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African American History homework help

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  • The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on the American Economy - The Industrial Revolution largely improved the lives of Americans, but it also came with major setbacks. The Industrial Revolution transformed America’s economy from agricultural to industry-based. New technologies and innovations were a major contribution of the era with various positive impacts on the lives of Americans. Steel, the most defining innovation of the Industrial Revolution according to Gallow (2020), facilitated innovations in transportation and infrastructure, making travel and transportation across the country cheaper and faster. The Industrial Revolution also made production more efficient with major positive implications for the lives of Americans. One such implication involved food prices. According to More and More (2000), the reduction in food prices as a result of the Industrial Revolution was probably the most important fruit of industrialization (p. 150).  In addition to improving the quality of life of Americans, the Industrial Revolution provided a new dimension of growth for America as the country emerged as a world leader in manufacturing (Gallow, 2020). The big businesses, innovations, and job opportunities in urban areas that emerged as a result of the Industrial Revolution underscore the positive impacts of the era on the lives of Americans. The Industrial Revolution, however, also had some major negative impacts on the lives of Americans. Poor working conditions and exploitative labor mechanisms are two of the notable negative impacts. According to Gallow (2020), the emergence of big business in the Industrial Revolution and the related lobbying for minimal regulation and government intervention in the market translated into poor working conditions and labor exploitation. As such, slums emerged which characterized the poor living conditions that many Americans faced as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Although the Industrial Revolution had mixed impacts on the lives of Americans, the positive impacts outweighed the negative impacts. References Gallow, L. (2020). The Rise of American Industry, 1850–1900. American History. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from https://americanhistory2.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/5 More, C., & More, C. (2000). Understanding the industrial revolution. ProQuest Ebook Central http://ebookcentral.proquest.com In at least two well-developed paragraphs (I consider a well-developed paragraph to be five to seven sentences), discuss what the Progressive Movement was, its goals, failures and successes. Remember…

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  • The Advantages the North Had Over the South in 1860 - The Civil War lasted longer than both the North and South anticipated. Various factors influenced the North’s victory in the war. Leaders in the North believed that they would achieve victory over the South in a short period. This sentiment might have been influenced by the advantages the Union had over the South. Although the extent that specific advantages contributed to the Union’s victory remains the subject of debate over the war, there is consensus that the north had some advantages over the South with significant implications for the war (Thomas, 2020). As discussed in this history assignment help, some of the notable advantages that helped the North to prepare for the war included a larger population, superior industrial might, superior infrastructure, and control of the navy. Larger Population The presence of a larger population in the North proved to be one of the defining factors in the war. The North had over twice the population of the South (Dull, 2012). The larger population implied a larger source of manpower. In the period leading to the war, the larger population is likely to have influenced the wartime sentiment in the North. President Abraham Lincoln’s 1862 declaration to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in the attempts to address what he termed as a domestic insurrection reflected the influence of the large population on wartime sentiment in the North (Shea & Nardo, 2016). Lincoln’s declaration was associated with the perceived mandate he had as accorded to him by the citizens of America. The declaration also indicates Lincoln’s attitude to the war before running for the presidency. Wartime politicians in the North embraced the responsibility to ensure the unity of the nation due to their mandate as elected officials. In this regard, the large population of the North played a major role in defining the Union’s wartime leadership and overall sentiment. The most significant benefit of the large population in the North, however, lied in the Union’s access to a wider source of manpower. The protracted war implied that soldiers were likely to lose morale as the war evolved. Letters wrote by…

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  • History Question - PurposeThe purpose of this discussion board is to share your thoughts and ideas for the Final Project. You are encouraged to interact with your classmates to generate ideas. DirectionsPlease include the following in your initial post: The final project format option you are considering Your idea for your project Why you think that your idea is awesome After your initial post, please respond to at least two classmates with friendly advice and suggestions for their projects. It's important to note that you can still change your mind and use another idea for your official Final Project, please discuss the potential switch with your instructor. Your participation in this discussion will be a valuable experience as you begin to plan your final project and is required as part of the Final Project process. Please note that you must post something before you can view the posts of others. RemindersHere is the link for the Final Project Overview, which contains links for all of the Final Project options. Module 3: Annotated Bibliography: Introduction Module 5: Annotated Bibliography: Submit Here Module 6: Final Project Module: Submit Here Gouges- Historical Significance- Using "Declaration of the Rights of Women and of the Female Citizen"Hello, I need a paper proposal written on Olympe de Gouge and her historical significance. I will need a clearly stated thesis as well as a structure for what the paper ( that I will be writing or getting from here as well) will be about. My instructions state that I will need to use 5 sources, I have found 4 so please take a look and let me know if those will work and what others to add. The main source that I need to be used is her "Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen". Please do not put too much about her step by step life but instead focus on her historical significance. If you have any questions please let me know !! Thank you so much in advance ! the first essay will address a narrower topic. This might take the form of a…

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  • History detailed discussion - Unit 10 Discussion: Slave Culture and ResistanceNo unread replies.No replies. Our course pack contains readings from two authors in section XI (pp. 267-299), William J. Faulkner and Peter Kolchin. These authors provide different perspectives on slave culture, life, religion and resistance. While Kolchin's work is scholarly, the excerpts from Faulkner come from the book The Days When the Animals Talked. This is an amazing book of folklore; I have provided a helpful review of Faulkner's book from Amazon.com to give you a sense of his work:5.0 out of 5 stars Among the best of its kind, March 16, 2011 By Andre M. "brnn64" (Links to an external site.) (Mt. Pleasant, SC United States) - This review is from: The Days When the Animals Talked: Black American Folktales and How They Came to Be This is unquestionably hands-down one of the best books ever written on Black American Folklore.This was where William J. Faulkner (not to be confused with the the Nobel-winning Misssissippian author of the same name) recalled the tales told to him as a child by an ex-slave handyman named Simon Brown in rural South Carolina circa 1900 when the author was about 10 years old.The title and cover may give you the impression that this is a children's book. It's not. Simon Brown's recollections of slavery (the first half of the book) are often quite raw and similar to the kind of tales told by ex-slaves in the WPA Slave narratives of the 1930s, in regards to beatings, concubinage, and other atrocities. He also delights in telling young Faulkner some tall tales and stories about the religious and social practices of slaves. This is best for about teen age to adults. Faulkner also puts the Brer Rabbit and other animal tales (the second half of the book in the context of being thinly disguised analogies of slaves overcoming masters). The story about Brer Rabbit and the meeting with the long-tailed animals (not found in any of Harris' Uncle Remus collections) deserves special attention as one of the most simple and brilliant analogies of racial injustice-this is a great…

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  • Choose a topic - Identify a theme from any chapter between 15-24 from Give me liberty: An American History from 1865- present vol 2 by Eric Foner and write a three page essay. Use the text to support arguments and cite source with footnotes Please write 200-250 words answering the following question: In what ways did World War I change the world? YouPlease write 200-250 words answering the following question: In what ways did World War I change the world? You may focus on political change, economic change, social change, or any combination thereof. Cite all work! The only source that can be used for this assignment is : Adelman et al. Worlds Together, Worlds Apart. Volume Two: From 1000 CE to the Present, CONCISE THIRD EDITION, 2021. ANY ADDITIONAL SOURCE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AND GRADE ZERO WILL BE AWARDED!Question 1: "To put in question these distinctions, and the assumptions about agency and history that they make possible,Choose a topic History Assignment Help Question 1: "To put in question these distinctions, and the assumptions about agency and history that they make possible, does not mean introducing a limitless number of actors and networks, all of which are somehow of equal significance and power. Rather, it means making this issue of power and agency a question, instead of an answer known in advance [...] we can open up the question, as I have, attempted here, of what kinds of hybrid agencies, connections, interactions, and forms of violence are able to portray their actions as history, as human expertise overcoming nature..." Mitchell, Rule of Experts, "Can the Mosquito speak?" (pg. 27/28) Mitchell's quote asks us to reconsider human agency as the driving force of history. With this in mind, consider examples of non-human animals that have agency. How does this change the way we look at events and processes such as imperial expansion and colonialism? Using examples from the course, discuss how a more expansive view of "agency" beyond the human can offer a new framework for studying the past. My instruction Please only use the sources I provide. Include as many sources as you…

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  • History Question - Progressives sought to reform problems at home and to support democracy abroad during the Great War. Discuss: two areas where reform efforts were successful two areas where they failed or did not go far enough In conclusion: idealism has played an important part in our national identity. What do you think? Is our idealism/values still important today? Do Americans still believe in expanding democracy and protecting the public interest? Book: give me liberty, a modern history by Eric Foner 6th edition done Seen 4 mins ago This is not an essay, this is a discussion post. Please be original when creating this assignment and please beThis is not an essay, this is a discussion post. Please be original when creating this assignment and please be sure to use quotation and work cited if using sources. Please choose either number 1 or 2 to discuss.Question: In her article about the death of Topsy, Kelly Oliver argued that “cruelty is associated with the crudeHistory Question History Assignment Help Question: In her article about the death of Topsy, Kelly Oliver argued that “cruelty is associated with the crude state of nature, specifically brutes, savages, and animals, which are seen as ‘red in tooth and claw:’” “‘Cruel,’ then, is associated with nature and animals—red in tooth and claw—while ‘humane’ is associated with a technologically mediated, sterile, and bloodless death. … Unlike these other predatory beasts who supposedly are such by nature, with the help of technology, we disavow our own cruelty, even our own animality, and the nature of dying, whatever that might be.” Kelly Oliver, "The Scopic Machinery of Death," (92). Thinking of lions (tamed by Isaac van Amburgh for audiences and “hunted” by the Maasai for tourists) mastodons (which George Church plans to undo the death of), elephants (especially Orwell’s shooting of) and whales (especially Stubb’s orchestration of the death of), discuss how the idea of the separation of culture and nature in Anglo-American culture has been used as (1) a means of disguising indifference to the evidence we have of these animals’ consciousness and fear of pain as well as death…

