually resurrected. Moreover, infant baptism encourages Christian living full of faith and repentance. The significance of the doctrine of infant baptism is the removal of the original sin from the infants. In such a way children may possess the relationship with Christ since early childhood. Infant baptizing can make a difference for Christian life in a way it allows the children to be under Christs influence and care since birth. Children are purified and become new born Christians, who need to be taught about love for God, faith, repentance and living by Ten Commandments. These doctrines are best understood and learned, when taught since childhood. I suppose that infant baptism can bring more true believers to the church.

America’s Great War: World War I and the American Experience by Robert

America’s Great War: World War I and the American Experience by Robert H. Zieger In the book, America’s Great War: World War I and the American Experience, Robert H. Zieger discusses the events between 1914 through 1920 forever defined the United States in the Twentieth Century. When conflict broke out in Europe in 1914, the President, Woodrow Wilson, along with the American people wished to remain neutral. In the beginning of the Twentieth Century United States politics was still based on the â€Å"isolationism† ideals of the previous century. The United States did not wish to be involved in European politics or world matters. The U.S. goal was to expand trade and commerce throughout the world and protect the borders of North America. The American belief at the beginning of the war was that it would be short conflict reminiscent of the fight between Germany and France in 1870(Zieger, 9). At the time both the Allies and the Central Powers, along with Americans, miscalculated the impact the involvement of American forces could have for either side. The U.S. Navy was expanded and upgraded during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt but the Army was still a minimal force. To keep with the â€Å"true neutrality† the United States initially refused to aid either side with supplies or economic assistance. Once the battles became entrenched and a â€Å"war of attrition† began, the European nations continued to look toward the United States for aid. As American financial institutions and exporters sought guidance from Wilson’s administration they received a different answer: â€Å"short term loans and credits by American financial institutions to belligerents in connection with trade were acceptable† (Zieger, 11). Americans could not over look the potential economic boost that could be achieved by supplying the European nations with food, supplies and weapons orders being requested. Both sides accepted the United States’ aid but they also sought to cut-off each other’s supply chain. While the Allies barricaded Germany’s ports with the British Navy, Germany began attacking merchant ships using their submarines, or U-boats. While Wilson was angered by the British tactics he was even more infuriated by the German’s. This would be the ultimate end of U.S. neutrality as Wilson would sternly address Germany’s actions and not Britain’s. In 1915 a German U-boat sank a Brit... ... to be President afterwards. His unwillingness to compromise with the Senate caused the Treaty of Versailles along with the League of Nations never to be ratified by the United States. The notion of the League of Nations that won Wilson a Noble Peace Prize in 1920 was never joined his own country. After the election of 1920 America would return to its isolationism roots and watch as the nations of Europe headed down a path for another world war. As Americans watched Communism rise in Russia they questioned for the first time the patronage of their fellow Americans. Economic and social reforms that started up during the war were set to a status-quo mentality. The actions set forward from the Treaty of Versailles and stance the U.S. Congress took on the League of Nations would eventually lead the world in the worst depression ever and ultimately to a second world war in a mere twenty years. Works Cited: Zieger, Robert H. (2000). America’s Great War: World War I and the American Experience. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. Davidson, J. (Ed.). (2002). Nation of nations: A concise narrative of the American republic. (3rd ed., Vol. 2). New York: McGraw-Hill

Candide Essay -- essays research papers

Candide is the illegitimate nephew of a German baron. He grows up in the baron’s castle under the tutelage of the scholar Pangloss, who teaches him that this world is â€Å"the best of all possible worlds.† Candide falls in love with the baron’s young daughter, Cunà ©gonde. The baron catches the two kissing and expels Candide from his home. On his own for the first time, Candide is soon conscripted into the army of the Bulgars. He wanders away from camp for a brief walk, and is brutally flogged as a deserter. After witnessing a horrific battle, he manages to escape and travels to Holland. In Holland, a kindly Anabaptist named Jacques takes Candide in. Candide runs into a deformed beggar and discovers that it is Pangloss. Pangloss explains that he has contracted syphilis and that Cunà ©gonde and her family have all been brutally murdered by the Bulgar army. Nonetheless, he maintains his optimistic outlook. Jacques takes Pangloss in as well. The three travel to Lisbon together, but before they arrive their ship runs into a storm and Jacques is drowned. Candide and Pangloss arrive in Lisbon to find it destroyed by an earthquake and under the control of the Inquisition. Pangloss is soon hanged as a heretic, and Candide is flogged for listening with approval to Pangloss’s philosophy. After his beating, an old woman dresses Candide’s wounds and then, to his astonishment, takes him to Cunà ©gonde. Cunà ©gonde explains that though the Bulgars killed the rest of her family, she was merely raped and then captured by a captain, who sold her to a Jew named Don Is aachar. At present, she