Why people on goverment assistance should be drug tested to recieve Essay

Why people on goverment assistance should be drug tested to recieve assistance - Essay Example Pollack shows that in the states of Mississippi and Illinois, families receive varying benefits meant for poor families, especially single mothers. For example, in Illinois, the monthly based amount for the temporary assistances to needy families stands at 432 dollars compared to 170 dollars in Mississippi. The varying amounts received by poor families is seen a problem, additionally, there has been an increasing number of families requesting for benefits. Despite the rising problems of tackling increasing poor families, a number of states have introduced the idea of drug testing. This is an act whereby a member of the family requesting for benefits is put into test to ascertain if he or she is under drug influence. Pollack argues that the screening done by the government on families to receive benefits meant for poor does not address anything. According to the author, some states have achieved less or nothing despite their efforts to bring forth this matter of drug testing. The drug testing done on states like Michigan has failed or achieved less for the last 13 years according to the author. Additionally, legislators in Michigan are hoping that the act of drug testing for benefits is best and will be beneficial since it has been done in 29 other states. With the 29 states, 8 states have benefited from drug testing. According to Spencer, drug testing is currently undergoing in 28 states. The legislators in those states explain that drug testing must be done in order to lock out individuals requesting for benefits yet they are on drugs. In Oklahoma, the Republican Governor Mary Fallin explains that drug testing is done so as not to humiliate taxpayers. Parts of the taxes paid by the Oklahoma citizens are used to help the poor in terms of Temporary Assistances to Needy Families. The Governor explains that in order to avoid funding or subsidizing drug abuse by some of the individuals requesting for assistances from the government, drug testing must be done. This shows that legislators are supporting drug tests on those asking for government assistances based on the idea of drug abuse by those who benefit from the package. The governor of Oklahoma says that tests will be done and those who pass the drug testing are provided with the benefits while those who fail or refuse the test will be barred from getting the benefits until they reform. The process of drug test is also happening in Tennessee with the main focus being drug abuse by the individuals requesting for government assistance. Spencer also explains that drugs have brought problems to the society especially poor people. In addition, drug abuse is also problematic to the working class. There have been also increasing number of people requesting for help from the government to support themselves since the 2008 financial crisis. The fact is that there has been a rise in the number of the unemployed, cost of goods, housing and health care insurance. The government has to address all tho se cases with the help of funding. The idea of drug testing arises because high numbers of poor people in the society are drug users. Drug abuse can only be broken on those requesting for benefits if they are sure that they are to undergo the testing before they receive the benefits. Additionally, the government is fighting to address all the cases mentioned above and others like unemployment benefits. Millions of dollars have to be used in addressing those issues inclusive of drug abuse. In order to reduce these cases, drug testing is important as it is one way of reducing drug abuse. Additionally, taxes from tax payers will be channeled elsewhere like unemployment benefits and welfare benefits. Furthermore, Carpenter (1), explains that tighter budgets and high demands by the people from the

Marketing Myopia Essay Example for Free

Marketing Myopia Essay 1.0 Introduction In line with Levitt (1960), Marketing Myopia refers to the narrow view of myopia, marketing and business environment. This kind of advertising program without any demand with clients but an organization will is to sell goods or services within particular economic markets. It tilted a business to focus on its desire, rather than what the shopping desires, and often modifying to form a culture of immunity each typically end up losing the name, business damage and ineffective commercial practice Levitt, (1960). This is accomplished exploring by them, an enterprise may appear an extra fully meet customer needs and wants, in order to develop its business. It offers a brilliant view of thoughts for your customers. At Marketing Myopia, Levitt (1960), he indicates the current marking statement said: Marketing is a stepson most of the organizations stressed production and marketing. 2.0 Key failing 1980’s According to the case study has shown that, the key failings in marketing as a business practice by Levitt in 1960. According to the article, the main key failing point was they had a management failure does not because the market is not saturated yet the reason is because of their own MYOPIA. These all key failing point has clearly to support and determine how they had a poor management. First and foremost, they watched it was supposed to develop but never take action to developed it, which means they were not looked at the long term while they look at the short term only, which is short-sighted goods for instance, the petroleum. The situation worsened rail transport terrible, because they are rail-based rather than product-oriented, they were product oriented rather than customer oriented, they do not care about the clients wants and there are more on supply but few on demand. As a results that is because why their clients snatched by the competitors. Other than that, they are lack of considering how the rail road can be pant in the prospect future. While those who also a lack of consider how to become an excellent entertainer skills in Hollywood and rather they considered filmmaking. In addition, they have never seen the product as overall and narrow example are not to be regarded as petroleum fuel industry but is deemed the energy business, which is not considered to produce Hollywood movies but as amusement and also failed to watch this industry from any  marketing view. Furthermore, Theodore Levitt defined that there is misconception of manufacturer, they are just think about the particular product and yet they are missed to see the category of the product. The last key failing point in management failure perceived by Levitt is they have a poor product structure, they are not possible comprehensive product development, failed to know its clients product range resulting in the failure of the business and cannot have a good sa les in the market. 3.0 Changes and thinking Regarding to the ideology was that it has to change from product orientation to client orientation and the practice would also move from product orientation to client orientation. How things are done there such a huge increase, because now people are extremely imaginative in how they look to the future, changes in marketing from the product-oriented and service-oriented their thinking ability to widen stricture ideas, their management is changed by catering the needs of marketing person. For instance, the Perils of Petroleum. They created a right of recourse petroleum exploration with advanced technical and know how to enjoy the confidence of senior investors, restrictions in itself technologies oil exploration, oil extraction, oil refining and did not expect substitutes; example of natural gas. The oil company has never been developed gas as a substitute to gasoline. Crude oil is one not being treated as a major patent medicine which is we all knew that petroleum was a very signific ant thing, if not the economy would got ill, this is how they noted that it is a proprietary drug. Oil companies have two items have never wanted to use these two, On the whole as fuel instead of petrol or natural gas. The oil has not been robust growth, oils itself does not have became a greater by the oil firm, and all this because it required to run vehicles and machines. The next will be Dry Cleaning. This industry was a growth with luxury outlook. Once upon a time, try to fancy that it is finally can get them in safely and easily to be cleaning. The boom was on. After thirty years the boom is begin and the industry is in difficulty with competition. The competition is not with related any new technique for a better cleaning, it has come with synthetic fibers and the chemical additives so both of this are resulted cut down the need of dry cleaning. The industrial market is the  latest present invention and business-oriented services, but it faces a number of outdated shadows, because of new inventions in which make this industry even more useless to the clients. Clients with a new and optimal substitutes order to meet their needs (Jahidur Rahim, 2014). In addition, it would be electric Utilities. This was also one of those ordinarily which is ‘no substitute’ products that had been throne base of invincible growth. Power industry continues to boom as wax luxury home is converted into electrical gizmos museum. Electric utility industry has also confront the same issue in the use and production with its new and dynamic change. By that changing of time, electric utilities is also changing very quickly, with the whole changing clients accustomed to using the new and handy utility. The result is a particular product oriented companies are faced with the outdated state. Grocery Store industries which is known in the case is ‘corner grocery store’. In this supermarket has been took over a strong potency. The large big food chains in 1930’s narrowly had escaped aggressive the expansion independent supermarket was completely perished. The first pure supermarket was start business on 1930 in Jamaica long island. 1933 supermarket were flourish in Pennsylvania, California Ohio and so on. Yet, When performed a large chain announced that he discovered ‘the difficult to believe the people will drive kilometers to a food store and sacrifice personalized service chain has improved, consumers are used to Mrs. Consumer’. When 1936 late, Wholesale and retail grocery markets nationwide Association of Convention and New Jersey said there is nothing to fear. For introduction of the new super chain stores and super markets, the grocery store where our neighbors are also likely to face a loss of business. For the first time grocery store shopkeeper believes that these supermarkets are not in their competitive, not originated from their market but they were actually wrong. 4.0 Modern Industry Area Some of industries were acting myopically. The global petroleum industry is generally defined to consist of oil exploration, refining, transportation (oil tankers and pipelines), extraction and the sale of petroleum products. With extensive of the products in the industry, including: crude oil and  other derivative products associated known as petroleum products, and products for use in the petrochemical industry. Industry classification was distributed into five sectors which are upstream, downstream, ships, pipeline, supplies as well as services (Kakada, 2014). The global petroleum industry can drive majority aptly described as the engine of economic development in the world. On the internationally market nowadays, the most remarkable commodities trading is crude. And more than a century, crude oil has always been worlds main energy source. Petroleum industry already described as the most periodic activities and offers exceed 70 percent of global energy demand (Unknown, 2014). Place a vibrant business environment in worldwide, there have been no changes in the structure of the industry and organizations such as the oil and gas industry has witnessed. From the world today, operating under the influence of significant changes in the structure and organization of the occurrence of the industry is called, and the most noteworthy is that this is balancing among demand and supply of the products. This is particularly in the recent past has become the most extensive decision-making tools and also the trend rest of rising prices for products of strategic planning. In short, on the significant industry changes during the past half-century stand for a new system of marketing of crude oil, exploration and developed state-owned enterprises in the oil-producing countries, the OPEC formation consolidated and acquisitions of the nationalization, and entry the new company. The Industry like any others Industry which has shaped its operating instructions and specific characteristics. From the limited supply of the products in the industry, because it has a non-renewable resource. Although the formation of fossil oil are known, but not in the global scale buried fossil does have each ground have oil. It might sound contradictory, but it is still a fact. Therefore, great value were placed on oil whether of the location it is be found or known to exist, that means oil products extracted still yet to be extracted by that ground is deem to be as similar economic value. Exploration, production, refining and oil resources over the past have been driven transport two forms of investment in the system. The first is related to transnational cartel system, followed by foreign companies. However, in two systems, the main driving force is the oil concession under its control,  which means that even when resources that belong to the ability of the host country, However control of the concession rights have been transferred to those companys status. The system has the majority of time in this century, and the second world war played a significant impact the activities within the industry. The unique features of this system is the supreme power or right is giving the company to explore, extract and export of petroleum to limit any other investors produce any competitive advantage. In addition, the system allows whoever has the overall control of the concession investments in the host country for the development, the number of natural areas and the right to choose the location of production levels, production facilities, exploration and the transportation Capacity. In theory, this sounds great, but this is not made clear how the state of tax collection and utilization of resources, any tangible contribution to the static role. This makes authorized role of the state, additional dependent, and not as dependent on the concessionaire. The relationship between the state and enterprises level became fiscal. In the long term, the company focused on their profit margins will be under no obligation to meet any state of social economic and political neither the host or nor the requirements of the development the petroleum sector. This system in of a wider perspective, the implication is that the investment decision-making and analysis of the scheme, just consider the world economy. In a simplified manner, petroleum sector is isolated from other departments in order to develop what would improve under what oil companies to host an economic background. 5.0Personal contribution and group dynamic There are certain true in saying goes two heads are better than one. In order to ensure this task and promptly and completed successfully the progress of this task, myself and my honorable colleagues to work together tightly, burning the midnight candles, and make investigations visiting in several local such as public libraries, the school libraries to procurement a reference for this task. But sometimes I was wrote down some records of important parts for what our lecturer in lecturing us on since I might not catch up or missed out some significant parts on this task, therefore I would try to putting more effort on it and I and my group mates usually stay back in college after classes to study more. We attempt as much as  possible and meet our instructors and seniors to help us in certain areas the difficulties to clear our worries and confusion. Before we started this report, we were divided the work of made a presentation in order to helps each other understand more. I with my teammates conduce to the first question, it is to determine the sales as a business observation and Levitt (1960) perceived problems. We were paid a visit to meet each of our group members 2 times a week for this task and the spending hours probably as 1 hour and 40 minutes for every single meet up. In others time, we were discuss via social media such as emailing or have a phone call. Another group of our classmates were contributed on question no 2 which is be show on how the thinking (and practice) has been influence on since then- supported commentaries to the initial article (starting with Levitt’s own updated thinking)while another of the last group were contributed on question no 3 which we were asked to take one business space (which can be one originally checked out by Levitt (1960), or another of your choice) verify whether or not you think its currently acting myopically, giving your reasons (evidence!) for your views. Due the hard work and cooperation I had been obtain such a success at the same time learning to work along with my team and got a lot of opinion and put those meaning into the assignment. But also learned more regarding about how to deal or how to well manage a business, with the most important thing to be even more understand is customer-oriented than product-oriented of its only we would exactly comprehend the client needs and wants. My own idea due to his literary works is that Levitt is a visionary because most of the subjects he underlined in 1960 regarding train, Hollywood and petroleum industry turned out to be right many years after. â€Å"It was a very well to start regarding the marketing knowledge’s. 6.0 Conclusion To conclude this task, marketing myopia is a very important and also a broad topic that needs to be solved in so many aspect, by trying to remove the short sightedness that a lot of businesses has been suffered and undergo during the presence. And there are a lot of marketing opportunities that had been ignored or neglected since most of the businesses did not watch or project or plan for the good prospect of their business, why? because of them having a short sighted. When businesses that are having a short sighted  would suffered in the long run while since that there business does not meet up to their clients demand and the services and resulted in having a poor clients services they were being forced to shut down.