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  • Canadian history assignment help - The Film Review: Background The film review is a popular way for critics to assess a film’s overall quality and determine whether they think the film is worth recommending. Film reviews differ from scholarly film articles in that they encompass personal and idiosyncratic reactions to and evaluations of a film, as well as objective analysis of the film’s formal techniques and thematic content. While film reviews tend to be fairly short (approximately 600-1200 words), they require a lot of preparation before you begin writing. Writing a film review often requires more than one viewing of the film, so plan to watch your chosen film at least two times. While your first viewing may be solely for pleasure, your second viewing needs to focus on the interesting elements of the film that you can highlight in the review. You may want to separate these elements into two broad categories: 1) formal techniques such as cinematography, editing, lighting, sound and score, and 2) thematic content that resonates with issues such as history assignment help, race, gender, sexuality, class, or the environment. After watching the film a second time, take careful notes on the formal and thematic elements of the film. Then attempt to create a central idea for your review that brings together the film’s formal and thematic elements. If your second viewing does not yield a strong central claim for the review or if you need to take more notes, you may have to watch parts of the film a third time. The Film Review: Format Although there is not a set formula to follow when writing a film review, the genre does have certain common elements. You should follow the format below for this assignment: Paragraph 1: Introduction Provide basic information about the film (film’s name, year, director, screenwriter, and major actors) Make an evaluative claim about the film Allude to the central concept of the review (what is your thematic focus, as well as your formal technique focus?) Paragraph 2: Plot Summary Provide some plot summary but keep this brief and avoid specific details that would spoil the viewing…

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  • History of the Electoral College - ACCTG 331Fall 2021 Understanding DEI in the Accounting Profession: Tableau Visualization Case Background Information Diversity is what makes each individual unique. Tangible or intangible, diversity is any dimension or characteristic gained through personal experience that offers people the ability to differentiate from one another. Examples of characteristics that make individuals diverse include age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and abilities. Inclusion can be simply defined as the state of being valued, respected, and supported and is cultivated by “creating a culture that strives for equity and embraces, respects, and values differences from all people”. Diversity recognizes differences among individuals while inclusion focuses on acknowledging and accepting those differences. Consequently, equity is the outcome of diversity and inclusion. Enhancing equity promotes “justice, impartiality, and fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources” and ensures equal access to opportunities and resources to individuals at all levels of an organization. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are important to the accounting profession. Diversity leads to innovative and creative solutions to business problems, and metrics such as forming a management team composed of at least 30% women can be used as a benchmark for success within the accounting profession. In addition, firms that are strong in DE&I have greater financial success and experience high morale and engagement among employees. When accounting firms invest in DE&I, employees feel valued, understood, and their contributions to the firm matter. This feeling of acceptance significantly reduces stress levels and improves both mental and physical health which leads to emotional well-being and higher morale among employees. When employees feel such a sense of belonging, firms experience “greater team collaboration, higher revenue growth, and higher gross margin.” Case Requirement Part A: Descriptive analyses Download the Excel file provided by the instructor for this assignment. Perform the visualization analysis of the gender and ethnicity of various groups over the period of 2011-2018 (see below for the group information). Compare among different groups in different years and discuss your observations. A1. Overall accounting major enrollees (see tab Data 3 in Excel file) A2. New bachelor's and master's of accounting graduates (see tab Data…

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  • Euthanasia Essay – The Controversial Issue of Doctor-Assisted Suicide - The Controversial Issue of Doctor-Assisted Suicide Imagine youu have just found out you are going to die within three months. Recently the questions have been changed form, "What am I going to do with the rest of my life?" to "When should I kill myself"? With painful and crippling diseases such as AIDS and cancer, and Alzheimers along with doctors such as Dr. Kavorkian, some people are choosing death over life. Doctor assisted suicide has been a very controversial subject in the past few years. Some states such as Oregon have passed laws which allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to patients who have less then six months to live.(Henin 1) Other state have taken the opposite side. I believe that if you are able to reason and think rationally you should decide whether to live or dir. If not the people who know you best should make the decision. If you are ever in a situation where you now you wil soon die the choice whether or not to kill youself should be your own. I believe that doctorassisted suicide should not be controlled by the government, but should be apersonal choice based on the individual. Many people could not imagine living in a hospital bed for the remainder of their lives. They would rather die with dignity than live out the rest of their lives depandant on others. The government thinks that they know what is best for the people. If everyone is an individuall, how can the government know what is best for everyone. I feel that people shold make up thir own minds about what is best for them. Joshua Haney worote an article on assisted suicide. He says, "Everyday we make choices tha... ... middle of paper ... ...rite,s "We all di. Death is a part of life. Death is inevitable. Why should each of us not have the right to choose when and how we did; and if we are in no position to do so, why shoulld those who know us best not be allowed to help? Why is it considered acceptable for…

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  • Assisted Suicide, A Better Way to Go - Assisted Suicide - A Better Way to Go Doctor Kevorkian and other so-called "death doctors" should be permitted to assist in the premature deaths of the terminally ill. Although many states outlaw assisted suicides, nevertheless, they should by made legal for terminally ill patients. These patients may not want to suffer a long, painful death. The terminally ill will not get well, they might decide to make the decision of ending their life alone if they cannot receive proper help, and assisted suicides may one day be useful in discovering how the human brain works or perhaps find a cure to some fatal diseases. First, the terminally ill patients will not get better or become cured of the disease they have. According to many medical physicians the expression "terminally ill" means being in the final stages of a disease that is incurable (Hentoff, p.10). If a person has a despairing disease such as AIDS, that person may not want to live the rest of their short life with all the pain and frustration. ... Argument Against Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia euthanasia argumentative persuasive essays Argument Against Euthanasia A considerable size of society is in favor of Euthanasia mostly because they feel that as a democratic country, we as free individuals, have the right to decide for ourselves whether or not it is our right to determine when to terminate someone's life. The stronger and more widely held opinion is against Euthanasia primarily because society feels that it is god's task to determine when one of his creations time has come, and we as human beings are in no position to behave as god and end someone's life. When humans take it upon themselves to shorten their lives or to have others to do it for them by withdrawing life-sustaining apparatus, they play god. They usurp the divine function, and interfere with the divine plan. Euthanasia is the practice of painlessly putting to death persons who have incurable, painful, or distressing diseases or handicaps. It come from the Greek words for 'good' and 'death', and is commonly called mercy killing. Voluntary…

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  • Euthanasia Essay – Assisted Suicide euthanasia argumentative persuasive essays - Assisted Suicide Over the past ten to twenty years a big issue has been made over a Person's right to commit suicide or not. The American courts have had to deal with everything from assisted suicides to planned suicides, and whether the constitution gives the American people the right to take their own lives or whether it says they have the power to allow someone else to take their lives. They have had to determine in some cases whether or not homicide charges needed to be brought up and others times whether or not it was done for an underlying reason such as insurance fraud. There are several aspects to suicide and the law, but we are only going to discuss a few of them. First of all we will examine why anyone would want to take their own life and decipher the differences between a rational suicide and an irrational suicide. Secondly we will look at ways assistance has played in the area of suicide. Next, we'll look at what the constitution says and see if any of the states have allowed suicide. Finally, we'll study some of the cases that have been brought before the American courts. Suicide has become a big part of American society, year after year more people are taking their own lives for many different reasons. A lot of philosophers have broken down all the reasons of suicides into two different categories, rational suicide and irrational suicide. A rational suicide has been given five basic criteria that usually must be met for the person's act to be considered rational. The five criteria which a person must show for their suicide to be considered rational are, "the ability to reason, realistic world view, adequacy of information, avoidance of harm, and accordance with fundamental interests."(Battin 132) Another opinion of rationality of suicide is, "it is the best thing for him from the point of view of his own welfare-or whether it is the best thing for someone being advised, from the point of view of that person's welfare"(Brandt 118). People have to characterize suicides because a…

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  • Doctors Who Practice Euthanasia Should be Executed - Doctors the Practice Euthanasia Should be Executed An eighty-seven year old grandmother on a respirator, a newborn child with AIDS, a teacher past her prime, and a father in a coma; all put to death by respectable doctors with the O.K. of their families. But is it really a ggod thing? Euthanasia, or doctor-assisted suicide, has become as common as jumping off of a fifteen story building or taking a gun to one1s own head. Certainly society frowns upon suicide, but yet putting an old lady or a man in a coma to death is being accepted every day. Society knows that suicide is bad, but euthanasia is even worse. The guilt and blame of a lost life is falling on the hands of doctor1s that we are supposed to trust, and even worse, the family members themselves. A doctor is to be known as a healer, not an agent of death. A family is supposed to love and support, not kill and inherit. Every person makes the light of the world brighter. The world needs everyone1s power and contribution. It1s the power and energy of the elderly, and the strength and will of the ill, that give the world life. The light has become very dim with the crime and corruption in today1s world, we can1t afford to throw lives away because some think they1re meaningless. If we continue to accept the merciless killings and suicides of the helpless but powerful, the light will soon burn out. There will be no energy in the world. Euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide should not be accepted or allowed by the government and people of the United States. Statistics show that seventy-three percent of the U.S. population approved of some form of euthanasia. This is used constantly in debates to pass laws for making euthanasia legal. But the people are deceived by this number. When the poll was taken, the people were asked if they approved of "some form" of euthanasia. There are two forms of euthanasia, active and passive. It is the passive euthanasia that many people are accepting, the less harsh…

