America is one the most powerful nations in the world. Being a strong nation includes having a strong military as well as economy. As one can observe, the U. S. economy is growing by leaps and bounds. However, the military is being down sized, and if we do not do something about it, it will continue to be down sized until we have an armed force that will no longer be capable of protecting this great nation. Not only will this down sizing affect our ability to protect ourselves, it will also cause a substantial loss in economic strength and power abroad. Because military down sizing lessens our power abroad, opens the United States up to a possible invasion, and hurts our economy, the military must be maintained in order to ensure a strong, healthy nation both abroad and on the home front for many centuries to come.
Military down sizing is increasing at a rapid rate. This down sizing is primarily due to budget cuts. Since the peak of Korean war spending in 1953, military spending has declined in twenty-five of the last thirty-seven years. The build up for Vietnam was short and followed by an equivalent build down. The Carter-Reagan buildup was longer but smaller than the one for Vietnam, and is currently being succeeded by a new build down (Brauer 299). If history keeps repeating itself, the United States military will continue to build up and then hinder this build up with an even greater build down. As a result the U.S. sustains a weaker more vulnerable armed force.
The military’s inability to provide its men and women with sufficient transportation is also a problem caused by budget cuts. Many military trucks represent technolo…
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…must always be ready for the least expected.
Works Cited
Brauer, Jurgen, and Manas Chatterji, eds. Economic Issues of Disarmament. New York: New York University Press, 1993.
Federation of American Scientists. Ed. Marcus Corbin. “The New Threats Argument.” February 2000. 27 February 2000 .
Hinkle, Jeffrey J. “Funding the New, Fixing the Old holds the Future for Tactical Trucks.” National Defense 82 (1997-1998): 32-34.
Kaminski, Paul G. “Building a Ready Force for the 21st Century.” Defense Issues 11 (1996): 1-4.
Rosello, Lieutenant Colonel Victor M. “Predicting the Unpredictable.” Military Review 75 (1994-1995): 127-129.
Sandler, Todd, and Keith Hartley, eds. The Economics of Defense. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Free Essay: Metaphors in Sonnet 73
Metaphors in Sonnet 73
“Sonnet 73” by William Shakespeare contains many metaphors to form a descriptive image. Shakespeare used conceits, which are “fanciful extended metaphors” (567), used in love poems of earlier centuries. Shakespeare used these beautifully in “Sonnet 73.” A metaphor is a “brief, compressed comparison that talks about one thing as if it were another” (554). Shakespeare expresses three major metaphors in this sonnet. The first is about age, the second about death, and of course, love follows. These three metaphors create an enjoyable poem.
The first metahphor that Shakespeare uses is that of a tree in the fall. He compares himself to the tree by saying ‘That time of year thou mayst in me behold when yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang upon those boughs which shake against the cold”. Shakespeare compares his aging self to the aging tree. Just as the tree is losing its’ leaves, Shakespeare could be losing his hair. Just as the tree is getting brittle, Shakespears bones are getting old and feeble. Most importantly, Shakespeare doesn’t say that he is actually going through this downfall, but that his lover percieves it in him.
Another metaphor in this sonnet is the comparison of death to nightfall, “In me thou seest the twilight of such day” (568). He continues, “Which by and by black night doth take away, death’s second self, that seals up all rest” (568). Shakespeare perfectly describes death as the fading of a bright day to a dark black night.
The third, and final, metaphor is when Shakespeare is comparing himself to the fire. Shakespeare beautifully states, “In me thou seest the glowing of such fire that on the ashes of his youth lie, as the deathbed whereon it must expire, consumed with that which it was nourished by” (568). . As the fire is dying so is Shakespeare.
In conclusion, Shakespeare combines these three ideas in a two line follow-up, “This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, to love that well which thou must leave ere long” (568). In this he relates all three objects, aging, death, and love, to each other. He is saying that one must enjoy love when he has it because it soon grows old and must die. He is also making the point that his lover is a good person for staying with him in his old age.