Authentic Grasp of Being Essay -- Philosophy Existentialism Martin Hei

Authentic Grasp of Being Martin Heidegger provides an interesting lesson about what must be done to authentically grasp the nature of being in Being and Time. The focus of being in his book is the unique individual human consciousness referred to as Dasein, and authenticity is regarded as that which accords with Dasein’s own self, including its history, present concerns, and future possibilities. The thesis of this paper is an interpretative one: the path to authentically grasping one’s own being requires first disregarding philosophical history regarding being and then understanding one’s own presuppositions. More fully, the phenomena that give rise to examining ontology must be analyzed, which means that one must not simply start with philosophers’ assertions; then one must understand his or her own manner of dealing with being to understand his or her own presuppositions about being, and it will be seen how the presence of all presuppositions cannot be removed. The first part o f this paper will discuss section six, â€Å"The Task of Destroying the History of Ontology,† and the second part will discuss section 32, â€Å"Understanding and Interpretation.† It will conclude with a brief return to the concept of authenticity. The Task of Destroying the History of Ontology Heidegger comes upon the need to destroy the history of ontology as he begins his inquiry into the nature of being. What he first intends to do is understand how the question of being has been answered throughout the history of philosophy and then appraise this body of answers to see how our philosophical starting point may help or hinder us. Heidegger reviews an extensive amount of work, but he believes that it all falls short of understanding being. Worse than... ...what it must be like to authentically grasp our being. First (section six), nothing is gained by being spoon-fed empty statements about general concepts of being, so we must strip away ontological assumptions provided by the history of philosophy. Second (section 32), it is clear that we are not stripping away all assumptions, but we are looking to ourselves to find the groundwork. If we are finding what is within ourselves, then we are grasping the authentic; if we are using knowledge of ourselves to inquire into being, then we are making an authentic attempt at understanding being. Apparently, the historical attempts to remove all presuppositions are what led to the failure of the long human tradition that has tried to understand being. Bibliography Heidegger, Martin. Being and Time. Trans. John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson. New York: Harper & Row, 1962.

“Hot” Spots in the Cold War Essay

The period of the Cold War has turned into the dramatic stage of fight between the two world’s largest powers – the United States and the U. S. S. R. The Cold War remains a remarkable moment for the U. S. , when the majority of the American people could check their strength and endurance. It did not matter whether the U. S. was promoting the politics of Soviet Containment, or was involved into Cuban Missile Crisis, whether the U. S. was flooded with McCarthyism ideas, or was building Levittown to restore the American dream – all those actions were later included into the set of events under the general title The Cold War. â€Å"Containment of the Soviet Union became American policy in the postwar years† (Stanley 11). It is interesting to note, that while the U. S. was fighting against fascism and took the Soviet Union as its ally, all anti-communism ambitions were neutralized or simply muted. The Cold War has started immediately after the end of the WWII and raised numerous issues in the political relations between the two super-states. The idea of political containment belonged to George Kennan: in his article published in 1946, he discussed and evaluated the sense of insecurity the U. S. S. R. traditionally experienced (Stanley 8). As a result, the discussed insecurity sense made it possible for Kennan to suggest that â€Å"Moscow’s pressure to expand its power had to be stopped through â€Å"firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies† (Stanley 18). On the one hand, the policy of Soviet Containment supported by Truman was the means to protect the U. S. territory from external military threats. On the other hand, Truman has evidently overstated the threat coming from the Soviet Union. As a result, the policy of containment has generated mass anti-communism which sometimes bordered with hysteria. Consequentially, the United States containment policies gave rise to the well-known McCarthyism and were also displayed in the U. S. involvement into the Cuban Missile Crisis. â€Å"McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in the period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s† (Stanley 24). This term has for long been connected with the name of Senator Joseph McCarthy, but it has currently expanded its meaning to more general definition of anti-communist policies in the U. S. Joseph McCarthy has actually been the initiator of the discussed policy which later turned into the whole cultural phenomenon. In his speech on February 9, 1950, he announced that he had â€Å"a list of 205 – a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party† (Stanley 25). McCarthy’s speech and ideas were later reflected in the invention of loyalty-security reviews, blacklists, and even arrests. As a result of mass anti-communist campaigns, twelve thousand people lost their jobs without any hope to find new employment: negative loyalty reviews made it impossible for a person to become employed (Zinn 411). In reality, such policies could eventually turn into a â€Å"hot war† and have involved the United States into the actions which made the threat of the nuclear war as close as never before. The realization came with the events which were later called The Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the critical hotspots in the history of the Cold War. Its origins were rooted in both Containment and McCarthyism policies, and supported the line of opposition towards the Soviet power. In 1962 the Soviet Union was searching the means of strengthening its position on the international political arena. The Soviets could achieve that aim only by strengthening their military potential (Stanley 32). As Khrushev wanted to place the Soviet missiles in Cuba, Fidel Castro was looking for the ways of protecting his country from the U. S. intervention. However, Kennedy was aware of the Soviet and Cuban plans: â€Å"On October 22, Kennedy announced the discovery of the missile installations to the public and his decision to quarantine the island. He also proclaimed that any nuclear missile launched from Cuba would be regarded as an attack on the United States by the Soviet Union† (Stanley 33). In order to eliminate the threat of military conflicts between the U. S. and Cuba, the Soviet Union had to refuse from the idea to locate their missiles on the Cuban territory. As the country found itself in the whirl of political and military conflicts, the common people had to restore the country after the WWII, and had to prove to themselves that they were able to survive the difficulties of the Cold War. Levittown has become the brightest display of how people were trying to improve their living even under the pressure of McCarthyism and Containment. In 1950s, William Levitt actually created the prototype of a middle-class American suburb: small, convenient and cozy houses for medium families have attracted attention of numerous architects and economists. By the time the town was completed, it included buildings, swimming-pools, schools, churches, 17,000 single-family houses, and occupied 5500 acres of Bucks County in Pennsylvania (Zinn 407). However, the historical meaning of Levittown was not in the way it was constructed, but in the time period during which it was created. Levittown has given the rise to creating affordable housing and has served the pattern of non-compliance with the principles of the Cold War. In his town, Levitt was able to â€Å"present a new form of ideal American life, one that combined the idealized middle-class life of the prewar suburban communities, with the democratized life of younger GIs and their families† (Zinn 409). Works Cited Stanley, George Edward. America and the Cold War (1949-1969). A Primary Source of History of the United States. World Almanac Books, 2005. Zinn, H. People’s History of the United States: 1492 to Present. Harper Perennial modern Classics, 2005.