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  • It’s Time to Understand Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide - It's Time to Understand Euthanasia Your wife of 50 years is suddenly diagnosed with a terminal disease. She lies in a bed, motionless and unaware of her surroundings. The medication to ease her pain has been wearing off. She just lies there in pain and unable to communicate with the outside world. The doctors give her a month to live at the most. What would you do? Would you let her sit in a hospital bed in agonizing pain for the last few months of her life, or do you help her to prematurely meet her God? That is the topic of discussion in this paper: Euthanasia. Let's start by defining the term. Euthanasia is also referred to as "mercy killing." That is the killing of someone for their own good due to the pain and suffering they are enduring. Euthanasia also includes situations where the individual who is suffering makes the decision to die, a type of suicide actually. In today's world there are two types of euthanasia that are most common. The first are people who, perhaps because of serious illness or perhaps for reasons unrelated to their illness, are extremely depressed and say that they want to die (Johanson 1). Research has shown that the vast majority of these people are just asking for sympathy and don't really want to die but rather hear the calls of there loved ones begging them not to go on with the procedure. They want the attempt to fail. The second type of euthanasia involve people who are suffering from an illness that makes them unable to communicate (Johanson 2). These type of people are those who are in comas, paralyzed, or simply so sick that they cannot make meaningful sounds or other communication (Johanson 2). This is a much more accepted type of euthanasia. Especially in the Netherlands where Euthanasia is more common then the United States. There are two sides to attack this issue from. One being from the view of the Catholic Church and the other from a legal standpoint. Lets start with the legal standpoint. Who has…

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  • Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide - Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide There has been much debate over euthanasia and assisted suicide with no agreement in sight. Currently Oregon is the only state that allows euthanasia and assisted suicide in the United States. Like all questions involving the projection of personal beliefs upon the fate of an entire population, this is an issue that may never be resolved. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are methods people may take to end their lives either on their own with lethal prescriptions from physicians, or under the care of a doctor or assistant with various methods, lethal injection and the "pulling of the plug" on life support machines being the most common. An assisted suicide would be granted only to a person "who is terminally ill, and who feels that their life is not worth living because of intractable pain, and/or loss of dignity, and/or loss of capability and who repeatedly and actively asks for help in committing suicide and who is of sound mind and not suffering from depression". [Robinson] Conservative religious groups, and some medical associations and disability groups are the most common protesters of assisted suicide. Many fundamentalist religions believe that it violates the natural desire to live, it harms other people, and ultimately, that life is a gift from God and should only be taken by God. [Robinson] Some disability groups fear that assisted suicide may lead to more cases of people being killed against their will in order to fulfill society's desire for a disability-free population. Medical associations often disagree because their goals are often to extend and prolong life as long as possible. Th... ... middle of paper ... ...g. To rule out the option completely is taking away a personal human right. As with most ethical squabbles, the debate over legal euthanasia is a personal one. The desire is strong, in government and religion, to decide the fate of it's people based on individual position. It seems that personal choice is the only resolution to the debate over euthanasia. Those opposed to assisted suicide would not choose to have one and would respect the choice…

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  • Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide – Dying Made Easy euthanasia argumentative persuasive essays - Euthanasia - Dying Made Easy Euthanasia, is one of the most controversial issues of our time. This diverse issue raises many questions such as: how should decisions be made, and by whom? What should be determined as a matter of law and what left a matter of discretion and judgment? Should those who want to die, or who are in a "persistent vegetative state" be allowed to die voluntarily? Who should decide: the patient, the physician, the courts, or the families? The pro-euthanasia arguments turn on the individual case of the patient in pain, suffering at the center of an intolerable existence. When life becomes unbearable, quick death can be the answer. If living persons become so ill that they cannot tolerate the pain they have a "right to die" to escape from torment. So long as the right to die means not prolonging the life by undesireable treatment, it may be classified as rational suicide. The term "euthanasia" means "good health" or "well dying"; it is derived from the Greek "eu" and "thanatos". In its classical sense, it is a descriptive term referring to an easy death as opposed to an agonizing or tormented dying. In Greek literature, euthanasia connoted a "happy death, an ideal and coveted end to a full and pleasant life." The concern to die well is as old as humanity itself, for the questions surrounding death belong to the essence of being human. All people die, but apparently only people know they are to die. They live with the truth that life is under the sentence of death. Thus, from the "beginning of the species concern with how one dies has been an implicit part of the human attempt to come to terms with death." (Paul D. Simmons, 112) There is still a question involved in the contemporary debates about euthanasia which is posed by a case such as the terminally ill who are dying. The issue concerns the morality of mercy in aiding the dying patient. The question goes beyond simply withdrawing treatments. The issue is whether, in the name of mercy, one might…

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  • Euthanasia Essay – Should Physician-Assisted Suicide be Legal? - Should Physician-Assisted Suicide be Legal? Throughout the twentieth century, major scientific and medical advances have greatly enhanced the life expectancy of the average person. However, there are many instances where doctors can preserve life artificially. In these cases where the patient suffers from a terminal disease or remains in a "persistent vegetative state" or PVS from which they cannot voice their wishes for continuation or termination of life, the question becomes whether or not the patient has the freedom to choose whether or not to prolong their life even though it may consist of pain and suffering. In answer to this question, proponents of physician-assisted suicide, most notably, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, are of the opinion that not only should patients be able to abstain from treatment, but if they have a terminal and/or extremely painful condition, they should be able to seek out the assistance of a doctor in order to expedite their death with as little pain as possible. Contained herein are the arguments for and against the le galization of doctor-assisted suicide, as well as where the state courts stand in respect to this most delicate of issues. In the hopes of clarification, we must first distinguish between active and passive euthanasia. Passive euthanasia involves the patient's refusal of medical assistance. It involves the right to die which is protected by the United States Constitution clauses of due process liberty and the right to privacy (Fourteenth Amendment). The right to doctor-assisted suicide, or active euthanasia, consists of, "...a patient's right to authorize a physician to perform an act that intentionally results in the patient's death, without the physician's being held civilly or criminally liable for having caused the death" . The "passive" form of euthanasia was first deemed legal by the New Jersey State Supreme Court in 1976 In re Quinlan . In the Quinlan case, the court allowed a competent patient to terminate the use of life- sustaining medical machines to prolong life. Since New Jersey's decision, all fifty states have enacted similar statutes which contain living will provisions. However, although the United States Supreme Court upheld…

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  • Euthanasia Essay – Assisted Suicide is for Everyone - Assisted Suicide is for Everyone Should Doctors assist their patient's death? The doctors' obligation is to provide every possible support during the process of dying. Do doctors have the right to hasten the process, when requested to do so? There has been a great deal of discussion over this topic for the past few years. For many years now, assisted suicide has been a debated topic of who believes in it and who does not. The Christian faith disagrees in the act of assisted suicide. "This religion teaches redemptive suffering. God sends suffering as a means of washing away people's sins and saving their souls. It is believed that people can be blessed if they endure their misery." Islam has a similar belief of the Christian faith. They believe assisted suicide is an account of murder. In some countries, the patient who committed suicide, and the physician, or doctor that assisted the patient, should both go to hell. "We don't own ourselves, we are entrusted to God and the taking of life is the right of the one who give it." There are also many cultures that believe in this act of dying. Certain cultures believe that they have the right to end a person's life, only if the person is suffering with an illness that will only get worse. "In China and some parts of India, it is an ancient custom to drown newborn girls if they think they will live a useless life." The Dutch believe in the act of assisted suicide as many other religions. They believe that it is easier to end a life so the family and the other people will not have to go through all the suffering and pain. Many Physicians today believe that assisted suicide is the answer to end all the pain and suffering in the world. Dr. Peter Admirral is a physician that is known for ending more than one hundred lives in less than thirty years. "The emotion is what you prescribed or what you have injected will cause the patient to die. Its so opposite to normal feelings…

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  • Viola’s Disguise in Twelfth Night - As in most comedies, William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night extensively uses disguises, masks and mistaken identities to add to the comical nature of the play. Viola's disguise as Orsino's page, Cesario, becomes crucial to the action in the play. Without this important element, the action in the play would slow down dramatically, making the story much less intriguing. In addition to making the play less interesting, the disguise is also necessary to develop the storyline involving Sebastian, and the confusion that his return creates. It also is vital to the conflict between Olivia and Orsino, which depends on Viola's disguise to keep things exciting. Viola's disguise becomes increasing more important as the events take place. The majority of the plot lines depend on the disguise. Without it, the main theme of the play would be the gulling of Malvolio. In a play where most of the characters fall in love with each other, blind to the gender and true identity of the objects of their desires, a disguise like Viola's becomes the center of the action, and causes almost all the of the important aspects of the play. The confusion that Sebastian creates when he returns would not occur without Viola's disguise. Sir Andrew believes that the woman of his desires, Olivia, is spending too much time with Cesario, and challenges him to a duel. As he put it, Olivia was doing "more favors to the Count's servingman than ever she bestowed upon me." (3-2 l.5-7) At first, Viola is nearly forced into a battle, but is saved when the confused Antonio arrives. Later on, Sebastian and Andrew do get involved in a scuffle, for which Viola is unjustly blamed. Finally Sebastian and Viola are reunited, but only after they have already caused a large amount of chaos and have confused everyone. It is only then that everyone begins to discover the extent of Viola's trickery. More disorder is created when Olivia, who Orsino is hopelessly in love with, falls for Cesario, who is secretly in love with Orsino. Orsino sends Cesario to express his affection for Olivia, which Cesario/Viola is…