is a sex slave jointly owned by Don Isaachar and the Grand Inquisitor of Lisbon. Each of Cunà ©gonde’s two owners arrive in turn as she and Candide are talking, and Candide kills them both. Terrified, Candide, the old woman, and Cunà ©gonde flee and board a ship bound for South America. During their journey, the old woman relates her own story. She was born the Pope’s daughter but has suffered a litany of misfortunes that include rape, enslavement, and cannibalism. Candide and Cunà ©gonde plan to marry, but as soon as they arrive in Buenos Aires, the governor, Don Fernando, proposes to Cunà ©gonde. Thinking of her own financial welfare, she accepts. Authorities looking for the murderer of the Grand Inquisitor arrive from Portugal in pursuit of Candide. Along with a newly acquired valet named Cacambo, Candid... ...to the latter category, because they will admit no exceptions. Like Pangloss, Martin abides by ideas that discourage any active efforts to change the world for the better. If, as Martin asserts, â€Å"man [is] bound to live either in convulsions of misery or in the lethargy of boredom,† why should anyone try to rescue anyone else from â€Å"convulsions of misery†? Cacambo Cacambo sheds a subtle and interesting light on the philosophical themes of the novel. Unlike any other character in the novel, he inspires perfect confidence, both in his intelligence and his moral uprightness. He knows both native American and European languages, and deals capably with both the Jesuits and the Biglugs. He suffers fewer gross misfortunes than any other character, less out of luck than because of his sharp wits, and he lives up to Candide’s trust when Candide sends him to fetch Cunà ©gonde. Any reader tempted to conclude that Voltaire has no faith in human nature must reconsider when faced with the example of Cacambo. Despite the optimism Cacambo inspires, however, he is no optimist himself. His wide experience of the world has led Cacambo to conclude that â€Å"the law of nature teaches us to kill our neighbor.†

Changes in School Essay

Education has changed throughout time and will continue changing. With many changes for better or for worse, education will still be a priority for our children. After interviewing two teachers that have been in the education workforce for over twenty years, I realized how much change in society has affected the way teachers taught their students. The first teacher I interviewed had been teaching for twenty-five years and is a sixth grade teacher. She noted that any change in our culture has made a difference in her classroom. As part of the changes the role of schools and education will also be different both in the educational system and in the society. Together with them the role of teachers will also change. The way students are learning is changing therefore, the tools to accommodate these demands are changing as well. She commented that technology is now a great part of today’s education. She said its like an â€Å"explosion of technology† has hit our generation. Although she says that technology has brought many opportunities it has brought challenges as well. For example, it is an advantage for her to integrate computers in her classroom for learning. But it is a huge distraction when her students have cell phones and music player devices in class. She commented that â€Å"children in sixth grade shouldn’t even own cell phones. † They are too young to have cell phones and notices that twenty years ago, her students were not known to have such things. Technology is becoming more and more advanced everyday. Items that are faster and sleeker are replacing items that were once used. The teacher also commented that the role of parents throughout her time in teaching has changed as well. She noticed a change in the amount of parent involvement. She said that parents today are more involved in their child’s education than back then. The second teacher I interviewed, has been teaching for twenty years and is a third grade teacher. She says that the role of teachers in student achievement is critical. Children are not the only ones who must be prepared for change. Teachers must be knowledgeable with any and all changes that occur in our society as well. There have been great educational changes over the past years. There is one role in education that has been forced to keep up with changes brought about by the information age, computers and the changes in society. Before teachers, were the main source of learning and now there are many resources for students to search for answers to their questions. She also says that the number of students and teachers have grown through out her years. During her teaching years she says that parental involvement has generally increased during the last twenty years. And it’s a great factor that has evolved in children’s education. There are also more children with more than one nationality compared to children back then. Yet the world in which our children grow up and go to school has changed immensely. Back then personal computers were expensive, slow and rare. Today, those huge desktops are nearly gone. There were no web browsers and Internet Explorer came later, as did social media, like Google, Facebook and smart phones. We’ve hardly had time to figure out how this explosion of technology affects the way children think and relate to each other. I believe the need of a generation of teachers who aim to develop learners instead of teaching them, who help their students to become independent, who provide students with motivation and interest for life-long learning, is essential in the education of the future. Children today are growing up in a world that has changed significantly over the past twenty years. They are comfortable around technology that they have known all their lives. The changes going on today create an opportunity and a necessity for a transformation in the education system and in the way children are taught. Children must be prepared for a future of continued rapid change.