Heavy Rain

Heavy Rain Trying to rescue your own son from a serial killer by completing a set of painful, heart-wrenching trials, Heavy Rain was one of the most touching and depressing (and one of the greatest) video games I have ever played showing the true nature and consequences of people’s morality when their human reasoning is put to the test. â€Å"Human reason† generally refers to the human being's capacity to use logic and make judgments related to knowledge and, depending on who you read, ethics. (Yahooansweres).In Heavy Rain, you play as Ethan Mars, a man suffering depression when one of his sons is hit and killed by a car. This leads him to try to win the affection of his now only son Shaun who is slowly growing distant from him. When his son is kidnapped by the famous Origami Killer, he is forced to go through five trials if he wants to obtain clues to where the killer and his son might be; he needs to drive at high speeds for 5 miles in a busy city without stopping, cr awl through a small tunnel of broken glass, cut off one of his fingers, drink poison†¦ and to kill a drug dealer.I want to address three points in this essay, one what Ethan’s reasoning were when attempting these trials, two, the justifications and consequences of his actions and three, how human reasoning inform the ideas of this game and why that makes this game so great. Self-mutilation, putting people in danger and murdering is all viewed on as something wrong in society; Ethan obviously is aware of it too but his devote love to his son causes his determination. When completely the tasks self mutilation, mentally and morally these tasks were the â€Å"easiest†.Ethan thinks â€Å"I would never do anything to harm or hurt myself, but I can lose a finger for my son†. He has two choices, don’t harm himself and let his son die or harm himself and save his son. Then comes driving at high speeds through a busy city without obeying the laws of traffic; n ot only does Ethan put himself in danger, but many others as well. Does he choose to rely on his driving skills and eventually drive the five miles or can he choose to back out?Choosing whether or not to kill the drug dealer must have been the hardest for Ethan; when the drug dealer begs for his life and shows him a picture of his two daughters Ethan must contemplate whether he really should kill this man. â€Å"Maybe there are other options. Maybe he’s lying. The man’s a scumbag who sells dope to kids does he really deserve to live? How can I play God and take away the life of another? So again he’s left with the two choices of letting his son die or live? are just some of the many thoughts that rush into Ethan’s head as he contemplates the choice he is about to make. Then we come to the final trial where Ethan needs to drink poison. By drinking it Ethan will only have an hour to live and attempt to save his son with the clues he has. Morally, Ethan alr eady knows that the right thing to do is to drink the poison†¦ but he contemplates whether he’ll have enough time and again contemplating that maybe there might be other options? So are Ethan’s action justified?By completing these trials Ethan saves his son and brings a serial killer to justice. At the same time he harms himself, other people and kills man. Harming himself for his son, we can see that the human reasoning of Ethan is logical here and shouldn’t be disputable. Then comes the driving, he’s putting many people’s live in danger, so now Ethan’s reasoning and morality is challenged. Is it really worth it? It’s his son, he shouldn’t’ back out and leave his son to die and a killer to go free†¦ right?But what about the innocent lives he might be taking? Then again†¦ cops get in high speed chases to catch the bad guys all the time right? If he decides to complete his task†¦ is his reasoning overa ll logical? Legally, no. Morally, most likely not, but in the ends justify the means and what needs to be is done. Now, what about choosing whether or not to kill the drug dealer; he’s a father just like him dealing with problems. Legally, we can already see that if Ethan chooses to kill him he has broken the law and morally this is wrong too.But then again the ends justify the means and just like Hiroshima, it may not have been the moral thing to do†¦ but it needed to be done. Heavy Rain isn’t just another videogame; it’s a videogame with a story to tell, a message to send. Influenced by the power of human reasoning, Quantic Dream (the developers of Heavy Rain) wanted to emphasize the importance of reasoning and how it comes to play when your morals are challenged, and Heavy Rain does a good job at sending their message; making decisions in the game that determine the final outcome aren’t easy.Unlike games like Call of Duty and Red Dead Redemption w here you’re killing enemies off left and right without a second thought, in Heavy Rain, the aesthetics and feel of the game are made to try to be realistic and mirror the realities of life. Because of that, making some decisions in the game really got me sitting on the couch with a Play Station controller in my hands asking myself â€Å"What would I do? I completed all 5 trials excepting murdering the drug dealer (haha, it was just too hard for me) and instead had to fit my clues together and try to guess where the killer was (and yeah, eventually I beat it without having to do anything in the game against my morals; and yes the happy ending made up for all the depressing events I had to go through). Yeah, I tried to tell myself that â€Å"it’s just a video game and now of this is true† but after really getting into the game’s story, it didn’t really help, my own morals were tested against me; just how this game intended it to be.In a world where life can be brutal and your morals are constantly being tested, Heavy Rain isn’t just another videogame, it’s a beautifully told story putting you in the shoes of Ethan, forcing you to make the decisions that eventually determine the outcome in the end. After finishing the game you’ll wonder â€Å"how far will I go to achieve something I desperately want? † And when your back in reality, when your morals really are tested†¦ how will you reason and contemplate the situation?

U.S. Governments Methods of Dealing with People Suspected of Terrorist Involvement essays

U.S. Governments Methods of Dealing with People Suspected of Terrorist Involvement essays The concern of the United States with regards to terror and terrorists activities began way before the 9/11 terrorist incidents. There was the World Trade Center bombings in the 1990s and several attacks on U.S. citizens outside the U.S. Terror and terrorist incidents became a focal point in U.S. government policies immediately preceding the disasters of September 11, 2001. In a sudden change of stance, the government took off its gloves and dealt with terrorists in a manner they (the terrorists) understand well with iron fists! Many citizens hailed the governments efforts stating, It was high time the terrorists are given a dose of their own medicine! Others cried foul and began reminding the government of human rights, due process and freedom of expression. Suddenly, civil liberties were curtailed in the name of protecting the citizenry from the effects of terrorism. The two opposing fronts are at odds with each other giving viable arguments and stating each of their cases for and against the US governments methods of dealing with people suspected of terrorist involvement. One of the first acts of the government in the aftermath of 9/11 is the approval and implementation of the Patriot Act of 2001 or fully known as "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. The legislation contains ten titles that define the scope and measures of fighting terrorist activities, these titles are: Enhancing domestic security against terrorism; International money laundering abatement and anti-terrorist financing; Removing obstacles to investigating terrorism; Providing for victims of terrorism, public safety officers and their families; Increased information sharing for critical infrastructure protection; ...

The Inner Conflict essays

The Inner Conflict essays After the colonists in America decided that they were going to attempt a move towards freedom from British rule, they found them selves in a little bit of a crisis. One of the more serious problems was that the British might try to invade, and stomp out such a revolution. This was no there only problem. The other on had to do with inner conflict with federalists and anti-federalists. The decision to scrape out the old Articles and bring in new ones was risky. The direct order from congress was to revise the Articles not throw them out and create new ones. The continental congress felt they needed to draw up a document that would provide legal framework with the Union, and would be enforceable by the law of New England. A debate exists over whether or not the United States was really in a crisis or not. Opposing views from anti-federalists and federalists, peoples representation in the articles of confederation, and the likely hood of Americas survival under the Articles will de termine the true need for a drastic change in the framework of the new American government. The views of anti-federalists and federalists were very different from one another. Anti-federalists consisted of: the states rights devotees, the backcountry dwellers, the one-horse farmers, the work soiled artisans, the ill educated and illiterate which are all basically part of the poorer class. They opposed the new Articles because they felt that it would make them pay their war debts and taxes, which they were unable to do. They also felt it would deprive them of their equality to others. The anti-federalists wanted equality with all others instead of being considered the poorer class. The Federalists had a different view. They felt that they needed a much stronger type of government and this might have been there one and only chance to make it. They felt that they had more right ...