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  • Euthanasia Is Religious, Medically, and Legally Wrong in Canada - Euthanasia is defined as "a painless killing,espacially to end a painful and incurable disease; mercy killing". The righteousness of this act is being debated in several countries throughout the world,and Canada is no exception. Euthanasisa must not be accepted for religious, legal and medical reasons, as alternatives to such a dramatic end. To begin,the law,both civil and religious,forbid killing. Individuals are prosecuted in courts of law for committing murder. An example of this is the case of Robert Latimer. Although he claimed to have mercifully ended the life of his daughter who suffered from an extreme case of cerebral palsy,he was convicted of murder in the second digree. The courts were obliged to find him guilty as he broke the law by taking the life of another human being. Robert Latimer took it upon himself to decide that his daughter would never lead a full life. Tracy Latimer was never given an opportunity for success, as her life was taken. A not guilty verdict would have told people that parents of disabled children can perform both voluntary euthanasia on their children. In the United States, euthanasia was voted on for the first time in the state of Washington. Although polls before the vote revealed strong support for it,the ballot was defeated by fifty-four to forty-six percent,and euthanasia remains illegal in Noth America. In addition to violating civil law,euthanasia also contradicts the laws of many religions of the world. It is God who controlls life and death. Man will take this responsibility if euthanasia is permitted. It is stated in the ten commandments,"Do not... ... middle of paper ... ...p; In conclusion, euthanasia is religiously, legally and medically wrong. There are many alternatives to this act of murder. It is not man's decision to judge whether or not a person should be put to death, even if it is their wish. According to Leon Kass of the new England Journal of Medicine:"Verbal request made under duress rarely revealed the whole story. Often a demand for euthanasia is,in fact an angry or anxious plea for help, born of fear of rejection or…

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  • Impact of War in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried - Impact of War in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried For young people, the Vietnam War is a thing of the past and they can only learn about it from second hand sources. In Tim O'brien's The Things They Carried, it becomes very apparent that the Vietnam conflict has proved to be one that many of the participants have not been able move away from, while getting on with their lives. O²brien shows that the conflict takes on a parasitic form that eats away on its victims for the rest of their lives. A parasite is defined as an organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or in a different organism while harming its host. The war in this case takes the place of the organism, and the host becomes the soldiers. There are several examples of the parasitic nature of war through out the book. In one particular section, Tim O'Brien returns to Vietnam with his daughter. Twenty years had gone by, but it seems as though all of his thoughts are geared back to the time he had spent in the jungle so long before. The two of them travel all over the country, but before their departure, he returns to the field where he feels he lost everything. On this list he includes his honor, his best friend, and all faith in himself. For O'Brien, evidence of the parasite is not solely in his return Vietnam, but rather a constant personal preoccupation that seems to flow through the collection of stories. O'Brien shows how the memories of the war take on a parasitic form, and uses himself as an example. In the chapter ³Speaking of Courage², O'Brien introduces a character by the name of Norman Bowker. In the story Norman finds him self home after serving his time in Vietnam. Even though he is back in his home town, things do not seem the same to him. The was seems to have put a new spin on his life. Most of the story he spends driving in circles while thinking about the war and his lack…

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  • I Support Physician-Assisted Suicide - I Support Assisted Suicide In thousands of homes across the nation victims of terminal illnesses sit in pain due to their sicknesses. Should these people have to go through all of that pain and suffering just for the end result of death? Should these people have the right to assisted death, to rid themselves of unbearable pain? This topic has been one of the great controversies over the last several years. Not too long ago if someone was found assisting in suicide, it was seen as a felony crime. But recently there have been court cases taken up in two federal appellate courts that ruled terminally ill patients have the right to seek doctor assisted suicide (Carter 1). These cases took place in New York and Washington. This added two more to the list of states that legalized this means of ending life. However, doctor assisted is still seen as a criminal act in thirty four states(Rosen 1). In my opinion, doctor assisted suicide should be made legal throughout the nation. If a terminally ill patient wants to take his or her life due to excruciating pain, he or she should have the ability to utilize euthanasia. Ultimately, the decision should be that of the terminally ill individual. The main controversy over this issue, is the question of morality. Is it morally right for a doctor to assist in suicide? Many individuals feel that it is not. It is thought if assisted suicide is legalized throughout the states, it will encourage families with terminally ill relatives to push them prematurely to their demise(Carter 2). This is an outlandish assumption. A family that truly loves one another would not urge a family member to rush any decision as momentous as ending one's life. If there is caring among the family, the suicide would not take place until is was utterly necessary. Two other important moral questions also arise from this issue. First, do our mortal lives belong to us alone, are we sovereign over our bodies, or do they belong to the communities of families in which we are embedded? Second,…

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  • Necessities in Tim O’Brien’s Things They Carried - Necessities in The Things They Carried In The Things They Carried , the characters themselves probably could not tell you why they carried many of the things they did. The things they carried can be divided into three basic groups, the things that everyone had to carry in order to survive, the things that individuals chose to carry, and the mental burdens that many carried without choice. The necessities that the men were forced to carry were, for example, P- 38 can openers, pocket knives, matches, C-rations, water, a nylon covered flak jacket, an M-16 assault rifle, and for Henry Dobbins, an M-60, which weighed 33- 38 pounds including ammunition. All of these items were carried for two simple reasons, to survive, and to kill which was of course their job. Next, the things that each individual chose to carry, for many of the men , these items were things that they personally believed that they could not live without, but to others would be unnecessary for survival. For First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross it was pictures of Martha, and also letters from her whom he loved unrequitedly. Another example and proof of irrelevance to survival was Ted Lavenders six or seven ounces of dope and nine extra M-79 Grenades which he was carrying when he was shot in the head. Extras such as these really did nothing more than give the men a false sense of security, which was probably necessary to cope with their surroundings. Last but certainly not least they carried with them love, guilt, memories, and fear of death. Lieutenant cross, for example carried love, guilt, and even though he tried never to show it, fear. Tim O'Brien shows us this in the passage shortly after the death of Ted Lavender, "He pictured Martha's Comparing Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Song of Roland Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Song of Roland In mythological Europe, knightly heroes abounded whereever one could choose to roam. There are hundreds of tales of knights who embodied the concept of chivalry, slew huge dragons, slew legions…

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  • Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide are Inherently Wrong euthanasia argumentative persuasive essays - Euthanasia is Inherently Wrong My impression is that the idea of euthanasia, if not the practice, is gradually gaining acceptance within our society. People like Jack Kevorkian attribute this to an increasing inclination to devalue human life, but I do not believe that this is the major factor. The acceptance of euthanasia is much more likely to be the result of unthinking sympathy and benevolence. It is an easy step from this very human response to the view that if someone would be better off dead, then it must be right to kill that person. Although I respect the compassion that leads to this conclusion, I believe that this conclusion is wrong. I want to show that euthanasia is wrong. It is inherently wrong, but it is also wrongly judged from the standpoints of self-interest and of practical effects. Before presenting my arguments, it would be well to define "euthanasia". An essential aspect of euthanasia is that it involve taking a human life. Also, the person whose life is taken must be someone who is believed to be suffering from an incurable disease or injury from which recovery cannot reasonably be expected. Finally the action must be deliberate and intentional. Therefore euthanasia is intentionally taking the life of a presumably hopeless person. It is important to be clear about the deliberate and intentional aspect of the killing. If a hopeless person is given an injection of the wrong drug by mistake and this causes his/her death, this is wrongful killing but not euthanasia. The killing cannot be the result of an accident. In addition, if the person is given an injection of a drug that is believed to be necessary to treat their disease or better their condition and the person dies as a result, then this is neither wrongful killing nor euthanasia. The intention was to make the patient well, not kill them. Every human being has a natural inclination to continue living. Our reflexes and responses fit us to fight attackers, flee wild animals, and dodge out of the way of trucks. In our daily lives we exercise…

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  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle English romance poem written by an anonymous West Midlands poet also credited with a lot of other poems written during that time. The protagonist, Sir Gawain, survives two tests: a challenge, which he alone without the assistance of King Arthur's knights accepts, to behead the fearsome Green Knight and to let him retaliate a year later at the distant Green Chapel; and the temptation to commit adultery with the wife of Lord Bercilak--in reality the Green Knight--in whose castle he stays in en route to the chapel. This story is emblematic of life; how it issues tests and challenges and the consequences rendered as a result of failing or succeeding these challenges. Sir Gawain is a very symbolic character; symbolic in the sense that he represents innocence in life. He was not afraid to accept a challenge because it meant saving the kingdom from the affects of anarchy as a result of not having a king. Sir Gawain accepting the challenge from the Green Knight instantly represented one of the things that knighthood represented, fearlessness. People accept those kind of challenges everyday. This could possibly be where the term "sticking your neck out" could have come from. When people accept challenges, most do not want to accept the consequences as a result of being unsuccessful. Gawain was not like this. When the year passed he gallantly mounted his horse and set off for the Green Chapel. This showed that Gawain was brave. This was preceded by the warning "Beware, Gawain, that you not end a betrayer of your bargain through fear." Along this journey Gawain faces peril and self-reluctance in the form of the elements and the never-ending search for the chapel respectively. These feeling can be characterized as the inner turmoil suffered as a result of dealing with one's conscience. The journey also tested his faith in the sense that he was constantly in prayer during his journey, and not once did he curse or renounce the name of God. It seems as if…

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  • Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide are Murder - Euthanasia is Murder Euthanasia - is it killing or letting die? In the last thirty years, this has been a highly controversial topic, the worldly morals versus the Christian. Although there are certain instances where it is justifiably considered to be letting die, it is essentially murder. Euthanasia comes from a Greek word, meaning "easy death," and is now often associated with the infamous Dr. Kevorkian. There are three types of euthanasia - what doctors consider to be "letting the patient die," for instance taking both conscious and unconscious patients off of life support, not reviving the patient in case of a heart failure, et cetera. There is also assisted suicide. Dr. Kevorkian and his suicide machine have made themselves known through this technique. The machine injects a lethal dosage into the "patients" blood stream, killing then painlessly within ten minutes. The first type mentioned above is known as "active voluntary euthanasia." This is where a conscious, mentally competent person, usually with a severe physical ailment, loses the will to live. Many have said that keeping them alive is just prolonging their death, a form of cruel and unusual punishment. They may ask that life support equipment be disconnected so that they can die quickly, painlessly, with dignity. Most doctors are trained to try their best to defeat death, or at least try to delay it as long as possible. But if the patient is hopelessly ill, and would prefer to die, the doctor may consult the hospital ethics committee, and take him or her off of life support. When taken to court in these issues, the doctors defend themselves in saying, "I didn't kill him, I let him die." This is illegal throughout the United States and the rest of the world, but it still is a common occurrence. The second type, "passive voluntary euthanasia," is done when a terminally ill patient's or a patient in a persistent vegetative state's (PVS) family chooses to take their loved one off of life support. A PVS patient has no self-awareness or any awareness of their surroundings because the cerebral cortex, the…