Three generation project

Since, my mother and I are also Russian speaking emigrants our moms found each other fairly quickly through mutual English rouses in the local church. We are sharing a very friendly relationship between our families; spending holidays, birthdays and other happy occasions together. My first impression of my subject was that he was extremely shy and unsocial; however, after the ice between us was broken, he opened up to me and we shared a lot of interesting conversations.Needless to say, I am approaching this interview from a biased point of view since I know and like this young man. However, I will try my best to remain objective and critical for the sake of this report. To conduct this interview, I contacted my subject and asked him to meet me at my house. To be completely honest, I had my doubts regarding this interview because I had to be extremely cautious not to make him feel uncomfortable with my questions; however, I feel that my goal of getting to know him a little more person ally and be able to understand his age group was reached.INTERVIEW SUMMERY My subject arrived to our meeting as scheduled, and even surprised me with homemade chocolate cookies. I started our interview by asking him to tell me about himself –his interests, hobbies and etc. Basketball turned out to be his favorite sports activity, which he often shares with his friends. Even though he mentioned suffering from asthma he said that it never stopped him from being active. I asked him about his childhood, and what kind of memories he had from that period of time.He briefly talked about him growing up overseas and his cultural background; telling me about how his life experience, in two different nationalities, had shaped his identity. He remembers his childhood as being as if it was a â€Å"black and white movie†, meaning he didn't have much colorful memories due to their poverty I assumed. As far as adjusting in the United States, my subject said that it wasn't as hard for him as t was for his mother who had to take care of them both.As we moved along through the interview, I felt comfortable enough to ask him more personal questions about his romantic and sexual experience. I asked him to discuss about how puberty affected/or still effecting him, and what emotional or physical changes he went through during those years. I found out that my subject has had sexual intercourse with a girl from his school but they did not continue to develop their relationship. In regard to the physical changes with his body, my subject didn't elaborate too much but mentioned becoming more masculine.As part of the emotional changes during puberty, my subject said he feels that his parents don't understand him and he prefers not share his though or ideas with them to avoid any conflict. DISCUSSION Since I do know this adolescent and familiar with his background, history, and his development up to this point of his life, I feel that there are several important points that must be mentioned. As I brought up earlier, my subject grew up in Russia, raised by his mother and grandmother.His biological father was never around to represent the â€Å"male role† or father figure in the family structure. Shortly after they moved to the States, his mother remarried to a man who become a step father to my subject. According Bellboys (2013) physical developmental milestones for adolescence, my subject appears to be mostly on track. The phase of puberty, which is defined as a period of somatic and hormonal changes by which children become sexually mature, has evidently reached its peak when looking at my subject (238).His voice has definitely deepened (since I knew him when he had the high-pitched voice) and his motor performance is very good being that he plays basketball, and drives a car. Moreover, as the author of the text states, my subject exhibits secondary sexual characteristics, which are the label for the physical changes that accompany puberty alo ng with a growth spurt-?a dramatic increase in height and weight (241). Also, my subject has had sexual intercourse during his brief romantic relationship with a girl from his school; which Belles notes is often an important part of adolescent development (258).In terms of my subject's cognitive and socio-emotional part of the interview and how it relates to the theory-based developmental milestones, I believe hat my subject is at an adequate developmental level. For example, given his thought process, when I asked about a certain hypothetical project and the future, my subject was able to grasp these concepts and answer concretely. Discussing his plans regarding college and his possible career is one example of Jean Pigment's theory of formal operational thinking, regarding his own life. Belles 269) Likewise, my subject's ability to reason about his past and tell me about his experience with relocating to a different country, shows his ability of abstractly expressing his Houghton (Belles 267-8). He shared with me stories about the difficulties his mother went