MiG-17 Fresco Soviet Fighter

MiG-17 Fresco Soviet Fighter With the introduction of the successful MiG-15 in 1949, the Soviet Union pressed forward with designs for a follow-on aircraft. Designers at Mikoyan-Gurevich began modifying the earlier aircrafts form to increase performance and handling. Among the changes that were made was the introduction of a compound swept wing which was set at a 45 ° angle near the fuselage and 42 ° farther outboard. In addition, the wing was thinner than the MiG-15 and the tail structure altered to improve stability at high speeds. For power, the MiG-17 relied on the older aircrafts Klimov VK-1 engine. First taking to the sky on January 14, 1950, with Ivan Ivashchenko at the controls, the prototype was lost two months later in a crash. Dubbed the SI, testing continued with additional prototypes for the next year and a half. A second interceptor variant, the SP-2, was also developed and featured the Izumrud-1 (RP-1) radar. Full-scale production of the MiG-17 began in August 1951 and the type received the NATO reporting name Fresco. As with its predecessor, the MiG-17 was armed with two 23 mm cannon and one 37 mm cannon mounted under the nose. MiG-17F Specifications General Length:  37 ft. 3 in.Wingspan:  31 ft. 7 in.Height:  12 ft. 6 in.Wing Area:  243.2 sq. ft.Empty Weight:  8,646 lbs.Crew:  1 Performance Power Plant:  1Ãâ€" Klimov VK-1F afterburning turbojetRange:  745 milesMax Speed:  670 mphCeiling:  54,500 ft. Armament 1 x 37 mm Nudelman N-37 cannon2 x 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannonsup t0 1,100 lbs. of external stores on two hardpoints Production Variants While the MiG-17 fighter and MiG-17P interceptor represented the first variants of the aircraft, they were replaced in 1953 with the arrival of the MiG-17F and MiG-17PF. These were equipped with the Klimov VK-1F engine which featured an afterburner and significantly improved the MiG-17s performance. As a result, this became the most produced type of the aircraft. Three years later, a small number of aircraft were converted to MiG-17PM and utilized the Kaliningrad K-5 air-to-air missile. While most MiG-17 variants possessed external hardpoints for around 1,100 lbs. in bombs, they were typically used for drop tanks. As production progressed in the USSR, they issued a license to their Warsaw Pacy ally Poland for building the aircraft in 1955. Built by WSK-Mielec, the Polish variant of the MiG-17 was designated Lim-5. Continuing production into the 1960s, the Poles developed attack and reconnaissance variants of the type. In 1957, the Chinese began license production of the MiG-17 under the name Shenyang J-5. Further developing the aircraft, they also built radar-equipped interceptors (J-5A) and a two-seat trainer (JJ-5). Production of this last variant continued until 1986. All told, over 10,000 MiG-17s of all types were built. Operational History Though arriving too late for service in the Korean War, the MiG-17s combat debut came in the Far East when Communist Chinese aircraft engaged Nationalist Chinese F-86 Sabres over the Straits of Taiwan in 1958. The type also saw extensive service against American aircraft during the Vietnam War. First engaging a group of US F-8 Crusaders on April 3, 1965, the MiG-17 proved surprisingly effective against more advanced American strike aircraft. A nimble fighter, the MiG-17 downed 71 American aircraft during the conflict and led the American flying services to institute improved dog-fighting training. Serving in over twenty air forces worldwide, it was used by the Warsaw Pact nations for much of the 1950s and early 1960s until being replaced by the MiG-19 and MiG-21. In addition, it saw combat with the Egyptian and Syrian Air Forces during Arab-Israeli conflicts including the 1956 Suez Crisis, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Though largely retired, the MiG-21 is still in use with some air forces including China (JJ-5), North Korea, and Tanzania.

Ecosystem Destruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ecosystem Destruction - Essay Example Moreover, as the human population of the earth continues to grow exponentially, the rate at which humanity depletes the earth of its natural resources and dirties the environment tracks along with population growth (The Blue River Declaration 2012). Although the reasons for ecosystem damage and environmental depletion are well known, the ultimate solution for these issues is far more elusive. Firstly, in order to alleviate the strain on the environment, a level of rational and intelligent use of the earth’s resources must be instituted. This of course will not stop the level of depletion of the earth’s resources, but will slow it to a degree to which sustainable development, in conjunction with technological breakthroughs, may be enough to provide a level of stasis through which world population may be able to seek to satisfy their needs without proving a detriment to the earth or its valuable and finite

Taylors Law and the Right to Strike by Public Employees Essay

Taylors Law and the Right to Strike by Public Employees - Essay Example Following the need to include transit public workers who were caught up in the strikes in 1966, George W. Taylor designed a law that was named after him. The chairman was a labor researcher who was not in great support of the public worker strikes. It is believed that other panel members did not want their name in the law as they considered the unions for public employees to be very articulate in opposing the new law2. His law gives the involved Public Employment and Relations Board that is selected by a governor the authority to solve contract disputes between the government and its workers. The Taylors law is also referred to as the fair employment act for The Public Employees and  is defined as article 14 of the New York civil service law. The Taylors law gives a framework for the public employee unions basic rights and limitations3. The Taylors law does not give the public employees and their unions a voice during strikes pertaining to injustices in their working environments. The law, for example, has been quoted as being extremely unjust to municipal workers in New York. The workers claim that the law does not give the government an incentive to rectify contracts problems on a timely basis. Through binding arbitration and mediation, it ensures that public employees are punished heavily for strikes. The Taylors law fails to protect them from work stoppages an illegal act that is punishable by jail time and fines4. Although the public employees feel abandoned by the Taylors Law during strikes on contract issues, the law made better amendments to the Condon-Wadlin Act that called for the firing of the employees upon participation in strikes5. The Taylors law gives employees  in the public sector the right and freedom to organize a governing union and freely appoint their union leaders6. As defined by the law, it gives public employees permission to engage and negotiate terms of agreements with the

Intervention Research and System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Intervention and System - Research Paper Example On the other hand, system research considers connections among components and plans for the implications of their interactions to communities and environments. It calls for active involvement of those who have taken part in order to govern the course of change. A good example In this case is when the networks of organizations and scientists from around the world pull together and try to reason the complexity of weather patterns and come up with more accurate and timely weather forecasts. However, the integration of systems theory for public health programs has played some major roles. It brings about critical considerations to historical processes, practical challenges as well as ethical considerations that may arise. It also reflects critically the evidence and evidence based policies and practice (Melnyk & Morrison-Beedy, 2012).   It uses methods that lead to a more constructive examination of complex adaptive systems and this helps to solve problems that are complex and dynamic. Because of its effectiveness, it has been applied in various research disciplines where many research methods had failed, particularly in the approach that was used to control tobacco and also in weather forecasting by the forecasting model group which has so far proven

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 132

Summary - Essay Example The study is conducted in a single Congress; it is the reason why Clinton does not apply it to all states. The results may differ depending on the party of the representative and geographic factor. In the opposition of party constituency and geographic constituency, conservative wings tend to care more about party constituency while progressive forces pay more attention to local preferences. Rivalry between Republicans and Democrats results in the fact that policies of the House become more radical than people want them to be. Voters who belong to different parties are expected to have opposite points of view on the same issue. It results in radical solutions offered by both of them. Even though it seems that such radicalism negatively influences representative function of the House, all policies need to be approved by the Senate and the President. This approach mediates differences in party-correlated behavior. The limitations of this study give a clue for further research where the true causes of differences of party correlated behavior are identified and studies. The study by Butler and Nickerson examines how legislators tend to react when they are informed about public opinion. Since their main function is to represent people, they need to act in line with what people expect from them. At the same time, many legislators remain uninformed and their decisions do not represent the interests of their voters. Butler and Nickerson conducted a survey of New Mexicans regarding 2008 summer session and shared their findings with a randomly-selected half of legislators. Those legislators who were informed about the results of the survey, were more likely to vote in support of public opinion. At the same time, legislators who were in the control group were less likely to guess what people expected from them. This study supports the idea that legislators want to act in line with public opinion; however, the authors warn that the information about public

HOW USEFUL IS A HUMAM RIGHTS DISCOURSE TO THE STUDY OF GENDER AND Essay

HOW USEFUL IS A HUMAM RIGHTS DISCOURSE TO THE STUDY OF GENDER AND CRIMEDRAW ON EXAMPLES TO SUPPORT YOUR AGUMENT - Essay Example person is always seen to be more aggressive than his female counterpart (Bess, 2005), and thus according to a stereotyped mindset, it is very natural to associate violent crimes exclusively with male criminals. Criminologists from times immemorial have been dealing the issue of crimes without keeping the gender perspective in focus. There is no doubt that there have always been women who committed crimes, but no importance was relegated to them, marking them as just as an aberration. The general feeling was what Wootton more than 50 years earlier, had expressed, â€Å"If men behaved like women, the courts would be idle and the prisons empty† (1959, 32). However, in modern times, specially starting from the 1990s, perspectives have changed and many recent studies pertaining to crime have been made, keeping the gender differences in mind. More than thirty years ago Carol Smart had published her book Women, Crime and Criminology, where she had mentioned that criminology is Ã¢â‚¬Ë œgender blind’, and therefore as a subject, the study of criminology remained incomplete and unconsummated (Smart, 1976). In fact, before the second wave of feminism came in around 1960, the argument put forward by the poststructuralists that the sociology study till then had been predisposed to generalise the male forbearance, is correct to some extent. A look at the past legal records will reveal that the number of women who came to the court as a defendant, or a witness, or an overseer, is surprisingly ambiguous (Beattie, 1974-5), the exception being for cases that were looked upon as typical feminine ones. Such a mindset arose mainly from the cultural and social stereotypes that were prevalent during the nineteenth, and a greater part of the twentieth century, which led to the court records being interpreted and maintained according to these pre conceived assumptions. This article will take a look at this topic of the deviances in gender crimes and their varying patterns, and will explore

Are women better of today than they were fifty years ago Research Paper

Are women better of today than they were fifty years ago - Research Paper Example A brief account of how women were treated and hat their position was five decades ago from now, can be obtained with reference to Betty Friedan’s writing in the book titled â€Å"The Feminine Mystique†. Critics have been arguing regarding the contribution of the book in Women’s liberation movements back in the 1960s. Undoubtedly, the book had been a benchmark in feminist literary developments to make the society realize what the actual problem was in positioning women as a strictly homely character. THESIS STATEMENT This thesis aims to elaborate on the position of women fifty years ago in comparison to that their social position now. Betty Friedan’s arguments and discussions in her â€Å"The Feminine Mystic† have thus been referred in this context. Providing a rational account, this thesis aims at obtaining an insight as to whether women were better five decades ago or they are now. DISCUSSION Life Of The Women In The Past Decades – As narrat ed in Betty Friedan’s â€Å"The Feminine Mystic†, the life of the women in the 20th century revolved round their family. Their ambitions and desires were not treated with importance in the society. In a poignant manner, the book verses about the weak self-consciousness and the dominated position of women in the later period of World War II until the 1960s. Women were, back then, portrayed as a character who either willfully or through social pressures were obligated to sacrifice and abandon their career for the sake of their family. The book by Friedan was extensively credited fifty years ago for kindling the women movement of the 1960’s in order to obtain a better accomplished life. The women of the 20th century were not given equal status in the society; they were lacking self-motivation and the support from their family for a better life outside their personal boundaries, such as in politics. The traditional believe that women cannot pursue any career and tha t they are better off as wife and mother, restricted them from taking initiatives to be independent before five decades. During that period, women also lacked attitude that they can be a decision maker and that they can lead an independent life. They had a dependent mentality and hence lacked the feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment (Coontz, â€Å"Why Gender Equality Stalled†). As argued by Friedan in her book, the real problem for women being dominated fifty years ago was their weak self-consciousness; in other words, the problem was more within the then women than it was within the orthodox social structure. Addressing the inherent feminist issue in the 1960s’s society, the book by Friedan undoubtedly works out a juncture for the development of women; their personification and the way they used to be pictured. Subsequently, it contributed to the Women’s liberation movement in the 1960s, rewarding a breakthrough in the approach and attitude of women. When going through the book now, one can easily codify the antiquated societal structure 50 years ago, which many will argue to have changed extensively in today’s world, while others may not. As was obvious in the later period of the 20th century, a certain change in the attitude and behavior of women was observed along with their attempt to augment their self-esteem in comparison to the male members of the society. Indeed, the