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  • Euthanasia Essay – Laws Against Assisted Suicide in Canada - Laws Against Assisted Suicide in Canada "This is a very special day for me. It's the day of my release, the release from suffering, the release from the torment of my body." Those were the words of the very first Canadian to die through the process of doctor assisted- suicide, with the doctor being Jack Kevorkian. His name was Austin Bastable, and in the last few years of his life he became a crusader for the right to die with dignity. It has been only in these last few years, with the introduction of people such as Dr. Jack Kevorkian and Austin Bastable, that the world has begun to see the benefits made possible by the act of assisted-suicide. The prevention of suffering and pain made possible through this medicide, regarded as immoral for years, affects not only the patient but their immediate and distant relatives as well. Kevorkian told a judicial court the same one day in late April, early May: "Suicide is not the aim. Eliminating suffering is the aim, but you pay a price with the loss of a life." Although Kevorkian's methods have succeeded with some difficulty, in the USA, their northern neighbour, our great dominion of Canada, disallows the administration of this relieving practice. In our grand country assisted suicide is illegal. Cases of other terminally ill persons have surfaced throughout the news, the most prominent being those related to Dr. "Death" Kevorkian. We don't often think on what a terminally ill person might be like. They might be suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease. They might be suffering from multiple sclerosis. They might be suffering from any number of other types of injuries and diseases. What we don't think about are the cases that bring out our most empathetic feelings. Take the case of one Christine Busalacchi, who was so severely injured in an accident that she now lives in what her father calls a "persistent vegetative condition." Vegetative is precisely the word to describe her condition. She has lost enough weight to cause her to appear as someone else. She has her right leg…

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  • We Must Have the Right to Choose Euthanasia - We Must Have the Right to Choose Euthanasia There are many sides to the dilemma of whether or not euthanasia should be carried out. There is the question of morality, the question of active versus passive euthanasia and the question of when euthanasia should be put into use. None of these questions are totally cut and dry. There seem to be more gray areas within this issue than there are black and white. Yet when you look at the problem on a personal level with the actual individuals involved, some of those gray areas almost disappear. People are put on this earth to live. When it gets to the point where the quality of a person's life gets so bad that they can no longer function in the world, there is no reason to force that person to stay alive. Euthanasia is therefore a necessary evil for those whose practical life is in effect over due to a terminal illness or otherwise life devastating condition. If a person is in unbearable pain and close to death or is in a vegetable state and no longer able to function, their life is by all practical means over. There is no reason to keep them alive. The only way to end their physical life is by euthanasia. The question is whether to do this by way of active euthanasia or passive euthanasia. Many are against active euthanasia because in this case you actually kill the person rather than letting them die. But both methods are used for the same end which is to end someone's life without further pain for the patient as well as for the family. The only choice to make after this fact is established is which of these means better carries out the end. James Rachels, a philosophy professor, says that, "if one simply withholds treatment [in the way of passive euthanasia], it may take the patient longer to die, and so he may suffer more than he would if more direct action were taken and a lethal injection given." (Rachels, p.111) This defeats the purpose of euthanasia…

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  • Free Argumentative Essays: Euthanasia - Euthanasia Euthanasia means gentle or easy death for those who are incurably ill and in pain. So should a person have the right to take another person's life or his own when he/she is incurably ill and in pain. That is what whole of Australia is trying to decide. The N.T all ready has passed a law that legalise euthanasia in that state. Now other government leaders and members are in support of this are pushing for an Australian euthanasia law. Christian Groups and Anti-Euthanasia have seen euthanasia as a sin and a choice that no-body should make. Some doctors have taken ill patients life's as a request from the patient should this now be openly done. On the 18/06/96, The head of the NT chapter of the Australia Medical Association, Dr.Chris Wake, and Aboriginal leader Rev.Djiniynni Gondarra put forward the NT euthanasia law .But was dismissed by the NT Supreme Court. After appealing and with the support of three major party leaders the law was passed. Prime Minister John Howard disapproved with the Law and saying that he has no problem reconciling his views on federalism with his views on life and death by voting to over turn the law. Also Kevin Andrews was strongly not in favour and with Howard's support he introduced a bill overriding the N.T laws. But still in the end the law was still standing. If our leaders are divided we could say that the citizens of Australia would have been divided on this Issue. Maybe a referendum would have been appropriate, but still euthanasia would still occur illegal and secrecy. Christian groups and Christian have strongly supported their view on euthanasia , they have seen it as a sin. For a Christian his life is not just his because his life is part of god's. In the Bible, chapter of (Romans 14:18) it states "If we live ,we are responsible to the Lord and when we die we are responsible to the Lord. Both in life and death we belong to the lord. Christian view the death of a human person as their…

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  • Free Argumentative Essays: Euthanasia - Euthanasia Euthanasia means gentle or easy death for those who are incurably ill and in pain. So should a person have the right to take another person's life or his own when he/she is incurably ill and in pain. That is what whole of Australia is trying to decide. The N.T all ready has passed a law that legalise euthanasia in that state. Now other government leaders and members are in support of this are pushing for an Australian euthanasia law. Christian Groups and Anti-Euthanasia have seen euthanasia as a sin and a choice that no-body should make. Some doctors have taken ill patients life's as a request from the patient should this now be openly done. On the 18/06/96, The head of the NT chapter of the Australia Medical Association, Dr.Chris Wake, and Aboriginal leader Rev.Djiniynni Gondarra put forward the NT euthanasia law .But was dismissed by the NT Supreme Court. After appealing and with the support of three major party leaders the law was passed. Prime Minister John Howard disapproved with the Law and saying that he has no problem reconciling his views on federalism with his views on life and death by voting to over turn the law. Also Kevin Andrews was strongly not in favour and with Howard's support he introduced a bill overriding the N.T laws. But still in the end the law was still standing. If our leaders are divided we could say that the citizens of Australia would have been divided on this Issue. Maybe a referendum would have been appropriate, but still euthanasia would still occur illegal and secrecy. Christian groups and Christian have strongly supported their view on euthanasia , they have seen it as a sin. For a Christian his life is not just his because his life is part of god's. In the Bible, chapter of (Romans 14:18) it states "If we live ,we are responsible to the Lord and when we die we are responsible to the Lord. Both in life and death we belong to the lord. Christian view the death of a human person as their…

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  • Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide - Euthanasia Public opinion for euthanasia and doctor assisted suicide has always been mixed. A poll that was taken by the Gallup Organization in Canada during July 1995 proves that people are starting to see the advantages of euthanasia. The first question that was asked was: "When a person has an incurable disease that is immediately life threatening and causes that person to experience great suffering, do you, or do you not think that competent doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient's life through mercy killing, if the patient has made a formal request in writing?" It is proven in this first question that the general public believes that cases of great pain and suffering deserve the right to choose euthanasia as an option to stop the pain. Three quarters of the people surveyed believed that the choice should be given to the patient. The second question was about non-immediate life threatening cases: "When a person has an incurable disease that is not immediately life-threatening but causes that person to experience great suffering, do you, or do you not think that competent doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient's life through mercy killing, if the patient has made a formal request in writing?" As you can see, when a case is not immediately life threatening, the general publics answer is mixed. The people who answered no may be thinking of treatment that has not been tried yet or treatment that may come in the future due to new technologies. Medical Advancements: During the last 20 years, technological advancement has increased more than the advancement of the whole time of man before that. People that have the no opinion on euthanasia may be thinking that the person may be saved by a sudden medical advancement. It would be terrible for a member of your family to take a lethal dose of drugs, given to them by a doctor, to find the next day while reading a recent medical journal that a cure had been found a few days before. How would you feel? Are Physician-Assisted Suicide…

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  • An Analysis of A Raisin In the Sun - An Analysis of A Raisin In the Sun "A Raisin In The Sun" is a play written by an African-American playwright - Lorraine Hansberry. It was first produced in 1959. Lorraine Hansberry's work is about a black family in the Chicago's South-Side after the Second World War. The family consisted of Mama(Lena Younger), Walter Lee(her son), Ruth (his wife), Travis (their son), and Beneatha (Walters younger sister). The Younger family lived in poor conditions, and can't afford to have better living standards. However, Lena is waiting to receive a $10,000 check from her late-husbands insurance money. The two main characters in the play, Mama and Walter, want this money to be used for the benefits of the whole family. Even though both of them want to benefit the family, each one has a different idea of what to do with the money and how to manage it to benefit everyone. Walter Lee, like his father want's his family to have a better life and want's to invest the money in a liquor store. Walter want's the money so that he can prove that he is capable of making a future for his family. By doing well in business Walter thinks that he can buy his family happiness. Walter has dreams. Dreams he most likely got from his father. Dreams of better life for his family and himself. A dream of financial security and comfortable living. Ruth, on the other hand is stable and down to earth. She doesn't make rash choices to accommodate a dream. She will just make do with what she has. Mama is a loving person, she is wise but lives in the past. She is happy to have her family with and be safe from society. She thinks that money is not something that makes a family happy. Besides dreams Walter also has a husbands responsibilities which are universally thought of as being able to support his family and raise his children so they are morally in line with what he believes in. Walter's problem, however, seems to be that he is building his supposedly well…