through when they first got the States; for example, my subject had to go with her to several Job interviews as a translator because her English wasn't very good. He said he never complained, but he definitely felt like the roles between them had changed, due to the fact that was often relying on him– instead of the opposite.Piglet's theory on morality, which influenced and was expanded on by Lawrence Goldberg, at the autonomous morality stage, adolescents realize that intentions, not imply outcomes, should serve as the basis for the Judgment of behavior and that it is the manner in which an adolescent reasons about a moral dilemma that determines moral maturity (Belles 271). I think my subject exhibits high moral values when he talks about his family, in particular what drawn my attention was his step father, with whom he does not share a very close relationship, but has a lot of respect for him for caring for his mom.Following Piglet's formal operation theory, David Liked conducted a study where he determined that children that make the transition onto teenage years become more socially conscious- exhibiting Adolescent Egocentrics (272). I have to say that I didn't spot any sighs of that behavior in my subject; in fact, he barely revealed any self-conscious thoughts regarding his looks or actions throughout the years of our friendly relationship. However, when I first met this young men, he seemed very unsocial and didn't really talk to anybody, and when he was approached by someone he showed some distress.At that point I would probably mark him as a social sensitive adolescent going through storm and stress phase (266). Although, the author in our text also describes those teens as more apt to make risky and dangerous decisions, it was not at all the case with my subject (273). Continuing with the socio-emotional development, one of the things that was pointed out in our interview is that my subject has a difficultly expressing his thoughts to his family due to the lack of understanding from their part.According to Judith Harrier's peer group colonization theory, immigrant adolescents have disagreements with their parents that may go beyond the reasonable arguing and involve fundamental differences in world views (Belles 288). This situation, in my opinion, leads toward the process of separations between him and his parents. As Belles states, â€Å"As teenagers push for freedom, they are given more decision making opportunities and establish a new, more equal, adult-like relationship† (287).Correspondingly to a research conducted by psychologists, Synthetically and Larson, my subject loves his family very much and enjoys spending time with them; however, he clearly says that when taken as whole, frustrating emotions outweigh the happy ones when living with them (286). I can defiantly relate to that idea! Focusing n the social aspect of devel oping, a big potential pubertal problem is popularity. From the interview and from my knowledge of him, my subject has increasingly less issues with peer pressure and finding an identity. He speaks of feeling comfortable as been part of a group of his choice.Supporting this finding, Beelike notes that social standing is very important at this age because it affects ten's academic/social paths, while being isolated from a crowd can lead to depression (278). Consequently, my subject is a good student, and surrounds himself with a small group (known as liqueur) that shares the same academic interests as him (Belles 289). By doing that I think he is reducing the risk of getting into trouble, because â€Å"†¦ Children who are not succeeding with the mainstreams kids gravitate toward antisocial groups of friends, who then give each other reinforcement for doing dangerous things†( 279).In addition, as Beelike (2013) mentions, school environment has a great impact on adolescent' s development because the academic and social growth is reliant on the ability of schools to fit their programs to the adolescent's state of mind (284). Thus, for y subject experience in high school, he says that the content of the material being passed on is k, but the way they've been passing it is boring. Also, he notes that his school does not have any after school program accept of tutoring. So what usually teens are doing after school is over?Mostly sitting in groups next to the school– smoking and engaging in other unhealthy and unappreciated activities, he says. Interpreting the author position in this matter, one can see that the need for youth development programs for after school period of the day is essential for keeping the adolescents out of the streets where they usually get into trouble (283). Consequently, those teens might get involved in bad crowds- which usually are groups with a main goal of performing antisocial acts (Belles 291).Lastly, CONCLUSION In co nclusion, I appreciated this project to a great extent due to its real and open minded nature. It is one thing to read about developmental theories, but it is a unique experience to explore those theories in real life and see how they play out. Also, this project was very beneficial for me because it helped understand better one of my close friends whom I like very much as a person. Conducting this interview and the following report helped me gain a better understanding of where this person is coming from and what has led him to his current state of development.With that said, I personally do not think he represent the majority of the adolescence group. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that he have always been almost too mature for his age; never got into any serious troubles, treated his parents with respect as if he was an adult and dealt with very serious life changes in a calm way. Needless to say, that my teen age years were completely different. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (Transcript): P hysical Marina You've: Do you play any sports? Subject: Yes. MY: Which ones? S: basketball. MY: In general, do you like to spend time outside? S: Yes, sometimes.MY: Doing what? S: Playing basketball, walking around with friends. MY: Do you work out, or do you Just play sports to keep in shape? S: I Just play sports to keep in shape. MY: Do you drive a car? S: yes. MY: What type of car is this? S: 2011 Ionians Ultimate MY: do you have any health conditions? S: Yes, I have asthma MY: Do take any medications currently? And do you feel that your condition is stopping you from doing stuff? S: Yes, I'm using alabaster. And I never thought of it as something that stops me in life. I mean, I know I'm not able to run tracks but I never intended to do it either.Cognitive MY: How would you say that you do in school, in general? Is it good, average or poorly? S: Good, school is really easy for me. MY: What are your favorite subjects? S: I think Math is k, but I don't really have a favorite subj ect. MY: How long did it take you to learn and speak English? S: At first I thought I will never be able to communicate with others in English although the school material was fairly easy for me because I could read & write utter that I spoke. I think, it took me about 6-7 months before I started talking to people.MY: In general, how would you describe your experience of moving to the States? Was it difficult to adjust? S: It was somewhat difficult, but it seems to me like a bad dream now. At first, my mom and I we didn't know anyone here and felt very nervous about everything, even going to the store was a big death. Currently, after several years have passed, we feel it is our home and this is where we belong. MY: When you have a big assignment or a big project to do, how do you usually approach it? Do you wait until the last second or you rather get it done as soon as possible?S: I usually Just like to do everything in order and gather all the information that I need, and then pu t it all together in my project. MY: would you describe yourself as pretty organized in general? S: Yes. MY: Have thought about your future? What you're going to do right after high school – and then even further from there? S: Yes, I have thought about my future and in particular I'm thinking about going to college. I would like to become an engineer one day. Social/Emotional MY: Do you like school? S: Its k I guess, I can't say I hate it. MY: What would u do differently in your school?S: I would probably make classes less conventional because it get pretty boring after doing that for so many years. MY: Do you get along with your peers? S: Mostly yes. My: Do you feel popular in your school? S: I think I'm popular among my friends, all the others don't bother me. MY: Do you have a girlfriend? S: No, not right now MY: So you had one before right? S: Yes, I had this girl from our school MY: Didn't work out? S: No, we are Just different MY: Do you get along with your mom and you step father? S: Most of the time yes, but sometimes she will get on my nerves and she won't give up.My step dad is fine I guess, we aren't very close but we don't fight either. I usually don't share with them any personal information because I know they won't understand me, I guess because they grew up in different circumstances than I did. MY: Do you have any brothers or sisters? S: Yes, I have a 3 year old brother. MY: Do you feel different now that are not the only child in the family? S: Yes, he gets all the attention from every body, but that's understandable because he is small child. MY: Do you miss your grandmother? I know she is still in Russia.S: Yes I do, I wish she could be here with us. I know she is struggling with money and I'm planning to get a Job this summer so I can send her money. MY: Do you feel that your parents trust you enough to let you live your own life? Or are they worried and strict? S: I guess they do trust me to a certain point, but they would ask lik e a million questions whenever I leave the house or come back. We talked about me going to college and living on campus, I think they are k with that. Reference Belles, Janet. Experiencing the lifespan (3rd De. ). New York: Worth (2013).