HOW USEFUL IS A HUMAM RIGHTS DISCOURSE TO THE STUDY OF GENDER AND Essay

HOW USEFUL IS A HUMAM RIGHTS DISCOURSE TO THE STUDY OF GENDER AND CRIMEDRAW ON EXAMPLES TO SUPPORT YOUR AGUMENT - Essay Example person is always seen to be more aggressive than his female counterpart (Bess, 2005), and thus according to a stereotyped mindset, it is very natural to associate violent crimes exclusively with male criminals. Criminologists from times immemorial have been dealing the issue of crimes without keeping the gender perspective in focus. There is no doubt that there have always been women who committed crimes, but no importance was relegated to them, marking them as just as an aberration. The general feeling was what Wootton more than 50 years earlier, had expressed, â€Å"If men behaved like women, the courts would be idle and the prisons empty† (1959, 32). However, in modern times, specially starting from the 1990s, perspectives have changed and many recent studies pertaining to crime have been made, keeping the gender differences in mind. More than thirty years ago Carol Smart had published her book Women, Crime and Criminology, where she had mentioned that criminology is Ã¢â‚¬Ë œgender blind’, and therefore as a subject, the study of criminology remained incomplete and unconsummated (Smart, 1976). In fact, before the second wave of feminism came in around 1960, the argument put forward by the poststructuralists that the sociology study till then had been predisposed to generalise the male forbearance, is correct to some extent. A look at the past legal records will reveal that the number of women who came to the court as a defendant, or a witness, or an overseer, is surprisingly ambiguous (Beattie, 1974-5), the exception being for cases that were looked upon as typical feminine ones. Such a mindset arose mainly from the cultural and social stereotypes that were prevalent during the nineteenth, and a greater part of the twentieth century, which led to the court records being interpreted and maintained according to these pre conceived assumptions. This article will take a look at this topic of the deviances in gender crimes and their varying patterns, and will explore

Confessions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Confessions - Essay Example Before confession, an old woman named Ryan, who was also his teacher, was the main person who framed his views about religion and the hereafter. She was the one who would mention hell every now and then. She always had a candle in her purse, which she used to symbolize hell. She would ask boys to hold a finger in the flame, and would tell that it was nothing as compared to eternal burning in hell. â€Å"Then she asked were we afraid of holding one finger-only one finger! - in a little candle flame for five minutes and not afraid of burning all over in roasting hot furnaces for all eternity† (O’Connor 2) was what she would tell the boys. Jackie got the idea that religion was all about burning people who did wrong deeds. He knew that life did not matter, as all that mattered was the hereafter in which God had to burn people in â€Å"hot furnaces† (2). Ryan was responsible for outlining these ideas of Jackie’s, as she would say, â€Å"All eternity! Just thin k of that! A whole lifetime goes by and it's nothing, not even a drop in the ocean of your sufferings† (2). Jackie’s perception of confession before the priest was also very pessimistic, and this perception had also been granted by the off-putting Mrs. Ryan. She had mentioned an account of a man who had made a bad confession. He stayed in guilty for many days to come, and finally went to priest for correcting his confession; but, he got burnt the night before the confession. For Jackie, that was the consequence of a bad confession, because he says, â€Å"This story made a shocking impression on me† (2). Hence, he believed that a bad confession led to horrible death. Moreover, he also believed that he was a great sinner, as Ryan would mention, off and on, that it was important to examine the conscience to be a good person. She would ask the boys if they loved their parents and other people whom they knew; and, Jackie knew that he was an ultimate sinner because he hated his grandmother and his sister. â€Å"I had no hope of ever doing anything else† (3) means that Jackie had become hopeless because his perception of religion had been deteriorated in a very bad way. That is why, the day he was going to confess, he looked back at the houses and metaphorically thought that it was like â€Å"Adam's last glimpse of Paradise† (4). However, Jackie confessed. It was a heart-wrecking experience for him. He could not find the courage in the first instance; but, he confessed before the priest the second time he got the chance to speak it all out. To Jackie’s surprise and contrary to what Nora had told him, the priest proved to be very understanding. He listened to Jackie’s intentions of killing the grandmother and Nora, and gave him three Hail Marys. That changed the world for Jackie. Previously he had thought of religion as a freaking thing that intended to give punishments only; but now, he understood that religion was not scary. He says, â€Å"I knew now I wouldn't die in the night and come back, leaving marks on my mother's furniture† (9), which shows that he was not worried of burning due to a bad confession or burning in hell anymore. Before confession, his state of mind was upsetting, which shows when he says, â€Å"the wind whistled outside so that the silence within seemed to crackle like ice under my feet† (4); but, after the confession his mental state had totally changed, which shows when

The Family Structure as a “Mythical Force” in the Fate of the Heroines Essay Example for Free