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  • Richard III and Adolf Hitler - Richard III and Adolf Hitler In William Shakespeare's Richard III, we see Shakespeare's interpretation of despot rule and the parallels that stem from this interpretation. The character type of Richard has been examined and marveled for thousands of years. From Plato's examination of despot rule in the Republic, we see the motives of what drives despot rulers. A look at the background of Richard and how his upbringing and personal life contributed to his insecurities will help to understand why someone may become a despot. The comparison of Adolf Hitler to that of Richard, shown by the modern motion picture Richard III, will show the rapid rise and fall of the despot and the reality of totalitarian rule. Plato's Republic, a fascinating look at the comparison of the just soul and the unjust soul, allows one to see the philosophical motives behind despot rule. Despot rulers are simply driven by fear. Their anxieties and insecurities lead to a hatred that has a desire to destroy, deep-rooted in violence. Despot rulers are also never satisfied with the power they have at any given time, thus exposing their constant fear of retaliation from their subjects. This examination of the despot ruler by Plato clearly shows the motives by which despot rulers rule, but it fails to explain why and how these motives originate in the human mind. In order to comprehend why such a high level of fear and insecurity can be brought about, a look at the upbringing and personal life of Richard should be brought into discussion. One of three brothers, Richard was in constant competition of who would succeed in gaining the throne of England. Richard, like his other brothers, wanted the title of king quite badly, but as time pressed on it seemed less likely that Richard would succeed in gaining the throne. His shrewd attitude and a physical deformity, that left him nearly paralyzed, were two of the many reasons why Richard would be kept of the throne. Richard quickly became aware of this and he therefore began his rampage to insure himself the throne. After killing…

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  • Comparing the Hero in Henry IV and Dr. Faustus - Becoming a Hero in Henry IV and Dr. Faustus Hero worship has existed in this world since the beginning of time, from the Jews honoring Moses, to the Germans honoring Adolf Hitler. Becoming a hero is a very difficult thing to accomplish. One must be successful in gaining the reverence of one's peers while at the same time not developing to big of an ego. Two examples of men trying to become heroes are Prince Henry and Dr. Faustus. Both, in their respective plays, have the capabilities of becoming a hero, but only Prince Henry succeeds while Dr. Faustus fails. At the beginning of The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, Faustus is a well known doctor and is looked up to by his friends. Hal, on the other hand, starts out in Henry IV, Part I, spending much of his time in a tavern engaged in talk with robbers and hoodlums, therefore being looked down upon by the high society which he is supposed to live in. While it appears that Faustus seems to be headed to becoming a hero and Hal seems to be throwing away his chances, the audience can see from their soliloquies, that they both plan on changing their ways; Hal for the better and Faustus for the worse. Faustus has risen to a great point in his life. He was born to "parents base of stock (line 11)," but still has managed to gain a degree from the University of Wittengberg, thus acquiring much respect from the professional world. From the onset though, Faustus has his mind set on other things; such as magic and necromancy. Hal, on the other hand was born to a high society. Even though he does all of these mischievous things, he plans on repenting and returning to his father. The audience can see from Hal's soliloquy at the end of Act I, scene 2, that no matter how unruly the individuals are that he hangs out with, they do not have an influence on him: Yet herein will I imitate the sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds…

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  • T.S Eliot’s The Waste Land - T.S Eliot's The Waste Land In T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land you perceive many images from the writing style he uses. In lines 386 - 399 he writes: In this decayed hole among the mountains In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing Over the tumbled graves, about the chapel There is the empty chapel, only the wind's home. It has no windows, and the door swings, Dry bones can harm no one. Only a cock stood on the rooftree Co co rico co co rico In a flash of lightning. Then a damp gust Bringing rain Ganga was sunken, and the limp leaves Waited for rain, while the black clouds Gathered far distant, over Himavant. The jungle crouched, humped in silence. In these lines he seems to tell of a graveyard near a chapel in an upcoming storm. Different images can be seen from the decayed hole in the moonlight, the empty chapel without windows, and the rooster's crows as the lightning and black clouds arrive. In line 386, "In this decayed hole among the mountains," probably refers to an empty grave that brings images of death and the end of life, or possibly the beginning of a new life to mind. The grave is lit by moonlight, possibly referring to the white light many people see when they have near-death experiences. You get a creepy feeling when the wind blows and makes the "grass sing" in line 387. In these first three lines it talks of tumbled graves, possibly disturbed by nature, which could tell of troubled lives, or a troubled second life. The empty chapel without windows is nearby, as you perceive from lines 389 and 390: There is the empty chapel, only the wind's home. It has no windows, and the door swings It's image makes you shiver. It could possibly represent itself, in the sense that many people die there, as in baptism, as well as dying, where this place may be the starting point for a second, never-ending life. The chapel has no windows, maybe so that the people inside would not loose…

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  • An Analysis of Uncle Tom’s Cabin - An Analysis of Uncle Tom's Cabin "The book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, is thought of as a fantastic, even fanatic, representation of Southern life, most memorable for its emotional oversimplification of the complexities of the slave system," says Gossett (4). Harriet Beecher Stowe describes her own experiences or ones that she has witnessed in the past through the text in her novel. She grew up in Cincinnati where she had a very close look at slavery. Located on the Ohio River across from the slave state of Kentucky, the city was filled with former slaves and slaveholders. In conversation with black women who worked as servants in her home, Stowe heard many stories of slave life that found their way into the book. Some of the novel was based on her reading of abolitionist books and pamphlets, the rest came straight from her own observations of black Cincinnatians with personal experience of slavery. She uses the characters to represent popular ideas of her time, a time when slavery was the biggest issue that people were dealing with. Uncle Tom's Cabin was an unexpected factor in the dispute between the North and South. The book sold more than 300,000 copies during the first year of publication, taking thousands of people, even our nation's leaders, by surprise. Mr. Shelby is a Kentucky plantation owner who is forced by debt to sell two of his slaves to a trader named Haley. Uncle Tom, the manager of the plantation, understands why he must be sold. The other slave marked for sale is Harry, a four-year-old. His mother, Mrs. Shelby's servant, ... ... middle of paper ... ...ies to wage her own battle. Eva serenely fades into death, but her presence and her dreams survive in her father and in the reader of the novel. It is doubtful if a book was ever written that attained such popularity in so short a time as did Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. "The thrilling story was eagerly read by rich and poor, by the educated and uneducated, eliciting from one and all heartfelt sympathy for the poor…

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  • The Effect of Uncle Tom’s Cabin - The Effect of Uncle Tom's Cabin Seldom does a one work of literature change a society or start it down the road to cataclysmic conflict. One such catalytic work is Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). It is considered by many, one the most influential American works of fiction ever published. Uncle Tom's Cabin sold more copies than any other previous fiction title. It sold five thousand copies in its first two days, fifty thousand copies in eight weeks, three hundred thousand copies in a year and over a million copies in its first sixteen months. What makes this accomplishment even more amazing is that this book was written by a woman during a time in history women were relegated to domestic duties and child rearing and were not allowed positions of influence or leadership roles in society. Legend holds that when Abraham Lincoln met Stowe in 1682 he said, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war". The impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin did more to arouse antislavery sentiment in the N orth and provoke angry rebuttals in the south than any other event in antebellum era. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), born Lichfeild, Connecticut, was the daughter, sister, and wife of liberal clergymen and theologians. Her father Lyman and brother Henry Ward were two of the most preeminent theologians of the nineteenth century. This extremely devout Christian upbringing, focusing on the doctrines of sin, guilt, atonement and salvation, had an undeniable impact in her writings. The Importance of Olivia in Twelfth Night The Importance of Olivia in Twelfth Night Olivia, in Twelfth Night, is the character who unifies the play by her involvement in each of the three plots. Olivia is loved by Orsino, but she loves Cesario. Olivia plays a vital role in the plot to gull Malvolio, although she is unaware of it. Olivia also has an active role in the plot to dupe Sir Andrew because he is jealous of her attention towards Cesario. In conlusion Olivia is the one who inifies the play the best. Olivia is involved…

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  • Divine Comedy – The Guardians of Dante’s Inferno - The Guardians of Dante's Inferno Dante's Inferno is one of the best written works of all time because it was written as an allegory inside an excellent story. A key part of this allegory was how Dante used different guardians in the various circles of hell. These guardians were used to symbolize the punishments of the sinners. Minos is the guardian of Circle II, the circle of the Lustful. He symbolizes an accusing personality because his job is to give punishments to the sinners. The bodies of the sinners confess the sins automatically, and that shows the sinners know everything about themselves when it is too late to repent. Minos is important because he is used to stress that none of the sinners can doubt which sins they have committed, and that the crime will receive a matching punishment. The lustful were carried away by their passions in their previous lives, and therefore they are thrown about by a black wind. Dante considers lust to be the highest sin because it is mutually committed to the pleasure of both parties. Cerberus is the guardian of Circle III, the circle of the Gluttons. Cerberus is meant to portray the image of uncontrolled appetite. In mythology, he was known to devour people who approached hell, and therefore is a glutton himself. However, being a glutton, he must surrender himself to his appetite. His appetite just overtakes him when Dante throws dirt in Cerberus' mouth, and the poets are allowed to enter the circle. Cerberus is an example of how everything must submit to the glutton's appetite, including his soul. This is a dark sin because they now worship food instead of God, and this is reciprocated by the rain, which belies the jolly nature of gluttons and gives them dark temperaments. Gluttony is a sin which involves one person, and it is more of a selfish sin, but the gluttonous are alone because they always ate alone. Pluto is the guardian of Circle IV, the circle of Misers and Spendthrift. Pluto is meant to symbolize riches, as he is the god of…

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  • Dante’s Inferno – A Religious and Morally Challenging Experience - Dante's Inferno - A Religious and Morally Challenging Experience 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 inlove 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…

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  • Comparing Crime in Beloved, Crime and Punishment, and Utopia - Crime in Beloved, Crime and Punishment, and Utopia To begin with an omniscient and philosophical frame of reference, crime is only defined as crime by the society defining it. When a mass of human beings coagulate to¬ gether and form a civilized society, they are bound to make rules and laws to follow and bide by; for laws are one of the cornerstones of a civilized society. If there were no laws, society would be uncivilized and in a chaotic state of anarchy. These laws are decided and administered usually by elected officials who act as leaders in the society. From the input of the citizens, they make laws to run the society by. And when a person breaks the law, that is defined as a 'crime'. For example, purposeful and alleged manslaughter is a crime, because it is a law to not kill others; people are not allowed to go cavorting around killing whomever they please, if they did, civilization would fall. Laws and rules hold us to civilization. Another way to define crime is through ethics and morals. Each person on this Earth possesses a conscience; when we do something wrong, our conscience makes us feel guilty, although some people feel less or more guilt than others about certain acts; it varies individually. Based on this, one can define a crime as the things that make us feel guilty, although some crimes do not make us feel guilty. Some people do not feel any guilt when committing immoral acts; these people are deemed psychopaths or sociopaths by society. For example, most people do not feel guilty when they break the law by speeding, its just a way of life these days, but with complex ideologies (stealing, killing), we feel guilt if they are committed. Our consciences also hold us to civilization. In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, the laws are already defined in Early Nineteenth century St. Petersburg, Russia. Henceforth, when one breaks a law they have committed a crime and are eligible for arrest and punishment by the upholders of law in society, the police. A particular act…

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  • Peter Cook and E. E. Cummings - Peter Cook and E. E. Cummings Contemporary poets have made interesting additions to modern and post-modern poetry as a collective whole. They have given unique insights into the nature of modern poetry and provided a broader understanding into the purpose and concept of poetry as an art form. One contemporary poet of importance is Peter Cook. Peter Cook is a contemporary deaf ASL poet. He incorporates American Sign Language, mime, dance, and storytelling into his performance of his poetry, which is written in American Sign Language and translated into written or spoken English. For instance, in the Flying Words Project, he performed his poetry in ASL while Kenny Lerner performed the same poetry orally (A Deaf Poetics). The most interesting aspect of his poetry is the visual aspect of his performance of it. Seeing the words on the page is not enough to understand any of his poems, but they must be seen, ideally with an understanding of ASL (Graz erzŠhlt). One of his poems performed during the Flying Words project was videotaped. poetry poetry poetry is shot . . . circling, revolving, exploding hits the open window . . . and it tastes delicious it's loaded into the magnum and is shot back into your heart poetry is the painter and the portrait . . . (The Best Minds of Our Generation) To watch this performed, however, is a much different experience than simply hearing it voiced. This is similar to some of E. E. Cummings' poems which are visually arranged on the page in such as way to enhance the meaning of the poem aside from simply hearing the words aloud. Cummings' use of punctuation and spacing, breaking up words and carefully arra... ... middle of paper ... ...ed to modern poetry as a form of expression. While pre-modern and classical poetry often focused on rhyme and meter, two poetic devices which have no meaning to deaf poetry, modern poetry has provided a much freer view of poetry that also looks at poetry as a visual art form. This view was, in part, brought about by the works…

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  • Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff - Is society too egotistical? In Hunters in the Snow, Tobias Wolfe gives an illustration of the selfishness and self-centeredness of humankind through the actions of his characters. The story opens up with three friends going on their habitual hunting routine; their names are Frank, Kenny, and Tub. In the course of the story, there are several moments of tension and arguments that, in essence, exposes the faults of each man: they are all narcissistic. Through his writing in Hunters in the Snow, Wolfe is conveying that the ultimate fault of mankind is egotism and the lack of consideration given to others. For the duration of the story, there are several occurrences which exemplify insensitive as well as self-important mind-sets. Kenny, for instance, does not care about others around him; he is exceedingly self-absorbed. In one part, for instance, he jokingly yet dangerously runs Tub off the road with his vehicle. By doing so, Kenny is showing a careless side; a side that is neither concerned about hurting others nor himself. In his view, his entertainment comes before anything else; hence, injuring Tub was never a consideration. In addition, he also mercilessly taunts Tub about his weight when Kenny knows that it is both a touchy and upsetting subject matter for Tub. Frank, too, is also very self-centered since he is willing to leave his wife for their fifteen year old babysitter, who is barely half-way done with high school. The third main character, Tub, is also quite narcissistic because he becomes immensely defensive when it comes to his weight since he allows Kenny’s mock to offend him; therefore, Tub is egotistical given that he is fixated with his image. As the story, Hunters in the Snow, progresses, the egotistical behaviors of the characters become even more apparent given the lack of sympathy when Kenny is gravely injured. Both Tub and Frank, for example, do not react as most friends would; as moral and compassionate friends would. Surprisingly, Tub, the individual who shoots Kenny in self-defense, shows neither guilt nor regret for his action as he watches his hunting companion collapse…

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  • Christianity in Crime and Punishment - Christianity in Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote, " If someone succeded in proving to me that Christ was outside the truth, and if, indeed, the truth was outside Christ, then I would sooner remain with Christ than with the truth" (Frank 68). It was by no means easy for Dostoyevsky to reach this conclusion. In Dostoyevsky's life, one sees that of an intellectual Prodigal Son, returning to the Father In Heaven only after all other available systems of belief have been exhausted. Reared in a devout Russian Orthodox home, Dostoyevsky as a young man rebelled against his upbringing and embraced the anarchist (and atheistic) philosophies of the intelligentsia, radical students and middle class intellectuals violently opposed to the status quo in Nineteenth-Century Russia (Morsm 50). Dostoyevsky revolutionary stirrings were not unnoticed by the Tsar's secret police, and, in 1849, Dostoyevsky was sentenced to a mock execution followed by ten years' hard labor in a Siberian prison (Morsm 50). One critic said "It has been customary to say that Dostoyevsky re-learnt Christianity in prison." (A Boyce Gibson 19.) There, out of his element and surrounded by hardened criminals, he had plenty of time to contemplate life and read The New Testament (the only book he was allowed). However, it was not until his compulsory army service that Dostoyevsky's faith began to blossom. In the army, Dostoyevsky met a fellow officer and devout Christian named Baron von Vrangel, who befriended the still young Dostoevesky and helped him re-discover the Christian faith (Frank 4). Although a professing Christian for the rest of his life, Dostoyevsky was not a "plaster saint." (Until he died, he was plagued by doubts and a passion for gambling.) Instead, Dostoyevsky understood, perhaps better than any other great Christian author, that his faith was created and sustained by one thing only: the grace of God. It is of such grace that Dostoyevsky writes in Crime and Punishment. Although most critics agree that Crime and Punishment's theme is not as deliberately Christian as Dostoyevsky's latter works, the novel's voice is still authentically Christian. Written in 1864, shortly after Dostoyevsky…

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  • The Unforgetable A Rose for Emily - The Unforgetable A Rose for Emily In "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, we see how past events effect the main character Miss Emily, especially her mental state. She seems to live in a sort of fantasy world where death has no real meaning. Miss Emily refuses to accept or even recognize, the death of her father or that of Colonel Satoris. She does not want to acknowledge the fact that the world around her was changing therefore Miss Emily surrounds herself with death. What Faulkner tries to state in this story is that you should not let death overpower your life. A person should try and let go of their beloved ones after they have passed away. He also tries to state is to always expect the unexpected, like when Miss Emily killed Homer. Faulkner chooses to use third person narration in this particular story for a couple of reasons. He tries to show Emily's world to us as seen through the eyes of a respectable resident, so we can understand the town life as if we lived there. This way we were able to understand how the people of Jefferson thought of her. If the story would have been told in first person we would not have been able to relate to Miss Emily. The reason for that would be, if she would have been the narrator we would have understood the story in a hole different manner. Faulkner used third person narration and from that we were able to find out many things about Miss Emily's past. For instance the death of her father, the love she had for Homer, and how she felt the need for affection. Those ideas she would have kept to herself, if she were to have told the story. The language and dialogue that Faulkner provides Miss Emily with enables the readers to understand how she feels about the town. She is not very pleased with the changes that have occurred therefore she lets everyone that she comes in contact with know how she views those specific changes. For example when…

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  • The Protagonist and Antagonist of Crime and Punishment - The Protagonist and Antagonist of Crime and Punishment Crime and Punishment is considered by many to be the first of Fyodor Dostoevsky's great books. Crime and Punishment is a psychological account of a crime. The crime is double murder. A book about such a broad subject can be made powerful and appealing to our intellectual interests if there is a link between the reader, the action, and the characters. Doestoevsky makes all these links at the right places. The action takes place between the protagonists and the antagonists. The protagonists include Dounia, the Marmeladovs, Sonia, Razumhin, Porfiry Petrovich, and Nastaya. The antagonists of the story are Luzhin, Ilya Petrovich, and the landlady. Raskolnikov could be considered to be the primary protagonist, while Svidrigailov could be thought of as the primary antagonist. In every story the protagonist is the character that the reader cares most about. In Crime and Punishment the reader cares about Rodion Raskolnikov. He is the primary and most significant character in the novel. We are introduced to this complex character in Part 1. We get to know the poverty stricken condition that he resides in, and we get to know his family situation as we read the long letter from Raskolnikov's mother. Then we witness the murder as it is graphically described by Doestoevsky. After reading this graphic description of the murder, how can the reader be sympathetic towards Raskolnikov? How can the reader believe that a murderer is the protagonist? It is, in fact, not hard to accept this murderer as the protagonist. Raskolnikov believed that by murdering the pawnbroker, he rid society of a pest. We realize that if the victim would have been someone other than an evil old pawnbroker the crime would never had taken place. He could never have found the courage to kill an innocent person. It would not prove anything to him. So, Raskolnikov was not a criminal. He does not repent because he does not feel that he had sinned. All he did was violate laws that were made by society. Raskolnikov definition of crime was evil will in…