The Family Structure as a â€Å"Mythical Force† in the Fate of the Heroines Essay In the long history of Chinese Literature, the role of women has always been very limited to isolated cases only. These limitation and restriction refer of course not only to women fictionists, poets, and other writers but also to women characters in fiction, poems, and other writings. As a matter of fact, it is said that women’s literature has been badge by critics as inferior and mediocre in the context of a larger Chinese literary theory. This can be attributed to the many and varied restrictions imposed on women not only in mainstream and classic Chinese literature but also in Chinese society[i]. At the onset, China has been portrayed by both Chinese and foreigners as a country which is known to have observed two of the most women-biased practices in the world. First is a place where there is a palpable patriarchal family system where women are assigned and restricted to traditional domestic roles. Second is a place where 1949 revolution and post- Mao reforms has thwarted marriage and family life altogether[ii]. Traditional China is known to have a government that reserve officialdom and educational opportunities exclusively for men. Women would only have an opportunity to learn through family ties and clans. For the most part of the population such as the peasant, the artisans, and the merchants, most of the women would not even have an opportunity for education as opposed to the members of educated elite where women have a chance to at least learn little things like playing a musical instrument, learning how to paint, and learning how to play chess. However, girls are only limited to learn such things as compared to their brothers who go to schools and taught by private tutors. This disparity is attributed to two reasons. First, there is no such thing as lure of wealth and fame for the family that accompanied girls’ involvement in civil service examinations and official career. Second, the Chinese society dictates that the primary and foremost role of a woman is to fulfill her prescribed functions in the family as a wife, a mother, and a daughter-in-law. For the most part in the history of China, women’s lives have been devoted to the preparation for and actual undertaking of these traditional roles in their own nuclear family and most especially the family of their husbands[iii]. At an early age, young girls are undertaking an exclusive feminine training program. This is followed in a very strict manner from one family to another. At the age of seven, the girl must be separated from her brothers and other male relatives. She will then be send in her own apartment where her only company would only be her nurse, her maidservant, and the female members of the family like mothers and sisters. At the age of ten, he will then be taught various and important domestic arts such as sewing, weaving, embroidering, and supervising household. In her middle late teens, her marriage will then be arranged by her parents and will have to devote her life to her husband, parents-in-law, and children[iv]. Marriage in China is not the kind of marriage that we know it today. It is an alliance of two families rather than an alliance of two lovers. The bride and the groom desires and choices were taken into consideration only if they are not contrary to the concern and interest of the family[v].   There is a high range of parental involvement in the marriage choices of their children. As a matter of fact, parents often initiate the matchmaking most especially in urban areas. It is also said that mothers have exercised more influence in their children’s marriages than fathers as a general rule[vi]. Women have the greatest burden in them because they are expected to behave in certain fashion and to have the perfect qualities of a wife. In general, a bride is expected to have accomplished her three major responsibilities. It is believed that to fall short of these expectations would bring disgrace to herself, her parents, and to her clan. First of these three obligations would be to perform domestic duties. This would include cooking, sewing, embroidering, taking care of children, and other domestic roles that she is taught and expected to learn and practice by heart and soul such as Mrs. Wenqing in A Posthumous Son by Ye Shaojun. Second of these obligations would be to attend to the needs and comfort of her husband and other elders. This is understood as not only doing domestic roles but also to be there for the husband in times of both physical and emotional needs. The third and the most important of all are the bearing and the raising of a male descendant[vii]. It is the fulfillment of the last obligation that a woman’s position and authority in the family is greatly hinged. It is believed that having a son is highly important because it is the only way to assure the continuity of the family line. If she can’t have a natural son, she would adopt from other family members and relatives. The family could also hire a concubine where the father could bear a child with. The child will then become a member of the family with the first wife as the acting mother of the child. He will then be incorporated in the first family as an heir as if he is a natural son of the first couple.     Throughout the lifetime of a married Chinese woman, she is totally confined within the sphere of her residence and her domestic roles. She can only have occasional trips to temples, scenic spots, and house of a relative but for the most part of her life she is confine in the four corners of the house of her husband[viii]. Not only are women depicted in this kind of roles and predicament in the society but also in literature. There are a lot of criticisms over the silencing of women not only in everyday life situations but also in literature[ix]. In particular, a Chinese household is represented primarily by a long string of ancestors that is traced back from one senior male to another senior male. This lineage is defined by the relationship of a father to his son and from brother to brother. In this sense, women are generally outsiders. They are only necessary for so long as they can reproduce sons and heirs. Otherwise, they are aliens in the husband’s family. After she is married to her husband, she is to retain her natal surname because she is expected to maintain links of her birth family to secure political alliances. This is only for this purpose, other than this; she is also an alien to her birth family as well. This means one thing, the woman is only recognized as a member of the family and as a blood relative for so long as they are beneficial to the ties. In other words, she is really an outsider to their personal lives. Daughters are only considered as a temporary member of his father’s household because she is expected to be married to her husband. Moreover, daughter also does not have a share in her father’s land and other properties[x]. In the stories that will discussed in the next paragraphs, it is evident that the role of women in the domestic sphere and the positions that they occupy in the household and in the family results not only to their inferiority but also to their demise and fall. This pre-determined roles that they have which is both imposed by the society and defined by patriarchal ideologies is the very reason why women in traditional China ended up to their graveyards and their misfortunes. This is also true in literature, the prescribed roles that women have in the household outline their troubles, grief, and fate. The roles that they have to fulfill for the benefit of the family are seldom appreciated and were never enough for their male counterparts. These demise and misfortune that they experienced and will experience could be explained not only because of their imposed traditional roles but also to their relationship with men especially their husbands. Women’s powerlessness coupled with men’s authority is the main reason why women’s lives fall apart. Because of these two factors, women are sent to their fall. First, they are unable to decide for themselves because of the prescribed roles imposed by the society. Second, they are unable to defy the norms because of a patriarchal authority and power that they are made to succumb to. These two factors work hand in hand to oppressed women not only in the society but also in literature. The heroines in the four stories that are to be discussed next will contextualize the abovementioned claim that this paper is espousing. At the onset, women are expected to accomplish all the three obligations that she is expected to have. The third and the most important one which is already mentioned earlier would be to produce an heir. In A Posthumous Son, the wife’s predicament started when she is unable to produce a son after several attempts. The first child was a daughter. The second up to the seventh one is also a daughter which saddened the mother and angered the father. It is evident that the Chinese tradition dislikes daughters. In Mr. Wenqing’s opinion: â€Å"But the third one was also a girl. This was getting a bit irritating. We’re not gardeners, what can we do with all these flowers, even if they do look pretty; as far as keeping us company in our old age is concerned, we don’t need that many! And then the fourth one was also a girl! I can’t help feeling that there must be something wrong with the way your body works, if it can only produce girls and nothing else. What’s the point in producing the same thing time after when what we need is some variety[xi]†. This quote suggest more than the dislike of daughters but also of attributing the entire fault to the woman. This statement by the father asserts his authority over the woman. Moreover, it also reasserts the responsibilities of the woman to produce a son. It is evident that all throughout the story the only concern of both the mother and the father was to produce a son and nothing else. As a matter of fact, the mother has already compensated her attention towards her other kids because of her desire to produce an heir. However, this desire is not wholly for her sake but only for the sake of the husband. It is evident that she is willing to undergo several pregnancies which are dangerous to her health just for the sake of fulfilling her obligation to her husband. â€Å"Nevertheless she did not give way to despair, since she retained her faith in her child-bearing capacity. Once more she pleaded him, ‘Please wait one more time, just this once! If there’s no change this time, I won’t stand in your way any longer. I don’t want to make things worse for either of us[xii]’† Furthermore, this story also affirms the earlier assertion that the role of a woman is reduced to their abilities to accomplish the very important obligation of hers which is to produce an heir. Otherwise, they can be replaceable and will be considered as a stranger or an alien in the household. The husband has in fact considered replacing her and has replaced her with another woman which can give him a son. â€Å"Only girls, never anything else! You can’t blame me, I’ve been as patient as any man could be, I’ve got no choice but to get another woman.[xiii].† This suggests that the relationship of husband and wife in the Chinese household is really all about having an heir and never about love and support. This is also true in the story Slaves’ Mother in which the father hired a concubine. Moreover, he was even willing to spend a fortune just for him to have a son with the second mother. This responsibility outlines the worth of the woman. In which case, it depresses her when she cannot fulfill them because this responsibility is equal to her life and her survival. As a matter of fact, it is evident that in the story she was likewise devastated as her husband when she found out that she cannot produce anything else but daughters. When she was still unable to produce a son, she was so sad that she wept almost always. Finally, when she was able to give birth to a son, it was believed that she was able to restore her dignity. Together with this, she has also restored her position in the household as a wife replacing the concubine’s role. â€Å"The senior’s wife dignity was from this point on restored, and all were unanimous in her praise. ‘Fortune’s caught up with her now,’ they agreed. She herself was very clear and now she was fully entitled to make demands[xiv].†This means that the fulfillment of the obligation is the only factor why she enjoyed that position. When the son died, she went back to her original demise. The death of the son even further caused the demise and the fall of the entire family when her husband died or committed suicide in the river. In this kind of situation, the woman’s reason for living is reduce to her functions and not to her essence as a living being. The story is a commentary of two things. First, women’s roles in the household are always upheld to the extent that it becomes the very essence of her existence. Second, the man can do whatever he pleases and can alienate the woman as long he wanted provided that she is unable to fulfill her responsibilities. The demise of the woman will have to result to the fall of the whole family which is a reaffirmation of the secret power that the woman has in the family which is seldom appreciated and recognized. Another story entitled the Slaves’ Mother by Rou Shi as mentioned earlier is also a commentary on how a woman is expected to fulfill her responsibilities both as a wife and a producer of an heir. However, the story added another element to the role of the woman, that is, breadwinning. But everything still boils down to her obligation to provide an heir to another man. The wife’s predicament in this story is different from the first story in the sense that she is not fertile to produce nothing but daughters. Her demise lies in the fact that her husband cannot earn a living because of his disease. This shifts the burden of breadwinning to the wife which was likewise left without a choice. This story is a commentary on the role of the wife to the household as different to the prescribed as far as it is in relation to his original husband. Instead of just being a wife, the woman is attributed a different role, that is, to earn a living for the husband and the child. In the words of the husband: â€Å"There is nothing for it. If we go on this way we’ll even be selling our little cooking pots before long. Looks as though you’ll have to provide the solution. No use your staying and starving with me.[xv]† This is a blunt admission on the part of the man that he can no longer support the family which is supposed to be his responsibility. In this sense, the role of the woman is uplifted to a higher level than the man but is still hinged unto the main obligations that a woman should take part in as the society. But this does not last for very long because the woman was still restricted to her traditional role as a wife in her second husband’s household. She was still expected to produce a son which she was able to accomplish. However, even with this, she was still brought to her failure by losing both sons away from her. When she gave birth to the second son, she was longing for the first. When she was finally with the firs son, she was longing for the second. This can be explained through the previous line of thought already mentioned earlier. The very essence of a woman’s role has become the very essence of her existence. Without the fruits of his responsibilities which are her sons, she cannot survive. Her worth is measured through her ability to produce an heir. In the story, even if the woman has successfully undergone the responsibility in an easy manner, still she lost both sons. The firs son was lost because she was not able to take care of him due to her being away from her. The second son was lost because he was simply not destined to be hers since she was just a second wife. Secondly, the authority of the first husband is also evident as she was unable to defy his orders when he ordered she had to be sold to another man for the family to be able to eat. This is another factor to the fall of the woman in the story. It is evident that everything the husband told her is a matter of compliance on the part of the wife. She was willing to leave her two-year old son just to fulfill the orders of the husband. She was willing to endure the pain of giving birth to another child because her husband told her so. Even at the end of the story, the husband was still very authoritative. â€Å"Neither she nor her husband spoke. As night fell his drooping head straightened up and she said: ‘Cook us a meal’[xvi].†

Subtle Criticism in Aphra Behns Oroonoko Essay -- Behn Oroonoko Essay

Subtle Criticism in Oroonoko  Ã‚   In reading Oroonoko it might be easy to miss the criticism offered against the European culture. Upon studying the novel however, this criticism which had been presented subtly becomes quite clear. An important note is that the author and the narrator are not in fact the same. Although the author is out to provide a criticism of European culture and values, she is reluctant to let it come through the narrator. This critique comes through mainly in less direct forms, through her non-European characters, most often Oroonoko, and through comparisons between cultures and the characters encountered in each. As a female writer trying to earn a living, and as the narrator of the story represented herself, Behn couldn't have the narrator offer too strong a criticism for fear of losing her audience. The narrator is presented as very European. She is very ethnocentric and seems to have no problem with the slave trade, only with the treatment of one specific individual (namely, Oroonoko). Occasionally, however, there will be a slip, a slight inconsistency in the narrators character, which offers a glimpse of Behn's true sentiments. For example, throughout the novel, the narrator is a strong believer in religion. She tells Imoinda ". . . Stories of Nuns and endeavour[s] to bring her to the knowledge of the true God."(41). She also tries to defend Christianity to an unbelieving Caesar. When discussing the natives of Surinam, however, she mentions that ". . . all the Inventions of Man . . . wou'd here but destroy that Tranquillity . . . and . . . wou'd teach ‘em [the natives] to know Offen ce . . . "(10). The first thing she includes as an "Invention of Man" is religion, implying that it is not essentiall... ... Banister truly does kill him like a dog as he said, "he wou'd declare, in the other World, that he was the only Man, of all the Whites, that ever he heard speak Truth."(64) Through each of these forms Behn is highly critical of European values, or maybe more precisely the lack there of. She criticizes religion, namely Christianity, for not enforcing morals in people; the most noble character in the novel, Oroonoko, does not believe in any God at all. She also criticizes those in the culture who do not hold themselves to their promises; the blacks and natives who are seen as so inferior are more true. She offers all this, yet, in a way that gives no offence and so keeps her audience for the next criticism she may offer. Works Cited: Behn, Aphra. â€Å"Oroonoko.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. AH Abrams. New York. WW Norton and Company, Inc 2000.

Hybrid Cars Essay -- Gasoline Electric Hybrid Automobiles

These cars operate from a rechargeable battery and gasoline. The engines are smaller so that they will be able to accommodate the 99% of time when the car is not going uphill or accelerating quickly. The battery is used to give extra acceleration power if needed. When the car is stopped, hybrid gasoline motors can shut off and run off their electric motor and battery. These cars are aerodynamic and the tires are often stiffer and inflated higher to reduce dragging. According to a November 16, 2004 article written in the parents magazine, hybrid cars are no different from the gas powered car. It can accelerate just as quickly and travel just as fast on the highway and they are just as safe to drive. When the car comes to a complete stop, the engine shuts down completely and starts up again when the accelerator is pressed. Therefore, gas is not wasted and toxins are not emitted. www.ineed2know.org There are 3 popular hybrids on the market today which are the Honda Insight coupe, Toyota Prius four door hatchback and the Honda Civic hybrid Sedan. There are 6 new hybrid models on the way to the market which will give families a larger selection to choose from. These cars will allow consumers to save on gas. The consumer gets more miles per gallon with the Hybrid car. These cars can go 600 miles before having to refuel with gasoline which will decrease the amount of money that the consumer will have to pay for filling the gas tank. Also, these cars produce about 90 percent fewer smog-forming tailpipe emissions compared with the average new car, according to Dave Hermance, head of Environmental Engineering for Toyota. Purchasing these cars will also allow the consumer to receive a tax break of $1,500. The price of these cars are no... ...ill increase and the manufacturers will have to increase production. Interest rate is another factor that impact demand for this car. If the interest rate is low, more consumers will be able to purchase the car because the monthly payments will be low. However, if the interest rate is high, this will cause the monthly payments to be higher which may cause demand for cars to decrease. The forecasts that I would use for these indicators are www.federalreserve.gov, www.cbo.gov and www.mbaa.org. These economic forecasts can be used to predict future demands. Due to the constant rise in gas prices, Hybrid cars have become a hot item in today's economy. Although the Hybrid cars are more expensive than the conventional cars the rapid increase in gasoline prices will allow the consumer to make up the difference and save money by having to make fewer trips to the gas pump.

Socrates as “Eros”

Esther Rodulfa PHL-1010H-LD01 09/18/12 Socrates as eros? Truly, love takes on many different forms. Love, for many centuries, has been given many different names. It also serves different functions. To distinguish a specific type of love, one of them is called eros. How love as eros can be defined is based upon the utilization of a specific writer’s perspective. Numerous published written works may account for the definition of eros. In this Essay, Plato’s perception of love as eros will be described. Furthermore, how and why Socrates, of â€Å"The Apology† by Plato, embodies Plato’s definition of eros will be shown.This embodiment will be based off Plato’s eros as poor being, eros as an intermediary between God and men, and eros as resemblance of the â€Å"god of Plenty†, eros’ father (Needleman 15 – 17). According to Plato’s â€Å"Symposium†, eros has always been in need or poor (Needleman 16). Socrates embodimen t of this description of eros can be seen in Plato’s â€Å"The Apology†, where Socrates â€Å"remain in infinite poverty† (Plato 509) as a result of his commitment to his god through convicting Athenians of the condition of their souls and lives.Most of his time, Socrates converses with people and asks them questions pertaining their lifestyle. Due to this he does not have enough time to make earnings for himself. In return, some of his listeners put in time to hear him out and take on his advices (Plato 509). This even more takes time off from Socrates. Although others perceive this as Socrates teaching the Athenians with a charge, not one witness testified of Socrates’ activity of charging fees from anyone (Plato 519), which proves his disinterest in obtaining monetary wealth that contributes to his impoverishment.It can be suggested that Socrates does not spend great deal of time in obtaining monetary wealth or pleasure (Plato 519) due to this commitme nt. He places more priority on his care for Athenians than tending for his own health. His full dedication and sacrifice for others’ good sake contribute to his condition of being poor. Other than this, after Socrates was charged guilty, he had to offer an alternative penalty for himself. However, he said â€Å"I have no money to pay† (Plato 526) if ever his alternative penalty was to pay a fine.It can be implied from this Socrates’ deep poverty condition due to his inability to pay his freedom from the unjust guilty charges pressed against him. Since the death punishment upon him is too great, Socrates would need so much money to annul this punishment; but as he said, he does not have any means of doing so due to his poverty. Another definition of eros, as Plato defines it, is an intermediary between God and men. By intermediary, it means that eros â€Å"interprets†¦between gods and men† (Needleman 15).He also delivers â€Å"to men the commands of the gods† (Needleman 15). Thus he brings connection between god and men. Socrates in â€Å"The Apology† embodies these characteristics in few ways. During Socrates trial, he admits that he has been â€Å"commanded by god† (Plato 521) to rebuke the Athenians of their foolish ways and reach an epiphany of their lives wasted on money and fulfilling selfish evil desires. He also says that he occasionally receives â€Å"signal from God† (Plato 529) whenever a wrong impulse is about move him.Since all he desires is fulfilling the right and just actions, he fully depends on the divine voice he claims to hear so the message of god will definitely reach the Athenians. In doing so, he will accomplish the god’s commanded upon him. However, it seems that the Athenians do not desire moral living as commanded by the god Socrates’ follows. Nevertheless, Socrates stays on his task and does not give into discouragement as he serves his intermediary role. More over, Socrates emphasizes to the Athenians that â€Å"I am really the one given to you by God† (Plato 519).How he affirmed this is through his denial of self; denial of own pleasures, denial of health, and denial of own interest throughout his life for the sake of the Athenians virtue. Doubtlessly, denying or depriving self of fulfilling own selfish desires is difficult as human live for own selfish ends. Also, these selfish desires seems built-in to humans. Humans have natural tendencies to act according to what he or she desires, in spite of it being selfish and sometimes evil.In the Athenian society, which Socrates describes as a â€Å"big thoroughbred horse† (Plato 518) due to its riches, wealth, and greatness, it can be inferred that some of its citizens posses this riches and wealth, and for those who do not may have great desires for earning such wealth and power to, again, meet own selfish ends. However, Socrates differs from this in this that he never craved f or wealth and richness, which makes him extraordinary and approve his claim as sent by the god to the Athenians.And, this confirms he embodies eros as the intermediary between god and men. Moreover, Plato also defines eros through eros’ inheritance of his father’s, god of plenty, characteristics (Needleman 16). These characteristics include eros being bold, being â€Å"terrible as an enchanter†, who interlace interest or curiosity, â€Å"keen in pursuit of wisdom†, and a â€Å"philosopher at all times† (Needleman 16). Socrates in â€Å"The Apology† displays these characteristics in many ways. Socrates’ boldness emanated from his audacious and specific address towards the Athenian citizens and officials.He sought out other well known citizens of great power and are known to have â€Å"highest reputation† (Plato 508) and cross-examined them to measure their wisdom. In particular, he approached poets and concluded that â€Å"no w isdom enabled them to compose† (Plato 508) and they resemble diviners and oracles by not â€Å"understanding anything of what they say† (Plato 508). As a poet whose passion is literature and is known for eloquence, creativity, and gift of poetic thoughts, for Socrates to make a claim of a poet’s void composition renders great offense on the poet’s part, and all the more proves Socrates’ boldness.Moreover, Socrates claims he cannot be damaged by either Meletos or Anytos’ proposed death punishment to Socrates for he thought â€Å"the eternal law forbids a better man to be hurt by worse† (Plato 518). By this, he referred the better man as himself and the worse as either Meletos or Anytos. Apparently, these men have some power as they represent those people who may have been offended by Socrates. Yet Socrates boldly acknowledges them as worse than himself. Other than this, Socrates honestly claims that he exposes and hinders â€Å"the man y unjust and illegal doings† (Plato 519) of the Athenian state.Certainly, the Athenians would totally dislike Socrates for admitting these deeds of his yet he carelessly and publicly declares this during the trial. Beside this, Socrates fully declares that the Athens’ lives are wrong (Plato 528) and ending his life would not stop any reproach to come upon them. His confidence on this matter can also stir up more irritation among the crowd but he still bravely announced this. From each examples Socrates gave during his trial, he was aware of the risks yet due to his audacity, he was able to get across his message to the Athenians.Other than his boldness, Socrates also embodies eros as someone who is â€Å"terrible as an enchanter† and who interlace the curiosity and interest of his audience (Needleman 16). He achieves this through his talent of clever wordings and phrases to connect to and capture attention of the Athenians. Socrates often used phrases such as â⠂¬Å"I beg and pray you most earnestly† (Plato 503), â€Å"I appeal to most of you to bear me out† (Plato 505), â€Å"don’t make an uproar, gentlemen, remain quiet as I begged you, hear me without uproar at what I have to say† (Plato 507) and many others.Through these, he can captivate their attention and hinder a possible uproar among them so he can clearly deliver his message to them. For a crowd of 501 people, it will be difficult to counteract uproar if it arises. But it turns out that Socrates had the situation under control while he delivered his speech on his trial day. This reflects his strong enchanting abilities, just like eros. Socrates also has a talent of stirring up interest of those that he speaks to.Although some citizens of Athens have been offended by Socrates’ conviction, some of them were actually â€Å"delighted to hear people being cross-examined† (Plato 509) and that some of them chose to imitate Socrates’ ways of making people, who thinks they have wisdom, realize that they have no wisdom at all. Furthermore, Socrates embodies eros through their resemblance in â€Å"keen pursuit of wisdom† and being a â€Å"philosopher at all times† (Needleman 16). As he was going about cross-examining people, he â€Å"approached the craftsmen† (Plato 508). He has no knowledge of being crafty.But since he loves gaining knowledge, whatever it may be, he continued his talk with them since he knew he would learn something that has â€Å"much of real value† (Plato 508). Going further his trial, Socrates assures the citizens that he will â€Å"never cease being a philosopher† (Plato 517) and that he will continue giving advice and cross-examining and testing those who think they possess wisdom. Even if this costs him his life on the line, Socrates will insist in doing these to anyone he comes across with. After the jury finally approves his death punishment, Socrates found the decision favorable because he will have the hance to cross-examine and investigate those who have deceased, including Troy, Odysseus, and Sisyphos, of whether they are wise or not (Plato 530). Socrates perceives this as his â€Å"infinity of happiness† (Plato 530) if he does meet these great men and other numerous men and women because in the second life, he believes he will gain immortality, and he can infinitely live as a philosopher there. Surely, Socrates has strong desires for gaining knowledge and for living all his life as a philosopher. In conclusion, although there are many ways in which love can be defined, Plato’s definition of eros has been utilized.The definition for this eros love refers to eros being a poor being, eros being the mediator between god and men, and eros being a resemblance of the god of Plenty’s characteristics. In analyzing Socrates of â€Å"The Apology†, we can see how he embodies Plato’s definition of eros and the re asons for this embodiment in many ways. Definitely, Socrates’ personify eros of Plato. Works Cited Page Needleman, Jacob. The Heart of Philosophy. 1st ed. New York: Tarcher/Penguin, 2003. 15-17. Print. Plato, . â€Å"The Apology. † Trans. W. H. D. Rouse  Great Dialogues Of Plato. New York: Signet Classics, 2008. 502-531. Print.