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  • Henry Fleming in Red Badge of Courage Red Badge Courage Essays - Henry Fleming in Red Badge of Courage The Civil War forced many young boys out of childhood and into adulthood. Most of these young boys were not prepared for war, and Henry Fleming was one of these boys. Henry Fleming's life in New York was routine. He had his normal share of friends and lived on a farm. When Henry got up in the mornings, he always knew exactly what the day had in store for him. This simple and boring life drove Henry to enlist. Henry wanted some excitement and to be seen by everyone as a hero. He wanted to be a man. However, his mother was strictly against his joining the Union Army. She thought that the Army was for rough and uncivilized heathens. His mother's greatest fear was that these heathens would influence Henry to start drinking and swearing. Despite his mother's concerns, Henry enlisted in the Army. But being in the Army wasn't enough, Henry was anxious to go to battle. All along the way to his station he and his fellow recruits were treated kindly. Old men patted them on their backs and young boys admired them when they stopped for rest. This warm feeling faded when they reached the camp. Here life was boring for Henry. The only thing his company did was drill day in and day out. All of the experienced soldiers told war stories every night by the campfire. Henry could only listen because he was still 'wet behind the ears'. He felt left out and often sat alone wondering about battle. War was like an illusion to him. He couldn't imagine people slaughtering each other. "Aren't we too civilized to massacre ourselves?" he often wondered. After hearing the tales of battle, Henry began to be intimidated by fear. Would he run when faced with death or would he have the courage to fight? This question was always on Henry's mind. Finally, after many months of monotonous camp life, the question was answered. After hours of marching one day, Henry's regiment met with a Rebel battalion. When gunfire erupted, Henry…

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  • Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales – Character Sketch of Chaucer’s Knight in General Prologue - A Character Sketch of Chaucer's Knight in General Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in approximately 1385, is a collection of twenty-four stories ostensibly told by various people who are going on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral from London, England. Prior to the actual tales, however, Chaucer offers the reader a glimpse of fourteenth century life by way of what he refers to as a General Prologue. In this prologue, Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are involved in this imaginary journey and who will tell the tales. Among the characters included in this introductory section is a knight. Chaucer initially refers to the knight as "a most distinguished man" (l. 43) and, indeed, his sketch of the knight is highly complimentary. The knight, Chaucer tells us, "possessed/Fine horses, but he was not gaily dressed" (ll. 69-70). Indeed, the knight is dressed in a common shirt which is stained "where his armor had left mark" (l. 72). That is, the knight is "just home from service" (l. 73) and is in such a hurry to go on his pilgrimage that he has not even paused before beginning it to change his clothes. The knight has had 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 "was of [great] value in all eyes (l. 63). Even though he has had a very successful and busy career, he is extremely humble: Chaucer maintains that he is "modest as a maid" (l. 65). Moreover, he has never said a rude thing to anyone in his entire life (cf., ll. 66-7). Clearly, the knight possesses an outstanding character. Chaucer gives to the knight one of the more flattering descriptions in the General Prologue. The 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 contenton, however, the knight remains modest and polite. The knight is the embodiment of the chivalric…

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  • No Heros in The Red Badge of Courage and A Farewell to Arms - No Heros in The Red Badge of Courage and A Farewell to Arms Many great literary novels have the protagonist, the main character of the novel, being portrayed as the "hero". There are many different deeds and actions that can characterize a person as a hero such as saving someone from a burning house at the risk of one's own life. The main distinguishing characteristic of a true hero is self-sacrifice, whether it be scarifice of your own personal desires or ideals or sacrifice of physical well being to help others. There are a few novels in which the main character of the work does not exemplify the deeds and thought of a true hero. Two such works include Stephen Cranes' The Red Badge of Courage and Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. Both The Red Badge of Courage and A Farewell to Arms have war as the background of the story. War is the perfect setting in which one can be tested to see if he or she is a hero. This idea is the major framework of The Red Badge of Courage, in which Henry Fleming aspires to be a man, a "hero" in the eyes of the masses by enlisting in the army. Henry's goal of returning a man from war has already marred his image of being a potential hero because his thoughts are about himself and not about the welfare of others. Also, the fact that he wants to impress people and appear heroic is a selfish aspiration. Heroes act not to impress others but to help them. Usually the actions of a hero are impulsive and not premeditated because the hero does what he/she believes is right and what their heart tells them is right and not what others judge is right. In The Re... ... middle of paper ... ...ern Critical Interpretations: Stephan Crane's The Red Badge of Courage. New Yourk: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Cody, Edwin H. Stephen Crane. Revised Edition. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1980. Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Logan, IA: Perfection Learning Corporation, 1979. Fielder, Leslie A. Understanding…

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  • Importance of Clothing in Prologue of the Canterbury Tales - Importance of Clothing in Prologue of the Canterbury Tales Countless people believe in the cliche "do not judge a book by its cover": but why not? Clothing often forms another's first impression of one. It speaks of where a person has been and where they intend to go. Their appearance also illustrates a person's true self and aspirations. A man wearing torn jeans, dingy shirt, and old shoes might be thought of as poor or coming home from a hard day's labor. However, a young woman in a Gucci dress with Versace pumps could be assumed to have access to a large amount of money. In "The Prologue from the Canterbury Tales," Chaucer uses clothing as an insight into people's ongoing adventure called life. In the Prologue, humbled by his life experiences, the Knight dresses plainly. Garbed in a stained coarse cotton tunic, the knight sits upon his horse. Seen in a different setting, the Knight's attire would say little about his life as an honorable man. By humbling oneself, a true hero lends credence to the fact that flash is not always needed. His armor left dark smudges on his tunic. Humbling experiences cause humans to step back and analyze the fortune they have; they learn that they do not have to wear their achievements. Sometimes people boast their success through fine clothing. Unlike the flamboyant Yeomen, the distinguished knight wears old garments. The Yeomen succumbs to society's inclination that when he dresses the part he will become successful. He wears a coat with a green hood. From a low social standing, he believes that the better he looks the more successful he will become. Emphasis should be placed on one's achievements and inner self rather than outward appearance. A saucy brace is worn on his arm to protect it from the bow. At first glance, one would assume that he was a superior archer of high standings rather then a lowly Yeomen. Looks can be deceiving, but the illusion fades as one's true self shines through. Extravagant best describes the Yeomen's style while plain and reserved best depicts…

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  • Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice Pride Prejudice Essays - Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen, like her most beloved heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, is a keen observer of the nature of man in society. To simplify her studies, and to give her readers a better understanding of the concept of Pride and Prejudice, Austen does not focus our attention on the larger social structure as a whole, but skillfully directs our consideration only to a small, isolated segment of the society. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen scrutinizes a microcosm, people dwelling within similar cultural and social backgrounds, but representatives of the larger human community. Austen demonstrates in Pride and Prejudice through Elizabeth and Darcy that in man's perennial pursuit of the joys in life, those who conform too strictly or not at all to the existing social norms face the danger of never finding their place in life nor ever finding personal happiness. Elizabeth Bennet is a person worthy of our imitation. She is a model because she is different from all the other characters, except Darcy, and because she does not adhere rigidly to the standards set forth by society, "where the family and the community...tend to coerce and even predetermine the volition and aspirations of the self"(Tanner 125). She is self-reliant and independent, while "contemptuous of all the conventions that restrict the individual's freedom"(Litz 65). Darcy observes Elizabeth as "...sick of civility, of deference, of officious attention...disgusted with the women who were always speaking, and looking and thinking for [men's] approbation alone"(Ghent 185). Elizabeth rejects Mr. Collin's proposal because she does not think that "marriage was the only honorable provision for a well-educated woman..."(Lauber 45). Nor does she believe in marriage of convenience. When Mr. Collins says arrogantly to Elizabeth that, "My situation in life, my connections with the family of De Bou rgh"(Austen 82), are reasons that she should accept his offer because "in spite of your manifold attractions, it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made you"(Austen 83), she politely refused him. "I thank you again and again for the honour you have done me in your…

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  • Escaping the Fog of Pride and Prejudice - Escaping the Fog of Pride and Prejudice The words of the title of Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, shroud the main characters, Elizabeth and Darcy in a fog. The plot of the novel focuses on how Elizabeth and Darcy escape the fog and find each other. Both characters must individually recognize their faults and purge them. At the beginning of the novel, it seems as if the two will never be able to escape the thick fog. The scene at the Netherfield ball makes the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy much more climactic because the pride and prejudice of both increases greatly during the night. The Netherfield ball is the first time Darcy and Elizabeth dance. When Darcy asks Elizabeth she is so surprised and confused that she says yes to a man who she is determined to hate. At the Meryton ball she had quickly made a sketch of Darcy's character. Compared to Jane who "never [sees] a fault in any body" (11), she doesn't believe only the best in everyone. She is usually right about people. From simply hearing Mr. Collins' letter, she asks if he is a sensible man, which he proves not to be. She is precisely perceptive of everyone except Wikham and Darcy. At the Meryton ball, Darcy is very reserved. He refuses to dance with Elizabeth when Bingley asks him to, saying that Elizabeth is not handsome enough to tempt him. Elizabeth's pride is hurt and she characterizes Darcy as disagreeable and proud. When Elizabeth first meets Wikham, she is blinded by her prejudice of Darcy as she accepts everything harmful Wikham has to say of Darcy. The plot of the rest of the book revolves around Elizabeth discovering the true nature of both Darcy and Wikham. At the Netherfield ball, it seems this will never happen. From the beginning of the night, when Elizabeth discovers Wikham didn't attend the ball in order to avoid Darcy she "was resolved against any sort of conversation with him" (60). Her hate of Darcy is sharpened, yet when he asks her to dance, she accepts in…

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