Fires of Jubilee- Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion

August 21, 1861 proved to be a day of sorrow, pain and lessons learned. The Fires of Jubilee is a historical account of the events that led to the bloodiest slave rebellion in southern history. Nat Turner is painted as a fairly intelligent and prophetic slave who believed he was chosen to free his people from their slave bondage. Nat’s rebellion last almost two whole days before being halted by militia men from the state of North Carolina, leaving upwards of 50 whites murdered in the aftermath. Although it took some time to fully accomplish, the rebellion of Nat Turner ultimately led to the freeing of the slaves some years later.The history of the south and slaves was forever changed by the events of the rebellion. Nat Turner’s name will forever be a symbol of black terror and violet retribution and at the same time, a legendary black hero. In the Old South, it was understood that Christianity was not only used to save heathen souls, but also to keep the slaves suppress ed and kept them from striking back against their masters. (Page 14) Southern white slave owners would pick and choose only certain bible lessons for the slaves to be shown.The owners felt that by restricting the knowledge of the slaves, they would be able to keep them inhibited. Words of the bible were twisted to mean different things to the slave population. Slaves were told that if they did not obey their masters and perform their allotted tasks that God would burn them in the flames of an eternal hell. To be good children of God the slaves were to accept their lot, be meek and faithful, patient and submissive, even if their masters were cruel. Slaves were taught to leave it to God to punish.And if they behaved great would be their reward in heaven. Page 14) Nat Turner was a very special slave. From a very young age it was obvious that Nat was intelligent and others around him knew it. People around Nat always thought he would grow up to be a prophet. â€Å"He was like a powerfu l angel whose wings were nailed to the floor. † (Page 69) As Nat grew older he also grew in his faith, he believed himself to be in full favor of God. He prayed daily and spent time in devotion and fasting to his heavenly father. In an attempt to gain more following Nat performed a baptism in the river of a white man.The result was not as he hoped, however it only helped to push him closer to his God. Nat began having visions for a time before the rebellion came into full plan. His visions were often bloody and violent, being described as blacks and whites fighting in battled under a darkened sky while thunder rolled in the heavens. Rivers of blood flowed free about and voices spoke from heaven saying â€Å"Such is your luck, such you are called to see, and let it come rough or smooth, you must surely bare it. † Nat was captivated by these visions and prayed fervently for a revelation.After some time had passed, the Spirit called out to Nat from the heavens saying †Å"Behold me as I stand in the heavens. † Nat looked up and saw the saviors hands stretched forth from east to west, even as they were on the cross on Calvary for the redemption of sinners. † (Page 36) Slave owners and others around town either passed Nat off as crazy or simply did not bother to believe him because he was not an ordained minister. In his own way, Nat was one of the most renowned prophets of his day. He was revered and trusted by many fellow slaves.Nat also claimed to have powers of healing and such. Several men became close confidents of Nat. He had full trust and confidence in his â€Å"lieutenants† as he called them. Four men Hark Travis, Nelson Williams, Jack Reese and Sam Edwards were Nat’s leading men in the rebellion. They were responsible for many things but spent a lot of time spreading discontent within the slave communities keeping them ready and on edge at any moment for the rebellion to begin. Nat’s lieutenants did not kno w a specific plan; he was quite secretive about the dates and details surrounding the rebellion.One of Nat’s visions gave him the final push he needed to bring the plan into full swing. At one point, a black spot appeared on the surface of the sun, for Nat this symbolized a black hand over the sun. This was his sign that God wanted him to rise up against his white enemies. Jehovah was commanding Nat to rise and move. Nat’s trusted generals stayed by his side as this revolt happened without warning. The violence raged on for more than twenty four hours. Many were left dead and dismembered in the aftermath.The consequences of the rebellion were very well known in the state and county. Immediate consequences were obviously the lost lives of the fifty-something whites. Many other slaves lost their lives as the militia began to fight and shut down Nat’s group. The entire county and state was on alert for any suspicious activity coming from any slaves. There was no wa y to tell if this was just the beginning or the ending. Rumors spread quickly throughout the state that Nat’s rebellion was only the beginning and that many other slaves outside of his county were planning to revolt as well.These rumors proved to not be true, but because the residents of the state were on high alert, many innocent, free blacks and slaves were killed simply for being suspicious. There were trials and hangings publicly in Virginia and North Carolina. The lives lost due to this rebellion went far beyond the men and women killed on the first two days by Nat and his crew. Eventually abolitionists were blamed for the rebellion because of their provocative material on flyers and in articles that were in circulation. Many whites believed that the reason for Nat’s rebellion was because of said flyers.No evidence has ever been found showing knowledge of the flyers being associated with Nat. It has come to be known that the true reason is because of Nat’s visions and callings from God; however whites did not want to believe that their God would allow this to happen. On a nationwide level the consequences began to affect many in the north as well. Abolitionists were to blame for all of these problems according to southern whites. Some of the more famous ones such as William Lloyd Garrison and Issac Knapp boldly stated that slaves should be freed immediately.They were believers that â€Å"Negros deserved life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness just like white people. † (Page 129) Many southerners did not agree with the abolitionists’ standings on slavery, in fact a vigilance association in South Carolina offered a $1,500 reward for any agitator convicted of distributing any of the abolitionist flyers or documents. No matter what anyone said, Southerners became increasingly anxious after the rebellion looking for someone to blame for Nat’s stand other than themselves. Things became increasingly hostile towards ab olitionists in the weeks and months after Nat’s revolt.Many in the south blamed the â€Å"Yankees† and made it difficult for people to express freedom of speech. (Page 135) Liberation of the slaves seem to be the only way to guarantee no further uprisings or revolts from the slaves but it was not easy to convince all of the whites of that. After all, they still had much work to be done on their farms and other items needed tending to on their plantations. Many southerners increasingly proclaimed that slavery was an institution and a positive and unequivocal good, condoned by the bible and ordained by God from the beginning of time. Page 143)A senator from Washington, John C. Calhoun made several statements on the subject of slavery. He went on to justify slavery on historical grounds insisting that â€Å"there never has yet existed a wealthy and civilized society in which one portion of the community did not, in point of fact, live on the labor of the other. † ( Page 143) There were many other reasons for not immediately freeing the slaves, on a nationwide level, many in the north were afraid that a radical freeing would cause a rush of newly free African Americans to rush into northern states.Much research and planning was put into the writing of The Fires of Jubilee. Reading the book it is hard to get a feel for exactly what Stephen B. Oates feelings are on slavery and the rebellion. This book has forever changed my opinion on slavery. I have studied about slavery as much as any other college student that is not a history major. Before reading this book, I knew and understood basic events leading up to the emancipation proclamation. This story seems so personal. You really get to know Nat on a personal level.As a Christian myself, I can relate with Nat on wanting to be close to God. I have never had a prophetic vision but I believe it when others tell me of their experiences. I do not feel Nat was right by revolting the way he did but the n again, I have never been in his shoes being suppressed by others around me. Nat was a very strong, god fearing man and I believe he felt his revolt was the only way to bring attention to the problem of slavery. Stephen B. Oates does a wonderful job with his descriptions in the novel.The work is very vivid and I can almost see the pictures in my head playing out like a movie, especially when Nat’s visions are described. I especially liked the ending chapter in the book when Stephen discusses his trip to the 1973 version of Southampton County. Reading his details makes me want to take a road trip just to see the things he seen for myself. I am not sure what would still be standing over 40 years after this book was written but it seems to be worth the trip. This book has given me a new opinion on slavery and how it affected the world that we live in today.I was not expecting to have such a different view on slavery and oppression at the beginning of this reading assignment. Th e story was quite touching even though there were parts that could have been avoided. Nat Turner will be a name I never forget when it comes to slavery. We still have lasting affects in today’s society of slavery. Even though most of the modern day African Americans that exist in my life did not have to deal with slavery, I can understand how they may still be affected by the idea of it.